THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANationul Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
E. S. CABMAN, 
Editor. 
J. S. WOODWARD, 
Associate 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1885. 
Subscribers of the Rural need never tale 
the trouble to write vs to “stop” the paper. 
It is invariably discontinued the ex¬ 
piration of the subscription term, except by 
oversight, in which case it is our loss. 
250,000 COPIES 
of the Rural New-Yorker of its Special 
Number, containing a full account of its 
next Free Seed Distribution and presents 
to subscribers for clubs, will be issued 
early next month. The price for adver¬ 
tisements will be 40 cents per agate line. 
It should be $2.50 per line. The issue 
of 250,000 copies (guaranteed) will be 
mailed from the date of its publication 
until next May. It is further guaranteed 
that every issue of the Rural New-Yor¬ 
ker from November 10 until January 15, 
will be at least 20,000 copies in excess of 
its regular issues. Advertising copy for 
the edition of 250,000 must be received by 
October 31st. Patrons need not ask for 
position. 
FRIENDS OF THE RURAL 
are requested to renew for the rest of this 
year and all of next for the regular price 
($2), and to present the Rural for the 
rest of this year (their unexpired term) to 
some appreciative friend. 
THIS WILL COST our subscribers 
nothing whatever. The present is made 
at our expense. In this way, they may 
aid in increasing the Rural’s circulation 
for 1886. 
-» ♦ •- 
We are now collecting the experience 
of pomologistsasto black currants, which 
with a cut of the New Black Champion, 
will be presented in a few weeks. 
Next week we will place before our 
readers an account of our work during 
the past eight years in improving wheats, 
with illustrations. In a few weeks there¬ 
after, an account of our rye-wheat hy¬ 
brids, with illustrations, will be given. 
Our respected friend, Mr. D. S. Mar¬ 
vin, protests, in this issue, that the con¬ 
duct of grape-vines at the Rural Grounds 
shall not be put forward as a standard by 
which to judge of their conduct over the 
whole country. He thinks that “a dead¬ 
ly injury is thereby done to the improve¬ 
ment and progress of our viticulture.” 
And yet in the same article he says that 
with him Moore’s Early is not vigorous; 
the Delaware suffers from mildew; the 
Concord will not ripen; the vine of the 
Lady is feeble and it is a poor bearer. 
One day last week, as we were digging 
our potatoes in a rich-soil plot, one hill 
yielded 22 tubers of fair size, which 
weighed 6 1-2 pounds. The other hills 
yielded heavily, all but two, which as 
there were but seven bills in all, reduced 
the yield per acre considerably. If an 
entire acre could be made to yield 6 1-2 
pounds per hill, it would give (planted 
three feet by one) 1,573 budiels. Any 
of our readers who have dug 6 1-2 pounds 
of potatoes from a single hill will agree 
with us that it is a jolly thing to do. The 
variety will be introduced as the Everitt. 
A respected friend of Tyrone, Pa., 
and one who is exceedingly careful as 
to what he writes for publication, says 
that the Brighton is in its glory this year. 
Pocklington pleases, but seems liable to 
drop. Worden, fine as always, is clearly 
earlier! and somewhat richer than the 
Concord. It ripens its leaves and wood 
earlier. Moore’s Early,* good. Bagging 
early seemed to save his Marthas this year, 
which always in years passed rotted. 
Some Merrimacs were good in bags, 
while others were badly rotted without 
them. 
- -• 4 •- 
Before complaining of untrustworthy 
farm-hands, one might take comfort in 
considering how much more reliable they 
are than the great majority of town-bred 
help, whose trickeries make watchfulness 
a burden to those obliged to employ them. 
Country hands, mostly raised among the 
woods and fields, have generally a share 
of the integrity and innocence of their 
surroundings, and only need fair and 
kindly treatment to respond with as faith¬ 
ful devotedness to the duty they are hired 
for as sound hearts and r grateful feelings 
can prompt. 
Tns experiment of showing upon a 
half-acre of worn-out soil what could be 
done in the way of raising potatoes ac¬ 
cording to the trench-mulcli system of 
the Rural, is before our readers. We 
arc disappointed certainly. The experi¬ 
ment has been faithfully made, however, 
and we have no desire to make excuses 
for the disappointing results. The con¬ 
ditions were all unfavorable, it is true; 
but we sought them. We met the enemy 
fairly and squarely, and—we are his. But 
a single swallow does not make a Sum¬ 
mer; neither does a single disaster 
necessarily end a war. 
Our White Plume Celery is turning out 
very desirable in spite of remarks in these 
columns to the contrary. Wc have two 
kinds,the White Plume and the Improved 
White Plume, the latter of which is a 
trifle more vigorous than the other, and 
gives a few more stalks to the plant. The 
outside leaves are green or variegated; 
the inside leaves a cream-white. The 
foliage looks pretty in glasses or celery 
“boats,” and the stalks, though not quite 
so tender as celery blanched in the usual 
way, and perhaps not quite so mild or 
sweet, are yet very palatable. It is now a 
question whether this self-blanching celery 
is not the best for early use. 
Mr. J. H. Hale, of Connecticut, writes 
as follows: “Talk about sen ding mission¬ 
aries to the heathen. The Rural’s Fer¬ 
tilizer Special Number, if in the hands of 
and thoroughly read by every farmer in 
the country, would be worth millions to 
the farmers of the nation. There is more 
real practical fertilizer information in it 
than most papers furnish in a dozen years. 
In the ‘Rural Lunch.’ page 620, you 
advise Western readers to save this 
number for their children. This should 
have been printed in bold face type on 
every page, and attention should be called 
to it at least once a month for the next 
ten years, or until such time as Western 
farmers begin to fully realize that fertiliz¬ 
ing their land is a task they must “tackle” 
before many years. 
--♦♦♦ ■■■ ■- 
There is nothing better as a drink for 
the thirsty than plenty of sweet skim-milk; 
it is nourishing, cooling and satisfies thirst, 
and what else can do as much? It will pay 
any farmer having four or five cows and 
a lot of hired men at work, to build an 
ice-house and procure a creamer just, on 
purpose to have the milk to drink while 
it is fresh. With the use of icc and deep 
setting, the milk strained at milking time 
in the morning will be so separated from 
the cream at the bottom by the time of 
goiug to work, that the jugs cau be filled 
without the loss of cream or interference 
with its rising. This can be continued 
as often as the jugs are emptied until the 
milk is exhausted. Our men on the 
farm drink all the milk that can be spared 
them, and it does them a heap of good. 
But, remember, there is a wide difference 
between Bkim-milk only a few hours from 
the cow, produced by deep-cold setting 
and the old-fashioned “blue” skim-milk 
of the shallow pans. 
■ ■» »+» - - 
We believe that the sewing machine 
which the Rural proposes to offer in its 
regular premium-list,for only 40 subscrib¬ 
ers, and also in its list of presents to sub¬ 
scribers, is the best machine in the world. 
If we did not believe it, we would not 
say bo, since it would do us far more barm 
than good. There is scarcely any friction, 
noise, or wear. Tt does not fatigue the 
operat or as other machines do, being light- 
running. It possesses wonderful dura¬ 
bility, steam-power tests (2,000 stitches a 
minute) having been made for fivemouths, 
and no repairs were needed. It is’ claim¬ 
ed, in short,'that this machine" in its 
entirely ’new principle, is the 'best, most 
simple, durable, reliable, noiseless, and 
the lightest running lock-stitch family and 
manufacturing sewing machine ever in¬ 
vented. Full descriptions and illlustra- 
tionB will be given in our Supplement of 
next month. Meanwhile, our friends 
may secure subscribers. The retail price 
is $60. The Rural will pay the freight. 
WHEN SHALL WE COME TO IT ? 
Those farmers who laugh or growl at 
chemical fertilizers and “fancy farming” 
of all kinds,would surely be troubled with 
night-mare after spending an evening in 
lookiug over an English agricultural 
paper. In glancing through the adver¬ 
tising columns of a recent issue of a 
prominent English paper, a number of 
items are found that will seem strange 
enough to many of our readers. “Hay 
spice” is sold “for improving all kinds of 
hay.” “It completely restores damaged 
hay to palatable flavor and tempting 
smell.” “Lamb food” is highly recom¬ 
mended as containing “every condition 
essential to the health, growth and early 
maturity of lambs, the only effectual 
means by which scours, debility, and dis¬ 
ease may be counteracted.” There are 
several advertisements of “Calf-Meals” 
and “Milk-Meals” designed to take the 
place of milk in feeding calves. Grass 
seeds guaranteed to germinate 95 per 
cent., dressings for diseases of corn and 
wheat, and rat poisons, giving the num¬ 
ber of rats killed by a single package, are 
numerous. One prominent advertisement 
is that for a Stock Breeder’s Medicine 
Chest, containing various medicines and 
directions for using them. This seems 
like a valuable thing, and it might well 
pay some of our reliable American veterin¬ 
arians to arrange something of the kind 
for our farmers. Iron foundations for 
stacks are quite largely used in England. 
There arc many other special medicines, 
manures, and foods advertised, and, 
apparently largely used. It is more than 
probable that the sons of many of our 
readers will see the day ■when all these 
articles will be in use here, at least by 
experimental farmers. 
WHO WILL WIN IT? 
Some time ago the Rural said that it. 
would be a good thing for some of our 
agricultural societies to offer premiums for 
the best egg preservative, and suggested 
that the American Institute should start 
the movement. In view of the great 
difference in the prices of eggs in Sum¬ 
mer and Winter, would not some simple 
and inexpensive method of preserving 
summer eggs in a thoroughly sound con¬ 
dition for winter prices be a great, boon 
to every poultry keeper in the land? Why 
“tbere’s millions in it.” Well, the Ameri¬ 
can Institute lias honored itself by accept¬ 
ing our suggestion. The Committee on 
Agriculture, consisting of Peter B. Mead, 
Dr. E. Parmly and E. Williams, has of¬ 
fered a prize of $20 “or its equivalent in 
silver plate.” for the best preservative so 
simple and inexpensive that it may be 
used by farmers and poultry keepers 
generally. Tt need not preserve eggs for 
breeding purposes—though this is desir¬ 
able—but it should keep them in good 
condition for market or domestic use for 
not less than six months. It must stand 
a practical test during next Summer, and 
full directions must therefore accompany 
it. If it is some simple preparation the 
Committee can buy, they must be told 
what it is, and how to use it. At. the end 
of the allotted six months the eggs will 
be broken for examination, and the prize 
awarded to the preservative that has ac¬ 
complished its work in the most accept¬ 
able manner; but the prize will be with¬ 
held unless the eggs are found to be in 
good condition for family use. Further 
particulars may be obtained by addressing 
Peter B. Mead, Chairman of the Com- 
mittte on Agriculture, Mamaroneck, N. 
Y., or John W. Chambers, American In¬ 
stitute, Clinton nail. New York City, 
Who will win that $20 prize, and in Joing 
so win also the high honor due to a public 
benefactor? 
-- 
ECONOMY IN LITTLE THINGS. 
There arc many blunt truths that are 
proved over and over again in the course 
of one’s life. One of the simplest, and 
yet the hardest to understand, is the 
fact that wealth comes, not so much from 
what we earn as from what wc save. The 
majority of people in this country make 
money enough to enjoy a comfortable 
living and make a small saving each’year. 
That a large proportion of'working people, 
particularly those’"who live in the cities, 
do not'save anything, is painfully evident. 
City life with alljexceptfthe higher classes 
is’at best only a struggle for existence. 
Most of the yrorkraen claim that the 
trouble lies in the low wages thev receive. 
Most of the legislation proposed by work¬ 
ingmen is designed to either increase 
wages or decrease the hours of labor. 
There is much justice in these demands, 
and yet they are very slowlv answered. 
There lies a partial remedy in the hands 
of working people, if they would only 
use it. With a certain income, and an 
equal expense, it is evident that no saving 
can be made unless one is increased or 
the other diminished. The increase of 
income lies wholly iu the hands of an¬ 
other, while lessening of expense lies with 
one’s self. There are very few young men 
who cannot cut down their expense at least 
50 cents per week. This may seem like 
a small thing, but it will count’in the end, 
and the habit of saving will grow with 
use. Any man of 40 years who will ex¬ 
amine bis expense account of 15 years 
ago, will be surprised at the dozens of 
items that could have been avoided, and 
which really gave no genuine satisfaction. 
It will not pay any man to try and econo¬ 
mize by eating cheap and badly prepared 
food, but there arc numberless little ex¬ 
tras in the shape of c'gars, drinks and 
fancy clothing that might easily be cut 
off. There are too many sad-faced, discour¬ 
aged-looking men in the world now. 
The hope and spirit have been crushed out 
of them by debt. If they could live their 
lives over, what a change there would be! 
BREVITIES. 
Send the Rural to your friends. 
The best sewing-machine in the icorld for 40 
yearly subscribers! 
A few subscribers will entitle yon to one 
of the Rural’s sterling presents. The list of 
articles to be presented to subscribers for 
clubs will soon be published. 
And as the leaves of the diciduous trees 
fall we begin to appreciate the evergreens— 
those green companions of Winter. Fortu¬ 
nate is he who has evergreens about bis home. 
A friend from Medina, N. Y., writes us; 
“I have ;iust read your article on our State 
Fair, aud can do no less than hasten to ex¬ 
press mv thanks. I think vou bare ‘hit the 
nail on the head’ in several important parti¬ 
culars, and it will have good effect.” 
On Rept. 19th, we received from John E. 
Tuttle, of Tallette, N. Y., a bag of seedling 
pears. They were of medium size, of a solid 
green color, and though not at all handsome 
were of very good quality. Will Mr. Tuttle 
accept our thanks for the kind remembrance. 
On our newly cleared laud it is found, iu 
some places, that the soil produces better 
crons after thirty years of cultivation than 
it did after ten years, even with but little 
manure. This is probably due to the change 
of some obnoxious compositions in the soil 
through aeration aud oxidation. 
Oun friend C. F. Cowles, of Syracuse. N. 
Y.. some time sine 3 sent us a box of very fine 
specimens of the Primate Apple and asked 
what we thought of it. If he wishes to know 
wbat we thought of the act of sending the 
apples, we replv, it v as very considerate, and 
everv one in the office unites in extending 
thanks. If what wo thought of the Primate, 
why the same now ns always—that, all things 
considered, it is the best family annle of which 
we have knowledge, and no family, wherever 
it will succeed, should be without a full supply. 
Rome “fretful fanners” are ever anticipat¬ 
ing bad weather, or some other cause of mis¬ 
hap. Bnd cannot even feel thankful or content 
when they escape the dreaded disaster. Usu¬ 
ally all this discomfort comes, not so much 
from the weather, or from trespass, as from 
their own ill-used and ruined stomachs. An¬ 
other class is over-rash and ventnrsome, and 
incurs loss for went of heed, doing things at 
wrong seasons, Give us the farm manager 
who looks ahead with cautious prijdeuce. who 
bears iu mind all that, the season requires to 
be done, and all that accident, adds to this, 
and then takes up. everv morning, the work 
suited to the conditions of sky, earth and air. 
One of the first lessons to be learned in soil- 
culture—one of the bottom principles—is, that 
the soil supplies only a certain limited amount 
of its stores of plant food every season: were 
it. otherwise it would soon become exhausted. 
Our care mu«t. chiefly be that this annual sim¬ 
ply—given like our own ‘dailv bread,'in regu¬ 
lar ration—shall go to feed the plants we 
value and trv to raise, and not a horde of 
hungry, rapid grnwi'-g weeds, the roots of 
which outstretch those of our cron plants, and. 
catching first, the precious solutions which 
should be theirs, hold them. at least for that 
season, locked no and unavailable, until an¬ 
other vear shall bring its season of decompos¬ 
ition* and recompositions. Every bit of stem 
or leaf or root of a weed is so much taken ir¬ 
remediably away from the ydants we waut to 
see fully developed. 
“Keep time and harvest shall not fail ” 
How true the words are! How they crowd 
into the mind os wi< stand at the door on a 
Sunday afternoon in Autumn and look out 
over the farm. The bam is crowded with 
hay and grain. The earth has given up her 
loads of vegetables. The trees are full of 
fruit: the air is fill! of that delight¬ 
ful hn/.c that puts beautv on the"*roughest 
landscape. It, is afit ending for the' 'hard 
work of the‘*'season.™It 'brings''a”nnme- 
1 ess satisfaction. “Work’ - will'count!” How 
true the old Buying is! What cowards"we are 
to fold our"hai)ils and!"wait* for “luck:” to 
doubt for a moment that labor is Immortal. 
