THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT 8. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
No. 84 Park Row. New York. 
SATURDAY. MARCH 31, 1883. 
ALL SHOULD READ THIS. 
All applications made for seeds up to 
March 15th have been mailed. The potato 
is sent as the weather permits. Any of 
our readers who, having applied for the 
seeds prior to March 15th, have not yet re¬ 
ceived them, will please notify us by postal 
at once. We shall give notice as to the 
potato later. 
In each envelope of seed there should 
be (1) two small envelopes of the Black- 
oearded Centennial Wheat; (2) one of 
Garden Treasures; (8) one of Niagara 
Grape; (4) one of Perfection Watermelon; 
(5) one of Wysor’a Shoe-peg Corn. 
All notifications should he addressed to the 
Editor, at River Edge y Bergen Go ., New Jer¬ 
sey. They will receive prompt attention. 
•-4-M- 
Three pages and a-half of questions 
and answers, and yet we are a week behind. 
-« • » - 
Stake oil a plot in the oat field and 
give this plot an extra fitting by harrow¬ 
ing until the surface is mellow. Sow- it 
and manure it the same as the rest of 
the field. An opportunity is thus afforded 
to judge whether or not an increased crop 
will pay for the additional labor, 
- 4 + 4 
A dent corn that will mature in 90 
days; that will bear two ears to a stalk, 
the ears to average 10 inches long from 
eight to ten rows; that will grow one 
stalk to a seed not over seven teet high in 
good soil—that is the kind of coni the 
Rural wants for its next seed distribution. 
Some of our Canadian subscribers are 
sending us ten cents for postage on the 
seeds. This is not required. We do not ask 
—do not desire—any subscriber to send 
us more than six cents, or two three-cent 
stamps. Those who subscribe for the 
Rural in connection with any other paper 
which clubs with the Rural offering the 
Seed Distribution, are not required to send 
any stamps or even to apply. This is 
provided for between the Rural and the 
journals clubbing with it. 
- 
Another company lias just been organ¬ 
ized. this time at Hart boro, Pa., for the 
manufacture of sugar from beets. It is 
said to have a capital of $450,000, divided 
into 18,000 shares of $25 each. A factory 
will be erected and the company has in¬ 
formed the neighboring farmers that they 
can raise from 15 to 20 tons of beets to the 
acre, worth $5 per ton. They contem¬ 
plate having 30,000 tons of beets raised 
every season, from which they expect to 
manufacture 4,620,000 pounds of sugar 
and 1,980,000 pounds of molasses. We 
shall see! 
-- V 
The Loudon Field speaks of a new 
method of weighting ensilage. The plan 
is to compress a layer of the ensilage, four 
feet or more, thick, on the top of the mass 
by means of bolts having threads and nuts 
at the top; heads and washers are on the 
lower ends of the bolts. When the silo is 
filled within about four feet of the top, 
planks are put down at convenient dis¬ 
tances, having holes through which the 
bolts pass, the heads being on the underside 
of planks. The silo is then filled, other pieces 
of plank arc put on the top over the upper 
end of the rods or bolts, and screwed 
dou'ii, thus compressing the original four 
feet of ensilage which then acts as a weight 
upon the mass below. The invention is 
patented by a Dr. Bailey, whether of Bil¬ 
lerica notoriety we know not. We do not 
think the method a practicable one, first, 
for the reason that the fodder would be 
liable to swell out at the sides so as to re¬ 
sist descent somewhat ; second, as the 
object of pressure is to force out air, this 
would rather prevent its escape, especially 
at the top. 
- 4 - ■ ■ - - 
Fur nearly a fortnight there has been a 
fierce “milk war” between the milk deal¬ 
ers of this city and the farmers along the 
Erie Railroad and its near-by connections. 
These supply a large share of the milk sold 
here, and have for years been paid very 
inadequate prices for the product. While 
the city milk dealers have been so thor¬ 
oughly organized as to fix a uniform price 
both for consumers and producers, the 
latter have until lately been -without 
organization, and therefore unable to act 
together in order to secure better prices. 
Lately, however, they have formed com¬ 
binations, as mentioned in the Rural at 
the time, and have now insisted on “pay¬ 
ing” figures for their milk. The following 
are the prices per quart demanded in a 
conference between the contending parties: 
April, Scents; May, 2% cents: June, 2>i 
cents; July, 3 cents; August, 3 cents; 
September, 31a cuts: October, 4 cents; 
November, 4 cents; December, 4 cents; 
January, 4 cents; February, 4 cents; 
March, 3.H cents. These figures make the 
yearly price 41 cents, while the dealers 
have held that 38 cents was sufficient. 
During the contest the fanners of Or¬ 
ange County, N. Y., have stopped send¬ 
ing milk to this city, giving the product 
away gratis in their own neighborhood, 
and spilling thousands, yes, tens of thou¬ 
sands of gallous on the ground, ••.Spill¬ 
ing Committees” have been appointed to 
visit recalcitrant farmers and creameries, 
and where the milk was being shipped in 
spite of expostulation, it has Leen spilled 
in spite of opposition. As we go to press 
the dealers and producers arc in confer¬ 
ence and a compromise is probable. 
A GLUCOSE MONOPOLY. 
Another large monopoly has just been 
formed by the consolidation of the princi¬ 
pal grape-sugar, or glucose, factories of 
the country. The consolidated works are 
owned by Cicero J. Hamlin, of Buffalo, 
N.Y., and bis two sons, togetherwith Dr. 
Joseph Fimienich, The Hamlins owned 
the American and Buffalo Works, of Buf¬ 
falo; the Peoria Works, at Peoria, Ill., 
and the Leavenworth Works, at Leaven¬ 
worth, Kas., while Dr. Firmenich owned 
the Firmenich Works, of Buffalo. All 
these have been united under the name of 
the American Glucose Company, the cap¬ 
ital of which is stated to be $15,000,000, 
four-fifths of which belong to the Ham¬ 
lins and one-fifth to Firmenich, Although 
no part of the company’s business is in 
New Jersey, yet it has been incorporated 
under the laws of that State, “iu order to 
avoid making the annual statement of the 
condition of the corporation, which the 
laws of this Stale would compel.*' say the 
incorporators; “in order to avoid paying 
a corporation tax or any tax except ‘that, 
on real estate,” adds the public. It is said 
there are now only two other grape-sugar 
factories in the country—one at Daven¬ 
port, Iowa, and the other at Chicago. 
The Hamlin combination expect to con¬ 
trol the entire business. In former days 
the profits of the manufacturers were 
enormous. Most of the $15,000,000 repre¬ 
sented by the monopoly was made out of 
the business within the last six or seven 
years, the original investment having been 
Very small. Of late, competition between 
the glucose factories and also with sor¬ 
ghum products, has reduced the profits 
somewhat so as to lead to a temporary sus¬ 
pension of some of the works, but it is 
thought that the formation of the present 
monopoly will put up prices of tin- manu¬ 
factured goods but not those of the raw 
products, thus enabling the monopolists 
to pile up more millions easily and readily. 
-♦ ♦ ♦- 
SOME POST-OFFICE REGULATIONS. 
Occasionally complaints reach us of 
ost- masters who for one reason or another 
etain the Rural at their offices for the 
purpose of perusing it, and we. are asked 
what redress ean be taken. No post¬ 
master has any right whatever to thus de¬ 
lay mail matter, whether it be for a long 
or short period, over the actual time re¬ 
quired to place the matter in boxes or 
where the subscriber or addressee may. by 
arrangement, receive it. Section 10*88 of 
Postal Laws and Regulations says, “ An y 
postmaster failing to do his duty should 
be reported to the First Assistant Post¬ 
master General,” but according to Section 
1078 “Complaints against postmasters, in 
order to receive any attention from the 
Department, must be distinct charges, 
made by some person or persons having 
actual knowledge of the facts in the ease.” 
Hence, no one should make complaint, 
of his postmaster unless he stands ready 
to substantiate his charges by sufficient 
proof. Again (Section 719), “A post¬ 
master bus no right to withold the de¬ 
livery of any nuul matter on the ground 
that the party named in the address is 
indebted to him.” It sometimes happens, 
as we have occasion to know, that persons 
not subscribers take from the office papers 
properly addressed to another. This can 
of course be done only in small villages 
where there is necessarily less discipline, 
and where it frequently occurs that the 
postmaster, or his assistant, is absent from 
the office when persons call for their mail 
matter. But this does not lessen the 
wrongful ness of the deed. In case it is 
positively known that the postmaster 
11 II 0 W 8 nou-subscribers to take from the 
office newspapers that are addressed to 
subscribers, the latter have this appeal 
to the Post-office Department, viz: (Section 
941, Relations of Postmasters with the 
Public) “Postmasters will not allow non¬ 
subscribers to take from the boxes, 
nor will they hand to them newspapers 
addressed to subscribers, to be read by 
non-subscribers, refolded, and returned 
by them into the general delivery, with¬ 
out a verbal or written permit from the 
actual subscriber, granting such a privi¬ 
lege. A violation of this ruling will be 
considered a sufficient ground for a post¬ 
master’s removal.” Postmasters are not 
ignorant of these rulings and if they vio¬ 
late them they must meet the consequences, 
if anyone enters a complaint to the proper 
authorities against them. 
- 4 » »- 
A BLUNDER CORRECTED. 
In quoting from the Iowa Homestead an 
extract from a late issue of the Rural 
New-Yorker reprobating Congressional 
neglect of proper legislation for the sup¬ 
pression of contagious diseases among live 
stock, the Chicago Tribune of March 21 
makes a mistake in supposing that this is 
“a paper which last year reluctantly ad¬ 
mitted that contagious plcuro-pneumonia 
existed in the Eastern States.” The Rural 
New-Yorker was, so far as we can learn 
or remember, the first paper in this coun¬ 
try in which, during the present outbreak, 
attention was prominently called to possi¬ 
ble danger from this disease to American 
cattle. As long ago as 1877 an article in 
our columns from Dr. Salmon, D. Y. M., 
referred to the existence of the plague in 
a few isolated places and to the danger of 
its spreading if not promptly stamped out. 
Knowing the evils of causing an unfound¬ 
ed alarm on the subject, and thus giving 
our transatlantic friends an opportunity 
of injuring our growing export cattle 
trade, the article was “pigeon-holed” until 
investigation had assured us that there 
were ample grounds for the statements it 
contained. As often and sis prominently 
as prudence permitted, attention was 
editorially directed to the matter 
afterwards until the issue of February 
18, 1879. when we had to announce that 
the Privy Council of Great Britain had im¬ 
posed an embargo on American cattle im¬ 
ported after the third of the following 
March. In that issue and the next no less 
than seven columns of the paper were 
devoted to a full account of the disease, 
its ravages, nature, treatment, etc. At 
that time nil the other Eastern agricultural 
papers either absolutely denied the ex¬ 
istence of the disease in America, or be¬ 
littled the danger from it, and nearly all 
the Western agricultural papers which re¬ 
ferred to the matter at all treated it in the 
same way; while the Chicago Tribune and 
several other "Western non-agriculturn! pa¬ 
pers were too indignant at tin- “injustice” 
of the English “Orders in Council” or were 
too ignorant of the state of affairs to spam 
much space to the danger our own stock 
incurred from the plague. From that 
time to this the Rural New-Yorker has 
been an earnest, consistent, outspoken 
supporter of every just measure for the 
prompt suppression of contagious pleuro¬ 
pneumonia among our Eastern herds, and 
lor the protection of the vast cattle in¬ 
terests of the West from all risks of con¬ 
tagion from the infected districts in the 
Atlantic States. 
A GLANCE AT THE WINTER WHEAT. 
At the opening of Spring it is interest¬ 
ing to all farmers and important to those 
living in the Spring wheat region, to lean), 
at the earliest moment, how Fall-sown 
wheat has passed the Winter. If those 
living on the border-land between the 
winter-wheat and spring-wheat regions 
ean get a fair idea of what the next wheat 
crop will be, the knowledge will often en¬ 
able them to decide whether to sow some 
Soring wheat iu addition to their Winter 
wheat or to devote the ground to some 
other crop; while those living in the spring- 
wheat section will be able to determine 
whether to put iti an extra-large, an unus¬ 
ually small or the usual area in wheat. 
Moreover, the farmers who still have on 
hand a part of last year’s crop which they 
can spare for sale, will lie able to form 
some idea of the price for which they 
should hold it, as the prospect for the next 
crop has always a good deal of influence 
upon the price of the stock on hand in 
Spring. For some time, therefore, we 
have been collecting views and statistics 
on this subject from all quarters, and here 
briefly summarize the result, premising 
that it is yet too early, especially in view 
of the late widespread cold snow storm, to 
speak definitely on the subject. 
The latest returns of the. Agricultural 
Department estimate last year’s wheat crop 
at 502,789,.600 bushel?, and so far as the 
Winter wheat contributes to this aggre¬ 
gate—and it is about three-fourths of it— 
our reports at present indicate a consider¬ 
able falling off in the average yield, ow¬ 
ing to poorer condition, and a moderate 
increase in acreage. The average present 
condition over the entire area appears to 
be about six per cent, below wliat it was 
at the same date last year. Of course, this 
falling off may be made good by favorable 
weather, but at present it appears hardly 
probable that the next wheat crop will 
equal the last, especially as of present it 
does not seem probable that the increase in 
the Spring wheat area will counterbalance 
the impairment in the condition of Winter 
wheat. It is mainly to help make, up this 
deficiency that we, thus early, give the 
results of our study. 
In New York the area of Winter wheat 
is about the same as last year; the con¬ 
dition a trifle worse. The same may be 
said of Pennsylvania. In Ohio the acre¬ 
age is about the same, while the relative 
condition is now put at 85 as compared 
with 10Q a year ago by the Cincinnati 
Price Current, and to the very full reports 
of this enterprising journal we are largely 
indebted for our information. In Indiana 
there appears to be an increase of acreage 
of about two per cent, but the condition 
is fully 15 per cent worse than last year. 
In Illinois our reports from all quarters in¬ 
dicate that the condition and area of the 
crop compare favorably with those at the 
same time a year ago. In Michigan, also, 
the condition of the crop is good, the area 
perhaps a trifle less than last. year. In 
Kentucky the acreage is about the same; 
but the condition is very considerably 
worse; while in Tennessee the backward 
state of wheat is the only drawback. Mis¬ 
souri will probably have another fine crop in 
the winter-whpat part of the State. In Kan¬ 
sas there will he an increase in area, and 
the general condition is now promising;, 
but thus early in the year there are already 
many complaints of dry weather. In the 
winter-wheat parts of Iowa the usual area 
has been sown, and the condition appears 
favorable. Just now the gloomiest reports 
come from California, where an early rain¬ 
fall is essential to even a moderate crop. 
If this blessing is soon received, the crop 
will be over an average one, as a consider¬ 
able increase lias been made in the area 
sown; but in the absence of rain within a 
week or so the outlook is so miserable that 
the discounting of a very short crop has 
already begun to affect the prices in the 
wheat markets of America and Europe. 
BREVITIES. 
Test the seed coni. 
Are you going to rush into hop-culture? 
Signs of Spring: Blue-birds, Robins and 
Kite-flying. 
If you can buy unieached ashes at a faii- 
price, try them on oats. 
Did the second planting of com, where the 
first failed, ever pay yon? 
We are in favor of rolling the cut pieces of 
potatoes used for seed iu plaster a day before 
planting them. 
How much will potatoes shrink from Fall 
until Spring ? Do different kinds vary in this 
respect ? If so, how much ? 
When we see a farmer’s wife splitting 
logs at the wood-pile for fire-wood, we take it 
for granted that, there is a screw very loose on 
that farm. 
Should this meet the eye of Mr. O. B. Galu- 
shn. whose, address we cannot at this moment 
recall, we would thank him to send us a 
Silome Apple. 
One of our friends writes: “I tap my bush 
earlier than any of my neighbors and get into 
market first and receive double price for two 
or three runs. Wb ile my neighbors are getting 
their sap tools ready 1 am boiling sap.” 
H. S. Donellv kindly sent us several 
sketches of bum plans. We have, to our 
regret, lost these plans. Should Mr. Donelly, 
whose address was lost with the plans, see this 
notice, perhaps he will do 11 s t he favor to send 
us duplicates of them. 
The Massachusetts milk producers met at 
Boston, Tuesday, and appointed a committee 
to decide on the best inode of suppressing milk 
adulteration. They decided to ask 35 cents for 
H} .; quarts during the Summer. The contract¬ 
ors say they cannot pay over 88 cents, and, as 
the produc ers are not in a kind humor, a milk 
war is not improbable. 
Mr. B. C. Parker writes us that his base¬ 
ment floor i-s all cement covered with plank, 
laid when the cement was first spread. The 
stable floor inclines towards the center, where 
there iB a gutter that conveys the liquid to a 
cistern outside, that will hold 85 barrels. This 
he proposes to dra w and spread on liis grass 
lund in a few weeks. Again, fn remarks in 
an article which we shall place before our 
readers as 011 c of the Prize Poor Form Series, 
he says that he keeps about SO liens in a warm 
place, and they pay him well. He findsthat20 
liens, well em eil for. will bring as much as a 
good cow. Tf not well earnl for, bettor kill them. 
