TUI RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
4 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
ANational Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
E. S. CARMAN, 
J. S. WOODWARD, 
Editor. 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 84 Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1886. 
Tim POULTRY SPECIAL next. 
♦ - 
If the number on your address label is 
1892, your subscription expires with this 
number; if 1898, next week; 1894, in two 
weeks, etc. 
The Poultry Special will be mailed 
May 3d—20 pages. The next Special 
thereafter will be devoted to the crop 
prospects of the entire country. 
Twelve years ago, as well as we can re¬ 
call, the first Blue Spruce was planted at 
the Rural Grounds. Its botanical name, 
after having been changed several times, 
is now settled upon as Aides pungens, or, 
according to the new nomenclature, Picea 
pungens. Pleased with the gray or steel 
color of its leaves, with its hardiness and 
form, we have talked of it in these col¬ 
umns for the past 10 years, every year 
praising it more highly. It is still a rare 
tree; but other journals are now discover¬ 
ing its beauty, and there is little doubt 
that its merits will ultimately insure it 
a place upon every lawn to the exclusion 
of the popular, though far less meritor¬ 
ious, Norway Spruce and Balsam Fir. 
Again, good readers, forget not that we 
would beg you to plant A1 cook’s Spruce 
which for six years at least, though more 
persistently of late, we have pressed upon 
your attention. This is another rare con¬ 
ifer, and, as we have remarked, were we 
confined to but one evergreen tree, this 
would he our first choice; while were we 
confined to two, the Blue Spruce would 
be selected second. 
Seven years ago a notorious woman at 
Paris appeared at a semi-disreputable ball 
with stuffed birds as ornaments. Since 
then the feminine beauty, piety, homeli¬ 
ness, vanity and thoughtlessness of Chris¬ 
tendom have Servilely followed the fash¬ 
ion thus started by a wnuton profligate. 
Entomologists estimate that the annual 
loss in food and-fiber plants due to insect 
pests, amounts in this country to fully 
$300,000,000. At the lowest estimate 
5,000,000 birds are butchered by us every 
year to satisfy the demands of a bar¬ 
barous fashion. It is estimated that the 
death of every insect-eating bird causes 
an actual and consequential loss equivalent 
to four bushels of graiu. When the enor¬ 
mous fecundity of insect pests, and the 
number daily destroyed by their feathered 
foes are considered, the estimate will not 
be considered greatly exaggerated. The 
decrease of birds by ordinary accidents, 
depredations and mortality, nearly coun¬ 
terbalances their increase; and such spec¬ 
ial havoc as that made of them for femin¬ 
ine vanity’s sake, upsets the balance of 
Nature, and leads to the speedy extinc¬ 
tion of whole species. This is an excel¬ 
lent time to change this fashion inaugur¬ 
ated by vice and maintained by reckless¬ 
ness, cruelty, and vanity. Let the flowers 
that bloom in the spring-time, take the 
place of the birds that, die the year round. 
An abstract of the anti-oleomargarine 
bill of the House Committee on Agricul¬ 
ture is given in our news columns. 
It embodies the suggestions made 
here last week, with regard to the tax on 
“oleo,” the packages for it, and the giving 
of a part of the penalty to the informer. 
These are the cardinal points in a 
national law. Such a law should contain 
as few provisions as possible for an effec¬ 
tive enactment. With the increase of 
provisions, the risk of invalidity increases 
in more than geometrical progression. 
Let the General Government tax the 
product, as it undoubtedly has the right 
to do, and effectually provide for the 
rigid collection of the tax, branding the 
packages as it brands or stamps those for 
whiskey, and let the various States make 
laws regulating minor details of its sale, 
as they do in the case of intoxicants. The 
bill will doubtless be bitterly opposed 
both in the nouse and Senate, and no 
doubt some alterations will be made in it. 
Introduced at so late a date, and certain 
of the vigorous and persistent antagonism 
of concentrated capital, it can be passed 
only by an equally vigorous and persistent 
pressure from the people—producers and 
consumers—on their representatives in 
Congress. The effectiveness of such 
pressure was admirably illustrated by the 
fate of Senator Wilson's postage bill. All 
can now concentrate this popular pressure 
on their Congressmen in favor of the 
Committee on Agriculture’s Oleomargar¬ 
ine Bill. 
In several States there is a demand for 
summer Farmers’ Institutes, The meet¬ 
ings of the Winter have been remarkably 
successful. There is a desire to hold these 
meetings at the time when nature is at her 
best. In Winter the mistakes or successes 
of agriculture are hidden away under the 
snow. In Summer, the story of the year 
lies spread over t he land like an open 
book. The summer meetings must of 
necessity be short and practical. The 
time is too valuable to spend in 
theorizing or “passing compliments.” 
One fact lias been learned from the experi¬ 
ence of the past Winter—it pays to advocate 
mixed husbandry with a mixed pro¬ 
gramme. In the West the Farmers’ In¬ 
stitutes are greatly helped by local liter¬ 
ary and musical societies. Music and 
recitations do much to render the pro¬ 
gramme attractive. Interest the ladies 
and the boys and girls by giving them 
something to do. A company of farmers, 
each one of whom feels that he knows 
more than the speaker about the subject 
under discussion, will not make the ideal 
Farmers’ Institute. Make the programme 
attractive enough to bring out the crowd; 
when you get the people in the hall, 
shoiv them that farming is something be¬ 
yond a mere hoe exercise. 
NOTICE. 
THE PRESENTS 
FOR SUBSCRIBERS who shall have sent us 
clubs will be positively awarded May 10th. We 
think that a pleasant surprise awaits them. 
Now that the season of cyclones and 
tornadoes has fairly opened, would it not 
be well for those living in regions where 
these destructive visitations are likely to 
occur with the greatest violence, to con¬ 
struct ‘ ‘cyclone eel I are”? In an emergency 
such a structure conveniently at hand, 
would often he the safety of the family, 
and anyhow its cost would be amply re¬ 
paid by the reassuring feeling that at the 
worst one would always have a place of 
refuge for himself and those dear to him 
whenever whirling destruction should 
threaten. During the havoc wrought 
at St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Rice’s 
Station, Minn., a little over a week ago, 
many who perished would have had ample 
time to find safety in such places had 
they existed. A hole in the ground or in 
a hill-side under or quite close to the 
dwelling, is what is needed. It should be 
excavated from an ordinary house cellar 
so that those in it could not be crushed 
by falling walls or timbers, as they might 
easily be in an ordinary cellar. A small 
brick-lined room excavated from an or¬ 
dinary cellar, with an arched brick roof 
some distance beneath the surface of the 
ground, would be the safest and best pro¬ 
tection. Where even remote danger 
threatens the lives of all that are dear, 
neither the prospect of a trifling outlay 
of cash or labor, nor the smallness of the 
risk, nor the fear of the neighbors' ridi¬ 
cule will deter a prudent man from 
taking every precaution. Although few 
such storms occurred last year before Au¬ 
gust, yet 111 lives are known to have 
been lost by them. In 1884, in February 
and March alone, 678 lives were lost by 
this cause, and in 1883, 509 were lost, the 
worst storms occurring in April and May. 
--■ 
Small-pox and flood-afflicted Montreal 
held a jubilee Thursday over the news 
from Ottawa that the Government had re¬ 
duced the canal tolls to enable grain going 
to that place for shipment to Europe to 
compete with that brought from the lakes 
to this city on the Enc. The reduction 
is 18 cents a ton on the Welland and 13 
cents on the Lachine Canal, leaving 
the charges only two cents per ton 
as the through rate, with a local rate of 
two cents. Goods passing through the 
Welland arc not charged on the Lachine. 
Montreal merchants think the reduction 
will enable them to get a large share of 
the grain trade, from our Northwestern 
States and Territories. Anyhow, the 
closer competition thus caused will benefit 
the farmers of the Northwest. Over a year 
ago the Erie was made‘ ‘free, ”; in last year’s 
canvass, both political parties pledged 
themselves to improve the State canals; 
the proposition to obtain a Federal appro¬ 
priation for the work has met with little 
encouragement in the State, and it is to 
be hoped, therefore, that the deepening and 
widening of these checks to railroad ex¬ 
tortion may not be neglected by our law¬ 
makers at Albany. The Erie opens on 
May 3, and now that the ice is breaking 
up in the Straits of Mackinaw, allowing 
free navigation between the Lakes, the 
largest grain fleet that ever sailed from 
any port in the world, consisting of 148 
vessels loaded with 6,460,000 bushels of 
grain, has started eastward from Chicago. 
Of this vast amount of agricultural pro¬ 
duce 1,986,000 bushels are wheat and 
3,980,000 bushels corn, and 4,689,000 are 
for Buffalo, the western terminus of the 
Erie. ( This grain has been held back 
chiefly on account of the high railroad 
charges, and its shipment as soon as 
water transportation opens is a strong 
argument in favor of the advantage of 
water-ways as regulators of freight charges. 
THE “POCKET PISTOL”. 
A whiskey saloon in this city bears 
upon its front what we consider to be a very 
appropriate sign:—“Take home a pocket 
pistol of sour mash whiskey.” Who hut 
the man engaged in the wretched business 
of burning up the souls and bodies of his 
customers could seriously advise the tak¬ 
ing of liquor into the home? “Home, 
Sweet Home” is a mockery to such fel¬ 
lows. They would willingly tear down 
the purest and tendercst of all safeguards 
for the sake of adding to the sale of their 
wretched stuff. There are dumb brutes 
in this world, who could show more man¬ 
hood than that. There is something 
grimly appropriate in this calling a bottle 
of whiskey a “pocket pistol.” Of all 
cowardly and useless weapons the pistol 
is the worst. No one but a moral coward 
or a man ’going into the most desperate 
danger would think of carrying one. Yet 
be who would advise his friends to hang 
up a loaded revolver in his home would 
be a safer guide than he who invites his 
customers to take home a bottle of whis¬ 
key. The rum interests are settling upon 
this land like a black curse. There are 
few readers of the Rural who cannot 
point to some dear relative whose life has 
been blackened by this wretched evil. If 
the demons of drink, or barkeepers, have 
our city governments under their feet, we 
must fight them in the pure, strong 
country homes, whore in all the world's 
history the bravest and surest legislation 
has been formed. See to it that no son 
or daughter of yours can ever look upon 
a whiskey seller with any other feeling 
than they would have in regarding a man 
afflicted with some loathsome disease. 
SPECIAL. 
Those who, having applied for the 
Rural’s present seed distribution prior 
to April 25th, have not yet received it, 
will kindly notify us by postal at once. 
HARDINESS OF SMALL FRUITS. 
Years of experience scarcely Increase 
our knowledge as to what constitutes 
hardiness in some kinds of plants. The 
Niagara Grape is uninjured by the past 
Winter. Duchess within ten feet of it is 
nearly killed. Next to this (within ten 
feet) Early Dawn is dead. Next to this 
Moore’s Early and one of Ricketts’s Seed¬ 
lings (240 A.) are unharmed. Then 
Cayilga is killed to the ground. Brighton 
is seriously cutback, and Wilder killed. 
Herbert is killed to within two feet of 
the ground, Amber Queen killed back one- 
half, while Woodruff Red is uninjured. 
On the same trellis the Rural New-Yorker 
(Marvin) and Jessica have escaped damage. 
Worden, F. B. Ilnyes, Cottage, Ulster 
County Prolific, Lady, Florence, Victoria, 
Carlotta, Rockingham, Early Victor, 
Pocklington, Concord and El Dorado are 
alive to the tips. 
It. is just as hard to account for the dif¬ 
ferent degrees of injury sustained by 
raspberries. Superb is uninjured. Next 
to this variety one bush of Marlboro is badly 
hurt; in another some of the canes are 
killed while others are unharmed. All 
have suffered more or less. Reliance is 
unharmed, Crimson Beauty very little, 
Hansell not at all. One bush of Caroline 
is half-killed, another unharmed. It is 
the same with Turner. Shaffer’s Collosal 
is hurt but very little, while Souhegan is 
nearly killed. We are surprised to find 
that Macomber’s white seedling of the 
Antwerp is very little injured. Ran cocas, 
Imperial (claimed by some to be Crimson 
Beauty) have escaped injury. Ohio, Ear- 
liart and Carman are alive to the tips. 
Blackberries have not suffered much. 
Taylor and Bnyder are alive in every part. 
A few Kittatinny bushes have been killed 
back a little. Only the tips of Crystal 
White are dead. It was not supposed 
this variety would stand our climate. The 
Lucretia Dewberry is all right, but was 
somewhat covered with straw. Early 
Harvest was cut hack somewhat. Early 
Cluster is sound and lively. Wilson Jr. 
has beeu injured considerably—more per¬ 
haps than any other. Some of the canes, 
however, are not harmed. 
It will appear by a comparison of the 
above notes with those of last season 
published at about the same time, that 
several kinds of grapes and raspberries, 
which were then reported as having passed 
the Winter with safety, are now more or 
less killed back, and virr versa. And this 
piece of history has repeated itself at the 
Rural Grounds for 12 years, from which 
the important conclusion may be drawn 
that “hardiness” is a relative word, and 
should not be used in a positive sense 
without caution and experience. 
BREVITIES. 
Is your early sweet corn planted? 
We estimate this Spring as one week earlier 
than the average Spring at the Rural 
Grounds. 
Money sent iu letters for subscriptions to 
the Rural New-Yorker is at the sender’s 
risk. Our terms are invariably *2.00 a year 
in advance. 
Wk have no sympathy for strikers and 
boycotters who make their head-quarters in 
beer saloons. The “shackh's of slavery” are 
not “knocked off the souls of men” in any 
such places. 
The weather is beautiful. Spring has come. 
Winter has run towards the i>ole. We are 
thankful, yet the following seed report from 
Louisiana makes us thoughtful, “Peas in 
bloom; corn up; potatoes fine; strawberries 
ripe!” 
Prkst. Wilder attributes the compara¬ 
tive ignorance, ou the part of the present 
generation, of many old and good fruit*, to 
the fact that, the mania for something new 
has almost blotted out the recollect ion of 
many tine old sorts of much superior merit. 
A fruit is not good simply because it is new, 
nor do years of service take away the merits 
of old fruits. Read the plan suggested In re¬ 
gard to certain new fruits, in another col¬ 
umn. 
Would it be too much trouble to sow iu 
one trench, 88 feet long, two pouudsof potato 
fertilizer, and theu at harvest compare the 
yield of potatoes with 88 feet in which farm 
manure was used ? A third trench might be 
planted without either fertilizer or manure. 
Two pounds to 88 feet (if the trenches were 
three feet apart) would be nt the rate of 880 
pounds to the nere. We want, to say all we 
ran to induce our readers to experiment, more. 
Such little experiments u.s that suggested 
above would cost the farmer a mere nothing, 
while they might prove of great service. 
That was a sensible act of Gov. Abbet, of 
New Jersey. Over a week ago he issued a 
proclamation naming yesterday ns Arbor 
Day. It was represented to him that the day 
named was Good Friday, and that in some 
parts of the State the ground was still a trifle 
unfit for tree planting, mid on Thursday he 
changed the day to April 80. Gov. Pattlson, 
of Pennsylvania, was less wise, ns he stuck to 
his proclamation naming the middle of April 
for Arbor Day, though the frost was still in 
the ground in a good deal of the northern and 
upland parts of the State. When farmers 
take oracial positions, or politicians learn 
something about agriculture and horticulture, 
such blunders will be things of the past. 
The industrial growth of the South is ex¬ 
ceptionally lively just now. During the first 
three months of the current year the amount 
of capital invested there, including stock of 
now companies, money in mining and manu¬ 
facturing associations, enlargement of old 
“planta”and building Of new mills, etc..is figur¬ 
ed up at *86,597,000, against. *21 ,<KXi,(tOn f< ,r the 
corresponding period last. year. Divided 
among the States the principal figures are 
Kentucky *0.648.200: Arkansas, $6,110,000; 
Virginia, *4.502.500; West. Virginia, *8,4X6,- 
800; Alabama, *3,845,500; Tennessee, *2,824.- 
000; Maryland. *2,215.500; Texas, $1,001,000; 
North Carolina, *715,200: Louisiana, *579.000, 
Georgia, *.530,000; Florida, *485,000; Missis¬ 
sippi, *185,000; and .South Carolina, *90.000. 
Success to the South and to all other sections! 
BRILLTANT Senator Ingalls, of Kansas, has 
introduced iuto Congress a bill providing that 
no person or corporation shall own more than 
640 acres of land, and that all held contrary 
to this limitation after three years shall be 
forfeited to the Government. Excellent as 
far as it goes; but it doesn’t go far enough. 
Why not limit the utmibcr of horses, cattle, 
sheep, pigs and poultry to which each shall be 
entitled ‘ Then, some outrageously rich in this 
world’s goods, actually own as mauy as a 
dozen coate, vests and pairs of pants, and 
twice that, number of shirts, white and 
colored, and a still greaternumber of pocket- 
handkerchiefs, collars, cuffs and stockings; 
while others haven’t a decent rug to their 
backs or feet.. Away with all such unequal 
distribution of this world’s goods!! An 
amendment is in order, brilliant (Senator from 
Kansas. 
There are a few trees that we delight in 
calling attention to at this season, when they 
may be transferred from nursery, field or 
woods to beautify our own homes. One is the 
Liquidambar, It is not generally known that, 
if cut back from year to year, this tree 
assumes a luxuriance of foliage never sceu 
when it. has been left, to grow naturally. The 
branches, also, become covered with the 
irregular, corky ridges, to an extent never 
seen in natural trees. The Golden Oak is 
another tree which for the lawu is much im¬ 
proved by boiug cut buck for a year or so 
after it bus attained the bight of six feet 
or more. The loaves iu oarlv Spring are a 
pleasing yellow which, though lost in a few 
weeks,[again reappears iu early Fall. 
