THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country air I Suburban Homo 
Conducted by 
S. CABMAS, 
J . S. W O O b W A K I) , 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 18S6. 
Subscribers of the Rural need never take 
the trouble to write us to “ stop ” the paper. 
It is invaruiblyf discontinued at the expir¬ 
ation of the subsn'iption term , except by 
oversight, in which case if is our toss. 
Read the catalogue notices on page 61. 
We will gladly send our new posters to 
all who apply. 
Ik the number on your address label is 
1878, your subscription expires with this 
number; if 1879, next week; 1880, in two 
weeks, etc. 
Those who would like to have a glim¬ 
mer of Spring in their sitting-rooms should 
cut sprays of such hardy plants as the 
Japan Quince, Forsythia (Golden Bell), 
cherry, etc., and put them in water. They 
will hloom in a few weeks. 
All who subscribe for the Rural New- 
Yorker are entitled to its Free .Seed Dis¬ 
tribution on application. No others need 
apply, for the reason that our supply of 
seeds is necessarily limited. Enclose a 
two-cent stamp, please. We are obliged 
to pay on the present packet four cents. 
The thermometer at the Rural Grounds 
at 7 a.m. the 13th instant was 12 below 
zero. As there is scarcely any snow on 
the ground, this will prove a test Winter 
as to the hardiness of many of the newer 
grapes, raspberries, blackberries, shrubs 
and trees. 
We presume that some of the Rural's 
readers, as well as others, have gone a 
little crazy over the chrysanthemum. We 
shall attempt to aggravate this pardonable 
disorder by presenting some engravings 
from nat ure of a few of the latest and best 
novelties of this showy flower, with articles 
from experienced growers. 
Again, friends of the Rural, we must 
ask you not to feel slighted that many of 
your questions have not been answered. 
Indeed, they hare been answered, but we 
can not, without neglecting other depart¬ 
ments, find space for them. We trust 
that all questions and answers will appear 
in due time. As a matter of fact, if the 
Rural were twice as large as it is, we 
should still fiud it difficult to publish all 
the contributions received, well worthy of 
publication, 
We earnestly solicit our subscribers, in 
renewing, to write their names, post 
offices, counties and States plainly. Our 
new posters and specimen copies will be 
sent promply to all who apply, without 
charge, and with our best thanks for the 
interest so shown. We beg to remind our 
readers that now is the time to secure 
clubs. A kindly word from good people 
as to the merits of the Rural must always 
have its effect. We prize the opinion of 
conscientious men. 
As between the Spanish and Japan 
Chestnut, for the climate of Chicago and 
New York, extending south and a little 
north, do not fail to select the latter. The 
nuts are not quite so large and the aver¬ 
age is fewer to a burr, but the quality is 
better and the tree is hardier. Probably 
the seed will lie offered for sale by some of 
our seedsmen, in which event we shall j 
promptly notify our readers. The Japan 
Chestnut fruits in a few years from seed, J 
and, whether for ornament or fruit, is 
worthy of a place on every farm. 
logues are now announcing the Pride of 
the Market as a novelty. But those of 
our friends who have the Stratagem need 
not care for the Pride of the Market. 
All who subscribe for the Rural, and 
of course, our regular subscribers, arc en¬ 
titled to the Rural’s Free Seed Distribu¬ 
tion upon application. Others need not 
apply. A two-cent stamp should accom¬ 
pany the simple. request “Send Seeds,” 
We trust that those who do not care 
and which, we believe, are well founded, 
that these patents were obtained by fraud 
and are, therefore, invalid. If so decided, 
this much used and almost indispensable 
convenience will become public property, 
and competition will furnish it so cheap 
as to enable everyone to enjoy its use. 
There is no doubt but that the Bell Com¬ 
pany has already taken from the people 
more than one huudred millions of their 
hard-earned money. Now, if it shall be 
shown that there is no validity in these 
patents, will it not be a fact that the peo- 
enough for the seeds to plant and give pic have been swindled out of this money? 
them good care and report to the Rural ^nd is not some blame to be attached to 
, ,? , A the Patent Office for allowing the patents 
how they succeed, will not apply. Our ou insufficient evidence? 
stock is necessarily limited, and the seeds _ t | _ _ 
are too valuable to be thrown away. The ORIGINAL ENGRAVINGS. 
object of these seed distributions is to en- . , , , 
, . i -i ^ ^ • ,, It is very plain to us that a large pro- 
able our subscribers to test w a small way portion of Venders do not appreciate the 
the latest and most promising novelties cost of illustrating a journal; that is, of 
without incurring any expense. course, with original illustrations. Sec- 
Vimio U LIU uuun UI lUC UU81 
A considerable time ago, the Rural illustrations to be found in our foreign ex- 
bought a package of Hammond’s Slug changes, in which latter case we have 
bhot, and, at the request of a subscriber, merely had to pay the cost- ol* re-engraving, 
sent it to the N.Y. Ex. Station to be an- Rut the entire cost probably adds between 
alyzed. The Chemist ol the station in its three and four thousand dollars annually 
last report says: “The indications are, to the expenses of conducting the R. N.-Y. 
that it is no more nor less than London- These cuts, after they have appeared in 
purple, mixed with a very large proper- our columns, are practically valueless. It 
tiou of gas or slaked lime. 1 ' is true we could sell man}' of them for one- 
Mr. Hammond is now sending a postal tenth of their cost, and this, in exceptional 
card to seedsmen with the sworn state- instances, we have done—only, however, 
ment that “at no time has either London- to see them “goingthe rounds” as original 
purple, slaked lime, or gas lime entered engravings in other papers, which, in this 
into its composition. If the Chemist of way, appropriate, at a nominal expense, 
the station made the statement without a the credit which fully belongs solclv to 
careful examination of the Slug Shot, he is the R. N.-Y. 
certainly a careless and inefficient officer. -_. 
If Mr. Hammond has sworn falsely, the NOVFLTTFS 
public should know it at once. - 
• .... IT . __-_*1_ .1_• i* i , i , 
*'****' * ' • - . 1X.O XUIIIIVIO live IA/ ILOL 
THE NEXT POTAT O SPECIAL. novelties. “It will be time and money 
The Second Potato Special of the !! ,row “ away." Our own advice is to test 
Rural New-Yorker, to be published be- tht ™ in , \ 1 \° t0 . 
fore March, will have articles from the 8 Pe«k-but ted them. If one kind ot 
following contributors: Prof I P Rob- P°tatowill yield on your land but 100 
erts, Farm Manager, Cornell University • ,,T™ to the , , a ? re ’ wbllc another wil1 
N. Y.; F. W. Wilson. Wilson’s Nurseries, yie l fl ? 00 : would !} noi P ay /°, u t ?. test 35 
Chatham, Ont.; Peter M. Gideon, Minn. varieties in a small way to find this out? 
Prof. L. H. Bailev, Mich. Ag. College; kind of corn will yield but 25 bush- 
Frank Ford, Ohio: Col. F. D Curtis N . , , shelled corn - whllc another will 
Y.; Tlios. Barret f, Ills.; E. J. Brownell! ytthUO, would it not pay you to plant u 
N. Y.; E. Z. Butcher, Kansas; C. Harris ?° ZeD kinds in small plots.tofind 
O. ; E. G. Mumford, N. Y.; E. Horner this out< And so with wheat, oats, roots, 
Colorado; A. W. Russell, O.; C. Calkins’ "ferries, strawberries, etc., etc. 
Colorado; Prof. A. J. Cook, Ag. Coll.,’ Perha f. '■*« l*r cent, of the so-called 
Mich.; A. Van Valkenbunffi NY ■ F “novelties" are no better than old kinds. 
H. Plummer, Maine: Geo. IT. Colvin Pa '■ ? u !' claim 18 that ]t every gardener, 
Pres. T. T. Lyon, Mich.; Lewis S. Ely’ fl \ ui grower, florist or farmer to select 
Iowa, and others if space permit. what , s . oem8 to 1>e the most Poising of the 
The Stratagem and Pride of the Market 
Peas (both “English, you know”), were 
introduced at about the same time. Both 
were tested at the Rural Grounds, and the 
Stratagem was deemed the more valuable 
of the two, aud, accordingly, placed in 
the Rural’s last Free Seed Distribution. 
It is now rated in catalogues as the best 
main-crop pea in cultivation. Some cata- 
TEN DOLLARS 
for the largest Bird Cantaloupe from the 
Seed of the Rural’s present Free Seed 
Distribution. 
TEN DOLLARS 
for the largest Watermelon. 
TEN DOLLARS 
for the longest ear of the Angel of Mid¬ 
night Corn containing the greatest num¬ 
ber of kernels. 
TEN DOLLARS 
for 10 of the heaviest pods from the Alas¬ 
ka Pea. 
The Prizes will be awarded October 1st, 
1886. All competitors will, bo required 
to advise us as to the weight or size of 
their peas, melon, or corn by postal card. 
Those who take the prizes will then be 
required to send the peas, corn, or melons 
by express at the Rural’s expense. 
- --4 - 4 . ■■ 
A RIGHTEOUS ACT. 
Secretary Lamar deserves the thanks 
of the country for the decision just made, 
which accords with the wishes of the 
Rural, as expressed some time since on 
this page. He consents to have suit 
brought, in the name of the Government 
And is not some blame to be attached to 
the Patent Office for allowing the patents 
on insufficient evidence? 
ORIGINA L ENG RAVINGS. 
It is very plain to us that a large pro¬ 
portion of readers do not appreciate the 
cost of illustrating a journal; that is, of 
course, with original illustrations. Sec¬ 
ond-hand illusti'ations, such as we see 
Let us once more advise those of our “going the rounds,” may be bought for a 
readers who are intending to plant ever- song, really costing less, in most cases, 
green trees next Spring, not to select the than the type-setting required to fill the 
Balsam Fir. It is among the brightest, same space. Not only has the Rural to 
showiest trees of the nursery, and, when pay its artists and engravers, but the speci- 
small, always well clothed with its deep mens to be drawn and engraved have to 
green foliage. But it will disappoint you, be procured often at a considerable cost 
friends, as it grows older. It is beautiful in time and thought. Besides, most of 
and promising in youth, but gaunt and the plants, whether grain, fruits, shrubs, 
unsightly as it grows older. One plants trees or flowers, are first grown and tested 
in the expectation of having, in to years, at the Rural Grounds, as our older readers 
shapely trees that are a joy to look at. Rut are fully aware. 
the Balsam Fir. as a rule, is so far from During 1885 we presented, in all, 600 eu- 
ornameutal at that age, that it is better to gravings, of which not less than 450 were 
utilize it as firewood. drawn and engraved for this journal, while 
the others were reproductions of the best 
illustrations to be found in our foreign ex¬ 
changes, in which latter case we have 
merely had to pay the cost of re-engraving. 
But the entire cost probably adds between 
three and four thousand dollars annually 
to the expenses of conducting the R. N.-Y. 
These cuts, after they have appeared in 
our columns, are practically valueless. It 
is true we could sell many of them for one- 
tentli of their cost, and this, in exceptional 
instances, we have done—only, however, 
to see them “going the rounds” as original 
engravings in other papers, which, in this 
way, appropriate, at a nominal expense, 
the credit which fully belongs solely to 
the R. N.-Y. 
NOVELTIES. 
Many writers advise farmers not to test 
novelties. “It will be time and money 
thrown away." Our own advice is to test 
them in a small way—cautiously, so to 
speak—but test them. If one kind of 
potato will yield on your land but 100 
bushels to the acre, while another will 
yield 200, would it not pay you to test 25 
varieties in a small way to find this out? 
If one kind of corn will yield but 25 bush¬ 
els of shelled corn, while another will 
yield 50, would it not pay you to plant a 
dozen different, kinds in small plots to find 
this out? And so with wheat, oats, roots, 
grapes, raspberries, strawberries, etc., etc. 
Perhaps 90 per cent, of the so-called 
“novelties" are no better than old kinds. 
Our claim is that it pays every gardener, 
fruit-grower, florist or farmer to select 
what seems to he the most promt sing of the 
novelties, and to test them in small plots, 
taking the chances of thus securing im¬ 
proved varieties which will pay for them¬ 
selves and the trouble and expense of 
raising them. 
We have perhaps 50 or more different 
raspberries growing at the Rural Grounds, 
Were we to raise them for profit , all but 
about five different kinds would be de¬ 
stroyed. We have a dozen or more differ¬ 
ent kinds of blackberries. These w’ould 
be reduced to two or three. We have 
perhaps 75 different kinds of grapes. 
These would be cut down to half-a-dozen. 
And we should carry out the same ratio 
of rejection among our wheats, oats and 
vegetables. Now how are we thus en¬ 
abled to select the plants best adapted to 
our soil and climate? The answer is, by 
testing novelties beside the best of the 
standard kinds. 
It appears to us that the advice not to 
test new plants or seeds comes from those 
who either have had an exceptional exper¬ 
ience, or none at all. 
A BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 
NEW YORK’S PRESSING NEED. 
NEw r York is emphatically the “Empire 
State," with a total length of over 400 
and a total breadth of over 300 miles. 
She has a greater diversity of scenery, a 
greater variety of soils and climates, and 
produces in abundance a greater number 
and at its expense, to vacate the Bell tele- of'agricultural'products than any other 
phone patents. Of course this decides noth- State, aud yet, with t hese advantages, 
ing, but it will fully test the claims made, she does comparatively nothing tQ develop 
these resources, or to instruct her soil 
1 tillers. 
, With the best dairy soils aud climate, 
j and the richest grasses and purest water 
, in the world, she allows the cheese of 
) Canada and the butter of Illinois. Iowa 
. and Wisconsin to outsell in her own mar¬ 
kets the productions of her own farms, 
; simply because these sections have, and 
r she has not, afforded the dairymen the 
5 facilities for obtaining the requisite 
* knowledge to enable them to make first- 
class goods. 
With her grain fields starving and 
> -yielding annually diminished crops for 
i want of manure, she allows millions of 
pounds of feeding stuffs, rich in both 
animal and plant food, and thousands of 
half-fattened cattle and sheep to be sent 
to the sea-board cities and the Old World 
markets, passing directly by the doors of 
; thousands of her empty barns rotting 
idly down, solely because her farmers lack 
the knowledge of the conditions necessary 
to enable them to profitably finish fatten¬ 
ing these animals on those foods in such a 
way as to leave a profit, of ut least the 
plant food, to be used upon their impover¬ 
ished fields. There is not another State 
in the Union that has not done more for 
its farmers, and scarcely another, however 
small, that has not a live and efficient 
Board of Agriculture, constantly looking 
after the improvement of its agricultural 
methods and resources; and a score of 
States, notably Michigan and Ohio, are 
now each holding a series of Farmers’ In¬ 
stitutes especially for the education of 
their farmers. Surely, the great State of 
New York, with its quarter of a million 
farms and a half million farmers, should 
take a foremost part in fostering the in¬ 
terest of that class the products of whose 
labors feed the people and enrich the 
State, without detracting from any other 
interests. 
We ought to have a live Board of Agri¬ 
culture, whose business it should be to in¬ 
crease the productiveness of our funns by 
instructing our fanners in the newer and 
better methods of soil culture, dairying 
and stock feeding. And each Winter 
there should be held, under the direct 
auspices of this Board, not less than 30 
Farmers' Institutes in the 60 counties of 
the State. And in these Institutes the 
farmers of each section should he instruc¬ 
ted in the particular branch of farming 
adapted to their section, by experts who 
have proved their competency by a success 
in that particular branch. In" this way 
the butter and cheese makers of the dairy 
districts will be kept in the front rack of 
progressive dairymen; the potato, fruit 
and grain growers of these respective 
regions will be taught how to produce the 
largest crops, and in every part such men 
as have made a success of winter stock¬ 
feeding, should he called upon to show 
New York farmers how to make meat, 
money and manure at one and the same 
time. 
We hope, that every paper in the State 
which is friendly to the farmer’s interests 
will make it a point to urge this matter; 
and that those members of the Legislature 
who would do something to advance the 
solid interests of the State, will see to it 
that a hill i? presented and speedily pass¬ 
ed establishing this much-needed insti¬ 
tution. 
While money is being wasted by the 
million in piling up a needless conglomer¬ 
ation of stone, bricks, mortar and iron, 
under the pretense of building a “capitol,” 
let us have a few dollars appropriated 
to establish and maintain a Board of Agri¬ 
culture, which shall do something to in¬ 
struct the farmers how to grow better 
crops, enrich their fields and better 
manage their farms, thus aiding the 
best interests of the whole State. 
BREVITIES. 
Our friends should look over the advertise¬ 
ments and send for the catalogues therein an¬ 
nounced. 
Money sent in letters "for subscriptions to 
the Rural New-Yorker is at. the sender’s 
risk. Our terms are invariably *2.00 a year 
in advance. 
We wish that the Rural’s Avery Sewing 
Machine might lx- in the home of every one of 
our subscribers. We look npon it us the most 
valuable premium we have ever offered for so 
low a number of subscribers. We do not hes¬ 
itate to commend it as the best machine man¬ 
ufactured. 
A common wav of building grape arbors in 
Connecticut, is to bolt an upright post to a 
slab set in the ground, wit h cross-bars in the 
usual way. We have noticed arbors that have 
evidently been in place for years, yet . showed 
no signs of decay or of breaking down. As a 
matter of course, arbors can only be built, in 
this way where suitable stone can be obtained 
for the foundation. The method of construc¬ 
tion is very simple: the slabs are bored near 
the surface of the groumUand acaintnear he 
top, aud the upright, posts'a re attached by 
bolts either!keyed or screwed fust. r An'arbor 
properly built in this way would Just u life-time. 
