THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Home •. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S, CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1888. 
It is extremely gratifying to the R. N- 
Y. that its lady readers are showing 
such a hearty interest in the Women’s 
National Potato Contest. 
The Rural New- Yorker Potato No. 2 will be 
sent to all of our yearly subscribers who 
apply, without any charge whatever. It will 
be sent , as the weather permits, from time to 
time, so that all shall receive a tuber before 
the planting season commences. Applica¬ 
tions are now in order. There is no doubt 
but that this potato will fail in many parts 
of the country , but from the reports thus 
far received, it may be said to be the nearest 
approach to a perfect potato at present 
known. 
■ -- 
On a little over three-quarters of an 
acre the R. N.-Y. harvested the past 
season 45 loads of carrots, 21 bushels to 
the load, or 945 bushels. The exact area 
was 36,516 square ieet, there being 
43,560, square feet to the acre. The 
variety was the Half-long Stump. 
“7s it well with thee this Thanksgiving 
Day? Yes, the early and the later rains have 
descended, seed time and harvest have come 
and gone, and the farmer's table is loaded 
with the abundance of the land. All efforts 
have not been alike successful-, but should 
we grieve over the abortive chaff as we win¬ 
now the grain, or rejoice and give thanks 
for the golden wheat?"—!. P. Roberts, page 
794. 
Some men never like to write their 
own experiences for publication, because 
they think everybody must know all 
about the things they do. That is 
wrong. Can’t you find something new 
in the next town or the next county? 
Of course you can, and these things 
which are new to you, seem old enough 
to the people who do them all the time. 
Don’t be afraid to tell us how things are 
done in your neighborhood. You will 
interest somebody who lives in another 
town or State and you in turn 
will be interested in what he writes. We 
want you to make a Thanksgiving resolu¬ 
tion that every time you communicate 
with this office you will write a few words 
or lines about some farm practice that 
pleases you. We are particularly desir¬ 
ous of obtaining sketches of farm imple¬ 
ments or labor-saving devices. We are 
prepared to pay for sketches of unique 
farm contrivances, no matter how crude 
thearawings are. 
Applications for the R. Y.- Y. potato No. 2 
must be made upon a piece of paper separate 
from all other communications, and the 
name and full address of the applicant must 
be given. The offer is necessarily confined to 
yearly subscribers or those who may be¬ 
come yearly subscribers. 
CHANGE OF CLUBBING TERMS. 
The Weekly Liter Ocean and the R. N.- 
Y., one year, $2.25. 
The N. Y. Weekly World and the 
R.N.-Y., $2.25. 
The Detroit Free Press and the R. N.- 
Y., $2 25. 
The Courier-Journal and the R. N.-Y., 
$2.25. 
The lowest possible clubbing rates 
with any journal in America will be giv¬ 
en on application. Subscribe through 
the Rural New'- Yorker. 
“7s the farmer on the whole likely to do bet¬ 
ter by ivorking with known materials, by 
applying such knowledge as he has to their 
use, and by trying to learn more, or by dele¬ 
gating his thinking to the manufacturer of 
a mixed feed, who, however upright he may 
be, has for his prime object money-making? 
To ask the guestion is to answer it ."— Prof. 
H. P. Amsby, page 795. 
Many of our friends tell us that the 
proportion of small potatoes is 
unusually large this year. Many propose 
to feed these small tubers to the cows 
rather than to sell them to starch factories. 
In many neighborhoods old farmers ad¬ 
vise against this course, saying, among 
other things, that the potatoes will in¬ 
juriously affect milk and butter. As the 
proper disposal of the small potato crop 
promises to prove an important problem, 
we would ask all our readers who have fed 
potatoes to cows to give us their exper¬ 
ience. 
“To the farmer this day is specially helpful 
for now he takes an invoice of the year's pro 
cesses, gains, and experiences, and selects 
out such as are worthy, for further use, and 
throws aside the valueless. He gathers in 
the wheat of his farm experiences , and casts 
away the chaff and weeds."— Prof. A. J. 
Cook ,page 794. 
A FEW OF THEM. 
I 'HIE man who thought he could in¬ 
crease the size of his whip and de¬ 
crease the size of his horse’s ration and 
get a good amount of work. 
The man who hired cheap help to save 
a few dollars in wages. 
The man who had to stop work in the 
field to cut stove wood. 
The man who cultivated 10 acres with 
only manure enough for five. 
The man who thought he could spend 
the money that should have bought an 
overcoat for whisky and get the nec¬ 
essary warmth out of it. 
The man who kept a cur dog worth 50 
cents and had to pay $20 for sneep killed 
by him. 
These are a few of the gentlemen who 
will have to jump about in order to get 
reasons for thankfulness unless they can 
appreciate the value of the blessings they 
have received in their experiences. 
“And I am thankful that 1 have to work 
under no master , and that there is never 
any lack of work, and that if the work is 
directed with reasonable skill it brings, on 
the average, I might almost say always,suffi¬ 
cient funds to make life enjoyable."— T. B. 
Terry, page 194. 
SAMPLE INDORSEMENTS. 
S ECRETARY J. S. WOODWARD; 
“It is a good work.” 
Henry Stewart: “The Women’s Po¬ 
tato Contest is an excellent thiDg.” 
Dr. C. Y. Riley: “The Women’s Po¬ 
tato Contest has my entire sympathy.” 
Pres. P. J. Berckmans: “I cheerful¬ 
ly advocate the scheme.” 
Peter Henderson: “I am glad to 
hear that you are going to engage the 
ladies in your potato contest, and have 
not the least doubt that it will be a suc¬ 
cess.” 
T. Woodason: “Nothing but good 
can come of it.” 
Mrs. E. E. Stine: “I think it is a 
grand, good thing to have the lady-read¬ 
ers of the R.N.-Y. enter into such a con¬ 
test. If the directors of our experiment 
stations want to learn how to grow pota 
toes, I would advise them to visit some 
of these plots during the growing season, 
and also when the crops are harvested.” 
Gen. Wm. G. LeDuc: “The efforts of 
the R. N.-Y. are always based upon 
something for the benefit of the far¬ 
mers. ” 
Mrs. A. Battles: “I am certain it 
will be very interesting and of great bene¬ 
fit to agriculturists at large, and help 
carry out w hat the R. N.-Y. has so ably 
commenced, viz , improved methods of 
cultivation and the introduction of bet¬ 
ter and more prolific varieties.” 
,l Cometo think it over, my neighbors have 
more things to be thankful for than I could 
enumerate in a column of the Rural. Let 
us be thankful that they can be. And then 
let us be thankful that we know so much 
more than our neighbors do, and that our 
remarkable sagacity is almost unfathom- 
a.ble ."— Fred Grundy, page795. 
TWO UNQUALIFIED INDORSE¬ 
MENTS. 
N EW YORK AGRICULTURAL EX¬ 
PERIMENT STATION.—“1 wish to 
congratulate you on your potato, the 
“Rural New Yorker No. 2.” It yielded 
best here the past season of 67 varieties; 
bore tbe smallest proportion of small 
tubers, and, so far as the varieties have 
been tested. it is the best in quality of all. 
I predict for it a great future.” 
Geneva, N. Y., Oct. 29. e. s. goff. 
Mamaroneck. West Chester Co,, N. 
Y. The Rural New-Yorker No. 2 
Potato is of large size, oval in shape, with 
a smooth skin and very few eyes, which 
are exceedingly shallow. The flesh is 
white and mealy, with a high toned 
flavor that will be appreciated by lovers 
of good potatoes. Briefly, it is a hand¬ 
some potato of the very best quality. In 
habit and growth it is the most distinct 
potato I have ever grown. I could pick 
out every plant from a 50 acre JJTot of 
mixed potatoes. It is a real pleasure 
to get hold of something that is first rate 
as well as new. 
If you purpose to send this potato out 
under a number, I would suggest that 
you call it No. 1 instead of No. 2. That 
would be about right, peter b. mead. 
THE NEXT COMMISSIONER OF 
AGRICULTURE. 
T HE following note from Prof. A. J. 
Cook explains itself. 
“I wish heartily to second your suggestion 
as to Commissioner of Agriculture. I am 
sure no one in the country is more capable to 
fill that position admirably, and to give 
general satisfaction than Mr. Woodward. He 
is not only a very excellent practical farmer, 
but he is a man of broad views, of hard 
sense, a man who knowing the needs of tbe 
farmers, would work courageously and 
determinedly to secure them. I know no bet¬ 
ter man.” A. J COOK. 
Michigan Agricultural College; 
The R. N.-Y., wants for our next Com¬ 
missioner or Secretary of Agriculture a 
man who has the real interests of agricul¬ 
ture at heart. We don’t care what party he 
belongs to, for the reason that we as¬ 
sume that strictly partisan considera¬ 
tions will in no case be suffered to influ¬ 
ence his actions in a way detrimental 
to the higher considerations of his posi¬ 
tion. We want a man with a head and 
a heart, and enthusiasm to guide them; 
a man that would scorn to allow any 
strictly partisan influences to swerve him 
one hair’s breadth aw r ay from his plain, 
honest duty. Such a man we trust 
J S. Woodward, whom we mention as 
our first choice, is. There are many 
other mea we might mention who, while 
we feel assured they are well fitted by edu¬ 
cation, experience, and integrity to serve 
the country in this position, could not 
be induced to belittle their usefulness for 
the purpose of conciliating place-politi¬ 
cians,or of cringing merely to partisan dic¬ 
tation. Prof. Cook himself, J. W. San¬ 
born, T. H. Hoskins, P. J Berckmans, 
E. M, Shelton, P. Barry, Peter Collier, S. 
W. Johnson, F. H. Hexamer, W.A. Stiles, 
W. G. LeDuc, W. A. Henry, I.P. Roberts, 
B. F. Johnson, W. J. Beal, G. E. Morrow, 
P. II. Armsby ,E.S.Goff, and many others 
that might be mentioned, we believe to 
be of this class. The R. N.-Y., speaking 
for itself, earnestly prays that the next 
National head of Agriculture will not be 
a political hack, a mere place-seeker 
ready to spend three-quarters of his time 
in conciliating party demands and one- 
quarter in making a show of serving the 
country’s agricultural needs. 
OKLAHOMA TERRITORY. 
A LARGELY attended Convention of 
persons interested in the opening 
of the Oklahoma country to settlement 
has just been held at Wichita, Kansas. 
It differed from all its predecessors in 
trusting to lawful means of acquiring the 
long-coveted laud, instead of resorting to 
the raids conducted by Payne, Crouch and 
others, all of which ended by the ex¬ 
pulsion of the intruders by the United 
States troops. The Springer bill now 
pending in the Lower House of Congress, 
creates the 'I erritory of Oklahoma, em¬ 
bracing Oklahoma proper, and some ad¬ 
jacent country. Press of other legislation 
deferred final action on it during the 
last session of Congress, but the majority 
in its favor was so decided and it has so 
strong a right of way that it is sure to be 
one of the earliest measures acted upon at 
the coming session. Indeed the enthus¬ 
iastic “boomers” expect to see it passed 
before next New Year’s. Oklahoma 
proper is in the middle of the Indian 
Territory, and consists of a large tract of 
excellent land originally owned by the 
Creeks and Seminoles, but sold by them 
to the United States in 1866, on condition 
that it should be occupied only by other 
Indians and that no white men should 
settle on it. A few years ago the two 
tribes, after earnest discussion, voted not 
to give up this restriction; but it is be¬ 
lieved that the Seminoles would be will¬ 
ing to do so now on payment of $1.25 per 
acre for the land, including the price 
paid 22 years ago. 
Another tract to be included in the pro¬ 
posed Territory, is the Cherokee Strip or 
Outlet, to the north of Oklahoma proper, 
the approach to which is across the Strip. 
This embraces 6,000,000 acres of very 
fine farming and grazing land which was 
ceded to the Cberokees when they first 
settled in the Territory, not for occu¬ 
pancy, but for the purpose of affording 
them an outlet to their hunting grounds 
in the Rocky Mountains. As there are 
no such hunting grounds now, it is 
claimed that the land should equitably 
revert to the Government. For the last 
five years, however, the Cherokees have 
leased the land to the Cherokee Strip 
Live Stock Association for $100,000 a 
year, and the Association, besides main¬ 
taining large herds of its own upon it, 
has charged “cattle kings” so much a 
head for keeping their stock on it. The 
lease has lately run out, and rival syndi¬ 
cates are now contending for a re¬ 
newal of it, for which as much 
as $150,000 a year have been offered. 
Attorney-General Brewster under Presi¬ 
dent Arthur, and Attorney-General 
Garland, under President Cleveland, 
have held that the Cherokees have no 
authority whatever to lease, encumber or 
dispose of the land in any way. The 
land embraced in the proposed Territory 
is, no doubt, the finest continuous area of 
unsettled land in the United States. It is 
plentifully watered by streams and 
springs, and is abundantly timbered, and 
well adapted for grazing or arable pur¬ 
poses. No Indian tribe has any right to 
settlement on any part of it. At present 
it is the Botany Bay of the Union—the 
resort of cut-throats, horse and cattle 
thieves and desperadoes of all kinds. 
The only opponents of the creation of 
the Territory are a handful of Indians 
who, without it, have far more land than 
they can utilize, and who derive a large 
illegal income from it; a number of cattle 
kings and syndicates, who, raising their 
herds on the land for a song, have an 
unfair advantage in competition with 
other stock men; and a considerable body 
of respectable sticklers for the rights of 
“Poor Lo.” While strict regard should 
be paid to the latter in settling the matter, 
it is certainly time that this fine body of 
land should be thrown open to settlement 
under the Homestead Law. 
BREVITIES. 
Chock-full of Thankfulness! 
Who sends us two potatoes named Seneca 
Beauty, please? 
Read what Prof. Morrow has to say about 
the Fat Stock Show on page 806. 
The country air smells so good that we 
ought to be thankful that we can breathe 
any way. 
Mr. Terry is thankful for his good appe¬ 
tite. Don’t be too proud of it. The Thanks¬ 
giving dinner may give it too severe a test. 
After studying the picture on our first 
age, read Psalm 148. “Praise the Lord ye 
easts and all cattle, creeping things and fly¬ 
ing fowl.” 
We planted some Pond corn June 19. Are 
we thankful that we did so? Well, yes, for 
we know enough to keep out of such late 
planting again. 
Here you have our Thanksgiving opinion; 
—If you can’t find something to be thankful 
for, you are of no use to yourself or to any 
body else. 
The Missouri State Horticultural Society 
will hold its 31st annual meeting in the city of 
Nevada, December 5, 6, 7. Headquarters, 
Rockford Hotel; L. A. Goodman, Secretary. 
On the coast, oyster shells are not very valu¬ 
able. When some enterprising man crushes 
them and sacks the fragments, the Western 
poultry dealer is glad to give a good price for 
them. 
Our friends have responded to our call for 
Thanksgiving literature so well that we shall 
have to prolong the feast. This is a good 
time of the year for such thoughts. They 
will all be useful. 
In a week or so we propose to tell the whole 
story about fattening, killing and curing hogs 
in various sections of our country. Northern 
readers will be sure to be interested in what 
our Southern friends have to say. 
Here is a sample result of our Potato 
Number:— 
11 The Rural of November 3rd, has led me 
into temptation, and so find inclosed two 
dollars for the paper for one year from 
January 1st 1889.” 
Having led our friend into temptation it 
is our duty to give him his money’s worth. 
We’ll try to. 
Go to bed at nine o’clock. Sleep as long 
as you can. Eat less than your appetite 
craves. Get up from tbe table feeling spright¬ 
ly instead of stuffed. All this will help you 
along in life amazingly and give you lots of 
things to be thankful for. 
Given two cows of equal size, dairy mark¬ 
ings and condition. One makes a dive for 
her grain and eats in a business-like way. 
The other eats and moves slowly and lazily. 
Which would you select for a better cow? VVe 
took the nervous animal. Were we right? 
