THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
46S 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Colukgwood, Editor. 
Du. Walter Van Fleet, j 
H. E. Van Deman, VAssociates. 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, ) 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 
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advertising rates. 
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Reading Notices, ending with “ Adv .,” 75 cents per 
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Remittances may be»made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 7. 1900. 
All reports indicate a light hay crop. Still the 
amount of hay offered for sale will not be greatly re¬ 
duced. Farmers have learned how to feed the stock 
on hay substitutes. The silo has saved the hay mow, 
and dry stalks are now handled so as to keep the 
stock satisfied, and still provide work for the hay 
press. We know of farmers who crush or shred the 
stalks and use millet and oat hay so that they are 
able to sell nearly the entire crop of Timothy. In 
many cases, too, this is good economy. 
* 
The premium list of the New York State Fair is now 
ready. It may be had by addressing Mr. S. C. Shaver, 
Agricultural Hall, Albany, N. Y. The premiums are 
liberal, and efforts will be made to make this sixtieth 
exhibition the best one of the long series. There will 
be a special premium of $1,000 for the best exhibits 
made by town and county societies. This ought to 
stir up a lively competition between such societies, and 
this feature of the State Fair promises to be very at¬ 
tractive. Mr. J. H. Durkee, the manager of the fair, 
seems to be the right man for the place, and the ex¬ 
hibition will be carefully organized and conducted. 
* 
The English pure-food authorities are dealing strict¬ 
ly with offenders against the milk laws. Mark Lane 
Express mentions two recent cases. In one the charge 
was that part of the cream had been removed and 
the milk sold as whole. The defendant denied that it 
was either skimmed or watered, but was fined $20. In 
tne other case the use of boracic acid was charged 
against several persons, and fines ranging from $5 to 
$90 were imposed. One of the witnesses, Prof. Boyce, 
of University College, said that this substance was 
highly injurious, no matter how small a quantity was 
used. He had experimented with kittens, and found 
that even a minute quantity of boracic acid in the milk 
consumed by them was harmful. 
* 
The figures given by Prof. Phelps on page 463 show 
a new reason for using nitrate of soda on meadows. 
We know that the nitrate forces a quick and vigorous 
growth. Our own experiments indicate that the ni¬ 
trate will aid the crop in a dry season, but we have 
supposeu that where the nitrate is used alone the sec¬ 
ond-crop hay would be “thin” or lacking in flavor 
and substance. Soluble nitrogen applied to grass in 
any form will give a dark rank growth, but we do not 
find that the stock eats it readily. In the old experi¬ 
ments where nitrate was used alone in strips through 
the pasture, while on others potash and phosphoric 
acid were used, the stock always grazed on the latter 
strips first. If, as Prof. Phelps states, the addition of 
nitrogen increases the amount of protein in the hay, 
we surely have another good reason for using it. 
* 
Prof. I. P. Roberts says that the living, expert 
teacher in the field, with coat off and overalls on, 
must be used to supplement the work of the agricul¬ 
tural college. He is right. It is comparatively easy 
to teach science of agriculture by printing and dis¬ 
tributing short and clearly-written bulletins. It is 
harder to teach the act or practice of agriculture, for 
it is impossible to tell by means of the printed word 
just how a thing should be done. It has been settled 
that no large proportion of the farmers will go to the 
agricultural college after this information. That 
being the case the college must go to the farmers if 
the two are to come together. Let the college interest 
farmers in trying plot cr field experiments with fer¬ 
tilizers, crops or methods. Then send field agents 
out to travel from farm to farm. These men should 
be able to handle tools, do the necessary work them¬ 
selves if need be, and explain clearly the reason for 
the operations. Cornell University is practic.ng this 
method of University extension, and the results are 
surprising. 
* 
What is the value of a human life? Recently a 
lawyer drew up a regular bill of sale for parties who 
bought a live baby for $1. Two years ago a judge in 
New Jersey stated that the life of a child was worth 
nothing because the child was not capable of earning 
anything by its labor. A New York judge has de¬ 
cided that a five-year-old child is worth $1,000; hav¬ 
ing fixed that amount of damages where a child was 
killed by a trolley car. An old man in Denver was 
killed uy a railroad train, and his children were 
awarded $2,000. On appeal this sum was cut uown to 
$500 on the plea that an old man could not possibly 
earn enough to make the $2,000 value! The law is 
cold-blooded and does not consider the sentiment 
which, after all, gives the h.ghest value to human life. 
Many of us would hardly be flattered at the value 
placed on our lives on the basis of what we have 
actually done for (society, without considering the per¬ 
sonal feelings of those who love us. 
* 
“Talcaline Preservative” is the latest nait offered 
to foolish dairymen. Among other things the circular 
states: 
Talcaline Preservative is used for the purpose of giving 
the butter a smoother, nicer, iirmer body; causing it to 
stand up much better in hot weather, and keeps pure and 
sweet 50 per cent longer. Different peofle use dif¬ 
ferent amounts, varying from 10 to 25 per cent. Its 
composition is purilied Talc, which is nothing but pure 
silicate of magnesia. 
The stuff eviuently contains a quantity of borax. 
The chief object is to induce dairymen to use quan¬ 
tities of this stuff in their butter in order to increase 
the weight. There is good profit in selling “purified 
talc,” which costs five cents a pound, mixed With but¬ 
ter. The stuff looks something like the powders to 
be used in shoes oy those who try to crowd a No. 6 
shoe on a No. 9 foot. The most adequate punishment 
for the rogues who sell such “preservative’ would be 
to compel them to live for a year on food containing 
their stuff. 
During the 11 months ending May 31 the exports of 
domestic products from this country amounted to $1,- 
264,269,007. Of this vast sum $773,768,069 represented 
the value of the agricultural products, and $46,556,1<2 
the products of the forest, while the total exports of 
gold were but $40,173,491. This gives an idea of what 
the American larmer is doing for his country. We 
boast of our foreign credit, and of the ability of 
Americans to borrow money in Europe. Why are 
these investments considered so safe? Why are Euro¬ 
pean investors so sure of both interest and principal? 
Simply because this country has a trade balance of 
over $500,000,000 to her creuu on the year’s business. 
It is this trade balance which satisfies European 
creditors, and prevents the drain of gold from this 
country. And the American farmer is the man who 
makes this balance possible. The manufacturer cuts 
but a comparatively small figure in this export busi¬ 
ness, though he is apt to receive most of the credit. 
The American farmer is the man who pays our for¬ 
eign bills. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. has mildly stated once or twice that 
the whipping-post is the proper place to punish cer¬ 
tain men for certain crimes. For example, a fire 
recently broke out in a crowded New York tenement. 
Before it was over 10 persons had been killed, and 
others fearfully burned. Here is part of the testimony 
of a woman tenant: 
“I seen the fire and woke my husband up. He says: 
‘Wot’s the matter with you? It ain’t goin’ to burn over 
here, is it? No, I says, but think of the poor pe-iple 
asleep in there. ‘Ah, go wan,’ he says. As long as 
you're safe, you mind your own business and let them 
mind theirs.’ Tim,’ I says to him, ‘them people ain't 
awake. They’ll be burn to death. You go over and wake 
them up.’ ‘Ah, let ’em find it out themselves,’ says he. 
•Then if you won’t go, I will,’ I says, and I started to get 
up, and the baby began to cry. ‘You lie down,’ he says. 
‘D’you think I’m goin’ to stay here an’ mind the kids 
while you’re meddlin’ in what don’t concern you? You 
lie down,’ he says, an’ with that he give me a crack on 
the jor, an’ I was afraid to get up again. And, oh, my 
God, I heard ’em crying out after that and seen that man 
jump from the top window and kill himself, and they 
might have been saved if he’d let me go and call ’em, for 
the fire was only just startin’ when I seen it. After it 
was over an’ I told him, he says: ‘Well, them people ain’t 
nothin’ to you or me, are they?’ and he started to hit 
me again. I’ll have the law on him, I will, if he lays 
his hand to me again.” 
This man was American born! Now will some of 
the sentimentalists tell us how they would proceed to 
reach such a creature in an appeal to “his higher 
manhood?” How life in a city tenement does crush 
out the neighborly spirit and promote selfishness. 
There are plenty of selfish people in the country, but 
who can imagine a farmer leaYing his neighbors to be 
burned in their beds? 
July 7 
It looks as though a great war was imminent be¬ 
tween the commercial nations of the earth and the 
gray old agricultural giant China, the most ancient 
and peaceful of countries. An uprising of the United 
League of Patriots, a society nicknamed “Boxers” by 
the foreign papulation, has furnished a pretext for 
landing troops from the battleships of various na¬ 
tions, among which, we regret to say, the United 
States is included, and already fierce fighting has oc¬ 
curred, and much blood has been shed. Whether or 
not our Government was justified in having recourse 
so promptly to military force, even under the plea of 
protecting American residents, we hope the people 
will promptly resent tne slightest attempt to 
use our military or naval forces for commercial or 
territorial aggrandizement under any pretext what¬ 
ever. The partition of China and the opening up of 
her immense, industrious and peaceful population to 
European and American exploitation will mean noth¬ 
ing but loss to'the American farmer, as China, possess¬ 
ing essentially the same soil and climate as the mid¬ 
dle and southern portions of the United States, will 
be likely to become a most formidable competitor in 
the production of cotton fabrics and many kinds of 
foodstuffs, while taking very little in return. Her re¬ 
sources in coal, iron and other mineral industries are 
incalculable, and when roused to activity will come 
into direct competition with our own products. No 
one can seriously think that the busy and ingenious 
Chinese will buy our manufactures long after they 
discover that they can make the articles themselves. 
Uncle Sam would better keep to his own preserves, 
and not try to pull chestnuts out of the dangerous 
Chinese fire for the benefit of his European competi¬ 
tors. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Our rich friend Capital desired a wife 
To halve his troubles and divide his care. 
And so he looked around him late in life 
For some fair maid who would consent to share 
His name—Miss Labor rather caught his eye— 
A stout and healthy woman, active, young; 
Well used to labor—profit seemed to lie 
With one who worked her hands and not her tongue. 
And so, old Capital forthwith began 
His courtship, and Miss Labor blushed and smiled 
Demurely on him till the foolish man 
Fancied her but a simple, artless child. 
And they were married—on the wedding day 
He laid the law down to her—“Now, my dear, 
You understand 1 want my wife to stay 
At home, in silence, minding me, that’s clear. 
I’ll boss and hold the cash”—but there he stopped, 
For there was something in her face that told 
As plain as day that she had surely dropped 
The wrongs of Labor and begun to hold 
The rights of Capital—“No! No!” she said; 
“You married me for better or for worse— 
We’ll travel side by side—not you ahead— 
But hand in hand and both hands on the purse.” 
Divorce is a pair blight. 
The hay crop has gone to grass! 
The Pear blight sometimes attacks apple twigs. 
The farm poet should be well versed in agriculture. 
Yes, the Woolly aphis brews root bier for the apple. 
Note what Ruralisms say, page 4G4, about Kerosene for 
cutworms. 
Hurry! Cut the branches showing Pear blight at once. 
Burn them! 
“Moon blindness” in Western horses—where does it 
come from? 
“Yes,” said the man with the sore throat, “I sing with 
hoarse power.” 
Do you like to open or close the barn while it is filled 
with new hay? 
There is high praise for the Carman peach from those 
who have fruited it. 
We have said this before—your better half deserves 
better kitchen quarters. 
The golden color on a Jersey’s hide is a "skin deep 
color which goes on inside. 
No man can produce something out of nothing, but lots 
of folks produce nothing out of something! 
Now mother, let the fire go out this boiling afternoon. 
Why should you cook yourself to death—you’ll do it all 
too soon. 
We like to cut grass, while the stock like to break in 
and eat it green. When it gets so hard that the stock 
will not eat it readily it does not make the best hay. 
Prof. Van Deman owned in a recent R. N.-Y. that he 
had eaten fried prairie dog A prominent Texan says 
that, if dressed and refrigerated, prairie dog is excellent, 
either fried or stewed. Perhaps the prairie-dog plague 
may result in a business like that in refrigerated Aus¬ 
tralian rabbits. 
O, the bugs, moths, flies and weevils, curculios and 
worms; the beetles and the borers and bacteria and 
germs! The air is full of microbes, we breathe ’em and 
then sneeze; ten hundred thousand million float by in 
every breeze. San Josy is a scaly bird; he gets upon our 
trees and sucks the juice right through the bark; he does 
it with great ease. Young cabbage plants just out the 
ground succumb to the black fleas; the cutworm inter¬ 
views the corn; it drops without a wheeze. The rose 
bug’s shell’s so thick he laughs at pizen spray rebukes; 
and that lively striped varmint there’s the bug that 
chaws the cukes. 
