428 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Address 
RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1879. 
THE LOWLY SHALL BE EXALTED. 
A day’s ramble in the forests or fields, 
frith eyes to see frith, and with the per¬ 
ceptive or observing faculties brought 
into use—for we often see that which we 
do not observe—will be sufficient to con¬ 
vince any one that we are neglecting the 
culture of beautiful native plants, merely 
because they are common, while we are 
paying large prices for foreign ones less 
beautiful, but rare. 
Take the family of Ferns, for example, 
with its hundreds of varieties, large and 
small, coarse and fine, differing in style 
and shade of color to that extent that a 
large area could be devoted to Ferns alone 
while we should still have but a single 
specimen of each, but such specimens as 
many lovers of plants in other countries 
would be glad to possess at almost any 
price. Then, see the little care they 
need. Being perfectly hardy and doing 
better in shade than elsewhere, they may 
be said to take care of themselves. Once 
place them in a proper position and they 
will soon be things of beauty and joys 
for a long time, if not forever. ’ No home, 
whatever its size, either in country or in 
city, should be without a collection, large 
or small, as is convenient, of our native 
Ferns. 
Then, again, there are hundreds of our 
native grasses that “ waste their beauty 
on the desert air.” Grasses that will hold 
their own as to beauty with many of the 
imported varieties. They lie, usually, 
unseen and unsought in hundreds of by¬ 
ways and unfrequented nooks. We are 
glad to say, however, that there is a 
probability of their being brought into 
more general notiee. One gentleman re¬ 
siding near New York, who knows a good 
thing when he sees it, whatever may be 
itflj^ank or station, sent some specimens to 
J®u©>pe a few years ago and seems likely 
to benefit by the venture, as they are be¬ 
coming quite popular there, and he is now 
commencing their propagation for export 
on quite a large scale. We noticed at 
the recent Horticultural Exhibition in 
this city, that many visitors stopped at 
the table on which was a large assortment 
of wild plants, flowers and grasses that 
had been gathered and arranged by Dr. 
Hexamer, and it was amusing to hear the 
exclamations of wonder that were exci¬ 
ted. “Can it be possible,” said one, 
“ that these are growing wild all about us, 
and that we have never noticed them ?” 
We doubt if those who saw them will 
ever be entirely blind to Nature’s common 
beauties again, and Dr. Hexamer did a 
good thing, if only in an educational way, 
by making his exhibit. 
We saw, some years ago, at one of the 
many pleasant summer resorts on the 
shores of Lake George, a small bouquet 
of wild flowers gathered by a lady in one 
of her mountain rambles,’that, arranged 
with taste, was exquisitely beautiful. She 
was a stranger in the vicinity, and ap¬ 
pealed to a woman, an old resident, for 
the names of some of them. The woman 
regarded them with a look of scorn, and 
merely replied : “ Oh, them’s some kind 
o’ blows !” [In some parts of New Eng¬ 
land, and adjoining portions of New York, 
“blows” is used to signify blossoms or 
flowers. ] 
Of the plants in our own garden, one 
that we prize highly, and which excites 
the admiration of all visitors, is Fumi¬ 
tory, the seeds of which were sent us by 
a friend who gathered them in the Alle¬ 
ghany Mountains. A graceful, climbing 
vine,’ biennial, growing from self-sown 
seeds, it is without its equal for giving an 
elegant and tasteful effect to vases of cut 
flowers. If the Dandelion, the Butter¬ 
cup, and the Ox-eyed Daisy, were only to 
be had by importation from China or 
Japan, they would be eagerly sought for. 
Some have found that the Buttercup pro¬ 
duces double flowers by the slightest cul¬ 
tivation, and have given it place because 
it differs from the common wild one; and 
many a country maiden would be sur¬ 
prised to see with what pleasure a city 
girl possesses a few Daisies. They are 
pretty when scarce, else our friend Allen 
coulu not have sold, as he did, the few 
flowers he forced to blossom last Easter 
for SI.50 per dozen. 
No doubt it would astonish readers of 
the Bubal if they could know how much 
is annually paid for American plants that 
have found an abiding place abroad, and 
are returned with new names, to be highly 
prized and cherished as rare novelties. A 
new name sometimes adds immensely to 
the Bale of a plant, as some high-sound¬ 
ing title gains admission for persons with¬ 
out merit to a certain class oi' society. A 
friend, residing near New York, whose 
name would be well known to many Bu- 
ralista, told us of a visit made to his 
grounds by a lady possessed of more con¬ 
ceit than wisdom. She had bored him 
for an hour with silly questions as to the 
name of this or that plant, usually claim¬ 
ing that she had it at home and had for¬ 
gotten its name. Passing a modest little 
weed that had been by oversight allowed 
to remain in the border, she inquired, 
“ What is that ?” ‘ ‘ Iloadnidii. Vulgaris /” 
was the reply; “Have you it?” “No,” 
she said, “ we had it last year, but lost 
it. I did not recognize the plant, but re¬ 
member the name distinctly, and must 
beg you will send mo one at the proper 
time for transplanting, for it is perfectly 
lovely. ” 
It is not to such that we must look for 
the elevation of our native plants to the 
position to which their merits entitle 
them, but to those who appreciate the 
beautiful wherever found. If a system 
of exchanges could be introduced, by 
which the plants common in one section 
could be sent to places where they would 
be rarities, it would aid much in carrying 
Jut the desired end. 
RELATIVE INTELLIGENCE OF FARMERS. 
While we shall continue to insist, un¬ 
til new light breaks in upon us, that 
there are a good many profitable things 
in their business yet to be learned by the 
farmers of America, and that a good edu¬ 
cation of the right kind is required by 
every young man who aims at excellence 
in the pursuit of agriculture,—while we 
hold these statements to be self-evident, 
yet well worth being kept before the 
people—we still believe that the farming 
class really give as much attention to the 
science of their art, and read up as well 
on their business as any class in the coun¬ 
try, and much better than some. 
Take, first, those classes which re¬ 
ceive a special education—the so-called 
professional classes—and compare them 
with the farmers in this respect. Begin¬ 
ning with the ministers, and taking all 
the denominations together, how many 
of them had a sufficient preparatory 
education, are sound theologians, or 
men of real breadth of culture or catho¬ 
licity of thought ? Take the physicians, 
and what proportion of the men in this 
profession are thoroughly skilled in an¬ 
atomy and physiology, competent and re¬ 
liable diagnosticians, safe and effective in 
their therapeutics, ready and apt in sur¬ 
gical practice, sound hygienists, careful 
observers and earnest students ? Among 
our lawyers, how many of them deserv¬ 
edly stand high with their brethren on 
account of their sound knowledge of the 
principles of law, extensive acquaintance 
with the statutes, skill as advocates, re¬ 
liability as counsel, or for general juristic 
ability ? And what proportion in all these 
professions are to any great extent noted 
for their love of knowledge outside of 
their immediate needs? How many pa¬ 
tronize their professional journals better 
than the farmers patronize the agricul¬ 
tural press ? 
When we go outside of the learned pro¬ 
fessions, and inquire into the state of 
things among business men and artisans, 
how do we find it? How many merchants 
know more of their business than its rou¬ 
tine ? How many are acquainted with 
the laws of trade and finance as laid down 
by the great writers on these subjects ? 
Are the works of Adam Smith any more 
likely to be found in the hands of the 
average merchant than are the writings 
of Liebig in those of the average farmer V 
What, even, do our bankers know of sci¬ 
entific finance; or how many of our 
statesmen (so-called) are there who are 
students of the works of the leading 
authorities on subjects relating to the 
art of government, either in monarchies 
or republics? 
Do the manufacturers, as a body, make 
a study of the literature, rich aud valued 
as it is, of the branches of knowledge in 
direct relation with their respective indus¬ 
tries ? And when we come down to hard 
workers in the useful arts, the mechanics 
of the country, how many of them take 
and read their trade journals, or study the 
hand-books written for their practical in¬ 
struction ? 
Looking over the whole field in this 
way, we are compelled to award to the 
farmers a very high comparative position. 
While they are far behind where they 
ought to Btand, and where they might 
easily stand, they cannot be regarded as 
laggards when put in comparison with 
most other classes. To be sure, in a 
country where land is so plentiful and 
cheap, and where consequently it is ao 
easy for every industrious laborer to be¬ 
come the owner of land, we necessarily 
have a vast number of illiterate men en¬ 
gaged in tilling the soil. But with all 
this, a close investigation will show that 
the farmers as a class compare favorably 
with any other as lovers of knowledge, 
and as progressive workers in their art 
and business. 
- 
THE REWARD OF ENTERPRISE. 
Gbeat efforts have been made for some 
years past to make the culture of the 
Angora goat profitable. Goats have been 
kept and bred, but not one in a thousand 
has paid with its fleece for its feed. The 
fleece haB not met with a stable market; 
and where but few of the animals have 
been kept, the mohair was found unsala¬ 
ble aud worthless. Competition with a 
foreign and imported article, which came 
to hand in more presentable shape than 
the native product., and the neglect of the 
manufacturers of mohair goods and braids 
had to be contended with. At last those 
who had invested large sums of money in 
goats aud pastures became determined to 
find a way out of the difficulties with 
which they were beset, and as there was 
a will there was a way. A factory was 
established in San Jose, California, which 
in a few years passed from an experiment 
to a success, and the Angora Bobe and 
Glove Company lias an established busi¬ 
ness, and employs fifty operatives ; half 
of which number are women. A tannery 
for dressing goat skins is connected with 
the factory, and this lias made a market 
for the skins, which heretofore were with¬ 
out value, because there was no use for 
them. 
This successful effort at combination, 
to utilize an agricultural product, is 
worthy of note and emulation. We 
greatly need a diversity of products, and 
to secure home markets for these as well. 
There are many promising ventures just 
now in abeyance. Sumac is an article of 
general use, and our native product, if 
gathered about this time and properly 
prepared, is equal to the best foreign. 
We have some native textile plants of the 
most valuable, kind, but none seems in¬ 
clined to experiment on their growth and 
manufacture. We c an make beet BUgar 
if we will, and we can do many other 
useful things profitably. The enterprise 
and the money are needed ; the latter can 
be had if the former is forthcoming. 
WEEVIL-EATEN PEAS. 
The Country Gentleman says : 
Weevil-Eaten Peas. —The Rural New- 
Yobker insists that very few seed peas infested 
by the weevil will grow. The experiment was 
made of selecting seventy peas lliul contained 
the insect, and carefully planting them. Only 
one out of seventy grew, producing a sickly 
plant. These peas had been undoubtedly 
pretty thoroughly cut by the insects; but 
when they have not destroyed the plumule the 
peas will grow. 
We do not know to what extent the peas 
were “cut by the weevil.” We selected, 
as we found them, seventy peas that had 
been inhabited by the grub of this insect, 
from a quart or more, and planted them 
as we would any other peas. It might 
have happened that we hit upon those in 
which the embryo had been destoyed. 
But this seems improbable. “ If the plu¬ 
mule is not destroyed, the peas will 
grow.” Suppose all of the cotyledons 
are destroyed—will they then grow ? We 
think not and believe it will be found (1) 
that weevil-eaten peas are generally 
worthless; that (2) they are. injured in pro¬ 
portion as the cotyledons are injured (of 
course always supposing the plumule is 
not eaten) and that (3) atlcust nine-tenths 
of such peas, taken as they come, will not 
germinate at all. Since we published our 
experiment we have received a dozen let¬ 
ters or more, stating that our experiment 
wus not trustworthy. We are therefore 
trying another experiment with 100 wee¬ 
vil-eaten peas, planted with much care in 
moist soil, and if necessary to settle the 
question, we will try still another. It is 
important to know whether weevil-eaten 
peas are good or worthless. H the latter, 
it is not right that farmers or gardeners 
should pay the full price for seeds, one- 
tenth at least of which wall fail and which 
might easily be rejected by the seedsman. 
If wrong, we shall “own up.” It is easy to 
arrive at the truth in the matter. 
THE FARMER’S NEED. 
“ The cultured man,” says the Prairie 
Farmer, “is the reading man, and the 
reason why the farmers as a class are not 
cultured men, is because they do not 
read.”—The farmer who depends upon 
farming for the support of himself and 
family is obliged to work very hard. We 
ask the question, “Is there any class of 
people that work as hard as farmers do, 
that read more?" The benefits which 
Agricultural Colleges may confer upon 
agriculture will no doubt be recognized 
more generally in the future than they 
have been in the past. We believe that 
if the money expended on colleges which 
fit our young men to practice law and 
medicine were expended upon agricul¬ 
tural colleges, the country would ulti¬ 
mately be the gainer. We want, also, 
primary agricultural schools, that shall 
fit the pupil to enter the agricultural 
college. The fundamental principles of 
what is called an education are the same. 
It is the adaptation of these principles 
to a special pursuit that calls for special 
study of all facts that bear upon it. The 
object of an agricultural education should 
be to produce the best results with the 
least labor. Give our farmers’ sous the 
education, therefore, and there will be 
lack neither of inclination nor of time for 
all necessary study and reading. 
-*-M- 
AGRICULTURAL JOURNALISTIC CANDOR. 
Is it Extravagance? —‘'The Rural New- 
Yorker, of June 14th. replies to the remarks 
made on the above subject in the Farmer of 
May 31st. “but carefully avoids mentioning” 
the 6onrce of the criticism. The reply is cour¬ 
teous, and harmonizes with the general tone 
uud teachings of that journal, which, we are 
free t,o admit, are truthful and wholesome.” 
We wish to thank the Ohio Farmer for 
the candid words embodied in the latter 
part of the above paragraph. We would 
to Heaven that there were more lead- 
iug agricultural journals that place the 
good of agriculture so far above selfish 
considerations that, regardless of per¬ 
sonal likes and dislikes, they could afford 
to praise where praise is due. 
BREVITIES. 
Sow buckwheat. 
Plant plenty of cabbages. They will furnish 
a most valuable green food for all the animals 
of the farm during winter. 
Our friend Mr. Peck expresses the opinion 
that the Wilson Strawberry is at about the 
hight of tidiness in sugar and acid. 
During the heat of summer commence work 
early and continue it late—but take a good, 
wholesome rest in the middle of the day. 
Readers of the Rural, are you exerting 
your influence against horse-racing at “ Ag¬ 
ricultural ” fairs ? Or do you approve of it? 
Tub ourraDt worm may be destroyed by 
scattering over the bushes a mixture of a pint 
of white hellebore, a pint of flowers of sulphur 
and a peck of sifted coal ashes. 
It is not too late to plant Cat-tail (“ Pearl ”) 
Millet. Seeds sown now will germinate in four 
days, if the ground be moist, and the plants 
will soon overtake those sown earlier. 
Our rye is a splendid crop. It is not hard 
to find straws six feet high and we have just 
measured ODe (June 35) that is six feet nine 
inches from the surface of the ground to tip of 
the spike. 
Attention is called to Mr. Downing’s re¬ 
marks about Stuart's Golden Apple. Hu says 
he thinks ” it worthy of notice.” From 
the specimen Mr. Downing sent us. we think 
it worthy of a good deal of notice. 
Mr. Charles Downing writes us, too late 
for insertion elsewhere, that the cut of Stuart's 
Golden Apple is a trifle inaccurate, one side 
being ;a little too large. The fault he attrib¬ 
utes to the imperfection of the specimen sent 
to us as a model. 
Mant of the old farmers about us use the 
leaves of the Red Cedar (Juniperus Virgioiana) 
in place of sulphur and kerosene for lidding 
nests and henneries of lice. They say the' 
remedy is very effective. Perhaps perches’ 
made of the wood would serve the same pur¬ 
pose. 
Mr. Sealy. a florist near the Rural Farm, 
thinks highly of t’ue new double Geranium 
“Jewel.” The individual flowers are small, 
but the petals arc enduring, and it is, there¬ 
fore, one of the best varieties for bouquets. 
The color is a deep crimson, the leaves small 
aud the plant dwarf. 
Last summer about this time or a little later, 
we dug up about 50 of the suckers of Rasp¬ 
berries and set them to form a sort of boundary 
between two parts of our garden used for dif- 
fereut purposes. They all lived, were not as 
much harmed by the winter as older plants of 
the same varieties, and many of them are now 
in bearing. 
We planted in the afternoon of June 19, a 
plot of Blunt’s corn 33 feet square—or one- 
fortieth of an acre. The corn was soaked for 
16 hours in water. Two-thirds of it are now 
(June 35. uoon) an inch above ground. We 
have no doubt this will overtake the one-quar¬ 
ter of an acre planted five weeks or more ago. 
Instead of coating the seed w ith tar, to provide 
against the depredations of crows, we sur¬ 
rounded the plot with a string, tied upon poles 
six feet high, on which at distances of two 
feet, long narrow strips of tin were tied. The 
fluttering of these tins and their reflection of 
light may serve to keep the crows at a dis¬ 
tance. Whether they will intimidate crows or 
not, we are positive they will frighten horses, 
as one of our men learnt while plowing an 
adjaeeut field. The horse, at first surprised 
aud affrighted, became uucontrollable as flash 
after flash ol sunlight struck upon his eyes. 
He wheeled about aud ran twenty yards or 
more, before the man, who was dragged along 
between the rows of corn, could regain his 
feet and restrain him. 
