WELLS, RICHARDSON &. CO’S 
IMPROVED 
BUTTER COLOR 
the seed, and how many melons from the 
vine. 
( 8 .) Give your opinion as to the quality of 
this melon as compared with others you have 
tested. 
We shall reserve the right to send for the 
prize melons at our own expense, if we so de¬ 
termine, after having received and considered 
the several reports. Uncle Mark. 
We have some very pretty flowers now, 
though those in the beds are not making the 
fine display they did last Summer, Have any 
of the Cousins a Crown Imperial bulb they 
would like to exchange for flower seeds or 
tulip bulbs? if so, please write to the address 
given below, as I should like to make such an 
exchange. Fanners are harvesting their grain 
now, though they will probably be through 
before this is printed. Fall wheat generally 
promises a fair yield, but some of the late 
sown Spring is poor. Bertie Hungerford, I 
readily found the town near which you live j 
but the lake, though so pretty, is not down on 
any of our maps. Were my Grandfather 
Spalding living, I think he could tell me the 
name of it, as his birth-place, Prattsburg, N. 
Y. is not far from your home. I will tell you 
of a beautiful lake about seventy miles east 
of us, in the Cascade Mountains; it is supposed 
by some to have been created by a volcanic 
eruption causing the top of the mountain to 
sink, forming the lake, at the bottom of which 
can be seen a forest of petrified trees still 
standing. AVe have some flue scenery in 
Oregon. I presume all the Rural Cousins are, 
like myself, lovers of the beautiful in Nature. 
Uncle Mark 1 send you a pressed blossom of our 
native blue bells, but you would need to see 
them growing to realize how beautiful they 
are; the budB are a clear pink, but when opened 
change to a rich delicate blue. Lois W urtz, 
my sister Loretta requests me to say she would 
like much to correspond with you if you will 
send j our address or write to Loretta Brown, 
Brownsville, Oregon. With kind wishes for 
the Rural and all its readers I am very re¬ 
spectfully, Florence L. Brown. 
Brownsville, Linn County, Oregon. 
[Thanks for the beautiful Blue-bell. u. m.] 
WHAT THE QUAIL SAYS, 
Whistlks the quail from the cover 
Whistles with all his might, 
High and shrill, da.v after day, 
“Children, tell me, what does he say?” 
Ginx-(llie little one, hold and bright, 
Sure that he understands aright)— 
“Hesays, ‘l!ob White! Bob White!” 
Calls the quail from the corn-He Id 
Thick with Its stubble set; 
Misty rain-clouds floating by 
Hide the blue of the August sky. 
“ Wlmt does be cull now. loud and plain?' 
Gold locks—" That Is a sign of rain? 
He calls: 'More wet! more wet!’ ” 
Pipes the quail from the fence top, 
Perched there in full sight. 
Quaint and trim, with quick bright eyes, 
Almost too round ami plump to fly, 
Whistling, culling, piping dear, 
*• What do 1 think he says? My dear, 
lie says, ‘Do right! do right!'*’ 
PROFESSOR 
SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEWSBOYS, 
A good many of tbe cousins belonging to 
the Club, reside in quiet, pleasant homes either 
in valleys, on the mountains, or may be on 
tbe prairies of tbe West, Yes, and a goodly 
number 1 have no doubt, live in large cities. 
I am going to tell you what L saw one day 
last week in the neighborhood of Printing 
House Square in this great city of New York, 
so that you who do not have to go away from 
home to earn your living, but help feed and 
milk cows, take care of horses, and do ehores 
for your parents, may be glad that you have 
that kind of work to do, and step a little more 
sprightly, as you go into the barn with the 
shining milk pail on 3 'our arm, and then carry 
it back full of deliciously rich milk that we 
city folk know little about. 
Almost every children’s or youth’s maga¬ 
zine has occasionally stories about uewsboys 
so that this class of children, are not stran¬ 
gers to the young readers of to day. It is the 
rule for the boys to go into the offices of the 
papers they want to sell and pay for them 
there, receiving a ticket for the number asked 
and paid for. When the paper is issued a 
few hours later a wagon is filled with them 
at the press room, and they start it off to 
distribute the papers. The buys, of course, 
understand this and are ready for action. 
Now cornea the “tug of war.” They each 
want to get tlieir papers first, so that they 
can sell them the quickest, although there is 
but a few minutes difference between those 
first and last served, yet it is the ambition of 
all to be first. So there is a great mixing up of 
ligdt and dark-haired heads, and beads whose 
hair has been so closely cropped, that it is im¬ 
possible to tel l what color the hair will be when 
it grows again. And hands ! Oh ! my what 
hands ! Surely some of them had been strang¬ 
ers to water, for a long time. 
But some 30 or more clung to the back of 
tbe wagon which had stopped, each holding 
out to the man inside the ticket for papers, 
and all talking at once, shouting out the 
number wanted, interspersed with consider¬ 
able slang. It was funny enough to watch 
them, and I wondered how they could be un¬ 
derstood, yet they were, for in less time than I 
have been telling it, the whole number were 
served aud off shouting at the top of their 
voices, “ere’s the Daily News,” “Evenin’ 
Telegram.” 
But I saw some things that were not very 
noble, nor rnanty, and unless they also see 
them, these boys will never make good 
men. The little fellows five and six years old, 
who could only reach the cart by standing on 
their tiptoes, were used by the bigger ones as 
a rest, and it was done in this manner. Of 
course they stood three and four rows deep; 
those who were behind, we'll say on the third 
row, took the boys in front of them, by the 
feet, while they themselves put their hands on 
the heads of the small boys and jumped on 
them, getting thereby the advantage of being 
served first, while the little fellows, had to 
patiently (or impatiently) wait. 
Now who believes that this was right, or 
that in the end they will gain by doing so? 
Not anyone who remembers the Golden Rule. 
This, my dear young folks, is only one phase 
in the life of the newsbo}% yet it is a battle for 
them, so loDg as they remain in the ranks, and 
what 1 have told 3 'ou now is done every day 
in the week, and every week in the year and 
probably will be as long as newspapers are 
sold. 
Now, boys and girls, are you not contented 
to do chores, having only your parents to 
please? Aunt Carrie. 
^osphat/ c 
Made from Professor Horsford’s Add 
Phosphate. 
Recommended by loading physicians. 
Makes lighter biscuit, cake-, etc., and 
is healthier than ordinary Puking Pow¬ 
der. 
i n cans. Sold at a reasonable price. 
The Horsfurd Almanac and Cook iBook 
sent free. 
Kura ford Chemical Works, Providence, R. I. 
. SI. ANTIION Y, Ag’t 100 and 102 Reade St., N. Y 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WATER¬ 
MELON PRIZES. 
As long ago as March 18, I announced to 
the members of the Club that five prizes would 
be awarded in the melon contest as follows: 
(1) For the largest weight of entire crop and 
heaviest single melon. 
(2) For largest total weight irrespective of 
largest single melon. 
(3) For largest and heaviest single melon 
irrespective of weight of entire crop. 
(4) For second largest and heaviest single 
melon. 
(5) For third largest and heaviest single 
melon. 
It is now my pleasure to announce the fol¬ 
lowing premiums corresponding with the 
above numbers. 
(1) A Silver Cup, with name of the prize 
winner beautifully eDgraved upon it. This 
will be both ornamental and useful, and a 
prize of which the winner may well be proud. 
It will be a pleasing memento, too, of the 
Horticultural Club of the Rural New- 
Yorker. 
(2) “Young Americans in Japan.” This 
is an elegant book of 372 large octavo pages, 
printed in bold type and containing 171 illus¬ 
trations making an entertaining panorama of 
travel in the distant land of Japan. The ad¬ 
ventures of an American family and a young 
Japanese who has been educated in America 
are therein described. It gives in an enter¬ 
taining way an abundance of curious adven¬ 
tures and makes the reader acquainted with 
the manners and customs of that oriental peo¬ 
ple. The author of the book has lived among 
the Japanese, studied their language and 
literature and familiarized himself with their 
strange customs. It is a beautiful, entertain¬ 
ing and instructive book for the young 
people. 
(3.) •* Zig Zag Journeys in tbe Orient.” 
Another beautiful volume of 820 pages con¬ 
taining about 150 illustrations, neatU printed 
on tinted paper. This is a very interesting 
book for the young folks being written by the 
well known author, Hezekiah Butterwortb, 
who is always an entertaining and instructive 
writer. It tells about the great city of Con¬ 
stantinople; about Mohammedan Worship; 
the Crusades; the Cossacks; Nijni Novgorod, 
the great market place of Russia; Moscow; 
St. Petersburg and many other places and 
thing?. Anybody would be pleased with it. 
(4.) “Farming for Boys.” This book tells 
what young people have done aud what others 
may do in the cultivation of Farm and Garden; 
it instructs them on how to begin, how to pro¬ 
ceed and what to aim at. It is just the book 
for the boy to read who thinks he had better 
leave the farm and go to the city; it shows 
them the “superiority of agricultural employ¬ 
ments, of their comparative freedom from 
temptation and vice,” and of the sure rewards 
of well directed industry. The work contains 
28(5 pages and is handsomely illustrated. 
(5.) “Ralegh ; his Exploits & Voyages.’’ 
This i3 one of the series of the Young Folks’ 
Heroes of History. We are told here about 
Ralegh’s boyhood and youth; about his won 
derful exploits and adventures which are full 
of absorbing and often exciting interest. 
Every young person should know about 
Ralegh—the stout old hero—who met the un¬ 
merited doom of a traitor. 
Now, what I wish to have the contestants 
do, just as soon as their melons have attained 
full growth is this: 
(1.) Write us how they were cultivated. 
(2 ) Date of picking. 
(3) Give longitudinal and cross diameter 
and circumference of each melou. 
(4.) Give weight of each melon. 
(5.) Give thickness of the white rind exclu¬ 
sive of the green one. 
(6.) Make as good a drawing as > r ou can, of 
the best melon, giving with the drawing the 
exact dimensions of the fruit. 
(7.) State how many vines were raised from 
A NEW DISCOVERY 
I |yFor several years we Lave fnrnhhed the 
'Daiiymeu of America with nu excellent arti- 
Jlfial color forbutton so meritorious that it met 
| with great success every when: receiving' the 
hlgUc-.it and only prizes at both International 
Dairy Fairs. 
I tsrthit by patient andselontiUe chemical re- 
search wo have improved in. several points, and 
inow offer this new color as the best In the world. 
It Will Not Color the Buttermilk. It 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural Cousins— 
How do you all do? I hope you are all well! 
I have quite a lot of flowers this year and 
they are doing nicely. I wish 1 could send 
Uncle Mark some of them. I did not see my 
other letter in print but know you have so 
many it is impossible to print them all. I go 
to school and have six studies. I have a pet 
bird named Beauty. We have had lots of 
strawberries and peas. Our bouse plants look 
real thrifty, and some of them are in blos¬ 
som. We have some that we got at the green¬ 
house; one is thought to bo the darkest Gera¬ 
nium that is known; it’s name is Lenigar. 
The blossoms are just like little roses. Papa 
gave me some grapevine sets last year, and 
they were growing nicely until somebody 
stepped on them. I felt real sorry about it. I 
have some raspberry sets that Papa gave me 
this Spring. 1 planted some bird seed but it is 
not up yet. 1 don’t kuow as it will come up. I 
received tbe watermelon seeds you so kindly 
sent me, for which please accept many thanks. 
We have quite a number of watermelons this 
year and they are looking very nice. The 
celery seed that you sent papa came up 
nicely. Your niece, 
Seneca Co., N. Y. Ellen C. Bonnell. 
Will Not Turn Rancid. It Is the 
I Strongest, Brightest and 
Cheapest Color Made, 
I tWAnd, while prepared In oil, i-! bo compound¬ 
ed t hat It la Impossible for it to become rancid. 
I tsTSEWARE of all imitations, and of all 
other oil colors, for they uro liable to become 
rauold and spoiltho butter. 
1 riFlf you cannot getthe '‘Improved" write us 
to know w here and how to gut il without extra 
expense. (to) 
WELLS, RICHARDSON’ * CO., Burlington, Vt. 
MAKES 
Looking 
i Glasses 
ELECTRIC 
Scouring 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I must write you my 
first letter this year or the second one will not 
get written, and I promised two. Four of my 
melon seeds came up, and there are some fine- 
looking melons on three of Ihe vines; one of 
them died with melons on it. I have my cot¬ 
ton patch; I am going to pick the bolls soon; 
they are beginning to open. The wet weather 
has injured the cotton very much. Papa 
thinks the crop prospect poor compared to six 
weeks ago. I have my chufa patch; it is a 
much surer crop than the ground peas in this 
section, aud tbe meat fattened on them is very 
firm. The reason it is so difficult to get a 
stand of chufa is that it is planted foo soon. Do 
not plant until the ground gets warm, then it 
will come up and grow rapidly. Then if the 
6 tand is not good the chufa makes a big bunch; 
you can pull out oue aud put into the missing 
place. We prefer them to ground peas, for 
we do not have to shell them. I will write 
again when my melons get ripe. 
Your nephew, Oscar Chapman. 
Wilson Co,, Ga. 
ASK 
YOUR 
Best In tho World. 
M ft in abundance—S5 Million pound. 
| L n L imported last year.—Prices lower 
H r U than ever.— Agents wauled.- Don't 
N fen fll waste time.—Send for circular. 
10 lbs, Ciood ISliu-k or Mixed, lor $1. 
10 lbs. Fine Black or Mixed, for $2. 
10 lbs. Choice Black or Mixed, for $3. 
Bend for pound sample, 17 cti. extra for pontage. 
Then gut up a club. Choicest Tea la Hie world.— 
Largest variety.- 1'lennen everybody—Oldest Tea 
House in America, No chroma.—No Humbug.- 
Straight business.—Vultio for money. 
BOB’! >VtbL8,13 Vt'BOjr St.,IV. V.,P.O.Box 1287. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS, 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I am nearly nine 
years old. I have read the letters from the 
Cousins and thought I would write one, too. 
M 3 ' Papa has tak.jn the Rural for a great 
many years and writes for it sometimes. We 
have about 200 chickens. My Mamma has 
a flower garden. I pick raspberries and cur¬ 
rants for my Papa aud sometimes I pick 
strawberries. Papa pays me the same as he 
does the rest of the pickers, 1 have a canary 
bird named Jim, and ha sings very nicely. 
My sister has a canary bird named Billy and 
one named Daisy. I have a cat named Cuffy. 
When he was a little kitten he fell iuto a paii 
of whale oil soap aud such a looking kitten 
you never saw, I thick! The old cat tried to 
wash him off but she could’nt stand it. Then 
my sister washed the kitten and how happy 
that old cat was I My cat and bird are all the 
pets I have. Yours, Carrie Ritter. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural Cousins:— 
As this is my birth-day (Aug. 8 ) I will cele¬ 
brate it by writing you of my success with 
the Rural melon seeds. I had the ground well 
prepared and thoroughly enriched; carefully 
plauted the seeds putting two in each hill and 
with great expectations in anticipation of the 
fine 3 Geld of melons they were soon to bring 
me, I began awaiting with great patience for 
those wonderful vines to make their appear¬ 
ance—am waiting still. I have a great deal of 
patience [nometinuis]. Tho vines may have 
gone in search of China. Well I have some 
others, both musk and watermelon, that prom¬ 
ise a fair yield of flue large melons, and per¬ 
haps I may be more fortunate another time, 
though I have observed that both vegetable 
and flower seeds from the East are not so sure 
to germinate as borne raised seed. I presume 
a difference in the climate or soil is the cause. 
AYER’S 
AGUE CURE 
IS WARRANTED to cure all cases of malarial 
disease, such as Fever and Ague, Intermittent or CUUl 
Fever. Krmlttont Fever, Dumb Ague, Bilious Fever 
aud Liver Complaint. In ease of failure, after due 
trial, dealers are authorized by our circular of July 
1 st, 1882, to refund tl »0 money. 
Dr. J. C. AYER & CO., Lowell, Mass. 
Bold by all Druggists. 
a week in your own town. Terms and $5 outfit 
free. Address HiUlett * Oe.. Portland, Maine. 
$5to20 
per day at borne. Samples worth 
Address Stinson & Co., Portland, 
