THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 0 
(fatm topics. 
WHAT SALARY DOES A FARMER RECEIVE ? 
PROFESSOR W. J. BEAL. 
He receives the equivalent of a larger salary 
than ninety-nine out of a hundred of them are 
willing to admit. They underestimate their 
own profits, and overestimate the profits of men 
living on a salary. 
There is a great difference among those who 
live by farming. A great many work the Boil 
because they do not know what else to do, or 
because they cannot live by any thing else. 
Many of this class hardly deserve to bo classed 
as farmers. They lower the standing of farming 
as a business. I believe there is no business by 
whioh a man can live so well with so mush 
neglect, as in agriculture. Brill nothing Letter 
repays good care and ability. It is rather slow 
to yield brilliant returns at the outset: so is any 
business. The farmer’s profits are concealed in 
the rise of land—in improvements by ditohiug, 
clearing, new buildings, more land, more tools, 
or better stock. Mest farmers have no idea how 
much it costB them to live. They forget to 
fignro in the pork, poultry, mutton, butter, 
flour, vegetables, etc., otc. The salary-mau 
lives entirely by bis individual efforts. In es¬ 
timating a salary, we must do so by looking at 
tho privileges enjoyed, the hard work of brain 
and muscles, and the gain in property or im¬ 
provements. 
I am personally acquainted with two brothers 
in Michigan, who started out on an equality 
about twenty years ago. One of them, after a 
good education, went to farming, tlio other to 
teaching. They had only a few hundred dollars 
apiece to start with. The one who followed 
teaching for the laBt six years, has received an¬ 
nually from two thousand to two thousand seven 
hundred dollars. One-third of this amount would 
bo called a large salary by nine-tenths of our 
farmers, who can save as much each year as 
does the teacher referred to. The farmer, of 
the tw'O brothers under consideration, owns and 
works a small place of seventy or eiglity acres, 
which he is steadily improving. IIo has good 
buildings. lie owns a small cheese factory. 
He is out of debt. He has lately bought fifl^ 
acres morn of land worth $2,000, and from 
previous experience, ho is certain he can save 
five hundred dollars a year above all expenses, 
to apply as payment on bis recent purchase. 
He is easily keeping up with the teacher in 
accumulating wealth. He works no harder. 
The natural tact of the two men for work and 
business was not much different, while they 
worked together on the old homestead. The 
fanner in qnestiou iH uot an old fogy in any 
sense of the word- He is all the time looking 
for new and bettor implements, but he is 
very cautious about buying any of them until be 
has seen them tried and knows that be can mal«e 
good use of them. He does not make costly 
experiments, bnt be is every year trying some 
new vegetables or grains or grasses. Ho is im¬ 
proving bis stock by some purchases, and by 
“natural selection.” He wastes no money iu 
rushing from one department of farming to 
another. He keeps cows, raises somo begs, a 
little wheat, somo corn, hay and grass, some 
fruit and poultry. In no sense of the word can 
he be said to have made money by buying low 
and selling high. He is uot a trader. He has 
no tact in making his money by good bargains. 
What he has earned has come by legitimate 
farming Somo would call him a little conserva¬ 
tive. He is very eantious, saving, industrious, 
but he dresses well and lives well. 
Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich. 
-- 
NOTES FROM MAPLEWOOD FARM. 
HECTOK BERTRAM. 
DEATH TO THE TENT-CATERPILLAR. 
In looking over the orchard the other day, I 
found a great many webs of the Tent-caterpillar; 
more than at any one time during any preceding 
year. Further investigation proved that the 
plum, cherry and peach trees were in the same 
manner infested. This must be attended to im¬ 
mediately. A ball of cloth saturated iu kero¬ 
sene, and affixed to a long pole, makes an excel¬ 
lent torch for burning them up. I tried this 
two years ago, and never saw another caterpillar 
on the trees during the remainder of the season. 
The proper time for burning them is early 
me ruing, before they leave the webs for a foray 
upon the leaves of the tree. If care is exercised, 
the flame need come in contact with none of the 
branches, and the tree remains uninjured. 
CLOVER HAY. 
The clover field is beading out, and will bo fit 
to cut soon. Clover makes excellent hfty, if cut 
at the right time and properly cured ; and al¬ 
though it does not contain quite as much nutri¬ 
ment as timothy, horses and cattle eat it more 
readily, and its value as a fertiliser makes it 
most profitable to grow. The crop must be cut 
when in full bloom, and put up in cocks as soon 
as wilted. After standing one day they must be 
q g ag— - — • - — 
handled over, reversed, the top placed at the 
bottom, and vice versa. This, repeated every 
day for t^ree days, will give us, next winter, 
fresh, fragrant hay, which the cattle, sheep and 
calves will relish almost as much as grass. And 
I shall not hesitate to feed it to the horses and 
cattle, for it will not bo dusty, as much clover 
hay is._ 
DUSTY HAY. 
Speaking of duBty hay, calls to mind some I 
cut two years ago that had become too ripe. 
The liired man, although a good one, failed to 
remember that old Kit had rather weak lungs, 
and fed somo of the dusty hay. The conse¬ 
quence was that iu two days she coughed badly 
and showed strong indications of heavos. The 
hay was immediately romovod, and clean, bright 
oat straw substituted, aud the feed of grain well 
wet. Iu a few days the cough and stricture of 
the lungs entirely disappeared, aud have not 
since returned. 
FLOWERS IN THE D00R-YAR0. 
As I write, facing the window, I can but pause 
to admire a Wiogela growiug before it, its 
pink-anil-white, bell-shaped blossoms forming a 
delightful contrast to the dark green of the lawn. 
It was only planted a year ago, yet T now count 
one hundred and eleven bunches of flowers, with 
from five to eight flowerB in a cluster. I never 
saw a finer, more showy shrub for the lawn, and 
it has the good quality of being perfectly hardy, 
requiring no extra care or cultivation. By a 
judicious selection, shrubs of excellent qualities 
might be found growing in farmers’ yards much 
more frequently than they now are. A well reg¬ 
ulated, carefully tended yard or garden goes a 
groat way toward “ sotting off” the farm. 
APPLES FOR HOME USE. 
Notwithstanding the sovere frost, fruit prom- 
isos to be abundant. Apple trees were never set 
more full of fruit, Northern Bpys especially. 
These are the best of winter fruit for our cold 
climate. They start so much later than others 
iu spring that they are not so apt to be injured 
by Treat, and although rarely bearing while very 
young, when once started they invariably give a 
good crop annually of fine, marketable fruit. A 
tree at Maplewood Farm gave seven barrels the 
tenth year. Moreovor, who ever saw an ill- 
shaped tree of this variety ? Next to the Spy, I 
would plant the Wagenor for home consump¬ 
tion. But, unlike the Northern Spy, trees of 
the Wagoner variety, wheu young, will produce 
so much fruit that, if it ih suffered to remain on 
the tree, the vitality of the latter will be de¬ 
stroyed. _ 
MANAGEMENT OF DUCKUHQS. 
A neighbor bad a fine flock of young ducks, 
some thirty in number. For some cause un¬ 
known to him, they died off rapidly until but 
twelve remained. Iu distress be asked my opin¬ 
ion of the cause of bis loss. My first question 
was in regard to their food, and when I learned 
that msal—corn meal—l.ad been fed, I assured 
him that he could attribute his loss to that. 
Young should have ourd; not a particle 
of meal ««til six or eight woeks old. Mr. Berry 
kkfc since substituted ourd, and the ducklings 
are all healthy ami growiug finely. Chickens, 
too, are very fond of sour milk. I always keep 
a supply whore they can have free access to it 
at all times. 
CORN AND THE CROWS. 
The corn is planted, aud now the question 
arises: Row shall we save it from the depreda¬ 
tions of ttie crows ? Last year I put white twine 
aboutrtbn field, but the sly thieves viewed this 
with the utmost contempt, pulling the corn 
directly midor it. This season, should their 
visits beoome too frequent, I shall follow the 
plan advocated by an experienced farmer—that 
of soaking eight or ten quarts of corn and scat¬ 
tering it about the field on the surface. That 
amount, will keep the rasoals employed until the 
corn has grown so that it is no more a tempta¬ 
tion to them. I disfee to kill birds of any spe¬ 
cies, for I consider them always the farmer's 
firm allies. _ 
ELECAMPANE FOk HORSES. 
A piece of Elecampane root, out up fine aud 
mixed with the feed of horses overy day in 
Bpring, is an excellent tonic and blood purifier. 
They may show some hesitation in eating it at 
first, but will soon learn to like and eat it read¬ 
ily? while the sleek, gluasy appearance of their 
coats will give occular proof of its beneficial 
effects. It is easily procurable in the pastures 
or road-sidea of the Eastern and Middle States, 
and evon as far west as Illinois. Its persistent 
use has been known to cure cases of the heaves, 
when not too firmly seated. 
DOCKING LAMBS. 
The Bheep wero neglected thiB spring, and 
turned to grass before tagging. This is an over¬ 
sight that must not occur again. The long wool 
and longer tails become ready receptacles for 
the accumulation of tilth. Notwithstanding the 
protestations o t some of Bergh's disciples and 
my own dislike to inflicting unnecessary sufforiug 
on dumb animals, I beflieve it to bo proper and 
right, both for the comfort of the animals and 
the feelings of their owners, that lambs be dock¬ 
ed. Little or no pain attends the operation, if 
done quickly and at the right time, and the ani¬ 
mals will be much more cleanly. Too much care 
cannot be exercised in handling sheep during 
washing and shearing. Mr. Packer, formerly 
one of our most successful sheep raisers, was 
very particular in his seloction of tnou to do this 
work. The cruel practice of lifting them about 
by the wool, and taking off large pieces of skin 
with the shears, is too barbarous for any humane 
man’s sanction, and any man in my employ 
guilty of such cruelty, might look for a speedy 
discharge. 
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THE CURCULIO. 
Anticipating a visit from the curonlio, the 
plum trees were subjected to a liberal sprinkling 
of soot aud ashes each morning, while coverod 
with dew, from the time the buds became white 
until fruit became well set, and as a consequence 
they give promise of an enormous crop. 
THE TRUTH ABOUT IT. 
[Under this beading, a number of articles 
have been prepared by able writers. These will 
appear from time to time. Their object is not 
at all to deal with “ humbugB "—but with the 
many unconscious errors that oreep into the 
methods of daily country routine life.— Eds.] 
THE POETRY OF THE FARM. 
S. Q. LENT. 
I do not mean that kind of a jingle which is 
put together by people who go from towns into 
the country, and after a short sojourn of a few 
days, enjoying the pure air and specially pre¬ 
pared palatal delicacies, go into rhapsodies over 
country life; who frame their uico compliments 
for the farmer iu words like these: “ How de¬ 
licious is country life!” “The farmers must be 
the happiest people ou the earth!" “I should 
be iu elysium had I the ownership of a farm 
like this!" All this is stuff, and is easily con¬ 
jured up for the occasion. 
But there is real poetry connected with farm 
life that is endorsed with both rhyme and 
rhythm, and the production of it is not due 
to any chance Bojouruer who partakes of the 
bounties without the toil. This pootry is mado 
by tho farmer aud his own household. There is 
Icbs of it written than there might be, for there 
is a world of latent ability and the linos are not 
written upon chance slips of i*aper in stolen 
moments, but impressed upon buman hearts, 
to be read there in all the years of a lifetime. 
Beautiful trees, ornamental flower borders, 
tasteful surroundings, all those beautiful 
tbiugs that give charm to a country home, are 
the inspiration to the poetry of the farm ; aud if 
I could impress upon my brethren of the 
country the fact that they have a great deal of 
talent lying dormant for making this poetry, I 
should be doing a better work than iu writing 
columns of the best kind of dissertation upon the 
culture of roots, wheat, corn or oats. 
“ It is all very well for newspaper talk, and 
sounds very nicely on paper,” says my farmer 
friend, “ but when yon come to scratch for a 
largo family, and got wherewith to feed thoir 
hungry mouths and cover their bodioB with 
passable clothing, there is little time to write 
your kind of poetry by fussing with flower beds, 
entting off the door-yard grass every week, aud 
all that sort of thing.” 
But I do not hesitate one moment in making 
a reply to this, that there is enough time, labor, 
aud ingenuity wasted upon the farm to render 
it a model of grace and beauty. There is a 
principle implanted in our natures that craves 
food as lustily as our stomachs, aud as many 
people die from tho want of it as from tho need 
of food to build up the bodies. I refer to that 
love of beauty and beautiful thingB, which, if 
gratified, stimulates to right action, commend¬ 
able exertion and loving thoughtfulness, without 
which we might as well be so many Bricks and 
stones. 
Mon can live upon potatoes and salt, with bnt 
very little iu addition, for a time ; they can bo 
satisfied, under necessity, to move about iu un¬ 
comely fabrics; but contentment under such 
circumstances is out of the question for auy 
length of time. As moans are gathered, it is 
considered no matter of extravagance to have the 
best of food in variety, aud to be clothed taste¬ 
fully in line apparel. Time and thought of tho 
most earnest type are given to thoso. Much 
lesB, then, ought it to bo counted idlo expen¬ 
diture to attempt to satisfy ft higher desire 
of the human heart, to embollish a home with 
tasty surrouudlugH that will hold its occupants 
under tho most tender subjection to the true, 
the beautiful aud the good. Tbero is a molding 
power in each flower and shrub, which exhibits 
its effects in the government of the family, aud 
in the mellowed nature which results from the 
position in which is placed iu the heart the 
memories of these attributes of the childhood's 
home. 
Who can cite a happy home, overflowing with 
general good nature and family affection, 
without the accompaniment of beautiful things in 
its outward adornment. The two go hand-in- 
hand. The outer circle is an index to the inner 
one. “ We guess tho pulp before we cut the 
peel.” There is a warmth of soul engendered 
by the effort put forth on the embollishmeut of 
a home, which affects tho conduct of each mem¬ 
ber of the family. In its power it is akin to 
religion. 
There is one thought in connection with this 
adornment of the exterior home that to me is 
a grand one. We are not working for ourselves 
alone. The crops of grain, the vegetables and 
Traits of the orchard, which we dovelop, may 
be entirely to our own benefit; bnt the beauties 
we add to our premises are the property of the 
neighborhood, and eveu the stranger without tho 
gates has an interest there safely invested. 
They not only bring comfort aud happiness to 
others, bnt material possessions. Every dollar 
or day’s work expended on trees, flowers, lawn 
or hedges, is invested for the benefit of the 
tbo whole country abont More than this, the 
valuo is not, lost when wo leave the treasures, 
but with all the added increments of the years, 
they are handed down a possession to futurity. 
Whittier appropriately put the thought into 
rhyme: 
" For he who blesses most is blessed, 
Aud Ood and man shall own his worth, 
Who toils to leave ns his bequest. 
An added beauty to tlie earth.” 
HAVING EYES, THEY SEE NOT. 
M. OAHEY. 
Under the above heading Mr. Chas. W. Gar¬ 
field, on page 311; criticises the manner in 
which children are at present educated by our 
common schools. While there is truth in what 
ho writes, yet, in the main, he is unjust to 
teachers, and does not got at the bottom of the 
matter. He bolds that children should be 
taught to observe more tho things around them 
by the study of natural history and objects, and 
pay less attention to the mere routine of 
Grammar, Arithmetic and Geography. Failing 
in this, their powors of observation are not de¬ 
veloped as they onght to be. 
Now for not pursuing snob a course the 
teachors are not to bo censured, because they 
are not competent to do so. Nor aro they to be 
blamed for inoompetency. Tho salaries paid to 
tho common school teachers will not purchase so 
much value. Those who possess such abilities, 
find better fields and higher remuneration for 
their intellects. Mr. Gaufield himself cites a 
notable incident of incompetence, which I am 
sure is not the only one. I remember, ton years 
ago, a class that went from school, bnt partially 
matured, and illy prepared for auy brain work, 
most of whom applied for certificates to teach, 
and secured them from the County Commissioner. 
This was in New York State. I afterwards asked 
the Commissioner how it was he gavo certificates 
to such, aud he replied: “They aro as good as the 
average,” and certainly I have mot since with 
many who wore poorer, though that class did 
not comprehend, and could not master, a single 
branch they taught, uot excepting reading. 
How could they develop the faculty of observa¬ 
tion iu others ? They arc not to bo blamed for 
socuriug the places, but the system is faulty. 
Ask tho farmers and it will be fonud they 
prefer to have their boys taught the elementary 
branches and leave them to learn practically 
about “ trees and crops and bugs.” To touch 
the Bcicueoa in their course they regard as time 
thrown away iu which they “ better do some¬ 
thing else." Nor is it auy better with private 
schools. Pupils must be hurried off to college 
or rapidly prepared for I ni si ness to begin the 
ladder while young. No time is allowed for auy 
branches othor than those which directly pre¬ 
pare for tho end in view. The introduction of 
auy Bueh system as Mr. Garfield hints at, 
would be regarded as an innovation, and meet 
with opposition. I Hpoak from experience. The 
school patrons should be censured. 
As to Mr. Garfield’s proposition to neglect, 
partially Arithmetic and kindred subjects, and 
substitute some undefinod “ doaling with nat¬ 
ural objects." I stoutly protest against it. He 
loaves out of sight tbo fact that these branchoa 
aro taught for two purposes; first, their prac¬ 
tical value; second, the development of the 
roasoning faculty: and this last is by no means 
a small matter. The time allowed for this is 
between the ages of seven aud seventeen years. 
Little more than a beginning is accomplished at 
the ago of between twelve aud fifteen yearn. 
Before this age tbo mind is loo immature to 
open to the logic of natural life, or to observe it 
closely enough to food and grow upon its study. 
But just as the pupil reaches this point in de¬ 
velopment, where be may pursue such a course 
successfully, the parent steps in and lie must bo 
hnrried through hia last, two preparatory years. 
Iudeod tho farmer’s boy is more frequently 
taken from school without these “extra years” 
as they sometimes term them. This is lament¬ 
able, it is true, hut don't blame the teacher for 
it, and above all tbiugs don’t ask him to neglect 
the rudiments for which his time is already too 
little. 
Furthermore, it is better to leave the teacher, 
especially if incompetent, to pursue a well-de- 
