THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBHRT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER, 
No. S4 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1887. 
We have prepared to kill potato beetles 
this season by thoroughly mixing one 
pound of pure Paris-green with one bar¬ 
rel of plaster. An iron tooth-rake and 
shovel are used for the purpose. A less 
quantity by half would serve as well, pro¬ 
vided more time were given to the mix¬ 
ing- 
A general rule is, in transplanting 
trees or shrubs, to cut. back the top in 
proportion to the injury which the roots 
have sustained in the act of removal. We 
want all the roots we can get to insure 
life. In deep cultivation we reverse this. 
We expect the plant to grow more vigor¬ 
ously and to bear more corn or potatoes 
because of the cultivation which severs 
the roots. 
On half an acre of potatoes, planted as 
uniformly as possible, experiments with 
placing fertilizers above and below the 
seed piece s have been begun. In the first 
two rows the fertilizer was placed at the 
bottom of the furrow, and covered lightly 
with soil. The seed pieces were placed 
upon this. In the next two rows the seed 
pieces were placed on the bottom of the 
furrow, and covered first with soil, then 
with fertilizer. This arrangement and 
alternation have been carried all through 
the field. The plants in the rows with 
the fertilizer at the bottom broke ground 
four days before the others, and the dif¬ 
ference between them was clearly notice¬ 
able until the first good rain. After that 
the other plants gained until now they are 
all about even. 
Referring to Mr. Green’s account, of 
his visit to Mr. Harris’s farm, we are led 
to remark upon his advocacy of cultivat¬ 
ing strawberry patches during the bearing 
season. We have, as we fancy, tried 
both ways thoroughly and repeated¬ 
ly, and the conclusion is that wc are de¬ 
cidedly in favor of no cultivation. The 
present season, as has been before re¬ 
marked, has been so dry that the straw¬ 
berry fields and patches about U9 had a 
hard time of it, and will not yield over 
half a crop. At. the Rural Grounds there 
are about 100 different kinds, most of 
which were heavily mulched late last fall 
between the plants and rows. The soil 
has remained moist all the while, few 
weeds are to be seen and the crop will be 
the largest ever raised. 
A few weeks ago, it will be remem¬ 
bered, a little experiment was tried at tlie 
Rural Grounds to ascertain the effects of 
nitrate of soda on sweet corn. 
The plot received at the rate of 800 
pounds of corn fertilizer to the acre, in 
addition to which one part received at 
the rate of 300 pounds of nitrate of soda 
to the acre. 
No difference in favor of the nitrate of 
soda thus far appears. The corn was 
planted April 22, and the nitrate applied 
April 25, before the seed had sprouted. 
No matter how much farm manure 
there may be in the soil, we are told it 
does not follow that there is enough avail¬ 
able nitrogen to satisfy the new plant in 
the cold, early seusi n before nitrification 
commences. Therefore, “let us give ni¬ 
trogen which the plant may use at once 
and in this way advance the crop for the 
earliest market.” 
We merely state the case as it is. The 
season has been warm, though somewhat 
dry. Though there is as yet nothing to 
be seen in favor of the nitrogen part of 
the plot, it may give us the first ears of 
corn. 
If we were raising pansies for the pur¬ 
pose of selling the seeds, we should en¬ 
deavor to fix, as nearly as might be, the 
best strains so blotched aud marked as to 
make names something like the follow¬ 
ing appropriate : Idiot, Comedian, Tra¬ 
gedian, Melancholy, Satirist, Garrulous, 
Gossip, Sanctimonious, Clown, Parson, 
The Village Maid, The Small Boy, Dude, 
Humorist, Old Maid, Old Bachelor, Be¬ 
fore Marriage, After Marriage, Youth, 
Old Age, Conceit, Modesty, Tramp,Auto 
crat, etc., etc. We should have typical 
illustrations drawn, engraved and dis¬ 
tributed and then-we should expect 
to make our fortune. This grand idea is 
respectfully submitted to our enterprising 
seedsmen. Seriously, there is something 
in it. We have bceu studying our beau¬ 
tiful pansies, made so by good selections 
of seeds, rich soil aud plenty of water, 
and the many-colored faces certainly wear 
expressions of sadness, gaiety, etc., which 
by the carcfullest selections through sev¬ 
eral generations might be so preserved as 
to render the characteristic name men¬ 
tioned above suggestive and appropriate. 
It appears that, a Grange in California 
set apart a Decoration Day. The graves 
of departed members of the order were 
decorated with flowers and appropriate 
ceremonies were held. This beautiful 
custom might well be carried into many 
other organizations. In many New Eng¬ 
land towns it is customary to find almost 
all the graves in the churchyards covered 
with flowers on the National Memorial 
Day. The beautiful ceremony of the 
Grand Army of the Republic has so im¬ 
pressed itself upon those who have wit¬ 
nessed it that many a grave is neatly 
trimmed and decorated,that would other¬ 
wise lie in neglect. Why should not the 
Grange, why should not any good and 
true organization honor its dead in this 
way? There will alw'ays be those who 
ask—what good will it do? What is the 
use of it? Why go to all this expense 
and trouble? Argument is wasted upon 
such people. They may be forced to wait 
till they themselves have graves to care 
for before they can understand. We hope 
this Grange Decoration Day will become 
universal. We would suggest that until 
it is fully established, the various Granges 
take advantage of our National Memorial 
day to mark the graves of their brothers. 
■ — * »» — 
A GOOD HOBBY. 
A friendly correspondent writes to 
tell us that the Rural’s claim that, it was 
the first to advocate level cultivation is a 
mistake. But we have never dreamed of 
making such a claim. Neither has the 
claim been made that ■we were the first t.o 
advocate broadcast, fertilizing or shallow 
cultivation. What we have claimed and 
do claim is that the Rural was the first 
to advocate for corn culture all three com¬ 
bined into one method; while the advan¬ 
tages of either separately over the vmal 
practice of hilling up, bill manuring or 
plowing under the manure, and deep culti¬ 
vation,have by this advocacy become more 
generally recognized. Above all things, it. 
is essential that, a man who would arrive 
at trustworthy conclusions should beware 
lest any cherished theory lie permit¬ 
ted to stand in the way of a full recogni¬ 
tion of results which are precisely oppo¬ 
site to what he wou’d wish them to be. 
He may ride a hobby—bobbies arc good 
—ever so hard, but he must be ready to 
change his course whenever he finds he is 
«n the wrong track, or to give it up en¬ 
tirely if the hobby is at fault. We have 
been experimenting with corn and pota¬ 
toes for 13 years. Our first innovation 
was level cultivation; our second shallow 
cultivation; our third surface, broadcast 
fertilizing. The reasons for these, which 
need not now be repeated, seemed sound, 
and our practice has proven them to be, 
if judged in the light of our own exponent. 
When We speak of this system, it is not. 
supposed that modifications may not be 
made to suit unusual or peculiar circum¬ 
stances. In a drenching wet season, quite 
likely of two fields, one cultivated fiat, 
the other hilled up, the latter might yield 
more. Under the very same conditions, 
deeper cultivation might well serve to 
check the over-luxurious growth of 
leaves, stalks or vines. We are not to 
consider exceptional cases in the general 
advocacy of a sound rule. The man that 
lives in the moist valley will need to farm 
somewhat differently from the man on the 
hill. The one may be praying for dry 
weather, the other for rain. But the rule 
is, whether the land lie clayey or sandy, 
that crops suffer, one season with another, 
more from the need of water than from 
too much; that plants suffer more from 
too few than from too many roots; that 
the plant-food of fertilizers or of manure 
remains where it is, or goes down rather 
than coincs up. 
Acting upon this theory, we have 
raised larger crops of corn aud potatoes 
than we raised previously, and have 
therefore commended it to our readers as 
the Rural’h method, because wo are not 
aware that it was previously practiced by 
any one. 
THE WAR AGAINST THE CATTLE 
PLAGUE. 
Last Thursday a dairy herd of 200 cows 
were all slaughtered at Somers, Westches¬ 
ter County, N. Y., and their carcasses 
burned. The barns and stables where the 
animals were housed were also condemned 
to the flames. The cattle belonged to 
Mr. Edwaid Brady, and after a careful 
examination by the State Board of Health 
and the Dairy Commission, it was found 
that “nearly every cow was affected with 
contagious plcuro-pneumonia.” The 
animals were appraised, and $12,000 were 
awarded to the owner as their value under 
the law regulating the appraisement of 
infected stock. The entire county has 
been strictly quarantined until the scourge 
abates. A few years ago the great cause 
of fear among the cattle interests of the 
country was that the plague would bo 
carried to the West, from the seaboard 
States; it. is believed that in the present 
case the disease was brought from the 
West by cows which Mr. Brady bought 
there sonic time ago. 
After the publication of the late order 
of Commissioner Col man quarantining 
Cook County, Ill., the cattle dealers of 
Chicago were greatly disturbed, as the 
order could be so construed as to prevent 
the shipment from that point of cattle in 
transit through the stockyards as well as 
of those from any other part of the coun¬ 
ty. This would seriously affect the traffic 
of all the railroads centering there, tem¬ 
porarily ruin the vast cattle trade of 
the city, and divert nearly all of it 
to other places, from which it might 
be hard to recover it after the suppres¬ 
sion of the plague in Cook County. 
Iu their fright, the cattle dealers, to whose 
persistent denial of the existence of the 
disease anywhere iu the country, and vo¬ 
ciferous opposition to all State and Na¬ 
tional legislation providing for its sup¬ 
pression, the spread of the disease in the 
West is chiefly due, deluged the Commis¬ 
sioners with expostulating telegrams ask¬ 
ing for explanations and modifications. 
In reply to their appeals, cattle in transit 
through the stockyards are excepted from 
the order; but no cattle are permitted to 
be brought into the yards from the rest 
of the county. While the Illinois Live 
Stock Commissioners are amicably co¬ 
operating with the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture for the speedy suppression of the 
disease about Chicago, no adequate State 
legislation lias yet been passed on the sub¬ 
ject, and Commissioner Colman strongly 
urges early action in the matter. The 
Legislature appears to be frightened at 
the great cost, of the work; but the Com¬ 
mission reminds it that the existence of 
the plague has already cost more to the 
cattle interests of the State than the en¬ 
tire expense of suppressing it; that the 
General Government, has already contribu¬ 
ted over $25,000 of flic outlay, and is now 
paying most of the expenses; and that, it 
is ready to pay the whole out of the Con¬ 
gressional appropriation of $500,000, when 
suitable laws have been passed, 
With a single other exception, all the 
infected States have already passed such 
laws. Of these the most stringent and 
effective are those just passed by Massa¬ 
chusetts. They relate not only to pleuro¬ 
pneumonia, but also to farcy and gland¬ 
ers among horses, and “to any other infec¬ 
tious or contagious disease” among live 
stock. The inspectors of the National 
Bureau of Animal Industry are author¬ 
ized to enter premises, and call on consta¬ 
bles, sheriffs and peace officers to sup¬ 
port their measures. Boards of Health 
in cities and towns must isolate diseased 
animals, and the expense must be paid 
by the cities and towns; but the State 
will refund four-fifths. Health officers 
may prohibit or regulate the movements 
of cattle. Persons violating the regula¬ 
tions, and those who have reason to sus¬ 
pect the existence of contagious disease 
and conceal it from the authorities, arc 
liable to a fine of $500 or a year’s impris¬ 
onment. A city or town whose officers 
neglect, to investigate and report to the. 
Cattle Coramissioners’cases of pieuro-pneu- 
monin, are liable to a fine of $500 a day 
during such neglect. The Commissioners 
may cause diseased and exposed animals 
to he appraised and slaughtered; but 
there shall be no appraisal where they arc 
satisfied the disease was contracted through 
inattention or neglect on the part of the 
owners* nor shall any appraisal be made 
in cases of glanders in horses, but the ex¬ 
pense of killing aud burying infected an¬ 
imals may be paid. The Commissioners 
have power to examine witnesses under 
oath. Animals corning into the Slate 
may be quarantined as long as the public 
safety may require. When animals exposed 
to contagion are killed for market, if the 
meat on inspection is found wholesome, 
it may be sold for food. There are several 
other drastic provisions, and the law ap¬ 
pears to be a model one as likely to compel 
the speedy extermination of the'plague. 
Less'than a year ago, and for several 
years previously, the air was thick with 
the protests, inuendoes and accusations 
of men who denied the existence of con¬ 
tagious plcuro-pneumonia in this country 
or who minimized the danger from it. 
They loudly objected to any outlay to de¬ 
fray the cost of investigating, restricting 
or suppressing the disease. Now thou¬ 
sands of dollars are gpent every week by 
the State, and National Governments in 
their efforts to confine the plague to narrow 
limits and stamp it out therein; cattle 
trnffic in large areas in different, parts of 
the country is officially hampered or pre¬ 
vented altogether; the cattle trade between 
a number of the States is greatly delayed 
and impeded by the State authorities, all 
on account of their action against this dis¬ 
ease, yet the clamorous objectors of a few 
montlis ago are silent, Wby? 
brevities. 
Read Dr. Hoskins’s article on malaria. 
May 31. First ripe strawberries from Iron¬ 
clad. 
Xanthockras sorbifolia—see first page. It 
is a tine shrub. 
We have never before seen so many white 
corn plants. Counting tho number in one- 
fortieth of an acre, it was estimated that there 
must be over 1,000 to the acre. IVlint is the 
cause of so many more of these albinos one 
season than another? 
A Fine rain last week insured a full crop of 
strawberries at the Rural Grounds. A heavy 
mulch between the rows had carried them 
through the drought, while patches not so 
treated had suffered irreparably. The pros¬ 
pect of a full crop of grapes and nil other 
small fruit, was never better. 
Last year we called attention to an improv¬ 
ed hot-bed in use at the Micbigau Agricultu¬ 
ral College. The heat was furnished by means 
of iron pipes filled with steam or hot water. 
Prof. Bailey writes that it is now transformed 
into a forcing house, which works well. It 
was a success as a hot-bed, and paid well. 
Emmons Pond’s art icle on Hunmor boarders 
is sensible. This is a case where the fanner 
will do well to put his own ideas as to what Ls 
“good enough” under lock and key and study 
the ideas of bis guests. We hope to present 
the city boarder side of the question soon. 
Those who pay for the board know what they 
want. 
Many farmers use far more Paris green or 
London-purple, tbau is required to kill potato 
beetles. They aim to use asinueh poison with 
the plaster as can be used without injury to 
the vines. They should aim to use as little 
poison as will kill the beet tee or grubs, and this 
can lie done only by Lhnnnujhty moving with 
the plaster! 
The 25tli anniversary of the Congressional 
endowment of agricultural colleges will bo 
well celebrated at the Massachusetts Agricul¬ 
tural College this yc ar. Commencement week 
will he made unusually interesting. Among 
Other speakers. Commissioner of Agriculture 
Colman and President Chas. Kendall Adams, 
of Cornell, are announced. The memorativo 
exercises, to be held June 21, will be of great 
interest. 
Tnic now strawberry “Gold” is not of strong 
growth after the second season. Augur’s 87 
passed the winter fairly. Dewey is a weak 
grower. The following new varieties are the 
most vigorous of our strawberries at the pres¬ 
ent. time: Ontario, Belmont, Alley No.’s 1 
and 4. Davis, Augur’s new seedling (not 
named), Bubach’s No. 5, (all of ISHiii; Hilton, 
Mammoth Beauty, Queen of the Peninsula, 
Gardener’s Colossal, Augur's No. 87 of 1885. 
Many of the papers are discussing tho 
huckleberry plantation at the Michigan Agri¬ 
cultural College. VVe have seen some won¬ 
derful reports of its success. Prof. Bailey in¬ 
forms us that it. was only set this Spring and 
nothing definite can be said about it yet. Ex¬ 
periments with tho huckleberry are eagerly 
called for. This fruit ranks with tho straw¬ 
berry in importance in many parts of tho 
country. If the fruit could bo enlarged and 
improved as other fruits have been, there 
would be a great “boom” in its culture. 
Just at. this time the ensilage question is at¬ 
tracting great attention at the West. The 
construction of silos is a timely and important 
topic. Much good silage has been spoiled by 
improper packing. John Gould, who is recog¬ 
nized as being one of our best authorities on 
this subject, writes u« that, he has hard work 
to decide whether to plaster or brick his new 
silo. Bricking scorns the best. Many new 
silos are being built near him, but few, if uny, 
will be built of stone. We are preparing an 
article on silo construction,which promises to 
be very complete. 
The White-flowering Dogwood (Cornus 
florida) is not often given the position and 
care which arc necessary to show the full 
beautV of this odd and pretty little t ree. We 
see it in the woods and admire its white flow¬ 
ers in early May; but tho tree is always 
scraggy, and one is not. tempted to have it in 
his home grounds. But if we select young, 
small trees, and plant, them In good soil, it 
forms a close umbrella head of foliage that in 
the fall pleases as well as the sassafras or 
liquid-ambar. with its varied hues. Those who 
have admired the blossoms iu spring while 
wandering in the woods, may have noticed that 
t hey sometimes vary iu color towards pink. 
About 111 years ago, Mr. Ravonel of Charles¬ 
ton, rliscoverd a tree bearing red or pink flow¬ 
ers. We have now a flower before us, received 
from tho Klssena Nursery of Flushing, L. I , 
which is of the same shade of clear pink. It 
strikes us that two of those Flowering Dog¬ 
woods, the oue hearing red and the other 
white flowers, would make a charming con¬ 
trast. What we call tho flowers are really 
four-leaved involucres—the real flowers being 
in the centcrfcof these, forming'an inconspic¬ 
uous little umbel. 
