66o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 24 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentine, I . 
Mbs. E. T. Rotle, ^ Associate Editors. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
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8s. 6d., or 8 Vi marks, or 10V4 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 Price 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 24, 1898. 
Commissioner Evans, of the Pension Bureau, says 
that quite a business is done in pawning- vouchers or 
certificates of pensions. Shylocks will take these 
papers from needy pensioners and advance the money— 
charging from 5 to f>0 per cent interest per month and 
collecting the pension when due. The danger to the 
Government is that these money-lending rascals, hav¬ 
ing secured the vouchers, will continue to draw the 
money, even after the pensioner is dead. Some law or 
rule must be made to crush these rascals out. It is 
not generally known that the Government is still pay¬ 
ing pensions to 12 women—daughters and widows of 
soldiers who fought in the War of the Revolution ! 
e 
In most of the New England States, a new political 
question has arisen. Three or four great railroad sys¬ 
tems have secured a practical monopoly of freight 
and passenger traffic. It is charged that these great 
corporations own or control members of the legisla¬ 
ture, railroad commissioners and whatever else is 
needed to keep their monopoly. Now a rival has come 
in the shape of electric roads, which can run parallel 
with the steam roads and carry local freight and pas¬ 
sengers cheaper. The steam roads see in this com¬ 
petition the end of their monopoly, and the end of 
high rates of service and of large dividends. The 
fight against electric roads is of more importance to 
them than almost any national issue could be. In New 
Hampshire especially just now, this issue is at the 
front. It is said that the Boston and Maine Railroad 
will spend millions rather than permit the electric 
roads to carry passengers and freight in opposition 
to them. Such farmers as New Hampshire boasted 
50 years ago would never have permitted this. 
What is the present generation doing ? 
© 
When found that March morning, the young calf 
was nearly frozen, but, with the help of Bob, Farmer 
B.’s 12-year-old boy, it stood up, took a few swallows 
of milk, picked up courage, and concluded not to die. 
Bob took an interest in the calf. Good care and lib¬ 
eral feeding put a XXX trademark on it, just as this 
combination will similarly mark almost any animal 
or farm. At five months old, it was the finest heifer 
in the neighborhood. Its appetite threatened the 
pigs with a milk famine, and its b-a-a-r-r suggested 
anything but quick consumption. Bob’s heart was 
set on keeping it for a cow, and his father half prom¬ 
ised to do so. In the little pasture beside the road, it 
was noticed by all who passed by. A stranger stopped 
one day and, after some dickering, offered a fancy 
price for the young heifer. Farmer B. took it, was 
pleased with the bargain, gave Bob a dollar and prom¬ 
ised to let him go fishing the next Saturday. Bob felt 
hurt. He wanted the calf more than the money or 
the fishing trip. It seemed cold-hearted and cruel to 
sell the very thing he was most interested in. Boys 
are peculiar. They are not specially grateful. They 
look at things in a one-sided and unreasonable way, 
and often get foo'ish prejudices that require years to 
break down. The farmer meant well. He saw the 
good bargain, but not Bob’s zero feeling toward the 
fa^rn. A few more such incidents made the farm to 
him the one place where you could not have what you 
wanted, and why should he want to stay there ? A 
calf, a lamb, an experimental potato patch, a fish 
pond, or, in fact, anything within reason is good 
property, if, with it, the boy’s interest in the farm can 
be kept. Gratify every whim ? Of course not, but 
study the boy, use a little tact and patience ; don't let 
him get soured. If possible, tide him safely over this 
notional and freakish part of his life. It will pay. 
If, after a time, he wishes to take up some other busi¬ 
ness, let him look back on the farm as the most de¬ 
lightful spot on earth, and not a place to be shunned. 
© 
Accounts have been published of a disgraceful scene 
at Camp Gordon, Ga., where R. R. Wright, a recently 
appointed paymaster, was threatened with lynching. 
Mr. Wright’s crime is that he is a colored man, and 
the men of the Second North Carolina and Third Texas 
regiments insulted him outrageously, a corporal of the 
Third Texas refusing to accept his pay, and denounc¬ 
ing the paymaster, his superior officer, in scathing 
terms. The disturbance became so serious that the 
paymaster was obliged to leave the camp. It would 
be well to remind these lawless soldiers that a large 
proportion of the Cuban insurgents, for whose liberty 
they profess willingness to fight, are colored ; the 
Kanakas of the Hawaiian Islands, now adopted into 
our national family, are colored, and our friends the 
Filipinos may, also, be described as colored. If we are 
to inaugurate the reign of liberty and equality in our 
new dependencies by drawing a rigid color line, we 
shall at once arouse doubts of our sincerity. The 
problem of our new imperialism goes hand in hand 
with the future of the dark races. 
© 
The thrashing machine which traveled from farm 
to farm, eating up the strawstacks and leaving the 
grain in the bins, was a pioneer in the idea of coopera¬ 
tive work among farmers. The wood-sawing outfit 
goes from house to house and cuts up the season's 
wood in a few hours. The ensilage cutter goes the 
rounds and fills a dozen silos. The potato planter, 
the steam spray pump, the haying outfit, all pass 
from farm to farm. The farmer with a few acres 
could not afford to buy the expensive machinery 
which is designed for wholesale operations, but he, 
with a dozen others, can provide acres enough to 
make the tool pay its way. The latest scheme of this 
sort is found in California, where movable irrigating 
outfits—pump and power—are moved from orchard to 
orchard or from farm to farm as required. Now if 
farmers can combine in this way, it seems a pity that 
they cannot go a step further and combine for buying 
and selling. There are many wholesale firms who 
would be glad to sell goods to companies of farmers 
at wholesale rates. It often happens that the worst 
middleman we have is the prejudice or distrust that 
comes between neighbors and will not let them unite 
for business. 
© 
One of the sad features of our late war is the dis¬ 
credit cast upon the great American pie. As a people, 
we have always regarded this national luxury with 
loyal enthusiasm, whether the rich - hued, spicy 
pumpkin pie of New England, the composite and 
mysterious mince, or the democratic apple. Our 
soldiers, while in Cuba, hungered for pie, just as 
the children of Israel looked back upon the leeks and 
the onions of Egypt, and their first proceeding, upon 
returning to home shores, was to make a stampede 
for this toothsome, but demoralizing viand. For the 
doctors of high degree assert that pie and similar 
“ soft stuff ” work havoc with a soldier’s health, and 
that a digestion that defies the assaults of rancid 
bacon and moldy hardtack, gives out utterly when 
insulted with pastry and ginger ale. Typhoid patients, 
whose food should have been liquid only, insisted 
upon pie, though we can hardly blame them for this 
at places where they were being fed upon pork and 
hardtack. Where it was possible to regulate the diet, 
pie was severely frowned upon by the authorities, and 
it would appear that an anti-pie movement is spread¬ 
ing. The connection between the spread of imperial¬ 
ism and the downfall of pie is definite though 
undeveloped. 
© 
We are now informed that the President is deter¬ 
mined that the conduct of the war shall be investi¬ 
gated by a commission appointed by him. But it is to 
be some of the subordinates who are to be investi¬ 
gated, while those who were responsible for the ap¬ 
pointment of these subordinates will go unquestioned. 
There is no doubt that many, many transactions of 
recent months should be investigated. It is doubtful 
whether ever before in the history of this country so 
much blundering incompetency and inefficiency were 
crowded into the same space of time. These are alto¬ 
gether too mild terms by which to characterize these 
shortcomings, for the results have been untold sick¬ 
ness, suffering and misery, and needless death to 
thousands. The country should know, and is entitled 
to know, why men without the least experience or 
training to fit them for responsible positions, were 
appointed to those positions. It has a right to know 
why the cheap uniforms in which our soldiers were 
clothed, were purchased at double or triple their 
value. It should insist upon knowing why our troops 
suffered and died from lack of food and medical sup¬ 
plies when those supplies lacked only efficient 
distribution to make them available. It should 
know why the medical department is so hampered 
by red tape that its efficiency was seriously 
crippled. It should know why the railroad that 
has, probably, profited more largely in proportion 
to its value, by this war than any other, has been 
allowed to violate its obligations and agreements 
at will, and has treated our sick and weakened sol¬ 
diers like cattle. The people of this country have 
been ready, willing and anxious to give our soldiers 
all they needed, and more ; yet they have suffered and 
died by the hundreds. The people of this country do 
not believe in the doctrine that the king can do no 
wrong. They demand that those high in authority 
shall give a true accounting of their stewardship, and 
that the responsibility be placed where it belongs. 
© 
It was especially easy for the despicable assassin, 
Lucchesi, to murder the Empress of Austria, because 
his victim, fond of active outdoor life, was accustomed 
to go about on foot or on horseback without military or 
police protection, and this crime exhibits fully the 
principles actuating men of his political belief. Their 
aim is not to redress the wrongs of the body politic, 
or to set an example of clean and honest living to 
those in their own station, but to terrorize and remove 
all persons of rank and wealth, without any idea of 
substituting a better order for that they would destroy. 
Envy, hatred and malice, together with an insane 
craze for notoriety, appear to be their leading charac¬ 
teristics. Lucchesi’s crime released a sorrow-laden 
woman of blameless life, whose happiest hours were 
spent far from courts and cities, among the plain 
people of the country. No political benefit can accrue 
from the crime, and its only effect will be to cause a 
vigorous campaign against anarchists, all over Europe. 
Whatever our personal opinions may be, concerning 
hereditary rulers, every good American feels that 
wrongs are not righted by assassination, and that 
justice must be swiftly executed upon the debased 
creature who slew this unprotected woman with his 
coward's blow. 
& 
BREVITIES. 
She churned and churned, that weary little maid. 
Inside the kitchen through the long forenoon; 
The sun crept slowly on, and drove the shade 
From off the doorstep. “ Is it coming soon ? ” 
Said father as he came in from the road. 
He lifted up the cover. “ Why, see here— 
I didn’t think you carried such a load ; 
You’ve got your churn too full, my little dear. 
Your dasher can’t stir up the cream at all; 
Pour part of it right out and start again. 
Don’t worry if your job does seem so small, 
Just move your dasher ! ” 
Half the grief and pain, 
The disappointment that weighs down our lives— 
The dead ambitions and regrets that burn, 
Come to the foolish one who toils and strives, 
Yet wastes his strength with too much in his churn. 
True stories are fact ery goods. 
Does your miller run a steal mill ? 
The “ sand ” pair—pluck and grit. 
Lots of food for reflection in the first frost. 
Cob meal—have you ever known it to injure hogs ? 
Be careful what tools you select for raising your ideal. 
A deed of blood—buying a purebred “ head of the herd.” 
The best lawn will have but one grass in it—Blue grass. 
What has become of the outcry against the English sparrow' ? 
Raspberries and currants jammed together make fine preserve. 
Don’t let the by-products get by and become good-bye products. 
Paper that fully equals the gold dollar in value— The R. N.-Y. 
A case for a pen shun —when some stranger asks you to sign a 
contract. 
The United States War Department is troubled with tape worm 
—red tape. 
Find a question upon which all agree—and what does it 
amount to ? 
“ Acid rock ”! The little girl forced to rock the baby while her 
mates are at play. 
No man buys character with money unless he give the money 
away at a sacrifice. 
Do you find any place like home? If so, you have probably 
failed in your home duties. 
Those who feed corn-and-cob meal are using more wheat bran 
with it. This is good policy. 
One of our agents in Massachusetts had driven his wheel 568 
miles after subscribers at last accounts. 
Farming needs capital. Some farmers think they can get 
creditors to accept the capital I for money. No go. 
We find people afraid to sow seed of Awnless Brorne grass for 
fear it will spread like Crab or Quack. Who can give the facts ? 
On page 656 a reader asks if grass has the sense of smell. We 
often meet farmers w'ho think certain plants possess one or more 
of the animal senses. 
If the ensilage corn is frosted get it into the silo as quickly as 
possible. The stalks will be dry and hard. As they are cut into 
the silo use plenty of water with them. 
Sulphuric acid may vary in its strength, and thus produce 
errors in showing the per cent of fat in milk. That does not show 
that the Babcock test is all wrong. A short pound weight might 
make the scales lie, but that would not prove the system of 
weights and measures all wrong. 
