THE 
RURAL- NEW-YORKER. 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
K. S. CARMAN, 
Editor. 
J. S. WOODWARD, 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. St Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1885. 
Many of our respected contemporaries 
are now offered at 25 cents or less for 
the rest of 1885, with a view to obtain 
trial subscribers, many of whom, it is 
expected, will renew for 1886. But it 
strikes us that such reduced prices to 
new subscribers are unjust to old sub¬ 
scribers. The offer which the Rural 
makes to its readers is far more just and 
liberal. It enables them to send the 
Rural to any friend for the rest of this 
year, without cost either to the subscri¬ 
ber or the one to whom it is sent. In 
other word8, we ask our readers to pre¬ 
sent the Rural for the rest of 1885 to 
their friends at our expense. 
Our reports of the American Pomolog- 
ical Society will be continued next week. 
Owing to our special numbers, we are 
greatly behind with the Farmers’ Club. 
Our friends whose questions have not as 
yet been answered, should not feel that 
they are neglected. We are only waiting 
for space. 
We would thank our many friends who 
have so kindly sent us the names of those 
who are interested in farming or kindred 
occupations. We are writing wrappers for 
them as received, and our special number 
to be issued about Nov. 1st, will be sent 
to every one. 
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Visitors are always welcome to the 
Rural Grounds. We have nothing to con¬ 
ceal; no axes to grind. When we can 
not give our visitors personal attention, as 
often occurs, there is always some one to 
attend them, who can answer most ques¬ 
tions intelligently. 
--•-*-*-— 
Ripening about the same time (late 
Summer) as the Rostiezer. to which we 
referred last week, is the Tyson Pear, 
which, though not quite as aromatic, is 
sweeter and of the best quality. It is 
largerthan the Rostiezer, being of medium 
size. The skin is yellow, with an Indian- 
red cheek, sometimes russeted. The flesh 
is very fine, buttery and melting. The 
only objection to the tree is that it is slow 
to fruit. 
-- 
Fruit buyers are laboring hard to make 
farmers iu those sections that have a fruit 
crop, believe that England has an enor¬ 
mous crop of apples, and consequently will 
not need very many from this side of the 
water. The fact is that she has no large 
crop anywhere, and in many sections has 
but very few, and in some, none at all; 
while in all parts the quality of the fruit 
is very poor. It is doubtful if the British 
Islands have more than two, or at most 
three months’ supply of home grown 
fruit, and they must then depend upon 
imported apples. These are the facts, and 
it is no more than right that our fruit 
growers should know them. 
In cutting up the corn, put a few acres 
into bundles as fast as cut, putting the 
bundles into large shocks. In this way 
corn cures better and quicker than in 
bulk, and then it is so handy to load or 
the wagons for hauling to the barns or 
sheds for husking on rainy days—to put 
it into bundles; throw it into piles, as cut, 
putting two rows and two or three hills of 
each row into a row of piles, and binding 
it with a sucker, willow, or rye straw, as 
best pleases you. Ia putting it into 
shocks, use four rows of piles for a row of 
shocks and put either 12 or 16 bundles in 
each. These will be large shocks, but 
being in bundles the corn will cure nicely 
—try it 1 
Bottom in the wool market has been 
reacned at last. Within a few weeks, 
prices have stiffened up, and most grades 
have advanced; some as much as four or 
five cents per pound, and the demand 
from all quarters seems very brisk. We 
do not think this will he temporary, and 
it must have an effect on the sheep 
market within a short time—at least be¬ 
fore Spring. Those farmers who have 
heeded the Rural’s advice to go slow, 
and not to sacrifice their flocks, will have 
occasion to credit the Rural with a nice 
balance for the suggestion. There is no 
stock that has, on the whole, paid better 
than sheep, even at the low prices of 
wool, and now that an advance has come, 
and bids fair to be permanent, they must 
pay handsomely. There is no stock that 
in the long run will give surer returns for 
their keeping and care than sheep. 
President Marshall P. Wilder, under 
date of September 17th, writes as follows: 
“It gave me joy to see that you were at 
the meeting of our grand old American 
Pomological Society. What a grand suc¬ 
cess l God prospers the right, and so He 
prospers and honors our blessed institu¬ 
tion as one of the best means for preserv¬ 
ing the health and elevating the souls of 
mankind. See what an immense work it 
has already accomplished, and so it is to 
go on for generations to come, rising 
higher and higher in usefulness and re¬ 
nown, the guide, governor and protector 
of the pomology of this Weatern World. 
Please, from time to time, to impress the 
public mind with this fact, through your 
growing, wide-a-wakc Rural. Keep up 
the war on improper nomenclature, and 
we shall suppress in future unnecessary 
and improper names for our fruits. ‘I 
shall fight it out on this line’ while 1 live, 
and consider my life well spent if I have 
done, or shall do, anything to secure the 
much needed reform” 
-• * • 
Of all the men in the world who ought 
to let tobacco alone, while engaged about 
their work, those who handle food take 
the lead. It is most disgusting to one 
who objects to tobacco smoke, and there 
are few women who do not, to see market- 
men standing over such easily affected 
articles as meat or butter with a cigar in 
their mouths. A walk through any of our 
markets will show plenty of men doing 
this very thing. For the sake of decency 
the cigars ought to be kept out of sight 
during business hours. We have Been 
men standing over a butter tub with a 
long ash at the end of their cigars that 
threatened at any moment to fall directly 
into the butter. An old smoker would 
perhaps see nothing wrong in this, but 
the majority of those who eat this food 
are not “old smokers.” The public have 
no right to say that a man shall not 
smoke, though there would be a great deal 
more happiness in the world if such a 
right did exist., but customers certainly 
have a right to say that their food shall 
not he tainted with what, to them, is most 
objectionable. 
This is one of the critical times of the 
year with all stock, and especially so with 
Bbeep, and eminently so with last spring’s 
lambs. As the nights get cold and the 
frosts severe, the grass loses a large share 
of its nutritive value, and although sheep 
may eat enough to look plump, they will 
actually fall away in flesh, uuless they 
have extra food, and a lamb that once 
gets fairly started on the down grade as 
to flesh, between now and when taken up 
for Winter, will almost surely give his 
pelt, before Spring to ornament (?) some 
fence or barn side. And there is no way 
in which a farmer can more plainly show 
his ignorance or unfitness for tbe business 
of sheep raising than by covering his 
buildings with lamb-pelts. Remember 
that mnety-nine-hundreths of the loss 
charged to “grub in-the-head,” is caused 
by the want of sufficient daily “grub,” 
and a large share of it could be avoid¬ 
ed by giving extra “grub” in October 
and November, while the animals are 
still running to grass. 
WE WANT 
every one of our subscribers to renew for 
1886. Don’t say the “times are hard, and 
we will renew later.” This is “penny 
wise and pound foolish.” If you want a 
trusty paper, you must pay for it. In¬ 
formation gleaned from the best practical 
writers) from experiments; from original 
engravings from Nature, cost money, and 
there is do way of escaping it. It costs a 
journal a good deal to he impartial, since 
the pet plants of those who offer them for 
sale can not be condemned as worthless 
without incurring the displeasure of the 
introducers or originators. The Rural, 
as it is, can not be published with its pres¬ 
ent circulation for less than two dollars 
per year. If we fill it with the voluntary 
contributions of kind friends; if we give 
up our artists; our special numbers; our 
Experiment Grounds; our Seed Distri¬ 
butions, and print it with less care upon 
wood paper, then we could sell it for $1 
with the same or more profit. Do you 
want us to do it, Rural readers? It 
never shall be done while it is owned by 
its present proprietors. We want to con¬ 
tinue to improve; and as our circulation 
increases, we shall be enabled to do so in 
the future as in the past. Renew, good 
friends! Support us in our worthy as¬ 
pirations ! 
GRAPE NOTES CONTINUED. 
Now, which grape ripened first at tbe 
Rural Grounds of those already reported 
upon? Moore’s Early; Early Victor, 
Florence, Cottage, and Early Dawn next. 
Which varieties are yielding the most 
grapes this year at the Rural Grounds, 
perfection of berry and bunch also con¬ 
sidered? Victoria, Moore’s Early, Cot¬ 
tage, Lady Washington, Pocklington, 
Rockingham, Carlotta, Wilder, Niagara, 
Worden, Lady. It was said in a recent 
Rural report that it was doubtful if the 
Pocklington would have time to ripen 
full v. Is it still doubtful? 
Yes. It is also a little doubtful as to 
the Lady Washington. It is the latest 
season we have ever known. 
Of all those mentioned, which do you 
consider the best in quality? There is no 
great difference. The Lady Washington 
when well ripened would rank first—the 
Pocklington last. 
Which bears the largest berries of those 
mentioned? 
Moore’s Early. 
Which the largest bunches? 
Lady Washington first; then Victoria, 
Moore’s Early, Niagara, Pocklington, 
Cottage, Rockingham, Lady, Wilder, 
Worden, Early Victor, Florence. 
It has been a peculiar season. The 
grapes we really prize most, as a rule, 
have not done so well as in past years. 
THE COMET-LAWSON-JARGONELLE 
PEAR. 
Mr. A. J. Caywood sold his stock of 
what he named the “Comet” Pear to Mr. 
John S. Collins. The Lawsons (on whose 
premises the supposed original tree grows) 
sold the same, pear, under the name of 
“Lawson,” to William Parry. There 
has been a warm, but respectful contest 
as to which name the pear should hold. 
Mr. C. M. Ilovey finds this Comet Law- 
son Pear to be the old French Jargonelle. 
If Mr. Hovey is right, the dispute as to 
name will, of course, cease. 
Several years ago Mr. Caywood kindly 
brought us a box of these pears. He said 
at the time that the quality was inferior, 
but that its handsome color and early 
ripening might insure the fruit some pop¬ 
ularity, or some words to that effect. 
Later he presented us with one of the 
trees, which has made only a fair growth. 
The specimens of fruit from Mr. Caywood, 
though beautifully colored, were consid¬ 
erably smaller than the illustration, which 
we were the first to pubbsh (see Rural 
New-Yorker of October 4, 1884). This 
was furnished by Mr. Parry. 
The Jargonelle is described by Thomas 
as “rather dry, sweet, rots at the core. 
Handsome, but poor. Early August.” 
FAIR NUMBERS. 
Wiiat is now known as the “Fair 
Number” of a farm journal was inaugura¬ 
ted by the Rural New-Yorker years ago. 
Nearly every one of the more prominent 
agricultural papers now issues its Fair 
Number. The result is that the farmer 
at the fair receives such a load of “speci¬ 
men” copies that he can not find time to 
read them, and they are thrown aside. 
Again such special numbers, even though 
marked in display type, “Fair Number,” 
are deceptive to those who are thus in¬ 
duced to subscribe for journals with 
whose ordinary issues they are not famil¬ 
iar. We have therefore concluded to 
abandon them and to leave the field to our 
younger friends who have not ascertained 
from long experience that Fair Numbers 
do not pay either the publisher or 
advertiser who, on account of an enlarged 
circulation, at the usual rates, is induced 
to patronize them liberally. The increased 
circulation is, in most cases, undoubtedly 
given; but, the extra numbers are for the 
most part, as ws have said, thrown away 
or destroyed. Several of our enterprising 
comem poraries are now following another 
and far more commendable example set 
by the Rural, viz., the issuing of Special 
numbers devoted to those leading subjects 
in which the stockman, general farmer, 
pomologist or horticulturist is most deep¬ 
ly interested, 
THE POOR MAN’S COW. 
The Ohio State Board of Agriculture 
did a wise thing in arranging for a test, 
to determine the best “general-purpose 
cow.” at the late Ohio State Fair. The 
contest was to be between representatives 
of the different breeds, and it is certainly 
to be hoped that all breeders claiming to 
breed the “poor man’s cow,” came out to 
show what claim they have ou the title. 
In this test, au entrance fee of $15 was 
charged. The points to be decided upon 
by the committee were given in a late 
Rural. There will probably be more or 
less dissatisfaction, as the Board seems 
to realize, with the first trial, as there can 
be no “scale of points” to cover the much 
desired animal. At present, beef, milk 
and butter animals are judged from differ¬ 
ent stand-points. A thin, “cat-hammed” 
Jersey, of course, would make no showing 
in a beef ring against a broad Bhort-horn, 
while for butter production, the reverse 
would be the case. In all such tests, the 
milk of each cow should be weighed and 
analyzed to determine the per cent, of fat, 
caserne, sugar, salts and water. In decid¬ 
ing upon the other points, the committee 
will be obliged to use their best judgment. 
While this method of deciding will of 
necessity be criticized, it is evidently the 
best that can be done at present. A few 
such contests will serve to fix a “scale of 
points” that will give satisfaction. The 
real points desired in the coveted “farm¬ 
er’s cow” will be brought out by discus¬ 
sion. We look upon this action as a good 
step in advance. A large percentage of 
tho cattle in this country are in the 
bands of men who do not want to handle 
specialties. “General-purpose cow” ex¬ 
presses their want exactly. They do not 
want a cow that expects to hide a defect 
in size behind a butter tub, nor one that 
wants to make, fat take tbe place of milk. 
There are plenty of men who want such 
animals, but if we mistake not, the ordin¬ 
ary farmer will have none of them. Now 
let the breeds come up to the line, and 
show us what they are made of. 
- * • » 
BREVITIES. 
H. R., of Postville, Iowa, gives under 
“Everywhere” an interesting account of the 
relative merits as between hilling-up potatoes 
and the Rural’s trench system. 
Editor J. A. Woodward, of the Farm 
Journal, under date of September 10, writes: 
“Fertilizer Sppcial just received. It is worth 
from $5 to $500 (according to his circumstan¬ 
ces, his requirements and his brains) to every 
fanner who will study it and apply its infor¬ 
mation.” 
The grape Early Dawn may now be defi¬ 
nitely reported upon as fruited for the first 
time at the Rural Grounds. It ripens about 
five days after Moore’s Early. The buuches 
and berries arc rotlier small and the quality is 
scarcely as good as that of Concord. It nmy 
do better another season. The vine is moder¬ 
ately vigorous. This is a seedling of Dr. W. 
A. M. Colbert, of Newburgh, N Y , aDd is 
supposed to be a cross of Muscat-Hamburg 
and Tsraella. 
Subscribers who believe hi the Rural New- 
Yorker are requested io send the paper to a 
friend or acquaintance or to some progressive 
farmer for the rest of the pear, and to renew 
at the same time for the rest of 1885 and all of 
1886 .for the usual price of $2.00. lie make 
the present to our subscribers; they to their 
friends. Wc do not see why any subscriber 
who appreciates the Rural should not grant 
this request It costs him nothing, since he 
will renew at the end of the. year ait the same. 
Mr Pktkr Henderson remarked to us the 
other day, while we were looking at specimens 
of Favorite, Cardinal, Mayflower anil Perfec¬ 
tion Tomatoes iu his warehouse, that it is a 
pity that tomatoes so closely alike should be 
called and sold under different names. We 
then saw several of the Russian muskmelons, 
a few seeds of which were sent to us two years 
ago by Prof. Rudd. They ripened early with 
us, and the vines were immensely productive, 
but the quality was not very good. Those of 
Mr. Henderson (grown in Canada, wo believe) 
wore of excellent quality. *1 he Russian melon 
is round and of a greenish yellow color. The 
rlud is very thin. Beside the Russians were 
an lron-clod Watermelon weighing 56 pounds 
and n Kolb’s Gem weighing over 10 pounds. 
With the introduction of Cuban Queen. Kolb’s 
Gem, Scaly Bark, Bow, and a score of others, 
little remains to Vie desired in the way of size 
or quality. 
Tiierb may be 60 ine doubts on one side or 
the other of the line about the advantages of 
a reciprocity treaty between this country and 
Canada; there can be no doubt whatever, on 
this side or that, about the advantages of a 
comprehensive extradition treaty between the 
two. Already a considerable number of our 
dishonest fugitive bauk presidents and cash¬ 
iers, State and township officials, treasurers 
of benevolent institutions, confidential mer¬ 
cantile clerks, and other trusted scoundrels 
are living in ease and security in Canada. The 
presence of an asylum so neur and convenient 
of access, giving a promise of impunity, must 
be a powerful incentive to crime. An extra¬ 
dition treaty to cover all such cases should be 
adopted at once. The good people of the Do¬ 
minion don’t want our criminals; we do. Why 
should there be any delay in providing for an 
exchange so agreeable to both parties? 
