THE RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
68 
weeks of solid work, I weighed them and 
they were a little heavier than when I bought 
them. They have never once been lower in 
flesh than what they started with, according 
to ray judgment. Being 13 years old now, 
they have seen their best days; but they will 
last longer than if they had been heavily fed 
with grain. Another point: they have never 
known a sick day. There is no danger of 
their being over-fed or fed when too warm. 
I am abundantly able now to buy gram, and 
perhaps for a noon feed when I am in a hurry, 
this might be best; still I am not thinking of 
changing. 
The above story is exactly true in every 
particular, although it has been a hard one 
for many to swallow. It has amused the 
writer more than can easily be imagined to 
see visiting farmers, when they thought they 
were not noticed, prying into every out-of-the- 
way corner of the barn in search of grain. 
They could not believe me to my face. It is 
hard to believe anything that is much beyond 
what one is doing himself. 
Certainly all might profit from this to the 
extent of cutting their clover early. I have 
seen many a field of clover and Timothy cut 
for horses as well as cattle so late that it 
would take considerable grain fed with the 
hay to make the ration as good as the hay 
alone would have been if cut in time. There 
can be no question on this point, and it seems 
Burnt Copies. 
ABOUT THE POTATO CONTEST. 
A WITTY WOMAN'S WISE WORDS. 
Reading so many things “ unthought of by 
me ” about the Potato Contest at the time of 
entering for it, being one of the first, caused 
me to hunt up my thinking cap, and use it too 
for the benefit of the New Englanders. I sug¬ 
gest that the country be divided into four 
sections—North, South, East and West—and 
that the premiums or souvenirs be divided 
also so that we here in New England can 
stand on an equal footing with the others; if 
this cannot be done I fear we may come out 
of the little end of the horn in contesting 
with the potato growers of Dakota and other 
places West. 
But never mind; I am not discouraged as it 
is. I have a pen of 20 White Plymouth Rocks 
which are aiding me in securing my fertilizer, 
as their droppings are removed every week 
and spread on the allotted potato patch. I 
have spared the life of an old hen which did 
ample duty in keeping the beetles off of a 
quarter of an acre • of potatoes last year, to 
aid me in the same good work,as I do not like to 
and enjoy next winter, which will give us 
something to think and talk about. There 
is no knowing what good it may do. We 
women may do so well that we may be asked 
by our husband and fathers to do the same 
year after year. Is this one of the reasons 
why they are so interested * 
MRS. O. J. PUTNAM. 
Worcester Co., Mass. 
MYSTERIES OF THE SEED TRADE. 
No. i. 
Great increase in the seed trade; gross 
puffery and exaggeration by some 
seedsmen ; fraudulent dealers '.; assuming 
credit due to others', the Northern-grown 
seed-humbug. 
No kind of business has, perhaps, so greatly 
increased in the past 40 years as the seed 
trade. It has adopted the modern methods of 
using agents and newspaper advertising and, 
as a consequence, has developed in a remark¬ 
able way. The hold gained in this way has 
been further increased by the distribution of 
catalogues at a cost, in proportion to value of 
goods thereby sold, far beyond that incurred 
in the same line by any other business 
Many of these catalogues are marvels of 
enterprise, great volumes of information and 
filled from old and refuse stock, sending tags 
with their own names, to be put on the 
packages. 
A style of blowing not particularly harmful 
but in bad taste is that of attaching one’s 
name to a variety that was not originated or 
even grown by the person who gives his 
name to it. Mr. Smith offers—“Smith’s Peer¬ 
less Oats,” whereas Mr. Brown introduced it, 
and Mr. Smith did not even grow it. Here 
it would seem that Mr. Smith gets credit for 
something, as it were by theft. Here is a 
catalogue in which we read Jones’s Early 
Summer Cabbage, Jones s Excelsior Flat 
Dutch Cabbage, Jones's Evergreen Sweet 
Corn, and, by actual count. Jones’s name is 
attached to 50 more varieties. While this 
may win, it also repels; for I have heard many 
men say that they were afraid to send to such 
a “blower.” 
A common advertisement is of “ Northern- 
grown seeds,” and the claim for superiority is 
emphasized for those from the northernmost 
States. Without thorough knowledge on the 
subject, I venture the opinion that the claim 
is only half true. Mauy of the seeds cannot 
be grown so far north, and, as a fact, without 
doubt these men get their seeds mostly from 
the same sources from which the seedsmen of 
the Middle States get theirs—largely in a 
middle latitude. Here is an instance : One 
of these sellers of “ Northern-grown seeds,” 
v. 
THE CORNELL INSECTARY. Fig 22. 
equally certain that it is a poor way to do 
business. For driving horses feeding grain 
may be the best plan. They need concentrat¬ 
ed food, and a little quite ripe hay goes well 
with the groin. Dried grass would be too 
loosening; but it is healthful and graud feed 
for slow-moving work torses, as well as for 
milch cows and young cattle. 
Summit Co., O. 
THE INSECTARY AT CORNELL UNI¬ 
VERSITY. 
At Fig. 22 we show a picture of this build¬ 
ing, which is described in Bulletiu No. 3 of 
the New York E. S. This insectary—the 
word was coined to suit the special uses to 
which the building will be put—is probably 
tne most complete entomological laboratory 
yet devised. Special pains will be taken by 
l J rof. Comstock and his assistants to study 
the life-history of many of our injurious 
insects. A great deal of space will be allotted 
to “breeding cages,” or places where insects 
can be allowed to grow and develop in such 
situations that they can be constantly ob¬ 
served. Those who desire to study the curious 
and ingenious appliances used in insect breed¬ 
ing at Cornell are referred to the bulletin 
which, in addition to a description of the 
insectary, contains notes On Preventing the 
Ravages of Wire-worms, and The Destruction 
of the Plum Curculio by Poisons. 
have anything to do with Paris-green or hand- 
picking the hateful things if lean get along 
without either. She is so faithful and gets 
her own living, besides presenting me with a 
dark-brown egg almost every day during the 
season. My husband says her life is insured 
till Nature claims her. Her name is Potato- 
Bug Eater. When I entered for the Contest 
I supposed I was to do all the work except 
plowing, and I do intend to do it though I 
expect to have a good many lookers-on among 
the other sex, who will no doubt offer me un- 
asked-for advice as to this or that; but my 
ears will be closed, as I am quite deaf, and will 
heed the advice of no one. 
A teacher of mine, who is now a Congrega¬ 
tional minister, said a true lady was as much 
a lady in the kitchen or field as in the parlor. 
A true gentleman was such, he said, whether 
in the barn-yard or in the counting-room or 
office, and I think so too. I am glad there are 
others of the same stamp who are not asham¬ 
ed to be seen caring for a potato patch in the 
coming Contest. 
The lady of 75 years who has entered, 
warns her younger rivals to “look out.” 
When we see the enthusiasm for doing good 
cropping out at that age,.I think we “younger 
ones ” will have to look out in good earnest 
or be beaten by such mature minds. 
I am glad the male portion of the commu¬ 
nity are so interested as to be willing to put 
their brown hands deep down into their pock¬ 
ets to draw forth cash or its equivalent for 
the souvenirs for the lady contestants, as all of 
us have a promise of some souvenirs if we 
make a fair show at the potato bin. At least 
we will all have the fruit of our labor to eat 
beauty. It is also true that in mauy, indeed 
in most cases, they are open to criticism. It is 
evident that the charge of exaggeration can 
be placed against them. This is a common 
fault in all trades, but apparently worse in 
this as seen in the indiscriminate praise and 
over-statement both in words and illustra¬ 
tions. Pick up some catalogues and you read 
about thus: No. 1. This is best of all. No. 2. 
is uncqualed. No. 3. is, if there be any differ¬ 
ence, better than any other; while No. 4. has 
never yet been approached. This style has 
its desired effect; the reader becomes enthus¬ 
ed and determines to buy all these good 
things. Occasionally, however, it may have 
the opposite effect. So common is this puff¬ 
ing that the seedsman who is averse to it 
must have other and exceptional advantages 
to secure success. Now, there is a limit to 
this; and it depends on the patrons, for.so 
long as they bite the bait will be there. 
But would it not be well for established 
houses to modify this custom and leave it to 
the charlatans? There are some who are 
deserving of this title. They are not exactly 
swindlers, but they get their trade largely by 
deception. A specimen of this class hails from 
some little town and assumes the role of a 
farmer and grower of the seeds he offers, and 
the originator of some. His style of talk in 
his circulars is that of the confidence man, 
and as there is an affinity between such and 
a certain class, the victims are found among 
the latter. This style of deception will Audits 
end when men have gained more intelligence, 
which may be a good while yet. Some of 
these have no stock, or little of their own, and 
simply turn over the orders to others to be 
to my own knowledge, bought field corn 
grown 250 miles south of him, and quite 
likely some of his Northern melon seeds were 
grown in Georgia. 
To my mind it is not a settled fact that 
seeds grown in the far north are better than 
those grown in the Middle States or even, in 
some cases, in the South. A favorite theory 
of mine is that seeds are best when grown in 
the latitude and location w here they thrive 
best, a theory I shall hold to until it is dis¬ 
proved. I should therefore not hesitate to go 
south for some seeds, where it is not essential 
that they should mature early. anon. 
fitllr Crops. 
SOWING GRASS AND CLOVER SEED. 
HENRY STEWART. 
Progress is change ; that grass and clover 
can't take care of themselves an anti¬ 
quated notion still entertained by old- 
fogies; no need of a foster crop for either ; 
if one is used, oats as good as any; cause 
of “poor catches ;" personal experience. 
What a world of change this is, surely, 
and change is no more apparent in any other 
direction than in farm practice. Heretofore 
it has been thought indespeusable to have a 
grain crop for the protection (?) of grass and 
clover seed, as if grass and clover cannot take 
care of themselves 1 They do this too well 
when they spring up as weeds where we don’t 
