THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
JUNE 14 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker, 
A National Journal for the Country and Suburban Home. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Conducted by 
ELBEBT B. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY. JUNE 11. 1SSI. 
The Rural New-Yorker begs to offer 
in articles of its own selection, for the 
longest and heaviest five heads of wheat 
from the present crop, $50.00, to be divided 
into first, second, third, fourth and fifth 
premiums. The awards will be published 
in our Special Wheat Number, and 
drawings presented of the prize heads. 
. 
Those who, competing for our wheat 
premium, send us heads of wheat, must 
not neglect to write both name and ad¬ 
dress upon the boxes or parcels contain¬ 
ing them. This is now permitted by the 
postal laws. 
♦ » *■ 
The next Special Rural New-Yorker 
will consid* r the crop prospects of the 
country. The next thereafter will be the 
Wheat Special. Onr friends are solicited 
to send us any interesting facts regarding 
wheat—either as to varieties, yield or 
cultivation—that may have transpired in 
their experience. 
-» «■»- 
The most profitable method of rear¬ 
ing cattle is to give them all the food 
they can digest well from their birth up 
to the day of their slaughter, if reared 
for bullocks. But if for working oxen, 
bulls and cows for breeding, then feed no 
more than to keep them in prime work¬ 
ing and breeding condition. An ox may 
be too fat or too poor for goc cl work and 
so may a bull to get first-rate offspring, 
or a cow to do well in the dairy or as a 
breeder. 
- — - 
Outlook for Crops in England.— 
Yesterday’s cablegrams from England 
speak disoouragingly of the outlook for 
next harvest. The drought and oold east 
winds that have prevailed continuously 
since seeding time, have almost ruined 
most of the cereal crops, except wheat, 
and in most districts that is poor and 
tbiD. All growing crops are, as a rule, 
exceedingly backward, and the present 
prospect is that there will be a late and 
scanty harvest. Down to last Saturday, 
June 4, there had been but two showers 
since May 4, and fields generally were 
parched. Already hundreds of fine farms 
have been thrown on the landlords’ hands; 
and it is estimated at least 70 per cent, of 
the tenants are in arrears. After the late 
era of agricultural depression, farmers 
have beeD trusting to a good harvest this 
year to enable them to pay c fl' the arrears 
of rent and often other indebtedness, and 
it is to be feared thepartial failure of crops 
now threatened will entirely discourage 
and rnin thousands of them. 
-*-*-♦- 
On seeing the high prices often paid 
for choice specimens of pure-bred stock, 
it often occurs to the ordinary reader that 
the value of the animals is vastly over¬ 
rated and that by no possibility could 
they be worth “that” amount of money. 
There is no donbt that extravagant prices 
are sometimes paid for “fancy points,” 
strains “on the boom” and speculative 
purposes ; but in most cases, when high 
figures are given for breeding stock, there 
is a fair prosptet that they will prove 
fully worth all that is paid for them. If, 
for instance, the use of a particular bull 
will enhance the selliug price of the 
calves from a herd of 50 cows $50 above 
what they would bring if the progeny of 
an ordinary bull, $2,000 would certainly 
not be too high a price to pay for the 
superior animal which could be used for 
a number of years. Increase the number 
of cows served and the difference in 
price between the offspring of both sorts 
of sires, and the real value of the better 
beast is increased proportionately. The 
same rule, of course, applies to cows 
bought for the purpose of breeding high- 
priced bull and heifer calves. 
-♦- 
Never from Better to Worse. —* * And 
take hede where thou byeste any lean 
cattel or fat, and of whom, and where it 
was bred. For if thou bye out of a bet¬ 
ter grounde than thou haste thy selfe, 
that cattel will not lyke with the ” So 
said Fitzherbert more than three centu¬ 
ries ago, and the caution is as applicable to 
our conditions to-day as to those of Eng¬ 
land under “Bluff King Hal.” Ac¬ 
cordingly before investing in any sort of 
stock with which he is unacquainted, 
the farmer should learn what he can 
about it, so as to be able to obtain the 
kind which will thrive best on his land 
and with the treatment ne intends to give 
it. None* of the improved breeds will 
maintain their full excellence under the 
neglectful treatment the “ native” or 
“ scrub" sorts frequently meet with. 
Their desirable characteristics are, in no 
small measure, the result of attentive 
care and feeding, and in the absence of 
these, they are sure to deteriorate, some 
breeds, however, falling oft' worse than 
others, according to the difference be¬ 
tween their present conditions and those 
under which they originated and accord¬ 
ing as their characteristic “ improve¬ 
ments” are more or less artificial, or 
due to exria care. It may be taken 
for granted that when cattle, whatever 
their quality, are taken from where they 
have Lad abnndant feed and good care, to 
where they are allowed to shift for them¬ 
selves often with scanty rations, they 
will be sure to disappoint the owner. 
For thrifty stock the rule should be, 
“from worse to better, never from better 
to worse.” 
■-♦-*-♦- 
THE BEST BREED? 
Which is the best breed of cattle ? Be¬ 
fore this question can receive a proper 
reply, two others must be answered: 
For what pnrpose ? and, Under what 
conditions ? It for beef, the Short-horn, 
Hereford, Devon and Polled Angus are 
all excellent where feed is abnndant and 
there is shelter in severe Winter weather. 
Where feed is not plentiful, the Devon 
can get along better than the two first 
btcause lighter and more active, and so 
can the Angus btcause more accustomed 
to “rough it.” Its thick skin enables 
the Hereford to withstand the rigors of 
Winter pretty well, and the polled Scotch 
is more accustomed to severe weather 
than its more southern rivals. Grades 
of any of these breeds are hardier than 
tne pure-breds and if moderately high 
grades, the flesh is of an excellent quali¬ 
ty. If beef and milk are wanted, then 
the Holstein, Polled Norfolk and Suffolk 
and Short-horns of a milking tribe like 
the Princess, or of a milking herd, 
such as are raised in several parts 
of the Eastern States, are the best. 
Here again the progeny of pure-bred 
bulls on good native cows often give a 
great deal of satisfaction. If milk for 
market is wanted, the Holstein and Ayr¬ 
shire are hard to beat; but the former 
requires considerably more feed and at¬ 
tention than the latter. If butter and 
cheese are needed, then the Ayrshire, 
milking Short-horn, and, perhaps, the 
Holstein are the most desirable ; while 
the first and last are the best for cheese, 
and the Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire and 
crosses of the two first, or of the two first 
and the third, are best for butter. If a 
draft ox is needed, the Devon comes first 
for all ordinary purposes ; but the Here- 
foid, being stronger, is better fitted for 
heavy loads in a rough country. All these 
breeds, except the J ersey, fatten well Minn 
dried off; but in this reBpeet the Short¬ 
horn and Holstein are ahead of the others, 
---♦—~»- 
CROSSING WHEATS. 
For the past week, two of the Rural 
staff have spent a considerable portion of 
the time in crossing wheats at the Rural 
Farm. Do wheats cross with each other 
or are they Belf-fertiiized or close-fertil¬ 
ized ? Mr. Darwin says they are. Mo6t 
of onr new varieties of wheat seem to 
have been first discovered in other wheat 
fields and have been selected and propa¬ 
gated by their owners. Thus Fultz was 
found by Mr. Abram Fultz of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, twenty years ago, his attention 
being attracted to it from the fact that a 
few staiks of this still remained upright, 
while the wheat about them was badly 
lodged. Are such wheats introduced 
from other countries where they may be 
well known ; are they the result of cross¬ 
es effected by insects or the wind, or are 
they variations due to causes of which 
we know nothing ? Our own investiga¬ 
tions thuB far lead us to believe that the 
wheat ovule is in every catte fertilized by 
its own pollen before the stamens appear 
outside of the sheaths or pales. In fact, 
in many cases, it will be found that the 
base of the kernel has begun to grow 
before the “wheat is in flower.” We 
have not as yet fonnd any pollen upon 
the stamens after they have appeared, 
which then seem shriveled and dead. 
To effect crosses it is necessary to open 
the pales and remove the three anthers 
while yet they are green. Other and 
riper stamens may then be inserted or 
they may be inserted later as the opera¬ 
tor prefers. In the latter case, however, 
the trouble of the operation is nearly 
doubled. After the pales have once been 
separated, if ever so carefully, they after¬ 
wards remain slightly separated so that 
the pollen dust from other flowers might 
easily find its way to the stigmas which 
are very ready to accept foreign pollen. 
It is therefore necessary in order to in¬ 
sure a cross to bind the spikelets togetu- 
er with worsted or other soft material. 
In one of our experiments we removed the 
stamens (while quite green) of each out¬ 
side flower of a head, not applying auy 
other pollen or inserting other anthers, 
and not binding the spikelets so as to 
hold them together. The ovaries were 
fertilized all the same and the grain is at 
present as far advanced as in others 
which were not operated upon. Some 
of our friends who seem to have met with 
success in crossing wheats have written 
us that they out off the anthers as soon 
as they appear and then apply the pollen 
with which it is desired to make a cross 
to the stigmas. Our own observations 
would show that crosses have never been 
effected in that way. 
“HANDLING.” 
In speaking of the quality of stock, and 
especially of that of “beef" cattle, there 
is scarcely auy expression that is used 
more frequently than “handling,” or 
“ touch,” and there is none the significa¬ 
tion of which it is harder to explain. By 
“handling ” the butcher can tell, before 
purchasing, the quality of the flesh of a 
living beast; and by it the breeder can 
ascertain the aptitude to fatten, the con¬ 
stitutional vigor, and the quality and 
quantity of the flesh an animal can carry. 
It is the peculiar sensatiou of softness 
and elasticity under the pressure of the 
fingers on different parts of the body. 
The nature of this sensation depends on 
the degree of perfection of the capillary 
circulation of the system, by which the 
nutriment prepared by the digestive or- 
gaus is freely conveyed to every part of 
the organization. If the capillary circu¬ 
lation is actively carried on in the skin, at 
the greatest distance from the large cir¬ 
culatory vessels, it can readily be inferred 
that the internal parts, which are more 
favorably situated, will be abundantly 
supplied with materials for the renova¬ 
tion and increase of their tissues. 
In testing by “ touch ” the first thing 
to be observed is the hair. A fine, long, 
mossy coat indicates a good feeder, whose 
flesh will be fine-grained and marbled. 
A fine but short coat shows a tendency to 
the accumulation of too much internal 
fat, instead of a uniform distribution of 
it through the Bystem. Harsh, coarse, 
wiry hair denotes poor feeding ca acity 
and late maturity. A soft, mellow, elas¬ 
tic skin, moderately thick, that yields 
readily under pressure when the animal 
is in moderate condition, but grows firm¬ 
er as the beast “ ripens,” indicates good 
health, early maturity, and a fine quality 
of flesh that can be rapidly laid on. A 
hard,harsh,unyielding skin denotes a slow 
feeder and inferior flesh ; while a thin, 
flabby skin portends a feeble constitu¬ 
tion, coarse, stringy flesh, and soft, oily 
fat. In all cases the skin should be elas¬ 
tic—springy; the indentations made by 
pressure should be effaced promptly, not 
sluggishly, as are those made by pressing 
the fingers on a dropsical limb. To dis¬ 
criminate correctly by this method re¬ 
quires a delicate sense of touch that can 
be acquired only by a great deal of prac¬ 
tice, and where there are differences in 
the condition of the hair aud skin fre¬ 
quent comparisons of different animals 
are needed to avoid mistakes. By exam¬ 
ination of his own stock, however, any 
farmer could acquire a good deal of use¬ 
ful information with regard to the 
“ handling ” qualities of animals. 
HAVE WE FOOT-AND-MOUTH DI8EASE 
AMONG US'! 
On June 2nd a Glasgow cablegram an¬ 
nounced the discovery of foot-and-mouth 
disease amoDg the cattle landed from the 
steamer Phoenician, from Boston on May 
21. On April 28 it was also wired from 
Liverpool that the disease had been 
fonnd among the cattle on the steamer 
Lake Manitoba, from Portland, Maine, 
to Birkenhead, England, but afterwaid 
this report was contradicted. The Eng¬ 
lish papers likewise tell us that on 
two other occasions since the open¬ 
ing of the year the malady has ap¬ 
peared among American cattle on their 
arrival in Englaud. Much as we desire 
to be able to do so, we can liurdly con¬ 
sider all these reports as unfounded as 
that of April 28. But, conceding that 
the disease has actually appeared in its 
distinctive form among cattle from this 
side of the Atlantic after their arrival at 
the other side, is this conclusive of the 
existence of the disease in this country ? 
We think not, despite the rash report of 
its existence here officially made by Prof. 
Lyman to the Government last January ; 
for if it existed in any part of the land, 
there would certainly be such a panic 
among stock owners there as prevailed in 
some portions of New York and New Eng¬ 
land daring 1870-’7l. In 1870 the disease 
was imported, with a couple of Short-horn 
cows, into Canada, near Montreal, and 
thence it spread rapidly through some 
parts of New York, Connecticut and Mas¬ 
sachusetts, whither infected animals had 
been transported. Fortunately the out¬ 
break occurred in the Winter, when 
stock was generally confined at the home¬ 
stead, and before it could spread further 
after they were set at liberty in Spring, 
it had spent itself for lack of fresh vic¬ 
tims. 
So easily does it spread, not only among 
cattle, but among all ruminating animals 
aud pigs, by means of contact with affect¬ 
ed animals or with any person or solid 
substance that has touched them, that if 
it existed in the East it must have rapidly 
invaded the West, while if it prevailed in 
the West, it would have been impossible 
for the East to escape, in view of the 
great number of cattle constantly passing 
from the prairie regions to the seaboard. 
The rapidity with which it spreads is 
well illustrated by the present outbreak 
in England, the evils of which are bo 
graphically depicted elsewhere by Prof. 
Sheldon. On September 20th last, 30 
baily diseased cattle were landed at 
Deptford from Havre. Within five days, 
although French cattle are slaughtered 
at the port of debarkation, the disease 
had appeared in the counties of Essex, 
Hampshire and Middlesex, and, despite 
the most stringent precautions, it has 
since traveled nearly all over the King¬ 
dom. Yet, without any precaution here, 
or any perception of a cause for it, we do 
not expect an affirmative answer to the 
above question from any part of the 
country. It is therefore highly probable 
that the disease was contracted on board 
the ship, either from hogs, beeves or 
sheep carried as “ship stores,” or from 
stalls contaminated by these or by in¬ 
fected stock previously imported into 
this country, or from infected fodder, or 
even at the “foreign animals’ wharf” in 
Great Britain, where the disease would 
become manifest 24 to 48 hours after the 
reception of the virus. 
BREVITIES. 
Did the modern “rage” for ornamenting 
the walls of onr houses with decorated china 
take its rise in the artistic cow staples of Fries¬ 
land ? 
Having lately given to onr readers several 
excellent likenesses of choice Short-horns, we 
have omitted to give one here for the sake of 
saving space. 
Eds. Rural : Your valuable gift—a Charter 
Oak Reversible Steel Plow—for three heaviest 
mangelB raised by me, is received. You must 
have known what I needed Please accept 
thanks. G. E. Wabneb. 
Jameeport, N. Y. 
Now that more accurate information of the 
condition of cattle on the plains is afforded by 
the annual “round-ups,” the losses from the 
severity of last Winter are reported to be con¬ 
siderably below the earlier estimates. 
A Washington paper says General Le Due’s 
sorghum sugar cost the Government between 
$20 and $80 per pound aud was sold by a local 
grocer at five cents par pound. Even if the 
statement were not grossly exaggerated, what 
useful d iscovery has ever been perfected without 
loss in preliminary experiments? Moreover, the 
machinery. buildingB, etc., which consumed 
much of the outlay in this connection, remain 
for future use. 
A cablegram from Liverpool on the 2nd 
inst. announces that Messrs. Gudgell & Simp¬ 
son, of Mi-souri, have selected from tne vast 
herd« in England and Scotland 99 Hereford 
and 89 Polled Angus cattle, to be shipped on 
the4hinet. by tbe Dominion Line steamer 
Mississippi, for Quebec. This is one of the 
largest shipments ever made from England, 
and it is to be hoped due precautions will be 
taken that the imported animals shall not in¬ 
troduce foot-and-mouth disease or any other 
contagions malady among our herds. To this 
end not only should a strict quarantine 
be enforced here, bat the herds into 
which imported animals have been taken 
should be kept under surveillance for some 
time thereafter. Ttie voyage from Great 
Britain to Australia is considerably longer than 
that to this country, yet Australia has estab¬ 
lished a strict quarantine ot at least 90 dava 
against English cattle, and, moreover, it has 
stipulated that such slock shall be guaranteed 
to b»ve been free from all sources of infection 
for 60 days prior to shipment, aud that they 
shall be removed from the farm to the veBSel 
in horse-boxes and catile-tloaiM to prevent all 
risk of contagion in transit. Yet more, it is 
also provided that all animals taken on board 
as “ ship stores ” shall be carefully inspected 
and pronounced free from all disease. It 
would be well for our vast cattle interests if 
Bimilar precautions were taken with regard to 
all stock imported from countries in which 
contagious diseases prevail. 
