24 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. 
CONDUCTED BY • 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
78 Duane Street, New York City. 
SATURDAY, NOV. 8. 1879. 
Our Annual Premium List and Posters 
ARE NOW READY. THEY WILL BE MAILED. 
WITHOUT CHARGE, TO ALL WHO APPLY. 
“GOOD RESULTS” IN FARMING. 
Some weeks ago we quoted on this page 
a few words on “ Good Results” from one 
of our correspondents. We did so be¬ 
cause they agreed so exactly with our own 
observation and experience. Scarely any 
expression is so often used in agricul¬ 
tural circles. We see it in all the agri¬ 
cultural papers, and hear it at all the 
farmers’ clubs and grangers’ debates, but 
always used in a very Ioobo and indefinite 
way. “ Good results” follow'on the use 
of this, that or the other fertilizer, imple¬ 
ment or mode of culture. But w r e fail to 
be informed just ivhat results, just how 
much or even about how much money a 
certain sum expended in a certain way, 
has returned to the pocket of the farmer. 
We were particularly struck with this 
a few weeks ago at an “open meeting” 
of a certain Grange, which we were in¬ 
vited to attend. This man had used the 
Buffalo pure bone dust “ with good re¬ 
sults ” ; that one, the New York Excelsior 
superphosphate,‘ 1 with good results”; an¬ 
other the Chicago, or Albany, or Baugh d* 
Son’s, or the Stock bridge specials, or land 
plaster, or salt, and always with good 
results.''' One had used the fertilizer 
broadcast; another in drill or hill, and both 
‘ ‘ with good results. ” Some had used the 
Thomas harrow, or the Sh&re&'a or spring¬ 
toothed, or the Syracuse cultivator, or 
the disc cultivator “ with good results.” 
But when we asked in our bewilderment 
just how much money a given sum, ex¬ 
pended on this, that or the other fertilizer, 
returned in actual, definite increase in 
wheat-yield or corn-yield, or even which of 
the various ones yielded the most, we failed 
to be enlightened. Or, when we asked j ust 
what effect a given implement produced, 
whether to stir the soil deeply and 
coarsely, or to make the surface fine and 
mellow, and compact the soil below, as is 
required for wheat ; whether the given 
implement could be used as a broadcast 
weeder on growing crops of wheat, corn, 
potatoes, etc., or whether it would “root 
up the wheat also with the taresor 
which implement would do the most 
different kinds of -work on the farm, and 
do them well, we again failed to be in¬ 
formed. And when we finally asked if 
the Grunge as a local body had instituted 
any definite experiments through careful 
farmers belonging to it, who could be 
relied on for candor and accuracy, the 
Grange Master replied that he had often 
thought it would be a good plan, but it 
had not been done. 
This brings us to the point we had in 
mind to insist on, viz: the great value of 
accurate, definite, protracted experiments 
in agriculture, and of absolute candor 
and fairness in reporting them, and the 
worthlessness and often harmfulness of 
all others. 
Eor instance, on the question of sum¬ 
mer-fallowing, the 28 years’ careful expe¬ 
riment made by Dr. J. B. Lawes, of 
England,and lately published by him in 
our columns, is of great value. But for 
the first five or six years it proved abso¬ 
lutely nothing, and might have happened 
to prove the reverse of the truth. And j ust 
so, any experiments on home-made man- 
nures and commercial fertilizers, with a 
view to ascertaining the comparative 
value of the two, would need to be con¬ 
tinued for several years, and to be made 
with great care each year, to be really 
conclusive. But on an ordinary farm it 
is perhaps impossible to have either the 
time or accuracy requisite to make the 
experiments conclusive on all points. It 
is therefore fortunate and greatly pro¬ 
motes the growth of agriculture, both as 
a science and art, that there are and have 
been such men as Lawes, Gilbert and 
others in England, who have means, time, 
taste and capacity to carry on many and 
extended experiments in field and labor¬ 
atory, and thus discover both the facts 
and the causes. In our own way, too, 
both at the Farm and the Grounds, we are 
conducting many experiments patiently, 
carefully, fairly we think, and enthusi¬ 
astically. Some of our contributors, too, 
at the Agricultural Colleges and else¬ 
where, are conducting experiments on 
various subjects. The results or outcome 
of suoh experiments we shall endeavor to 
publish fairly, so far as they may be o 
general interest and profit, whether they 
seem to piove or disprove any of our 
theories or doctrines. If these are wrong, 
they ought to be corrected. 
But while accurate experiments are 
often costly and tedious, there is a class 
that may be made with sufficient accuracy 
on any good farm. For instance, in 
regard to many of the common brands of 
superphosphate, bone-dust, etc., an ex¬ 
periment for four or five yeara on a ten- 
acre field, say, treated in ten plats, one 
with stable manure, one with no fertil¬ 
izer, one with clover plowed under, and 
the rest, each one with a different com¬ 
mercial fertilizer, might practically 
settle several questions:—1st, which, 
if any, of the commercial fertilizers pay 
for themselves the first year in actual in¬ 
crease of wheat or corn ; 2d, which, if 
any, serve merely as stimulants, and 
leave no permanent benefit, or perhaps 
even an injury ; 3d, which is, on the 
whole, worth the most on a given soil. 
These and similar questions might be 
settled to the great advantage of the 
locality where they were made, and at no 
very great expense. And any expense 
incurred might fairly be borne by a far¬ 
mers’ club or Grange. 
We shall be glad to report any such or 
similar experiments, provided they seem 
to have been made with candor and fair¬ 
ness, and with sufficient accuracy to 
make them trustworthy. We predict that 
all who experiment fairly on fertilizers 
and modes of cultivation, will be con¬ 
vinced of two things: 1st, that good farm¬ 
ing pays, if any kind does; and 2d, that 
no one can afford to buy commercial fer¬ 
tilizers till he has carefully made and 
saved, and properly used all the stable 
and green manure the farm is capable of 
producing. We do not agree with an 
enthusiastic friend of ours, who lately said 
to us, “ Why, phosphate is cheaper than 
stable manure a mile off, to be had for the 
drawing." 
A FI NAL W ORD. 
“Pay as you go ” and the “ Abolition 
of House-racing at Agricultural 
Fairs” are two subjects which for a long 
time the Rural New-Yorker has en¬ 
deavored to keep before its readers. 
Many journals throughout the country 
have joined us in our advocacy of both. 
As to the first, we believe, as a rule, there 
is no other precept the observance of 
which will tend in a greater degree to 
promote general happiness and pros¬ 
perity. As to the second, we had rather 
the agricultural fair itself should be 
abolished than that horse-racing with its 
evil associations and tendencies should be 
tolerated as one of its chief attractions. 
Horse-racing has in no fair sense any¬ 
thing whatever to do with agriculture. 
Beyond what is required of a horse to 
perform in the way of useful service, 
speed has no intrinsic value. All other 
things being equal, a horse that can trot 
a mile in four minutes is worth just as 
much as another that can trot a mile in 
two minutes and a half. The great dif¬ 
ference in price that the two horses will 
bring in the market, is owing to the con¬ 
ventional value which is placed upon 
speed by men who keep horses for other 
than useful purposes. If agricultural 
faii-s are of so little real value that they 
cannot be maintained without the race¬ 
course, we say “Give them up, and re¬ 
cognize the fact. ” It were better to have 
it known that agricultural fairs are fail¬ 
ures than that horse-trots should thrive 
under a false name, and furnish a plaus¬ 
ible excuse for the attendance of thou¬ 
sands of people that are too sneaking to 
support them openly. Agriculture is a 
child too noble and thrifty to be obliged 
to lead by the hand annually, in order to 
appear herself, a bastard that was con¬ 
ceived by gamblers and that has ever since 
been the especial champion of loafers, 
pickpockets and thieves. 
--- 
THE PRICE OF INDIFFERENCE. 
— 
We wish we could awaken village, 
town and city people to a sense of how 
much they lose by accepting, uncom¬ 
plainingly, the many sorts of inferior 
fruits known as good ‘ ‘ market” varieties. 
It is not fair to blame the market-men. 
It is their business to supply the demand 
with the least cost to themselves. It is 
the consumer that alone has to do with 
quality, and if he is satisfied with the Wil¬ 
son strawberry, the producer can have no 
interest in cultivating and sending to 
market for the same price better kinds 
which are less prolific and which cost him 
more to produce. If “ Sheepnose” and 
Grab apples could be sold for the same 
price as Northern Spy, Spitzenberg, 
Baldwin, etc., the latter would rarely, if 
ever, be offered for sale. But people 
have learnt to discriminate so far between 
different kinds of apples and pears that 
the better varieties are demanded, and 
the supply is therefore, regulated accord¬ 
ingly. It is not so, however, with small 
fruits, more especially with raspberries, 
strawberries, and grapes. In these, pro¬ 
ductiveness and firmness are first con¬ 
siderations with the producer and middle¬ 
men. To the consumer a strawberry is as 
yet a strawberry—and raspberries are all 
alike. Some prefer light-colored grapes; 
some, black. It matters little otherwise. 
And yet there is just as much difference 
between the different varieties of rasp¬ 
berries, strawberries and grapes as there 
is between different varieties of pears and 
apples. 
People who depend upon markets for 
their small fruits must content themselves 
with the poorest sorts so long as they are 
satisfied to permit sellers to make their 
selections. 
THE ORGANIZATION OF A NATIONAL 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
In our last issue we mentioned briefly 
that, a convention had been held in this 
city with a view to organize a National 
Agricultural Society. This movement 
was first started by Mr. J. H. Reall, of 
New York, who early in the fall issued 
circulars to a number of the most promi¬ 
nent agriculturists all over the country, 
inviting them to meet in convention to 
consider what should be done towards 
effecting such an organization. The pro¬ 
position created at once a lively interest, 
and on the 22d alt., a convention was 
held, in which all the Eastern and Middle 
States were well represented. All present 
considered the scheme a feasible one, and 
enthusiastic speeches were made in its 
favor. A committee of thirteen was ap¬ 
pointed on organization, with power to 
add live members more from eaeh State 
of the Union. Before adjourning, it was 
decided that a second meeting should be 
held on December 10, next, at which time 
a report is to be given by the committee 
appointed, and the organization effected, 
if possible. The committee of thirteen 
appointed a sub-committee of five, men¬ 
tioned here last week, to act as the ex¬ 
ecutive committee in completing the work 
of organization. 
The idea appears to us to be one that 
deserves the commendation of all who 
have the great agricultural interest of 
our country at heart. Much can un¬ 
doubtedly be done by a powerful far- 
reaching Society in the way of leveling 
the general path for agricultural pro¬ 
gress. But an outburst of passing en¬ 
thusiasm will be of no value. To be of 
service to the country and deserve the 
name of National, the Society must, be 
subject to the most thorough organiza¬ 
tion and must be composed of earnest, 
thorough-going, hard-working men, rep¬ 
resenting every section of the country, 
and including all the prominent men con¬ 
nected with all branches of agriculture 
throughout the land. Let such men 
everywhere join in the movement; the 
object is worthy of sublime success, and 
if the work is rightly conducted, success 
must attend the effort. 
-♦♦♦-- 
ASA GRAY. 
We are pleased to be able to place be¬ 
fore our readers in this issue an excellent 
portrait of that worthy and justly dis¬ 
tinguished mau, Asa Gray, and a sketch 
of his life and works by one fully com¬ 
petent to write it in fitting terms, Pro¬ 
fessor W. J. Beal. The portrait is en¬ 
graved from a photograph sent to us by 
Dr. Gray at our request. 
--——■ 
BREVITIES. 
“ Statesmanship of the plow ” is good. 
“ It becomes evident,” says the London Ag¬ 
ricultural Gazette, ••as thrashing proceeds, 
that the wheat crop is even worse than waB 
anticipated.” 
In Scribner, E. P. Roc says that to people 
who live in the country, small fruits are like 
heaver), objects of universal desire and very 
general neglect—which is putting it strong. 
New York newspapers, all of which have 
suffered, more or less, from the rscent run of 
“ hard times," are rejoicing at the prospect of 
a large increase iu their circulation ou account 
of the advent of the present reign of prosperity 
throughout the country. In many cases this 
increase has already begun. 
“ When we take into account,” says Horatio 
Seymour," the values and tenures ol European 
lands and compare them with the low prices 
and free titles of our own fertile soils, it is 
clear that they cannot be brought into such 
close practical proximity without making 
great changes upon both continents.” 
The present is probably as good a time as 
any in the your to cut out the canes of Rasp¬ 
berries and Blackberries that have borne fruit. 
The canes of Raspberries of doubtful hardi¬ 
ness, like BrinckleV Oruuge, Thwack, Pride of 
the Hudson, should be 1-id down, a stone or 
block rcstiug upon the tips, and then lightly 
covered with earth or straw. 
Mr. Doualar writes ns that he has traveled 
several thousand miles to convince himself of 
the value of Catalpa speciosa, and he believes 
it to he of incalculable value to this country ns 
a forest tree and a much finer ornamental tree 
than C. blgnonioidcs or syringajfolia, as it is 
much hardier—a more npright grower and pro¬ 
duces much more beautiful flowers. 
*■ Go and get your leaf-mold from the 
woods.” And yet the woods are crowded with 
trees, shrubs, weeds and grass. Year after 
year they grow and thrive. The falling leaves 
and decaying twigs and brunches are their 
only fertilizers. Let some enterprising “ fer¬ 
tilizer man " analyze this leaf-mold and manu¬ 
facture bis “ complete manure” accordingly. 
The Cincinnati Gazette says: "The Rural 
New-Yorker gives reports from 18 States very 
favorable to the growth of its protCgC, the 
Beauty of Hebron potato, in many places, it 
was considered better than Early Rose. The 
yield was various—the highest seems to be 
about 50-fold—50 pounds for one.” The high¬ 
est report made gives 50 pounds from about 
lour ounces, obtained by sprouting. 
Mr. J. G. Burrow, of Fishkill, N. Y-, answers 
an inquiry of ours as follows: ‘‘As regards 
ripening grapes iu bags, my opinion is deci¬ 
dedly against the plan, if paper is to be need. 
If they must be ripened In bags, I would by all 
means, recommend mosquito bars, milinet or 
gauze. I have ripened them very nicely with 
mosquito netting made inro bags, but paper 
does not let sufficient light through to give 
them their natural color or flavor.” 
A Rural friend from Livingston Co., N. Y., 
who has fruited 85 varieties of Strawberries 
the past season, among which were the Sharp¬ 
less. Pres. Lincoln. Cumberland Triumph, 
Crescent Seedling. Duchess, Monarch of the 
West, Duncan, Prouty’s Seedling, Springdale 
and Miner’s Prolific, writes us that he assigns 
the premium for general excellence to the 
last-named. With him it has been very hardy, 
healthy, and exceedingly prolific of large, firm 
aud delicious berries^ lu his experience it 
stands at the head of Its class. 
Good cats are unquestionably very useful if 
Dot indispensable upon the farm. Emasculated 
eat8are growing more and more in favor every¬ 
where. They generally grow to twice the 
ordinary size: -They are more healthy because 
more quiet and less dissipated ; they are more 
amiable and display a warmer sense of grati¬ 
tude; they are more cleanly and. as antic, 
better rut-catchers, We recognize the value 
of cals in general. But we would be glad if the 
race could be kept up as well and yet consist 
only of impotent males 1 
One of the simplest ways of propagating 
the Grape-vine is simply to make cutiiugs of 
the primings, about a foot long always, includ¬ 
ing one or two joints, and bury them so that 
the upper end is an inch above the soil. Cover 
them with straw, hay or any other coarse 
material at hand. A large proportion will grow 
next spring. The same may be said of cumint 
andgooseberry cuttings. The roots of Raspber¬ 
ries may be cut up Into bits three inches long, 
and placed in boxes, alternating a layer ot soli 
and a layer of root cuttings. The boxes may be 
buried In a dry place out-of-doors, or kept in 
the cellar uutil spring. 
Signs of the growing prosperity of the 
country multiply. The number of failures for 
the first nine months of the present year is 
only a little oyer half that for lust year, while 
the sum of the aggregate liabilities in 1879 is 
considerably less titan half that lor 1878—fail¬ 
ures iu the first nine mouths of 1878,8.678; 
liabilities, @197,311.129; fallmes Insatne period 
in 1879, 5,820; liabilities, @81.054.940. More¬ 
over. for the three mouths ending Ncv. 80, the 
failures are only half those for the same period 
last year and the liabilities only a fourth of 
the amouut of those in 1878. In Canada, on 
the other hand, the failures and liabilities this 
year are from a third to a half greater than 
those of last year. 
Water is an excellent protector for half- 
hardy plants against frost. In southern Eu¬ 
rope where the winters are light, many tender 
plants remain safely out-of-doors all winter 
without being covered, bv twisting straw into 
heavy ropes which, on cold nights, are made 
wet aucl then wound In ziz-zag lines around 
plants and among the branches of trees and 
shrubs, each end being submerged in a pail of 
water. The water will rise by capillary attrac¬ 
tion and keep the rope wot the. whole length, 
and in the act of freezing enough heat is liber¬ 
ated from this water to raise the temperature 
of the atmosphere surrounding the plants, and 
thus save them from the cold. It is for the 
Batue reason that trees on a moist ground cau 
withstand a severe frost better than trees on a 
dry soil. 
Diseases of trees come and go the same as 
diseases In animals. It is the same with in¬ 
sects. Conditions favorable to their increase, 
of which wc know nothing, occur and they 
threaten the very extermination of certain 
species of plants upon which they live, or for 
long periods render valueless, over extensive 
districts of couutry, certain fruits previously 
of great value to the inhabitants. All at once 
they nearly or entirely disappear we know 
not why. But in general the last or popular 
remedy for their destruction receives the credit. 
The history of medical practice through ages 
E ives convincing proofs of the credulity of 
ttmau nature and of the utter worthlessness of 
medicines which (<?r years at a time were sup¬ 
posed to possess remarkable specific curative 
powers. 
We have ourselves neither praised nor con¬ 
demned Com. Le Due. But we have felt like 
praising him for hiseuergy aud for his manifest 
desire to benefit the agricultural interests of 
onreountry. Whether his energy has been and 
is being wisely expended or not, is not yet fully 
apparent. In either case we know of no 
reason or excuse for the hasty and violent 
denunciations of many journals, and we note 
with satisfaction that a strong countcr-curreRt 
is setting In from many different quarters, ft 
is not to bo supposed that any mau filling a 
government office, how earnest or pure soever 
his motives may be, cau hope to escape the 
sneers of those pests of the land, that can see 
nothing to praise that reflects no credit on their 
political or personal preferences. 
