420 
THE RURAL. NEW-YORKER. 
FE8. 4© 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker, 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Conducted by 
KLBBKT E. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEB. 19, 1881. 
We may now announce that the Small 
Fruit Special of the Rural New-York¬ 
er will be dated March 5th. By small 
fruits we mean Grapes, Strawberries, 
Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries 
and Currants. 
- - --- 
The present Free Seed and Plant Dis¬ 
tribution of the Rural New-Yorker will 
be begun in a few weeks. It is our de¬ 
sire and intention to begin it earlier than 
we were enabled to do last year. We are 
now only awaiting the arrival of seed 
from Franoe, ordered a long time ago. 
We have already sent out the White Ele¬ 
phant Potato to many, availing ourselves 
of warm spells. If not received in a per¬ 
fect condition, friends will please notify 
us by postal card. 
- ■ ■ ♦ 
Correspondents sending us specimens 
of fruit, grate, flowers or, indeed, of any 
kind, will confer a favor by writing their 
names and addresses in full upon the 
outside of the package. This is now per¬ 
mitted by the Post-offioe Department. 
- ■■ 
It is a fact worthy of some thought 
that the apple which, through the West 
is considered the most popular and most 
profitable for the orchardist—which sells 
most readily to dealers and to the people, 
should be one which, to use the Prairie 
Farmer’s words, ' ‘ is neither fit to eat nor 
to cook. ” We refer to the Ben Davis. 
-- 
As between German and English 
Ohicoory, we learn that our oofl'ee houses 
prefer the English, but that they import 
the German because it costs less. The 
very best article can be sold here for 
from four to live cents the pound. We 
do not know why every farmer should 
not raise his own Chiccory, The quanti¬ 
ty of this mixed with ground coffee and 
often sold as pure ground coffee is im¬ 
mense, But the adulteration in this 
case is less harmful than coffee itself of 
the best and purest quality. 
— - 
Our “Everywhere” correspondents 
will kindly bear with us that, owing to 
our Special Numbers, their communica¬ 
tions have not received the usual prompt 
attention which we are always glad to 
give them. 
For the same reason we have also been 
obliged to neglect the “ Querist ” De¬ 
partment, as also for the additional rea¬ 
son that we are receiving a greater num¬ 
ber of questions than it is possible to an¬ 
swer without enlarging the space which 
we have devoted to them, thus trenohing 
upon other Departments which may be 
deemed of equal value by our readers. 
—---— 
The American Magnum Bonum Po¬ 
tato was sent to us by the originator last 
Spring for trial. It was tested at the 
Rural Grounds—not at the Rural Farm, 
as it should have been—and no record 
was kept either of the quantity of seed 
planted or of the yield. But this we may 
say : The yield was large and the quality 
of the potato excellent. We learn that 
this has been tested in many parts of the 
country, and that the reports are gen¬ 
erally very favorable. It is rather un¬ 
fortunate, in view of its becoming a 
standard variety, that there is an English 
Magnum Bonum, whioh, besides being 
much thought of in England, is likewise 
favorably reported upon here. Both 
kinds are now offered by American seeds¬ 
men. 
Many writers upon horticultural topics 
recommend smearing the tr unk s of trees 
with meat or blood, the use of tarred pa¬ 
per, tying laths, <$rc., about them as a pro¬ 
tection against the depredations of rab¬ 
bits. 
Our attention was called a week or so 
ago to the fact that rabbits were gnawing 
and bitiDg oft the smaller branches of our 
low-growing young fruit trees. The main- 
stem was in no case harmed. These 
stems had previously been washed with 
a mixture of lime, whale-oil soap, &c. 
Attributing their escape from rabbit at¬ 
tacks to this wash, we at once washed all 
of the branches within reach of the rab¬ 
bits with the same wash. So far as we 
can ascertain the rabbit depredations 
have ceased. 
- - 
From his reply to a letter of ours, writ¬ 
ten to Dr. J, B. Lawes, of England, re¬ 
specting the extent to which our corn was 
influenced by the fertilizer used, we take 
the liberty of printing the following : 
“I am disposed to hold the same opin¬ 
ion as yourself that the bone has little to 
do with the immense yields. At the 
same time the food must come from 
somewhere. All our experiments are 
tending more and more to draw the line 
between the food which plants obtain 
from the atmosphere and that which they 
obtain from the soil. When once this is 
done ; when we cease looking up to the 
air for the fertility which is all the while 
lving under our feet, we shall then Bee 
plainly very much which is at present 
obscure. England is experiencing the 
most severe Winter which has occurred 
since 1838-9. I think there is sufficient 
snow to protect the wheat. ” 
Short-horn Cattle Sales at Auc¬ 
tion in England for the Year 1880.— 
We find a report of this in the London 
Live Stock Almanac, by Mr. Thornton. 
The total sales were 46; the number 
of animals sold 1.738. The highest price 
obtained was 2,000 guineas ($10,000); 
the lowest price two and a half guiueas 
($12.50); the average price of each £35, 
4s. 6d. (about $170); the total amouut 
£61,220, 4s. 6d. (about 294,000). We do 
not know how this compares with the 
American auction 6ales for 1880, but 
presume Mr. Allen will give them to us 
in his forthcoming volume (the 20th) of 
the Short-horn Herd Book, which will be 
published in a few weeks. But there is 
this difference between English and 
Amerioan sales to be considered, in esti¬ 
mating the whole number of Short-horns 
sold on each side of the Atlantic the 
past year, those in England being chiefly 
at auction, while those in America were 
largely made privately, of which no 
record is made or can be obtained. 
- ■» ♦ »- 
THE FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. 
This has again become very virulent in 
England, and is doing great injury to the 
herds there. Up to the middle of Janu¬ 
ary it had already appeared in 29 coun¬ 
ties, and was rapidly spreading over the 
kingdom. The effect of this will be very 
disastrous to horned stock, and lessen the 
production of calves materially for the two 
coming years at least. This is a deplor¬ 
able calamity to English farmers, follow¬ 
ing the disastrous weather and short) bad 
harvest of the years 1867, ’8 and ’9. The 
effect will be to make a greater demand 
for American dead meat and cattle, whioh 
we shall do well to strive to meet with an 
improved quality of beef. At the same 
time we have to look out sharp to see 
that the disease does not spread in our 
herds at home. It is to be hoped that 
Congress will not adjourn till a general 
effective law is passed to meet this dan¬ 
ger. It may save us ultimately from 
great disaster and terribly heavy losses. 
Without such a law no man’s cattle are 
safe in America, for single State laws can¬ 
not prevent the spread of the disease. 
-» • »- 
OUR GREAT CROP. 
The Iowa State Agricultural Society 
has reoently published some curious facts 
with regard to the productions of that 
great Western State. Among the figures 
those relating to corn are the most curi¬ 
ous. The product of corn last year was 
over 230,000,000 bushels, grown on near¬ 
ly 5,750,000 of acres, yielding an aver¬ 
age of 40 bushels per acre. The value of 
the crop was more than 50 per cent, 
greater than that of wheat. But estimat¬ 
ing the quantity consumed in the State at 
the very liberal amount of 40 bushels per 
head for horses, mules and horned beasts, 
cows included; 10 bushels for every hog; 
half a bushel for each person, and 5,000,- 
000 bushels for manufactures (whiskey 
chiefly), there is left more than 100,000,*- 
000 of bushels for disposal in other direc¬ 
tions. As the whole of the foreign ex¬ 
port was only 100,000,000 bushels last 
year, clearly all the surplus from Iowa 
could not have gone abroad. Where then 
did it go ? How much was purchased iu 
the Southern, Middle and Eastern States 
and used by farmers there ? Probably 
the disappearalice may be explained in 
that way. There is an ample outlet in 
foreign countries for all the Western corn 
that can be grown. Our exports are 
growing enormously and the more the 
Europeans get of our oom the more they 
want of it. In 1879 the exports were 77,- 
000,000 bushels ; in 1880 there were more 
than 100,000,000. What they will be in 
five or ten years who can guess ? 
THE COTTON INDU8TRY 
The late census report exhibits some 
interesting figures concerning cotton man¬ 
ufacture in this country. The greatest 
increase in the number of looms is in the 
New England States, where in 1870 there 
were 114,982. and in 1880 185,743, an in¬ 
crease of 70,761, and the number of spin¬ 
dles now in operation being 8,806,317 
against 6,498,308 ten years ago. 
The increase in the consumption of cot¬ 
ton in the different portions of the Union 
is noticeable. 
In New England the increase in ten 
years is 83 per cent.; in the Southern 146 
per cent.; in the Middle States 18 per cent, 
and in the Western 150 per cent., and the 
whole number of pounds of cotton con¬ 
sumed by the manufacturies as shown by 
the last report is 304,893,650 greater than 
in 1870. 
The Middle States, it appears, are fall¬ 
ing far behind the others in cotton man¬ 
ufacture. Pennsylvania actually con¬ 
sumes less cotton than in 1860, while the 
South, although laboring under a pro¬ 
tective tariff' on machinery of 37} per 
cent., now manufactures more than all 
the Middle and Western States together. 
The business which the South is des¬ 
tined to do in the line of raising and 
manufacturing cotton will be unrivaled. 
An enormous amount of capital can be 
saved by manufacturers there as soon as 
they possess the advantages whioh New 
England has in improved machinery, and 
as long as their management is economi¬ 
cal and skillful. 
The saving in labor, freights, commis¬ 
sions and cost of material will enable 
them to compete with the sisters States, 
and could the oppressive duties on cotton 
machinery be removed, mills in the South 
would be greatly increased in number 
and efficiency. 
-- 
FOOD ADULTERATION. 
The adulteration of food, condiments 
and beverages, has become an immense 
business from which some very respect¬ 
able people derive very respectable prof¬ 
its. But all this is so artfully done that 
in many articles of diet it is quite impos¬ 
sible for the majority of people to detect 
the “cheat,” and we are inclined to 
praise the skill displayed in this work at 
the same time that we denounce this pol¬ 
icy of deception. 
Many people would not seriously ob¬ 
ject to eating oleomargarine, knowing it 
to be snob, but they do objeot to eating 
it for butter. When sold as oleomarga¬ 
rine it is well enough, for when properly 
manufactured it is much more wholesome 
and nutritious thau poor butter. 
Pulverized sugar has many properties 
that would not make it “half so sweet” 
if we knew what they were. The pres¬ 
ence of certain acids is necessary in order 
to correct the dull, yellow color of the 
cane sugar, and glucose is now largely 
used in sugar manufacture, so largely, in¬ 
deed, in one instance that it is said a sin¬ 
gle firm in one year realized as profits 
$1,000,000 on a capital of $400 000. Glu¬ 
cose sirup mixed with low grade molasses 
makes an excellent golden sirup, which 
sells well in market, or when allowed to 
harden it can be ground up aud mixed 
with low-grade dark-brown sugar, and a 
substance results having the appearance 
of a refined, light-brown sugar, though 
not quite as sweet. 
Is it necessary to speak of milk adul¬ 
teration ? What did the analysis of 45 
caiis of milk in New York show ? Simply 
that the quantity of water extennation 
was about one quart to three and that in 
this way water was bringing the oom- 
fortable prioe of eight or ten cents per 
quart. Not much, indeed, if one were 
dying of thirst on the Great Desert, but 
rather high here. And so we might go 
on through the list, finding iu confection¬ 
ery almost every metallic poison known 
to science; in coffee, various quanti¬ 
ties of chiccory and other substances; 
in certain teas, 35 per cent, of poisonous 
substauces; iu pickles, blue vitriol and 
alum ; iu pepper, mustard husks, etc., to 
the extent, iu an extreme case, of 98 
pounds to two pounds of pure pepper, 
and m vinegar oorrosive sublimate was 
found. It is gratifying to know that, in 
some sections of the country, not only 
individuals but corporations are becom¬ 
ing thoroughly awakened to this kind of 
fraud and imposition, and are waging an 
unrelenting warfare against it, and we 
trust that at no distant day such preven¬ 
tive means will be used as that no article 
shall be sold, in quantities large or small, 
under any other name than its proper one. 
BREVITIES:, 
% 
- r_ 
The present Winter will prove a severe 
test as to the hardiness of the Japan Maples. 
Oars are not harmed as yet. 
All accounts, thus far. from those who 
have constructed silos and are feeding the en¬ 
silage, are favorable to the system. 
Wb see that a sovereign for three or four 
miles was not, an uncommon charge by the 
cabmen of London during the late / snow 
obstructions. 
Owing to a press of matter in this week’s 
issue of the Rural, the reports of the Mangels 
have been crowded out. They will be pre¬ 
sented next week. 
Those of onr small fruit growers who have 
bad any experience with the Bid well Straw¬ 
berry would oblige us by communicating the 
results of snch experience. 
Mr. W. A. Westoott, of Vienna, is the only 
one who has correctly read the Rebus in the 
Corn number of the Rural. “ Thistle bee 
acorn a dish on ”—This will be a corn edition. 
All subscription* received after this date, vritt 
be placed on onr lists k> receive the Rural New- 
Yorker one year, counting from the dale when 
the subscription is received. We have no back 
numbers . 
Generally speaking, we havealikiug—not 
to say a respect—for “ old-fashioned " things. 
But the present Winter has been quite too old- 
fashioned to suit us. It has gone to an extreme 
—and ** extremes meet.” 
A petition has been signed by many pray¬ 
ing the Legislature of Massachusetts to Inves¬ 
tigate the whole question of ensilage—what 
crops are best for the pnrpoae and at what 
stage to cut them. Our agricultural colleges, 
especially that at Lansing, Mich., should test 
the question. 
The New York Sun in its agricultural col¬ 
umns expresses the opinion that the best thing 
to be done is to abolish the Department of 
Agriculture at once, for the reason that good 
and efficient men have never been selected as 
Commissioners. Working upon this plan 
throughout, what should we do for a Govcrn- 
m nt? 
Lost Nation and White Russian Spring 
wheats seem to have done well in Western 
Canada. Some of our W’inter Lost Nation was, 
as an experiment, planted (by hand) about a 
foot apart each way upon a fiuely-prepared 
seed-bed. If there Is any weakness about this 
variety, the present trying Winter will ho very 
likely to reveal it. 
Chiccory does be6t in land suitable for, and 
treated the same as, carrots. It is best to sow 
in drills about two feet apart on well prepared 
land. It Is just as important as with onions 
that the land Bbould be kept rid of weeds nutll 
the chiccory is well started. Artk-rwaids it is 
as well able as any plant we know of to “take 
care of itself.” In the drill the plants should 
be thinned to about a foot apart. The roots 
sbonld be washed and dried ; then roasted and 
ground. It lb said that chiccory is a valuable 
plunt as forage for sheep. We should like to 
hear from some of our sheep husbandry writ¬ 
ers on the subject, as we have had no experi¬ 
ence ourselves. 
Premature Calves —The late Earl Spen¬ 
cer, registered the result of pregnancy ot 7(54 
cows, aud found that no live cal£ was bora 
under the 220th day from the service of the 
bull; and that he had never been able to rear 
one born under the 242nd. day. A writer in 
the English Agricultural Gazette, adds to this, 
that he has a calf dropped the 240th day after 
service, und it is as fat and lively a calf of its 
age as one commonly sees, being three months 
and seven days old at the time of his writing. 
This birth was two days less than the record 
of Earl Spencer. It was the produce of a 
Herd Book Short-horn cow, which tells some¬ 
thing In favor of this floe, high bred race of 
cattle. 
A report on the varieties of cane best 
adapted for sirup and sugar, made to the Mis¬ 
sissippi Valley Cane Growers’ Association, 
states that Early Amber is the earliest of all, 
and is valuable for its light-colored sirnp 
which is rich in sugar. But there are objec¬ 
tions to it south of the 4(Kh parallel. Early 
Hybrid ripens five to ten days later. It has a 
large cane and is well adapted to poor soils, 
but it Is liable to lodge on rich soils. The 
Kansas Orange is superior to the Amber as to 
yield and quality of sirup—200 gallons being a 
fair yield. This ripens about ten days later 
than the Amber. The Rtrly Orange Is at least 
15 days later than the Amber und yields 
50 per cent. more. Its sugar is superior. This 
and Kansas Orange are recommeuded in the 
report for the main cropR in the latitude of 40 
and south and for trial north. 
Ostbioh farming is taking the place of sheep 
husbandry iu some parts of Caoe Colony. Ad¬ 
vices of a late date from Port Elizabeth tell us 
that thereabouts farm after farm is being 
cleared of sheep to make room for ostriches 
which had become “all the rage” us no other in¬ 
dustry is so profitable. Recently several joint- 
stock companies had been started for woiking 
the farms on a largo scale. The exports of 
feathers from the above little port during the 
first nine months of last year amount-, d to 
over half a million pounds sterling, or about 
$2,500,000. The demand was fully up to the 
increased supply, and while prices were ex¬ 
cellent for ordinary feathers, there was the 
keenest competition for choice specimens. 
The method of ostrich farming nt the Cape of 
Good Hope was fully described in a profusely 
illustrated article in the Rural for April 27, 
1878. We have not heard that any one has em¬ 
barked in the business in this country, though 
it might be found profitable in Borne sections. 
