4888 
455 
TOE RURAL WEW'YORKER. 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
N ew jersey experiment sta¬ 
tion.—N inth Annual Report. A 
great deal of the matter contained in this 
volume has already appeared in the R. N.-Y. 
The director makes a very remarkable state¬ 
ment when he says that there are in New 
Jersey, 2,069,819 acres of upland unimproved, 
of which more than half are now capable of 
profitable cultivation. He also says that 
there are in New Jersey—generally supposed 
to be the State most in need of manure and 
fertilizers—soils which have,within six inches 
of their surface, enough potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid to supply the crops for 100 years 
to come, and a good stock of nitrogen besides. 
They need “ a more complete exposure to the 
benignant influence of air, moisture and 
warmth,” in other words, better plowing and 
harrowing. A feature of the report is an ac¬ 
count of the investigations made to indicate 
the value of waters suitable for the produc¬ 
tion of food fish and shell fish. There are 
150,000 acres in New J ersey that are capable 
of being utilized as oyster farms. There are 
also 13,000 acres in lakes, ponds and streams 
in which valuable fish can be produced. The 
Biologist of the Station gives quite a long ac- 
countof the oyster interestsof New Jersey, that 
will prove instructive reading to all who like 
oysters. The R. N.-Y. is glad to see the New 
Jersey Station take this interest in oyster cul¬ 
ture. An enlargement of the business will in¬ 
crease the revenues of the State and make more 
plentiful an excellent article of food. The R. 
N -Y. has frequently called attention to the 
value of the sorghum sugar industry to New 
Jersey. The pith of what is stated in this re¬ 
port is that in any good farming section of 
Southern New Jersey, the farms within one 
mile of a sugar house can be made to produce 
222,000 pounds of sugar without disturbing 
the present system of crop rotation. The 
station has continued its experiments with 
Alalfa, and is still confident that it is a profit¬ 
able plant for New Jersey farmers. 
Minnesota Horticultural Society.— 
Volume 27 contains a report of the proceed¬ 
ings of this society from March 1888 to March 
1889. It is a very interesting volume. The 
essays are pithy, practical and pointed. We 
are very glad to see that the ladies are given 
ample space in which to discuss the best meth¬ 
ods of cooking and eating the products of 
horticulture. There is one quite remarkable 
feature in this volume, that we have not 
noticed in others. The managers requested 
horticulturists of other States to send sug¬ 
gestions as to crops that they thought would 
be particularly suited to Minnesota soil and 
climate. This has resulted in some excellent 
suggestions. The grape, the cranberry and 
the blueberry are suggested as fruits that 
might be made to serve as special products of 
Minnesota. Minnesota blueberries ought to 
become a valuable commodity. The members 
of the Horticultural Society seemed to think 
so, for tney spent quite a little time in discus¬ 
sing the practicability of transplanting the 
bushes and even cultivating them. The gen¬ 
eral opinion seemed to be that this could be 
done with profit. 
Fodder Analysis, etc.— Bulletin No. 6 of 
the Cornell University Experiment Station is 
devoted to the consideration of various topics 
pertaining to agricultural chemistry. 
Fearless Thrashing Machine.— Cata¬ 
logue of the Empire Agricultural Works, 
Minard Harder, proprietor, Cobleskill, N. Y. 
The “ Fearless ” is evidently disposed to be 
true to its name. It seems not in the least 
afraid to compare itself with any other 
thrashing machine now before the people. 
The reasons for this confidence are easily found 
in the catalogue which ought to be examined 
by all who think of buying a thrasher. The 
R- N.-Y. knows they will be interested in the 
catalogue and it feelssure they will meet with 
honorable treatment in their dealings with 
this house. The Smalley ensilage and fodder 
cutters are also made by this firm, which has 
secured the exclusive right to sell these imple¬ 
ments in the East. 
American Nursery Association.— The 
enterprising secretary of this association, 
Mr. Charles A. Green, sends advance sheets 
of the essays read at the late meeting in 
Chicago. There are many useful things in 
these essays, which the R. N.-Y. will give its 
readers in due time. The great trouble 
about making an abstract or a quotation 
from these essays lies in the fact that they 
are so compactly written that it is hard to con¬ 
dense without spoiliug them. When these 
essays are published in book form every per¬ 
son irtterosted in buying or selling nursery 
stock will want a copy. 
A New Method for Estimating Fat 
in Milk. —This is described by Charles L. Par¬ 
sons in .Appendix C. of the New Hampshire 
Experiment Station. Mr. Parsons repeats 
the well known argument in favor of the 
testing of cows. It is not very pleasant to 
think tnat there are still dairymen who feed 
and handle cows* that do not give milk enough 
to pay for their food, yet we know very well 
that such men live and try to do business. 
Again, it is necessary that some distinction 
should be made between the different samples 
of milk sent to a creamery. If this is not 
done, some of the patrons will be called upon 
to help carry those of their neighbors who 
produce thinner milk. Mr. Parsons gives the 
Short’s method, described at length in former 
Rurals, full credit; but quotes its author as 
saying that it will not give accurate results 
with milk containing under one-half of one 
percent, of fat. This, he thinks, shuts out the 
analysis of most skimmed milk and some but¬ 
ter-milks. His process is somewhat like that 
devised by Prof. Short—in some respects 
simpler. He uses four solutions: gasoline, 
caustic soda, alcohol and soap, and acetic acid. 
Prof. Short uses two solutions, a mixture of 
caustic soda and caustic potash and a mixture 
of sulphuric and acetic acids. It is needless for 
us to give the details of this method. As it all 
depends upon tables of figures printed in the 
bulletin, the reader might just as well get the 
bulletin himself and study it out. 
Danger In Decomposing Food.— Prof. H. 
E. Stockbridge, of the Imperial College of 
Japan, was called upon to examine food eaten 
by persons who died suddenly with symptoms 
of narcotic poisoning. He publishes his re¬ 
port in the form of a bulletin. The food con¬ 
sisted of a variety of edible mushroom and a 
native dish consisting of a mixture ot fish and 
rice. After a very patient research, Prof. 
Stockbridge discovered a compound which 
he identified as muscarire, the poisonous con¬ 
stituent of the “toad-stool,” and he also 
proved to his satisfaction that this substance 
was developed in the native dish of rice and 
fish which is allowed to become very “strong” 
before being eaten. This is the first reported 
case where death by poisoning has been traced 
to this substance as a product of decompo¬ 
sition, but there are good reasons to think 
that it is first simply because no previous ex¬ 
aminations have been made. Prof. Stock- 
bridge concludes that 'we are forced, by the 
facts developed in his analyses, “to recognize 
the danger of eating either animal or vege¬ 
table food after decomposition has begun, 
since this process may result in the develop¬ 
ment of deadly poisonous alkaloids resembling 
in physiological properties, strychnine, mor¬ 
phine, brucine, and other of the most power¬ 
ful poisonous alkaloids hitherto known only 
as products of vegetable growth. Many dis¬ 
eases of a cholera-like character, perhaps even 
this most dreaded malady itself, may result 
from the consumption of food in which the 
process of putrefaction has begun. From a 
legal standpoint, chemists, physicians, and 
jurists are now compelled to recognize the 
possibility that many supposed cases of crim¬ 
inal poisoning are in reality the result of pto- 
mane-formation, either in food or in the de¬ 
composing body after death.” 
Three weeks ago, Mr. Gregory, in these 
columns, took the ground that the danger 
from eating decomposing meats was largely 
or entirely removed by a thorough cooking. 
Prof. Stockbridge’s experiments indicate 
that there is danger in eating decomposed 
vegetables and fruits, many of which are 
eaten raw 
Potato Rot. —In Bulletin No. 2, Volume 2 
of the Tennessee Experiment Station, Prof. 
F. Lamson Scribner discusses two diseases of 
the “ Irish " potato. Every person who has 
ever raised potatoes is acquainted with po¬ 
tato rot, yet not one in 1,000 has ever tried to 
find out what this rot is, its cause or its 
remedy. Prof. Scribner’s examinations have 
been very carefully made and he has succeed¬ 
ed in making his description remarkably 
clear. There is more “ mystery ” about the 
growing of the potato crop than about that 
of any other crop grown on the farm. The 
wisest and most carefully planned arrange¬ 
ments are quite often upset. Rot has done 
its full share toward doing this, and potato- 
growers will be glad to have an opportunity 
of fighting the disease intelligently. Prof. 
Scribner says that the disease known as po¬ 
tato rot, results from the growth of a parasitic 
fungus on the potato plant, similar in habit 
and botanically related to the downy mildew 
of the grape. The growth of this parasite is 
favored by or even dependent upon certain 
climatic conditions. The disease is most 
severe on heavy, poorly-drained soils, or in 
seasons wheu foggy, sultry weather prevails. 
Prof. S. says there is nothing to prove 
the quite prevalent belief that rot is due to an 
enfeebled condition of the potato plant re¬ 
sulting from years of cultivation. He says, 
in fact, that “ it is not the climate, or the 
soil, or any vital exhaustion of the potato it¬ 
self that causes the rot; it comes from the at¬ 
tacks of a minute parasitic plant which infests 
the potato, penetrating in its growth both 
the tops and the tubers.” 
This parasitic plant belongs to the class of 
fungi and is of microscopic size. When a man 
is told that his potatoes are being eaten up by 
potato “bugs,” it is easy for him to under¬ 
stand what is meant. When he is told that 
these fungi are devouring his plants—rotting 
them—it is not so easy to understand, because 
while the “bugs” can be seeu, the fungi are 
invisible to the naked eye. Yet, the only dif¬ 
ference is, that the fungi break down the tis¬ 
sues while the “bugs” devour them. Plants 
may Jiecome diseased from the stems or from 
the seeds. The effect on the tops of the pota¬ 
to plants is to produce what is known as 
blight. The vines are killed to the ground 
and then the tubers begin to rot. The spores, 
a germinating principle of the fungi, are so 
small and light that they are carried through 
the air without difficulty. When they alight 
on potato vines in sufficient numbers and 
have moisture enough, they at once begin to 
develop and if wet, sultry weather continues, 
the chances are that they will spread over the 
plant and cause “blight.” For such attacks 
Prof. Scribner recommends the Bordeaux 
Mixture, so frequently described in these 
columns. In fact, almost any preparation 
containing sulphate of copper seems to kill 
the fungi. The “germs of the rot” are fre¬ 
quently put into the soil with the seed pieces. 
Great care should be taken in the selection 
and preservation of potatoes for seed. Mois¬ 
ture is the great promoter of the evil, and, 
while we cannot control the weather, we can 
plant only in dry, well-drained soil, dig in dry 
weather and keep storage pits or cellars dry 
and cool. The fungus is most active between 
60 and 70 degrees F. At 40 degrees its devel¬ 
opment is insignificant, while at, or about 80 
degrees, the vitality of the spores is quickly 
destroyed. At 105 to 110 degrees it has been 
found possible to destroy the germs, and this 
temperature, maintained for a few hours will 
not injure the tubers for seeding purposes. It 
is also said that the tubers may be disinfected 
by soaking them in a solution of sulphate of 
copper before cutting. 
MAGAZINE REVIEW. 
Lippincott for July is of peculiar interest 
to American readers, dealing as it does with 
individuals and topics which have had so 
much to do with our country’s greatness. 
The second instalment of “ Recollections of 
George W. Cnilds,”deals almostentiiely with 
General Grant, with whom he was very inti¬ 
mate from the time he formed his acquaintance 
in 1863 until his death. He gives us such an 
insight into his life and character, as can be 
given only by one intimate friend of another. 
We learn a fact not generally known that 
General Grant had considerable artistic 
taste and talent. A reproduction of 
one of his paintings is given as a frontis¬ 
piece. “Our Greatest Inventor” i9 de- 
scrioed to us as Captain John Ericsson. 
The general public knows of him chiefly as 
the inventor of the Monitor, the destroyer of 
the Merrimac, but this is a very small part of 
his many wonderful inventions, several of 
which are enumerated in this article. The 
“twin screw propeller” with independent en¬ 
gines, which has just been used so effectively 
by the steamer City of Faris and is now talked 
of as a brilliant novelty, was used by Ericsson 
more than 50 years ago In a Thames river 
tug-boat, and again nearly 20 years ago in 30 
different gun-boats built by him for the Span¬ 
ish government. It is certainly not very 
creditable to our government that its indiffer¬ 
ence, to put it in a mild form, should allow these 
and similar inventions to be appropriated by 
foreign powers. He built the first steam flre[ 
engine, the first tubular boiler, and in seven 
weeks, when only 26 years of age, designed 
and built an engine which ran 30 miles an 
hour. His diligence and devotion furnish an 
example worthy of emulation by the youth 
of his adopted land. In “ Authorship in the 
South Before the War,” Thomas Nelson Page 
gives his views of the causes that led to the 
comparatively small amount of literary work 
done in that section. Judge Tourgee contrib¬ 
utes another instalment of “ With Gauge and 
Swallow” under the sub-head of “A Dissolving 
View,” the old firm dissolving upon receiving 
another partner. The complete novel is by 
M.’G. McClelland, and is entitled “Ten Min¬ 
utes to Twelve.” Some choice bits of poetry 
are sandwiched between the longer articles, 
and the other departments are well filled with 
their usual complement of good things. The 
answers under “Our One Huudred Questions” 
contnin much interesting intormation. Ed¬ 
gar Fawcett criticises Mrs. Chanler’s last 
novel, and Ann© H. Wharton has some satir¬ 
ical remarks to make about “ The Courtesies 
of Summer Resorts.” J. B. Lippincott Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
PtoHatWfiu.s: gUmtising. 
NEW GIBER MACHINERY. 
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MANUFACTURED BY 
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having spring or running water can have 
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different styles. Lift and Force 
Pumps, Hydraulic Hams, Etc. 
Send for circular and prices. 
RU3ISEY & CO., 
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w ■ ZIPS. 
Circular. H. C. RICE, Farmington, Conn. 
SHD WhEST 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS, FRUIT TREES, 
SMALL FRUITS, DUTCH AND CHINESE 
FLOWERING BULBS, WINTER BLOOM¬ 
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PEKIN DUCKS, BRONZE TURKEYS, GER¬ 
MAN HARES, &c. Our annual Fall catalogue, 1889, 
of Seed Wheat. Plants, Poultry. Ac., will be ready by 
July 20. Samples of 7 new, hardy and productive var- 
ietiesofWinter Wheat, including the ironclad RELI¬ 
ABLE and celebrated LEHIGH No. 0, will be sent 
with catalogue for 10c. in postage stamps. Address, 
SAMUEL WILSON. Mechanicsville, Bucks 
Co., Pa. Catalogues free on application. 
"\TEW YORK COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SUR- 
TV GEONS and SCHOOL OF COMPARATIVE 
MEDICINE (Chartered 1S57).—Session of 1889 and 1890 
begins Tuesday, Oct. 1 st, 1S89. 
For Information and circulars, apply to 
H. 1). GILL, V.S., 382 E. 27th St., New York. 
EXTRA! 
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12 Broad pages and 84 Long Columns, Pub¬ 
lishing each week a COMPLETE NOVEL by 
a Popular Author, and the 
R. N.-Y., 
FOR ONE YEAR, 
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$2.2S. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
84 Park Row, N. Y. 
