JAN.47 
T 
E 
MEW-VOBKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
CONDUCTED 11Y 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
7 8 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 1880. 
SHORTLY TO APPEAR. 
Notes from Dr. John A. Warder, T. T. 
Lyon, Ellwanger <fc Barry, P. J. Bcrckmane 
and others respecting the true Paradise Apple 
as a dwarfing stock, with illustrations. 
On The Kinvek and an entirely new French 
Yellow Globe Mangel n6 sweet as a sugar beet 
and as productive as other mangels—illus¬ 
trated. 
Leguminous Plants —grasses and valuable 
fodder plants, by Professor W. J. Beal—illus¬ 
trated. 
Important Addition to the Rural’s Seed 
Distribution. 
Special Articles from Professor S. W. 
Jobusou, Professor F. H. Storer, Professor G. 
C. Caldwell, Dr. A. R. Ledoux. 
A Series of short articles upon the cultiva¬ 
tion of our choicest vegetables—illustrated. 
Dairy Specialties by Henry Stewart, L. 
S, HardiD, Professor L B. Arnold. 
Fruit Notes by Pres. T. T. Lyon, Dr. T. H. 
Hoskius, Sec. Garfield and others. 
Poultry Notes by Forrest K. Moreland. 
Henry Hales and others. 
Life Engravings of the Chinese Yam (Dios- 
coreu batatas) “ Cinnamon” vine ; the Tulip 
tree and fruit &c., Ac., Ac- 
Small Fruit Notes will be presented Inter 
by the well-knowu writers whose conti ibulions 
have made this journal of such value iu this 
important department of Horticulture. 
TO NEW SUBSCRIBERS. 
We find that many of our uew subscribers 
have not seen our Free Plant and Seed Distri¬ 
bution supplement and consequently know 
nothing as to its terms. We will therefore send 
this supplement free to all who apply until 
further notice. 
■-- 
As originally announced in our Fair No. of 
Sept. 6, the Plant aud Seed Distribution will be 
completed before March 1st. This for the 
benefit of our new subscribers. 
The perfect stranger who, “for a con¬ 
sideration” offers you a splendid chance 
or certainty of large profits or a glorious 
bargaiu, is exceedingly likely to be a 
very imperfect man. 
While Europe is starving iu spots aud 
pinched for food nearly everywhere, our 
granaries are overcrowded and where to 
store our surplus cereals is getting to be 
a puzzling question in our collecting 
centers. 
We present the reports of those who 
are entitled to our Corn Premiums with¬ 
out comment. It happens that all of the 
prize-takers are unknown to us either 
personally or by reputation. Our main 
object in offering the premiums was 
(first) to introduce what we believed to be 
a very valuable variety of corn, and 
(second) to stimulate investigation us to 
the best methods of corn cultivation. 
Our readers may best judge by the re¬ 
ports themselves of the extent to which 
our object has been gained. 
and that the life of the plantlet in the 
act of germination is wholly dependent 
thereon. If the first leaves in albumin¬ 
ous seeds absorb nutritious substances, 
why may not the subsequent leaves have 
the same power ? 
The roots of plants feed on certain 
soluble elements of the soil, upon which 
their vigorous growth in a great measure 
depends. Can these elements be fed to 
the leaves so ae to aid the plant in its 
growth ? Have so-called “ carnivorous ” 
plants any power of absorbing and as¬ 
similating the decomposing bodies of the 
insects which they entrap, as Mr. Darwin 
believes? Beceut experiments throw a 
doubt upon thiB theory, being one up¬ 
held merely by ingenious though invalid 
evidence. There can be no doubt, how¬ 
ever, that the so-called albumen of seeds, 
rendered soft and soluble by chemical 
action, is absorbed by the seed leaves 
(the cotyledons or leaves of the embryo), 
Truly the way of the transgressor is 
hard. Benjamin C. Bogert, late treasurer 
of the Produce Exchange of this city, 
misappropriated about £35,000 of the 
funds confided to his charge, and when 
the inevitable discovery of the defalcation 
came the other day, the wretched man, 
ashamed to face his old-time friends, 
rushed unbidden into the presence of his 
Maker. In the full vigor of life, a re¬ 
spected member of Mb church, beloved 
by wife and family, honored by the com¬ 
munity, implicitly trusted by Ms busi¬ 
ness associates, with a crowd of friends 
each ready to hel|i him in any known 
difficulty, so spotless in record that 
even in a political oanvass his personal 
character remained unassailed, with an 
apparently blameless life behind him and 
before him an honorable and prosperous 
career—and yet to turn out a criminal 
and a suicide! 
In several parts of the country, notably 
in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, 
Chicago and this city, the farmers who 
supply these cities with milk are justly 
dissatisfied with the prices generally ob¬ 
tained for it. The railroad companies 
and retail milk dealers divide nearly all 
the profits between them, leaving the 
producers but a mere pittance for their 
labor and tlieir capital. Special attention 
is directed to this hardship just now 
owing to the good prices obtainable for 
other dairy products, aud the wits of the 
farmers are at work to devise some means 
whereby a juster proportion of the profits 
of the trade shall find its way into their 
pockets. Here, as elsewhere, a combina¬ 
tion of the aggrieved seems the best 
remedy for their trouble. An organi¬ 
zation of some sort is the only way of 
making this combination effective, and it 
is to be Loped that the rules being now 
devised by a committee of the farmers of 
three neighboring counties, will be so 
wisely framed as to serve ae a precedent 
for farmers similarly situated elsewhere. 
-- 
At no time, within the last decade at 
least, have there been in vogue so many 
forms of swindling as at the present day, 
especially in rural districts. Among the 
many causes that have contributed to 
this epidemic of rascality, doubtless not 
the least is the return of prosperity to 
country places. To the sharper a man 
w'ith money is always game, lie he city- 
mau or countryman, but especially if he 
happens to be the latter. The sight, m 
the papers, of frequent exposures of all 
forms of roguery together with other 
causes, makes the city man a skeptic with 
regard to offers of friendship or fortune 
from mere strangers ; but experience has 
shown that the countryman is more trust¬ 
ful and confiding, whether visited at his 
own home by plausible tricksters, allur¬ 
ing circulars and advertisements, or ap¬ 
proached during Ms occasional visits to 
the city by sweetrspoken swindlers always 
on the outlook for just such prey. Else¬ 
where in this issue we call attention to 
several schemes cunningly devised for 
fraudulently transferring money from the 
pockets of credulous dupes to* those of 
wily sharpers. These are mere speci¬ 
mens of certain forms of detected dis¬ 
honesty , but there is nothing so Protean 
as rice of this kind—nothing that assumes 
so many forms and disguises. These 
very rascals will doubtless ere long be 
appealing to their gulled dupes and to 
others, under other names iu other 
swindles with headquarters in other 
places. In view of the unusual activ¬ 
ity of these pests of society at present, 
farmers and others cannot be too careful 
in investigating all investments in which 
they may feel disposed to put their hard- 
earned money—aud it would be a safe 
aud profitable rule never to invest a dol¬ 
lar in any business or device puffed up 
by circulars or specious advertisements 
by irresponsible parties. 
“I)o you know Mr. Smith of Now 
York Slate?” said the innocent cockney 
to the American visitor in Loudon. We 
are sometimes reminded of the simplicity 
displayed in this query on reading over 
the questions sometiimes asked us about 
various forms of swindles appealing to 
our readers for support. “ What is the 
standing of Mr. Brown, of Chicago?” 
“ Is Mr. Smith of Cincinnati, reliable ?” 
“Will the device advertised by the circu¬ 
lars of Mr. Jones, of your city, do all 
that is claimed for it ?” Such are speci¬ 
men questions sent to us. Our friends 
should know that swindling takes a 
thousand shapes; that sometimes the 
same rascal may be hidden under all three 
of the above names at the above places 
at the same time, and all the while be 
known to his acquaintances under a dif¬ 
ferent name. Usually such frauds oper¬ 
ate but a short time under the same name 
in the same place. They do with names as 
they do with money—appropriate them 
freely, and when “ found out ” under one, 
they take another. Thus, like the Irish¬ 
man’s Ilea, it’s hard to lay hands on them 
Their names are generally unknown to 
the mercantile agencies, and before they 
can be investigated, they have made a 
haul, and have gone fishing in other 
waters for other gndgeous, or for the 
same—for gudgeons of this stripe can be 
caught often. We would ask our friends, 
therefore, in making inquiries, to send 
us an account, of the way the parties 
inquired about propose to do business, 
and, whenever possible, to forward the 
circular or advertisement that attracted 
their attention. There is an undis- 
guisable family likeness about all these 
swindling schemes, easily detected by an 
ordinary physiognomist iu rascality. 
—-«. -- 
AWAY WITH ADULTERATION OF MILK. 
A Consumers’ and Producers’ Cooper¬ 
ative Association of this city has in hand 
a difficult, but very necessary task iu 
forcing those who supply the city with 
milk to furnish a healthful, unadulterated 
article. The laws relating to this sub¬ 
ject should be stringent, and their en¬ 
forcement should be rigidly made by the 
proper officers, and not be left to the efforts 
of a volunteer organization. The aid of 
the latter, however, will be always valu¬ 
able in stimulating negligent and aiding 
vigilant officials in the discharge of their 
duty. Experience elsewhere shows that 
the qnantity of milk used in cities de¬ 
pends in a great measure on its purity. 
Less than a dozen years ago the laws 
affecting the sale of milk in English 
cities were made more severe than form¬ 
erly and since then they have been more 
vigorously enforced, with great advan¬ 
tage alike to consumers and producers. 
So greatly has the sale of milk for food 
been increased by these means that 
British dairy farming has assumed a new 
complexion. Instead of converting their 
milk into butter and cheese, the farmers 
are yearly finding a rapidly increasing 
market for it iu towns and cities at much 
better prices than they had been in the 
habit of realizing from the manufactured 
products. This mode of disposing of 
milk has already assumed such important 
proportions, that it has become the 
sheet-anchor of a large section of English 
dairy farmers as well as a question of 
first moment to the public at large. The 
control of the milk trade iu summer and 
its development, in winter, the best 
methods of cooling and aeratiug the pro¬ 
duct so that it can be transported un¬ 
harmed for long distances in hot weather, 
railroad facilities and rates of freight, 
together with the prevention of adultera¬ 
tion by milk-salesmen, whether farmers 
or retailers, have all received careful 
attention there, aud it is cert"inly time 
that these points should meet with more 
systematic consideration here, not in the 
neighborhood of this city only, but from 
all who expect to make the highest legi¬ 
timate profit from supplying one of the 
most healthful and nutritious forms of 
food to the dwellers in cities, towns and 
villages throughout the Union. 
■— - » » »- 
A HINT TO SEEDSMEN. 
During the last few years, attention 
has been repeatedly called to the modern 
method of 6eed-testing whereby the pro-, 
portion of valuable seeds in any given 
sample is accurately determined,—that is 
to say, the proportion of seeds capable of 
germinating,—as well as the proportion 
of foreign seeds with which the sample is 
contaminated. Thanks to the patience 
of certain scientific men in Germany, a 
simple and trustworthy process of testing 
has been worked out, and Professor 
Nobbe, of Tharand, has published a 
large book, with some three hundred 
figures, descriptive of the mode of proce¬ 
dure and of the appearances of seeds 
which are likely to be met with in the 
process of testing, both those of agricul¬ 
tural plants and of weeds. 
The appearance of this systematic 
treatise has led several writers to urge 
that experiment stations should be estab¬ 
lished by the governments of the several 
States aud Territories for the purpose 
(among others) of testing the seeds which 
are on sale in the American markets. But 
there is another way of looking at the 
matter which we would commend to the 
attention of the seed-dealers. Perhaps 
some of our enterprising, large-way 
dealers would find it for their interest to 
do their own testing? Assuredly the 
power and reputation of those houses 
would be encbanced, who sold (and 
bought) goods of. whose quality they 
could speak with absolute certainty,— 
whether to praise or to blame. There is 
no great or insuperable difficulty in tho 
matter. There are, at the least, eight or 
ten colleges iu the country where the 
methods of testing could be. taught to 
any intelligent young seedsman, who 
might apply as a special student; and 
under proper guidance female labor would 
be perfectly competent to the light and 
easy work of testing. It seems, indeed, 
as unreasonable for the seedsmen to 
neglect, this source of knowledge and 
power, aB it would be lareopper-smelterB 
to shrink from employing the assayers 
upon the results of whose tests their 
business is actually based. 
. - 
BREVITIES. 
An unusual pressure upon our space crowds 
out our illustrations for thiB number. 
No man who does not take a hearty interest 
in his work can ever hope to ascend the ladder 
of progress. 
We learn that some of our New York seeds¬ 
men have larger orders for green peas from 
England than they can fill. 
Tins will he a specially welcome number to 
the winners of our corn premiums, as the first 
intimation of their success will reach them on 
its receipt. 
“ Horse trots at Fairs ” are condemned by a 
host of agricultural papers just received. Glad 
to bcc so many of ’em joining iu ihe Rural’s 
crusade against the evil. 
The Mark Lane Express says that an Ameri¬ 
can states that “ hogs may be planted in any 
kind of soil—they will root, anywhere.” This 
ought to have gone “the rounds,” but we have 
failed to see it before. 
All subscribers wishing our seeds and plants 
should send'six cents’ worth of postage stamps 
—that is, two for the seeds—four for the Rasp¬ 
berries. The rest of the postage and all other 
expenses we bear. All who have not seen it, 
should send for our seed supplement which 
explains the whole matter. 
Here is something for the poultry fanciers 
to work upon. Complaints are often heard of 
the disturbance caused by the crowing of cocks 
in the early morning, in this educational age 
couldn’t cocks be trained to crow the hour? 
We should Kke much to take the credit of this* 
wise suggestion. But it comes from Punch. 
Mr. J. B Garber writes us that he has never 
had agrafted grape-vine that grewwben grafted 
in the fall. He has had the best success in 
February or early in March, when the ground 
was dry enough. He bus also had good success 
with grafting in April, May, June and July; the 
running of the sap proved little hindrance. 
He gets fruit the (second year by grafting. 
Tub premiums awarded this week for 
Blount’s White Prolific corn, do not include 
the book premiums oflorod by the Farmers’ 
Publishing Co. The competition for these 
will now be in order, There are six premiums, 
the total value ol which is 530, to be awarded, 
as announced on April 20, for the six heaviest 
weights of shelled coru, the com to be weighed 
throe months after harvest. 
E. P. Roe w T auts to know, in the Gardener’s 
Monthly, whether Queen of the Market is not 
the Cutliberl Raspberry. We have asked the 
Humo question iu our columns. Will not Judge 
Parry answer ? Is the Conover also the Cuth- 
bert? We believe there can be no dispute as 
to tho Cuthben’s retaining the name by prior- 
ily. Whatever tho name, we believe it’to be 
over a wide portion of the country the best 
haidy Raspberry iu cultivation. 
Tiie request often made, by publishers that 
renders will mention their journals when an¬ 
swering advertisements, seems to us a very 
reasonable one. Such mention is a helpful 
and friendly act to thu journal mentioned and 
enables the advertiser to determine which 
journals ave the best advertising mediums. 
Reference to our advertising columns will show 
there is not one advertisement of an excep¬ 
tional or ambiguous character admitted. In 
so far as this is possible we hold ourselves 
responsible for their high standing and trust¬ 
worthiness. 
Let us say to our new readers (our old ones 
are aware of the fact) that we have no interest 
in Blount’s Corn other lliau what arose from the 
desire of disseuiiuutiug wiiat we believe to be a 
variety of unequalcd productiveness for cer¬ 
tain part6 of the country. It was sold last seas¬ 
on as high as 88 pci bushel. It will be offered tho 
coming season by many seedsmen. We raised, 
as we have stated, on a measured quarter of an 
acre, 18 bushels (shelled) of this corn, though 
several unfavorable climatic causes seriously 
lessened the yield. For our own seed, we se¬ 
lected the topmost ear of such stalks only as 
bore over throe ears. 
Tii writing onr notes to accompany the Dwarf 
Buckeye, a full-page engraving of which was 
presented a few wcekB ago, we overlooked tho 
following memoranda made during its bloom¬ 
ing season last, summer; “There are one 
hundred racemes on the plant before us of pure 
white Dowers. Each flower bears five stamens, 
the filaments of which are twice as long as the 
corolla, which is one inch in length. Each 
raceme hears 175peduncles, and each peduncle 
from three to six pedicels, so that on each 
raceme there are no less than 500 llowers. The 
exserted stamens tipped with rose-colored 
anthers, give the inflorescence a feathery look, 
while the plant is one of great s howiness.” 
