THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 7 
34o 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARM KBS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established, 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Hkrbert W. Collinowood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentin*, l AHROf . iate Editors 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, f AHROClate Baltor8 ‘ 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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Address all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1898. 
Anything military seems to take the popular fancy 
nowadays. No show or exhibition is complete without 
some feature of this kind. At the Health Exposition 
now in progress at the Grand Central Palace in this 
city, is a reproduction of a field hospital tent with the 
guards in front, the wounded being borne in on a 
litter, the surgeon at work inside, and a complete 
outfit. The figures are all of wax, but the uniforms, 
flags, guns, etc., have seeu service, and the whole is 
very realistic. The two flags over the tent led each 
the blue and the gray during the stirring days of the 
Civil War. 
© 
Unless the friend on page 337 who purposes to buy 
and fatten chickens, give particular attention to 
every one of numerous details, the balance is pretty 
likely to be on the wrong side of the ledger. He must 
be a good buyer, know when to buy and have a good 
market in which to buy, that is, one in which good 
stock can be bought at low prices. Then he must be 
a good feeder, and know how to get a maximum of 
growth and fat at a minimum of cost for feed. If he 
buy his feed, he must, also, know just what, when and 
where to buy to the best advantage. Selling also 
requires special knowledge of markets and methods 
to insure success. There is, also, risk of loss from dis¬ 
ease or accident, as well as other risks. The business 
is a special trade in itself, and more will lose than 
will make money at it. Still there are possibilities. 
O 
Next week an electrical exposition opens at Madi¬ 
son Square Garden, in this city, similar to the one 
held at the Grand Central Palace last year. All the 
latest developments in electrical science will here be 
shown. The application of this mysterious force in 
the modern methods of lighting, heating, and pro¬ 
pelling both machinery and traveling carriages will 
be made plain by working models and full-sized ma¬ 
chines. The innumerable uses to which electricity is 
now applied, are bewildering to the layman. Among 
other interesting things promised is an exact repro¬ 
duction of the methods of harbor defense by means of 
electrical submarine mines, the whole being made 
very realistic by the blowing up of miniature vessels 
while passing over these hidden mines. It will, prob¬ 
ably, be just as exciting to many people as real war, 
without being half so dangerous. 
© 
Farmers are not the only ones who are the prey of 
bogus commission merchants, creamery sharks and 
other rascals. Business men must be continually on 
their guard to avoid being swindled by scheming 
blacklegs. One lawyer said that many of these un¬ 
principled schemers would become independently rich 
in a safe way if they would only put the industry and 
brains into an honest business. Many merchants 
have recently been swindled in a peculiar way by a 
gang of these frauds. First, they would select some 
business man of good financial standing. Then they 
would find some other man of the same name, but 
without any standing, and for a consideration, pur¬ 
chase the use of his name. Then they would make 
proposals to business men to purchase large quanti¬ 
ties of goods, provided the standing was satisfactory. 
The commercial agencies do not usually give street 
numbers, so the reference to these showed simply 
that a man of that name had a good financial stand¬ 
ing, and was worthy of credit. Credit was usually 
granted, and the schemers would hire a truck, call 
for the goods and have them delivered to various 
places, and many times shipped to other cities. It is 
said that they employed a lawyer, and kept strictly 
within the letter of the law ; but the suspicions of 
one firm from whom they made successive purchases 
were finally aroused, and several arrests followed. 
The outcome is uncertain, but the scheme is decidedly 
original. 
0 
Two years ago, much w as said about “ nitragin,” 
which was supposed to do for clover, peas, beans, 
etc., about what a “ starter ” does in cream. These 
leguminous plants have the ability to extract and 
utilize the free nitrogen in the air. It is held that 
this work is done chiefly by bacteria which are found 
in the little nodules or warts on the plant roots. This 
•• nitragin ” contains cultures of these bacteria, and 
when the seeds are soaked in it and then planted, the 
theory is that the special work of the bacteria begins 
at once and continues in the soil. In this country, so 
far as we have heard, results from the use of “ nitra¬ 
gin ” have not been satisfactory. Our own bottle of 
it fermented and blew out the stopper. Now the Ger¬ 
mans report a new substance, “ Anilite,” which is 
claimed to do for grain what “ nitragin ” does for the 
legumes. These things are of some scientific interest, 
but not of great practical value for American farmers 
as yet. 
© 
The early part of March gave promise of an early 
Spring, and farmers in the Eastern and Middle States 
prepared for early planting. The continued cold winds 
and rains of the past few weeks have upset these 
calculations, and most planting will be later than 
usual, after all. On our own farm, at this time last 
year, we had a crop of sweet corn just coming through 
the ground, while this year we have not planted a 
kernel. Many farmers were tempted to plant potatoes 
early, and the crop on heavy ground is likely to suf¬ 
fer, although the potato will stand more cold and wet 
weather than is usually supposed. Pastures, meadows 
and small grains are thriving, and the soil is certainly 
receiving a thorough soaking which will benefit later 
crops. This is good weather for Crimson clover, rye 
or other crops intended for green manuring. They 
grow like weeds in the cool, damp weather, and the 
ground is so wet that we cannot plow it for corn, and 
thus obtain more growth in the green manure and 
more benefit from it. 
© 
The most important paragraphs of the recent Cana¬ 
dian law prohibiting the importation of nursery stock 
are the following: 
The importation of any trees, shrubs, plants, vines, grafts, cut¬ 
tings or buds, commonly called nursery stock, from any country 
or place to which this Act applies is prohibited. 
Any nursery stock so imported shall be forfeited to the Crown 
and may be destroyed, and any person importing nursery stock 
from any such country or place, or causing or permitting it to 
be so imported, shall be deemed to be guilty of an offense under 
section 6 of The Customs Tariff, 1897, and shall be liable to the 
penalty prescribed by that section. 
One result of this law is that some Canadian growers 
find themselves with only a few specimens of newer 
varieties of plums and some other fruits. They ex¬ 
pected to import these new varieties in quantity, but 
this law puts a stop to that purpose. Now they will 
use their few specimens for budding other stocks, and 
it is likely that a good deal of this work will be done, 
especially in the “Niagara fruit belt”. Some of the 
favorite Japan plum trees ought to be particularly 
valuable in Canada this year. 
The Ontario (Canada) Department of Agriculture 
has issued a circular warning dairymen against the 
use of milk preservatives. Attention is called to the 
fact-that Ontario cheese has obtained an enviable posi¬ 
tion in the British market, and there is every reason 
to look for equally favorable prospects in the butter 
industry. In the British butter market, Canadian 
products must compete with several other countries, 
especially Denmark, whose export butter is made 
from Pasteurized cream with special ferments. In 
some of the countries sending butter to Great Britain, 
particularly Australia, it has become a practice to 
use some “ preservative ” in buttermaking. Most of 
these preservatives, sold under different names, are 
compounds of boracic acid. Sometimes the preserva¬ 
tive is added to the milk ; sometimes it is added to the 
butter as a salt. The use of these preservatives has 
alarmed British buyers, and radical measures are 
proposed for the exclusion of all butter in which 
traces of these preservatives are found. The matter 
has been publicly agitated, and public officials are now 
looking out for butter so adulterated. All butter made 
from milk or cream to which anything save common salt 
has been added is adulterated. Ontario dairymen are ad¬ 
vised to make every effort to prevent these preservatives 
from gaining a foothold in their Province. This advice 
may well be considered by our own dairymen upon 
this side of the line. We are looking for foreign mar¬ 
kets for our butter and, like the Canadians, we must 
expect to compete with the best that the foreign mar¬ 
kets offer. Traces of “ Preservaline” or similar sub¬ 
stances, found in a single instance, would be likely to 
disqualify our products for future sales. It is im¬ 
possible to insist too strongly upon the avoidance of 
all these preservatives. 
© 
The war scare is sure to have a bad effect on many 
lines of business. Timid people will keep away from 
the ocean. As was stated recently, millions of dollars 
will remain in this country through the failure of 
Americans to go to Europe. Along the Atlantic coast 
are thousands of large and small hotel towns where 
people from the interior go to spend their summer va¬ 
cations. This year, it is said, people are so afraid that 
the Spanish fleet will bombard the coast that few -will 
go to the seashore, so that hotelkeepers and the farm¬ 
ers who supply the hotels, are likely to lose trade. It 
is absurd to think that the small Spanish fleet can do 
any great damage along the coast, but this incident 
only shows how easily trade may be affected or even 
ruined by influences outside of the relations between 
buyer and seller. As the seashore is deserted, the 
farm houses among the mountains and hills ought to 
be well filled with boarders. It seems to us that this 
ought to be a good season for the farmer who cares 
“ to fatten a Summer boarder.” It is also said that 
an unusual number of Newfoundland vessels will be 
engaged in cod fishing on the Grand Banks this Sum¬ 
mer. It is expected that the war will result in driv¬ 
ing American fishing vessels off the banks, from 
fear of capture by Spaniards, thus throwing a monop¬ 
oly of the fishing into Canadian hands. There is 
little doubt that this will be felt severely by our 
fishermen. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
“ Our country right or wrong! ” I do not like 
That sentiment. It tells men that they must 
Surrender conscience and for country strike, 
No matter if their rulers are unjust. 
I hold that country is a sacred thin#— 
A thin# that men should die for willingly, 
If life cast bravely on its altar bring 
The hope that makes the bondman strong and free. 
I’d welcome war waged in the holy name 
Of Him who taught of old on Galilee. 
That blood Is sacred which wipes out the stain 
Of centuries of hateful slavery. 
But cursed be the hand that hoists our flag 
Above a cause revengeful and unjust; 
He blights its holiness, and leaves a rag 
Like that in which the despot puts his trust. 
“ Our country always right ! ” Be that the theme 
Of patriot’s honest boast, of poet’s song. 
“ For God's eternal right! ” Be that the dream 
Of manly hearts. “ Our country never wrong! ” 
“ Nit ” goods are at zero. 
Preserving fruit is a put up job. 
Will this war add new glory to “ Old Glory ” ? 
Mighty little peace in “ a piece of your mind.” 
Ever know a tongue lashing to fasten people together ? 
Blood will tell ! Tell what ? The possibilities of ancestors. 
What is your idea of the difference between faith and hope ? 
Son scald may be produced by an angry parent and a shingle. 
Ideals must be chased. If we once caught them, how disap¬ 
pointed we would be. 
How to make your purpose fall as flat as a pancake ? Squeeze 
all of the enthusiasm out of it. 
That housewife wears no glory on her head who makes good 
cream cakes but sour, soggy bread. 
A pound of cure applied to the kicking cow with a milking stool 
will not give an ounce of prevention. 
“I believe in ringlets for the children,” said Mrs. Jones, as 
she put the boy at the clothes wringer. 
Save every drop of plant food. The plant can never use it 
until it is thin enough to run in drops. 
The Margarine Defense Association is an English body engaged 
in making a fight against laws to make oleo honest. 
Kut! kut! ker dar kut! Hear the hen in most eggstatic tone. 
“ Kut! kut” she cries—in other words, “ker dar kut” means cut 
bone. 
You can get a good watch for $1 any time during the month of 
May. But you cannot get the same watch or another as good on 
the same terms after June 1. See page 344. 
Iowa has a new law for the regulation of milk testing in cream¬ 
eries or where milk is bought on the basis of its fat. All such 
public testing machines are to be inspected and tested by State 
agents. 
An English capitalist who has been largely interested in the 
West Indian sugar industry, which is now greatly depressed, is 
about to begin cane growing on a tract of 11,000 acres, near New 
Orleans, on which he purposes to expend $750,000 in improve¬ 
ments. 
The Dutch Government is about to send Prof. J. Ritzema Bos, 
director of the Phytopathological Laboratory, Amsterdam, to this 
country to study the San Jose scale. The Dutch law does not 
prevent the introduction of fresh fruit from this country, but it is 
thought wise to obtain thorough knowledge concerning the pest. 
Among the soldiers in the Union army, during the Civil War, 48 
per cent were farmers. This war cost us $6,189,929,900, the num¬ 
ber of Federal troops being 2,859,132. The number of soldiers 
dying by disease was twice as great as the fatalities in battle. 
What will be the proportion when our men march into a fever- 
stricken country, already afflicted with pestilence and famine ? 
“ Millionhkib ”, one correspondent spells it. But it is worth 
remembering that many of the millionaires and wealthy men of 
this country were heirs to nothing but strong bodies, clear heads, 
and dogged determination to succeed in spite of all obstacles. 
Many of our greatest statesmen and public men, too, had little 
to help them in their struggles to overcome their unfavorable 
environments. 
