37o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 13 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TIIE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing' Editor. 
Prank H. Valentine, j. Associate Editors 
Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, {-Associate tumors. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8* *4 marks, or 10)4 francs. 
ADVERTISING! RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 lines 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 cents 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, 
Bhould appear in every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, postal order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY , MAY 13, 1899 
The new Meat Inspection bill, now before tbe Ger¬ 
man Reichstag, has caused the ruling, by a committee 
now studying its provisions, that dogs intended for 
human consumption must be subjected to ante-mor¬ 
tem and post-mortem inspection. It is said that dog 
flesh is common food in Saxony. Without desiring to 
make invidious comment upon a sensitive nation, we 
think that they would do better to increase their 
importations of American meat. 
• 
A pictubk in one of the comic papers represents a 
pair of shiftless farmers seated on the fence talking 
politics, while a number of razorback shotes root in 
the weedy ground looking for their day’s rations. A 
wayfarer asks the farmers why they raise so many 
shotes and so little corn, to which they respond: 
“ ’Cause hogs don’t need hoeing.” There seems some 
truth, as well as humor, in this item. The farmer 
who raises some crop merely because it lessens work, 
without any consideration as to its possible profit, or 
effect on the land, is not likely to get very much ahead. 
• 
• • 
A Kansas statute relating to suits to recover dam¬ 
ages for fires caused by the negligence of railroad 
companies, provides that, where the plaintiffs win 
such a cate, the defendants must pay the fees of the 
plaintiff’s attorney. This enactment has been at¬ 
tacked, on the ground that it is unconstitutional, but 
the United States Supreme Court recently established 
its validity. A majority of the Court holds that such 
a statute is a proper means of insuring the people of 
the State against destructive fires, since it gives a 
stronger inducement to the railroad companies to pre¬ 
vent their trains from setting fire to grass or wood¬ 
land. 
In the course of testimony given before the Sena¬ 
torial Pu.e Food Investigating Committee, May 3, 
Dr. Wiley, of the Department of Agriculture, de¬ 
clared that fully 90 per cent of the articles of food 
and drink manufactured in this country are frauds. 
All kinds of dairy products and nearly all condiments, 
including coffee berries, are adulterated. Cheese, 
honey, beer, lard, tea, spices and numerous other 
articles were enumerated as adulterated; cotton-seed 
oil is shipped to Europe, and then sent back to us as 
olive oil, in spite of our olive groves in California. 
Pure-food legislation is a vital subject to all growers 
of farm, orchard and garden products, and no other 
class of producers is more strongly interested in the 
enforcement of such laws. 
One of the most important laws of the past Winter, 
in New York State, was signed by Gov. Roosevelt, 
and took effect April 19. It is important both to con¬ 
sumers and fruit growers. Here it is : 
Any person who shall knowingly sell, offer or expose lor sale, 
or give away, any compound or preparation composed in whole 
or in part, of any unwholesome, deleterious or poisonous acid, 
or other unwholesome, deleterious or poisonous substance, as a 
substitute for the pure, unadulterated and unfermented juice of 
lemons, limes, oranges, currants, grapes, apples, peaches, plum9, 
pears, berries, quinces, or other natural fruits, representing such 
compound or preparation to be the pure, unadulterated and un¬ 
fermented juice of any of such fruits; or who, in the mixing, de¬ 
coction or preparation of food or drink, shall knowingly use any 
such compound or preparation in the place of, or as a substitute 
for, the pure, unadulterated and unfermented juice of one or more 
of such fruits, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon con¬ 
viction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hun¬ 
dred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than six 
months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. 
The enforcement of this law will mean a great in¬ 
crease in the consumption of fruits and pure fruit 
juices. Immense quantities of acids and caemicals 
are now used as flavoring and coloring for different 
beverages, confectionery, etc. The enforced replace¬ 
ment of these by pure and unadulterated fruit juices, 
will be a great boon in health to all consumers, and 
will furnish a largely increased outlet for fruits. The 
Fruit Buyers’ Union of this City originated the bill, 
which was introduced by Senator Ford. It’s a good 
law, and should be thoroughly enforced. Tbe fruit 
growers and buyers have taken steps to cooperate 
with the Board of Health to secure a rigid enforce¬ 
ment. Other States, especially those in which fruit 
growing is a leading industry, would do well to fol¬ 
low this example. 
• • 
The papers are filled with reports of new trusts 
that are being organized, and when the total capital¬ 
ization reached $1,000,000,000, some of these papers 
seemed to think that there was nothing in the country 
that could compare with it. The total value of milch 
cows at the beginning of this year was $474,233,925. 
The value of other cattle was $631,931,135. Thus the 
great combinations of capital are not “ in it ”, so to 
speak, with the humble four-footed animals, provid¬ 
ing our milk and beef. The public should understand 
that these great industrial corporations, even with 
their heaviest capitalization, represent but a frac¬ 
tion of the wealth that is produced annually from 
our farms. 
One of the leading seed firms is putting out the seed 
of a very fine strain of cabbage ; but each buyer is 
cautioned not to expect more than one-half the seed 
to grow. The firm say that they have had the seed 
grownin a number of different locations andinforeign 
countries, in the effort to secure seed with a higher 
percentage of viability, but without success. On the 
contrary, the proportion of viable seeds seems to be 
decreasing. They explain this by saying that highly- 
bred varieties are likely to show this weakness, al¬ 
though perhaps, not to the extent that is shown by 
this particular variety of cabbage. It seems like a 
strange freak of Nature, and perhaps might offer a 
profitable field for horticultural investigation. 
• 
We have often referred to the network of electric 
railroads that is spread over New England. A man 
recently rode from Boston to New York, and found 
but 57 miles along the way where it wa3 necessary to 
use the steam cars. The time required was 45 hours, 
and the fare $3.30. The rate by steam is $4. The 
electric lines are still spreading out over New Eng¬ 
land, and the building of steam railroads has been 
practically stopped. Only 131 miles of steam railroad 
tracks were built in all New England from 1893 to 
1897. The electric lines are taking the place of the 
old-time stage coaches, and bringing new business 
and new population back to the old town centers. 
One reason for this is the fact that these old towns 
were usually located at some good water power. 
Steam and the railroad took the small cotton or wool¬ 
en mill away, but now the water power is useful for 
developing electricity, and the old towns will be re¬ 
built. 
• 
■•Eastern farmers who are buying horses this Spring 
find that good animals are worth 50 per cent or over 
more than they were two years ago. There has been 
a sharp rise in prices. We find, too, that harness and 
horse furnishings are higher. We find fewer scrubs 
and misfit nags in the market Two years ago, in 
buying a horse, the dealers were glad to run after the 
buyer. Now, the dealer stands still and is, decidedly, 
the boss of the situation. Somehow the poor horses, 
not particularly suitable for any profitable work, 
have mostly disappeared. Those offered this year are 
usually of good shape and breeding. As the day of 
cheap horses ends, the day of cheap hay begins. One 
would expect them to go together, but it is not so. 
Hay promises to be cheaper than ever, while, for the 
next few years, sound and well-shaped horse flesh is 
sure to represent money. We hope it will not mean 
a return of the breeding of inferior stock from scrub 
stallions. It’s a good time to start what Prof. Roberts 
calls “ Winter horse dairying”. 
Now then, Gov. Roosevelt, what about Mr. Hamilton 
Busbey ? It is not worth while going over the whole 
matter again. Here are the facts ! You came before 
the Eastern New York Horticultural Society and said 
that you would not keep a lazy or dishonest man in 
oflice. If we didn’t believe it, all the farmers had to 
do was to point out the drone or the rascal—and you 
would do the rest. That was said like a man. Repre¬ 
sentatives of the farmers collected evidence against 
Mr Busbey that should satisfy any reasonable man 
that he has failed to do his duty. This evidence came 
to you within a week after your bold remarks about 
the lazy or dishoneit official. Of course, you adminis¬ 
tered a base hit to Mr. Busbey, using your foot for a 
bat! But you didn’t—you just “ referred ” the case to 
the Attorney-General. It seems to have been tucked 
away in some trundle bed in his office. What about 
it ? Are you dodging the question because General 
Tracy, a partner of the great Republican boss, thinks 
his “ pull” is greater than that of the farmers of the 
State? That is what many paople say, and every day 
that Busbey remains in office adds hundreds to those 
who believe it What about Busbey Oov Roosevelt ? 
New York has now a new law, or rather, an amend¬ 
ment to an old law, which definitely puts a taxable value 
on public franchises. For example, there are many 
street railroads and gas companies in the cities, that 
have the privilege of laying rails or pipes in the public 
streets. They often enjoy a monopoly of this privi¬ 
lege, and this public gift oj* franchise is the most 
valuable thing connected with their business. They 
pay a tax on.their real estate—that is, on their rails, 
pipes and other fixtures. The new amendment de¬ 
clares that the right to occupy streets with these rails 
or pipes is practically real estate, and a fair subject 
for taxation. There will be few, we think, to deny 
that this is perfectly fair. The few will be those 
who are personally interested in the stock of the 
corporations that have, in the past, dodged their fair 
share of taxation. The franchises have great value. 
They belong to the public, and those who profit by 
them should stand their share of public expense. If 
the new law is enforced as it should be, many mil¬ 
lions will be added to the amount of taxable property, 
and to that extent, the tax rate ought to be reduced. 
The time has come when those who feed upon the 
public should be made to pay for their food. 
• 
■ ■ 
BREVITIES. 
NEVER SAY DIE. 
“ Aha! Spring has come! ” said a Canada thistle, 
“ If yon farmer’s afraid to use some of his gristle, 
I’ll make this old Held with my stems fairly bristle 
And laugh at each weed expert’s lengthy epistle.” 
The farmer o’erheard It, emitted a chuckle, 
Gave a hitch to his gallus, and tightened the buckle; 
He hauled out his harrow with working-team muckle— 
“Ho! ho! my fine fellow, I’ll soon make you knuckle 1” 
The thistle was torn, it was cut, it was mangled; 
From the teeth of the harrow some parts of it dangled; 
But it had a will, in its roots straight and angled, 
Which developed a thistle patch terribly tangled. 
A lesson we learn from this thistle's ambition; 
It never lost sight of its object and mission, 
But fighting for life against stern opposition, 
Its ambition and mission were crowned with fruition 
M. a. kains. 
Very little profit in prophecy. 
Check the corn to check the weeds. 
The dry measure of a boy is one quart of milk. 
Kissing your wife is a legal tender—of affection. 
Fat wits never greased the wheels of the self-made man. 
No, sir! Strained morals never leave a clear conscience. 
Strain the flies out of the house. Wire screens will do it. 
Half a loaf means no butter; a whole loaf should mean no bread. 
Scales on the farm are in the way when they settle ov ;r your 
eyes. 
Poor farming will give legs to a legacy. The legumes will bring 
it back. 
Old Dobbin says he believes in a currycomb that comes up to 
the scratch! 
Californians have already begun to sell apples by weight. 
That is a fair method. 
One reason why the scrub hen does not pay is that she lies 
down when she ought to lay. 
Hickory Hill Farm Notes, which begin in this issue, promise 
to be much after the style of Hope Farm Notes. 
Dewey is the man who did. A do y day in his honor is most 
suitable. Every day in the year should be a do y day. 
Remember that, while misery loves company, “company” 
doesn’t love misery—therefore, “ brace up ” before your guests. 
California is to have a “ Blossom Day ” if the State Floral 
Society can bring it about. It is to celebrate the blooming of the 
fruit trees. 
Last year, we sent out of the country 31,155,381 pounds of clover 
seed. That makes 10,468,175,616.000 seeds—every one of them 
needed at home. 
A reader speaks of buying coffee dust and hulls at 25 cents a 
toD. We have no analysis of such refuse, but would take all we 
could get at that price. 
The “ inside track ’’ starts at the mouth. It is what you keep 
away from it that determines how near you come to the inside 
track on life’s great racecourse. 
What do we do when we plant a tree ? We tell big stories of 
what ’twill be. We often brag and ourselves we hug—and it 
turns out food for the worm and bug. 
Treasury ottieials estimate that, up to May 1 the expenses of 
our war with Spain amounted to more than 8300,003,000 No wonder 
we continue to paste on revenue stamps. 
In some parts of Dakota it is said that a farmer can get land 
rent free if he will fit it for corn. The owner considers that the 
working for corn will pay for the rent in the following wheat 
crop. 
The State of Michigan has gone into the boarding-house busi¬ 
ness by issuing a beautiful pamphlet on “ Michigan as a Health 
Resort!” Why not? We would like to see New York issue a 
pamphlet advertising and describing some of its deserted farms. 
