28 
JAN. U 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Can ducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JAN. 14, 1882. 
Let no reader of the Rural New- 
Yorker fail to study the forestry articles 
of Dr. Warder of Ohio, the first of 
which appears on another page. 
The engraving of Oliver Dalrymple 
presented as a supplement to this week’s 
Rural New-Yorker, is an excellent por¬ 
trait. It was drawn from a photograph 
taken less than two months ago. 
We have made such progress in put¬ 
ting up our present Seed Distribution that 
it is probable those of our Southern read¬ 
ers who have applied will receive them 
in good time to meet their needs. 
We take occasion again to remind our 
readers that all names pass off our lists at 
the end of the term for which the sub¬ 
scription has been paid. Those therefore 
who desire a discontinuance of the paper 
need never take the pains to advise us of 
the fact. 
We may now state that the year 1881 
proves to have been the most prosperous 
with the Rural New-Yorker of any 
since it has been under its present man¬ 
agement—whether increase in circulation 
or of advertising patronage be con¬ 
sidered. 
We have to apologize to our readers 
that the story now being published 
in the Rural New-Yorker has been 
presented so irregularly. Our apology 
is that other matter which seemed to 
be of greater importance has crowded 
it out. We shall now hurry it through 
and begin Mr. Stewart’s farm story which 
we promise to continue every week from 
its beginning until its end. 
Tiie year 1882 opens brightly, and pros¬ 
perity smiles upon the whole’land. Let 
us conjure our readers, nevertheless, to 
practice economy, to live sensibly, to 
study health, to cultivate those feelings of 
benevolence which aid so much in binding 
families together. W here frugality and in¬ 
dustry direct the farmer’s home and love 
unites its members, little fear need be an¬ 
ticipated that the real joys of life will 
fade away itli the recurrence of the 
hard times which are sure, at one time or 
another, to visit us again. 
More Arout the “Worms,”— Pas¬ 
teur’s observations of the aetiou of worms 
are scarcely less remarkable, though less 
extensive, than those of Darwin. During 
his investigations as to the suspected 
propagation of virulent diseases by bacte¬ 
rial germs, a case occurred of cattle being 
attacked by splenic fever in pastures 
where they were isolated and apparently 
not exposed in any way to that particular 
infection. It turned out, however, that 
several years ago animals dying of that 
disease had been buried there, but very 
deeply. It occurred to Pasteur that, al¬ 
though these carcasses had been covered 
with 10 or 12 feet of soil, the deadly germs 
might be brought to the surface by earth¬ 
worms. On inoculating rabbits and Gui¬ 
nea pigs with matter from the alimentary 
canal of some of the worms, all the symp¬ 
toms of that form of anthrax were exhib¬ 
ited. 
The planters of South Carolina, espec¬ 
ially those of Edgefield County, are re¬ 
ported to be seriously alarmed at the 
exodus of negroes, not to Kansas this 
time, but to Arkansas, or, as the 
“exodusters” call it, “Rockansas.” 
Some of the local papers insist that the 
emigration is due to no real grievance; 
but is the result of greed among the 
leaders and of ignorance among their fol¬ 
lowers. A correspondent of the Charles¬ 
ton News and Courier, however, w r ho is 
acquainted with the worst disaffected 
districts, says that while politically the 
negroes are deprived of votes and influ¬ 
ence, socially it is impossible for them by 
the hardest work to gain more than a bare 
livelihood. It seems the fixed purpose 
of the “ whites ” to render it impossible 
for “niggers”to acquire land or other 
property, and accordingly they are 
charged rack-rents for the land they culti¬ 
vate, and overcharged from 50 to 90 per 
cent, for whatever goods they are forced 
to purchase. In a district 24 miles long 
and four or five wide four-fifths of the 
negroes, having sold all they could of their 
belongings and burnt the rest, are plod¬ 
ding steadily, hopefully westward. 
Whole settlements have been depopulated 
and the planters see the laborers on whom 
they are dependent for their crops, leav¬ 
ing them in a body. 
-♦ » ♦ 
A GOOD EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW. 
Now that the Empire State, after much 
consideration and a great deal of unseem¬ 
ly delay, has at last fairly started an agri¬ 
cultural experiment station, we trust that 
other States, East, Smith aud West, will 
follow her example and that of the few 
sister States that, have forestalled her in 
the establishment of such aids to accurate 
agricultural information. The prime ob¬ 
jects of such stations must, of course, 
vary somewhat in the different sections of 
our broad country, in accordance with 
the agricultural conditions and practices 
of each State. While the testing and 
analyzing of commercial fertilizers must 
occupy a place among the foremost duties 
of Eastern and Southern experiment 
stations, in the West, where a compara¬ 
tively small quantity of such fertilizers 
is at present used, instead of these 
duties, others equally important for West¬ 
ern agriculture readily suggest themselves 
There is not a State in the Union in 
which a well equipped agricultural experi¬ 
ment station uuder a trustworthy and 
capable director, would not confer on 
agriculture benefits out of all proportion 
to the cost of such an institution. 
Strongly as we have advocated the estab¬ 
lishment of such a station iu New York 
btate, we are quite as deeply interested 
in the establishment of efficient stations 
of the kind in every State in the Union. 
Whatever tends to promote the agricul¬ 
tural interests of any part, of the country 
cannot be indifferent to an agricullurJ 
journal which is national in its scope, and 
circumscribed in its labors and good-will 
neither by State nor sectional lines. 
POLLED CATTLE. 
At the last great Smithfield Fat-Stock 
Show held at London December 5—9, 
the Polled Angus cattle won a signal 
triumph second only to that gained at 
the Paris Exposition of 1878. Although 
there were in all only twelve entries of 
the breed, yet in competition with a much 
larger number of entries ol Short-horns, 
Ik-refords, Devons and other beef breeds, 
they bore away the honors of the exhibi¬ 
tion—the champion prize for the best ani¬ 
mal in the show m addition to the sweep- 
stakes prizes for the best steer and best 
cow. Moreover, the closest competitor of 
the champion steer was another animal of 
the same polled breed, while a large pro¬ 
portion of the other prize winners were 
polled crosses. The best cow and the 
champion animal was a thirty-two- 
months-old heifer, and the champion 
steer was under three years. For the first 
time in the history of the show the two 
animals that won these three prizes be¬ 
longed to one person—Mir W. Gordon 
Gumming, Bart. There is little doubt 
but that this great victory will not only 
still further advance the reputation of the 
Polled Angus breed, but also attract more 
attention than heretofore to the advan¬ 
tages of hornless cattle. 
Absence of horns from cattle in this 
country seems to us fraught with so many 
advantages that we believe the day will 
come when polled cattle will^be the rule, 
not the exception, among the herds of 
the Union. Whether this change is 
brought about slowly by the free intro¬ 
duction of the black polls of Scotland 
and the red polls of England, or, more ex¬ 
peditiously, by breeding off the horns of 
Short-horns, Herefords, Devons, Jerseys, 
Holsteins, Ayrshires aud other beef and 
dairy breeds as well as those of the “na¬ 
tive ” cattle which constitute the vast 
bulk of our herds, or iu both ways, is a 
matter of minor importance. Scores, 
aye, probably hundreds of yeurs must 
elapse before the horned cattle of the 
country could be replaced by imported 
polls and their descendants, but so 
great are the plasticity of the ani¬ 
mal economy ami the skill of breeders 
that the horns could doubtless be 
bred off even the Texans in consider¬ 
ably less than a century. Tiie advan¬ 
tages of the absence of horns have often 
been mentioned iu these columns and 
never controverted. Can any stickler for 
horns on the Short-horns, Holsteins, Ayr¬ 
shires or “natives” mention any advan¬ 
tage either for the production of beef or 
milk secured to horned cattle by the pos¬ 
session of these formidable weapons ? 
DO FARMERS FAVOR IT f 
In the Rural of Dec. 8 and again in 
the issue of Dec. 17 we specified the addi¬ 
tions it is proposed to make to the present 
functions of the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture. We repeated the proposition in 
different connections because, iu view of 
its importance, we wished to call the spe¬ 
cial attention of the farmers of the coun¬ 
try to the project. Although opposed to 
it ourselves, as not conducive to the best 
interests of agriculture, we refrained from 
commenting adversely on it until we 
should haye learnt from different parts of 
the country the opinions entertained of it 
by representative agriculturists; for in 
this connection wFliave no personal poli¬ 
cy to urge on Congress in behaif of the 
agricultural community against the honest 
convictions of that community with re¬ 
gard to what is for its best interests. The 
National Grange has already protested 
against the proposed measure, and other 
representative agricultural organizations 
should give prompt and emphatic expres¬ 
sion to their views on the question. The 
convention of prominent men connected 
with agriculture to assemble at Washing¬ 
ton between January 10 and 17, should 
not separate without a full discussion of 
the subject. The agricultural papers of 
the country should also elicit, and express 
opinions thereon. Congress is to be asked 
during the present session to legislate on 
the matter, and Congress therefore cannot 
be informed too soon of the light in which 
the proposed additions to the functions of 
the Agricultural Department are regarded 
by the farmers of tile country, for whose 
special benefit that Department is sup¬ 
posed to have been established. 
The project, we Understand, owes its 
conception and prominence chiefly, if not 
solely, to the Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture. Its adoption would undoubtedly 
aid materially in lifting him to a seat in 
the Cabinet. Ag head of the present De¬ 
partment we should be pleased to see 
him iu that position, certain that as Sec¬ 
retary of Agriculture his deportment 
would be as graceful and impressive as it 
now is as Commissioner. But much as we 
desire that justice should be done to 
the importance of the Department of Agri¬ 
culture by making its head a Cabinet 
officer,we are unwilling that the possibili¬ 
ties of its usefulness to the farming com¬ 
munity should In: weakened by extend¬ 
ing its functions to matters only remotely 
connected with agriculture. Division of 
labor, experience has shown to be the 
surest means of efficiency. Until the 
other day the portfolios of Agriculture 
and Commerce were held by the same 
Minister in France, but, acting on this 
principle, the Government, after years of 
experience, lias now specialized the duties 
of the Minister of Agriculture by separat¬ 
ing them from those of the Minister of 
Commerce. On what valid grounds can 
the action of the Government of the. 
United States be in this respect the re¬ 
verse of that of its bister Republic? Is 
the present Department of Agriculture 
performing its proper duties with such 
conceded ability and efficiency as to 
merit a wider trust? Wherein has its 
head at any time discharged its limited 
functions so successfully as to deserve 
from the Nation the words: “ Well done 
thou good and faithful servant; thou 
hast been faithful over a few things, 1 
will make thee ruler over many.” 
BREVITIES. 
January 3, the thermometer was four 
above zero, tho lu st really cold day at the 
Rural Grounds. 
Thk t’d<s of immigration is at present rolling 
with extraordinary force into Missouri. Dur¬ 
ing the past year the number of recorded im¬ 
migrants aggregated about 90,000, and it is 
calculated that those who escaped record 
amounted to at least half as many more. 
They came principally from Kansas, Michi¬ 
gan, Minnesota and Iowa, Kentucky alone 
of ail the Southern States making a large 
contribution. 
According to Professor Brewer, special 
agent of the census, not less than 10,000 pa¬ 
tents have lieen granted in the United States 
since 1855 upon implements to aid in produc¬ 
ing and handling grain, besides 5,000 or more 
on devices Used in other branches of agricul 
ture. There are 5,585 patents on plows of va¬ 
rious sorts, of which 201 are specially for cot¬ 
ton culture. The patents on burrows and 
digger's number i ,710: those on seeders and 
planters amount to 2,041; on harvesters there 
are 6,235, of which 80S are on sell' binders. < in 
corn-buskers t.tiore are 200, and 801) on corn- 
bbellors, while the number on thrashers reaches 
up to 1,723. In view of this vast array of pa¬ 
tents on implements used in a single branch 
of agriculture, it would seem impossible for a 
fanner to touch any tool or device on the farm 
on which a “ patent sharp " could not extort a 
tax. 
Wk are glad to learn that 1 ’rof. C. V. Riley 
is in luck. The Revised Statutes, Section 1,7(55, 
provide that “no officer or other person 
whose salary, pay or emoluments are fixed 
by law or regulations > hall leceive any addi¬ 
tional pay, extra allowance or compen sation 
in any fi rm whatever for any other services 
or duty whatever.” For some time before the 
Professor’s resignation as Entomologist of 
t,be Department of Agriculture, on March 29, 
1879, he hel I that office at a yearly salary of 
$1,900 (increased to $2,900 by CongressJ for 
most of the term), and at the same time he was 
Chief of the Entomological Commission at m 
annual salary of $3 000, Since tl cn it bus been 
a disputed point whether he was entitled to 
both salaries. On Decernbr 30,1881, however, 
Judge Lawrence, First Comptroller of the 
Treu.su ry, decided that the Professor was an 
officer in both positions, and that the above 
section of the Revised Statutes does not pro¬ 
hibit one person who holds two distinct offices 
from receiving the salaries of both. 
Within the last two weeks European cap¬ 
italists have been investing heavily iu land i.i 
iho South rn States. Sir E. J. lteed, repre¬ 
senting English investors, and Dr. Jacobus 
Westhemu, of Amsterdam, representing 
Dutch, have just bought 2,000,000 acres iu 
Florida: while Phillips, Marshall & Co,, of 
London, have bought 1,300,000 acres in Missis¬ 
sippi, Of the latter nearly half is levee laud 
in the Yazoo delta fine cotton and timber 
land. In both cases the object is to colonize 
and cultivate these vast areas. While such 
large investments are of advantage to the sec¬ 
tions in which they are made, owing to the 
influx of money and labor roultin rfrom them 
and the consequent appreciation of neighbor¬ 
ing holdings, they can uardly r he of permanent 
benefit l>> the coun 1 ry at large. There is al¬ 
ready too much land-grabbing among ns: too 
strong a tendency to engraft on our system of 
comparatively small farms worked by tbeir 
owners, the European system of large es¬ 
tates, worked by impoverishedteuaut farmers 
or paup rized laborers. 
For years past there have been complaints 
loud and deep that the rulings of the Public 
Land Division of the Interior Department, 
have been grossly unfair to settlers in the 
public lands wherever they have come into 
conflict with the interests of railroad com 
panics owning land grants. Senator Van 
Wycke of Nebraska has at. length introduced 
into tbs U ts. Mena to a resolution directing 
the Committee on Public Lands to ilivestf 
gate the causes of the failure of so many 
titles in Southern Nebraska, whereby great 
injury is threatened to settlers who have in 
vested all their money and years of labor in 
their homesteads. These lands which the 
Government has conveyed liy pat' nts to the 
settlers, are now claimed by the St Joe & 
Denver Railroad Company und its assigns. 
If the claim ot the railroad company is sus¬ 
tained, mid if then the government does not 
indemnify the settlers, American citizens need 
not cross tiie Atlantic to find specimens of in¬ 
justice and oppression from the Government 
and land monopolists towards small land¬ 
holders. 
In the case of tho Washington Tee Compa¬ 
ny vs. ,Shortell, the facts were these; The ice 
company cut ice i.i fr. nt of Shortell’s land, 
be owning both sides of the river, lie sued 
the company for trespass and recover* d judg¬ 
ment ior the value of the ice taken. The 
company appealed, and in deciding against it 
on November 10, the .Supreme Court of Illi¬ 
nois, through Judge Sheldon, said: “A stream 
above tide-water, although it. be navigable, in 
fact belongs to tho riparian proprietors on 
each side to its center, and the only right the 
public has therein is an easement for the pur¬ 
pose of navigation And this t itle to the mid 
die of the stream includes the water, l,lie bod 
and all islands. When water has congealed 
a. d becomes uttu.-lied to the soil, why should 
it not, like any other a •cession, lie considered 
part of the realty? The owner haatheexelu 
sive right to take fish, and he bus likewise the 
exclusive right to take the ice. It is claimed 
that the ice is an obstruction to navigation 
and that any one ruay remove it; but we have 
recently decided that tie- right ot way over a 
stream will not give the right to remove the 
rock, gruvel or soil, except us necessary to the 
enjoyment of tho easement, and the same may 
be said as to the ice. Besides, here the ice 
was not removi d as necessary for the enjoy¬ 
ment of the easement of navigation; it is for 
the purpose only of the appropriation of it to 
the company’s use.” 
The penalty for selling a lulterated milk in 
Germany—25 cents per every one per cent, of 
adulteration, us mentioned in the lust Rural 
— is a mere trifle in comparison with tbellhad- 
amanthiue severity with which the offense is 
punished in this city. Last Tuesday 22 unfor¬ 
tunate milk-dealer* were convicted I efore the 
Co a t of Special Sessions, of having sold adul¬ 
terated milk, and fined an aggregate of $660. 
To this sum each of the 22 culprits contributed 
as follows; Two paid $15 apiece; eight, $25; 
two, $35; six. $50; one, $75; one, $IU(); two, 
$150; one, $50. in addition to imprisonment 
f ir 10 days, and anothi r $16(1 besides impris¬ 
onment for 80 days. Regularly once or twice 
a week we notice in one or more of the daily 
papers, ft short paragraph inconspicuously 
mentioning the names, addresses and penalties 
of a similar list of offenders. The six police 
courts of the city summarily dispose of a 
great many other eases, committing for trial 
at (Special (Sessions only the worst, On all 
the chief routes by wnich milk is brought 
into this city from Long Island. New Jersey, 
Connecticut anil Now York north of the muni¬ 
cipal limits,milk-inspectors are daily emptying 
into the gutter adulterated and skimmed milk 
on its way to the city dealers, amounting in 
the aggregate to thousands of gallons every 
week. 'Die profits from tiie sale of the adul¬ 
terated article must lie very large to render 
it worth w hile to risk the entire loss of the 
milk condemned by the inspectors, as well as 
the line and possible imprisonment that 
await utton detection in selling that which 
either passes their inspection, or is adulterated 
afterwards. Is it not possible that, iu view of 
the uncertainty of the lactometer and other 
milk tests employed by the authorities, many 
an innocent deuler suffers with the guilty? 
