1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
769 
Short Stories. 
The Farmer’s Chance. —We were 
talking to a grocer who does business in 
a large town, recently, when he gave the 
following startling information: He 
said that he had read in the paper some¬ 
where, that a man in Indiana had pro¬ 
duced a new variety of wheat, which 
would yield six times as much grain as 
the ordinary varieties. He said that a 
man had been offered $5 a kernel for 
this grain; at least, that was what the 
paper stated. 
“Now,” said he,, “doesn’t that show 
what a great advantage the farmer has? 
In three years, that grain will be all 
over the country, and without any more 
expense of money, time and trouble, 
farmers will be producing six times as 
much wheat as they now do; then, of 
course, they will be six times as well 
off. If anybody could give me a chance 
to make six times as much money in 
the grocery business as I do now, how I 
would jump at it; still, I will guarantee 
that lots of farmers won’t stir a foot to 
try to get this new wheat.” 
That man actually meant what he, 
said, and he passes as a reasonably wise 
man in his community. It merely shows 
the idea that some people have regard¬ 
ing the gifts of nature to the farmer. Of 
course we only laugh at this story, and 
wonder how a man can be so foolish as 
to imagine that such great streaks of 
luck fall into the farmer’s hat; and yet, 
isn’t it true that there are possibilities 
both in varieties and culture, that are 
free to all, or nearly so, which we, as 
farmers, never dream of touching? 
Farmers and Honesty. —Governor 
Roosevelt had this to say of country 
dwellers, in his address at the county 
fair at Delhi, N. Y.: 
The American farmer, the man who lives 
in the country, the village and smaller 
city, must be relied on to hand down the 
traditions that have made this country 
great in the past, and teach the kind of 
conduct that can alone make it great in 
the future. I ask of you that you shall 
bear in mind that not only is courage 
necessary to save a Nation, but honesty is 
no less necessary. No amount of courage 
of the soldier will make a Nation great if 
that Nation permit its standards of busi¬ 
ness, social, civic and political and moral, 
to become abased. Do not flatter your¬ 
selves that you can be held blameless in 
the long run if your public men are not 
what they should be. Politicians are just 
what you make them. No material pros¬ 
perity, no greatness will compensate for 
the lack of basic morals in a Nation. 
Good words—well spoken! Every 
true farmer will write O. K. on that 
speech. We cannot safely have honesty 
in the farm and dishonesty in the town. 
We don’t want it in chunks, but we want 
it spread all over. For example, if the 
farmer is to pay taxes on the value of 
his farm, we don’t wish Gov. Roosevelt 
to advocate taxing the owner of a public 
franchise on the basis of its net earn¬ 
ings'. 
Another Fisii Story. —You came 
wellnigh losing one of your subscribers. 
I have been a “constant reader of your 
valuable columns” for several years, 
and have believed all that it contained 
to be the gospel truth, but after reading 
that Black bass story on page 705, I 
must confess that I had my confidence 
somewhat shaken. I took the article 
over to a neighbor of mine—a genuine 
sportsman, who has fished in all waters 
salt and fresh, from Canada to Califor¬ 
nia. After reading it he said that there 
was no doubt about the genuineness of 
the story; he said that the Black bass 
was a regular acrobat, and could jump 
higher and oftener than any beast that 
swam. He said a friend of his who was 
fishing through the ice on Lake Champ¬ 
lain on a very cold day, held a red rag 
about a foot above the hole, at which 
the Black bass jumped, and with his 
mittened right hand he batted out upon 
the ice about a cartload of Black bass, 
and quit then only through sheer ex¬ 
haustion. Then he told of another 
friend who went to the lake just at twi¬ 
light. He was looking for woodcock, 
but hearing a fearful splashing of water, 
he crawled to the rim of the lake and 
discovered that thousands of Black bass 
were leaping out of the water into the 
air after white millers, flies, etc. Being 
without tackle, and having a muzzle- 
loader, an idea struck him; he slid the 
ramrod down on the charge, held his 
gun close to the water and turned 
loose. The ramrod, striking the water, 
ricocheted and, boomerang-like, came 
back to where he stood with a score of 
Black bass strung upon it. He re¬ 
marked, after he had finished this story, 
that if old Bill Jones was alive he could 
substantiate the whole story, a. q. p. 
Massachusetts. 
Types of Americans. —At the recent 
Farmers’ Congress in Boston, men were 
gathered from all over the country, the 
West sending a large representation. A 
delegate from Nebraska came walking 
into the hall one day. He looked like a 
typical Yankee—tall and slim, and not 
at all like what we suppose is the type 
of the corn-fed western man. He wore 
a badge with the name of his State, but 
an eastern delegate approached him and 
said, “I know you are a Yankee dele¬ 
gate.” 
“Not much,” said the westerner, “I 
am from Nebraska.” 
“But,” persisted the other, “I will 
guarantee that you were born in New 
England.” 
“Yes, I will have to admit that,” said 
the Nebraskan, “but how did you find 
that out?” 
“Why, from your looks. The Yankee 
type is the strongest-bred of any family 
of Americans, and you can’t feed it out. 
You can take your Poland China hogs 
or your Short-horn cattle and corn-feed 
them so that in a few years the type 
will be changed; but you can feed all 
the corn in Nebraska to a true-bred 
Yankee, and you never will make him 
fat, and never change his shape. Your 
boys and girls may show the result of 
corn feeding, but the baked beans and 
the fish balls, that are in your pedigree, 
are stronger than the corn.” 
It was certainly an interesting sight 
to study at a convention of this sort the 
different types of Americans. It is hard 
to understand why “hog and hominy” 
eaten in the Mississippi Valley will, in 
time, develop a portly and beefy-looking 
man, while the same diet in the Gulf 
States, produces more of the type of the 
Yankee. There seems to be something 
wrong with the theories of our scientific 
men, when you range a bean-fed Ver¬ 
monter by the side of a pork-fed Texan, 
and find that they have just about the 
same size and shape. 
BULLETINS BOILED DOWN. 
Bovine Tuberculosis.— Perhaps the most 
interesting, as well as scientific, discussion 
of bovine tuberculosis, may be found in 
the reports of the biological department 
of the New Jersey Experiment Station. 
Six of these reports have been issued by 
Prof. Nelson, and they trace his experi¬ 
ments from the time tuberculosis was dis¬ 
covered in the Station herd. Prof. Nelson 
has the faculty of making scientific infor¬ 
mation popular. It is easy to read his 
scientific discussions of the disease, and 
the whole history of what has been done 
with the College herd is exceedingly in¬ 
teresting. 
A Revised List of Fruits.— It may be 
remembered that Bulletin No. 6, of the 
Division of Pomology, United States De¬ 
partment' of Agriculture, which was a 
catalogue of fruits, issued two years ago, 
was severely criticised by some of the 
rural papers for its inaccuracy as to the 
suitability of many varieties to the locali¬ 
ties as given, and for its numerous omis¬ 
sions. This was the official list of fruits 
recommended by the American Pomologi- 
cal Society, and was prepared under the 
direction of the Pomologist of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, and published by the 
Government as a matter of favor and co¬ 
operation with the Society. The work has 
been thoroughly revised by W. H. Ragan, 
of Indiana, and is reissued as Bulletin No. 
8, of the Division of Pomology. While it 
is not claimed to be entirely free from 
errors and omissions, it is a step in ad¬ 
vance, and is by far the most nearly cor¬ 
rect in nomenclature and general informa¬ 
tion as to adaptability of varieties to the 
different parts of the country, of any pub¬ 
lication that has ever been in print. It 
is especially commendable in the sim¬ 
plicity and reliability of the names of our 
fruits, and these should be adopted by all 
the nurserymen in their records, cata¬ 
logues and tree labels. This action would 
lead to a very much clearer understanding 
of our fruits, and check, and in some 
measure, do away with, the confusion that 
now exists in this important particular. 
Copies may be had by applying to the 
Secretary of Agriculture at Washington. 
A Primer of Forestry, Part I., by 
Gifford Pinchot. Bulletin No. 25, Division 
of Forestry, United States Department of 
Agriculture, 88 pages, 48 full-page plates, 
83 figures, cloth bound. A most timely and 
valuable work, dealing with forests as a 
whole, their origin, life history, enemies, 
etc. It is divided into four chapters. The 
first treats of the life of the tree; the sec¬ 
ond discusses the various requirements of 
trees; the third gives the life history of a 
forest; and the fourth is devoted to the 
enemies of the forest, of which fires and 
reckless lumbering are the worst. Next 
to these the browsing of sheep, when 
herded in large flocks, is a most destruc¬ 
tive factor. The plates and figures are 
beautiful half-tone illustrations, and the 
text is most lucid and interesting, main¬ 
taining its intention for educational dis¬ 
tribution. A copy of this fine work can 
be had from the Superintendent of Docu¬ 
ments, Union Building, Washington, D. C., 
on receipt of 35 cents. 
Cereal Rusts of the United States.— 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C. A pamphlet of 74 
pages, with four colored plates, giving de¬ 
tailed descriptions of the various rusts af¬ 
fecting cereal grains in the United States, 
their distribution, and experiments to de¬ 
termine the rust resistance of many va¬ 
rieties of wheat and oats. There are six 
or seven distinct rusts affecting the cereals 
in this country. They are quite generally 
distributed through the grain-growing dis¬ 
tricts. The damage to wheat and oats 
probably exceeds that caused by all other 
enemies combined. Some Mediterranean 
varieties resist the Orange leaf-rusts to a 
considerable degree. Early-maturing va¬ 
rieties suffer least. Texas Rust-proof oats 
are very resistant to most rusts in the 
South. In the Northern States the most 
resistant varieties to Black stem-rust are 
Early White Russian, Great Northern, 
Tartarian, and Fenton's Rust-proof. Rusts 
in a great measure winter over on volun¬ 
teer crops of wheat, rye, and in the south¬ 
ern portions, oats. All farms should be 
kept rigidly free from such volunteer 
crops. 
u 
DIETZ 
Royal” Lantern. 
sflBsiu 
YfiS 
Many a monarch 
whose deeds ilium ine 
the pages of history 
was never himself il¬ 
lumined by such a 
light as this. The 
Royal Lantern has a 
single-piece drawn 
steel oil-pot, of extra 
large size, and a 
burner using a wick 
one inch wide. Itwill 
furnish a flood of 
brilliant light for 19 hours without 
being replenished. "We make an im¬ 
mense variety of Lanterns and Lamps, 
all, however, of but one quality. If 
the very best is what you seek, insist 
upon seeing ** DIETZ” upon what 
you buy. 
R. E* Dietz Co. t 
Established in 1840, 
87 Laight St., New York. 
« The Catalogue which we mail free is 
,< admirable “Light Reading.” S' 
v > Before Buying a New 
Harness 
Seud !> ct« In »tani|>s to pay pontage on dencriptlre cat¬ 
alogue 100 atyleti of .Ingle and double onk-Mimed 
Leather Harnenn to select from. Sold direct to lha 
consumer at wholesale price. W© can aarayou ngntT 
KING HARNES8 COMPANY. Mfrs/ 
212 Church St., Owego, N. Y. 
FRAZER 
: AXLE GREASE THlfwOIU-D. X 
X ,ts wearing qualities are unsurpassed, ac- X 
A tually outlasting 3 bo»es ot any other brand. X 
^ Not affected by heat. U3f~Get the Uenulne. T 
♦ ♦♦♦ FOR SALE BY aLl DEALERS. +++♦ 
WAIiTPn 10 handle our coin 
VfHII I til piete line of high 
grade Lubricating Oils and Greases, 
Boiler Compound, Paints, eic., 
and to canvass the farmers, thrashers, mills, etc., 
for orders for next Spring and 8uinmer delivery 
Salary or commission. Address with references 
THE A. F.VOAK OIL CO., Cleveland, Ohio. 
The A B C of Bee Culture.—A new 
edition of this book has just been published, 
thoroughly up to date. The fact that this 
edition brings the number of copies Issued 
up to 67,000 shows the appreciation in which 
this dictionary of beekeeping is held. 11 
contains 475 pages, of which 340 pages are 
devoted to general bee culture. This .s 
followed by a series of answers to ques¬ 
tions, and a glossary. Reviews and com 
ments by two eminent beekeepers are a 
valuable feature. There are numerous 
illustrations. The price of the book is 
$1.20; it may be ordered from this office. 
Scrofula and 
Consumption 
People tainted with scrof¬ 
ula very often develop con¬ 
sumption. Anemia, running 
of the ear, scaly eruptions, 
imperfect digestion, and 
enlargement and breaking 
down of the glands of the 
neck, are some of the more 
prominent of scrofula symp¬ 
toms—are forerunners of con¬ 
sumption. These conditions 
can be arrested, consumption 
prevented and health re¬ 
stored by the early use of 
Scott’s Emulsion 
Your doctor will tell you so. 
At all druggists ; 50c. and $t.oo. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists. New York. 
Sharpen your own Horse. 
THE BUZZARB 
the greatest of all 
HORSEICE CALKS 
Agents Wanted. Address, 
S.W. KENT,Cazenovia,N.Y. 
Largest manufacturers at 
Steel Wagon Wheels and 
Handy Truck Wagons in 
America. Guaranteed su¬ 
perior to any other make 
WRITS us 
Metal Wheel Co. 
HAVANA. ILLINOIS 
Seth Thomas Watch. 
This is one of our best bargains in 
cheap whtches. It is seven-jeweled move¬ 
ment, straight line lever escapement, 
cut compensation balance, safety pinion, 
white hard enamel dial. The case is 
dust-proof, polished silveroid (that looks 
like silver and wears better). Has gold 
filled crown. This watch usually retails 
for about $5. Our price is $3.50. We send 
it for a club of two new yearly subscrip¬ 
tions at SI each and S2.25 extra money, 
1 or free for a club of 10 at Si each. 
