358 
tWiaus. 
THE CENTRAL PARK DONKEYS. 
[See page 851.] 
FRANK BET.'LEW, JR. 
Every visitor to Central Park must have 
seen the pretty little donkeys near the Ar¬ 
senal, all bridled and saddled, with tinkling 
bells on their necks, waiting patiently, or 
trotting gaily off with a load of merry boys 
and girls: yet how few of these visitors or 
little riders know the history of their intro¬ 
duction. Their owner, Mr. Lucas, while 
walking through 26t.h Street, about 11 years 
ago, noticed some little children gathered 
round a donkey, petting it and begging for a 
ride. In an instant came the thought, why 
not bring some over from Eugland for use in 
the Park? He started immediately for Holly- 
well, in Wales, where he purchased five 
donkeys. The passage to America was very 
stormy, ami the poor little animals had a 
terrible time, being pitched all about the ship 
On reaching this city Mr. Lucas obtained a 
Kentucky mule, which is the largest animal 
in the sketch. The little white donkey, which 
stands out so prominently, is of a most affec¬ 
tionate disposition and perfectly obedient to 
word of mouth; but touch him with the whip, 
and his pride asserts itself, and he will not 
budge an inch till coaxed and mollified by 
pleasant words again. Their home is on 79th 
Street and the Boulevard, where the)- are 
housed in very comfortable quarters, with 
plenty of fresh, dry straw for their beds, and 
their glossy coats testify to the excellence of 
their food and the kind care of their owner. 
They are taken to thePark at 11 a, m., return¬ 
ing about/ 4 p. m. in Winter and 8 P. m. in 
Summer. 
It is a pretty sight to see them following 
their leaders home, as quietly and sedately as 
a party of tired children, their bells giving 
out a faint, sleepy chime, quite different from 
the gay, ringing sound in the morning, when 
with tossing heads and uncontrollable steps 
they go to the Park. The price charged is 10 
cents an hour, from which Mr. Lucas first 
paid the Park Commissioners 15 per cent., 
then 10 per cent., and at present five per 
cent. 
remarks. 
Hundreds of our boys aud girls living in the 
Far West, will, as they look at this picture, 
say, “Pshaw! those are only “buros” (pro¬ 
nounced burrows). Does the Rural think 
they are curiosities? Maybe not to such as 
are familiar with them, but certainly, to 
other hundreds in the East, who never saw a 
donkey, and who would be greatly afraid of 
the odd, honest-looking animal, were they to 
meet one, As uncanny as be looks, there is 
no animal more patient aud affectionate than 
the donkey, or as it is called in the West, a 
“buro.” It is always the pet of the children, 
and seems to be equally pleased to be petted 
by them. We have seen, in the mining towns 
of the West. a“buro” with as many children od 
its back as could pile on from its ears to its 
haunches, with two or three pulling at its 
tail, and yet it seemed contented and happy. 
It is also the sole companion and dependence 
of the miner, as he goes for days and weeks 
prospectiug, over mountains and through 
canyons, in paths entirely inaccessible to a 
horse. It is a novel and amusing sight to see 
a miner starting out on a prospecting tour, 
with his pair of “buros”; on them be packs 
tent, blankets, camp equipage and provisions 
until they look like huge peddlers’ packs with 
a set of diminutive legs; then on one he puts 
cooking utensils, picks, shovels, drills, powder 
and fuse, etc., and on the other he seats him¬ 
self, and away they go on a sort of “nudge,’, 
which is the peculiar gait of the donkey. No 
bridle is used or needed, as the beast is driven 
entirely by signs. When in camp, the 
“buros,” are allowed to roam at pleasure, as 
they never stray away from their owner, to 
whom they become as much attached as a 
dog. 
In our camp was one little “buro,” with a 
face that was the personification of honesty 
and innocence, which we used to pet, by giv¬ 
ing an occasional lump of sugar, of which 
they are exceedingly fond: our sleeping room 
had low windows, which we left open in the 
hot months for air, and often in mooulight 
nights that little “buro” would come and poke 
his head into our window and salute us with 
the most unearthly music, that ever greeted 
mortal ear, and then jog away seeming to en¬ 
joy the joke. Though not possessed of great 
outward beauty, and having a voice that can¬ 
not be commended for melody, it has the kind¬ 
est of dispositions, is as patient as time, takes 
naturally to children, nor through viciousness 
or carelessness is it'ever known to injure one. 
We have often wondered why it is not more 
often found on'Eastern farms as the playmate 
and companion of childhood? _ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. MAY 23 
Wttirs of ll )t Week, 
HOME NEWS. 
Saturday, May 16. 
The Illinois Legislature has passed into the 
control of the Republicans, J. W. Weaver 
having been elected Representative from the 
Thirty-fourth district by a majority of30G, to 
fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mi*. 
Shaw. The district is naturally Democratic 
by 2,000 majority.A large party of the 
Oklahoma boomers started from Arkansas 
City, aud entered the Indian Territory early 
in the week on their way to tbeir old camping 
ground on the Cimarron River. It is the 
judgment of the authorities at the agency that 
all the boomers left on the border will again 
flock into Oklahoma.The proposition 
to continue the New Orleans Exhibition has 
taken form, the plan being to induce the Gov¬ 
ernment to allow its exhibit to remain in the 
buildings, and to have a grand re-opening in 
October or November under a new manage¬ 
ment. It is generally admitted in New 
Orleans that it would be impossible to raise 
the $250,000 demanded for carrying out this 
plan if the present managers were to continue 
at the head. Last Tuesday, Major E. A. 
Burke tendered to the Board of Management 
of the Exposition his resignation as Director- 
General, and it was accepted, to take effect on 
May 20.The 26th annual convention of 
Young Men’s Christian Associations of the 
United States and Canada met in the Baptist 
Church at Atlanta, Ga., Wednesday morning. 
Maj. Joseph Hardie of Selma, Ala., was 
elected permanent President, and George T. 
Coxhead of St. Louis, Secretary. About 400 
delegates representing Associations in the 
United States, Canada, and Europe, were in 
attendance, with 10 international secretaries, 
with most of the State secretaries and nearly 
all the general secretaries.Last Tuesday, 
the Supreme Court of Indiana sustained the 
validity and constitutionality of the 11 o’clock 
liquor law, which has been, and is being, op¬ 
posed by the saloon interest. The court holds 
that it is a proper exercise of the police power 
to say that no liquor shall be sold as a bever¬ 
age after 11 o’clock at night, and that the law 
applies to every day in the week, as well as 
to Sundays and legal holidays. The opinion 
was unanimous...The Wisconsin brew¬ 
ers have discovered that the new license law 
is so loosely drawn that a brewing company 
may retail its own beer without a license. 
The result is that new beer shops are spring¬ 
ing up in the cities of that State. 
TWO EARS OF CORN—TWO BLADES 
OF GRASS. 
“And he gave it for his opinion that who¬ 
ever would make two ears of corn or two 
blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground 
where only one grew before, would deserve 
better of mankind, and do more essential ser¬ 
vice to his country, than the whole race of pol¬ 
iticians put together."— Swift. 
The above quotation fully describes the work 
which Professor 8tockhridge has accomplished. 
His common sense system of plant feeding has 
done more to popularize the subject of fertil¬ 
izers and the chemistry of fertilization than 
anything in the history of American agricul¬ 
ture. 
Corn Raising Pays with Stockbridgk, 
Mr. A. J. Thayer, of E Douglas,Mass. .writes 
as follows: “I grew t wo acres of corn on Stock- 
bridge. and from beginning to its harvesting, 
it was universally conceded to be the best field 
of corn in this vicinity. It ripened two or 
three weeks earlier than any corn in the neigh¬ 
borhood. It is not all husked yet, but the 
yield is large, and well rounded out, and it was 
ready to grind three weeks ago. I claim that 
with nothing but Stockbridge, 1 can make 
corn-raising pay.”— Adv. 
AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
Saturday, May 16. 
In the Smith Court of Inquiry, at Washing¬ 
ton last Thursday, C. M. Young, of the firm 
of W. F. Young & Co., of New York, who 
furnished butter for the Greely Relief Expe¬ 
dition, testified that the firm paid George B. 
Goff, of Washington, eight cents a pound for 
securing the contract for them.It is 
reported that contracts have been made to 
carry wheat from Oregon to Chicago by rail 
at 32 cents per 100 pounds. That is about 
19)£ cents per bushel, which is less than has 
been paid in some former years for carrying 
wheat from Chicago to New York.The 
Court of Appeals of this State has just heard 
arguments as to the constitutionality of the 
anti-oleomargarine law of 1884, and is ex¬ 
pected to give its decision within a week. 
California’s leading crop is breach of promise 
cases....A Chicago syndicate lias pur¬ 
chased Bennett & Dunman’s ranch on the 
Cherokee Strip for 8400,000, The purchase 
Includes two leases of a large range near the 
Pawnee Agency and 12,500 head of cattle. 
The syndicate is buying other cattle on the 
ranges at $25 per head.Commissioner 
Colman has just established, in the Agricul¬ 
tural Department, a bureau to investigate all 
questions affecting the interests of the dairy. 
It will collect the latest information relative 
to the dairy industry, and will give especial 
attention to the manufacture, sale and con¬ 
sumption of oleomargarine aud other spuri¬ 
ous articles sold as butter. It is said that the 
Commissioner will probably recommend to the 
next Congress tbe passage of some restrictive 
measure which will better protect the farmers 
and the public from the sale of spurious butter. 
.It is officially announced that the epi¬ 
demic of trichinosis prevailing from Septem¬ 
ber to December last in the district of Magde¬ 
burg, Germany, resulting in 403 cases of sick¬ 
ness. of which 66 proved fatal, was caused by 
a single pig. Careful investigation proved 
that death was in every case due to eating the 
flesh raw...Judge I. C. Parker, of the 
Federal Court for the Western District of 
Arkansas, lately decided that the title to the 
Oklahoma land known as the Cherokee Strip, 
is in the Cherokee Nation, the land having 
been patented to the Cherokees on December 
31, 1888 by the Government. This settles the 
title to over 8,000,000 acres..A bill to 
prevent gambling in stocks and produce of 
all kinds has just become law in Ohio, and its 
enforcement will be watched with interest. 
It makes all dealings on margin criminal acts. 
Any person offering to sell options,or exhibit- 
hig any quotations of the prices of margins, 
futures or options, is punishable by fine and 
imprisonment. A clause punishes any person 
or company which communicates the prices 
on such margin sales. This is intended to 
reach telegraph companies. The display of 
prices upon the stock boards is prohibited un¬ 
less such display is part of a transaction in 
which the values involved are duly delivered 
to purchasers, Suits will be brought at once 
to test the constitutionality of the law. Its 
enforcement, however, is improbable; but it 
may compel speculators to deal directly with 
New York aud Chicago.Dr. Hunt. Sec¬ 
retary of the State Board of Health of New 
Jersey, says that the hog cholera is now con¬ 
fined to three couuties of that State—Middle¬ 
sex, Gloucester and Cape May. In each of 
these it is local. The disease has visited nearly 
all the counties of the State, and has caused a 
loss of over $260,000 to the farmers of New 
Jersey in the last 18 months.Within a 
fortnight, tablets have been placed upon the 
new shoots of the thousand-year-old rosebush 
at Hildesbeim. The oldest of these shoots 
dates from 1789, the second from 1839, the 
third from 1868, the fourth from 1877, and the 
fifth from 18S4. This last one was first dis¬ 
covered on July 4 of last year, and has at¬ 
tained a remarkable growth within this short 
time, it being now nearly nine feet in length 
aad an inch thick.The Commissioner 
of Agriculture has made a directory of de¬ 
partments, boards, societies, colleges and other 
organizations in the interests of agriculture, 
horticulture, stock-raising, dairying, bee¬ 
keeping, fish culture and kindred industries 
in the United States. It contains the Dames 
of more tbaB 5,000 organizations.The 
experiment of shipping live cattle from Wash¬ 
ington Territory to Chicago is a total failure, 
as they shrink 15 or 20 per 'cent, and sold for 
$4.20 per hundred, when the shippers re¬ 
fused $5 before putting them in the cars ... 
.Prof. C V. Riley says that we may ex¬ 
pect the 17-year and 13-year locusts, which 
make their appearance together, for the first 
time in 221 years. The visitation, however, 
will bo light and attack the fruit trees chiefly, 
and be prolonged till late in July .It is 
said that the rural population of some parts of 
Illinois is at a stand still, and in some counties 
has retrograded since 1870. Farmers’children 
abandon their homes for the cities of the Far 
West. Yet tbe price of land has risen, aud 
the big stock raisers continue to enlarge their 
already immense estates. Cattle-raising pays 
where wheat doesn’t.Less than a year 
ago, the whole 8tate of Texas was convulsed 
with excitement over the cutting of wire 
fencing. Now it is never heard of. This is 
attributed to judicious legislation. 
. ...Fruit trees are so heavily laden in places 
on the Pacific Coast that hundreds of laborers 
are kept employed thinniug out the fruit. 
Prof. Morsford’s Unking Powder 
Always pure. Full strength. Full weight and 
Reliable. Try it — Adv, 
CROPS AND MARKETS. 
Saturday, May 16. 
The May report of the Department of Ag¬ 
riculture relates to the progress of Spring 
plowing aud of cotton planting, and to tho 
condition of winter grain. Cotton planting, 
though comparatively late, is well advanced, 
fully 4-5 of the proposed area having been 
planted. Tho usual proportion seeded May 1 
is probably 5 per cent, greater. Spring plow¬ 
ing is everywhere late. Last year at this 
date it was estimated [to be % done. ^This 
year it is scarcely 6-10. Less than half of this 
work is done in the Eastern States.New York, 
Ohio and Michigan, A much larger propor¬ 
tion is finished in the Northwest, where corn, 
potatoes and other late-planted crops are 
grown in smaller proportion. The injury to 
tbe winter wheat crop was greater than ap¬ 
pearances indicated April 1, The roots were 
killed in the central belt even worse than was 
supposed. In New York the snow protection 
was ample, except in spots; and in Michigan 
ncrmaterial injury occurred. But in the Ohio 
valley aud in Missouri reports of condition 
are much reduced. In the South a slight im¬ 
provement in the prospect is noticed. The 
average condition in the principal wheat¬ 
growing States is as follows: New York, 
95: Michigan, 100; Ohio, 59; Kentucky, 45; 
Indiana, 70; Missouri, 60; Kansas, 62. The 
general average is 70, instead of 77 as in April, 
a reduction of about nine per cent., reducing 
the indicated production of Winter wheat to 
about 240,000,000 bushels. The condition of 
rye is also lower than reported in April, yet 
much better than wheat, the average being 
86. The average condition of winter barley 
is 82. The mowing land3 promise a nearly 
average crop of hay, the average condition 
being 92. Pastures look nearly as well, con¬ 
dition 90. 
Crop reports received at St. Paul, Minn., 
from the line of the Omaha Railroad indicate 
au average acreage of wheat seeded. No 
damage has been done by frost.but some grain 
has beeu blown out of the ground by high 
winds. 
Secretary Young, of the Minnesota State 
Board of Agriculture, says that the decrease 
in wheat acreage this year will not be over 
six per cent, in Minnesota, and as far as he 
can learn tbe crops are not at all injured by 
the backward Spring. 
The Chicago Farmers’ Review last Tuesday 
said: “Winter wheat prospects are the poorest 
ever seen. The spring wheat is not all seeded. 
Oats are not all in, and the corn is yet to be 
planted. The only favorable fact that we can 
mention is that there is no present prospect of 
a drought. The most serious fact is tbe fail¬ 
ure of the winter wheat crop. Its magnitude 
is not yet fully realized.” 
MARKETS BY TELEGRAPH. 
Saturday, May 16, 1885. 
Chicago.— Compared with cash prices a 
week ago, “regular” wheat is 2J^c. higher; No. 
2 Spring, l}£c. higher; No. 2 Red l’*c. high¬ 
er. Corn. %o. lower. Oats. l£o. lower. 
Pork, 15n. lower. Cattle, from 20c. to 35c. 
higher. Hogs, from 5c. to 10c, lower. Sheep, 
from 10c. to 60c. lower. 
Wheat.—A ctive- 8alcs rnneed: Mav. HS7^<a89^ c; 
June Pm^'aMc- Jttlv. OS'.A^O'IWe: No. 2 Sprlnv. SS'q 
rarae: No k do, TSK'iSi'c • No. 2 Red STanTWc : 
No. S Red. 89c. Corn— Weak: miles ranged: Cash, 
47<*A"I^e- May 17*47Hie • June. r July. J75 r 
Oat-* Stendv. Sale* ranged: Cash 8U4i334-Vie: 
Mav. "Ik 'RtWe- June. K4W<»34l6c Rrr-No 2, 73e. 
Barley— No 2. fli'/itvSe Pork. -Steady. CmhIi. *ii<a 
• niii- Mav, Riuol’10- June. *W97Mfc*in«7’«- July, 
• 11 fficail 1*1. I.auiv Quiet. Sale* ramrod- Cash, 
*6 77V»fi«0- Mav, *S77l<;/9t«' J <t : June. *9 S2W; T u lv. 
•fiSTV.im «n. mnBMBATp—Shoulder?. JVj? i to- Short 
Rlh, *r, invar* (I*; Short Clear. asm-aid 15. Cattle — 
Market strong. Exports, *1754*6 Old; cows and mix¬ 
ed. .S11 atnekers *87v-»t45: feeder*, * 1 *o^A 
*S(»1- Tcxiuin. *1 S0*SM7S. Hoos. —Rnucb mixed. 
•*t iHVHii.'SI; parkin? and shipping, •4.25014.-11) 11 irht 
• 1.150)4 40; skins, •K.’KI X *1 10, Shkf.p — tuferlor. 
•2 2va3 50: medium. $375®-! 50 ; Rood, SI 30; choice, 
• I Kt). 
Boston. Chain.— Corn In good demand and prices 
steadv. Steamer Yellow at • Steamer 
Mixed at 5SME">Wo* No Urade. at *Ki>*0c- Hlffh mixed. 
fiO»- busdiol Oats- Steady- No. t white and 
barley at MW'-t-Mlc. No. 3 whit**, t7Wir|8<- : No. ’1 4<wa 
mixed 43V£'<*47o. per binhel. It tv Small sales 
nt 7?»80-\ per Ijti**he1. Babx.ft—C anada West No. 1 
choice extra llcbt. 934495c- No 1 do, 89-Jtlktc- No 2 
do. T'Ki-ie- six rowed Mitt*-. 7:;,*, twn rowed do, 
82*9418, per bushel. TtttAN -Spring at *17. and Winter 
nt •IS'itvt so v ion. Fine Feed and Middling*. *'8“20. 
Cotton Seed Mm). *26.73 * ton to arrive, and *27 30 
■ass on the spot. Hay anp -Straw --Choice grades of 
hay have been lu demand at «i’i Nvavii *> ton- fill*- to 
Rood, gifiWI** common to fair at *1 lain. Rye straw- 
1s held at *19*20 far choice. Swale hnv, *Hk*H. Oat 
straw. *|<VA1i pkr ton. PUnnnru.—Nnw Rutter-- 
Northern creamery. 2i«2’c. per it*, for extra; good 
to choice. 184420c- Northern dairy—New York and 
Vermont choice to extra, l6i»’Sc: fair to Rood, 12<& 
13c: common, 9*Ue. Der 14* Western creamery, 2244 
28 e, for extra: livable, for choice: I5fl»18e, for com¬ 
mon to Rood: Imitation creamery, 130140 . for 
Scrofula 
Probably no form of disease Is so generally dis¬ 
tributed among our whole population as scrofula. 
Almost every Individual has this latent poisoli 
corn-sing his veins. Tho terrible sufferings en¬ 
dured by those afflicted with scrofulous sores 
cannot bo understood by others, aud their grati¬ 
tude on finding a remedy that rures them, aston¬ 
ishes a well person. Tho wonderful power of 
Hood’s Sarsaparilla 
in eradicating every form or Scrofula has been so 
clearly and fully demonstrated that It leaves no 
doubt that It Is the greatest medical discovery of 
this generation. It Is made by C. I. HOOD & CO., 
Lowell, Mass., and is sold by all druggists. 
IOO Doses One Dollar 
PRODUCE COMMISSION HOUSE 
E8TABIAH11I1I» 1NH5. 
S. H. & E. H. FROST, 
IOO PARK PLACE. N V. 7 
Shippers desiring to favor us will he furnished 
Btenclls, BhlppmgA'ardH. etc.,on application. Prompt¬ 
ness guaranteed. References, Rural New-Youkkr, 
Irving NutlomU_bank,.etc. 
