3i6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 8 
Subscription Contest Closed. 
The returns are not all in yet for the Subscription Contest which closed May 1; 
but before this reaches the eye of the reader, the returns will be all in, and the 
checks for premiums will be in the hands of the winners. Next week, we shall be 
able to make a fuller report. There will be no contests during the summer, but 
the regular commissions will be allowed for all subscriptions sent in, and the six 
$2 weekly premiums will be continued for all who send in five or more yearly sub¬ 
scriptions during the week. THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
AS WE GO TO PRESS. 
■‘WESTERN HORSES." 
As some of our correspondents are telling 
about their experience with western horses, per¬ 
haps a bit of my own experience will not be out 
of place. Early in April, I wanted a horse for 
farm work, so, with two men who “knew all 
about a horse”, I went up to “ Bull’s Head” in 
New York City, where thousands of these horses 
are sold, to buy one. I don’t pretend to be much 
of a horseman. When it comes to a cow or a hen, 
I can pick out just what I want and give a reason 
for it; but I don’t brag about the horse side of 
my make-up. I had two wise men, half horse, 
along, however, who can see spavins and splints 
with their eyes shut, and hear the wheeze of 
heaves three miles away. These men went ahead 
and I kept in the background. 
After looking at various nags, they brought 
out a big Percheron grade weighing about 1,300 
pounds. He was a big, noble-looking fellow, not 
six years old. My horse friends couldn’t find a 
blemish or a pimple on him. Of course, the horse 
dealers called him “ sound as a dollar,” but they 
said that about several poor brutes that hobbled 
on one leg. The price was $90; he was worth it, 
and I would have bought him at once, but my 
wise friends said, “No—we can get him for less.” 
They dickered a w kjla and, after a while, offered 
$75 — which was rejected with great scorn. 
Finally, they hitched him up and drove him 
about half a mile at a good pace. As soon as he 
came back, my horse friends ran and listened at 
his lungs, shut one eye and looked wise and, 
finally, decided that his wind was a little wrong. 
Then they came down and offered $50 ! This 
nearly broke the horse dealer’s heart, and he 
waved us away in disgust. Another man, how¬ 
ever, followed us up and, after more dickering, 
one of my horse friends hit upon a brilliant 
scheme. He took the dealer off into a stall and 
said. “How much is there in this deal for me ?” 
Five dollars if you make the sale!” The idea 
seemed to be that after offering the horse at $90, 
they couldn’t, with any dignity, come down, yet 
if a third party made another offer, they might 
accept it. Well, after much dickering and 
whispering and consultations, my friend got the 
horse for $75 and they gave him back $5, making 
the actual cost to me $70. 
Think of a big, strong Percheron horse for $70! 
Take half a dozen profits out of that and what 
can there be left for the farmer who bred and fed 
that colt? Think of 1,300 pounds of horse meat 
for $70! For my part, I don’t like to think of it, 
for it represents the ruin of some poor fellow 
who confidently hoped to make a good living in 
the horse business. 
Well, we got the horse home and named him 
Frank. The first step on our farm is to name 
things. Big Frank did well for a week, but one 
day, there came a big lot of fertilizer that had to 
be unloaded at once. The boys hitched Frank up, 
and when night came, he was ready to admit 
very frankly that he had had a good brush. In 
the morning, he was so stiff that he wouldn’t get 
up. He was just about the sorest horse that ever 
lived. He could just drag his hind legs along, 
and that was all. Perhaps you have seen some 
soft clerk or bookkeeper go out and play a game 
of base ball on a hot holiday. Do you remember 
how he walked the day after the game ? Think 
of that, and you will understand how big Frank 
looked as he crawled about. He got so bad that 
we called in a veterinarian finally, and he called 
it “ rheumatic founder ”. It is a constitutional 
trouble, he says, and perhaps, it accounts for the 
low price of the horse. Very likely some one 
bought him, worked him and got him stiff, and 
then took him back and made the dealers change 
him. 
Well, we gave big Frank good doses of iodide 
of potash every three hours. Potash seems to be 
good for almost anything that goes lame, from 
land to horses. For two days, Frank hobbled 
like an old veteran, but on the third day he sud¬ 
denly kicked up his heels, threw away his 
crutches, and acted like a colt. The vet. says he 
is liable to go lame again at almost any time, 
but there has been no sign of it yet, though we 
have worked him right on the plow or Cutaway 
every day. The iodide of potash certainly took 
the rheumatism out of him, but we don’t want 
any more green western horses on our farm. 
They are fine, big fellows, but their bulk con¬ 
sists of fat rather than muscle, and you must 
work strings into the fat before you can make 
the horse pay for his oats. We bought another 
old fellow for $50, and Major would work Frank 
into rheumatism in two days if we let him out. 
Next year, Frank will be likely to pull Major 
and his load, but this year, we must go easy with 
him or break him down. Of course, we under¬ 
stand that those horse dealers had him doctored 
up with arsenic and antimony to make him look 
fat and sleek. That is their business, and while 
he is getting over the effects of the drugs, he is 
likely to be dull and stupid. 
I am not going to buy any more horses of 
jockeys. They know too much about a horse to 
suit me. When a man knows all there is about 
a horse, he is right up to all the horse tricks, and 
it doesn’t make any difference where the horse 
was born—East, North, South or West—at the 
conclusion of the deal, he will have the money 
and you will have the experience—and the horse. 
It’s just like a paper—but here we are getting 
off the track of rheumatism and western horses. 
What I wanted to say is this: Plenty of people 
are like big Frank. Changes in the times are 
forcing them into new conditions and new fields 
of labor. If big Frank had been permitted to end 
his days eating grass on some western prairie, 
he never would have had the rheumatism in my 
barn! If old-time trade and crop conditions had 
remained unchanged, you would not be forced to 
think out and plan new departures on your farm. 
But Frank had to be sold, and you and all the 
rest of us, have been forced to hunt up new plane 
and root out old theories and convictions. The 
change gives us all more or less rheumatism. It 
stiffens us up, and we hobble like big Frank until 
some one comes along with good big doses of 
iodide of potash to relieve the wired feeling in 
the joints. 
Now The R. N.-Y. and a good sensible book, 
will often prove just the dose of iodide of potash 
you stand in need of. The R. N.-Y. ? You remem¬ 
ber, we have promised not to say a word about 
ourselves; but read what this man says: 
Flavor of The R. N.-Y. 
“ Connoisseurs speak of a wine’s bouquet. The 
word conveys the idea of a quality so delicate 
and refined as not to be accurately definable, 
however readily appreciable it may be to a prac¬ 
tical test. Just so on making the acquaintance 
of a farm paper, the flavor, so to speak, or spir¬ 
itual quality that pervades it becomes quickly 
felt. Without, perhaps, being able to explain 
just why it is so, you are yet quite clear in your 
mind as to the effect that the personality of the 
one that controls it, as evidenced by the contents 
of the paper, has upon you. It either attracts 
you, repels you, or else fails to have any influ¬ 
ence upon you. For which of the farm papers 
that you read, do you feel warmest regard, is a 
question upon which I would like to take the vote 
of agricultural scholars of both high and low 
degree. As that is not practicable, perhaps I 
may, without committing an offence against 
good taste, be allowed to say why I like The 
R. N.-Y. 
“ First and chiefly, then, let me say, the kindly, 
liberal, honest spirit that we naturally attach to 
the character of a typical farmer and gentleman, 
and which always gives character to its pages, 
is its especial flavor. While it teaches, and 
preaches, and lectures, it yet contrives to do so 
in such a way as not to wound our sensibilities 
by letting it too plainly appear that it is doing so. 
We are even allowed to flatter ourselves that the 
hand that directs is that of a fellow-student, 
quite free from the characteristics that we find 
so unpleasant, and so hard to bear with in a 
master. It is not satisfied with giving us from 
behind a desk, the law of the subject, telling 
us this is so, and that is so, but commencing 
at the alphabet it, as it were, links arms with 
us, and, comrade-like, conducts us onward 
and upward, helping us over and through the 
difficult and intricate passes by the way, making 
it all so easy and pleasant that we might almost 
fancy we were enjoying the advantages of a per¬ 
sonally conducted pleasure tour. Differences of 
opinion, conflicting views, diverse interests, etc., 
are discussed in such a way as to give no cause 
of offense to any one. No one is afforded occa¬ 
sion to complain of partiality or unfair treatment. 
Great pains are taken to elicit from its large 
family of readers whatever there may be of 
value or interest to the common cause in the 
possession of any of its members, and to add it 
to the general stock. In a few words, the paper, 
as conducted, may be said to constitute a living, 
breathing personality to which, as to a dear and 
loving friend, we may all gather. I would not 
like to be regarded as guilty of flattery. Whether 
this is flattery may be left to The R.-Y.’s readers 
to decide. The frequency with which one meets 
a quotation from the text of the paper offered as 
proof decisive of the correctness of an allegation 
concerning the quality of some specific article, 
is remarkable.” one op ourselves. 
Books? Why, we can furnish anything you 
want. By the way, Prof. I. P. Roberts has written 
a grand little book on The Fertility of the Soil. 
It is a companion to The Soil, by Prof. F. H. 
King. The price is $1. It will mean 100 doses of 
iodide of potash for rheumatism of your soil. 
The two books together would make your soil as 
frisky as big Frank after his dosing. Your book 
trade ! We want it! Any reason why we shouldn't 
have it ? 
Niagara Grape Seedling. — I saw a notice in 
The R. N.-Y. of April 10, about vines from seeds 
which The Rural had sent out several years ago. 
I raised two seedling vines from the seeds, the 
one a genuine Niagara, the other a black grape 
as good as Concord in quality, ripening with 
Moore’s Early; it kept its foliage as well as Con¬ 
cord, and there was no rot or mildew. It has 
stood the test of 20 degrees below zero without 
being harmed much. I think the fruit far superior 
to Moore's Early; I think it a better bearer. The 
birds had sampled them first, and took nearly all 
Tiffin, Ohio. p. h. b. 
That is the story the morning newspapers 
tell of the modern business man. Too 
much money-getting. Too little care for 
health. Too much rush, and strain, and 
wear and tear. Too little time to eat, to 
sleep, to digest the food, to rest tired body 
and tortured brain. Not enough time to 
think once in awhile of health and strength 
and happiness and a long and useful life. A 
widow and orphans left to mourn. A big 
estate that under the dissecting knife of the 
executor falls all to pieces. ’ Tis the story 
of thousands of business men in life reputed 
wealthy and successful. It is a story that is 
unnecessary — need not be. 
Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery if 
resorted to occasionally will keep a man or 
woman in good health. It goes to the roots 
of things. It tunes up the strings of life and 
makes them vibrate to the music of good 
health. It makes the appetite keen, the di¬ 
gestion good, the blood pure, and the nerves 
strong. Then ill-health is an impossibility, 
and work is a pleasure. Thouands say so. 
“ Your ‘ Golden Medical Discovery ’ has been a 
f reat physician to our family," writes Mr. Ira S. 
oust, of Naylor, Ripley Co., Mo. “ My wife’* 
father had Bright’s Disease. His water was al¬ 
most pure blood. We got a bottle of ‘Golden 
Medical Discovery ’ and it did him so much good 
that he tried another and then a third, ana the 
fourth entirely cured him." 
Nothing in the world so many times pays 
for itself to its owner as a good medical 
book. The very best one is Dr. Pierce’s 
Common Sense Medical Adviser. Now for 
a limited time, an edition, paper-covered, 
will be distributed free. Send 21 one-cent 
stamps (to pay the cost of mailing only), to 
World’s Dispensary Medical Association, 
Buffalo, N. Y. For 31 stamps you may obtain 
the book in cloth, beautifully stamped. 
VICTORIES. 
H^^l pTTn—^ 
FOUR MEDALS—3 Gold and 1 Silver, World’s Centennial 
Cotton Exposition, New Orleans, 1884. 
HIGHEST AWARDS—Nebraska Agricultural Fair, 1887. 
DIPLOMA—Alabama Agr’l Society, Montgomery, 1888. 
| AWARD^Chattahoochie Valley Exposition, Colum¬ 
bus, Ga., 1888. 
tewwiw 
rflKBACI. 
rwn 
(cohto* 
HIGHEST AWARDS—St. Louis Agricultural and 
M echanical Association, 1889, _ 
'GOLD NIEDALS and 6 DIPLOMAS—World’s Colum- 
| bl an Exposition, Chicago, 1893, __ 
HIGHESTAWARDS-Westem Fair Association, Lon¬ 
don, Canada , 1893. _ 
I SIX GOLD MEDALS and Diplom as—California Midwinter Fair ’94 
SILVER MEDAL —Industrial Exposition, Toronto, Canada, 1895. 
' 345,584 Home Comfort Ranges Sol<l to Jan. lst,’97 
{y Range illustrated sold throughout the United States and 
the Canadas at a uni form price from our ow n wagons. 
Made of open hearth, cold rolled steel-plate and malleable 
1 iron —will last a life-time with ordinary care. 
WROUGHT IRON RANGE CO., 
Founded 1864. Paid-up Capital $1,000,000. 
Factories, Salesrooms and Offices: ST. 1.01118, MO., and TORONTO, CANADA. 
Western Salesrooms and offices: DENVER, COLO. 
tFWe manufacture and carry a complete stock of Hotel Ranges and Kitchen goods. also the 
unequaled HOME COMFORT STEEL FURNACES. Write for catalogue and prices. 
RUMELY 
■ THE RUMELY Simple and Compound 
Traction and Portable Engines are Good 
Engines. The Portable Engines are 8 to 15 
h. p. and the Traction Engines are from 8 to 
20h. p. These engines possess the largest pos¬ 
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NGINEB 
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boiler plate of 60,000 lbs. tensile strength. 
The six sides of the fire box are surrounded 
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More about them in our free catalogue. 
_ M. RUMELY CO., LA PORTE, IND. 
REAR GEAR 
ENGINES, 
SAW MILLS, 
THRASHING MACHINES. 
Beat Machinery at Eotceat Brice*. 
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Saw Mills, Planers, Shin¬ 
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ill Manufacturing Co. 
Atlanta, Ga., U. 8. A., New York and St.Louis. 
The Charter Gasoline Engine 
is used for almost every pur¬ 
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to; and for 
FARM, DAIRY 
ami CREAMERY. 
Work is unequalled. Full par¬ 
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CHARTER 8ASEN6INEC0. 
P. O. Box 26, Sterling, I1L 
Economic Power 
Finds its complete embodiment in our 1, 2, 3 
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the corn, cut the feed and shred 
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ST. ALBANS FOUNDRY CO., ST. ALBANS, VT. 
KAAAA JkJk. 
PERFECTION 
in WIND MILL 
Construction 
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APPLETON MFGr. CO., 
27 Fargo St., BATAVIA, ILL. 
bTHIS BEATS A DROUTH 
No matter how dry the weather or what the 
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.They are better than others. Why? 
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57 Sigler Street, Niles, O. 
OCAUTER OF CENTCBY OLD. 
CHEAP 1AT ATED DDflflF affected 
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A Durable Substitute for Plaster on walla. 
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best A cheapest in the market. Write for samples, etc. 
The FAT MAXILLA ROOFING CO., CAMDEN, N. J. 
