THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Conducted by 
E. S. CARMAN, 
J. S. WOODWARD, 
Editor, 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21.1885. 
The new foreign pea Pride of America 
comes to us with high praise. We shall 
try it and report to our readers. 
Our readers, as if they were generals 
confronted by a threatening enemy, 
should now prepare for a vigorous and tri¬ 
umphant campaign. Study (he situation; 
be prepared for every emergency. Be 
ready to strike at the right time. 
Catalogue notices will be found on 
pages 119 and 130. Now is the time when 
our readers should examine them so that 
now while farm labor is not pressing, they 
may deliberately determine wbat fertili¬ 
zers, seeds or implements to order. 
Intending advertisers need never ap¬ 
ply to us for rates. They are published 
in every issue of the Rural New-Yorker, 
and we never depart from them. We 
hold that all advertisers should be treated 
alike, and that it is a kind of swindling 
to charge one more than another for the 
same privileges. 
All of our readers who raise potatoes 
are asked to read the article by Sir J. B. 
Lawes, on the first page of this issue, as 
well as the remarks following by the Ru¬ 
ral, An abundance of food without 
ample moisture can not bring you large 
crops. The Rural’s method is intended 
to supply both. 
Most soils are deficient in phosphoric 
acid. It is for this reason that bone flour 
in most cases gives decided results. But 
when bone flour does not give any results, 
you may assume one of two things, viz., 
either that your land needs also potash 
and nitrogen, or that it is already well 
supplied with plant food. 
Three different posters: the full account 
of our Free Seed Distribution; the offer 
of $3,800 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 send us in order to aid them 
in obtaining new subscribers. 
A State Forestry Association.— 
All those who desire to see such measures 
adopted as shall secure the wise treat¬ 
ment of our forest lands, are invited to 
meet at Utica, N. Y., on February 21, at 
10:30 A. M., to consider what is expedi¬ 
ent to be done to organize a State Forest¬ 
ry Association. The call is signed by Ex- 
Gov. Reuben E. Fenton, Andrew D. 
White, President of Cornell, Sherman S. 
Rogers, of Buffalo, etc., etc, 
A Webster’s Dictionary, worth one dol¬ 
lar, or the World’s Cyclopedia, is now 
offered to our present subscribers, for 
one new subscriber. For every year 
of the past seven the Rural has been 
able to say: “Our circulation is larger 
than during any preceding year”—and 
we are determined that 1885 shall prove 
no exception. The times are hard, and 
we desire to meet half-way those of our 
subscribers who will help extend the Ru¬ 
ral’s circulation. 
A considerable part of our seed distribu¬ 
tion is now ready to mail. Hundreds of our 
subscribers have not appl ied. Many, we find., 
have forgotten to do so, while many new 
friends believe then i mil receive it without ap¬ 
plication. The R. N-Y. can not afford to 
send its seed distributions to any who do not 
value them, and who are not in a situation to 
plant and care for them. We are obliged to 
pay five cents postage on every packer, and 
we charge our subscribers but two cents. 
Those who subscribe for the Rural in com¬ 
bination with other papers which offer Ihe seeds 
as a paid of the combination, need not apply. 
The seed swill be sent, to such subscribers with¬ 
out application All others who have not ap¬ 
plied. should do so AT ONCE. 
One of the shapeliest, most foliaceous 
trees in cultivation is the Cucumber Tree 
—Magnolia acuminata. It is the hardi¬ 
est of magnolias, and is used as a stock 
for most other species. Its natural shape 
is pyramidal,'which may be confined as 
one chooses byjpruning. For a stately, 
formal tree, densely clothed with its large, 
thick, tropical leaves, there are few others 
that can be made to take its place. 
Many other magnolias are preferred for 
more showy flowers, but there is no other 
more desirable for its close spray and 
symmetrical appearance. 
- »-»-♦ - 
You may prune evergreen trees the 
same as deciduous trees, and shape them 
to suit the fancy. Years ago, it was 
thought that if the leaders of such coni¬ 
fers a 9 the Norway Spruce were destroy¬ 
ed, they would never be renewed. When 
we consider that hedges of Arbor-vitas, 
Hemlock, Norway Spruce, Retinisporas, 
Tiger-tail Spruce, etc., can be confined to 
almost any bight and width, we may 
judge that other evergreens may be cut 
back just as well. In pruning pines, 
however, we should be careful to cut 
back to a node or joint—otherwise the 
bud less stem will die back to the joint, 
having nothing to support it. 
♦ » - 
It may be well that we should again 
remind our readers that they should sow 
upon a small plot of wheat or rye (in early 
Spring) at the rate of 200 to 400 pounds 
per acre of nitrate of soda. One-fortieth 
of an acre (33x33 feet) is a most conven 
ient size. Upon this, sow evenly from 
five to ten pounds of nitrate of soda as 
soon as the frost has left the soil—for 
this climate about May 1st, or a little 
later. Should it happen that your soil is 
well supplied with plant food of all 
kinds, it will have little effect; but should 
it be deficient in nitrogen, the effects will 
be surprising. Even though the soil may 
be deficient in soluble potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid, it may still act as a solvent 
and produce a marked effect. We urge 
this upon our readers because it is an 
easy way of learning most valuable truths. 
Later in the season we shall hope they 
will try the nitrate of soda, or salts of 
ammonia, upon growing potatoes or corn, 
remembering the Rural's notable experi¬ 
ment of last Summer. Our readers will 
confer a favor if they will make this little 
experiment in a careful, exact manner, 
and report the results to the R. N.-Y. 
— - 
THE SHIRE HORSE SHOW. 
Wk are just in receipt of the following 
letter, which explains itself: 
I-Iolywkll Manor, England. ) 
February 2, 1885. j 
At tbe present time, when Americans are 
so thoroughly posted in everything connected 
with pure>-bred stock, it seems notarniss for 
me to remind your people of the rare treat in 
store for the lovers of a good general purpose 
horse. The annual show of Sbli'e horses Is to 
be held in tbe Royal Agricultural Hall, com¬ 
mencing on February 24, and lasting the 
three following days 'From all appearances, 
this will be the most successful show ever 
held here. Tbe prize list is now published, and 
on the same liberal scale as last year. In ad¬ 
dition to the class prizes, the special and 
champion premiums offered are so liberal that 
the best animal in the show may win £208.10s., 
or over $1,000. It appears probable that at 
least 250 stallicus of all ages will be shown 
and probably nearly all will be for sale, and 
on the last two days Mr. G. M. Sexton will 
hold a continuous sale. Many Americans 
should avail themselves of visiting this show, 
as it will be the best exhibition of heavy draft 
horses ever held in the British Isles. 
SANDERS SPENCER. 
-*-*-•- 
OUR PRESENTS.—WHY WE GIVE 
THEM. 
We wish it distinctly understood that 
nothing which we offer is to be consid¬ 
ered as a premium to induce any person 
to become a subscriber. The Rural is 
richly worth all we ask for it, and more, 
and we wish all to pay the same price for 
it. But the gilts are intended as com¬ 
pensation to any of our subscribers and 
friends, wh~ choose to accept them, for 
any effort they so kindly make in bring¬ 
ing tbe Rural to the notice of others, 
and inducing them to subscribe. Every¬ 
thing we offer has been carefully selected, 
and is substantial and in every way just 
as represented, and we believe will please 
every one who may obtain it. 
From present indications those who 
work for one of tbe 231 presents, will be 
absolutely certain of receiving very large 
pay for their efforts; but. there are many 
who would like one of our regular pre¬ 
miums or a book or some of those rare 
plants which we offer, and we have en¬ 
deavored to so arrange as to please even 
one. Each can choose the clas« in which 
to work and can change from one to the 
other, but no one should expect more 
than one to be open to him. 
While we believe that no paper ever 
had such a host of warm-hearted, earnest 
friends, we also believe that the strong 
incentive which prompts such effective 
work is their appreciation of the Rural’s 
earnest work and their approval of its 
honesty, and their desire to benefit others 
by inducing them to become its readers, 
yet we wish to show our appreciation of 
their efforts by offering them something 
which we think will prove a real Venefit, 
and which they will duly prize. 
FOREIGN* VINTAGES. 
In view of the growing importance of 
the wine-making industry of this country, 
a knowledge of foreign vintages has be¬ 
come a matter of no small interest to a 
large proportion of our rural population. 
From various reports, official and unoffi¬ 
cial, it appears that the total yield of 
the. last vintage of France was 782,- 
566,000 gallons, and although this was 
27,000,000 gallons less than the vintage 
of 1883, it exceeded by nearly 70,000,000 
gallons, the average of the last six years. 
The American vines have become well ac¬ 
climated wherever introduced, so that, in 
spite of the extending ravages of the 
phylloxera, the total acreage under culti¬ 
vation shows alight increase as compared 
with last year; but the wine is not con¬ 
sidered to be of such good quality, and 
the native vines destroyed covered 120,- 
000 acres, of which nearly half was in the 
brandy-making Department of Charente. 
The terrible effects of the phylloxera may 
be inferred from the fact that ten years 
ago the exports were 13 times the im¬ 
ports, while for the last four years the 
imports have twice been double and 
twice treble the exports. The De¬ 
partments in which the increase in 
area is greatest are those that produce 
common wines; but the claret-growing 
Departments of Gironde and Charante- 
Infcrieure have suffered very severely. 
In spite of all this, however, France is 
still at the head of the wine-producing 
countries of Europe, having an average 
of 782,500,000 gallons for the last six 
years, against averages of 525,000,000 in 
Italy; 495,000,000 in Austria and Hun¬ 
gary; 450,000.000 in Spain; 90,000,000 in 
Portugal; 78,750,000 in Greece; 50,900,- 
000 in Russia; 48,015,000 in Turkey; 
45,405,000 in Germany; 24,750,000 in 
Switzerland, aud 18,000,000 gallons in 
Roumania, the only countries that do 
not produce wine being Great Britain, 
Denmark, Belgium, Holland, and Bervia. 
-- 
WELL-LAID PLANS PROFITABLE. 
A good general carefully studies the 
situation, lays his plans fora campaign or 
battle before he makes a move, and he 
who does not is sure to meet with such 
disaster as to be called incompetent, and 
be dismissed the service. Is not the busi¬ 
ness on which all depend for subsistence 
as worthy of thought as the operations of 
a general? ItB success or failure certain¬ 
ly depends as much on appljing the best 
means to accomplish the ends sought. 
And yet how many farmers to-day are 
without auy definite, well-laid plans for 
the Summer’s campaign? The crops of 
10 to 12 bushels of wheat, and of 20 to 30 
bushels of com or oats, as well as the 
keeping of one cow to three or four 
acres, all admit do not pay expenses, and 
yet these are about the average of the 
country; while in every neighborhood are 
men who get double and triple these 
crops, and who keep twice this number of 
stock per acre, and who, amid the gene¬ 
ral cry of hard times, have plenty of 
money. 
If the reason he sought it is not hard 
to find: the one is careful, observant, 
always studying his business, seeking to 
know why one field produces more than 
another; why one animal thrives better 
than another; he is trying to make every 
crop a little better than any preceding 
one, and every animal make a little bet¬ 
ter showing than its predecessor, and to 
this end he studies the best authors on 
agricultural topics, and reads the best 
agricultural papers, nis fields are well 
tilled and free from weeds; his buildings 
in good repair; his barns made warm, 
and his stock made comfortable. In 
Winter he rnatur. s plans for the year’s 
work, and while carefully working them 
out, is thinking how he may improve on 
them for the succeeding year. 
The majority have no well laid plans; 
but merely the cmdest notion of what 
they would like to do. Their barns are 
cold, cheerless and not half filled; their 
stock, half fed and unhoused, reach Spring 
in a half-starved and unprofitable condi¬ 
tion. These people spend their time at 
the corner grocery store or in reading 
dime novels or story papers. If aDy pa¬ 
per bearing the name of agriculture is 
found with them, it is some flimsy, un¬ 
reliable thing that they have been influ¬ 
enced to take because it costs but a trifle, 
or, because it is connected with some 
bogus lottery scheme, and even this 
is scarcely ever opened or read. Not 
having any matured plans, when the 
rush of summer work comes on, their 
fields are only half tilled, weeds grow 
about the fences, and even among the 
crops, and a meager yield and no profit 
is the result. The one man thrives, lives 
well, can afford the best of everything, 
including the agricultural paper. The 
many in good rimes have little besides a 
living, and in case of low prices, exist 
only by the most pinching economy, 
and grumble persistently at the price 
of everything. The one is the master of 
the situation; the many are the creatures 
of circumstances. In every neighborhood 
the many would be greatly profited by 
imitating the ways of the one. A day 
spent now in maturing plans will save 
many in the rush of Summer. 
There is nothing that farming so much 
needs as more brains and brain-work in 
studying the necessities and capabilities 
of the farm, and in systematically plan¬ 
ning its work, and then tenacity in intel¬ 
ligently working out those plans. 
Thought, system and persistency are the 
foundation pillars of successful farming! 
BKBVITTES. 
Catalogue notices are continued on pages 
119-20. 
Forestless America—that’s what we are 
coming to. 
The days and evenings of winter farm life 
are too much alike. 
A nfw, rare, and liberal offer to Rural 
subscribers—and to them only. See page 12S. 
The Clydesdale Oats are short, fat and 
heavy, resembling good samples of the Wel¬ 
come. 
When is the proper time to fell trees, to 
have the timber last? We need experiments 
to ascertain. 
The Rural’s Index will show that thous¬ 
ands of questions were answered last year. 
Consult that before asking questions. 
Raspberries, yellow, black, red and pur¬ 
ple! So easily raised—so luscious aud health¬ 
ful! How can farmers be content without 
them? 
In pinning it is well to cover the wounds 
with oil or white lead or grafting-wax or 
shellac Even the cut-part of small branches 
had better be so treated. 
Wk would again remind our readers. w f ho 
may not be aware of the fact, that cabbage 
stumps set out in the garden as soon as frost 
leaves the ground, will give the earliest of 
greens. 
Ik you have not mulched your strawberry 
plote, it will still be well to do so. The straw¬ 
berry plant suffers, like all other hardy 
plants, most during late February, March and 
early April. 
Every fanner should carefully look his 
stock over. If they are being so kept as to 
gradually fall away, they are losing money 
for their owner, and should be either better 
fed or sold at once. It doesn’t pay to starve 
tbe animals now! 
Drought is the enemy—the first and worst 
enemy—to large yields of potatoes. Did you 
ever know of a large yield of potatoes in a very 
dry season, un matter bow rich tbe laud may 
have been? The Rural’s method conserves 
moisture. It will give you a large yield in 
spite of dry weather. Try the trench system 
and the hav, straw, or chaff mulch. 
At what price do yon estimate your own 
services per day during the busy season on the 
farm, in superintending the geueral work and 
in working and planning here and there 
where a goon bead and experienced hand are 
most needed? Can you afford to take the 
place of an ordinary laborer and neglect the 
more telling work of the practical superiu- 
deudent? And to what extent can you afford 
to do it? 
We are surprised to find that Horsford’s 
Market Garden Pea is offered iu many Cata¬ 
logues This was first disseminated iu the 
Rural’s Free Seed Distribution of 1883-4. 
We have never, from our own tests, spoken 
in its favor, and we placed it in our Distribu¬ 
tion on faith. It is u very good variety, but 
there are several others of more merit. Car 
ter’s 8tratageui, ripening at about r.he same 
time, is far superior. The Prince of Wales 
Pea, which we are now sending to our sub¬ 
scribers, is also superior to the Market Garden. 
The exorbitant charges on the transporta 
tion of dead meat by railroads are so unjust as 
to have caused great complaint, not only from 
the shippers at the West, but also from the 
receivers of the dressed meat at the 1 ast. At 
tbe late annual moating of the low-a State 
Improved Stock Breeders’ Association a reso¬ 
lution was passed strongly condemning the 
railroads for charging ns much for the trans¬ 
portation of the dressed carcass of an animal 
as they do for a live one, although the weight 
of the former is only about one-half that 
of the latter, and it takes up but about half 
tbe room in the ears. This is an outrage on 
Western producers, as it, greatly lessens the 
profit on rearing and fattening their numer¬ 
ous flocks and herds. 
florist and seedman who has advertised 
:e extensively for two years past, was so- 
erl to advertise in the Rural aud the fol- 
ing conversation ensued: 
dvertising Agent: “We see your adver- 
ment. tn other papers and are surprised 
b you do not advertise in the Rural, 
i see the paper or know of it, I presume: 
lorist: “Certainly. 1 have wanted to ad- 
Lise in It, but I advertise largely and you 
not give me special rates.” . 
dvertising Agent: “We hsve no special 
>g Our rates are the same to ml.’ 
lorist: “Then I will not advertise with 
Wherever you see my advertisement 
may be sure I obtain special rates.” 
