THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 18 
126 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homei. 
Established 1850. 
Egbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chlef. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentine, I . 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, j-Associate Editor*. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
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ADVERTISING RATES. 
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Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.,” 7ft 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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Remittances may be made in money order, postal order, expresr 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1899. 
SPECIAL CATALOGUE NUMBER. 
Our special catalogue number will be dated March 
11, and it is very likely that there will be an overflow 
number the following week. There are many reasons 
why it seems well to issue these catalogue numbers, 
but there is an objection; viz., that many of the cat¬ 
alogues are not received in time for them. One ad¬ 
vantage seems to be that, when these careful reviews 
are all placed together, so to say, our readers may 
select just those catalogues that they have use for, 
instead of sending for catalogues indiscriminately as 
they are announced in advertising columns. We have 
always advised our readers to try novelties which are 
announced in a conservative way. If we would pro¬ 
gress, we must try new things, new methods; but, as 
in previous years, we would caution readers against ex¬ 
aggerated claims. It would certainly seem that sub¬ 
stantial firms can ill afford to overpraise any novelty 
that they may have to offer. Those who praise super¬ 
latively are often firms that care less for good and 
lasting reputations for fair dealing than they do for 
the gain which may come through several years of 
gross misrepresentation. Naturally, our annual cat¬ 
alogue number deals with new things, or those which, 
from the descriptions, seem to be worthy of introduc¬ 
tion. It may well happen, therefore, that the cata¬ 
logues of some of the very best firms in the country 
who deal cautiously in novelties, and who do not 
praise them until they have been tried in their own 
grounds, will receive shorter reviews than the cata¬ 
logues of those firms which have been established 
more recently, and which announce the most startling 
novelties. 
Gov. Roosevelt probably played ball when he was 
a boy. He is old enough to remember the old rule 
of “ out on the first bounce!” He is now umpiring 
the great game between the State of New York and 
the politicians. We suggest as a proper man to put 
out on the bounce. Mr. Hamilton Busbey—he who 
drew his salary but failed to do his duty. 
The Russian Minister of Agriculture has asked for 
an appropriation to enable him to carry out a scheme 
for replanting with American vines those vineyards 
which have been devastated by phylloxera. The Lon¬ 
don Fruitgrower, Fruiterer and Florist states that, 
where American and native vines are planted together 
in European vineyards, the American varieties can be 
distinguished at a distance by their strong growth, as 
contrasted with the weaker diseased Europeans. Ex¬ 
periments in such planting will be of interest to our 
grape growers. 
Last week we told how the apple growers of Con¬ 
necticut were urged to form a company or trust for 
the purpose of growing and selling good fruit. The 
Vermont maple-sugar makers purpose to incorporate 
a stock company to handle, grade and sell Vermont 
maple sugar. They want to establish a maple-sugar 
market at some central point where sugar shall be 
sent to be sold under a copyrighted label. If they 
can control a fair share of the output of sugar, they 
can, undoubtedly, offer uniform grades of sugar, and 
obtain fairer prices. These movements in Connecti¬ 
cut and Vermont indicate that, at last, the Yankees 
realize what they must do in order to meet western 
competition. In several standard articles, they have 
the advantage of nearness to market. Now they must 
get together and organize so as to sell uniform and 
standard grades of goods. The West sends uniform 
grades of fruit because great corporations are able to 
control large quantities of it. The eastern individual 
cannot compete much longer with the West. An 
organization of individuals can easily do so. 
The annual meeting of the Eastern New York Hor¬ 
ticultural Society will be held at Albany, February 
21-28. A programme both strong and varied has 
been prepared, and there ought to be a large gathering 
of Hudson River Valley fruit growers. A committee 
of this society has framed a bill to define the size of 
small-fruit packages, which has been introduced at 
Albany. This and other legislative matters will be 
discussed. There ought to be 1,000 fruit growers at 
this meeting. It is an important thing. Organization 
is now the watchword. With it the eastern grower 
can accomplish much. Without it he will be left 
behind by the western fruit trains. 
The Abbott bill, introduced February 2 in the Illi¬ 
nois legislature, provides that all teachers in the un¬ 
graded schools of the State shall be required to teach 
the elements of agricultural science. July 1, 1901, is 
named as the last date, after which no teacher shall 
be employed to teach in the ungraded schools, who has 
not passed a satisfactory examination in fundamental 
husbandry. The bill provides that “ suitable studies 
shall be prepared under the supervision of the Dean 
of the College of Agriculture, the Professor of Horti¬ 
culture of the State University, the State Entomolo¬ 
gist and the State Superintendent of Public Instruc¬ 
tion.” 
Two notable articles that should be studied this 
week are those by A. R. Phillips and Dr. .lames Law. 
Think of boiling pigskin with maple chips and call¬ 
ing the scum “ maple flavor” ! Think, also, of a jury 
requiring eight hours to decide that such stuff is a 
fraud 1 Surely we have come upon evil days when 
such rascals are able to muster the cheek even to go 
into court to defend their filthy stuff. Last Summer, 
we told how tuberculous cattle are brought into New 
York and sold to dairymen. That is another form of 
rascality that must be stopped this year. It is a good 
thing that, all over the country, farmers are “getting 
their mad up” over these frauds and abuses. You 
can help and so can you by telling your representative 
that you want him to support this bill. 
• 
• • 
TnK burden of large numbers of reports from grow¬ 
ers and shippers of farm products in various parts of 
the country is to the effect that the transportation 
companies absorb so large a part of the proceeds of 
the crop, that no profit is left. In many cases, rates 
are much higher over short routes where there is no 
competition, than over long ones where there is com¬ 
petition, so that often nearby markets are unavaila¬ 
ble except for choice products that cannot be shipped 
long distances. Competition between transportation 
companies often settles many difficulties. Coopera¬ 
tion among shippers goes far towards solving many 
other problems. The main reason why farmers often 
fail to secure recognition is because they are not 
agreed. Combination works wonders. 
“ New York SUtte is temporizing with the devil instead 
of standing by the Lord," is the way Gov. Hoard ex¬ 
pressed the conditions in the Empire State, at the 
dairy meeting at Gouverneur. Wisconsin, he says, has 
driven oleomargarine and filled cheese out of that State. 
Here is a resolution that he suggested to the com¬ 
mittee at the Gouverneur meeting : 
Resolved: That we desire to tender to Congressman Wilson, of 
Wisconsin, our hearty support and earnest desire for the pas¬ 
sage of his bill to tax all colored oleomargarine 10cents a pound. 
This resolution was not accepted by the committee, 
but another one of a more general nature substituted, 
in which it was stated that the dairymen of the meet¬ 
ing would support any Congressional bill that would 
restrict the manufacture of oleomargarine to legiti¬ 
mate lines, whether this might be done by tax or 
otherwise. Gov. Hoard was somewhat disappointed 
over the failure of the committee to present his reso¬ 
lution. In speaking about the matter, he said that 
he had found friends of the oleo law where he did not 
expect to find them. In other States, he had known 
legislators, who had the money of the oleo manufac¬ 
turers in their pockets, forced by the pressure of con¬ 
stituents to vote for measures restricting its trade. 
The oleo people, he said, are uncompromising fighters, 
and he believes in putting up an uncompromising fight 
against them. It was the general impression about 
the meeting that the New York State Agricultural 
Department is opposed to Congressman Davidson’s 
bill, or to any bill that imposes a tax on oleomargar¬ 
ine. It was also said by some farmers, that the De¬ 
partment did not want to drive oleomargarine out of 
the State, because the politicians wanted to be able 
to call on the manufacturers for campaign funds. 
There may be, and there may not be, justice in this in¬ 
sinuation, but in any event, it would seem becoming 
on the part of the Department to speak out plainly, 
and give its position and its reasons for whatever 
ground it may see fit to take. This is no time for 
those who are supposed to represent our dairymen, to 
remain silent, and permit such things to be said about 
it. We favor the increased tax, for that seems the 
quickest and most effective way to go to the fountain 
head of the evil. Stop temporizing, and fight boldly 
for justice ! 
Scarcely a day passes without the daily papers re¬ 
cording the formation or incorporation of some new 
trust or combination. The latest formed or in process 
of formation include manufacturers of or dealers in 
ice, breakfast cereals, cars, enameled ware, tinware, 
whisky, canned salmon, prunes, window glass, to¬ 
bacco, and many others. A noticeable feature of many 
of these is the immense capital named in the articles 
of incorporation, in some cases as high as $50,000,000. 
There seems to be an epidemic of these great corpora¬ 
tions, and nothing seems able to stem the tide. One 
Chicago paper facetiously observes that there are now 
just 11 common commodities not controlled by trusts. 
These are cut flowers, spectacles, millinery, coffee and 
tea, fruits (except prunes), vegetables, pies and cakes, 
eggs, butter and cheese, poultry and game, watches 
and jewelry. 
There is a bill before the New York Legislature to 
reduce the legal rate of interest from six to five per 
cent. “The Merchants’ Association of New York” is 
sending circulars to the papers asking them to oppose 
this bill, because, they say, it will make the banking 
business unprofitable ! 
The bankB of this State can barely exist at the present interest 
rate, and much banking capital Is already withdrawing. To re¬ 
duce the Interest rate to five per cent will make nearly all banks 
In the State losing ventures, curtail the credit of nearly all small 
merchants, and cause great shrinkage In farmers’ consumption 
during part of the year. 
Why not cut down a few of the great salaries paid to 
bank officers and clerks? The earning capacity of 
most other business property has been reduced. So 
have the incomes of most farmers and small trades¬ 
men. Why should the banking business be singled 
out for State protection ? 
BREVITIES. 
REMARKS BY MR. HOG. 
It makes me very weary—all this fighting over beef! 
“Embalmed”! “Decayed”! “Unfit to eat”! Of course, it came 
to grief. 
The lazy ox may safely feed the peaceful citizen, 
But so, for all that comes to, may the cow or sheep or hen; 
But when men shoulder muskets, and go oil' to desert lands, 
And boldly take their country’s weighty contract in their hands, 
The ox would wisely stay at home with children and with wife, 
He’s built for home consumption—for a peaceful sort of life. 
But down on freedom’s fighting line, where angry muskets talk, 
The thing that stands right by ’em is your humble servant’s pork. 
You go right back through history, where Yankee manhood led, 
Go ask what noble deeds were done—and how the men were fed ! 
And will you find the lazy ox before Miss Freedom’s goad ? 
No! No! My hams and shoulders bore the burden of that load. 
I never need embalming—all I need is smoke and salt, 
Then through the smoke of battle you may order the assault. 
Your beef may do to fatten politicians pretty well, 
But put my pork and bacon where the fumes of powder smell. 
Work without faith is slow. 
Mislaid— the soft-shelled egg. 
The sitting hen believes in fowl brood. 
Who would willingly take a “ bitter pill ” ? 
The opinions of the objector are “ tainted.” 
The cow, like the Spaniard, is better for a licking. 
Yes, sir, the blue-blooded dairy cow is a bred stuff. 
Sow the cow pea on the poorest fields in the rotation. 
Germany now reports no San Josd scale in her orchards. 
There is no honest business in which rum and success can act 
as partners. 
It is the acid of adversity that tests the fat In the inllk of hu- 
man kindness. 
Money won’t make the nightmare bred from an evil con¬ 
science, “ go.” 
This country doesn’t need a wave of prosperity. We want a 
.calm ocean of it. 
Don’t fear that the female San Jose scale will tly from tree to 
tree. It cannot fly. 
A list of apples inclvdiug Red Astrachan, Greening and Rox- 
bury Russet will last from July to July. 
It is reported that a beet-sugar factory will be built at Dun¬ 
kirk, N. Y. It will handle the beets from 3,000 acres. 
“ He has the interests of the farmer at heart! ” That’s good as 
far as it goes, but don’t keep them concealed there. Out with 
them through the mouth now and then. 
The Ayrshire cow is a livelier animal than the average Ayr¬ 
shire breeder. It is claimed that men often absorb habits and 
traits from their animal associates. This doesn’t seem to be 
true, for the Ayrshire cow is a hustler and lets people know she 
is alive. 
