596 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 1 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PARER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Hebbkkt W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Wat.teu Van Fleet, I 
H. E. Van Deman, V Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, ) 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
to foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. (id., or 8* *4 marks, or 10*4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
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of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-line orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with u Adv.,’’ 75 cents per 
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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, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1900. 
Farmers in the Rangeley Lake region of Maine say 
that deer are so troublesome this Summer that it is a 
question whether to give up farming altogether or to 
shoot the deer and thus get into jail. The animals 
invade the gardens, dig up the crops with their hoofs, 
and create havoc generally. They are, of course, 
protected by the game laws. 
* 
A prominent New Zealander used to assert that a 
man who would grow rabbits for human food ought 
to have six months in jail. However, the rabbit 
plague of Australia is being turned to good account 
now; last year 8,000,000 frozen rabbits were exported, 
which would equal the weight of 420,000 sheep. 
The total returns from this export, including skins, is 
estimated at $750,000. 
* 
New York is the greatest market in this country, 
if not in the world. The millions who live within 15 
miles of Central Park include people from all over the 
world—with a wonderful diversity of tastes and de¬ 
sires. Probably anything grown or manufactured, 
that has real value, can be sold in this great city. 
The trouble is for the individual to find a customer. 
The way to find a needle in a hay stack would be to 
shake the hay over a big magnet. The R. N.-Y. is in 
a position to find a market for almost any odd pro¬ 
duct. Tell us what you have and we will help secure 
the market. 
* 
Nearly a century ago certain French officers 
thought they saw in China a great opportunity to 
add glory and wealth to France. They desired to 
seize and hold these Chinese provinces. Napoleon 
when asked for an opinion, said: “No, we might 
teach the Chinese the art of war!” What he meant 
was that the Chinese were then a peaceful, harmless 
nation. Should France arouse the evil of aggression 
or revenge the world would be sure to suffer. Na¬ 
poleon was justly considered a past master in the art 
and science of war. Our grandchildren may live to 
see that his conclusions were correct. 
* 
So much has been said about “blight” in potatoes 
that whenever the vines appear sick we are apt to 
declare that they are “blighted.” Many fields this 
year have been injured by the extreme heat. The 
vines turn brown ana the leaves are full of holes. 
Some of the hills die while others droop and slowly 
fade. This is not true blight, though it is very harm¬ 
ful to the yield. It doesn’t make much difference 
what it is, for Bordeaux Mixture applied in time seems 
to be close to a “cure-all” for all the ills of the potato 
vine. Our experience is that plants well coated with 
Bordeaux are well insured against blight, flea beetles 
or heat! 
* 
It will pay farmers to give a little thought to the 
results of organized effort, as shown by the work of 
the Society of American Florists. Years ago the ex¬ 
press companies showed little wish to accommodate 
the members of this trade, or even to show them fair¬ 
ness and courtesy. An individual florist did not 
count. The trade, however, formed a compact or¬ 
ganization; committees were delegated to study the 
question of express rates and classification, and after 
persistent hammering better rates were obtained. 
Now the florists are trying to modify freight classi¬ 
fications, and to compel express companies to pay the 
stamp tax on receipts. Every concession thus ob¬ 
tained is a benefit to others. They are also deter¬ 
mined to head a strong agitation for a domestic par¬ 
cels post system. This persistent work is bound to 
have effect, and it offers a good example to other 
horticultural organizations, who will at least be glad 
to share the benefits when the battle is won. 
* 
Have town authorities any right to compel a 
farmer to pay a license for selling his products inside 
the town limits? That question has come up again. 
We take the position that a farmer who sells his own 
goods has a perfect right t® trade on the streets. The 
town authorities may specify certain streets or hours 
for the bulk of such business, but we protest against 
the license feature. Next week we shall report a re¬ 
cent case at Springfield, Ill., and we shall be glad to 
have readers tell us of any cases where trouble has 
been had over a license. It will pay to get together 
on this matter and make such things public. 
• 
It is asserted that many of the prairie fires in Mon¬ 
tana and western Dakota, which have destroyed the 
grass on the ranges, have been started by the concen¬ 
tration of the sun’s rays upon broken beer bottles, 
which are scattered along the trails and wagon roads. 
It seems quite possible that the curved glass lying up¬ 
on a tuft of tindery grass may focus the sun’s rays 
like a regular burning glass. Many fires have started 
far from human interference or locomotive sparks, 
and the broken-bottle theory seems the only way to 
account for them. According to this, a beer bottle 
cannot be regarded as harmless even when empty. It 
is dangerous at all times! 
• 
The following statement from our old friend P. 
H. Jacobs is good reading now: Just why the “poul¬ 
try”’ papers should fill their columns with literature 
devoted to the Belgian hare is a mystery, as the Bel¬ 
gian hare has no greater right to be classed among 
the fowls than has the setter dog or kangaroo. Those 
who buy hares on high “scores” will pay more for 
“ticking,” “ear lacing,” “hazel eyes,” etc., than for any 
quality recommending them for market. In fact, they 
are bred entirely for “fancy,” which will sooner or 
later cause their downfall. It is simply another 
“morus-multicaulis” craze, or boom, which will fall 
by its own weight. The “best” hares are sold for ears, 
tail, and feet, rather than for the pot, and are not in¬ 
tended to improve animals for market at all. 
» 
Farmers in the southern tier of New York counties 
are suffering from one of the most severe droughts 
they have ever known. They read of floods of rain 
in other sections. In some cases localities not 25 
miles away have fair showers while they are parch¬ 
ing. Why and how is this? Such conditions are not 
uncommon when it is a very dry time. Some small 
area will have showers, and when once the showers 
begin they are more likely to continue; such is the 
prevailing opinion. A man who has given the 
weather some study from the work of the Weather 
Bureau, said he didn’t know what made the begin¬ 
ning of such peculiarity unless it resulted from some 
fall in temperature; but after showers begin, the 
cooling effect of the evaporating moisture would nat¬ 
urally tend to cool the current of vapor-laden air 
enough to cause it to drop some of its moisture. “To 
him that hath, it shall be given.” 
* 
In May of this year the President signed what is 
known as the Lacey Act, in which Congress gives the 
United States Department of Agriculture authority to 
regulate the importation of live wild birds and an¬ 
imals, and to assist in the enforcement of existing 
State laws forbidding the transportation of game 
from one State to another. All persons importing 
live wild birds or animals from foreign countries 
must now have a special permit from the United 
States Secretary of Agriculture. Exception is made 
in the case of canaries, parrots and certain other cage 
birds. This law has not thus far been construed as 
referring to dead game, and until the Attorney Gen¬ 
eral renders a decision to the contrary, importers of 
dead birds and animals will be able to carry on their 
business without any special permits. The primary 
idea of this feature of the law is to give the Depart¬ 
ment power to keep out certain injurious birds and 
animals, such as the mongoose, Fruit bat, English 
sparrow, starling, and any other species that may 
from time to time be adjudged injurious; but not to 
interfere with the business of law-abiding game deal¬ 
ers. The second part of the law relating to the trans¬ 
portation of game from one State to another, was 
enacted in the hope of getting a better enforcement 
of the State laws in this particular. Heretofore some 
State officials have been a little afraid of exceeding 
their authority, and many disliked to get mixed up 
in affairs that would take them into other States, so 
a large amount of game has been shipped from one 
State to another unlawfully. Now that the general 
Government has authority to take such cases in hand. 
it is quite probable that these matters will be handled 
much more strictly. The Lacey Act provides that all 
packages of game shipped from one State to another 
shall be plainly marked with name of shipper and 
consignee and character of contents. Failure to do 
this will make the shipper, carrier and receiver each 
liable to a fine of $200. All persons hunting or fish¬ 
ing should be well informed on the game laws, as 
otherwise expensive blunders may be made, and 
ignorance of the law is not considered a good ex¬ 
cuse. The names of the officials of any State, Terri¬ 
tory, or district, or any Province of Canada, who will 
furnish full particulars in regard to State laws, will 
be sent on application to this office. County laws 
must also be looked after, for, while counties may not 
extend the open season of the State, in many cases the 
county officials have power to shorten it. 
* 
It seems evident from reports that come from Re¬ 
publican headquarters that the managers have given 
up the idea of nominating S. E. Payne for Governor 
of New York State. They must have heard from 
thousands ot dairymen, and such men are quick to see 
danger signals. You never can tell about such 
things, and it will not be safe to assume that the bat¬ 
tle is over. We still urge dairymen to write to 
headquarters protesting against Mr. Payne’s nomin¬ 
ation on account of his record on the oleo question. 
That is the point to stick to. Let us make the poli¬ 
ticians understand that this oleo question is of more 
importance just now to the cow man than any other. 
We have nothing particularly against Mr. Payne ex¬ 
cept that he seems to believe that oleo should be per¬ 
mitted to masquerade in the guise of butter. In that 
case he will not as Governor do what the farmers con¬ 
sider to be his duty. That is reason enough for the 
farmex*s to oppose him from the caucus to the polls, 
and it is our conviction that thousands of them 
would do so. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
REPRINTED BY REQUEST. 
While earth swings between the poles. 
Every head has seven holes; 
Mouth and nose and eyes and ears. 
Where one talks, smells, sees and hears. 
They are given us to use; 
We may cherish or abuse; 
Use them well and we shall find 
Health of body and of mind. 
Overeat and smell too much— 
Things so strong they need a crutch— 
Spend time watching useless things. 
Hark the tempter when it sings. 
Mind and body then straightway 
Enter slow and sure decay. 
And the prize and hopes of life 
For v.hich we endure the strife 
Will be given or refused 
By the way these holes are used. 
While the earth swings between the poles, 
Every head has seven holes. 
A catch crop—briers. 
Say whoa to your woes. 
It looks now like better potato prices. 
The man with a hoe is a walking cultivator. 
What is the height of the hired man’s ambition? 
Cut the corn’s acquaintance with Mother Earth. 
Some people are made convicts by their convictions. 
The way to live down your past is to live up your 
future. 
Some grasp an opportunity—others kick at it some are 
knocked down by It. 
What do you think of Mr. Norton’s plan of cutting 
corn so it will dry out as cut? 
Mr. Scarff seems to think the Ohio boy has a little too 
much “boy” In him to make a good berry picker. 
“Cross the bridge when you come to it.” Yes, but 
sometimes it is gone before you can reach it unless you 
hurry. 
Who has grown the longest shoot on the Ruby Queen 
rose? We are receiving many reports from readers who 
have done well with their plants. 
Mr. Grout, author of the anti-oleo bill, is a candidate 
for United States Senator from Vermont. He should be 
elected, for Vermont is a dairy State. 
Remember —you who wish to be beautiful that God 
gives you your features but leaves you the chance to fill 
them with a lovely expression or a foul distortion. 
Experiments in Rhode Island indicate that the cow 
pea thrives better without lime than with it. If this be 
true it would be good practice to use lime after cow peas 
on corn. 
The Florists’ Hail Association now carries insurance 
upon over 13,000,000 square feet of glass. During the past 
year this Association paid for over 74,000 square feet of 
glass broken by hail. 
“I won’t have a fruit tree on my place,” said a very 
successful small fruit grower recently. “Father had the 
tree-planting fever, and had it so that he made life a 
burden to us. Even now I don’t like a tree.” 
Oregon thrashers say that thrashing by the day no 
longer pays, and many are now letting out their ma¬ 
chines by the day, the farmer paying all expenses. The 
plan is thought to be fairer all round, for if the grain is 
slow in thrashing the farmer must pay the additional 
cost, while if it thrashes out rapidly he is the gainer. 
