436 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Conducted by 
ELBKRT S. CARMAK, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row. New York 
Address 
SATURDAY, MARCH 1 , 1884. [ 
— 1 
We have received the following essays s 
in competition for the Rural prizes; 
Class 1.— 019 . Class VI.— 24. , 
“ II.—141. “ VII.—19- j 
“ III.—37. “ VIII.—46. J 
“ IV.—20. “ IX.—21. 
“ V.—35. “ X.—36. 
Thus we have a total of 598 essays! 
The judges will be engaged at least 10 
days in reading classes I and II, and the I 
prizes will be announced immediately 
thereafter, and then publication begun. 
-- 
Look at the land you intend to pur¬ 
chase, after a long, hard rain. 
---- 
The best treat that Rural readers have 
ever had in store will be found to be the 
Rural Pnze Essays. 
-» - 
AVe would now feel greatly obliged if 
our friends would forward their renewals 
of subscriptions one week or ten days be¬ 
fore they expire. AVe can no longer sup¬ 
ply back numbers, 
- ♦ -- 
It is very gratifying to us that so many 
of our readers have succeeded in growing 
vines from the Niagara Grape seeds of the 
Rural's last seed distribution. Two or 
three years hence w r e shall hope to receive 
bunches of the grapes from them and to 
find many worthy of being drawn and en¬ 
graved. 
a - 
Of upwards of 100 different kinds of 
potutoes raised last season, only two^ seed- 
balls formed on those from which it was 
desired to save seeds. Our plan of rais¬ 
ing seedling potatoes, as has been stated 
several times, is to sow the seeds in iiower 
pots now ; transplant when three or four 
leaves have formed to little (three-inch) 
pots, turning these out in the open ground 
with the soil intact when there is no 
longer fear of frosts. 
We hope to announce the prize-takers 
for the best, articles on the ten subjects 
announced several months ago, and to be¬ 
gin their puhlicatiou early in March. AVe 
are very glad that so many have competed 
lor these prizes as the great interest which 
our readers take m them is thus shown. 
Several months will be required for our 
artists to draw the plans of barns, corn- 
cribs and labor-saving contrivances which 
have been received under class VIII. 
--*—-♦- 
Jonathan Talcott writes us that he 
fears the corn and oats of the Rural 
Seed Distribution will be too late for his 
latitude (Rome, N. Y.) as the oats are 
confessedly late oats and it is his experi¬ 
ence that all late are more liable to rust 
aud blast than early ones. It may be true 
as to the oats, but we have hopes that the 
corn will mature. He further says that 
he has some fine heads of the W elcome 
and Triumph Oats grown by him last year. 
through old stable manure. You will 
have berries which will surprise you and 
which will take the premium at the fairs. 
--—♦ —♦- 
An old friend and contributor to the 
Rural, who has had a life-long experi¬ 
ence with live-stock and whose opinion 
everywhere carries weight, writes us; “If 
Congress doesn’t pass a general law pro¬ 
viding plenty of money to stamp ^out 
pleuro-pneumonia and other contagious 
diseases of live stock, they will commit 
horrible destruction among our cattle, 
sheep and swine, as they have been doing 
for half a century or so in the United 
Kingdom. I am astonished to see so 
much opposition to the bill on this sub¬ 
ject now before Congress, more particu¬ 
larly in some Chicago papers and by the 
stock-dealers there ” 
- « * > — - * 
AVe are heartily glad that the Rural 
New-Yorker has had no hand in the ad¬ 
vocacy of ensilage. If the crazy-headed 
ensilage people had listened to the con¬ 
servative wordsof Dr. Lawes, of England, 
and of Prof. S. W. Johnson, of this coun¬ 
try, as they were kindly furnished to the 
Rural in the beginning of the craze, 
hundreds of people would have been 
saved hundreds of dollars. The wealthy 
could have made the tests—the poor could 
then have been guided by the results. 
There may be something good in ensilage, 
but we believe there is a deal of bad about 
it as well, and the two are yet to be 
separated. Then, readers, you will know 
what to do. Until then, rest in peace 
without silos. 
--- 
As anticipated here last week, a bill has 
been introduced into Congress, by Senator 
Logan, to provide for the appointment of 
inspectors of live stock, Oressed meats 
and hog products intended for foreign 
shipment, the inspectors to be located in 
the custom districts where their services 
may be needed, but not more than six to 
be appointed in any district. The exami¬ 
nation of meats is not to be compulsory; 
but on the application of a packer, and 
the payment of “ reasonable fees and 
charges,” the inspector will examine the 
products and furnish a written certificate 
setting forth the time and place of the ex¬ 
amination and the condition and quality 
of the articles examined. It is expected 
that the meats, the sound condition of 
which is thus officially certified, will find 
such ready sale in the European markets 
that the cost of inspection will be easily 
repaid. 
companies by the Railroad Shareholders 
Association, stating that the object, is to 
raise an immense fund to defeat legisla¬ 
tion in all railroad matters, to secure the 
repeal of existing laws, and the abolition 
of railroad commissioners in all States in 
which they exist, and railroad sharehold¬ 
ers are expected to subscribe, the amount 
expected from each being named in the 
circular. AVe art* assured that prominent 
Eastern roads arc allied with the Central 
Pacific to raise this fund. It is expected 
that, by the “ corruption fund” thus col¬ 
lected "Congressional action on the land- 
orant railroads will he defeated, It may 
be that the California paper that is respon¬ 
sible for this announcement is mistaken; 
but resort to such dishonest means of in¬ 
fluencing legislation is so characteristic of 
railroad monopolies that the public are 
quite resdy to give credence to the report. 
AVhat a comment this istipon the immoral¬ 
ity and perniciousness of monopolies! 
---- 
A forcible example of the manner in 
which contagious diseases are spread 
among cattle has just occurred at Deer- 
ing, Me., where twenty-eight head of cat¬ 
tle are afllicted with foot-and-mouth dis¬ 
ease. The disease, as usual, flrst ap¬ 
peared among some animals shipped from 
Liverpool to the Western States by way 
of Portland. After examination on their 
arrival the inspector pronounced them 
free from disease. They were then driven 
to the quarantine station at Deering over 
the public highway, and were followed 
bv a yoke of oxen belonging to a neigh¬ 
boring farmer. In less than two days t he 
symptoms of the disease appeared among 
the quarantined animals, aud in less than 
a week the oxen were affected. Before 
they were secluded, however, they passed 
on the road some cattle belonging to 
another farmer, and since then the ex¬ 
posed animals and others of the same herd 
have, been stricken As this is the first 
authenticated instance of foot-and-mouth 
disease that has appeared in this country 
outside a quarantine station, it has at¬ 
tracted much attention. Dr. Thayci, of 
the Treasury Cattle Commission aud 
other veterinarians, however, say there is 
no doubt of the nature of the malady. 
The utmost care is taken to coniine the 
disease to its present limits. 
------ 
Haven’t you some new plans tor next 
Soring? Can’t you improve upon your 
old-time methods? Try. Try the new 
things which are offered—in a small, very 
small way, but try them The best far- 
MARCH 4 
lion pounds. The Territories and other 
States possessing a million sheep, and 
over, are Colorado, Illinois, Missouii, 
New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and 
Wisconsin. Michigan has two millions 
and a-half, with a wool clip of twelve 
million pounds; while Texas and New 
Mexico have 4,000,000 sheep each, but the 
former produces only seven and the latter 
only four million pounds of wool. Rhode 
Island has only 17,211 sheep with a clip 
of 65,000 pounds, and Delaware has a 
few thousand more of each. Maine, 
Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolinia, 
Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, 
West Virginia and Wyoming Territory 
have about half a million sheep each. 
The total wool production of the country 
is estimated at 175,000,000 pounds. 
Remember this Ruralists (by which 
word we mean “readers of the Rural’ ): 
from now until May more harm is done 
to hardy plants than during the entire 
season "from December until this time. 
Mulches have growu sodden and ineffec¬ 
tual. The ground freezes and thaws in . 
quick alternations. The roots are severed 
—the cells ruptured. Give care now — 
your best, care to the plants you most 
prize. It is our belief that, mulching 
wheat at just this season would do more 
good than if it were done in early Fall. 
Do you want to grow strawberries of 
the largest size—as large as those we read 
about? Select the Sharpless or Longfel¬ 
low or Jucunda or Lincoln and plant 
them in rich soil and keep them scrupu¬ 
lously free of weeds. Cut off every sucker 
as soon as it appears as well as every blos¬ 
som. This for next season. In the 
Spring of next year permit, a few flowers 
to set and then a little later cut off all but 
the largest. Water as often as needed at 
night with water which has passed 
The House Committee on Agriculture 
completed the agricultural appropriation 
bill last Thursday. The aggregate amount 
appropriated is $430,590, an increase of 
about $24,000 over the last appropriation. 
The bill differs from last years appropri¬ 
ation in an increase of $24,000 for the 
Statistical Department, the appropriation 
of $3,000 for the propagation of the tea 
plant, and the refusal to appropriate $10,- 
000 for the reclamation ot arid land by 
sinking artesian wells. The experiments 
hitherto made by the Government in this 
line have met with very little success, but 
two bills have been introduced into Con¬ 
gress for the formation of companies with 
very large capital to sink artesian wells 
for irrigating and stock watering pur¬ 
poses in the “arid region." The Senate 
may make some slight changes in the 
House appropriation bill, but such changes 
will probably be insignificant. 
6 - - 
Last Tuesday Lord Carlingford, Lord 
Privy Seal, introduced a bill into the 
House of Lords, making more strin¬ 
gent regulations with regard to the im¬ 
portation of cattle into the I nited King¬ 
dom from all countries in which contag¬ 
ious diseases may be prevalent. Tins is a 
concession on the part of the Ministry to 
the demands of the agricultuial communi¬ 
ty, On Thursday, the Duke of Richmond, 
• late President of the Royal Agricultural 
Society, offered an amendment u> the bill, 
making it more 3 tnngeut in its re¬ 
strictions upon the importation of loreign 
cattle. The text of the bill has not yet been 
cable but last week Mr. Moffat, tlie agent 
of our Department of Agriculture in Eng¬ 
land, speaking of the probability oi its in¬ 
troduction, while passing through this 
city ,on his return to London, said that 
doubtless it would be almost equivalent to 
a prohibition of importation of cattle from 
any country in which any contagious dis¬ 
ease prevailed. As there is so very little 
of this among our cattle, no tune should 
be lost in stamping that little out. 
i --. 
, According to a telegram from ban 
Francisco, a “confidential circular” has 
[ been sent out to stockholders in railroad 
email. , - 
mers and gardeners we know of try all 
new seeds of promise. They are disap¬ 
pointed in 19 times out of 20; hut the 
one success pays them. Try all the Rural 
seeds now being sent out. 1 be tomato 
seeds will give you not less than ten dif¬ 
ferent kinds and will supply you for the 
future as well as if you paid 25 cents per 
package for each. They are the best and 
latest kinds in cultivation, and the sev¬ 
eral varieties originating at the huial 
Grounds have never been sold. I he corn 
will be found very early, aud we hope 
satisfactory in other respects. I he two 
kinds of peas will not be offered for sale 
in less than two years, so that our readers 
must save all of their seeds. The oats 
are a distinct variety, whatever else they 
may prove to be. The wheat we believe 
to be the hardiest aud most prolific wheat 
in cultivation, and we have tested per¬ 
haps 200 varieties so-called. The Garden 
Treasures we are confident will be found 
to contain some rare plants. 1 repare 
your plots as soon as the soil permits, 
and enter into your tests with a will. You 
will be happier and better for the good 
effort.. 
-- » ♦ -* 
SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE UNITED 
STATES. 
— 
Representative Converse, of Ohio, 
who, some weeks ago, introduced into 
Congress a hill restoring the old duty on 
wool, despairing of success, has, we are 
told, resolved not to press the measure. 
Mr. Hurpster, of the Ohio Wool Growers’ 
Association, however, appears to he re¬ 
solved to agitate the question, and Judge 
Lawrence, of the Treasury Department, 
has furnished some interesting figures on 
sheep husbandry in this country, there 
are now 43,000,000 sheep in the States 
and Territories distributed very unevenly. 
California heads the list with six mil¬ 
lion sheep and an annual clip of seventeen 
million pounds of wool. Ohio comes 
second with five million sheep; but she 
produces twenty-five million pounds of 
wool yearly, beating all others. In¬ 
diana has a million and a halt 
sheep aud raises six million pounds 
of wool, while Kentucky with 
over a million sheep, produces five mil- 
BREVITIES. 
Catalogue notices on page 134. 
AVe are now mailing the seed distribution 
at the rate of 500 a day. 
“ The Rural New-Yorker is the journa 1 
of farm progress.”—Subscriber. 
February 22.—We have just sown our 
strawberry and potato seeds in flower-pots. 
AVhy is it that you can raise a good crop of 
rye on land that will not produce a good yield 
of wheat? We waut to talk about this. 
For home use there is no better raspberry 
than Turner. It is early, sweet, juicy, bright 
in color, and the plants are of the hardiest. 
What more cau you ask? 
If you have any spare land, with no pros¬ 
pect of its being put to remunerative use, 
suppose you plant a few forest trees. It will 
pay, and even if you don’t live to see the day 
of the golden harvest, your children will. 
We want vou, readers, to be worth more 
in dollars aud more in goodness and more in 
farm information next January than you are 
to-day—and this through reading the Rural 
New : Yorker, whatever you may £aiu from 
other sources. 
The prize essays are now in the hands of 
the judges, who have been selected as com¬ 
petent, disinterested men. The editor of the 
R N.-Y. begs to say that he is nut one of the 
judges, and that he will have nothing what¬ 
ever to say in awarding the prizes. 
I HAVE to thank the Rural for all the 
premiums ordered by me which have been 
received in good condition, and of much bet¬ 
ter quality than 1 expected. It pays to work 
for the Rural. e - e - petts. 
Suffolk Co., N. Y. 
AVk are much opposed to the cheap packets 
of seeds now being put up aud advertised by 
seedsmen. There may be one or two good 
kinds iu these packets—the rest are either poor 
kinds or poor seeds. We are in favor of good 
seeds ancl of good prices for them. 
Ark you going to sow asparagus seeds this 
Spring? You will have to wait a year longer 
before the stalks can be cut than if roots were 
planted. But the seeds will cost you but five 
or 10 cents. Better sow the seeds than to 
wait another year before planting roots. 
A CARGO of 300,000 heads of cabbage, winch 
arrived at Hoboken from Germany a few 
days ago consigned to dealers in this city, was 
found to have spoiled on the trip, the ship 
being nearly a month in making the voyage. 
Large shipments of cabbages are now 
being made from Germany. 
Spring is near, and it is time to set the 
hens. But before doing so, do by all means 
clean the bouse of all vermin, iboroughly 
whitewash the premises, clean out the excre¬ 
ments and old straw from the nests. Then 
fumigate the bouse well with flowers of sul¬ 
phur; it will kill all animal life. sure. 
Select a light, warm, sandy loam for your 
sorghum fields. Prepure the laud as you 
would for corn, only harrow it to a tinei sur¬ 
face Plant not until warm, settled weather, 
i Drili in the seeds In rows at least three-and- 
l one-half feet apart, using about two to three 
pounds pel- acre. Mauy use a hat row until 
J the plants are six niches or more high. Clean 
i cultivation is more necessary than for com. 
* In the long run,the farmer will lose money by 
1 imrc haaing at, the auction sales which usually 
Win at this season. Few of us consider that 
an article injured 25 per cent, by use, is not. 
, cheap if sold 20 per cent, less than the regular 
^ price for the article when new. Goods sold 
at auction are generally painted or patched up 
so as to look nearly as good as new. Often¬ 
times, however, they are in reality 
’ out, and in many cases prove to be worthless. 
n We know no advice better or more proflta- 
‘ blP than this, viz.: Study your market. 
The time of planting is about nt baud, ami 
the question is, what shall. 1 pluut. 11 you 
s’ wish to make money, don? plant potato®, 
>. cabbages, or whatever it may be, simply he¬ 
re cause all your neighbors are doing w. &J* 
1 tile verv reason why yon should not. 1 lam 
something which seems likeliest to have a de- 
111 maud' something of which you cau monopo¬ 
ly hwr the market. This is old advice, but as 
B8 good as Government bonds, 
y. A friend writes us: "1 received to-day the 
1- seeds of the Rural Free Seed Distribution. 
, n Thanks. 1 had a curiosity to see the pea 
U needs aud. to my surprise, the package ot 
^ New-Yorker seeds were alive with weevils. I 
tie found ten of them, and eight of the seeds " ere 
Of eaten. Would it not be well to advise> your 
readers to examine their i>ea seeds and pie 
vent further destruction ny these vermin. 
We hope they may not prove so badly injure 
ds aloKrleml reports. AVe have, however, 
til done the best we could. The stock was hunted, 
il- aud we were obliged to seud it or none. 
