THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
Conducted by 
HUBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1887. 
We are preparing for the next It. N.-Y. 
a first-page engraving which, if it does not 
startle some of our readers, will at least set 
them to thinking. 
Why is not the Nemaha Black-cap a 
better kind to plant than the Gregg? 
The Gregg is not hardy at the Rural 
Grounds; the Nemaha promises to be. 
The berries of the latter are as large as 
those of the former and better in quality. 
Attention is called to Pres. Barry’s 
article on page 43, copied from Green's 
Fruit-Grower. lie says that Agricultur¬ 
al Experiment Stations will ultimately 
be founded by all the States and they will 
be much better managed by them than 
they would by the Department of Agri¬ 
culture, the ' head of which is usually 
changed with every change of Adminis¬ 
tration, We want the appropriation for 
each Slate proposed in the Hatch Bill; 
but we don't want the Washington folk 
to have anything whatever to do with the 
statious. We want the Government to 
give us the money to do our own work. 
The Government money is good. It is 
the people’s. Mr. My rick’s article on 
page 25 will also be read with interest. 
The unfortunate thing about the pro¬ 
posed amendments is that wehaveDO cer¬ 
tainty that any of them will be accepted. 
We ‘are asked to support a faulty bill 
with nothing but the hope that it can be 
subsequently amended so as to satisfy us. 
We hope, with Mr. My rick, that the 
present bill may form a basis upon which 
we may build a strong and satisfactory 
measure. 
Tim New York State Board op Ag¬ 
riculture will hold its annual meeting 
in agricultural hall. Albany. January 19. 
A lull board of officers are to be elected 
and the policy of holding Farmers’ 
Institutes is to be considered. This 
is an important meeting and every 
life-member owes it as a duty to him¬ 
self to be present. Our posit.on on 
the policy of holding Farmers’ In¬ 
stitutes is well known. We have advo¬ 
cated them for years, and we propose to 
keep hammering away at it until some¬ 
body or something puts a little life into 
our State Society. We believe that the 
present management of the society has 
been unable to rise even to the dignity 
of an honest failure. It has sanctioned 
the liquor business, and eaten up the peo¬ 
ple’s money without, making any return. 
We call on the members to oust the pres¬ 
ent management, at the coming election. 
Such an action will make a remarkably 
good beginning for 1887. We have no 
candidates to present, but we know that 
there arc capable and honest men who 
can make this society what it should be. 
Put them in! 
To the Agricultural Press. —The 
point is made on another page that if at any 
time it was found that the money to be ap¬ 
propriated by the Hatch Bill had been mis¬ 
applied, the agricultural press of the 
country could c.ry out so loudly against 
the wrong that Congress would refuse to 
spend more money until the wrong had 
been made right. It is possible that the 
agricultural press of the country does hold 
this power. The oleomargarine legisla- 
tation plainly shows that, many Represent¬ 
atives were frightened by farmers, but 
the exact power of the agricultural press 
as compared with that of the politicians 
is not clear. We submit to our esteemed 
contemporaries that, they have now an ex¬ 
cellent opportunity to measure this pow¬ 
er. The Washington seed store is kept 
alive for the benefit of politicians. If 
farmers are benefited by its distributions, 
it is certain that, nobody considers the 
benefit worth remarking. If any farmer 
has been helped by it,he has kept the fact 
well iu the shade. Here is a chance for 
the agricultural press to reform a genuine 
abuse. Let us use this boasted power 
and shut, up the seed store. The Rural 
proposes to keep up the fight if it has to 
do it alone. How many of our friends are 
with us? 
Farmers Marketing their own 
Produce. —The plan advanced by Col. 
Curtis last week for marketing pork pro¬ 
ducts, is sensible. As he says, the city 
man who would not take advantage of 
such a chance would lie foolish. Wc 
believe the majority of city men would be 
glad to buy produce tn this way. All 
farmers cannot work it. So much the 
better for you who can, if you will only 
think so. The fewer sellers, the better 
the market. One thing that frequently 
makes such business a failure is that the 
farmer wants a far higher price than the 
meat brings at retail at the shops. He 
can get a fancy price after he establishes 
his reputation for honesty and cleanli¬ 
ness. but such a reputation cannot he ob¬ 
tained in a day. People will think, taste 
and judge for themselves. Better sell at 
the regular retail price first, and add a 
little to it when people find out that you 
really have a superior article. A business 
man in Philadelphia told us how, last 
year, he tried to get a farmer friend into 
business. Many of his city acquaintances 
expressed a desire for some genuine 
country sausage. He wrote to a friend 
in the country telling him that if he would 
send in 30 pounds of sausage it. could be 
sold and a good market started. The 
answer was that the farmer didn’t propose 
to turn his house into a sausage factory. 
That is the way one farmer feels about it. 
ne would prefer to haul potatoes to mar¬ 
ket. If be makes a living out of the farm 
he will do well. Selling country sausage 
is just exactly as honorable as selling eggs, 
milk or butter. 
A REQUEST. 
As in years past, we must request our 
friends in renewing to write their names, 
post offices, counties and states plainly. 
Even our oldest subscribers should not 
take for granted that our clerks arc famil¬ 
iar with their names and addresses. 
Our best and promptest attention is 
promised to all subscriptions sent for 
other journals or magazines in connection 
with the It. N.-Y. 
We beg to remind our readers that now 
is the Rural’s harvest time; the best of 
all seasons to secure clubs. A kindly 
word from good people as to the Rural’s 
merits must always have its effect. We 
are scarcely satisfied with merely a large 
circulation; we want it among the best 
people of the country; among those who 
delight in supporting and encouraging 
good, conscientious work. 
Premium lists, posters and specimen 
copies will be mailed to all applicants. 
THAT “PRESERVATIVE." 
himself. The secret of its composition is 
of value to him and he will make no 
statement that could open his secret 
As the case stands, three chemists find 
salicylic acid in the salt, while the owner, 
who knows what he put into it, is per¬ 
fectly willing to eat it. The Rural 
simply wishes to get at the truth of the 
matter, that its readers may be protected. 
AN INFAMOUS MINNESOTA LAW. 
Last Monday the Supreme Court of 
Minnesota, with only two dissenting 
judges, declared the “tax title law" 
of that State constitutional and thor¬ 
oughly valid. This law is a novelty of 
its kind, the like of which, it is to he 
hoped, cannot he found in any other civ¬ 
ilized community. It gives the purchasers 
of property sold for the nayment of taxes, 
a clear title at once without any restric¬ 
tions or qualifications whatever. Under 
it, land once sold by the Sheriff for non¬ 
payment of taxes, becomes the absolute 
property of the purchaser, even if it be 
proved that the taxes have been paid, and 
that the proper officer, either carelessly or 
designedly, has neglected to record the 
payment. Under this infamous law, a 
horde of tax title sharps flourish, who are 
always on the lookout for such property. 
There are numerous instances where clerics 
in the Tax Office have acted in collusion 
with these rascals by purposely neglecting 
to record payment of taxes on desirable 
property, so that the speculators might 
buy it in for a price much below its value, 
and by keeping them posted with regard 
to all property liable to he sold for taxes. 
Hundreds of taxpayers have been swindled 
out of their property in this way. Tliev 
have, it is true, a legal remedy against 
the delinquent clerk; hut what clerk is 
responsible for a heavy judgment? 
Sometimes the sale is made so quietly that 
the first notiee the victim has of the 
fraud is given by the new owner taking 
possession of the property. Sueh a law 
is an outrage on justice, and a direct en¬ 
couragement of swindling. The farmers 
of Minnesota are the chief sufferers by it; 
and the farmers of Minnesota have fre¬ 
quently shown that, they ean eontrol the 
legislature. How they ever allowed such 
a law to disgrace the statute book pns=es 
comprehension; that they should permit 
it to remain there a day after its removal 
ean be effected would reflect much of the 
opprobrium of if upon themselves. Even 
tlie court, while upholding its validity, 
recommends its repeal. Until this is clone, 
prudent investors will be hardlv likelv to 
put money in real estate in Minnesota. 
♦ »-— 
MONOPOLISTIC EXTORTION. 
We have had occasion to speak of a 
butter preservative known as Kellogg’s 
Royal Salt. We tried it, and found that 
it did what was claimed for it. This we 
reported, with the statement that so far 
as we knew, it was a harmless preserva¬ 
tive. The New England Homestead send 
samples of the salt to three different ex¬ 
perimental stations for analysis. All 
three reports stated that the salt con¬ 
tained borax and salicylic acid in percep¬ 
tible quantities. We sent this report to 
Mr.W. J. Kellogg, treasurer of the Butter 
Preservative Co., requesting him to state 
his side of the matter. 'I he Rural de¬ 
sires to give all parties a fair hearing. 
Mr. Kellogg hands us a sworn statement 
to the effect that the salt is composed of 
“several well-known and harmless food 
[•reparations,” the names and quantities 
of which are of pecuniary value to the 
owners of the salt. They constitute a 
special property, which would he ren¬ 
dered valueless to the owners by t lieu- 
disclosure. These ingredients are just as 
harmless as the constituents of Royal 
baking powder, compressed yeast, corn 
starch, or butter salted with any of the 
ordinary dairy salts. The Kellogg salt 
could he compounded by any one who 
can weigh, uux and measure. Mr. Kel¬ 
logg further states that he is using the 
salt, with a full knowledge of its con¬ 
tents, in his own family, and that he re¬ 
commends it to his personal friends. 
Parties who have used it constantly for 
the past four years are iu perfect health. 
Iu answer to a direct question as to 
whether the preservative contains salicy¬ 
lic acid or not, Mr. Kellogg states that he 
will not affirm or deny anything. Ilis 
position, as we understand it, is this: he 
has confidence enough in the salt to use it 
men who are not otherwise able to he re¬ 
elected. They in effect, rote themselves 
Government funds with whirl/ to hrihe their 
constituents. It. is a shameful perversion 
of the law.” 
When Gen. LeDuc was Commissioner 
of Agriculture he commenced nroeeedings 
against the custom by declaring that the 
law did not authorize the distribution of 
seeds to or through Congressmen unless 
they were farmers, and at that time there 
were hut three or four so recorded. The 
law was that the “Commissioner shall 
collect, as he may be able, new and valua- 
able seeds and plants; to propagate such 
ns mav be worthy of propagation and to 
distribute them among farmers,” but it 
was modified so as to compel the Com¬ 
missioner to turn over a part of the seeds 
nurchascd to Congressmen. Gen. Le 
Due's position was sunported livtho abler 
Congressmen who wished tn ooenpv their 
time in the business of legislation, and 
who despised the seed distribution busi¬ 
ness; but he was bitterlv opposed by 
those who felt'uneasy about a return, and 
who thought they could bribe the farm¬ 
ers by a few seeds. 
Our remarks against the Washington 
distribution must not he construed as in 
any wav directed against the present 
Commissioner, Col. Cnlman. or any indi¬ 
vidual whatever. We believe he is as 
efficient and as earnest in his work as 
anv one who has ever filled the difficult 
and thankless position. He is himself 
onposod to the present, method of sending 
out these seeds and has always been. 
But he merely executes the laws. He 
does not make them. 
If the distribution were -"’one away with, 
it would relieve the Commissioner of an 
immense amount, of labor, criticism and 
annoyance. The pressure that, is con¬ 
stantly brought to hear upon him to ap¬ 
point men and women to places of em- 
plovment in putting up and distributing 
these seeds is insufferable; and so it hap¬ 
pens that much of the Commissioner’s time, 
which might lie devoted to the more im¬ 
portant work of the Department, is worse 
than frittered awav. 
The remedy for this evil is an easv one. 
Farmers have mcrelv to show Representa¬ 
tives or would-be Representatives that 
thev are not only opposed to this seed 
business, lint that thev will not vote fo 
any one who will not pledge himself to use 
his influence to abolish it. 
BREVITIES. 
Nearly ten months ago railroad trans¬ 
portation rates from Chicago to the sea¬ 
board were advanced 10 cents per 100 
pounds on cattle. 21hj cents on dressed 
beef and about twice as much on sheep, 
45 cents being charged on the carcass of 
the latter, or nearly half a cent a pound 
more than was accepted before March 1. 
Prior to the advance the rates were too 
high ns compared with those for carry¬ 
ing grain and other merchandise. The cat¬ 
tle interests of the West are now paving 
out over half a million dollars a year in 
the shape of this extra extortion, although 
cattle are. now selling for lower prices 
than before the change went into effect. 
Last February there were mnnv loud com¬ 
plaints against the proposed changes, 
especially by the dressed meat men; 
but these soon stopped, either because 
large rebates were giveu to the most, pow¬ 
erful. or because all saw that, flic extra 
charges must, finally come out of the pock¬ 
ets of the producers and consumers. 
Hence what, with the exorbitant profits 
of middlemen and transportation pooling 
monopolies, the latter have still to pay 
high prices for beef; while the former have 
to accept low prices for cattle. Were it 
not for the pooling system, which does 
away with competition, these oppressive 
charges would long since, have been re¬ 
duced; yet the railroad men insist that 
this is the only plan by which the inter¬ 
ests of all si inpers are. alike protected! 
The Cullom Bill, now before Congress, 
abolishes sueh combinations; and to that 
extent, at any rate, the Cullom Bill de¬ 
serves the hearty support of shippers of 
all sorts of goods, who are opposed to a 
selfish, unscrupulous, unjustly discrimi¬ 
nating monopoly, 
- - • • »- 
THE WASHINGTON SEED BUSINESS. 
A gentleman who has tilled several 
positions under the Government and 
among them one of the highest, writes ns 
as follows; “There is no doubt about it 
at all—the present method of seed distri¬ 
bution should be abolished. It is only 
kept up for the benefit of those Congrcss- 
Tue four-mire Snnnlement of next week’s 
P. N.-Y. will be filloil with matter appertain¬ 
ing to fertilizers and fertilizer experiments. 
We think we have Intimated before that 
wbat, is wanted amonsr noultrv i* a breed that 
will lav lots of eggs wlion nobody eke’s lay. 
That’s the kind of a breed that will pay! 
Judging from -the great numbers of our 
friends wbo report melons stolen before they 
could pronerlv test them, we opine that one 
owing need of horticulture is an Insecticide 
that shall effectually dispose of the melon 
thief. 
As we noted in our market report last week, 
the first ‘‘Spring” lambs reaehed New York 
Deo. 24. T.asr year the first of the season 
came Jan. 8. These lambs sold a* about $10 
each. T1 will make an interest “sum” to fig¬ 
ure how manv lamhs of the same size and 
weight it will take to reach that figure three 
mouths hence. 
A HUBSCRinER in Michigan makes the fol¬ 
lowing suggestion; “Would it not be advis¬ 
able. before corning to a vote on the Rural 
paper, to call the attention of the voters to the 
OUfllftv of the paper as well ns its appearance? 
I presume most-of the readers prize the Rvjrai, 
highly enough to preserve it, and the question 
which is the most durable paper outrht to 
weigh considerably in the decision ” Our 
renders will readily judge for themselves, we 
think. 
There are two features we want to see 
added to coming agricultural exhibitions. At 
poultry shows we want to see classes for 
dressed poubrv and preserved eggs. We 
would nlso like to see something done towards 
establishing “egg records.” While there is 
nothing about, these things in the “Standard." 
they are important. At dairy shows and 
county fairs we want, to see butter-making 
contests encouraged. Prof. Sheldon will tell 
us. in a few weeks, how these contests are 
carried on in England. Managers of county 
fairs who desire to present, a strong attraction 
will do well to study his account. 
The county judges of the drought-afflicted 
districts of Texas were in session yesterday at 
the Court House at, Albany, in that State. 
Twenty counties were represented. They 
report, that in the aggregate 27.900 persons are 
in actual need of food and clothing. They 
wall make an appeal to the Legislature, and 
meanwhile they ask ehnri table people evert 
where for immediate relief, which ean be sent, 
marked “Relief Fund." t<> the Mayor of Al¬ 
bany. Our appeal to our readers on behalf 
of these sorely afflicted people some months 
ago, met. we learn, with a generous response. 
What more gracious New Year’s gift ean any 
of our farming friends make than one to re¬ 
lieve the sore distress of their fellow farmers 
elsewhere! Let those who have given nothing 
yet. give something now; and those who have 
given before will fool all the better forgiving 
now once more. 
