56 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 23 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
TEE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman. Editor-in-Ckief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
TRICE, ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 814 marks, or 10}4 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. 
Ad vertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
\Ye must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
Be sure that the name and address of sender, with nume 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 , JANUARY 23, 1897. 
SIR WALTER RALEIGH POTATO. 
Small tubers of this excellent potato will be sent 
to all subscribers who apply for it and send a two- 
eent stamp. The potatoes will be sent next February. 
o 
A preliminary meeting of fruit growers in the 
Hudson River Valley will be held at St Thomas Hall, 
Cornwall, N. Y., on Monday, January 25, at 10:30 A. m., 
and also in the afternoon. The object of this meeting 
is to discuss the plan of organizing an Eastern New 
York Horticultural Society. All fruit growers who can 
possibly do so are earnestly requested to be present. 
O 
We read a good deal about laws to guard against 
“ adulterated liquors.” The universal liquor is pure 
water. The worst adulteration that ever gets into it 
is alcohol. We would class all alcoholic liquors as 
“ adulterated water.” Ry all means, let us have laws 
to prevent the adulteration of water. 
© 
We have had quite a little inquiry of late about 
peanut culture. We understand that a company has 
been formed for the purpose of making peanut oil 
and flour on a large scale. In many parts of the 
South, farmers might use the peanut in a rotation 
with considerable profit. It is a nitrogen gatherer, 
and will produce a large amount of food to the acre. 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 25, published by the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture at Washington, gives a full 
account of peanut culture. 
© 
Nothing is wasted at the great Chicago packing¬ 
houses, and among the odd products put up by them, 
are pickled pigs’ snouts and ox lips. The sliced pigs’ 
snouts have a very uncanny appearance, and we 
think it must require some courage to taste them ; 
but both they and the ox lips are said to be very 
delicate in flavor. It is not very many years since 
beeves’ or sheeps’ heads were sold at the packing¬ 
houses for a few cents, or, in some instances, given 
away ; but now the increasing variety of canned and 
potted meats utilizes everything of this class. 
© 
A man who is faithfully and honestly working to 
make a series of farmers’ institutes successful, writes 
the following note : 
We may do some good, but a free lunch or variety show would 
bring out several times as many tillers of the soil as we can 
interest. 
We do not say where these institutes were held. 
We just want to ask you a few questions : 
1. Can that be truthfully said of your section ? 
2. If so, why is it ? 
3. Who is to blame for it ? 
4. What is to be done about it ? 
0 
The existing famine in India recalls the fact that 
more than once starvation has been averted by the sim¬ 
ultaneous flowering of the bamboo over a wide range 
of territory. Ordinarily, the bamboo propagates by 
suckers ; it flowers only at intervals of about 30 years, 
and after perfecting its seed, the parent plant dies. 
The most remarkable phenomenon connected with 
this is that, when the flowering time comes, every 
plant, young or old, all over an extensive district, 
will flower simultaneously, and, after flowering, the 
species disappears from that locality for a time. Tne 
bamboo seed is a long, dark-colored grain, somewhat 
like rice. During an Indian famine in 1864, the 
general flowering of the bamboo in the jungles of 
western India proved a veritable godsend to the 
starving people, fully 50,000 going out to gather the 
precious seed, which was sold in the bazars like ordi¬ 
nary grain. When looking at one of the giants of 
this family, like the Dendrocalamus of the East Indies, 
which attains a height of over 100 feet, we are very 
likely to forget that the bamboos are true grasses. 
O 
The bogus butter frauds are still at work, if we 
may believe the newspaper reports. A Philadelphia 
dealer was recently caught on Sunday in a warehouse 
scraping the revenue stamps from boxes of oleomar¬ 
garine. The revenue agents caught the men in the 
very act, and the astonishing thing is that the same men 
had been acquitted on a similar charge not 48 hours 
before. Boxes or cases of “oleo” must bear a Govern¬ 
ment revenue stamp. This scoundrel, who believes in 
remembering the Sabbath day to keep it wholly for 
purposes of fraud, took off the stamps and then sold 
the packages for butter. This is but one of many 
devices these “oleo” rogues adopt to counterfeit 
honest butter. 
© 
About a year ago, The R. N.-Y. offered a prize for 
the most practical design for a portable farm fence. 
Through one cause and another, the award has been 
delayed until this time. Next week, we hope to begin 
the publication of some of the best designs. A great 
many plans were submitted, but they were mostly 
variations of three well-known principles. The fav¬ 
orite plans are to make light panels of wood and 
wire and fasten them by notching them into stout, 
triangular uprights, or to zig-zag them like the com¬ 
mon rail fence. Others make panels of light poles 
and drive the end pieces into the ground like stakes. 
One man offers the plan of running a single barbed 
wire about three feet high around the inclosure to 
hold cattle. We shall give pictures to illustrate the 
various plans. We have not yet found the ideal port¬ 
able fence by any means. All the plans submitted 
seem to us open to criticism. 
O 
The meetings of the New Jersey Board of Agricul¬ 
ture are always interesting and instructive. One of 
the most hopeful features of this year’s meeting, 
which occurred last week, was the large proportion 
of young men who attended. Borne years ago, the 
white heads were in a vast majority—in fact, few be¬ 
sides elderly men seemed to attend these meetings. 
This year, at least half of the farmers present were 
in early manhood, or in the prime of life. It was a 
very hopeful sign, for it is to such men that New 
Jersey must look for future agricultural success. 
Much of this increased interest is due to the efforts 
made by Prof. Voorhees and others at the agricultural 
college to extend their work by means of courses in 
reading. Most of the young men who attended be¬ 
came interested first by reading through the course 
of study recommended by the college authorities. 
This work is now bearing fruit of good size and flavor. 
O 
Train robbers “ held up ” a Western train not long 
ago at a lonely point. They were old hands at the 
business, and when through with their work, they 
let all the water out of the engine’s boiler. That 
ended its usefulness until more water could be ob¬ 
tained. No matter how much fuel was burned in the 
furnace, the engine could not move until water—the 
commonest and most simple thing we know—was 
provided. We have only to read the article on page 
62 to understand what happens to the cow’s engine 
when the water supply is cut off. It is water that 
softens and prepares her food ; it is water that carries 
the digested food all over her body to the proper 
places ; it is water that washes the wastes out of her 
system, and it is chiefly water that we buy as milk or 
meat. The train robber knew his business when he 
tapped the engine. The dairyman doesn’t know his 
business when he lets the cow go thirsty. The time 
to water the milk is before the milk leaves that great 
paunch. 
© 
Mr. Ballou coins a new phrase—“Business Orna¬ 
mentals”—in his instructive article on page 50. The 
R. N.-Y. started the ball with “ The Business Hen”, 
meaning the hen that can be pushed for profit with¬ 
out particular regard for fancy marks or pleasure. 
Since then, others have tacked the word “ busines^” 
to the Keiflfer pear, the Parker Earle strawberry, 
Ben Davis apple, the Jersey grade cow, and dozens of 
animals, vegetables and fruits. Now comes the old 
idea, put in new words, of using useful things for 
ornamentation whenever we can. We shall soon 
show pictures of kale used to form an excellent 
foliage bed, and, after the season, utilized for human 
consumption or for poultry food. In some parts of 
the country, well-shaped apple trees are used on the 
roadsides in place of the usual timber trees. The 
improved chestnut trees are taking the place of horse- 
chestnuts and other lawn or road trees. This “ busi¬ 
ness” principle is not a bad thing to recognize in 
beautifying the farm home, and we are glad that Mr. 
Ballou has retold the story of the Knilfin system of 
vine training so well. Some of these old stories are 
always new. 
© 
We know of several farm boys who are looking 
ahead to the time when they can take a short-term 
course in agriculture at Madison, Cornell, or some 
other agricultural college. Some of these boys will 
represent the family. All will contribute something 
to the support of the student while at college, and 
all will send questions to be asked or ideas to be 
worked out in the college lecture rooms, barns or 
laboratories. What a happy ambition it must be for 
a farmer s boy to look ahead to the time when he can 
mingle with students amid all the incentives and in¬ 
spirations for healthful study. Such a course would 
be the making of many a boy who now feels cramped 
with what he calls the narrow life of the farm. The 
trouble with that boy may be that he doesn’t know 
how to make use of the interesting things that lie all 
about him in order to lift himself up where he can 
see clearer. A college course would open his eyes 
and show him many things that would make the farm 
seem better to him. You are getting to be an old 
man. The farm needs that boy of yours. Possibly a 
short visit at the agricultural college will make him 
a long friend of the farm. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
When Mary promised to be yours, you promised to support her; 
We hope she’s handled you so well that you’re still glad to court 
her. 
For ail the ills of human life would disappear the faster, 
If love could still provide a piece of genuine court plaster; 
And while we mention things in which you area true past master, 
Let’s also view sulphate of llme-another kind of plaster. 
In stable, stall and in the yard, “Miss Carbonate Ammouy ” 
Is meditating flight because she thinks she’s far too toney 
To settle down with common folks and so, the pretty honey 
Is getting ready to elope and carry off your money. 
She waits for some romantic knight to come and throw his castor 
Within the barnyard—here’s your chance—so trot out Mr. Plaster. 
He’ll captivate the maiden’s heart-they’ll quickly court and 
marry, 
And Sulphate of Ammonia-their son—will bid them tarry. 
So heal the sores upon your farm before they spread the faster, 
By giving Miss Ammonia a good chance to court plaster. 
Keep keyed up ! 
Raise working cows, but raze the scrubs. 
The grumbler is a sigh un. Don’t graft from him ! 
A double miss lay. When a pullet lays a soft-shelled egg. 
The bone of contention makes stock for the family “ soup.” 
The sign of the cross-man is an ugly scowl or a sharp tongue. 
Look at yourself in the glass and see whether you notice the 
“ evil I.” 
The worker farms for posterity. The “ sitter” farms for mere 
posterior. 
Too many people try to “ shed light ” and leave themselves in 
darkness. 
The man with a large family of boys may be said to have been 
sonning himself. 
Can some of our pickle growers tell us whether the price named 
on page 53 is a profitable one ? 
Feed the children for teeth. Give them bone-forming food. 
W’ithout it, the teeth must fail. 
The Business Farmer! W 7 ho is he ? One who can stick a pin 
,twixt things that help him outof debt and things that help him in. 
There is nothing so quick that from the milk of human kind¬ 
ness weans, as the narrow spirit of charity from mean people of 
means. 
It is a singular thing when the smelters in Colorado silver 
mines are ready to try Louisiana waste molasses for fuel. That 
is what is to be done ! 
How do they stuff the “buff” into these new breeds ? It’s a 
wonder that some one does not start up and claim that it is done 
by feeding yellow corn ! 
Remember why B. T. W., page 53, grows Crosby sweet corn. 
His trade demands that size of ear. Give your customers what 
they want in size, shape or sweetness. 
When you see other folks falling off from their true moral 
standard, it’s your duty to gel a little closer to it in order to help 
out the average. Ever think of that before ? 
Convicts in the New York State prison are idle; one of them 
killed himself in consequence. Would that some of the idle scrubs 
would follow his example. No hope for it, though. All the scrub 
has to commend him is his health. 
It has been pretty well proved that cats have carried diphtheria, 
scarlet fever and smallpox from one family to another. We are 
quite sure that they make a good boardinghouse for trichinosis. 
The wandering cat is a pest. Don’t make it a pet. 
What would you think of a deacon who put fly paper in his hat 
so that some of the church contribution would stick to it? A 
scoundrel! Thank you for your answer! Now tell us what you 
think of a man who uses a scant barrel, crate or basket and 
makes the buyer think that he is getting full measure ? 
There has been too much land in cultivation. Population is 
now increasing, and free Government land is becoming scarce. 
That is a good thing. We do not favor the great schemes for 
irrigating western land at public expense. Such land will not be 
needed for two generations. Hold it in reserve for our grand¬ 
children. Let those who have worked and earned their farms 
have a chance to feed our growing population. 
