THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JULY 
THE 
RURAL NEW'YORKER, 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Conducted by 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. Si Park Row, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1SS6. 
It appears, according to a note from our 
trustworthy correspondent, Mr. Falconer, 
that the much-talked-of Deacon Lettuce 
is simply the White Summer Cabbage Let¬ 
tuce. So it goes. 
A nurseryman near New York writes 
us that it will not do to sell seedlings of 
the Japan Chestnut. They are not reli¬ 
able. He is grafting from one he fruited 
three years ago because it is so large and 
productive. “It beats all,” he says, “for 
beariug, grafts set the past Spring being 
full of blooms.” 
See if any of the plants of your best 
potatoes bear fruit (seed-balls). If so, 
mark and gather them when ripe—just 
before the vines begin to die. They may 
appear green and immature, but the seed 
is ripe and will grow. If these seeds be 
planted now in boxes or frames, tubers will 
form before severe frosts. They may then 
be preserved in sand until next Spring. 
TnE presents which were given for 
clubs of subscribers gave, so far as -we can 
learn, better satisfaction this year than 
ever before. We mean that every one 
who works for the Rural shall be well 
paid. Many small clubs have been sent 
in. so many in fact that, the list of presents 
was exhausted before all our agents could 
be supplied. To them our new premium 
list, soon to be issued, and which we think 
will contain the most liberal propositions 
we have ever made to our agents, will be 
available. We prefer that they should 
wait for this, as we are confident it will 
prove far more satisfactory than last year’s 
list. If any agent has been overlooked, 
or if perfect satisfaction has not been 
afforded, we shall be glad to know of it, 
that the matter may be rectified. 
The R. N.-Y. showed, as the results of 
careful experiments made six years ago, 
that a large proportion of weevil-eaten 
peas will not germinate. It is now time 
to gather seed peas for another year, and 
we are reminded to tell our readers that 
the seed may be preserved without mate¬ 
rial injury if treated in this way: Place 
the seeds in a pan or other vessel. Pour 
a few drops of bisulphide of carbou (-which 
may be bought at any druggist’s for a few 
cents) upon a piece of cotton or sponge, 
and place this in the vessel, which must 
then be covered. Let the seed remain in 
this for a day or even two, shaking the 
vessel two or three times meanwhile. The 
carbon will kill the grubs (lame of the 
weevil), -which up to this time have not 
done material injury to the peas. We 
tried it last year upon a dozen lots of seed 
peas, and, when planted last Spring, they 
did not show a single weevil hole, and all 
germinated well. 
There is more practical benevolence in 
the various “fresh air” charities which 
are so carefully carried out in our large 
cities, than in any similar scheme with 
which we are familiar. Poor city child¬ 
ren are carried into the country, where, 
for a week or two, in some bountiful farm 
house they fairly revel in happiness. Who 
can tell of the unspeakable happiness that 
comes to these little city waifs at this va¬ 
cation I New thoughts, new hopes and 
new lives come up before them. Many 
of them find new homes in the country, 
and all are made better for the visit. It 
is a noble charity, and should be encour¬ 
aged. Those who give money for the 
enterprise are no more truly charitable 
than the patient men and the motherly 
women who do so much to make the 
little ones happy on the farm. Life for 
many is hard and rough. The lamps of 
hope burn dimly in some lives. By pour¬ 
ing oil from our own full stores into these 
lamps we lose nothing, but help ourselves. 
W. Orlando Smith, of somewhere in 
Ohio, has received an immense amount of 
free advertising of late. lie appears to 
have held a convention last month, lie 
sent carefully printed reports of the pro¬ 
ceedings of this convention to all the 
papers. The members appeared to have 
done nothing beyond indorsing a new 
fruit drier. They thought so much of it 
that they proposed sending cuts and des¬ 
criptions free of charge to all persons who 
might care to look at it. The thing turns 
out to be a great, scheme for free adver¬ 
tising, and nothing more. Some of our 
leading agricultural papers published the 
“proceedings,” and touchingly referred lo 
the liberality of the association. The re¬ 
port catne here, but we saw through it at 
a glance. If we cannot get a report of a 
convention from some person whom we 
know to be reliable, we do not. care to 
publish any. This incident goes to shop- 
how careless many editors become. This 
is an old game, and it is constantly being 
played. It looks as though editors arc in 
the habit of publishing almost anything 
that may be sent in, without examination 
or comment. Such editorial management 
cannot breed a very extended confidence 
among subscribers. 
TnE advantages of the soiling system 
are now most apparent. In many dairies 
the cows are shrinking in their milk. The 
hot weather, the constant attacks from 
flies, and the fact that the pastures are 
giving out, all tend to bring about this 
result. Grain feeding will do much to 
remedy matters, but it will not do it all. 
Where cattle are fed green food at home, 
there is far less shrinkage in milk. There 
is no tramping over wide pastures, no 
thrashing through the hushes to drive 
away the flies, and no long journey for 
the herdsman at night. The cattle are 
always at hand in the yard. They rest in 
the shade during the hot part of the day, 
are gentle and clean, and do nothing be¬ 
sides making beef or milk. The soiling 
system involves extra work on the part of 
the farmer, but it is work that pays. He 
simply does the work that the cow ex¬ 
pends in wandering about the pasture 
after food. Not the least of his compen¬ 
sations lies in the fact that the manure is 
all in oue place, well sheltered and easily 
handled. 
PROHIBITION. 
The Representatives who voted for the 
measure -were almost exclusively from the 
West and South. The East, the center of 
capital, is bitterly opposed to it. “It. is 
absolute repudiation,” one paper says. 
“If it becomes a la-w, this country will go 
to the dogs,” exclaims another. “It is a 
positive declaration of war by the Dem6- 
cratic party against the President,” shouts 
a third. The trouble is that there is fear 
that the vast pile of silver dollars in the 
Treasury may in this way be forced into 
circulation, and the East is against silver, 
while the West and South are in favor of 
it. Again, the amount of the 
circulating medium will be increased, 
and capital is opposed to this, as 
its own value is cuhanced by a 
scarcity of money among tbe people. 
While the resolution received its princi¬ 
pal support from the Democrats, 04 Re¬ 
publicans voted for it and only 51 against 
it, so that it is in no seuse a party measure. 
Moreover, according to the latest accounts, 
the Republican Semite is likely to pass it, 
as great pressure is being brought to bear 
on Western Senators to vote for it. It is 
thought the President will veto it; but 
that is yet a mere assumption. The sur¬ 
plus available for the purpose on July 1, 
was $75,191,109.95, and no financial dis¬ 
turbance should arise unless gold should 
ever again sell at a premium. So much 
needless excitement about this matter is 
manifested in the papers that it is well 
that our readers should have clear infor¬ 
mation about it. 
WnAT is meant by prohibition? Pro¬ 
hibitionists are not agreed among them¬ 
selves how far the interdict on intoxicants 
should extend. Some rest content with 
prohibiting the sale of distilled spirits; 
others would include all intoxicating 
beverages, such as wine, malt liquors and 
cider, among the drinks prescribed; while 
others go further and demand that not 
only the sale but the manufacture of all 
spirits, wines, ales, beers and chler shall 
be forbidden under the severest penalties. 
They claim that nothing but evil can 
come from the use of any of these stimu¬ 
lants, and that for its own protection, 
society is bound to strike this deadly 
enemy to its welfare at its source. These 
extremists arc unquestionably the most 
logical; for if the sale of intoxicants is to 
be prevented by legislation, the policy 
they advocate is undoubtedly the most 
effective; for if the manufacture of such 
liquids is suppressed, the consumption of 
them must certainly cease; and experi¬ 
ence in every State in which prohibition 
has been in force, from Maine to 
Kansas, leaves no doubt whatever that 
so long as intoxicants are manufactured, 
they will lie consumed, in spite 
of the most stringent legislation. The 
great question that is agitating the 
temperance and political world just now 
is whether it is wiser to insist on legisla- 
tion'to carry out the view's of the extrem¬ 
ists, and run the risk of not obtaining it 
for years, if ever, or to combine with that 
one of the two great parties which, in its 
State and national platforms and legisla¬ 
tion, shall yield most to the demands of 
the straight-out Prohibitionists—whether, 
in other words, it is better for the tem¬ 
perance cause to accept the acknowledged 
advantages of greater restraints on the sale 
of intoxicants, which are very likely to be 
obtained at once through one of the great 
parties; or to fight as a matter of principle 
for the greater advantages of total prohi¬ 
bition, which may never be obtained— 
* during at least the present generation. 
- 
DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS REVENUE. 
THE RURAL’S METHOD OF IMPROV¬ 
ING CORN. 
Secretary Manning has always con¬ 
tended that the head of the Treasury De¬ 
partment. should have full discretion in 
regulating the surplus in the National 
Treasury. The House of Representatives, 
however, has just passed a resolution pro¬ 
viding that, whenever the surplus, includ¬ 
ing the amount held for the redemption 
of greenbacks, shall exceed $100,000,000, 
it shall be the duty of the Secretary to 
apply the excess to the payment of the 
interest-bearing debts of the Government 
in sums of not less than $10,000,000 a 
month during the existence of the surplus. 
Allowing the pollen from barren corn 
plants to pollenate the silks of fertile 
plants is much the same, perhaps, as plac¬ 
ing a poor scrub bull among a herd of 
good cows. If we wish to prevent a given 
kind of corn from suckcring, we plant year 
after year the seeds only of the plants which 
do not sucker. The suckcring propensities 
will be overcome in time. We can show 
one example of this, though 10 years have 
been required to effect the change. If we 
desire that a given kind of corn should 
bear its ears lower, we select the seeds of 
such plants. And so selections should 
be made to change corn in any other 
respect. If it is desired to increase 
the productiveness of corn, it is not 
sufficient that the best ears should be 
selected; the parentage also must be 
looked to. Sterile plants ripen more pol¬ 
len than fertile ones. The tassels are 
larger. As, in the majority of cases, a 
given corn plant is not fertilized by its 
own pollen, it is just as likely to receive 
the pollen of sterile as of fertile plants. 
Hence it is that though we select, the best 
ears, they may have been sired by sterile 
plants, and the effect will certainly ap¬ 
pear in the progeny. It is about imprac¬ 
ticable for the farmer to go over a large 
field and cut off all the tassels of plants 
which bear no sets. No better method 
occurs to us than the one we have often 
recommended to our friends, viz., grow¬ 
ing a little patch by itself, as far as pos¬ 
sible removed from othei corn. In this 
little plot all tassels of faulty plants may 
be cut off, and, if necessary, the tassels of 
approved plants may be selected from the 
main field and shaken over the silks (pis¬ 
tils) of the best plants of the isolated 
plot. It is too late to plant the special 
plot now, but it is not too late for the 
grower to select a corner of his field as 
the best substitute for thus improving his 
seed corn for another year. We have 
practiced this plot system of improving 
corn for 10 years or more, and we propose 
to continue it as long as we live. The 
changes wrought are now very marked, 
anil there is no other experiment at the 
Rural Grounds which interests our farmer- 
visitors more. 
■ —-- 
LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE 
MIDDLEMEN. 
Legitimate middlemen and speculators 
arc often confounded by producers and 
consumers in their denunciations of the in¬ 
termediaries who unduly lower the price 
of products for the former and raise them 
for the latter. The distinct ion between 
the two is plain, however. In legitimate 
trade it is possible for both parties to 
make a profit; in a speculative deal one 
must lose at least, as much as the other 
makes. The legitimate middleman adds 
to the value of the property or promotes 
public convenience; the speculator does 
neither, and if he wins lie gives no 
equivalent for his gains. The grain 
merchant buys from a number of farmers 
their little stores and makes up a ship¬ 
ment for some large distributing center on 
better terms than a single producer could 
obtain. • The exporter engages freight, 
handles the grain for shipment and se¬ 
cures a market beyond the ocean. In these 
transactions the measurers, inspectors, 
carriers and ship-owners fairly earn their 
support out of the moving produce. Or, 
if the grain is to lie turned into flour, the 
middleman, through several agencies, col¬ 
lects it from the farmers, and delivers 
it to the miller. The latter cannot 
wait on small customers, and has to 
sell Ills products in large lots; the job¬ 
ber divides it among the retailers and 
the latter sell it by the barrel or bag, or 
even by the pound. Each of these mid¬ 
dlemen adds to the value of the article by 
relieving the producer of much trouble in 
marketing his raw material, and by bring¬ 
ing the finished product within the 
convenience of the consumer. Again, 
most of the middlemen collect a 
variety of needed supplies together, so 
that a customer, instead of visiting 15 
or 20 different stores for as many 
different articles, can find them all in 
one. This, as in the case of the groce¬ 
ry or dry goods store, saves much time 
to the customer, and justly entitles the 
store-keeper to a percentage of profit. 
The tendency of late has been to increase 
this condensation, so that the multitude 
of goods which could formerly be found 
only in a dozen different stores, can now 
be often bought under the same roof. 
Should this continue, the number of mid¬ 
dlemen who now handle the convenienc¬ 
es, comforts or necessaries of life and live 
on the tolls these pay as they pass through 
their hands, must be greatly diminished. 
The number now is, no doubt, very much 
too large, and many of them unquestion¬ 
ably exact too heavy a toll, still the great 
body of them are engaged in a legitimate 
occupation and are justly entitled to 
their earnings. The speculators are the 
“leeches” who suck the blood alike from 
producer and customer, and give nothing 
in exchange to cither. They hold no 
legitimate place in the line between the 
two. They add nothing to the value of 
the property, nor do they promote public 
convenience. They are simply gamblers 
and mischief-makers, who keep the mar¬ 
kets in a ferment with the view* of making 
an illegitimate gain in the confusion. 
They are specially busy now, and will 
continue so while the crops are moving 
to market, reaping where they have not 
soivn, and gathering where they have not 
strewed, accumulating fortunes simply 
from the labors of others. No form of 
denunciation is too severe for these leeches 
on the body politic. 
BREVITIES. 
The “ School Board” in the Bear Creek Dis¬ 
trict selected a teacher as described in our 
Youth’s Department.. Do you know of any 
district where teachers are selected as he was? 
Read Mrs, Story's article on the next page 
—you who would have your children remain 
on the farm and love farm life. Do not. fail, 
good parents, we say, to read it, aud read it 
carefully. 
If you intend to hag grapes, delay no long¬ 
er. The chief object is to preserve the bloom 
aud to protect them against the birds. We 
do not find that bagging is any protection 
aguinst mildew' or rot. 
Mr. J. T. Lovett (New Jersey) writes us 
that he wishes that the Japan Chestnut did 
not have such a bitter skin. It is a bother, 
he says, to take it off. and the flesh is not good 
unless you do—too much like au aeoru. 
We learn that the new yellow raspberry, 
Golden Queen—a seedling of Cuthbert—is 
this season larger than the Shaffer, very pro¬ 
ductive and a strong grower, while the fruit 
is simply beautiful. Our plants do not fruit 
this year. 
Early Cluster Blackberry began to ripen 
at. the R. G. July 12. It ripens before Wilson 
Jr. and Kittatinny, and is of value for this 
reason. It bears lot* of berries of medium 
size, jet black and of fair quality. They are 
irregular as to size aud shape. 
Are the merit* of rye as n green manure 
really so insignificant as the article elsewhere 
in this issue indicates? Rye has always been 
highly commended for “turning under.” Will 
its supposed advantages really Stand the test 
of close observation, or hail the season any¬ 
thing in particular to do with its failure In 
this instance? 
Isn’t too much importance often given to the 
results of a singleseosou’s experiments in agri¬ 
culture or horticulture? “The only thing 
that’s certain, is the uncertainty of all things,” 
is an old saying which seems specially appli¬ 
cable to the outcome of a single set 
of experiments, even when conducted with the 
most careful precautions to exclude all ex¬ 
traneous lulluences. What is said about 
“ Plot Experiments” elsewhere forcibly illus¬ 
trates this point. 
A frieno writes us that, he wishes that the 
agricultural papers would ventilate our ex¬ 
periment. stations more tbun they do. 1 hey 
should speak out clearly against their faults, 
with suggest ions for improvement. lliey 
should dissect mul digest their work more 
than they do. He fears a fungus growth is 
slowly stealing over some of them already, be¬ 
cause the public does not stir them up enough. 
