PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT.’ 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
D. D. T. MOORS, 
Founder and Oonduoting Kditor. 
CHAS. D. BRAGDON, ANDREW S. FULLER, 
yv.«0ooiate Editors. 
HENRY S. RANDALL LL, D., Cortland Village, N. Y., 
Edit.,* or TBi or Shut Himandbit. 
X, A. WILLARD, A. M., Little Falls, N. Y., 
Editor or tma Dbpabtmbnt or Daibt Hoaiandbt. 
G. A. C. BARNETT, Publisher. 
TERMS FOR 1879, IN ADVANCE, 
INCLUDING POSTAGE, WHICH PUBLISHERS PREPAY. 
•Single Copy, $2.65 per Year. To Clubs! -Five Cop¬ 
ies, ami one copy free to Agent or getter up of Club, 
for $13.40; Seven Copies and one free, for $17.20; Ten 
Copies,and one free, $21.50—only 12.15 per copy. The 
above rates Include pOlrfUflr (which we shall he obliged 
to prepay aftor Jan, ]. 1675, under tlio now law,) to 
any part Of the United States, and the American 
postage on till copies malle i to Canada. On papers 
mailed to Europe, by steamer, (lie postage will bo 85 
cents extra—or $3.50in all. Drafts, Post-Oflico Money 
Orders and Registered Letters may be mailed at our 
risk. C"«f* Liberal Premiums to nil Club Agents who 
do not take free copies. Hpeolrucn Numbers Bhow- 
Hltls, Ac., aont free. 
ADVERTISING RATES: 
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No, 78 Duane Street, New York City, and No. 67 
East Main St., (Darrow's Bookstore, Osburn 
House Block,) Rochester, N. Y. 
SATURDAY, JAN. 2, 1S75. 
OUR XXVITH YEAR, 
MOORE'S RURAL MUST STILL BE " EXCELSIOR!" 
The Run At, NEW-VouKK.it (.his week enters 
upon tha Twenty-Sixth Year and Second Quar¬ 
ter of a Century of Jts publication. Since the 
issue of its Initial number how great have been 
tho changes in our own and oilier countries I- 
not only in Kingdoms, Republics and Princi¬ 
palities (vide our own War for the Union and 
the Franco-German Strife, as notable Instan¬ 
ces,) hut in 1 ho position and progress of peoples 
of various lands, and their advance in invention 
and civilization 1 How wonderful the changes, 
events, annexations and 1 runs positions!—and 
all these have been noted, and many of them 
illustrated, in the pages oT this Journal, which 
not ouly “ fit 111 lives” hut enters upon a new 
year under most favorable auspices. 
While we cannot recount or even epitomize 
the history of the past quarter of a century in 
this connection, we devoutly thank Iieaven 
that we liavo been permitted to live and work 
in such an age, and to see inaugurated and de¬ 
veloped many great improvements —not the 
least of which are tho Steam Press, the Tolo- 
graph, and the almost miraculous advancement 
made in systems of soil culture and agricultural 
and other labor-saving machinery. Though we 
may yet be far from tho Millenium, truly and 
verily '‘the World moves,” and its Peoples are 
progressing rather than retrograding. In the 
effort mudo to enhance “Progress and Im¬ 
provement "—mental and moral, as well as 
physical,—tho Rural New- Yorker has al¬ 
ways heartily Jolued, and certainly no journal 
on the Continent has labored more 'zealously 
to promoto the best interests c f the People and 
Country. It has especially regarded and sought 
to enhance the welfare of the Industrial Class¬ 
es, foremost among which it has considered tlio 
Rural Population. Hut it has not alone thought 
of or catered for the interost3 and wants of the 
Sotl Culturlst, the Manufacturer, the Mechanic, 
and other men engaged in Industrial pursuits, 
but been also mindful of aod endeavored to 
alleviate the needs and requirements cf their 
wives, sons and daughters. 
But the Present and Futuro of the Rural are 
of paramount importance row, and hence wo 
rosy not dwell upon th - Past. As to the future 
course and contents of The paper we have no 
special pledgps to make, preferring to refer the 
reader i.o Its previous career and history as in¬ 
dicative of what may generally be expected— 
though we hope to improve with ago, being 
guided by a somewhat extended experience in 
journalism. To the many thousands whom we 
now greet for the first time—the host of new 
subscribers hailing from all sections—it i3 how¬ 
ever proper to repeat, what we have said on 
similar occasions, that “ Our object from the 
commencement of the Rural New-Yorker 
has not been to furnish either an exclusively 
Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific. Educa¬ 
tional, Literary, or News Journal,—but rather 
to combine all these, and thus present a paper 
unequaled In Value, Variety and Usefulness of 
Contents, Our earnest desire has been to make 
it an honest, Independent, reliable and emi¬ 
nently useful Rural, Literary, and Family 
Newspaper correct In its teachings on Prac¬ 
tical Subjects. Instructive and entertaining to 
members of the Family Circle, of high moral 
tone, and entirely free from deception and 
quackery." Such has been our “platform " for 
the past twenty-five years—brief, explicit and 
comprehensive—and such It will continue to 
be; for it is not only right, but has rendered 
the Rural. Nbw-Yohk i;h the most pro porous 
and widely-circulated Journal of Its Class. 
The Rural must continue to be tho " Excel¬ 
sior ” of its class—runkiug “still higher” In its 
important sphere—but to enable us to accom¬ 
plish all we desire in that direction, the aid of 
. Its friends Is necessary and respect fully and 
earnestly solicited. We wish the co-operation 
of Agents, Contributor,, Correspondents —in¬ 
deed of every reader who can In any manner 
second our efforts to render the RURAL New- 
Yorker the liest-flllcd, most widely circulated, 
useful and popular paper in America. With 
this brief exposition of our plans, purposes anti 
aspirations we proceed to the labors of 1875, In 
the full faith that our efforts and wishes will 
be generously sorwnded and regarded by all 
herein addressed. 
— - 
THE SEASON OF GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 
With some people this is the season of good 
resolutions—of “turning over a new leaf;” of 
beginning with vigor to do w hut one may have 
neglected previously, ending with a relapse into 
old habits and customs. We do not take much 
stock in these periodical resolves and resolvers. 
They are generally a wcalc-kneed set. They 
arc apt to boast loudly of their new resolutions, [ 
muck as they would like to display their new 
clothes; hut the resolutions and clothes wear | 
out together, and arc old and cast aside before 
tho year is half gone. 
A resolution which Is not so good that the ad¬ 
hering to it through the ycor ia easy and com¬ 
pensating at every step Is doubtful; or tho man 
who makes a really good one and docs not, find 
such compensation In adhering to it a j will I 
enable him to resist all opposing lnfloec .it 
doubtful. A good resolution never makes a 
man good ; nor does lie necessarily accomplish 
any good because of it. Yet we know that no 
man is likely to do right, do his whole duty, 
reform his mode cf life, if it has been wrong, 
and accomplish new undertakings, which have 
been long projected, unless ho has a will -a 
resolution to do so. 
Accordingly, wo do not believe In “seasons 
of resolutions," any more than we believe in 
being a Christian on Sunday and a scoundrel 
the other aix days of the week. The past, as 
each day rollB by, should have added to our ex¬ 
perience and wisdom. The present is full of 
duties and pleasures which should be respect- ! 
ively performed and enjoyed to tlio uttermost. 
The man or woman who attends strictly, faith¬ 
fully, fully and Intelligently to now— who 
makes that his or her policy—will be so entirely 
absorbed by work, that resolutions will not be 
needed; the past will not be regretted and the 
futuro will not be regarded with apprehension. 
One trouble with most of us is that our good¬ 
ness is always to bo a product of the future, 
not of now I We sit too much in sackcloth and 
ashes and mourn the past which, after culling 
out its lessons and storing them for present 
guidance,should he buried “a hundred fathoms 
deep." Instead of attending as wo should to 
the present moment, we sit and shiver with 
apprehension as to what to-morrow may bring 
forth. We liewnii what in past and fear that 
which is to come, and are thus paralyzed in our 
ability to perform tho present duty or enjoy 
the present pleasure. 
This is neither sound Christianity nor phi¬ 
losophy. It is evidence both of lack of faith 
and mental balance. But it is people of this 
class who conceive and Uttar and break more ! 
good resolutions than any other ou tho foot¬ 
stool. They belong to a class who have ready 
to fall from their lips, always, the injunction 
“Be virtuous and you will be happy; ” aud yet ' 
they seem to be, if we will take their testimony, | 
in a chronic state of unhappiness and discon¬ 
tent with themselves and the world about them 
all the time. We would reverse the injunction 
and make it “Be happy and you will be good.” 
We never knew a happy man who was not a 
good man, aud whose daily life was not full to 
the brim of good deeds worthy of a full grown 
man and citizen. 
We say, at the beginning of the year, don’t 
spend a moment resolving, but consume Time 
as it comes to you, doing what you know ought 
to he done! so shall you have what we wish you, 
a Happy New Year! 
•-- 
COST AND VALUE OF THE RURAL. 
A Pithy and Wise Sermon is preached in 
the following complimentary and logical letter 
from a Walden (Mass.) Farmer. Its points aud 
arguments, though brief, are well put, and we 
wish they could be read by all the wise (or 
rather otherwise than wise) economists who [ 
cannot afford to takesuch a paper astheRuitAL ' 
on account of the hard times, and yet expend ] 
ten to fifty times its cost every year In wbat 
neither heueiBs themselves nor their families 
—as Illustrated on last page of this paper. But 
to the letter, which reads as followeth: 
“I don’t see ary JBOO after my name on the 
label; but U seems to me that my’time is up.' 
Some subscribers may say‘I cannot afford to 
take the Rural another year;* but I cannot 
afford to do without ft—for the harder the times 
the more anyone needs the Rural. Every paper 
has its lessons of Industry and economy. It 
costs but about two-thirds of a cent per dav to 
have the Rural put right Into our hands I tiany 
part of t lit! country. Bow many such papers we 
could afford to take if wo could make up our 
mind to he a little more industrious ami dis¬ 
pense with a few luxuries which are doing us 
more barm than good from day to day! Many 
farmers who would declare they could not af¬ 
ford to pay $2.fi5 a year for the Rural, would 
pay out more than that, amount for pipes to 
smoke (instead of reading) during these long 
winter evening*, and love more than $265 every 
year by not availing theninelvea ot the ideas of 
practical men of Improvement and progress. I 
Inclose my chock tor amount, of subscription i 
for 1875, and will dose by wishing you a pros- j 
pi'.rous and happy New Year." 
RURAL NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Cause of Ihe Rirrnl’s Delay Postage.— This 
number of the Rural will not be mailed “on 
time,” or uh early in the week as usual, for the 
reason that the P. M. of New York refuses to 
receive prepayment of postage funder the new 
law requiring the same after Jan. 1,) until after 
twelve o’clock on Thursday night, Dec. 81st. 
Wo therefore hold our edition until tho hour 
epeclfled, in order that none of our subscribers 
maybe subjected to extra expense. Tlio law 
may be all right, but we do riot admire the 
manner of Its administration. However, we 
presume the red tape will end with this week, 
and that our friends will in future receive their 
papers promptly and free of postage. 
-*♦*- 
Don't Tell Long Stories,—Wo like to hear from 
correspondents on various subjects, practical, 
scientific, literary, etc., and appreciate their 
favors, but we pray one and all to he brie f - 
to omit all unnecessary or superfluous preface 
or circumlocution. If you have anything to 
write for the Rural (and almost every intelli¬ 
gent reader has) give us tho wheat, discarding 
the chaff. We desire to make every line, column 
and pago tell—in fan to give In the Rubai. 
more real facts, and useful, valuable and en¬ 
tertaining reading, than is usually found In 
half a dozen papers of Its size. To aid in ac¬ 
complishing this we have Ju*t rejected a Jnng 
but excellent New-Year’s Story and several 
series of articles—which latter (with the above 
purpose in view) wo abhor as Nature does a 
vacuum. Let us hear from you, good and wise 
friends, but we beseech you to help us in our 
efforts to get at the soul of wit—brevity ! Pray 
“ be short "— condcnxr —hut. Write ! 
■-»♦«- 
.Magnifying Ihe Farmer's Catting. —There is a 
vast amount of sentimental twaddle spoken 
and written with the intent to magnify the 
farmer's vocation, it is sickening. The voca¬ 
tion of the fanner ia good or bad for them, Is 
dignified or the reverse, just in proportion as 
he makes it so. A man is nc> better and no 
worse for being a farmer. A man is a man 
wherever ho is placed, and if he is a real man 
he dignifies any place in which ho is put mnl 
any business he pursues. If ho is an indolent, 
shiftless, ignorant fellow, no vocation w ill give 
litm dignity nor worth. Jt is well enough to 
magnify one's vocation, but it cannot and never 
has been done by words, however eloquent. It 
is what the man docs, not what lie boasts of 
doing or being that gives him and ids position 
character and commands for him and it the 
respect of others. It is well to remember this 
arid not rest upon other people's opinion of the 
dignity of a pursuit for one’s laurels. 
--- 
A Good Exntnple.— A gentleman of Caroline ' 
Co., V.a.,—E. L. It. Dunn— writes us in this sen¬ 
sible and exemplary style” Fur many years 
I have been yohr club agent in another tow n — 
sendingtlio subscriptions to a newspaper agen¬ 
cy,—and noiv 1 would like to gel up a club for 
you at this place. If you will send me by return 
mail specimen copies of the Rural New-York- 
ISU, Show-Bills, Sc., T will do ail J can to obtain 
subscribers for you, 1 think tho Rural the 
best Agricultural and Family Newspaper, com¬ 
bined, that, is published. Send aplenty of sam¬ 
ples." 
— Thanks! We have sent "a plenty of sam¬ 
ples,” etc., and shall be glad to do the same in 
response to future calls, from any aud every 
section. All who wish to benefit their fellow 
townsmen by introducing "to them " the best 
Agricultural and Family Newspaper, com¬ 
bined,” should follow friend Dunn’s example. 
•-- 
Lecture* on the Grange.—HON. T. A. THOMP¬ 
SON, Grand Lecturer of the National Grange P. 
of H., called upon us on Monday, on his return 
from a lecturing excursion tn Massachusetts, j 
Ho this week commences lecturing In New 
York, and will apeak in Tioga, Al egany, Catta¬ 
raugus, Erie, Ontario, Wayne, and Onondaga- 
after which lie will attend tho annual meeting 
of the State Grange at Syracuse, Jan. 12. Mr. | 
Thompson clearly and eloquently sets furtb 
the principles aud purposes of the Order in his 
addresses, and we trust our readers interested 
will hear him whenever opportunity offers. 
How lo Get Rich.— 14 A Youngster” asks the 
Ruhal New-Yorker to tell “him how to get 
rich." Easy enough I Earv something every 
day, collect what you earn and spend, daily, 
leas than you collect, investing the surplus 
where it will be productive. No matter what 
your business is, strive to excel in it and apply 
yourself to mastering it, using all the means 
within your reach iu acquiring information 
that will enable you to do so. Thus will you 
become rich both in knowledge and money. 
The Grn«*hnppcr- Afflicted llcmeslend* are 
likely to be relioved by Congre ss by the passage 
of a bill providing that settlers on public lands 
who have suffered by the ravages of the grass¬ 
hoppers may absent themselves from their 
homesteads for one year without prejudice to 
their title or claim thereto, and extending tho 
time of making final payments on pre-empted 
lands one year. Tills seems to he just, because 
it seems to be necessary. 
■ *»«- 
Thank* io People and I’ re**—For the sub¬ 
stantial, generous and kind “send off” they 
are giving tho Rural ou its twenty-sixth an¬ 
nual voyage. The well-lined letters and cheer¬ 
ing greetings of the former, and the cordial 
complimentary notices of the latter, are most 
gratefully appreciated — stimulating us to re¬ 
newed and greater efforts to promote the good 
cause so long ago espoused. 
— - ■ ■ --»»♦- — - - - 
BUBAL BBEVITIE8. 
Remember that the Western New York Horti¬ 
cultural Society meets at Rochester. Jan. 0 and 
7,1875. 
The Vermont State Dairymen's Association 
will hold its winter Convention at Montpelier, 
Jan. 19-21. 
The American Dairymen’s Association is to 
hold its tenth annual convention at Utica, N. 
Y„ Jan. 12 It, 1875. 
Many Boys and Girls are getting clubs for 
tho Rural, for which they w ill receive hand¬ 
some premiums. 
Four States have lost, the entire fund granted 
them by Congress for the establishment of ag¬ 
ricultural colleges. 
. Honner has Just paid $15,000 for another 
speedy mare called “ Lady Stout.” Verily, Bon¬ 
ner is not " slow 2" 
Cousin Madge will please send us her ad¬ 
dress. Fear we have not space for sketches of 
“ Life in Cuba,” unless very brief. 
W. F. Massey & Co., Chestertown. Md„ send 
> 1 * their very complete catalogue of Flowering 
Plants, Heeds, Small Fruits, &c., for 1875. 
.‘•trangerh into whose hands this number of 
the Ruhal may fall are requested to examine 
the samo and exhibit it to others all of whom 
are invited to subscribe. 
A 28,000 pound ehocso Is to bo made, It is an¬ 
nounced, by the Ohio Western Reserve cheese 
makers for the Centennial Exposition at Phila¬ 
delphia. It will he 18 feet across ami 11 deep. 
The List of Books for sale at this office, and 
sent postage-paid on receipt of price, (see page 
22,) is worthy tho attention of our readers de¬ 
sirous of preserving valuable and special infor¬ 
mation. 
Thanks to Bros, W. T. Tinsley of the Lyons 
Republican, and J. G. P. Holden of the 
Yonkers Gazette, for Cabinet photographs of 
their editorial friends. A more extended notice 
would be given if wo had space. 
The Western Farmer Luis been united with 
the Western Rural, Mr. O. E. Momiow still 
retaining Editorial plane in tfco consolidated 
paper. Both were good pat.era before consoli¬ 
dation; one will bo better for it. 
tnc western txurai, ait. u. w. dioiiiiuw sum 
retaining Editorial place in tho consolidated 
paper. Bot h were good pa j *trs before consoli¬ 
dation; one will bo better for it, 
A CORrtliSl’ONPUNT asks “ Will some reader 
of the Rural New- Yorker in the districts 
wiit-re tlio grasshoppers were so destructive, 
please stuto, through the Rural, what they 
destroy and what, is left by them ?” 
The Rural’S long-time Agent-Friend War¬ 
ner, of Orleans Co., N. Y,, who has already sent 
us nearly one hundred subscribers for 1875, thus 
acknowledges a Premium:—“Tlianl.s for the 
splendid Tea Set, best that lias been ab;>ut 
here.” 
Chicagoans and Illinois horticulturists are 
moving to provide accommodations for the 
American Homological Society In Chicago next 
summer, ft is a tolerably good-sized elephant 
for Chicago, but 11 some one or two follows 
wo.k hard and bleed freely, they may ,-ucceed. 
S. L. Allen & Go, of Philadelphia have Just 
received from the Franklin Institute the award 
of a Silver Medal, accompanied by a Ct niUcata 
of Moiit, for their new Planet Junior < umbined 
Drill and Wheel Hoe. With one exception this 
is the only silver medalawnrdedin the Agricul¬ 
tural Department of the Institute. 
BUSINESS NOTICES. 
Dairymen should send to Messrs. Whitman £ 
Burrill, Little Falls. N. V., for their Catalogues. 
They sell all kinds of Dairy Implements at the low¬ 
est market price. SW Fairbanks’ Scale a specialty. 
Also General Agents for the celebrated Anderson 
Food Steamer. 
To I lie farmer’s wife harvest and pig-kill¬ 
ing times ure trying days, on account of the heavy 
washings. One*half of her time and labor can 
he saved by tho use of Donums’ Electric Soap. 
Try it and he convinced. 
Hearing Restored.—A great invention. Send 
stamp for particulars to 
GEORGE J. WOOD, Madison, Ind. 
The Eureka Machine Silk, 60 and 100-yd*. 
spools, has become the universal favorite. 
