472 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 1? 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
HIE BUSINESS FARMERS' BARER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established 1850 . 
Elbert S. Carman. Editor-In-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Manaping Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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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, JULY 17 1897. 
Here is a little note from one of our readers: 
The Fertility of the Land is fully up to 
my expectations. / shall want some more 
books of this type when / get this digested, 
that is if / need them ; but / think this 
contains it all. 
Think of buying the whole story for $1.25 ! Wheat is 
going up in price ! Where is your book order ? 
o 
One of the Australian agricultural colleges has been 
experimenting with poultry houses made of sun-dried 
bricks, surface soil mixed with straw being used. This 
is made into bricks 18 inches long, 9 inches wide 
and G inches deep, dried in the sun before using. 
The inside walls are whitewashed, and a bark roof is 
used. These structures, convenient where wood is 
scarce, are cool in summer and warm in winter. 
O 
It is evident that the sweet-and-sour apple dis¬ 
cussion has not been definitely settled. The men who 
believe in this singular freak of Nature, are still 
coming forward with statements about mixed apples 
that they have seen and eaten. We certainly hope 
that some of these men will secure specimens of these 
and send them to the next meeting of the American 
Pomological Society. In this way, we may settle the 
matter definitely, for until such fruit is submitted to 
a competent jury of pomologists, we shall not be able 
to obtain the necessary facts concerning it. 
O 
Last week, we saw a horse deliberately eat, at 
least, 25 leaves of poison ivy. We are told that cows 
and horses often eat this plant, which is so dangerous 
for many humans. We have a cow that is very fond 
of several common weeds like dock and tansy. The 
horses, too, often eat various weeds—apparently se¬ 
lecting them with some sort of order. Do these ani¬ 
mals take this method of doctoring themselves ? Are 
they taught by instinct to hunt for the medicinal 
properties which their systems crave ? It would seem 
so from their actions. Another thing that seems 
strange to us is the fact that stock turned into a 
strange pasture will go at once to the best feeding 
ground. How do they know where it is so readily ? 
O 
In some forms of kidney troubles, doctors prohibit 
the use of meat as food. In such cases, meat causes 
an acid condition in the blood, which irritates the 
kidneys and brings on serious trouble. One of the 
simplest remedies for this state of affairs is to take 
frequent doses of bicarbonate of soda. This neutral¬ 
izes the acid and, if large quantities of pure water are 
taken into the system, the patient often obtains re¬ 
lief without a more expensive treatment. In one 
sense, this will serve to illustrate the reason why 
lime often gives such excellent results when applied 
to acid soils. These soils have become sour through 
various causes, to such an extent that plants cannot 
develop in them. The lime neutralizes the acid or 
‘•sweetens ” the soil just as the soda neutralizes the 
acid in a man’s body. By reason of this “ sweetening,” 
both man and soil are able to do better work—not, 
however, because they have obtained more food. Com¬ 
mon salt contains soda, but it would not take the place 
of bicarbonate in correcting the effects of a meat diet. 
Plaster contains lime, yet it will not “ sweeten ” the 
soil ? Why is this ? We begin to get many such 
questions. They are encouraging because they show 
that farmers are trying to reason these matters out. 
We shall attempt to show that it is the form in which 
the substance is combined that measures its value 
The fifty-seventh annual fair of the New York 
State Agricultural Society will be held at Syracuse, 
August 23-28. The entries for the $25,000 worth of 
premiums will close Monday, August 2. Preparations 
are being made for an excellent exhibition, and there 
will be an immense display of live stock and other 
farm products. A State fair always calls out visitors 
from all parts of the State, and farmers who attend 
are able to pick up new acquaintances and learn 
much by talking with exhibitors. It is a good thing 
to “ get together ” now and then. This fair will 
afford a grand opportunity for you to renew old 
acquaintances and make new ones. Remember the 
date ! Take the whole family ! 
O 
In his article on cream ripening this week, Prof. 
Farrington makes the point that the Babcock test 
does not always tell the wholo story with regard to 
two different samples of milk. Milk rich in butter 
fat sent to the creamery in a sour, rusty can, may be 
worth less for the production of fine butter than milk 
with less butter fat, which was properly cooled and 
carried in an absolutely clean can. In order to be ex¬ 
actly fair to those patrons, it is evident that, sooner 
or later, the creamery must consider the purity of 
milk as well as its per cent of butter fat; in other 
words, makers must offer some sort of a premium for 
pure and clean milk, so that the careless dairymen 
will find it to their advantage to take every necessary 
precaution for cooling and handling their product. 
® 
Our old friend, A. I. Root, of Ohio, sowed about 
three acres of the R. N.-Y. winter oats last fall. The 
crop wintered perfectly, and this spring he had a 
fine stand. All of a sudden he discovered a queer 
thing about this crop. Large quantities of Chess 
appeared in the field, and those who believe in such 
things, at once began to say that the cold winter had 
turned the oats into Chess. As the crop grew, it was 
evident that the oats had entirely disappeared and 
that Chess had taken its place. Mr. Root went so far 
as to send samples of the crop to The R N.-Y. and to 
various experiment stations. The plants sent were 
certainly Chess, and here was, apparently, strong 
confirmation of the old-time belief that wheat and 
oats will turn *to this worthless plant. At last, Mr. 
Root went to his seed bin and examined a sample of 
those winter oats. To his surprise, seeds of Chess 
were found mixed with the oats. Here, then, was the 
explanation of the whole thing. Both oats and Chess 
were sown in the field ; the cold winter killed the 
oats and left the Chess, which grew and produced a 
full crop. Thus the oats did not turn to Chess at all. 
They simply proved themselves incapable of standing 
the severe winter. The Chess being more of a hustler, 
grew up and filled the ground If the original seed 
had not been carefully examined, here would have 
been more strong support of the belief that oats will 
turn to Chess. We venture to say that hundreds of 
farmers would have taken this field as conclusive 
proof that this impossible thing can take place. 
O 
Some of the city papers are very much concerned 
over the fact that the State of Illinois has prohibited 
manufacturers of butterine from coloring their stuff 
in imitation of butter. Bradstreet’s, of New York 
City, rounds up a long editorial on the subject as 
follows: 
Politics in other States—for that is about all there is in it—has 
induced legislatures to prohibit the production of a cheap, health¬ 
ful, commercial article, when restrictive laws as to its sale should 
have been ample to prevent fraud, and thus throw the excess de¬ 
mand into the hands of dairy buttermakers. The latter are well- 
meaning people, but are as susceptible to desires to acquire 
dollars as any one else. It would be interesting to hear them, 
their periodicals or attorneys tell why the manufacture or sale of 
jiure hog and beef-fat butter, colored or uncolored, should not be 
permitted under a name of its own, not as butter. This is even 
worse than burning down the house to roast the pig. 
Of course every man has a right to his own opinion 
as to the value and healthfulness of bogus butter. 
We do not believe the editor of Bradstreet’s would 
eat the stuff himself in any event. His paper is a 
high-priced sheet with a specialty for trade and mar¬ 
ket reports. It has a characteristic form and appear¬ 
ance of its own. Suppose The R. N.-Y. were to get 
out a paper with cheap and stale market news, and 
copy Bradstreet’s name and appearance as closely as 
possible. Within an hour, every force of the law 
would be operated to stop such work. For many 
years, farmers have been making butter with a char¬ 
acteristic yellow color. This color has distinguished 
butter from tallow, lard and other grease. Manufac¬ 
turers undertake to color the cheaper fats in imita¬ 
tion of butter, and then sell them at butter prices. 
At first, it was a clear case of counterfeiting. At 
last, in an effort to prevent fraud, laws for regulating 
the manufacture and sale of this bogus butter were 
passed. They have not been entirely satisfactory, 
and will not be so long as manufacturers can color 
the cheap fats in imitation of butter. We cannot 
object to the sale of hog or beef fat uncolored and 
under a name of its own. This would be the best 
possible thing for those who desire cheap food for the 
poor, for the uncolored fat would be several cents per 
pound cheaper, just exactly as valuable as food. Per¬ 
mission to use the yellow color is an injustice to the 
poor, since it makes them pay more for the food. 
O 
The notes on calf feeding which are printed on 
page 479, will appeal to some owners of small dairies 
who are unable to dispose of their milk with profit. 
By buying young calves from the larger dairy herds 
around them and feeding them until four or five 
weeks old, they will often be able to obtain more for 
their milk than if it were sold on the general market. 
By making use of milk substitutes and feeding only a 
small quantity of whole milk, they will be able to 
turn off eight or ten calves to each cow during the 
year, and at present prices for veal, this will pay 
reasonably well. As nearly as we can figure, our last 
calf sold in this way, paid between 3% and 4 cents a 
quart for the milk he consumed. This plan of acting 
as dry nurse for a calf, may not appeal to dairymen 
as an ideal life, but when rightly handled on a small 
scale, there is money in it. Every local butcher is 
anxious to buy calves, and in many towns, the calf is 
the only animal that can be sold alive. 
O 
BREVITIES 
“I SAVED MY LIFE.” 
I kept my money to insure me ease; 
I saved my strength for length of days; 
I shunned the sad 
To keep me glad, 
And won some heartless praise. 
My brother perished for my surplus bread; 
My feeble sister fainted by the way; 
As proud I strode 
Along the road 
“ I’m safe,” f used to say. 
Money has not secured me ease; 
There is no joy in length of days. 
Would I had fed. 
Would I had led 
The weak in their hard ways! m. a. marshall. 
Don’t de lay the hen. 
Are your milk cans scoured or soured ? 
How the pigs dn enjoy pure cold water ! 
Soul leather—the toughened conscience. 
Help your own family to cream first of all. 
Truth is the axle on which an axiom turns. 
We are having wonderful weed-killing weather ! 
Sunburned hay is poor stuff. Wind dries grass. 
Don’t give heaping measure in a peck of trouble. 
At 40, one should get into the grow serious bu-tineas. 
Let the little calf eat hay and oats as soon as he will. 
Who knows of a State weed law that is really enforced ? 
Sono of the bugs: “We prey because the farmer did not spray.’i 
Look out for the baby’s “carriage.” Have him walk straight. 
Why do potato beetles prefer certain varieties to others? 
Page 478. 
In bad shape! The head that is convinced that hogs must live 
on corn alone. 
No man can add a featherweight to bis real character by put¬ 
ting on a silk hat ! 
Don’t expect to grow good fruit in a damp location. Apples 
cannot stand wet feet! 
Don’t let the hens get thirsty. An egg contains nearly 70 per 
cent water, including the shell. 
Mr Pillsbury, the wheat and mill man of Minnesota, says that 
the shrinkage of wheat in storage is less than one per cent. 
You can’t do a more foolish thing or kill yourself off quicker, 
than in these hot and boiling days to fill yourself with liquor ! 
Some English breeders want a law compelling owners of cows 
that have aborted to mark them so they cannot be sold as sound 
stock ! 
The litt’e verses at the head of this department are taken from 
The Independent. It might prove time well spent to commit them 
to memory. 
Bisulphide op carbon will kill the insects in stored grain. No 
doubt about it. This treatment will not injure the germinating 
power of the grain. Experiments have proved it. 
A wheat harvester recently made in California cuts a swath 
50 feet wide, and travels at the rate of 10 miles a day, thus cutting 
nearly 00 acres. There’s development from the old grain cradle 
for you! 
And now the housewife vents her ire—no woodpile and a needed 
fire. Now, madame, do not fret or scold, but let the cooking stove 
grow cold. And let an empty stomach tell your man to do his 
duty well. 
Reports from Delaware County, N. Y., state that the caterpillar 
of the dreaded Gypsy moth has appeared there, and is stripping 
both forestand orchard trees. Prompt action is needed, or we 
shall see a repetition of the damage so far confined to Massa¬ 
chusetts, where the authorities have been fighting this insect for 
several years. 
Michigan now requires the proprietor of any cheese factory, 
butter factory or creamery in the State, where cream is purchased 
of or contributed by more than three persons, to register the loca¬ 
tion of such establishment, and the name of its manager, with 
the State Dairy Commissioner. A heavy penalty is provided for 
failure to register. 
