THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Address 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
rHE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1S&7. 
____ 1 
Bach Numbers of the Rural New- ' 
Yorker arc exhausted. Subscribers are , 
respectfully requested to renew promptly. 
NOTICE is respectfully eiven that all potatoes, 
plants or seeds to be tested at the Rural Grounds 
should be addressed to the Editor of the Rural 
New-Yorker, River Edge, Bergen Co., New Jersey. 
«■ - 
We are informed by one wlio has fruited 
the Kelsey Japan Plum, that it is doubt¬ 
ful whether it is not too late for this and 
similar climates. 
The following articles are in type and 
will appear as soon as space permits: In¬ 
dustrial Colleges, by Parker Earle; 
Potato Culture, by C. M. Hoyey; Crit¬ 
ical Notes, by E. Williams; Sheep 
Husbandry, by J. S. Woodward. 
Our cross-bred wheats and hybrid rye- 
wheat plants are, for the most part, under 
two inches of ice. We fancy that our 
readers would share our sorrow were we 
to lose these new grains, after the years of 
labor we have given to them. 
The Inter-Ocean of Chicago, Ill., 
(weekly) and the Rural New-Yorker, 
both one year for $2.50. 
The Detroit Free press, of Detroit. 
Mich., and the Rural New-Yorker, both 
one year for $2.50. 
Send your subscriptions to the R. N.-Y. 
Apply to the above papers for specimens. 
For other combinations, see our special 
premium-list which will be mailed irce to 
all applicants. 
A new poster, “The Farmer Supplying 
the World,” will be sent to all who apply 
for it, together with an account of the 
Rural’s seed distribution, premium-lists 
and specimen copies, to aid our friends in 
forming clubs. 
Again (Jan. 29) we have been making 
inquiries as to the supply of American 
grapes in the market. Catawba is the 
only variety to be found. It seems rather 
curious that this should be so when, dur¬ 
ing the past 10 years, not less than 20 
new kinds have been announced as being 
better keepers than the Catawba. The 
commission men are now offering fine Ca- 
tawbas in cases of 50 pounds, each case 
containing 18 two-and-a—half uound 
boxes, for $2.50. That is about five 
cents per pound. 
Space at this season does not permit us 
more than to call the attention of our new 
readers to the Rural’s Premium-list for 
1887, which will be found to repay those 
who care to act as agents very liberally. 
The list, with posters, an illustrated ac¬ 
count of our present seed offerings, etc., 
will be cheerfully mailed to all applicants. 
The injury done by cats to young fruit 
trees, especially those near the dwelling, 
is, we are satisfied, overlooked by most 
farmers. All are familiar with the way they 
have of “stretching” themselves. They 
stick their sharp nails through the bark of 
the tree, through the cambium and even 
into the wood and scratch downward, 
cutting ragged slits. The bark dies in 
patches and the tree is soon girdled. 
We have just been examining two trees, 
one of which, a plum, has been killed in 
this way while the other, a. Rieffer, is so 
harmed that it can scarcely recover. One 
often sees cats stretching in this way, but 
seldom considers the damage doue. In 
several years the dead, ragged bark is no¬ 
ticed and attributed to sun-scald or some¬ 
thing of the kind, as the cuts or scratches 
can not then be traced, and the subse¬ 
quent death of the tree is variously though 
erroneously accounted lor. 
- ■ - - 
Squandering the Surplus Revenue. 
_The Dependent Soldier Pension Bill, 
giving alms of $12 a mouth to “disabled” 
soldiers whose present disability is in no 
way due to their services in the army, has 
passed both Houses of Congress and aw-aits 
the President’s Signature or veto. The 
Grand Army of the Republic, in conven¬ 
tion assembled, has twice discountenanced 
such legislation. The two new pension 
bills will increase the pension list for the 
next few years to at least $100,000,000. 
This is $15,000,000 more per year than the 
cost of the enormous army of Germany, 
and $10,000,000 more than that of Eng¬ 
land. which is the best paid army in the 
world, next to that of the United States. 
And yet we hear a great deal of the tre¬ 
mendous expense of the standing armies 
of the Old Woild as grinding the people 
into the dust; while the pension list aloue 
of this country is far greater than the ex¬ 
pense for the whole army of any European 
nation. “Anything to spend the sur¬ 
plus” appears to be the motto of the Sen¬ 
ate; “Anything to catch the soldier's 
vote” that of the House. Meanwhile the 
agriculture of the nation is groaning un¬ 
der an excessive burden of taxation. If, 
however, the surplus revenue must be 
squandered, the men who were willing to 
risk their lives for the salvation of the na¬ 
tion are the fittest beneficiaries of the ex¬ 
travagance. 
The Interstate Commerce Bill.— 
The Interstate Commerce Bill, having 
been passed by both Houses of Congress 
by overwhelming majorities, has been re¬ 
ferred by the President, to Attorney-Gen¬ 
eral Garland for an opinion as to its hear¬ 
ing,probable effects and constitutionality. 
When in the Senate, Garland was strong¬ 
ly opposed to such legislation; but law¬ 
yers at least quite as£ood as Garland sup¬ 
ported the bill by their votes, both in the 
Senate and the House ; and whatever the 
Attorney-General’s opinion may be, it 
should not be permitted to override that of 
his equals or superiors as well as of the 
nation at large represented in Congress. 
Should the President veto it. either on 
his own motion or at the instigation of 
Garland, there is no doubt that Congress, 
will pass it over the veto. So powerful 
is the force of public opinion in favor of 
immediate legislation to check railroad 
greed, favoritism and extortion, that even 
the Senate, that nest of corporate interests 
and corporate agents, can hardly venture 
to oppose the wishes or rather the deter¬ 
mination of the people in the matter. Al¬ 
though similar legislation has been be¬ 
fore Congress for years, and beeu weari¬ 
somely discussed at every session; and al¬ 
though there are in both House of 
Congress an enormous excess of lawyers, 
yet, the bill is acknowledged on all hands 
to be ambiguous and very imperfect. The 
first effects of it are likely to be a multi¬ 
tude of lawsuits t.o determine its meaning. 
It is, however, the first step in national 
legislation to remove radroad abuses; and 
hence it meets with great public favor. It 
establishes a precedent. It is a warning 
to corporate extortion that there is a limit 
to the patience and forbearance of the peo¬ 
ple. Whatever may be its faults of com¬ 
mission or omission, they can be remedied 
by subsequent legislation. 
The New' York Milk Supply. —Years 
ago New Y'oik city drew its entire supply 
of milk,from outside sources,fiom Putnam 
Rockland and Orange Counties, but asihe 
demand increased w ith the growing popu- 
ation, dealers found it necessary to reach 
out to more distant fields for their sup¬ 
plies, and found a solution of the problem 
of longdistance shipments in ice houses at 
the shipping stations and relrigerator cars. 
Of late years pretty much all the dairy dis¬ 
tricts of Eastern New York as well as those 
of New 7 Jersey and Connecticut have been 
tributary to the New York market, which 
paid to milk producers last year over 
$6,500,000. A new field is to be opened 
this season in the rich grazing districts of 
Wyoming ancl Susquehanna Counties in 
Northern Pennsylvania, distant from this 
citv about 200 miles. Hitherto the milk 
in this section has been . converted into 
butter and cheese, but recently a number 
of New York dealers have made contracts 
with many farmers in the territory lor the 
sale of their milk in this city. The price 
agreed upon is the market rate paid t.o 
New York and New Jersej shippers from 
month to month—for January 4!* cents 
per quart, less freight charges. So far 
the contracts made call for 500 caus of 40 
quarts each per day, but much larger 
quantities are likely to be soon contracted 
for. The price here ranges from eight to 
ten cents a quart at retail, whereas during 
the past year it has averaged less than two 
cents a quart to the producers after deduct¬ 
ing freight. There cannot thorcfoie be 
much profit or. distant shipments, while, 
the competition from afar will tend stall 
further to depress the prices for nearby 
milk. The middlemen are sure to be the 
chief if not the only gainers by the new 
movement. 
Anti-Pleuro-Pneumonia Congression¬ 
al Legislation —The Legislatures of Illi¬ 
nois, Michigan and Minnesota have memori¬ 
alized Congress asking for national legisla¬ 
tion for the suppression of contagious 
pleuro-pDeumonia. The Legislatures of 
other States should follow the example. 
The loss on every head of American cattle 
imported into England since the imposi¬ 
tion of the embargo in 1879, is variously 
estimated at from $10 to $25,owing to the 
fact that all must, be slaughtered at the 
ports of debarkation within 10 days alter 
lauding. They canuot therefore recover 
properly irom'the depreciation due to the 
Voyage across the Atlantic and the ante¬ 
cedent railroad travel, and must be sold 
at once whatever the condition of the 
local market ; while Canadian cattle can 
be taken to the best market in the three 
Kingdoms, and pastured or stall-fed until 
they are in prime condition. Estimating 
the average depreciation per head at $15, 
the aggregate loss in the last seven years 
has been lully $12,500,000, and the stuck 
owners of the country have been the chief 
sufferers. Ohio has 'just scheduled Illi¬ 
nois cattle on account of the preva¬ 
lence of the plague at Chicago, and 
half a dozen other States and Ter¬ 
ritories had previously done the same. 
Owing to the prevalence and fear of the 
disease and the interruption of traffic, 
losses in the home markets amount to 
millions of dollars every year. These 
foreign and domestic losses w 7 dl continue, 
or rather increase, so long as the disease, 
whatever may be its real nature, is per¬ 
mitted to exist among our herds. The 
necessity for a law of uniform operation 
covering all the States and Territories 
must be admitted by all who have made 
themselves acquainted with the history of 
the spread of this malignant disease, and 
of the ineffectual efforts to stamp it out by 
State authorities. 
HOW ABOUT IT? 
We desire to ask the seedsmen of 
America if they think they are doing right 
in knowingly offering for sale the same 
varieties of seeds or plants under differ¬ 
ent names? The Rural New-Yorker 
for many years has worked hard and cou- 
sc curiously in trying the so-called novel¬ 
ties that appear Irom season to season, and 
in rendering unbiased reports of their 
merits or demerits. From ihese trials it 
has frequently been found that varieties 
offered by different firms under different 
names were, the same. In scarcely a sin¬ 
gle instance have w 7 e known the seedsmen 
to acknowledge this in their subsequent 
catalogues—not at least until the “ novel¬ 
ty,” as such, had had its day and the 
profit of the introduction been secured. 
We have shown, and, in most cases, were 
the first to show 7 , that at least ten different 
names have been given to the same oats; 
many different names to the same kinds 
of corn, wheat, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, 
small fruits, etc. Nevertheless no recog¬ 
nition of this w r ork has been made by 
seedsmen, while the farm journals of the 
country which should be the first to 
spread such information for the protec¬ 
tion of their readers, have ignored it en¬ 
tirely. 
W here is the harm? Let us sec. All 
the seedsmen of the country who can af¬ 
ford to advertise, announce their new 
catalogues, while millions are sent to the 
lists of names already in their possession. 
In odc catalogue Martin’s Amber Wheat 
is praised to the skies; in another the 
Armstrong; in another the Landreth, 
The farmer orders a quantity of each to 
find them all the same. In one catalogue 
he finds grand accounts of the yield of 
the Welcome Oats; in others, of the Race 
Horse, White Belgian, Dakota Chief¬ 
tain, Clydesdale, Badger Queen, White 
Australian. He orders a quantity of sev¬ 
eral or of each to find them all the same. 
In still another he finds the Ybinkee Pro¬ 
lific. Oats cracked up as the most prolific 
variety ever introduced, and he pays five 
dollars for a bushel to find them the 
White Russian which he might have 
bought for a dollar or less. He buys a 
packet each of the Mikado and Turner 
Hybrid Tomatoes and finds them the 
same; of the Essex Hybrid, Livingston’s 
Beauty, llovey and Acme and finds all 
the same. Thus, by repeating our re¬ 
ports from year to year we might multi¬ 
ply instances almost without end. T he 
amount ol hard-earned money which 
farmers and gardeners, who are anxious to 
keep abreast with the rimes, are thus en¬ 
ticed to spend to no purpose, not to speak 
of the time and trouble of raising the 
crops separately,would perhaps aggregate 
a surprisingly large sum. 
We would not be unjust to seedsmen; 
their business is beset with difficulties 
little dreamed of by the inexperienced. 
YYe know full well, also, that it often 
happens that the same new variety finds its 
way into the hands of several firms at the 
same time, and that each, ignorant of the 
fact, names it to suit itself. The Mikado 
and Turner is a ease in point. But we do 
insist that all firms should, as soon as 
they ascertain the fact, present in their 
catalogues the synonyms of the varie¬ 
ties offered, or else, lay aside the claims so 
profusely made of honorable dealing. 
BREVITIES. 
How 7 to cook Jerusalem Artichokes: Mrs. 
Falconer tells in the Domestic Economy De¬ 
partment. 
A subscriber of Painesville, O., writes that 
the Scaly Bark Watermelon is a good keeper. 
‘•We ciit. one the Sunday after Christmas, 
which was sound and good.” 
The Rural gets so much praise that I w ill 
keep my thoughts to myself, but will say to 
you, sub rosa , that you publish the best agri¬ 
cultural paper in America. 
Kent Co., Mich. S. S. bailey. 
Catalogue notices appear this week on 
page 89. Our readers should examine the 
catalogues thoroughly before making out their 
lists of seeds, the same as they would farm 
papers, with a view to subscribing for the best. 
During the past. 12 years we think we have 
raised as many as 20 different lots of wheat, 
seut. to us from various parts of the country 
and railed by different names, to find them all 
the Mediterranean; and we might, say much 
the same of Fultz aud Clawson, 
Isaac Hicks, of Kings Co., Long Island, 
writes us that he is addicted, like the Rural, 
to testing new 7 varieties, lie has over 140 
varieties of aj pies in bearing; over 100 of 
itears, He has often been disappointed and 
humbugged, yet he loves to try new things. 
He is a little more cautious as he grows older 
It is pleasant to announce that after the 
severest fight know n among the members of 
that old body, the New York Agr icultural So¬ 
ciety. it is at last in the hands ol reformers. 
Now. let all efforts be put forth towards in¬ 
creasing the efficiency of the society and to¬ 
wards the educating and advancement of the 
farmers of the Mate. 
When the beauty and superb quality 7 of the 
Jefferson. Grape are considered, it is too bad 
that this hybrid succeeds in so few 7 places. 
When we can get a grape like the Jefferson, 
with the vigor, health aud hardiness of 
Moore’s Early or the Cottage, we shall have 
combined the best qualities of the Labrusca 
and V ini fera species. 
We have known and do know farmers who 
are not, according to our wav of thinking, 
good men. Yet, as a rule, we believe farmers 
and their wives and children to be better 
(morally speakiug) than any other class of 
people." But. we have never yet seen a man 
or woman w 7 ho loves the country, its quiet 
life, its forests, streams and fields, that was 
not, according to our belief, good. 
The schedule of prizes of the Mass. Hort. 
Society offered for 1887, has just been issued. 
Nearly $7 IHMI are offered, the largest amount 
appropriated for many years. Of this sum 
$3 600 are appropriated for plants aud flowers; 
$ 3,200 for fruits, and $1,000 for vegetables 7 . 
Many special prizes in addition are offered. 
The prizes for roses in June amount to nearly 
$500, while those for chrysanthemums aggre¬ 
gate a large sum. Readers should send for 
the complete schedule to Robert Manning, 
Secretary of the Society, Boston, Mass. 
The Hatch Agricultural Experiment Sta¬ 
tion Bill was passed by the Lower House of 
Congress without a division, last Thursday. 
.Several amendments to the original draft had 
removed all, or nearly all, the valid objections 
to it. It w ill most likely bo passed by the 
Seuate at the present session and receive the 
President’s signature. The principle of the 
measure—the expediency of establishing agri¬ 
cultural experiment stations in all the States 
of the Union—has always received the hearty 
support of all progressive, wide-awake farm¬ 
ers. As amended by Congress, if will doubt¬ 
less serve an excellent purpose, and any short¬ 
comings can be rectified by subsequent legis¬ 
lation. 
I Once again we warn all opposed to the 
fraudulent sale of bogus butter, that they 
must be vigilant. The counterfeiters, and all 
who unjustly profit by I heir work, are labor¬ 
ing secretly, but energetically, to secure a re¬ 
peal of all the legislation. State and Nation 
al, which in any way checks the Hooding—or 
rather the smearing—of the country with 
their spurious concoction. 1 heir latest dodge 
is to secure protests against such legislation 
from the Knights of Labor amt trades unions. 
They are laying special stress on the wretched 
character of some of the genuine butter of¬ 
fered in the markets, and grossly exaggerat¬ 
ing the amount of such stuff on sale. This is 
the strongest point in their favor; but it is 
within the power of the butter makers of the 
country to deprive them of it by turning out 
a better article. 
We have received the first number of a 
monthly magazine called Agricultural Sci¬ 
ence, edited and published by our associate 
editor of some years ago, Mr. C. 8, Plumb, 
now of the Ag. Ex. Station, Geneva, N. >. 
The paper is of tho finest., the typography 
excellent, the number of pages 24. and the 
price $2. This journal proposes to devote 
itself to the publicat ion of original works, the 
results of experiments conducted iti the pro¬ 
motion of agricultural science, aud it address¬ 
es itself to agricultural students and to agn 
cultural teachers aud investigators every¬ 
where. Mr. Plumb is himself an earnest, 
honest, man, a careful experimenter, an inde¬ 
fatigable worker, and, what, is fully as import¬ 
ant, thoroughly iu love with his work. He 
will need all these qualities to insure for his ma¬ 
gazine the success which we heartily wish him 
