3o3 
April 28 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER; 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homea, 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, 1 
H. E. Van Deman, > Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, ) 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 12.04, equal 4* 
8s. 6d., or 8J4 marks, or 10J4 francs. 
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Advertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
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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 28, 1900. 
The Canadian government has conducted many 
public exhibitions of spraying. The experts go di¬ 
rectly to a farmer’s orchard, set up their outfit, mix 
the chemicals and spray trees while a lecturer ex¬ 
plains the matter to farmers. Mr. Pettit, who writes 
the article on the first page, has had charge of this 
work for two seasons, each of which meant about 
three months of daily spraying. He ought, therefore, 
to know how to mix and spray out effective informa¬ 
tion. 
* 
Secretary Wilson recently shipped 20 barrels of 
sweet potatoes to the London agent of the Depart¬ 
ment, with instructions to try the tubers on English 
consumers. It is hoped that by carefully fostering 
the trade, an extensive market may be found abroad 
for these vegetables. It is quite possible, however, 
that first results will not be very encouraging, for 
many people find the flavor of sweet potatoes cloying 
and disagreeable at first. We have never met with a 
foreigner who did not like sweet corn upon first in¬ 
troduction, but most people unaccustomed to sweet 
potatoes have to acquire a taste for them by slow 
degrees. 
* 
Now, then, gentlemen of the experiment stations, 
take a jump down among the people now and then. 
Take this matter of soaking seed potatoes to prevent 
scab. You think you have talked about that till there 
is a scab on your tongue. Yet, do you know that 
there are thousands of people who never heard of it, 
and tens of thousands who don’t know how to do it? 
A few bright, keen men are setting the pace for 
you and urging you on to newer scientific problems. 
The multitude of common people see the ends of your 
coat tails as they whisk around some new discovery. 
Now is it their business to come to you, or is it your 
business to go to them? 
* 
| 
Readers are receiving the Ruby Queen rose, and all 
seem pleased with it. One man in Maine writes: — 
The Ruby Queen rose arrived in the best, of order; 
looks very healthy. All the fears I have about it is that 
the women folks have read so much about it that I fear 
they will kill it with kindness. 
They will not be likely to do that. A rose is one 
of the things that will fatten on kindness. That rose 
was “made to stay,” and it will well repay all your 
care. The rose is sent free to all paid-up subscribers 
free of cost. Where do we get our money back? 
Why, we believe that the rose, blooming around your 
house, will do more talking for The R. N.-Y. than 
you have ever done! 
* 
Many Congressmen who voted for the Puerto Rico 
Tariff bill went home to find an uproar in their dis¬ 
tricts. Thousands of people believed that as a mat¬ 
ter of plain and simple duty this Government should 
give the Puerto Ricans what had been promised them. 
These men are making things warm for Congressmen 
in close districts, but a new element in politics is 
coming to their aid. In some western districts, where 
dairying is an important industry, such Congressmen 
find that “honest butter” is the only fat that can slide 
them through. They have been made to understand 
that unless they work and vote for the Grout anti-oleo 
bill they can never see Congress again. They know 
that the buttermakers mean business, and a number 
of votes will be secured for the bill by these shrewd 
tactics. The farmers are learning how such things 
are done. They are quicker than they once were to 
take.advantage of just such situations as were created 
by the discussion of that tariff bill. That is because 
they are more thoroughly organized than ever. They 
understand that a Congressman in a close district will 
do his best work under pressure. 
* 
It is estimated that 200,000 Americans will go to 
Europe this year to attend the Paris Exposition. 
Their average expenses will not be less than $400, 
which means $80,000,000 taken out of the country. 
Many of them will economize for months to save the 
money needed for the passage, and will take cash 
with them to buy goods on the other side. All this 
will take money away from American trade, and all, 
from factory to farm, will feel it seriously. Add to 
this drain the time and money that will be worse 
than wasted over the Presidential election, and Uncle 
Sam may well wish that both Exposition and election 
were over. If we could have our way, these wander¬ 
ers would spend their money in studying and know¬ 
ing their own country. 
* 
Tile oleo people have been trying to play a deep 
game. They made the cotton-seed oil people think 
that oil was the chief ingredient used in their stuff. 
They did the same thing with tne swine breeders and 
the beef cattle men. The result was that representa¬ 
tives of all three of these industries came rushing to 
Washington, claiming that the Grout bill would ruin 
them. Now what is oleo? A sworn formula given by 
Armour & Co. is as follows: 34 pounds neutral lard, 
27 pounds oleo oil, 12 pounds cotton-seed oil, 18 
pounds milk, nine pounds salt. The cost of the 100 
pounds, in 1896, was $2.91. Tax, tubs and mixing 
brought it up to $6.41, or less than 6% cents per 
pound. It is a wonder the oleo men do not claim 
that they make a great market for milk. This game 
has proved a little too deep—it has put the oleo men 
out over their heads, and has shown the character of 
their claims. 
* 
The gamblers who conduct the various race tracks 
in New York State claim to be great friends of agri¬ 
culture, because the law compels them to pay money 
which is given to the county fair associations. As 
well call a saloonkeeper a great patron of education 
because some of his license money goes to support 
schools. The gamblers also claim that their races 
keep the old Thoroughbred blood to a high standard, 
and thus improve all other breeds and families of 
horses. What nonsense! The present-day so-called 
race horse is a mere kangaroo, and no more like the 
old foundation stud horse of long-distance speed, than 
the dude who trips along Fifth Avenue is like the 
Puritan settler. The sport of kings has degenerated 
into the plaything of gamblers. The few dollars paid 
to “agriculture” by these gamblers are like a feather 
against a ton as compared with the sin and moral 
degradation which the race track breeds. 
* 
Early in April the Canadian government passed, 
under the provisions of the San Josd Scale act, an 
order providing that, until May 1, importations of any 
trees, shrubs, plants, vines, grafts, cuttings, or buds, 
commonly called nursery stock, will be allowed from 
any country or State to which the San Josd Scale act 
applies. All importations thereof must be entered at 
one of the customs ports of St. John, N. B., St. John’s, 
Que., Niagara Falls, and Windsor, Out., and Winni¬ 
peg, Manitoba, only, where they will be thoroughly 
fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas by a competent 
government official, in accordance with the most ap¬ 
proved methods. All shipments made in accordance 
with the above will be entirely at the risk of the ship¬ 
pers or consignees, the government assuming no risk 
whatever. The packages must be addressed so as to 
enter Canada at one of the above-named ports of 
entry, and the route by which they will be shipped 
must be clearly stated upon each package. All stock 
which is too immature or too far advanced for safe 
treatment will be refused entry, and neld at the port 
of entry. It seems unfortunate that this order was 
made at the eleventh hour, preventing it from being 
available to many this Spring. 
* 
Newspaper reports of premature burials, and of 
the narrow escape of persons in a lethargic condition 
from burial, are usually treated with much flippancy 
as the work of sensation-loving reporters, but recent 
investigations have shown tnat there is entirely too 
much ground for belief that some of these accounts 
are horribly true. Some authorities claim that under 
the present unsystematic manner of conducting 
burials, one out of every 200 bodies is buried before 
life is extinct, while more conservative estimates 
place the percentage at not more than one in 30,000. 
The nameless horrors of premature burial are so 
great that the possibility of a return to consciousness 
after inhumation, even in the last small proportion, 
is too terrible to dwell upon, and it seems that every 
care should be taken when apparent death ensues to 
have a competent medical authority make a sys¬ 
tematic examination and ascertain beyond a doubt 
that life is really extinct. The only absolute test of 
death is that of decomposition of the tissues, and in 
a number of European cities bodies are retained by 
law in mortuary buildings provided for the purpose, 
until absolute proof of death is secured, but this 
method has never been kindly considered in this 
country. Public opinion has lately been again 
aroused in this matter by the introduction of bills 
in many State legislatures to compel a more careful 
examination in all cases of supposed death, and by 
the invention of effective mechanical devices, by 
which any movement of a buried body would display 
warning signals above the grave. The best remedy 
now available, especially in the country, is a careful 
examination by an experienced physician, and the 
keeping of the body a sufficient length of time to sat¬ 
isfy any reasonable doubts. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
MR. POTATO TUBER TALKS. 
Oospara scabies! Eh? you think you’re smart— 
Because some big, jaw-breaking name you grab. 
“You’re not so much!” I know just where you start 
And where you end—you mean Potato scab. 
I can be high-toned, too—I’ll have you know, 
Solanum tuberosum is the name 
My scientific friends give me for show, 
And I was worthy of it till you came— 
And bit into my face and made a sore 
That hurts my reputation, but, see here, 
We’ll put an end to you for evermore, 
Here comes the farmer—now, your end is near. 
Don’t like it, eh? One pint of formalin, 
Ten dozen quarts of water make a “soak" 
That curls you up like rank, uncovered sin, 
Yet, to my sprouts it’s like a pleasant joke. 
He’ll dust the sulphur on when we get dry, 
You thought I couldn’t scratch my face, and so 
You had me—now, old scabby friend, good bye, 
My face is clean and I must start and grow. 
Hateful experience is often dear. 
Some folks kill plans; others execute them. 
Yes, it’s up to Pa to bring his behavior up to par. 
Please don't—put in a crop and then let it starve. 
How many of your friends show their tvorks by their 
faith? 
“Go bury thy sorrows!” Don’t merely heel them in 
as you would your trees. 
What animal will go up head? The quadruped that’s 
thoroughbred and thoroughfed. 
Dissolved and suspended poisons in spraying mixtures 
—see first page article this week. 
If you would feed your sheep, kick out red tape and 
in its place sow lots of Essex rape. 
It is said that soaking the oats in the formalin solu¬ 
tion will give more straw as well as more grain. 
Newspaper men are “molders of public opinion.” In 
our judgment, they often mold it in moldy molds. 
We want information about any organization of farm¬ 
ers that have been able to sell produce successfully. 
“I am, with best wishes, and check for $2, yours truly.” 
That is the satisfactory ending of a letter from Ten¬ 
nessee. 
Say what you will, ye long-faced folks, it still is my 
belief—the power to see life's funny side’s a fungicide 
for grief. 
Yes, my son, the addition of a piece of your mother’s 
mind to your father makes a case of Pa boiling which 
is not rare. 
Renovating or depleting crops—where does the bean 
belong? Page 302 doesn’t deal with the baked variety, 
which is distinctly a renovating crop. 
If you would sound the depths of professed friendship, 
ask a man to lend you money on your personal note, or 
ask him to vote the Prohibition ticket. 
The idea of that Canadian correspondent on page 304, 
who wishes to go to the ant for fertility, seems an odd 
one. In South Africa, pulverized ant-hills are used like 
cement, in making floors. 
Have you noticed what a tremendous range of material 
is discussed, at this season, in our fertilizer queries? It 
is not safe to infer, as many appear to do, that every 
waste substance possesses fertilizing value. 
This verse comes from Maine: 
Salt the woodchucks and the mice, . ; 
In a trice; 
And save the cabbage and the harness— 
Ain’t that nice? 
The sweet potato illustrated on the first page of The 
r. N.-Y., April 14, was not the Vineland Bush, but the 
Vineland Fancy, the improved strain of the Jersey Yel¬ 
low. It is a tuber that would attract attention under 
any name. 
The hired man heard the lady of the house laying down 
the law to the boss. He went to the barn and asked the 
Jersey cow this conundrum: “Why is the Mrs. like the 
Buffalo show?” The Jersey was too busy to reply, and 
the hired man remarked: “Because she aims to be a 
pant-American!” 
