446 
TH£ RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 22 
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THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
Conducted by 
IfcBEBT 8. CABMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Pabk Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1889. 
The gales and heavy rains of last week 
have blown away or destroyed so many 
of the Flea beetles that the vines of the 
•‘Contest” plot are having a little rest 
and, in consequence, show a decided im¬ 
provement in color and vigor. Two 
weeks ago we were sure of another fail¬ 
ure. Now we have a hope (not a very 
confident one) of success. 
The “three-barrel” potato experiment 
of the R. N.-Y. is progressing nicely. 
The stems have grown through from 15 
to 16 inches of soil,and the vines are now 
18 inches above the tops of the barrels, 
looking the picture of health. A plat¬ 
form has been made about the barrels 
level with the tops for the support of the 
vines when they shall fall over. This is 
to the R. N.-Y. a very interesting experi¬ 
ment,though nothing of any account may 
come from it. 
Next week the R. N.-Y. will begin 
the publication of a reply to Professor 
Porter’s recent attack upon the agricul¬ 
tural colleges. It is written by President 
W. I. Chamberlain, of the Iowa College. 
Speaking of Professor Porter's article, 
President Chamberlain says: 
“It virtually charged failure because 
the agricultural colleges have not done 
as much in 20 years as the old colleges 
did in centuries. I claim great success, 
considering all the facts and circum¬ 
stances.” 
“ The rose for the million ” is what 
we hope one, if not two, of the R. N.-Y’s 
Rosa rugosa hybrids will prove to be. 
We were told by several good friends 
four years ago that nothing would come 
of the cross. “ It will be interesting, 
no doubt,” they said, “but you will not 
get anything of value to rose growers. ” 
“ Why did we choose Rugosa crosses?” 
There were several reasons, the most for¬ 
cible of which was that the field was a 
new one. And it is still new. It is by 
no means improbable that we shall have 
in and from these crosses new races of 
roses as valuable and as distinct as any 
others. Mr. John Thorpe, well known 
as being one of our first rose authorities, 
during a short visit to the Rural Grounds 
a few days ago, was emphatic in his 
praise. “ It is a great acquisition,” said 
he. 
“Will you tell me,” said the writer 
of this note to Mr, John Thorpe, during a 
brief visit to the Rural Grounds, “why 
those balf-a-dozen tall, vigorous rose 
bushes do not bloom? I have asked the 
question of several others, and I was 
answered that they were not properly 
pruned.” 
“Why,” replied Mr. Thorpe, after a 
brief examination, “they are Manetti 
roses.” We had never suspected it, not 
being familiar with this rose, which is used 
chiefly for stocks upon which to bud 
other roses either of feeble constitution 
upon their own roots, or those that will 
not readily root from cuttings. This 
Manetti is a very shy bloomer. It always 
has as many as seven leaflets—rarely nine. 
It may be known by this characteristic. 
Have you any roses in your collection, 
readers, that do not bloom? Perhaps in 
your case, as in ours, the varieties bud¬ 
ded upon them have been winter killed 
and the Manetties, which are great roses 
to sucker, have grown up in their stead. 
Vermont should enforce more fairly 
the prohibitory liquor code she has pass¬ 
ed. The fact that the number of United 
States licenses to liquor sellers amounts 
to 450—more than one for every town 
and village in the State—demonstrates 
that a great deal of intoxicants is sold 
there in spite of the law. Cider used to 
be one of the staple products of the 
Green Mountain farms; but the law 
with'regard to its sale is stringent and 
pretty rigidly enforced. The penalty for 
the first offence in selling it is $10, but 
for a second conviction the figure is rais¬ 
ed to $20; while persistent violations of 
the law are punishable by fines varying 
from SI,000 to $3,000, with varying terms 
of imprisonment, at the discretion of the 
court. While the sale of intoxicants in 
towns can be carried on without much 
difficulty, the sale of cider by the barrel 
on the farm is not so easily concealed, 
especially as a share of the fine goes to 
sharpen the wits of the informer. Let 
the sale of cider be prohibited by all 
means; but the law against other intox¬ 
icants should also be sternly enforced. 
--- 
During the past week the R. N.-Y. 
has examined a good many acres of pota¬ 
toes in different parts of New Jersey. 
The crop is generally looking fairly well, 
though the heavy rains about planting 
time caused some rotting of seed, partic¬ 
ularly on low land. But the beetles 1 
They are without number. It is pleasant 
to know, (see Mr. Gillette’s article on page 
413,) that they are disappearing in Iowa, 
but the serious fact remains that they 
like New Jersey too well to leave. They 
are a terrible pest. We noticed that 
more farmers than ever before are using 
the water and Paris-green mixture this 
year. Some of them use the plaster mix¬ 
ture when the vines are small, and the 
water at the second and later applications. 
We met one farmer who has already made 
six applications of poison, and the beetles 
are “still with him.” The frequent 
showers that we have been favored with 
this year have greatly increased the labor 
of applying poisons. The larger growers 
are all using sprinklers. Without ques¬ 
tion the tendency of potato growing is 
towards large areas where the improved 
machinery for planting and harvesting 
the crop can be employed. Another evi¬ 
dent tendency is to make the potato crop 
the point in the farm rotation for apply¬ 
ing the bulk of the fertilizers. 
THE DOUBLE WHITE HORSE- 
CHESTNUT. 
I T is a matter of surprise to the R. N.- 
Y. that so little is said, so little 
known, of the beauty of the Double 
White-flowering horse-chestnut. As an 
ornamental tree it ought invariably to 
take the place of the old single white 
(iEsculus hippocastanum) because it is 
more pyramidal in form; because the ra¬ 
cemes of flowers are larger and, last 
though really first in importance, as the 
tree bears no fruit, it is free ot the seri¬ 
ous objection to the common variety that 
the lawn, during the late season, is lit¬ 
tered with the nuts and their shells. The 
flowers of the Common White have but 
five petals; those of the Double White 
have upwards of 30. Each petal is 
splashed with crimson at the base and the 
whole raceme reminds one, at a little 
distance, of a compact spike of hyacinths. 
This tree was sent to us some five years 
ago by Ellwanger & Barry. It is now 
about 12 feet high and is blooming for 
the second year. Ellwanger & Barry 
have a specimen over 40 feet high, which 
Wm. Scott, in his “Suburban Home 
Grounds,” describes as “in the blossom¬ 
ing season, like a verdant tower,spangled 
all over with hyacinth bouquets.” 
A CAUTION. 
T O a half-barrel of unleached ashes 
were added a quaiter of a barrel of 
“Peroxide of Silicate,” and a quarter of 
plaster which had been poisoned with the 
usual quantity of Paris-green, viz., IK 
pound to the barrel—making a barrel in 
all. This was sifted on the vines of a 
small plot of potatoes in order to find out 
what effect it would have either in kill¬ 
ing or repelling the Flea beetle. It was 
assumed that the poison of the quarter- 
barrel of the “Peroxide” and plaster 
would suffice when thoroughly mixed 
with the half barrel of unleached ashes to 
kill the potato-beetle. The result of this 
application upon the vines was to serious¬ 
ly injure all the leaves and to destroy 
most of them. As it had been previously 
ascertained that the ashes and poisoned 
plaster, mixed together, half and half, 
did not notably injure the leaves, the 
damage was attributed to the “Peroxide.” 
A barrel of the Peroxide was sent to 
the Rural Grounds last year for trial, and 
we were instructed to use it without dilu¬ 
tion. The result was that it killed all 
the leaves upon which it was sifted, as 
our readers were at the time advised. 
This insecticide (Peroxide of Silicate) is 
now advertised in many papers. If it is 
now made the same as it was then, our 
readers are cautioned against its use with¬ 
out first testing it on a few plants. 
ANOTHER POTATO PEST. 
L AST year we found stems of pota¬ 
toes, here and there, fallen over 
and either dead, wilted or wilting. Ex¬ 
amination showed that in some cases the 
stem was rotten about an inch under the 
surface of the soil, while in others it 
seemed to have been eaten into as if by a 
borer of some description. This year so 
many of these wilted or dead vines were 
noticed that a more careful investigation 
was made. The result was that the wire- 
worm or thousand-leg worms (Julus or 
Iu’us), was found to be the apparent 
cause. In some instances the vine was 
girdled; in others from one to four of 
these millipedes were found eating into 
the stems; in others they had bored into 
and up the stem. The vines at length 
rot about the infested part, or become so 
weakened that they fall over and die. 
The vines are attacked always just be¬ 
neath the soil, or from one inch to IK 
inch underneath. 
We now learn that potato vines in 
certain parts of Monmouth County, New 
Jersey, are similarly attacked. The 
growers attribute it to blight or some¬ 
thing caused by damp weather. In some 
sections the damage is said to be serious. 
We advise the use of powdered sulphur 
blown or sprinkled about the stems. 
PROFITS OF TRUSTS. 
I T is a very difficult matter to learn the 
profits made by any of the “trusts.” 
All the public knows is that men con 
nected with them have become enorm¬ 
ously rich, and that trusts have gone on 
multiplying until they have become a 
pow r er so all-pervading in nearly every 
enterprise and industry in the country, 
that its extent can hardly be estimated. 
The parent of trusts—the Standard Oil 
Company—took the position that it was a 
purely private affair, and all the other 
trusts have followed the example of 
secrecy it has set them. Particularly is 
this the case with the sugar trust; but 
some figures have lately been published 
here, which show that its profits must be 
so enormous as to make even Standard Oil 
men green with envy. Its nomial capi¬ 
tal is $50,000,000, and on this amount 
dividends are paid ; but it is claimed 
that the actual investment is only $15,000, 
000, the other $35,000,000 being “water.” 
During the past week its certificates have 
gone up from 99 to 107, with large sales 
and increasing demand. Refined sugar 
was put up a quarter of a cent por pound, 
or $5,000,000 on the yearly consumption, 
and as the trust refines 75 per cent, 
of the whole output, its shares 
of this little increase alone must 
amount to $3,750,000 a year. In 
1888 its profits, as shown by elaborate 
statistics, could not have been less than 
$14,000,000, and doubtless they were 
much greater. For the first five months 
of this year the same line of calculation 
shows that its profits must have reached 
$8,230,000 at the lowest estimate. The 
price of refined sugar has risen continu¬ 
ously ever since the trust was formed. 
Statisticians say this is due chiefly to 
short crops in the cane and beet-sugar 
producing countries; but there is no 
doubt that this insatiab’e com 
bination has had much to do with a 
steady rise which has put so many 
millions into its own coffers. The New 
York Courts have already decided that 
the association is an illegal body; what 
are the oppressed people going to do 
about it? 
THE CASH CROP. 
W HAT is your money crop? You 
will doubtless ask yourself this 
question after reading this issue of the 
R. N.-Y. This is a business number. 
There are two points upon which all our 
correspondents seem agreed 
1. The agriculture of most sections is 
constantly changing. The extension of 
the railroad system may revolutionize 
transportation facilities so completely 
that the producing of a staple article may 
be changed from profit to loss. This is 
because the article can be brought to the 
market from more distant lands that are 
so situated that the article can be more 
cheaply produced. The section that is 
outbid in price, must produce a better 
article that will command a higher price, 
or go into some new line of work. A 
study of the answers found in this issue 
will reveal dozens of such changes; from 
dairying to maple sugar, from hay to 
potatoes, from grain to cheese-making 
and so on. The point we wish to em¬ 
phasize is that conditions are changing 
so rapidly in this country that it is the 
farmer who has his farm in such a shape 
that he can readily take advantage of re¬ 
liable indications of change, who alone can 
hope to keep ahead of his business 
2. There is an evident and growing de¬ 
mand among farmers for a thorough or¬ 
ganization that shall direct education in 
the right lines, encourage the study of 
sound, political economy, and take hold 
of the business situation in a vigorous 
and clear-headed manner. This organi¬ 
zation must command respect and de¬ 
mand for farmers a tair and honest share 
of the country’s profits, striking straight 
at whatever stands in the way, whether 
it be the prejudices of the farmers them¬ 
selves or the rapacious greed of specula¬ 
tors or monopolists. The R. N.-Y. be¬ 
lieves that thousands of good, thinking 
farmers all over the country are satisfied 
as to the need of such an organization as 
we have indicated. When shall we have 
it ? How shall it be started ? These are 
vital questions. 
And while on this subject the R. N.-Y. 
is led to refer to a farming community it 
has just visited. This community is in 
New Jersey, within 50 miles of New 
Yoik. “The cheap lands of the West 
will so flood Eastern markets with staple 
products that New Jersey farmers will 
have to become gardeners or truckers! 
Farming cannot be done without the use 
of stable manure as a basis; chemical fer¬ 
tilizers will ‘ burn up ’ the soil! ” At cer¬ 
tain seasons of the year we hear these 
statements repeated over and over again. 
How ridiculous they appear after a visit 
to the community we speak of. Here we 
have a class of farmers growing rich at 
producing hay, potatoes, corn and wheat. 
Yes, actually growing rich at producing 
Western products within 50 miles of New 
York. And it is done practically with¬ 
out stable manure; a farm having less 
than 10 head of cattle sells from $1,000 to 
$1,200 worth of hay and absolutely grows 
stronger and more productive each year. 
Under such a system of agriculture the 
boys stay at home, farm life is robbed of 
its worst features and becomes a very 
ideal life of comfort and happiness. We 
saw this life realized—saw the crops, the 
tools, the men. We were so interested 
in it that we propose to tell’R. N.-Y. 
readers just what we saw. We hope our 
report will lead to some hard thinking. 
It will be nothing but a report as honest¬ 
ly written as possible. 
BREVITIES. 
We shall be glad to have our reader's 
answer the question asked by C. K. on page 
Mr Rice’s remarks, on page 414, are well 
deserving of attention. Mr. Rice, by the 
way, “makes farming pay.” 
A Neighbor had a piece of potatoes that 
were very uneven as a result of too much 
water. He has just been transplanting some 
of them to get them all in a bunch. Will it 
pay? 
Market gardeners in the vicinity of New 
York are cutting early cabbage. Strawber¬ 
ries are not so plentiful, and are higher in 
price than they were two weeks ago. Cher¬ 
ries, peaches, plums and gooseberries are 
quite plenty at reasonable prices. 
Orators, poets and philosophers are fond 
of saying that railroads are vast blessings and 
wonderful civilizers. On page 410 a Kansas 
subscriber shows that he would have been far 
better off if the railroad had kept away. Thus 
we see that there are many ways of looking 
at every subject. 
Mr. William Falconer writes us as follows: 
“Styrax Japonica is now in full bloom, 
and the most beautiful shrub in our place to¬ 
day, the fragrant waxy-white snowdrops 
hang in thousands all over the little trees and 
bend the slender branches right straight down. 
And among herbaceous plants our Canterbury 
Bells are supreme, surpassing peeonias, pop¬ 
pies, coreopsis and larkspurs — thrifty, 
branchy, one mass of clean, clear, showy 
flowers, which are highly serviceable as gar¬ 
den ornaments and for cut flower purposes 
when they last a long time. Now is the time 
to sow for next year's crop of flowers. The 
chief trouble with growing Canterbury Bells 
is that thgy are barely hardy in winter, but 
the protection of a cold-frame is all they need 
and all I give them.” 
Farmers often put on wry faces when, in 
a few hours after Raris-green has been applied, 
a rain washes it off. They should bear in 
mind that the grubs eat constantly and that 
if the poisoned water or plaster has been thor¬ 
oughly applied, every grub then upon the 
vines will be killed. The only objection to a 
rain is that the new grubs from the eggs not 
hatched out when the poison was applied will 
need another dose. Tne R. N.-Y. thinks that 
many farmers use too much poisoned plaster 
on their vines. The thinnest dusting suffices 
as well as a dense coating which is certain to 
injure the foliage more or less. In fact, 
plaster alone or ashes or flour or auy other 
substance, however innocent in itself, which 
covers^tbeJeaves, impairs_tbe leaf functiou tq 
the injury of the plant. 
