203 
MARCH 26 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Homos, 
Conducted by 
ELDEST B. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1887. 
An experienced pea grower of Vermont 
writes us that he deems Ilorsford's Market 
Garden Pea one of the best and most pro¬ 
lific varieties known. This was intro¬ 
duced through the Rural’s distribution 
several years ago, and is now for sale by 
many seedsmen. The same grower says 
that he finds little difference between the 
Alaska and Kentish Invicta* between 
Bliss's Everbearing arid Yorkshire Flero; 
between the Rural New-Yorker aud the 
“First and Best” of many seedsmen. 
Tue Indiana Farmer speaks of two 
“old dupes” near Indianapolis thus: 
“They will not pay two cents a week for a 
first-class agricultural paper, but wjl) pay 810 
a bushel ior oats. They have uow each spent 
$10 to get a shot-gun to kill ‘Bohemian’ oats 
peddlers, but these ‘Bohemians’ are all gone to 
Los Angeles. Cal., ‘to spend the winter. 1 You 
cannot sell these two men any more oats, but 
if you have a breed of chickens that will lay 
two eggs a day, or strawberries as large as 
walnuts growing on bushes two feet from the 
ground, just take a little soft soap along and 
they will both bite again." 
Well, the farm paper might guard such 
people against such swindles, to he sure. 
But how aboutthe “Immense Fortunes in 
England,” the “Stem-winder and Setter 
Watch” and lots of other frauds advertised 
in these same farm papers? The two old 
dupes might have escaped the Bohemian 
Oats swindle only to be as badly swindled 
in other ways. They might, have cleared 
Charybdis only to strike Scilla. 
There is a growing prejudice in quite 
a large number of States against the use of 
dressed meat from Chicago and more west¬ 
ern points. At present this is most open¬ 
ly manifested in Pennsylvania and Ohio, 
and is, of course, strongest among local 
butchers whose trade is being ruined, and 
local stock owners, the prices of whose 
animals are depreciated by the dressed 
meat competition. In Ohio the Dodds 
Meat Inspection Bill has already passed 
the Senate aud is now before the House. 
It provides thatit shall be unlawful to sell 
oi offer for sale in any city in the State 
beef for human food, that has not been 
nspected alive within the State by an in¬ 
spector duly appointed by the authorities 
of the city in which such beef is intended 
for consumption, and found by such in¬ 
spector to be merchantable; provided this 
shall not apply to beef slaughtered within 
40 miles of such cities. For each viola¬ 
tion of the law, a fine of not over $100 and 
ten days’ imprisonment are provided. This 
measure would, of course, shut out all 
dressed beef from the pa decries at Ctucago 
and other Western jioints. The agents of 
Swift and Armour, however, are very busy 
lobbying against it, and it is very doubt¬ 
ful whether it will pass the House. 
In the Rural of March 12 we denounced 
the “Massachusetts Watch Company” of 
Boston, as a fraud, and the “Stem-wind¬ 
er” w’atch it widely advertised for $1, as a 
humbug—“not a watch at all, but a poor 
make-believe.” Well,the “Massachusetts 
Watch Company” has since been arrested 
and jailed in the persons of James H. 
Kane and Giles H. Rich, of Boston, for 
illegally using the mails with intention to 
defraud. The “Company” avus doing a 
rushing business, and employed over a 
dozen girls to do the correspondence and 
mailing. In return for the “dollar of the 
dupes,” they sent a worthless pocket sun¬ 
dial. Rich said he was merely a clerk for 
Kane, and Kane declared that the receipts 
were all turned over to the head of the 
concern, Post-office Inspector Sidney S. 
Hartshorn, of New York. It. is this 
fellow, who, the other day, secured the 
arrest of the rival humbug, Charles West, 
alias the “Victor Watch Company,” of this 
city. Investigation goes to prove that lie 
was the prime mover in the Boston fraud, 
and he was removed from office IVednesday 
last. He declares he is the victim of a con¬ 
spiracy, however, and will yet prove his in¬ 
nocence. It is time that the authorities 
should take sharp measures for the pro¬ 
tection of the simpletons who expect to 
get a good dollar bill for 25 cents. 
Farmers, as a rule, take very little 
stock in the land theories of Henry 
George. The ranks of the George party 
appear to be recruited almost entirely from 
the cities. The city workman has a one¬ 
sided -idea of the meaning of the word 
“home.” The worker in the small town 
or the farmer can conceive of no ideal home 
that does not include a spot of land at 
least large enough to walk about in and 
contain a garden. It is the great ambi¬ 
tion of those who have spent a portion of 
their lives in the country to own a piece 
of land. They are willing to work hard 
and economize in every way, satisfied if 
they can secure, as the result of their la¬ 
bors, a spot of land and a home that they 
may call their own. Such workers never 
can understand anything from George’s 
writings but the fact that, should his the¬ 
ories receive the sanction of law, their 
homes, which represent the savings of a 
lifetime, would be unjustly taxed. This 
idea is firmly held by the American farm¬ 
er, and while it is held, the “George” 
party will be obliged to depend upon the 
cities almost entirely for recruits 
Within the last two weeks not less than 
seven tons, or 50 per ccut of all the veal 
received in this city, has been confiscated 
by the Health Department as “boh” veal 
—that of calves less than two weeks old. 
Veal of this kind is very unwholesome; 
but from the latter part of February to 
the middle of April a great deal of it is 
sold, and so much of it is scut to this 
market that all approaches arc guarded 
night and day. The condemned carcasses 
are taken to the public dumping grounds 
on Barren Island, up the Sound, where 
the unhealthful meat is converted into 
fertilizers, while the hides are reserved 
for other purposes. Apart altogether 
from the question of the morality of send¬ 
ing disease-productive food to market, 
inasmuch ns all “bob” veal sent to this 
city is almost certain to be confiscated, 
wouldn’t it be wise in the neighboring 
fanners either to feed their calves until 
they are of a marketable age, or to use 
“boh” veal on the farm as a fertilizer 
and market the hides only. The same 
advice is also applicable to farmers living 
near other towns where the authorities are 
properly vigilant in guarding the public 
health. 
A Secretary ok Agriculture with a 
seat in the Cabinet appeared a certainty 
during the last session of Congress. 
For several years the bill elevating the 
Department passed the House by a 1 
majority, but was defeated in the Set .. 
this year the nouse passed it bv a inon* 
overwhelming majority than ever before, 
and the Senate also passed it for the first 
time; hut with an amendment somewhat 
enlarging its work. It was then returned 
to the House for concurrence in this 
amendment; but in the great rush of busi¬ 
ness towards the close of the session it 
was not taken up,aud hence failed. Some 
say the President used his influence 
against it, being opposed to an increase 
of his advisers; but of this there in no 
proof. Others blame Representative 
ilatcb, Chairman of the Committee on 
Agriculture, and there certainly appears 
to have been considerable dilatoriness on 
his part in pushing the measure. Its 
success appears to be certain, however, 
during the first session of the Fiftiadli 
Congress, and the great majority of ftie 
the fanners of the country will bear 
the delay with a philosophic temper. 
PRESERVING SEED CORN. 
About 10 years ago we began experi¬ 
menting with a certain kind of field corn 
iu order to 'see what changes could be 
brought about by selection and crossing. 
To preserve the seed against accident of 
any kind it was kept iu a warm room iu 
which a fire was continued during the 
winter. Iu a season or so it was observed 
that the seeds so saved rarely if ever failed 
to grow, and from that time until this we 
have advised Rural readers, instead of 
hanging up seed-corn iu a cold or damp 
pluce, to keep it warm and dry. 
The Director of the New York Experi¬ 
ment Station now advances a theory that 
it is well to dry seed corn in a high tem¬ 
perature. He even goes so far as to stute 
that “corn packed when still in the milk 
—or when it is usually gathered for table 
use—can be so cured as to make the best 
seed-corn.” u It is only necessary,” he 
says, “to hang it in a warm room at a tem¬ 
perature of from 100 to 120 degrees until 
thoroughly cured.” 
It may be assumed from what is known 
that immature seed of any kind will im¬ 
pair the vigor of the plants raised from it 
—no matter how cured. The degenera¬ 
tion may not show itself the first season, 
but there need be little doubt, that it will 
appear sooner or later. There is no rea¬ 
son why mature seed corn, as selected from 
the field or crib, should be subjected to a 
temperature of 100 or 120 degrees. A 
more gradual curing in a warm dry room 
of 70 degrees would serve just as well, and 
perhaps insure a more perfect vitality and 
germinative power. 
action; and that meanwhile all virulent 
recrimination maj be abandoned, and 
that all differences of opinion may be dis¬ 
cussed in a fair-minded,courteous manner. 
MEDICAL ADVERTISEMENTS. 
AS TO NOVELTIES. 
Be not deceived, readers, as to the po¬ 
sition the R. N.-Y. takes as to new fruits, 
or novelties of any kiml whatever. When 
we say, “Try the Eaton Grape,” or the 
“Empire State,” the suggestion is made 
to those who are in a position to try new 
things and to take the risks of failure. 
One object in trying every new thing we 
hear of, at the Rural Grounds, is that we 
may report its success or failure, knowing 
that success there gives presumptive evi¬ 
dence that it will succeed in more favored 
situations. But there are many new plants 
offered for sale b<.fore we can secure them 
for trial, as, for example, the Eaton and 
Empire State Grapes mentioned above, 
which have not yet fruited at the Rural 
Grounds;the Miunewaski Blackberry, the 
Jessie Strawberry, as well as scores of new 
potatoes, grains, etc, Among them we 
commend for trial only such as those 
which, from all we can learn, seem to 
promise more than the rank and file of the 
average novelty lists of the day. 
Tbe advice of many rural papers to 
“leave novelties a^ne” is retrogressive. 
There are two great classes of cultivators: 
those who can afford to buy and to try 
new seeds and plants, and who delight in 
it. and, second, those who care for them 
as a means of support, or profit: The first 
class stand in little need of caution or ad¬ 
vice. But it should be the study of every 
farm journal to assist the latter class, not 
by advising them to “shun novelties” but 
through investigation, iuquiry and experi¬ 
ment, to aid them in a judicious selection. 
The farm journal that advises its read¬ 
ers to “beware of novelties.” shirks its 
(Jut;/. If such journals liave one reason 
for existence which is stronger than 
another, it is that they are to find out 
what new plants or seeds or methods or 
implements are worthy of commendation 
or trial; what are not. All improvements 
of every kind come through novelties, and 
the progressive agricultural journal must 
be prepared to give the earliest trust¬ 
worthy information respecting them. 
i UNGRESS AND CONTAGIOUS PLEURO¬ 
PNEUMONIA. 
Two Hills—one a Senate and the other 
a House bill—were before the last Con¬ 
gress, providing for the extirpation of 
contagious pleuro-pneumonia among cat¬ 
tle. Neither was passed. The failure 
was due, in part, to an injurious rivalry 
between Senator Miller, of New York,and 
Representative Hatch, of Missouri, Chair¬ 
men, respectively, of the Senate and 
House Committees on Agriculture. Each 
had introduced a bill, and in his eager¬ 
ness to secure ftie success of his own 
measure, each neglected to properly push 
the other. Iu this matter Representative 
Hatch was most at fault, inasmuch as he 
could easily have secured the passage of 
the Miller bill when it was referred to the 
House near the close of the session; but 
he absolutely refused to move in the mat¬ 
ter. The cattlemen, too, were divided in 
opinion with regard to the comparative 
merits of the bills, and though towards 
the end most of them favored the Miller 
bill, their divided councils lessened their 
influence. Moreover, those who denied 
all danger from tho disease were persist¬ 
ent, outspoken, unanimous in their oppo¬ 
sition to both measures, and fortunate 
enough to secure very effective advocates 
of their views. On the failure of both 
bills, Congress appeared to become 
alarmed at the great responsibility that 
would rest on it should the disease turn 
out as disastrous as predicted. On March 
3, therefore, the very eve of dissolution, 
the House appropriated $100,000 for the 
support of the Bureau of Animal Indus¬ 
try. The Senate, (increased the sum to 
$500,000, and in spite of the strenuous 
objections of the House, succeeded in re¬ 
taining the amount iu a conference com¬ 
mittee. Moreover, it increased the pow¬ 
ers of the Bureau by authorizing the 
slaughter of all exposed animals as well 
as those already infected, whenever tho 
Commissioner of Agriculture may think 
such a step “essential to prevent the 
spread of pleuro pneumonia from one 
State to another.” The appropriation is 
to meet all expenses to June 30, 1888, and 
in the interval a great, deal of good ought 
to he effected with $500,000. $100,000 of 
which are immediately available. Before 
the meeting of the Fiftieth Congress next 
December, it is to be hoped all cattlemen 
may^agree upon a single effective^ plan of 
TnE fuss that some of our agricultural 
contemporaries make over the fact that 
they exclude medical advertisements is 
enough to make a State-prison convict 
blush. Here weseean editorial (repeat¬ 
ed periodically), glorifying the paper be¬ 
cause of its excessive virtue in excluding 
proprietary medicines. In its advertising 
columns of the same issue we find three 
announcements of palpable frauds, which 
the R. N.-Y. has rejected within 10 days. 
It is our belief that medicine does more 
harm than good. We do not condemn 
all medicines as harmful. We know 
better than that; but we believe that 
medicine in the main—in the aggregate— 
does more harm than good. We would 
go back to the strict principles of Hahne¬ 
mann whose doctrine might be defined as 
pretending to give medicine so that uature 
might cure itself while the patient was 
subjected to vigorous dietetic rules. We 
believe that disease (if not hereditary) is 
the inevitable result of disregaiding 
natural laws, and that health is the result 
of their strict observance; and that all 
the medicine in the land Cannot so change 
those laws as to enable any one to disobey 
them with impunity. Nevertheless, we 
do disobey them and iu oertain eases, as 
in that, for instance, of so-called malaria; 
there are certain medicines (a dozen per¬ 
haps in all) that will give relief or effect 
what is called a cure until by hygienic 
remedial measures, sickness may be for 
the time avoided. Now it. is well known 
that many of the patent, or proprietary 
medicines so loudly advertised every¬ 
where are made of one or the other of 
those dozen medicines, while others are 
made of harmless stuffs that can neither 
harm nor cure, as might well be said of 
Hahnemann's remedies as they were put 
up and administered in his time and as 
they are still by some homoeopathic phy¬ 
sicians. 
It is all very well that any journal 
should exclude medical advertisements if 
the editor does it from an unselfish mo¬ 
tive. But this straining at gnats and 
swallowing the biggest sorts of camels is 
simoly d.sgusting. The Rural admits 
the better class of proprietary medicines, 
because we know that some of them have 
helped us; have helped our friends—yes, 
\ an when physicians of high standing 
hu\ i failed. Were we to accept only 
those Ivertiscments which tell the exact 
truth i warding the articles advertised, 
the R. N.-Y. would have to depend upon 
its subscription receipts for support, 
which at its present price is out of the 
question. If it is a sin to publish the 
better class of patent medicines, the Ii. 
N.-Y. pleads guilty. At the same time 
we are innocent of what we deem the 
greater sin of parudiug a holiness before 
the public for the chief purpose of inspir¬ 
ing an unmerited confidence. 
BREVITIES. 
Ok Widespread Importance: Fertilizers 
and manures. 
The IToceedings of tho New Jersey .State 
llort. Society at its 1:2th annual meeting (210 
pages) have been received, E Williams, Sec¬ 
retary, Montclair. N. J. The frontispiece is a 
fine portrait of tho late Marshall P. Wilder. 
The bill before the N. Y. Legislature to pro¬ 
hibit tho sale aud use of liquors at State and 
County fairs should pass. It proposes to make 
it a violation of the law for any person to sell 
or giveaway any sort of intoxicating drinks 
within 40 rods of the fair grounds. No prize 
can l»e given in liquors amt no premiums shall 
bo given to the manufacturers of wine, beeror 
any spirituous liquors. Of the 42 county soci¬ 
eties thus far heard from, 35 favor the bill 
anil three more expect soon to do away with 
beer selling. The measure ought to pass, and 
we hop* it will. On the whole, this scorns to 
be a temperance year, 
A kew days ago a darkly-tanned man 
stepped briskly into a fruit commission house 
uear Washington Market, in this city, aud 
began to handle oranges in away that at once 
convinced the merchant that lie was a good 
judge of the fruit. He asked to bo shown 
some strictly choice oranges, and appeared 
quite satisfied with a lot which the merchant 
praised as tho very best Indian River, Florida, 
oranges iu New York, specially shipped to 
the firm. The price? Couldn't possibly let 
them go under $5 per 100. How many were 
there f Throe hundred boxes, all A 1. “I’ll 
take the 300 boxes,” Said the tanned man, and 
he gave directions to ship them to Boston. 
When the statement $1,500—was banded to 
the buyer, ho pulled out his card-ease and 
handed his cord to the merchant. The name 
was that, of the tuali who had shipped those 
very oranges from Florida. On receiving 
word that they had arrived iu bad condition, 
and that they were not worth over50 cents per 
100, lie had started for New York. The mer¬ 
chant had sent him u chuck for $12 in settle¬ 
ment in full; but heat once paid for the lot 
at the rate of $5 per 100 under threat of im¬ 
mediate prosecution for swindling in case of 
refusal. Draw the moral yourself. 
