800 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOV 29 
T H E 
RURAL NLW'YORKLR, 
A National Journal forCounlrj and Suburban Home 
Conducted by 
K. a. CARMAN, 
Editor, 
3. s. woodward. 
Associate. 
Address 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 154 Park Row, New Yi.rk. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29 18*4 
If the addrm l-dbel on the Rural New- 
Yorker Item no number after it , the subscrip¬ 
tion expires with the last number of 1884. 
Rural New ■ Yorker posters are now ready. 
They have been set to all of war subscribers 
without application. All others who see 
this notice are requested to apply for them 
at once. 
From our nine Wyandotte hens hatched 
in the Spring,as before reported, we have 
thus far (Nov. 15) had 101 eggs. The 
average weight is 10 to a pound. The 
shells are about the color of those of 
Light Brahmas. 
We will he under many obligations to 
those of our friends attending the New 
Orleaus World’s Exposition, who will 
forward us photos of the prize-taking ar¬ 
ticles, whatever they may be—animals, 
fruits, implements, etc. 
The Rural New-Yorker several 
years ago introduced the Rural Brandl¬ 
ing Sorghum through its Free Seed Dis¬ 
tribution. Two years ago some genius— 
more enterprising than scrupulous—re¬ 
christened il Millo Maize, and many of 
the farm papers of the Middle and South¬ 
ern States are full of accounts of its great 
value as a fodder plant! 
The presents amounting to over 32,800 
in value and 321 in number, are offered 
to subscribers only. Such an offer has 
never been made before by any journal. 
Club agents are excluded. They must 
receive their pay from our Regular Pre¬ 
mium List, which, indeed, otleis ample 
pay for the work to be done. We hope 
that, the largest clubs received from sub¬ 
scribers will be large. But no matter 
how small they may be, they will be en¬ 
titled to the premiums all the same. 
“Imparting doubleth the joys while it 
halveth the sorrows of life.” We men do 
not, as a rule, realize what good, level- 
headed wives we have, and consult 
them in our business matters as much 
as would he for our good. Not one iu 
ten of the rascalities of men, would 
have ever been committed if their wives 
had been called into consultant u; their 
intuition on all questions involving our 
honor or integrity is worth almost as 
much as a man’s conscience (and much 
more than that of some) and the man who 
heeds both, need not be afraid of doing a 
thing for which his children will ever 
blush. We would not give a cent for a 
man who is ashamed to say, “1 will con¬ 
sult my wife,” and we will greatly fear 
for the’success of the one who does not. 
Surely “two heads are better than one, 
if one (ours) is a sheep’s head,” 
A Strong Argument :—“ Tale, the 
Rural New-Yorker one year, my friend. 
If you do not like it, l will pay for it." 
Really, don’t you think you are safe in 
making the offer to right-minded, pro¬ 
gressive neighbors? Try it. We have a 
mind to say that, if the “neighbors,” so 
' induced to read the Rural for one year , 
arc uuwill.ng to pay for it, we will re¬ 
fund the money to our subscribers who 
send us the names. The conviction is 
firm upon us that the It. N.-Y. is worth 
far more to good farmers than its cost, 
and that if they could be induced to read it 
for a year, they would never rest content, 
without it. 
Another good way is to give them u 
copy every week for several weeks, and 
then ask them if they will not subscribe. 
We wM gladly furnish the copies for this 
purpose without charge. Give them the 
supplement containing the Free Seed Dis¬ 
tribution and gifts to subscribers. Let 
them know the liberal, unselfish manner 
in which the paper is conducted. 
-- » »-♦ - 
Tite closing of the sorghum sugar 
works at Clu-mpaign, Illinois, is a notice¬ 
able instance of the close relations now 
existing between remote countries on the 
face of the globe. Because the sugar beet 
crop has been unusually large in Germany 
and France, the Champaign work? had to 
cease making sugar from sorghum. We 
learn that sugar is selling at retail in Lon 
don at the late of seven pounds for six 
pence—a fraction less than two cents per 
pound, the lowest urice at which it has 
ever been sold. This extraordinary cheap¬ 
ness does not, however, appear to increase 
consumption, which has apparently reached 
its limit at about 67 1 2 pounds per capi¬ 
ta per year. During the year ending 
in September, 425,279 tons of beet root 
sugar were imported into England, and 
t ow there is a desperate struggle between 
cane and beet sugars for the ultimate pos¬ 
session of the market. Although our 
sugar- producing industries are “protect¬ 
ed” by a dutv averaging about three cents 
per pound on imported sugars, the young 
sorghum sugar-making business coirnot 
contend with its older and sturdier rival. 
After the struggle between these is over, 
however, it is not unlikely that the indus¬ 
try will revive. Meanwhile, those w T hohave 
discouraged the business here of late, will 
have an opportunity to exasperate us 
with their “I told you so’s.” 
Yesterday, after a five days’ session, 
the great National Cattlemen’s Conven¬ 
tion came to a close in St. Louis. In 
numbers and importance it. greatly trans¬ 
cended any meeting of the kind ever 
held in this or any other country. On 
Wednesday the Committee on Credentials 
presented a report embodying the names 
of 1,180 accredited members of the con¬ 
vention, and afterwards various names, 
accidentally,omitted, were added, swelling 
the list to over 1,200. Millions upon mil¬ 
lions of dollais’ worth of property were 
represented. The proceedings of the eon 
vention were highly important, and its 
resolutions cannot fail to have much legit¬ 
imate influence on national legisla ion. A 
condensed repott of the convention, from 
our special correspondent, will appear in 
next week’s issue. 
From a letter received from Sir J. B. 
Law os to tne Rural New-Yorker, we 
quote the following interesting paragraph : 
“Some manures, such as common salt, or 
nitrates, circulate with the water in the 
soil, in dry weather rising to the surface, 
in wet weather descending. Other man¬ 
ures (phosphate and potash) unite with 
the soil near the surface,and either remain 
there or, at all events, descend with ex¬ 
treme slowness Ah an instance of the 
extreme slowness of the descent of manure, 
1 may mention the dung applied to our 
permanent wheat crop—14 tons annually 
for 40 years. Almost the whole of the 
accumulations of fertility ure to be found 
in the first nine inches from the surface. 
On some old garden soil on which we 
have grown Bed Glover for 30 years with¬ 
out manure, the subsoil is still very rich. 
This is explained by the process employ¬ 
ed by gardeners who open a trench and 
bury the manure. Under ordinary agri¬ 
cultural processes, it may be Haiti that 
manure only enriches the surface soil.” 
- * *» 
Vermont is the greatest dairy State in 
New England, and very naturally its dai¬ 
rymen are opposed to the sale of bogus 
butter. Owing to several exposures of 
eases in which a few dishonest rascals 
among them have adulterated genuine 
butter with oleomargarine, Vermont but¬ 
ter is in danger of losing its excellent 
reputation in Boston, its principal mar¬ 
ket. Honest dairymen, therefore, are 
anxious to suppress entirely the sale of 
“oleo” within the borders of the State, 
and hundreds of petitions urging legisla¬ 
tion to this efftet have been sent to the 
Legislature. A bill which virtually pro¬ 
hibits the manufacture or Hale of the pro¬ 
duct has lately been reported in that 
body, and in shaping it, an attempt has 
evidently been made to avoid the consti¬ 
tutional objections which have been urged 
against similar legislation in other States. 
It provides for a fine of $ 10,000 against 
any person engaged in the manufacture of 
the article, who dots not make monthly 
ri turns of the ainouut turned out; and a 
flue of |500 for a false return; it places a 
tax of 15 cents per p -und on ail oleomar¬ 
garine made in the State, and imposes a 
yearly license of $10,000 on wholesalers 
of the concotion, and one of $55 on retail¬ 
ers. Selling without a license ts punish¬ 
able by a fine of $500, and all fin* s arc to 
oe collected the same as taxes. It is one 
thing to introduce a bill, and another to 
pass it; one thing lo pass it, and another 
to enforce it. Has legislation against the 
sale of oleomargarine been hitherto en¬ 
forced in any State? 
The cable tells us that English and 
Scotch farmers are rejoicing because, lor 
the first time in many years, the island is 
entirely free from foot-and-mouth disease 
and contagious pleuro-pneumoma. This 
freedom has been secured at much expense 
and inconvenience by the energetic action 
of the government, which has prohibited 
imp' rtations of cattle from countries in 
which either of these diseases has been 
prevalent, while at the same time it has 
slaughtered thousands of diseased ani¬ 
mals, quarantined affected herds and pro¬ 
hibited the movement of cattle from in¬ 
fected districts, home of our American 
papers also seem disposed to rejoice at the 
eradication of coutagious pleuro-pneu¬ 
monia from this country; but unfortun¬ 
ately their rejoicings are a trifle premature. 
I rue, the disease has been checked and 
almost, stamped out. in the West; but 
it ntill flourishes hire and there in 
some of the Atlantic States. Several 
veterinary inspectors belonging to the 
Bureau of Animal Industry have been in¬ 
specting the cattle in this city and its 
vicinity and repott that in 708 stables in 
New York, containing 3,318 cows, they 
have found 26 cows infected with this 
disease. On Long Wand, among 10,072 
cows inspected, there were 325 cases. In 
555 stables on Staten Island, containing 
3,857 cows, there were 12 diseased ani¬ 
mals. In 13 stables in New ,T< rsey, con¬ 
taining 180 cows, there were eight cases. 
On Barren Island, up the Sound, the Bu¬ 
reau has been conducting a series of ex¬ 
periments to test the contagiousness of 
this form of pleuro pneumonia, and the 
inspectors say that tnese experiments have 
proved beyond a doubt that the disease is 
contagious. 
» » ♦ - 
LARGER CROPS THE ANTIDOTE. 
Thirty shillings per quarter for wheat 
in the English market, the price at which 
it has been selling dining the past week, 
has a very depressing effect on English 
agriculture. It. is claimed by the bt st 
authorities that, the English fanner cannot 
grow wheat, at less than 40 shillings, ex¬ 
cept at a loss. As a quarter contains «ight 
bushels,40 shillings are equivalent to $1.21 
and 80 shillings to about 91 cents per 
bushel. It is also claimed that India even 
cannot produce wheat to lay it down in 
English tmukets at this latter price, ex 
cept at a ruinous loss; and if such prices 
continue, wheat growing will be aband¬ 
oned in that country. 
It seems to us, therefore, that American 
farmers are just now passing through a 
sort of competitive ordeal; if we can con¬ 
tinue to grow and export wheat a few 
rears at present prices, not only the 
English but the Indian wheat growers 
will be compelled to engage in some other 
branch of farming. The momentous ques¬ 
tion therefore for our farmers to consider 
is, can they grow and market wheat at 
present prices ? It certainly cannot be 
done by growing only from 12 to 18 
bushels per acre, even on low pi iced and 
comparatively new lands; but wo believe 
it can be done by those farmers who have 
their lands iu such a state of cultivation 
and richness as to grow 35 or moie bush¬ 
els per acre. On our Western New York 
Faim we harvested, on 61 acres last crop, 
an average of over 37 bushels per acre, 
and although we sold it for more money, 
we will figure on 80 cents per bushel, 
which would give us $29.60 per acie. 
Now putting the interest of the laud at 
37.50 per acre per year, and including 
cultivation, seed, harvesting, thrashing, 
together with 200 pounds of super¬ 
phosphate per acre, the entire cost of the 
crop was $25.45 per acre, leaving not a 
large profit certainly, hut when we consider 
that our land was in much better condi¬ 
tion after we took the crop than before, 
we think it quite satisfactory; besides, we 
still have the stiaw, wbich has consider¬ 
able value for feeding puiposes. 
On 31 acres of this land sown to Diehl- 
Mediterrauenn, aud in every way treated 
like the other, the yield was over 47 
bushels per acre, which, though the cost 
for seed would he somewhat more, would 
make a much greater net piofit. Of 
Course, this land was liberally manured 
with the best kind of manure, made from 
such rich feeding stuffs as oil meal, bran 
and com, besides clover hay and mangels, 
and that was not charged’to the crop 
account, for the reason that in making 
this manure, we had made a net profit 
of not less than one dollar per two-horse 
load. We have now 60 acres sown in tne 
8atne manner, and although there was a 
severe drought at the time of seeding 
and much of it did not come up for sev¬ 
eral weeks, yet the supply ol rich manure 
has pushed the plants forwaid since the 
rains, aud it is now abundantly large for 
the Winter, and should the Winter and 
Spring prove at all propitious, we antici¬ 
pate a yield that, sold at 80 cents per 
bushel, will give us a fair profit. The 
bottom facts are that we must learn to 
utilize our feeding stuffs rich in plant 
as well as animal food, and thu make 
more and richer manure?, and be much 
more careful in saving and applying 
them. The manure heap is the key to 
profitable success in grain growing. 
ABUSES OF THE LAND LAWS. 
Commissioner McFarland, of the 
General Land Office, has arrived at the 
conclusion that no better remedy exists 
for the abuses of the land laws than the 
repeal of the existing laws for the pro¬ 
tection of the public domain. The gist 
of his late Teport to toe Secretary of the 
Inferior is.that it has hitherto proved im- 
prnoticaole to carry out these laws in the 
West; that in spite of all the elaborate 
provisions ngain-t fraud under the Home¬ 
stead, Pre-emption, Timber Culture aud 
Deser Land Laws, land-grabbing monop¬ 
olies have been steadily growing m that 
section; that.in all the great stock-raising 
country the laws have been habitually 
ignored or defied by wealthy cattle com¬ 
panies, the most arrogant and unscrupul¬ 
ous of which are foreigners; that the 
most carefully drawn sift utcs have been 
over and over again perverted to the use 
of the land grabbers; that these have 
frequently forced legitimate settlers from 
their possessions, and prevented others 
from takingup land as the law provides; 
that, as a rule, the efforts of the Federal 
Government to prevent land monopoly, 
land thefts and oppression of poor set¬ 
tlers, have signally failed; that many 
Federal land officials act in corrupt collu¬ 
sion with, the land grobbi rs; that the 
best of them are practically powerless, 
as they cannot cope with the physical 
force opposed to them; and that in thin¬ 
ly settled districts they cannot obtain 
State or Territorial assistance. 
“ the time is near at hand,” says the 
Commissioner, “when there will be no 
public lands to invite settlement or afford 
citizens of the countiy an opportunity to 
fecit re cheap homo. Meanwhile vast 
stretches of uncultivated lands are every¬ 
where observable, title to which has been 
obtained by evasion of the law.” The 
Rural New-Yorker Ins frequently called 
attention to the monstrous abuses hero 
referred to, and earnestly pleaded for 
prompt and vrgoroiis legislation to stop 
further theft, force restitution of the 
stolen domain, and punish the thieves. 
We do not deem it wise to repeal the 
present hnd laws; but some of them, 
especially the Timber Culture and Desert 
Land Acts, might be advantageously 
amended, and all of them should be rig¬ 
orous;}' enforced. Congress should give 
attention to this urgent, matter early the 
coming Winter. Greater vigilance, ener¬ 
gy and honesty should he required of the 
land officials; and if a sir tiger force is 
required in the West, for the enforcement 
of the laws, it should be at once fur¬ 
nished. It is intolerable that this Gov¬ 
ernment, the greatest and best on the 
globe, should be unable to cope with a 
parcel of land thieves aud monopolists. 
♦ - 
BREVITIES. 
Our $2,800 worth of presents are for sub¬ 
scribers who send us clubs—not for regular 
club agents. 
Rural New- Yorker Friends: We hope 
you will not allow your subscriptions to ex¬ 
pire. Why not renew now i It w til cost you 
no more, and save us much trouble. 
TuKDHtneof the author of the prize pssay 
on cattle, on page 751. of the Rural, dated 
November 8. was mislaid. It is Jonathan 
Hoag, Tomhannock, Rensselaer, Co., N. Y. 
Wk are informed that Mr E. H. Libby has 
purchased of B. K. Bliss & Sous, of this city, 
the American Garden and that hereafter it 
will be published by him. Its office of publi¬ 
cation will remain at New York, and Dr. 
F. M. Bexamer will continue as hi-retofore, 
its editor. 'I be Doctor has always made a 
bright, newsv and valuable paper. We wish 
the American Garden, under the new com¬ 
bination, a most successful career. 
Jn the official returns of Great Britain and 
her colonies, just published, the total wheat 
area of India is put at 26.006,OhO acres, and in 
a fairly good year, the yield is about 9W 
bushels per acre, or a total of 342,(JOO,OuO 
bushels. Lu«-t year the total exports were 
42,000,000. The total wheat area here, in 
ISfil, was 87.709.020 acres, and the average 
yield for that and the nine previous years was 
12.2 bushels per acre. 
One of the provisions of the reciprocity 
treaty between tbe United States and Spain 
for the islands of Cuba uud l orto Rico, which 
has just been signed by 'he Spanish govern¬ 
ment, but which will have to te confirmed by 
the United State* Senate. U likely to still 
further depre?s the price of sugar here, as by 
it sugars I rom rho-e islands not above No. 16 
Dutch 'tanaard, together with fflolaves, will 
be adrnitt* d into this country duty free. Of 
the $92,000,000 worth of these products Im¬ 
ported last year, two-thirds came from those 
two islands. It is expected the Louisiana 
Senators will vigorously oppose this treaty 
unless the sugar planters get a bounty, by way 
of compensation. 
