riax  Ciiltnro  in  tlio  Wost.— In- 
orciwit'd  intorost  is  inanifesk’il  in  several  of 
tlie  Westorn  States  in  regard  to  flax  cnl- 
Inro  'which,  ve  believe,  'will  be  of  vast 
lienelit  to  the  famiers  in  tlie  regions  enter¬ 
ing  into  the  cnltim*  of  this  enjp.  It  re¬ 
quires  a  rich  soil,  and  nowhere  else  in  the 
world  is  there  such  a  vast  area  of  it  as  in 
the  West ;  hence  the  farmers  tlierc  should 
take  advantage  of  these  circumetajices  and 
reaj)  a  jjrofit  thendnim.  In  regiird  to  tlio 
introiluction  of  this  ])Uuit  into  America,  it 
is  supposed  that  the  first  seed  was  lirought 
over  fnnii  Euglaud  as  early  as  ld29,  soon 
so<jn  after  tlie  fiber  commeneed  hi  he  used 
and  woven  hy  hand,  and  about  fifty  yciirs 
later  factories  wore  erected  in  iSIassachu- 
setta.  It  is  time,  however,  tliat  we  were, 
enabled  b>  raise  all  tlic  flax  reipiired  for 
liome  use,  luther  for  thread  or  cloth,  and 
that  the  importation  of  Irish  liiiims  cease. 
and  the  reason  why  it  circulates  so  slowly 
is  that  there  are  e/imparatively  few  men 
in  any  kind  of  husmess  at  the  present  time 
who  can  find  opportunities  for  irmploying 
it  with  a  fair  jirospcct  of  a  moderate  re¬ 
turn  upon  the  investment. 
It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  men 
who  firefer  to  ])ut  their  spare  capital  out 
at  interest  instead  of  employing  in  trade, 
would  aceejjt  five  or  six  per  cent,  per 
annum  if  they  could  ou  equally  as  good 
semirit.y  get  more. 
fl'he  same  rtde  holds  good  iu  all  branches 
of  trade  ;  hence  it  is  iinrcasonable  as¬ 
sert,  as  iminy  have  done,  that  capitalists 
arc  combining  U>  dcjiress  trade  for  the 
puJ’])OHe  of  iiiakiug  money  out  of  IJie  pe¬ 
cuniary  necessities  of  the  masstis,  as  it  is 
not  iiossible  that  any  considerable  num¬ 
ber  of  our  ])eo]de  can  sillier  financial  em- 
barrassniont  ivithout  tlie  whole  being 
allecled. 
If  there  is  an  Eastern  deraiuid  for  the 
products  of  tJje  West,  capitalists  will  come 
forward  and  furnish  the  funds  necessary 
to  move  them,  provided  there  is  suffieieiit 
margin  for  profit  to  c<iver  tlie  risk  incur¬ 
red,  otherwise  capital  seeks  other  chan¬ 
nels.  The  all-powerful  law  of  “  supply 
and  demantl”  rules  in  money  matters  ns  it 
does  in  the  price  ol  jioliihJCS,  and  we  can 
see  only  one  way  out  of  our  present  liiiaii- 
cial  difficulties  os  a  people,  and  that  is  to 
“PROGRESS  AKD  IMPROVEMENT 
ANDREW  S.  FULLER,  Editor 
Associate  Editor 
ELBERT  S,  CARMAN 
X.  A.  WILLARD,  A.  M.,  Little  Falls,  N.  Y., 
EmTOH  or  THK  P»PAItT«ltNT  or  pAIHY  HUHBANI'KV 
<i.  A.  C.  IIAKNETT,  rnl.lUlier, 
TERMS  FOtl  1876,  IN  ADVANCE, 
INCLtJDlNfi  POHTA13K,  WHICH  I'l'HI.IAHERH  PRErAT. 
SinKlo  Couy,  ppr  Vt>ar.  To  I'liibn  :-Flvo  Onp- 
IRH,  anO  one  copy  Xroo  lo  Aijcni  or  Rotior  op  of  Club. 
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Orders  and  UOKlAtercd  l.cttcru  may  1>0  mailed  at  our 
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Li  ins.,  20  perct.:  26  Ins.,  '25  per  ct.:  o2  Ins.,  per  ct. 
I3f  No  advertisement  Insorted  for  less  than  >3. 
I  iilfroHtiiig  lo  Scribblor.s. — It  is 
repo7’k>d  that  a  river  of  genuine  ink  has 
been  discovcroil  in  Algeria.  It  is  formed 
by  the  union  of  two  streams,  one  coming 
from  a  region  of  ferruginous  soil,  the 
other  draining  a  pent  swam[i.  The  w'ater 
of  the  former  is  strongly  impregnated 
witli  iron,  that  of  the  latter  with  gallic 
acid.  When  the  two  waters  mingle,  tlie 
acid  of  the  one  miitiw  with  the  iron  of  the 
other,  forming  a  true  ink.  If  somebody 
would  only  find  a  river  of  pruiters’  ink, 
then  jiiiblishers  might  rejoice  as  well  as 
editors. 
Dogs  Jintl  Sheep. — Some  men  will 
keep  a  dog  or  dogs — that’s  a  settled  ques¬ 
tion.  Now,  let  those  who  desire  to  keep 
sheep  also  keep  dogs,  lint  of  hreiaks  whicli 
will  protect  their  flocks.  A  goftd  well 
traiiHHl  shepherd  dog  is  an  animal  worthy 
of  the  alleetioTi  of  mankind  and  esjiccially 
valuable  to  the  farmer,  as  he  can  nsiinlly 
do  more  WTirk  of  a  certain  kind  tlian  a 
man,  and  will  guard  flocks  against  intrud- 
hig  curs  of  low  degree. 
Address 
RURAL  PUBLISHING  CO., 
78  Duane  Street,  New  York  City 
-  -7  sJ _ 
Gliizotl  IJutter. — We  have  heard 
considerable  about  “  gilt-edged  ”  butter 
of  late,  but  a  latter  inveutiou  is  glazed  but¬ 
ter.  'J’he  butter  is  first  put  up  in  nice 
rolls,  and  then  just  before  being  sent  to 
market  a  little  sugm-  is  dissolved  in  warm 
water  and  then  a  small  (juautity  of  the 
niixtiu'e  poured  over  each  roll,  or  just 
enough  to  melt  the  surface  and  leave  a 
glossy  polish. 
Csistor  Oil  Iteaiis. — It  is  stated  that 
Iviiiisas  now  Iciuls  in  the  culture  of  castor 
beaus,  and  her  last  year’s  cro[)  was  not 
loss  than  SiioO.OdO,  (Irasshoiipcrs  refuse 
to  eat  the  leaves  of  tliis  plant,  and  as  it 
gi'ows  thriftily  and  yields  well  on  the  prai¬ 
ries,  tliere  is  no  good  reason  why  Kaiisas 
should  nut  supply  the  world  with  castor 
oil. 
SATURDAY,  MAY  20,  1876. 
SHEUNKEN  POETUNES, 
RUEAL  NOTES  AND  aUERIES 
Thebe  are  doubtless  many  of  our  reiul- 
ers  residing  in  the  counti7,  luid  especially 
iu  the  Western  Btates,  who  think  the 
“  hard  times  ”  do  not  afl’cet  the  wealthy 
men  in  our  larger  cities.  We  are  the 
more  strongly  impressed  that  there  is  such 
au  idea  prevalent  among  the  masses  from 
the  tone  of  the  leaders  in  some  of  our 
c  inntry  contemjiovarios,  who  frequently 
denounce  the  cajiitalists  iu  our  great  mon¬ 
eyed  ccutei'S  for  not  pushing  husiness  ns 
they  did  years  ago — tliereby,  to  use  a 
common  phrase,  “  make  the  times  better. 
But  we  can  assure  our  readers  that  it  is 
all  a  gross  mistake  to  assume  that  enjiital- 
ists  have  not  siifl'ered  liy  the  dejiressiuii 
of  trade,  as  miieli  iu  proportion  hi  this 
means,  as  the  poorest  man  in  the  land,  or 
that  they  would  not  lie  as  nuieli  pleased 
and  ns  anxious  to  see  liusiuess  of  all  kinds 
revive,  as  any  other  class  of  our  peo])le. 
Then*  is  scarcely  a  man  of  menus  in  our 
great  cities — and  especially  tliose  owning 
real  estate  or  engaged  iu  trade  of  any  kind 
—who  has  not  seen  liis  propertj'  gradually 
shrink  in  value  from  twenty-five  to  fifty 
per  cent,  during  the  past  half  dozen  yeiu’s, 
with  no  power  to  iirevent  it.  Men  who 
owned  real  estate  valued  at  a  million  of 
dollars  five  years  ago,  could  not  realize 
one  half  that  smii  for  it  to-day,  and  to  add 
to  theii'  misfortune,  tlie  income  from  the 
same  has  also  declined  in  proi>ortion, 
while  taxes  are  continuidly  on  the  in¬ 
crease. 
Money  flows  into  our  hanks  and  other 
depositories,  simiily  because  there  is  no 
deman <1  for  it  elsewhere,  and  humlred&  of 
capitalists  who  a  few  years  since  were 
using  their  money  in  taide  -where  it 
brought  them  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent.,  me 
only  b-io  glad  to  invest  in  safe  securities 
at  foiu’  or  five.  This  certaiidy  dot«  not 
show  great  prosperity,  eveu  among  our 
most  wealthy  citizens,  or  tliat  the  present 
depression  of  business  is  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  a  circulating  medium  or  high 
rates  of  interest. 
Ill  fact,  money  is  about  the  cheat>est 
and  most  abundant  tiling  in  the  mai'kiet. 
More  Money  f’or  — The  Unit¬ 
ed  States  Fish  Coramissionei-s  have  a.sked 
Congress  to  appiupriate  $17,000  for  eon- 
tinuiiig  the  propagation  and  introduction 
of  fish  into  tJie  public  waters  of  the  United 
States.  While  we  have  no  jiartieuhir  uh- 
jectiou  to  seeing  our  lalies  and  rivers 
stocked  witli  fish  at  the  expense  of  the 
jiiiblic  and  for  the  iR'tvmumxlntion  <»f 
certain  siiorting  gentlemen,  and  give  em¬ 
ployment  to  fish  lireeilers  and  fishermen, 
still  when  our  Western  farmers  asked  for 
a  like  sum  to  aid  them  iu  fighting  insect 
foes,  which  desti’oy  millions  of  dollars’ 
worth  of  their  crops  amiutdly,  Congress 
refused  it.  We  hope  they  will  renierabt'r 
this,  if  Trof.  Haiku,  tlie  Cluef  of  the  Fish 
Commissioners  obtains  the  aiijiropriatiou 
he  has  asketl  for.  We  alsti  understand 
that  the  said  Fisli  (’ommissiouers  object 
b)  any  resti’ictiims  lieing  placed  uiion  the 
Fishermen  who  slaughttT  unnecessarily 
millions  of  the  finny  ti'i lie  in  our  larger 
lakes  and  riviTS,  as  it  is  claimed,  tliat  a 
new  stock  can  be  jiiit  in  by  the  fisli  bi'eed- 
ors  f<ir  a  less  sum  than  it  would  cost  to 
enforce  restrictive  laws.  This  may  ai>pear 
verv  Tilausible  from  the  fish  breeders 
RURAL  BREVITIES, 
WHO  IS  EESPONSIBLE? 
“The  child  is  father  to  the  man,”  has 
been  sagely  remarked.  AVith  this  con¬ 
stantly  before  our  eyes,  what  a  terrible 
generation  can  we  see  for  tlie  futui'c ! 
The  press  teems  with  descriiitioiis  of 
juvenile  crimiiiala  ami  their  horrilile 
crimes.  Child  pickpockets  of  botli  sexes 
infest  tlie  large  city,  while  the  boy  iu- 
cendiiuy  and  burglar  are  not  absent  al¬ 
ways  fixim  rural  jiopiilatiou.  These,  then, 
are  fatliers  to  the  future  men?  Unde¬ 
niably  so !  Look  however,  at  the  homes 
_ when  perchance,  the  jioor  things  have 
any— in  wliich  one  of  tliis  eriiiiinal  class 
lias  hecn  reared,  and  ask  yourself  if  you 
would  have  lieen  much  better,  reared 
from  infaiioy  in  a  si  miliar  place  and  tvitb 
similar  snrrouudiugs.  Nursed  by  au  ig¬ 
norant,  low  mother,  possessing  none  but 
the  vilest  instincts,  who  in  turn  draws 
largely  for  her  information  upon  the  stock 
possessed  by  a  diuiiiken  husband,  the 
child’s  impressible  mind  soon  absorbs  its 
daily  lesson  of  immorality  and  crime  irtth- 
out  eveu  a  thought  of  anything  better. 
Shall  we  blame  that  child  for  his  acts? 
This  is  a  social  problem  M'hich  all  can 
solve  correctly  at  once.  A  dili'erence  of 
opmion  can  hardly  arise  upon  the  subject. 
Some  will  here  put  the  question  : — “  But 
suppose  the  child  has  good  parents  and 
good  suiToiindings  and  then  goes  to  the 
hiul  as  is  frequently  the  case  ?  How  will 
you  account  for  that?”  Here  we  are 
brought  to  the  heart  of  the  matter  and 
must  account  for  it  if  possible. 
Upon  the  question  of  good  parents  and 
good  surroumliugs,  there  is  an  opening 
for  diflerences  of  opinion.  A  ghi  or  a  boy 
may  be  well  fed,  well  clotliod,  sent  legu- 
Katc.s  of  Dost  age  iti  Canatla.— 
If  the  present  high  rates  of  postage  ou 
seeds,  plants,  and  cuttings  and  other 
tliird-class  matter  is  continued,  our  seeds¬ 
men  lUid  nurseiymeu  may  find  it  cheaper 
to  send  their  mailable  stock  over  to  Can¬ 
ada  and  pay  the  ^lostage  from  there  in¬ 
stead  of  putting  it  into  the  mail  at  home. 
In  Canada  the  rates  of  postage  on  third- 
class  matter  is  only  four  cents  per  pound, 
while  in  this  country  it  is  sixteen,  and  we 
can  take  advantage  of  the  treaty^  between 
the  two  countries  in  this  way  :  Seodsmon 
and  others,  having  hirge  quantities  cif 
third-class  matter  to  send  out  can  send  it 
to  a  Ciuiadian  post-office,  prepay  tlie  four 
cents  a  pound,  and  finni  thence  it  will  go 
free  to  any  part  of  the  United  States. 
This  has  aheady  hecn  done  by  some  of 
our  seedsmen,  and  unless  a  cliauge  is 
soon  minle  iu  the  postal  treaty  between 
the  two  cmiutries  it  mtH  soon  be  practiced 
to  an  extent  which  must  show  our  Con¬ 
gressmen  that  they  have  made  a  mistake 
iu  increasing  the  old  mtes  one  hundred 
per  cent. 
MUCH  of  the  White  Lead  sold  as  pure  is  adulter¬ 
ated  from  20  to  50  per  cent.  Every  ke:r  of  Eckstein, 
Hills  &  Co.’s  “  Phceulx”  brand  White  Head  is 
warranted  pcTfectly  pure,  white,  tine  and  durable. 
