734 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
(Continued from page 731.) 
usually large this year, while the quality of 
the fruit is reported to be excellent. The ap¬ 
ple trade is becoming quite an important one 
to Canada, and the export annually to the 
United States and Eagland is assuming con¬ 
siderable proportions. The best Canadian 
apples bring the highest price in the London, 
Liverpool and Glasgow markets, and the 
English public are beginning to recognize 
the difference in the quality of American and 
Canadian apples. Formerly all the English 
importations were called American. As with 
cheese, k so with [apples, a good many tons 
of both are now shipped from the United 
States to Europe via the Dominion continual¬ 
ly, in order that they may get the benefit of 
the favorable reputation these Canadian arti¬ 
cles now enjoy. Here are some hints the 
adoption of which would benefit shippers on 
both sides of the border, in sending their fruit 
to domestic as well as foreign markets: 
They should pay more attention than they 
do to the packing of the fruit. If more care 
were displayed in this connection the fruit 
would travel better, arrive in much better 
condition, and realize higher prizes. As it is, 
a considerable proportion is not well packed, 
consequently it gets bruised, its appearance is 
spoiled, and it has to be sold as an inferior 
quality. It costs no more to handle and 
carry a barrel of the finest apples than a 
barrel of inferior ones, and it does seem a 
pity that the grower should lose money owing 
to the want of a little extra care. Besides, 
there is not only the loss of several shillings a 
barrel to think of, but the necessity of keep¬ 
ing up the reputation of the fruit. 
The Gensing Makkkt.— The scarcity of 
the supplies of gensing in the principal mar¬ 
kets in the United States has advanced prices 
to the highest figure, quality considered. In¬ 
deed it is said that this scarcity foreshadows the 
ultimate extinction of the drug root as an ar¬ 
ticle of commerce in this country. The prin¬ 
cipal markets for the product, according to 
the Oil, Faint, and Drug Reporter, are Louis¬ 
ville, Cincinnati, Chicago and New York. 
By some the high prices and present scarc¬ 
ity of the roots are attributed to a combina¬ 
tion or corner by large holders of the article. 
The business, it is said, is being gradually 
absorbed by Cninamen. Kentucky, Tennes¬ 
see, Virginia and North Carolina are said to 
be sending less to market than formerly, but 
this has been partly made up by larger re¬ 
ceipts from Wisconsin and Minnesota. The 
plant grows wild. Systematic cultivation is 
practically confined to New York State. 
The cultivated article does not sell as high as 
the wild species. Ginseng is bought entirely 
for export to China. Chinamen in Amer¬ 
ica do not use it. 
Illinois Mortgage Statistics.— Illinois 
has been collecting statistics of mortgages 
which seem to show that the State is really 
owned by her own residents, not by Eastern 
capitalists. The mortgages foot up over $400, 
000,000, of which only $142,000,000 are repre¬ 
sented by farm mortgages. Non-residents 
hold mortgages amounting to $37,000,000. 
The statistics are almost sure to bo inac¬ 
curate, for they are compiled from the 
county records, which contain no inform¬ 
ation of payments made on account of build¬ 
ing society mortgages, which are very numer¬ 
ous in Illinois. It would be safe probably to 
cut down such mortgages one half to find the 
actual indebtedness on their behalf. 
WORTH NOTING. 
The Breeder’s Gazette says that the greatest 
breeders of all times have been passionately 
fond of their animals, and it must be con¬ 
ceded that where “the inspiration of en¬ 
thusiasm” is wanting the chances of pro¬ 
nounced success are not especially brilliant. 
Of Thos. Bates it has been written; “Those 
who have strolled with him in his pastures 
can recall how the cows and even the young 
heifers would lick his hand and seem to listen 
to every gentle word and keen comment, as if 
they penetrated its import.”. 
Dr. S M. Babcock has shown that there is a 
clear loss of 2.73 pounds of butter per 100 
pounds of cream, through churning the sweet 
cream before mild acidity was developed. 
He tried it so many times, says Mr. Hoard, 
that it may be considered true beyond all 
cavil. But who will be the next stupid man 
or woman to pour the latest skimming into 
the churn, the last moment, so as to have all 
the cream churned, and out of the way?. 
WORD FOR WORD. 
Mas. Kkdzjk, in the Industrialist: “We 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER 
have all heard'of the boy whose father said, 
‘My boy has three hands—a right hand, left 
hand, and behind hand,” and have laughed at 
some one else who was late when we were 
early. We do not realize the time we waste 
by a little negligence in the matter of being on 
time. Promptness is almost one of the neces¬ 
sities in forming reliable character: and no 
thoroughly trustworthy person fails to come 
promptly to time in all things. ” 
-Ohio Farmer: “But while the doctors are 
quarreling the hogs are dying by hundreds 
and thousands. The prevention of this great 
annual loss is of far greater importance than 
the victory of rival aspirants to veterinary 
honors. ” 
-Western Rural: “The Chicago.Board of 
Trade is, without a possibility of exception, 
the most loathsome case of moral leprosy that 
has ever appeared upon our commercial sys¬ 
tem.” 
-Breeder’s Gazette: “ Neglect never yet 
lifted a mortgage or bettered a bank account, 
and just now the thrifty breeder will bestir 
himself to see that provision is made for carry¬ 
ing the live stock properly through the winter 
months.” 
-Mirror and Farmer: “The experiment of 
the editor of the Rural New-Yorker, made 
for the purpose of producing at the rate of 700 
bushels of potatoes per acre, has its important 
lesson, and that is, what may be done in the 
line of potato culture, and also the supposed 
effect of a system of culture unlike what is 
usually practiced.” 
MONEY IN CAPONS. 
GEORGE Q. DOW. 
I have often wondered why poultry-raisers 
and farmers liviDg near large cities, like New 
York, Philadelphia and Washington, do not 
take advantage of their situation by buying 
young cockerel chickens, that these large city 
markets ars flooded with in the fall and early 
winter, take them to their yards or farms and 
caponize them for the following spring trade. 
There is unquestionably a large and sure pro¬ 
fit to be made by just such an operation. 
The field is, of course, limited to those living 
near such cities, as they not only have the 
great advantage of being able to visit these 
markets daily, at little expense, to select their 
own birds and do their own “dickering,” but 
they aie also conveniently located to market 
their capons to the best advantage when they 
become of proper size. 
I am informed that if a person watches the 
live poultry market closely in the tall, in New 
York City, he can frequently procure 
nice young cockerels for about 10 cents a 
pound, or a three-pound bird for 25 cents 
which is very cheap, as they cannot be raised 
for nearly double that amount. Take such 
birds as that, caponize them, put them in clean, 
warm quarters, and feed all they will oat, un¬ 
til March, and you will have a capon that 
will sell readily for from 18 to 26 cents a 
pound, and will dress from eight to 12 pounds 
each, leaving you a profit of from $1.00 to $1.50 
a fowl, after paying the expense of feed. The 
manure they make will pay for their care. 
About the only expense attending such an 
operation is the feed, as they are very little 
trouble to care for, beiug seldom sick or 
ailing. 
The same number of hens would require 
four times the care and labor. 
Give them clean, warm quarters, plenty of 
food and drink, and they will make them¬ 
selves perfectly contented, and grow large and 
fat, and pay as large a profit as a hen. 
In selecting your birds, it would be well of 
course, to procure the largest breeds, or those 
that show Brahma, Cochin or Dorking blood, 
or a mixture of Plymouth Rock or Wyandotte 
with the above. You may not be able to pur¬ 
chase pure-blooded stock and it is not expected 
that you will, but you cau find good grades of 
the large breeds. Any breed of fowls, by being 
caponized will have their weight increased 
about 40 per cent. But the Leghorn variety 
should be avoided, as they are not large 
enough to bother with, and they will eat just 
as much as a larger bird. Do not let the fact 
that you do not know how to perform the op¬ 
eration of caponizing, deter any one from at 
tempting it. It is as simple an operation a s 
A. B. C., and much more easily and quickly 
done than to dress a fowl for the table in good 
shape. Besides, there are people that will do 
the work for you, if you do not care to do it 
youi-self. Just as fine capons can be raised in 
New England or New York as In New Jei-sey. 
No. Epping, N. H. 
WESTERN HORSE NOTES. 
Increasing the size of horses in this coun¬ 
try continues to engage the attention of our 
farmers. The heavy English and French 
horses are being imported as extensively as 
ever, and stallions of these breeds are well 
patronized wherever the results of their use 
with ordinary stock are known. There can 
be no question but that the demand for large 
horses will be good for years to come. So 
long as our Western cities continue to grow, 
and street-paving is the order of the day, 
money invested in well selected grade mares 
is sure to bring good returns. 
With a view of answering recent inquiries 
regarding the weights of grade Percherou 
mares, Messrs. J. D. & L. B. Smith weighed 
19 of the 43 they have catalogued for sale. 
These mares are six to eight years old and are 
sired by imported stallions. Though just off 
the grass and only in good condition for 
breeding, they average 1,494 pounds. With 
a little attention, they could soon be made to 
gain 150 to 309 pounds each. Two of the 
lightest weighed 1,310 pounds each. The 
heaviest went to 1,625, and two others to 1,600 
pounds each. 
There is no strong disposition on the part 
of our farmers generally to have the pure¬ 
bred animals. They will patronize pure-bred 
draft stallions, however, with a view to 
raising half and three-quarter-bred horses for 
the worker, but as a rule they do not like to 
farm with, or drive on the road, such heavy 
horses as are brought here from beyond the 
water. 
The Percherons and grade Percherons are 
by many preferred to the Scotch and Eng¬ 
lish draft horses because of their cleaner 
legs and supposed better adaptation to use on 
the road. They are growing in favor here 
and Percheron horse breeding seems destined 
to be one of our leading live stock interests. 
Springfield, Ills. p.m s. 
Perfectly Harmless. —Thatcher’s Or¬ 
ange Butter Color, the largest packages for 
the price, the purest, strongest and the most 
natural June tint of any known preparation 
in the world. 
Thatcher M’f’g. Co., Potsdam, N. Y.—Adv. 
CONDUCTED BY MRS. AGNES E. M. CARMAN. 
Listen fair ladies: Send in your names 
for the Women's Potato Contest. Or don’t 
you value a souvenir in evidence of having 
raised a fine yield ? 
The editor of this department and the wife 
>f the R. N-.Y.’s associate editor propose to 
;ee how many potatoes they can each raise on 
he designated plot of one-fortieth of an acre. 
A KNUCKLE OF VEAL AND WHAT 
TO DO WITH IT. 
over the fire in a frying-pan; when melted 
stir in as much flour, and add a gill of broth 
for every cup of minced meat. When this 
sauce thickens nicely, season it with pepper 
and salt, stir in the meat and half the quantity 
of fine bread crumbs. Stir until it leaves the 
bottom and sides of the pan, always over a 
moderate fire, and turn out into a buttered 
dish to cool. Then mold into any preferred 
shape, roll in crumbs, then in beaten egg, 
and again in crumbs, fry in hot fat, and 
garnish with parsley. You must have enough 
fat to immerse them, but every good house¬ 
keeper should have this without buying lard. 
It does not take as long to make these as to 
tell how to do it, so don’t be afraid of the 
trouble, as I was, until I had tried it. You 
may vary the croquettes by mixing with cold 
boiled rice instead of bread crumbs, or instead 
of molding into croquettes you may serve it 
on bits of toasts as a mince. I have a knuckle 
of veal once a week, and Jock says I never 
produce the same kind of a soup or meat dish 
from it, and indeed with a little ingenuity 
you may vary it indefinitely. 
If I am not “thrown out” you may hear 
again from minnie grey. 
Dress sleeves are full. 
Watered silks and moir<5 have had their 
day. 
Dress waists still show the trimmings put 
on in the popular V-shape. 
A new combination for indoor wear, is that 
of white with a peculiar green known as 
“Reed.” 
It was Thoreau who said, “However mean 
your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun 
it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as 
you are. It looks poorest when you are rich¬ 
est. The fault-finder will find faults even in 
paradise.” 
Catherine Baldwin, in Harper’s Bazar, 
says that women of means in our large cities 
do not hesitate to spend thousands of dollars 
on their establishments and entertainments; 
yet these same women turn a deaf ear and a 
cold heart to any appeal for their interest, in¬ 
fluence, or financial aid to the plans which 
thoughtful men and women are trying to 
work out for the education of intelligent 
women, whose pioneer work along many lines 
of study shows conscientious effort aud able 
achievement. 
A TALK ABOUT HALLOWE’EN. 
A prosy subject, but it is the practical 
treatment of just such subjects that has help¬ 
ed me most in the always helpful columns of 
the Rural. Now a knuckle of veal, as every 
one knows, is the bottom of the leg, and var¬ 
ies greatly in size, depending upon the fair¬ 
ness or generosity of the butcher. I pay ten or 
fifteen cents for one, and make two dishes from 
it. Have it cracked in several pieces, and 
put it over the fire with three quarts of cold 
water, when it has reached the boiling point 
set it where it may simmer slowly. At the 
end of the first hour add a liberal supply of 
soup vegetables, say, one large onion, two 
small carrots, a medium-sized turnip, several 
stalks of celery, parsley and herbs. As soon 
as the meat is tender, and will easily slip from 
the bones, take out the best of it. There 
should be a piece about as large as two (small) 
fists. Set this aside for a breakfast dish. Let 
the soup simmer, in all, three hours; strain 
aud pick out the whole vegetables, if you live 
in the city where you have to buy these; if 
not,you can afford to throw them in the 
chicken yard with the Dones and gristle. 
There will be so little fat on it that you can 
skim it off without letting it get cola. Put 
aside a large cupful of the stock for your cro¬ 
quettes, aud thicken with a spoonful of sago 
or rice: there should be two quarts of it. 
For the croquettes mince the meat—after it 
is cold—very liue; put a tablespoon of butter 
Hallowe’en has come ! How did you 
decide to spend it, boys and girls ? Of course, 
if you live in a city, you don’t have to 
do much thinking beforehand, for there are 
scores of places where one can go and have a 
thoroughly good time—the opera, the theater, 
the museum, etc.; but if you live in the 
country, perhaps a mile or two from any 
neighbor, and want a lark of some sort, you 
must do a little preparatory thinking. 
In our county, dowiYin dear old”Pennsyl- 
vania, it used to be the fashion to have “ Quilt¬ 
ing Parties” or “Carpet Sewings.” Many a 
thrifty housewife would save her carpet rags 
for months beforehand, and, when the day of 
the “sewing” arrived, the rags would be cut, 
and all be in readiness. 
The lasses, armed with thimble and scissors, 
came early in the day, shortly after noon, and 
sewed till late in the afternoon. What races 
we’d run! Each would try to out-sew her 
neighbor, and a prize of some sort was award¬ 
ed to the girl who sewed the most. Every 
girl would save her best story to be told on 
this occasion. All the news of the surround¬ 
ing counties was discussed, and the afternoon 
was gone before one could realize it, and, be¬ 
sides, carpet rags enough'would be sewn to 
make ever and ever so much carpet. 
Then, just before dusk, we’d have a scamper 
round the grounds in order to.take the kinks 
out of )ur knees. (For some of us were not 
used to sitting still so long). After this we 
hied upstairs, arranged our curls, put on our 
additional furbelows, aud [repaired to parlor 
or “home-room,” as the case might be. 
gftisrrtluncflUiSi 
When Baoy was sick, we gave her Castorla.; 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castoria, 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she had Children, she gave them Oaatorle 
