THE RURAL MEW- YORKER. 
(ass 
HI 
TABLE OF CONTENTS, 
Practical departments: 
Plant-Portraits, Our. 85 
Oak, The Pyramidal.• •.••••••••• 80 
Agriculture and Education in the United States 
No. .. 86 
Rural Topics..... 
Notes from Maplewood Farm. o|> 
Corn, Experience with. g‘ 
Heeds. Notes on. g* 
Tam. Th« Chinese.. 
Slitting the Barit on i tide-bound Trees. 89 
Catalogues, Ac., Received.. 
Early Champion. 
Hogs, A ppurulus for Raising Dead. 
Tomatoes. Exporiniunts with. b J 
Spring Work .:... •>' 
Clydesdale Stallion, “ King of the East’. 
Bulbs for the Flower Carden. 9U 
Siftings from the Kltelien Fire. AJ 
Table-Setting. Svstein in. 9b 
Cookery for the Hick..... 9U 
Recipes. A| 
Rural Special Reports...... 
Dituon Stock Farm Pupera. -JJ 
Verminon Cattle, Remedies for. ■*> 
Oil-Cake. 9 
Stables, Ventilation of. gi 
Poultry Acoount.... • 9} 
Poultry Hints.•. 91 
Seed Planting, The Principles of., ••• ■ } 
Western Echoes from the 1 ' Maple Shadows”.., 91 
Fruit in Western New Vork. 91 
Editorial Page-.- 
The Temperance Movement. 
The Injustice Of It. 
Agitation!. 
Brevities.... 
Literary ; 
Poetry...... 
Old Tinker —A Study. 
How the English Language is Made 
My Dream of the Kalu-drop. 
The Photograph. 
Farmers as Citizens. 
A Russian Story... 
Bric-u-Brae. 
Recent Literature... 
For Women.. 
A Family Talk. 
What One Woman Has Done. 
Toilet Box. 
Grandfather to the Front. 
Answers to Correspondents. 
News of the Week... 
Publisher’s Notices. 
Various.. 
Markets. 
Reading for the Young. 
A Novel Competition. 
A Fishy Transaction. 
Puzzler. . 
Sabbath Reading. 
Immortality of the Soul. 
The Value of a Minute. 
Personals. 
Wit and Humor. 
Advertisements.. 
92 
92 
92 
92 
.98.95. 97 
. 93 
. 93 
. 94 
. 94 
. 94 
. 94 
. 94 
. 95 
. 95 
. 95 
. 95 
. 95 
. 95 
. 96 
. 96 
. 97 
. 97 
. 97 
. 95 
. 98 
. 98 
. 98 
. 98 
. 98 
. 98 
. 99 
.100 
96, 99.100 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERT SATURDAY. 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
>78 Duane Street New York City. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1878. 
We earnestly request that all letters containing 
money, or any communication intended for (he 
Business Department of the paper, he addressed 
to the Editor, the Publisher, or The Rural New- 
Yorker. and not to any imlividual. We cannot 
otherwise guarantee the prompt entry of names 
upon our boohs, or the acknowledgment of money. 
Prof. I. P. Roberts’ series upon Agriculture 
and Education is continued in this number. 
A number of our subscribers bave written us 
that they have seeds of the Shell Flower (Mo- 
luccella la?vis) raised from the seeds which we 
sent them. We would feel obliged to suoh sub¬ 
scribers if they would state the quantities they 
have, and the prices at which they may be pur¬ 
chased. 
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT. 
Of intoxicating liquors three hundred 
and fifty million gallons, or thirty-six 
quarts for every man, woman and child 
in the country, are annually legitimately 
made in the United States. The cost of 
manufacturing tliis enormous quantity of 
deleterious drink, amounts to six hun¬ 
dred million dollars, or fifteen dollars to 
each individual, from the venerable grand¬ 
mother in the arm-chair to the new-bom 
babe in the cradle. Our importations of 
foreign wines and other spirituous as well 
as malt liquors, costs about one-sixth as 
much as the domestic manufacture of 
those articles. Moreover, this vast ocean 
of liquor is constantly receiving no incon¬ 
siderable surreptitious contributions from 
innumerable illicit distilleries scattered 
throughout the country, and also from 
adulterations of various kinds, nearly all 
of which add greatly to the pernicious 
character inherent in the article. The 
retail price at which the stuff is distrib¬ 
uted to the consumers, swells to gigantic 
proportions, the aggregate amount of 
money drawn in this way from the pock¬ 
ets of the people to tickle their palates or 
satisfy a morbid craving. 
Taking into account the women, chil¬ 
dren, and male teetotalers of the country, 
it is fair to estimate that at least one-half 
its population never contribute a dollar 
towards this sum. Of the remainder, half, 
at least, do so very rarely, and fully rec¬ 
ognizing the lamentable amount of evil 
due to the use of intoxicating liquors, 
would be rejoiced to see their sale either 
entirely prohibited or greatly limited. 
Nearly all the outlay on this account 
comes from not more than one-fourth of 
our entire population, and the vast bulk 
of it from a number considerably less than 
half of these. From the class thus pre¬ 
pared, statistics show that nearly three- 
fourths of the inmates of our prisons, lu¬ 
natic asylums and alms-houses are com¬ 
posed ; and in nearly all cases, their con¬ 
signment to these abodes of guilt, misery 
and wretchedness, was but the culmina¬ 
tion of a career in which frequent intoxi¬ 
cation and the brutality, selfishness, im¬ 
providence and violence, which are its 
natural consequences, had brought misery 
on thousands of innocent heads. Indeed, 
one of the worst features of drunkenness 
is that while the enjoyment, beastly as it 
may be, is exclusively confined to the 
drunkard himself, the misery inseparable 
from it, falls most grievously on others. 
There are some evils of such a nature, 
that the most powerful argument against 
them consists in a simple statistical state¬ 
ment of the most flagrant of their results. 
Of these, intemperance is probably the 
most forcible example, for no sober, 
thoughtful man can ponder on its indis¬ 
putable effects, on the certain degrada¬ 
tion, ultimate misery and poverty, as well 
as probable crime of its victim, and the 
wretchedness it inevitably entails on all 
connected with him, without detesting the 
vice and resolving to do all in his power 
..to check its ravages. It is this consider¬ 
ation that is the chief motive-power with 
the zealous advocates of temperance and 
teetotalism now vigorously exerting them¬ 
selves in different parts of the country, 
and all earnest men—and especially all 
women, for they, alas ! are the chief suf¬ 
ferers by intoxication—will rejoice at the 
eminent success that is rewarding the la¬ 
bors of these apostles of temperance. Nor 
should they confine their sympathy with 
the movement merely to good wishes, but 
they should, each in his or her own sphere, 
bring their best influence to bear upon all 
addicted to this ruinous practice. 
It should, however, be borne strongly 
in mind that in this connection an ounce 
of prevention is worth a pound of cure ; 
for while the permanent reformation of 
the veteran drunkard is only occasionally 
seen among the few miracles that are still 
at rare intervals, wrought among us, the 
reclamation of the incipient bibber and the 
preservation of the rising generation, is a 
task much more easy and fruitful. It is, 
however, a mistake common alike with 
the most enthusiastic missionaries to the 
heathen, and workers among drunkards, 
to labor more vigorously aud rejoice 
more earnestly over the conversion of 
“ hal’d cases ” than over the reclamation 
of those only slightly erring, or the pre¬ 
servation of those still liappy in their in¬ 
nocence. Just as the zealous missionary 
feels amply rewarded by tbe partial con¬ 
version of a few ignorant savages, for an 
outlay of labor, risk and money that 
would have converted as many dozens of 
his ignorant neighbors at home, so does 
the apostle of temperance rejoice more 
over the doubtful reformation of a car- 
buncled toper than over the assured con¬ 
version of a doi^i moderate drinkers 
whose noses even have not yet begun to 
blush. But, although we may differ a 
trifle from some of these gentlemen both 
in our opinions of the best methods of 
conducting the work and in selecting 
the special objects to be benefited by it, 
we cannot withhold our hearty commen¬ 
dation of their labors nor an expression 
of satisfaction at the ample measure of 
success which is rewarding their benefi- 
cient efforts. 
-- 
AGITATION! 
The constant ebb and flow of tbe tideB 
serve to keep in motion the waters of the 
sea, which would otherwise become stag¬ 
nant, and cause the death of every living 
creature. The constant motion of the air 
renders it in fit condition for the lungs of 
man and animals—aud we may add plauts ; 
for plants have lungs as truly as wo have, 
and a stagnant air affects them as surely 
as it does man. Constant stirring of the 
ground is well known to be of great serv¬ 
ice in putting it in condition to absorb and 
retain fertilizing properties from the at¬ 
mosphere. This is the case in some soils 
to such an extent, that it ir said a second 
plowing is equal to a coating of manure, 
a statement which should doubtless be 
taken with a good many grains of al¬ 
lowance. 
As in the physical world, so in the 
moral and intellectual. Is there an un¬ 
just law on our statute books ? The best 
way to treat it is to show it up to the peo¬ 
ple. Let tbe community once get talking 
about it, and the wrong will soon become 
apparent. While we take no part in the 
recent discussions of the theological world 
relative to the question of the extent and 
duration of a future punishment—which 
discussion seems likely to spread through¬ 
out Christendom—we rejoice that they 
have arisen and trust they will be contin¬ 
ued, only hoping they will be conducted 
in a Christian spirit and with brotherly 
love. Such discussion con do no possible 
harm. If it be true that the doctrines as 
taught by the greater portion of Christian 
teachers' have not a foundation in fact, 
the sooner we know it the better for us. 
But if investigation shall show that the 
views held by the smaller number are 
without warrant—either of Scripture or 
reason—it will be well for them that they 
be shown their error and led into the right 
path. The inevitable result of this com¬ 
parison of conflicting ideas, will be to in¬ 
duce many to enter upon a more thorough 
study of the subject, aud to determine if 
they have really a belief, the result of ex¬ 
amination, investigation, thought, and 
judgment; or if, while thinking they be¬ 
lieve, they have been merely assenting to 
such views as others have asserted are 
correct. 
It is certain, that few know what they 
really believe on these questions—or, in 
fact, on any other—or have a clear idea 
of what belief is. We may be pardoned 
if, in this connection, we reprint from the 
Rural for July 22, 1870, brief definitions 
of certain words too often used synony¬ 
mously : 
“ Assent is the admission of the truth 
of a statement or proposition without sub¬ 
jecting it to any proof, either of further 
evidence, reason, or experiment. 
“ Belief is confidence in the truth of 
a statement or proposition, after having 
examined the evidence so far as possible 
by the aid of Reason. 
“ Knowledge. When we have the tes¬ 
timony of our senses, used in conjunction 
with our reason, to attest the truth of 
evidence supporting a statement or prop¬ 
osition, we may be said to know it. 
“Faith is the conviction of the truth 
of a statement or proposition of which 
from our nature, it is impossible for us 
to attain knowledge or to logically prove 
or disprove —ub faith in the absolute ; in 
the ultimate first cause of all things ; in 
God.” 
We rejoice, then, at the agitation of all 
questions in which the whole community 
are interested. In this way, error will be 
found aud sophistry exposed, and the ab¬ 
surdity ol’ reasoning founded on false 
premises, which has the show of truth to 
the illogical mind, will be plainly shown. 
None need fear the result. 
“ Ever tUe right comes uppermost, 
And ever is justice done." 
. ■ ♦ ♦ ♦-- 
THE INJUSTICE OF IT. 
“ Order your shrubs and trees only of 
nurserymen of established reputations. ” 
One sees this advice repeated year after 
year—month after month, in horticultural 
and agricultural journals until it is not to 
be wondered at that it is next to an im¬ 
possibility for a young man to succeed 
in the nursery business, no matter how 
competent he may be ; no matter if he is 
twioe as enterprising and fully as trust¬ 
worthy as those of long “ established 
reputations.” 
Everybody should know by this time 
that there are people who, every year, 
flit about the country with exaggerated 
pictures, jars of captivating fruits and 
printed descriptions which if not entirely 
false, so misrepresent the article with 
which orders are to be filled, as to disap¬ 
point or disgust the purchasers. If 
everybody doesn’t know it, it is because 
he doesn’t read, or is so great a dunce 
that he reads without being the wiser for 
it. 
The motive of horticultural journals 
in seeking to proteot their readers or the 
community against “swindling tree ped¬ 
dlers” need not be impugned. We desire 
simply to make it appear that their 
advice is, in many cases, working far 
more injury than good. By it, country 
people and all intending purchasers are 
warned against all traveling agents repre¬ 
senting unknown concerns. “ Are you 
responsible ?” iB now tbe first question 
which presents itself in the mind of him 
who desires to make out an order, let the 
agent seem ever so worthy of confidence 
—let him come aB amply accredited as he 
may. For this reason a nurseryman who 
is seeking to establish a business, is 
placed at a great disadvantage. He is 
absolutely obliged to depend upon the 
trade of the locality or spend a small 
fortune in the semi-annnal issue of thou¬ 
sands of free catalogues, and advertising 
in suitable mediums. Business of almost 
every kind is more and more from year to 
year being carried on by traveling agents, 
and if only those of well-known establish¬ 
ments are patronized, a very unpromising 
field is opened to those who have just 
begun the business or who intend to do 
so. 
Swindling is by no means confined to 
traveling tree agents, though in times 
past the credulity of people who could 
be talked into paying exhorbitant prices 
for pear trees that would bear immense 
fruit the first year and ever after, and 
like absurdities, offered peculiar induce¬ 
ments to the cupidity of glib-tongued 
rogues. But suoh credulity is at the 
present time so hard to find that the hor¬ 
ticultural press need no longer exercise 
itself as to their protection especially if, 
in order to do so, the entire tree-purchas¬ 
ing community must be cautioned against 
all agents who have no “established 
reputation.” 
If a person is induced to order of 
agents of whom he knows nothing, be¬ 
cause the price is less or for any other 
reason, he has only to stipulate that the 
trees shall not be paid for until they 
have been opened and examined. There 
are those in almost every neighborhood 
who can determine a Bartlett or Seckel 
Pear tree—a T. Co. King or Baldwin at 
sight, or who, if the varieties are less 
common, can judge from the general ap¬ 
pearance of the trees, the condition of the 
roots, the freshness of the bark; the 
manner of packing and labeling, whether 
a cheat is attempted or not. 
Though, for the most part, we have 
dealt with firms of “ established reputa¬ 
tions,” we have not always found the 
fruit or flower true to name. These 
were mistakes, for “mistakes may hap¬ 
pen in the best regulated families.” But 
had we purchased of traveling agents, 
they would have been frauds, for mis¬ 
takes are not permissible to firms that 
have no “ established reputations.” 
—--- 
BREVITIES. 
What hardy ever green tree ia the greenest at 
this season ? 
The farmer’s problem ? How to find out what 
his crops need that the soil does not furnish. 
It looks easy enough doesn’t it ? 
We havo all the while inquiries as to how to 
construct cheap ice-houses. Mr. Miner answers 
the question in rather a novel way on p. 86. 
The thermometer stood six degrees below 
zero at the Rural Grounds, February 4, being- 
the lowest temperature this winter. Sleighing 
good. 
We call attention to Rev. R. H. Crane’s Ex¬ 
change offer (under Horticulture) only to say 
that we have reason to believe him a trustworthy 
gentleman. 
“ Ten years ago a Newburyport girl broke off 
a needle in her right foot, and a week ago, last 
Sunday, it worked out of the little finger of her 
left hand.” To make an astounding coinci¬ 
dence n needle should break off in a boy’s left 
liana and work out of the big toe of his right 
foot. 
Every child over six years of age, whenever it 
is possible, should have a little garden of his or 
her own—if only three feet square. Go to the 
woods, children—to the fields in early spring 
(two months hence) and gather the plauts if you 
cannot, get them in any other way. Learn their 
familiar names first; then, by referring to any 
work on botany, the botanical names can be 
learnt. It is a good way to begin the study of 
botany, and it is a good way to lay the corner¬ 
stone "of a useful and a happy life. 
