294 
April 21 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National V/eekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, | 
H. E. Van Deman, > Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Roylk, ) 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, #2.04, equal M 
8s. 6d., or 8*4 marks, or 10J4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 lines to the inch). Yearly orders 
of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-line orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.," 75 cents per 
count line. Absolutely One Price Only. 
Advertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance is for, 
should appear in every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
408 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1900. 
Tiie Ruby Queen rose, Which we send to subscrib¬ 
ers, is now being mailed to all applicants. Many 
readers report that it has already come to hand in 
fine condition. We want all our people to have it be¬ 
fore the time for safe delivery is past. We hope ft 
may live for years in full beauty and fragrance 
around the homes of our readers. The good wishes 
of Tiie R. N.-Y. are wrapped in every package. It is 
sent only to those who pay for this year’s subscrip¬ 
tion. This may prove a gentle hint to those who have 
thus far neglected to remit. 
* 
So it is not the business of the Agricultural De¬ 
partment to enforce the new fruit package law! 
Well, then, let’s go at it ourselves. Here is good work 
for agricultural and horticultural societies. Let them 
report and prosecute a few of the “short” packers 
and sellers, and the law will be respected. It’s no 
way to sit down and cry because we can’t get some¬ 
body else to do what we want done. The two great 
New York Horticultural Societies—Eastern and West¬ 
ern—should do a little private police work in this 
line. 
* 
A French chemist has discovered a simple test for 
horse meat. Well, what of it? the farmer will say! 
A good deal of horse meat is worked into sausages, 
especially in Germany, and considerable of it is sent 
to this country. A sure and simple test for hobse 
meat will enable inspectors to detect this fraud at 
once. If people want to eat horse meat, let them do 
so, but force the horse butchers to sell their meat 
for just what it is. In other words, put them just 
wliere the oleo people must be made to go. A quick 
and simple test for oleo would be a boon to humanity. 
* 
A friend in Ohio, an old school-teacher, sends us 
the following note: 
The Unabridged Dictionary (English) spells it with an 
o in “the first syllable,” and pronounces it Por’to Ree’ko. 
The Spanish spell it Puerto Rico—and pronounce it, 
Pwer’to ree’ko. If the “o” is dropped, our learned Presi¬ 
dent should require the Spanish pronunciation. He is a 
little too previous. Better wait until the Island is ad¬ 
mitted into the English language before he legislates 
upon how to spell its name. 
You don’t catch us arguing over spelling with an 
old school-teacher or the President of the United 
States! Our business is not to make words or to 
tinker them, but to me them as well as we know how. 
The “powers that be” say Puerto Rico, and we are 
satisfied if they are. At any rate, give the poor isl¬ 
anders free trade in name, if not in nourishment. 
* 
The principal of the schools of a large eastern city 
said, a few days ago, in a public address, that no 
historical text books fit for the use of school children 
can be secured, as none have yet been written. His¬ 
tories deal almost exclusively with oppressive wars 
and the piratical achievements of successful bullies. 
The part played by productive industry, which in¬ 
deed keeps the whole world progressing, is scarcely 
noticed, while every emphasis is placed on the ex¬ 
ploits of wholesale human butchers and ambitious 
monsters, under the guise of great generals and con¬ 
querors. In all the dreary pages of ancient and mod¬ 
ern history, only a few lone names are found of pat¬ 
riotic men who loved the arts of peace bettei than 
those of war and destruction. In the rural school's 
particularly, the names of the almost mythical Cin- 
cinna'tus, of our own Washington, and the uncon¬ 
quered, lion-hearted farmer and stock-rai§er, General 
Joubert, who has just died in South Africa, after 
Checking, in his old age and with a mere handful of 
earnest farmers, the overwhelming military force of 
England, these inspiring names of commanders who 
were each repeatedly called from the plow and farm 
to defend their country from invasion, and who re¬ 
turned at every opportunity to the calm delights of 
agriculture, form a fitting rebuke to the cheap spirit 
of militarism now rampant. 
L we give on page 289 a brief history of the Five 
States Milk Producers’ Association. Of course this is 
old history now, but the future is only a bud on a 
branch of the past. While failing thus far in its 
larger aims, the Association has still met with a fair 
measure of success. Anything that will give farmers 
a sense of the power they might fairly control is a 
useful (educator. The Association is teaching the 
farmers how to control their milk. They know how 
•to produce it, but they have not been able to control 
it for sale. Without such organized control they can¬ 
not hope to obtain a fair price. Unlike most other 
trade combinations, ibis one has no designs upon the 
consumer. There is a living for all, if the price can 
be distributed fairly. 
* 
In 1903 there will be a great exposition in New 
Orleans to commemorate what is known in history as 
“the Louisiana Purchase.” This was about the best 
land bargain ever made. The United States bought 
from France 565,166,080 acres, for which it paid 
$15,000,000, or 212-19 cents per acre. The present 
State of Louisiana contains 28,907,000 acres, or only 
five per cent of the whole. Yet its assessed valuation 
in 1895 was $250,043,503, or over 16 times the total 
purchase price. It was a great transaction. A wilder¬ 
ness, inhabited by wild animals and wilder men, has 
been made into a mighty empire. Uncle Sam has 
been a master hand at giving value to wild lands. 
His pioneers were tough and hardy. Many farmers 
can imitate him on a small scale by sending a hardy 
pioneer into the wild and uncultivated fields on their 
farms. What is this pioneer? The southern cow pea. 
* 
When the bill appropriating money for the National 
Agricultural Department came before Congress there 
was the usual round or row over the free seed distri¬ 
bution. One Congressman said that the Government 
might just as well give dinner pails to mechanics as 
to give seeds to farmers. He was right. If a farmer 
is given a new variety of grain, why not give him a 
bushel basket or a sack to hold his crop? The Agri¬ 
cultural Department also asked for money to dis¬ 
tribute stock medicines to farmers, and also to print 
free bulletinsrand pamphlets. In spite of sound argu¬ 
ment and plain reason, the bill passed. The United 
States Government, in direct competition with seeds¬ 
men, veterinarians and publishers of farm literature, 
thus leads the way to competition with express, trans¬ 
portation, telegraph and telephone companies. Why 
not? How far will it lead? Until it gets to the end 
of the string held by the corporations which control 
these private monopolies! 
* 
The Department of the Interior, the Department of 
Agriculture, and the Division of Forestry, have been 
called upon to settle the war between sheep and cat¬ 
tle men, Who dispute the rig*.t to occupy public lands 
for grazing. The assertion is made that, grazing in 
the forest reserves, the sheep work great injury, 
which means disaster to the lowland's. They are said 
to eat the young growth, trample down seedlings, 
and destroy the layer of leaves which keeps the sur¬ 
face of the ground in good condition. By destroying 
the cover in the mountains, they lessen the water 
supply. Most of the forest reserves have now been 
closed to kheep, excepting those in Oregon, Wasbing- 
ington, and the Black Mesa Reserve in Arizona, ow¬ 
ing to over-grazing. The sheep men assert that no 
harm is done by grazing under proper restrictions. 
The investigation now under way will be thorough 
and conclusive; hi the meantime, there is much ill- 
feeling among the different interests involved. 
* 
A correspondent asks, on page 284, how to destroy 
weeds with chemicals, and yet leave the soil in condi¬ 
tion to raise a crop—in other words, how to restore 
a soil that has been rendered unfit for vegetation? 
The main use of these chemical weed-killers is on 
gravel or other walks, where it is impossible to hoe 
effectively. Private gardeners use them quite exten¬ 
sively for this purpose abroad and, we think, to rather 
less extent in this country, but the idea of using them 
in other situations, where other plants must grow, is 
obviously unwise. These chemical weed-killers have 
been the subject of prosecution in England several 
times, it being contended that, owing to their usually 
poisonous character, they should only be sold by 
qualified chemists. We believe, however, that their 
sale is now generally permitted by others when in the 
original packages. It is safe, however, to confine 
their use to walks or roads, where the hoe cannot be 
used, and to 'take no risks in handling them. 
* 
Governor Roosevelt has appointed the following 
commissioners, who are to have charge of the New 
York State Fair: Frederick C. Stevens, Attica; Harry 
Hamlin, Buffalo, and Charles Herbert Halcomb, Syra¬ 
cuse, for three years; Elliot B. Norris, Sodus; George 
I. Wilber, Oneonta, and Samuel D. Willard, Geneva, 
for two years; James H. Durkee, Sandy Hill; George 
A. Smith, Frankfort, and Frank D. Ward, Batavia, for 
one year. The Lieutenant-Governor and the Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture are ex officio members of the 
board. Mr. Norris is Master of the State Grange, Mr. 
Ward, president of the Breeders’ Association; Mr. 
Smith, president of the Dairymen’s Association; Mr. 
Durkee, president of ‘the County Fair Association, and 
Mr. Willard, vice-president of the Western New York 
Horticultural Society. This is a strong and well-bal¬ 
anced board, for it represents almost every depart¬ 
ment of organized farmers. Such a board ought, with 
proper financial backing, to organize and maintain a 
first-class State Fair. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
"SEEDS THAT NEVER GROW.” 
The following verses were read during the Congressional 
debate over the appropriations for agriculture: 
I nearly hate the thought of Spring, 
With its delightful sun, 
For well I know the mail will bring, 
A pack from Washington; 
A little package, duly franked, 
No postage stamps to show. 
And it contains those little seeds— 
The kind that never grow. 
Our good and zealous Congressman, 
Remindful of our vote, 
Upon his memorandum’s page, 
Puts down a little note. 
And when the proper time arrives 
For us to wield the hoe, 
He sendeth us the little seeds— 
The ones that never grow. 
There’s squashes with enticing names, 
And cabbages, I wot, 
So large that you would think that one 
Would shade a garden spot; 
So with the pack from Washington 
You amble forth to sow, 
With many a drop of sweat the seeds— 
That never care to grow. 
How often have I plied the rake; 
How oft I’ve lounged about, 
With eyes alert to catch the first 
Signs of the coming sprout; 
In vain, in vain, my hopes have fled; 
My heart has filled with woe, 
Above the seeds from Washington— 
The seeds that never grow. 
But yet each year my hopes revive, 
As Spring reclothes the tree, 
And to my homestead surely comes 
The package marked “M. C.”; 
And, foolish like, again I wield 
The sprinkler and the hoe, 
And, like a ninny, plant the seeds— 
That never care to grow. 
"Money to burn”—counterfeits. 
A sample of woodchuck poetry—page 290. 
Tiie looking glass is bad for the I trouble. 
Thrown out of court—the rejected suitor. 
What Spring battle can be put up against the Hessian 
fly? 
A sensible description of Rhode Island Red poultry on 
page 290. 
A national department of commerce is the latest 
scheme. 
You are right, my boy—Mother should always be quoted 
above Pa. 
Weeds are up to worse business than we dreamed of. 
They carry skin diseases to useful plants. 
Why, of course! It is our desire that the Ruby Queen 
rose may be a blessing and pleasure to you for many 
years! 
The old question about making a farmer pay a license 
is coming up again. We claim that the town has no 
right to compel such payment. 
The farmer has been trained to absorb instruction by 
ear rather than by sight. The printed article, therefore, 
should be different from the speech. 
These English cold-storage experiments are interest¬ 
ing. It’s a fact that we do ,not need earlier varieties 
half as much as we need to prolong the life of late ones. 
We receive many apple twigs covered with scales of the 
Oyster-shell bark-louse. This is not so dangerous as the 
San JosS scale. Whale oil soap solution will end it—after 
the lice hatch out. 
A Canadian reader says that he doesn’t like to renew 
his subscription without saying something—so he goes on 
and gives several valuable points from -his own practice. 
It’s a good habit to send such postscripts. 
Some folks pity the Puerto Ricans because some of 
them have to live on Canna roots after a cyclone passes 
over the Island. Let a cannery shark pass through a 
neighborhood and the farmers will feel the effects of the 
canner’s “roots” for a long time. 
