1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
601 
As We Go to Press. 
" THE THIRD RAIL." 
“Going to press” is the last thing con¬ 
nected with the making of a paper. The 
type is all set and arranged properly, 
the corrections are all made, the forms 
are locked up, then after a watchful eye 
over the whole thing, we—go to press. 
There is nothing to do but to put the 
ink on the type and press the paper 
against it. In this department, we say 
a last word—when everything else is 
finished. 
Some of you have heard of the third 
rail electric system on steam railroads. 
Instead of having an overhead wire, a 
third rail is put between the others, on 
the ground, and through it the electric 
current passes. In Massachusetts re¬ 
cently, this third rail was put in on a 
short stretch of railroad, and an electric 
motor car started. Some of the steam- 
engine men were inclined to belittle the 
power of the electric motor. A trial re¬ 
sulted. A big, powerful steam engine, 
with full steam up, was coupled to a 
long train of dump cars. At the other 
end of the train, hauling in the opposite 
direction, .was an electric motor over the 
third rail. At the word “Go!” they 
started, and after much puffing and 
snorting, the big engine gave way, and 
the motor pulled it, with its load. 
This is not remarkable when you 
think of it. The only power about the 
steam engine was what it could generate 
in its own boilers. The electric rail 
could bring in vast power from the out¬ 
side. It was in touch with the outside re¬ 
serve power, so vast and unlimited that 
the great engine was like a plaything in 
its hands. 
Now here is the application. You may 
meet a big, powerful farmer, so confident 
in his own physical strength that he will 
say he doesn’t need the help of science 
or of methods that others have found 
useful. He is like the steam engine with 
good power in himself, perhaps, but no 
reserve or outside forces to come to his 
help. Oftentimes some light, frail farm¬ 
er will win against the big neighbor, 
just as the little electric motor pulled 
the big engine because he is on the wire 
that brings him the best thought and 
suggestion and ambition from the out¬ 
side world. 
Now, to cut it short, Tiie R. N.-Y. is 
the third rail or electric wire that brings 
this outside force and power to a farmer. 
That will be a new thought to many a 
man, who would connect the paper with 
his home if you only went at him right. 
Where do you come in? 
Well now, my friend, did you read that 
prize offer of last week? We are offer¬ 
ing cash prizes for clubs of subscribers. 
Get one short-term subscription, and 
you receive 10 cents. Get 500, and great 
possibilities are yours. Come, now, it’s 
time to connect that third rail! 
Among the Marketmen. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
ROCKFORD MELONS—This is the 
sign one street vender had on his stand 
over a very ordinary looking lot of 
melons, which he was trying to persuade 
buyers were the genuine Rocky Ford 
stock. As none of the Rocky Ford 
melons had yet arrived, it would seem 
that he was a little previous in his de¬ 
ceptive methods; still it is probable that 
large numbers of ordinary melons have 
been sold as Rocky Fords, and that 
many people have been deceived there¬ 
by. This man didn’t know enough about 
the article he was trying to imitate to 
spell the name correctly. 
CUCUMBERS.—The market seems to 
be swamped with cucumbers. I saw 
some hucksters’ wagons just loaded and 
heaped up with them, and when this 
condition is seen, it is evident that the 
market is glutted. Cucumbers have 
been received in barrels, and half¬ 
bushel baskets, and bushel baskets, in 
boxes, and in all sorts of receptacles. 
One receiver said they were also in all 
colors, from white, through all the 
shades of green, to golden, and that any 
man who could not be suited in size, 
shape or color, was hard to please. 
There is a good demand for choice cu¬ 
cumber pickles, but these should oe 
small, straight, and a good lively green. 
LIMA BEANS SCARCE.—A large part 
of the Lima beans sold dry come from 
California. Receivers here say that tlie 
crop promises to be very light, hence 
few holders wish to sell at present 
prices. The stocks on hand are not 
large, as last year’s crop was light, also. 
The firm feeling on these, as well as the 
outlook, will likely have some effect on 
other varieties of beans, so that a firmer 
feeling and higher prices for these are 
likely. All of which, if the reasoning of 
the dealers prove true, should be en¬ 
couraging to bean growers. 
PEACHES.—The larger part of the 
supply so far has been from California, 
but we are now getting more from New 
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, 
and a few from Pennsylvania. I saw 
some very fine, though not very large, 
Delaware peaches this morning, in the 
10 -pound handled baskets, covered with 
a slatted cover and mosquito netting. 
They were retailing for 50 cents a bas¬ 
ket. It would probably take about three 
of them to fill an ordinary peach basket. 
One retailer was selling small baskets 
containing 16 peaches very nicely put up, 
for a quarter. Some peaches from New 
Jersey, in the common half-bushel bas¬ 
kets, were selling at $i and $1.50. The 
supply of peaches is not large, and from 
the outlook is not liKely to be. Some 
very large fine peaches were being sold 
for five cents each. f. h. v. 
A FARMERS’ OUTING. 
Great Gathering in the Wallkill Valley. 
The Wallkill Valley Farmers’ Association 
held its annual gathering at Walden, Or¬ 
ange County, N. Y., August 9. There were 
acres and acres of people, and various esti¬ 
mates were made as to the number present. 
There must have been at least 15,000 persons 
on the ground, most of them coming from 
various parts of the Valley, and outside 
sections of Orange County. One wondered 
who was left at home to milk the cows, but 
these people had an eye to business, and 
they began driving away in the early after¬ 
noon, so that the cows didn’t suffer. It 
was a fine looking crowd, too. Men, women, 
boys and girls dressed up, not in their Sun¬ 
day clothes, but in their outing clothes. 
There was a time when the farmer thought 
he must put on his black Sunday coat when 
he went to the picnic, while his wife 
thought she must use her black silk dress 
in order to do honor to the occasion. These 
Orange County people have learned a trick 
worth two of that. With the price obtained 
for a few cans of milk, even in these low- 
priced days, the farmer can obtain a light, 
cool suit, and mother and the girls can 
procure a silk waist and a skirt that give 
them both freedom and fun. 
You can judge the character of a farming 
community somewhat by tlje horses and 
carriages used by the farmer’s family. In 
the market garden district around New 
York City, the horses are generally coarse, 
heavy animals, mostly from the West. Beef 
is needed on a horse there in order to get 
the heavy loads of produce to market. On 
the picnic occasion when the whole family 
must go, this heavy team is hitched to the 
market wagon, and all hands pile in on the 
seats at the side. But in Orange County, 
very few of these heavy teams and market 
wagons are to be found. The horses are 
lighter, with more slender build, and cap¬ 
able of speeding along the road at a fair 
pace one day, and hauling the plow at a 
lively rate the next. One feature of life in 
the Wallkill Valley, that surprises a 
stranger, is the family wagon, into which 
the whole family (and they have big fami¬ 
lies still in Orange County) can gather for 
a ride. Some of these wagons have four 
seats, and I saw several of them in which 
13 happy folks were packed like sardines 
The electric cars are running up and down 
the country roads, and if this keeps on, 
there will not be so much need of these big 
wagons, but they look very comfortable 
with their heavy loads of human freight, 
and the horses gave the electric car a 
pretty good brush on level ground. It 
seemed to me that I saw more colts than 
usual in the pastures along the road, but 
farmers say there is little Increase of horse 
breeding in Orange County. 
The farmers got together on the picnic 
grounds, and renewed old acquaintances, 
and talked over crops, and had a pleasant 
day generally. Everybody had a good 
time, in a quiet, inoffensive way. There 
was no drunkenness on the ground, and no 
trouble at all. A speakers’ stand was pro- 
vided, and those who wanted to listen to 
words of eloquence gathered there. There 
were games of base ball, driving on the 
track, and all the harmless amusements 
which are provided at farmers’ picnics, li 
was a good thing for these farmers and 
their families, to get away from the farm 
for a few hours, for they went back home 
at night refreshed and brightened, and bet 
ter able to take up the dull routine o 
everyday life. They took their hands awa; 
from the handles of the plow, and the cow 
for a short time, and then took hold agai 
with a new grip. The general story amor; 
farmers was that feed will bo short thi 
Winter. The second crop of grass will he' 
them out, however, and the late-plantc 
corn is generally looking well, so that ! 
will provide a good deal of fodder. Mar 
cows and young stock will be sold this Fa' 
but probably about the usual number < 
fresh cows will be bought. It would b 
hard to estimate the great value of thi 
gathering to the farmers of the Wallkil 
Valley. It is one of the great events of thi 
year, and aptly justifies the work and cart 
that the managers spend in organizing and 
maintaining it. This year’s outing was 
more than ordinarily successful, and we 
wish that other communities and neighbor¬ 
hoods could get together in a similar way, 
and crowd their inhabitants on to a few 
acres once or twice a year, so that they 
might realize how many strong young men, 
and handsome young women, are still bred, 
born and kept on the farms of America. 
h. w. c. 
A KIND NEIGHBOR. 
The kindest and most 
neighborly thing one wom¬ 
an can do for another in 
case of sickness is to tell 
how she herself was brought 
out of trouble and distress; 
and urge her neighbor 
to seek the same rem¬ 
edy. Hundreds of 
thousands of mothers 
have cause to bless 
iust this same 
ind, neigh¬ 
borly spirit 
which actuat¬ 
ed Mrs. Wm. 
S. Vollmer, 
of Concord, 
Cabarrus 
Co., North 
Carolina. 
“We moved 
here to Con¬ 
cord, N. C., over a mouth ago,” she says, in her 
communication to Dr. R. V. Pierce, of Buffalo, 
N. Y. “ A little girl here was in dreadful health. 
We told her folks about Dr. Pierce’s medicines. 
I knew what they had done for us. Her parents 
bought a bottle of his ‘ Golden Medical Discov¬ 
ery ’ and of 1 Favorite Prescription’ and one of 
’ Pellets.’ The patient has improved wonder¬ 
fully after taking these medicines. I wish every¬ 
body knew the great virtue of Dr. Pierce’s 
medicines. I have been using them in my fam¬ 
ily for three years and always with success. 
“ I will be pleased to have my letter published. 
If persons wishing to know more about the 
great benefits we have received from using Dr. 
Pierce’s medicines will write, enclosing stamp, 
I will gladly answer.” 
Every mother of children ought to 
possess Dr. Pierce’s grand book, the 
People’s Common Sense Medical Ad¬ 
viser, a magnificent thousand-page illus¬ 
trated volume. It teaches mothers how 
to care for their children and themselves. 
It is the best doctor to have in the house 
in case of emergency. Over half a mil¬ 
lion copies were sold at $ 1.50 each, but 
one free copy n paper-covers will be 
sent on receipt of 21 one-cent stamps 
to pay the cost of mailing only; or 
send 31 stamps if you prefer a heavier, 
handsome cloth-bound copy. Address 
the publishers, World’s Dispensary Med¬ 
ical Association, No. 663 Main Street, 
guffalo, N. Y. 
SUCCESSFUL DAIRYMEN use 1 cent's worth 
SHOO-FLY 
Saves 3 quarts milk daily if used in time. 
NO FLIES, TICKS, VERMIN OR SORES ON COWS. 
Thousands duplicate 10 gallons. Beware of imitations. 
“ I have used several so-called 1 Cattle Comforts ,' 
none equal to ‘ SHOO-FLY. It Is effective and 
cheap. Used 100 gallons.” H.W. Comfort, Falls- 
i ngton, Pa., President Pennsylvania Dairy Union. 
Send 25c. Money refunded if cow is not protected. 
SHOO-FLY MFG. CO., 1005 Fail-mount Ave., PHILA, PA. 
THE SPANGLER 
Crain and Fertilizer Drill. 
Best on earth. Absolutely Positive Force-Feed, 
bight Draft. Fully warranted. Write us for Drill 
Book and Prices. We will make It pay you. 
SPANGLER MFG. CO., York, Pa. 
AGood Farm Engine 
pays for itself in many ways. The con¬ 
venience of an ever-ready power for cut¬ 
ting and grinding feed, 
threshing, shelling corn, 
separating cream, pumping, 
water, sawing wood, etc., it- 
appreciated by all. Then, too, 1 
if you have the power you may 
make a great deal of money 
by grinding feed for your 
neighbors. We make 
UPRIGHT and 
HORIZONTAL with steel boilers 
ENGINES from 3 H. P. up, both ata- 
*** tionary and portable. Wo 
believe them to be the best all-around farm engines 
made. You will agree withus when you read our Rook 
on Engines and Boilers, sent FREE to Intending 
buyers. Prices reasonable. 
JAMES LEFFEL & CO. Box , 0 , Springfield, O. 
CHARTER GAS0LIHE ERG I HE 
Any Place 
By Any One 
For Any Purpose 
Stationaries, Portable • 
Engines and Pumps. 
State your Power Needs. 
Charter Gas Engine Co., Box 26, Sterling , III. 
IDE 
MACHINERY 
Best and cheapest 
1 Send for catalogue 
BOOMER & BOSCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
1 18 Water Street, 
SYRACUSE, K. Y. 
LIGHTNING WELL MACHYs 
IS THE STANDARD 
STEAM PUMPS. AIR LIFTS, i r 9 A , 
GASOLINE ENGINES 
WRITE FOR CIRCULAR IJEJ 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS <'©■—5?® 
AURORA.ILL -CHICAGO.- DAL LAS,TEX’. 
DRILLING 
Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep or 
shallow wells In any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse powers. 
Strong, Bimple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
RIFE HYDRAULIC ENGINE 
Pumps water without any atten¬ 
tion or expense for 
IRRIGATION. 
Big Increase in Crops 
Independent of Rain 
Higher Prices. 
Early Crops 
POWER SPECIALTY CO., 126 Liberty St., Now York. 
4 GOOD WIND MILL 
Lasts a life time. 
Don’t buy a poor one when 
you can buy the 
IMPERIAL 
internal gear 
iron frame. Write 
information and catalog. 
Mast, Foos <St Co. 
11 River St. Springfield, Ohio, 
E 
VAP0RATING FRUIT 
Complete rigs for gilt-edge work and Mg oroflu. 
AMERICAN MANUFACTURING CO., 
Box 407, Waynesboro, Pa. 
FRUIT 
EVAPORATORS Best andcheapest. 
D. STUTZMAN, # Ligonier. Ind. 
Excelsior Potato Digger. 
Digs cleaner than any other, and 
leaves every potato on top of 
ground without bruising. 
It is the lightest draft, and is the only digger adapted to all kinds 
of soil, wet or dry. We guarantee satis¬ 
faction. Write for circular to-day. 
J. A.'BUCK «S CO., COHOES, N. Y. 
AGENTS WANTED 
