THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MARCH IS 
472 
±- 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Address 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
78 Duan« Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, MARCH. 15, 1879. 
PLEURO-PNEUMONIA AND SWILL MILK. 
Tt is a misfortune of our free govern¬ 
ment that abuses are permitted to exist, 
until they become intolerable. Prevent¬ 
ive measures are supposed to interfere 
too much with the liberty of the citizen, 
and abuses exist until they become 
crimes. This is the case with the swill 
milk dairies which aro so numerous in 
the largo cities, but notably so in New 
York, Brooklyn and Jersey City. These 
foul establishments, pestiferous plague 
spots, dens of tilth, enmity, iniquity and 
<usease, exist and flourish, in spite of 
Boards of Health and Societies for the 
prevention of Cruelty to Animals—human 
icings not included. So long as thou¬ 
sands of infants die annually from the 
effects of the diseased milk, wo hear 
nothing, except the occasional spasmodic 
and perfunctory effort of a Board of 
Health which gives, now and then, a 
raison d’t /re, or excuse for its existence, 
in a foolish and ineffective raid upon one 
of these pest-dens. But when a luisiimss 
becomes threatened; when the loss or a 
£*\v thousands of dollars is risked, then'll 
convulsion occurs; and, not to put. too 
fine a point upon it., a row is made. Such 
a row is now in progress. “ Our craft is 
in danger ” exclaim the shippers of Uve 
stock, and something must be done about 
it, at once, or sooner. 
There is a good reason for this commo¬ 
tion too; but it. is not that the English 
ports have been closed aguinst our cattle; 
but it is,—and wo say this deliberately 
and knowingly,- that, this danger is the 
least of the ill effects of the utterly 
abominable practice of feeding cows upon 
hot distillery slop, in filthy stables, in 
the outskirts of the cities mentioned. 11 
lias been denied that, there is pleuro¬ 
pneumonia existing in this country. Yet 
the fact is not to he controverted. To 
our knowledge it lias llitted about Hong 
Island for two or three years past, and 
we could mention names and places of 
farmers and farms who have lost cattle 
by this disease, or who have saved their 
stock by vigorous quarantine, it. exists 
now to our knowledge in Hoboken, among 
other places, and it lias spread from a 
stuble in that locality to the farms of an 
adjoining county, through the introduc¬ 
tion of one cow brought, from there to a 
country dairy. This knowledge has not 
come from any inquiry but through or¬ 
dinary contact with farmers. Hcores of 
people have the same knowledge, and 
any one might have learned it by simply 
visiting the neighborhood of the swill 
dairies. A most serious bill of indictment 
may be brought, against these foul insti¬ 
tutions : 
They are dens af cruelty; the cows 
exist, in them in all stages of disease en¬ 
gendered by the unwholesome food and 
the horrible filth aud foulness in which 
they are kept,. They are destructive of 
human life; the diseased milk coming 
from diseased blood, carries poison into 
thousands of unsuspected places, and ten¬ 
der children are slain by this concealed 
enemy. They are destructive of honest 
trade; they compete with the pure, fresh 
milk of the country dairies, aud so lower 
the value of it in the city markets, as to 
drive it out of competition. By the use 
of a waste aud worthless product, tit only 
for the sewers—cheap and nasty this 
swill milk can be produced at a nominal 
price, as compared with pure milk from 
hay and grain. They destroy the property 
of others ; they create disease and spread 
it by every * 1 air of heaven ” to distant 
places, where it poisons healthy cattle 
aud causes ruinous Iosh to poor but honest 
farmers. They disturb business, and 
create uneasiness over ouo-half the globe ; 
for as from an insignificant spark a wide 
oonllagration may occur, so from this ob¬ 
scure corner of u great city, hidden from 
sight by dingy sheds and squalor and 
heaps of dirt and filth, pestiferous breath 
may go forth and carry the germs of death 
to the center of a wide field, from which 
other re liters may be stricken, until whole 
continents may be infected. 
The truth of these charges is easily 
proven. In fact, it is admitted. It has 
been repeated by a thousand lips and the 
tongues of rumor have spread it abroad, 
long time since. Now that the evil has 
come in such unquestionable shape, some¬ 
thing may be done. Now that a few mil¬ 
lions of dollars are at stake and a grow¬ 
ing business is threatened, the public 
health may indirectly be benefited and 
the poor, suffering, patient cows may be 
spared intolerable cruelties. 
Fortunately the high sanitary condition 
of farm herds has prevented the spread of 
this disease in this country. Wherever 
it has appeared, it has soon died out and 
has affected only a few cattle in the imme¬ 
diate neighborhoods. In Long Island it 
lias been only here and there that a herd 
lias been diseased, and by care to exclude 
danger, other herds have been saved. In 
fact, there is nothing at present to give oc¬ 
casion for the fears of the Canadians and 
the English people. But the latter have 
boon seriously crippled by the dreaded 
disease iu an epizootic form, and it is 
reasonable that they should fear a fresh 
danger from a new source. The disease 
is not epizootic here ; it appears spo¬ 
radically and dies out, each attack being 
easily traced to the sources we point, out. 
But there are people who live, eat and 
sleep on the sides of volcanoes, and who 
hear the rumblings and tremblings be¬ 
neath them without any fear until an erup¬ 
tion suddenly sweeps them away. Just so 
with this disease. What, unknown condi¬ 
tions might arise suddenly that wdl pre¬ 
pare the way for its spread from Maine 
to Texas, we cannot tell. Some meteoro¬ 
logical changes may take place at any 
time, favorable to the spread of infection 
aud thousands of farmers may be ruined. 
The plague should be stamped out with¬ 
out delay. We approve of the proposal 
to authorize the Agricultural Department, 
to take cognizance of this matter, and 
hope it may do so with such energy as to 
destroy the shameful business and pre¬ 
vent its resurrection ever again. A busi¬ 
ness that carries such possible disaster iu 
its train, should bo declared a public 
danger and an enemy. 
WANTED OLD SONGS. 
“ Let me make the songs of a nation 
and I care not who may make its laws,” 
was the remark of one who knew how 
deeply old songs affect the minds and 
actions of the average public. It, seems 
to us, however, that, the influence of 
songs is on the wane ; that wo have none 
now so generally popular as in the olden 
lime. Iu the Presidential campaign 
when “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” were 
the candidates, song singing was a prom¬ 
inent feature in every political gathering, 
whether large or small, and had doubt, 
less much to do with the enthusiasm that, 
eventuated in the election of Harrison. 
But it was of the older times we were 
thinking, when matters of general and 
even local importance were woven into 
rhyme—whieh, however far from poetry 
it may have been, served to fix the inci¬ 
dents it commemorated firmly iu the me¬ 
mory. Of the many songs of this kind 
wc used to hear in our childhood, bits of 
several occur to us as we write. There 
was one reciting in detail Commodore 
Perry'B victory on Lake Erie, commenc¬ 
ing— 
“ On the tenth of Hcntombor, lot. no oil remember, 
Ho Iona n* the world on it* uxl« rolln round. 
Our torn aud marines on Lake Erin were aeon. 
To make Hie proud flax of Ureal Brilaiu ootno down." 
After describing in detail the manu- 
vering of the contesting forces, it relates 
how— 
" The whole llritiah fleet wuh brought up complete. 
When oar signal wa« irfvnn to break through the line. 
Then from larbord and atarbord and from every 
quarter, 
Thelain i>h of Columbia most, glorious did Rhine." 
There were many stanzas of the same 
general style, whieh together served as a 
very good narrative of the event. 
The capture of the British frigate 
due,mere by the Constitution, was recit¬ 
ed in a song of many stanzas, the first of 
which wo remember was as follows— 
“ It, of Million Ini* Inn'll told 
How till) Ilritirli sailors bold 
Could flog the tarn of franco no nont and bandy, O - 
Am) tlioy never found tbeir uifttoh 
Till the Yankees did thorn catch 
The Yankee lads for lighting are the dandy, 0, 
Then followed a, circumstantial account 
of the action, capture and surrender. 
Of a more local character is the song 
relating to the death of a young man in 
consequence of the bite of a snake. 
“ On Hprlmifield mountain there did dwell 
A lovely youth, aud known full well— 
harlv one morn thill youth did go 
Out, in the meadow for to mow , 
He mowed and mowed all round the Held 
With a poisoned serpent at hl» hoelH." 
The concluding stanzas portray iu 
mournful cadence the sufferings and 
death of this lovely youth ; and so popu¬ 
lar xvas this song iu New England half a 
century ago, that his fate was known and 
lamented by the whole community. 
We should bo glad to have some of 
these Epics rescued from oblivion. 
There are doubtless some among the 
readers of the Bubal who have copies or 
memories of them, that they would gladly 
sec in print, and many of our young 
friends would bo amused, if not instruct¬ 
ed, by reading the songs their grandsires 
sang in the olden time. Why will not 
some of our enterprising publishers favor 
the public aud profit themselves by 
issuing a volume of The Songs of our 
Fathers ? 
— ■ , ■ . - 
TIMBER PLANTING FOR PROFIT. 
There are too many waste acres. Every¬ 
where arc Been plots of land that arc un¬ 
even and rough, aud not adapted for the 
plow. To bring them into profitable uho 
and prevent them from becoming nui¬ 
sances and nurseries for weeds, something 
should be done with those waste places. 
Planting them with trees seems to be 
not ouly a proper but ulso a profita¬ 
ble use for them. Fruit trees may l»e 
limited upon some of them, but the 
argest part of this useless acreage can 
be made a source of profit by planting 
timber trees upon it. What kinds of 
timber then should be planted? There 
is a steady demand for all sorts of orna¬ 
mental and useful woods, such as walnut, 
cherry, white ash, sycamore and others 
used in building and cabinet-making. 
Chesnut, hickory and oak “ go without 
Haying” because there are ahuudant uses 
for them on the farm. But who thinks 
of trees that are useful for their hark? 
A few days ago the writer sold hemlock 
bark at #15 per cord ; rock oak bark for 
#8, and white oak for #<>, and the timber 
was left “ to the good,” iu addition. 
Tanneries abound on every band and 
they are rapidly URing up the bark tim¬ 
ber. Scores of tanneries which have cost 
many thousands of dollars are now aban¬ 
doned, and hundreds more will go to 
ruins soon because the supply of bark is 
or soon will be exhausted. Wliat, farmer 
near these ever thinks of planting bark 
timber to supply the future demand. He 
skins his land of its bark, and leaves the 
ground to grow up with rubbish and use¬ 
less trash. 
Suppose he were to join hands with the 
tanners and go to planting his waste land 
with hemlock and oak? Clear up the de¬ 
nuded ground aud plant some old fields 
with young trees. A coming supply 
would render the existence of t he tannery 
profitable to him as furnishing a market 
for his farm produce and iu time a cus¬ 
tomer for bis growing bark. The moun¬ 
tain ranges can thus bo made to secure a 
permanent industry for farmers who are 
now in danger of starving upon their hill 
sides as nearly barren as may be. 
Let, ns consider the following figures. 
We import every year 4,000,000 hides and 
produce annually 9,000,000. These thir¬ 
teen million hides require for their tan¬ 
ning 1,225,000 tons or cords of bark; half 
of this is hemlock and half of oak. Our 
stock of bark timber is disappearing from 
sight with amazing rapidity. Thousands 
of square miles of land in New York and 
Pennsylvania, the seat of the hulk of the 
lauuing industry, aro reduced to the con¬ 
dition of a howling wilderness by reason 
of this waste. By replanting this laud it 
may be all restored to beauty and use. 
Otherwise, as soon as our present supply 
of bark is exhausted, this great, industry 
must gradually collapse and leather must 
be imported from abroad, instead of, as 
now, being largely exported, Want of 
foresight is a human failing ; but surely 
so plain a need as this, so sure a remedy, 
ana so certain a resource, should bo ap¬ 
parent to the most careless man whoso 
interests are involved. When trees are 
planted, let it not be forgotten that there 
are some valuable for their bark and some 
localities where the bark is worth more 
than the wood. 
Interest on Money.— The earnings 
of capital now become a subject of greater 
interest than for many years. We see 
that it is agitating both the mercantile 
and the agricultural classes. The bill be¬ 
fore the Legislature of New York to make 
the legal interest ou money six per oout. 
is taking a very conservative view of the 
question. Four per cent, is over the av¬ 
erage earnings of real estate in New York, 
and probably in most States; aud there 
is no reason why the interest paid for the 
use of money should be so disproportion¬ 
ate to its real earnings. The farmer, 
above all, feels the hardship of excessive 
interest,. A farm encumbered to half its 
value is worked solely fur the benefit of 
the mortgagee, as the legitimate income 
will only pay seven per ceut,. on half itH 
value. The legal interest in several of 
the States has been only six per cent,, for 
many years, and the New York movement 
may be considered very modest, since at 
present there is more money tlmu busi¬ 
ness. Yet the money interest is combined, 
and vigilant, in protecting its exactions ; 
while tho farmers, practically uncombined 
and looking for some miraculous inter¬ 
vention in their behalf, will probably find 
that the members elected by their votes 
will represent the small money class aud 
forget their constituents, 
-♦ » ♦- 
Farmers — How to Lift tlio 
Load.—There is no disguising the fact 
that a large fraction of the farms are 
under heavy incumbrances. Many are 
no doubt on tho point of giving up the 
struggle. But we say, renew your cour¬ 
age. Prices are low, but low prices are 
not tho worst obstacles to comfort. Easy 
spending often makes high prices come 
to nothing at tho debt-paying point. 
Look the whole field over carefully ; lop 
off everything that can bo properly dis¬ 
pensed with ; save good food for body 
and mind ; let the wholo list be carefully 
scanned. 
Now pay up your back interest, at, 
whatever sacrifice; then say to your cred¬ 
itor, “ The times are changed ; money 
must bear its share of the inevitable losses 
of the reaction ; you should bo willing to 
reduce this interest to six per cent.; much 
of the money of the country cannot be 
loaned at that; give me a eiianeo and I 
will returu you the last farthiug.” 
If he is not, willing to be just, your 
promptness in paying interest will com¬ 
mand the money at the reduced rate, and 
you can pay off your hard creditor and 
substitute the new one. 
Spend less, produce more, and your 
load will soon be lifted. 
- •» » » 
BR EVITIE S. 
The corn distribution is now in order. It 
may he worth repeating that the other distri¬ 
bution has ceased. 
Though one of the staunchest temperance 
Journals, tho Rural New-Yorker may he said 
to have been a little “ corned " last week. 
A NEWLY-DISCOVERED process by which sugar 
can be profitably mado iroiu Indian corn aud 
sorghum will soon he made public, so officially 
reports Mr. Victor Drummond, Secretary of 
the English Legation at Washington. Flo says 
that sorghum will yield 1,000 pounds of sugar 
from each cultivated acre aud Indian corn 
about 800 pounds. If the discovery eipials 
what is claimed for it, its importance to our 
farmers, especially in the West, can liardly bo 
overestimated. 
Mu. W. I. ( HAMUKHLAlN, writes ns, too lato 
for its insertion iu the appropriate place, that 
tho engraving and description of (lie water 
tank and cistern, given by him in connection 
with his ar ticle on liarn-huildlng in this issue, 
were first prepared for tho Country Gentleman, 
in which they will appear nearly slmnltane- 
ovfsly with their appearance In these columns, 
and that permission has been courteously given 
him by the editor nf our esteemed contemporary, 
to send them to the Rural also. 
'i'nis New Jersey Legislature is culpably 
dilatory in passing laws for the suppression 
of plcnro-piienmonla. Not only arc the herd 
of that State thus kept exposed to contagion, 
but the existence of the malady widely among 
them in some sections, is a source ol danger 
to cattle in the neighboring States. Prompt 
action, gentleman, Is Imperative in this case, 
and let the laws provide for the slaughter of 
infected animals as well us lor the quarantine 
of exposed herds. 
The warm days of spring aro evidently at 
hand, but do not think it therefore necessary 
to Immediately remove the covering of straw 
or boughs from plants thus protected for the 
winter. No more dangerous period exist* for 
plants than during the freezing aud thawing 
ordeal of early spring when the sun is power¬ 
ful and the nights arc cold. The chief endeavor 
at such times should he, to retain frost in the. 
ground about the plants as late as possible, 
and at the same time to keep the leaves shel¬ 
tered from the warm sun while the cold nights 
last. Better retain the covering far into April 
thau remove it too soon. 
We wish all persons interested in ornamental 
plants would report to us, as spring advances, 
concerning the condition of tbeir trees ami 
shrubs after the past somewhat severe winter. 
There Is great need of exact information or 
data as to the hardiness of trees and shrubs, 
and as a natural result ^scarcely any one can 
undertake to give sound advice as to what, trees 
to plant iu various sections. In making such 
reports, moreover, rare should he taken to 
state the character of soil, exposure, age of 
the plant in question, as well as period of time 
since last transplanted. On a knowledge of 
the peculiarities of such conditions largely de¬ 
pends the ability to form correct estimates of 
the hardiness of plants In any given locality. 
Tiik farmer's busy season is now near at 
hand, and with the opening of spring scores 
of little jobs will demand his attention. One 
that is by no means of inferior importance, 
though generally so considered, is the plant¬ 
ing of ornamental trees and shrubbery around 
tho house. II you feel that you cannot, spare 
the time aud the little sum it would cost to 
have your place regularly laid out, though wc 
would advise such a course, then plant, at least, 
some trees. Procure a few Norway Spruces, 
hard Maples, American Linden, and other trees 
of rapid growth and handsome form, and plant 
them around your home. In after years, when 
you leisurely enjoy the Mdutioa and shade 
they afford, you will feel richly repaid for the 
trouble. 
A “ forage parhnii’ ” of remarkable ex¬ 
cellence has lately been raised in Brittany, 
France, through tfie tireless labors of M. La 
Bain, who has gratuitously been distributing 
seeds of it to all applicants. It produces from 
30 to 27 tons per acre, according to soil and 
culture, and, while analyses show that In the 
common parsnip the proportion of dry material 
is only about 11 per cent., the jmiunx fourrager 
is proved to contain from 17.28 to 21 percent, 
of solids. These are rich in sugar, starch aud 
aromatic constituents, a fact which accounts 
for the high opinion lormed of its merits by 
Freudi farmers who have tested It. They are 
unanimous iu slating that cows arc very fond 
of it, and that it increases the quantity aiid im¬ 
proves the quality of their milk. It is also ex¬ 
cellent for fattening pigs aud keeping horses 
iu line condition. 
