770 
WOV 41 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBEHT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 r ek Row, New York. 
SATURDAY. NOV. 11, 1882. 
Prof. Shelton (Kansas Ag. Coll.) 
sends a stalk-of corn to the Mich. Ag. 
College 16 feet high, the ear roosting up 
10 feet from the bottom. 
-- 
The new professor of Horticulture of 
the Michigan Agricultural College is 
James S. Satterlee, M. S., of Greenville. 
He is now a member of the Executive 
Commiilee of the State Hort. Society, and 
is a farmer. He graduated at the Ag. 
College in 1869. Prof. Beal, who deems 
the self ction of Prof. 8. a good one, has 
long wanted botany alone, and lias tried 
for a division of his work for the past 
six years. 
-- 
Sweeny. —This very common term, 
used in reference to a wasting of the 
shoulder muscles of the horse, unfortu¬ 
nately gives no accurate meaning of the 
trouble. It is one of the most frequent 
of the common popular errors or delu¬ 
sions, ar d we have taken some pains to 
explain what it really is. We hope our 
readers who have ever had occasion to 
seek information in regard to this subject 
will study the remarks made in reference 
to it on another page, and by a careful 
exarination of the illustration satisfy 
themselves in regard to it. 
Before the Court of Inquiry into the 
loss of the arctic exploring steamer 
Jeannette, now in session at Washington, 
Lieutenant Darcnhower a short time 
ago stated that the canned goods supplied 
to that vessel were “generally bad,” 
Some of them were found unlit for food 
before the vessel left San Francisco; and 
the deficiency was made good by canned 
meats and vegetables put up on the Pacific 
Coast, the original goods having been sup¬ 
plied from Chicago. Goods specially put up 
for a vessel bound on such perilous service 
should have been of first-) ate quality, yet 
Danenliower reiterated the statement that 
they were ali alike unsatisfactory. Com¬ 
plaints are widespread of the quality of 
meats canned at Chicago and other points, 
and those disinterested people who are 
best acquainted with the business are 
loudest in their objections to the kind of 
meat put up in this w T ay. It would, there¬ 
fore, be a public benefit if the whole mat¬ 
ter were well ventilated either before the 
Committee or in some other way. Why 
do not our wide-awake and enterprising 
Chicago contemporaries investigate and 
ventilate the matter ? 
---— 
It is a general complaint among pro¬ 
duce dealers and speculators East and 
West that farmers are holding their crops, 
more than usual this year, for satisfactory 
prices. This fact is attributed to two 
causes: first, there seldom has been a 
year in ihe history of American agricul¬ 
ture when farmers were financially so 
well able to hold their crops for remun¬ 
erative prices; and, second, at no past 
time have farmers so well understood the 
chances for fluctuations in market prices. 
With the advance in education and intel¬ 
ligence on the farms, the owners realize 
that only a part of their business has been 
mastered when they can raise the heaviest 
crops at the least cost: the other part 
consists of a fair knowledge of the con¬ 
dition of crops in other portions of the 
productive world, and consequently of 
the probable range of prices for their 
products. It must not be forgotton, 
however, that temporary flurries in prices 
and sometimes long-continued periods of 
high or low rates are caused by the man¬ 
ipulations of wealthy speculators, entirely 
regardless of the real relations of supply 
and demand. Against such movements 
farmers are, of course, helpless, but then 
dealers and speculators outside of the 
“ring” are not in a much better plight. 
POLLED ANGUS BOOM IN SCOTLAND. 
There is no donbt that the favor ex¬ 
tended to the polled Scotch breeds of 
cattle in this country has greatly enhanced 
their price in their native land, but it must 
not be forgotten that they were highly es¬ 
teemed there before they were known at 
all here. At several late sales of Angus 
polls in Scotland unusually high prices 
have been obtained; but the highest aver¬ 
age figures ever made were those given, 
the other day, at the dispersion of the 
late Earl of J. irlie’s herd at Cortachy 
Castle, in Forfarshire, at which 57 head, 
including 20 calves, brought an average 
of £108. Us. 5d., or $527, apiece. The 
Ericas took the lead, four of them averag¬ 
ing $1,887, the cow Emerald of Airlie, 
four years old, bringing $2,541, the three 
others being a calf, a yearling heifer and 
an 11-year old cow. Sybil of Tilly four, 
that brought $558 at the dispersion of 
the Tillyfour herd two years ago, now 
brought $2,041, while a Pride heifer pur¬ 
chased as a calf at Tillyfour in 1880, 
now brought $1,837. The prices were un¬ 
precedented in the history of the “Black- 
skins,” showing an average of about $50 
higher than at. any previous sale. A11 the 
highest-priced beasts went into Scotch 
herds, for Scotch breeders, while rejoicing 
at the American “ boom” which gives 
them high prices for their exportable 
stock, would deem it a dark day for 
“bonnie Scotland,” if American gold 
should deprive her of the best of her 
polled cattle. 
SHEEP ON THE WESTERN PLAINS 
AND FARMS. 
The number of sheep in Colorado has 
laigely decreased during the past three 
years, and the same is likely to be true of 
Texas, Montaua, Dakota and other great 
grazing localities. When cattle are usurp¬ 
ing these vast pastures, sheep will retire. 
The two cannot live together. The 
weaker will always go to the wall, and 
the flock is very inferior in strength to 
the herd. The great grazing grounds are 
public property. They are a sort of no- 
man’s-land over which the strongest 
u-urps the domain. Although the shep¬ 
herd mayown a water-front on a river, he 
is easily driven out. of the rear ground 
which he does not own, but which is 
Government land, free to any one, by the 
stronger tattle men. And so we may 
look for a diminution of the number of 
sheep on the Plains as the herds of cattle 
increase in number. But this gives the 
farm shepherd an advantage. Pastoral 
life is at best, semi-civilized, and the pleas¬ 
ures and restraints of domestic life cannot 
exist on the Plains. They are product¬ 
ive only of wool, and that of a lower 
grade than that o: the farm flock; while 
the farm flock yields the must valuable 
wool, choice mutton uud the delicate 
Spring lamb. The farm flock is there¬ 
fore far more productive and profitable, 
and the gradual decrease in the wandering 
flocks of the Plains and the substitution 
of sheep farms, with the settled life of 
the farm, will be an advantage much to 
be desired. There are a vast number of 
openings for such sheep farm in the 
West, where land very suitable for the 
purpose can be purchased at a dollar per 
acre and upwards, and where the climate 
and other circumstances are the most 
desirable, so that the great drawback 
incident to sheep-herding in the West, 
which has kept many out. of the business, 
seems to be in course of removal. 
THE WINTER APIARY. 
Among beekeepers there is some differ¬ 
ence of opinion as to what is the best 
method of wintering bees, especially as 
between chaff hives and the cellar. On 
this point we glean a few interesting facts 
from a tabular statement reported at the 
recent Northwestern Bee-keepers’ Con¬ 
vention, held at Chicago. There were 50 
reports, representing 8,865 colonies last 
Fall. Of these 1,671, or about one-half, 
were wintered in the cellar, and 1,822 
colonies were kept in chaff hives, the 
lemainder having been divided up be¬ 
tween the bee-house, caves, and Summer 
stands. Of those wintered in the cellar 
(1,671) 80 colonies were lost, or about 
4.9 percent,, while of those wintered in 
chaff hives (1,322) 68 colonies were lost, 
or about 5.1 per cent. 
It will be seen from this statement that 
there was but little difference in the 
results between the two methods of win¬ 
tering, the advantage being in favor of 
cellar wintering, and as these colonies 
were to a large degree in professional 
hands, we may infer that as a rule it mat¬ 
ters but little which method is followed, 
though in severe Winters, with proper 
care, we believe cellar wintering to be the 
most satisfactory, and safest. 
To show that a knowledge of the busi¬ 
ness, and practical experience will sur¬ 
mount the difficulties which arise in 
wintering, to a very large extent, we have 
only to cite the reports made by promi¬ 
nent apiarists at the Bee-keepers’ Conven¬ 
tion. Out of 177 colonies Dr. C. C. 
Miller lost but two; otlt of 136 colonies 
O. O. Poppleton lost but two; James 
Heddon lost 25 out of 200. .t, Oat man <& 
Son, three out of 232; -1. R. Hood, four 
out of 147; Jas. Matvin, three out of 2i0; 
D. S. Webster, two out of 117; H t). 
Burrell four out of 104. The report gives 
as the amount of comb honey gathered 
from 3.140 colonies which entered the 
season, 169,010 pounds, or an average of 
53.8 pounds per colony, and the amount 
of extracted honey 107,900 pounds, an 
average of 31.1 pounds per colony. 
-- 
TO TEACH A HORSE HOW TO BACH 
AND TO LEAD. 
Takf. him to the top of a rather steep 
piece of ground, stand his hind feet down 
the slope, throw the bridle reins oVer the 
neck, place yourself in front, and take 
hold of them on each side of the head 
close up to the bit-. Now press the hit 
against the sides of the mouth, abd speak 
gently—“back, back”-=-and the horse 
will soon learn to do this. Next, take 
him on to the top of ground not quite so 
steep, and pursue the same course. When 
the horse has learned to back readily 
down hill he can be taken on to leVel 
ground to do it. As soon aB this lesson 
is well taught, harness him to a light, 
empty wneou, and go through the same 
course When completed, jump into the 
wagon, take the reins in hand, pull on 
them, at the same time speakiug to him, 
“back, back,” and thus keep up the dis¬ 
cipline till the animal is perfected in it 
If he has a mate, after both are Well in¬ 
structed, they can be harnessed together 
and drilled till perfect- in backing. 
Three ihings, as above stated, must be 
strictly observed : First, to place the horse 
with his hack down descending ground; 
second, when hameised, |pt it be to a light, 
empty wagon, which requires the least 
possible effort to back it; third, he per¬ 
fectly kind to the horse, speak gently, 
pat it on the neck, stroke down its face 
with the hand, and on no account strike 
it. As soon as the horse understands 
what is wanted of him, he will do it with 
alacrity. It is not from ill temper or stub- 
borness that a horse does not back at once 
when spoken to, it is from sheer igno¬ 
rance—he does not know what is wanted, 
or how to do it till gentlv taught. 
A second method is to harness the horse 
alongside of another well bioken to back, 
and set the hind end of the wagon on a 
sloping piece of ground, and follow the 
directions above, or jump into the wagon 
and take the reins in hand; but it is bet¬ 
ter to discipline alone at first, as above. 
To teach a horse to lead, let a man or 
boy take the end of the bridle in hand 
and gently pull on it, while another holds 
out a dish with grain or me it in it. The 
horse will then advance to it. Now let 
him nibble a small quantity, then move 
with the dish a little further in front, and 
so keep on till he is taught to lead well. 
He can also be taught by putting him 
alongside of another horse which leads 
easily. He ought to be rather hungry 
when thus drilled, so lie will come up 
eagerly to the dish of grain. 
GERMANY’S COMTKMPLATBD WAR 
ON THE AMERICAN HOG. 
A CABLEGRAM on Friday last announced 
that the German Bunderstrath had under 
consideration the draft of an ordinance 
to prohibit the importation of American 
swine, pork and sausage, on the plea “of 
the frequent existence therein of trichin¬ 
osis and other lurking perils to men and 
animals.” Like the. anti-American-hog 
ordinance of Franeeani the restrictions on 
importations of American cattle into the 
United Kingdom, this proposed German 
measure is merely a moae of “protecting” 
native agriculturists, in disguise. Under 
the plea of being sanitary necessities they 
are all “protective” enactments. There is 
no real cause for the contemplated action 
of the German Government, as there is no 
complaint anywhere of any special out¬ 
break of trichinosis or other porcine ail¬ 
ment. Tin possible injury to our trade 
in hogs and hog products by such legis¬ 
lation may be inferred from the fact that 
in the year ending June 30, 1881, Ger¬ 
many imported from us 1,834 live hogs, 
valued at $28,425; 89,879,444 pounds of 
bacon, valued at $2,982,852; 1,670,326 
pounds of ham?, valued at $172,655, and 
1,455,646 pounds of pork, valued at 
$108,218, or a total value of $3,292,150 
of hog products. 
As during the same year we exported 
77,456 hogs, valued at $572,138; 673,- 
274,361 pounds of bacon valued at $53,- 
616,981; 73,670,184 pounds of ham, val¬ 
ued at $7,544,224, and 107,928,086 pounds 
of porlc, valued at $8,272,285, or a total 
Valuation of $70,005,628, to say nothing 
of $36,226,575 worth of lard, the propor¬ 
tion taken by Germany was not very large, 
and owing to the imposition of a progres¬ 
sive tax on hog products there ahd the 
very high prices of hogs here, obr exports 
of this kind to Germany have greatly 
fatlph off during the past year. It i9as an¬ 
other indication of the design of Euro¬ 
pean governments to “protect” their ag¬ 
riculturists fron American competition, 
that the project is mainly significant. 
Were it not for the known shortage in 
our hog crop at present, the abundant 
harvests throughout, the Country this year 
would, likely enough, make hogs cheap 
enough another year to render the con¬ 
templated shutting np of our German 
markd a misfortune; hut even with abun¬ 
dant harvests, it seems probable that for 
the next couple of years at least hogs and 
hog products will he too high-priced to 
permit the Closing of so unimportant an 
outlet appreciably to depress prices, 
-*-»-*.- 
BREVITIES. 
“ T woutbk’T be surprised if cranberries 
bring #5 a crate before Christmas,”said on old 
Washington Market, fruit, dealer to US the other 
dav “The market now ranges from $3.25 to 
$3 50 per crate, according to quality and color, 
and wild berries bring $2 to $3. The crop has 
suffered severely in some districts. Why, the 
entire crop of New Jersey is estimated at 
about 80,000 bushel* against 157,014 bushels 
last year. Like hops, cranberries, Sir, are ilp 
and going higher.” 
Owing to the death of a number of Texas 
and Cberokpe cattle in transit on the Erie Rail¬ 
road from Buffalo to this city on Tuesday and 
Wednesday last the report got abroad that 
Texas fever was likely to be spread along the 
route and especially at. Deposit, where most 
of the carcai-ses were disposed of. The State 
veterinarians, however, declare the report a 
canard, ami indeed at this season of the year, 
with the sharp frosts so widespread during 
the last few nights, there would be little 
danger from this disease even from the pres- 
enceof affectedauimals. 
Commissioner Loring proposes to hold an¬ 
other agricultural Congress or Convention at 
Washington, about January 20. The discus¬ 
sions at one meeting w ill be devoted exclu¬ 
sively to live Stock; those at another, to cot¬ 
ton ; and those at a third, to the work of ag-, 
ricultiirai colleges. Representative agricul¬ 
turists from all parts of the country are ex¬ 
pected to be present. No doubt considerable 
good to any industry may be effected through 
meetings of its foremost representatives; and 
then these bee)) the Department aud the rep¬ 
resentatives in the public eye. 
Before the East Indian Famine Commis¬ 
sion, Sir Richard Temple, who has had a loDg 
and wide experience with the agriculture of 
India, states that the yield of crops in that 
country is believed bv the natives to be grad 
ually diminishing. Of two facts he is certain 
—that the soil of India does not produce as 
much as the soil of Europe, and. moreover, 
that the virgin soil broken for the first time 
yields much more than it ever does afterward. 
There is nothing very novel in tin's; but those 
who prate about the evils in store for Ameri¬ 
can agriculture owing to exhaustion of the 
soil, should remember that American farmers 
are in this respect not a whit worse off than 
farmers in all other cultivated countries. 
Lawyer Emory Storrs, of Chicago, who 
has been in Europe three months, during 
which time he has been bind enough to look 
into the reasons for transatlantic restrictions 
on importations of American meats, strongly 
objects to all talk bare about plyuro pneumo¬ 
nia aud other contagious diseases among our 
stock, on the ground that such talk injures our 
trade abroad. Truly this Is the argument of 
a vp ciil pleader, with whom supprensio reri — 
suppression of the truth—ia permissible; butit 
is hardly that of so vast and honest a body 
as the agricultural cuTnmunity of America. 
Moreover, our loss from the restrictions on 
our foreign trade is a mere trifle in compari¬ 
son with what our loss would soon be if these 
diseases were permitted to spread in silence. 
A CYCLONE of almost unpurulled severity 
destroyed a large part of the tobacco crop in 
the celebrated Vuelta Atiajo district In Cuba 
the other day, and, a little later, a terrible 
typhev u wrought a like destruction to much 
of t-e tobacco crop of Manda, while another 
did an immense amount of d image to the crops 
in nil the Japanese Islands All of them 
caused much destruction of human life, also; 
but it is loss of crops, not of lives, we chronicle 
here. There have ueen di-astrous earth-quakes 
•in South America: nod Ve>uvins near Naples, 
and Kilftuea. in tha Sandwich Islands, are re¬ 
ported to have just begun t.n unusual display 
of volcanic energy, lsthisexhibiton of nature’s 
forces, which is likely to render 1882 memor¬ 
able, due to t.he comet, or to what else is to 
attributable ? 
Whatever the prospects it is hardly safe 
to prophesy in advance; prophecies after the 
event ure much safer, as every Farmer knows 
wit h regard to this crops. After all, it seems 
that t*ie immigration this year may not ex 
ceed that of last year. According to the 
Bureau of Statistics the total number of im¬ 
migrants received in the United Stntis dur¬ 
ing three months ended September 80 was 
156,021, against 111,805in like portion ef 1881, 
the loss during the third quarter of the cur¬ 
rent year being 18,784. The falling off in 
September alone will account for a good share 
of the decrease noted. In September, 1881, 
the in niigi ation was 68,454, and the same 
month of 1882 the total was 49,935, or 8,519 
less. Germany, England aud Wales, Canada, 
Ireland and Sweden continue to send the. 
largest number, and in the order named. 
