APRIL n 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANational Journal for Country and Suburban Home . 
Conducted by 
KIBHKT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 18S7. 
Do you still intend to plant Balsam Fir? 
And the Norway Spruce? Ah, well! 
Experience is a grand old teacher. His 
occupation would be gone if we were all 
guided by the experience of others. 
Replying to inquiries received every 
week, we beg to state that our advertis¬ 
ing rates, as published in every issue, are 
our only rates. We do not deviate from 
them under any rirrvmstances whatever. 
Our respected friend—indeed, every¬ 
body's respected friend—Peter B. Mead, 
after a tedious s’ckness, is so far recover¬ 
ed that he favors us with a long and in¬ 
teresting article—"Some Plants worth 
Growing’’—which appears on page 271. 
This genial, earnest man has long con¬ 
tributed to the Rural columns under the 
name of “Hordeola,” and we earnestly 
wish his contributions may long continue. 
We are right sorry to say that our sever¬ 
al plants of Macomber’s white seedling of 
the Antwerp are killed nearly to the 
ground. For family use, we have never 
raised a more luscious, beautiful rasp¬ 
berry, whether white, red, purple or 
black. The season has been hard upon 
raspberries at the Rural Grounds, though 
blackberries and grapes have wintered 
exceptionally well. We shall make a 
report, as soon as possible. 
The Michigan Farmer says that “Twen¬ 
ty-seven young ladies of Quincy have 
obligated themselves by an iron-clad 
agreement not to receive Hie attentions of 
any young man who uses liquor, tobacco 
or profane language.” That, is excellent. 
Let the young ladies everywhere follow 
tliis fine example. And then we waut the 
young men to retaliate by an “iron-clad' 1 
oath not to pay attentions to any young 
ladies who adorn their hats with birds. 
There will be a great increase in the 
amount of fodder com sown this year. 
The advantages of soiling cattle become 
more and more apparent after a season of 
drought such as too many of us experi¬ 
enced last year. Good corn fodder is an 
excellent food with Avhich to piece out 
dry pastures. A large amouut of it can 
be cheaply raised on a comparatively 
small area, and it, can be harvested as 
easily as any other green food. With a 
good supply of such fodder the cattle can 
be kept in the barn during the heat of the 
day. There they rest in peace, undis¬ 
turbed by the murderous flies that wear 
the milk and flesh out of them iu the pas¬ 
tures. In the cool of the morning and 
evening they cun eat in the pasture. The 
labor speut at growing and handling a 
crop of corn fodder will be well spent. 
“How can you take such n strong 
stand against the Norway Spruce?” asks a 
subscriber. If our friend were with the 
writer we should take him to a specimen 
of Alcock’s Spruce, growing within a 
short distance of many Norways, and ask 
him to compare the two species. Al¬ 
cock’s Spruce is comparatively little 
known in this country, having been first 
introduced about 20 years ago. If it suc¬ 
ceeds as well over a wide extent of coun¬ 
try as the Norway, a thing still to be 
proven, it will assuredly take its place. 
At the Rural Grounds it is hardier, not so 
sensitive to heat or strong w'inds. It is 
more graceful, more thickly clothed with 
foliage; it remains greener during the 
cold months,and always presents the two 
colors, its most charming feature, often 
alluded to in these columns. Wc* want 
variety in oui home grounds and public 
parks, and, above all, trees that will not 
grow unsightly at a time when wc expect 
to derive the greatest comfort from them. 
Avoid the Norway Spruce and the Balsam 
Fir. 
President Burnett, of the New York 
Dairy and Cattle Show, informs us that 
the greatest care will be taken to guard 
against the exhibition of diseased cattle 
at the great Dairy Show here in May. 
Every animal will be examined by a 
veterinarian before leaving home, and 
again upon arrival here. No herds will 
be received from any districts where con¬ 
tagious diseases are known to exist. It is 
proposed to use such strict precaution 
that cattle will be as safe at the exhibition 
as they would be at home. These strin¬ 
gent regulations arc deemed necessary in 
view of the fact that some of the finest 
dairy animals in the world will be on ex¬ 
hibition. A rumor having been circulat¬ 
ed that the show would be run in the 
interests of a lot of fancy horsemen, Pres¬ 
ident Burnett desires to brand this rumor 
as false in every particular. The geutle- 
men in charge of the enterprise are sure to 
make it successful. It will be the first 
genuine grand dairy show ever held on 
this Western Continent, except, perhaps, 
that at the Centennial Exposition at Phil¬ 
adelphia, and it promises to be a model 
for all future expositions of the kind. 
At the opening of the Canadian Parlia¬ 
ment last Monday, the Governor-General’s 
speech contained only non-committal 
reference to the fisheries troubles. It ex¬ 
pressed the hope that the negotiations 
pending would result in a satisfactory set¬ 
tlement of the difficulty, and informed 
Parliament that necessary measures had 
been taken for the protection of inshore 
fisheries. At a banquet at Montreal last 
Tuesday more pointed references were 
made to the question. Sir Charles Tupper, 
Minister of Finance, characterized the re¬ 
taliatory law as embodying "a mad and 
unjustifiable policy,” and declared that 
the people of the United States would be 
greater sufferers from its enforcement than 
the people of Canada. Some of the emin¬ 
ent statesmen who spoke were altogether 
at sea with regard to the nature of the law, 
confounding the House Bill which did not 
pass, and which virtually forbade all rail¬ 
road traffic between the two countries, 
with the Semite Bill, which did pass, and 
which relates only to traffic by water. The 
attitude of our Government' remains the 
same, and it appears that the President 
will not shrink from applying the law to 
whatever extent he may deem necessary 
for the accomplishment of the object it 
has in view. 
One of the most outrageous cases of 
human gullibility known has just been 
made public in Boston. About six years 
ago a Mrs. Howe opened elegantly fur¬ 
nished parlors in that city and professed 
to do a banking business with women 
only as depositors. She promised eight 
per cent a month interest on all deposits, 
paying three months’ interest in advance. 
With terms so extraordinarily favorable 
she soon found lots of dupes who en¬ 
trusted her with their savings. With 
idiotic credulity a large number of other¬ 
wise intelligent women, turned deaf ears 
to all friendly remonstrances and proofs 
that no legitimate business could pay 
such interest. The matter was exposed 
in the newspapers, and, of course, Mrs. 
Howe’s banking business soon collapsed, 
and all her depositors lost their mouey. 
The swindler herself was tried criminally, 
convicted and sentenced to three years’ 
imprisonment. On her release, somewhat 
over a year ago. she at once started in the 
same line of business, in the same neigh¬ 
borhood. From her Woman’s Bank in 
West Concord Street, she issued cards, 
bearing, in addition to her name, the le¬ 
gend: “Regulation, $7 interest on $100 a 
month, three months in advance.” Again, 
in spite or all tlutt bad passed, she secured 
a large patronage, and after living luxur¬ 
iously for over a year on the savings of 
her dupes, disappeared last Thursday, and 
with her went $50,000 belonging to her 
victims. Is it necessary to draw a moral? 
WORK AT THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
A busy week indeed at the Rural 
Grounds in New Jersey as well as at the 
Rural Farm on Long Island. A hundred 
things are pressing—pressing so hard that 
it seems the slowest of work to take one 
at a tune and do it thoroughly before the 
next is begun. The field work at the 
Long Island Farm is comparatively easy. 
It may be intrusted to the men to follow 
plain instructions. But at the Rural 
Grounds it is very different. One hun¬ 
dred trenches, or separate little plots,have 
been prepared—each to be differently 
treated. All sorts of chemical fertilizers 
arc to be weighed and spread over a given 
area. The tests of the different constitu¬ 
ents of fertilizers and of various combina¬ 
tions are to be repeated for the third year 
—this time upon a less impoverished soil 
than previously. Careful trials will again 
be made as to the effects of different. 
quantities of fertilizers on potatoes, and 
from 200 to 2,000 pounds to the acre will 
be used for this purpose, and the trials 
made in duplicate. The Rural’s valley 
mulching system will be tried on a some¬ 
what larger scale than last year. “The¬ 
oretically,” as we say, the system seems 
just about right, but practically there is 
an immense amount of puttering work 
connected with it, that will eondemu the 
system in the eyes of most farmers, even 
though the yield be doubled. We find 
that, to fill the valleys requires no less than 
100 tons of stable manure to the acre. 
Again we have small plots of corn to he 
fertilized and cultivated differently; al¬ 
most numberless varieties of beans, peas, 
etc., to be sown or plauted each by itself, 
labeled and recorded. Work of tliis kind 
can not, must not, be intrus’ed to those 
who have not a deep interest in the faith¬ 
ful, careful carrying out of every detail. 
Nothing can be slighted; nothing guessed 
at, if we would draw trusty conclusions. 
PROHIBITION IN MICHIGAN. 
Some interesting facts are developed 
by a study of the Prohibition struggle in 
Michigan, They will be useful in future 
temperance battles—which are sure to 
come. The Low er Peninsula of Michigan 
is practically a State by itself. It will be 
hard to find a portion of our country 
containing a higher degree of intelligence, 
prosperity and enterprise among the agri¬ 
cultural population.' This Lower Penin¬ 
sula gave a majority of 4,(171 for Pro¬ 
hibition. Excluding the vote in Wayne, 
Kent, Saginaw and Bay Counties, where 
five of the largest cities arc situated, the 
majority for Prohibition was 39,480. 
The richest farming counties, like Hills¬ 
dale, Yan Buren, Branch, Ionia, Eaton 
and Calhoun, lead m majorities for Pro¬ 
hibition. It is plainly and fairly a con¬ 
test between town aiid country. Not 
every man who voted against the amend¬ 
ment must be classed as a friend of the 
rum-shop. Thousands of good men can¬ 
not honestly believe that a strict prohibi¬ 
tory law can be enforced. Many sound 
lawyers argue that the State would be 
liable for damages if it destroyed the busi¬ 
ness of the rum-seller. Men with these 
opinions, however strongly 7 they hated 
the rum-shop, would not vote for Pro¬ 
hibition. But it is now determined 
beyond all question that a vast majority 
of the people of Michigan desire to put 
down the saloon. The disposition of 
population adds to the difficulty of the 
task. Hillsdale County, with a majority 
of 3,421 for Prohibition, could doubtless 
stamp out every rum hole within her 
border. Can the same be said of Wayne 
County, with a majority of 22,344 against 
Prohibition? The strength and backing 
for temperance in Michigan come from 
the. farmers. They are determined in 
their fight. Let them put down the sa¬ 
loon in every locality they can control. 
Let them send to the legislature as their 
representatives only such men as are 
pledged to support laws that will make 
business as uncomfortable as possible for 
the rum-seller, liotcl-keeper, druggist or 
other citizen who handles liquor in town 
or city. 
BREVITIES. 
Read what Mr. Thorne says of Agricultural 
Colleges in reply to Pres. Parker Earle. 
Fifty different kinds of peas, and 34 of po¬ 
tatoes were sown at the Rural Grounds 
April 15. 
“Your grange cartoon iu this week s issue 
is a very good thing.”—E ditor of the N. E. 
Homestead, 
When a farmer buys a lawn mower it is a 
pretty sure sign that his wife and daughters 
have an excellent influence over him. 
Read what Dr. Hoskins says as to the cause 
of “ black-heart” iu apple trees under the 
Farmers’ Club. It is un important answer to 
the question asked. 
How much ground did you plow last fall? 
Now is a good time to ask the question, when 
you have so many things to do that you don’t 
know what to try first. 
We have hard work to get sitting hens tliis 
spriug. Every hen seems anxious to bent the 
egg record. VVe guess it’s cheaper to buy 
broody scrubs than to try and make a good 
hen stop laying. 
We have bad the new tree, Cercidipbyllum 
Japouieura. for six years, anti have not as yet 
seen anything about it to justify the high 
praises it is given by various writers. The leaf 
tines resemble the old Red-Bud or Judus Tree— 
Cerois Canadensis. It is quite hearty. Aud 
that is all. 
Hundreds of people have decided that they 
need some “spriug medicine.” There will he 
many barrels of it taken this month. Many 
of these good people would be indignant if we 
should whisper the fact that they simply need 
to eat a little loss aud bathe themselves more 
frequently, but there would be truth in the 
whisper. 
Mr. Mead has good reason for believing 
that the beautiful Freesia refracta alba is 
hardy. Ho justly praises the Prinos (Ilex) 
verticillatus, our W interberry. But he does 
not 'mention that many plants bear sterile 
flowers only, and that therefore, they cannot 
produce the bright red berries which give the 
chief value to the shrub. 
If we wanted to have the stomach ache we 
would oat all we could of half-a-dozen differ¬ 
ent things and keep the process up day after 
day. If we wanted to make a little child’s 
head ache, we would make it learn half-a-doz¬ 
en hard lessons day after day and deprive it 
of sleep and ploy that it might hove more 
time for study. That’s the way some of our 
teachers do business. 
William Falconer’s remarks on page 
272. should be read by all who care for hardy 
plants. He denounces the espalier, oblique 
cordon, etc., forms of training fruit trees. 
He speaks well of filberts. He tells how best 
to succeed with certain refractory lilies. He 
condemns the Norway Spruce. * He praises 
the Umbrella Pine. He speaks instructively 
of the new shrub Xauthoceros sorbifolia, etc. 
Mr. D. S, Marvin, of Watertown, N. Y., 
writes us as follows: “I have cultivated So- 
lanum Fendlerii a good many years Intending 
to hybridize it with 8. tuberosum. But I have 
never been able to get pollen from the former. 
It does not seem to bear any In this climate.” 
It is the same at the Rural Grounds. Could 
not Mr. Marvin use Fendlerii as the female? 
Seed balls are rare with us and we have never 
found any pollen. 
The heavy Labor vote cast last week and 
this at the spring elections in different parts 
of the country, demonstrates that a new 7 force 
has appeared in American politics. The Pro¬ 
hibition vote also has become a factor in poli¬ 
tics which the loaders of the old organizations 
cannot ignore. There is a growing impres¬ 
sion that the Labor aud Prohibition Parties 
will soon break up the old political liues, and 
that these must soon he redrawn on real liviug 
political issues. What place are farmers like- 
13 7 to occupy in any new organizations? 
A fruit-grower seuds us six of his new 
seedling strawberries with the following note: 
“If you find the variety worthy of praise, I will 
send you its name and history.” There are 
evidently many w ho take for granted that wo 
enjoy testing new varieties immensely, and 
have lots of time to indulge in the fun. Wo 
do enjoy it certainly, w ithin reasonable lim¬ 
its. But we are unwilling that originators 
should avail themselveu of our good reports 
unless they are willing to take the risk of those 
which are unfavorable. 
Mr. A. A. Brigham. Secretary of the Mass¬ 
achusetts State Grange, writes: “Your front¬ 
ispiece, ‘Dedicated to the Grange,’ in the Ru¬ 
ral of April 9, is the grandest thing yet in 
the line of agricultural newspaper literature. 
Agriculture will lead. The Grange and the 
agricultural papers are the mighty 7 factors 
which will bring success.” The picture has 
met with the heartiest approval everywhere. 
It. is a Study. It puts the whole story before 
the eye more forcibly than uny writer could 
tell it in a dozen pages. 
We would be very glad if the Rural Grounds 
could lie cleared of English sparrows. They 
are annoying and destructive beyond all en¬ 
durance and constantly so. At j iresent we are 
mad at them because they 7 devour the seed of 
newly-seeded lawns. Depressions in the soil 
aud the circles about trees which it became 
necessary to remove, were tilled with soil and 
Sown to Blue Grass and Red-top, At once 
these places became the feeding grounds of 
flocks of sparrows. They scratch in the mel¬ 
low soil like young chickens aud, it may be 
supposed, they will leave very little seed. 
“Good for the Rural New-Yorker!” was 
what I said or opening the Rural of March 9, 
and noting the grand Grange Sermon that is 
given in the first page illustration. It tells 
the whole story in a nutshell, and now that 
all along the line, from Maine to California, 
the Grange is so solidly working for educa¬ 
tion, we can see that the farmer is freeing 
himself from some of the burdens that have so 
long helped to keep him iu the background. 
The Grange is n great and growiug power, 
aud is always for good as I understand it.”— 
J. H. Hale, Master of Connecticut State 
Grange. 
Official figures, quoted by Gov. Hill, show 
that the proportion of liquor licenses to popu¬ 
lation is much greater in many smaller cities 
of N. Y. State than in New York aud Brook¬ 
lyn. The vetoed Crosby lligh-license Bill 
affected only 11,000 liquor sellers in the two 
cities; why not pass another hill affecting all 
the liquor sellers iu the State, and which will 
not be liable to the charge of special legislation 
or unconstitutiouahty. The mum purpose of 
the proposed law was to reduce the number of 
superfluous driuking places; why should more 
favor he shown to lovers of temperance here 
and across the river than iu the rest of the 
State? 
From all reports a remarkable wheat corner 
is now iu progress in Chicago. When gram 
to be delivered in the future is bought on the 
Board Of Trade in that city,it must he deliver¬ 
able from a certain number of designated 
warehouses or elevators. Only what wheat is 
in the bins at the time set for delivery eau be 
used to fill the contracts, though there may be 
billions of bushels just outside. The manipu¬ 
lators of the present corner have bought mil¬ 
lions and millions (estimated at 40,000,000) of 
bushels of wheat to be delivered to them on 
May 1, and in the meanwhile have themselves 
filled till available space iu the elevators, so 
that not another bushel can be crowd 
ed in. They are said to own or control 
over 12,000,000 bushels of wheat so stored. 
Iu Miliwuukee, less than 100 miles away, 
wheat is now selling for five cents a bushel 
less than Chicago prices. A cargo was to be 
sent to Chicago a tew <lnys ago, but it could 
uot be received, as the elevators were full. 
Thus those who have sold wheat, “short” can 
deliver it only by buying it of the very men 
to whom they have sold it, and the only 
check on the latter m raising the prices is a 
rule of the Board of Trade which limits the 
number of cents a bushel which can be asked 
above prices elsewhere. Even from a gam¬ 
bling puiut of view this is a rascally transac¬ 
tion--“stacking the cards.” But then the 
victims would do the same thing if they could. 
