808 
DEC 8 
THE BUBAL HEW 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CABMAH. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
No. 34 Park Row. New York, 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1883. 
We should feel thankful to any subscri¬ 
ber sending us at our expense a Blush Po¬ 
tato that weighs over two pounds. 
- +•* ■* -- 
“Atablespoonful of phosphate in the 
hill.” How often we hear this and see it 
in print! A “pinch” would answer just 
about as well. There the * ‘tablespoonful” 
lies—a mass of inaccessible food. 
-- 
Mr. D. S. Marvin, the originator of 
the Rural New-Yorker Grape, who is al¬ 
ways both conservative and conscientious 
in his statements, says: “I know of no 
grape for the table that suits my taste so 
well as this, and yet ripens with the 
very earliest.” 
-- 
That we have not overpraised the Vic¬ 
toria Grape of the late T. B. Miner may 
be seen from a reference to Sir. T. T. 
Lyon’s description of it, made during a 
visit to the Rural Grounds. The out rep¬ 
resents an average of the best bunches, 
drawn from Nature. 
-♦»» 
We should be glad if some of our vine- 
yardists would send us specimens of those 
of the newer grapes which have been pre¬ 
served longest in good condition, and an 
account of the method of preservation. 
The best of them we will have drawn and 
engraved for the benefit of our readers. 
-> « ♦ 
We have now received hundreds, per¬ 
haps thousands, of reports about the great 
Black-bearded Centennial Wheat sent out 
and introduced by the Rural New-Yorker 
in its Free Seed Distribution of 1881. 
Except in Colorado, California and several 
Northwestern Territories, we pronounce 
it a failure both as a Spring and a Winter 
wheat. We have grown it at the Rural 
Farm for five years always selecting the 
best heads and it is as tender now as in 
the beginning. Beware of the large, fat 
grains of these showy Southern wheats. 
The Rural New-Yorker has dissemi¬ 
nated or introduced among its subscribers 
the Beauty of Hebron, the White Ele¬ 
phant and the Blush Potatoes. Judging 
from the hundreds of reports which we 
have published, and which have been pub¬ 
lished in other journals, the first is the 
best early, the second the best late, and 
the last the best intermediate. The only 
objection that has ever been made to the 
Blush is that it sometimes straggles in the 
hill—an objection we were the first to note. 
But its quality is superb, being dry and 
flaky, with the nutty, sweet flavor of the 
old Peachblow. 
- +-++ - 
The new Rural poster is printed in 
three colors on heavy white paper, and it 
is thought to be neat and attractive. In 
size it is two-and-a-half feet long by one 
foot wide, We should like to know that 
all of our readers are sufficiently interested 
in the Buuar to tack it up in their car¬ 
riage houses. The poster and illustrated 
premium list of four pages v. ill be sent to 
all applicants without charge, and the 
more we have the better we shall 
like it. Now is the time to secure clubs, 
and, above all, the one extra subscriber 
which we are anticipating from each Rural 
friend. 
Here is a remedy for malaria and chills 
and fever which we know has effected 
cures in a number of cases. Take three or 
four ounces of powdered Red Peruvian 
Bark and spread it evenly in a pad of red 
flannel. This pad must then be quilted 
60 as to give it a flattened shape and to 
keep the powder in position. Place this 
directly over the stomach, holding it there 
by one band around the neck and another 
around the waist. It should be removed as 
soon as the patient feels that the disease 
is broken. Rural readers suffering from 
this wretched complaint, are solicited to 
try the above remedy and report the 
results. 
■-» - 
Of late years farmers about the Rural 
Grounds have been discouraged from at¬ 
tempting to grow squashes for the reason 
that the young vines, no matter how vig¬ 
orously they may be growing, all at once 
will droop and die. The R. N-Y. has ex¬ 
pressed the opinion that the cause may be 
traced to the injury perpetrated by the 
larv® of the striped beetle which collect 
about tne roots near the surface of the soil. 
A friend seeing many of his plants wilt 
and die last season, mixed two teaspoon¬ 
fuls of kerosene in a pail of water, throw¬ 
ing enough on every hill to wet the soil 
and stems. Every plant so treated lived and 
prospered. 
Now is the little country child, seven 
years old and full of life, blood pulsing 
and nerves tingling with all the dynamic 
energy given by the pure air and whole¬ 
some food of the country, prisoned for 
six long hours each day in the low, bare, 
dreary school-room; gaoled more rigor¬ 
ously than the murderer in his cell, for 
it is deprived of the privilege of locomo¬ 
tion and must sit straight in an uncom¬ 
fortable seat. And if this were not 
cruelty enough, it dares not speak, dares 
not even whisper to those placed tempt¬ 
ingly near it, Have we really grown less 
cruel? Should we wonder if the child 
dislikes school and study? Reader, those 
schools are yours; what are you going to 
do about it? Shall you do anything? 
Do you expect a little child to study six 
hours? Think a moment ; then act. 
Our potato experiments of the past 
season, as already published, indicate that 
whether the seed or stem-end of seed 
potatoes will produce the greater yield, 
depends upon the variety. We propose 
to our readers that they should test this 
question for themselves another year, 
since the experiment may be tried with 
very little extra trouble. If, for instance, 
they plant Early Rose or Beauty of He- 
b’o'n, let them cut the potatoes into three 
pieces, making three different piles, viz.: 
the seed-end, stem-end and middle, plant¬ 
ing each separately, making the same 
number of hills. It will then only be 
necessary to measure the yield of each and 
to note the size of the potatoes. Which¬ 
ever part of the different potatoes yields 
the greatest amount of marketable pota¬ 
toes, the experiment will furnish us a 
valuable guide which portion to plant 
another year. 
A “new disease,” one new in the 
sense that it has not been before described, 
has lately been noticed by Dr. Zenker, of 
Stettin, Germany, as affecting farm labor¬ 
ers, particularly those engaged in digging 
and gathering 'potatoes, it is caused by 
the peculiar, strained position in which 
the legs and feet are kept while perform¬ 
ing both these operations. In the work 
the laborer stoops and supports himself 
on the knees and feet, moving about for 
a long time while the knees are “strongly 
bent and the feet strongly extended." This 
soon produces weariness and numbness in 
the limbs, and results in a disease of the 
nervous system of the toot and legs, the 
thighs and trunk not being affected. The 
patient fiuds that one extremity feels cold, 
numb and heavy, and sometimes painful, 
while the foot drags in walking. The 
affected leg feels colder to the touch than 
the healthy one, and is very much less 
sensitive, in some cases even electric cur¬ 
rents being but slightly felt. The treat¬ 
ment hitherto has consisted in foot baths, 
friction and electricity. Under treatment 
a case may rapidly improve, or if. may 
continue unchanged for several years, the 
patient being able to walk about though 
with a limping gait. 
We say plant the Cuthbert Raspberry 
for late, the Hansel for early—both are of 
a bright red color, and suitable for mar¬ 
ket as well as for home use. For a yel¬ 
low, plant the Caroline. It is hardy and 
productive, though not of the first quul- 
lty. For canning, or for table use, if you 
like a fruit full of raspberry flavor though 
a little tart, plant Shaffer's Colossal. It 
is rather dark iu color for market, and 
perhaps a little soft. For a hardy, early 
red raspberry that is sweet and delicious 
for home use, plant the Turner. For a 
raspberry that is excellent in every 
way, plant the new Marlboro. For 
the earliest and most productive of 
blackcaps, plant the Soughcgan. For a 
• larger and later blackcap, plant the 
| Gregg. For currants, pmut the new 
Fay's Prolific for red, and the White 
Grupe Currant for white. For grapes, 
plant the Lady for earliest white, Moore’s 
Early and Worden for early ulack. For 
later, plant the Victoria or Pocklington, 
for light-colored; the Vergennes, Jeffer¬ 
son, Brighton or Centennial for red, and 
the Wilder, Herbert or Barry for black. 
For strawberries, try the Cumberland 
Triumph, Charles Downing, Sharpless, 
Manchester (pistillate), Dauiel Boone, 
James Yick, Mount Yernon, Hart’s Min¬ 
nesota and Kentucky. You cannot select 
a better list for trial unless by experience 
you know already ju6t what varieties will 
succeed best on your land. 
-» • 9 - 
EXPERIMENT. 
An old proverb says, “Experience is a 
dear school, but fools can learn in no 
other.” Like many other proverbs, this 
conveys both truth and error. For it 
hi nts that cheaper tuition may be had 
elsewhere, and that wise men can get 
knowledge in easier ways. Whatever 
may be true in pure mathematics and ab¬ 
stract sciences, physical science and its ap¬ 
plication to farming or any other indus- 
try, progress and succeed by experiment 
alone. Success comes, on the experiment 
grounils and in the laboratory, only by the 
“try, try again” plan. 
But there is a second-hand experience, 
which, like second-hand clothes, comes 
cheaper ami is doubtless better for some 
people than original experience. The 
monkey got his roasted chestnuts out of 
the hot ashes by means of the cat's paws. 
Agricultural papers and books are the cats’ 
paws of many wise farmers. Fortunate 
are those farmers who have the skill, time 
and taste for original experiment; lacking 
these, they are equally fortunate ii’ they 
have good eyes to observe and quick wits 
to appropriate and use the methods found 
profitable only aftor slow and costly ex¬ 
periments by otiiers. This necessitates 
reading and a judicious selection of what 
is suited to each location. What better 
occupation than this for the long evenings 
of tliis Winter? What better practical 
source of information than the reports of 
the results of experiments which are pub¬ 
lished from week to week m all good 
farm papers? The Rural, for its part, is 
used to seeking in dirt and ashes good 
things for its readers, and it proposes, by 
their aid, to scatter still more and more 
widely each year, the results of its experi¬ 
ments. 
THE RURAL’S SEED DISTRIBUTION. 
Our ‘ ‘ Garden Treasures” this year are 
g oing to be something really remarkable. 
me friend has just sent us, according to 
list, 55 different kinds. We have received 
from subscribers probably over 1,000 dif¬ 
ferent species and varieties of annuals, 
biennials and perennials, besides over 100 
different kinds we have ourselves gath¬ 
ered and bought at home and imported. 
How many of the 1,000 kinds sent to us 
by friends may be alike we cannot, say. 
Now, Rural readers, will not you prom¬ 
ise us to sow these seeds carefully, and 
care for them as they should be cared for? 
Perhaps a large majority will prove merely 
such as many of you have seen or raised 
before; but there is a good chance that 
some of them will prove very rare. Of 
Cleveland's Rural New-Yorker Pea we find 
there will be 63 seeds for each of our 
18,000 packets; of the Horsford’s Market 
Garden, about 30. Of the Diehl-Medit¬ 
erranean Wheat, the Rural Union Corn, 
the Thousand-fold Rye and Black Cham¬ 
pion Oats, we shall be able to send a lib¬ 
eral trial quantity. As to the tomatoes, 
let us say that we have ourselves gathered 
about 20 pounds of seed raised at the 
Rural Grounds,of no less than 15 different 
varieties, many of them those that have 
there 1 icon selected for from three tol 0 years. 
Besides these, we have to offer every one 
of the best of the new kinds which have 
been introduced during the past three or 
four years. We hope to mix these so 
thoroughly, and to send out enough seeds 
to each applicant, to enable all to raise at 
least one plant of each kind. 
Wo do not ever hope to make our Seed 
Distribution more varied or valuable than 
that which we are now worklugupon, prom¬ 
ises to be. Those who subscribe for the 
Rural New-Yorker, in combination with 
other journals with which we club, need 
not apply. All others must apply, and 
inflow a three-cent stamp. We again beg 
our friends to white their names and 
ADDRESSES PLAINLY. 
TRIUMPH OF THE AMERICAN HOG. 
Last Tuesday President Grfivy signed 
a decree abolishing the prohibition of the 
importation of American hog products in¬ 
to France, and on the following day it was 
promulgated. Originally, the prohibition 
was established in the Spring of 1881, 
really for the benefit of French hog rais¬ 
ers, on the pretext that American pork 
was exceptionally infested with triohinse, 
and therefore more likely than other pork 
to produce the fearful disease of trichi¬ 
nosis in consumers. Half a dozen other 
European countries soon followed this bad 
example, and within the next two years 
, there was a falling off of over six hun¬ 
dred million pounds in our exports of 
hog products. Investigations here and 
elsewhere have demonstrated that Ameri¬ 
can hogs arc little, if at all, more subject 
to trichime than the hogs of any other 
country. The many deaths that have 
lately occurred in Saxony and other places 
in Germany from eating German meat, 
have shown clearly the ridiculous nature 
of the pleas on which American hog 
products have beeu excluded from most 
of the continent of Europe, for no pre¬ 
tense has ever been made that such slaugh¬ 
ter has ever beeu caused anywhere by 
American pork. 
It is very likely that this mortality, 
coupled with the example set by France, 
will ere long explode all European legis¬ 
lation against the American hog, especially 
as Congress will meet next Tuesday, and 
the hostile edicts against that noble beast 
may furnish valid grounds for retaliatory 
legislation. The French decree states 
that if the pork is carefully salted 
there is no danger of trichinosis, and that 
the municipal authorities will Seize any 
bacon that may be found imperfectly 
salted. While, in Germany, Zundel, Louis, 
Richlinlmuser, Kopp, Seigmand and Dele 
have found that after infested meat has 
been thoroughly salted the trichin® are 
incapable of reproduction, such o.her 
eminent chemists as Schmitt, Chatim, 
Girard, Pabst, De Beneke and Libon, 
have discovered trichime still living and 
capable of reproduction iu meats that, had 
beeu salted for several months. There is, 
therefore, considerable doubt as to the re¬ 
liability of the cabled statement that “ if 
pork is carefully salted there is no danger of 
trichinosis,” but this doubt applies to the 
meat of all other hogs as well as to that 
of the American sorts. The raising of the 
embargu by France will doubtlessenhuuee 
prices of nogs and hog products here, 
and indeed already a strong upward move¬ 
ment has begun, for there is little doubt 
that before long the noble American Hog 
will again be xvelcomed to the tables of 
all Continental Europe. 
BREVITIES. 
Thk very worst thing a journal can do is to 
make exuberant promises from year to year 
and then disregard them. Hovr short-sighted I 
Our Blount's Cora of the present season, 
which, however, is no longer Blount's, though 
it sprang from it, is the finest iu quality we 
have ever raised. 
Remember this—if you waut to stop your 
Light Brahmas from laying, feed them all 
they want. We have found that the egg-pro¬ 
duction of this breed, more than of any othor, 
is lessened by over-feeding. Feed them twice 
a day and give them no more than they will 
oat up clean Indore resting. 
Charles W. Garfield, Secretary of the 
Michigan State Horticultural Society, in a 
letter under date of November 2 says: “The 
Rural New-Yorker is the best agricultural 
paper 1 get. One point that raises it in my 
favor is its independence iu regard to new 
things I detest a newspaper that will ‘slob¬ 
ber’ for money.” So should all good men. 
“Wkki: 1 to furnish the spicy, thoughtful, 
scientific, practical Rural New-Yorker free 
I to some farmers 1 know. they would give 
{ i r, to their neighbors or children, while 
they themselves would read sensational stories 
iu newspapers. The truth is the Rural is 
useful according to the intelligence of its rend¬ 
ers." Ho says Mr. E. H. Collins, of Matts- 
villu, Ind. 
The well-known author of agricultural 
works, Waldo F. Brown, writes us. uuder date 
of November 17, ns follows: “I am not given 
to writing puffs, but as 1 was last night going 
through a pile of agricultural papers, I was 
impressed with the superiority of the Rural. 
I am getting copies of most of the agricul¬ 
tural papers East and W est, and so have a 
chance to compare them. V\ ithout any hesi¬ 
tation I give the Rural the first place, and 
if 1 could take but one paper it. would be my 
choice. I hope yoftr circulation will quadru¬ 
ple the coining year.” Of course, we hope so 
too—but we shall be well satisfied if w e secure 
,iu increase of 25 per cent, on our present cir¬ 
culation. The Rural’s circulation is too 
large to hope ever to double it in one year. 
The annual convention of the National 
Cotton Planters’ Association at Vicksburg the 
other day, was largely attended by delegates 
from the Southern States, capitalists and 
manufacturers from the Northern and East 
ern Stab’s. Resolutions were adopted asking 
Congress and the Sts to Legislatures for appro 
priations m aid of agricultural and median) 
cal colleges and for the establishment of ex¬ 
perimental stations iu the South. Speculations 
iu futures were strongly condemned, so that 
the decision just, rendered by the Supreme 
Court of Georgia declaring contracts based 
on such speculations null and void, would have 
been heartily indorsed by the convention. 
Resolutions were also adopted that more at 
tration should l>e paid to grass culture utid the 
establishment of factories; indorsing the re¬ 
cently organized Southern Immigration Asso¬ 
ciation : usldug Congress to give ihe South fair 
legislation in tariff matters, but disclaiming 
auy desire for spedal advantages over other 
sections; thanking the Chief Signal Officer for 
his excellent, reports, and ticking Congress by 
more liberal appropriat ion- 1 to enable him to 
increase the efficiency of the service. 
