344 
THE RURAL 
MAY 20 
T II RJ 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
>■ National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN, 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 1'„rk Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 20. 1882. 
It is with sorrow we announce the 
death of Mr. R_ A. Nichols, foreman 
of the Rural’s Composing Rooms. He 
died last Thursday of pneumonia, at 
the age of 52. He had been connected 
with this paper ever since 1850, the 
first year of its publication. Always 
at his post whenever duty required, 
his amiability and devotedness won 
for him the respect and affection of 
associates and employers. His interest 
in the success of the Rural could not 
have been greater were he the owner. 
All connected with this paper regret his 
loss as that of a dear personal friend. 
The story of Stony Brook Farm, by 
Henry Stewart, w 7 ill be begun next week 
in the Woman’s Department. 
-♦ ♦- 
A desire to please our readers in so 
far as we are able to do so, induced the 
change in the color of the Rural paper. 
If they do not like it, they must tell us so. 
—--*--*-♦■- 
We have repeatedly explained to our 
readers how they may ascertain when 
their subscriptions expire. It would be 
well if every reader would examine the 
number after his address and see that no 
mistake has been made in entering the 
name upon our subscription books or 
printed lists. We desire to correct all 
such mistakes, aud if our subscribers do 
not get every paper they are entitled to, 
it is because they w ill not be at the pains 
of notifying us of any irregularities. 
— -- ♦♦♦-. 
What to do with Old Leather.— 
Leather is valuable only for its nitrogen. 
It Contains no other fertilizing material. 
As it is almost impossible to decompose 
it in the soil, its value as a fertilizer is 
practically nothing, unless we can make its 
nitrogen available. The reason why it is 
so, is that the tannic acid combines chemi¬ 
cally with the gelatine in the tanning pro¬ 
cess, forming auinsoluble substance which 
cements the fibrous tissue of the hide to¬ 
gether, and so makes the leather. When 
leather scraps are roasted and ground and 
the powder is added to a fertilizer, this 
shows, under chemical analysis, a certain 
proportion of nitrogen; but this nitrogen 
w-ill not show itself anywhere else but in 
the analysis, where, unfortunately, it does 
very little good. But yet leather should 
not be altogether cast, aside as useless, 
because if treated with lime and made 
into a compost with some hot stable ma¬ 
nure and soil, it can be reduced to decom¬ 
position. Lime, heat and moisture will 
do the work, and leather scraps and clip¬ 
pings may thus be made of some use. 
---- 
A CURIOUS USE EOR straw is the 
manufacture of car wheels. The straw is 
first made into common straw board ; 
these are cut into round pieces perforated 
at the center and 20, 33 and 42 inches in 
diameter, for use in wheels of these vari¬ 
ous sizes, then pasted together and pressed 
repeatedly in a powerful hydraulic press 
under a force of 3,000 lbs. to the inch. 
The block is then fitted into a steel tire 
bound with plates and bolts, and finally 
makes a wheel which sells readily at $80, 
while an iron wheel costs but $15. But 
the paper takes up all the vibration from 
the rail, which is so injurious to the tire 
and axles when iron wheels are used, caus¬ 
ing breakage and costly accidents. These 
paper wheels never break, while the iron 
wheels break very often. An iron wheel 
will run 100,000 miles, but a paper wheel 
400,000 or 500,000 before the tire is worn 
out, and then the tire can be replaced at 
small cost. Other important uses are 
being found for straw, and in course of 
time it may become too valuable for feed¬ 
ing, and will be more profitable for sale 
than the grain which it bears. Near the 
large cities and straw-board mills rye straw 
is worth a sum equivalent to about $30 an 
acre; this is equal to the price of a larger 
yield than an average crop of grain. 
We have never said or meant to say 
that corn planted in hills would not, in 
heavy winds, stand as well as corn planted 
in drills. This, however, is not due, we 
contend, to the fulling up. Two or three 
corn plants in one hill should better en¬ 
dure a gale than thesingle plants of drills, 
for the reason that the roots of the former 
are interlaced and matted together. But 
this effect is weakened, as we have re¬ 
peatedly pointed out, by the fact that the 
soil to make the hills is taken from above 
the lateral roots where, as a Buppoit, it is 
- more needed than it. is immediately about 
i stems. If the cultivation in both 
cases were jfat , we believe the several 
plants in a check would stand against 
wind better than the single plants grow¬ 
ing a loot apart. We condemn hilling 
up because it takes soil from where it is 
most needed to place it where it is least 
needed. F’or nearly the same reason we 
condemn putting fertilizers ‘‘in the hill,” 
because it deprives the plant of food when 
it stauds most in need of it. We do wish 
farmers would give more heed to this hill 
fertiliziug matter. They cau not afford 
to use half a ton of forty-dollar phosphate 
or corn concentrated fertilizer, just to 
‘‘ start ” the plant. If land is too poor to 
give corn a fair start, it is too poor to 
raise a good crop. 
- 4 -*-*- 
THE SOURCES OF MALARIA. 
[ The disagreeable frequency of malarial 
diseases gives a great interest to any new 
discoveries by which the sources ol this 
type of blood poisoning may be detected. 
A danger is more than half averted and 
disarmed when we know and cau set a 
watch upon its cause or source. Many 
efforts have been made to detect the actual 
organisms which, from analogy, w t c have 
been sure have been the producing agents 
in this class of disorders. A Mons. M. 
A. Laverau has at last detected their pres¬ 
ence in the blood of malarial patients, 
and has determined their form and char¬ 
acter. They are motionless, cylindrical, 
curved, transparent bodies, having in some 
cases spherical forms provided with line 
filaments rapidly moving, in a manner 
similar to the common rotifers that are 
seen in stagnant or polluted water. In 
the examination of the blood of 192 pa¬ 
tients suffering from malaria, M. Laverau 
found these organisms in 180 of them, 
but found them in no case in the blood of 
other persons. These parasitic bodies 
were only found just before and during 
the first fever stage of the disease and 
were rapidly destroyed or quickly disap¬ 
peared under a quinine treatment. They 
were destroyed in and disappeared from 
blood that was treated with a minute quan¬ 
tity of solution of suiphate of quinine. 
It was believed that the absence of the 
germs in the 12 cases of exemption which 
occurred in the 192, was due to a course 
of quinine which the patients had under¬ 
gone. Other investigations have shown 
that the blood is not affected by these 
organisms excepting under certain condi 
tions by which its healthful condition is 
impaired, and that some cases of exemp¬ 
tion occur in districts where the infection 
by these germs is general otherwise. The 
frequency of these diseases aud the dis¬ 
comfort produced by them render any new 
knowledge of their character of great 
popular interest. Their organic source 
lias long been suspected aud believed by 
students of medical science, and its de¬ 
termination may leasonably be expected, 
in course of time, to lead to effective pre¬ 
ventives. The cure and a preventive, when 
used in good time, are indicated by Mr. 
Laverau’s investigations as well as by the 
successful practice of years; but w r hat is 
chiefly wanted, is a method of destroying 
the germs at their original sources. 
-- 
GREAT SALE OF DEVON CATTLE IN 
ENGLAND. 
About a dozen years ago, such exclu¬ 
sive attention began to be devoted to 
Short-horns, and they sold for such ex¬ 
orbitant, prices for some seven years or 
more thereafter, that the beautiful and 
highly useful Devons, previously such 
great favorites in England, became par¬ 
tially neglected, and at public sales went at 
uncommonly low prices. Butin America, 
fortunately, this was not the case, and the 
constant demand for Devons, and the fair 
prices at which they continue to be sold, 
seem at last to have reacted, with proba- ; 
bly some other causes, in England, and i 
the sale on the 20th of April past, of Mr. i 
Walter Farthing, drew a large crowd, not 1 
only in Devonshire but from the neighbor- i 
ing counties of Cornwall, Dorset, Somer- i 
set, Hants and Wilts. 1 
Eighty-six head were offered, and all s 
were rapidly sold, realizing £3,4(53 6a. (a a 
little over $16,600). The average was £ 
£35 12a. ($171) ; but throwing out the j 
calves, as is usual in averaging Short-horn 
sales, it would be £40 ($192) per head. 
This is more than several of the l«te sales 
of Herefords and Short-horns have made 
' ^ England, and showsthe increased atten¬ 
tion that is now reviving there for Devon 
cattle. One bull, Lord Newshan 2nd, 
fetched the high sum of 175 guineas ($875), 
t C0W ’ Lad y CurrypooJ, 125 guineas 
($625). These are extraordinary prices, 
and Devons when in largest and most 
active demand in former years, rarely, if 
•ever, realized such high figures. Several 
of the animals in this sale were purchased 
for American account, and we shall most 
heartily welcome their importation, and 
congratulate our countrymen on the pos¬ 
session of these fine high-bred animals. 
Except the Red Polled Norfolk cattle 
(which are hornless Devons), no breed of 
cat tie can be so profitably bred in a hilly or 
mountainous country as the Devons can. 
1 hey are nearly as active as horses, very 
hardy, and thrive well on short pastures and 
the roughest lands. They mature early—at 
three to four years old—make the best of 
workingoxen and the finest quality of beef. 
Certain families give as neb milk as the 
Jersey cow, making an equally 7 luscious 
quality of butter; while others yield as 
large a mess of milk as the Ayrshire, and 
this makes just as fine cheese. The bright 
rich nd color of the Devon is greatly ad 
mired, and none excel it in beauty of form, 
cleanness of limb, or grace and agility of 
movement. We are rejoiced to hear that 
the breed is increasing among us more 
rapidly than heretofore, and is selling at 
enhanced pi ices, particularly in the West¬ 
ern States and Territories. 
OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. 
On Wednesday last, May 10, the Na¬ 
tional House ol Represent a tives passed 
the bill introduced last January by the 
House Committee on Agriculture, elevat 
mg the Department of Agriculture to the 
lank of an executive department and en¬ 
larging its powers. The measure was 
passed practically by a unanimous vote, 
as it was opposed only by a paltry hand¬ 
ful of paltry men. The “roll of honor” 
of its supporters is too long for insertion 
here, but the “ blacklist”of its opponents 
contains only these seven obscure names: 
T. H. Herndon and H. A. Herbert, Demo¬ 
crats, of Alabama; John Hardy, A. M. 
Scales and II, F. Armfield, Democrats, of 
New York; John II. Evins, Democrat, of 
South Carolina; and Peter Y. Deuster, 
Democrat, of Wisconsin. In spite of the 
insignificance of these men, agriculturists 
in their respective districts should try to 
remember their names at next election. 
As originally introduced from the Com¬ 
mittee and supported by Commissioner 
Loring the bill provided that, in addition 
to the present functions of the Agricultural 
Depurtment, the new Department should 
have tacked on to it a Bureau of Geologi¬ 
cal Survey, a Bureau of Transportation, 
a Bureau of Manufactures, a Bureau of 
Education and Labor, and a Bureau of 
Mining. Although the Rural New- 
Yorker has, for years, been an earnest 
advocate of the elevation of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture to the dignity of an 
executive department, yet in the interest 
of agriculture we deemed it our duty 
strenuously to oppose this extravagant 
t nlargement of its functions, on the ground 
that “the possibilities of its usefulness to 
the farming community would be greatly 
weakmed by extending its functions to 
matters only remotely connected with agri¬ 
culture.” Our opposition was ttrongly 
expressed in the Rurals of January 14 and 
28, as well as leis in detail in other issues; 
and the justice and force of our objections 
me shown by the fact that the bill has 
been amended so as to get rid ol the 
objectionable extensions. The amended 
bill provides only for three Bureaus: Of 
Agricultural Products, of Animal Indus¬ 
try, of Lands aud Statistics. 
The subdivisions of each of these ex¬ 
ist in more m less definite form in the Ag¬ 
ricultural Department of to-day. The 
Bureau of Agricultural Products is to in¬ 
clude botany, chemistry aud entomology, 
already forming the moat important part 
of the Department. The Bureau of Ani¬ 
mal Industry is to be in charge of a vet¬ 
erinary surgeon and it will embrace in¬ 
vestigations aud reports concerning the 
numbers, condition and value of our do- 1 
mestic animals, and provide for their pro¬ 
tection from disease, besides collecting ] 
and disseminating information relative l 
to breeding, importation aud improve- < 
ment of stock. The Bureau of Lands and j 
Statistics is to investigate and report on t 
the resources and capabilities of lands t 
suitable for tillage and stock-raising; > 
while a sub-division of it will collect labor c 
and agricultural statistics and crop re- \ 
ports, and another sub-division of it will o 
collect and circulate information and 
statistics relating to forestry, the demand 
and supply of timber and the preservation 
of our forests being its special care. It 
will be seen that every one of these func¬ 
tions is directly connected with the agri¬ 
cultural interests of the country, so 
that the farming community has reason 
to rejoice at the elimination of all the 
objectionable features that marred the 
bill when first, introduced. An outspoken, 
vigorous expression of their opinions, 
especially in matters intimately connected 
with their own business, should always 
secure from State and National Legisla¬ 
tures proper compliance with the reason¬ 
able wishes of the agriculturists of the 
country. 
With so overwhelming a majority in its 
f..vor in the popular branch of Congress, 
the bill will doubtless pass the Senate and 
receive the President’s signature. If so, 
a Secretary of Agriculture will toon be 
added to the Cabinet, and the work origi¬ 
nally begun by Gen. Le Due will be 
crowned with success under his more 
popular successor. Instead of a Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture reporting to Con¬ 
gress, we shall shortly have a Secretary of 
Agriculture reporting to the President, 
Will there be any other marked difference? 
1 ime will show—there certainly should. 
The bill provides that both the Secretary 
and the Assistant Secretary of the new 
Department shall be practical agricultur¬ 
ists, and with increased powers, resources, 
and dignity, the new Department should 
certainly be far more efficient than the old. 
---— 
BREVITIES. 
Mrs. Annie L. Jack says that to cook a 
potato rightly requires more skill than to play 
the Star Spangled Banner. See Domestic 
Economy. 
While now the cherry and pear trees are in 
bloom wo are having a cold, steady rain, 
hew have planted corn and they have no rea¬ 
son to regret it. 
The Rev. H. W. Beecher on subscribing for 
the Kukal at the office the other day, was 
asked if he raised grain at his farm. The in¬ 
quirer’s idea was to offer him some of the 
Rural wheats, lie replied that the most he 
raised on his farm was bills. 
Owing to the protracted cold weather with 
freezing nights, many of our fanners who 
planted potatoes and sweet corn early have 
found that the seed has rotted in the ground 
Those who run heavy risks must take the 
chances and pay the penalty when they lose. 
The very easiest method of protecting 
tomato, cabbage und such plants from being 
cut off by the cut-worm is to wrap about each 
stem, us one plants it, a piece of paper—it 
hardly matters what kind. A piece two 
inches square is large enough. Cur) this about 
the stem and hold it by pressing the soil about 
the lower edge. The work soon becomes easy 
aud may be rapidly done. It is not one of 
those preventive measures that cost more to 
execute than they are worth. We have 
called attention to this in past years. 
The Tariff Commission bill has passed both 
houses of Congress and received the approval 
of the President who has not us yet named any 
ot the Commissioners. Again we urge that 
both on account of justice and expediency at 
least four of the nine should represent the va¬ 
rious branches of agriculture. The farming 
press of the countr y seems strangely remiss 
in urging this point. Even the non-agricul- 
tura) papers ure more ulive to the impor¬ 
tance and propriety of such an apportionment. 
Mr. Nordhoff, t he able chief Washington repre¬ 
sentative of the New York Herald, speaks 
strongly on the matter, and other able writ¬ 
ers on the dally press express similar views. 
The Commission of the General Land Office, 
has just received a telegram from the special 
agent at Yankton, Dakota, to the effect that 
5,000 certificates received there, purporting to 
have been issued at New Orleans, are all 
fraudulent. Within the last fortnight we 
have seen three or four announcements that 
attempts are being made to obtain money on 
fraudulent laud certificates In other far West¬ 
ern towns. A telegram from Washington says 
that active efforts are being made by the 
Commissioner bo protect the public against 
this sort of imposition. Inasmuch as there 
appear to be several swindling organizations 
engaged in foisting such certificates on the 
public, our Western friends should be very 
careful as to the genuineness of any in which 
they may invest. 
Several months ago we announced an ad¬ 
verse decision given by the U. 8. Circuit 
Court for the Northern and Southern Districts 
of Illinois, against the Wilson Packing Com¬ 
pany of St. Louis, and in favor of the Chicago 
Packing and Provision Company. The former 
had brought a suit against, the latter for in¬ 
fringing several patents upon Improvements 
in processes for preserving aud canning cook¬ 
ed meats in sheet metal cases, granted to Wil¬ 
son aud Others and controlled by the Wilson 
Packing Company, The Circuit Court ruled 
that the patents were void, principally be¬ 
cause the alleged improvements covered by 
them were lacking in invention and nov¬ 
elty. Tbe defeated Company appealed to the 
United States Supreme Court—the Court of 
final arbitrament in patent cases—and among 
the batch of dccisious handed down by that 
body last Monday, was one which affirmed, 
with costs, the decision of the Circuit Court, 
on the grounds therein assigned. This is 
the end of a patent moupoly that was a 
grievous burden to the agricultural interests 
of the country, especially at the West. 
