THE 
RURAU NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
E. 8. CARMAN, 
Editor, 
J. 8. WOODWARD, 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No, 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER SI, 1SS5. 
Subscribers of the Rural need never take 
the trouble to write us to “stop" the paper. 
It is invariably discontinued at the ex¬ 
piration of the subscription term, except by 
oversight , in which case it is oar 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. Advertising copy for 
the edition of 250,000 must be received by 
October 31st. Patrons need not ask for 
position. This is our last notice. 
From 20,000 to 40,000 
COPIES 
of the Rural New-Yorker in excess of 
our regular issues are guaranteed every 
week trom November 14 to May next. 
CAN YOU DOUBT IT? 
Many people doubt that the Rural will 
print 250,000 copies of its November 
14 issue between that date and the 
1st of May, inasmuch as the price of 
advertisements is but 40 cents a line. 
Well, we have to say that we guaran¬ 
tee to print and to mail the specified 
number, and in case we fall short by a 
single copy , we will not charge one cent 
for any advertisement which the number 
may contain. And we tale the burden of 
proof upon ourselves. The Rural can af¬ 
ford to speak the truth, being neither an 
ass nor a knave. Why then do we charge 
but 40 cents a line for advertisements 
which should be worth $2.50 a line? The 
answer to this questson would require 
some space, while it would interest 
neither our good readers nor our adver¬ 
tising patrons. 
Evergreens should be so placed and 
mingled with deciduous trees, that when 
the leaves of the latter fall, the others 
may, as it were, take their place to cheer 
the winter scene. This may be accomp¬ 
lished without crowding either. 
Next week we shall present the views 
of prominent fruit-growers ns to blade cur¬ 
rants, with an illustration of the New 
Black Champion, from specimens grown 
at the Rural Grounds. The black cur¬ 
rant is no doubt susceptible of improve¬ 
ment by seedling cultivation, and its 
market value would thereby be enhanced. 
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We have received letters from several 
who have sent us new seedling potatoes, 
requesting that we will hurry up our re¬ 
ports. We would gladly do so, but each 
kind has to be tested as to quality, and 
careful drawiugs and engravings made of 
the best varieties. All this takes time, 
and our friends must have patience. We 
have about 80 reports to make, and al¬ 
though these may not appear in time to 
be copied in catalogues, they will be made 
early enough to guide our readers in their 
selections before another planting season. 
Those who have followed our persis¬ 
tent advocacy of bagging grapes, wdl not 
have had occasion to regret it at all, and 
least of all at this time when the vines 
are bare of grapes, except those protected 
by bags. These bags secure the bunches 
from the effects of light frosts, aud the 
berries are preserved with all their bloom 
and with a beautiful wax-like freshness 
that must be seen to be appreciated. The 
Rural was the first of American journals 
to press the importance of bagging grapes 
upon the public. It is a mystery to us 
why the plan which secures so much at a 
trifling cost, should not have been gener¬ 
ally put in practice years ago. 
Wherever crops of mangels or beets 
of any kind have been grown for stock 
feeding, no time should now be lost in 
getting them harvested and in the cellars 
or pits, With continued fine weather 
they would make considerable growth 
during the. next month; but they are so 
much Injured by a frost hard enough to 
freeze the skin, and the danger of such 
freezes is now so great that it is better to 
secure what is now^ grown, than to take 
the chance of getting more. The leaves, 
if saved, are fine feed for cattle or sheep, 
and an acre will afford much nouiish- 
ment. Swedes and turnips may be left 
for some time yet. 
- »» «- 
The spread of the Montreal small-pox 
epidemic on both sidesof the line, and the 
occurrence of sporadic cases of small-pox 
in various parrs of the two countries, 
should be ample warning to all liable to 
the disease to get vaccinated at once. 
Delay in this matter is unwise. In many 
cases it is, doubtless, due to fear that the 
vaccine matter may be impure if taken 
from another person, or dangerous if 
taken from a calf affected with pulmonary 
disease. Investigations show that not one 
calf in 100,000 is so affected; and danger 
from improper vaccine is very trifling, 
if the matter is supplied by a respon¬ 
sible physician. It is very certain that 
those who decline or delay vaccination on 
either of these scores, run greater risk by 
yielding to their fears than they would 
'encounter by allowing a trustworthy 
doctor to vaccinate them with what he 
pronounced healthy matter. From the 
number of cases which have lately been 
reported in various parts of the United 
States, and in different parte of Canada, 
we would not be at all surprised, unless 
this precaution is promptly taken, to have 
to report a considerable number of small¬ 
pox epidemics in the Northern States and 
the Dominion during the commg Winter. 
The Texas Court of Appeals has just 
decided a novel suit brought by a flock- 
master against a telegraph company. A 
sheep raiser, wishing to send a message to 
his ranch, went to the office of the com¬ 
pany where the operator handed him a 
blank. The Texan remarked that he 
knew “nothing of the business,” had never 
written “a message in his life,” and asked 
the operator to write it. He dictated this: 
“Meet me with two horses and Shep,” 
designating the place of meeting, “Shep” 
was a Bhepherd dog. The operator 
wrote: “Meet me with two horses and 
sheep,” and showed it to the Bender, who 
evidently being as little familiar with 
spelling as he was with writing, said it 
was satisfactory. On reaching the speci¬ 
fied place, he was surprised and exasper¬ 
ated on seeing his men with a drove of 
2,500 sheep-the entire flock. They had 
been driven a long distance through win¬ 
try weather, and many of them bad died, 
while others had suffered grievously from 
exposure. The owner sued the telegraph 
company for damages, and won his case 
in the lower courts; but the Court of Ap¬ 
peals holds that the Company was not 
liable for the results of the error in the 
dispatch. It says that in writing the 
message at the request of the sender, the 
operator acted as the agent if the sender 
and not of the company. “True, he was 
the agent of the company to receive and 
forward messages, but not to write them 
for others.” “The higher education of 
farmers,” which all well-wisliers earnestly 
advocate, would have been both conven¬ 
ient and profitable in this case. 
Attorney-General Garland has di¬ 
rected United States District Attorney 
Sangar, at Boston, to bring suits against 
Geoige B. Loring, ex-Commissioner of 
Agriculture, for an alleged deficit of $30,- 
000 m his accounts. There are two suits, 
the first for $10,000 against Dr. Loring as 
principal aud his two sureties on a bond 
given to secure the faithful performance 
of his duties as Commissioner. The de¬ 
claration alleges that George B. Loring 
did not make a true and faithful quarterly 
account of all the moneys received by him 
as required by the bond. The second 
suit is against the ex-Commissioner indi¬ 
vidually, for $30,000. Both are brought 
to recover $20,000 which it is alleged were 
misapplied by him to purposes not provid¬ 
ed for by law. The money was appropriat¬ 
ed for experiments in making sugar from 
sorghum, but was used for other purposes 
of the Department. We have little doubt 
that the ex-Commissioner will be able to 
furnish a satisfactory answer to the 
charges ; and no doubt whatever of 
his personal integrity in this connection. 
It may be that he misapprehended the 
extent of his discretionary powers in lay¬ 
ing out the money appropriated for the 
various branches of the Department, and 
such a mis Lake may prove costly, but no 
one who knows the Doctor will attribute 
to him anything worse than an error of 
judgment. 
TIMOTHY SEED FOR LAWNS. 
Cur friend the Philadelphia Weekly 
Press insists that Timothy seed should be 
sown with the permanent grass seeds in 
forming a new lawn, so that the ground 
may be quickly covered with a green 
growth, and it makes the statement that 
in opposing this view we do not speak 
from experience. This is a gratuitous 
mistake on the part of our friendly con¬ 
temporary, since it is experience alone 
that leads us to insist that it is a bad 
plan. Let us agree with the Press that 
Timothy will cover the ground “with 
a green growth ” quicker than any 
other grass. What of that? Does the 
growth of Timothy assist or retard the 
growth of the Blue Grass, Red-top, 
Brown Bent Grass, White Clover or what¬ 
ever kinds may be sown? Why not sow 
oats? They would cover the ground with 
green quicker than Timothy. Why not 
sow wheat? In the formation of a perfect 
lawn do we gam anything by a quick 
growth of grass that is soon to die or be 
crowded out by the grass which is to 
form the permanent sod? Years ago oats 
were generally sown with other grass 
seeds. It was thought that their quick 
growth shaded the ground and gave the 
slower seeds shelter and shade. The 
fact was overlooked that they robbed the 
soil of food, moisture, air and sunlight. 
Let us sow seeds of the grasses we desire 
to form the permanent sod,and no others. 
We may he obliged to wait a few days or 
weeks longer for the “green covering,” 
but it will come with more evenness and 
vigor than it would if crowded and shaded 
and starved by the. ranker-growing Timo¬ 
thy. Thirteen years ago we sowed on differ¬ 
ent parts of an acre of lawn, Blue Grass, 
Red-top, Rhode Island Bent (Brown Bent 
Grass—Agrostis canina) aud the “lawn 
mixtures” sold by seedsmen. To-day, 
the Red-top presents the finest aud bright¬ 
est appearance, while the “lawn mixture” 
portion has since been re-sown with Red- 
top and Blue Grass. The most perfect 
lawn we have ever seen and one upon 
which the owner prided himself, was pure 
Red-top. This was sown, three-aud-one- 
half bushels to the acre, on mellow, 
smooth, rich land, in early Spring, and by 
July it presented a uniformly velvety, 
smooth appearance. Would it have been 
benefited in any way if Timothy seed had 
been sown? 
THE PRESS RESPONSIBLE. 
We are what we are mainly through the 
influences of education and of surrounding 
circumstances. The great difference be¬ 
tween ihe Hottentot and the American is 
attributable mainly to the difference of 
education, although there is a constitution¬ 
al difference; but even that is the result 
of education in the past. 
That our people are no better; that in¬ 
temperance, infidelity and crime are so 
common, is mainly due to the venality 
and demoralizing influence of the press. 
Not as an exception, hut as a rule,the 
papers most widely circulated for the 
people to read, are daily and weekly filled 
with accounts of base-ball matches, horse 
races and even dog fights; the wrong¬ 
doing of mankind is a constant theme. 
The mania for printing mammoth sheets 
is so strong that publishers accept almost 
anything to fill up. Every case of intem¬ 
perance or betrayal of trust, every case of 
prostitution, violence or murder, is greed¬ 
ily dished up by the penny-a-liner and 
portrayed in revolting minuteness, not 
exceeded by the worst class of dime 
novels, and these fill the pages of a ma¬ 
jority of our papers. Very few editors 
have sufficient moral stamina to exclude 
such damuable stuff, and the result is our 
homes are invaded with a class of articles 
utterly demoralizing and unfit for the 
perusal of the young. Such papers are 
unthinkingly admitted to the fireside, to 
pollute and deprave the children’s minds, 
even by parents who do not care for such 
news. 
Too many of the agricultural papers, 
and even of the reform and religious 
papers allow such items to creep into and 
disgrace their pages. And how few 
papers of anv class are there whose ad¬ 
vertising columns are not open to all sorts 
of swindles and to the advertisements of 
lottfTy schemes and gift enterprises, in 
which the young are invited to invest 
with the expectation of getting great gain 
for little or no money, thus leading them 
to take the first step in the way of the 
gambler. 
Now all these things are wrong and 
greatly demoralizing; they exert a tre¬ 
mendous influence for evil; the more re¬ 
spectable the paper in which they appear 
the more potent, its influence towards evil. 
What sense is there in closing the mails 
against such sheets as the Police Gazette 
and its class, while the dailies and week¬ 
lies are filled with the same sort of per¬ 
nicious reading ? Does not every parent 
know that familiarity with vice* lessens 
its hideousne8s; that 
“If seen too oft, familiar with Its face, 
We first abhor, then pity, then embrace.” 
And can they be too careful to exclude 
from the family all papers that admit such 
articles ? 
This world has as much good as bad ; 
and good acts are as plentiful as are evil 
ones, and yet how little of the good ever 
finds its way into print. If search were 
ns dillipently made for the good that is 
being done, and every good act were care¬ 
fully written up and published, how 
bright and lovable our papers would be 
made! How much better to have an ac¬ 
count of good deeds and noble acts con¬ 
stantly before the youth than the record 
of frailty—and crime! 
When we consider the immense power 
of the press, and see how persistently it 
is used in such a way as to corrupt our 
youth, we tremble for the future welfare 
of our country. We cannot conceive how 
publishers can be so venal; but. if they 
will persist in such a course we appeal to 
thp reading public, and especially to the 
fathers and mothers, to scan closely every 
paper seeking admission to their families, 
and if it is open to the charges we have 
made, no matter how good it may other¬ 
wise be, or bow cheap, or under what 
garb it may come, we beg them to have 
nothing to do with it; it is filled with the 
spirit of evil and will curse those they 
love most dearly. Even if you have been 
inveigled into paying for a paper, if it 
has an account of the evil that ig in every 
neighborhood, or if the horse race, prize 
fight, and base ball matches are given a 
place of prominence, or its columns are 
stained with whisky advertisements, and 
those of a gambling nature, stop it; 
Better by far lose the money paid than to 
lose the moral rectitude of a son or 
daughter, and if you allow its daily or 
weekly visit to the household, you know 
not when the pernicious seed constantly 
pown, may take root to the ruin of your 
dear ones. There are papers, thank God! 
that are good and pure with no taint of 
evil, and such should receive your pat¬ 
ronage, and your strongest influence. 
You cannot be too careful of the associ¬ 
ation of the children, and no associates 
are so powerful for good or for evil as the 
papers they read. 
BREVITIES. 
Farmers who have no grape vines, and 
who cannot afford to buy them, should now 
procure cuttings of the best kinds of their 
neighbors. 
Correction. —Speaking of the yield of 
Hodtrman’s Sepdling Potato, in the middle of 
thethird column in the Inst Rural. ‘ 90 peeks 
of each,” should read “90 pieces of each.” 
Wk arc gl»id to »av that the ero°s hrepds of 
wheat and wheat and rve hvhridg of the Rural 
plots have all come un well and arc growing 
os well as need be. We have an vet (Oct 20) 
bad pcarcely enough frost to harm tender 
plants. 
Oct. 19.—Lady Washington grapes are still 
npon ihevine8. The large clusters are. at this 
la'e date in the season, captivating to look at. 
But they arenot ripe. We always regret that 
this grape, which promises no much, generally 
falls so far short in fulfillment. 
The Weeping Ash (Fraxious excelsior) has 
at least one failing and one merit, r t is 
amone the Ia"t trees to leaf out in the Spring 
and about the In«t to retain its bright grpen 
leavps in the Fall. The same may t>e said of 
the Maider hair Tree—Salisburia adiantifo- 
lia, 
Wr count upon a single stem (Oct. 221 of the 
Polyantba Rope “Mignonette" 50 buds In 
various stages of development.. These are, in 
truth, perpetual bloomers, though the flowers 
are small, which, being borne in panicles, are 
not well adapted for bouquets, since the in¬ 
dividual stems are too short. 
Any editor that, except by accident, will 
copy articles from other journals and instead 
of giving full credit, merely add “fix." after 
the copied article. Isa mean editor, aud would 
no doubt steal it he had a good chance. 
Readers who value justice and truth in the 
journals they patronize should never support 
those which credit copied articles to Ex. 
