§26 
THE BUBAL fSEW-YOBKEB. 
AUG 40 
THE 
RURAL NEW'YORKER, 
ANatlonal Journal for Country and Suburban Home •. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1889. 
“ Potatues is gone ” is the verbatim 
record of the opinion of one of the oldest 
farmers in the vicinity ot the Rural 
Grounds. 
f The R. N.-Y. hopes that all who speak 
of the sexes of strawberries will use the 
word “pistillate” to denote those varie¬ 
ties which have no stamens or imperfect 
stamens, and “bisexual” to denote those 
which have perfect flowers— i. e. both 
stamens and pistils. 
show to your friends. The R. N.-Y. will 
send copies to all who may be interested 
in good farm literature. Send a list of 
your friends and neighbors. By the way, 
the R. N.-Y. offers special inducements 
to agents this year. Any person who can 
secure subscriptions can obtain perma¬ 
nent employment in the service of the 
R N.-Y. 
The R, N.-Y. again urges all who have 
occasion to talk or write about the sexes 
of strawberries to use the word “bisex¬ 
ual” (B.) to designate those varieties 
whose flowers are perfect, i, e., beai both 
stamens and pistils, and “pistillate” (P.) 
to designate those which have flowers 
with imperfect stamens. 
It is also well to bear in mind that the 
word “seedling” is properly applied only 
to the plant that is raised from the seed. 
Any plant propagated from it is not a 
seedling. To speak therefore of Brown’s 
Seedling Strawberry or Brownell’s Seed¬ 
ling Potato, when the original plant is 
not referred to, is absurd. 
■ ■« n4 » *» - 
As the older readers of the R. N.-Y. 
are aware, we have never favored planting 
pot-grown strawberry plants. If well 
grown, which is rarely the case, one may 
be assured of a fair crop the next season. 
Generally they are not well grown. The 
cost of expressage is outrageous. Buy 
layer-plants and set them out now. 
An appropriate name for the good, old 
Trumpet Vine would be “Humming bird 
Vine.” These charming little birds seem 
to prefer its flowers to those of any other 
plant. We should want this old-time 
vine because it is so attractive to hum¬ 
ming-birds, if for no other of many rea¬ 
sons why it should find a place in every 
garden. 
Among many of Jones’s new wheats we 
have raised the past year is Golden Cross, 
highly prized in parts of New York 
State The heads average three inches 
long, strongly bearded, brown chaff, me¬ 
dium-sized amber berry, two and three 
to a breast. Later we shall report as to 
the yield of a five-acre field of this wheat 
raised near the Rural Farm on Long 
Island. 
Honey Sweet Corn (seed from J. J. H. 
Gregory and Johnson & Stokes), planted 
May 5th, was ready for the table July 
27th. The tassels, silks and husks are 
usually purple. The plants grow a foot 
taller than those of the Crosby, and will 
average more ears to the stalk of about 
the same shape, size and number of rows, 
though the rows are not quite so close 
together or even. The quality is as 
sweet, we judge, as that of any variety, 
though we have not at this writing any 
of the later kinds for comparison. The 
objection to the Honey Sweet for market 
would be its purple husks. 
It is claimed that the price at which 
binanas are sold in this market regulates 
the price that can be obtained for other 
fruits. This is bad enough for the small- 
fruit growers in a season like the present 
when the foreign fruit is so largely im¬ 
ported. The consumers face a danger in 
the sale of over-ripe and decayed fruit. 
Day before yesterday a steamer arrived 
from Costa Rica with 8,000 bunches of 
overripe bananas. Inspectors of the City 
Board of Health seized the entire cargo 
and destroyed it. In spite of the vigi¬ 
lance of the officials, tons of decayed 
liuit are offered for sale. 
A box of the new currant “Crandall” 
was received the past week from Frank 
Ford & Son, of Ravenna, Ohio. The 
branches were crowded with currants the 
largest of which were ten-sixteenth of an 
inch in diameter. The pictures of this 
currant can scarcely be said to be an ex¬ 
aggeration, except that the berries grow 
smaller towards the tip of the raceme. 
In flavor they are exactly the same as that 
of a Missouri Currant growing in the gar¬ 
den of the R. N. Y. The leaf is essen¬ 
tially the same, too, in shape though not 
so smooth. We do not see any reason for 
assuming that this is a hybrid. 
The publication of the photographic 
pictures to which the R. N.-Y. has fre¬ 
quently referred, will begin with our 
Fair Number. This new enterprise 
promises to be highly successful, and our 
readers may expect a treat. This Fair 
Number w ; U “*» excellent paper to 
For an early corn for use just after 
Cory, Marblehead, etc., Crosby’s Early is, 
in the R. N.-Y.’s estimation, unsurpassed. 
In moderately fertile soil, the stalks 
grow six feet high, measuring to the top 
of the tassel. The ears, generally two to 
a stalk, are borne a foot or more above 
the soil. The husks, like those of 
Stowell’s Evergreen, are always of a fresh, 
light green. The ears, about eight 
inches long and from 10 to 12 rows, taper 
from the but to the tip. The rows are 
close together, and straight and the ker¬ 
nels of uniform size. The quality is 
equal to that of the Concord. Planted 
May 5th, the first ears were mature 
July 25th, 
The R. N.-Y. asked its friends to tell 
us how many head of stock they keep. 
The purpose was to make some compari¬ 
sons with the farmers at Cranbury, N. J., 
who seem to be going out of stock keep¬ 
ing. Here is one of the first responses. 
Let us have others:— 
“ My farm comprises 57 acres, includ- 
tng wood land and pasture. My stock 
consists of five horses, one colt, 11 cows, 
a three-year-old bull and 10 head of young 
cattle. I wintered 28 head of horses and 
cattle, and keep four horses and a bull in 
the barn throughout the summer. I have 
not built a silo but propose doing so next 
year, ” 
E. L. Bass, Secretary Vermont Dairy¬ 
men’s Association. 
Dr. Hoskins sent to the R. N.-Y. last 
spring a few kernels of what he calls Ex¬ 
tra-early Black Mexican Corn, produced 
by crossing the Blue Squaw of Dakota 
and Hoskins’s Early Dean, claiming that 
it is as sweet as the Mexican and as early 
as the Cory. The few kernels were 
planted May 5 beside Crosby’s Early 
planted the same day. The first lot was 
eaten July 22, about one week before 
Crosby’s was ready. The plants in poor- 
ish soil grow less than five feet high. 
The ears are borne just above the soil, 
one, two and sometimes three to a plant. 
The ears average about eight inches long, 
eight rows. The quality was found to 
be much the same as that of the late Mex¬ 
ican. There is, however, the same ob 
jection to the new variety, viz: the cobs 
and kernels turn to a dull, dark color 
after being boiled. 
The following note touches a matter 
that the R. N.-Y. has alway deemed very 
important. Now is the time to attend 
to it. 
“ In every large flock during the 
summer months, there are always some 
sheep that do not keep in as good condi¬ 
tion as the rest, and there are nearly al¬ 
ways more or less cull lambs. Every 
sheep-grower should have a small inclos¬ 
ure where he can place these culls with 
their dams, and give them a little grain 
every day to help out the grass and milk 
ration. A mixture of corn-meal and 
bran, equal parts, is a very good feed for 
these ewes and lambs, and it is within 
reach of most farmers Of course, to do 
this gives some trouble; but I think the 
farmer will be well repaid as well as sur¬ 
prised when winter comes and he finds 
these sheep as good as any in the flock. 
To secure an even lot of sheep should be 
the farmer’s aim, and they can be made 
and kept so by proper care and feed.” 
- . 
In the City Hall Park in this city is a 
circular stone basin 20 or 25 feet in di¬ 
ameter, In it are a number of aquatic 
plants now in full bloom, and the effect 
is charming. The white water-lilies, 
with their floating green leaves, remind 
one of many similar flowers gathered in 
our inland rivers and lakes in former 
picnic-times. Then there are the Ama- 
zonians looking, for all the world, like 
immense buttercups out of their proper 
sphere. The Zanzibar Lily nestles its 
large, sky-blue flowers under the shade 
of the stately Indian Lotus, which rears 
its rosy-colored flowers high above its 
neighbors. While not every farmer could 
afford a pond of this kind, there are but 
few who could not have at least a tub or 
half-barrel sunk in the ground in which 
a few of our common water lilies would 
thrive with an occasional pail of water 
thrown in to renew the supply. This is 
a flower that never looks half so charm¬ 
ing as when growing in its native ele¬ 
ment. 
SPECIAL NOTICE. 
N reply to inquiries we may state that 
the inner portion of the flowers of 
the potato R. N.-Y. No. 2 is a light pur¬ 
ple. This purplish color covers irregu¬ 
larly about half the corolla. The outer 
portion is nearly white. The proportion 
of white and purple is shown in the illus¬ 
tration which was carefully drawn from 
nature. This variety never hears solid 
white flowers. The stems also are, here 
and there, tinted with purple. They are 
long-jointed and branch less freely than 
do most other varieties. 
HONEY BEES IN COURT. 
A CASE of considerable interest to 
bee-keepers was recently tried by 
the Supreme Court of the Fourth Ju¬ 
dicial Department of New York State. 
The questions passed upon were substan¬ 
tially the following: 
1. May the honey bee become an un¬ 
lawful trespasser and a nuisance? 
2. If so, can the owner of the offend¬ 
ing swarm be held amenable in damages 
to the injured party? 
Here is the reported history of the case. 
In 1887 a wealthy banker of Delaware 
County, N. Y., had a neighbor who kept 
an apiary of 20 swarms of bees within 50 
feet of the banker’s dwelling. The bank¬ 
er complained that the bees attacked and 
stung members of his family—that they 
were, in fact, vicious and offensive in¬ 
sects annoying his horses and other stock. 
The neighbor refused to remove the bees 
and the banker began a suit for $1,200 
damages and an order for the removal of 
the bees. The National Bee Keepers’ 
Association assumed the defense and thus 
made this a test case. The trial lasted 
several days and brought out much ex¬ 
pert testimony. The jury declared the 
apiary a nuisance and awarded the plain¬ 
tiff six cents and costs, thus establishing 
a precedent. The court at once issued 
an injunction restraining the defendant 
from maintaining the apiary on his prem¬ 
ises. The defendant appealed and is now 
again defeated. It is said that the Bee- 
Keepers’ Association will continue the 
fight by a further appeal to the Court of 
Appeals—the court of final resort. 
THE PURITANS. 
W E are making history at such a rap¬ 
id pace in these days that some 
of us hardly realize the thoughtful sig¬ 
nificance of the recent celebration at Ply¬ 
mouth, Mass. Public monuments are 
dedicated every week. The history of 
this country has been a stirring one, 
packtd full of incidents that seem to call 
for a substantial token of remembrance, 
There is nothing, however, in the history 
of this nation, or, in fact, in the history 
of any other nation, that has had more to 
do with the making of history than the 
landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. 
Suppose those stern, determined men 
had gone to some Southern harbor. The 
entire history of the country would have 
been changed. New England would 
never have gained the supremacy she 
ably maintained for so long. The great 
West would never have been cut 
out of the rough by the descendants of 
the Pilgrims, The Pilgrims themselves 
doubtless owed much of their strength of 
character and body to the fact that they 
were cast upon a bleak country where the 
closest economy and energy were needed 
to preserve life. In a more favored sec¬ 
tion they might have lost that rugged 
strength and simplicity that gave them 
their peculiar power. 
We owe much to Puritanism. The or¬ 
iginal Puritan was an honest man stand¬ 
ing like a stone wall for what he consid¬ 
ered right and fair. He has been called 
a bigot, a narrow minded, obstinate fel¬ 
low who constituted himself as sole judge 
and jury and never changed his mind. 
He suited his time, however, and some of 
his principles and practices might well 
be revived in this age. About 250 years 
ago a Cape Cod man was appointed to 
watch for whales. He made a false re¬ 
port, saying he saw a whale when none 
was within sigfit. For this lie he was 
fined a sum of money that would amount 
in this age to nearly $500. Who says this 
punishment of liars would be out of 
place now? If old Miles Standish or 
Governor Bradford could come back to¬ 
day and see how we “run things,” no 
doubt they would feel that much of their 
labor was thrown away. It would take 
them a long time to become reconciled to 
our “deals” and “combines.” Old 
Miles was a man who never dodged a re¬ 
sponsibility. When a hostile Indian sent 
him a snake’s skin filled with arrows as a 
token of defiance, the old fellow filled 
the skin with powder and shot and sent 
it back. If the stout old soldier lived in 
these days he would answer the attacks 
upon popular freedom in the same spirit. 
BREVITIES. 
Floods. 
Bedraggled. 
Sweet Corn is a trifle lower again. 
Potato vines, those of both early and late 
kinds, are dying. 
The blackberry crop is probably as great 
as any ever raised in the northern States. 
During the last four days (July 31) there 
have been 3.51 inches of rain at the Rural 
Grounds. 
One result of the heavy rains is that bricks 
will be higher; many half-burned bricks were 
destroyed. 
A Compositor makes it Shapeless instead 
of Sharpless Strawberry. Some specimens 
would seem to warrant this. 
Editor C. A. Dana forcibly sets forth the 
claims of the sun-flower as the fittest among 
the national flower candidates. 
All who are interested in vegetable grow¬ 
ing should read William Falconer’s article on 
page 529. You can not find such information 
in books. 
About the only living creatures capable of 
doing a full days work during the storm were 
the potato beetles. They never stopped but 
ate, and grew fat. 
Lima Bean growers are hopeful for good 
prices all through the season. The rains have 
washed out many fields of beans so badly that 
the yield will be quite seriously curtailed. 
It seems evident that the storm has injured 
the potato crop quite seriously. Potatoes 
ought to bring a good price this year. The 
corn crop has also suffered and the grain will 
be high. 
E. Williams says, on page 522, that straw¬ 
berries should be consumed within 36 hours at 
furthest after being picked. To suit the 
writer’s taste, this time should be reduced to 
as near one hour as possible. 
Frogs’ legs find a ready sale in the New 
York markets. The present price is 25 cents 
per pound. The R. N.-Y. has had so many 
letters from those who want to know now to 
raise, prepare and sell this article of food, 
that we propose to make it the subject for a 
special article. 
No Gambling devices, side-shows or any¬ 
thing which might exert a demoralizing in¬ 
fluence upon the young or old will be permitted 
at the New York Slate Fair to commence 
September 12 and close the 19th. We are 
promised by Secretary Woodward and the 
Executive Committee an absolutely “clean” 
fair. 
A Subscriber who read the articles entit¬ 
led “Is Cream, Cream,” writes:— 
“ I found out what I wauted. And the 
point is just this; can a man, five 1 spaces’ of 
whose cream will make a pound of butter, af¬ 
ford to be a patron of a co-operative cream¬ 
ery where it takes 6J^ spaces of the mixed 
cream to mako a pound of butter?” 
Rains incessant—the rainiest season ever 
experienced within the remembrance of the 
farmers in this part of the country. The R. 
N.-Y. anticipated a very dry season because 
the rainfall for the past two years has been 
excessive. All the more shall we count upon 
excessive droughts iu the near future. This 
is not in the way of a prediction at all—the 
R N.-Y. as a weather forecaster owns up that 
it is in disgrace—but merely as the result Of a 
bit Pt fl priori reasoning. 
