FEB 23 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
424 
&\)t fyexhsnum. 
NOTES BY A STOCKMAN. 
It is part of our American system to get up 
a boom and then work it for all it is worth. 
Just now this system is being stretched to the 
thinnest attenuation by the United States 
Treasury Cattle Commission who—to use a 
common expression among wicked people— 
have got a soft thing. Cattle diseases have 
been investigated and investigated for a great 
many years, and still they are investigated 
and will be so long as the investigators keep 
( he copious teat of the United States Treasury 
between their jaws. A million more for in¬ 
vestigating cattle diseases!! and then how 
many more millions before any one practical 
thing is done. If any practical man suggests 
that the farmers take better precautions in re¬ 
gard to the health of their stock, the whole 
bevy of investigators are down upon him with 
a hue and cry to the effect that contagious 
diseases cannot be prevented, nor can they be 
cured, and sanitary precautions are of no 
avail. Well t.heu let us say with the bearded 
Turk: “Mashallali! it is useless to strive 
against the inevitable: therefore, let us give 
tip all this costly and frivolous investigation; 
for what can't be prevented or cured, must be 
endured.” 
*** 
Just here I want to put two and two 
together, and find the result of a little investi¬ 
gation of my own. Dr. Salmon, it is reported, 
is investigating chicken cholera on an experi¬ 
mental farm at Washington. In his reports 
made in t.lie Agricultural Department Re¬ 
ports lie says he has found no remedy; but he 
hopes ho will be able to show that by means 
of an attenuated virus chickens can be in¬ 
oculated and made cholera-proof. He has 
said the same of hog cholera, and hopes the 
same of that disease. 
*** 
Now I notice in a certain journal the fol¬ 
lowing advertisement: “ Use Dr. Salmon’s 
Hog Cholera Specific, chicken powder,” etc., 
etc., warranted to prevent and cure hog 
cholera ; to cure chicken cholera, etc., etc. 
V 
And then I wonder if these two Dr. Sal¬ 
mons are the same “Monsieur Tonson come 
again,” or are they brothers or uncles or 
cousins' If they are, there is a big screw- 
loose in this chicken cholera investigating 
business, or else in the cholera specific busi¬ 
ness. If they are uot, should not the Dr. Sal¬ 
mon—U . S. chicken cholera investigator— 
take special pains to prevent the use of his 
name in this connection? 
**# 
Now I affirm in spite of all the investiga¬ 
tors and other objectors that good sanitary 
regulations will prevent hog cholera and 
chicken cholera, just as they prevent the simi¬ 
lar disease, human cholera, as well as yellow 
fever, scarlet fever and other virulent dis¬ 
eases. It is the concentrated nastiness of the 
system of keeping and feeding our live stock, 
especially swine and fowls that produces and 
encourages those diseases; and all the investi¬ 
gations in regard to inoculation with attenu¬ 
ated virus, and all the talk about these virulent 
diseases are merely a thiu excuse for drawing 
on the public purse for appropriations. 
*** 
It is exceedingly injurious. I don’t blame 
the Germans and French and English people 
for being alarmed about our diseased meats. 
If we need a million dollars to investigate 
contagious and fatal animal diseases, that is 
proof enough to foreigners that we must have 
a fearfuJ amount of disease among our live 
stock. If I kept a provision store and hung 
out a yellow flag iu front of it and posted 
bills to the effect that I had several scientific 
persons investigating my diseased meats and 
trying to find a cure for the diseases of the 
beeves and pigs, etc., etc., whose meat I was 
selling, how could I reasonably complain if my 
customers kept away from my shop? 
Which reminds mo of a story that is appli¬ 
cable here. A noted sausage maker did a 
thriving business and everybody said what ex¬ 
cellent sausages he made and how cheap they 
were, and his store was crowded all the time 
with purchasers. But an envious competitor 
determined to stop this golden stream of 
wealth which poured into the pocket of this 
sausage maker. Watching his opportunity 
when the store was crowded, he rushed in 
with a bob veal on his shoulder and two dead 
dogs neatly skinned all but the paws and the 
grinning heads, and dashed them down on the 
counter, saying,“This finishes my lot Mr, —, 
I will come iii to-morrow and settle.” Of 
course, the purchasers fled uud stopped buying 
sausages at that store. Ts uot this about what 
the U. S. Treasury Cattle Commission and all 
the investigators of live stock diseases are do¬ 
ing? 
*** 
In a reeent'paper I saw a fierce article 
against the German and French people for 
their antipathy to our pork on account of 
their fear of trichinae in it, and the writer 
avers there is no such thing in this country. 
Directly following this is a report of two seri¬ 
ous cases of trichinosis in a Western town 
caused by eating sausages! It is a fact that 
the actual consumption of pork in France has 
fallen off seriously and the price has fallen 18 
per cent. That shows that the scare is a real 
one and that the French people are refusing 
to eat pork. And yet there is no more of this 
parasitic disease now than there ever has 
been and no more here than in Europe. It is 
all a natural consequence of our system of sen¬ 
sational journalism, which sacrifices truth to 
notoriety. Not long ago the papers were 
full of pictures of this parasite and long de¬ 
scriptions of it, and ignorant writers who did 
not know perhaps that they themselves might 
have a few millions of the nasty things en¬ 
cysted in their muscles and that their grand¬ 
fathers and fathers njay have hail the same, 
made a great fuss about this new and strange 
and very dreadful disease. You can scarcely 
take up a paper but there is something in it 
about live-stock diseases here and there and 
all over; most of which is greatly exaggerated 
and some of it quite untrue. But a few pro¬ 
fessors and politicians make money out of it, 
and so the excitement is kept up, to the very 
great detriment of our great live stock inter¬ 
ests. 
RAISING ONE’S OWN BEEF. 
I read a great deal about live stock in the 
Rural, but I have not yet seen any account 
of a farmer’s raising his own beef. I have 
only six acres of land; a part is covered with 
buildings; a part is in garden, the rest is 
meadow and pasture. I keep two cows and 
raise a calf for beef each year. On December 
2 last I butchered one that had been dropped 
on March 30. The quarters weighed 836 
pounds; the hide 56 pounds, and I got ten quarts 
of tallow after the fat was tried out. I 
sold one quarter for $8, which was more than 
I paid for the meal for feed. After the calf 
was six weeks old, it was fed no new milk, 
but it got all the waste skim-milk from the 
two cows, together with a little hay. It was 
not turned out to pasture, or given any green 
feed. “ an 18-year SUBSCRIBER." 
3ntmstr’l Societies. 
WINTER MEETING OF THE ONTARIO 
FRUIT-GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
[Rural Special Report.] 
The Ontario (Canada) Fruit-Growers' Asso¬ 
ciation is probably the largest and most pros¬ 
perous society of its kind in existence. It re¬ 
ceives yearly $3,000 from as many members. 
The Provincial Government appropriates an¬ 
nually |I,800 to it, and in addition prints and 
binds iu good shape a sufficient number of its 
reports to supply all its members. Each 
member receives the Canadian Horticulturist, 
a monthly periodical published by the society 
and edited by the Secretary, D. W. Beadle; 
also a copy of the annual report, and, beside 
these, the society distributes free each year, 
to each member for trial and introduction, a 
plant, tree or shrub of some new or rare va¬ 
riety, so that really it gives each member 
much more than the worth of his dollar. It is 
able to do this only by the extended govern¬ 
ment aid. 
Cauada is not the cold, frozen, barren coun¬ 
try many of our people have been wout to 
think it, for it has a large amount of very ex¬ 
cellent fruit-growing country; notably that 
portion lying betweeu Lakes Erie, Ontario, 
St. Clair. Huron, and the Georgian Bay. The 
basin lying south of and bordering Lake On¬ 
tario, produces the finest peaches, grapes aud 
other fruits in large quantities, aud at great 
profit. In the territory first named aud aloug 
the north shore of I^ake Ontario, and border¬ 
ing on the St. Lawrence River, apples, pears, 
plums and small fruits grow finely and pro¬ 
duce abundantly, and grapes need only to be 
cut loose from their trellis each Winter to en¬ 
dure the climate aud pay well. Canadian ap. 
pies are of fine appearance, good quality, aud 
take first rank in the English markets. 
Woodstock is a thriving city situated uear 
the center of the first-mentioned fruit region, 
and it was here January 80 and 81 that the 
large and enthusiastic Winter meeting of this 
society was held. 
The President, Mr. Wm. Saunders, author 
of “Insects Injurious to Fruits,” in his open¬ 
ing address congratulated the society on its 
prosperity. He said Cauada had too long 
neglected the orchard, by tar the most profit¬ 
able part of the farm, but through the teach¬ 
ings of this society and the example of its 
members, new interest was being awakened, 
and new life infused into this industry. Fruit 
growers were a generous class. They had no 
secrets, but were willing to share their knowl¬ 
edge and experience with each other, thus 
largely benefiting all. In a short time Cana¬ 
da must take a prominent place, especially 
among apple growers. In the discussion that 
followed the general opinion expressed was 
in favor of largely extending orchard plant¬ 
ing, though failures sometimes occurred. The 
average profit per annum for ten years was 
placed at not less than $100 per acre. 
One or two new Canadian seedlings were 
mentioned, yet all agreed that for profit those 
old sorts, Golden Russet, Roxbury Russet 
Greening, Baldwin, Newtown Pippin, North¬ 
ern Spy and Spitzenberg were the best, in the 
order named. From many experiments made 
in shipping it was decided that wrapping 
apples separately in tissue paper, or the use 
of a package better than the ordinary barrel 
did not pay. Close planting was denounced 
as one of the wily tricks of the nurserymen to 
sell large numbers of trees. They should 
never be planted uear enough so that the tope 
would ever meet. They were bound to raise 
apples away up in the cold North above 45}$'', 
and were experimenting with the Russian 
varieties, by training them low so that the 
tops should shade the trunks, and mulching 
the soil gave great hopes. 
The discussion of “Non-professional Flori¬ 
culture” showed a large amount of ac¬ 
curate knowledge of flowers and their cul¬ 
ture among the farmers. The practice of 
creating a fashionable craze over some gaudy 
flower, like the sunflower, was strongly con¬ 
demned; there was abundant room for fools 
to show their foolishness in dress without dese¬ 
crating the love for beautiful flowers. The 
culture of flowers to those who really love 
them is a recreation, not a labor, and in the 
hands of those who love them they seem to 
thrive almost everywhere. The increase of 
varieties, the improvement of bloom and the 
extension of culture iu the past few years have 
been alike wonderful and encouraging. Roses 
are the most beautiful and queenly of all 
flowers, but the most subject to disease and 
insects, and the most difficult to raise. No pro¬ 
tection for the half-hardy sorts is so good as 
to tie them to a stake and surround them with 
long rye straw tied to a taller stake. 
Apples for feeding purposes were declared 
to compare as 9 to 11 with beets, and as9 to 15 
with potatoes. They were a very healthful 
food, but since the advent of the evaporator 
none but the most inferior should be fed. 
When used as food they should always be ac¬ 
companied with some dry and rich food, such 
as bran and corn-meal, etc. 
“Horticulture in the Schools” was a fruitful 
theme. Secretary Garfield, of Michigan, 
whose heart is in this work, said we spend 
years in teaching children those things they 
will never have occasion to use, and do not 
attempt to teach them the office of different 
parts of a plant, and how many knew the dif¬ 
ference between a vegetable and a fruit, and 
yet these are our daily bread. No cne thing 
so enlivened the school-grounds and so drew 
the children as beautiful flowers. If we were 
to give some time to the teaching of horticul¬ 
ture in the schools we should not see so many 
desolate farm grounds. They had made a be¬ 
ginning in Michigan and were greatly en¬ 
couraged. 
Dr. Beadle said a large proportion of Cana¬ 
dian homes had a barn-yard, a wagon-yard, 
or a pig-yard in front, and between the 
dwelling-house and the highway, and how 
could we expect refinement in such homes. 
He was in favor of teaching botany and hor¬ 
ticulture in all schools aud he would try to 
change the order of Things by changing the 
tastes of the children. Mr. Wright said the 
study of botany in the schools would necessa¬ 
rily induce the culture of flowers, and he 
never yet saw a school-house filled with and 
surrounded by flowers that was not a model 
school. 
Mr. Woodward, of New York, said, in our 
dreams of Heaven, whether waking or sleep¬ 
ing, we always see grassy slopes, beautiful 
trees and fragrant flowers; how repulsive 
would be a Heaven like most of our school 
grounds and country homes, bare, bleak and 
desolate! No one would care to go there. 
Certainly, it is proper that we should make 
our homes attractive by making them beauti¬ 
ful. To do this requires good aud cultivated 
tastes. The proper place, next to home, to 
cultivate our taste, is the school. We should 
not only teach theoretical horticulture in the 
schools, but should insist that every school- 
house should be surrounded by shrubs aud 
flowers. Property surroundiug a tasty school 
ground Is always more sought after, aud the 
dooryards of such neighborhoods always show 
the effects of the good influence. Teach the 
children, by all rneaus, at the schools the struc¬ 
ture, uses and care of flowers, trees and shrubs 
and they will certainly beautify the home, 
and.be more contented aud happy. 
The English sparrow was given a bad name; 
no one had a good word for the little tramp. 
It was unanimously decided he must go. 
“ How to make him,” is the perplexing ques¬ 
tion. 
The society and its American guests were 
very agreeably entertained at a banquet given 
by the Board of Trade and City Council. The 
sentiments expressed showed a warm, broth¬ 
erly feeling between the two peoples and a 
firm determination always to remain friends. 
In responding to the toast, “The President 
of the United States,” one of the Americans, 
in a humorous speech, incidentally alluded to 
a union of the two countries, and was loudly 
cheered by a large proportion of the audience. 
This sentiment is growing on both sides of 
the line, and sooner or later will bring both 
into one. w. 
THE EYE-OPENER. 
Be careful about what you sign. We notice 
in a Western “exchange" that roofing paint 
swindlers in Lane County, Ill., give 10 gallons 
of paint to introduce their goods, but alter the 
signed order to one for a hundred or two gal¬ 
lons. the price of which an accomplice present¬ 
ly calls around to collect. Quiet, inoffensive 
and well-to-do farmers, who wouldn’t think of 
shooting the rogues, are selected for this 
“. business." This caution will apply to orders, 
etc., for many other things as well as for roof¬ 
ing-paint. 
The Galvanic Girdle Company, 21 Park 
Row, New York, was exposed in this place in 
the Rural of January 5, last, on page 5. 
Our warning, however, seems not to have 
been noticed by some of our friends, who have 
been swindled by it. The u five-dollar girdle” 
it promises in its circular to send “abso¬ 
lutely free,” on receipt of 46 cents, for post¬ 
age, packing, etc., is a piece of cotton braid 
three-quarters of an Inch wide, to which 
five small copper and five zinc buttons are 
fastened with a bit of copper wire, a cheap 
brass buckle being secured at one end. The 
whole thing would be dear at 10 cents, even if 
it were of any earthly use. This is sent by 
mail for a two cent stamp Out of the 46 cents 
asked for postage, packing, etc., therefore at 
least 35 cents are clear gain. 
In the Rural of February 2 weexposed the 
“rottenness" of E. V. Tiffany & Co., of 105 
and 107 Fulton Street, this city. We are still 
receiving a large number of inquiries about 
the rascals. At the best what is left of $300 
after lawyers'fees. etc.etc., are paid, is all 
that will remain to be divided among the 
dupes to whom the concern owes $15,000. One 
correspondent says that after a delay, he got 
what he ordered from the Arm. Why, of 
course, he did. Such concerns must fill some 
orders in whole or part; otherwise they would 
be exposed before they had made a pile of any 
decent size. 
The Trunk Game is a swindle that is very 
commonly practiced. To work it only a very 
little money is needed for postage, some 
printed letter paper and envelopes, and a list 
of rural addresses, which can be readily 
bought from parties who make a business of 
collecting such things. The letter paper has 
generally the cut of a large hotel and a neat 
heading printed on it; the envelopes are sim¬ 
ilarly adorned. To each of the addresses col¬ 
lected (often several hundred) a letter is ad¬ 
dressed like this: 
Prospect Hotel. St. Louis. 
John Smith, Esq., SmlthvlUe: 
Dear SIR:—Your brother Henry, who has been 
stopping with us for a few days, died suddenly in 
his room last night. The house surgeon says he 
died of heart disease. He was writing you a letter 
at the time, the written portion of which we Inclose. 
His body Is now with Brown * Jones, undertakers, 
1.197 Brood Street, awaiting your orders. His effects, 
consisting of a lorge trunk full of wearing apparel* 
a heavy repeating gold watch with gold neck-chain, 
a diamond pin and a new revolver, will be' for 
warded to you by express on receipt of *20, the 
amount of his board bill due us. Permit us to ex¬ 
press our regrets that you should suffer this loss. 
Respectfully yours. j. 
N. B.—You can send a *20 bill loose in a well sealed 
envelope. 
The unfinished letter reads thus: 
Henry Smith, Esq.. SmithvUle: 
Dear Bro:—Although not f— 
This is written in a different hand entirely, 
and the last two words are jumbled up. The 
fellow who gets the letter may have no 
brother at all. but he thinks he will get a gold 
repeater and a diamond pin and a gold neck- 
ehaiu and a new revolver for $20. He may 
wonder how it happened that the deceased 
was writing to him, but in his desire to get 
portable property he does not reason much. 
As much as $500 to $700 have been swooped 
in by ''working this racket” once. 
We have had several complaints against D. 
C. Thompson. Broadway, New York, and 
would not advise anybody to have anything 
to do with him. 
The same maybe said of H. C. Wilkinson & 
Co., 195 and 197 Fulton Street, New- York. 
Verbum sap . 
