850 
THE 
DEC. 25 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker, 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT B. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, DEG. 25, 1880. 
SPECIAL NOTICES. 
As already announced, the Special 
Corn Number of the Rural New-Yorker 
will be dated January 1st. 
Subscribers who receive the Rural 
without any Number appended to their 
names or address, may know that their 
subscription terms expire with this 
Number. 
Our present Plant, and Seed Distri¬ 
bution will be begun about January 15th 
and continued until further notice. The 
White Elephant Potato will be mailed 
separately in a little wooden box as the 
weather permits. Subscribers are ad¬ 
vised to place it in sand and keep it in a 
temperature as near 32° as practicable. 
Domestic Animal Show.— The Amer¬ 
ican Institute which has just finished its 
forty-ninth highly successful annual fair, 
and during many years occasionally held 
cattle shows, and field trials of agricul¬ 
tural implements, is now discussing the 
advisability of an exhibition next season 
of all domestic animals, useful, ornament¬ 
al aDd otherwise. It is intended to com¬ 
prise all the farm animals, quadruped or 
biped, and their products, as well as 
dogs, oats, birdsand all other pets, not 
forgetting bees with all their complement 
of queens, hives, honey, wax, etc. There 
is here scope for one ol the most interest¬ 
ing shows ever witnessed in this country 
or indeed, anywhere. A general gather¬ 
ing together of all domestic animals will 
be a new departure, and may if success¬ 
ful, be but the forerunner of many such 
displays. 
-- 
And so the year is closing. It is hard 
to realize that this is the last number of 
the Rural New-Yorker for 1880. How 
quickly the year has fiown ! And thus 
life Hies. It is rather 6trauge that the 
longer we live the shorter life seems. We 
wish our friends a Merry, Merry Christ¬ 
mas. To many who read these lines we 
shall not have the opportunity of saying 
“Happy New Year !” How well soever 
the Rural may have served the interests 
of its readers; how kindly soever they 
may feel towards the Rural, yet, for 
reasons more than one, many of them will 
cease with this year to be its subscribers. 
Our lists are increasing faster than ever 
before in the experience of the Rural 
New-Yorker. This is gratifying—very. 
Nevertheless we p;.-rt with old friends 
with regret. We wish them especially a 
Merry Christmas, and, anticipating a few 
days, a Happy New Year, as well. 
-» * ♦- 
A great loss in the importation of the 
celebrated thoroughbred horse, Blue- 
Gown, from England, has just been sus¬ 
tained by Mr. James R. Keene, of New 
York. He paid $20,000 for the horse, and 
he was shipped for this port about the 
middle of November. The steamer met 
with fierce, stormy weather, and pitohed 
and rolled so badly during the voyage as 
to cause the death of the poor animal, after 
long suffering. Losses in cattle shipped 
abroad continue fearful, and, it is aston¬ 
ishing that they are still kept up; in 
fact, notwithstanding all this, are rather 
on the increase than diminishing. Grown 
animals should only be sent to sea during 
about five months out of the year, say 
from April 15 to September of the same 
date. Pierce storms do not often coonr 
on the Atlantic Ocean during this time, 
and little danger of loss from them is con¬ 
sequently to be apprehended. 
-- 
A business man, whose knowledge is 
varied as regards everything but farm 
work, whose mind has been trained to the 
methodical and accurate ways of busi¬ 
ness, takes a farm and in a short time re¬ 
duces its irregularities to order, its work 
to a system, and its conduct to a profita¬ 
ble result. He succeeds by virtue of 
these business methods, which have made 
the acquisition of practical knowledge 
easy, and have given a habit of scanning, 
- with the greatest carefulness, every ex- 
i >enditure ; and of suddenly stopping every 
eak through which profits might be frit¬ 
tered away. The best of improved stock, 
improved implements, drainage, the best 
arranged buildings, improved plants and 
seeds, effective fertilizers aud the most 
improved methods have many of them 
been introduced into farm practice by 
business men who have become farmers, 
but who meanwhile have suffered derision 
and detraction at the hands of those who 
were glad afterwards to benefit by their 
example. 
Silk culture has had its short periods 
• of favor with the American public, fol¬ 
lowed by long terms in which it appears 
to sleep the sleep of death. It is now 
once again occupying the attention of 
many. Iu the manufacture of silk goods, 
furnished as they are with the imported 
material, our mills have no superior. Our 
silk fabrics are by many rated as the best 
of the world, as it is not our custom to 
weight them nearly so heavily as are the 
imported dress goods. When a splendid 
satin is able to stand alone be sure that, it 
is not all silk, for sometimes only one- 
third of the weight comes from the silk¬ 
worm, the remainder being one of the 
secrets of the trade. 
As far as known no silk raised in our 
country finds its way to its 300 factories. 
Efforts are being now made at the South 
to increase the food supply of future 
worms by largely planting the mulberry 
tree, the leaves of which are the favorite 
food of the common silk-worm. The dif¬ 
ficulties heretofore found in the way of 
successful silk raising have been more 
practical than theoretical, and we shall, 
hoping for their removal, lend our aid to 
forward this important industry. 
-- 
CONGRESS AND THE CATTLE DISEASE. 
One of the most important subjects 
that will eome before the Agricultural 
Committee of the House during the pres¬ 
ent session, is that of the oattle disease 
known as pleuro-pneumonia. Already a 
large number of petitions have been re¬ 
ferred to the committee urging immediate 
action on the question, prominent among 
which was that of the National Grange, 
advising that such laws be enacted as 
will not only arrest its spread, but effect¬ 
ually exterminate the disease from the 
country. 
Various constitutional questions seem 
to be involved in any attempt to embrace 
the entire subject under a national legis¬ 
lation without infringing upon the rights 
of the several States, but we have no 
doubt but that some satisfactory solution 
of the problem will be arrived at, at an 
early day. 
Commissioner Le Due recently sub¬ 
mitted to the President the report, already 
referred to, of Mr. Charles P. Lyman, 
which contained the information called 
for by a Senate resolution of the 7th inst., 
relating to contagious diseases in cattle. 
In this document Mr. Lyman shows what 
districts are most infected by the disease, 
and he considers that all large cities are 
diseased centres. He recommends a re¬ 
striction on the movement of cattle from 
the infected districts as the best means 
to check the contagion. Immediate ac¬ 
tion in this matter, on the part of Con¬ 
gress, will be eagerly looked for. 
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SACK OF FLOUR. 
The Millers’ Newspaper informs us 
that some three years ago a National As¬ 
sociation of British and Irish Millers was 
formed, aud that on May 10, Hext. and 
the four following days, at the Agricul¬ 
tural Hail, London, they will have on 
exhibition all the different processes at 
work, together with every variety of ma¬ 
chinery which they can obtain from all 
parts of the world) also in operation for 
the production of samples of wheat flour. 
In this way they hope not only to get that 
of the best quality, but also at the cheap¬ 
est and beBl method of manufacturing it. 
To show the interest now taken in this 
matter, applications are already made for 
559 patents for improvements in machin¬ 
ery, etc. Of these Great Britain and Ire¬ 
land have 103, Austria 46, Belgium 31, 
France 34, German Empire 69, United 
States 221, Canada 27, Italy 10, New 
South Wales 5, Ceylon 1, Spam 6, Victo¬ 
ria 2, India 1, Norway 2, Sweden 1. 
We are glad to see our own countrymen 
so wide awake as to improvements in the 
manufacture of a superior article of flour, 
for it will be a very important assistance 
in obtaining a good market for our large 
and constantly increasing wheat crop. 
Of the above 559 applications for pat¬ 
ents, it seems Americans have made near¬ 
ly one-half. We trust in addition to this 
many of our millers will attend the above 
exhibition, to come off next May in Lon¬ 
don, for in doing so they will learn much 
for their interest and improvement. 
8TEAM PLOWING. 
Much as we excel the rest of the world 
in agricultural implements, both for cul¬ 
tivation and the after-gathering of the 
orops, steam plows, which are highly ex¬ 
tolled and constantly used in Great 
Britain, do not prove a success here. Our 
patent office reports, for many years, show 
how persistently our inventors have pur¬ 
sued this subject, and how they have 
built traction, stationary or locomotive 
engines in a, so far, vain endeavor to 
solve the problem. The Fowler plow in 
England appears to be one of the usual 
requirements of a large farm, and cum¬ 
bersome as it is, it does its work iu a sat¬ 
isfactory manner. Here, where the al¬ 
most measureless fields seem to invite 
this improved labor, horses yet are en¬ 
tirely depended upon to till the ground, 
and we do not spe in any reports of farm 
proceedings any evidenoe of steam being 
now employed in this manner. 
However, the matter is not dead, and 
Mr. Peter J. Macdonald of San Fran¬ 
cisco, has lately patented a new device, 
which presents some novel and apparent¬ 
ly better features than any of the other 
plows. His machine is locomotive, a 
boiler with steam engine attached work¬ 
ing the plowing portion, which consists 
of two arms each about fifteen feet m 
length meeting in the center behind the 
boiler, and running at right angles to it, 
aud supporting each two plow-shares, 
which are pulled toward each other, turn¬ 
ing the soil as they move. When they 
reach each other, they are automatically 
run backward to the ends of the trans¬ 
verse arms, and the whole machine moves 
over the unplowed ground two feet, and 
without any assistance in the change 
from plowing to motion these operations 
are repeated. As the plowing has no 
tendency to move the maohine in any 
direction, it need not be made so heavy 
as to offer more resistance by weight than 
the plow-shares do in their motion, and 
as it is not traveling and plowing at the 
same time, less steam power is required 
than when these efforts occur simultane¬ 
ously. This plow is quite new, and if 
these points are not offset by some un- 
forseen objections, may make a long step 
in the indicated direction. 
-• » » • 
STRIVING FOR THE UNATTAINABLE. 
When Mr. Samuel Patoh first contem¬ 
plated his notorious leap, he remarked 
that “ Some things can be done aB well as 
others.” He lived, or rather died, to 
prove that he was mistaken, and that 
some things are impossible. The Amer¬ 
ican citizen is a sanguine person who, to 
a great extent, believes that all things 
are possible—at least to him. So there 
is a general restlessness prevalent, an 
ambitious desire to emulate, and Bur- 
pass, if possible, every startling occur¬ 
rence. This is observable in every direc¬ 
tion. When Dexter made his wonderful 
record, and some men thought the high¬ 
est possible sj.eed had been obtained, 
others set about reducing it, and at short 
intervals we have been surprised by an¬ 
nouncements that this and that record 
has been lowered, until now a mile has 
been trotted in 2:10|. By and by it will 
be down to two minutes, perhaps. And 
will that be the end ? Who can say, in 
view of what is passing before us iu every 
direction, what the unattainable may be ? 
A noted cow yields nearly 700 pounds of 
butter in a year, the value of which, at the 
ordinary market price for the .best cream¬ 
ery only, would be $210. Such a fact is 
like lead to the aspirations of the average 
dairyman. Can he ever attain to such 
success himself ? Aud he makes up his 
mind that it is beyond hope, and goes on 
in a sort of desponding way with his 150- 
pound cow and hie $30 a year as her in¬ 
come, and gazes on vacancy in his 
thoughtfulness with a very sail counte¬ 
nance, because some things are beyond 
his reach. And in other directions other 
men feel similarly. But is this a light 
and proper determination ? By no means. 
If men had never striven after what is 
unattainable, they would never have 
reached what haB* been attained. Years 
and years ago the old alchemists spent 
their lives in efforts to transmute base 
metals into gold, and to discover a liquid 
which should make life self-sustaining 
and snatch the victory from disease and 
death. For centuries men have worked 
and worked to discover perpetual motion. 
It may be safe to say that these laborers 
could never havo reached what they de¬ 
sired to attain. But the whole scienco of 
chemistry and mechanics is based on the 
discoveries of those old investigators, 1 
made during those futile efforts, and we 
are to-day reaping the rewards of their 
labors : and it is the same to-day as it 
was, and it will ever be as it is to-day. 
Therefore let no one be discouraged or 
despair because something is presented to 
him which he fears may be unattainable. 
Let us all strive for the very highest 
point. If we do not reach it'wo shall 
make some progress towards it, and that 
will be reward enough to give us hope 
and courage^ 
- +-*-<> - 
BREVITIES. 
It would appear from various tests made 
with Early Amber Caue in the middle portions 
of New York State that the production of mo- 
la«ses from it is considered profitable. 
A substitute for leather is now clearly de¬ 
manded as one ot the. new industries of the 
country. Over $30,000,000 worth of raw hides 
were imported during the past year. 
Some of the least exhaustive products for 
export from a country are glucose and starch 
as made from Indian corn. They carry no min¬ 
eral fertilizers, being wholly the product of 
the atmosphere. 
Respectful notice, with many thanks, isgiv- 
en to our correspondents that the Corn Num¬ 
ber of the Rural New Youker is fully sup¬ 
plied with articles, and those, too, of a class 
that cannot fail to instruct every thoughtful 
reader. 
Tub importations of sugar for the past year 
were to the value of $75,000 000, representing 
75.000,000 bushels of wheat sent away to pay 
for it. With (he half dozen beet sugar fac¬ 
tories now in successful operation, and some¬ 
thing over 200.000 acres of sorghum grown 
the past season there is a promise that the 
time of this outgo may be limited. 
The want of amber cane mills of a char¬ 
acter to do exact work, and ot sufficient 
capacity to ensure the economical grinding, 
evaporation and reduction of the product, 
is seriously felt all over the Western States at 
this time. A crude product for home use may 
be made by each farmer, but there is economy 
in a mill that will do the work for from 25 to 
50 farms. 
As we have noted in onr news columns, a 
flock of sheep in Now Jersey was attacked 
during the night by dogs, and sixty-one killed 
and twenty-one mutilated. Facts like these 
should he kept before the public. It was hut 
a short time since that the flock of Mr. Far- 
well, (Iowa), was attacked, hy a lot of curs, 
nineteen ot which were killed and several 
more or less mutilated. Some were driven 
into the river and others driven iar away. 
Twentv sixth Annual Meeting — The 
Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Western 
New York Horticultural Society, will be held 
in the Common Council Chamber, (New City 
Ilall.) Rochester N Y., commencing Wednes¬ 
day, January 2b, 1881, at II oclock. A. M.. and 
continuing two or three days. Farmers, Fruit 
Growers, Nurserymen, all who are interested 
in Horticulture, and citizens of Rochester and 
vicinity, are cordially invited to attend. All 
will be free to participate in the discussions. 
Ok the many causes that contribute to the 
future prosperity of Kausas not the least 
effective is the constitutional amendment 
lately adopted, prohibiting Ihc manufacture or 
sale of intoxicating liquors within its borders. 
The law is being rigidly enforced against the 
manufacturers of liquor, and in many of the 
cities local dealers are voluntarily abandoning 
the sale of it. The Governor believes ibat by 
the middle of January thoru will not be a dis¬ 
tillery and rectifying establish men tor saloon in 
the State. What a fine example this, one of 
the youngest of our States, is setting before 
its elders—and in the West, too, the We6t 
which has the reputation of being a heavy 
drinker. 
The alarming prevalence of diptheria suggests 
the publication of several remedies. As a pre¬ 
ventive where the disease is feared, a mixture 
of equal parte of carbolic acid and glycerine, 
and putting 15 drops of tbe mixture in a glass 
of water, and giving a teaspoonful tbreo or 
four times a day, is recommended by Brooklyn 
physicians. If sore throats, gargle with 15 
drops in a gla*6s of water. The toliowing is 
given as a remedy in the early stages of the 
disease. “Stir a teaspoonful of flour of sul¬ 
phur in a wine glass of water aud give it to the 
patient to gargle the,throat with. In ten miu- 
utes the patient will show improvement. In « 
treme cases, when the fungus has grown to 
such an extent as to preclude the possibility of 
gargling, blow the sulphur down the throat 
with a quill. This may cause the fuugus to 
contract, and then gargling should be resorted 
to. Or take live coals in a shovel and Bprinide 
a couple of spoonfuls of the sulphur on them, 
and let the patient inhale the fume6. This 
will kill the fungU8.”(! ?) 
The National Board of Trade in session at 
Washington, state in their reports on the pub¬ 
lic health, that they have investigated the 
purpose aud scope of the Natioual Board of 
Health, and recommend that Congress should 
make an appropriation for continuing the 
work already begun, and to enlarge the scope 
of the board in a series of original investiga¬ 
tions concerning the prevalence and causes of 
our most fatal diseases, aud also to a series of 
analyses bearing upon the adulteration of 
food, which are now being made in different 
parts of the country. The board recommend 
to Congress the passage of an act prohibiting 
any person or corporation from seliiug or 
offering for sale any article of food or drugs 
adulterated within the meaning of the pro¬ 
ofed act, and defines carefully what ahull be 
eemed to be adulteration. In order to carry 
into effect the provisions of the act in regard 
to the examination of imported and domestic 
food and drugs, the Secretary of the Treasury 
is authorized to appoint, from names submitted 
to him by tbe National Board of Health, suita¬ 
bly qualified persons as public analysists and as 
special inspectors to examine and report 
violations of the proposed law. 
