684 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
SETP 22 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANational Journal for Country and Suburban Homo . 
Conducted by 
K1.BERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE ItURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1888. 
NOTIFICATION. 
rjAIIE day appointed for harvesting the 
potatoes of the “ Contest ” plot is 
Friday, the 28th inst. The judges have 
been notified to that effect. 
Train boats leave Pavonia Ferry (Erie, 
foot of Chambers Street), 9.50-11.15 a.m. 
It is desired that all who can will take 
the 9.50 boat. Excursion tickets should 
be purchased to River Edge, N. J. & N. 
Y. R.R. Return trains leave nearly every 
hour in the afternoon. The distance from 
the station to River Edge is one and one- 
eighth mile. Conveyances will be fur¬ 
nished for the committee and for others 
as far as possible. 
“There are farmers, a few in almost every 
town, who would willingly be taxed for better 
schools, but there are no men anywhere, who 
more thoroughly understand the impossi¬ 
bility of carrying a vote in a sipgle town 
where the farm vote is a majority, to im¬ 
prove the teaching in our public schools, if 
it will cost money to do it.”—D r. Hoskins, 
page 628. 
■ - 
Whether the R.N-Y. be defeated or 
not in the potato contest, the Potato 
Special to be issued in early November, 
will greatly interest those of our readers 
who derive an income from this most im¬ 
portant crop. 
The advantages of the Trench System 
have never been more clearly shown. 
“Most pupils who come to our college, come 
without knowing how to study. They have 
slack, irregular habits. They study and 
work and play , in season and out of season. 
They work and study without a plan. They 
do not understand the commonest rules for 
preserving health. They do not regard the 
hours for sleep, eating, or bathing, and do 
not know that it does much harm to go with 
wet feet or to sit up very late nights ."— Prof. 
Beal, page 628. 
Early Victor is with us this year, the 
first to fully ripen. The bunches are 
rather small, berry of medium size, round, 
black with blue bloom. The flesh is some¬ 
what pulpy, but sweet and juicy without 
foxiness. This is of one John Burr’s seed¬ 
lings, of Labrusca origin no doubt. The 
vine is hardy and vigorous. 
“J don't believe in lugging too many kinds 
of things into the common school cwt'ricu- 
um.— Sec. Garfield, page 628. 
The 28th will settle the Rural New- 
Yorker-Farm-Jotjrnal potato contest. 
We hate to talk of “ifs.” Nevertheless, 
now pardon us, had it not been for that 
Cucumber Flea-beetle, we would have 
given our readers a surprise. As it is, 
we hope to entertain them at any rate. 
The results of the contest, as reported by 
the judges, will be reserved for the Potato 
Special. 
“J have sometimes had a strong feeling 
that the true way to make great men and 
women is too slow and expensive for this 
rushing, practical age."—0. Howard, page 
628. 
We have received a circular from Jay 
B. Cline, a nurseryman of Rochester, N. 
Y., telling about Belding’s Improved Tree 
Currant. We do not know Cline or 
Belding and have never before heard of 
the currant in question. We do know 
that any sane man ought to be ashamed to 
make such claims for any kind of currant. 
The colored cut is one of the most shame¬ 
less exaggerations we have ever seen. 
“But what can be done with a district 
school under the care of a girl tvho is hardly 
trained to wash a dish clean, I don't see. 
Our average district school is a representa¬ 
tive of an outgrown system of a dead past ."— 
Rev. E. P. Powell. 
-♦ ♦+- 
The Eaton Grape is one of a large num¬ 
ber of seedlings grown by Calvin Eaton, 
of Concord, N. H., in 18G8. We find it 
a trifle earlier than the Concord (its 
parent). It is, as we have said, very 
juicy, with less pulp and less foxiness 
than the Concord, though not quite so 
sweet. The berries and bunches will 
average larger. The vine is a marvel of 
vigor and the fruit free from rot. 
Every member of the committee of judges 
has signified his intention to serve on the 
28th. 
A few weeks ago we gave an outline of 
the work to be done at the new experi¬ 
ment stations. The directors told what 
they thought the farmers should know. 
Now for the other side—what the farmers 
themselves think they ought to have in 
the way of instruction by experiment. 
The following note has been sent to some 
of the best farmers we know of. 
“If you should be elected Director of 
one of the experiment stations, what 
points of farming would you start out to 
investigate? In other w T ords, what do 
you think the stations ought to do to help 
farmers?” 
The publication of the answers to these 
questions begins this week, and our 
readers may expect some racy and sensi¬ 
ble articles. 
- » ♦ « - 
“ Whatever comfort, pleasure, or necessary 
is added to the home,—in doors or out,—let 
it be placed to the credit of some particular 
crop, and when the new spring comes, make 
special plantings with special objects in view, 
and you will find the hoe-handles endowed 
with a stimulus unknown since the days of 
the elves\and fairies .— Richard Ferris, page 
640. 
Rye is known in some sections as a 
“pauper’s crop.” Many have noticed that 
the soil of rye-farms frequently runs down 
to a state of poverty. Is rye such a very 
exhausting crop ? We think this state of 
affairs is rather due to the fact that the 
rye plant deceives farmers. It grows so 
well on comparatively poor land that 
farmers come to believe that it will grow 
anywhere and without help. This it can¬ 
not do. It is such a greedy feeder that it 
does fairly well as long as there is any¬ 
thing in the soil. When the soil is ex¬ 
hausted it gives way all at once. Thus, 
many rye-farms conducted on the princi¬ 
ple that rye can support itself are “run 
down.” 
It has been a fine season for the two 
little ricinus groves started the past 
spring at the Rural Grounds. The tall¬ 
est plants are now 12 feet high, though 
no effort has been made to induce a tall 
growth. On the outside the plants are of 
the purple-leaved, dwarf-growing kinds. 
These look very pretty against the big 
green leaves of the others. In such a sea¬ 
son as this it would be easy to raise cas¬ 
tor-oil plants 20 feet high, by pinching 
out all secondary axillary growth, as 
well as the flower-buds, as soon as they 
appear. It is as easy to cross the ricinus 
as it is to cross corn, the male and female 
flowers growing separately. Curiously 
enough the female flowers are on top, so 
that the wind or insects have to carry the 
pollen up instead of down, as in corn. 
The political talk at farmers’ gather¬ 
ings this year is pretty much all one way. 
There ia an unequal division of profits, and 
the farmer gets the smallest share every 
time. The country is getting richer and 
richer—wealth is piling up. There seems 
no room for doubt that the aggregate 
wealth of the country increases in volume 
every year. Few people doubt this—the 
great point to be solved is, where does 
this wealth go? Who gets it? The 
farmers like to see wealth accumulated 
and business prosperous, but they want 
to see a fair division of this wealth and 
business. A friend suggests the following 
idea for a cartoon. The farmer has raised 
a watermelon. He has done all the work 
and given all the fertilizing. The melon 
represents his labors. The vine has 
grown through the fence to the lawn of 
his lazy neighbor. There it has de¬ 
veloped a splendid melon, which the lazy 
neighbor prepares to feast upon. Now 
common law would permit that farmer to 
reach over and pull that fruit to his own 
premises. It is a product of his toil and 
care. We want a law that shall, in the 
same way, enable the farmer to pull back 
to his own premises a fair proportion of 
the prices obtained for his goods. 
Here are two little notes received dur¬ 
ing the past week: 
“I am glad to see your cartoons. Each one 
is a sound Democratic speech.” 
“I am glad to see your pictures. They 
teach the principles of Republicanism as I 
understand them.” 
These notes lead us to think that two 
things are pretty evident: 
1. The Rural is fair enough to suit all 
reasonable men. 
2. When you come to think the thing 
out carefully, you will find that there are 
some points upon which all good citizens 
can safely unite, regardless of party asso¬ 
ciation : 
The farmer does not get a fair share of 
the country's profits. 
-*_*_«- 
THE FIRST GUN. 
64t SEND you five seedlings of the 
JL Early Rose potato raised by the 
Rural Trench Method. The yield was 
at the rate of 500 bushels to the acre. 
Truly Yours, 
L. VON OnLSEN. 
Rockland Co., N. Y.” 
The five potatoes weighed just five 
pounds and 10 ounces. 
A BAD REPORT. 
U NIVERSITY of Tennessee Sept. 6, 
1888. The Rural New-Yorker 
potato No. 2, as grown by us this season 
on the college farm, was inferior both in 
productiveness and size. The product of 
one tuber, planted as single eyes, (11) 
yielded 4 % pounds of which there were 16 
merchantable and 18 unmerchantable. 
c. s. FLUMB. 
[Prof. Plumb does not state whether 
the season was favorable or not. Eds.] 
THE APPLE CROP. 
R EPORTS received from 67 districts in 
the United Kingdom indicate that the 
English apple crop is a partial failure as 
regards extent, while the quality is below 
the average in 46 out of the 67 districts. 
Trade circulars differ as to the Continental 
crop, some stating that it is likely to be 
both large and good, while others report 
that the prospects in Holland indicate only 
about one-third of a fair average crop. In 
Belgium early apples, promise well, but 
there are indications of a small crop of 
late apples. A short crop in France is 
also reported on account of the very wet 
weather. According to the Department 
of Agriculture, the Atlantic States to 
Virginia give promise, in the aggregate, of 
a medium crop, though the condition is 
very low in New Jersey, and not over 
three-fourths of an average crop is likely 
to be obtained in New York. With the 
exception of Rhode Island, Connecticut, 
New York and New Jersey, the con¬ 
dition is better than last year. In Vir¬ 
ginia the prospect is the poorest for years. 
Arkansas and Tennessee will probably 
have good crops, while in Kentucky and 
the Ohio Valley the prospects are good for 
a fair crop. The trans-Mississippi States 
are likely to have medium crops, though 
there are complaints of poor quality, scab 
and blight ia parts of Missouri. The 
prospects of crops on the Pacific coast are 
considerably above the average. 
DISTRICT SCHOOL AGRICULTURE. 
I N theory, the plan of teaching the 
elements of agriculture in the country 
school-house is about perfect. Over 90 
per cent, of the farmers of the future are 
to be educated in country schools. The 
“ course of study ”—if it may be dignified 
as such—is generally without method, 
and should be changed anyway. The 
agricultural colleges need students. The 
rural schools should furnish students for 
these colleges just as town and city 
public schools furnish pupils for literary 
and technical colleges. We know this 
is all very true, but one fact, clearly 
brought out in the articles printed else¬ 
where in this issue, undermines the 
whole plan. There are no teachers 
capable of teaching this elementary 
agriculture as it should be taught. We 
can’t have the teaching until we have the 
teachers. One would suppose that the 
students at our agricultural colleges 
ought to be able to give this elementary 
instruction. The writer has experienced 
the different phases of agricultural 
college student life and is prepared to 
indorse Prof. Beal’s statement of the lack 
of knowledge of practical things possessed 
by many students. In Michigan and 
some other States many students teach 
in district schools during the winter 
vacations. Some of them are earnest 
and honest men who would gladly help 
their pupils in every possible way, but 
what can they do in a single term with a 
work that requires years for its comple¬ 
tion? Again, the student of agriculture 
teaches his district school in order to ob¬ 
tain money to complete his course. '1 he 
money question is foremost in his mind; 
while this is so he can have but little en¬ 
thusiasm for his educational work. In 
France, and some other European coun¬ 
tries, students in rural schools absorb 
elementary agricultural science. There 
the school grounds are turned into a gar¬ 
den in which flowers, vegetables and fruits 
are cultivated by teacher and pupils to¬ 
gether. On page 446 of the present vol¬ 
ume of the Rural is a description of a 
community school in Indiana, which ap¬ 
pears to be modeled after the European 
system. When such a school can be 
founded and maintained in each country 
township, we may hope to succeed with 
district school agriculture. 
BREVITIES. 
A small piece of rye sown near the chicken 
yard will give good returns. 
Mb. Crosby, page 629, says: “If the milk 
is too rich to drink, I can put water in it 
much cheaper than the cow can." 
“ We shall be there. ” So say the several 
members of the committee appointed to decide 
the Rural’s potato contest. 
A new strawberry named “Yale” is being 
tried at the Rural Grounds. It is one full of 
the usual high promise at least. 
And now you should have your chief dis¬ 
play of gladioli, because choice flowers out of 
doors have grown few and far between. 
Our White Wyandottes are pure white, 
splendidly feathered and very shapely. The 
Andalusians disappoint us. But more of this 
later. 
There can be no doubt that the two car¬ 
toons, “ A Mystery of Trade” and “ Wake Up 
Uncle Sam,” have “hit” ’em, and “ hit”’em 
hardl 
We are eating the young roosters of last 
spring’s hatching. Our folks say the practice 
cuts down the meat bill and helps out the table 
wonderfully. 
If W. D. Hoard makes a good farmers’ 
candidate for Governor of W isconsin, why 
will he not make a good candidate for 
President some day* 
By the time we get baled silage on the mar¬ 
ket, we shall doubtless have corn-and-cob 
meal as a distinct article of commerce. We 
ought to be able to buy both of these products 
at feed stores. 
Save the seed corn. Every ear of the corn 
we have been working on for 10 years or more 
is marked in the field. The ears are then 
husked and placed in a warm, dry room where 
they arejkept until time for planting next year. 
If there is any question that is of more 
vital interest to the future of American agri¬ 
culture than that of improving the country 
school, we want to be told of it. We propose 
to harp on this subject till something is really 
done. 
The 48thannual fair of the New York State 
Agricultural Society (17th to 22nd inst. in¬ 
clusive) will be free of all demoralizing influ¬ 
ences. Show your appreciation, good farmers, 
by going yourselves and taking your wives 
and children. 
One thing in favor of the Double-flowering 
(white) Horsechesnut (JEsculus Hippocasta- 
num alba flore-pleno) is that it doesn’t litter 
up the ground underneath and around with 
the nuts and shells. The flowers are sterile 
and do not form fruit. 
As a familiar term “full-graded” would 
not be bad to designate those “complete” fer¬ 
tilizers which contain a high per cent, of the 
useful ingredients, potash, phosphorus and 
nitrogen. It would at any rate be less mis¬ 
leading than “superphosphate.” 
An English device that is liable to be used 
here considerably is the iron rick stand, a de¬ 
vice for keeping stacks of hay or grain away 
from the ground. The silage stack is not 
making many friends here yet. Corn is the 
great American silage crop. It will be a good 
while before American farmers can bring 
themselves to the idea of preserving green 
grass. 
It will be remembered that a few weeks ago 
Mr. Jacobs gave the results of an experiment 
that started to break down an old turkey 
notion, to the effect that turkeys cannot be 
raised in confinement. We want this 
experiment repeated. Many of us would like 
to raise turkeys if we could get along without 
chasing them a mile or more every day. 
