484 
JULY 26 
T H E 
RURAL NLW'YORKLR, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Home 
Conducted by 
K. 8. CABMAN, 
J. 8. WOOUWABD, 
Editor. 
Associate. 
ities” of the soil; and as no one knows 
what these “capabilities” are, this proviso 
is sure to lead to much litigation. A 
great principle, however, has been affirm¬ 
ed in the declaration that compensation 
for improvements is due to the tenant, 
and the present act is sure to be followed 
by more effective legislation sooner or 
later. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW - V ORKER, 
No. S4 Pabk Row, New York. 
SATURDAY. JULY 26, 1884. 
We sent several heads of our cross-bred 
wheat and rye to Prof. Thomas Meehan, 
who replies as follows; “As far as I can 
judge from the specimen before me, you 
have a genuine hybrid, and the fact is 
very interesting, indeed.” 
♦ ' — 
The Rural Nkw-Yokker begs to offer 
$10 for the largest potato, without prongs 
or secondary tubers, delivered, postage or 
expressage prepaid, at this office before 
November 1st. The name of the sender 
should be written on the wrapper, and the 
variety and manner of cultivation should 
be stated by postal card. 
Prok. W. J. Beal, of the Michigan 
Agricultural College, has always shown 
himself the friend of right-doing. The 
Rural has had occasion more than once 
to thank him for frank, fearless advice. 
In a private note just received (and we 
are not sure he wiil be pleased that we 
should print any part of it) he says: “One 
of the very strongest points of the Rural 
has always been that the Editor would 
not speak well of a new fruit or plant, or 
anything else, for money—not unless he 
really thought, it worthy, and he has 
made many of us readers believe that this 
is his way of doing. It will pay in money 
to continue this plan, and of course in 
satisfaction. 1 well remember when he 
hesitated about printing my second set, of 
articles giving the results of seed tests. 
The next mail brought a letter saying, 
‘Send on; 1 will print them, let what will 
be the result. T am ashamed of my hesi¬ 
tation.’ ” 
Like Begets Like is as true in veget¬ 
able as in animal physiology. It will pay 
to go through the fields and select enough 
seed for a breeding pilot. Heads enough 
of wheat, oats or barley can soon be picked 
to plant one-fortieth of an acre.—a plot 
33x33 feet. It is but little work to go 
through the variety of potatoes which you 
wish to retain, and mark with suitable 
stakes those hills—models in every way 
—from which you wish to select seed for 
the breeding plots, A few hours are 
enough to go through a small part of the 
corn field where this corn is most promis¬ 
ing, and cut the tassels from every stalk 
not in every way perfect, and which does 
not contain in addition two or more ear- 
sets. A few hours spent in these ways 
would certainly result in a better strain ol‘ 
seeds, and a few years of persistent selec¬ 
tion -would show that “blood would tell,” 
even in plants. 
Thk English Agricultural Holdings 
Act., from the operation of which English 
tenant-farmers hoped for much relief, 
fails to give them satisfaction, and there 
is cause to fear that it will not be much 
more beneficial than the abortive act of 
1875 was. It came into operation only 
on the first of this year, and already the 
influence of the landlords and the argu¬ 
ments of their lawyers have induced many 
tenants to enter into agreements which 
will render its provisions of no material 
advantage to them. The law, it is true, 
provides that agreements renouncing rec¬ 
ompense for temporary improvements, 
such as manuring, chalking, and liming, 
arc void unless “fair and reasonable com¬ 
pensation” be afforded by means of priv¬ 
ate contract; but as there is no definition 
of a “ fair and reasonable compensation,” 
tenants are induced to accept, a mere nom¬ 
inal award, and few of them will have 
the spirit to appeal to the courts 
to upset their unfair contracts. As 
for permanent improvements, with the 
exception of drainage, the act does not 
provide compensation for them, except 
where the landlord’s consent to their ex¬ 
ecution has been obtained, and the con¬ 
sent is generally withheld; and where a 
tenant holds under a six months’ notice to 
quit, he will not dare to drain without 
the landlord’s consent. The standard of 
compensation laid down is the value of 
the improvements to the incoming tenant, 
less what is due to the “inherent capabil¬ 
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA. 
Recently a report came from Ottawa, the 
capital of Canada, that a reciprocity treaty 
between the Dominion and the United 
States had been negotiated, and would 
shortly be announced. For some months 
it had been known that the project of 
such a treaty was under discussion, and 
hence credit was generally given to the 
rumor. Secretary of State Frelinghuysen, 
however, has just, declared that no treaty 
of the kind has been negotiated between 
the two countries. From the first, at¬ 
tempt at a reciprocity treaty with Canada 
in 1847, the measure has always met with 
a strong opposition in this country, and 
to-day the opposition is as active and 
vigilant as it ever was. The arguments 
against it have been lengthy, but may be 
briefly summarized as follows: 
First: such treaties have heretofore put 
money into no American pockets except 
those of a few traders, who did a remun¬ 
erative commission business, so that free¬ 
traders alone now advocate such a 
measure. Second: it is doubtful whether 
treaties which touch the revenue can be 
negotiated in the ordinary constitutional 
way—by the President with the approval 
of the Senate—and a? the House of Repre¬ 
sentatives alone is invested with authority 
to originate legislation affecting the rev¬ 
enue, it is thought that the correct, 
method for securing such u treaty would 
be by legislation originating in t hat body. 
Third: the proposed treaty would be em¬ 
barrassing in view of “the most favored 
nation” clause in our treaties with other 
countries, as equally favorable terms 
might, be claimed by other nations 
with whom we have such treaties. 
Fourth : Canada not being an independent 
Government., a reciprocity treaty with the 
Dominion would imply that we must ne¬ 
gotiate with England, and this country 
has been put to a disadvantage in all our 
treaties with Great Britain. Tn the pres¬ 
ent. case such a treaty would open our 
markets to the products of Canadian soil, 
while Canadians would continue to pur¬ 
chase manufactured goods from the Mo¬ 
ther Country. Fifth: at present the fede¬ 
ral relations in Canada are strained; the 
interests of the different provinces are not 
identical; and this is not therefore a hope¬ 
ful time to establish the commercial rela¬ 
tions of the two countries on a new basis 
on mutually advantageous terms. Sixth: 
recent tariff debates in the Dominion Par¬ 
liament do not indicate a feeling suffi¬ 
ciently friendly towards a renewal of reci¬ 
procal commercial relations; and there ap¬ 
pears to be a determination here that such 
a treaty shall be conceded only on solicita¬ 
tion from the other side. Seventh: the 
disputes between our fishermen and those 
of the Dominion with regard to the joint 
ownership of the Canadian shore fisheries, 
have produced a great deal of bitterness 
in maritime New England, and the vio¬ 
lent. and unlawful conduct of the New¬ 
foundland fishermen towards those of the 
United States has never been properly 
condemned by the Canadian authorities, 
nor has any adequate provision been made 
to prevent a recurrence of such attacks. 
Eighth: a reciprocity treaty with Canada 
would injure the farmersof Maine, Vemont,, 
and New York, by the closer competition 
that would result from the greater impor¬ 
tation of Canadian agricultural products, 
at a lower tax, or duty free; while 
an analogous cause would injure the 
lumber interests in Wisconsin and Michi¬ 
gan. Eighth: the high Canadian tariff is 
thought to have been adopted, on the 
abrogation of the old treaty in I860, to 
coerce the United States to adopt a new 
reciprocity treaty, and this attempt at 
compulsion is by many resented. More¬ 
over, it is claimed that under present 
conditions, such a treaty cannot be estab¬ 
lished on any basis sufficiently just and 
equitable to the citizens of this country. 
Such is a brief summary of the objec¬ 
tions urged against a reciprocity treaty 
between the United States and Canada by 
the opponents of such a measure, which, 
for our own part, we would consider 
highly beneficial. The present retaliatory 
policy in customs duties has done great 
injury to the Canadian farmers by closing 
against them free markets, close to their 
doors, for what they have to sell, and 
enabling home manufacturers to charge 
them high prices for what they have to buy. 
There are numerous reasons in support of 
such a measure; but what has this coun¬ 
try to fear from its adoption: is not “ the 
preponderance of advantage in a recipro¬ 
city treaty, always in favor of the more 
advanced country!” 
SHALL WE TEACH GAMBLING. 
In our haste to be rich, we are in immi¬ 
nent danger of becoming a nation of 
gamblers. The stock exchanges of our 
cities are thronged with men virtually 
betting on the future prices of stocks, and 
each side for the purpose of succeeding 
would willingly bankrupt, any legitimate 
enterprise, demoralize the business of the 
country, or ruin aDV public or private 
undertaking. The Produce Exchanges 
are likewise filled with people gambling 
in the future rise or fall of prices ot farm 
produce, and to secure the money they 
never earned, they create a fictitious sur- 
>lus or scarcity of any product, regard- 
ess of the beet interests of the country, 
the necessities of the hard-working mil¬ 
lions of consumers, or of the thousands of 
farmers who are livingby the tilling of the 
soil. Scarcely a town or village is so 
small that its shop windows are not fill¬ 
ed with jars or bottles containing a quan¬ 
tity of beans, peas, shot,, or some other 
like thing, and with placards soliciting 
the passer-by to pay a small sum for the 
privilege ot guessing at the number 
contained, with the assurance that the 
successful guesser will receive a large 
amount. There are very few of our 
agricultural fairs that are not cursed by 
the horse race and pool seller, while very 
many allow wheels of fortune and other 
minor gambling devices to defile their 
grounds. 
Many, too many! church fairs and 
festivals contain a “grab bag” a “fishing 
tank,” a “ringcake,” or some other game 
of chance to iuduce the visitors to part 
with their money, with a hope of large 
gains. Bold advertisements are scattered 
broadcast announcing some scheme where¬ 
by gold watches may be obtained for nick¬ 
els, or hundreds of dollars paid for telling 
the longest or shortest word or verse in 
the Bible, or for some other equally fool¬ 
ish or nonsensical thing. 
Even the newsboys and bootblacks in 
the park in front of’our office, spend their 
leisure moments in pitching pennies, play¬ 
ing pin or marbles, always for “keeps,” 
even if the stake is not more than a 
penny. By far too many of our agrieul- 
turafpapers pollute their pages with at¬ 
tractive advertisements of some other 
paper which offers to distribute fabulous 
sums among its patrons when it shall 
have succeeded in duping a certain num¬ 
ber into becoming subscribers; or offering 
a large sum to anyone foolish enough 
to become a subscriber, and who may 
be able to tell where some particular text 
or sentiment is found in the Bible (pious 
scamps! they always require the use of 
this most sacred of books), or who shall 
succeed in formiug the largest number of 
words out of the letters of some other 
word or sentence given. The people, old 
and young, high and low, seem to be 
imbued with a craze for suddeu wealth, 
and greedily clutch at every offer contain¬ 
ing a chance of obtaining something tor 
nothing, or unreasonable gains. 
Though not as stringent as desirable, 
our laws arc strict, against gambling of 
every form. But the law is no remedy 
unless rigidly enforced, and no law can 
be made successful unless it is sustained 
by the people in their hearts, and is the 
rule of their private lives. Great, rivers 
have their courses in tiny springs 
bubbling up in the innumerable little 
dells iu the hillsides, and if these be im¬ 
pure how can the rivers be cleansed? 
Great crimes become possible only by the 
corruption of individual hearts, and while 
we sec- to it, therefore, that the laws are 
enforced, let us be no less careful that 
everything of a gambling nature be rigidly 
excluded from our homes. It may be ne¬ 
cessary to enact more potent laws against 
stock and produce gambling, and it is our 
duty to look after this in our political ac¬ 
tion; but every dealer who tempts our 
children with his guess gambling, should 
he promptly arrested, convicted, and pun¬ 
ished. The managers of every horse race 
where pool selling is allowed, however 
privately, are guilty, and should suffer 
the legal penalties; and so of all the mi¬ 
nor forms of gambling, even to the man¬ 
agers of the church festivals. 
But the trouble is not in the heinous 
offences; they soon attract attention and 
are suppressed; but the people look with 
toleration, if uot with approval, on the 
petty schemes, not realizing that as the 
children are taught in these schools of 
vice, they will continue the practice in 
the morej prominent forms. It is too 
bad that such methods are employed 
in the interests, and name of Christi¬ 
anity; such employment makes them the 
more pernicious. Well-meaning people 
of the churches: do not forget that, if in 
your zeal to secure means for the Master’s 
work, you employ the devil’s machinery 
and methods, even if in God’s house, you 
will corrupt and demoralize the suscepti¬ 
ble young minds, and by so doing are 
serving the devil rather than God. Bet¬ 
ter, far better! let the good work, what¬ 
ever it may he, languish, or even fail, 
than to corrupt your neighbors’ morals or 
sacrifice your children’s uprightness in se¬ 
curing funds for its continuance! News¬ 
papers, too, are reprehensible for admit¬ 
ting to their columns the advertisement 
of these gambling schemes—for they are 
such and nothing else. By so doing they, 
in a measure, indorse them, and aid in 
putting them before their readers every 
week, thus familiarizing them with vice 
and tempting them to become partici¬ 
pants. 
But, as we have said before, the source 
of morality is in the hearts of the people, 
and we appeal to the parents of this coun¬ 
try to watch with zealous care the moral 
as* well as intellectual education of the 
young. If fair managers, whether church 
or agricultural, will not conduct them 
purely, not only absent yourself, but use 
your influence in preventing the attend¬ 
ance of your friends, and especially of 
your children; a very little influence ot 
this sort will purify them. 
If newspapers, whether religious, polit¬ 
ical, or agricultural, persist, for the sake of 
the compensation, in putting such adver¬ 
tisements, if only occasionally, before yonr 
family; don’L allow them in your home; bet¬ 
ter lose a year's subscription, if already 
paid ; and above all things, have nothing to 
do with any journal, however good it may 
he in some things, if in consideration of 
a subscription, it would tempt any one to 
compete for a large sum by any device. 
The publishers are not, honest, they are 
avaricious, and willing to demoralize the 
whole community that they may secure a 
temporary gain by increasing the circula¬ 
tion of their papers. Where you see the 
appearance of evil, it is safe to be wary. 
There is nothing that should be so care¬ 
fully guarded as the purity of home, and 
the morals of the young. 
-♦ • * 
BREVITIES. 
Cease not tbe warfare on weeds. “Eter¬ 
nal vigilance is the price”—of a clean farm. 
Don’t get angry! Don’t, fret! Don’t,worry! 
To do so is terribly exhausting this hot weather. 
Keep cool! 
Now that tbo harvest, is nearlv all done by 
machinery, it is pretty hard on the horses; see 
to it that t hey have the best of care and gene¬ 
rous feeding. 
A bushel of corn, now, in this hot weather, 
and with tbe pigs on grass, will make more 
pork than two bushels next Winter. See that 
the pigs are well fed and growing rapidly. 
Go to see the sheep at least once each week, 
and don’t fail to make them glad to see you by 
taking them some salt; but your visit will be 
just as welcome any other day as Sunday. 
Ik all hands have worked hard all the week, 
and Saturday noon you happen to be out of a 
job. don’t look up another: give the boys a 
naif holiday, and don’t fail to help them to 
enjoy it! 
Would you keep your children iu the paths 
of integrity and bind them to yourselves and 
your homes! hold ou to their hearts by the 
chords of love—they are stronger than bands 
of steel I 
If it rains, be thankful; it will make the 
crops grow. If it is dry or hot, lie thankful; 
it is splendid harvest weather. Be thankful 
and happy anyway; it is much pleasanter for 
everybody. 
A subscriber, Mark Whitehead, writes us 
that tie has lived in Fulton Co. Ill., for 28 
years, having left Delaware Co.. Pa., without 
anything to start with. He now owns 155 
acres of laud, is out of debt, and has plenty of 
money. We like to hear of such successes. 
“Nothing from nothing comes.” Remem¬ 
ber. as the weather gets hot and dry, and the 
feed short, that the cows can’t give a good 
mess of milk on bare ground, and give them 
a bountiful feed of that sowed corn that every 
good provider has uow growing; it will pay 
in milk and in the flesh of the cows; ves, and 
iu the satisfaction of seeiug how well they 
enjoy it. 
We are indebted to Mr. B, C. Smith, of 
Westover. Md., for the receipt by express of 
six very fine and perfect specimen tomatoes, 
raised from the seed sent in our free seed dis¬ 
tribution of last Winter. The seed sent out 
was from various selections of the most per¬ 
fect tomatoes grown; some were from strains 
which we bad been carefully breeding and se¬ 
lecting for years, and others from the finest 
strains of prominent sorts as selected and 
grown by us. Three of those sent us, includ¬ 
ing the largest two, were evidently from our 
own breeding; two were of the Paragon, Per¬ 
fection or Favorite type; tbe.se are so nearly 
alike that no one can distinguish them apart, 
at least by the fruit alone. The other was of 
the Acme type. They were all, however, as 
nearly perfect in size, form, and appearance 
as could be desired. 
