1888 
THH BUBAL WfeW-YCFKFR. 
273 
fturfil (Topics. 
BUCEPHALUS BROWN’S NOTIONS AND 
IDEAS. 
F armers’ Rights.— It takes a good deal 
of vigilance to maintain rights. Rights 
are things that will not maintain themselves. 
Often, perhaps without any conscious inten¬ 
tion to encroach, the active self-interest of 
one class of men trenches upon the rights of 
another class. When this happens, the en- 
croacher can not often be induced to give up 
his advantage by persuasion. He must be, in 
some way, coerced into doing it. 
The Farmer’s Weakness.— It is often said 
in a discouraged sort of way, by very intelli¬ 
gent farmers, that their rights are sacrificed 
because the farmer, individually, is weak, and 
farmers very hard to organize for effective 
work. There is some truth in this, of course. 
The majority of farmers are poor and they 
have fewer opportunities than others of talk¬ 
ing and consulting together, and of being ad¬ 
dressed, stimulated and encouraged by intelli¬ 
gent public speakers, who have made the in¬ 
terests of the agricultural class a subject of 
thought. These are evident disadvantages, 
but they can be met and overcome. 
The Farmer’s Defense.— This is the de¬ 
fence of every American freeman— his vote, 
and the number of farmers is so great that, if 
they vote together with tolerable unanimity, 
there is no legislative body that will long fail 
to concede to them what they demand. 
Is Unanimity Possible?— There are many 
advantages belonging to the citizenship of a 
nation of wide territory and large population. 
There are also disadvantages, one of which is 
that the interests of even a single class may 
differ, or seem to differ, greatly, in different 
parts of such a country. I feel sure that there 
are, and always will be, important public 
questions affecting the farming interest in 
America, upon which a general and entire 
agreement is impossible, and I know that the 
great business interests which have reason to 
fear a union and concentration of the agricul¬ 
tural interest for defense against their aggres¬ 
sions will always make all they can of those 
divergent interests, and will have the power¬ 
ful aid of a great part of the press of the na¬ 
tion in the work of dividing the farmers, and 
thus nullifying their political power. 
Compromise. —There are a considerable 
number of very upright men in the world to 
whom the word “compromise” is utterly hate¬ 
ful, because they regard the thing itself as sin¬ 
ful. Yet without compromise effective organ¬ 
ization and union for great ends are absolutely 
impossible. Fortunately it is not necessary, in 
many cases, for farmers to compromise any 
great, fundamental, moral principles, in order 
to inaugurate an effective political union in 
their ranks. The concessions they are called 
upon to make are chiefly of a pecuniary nature, 
like those connected with the tariff of duties 
on foreign products. The internal revenue is 
a more difficult matter, since it is raised by 
taxation on spirituous liquors and tobacco. 
Cooperation. —So far as our farmers agree 
at least, they can cooperate; and their appar¬ 
ent weakness in the matter of organization can 
be effectively compensated by individual 
action, in a very easy way. I am convinced 
by personal experience, that in matters of 
national legislation a tremendous power can 
be brought into action by the mere personal 
pressure of the individual voter upon his Con¬ 
gressional representative, either directly, by 
word of mouth, or by correspondence. The 
greater number of our Congressional districts 
are pretty close as regards the vote; and when 
a moderate number of voters show that they 
take enough interest in any proposed legisla¬ 
tion to speak or write to their Congressman 
against it, or in its favor, he will vote as they 
wish. 
The Omnipotent Ballot. —Let all be said 
that can be said of the power of money in leg¬ 
islative bodies, yet the fact still stands that 
the Congressman can’t have a vote to sell, un¬ 
til the people give him one. If he is willing to 
be bribed, still, like St. Paul, he is “in a strait 
betwixt two,” and he must let “I dare not wait 
upon I would,” wh«n he is made to feel sensi¬ 
bly, in his daily mail, that the eyes of dozens 
of his constituents are watching his votes upon 
bills in which they are interested. 
Don’t be Bashful.— My dear reader, avoid 
the too modest thought that because you are 
“only a farmer” you are a citizen of no conse¬ 
quence. Your vote is just as good as any 
man’s, if you vote it, and there is not a Con¬ 
gressman in the country who does not know 
that fact, perhaps bet ter than yourself. Write 
to him without fear, respectfully, for a repre¬ 
sentative of the will of the people is by his hon¬ 
orable office entitled to respect, but frankly 
expressing your interest on any legislation 
affecting yon as a farmer, It does not matter 
whether he is of your party, or not. Party is 
of small cousequence, at this time, in contrast 
with the necessity of wise legislation in the in¬ 
terest of agriculture. What is best for the 
farmer is best for the whole country; and 
patriotism should be above party. When it 
is understood that even a moderate number of 
farmers in each Congressional district will 
sustain and stand by a member who stands by 
the farmers, regardless of party, you will 
learn through the press, in a very few days, 
that “the farmers are a power in politics that 
cannot be disregarded.” 
And now the Press.— Just as the vote 
holds the Congressman, so the subscription 
gripes the editor. He may scoff at a solitary 
“stop my paper,” but discontinuances in whole 
platoons, companies and regiments, are quite 
another thing. The American press is as easi¬ 
ly controlled as the American Congress, or 
the State legislatures, for evil, or for good, 
according to circumstances. Now here is a 
big fact to consider: without the help of the 
press, and without the vote of the legislator 
the farmer is, and always will be in danger of 
injustice and wrong. But by his numerical 
power, properly exercised, he need never lack 
influence in either direction Vote and work 
for the right man in office; subscribe, and in¬ 
duce others to subscribe for the right papers; 
and injustice to the farmers will find no foot¬ 
hold in America. 
STRAWBERRY CULTURE IN WEST 
MICHIGAN. 
f'l^His locality has been for 25 years and 
JL more devoted in good part to horticultu¬ 
ral pursuits. When our peach orchards were 
swept away by the yellows, we depended 
mainly on small fruits, the land being divided 
and subdivided into small parcels, which com¬ 
pelled the owners to realize as much as possi¬ 
ble from small tracts by applying additional 
labor. Among the small fruits, strawberries 
hold the first place, as they are also the first 
of the season. Hardly have the snows of win¬ 
ter passed away when the modest little straw¬ 
berry plants erect their fruit stems and show 
their opening buds. From the full-blown to 
the fully developed crimson fruit is but a short 
time. 
The strawberry is not a tender plant, but 
entirely hardy here so far as temperature is 
concerned; but all successful growers in our 
section give the plants winter protection. 
This is not so much against low temperature 
as long-continued, prevailing winds in winter, 
when the g.’ound is not protected with snow 
and the heaving or freezing out in the spring. 
The mulching, if heavy enough, gives winter 
and spring protection against frost, and sum¬ 
mer protection against drought. Marsh hay, 
straw or any coarse material that will hold 
snow will answer, and should be applied late in 
the fall or in early winter, when the ground is 
frozen. This mulch remains on till the ground 
is fit to work in the spring when it is removed 
several rows at a time. The spaces are then 
cultivated and cleaned and the mulch re¬ 
placed between the rows, to protect the fruit 
from sand or clay and to conserve as far as 
possible the moisture in the soil for the time 
of its greatest need. Like all other fruit of 
this character, the strawberry is composed al¬ 
most wholly of water, and the plants, rooting 
shallow are more affected by drought than 
many others. This process of removal and 
culture is continued until the whole ground 
has been cleaned up. 
If strawberry growers would take time by 
the forelock, start one year in advance, grow 
their own plants on good, rich soil, with a 
little care by separating the runners and lay¬ 
ering to some extent, and then set out only 
strong, well-rooted, young plants on a good, 
clean soil; cultivate well, and remove all 
fruit stems when in bloom or before, there 
would be far less complaint of failure. Ex¬ 
cept for home use or trial only such varieties 
as are known to succeed on similar soil, in 
the same neighborhood, should be selected for 
commercial purposes, Since the old Wilson 
has failed to respond to the wishes of growers, 
owing to the leaf rust-blight (perhaps a con¬ 
stitutional weakness, brought about by con¬ 
tinued cropping in or near the same locality, 
like in-and-in breeding among animals), 
several other varieties have come into general 
use. Among these the Sharpless and Cres¬ 
cent take the lead here—the Sharpless for 
strong, heavy soil well kept in hills; the Cres¬ 
cent to run in more or less matted rows. 
It requires years and years for any fruit to 
establish itself firmly in any locality, under 
all the varying circumstances of soil and 
climate, heat and cold, moisture, drought and 
culture; hence the newer varieties are moving 
slowly. w. a. s, 
Benton Harbor, Berrien Co., Mich. 
£i)e Jlarci. 
MARKET POULTRY AND EGGS. 
J. H. DREVENSTEDT. 
T he Rural has got ahead of us. I notice 
the Rural’s intention to cross a White 
Wyandotte cockerel on White Dorking hens. 
This has been my pet idea for some time past. 
The White Wyandotte is such a superior fowl 
for market purposes that I believe a still further 
improvement could be made by introducing 
Dorking blood. This will develop more breast 
and increase the weight of the dressed car¬ 
cass considerably. But where oh! did the 
Editor get those White Dorkings with yellow 
legs? 
“Will it be a new breed?” asks the Editor. 
Judging by the wholesale manufacture of new 
breeds in both America and England, such a 
cross as the above would be entitled to a place 
as a new breed, besides having’ the merit of 
being a benefit to the general poultry interests 
and not merely a fancy for feathers alone. 
We must improve in the direction of choice 
table qualities, as our markets are still flooded 
with very unsatisfactory poultry. So much 
of the poultry sent to our markets is in such 
poor condition that low prices are simply 
courted. Such stuff never returns the pro¬ 
ducer the cost of production. It is true, also, 
that the markets are glutted in certain sea¬ 
sons—which seem to us always about the 
late fall to midwinter—just the time for farm¬ 
ers to hold back and eat all they can of their 
surplus. It’s cheaper than beef, better than 
pork, and when consumed at home keeps the 
market from being flooded, with consequent 
ruinous prices. Still, there are many families 
in the city who will always pay a first-class 
price for a prime article. But in order to get 
such a price the poultry must present a neat 
and attractive appearance, besides being well 
fattened and of breeds that are suitable for 
this purpose, such as Wyandottes, Plymouth- 
Rocks, Brahmas and Dorkings. A cross of 
Houdan with Brahma has, in our trade, given 
a satisfaction above all others. Still, the ap¬ 
pearance of this cross, when dressed, is not as 
fine as any of the above breeds; but those who 
once taste a young rooster of this cross will 
cry for more. 
(R. N. Y.—The White Dorking hens were 
found in th“ flock of a neighbor who takes de¬ 
light in experimenting with the different 
breeds. Last year he became interested in 
Dorkings, and sent to various parts of the 
country for settings of both White and Silver 
Grays. Out of many chickens hatched these 
four birds were found. They are so nearly 
alike and of such excellent shape and size that 
we decided to experiment with them. We 
have no particular ambition to develop a new 
breed, beyond a desire to improve the market 
qualities of our laying breeds. What we want 
is a short, blocky hen that will lay a good 
number of large white eggs in the winter with 
good care, and will fatten readily after laying 
and produce a good carcass with a good pro¬ 
portion of breast meat. Or look to the Wyau- 
dotts to improve the laying quality of the 
Dorkings. If that can be done we shall have 
what we are after. Whether we succeed or 
fail, our readers will know the result. 
-» ♦ ♦- 
PITHY POULTRY PARAGRAPHS. 
A S soon as the frost is out sufficiently to dig 
the ground, it should be done. In large 
yards where the plow can be used, digging is 
only necessary where the plow does not reach* * 
in the corners and in front of the building close 
up. This turning over the earth sweetens the 
premises, and buries over the soiled part of 
the earth, and to extract that from the soil 
vegetation is the remedy. Sow oats or rye 
quite thick. This will be greatly relished by 
the poultry. The fowls are very fond of grow¬ 
ing grain or grass. By thus treating the 
yards, healthfulness and food are secured to¬ 
gether. In any waste places on a farm that 
cannot be made of any use, sow sunflower 
seed. Poultry are very fond of it, and there 
is not a finer dessert for them than this seed. 
Sunflowers thrive on a roadside or any waste 
spot. Pop-corn is also a good crop to raise 
for chickens. It is better than cracked corn 
from the mills, as all the heart of the grain is 
there. When the hens begin to lay there is a 
greater demand for variety of food; feed 
plenty of meat, shell and bone. 
Don’t try to set hens: but when they want 
to sit give them some eggs. It is best to give 
them some glass eggs first for a day or two, 
to see if they mean business, or they may do 
as the Dutchman’s hen did—sit standing up. 
Leave the chicks to the hen while hatching. 
It is well to look at them if the hen is docile; 
but if nervous, leave her. It sometimes hap¬ 
pens that a shell sticks to a chick, or that a 
chick gets buried under shells, in which case 
it is best to clear them; but some hens are so 
excitable that they scratch and tear the tender 
bodies of hatching broods if interfered with. 
If you want to remove a hen to sit in an¬ 
other place, it is always best to give the glass 
eggs to begin with, as hens sometimes fidget 
off and on the nest and break some of the eggs 
and afterward settle down quietly. 
Remember it is the early-hatched chicks 
that make the fall and winter laying pullets. 
They must be matured before cold weather; 
the latter part of March is a good time for 
hatching them, they stay under the hens for 
the first two or three weeks most of the time, 
after which the weather begins to be favor¬ 
able. 
Woman's Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
T he Woman’s Conference, recently in ses¬ 
sion at Washington, represented progres¬ 
sive femininity very happily. Though the dele¬ 
gates almost without exception,belonged to the 
claimants of women’s suffrage, they were any¬ 
thing but the stern-visaged and do wdily dress¬ 
ed creatures usually held up as “strong-mind¬ 
ed females.” They were sweet of face and 
gentle of manner, almost always tastefully— 
often very fashionably—attired. There were 
several female ministers—shall we call them 
clergy women? There were doctors, lawyers, 
editors, and women of business. And, to the 
amazement of the masculine critic, they were 
in no wise distinguishable from any other 
body of intelligent women. They celebrated 
the fortieth anniversary of the women’s suf¬ 
frage agitation; but, while much of their delib¬ 
eration was occupied by this subject, they dis¬ 
cussed many other matters of interest to 
women. 
* * * 
This was the first international council of 
women in the history of the world. Eng¬ 
land, Ireland and Scotland, Germany, Nor¬ 
way, Finland, France and Canada—each was 
represented by its best. Rev. Antoinette 
Brown Blackwell, the first “clergywoman’ 
ever ordained, offered an opening prayer aud 
blessing, while Elizabeth Cady Stanton made 
the opening address. Baroness Gripenberg 
told of the freedom accorded women in Fin¬ 
land, where higher education “is an acknowl¬ 
edged fact.” Pundita Ramabai presented its 
antithesis, in telling of the condition of wo¬ 
men in Hindostan. 
* * * 
Apropos of higher education, Rena Mich¬ 
aels, Dean of the Women’s College,Northwest¬ 
ern University, declares that education never 
destroys love or romance in a girl. She says a 
girl may caress a conic section, but let her see 
the man to whom her heart goes out, and she 
will drop the conic section and caress the man. 
Education may better the mind, but it has 
nothing to do with the heart. If it had you 
would not find educated women stooping 
sometimes to marry the men they do, nor 
would you find educated men marrying mere 
prettiness, when there was still some educa¬ 
ted womanhood left. 
* * * 
Clara Barton told about the grand work of 
the Red Cross with an enthusiasm which was 
communicated to her audience, and Frances 
E. Willard discussed the greatest temperance 
movement in the world. Stirring addresses 
were made on behalf of social purity, and 
against lax marriage and divorce. 
The earnestness and belief in individual 
effort shown by all the members of this con¬ 
ference are most striking. They don’t sit down 
quietly and say they are too feeble to effect 
anything. Each one acts as if the welfare of 
the whole universe depended on her individual 
efforts, and, after all, this is the true idea. 
We can never have unity without units. And 
if we can’t all lead a great charity or moral 
reform, each one can do something to make 
the world better and happier, if it is only to 
teach our neighbors how to make digestible 
pie-crust. 
HORSEBACK RIDING. 
ELSIE. 
This is a form of healthful amusement that 
many farmers’ daughters let go by them. It 
does not seem to me nearly as popular in the 
East as it is in California, where the young 
girls on every ranch ride like veritable cow¬ 
boys, aud let me tell you that does not mean 
that their riding is devoid of grace, I only use 
the simile to characterize their fearlessness. I 
know that when I was a country girl (oh, it is 
not so long ago but that I remember it per¬ 
fectly), I was the only farmer’s daughter for 
miles around who indulged herself or was in¬ 
dulged in that delightful exercise. I was un¬ 
usually favored, since I had my own saddlo- 
horse, whose only other qualification was a 
