1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
425 
MARKET BRIEFS. 
Picked Up Here and There. 
A UNIQUE ClOCK.—T his is in a res¬ 
taurant in one corner of Washington Mar¬ 
ket. The dial is a dinner plate; the hours 
are marked by oyster shells; and the hands 
are a wooden knife and fork. 
A COW BY EXPRESS.—In an Adams Ex¬ 
press wagon I saw a young Holstein-Fries- 
ian cow, shipped by A. A. Cortelyou, of 
New Jersey, to a man in Sullivan County, 
N. Y. Her head stuck out of the front end 
of the crate, which was built like a stanch¬ 
ion, and, as she did not seem at all worried 
by the strange experience, it looked as 
though the request on the crate, “Handle 
Me Carefully,” had been complied with. 
HEAVY FIRE LOSSES.—During the 
month of May there was an unusual num¬ 
ber of fires, the total value of property de¬ 
stroyed in the United States and Canada 
being $15,750,000. For the first five months 
of this year the total was more than $82,- 
000,000, an increase of $24,000,000 over the 
same period last year. During May there 
were 250 fires of more than $10,000 each. 
Of these, 25 were for $1''0,000 or a trifle more; 
seven ranged between $200,000 and $500,000, 
and three went over $500,000. The loss by 
forest fires in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New 
Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia and Can¬ 
ada, amounted to $1,242,000. The percentage 
of farm buildings and creameries was small, 
being only $52,000. The loss on breweries 
and liquor stores was $90,000. 
MAKING FRIENDS WITH A CAMERA. 
—“I sell supplies to a number of small 
German groceries,” said a grocer to me. 
“If there is anything that a German grocer 
is more proud of than his family, it is his 
horse, and it is usually a good one. In 
drumming up trade, 1 take along this 
camera. My customer's delivery wagon 
stands by the door, and on leaving I take 
picture of his horse or store. He is pleased 
when I give him a nice photograph on the 
next trip, and in several cases this invest¬ 
ment of a few cents for photographic ma¬ 
terials has made a steady customer. The 
pictures are sent to friends in Germany.” 
If a man adopted a plan like this for hold¬ 
ing trade in some lines of business, his cus¬ 
tomers would laugh at him, but this man 
has the tact to see the little things of this 
sort that will work well for him, and knows 
enough not to carry them too far. 
WEIGHT VS. MEASURE.—The question 
of retailing vegetables by weight instead 
of measure has often been agitated. Dis¬ 
honest dealers use short measures and thus 
undersell responsible parties; and, while 
rascals can “doctor” their scales so as to 
cheat to some extent, there is no doubt 
that weight would be the better method of 
selling all vegetables except those done up 
in bunches. It is difficult to change an 
established custom, however, and to have 
two methods is confusing. Some time ago 
the commercial papers stated that Cleve¬ 
land (Ohio) retail grocers were about to 
adopt the weight system in the hope oi 
weeding out some of the rascals who injure 
trade. On inquiring of several dealers in 
that city as to whether the plan had been 
carried out, it was learned that some pro¬ 
gress has been made, although it is not in 
general operation yet. Most of them say 
that the idea is all right, and that when 
the difficulties in the way are overcome, 
the results will be much more satisfactory 
all around. 
FRUITS.—Strawberries are plentiful, and 
many have arriveu in poor condition. A 
few Gandy’s Prize wholesaled at seven to 
nine cents, but most sales were at five to 
six cents, with some as low as three. It 
is difficult to judge berries by their ap¬ 
pearance. I tried some large fine-looking 
ones that were watery and really tasteless. 
Probably weather conditions were respon¬ 
sible for this. The few large blackberries 
offered are selling well. The Southern 
huckleberries are small and go slowly. 
Virginia and North Carolina cherries sell 
at 30 to 60 cents per eight-pound basket, 
but are far inferior to the California fruit. 
The Georgia peaches offered have some 
color, and are better than last week’s re¬ 
ceipts. Large quantities of pineapples are 
disposed of here each week, but most of 
them are inferior. For shipment in bar¬ 
rels they have to be picked too green, and 
many are tough and leathery, rotting be¬ 
fore they get ripe. The choice pines come 
packed in small boxes. Some are 10 inches 
long and six in diameter. The color is a 
dark orange, and the quality would be a 
surprise to those accustomed to ordinary 
pines. They sell ior 50 cents each. 
VEGETABLES.—There is a large surplus 
at present. Bermuda and Southern pota¬ 
toes have dropped 50 cents to $1 per barrel. 
The demand is good, but the quantity on 
hand is too great. For eight days the 
average daily receipts were over 12,300 bar¬ 
rels. Monday, June 4, 23,741 barrels came 
in, 19,000 of which were southern new. This 
decline in prices has struck nearly all vege¬ 
tables. A number of dealers are loaded 
down with string beans. Kale, lettuce and 
other salads, squashes, top onions, new 
carrots and beets go begging. Good rad¬ 
ishes sell for one cent a bunch. A visit to 
Wallabout Market in Brooklyn showed the 
same conditions, quantities of Long Island 
vegetables being left over from the morn¬ 
ing’s business. Some of the push-cart fruit 
men have loaded up with vegetables, which 
they peddle in the foreign quarters and 
tenement districts. At the low prices they 
find ready buyers among these people, who 
ordinarily have but a small quantity of 
fresh vegetables. Of course, the stuff sold 
in this way is more or less inferior, having 
lain around in the markets for several days 
and become wilted. Those who buy first- 
class products usually have to pay a fancy 
price, as dealers expect to make enough 
out of this trade to come out whole on the 
goods they have to sell at a sacrifice. 
_ w. w. H. 
AN EFFORT TO HELP THE CHINESE 
FARMER. 
The crisis in China has drawn the atten¬ 
tion of the world. At a time when the 
great empire seems about to oe parceled 
off among European powers, because of its 
political rottenness, it is refreshing to meet 
one honest, broad-minded Chinaman—the 
Viceroy Chank Chi Tung. He has always 
been a worker for the masses, and it was 
through his inlluence that an agricultural 
school, an experiment station, was estab¬ 
lished at Wuchang in the Fail of 1897. 
This is the first systematic effort to im¬ 
prove Chinese agriculture. Mr. G. D. Brill, 
of New York, and J. W. Gilmore, of Texas, 
both graduates of the Cornell University 
College of Agriculture, are in charge. I 
take extracts from their recent letters. 
Beginning an Agricultural, School.— 
At the direction of the Viceroy a large 
number of American implements, fruits, 
vegetables and cereals have been intro¬ 
duced. The Viceroy is energetic; there is 
no danger Brill and Gilmore will get out 
of work. Here is his preliminary sketch 
of work to be done: Grow cotton, introduce 
all foreign u - uits, improve the apiary, breed 
horses, cattle and pigs, plant forests on the 
mountains, grow mulberries, rear silk¬ 
worms, raise fish and teach boys how to do 
all these things! The school is hampered 
at present by a lack of suitable land, but 
this will soon be remedied. The boys now 
receive instruction in English, arithmetic, 
and the elements of plant culture, for it is 
necessary to begin at the very bottom. It 
is probable that the greatest good will 
come, not from instruction, but from a 
practical demonstration (on the experiment 
station farm) of improved methods of cul¬ 
tivation. The Chinese farmer, like others 
of his tribe, needs an object lesson to bring 
a principle home forcibly. Perhaps the 
greatest need is an adequate system of 
diking and irrigation. China is a network 
of rivers and canals on which most of the 
traffic is carried. The larger rivers over¬ 
flow periodically, often with frightful de¬ 
vastation. Droughts are frequent and 
severe. From July, 1898, to January, 1899, 
not an inch of rain fell at Wuchang, and 
the station sol was baked like a brick to a 
depth of three feet. A little careful diking, 
a few windmills and irrigation ditches, 
would reclaim these rich bottom lands 
which now fluctuate between the extremes 
of moisture and dryness. 
Antiquated Methods of Husbandry.— 
Field corn is not a popular food here, and 
sweet corn is unknown. Wheat, buck¬ 
wheat, rape and rice are the principal field 
crops. Methods of cultivation and har¬ 
vesting are very primitive. The old wood¬ 
en, single-handled plow of our forefathers’ 
days is still used here to tickle the bosom 
of Mother Earth. Wheat is ground be¬ 
tween two stones by ox-power. Rice is 
thrashed on mud floors with bamboo sticks, 
or by drawing stone rollers round and 
round with oxen. The Chinese fork is a 
crotched stick. Near the cities many vege¬ 
tables of the cabbage type are grown 
through the Winter; also an inferior va¬ 
riety of spinach. American cabbages do 
not head well in China, but it would be 
hard to beat the Chinese cabbage at any 
point. They are grown very quickly, and 
to enormous size by using liquid manure. 
Peppers, egg plants, cucumbers and 
squashes are common Summer crops. To¬ 
matoes grow rampant all Summer, and 
blossom freely, but set no fruit. 
Fruit Trees Neglected.— China has 
given to us many orchard fruits, but within 
her own borders they are shamefully neg¬ 
lected. Practically the only fruit which 
receives even an attempt at cultivation is 
the Jujube or Chinese date (Zizyphus Ju- 
juba). Peaches must be picked very green 
to keep them from being stolen. This pil¬ 
fering is a serious difficulty in all Chinese 
husbandry. The average Celestial is an 
unblushing liar and phlegmatic thief. It 
is this ingrained national dishonesty which 
has ruined China. The Viceroy had a 
keen insight when he included the clothing 
of mountains with forests as a pressing 
need. Here is the source of drought and 
deluge. There is likely to be trouble in 
accomplishing this end, for the Chinaman 
must have fuel to cook his rice, and would 
be apt to cut down the trees before they 
are fairly started. So scanty is the fuel 
supply that corn, cotton and bean stalks 
are now the main supply, and even the 
coarser grasses are twisted for fuel. This 
is a loss of humus to the soil and make it 
heavy, cloddy, and, in wet weather, very 
sticky. Farm animals are also in wretched 
condition. A good cow will give four quarts 
per day! Truly there is abundant room 
for missionary work, and with continued 
cooperation these Cornell boys can accom¬ 
plish much._s. w. f. 
DOUBLE DOSES OF FERTILIZER. 
Have you ever found it profitable to use 
a second or third application of fertilizer 
after planting potatoes? If the crop does 
not seem to thrive would you apply nitrate 
of soda or complete fertilizer after the crop 
was up? 
While we think it best to put all our 
manure on the crop before planting our 
potatoes, and pretty liberally, too, three- 
quarters ton to the acre or so, some of our 
neighbors put on part at planting, and after 
the potatoes are well up, give them more 
and think they gain by making two appli¬ 
cations. If we thought our potatoes were 
not doing well for lack of fertilizer, we 
should certainly put on some more after 
they came up, and would put it near the 
row, working it in with cultivator or hoe, 
or both. geo. w. hallock & son. 
Orient, L. I. 
I used to try the second application on 
potatoes with potato manure, but I found 
that it was not profitable. We make it a 
rule to put on about 1,600 pounds when we 
plant and I think that is the most profit¬ 
able quantity to use. We put on all our 
fertilizer for potatoes with a fertilizer drill, 
and we could not use a drill to any ad¬ 
vantage after potatoes are up six or eight 
inches high. 1 had a little experience last 
season in double use of fertilizer on pota¬ 
toes; through some mistake we missed four 
40-rod rows when we planted our potatoes, 
and we did not know it until the potatoes 
came up, then we planted them and put 
on more fertilizer, about one-half the quan¬ 
tity that we had already put on, and the 
result was we did not get one-half crop, 
and the potatoes were extra good both 
sides of the four rows that were missed. 
My opinion is that where there have been 
1,600 or 1,800 pounds put on when the pota¬ 
toes are planted, and the potatoes become 
unhealthy and weak, it is from some other 
cause, not from lack of fertilizer. 
Manorville, L. I. robinson Gordon. 
My practice is to apply the fertilizer all 
at planting time, except to grass, which 
receives a top dressing of nitrate of soda 
in the Spring. My opinion would be that 
if potatoes wore properly fertilized at 
planting and failed to thrive, 1 would look 
for other causes such as lack of moisture 
or tillage, or insect pests. Giving more 
than one application of fertilizer to an an¬ 
nual crop per season is not practiced (ex¬ 
cept nitrate of soda), as I very much doubt 
whether the crop would pay the increased 
cost of the labor of application. g. e. a. 
Mattituck, L. I. 
After Marriage 
They "are going to be together just as 
much as before; going to ride the wheel, 
take little pleasure jaunts, etc., enjoying 
everything together. Isn’t that what 
many a young couple promise each 
other? And yet, how very soon the 
wife begins to say 
"No, I don’t think 
I care to go. You 
go alone, dear.” 
Young women don’t 
reckon on the great 
physical changes 
w’hich follow mar¬ 
riage. How can 
they when they are 
allowed to grow up 
in entire ignorance 
of vital physiological 
facts ? They feel 
languid, weak and 
nervous. Sometimes 
there is headache 
and backache. The 
pulse no more leaps 
in answer to the 
thought of a spin on 
the wheel. Women 
who have used Dr. 
Pierce’s Favorite 
Prescription, know 
how promptly the 
languor, headache, 
backache, nervous¬ 
ness and weakness 
are cured by this 
medicine. Many 
husbands write in 
gratitude to Dr. Pierce for the medicine 
which gives them back the wife’s compan¬ 
ionship, as it gives her back her health. 
"All praise is due to you for your wonderful 
‘ Favorite Prescription,’ ” writes Mr. John W. 
Coffman, of Ellisburg, Casey Co., Ky. " My wife 
suffered with female irregularity; was confined 
to bed every three weeks. After using two bot¬ 
tles of Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription she 
was cured, and has not suffered any derange¬ 
ment since. Your * Favorite Prescription ’ is 
a boon to delicate women.” 
There is no alcohol in w Favorite Pre¬ 
scription,” and it is entirely free from 
opium, cocaine and all other narcotics. 
Stack Covers 
made of waterproof and plain canvas. Also, 
Covers for Farm Implements, Wagons, HAY 
CAl’S, Tents, etc. Send for Hay Pamphlet and 
Pricelist. HENRY DERBY, 
124 Chambers Street, New York. 
Fully 
De¬ 
scribed 
In Cata¬ 
logue. 
™ s BU6GY , $31.95 
Carts $8.35, Road Wagons 
$23.95. 7&other style Ve¬ 
hicles. Harness $4.15. 50 
styles to select from. San¬ 
dies, Bicycles, Sewing 
Machines, Baby Car¬ 
riages direct from 
Factory at wholesale 
price. Every article 
Guaranteed. Send for 
Free Catalogue. 
CONSUMERS CARRIAGE & MFG. CO.. Chicago. 
“This Company is reliable.”—E ditor. 
1 
IF IRON PiPE'-V 
WROUGHT IRON PIPE 
For Steam, Gas and Water. Good as new. 
Tested, Re-painted, Re-threaded and coup¬ 
lings furnished. Ranging in lengths to 20 feet. 
ALL SIZES. WRITE FOR PRICES. 
Write for Free Catalogue No. ,r, 7 of merchan¬ 
dise for HOME, FARM AND FIELD— 
from Sheriff s’ and Receivers Sales. 
Roofing, Plumbing Material, Hardware, Cloth¬ 
ing, Dry Goods, Boots and Shoes, Tools, Ma¬ 
chinery, ifco., &c„ <fcc., AT HALF PRICE. 
Chicago House Wrecking Co. w * Chicago? 1 *’ 
Seymour 
Plaster Sower 
will sow broadcast, 8 feet wide, Guano, Bodo Dust, 
plaster, ashes, salt, lime, marl, superphosphate, hen 
manure and all other fertilizers. Will sow 21) acres 
a day, any quantity per acre. Send for catalogue 
LE BOY PLOW CO., 
61 Lake Street, Le Koy. N. Y. 
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FARQUHAR 
RAKE SEPARATOR 
moat durable, perfect in operation and cheapest. 
Farquhar Vibrator Separator 
greatest capacity; wastes no grain, cleans 
. ready for market. Spe- 
Ra- - 'jj-1 cially adapted for mer- 
chant threshing and 
largo crops. Threshes 
rice, flax and millet. 
V»rReceived medals and 
awards at three world’s fairs. 
FARQUHAR 
^Celebrated Ajax Engine 
Received medal and high¬ 
's!} fflsS&STvSBw.est award at World’s Oo- 
tr ■ lumbian Exposition. Far- 
Tj:_T I ’s^S8^*vquhar’s threshing engines 
the most perfect in 
' and durable ^and are 
made as light as is consistent with safety. 
There is no record of a Farquhar boiler ever 
exploding. Engines, Boilers, Saw Mills and 
Agricultural Implements generally. Send for 
illustrated catalogue. 
A. B. I’ARQUIIAR CO., Ltd.,York, Pa. 
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MONEY SAVED IS MONEY EARNED. 
You can save all the ex* 
pense of mendine your 
harness with this Kcj- 
fttone Klvetlnf 
Machine. Make your 
Cheek Lines and 
Rivets loops, 
etc., any 
of leather. 
Agents wanted. 
HARTMAN MANFG. CO., Bor 19 Efiwood City. P«- 
Or Room 70 309 Broadway, New York City. 
Book Bargains. 
We have quite a large stock of good 
books, that we wish to close out. We 
are going to make the price on them so 
that they will go quick. My Handker¬ 
chief Garden is one of these. It shows 
what can be done with a small plot of 
ground. It is nicely printed on good 
paper, and illustrated. Paper cover. 
The price has been 20 cents. We will 
close out the remaining stock now at 10 
cents, postpaid. Modification of Plants 
by Climate is another pamphlet that 
every practical grower will appreciate. 
The price is 25 cents. We will close them 
out at 10 cents, postpaid. Or we will 
send both of these books, postpaid, as 
a reward for sending one new subscrip¬ 
tion at $1. 
THEoRURAL NEW-YORKER, 
NEW YORK. 
