344 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 22 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman. Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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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, MAY 22, 1897. 
NOTICE. 
The stock of Sir Walter Raleigh is exhausted; we can¬ 
not, therefore, any longer send tubers to applicants. 
O 
The New York wharves are crowded just now with 
sugar. It is being rushed in because the refiners 
anticipate that, when the Dingley bill passes, they 
will be forced to pay a higher rate of duty on sugar. 
By the time our laggard Senate passes a tariff bill, 
there will be nearly a year’s supply of this “ free 
sugar” on hand. When the bill becomes a law, watch 
and see how sugar goes up in price “ on account of 
the Dingley bill ! ” It is a shame that the Senate 
should play with this bill while the sugar refiners are 
preparing for vast future profits. 
©• 
One merchant states that he knew of a first-class-(?) 
boarding house where nothing but oleomargarine was 
given the boarders as butter, and they all thought it 
fine. The boarding mistress acknowledged that she 
used it, and said that, if she were found out, she knew 
that she would be in danger of losing her scalp. When 
asked how she disguised it, she said that she bought it 
in pails, and then pressed it into prints like butter as 
soon as it got into the house. She, probably, removed 
the brands from the pails, or else bought it of a dealer 
as dishonest as herself who didn’t have it branded. In 
spite of the severe penalties for its sale under a false 
name, immense quantities of it are disposed of. 
O 
You are right in saying that it does not pay to send 
an irresponsible hired man out alone to mix a fer¬ 
tilizer containing four or more different substances. 
The chances are that he will not get the proportions 
right, or that he will not give the pile a proper mix¬ 
ing. If you cannot give this work a personal over¬ 
sight, you would better buy standard brands of repu¬ 
table manufacturers. There are plenty of men who 
are very willing to work all day on the manure pile, 
yet object to a few hours’ work mixing chemicals. 
Another job where the hired man needs watching is 
in broadcasting fertilizer by hand. He does not like 
to do it and, left to himself, he will usually put it on 
in streaks. A grain drill may be used with excellent 
success for applying fertilizer. It works evenly and 
rapidly, and requires only a careful driver. 
G 
One of the shortest laws we have seen is the fol¬ 
lowing, which was passed by the last Vermont legis¬ 
lature and approved November 20, 1896 : 
Section 1. If a person sprays or causes to be sprayed, or puts 
or causes to be put, any Paris-green, London-purple or other 
poisonous substance upon fruit trees while in blossom, he shall 
be fined not more than $40 and not less than $10. 
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect from its passage. 
This law was passed at the request of the Vermont 
Bee-Keepers’ Association, which asserted that honey 
bees may be poisoned by visiting trees that are 
sprayed when in bloom. This assertion is, doubtless, 
correct, and since it is not necessary to spray fruit 
trees when in bloom, this law will not prove injurious 
to fruit growers. The best advice now is to spray 
after the blossoms fall, since we can then do most 
injury to the insects. 
@ 
There are several agricultural papers that make a 
great parade of the fact that they print so-called 
trade and market reports from all over the country. 
They furnish columns of notes from various post- 
offices purporting to give facts regarding prices and 
prospects. The following incident will show how 
accurate such “reports” often are. A reader of The 
R. N.-Y. read in one of these papers that, at a certain 
place in New York State, horses were so cheap that 
$30 would buy a good one. This man at once wrote 
to the post-master at this place that he would gladly 
buy six horses at that price. The post-master replied 
that the only foundation for the report was the fact 
that a horse was sold at auction for $30, and it was 
just about all it was worth. He further said that 
the reporter was a woman who sent such notes once 
a month in payment for the paper. The report did 
not give anything like a fair idea of the condition of 
the horse market. We have traced up several of 
these “ reports”, and they have all turned out just 
about the same way—in other words, they have not 
fairly represented the community from which they 
were written. They were worse than useless for 
basing statistics or market estimates, and yet such 
papers boastingly refer to the immense advantage 
possessed by their readers in knowing so much about 
the country’s trade. 
O 
The season of 1894 was an awful one in Nebraska 
and adjoining States. The drought was so severe 
that ordinary crops with ordinary culture could not 
grow. In this trying season, Alfalfa proved its great 
value as a drought dodger. Even in this awful sea¬ 
son, there were Alfalfa fields in the heart of the 
drought-stricken area that gave three heavy cuttings, 
while all other forage crops were dead. The cotton¬ 
wood is a hardy tree, yet in these dry days, the leaves 
on 15-inch trees were yellow and sere, while close by 
Alfalfa stood green and growing. Every root of 
Alfalfa was an irrigating pump. If Nebraska had 
been well covered with this plant in 1894, she might 
have fed all her people. While this wonderful plant 
is best suited to the arid plains, there are sections in 
nearly every State where it will produce good crops. 
© 
The city of Galveston, Tex., is the seaport for an 
immense area of productive land For many years, 
little besides cotton was shipped from Galveston, 
though vast numbers of cattle and sheep were fat¬ 
tened in Texas, and millions of pounds of wool were 
produced. The export trade in live stock is conducted 
largely through northern ports, the Texas cattle 
being sent North for shipment. In theory, there is 
no good reason why steamers should not start direct 
from Texas with live stock, and it is not surprising to 
learn that trial shipments are being made from Gal¬ 
veston direct to England. Cattle are fattened within 
100 miles of the sea-board, and can thus be loaded on 
board ship with little expense. If this experiment 
prove a success, the Texas live stock trade will be 
considerably changed. We have often wondered why 
the export trade from ports on the Gulf has not been 
increased. It seems to us a waste of time and ex¬ 
pense to carry export articles a long distance by rail 
when shorter cuts to the sea-board might be made. 
O 
Thebe are great possibilities in the device pictured 
on our first page. This may be only the beginning 
of the application of the pop-gun or air-pressure prin¬ 
ciple to common farm operations. This air pump and 
tank enable the farmer to store up the power devel¬ 
oped by the gearing on the wheels. Spray pumps 
worked by wheel gearing are common, but the force 
stops when the wheels stop, and the force developed 
by driving to the orchard or from tree to tree is lost. 
With the air pump, however, this force is stored up 
in the tank. In France, successful experiments have 
been made with forcing air into tubes several miles 
in length, and tapping them at intervals in much the 
same way that water pipes are tapped by hydrants. 
The air let loose from the pipe is used for turning 
machinery, or any purpose where force is required 
to turn a wheel. It will be possible for a farmer to 
work an air pump by means of a water wheel, and 
force air through iron pipes to various parts of the 
farm where power is required. The chances are that 
this will be cheaper than electricity, and it will cer¬ 
tainly be much safer. 
G 
The fruit growers of New Jersey have suffered con¬ 
siderably because the railroads carry fruits under 
different classifications, which means that the freight 
rates are not uniform. For example, apples are put 
in one class, while pears are put in another, so that 
the freight rate on pears is considerably more than 
that on apples. Some of the New Jersey fruit growers 
are trying to get the railroads to change their classi¬ 
fication. A committee representing the State Board 
of Agriculture, State Horticultural Society, and the 
State Grange, have visited various railroad men, and 
stated their grievances. They have not obtained any 
satisfaction, for one official refers them to another, 
until it would seem as though no one were responsible 
for the freight classifications. It is evident that 
no notice will be taken of this matter until con¬ 
certed action of farmers and fruit growers is taken. 
The State Boards of Agriculture, Granges, Farmers’ 
clubs, fruit associations, and other organizations must 
get together, form a definite line of action, and then 
request a conference with the railroad manager. In 
case this is refused, they should carry the matter 
before the Interstate Commerce Commission of the 
United States. Many of these fruit growers have just 
cause for complaint. They have as good a case as 
that of the milkmen, who demanded changes in the 
rates for milk transportation. The milkmen won in 
this contest, but only through thorough organization 
and prompt and effective action. The fruit growers 
of New Jersey and Pennsylvania who ship fruit to 
New York City should get together and make a strong 
effort to have these freight classifications overhauled 
and amended. Now is the time to begin the work, and 
New Jersey fruit men should lead off in this movement. 
O 
A “ Pure Food Congress” recently held in Cali¬ 
fornia adopted the following resolutions : 
We place ourselves on record as favoring all State and Federal 
laws governing the manufacture and sale of all food products 
which shall make the label of any product a contract between 
the manufacturer and consumer, the essence of said contract 
being a recital of all the ingredients making up the contents of 
the package. We are also in favor of a rigid penalty for any and 
all misrepresentation with reference to the quality of manufac¬ 
tured goods. 
That is right. Farmers and consumers everywhere 
should keep at it until the manufacturers of bogus 
food products are driven out from under cover. Cheap 
and inferior substances are colored and “ doctored” 
into an imitation of the genuine article, until the 
consumer hardly knows what he is eating. We have 
been prompt to regulate the trade of those who sell 
the plant food that we use to fertilize the farm. It 
is a good deal more necessary to regulate the food we 
need to fertilize ourselves. Rigid pure food laws 
would be of great benefit to honest farmers. There 
is ;one article, however, that a simple, pure-food law 
would not touch. That is “Deviled Butter”, the stuff 
that is made by melting and chilling the sour and 
rancid grease that disgraces the honest cow. Special 
laws «are required to regulate the trade in that, and 
we must have them, or dairymen will be hurt worse 
than they were by “ oleo”. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
(REPRINTED BY REQUEST). 
Jim and Bill were brothers on the old New Hampshire farm. 
Jim was always “steady”, for the country held a charm 
For his heart—he loved it, and he knew each rock and hill; 
When the pine trees murmured, all his being seemed to thrill. 
Bill was never happy on the farm, he fretted long, 
Never cared to listen to the wind or hear the song 
That the birds were singing; he grew bitter with the strife, 
Praying to be taken from the quiet, humdrum life; 
Hated country living with its salt fish, beans and pork, 
Packed his little bundle, started boldly for New York. 
Bill was smart, and prorpered in the city’s crazy race. 
Up the heights he clam bered at a most surprising pace; 
Name and fame and money sought him out with eager feet, 
But they took a mortgage on contentment pure and sweet. 
Back to old New Hampshire—to his boyhood’s home once more, 
Bill went on a visit just to look the old place o’er. 
Solitude seemed frightful, for the pines were singing loud; 
Shadows on the hilltop seemed to him just like a shroud. 
“Jim,” he said, “old fellow,” as he turned away his face, 
“ Don't see how you live in such a God-forsaken place /” 
Jim went to the city, just to visit Brother Bill; 
City sights and doings gave his honest heart a chill. 
Saw the power and splendor, and the heartless race for fame, 
Saw the weak ones bravely fighting poverty and shame; 
Saw where crime was lurking at the church’s very door. 
Saw where sneering gamblers stole the honest toiler’s store. 
“ Bill," he said, “old fellow;” as a shade passed o’er his face, 
“ Don't see how you live in such a God-forsaken place /” 
Ensilage for the horse—page 350. 
Crimson clover is a potash crank. 
An extended scale—the San Jos6. 
Export the surplus rooster—he is an ex-sport! 
We believe in the prohibition of whine making. 
You can’t preserve fruit by jamming it into the barrel. 
Let the “ old scores ” rest 1 Don’t try to pay them off ! 
What do you use to wind up the mental works in your head ? 
“ Ginger ’’-bred—the person who inherits energy from his 
parents. 
Read the first of Mr. Van Deman’s talks to young horticultur¬ 
ists, on page 345. 
European scientists have found the parasite of malaria in the 
blood of the goose. 
We are trying the Japanese millets for cow hay. Don’t feed 
millet to the horse ! 
Money makes the mare go, debt makes her balk, save has a 
fair show, spend has to walk. 
What do you use for a berry picker’s ticket ? Is it better than 
the one shown on page 341 ? Why ? 
“ Go bury thy sorrow ! ” Turn it under deep. Use it to fer¬ 
tilize work that will produce happiness. 
How many eggs do you put under the hen or into the incubator 
to provide 50 laying hens ? Let us have facts. 
□ Look out for the bogus beau guest of your daughter. He should 
show a high per cent of honorable intentions, and not a purse 
scent after your property. 
We had two roosters in the pen, one large and the other small. 
We bought a new lot of poultry with four roosters to 25 hens, and 
all were put together for a few days. The big original rooster 
proceeded at once to fight each one of the four new ones, whip¬ 
ping one after the other. The next morning, he was found dead 
—he had fought himself out. The small rooster waited until the 
other four had sore combs, and then he sailed in and drove them 
all. The head is greater than the heel. 
