September 30 
692 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
H. E. Van Deman, 1 
Frank If. Valentine, VAssociates. 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, ) 
John J Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, S2.04, equal to 
8s. 0d., or H'/i 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. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance is for, 
should appear in every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1899. 
There is a sanitarium in the vicinity of New York 
where Invalids are treated to the milk cure. They 
are put to bed and kept on a diet of milk exclusively, 
under the constant care of a physician. Women who 
are suffering from such fashionable ailments as nerve 
exhaustion and nervous prostration are said to be 
especially benefited by this milk cure, and we have 
also heard of its being resorted to lin cases of severe 
whooping cough. This gives an idea for a farm 
household where boarders are taken. Why not make 
a specialty of the milk cure, just as the thrifty Swiss 
grape growers encourage foreigners to come to their 
vineyards for the grape cure? 
* 
Next year, another census is to be taken in the 
United States. To be of value, it should be as accu¬ 
rate as possible. The Census Director is anxious for 
every one to keep an accurate account of expenditures 
and income; doing this, he says, would lessen the work 
one-half, besides rendering the results more accurate 
and valuable. Especially does he urge upon farmers 
the importance of keeping an accurate record of the 
acreage, quantity and value of all crops and products. 
This is an excellent suggestion, and besides being of 
value for the purposes of the census, accurate figures 
might surprise many who are not in the habit of keep¬ 
ing accounts wiith their crops and farm operations. 
* 
After a hard fight last Winter, the New York 
Legislature passed a law which levied a franchise tax 
on corporations. It was assumed that, when a rich 
corporation secures a monopoly of the right to run 
cars or pipe gas through a city’s street, it should pay 
the public for tits privilege. A farmer secures a mo¬ 
nopoly of the right to cultivate his farm by purchase 
or inheritance. The State comes to him and says, 
“In exchange for that monopoly, you must help pay 
the public expenses—so much for every dollar that 
we think your farm is worth!” What is fair for the 
farmer should be fair for the franchise; but now we 
are told that the State Board of Assessors will base 
the franchise tax on the net incomes of the corpora¬ 
tions! If this be done, millions will be lost to the 
State. From the Governor down, our public men 
should either talk less about what they will do for 
the farmer, or do more for him! 
4c 
A man who signed M. D. after his name, recently 
wrote to a New York daily paper, offering a sugges¬ 
tion for the relief of those who suffer from the present 
increase in the price of meat. His plan was for the 
removal of all restrictions upon the manufacture of 
oleo, which he described as “one of the grandest food 
products that has ever been invented to nourish the 
human family.” He offered the opinion that, if re¬ 
strictions were taken from this product, it could be 
sold for 12 cents a pound, and used as a substitute for 
meat. This wise M. D. did not explain where the 
workingman was to get the bulk of his muscle- 
makers, to offset the preponderance of fat-formers in 
the oleo, and he also appeared to believe that oleo 
was totally suppressed by present legislation. Un¬ 
fortunately, the philanthropists who are eager to 
nourish the workingman upon oleo prefer to sell their 
product under the name of butter, at butter prices, 
and, even before present legislative restrictions were 
enacted, they did not appear wildly desirous of selling 
oleo, under its real name, as low as 12 cents a pound. 
The fact is, oleo is, first of all, an imitation of, and 
not a substitute for, genuine butter. If it does not 
imitate butter in appearance, as well as flavor, people 
will not buy it. The suggestion that freedom in the 
sale of such stuff will lessen a workingman’s need for 
meat is too absurd to need serious attention, but it is, 
in reality, little more absurd than some of the other 
arguments advanced in favor of such spurious food 
products. “M. D.” may stand for male donkey! 
4c 
It seems that some of the county agricultural so¬ 
cieties are offering prizes in the live stock exhibits for 
the best grade males. Good judges protest against 
this feature, but without avail. One instance was 
given of a sheep which was clearly a mixture of 
♦ 
Shropshire, Hampshire and some other black-faced 
breed. It was a fine, big animal, as first crosses often 
are, but it would be likely to ruin almost any flock of 
sheep when used for breeding purposes. This plan of 
encouraging the use of grade males ought to be dis¬ 
couraged by every first-class stockman. Good breed¬ 
ing concentrates, it should not scatter. 
* 
A sort of combination green-goods, fake jewelry 
fraud has been brought to book by the post office au¬ 
thorities in this City. Fraud orders have been tissued 
against Moore & Co., 65 West Broadway, and the 
Bonanza Jewelry Co., 1,822 Park Avenue. Their 
method was to send alluring circulars through the 
mails, which led the receivers to think that the firms 
were sending out counterfeit money. If correspond¬ 
ents made inquiries, and showed a disposition to do 
business, a genuine $1 bill was sent, together with 
prices for “green goods” in quantities. If money were 
sent, a lot of« worthless jewelry set with green glass 
was forwarded. The men perpetrating this fraud 
claimed that they were not violating the postal laws, 
but they showed that they considered their business 
dishonest, because they changed their firm name and 
address frequently. They weren’t such mean frauds, 
however, as many that are continually advertising in 
so-called reputable papers. 
* 
Some of the English papers are seeking to revive 
the old story that the cow may become an 
oleo factory. They state that, when some cows are 
fed heavily on cotton-seed meal, the butter will con¬ 
tain a fat so much like cotton oil that a chemist can 
hardly tell it from the bogus article 'in which cotton 
oil is mixed with other fats. Dr. W. H. Jordan makes 
the following statement about this matter: 
We have no reason, at the present time, to suppose that 
such a thing can be done. Undoubtedly, foods have an 
influence upon butter in the way of modifying the flavor, 
the hardness and the melting point; but I have never 
known of an instance where the proportions of volatile 
and non-volatile acids are so changed as to raise a doubt 
whether the butter was not adulterated. So far, the cow 
cannot be fairly accused of being a fraud. If we will all 
be as honest as she is, the -world will have very little 
occasion to find fault with our business ethics. 
“As honest as a cow” is as true a proverb as “keen as 
a rat” or “lazy as a dog.” 
* 
Montana and Idaho recently passed rigid laws for 
the inspection of nursery stock. All homegrown 
stock 'in Montana must be fumigated before shipping, 
and all nursery stock, trees, plants, vines and cut¬ 
tings shipped into the State must be fumigated before 
being delivered to the purchaser. Such consignments 
must be unpacked and, if covered with burlap, this 
must be removed for the fumigation. All green fruits 
and Citrus fruits offered for sale lin Montana must 
be linspected, and if found free from disease or in¬ 
festation, shall be passed; if not, shall be destroyed 
by burning. Fruit dealers are cautioned against sell¬ 
ing or giving away empty boxes, packages or wrap¬ 
pings which have contained fruit. The law declares 
that all such packages or wrappings must be de¬ 
stroyed by burning. The fruit interests iin these west¬ 
ern States are small beside those of New York, yet 
the western fruit growers are more carefully pro¬ 
tected! 
* 
A large part of the troubles of France are due, 
either directly or indirectly, to the dominance of the 
army and its adherents. Its baleful influence seems 
to have permeated every branch of the government, 
and the silly twaddle about the honor of the army is 
heard on every hand. It would be humorous were it 
not such a grave menace to the republic, for recent 
developments have shown that, in the army, are found 
some of the most dishonorable rascals that ever trod 
shoe leather—and the army sustains them in their 
villainy. This country may well learn a lesson from 
her younger sister across the sea, for the spirit of 
militarism and conquest are rife in our land. This 
country’s strength lies in its illimitable agricultural 
possibilities, the great manufacturing opportunities, 
the industry, genius and home-loving patriotism of 
(its staunch, God-fearing people, and a practical belief 
in the common brotherhood of man. Let us not be 
carried away by the delusive visions of military pomp 
and National aggrandizement. 
The New York agricultural law relating to the dis¬ 
tribution of money to the various fair associations is 
loosely drawn and defective. It should be patched up 
or made over by the next Legislature. For example, 
some of the fairs receive more money from the State 
than they pay out as premiums. This should be 
stopped, and the income from the State should all be 
applied to premium payments. What else is it sup¬ 
posed to be for? Again, we do not believe that the 
State should pay its money for premiums on stock or 
produce raised outside the Lorders of New York. 
There is little in such a practice to encourage the pro¬ 
duction of improved products in this State. 
* 
Farm-reared men sometimes shudder when they 
think of the hired man. From him, they probably 
learned first to lie to their lathers, and almost to dis¬ 
respect their mothers. To hiim, they were indebted 
for the knowledge that God did not bring the baby 
sister and lay her in her beauty and innocence in her 
mother’s arms while she slept. He told them stories 
untrue, vile, low, vulgar, mean, and aroused dormant 
passions before character was sufficiently developed, 
i he hired man taught them to shirk work, neglect 
chores, and slight lessons when not under the eye of 
father or teacher. He, probably, gave the first chew of 
tobacco, laughed at the subsequent sickness, and en¬ 
couraged the habit. The hired man’s bottle of vile 
mm hid in the haymow probably supplied the first' 
drink. The hired man taught that the sin of stealing 
was in being caught. Not all hired men were so, but 
enough of them were to deserve the indictment on a 
farm the writer knew 20 years ago. Such hired men 
are bad enough, but worse yet is the farmer who 
knowingly permits them to debauch Ms boys! 
4< 
BREVITIES. 
“MARCHING WITH DEWEY.” 
A sound, like that when billows blown across 
The stormy ocean roar their life away 
Against the rocks, arises from the crowd 
that throngs the streets—a hoarse exultant roar 
Ol victory—a mad, half-savage cry— 
An echo from the days of savagery. 
Thrilling the great heart of America. 
Dewey! The name is in a million throats; 
The Nation pours its homage at his feet. 
He comes! This white-haired man, silent and old, 
Who hears the roaring of the frantic crowd 
With strange forebodings, for he knows full well 
That unseen shapes, which he himself set free, 
That morning in Manila Hay, march on. 
Close at his heels, unheeded by the crowd. 
War, Greed, Oppression—ghostly shapes are they, 
Sneaking within the shadow of his fame. 
Marching unbidden, waving evil hands, 
L nseen by those who cheer them as they go. 
God give us wisdom for our welcoming; 
Honor the man, but give us eyes to see 
The hideous shapes that crawl behind his back. 
That we may curse them, lest in after years, 
They come in flesh and blood and, sneering, say 
“You welcomed us with Dewey years ago!” 
Well up in Gee—the near ox. 
Buff-colored turkeys is the latest poultry bluff. 
A half truth is often more dangerous than a whole lie. 
Poor business to make the boy sleep with the hired 
man! 
Pick the apples as you would eggs this year—they will 
be worth it. 
The man who dodges a solid fact most certainly plays 
the baby act. 
A Milwaukee milkman is the first of his trade to start 
an automobile. 
No, sir— the institute speakers are not hired to see 
which can carry the longest tail. 
What about the plan of introducing new blood through 
the female—buying hens instead of roosters? 
Oranges 10 for a cent in Porto Rico—still we don’t care 
to live there. Better an apple in New Jersey. 
Insist on fumigated nursery stock when you buy. A 
few scales may escape fumigation, but they will be very 
few. 
There is a movement on foot to give the public a new 
coin—worth 2% cents—half a nickel, quarter of a dime, 
or the tenth of a quarter. We favor it. 
A potato picker is called for. It must be able to dis¬ 
tinguish between a potato and a stone, or the farmer 
must pick up all the stones beforehand. 
Every expert judge of fruit knows how worthless va¬ 
rieties are often highly praised by enthusiastic people. 
They are often honest in their praise, too. 
Avoid a fight! Cross the street, get away, swallow your 
feeling, “turn the other cheek.” If you are forced into 
a fight, however, make it worthy of its name! 
A note from Prof. T. V. Munson informs us that he 
hopes some day to put his notes on grape growing into 
permanent book form. There is no one in the country 
who has done more for grape culture than Prof. Munson, 
and we certainly hope that the mass of information 
which he has collected may live for many years in type. 
A Kansas woman has made a complete bonnet, said to 
be handsome, too, out of corn husks, and this moves a 
Kansas man to predict that, within a few years, corn- 
husk hats will be made at factories, the same as straw 
hats are now made. This will use up the last by-product 
of the corn except the silk, and it is likely that Yankee 
ingenuity will find some use for that. 
