1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
669 
MARKET NOTES 
THE COLD SEASON has affected other 
things than the sickly corn crop, which 
in many sections has gone into hopeless 
bankruptcy. Watermelons go slowly, and 
trade in lemons and limes, so freely used 
in hot-weather drinks, suffers. There is 
quite a steady consumption of lemons In 
cookery, but the lime, with his sharp, 
puckery acidity, is not relished to any 
extent except when the sun bears on and 
weather conditions generally are conducive 
to a tropical thirst. About 300 barrels of 
limes put in storage in the hope of meet¬ 
ing a better sale later, were recently taken 
out and thrown away, being spoiled. They 
cost between $3 and 54 per barrel, making 
a total loss of about $1,000. 
FRUITS.—Fall apples of medium quality 
are selling a little lower than previously. 
The market for Eastern plums is entirely 
upset, receipts being very heavy and poor. 
Most of them come in eight-pound baskets, 
some selling as low as five cents per bas¬ 
ket. A good many peaches are coming 
from Michigan and New York and selling 
well. The Connecticut crop being so short, 
long-distance shipments stand a better 
chance. Prime Bartlett pears appear to 
be very scarce, $4.50 and even $5 being paid 
in some cases. The grape situation is un¬ 
satisfactory, many being Inferior and not 
wanted at any fair price. Pacific coast 
grapes are now in large supply. They have 
been offered at moderate prices for the 
past year or two, and many have acquired 
the appetite for them. Inferior Eastern 
grapes will not sell as formerly in large 
markets, except for wine making, because 
better may be had at reasonable prices. 
DRAWBACKS.—This word as used com¬ 
mercially refers to sums of money refund¬ 
ed to importers in cases where dutiable 
products have been used in the manufac¬ 
ture of goods afterward exported. In some 
cases the whole amount of duty less one 
per cent is refunded, and in others only 
a part, according to the rulings of the 
Treasury Department. This might seem a 
simple matter easily decided, but many 
hair-splitting questions are raised. The 
authorities must know beyond any possible 
doubt that the goods on which the draw¬ 
back is allowed are actually in the ex¬ 
ported product. The mere assurance of 
the manufacturer will not answer. The re¬ 
strictions surrounding the drawback sys¬ 
tem are, therefore, so burdensome that 
manufacturers In some lines find that to 
prove that they are entitled to a drawback 
costs more than the value of the duty paid. 
The principle of the drawback is practi¬ 
cally the same as the passing of goods 
through this country in bond, the idea be¬ 
ing that as the products are not finally 
used in this country they are not subject 
to duty. The amount of drawback allow¬ 
ances for the year ending June 30, 1903, 
was $5,058,882. 
PACKAGE EXPERIENCE WANTED.— 
One of the most troublesome problems of 
the fruit and vegetable grower is the ques¬ 
tion of packages, and just here may be 
the difference between profit and loss in 
a crop. There is no trouble to get suitable 
packages if one can afford to pay the cost; 
but the very small margin above cost of 
growing at which one must often sell, es¬ 
pecially in seasons of heavy crops, is eaten 
up by this expense. There is a growing 
demand for the gift package, that is, one 
that goes with, the produce, to avoid the 
bother of storing and returning the emp¬ 
ties. We should like to have the experi¬ 
ence of those who are so far from market 
that they cannot haul their produce with 
wagons. Do you ship by boat or cars, and 
how far? What do you put in barrels, and 
is this package a generally satisfactory 
one? What use do you make of crates 
or boxes, and of what form and dimen¬ 
sions? What part of your produce is put 
in baskets, and of what size? About what 
do the various packages cost you? Infor¬ 
mation on the above points or anything 
else connected with fruit or vegetable 
packages will be of service. Tell us how 
you handle this matter. 
A COLOSSAL HUMBUG.—Considering 
the astonishing exaggerations that have 
been made by introducers of various “won¬ 
derful” varieties of fruits, vegetables and 
grains, it may be a rash statement to say 
that the capsheaf of horticultural prevari¬ 
cators has been found; but a man selling 
bulbs on a street leading to a New Jersey 
ferry would seem entitled to first place; 
and the cheerfully-persuaslve way in whicl 
he buttonholes a passerby and tells of the 
performances of his bulbs makes one al¬ 
most wish to be cheated in order to carry 
out the joke fully. His stock consists of 
almost any bulb from tuberoses to ele¬ 
phant ears. He calls them whatever he 
pleases and has pictures, genuine botani¬ 
cal wonders, showing what they will look 
like when in bloom. Last Spring when 
elephant ears were about as plentiful as 
potatoes here, he was selling them and 
showing a picture of some sort of Rhodo¬ 
dendron bloom which the bulbs were sup¬ 
posed to produce. At present he has the 
“Royal Japanese Parlor Flower,” which 
according to his pictures, may one day 
bear pansies and the next something of 
the sunflower tribe. The bulbs even pos¬ 
sess the fragrance of the fully developed 
blooms, the odor evidently coming from 
a bottle of cheap perfume sprinkled over 
them occasionally. “Plant this bulb,” he 
says, “and in three weeks see what you 
will have,” pointing to the picture. “Only 
35 cents. They cost $11 at the seed stores.” 
w. w. H. 
THE BIRD QUESTION. 
iNo doubt the bird plague is getting to 
be quite a knotty point. Years ago I had 
sufficient experience with birds and fruit 
to enable me to sympathize with W. V. F. 
in his trouble. In England at that time 
it was a regular business to buy up the 
old herring, mackerel and any small- 
meshed fishing nets when no longer fit for 
fishing purposes, selling them to the gar¬ 
deners and fruit growers, who used them 
to protect strawberries, raspberries, goose¬ 
berries, currants, wall fruit of all kinds 
and even grapes in the vineries, as birds 
would get in at open ventilators and in 
a few days ruin a house of grapes. The 
principal depredators were blackbirds and 
thrushes. These birds are of precisely the 
same habits as the robin of America. The 
American robins’ choice of food is earth¬ 
worms, which they are after before-most 
birds begin to look for food, and still at 
it after other birds have gone to rest. The 
English blackbird and thrush go for shell 
snails and different kinds of hard-shell 
beetles, which they find most plentiful 
early in the morning. They will eat some 
grain, but Insects of medium size are their 
choice. As soon as strawberries commence 
to ripen they seem to have no time to look 
for any other food. Cherries on large 
trees they will strip in a few days. The 
small boy stands no show with them, as 
the birds can pick faster than he, and 
can get into the tree much quicker. It does 
not matter how well the nets are fastened 
down; the birds are like the small boy at 
the circus tent, they will get through or 
under. They take to every fruit as it 
ripens; late gooseberries about finish up 
the season. An entire fruit diet does not 
agree with them, as before the fruit sea¬ 
son is ended they are generally attacked 
with a kind of diarrhoea. Many of them 
die from it; others get so poor that a 
mosquito net is about the only thing that 
will keep them from what little fruit is 
left. In this country there used to be so 
much wild fruit, something ripe nearly the 
season through, where birds could feed un¬ 
molested, which gave them a chance of 
varying their diet with a few worms, bugs 
and various insects which would keep 
them in good working order Now nearly 
ev-erywhere near civilization their feeaing 
grounds have been cleared up and de¬ 
stroyed, and as the birds above-named like 
civilization there is nothng for them but 
to become thieves by turning their atten¬ 
tion to domestic or cultivated fruit, which 
they cannot often enjoy at leisure as they 
did the wild fruit. Since there has been 
such a craze for washing, spraying and 
doping everything which bears fruit to pre¬ 
vent or cure some evil in the way of fungi, 
San Jos6 scale or insect pest, the birds 
probably have found out that it is not safe 
to depend on their legitimate food, dead 
or alive, as doped insects make un.safe 
food. 1 thnk the question to be decided 
before long will be. Shall the birds 'be 
banished and dope be relied on, or give 
up the dope and depend on the birds to do 
the work which nature Intended them for. 
Michigan. s. taplin. 
We believe that The R. N.-Y. is not in¬ 
stigating a crusade against the birds, but 
it has been compelled reluctantly to ad¬ 
mit their depredations have become so seri¬ 
ous that a frank discussion of the evil, 
and methods of prevention, is now urgent¬ 
ly demanded. It is on record that the 
Hope Farm man has even spoken a good 
word for that blackest of all purloiners— 
that most notorious corn-puller—the crow. 
It follows that he need not make affidavit 
that he loves all the birds. We take It 
for granted, but, when year after year, 
correspondents complain that their entire 
crops of certain fruits are taken in one fell 
swoop by the feathered avalanches, we 
are really glad to have him say: “It’s too 
bad! I am sorry for you! What shall we 
do about it?” 
When the English sparrow was intro¬ 
duced and protected, the Introduction was 
everywhere commended. In our neighbor¬ 
hood, an Englishman, then recently over, 
said. “Wait awhile and you’ll be payin’ a 
bounty to get rid of ’em.” We didn’t be¬ 
lieve him and (behind his back, he being 
a big man) laughed him to scorn, but how 
soon his prediction came true! One Spring, 
another neighbor, Isaac Mills, living up 
the road a piece, an enthusiastic member 
of the local Audubon Society of bird-lovers, 
remarked: “Them sparrers air certainly 
ongra,teful critters. My women folks 
feed ’em reg’lar all Winter, rabbin’ the 
bread-crock often to do it, and now, when 
my few peach trees air in bloom, the 
blamed sparrers are pickin’ off the blos¬ 
soms and droppin’ ’em on the ground. It 
is not a thinnin’ of the fruit but just a 
complete sklnnln’ of the trees. Pure cus¬ 
sedness. Shoo ’em? Oh, say, you know 
better! Can’t be did! Won’t shoo wuth a 
cent! Got several pieces of muskeeter 
net and did up the tree tops, but the pesky 
things got in underneath and picked off 
every blossom!” 
On our Hudson place we encouraged the 
birds and discouraged the gunners; posted 
signs and chased the shooters, until after 
awhile, dogs and hunters avoided the 
farm. There were trees in great variety 
and shrubbery, consequently birds of many 
kinds frequented the premises and nested 
unmolested, furnishing us with delightful 
music; the song of the thrush often last¬ 
ing until late at night. The catbird, well 
named the northern Mocking bird, was 
wonderfully charming and varied in song. 
Although within the city boundary on our 
20 acres we had quail and partridge, and 
many other birds not often found so near 
the towns, and many of them were singu¬ 
larly fearless. It is a fact that robins 
would alight on our backs while weeding 
in the garden, and once a strange bird 
perched on a lower limb, stood still while 
being gently touched with the hoe handle. 
It is quite probable that this statement will 
be thought incredible, but however strange 
it may seem, it Is true. A pair of birds, 
while not exactly trying to build a nest in 
our hair, came as near to It as they could 
by attempting to build on the front stoop 
within easy reach and in the way of 
everybody and Insisted upon occupying ex¬ 
actly the same spot, although four nests 
were tom down. Well, after five years of 
unrestricted bird-music, we found it very 
difficult to save any fruit. Where we once 
had two tons of cherries to ship, it was a 
hard fight to secure two bushels for our 
own use. When they had gobbled all the 
sweet cherries they went for the sour, and 
cleaned off the raspberries and even the 
currants. Those highly Interesting and 
jubilant chatterers, the blackbirds, some¬ 
times descended in great clouds and in a 
jiffy away went the fruit that we were 
counting on to help pay the taxes and in¬ 
terest. J. YATES pe:ek. 
Climax Plum.— The Climax plum has 
been fruited here for two years as a top- 
graft on Lombard stock. The fruit is large 
and showy. The quality is medium, with 
strongly-marked Japanese characteristics. 
In season it follows Red June closely. It 
has rotted freely, and has shown a ten¬ 
dency to crack. It does not seem to me to 
possess in a high degree the qualities 
necessary to make a good commercial 
variety. john craiq. 
Cornell University. 
15 STRONGER 
THAN ITS 
iWEAKESTi 
UNK 
115 stronger! 
THAN HIS 
STOMACH 
PIERCES 
GOLDEN 
MEDICAL 
DISCOVERY 
iMAKES WEAK 
5T0 MACHS 
3TR0NG 
Cures Spavins 
like magic. Read the testimony below and then 
resolve to suffer no longer from Spavin, Ringbone, 
Splints, Curbs and all other forms of Lameness. 
Kendall’s Cures them all 
Hersey, Maine, Jan. 1,1903. 
Dr. B. J. Kendall Co., 
Gentlemen:—1 have used your Kendall’s Spavin 
Cure and It works like magic on Spavins. Will you be 
BO kind as to send me one of your “Treatise on the 
Horse and his Diseases.” Very truly yours, 
H. D. DARLING. 
Price S1; six for $5. As a liniment for family use 
It has no equal. Ask yourdruggist for KENDALL’S 
SPAVIN CURE, also ”A Trealise on the Horse,” 
the book free, or address 
OR. B. J. KENDALL CO., ENOSBURC FALLS, VT. 
Above trade mark on every box. 
Work 
Horses 
need not be laid off for 
treatment if you use 
Bickmore’s Cure. 
Cures while you work him of all Harness, Sad¬ 
dle or Collar Galls, Scratches, Cuts, Cracks, 
etc. Sold everywhere by dealers. Guaranteed. 
Money refunded if it fails. Sample mailed for 10 cents. 
BICKMORE GALL CURE COMPANY, Boi 510, Old Tovn Ma. 
Pocahontas Red Rope Roofing 
Is the best and cheapest covering for bams.aheds, 
poultry houses and all out-buildingg. A complete 
root for Ic per square foot. Roofing kit given 
with each roll. Write for free booklet and sample. 
KAY PAPER COMPANY.,BOX .101 BLACKWOOD, N. J. 
GOOD ROOFING 
Means dry Poultry Houses. The best Roofing 
“ NKI’ONSET ” (don’t forget the name) is so low 
in price that anyone can afford to use it. Ask 
for samples. The original Red-rope Roofing. 
F. W. BIRD & SON, 
East Walpole, .Mass. Chicago, III 
UNION LOCK 
Poultry 
Fencing 
Haa baen fully tast¬ 
ed and found aupa* 
rior lo all efhers. 
Will fit uneven 
ground without 
cutting. 
Every Part Stretches Perfectly. 
Made of high grade galvanized steel wire. All 
horizontal lines are cables, making it stronger. 
H8ls fine mesh at bottom for small chicks. 
We also make extra heavy for gardens, lawns, 
etc. The largest poultry farms are using this fence— 
over 700 rods by Lakewood (N. J.) Farm Co, We pay 
freight and satisfy every one or no sale. Can ship from 
New York, Philadelphia or Pittsburg. 
Writeforfree catalogof Farm, Lawn and Poultry Fencing. 
CASE BROS., Colche«ter, Conn. 
Implement C'o., Box 20, Monroe, Mich. 
—being an Improvement 
over Smith’s. Lightest, 
strongest, quickest, safest 
Stanchion made. Has steel 
latch and automatic lock. 
Becomes stationary when 
open. Animal cannot turn 
It in backing out. Made of 
best seasoned hard wood. 
Pins forfasteningwith every 
Stanchion. Send for testi¬ 
monials- Wilder— STRONG 
THE CHAIN-HANGING 
Cattle Stanchion 
The most practical and humane Fastener ever In¬ 
vented. Gives perfect freedom of the head. Illustrated 
Circular and Price free on application. Manufactured 
by O. H. KOBKKTSON, ForestvUle, Conn. 
spztvi 
/Nk vv»1 
Caro ThoM Blemlshefl ' 
— «- —^— — — Also Ringbone, hard or soft 
? _ - 1_' enlargements, Sweeny, Knee- 
■ Bj)nmg,FjstuIa and Poll Kvil. 
TwA hi 
—_— cost and certain cures. 
Two big booklets telling how 
to do it sent free.Wrlte today. 
rLKXINO BROS., Ch.mhU, 
933 rnlon 8tockTar<lf,Ckle.in>,I 
VETERINARY PIXINE CURES 
3re»»c Heel, Sermtehe* and Hoof Rot,-chronic alcerai 
/complicatod-o( the inoet deep abated character; Cracked o» 
} chapped teau, caked bag, oow pox and all Inflammatory 
a^aflrection* of the udder; Saddle and. Collar GolU, Hopple 
^ Chafea, and l.'beceasea, Old chronic Sorea, tht remit 
iof preaeuro by badlv fitting hamcas or by irritoting mau^ 
flof dirt, sweat and n&ir under the harness. It makes a 
1 positive and permanent cure by placing beakhy 
I granuletioBS, building up new celluUr^tiaauee, healing* 
■ naturally from the bottom ^without scab or tear 
f and stimulating growth of hair, natural color. It 
‘ fieoetratee, soothes and heaU while horae works. 
Abeolutly Gua.^anteed. Money back if it faila 
? ojL 2jc; 8o». 50c; 51b. pkg. $4.00. 
At all Driers or aont ptepaid. 
8*»4 tfh for BMBpA* boi Ttov ChOQliOfh! C 
^ AAd booklaa TROT, fC. Y 
