fish. In the spring of 1878 Mr. Davis 
gave away two of the old fish and still 
reared 4,000 in that year, from the three 
old fish lie had left. He has not yet 
counted the crop of 1879. These results 
were obtaiued in four small ponds, which 
cost altogether $200 ; and the food of the 
fish is estimated to have cost $10 a year ; 
that is to say, the total cost of fish and 
ponds to date is $270. Meanwhile, Mr. 
Davis has sold $415 worth of fish, and 
he has left his four ponds, 6,000 or 8,000 
carp, and $145 cash m hand ; in addition 
to which his family have been eating earp 
freely for eighteen months. He warmly 
commends carp-culture to every one who 
has ponds fit for the purpose, and urges 
that the caip bears heat extremely well, 
and will thrive in waters where other fish 
could hardly exist. His experience is 
interesting and instructive, though al¬ 
most too good to last. It is well euough 
to remember that “there be land rats 
and water-rats, land-thieves and water- 
thieves in a word, that the fish-cultur- 
ist has many foes. What with the sum¬ 
mer’s heat and the winter’s cold ; what 
with our heavy rains to bring mud and 
silt into the ponds, and freshets to wash 
away the fish ; what with musk rats to 
undermine embankments ; and the rav¬ 
ages of predatory hail and of fishing birds, 
it will ill-become the poll’d owner to sleep 
too soundly o’ nights. Besides pills, 
and loons, and the other migratory fish¬ 
eating birds, there are crows, herons, 
kingfishers, and fish-hawks to be looked 
after; and mink and otter, as well, to say 
nothing of the angler’s rod and the 
poacher’s night-lines. But here, as 
everywhere, we may find comfort in the 
oilmm “n.aliinrr venture nothin!? have.” 
necessary future development of the re¬ 
sources of America as well as of the per¬ 
sonal character of Americans will go far 
to remove erroneous and prejudiced 
opinions and put us on a fair and favora¬ 
ble basis with a people with whom we 
have done, and must in the future do, 
our most profitable business. The 
changed condition of our business 
relations which have arisen very re¬ 
cently, make this understanding both 
desirable and necessary and Mr. Read’s 
experience will have an important weight 
in creating a just popular opinion in Eng¬ 
land as to American people, matters, and 
things in general. Mr. Read has recently 
met his constituents whom he represents 
so well and effectually in the British 
Parliament; and has reported to them in 
an informal way some of the results of 
his visit here. His report is both in¬ 
structive and amusing. One of the justest 
remarks of this gentleman was in regard 
to our much criticised Department of 
Agriculture, and this testimony is worthy 
of regard as showing how in these days, 
as in the old, “a prophet is not without 
honor save in his own country and among 
his own people.” He testified to‘‘the 
great efficiency and usefulness of the 
American Department of Agriculture,’ 
a compliment we think deserved, and one 
that comes very graciously from so obser¬ 
vant a man and so accomplished and thor¬ 
ough a farmer as Mr. Clare Sowell Read. 
Without takiug up time aud space to 
notice fuHy Mr. Read’s opinions about 
us, we may congratulate ourselves that so 
sensible a man was commissioned to ex¬ 
amine our condition. His practical con¬ 
clusion is, as might have been expected ; 
that wi ll a country whero an EugJishmtn 
might well believe himself to he at home, 
the language, manners, to a great extent 
aud the laws being very much the same 
as those of his own country : with a sur- 
from the seed we send. But this has not 
been settled as yet. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The ’eading varieties of pear hawked 
for sale in the streets of London, accord¬ 
ing to the Gardener’s Chronicle, are the 
Windsor, (Summer Bell, a coarse astrin¬ 
gent pear). Summer Doyenm? d’Etd, 
William’s Bon Chretien (our Bartlett), 
Hessel, Beurrd Bose, Louise Bonne of 
Jersey, Bourn? de C&pianmont, Beurrd 
d’Amaulis, and Beurre Diel. The model 
pe ir of the Londoner is the Bartlett. It 
is a criterion by which he judges of the 
value of every pear he is called upon to 
partake of. in Edinburgh the modern 
Athenians swear by the Jargonelle, 
which, though pretty, iff of poor quality. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY 
CONDUCTED BE 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
78 Duane Street, New York City 
SATURDAY, FEB. 14, 1880. 
SHORTLY TO APPEAR, 
On The Kinver and an entirely new French 
Yellow Globe Mangel as sweet as a sugar beet 
aud as productive as other mangels—illus¬ 
trated. 
Leguminous Plants— grasses and valuable 
fodder plants, by Professor W. J. Beal—illus¬ 
trated. 
otock Notes by Professor E. W. Stewart, 
L. S. Hardin, Richard Goodman, M. C. Meld, 
t ol. F. D Curtis, A. B. Allen and others. 
Important Addition to the Rural’s Seed 
Distribution. y 
Special Articles from Professor S. W. 
JnVmson, Professor F. H. Storer, Professor G. 
C. Caldwell, Dr. A. R. Ledoux. 
A Series of 6bort articles upon the cultiva¬ 
tion of our choicest vegetables—illustrated. 
Dairy Specialties by Henry Stewart, L. 
S, Hardin, Professor L B. Arnold. 
Fruit Notes by Pres. T. T. Lyon, Gov. 
Furnas, Dr. T. H. Hoskins, See. Garfield and 
others. 
Poultrt Notes by Forrest K. Moreland. 
Henry Hales and others. 
Life Engravings of the Chinese Yam (Dios- 
corea batatas) “Cinnamon” vine; the Tulip 
tree and fruit (fee., &c., &c. 
auage, ■•nothing venture nothing have,” 
and rest assured that with due care and 
proper attention, most difficulties may he 
overcome. We make no doubt that the 
carp will be a great addition to the food 
resources of the country, and that many 
farmers will fiud it botli convenient and 
profitable to undertake this form of really 
useful fisli-culture. 
HELP FOR IRELAND 
TO NEW SUBSCRIBERS 
Ireland’s wailing cry for food should 
no longer be heard unheeded. Her dis¬ 
tress is actual and terrible. With out¬ 
stretched, emaciated arms she implores 
tho civilized world in the name of God 
and humanity to give food to her starving 
people. Not less than 300,000 souls are 
at present wi bout daily bread, and the 
distress is increasing day-by-day. It 
seems, indeed, strange that a province of 
the most prosperous nation in Europe, 
situated at the very hearthstone of the 
sovereign, should thus be wanting a scant 
livelihood. 
Her most Gracious Majesty, the Queen, 
and all members of the royal family live 
in the most pompous style. English 
aristocracy lounge in luxury. Irish land¬ 
lords yearly squander enormous sums, 
the proceeds of the toil of Irish people, 
in Paris aud other places. Yet the people 
who so labor to support this royalty, this 
aristocracy, the subjects of the British 
crown, die for want of food. Is there 
nothing wrong in this ? Are the people 
insubordinate rebels if they dare whisper 
a protest against this state of things, and 
refuse to die with laudations of land¬ 
lords and English rule upon their lips ? 
True, they are ignorant aud unthrifty, 
but whose is the fault? 
We donot now propose to enlarge upon 
the rights and wrongs of the Irish people, 
but their deplor. ble situation may well 
induce grateful feelings in the hearts of 
American farmers for the independence 
they enjoy. Belief for the suffering 
should now be the uppermost thought, 
and the abundant harvest of last season 
will enable our farmers to contribute 
liberally, and we feel assured they will do 
it cheerfully. James Gordou Bennett, 
.. -%,-r xr i TT_1,1 1, „ 
BREVITIES, 
We find that many of our new 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. 
There is a fine show for wheat in Ohio, 
accord lug to the statements of our many cor¬ 
respondents from that State. 
Grafting Wax. —The following old recipe 
is as good as any we know ol: Two parts of 
tallow, three of resin, aud three of beeswax. 
Attention is called t.o our notices of nur¬ 
serymen sand setduieu’s catalogues tbit week. 
Our readers should inform themselves thor¬ 
oughly before making out their orders. 
Last summer for the first time we, raised (from 
seeds) the Turnip-rooted Celery, or Celeriac, 
advertised iu every seedsmans catalogue. YVe 
need uot tell a long story about that which 
may be stated iu a tew words. We shall never 
again raise Celeriac while we can raise Celery 
“Be it kuowu to all men that the great ma- 
jorily cun no longer Fakm to a Profit. VVe 
state, indeed, our grave conviction that in no 
walk of life is it now more, difficult to make a 
liviug than by farming.” Thus frankly speaks 
the Agricultural Gazette ot Loudon. Euglaud. 
The question is asked in England: Has it 
beeu proved by any competent experiment¬ 
alist, that the potato can tie improved by se¬ 
lection from the *ubers ? Auotber question we 
would ask: Has it been 6hown that the plant¬ 
ing of small potatoes, year alter year, will 
ultimately lessen the size of the ctop ? 
Our readers will think well of the subject 
“Reclamation of bog-land," as treated by 
Professor F. H Storer on our first page of 
this issue. We have seen in American Papers 
uo other coherent aud sufficient aecouut of 
this most important system of husbandry 
which seems destined to play a great part in 
he world. 
Publishers of the Rural New-Yorker, 
New York City— Gents :— VVe have sold over 
100 seal- s since last September, and are fully 
assured that at least three-quarters oi these 
orders came from our last advertisement m 
vour valuable paper. The Rural we _ fiud to 
aud take nothing but gold in payment 
for it, supplying ourselves with all we 
need. And so think we all of us. 
As announced in our late Issue, we can no 
longer supply back numbers of the Rural 
New-Yorker. Papers will be sent for one 
year from the date ol the receipt of all sub¬ 
scriptions. 
UTILITARIAN FISH-CULTURE 
The efforts of the United States Fish 
Commissioner to naturalize the European 
carp in American waters, and particularly 
the receut announcement that the fish 
are ready to be distributed from the Gov¬ 
ernment breeding ponds to all parts of 
the country, mark a new stage in the 
history of American fisli-culture. The 
game* fishes have already had their 
chance ; they have been bred and dis¬ 
tributed far and wide, largely in the 
interest of sportsmen, but wo have come 
at last to a question of pure utility. 
The carp is a domestic fish belonging 
to the shiner or goldfish family, but of 
considerable size and, when in season, 
excellent as food. They affect quiet wa¬ 
ters with soft or muddy bottoms, where, 
in Europe at least, they spawn in early 
summer. 'Naturally, the carp feeds up¬ 
on insects, worms, seeds, and soft plants 
such as duckweed ; but when kept in 
artificial ponds, the fish will eat almost 
anything. In Europe they are some¬ 
times fed with Hesh from slaughter¬ 
houses, but more commonly with the 
young leaves of clover, lucerne, peas, 
beets, or buokwheat. Brewers’ grains, 
malt-sprouts, aud a great variety of other 
vegetable matters are likewise used. It 
is said that the fish do not eat the leaves 
until they have begun to decay. A good 
food in this country would be the men¬ 
haden fish-scrap, now used as manure. 
Probably, the meat-dust fertilizer pre¬ 
pared at the slaughter-houses would serve 
a good purpose, also. Carp are said to 
be fond of cow-dung and the dung of 
other farm animals, and to thrive when 
fed upon dung. They are fond of dor- 
bugs withal, aud such-like insects. 
The carp increases rapidly and grows 
fast. At least 20,000 individuals are said 
to have been reared at Washington in two 
years from the 120 fish which were put 
into the Government pond in 1878. The 
rapid rate of increase is well shown by 
the experience of Mr. Levi Davis of 
Forestville, Sonoma Co., California, as 
reported in the Pacific Rural Press of 
January 3, 1880. In January 1876, Mr. 
It gratifies the editors of the Rural 
New-Yorker very much indeed that the 
new catalogues of 1880 give praise and 
prominence to the many kinds of plauts 
as well for the vegetable, small imit and 
flower gardeu as for the field that have 
been tested at the Rural Experiment 
Grounds and lavorably reported upon in 
these col unit s. Such references ironi 
many of our best seedsmen aud nursery¬ 
men are proofs that our tests have been 
made impartially, and that our reports 
are worthy of the confidence of the 
public. 
oegun last week. W e nave never uwuic, 
in any subscription season, received so 
many undecipherable addresses and we 
have consequently never before received 
so many complaints that “ the Rural 
don’t come !” As we are obliged to direct 
our seed aud plant wrappers as applica¬ 
tions are received, no doubt there will be 
a correspondingly great number of mis¬ 
carriages. As soon, however, as the dis¬ 
tribution is completed, we shall inform 
our readeis, so that they may have the 
opportunity of making a ,?eci,nd applica¬ 
tion by postal or otherwis . 
HOW OTHERS SEE US. 
“ To see ourselves as others see us,” iB 
a most valuable piece of self-knowledge 
and perhaps there are no other people 
iu the world who are better pleased to 
be disciplined in this way aud to accep t 
just aud wise criticisms with good nature 
and a desire to benefit from them than 
Americans. Criticisms are not always 
wise or just, aud we have had our share 
of those which were offensively unjust 
and prejudiced. Among this class, how¬ 
ever, we cannot admit the opinions 
formed and expressed by Mr. Clare 
Sewell Read, one of the English special 
Commissioners who recently visited this 
country on a tour of observation. From 
a knowledge of Mr. Read’s character we 
hoped much from this visit and we are 
not disappointed. A true idea of the 
vastness of the material interests and 
Many of our readers request that we 
will give instructions as to sowing the 
seeds of the Rural’s distribution. As we 
cannot very well repeat such instructions, 
we shall wait yet a week or so, and then 
give them once for all. We have yet to 
announce the addition of one valuable 
kind of seed to the list—a new golden 
mangel-wurzel, which we have imported 
from France, and which has never (so far 
as we know) beeu tried in this country. 
In connection with this, it has been sug¬ 
gested that we offer our subscribers a 
prize for the heaviest specimen produced 
