THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 20 
41.2 
TABLE OF CONTENTS, 
Practical departments : 
Weepinp Beech (Illustrated). 4 [® 
Weeping Beech... . •• 
Probabilities of Auii-i'ictin Grapes—D. 3. Marvin. 4US 
The lExportation of Farm Products to Europe— 
Prof, Levi Stockbriilrfc. 4 {jj 
The Banana Willlutu FulCOSer..iff* 
Self-Binding H*rv<»fcor. .......................... - 4W 
Diagram “f the Riitlnlo Pitts Thresher (Ulus ).... 4l» 
American Farm Engines (Illustrated). f.Jg 
Poland ChiniiB (Illustrated).-. 
Buffalo Starch Works ..... 
Dairying Fallaoles-T. II Hoskins, M. I)......... «» 
Remedies for the Codling Moth—Prof. W. J. 
Beal .. 409 
Everywhere: 
Notes from the Rural Grounds. 4 }0 
Notes from the Rural Farm —. . 4 |J{ 
Note* front Outagamie Co., Wis. . tiff 
Kara! Special Report*. 4 |ff 
Oneida Reservation, Wls... 41 JJ 
Randolph, Vt.. ... 4 'ff 
El DoruIdO Cal. 4 } 9 
Douglas Co., ill. <ff 
Whitney’s Point, N. V. 4 9 
, huutauqiiii Go., J}. V. 4U) 
Domestic Economy: 
Female Borrowers-Mrs. A. E. Story. 4W 
To Mend Broken Crockery. 41” 
Editorial Page: 
July Fourth, 1S78. 4}2 
When to Ventilate Cellars. 112 
The Farmer's Front Yard.112 
Brevities... .I?- 
Communications Received. It2 
Literary : 
Poetry. 
Cora... 
Gerald Sorthwlck, Tea-Trader, China—II. H 
Culture . 
The Mazeriii Bible. 
How to Construct a Telephone...... 
Brlc-a-Brac. 
Women Philanthropists. 
Slurs on Women... . 
Utilizing Useless Wumtn. 
What a Qui en Cobts... 
Woman’s Sphere. 
413,411, 415 
, 413 
414 
. 414 
. 414 
. 414 
. 414 
. 415 
. 415 
. 415 
. 41a 
. 415 
News of the Week—Herman. 41G 
Markets. 416 
Reading for the young : 
Pocket-Money for Young People: No. 8—M. B. 
Prince...••••• 418 
Concerning Spiders—J. H. Emerton.418 
Personals. 419 
Wit and Humor.420 
Advert seja nts. .. .. 411,415.417,418,419,420 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Address 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1878 
JULY FOURTH, 1878. 
It is well to observe the anniversary of 
our country’s independence as a holiday 
and to celebrate it with bonfires and illu¬ 
minations, with rejoicings and with 
thanksgivings. It is also well to give 
serious thought to matters connected 
with the existence of our country as a 
Government, and to ask if the results in 
the past have fulfilled the anticipations 
of ito founders, and if its present con¬ 
dition gives warrant of future permanence 
and prosperity, considering meanwhile 
what are its demands on us, and what are 
our duties as good citizens. It would be 
interesting as well as instructive to trace 
back to their foundations all systems and 
forms of Government. This would doubt¬ 
less lead us to the conclusion that in 
primitive times, the father was supreme 
head of the family, the law-maker, and 
law enforcer; the ownership of all prop¬ 
erty of the whole family vested in him. 
His dominion extended not only to the 
property, but to the lives of those under 
his control; at his death the property 
was divided among his sons (the eldest 
sometimes taking a double share as a 
birth-right), and each sod, as the head of 
his own family, became its ruler. 
The first cohesion took place, when at 
the death of the father his oldest male 
descendant governed in his stead. This 
was an aggregation of families and formed 
the gens or house. Afterward the con¬ 
solidation of houses made tho tribe, and 
of tribes the nation. In all these, al- j 
though the ruling power may have been 
changed from patriarchal to chiefship, 
and given in view of muscular ability or 
success in war or in the chase, kinship 
was still the rule. The word nation sig¬ 
nifies a number or community of people 
who have a common ancestry, and the 
history of Government commences with 
the assumption that kinship in blood is 
the sole bond of, and the only possible 
reason for, political community. Nation 
made war upon nation, power usurped 
dominion and made people subject to the 
rule of strangers. 
We have not space to follow the growth 
of the various forms of Governments that 
have existed, most of which have been 
founded on the principle that might makes 
right; and we will pass on to consider for 
a moment the constitutional monarchy 
of Great Britain, a government of two 
branches—one of which is the King and 
the other the Parliament—which Parlia¬ 
ment is again divided into two branches; 
one of the representatives of the people (or 
of such portion of them as are allowed to 
vote,) and the other of the aristocracy, 
the members of the House of Lords being 
born into their position. This branch, 
however, may properly be considered as 
an adjunct of the crowD, as it may be in¬ 
creased whenever the king sees it best for 
his own purposes to do so. 
This form of government, however, is a 
vast improvement upon absolute, mon¬ 
archy and good and honest politicians 
bring strong arguments to show it is the 
best the world has yet known. The in¬ 
stances w here governments by the people 
have been made in olden times, have been 
failures. This may have arisen, as many 
believe, from the fact that intelligence 
and education were not generally diffused, 
or it may be that individual opinions 
were too various and too antagonistic to 
coalesce. Man, as a rule, is desirous of 
having his own way, and perhaps power 
to compel all to submit to certain rules is 
necessary. Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, 
all agree that man is the “hardest of all 
animals to govern,” and more recent 
authorities concur in their decision. 
The form of Government now existing 
in the United Bfcates is really more the 
result of conflicting circumstances than 
of deliberate j udgment. When the people 
of the colonies objected to taxation with¬ 
out representation, they had no idea of 
denying their allegiance to the king. 
The war of the Revolution had not its 
origin in the love of liberty. The quarrel 
was solely one about the rights of a Par¬ 
liament, which the colonists ignored. 
The king supported his Parliament, and 
a withdrawal of allegiance to him was the 
consequence. The 4th of July 1776, wit- I 
nessed a confederation of independent 
States. Notwithstanding the desire of 
many of the leading men to establish a 
Government of the same general form as 
that of Great Britain, obstacles at once 
presented then* selves. States’ Rights 
were immediately asserted. With a mon¬ 
archy, Delaware and Rhode Island would 
be little more than pocket boroughs ; a 
Republic was determined upon, because 
nothing el6e was feasible. After much 
difficulty a Constitution was adopted 
which was really satisfactory to only a 
small majority, and which was fitly 
termed “ a bundle of compromises,” but 
which was accepted as the best that could 
be had under the circumstances. 
Under the Constitution with its various 
amendments the country has existed as a 
Republic for nearly a century. Unsatis¬ 
factory as it was in the beginning, it is 
little less so now. Jefferson said it was 
impossible to frame a Constitution that 
would out-last more than one generaliou. 
By patching, this has lasted three. The 
growth and prosperity of the country have 
been unprecedented and unexpected. 
The machinery of Government has be¬ 
come unwieldy and difficult to manage; 
but after all, where is there or where has 
there ever been a better Government; 
one by which the interests and welfare of 
the whole people have been better sub¬ 
served? 
We do not lose sight of the fact that it 
is not perfect, and that in many particu¬ 
lars it is susceptible of improvement, but 
with all its faults in full view, we are 
ready to join with the readers of the Rubai* 
on thiB anniversary of our Country's 
Independence in giving 
Three Cheers for the Union as it is. 
But because we can join in rejoicing 
that our Government is so good as it is, 
we are not blind to the fact that it could 
lie immensely improved, and would be if 
citizens did their duty. We will append 
a few questions which seem to us to be 
worthy of eareful consideration by every 
one. For instance : 
Should not the Presidential term be 
lengthened, and the President rendered 
ineligible for re-election, having a seat in 
the Senate for life ? 
Should not suffrage be in some way 
made dependent on the possession of in¬ 
telligence? 
Should not some means be adopted by 
which the expenses of government should 
be paid more directly by the people ? 
Should not the Civil Service be im¬ 
proved to the extent that no officer or 
clerk of the Government should be dis¬ 
charged without good cause, and after a 
hearing? 
Should not the number of Representa¬ 
tives iu Cougress be reduced ? 
Should not every citizen bo as particu¬ 
lar iu selecting men to mamigo the a flairs 
of t he. nation as he would be in choosing an 
agent to manage his own private uffairs ? 
Does our Congress, judging from its 
actions during its last session, seem to be 
composed of men who are fit representa¬ 
tives of the average intelligence and 
moral culture of their constituents ? If 
not where is the fault ? 
These are by no means all that occur 
to us, but if the voters who read these 
will give them thoughtful consideration, 
and act and talk and vote in accordance 
with their honest conclusions, it will be a 
step, and a long one, toward Reform. 
--W-- 
WHEN TO VENTILATE CELLARS. 
Some of our contemporaries advocate 
airmg cellars during the night and clos¬ 
ing them during the day, to prevent 
dampness. The theory is that the hot 
air during sunshiue holds moisture that is 
condensed in the cool cellar, while at 
night, the temperature outside and in 
the cellar being more nearly alike, there 
is less dampness. This strikes us as 
bad advice, though true enough, so far as 
we kuow, as a fact. A damp cellar is 
not necessarily unhealthy if it is kept 
clean and pure. When cellar windows 
are opened the colder air passes out pro¬ 
ducing a partial vacuum. This induces 
the air which has been warmed bv the 
sun’s rays to enter, when, by cooling, it 
is deprived of a part of its moisture and 
as before passes out and thus a constant 
change of air is maintained. But the 
warm, moisture-laden air is free from 
the poison of those malarial diseases 
with which night air in valleys or low 
tracts is infected. Carbonic acid also, 
the result, in part of slow decomposition 
of vegetable substances, is dissipated by 
sunshiue, while at night it accumulates 
in all low places, its specific gravity be¬ 
ing about 1. 5. while that of air is 1. 0. 
For the same reason, therefore, that 
people iu what may be called miasmatic 
districts should confine themselves to the 
house from two hours or more before 
sunset until two hours or more after sun¬ 
rise, they should close their cellars dur¬ 
ing the same time. And the cellars should 
be opened and ventilated, no matter how 
damp they may become in consequence, 
during those hours wheu the sun shines 
brightest. 
-- 
The Farmer’s Front Yard.— 
Most farmers, even the poorest of them, 
have a desire for trees, plants and flowers. 
They enjoy a well-kept place. It is a 
very rare thing to find a front yard with¬ 
out some attempt at ornamentation. The 
shrubs and flower-beds and the grass are 
often neglected and allowed to struggle 
with each other iu their own way. Some 
work is occasionally done at odd intervals. 
A small spot in dug in the grass for a sin¬ 
gle rose-bush, another for a small Spines, 
one for a Lilac, another for a Paiony, and 
perhaps several others, two or three feet 
across, for small beds of flowers. Iu this 
manner the grass plot is broken up and 
frittered away by numerous single plants 
or small beds scattered all over the yard. 
Except, perhaps for a few vines, we should 
set plants a little away from the house. 
Besides this, for unpretending yards by 
farm houses, we suggest a plan which, at 
a less cost, we think, will make the yards 
look bettor than they now look. 
The ground for the lawn should be 
nicely graded and enriched, taking oare 
in most cases to preserve the natural 
gentle undulations. In several places 
here and there, depending on the size of 
the grounds, set shrubbery or flowers iu 
masses of not less than ten feet in diame¬ 
ter. Plants in small beds cut ont of turf 
seldom thrive well, because the grass 
roots run down beneath the plants, often 
for three or four feet, robbing them of 
moisture and nourishment. In the plan 
leave clean open spaces free from every¬ 
thing but grass. This can then be easily 
mowed several times a year. 
If the land is rich and well graded, the 
grass can be easily mowed and it will fur¬ 
nish a crop which will be handy to feed 
the horses or some other stock. Locate 
the tress and shrubs somewhat with ref¬ 
erence to making it easy to mow the lawn. 
The patches or groups of shrubbery 
should be often cultivated, at least till 
they become well established. A nice 
lawn is the most beautiful part of a well- 
kept front yard. 
-- 
• BREVITIES. 
On appelle l’atteution de nos leoteurs frangais 
sur 1’article de M. Marvin sur la vigne. Ils y 
trouveronfc dea idees nonvelles sur ce sujet 
important. 
It is time to pinch off the shoots of Raspber¬ 
ries aud Blackberries. 
Vy’i; picked our lirst ripe red raspberries from 
Highland Hardy the ’22d inst. 
Ouu contributor, W. C. L. Drew, predicts an 
earthquake for California soon. 
Several cases of persons being poisoned by 
tho careless use of Paris-green have been re¬ 
corded during the past two weeks. 
We beard a lady say admiringly of a large 
rose: •• It looks just like apaiony!” Was this 
a compliment for the rose or the ptoony ? 
Those who fear mildew upon grape vines will 
do well to dust the leaves with sulphur now, re¬ 
peating every week or so until the grapes begin 
to color. 
Mr. Marti tells us, writing from Southern 
Texas, that it is only in very favorable seasons, 
standing in some protected nooks bet ween luild- 
ing8 or high places, that bananas ever “ ripen 
their ’’ fruit thereabout. 
Mr. J. J. Thomas says—and many others have 
taid the same •' Buv your trees of a nursery¬ 
man who has established his reputation.” If 
everybody follows this advice, what we want to 
know is ; How is a nurseryman to establish bis 
reputatiou ? 
New raspberry plantations may now be formed 
as well as at any other season of the year aud 
better, we think, if the ground is moist. Secure 
all the fibers that can be secured, and plant 
deep. Shoots from a few inches to two feet 
may be selected. 
It is a good idea to plant late peas now upou 
§ round Intended to bo used later for new straw- 
erry plantations. When the peas are picked, 
the haulm may be removed, the ground well en¬ 
riched, and the strawberry plants set so that 
they may get well established before frosts. 
We respectfully announce that atlrenewals of 
subscriptions, or new subscriptions, not received 
at this office before July lth, will not be en¬ 
titled to tbe cricket. To avoid in i Minders tand- 
iug and disappointment, we aie obliged to make 
this rule, which, unlike other rules, will have no 
exceptions. 
The United States have now sufficient mor ied 
men to invest iu land, and avoid the deplorable 
despoiling of the rich soil nature has produced. 
Companies can be formed for any bubinesB trans¬ 
action, and thousands up to millions employed, 
but agricultural, and especially stock-raising en¬ 
terprises, would pay far better if properly con¬ 
ducted. 
Capital for Fabjiing.—A ny man entering 
upon agricultural pursuits without money, has to 
commence on a system of robbery and continued 
taking out of the land the fertility HU he has told 
enough to buy stock, when if he brtedB from bis 
animals and keeps a good deal of the progeny, he 
may in time repay his exhausted soil; but it is a 
great advantage to have money and farm w ithout 
any debts at starting. 
Farm Gates.— Depend upon this assertion: 
A good well-hnug gate will save its cost the first 
year in tbe time saved by stopping to put up 
bars whenever anyone passes. Farm gates are 
pleasant for master and men, aud iu England 
there are good, sub. Untial ones into every field 
on tbe farm, and all have good, safe latches 
made to open easily with a ruling stick or whip, 
so that a farmer can go all over his farm with¬ 
out dismounting. There are no wagon-ways of 
any kind without gates for the convenience 
of equestrians. 
Soropis, Attention ?—If the ladies of tbi3 
society, for whom we have the highest, respect, 
are really in earnest in their professed ef- 
orts to ameliorate the condition of their sex, 
they should at once introduce a rule existing, as 
reported, iu a Women’s Club iu Warsaw, which 
provides that no member shall wear a morning 
dress costing more than $25, no evening dress 
more than $50, aud no bonnet more than $7 50. 
And further, that at each quarterly meeting each 
lady mutt declare that she is not indebted to 
either milliner or dress-maker. Such au exam¬ 
ple as this would do more to encourage others 
than a host of appeals, addresses, aud circulars, 
and the money that could be saved by such econ¬ 
omy could be well aud profitably spent; or, per¬ 
haps enough could be accumulated after a little 
while, to establish a Women’s Hotel on a plan 
that would prove successful. 
J. J. Mechi aays, in tho London Times, that 
the inferior condition of crops on undraiued 
lands, as compared with those on laud drained 
artificially or naturally, is something astound¬ 
ing, and indicates that, in such a season, much 
of the prime cost of draluiug is repaid in a single 
orop. In tho stagnant water tho plant-fibers, 
rot; not ho in the water moving and passing 
down to the drains, If he were a landowner he 
would not permit bis tenants to farm his land 
undrained, because it would often dimiuiHh their 
rent-paying power. Ho knows many cases where 
the borrowed capital has been repaid by an an¬ 
nual charge, which tho increased crops more 
than repaid- Where a doubt exists, a. part of a 
field only should he drained, ami the contrast 
would convert the unbeliever. If bo proposed 
to a farmer to put a cork in the hole of eaeh 
flower-pot, tho farmer would call him, or con¬ 
sider him, foolish and unreasonable; but how 
seldom he removes the i^rk from the great out- 
Bide plant-pot! 
The N. Y. Hort. Boc’s. Exposition opened at 
Gilmore’s Garden on tho evening of the 19th, 
closing on that of tho 21st. Wo had prepared a 
short report of the beautiful and varied display 
of plants there to be seen which an unusual 
pressure upon our columns excludes. All people 
who love plants should attend these exhibitions 
even though a window-garden is all they can 
cultivate at home. Everything is plainly 
labeled and there are those in attendance who 
can give almost any doBirud information wliothei 
for hot-house, green-house, room or out door 
cultivation. The following are among those 
who took the beat prizes: Mrs. YV. J. Davidson, 
wife of the Secretary, for dinner-table floral 
decorations; E. P. Roe for Strawberries; Dr. 
F. M. Hexambh, for Strawberries: Parsons 
Sons & Co., for hardy evergreens and Japan 
Maples : Geo. Such, collection or rare hot- house 
plants. The Great American Strawberry ex¬ 
hibited by a number, disappointed all. Many 
other varieties were of larger size, and size la 
its only claim to greatness. The present is not 
a fair season to judge of the merits of any 
Strawberry, though as unfavorable to one va- 
rietv as to another. Iu our own grounds the 
Great America has grown no larger than Bor¬ 
den 30, while it is as nearly tasteless as a Straw¬ 
berry well can be. 
COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE WEEK END1N0 
Saturday, June, 22d. 
E. & J. G. W.—P. T. II., thanks-J. W. W.—D* 
E. 8.—J. Ci. R., thanks, next week—8. H. «• *■ 
G. F.-A. K. 8.-K E. L.—L. A. R.-C. K. P.-»- \\ 
S.-M. B. P.-W. O. L. D.-B. P.M.-H J. 1 .-C, 
L. T.- ‘ Rural Reader ”-J. K F-— R - 
-E.P. L -B. P. M.-*Tii’ighlle’’-J. W--iV. 
s n—V It D.—J. K. McC.—E. B. IL—w. F.—H. 
if., ‘thanks - “Constant Beadcr," no address. 
We cannot answer such inquiries—S.M. J., .too 
late tor this Issue—“ An interested party »• iJ - 
p._s. C.—E. R.—J. M. 
