772 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 1 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbebt S. Carman, Editor-In-Chief. 
Herbert W. Coli.ingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, B’jslness Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
Price, One Dollar A Year. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 
bs. 6d., or by t marks, or 10j^ 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 oi 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. 
Addreaa all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1898. 
Let no reader of The R. N.-Y. take any stock in 
the statement that the United States Department of 
Agriculture can give a “ copyright ” or other protec¬ 
tion to nurserymen or tree agents who try to sell new 
varieties. The Department has no power to do any¬ 
thing of the sort. It is true that a nursery company 
is trying to make farmers believe this, but that is one 
good reason why the public should let their trees alone. 
0 
A friend in Massachusetts says that it is all well 
enough to tell what those Ohio Yankees have been 
doing, but how about the Yankees who have stuck to 
the old sod ? They are ready to stand a fair compar¬ 
ison of farm opportunities. That contains a good 
suggestion. As we continue to talk about the West, 
we shall go east, too, and try to show how New Eng¬ 
land, at 275 years old, compares with these boyish 
western sections of 100 years or younger. That will 
make a good chance for study. We shall try to carry 
out the plan. 
G 
So far as growth is concerned the Mexican June 
corn is certainly a wonder. The foliage is very heavy. 
This would commend it for ensilage. But on good 
soil, the stalks grow to the size of small trees, and are 
too large, woody and heavy to be available for fodder. 
They would need to be pretty thoroughly shredded. 
On poor soil, the growth might, perhaps, be so moder¬ 
ate that the stalks could be used for fodder. This 
corn is an excellent windbreak, and withstood with¬ 
out bending in the least, a gale that flattened to the 
ground sweet corn alongside. 
The papers tell of a farmer who attended a local 
fair in western New York, and was swindled out of 
$96 by gamblers on the grounds, who has sued the 
association for the recovery of his money. If he win 
his suit, it is said there will be a large number of 
other suits brought. If all are successful, it may 
ruin the association, which will be a grand thing for 
agriculture, for any organization which, under the 
guise of an agricultural exhibition, permits its patrons 
to be robbed and swindled, to say nothing of other 
demoralization common in recent years, deserves to 
go to the wall. 
9 
The rescue of Cuba and other of Spain’s col¬ 
onies from the oppression of that benighted country 
has cost this country dearly in blood and treasure. 
One of our greatest sacrifices was that of Col. George 
E. Waring, whose death from yellow fever occurred 
at his home in this city, October 29. He was the most 
noted sanitary engineer of modern times. He had 
been sent by the President as Special Commissioner 
to examine into the sanitary conditions existing in 
Havana and other Cuban cities. He finished his work, 
completed his report, and returned home ill; but no 
one suspected until a few days before his death the 
deadly nature of his ailment. His works surely will 
follow him. A score of years ago he became promi¬ 
nent at the time of the great yellow fever epidemic at 
Memphis. He inaugurated a scientific system of 
drainage by which that city was rid of the terrible 
plague, and of a dangerous though possibly less 
deadly scourge of malaria. His drainage system has 
been adopted in many cities, both in this country and 
Europe. He was responsible for the reclamation of 
Central Park in this city. He was the only man in a 
generation who was able to give New York clean 
streets. His services to scientific agriculture have 
been great through the publication of books and 
articles on draining. It seems the irony of fate that 
his death should be caused by the very disease he had 
done so much to combat, and which it was hoped to 
abate in the West Indies and Gulf ports as a result of 
the obseivations and recommendations of the commis¬ 
sion of which he was the head. He was a hero just 
as much as those who fell in actual battle with the 
enemy, for he fell in the performance of duty, and 
while fighting the insidious foe that lurks in that 
pestilential climate. Humanity has lost one of its 
foremost champions, and regret over his untimely 
death is general. One great element in Waring’s 
character was his fearlessness and devotion to duty. 
When he undertook to clean the streets of New York, 
he was cursed and howled at by all political parties. 
Even his friends hesitated at the fearful volley of 
abuse hurled at him. He went on through it all, 
established his system of work, and made it a model 
for other American cities. 
O 
It is remarkable how often science and common 
practice agree. When the intelligent farmers of any 
section, after experimenting carefully, generally agree 
upon a change of farming, scientific investigation is 
quite sure to show that they are right. For instance, 
farmers in the cheese section of Ohio believe that 
phosphoric acid is the element most needed in their 
purchased fertilizers. A ton of cheese contains about 
90 pounds of nitrogen, 23 of phosphoric acid and five 
of potash. The clover provides new supplies of nitro¬ 
gen suitable for the crops grown on these farms, and 
the loss of potash is hardly worth considering. After 
years of cheesemaking, therefore, the chief loss is in 
phosphoric acid, and the practical farmers have found 
that, by the use of superphosphates, they can con¬ 
tinue to grow good crops of wheat, clover and corn. 
o 
It is time now to begin to think of various Winter 
jobs. Among others is that of whitewashing peach 
trees in the hope of preventing loss by frozen buds. 
On page 701, Mr. Powell told us how the trees that 
were whitewashed brought through enough buds to 
make a good set of fruit. Others have reported suc¬ 
cess with this work. The whitewashing is done by 
spraying a lime wash over the trees, enough to make 
them thoroughly white. The first spraying is done 
early in December, and repeated often enough after¬ 
wards to keep the trees well whitened. The greatest 
injury to buds is caused by their swelling during the 
warm, sunshiny days of Winter, and then being 
nipped by a late cold snap. All understand that a 
dark color absorbs more heat than white. A black 
coat is always hotter than a white one. The whitened 
peach bud is not so likely to absorb the heat on a bright 
Winter day as when the dark natural color is left. 
Therefore, it is less likely to swell prematurely, and 
risk the injury from late frosts. This is not mere 
theory, but a principle well worthy of application. 
• 
Hope Farm Notes refer to the plague of cabbage 
worms this year. These marauders have been very 
troublesome in many localities. Driving along a 
country road during the Summer, we noticed swarms 
of the creamy-winged butterflies which are responsi¬ 
ble for these worms, and commented upon the proba¬ 
ble result to the cabbage crop. The farmer to whom 
the comment was addressed was surprised to learn 
that these butterflies had anything to do with the 
cabbage worms, and said that he had noticed them 
fluttering about patches of wild radish, in the fence 
corners. The fact is that this insect deposits its eggs 
upon any cruciferous plant, cabbage by preference, 
but when cabbage is wanting, any other plant of the 
same family is selected. This is another argument 
against weedy fence rows or roadsides. This insect 
is, however, capable of taking excursions into other 
botanical families, for we were once annoyed by the 
destruction of a window-box full of nasturtiums, 
which were devoured by cabbage worms. The but¬ 
terflies were noted fluttering about them, but were 
suspected of designs upon the honey only, until the 
voracious worms hatched. Perhaps the insects, being 
city-bred, were misled by the pungent flavor of the 
nasturtiums, and imagined that these members of the 
Geranium family were Cruciferae. 
O 
Large numbers of small crabs are washed up by the 
sea. Probably thousands of people have walked along 
the shore without seeing them at all. One must stand 
right at the water’s edge and watch closely, as they 
very quickly bury themselves in the soft sand as soon 
as the water leaves them uncovered. That is their 
way of meeting an emergency. The woodchuck uses 
about the same tactics. Neither he nor the sand crab 
is thirsting for prominence in the public eye. How 
different the snapping turtle. He holds up his head 
and “faces the music,” though it be a death march 
for him. He never sneaks away from an emergency, 
even though he emerge from it into turtle soup. Prob¬ 
ably the farmer has to meet about as many emergen 
cies as any one. Weather, soil conditions, fertilizers, 
harvesting and marketing crops, etc., to say nothing 
of mortgages and family expenses, are constantly 
bringing up questions that he must decide. It is not 
a case of “ what to do until the doctor comes,” but he 
is the doctor himself, and upon his decisions, depends 
largely his success or failure. He needs the boldness 
of the snapping turtle, mixed with a liberal amount 
of woodchuck and sand-crab caution. No mistake 
will be made if some of his “ odd Spells ” are used in 
thinking out these things, and studying cause and 
effect a little. 
9 
Free rural mail delivery has not been entirely 
abandoned by the Government. A new experiment is 
reported as about to be tried in Maryland. Some 
time ago, a resident of Westminster, Md., wrote to 
the Post Office Department offering to build a traveling 
post office to be drawn by two horses, and to establish 
a route between his town and the surrounding vil¬ 
lages, covering a distance of 30 miles, for $1,375 a 
year. His plan has been accepted. The wagon will 
be similar to the post-office wagons in use in cities. 
The wagon will start in the morning, visiting all the 
smaller villages, collecting and delivering mail. Any 
farmer living within two miles of the route may place 
a letter-box at the roadside, in which his mail can be 
deposited by the carrier, and from which the carrier 
will collect any letters for the outgoing mail. At 
some small places where there is no post office, a num¬ 
ber of boxes will be put up, making a sort of auto¬ 
matic post-office. The carrier will act as postmaster, 
sell stamps, money orders, etc., stamp the letters, and 
assort them for delivery or for forwarding. He ex¬ 
pects that his compensation will just about pay ex¬ 
penses, but he has such faith in its feasibility that he 
looks for his ultimate reward in the royalty the Gov¬ 
ernment will pay him on other wagons for similar 
routes that he expects will be established. This is a 
distinct advance on any other scheme so far tried. 
<9 
BREVITIES. 
“THE WHOLE HOG OR NONE.” 
I thought we run this pesky war right through from A to Z, 
Without a single selfish thought—jest for humanity! 
Them starvin’ folks in Cuby—what a lot of tears we shed! 
We don’t hear much about ’em now—where be they ?—mostly 
dead ? 
Old Uncle Sam rolled up his eyes, an’ made a solemn vow, 
He wouldn’t take no extry land—but my—look at him now! 
He’s gut them Spaniards cornered, an’ he’ll roast ’em till they 
sweat. 
He says, “Now I’ll take Cuby, boys, an’ you can take the debt. 
You give me Porto Rico an’ the Philippines—I’ll see 
That you git lots of ocean, now I reckon we agree! ” 
You’re sharp, old Uncle Samuel, you’ll hold your own, I’ll bet 
Them Spaniards aint no match fer you at dickerin’, an’ yet, 
I wish you’d come out honest, so that all the world could see 
It’s dollars that you’re after, rather than “humanity.” 
You’ve made a botch of handlin’ your red an’ black men here, 
I think you’d better stay at home with duties that are clear. 
But if you take them Philippines in this strong-handed way, 
Be honest, Uncle Samuel, an’ come right out an’ say 
You aint one-half as anxious fer them yeller fellers’ souls, 
As what ye be fer sellin’ ’em yer goods, an’ drawin’ tolls. 
A brake bfcats a break. 
The cow makes a good boss. 
Kicking cows are made—not born. 
The home-groan man is a nuisance. 
“ A sweeping CHARGE ! ” It’s usually headed by a broom. 
No State regulation of the fertilizer trade in California yet! 
The Crimson clover is certainly best this year where it was 
best last year. 
The sort of top-knot we like is a mental “I will not” to those 
who beckon astray. 
A cow’s tail in fly time is like a local freight train, because it 
“ runs on a switch.” 
Why is the wife of the henpecked husband like a Jersey calf 
Both are a little bossy ! 
Like may cure like, but no one ever cured the kicking habit in 
a cow by kicking back. 
There are nine letters in, “ I don't know." Some men will take 
5,000 big words to say it. 
When you sanction a nuisance, you bait it. No man abates a 
nuisance by such baiting. 
The term of the present New York State Commissioner of 
Agriculture expires next May. 
Of sound common sense he stands highly in need, who curses 
good clover, and calls it a weed. 
We want to hear from northern farmers who sowed cow peas 
in the corn or bush fruits. How large were the peas at frost ? 
The British lion’s roar seems to have put a quiver into the crow 
of the French rooster! Well, it all adds to the price of the Ameri¬ 
can farmer’s wheat. 
You may sort out your hens in economy’s sieve, into losers and 
those that are layers, and the fat ones are losers as true as you 
live, while there’s layers of lean on the layers. 
Just as if Boston people were not satisfied with baked beans 
and cod fish, some firm petitioned the aldermen for a license to 
kill horses and pack horse meat for export. “ The petitioners 
were granted leave to withdraw.” 
Whenever we mention the Rural Blush potato, there are sure 
to be calls for it. This fine variety has no superior as to quality, 
and is a good yielder. Yet it is almost impossible to secure the 
seed. Why ? The chief reason given is that it straggles in the 
hill, and is “ a hard digger.” 
