33 o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 29 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S TAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
pline work if applied to some of the hired labor on 
our farms ? Wouldn’t it be likely to lead to a small 
rebellion ? Are these rules unreasonable ? They are 
simply the application of business principles in deal¬ 
ing with actions that mean serious losses if persisted in. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-In-Chief. 
Herbert W. Colli no wood, Managing Editor. 
srE H i v c™' 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY , APRIL 29, 1899. 
For a picture of perfect human satisfaction and 
bovine content, we will match that shown on page 325 
against the world. Two fast friends who trust each 
other implicitly 1 Naught but kindness has the four- 
footed one known. Fear has no place in her regard 
for her owner. No devices for kicking cows are needed 
here. Those beautiful horns are the crowning glory 
of a shapely head on a symmetrical body. No wonder 
the owner has such a pleased expression. And hasn’t 
the contented state of mind of that cow much to do 
with her wonderful records ? The picture is a won¬ 
derfully suggestive one, and makes one long for a 
place which renders possible such peace and quiet 
happiness as are here portrayed. 
The question of mulching melons is discussed on 
page 321. The mulching of potatoes, especially in 
dry seasons and on dry soils, has often proved its 
efficacy. In the discussion, the value of a mulch on 
raspberries is mentioned. But these crops require a 
cool, moist soil to reach their best development, 
while the melon requires considerable warmth to be 
at its best. Other plants come in the same category. 
Who would think of mulching corn or tomatoes ? Do 
not such crops, which we may call sun plants, require 
clean soil, fully open to the sun’s rays, to make them 
of highest quality ? The chief requisite in melons is 
quality, and we do not believe that this can be highly 
developed if the ground be covered with a mulch. 
• 
• • 
In our advertising columns, a firm of cheesemakers 
are offering full cream cheese, weighing 5 and 20 
pounds each, for family use and to grocers. This 
seems like a move in the right direction. Many a 
family would be glad to get a regular supply of such 
cheese of uniform quality, and the consumption of 
cheese would be largely increased if these could be 
supplied. The greatest difficulty in the way of this 
sort of business is the cost of transportation. If this 
were reasonable, or if we were permitted to send such 
products by mail as is done in England, there seems 
almost no limit to the extent to which such a business 
could be developed. But this may be partially over¬ 
come by cooperation, several families uniting in mak¬ 
ing purchases. The same method of advertising 
might well be applied to many other farm products. 
Farmers would be the gainers in many instances by a 
more liberal use of printer’s ink. 
Dwarf Essex rape is a plant possessing many good 
qualities. It makes a fine pasture for sheep or swine 
—prolonging the supply of green fodder far into the 
Autumn, This plant has a number of “ fool friends,” 
however, who will make trouble for it. These friends 
are claiming that it is as good as clover for green 
manuring, and that it will “ smother out ” a crop like 
Quack grass if sown thickly in the Spring. Both of 
these statements are false, as any man at all compe¬ 
tent to sell seeds ought to know. Rape takes its plant 
food from the soil. It has no ability to take nitrogen 
from the air. It requires strong, rich land in order 
to make a fair crop. A profitable green manuring 
crop should add fertility to the soil, and should be 
able to mike its growth on comparatively poor soil. 
That is why the cow pea and the bean are so valu¬ 
able for this purpose. The claim that rape—or any 
other crop—will smother out Quack grass is a hum¬ 
bug ! The grass will continue to grow long after the 
“smothering” crop has been forgotten. 
What is known as the Commission Merchants bill 
finally passed the New York Assembly by a vote of 
78 to 62. The keynote of thijfcill is that it compels 
commission merchants to furnish to consignors on de¬ 
mand the names and addresses of purchasers. Opin¬ 
ions vary as to the effect of such a bill. The larger 
shippers, probably, would not demand the names. 
The smaller dealers, back in the country, who are 
often unmercifully plucked, might have a better 
chance to make collections through a third party. 
The fake merchants would, probably, try to evade the 
law by selling through dummy “ agents”. If the law 
were strictly enforced, the result would be that most 
goods would be sold at auction. Some of the most 
reliable merchants say that, if this bill become a law, 
they will refuse to receive consignments from New 
York State, as they will not submit themselves to such 
interference with their business. It is difficult to see 
how this law will aid in collecting for shipments to 
the fake commission merchants who are here to-day, 
and to-morrow are gone, nobody knows where. 
• 
• • 
Gov. Roosevelt has signed the bill which regulates 
the size of barrels for fruit and potatoes. Hereafter, 
such barrels must have the following dimensions : 
Head diameter , seventeen and one-eighth inches; length 
of stave, twenty-eight and one-half inches; bulge not less 
than sixty-four inches outside measurement. 
When potatoes are sold by weight, a barrel shall con¬ 
sist of 174 pounds. All “pony” barrels must be 
marked with the words “ short barrel ” in letters 
at least one inch long. A fine of $5 for each 
barrel is provided for each short-measure barrel 
used. This is a good bill. Mr. Charles Forster, of this 
City, as chairman of the committee that urged the 
bill, deserves credit for pushing it through. We 
don’t like the way our lawmakers put on gloves when 
handling some of those frauds. “ Process ” butter is, 
to our mind, too polite a name. “ Deviled ” butter is a 
truer name. “ Cheat barrel” would be far more cor¬ 
rect than “short.” Compel some of the rascals who 
adulterate and use short weight to put “ Liar”, 
“ Fraud”, “ Poisoned” on their packages, and see how 
quickly the business would stop. 
The street cleaners of New York City, or what was 
New York City before the consolidation of Brooklyn 
and other suburbs into Greater New York, all wear 
white duck uniforms. This was one of the innovations 
introduced by the late Col. Waring when he was Street- 
Cleaning Commissioner. Now the Brooklyn cleaners 
have been equipped in the same manner. There are, 
also, 50 rules of conduct, penalties for the infraction 
of which are one, two, three, five or ten days’ pay, or 
dismissal. Some of the rules relating to the handling 
or care of horses are interesting. For neglecting or 
abusing a horse, whipping or striking a horse, using 
a horse which is sick or lame, failure to feed or water 
a horse properly during work hours, deliberately 
trotting or galloping a horse, failure properly to care 
for horse, harness, cart, etc., before leaving stable 
after return from work, a man may be dismissed for 
the first offense. For failure to keep horse, harness, 
cart, machine, etc., in good order, and failure to report 
injury to them, neglecting to adjust harness properly 
while at work, neglecting to have lost shoes replaced 
on horses at nearest department stable as soon as prac¬ 
ticable, failure to remove bits, and dump cart while 
feeding at noon, a man may be fined varying amounts, 
and finally dismissed. How would this sort of disci¬ 
We are now at peace with Spain. Nothing remains 
but to pay the Spaniards that $ 20 ,000,000, and settle 
with the Filipinos. The latter part of the job is the 
harder part. Some of the papers are talking about 
this cash transaction with Spain as though Uncle 
Sam were new at the business. We paid $15,000,000 
for the Louisiana purchase, and $7,200,000 for Alaska. 
Great Britain paid us $15,500,000 on account of the 
Alabama claims, and we paid England $5,500,000 for 
fisheries privileges. These great sums seem like a 
boy’s pocket money by the side of the foreign busi¬ 
ness done by the American farmer. Here are some 
of the items of American farm products sent to foreign 
countries in 1898: 
Cattle.. 
Hay. 
....$1,151,273 
6,176 569 
Hops. 
.... 2,642,779 
Corn. 
Bacon. 
Oats. 
.. 20.632,914 
Ham. 
Wheat. 
Salt pork.... 
.... 4.906,961 
Wheat flour... 
Lard. 
... .39,710,672 
Cotton. 
Butter. 
.... 3,864,765 
Fruits. 
Cheese. 
These figures make the payment of $20,000,000 to Spain 
seem like a small affair. Why, the exports in ham 
and hay alone would pay the entire bill. So would 
the eggs laid in one month by American hens. Uncle 
Sam could settle this little bill by selling five per cent 
of his horses, 20 per cent of his mules, three per cent 
of his cattle, or 12 per cent of his hogs. It is a mighty 
good thing that Uncle Sam is a farmer. Some of his 
young folks who have gone to handle his goods in 
factory or town seem to think they are more import¬ 
ant than the old gentleman himself. Not a bit of it. 
The basis of Uncle Sam's wealth is now, and always 
will be, in the land. 
We sometimes wonder whether the English lan¬ 
guage really means anything, when it gets into law. 
No law seems to be understandable to the average 
layman. The question of the army canteen has long 
been a bone of contention. Temperance advocates 
have protested long and vehemently against what has 
often been shown to be a demoralizing agency, the 
army dramshop. The business has been driven out of 
the navy by the action of Secretary Long, all honor 
to him ! The last Congress expressly provided, “ No 
officer or private soldier shall be detailed to sell in¬ 
toxicating drinks, as a bartender or otherwise, in any 
post, exchange or canteen; neither shall any other 
person be required or allowed to sell such liquors in 
any encampment or fort, or on any premises used for 
military purposes by the United States.” Seems plain 
English enough, doesn’t it ? The ordinary mind, un¬ 
befuddled by legal lore or the intoxication of high 
position, would conclude that that put a stop to the 
whole business. But we have an Attorney-General 
of these United States, Griggs by name, one of whose 
duties is to interpret (?) the law. His expansive mind 
has led him to promulgate the “opinion” that “ it 
would be lawful and appropriate for the managers of 
the post exchanges to employ civilians for that pur¬ 
pose.” And there you have it. The law says plainly 
that a certain thing shall not be done, and the 
Attorney-General says that it may lawfully be done. 
In the words of a one-time statesman : “ Where are 
we at ? ” 
BREVITIES. 
“CUTTING A WIDE SWATH.” 
[see first-page illustration.] 
They come—the smart Ben Davis and the proud Miss Kleffer 
Pear; 
The swath they cut fills all the road whene’er they take the air. 
No use, old Brother Baldwin, Sister Spitzenburg, stand back, 
Climb on the fence there, Duchess, when these bluffers take the 
track. 
You may be sound and honest, with a taste almost Divine, 
But then your clothes are shabby—see those gaudy creatures 
shine! 
The arm of Mr. Market steals around Miss Kieffer’s waist; 
She’s handsome—we admit it, but he takes no second taste. 
She’s just a painted turnip, yet she’ll capture any man 
When well preserved as ensilage, with “ Bartlett ” on the can! 
We’ll let you pass, Miss Kieffer, if you’ll get yourself preserved, 
But only when you’re jailed inside a can is praise deserved. 
Now, as for you, Ben Davis, you will act your little play, 
And fool old Mr. Market, but he’ll find you out some day. 
Your clothes are mighty handsome, and you’re like a rubber ball 
For keeping, and your tree is stout—and there you tell it all. 
You think you’ve caught the foreigner—but easy, if you please, 
Some years ago we Yankees thought to feed the world on cheese, 
And so we skimmed the richness out, and filled the boxes full 
With filthy fat—Miss Canada now trades with Mr. Bull. 
They like your color over there, you’re jaunty and you’re spruce, 
But what they pay their money for is mellow apple juice ; 
And some day they’ll “get onto you ”, and understand your game. 
And then poor old Ben Davis will go sneaking by in shame, 
Ranked only poor pie apple. Come, old Baldwin, don’t you cry, 
Ben Davis holds his head up now, but wait till by and by. 
Talked out—air-drained. 
Wrinkles are “head lines ”. 
It takes faith and hope to make a trial balance. 
No one can keep a good man down—but himself. 
Of all the remedies that grapple with indigestion, give me— 
apple. 
A “ smother ” crop is more likely to mother than to kill Quack 
grass. 
To build up your “cheek,” break down the power to be lowly 
and meek. 
In time of rain, prepare for drought—plant corn to help the 
pasture out. 
Investing in an untried variety or tool is always more or less of 
a risk and gamble. 
One stern and honest critic that we know is just and fair, will 
spall a hundred flatterers and leave us lots to spare. 
Few people rank the hen as a grazing animal, yet she will make 
a good living on green grass and bugs—or on grass alone. 
Wives of men should oft remind them, that their lives are not 
sublime, otherwise we’re sure to find them dawdling on the sands 
of time. 
Gov. Roosevelt says that he has no use for the “ fool reform¬ 
er”. Well, he seems to have use for Hamilton Busbey—at least, 
he keeps him in office. 
A mighty unfortunate thing—when a man gets an idea that a 
law ought to be passed to benefit those who are already getting 
the best of life’s deal. 
If the buds of a peach tree bloom when twigs are taken into 
the house, is it a sure sign that the tree is all right? No. The 
bark around the body may be destroyed. 
The latest proposed scheme is to export our criminals to one of 
the Spanish islands, and leave them to govern themselves! By 
the way, we haven’t conquered those islands yet! 
The R. N.-Y. has a subscriber in the Klondike region. He sent 
a letter from Dawson on February 28, which was 48 days in 
reaching us. His letter would make one think that the Klondike 
is better to think about than to visit. 
