7o8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ootober 20 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home*. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, ) 
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, 82.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or 8J4 marks, or 10!4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 1 nes 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 ceuts 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, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1900. 
American fruit growers have been remarkably suc¬ 
cessful ac the Paris Exposition. Thus far they have 
won 126 prizes—58 of therr Deing firsts. The apples 
and plums sent by the Geneva Experiment Station 
were very fine—the plums being considered the best 
seen in Paris. No use talking, this will prove a great 
advertisement for American fruit in Europe. Here 
we are buying millions of dollars worth of sweets 
from Europe. Let us now try to sell fruit acids in the 
original package to Europeans. 
On page 628 we referred to a lawsuit between two 
brothers living in Orange Co., N. Y. One man, a 
peach grower, claimed that bees belonging to his 
brother did great damage t his peach crop. The bee¬ 
keeper is a poor man, unable to secure expert testi¬ 
mony, and the local justice fined him $25. We have 
never believed that this case will stand the test of an 
appeal t^ a higher court. There was a family feud 
mixed up in the case—a rich man against a poor one. 
The bee was punished for the bitter sting left by 
hatred and family spite. The National Beekeepers’ 
Association has authorized an appeal to the county 
court, and has pledged money to carry it up. Carry 
it up by all means. The honey-bee is not guilty of 
peach stealing. 
* -> 
We often read of the excellent instruction in horti¬ 
culture ana agriculture given m country schools 
abroad. In French schools, theoretical training is 
given during regular lessons, while the practical 
work, budding, grafting, pruning, etc., is almost in¬ 
variably done out of school hours. The teachers say 
that this is the pleasantest time that they spend with 
their pupils, affording them the best possible chance 
to know them. Once a month, from May to Septem¬ 
ber, visits are paid to nurseries or farms, and the 
walk is made an occasion for collecting plants and 
insects, or for a lesson in land surveying. The chil¬ 
dren are encouraged to contribute to the school mu¬ 
seum, where varieties of insects are classified accord¬ 
ing to the good or evil they do. Text-books are con¬ 
demned by the French teachers; they rely upon the 
practical knowledge of real things. Such teaching is 
of incalculable value, but tnere is, apparently, little 
room for it in our present system. 
* 
The following letters have been received from can¬ 
didates for Congress in New lork State since our last 
issue: 
While I am not familiar with the text of the Grout 
bill, I infer from your letter that it is favorable to the 
dairy interest, and if so, I would favor its passage by 
Congress. henry martin. 
Utica, N. Y. 
I have a large constituency of farmers, and it will be 
my pleasure in the event of my election, to vote in favor 
of the Grout bill, as it comes up for final passage. I be¬ 
lieve fully in the principle of protecting the products of 
the farm in all proper ways, from the imitations and 
adulterations of every sort intended to deceive pur¬ 
chasers, and in this manner do an injury to the tillers of 
the soil. ALBERT D. SHAW. 
Watertown, N. Y. 
I have not read the Grout bill, so I cannot say how I 
shall vote for it. In a small way, I am a farmer my¬ 
self, and live in a rural district. If I thought, on ex¬ 
amination, that the bill is for the interests of the farm¬ 
ers, I should certainly support it, as most of my neighbors 
and many of my constituents belong to that class. Some 
of the farmers in my district have already talked to me 
about the bill, and they all seem to be in favor of it. 
Unless I should run across something that seems un¬ 
constitutional in its provisions, I know no reason why 
I should not support it. james b. perkins. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
No lard or suet about these men. They are straight 
dairy goods—extras. 
We have been much interested in the story of a 
farm owned by a man now of middle age. This man 
must take pride in the ability to write this note: 
It is the farm which people have always said should 
have been mine by right of inheritance from my grand¬ 
father’s property. Instead, I was left nothing from that 
source. Now the farm is mine, within a few hundred 
dollars, from my own earnings, and I presume I am 
much better off than I would have been had I received 
it from my grandfather’s will. 
You probably know people whd would have quit, 
discouraged, when the land which they felt was their 
own, by inheritance, was not given them. This man 
was made of sterner stuff. He wanted that farm and 
he set out manfully io earn it. Of course he is better 
off for the struggle. Who will say otherwise? 
* 
It is said that $1,000,000 has been appropriated for 
the purpose of building good roads in the Philippine 
Islands, 'ine total cost of the war thus far has been 
figured at $175,000,000! Suppose instead of *x,000,000 
Americans had spent $25,000,000 for good roads for 
the Filipino and $150,000,000 for the same purpose at 
home. Would not every one under the shadow of 
the nag” be better off for it? There is another way 
of looking at it. The total cost of the War and Navy 
Departments for last year was $293,783,358.72. Now 
just compare this with the total year’s value of some 
farm crops: 
Total rye crop.$12,214,118 
" Barley crop . 29,594,245 
“ Buckwheat crop . 6,183,675 
“ Potato crop . 89,328,832 
“ Oat crop .198,167,975 
War evidently eat3 a big slice out of the farmer’s 
bread and butter. 
• 
When strictly fresh eggs are scarce, retailers work 
off the better grades of cold-storage stock in their 
place, and it is said that this almost invariably results 
in a marked increased demand for new-laid eggs. The 
reason given is that people who are used to eating 
fresh eggs immediately know the difference between 
these and the best refrigerators. As one man ex¬ 
pressed it, “A refrigerator egg always has a sort of 
far-away taste, and a man who has a soft-boiled one 
for breakfast one morning, doesn’t want any of the 
same breed the next.” The consequence is that he at 
once tells las grocer that he must have fresh eggs or 
none. Then the grocer hustles around to get them, and 
when a large numoer of retailers are doing the same 
thing, of course there is a noticeably increased call 
for fresh eggs. This shows that even at their best 
refrigerator eggs are not equal to new-laid. It also 
shows that the public is learning more and more to 
discriminate in favor of fresh goods. 
* 
As a means of exercising a buir, and incidentally 
exercising a burglar at the same time, we may sug¬ 
gest the use of the animal as a special policeman. A 
burglar recently entered a farmhouse in New York 
State, and, making up a collection of all the valuables 
within reach, sneaked out again without arousing any 
of the inmates. In an unlucky moment he decided to 
leave by way of an apple orchard, unaware that it 
was tenanted by an Alderney bull. The animal made 
a dash for the intruder, who, clinging to his booty, 
succeeded in scrambling up a tree. The bull, whose 
disposition appeared to be somewhat strenuous, re¬ 
peatedly charged the tree, and favored the trembling 
burglar with a highly-realistic arena performance, 
until early morning, when the farmer gathered in 
both the burglar and his booty. The only element of 
uncertainty in this incident is the question whether 
the Alderney bull would confine his police duties to 
a burglar, or whether he would be equally willing to 
tree the family minister, if the reverend gentleman 
should take a short cut through the orchard, after 
making a pastoral call. 
A few weeks ago we referred to city men who buy 
farms and undertake to operate them through a man¬ 
ager. At that time we mentioned some of the failings 
of the owner, who does not usually conduct his farm 
as he would his regular business. The fault is not all 
with the city man. The practical manager often con¬ 
tributes to the failure. He is sometimes a dogmatic, 
obstinate man who is bound to have his own way 
through thick or thin. He sneers at his employer’s 
ideas, and goes out of his way to ridicule them. A 
position of this sort requires the nicest sort of diplo¬ 
macy, yet some men bluntly and foolishly argue and 
grumble, and of course ruin the year’s work. Again, 
others become extravagant when somebody else foots 
the bills. On their own farm they would make a good 
living with fair capital. When working for another 
they begin to demand new tools, better stock, and 
larger capital. We speak of these things because men, 
who appear to be good farmers are writing to see if 
they cannot get a job as manager for some rich farm¬ 
er. They will find that such positions demand some¬ 
thing more than the ability to grow good crops. 
A reader in western New York sends us a clipping 
from a paper which is advocating the reelection to 
Congress of J. W. Wadsworth. This paper prints an 
article containing the following: 
What is oleomargarine? It is simply natural fats com¬ 
bined in such a way as to produce an agreeable and 
healthful food. Every one of its constituents when in a 
separate form is used as food, and every constituent 
is recognized as healthful. When united these various 
fats form a compound containing every constituent found 
in butter, and the only difference between oleomargarine 
and butter is due to a flavoring substance natural to 
butter, but not found in oleomargarine. Oleomargarine 
is not “imitation butter’’—it is artificial butter. It has 
the same relation to butter that manufactured fertilizers 
have to stable or barn yard manure. The science of 
chemistry in both cases ascertains the essential consti¬ 
tuents and their proportions, combines them, and the 
results are artificial products having all the essential 
properties necessary to the food of the human being and 
the food of the plant. 
It is not often that the oleo men give themselves so 
completely away. We accept their statement that 
oleo is not butter any more than chemical fertilizers, 
made and tagged in a factory, are the same as stable 
manure. What would be thought of a man who added 
water anu straw to the fertilizer and sold it for stable 
manure? You would justly call him a fraud and a 
fool. What then is the man who colors his oleo yel¬ 
low and sells it as butter? He is certainly a fraud, 
but he cannot be called a fool while he can obtain the 
support of such men as Wadsworth and Payne of New 
York. It is well that New York has some men\ of a 
different stamp to represent ner in Congress. Here is 
a letter from Congressman Vreeland: 
I was greatly interested in the passage of the Grout 
bill at the last session of Congress, and did what I could 
to force its consideration in the House of Representa¬ 
tives. My position on the matter is unchanged and I 
shall work and vote for the bill at the next session of 
Congress. I have no objection to the manufacture or sale 
of oleomargarine, but I want it to stand on its own bot¬ 
tom and sell upon its merits. e. b. vreeland. 
Salamanca, N. Y. 
That last sentence covers the whole ground. No one 
objects to the manufacture and sale of oleo provided 
it is sold for what it is—a mixture of lard, suet and 
cotton-seed oil. It is a crime to permit the oleo men 
to color their stuff yellow and sell it as butter. The 
Grout bill will stop this fraud, and Wadsworth and 
Payne are against the Grout bill. There is the issue 
clearly put. How can any dairyman support these 
men? 
* 
BREVITIES. 
“My party right or wrong!" There is the link 
False, weak, uncertain, in the chain that holds 
Our liberties in freedom’s anchorage. 
What is a party? Bold and scheming men, 
Masters at playing with the strings that rouse 
Passion and prejudice—with cunning art, 
Fashion a lot of wordy sentences 
Which may mean much or nothing as they please. 
Call it a “platform,” and expect that you 
And others like you -will fall blindly in 
Behind and push them safely to the goal. 
And good men do it, grumbling, it is true, 
Yet, with the party lash upon their backs 
Boosting the party boss—a throned king 
Who makes republics but a mockery. 
Who walks roughshod his vile corrupting way 
Because the men who long to pull him down 
Like cowards say: “My party right or wrong!” 
If our republic live it will be saved 
Not by the voters who fall blindly in 
Behind the men and measures they detest, 
But by the hated “anti” who will vote 
Not to elect, but always to defeat. 
“Taking pains” doesn’t seem to be catching. 
It is evidently painful for some folks to take pains. 
Prices for apples do not go up as fast as they ought to. 
The great wind played tag with many fields of shocked 
corn. 
Grit is required to lay either sound plans or sound 
eggs. 
The lazy man and the broody hen both wrestle with be¬ 
setting sins. 
The lazy man is like lightning in one way—he takes 
the path of least resistance. 
There seems to be sure proof that mosquitoes do carry 
the germs of malaria and prick them in. 
The San Jos6 scale works up the tree. We hope the 
scale of your wages works the same way. 
Yes, the hen that flew into the tree to roost through 
the long storm will most likely prove a case of in flew 
hen sir! 
The Southern Winter oats give a more luxuriant Fall 
growth than any grain we have tried. They make ex¬ 
cellent Fall pasture. 
Egypt is exporting eggs. Last year 39,761,000 eggs were 
exported from the land of Cleopatra. This year the egg 
exports promise to reach 70,000,000—two-thirds going to 
England. 
For July and August of this year the exports to the 
Philippine Islands from this country were valued at 
$527,332. Of this $161,922 represented malt liquors with 
$19,916 for spirits. 
And now, when scale and measure tell the tale 
Of shortened crop, the farmer sadly thinks 
“Had I but fed my crop with half the zeal 
With which I fed myself, I now could buy 
The dress which I have promised to my wife.” 
