fHE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
408 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Conducted by 
K. S . CARMAN, 
Editor, 
J . S. WOODWARD, 
Associato. 
Address r - > 
T^RljRAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14 1885. 
TO SOUTHERN READERS. 
come who will, that our statement maybe 
so supported as to disarm our city farm 
‘editors, and the doubting Thomases in 
general. 
- ♦»» 
A man might just as well expect to 
live and grow fat on potatoes alone or 
apples or boiled rice or bread alone, as to 
look for large crops when a plain super¬ 
phosphate alone or kainit aloue, or 
nitrate of soda alone, xs spread upon 
the land. And yet many farmers who 
use such special fertilizers alone con¬ 
demn nil chemical fertilizers. A single 
constituent of fertilizers will have little 
effect except where the land happens to 
need only that single constituent. 
All' of our Southern subscribers who 
have not applied for the Ri ral’s Seed 
Distribution should do so at once. We 
are now ready to mail the packages. 
If the number on your address label is 
1830, your subscription term will expire 
next week; if 1831, the week after, and 
so on. Please look to this. 
Tor catalogue notices of this issue 
(page 104) will be found interesting. We 
would solicit our readers to send for all 
of them and to examine them thoroughly 
before ordering seeds or plants. 
The good Robert Douglas, of Wauke¬ 
gan, Ill., has spent a considerable part of 
each Summer during the past five years 
traveling in the forests. He is now over 
70 years of age, and is as devoted as ever 
to the arboricultural interests of our 
country. 
Continuing the reports of our nine 
Wyandotte pullets, they gave us 139 eggs 
during January —4 )4 a day, the average 
weight of which is eight to the pound. 
These hens have not been coddled in any 
way. They have simply had the care 
which all farmers should give their poul¬ 
try—clean houses and plenty to eat and 
drink. 
Three different posters; the full account 
of our Free Seed Distribution; the offer 
of $2,800 in presents to subscribers for the 
largest clubs; our premium list and speci¬ 
men copies will be sent to all, post-paid, 
on application, We will also gladly send 
specimens to any list of names which our 
readers may seud us in order to aid them 
in obtaining new subscribers. 
A plate of fine Anjou pears pick¬ 
ed from the tree Oct. 7, 1884, was ex¬ 
hibited at the February meeting of the 
New York Horticultural Society. A few 
of the pears were beginning to shrivel a 
little; but most of them looked as fresh 
as though just gathered. These pears, 
two plates of cauliflower, two cucumbers, 
and a bunch of asparagus appeared among 
the flowers that made up the exhibition. 
We desire to thank our many friends 
who have sent us new subscriptions while 
reuewing their own, as well as for the 
good words they have spoken in favor of 
the Rural. It seems to tis that our 
friends have never before exerted them¬ 
selves so much to increase the Rural’s 
influence and circulation. We shall do 
all we can to make their words good, and 
to merit their long continued friendship. 
Anybody that wants to commence keep¬ 
ing poultry may read all the poultry booss 
ever written. The whole story resolves 
itself into this: Give them warm and 
clean houses, good and varied food, pure 
water, and let, the nucubt-r be proportion¬ 
ed to the size of the house and yard. 
From our experience with Wyandottes, 
we should choose them first as an all¬ 
purpose fowl ; Plymouth Rocks next, 
Light Brahmas next. 
We find from our own tests and from 
looking over the catalogues now coming 
in, that the same varieties (and many of 
them) are offered under different names. 
This is an imposition upon all who buy 
seeds and especially upon those progres¬ 
sive farmers,gardeners and florists who are 
anxious to Bccure meritorious novelties. 
It is a pity that some authoritative society 
could not be organized to remedy this 
growing evil. 
Should our balf-acre of poor soil yield 
only a small crop of potatoes under the 
Rural’s method, then we shall not need 
any of our friends to measure it. The 
Rural’s estimate in this case will never 
be doubted by anybody. But ehoiild 
the yield be large, we Bhall invite all to 
Nothing adds more to the beauty of 
the farm than a few evergreens scattered 
about in odd places. As you pass over 
the fields,have an eye to the location of a 
score, more or less, and be prepared to 
plant them very early in the Spring. If 
one point is looked after, no tree is more 
easily transplanted or more sure to grow 
than evergreens;—wheu you go after 
them take a lot of wet straw in the wagon, 
and as soon as a tree is dug, have it placed 
in the wagon and cover its roots with this 
wet straw, and when taken from the 
wagon, place it directly in the ground. 
The slogan of the fancy stock men is 
“more blood,” “better blood,” “purer 
blood.” This is all right and proper enough 
for them; but we think that among the 
farmers at large a more important thing 
is more care, better care, and more and 
better feed. These are matters needing 
the first attention, and attention to them 
will pay much the best profit. While we 
are believers in blood, and would say 
nothing to discourage its infusion into 
our herds, yet we would not give a cent 
for blood on a starvation diet, and with 
no shelter but a rail fence. We w T ant. 
first better care, and then better blood. 
-- 
4> 
Joseph Leach, of Kansas, who is go¬ 
ing to try the Rural’s method of raising 
potatoes, says he is going to use the Ilap- 
good Listing Plow, which he thinks is 
precisely the tool for the work. It opens 
a furrow 14 inches wide, and from four 
to six inches deep, leaving an inch or so 
of fine soil in the bottom of the furrow. 
He says that with two horses and this 
plow he can prepare eight acres in a day. 
We would suggest to our friend that if 
his land is light, it would he well to plow 
so that the seed pieces will be four to live 
inches deep. If heavy, four inches will 
be deep enough. We hope in a few fur¬ 
rows, at least, he will try the mulch. 
Mr. Matthew Crawford, of Cuya¬ 
hoga Falls, Ohio, who will need no intro¬ 
duction to our readers, says: 
“To show you bow we rely on your paper, I 
will quote a angle sentence f rom one of the most, 
intelligent fruit-growers of this State: 'Would 
not we feel cheap if we should some time find 
out that the Rural New Yorker is being 
run in the interests of some concern i' 
“I like the Rural for its reliability. I ex¬ 
pect the editor tc toll the truth, let it hit 
where it will. ... I like the paper because 
the best talent is employed on it These pro¬ 
fessional dollar-a-column agricultural writers 
are too often blind leaders of the blind. Au<l 
the worst of it is, that many farmers are un 
able to discriminate between such men and 
those who are competent. It is sometimes 
amusing, sometimes disgusting and discour¬ 
aging, to see what brings such men into no- 
triety. I could name several prominent men 
in this State whose articles are at a premium, 
who are noted iu their own neighborhoods 
for their general inefiirieuey. 
“East year 1 paid for 18 agricultural papers, 
aud had a number sent to me, and I consider 
the Rural much the best of them all. I hope 
I may never change my opinion of it.” 
We do not believe you will ever have 
occasion, Mr. Crawford, to change your 
mind while the paper is owned by its 
present editors, and they retain their 
senses. We ate conscious of making a 
great many mistakes, and that there is 
room for improvement in everyway. But 
we are also conscious of trying to do just 
about as well as we know how—and we 
are further conscious of having no “axe 
to grind” except the axe of rural progress. 
DON’T FORGET 
That “knowledge is better than 
money,” and that good fruit is better 
than medicine: for these reasons we make 
these splendid offers. Every subscriber 
now on our books, sending us one new 
subscriber aud two dollars, can have 
twelve plants of the new Marlboro 
Raspbkry delivered free, or by sending 
15 cents extra for postage, he can have 
the World’s Cyclopaedia, a book for 
e.very household; or for 10 cents lor post¬ 
age, Webster’s Practical Dictionary, 
which will be fully described next week, 
and which is richly worth its price, §1.00; 
or for two new subscribers, one of either of 
thenowred grapes Poughkeepsie Red or 
Ulster Prolific; or for three new sub¬ 
scribers, a plaut of the new Niagara 
Grape, which was pronounced at the 
Western New York Horticultural Society’s 
meeting—all things considered, the best 
grape we now have. Any one not now 
a subscriber can take advantage of these 
liberal offers by adding his name and 
money to the numbers mentioned, when 
sending. Iu spite of the hard times we 
are bound to increase our subscription 
list, and we wish to reward every one fyr 
a little extra effort. These offers are for 
new subscribers sent after this time, and 
the names so sent will not apply on clubs 
for any other premiums or presents, and 
the application must be made when send¬ 
ing the names, as it is impossible for us 
to keep track of them in any other way. 
Dear friends, do you not want either these 
books or plants? Just, think how easy 
to secure the whole lot! 
INSPECTION OF PORK. 
The Commission appointed last year 
by President Arthur to inspect anu re¬ 
port upon the condition of American 
pork, recommended that in order to meet 
the objections of Germany, it would be 
best to establish a system of inspection of 
the pork designed for shipment to foreign 
countries, at the packing bouses where it 
was put up. This inspection was intend¬ 
ed to discover if any hogs were affected 
with trichime. The Commissioners have 
found, after a most thorough examination, 
that all other charges and causes ol com¬ 
plaint were not sustained by the facts. 
They have also found that the amount of 
trichinosis or number of hogs affected, 
was also very much less than had 
been alleged. The total examinations 
brought down the percentage of hogs 
which had trichime in them to a little 
over two per cent. The report of the 
Commission was strongly indorsed by 
the President and Secretary of State; but 
nothing has been done by Congress be¬ 
yond the introduction of several bills. 
Oq January 14 a convention of swine- 
breeders was held at Washington, culled 
Dy Hon. W. W. Smith, the president of 
the National Swine Breeders’Convention, 
and consisting of delegates from the differ¬ 
ent conventions and agricultural boards. 
At this convention a committee on re¬ 
solutions recommended that immediate ac¬ 
tion should be taken by the convention 
to procure needful legislation by Con¬ 
gress to provide for the inspection of 
pork designed for foreign shipment. 
This question was thoroughly discussed 
by Messrs. Smith. Curtis, Fulford, Me- 
Clung, and others; and as a result a 
committee was appointed to endeavor to 
obtain from Congress the needed legisla¬ 
tion. This committee prepared a bill, by 
adding suitable amendments to the one 
introduced last Winter by Judge Reagan, 
of Texas, Chairman of the House Com¬ 
mittee on Commercial Relations. Judge 
Reagan is in favor of the bill, and to¬ 
wards it there is a most, friendly feeling; 
at least, such is the report of the Com¬ 
mittee who have the matter in charge. 
Our pork exports to Continental Europe 
have fallen off very greatly during the lust 
few years on accimnt of the embargo or 
restrictions placed upon American hog 
products by France, Germany, Spain, 
Italy, Austria, Greece aud Turkey. The 
ostensible grounds of this hostile action 
have been exaggerated reports of disease 
among American hogs; while the real 
reason has been a desire to stimulate the 
production of home-raised pork. 
- 
CATTLE KINGS V$, SETTLERS. 
The cattle kings represented at the St. 
Louis Convention have in their possession, 
often unlawfully, over 1,247,000,000 acres 
of laud iu the various Slates and Territo¬ 
ries. One member is reported to have a 
ranch requiring over 300 miles of fence to 
inclose it. This, if in a square form, 
would contain between three and four 
million acres. He has also, in Nebraska, 
00,000 acres in one body, aud 10,000 in 
another, and lately he bought there 80,000 
head of cattle, with large laud and water- 
privileges. He is reported to have said 
that the small land owners and home¬ 
steaders should be each compelled to 
fence bis own land securely against stock, 
for by his so doing stock could be grazed 
at much loss cost. “But," be said, “it is 
hard to make these near sighted men see 
a great way off; but the cattlemen must 
stick together, or all must suffer.” It is 
evideut from the proceedings and speeches 
of the Convention, and from other indi¬ 
cations, that a grand organized raid is to 
be made upon Congress to secure a mere 
trifle of land, from six to eight miles 
wide and 1,000 miles long, for a cattle 
trail; the property of individual holders 
of small tracts and homesteads, within 
this area is to be “condemned” and 
taken, no matter how much hardship the 
spoliation may inflict. Undoubtedly one 
of the agencies to be used in getting pos¬ 
session of the property of these small 
holders was foreshadowed in the cow¬ 
boy band and the leader’s baton, m the 
shape of a silver-mounted revolver with a 
12-inch barrel, which he flourished care¬ 
lessly about. 
We think it quite time that a stop 
should be put to the unlawful taking and 
fencing of Government land in large 
tracts by these nabobs. The courts have, 
time and time again, decided against 
their rights to these lands, and the hold¬ 
ing of the same under fence; but still 
they are iu possession, and the fences are 
there, to the annoyance and loss of actual 
settlers. Would it not be well for Gen. 
Hatch, now that he has removed the 
Oklahoma raiders, to turn his attention 
to the removal of these unlawful fences, 
aud to compel the cattle nabobs to cea9e 
their encroachments upon the. rights of 
actual settlers. While it mav be true 
that cattle can be raised and pastured 
much more cheaply in immense herds, we 
still think it better for the people at 
large, and more in accordance w ith the 
traditions of our institutions, that the 
lands be owned and occupied by actual 
settlers in small tracts. Though the ag¬ 
gregate cost of 100.000 cattle owned and 
cared for by 100 men, may greatly 
exceed that of the same number owned 
by one man, still it. is much better 
for the country to have the one hundred 
men interested and to have the profits 
divided among the whole hundred. One 
hundred or one thousand small owners, 
each having a family aud a home, will 
give much more stability to the State 
and add much more to the general wel¬ 
fare than any nabob with his horde of 
unstable, law-defying cow boys. This 
Bbould be a government of the people, 
for the people, and Congress should ut¬ 
terly refuse to grant any more privileges 
to the cattle kings. We already have 
too much monopoly aud land grabbing in 
this direction, let us come to a haltl 
OAiEVITIBH. 
It is better not to trust to onion seed two 
years old. 
Nothing is gained bv selecting grape-vines 
more tban two years old. Older vines suffer 
more by being transplanted, and will fruit no 
earlier.' 
Wu are right glad to know that Dr. B. D. 
Halstead has escaped from the American 
Agriculturist, and that be ig now Professor of 
Botany in the good Iowa Agricultural Col¬ 
lege. 
Eoo plants are just about as tender as toma¬ 
to plants. Seed should be started iu frames or 
in the home, so that the plants may be in the 
open grouud about the middle or latter part 
of May. 
Prepare to give your melons a southern to 
south-western exposure, and, if possible, a 
light, sandy, rich soil. You cannot raise early 
melons in heavy land exposed to the north 
and east winds. 
TnE Rural New-Yorker is quoted as hav¬ 
ing sanl that salt would prevent the wire- 
worm from injuring potatoes The contrary 
is the fact. W e have found that salt does not 
repo] them in the least on our grounds. 
As apple and p*ar orchards will last a life¬ 
time, we can not be too careful as to the kinds 
we select. To find at the end of ten years 
when they corner into bearing, that we have 
worthless varieties is a heavy and irreparable 
loss. 
The Rural wants its readers to try all 
novelties—but to try them in a small way. 
It will not cost much and, in the end, it pays. 
Those who advise us to "steer clear of novel¬ 
ties,” do*not write from experience or, if they 
do, it is from an exceptional experience. 
Note— The Rural Nkw-Yorkkr is 
promptly discontinued at the end of the sub¬ 
scription term. Any numbers mailed after¬ 
wards are sent by mistake or as specimens, 
and no charge' is over made. Recipients 
should refuse to pay for papers sent after the 
term subscribed and paid for bos expired. 
Sweet corn. Lima Beans, curly potatoes, 
musk and watermelons, tomatoes and straw¬ 
berries. These are the most paying crops of 
the market gardeners in the neighborhood of 
the Rural Grouuds. Some add greet! peas, 
cabbages and ruta bagas. The distance is 18 
rnilew from the New York—seven miles from 
the Paterson market. 
The members of the Missouri State Horti¬ 
cultural Society arc justly proud of their suc- 
cuss at the World's Exposition at New Or¬ 
leans. They captured the two highest orizes 
given for a display of apples by auy Horti¬ 
cultural Society. They also secured a gold 
medal and 8200 for the best 200 varieties of 
apples shown; also a silver medal aud #100 
for the best 100 varieties: also a silver medal 
and 875 Tor the best 50 varieties. Besides 
these, they secured 20 other premiums. The 
best of it all is that this was done solely 
by the individual efforts of the members 
unaided by the State Government. 
