THE 
EW-YORKER. 
TABLE OF CONTESTS. 
i’r\ctical Departments: 
Jottlnc* at. Kirby Horaest-end. 1 
Dutch Cuttle, Different Kinds of . J 
Industry, A New.,. J 
Chickens, Sprinir.. J 
National Aerleultural Congress. 1 
Prickiv Cnmfrey. * 
Iron Hurdles on Wheels...1 
RoudB. B .d . J 
Watering Plants lu P"ts. 1 
Influence of Consumption of Water by Cows on 
their Yield of Milk. 1 
Catalouue*. Ac., Received. 1 
Foreign Catalogues Received....... 1 
Harrow. An Improved. J 
Dexter King, The. I 
Grimes'tiolhcn Pippin. 1 
Extract* from Correspondents’ Letters.I 
Siftings from the Kitchen Fire. 1 
Recipes . ,. J 
More " Facts” from Mississippi. 1 
Notes from Cal If or out... 1 
Notes from North Carolina........ ... 1 
What Kansas Needs. . . 1 
Rural Special Reports. 1 
Champion Grape Again. I 
Editorial paok: 
How to Remedy One Evil by the Employment 
ot Another. 1 
The Remedy for Unjust Weights and Measures 1 
Close of the Europe,<n War. I 
Profitable Wmk at Home.. ..... I 
\\ eeds along the Roadside. 1 
Caution to Poultry Shippers. .. 1 
An Easy Way to Secure the Rural and the 
Cricket. 1 
Teamsters’Mistakes,. 1 
Brevnies. ‘ 
Literary . 
Poetry........1ST. ISA. 1 
Literary MiscetlRny. 1 
The Marked Hand. 1 
Cora. ] 
Recent Literature. ’ 
For Women. i 
Talks on Tin "ty Topics. I 
That In ess which did not Improve.1 
Description of Cuts. 1 
Ta k About My Jewels. ’ 
Answers to Cot respondents....... 
News of the v . »k...... 
Publisher’s NOiiccs.. 
Various. .. . ..... 
Markets. 
Reading for thnToung. 
Letters from Hoys aud Girls. 
Puzzler.. 
Sabbath Reading. 
Words. 
Personals.. 
Wit and liutur.. 
Advertisements.153,161, 16a. 
THE 
i 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Address 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
178 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1878. 
The offer to sell the engravings used in this 
journal at ten ceuts per square inch has brongbt 
us many requests to send to parties proofs from 
which to select. Now, we have over 10,000 cuts, 
so that it is quite impossible to comply with 
such requests. Besides, the price is so low that 
we could not afford to do so even were it practi¬ 
cable. Those desiring to purchase these cuts— 
for which we] have no further use—will he 
obliged to select from files of the Rural most 
readily accessible to them. 
We have to thank our friends for their re¬ 
sponses to our request respecting “ Hide-bouud 
Trees.” Having yet a number of excellent com¬ 
munications upon the subject, which, however, 
for the most part, are repetitions of what has 
already been said, perhaps it may be well to con¬ 
sider the subject sufficiently discussed for the 
present. 
Never since we have known the Rural have 
we been constrained to delay the publication of 
so many valuable articles, We do not say this 
to discourage our friends from sending future 
communications, but for the purpose of enlist¬ 
ing their patience for a few weeks. 
HOW TO REMEDY ONE EVIL BY THE 
EMPLOYMENT OF ANOTHER. 
Tramps and bad roadB are both grievous 
evils in almost every district throughout 
the country. It is a merciful decree of 
fate, that when one is most harassing the 
other is least troublesome ; for were the 
rural population afflicted with the worst 
phase of both at the same time, flesh and 
blood could hardly bear the twofold visi¬ 
tation. It is, probably, this alternate cul¬ 
mination of the annoyances that has pre¬ 
vented the idea of using one of the evils 
to mitigate the other. Tramps profess to 
be in eager search of a market for their 
labor, while the roads they infest are in 
urgent need of it; but though supply 
and demand, both equally importunate, 
are thus brought into the closest proxim¬ 
ity, the publio has hitherto been blind to 
the obvious method of practicing the first 
principles of trade, redressing two crying 
evils, and vastly benefiting society by 
employing these gad-abouts to repair the 
highways. In such a measure, poetic as 
well as prosaic justice would be admira¬ 
bly exemplified, for of all the incum¬ 
brances that obstruct our thoroughfares, 
there are few that render them more dis¬ 
agreeable or dangerous than these alter¬ 
nately cringing and truculent vagabonds. 
Now that the mild weather of a probably 
early spring is about to start these no¬ 
mads from the lock-ups, charitable insti¬ 
tutions, rookeries, and squalid purlieus 
of cities and villages, ou their annual 
holiday peregrinations throughout the 
country, not a moment should be lost by 
the rural population before organizing a 
system by which they should be made to 
earn their bread ; and as they have hith¬ 
erto won it metaphorically “ on the road,” 
it will be meet for them henceforth to do 
so literally. 
-♦♦♦- 
CLOSE OF THE EUROPEAN WAR. 
The signatures of Russia and Turkey 
to the treaty of peace have doubtless put 
a definite end to all reasonable fears 
either of a renewal of the terrible Euro¬ 
pean struggle that has lately been sus¬ 
pended, or of any immediate outbreak of 
hostilities between other transatlantic 
nations. The humiliating and disadvan- 
tagous predicament in which the final 
settlement leaves Great Britain, will 
probably prompt that arrogant- little 
island to bluster aud fume a trifle Ion get 
with great self-satisfaction but little harm 
to others. Certain it is, however, that 
the hostile step she shrank from taking 
when sure of the grateful aid of Turkey 
and hopeful of Austria’s powerful assist¬ 
ance, she will hardly venture upon now 
that the former has been utterly pros¬ 
trated through misplaced confidence on 
her support and the latter has been con¬ 
ciliated by her enemy. 
While the Ottoman Empire has been 
utterly ruined by the results of the con¬ 
flict, and England virtually excluded 
from intermeddling in future in continen¬ 
tal questions, the glory of the Muscovite 
has not been of a very dazzling order in 
view of the comparatively feeble and 
diminutive proportions of his swarthy 
antagonist and the powerful blows this 
pigmy at one time managed to plant on 
iris gigantic body. The material advan¬ 
tages reaped by the Northern Colossus, 
however, are of vast present and still 
greater prospective importance. After 
crushing his hereditary foe he has con¬ 
verted him into a dependent and useful 
ally. In Servia and Roumaiiia be has 
established two nominally independent 
States, which are really vassals to him ; 
in Bulgaria he has set up a new princi¬ 
pality in Turkey, that will soon be sure 
to follow the example of successful revolt 
set it by its two neighbors : he has gained 
a foothold ou the Danube by the appro¬ 
priation of Bessarabia ; and, finally to 
crown his European triumphs, he has 
torn to shreds tfle treaty of Paris—that 
memento of his defeat in the Crimea. 
Still greater both in prestige and profit 
are the Russian acquisitions in Asia. 
By means of these Muscovite renown 
will be spread all over the East, from the 
Mediterranean to the Yellow Sea, while 
the territory appropriated assures the 
final subjugation of the Caucasus and 
opens the gates wide to the Czar’s con¬ 
quering legions into Persia, Central and 
Southern Asia, aud peradventure, ere 
long, into British India. 
-» ♦♦— - 
THE REMEDY FOR UNJUST WEIGHTS 
AND MEASURES. 
In many places—especially in the new¬ 
er portions of our country—there is great 
talk among the farmers of false weights 
and measures. We could give a very 
large number of definite examples of this 
kind, which have come within our obser¬ 
vation. 
Hogs fall short from five to twenty-five 
pounds each. Buyers take from fifteen 
to ninety pounds of wheat or oats from 
each load bought in the street. At the 
close of the season, one buyer in a smull 
town had a surplus of two carloads of 
wheat left over. This was equally divided 
between the dealer and the Railroad Com¬ 
pany. Two bags of clover seed fell short 
sixteen pounds ; a small crock of butter 
three and a half pounds ; three bags of 
barley ground at a mill fell short fifty 
pounds, besides the lawful toll; a load of 
wool shrunk fifteen pounds in going to 
town. Meat, tea, coffee, sugar, and all 
kinds of groceries, often fall sliOTt from 
five to twenty-five per cent. Two firms 
advertised kerosene at five cents a gallon 
less than most other dealers. They were 
found to make up the difference in price 
by the shortage in measure. At one rail¬ 
way depot, in two years, fifteen thousand 
bushels of grain were taken out of the 
farmers. 
Most of the above examples were de¬ 
tected by the good sense of several farm¬ 
ers, They mistrusted they were being 
cheated. They bought large and small 
scales, and carefully weighed everything 
before going to mill or to market. The 
cheating is done by leaded weights ; two 
sets of weights, two sets of trucks, and 
various other devices which ever suggest 
themselves to minds wanting to use them. 
We have mentioned only a few cases in 
which we could give the names of the 
parties. What shall the farmers do about 
it ? They might go to law, but thev are 
a peaceful class of people, and dislike to 
make a “fuss.” The enterprising men 
referred to are now buying and Belling 
by their own weights ami measures. They 
are saving each year more than the cost 
of the scales aud the trouble of weighing 
Grists of grain they now weigh in, aud 
weigh out of themillB. Snch farmers are 
looking out for their rights ; many others 
are catching the same spirit. Heretofore 
they have done as do now a very large 
majority of the farmers in the country— 
they allow the buyer to set. his own price, 
do liis own weighing on his own scales, 
and make his own figures as to the result, 
tiyucli farmers court abuse from all dealers 
who are in any ways inclined to be dis¬ 
honest. Who says that the .farmer does 
not need to keep his ears and eyes open, 
to learn the trieks of the trade ? Success¬ 
ful men are learning to conduot their 
farms on business principles. 
PROFITABLE WORK AT HOME. 
Where there is a will there is a way. 
The old adage is nowhere more true than 
in finding work. The man who relies 
wholly on employment which others can 
give him, makes a seriouB mistake. It 
may be, as in thousands of instauoes it 
unfortunately is the fact, that snch a one 
will for long intervals be thrown out of 
work. When the capitalist ceases to 
make a profit, he dismisses hired help 
aud closes out his business. This is 
what has happened to many thousands of 
the unemployed to-day. It will always 
be so while men rely on others for the 
privilege of labor. Some means by 
which the mass of men may at least par¬ 
tially employ themselves is the only 
practical remedy. Whoever has a home , 
be it never so humble, has received the 
first means to an liouorable independence. 
There is always something to bo done to 
promote the convenience aud comfort of 
the home, and, in the absence of work 
giving money remuneration, making the 
home more pleasant and comfortable is 
the best paying job which any man cau 
undertake. * It is a sign of shiftlessness, 
if not worse, to see men idle while a day’s 
work might be well expended in batteuiug 
doors and windows against winter’s rude 
blasts, or iu providing some simple con¬ 
veniences long needed by the good house¬ 
wife to lighten her work. 
NOTES. 
Weeds along the Roadsides.— 
The Assembly the other day, at Albany, 
discussed for some time a bill which was 
on the calendar, requiring noxious weeds 
to be cut along the highways. The de¬ 
bate took a wide ruugo, and was partici¬ 
pated in by a number of members, some 
of whom contended that once a year was 
often enough to have the weeds mowed 
down; and others thought that the more 
harmful sorts, like thistles, should be cut. 
twice in a year. There was a dispute also, 
whether elders and alders are weeds, and 
whether weeds should be cut auywhere 
except along-side of improved lauds. At 
last, after the botanical knowledge of the 
legislators had been severely tested and 
their wisdom well ventilated, some one 
said he believed there was a law now ou 
the statute book which provided for the 
destruction of weeds, and he felt sore it 
covered the ground better than the bill 
they had been talking about; so the bill 
was “progressed,” as they say in legisla¬ 
tive phrase, and went over toauother day. 
The revised statutes of New York do make 
it the duty of the overseer of highways to 
cause all noxious weeds to be cut twice a 
year—once in July and once in Heptem- 
ber—and the time so spent shall come out 
of the highway tax. The law was not 
well enforced; but since the statutes 
make it unlawful for stock to run on the 
highway, the owners of land are quite 
generally mowing the roadsides, and in 
this way the weeds are destroyed; any in¬ 
habitant can complain and compel the 
overseer to comply with the demands of 
the law, or he is liable to be fined : so 
that every owner of laud can now protect 
himself from the foul seeds which might, 
mature on the roadside aud be scattered 
by the winds on his farm. 
Caution to Poultry Shippers.— 
Dressed poultry often gets caught in a 
thaw and arrives in New York in bad 
order. On January 26 there was a large 
amount of this sort of meat winch had 
no doubt started for market during the 
cold snap at the beginning or middle of 
the week, and arrived here in the midst 
of fog and mist to rapidly sour and spoil. 
Such meat is usually bought by irrespon¬ 
sible hucksters who peddle it through 
the streets to poor people. Some of this 
poultry unfit for food was offered at eight 
to ten cents per pound on Saturday aud 
at night in some streets, a pair of chick¬ 
ens were offered at six cents for the pair, 
good poultry being worth from fourteen 
to sixteen cents per pound. The vendors 
ought to be arrested. They buy this 
stuff by the load at a nominal price of 
the commission merchants who dare not 
put it on the market. It is hard for the 
shippers as they must lose its entire 
worth, and in such open aud uncertain 
weather as we have had this winter, their 
losses have been too frequent to be at all 
comfortable. 
-♦♦♦ ■ 
Teamsters’ Mistakes. — Draymen 
seem to forget, or else they do not know, 
that the draft of a wagon is doubled 
when the wheels turn ou snow, and very 
much greater still when the snow is deep 
and mealy. We could never see the ad¬ 
vantage of overloading a team and spend¬ 
ing bo much time in getting them started 
when they get set, as they are sure to do, 
if the load is too heavy. Better take a 
less load and go quicker without any jisk 
of injuring the horses. In the cities, as 
well as in the country, there are more or 
less treacherous holes which it is well to 
think about when au unreasonable 
weight is put upon a vehicle. Aud it is 
wise to remember that one team stalled 
on a thoroughfare will often hinder a 
score besides themselves. 
Au Easy Way to Secure the 
Rural and the “ Cricket.”—We are 
very pleased to know that every one who 
has written to us upon the subject has 
expressed himself rr.ore than pleased with 
our Clock, aud that we have not exagger¬ 
ated its merits in any way. One sub¬ 
scriber sent us two names aud received 
the Cricket Clock. He readily sold it 
for $3, by adding fifty cents to which he 
was enabled to secure the Rural for one 
year and the Cricket Clock. The second 
installment of “ What they say of it ” 
will be found upon page 155. 
BREVITIES. 
Let’s get up a great political party to abolish 
politicians. 
Keep your poultry-houses dry. It is more 
important now than at any other season. 
Mr. B. K. Rliss has done much in the matter 
of introducing new varieties of potatoes. But 
Mr. J. J. H. Gregory has Dunmohe. 
WHAT THE CLOCK BAYS. 
“ Tick,” the “ Cricket •’ says, “ tick, tick, tick : 
W' at you have lo do. do quick; 
Time is irlhhuK last away; 
Let ns act, and act to-day. 
“ When your mother speaks, obey; 
Do not loiter, do not stay; 
Wait not for another tick. 
What you have to do, do quick.” [Parody. 
We find the following fuuuy advioe as to hot¬ 
beds in tho agricultural department of a con¬ 
temporary : “ After the first intonse beat passes 
off, throw on very line soil, made of toall-roUed 
mantirw free from straw (adding a little sand if 
tho soil is inclined lo he hard and some super¬ 
phosphate of hone if you have it.” Tho italics 
are ours. 
The following from Mr. Tick's Monthly Mag¬ 
azine for February, is a forcible expression of 
what wb have often tried to convey to our read¬ 
ers : In Europe, fanning is held in the highest 
esteem—it secures the attention of men of the 
higest political aud social positions. Even 
Royalty is not dishonored by oont&ct with soil. 
For Buob persons to engage in commerce or 
“shop-keeping” aa it is called, would be a dis¬ 
grace. Here, farming is degraded below the 
shop. Only a farmer are words we often hear, 
not used as complementary terms. The farm is 
not a place for stolid drudgery and until inking 
toil, but a field for study, thought and research 
—a place where not only money but honorable 
name may be earned. Whim this is true of 
Americau farms and farmers, our young men 
will follow the occupation or their fathers aud 
llowers will adorn every country home. 
BUS INESS NOTICE S._ 
See Mr. Miner’s adv’t of White Grapes und other 
fruits—somethin)* new aud valuable. 
