THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
JULY 42 
444 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1879. 
NIHILISM. 
Nihilism, which is simply Russian So¬ 
cialism, has for its principal object the 
overturning of absolutism; in place of 
which it is proposed to establish a repre¬ 
sentative government. The established 
Church and some phases of social life 
come in also for their share of denuncia¬ 
tion, but to free Russia from the blight¬ 
ing influence of Imperialism, and to ele¬ 
vate the peasantry, are the two 44 reforms” 
which the Nihilist regards as of paramount 
importance, and to bring about which 
he is willing to sacrifice his life, if need 
be. Many who are wont to sympathize 
with nations that are struggling to free 
themselves from the yoke of an oppressor, 
are either coldly indifferent to the present 
efforts of the people of Russia, or regard 
the movement with disfavor. The reasons 
for this are, first, tho impression which 
prevails that the Czar is a wise and benefi¬ 
cent ruler, beloved by a people who are 
content to be his subjects ; and then the 
methods the Nihilists have adopted to at¬ 
tain their ends have prejudiced many 
against them. 
The only ground for thinking the Czar 
44 wise and beneficent” is the fact of his 
abolishing serfdom. As this, however, 
was a political and not a philanthropic 
measure, there is very slight foundation 
for the “beneficent” theory. The insur¬ 
rections and petty rebellions which fol¬ 
low each other in such quick succession 
as to make a standing army of a million, 
or more, of men necessary for their sup¬ 
pression, and Siberia, that living grave, 
are eloquent witnesses of the kind of con¬ 
tentment developed by the rule of the 
Czar. It is impossible to defend assas¬ 
sination, whatever the provocation, but 
still there is something to be said in ex¬ 
tenuation of the Nihilists’ terrible meth¬ 
ods of bringing about a political regen¬ 
eration in Russia. It is not wholesale 
butchery, nor do they “strike in the 
dark. ” There have been only some 
twenty assassinations, and the victim is 
repeatedly warned in advance, so that his 
life lies in his own hands. He is invaria¬ 
bly one who has been guilty of acts of 
heartless brutality and tyranny. No per¬ 
son in private, civil or military office 
has fallen before the dread vengeance of 
Nihilism. When it is remembered that 
thousands—some estimate the number at 
15,000—have within the last few r months 
been exiled on account of supposed sym¬ 
pathy with the reform movement, with¬ 
out being allowed a trial, banished on 
the word of a Government spy, one won¬ 
ders at the marvelous moderation of these 
men, who, keenly alive to the tyranny 
under which they live, and burning to 
avenge the wrongs inflicted on their 
kindred and friends, yet content them¬ 
selves with so few victims. 
In a measure the role of assassin has 
been forced on the Nihilists. Their peti¬ 
tions for redress have been answered by 
atrocities which rival the heartless cruel¬ 
ties of the ruoBt uncivilized of nations— 
witness the Students’ Riot, in December, 
1878—and as no opportunity was afforded 
them to make themselves heard through 
the ballot, what was there left them but 
the bullet ? Assassination is a most ter¬ 
rific enme; of this there can be no ques¬ 
tion ; but upon whom should be laid 
the responsibility in this case—the ruler 
whose government is a cruel despotism, 
or the poor men who have seen their 
brothers, fathers, yes, and mothers, sis¬ 
ters and wives, condemned to imprison¬ 
ment, and to four, eight and twelve years’ 
hard labor in Siberia, on the word of a 
spy acting for the “wise, beneficent” 
Czar? There is absolutely no redress. 
What shall the Nihilist do ? A wise ruler 
might by timely concessions avert a rev¬ 
olution, but the Czar has shown no dispo¬ 
sition to try the experiment. He ignored 
the demands for reform as long as he 
could, and when by threats and bullets 
the Nihilists compelled a hearing, the 
Czar chose to deal with them simply as 
assassins, and by executions, banishment 
and the maintenance in some portions of 
bis dominion of a state of siege, he is 
attempting to crush out the spirit of re¬ 
volt, which in a despotism is always the 
forerunner of liberty. What measure of 
success will crown his efforts, remains to 
be seen. 
The most superficial student of Rus¬ 
sian history knows that the Empire of 
the Czars is, and has been for centuries, 
in a state of chronic revolution; but 
these numberless attempts to resist the 
tyranny of the government have failed 
mainly because the peasantry are so de¬ 
graded, superstitious and apathetic that 
it has been all but impossible to secure 
their co-operation. A few earnest souls, 
burning to deliver their country from 
thraldom, have more than once rashly 
undertaken the mighty work with inade¬ 
quate preparation, and paid for the ven¬ 
ture with their lives ami the death and 
banishment of their kindred. The Nihil¬ 
ists of to-day are shrewder; they have 
set before themselves the task of edu¬ 
cating these millions of peasants to a re¬ 
alizing sense of their degradation, and 
inspiring them with a desire to be free¬ 
men. The times are propitious. 
Several things have conspired to influ¬ 
ence the popular mind against the exist¬ 
ing order of things ; chief of which are 
the legacies resulting from the Turko- 
Russian war. As a consequence of that 
expression of Imperial ambition, the 
Russians find themselves to-day with in¬ 
creased taxes and a currency depreciated 
to one-half of its original value—a state 
of things which hardly inclines them to 
view with favor a government for whose 
philanthropy (?) they have to pay so 
dearly. Another result, is that the Rus¬ 
sian soldiers who freed Bulgaria from 
Turkish rule have not been oblivious of 
the fact that the Bulgarians enjoy greater 
liberties than they do. 44 Shall I free 
others and remain myself a slave ?” is 
being asked by the returned volunteer, 
just as a question somewhat, similar was 
asked by the soldiers of Lafayette on 
their return to France, after having aided 
in establishing our own independence. 
The French soldier’s query led to the 
great French revolution; to what will 
the Russian soldier’s lead? All who have 
the interest of humanity at heart must 
earnestly desire that, an end should be 
put to the system of tyrannical oppres¬ 
sion and persecution practiced by the 
Russian government., but can lovers of 
justice and morality welcome men pro¬ 
fessing the principles of Nihilism to the 
government of a country like Russia? 
So far as they demand civil and religious 
freedom, Nihilists must command the 
sympathies of all in their struggle against 
oppression ; but when they avow them¬ 
selves opposed to all religions and at war 
with the institution of marriage, they 
must expect to be regarded and treated 
as foes dangerous to the well-being of 
society. 
SOAK TEE ROOT SEEDS AND GROW 
ROOTS. 
It is much the best w'ay to soak all 
kinds of root seeds before planting. When 
soaked for four days, they will come up 
in the same number of days, and get the 
start of the weeds. This early growth 
will save a large amount of weeding and 
hoeing afterward, which is the most dis¬ 
couraging part of root-growing. Seed 
may be soaked in dry weather without 
any danger of 44 going back” or not grow¬ 
ing, if the ground is slightly packed. 
This prevents evaporation, and will in¬ 
sure germination. Turnip seeds may 
be sown by a drill, after soaking, by first 
rolling them in plaster or flour, to cause 
them to separate, so that they will drop 
readily. Beets and mangels should be 
planted by hand and covered with a hoe. 
The deptn should be according to the 
condition of the soil,—if damp, an inch 
deep; but if dry, fully au inch and a 
half. A furrow the right depth can be 
made with a hoe, and the seed dropped 
into this, sixteen inches apart. 
We like the plan of planting turnip 
seeds, especially Swedes. They are put 
j ust where they are wanted, and, if soaked 
and swelled beforehand, will come up iu 
two or three days. By planting the seed 
there may be a saviug of three-fourths, 
and the care afterward will be lessened 
fully one-third, if not one-half. As soon 
as the rows can be seen, the cultivator 
should be started and run as close to the 
young plants as possible. A cultivator 
with harrow-teeth is much the best at 
first, and then, when the plants are larger, 
one with the outside teeth made to throw 
the earth toward the center of the row. 
By using these implements promptly and 
frequently the amount of hand labor is 
reduced to a small percentage in the care 
of the crop. Hand-labor is the great bug¬ 
bear iu the production of this crop, and 
prevents its more general growth. 
Roots, properly managed, are the best 
crop a farmer can raise. More food can 
be produced by them on a given spot of 
ground than of any other crop. Roots, 
more than anything else, are the back¬ 
bone of English husbandry. They make 
the finest animals and the best meat at 
the least cost. Corn, the American staple 
for making meat, is a feverish food, and 
must have an effect on the flesh of ani¬ 
mals fed on it, and this flesh doubtless 
has its effect on the constitutions of those 
who eat it. We want more of the cooling 
and healthful influence of roots, in the 
various phases of our diet. The food of a 
nation has as much as, if not more, to do 
with the character of a people than auy- 
thing else. Roots make tender and juicy 
meat, and such meat is more easily di¬ 
gested. Corn makes firm and oily flesh, 
which lays the foundation for dyspepsia. 
English mutton is easier to digest and 
more palatable than American. Turnips 
make the difference. We need more suc¬ 
culent feed for stock during our long and 
trying winters. With more roots there 
would be less constipation, barrenness, 
less abortion, less disease of nearly all 
kinds. 
Swedes, a very productive and excel¬ 
lent root, may be put in up to the middle 
of July, and flat turnips until the first 
of August. Swedes may be kept over 
until July. Fifteen and twenty Urns can 
be raised on an acre. They can be put 
in after a crop of clover or early grain. 
The ground should be made mellow and 
rich with barn-yard manure. Three feet 
apart is a proper distance for the rows, 
or they may be closer. A pound of seed 
is ample for an acre, when put iu with a 
drill, or one-fourth of a pound when 
dropped by hand sixteen inches apart. 
Several seeds ought to be put into one 
place, to allow for flies and accidents. 
-- 
PRICE OF GRAIN LIKELY TO BE HIGH 
THIS SEASON. 
In a public speech, some months ago, 
the Earl of Derby conceded that in view 
of the unlimited facilities possessed by 
this country for producing all cereals 
cheaply, and of the impossibility of re-es¬ 
tablishing the old-time corn laws for the 
protectionof domestic agriculture, thetime 
was close at hand when the British farmer 
should abandon grain-growing and seek 
his profit in meat-production, leaving the 
supply of bread-stuffs to the bountiful 
harvests of this country. Despite the 
late reductions of rent, pretty general 
throughout the country, hundreds of 
good farms have this year and last been 
thrown upon the hands of the landlords, 
because farmers feared they would be 
unable to “make both ends meet ” if they 
rented them. Such abandoned farms are, 
in nearly all cases, turned into meadow 
or pasture lands, so that the area under 
cereals in Great Britain is rapidly dimin¬ 
ishing every year, while the population 
is increasing at the rate of 1,000 a day. 
Already Mark Lane and other English 
grain markets have ceased to be affected 
by changes in the weather beneficially 
or injuriously affecting domestic crops. 
Last week the telegrams reported that 
the weather throughout the British Isles 
was very unfavorable to the crops, and 
that at a critical season; but they also 
reported that iu view of tho slight de¬ 
pendence lately placed on the home sup¬ 
ply, and the bright crop prospects an¬ 
nounced from this side of tho Atlantic, 
the grain markets had remained unaf¬ 
fected by the unseasonable weather. 
Last Saturday the French Ministry an¬ 
nounced that in view of the scant harvest 
this season throughout the greater part 
of the country, France would have this 
year to import $100,000,000 worth of for¬ 
eign grain. As a rule, that country is an 
exporter of cereals to a considerable ex¬ 
tent, so that this year, not only will those 
countries which have a surplus of cereals 
have to supply nearly $100,000,000 worth 
of grain to the French market, but they 
will also have to furnish to other coun¬ 
tries, chiefly to Great Britain, the quan¬ 
tity hitherto drawn from France. 
The latest advices from Southern Rus¬ 
sia, our chief competitor in the grain mar¬ 
kets of the world, are highly unfavorable. 
Wind and rain storms have greatly injured 
the crops in the territory tributary to 
Odessa, while swarms upon swarms of 
locusts have ravaged many parts of the 
country. From Germany, late crop re¬ 
ports are good; but it is hardly probable 
that there will be much of a surplus of 
any, except tobacco, for exportation. 
There is considerable agitation in Spain 
for the repeal of duties on importations 
of cereals, but in view of the fair out¬ 
look for the domestic harvest, the minis¬ 
try this year have felt themselves strong 
enough to concede only a slight diminu¬ 
tion of the tax on imports of flour. Italy 
is pretty sure to be one of our custom¬ 
ers, or at any rate she will not be able to 
spare any cereals to compete with ours 
in other markets. 
On the whole, the grain crops in 
Europe this year are very considerably 
below the average, and the deficiency is 
precisely in those countries in which it 
will do us the most good. Great Britain 
and France are, both by situation and 
friendliness, natnrally our greatest cus¬ 
tomers, and as both are wealthy, they 
are also our best. As in both of these 
the harvest is especially small, their de¬ 
mands on our surplus will be especially 
large. Moreover, the mishaps that have 
lately befallen crops in Southern Russia, 
by enppling our greatest rival, will raise 
the price of our products by curtailing 
exportations from that quarter. 
PRICES OF FERTILIZERS. 
We consider artificial fertilizers to be a 
prime necessity in the pursuit of agricul¬ 
ture. No farmer can hope to procure the 
highest profit from his business without 
their use to some extent. At the best, a 
farm that is worked on the self-support¬ 
ing system as regards manure, must lose 
its fertility to some extent; slowly, more 
or less, it may be, but surely. But there 
is small encouragement held out by the 
manufacturers of fertilizers for farmers 
to use their wares. The prices exacted 
for them are excessive. This is shown 
by the irregularity in the price lists. One 
entirely respectable and responsible man¬ 
ufacturer may offer superphosphate at 
$25 per ton, and another may ask $40 for 
an article which may be no better. The 
basis of the market rates of fertilizers is 
fixed, in a measure, on the prices of Peru¬ 
vian guano. But the trade in this article 
is a huge monopoly. The Peruvian Gov¬ 
ernment has hypothecated its guano and 
nitrate deposits to its foreign bondhold¬ 
ers, to pay the interest on large debts, 
and it exacts a large price. To make 
these articles the basis of the price of 
nitrogen in other fertilizers (such as sul¬ 
phate of ammonia, which is a by-product 
of gas works), is monstrous. So with 
potash salts, which are a refuse of the 
German salt mines, and dried blood and 
flesh, which are the refuse of the large 
slaughter* houses, and were formerly dis¬ 
posed of by flowing or dumping into riv¬ 
ers. Before farmers can be induced to 
use these fertilizers to any large extent, 
the prices must be reduced. 
BREVITIES. 
The Japan Persimmon was alluded to at 
the late Cleveland Convention as of doubtful 
hardiness. There need be no doubt about 
it. It is not hardy or any approach to it. 
Last week we selected an average head of 
Clawson wheat not cultivated (sown broad¬ 
cast), and an average head from our cultivated 
plot. The first contains 30 grains, the latter 
37. The latter were larger, also, than the 
former. 
And now Mr. Roe follows Mr. Lovett, who 
staled last year, in the Rural, that Belle de 
Fontenay and Henrietta Raspberries are the 
same, and was strouglv contradicted by several 
correspondents. Mr. Roe says: “I cannot tell 
them apart.” 
TnE Pinxter (Azalea nudiflora) blooms in 
May, and before the leaves are half grown. 
Now, A. viscosa is blooming. Its dowers are 
large, generally pure white, and covered with 
a viscid fluid of sufficient tenacity to hold 
little flies, aphides, and other iniuute insects 
that venture upon them. 
In the report of the New Jersey Bureau of 
Statistics, the Secretary speaks of the Indian 
Mallow, or Velvet Leaf (Abutilou Avicenme), as 
a plant which yields a strong fiber. The plant 
is a native of Iudia, and is now naturalized in 
most of the States. Steps have been taken to 
test Us value thoroughly. 
We call the attention of our California read¬ 
ers to Teosinte, which the Rural was the first 
to illustrate (see our issue of Nov. 2,1878, page 
395) as a fodder plant. It tillers remarkably 
and the stalks are sweeter than, and do not be¬ 
come so hard as cat-tail millet, It will stand 
drought and heat and we should suppose might 
rove serviceable. In the climate of Middle and 
outhern California. 
To Kill the Peach Borer. —To kill the 
larvae of the peach hover, that may be at work 
on the trees, and to prevent egg-laying, apply 
to the base of the trunks during July and 
August the following compound: To ten gal¬ 
lons of soft soap add as much hoi water; theu 
stir iu half a piut of crude, carbolic acid and 
let it stand over night; next add three times 
its bulk of water, and it is ready for use. 
We learn that the expenses of the last New 
York Horticultural Society were $800. The 
receipts were $400. If tiie florists and horti¬ 
culturists would think a little more of "the 
advancement of horticulture,” that they talk 
so much about in their essays, and less of "the 
advancement” of their business, we might 
hope that the outside horticultural public 
would show a livelier interest iu their exhibi¬ 
tions. 
There is but one object in pot-layering 
Strawberries, viz., to insure a heavier yield on 
a new plot than can be accomplished in any 
other way. If we desire fifty plants of any 
variety, as many pots—say three inches iu 
diameter—must be sunk iu the earth under as 
many runners, and lilted with soil. The ruuner 
must be pressed into the soil of the pot and 
there held by a little stone or lump of earth. 
As soon as these runners are well rooted, they 
are thumped out of the pots and set in the 
grouud prepared for their reception. Iu this 
way the roots ate less disturbed than they 
would be if the runners were dug up and trans¬ 
planted iu the usual way. 
