644 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 17 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established. 1850. 
Elbert 8. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
PRICE, ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, 12.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 814 marks, or 10yj franc3. 
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 Prick Only. 
Advertisements 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 the 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 17, 1898. 
The following note comes from Iowa : 
I am an old man of 70, riding a wheei. This is my first day’s 
work for you; if my health and strength hold out, I expect to do 
more for you. 
The letter contained the names of 10 new subscribers. 
We are all ready to hear from the men of GO, 50, 40, 30 
and 20 years. There is a general report that subscrip¬ 
tions “come easy” this year. 
© 
Uncle Sam began business in Cuba by feeding the 
reconcentrados. Then he fed the pacificos, thrashed 
the Spaniards and began to feed them, and now the 
Cuban army expects him to feed them also, and pay 
them their arrears of wages, which they never ex¬ 
pected to get. The general impression is that Uncle 
Sam is a good provider, but we have a few reconcen¬ 
trados in our camps at home, who seem to deserve a 
good seat at the family dinner-table. 
© 
When the managers of the New York State Pair 
shut out the vulgar side shows and “ fakes” this year, 
they did more than they expected. They not only 
gave us a clean, honest and thoroughly enjoyable fair, 
but they set an example for other exhibitions. It will 
not do hereafter for fair managers to say that these 
rowdy shows are a necessary part of the fair. That 
statement has now been branded as a lie. We do not 
need drunkenness, disorder and dishonesty to call 
farmers out to the fair. Furthermore, we need not 
have them if the farmers of the country will refuse to 
patronize unclean fairs the second time. 
O 
Hundreds of sick soldiers home from Cuba craved 
milk. To tell the truth, this was about the only food 
they could digest. It meant life to them. The officers 
in charge of the camp knew this need, and they were 
backed by the mighty power of the Government, yet 
they failed to obtain a supply. While they were tying 
themselves up with red tape, an Italian who could 
hardly speak English drove into camp with four big 
cans of milk, and proceeded to retail it to the soldiers ! 
He was sharp enough to recognize the need and to 
find the milk. Here was a man whose only motive 
was a desire to make a few dollars, performing a 
service that seemed impossible to men who were sup¬ 
posed to guard the credit and honor of their country. 
What an exhibition they have made of themselves ! 
© 
As a rule, the great industrial trusts do most of their 
fightingwith the public, but occasionally they quarrel 
among themselves, and a battle is now on between 
the sugar and coffee magnates. Years ago the Ar- 
buckles, great coffee roasters, began to put up their 
coffee in bags, with the weight stamped upon each 
bag, designing and patenting special machinery for 
this purpose. They controlled this machinery, and 
later they began to bag sugar in the same way. The 
Arbuckles purchased manufactured sugar from the 
sugar trust, and all was harmony until the fall in the 
price of raw sugar, when the coffee roasters demanded, 
without success, a reduction in rates. There was a 
rupture, and the Arbuckles began to build a sugar re¬ 
finery of their own. The sugar trust retaliated by 
establishing a coffee-roasting plant. The Arbuckles, 
who had heavy stocks of coffee on hand, endeavored, 
it is said, to induce the imposition of a high duty on 
coffee, while the opposition, at the beginning of the 
war, tried to influence the Government in imposing a 
war tax on coffee, which would chiefly affect their 
rivals. Both plans failed, and sugar remains the chief 
point of contention. It is expected that, as soon as 
the preserving season is over, the price of sugar will 
drop, so the public will be the gainer by the fight of 
the octopuses. It seems strange that the Arbuckles, 
who have spent two years in building their refinery, 
did not turn their attention to beet sugar. 
© 
A flood of other matter has made it necessary to 
omit the third part of the two continued articles on 
Westchester County farming and Delaware agricult¬ 
ure. They will be printed next week. We find that 
readers are greatly interested in studying the methods 
of those who live at a distance, and whose operations 
must be quite different from their own. They are not 
able to follow these methods exactly, but the new 
ideas often suggest changes or modifications of plans 
that prove very useful. We expect to visit the Central 
West during the next month to make something of a 
study of western farming. We think our readers will 
be interested to learn how that country looks to a man 
from the seashore. 
0 
The outbreak of typhoid fever which has appeared 
at Camp Black, on Long Island, is traced by the sur¬ 
geons to certain wells on adjoining farms, from which 
the men were in the habit of drinking when out on 
leave. These were all surface wells, but 15 or 20 feet 
deep, and loosely built, and all were in close proximity 
to stables and outhouses. The water was badly con¬ 
taminated with sewage. There is no doubt that, in 
many country places, carelessness about the water 
supply results in ailments of various forms and de¬ 
grees, which are credited to every possible cause ex¬ 
cept the right one. It is impossible to take too many 
precautions against possible contamination. One dan¬ 
gerous well may cause a serious outbreak of prevent¬ 
able disease. Above all, no dairying community can 
afford to take the slightest risk in this direction. 
@ 
Sitting on a hillside on the old farm, a son of the 
former owner now gone to his rest, spoke touchingly 
of his honored father. He now holds a position of 
honor and influence, and is loved and respected by his 
fellowmen. He spoke of the many happy years spent 
with his father on the old farm, more as a companion 
than as a son. Perfect trust and confidence always 
existed between the two. Then came this tribute to 
his father's character: “My father was one of the 
best men that ever lived. I knew him as few sons 
know’ a father. He never did a dishonorable act.” 
What a tribute for a son to pay his father! How 
many sons can honestly do it ? Were there more, 
there would be less dishonesty, trickery and crime in 
the world to-day. The future of the country depends 
upon the rising generation. May they have examples 
set before them upon which they may look back with 
pride. 
© 
The trouble experienced by White & Rice in sending 
their products to the city market by express, is an¬ 
other of the numerous examples which enforce the 
necessity for reform in transportation methods. They 
are situated about 40 miles from New York. There 
are many people who would like to get regularly the 
fancy eggs and other products they are producing, 
and would be willing to pay them good prices. The 
firm has secured a few such customers, but the results 
are very discouraging. The rates are exorbitantly 
high, high enough, it would seem, to insure careful 
handling ; yet case after case of eggs was so roughly 
handled that the largest part of them were broken, 
the cases were destroyed or lost completely, and the 
loss from this cause was so great that a large part of 
the profit was lost. Threats of suspending all ship¬ 
ments wrought a partial relief, but that was all. It 
would seem as though self-interest would prompt the 
transportation companies to greater efforts to please 
patrons, for their efforts in that direction would re¬ 
sult in increased patronage. Competition seems to be 
the only thing that spurs them up. 
© 
New \ t ork State is to be congratulated on the fine 
showing made at the State Fair grounds at Syracuse 
last week. We have attended fairs more or less for 
the past 25 years, and do not hesitate to say that the 
exhibition at Syracuse last week was all around the 
most edifying agricultural fair that we ever visited. 
The general satisfaction was apparent on every corner 
of the grounds. Exhibitors were kept busy and 
happy showing up the merits of their various products 
and articles of manufacture, yet found time to ex¬ 
press approval of the general management of the 
grounds. “ I never before visited a fair where goods 
were handled with so much promptness and care,” was 
the way one exhibitor of agricultural implements put 
it. Politeness, courtesy and consideration for the 
convenience and comfort of the exhibitors and visit¬ 
ors were manifest in the conduct of every official of 
the grounds, from the genial manager to the gate at¬ 
tendants. The Association is very, fortunate in hav¬ 
ing the general management of the fair in the hands 
of a man of such a rare combination of talents as 
W. Judson Smith. While such members of the Board 
as Col. Chase and S. T). Willard contributed largely to 
the general result, the credit for the success of the 
exhibition is practically due to Mr. Smith’s tireless 
energy and good horse sense. During the opening 
days of the fair, he was constantly besieged by a 
dozen or more men at a time, each demanding some spe¬ 
cial attention. We don’t know how he managed it, but 
each one got the attention he sought. The peanut 
man got the same courteous consideration as was ac¬ 
corded the proudest exhibitor. He was the first on 
the grounds in the morning, and the last at night. It 
is seldom that we find men of Mr. Smith’s executive 
ability able to give so much personal attention to de¬ 
tails. When found, it is difficult to get them to devote 
their time practically gratis to a public affair of this 
kind. We believe that every farmer of the State, as 
well as those who visited The Rural New-Yorker 
tent at the fair grounds, will join with us in assuring 
him of their grateful appreciation of his services to 
the agricultural interests of the State. 
© 
A local paper chronicles the death in a family in 
the village of a child 2% years old. Another younger 
child is not expected to live. An older girl has been 
sick, but is recovering. The mother died the preced¬ 
ing week. What a dispensation of Providence ! No, 
a thousand times no. Providence is often blamed for 
that which is the direct result of human carelessness. 
These dire results were brought about by drinking 
milk from a diseased cow, and this cow was made sick 
by drinking stagnant water in a pasture. Another 
death of a child was caused by drinking the milk 
from a cow pastured in the same field. Three deaths, 
possibly more, untold suffering and anguish, and we 
are given the comforting assurance that the Board of 
Health is investigating the matter. At least a dozen 
times within the past few weeks, the writer has seen 
milch cows drinking from such foul, disease-breeding 
places. It ought to be made a criminal offense for 
the owner of a cow to allow such a practice. The 
investigation should be done before innocent lives 
are sacrificed. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP. 
8 P. M. 
If I’d a ben in Cuby at the head of this campaign, 
I’ll bet you wouldn’t never heard of this here burnin’ shame 
Of honest soldiers dyin’ for the lack of food and care; 
There’d ben enough of everything ef I’d had orders there. 
Oh ! wouldn’t I have rousted out them doctors! Well, now come, 
I’d run them plaguey hospitals jest like I run my home! 
I’ll bet I’d travel fifty miles to hunt up food and milk, 
I’d kep’ them boys like flghtin’ cocks, an’ had ’em fine as silk! 
You wouldn’t catch me bangin’ off while honest men was sick, 
I’d pulled my coat and rolled my sleeves, an’ got right to ’em quick. 
1 a. M. 
What’s that ? the baby cryin’ ? What’s the matter with him now? 
Won’t I git up an’ feed him ? Say, what ails him anyhow ? 
He’s hungry? Well now, let him yell; ’twon’t hurt his lungs a bit, 
I ain’t a-gonter travel down an’ get his milk—I’ll quit 
A-workin’ days and nursin’ kids when honest folks should sleep. 
I’ve half a mind to spank him good—say, now, why can’t ye keep 
Asleep a little while an’ give yer poor old Dad a show ? 
Won’t nothin’ stop him but that milk downstairs? I’ve got to go! 
Grow away from growling. 
It’s possible to overdo irrigation. 
Sun the milkpans after scouring. 
Why doesn’t your wife like farming ? 
The hot wave—short may she wave ! 
Who cannot stand a “ sassy ” garden ? 
Nitrogen— the legacy of the legumes. 
They speak well of the Burbank plum. 
Phiz sick al culture—drawing a long face. 
The State Department may be called a Day-ery. 
Poor dough (Bordeaux) mixture—heavy biscuits. 
The goat and the ram give great displays of bunting. 
Blue grass and Red-top—equal parts for seeding a lawn. 
The farmer is expected to sell at wholesale and buy at retail. 
Great for niter (night air)—Crimson clover and chicken thieves. 
Changeable weather furnishes us with numerous influenzial 
friends. 
Read what Prof. Slingerland says about the San Josd scale- 
page 640. 
Desirable vegetable ailments—big head in cabbage, and lots 
of corns on the maize. 
He who buries clover sod—sure as you are born resurrects it 
later in a noble crop of corn. 
The weight of thought carried by some people will never make 
their minds round-shouldered. 
Sir Herbert Kitchener! An appropriate name for the man 
who has cooked the goose for the Dervishes. 
What do you think the managers of an old soldiers’home in 
California have done ? Bought oleo for the privates and butter 
for the officers. 
There is fun in the old Bay State when these fruit growers 
(page 641) ride around in “ barges” and are “ fed and watered” 
by peach growers! 
It was stated on page 597 that New York State has the only 
beet-sugar factories east of Nebraska. We are now informed 
that there is a factory at Bay City, Mich. 
