486 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
JULY 48 
THE 
RURAL NEW'YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country autl Suburban Homes 
Conducted by • 
hi. s. c A r »i A N, 
J . 8. WOODWARD, 
Editor, 
Associate. 
Address 
THE HU RAX, NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1885. 
Among our cross-bred wheats one 
plant—of a cross between Armstrong and 
some other—pleases us immensely. The 
spikelets are crowded upon the heads, two 
and even three breasts growing where 
one ordinarily grows upon the rachis. 
Each breast bears from three to five ker¬ 
nels. We begiu this season to propagate 
the best of our crosses for distribution, 
and, unless we are greatly mistaken, their 
introduction will begin a new era in wheat 
culture. 
plants are there developed, better, per¬ 
haps, than even in the most famous nur¬ 
sery gardens, because of the very difficul¬ 
ties that must l>e averted or surmounted. 
The ancient Jews were familiar with des¬ 
erts. “The tree of the field is man’s life,” 
says the Sacred Record. In Elizur Wright’s 
excellent address before the Forestry 
Congress, he shows the truth of this, and 
the necessity for foliage to absorb the 
carbon from its union with oxygen in the 
air, as one per cent, of it renders the air 
unwholesome and asphyxiating. Yet, 
with this small proportion, the entire 
amount in the vast atmospheric ocean is 
so great as to be an enormous coal mine 
that cannot be exhausted in thousands of 
thousandsof years. Every leaf and blade 
is a village—a town—of cells all constant¬ 
ly active while green, and under sunlight, 
in separating and storing solid carbon. 
And the leaf is the only agent in nature 
to effect this. All animated nature is 
continually using up and undoing this 
ministry of the leaf. If the trees go, Mr. 
Wright concludes, man must go, too. 
We must plant if we would not be cursed 
by the coming centuries. 
At the Long Island Rural Farm we 
have some five acres in wheat—half Diehl- 
Mediterranean, half Silver Chaff. The 
field was prepared with special care and 
manured liberally. It is now (July 10th) 
about ready to cut. It will yield better 
than most of the wheat fields about us; 
still we are disappointed in the Diehl- 
Mediterranean. The heads are small and 
we doubt if it will yield as well as the 
Silver Chaff beside it. Still it may thrash 
out better than it looks. Let us hear 
from our readers. 
Our agricultural colleges, and profes¬ 
sors of practical science generally, are 
giving us very different conceptions of 
wisdom from what prevailed among the 
old-time sages and men of letters. The 
writings of Solomon and of the Son of 
Sirach are rich in references to agriculture, 
but the agriculturist himself wa9 but a 
little above his oxen, his swine, or t his 
geese in the estimation of the wise, “The 
wisdom of the learned man cometh by 
opportunity and leisure, and he that hath 
little business may become wise.” (Eccles. 
ch. 38, v. 24.) “How can he get wisdom 
that boldeth the plow, and that glorieth 
in the goad, that driveth oxen, and is 
occupied in their labors, and whose talk 
is of bullocks?” (v. 25.) This question 
has been answered, and farmers now pos¬ 
sess more of really useful and varied 
knowledge than any other class. 
We were highly pleased to receive 
(July 10th) a call trom our friend and 
contributor Prof. J. W. Sanborn, of the 
Missouri Agricultural College, Columbia, 
Mo. Prof. Sanborn is an honest, earnest 
worker in the cause of the practical educa¬ 
tion of farmers by showing them, by care¬ 
ful experiments, that their surplus grains 
and the waste products, such as bran,etc., 
can be profitably fed to stock, and that 
such a course enables them to grow larger 
crops without exhausting the land. He 
has had many obstacles to overcome, but 
is making such a success that we hope 
Missouri may soon see that it is to her 
interest to provide larger means to aid in 
developing her most important industry, 
and in teaching her farmers, that merely 
converting the fertility of the soil into 
grain and money is not sensible farming. 
Success to all such earnest investigators 
as Prof. Sanborn 1 
The Marlboro at this date, July 6, is 
giving us our largest and best raspberries. 
The Supurb is also ripening, but the 
drupes fall asunder as the berries are 
picked. The Superb is always a crumb¬ 
ly berry, und the dryness of the season no 
doubt increases this propensity. We find 
the Rancocas a berry of rare productive¬ 
ness, medium size, firm and of fair qual¬ 
ity. The bushes are more vigorous than 
those of Hansell and more fruitful. It 
is a shade darker than Hansell. Mr. 
Brownell’s new Meredith Queen was so 
killed back by the Winter that it will 
not fruit this season. Hardiness, too, 
was set forth as one of its great merits. 
Imperial, said by some to be identical 
with Crimson Beauty, is one of the earli¬ 
est. The quality is very good, color 
bright. It falls from the peduncle too 
readily. The drupes are rather large and 
often of different sizes, which gives the 
berry an imperfect form. 
Where trees are rarely seen their value 
is appreciated. Our Western Plains are 
becoming schools of forestry, and all the 
economics of successful growth of^young 
KEEP THE TOOLS SHARP. 
The man who should persist day after 
day in working with a dull ax or scythe 
rather than spend the time to put it in 
order, would clearly show' that he h*d 
more muscle than brains. Not less fool¬ 
ish is he who uses a dull hoe; for, besides 
being much harder work to use it, a weed 
that is merely pulled up and left intact, 
is much less likely to die than one whose 
roots are cut into many pieces in being 
torn up and thrown upon the surface. 
Notwithstanding these facts, not one man 
in 20 makes any attempt to keep his hoe 
in cutting order. The edge is not only 
of the full thickness of the plate, but it 
is rounded and smoothed by use, until it 
scarcely mutilates the plant in pulling it 
from the soil. We are ut a loss to under¬ 
stand this indifference, wffien with a 
common, flat file the hoe could be 
put into and kept in good order, 
in not more than five minutes’ time each 
day. Try it by filing it to an edge from 
the underside, to see how much more 
work you can do in the same time, and 
how much more easily. While in the use 
of the boe, it is every man’s choice whether 
he will have it sharp or dull, in using a 
cultivator, drawn by a horse, the work¬ 
man is under obligations to have it in such 
a condition that it will do the most good 
with the least expenditure of muscle. 
Though the horse belongs to mau, the 
latter has no right to missuse him by 
wasting his strength; and from the fact 
that the cultivator with dull teeth not 
only draws harder, but is much less effi¬ 
cient in destroying weeds, we protest that 
the owner has no moral right to use it. It 
costs hut a small sum to have the edges 
hammered out thiu and sharp, and we in¬ 
sist that it should be done sufficiently 
often, that the least labor of horses and 
time of men will accomplish most good. 
We are quite certain that the extra time 
spent with dull tools would be sufficient 
with sharp tools to destroy the last weed. 
Let us waste no more time and strength 
with dull tools, hut stop short, and turn 
over a new leaf, remembering that muscle 
saved is better than money earned. 
REFORM NEEDED. 
The system of weights and measures 
immemorially in use by our English an¬ 
cestors and to a considerable extent 
adopted by us, is about as hard to learn 
and remember and as cumbersome to use 
in every-day life as it is possible to con¬ 
ceive. They have the cwt., containing 
112 pounds, and its subdivisions of quar¬ 
ters and stones, respectively 28 and 14 
pounds; besides these ami many others 
worse, they use another quarter, in buying 
and selling grain which in some cases con¬ 
tains eight and in others four bushels; in 
fact, so diversified are their terms and 
the quantities included, that it is very diffi¬ 
cult, if not impossible, for the average 
reader of their papers to more than guess 
at the prices at which commodities are 
actually sold. We are glad to notice that 
a bill recently introduced into Parliament, 
by Mr. Rankin, with a very Btrong proba¬ 
bility of its passage, will make a radical 
change in all this, and this bill includes 
very stringent measures for its enforce¬ 
ment, as will be seen by the two most 
important sections which we quote: 
"4.—From and after the commencement of this 
Act no contract, bargain, sale ordealln^ ror or re¬ 
lating to corn shall be made or had In terms of or 
by reference to measure of capacity, or if so made or 
had or attempted to be made or had, the samOball 
be null aDd void. 
r “5.—From and afte r itbe.'coinmen csmcnt of this 
Act,[every contractTbargalu, sale, or dcallugforor 
relating to corn, shall be made or had only by 
weight In terms of and by reference to the cental of 
Imperial standard pounds, being the cental or new 
hundredweight of 100 net pounds, and if not so made 
or had, every such contract, bargain, sale or dealing 
for or relating to corn shall be null and void.” 
The term corn, as stated in another sec¬ 
tion, includes all grains and the products 
of all grains, such as flour, meal, bran, 
etc. 
We commend to American law-makers 
the above action as worthy of imita¬ 
tion. It is high time that we had national 
legislation establishing a standard, by 
which all commodities produced on farms, 
should be measured that should he Na¬ 
tional, simple and uniform. As it now is, 
we have a halt dozen or more standards 
for a bushel of grain in as many different 
States, and a variable standard for the 
unit of weight for almost each product 
we have for sale, and very lew of these 
even are uniform in the different States. 
We now virtually buy and sell by measure, 
and how much better to cease this and 
adopt a uniform unit of weight by which 
everything shall be measured. We com¬ 
mend the “cental” (or 100 pounds) as that 
unit. This is systematic, easily remembered 
and understood, and will so simplify all 
transactions that a child can understand 
them. In monetary affairs it has been 
found perfect; ihen why not apply it to 
all other business purchases? Is there 
any valid reason wny everything, even 
eggs and fruits, should not be sold by 
weight, and by the cental or subdivisions 
of it, at that? 
MORE ABOUT THE CROPS. 
A summary of the July crop report of 
the Department of Agriculture, received 
by telegram from Washington this morn¬ 
ing, agrees closely with our estimates 
published in the Rural last week and the 
week before. It corresponds also, like 
our own, with the persistent course of the 
market; for prices of late show a steady 
decline in spite of the alarming reports of 
disasters to the wheat crop. According 
to our reports and those of the Depart 
ment, the past month has been favorable 
to the development of winter wheat, and 
the general average has advanced from 
two to three points, or from G2 to 65. 
A very slight decline is reported from 
Connecticut,New York,Pennsylvania, and 
some of the Southern States. In Michigan, 
Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, there has 
been an improvement as well as in Cali¬ 
fornia and Oregon. The winter wheat 
regim, which does not include the Terri¬ 
tories, now promises 215,000,000 bushels. 
The condition of spring wheat continues 
high, though the average has been reduced 
slightly, being now nearly 96. The indi¬ 
cations now point to a crop of 148,000,- 
000 bushels for Wisconsin, Minnesota, 
Nebraska, Dakota and “all other Terri¬ 
tories” and Northern New England. This 
would make the aggregate 363,000,000 
against 365,000,000, our estimate a fort¬ 
night ago. We certainly think the es¬ 
timate for winter wheat a trifle too favor¬ 
able, and that for spring wheat not favor¬ 
able enough. 
As was evident from our reports, the 
immense corn area of last year has’been 
increased, and the Department puts the 
increase at six per cent., or at least 4,000,- 
000 acres, making an aggregate of 74,000,- 
000 acres. The largest increase is in the 
Missouri Valley. The condition of the 
crop is higher than in any year since 1880, 
except the last. It averages 94 against 
96 at the same date in 1884. It is high¬ 
est in the South, and higher on the At¬ 
lantic Coast than in the West. The Kan¬ 
sas average is 83; that of Michigan and 
Missouri, 87; Wisconsin, 88; Illinois, 90; 
Iowa, 92; Minnesota. 93; Ohio and Neb¬ 
raska, 97. Those who speculate on the 
basis of crop values should remember that 
the great crop of this country is corn, not 
wheat. Even at cheap prices, the former 
represents usually double the value of the 
latter at high prices. For the year 1884 
the combined value of the wheat and oat 
crops of the United States did not fully 
reach $500,000,000, while the value of 
the corn crop was nearly $t350,000,000! 
The average of winter rye has increas¬ 
ed from 83 to 87 since the first of June. 
The geueral average for oats is 97, in 
place of 93 lust month, which leaves little 
doubt that on the enlarged acreage we 
shall have the largest oat crop ever raised. 
The condition of barley is 92, and that of 
tobacco 96. 
Cotton is reported to have made mater¬ 
ial improvement since June. Few im¬ 
perfect stands are reported. Temperature 
and rainfall have favored growth, and 
fruiting has begun in the Gulf States. 
Local droughts ure rare, and moisture has 
generally been sufficient from Virginia to 
Texas. Indeed, there has been a little 
too much of it in the low lands, interfer¬ 
ing with cultivation and stimulating the 
growth of grass. The general average 
condition has advanced from 92 in June 
to 96—a better condition at the date than 
in any year since 1880. The States east 
of the Mississippi stand as in June, except 
Georgia and Florida, which have advanced 
two points; all the others give higher 
averages. The caterpillar i 9 reported in 
some places, and the new web-worm has 
been doing injury in some parts of Texas 
and Arkansas. 
The importance of a good cotton 
crop lg not confined to the people of 
the South alone; but extends to those 
of the whole country. With a good cotton 
crop, the flush South will be a good cus¬ 
tomer alike of the manufacturer of New 
England, and of the wheat, corn and hog 
raiser of Illinois, Dakota and Missouri. 
The prosperity thus developed in the 
manufacturing districts of the North 
will open an increased demand for agri¬ 
cultural products there, also. 
-*-*-•- 
BREVITIES. 
Give us the Stratagem, as the best pea of its 
season, and as good as any other pea, either 
earlier or later. 
The potato vines of the balf-aere of poor 
soil are suffering undoubtedly, but not so 
much as other plants not trenched and 
mulched. 
The Black Champion Currant fruits at the 
R. G this season for the first. The currants 
are borne in racemes like those of red or white 
currants. We shall illustrate it in a few 
weeks. Tt strikes usasa desirable acquisition. 
SuiisetU'UFRs write us that their trenched 
and mulched potatoes are behind those not 
mulched and trenched. They judge from the 
tops, no doubt. Wait until you see the tubers, 
then tell us about it. In all of our experi¬ 
ments. the tops have not shown the effects of 
the mulch until late in the season. 
It is claimed, and probably with justice, iu 
view of the abundance aud certaintv of the 
year’s crops, where water is carried into the 
dry soils of the American Desert, aud of the 
small amount of preparation and of shelter 
wanted for man or beast in that dry. pure at¬ 
mosphere, that, a man who can put up with a 
dug out, or a house of adobe, orof logs from 
the mountains, may start, in und make himself 
a good home there with certainty of success, 
on 8250. 
Pick up any book written 50 years ago or 
more, ami if farmers are ppoken of in it, con¬ 
temptuous reference is made to their boorish¬ 
ness and stupid ignorance. What a change! 
Comparatively few of them now are without 
their weekly agricultural paper, aud it leads 
them and their sons to obtain aud continually 
refer to the lutest works on physiology, anat¬ 
omy, hygiene, meteorology, natural philoso¬ 
phy, and mechanics, and even chemistry. The 
dav of superstition and benighted ignorance 
is fast declining. 
Only in favored localities here and there, is 
there sufficient shelter from cold, or air vapor 
protection to make the bearing of fruit trees 
so sure as to be profitable, because their 
brauchesare fully exposed to all the pitiless 
parching aud freeziug that our climate is 
prone to. It, is different with small fruits. 
Grape vines can be laid prostrate for the 
Winter, where necessary for the more tender 
sorts; strawberry plants are safe under snow; 
gooseberry, currant aud blackcap wood is so 
low aud so*hardy as to defy the worst.and we 
have now so many excellent sorts of these as, 
with the aid oT drying or jarring, will supply 
the table with variety ail the year round. 
These fruits bear within two years and should 
be carried to the new home by every settler, 
among his first immediate supplies. 
A Western paper explains why Palestine, 
which supported such au immense population, 
after the Israelites discovered it when “flow¬ 
ing with milk and honey',” and in which but a 
spurso population famishes now. by saying 
that, as it was all divided into little farms, 
which, if Bold, reverted every 50 yeans, in the 
year ot" the Jubilee, there could be no monopoly 
of land; and as the law of Moses forhade in¬ 
terest,. there could be no borrowing, so that 
every man had to depend upon his own hands 
to make u living. These are potent, influences, 
and under them Palestine might all he fertile 
yet, but, devastating war destroyed it,; the 
tyrannical conquerors inflicting crushing taxes 
on the inhabitants left,.living, while giving 
them no security from robbery; all attempts 
at cultivating the soil ceased; it was left bare 
and exposed, treeless and leafless, aud is now 
an arid waste of nearly bare rocks—a lesson 
for other lands. 
Farmer and Townsman.— Externally the 
townstnau who does all his work on clean 
sidewalks and carpets, and who rarely en¬ 
counters rain or dust without protection, is 
trim and dapper, and au object of admiration 
aud envy to the dwellers of the country, 
whoso molliug work in stables, dung yards 
and new fields, with full exposure to all 
weather, obliges them to wear thick boots and 
stout, coarse clothes that are continually 
being 9tained, drenched aud draggled with 
mire. But how js it inwardly? As a gushing 
spring washes aud riuses away every pollu¬ 
tion, so does the glad healthfuluess of the 
worker in the fields. AU shrinking from out¬ 
side daub is swept, away by the glow of bis 
ubundont life. Here is the farmer’s groat ad¬ 
vantage aud superiority of enjoyment over 
the townsman, to whom a straw becomes a 
burden, a speck of dust a nuisance, and a 
sweep of wind, rain, snow, ;frost, or even sun 
shine, a distress, owing to the weakness or 
want of that inner spring of resistance. 
