THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homoi. 
Conductod by * 
ELBERT 8. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Fahk Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1887. 
The 100-ycnr-old pear tree previously 
talked of which was grafted tothcKieffer 
four years ago, is now bearing about six 
"bushels of pears. It requires a 30-foot 
ladder to pick them. 
The Rural’s “Valley Mulch” system 
of raising potatoes is a failure. Weeds 
six feet high overshadowed the plot. The 
yield is very good but not commensurate 
with the expense and bother which the 
method involves. 
Wk have just planted (one seed every 
three to four inches apart in drills one 
foot apart) no less than 00 variet ies of our 
rye-wheat hybrids and cross-bred wheats. 
Most of these are assuming fixed forms. 
Of the later hybrids and cross-breeds there 
are probably as many more which will no 
doubt sport indefinitely. At a rough 
guess, 150 kinds have been destroyed as 
of no value. 
Passing through our field of Chester 
County Mammoth corn, four cars were se¬ 
lected the weight of which was six pounds 
15 ounces, or nearly seven pounds. The 
largest ear weighed one pound 12 ounces. 
The first had 22 rows, 49 kernels to the 
row, or 1,078 in all; trie second 18 rows, 
55 kernels to a row or 000 in all; the third 
20 rows, 47 kernels to the row or 040, and 
the last 10 rows, 52 kernels to a row or 
882 in all. Thus 8,840 kernels were borne 
on four ears. 
Farmer Bogkrt (talking to his two 
sons and one of the editors): “There is no¬ 
thing like horse manure for farm crops.” 
Son: “There is nothing like potato fer¬ 
tilizer for potatoes.” 
“That is so,” consented the rest. 
Every farmer in our neighborhood val¬ 
ues potato fertilizer for potatoes more 
than he values “complete” fertilizers for 
other crops. It. pays. It speaks loudly 
for itself. When fertilizers are used on 
rye, wheat, or even corn, the effects are 
less apparent as compared with manure. 
- - 
TnE Berckmans grape has ripened a 
very fair Crop in spite of the rot which 
has destroyed the fruit of most kinds. 
This is said to he a cross between Clinton 
and Delaware, effected by the late Dr. 
Wylie, of South Carolina, and named in 
honor of P. .T. Berckmans, of Augusta, 
Ga. The vine is a stronger grower than 
Delaware—the leaves small. The bunches 
average about as large as those of the 
Delaware without shoulders—the berries 
larger. They are of a light reddish- 
purple, often mottled with green and par¬ 
tially transparent. They are juicy, high 
and pure flavored, with a tender if not 
breakiug pulp. They are not, quite so 
sweet as Delaware, though more vinous. 
The seeds are rather larger and more 
numerous, averaging nearly three to a 
berry. This variety seems worthy of 
general trial. 
Considerai.e discussion is now going 
on in England relative to thick, fat jowls 
in Berkshire swine versus lean, thin ones, 
and the majority seem to prefer lean to 
fat jowls. They say that the meat of the 
latter has too great a proportion of fat 
to make the tender, lean, juicy bacon, 
shoulders, and hams which are so desira¬ 
ble for smoking, and they are advising 
breeders to discard the latter and adhere 
to the former in future. They also ob¬ 
ject to the retention of pure black color 
of the bodies, and say that, it is a foolish 
fashion, and that Berkshires should be 
bred now as formerly, with a few white 
lleckings or spots on the body, a small, 
white strip on the face, three to four 
white feet, and a sprinkling of white 
hairs in the tuft of the tail. We note 
latterly ti nt a few American breeders 
have con to the same conclusion, and 
trust more will follow this good example. 
Secretary Woodward, of the N. Y. 
State Agricultural Society, has addressed 
a circular to farmers’ clubs and other or¬ 
ganizations with a view to preparing for 
the farmers’ institutes. It is desired to 
know if the citizt ns of the county want 
an institute. > Assuranccs'should be given 
that a suitable jilace for meeting will be 
provided, that ample hotel accomodations 
are possible and that reduced rates on 
t,lu! railroads can be secured. If these 
matters can be settled satisfactorily, the 
secretary will desire to know the leading 
industry in the neighborhood, which in¬ 
dustry most, needs encouraging, and how 
much help in the way of local speakers 
and essayists can be promised. The com¬ 
munity in which the institute is to be 
held must furnish a place for meeting, 
well wanned and lighted, with music, 
etc., and at least, one-third of the speakers. 
The local committee will also be expected 
to get out a good audience at the first 
session. There will be 20 institutes held 
in N. Y. State this winter. They should 
be well scattered about so that every part 
of the State may be represented. Secre¬ 
taries of live farmers’ clubs should at 
once communicate with Secretary Wood¬ 
ward and endeavor to secure a date for 
their neighborhood. 
♦ ♦ * - 
Furnace Si.ao as a Fertilizer.— 
J. H. Smith, our commercial Agent at 
Maycnce, Germany, referring to the some¬ 
what. new source of commercial fertilizer 
which has been discovered in that coun¬ 
try, says that until of late, the slag 
obtained in the working of crude iron 
was considered worthless—a refuse arti¬ 
cle to be got rid of in the best way 
possible; but now 400,000 tons of it—all 
Germany produces—are ground into a fine 
powder and sold to farmers as a valuable 
fertilizer, lu pig iron there is a good 
deal of phosphorus, which must be re¬ 
moved before the iron is converted into 
steel or forged. Formerly the separation 
of the phosphorus from the rough iron 
was difficult; but a late improvement on 
the Bessemer process has rendered the 
work easy, and the slag obtained is rich 
in phosphoric lime. After the iron has 
been separated from it, it is broken up, 
sifted and ground into fine dust, powder 
or meal, which is put upon the market as a 
fertilizer under the name of patent phos¬ 
phate meal. The slag is said to contain 
from 25 to 28 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid. Tt. is claimed that from the slag 
“a more effective fertilizer is obtained 
than from bone dust or even raw Peru¬ 
vian guano,” and it is offered to farmers 
in Germany, “at a price one-third of that 
of superphosphate containing an equal 
quantity of phosphoric acid.” There is a 
natural tendency to exaggerate the merits 
of new discoveries; but even if due al¬ 
lowance is made for some exaggeration in 
this case, the discovery of a cheap meth¬ 
od of utilizing the vast, quantity of this 
refuse matter, must be of great benefit to 
the agriculture of the world. 
ROOTS IN WINTER FOR HORSES. 
These have long been considered al¬ 
most indispensable in moderate quanti¬ 
ties for a part of the winter rations of 
cattle, sheep and swine, but they are 
much less thought of among our farmers 
for their horses. Yet they are admirable 
for keeping the stomach in tone, and as¬ 
sisting in the better digestion of the hay 
and grain fed them. Carrots are quite 
superior to all other roots for horses, and 
some who feed them consider that they 
are nearly equal in nourishment, pound 
for pound, to oats. Boots of all kinds in 
winter come near t.o a good grass pasture 
in summer, and we know there is nothing 
equal to this for the sustenance of our do¬ 
mestic aiiiimils, and for keeping on horses 
a fine, glossy coat. One of the best sorts 
of carrots for stock is the Improved Long 
Orange, It is of excellent quality, and in 
a friable, fertile soil or a poor one well 
manured, yields a large crop. A great¬ 
er growth may be got from the Belgian, 
both the white and yellow sorts; but 
they are coarse in texture, and not nearly 
so nutritious; so that if the Long Orange 
yields a smaller number of bushels per 
acre, it more than makes up for the lesser 
quantity by its superior quality. The 
Half Long or Danvers Carrot is also ex¬ 
cellent for stock, while the Early Scarlet 
Horn is the most delicate and suitable for 
the family table. 
LOOK TO THE TEACHER. 
One serious objection to many other¬ 
wise good teachers lies in the fact that 
they want to devote most of their time to 
the bright scholars. This is a very natural 
fault. In every district there are a few 
bright boys and girls who learn easily and 
can show off their proficiency to good ad¬ 
vantage. Tt is much easier to push these 
bright, young minds along than it is to 
spur up the dull and lagging. Too many 
district school teachers hunt for the easiest 
way of getting through the term. They 
spend considerable time over the interest¬ 
ing class of bright pupils and hurry over 
the dull classes just as they are ready to 
wink at bad behavior on the part of the 
big boys rather than have a struggle. 
There are dull boys and girls in every 
school, and the duller they are, the more 
do they need attention and encourage¬ 
ment. It is a fact that not one district 
school teacher in 100 will, of his own 
accord, treat these dull pupils as they 
deserve. It. is the duty of members of the 
school board to see that justice is done. 
This is one reason for their election. 
When we consider how much of the 
character and progress of the pupil de¬ 
pends upon the start he receives in the dis¬ 
trict school, the position of school super¬ 
intendent or trustee becomes an important 
one. It is the bight of folly to elect, such 
officers as are sometimes elected. The 
best, men in the neighborhood arc none 
too good for such positions. 
THE VALUE OP IMPOVERISHED SOILS 
FOR EXPERIMENTING WITH CHEM 
ICAL FERTILIZERS. 
One of the most important series of 
experiments made this year at the R. G. 
is a resumpti an of those tried years ago— 
then in a different soil—to ascertain what 
amount, of potato chemical fertilizer may 
profitably bo spread upon the land for 
raising potatoes. The earlier experiments 
were tried upon a more fertile soil and 
the n*ulLs were contradictory and there 
fore unsatisfactory. The present year’s 
experiments are made upon a very level 
field that will not yield a paying crop of 
anything without manure or fertilizer. 
The results in detail will appear later. 
It serves our purpose now to say that 
there is no contradiction at all. The 
more fertilizer used, up to a certain 
amount, the larger the crop. The natur¬ 
al soil gives the largest yield m every 
case, and 220, 440, 880, etc. pounds of 
fertilizer to the aero give corresponding 
increases in the yield. These tests have 
been carried on in duplicate and some¬ 
times in triplicate and the testimony thus 
collected ought to add weight to the 
position we have always taken, viz., that 
fertile soils are not fit for such experi¬ 
ments unless,as in the ease of Dr. Lewes, 
they be carried on for many years in ex¬ 
actly the same way. If we start with an 
impoverished soil, it immediately re¬ 
sponds to the food supplied, if that food 
be what the plants need. A soil that 
can not of itself give to the plant the 
needed food is the soil that must he se¬ 
lected for effective experiments with 
chemical fertilizers. lienee it is, in our 
estimation, that most of the trials made 
by the Ag. Stations with fertilizers arc 
misleading or valueless. According to 
the present fertility of the land, the self¬ 
same trials will have to be made for five, 
ten or possibly 80 years, before the land 
will answer the questions put to it. 
DEATH OF COLONEL MASON COGS¬ 
WELL WELD. 
It is with much sorrow and sympathy 
we record the death of Colonel Mason 
Cogswell Weld, at Closter, N. J., last 
Sunday, September 25. Col. Weld was 
of the best old New England Puritan 
stock. He was born in 1829, in Phila¬ 
delphia, where his father was at the time 
head of a deaf and dumb educational in¬ 
stitution. The family returned to its 
original home at Hartford, Conn., the 
following year. There he grew up and, 
when ready, entered Yale College. After 
graduating he studied chemistry for two 
years with the elder Professor fill liman 
and then went to Germany, where he 
studied at Munich and Leipsic under 
Liebig, devoting most of his attention to 
the chemistry of agriculture, graduating 
again in 1854. On his return to America, 
being encouraged by many prominent 
people interested in agriculture, he estab¬ 
lished a weekly agricultural paper called 
the Homestead, at Hartford, Conn. ; but 
not meeting the encouragement he was 
led to anticipate, he soon afterward 
came to New York, where he became con¬ 
nected with the then popular American 
Agriculturist, which was under the direc¬ 
tion of our friend Mr. A. B. Allen. At 
the out break of the late war, of three 
brothers, Lewis enlisted at once and died 
as colonel of colored troops in the field 
cariy in 1805. Charles, Secretary of the 
Territory of Colorado, did much valuable 
service in equipping and forwarding 
troops, and finally went to the front him¬ 
self and fell at Ohaneulloraville. Mason 
reluctantly remained at home at. first at 
the earnest solicitation of his widowed 
mother; but when Charles died on the 
battlefield, in 1808, Mason raised acorn 
pany of the Twenty-fifth Connecticut 
Volunteers, and served in the Southwest 
under General Banka with such distinc¬ 
tion that he was soon promoted to a 
Lieutenant colonelcy. 
At the close of the war Colonel Weld 
resumed his connection with the agri¬ 
cultural press, and was for some time one 
of the editorial staff of the Rural New- 
Yorkkk, He also became interested in 
breeding fine stock, arid was widely 
known as an export judge of choice 
stock, especially Jerseys and Guernseys. 
Not long since he established the Guern¬ 
sey Breeder as the exponent of the merits 
of that fine breed. 
Colonel Weld has been a frequent con¬ 
tributor to the Rural New-Yorker, and 
has always been a warm personal friend 
of its Editor. He has also contributed 
much valuable matter to other agricultural 
papers. He was a man of wide reading, 
and great general information, and won 
the respect and affection of all by his 
strict integrity, and the amiability, gentle¬ 
ness and purity of his character. ITe 
was a thoroughly good, true man, one of 
nature’s noblemen. The world can ill 
afford the loss of such men. 
brevities. 
The Rural has sown 4.00 acres with Arm¬ 
strong (Laiulreth) wheat—I y x bush, tonn aero. 
HOW to Waste Money: A|iply special 
when your land needs “complete” fertilizers. 
OliSKRVK how Mr. J. Perkins rhls his cab¬ 
bage and cauliflower plants of worms. See 
Correspondents’ Views page 091. 
A series or articles beginning this week 
will appear in the Woman’s Department from 
the pen of our popular contributor Mary Wa¬ 
ger-Fisher. 
Has the drought taught you a lesson? If 
you knew that next year would he ns dry as 
this one has been, what would you do to make 
sure of a crop ? 
Tub little series of articles under the title 
“Post Ofllco Cluli” the first installment of 
whieti appears In this issue page C83, are near¬ 
ly verbatim reports of actual conversations 
jotted down by one of the Rural editors. 
Suppose you sow on your fields now sul¬ 
phate of ammonia or nitrate of soda. Do you 
suppose that the young wheat or ryo plants 
will use enough of it to pay for this costly 
fertilizer? Bettor sow them in the spriug. 
Among tho cheaper class of bedding plants, 
there is nothing more satisfactory thau the 
verbena. The plants bloom during the entire 
season until after frosts; their flowers are of 
tho most brilliant colors and abundantly pro¬ 
duced. Tho foliage is ample and pretty. 
Those who wish to experiment with grapes 
and who can afford to take the chances of 
probable disappointment should try the white 
grape Croton. It is early to ripen and in 
quality, according to the writer’s taste, is un¬ 
equaled by any ot her that we have raised. It 
is said to be a hybrid between tho Delaware 
and Chasselas de Konlainbleau. It. does well 
lu some places, which may be ascertained 
only by trial. 
On the whole, tomatoes have been one of 
our best crops this year. Prices have ranged 
considerably higher titan last year. Many 
gardeners disgusted at low prices lust year 
raised very tew tomatoes. In consequence 
those who planted the usual area of this vege¬ 
table have done well, lu the long run, we 
tiud it pays well to diversify our crops and 
give about the same space to each vegetable 
every year, though one vegetable is rarely 
raised on tho same spot two yeai-s in succes¬ 
sion. 
Touching the discussion us to tho hardiness 
and productiveness of the English Walnut, 
there is a tree near the Rural Farm, on Long 
Island,25 years old, that has been bearing live 
or six years. When young it would winter- 
kill a little, but it stands the winters now. 
This is within two miles of the ocean. Hero 
it outgrows the black-walnut. In the interior 
of the Island the English Walnut is less hardy. 
Still we learn that there is one tree, 100 years 
old, that bears bountifully. 
The Texas Farmers’ Alliance proposes to 
raise $500,000 by two assessments on its 250,- 
000 members. With this sum State and 
National Alliance headquarters are to bo con¬ 
structed as well as a State Alliance cotton, 
grata and stock exchange, at Dallas, which 
has donated $10,000 in cash, together with 
buildings for temporary quarters and a largo 
building site to induce the Alliance to locate 
there. The Exchange expects to handle 400,- 
(KK) bales of cotton this year, ami proposes to 
expend 4200.000 in buildings inside of two 
years. It also proposes to run co-operative 
cotton milUand transact most of thabusiness 
of the farmers of the State, We shall watch 
with Interest the progress of this enterprise. 
Its success will portend vast benefit to the 
agriculture of the country, 
“The NationulOousumei-s’ Meat Company,” 
the great enterprise of the Marquis De Mores, 
which was to supply meat, at a low figure, 
“from the ranch to the table,” in Now York 
ami other Eastern cities, ami to prove such ti 
bonanza to its shareholder, finally disap 
peared from this place Monday by the public 
sale of tho fixt ures of its four stores. Tho 
sale was under a mortgage for $800. Tho to¬ 
tal proceeds of the sale of horses, trucks, mar¬ 
ble topped tables and leases of some of tho 
promises amounted to 40,590. It was a big 
splurge, like most of t in- other transactions of 
the noble Marquis. It could not, comi>eto 
with Armour, Swift and the other large oper¬ 
ators iu dressed meat. All these gigantic en¬ 
terprises are of little or no benefit to tho con¬ 
sumers of meat east of the Mississippi, whilo 
every one of them is an iujury to the stock- 
owners of that vast region by bringing into 
unequal competition with their farm-raised 
products the products raised on the free or al¬ 
most free plains and rouges of tho Far West. 
