THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JAN 5 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANational Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
EGBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1888. 
NOTICE. 
HOSE desiring to have seeds of any 
kind or plants of any kind tested 
by the Rural New-Yorker will kindly 
send such seeds or plants to the Editor 
at River Edge, Bergen Co., New Jersey, 
and not to this office. 
“There are 1,540,000 cows in N. F., and if 
the destroying angel would pass over the 
land and with proper discrimination blot 
out one-half of these, their destruction would 
be a great blessing to the farmers .” So says 
Dr. Collier on page 4. 
Have the courage, even if only on one 
acre or, we may add, one-tenth of an acre, 
to try if more money cannot be made by 
making it richer than it is. 
“Farming is and must always be a close 
business ; yet everywhere we find men who 
make a good living and lay up money at it. 
No business is good for all that are in it. 
Thought, prudence, patience, hard work— 
these are the qualities required to make 
farming pay , or any other business that is 
honest. ”— Bucephalus Brown, page 9. 
The Rural New-Yorker is invariably 
discontinued at the expiration of the sub¬ 
scription term. Any of our readers, 
therefore, who do not intend to renew 
need not trouble themselves to inform us 
of the fact. 
“ We need to demolish that free seed 
swindle so thoroughly that even its ghost will 
never appear. We need, a man that is not 
afraid to do it: a man who is honest enough, 
is politician enough and has grit enough to 
handle politicians without gloves, and to 
prove that a veritable farmer is neither sim¬ 
ple-minded, pig-headed nor inconsistent ; who 
is not afraid to say that a swindle is a swin¬ 
dle, if it is sanctioned by Congressmen."— 
Fred. Grundy, page 3. 
“Please note,” says C. V. Mapes, 
“the unusual array of prizes offered in 
the country this season for the best re¬ 
sults with potatoes. The one who ob¬ 
tains the largest yield of potatoes will re¬ 
ceive almost enough to buy a small 
farm. This unprecedented interest in 
potato culture is largely due to the efforts 
of the Rural New-Yorker.” Thank 
you, Mr. Mapes, we think so too. 
We have been told of late of the labor 
to be saved by the use of various intri¬ 
cate machines. There is a lesson that 
should be enforced with this story. Take 
potato diggers, for example. The point 
to be remembered is that in Older to 
make one of these implements work satis¬ 
factorily the land must be loose and fine 
and free from weeds and stones. These 
intricate machines require the best con¬ 
ditions for their perfect work. A potato 
digger such as Mr. Terry fincU profitable, 
put into the ordinary potato field, would 
only cause vexation. 
"The farmer with small means and old- 
fashioned tools and unimproved stock al¬ 
ready on his hands , finds it hard and slow 
work to make the changes he desires. But it 
is a pretty slack farmer in these parts that 
is not trying in one way or another to im¬ 
prove. Just let people give us credit for 
what we have done and we will gladly re¬ 
ceive all the instruction they have for us ."— 
Emma L. Bliss, page 3. 
Highly favored are those country 
homes which during the wintry season, 
have evergreen trees so situated that 
whichever way one looks, the cheery 
green greets him. The contrast between 
country-home grounds planted with de¬ 
ciduous trees only, and those with a well- 
selected variety/of evergreens, is very 
striking at this season of the year. The 
one is cheerless and we are tempted to 
shut ourselves up in the house, even in 
mild weather, because there is nothing to 
invite us out-of-doors. But hardy ever¬ 
greens are always interesting and com¬ 
panionable. 
The Rural has the kindest possible 
feeling towards the experiment stations. 
It is prepared to treat them fairly and to 
remember the fact that most of them will 
have to learn how to conduct themselves 
before they can be of much service to 
farmers. We have been glad to give 
space to farmers who have told what they 
want the stations to do and what plans 
they have to suggest. Fair and generous 
criticism is always valuable. It is the 
same with our farmers’ institutes. One 
would think from most of the reports that 
these meetings are about perfect. We 
shall see about this. We have arranged 
with some practical farmers to tell us 
wherein they think these meetings could 
be improved so that they might reach a 
larger part of the farming community. 
Any of our readers who have anything to 
offer in this connection will be welcomed 
to the discussion. 
-«. » ♦ - 
We have planted on our wheat plots at 
the rate of but 43,560 kernels to the acre; 
that is, one grain to every square foot. 
Now, a careful estimate shows that there 
are about 619,520 grains of wheat of aver¬ 
age size, in a bushel, which would give 
only a little over two quarts of seed grain 
to the acre, instead of 48 quarts or more, 
as usually sown. Is the land (the R. N.¬ 
Y.’s wheat plot) well covered with wheat 
plants? Yes, fully as well covered as are 
the rye fields with rye plants. Very little 
wheat is raised about us. Rye is more 
profitable. 
It is true that the Rural wheats were 
planted in early September, while it is 
not the custom of the farmers to sow rye 
before late September or early October. 
From the R. N.-Y.’s experience through 
many years, it is believed that under cer¬ 
tain conditions a larger crop of wheat and 
a heavier kernel can be secured from two 
quarts of seed than from one to two 
bushels of seed. Can these conditions be 
economically secured? Probably not. 
Here is a letter from one of our lady 
readers in this State. 
‘ ‘It seems to me that the Rural’s cartoon 
of Dec. 4. is a one-sided affair. Why 
should that patient-faced woman who has 
toiled early and late by his side, who has 
endured all things, borne all things for 
his and sweet love’s sake, be placed three 
steps below her ‘lord and master’, on a 
level with his sheep, his oxen and his 
swine. It looks to me as if such a man’s 
thought could be voiced, instead of the 
sweet words of Old Hundred, we would 
hear something like this. 
“Praise me. Oh woman where you stand, 
I own all these, and this broad land 
Is mine. Can’t you the difference see. 
While I own you, you don’t own me.” 
I suppose the wife and mother might 
retort, ‘ I can have the use of my third, 
in case, etc., etc.’ But she never will, 
for her standing there shows that plainly. 
Yours for equal rights, a footing on 
the same plank, and the Potato Contest.” 
Now, here is a chance for the men to 
state their side of the case. 
The late Thomas G. Clemson was the 
son-in-law of the celebrated South Caro 
lma statesman John C. Calhoun, from 
whom he inherited Fort Hill, the Cal¬ 
houn homestead, which at his death, last 
summer, he left to the State for an agri¬ 
cultural college, together with personal 
property to the amount of $100,000. 
The testator was thought to be very poor 
and the heir to the estate was Miss Isa¬ 
belle Lee, daughter of a New York stock¬ 
broker and great-granddaughter of J. C. 
Calhoun. Her father at once contested 
the will, and on December 18, Judge 
Simonson, of the United States District 
Court, granted an injunction temporarily 
restraining the executor ot the estate from 
conveying the property to the State of 
South Carolina. The acceptance of the 
bequest became an issue in the last cam¬ 
paign and caused much bitter political 
recrimination. A large element in the 
State regarded accepting the bequest as 
robbing Miss Lee of her birth-right. The 
farmers of the State, however, have, al¬ 
most unanimously, favored its acceptance. 
After many sharp debates it was accepted 
by the House about a month ago; but it 
was thought the Senate would reject it. 
Contrary to expectation, the Senate has 
just accepted the bequest just before ad¬ 
journment, and now it is hoped by the 
opponents of the measure that the Gover¬ 
nor will veto it. That it received the sup¬ 
port of the farmers of the State will be to 
other farmers a pretty strong proof that it 
was a just gift: but the farmers of the 
State would pay dearly for it at the price 
of an injustice to any one. 
Last week the New England Tobacco 
Growers’ Association, at its convention 
at Hartford, Connecticut, adopted a reso¬ 
lution asking Congress to impose a tax of 
30 cents per pound on imports of 
stemmed leaf tobacco and of 20 cents on 
unstemmed. The tariff bill now before 
the Senate makes the tax on imported 
stemmed leaf 20 cents and on unstemmed 
25 cents. The representatives of the 
growers vainly tried, the other day, to 
induce the Senate to raise the duty on 
stemmed leaf, and a Democrat offered an 
amendment putting it at 40 cents; but 
the Republicans refused to make any 
alteration in the bill. The growers’ res¬ 
olution that tobacco stems, which are 
used chiefly for fertilizing purposes, 
should be admitted tree, also failed to 
meet with a favorable consideration. 
The fact is that tobacco growers are 
only a small percentage of the agricul¬ 
turists of the country, and while a con¬ 
siderable proportion of these are opposed 
to tobacco culture on moral or sanitary 
grounds, the great body of them fail to 
express any interest in an industry which 
does not directly affect their own wel¬ 
fare. Hence the tobacco growers’ legis¬ 
lative resolutions have not, as a rule, the 
powerful support of the great body of the 
agriculturists of the nation. 
The Canadian Government has canceled 
27 grazing leases, covering 700,000 acres 
in the Northwest, because the land was 
held by speculators who failed to stock 
their holdings according to regulations. 
This decisive action is warmly commend¬ 
ed by the Canadian press and it is ex¬ 
pected greatly to stimulate the ranching 
industry in that vast but undeveloped 
section, by forcing lease-holders to stock 
their holdings at once. American ranch¬ 
men, pressed for room in Dakota, Wyom¬ 
ing and Montana, are clamoring for ad¬ 
mission to the Canadian ranching country 
along the frontier on the same terms as 
Canadians. At present a duty of 20 
per cent, is imposed on American cattle 
imported into the Canadian Northwest, 
or, indeed, into any part of the Dominion. 
A quarantine of 90 days on cattle from 
this country is also considered a great 
grievance, as no contagious disease exists 
among cattle in the Territories from 
which importations are made, and rigorous 
laws in each provide against the introduc¬ 
tion of diseased stock from other parts of 
the country. There appears to be little 
likelihood, however, that Canadians will 
make any concessions in this direction m 
the near future, although by relaxing the 
quarantine and remitting the import duty, 
it is very likely the vast unoccupied graz¬ 
ing areas in the Canadian Northwest 
would soon be rendered profitable by 
multitudinous herds of American live 
stock. The existence of these would be 
a great benefit not only to the Govern¬ 
ment, which would derive large sums 
from the rentals of the land, but also to 
transportation companies and commission 
firms, which would ultimately handle the 
stock on its way to market. 
SELLING VEGETABLES BY 
WEIGHT. 
A TTENTION was called, last week, 
to the fact that the N. Y. City 
Board of Aldermen have adopted an 
ordinance providing that vegetables and 
fruits must hereafter be sold by weight 
in this market. Last Saturday Mayor 
Hewitt gave a hearing to those who re¬ 
gard the ordinance as oppressive. A 
number ot representative farmers and 
commission men took advantage of this 
opportunity to state their side of the 
case. 
It was stated that the prime object of 
the law is to protect retail grocerymen 
who claim that they are being swindled 
by farmers in consequence of the lack of 
a uniform standard of weights and 
measures. 
When shall vegetables be weighed? 
asked the committee of Mayor Hewitt. 
Nearly all sorts of vegetables and fruits 
are packed as soon as they are gathered— 
frequently during a rain or while the 
dew is heavy. Shall they be weighed 
while wet, or after being dried out? 
There will be a decided difference in 
weight. A barrel of potatoes may be 
over-weight in the morning, and so much 
lighter at night that the seller will be 
liable to a fine. 
Again, who is to weigh and mark the 
thousands of packages of vegetables that 
are daily brought into this city? It will 
be necessary to create hundreds of little 
petty offices to accommodate these who 
must be ‘ ‘remembered” by city politicians. 
Business will be greatly delayed if every¬ 
thing must be weighed befoie being sold, 
and dishonest commission men will have 
new means of swindling farmers added 
to the already long list. Who that 
knows anything about the vast quantities 
of vegetables that are daily brought to 
New York, believes that every package 
and barrel can be weighed. 
The law'will surely divert business from 
New York. Brooklyn and Jersey City 
will reap the benefit of such a rule and the 
price of fruits and vegetables will be 
naturally increased to the retail purchas¬ 
er, while the farmer will receive no more 
than at present. Farmers claim that 
there are too many “middlemen” between 
them and the consumers now. There is 
no one reason why hundreds of “weigh¬ 
ers” should be added to the number. 
Such were the main poin ts brought out 
at the hearing. The Mayor has since 
then returned the measure to the Aider- 
men for slight amendments. 
--♦ » 4 - 
BREVITIES. 
That public benefactor, John Burr, of Kan¬ 
sas, is now 88 years old. 
Dr. Hoskins says potatoes want food “well 
cooked”—that is, soluble. 
Sec’y J. S. Woodward has entirely re¬ 
covered from his late illness. 
No business is good for all that are in it," 
So says B. Brown on page 9. 
Prof. Roberts says that the Lord manures 
in the fall and you cannot beat Him. 
One of the lady subscribers who enters her 
name for the Potato Contest is 80 years old. 
Read Bucephalus Brown's “Notions and 
Ideas” this week. It is full of sound teach¬ 
ings. 
How to mix caution and courage in the 
right proportion so as “to bring luck.” Ah! 
that’s the rub. 
“I Think the women should do all the work 
except the team work, and even that if they 
choose. E. M. c. 
There is nothing like utilizing waste pro¬ 
ducts. A writer on another page tells how he 
made the escaping heat of a manure pile 
warm up a chicken brooder. What next? 
In dispensing hospitality, it is a pity we do 
not carry out the English custom of inviting 
people for just so long, specifying the time. 
So suggests Miss Taplin in her department 
this week, and the suggestion is an excellent 
one. 
We received on Oct. 1 or thereabouts, two 
Duchess pears of about the same size, weigh¬ 
ing together three pounds. Each measured 
13 inches in circumference. We regret that 
the name and address of the person sending 
them were mislaid. 
Mr. G. W. Peck, of Roselle, N. J., 16 miles 
from New York, reports that the August Giant 
is with him vigorous and hardy as to the plant. 
The berries are very large, but the quality 
poor. He has discarded Rogers’s No. 15 
(Agawam),as the berries rot and drop. Lex¬ 
ington (Miner),isnot good for much. Carlotta 
(Miner), is a fine white grape ripening with 
Concord. 
At the Norwich farmers’ institute a very 
lively discussion was held regarding the mak¬ 
ing of whole and skim cheese. One argument 
that seemed to meet with very general ap¬ 
proval was to the effect that if only whole 
cheese was made the public would learn that 
cheese is really a good and valuable food and 
the demand would increase ten-fold. Who 
will object to this proposition? 
The next meeting of the American 
Pomological Society, to be held at Sanford. 
Florida, next February (6, 7, 8,), will 
prove a rare chance for a full insight into the 
progress which horticulture has there acheived 
in a short period. We are glad to know that 
there will be no “formal banquet or speech¬ 
making, but instead thereof visits to the most 
interesting places.” A few short, sharp, prac¬ 
tical talks will be good, but deliver us from 
long-drawn-out essays. We hope that Pres. 
Berekmans will look to this. Cut off the long 
dreary talkers. 
There’s a good deal of satisfaction, even to 
an uumalevolent mind, in seeing the biter bit. 
The Jute Bagging Trust affords such a sensa¬ 
tion to the public now. A large proportion 
of the stock it cornered at high figures still 
remains on its hands, and there is almost a 
certainty that it can not get rid of it except at 
figures considerably below those at which the 
stuff was bought. The season’s experience 
with bagging from pine fiber has been most 
favorable. It has been demonstrated that the 
article can be manufactured at almost any 
weight per yard. It will neither rot nor stain 
cotton. It can be manufactured and sold at a 
lower price than jute bagging, even should 
the latter be placed on the free list. There is 
little doubt that with improved machinery 
the manufacture of pine straw bagging will 
become a highly profitable industry in the 
South. The raw material costs absolutely 
nothing beyond the expense of gathering it 
from the ground and transporting it to the 
mills. How can jute bagging compete with 
it at the prices which jute bagging com¬ 
manded even before the article was cornered? 
