1900 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
195 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. 
A PERSONAL SKETCH OF THE MAN. 
His Life; His Work; His Ambitions. 
THE SPRING OF LIFE.—Last week we spoke of 
several things in Mr. Carman’s career which have 
made an indelible mark upon American agriculture. 
As journalist, experimenter and hybridizer, he left 
permanent results behind him. A mere catalogue of 
his public achievements would be profitless reading to 
his old friends. I think that they would prefer to 
know something of the motives and ruling forces 
that led to the life’s results. The great river flowing 
calmly on, able to carry its share of the world’s traf¬ 
fic, does not tell us all Its rtory of mighty force, until 
we trace it back through thousands of trickling 
streams to the tiny mountain springs. There, wRere 
the water gushes forth from the earth, the great river 
is formed, and standing at its birthplace, we realize, 
as never before, the power of growth, and the 
grandeur of development. And so, when a man dies— 
a man whose ceaseless hammering has made for his 
name a permanent place—we are not satisfied to 
Stand and look at the record; we would trace back to 
the little streams, back to the spring of power and 
character. 1 knew Mr. Carman, perhaps, better than 
anyone outside of his immediate family. It becomes 
a pleasure and duty to me, to follow back and trace 
some of the ruling forces of his life. 
AS A JOURNALIST.—It is not, perhaps, generally 
known that Mr. Carman did not wish to own The R. 
N.-Y. This ownership was fairly thrust upon him. His 
father bought it and turned it over to him, saying, 
in effect, that he needed responsibility, and here was 
a large dose of it. Mr. Carman hesitated, because he 
felt that he was not by nature fitted to handle the 
business side of the paper. He had hoped to give his 
life to what may be called the scientific and reflective 
side of horticulture. Imagine the man whose greatest 
delight was to ramble through the woods at the 
pleasant task of botanizing, thrown into a dingy 
office, chained to the dull and unending treadmill of 
newspaper work. This “dose of responsibility’’ gave 
the man permanent business character. There grew 
within 'his heart this firm determination, / icill not 
fail, but I will put this paper at the head of its class. 
Many of us know how, in the face of hard opposition, 
timid and hesitating purposes will group themselves, 
and grow together as firm and solid as a rock. 
Through inexperience he often worked at a disad¬ 
vantage. There were trusted employees in those 
early days who took advantage of him. Disease 
smote him down, but with bulldog tenacity, he hung 
on and made The R. N.-Y. reputable and profitable. 
This was work in which there was no fun, save the 
pride one feels in knowing that he is turning his 
very nerve and blood Into the ribs and frame.of a 
worthy undertaking. During the struggle he put so 
much of his life and soul into the paper, that he loved 
it almost as he loved his children. His heart was in 
it. He meant it for the noblest purposes. How he 
grieved when men impugned his motives! The paper 
was at that time at a low ebb, and many advertisers 
felt that they could buy it, body and soul. Mr. Car¬ 
man stood like a rock for character, until from ocean 
to ocean it was understood that nothing but advertis¬ 
ing space was for sale in The R. N.-Y., and that only 
at regular rates. Mr. Carman carried this matter to 
such a degree that I have heard advertisers say: 
“Carman is so straight that he will fall over back¬ 
wards.” The fact that Mr. Carman was no politician, 
and but a poor diplomat, made it harder for him to 
place The R. N.-Y. on its feet, for he would not com¬ 
promise. 
AS AN EXPERIMENTER.— The R. N.-Y. naturally 
became classed as a horticultural paper. The novel¬ 
ties and new varieties of that day were something 
fearfully and wonderfully made. There was no one 
competent to stand up and deny the glowing stories 
told in the catalogues. Mr. Carman saw his oppor¬ 
tunity, and began to test these new varieties, and 
he published the results in such cold type that some 
of the seedsmen were roaring hot. Pioneer work is 
always the hardest, and few of us realize what it 
meant, in those early days, to tell the truth about a 
new variety. It was some petted child of an orig¬ 
inator, or the fatted calf of some seedsman, and there 
were daggers in word and look when Mr. Carman 
printed N. G. upon them. This careful and fearless 
work Started a revolution in the novelty business. It 
also toned down the catalogues, for Mr. Carman’s 
keen pen cut the heart out of many an absurd story 
which the catalogue men would otherwise have pub¬ 
lished. The tests of fruit and vegetables at the Rural 
Grounds were strikingly accurate. Now and then a 
variety praised or condemned there would give differ¬ 
ent results elsewhere. I remember when* Mr. Carman 
highly praised the Timbrell strawberry. It was a 
grand berry, but it would not ripen evenly, and thus 
when ready to pick it was mottled or spotted with 
green. Those who read the report did not pay atten¬ 
tion to the description of its appearance. It was 
planted largely, but failed in the market, and Mr. Car¬ 
man was grieved to know that it failed commercially 
in the hands of many, who bought it because he 
spoke well of it. The Marshall strawberry never did 
well with him, and he said so. With others, on a 
heavy dry soil, and with hill culture, it proved very 
successful. 
NEW FARM METHODS.—Mr. Carman studied corn 
and potatoes until they might be considered members 
of his family. 1-Ie wanted to know how to produce 
the largest yield of corn on a Long Island farm. He 
hit upon what he called the “triplicate” method. The 
old plan was to plant corn in hills with the fertilizer 
in the hill, and then to plow or cultivate deeply. He 
revolutionized this method by drilling the corn, broad¬ 
casting the fertilizer, and giving level or shallow cul¬ 
tivation. Even now some experiment stations are 
testing this method as a new thing. 
Mr. Carman early recognized the great economical 
value of the potato, and he sought earnestly to give 
the world an improved variety and to formulate new 
methods of culture. I have seen him many a time 
down on his knees digging into a hill of potatoes, that 
he might see how the growth below ground was made, 
for he realized that culture and feeding must be made 
the servants of the roots. That was why in his New 
Potato Culture, he advocated large seed pieces and 
deep, wide trenching or furrowing, and a wide scat¬ 
tering of the fertilizer. He wished to give the roots 
the best possible chance for development. It was 
a pleasant thing to see Mr. Carman walking about 
among his experiment plots. He visited them at all 
ELBERT S. CARMAN. Fla. CL 
hours of the day. How he did enjoy the work! How 
delighted he was when the plants, in answer to his 
questions, gave up a little of the wisdom of Nature. 
He always had his readers in mind. This work was 
done for them. The high ideal of his public life was 
to make The R. N.-Y. true and helpful. 
AS A HYBRIDIZER.—As he began to test new 
varieties, Mr. Carman conceived the idea of distrib¬ 
uting the best of the novelties among his readers. 
The famous Rural free seed distribution was the re¬ 
sult of this. Each year he sent out small packets of 
choice seeds for testing. From this grew his ambi¬ 
tion not only to test the work of others, but to create 
or organize new and useful varieties himself. When 
I first knew Mr. Carman he was at work upon his 
hybrids between wheat and rye. He was then full of 
boyish enthusiasm over the possibility of securing a 
new grain, which should possess the flouring qualities 
of wheat, and the tough, hustling properties of rye 
I remember that we stood for some time and con 
sidered how that little patch of grain, barely larger 
than an ordinary room, might In time change some 
features of American farming. Mr. Carman was 
greatly disappointed at the behavior of these hybrids. 
Some rigid law that we could not understand drove 
these grains apart. They were not made to work 
together. They “sported,” and each went back to its 
old place. 
The first potato that Mr. Carman tried to save was 
a “calico,” or red-patched variety, but he finally dis¬ 
carded It, and hundreds of others followed in its wake, 
until one Fall, in digging his seedlings he struck one 
hill Which gave up tubers as large as a “baby’s head.” 
They were tremendous fellows, and when one of these 
precious tubers was cooked and found fine in quality, 
Mr. Carman was a very happy man. That was the 
famous R. N.-Y. No. 2, which has, I think, pushed 
itself into more potato fields than any new variety 
Since Early Rose. I may say here that all Mr. Car¬ 
man ever received from this remarkable potato was 
$200. He was delighted to think that it could be in¬ 
troduced first of all to the readers of The R. N.-Y. 
No. 2 is still largely grown, but Carman No. 3 is gen¬ 
erally considered the best of Mr. Carman’s famous 
quartette. It would be impossible here to refer to all 
the work Which Mr. Carman did with grains, toma¬ 
toes and flowers. He was remarkably painstaking 
and accurate in his methods, and it must be said that 
he was ably assisted by Mrs. Carman. 
HIS HOME LIFE.—After all, if you would go to the 
root of a man’s life, you must go to his home. Mr. 
Carman’s love for his home and his own family was 
beyond the comprehension of the majority of people. 
He was a man absolutely without political or social 
ambitions. I believe he never voted but twice in his 
life, so little did he care for what may be called pub¬ 
lic matters. On those rare occasions, in the early 
days, when he visited at the homes of friends and 
neighbors, one would be sure to see the Carmans 
seated together, a beautiful and touching family 
group. He would have died for his Children. He had 
dreams and ambitions for them, just as all men have 
who look back over life, and see mistakes that can 
never be corrected except in the lives to follow Which 
they may influence for good. Mr. Carman was blessed 
in his family and home. 
THE MAN.—What was Mr. Carman like? Well, the 
picture given on this page shows him just as he 
looked When I first saw him, 15 years ago. Since then 
his appearance changed but little, except in the in¬ 
creasing whiteness of his hair. He was a fearless 
man, prompt and decisive. He did not make friends 
easily. I do not think he cared to, for his family was 
all in all to him. He hated publicity. The idea of 
making a speech or talking in public, would have 
made him nervous. He preferred to remain at home. 
Disease laid a heavy hand upon him, and he suffered 
great pain at times. He often sat alone under the 
trees about his home, thinking deeply. In moments 
of happiness he was like a boy, whistling and singing 
as he went. Then, there would come periods of deep 
depression as all such natures know. I have walked 
with him at such times across the fields and through 
the woods, where, if ever, his heart was open. As 
the earth closes over him, I like to think of the good 
he has done, and, personally, x am glad to remember 
how much I owe to him for direction, suggestion and 
help. n. w. c. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Three persons were burned to death in a 
tenement-house fire in New York City, February 28. . . 
Texan authorities have been notified that the plague exists 
on the Island of Cozumel, near Yucatan, Mexico. Cozu¬ 
mel is in the Yucatan Channel, about 150 miles from 
Cuba. . . . Violent storms prevailed almost all over 
the country March 1. At Cleveland, O., a sleet storm 
caused $1,000,000 damage. Trolley cars and all electric 
communication were blocked; many horses killed New 
York State suffered severely, and a railroad washout 
near Plainville, Conn., caused a railroad wreck which 
killed three persons, and injured six others. ... A 
powder mill at Oak Ridge, N. Y., blew up March 3, kill ■ 
ing one man and injuring others. ... A fire in a cheap 
lodging house in New York, March 4, caused the death 
of six persons. . . . Chicago is again suffering from 
an epidemic of highway robberies and burglaries. The 
police appear powerless. ... At Grayson, Ky., two 
persons were killed and four injured by a powder explo¬ 
sion March 4. The accident was caused by a two-year- 
old child, who picked up a can of powder ar.d threw it 
into the fire. . . . The cruisers Detroit and Marble¬ 
head have been ordered to Central America, to protect 
American interests. Trouble is feared in Nicaragua and 
Costa Rica, involving the route of the maritime canal. 
. . . Twenty stockmen and railroad employees were in¬ 
jured, two fatally, in a railroad collision, March 5 at 
Broad \iew, near Chicago, III. . . . Two prominent 
Chinese merchants were killed, and another seriously 
wounded, at San Francisco, March 5, the criminal’s be¬ 
ing highbinders. ... At Thurmond, W. Va„ March 6 , 
120 miners were entombed by an explosion at the Red Ash 
mines; 37 bodies have been taken out, but the full loss of 
life is not known. ... A case of bubonic plague was 
reported in San Francisco March 7. ... A fire in the 
business part of Philadelphia, March 7, caused damage 
amounting to $700,000. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Health authorities at Oshkosh, 
Wis., have placed a ban upon milk tickets, and milk 
dealers will use a non-circulating ticket in which amounts 
purchased can be punched. It is held by the authorities 
that the tickets are unsanitary, and are responsible for 
the transmission of contagious diseases. 
The Pacific North West Wool Growers’ Association met 
at Boise, Idaho, March 6; secretary, J. W. Bailey, Port¬ 
land, Ore. 
The National Farmers’ Institute Workers Association 
meets in Chicago this month; secretary, C. A. Willmearth, 
Seneca, Ill. 
The American Tunis Sheep Breeders’ Association will 
meet at Orawfordsville, Ind., April 4; secretary, J. A. 
Guilliano, Fincastle, Ind. 
The American Farmers’ Institute Workers’ Association 
meets at Delavan, Wis., March 13-15; secretary, F. E. 
Dawley, Fayetteville, N. Y. 
The Connecticut State Creamery Association will meet 
at Hartford, April 19; secretary, Frank Avery, Manches¬ 
ter, Conn. 
The house appropriations committee of the Iowa Legis¬ 
lature voted March 5 to report for passage a bill requir¬ 
ing all students of the State Agricultural College who are 
not exclusively studying in the agricultural or mechanical 
departments to pay tuition, whereas all tuition has been 
free heretofore. 
The government of Alsace-Lorraine has declined to 
grant the petition of the vine groovers of the Reichsland 
that they be permitted to import American grape vines in 
order to renew their ruined vineyards. Baron Zorn von 
Bulach, secretary of state for agriculture, declared that 
the American vines brought into the country many worse 
blights than phylloxera. 
