4o4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 2? 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal fbr Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentine, J . „ . „... 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, f Associate Editors. 
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 Vt marks, or 10% 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. 
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should 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 27, 1899. 
Tell me, what did Dewey do ? 
He did! He did! 
He snatched at opportunity ! 
He sailed right in as all agree ! 
He blew red tape far out to sea ! 
He did the job from A to Z ! 
And put the Spaniard o’er his knee ! 
And used a shingle lustily ! 
He did ! He did ! 
• ■ 
All communications intended for E. S. Carman 
should, until next October, be addressed to River 
Edge, Bergen County, N. J. 
Apple orchards near Montreal are seriously attacked 
by Tent caterpillars. Recently, after a weekday ser¬ 
vice in the parish church near St. H’laire, priest, chor¬ 
isters and congregation marched in procession through 
the infested orchards, with fervent prayer, invoking 
Divine aid in their labors. Then they united in giv¬ 
ing a most thorough spraying. Tnat seems to us the 
right sort of Christian scienca — a combination of 
faith and works. 
• • 
Two of the English railways passing through mar¬ 
ket-garden districts now convey all farm and garden 
products from the producer to the consumer by pas¬ 
senger trains, at a charge of fourpence (eight cents) 
for 20 pounds, and an additional one penny per five 
pounds extra up to 60 pounds. These packages are 
delivered and, to encourage the use of the service, 
light and inexpensive boxes are on sale at the railway 
stations. Think what a boon such service must be, 
both to country growers and city consumers ! 
• 
• # 
The San JosO scale ! This insect is still at work. 
It is easy to sit down and find fault with the ento¬ 
mologists because they spend a few dollars in study¬ 
ing this insect. That is easy, but the hard part will 
come when the scale gets in its work so that, some 
fine Spring, the trees fail to do their duty. The most 
practical way to prevent the spread of this scale is to 
fumigate the nursery stock before it is sent out. It 
is a mistake to let the scaly tree grow in the orchard, 
and then try to treat it. We want to know whether 
any one has been able to find a live scale on nursery 
trees that had been properly fumigated. At present, 
we believe that fumigation is by far the best scale 
remedy. Has any scale ever gone through the fumi¬ 
gating house alive ? Who can tell ? 
• 
• • 
Nowadays new methods, new inventions and new 
developments are continually upsetting existing con¬ 
ditions, so that a large element of uncertainty enters 
into every line of industry. Not many years ago, 
the growing of vegetables under glass was an import¬ 
ant and profitable business at the North. It is still 
done largely, but the great development of southern ' 
truck farming, and the improvement in transporta¬ 
tion facilities have made a big hole in the demand for 
these products, and taken a thick slice off the profits. 
Now, according to reports, the southern truckers are 
likely to have a competitor in turn. Extensive re¬ 
gions in Texas are well adapted to the growing of 
vegetables, and can put them into the northern mar¬ 
kets two or three weeks ahead of any other points in 
the South. Those interested are trying to make ar¬ 
rangements by means of which solid fast freight or 
express trains may be run through to the northern 
markets. The railroads are reported to be favorable 
to the scheme. Texas is such a large State, with such 
varied possibilities, that this would seem to be an im¬ 
portant development, and may affect other and nearer 
producers seriously. Cuba is, also, likely to become 
an important factor in the supply of early vegetables, 
and with all the other regular sources of supply, the 
vegetable eaters are likely to be full fed. The pro¬ 
ducers may be crowded more closely by these new 
rivals, but they may as well be prepared for just such 
competition. 
• • 
One of our contemporaries, in explaining why it 
does not devote space to the world’s news, states that 
such news iB hard to obtain, because the newspapers 
give most attention to crimes and offensive stuff, 
while general news is edited or perverted by interested 
parties. That, to us, is an argument in favor of giving 
a fair summary of the world’s doings. If the news- 
papers are purchased or perverted, how is the farmer 
to learn what is going on except through those papers 
which are published in his interest ? We find that 
our weekly news statement is one of the most popular 
features of the paper. It is read carefully. One busy 
man told us recently that this was what he called 
“predigested mental food”. It was the extract of 
everyday history, and that was what he wanted ! 
• 
• • 
Those tuberculous cows at the New Jersey Station 
have served the State well. They are now dying, but 
for the past few years, they have told some important 
stories. In all this time, no tubercle germs have been 
found in their milk. It is not Eafe to say, however, 
that the milk has never contained any. The germs 
might be found in one milking and not in another, or 
in one single quarter of the udder. It is difficult to 
discover them, for the testing apparatus is not yet 
perfected. Still it may be said that the germs in such 
milk are very scarce—if they exist at all. If the milk 
from such cows were Pasteurized, there would be no 
danger from using it. In view of this careful experi¬ 
ment, what folly it is to urge that all cattle that re¬ 
spond to the tuberculin test should be killed at once ! 
Far better to quarantine them, feed and care for them 
well, and Pasteurize their milk. That is the common- 
sense treatment! 
• • • 
A prominent western railroad official says that it 
costs less to-day to send a bushel of grain from the 
Mississippi River to Liverpool than it does to ship it 
across the State of Minnesota. These low rates are 
because of the recent reductions made by railways 
running from the West to the seaboard. These low 
rates rival the rates by way of the Great Lakes, but 
it is significant that these reductions were not made 
until the Spring opening of the water route. It is 
stated that, in the past few weeks, a great volume of 
grain has been taken for over-sea delivery at one-cent 
ocean freight. This added to the rate to the seaboard, 
makes a cost of about 10 cents to get a bushel of 
wheat from Duluth to Liverpool, while it costs about 
nine cents to get it across the State to the former 
city. It is said that these great reductions have come 
to stay, and if so, they should be a great help to the 
western farmer. But if these low rates are possible 
over the eastern railroads, it would seem that there 
is a chance for great reductions on the western roads, 
and thus benefit the western farmer still further. 
• 
• • 
A few weeks ago we spoke of a law recently passed 
in Vermont for licensing people who use the Babcock 
test. Like most of the laws passed in Vermont, this 
is a short one. It declares that all bottles, pipettes 
and other measuring glasses used in creamery, butter 
factory or cheese factory, must be tested and measured 
for accuracy. Such testing is to be done by the super¬ 
intendent of the dairy school of the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege. No person shall be employed at handling or 
manipulating the Babcock test unless he can show a 
certificate from the dairy school, showing that he is 
competent to perform such work. Such certificates 
cost $1. The violation of, the provisions of this act 
will merit a fine of not more than $25 for the first 
offense, and not more than $50 for subsequent offenses. 
This ought to settle the question in Vermont, and 
certainly no one will say that the tools used for 
measuring milk are any less important than the 
weights and measures used in handling other goods. 
Many are the crimes that have been committed in the 
name of the “ Babcock test”. The way some people 
use that test is like measuring goods with a rubber 
yardstick. 
There is one point suggested in reading about that 
Farm Run by Daughter Power, which may be over¬ 
looked by a casual reader. The feminine administra¬ 
tor began her work with the advantages of good busi¬ 
ness training, and she has carried business principles 
into the details of the farm. We do not mean the 
training of a commercial college, which is, in the 
main, clerical only, but the wider training which 
comes from actual work among business men. We 
believe that every farmer would be the better for just 
such training. If, in addition to acquiring farm 
knowledge, he will try to apply commercial rules to 
his work, running his place as a crop factory, cutting 
down useless expenditures, extending operations 
where justified, and charging all products with the 
expense of production, he will soon learn where he 
stands. Much discussion was caused recently, in 
England, by an innovation on the part of the Earl 
and Countess of Warwick, who have a great deal of 
farm land, and are poor for their position. This land 
has not rented well for several years, so the owners 
recently formed a limited liability company, stock 
held by members of the family, and will farm their 
own land on a strictly commercial basis. On many a 
farm, conditions might be bettered if the business 
idea obtained more recognition. 
The sugar-beet question seems to be hanging fire 
in New York State. There is no longer any doubt 
about the quality of the New York State beet. Farm¬ 
ers are learning how to grow the crop, and will sup¬ 
ply the beets whenever the manufacturers are ready 
to pay for them. Still there are no new sugar fac¬ 
tories. Capital is timid ! Why ? One of our corre¬ 
spondents puts the thing in a nutshell: 
While I did not keep track of the expense, I could say that they 
are not more expensive in culture than any other garden truck 
like cabbage, potatoes, etc., and I would be willing to devote all 
the spare ground I had, if I could get the 85 per ton for the crop, 
which was contracted here when the plant was expected to be 
put up. In 1897, 1898 and 1899, the question was discussed here, 
but the promoters had no money, and were unable to enlist capi¬ 
tal. I think one thing that puts a wet blanket on it is the acqui¬ 
sition of our new islands, carrying with it an uncertainty as to 
the price of sugar. 
Capital is more concerned just now in Cuban farming 
land than in New York sugar beets. The Department 
of Agriculture at Washington, spent money two 
years ago in encouraging beet-growing in America. 
Since Cuba passed out of the hands of Spain, we have 
teard little about it. We think sugar beets will often 
pay a New York farmer as stock food, but Cuba and 
the Philippines are most likely to fill Uncle Sam’s 
sugar bowl for the next century ! At the same time, 
a good many farmers have learned that cows and 
sheep can turn sugar beets into money almost as 
well as a factory can. 
BREVITIES. 
Our folks have jest cleaned up a chicken pie, 
An’ nommynated me to tell the tale. 
Well, first we ketched a hen that hed her eye 
On settin’—when her egg desires got stale. 
Of course, we didn’t do a thing to her, 
But chop her head off—she was butter fat, 
But sorter aged, if you judge her spur, 
But chicken pie, sez I, will settle that. 
They cut her up from wing way down to heart, 
The women folks—they soaked her overnight, 
And then they biled her till Bhe fell apart, 
An’ so’st the flavor would come out jest right, 
They biled an onion an’ a lemon, too, 
Right with that chicken—then the children gnawed 
The bones to start our appytite anew. 
Ma lined the dish with pie crust, then she drawed 
A cup of cream, an’ beat an egg up white, 
With two big spoons of flour—they laid the meat 
Inside the dish—it made a hungry sight. 
Then mixed egg, cream and flour and soup complete 
An’ poured it in—then put a crust on top, 
An’ baked it till the smell jest seemed to fill 
The kitchen—but I guess I’ll have to stop; 
My mouth’s a-waterin’ so my tongue stands still. 
He who halts is haltered. 
The barber is a hew mane man. 
Don’t try to keep a fowl on half fare. 
“Too cheap to be without”—the stave silo. 
A mule is more likely to be sound than kind. 
Unlike a horse, a bicycle goes best when well tired. 
Your “ big toad ” only makes a “ small puddle ” muddy. 
How is it with you ? Are your personal wants your truest needs ? 
“ Yes,” said the hen as she Btole her nest—“ this is an out lay.” 
To bean or not to bean, that’s the question—for the cow pea is 
a bean. 
No amount of competition has ever succeeded in reducing the 
wages of sin. 
Now, gentlemen, don’t try to “ apply science ” as you would a 
mustard plaster. 
It has been truly said that trifles make perfection, but per¬ 
fection is no trifle. 
“ More rain, more rest! ” was the old adage on the farm. Not 
much rest this Spring! 
The Alfalfa at the New Jersey Station drank in a good rain, and 
jumped up over six inches in 10 days! 
England is said to consume 500,000,000 pounds of bacon an. 
nually. We ought to furnish more of it. 
When a new Siberian railroad is finished, it is estimated that 
a traveler can go around the world in 33 days. 
It is a singular fact that a man who believes himself to be the 
salt of the earth is quite likely to grow too fresh. 
We often hear people say that they would like to breed the 
horns off the horned breeds, but never heard one suggest breed¬ 
ing horns back on the polled cattle. 
The members of the Wisconsin legislature have “ done them¬ 
selves proud ” by voting 8300 for a gold medal for Prof. 8. M. Bab¬ 
cock. Good! The butcher and the baseball batters should not 
have a monopoly of medals. It is well that one so deserving of 
his countrymen as Dr. Babcock, should be honored. 
