486 
TUI BUBAL fl£W-V0HK8!l 
MARCH 47 
, THE 
RURAL- NEW-YORKER, 
^National Journal for Country and Suburban Home'". 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. C A.RM AN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1888. 
Specimen copies of the Rose, Ensilage, 
or Road-Making Specials will be sent to 
any list of names with which our sub¬ 
scribers may favor us. 
Tns R. N.-Y. desires to tender its 
thanks to those subscribers who so kindly 
and thoughtfully have sent us other sub¬ 
scriptions with their own. Our friends 
can hardly know to what an extent the Ru¬ 
ral owes its present prosperity to such 
efforts. 
Some seedsmen are now applauding 
Australian Millet. Samples have been 
sent to us and we find it to be Johnson's 
Grass. This is bad business. There are 
thousands of farmers in the South that 
would on no account suffer this grass to 
get a footing on their farms. 
About April 1st will appear a Special 
Number of the Rural New-Yorker de¬ 
voted to Roses. It is intended that this 
number shall leave nothing unsaid that 
will interest or instruct those who appre¬ 
ciate the Queen of Flowers. 
■ 4 » - — 
A small sample of fine flour made from 
the much-advertised Brazilian Flour corn 
was sent to the R. N.-Y. by a friend 
whose name we regret to have lost. The 
flour was made into a single flat biscuit, 
baked and eaten. It was a first-rate bis¬ 
cuit with scarcely any corn taste, fine¬ 
grained, light and sweet. It was a real 
surprise to us. 
We have been asked a number of times 
recently what kind of oats we prefer. In 
answer to this it may be said that we 
sowed the Welcome last year and propose 
to sow this variety again this spring. 
Catalogues announce Belgian, Clydesdale, 
Race Horse, Australian, Dakota Chief¬ 
tain, Badger Queen, etc.; but the one 
will answer for the other. Schcenen is a 
first rate oat. We have heard good ac¬ 
counts of the American Triumph and 
Challenge. Of side oats a choice may be 
made between the Russian and Black 
Tartarian. The latter yield heavily, but 
the grain is light. 
The idea has been steadily held by 
many farmers in the droughty region of 
the West that the soil was not at all in¬ 
jured by the dry season, but that it has 
been resting and accumulating fresh 
stores. According to this idea all the 
manure put on the land is still there, 
rotted and mixed in excellent shape for 
use as plant food, while nothing has been 
washed out by heavy rains. It is not 
expected that the fierce heat has hurt the 
soil. If this idea is correct, an abundant 
supply of rainfall this year ought to 
bring out the best crop known in the 
droughty district. Will farmers in plow¬ 
ing this year notice the condition of the 
manure? 
We are satisfied that the Rural’s 
Road Making Special will contain more 
practical information on road making 
than can be found in any engineering 
book now published. The articles are by 
men who have done successful work and 
who are able to judge of the great advan¬ 
tages to be gained by hard and smooth 
roads. Farmers are surely waking up to 
the importance of this matter, and it is 
the Rural’s desire to keep them awake. 
By placing the facts before them in a 
plain and compact form we will supply 
every man who desires improvement with 
a powerful argument. 
In reply to special inquiries, let us say 
that Alsike Clover has its advantages and 
disadvantages as compared with Red 
Clover. Its botanical name is Trifolium 
hybridum, so called because it is so nearly 
intermediate between the red and white 
clover. Prof. Beal, and all authorities on 
the grasses, say that it is not a hybrid at 
all. One advantage of Alsike is that it 
is not injured by the clover midge. It 
seenls to prefer moist land, and yet it en¬ 
dures droughts very well. Prof. Beal 
says that it has a good reputation for 
asture and is a favorite with bee-keepers, 
ecause the plants remain in bloom a long 
time and abound in nectar. The seeds 
are about half the size of those of clover, 
so that a smaller quantity is sown. The 
seed is produced from the first crop, 
though the field may be pastured for a 
while early in the season. It is two or 
three years coming to full size and does 
best for pasture when sown with some 
stout grasses. The aftermath is very 
light. When ripe it shells more easily 
than red clover and is more apt to waste. 
Hence, more care is needed in the har¬ 
vesting. Alsike is smoother and more 
delicate than red clover and the stems are 
weaker and it is, therefore, likely to 
lodge. It is not liable to winter-kill. 
TWO GRASS PESTS. 
T wo of the very worst enemies to a fine 
lawn are Crab Grass and Velvet Grass. 
They will destroy the beauty of the hand¬ 
somest lawn, if permitted to get a foot¬ 
ing. We speak from experience, and we 
speak tearfully. Velvet Grass (Calf-kill, 
Meadow Soft Grass) may be known by its 
flimsy, soft, coarse, hairy, light-colored 
leaves, resembling the Orchard Grass. It 
is abhorred by cattle as well as by the 
lover of handsome lawns. It grows in 
bunches, like Orchard Grass, and is so 
coarse and pale-colored that plants stand 
out and break the even tenor of any 
lawn. These clumps may be pulled up, 
as they are easily detected by the color 
and coarse leaf. Not so with Crab Grass. 
In the early season Blue Grass and Red- 
top may have apparently full possession. 
But in mid-summer this insidious enemy 
appears. The lawn-mower is helpless to 
exterminate it. The culms dodge under 
it, and bob up the next day to show they 
were unharmed. As the color is the same 
as the finer grasses, the plants can not be 
detected, and so they shed their seeds, 
being annuals, and prepare for further en¬ 
croachments the next year. The culms by 
fall spread out, covering a considerable 
space and so suppressing the finer grasses 
that bare spots the next spring appear as if 
small sods had been removed. The only 
way to exterminate this grass is to watch 
for it in the summer, and carefully remove 
the plants before seeds form. The bot¬ 
anical names of these two pests are Hol- 
cus lanatus and Panicum sanguinale. 
CAUTION AGAINST A SORGHUM 
SUGAR PATENT. 
W hile Magnus Swenson was a paid em¬ 
ploy e of the Government conducting 
experiments in sorghum sugar-making at 
Fort. Scott, Kan., he hit upon an improve¬ 
ment in the process of sugar making “by 
adding to the di ff usion both calcium carbo¬ 
nate, or carbonate of alkali and earth (sic.), 
in order to prevent invertive action of the 
organic acids in the cane chips upon the 
sugar during the process of extraction.” 
Having made this discovery at the public 
expense,he at once patented it for his own 
private benefit. He is now busily en¬ 
gaged in forming a sorghum sugar Trust 
or combination to secure the control of 
the manufacture of sorghum sugar by 
means of this patent. The Commissioner 
of Agriculture who employed and paid 
Swenson to work for the public benefit, 
very naturally objects on finding that he 
really worked for his own. In accord¬ 
ance with his suggestion, therefore the 
Attorney-General has prepared a bill of 
complaint addressed to the Judge of the 
United States Circuit court for Kansas for 
the purpose of canceling the patent. He 
insists that as the discovery was made at 
the public expense it belongs to the pub¬ 
lic; that the discovery is really not a new 
one, being described in many books and 
writings, and therefore was not patent- 
able; and that while the improvement is 
of great advantage to the public for 
whom it was made, the patentee 
is demanding and receiving large sums 
of money “for the use of this process so 
as to establish a monopoly to oppress the 
people” upon a patent invalid from the 
outset. We are told that the Govern¬ 
ment has a strong case, and that it in¬ 
tends to prosecute it vigorously, and it 
cautions all intending investors in the 
patent that it will probably be declared 
null and void. The papers have already 
been forwarded to Kansas. This is a 
good move on the part of the Government, 
but it ought not to have been necessary, 
as the patent should never have been 
granted. The Patent Laws should be 
promptly amended. 
THE COW PEA. 
I n the Annual Report of the Connecti¬ 
cut Agricultural Experiment Station 
just received, we find the following: ‘‘The 
Southern Cow Pea has grown very vigor¬ 
ously in the garden, furnishing a large 
amount of forage and ripening its seeds 
before frost.” 
Some eight years ago, we tried the 
leading kinds of so-called Cow Pea at the 
Rural Farm, and a full report with illus¬ 
trations was presented in the fall of the 
same year. The varieties so differ in length 
of vine, size of leaves, habit and time of 
blossoming and ripening the beans (they 
are more beans than peas) that while one 
variety might prove of great value in the 
North, another might prove worthless. 
For instance, several varieties ripened 
their beans in late August, while others 
were merely in bloom; some were half 
upright in growth, while others clung to 
the ground like a running blackberry. 
Some covered a breadth of at least 12 feet 
of land while others were little bushes 
not over two feet in diameter. 
We have often thought that a place 
may yet be found in Northern agriculture 
for several varieties of these Cow Peas 
(Dolichos), though our farm animals 
would not touch the green haulm while 
they could get Timothy or clover hay. 
Perhaps as silage, it would be different. 
Referring to the R. N.-Y. of October 9, 
1880 (page 670), we find that “Poor Land 
Pea” seeds were ripe August 15; “Conck 
Pea” in early September had so covered 
the soil that only a green mat of leaves 
could be seen; ‘‘"“Little Black” covered 11 
feet of soil in width and were two feet 
high. The fruit began to ripen Septem¬ 
ber 10. The pods ol some of the varieties 
were eight to nine inches in length and 
contained 20 seeds or more. 
When this trial was made it was gen¬ 
erally supposed that the Cow Pea would 
not mature seeds in the North. No man¬ 
ure was used and the light, sandy soil 
was considered of but ordinary fertility. 
A MAPLE SUGAR EXCHANGE. 
8T'he last census gives 36,576,600 pounds 
JL of sugar and 1,796,048 gallons of mo¬ 
lasses as the maple sugar crop of 1880. Of 
this amount Vermont produced 11,261,077 
pounds of sugar and 128,091 gallons of 
sirup; New York, 10,693,619 pounds and 
266,390 gallons; Michigan, 3,423,149 
pounds and 131,990 gallons; Ohio, 2,- 
895,782 pounds and 495,839 gallons; Penn¬ 
sylvania, 2,866,010 pounds and 140,667 
gallons; New Hampshire, 2,731,945 
pounds and 79,712 gallons; Iowa, 2,- 
064,020 pounds and 17,766 gallons, most 
of the other States producing some, though 
much less than any of those mentioned. 
Thus it will be seen that the little State 
of Vermont is tlie greatest producer of 
maple sugar, and that it and its big neigh¬ 
bor New York, of which it was formerly 
a part, together produce nearly two-thirds 
of the total yield of the country. It is 
natural therefore that Vermont should 
take the lead in legislation with regard 
to maple sugar, and in providing the best 
means for marketing it. There are already 
very stringent laws in the State against 
adulteration of the product, and it is now 
proposed to establish a Maple Sugar Ex¬ 
change at Brattleboro, the oldest town in 
the State, and the capital of Windham 
County which produces the most and 
best sugar of any county in the State, 
if not in the country. The object 
is to put Vermont sugar at the 
head of the market by guarantee¬ 
ing its purity and excellence. All 
sugar passing through the Exchange’ 
will be carefully examined and graded, 
and any the puri y of which is doubted 
will be analyzed by the State Experiment 
Station. Any person found guilty of 
adulterating will be rigorously prosecuted 
and debarred from the privileges of the 
Exchange, and the maker’s name and ad¬ 
dress will be printed on every package. 
As most of the adulteration is done after 
the sugar leaves the producers’ hands, the 
Exchange will sell only to reliable dealers 
and jobbers. This is an excellent move¬ 
ment, and might b' 1 advantageously imi¬ 
tated elsewhere, with regard not only to 
maple sugar, but to other agricultural 
products also. 
THE R. N.-Y. POTATO WAGER. 
T nE editor of a certain farm paper and 
an excellent friend of the R. N.-Y. 
writes that he objects to our “Potato 
Crop Wager,” not on the score that it is 
betting, but because it has the “appearance 
of belittling the good R. N.-Y.” He con- • 
tinues: “Your potato case has merit and 
I know it and I feel every confidence in 
your success, but I don't like the impres¬ 
sion that the offer will make on many of 
your readers.” 
No one can object to a wager that has 
merely a benevolent object in view. There 
is really no “betting” about it as that 
word is generally understood. Our case 
is that we propose to show that we can 
raise at the rate of over 700 bushels of 
potatoes per acre on land specially pre¬ 
pared, let the season be what it may. If 
we succeed, the farming community will 
be benefited unless it should appear that 
the cost of the crop is so great as to con¬ 
demn the method, and even this fact will 
have its value. If we fail, no harm can 
possibly result while the failure may still 
prove instructive. In either case, how¬ 
ever, some worthy individual or project 
will be benefited by the $50 wager. 
Our friend, however, is evidently of the 
opinion that the Rural’s editorial state¬ 
ments as to its potato yields do not need 
to be backed up by such wagers and that 
it belittles itself by thus seeking to drive 
in a nail where none is needed. But we 
hardly think that this view of the case 
need be considered. The fact of our mak¬ 
ing the attempt in the most public way, 
when failure would bring with it a cutting 
disappointment, will rivet an amount of 
the farmer’s attention to improved potato 
culture, which it would be difficult to en¬ 
gage in any other way. Indeed, we have 
already received quite a number of letters 
of particular inquiry from those who pro¬ 
pose to try the experiment precisely as 
the Rural proposes to try it. 
Our motive is certainly good and if the 
first impression on the minds of many of 
our friends be unfavorable, we have faith 
that these impressions will fade away as 
the work progresses and that all will be 
pleased at the end of the performance, ex¬ 
cept, it may be, the R. N.-Y. in case of a 
disastrous failure. 
BREVITIES. 
Springy. 
Pansies and Sweet Peas. The giant and 
the dwarf among the finest of bedding plants. 
Unless our readers want Johnson’s Grass, 
they had better not sow “Australian Millet.” 
A sharp criticism upon our “Dairy car¬ 
toon” appears under “Discussion in the Farm¬ 
er’s Club. 
The Weeping Beech is a grand tree of its 
kind; but at least 12 years are required to de¬ 
velop it. 
The Ensilage Number will be read with in¬ 
terest by all farmers, whether thev favor en¬ 
silage or not. ® 
We are having many inquiries as to Alfal¬ 
fa or Lucern.—Attention is directed to the 
Farmer’s Club of this issue. 
Up to this time the Rural’s little plots of 
wheat and rye hybrids and crossbred wheats 
have passed through the winter with less dam¬ 
age than ever before. 
Secretary J. S. Woodward proposes to 
o to England for some Dorset Horned Sheep. 
hould he do so he will favor the R. N.-Y. 
with notes of his journey. 
One of the best crops of oats ever raised at 
the Rural Farm came from a trifle less than 
1)4 bushel of seed to the acre. Our opinion is 
that too much seed tends to weaken the straw 
and to reduce the yield of grain both in bulk 
and weight. 
The farmer’s daughter who leaves the farm 
preferring city life, and the farmer’s daughter 
who is well contented with farm life give the 
material for one of the best of the series of 
cartoons the R. N.-Y. has presented. It will 
appear in a few weeks. 
The R. N.-Y. has given and will continue 
to give the dark as well as the bright side of 
farming. Speaking for ourselves, we would 
not—could not—be induced to quit our coun¬ 
try life for a permanent city life for the en¬ 
tire fortune of the wealthiest man in the 
world. 
A series of articles on Farm Blacksmith 
work will soon begin. The articles are writ¬ 
ten by a student at Cornell, and will give an 
excellent idea of the course in blacksmithing 
givm in the mechanical department of that 
college. They will be simple, brief and prac¬ 
tical. 
A GOOD friend writes us that he is greatly 
pleased with the illustration of thrashed corn. 
‘Why do not other agricultural papers print 
such pictures?” he asks. That is something 
we cannot answer. He had better write to 
the other papers for information on that point. 
As we cannot appreciate the blessings of 
health except as we know of the sufferings 
which sickness brings, so we cannot appreci¬ 
ate the bright side of farm life except as we 
contemplate the dark side. There is a dark 
side to every life, depending in a great meas¬ 
ure upon the man himself. It would not sur¬ 
prise us to learn that there is a dark side of 
life in heaven. 
Remember that plants to do the work they 
ought to do, require “standing-room.” They 
must have a mellow, porous soil or their feet 
will be cramped. It pays to take the time to 
prepare soil properly. Old Jethro Tull found 
to his cost that tillage alone would not keep 
up the fertility of his fields, but he found 
what thousands since his time have proved, 
that tillage and manure work well together. 
Don’t depend upon surface tillage too much. 
Pulverize the soil to begin with. 
Many farmers have followed the Rural’s 
advice about providing a small patch of rye 
for early spring pasturage. That is good. 
Now don’t spoil the experiment by wrong 
feeding. This rye will not make as complete 
a ration as pasture grass would. Those who 
turn cattle out on it without any grain food 
will be dissatisfied. The cattle will not get 
enough to eat, and they wifi eat too much and 
“bloat.” These two statements may seem a 
little hardito reconcile, but they are true. 
