THE RURAL WEW-YOFKER. 
SEPT 17 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Hornet 
Conducted by 
KfcBHRT S. CABMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 18&7. 
Any of our readers who would wish 
to represent "The Rural New-Yorker” 
at the Fairs—North, South, East or 
West—and obtain subscriptions, either 
yearly or for a short term, will please 
communicate with this office at once. 
Liberal terms will be offered. 
- “ f ♦» 1 ■ - 
The Shenandoah County Agricultural 
Association will hold its annual fair and 
cattle show next month at Woodstock, 
Ya. The privilege of selling liquor on 
the fairground has always been a monop¬ 
oly disposed of by the managers to the 
highest bidder. This year the license is 
reported to have been purchased by Sen¬ 
ator Ruldleberger, for $1,000. Humor 
has it that the Senator has occasionally 
been a hard drinker; indeed, only a 
couple of weeks ago he was guilty of an 
escapade which scandal attributed to this 
cause. His purchase of the sole right to 
dispose of liquor on the fair grounds, 
however, was not with a selfish view to 
secure a monopoly of consumption. No, 
indeed; quite the contrary. Having con¬ 
trol of the entire traffic of intoxicants in¬ 
side the fairgrounds, the Senator declares 
that not a drop of any intoxicating bever¬ 
age shall be sold within the grounds from 
the opening of the gates on the first day 
of the fair till the closing of the gates on 
the last. This is the first time in the his¬ 
tory of the country when a United States 
Senator became a rum monopolist to pro¬ 
mote prohibition. 
In 1492, one Christopher Columbus 
discovered America. Five years hence, 
in 1892, the 400th anniversary of the dis¬ 
covery should be fittingly celebrated by a 
display that may show something of the 
wonderful changes that have taken place 
in the past four centuries. A “World’s 
Fair” should be inaugurated that will 
surpass anything of the kind ever known 
before. This fair should be held in New 
York. Here can be found the great 
headquarters for business—the commer¬ 
cial center of a hemisphere. It is pro¬ 
posed to hold a celebration in which all 
the nations of this hemisphere shall take 
part. Italy, the birth-place of the great 
navigator, and Spain, tlie country which 
furnished him with means, should be in¬ 
vited to assist. In fact, nearly every 
nation in the civilized world will take 
some part in the celebration. For these 
reasons New York city seems the best 
place on the continent for the fair. Here 
are the best facilities for handling the 
goods and passengers which the whole 
world will send to our shores. Staten 
Islaud offeis a magnificent site for the 
buildings, indeed, it would be difficult to 
find another spot combining beauty of 
surroundings, hcalthfulnessand accessibil¬ 
ity in such a marked degree. 
A cablegram from London announces 
that Austria, Hungary, Germany, Hol¬ 
land, Italy, Spain and Denmark have con¬ 
sented to be represented at a conference 
for the arrangement of a union among 
European nations concerning bounties of¬ 
fered on beet-root sugar exported to other 
countries. In all these, nations, as well as 
in France and Russia, which are among 
the largest producers of beet sugar, inter¬ 
nal taxes are levied on beet sugar produc¬ 
tion; but rebates or drawbacks are 
allowed on exports of raw and refined 
sugars, which far more than counterbal¬ 
ance the internal revenue tax, and thus 
stimulate overproduction, while acting as 
a heavy drain upon the governments. It 
is this overproduction of beet sugar in 
Europe which has depressed the prices of 
all kinds of sugar everywhere, and has 
left little profit to the cane sugar pro¬ 
ducers of Louisiana, and no present hope 
to the sorghum sugar producers of the 
country at large. European governments 
find the continuous and constantly in¬ 
creasing drain on their revenues, due to 
the rebates on exported sugar, embarass- 
ing, and it is believed that at the coming 
conference the bounty system will be 
greatly modified or entirely done away 
with.^f The result of such a policy would 
be higher^ prices and protection from over¬ 
production. Then the production of beet 
and sorghum sugars might be profitable 
among us, while the cane-sugar industry 
would be booming. 
A SURPRISE. 
We hope that many readers are inter¬ 
ested in our hybrid roses—true hjbrids 
they arc (not crosses),as the mother parent 
is Rose rugosa and the father is an Aus¬ 
trian or Scotch rose. Of the 10 seed¬ 
lings, strange to say, but one resembles 
the mother. All are different. This is 
our first experience in crossing roses. 
All authorities agree that seedlings do 
not bloom until the second year while 
many do not bloom until the fourth or 
fifth. Our seedlings were started not 
until last winter. We were, therefore, 
much surprised to see, a few days ago, 
buds upon one of them. Seedling culti¬ 
vation especially when crossing or hybrid¬ 
izing has been effected, is a delightful, 
fascinating employment,and we have done 
our best (not without some effect, we are 
assured) to vaccinate our readers with the 
virus. Collect rose heps now. Put 
them in pots of sand and bury them in a 
dry place. In January or after freezing 
weather,plant them in pots or boxes of rich 
mellow so 1 1. They will germinate in a 
few weeks and the young plants may be 
removed to the garden in May or June. 
TOO MANY EARS TO A STALK. 
Again referring to the white dent corn 
we have given so much time to for 12 
years in the way of selection and breed¬ 
ing, it will interest our readers to know 
that while as to earliness, bight and sym¬ 
metry of stalk, suckering, or rather not 
suckering, and finally the number of sets 
which appear, it is all we could wish, we 
have made no progress whatever, as 
judged by our present plants, in increasing 
the quantity of grain . Many stalks show 
eight sets—some ten, one appearing in 
the axil of almost every leaf. But the 
lower sets remain sets or develop into 
mere nubbins not worth husking. When 
a plant bears more than three ears, all the 
ears are small and would not yield more 
weight of grain than one large car. Let 
us put it in this way: A well-dried, 
average ear of Chester Co. Mammoth 
weighs nine ounces; a well-dried ear of 
the white dent (improved (?) weighs three 
ounces. It follows that vre must get 
three ears of the latter to equal the grain 
yield of the former; the trouble of husk¬ 
ing would be nearly thrice as great. From 
this long-continued effort to induce corn 
to bear over two cars to a plant, we are 
inclined to the belief that what is gained 
in number of ears is lost in size of ears 
and weight of grain. Still we shall con¬ 
tinue the experiment. 
JOURNALISTIC ROBBERS. 
Many agricultural papers in this coun¬ 
try practice a system of deliberate rob¬ 
bery. Some half a dozen of the leading 
farm papers pay large sums yearly for 
contributed matter. The Rural pays 
several thousands of dollars each year in 
this way* As a contemporary recently 
pointed out, this manuscript is as much 
our property as is any other property for 
which we pay our money. Now when 
another paper takes an article for which 
we have pud and wilfully priuts it with¬ 
out distinctly stating that it was taken 
from the Rural New-Yorker, we claim 
that that paper is as guilty of theft as 
though it had taken the value of the arti¬ 
cle in cash. The most respectable papers 
of the country are careful to give full 
credit. We are glad to have them quote 
from our columns, because it is in a cer¬ 
tain sense an advertisement, and we fre¬ 
quently find excellent items in their 
columns which we are glad to put before 
our readers. Other papers take articles 
for which their contemporaries have paid, 
and either publish them without one word 
of credit, or sign some fictitious name 
and announce that the article is “writ¬ 
ten expressly” for them. It is not right 
that a few enterprising papers should 
purchase “copy” for the advertising 
sheets of manufacturers, patent-medicine 
men and politicians. The Rural sug¬ 
gests that the papers which spend money 
for contributions should copyright every 
article in their columns and vigorously 
prosecute every publisher that persists in 
stealing, An arrangement can be made 
to continue the same editorial courtesies 
which now exist between honorable pub¬ 
lishers, but common cause should be 
made against the fellows who propose to 
continue this system of thieving. 
A BENEFICENT RIVALRY. 
TnERE is a fair prospect that the cotton 
planters in many parts of the South will 
get fair prices for their cotton seed during 
the coming season—a blessing they have 
not enjoyed since the creation of the 
American Cotton Oil Trust several years 
ago. The Southern Cotton Oil Company, 
the new rival of the old monopoly, has 
practically completed its mills at the 
following centers, with the daily ca¬ 
pacity mentioned: Houston, Texas, 
800 tons; New Orleans, 300 tons; Little 
Rock, 200 tons; *Memphis, 200 tons; 
Montgomery, 200 tons; Atlanta, 200tons; 
Savannah, 100 tons; Columbia, S. C., 
100. These mills have, therefore, an ag¬ 
gregate capacity of using 1,600 tons of cot¬ 
ton seed a day—more than three-quarters 
of all the seed that has been annual¬ 
ly handled by the entire system of mills 
in the Trust monopoly. The machinery 
of the old mills is comparatively anti¬ 
quated and Ineffective; that of the new, 
of the most recent and best description, 
so that in them the seed will be converted 
into oil and other products at a smaller 
cost than it can be done by the Trust 
mills. The wealthy Trust is likely, by 
offering high prices in the tributary 
territory, to attempt to break up its 
rival which has also large capital 
and is under the management of thor¬ 
oughly practical men. 
Hitherto only a part of the aggregate 
yield of seed has been used by the mills. 
Before the introduction of the oil and 
cake industry, most of it was wasted, but 
since the creation of the Trust, much of it 
has been used as a fertilizer or fed to live 
stock as it came from the gins, and a 
good deal has been permitted to go to 
waste, on account of the low prices 
offered for it. Now that prices arc likely 
to be higher, the amount used by the 
mills will probably be much greater than 
before, and thus a larger amount of 
cot.on-seed cake will be thrown on the 
market. If the scarcity of other fodder 
does not help to keep up the price of 
cake in spite of the great increase in its 
production, the cost of this valuable feed 
is likely to be lower than usual, and in 
any event it will be lower than it would 
have been had the Trust still held a monop¬ 
oly of the business, so that in tel ligent stock 
owners everywhere will probably gain by 
the creation of the new company. 
MUTTON AS WELL AS WOOL GROW¬ 
ING. 
The Wool Growers’ Associations of Ohio 
and Pennsylvania have just passed reso¬ 
lutions in favor of higher import duties 
on the staple. They threaten to carry 
the question into politics, and vote for 
or oppose candidates for Congress in ac¬ 
cordance with their stand on the matter. 
There is little or no prospect of any in¬ 
crease of duties during the next session 
of Congress; on the contrary, there is a 
strong likelihood that a strenuous effort 
will be made either to lower the present 
duties or remove them altogether. It is 
alleged that experience has proved that 
raising the duties so as artificially to in¬ 
crease the profits of wool-growers stimu¬ 
lates production and soon gluts the mar¬ 
ket, so that prices are really lower during 
a high tariff on wool than during a low 
one. This, however, is strenuously de¬ 
nied by the growers. The only thing 
certain about raising the tariff on wool is 
the great uncertainty of the matter. 
From this point of view, wouldn’t it be 
wise for those who keep sheep on farm 
lands to do so more for meat than for 
wool? Like the farm lands in England, 
those in this country have become too 
expensive to grow wool in competition 
not only with Russia, Australia, the Cape 
and Buenos Ayres, but even with the 
ranchmen of Texas and the Plains. In 
England wool growing is subsidiary to 
mutton production. Isn’t it time that it 
should be so on the farms of this coun¬ 
try? Mutton, and especially lamb, are 
growing in favor, and if more attention 
were bestowed on the production of 
choice mutton breeds, there is little doubt 
that sheep would be as profitable here as 
in Great Britain, high wool tariff or low. 
While we heartily advocate a really pro¬ 
tective tariff on the staple, we also earn 
estly urge our friends t.o so shape their 
business as to be ready to meet any con¬ 
tingency. At least on our cultivated 
farms more profit is likely to be obtained 
from mutton growing than from wool 
growing, but the best results will come 
from a happy combination of both. 
BREVITIES. 
Peaches in the New York market are of 
poorer quality than wo have known them to 
be for many years. 
It is time now to begin to think about the 
poultry for the holiday markets. If you have 
not enough to send to market, see that your 
own table is well supplied, anyway. 
Wet seasons are thought to induce rot in 
potatoes. We have rarely had so wet a sea¬ 
son in our part of the country, and potatoes 
have randy rotted so little. The fact, of it is, 
we don’t know beans, do we? 
JOSIAH H hopes, of Westchester, Pa., writes 
us that the Early Harvest Blackberry pro¬ 
duces abundunt. crops there, which he has 
found decidedly in advance of any other 
variety in ripening. "True,” he says, “they 
are small, but very sweet and early.” 
Speaking of "margarine” (butterine) Prof. 
Sheldon in his article on page 600 says: “A 
more burefuced and impudent, imitation of a 
genuine article of food was never foisted on 
the people of nny country, and the chief 
wonder is that it hail its ruu so long.” 
In one market in Western New York honey 
sells at 18 to 20 cents per pound. Last year it 
sold at 10 to 12 cents. It will doubtless reach 
25 cents before spring. With a good honey 
season next year those who succeed in winter¬ 
ing their bees well will make a good thing 
out of them 
WE have littlo doubt that there will be little 
demand l’or "potted” strawberry plants in the 
near future. It is our experience that such 
plants are shorter-lived than runner plants, 
and that the extra cost of transportation is 
thrown away, and so we have said from the 
start, and w'e hope our readers have been bene¬ 
fited by the advice. 
The English sparrow is doing considerable 
damage in the vineyards this year. The little 
thieves bavo developed a fondness for grape 
juice, that augers ill for those who iiope to 
grow bread and butter on their vines. Farm¬ 
ers and fruit men must make common cause 
against this nuisance. 
Wk know that the Blush potato stands a 
droughty season better than most other kinds 
of late potatoes. But it has never yielded so 
well among the farmers about the Rural 
Grounds as during the present season which 
has been remarkablj' wet. The potatoes too, 
have been smoother than ever before. Side 
by side with curly Rose and treated the same, 
the Blush is yielding twice as much. 
Tmclice in the poultry houses have eaten 
too much of the llesli that should have gone to 
your own table. Tt is not. pleasant to think 
of sharing your meals with liee, yet that is 
what you have done—you who have let the 
vermin accumulate. Clean them out now, 
before winter comes on. Let the poultry 
houses bo thoroughly scraped and scalded. 
Spray kerosene into all the cracks and corn¬ 
ers, and put on a libera) coating of white¬ 
wash. Tne thought that filthy lice are eating 
the food we want for our own tables ought to 
spur even the lazy on to the work of cleaning 
up. 
The schools will soon begin. What sort of 
a teacher have you engaged for the winter ? 
What sort of men do you put pu the school 
bourd i These are pertinent questions because 
your school is one of the most important things 
in your district. A good school helps you in 
three ways. It helps your children to make 
good men and women; it improves society and 
makes life pleasanter, and it adds to the value 
of property. You, in company with every 
other resident of your district, are responsible 
for the conduct, of your school. Put good 
men ou the board and w hen you get a good 
teacher, stand by him. 
Many farmers employ this seasou as a time 
for emptying privy vaults. The night soil 
can be used to good advantage in the compost 
heap as a fermenting agent. Mixed with 
muck, sods or refuse, it does Its work well. It 
is probably hotter for this work than for di¬ 
rect application as a fertilizer. The flesh of 
dead animals is very useful as a ferment, but 
it is sure to attract all the dogs in t he neigh¬ 
borhood, who dig into the heap. There are 
still many persons who spend much time in 
collecting leaves for compost for bedding pur¬ 
poses. Taking everything into consideration, 
it is doubtful if the time spent at such work 
is profitably employed. 
Governor Hill, of this State, is giving the 
farmers some advice at the fairs. This is 
what be suid at Bullston: "A well-selected 
library, a piano and pamtiugs can be enjoyed 
just as well in a farm-house as in the city. 
One of the best investments a farmer can 
make is a lawn mower to keep the grass in the 
front yard in good order. IsM. the front yard 
be beautiful, but do not let it be handsome at 
the expense of the farm lands back of it. 
That is a good deal like wearing a big dia¬ 
mond ou a dirty shirt.” Governor Hill must 
read the Rural New-Yorker. This is one 
of the texts wo have had in mind for the past 
10 yours, and a great many farmers have 
worked out the sermon, too. 
The milk Shippers’ Union of the Northwest 
held an important, mooting at. Chicago lust 
Thursday. Oue of the principal objects con¬ 
sidered was the formation of a great company 
or Trust, to monopolize the entire milk busi¬ 
ness of Chicago. Over 100 shippers, represent¬ 
ing between 30 and W towns on all the roads 
leading to t he Windy City were present. The 
committee to devise a plan by which to securo 
more complete co-operation among milk pro¬ 
ducers recommended that the capital stock of 
the corporation should ho $100,000, divided 
into 10,000 shares of $10 each. Any farmer 
producing one cau of milk per day is entitled 
(O at. least one share, and no person not a pro¬ 
ducer of milk is allowed t.o own any stock. 
There is a fair prospect that the organization 
will be successfully completed. From in¬ 
quiries among milk dealers hero there appears 
to be no prospect that such uu association can 
be formed among producers, as the tributary 
territory is so vast,and the supply comes from 
so many different directions. Co-operation 
among farmers—that is the paramount agri¬ 
cultural need of the day. All other industries 
are forming Trusts, syndicates aud other 
monopolistic combinations: why should agri¬ 
culture lag behind? The parson who intro¬ 
duced some fine secular tunes iuto bis church 
service silenced remonstrance by the inquiry, 
"Why should the devil have a monopoly of 
all.the pretty tunes?” 
