THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANational Journalfor Country and Suburban Home . 
Conducted by 
LIBERT S. CARMAN'. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 18S7. 
NOTICE. 
The Rural Hew- Yorker will he sent from, 
this date to January 1, 1889—55 weeks — 
for the regular yearly price of $2.00. The 
senders of chibs of fve or over may reserve 
50 cents for each yearly subscription in pay¬ 
ment for the work involved in securing the 
dubs. Or they may select suitable articles 
from our new premium list . In this case, 
there is no cash commission allowed. Speci¬ 
mens and premium-lists and our series of 
four cartoons inillbe cheerfully and promptly 
setit to all applicants. 
The article by Judge Jones in this issue 
is peculiarly thoughtful and timely. The 
last paragraph will repay a careful study. 
The fact is that the agricultural interests 
of this country will never have any ad¬ 
vancements that farmers do not fight for 
and maiutain. Consumers are mainly in¬ 
terested in getting what they need for as 
little money as possible. Being located 
in towns and cities, they can act in con¬ 
cert and with some organization. Farmers 
scattered and isolated, with no organiza¬ 
tion of business or general policy, are at 
a great disadvantage. Let them go to 
“farmers’ conventions” or “associations” 
and they will find a majority of the speak¬ 
ers and workers, lawyers or city dealers, 
with a thought only for their own inter¬ 
ests and with but little idea of the real 
needs of genuine producers. It appears 
reasonable to suppose that this state of 
affairs will continue until the farmers 
themselves change it. We have got to 
have more thought, more liberality in 
matters of education, less jealousy, and a 
complete organizaion before a change for 
the better can be made. 
Senator Palmer, of Michigan, is 
about to try the experiment of breeding 
pure Arabian horses with pure Percherons, 
hoping thereby to produce in this country 
a bleed of horses superior to any we have. 
The superintendent of bis fine farm near 
Detroit sailed for Franco last Wednesday 
to purchase 30 to 40 of the choicest Perch- 
eron stallions and mares in La Perche, 
the home of the breed. He will then go 
to Damascus to purchase five full-blooded 
Arabiau horses, if be finds it possible to 
ship them via Marseilles and Havre. If 
he finds tois iiupossible.lie will gotoTan- 
giers and try to secure the bestspecimeus 
of Barb or Arab horses there. After a 
good deal of investigation, through the 
State Department and otherwise, the Sen¬ 
ator has no doubt that bis agent will be 
able to obtain full-blooded Arabiaus, in 
spite of the widespread tradition that 
horses of this kind are never disposed of 
for money or offered for sale in any way. 
The Senator has long made n study of 
horse breeding, and bis idea is that by 
long and intelligent in-breeding a new 
type of horses may be created or at least 
the quality of the old type be re-enforced by 
the crossing of the Arab stallion upon the 
Percheron mare, or vice versa. If his first 
experiments warrant it, he will continue 
this in-breeding. The Arab horses are 
small—from 14 to 15 hands high—so that 
a cross of the small Arab stallion on the 
large Percheron mare is likely to produce 
the best results, but the Senator can well 
afford to experiment in both directions. 
Experiments of this sort by wealthy, pub¬ 
lic-spirited men arc a boon to the agri¬ 
culture of the entire country.' 
“A GREAT DISCOVERY.” 
A GENIUS in this city is preparing to 
advertise a new- fertilizer. He 
claims it to be the result of many experi¬ 
ments and that it will enable one man to 
do in a day what has heretofore taken a 
number of men weeks to do. One pack¬ 
age of this wonderful manure will 
“thoroughly enrich five acres of land”— 
if we may believe the seller’s statement. 
It is easy to apply and is entirely “free 
from dirt and smell.” In fact this seems 
like the grandest thing yet—to sell to 
simpletons. The owners are anxious to 
send sample packages to farmers—for $1 
each. All they ask is a trial—at $1. It 
is almost time such a scheme was worked. 
We have had fortuues in England, for¬ 
tunes in evaporators, fortuues in gold 
watches—all given away—and now every 
man who owns a piece of land can make 
his fortune by using this manure 11 The 
men who are managing this scheme are 
endeavoring to secure the names of farm¬ 
ers in all parts of the country. Most of 
their work will be done by circulars, and 
it may be that some of our readers have 
already received the plausible statement 
sent out concerning this “great discovery.” 
Can it be that there are farmers who are 
foolish enough to believe that any man or 
any set of men can provide for $10 a sub¬ 
stance that “will thoroughly enrich a 
farm of 60 acres?” It is with sorrow 
that we are forced to admit that past ex¬ 
perience with fraudulent advertisements 
indicate that this “discovery” will draw- 
money from the pockets of dupes. We 
can at least warn our friends. No reader 
of the It. N.-Y. can complain if he wastes 
his money over this stuff. If the circu¬ 
lar comes to you tear it up and take no 
notice of the sender. 
A FRUIT SYMPOSIUM. 
HAT are the three best winter and 
fall apples; the three best summer 
and fall pears; the three best early and 
late plums, the three best early and late 
peaches, white grapes, red grapes, black 
grapes; the three best early and late 
strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, 
gooseberries, currants? We have asked 
the above questions of our best pomolo- 
gists in various parts of the country, and 
their answers will be given at an early 
date. 
COSTLY AGRICULTURAL PESTS. 
S HOULDN’T farmers themselves take 
more active measures for the extermi¬ 
nation of theEnglish sparrow? Legislation 
and State aid are well enough; but as 
farmers are sure to be the main sufferers 
from the pest, they should neither wait 
for nor trust to either; but at once set en¬ 
ergetically to work to wipe out a plague 
far worse than autharax or pleuro-pneumo- 
nia contagiosa. Had the rabbit plague been 
combated early by the farmers and stock¬ 
men of Australia, they would, have saved 
tens of millions of dollars. Now the nest 
is beyond their control. Vast areas of 
rich grazing land have been compulsorily 
abandoned, and the mischief is increasing. 
For means to get rid of the pest they are 
now appealing to the ingenuity of the 
whole world. Messrs. R. W. Comeron & 
Co., of this city, agents of the colonh-s, are 
authorized to offer a reward of §125,000 
for any effectual means of exterminating 
the pests. Shouldn’t we learn a timely 
lesson from the calamitous experience of 
our antipodes? Last Wednesday Pasteur, 
the French scientist, suggested that 
some captured rabbits should be inocu¬ 
lated with the microbes of chicken 
cholera at a number of places throughout 
the infested regions. They will at 
once, he says, become infected with the 
disease which is extremely contagious 
and fatal, and rapidly spread it among 
the innumerable multitude of the pests 
•which will soon be exterminated. Will 
the large reward offered by the colonists 
go to the Frenchman, or can some in¬ 
genious American discover a more effect¬ 
ive exterminator? 
Already some of the mercantile bodies 
here are becoming alarmed at the actual 
and prospective danger. The St. Paul 
Chamber of Commerce has just taken 
action favoring efforts for the extermina¬ 
tion of the sparrow on the ground of its 
serious attacks on a variety of agricultural 
products leading to losses of millions of 
dollars annually. They advocate legisla¬ 
tion encouraging the extermination of 
the pest; but, above all. they urge the 
prompt use of fire-arms, the tearing down 
of the roosts with iron-hooks, driving the 
little plagues from the roosts by turning 
streams of water on them, etc. Sparrows 
are an excellent article of food, often 
served in aristocratic restaurants as reed 
birds on toast. Why shouldn’t our far¬ 
mer boys avail themselves of the deli¬ 
cacy? 
THE DANGER OF TRUSTS. 
E VERY day we hear a great deal about 
i the exactions of old “trusts,” and 
every month we hear of the formation of 
new ones. What, then, is a “trust?” It 
is a combination among the manufactur¬ 
ers and producers of certain lines of 
goods, giving the people who constitute 
it or who own the stock of the concerns 
represented in it an absolute monopoly 
of the business in which they are en¬ 
gaged. Suppose there are 50 manufactur¬ 
ing establishments in various parts of the 
country engaged in making the same class 
of articles. They compete with each 
other and their competition reduces (he 
price of their products and renders their 
profits smaller. Occasionally it ruins the 
business of the w r eaker ones; but this 
occurs only when the aggregate product 
of all the concerns is considerably greater 
than the demand for the goods, or when 
the business is badly managed. If com¬ 
petition could be stopped, they could 
place an arbitrary price on their products 
and greatly increase their profits at the 
expense of the purchasers. To bring 
this about, it was formerly custom¬ 
ary for the manutactuiers of various 
classes of goods to meet periodically and 
solemnly agree, often under money penal¬ 
ties, not to sell under specified prices and 
to allow only specified discounts. The 
practice still prevails to a considerable 
extent, but it has always proved unsatis¬ 
factory, as the members of the combina¬ 
tion are certain soon to begin to cut 
prices, first to favored customers and then 
to the trade generally. By the formation 
of a “trust,” however, the object is ac¬ 
complished with certainty. 
Suppose that of the 50 manufacturing 
establishments 40 agree to form a “trust.” 
The real and personal property as weff as 
the goodwill of each is appraised and 
the value of the stock and plant—of the 
entire busiuess—is thus established. Then 
the owners of the business make it over 
to the “trust,” acceptmg certificates or 
stock of the latter in payment. The old 
owners may continue to manage the busi¬ 
ness under direction of the “trust,” or 
new managers may be appointed; but all 
purchases and sales must be made by the 
“trust.” Thus the 40 concerns are con¬ 
solidated into one. The new company is 
now T so strong and has such large capi¬ 
tal that it can compel the remaining 
10 either to join it or to adopt its policy 
under penalty of being crushed out of ex¬ 
istence. Having thus got rid of competi 
tion, the “trust” limits the aggregate pro¬ 
duction by cutting down the output in 
some of its works and eutirely closing 
others, selecting for this purpose those at 
which, for one cause or another, the manu¬ 
facture of the goods costs most. Then it 
fixes whatever price it pleases on its pro¬ 
ducts. Often it gets such control of the 
market or of transportation that it forces 
all others in the same kiud of business to 
sell their product to it at whatever figure 
it may name. Thus the Standard Oil 
Company, the oldest, wealthiest, and 
most unscrupulous of these monopolies, 
having control of the necesi-nry storage 
aud specially advantageous terms of 
transportation, compelled tt.e producers 
of crude petroleum from the Northwest¬ 
ern Ohio fields last spring to sell their 
product to it for 27 cents a barrel! 
Our entire industrial system is based on 
competition as the fairest agent for the 
adjustment of the profits of industry. Its 
free action is essential so long as our sys¬ 
tem permits private ownership of prop¬ 
erty. Socialism dispenses w ith competi¬ 
tion by substituting another method of 
distributing products; and in so far as 
“trusts” prevent competition, they are 
fundamentally instigators and propagut 
ors of Socialism and its close congener 
Anarchy, and therefore hostile to our 
present institutions and form of govern 
inent. What an uproar would be caused 
if the Government put an oppressive tax 
ou some of the necessaries or essential 
conveniencies of life! Yet we patiently 
submit to such taxation by a private, ir¬ 
responsible organization, which, having a 
monopoly of a particular class of pr< ducts, 
puts a price on them disproportionate 
to that of other products in ihe sale of 
which competition plays a legitimate part. 
The members of such organizations are 
free from the restraints of actual or possi¬ 
ble competition in the sale of their pro¬ 
ducts, while in all their purchases, 
whether as corporations or individuals, 
they have the advantage of competitive 
prices. Thus they become a favored 
class. They get more than their share 
of this world’s goods, leaving to the rest 
less than their just proportion. 
All these “ trusts” are therefore essen¬ 
tially instruments of injustice, tending to 
the establishment of a privileged class, 
able to arrogate to itself more than its 
fair share of the products of labor, aud 
possessing the disposition and means of 
perpetuating and extending itself by the 
corruption of Legislatures, the purchase 
of judges and the oppression of the rest 
of the community. 
brevities. 
Hang up cabbages in the hen houses; hang 
up hazletts now and then. Hens wiil not eat 
each others feathers then. 
The value of brewers’ grains for dairy cows 
will be considered next week in the popular 
series of articles cn “Feeding Substances and 
Feeding Rations.” 
Early in 1888 the Rural will tell the 
whole story about co-operative creameries: 
how they succeed, why they fail, advantages, 
disadvantages, in short the w'hole story. This 
number will be worth u year’s subscription. 
Some farmers may try to make a little 
money by starving their sheep this winter. 
The wool will testify against, them next 
spring. There will be a weak place in the 
wool to pay for every attempt to make the 
sheep get aloug on less grain than they need. 
Nature can’t be cheated. 
Tn the Spring of 188:2, we received two vines 
each of the “Ulster Co. Prolific” aud “Pough¬ 
keepsie Red” grapes from the originator, A. 
J. Caywood of Marlboro, N. Y. A favorable 
report has been made of the former. The 
latter has never matured a bunch. The vine 
is a feeble grower. 
The American Horticultural Society will 
meet at Riverside, California. February 14, 
1888. Eastern horticulturists who attend will 
be enabled to look over Southern California. 
The excursion will he exceedingly pleasant 
and profitable. Full particulars will be sent 
by W. H. Ragan, Secretary, Greencastle, Ind. 
- —- - ~ J .. 
of our Downy Plymouth Rocks. They are 
very downy. There is no doubt about that. 
The young roosters look as if they would need 
rather more clothing for winter weather. We 
have now added White Dorkings to our sev¬ 
eral breeds, viz.: Patagonians, Black Javas, 
Gray Dorkings and Langsbans. 
The trade iu Christmas evergreens prom¬ 
ises to be heavier thau ever this year. The 
Portland steamer came iu the other day look¬ 
ing like a floating forest. Vacant spaces 
and piers are filled with the green trees and 
bushes. Years ago city churches and Sun¬ 
day schools would organize parties for hunt¬ 
ing these decorations in the country. Now 
they are bought. 
We used to have, atleast ou paper, a “dairy 
belt” in this country Co reful figuring showed 
that good butter could not profitably be made 
outside of this so-called “belt.” We never 
bear this statement now. Excellent, butter is 
made in Texas. Now Prof. Sheldon writes 
about dairying in Manitoba. The fact seems 
to be that, wherever cows can be induced to 
give good milk, means will be devised for 
manufacturing that milk into butter. 
The Rural is notexactly overwhelmed with 
support in its effort to reform the courses 
of study in our district schools and. if possi¬ 
ble, get more pure agriculture in to the places 
now'filled by other studies. We have a very 
interesting series of articles written m answer 
to some plain questions bearing on this sub¬ 
ject. They will make good reading for coun¬ 
try educators though they don’t give district 
school agriculture much of a “boom.” 
The best agricultural authorities in England 
seem to agree in opinion that small farms can 
not be profitably cultivated in any of the 
crops for w hich machinery is used on the large 
farms. Only as market gardens aud for daily 
products, small fruit and poultry, near a mar¬ 
ket. are small farms successful. But, iu con¬ 
nection with some additional occupation, 
enough land to keep a cow. and to furnish some 
fruit uud vegetables, is desirable for every 
poor family, aud it. is belter, usually, that 
they should pay an easy rent for it than be 
saddled with its ownership. 
It w ill be observed that the members of the 
Bedford Farmer’s Club do uot rely much upon 
the “weather indications” of the Signal Ser¬ 
vice. We have watched these indications 
daily for a number of years and have found 
them remarkably accurate. As at present 
managed, these indications are for the resi¬ 
dents of towns and cities rather than for far¬ 
mers. In the long run it will pay the farmer 
best, to trust, to the “old signs” rather than to 
travel several miles to see what the Weather 
Bureau has to say. At the same time, if a 
more complete system of signals could be 
devised, the farmer would bo beueflted by the 
bureau. 
The work at present beiug doue at the Rural 
Grounds is tilling in the spaces between straw¬ 
berry plants with manure. This in our esti¬ 
mation is best done after the soil is frozen an 
inch or so iu depth. We cover the plants 
themselves very lightly. The manure be¬ 
tween the rows is placed an inch or so deep. 
Heaving of the soil is in this way entirely 
prevented, while the soil is enriched for next 
season’s growl b. Next we are pruning grape¬ 
vines, laying down the ounce of those which 
have not yet fruited. The soil of the garden 
has been spaded up and fresh manure and lime 
are spread upon the fresh surface to be spaded 
under next spring. Muck is being cartta with 
which to till up the inequalities of the lawn; 
leaves are placed in heaps upon the rose bed 
to be spread Inter and held by a light cover¬ 
ing of long manure. The hardy roses will be 
benefited while the partly tender kinds will 
receive protection enough to carry them 
safely through the winter. A frame baa been 
pluced around our hybrid roses and hybrid 
raspberry-blackberry plants. We shall 
Inter cover the frames with evergreen 
boughs. We should bate to lose these plants 
after the work and care that have been given 
them. The hundred or more of seeds, the re¬ 
sult of lust season’s crosses between roses, 
blackberries and raspberries, etc., arc planted 
in boxes, the boxes sunk in the ground. 
These will lie covered with straw or long man¬ 
ure later, The seeds will sprout the better in 
the spring for this exposure. Muuy trees 
have been marked to be cut down and the 
work of destruction has begun. There is 
noth mg we regret more than the necessity of 
this cruel work. But the space given to tree 
and shrub specimens is limited,and the growth 
from year to year makes it desirable that 
those of ; lesser importance should uot mar and 
crowd the symmetry of rarer specimens. 
