OCT 24 
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THE 
RURAL- NEW'YORKER, 
jLNational Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. St Park Row, New York. 
HATUtt.Jj.HY. OCT. 21, 1882. 
In reply to many inquiries, we have to 
say that all who desire to contest for the 
Rural New-Yorker Corn Prizes must 
send in their reports on or before Decem¬ 
ber 1. The weight of ears and shelled 
corn are requested. All will please state 
the number of kernels planted, the num¬ 
ber that germinated, the manure used, 
the cultivation given, the method of 
planting, etc. 
- - ♦♦♦ ... 
We shall give the results of our exper¬ 
iments with new potatoes as soon as we 
have tested them as to quality. 
-- 
Frosts have held off so long that the 
Highland (black) Grape of Ricketts has 
ripened at the Rural Grounds. The 
bunches and berries are large—the qual¬ 
ity sour. We have tested it fairly and 
shall reject it as unworthy of cultivation. 
-♦-*-♦- 
Mr. John Charlton of Illinois says, 
“I have an ear of the Thoroughbred Flint 
Corn 10 inches long, w r ith 06 grains iu a 
row and big grains too.” These ears will 
shrink a good deal. We hope our friends 
will send us the longest as a mattered 
curiosity and that we may have an en¬ 
graving made of the longest ear of all. 
--♦♦♦-- 
TnosE who are good enough to send us 
the longest ears of their Rural Thorough- 
bre I will do well to use paste-board in 
which to roll the ear. We have received 
several mailed iu this way that were un¬ 
injured in any way. The bottom or top 
of paste board boxes may be used for the 
purpose. Please always write your name 
and address on the package. 
—-» » •- 
Mr. John Haynes, Little Sioux, Iowa, 
sends us an ear of the Rural Thoroughbr^d 
Flint that measures 16 inches; it has 65 
kernels in a row, and eight-rowed as this 
variety always is. The kernels are very 
long a d wide, though not deep. We may 
now say, “Going at 16 ! Who will say 
16}?” We hope, however, to have a more 
perfect specimen of 16 inch ears thau this. 
-—-- 
Mr. Robert W. Blake, of Harrison 
County, Iowa, under date of October 9, 
1882, writes as follows: “The Thorough¬ 
bred Flint Corn sent out by the Rural 
New-Yorker is simply immense and can¬ 
not be praised too h’ghly. I husked mine 
September 20, and took it to the district 
fair at Dunlap, and there exhibited it 
September 27, 28 and 29, and received 
the first premium. I could have sold it 
for one dollar an ear, but I would not sell 
it at any price as I want it all to plant 
next year. Some of the ears are over 15 
inches long—round and plump. I have 
over 200 ears from 71 stalks. Who says 
taking the Rural New-Yorker does 
not pay?” 
“THE PUBLIC BE D 
Early in the week Mr. W. H. Vander¬ 
bilt, who owns $300,000,000,wrung mostly 
from the public, was interviewed by a 
couple of Chicago newspaper reporters 
and in answer to the inquiry, “Why do 
you run the limited express—because the 
public demands it?” insolently answered, 
“The public be d-.” When the arch- 
swindler Tweed with equal insolence in¬ 
quired, “What are you going to do about 
it,” when his rascalities were first found 
out, he little thought that the impudent 
remark, prompted by his utter contempt 
for the rights of the public and the over¬ 
weening arrogance of irresponsible power, 
would, more even than his misdeeds, 
stimulate the people of New York to con¬ 
sign him promptly to his proper position. 
The bloated Railroad Kind’s utterance, 
the outcome of similar sentiments,is likely 
to have a similar effect upon the people at 
large, stimulating them indignantly to 
curb the power winch begets such insol¬ 
ence. It has all along been known that rail¬ 
roads are managed for the benefit of the 
stock-owners and of stock-jobbers, and in 
total disregard of the interests of the pub¬ 
lic who endowed the roads with a mul¬ 
titude of privileges and prerogatives, but 
this is the first time the fact has been 
coarsely acknowledged through the mouth 
of a representative railroad manager, and 
the brazen announcement is likely to im¬ 
press upon the public the absolute neces¬ 
sity of guarding their own interests in 
matters of transportation, since these are 
so utterly disregarded by inflated railroad 
magnates. Surrounded by all that im¬ 
moderate wealth can bestow, including 
the fulsome words of sycophants, it is 
still likely that Vanderbilt will yet have 
good cause for regretting having “D—d !” 
the public. “Upon what meat doth this 
our Caesar feed, that he hath grown 
so great?” 
REFORMATION NEEDED. 
At no time in the history of the cotton 
industry of this country has there been 
such loud and widespread complaint of 
the adulteration of cotton as during the 
cotton year which closed on the first of 
last September. The cotton-mill owners 
of New England have found the adulter¬ 
ations as frequent and grievous as have 
those of Lancashire; hut the former have 
been in a better position to recover 
damages than the latter. The waste 
account of the manufacturers here and 
across the water has frequently advanced 
from 10 to 12 per cent to 20 to 30 per 
cent. Northern manufacturers, however, 
buy largely from responsible Southern 
dealers who, for a premium averaging ODe 
dollar a bale, guarantee the quality f the 
goods sold. Owing to the frauds in the 
cotton sold them during the past year, 
however, a number of Southern cotton 
merchants have lost bo heavily that they 
have been compell fe( j to announce that 
they are financially unable to make pool 
the losses their customers have suffered; 
but most of those unable to do so, have 
declared that they consider the obligation 
a debt to be liquidated at the earliest 
possible moment. Some adulterations 
were owing, of course, to accident or 
carelessness, but those of a fraudulent 
sort were mainly due to the ginueTS < f 
cotton, who are commonly paid by 
allowing them a part of the cotton ginned 
and packed. The competition in the 
business has been so great of late that to 
secure the patronage of planters the gin- 
owners have reduced their scale of charges; 
but the losses they have incurred by this 
means they have been making good by 
returning to the planter apparently the 
full weight of the cotton, ltBS a small 
deduction; but in reality the weight of 
the planter’s cotton has often been fraud¬ 
ulently increased either by wetting the lint 
or inserting foreign substances in the bale. 
In most of the Southern States there are 
severe laws against these and other fraud¬ 
ulent practices in packing cotton, and iu 
view of the grave injury done to the trade 
last year by swindles of this sort, and tha 
still greater injury that would result from 
a repetition of them this year, it is to be 
hoped that the laws will be sternly en¬ 
forced both by planters and dealers with 
reference to the present cotton crop. 
- 4 4 4 
CATTLE IMPORTS INTO ENGLAND. 
A Blue Book, or an official govermen- 
tal report, just issued iu England, gives 
detailed statistics of the foreign live 
stock imported into that country dur¬ 
ing 1881. From this it appears that the 
number of cattle imported last year was 
822,198 against 384,432 in 1880—a fall¬ 
ing off of 64,234. About one-third of the 
imported cattle were from the United 
States, amounting to 103,693 head, yet 
this was 51,000 head less than in 18*80. 
Canada sent 44,389 head—a falling off 
of 4,000 from the previous year, so tliat 
of the total diminution of 64,000, America 
was responsible for 55,000 head. Of Con¬ 
tinental countries Denmark contributi d 
61,975 cattle; the Netherlands, 35,960; 
Schleswig-Holstein, 23,866; Spain, 16,696; 
Sweden, 15,718, and Portugal, 14,081. 
Of these countries Sweden alone made an 
increase, amounting to 50 per cent; im¬ 
ports for all the other countries showed a 
decrease. Owing to the prevalence of 
contagious disease within their borders, 
the importation of cattle from Germany, 
Belgium and France was prohibited, as 
were ull imports of cattle, sheep and 
swine from liustia. Of the cattle im¬ 
ported 4,148 were diseased, 39 being af¬ 
fected with plouro-pueutnorria and 4,109 
with foot and-mouth disease. All the ani¬ 
mals affected with pleuro-pneumonia are 
reported to have been from the United 
States. It is also claimed that this coun¬ 
try sent 2,755 cattle, sheep and swine 
suffering from foot-and-mouth disease, 
178 sheep with scab and 151 swine with 
fever. Scab among sheep and fever 
among swine we know to be more or less 
prevalent in some parts of this country; 
but that foot-and-mouth disease exists 
among any kind of American live stock 
will, we think, be “news” to American 
stock owners. 
- ♦ ♦♦ - 
NEW ZEALAND MEAT FOR ENGLAND 
Among the late arrivals at Liverpool 
was a sailing vessel of 600 tons which 
brought from New Zealand a cargo of 
fresh meat, consisting of 4,000 carcasses 
of sheep, weighing from 90 to 160 pounds 
each, together with poultry, fish and 
fruit in large quantities. The passage 
lasted 102 days, and off the African 
coast the temperature for some weeks 
was in the neighborhood of 84 degrees in 
the shade and 120 in the sun. To keep 
up a temperature of 18 degrees below 
freezing point in the refrigerator, the 
refrigerating apparatus was run by an en¬ 
gine of 70-liorse power placed in the hold. 
To run this 28 cwts. of coal were consumed 
every 24 hours, and the total consumption 
on the trip was 180 tons. The mutton 
was packed in t he same way beef is stored 
between this city and Liverpool—the car¬ 
casses were suspended from the beams of 
the ship and wrapped in some cheap tex 
tile fabric. A cold of 18 degrees below 
freezing point was certainly too great ; 
jor experience has shown that an exces¬ 
sively low temperature mechanically dis¬ 
integrates the animal tissues. There is 
little doubt that the cargo would have ar¬ 
rived in better condition had the tempera¬ 
ture been maintained a few degrees above 
freezing point, as in trans-Atlantic voy¬ 
ages. At Matura, New Zealand, where the 
fresh mutton was obtained, the wholesale 
price was 2d. or 4c per pound Hitherto 
the transportation of fresh meat from 
Australia to Europe has not proved profit¬ 
able, and probably this venture from New 
Zealand will turn out unremunerative; 
but all these shipments are merely experi¬ 
mental Improvements in the mode of 
storing and the process of refrigeration 
will doubtless soon lessen the expenses 
enough to make the trade profitable. Af¬ 
ter all our experience in trasporring 
American dressed meat to Europe and 
frem the West to the seaboard improve¬ 
ments are constantly suggesting them¬ 
selves. Armour & Co., of Chicago, have 
just effected improvements on their cars 
for transporting meat from that city to 
the East at an expense of $200 a car. 
These improvements, they euy, will en¬ 
able them to deliver Chicago-dressed 
meat in the Eastern cities in prime con¬ 
dition at figures with which local butch¬ 
ers cannot compete at the present prices 
of Eastern beef cattle, and doubtless an¬ 
alogous improvements will soon sugeeBt 
themselves to Australian and New Zea¬ 
land shippers for Europe, and place their 
trade on a profitable basis, thus giving us 
formidable rivals in our trans-Atlantic 
meat markets. 
- * ♦ » 
THE POTATO CROP. 
One year ago there was a very different 
feeling concerning this important crop 
from that which exists this year. Then 
there was not enough for home consump¬ 
tion, and foreign countries sent ship-load 
after ship load to our ports, in all about 
5,000,000 bushels. Now, from present 
appearances, we may be able to “return 
the compliment ” since our crop is an 
abundant one, while that in the south of 
Ireland and Scotland and in parts of the 
Continent is reported to be short. 
The potato trade in this city is growing 
in importance every year, and instead of 
being supplied fiom adjoining States as 
some might think, tubers are shipped 
hither from points almost all over the 
West where in some instances they have 
been bought for 25 cents per bushel and 
placed in this murket at less cost than for 
State stock. As yet. but few potatoes 
have reached here from the East, but at 
the depots of the N Y. C. & H. R. Road 
only, from 25 to 50 car-loads now daily 
arrive, while at the Erie depot in Jersey 
city, which is convenient to Washington 
Market, other sections of the country 
pour 3d their vust supplies. At present 
potatoes are wholesaling at from $2 to 
$2.50 per barrel of 180 pounds, but they 
will probably be cheaper soon. 
In a recent conversation with a dealer 
in Washington Market we inquired as to 
what variety is now selling beet. “The 
Early Rose, by all means,” said he; “there 
is a lot in barrels just arrived from 
Michigan and you can see they arc of 
good size, quality, and condition.” 
“What other principal kinds are now 
arriving? 
“Burbank’s Seedling Peeiless, Snow¬ 
flake and Pride-of-the-Valley.” “Why 
is the Rose preferred by your customers,” 
we asked, 
“Well,” said he, “it is a smooth pota¬ 
to, the eyes are not deep-set, and the 
quality is first-rate. But then, customers 
have their private opinions about pota¬ 
toes, and what suits one might not an¬ 
other. But among early po f atoes we 
find the Early Rose is most generally 
called for.” “Has color anything to do 
with the sale of potatoes?” 
“No; but very little. People are not 
so mindful of what the color is as of 
what’s within the skin—the quality. 
Deep-eyed potatoes are not desired, and 
for that reason the old Peachblow had 
to go.” 
“How about the potato-rot this year; is 
it prevailing in any section?” 
“Not so far as known. Our receipts 
have been very free from rot, though 
sometimesthey bear small swellings which 
seem to be caused by an insect.” 
“We understand that the manner of 
doing business here has changed some¬ 
what; that the New York dealers send 
men into the country to buy up lots.” 
“That is true. So they do with ap¬ 
ples. Farmers seem to prefer to sell to 
agents, providing they can be assured of 
their responsibility, aid thus the busi¬ 
ness of commission dealing is on the de¬ 
cline as regards potatoes and apples.” 
As far as wo can learn the yield this 
year is heavy with, perhaps, the excep¬ 
tion of the up-river country. Maine has 
a good crop of fine quality, and when 
the Eastern potatoes (which are later 
iu ripening) arrive the market will be 
over-run and prices will be affected ac¬ 
cordingly. Our shipments will be cut off 
by those from the West; we shall send 
some to Oubv and S uth America, but if 
we have a quantity for export, the outlet 
must be mainly across the sea. 
-»♦ » 
BREVITIES. 
True tallest of our tomato vines trained to 
the barn is now fullv 13 feet high. The top 
is in bloom and beneath are many large, green 
tomatoes and still lower several ripe and 
ripening. A single tomato stem 13 feet 
high is a novelty: the stem near the top 
measures as much in circumference as at 
the surface of the ground. 
Thb high prices for cattle have drawn an 
unusually large number of beasts from the 
Western and Texas ranges to our markets of 
late. During September the receipts of cat¬ 
tle from thi-ve sources at Chicago aggregated 
111,400 head, against 79,100 in September, 
1SS1—an increase of 32,300 head. For the en¬ 
tire season the receipts to Sept 30 amounted 
to 300,700 head; the increase in receipts from 
the Texas ranges being Tar heavier than in 
tho*n from Wyoming, Colorado, the Indian 
Territory and the other Western ranges. 
These heavy receipts are doubtless giving an 
impetus to the new enterprise w hich is filling 
Eastern markets with Chicago dressed meat. 
A tklkgram from St. Louis announces that 
the late great fair held there— an account of 
which is given by oil r special correspondent 
elsewhere in this i-sue—was the most success¬ 
ful fair ever held there, and the St. Louis fairs 
have always heeu noted for the superlative 
excellence of the display and the exceptionally 
large att endance at them The receipts for the 
present fair. w« are told, will reach 1105,000, 
against $77,000 last. % ear. Moreover, the fair 
was remarkable for the large sales of exhibited 
articles. Over $100,000 worth of live stock, 
$200,000 worth of agricultural implements, 
and nearly all the heavy machinery on ex¬ 
hibition arc reported to have been sold on the 
grounds, besides many other articles in the 
mechanical and other departments. Truly, 
they do things in a liberal way in the West! 
No frost yet at the Rural Grounds. Several 
kinds of grapes have ripened fully that never 
ripened before, notably Goethe (Rogers No. 1) 
and Highland (Ricketts). Now that we have 
had ttie opportunity of eating of this fruit, 
we are more than ever surprised that it should 
have been so praised by several journals and 
nurserymen. The bunches are quite large and 
showy. That is the most that can be said in 
its favor. It is very well known that the 
leaves of trees ripen, die and fall without frost 
wheu they have performed the allotted sea¬ 
son's work. But ithout frost, the Autumn 
tints are n< *t so varied or so bright. Tomatoes 
arc still ripening In great numbers, though 
sour. Chestnuts are falling from the trees 
while yet the burs are green. Rye and wheat 
arc making a rank growth. The ground is 
moist—the springs are full. 
The "Crimes Act” lately passed by the 
English Parliament for the suppression of 
crime in Ireland causes a good deal of hardship 
to shepherd* and herdsmen in that distracted 
country. Except in very severe weather it is 
customary to leave cattle and sheep out-of- 
doors at night, where they are occasionally 
visited during the darkness. The terms of the 
law, however render it imperative that all 
loyal civilian subjects of the Queen shall re¬ 
main in their houses at night. To obey the 
Law the shepherds must leave their flocks to 
the mercy of prowling dogs and thieves, and 
the herdsmen must expose their cattle to the 
malicious attacks of the ‘•moonlighters.” If 
the custodians of the animals creep out "after 
dark,” they ruu the risk of being ruthlessly 
“run iu” by the suspicions “peelers.” A large 
meeting of them iu Roscommon lately offered 
$200 for the betrayal of any perpetrator of 
agrarian outrage, bold in the conscious¬ 
ness that the government for much larger re¬ 
wards has seldom obtained the aid of inform¬ 
ers. They then “resolved” that they would 
no longer hold themselves responsible for mis¬ 
haps to their herds and flocks between sunset 
and sunrise, and finally, with characteristic. 
Celtic drollery, after having “resolved” 
themselves free from much of their re¬ 
sponsibility and work, they threatened a 
“ strike ” if a substantial increase in their 
wages was not made at once. 
