302 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
e. s. CABMAN, 
J. S. WOODWARD, 
Editor. 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1885. 
The Rural New-Yorker’s First Free 
Seed Distribution for 1884-5 is now by 
limitation closed. We have still a few 
packages, though the entire collection is 
imperfect. 
By the announcement in our Premium 
Supplement of November 8th, the time for 
awarding presents would be May first. 
Many who are competing say the Winter 
has been so severe and during so much 
of the time the roads have been impass¬ 
able that they have been unable to get 
around as they had jvished, and ask that 
the time be extended. We have considered 
the reasonable wishes of the many good 
friends who are working for us, and 
have decided to change the day of mak¬ 
ing the awards to May 15th, thus adding 
15 days in which names may be secured. 
This will be the utmost limit, and under 
no circumstances will we again put it 
farther away. All subscriptions sent to 
ns thereafter may count upon our next 
premium-list which will be issued in the 
Fall and which we hope to make more 
liberal and attractive than any the Rural 
has ever issued. 
The planting of our half-acre of po¬ 
tatoes on poor soil was completed April 
24. We will tell you about it later. 
Pray plant a Foreythia Fortuneii. It 
is several days earlier than F. viridissima 
and the flowers are larger. It is the 
earliest of spring-blooming shrubs, and 
very hardy. There is still time. 
Granted that the soil is supplied with 
potash and phosphoric acid, there is noth¬ 
ing that will give your plants, no matter 
what they are, a more surprising growth 
than some form of nitrogen. Try it upon 
wheat, oats, corn; upon strawberries, 
cabbages, etc. 
The poorer your land is, the more is 
the need of careful seed-sowing and 
thorough cultivation. The larger the 
crops raised, the poorer the land becomes. 
The first object of raising remunerative 
crops upon poor soil, should be to enable 
the farmer to restore its fertility. 
-- 
There is one question that we should 
like to have definitely settled,viz., Will the 
crop of potatoes grown from the seed-end 
of tubers mature from one to two weeks 
earlier than the crop from seed pieces cut 
from the middle or stem-end of the tubers? 
Experiment ought to settle this import¬ 
ant point. 
--- 
A few hills of sweet corn may be plant¬ 
ed quite early to be followed with a plant¬ 
ing each week till danger from frost is 
over. If the corn is wrapped in a wet 
cloth and laid in a warm place until the 
sprouts are a half inch long before plant¬ 
ing, and then planted so as not to break 
the tender rootlets, there will not be one- 
tenth part the danger of the seed rotting 
in the ground. 
Again we say, if our readers do not 
think the crossed corn we have sent them 
in the late seed-distribution worth plant¬ 
ing because the kernels are imperfect, 
misshapen or small, they will make a mis¬ 
take. The imperfections are largely due 
to the emasculation of half of the plants. 
We can only advise our friends. If we 
could command them, every one should 
sow the Rural’s Cross-bred Corn. 
-« ♦ ♦ 
A half acre can be put to no other pos¬ 
sible use that will make it pay half as 
much in money or comfort as if planted 
with garden truck. If the rows are made 
long and sufficiently wide that it may be 
tended by horse power, it need cost 4 but 
little more to work than the same amount 
of corn or potatoes, and there is nothing 
so handy as a well filled garden for the 
“gude wife” who has to provide three 
substantial meals every day, 
Just as the sets are appearing and be¬ 
fore the silk is out of the husk it would 
be some trouble and expense to go over a 
one, two or 50-acre field and cut off the 
tassel of every plant upon which no sets 
had formed. And yet, we kuow of no 
more philosophical way of increasing the 
productiveness of corn. It would at any 
rate pay a farmer to plant half-an-acre 
with his best seed and, treating this plot 
in the way above suggested, select his 
seed from it, alone, year after year. With 
Blount’s corn, on smaller or larger plots, 
we have done this for five years or more. 
Our present Blount’s corn is very differ¬ 
ent from that with which we began. 
ARBOR-DAYS. 
Eight States now have Arbor-Days of¬ 
ficially proclaimed by the Governors, 
wbile'in several others, the duties of the 
day are observed more or less widely by 
the Patrons of Husbandry, Granges and 
other agricultural societies on some day 
named in advance. Nebraska’s first 
Arbor-Day was 13 years ago, and as a re¬ 
sult, her almost treeless prairies are now 
shaded and sheltered by 250,000 acres of 
artificial woodland. In his Arbor-Day 
proclamation, Governor Martin, of Kan¬ 
sas, says that, the State which the pioueer 
found almost a treeless desert now bears 
on its fertile bosom more than 20.000,000 
fruit trees and more thau 200,000 acres of 
forest trees,all planted by the people, and 
he states that an increase in the rainfall of 
the State “is fully proved by the statistics 
of the oldest meteorologists.” Under the 
impetus annually given to tree planting 
by the recurrence of this day. large areas 
have also been covered with trees in 
Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. Originally 
instituted by the Prairie States, Arbor- 
Day has been adopted by several of the 
older States, and the good example is cer¬ 
tain to be followed by others. April 16 
was Arbor-Day in Pennsylvania, and Gov¬ 
ernor Pattison expresses much pleasure at 
the observance of tree-planting generally 
throughout the State, especially by school 
children. The practice would have been 
more widely observed were it not that 
snow still deeply covered the ground in 
some sections, and the soil was frozen 
from 18 to 24 inches. Yesterday Arbor- 
Day was pretty extensively celebrated in 
New Jersey,by planting trees, and addresses 
on tree culture. In New Hampshire, 
the Patrons of Husbandry, following the 
example of their brethern in Massachus¬ 
etts, have appointed April 30 as Arbor- 
Day, and in many of the school districts 
of Connecticut, the day will also be ob¬ 
served. In view of the rapid destruction 
of the forests of the older States, and of 
the beneficial effects of an abundant 
growth of timber on the climate and drain¬ 
age, and consequently the agriculture of 
the various sections, it is to be hoped 
other States will officially establish Arbor- 
Days for the encouragement of tree-plant¬ 
ing and tree culture. 
GAMBLING IN PRODUCE. 
Ever since the cables informed us of 
the danger of war between Russia and 
Great Britain, speculation in wheat has 
been rampant. While “spot” or cash 
sales—sales of wheat for actual use—have 
been not much greater than usual at this 
season, those of “options” or sales of 
wheat for future delivery, which are 
nearly always speculative—mere gamb¬ 
ling—have been extraordinarily heavy. 
Thus in the Produce Exchange here the 
sales for five days were 35,000,000 bush¬ 
els, less than two per cent, of which rep¬ 
resented cash sales. Corn has shared to 
a greater or less extent in the speculative 
movement; but as we export only a small 
proportionate amount, the price was less 
affected by war rumors. There is little 
doubt but some of the exciting war news 
was manufactured to influence the mark¬ 
ets. The statement is published in Chi¬ 
cago that a powerful syndicate of New 
York and Chicago capitalistic speculators 
have been bulling and bearing English 
consols (consolidated government debts) 
through a large speculator in London, who 
has been advising them in advance of the 
probable course of the market, so as to 
enable them to speculate successfully here. 
When consols go up, wheat goes down, and 
when wheat goes down, consols go up, as 
money is transferred from one to the 
other. The speculators, who have com¬ 
mand of the wires, knowiug in advance 
what the market is likely to be, can 
“milk” the public. The evils of unscru- 
pulous speculation in foodstuffs are many, 
not the least of them being its capacity to 
destroy our foreign markets. High prices 
for wheat here discourage exportation 
and offer inducements to other countries 
to increase their production, and so 
strengthen the hands of our rivals. In 
the late speculative fever hundreds of 
farmers have been smitten. Not only 
have they speculated by selling or keep¬ 
ing back their wheat; but many of them 
have either rushed to invest in the chief 
markets, or have done so by mail or tele¬ 
graph, and very few have come out ahead. 
The “lambs” have been shorn, and the 
gamblers and brokers have, made a “pile.” 
During the week the prices of wheat, in the 
various markets have fluctuated greatly, 
but on the whole there has been a steady 
upward movement. This has been encour¬ 
aged by a growing conviction that war is 
inevitable between Russia and England, 
and after the first outbreak other coun 
tries are nearly certain to be drawn or 
plunge into the struggle. Reports of 
great, damage to the growing crop and a 
marked decrease in the visible supply, as 
well as a heavy falling off in stocks in 
New York and Chicago also aided the 
bulls in raising the market. A sudden 
dissipation of the war clouds abroad— 
which can occur only on the supposition 
that “it is the unexpected that happens” 
would prove disastrous to most of the 
speculators in wheat in the chief mar¬ 
kets, for “everybody is loaded up with 
the stuff.”_ ^ ^ _ 
A CRUEL FASHION. 
The sight of its beautiful birds, and 
the cheery music of its sweet songsters, 
are two attractions of country life that 
are rapidly being lost; and on every hand, 
the English sparrow is charged, among 
his many crimes, with driving them away 
by his great pugnacity. While we must 
admit his querulous disposition and his 
evil intentions, we boldly assert that the 
ladies of this country are doiDg more to 
exterminate the birds than could ten 
thousand times us many sparrows as we 
now have. They are doing this, thought¬ 
lessly, but none the less surely, by the 
senseless, but wickedly cruel fashion of 
wearing stuffed birds as ornaments on 
their hats, or carrying fans similarly orna¬ 
mented- We understand that a single 
firm in New York not long sincegaveone 
order for 100,060 skins of birds of various 
kinds. At Niagara Falls and various 
other places, factories are using tens of 
thousands for the ornamentation of feath¬ 
ered fans. To supply this demand, people 
are securing every copse aud meadow for 
the wholesale slaughter of these charming 
dwellers of country and village. No bird 
is safe; the robin with its joyful song, and 
the wren with its gray plumage and cheer¬ 
ful twitter, are as quickly slain as is the 
beautiful blue bird or the onole with his 
orange vest and black coat. But a couple 
of years ago, the spring mornings were 
sweet with the melody of their songs, and 
the trees were filled with the busy work¬ 
ers, searching for food or building nests; 
while last year we noticed the scarcity of 
these lovely friends in orchard and grove. 
We fear from the rage of the fashijn and 
the persistency of the hunters, too lazy for 
profitable employment, that they will be 
entirely exterminated. Nor is the killing 
the most cruel feature; many are maimed 
and left to suffer and die; the old ones 
are killed, and the little ones left to 
starve. Few contemplate the loss to the 
husbandman that, must result from the 
rapid multiplication of injurious insects 
without the aid of these inexpensive but 
assiduous helpers, or the aggregate of 
suffering caused by their wholesale de¬ 
struction. 
Can it be possible that the women of 
this country, refined, tender hearted, 
Christian women, who delight in allevi¬ 
ating pain, and w T ho would not needlessly 
crush a worm, can be so thoughtless (we 
kuow it can be nothing else) as to encour¬ 
age a fashion that necessitates so much 
misery aud death. If they have no regard 
for the welfare of the fanners. on whose 
productions all depend for daily food, have 
they no abhorrence of this cruel practice, 
and will not they combine to abolish so 
cruel a fashion? They can not shirk re¬ 
sponsibility for the slaughter. It is their 
favor that sustains this wicked fashion, 
and their money that pays lor innocent 
blood, and when tempted to wear one of 
those ornaments, however beautiful, they 
should remember it was secured only by 
the sacrifice of an innocent, happy life— 
would they be accessory to the barbarity? 
Of course, the birds are man’s, sud he 
has a right to destroy such as arc injurious, 
or such us are needed for food, but their 
lives arc sacred in the sight of Him, with¬ 
out whose notice even “the sparrow does 
not fall,” and He covers them with the 
provisions of the Sixth Commandment. 
We plead for the birds; for those of the 
beautiful plumage and the sweet songs, as 
well as those useful to man; all help to 
make home pleasant and the family happy. 
Who does not love to see them about? 
We entreat all to frown upon such a cruel 
fashion, and help to do away w r ith it, re¬ 
membering that whosoever by counte¬ 
nance or money helps to encourage the 
slaughter of even the smallest bird, vio¬ 
lates the strict command, “Thousbaltnot 
kill.” 
bBFWtTIES. 
Plant Irises: the improved kinds of peren¬ 
nial Phlox. Plant the new and beautiful 
kinds of Pfeony. 
Have you a Xanthoceras sorbifolia. It is 
a fine shrub, though not quite hardy at the 
Rural Ground?. 
All of onr plants of the Rye-wheat crosses 
are alive, though the past Winter has been 
hard upon wheat in general. 
If we may judge from the shriveled condi¬ 
tion of the canes, wo shall not have any crop 
of red raspberries next Bummer. 
The Rural’s $2.800 worth of presents to 
those of our subscribers who shall have sent 
us the largest clubs will be positively award¬ 
ed the 15th day of May, 
So late is the season that, most of the far¬ 
mers in the vicinity of the Rural Grounds 
begau planting potatoes not until April 22— 
at least ten days later than last year. 
Try nitrogen in some form upon potatoes 
and com: upon the former just as the shoots 
appear above grouud;upon the latter when 
the plants are a foot high. Sow at the rate 
of 200 pounds to the acre Nitrate of soda and 
sulphate of ammonia are quick in their action. 
Blood is slow. Buy a bag of each aud mix 
them together Bnd sow as above stated. 
No one should neglect to provide for a good¬ 
ly supply of chickens to be hatched ns earlv as 
possible in May. One May-batched pullet 
will lie worth more, for a layer, next Winter 
than a full dozen batched at any time after 
the first of July: and winter eggs are those 
that give the profit. 
As a ru'e, those people who are so awfully 
hurried that they have no time to plant and 
care f»>r a strawberry plot, spend more time 
’oatiug about the comers than would be suffi¬ 
cient to grow an abundant supply of all the 
small fruits the family could use. Nine times 
in ten it is the disposition and not the time 
that is chargeable with the scarcity of fruit. 
The frozen meat trade to England has ac- 
qu'rcd enormous proportions in the last few 
years. According to the medical officer of 
health of the port of Loudon, the imports of 
frozen meat into that port, during 1884, 
amounted to 610.324 sheep and 115,377quarters 
Of beer. Most of tbWo supplies ax rived “in 
magnificent condition,” but in some cases, 
much damage occurred during the voyage, in¬ 
volving heavy loss to the importers. On one 
ship which arrived in August, 2,270 quarters 
of beef were destroyed out Of a total of 2,289, 
but such a proportion was exceptional. When 
the meat is ordered to be destroyed, it is sold 
for boiling-down purposes, the operation being 
conducted under official supervision, to pre¬ 
vent any of it getting to market. The small 
price obtained, however, goes only a very 
small way towards covering the loss; yet the 
trade is generally reasonably profitable. 
Although we have no very high hopes of 
the profitableness of silk culture as a national 
industry in this country under the present 
condition of the labor market, still, as it 
affords to women and children a pleasant 
pastime aud a possible way to pin-rnouey and 
pocket-money, we cordially approved the ap¬ 
propriation of $15,000 lately made by Con¬ 
gress for the encouragement of the business. 
The Department of Agriculture bus taken the 
first step in the right direction to accomplish 
this object by providing a market for cocoons 
at Philadelphia, New Orleans and 8an Fran¬ 
cisco. By a circular issued last Wednesday, 
Commissioner Column informs the pubic 
tbat stations have been established at the 
above points for the purpose of experiment¬ 
ing in the reeling of raw silk. The difficulty 
of this operation has hitherto been tbe great 
obstacle to the growth of the industry in this 
country. In order that, the experiments 
should be properly carried out an abundant 
supply of cocoons will be needed, and those 
who have any for sale are recommended to 
apply to the Woman’s Silk Culture Associa¬ 
tion of tbe United States, No. 1,828 Chestuut 
Street, Philadelphia, Pa.; or to Mr. Jules 
Herbeliu, No. 194 Canal Street. New Orleans, 
La.; or to Mr. Churle* Walcott Brooks, Post 
Office box 2,154, San Francisco, Cal. 
One of the many evils or the large cattle 
ranches ou the Plains on the borders of culti¬ 
vated land is well illustrated by what took 
place last week at the Brighton Compuuy’s 
place in Cotter County, Nebrasbu. For three 
ypars there lifts been a continuous struggle be¬ 
tween the company and intending settlers, 
during which time Virgil Alleyn, the resident 
monat;er of the company and a man of large 
wealth, together with his followers, has kept 
np a reign of terror, bulldoziug and driving 
olT homesteaders so us to keep the land for a 
cattle ranch. Last your AJleyn'sright to keep 
a fence on the public domain was made ft test 
case in the United States Court, where the 
matter is still pending. To defeat the claim 
that the fence was on Government land, he 
had his men “located” ou sections around the 
runeh. In his baste to make entries, he 
planted one of bis •■heelers” on a claim already 
held by a settlor named Provence. Lust, week 
a dispute of three mouths’ standing culminat¬ 
ed lu the murder of Provence. This aroused 
the homesteaders, ami they have organized to 
“wipe out" the cattlemen The ranch build¬ 
ings are boseiged by over 100 of them fully 
armed, and Alleyn has been ordered to leave 
the county at once on pain of death. Law¬ 
lessness is sure to beget, and sometimes justi 
lies, lawlessness in frontier places. 
