204 
MARCH 27 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
CONDUCTED BY 
Address 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
78 Duane Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH. 27, 1880. 
REMOVAL. 
On and after May 1st of this year the 
Rural New-Yorker will occupy its new 
quarters, No. 34 Park Row, comer of 
Beekman Street. 
---♦♦♦- 
Blacking the outside of horses’ hoofs 
to make them shine and show well, 
is an injurious practice, for if done, as is 
usual, with a mixture of grease and 
lampblack, as soon as the horse is 
brought out on the road, dust begins to 
adhere to the hoofs, which are naturally 
porous, and thus stops the circulation of 
air in them, causing disease. The best 
treatment of the hoof is to keep it clean, 
and leave it to show its own natural color. 
The nineteenth volume of the American 
Short-horn Herd Book it is expected will 
be ready for delivery in April. Wo are 
informed that this ‘ riugs the register of 
thoroughbred bulls up to 37,500, and 
the cows to about 45,000, making alto¬ 
gether 82,500 head put on record since 
this work was commenced in 1846. Prob¬ 
ably 15,000 or more of well-bred Short¬ 
horns, including those in Canada as well 
as in the United States, have been neg¬ 
lected to be put ou record, thus materially 
lessening their value when offered for sale 
to those who care for a satisfactory pedi¬ 
gree with their animals. We have no 
doubt but 10,000,000 good Short-horn cat¬ 
tle have been imported into and bred in 
America since 1815, the most part of them 
during the past 45 years. 
A New Oil Plant. —Recent English 
journals speak of a new oil plant (Lalle- 
meutia liberica), from Persia, as having 
been acclimatized on the fields of the 
agricultural school at Cherson in south¬ 
ern Russia. It belongs to the Labiatae 
family, and is very similar to Dracoceph- 
alum (Dragon’s-head). The herb at¬ 
tains a bight of one and a half to two 
and a half feet, and bears some 2,500 
seed grains, which give an extremely pure 
oil, applicable even for culinary pur¬ 
poses, Cherson is situated about 90 miles 
north of Odessa, iu a temperate region 
where beech trees grow but not Chest¬ 
nuts. The natural productions are grain, 
hemp and tobacco. It lies a little to the 
north of the line which marks the limit 
of profitable wine-growing. 
-- 
Land and Home, a farm journal, whose 
genesis we announced but a few months 
ago, has failed. The reason assigned is 
“lack of capital." Laud and Home from 
the outset secured soni3 of the best writ¬ 
ers of the country. It was conducted 
with surprising vigor. It was receiv¬ 
ing many compliments and encouraging 
words from men who do not compliment 
idly. Prominent advertisers, even, were 
expressing their satisfaction with the 
“returns ” from their announcements in 
Land and Home. Everything seemed to 
prosper. There was not the least sign 
of weakness. Land aud Home deserved 
the hearty support of the agricultural 
commiyiify. And yet lack of apprecia¬ 
tion, as well as “lack of money,” must 
have had something to do with its early 
death. Well, Mr. Libby, its editor and 
proprietor, made a bold, brave push. 
He is young enough to push again, and 
we wish him better success in his next 
enterprise. 
-» ♦ » - 
A Dutch Picture. —The English geog¬ 
rapher, Clements Markham, in calling 
attention to one of the surprising changes 
which have occurred on the coast of Hol¬ 
land, draws a picture which is equally 
interesting from the agricultural and 
from the geographical points of view. 
The student of history reads of the great 
sea fight which King Edward III. fought 
with the French oil' Sluys in 1340 ; how, 
in those days, the merchant, vessels came 
up to the walls of that nourishing sea¬ 
port by every tide; aud how, a century 
1 at r, a Poitugese fleet conveyed Isabella 
from Lisbon, and an English fleet 
brought Margaret of York from the 
Thames, to many successive Dukes of 
Burgundy at the port of Sluys. In our 
time, if a modern traveler drives twelve 
miles out of Bniges across the Dutch 
frontier, he will find a small agricultural 
town surrounded by corn fields and 
meadows, and clumps of trees, whence 
the sea is not in sight from the top of the 
town-hall steeple. This is Sluys. 
We are receiving many, many thanks 
from our subscribers for the seeds and 
plants of our present Distribution. All 
seemed pleased and we have had no 
complaints thus far, except that several 
have received two packages. We can 
assure our friends that we are as much 
S leased aB they cau be and really feel 
ke thanking them for their hearty ap¬ 
preciation. Of what value soever our 
past plant and seed distributions may 
have been to the country, we feel justi¬ 
fied in saying that our next Distribution 
(to be announced Sep’t. 1st) will throw 
our previous efforts quite into the Bhade. 
Three kinds are already secured (unless 
crops should fail), and one of these three, 
from careful trials made during the past 
two years, bids fair to prove more valua¬ 
ble than any plant of its class as yet 
known to our farmers or gardeners. 
Meantime we hope our friends will care¬ 
fully test the plants and Beeds which we 
are now mailing them and that iu due 
time they will tell us of gratifying re¬ 
sults. 
- * * * 
One of the most remarkable statements 
wbich we have seen respecting the potato 
is the following, which we clip from a 
late number of a respected contemporary: 
“ It is said by those who claim to know 
that the eyes near the base are the male, 
and those on the upper part the female, 
the number on each being in right pro¬ 
portion. If this be so, it is clear that 
every eye should be planted." 
The eyes of a potato male and female ! 
The same writer (Mr. C. E. Hewes) says: 
“Any farmer cau tell how corn gets 
mixed—the process of mixing potatoes 
(tubers) is the same "(!) Again he says, 
“ No one doubts th it melons, cucumbers, 
squ shes and pumpkins mix—the pollen 
being carried by the wind, &c.” 
The kernel of corn is the seed—the 
ovary in fact—and the effects of crossing 
are evident at or before maturity. Mel¬ 
ons do mix, but only through the seed. 
Hence, the effects of crossing are never 
evident except in the fruit from the mixed 
seed. Mr. Hewes takes for granted that 
any intercrossing between the Ho were of 
different potatoes affects the tubers, and 
that in this way “hybrids ” may aud do 
occur. Aud yet this same writer regards 
the publication of “single experiments 
not only as impositions but outrages !" 
--♦ 
The weather prophets are out strongly 
in favor of a late spring, and it is not im¬ 
probable that at least in some parts of 
the country their predictions will prove 
true. All reports concur iu showing 
that, light as has been the snowfall east 
of the Missouri Valley, the Rocky Moun¬ 
tains and adjacent plateaus are loaded 
with the heaviest snowfalls and ice masses 
that have burthened them for many years. 
The melting of these will send their cold 
water eastward, while the westerly winds 
that at this season usually sweep over 
the region will come east chilled by the 
cold they have been charged with on 
their passage, making a late and prob¬ 
ably moist spring as far east as Minnesota 
and Iowa. On reaching the Mississippi 
Valley, however, these winds are likely 
to encounter the warm, moist breezes 
from the Gulf, and the consequent con¬ 
densation is not unlikely to produce a 
mild, wet spring in the States along the 
upper Mississippi aud Ohio Rivers. * ‘ Old 
Probabilities,"however, has a habit of fal¬ 
sifying the boldest prognostications of our 
ordinary weather prophets, aud it may be 
that he” will show no more respect for the 
modest forecast of the Rural. 
.--*■ 
The telegraphic advices d uring the week 
from various parts of the Union show that 
an unusually heavy rain f. 11 has occurred 
almost all over the interior of the country, 
being especially severe in the Ohio, 
Cumberland and Tennesee valleys. The 
fall of 1.67 inch of rain at Nushville, in 
eight hours, on Tuesday, is but a sample 
of the torrental downpour that has 
drenched vast areas. The prevailing 
winds nearly so far north as the lakes, 
have of late been from th© south. These 
warm, water-charged currents from the 
Gulf, meeting the cold north western 
blasts of March, have been depositing 
their condensed stores superabundantly. 
The immediate effect of this downpour 
upon farming is generally hurtful. Flat, 
undrained lauds are bogged ; hillsides are 
leached or washed away; streams and 
rivers, here and there, flood the adjacent 
country to the injury or often loss of 
stock, fenoes and other movable property. 
Ultimately, however, the drenchings will 
doubtless prove to the farmer a blessing 
in disguise. The rainfall of winter and 
early spring is the basis of all forecasts 
of the subsequent harvest and tbis abun¬ 
dant water supply, filling all subterra¬ 
nean resevoirs, is a cheering indication of 
good crops, especially in the grain-grow¬ 
ing regions, unless the youug wheat has 
been already severely injured by other 
causes. 
-*-*-♦- 
“FEBTINA LENTE.” 
The ancient Romans had that queer 
old paradoxial proverb or apothegm, 
“ Festina lente,” “Make haBte slowly.” 
It is a good one, aud its observance, would 
save many a blunder. We have similar 
proverbs in our own language, as, for 
example, “ Always iu haste, but never in 
a hurry.” This means, we take it, al¬ 
ways prompt and active, but never flur¬ 
ried." Another of our similar expres¬ 
sions is “ Think twice before you speak 
once,” and another, “Haste makes 
waste,” and still another, “ Things done 
in haste are repented at leisure.” These 
proverbs are ou the whole eminently wise. 
Take a few illustrations. An agent 
wauts to sell you a device for taking up 
the “slack motion” in your mowing-ma¬ 
chine pitman or gearing. Don’t be in a 
hurry. If the patent is good for any¬ 
thing the men who make the mower will 
introduce it. Let some one else try it. 
Don’t pay five dollars unless you are sure 
the device is all the glib-tongued agent 
represents it to be, and of this you can¬ 
not be sure without trying it—and finding 
yourself fooled. 
The “head salesman” of some great 
seed store (he says) will give you a chance 
to Lie the Bole proprietor for your town¬ 
ship of the “Norway barley" or the 
“Scandinavian oatB” or the “Bohemian 
rye.” It sells at ten dollars a bushel, 
and the firm can’t supply orders, and will 
only sell you one bushel on condition you 
will sign n written contract uol to sell at 
less thau that price, and to sell all your 
surplus, if any, jtfter supplying your 
township, to this ‘Mirm” at seven dollars 
per bushel, etc., etc, “Festina lente.” 
Our “head clerk” is too anxious to en¬ 
rich you. His “firm” is too kind by half. 
Or a stylish lightning-rod wagon with 
two “operators” stops at your house. 
They were directed to you as the most 
influential fanner in town (lookout!) and 
are willing to put up rods ou your very 
fine mansion and stables (lookout!) at just 
one-third of their usual rates (look out!) 
for your influence (don’t sell it). They 
are not permitted by their “firm"totake 
cash (look out!), but only notes payable 
one year from date (look out ! !) and on 
your approval then of the rods. Now, 
then, look out! “Festina lente." Don't 
sign any note, or agreement, or inven¬ 
tory, or list, or paper of any kind for any 
stranger. It will turn up in a year or so 
in the hands of some other and innocent 
party quite a different* thing from the one 
you * thought you signed, or for a far 
larger amount, and you will have to pay 
it. On the other hand, don’t buy any 
note from a stranger, even if signed by a 
man whose signature and solvency you 
know, without first seeing the signer of 
the note. Indeed, so common has t.hiH 
particular swindle become that some of 
our legislatures already have bills before 
them, or laws already passed, requiring 
one day’s notice to the drawer of a note 
before its purchase by any second party. 
In all finch matters, “ Festina lente.” 
Don’t be in a hurry to make money out 
of any one who is anxious to have you 
do it. Don’t try to get two or ten dollars 
by p:y ing one. As a rule money must 
be earned, not suddenly made out of 
some one else. Whenever any one, under 
any pretext, wants to give you an extra 
good bargain out. of himself, don’t let 
him do it. Don’t bet on cards the other 
man handles. You will find to your ooBt 
that “ the motion of the hand deceives 
the eye.” Don’t buy a $20 bill with a 
box of soap for a dollar, though you see 
with your own eyes that the soap-man 
inclosed it. Yon will find it was “not 
that box but another box.” You will 
find that you are swindled out of a dollar 
instead of swindling him out of $19 ; for 
that was what you had hoped to do. 
You put yourself on his level as a swind¬ 
ler, aud found him smarter than you. 
It is his business to be. You tried to 
overreach and were yourself overreached. 
You tried to get value without giving a 
fair equivalent, and found you gave 
value without getting an equivalent. 
And the verdict on victims of confidence 
games always is, “ Served them right.” 
For these confidence games would make 
little headway if there were no dishonest 
victims. Sometimes the victims are 
simply green, but usually it is avarice 
that leads them into the trap. Don’t let 
it lead you. Don’t even ohange a ten 
dollar bill for the gentlemanly strangers 
who feed their fine but tired team in your 
stable because they can’t reach the next 
hotel, and insist on paying you for their 
dinner and horse feed. Better give the 
dinners outright than the uine dollars 
change and the dinners, too. Their ten 
dollar bills don't pass at bank, and these 
men never have any change abont them. 
Don’t take charge of any “ found ” pock¬ 
et-book or valise, and try to find the 
owner. Don’t touch any project by 
which you are perfectly sure you cau 
(dishonestly) make a “nice thing” out 
of some one else. You will find the 
“ nice thing ” will be made out of you. 
And it ought to be. “ They that will be 
rich fall iuto a snare.” “ Festina lente.” 
-♦♦♦ 
BREVITIES. 
M*.kt Mulberry trees are being propagated 
in the South, and there is much talk about (he 
production of silk. 
Tiiosb who have a desire to know how beau¬ 
tiful a tree the despised Osage Orange may 
become, when properly treated, should visit 
the grounds of Storrs, Harrison Co.. Paines- 
villc, Ohio. 
Corn in the hill or drill—which ? One plant 
every foot ought to do better than three or 
four plants struggling together in a hill. In 
the former method it is at least twice as mueh 
trouble to keep weeds from each plant ub in the 
other. Is the difference in yield enough to pay 
for the difference in labor ? 
Tubre is a new bug (Cieadula exitiosa) that 
promises to prove u great pest, to our grain 
fields. Already in South Carolina it has per¬ 
petrated considerable damage. It is of a yel¬ 
lowish color, one-fillh of an Inch long. The 
abdomen is black above and the wlugs arc 
described as of a *' tnilky white.” No remedy 
is as yet suggested for its check or extermina¬ 
tion. It is partial to wheat and oats. 
Dr albbkt It. Lepottx, Director of tho 
N. C. Ex per i i n en l Station, has just resigned his 
positiou, and proposes to open in this city a 
laboratory devoted to all branches of analyti¬ 
cal work, bat more especially in tho line of 
agricultural chemistry. We heartily wi«h the 
Doctor success in his new venture- Dr. Gouts* 
niau, of Amherst, will probably succeed him 
as Director of the N. C. Experiment Station. 
We find iu some of our agricultural papers 
advertisements of both Queen of the Market” 
and Cuthbert Raspberries. Nothing is said 
in the editorial columns of those papers that 
they are the same, and their readers uro left 
to purchase the same as if they were different 
varieties Judge Parry, we must believe, is 
not postive as to their identity, else he would 
not advertise the Cuthbert under another 
name. 
Bi.ack Suffolk Pigs. Here 1b a new English 
wrinkle. While Suffolk were formerly plen¬ 
tiful enough there, and many were imported 
years ago into the United States. We should 
like to know whether the Black Suffolk are not 
ihe same as Essex, for English breeders are in 
the habit of giving the county name i<> all pigs 
and sheep bred there, no matter if they thus 
characterize the Bame sort under a dozen dif¬ 
ferent names 
Tub third corn premium consisted of a Giant 
Feed Mill valued at $45 aud contributed by J. 
A. Field, Son & Co.. St. Louis, Mo. It was 
won by A. 11. Dille of Edirartoo. Kuna., who 
8*md* the following acknowledgment: 
Editors Rural New-Yorker:— The Big 
Giant Corn mill came safely to hand, and for it 
please accept my sincere thanks. 1 should 
have written sooner, but was ou Do eve of 
starting cu a two weeks' trip. Very truly 
yours, A. B. Dille. 
Edgarton, Kans. 
Tuis Rural New-Yorker hasadvoeated cut¬ 
ting back evergreous, according to the injury 
the roots sustain iu transplanting the same, as 
deciduous trees are cut buck, though not to the 
same extent. A ease has recently come to our 
notice in which two Red Cedars (Juniperus 
Virgin!ana) of goodly size were transplanted. 
One was cut, back; (hat is, the top was so eut 
off so as to leave barely half the tree. The other 
was not cut back. The latter died ihe same 
season, Tho other is uuw a shapely, vigorous 
tree. 
Mu. Horace T Beehb, ot Ravenna. O., 
writes as follows : “ I uoiice ou (he first page u 
cut of what purports to be tbe *• Gregg” Rasp¬ 
berry. I regard the eut as almost aburiesque 
—the fruit of the Gregg is twice as large as 
represented. 1 inclose a cut of a bunch and 
will say that we raised last seasou bcrriei as 
largo as represented. I hud a patch, my sou 
and several others had other patches, ami 
they were fully up to the cut inclosed.” 
Many of our readers have objected to our 
origiual illustrations of small fruits for the 
same reasou. The sketch inclosed by Mr. 
Beebe exaggerates Us average size, we think, as 
much as ours diminished it. Asa rule, the 
illustrations in smalt fruit catalogues serve 
only to disappoint the purchasers. 
A HuNTrNa House Stud Book is now pro- 
prosed in England, which will take the sarno 
rank there as the Trottimr Horse Stud Book 
does iu America. Race horses are too slight, 
and cannot carry the heavy weighls of fox 
buuters, and leap high fences as those which 
are called three parts bred. But the latter 
being chiefly got by racers out ot laige, cold¬ 
blooded mares, often lack speed, wind aud en¬ 
durance enough to carry them to the end of 
the hunt- Itls proposed to take the best of 
these, as we do our best trotters, aud couple 
them together to form an exclusively bunting 
breed, dorses thus bred, when not found 
equal to a fox chase, are superior for tho car¬ 
riage and can be sold at high prices generally 
for that. But if they happen to be too coarse 
for this and the road, they can he used ou tho 
farm. Then there is no loss attending such 
breeding, as In race horses, for if one of tho lat¬ 
ter does not prove swift on the course, ho is 
worth little for any other purpose. 
