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THE BUBAL HEW-YOBKEB 
©EC. 27 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY 8ATURDAY. 
CONDUCTED BT 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
AddrftM the RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, DEC. 27. 1879. 
SPECIAL. 
Many of our friends write to inquire when 
their subscription terms expire. The answer 
is before them on every paper. Under the 
title-head on first page is printed our whole 
number. The present paper is, for example, 
1561. If the label on the mail wrapper is the 
same, the subscription term expires with this 
number; if 1502, then it will expire with 
next number; if 1618, then it will expire one 
year hence, having 52 numbers yet to ruu, and 
so on. With this constant reminder before 
them, we do not deem it necessary to advise 
our patrons individually of the expiration ol 
their subscription terms. 
gentlemen managers of the Fair, give 
the names of a few of the many promi¬ 
nent dairymen who are also anxious to 
advertise an article that has inflicted and 
is now inflicting a monstrous injury on 
the dairy interests of the country. 
A friend writes us from 'near De 
Land, Fla., that the majority of the people 
there are very poor; that hundreds of 
thousands of dollars have been laid out 
in orange culture, and it will be years 
yet before the result can be known. The 
State, however, has, he says, a good pros¬ 
pect for other products besides oranges, 
if new settlers will turn tbeir attention 
to them. But every one seems to get the 
orange fever as soon as he goes there. 
----- 
A thrice-merry Christmas to our 
readers ! To a great majority of them 
this should prove the merriest of Christ- 
masses. Tiie Rural sends its kindliest 
greetings to all, and its best thanks for 
the many quite extraordinary expressions 
of their approval of our work during the 
present year. With such encourage¬ 
ment, and with the pleasant prospect of 
an increased circulation for 1880, we 
should feel sadly remiss if we abated our 
efforts towards continued improvement. 
--■*-*-♦•- 
At a late meeting on the land question 
in Ireland, one of the speakers said that 
the rents which the landlords got for the 
last year or two did not come from the 
soil, but from America. He might, with 
at. least a close approximation to the 
truth, have extended the time to the last 
twenty years. Among the millions who 
flock to* these shores from all countries, 
there is no class that send so much of 
their earnings to the relief of those they 
have left behind them, as Irish laborers 
and Irish servant-girls ; w hile the remit¬ 
tances to the old folks at home from those 
absent ones who have ampler means are 
generally more generous in amount, if not 
in good-will. For years hack thousands 
of the small tenants all over the Emerald 
Isle have had the roofs kept, over their 
beads by the periodical receipt of help 
from some “boy” or “ girleen,” mind¬ 
ful of them while toiling and saving 
among ns. The laud has merely sup¬ 
ported those who tilled it, while the rent, 
or a large portion of it, has come from 
this country. The rack-renters, how¬ 
ever, seeing the apparent prosperity of 
the peasantry, and ignorant or careless of 
its cause, have been constantly putting 
up the. rents until the last possible farth¬ 
ing has been wrung from the tenants, so 
that now, when bad crops stint the live¬ 
lihood obtained from the soil, there is 
nothing laid by for a “rainy day” on 
which the wretched peasants can fall 
back, and the discontent of generations 
naturally finds vent in threats and turbu¬ 
lence. 
of the model child. But the model child 
is too good for this world and, oh, the 
pity of it! always—well, nearly always— 
dies young, so that, alas ! very few of us 
old folks ever belonged to that very ex¬ 
ceptional class. We have nearly all, 
tlieiefore, experienced this sort of feel¬ 
ing at one time or another in our bread- 
and-butter days. H it occurred seldom 
or on slight provocation, or if a general 
course of loving kindness in the conduct 
of those over us, or a naturally good dis¬ 
position on our part, has rapidly obliter¬ 
ated it, it has rarely had much influence 
on our after-lives ; but when it has, fre¬ 
quently or in flagrant cases, excited the 
tendency to resentful passion that, often 
is innate even in juvenile human nature. 
Good God ! how many children, even oi 
a promising character, has it soured in 
disposition, or driven to wayward courses 
and rendered a curse instead of a bless¬ 
ing to parents and kindred ! 
Oh ! fathers and mothers, and all you to 
whom the Great Father has assigned the 
formation of the character of men and 
women of the next generation, in your 
treatment of them now in their childhood, 
for God’s sake, for your.own sake, and for 
their sake, be a little more mindful of your 
own exporionoo at that susceptible and 
formative period. Every week one comes 
across faces so cold, selfish, and adaman¬ 
tine, that one wonders if they were ever 
beautified with the warmth, generosity 
and mobility of youth. A bitter reproach 
is - such an emotion to the object that has 
excited it. Yet, when one thinks of it, 
how much more numerous are the char¬ 
acters deserving a like censure in that 
they, too, seem never to have known the 
sensations of childhood. 
EMBELLISHMENT OF COUNTRY SCHOOL 
GROUNDS. 
A considerable number of our read¬ 
ers apply for our plants and seeds, for¬ 
getting to send any postage stamps. It 
surprises us that this occurs so often. 
As we bear a part even of the postage ex¬ 
penses, it is not fair to us that our read¬ 
ers should be so unmindful, and, although 
we have not yet done so, we are tempted 
to throw such letters aside. Others of 
our readers say in effect, “ Please send 
my plants and seeds at once,” showing 
that they have not even taken the pains 
to read 'throughout the terms of our 
“ free distribution,” which were plainly 
presented and emphasized. 
-♦♦♦- 
Our Premium List for 1880 consists of 
four pages, the size of the Rural, and 
of 45 fine engravings. Whether or not 
readers desire to get up clubs and com¬ 
pensate themselves for so doing by draw¬ 
ing premiums, its perusal will give both 
amusement and instruction. Many of 
the articles are of late invention, such, 
for example, as the Mechanical Orguin- 
ette, and all are the best of their kinds. 
There are few households that will not 
find in this Premium List something 
needed therein. The lowest cash price 
is given for each article, so that those who 
cannot find time or inclination to form 
clubs, can ascertain all they need to know 
about it. It should be borne in mind 
that we do not sell anything except sub¬ 
scriptions to the Rural New-Yorker. 
Any of our friends intimating by postal 
that they desire a Premium List, will have 
one mailed at once free of charge. 
-♦ - 
SPECIMENS OF OLEOMARGARINE 
Purchased by the International Dairy 
Association , at the request of many 
prominent dairymen, FOR EXHIBI 
TION AND SAMPLING. 
T e above is a facsimile—except that 
the letters there were about half-a-dozen 
times larger than those here—of a uotice 
calling the sjiecial attention of visitors to 
half a dozen tubs of grease-butter, care¬ 
fully selected, and exhibited during the 
past week in the most prominent part of 
the Fair. The President of the Fair 
Association is interested in the manufac¬ 
ture of this product, and is the largest 
dealer in the stuff in the country. He is, 
therefore, anxious to advertise it. Now, 
The Produce Exchange of this city is 
now violently agitated about the adoption 
of the cental system in the marketing of 
produce. On the 31st of last May it was 
resolved, by a vote of 485 against 232, to 
buy and sell grain and other produce by 
the cental of 100 lbs. At that time, those 
engaged in the grain trade were mostly 
in favor of the measure, hut in the inter¬ 
val a change has occurred in their views, 
and at present nearly all of them are bit¬ 
terly opposed to the innovation. While 
acknowledging that the adoption of the 
system must ultimately take place, their 
objections to its use at present are mainly 
based on the temporary inconvenience in¬ 
cident to the change. Of all the other 
chief markets in the country, the Ex¬ 
changes of Baltimore, Toledo and Chi¬ 
cago alone are absolutely opposed to the 
system, while, all the others lavor it more 
or less strongly. The grain dealers here, 
however, insist that so long as the change 
is not universal throughout the country, 
those doing business where it has not oc¬ 
curred will at first have an advantage in 
buying and selling according to the old 
system, in a feverish market, owing to 
tiie embarrassment caused by the neces¬ 
sity of calculating, amid the distraction 
of bidding, the sum of so many bushels 
of 60 lbs., in centals of 100 lbs. There 
are, of course, minor inconveniences also 
in the way ol' clerical work and novelty. 
As noticed last week, the action of the 
Exchange in May was confirmed by a vote 
last Saturday week, and the indignation of 
the grain men then mentioned, has cooled 
but little in the interval. A compromise 
is at present expected between them and 
the other interests in the Exchange, but 
the nature of this has not yet been de¬ 
cided on. That the decimal system will, 
ere long, be widely introduced in this 
country in other matters as it is now in 
financial transactions, there is little 
doubt, but the change should be either 
so gradual as to cause no inconvenience, 
or Congress should legislate on the mat¬ 
ter, so as to enact uniformity in all parts 
of the country. 
REMEMBER THE DAYS OF YOUR CHILD¬ 
HOOD. 
Why do not all of us to whom God, in 
His fatherly love, has given the care and 
comfort of little ones, oftener remember 
our own feelings in the days of our child¬ 
hood iu our treatment of them ? Few, if 
any, are those among us who, looking away 
back to that dimly-remembered era of 
quick impulses and fresh, keen susoepli- 
\ ' 1 2 2.2 ia.-uti.11 ivkrtmi-.il r-'kl' Ivikf ill- 
bilities, cannot recall moments of hot in¬ 
dignation at petty slights or positive in 
justice on the part of those over us. Of 
course, with our present severe sense of 
the duty of unquestioning submission on 
the part of children—a sense that comes 
with age, and with age only—we can all 
see that such a sentiment is rebellious, 
and should never find a place in the mind 
We are glad to see that public atten¬ 
tion has been called to this subject, for 
although the discussion of it may not 
have the effect of immediately improving 
all school premises, yet it is the forerun¬ 
ner of public sentiment which indicates a 
growing interest in the matter, and pre¬ 
dicts with certainty that improvements 
will be made in a not distant future. The 
idea conies from progressive Michigan, 
and in a late Rural Secretary Garfield 
expressed some views upon the subject. 
Is it desirable to ornament the grounds ? 
There is no question of the desirability to 
ornament the grounds surrounding our 
common schools wherever it is possible 
to do so. Next to the home, the school is 
the place where children spend most ol 
their time, and the more attractive the 
place is made the better for the purpose 
assigned. A neatly kept school-garden 
will also serve to inculcate ideas of neat¬ 
ness, and help to develop a taste for the 
beautiful. 
Co-operation in the matter by the peo¬ 
ple in the district is necessary iu planting 
anil layiug out the grounds; but this 
done, the teacher and school directors 
should be the only persons in authority 
over the premises. The trees and shrub¬ 
bery should not be expensive, and they 
should, of course, be of a character to 
suit the extent of the grounds. Many of 
our native plants could be employed to 
good advantage, but they should not all 
be common species. A few trees and 
smaller plants, remarkable for their flow¬ 
ers, foliage or fruit, which are not to be 
found anywhere else in the neighborhood 
would serve greatly to attract attention 
and create interest iu the youthful 
minds. To make the plants useful iu the 
economy of the school, the teacher should 
not ouly have a knowledge of botany and 
horticulture; but he should be as enthus¬ 
iastic upon these subjects as upon gram¬ 
mar, arithmetic, or anything else lie has 
to teach. Here it is that the plan will be 
apt to meet with difficulty. Few teachers 
of our common schools have more than a 
very elementary knowledge of plants and 
their culture, and fewer still can present 
the subject in a manner that would be 
really interesting and instructive to child¬ 
ren. ' A few trees and plants having some 
peculiar features, would be most likely to 
engage the attention of both teachers and 
pupils, and the interest awakened, they 
could gradually advance to common 
garden plants. ‘ Let the school grounds 
beembellished by all means. By the exer¬ 
cise of a little good will, a little good taste 
and the employment of a little expense 
the Be now woefully neglected places can 
be made objects of attraction, and e moa¬ 
ting iu their influence, to young and old. 
*< Botanically," says the Gardeners" Chrou- 
icle. “the Camellia is but a glorified Tea plant. 
Is there any danger of Gen. LeDaes turning 
into a Camellia ? 
It is a duty which every parent owes to his 
children to'make the home cheerful aud fes¬ 
tive for the Holidays. Those homes which do 
not regard such “ foolishnesses ' are the ones 
which cannot keep Ihe boyp ou the farm. 
One of our veteran agriculturists said to the 
writer a few days ago that Cow Peas would 
not ripen iu this climate. This is substantially a 
mistake, us a considerable quantity in our 
barn from the past season’s crop, will prove. 
We learn from one of the faculty that, the 
State Ag. College. Fort Collins, Colo., opened 
September 1. with live students, and closed last 
week with twenty. Over fifty have already 
applied for admission next term. This is as 
it ought to he. 
A wealth of very seasonable information 
about feeding farm stock enriches this issue. 
The proper care and management of all 
domestic animals on tho farm will have even 
more of our attention and space in the future 
than in the past. 
From tho success of the first notable experi¬ 
ment in ensilage in this country, as described 
elsewhere, it would seem that the nextagn- 
eullural “ boom” might be in that direction. 
Mr. Bailey thinks it possible t« keep four cows 
fora year upon the ensilaged corn foddei raised 
from one acre of land. 
Tub value of our “ Everywhere " to those 
who have an interest iu crop prospects and the 
products of the different parts of the country, 
will appeal' upon glancing over the Index of 
that department. The climate, educational 
advantages, market facilities, etc., etc., of 
almost any giveu place may thus be easily ob¬ 
tained. 
Our English conceit as to all improve¬ 
ment,’’ says the London Ag. Gazette, “ is like 
an extinguisher whieh is endeavoring to stand 
upon its narrow end. It is now well-known to 
all persons who have experience that, in thrift, 
ingenuity and making tilings go far and pleas¬ 
antly, the French are far in advance of our¬ 
selves, and that from no Continental nation 
have we so much to learn as from the French. 
A frank confession is good for the 60 uh lue 
above is a frank confession for a thorough¬ 
bred English farm paper. 
That iteration and reiteration have much 
virtue in securing at length the object sought, 
has been repeatedly proven both before and 
since the date of the parable of the unju_ t 
judge. Hence we once more insist upon the 
necessity of having m the State, aud in every 
State in whieh such institutions have not al¬ 
ready been established, an Experiment sta¬ 
tion, to which each farmer may send samples 
of fertilizers to be tested. What l rof. Cald¬ 
well has well said elsewhere on this topic obvi¬ 
ates any necessity »n our part of speaking at 
greater length on il here. 
At length Congress has found time to pay 
some aticuliou to the agricultural interests of 
the country. Ou Thursday last the Beuule and 
House passed similar resolutions for the ap¬ 
pointment of a sub-committee of Ibe Commit¬ 
tees ol Agriculture, to investigate the system 
and workings of the Department of Agncul- 
ture with a view of extending the bench ts 
conferred by the Department for the advance¬ 
ment and protection of agricultural interests 
throughout the country. The chief advocate 
of the measure iu the Senate \vasbeuaior John¬ 
son, Chairman of the Committee of Agricul¬ 
ture while iu the House Mr. Lefevre, Member 
of the House Committee ou the same subject, 
spoke forcibly iu support of the resolution. 
We clip the following from the good old 
Germantown telegraphThe editor ot the 
Rural New-Yorkek has, with a few other 
experts in seed- planting, taken the ground 
that bug-eaum peas will not germiuate.so us to 
produce any kind of a crop. We have taken 
ibe opposite ground so tar us to say that we 
have seen very fair crops produced from such 
peas when uot too badly eaten up. He chal¬ 
lenges us to the effect that wc eaunot obtuiu 
fifteen plants Lorn a bundled of bug-eaten 
sued Iu a very heavy wager—about a imtliou of 
dollars, if we are are uot mistaken—aud ve 
have accepted it ou the condition that we can 
obtain the seed. If uuy of our readers aha 
have such seed iu the spring wo will thank 
them for a hundred of them; amt it we win 
the bet. they shall come in for "snacks to the 
exleut of .■jioUO.OOO. 
brevities. 
The Rural is, of course, this week much 
cut up by its index. 
Beuhrk Suferein, au excellent pear, does 
well on the quiuee in England. 
Mr. Dyer writes us that he has plu ru trees 
set in his lieu-yards aud they fruit well. 
Just as we go to press we learn with much 
reoet ol the untimely death, at the age ol hi. 
or Mr. H. N. F. Lewis, who began his journ¬ 
alistic career 28 years ago iu the office of the 
Rural New-Yorker, whim he was only 
years old. Sinee then he ha6 owned or been 
eduoiially connected with several papers, 
notably with the Western Rural, which, uudei 
his able control, deservedly won a hue reputa¬ 
tion, a large circulation, aud great mlluenee 
all over the West. Thu Chicago tire ot 1871 
having destroyed his property, greatly eripplul 
bis resources, aud although he struggled brave¬ 
ly to uphold the old-time character ol his pa¬ 
nel, h passed out of his hands in lb<8, smee 
which date, hard times hampered his efforts in 
other ventures. His death will be heartily ie- 
gi cited by a wide circle of L tends all over the 
country.' 
Our readers have already several times hau 
our opinion of the “ American Banner Rose, 
offered for the first time, iu the early part ot 
this year, fur the exorbitant price of live oj six 
dollar* each. The buds are small; but upon a 
white or rosy-white ground are distinct sti ipes 
Of red. The 110wor In bloom is bciui-aoume, 
of small size aud feeble endurance, resembling 
a hall-starved Bon SilelJB. VVe loam that the 
/>,«/.* ol “American Banner are selling, oi 
have recently sold, in this market lor 25 gents 
each, which ie to us no less a nmticr of sui - 
prise than that the plants should hate been 
sold lor five dollars each. Olumumefl the pop¬ 
ularity of a new plant will depend upon some 
litile something or other that, at the outset, l 
liable to be overlooked. The “ American Ban¬ 
ner,” in this case, is most striking before it is 
unfurled, aud this is the “ something 
whieh wo faded to attach duo importance. 
