6l2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 3 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS’ PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Cabman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Hebbebt W. Collinowood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentine, I . , , 
Mbs. E. T. Royle, ^ Associate Editors. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
PRICE, ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In tbe Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or 8V4 marks, or 10 y t franc3. 
ADVERTISINO RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 lines to the Inch). Yearly orders 
of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-llne orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with “ Adv.," 75 cents per 
count line. Absolutely One Pbice Only. 
Ad vertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with name of 
Post-office and State, and what tbe remittance is for, appear in 
every letter. Money orders and bank drafts on New York are the 
safest means of transmitting money. 
Address all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1898. 
In order that all farmers may know the reliable 
character of The R. N.-Y. and its real value to them, 
we will send it for the remainder of this year for 25 
cents. Old subscribers have an opportunity now to 
interest their neighbors and friends in the paper. 
© 
We would like every subscriber to read the terms 
for getting up clubs on page 61(5. Every reader ought 
to be able to send one name or more on these terms. 
There is good profit in the work for those who can 
give it enough time to work up a goo'l club. 
© 
When Admiral Sampson examined the guns on the 
Spanish warships he found the sights arranged for 
about 5,000 yards, while the actual fighting took place 
within 3,000 yards. Of course the Spaniards hit noth¬ 
ing but the ocean ! There are farmers who go at their 
work in much the same way. They have a set of iron¬ 
clad rules, and will not change plans or methods to 
suit changes in weather, market or labor. No wonder 
they do not hit the bull's-eye. 
@ 
It may be noticed that our currant growers have 
little to say about the black currant, and that little is 
uncomplimentary. This fruit never appears to be¬ 
come popular here. In Great Britain, black currant 
jam is a favorite filling for Winter puddings and tarts 
and, diluted with hot water to form a beverage, is 
used as a specific to cure a cold. Many old-fashioned 
tea drinkers like to place one black currant leaf in 
the teacup, pouring the tea over it; it is supposed to 
bring out the flavor. 
© 
We often hear of prizes offered to college students 
who excel in literature or science. Now we are glad 
to say that agricultural students are to be encouraged 
in a similar manner. Clay Robinson & Co., of Chi¬ 
cago, have offered $250 in prizes to the agricultural 
students who make the best record in judging stock 
at the Omaha Exposition. Prof. John A. Craig, of 
the Iowa Agricultural College (Ames), has charge of 
the contest. It is a good plan to encourage agricul¬ 
tural students n this way. In the world’s economy, 
the man who can judge a steer or a sheep is a more 
useful member of society than the scholar with his 
dull poetry or tedious essay. 
© 
Much has been said about the extreme solubility of 
nitrate of soda. When put in water, it will dissolve 
as readily as salt or sugar, and of course may easily 
be washed out of the soil. Farmers who use fertil¬ 
izers carefully soon come to realize this, and do not, 
therefore, use nitrate of soda late in the season, just 
before the washing Fall rains. It is not so well un¬ 
derstood, however, that there are other soluble ni¬ 
trates that may be washed out of the soil. All 
through the hot weather in July and August, the in¬ 
soluble organic nitrogen in manure and other forms 
has been breaking up and changing into soluble ni¬ 
trates. A wise provision of Nature locks up these 
organic forms until the hot growing season of farm 
crops. At the first hard frost our Summer crops die 
and leave unused in the soil large quantities of these 
soluble nitrates. If the ground be left bare through 
October and November, the great proportion of this 
valuable nitrogen will be washed out and lost, espe¬ 
cially on open sloping soils. If a crop like rye, wheat 
or Crimson clover be started on the ground, after or 
before the Summer crops are removed, most of the 
nitrogen will be saved, for the living crops will utilize 
it. This is one great argument in favor of keeping the 
ground covered with some living crop during the 
Winter. Nitrogen represents money. Few farmers 
have money to burn, but far too many of them have 
nitrogen to soak. 
© 
Four years ago we went to Delaware in Crimson 
clover time, and saw that crop at its best. We came 
back and told about it. Enthusiastic ? Well, just a 
little—for it was a sight calculated to stir the blood 
of an older and steadier man. We kept on talking 
about it. Some good people sneered and doubted and 
threw big doses of cold water—but we kept on talking. 
Now thousands are joining in the chorus and “still 
there’s more to follow.” Now we want to take the 
southern cow pea into the partnership. Mark what 
we say. Within a few years many northern dairymen 
will use this cow pea to make their thin old pastures 
valuable. They will sow cow peas one year and corn 
the next, alternating—and in this way greatly increase 
the farm's producing power. Some will use potash 
and phosphoric acid with the cow peas, and sow Crim¬ 
son clover in the corn. Those who do so will make 
most profit. Wait and see whether we are not right— 
or better, start next Spring and try it, and prove that 
this plan is sensible. 
© 
In the office of one of the large steamship lines, we 
recently observed the following circular, which was 
printed in large type, and hung in a prominent place : 
In These Days There Were no Passes. 
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. 
“They shall not pass.” Numbers 20:18. 
“ Suffer not a man to pass.” Judah. 
“ The wicked shall no more pass.” Nahum, 1:15. 
“ None shall ever pass.” Mark, 13:30. 
“Though they roar, yet they shall not pass.” Jeremiah. 
“ So he paid the fare and went.” Jonah, 1:3. 
This is a good circular to keep constantly hanging 
before those people who are forever angling after free 
passes. Public officials, especially members of the 
legislature, seem ready to sell even their self-respect, 
fora railroad pass. “So he paid the fare and went.'' 1 
Let public officers take that for their text. Let them 
pay their money for traveling, and go about their 
business without delay. 
0 
The mustering out of the volunteer forces is already 
under way. Those who have seen service in Cuba are, 
as a rule, in immediate need of rest and recuperation ; 
many of them are entirely broken down, suffering 
more from starvation and fev r than from Spanish 
bullets. When they enlisted, they gave themselves 
freely for their country’s need, but now that there is 
near prospect of peace, it is but fair that they should 
be given their choice between taking Uncle Sam's 
police duty for the full term of enlistment, or return¬ 
ing to civilian life. According to present prospects, 
the War Department lakes this view, and unless un¬ 
foreseen complications arise, the citizen soldiers will 
be rapidly discharged. Neither is there need for in¬ 
vidious comment because our volunteers are anxious 
to return to their farms, offices and shops They have 
done their duty, whether in Cuba or in scarcely less 
deadly camps at home. Garrison duty in our new de¬ 
pendencies belongs to the regulars, who will be, prac¬ 
tically, military police, until Uncle Sam’s new wards 
may be trusted with self-government. Our volun¬ 
teers in Cuba have done every form of work that fal’s 
to the soldier, from fighting to road-making. They 
have finished Uncle Sam’s chores ; now let them bring 
their discipline and determination into private life. 
There is plenty of room for them. 
0 
A street-car line in a certain city issues transfers 
to passengers ; that is, a passenger who has paid his 
fare receives a ticket from the conductor entitling him 
to a ride on another car crossing the route of the first. 
To prevent any one else than those to whom they are 
issued from using the transfer checks, the latter have 
pictures upon them, and the conductor punches the 
one most nearly resembling the passenger. For in¬ 
stance, there is a picture of a smooth-faced man, one 
with a full beard, another with side whiskers and one 
with mustache only. The women were provided with 
two pictures only—one of a young woman, the other 
of an elderly female—and here was the source of all 
the trouble. No one but a Solomon would be capable 
of deciding which picture to punch. Of course, the 
conductor might make himself solid with all the wo¬ 
men by always punching the picture of the young 
woman, but the conductor on the other line might not 
be so astute and get himself into the hottest kind of 
hot water by declining to accept the transfers in some 
cases. It is said that some of the women tore up the 
transfers given them, and paid another fare rather 
than present anything that cast such aspersions upon 
their age. It's a terribly knotty question for such hot 
weather, and if the conductors don’t go insane over it, 
it will be a wonder. The idea of placing a man in a 
position where he must pass upon a woman’s age! 
What won’t the monopolistic corporations do next ? 
It is peculiarly gratifying to us to announce the ap¬ 
pointment of Prof. M. V. Slingerland as State Ento- 
mologist of New York, first because we recognize his 
eminent fitness for the position, and second because 
we were among the first to advocate his appointment 
Prof. Slingerland needs no introduction to the farmers 
from us. His work for the past eight years since he 
became a member of the Cornell Faculty is a guarantee 
of what we may expect. His writings on the farmers’ 
insect foes, which have appeared so frequently in The 
R- N.-Y., show that he appreciates the farmers’ needs. 
The beauty of his writings is that they are as devoid of 
scientific terms as it is possible to make them, and are 
written in language that we can all understand. Our 
congratulations on past attainments and future op¬ 
portunities are hereby tendered. Prof. Slingerland’s 
address for the present will be at Ithaca, N. Y. 
© 
In New York State, the law requires that all racing 
associations shall pay to the State five per cent of 
their gross receipts for the benefit of the agricultural 
societies. A special law was enacted last Winter em¬ 
powering the Governor to appoint two men to have 
sole charge of the collection of this tax, one to be 
known as Supervisor of Accounts of Running Race 
Meetings, the other as Supervisor of Accounts of Trot¬ 
ting Race Meetings. The former officer is reported to 
be doing his work well. The latter, Mr. Hamilton 
Busby, is reported to be accomplishing practically 
nothing. Mr. J. H. Durkee, president of the New 
^ ork State Association of County Agricultural Socie¬ 
ties has preferred charges against Mr. Busby to Gov. 
Black. He says that, of the 75 or more race meetings 
already held in this State, he does not find one whose 
books have been examined by Mr. Busby. If some¬ 
thing is not done speedily, the agricultural societies 
will lose a large amount of money rightly theirs ac¬ 
cording to law. There doesn’t seem to be much room 
for argument in this matter, or much excuse for the 
Governor s not removing Mr. Busby summarily. He 
is a State official, duly appointed according to law, 
and has failed to perform the duties for which he was 
appointed. It seems a plain case. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
Lord help the uiau who cannot see a joke, 
Whose sterile soul is quite devoid of fun. 
Poor, hopeless wretch, Dame Humor needs must poke 
Her wit into his ribs—then turn and run. 
His dreary life can have no funny side, 
He cannot laugh—gloom sits upon his heart; 
And on his spirits, solemn thoughts must ride 
And drive his nature from its lighter part. 
I’d rather be a slave, worn, harried, tried 
Yet free to see the fun in life’s long day, 
Than be a world’s great master, yet denied 
The right to give my heart a chance to play. 
Boil the dish rag. 
Egypt gave us the sugar beet. 
Kill the surplus rooster right now. 
Anti-acid is the latest name for lime. 
Teach the boy to be handy with his feet. 
Mb. August Day cannot “ look pleasant.” 
Works while he plays—the organ grinder. 
Don’t forget to save the seed corn this year. 
An unpopular name for bad luck is laziness. 
A liquor license is both internal and infernal revenue. 
A WOODEN post will develop a streak of lean— in a fat man. 
Kid nai* —best thing that can happen to the baby at night. 
The mortgaged hay crop—“ When the due is on the grass.” 
Why does a dairyman wear a white apron? Most of them don’t! 
No, sir it isn’t fair to judge a man by what his neighbors say 
of him. 
Which does your fair pay more attention to—the fake or the 
farmer ? 
When is the best time to fertilize bush fruits? August or Sep¬ 
tember. 
He who runs away from trouble—some day makes its weight 
stem double. 
A good thing for you to say honestly a dozen times a day is 
“ Help my unbelief ”! 
Root galls on fruits! How do they kill the tree? Chiefly by 
cutting off the water supply. 
Exit— the Klondike gold-mining boom. The railroads and 
steamships made most out of it. 
The director of the Ohio Experiment Station says that pure 
corn cob ash is worth as much as a fertilizer pound for pound, as 
muriate of pota&h. He's right. Ashes of ragweed are w'orth 
more. 
A law in Ireland forbids the employment of female labor on 
Sundays. This is said to inconvenience farmers who send milk 
to Irish creameries. Parliament is to be asked to change the 
law so that women may work for a few hours on Sunday. 
“I remember hearing an old man say that plantains, which 
are usually very hard to pull up, are easy to pull in August. 
This is correct; the old roots decay when seed forms, and new 
ones issue. It is the season for clearing plantain out of a piece 
of lawn.” 
There’s a great outcry over the problem of saving the $100,000,000 
said to be spent yearly by this country for imported sugar. (To 
be exact the total value of last year’s imports was $99,066,181). 
Suppose we could work up such a hue-and-cry over the vast sums 
spent each year for intoxicating liquor—$12,272,872 worth of that 
imported. Who says agriculture would not be better off for such 
a shaking-up ? 
