484 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July i 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850 . 
Elbkrt S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Hkrbert W. Collinowood, Managing Editor. 
Er^i’.sr ™ n '"- 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
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We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
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order, personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1899. 
BOW ABOUT HAMILTON BUSBEY ? 
Who’s Busbey? 
Why, Busbey is the man who was appointed by 
Gov. Black to see that money was properly collect¬ 
ed from the racing associations. Mr. Busbey drew his 
salary, and benefited his private business, but he 
failed to do his duty. He is still in office, but there is 
one good thing about it. He is a man without a sal¬ 
ary! The last legislature made no provision for pay¬ 
ing Mr. Busbey, though it provided for the others. 
Why not “let up” on Busbey? He isn’t a great man, 
and there are greater abuses to be kicked at. That is 
true, but in one sense, this is a test case. Gov. Roose¬ 
velt came before the farmers with a chip on his 
shoulder, fairly begging us to show him a single 
black sheep. He wanted us to point out a drone or a 
scamp so that we might see him in his great act of 
raising his foot. The farmers showed him—Busbey. 
We haven’t heard a word from the Governor since 
about drones or frauds in office. We intend to fol¬ 
low him right up until we do hear something. 
* 
Several papers have already asked permission to 
use The R. N.-Y.’s picture showing the work of A. 
Devil & Co. It will go as far west as Kansas. It 
promises to have a wide circulation. It is a good 
thing to have the people stirred up over this question 
of food adulterations. It is the greatest commercial 
evil of the century. It strikes a double blow—at com¬ 
mercial honesty anu at the farmer’s pocket-book. 
There is no use talking—the papers have been alto¬ 
gether too polite in talking about these food rascals. 
Call them by their right names, and turn the lights 
on them! 
* 
Speculating is decried by all good people, yet 
where is there more of a speculator than the farmer? 
He prepares his soil, sows the seed and awaits the 
rain that falls alike on the just and the unjust—or 
doesn’t fall, as seems to be the case this year over a 
considerable extent of territory. Or perhaps the 
heavens are opened, and the floods come—as is also 
the case in other parts of the country. In either case, 
labor and expense go for naught. There’s risk in 
either case. What shall the farmer do? Kail to plow 
and sow? No, for we have the promise that seed¬ 
time and harvest shall not fail, and though some¬ 
times failures come, we know that in the long run, 
fruitful seasons outnumber the barren ones, and suc¬ 
cess comes more often than failure. 
* 
Our “authorities” continue to learn new things 
about tuberculosis, which ought to make some of 
their earlier advice a nightmare to them now. We 
know of one cow that has been watched for a num¬ 
ber of years. She reacted to the tuberculin test, and 
was taken out of the herd and well cared for. She 
kept in good appearance until a few months ago, when 
she began to run down, and finally became thin and 
very feeble. She was finally killed, but, strange as it 
may seem, there was no indication of tuberculosis. 
Both lungs and liver were diseased, but the charac¬ 
teristic traces of consumption were not present. 
Many veterinarians would have said, “Kill the cow!” 
when she first reacted years ago. Yet she continued 
to give good milk, and now appears to have had some 
other disease than tuberculosis. Thus even tuberculin 
test and “appearance” together do not always give 
positive evidence. The scientists once tried to 
frighten us by saying that the cow is the wet nurse 
for human consumption. The facts are that human 
consumption is decreasing, while bovine tuberculosis 
is increasing. The radicals who undertook to “stamp 
out” tuberculosis seem to have stamped on their own 
toes. The best work they have done is to help 
create a public demand for better methods of cleaning 
and handling pure milk. 
* 
We are often told that the chemicals which are said 
to be used in different food products are perfectly 
harmless in the small quantities in which they are so 
used. It is true that some deadly poisons are given in 
small doses as medicine. But if one gets a little of 
some certain chemical with one kind of food, a little 
more with another, and so on almost indefinitely, the 
sum total is likely to be somewhat alarming. This 
seems to be about the danger to which purchasers of 
food are subject. The farmer can escape these dan¬ 
gers largely by producing his own foodstuffs. This 
poisoning of the people’s food is bad business, and 
should be severely punished. 
* 
The symposium on page 490, on the use of kerosene 
for flies on cattle, is a good illustration of the different 
results attained by different people in following the 
same methods. Some report that the kerosene is ef¬ 
fective, others that it is valueless. It would seem 
that, if it is effective in one case, it should be equally 
so in another—provided always, of course, that meth¬ 
ods of use are equally thorough. Right here lies the 
trouble often. People differ in their understanding of 
thoroughness. One man finds spraying effective, an¬ 
other does not. Why? In combating many insects, 
several applications of an insecticide are necessary, 
because, while the first application may kill all, 
others hatch. Any of these remedies must be used 
with full knowledge of all conditions, and with in¬ 
telligence. 
* 
The apple crop of western New York largely deter¬ 
mines the price for that fruit in the eastern markets. 
The condition of the Baldwins decides the matter, for 
that variety is in an immense majority. Baldwin has 
had a hard season this year, and reports are all one 
way. Taken as a whole, the apple crop from this 
great section promises to be less than half, and the 
chief loss is in red apples. Greenings are in better 
condition, but few people appreciate them. Nature 
packed some of her richest sauce inside the skin of a 
Greening apple, but there is a craze for a red skin, 
and this fine fruit is often neglected. Early apples 
are promising, but buyers are likely to part with 
considerable money when they buy their late Fall 
and Winter fruit. Ben Davis may come to the front 
as usual, but reports indicate that even this hardy 
citizen feels the rheumatism in his twigs and 
branches, as the result of last Winter’s freeze. 
* 
New York State now has a law which authorizes 
county supervisors to appoint what are known as 
side-path commissioners, who regulate the use of bi¬ 
cycles within their county, and issue licenses. The 
money obtained from these licenses is used to con¬ 
struct and repair side-paths for the use of wheelmen. 
In Suffolk County, for example, the license has been 
fixed at 50 cents. All wheelmen who use the side- 
paths must pay this license, and have the certificate 
or record fastened on their wheels. It is estimated 
that, in Suffolk County alone, 10,000 to 15,000 of these 
record tags will be sold this year. The money thus 
obtained will belong to the wheelmen—that is, it will 
be used to make a good side-path or track for their 
use. Three classes now occupy our highways, horse¬ 
men, wheelmen and footmen. Farmers sometimes 
accuse wheelmen of voting appropriations for “good 
roads” which tax-paying farmers have to pay for. 
This law puts the wheelman on a side-path which 
j'eceives the benefit of every dollar of the special li¬ 
cense tax. 
* 
A few years ago, the State of Kansas was captured 
by the Populist party. As soon as he could get at it, 
the new Governor upset the order of tilings at the 
Agricultural College. The Board was re-organized, 
and the president and a numoer of the professors were 
forced out. r I here was no disguise about the reason 
for this. Men were wanted who would teach ideas 
more in line with those held by the Populists. We 
have not investigated the work done in college class¬ 
rooms, but to our mind, the published reports of the 
Station and College have improved during the past 
two years. The Republicans won the last election, and 
now they are having their inning. The Governor re¬ 
moved the Populist members of the Board, and they 
in turn threw out the president and four professors, 
largely because the political ideas they taught were 
not satisfactory. It would be hard to think of a 
worse state of affairs for an agricultural college. Yet 
this is only carrying out to the full limit what you 
will find in the government of most of our agricultural 
colleges and experiment stations. Many an honest 
director could tell a story of “politics” if he would. 
Why can’t me politicians keep their hands off these 
institutions? The ivansas experience shows that there 
is very little diuerence in parties when it comes to 
fishing for a few offices! 
* 
The average of 80 samples of barnyard manure at 
the Massachusetts Agricultural College showed that 
a ton contained nearly 10% pounds of nitrogen, 111-5 
pounds of potash and 7% pounds of phosphoric 
acid. As a result of thousands of experiments, it 
seems well settled that this proportion of the plant- 
food elements is one-sided. For example, in growing 
potatoes, nearly twice as much of potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid as of nitrogen has usually given the most 
economical mixture. It is a mistake to use nitrogen¬ 
ous fertilizers with the manure, but potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid may often be used with it to great ad¬ 
vantage. Manure has valuable properties aside from 
the plant food it contains, and for many reasons, it 
shouiu be spread, each year, over as much ground as 
possible. It is better practice to add the minerals to 
the manure, and give 10 acres a fair dressing than to 
crowd the manure itself on to five acres. The 
Massachusetts Station people suggest the addition of 
30 pounds of muriate of potash and 100 pounds of 
fine-ground soft Florida phospuate to each ton of 
manure. From our experience, this is sound advice 
for any farm where fertilizers are necessary. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
MRS. COW TALKS. 
It is reported that further efforts will be made to induce 
the War Department to use cheese as a regular part of 
the army ration. 
When war’s alarm rang through the land last year, 
Among the soldiers marched my brother steer; 
Napoleon remarked, long years ago, 
That armies travel on their stomachs—so 
Steer Bovine tried to march them on canned beef, 
But those who ate it say he came to grief. 
The Beef Inquiry Board says, “Hush!” and we 
Will keep it quiet in the family. 
He started well, but couldn’t stand the pace, 
So, by your leave, I think Pll take his place. 
What, feed the baby’s milk to fighting men? 
Not out of nursing bottles, sir, but when 
The weakness and the water I can squeeze 
Out of that milk, the strength remains as cheese! 
Good, honest cheese is concentrated nerve, 
And bone and muscle without slack or curve. 
My brother hurt his reputation—I 
Will win it back again—at least. I’ll try. 
A short chicken crop is reported. 
Potato bugs do destroy a lot of pleasure in life! 
The Guinea fowl—is it ever kept for anything but its 
noise? 
It is hard to beat Red Astrachan as a popular early 
apple. 
Don’t sow- millet expecting to feed it to horses next 
Winter. 
Try a little nitrate of soda on the grass after mowing. 
Wait for a shower. 
Beware of first impressions; the proofreader says that 
they are rarely correct. 
Don’t cross a bridge before you get to it, if you would 
avoid that tired feeling. 
Which is most to be feared—a strong-minded woman, 
or a weak-minded man? 
We hear some people spoken of as cranks—but a crank 
generally makes things go! 
Where, Oh! where is the man who said we weren’t to 
have any Potato beetles this year? 
You might as well put up a fight against time as to try 
to raise good apple trees without lime. 
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” This 
applies with great strength to sowing Crimson clover seed. 
The horseless carriages seem to have developed more 
freakisli ways than the horses which they have displaced. 
Note what Mr. Powell says about the soil for pears. 
By analysis, pears contain about twice as much potash 
and phosphoric acid as apples. 
An old Scotch saying is to the effect that, if you can 
step over a dog, you can step over his tail—in other words, 
don't worry about small trials. 
“Beef liars” is the latest name for those who don’t like 
the army beef supply. It is said they have endangered 
?25.0U0,000 worth of trade with Europe. 
Legislators who are disposed to deal gently with cheap 
food substitutes and vile adulterations, should remember 
the old proverb, “lie who sups with the devil should have 
a long spoon.” 
A man rode on a bicycle a mile in one minute and five 
seconds behind a specially-constructed car on the Long 
Island Railroad, on planks laid between the rails. This 
is, probably, faster than any human being ever propelled 
himself before. He endeavored to make the mile in one 
minute. 
The melon crop from Georgia will take the place of 
peaches this year, as many of the peach orchards wore 
plowed and planted to melons. The crop is coming on in 
tine shape, and will begin to reach this market the last 
of June. Reports from New England indicate that the 
drought cut down the hay and fruit crop by one-half. 
The scarcity of strawberries, however, nearly doubled the 
price of that fruit, so that the loss is not as great as 
would at first appear. 
