309 
MAY 7 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A DREAM OF [PARNASSUS. 
The Era of Cheap' Bonks, awl what the Immortals 
thtnk about it. 
I slept where the moon, serenely bright, 
Shone full In my face through a Summer night i 
I dreampt I was in a Laud of Liirht. 
With Fieldiu* and Moore and Shelley and White, 
And Shakespeare and Milton—a iroodly eight 1— 
With Addison. Dryden, and other*, quite 
Too numerouB to mention ; 
And there the worthies, oue and ail, 
■Whom we the " classical authors” call; 
Beneath the shade of Parnassus tall, 
On Pegasus Place, in Uelicou Hall. ~~ 
Were holding a big convention. 
Virgil wansiltiinf beside Voltaire, 
Boccacio chatting with Dumas, pern, 
And Pope curled up lu the comer there, 
While o.d Sam Johnson was in the chair, 
Wall eyed and grim, with carroty hair, 
And he said. “ Of course you are all aware, 
Of Die Uteet earthly advices : 
The publishers srenito no going to smash 
Beneath the great * economy’ lash. 
For the Book Eichauge is cutting a dash 
Exceedingly reckless and awfully rash 
In selling for almost nothing for cash, 
And ruining regular prices ! 
I hold In my hand a letter from four 
American publishers who feel sore. 
And they speak for a score, or possibly more, 
Who live by a traltlc in printed loro. 
I read.' We pray from this earthly shore— 
Ye authors of old attend ns I 
O, give u» alift in this hoar of need, 
For the publishing business is going to seed; 
The Book Exchange is making with speed 
As many books au the folks can read, 
And soiling disgracefully low. Indeed; 
It cheapens your tiu k>— for you we plead I— 
Ye talented ghosts, dofeud usl * ” 
“ What word shall we send to this earthly band?” 
Then Scott, with Qouu LituuatViiig in hand. 
Arose (Amid cries of “ 'I'alte the stand 1”) 
And said. *• This scheme will poMsoas the land; 
No good is the Harper or Scribner brand. 
While Alden shows that, he can command 
The brains of sage aud scholar: 
A shilling for Pope—good binding on; 
The same for the uoeins of Tennyson; 
Six cents for your Pilgrim’s Progress, John; 
l-'or the Iliad, thirty cents; and Don 
V.uixotofcr half a dollur I” 
Then Chaucer said, “ I am rather old. 
But I am mighty glad this day to be told 
How cheap my Canterbury Tales are sold. 
And the poets and wits ol’ the Queen Ann fold, 
Steele the bright and Do Foe tho bold, 
Berkeley the sober and Swift the scold. 
Front tho turns of Sir Walter Kaleigh; 
(Shakespeare’* works, and Smollett’s and Sterne’s, 
Bacon. Bolingbroke, Byron aud Burns; 
Aud Babiuglon Lord Macauley." 
Charles Dickons said, ” ’Twould be foolish to let 
Good luck of mortals cause regret; 
For the price or a theater-ticket they get 
Milman's Gibbon—the perfect set— 
Dante aud Virgil, t*->shillings net. 
For a dollar Adam Smith on Debt. 
Aud Mill on the Laws of Nations; 
And 1 stso by tins wondrous circular 
Set up by tho Bools Kxchange that for 
Three cents you get the Seven Years’ War 
For a dime King Henry of Navarro, 
And for thrice the price of a good cigar 
Will. Shakespeare’s inspirations.” 
Then Goldsmith roso and expressed it thus ; 
“ It is simply a case of de gustibus. 
But I see no reason for all this f mm. 
For publishers never did much for us, 
While ueedy. Summer and Winter; 
Therefore, confreres, 1 hold this view: 
The high-price houses are doubtless blue, 
But unto the man our thanks are duo 
Who sends our thoughts each palace through, 
And into the humblest cottage too. 
For the Many are always more than the Few 
And the People ure more than the Printer!” 
A slight, shade rose—’twas Edgar Poo— 
Who said. *’ I’ve been talking here with De Foe; 
We agree, and the ancients have told us so, 
That who makes two printed leaves to show 
"Where only oue did formerly grow 
Is as good a man as we wsut to know; 
And this tetter here, from the realms below, 
Keveals its earthly animus , 
I move it be not received!" About 
A thousand voices removed all doubt, 
Ben Johnson and Hutlcck and Hood spoke out, 
Kit North aud Irving and Father lTout, 
’Mid a storm of cheers and a mighty shout, 
And the motion passed -unanimous! 
* This unique production Is rrom the pen of one of 
the most widely celebrated of American humorists, 
who. in this case, seems disposed to add to bis fame by 
assuming the even more widely known name." Anony¬ 
mous.” The Manager of Dm American Book Exchange 
wishes It to be distinctly understood that he is not re¬ 
sponsible for either tho title*. rh> mes. or price! The 
far-sighted i*x:t who is able thus to report the conven¬ 
tion on ParuaHsiis has, perhaps, also hail u vision of 
some future catalogue and got tlm facta mixed with 
announcement* already made. A cored catalogue of 
onr present list of publications may be had upon ap¬ 
plication to the llcadii'.iarters of the Literary llovoluv 
tiou, No. 7t>4 Broudway, New York. 
above analyBis. The larger quantity of lime 
found in the New Canaan sample might have 
come from a sprinkling of oyster shells or the 
like. The large admixture of sand, soil and 
coal ashes is what can hardly be avoided. 
The most valuable fertilizing elements of the 
night soil, viz., nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 
potash, may be bought in other forms for 30 
cents, 9 cents and 7 cents per pound respect¬ 
ively in the fertilizer market. The highest 
commercial value of these ingredients in 100 
pounds of night soil, 543, is as follows 
-4 »< 
[Louisville Home and Farm.] 
Frank O. Herring, Esq., of the Champion Safe 
Works 261 and 262 Broadway, New York, reporta 
the use of St. Jacobs Oil for a stiffness and sore¬ 
ness of the shoulder, with most pleasant and effi¬ 
cacious effects. 
^cirntiftr auti Useful, 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION. 
BULLETIN NO. 55, APRIL 5, 1881. 
548. Night soil. Received March 15th, from 
William Burr, Fairfield. 
This sample represents the material gath¬ 
ered from village privies during cold weather 
in the SpriDg season. For comparison the 
analysis of a sample from a Urge quantity 
taken in the village of New Canaan in 1859 is 
given. 
Chemical Analysis of Night Boil. 
Fairfield. New Canaan. 
643. _ 
66.74 
17.68 
8.59 
.65 
2.27 
8.69 
138 
"Water. . 63.06 
Grganic matter*. 11.62 
Sand, soil and coal ashes.29.76 
Potash.211 
Soda. 261 
Lime.82( 
Magues’a. 601 
Iron oxide and alumina. 1.79 
Phosphoric acid. 1.41 
Sulphuric acid... .39 
Chlorine.U8 
100.00 
•With nitrogen ..74 
100.00 
.87 
Nitrogen.0.74 x 22V» cents -16.6 cents. 
Potash.0.21 x 7 “ — 1.6 “ 
Phosphoric acid.; . 1,41 x 9 ** —12.7 
Total.29.8 “ 
The other substances present do not materi 
ally add to the value, and the commercial worth 
of the night Boil is not more than 30 cents per 
100 pounds, or $6 per ton. on the most favora¬ 
ble reckoning. 
.Maize Ensilage. 
Sample sent by B. C. Platt, of Suffield. 
ANALYSIS. 
_Fres h. W ater-free. 
Water.82.09 
Ash. l.M 
Albuminoids. 1 xi 
Crude fiber. 6 76 
Free acid*. 0.88 
N itrogen-f ree extract.. 8 84 
Fat. 0.34 
5.84 
7.07 
32.15 
3.69 
49.34 
1.81 
100 IK) 
100.00 
Calculated as acetic acid. 
549 . 
550. 
551. 
... 3.72 
6.57 
14.72 
• • • 
3.23 
* • • 
4.’3 
... 25.67 
8.62 
trace. 
2.40 
"...$41.0U 
$50.16 
*32 88 
... $37.00* 
$60.40t 
$30.00 
BULLETIN NO. 56, APRIL 15, 1881. 
549. Bone saw dust, manufactured and sold 
by the Holyoke MTg. Go., Holyoke, Mass. 
550. No. 1 Peruvian guano, sold by Seth 
Chapman, 170 Front Street, New York. 
551. Tortoise-shell sawdust, manufactured 
and sold by F. S. Johnson, Plainville, Ct. 
All the above were sampled and sent to the 
station by J. W. Hemingway, Plainville, Ct. 
Nitrogen.. 
8 olub]e phoe. acid. 
Reverted phon. acid. 
Insoluble phos. acid. 25.67 
Potash. 
Estimated cost nor ton.$41.00 
Cost at Plainvllfo. 
—*At Holyoke, $35,1X1 per ton, 
—t'if New York. $2.90per loo lbs. “$53.00 per ton; at 
Plainville. $3.03 por loo lbs. ’ 
Peruvian guano, as sold here three years ago 
under guarantee, was an excellent and cheap 
fertilizer, as that could be depended upon when 
purchased from agents of the Peruvian Gov¬ 
ernment. Now the case appears to be other¬ 
wise. The Chinca Island high-grade deposits 
are exhausted and the material that is now 
put upon the market is of variable and often 
of inferior quality. 
The complete analyses of the sample 550 is 
as follows: 
Organic and Volatile matter*. oq 77 
Baud and insoluble matter.. in' s 
Irou oxide. V 
Lime .. .. . 
Potash,. . S 4 I 1 
Sulphuric acid. *2 {7 
Chlorine. 8 76 
Deduct oxygen equivalent to chlorine. 1U { 54 
With nitrogen. lU 5 $ 
S. W. Johnson, Director. 
i) rtf fin aii. 
PREVENTION OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 
OF ANIMALS. 
D. E. SALMON, D. V. M. 
No closer agreement could be expected iu 
two samples of this material than is Been iu the 
Beforb active measures can be adopted for 
the prevention of a disease, it is very plain 
that we must know its nature, we must 
know if it Is contagious; we must know 
how the germs are scattered, how they are 
preserved, how taken into the tystem, how 
destroyed and how to enable the animal body 
to resist them. Without such knowledge it is 
absolutely impossible to make headway against 
a disease; and with it we must employ rational 
measures based upon it before practical results 
are obtained. When a person is sick we call a 
physician, learn the nature of the disease and 
receive a prescription with directions for 
treatment, but the patient is not benefited un¬ 
less the directions are carried out. 
So with coutagious diseases of animals : hog 
cholera has been demonstrated to arise by con¬ 
tagion, and preventive measures founded upon 
the nature of that contagion have been recom¬ 
mended, and if these recommendations are not 
put into practice, it certainly can be no more 
the fault of those who made the investigations 
than the refusal of a patient to take medicine 
is the fault of the physician who prescribes It. 
And yet only a few weeks ago. Mr. L. B. Wing, 
President of the Ohio State Board of Agricul¬ 
ture, in an address at the Inter-State Agricul¬ 
tural Convention on Contagious Diseases of 
Farm Sioek, is reported, ou good authority, to 
have said: 
" 1 haven't much faith iu the piesent finan¬ 
cial value to the farmer of the work of the 
[ scientists. Various learned gentlemen have 
been appointed, from time to time, to investi¬ 
gate the causes of and suggest a remedy for the 
hog cholera. Their researches are probably 
of interest to themselves and to science, but if 
there has been any abatement in the losses 
from this cause, it is not in the least degree to 
be attributed to anything they have suggested. 
So in this matter of diseased cattle, it is proper 
that these gentlemen should investigate the na¬ 
ture and cause of the disease; but it will require 
strong practical and what physicians call 
' heroic' treatment, to rid ourselves of this 
scourge." 
What are the facts in regard to hog cholera ? 
Why, before the investigations of 1878, there 
was no Certainty that hog cholera meant any 
particular disease, and many of our leading 
agriculturists contended that pneumonia, en¬ 
teritis, dysentery, charbou and many other 
diseases were all classed together as cholera, 
and that this term was simply the expression 
of the losses from all the various diseases to 
which swine were subject. Agriculturists 
were widely divided as to the existence of any 
contagious disease to which the name cholera 
was applied. In other words, the general 
knowledge of this subject was so slight as to 
discourage the most simple precautions to¬ 
wards preventing the ravages of a contagious 
disease. 
Now who can doubt, from the results of 
these investigations, that the great majority 
of deaths among hogs in the various parts of 
the country, is caused by one and the same 
disease, and that that disease is intensely con¬ 
tagious? Further, it iB shown by these inves¬ 
tigations that this disease generally, and prob¬ 
ably always, results from contagion; that in a 
number of States, It was never known till in¬ 
troduced from infected districts. 
Are such facts as these of no financial value 
to the farmer ? Is it possible that since the 
contagiousness of this disease has been made 
so apparent, our large hog raiserB have not 
profited by the suggestions to separate the 
healthy hogs from the sick ones and place the 
former on grounds that are not infected ? Is 
it possible that no precautions have been 
taken by the owners of healthy herds to pre¬ 
vent the sick animals of neighboring farms 
from mixing with or coming near them ? I 
cannot believe that our intelligent American 
farmers have so neglected their interests. But 
suppose Mr. Wing is right; is the work of 
the scientists of any less value because 
their suggestions have been in no respect 
heeded ? A general plan was marked out for 
exterminating the disease from the country, 
but as thi first step has not been taken to test 
the practicability of that plan, I cannot see 
how its value can be so readily determined. 
Turn to cattle diseases, if you please, and 
how could “heroic" measures be adopted 
without the assurance from scientists that 
pleuro-pneumonia is a contagious disease; 
that it arises exclusively from contagion, and 
that the virus in stables may be destroyed by 
certain agents known as disinfectants ? And 
who but scientists are able to go into a stable 
where there are chronic cases of pleuro-pn eu- 
moma and unerringly pick out the affected 
and dangerous animals, though their coats are 
glossy, iheir general appearance and appetite 
good, and their yield of milk from ten to fif¬ 
teen q uarts a day ? 
And yet Mr. Wing hasn’t any faith in the 
financial value of such facts, nor does he be¬ 
lieve that the abatement of such diseases is 
due to any suggestions of the scientists. Mr. 
Mr. Wing may honestly hold such views; there 
are some things that cannot be accounted for, 
but it is hardly possible that any considerable 
number of intelligent farmers coincide with him. 
fit apiarian. 
KING BIRDS AND BEES. 
That sap sucking question started by Gen. 
Noble reminds me of a mystery which unaided 
I have been trying to solve. A friend of more 
experience than myself remarked that the 
king birds did no harm to the bees as they 
caught only the drones. After watching their 
operations a few days. I resolved to get atjthe 
bottom facts, and with gun iu band I brought 
dowu a bird tbeu busily engaged in intercept¬ 
ing bees as they were returning to the hive; 
transferred the same to a dissecting table, bat 
was much surprised to find neither drone nor 
worker stored away in its crop. Repeated ex¬ 
amination resulted in the Rarae way. 
Now is its digestion so powerful that all 
traces of a bee disappear in a few moments 
after being taken, or does it give the bee one 
loving embrace for the good that is in it and 
cast its lifeless body to the ground? 0. L. s. 
We are of the opinion that the king bird 
catcbe& not only drones but workers and queens 
also. Examination of the king bird's crop 
scarcely ever reveals the presence of bees ex¬ 
cept in such a coudltion as to be quite beyond 
identification. A gentleman once noticed aklng 
bird catching bees and, on dose observation, 
saw small particles drop to the ground which 
proved to be both the bues’ extremities, and he 
concluded that the bees were caught in such a 
manner as to secure the honey-sac only If 
this be true, search for bees in the king 
bird’s crop would be in vain.—Ex>* 
- — — — - - - - , - 
$iterarii Ijlkrtlanj. 
A VOICE OF SPRING. 
When in early Sprint? the branches 
Don their liver y of yreen; 
When amid the springing grasses 
Early violets are seen; 
When each bird and bough and blossom 
Brimming over with glee— 
Voices of the early springtimes. 
Hours of Badness bring to me; 
And I dream of other springtime, 
And a day of long ago, 
When beneath the open window 
Little feet weut to and tro, 
When amid the dreamy silence 
Came a step upon the stair, 
Came a sudden gleam of brightness 
From a baby's tangled hair; 
Then a shower of blossoms 
Aud a laughing voice said lowi 
** Violets are blossomed, sister. 
And I knew you loved them so!” 
Spring has come again—the meadows 
Dotted are with violets blue. 
But a little voice ia silent 
And a little heart so true, 
Underneath the early blossoms. 
Ml umbers all the springtime through. 
Ihus when bird aud bough and blossom 
Brimming over seem with glee, 
Voices of the waking Summer 
Hours of sadness bring to me; 
For each waking bird and blossom. 
As I listen whispers, low: 
“ Violets are blossomed, sister, 
And I knew you loved them so I” 
ADVENTURES OF AN ANTEDILUVIAN 
In The Laud of Promise. 
BY JAMES M’NEILL, 
CHAPTER XV, 
(Continued from page 294.) 
Having arrived at tho barn the sheaves were 
rapidly unloaded on an elevator, which was also a 
drier, and In their passage up and across this they 
were thoroughly deprived or moisture. A thresh¬ 
ing machine received them from the elevaror, and 
the straw, being threshed and bound again with¬ 
out the direct aid or human hands, was borne 
away to Its appropriate quarter, while the grain, 
thoroughly winnowed, was carried dowu by a 
shute Into the granary. 
Grass was treated in a similar manner, belDg 
taken directly from the mower, artificially dried, 
and stored In the barn without having once touch¬ 
ed the ground. 
This is but a sample or the labor-saving and time 
saving methods by which farming Industry was 
carried on in thl3 country. Every new operation 
which I saw was a fresh source of wonderment to 
me at the marvelous perfection and Ingenuity 
which was displayed In the construction of the 
Implements and machinery for carrying on the 
work of the rarm. While the completeness of ar¬ 
rangement In the farm buildings and In the ground 
alloted to each crop seemed to indicate that con¬ 
venience had become a veritable art among this 
people. 
The rarm buildings were located by the aide of 
the railways, which divided the section into two 
equal parts. They were built most substantially 
of stone, and like the houses, they were fire-proof. 
There was a barn appropriated to each variety of 
grain, one to the hay intended for city use; the 
other to that to be consumed on the farm. Con¬ 
nected with this barn were also the stables where 
the animals of the farm were confined. There was 
a building appropriated to the storage of vegeta¬ 
bles, and a most wonderrui house for preserving 
fruit. This art had arrived at such a degree of 
perfection among this people chat the season of 
every variety of fruit was perpetual, and the fruit 
Itself had every desirable quality developed to 
perfection, while there were many most excellent 
varieties among them which are entirely uuknown 
to us. 
The amount of fruit consumed by this people 
was truly marvelous, which Is not strange when 
we reflect that a dish of strawberries, cherries, 
peaches or grapes could be had for the asking 
every day In the year. It was truit at breakfast, 
fruit at lunch, and fruit at dinner. Tu race, fruit 
was the universal and only dessert among this 
people. 
I must not forget to mention the building which 
was appropriated to domestic fowls. It was most 
complete in Its appointments, a regular palace 
lor Us kingly and queeu'y occupants. Kings or 
queens every one of them would certainly be 
among the best bred lowls wblch are known to 
us. I wondered why the art of singing was denied 
them, they looked so beautiful, yet I fancied that 
there was something superior In their crow and 
cackle to correspond with their high breeding. 
The cows, the sheep, in fact, all the domestic 
animals of this country were perfect models of 
beauty and utility. The cows lu particular at¬ 
tracted my attention. They were the only ani¬ 
mals which were raised to any extent In this part 
of the country. Sheep were raised almost exclu¬ 
sively in the mountainous districts, and horses 
beiog used chiefly for driving, there were few re¬ 
quired among the farmers, while the race of 
swine which are the source of so large an Indus¬ 
try amoDg us, I found entirely extinct among this 
people. Each section being the source of milk 
and butter supply to Its particular ward in the 
city, quite a herd of cows became a necessity to 
It, and such wondrously beau.ttui, gentle and high 
bred creatures It bad never been my pleasure to 
look upon. When i came to see them mlLked, 
stood amazed at the quantity of this fluid which, 
was drawn fromJbem, no less than at the manner 
In which It was «awn. 
One man had charge of the cows at the milking. 
There was a pall for each cow, or rather a tub. lor it 
was twice the size ol an oidinuxy.uuik-pau, a Luc 
