74 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FE8 2 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Home*. 
Conducted by 
EiBEET S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1889. 
“ FARMIN’ DON’T PAY.” 
WITH APOLOGIES TO THE “PARROT.” 
The farmer who's growlin' “ Farmin' 
don't pay" 
Is chewin' or smokin' I'll vow: 
And standin'out in, his fields to-day 
Is his mower, self-binder, or plow. 
His wife's a-bringin' in water and wood , 
His debts are a-cloudin' his brow, 
The “ farmer's account" he has kept is 
no good — 
It's a blank, just like his scrub cow. 
The world's a-cheatin' him's all he can 
say 
And everything's all in a “ skow," 
lie's confident only that “ Farmin' 
don't jiay" 
Some way or another, somehow, 
llexford, Kan. E. K. M. 
CHANGE OF CLUBBING TERMS. 
The Weekly Inter-Ocean and the R. N.- 
Y., one year, $2.50 
The N. T. 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., 
$2.50. 
The lowest possible clubbing rates 
with any journal in America will be given 
on application. Subscribe through the 
Rural New-Y'orker. 
A small tuber of the Rural New Yorker 
Potato No. 2 will be sent to 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. applications are 
now in order. No doubt 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 per 
fed potato at present known. 
- * >» ■ » - - 
The Next Special number of the 
R N.-Y T . will be the issue two weeks 
hence. Subject, fertilizers. The first- 
page cartoon is said by those who have 
seen proofs, to be one of the most forcible 
and suggestive illustrations of the kind 
ever presented. 
A friend sends us the following thoughts 
from “ Ben Ilur:" 
" A man ‘SO years old should have his fields 
of life all plowed, and his planting ivell 
done, for after that it is summer time , with 
space scarce enough to ripen his sowing." 
“ Sympathy is in great degree a result of 
the mood we are in at the moment ; anger 
forbids the emotion. On the other hand , it 
is easiest taken on when we are in a state of 
most absolute self satisfaction." 
“ In thankfulness for present mercy , noth¬ 
ing so becomes us as losing sight of past ills." 
Don't talk of the cruelty of dehorning 
while spaying is tolerated—the meanest, 
most inexecusable cruelty ever inflicted 
upon dumb animals. 
“ 7 follow farming because it is the 
highest occupation of man, and we always 
eat at the first table, and if anything is left 
then others come in." M K. 
Upper Sandusky, Ohio. 
-- 
The R. N.-Y. never varies its 
rates (as published in every issue), 
for advertising. All advertising patrons 
are treated precisely alike. This state¬ 
ment is made every year at about this 
time, in order to spare intending adver¬ 
tisers the trouble of any correspondence 
with a view to obtaining lower rates. 
There are but few journals published in 
this country whose rates are absolutely 
invariable. The Rural New-Yorker is 
one ol the few. 
“ While butter of one brand commands $ 1 
per pound on account of its special flavor, 
pork products from clean, sound animals, 
as against products of doubtful origin, 
should find a market at paying rates. Prob¬ 
ably there is no article of food at the present 
time boycotted by so many families as that 
coming from the pig. And there is no 
article from the animal so attractive and 
toothsome to these families as the sparerib 
and sausage, when not associated with filth 
or disease ."— Dr. Learned, page 75. 
-■» . . 4 - 
The present duty on carpet wools is 
2}4 cents per pound on wool valued at 
12 cents and less per pound, and five cents 
o n that worth over 12 cents. The recent 
wool-growers’ convention at Washington 
urged that the duties should be raised 
respectively to three and six cents in the 
new tariff bill, and the Senate has amend¬ 
ed its bill, raising the duties on both 
classes to four and eight cents respect¬ 
ively. To placate the carpet manufac¬ 
turers, an advance of five per cent, has 
been made in the duties on manufactured 
products, but this by no means satisfies 
the carpet men. They insist that suffi¬ 
cient carpet wool cannot be grown in 
this country; nay, they maintain that it 
wouldn’t pay American sheep-men to pro¬ 
duce this coarse, low-priced kind of 
wool, and that it ought therefore to be 
either admitted at a low rate of duty or 
put on the free list. The chief ob¬ 
jection of the farmers really charges dis¬ 
honesty on the woolen manufacturers. 
After importing this coarse class of wool, 
at a low duty nominally for carpet-making, 
it is claimed that they use a large pro¬ 
portion of it for the manufacture, in whole 
or part, of various clothing fabrics, thus 
bringing it into competition with higher 
grades of American wool. The bill 
which has just passed the Senate, is not 
likely to pass the House at this session, 
and the carpet manufacturers intend to 
use their utmost efforts to defeat this sec¬ 
tion of it in the next Congress. The 
wool-growers, however, are hardly likely 
to be caught napping. 
“ ‘ The farmer feeds the world,' it is true; 
but he isnot doing it primarily for applause; 
that’s a sort of 'pay' that doesn't pay very 
well—pay debts and taxes, for instance. 
The sleek citizen's ‘ well done,' furnishes no 
legal-tender for the hired man ."—E. T., page 
72. 
THE WOMENS’ POTATO CONTEST. 
E STIMATED value of souvenirs con¬ 
tributed up to Jan. 18, $900. 
The Mapes Formula and Peruvian 
Guano Co., New York, $100 in cash for 
the largest yield grown with the Mapes 
Potato Manure, stable manure, or both. 
W . A. Stiles, Editor of Garden and 
Forest, New York, $5 in cash. 
“ I find that choice clover hay grown on 
good land and cut in full bloom or very soon 
afterwards, will keep work horses in good 
order with the work I have to do. The hay, 
however, must be choice. It should be three- 
quarters clover at least ."—T. B. Terry, page 
68 . 
ENSILAGE. 
W HILE the widening experience of 
farmers has put an end to the 
claims of such writers as Dr. Bailey, it 
has not prevented the practical dairymen 
of the country from recognizing the 
merits and advantages of ensilage. 
There was a considerable amount of truth 
in the claims put forth some 20 years ago, 
by leading dairy writers, that the “dairy 
belt” has its limits; although these have 
proved much wider than those writers 
thought. Dairying is the child of graz¬ 
ing. It has always begun, and had its 
strength in well-grassed and well-w T atered 
regions. When things “settle them¬ 
selves,” in this continent, it is not doubt¬ 
ful that those parts of it abounding in 
clear, cold, running streams will be the 
chief dairy regions. Grass is the basis of 
butter —green grass. Until lately, all-the- 
year-round butter and cheese daiiying 
has been impossible, as a paying and 
practical business. It could not be done 
on the basis of hay and grain and dry 
fodder. The butter so made not only 
costs too much, but is too poor. The 
old perennial exhortation to root-growing 
was based upon a knowledge of this 
difficulty; but root-growing in America 
has never been a success. Both the 
climate and the habits of the people, are 
against it. Ensilage solves the problem. 
It is not going to flood the dairy farmers 
with wealth; but it is going to make 
their’s a more steady and paying business, 
and extend its area over the lighter soils, 
in the well watered sections. 
"There is no knowing what good it may 
do. We women may do so well that we may 
be asked by our husbands and fathers to do 
the same year after year. Is this one of the 
reasons why they are so interested ?"— Mrs. 
O. J. Putnam, page 69. 
cess for bagging and packing the wool 
after it has been scoured. Every device 
for cheapening transportation charges is 
sure to benefit the public, either by in¬ 
creasing the price of the product to the 
producer or decreasing it to the consumer, 
or both. 
“ Let Terry go up head. That article of 
his in last week's R. N.- Yorker is the best of a 
year." N. J. 
Cuba, Mo. 
DIFFERENT FARM MANURES FOR 
DIFFERENT CROPS. 
THE COST OF DOGS. 
H AVE you ever thought seriously of 
the cost of the dogs in the country? 
The last census gave Hampden County, 
Massachusetts, a population of 104,142 in 
1880. Last year 4,656 dogs were licensed 
there. These were, as a rule, prized ani¬ 
mals paid for by forehanded people, and it 
is not unfair to suppose that the number 
of unlicensed curs and mongrels was 
nearly as large. The license fees amount¬ 
ed to $10,816, and the damages paid on 
account of injury done to stock by dogs, 
reached $2,140.70. The claims for dam¬ 
ages show that 327 fowls, 221 sheep, 
two pigs, two calves and one horse were 
killed outright; while six fowls, 63 sheep, 
one calf and three cows were cruelly bit¬ 
ten and maimed. No damages were, of 
course, collected for the serious injury in¬ 
flicted on stock by chasing and worry¬ 
ing. Would it be extravagant to estimate 
the cost of boarding the 4,656 licensed 
dogs at 50 cents each per week? Hardly. 
This would make the mere cost of their 
board $2,328 a week, or $121,056 a year. 
Add the license fees, and the owners paid 
$131,872 for their canine pets in that little 
county last year, to say nothing of the 
co9t of keeping the horde of unlicensed 
mongrels. What a world of good the 
aggregate sum would do to the deserving 
poor of the county 1 The people of 
Massachusetts are, as a rule, thrifty, and 
the number of dogs in the State is not 
large in comparison with the numbers in 
most other States. From the above figures 
concerning the cost of dogs in a single 
small county in one thrifty State, calcu¬ 
late the aggregate cost of all the dogs in 
the 2,750 counties in the 38 States of 
the Union, to say nothing of the eight 
Territories. 
“ A favorite theory of mine is that seeds 
are best when grown in the atitudeand loca¬ 
tion where they thrive best, a theory I shall 
hold to until it is disproved. I shoxdd there¬ 
fore not hesitate to go south for some seeds, 
where it is not essential hat they should 
mature early ."— Anon, page 69. 
SCOURING WOOL. 
The wool production of Texas is ex¬ 
ceeded only by that of Ohio, California 
and Michigan. Ten years ago Pennsyl¬ 
vania too was ahead of the Lone Star 
State in this line; but while sheep raising 
has largely increased in Texas during the 
last decade, it has considerably decreased 
in Pennsylvania, which has therefore 
fallen to the fifth place. Hitherto San 
Antonio has been the chief wool market 
of the gigantic Southern State; but Gal 
veston expects soon to get most of the 
business. One of the largest wool-scour¬ 
ing mills in the country is to be erected 
there, having a capacity of 20,000 pounds 
of wool per day working ten hours, with a 
reserved capacity of doubling the work 
by running at night in the busy season. 
The advantages of such an establishment 
in any place are very great. In the first 
place, the scouring of the wool saves 
about 60 per cent, in freight, as the wool 
when clipped contains about that propor¬ 
tion of grease and trash. This is re¬ 
moved by scouring, insuring a large sav¬ 
ing in transportation charges. Moreover, 
scouring removes all doubt as to possible 
shrinkage, a calculation that necessarily 
enters into every wool-purchasing trans¬ 
action. There are several processes for 
scouring wool, in nearly all of which the 
staple is left rather stringy and ropy by 
being torn by spikes, and forks while it is 
washed. The Hodgson flushing flume 
system, which will be in use at Galves¬ 
ton, obviates this objection, besides, 
it is claimed, yielding from three to five 
per cent more wool with a larger per 
cent, of tops and fewer noils than any 
other machine. To make the institution 
complete, it will also include a new pro¬ 
W HY should horse manure give better 
results on some crops, than cow 
manure when both animals are fed on the 
same food? Why should poultry, swine, 
sheep or cow manures vary in their 
effects upon the same soil? Is it wise 
economy to mix the different manures or 
should we apply each kind to some par¬ 
ticular soil or crop? What animal is the 
most economical manure maker? These 
points have been suggested by friends 
during the past few months, and we have 
decidtd to begin the discussion of the 
matter in our Manure Special. It is a 
topic new to most of the farmers with 
whom we have communicated, and scien¬ 
tific men have, apparently, given little 
attention to it. Prof. Storer, in a recent 
letter, says: 
“The subject has never been adequate¬ 
ly studied, so far as I know. Meanwhile, 
there can be little doubt as to the wisdom 
of mixing various kinds of manures when 
it can be done at small cost. Hogs in the 
barn-cellars of New England have done a 
vast amount of good work in this way.” 
We shall be glad to have the opinions 
of our readers on these points. The fol¬ 
lowing notes from a very prominent 
farmer and fruit-grower of Western New 
York may serve as a text. 
“ 1. Manure is valuable partly in pro¬ 
portion to its fine disintegration and 
partly in proportion to the richness of the 
food used by the animals which have 
made it. Its value also depends much 
on its fine diffusion through the soil, and 
some manures are more capable than 
others of this thorough diffusion. Under 
all these conditions, poultry manure 
would stand first, then swine, sheep, 
horse and cow. I think it more im¬ 
portant to ascertain by direct experiment, 
the nature of the soil, than to try to suit 
the wants of different plants. Analysis 
shows much similarity in the composition 
of the leading crops, although in some¬ 
what different proportions; but I think 
all would be affected nearly alike by the 
different manure. But this is not so with 
soils. The experiments I have made 
show a great difference. In one region, 
a certain fertilizer has doubled the wheat 
crop; in another not ten miles away, it 
has never produced the slightest apparent 
result. The manures may be mixed or 
applied separately, the chief requisite be 
ing thorough intermixture.” 
“ I would prosecute a man for damage, if 
I coxdd, if he plowed my corn after it was 
coming in silk."—D. C. L., page 72. 
4 4 4 - 
BREVITIES. 
Read why Mr. Bowditch chose Guernsey 
cattle—page 81. 
We doubt if the “cure for au egg eater” 
given on page 72, will prove much of a success. 
The R N.-Y. will consider it a great favor 
if its readers will send the dates of any local 
farmers’ meetings to be held during the winter 
and spring. 
The combs of our Red-cap roosters are im¬ 
mense, closely resembling the illustrations 
seen of them. As yet they have not frozen, 
the weather not having been colder than 15 
degrees above zero. Red-caps are shapely, 
beautiful fowls. 
Wait for the Rural’s Special on the best 
of the old and new vegetables; the best of the 
new and old kinds of crops to raise in the 
field; the best of the old aud new small fruits 
of all kinds—before making out your orders 
for next season. These special issues, in which 
our best practical writers will be heard from 
should prove very valuable. 
From a number of our exchanges we learn 
that retail merchants in Iowa are getting 
seriously alarmed because, in many sections, 
farmers are forming co-operative companies 
for the purpose, not only of buying farming 
and dairy produce, but also of selling farm 
implements, groceries, dry goods and other 
things needed in the family, at cost prices to 
the members, deducting just enough to pay 
running expenses. There’s no doubt that 
there is a large profit in such transactions if 
the right sort of man manages the business, 
but frequent experience has shown that there 
is always a great risk of ultimate loss aud 
collapse through mismanagement. 
