4o4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June]4 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850 . 
Elbert S. 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, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or 8V4 marks, or 10 y t francs. 
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, JUNE 4, 1898. 
All communications intended for E. S. Carman, slwuld 
be mailed to River Edge, Bergen County, N. J., from 
now until October 1. 
O 
PRIZES FOR HOUSE PLANS. 
The judges in the contest for plans for a comfortable 
farmhouse have made the following awards : 
First Prize.—W. B. Cleves, Broome County, N. Y. 
Second Prize.— Mrs. Truman Brewer, Caledonia County, Vt. 
Third Prize.— Mrs. O. P. Howland, Custer County, Neb. 
There were 58 plans in all submitted, most of them 
possessing excellent features. Many were, evidently, 
taken from houses already occupied. It has been a 
difficult task to select the best, and possibly, as they 
are printed, readers may find plans more to their 
liking among those that ranked low in the estimation 
of the judges. We shall soon begin the publication of 
these house plans, and our readers will be interested 
to see how ideas respecting what is known as a com¬ 
fortable house differ. 
® 
No intelligent man can dispute the advantages of 
delivering milk to consumers in bottles, provided 
proper methods are observed. But it is imperative 
that thorough and absolute cleanliness be enforced, 
and no paper has been more emphatic in proclaiming 
this than The R. N.-Y. Be thorough in every step 
from the bedding of the cow to the final delivery. 
Bottles, by all means, but thoroughly, spotlessly clean 
and sweet! 
© 
Dealers in all sorts of products and goods are mak¬ 
ing the war an excuse for raising prices. When one 
tries to work that on you, ask him how many more 
mouths there are to feed in this country than there 
were before the war begun, how many more to clothe, 
etc. The Government is making large purchases in 
some lines of goods, but the more there are for the 
Government to provide for, the less there are to pro¬ 
vide for themselves. 
© 
The querist on page 411 who tells about the man 
who wished to cut the “ hooks ” from his horse’s eyes, 
reminds us again of the ignorant quacks, now, we be¬ 
lieve, growing fewer in numbers, but still in existence. 
No punishment is too severe for these brutes who 
needlessly and cruelly torture poor dumb animals. 
In New York State, they are liable to a heavy penalty 
for practicing, and in any State, they are liable to 
prosecution by the S. P. C. A. In some cases, a 
good heavy boot well applied, would be a justifiable 
measure. 
O 
The question whether two acres and a greenhouse 
should maintain a family, discussed on our first page, 
would be answered in an emphatic affirmative in Bel¬ 
gium. There the typical two-acre farm shows a patch 
of wheat or rye, and another of barley. There is a 
field of potatoes, and cabbages grow along the sloping - 
edges of the ditches, with a row of onions just beyond. 
Pigs and fowls are kept, and there is no waste, either 
of land or material. In Germany, out of 5,276,000 
farms, 23 per cent are under 2 % acres in extent, and 
of these, 85 per cent are cultivated wholly or partially 
by the owner. In Germany, notwithstanding the 
small size of many of the farms, 178 out of every 1,000 
inhabitants are engaged in agriculture. In some parts 
of England, farm allotments of 2% acres, carefully 
tilled, produce remarkable results. That such land 
does not become exhausted is proved by a Kentish 
allotment recently figured in a London horticultural 
paper. This plot of about one acre had been cropped 
by one man for 66 successive years ; he was gathering 
a good crop of apples from a tree he had planted 50 
years before, and produced annually a variety of fine 
vegetables. There are great possibilities before that 
inquirer with his two acres and a greenhouse, if he 
will do his gardening with brains. 
© 
In the agricultural districts of Germany, there are 
many factories for the industrial utilization of pota¬ 
toes. Starch, dextrine, glucose, starch products, and 
caramel, used for coloring a variety of foodstuffs, are 
made from the potatoes, and the residue pulp is used 
for cattle feeding, like sugar-beet pulp. Factories 
of this class would be of value to our farmers, 
during a season when potatoes are too abundant to 
bring full prices as ordinarily marketed. Potatoes in 
France and Germany are often misapplied to the 
making of a particularly villainous brandy, which is 
used in adulteration ; a sad downfall for a respectable 
and nutrient esculent. 
© 
In Tasmania, orchardists who do not endeavor to 
restrict the Codling-moth by bandaging trees and 
gathering infested fruit, or who send wormy fruit to 
market, are fined from 82.50 to 85, with costs. One 
case is reported where a grower sent a shipment of 150 
cases of apples to Hobart for shipment to London ; 
they were seized on the wharf and destroyed, and the 
shipper was then prosecuted. One reason for this 
rigor is the strictness with which New South Wales 
interprets colonial laws against injurious insects, in¬ 
fested fruit from other colonies being either destroyed, 
or returned to the shipper at his expense. The fruit 
growers are making every effort to aid the govern¬ 
ment in enforcing these laws. 
© 
The U. S. Supreme Court has decided that convic¬ 
tions under the “oleo” laws of Pennsylvania and New 
Hampshire are invalid, thus holding that these laws 
are unconstitutional. This decision included three 
persons in Pennsylvania who were prosecuted under 
the State law prohibiting the introduction of “ oleo ” 
into the State. The trial court held this law to be 
invalid on the ground that it infringed the provision 
in regard to interstate commerce. The State Supreme 
Court reversed this decision, but it was sustained by 
the United States Supreme Court. The same point 
came up in the New Hampshire case, but in that State 
the law provides that, when the “oleo” is colored 
pink there is no prohibition. The Supreme Court 
holds that this is a mere evasion, and that the law is 
in contravention to the Federal Constitution. The 
frequency of such legal rulings makes the layman 
wonder whether it will ever be possible to draw up 
an “oleo” law which will restrain the vender or 
maker of this stuff. 
© 
We are informed that our friend and frequent con¬ 
tributor, Prof. M. V. Slingerland, is a candidate for 
the position of New York State Entomologist made 
vacant by the death of Prof. Lintner. No man in the 
State is better qualified in all respects to fill this 
position. He is still a young man, full of energy and 
enthusiasm, well known throughout the State, and 
enjoying the confidence of intelligent farmers. He is 
well trained and thorough, and fully capable of per¬ 
forming the duties of the office with skill and judg¬ 
ment. We doubt whether Governor Black can possibly 
find a better man for the place, and we hope that the 
Governor will see his way clear to appoint Prof. Sling¬ 
erland without delay. Our readers are personally in¬ 
terested in having a good man in such a position. We 
hope that thousands of them will write at once to Gov¬ 
ernor Black at Albany, and urge upon him the im¬ 
portance of putting a practical scientist like Prof. 
Slingerland in this place. Do not let the politicians 
control this matter. Let the farmers come forward 
and help make the office of State Entomologist truly 
useful. Letters from the people will count. Write at 
once! 
0 
Several weeks ago, The R. N.-Y. referred to the 
fact that some seedsmen had given up the sale of to¬ 
bacco stems and dust because of the costly restrictions 
imposed upon them by the Government. Later we 
wrote to the United States Department of Agriculture 
in relation to this matter, and the substance of the 
inquiry was referred to the Commissioner of Internal 
Revenue. His reply doesn’t add much to our informa¬ 
tion concerning the matter. He refers to the regula¬ 
tions of that department, which are not of recent 
origin, and which are “ for the purpose of protecting 
the revenue to be derived from manufactured tobacco, 
snuff and cigars.” The regulations do not permit the 
sale of any of these waste products of tobacco “ by 
others than qualified dealers and manufacturers.” The 
latter are permitted to sell them “ when rendered un¬ 
fit for use in the manufacture of tobacco, snuff, or 
cigars, in the manner prescribed by the regulations.” 
Farmers have a right to sell tobacco grown upon their 
own lands, without a license. Refuse tobacco from 
dealers in the country may, also, be sold in bulk to 
manufacturers or dealers, but cannot be put upon the 
market for general sale without the payment of the 
tax. Tobacco stems are, also, tabooed. In short, the 
regulations are intended to prevent the sale of tobacco 
in all conditions in which it could possibly be used in 
the manufacture of tobacco, snuff or cigars. 
© 
The originators of new plants often feel that they 
should have some protection which will enable them 
to obtain a fair reward for their labors. They feel 
that they should have protection similar to that af¬ 
forded by copyright or patent. When we think of the 
impoverished old age of Ephraim W. Bull, whose work 
on the Concord grape has brought comfort and profit 
to thousands, and reflect that he is but one of a veri¬ 
table army of horticultural investigators, we feel that 
this case cannot be stated too strongly. The difficulty 
would lie in drafting a law that would actually cover 
the case. Several months ago, we had occasion to ask 
an opinion on this point. Mr. Edwin Hoyt, of Con¬ 
necticut, who has had occasion to go into the matter, 
made this statement: 
Rowland Cox, of New York City, one of the most eminent trade¬ 
mark lawyers in the city, says that a trademark may be used for 
protection for a vine or plant. Judge Wales says: “The protection 
of a trademark cannot be obtained for an organic article which, 
by the law of its nature, is reproductive, and derives its chief value 
from its innate vital powers independently of the care, manage¬ 
ment or ingenuity of man. In the absence of a special contract 
between the parties, what is to prevent the buyer from cultivat¬ 
ing the vine or plant, and selling its product, whether of wood or 
of fruit, under the name of the parent stock ! Certainly not a trade¬ 
mark.” Whether some other judge might think differently or not, 
I can uot say. One eminent trademark lawyer, you see, says that 
a trademark can be used for the protection of a name of a vine or 
plant, and another eminent judge says that it cannot be so used. 
Judge Wales hits the very keynote of the whole ques¬ 
tion when he refers to the propagatio n of such stock. 
There is one point, however, that we may insist upon, 
even under existing laws, and that is that all plants 
shall be sold true to name. The American Association 
of Nurserymen has a great field of usefulness before 
it in this line. A committee of nomenclature, em¬ 
powered to obtain data concerning new fruits offered, 
to compare them with existing varieties, and to sup¬ 
press useless or misleading synonyms, is a necessity to 
such a body. Such work is found valuable in various 
florists’ societies, as applied to fresh introductions 
among flowers. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
UNCLE SAM TO JOHN BULL. 
We pulled our coats and had it out, friend John, 
Some years ago—as I remember it— 
You thought I’d knuckle down, and tried it on; 
We measured muscle—both were glad to quit. 
And later on we grappled on the sea, 
And then, when in a corner, tied up tight, 
I took the job of setting people free, 
You wouldn’t back me up—it wasn’t right— 
But that’s all over now; we understand 
Each other better than we used to do. 
You’ve felt my knuckles—here’s my open hand, 
And palm to palm I’m neighbor, John, to you. 
The good old Anglo-Saxon blood runs free 
Within our veins—our language still must frame 
The words with which men speak of liberty; 
No other race but ours has learned her name. 
And so, John, here’s my hand across the sea; 
The nations watch us with their envious eyes; 
Not enemies, but cousins let us be, 
For all the struggling hope of freedom lies 
In the tough race whose sturdy manhood wrung 
An empire from the wilderness, and held 
The promise that the wasteful Latin flung 
Aside. Come, John, it’s time for us to weld. 
The Poland-ChiDa pig is inter larded ! 
Don’t let the clover hay go half cocked. 
Mr. Gibson certainly has a sonny family. 
The days of knee row—onion-weeding time. 
In France, all doors and windows are taxed. 
What part of a wet Sunday do you spend in sleep ? 
Don’t head the'procession if it costs too much to do so. 
“ A strong feature of the butter industry ”—butyric acid. 
“ Cold type ! ” the only thing with a low temperature that will 
“roast ” a human. 
Every man carries about with him the bacteria of meanness. 
They are always ready to develop. 
Strange, passing strange, how varied things are seen—what 
one calls dirty to another's clean. 
“ Borated butter ” is the name of butter poisoned with boracic 
acid. Death butter is the stuff dyed with coal tar. 
Give us the cost of all the sugar-beet bulletins issued by the 
experiment stations and we can buy a good farm. 
Many little chicks are deformed by forcing themselves through 
openings too small for them. As the chick is squeezed the hen’s 
inclined. 
“ Good condition ” is the best barrier against disease. Even 
cattle ticks do not like cattle in “ high flesh ”. The oil of a healthy 
skin is objectionable to them. 
Cutworms love tobacco. To wean them from the fdants grow¬ 
ers use a bait of molasses poisoned with Paris-green. It requires 
something very attractive to take man or worm from the weed. 
