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THE RURAL HEW-YORSCIR. 
§ 
THE 
RURAL NEW'YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Conducted by 
ELBKET S. CAUMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, NOV. 5, 1881. 
We beg to call special attention to the 
letter of Mr. R. Goodman, page 753, re¬ 
specting aid for the unfortunate Michigan 
sufferers. 
We have often spoken in high terms of 
the beautiful Zebra-striped Eulalia grass. 
If not for its odd leaves with transverse 
stripes of yellow; if not for its hardiness, 
vigorous growth and adaptation to many 
different, soils and situations, it is at least 
desirable for its handsome plumes, scarce¬ 
ly less ornamental than those of the half- 
hardy Pampas Grass. 
--- 
We have to-day—October 28—pulled 
two quinces from the new kind,Champion. 
They do not seem to be quite ripe, and if 
we were to judge of the merits of the 
Champion from this bit of experience, wc 
should say there is little to recommend it 
over the old kinds, the Apple or Rea’s 
Mammoth. We do not hear that much 
attention is being paid to the improve¬ 
ment of the quince. 
- — - - ♦ -- 
We call attention to Mr. A. S. Stone- 
brakers’s report of the Rural Branching 
Sorghum as a full corroboration of all 
we have ever said in its favOr. It is pub¬ 
lished in this issue, page 753. It is a 
noteworthy fact that this sorghum, dur¬ 
ing the prevalent drought, has not wilted 
in the least at the Rural Farm, while 
beside it Indian corn lias been burnt up. 
Even those plants which have been cut 
back to the ground, have continued to 
grow as thriftily as if they were receiving 
all the rain needed. 
-- 
Readers of the Rural, do us the justice 
to believe and to remember this. Nobody 
can he more desirous of ascertaining the 
real merits of the seeds or plants which we 
distribute than the Rural itself. Our 
desire is to introduce improved varieties. 
As soon, therefore, as it appears that any 
given kind has no special value, we want 
to make it known just the same as if it 
were of the first value. We have no pe¬ 
cuniary interest in any seed or plant 
which we test, originate, disseminate or 
introduce. If our readers find them ex¬ 
cellent, we are glad to have them say so ; 
if inferior, their reports will find a place 
in this journal all the same. 
Wllliam Watson of Brenliam, Texas, 
tells us he lias a hundred acresin peach 
orchard and could make a good living off 
his peaches alone. Last year he had an 
enormous crop; this year a Spring frost 
ruined his crops, but for the little he had 
he got big prices. The Alexander ripened 
during the second week of May, and he 
sold its fruit for $2.50 a peck, but could 
not get nearly so high a price in a good 
crop year. He declares that Texas is the 
best peach State in the l niou. His land is 
rolling, sandy prairie. The trees grow fast 
and come into bearing early, but they are 
not long-lived. He also tells us that he 
has grafted the Japanese Persimmon on 
the common American one with good suc¬ 
cess; it takes kindly and grows rankly. 
-♦ -- 
Remedy for a Cow’s Barrenness.— 
Mr. T. C. Anderson, states in the Ken¬ 
tucky Live Stock Record, that he last 
year purchased the pure Bates cow, Sev¬ 
enth Duchess of Vinewood, at the Port 
Huron sale, for a low price, as barren. 
He took her to his farm at Side View, 
Kentucky, put her on to a grass pasture, 
gave her a pint of hemp seed daily, kept 
salt and ashes constantly by her to lick at 
pleasure, and she had plenty of good spring 
water. On the 18th of the past October, 
she gave birth to a deep red heifer calf of 
groat, value, got by the 23d Duke of 
Airdrie. Hemp seed is said to be a spe¬ 
cific also against abortion, if given daily 
after the cow has gone throe months, or 
so, with calf, continuing till about a 
month before, calving. Working a cow 
in the yoke, and at the same time keeping 
her thin in flesh, will sometimes cause a 
barren cow to breed. 
The Michigan Relief Fund is grow¬ 
ing far too slowly. The Fire Relief 
Commission has just issued an urgent ap¬ 
peal for more assistance. The funds on 
hand will last only about three weeks 
longer—just to about the beginning of 
regular winter weather. What have the 
people in your neighborhood, especially 
the farmers, been doing to help the suf¬ 
ferers? Have you—yes, you who read 
this sent, on the price of that “ Michigan 
Bushel' 7 of wheat yet ? If not, this is a 
splendid time for doing so. It would have 
been a trifle better to have forwarded it 
a month or more ago, as the price then 
was higher; but if it was not. sent then, 
in all your life there will never be a bet¬ 
ter time to do this generous deed than 
just now. 8peak to your neighbors, too, 
on the matter; one energetic man or 
woman in each neighborhood would do a 
world of good in helping those suffering 
Michigan farmers. 
-♦ ♦ ♦- 
Five years ago, as we remember (the 
exact figures have been given in this jour¬ 
nal from year to year), wc planted a 
strong root of Paulownia impcrialis in a 
circular bed. The growth was confined 
to one shoot. This grew the first season 
about 10 feet high, and was cut down late 
in the Fall. The second season’s shoot 
grew 11 feet high the third nine feet ; 
the fourth eight feet; and the past season’s 
six feet high. Other shrubs and trees in 
the same plot, have maintained their vigor, 
the. soil having been enriched once or 
twice since the Paulownia was planted. 
Thus it appears that the roots from this 
heroic treatment of t he stem are becom¬ 
ing weakened and the evidence afforded 
is agaiust severe pruning. The injury 
which hedges—both deciduous and ever¬ 
green -often sustain after they have 
grown to the desired size and fullness is 
often attributed to drought, to sudden 
changes during the Winter, or to intense 
cold; but it is very likely due to the severe 
pruning they have received during their 
hedge existence. Wc have more than 
once had occasion to think that apple and 
pear trees which have been “thinned out” 
to “admit the air and sun” have been 
seriously injured in the same way. 
The Public Domain. Judging by the 
amount of land taken up for settlement of 
late, Dakota appears to lie the favorite with 
those who go West to grow up with the 
country. The area of public lands dis¬ 
posed of within that Territory during the 
last five years amounts to upwards of 
8,000,000 acres. It was in 1877-78 that 
the rush began, the amount of land taken 
up that year having been six times as 
great as during the preceding twelve¬ 
month. Since then the increase has been 
steady and rapid till in the last fiscal year 
2,073,333 acres were taken up. The 
public lands taken up within the last five 
years in Kansas have also run over 8,000,- 
000 acres, and in 1878-0 the area there 
disposed of was considerably larger than 
that mentioned for Dakota last year; but 
since IS TO there has been a i arked falling 
ofl. During 1880-81 there has also been 
a considerable falling off in the acreage 
taken up in Nebraska, the largest area 
having been disposed of in 1870-80. Alto¬ 
gether the State has disposed of 4,226,039 
acres during the last live years. California 
has got rid of 2,474,881 acres in the last 
five years, and 1,411,000 acres have been 
taken up in Washington Territory. In the 
five Southern States of Alabama, Arkansas, 
Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, 1,614,- 
000 acres were disposed of in the last fis¬ 
cal year, Alabama and Arkansas supply¬ 
ing about one-third each. A very large 
amount of land was taken up in Texas, 
but that State contains no land belonging 
to the United States. 
-- 
A LARGE PROSPECTIVE HORSE MAR¬ 
KET. 
In 1877 J. A. Bridgland, our consul at 
Havre, with the permission of Secretary 
Evarts, imported some American horses 
with a view to selling them for the use 
of the French cavalry. They gave entire 
satisfaction and the. consul has just re¬ 
ported that there are now upwards of 600 
American horses in the French service. 
The enormous armies of Europe use an 
immense number of horses for the cavalry, 
artillery, commissariat and transport de¬ 
partments, and horses suitable for the 
several branches of the service are always 
in demand at good prices. It is estimated 
that there are in this country at least 
3,000,000 horses suited for the European 
cavalry service, and the brilliant victories 
of the American race-horses, Iroquois 
and Foxhall, on the English and French 
turf, will help to impress the value of our 
stock on the minds of foreign buyers. 
Hitherto a great discouragement to the 
trade has been due to the high price 
charged for the transportatian of live 
stock by the French Trans-Atlantic 
Steamship Company; hut new steamers 
are now being built both in France and 
England for the express purpose of en¬ 
gaging in the live stock trade between 
France and the United States, and these 
arc sure to largely increase the traffic if 
managed with energy and intelligence by 
our horse dealers. 
--- 
LATEST FEATURES OF THE RAIL¬ 
ROAD WAR. 
The era of cheap railroad fares to and 
from the West, has been greatly en joyed 
by transient travelers on pleasure trips, 
and by the mercantile community (espe¬ 
cially iu this city), with whom there has 
been a special “ boom” in business. Ear¬ 
ly last week the Pennsylvania, and Balti¬ 
more A Ohio roads had enough of the 
fun, and raised theirrat.es to about the old 
figures. It. appears that the original cause 
of the feud between the various lines 
was the difference in fares between Wes¬ 
tern points and Boston via. New York, 
and Boston via Albany. It is about fifty 
miles farther from Chicago to Boston by 
the former route than by the latter, 
and the Boston and Albany company 
claimed that the mile rates between Bos¬ 
ton and Albany and Boston and New 
York should be the same. To this the 
Pennsylvania, and Baltimore A Ohio 
roads have objected, and they claim that 
the fare from Chicago to Albany and to 
New York should be $20, and that from 
those points to Boston the regular rates, 
which differ by a dollar, should he main 
tained, making the through rates by way 
of New York $25, and by way of Albany 
$24. Against this the New York Central 
and Boston A Albany railroads pooled 
their issues, and the tight, began. The 
great Vanderbilt line, last week, met the 
advances of its Pennsylvania neighbors 
* by fixing the passenger rates from Chi 
cago put Albany to Boston at $10.25 ; 
and via New York at $15 ; the fare from 
Chicago to New York bciug put at $9.25. 
We do not predict the next step, hut we 
can speak certainly of the past. The 
warfare lias made a great. “ boom” in 
trade; it has given unusual opportuni¬ 
ties for cheap business and pleasure trips, 
and it has shown that railroad companies 
can live and have their being on much 
lower rates than they have been receiving 
for several years past. 
--- 
“TIT FOR TAT.” 
“Down with the enemies of German 
agriculture!” was the cry at the meeting 
of the congress of German agriculturists 
the other day at Berlin, and by the 
“ enemies of German agriculture ” was 
primarily meant the United States of 
America. The constantly increasing im¬ 
portations of meat and bread-stuffs from 
America to Europe, it was insisted, en¬ 
danger the German production of grain 
and cattle a ncl increase the existing agri¬ 
cultural distress in England, France and 
Germany. Accordingly the assembled 
land proprietors, speaking for the entire 
agricultural interests of Germany, stren¬ 
uously advocated the increase of import 
duties upon agricultural products so as 
to render the tariff practically prohibi¬ 
tory. As a means ol rebel three meas¬ 
ure's were proposed: First, an increase of 
duties on products from this country; sec¬ 
ond, a league of the Central European 
States against the great grain-producing 
countries, Russia and the United States; 
and, third, better railroad facilities from 
the chief grain producing regions of Gen 
tral Germany and Hungary to the grain 
consuming centers of the continent. 
In this movement there is undoubted¬ 
ly a menace, probably even a danger, to 
our export trade in live stock, meat and 
bread-stuffs. It is part of a general course 
of opposition by European agriculturists 
agaiust the free importations of farm pro¬ 
ducts from this country. Wc are making 
bread and meat too cheap for the poorer 
classes in Europe, and the producers of 
these commodities there naturally resent 
the depreciation of prices. Statesmen, 
too, and financiers are becoming alarmed 
at the increasing drain of money to this 
country in payment for our agricultural 
exports. Bismarck is known to favor even 
a higher tariff than that lately imposed on 
foreign imports; France and a half dozen 
other European countries have already, on 
a frivolous pretext, prohibited importa¬ 
tions of our hog products. The party of 
“ fair trade ” is still active and growing 
in England, and to meet this swelling tide 
of opposition there are two obvious 
courses open to this country. First, we 
must see to it that all our exports are 
strictly good. Behold what an impetus has 
been given to the present anti-American 
movement by the exportation of a little 
inferior pork! An embargo like that on 
our hog products is now being vigorously 
urged against our canned meats in Con¬ 
tinental Europe, and less virulently in 
the United Kingdom. Shall we permit 
a few reckless speculators for the sake of 
individual gain to inflict still heavier 
losses on the trade of the nation by send¬ 
ing unwholesome food to the markets of 
the outside world? Second, if Germany 
shall adopt and France continue a policy 
of practical prohibition of our products, 
we must adopt retaliatory measures. Our 
people have more reason to seek protec¬ 
tion against adulterated French wines 
than France has to embargo American 
meats on account of a few cases of 
trichina. To those who cry “ Down with 
American importations.” let our answer 
be “ Protection of American citizens 
against foreign frauds and adulterations.” 
BREVITIES. 
Will the winners of the prizes for the best 
five heads of wheat please send us their cor¬ 
rect addresses as soon as possible l 
A cotton growers’ convention assembles 
in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 2, at the instigation 
of Commissioner Loring who has sent out in¬ 
vitations to all the agricultural societies in 
the Cotton Be4t. A large attendance is ex¬ 
pected, 
There is a rumor, which appears almost 
too good to be true, that the British Ad¬ 
miralty has decided to introduce into the 
na vy American salt beef instead of the article 
hitherto cured at Deptford. What a howl 
of indignation and protest so excellent an in¬ 
novation Mould draw forth from John Bull 
both as butcher and stock-owner. "A more 
vexatiously irritating innovation can hardly 
he conceived.” exclaims a London news¬ 
paper angered by the very idea of the im¬ 
provement. 
The composition of buckwheat has been 
examined by M. C, Leehnrtior. He found 
that the proportions of tumoral matter in the 
straw increases with the weight. The straw 
may become richer in phosphoric acid than 
the’ grain, differing in this respect com¬ 
pletely from the straw of the other cereals. 
The aggregate of the principal fertilizers re¬ 
moved from the soil by an entire crop of 
buckwheat is much more considerable than 
for a crop of wheat yielding the same quan¬ 
tity of grain. 
In all the talk, East and West, about pre¬ 
venting and punishing gambling in the pro¬ 
duce markets, the entire force of public con¬ 
demnation eoems to bo direoted against the 
“ bulls” alone. Is this just; If the “ bull’’does 
occasionally toss up a commodity beyond its 
legitimate price as fixed by theratiqof supply 
and demand, does not the “ bear' often pull it 
down below that point. The “bull” is some 
times,’tiatrue, no unruly, oh jectiouable animal 
to the general public, but the “ bear ” is always 
« hateful beast to the farmer, and we insist 
that whatever coercive or penal measures 
may be adopted against the one shall also 
apply to the other 
From a very interesting table in the Ameri¬ 
can bee Journal on the honey yield for this 
year, wo observe that the comparative order 
of the 8tat.es as to total honey product is New 
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wiscon¬ 
sin, etc. Bui Dakota, though twenty sixth on 
the list as to total yield, is first in the average 
number of pounds per colony, her average 
yield being 159 pounds. Wisconsin follows, a 
good second, with 112 pounds, and Louisiana 
comes third with 98 pounds. While Now York 
takes the load in heaviest total yield, her aver¬ 
age per colony places her eleventh on the list. 
Not,withstanding the last was a very severe 
Winter on bees, those that survived have done 
good work, bringing up the average per colony 
m all States from 85 to 09 lbs.—nearly double. 
The [amount of extracted honey, as com¬ 
pared with comb honey, is found to be much 
greater, showing that it is constantly growing 
in favor. Out of the total surplus reported, 
viz., 9,467,632 pounds, 5.477,176 pounds were 
extracted, and of this quantity -1,946,220 
pounds were "light” extracted. The table 
was compiled from reports from less than a 
quarter million colonies, or about one-twelfth 
the whole number in America. If these re- 
IKirts may be taken as an averuge of the 
whole, the total honey crop for tins year will 
not lie less than 126,000,000 pounds, worth, at 
the least calculation, a million and a-half of 
dollars. 
In the case of the City of Eufnula, Ala., vs. 
McNab the facts were these :—The city paid, 
in its bonds, $10,000 for land to be given to a 
manufacturing company as an inducement to 
build its works within the corporate limits, in 
the expectation that the business and com¬ 
mercial prosperity of the place would thereby 
be advanced. The bonds were not paid when 
they fell due, and thereon suit, was brought 
and judgment given for the plaintiff. An 
appeal was made to t he Supreme Court of the 
State, and the question considered was as to 
the power of the city to buy the land for the 
particular purpose stated. The bonds were 
issued under section 24 of the city charter 
which reads as follows:—"The council shall 
have full power and authority to purchase, 
and provide for the payment of the same, all 
such real estate and personal property as may 
he required for the use, convenience and ini 
provement. of the city.” In deciding the case, 
m June last, Judge Somerville, while revers¬ 
ing the decree of the lower court, said that 
the terms of the charter arc imperative that 
such property must i>0 “ required for the use, 
convenience and improvement of the city. 
Collateral commercial or businesss advan¬ 
tages will not lie sufficient; property must not 
be acquired in aid of private euterpri.se, how¬ 
ever laudable its purpose or useful its encour 
agement. This decision affects pleasantly 
many villages and small towns—oh, yes, and a 
few pretty large ones too—throughout the 
County, especially in the newly settled parts 
of it, ‘ and unpleasantly, of course, some of 
their luckless, confiding bond-holders. 
