672 
SEPT 30 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal .or Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. C UKi>, 
i Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 1882. 
We are sorry to Bee that the new 
Champion Quince is being praised un¬ 
qualifiedly by several journals. This is 
the second year of its fruiting with us 
and the fruit does not ripen. 
For several years past we have trained 
two tomato plants to the front of the 
barn. One of them is now (Sept. 17) 11 
feet high. We confine the plants to one 
main stem and allow fruit to grow only 
here and there. 
■ - ♦ •» — 
“The small remainder of arable public 
lands is needed for our own children and 
grandchildren, and we have no longer 
any right to disregard their interests by 
permitting these lands to be divided 
among foreigners.” See Gen. LtDuc’s 
letter on page 669. 
Sir J. B. Lawes writes us, under date 
of Sept. 5: “We make but li 'tie progress 
with our harvest, as the weather is both 
cold and wet. There is a good deal of 
new wheat coming into market from the 
southern counties and I fear farmers will 
be disappointed with the yield.” 
-»- 
Essays for the “Poor Farm Series” 
begin to come in. We do hope that all 
of our readers who have been through 
the trying mill of bringing up a poor farm 
or, with limited means to start upon, of 
making fanning pay, will write out their 
experience and send it to the Rural. 
Such experience should prove of great 
value to the thousands of farmers who 
are struggling ineffectually to earn a com¬ 
fortable living. 
-» -- 
What is gained by exhibiting potatoes 
at fairs? All other things being equal, 
the largest potatoes take the eye—and 
the premiums. The judges know nothing 
of the quality or of the productiveness of 
the potatoes before them—and there is 
no way for them to ascertain these essen¬ 
tials of a good variety unless they accept 
the statements of the exhibitors. A ootato 
perfect, in shape and smouthn*ss, in the 
color of the skin, in the shallowness of 
the eyes, may be poor in quality and un¬ 
productive. 
-*_•_*- 
Splemhd heads of White Towse 
(Spring) wheat have been received from 
W. B. Harlan of Como, Montana Territory. 
Three heads contain respectively 115, 109 
and 107 grains. Some have seven to the 
hcast; one breast ha9 10, which is very 
remarkable. “The straw is 6tiff,” Mr. 
Harlan wiites: “the grain does not shell 
out when ripe, it makes the best quality 
of flour and yields from 20 to 50 bushels 
per acre—the latter under the most favor¬ 
able conditions. I have counted from 
140 to 100 stalks and heads from one 
grain.” We have tried this as a Winter 
wheat and failed. 
■ ■ » ♦'»- 
Mr. Ely of Mitchell Co., Iowa, speak¬ 
ing of his Rural Thoroughbred corn, says: 
“If no other calamity overtakes it, and I 
think the coast is clear, I shall make it 
pretty warm all along the line for con¬ 
testants. My strength will lie in the 
length of the ear and the perfect fi ling out 
of it. I never saw anything like the ears!” 
That is good. The Rural corn contest 
is without doubt going to be exceedingly 
interesting. Remember, readers, we 
have an ear 15j inches long. Who will 
say 16 inches and send us the ear! We 
shall have the longest car sent to us en¬ 
graved, with credit to the raiser. At 
15^ 1 at 151 1 ! who will say 16? 
Among all the States worth immigra¬ 
ting to this year, Kansas appears to be 
deserving of a front place. Her agricul¬ 
tural products, at present prices, are es¬ 
timated to be worth $ 138,385,315, and 
the other products of the farm and 
garden, including lire stock, will bring the 
aggregate up to $176,000,000, or an 
average of $176 for every man, woman 
and child in the State. Then, loo, all 
this wealth is much more evenly distribu¬ 
ted among the people there than it wi uld 
be in the older States, where a few cap¬ 
italists would fatten on four-fifths of it 
and the people at large support a strug¬ 
gling existence on the remainder. 
♦ » ♦- 
The Texas Continental Transportation 
Company, organized at Chicago on Thurs¬ 
day last, is the outcome of the visit to 
the East lately made by Southwestern 
stockmen, as mentioned in last xveek’s 
Rural. The operations of the company 
will at the outset be confijed to the Ilun- 
ligdon system of railways,with the Chesa¬ 
peake and Ohio Railroad as the Eastern 
outlet and the Southern Pacific as the 
Western outlet. It appears therefore that 
the dressed meat trade of the company 
will stretch across the entire continent, 
and will need,what we are assured it has, 
the hearty support of the cattle raisers 
and shippers of the Southwest. There is 
little doubt that this Wenern and 
Southwestern trade in dressed meat will 
ere long seriously affect the live stock 
interests of the Middle and Eastern States. 
-- 
A veterinary department will be 
opened at Harvard Uoiversiiy on next 
Thursday, September 28, and the regular 
course for veterinary students will be 
three years. While thesubsidiary branches 
to he studied by the veterinary aspirant 
will be taught in the other departments of 
the University, ample facilities will be 
afforded for theoretical and practical in¬ 
struction in the veterinary art. In view 
of the vast live stock interests of the 
country far more attention than at present 
should be devoted to veterinary study, and 
the veterinary art should hold a much 
higher position in social regard than that 
at present accorded it. The addition of 
1 his new and comparatively novel depart¬ 
ment to the first and most fashionable of 
our universities is therefore to be highly 
commended as likely to bring about wider 
attention to the veterinary art and a 
higher appreciation of its professors. 
-- 
We have selected for our special wheats 
this year a plot of sandy loam which has 
received very little manure for the past 
10 or 12 years. We plowed under the 
sod, consisting of Timothy chit fly, Erag- 
rostis Purshii and several other coarse 
grasses,early in the Summer, and so left it 
until early September when it was har¬ 
rowed both wayswith an improved Acme. 
We then sowed at the rate of 700 pounds 
of concentrated fertilizer,aud finally raked 
the surface level and mellow. September 
12, we began to plant our wheats, having 
marked off the land in squares 10x10 
inches and dropping a single seed in every 
intersection. U pou other portions of the 
plot we shall drill in the seed variously, to 
be explained hereafter. Further than to 
test new kinds and to propagate those of 
our cross-breeds that seem to be worth 
propagating, we have no special experi¬ 
ments to conduct upon this plot. Forty 
of the 80 kinds raised last year have been 
rejected. 
-- 
Dr. Sturtey ant's Bulletin No. YIII 
is received. We shall not have occasion 
to quote from this, since tests like those 
reported were made at the Rural Grounds 
several years ago, Teosinte was pro¬ 
nounced a failure north of North Caro¬ 
lina. Its leaves, however, were very broad 
and in no way resunble those of Barn¬ 
yard Grass (Panicum crus-galli) ns the 
Director reports. Pearl Millet was also 
pronounced a failure for this olimate be¬ 
cause of its woody stems. In many sea¬ 
sons, however, it will make an immense 
growth of leaves. The Director's Bul¬ 
letin VII spoke promisingly of the Chi¬ 
nese Bean. The present Bulletin rates it 
as a manifest failure, which is the report 
we made in January of this year irom 
tests of the Summer of 1881. As to cow- 
peas, the Station, we predict, will cor- 
loborate our tests to the effect that their 
growth can have little effect to subdue 
Quack, or Rye Grass (Creeping WLeat). 
Besides, farm animals are not fond of the 
stacks and leaves either green or dry. 
We give on another page the opinions 
of several well-known small fruit growers 
regarding the new Shaffer’s Colossal 
Raspberry. This we try to do in connec¬ 
tion with all new fruits, so that our 
readers may the better be enabh d io 
judge of their merits. There is no pre¬ 
tense that the Shaffer is a good berry for 
marketing. In fact, raspberries whose 
drupes are so large, may at once be judged 
as unfit to ship to distant markets. 
Again, the color of the berry would con¬ 
demn it in the markets. Benighted city 
buyers would at once mistake its dull 
purple color as proof that the berries were 
stale. Nevertheless, for the home grounds 
we much like the Shaffer for its great 
vigor, for its large berries and for the 
quality of the berries which, though 
rather tart to eat out of hand to please 
many, are full of the genuine raspberry 
flavor when served with a little sugar. 
For some of the same reasons we have 
commended to our readeis the New 
Rochelle. 
-• »» — 
We read a great deal of the pest Quack 
Grass or Creeping Wheat, and how to ex¬ 
terminate it. We wish that all farmers 
feared this pest as little as we do, though 
our farm is infested with it. Last year 
we turned under a sod that was nearly all 
Quack. It was planted to corn this 
Spring, and the field has been cultivated 
as usual with an implement that has two 
horizontal blades which cut an iuch or so 
beneath the surface. When the corn was 
laid by the Quack was utterly subdued. 
And this is merely a repetition of our ex¬ 
perience for the past tour years, or since 
we have given special attenMon to the 
cultivation of Indian corn. We do not 
think that the plow alone or toothed cul¬ 
tivators used in corn would kill the 
Quack. The object seems to be to cut 
off the leaves and superficial roots, and to 
leave the lower roots undisturbed, which 
die and rot in the ground. 
The Horticultural Club —We take 
pleasure in again calling attention to the 
work of the Youths' Horticultural Club, 
and to the announcement of premiums 
and awards in the Huckleberry contest. 
Some time since Mr. K. S. Goff, Horticul¬ 
turist to the N. Y. Er. Station, invited 
the Rural young people to co-operate 
with him in attempting to improve the 
huckleberry by garden cultivation, and 
he asked the young folks to take plants 
from the woods, as they might find them, 
and transplant them to the garden. In 
the meantime they were to select the 
hundred best berries they could find and 
forward them to the Experiment Station. 
As incentives to the work three prizt s were 
offered, the first of which was Webster’s 
National Pictorial Dictionary—a prize 
well worth the working for, and this 
week on page 678, is the announcement of 
the awards. We congratulate the for¬ 
tunate ones, and, not le-s, all who have 
taken an active part in the contest. It is 
not so much to have won a prize as to 
feel that one may have aided in a praise¬ 
worthy work such as this is. and we trust 
that the interest exhibited in this is but 
tile foreshadowing of what may be done 
in the future in similar experimental 
work. The field is broad, ihe workers 
few, and for the fai’hful and industrious 
ample rewards are in store. 
The Tariff Commission is still “swing¬ 
ing round the circle,” seeking informa¬ 
tion and disgusted at the snia 1 amount 
furnished, especially by consumers and 
agricultural producers. While at Min¬ 
neapolis, the other day, it learnt t at 
the quantity of wheat ground into flour 
there in 1881 was 16,500.01)0 bushels, 
being 2,500,000 bushels more than the 
entire receipts at Chicago last year. Of 
the 3.142,974 barrels of fi mr made, 1,181,- 
324 barrels were ‘ directly exported to 
foreign countries. The Commission was 
informed that Minnesota and Manitoba 
wheat is the best m the world, and that 
it will furnish 20 per cent more bread 
than flour made from Kansas wheat. 
Why wasn’t the same said of Dakota 
wheat? Isn’t this the same “ No. 1 
Hard” grade? Mr. Sturtevant, Secretary 
of the Minneapolis Board of Trade, is con¬ 
fident that the belt producing this super¬ 
lative wheat extends “at least one thou¬ 
sand miles northwest," by far the greater 
part of it lying yet in virgin richness in 
the United States aud Canada. The Mil¬ 
lers complained of the duty of twenty cents 
per bushel imposed upon wheat from 
the British Provinces; but, of course, 
their disapproval of this “protective” 
tax was due, uot to any selfish desire to 
draw their “raw material” cheaply from 
beyond the “border;” but to a public- 
spirited objection to the retaliatory duty 
imposed by the Canadian Government on 
American manufactures. 
SHALL WE SAY TFN THOUSAND DOL- 
LARs? 
Through the cooperation of the 
wealthy horticulturists of our country, 
the Rural would much like to offer 
Ten Thousand Dollars’ worth of pre¬ 
miums for the best varieties of grap°s 
produced from the Niagara seeds to be 
sent out in our next Distribution. The 
scheme is, it seems to us, a «ise and ben¬ 
evolent one. We should hope that all 
of our wealthy horticulturists would sub¬ 
scribe to the lund; all of our well-to-do 
pomological societies; our agricultural 
colleges; our State Legislatures (shall we 
say?) North, South, East and West. 
We may count, we think, upon over 
200,000 vines being raised fr<>m these 
seeds. The Niagara is a wonderful grape, 
and we say this with no more personal in¬ 
terest in it than we have in the Concord. 
Tt has this year borne a heavy crop at the 
Rural Farm, along tlie ocean where we 
have never before seen either berries or 
bunches so large and perfect or a vine 
more vigorous and healthy. A true por¬ 
trait of one of these bunches will he pre¬ 
sented shortly, by which it will be seen 
that the engraving in our Fair Number 
is by no means ovedrawn. Ten thousand 
dollars in premiums for the best, seedlings 
would stimulate an unparalleled interest 
and competition in seedling grape grow- 
ingwhich would, it is fair to presume, add 
many thousands of dollars to the wealth 
of the country. We beg to hear from 
our friends upon this subject. The 
Rural promises beforehand to do its full 
share in raising the amount. 
BREVITIES. 
Shall we say $10,000 for the grape pre¬ 
miums? 
We should like to hear from those of our 
readers who have tried sulky plows. 
The Virginia S ate Agricultural Society 
has changed the date of its fair to Nov. 1-4. 
Our handsomest bunches of grapas that 
have grown in bags are upon the Lidy Wash¬ 
ington. 
Now save potato ball', the seeds to be 
planted in February in pots in the house or 
under glass. 
The Rockingham (Miner) is a black grape 
of much promise It fruits for the first time 
at the Rural Grounds (N. J.) 
The Highland (Ricketts) is too late for our 
climate. It is a pity s> me of our excellent 
couremporsries did not test it before lauding 
it up to the skies. 
Millions upon millions of caterpillars 
e'-eryeficre. \V© never saw the like of them. 
Usually we manage to keep our premises clear 
of these pests. Tnis Fall it is impossible, and 
many trees and shrubs are stripped. 
COMPARE the real worth and the actual 
cost of some of the fei tiliz->rs anal> zed at ihe 
Connecti •uf. Experiment Station. What do 
you think of charging at th. rate of $000 per 
ton for “ saltpeter” woith only $130 per ton ? 
All of our readers who desire to know how 
best to care for their plants this Autumn, will 
read with interest the articles of “ Leon” un¬ 
der “ Rava ” For reasons, ihe real name of 
this experienced and eccompli-hed writer doe* 
not apt»f ar. Le'. ns merely assure our readers 
that his insfr ctions may be followed with 
full confidence that they are the best that can 
be given in a general way. 
The National Convrntion of the Anti-horse 
Thief Association met at Palmyra, Mo., last 
Wednesday, and over 200 lodges were repre¬ 
sented. Tee order is reported to be In a flour¬ 
ishing condition. The assurance that no one 
who has stolen a horse from any member of 
the Association has ever escaped, should 
greatly increa-e the memhe’ship in the Bor¬ 
der States, yes, indeed, and in some of the old 
settled States where hor-e rtealing is by no 
means among the “lo.-t arts.” 
The American Consul at Buda-P-'rib, Hun¬ 
gary, reports thst. the prices of wheat ihere 
have been depressed by repKtrts of enormous 
A meric in crops and shipments. In every 
European country, as well as in India, 
Australia, New Zealand, Chili and here 
at home,greatly exaggerated reports of the 
sizs of the American wheat and corn 
crops have helped speculation to lower the 
prices of cereals, and thus rob the producer of 
a part of the ju&t rewards of his labor. While 
our crops, no doubt, are excellent, we cannot 
behave the yield of wheat will be 000.000,000 
bushels; nor that of corn anywhere near 1,800,- 
000,000 bu«bcls, 1 hough such reckles* esti¬ 
mates have rent ived the indorsement of some 
commercial journals. 
The wool trade has bren brisk during the 
week, and prices appear to have touched bot¬ 
tom for this year; for th^re is a decided up¬ 
ward tendency in most gf-Hdes. At Boston 
the sales of the week aggregated 2.500,000 
pounds. Fine clothing fleeces are fully lc. 
I er pound higher than a fortnight ago, and 
ihe mo.'t desirable lots of staple He ces are im¬ 
proving in pi {re, as supplies in Eistern mar¬ 
kets tue clo-ely sold up, and caunot be du¬ 
plicated from any point except, at relatively 
higher rates thau are now current on the sea¬ 
board. C »rpet wools are also about. Iper 
pound higher and in go< d demand. The mar¬ 
ket for this class of stock has been strength¬ 
ened by the remits of this week’s auction at 
Liverpool, where pHlayellow E -st India wools 
brought a half to one penny advance on pre- 
4ioussales. Foreign markets are firm, and 
a fair bu»iuess is reported by latest cables. 
The general outlook is favorable both for 
wool and its manufactures, and dealers, as % 
rule, ure in good spirits and hopeiui. 
