84o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC 21 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
(34 Park Row, New York), 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban 
Home*. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT 8. CARMAN. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1889. 
We hope to present portraits of 
Mrs. Day, the first prize-taker and 
Mrs. .1. Coveil the fourth, with 
sketches of their lives, in a week or so. 
It will be seen that the first, second, 
third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth 
and ninth prizes are taken by those 
who raised their potatoes by the R. 
N.-Y. trench system. 
Both President Harrison and Sec¬ 
retary Windom advocate the repeal 
of the tobacco tax. The President, 
like a truly good man, does not speak 
of the weed ns a necessity; but the 
Secretary boldly declares that “to¬ 
bacco lias come to be regarded as a 
necessity by the poor as well as the 
rich.” Would tno cheapening of 
tobacco and tho consequent increase 
of smoking and chewing be really a 
benefit to the general public, or givo 
relief from tho burdens of taxation on 
a necessary of life ? Would the aboli¬ 
tion of the tax relieve the producer 
or consumer or would the whole ad¬ 
vantage he obtained by tho middle¬ 
man ? Is tobacco an “injurious lux¬ 
ury,” or really a “necessity of life ? ” 
If the former the tax on it should, of 
course, he retained; but, if the latter, 
it should, equally of course, he abol¬ 
ished. Tobacco-growers all over the 
country favor the repeal of the tax 
what do you say ? 
The Early Vermont takes the first 
>rize, Chicago Market second, Late 
lose the third, Rural Blush and Clreen 
Mountain the fourth, Beauty of Heb- 
>ron and Rural Blush fifth, White 
Flower the sixth, the R. N.-Y. No. 2 
and New (jueen the seventh, White 
Elephant eighth and Empire State 
ninth. 
Mrs. Presley’s potato report 
(seventh prize) is interesting as show¬ 
ing the comparative yields between 
New Queen, Rose’s Beauty of Beauties 
and the R. N. Y. No. 2. The New 
Queen yielded at the rate of 000 bush¬ 
els to the acre, Beauty of Beauties 440 
bushels and the R. N.-Y. No. 2 at the 
rate of 000 bushels per acre, while the 
proportion of unmarketable tubers of 
the last was very small. 
Report comes from the West that 
more sheep will be fattened than ever 
before in one season this winter. 
Farmers at the East and South seem 
to he preparing for fattening the usual 
number of sheep also, so that it 
looks now as though prices could not 
be high next spring. Still, there are 
hundreds of farms where no better 
use can bo found for fodder and grain 
than to turn it into mutton, even if 
prices are lower than ever before. 
Some of our farm writers like to 
refer to the Western hog ns a “ walk¬ 
ing corn crib,” seeming to believe fully 
that Western feeders depend upon 
corn alone for fattening their hogs. 
Such parties will be greatly surprised 
when we print a little symposium on 
“Feeding Oats to Hogs,” which is 
now in preparation. Some of the 
most noted hog breeders and feeders 
in the West will contribute, to it and 
it will seriously shake the views of 
the people who talk about corn-fed 
pork. 
There were over 1,000 entries for 
the Women’s National Potato (Contest. 
()f this number 200 are awarded 
prizes. Wyoming takes one prize (tho 
first). Illinois draws I!) prizes and 
among them the second. Ohio draws 
12 prizes, Minnesota 11, Missouri 0, 
Connecticut 4 ; Michigan 15, Can¬ 
ada 8, Washington 4, Nebraska 3, 
South Dakota I, New York 23, Iowa 
14, Pennsylvania (!, Indiana, 9, Wis¬ 
consin 12, California I, Oregon 4, Ten¬ 
nessee 2, Kansas II, Vermont 2, Ken¬ 
tucky 4, Texas 1, Virginia 4, New 
Jersey 5, West Virginia I, Massachu¬ 
setts 0, New Hampshire 4, Montana 2, 
South Carolina8, Colorado I. 
The “Notes on a Back Numbnr” 
contest has called out some excellent 
work on the part of our correspond¬ 
ents. Many of the contributors have 
never before written for publication, 
but some of them give promise of 
valuable work in the future. The 
R. N.-Y. rather prides itself on the 
fact that it brings out, each year, a 
number of new contributors wno are 
splendidly qualified to discuss practi¬ 
cal farm matters. This contest will 
introduce a dozen or more who are 
well prepared to offer suggestion and 
advice. The entries for tho contest 
closed on tho 20th, and it is expect¬ 
ed to publish tho essays curly in 
January. 
A SHORT time ago the statement 
was made that the German authori¬ 
ties were disposed to be loss rigorous 
in their prohibition of American pork 
and heel. An investigation has noon 
made by the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture with the result of tracing the 
rumor to a special case where*several 
hundred head of American cattle were 
subjected to only five or six days’ 
quarantine. Such cattle are ordinari¬ 
ly subjected to five weeks’ quaran¬ 
tine. The case mentioned was made 
special because of a special permit 
from the Imperial chan) tier granted in 
view of the fact that the parties inter¬ 
ested had agreed to deliver the cattle 
without knowing of the quarantine. 
Strict orders have been given to en¬ 
force the regulations, and the con¬ 
sumption of American beef lias also 
been prohibited in the German army. 
It is not likely, therefore, that wo 
may expect any immediate relief in 
tliat quarter. Farmers will feel very 
friendly towards the administration 
that can negotiate better trade rela¬ 
tions with (lermany. 
The publication of the letters des¬ 
cribing the “abandoned farms” of 
New Hampshire has called out a per¬ 
fect fusiladc of correspondence. Some 
of our readers seem to want to inves¬ 
tigate the property with a view to 
purchasing Such parties are referred 
to the Commissioner of Immigration 
of New Hampshire, who may bo ad¬ 
dressed at Manchester, N. H, The R. 
N.-Y. can only say that no one should 
buy those farms without a personal 
examination of the premises. A 
number of persons offer suggestions 
as to the causes that have led to the 
decadence in New England farming. 
Many of the explanations offered are 
doubtless just. As usual, the R. N.- 
Y. went to headquarters for informa¬ 
tion and asked those who owned the 
farms why the land is to he given up. 
We believe in getting our information 
at short range. Another class of cor¬ 
respondents question tho it. N.-Y’s. 
assertion that profitable agriculture is 
possible any where near these aban¬ 
doned farms; in other words, these 
>arties claim that agriculture on tho 
dll farms of New England is forever 
doomed. We shall see about this 
later when some of the best farmers 
of that section have their say. 
There is something exhilarating 
about tho new Western States. They 
are so vigorous, so refreshingly ear¬ 
nest that one can’t help admiring 
their actions even if be does not-al¬ 
ways quite approve. At the last elec 
tion m North Dakota (lie Prohibition¬ 
ists carried a constitutional amend¬ 
ment in favor of thoirviows, and they 
are now engaged in fashioning a law 
which is so severe that, as a local 
paper says: “mankind must reform, 
drink water or leave North Dakota.” 
The penalty of selling, offeringfor sale 
or giving away any intoxicating 
liquors will bo not loss than #200 or 
more than #1,000 for the first offense, 
while imprisonment for at least one 
year will make a second offense odious. 
In buying Irani a druggist, the pur 
chaser must make an affidavit of the 
object for which be buys Ibe stuff be¬ 
fore every purchase, and the drug¬ 
gists’ record of sales must ho open to 
aiblic inspection during all business 
lours. Public officials are mode 
spies and informers under penalty of 
loss of offleo, and mootings of men for 
convivial purposes are declared un¬ 
lawful. It is reported that the wicked 
“ wots ” are even more anxious than 
the extreme Prohibitionists to make 
the provisions of the law more severe. 
It is likely that North Dakota will be 
the first State which will teach the 
world tho results of the strictest pos¬ 
sible Prohibitory laws. 
Last Thursday there was an inter¬ 
esting story about Wall Street, the 
lull) of the financial wheel of this 
country. Money was very “tight” 
and interest on “call” anil other 
short loans extremely high. Why? 
Neither foreign complications nor tJie 
regular harvest How of money to tho 
rural districts all over the country for 
the purpose of “moving the crops” 
could account for it. Investigations 
threw some liglu. on the enigma. It 
was found that $12,000,000 cash be¬ 
longing to the Sugar Trust had been 
loaned “on call” by tho Trust mag¬ 
nates to various hanks and trust com¬ 
panies, and that all this money had 
been suddenly called in. At tins sea¬ 
son a vast amount of money is taken 
from New York and other financial 
centers to set the crops of tho country 
in motion, and a sudden demand for 
$12.000,000of borrowed money natural¬ 
ly caused a financial stringency. 
Some time ago the Sugar Trust mag¬ 
nates sold a large lot of their stock at 
$100 to $125 per share, by puffing 
the market. They wanted to get all 
they could of it back again at a lowor 
price; hence, it is charged, they 
tightened the money market, thus 
forcing hundreds who had bought 
trust certificates for speculative pur¬ 
poses on a margin, to throw them on 
the market. This caused prices to 
sink 10 per cent, last luosday and 4K 
percent, more next day, so the wily 
manipulators were enabled to buy 
from the dear public at $55 to $00 per 
share what they had previously sold at 
$100 to $125 per share. This is called 
“milking the public,” or “shearing 
the innocents; ” what do you think of 
such highly honorable, financial agri¬ 
cultural operations? 
The sessions of the various repre¬ 
sentative farmers’ organizations at St. 
Louis closed a week ago. The North¬ 
ern Farmers’ Alliance of Kansas and 
South Dakota joined the Southern 
Alliance under the new name of the 
National Fanners’ Alliance; but ac¬ 
tion was deferred by the delegates 
from the other Northern organizations 
until tho matter can bo submitted to 
the separate State A llianccs. The Ag¬ 
ricultural Wheel and the Farmers’ 
Mutual Benevolent Association were 
also amalgamated with tho new or¬ 
ganization, which is now the most mini 
orous and ought to bo the most influen¬ 
tial in the country. Tho resolutions 
favored woman suffrage; tho reserva¬ 
tion of public land for actual settlers; 
a prohibition of the acquisition of 
land in tiie States and Territories by 
aliens; rigid enforcement of the law 
against land-grabbing railroads; the 
free coinage of gold and silver; a pro¬ 
hibition of national loans to banks on 
bonded security at one per cent, inter¬ 
est, while farmers have to pay eight 
to 10percent., and the payment of the 
national debt as fast as possible. 
Taxes on real estate and mortgages 
and a graded income tax worn de¬ 
manded. Strict economy in all pub¬ 
lic departments was insisted upon, the 
liquor traffic was opposed in all forms 
and a revision and reduction of the 
tariff were strongly advocated. A 
basis of federation between tho Alli¬ 
ance and the Knights of Labor was 
agreed upon. It is highly probable 
that tho new organization, which 
claims n membership of over 2,500,000, 
aided by the Knights, will haveapow 
erlul influence on political matters in 
the near future, uh its main objects 
appear to be of apolitical rather than 
of an economic character. 
The American Sugar Company of 
Kansas bus been perpetrating a fraud 
on the farmers about Mineola and in 
some other sections, a counterpart 
of which has not been heard of since 
tho exposure of the notorious electric 
sugar frauds. About a year ago tho 
company built a mill for a few thous¬ 
and dollars to manufacture sugar 
from sorghum at Rcodo Con tor. The 
Adamson or “roasting process” of 
extracting the sugar was employed 
and marvelous results wore claimed. 
Tho product was exceptionally fine 
and abundant. The farmers became 
jubilant at the success of the new in¬ 
dustry which afforded them a profit¬ 
able homo market for anew “money” 
crop. Soon tho company very per¬ 
suasively proposed that the different 
townships should vote bonds for the 
extension of the works, and bonds to 
the amount of $90,000 wore voted and 
tho script was turned over to the com¬ 
pany. At Ashland, Clark County, 
the same plan was pursued and tho 
farmers readily voted bonds to the 
amount of $18,000. It is believed that 
like inducements were successfully 
used to secure bonds from farmer’s in 
other parts of tho State, and that #150,- 
000 were obtained in this way. Last 
Thursday tho fraudulent scheme was 
detected and exposed. A large num¬ 
ber of barrels of pure imported sugar- 
had been used in making sirup excel¬ 
lent in quality and remarkably large 
in quantity from the amount of cane 
used. The residents of two townships 
in Monde County flocked to tho mill 
and forced the manager to destroy the 
bonds ; but it is reported that the 
bonds of the other townships had been 
negotiated. There is a great deal too 
much readiness and laxity in bonding 
municipalities and counties for works 
of a quasi public character; and, as in 
all new countries, this pernicious 
practice is at present most prevalent 
in the groat, enterprising, go-a head 
West. The lesson taught by the 
American Sugar Company should 
prove a salutary warning to those in¬ 
clined toriHk money in this way. 
BREVITIES. 
Tiik judges decided to award no souven¬ 
irs for any yields less than at the rate of 
300 bushels to the acre. 
THE announcements of several promising 
new varieties of potatoes will be found in 
tbc advertising columns of this issue. 
“ Everybody lias It In bis mouth that 
beans are a light crop: ” is the report of an 
old subscriber in Livingston County, N. Y. 
‘‘It will be a good while, I fear, before 
you get a potato that will equal the Beauty 
of Hebron and Tliorburn.” So wril.es Jona 
than Talcott from Rome, N. Y. 
THE stock of the Kumerle Dwarf Lima is 
very small. So also is that of Burpee's 
Dwarf Lima. It will be offered for sale in 
very small quantities at a very high price. 
IT seems that there is quite a division of 
opinion regarding the possibilities of a 
small farm near New York. Tho opinion 
given this week, on page 838 1 h interesting. 
Should we have a law compelling manu¬ 
facturers to state the sources of the nitro¬ 
gen. potash and phosphoric acid they use 
in tneir fertilizers t Some of our wise men 
will tell us in a subsequent number what 
they think about this. 
As soon as possible we shall begin the 
publication of A series of articles on ‘‘Farm¬ 
ing IKK) acres at a Profit In Western New 
York.” They will be written by a practi¬ 
cal farmer and we feel safe In promising 
our readers something unique, interesting 
and valuable. 
A NUMBER of subscribers write us that 
they have used coal ashes on light, sandy 
soils with excellent results. As Prof John¬ 
son pointed out last, week, the good effect, 
is due more to the change made in the me¬ 
chanical condition of the soli than to any 
great fertility in the ashes. 
Contrary to the predictions of our on 
tomologists and fungologfsts, the potato 
rot ceased just as soon as the potatoes were 
taken out of the soil. That Is to Hay, 
though rot in the crop while growing was 
never before so prevalent, rot In the har¬ 
vested crop Is less than usual. 
A city jeweler of long experience in forms 
the It. N.-Y. that a class of city people 
every Christmas pay cash for jewelry and 
dodge the payment of food bills and rent. 
This Isa curious phenomenon of city life and 
helps t,o explain the puzzling fact that, 
though the world’s supply of diamonds has 
largely increased, the price has hardly di¬ 
minished. 
Some insiHt that the recent drop In the 
price of Sugar Trust certificates is wholly 
or In main part due to the opening, the other 
day, of Claus Spreckel’s mammoth sugar 
refinery in Philadelphia. This has a ca- 
meity of 2,000,(XX) pounds in 24 hours and 
Jlaus declares he will run it to its full ea- 
incity. Tim drop in the certificates can af- 
ect only a few and those mainly specula 
tors who deserve little synipal by; but what 
a multitude a drop in the prices of sugar 
would affect I Have you heard anything 
of that kind drop p 
Canada till leached ashes of average 
quality, as shown by 13 analyses made by 
Prof. Storer, contain 5.77 per cent, of pot¬ 
ash, 89 per cent, of lime and 1.17 per cent, 
of phosphoric acid. Estimating the potash 
at six cents per pound, the ashes are worth, 
say, 35 cents (34.(18) per 100 pounds and tho 
phosphoric acid (estimated at night cents 
per pound) about nine cents. Throwing ir 
the lime as worthless, these ashes ure worth 
44 cents per 100 pounds. Uuleochcd ashes, 
however, are a very variable quantity, do 
ponding upon moisture, sand and the like. 
