THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National J ournal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
Conducted by 
EliBERI S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RCRAT, NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 18S7. 
Next week's R. N.-Y. will have 20 
pages, the first of which will be one of 
the series of cartoons begun last year. 
We shall also devote several pages to the 
Fanners’ Club, hoping in this way to an¬ 
swer all questions which have been re¬ 
ceived up to last week. 
A LITTLE, very little old manure or 
fertilizer in the hill is good to “give the 
plant a start.” There is no doubt about 
it. A good start enables this young 
plant to send out its roots, and to find 
food it could not otherwise find. But 
the older crop, when the grain or fruit is 
forming, needs a “little old manure or 
fertilizer” far more than did the infant 
plant, and it must have it, or the crop 
tails short. If it pays to raise vigorous 
infants, it also pays to maintain that 
vigor to a prolific maturity. 
i - ■ ♦♦♦ —— 
By a vote of 157 to 12 the House has 
passed the ITatch Bill. The President 
will undoubtedly give the measure hisap- 
proval at d it will become a law. Some 
of our friends appear to think this meas¬ 
ure will cure alt the ills of agriculture. 
They will be disappointed. It will re¬ 
quire the most careful and conscientious 
work to render the proposed experiment 
stations valuable. We hope they will be 
placed in charge of able and honest men. 
We most earnestly beg for them a fair 
trial and a cordial support from all who 
have the true interests of agriculture at 
heart. 
Inquiries as to how best to graft grapes 
remind us of the method preferred by an 
experienced Michigan gardener who had 
bought and was cultivating laud in the 
western mountainous part of North Caro¬ 
lina. It was there the writer saw him 
eight years ago. He used the roots of the 
native vines, cut into three-inch pieces, as 
stocks. A slit is made in the end of the 
root and the cion cut wedge-shape aud in¬ 
serted the same as in ordinary cleft-graft¬ 
ing. The cut portions were covered with 
wax and the completed grafts placed in 
the soil of boxes which were kept in the 
cellar from early March, when the graft¬ 
ing was done, until late April when they 
were ulanted where desired to remain in 
the open ground. 
The Director of the New York Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station takes sever¬ 
al occasions, in his latest report, to con¬ 
demn plat (or plot) experimentation. “It 
is only,” he says, “through scientific in¬ 
vestigation that practical results can be 
secured.” How he is to apply his investi¬ 
gations, without the use of plats, is not 
stated. It is true enough, no doubt, that 
in the “plat system of experime-ntatiou 
we can not be sure of the propriety of our 
conclusions for any one year;” but it is 
equally true, if we take Dr. Lawos’s in¬ 
vestigations as guides, that in a series of 
years we may be very sure of our conclu¬ 
sions. The Director may learn one thing 
at least from his plats, viz,, that their 
soil is exceptionally variable, and that of 
itself is something to have learned as a 
basis for the future work of future Di¬ 
rectors. 
We know of no evergreen tree more 
desirable than the Lawson’s Cypress. In 
Northern California it is said to reach a 
hight of 100 feet. Its foliage has a 
feathery grace, a freshness of color, the 
tree a plume-like habit, as if indeed it 
were made up of masses of rich, heavy 
plumes, that are altogether captivating. 
Besides, the tree is of very rapid growth. 
It is not hardy at the Rural Grounds. 
Though specimens may pass several 
winters in comparative safety, it is hut a 
matter of time before they will be de¬ 
stroyed. Probably there is no other coni 
fer that has so varied from seeds as has 
the Lawson’s Cypress. Some of its seed¬ 
lings vary from one another more than do 
many so-called species. The latest strik¬ 
ing form of this tree is now announced in 
England as Young’s Cypress, to be offered 
for sale this spring. 
Tiie demand for the Rural Blush Pota¬ 
to is largely increasing every year as its 
good qualities become known. This po¬ 
tato was sent out in our seed distribution 
of 1882. The claim then made for it was 
that it was a “drought-resisting variety, 
unsurpassed in quality, in keeping qual¬ 
ities and, so far as tested, in yield.” We 
have never had occasion to modify these 
claims founded upon two years’ experi¬ 
ence with it on the Rural Farm of Long 
Is’and. It was then raised in hills and 
the fact that the tubers “straggled” had 
not been observed— which is its great 
fault under level cultivation. We now 
hear that some of the larger potatoes are 
“hollow-hearted.” Our readers in plant¬ 
ing next spring should see to it that only 
sound potatoes be used for seed. 
It seems necessary that we should re¬ 
peat, for the information of new sub¬ 
scribers who request us to sell them 
plants, etc., such as are described as hav¬ 
ing been tested at the Rural Grounds, 
that neither the Rural New-Yorker, nor 
any one employed hr it, has either seeds 
or plants of any kind to sell. Regarding 
the plants tested, we have only the truth 
to tell, and we have no interests to re¬ 
strain or bias us iu telling it. We are 
striving to promote the interests of agri¬ 
culture and horticulture by praising that 
which is good and condemning that 
which is not, and this we shall try to do 
in so far as we have sense to guide us. 
When we suggest that our readers try 
current novelties, not tried at the Rural 
Grounds, we select those that seem the 
most promising, and address ourselves 
only to such of our subscribers as are 
inclined to experiment, and can also 
afford to do so. 
. -- 
English philanthropists are trying to 
found a home for old and disabled horses 
in London. The design is to provide a 
place to which faithful old horses can be 
sent by those who do not care to kill 
them. It is also proposed to encourage 
teamsters and truckmen to send disabled 
horses to the home for cure and care. A 
number of good horses will be kept on 
hand to rent for a small sum to those who 
send sick horses to the home. The all- 
too-common treatment of the old horse 
is a disgrace. The poor old brute, after 
his long years of patient servitude, is 
turned out to die, or sold or giveu to 
some inhumau master, who grinds his 
life out by hard work and rough usage. 
We should be sorry to have our interests 
in the hands of a man who would abuse 
a faithful old equine friend. 
« * » ■■ 
The Contagious Pleuro-pneumouia Bill 
which had engaged most of the Senate’s 
time for two days, was yesterday virtually 
killed for this year by Senator Edmunds, 
who, by a vote of *114 to 21, secured the 
passage of an amendment to it, in the 
shape of a substitute, which appropriates 
$1,000,000 to be expended under the di¬ 
rection and in the discretion of the Presi¬ 
dent, through the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture, to aid State authorities to prevent 
the spread of the plague. The Forty- 
ninth Congress has only five more days for 
work before it comes to an end.and it will 
be impossible to get this virtually new bill 
through the Senate and Mouse iu that 
time. The advocates of the old bill 
have all along insisted that its defeat 
would entail a loss of millions of dollars 
on the country. If the disease shall prove 
as disastrous as they predict, a grievous 
rfsponsibility will rest on the Forty-ninth 
Congress; if it shall turn out harmless, 
what must the people think of veterinary 
science and of the opinions of practical 
stockmen founded in great part upon it?J 
Here are a few trees which our read¬ 
ers who have such plants to buy, would 
do well to select. The Crisp-leaved Sil¬ 
ver Maple is a rare t ree of medium size and 
very distinct. Wier’s Cut-leaved Silver 
Maple gains iu popularity as it becomes 
better known Schwerdler’s Maple we 
have often referred to as being one of the 
finest of the purple-leaved class. Mem- 
mi nger’a Horse-chestnut is interesting for 
its foliage, which is splashed with white. 
The Imperial Cut-leaved Alder is one of 
the most graceful trees for the lawn. Its 
leaves are deeply cut; it is vigorous and 
hardy. Young’s Weeping Birch is much 
of the habit of a Kilmarnock Willow, hut 
far more graceful. The Red Double-flower¬ 
ing Thorn (cocoinea) bears flowers as pret¬ 
ty as those of a scarlet pelargonium. The 
Fern-leaved Beech is one of the finest 
lawn trees. It is of compact habit, and the 
leaves are as dissimilar as those of the 
sassafras or mulberry. The Glcditschia 
Sinensis jnermis or Unarmed Chinese Lo¬ 
cust is one of the most graceful lawn trees 
we know of. The Maiden’s Hair Tree or 
Gingko, the Tricolored Maple, the Euro¬ 
pean White-leaved Weeping Linden are 
beautiful in their way. 
We understand that at the coming 
dairy show, to be held in this city in 
May, premiums will be limited to Hol¬ 
stein, Jersey, Guernsey and Ayrshire cat¬ 
tle. We hope this is a mistake, and that 
the show will lx* opened to all breeds. 
Wc believe in the old saying that “every 
cow that gives milk is a dairy animal.” 
But a small proportion of the butter used 
in this country is made from the so- 
called dairy breeds. There are plenty of 
good people who are satisfied that the 
grade Short-horn, or the pure Short-horn 
of a milking strain, cannot be excelled as 
a dairy animal. The object of such a 
show should be, not to boom any particu¬ 
lar breed or breeds, but to give all a fair 
showing, and let them squarely decide 
the question of supremacy. We hope 
that the able men w ho have the matter in 
charge will include cattle of all breeds in 
their premium lists. Unless this is done, 
thousands will look upon the show as a 
“mutual admiration society.” We hope 
to see special attention given to the per¬ 
formances of grade cattle. The working 
cow' for the farmer is to be a high 
grade. We also hope to see a prize 
dairy contest between farmers’ wives or 
daughters introduced. Such contests are 
very popular in Eng aud. We have fre¬ 
quently spoken of them. 
THE TBOUBLE WITH CANADA. 
The Canadian elections have gone in 
favor of the Conservatives in spite of the 
prospect of a Liberal success, which the 
provincial elections some time ago ap¬ 
peared to indicate. The Conservatives 
claim a majority of about 30 against one 
of 76 at the previous election; but their 
opponents allow'them only a much smaller 
one. There is little doubt that the “re¬ 
taliatory” policy advocated in Congress 
greatly helped Sir John Macdonald, the 
author of the Dominion policy which pro¬ 
voked it, by arousing the pride aud pa¬ 
triotism of the Canadians to resist what 
many of thorn regarded as an attempt on 
the put of ties country to coerce them. 
There appears to be little doubt that many 
who objected to the Conservative system 
of administration voted to support it 
rather than submit to be dragooned by 
this country. 
In the Maritime Provinces, where the 
Liberals secured signal victories a short 
time back, and where secession was loud 
iu its utterances, and appeared to be a 
favorite with the hulk of the people, the 
Conservatives have, on the whole, gained 
a decided majority, and secession seems 
to have been laid to rest, at least for 
some time to come. Ontario also, which 
gave a large Liberal provincial majority 
a few weeks ago, now gives a small Con 
servative one. Elated by his success. Sir 
John Macdonald appears to be over¬ 
sanguine of its effects on the policy of 
this country. The other day he declared, 
in a speech, that the result of the election 
w'as a declaration of confidence in his 
policy, and that, his policy wais to compel 
the United States to open up their 
markets to Canadian products, and that 
that result would be accomplished. lie is 
also quoted as saying that the Canadian 
authorities intend to pursue a vigorous 
policy with regard to the fisheries 
question, unless the Washington authori¬ 
ties shall come half way in proposing a set¬ 
tlement. 
His exultant remarks and the spirit 
shown by the Canadians have aroused a 
combative spirit here also. Yesterday 
the House, by an almost unanimous vote, 
passed its substitute for the Senate non¬ 
intercourse hill. The nouse bill is a 
comprehensive measure containing the 
substance of the several bills heretofore 
proposed, and more trenchant than any of 
them. At a Conference Commirtee of both 
Houses which is to meet to-day, action on 
the matter will he taken, and from the 
temper shown by the Senate yesterday, it 
is not unlikely the hill providing the 
severest form of non intercourse will be 
adopted. Yesterday, in referring to the 
above subject. Senator Hoar declared that 
there wasn’t a single Senator on either side 
of the Senate, protectionist or free-trader, 
who would not indignantly spurn the 
notion that the United States would in 
any way modify its domestic legislation 
to settle a controversy'—“to buy peace for 
American fishermen, or respect for the 
American flag on foreign waters,” aud 
there is no doubt that he uttered the sen¬ 
timents not only of the American Senate, 
but of the American people. He insisted 
that the rights of our fishermen must uot 
he purchased w r ith reciprocity, and that 
no negotiations must be entered int > with 
Great Britain, with a view to modifying 
our customs laws with Canada, until the 
fisheries troubles are settled. “Let us 
have peace.” 
brevities. 
A beautiful hybrid tea is the Countess of 
Pembroke. This bears a conical bud of a 
bright, rose-pink color. It is very double, 
durable and fragrant of the “tea” odor in a 
remarkable degree, 
Mr. A. A. HallidaY, who has had much 
experience with Langshans, insists that pure 
specimens of the breed cannot l ie excelled as 
winter layers. He thinks a large proportion 
of the so-called Langshans in this country 
are merely a cross between Langshans and 
Blaek Cochins. 
Apples are expensive just. now. But once, 
during the past seven years, in 188,8, have they 
been higher at this time. Last, year hundreds 
of growers tried t o<lispose of thoir surplus stock 
in England. The venture was not remarka¬ 
bly successful. This year there is a home de¬ 
mand for all good apples. 
Ik we wanted to raise a maximum crop of 
anything, regardless of cost, we should spread 
farm manure heavily in the fall and plow it 
under so as merely to cover it with soil. We 
should again plow in the spring; this time as 
deep os need be, and sow complete high-grade 
fertilizers and harrow thoroughly. 
Oranges are low in price. The rusty-coat 
oranpe is among the best kinds grown in 
Florida, though the soiled-looking skin will 
interfere with its sale until its quality be¬ 
comes known. Boxes of these, oranges of 
medium size, containing 212, by actual count, 
are now selling for ¥2.25 or about one cent 
each. 
Mr. W. B. Munrok writes that by contin¬ 
ued selection of eggs for hatching from his 
best laying liens, lie has produced a strain of 
fowls that lay “all the time.” He selected 
Wyandottes as a foundation, watched for the 
best, layers and used their eggs for setting. 
Why uot develop more of these laying strains? 
We want winter eggs for profit. 
As the bull is said to be half the herd, so we 
should say the cock is half the Hock. We 
have crossed a ITynioth Rock cock upon Wy¬ 
andotte hens. The pullets for the most part 
resembled Plymouth liocks;a Wyandotte cock 
with Plymouth Rock liens gave pullets all of 
which resembled Wyandottes more than 
Plymouth Rocks and several of which could 
not be readily distinguished from pure Wyan¬ 
dottes. 
The little story now appearing in the 
Youth’s Department touches a very timely 
sub ject. Farmers’ wives are troubled beyond 
measure to secure good, trusty help in the 
house. There are hundreds of good anti true 
young women working at starvation wages in 
the cities who would make admirable com¬ 
panions in domestic service for the perplexed 
farmers’ wives. How to bring these two 
classes together is the problem. 
The programmes of the N.Y.State Institutes 
express the hope, on the part of the managers, 
that no paper or address will be over 20 min¬ 
utes long. Many a farmers' meeting has been 
talked to death. People like short, sharp and 
lively papers. Take one of these long, wordy 
essays and cut out all the introduction anil 
start right in about the facts. Then cutout 
all the guesses and the things that may be so 
because the speaker (hinlcs so. aud leave only 
what lie knoii's to be true. There won’t be 
much left, in some cases, but what there is left 
will lie worth more than the whole before it 
was cut. 
The new catalogues of the season offer 
Wide Awoke. Welcome. Probsteier, White 
Russian, White Australian, American Tri¬ 
umph, White Belgian, American Banner, 
Clydesdale, Black Tartarian, Badger Queen, 
Race Horse aiui Yankee Prolific Oats. Bear¬ 
ing in mind that Welcome, White Australian, 
White Belgian. Clydesdale, Badger Queen and 
Race Horse are all White Australian,and that 
White Russian aud Yankee Prolific are the 
same, it would be well to compare the prices 
at. which they are offered iu tho various cat¬ 
alogues and, assured of the quality as well as 
may be, order accordingly. We find consid¬ 
erable difference as to price. 
We have derived great pleasure from our 
borders of sweet peas during the past three 
years. In certain ways we prize these showy, 
neat flowers as in other ways we delight m 
pansies and roses. It appears that in mixed 
collections the white or light-colored blossoms 
form more seeds than the darker-colored and 
more richly marked flowers. In gathering 
seeds, therefore, from mixed collections, too 
large a proportion of plants will hear light- 
colored flowers. Our friends should order 
each named kind separately, selecting for the 
most part those of the darker or brighter 
colors. The flowers of sweet peas bloom for 
most of the summer, if the seeds are planted 
early, and the flowers are enduring and ad¬ 
mirably suited for bouquets. 
A new rose, which is better in any respect 
aud as good in all respects as tho best of well- 
known roses, doesn’t put in an appearance 
every day. The 80,()<)0-rose, William Francis 
Bennett, is certainly a decided improvement 
over any other rose in one respect—length of 
bud. it is valuuble, too, for its peculiar 
odor, which reminds one of lemon-verbena. 
But the Bennett is not on enduring rose; its 
petals are flimsy, oral least they seem to be. 
Whether this is owing to the unusual length 
of the petals, orto the fact that, being but a 
semi double rose, its petals lend each oilier less 
support, or because I hey really lack substance, 
it is hard to say. The petals of the buds do 
uot recurve, uru or vase-like, as do those of 
many others, but retain the conical form. 
The color of the Bennett is not quite so rich, so 
velvety as that of the Jack, neither is it quite 
so_dark, But the Bounett is a superior rose. 
