328 
May 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The Rural Nev-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMEB'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Kdltor. 
Dr, Walter Van Fleet, J 
H. B. Van deman. J-Associates. 
Mrs. k. t. Boyle, \ 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOEEAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8^ marks, or lOa francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAE.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper Is backed by a 
responsible person. But to make doubly sure we will make good any 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising In our columns, and any such swindler will be publicly 
exposed. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we do not guar¬ 
antee to adjust trifling differences between subscribers and honest, 
responsible advertisers. Neither will we be responsible for the debts 
of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must be sent us within one month of the time of the transaction, and 
you must have mentioned The Bubal New-Yorker when writing 
the advertiser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance Is for, should 
appear In every letter. 
Bemlttances may be made in money order, express order, personal 
check or bank draft. 
THB BUBAL NEW-YOBKER, 
409 Pearl Street. New York. 
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 1901 
There seems to be strong ground for the belief that 
the poison of the honey bee’s sting may be used to 
prevent or cure rheumatism in humans. This was 
suggested several years ago but was not regarded 
seriously. Careful investigation seems to show that 
there are possibilities in the treatment. We once saw 
a rheumatic farmer mow into a bumblebee’s nest. If 
ability to run fast is any indication the cure was in¬ 
stantaneous. 
* 
The annual call for information about skunk farm¬ 
ing has begun. Day after day we receive letters from 
persons who have heard of successful skunk farms, 
and who want a share of the great profits to be found 
in the skunk’s society. We have traced down dozens 
of these farms, and never found one that paid. We 
say, therefore, to one and all, that those who embark 
in skunk farming are sure to be skunked—that is, 
they will never make a point except to be pointed at 
by their neighbors as brothers to the skunk. 
* 
We recently met a man who is buying his farm at 
the rate of two per cent per year. According to the 
terms of sale, he is to pay $2,500 for the farm in 60 
annual payments of $50 each. He has the privilege 
of paying the whole at any time he is able to do so. 
The former owner was a large land owner who be¬ 
lieves that in this way he can obtain fair prices for 
his land and also give deserving men a chance to 
become freeholders. If more of the land-rich would 
meet the land-poor in this way—what a world we 
would have! 
* 
Those who read the articles by D. R. Pease on 
using lime and sulphur for Pear blight must remem¬ 
ber that he does not pretend to have found a “sure 
cure.” His experiments were satisfactory—that is, 
the blight was checked. Did the sulphur help? It 
would seem so, but the only way to make sure is for 
many growers to try the same thing and observe re¬ 
sults. We hope that hundreds of our readers will try 
the lime and sulphur and report results. The scien¬ 
tific men do not see much hope for this sulphur rem¬ 
edy. Still, we advise a trial of it. 
* 
According to a bulletin recently issued by the Na¬ 
tional Live Stock Association, the stockmen are de¬ 
termined to conduct an active campaign against the 
Grout bill on its next appearance in Congress, and 
this.will be the most important business brought be¬ 
fore the Association when it meets at Chicago the 
first week in December. With such powerful inter¬ 
ests conducting a determined campaign*against the 
bill, it would be very unwise for dairy farmers to 
cease their efforts in its favor. Persistent agitation 
is needed in the interests of the cow, to offset that 
made by strong organizations who would neglect her 
for her brother the steer. 
* 
Why is the man who works under cover any better 
than he who works under the open sky? Why should 
the townsman consider himself superior to the far¬ 
mer? In some way certain people have come to think 
that he who stands in a dusty shop, or sits behind a 
desk or counter, is of a higher tyfle than the farmer 
who works with his feet in the soil. Strange, isn’t it, 
that the man who crawls off and narrows himself 
down to the brick and stone of the town should think 
that he is better or nobler than when he trod the 
rough hills! Think of the man who has brushed the 
last speck of soil from his clothes and his character, 
presuming to step above the man on the farm who 
works in direct partnership with God! The thing 
seems preposterous, and yet some farmers help make 
this sentiment by acting as though they were ashamed 
of their calling. The business of farming is dignified 
only by farmers themselves. 
• 
The farmer’s wife may lay down the law as to what 
her household shall eat and how they shall eat it. She 
generally suits her people. The farmer must not 
think that he can lay down the same law for those 
who buy his food. That is another thing. There is 
so much food sent to market that the nuyer has the 
option, and the farmer, or some one else, must meet 
his demands. It is true that some customers do not 
really know the best food when they see it. 'They 
use prejudice instead of judgment in buying, it will 
cost money to remove that prejudice, but it would 
prove a good investment! 
* 
• A READER in a southern State asks the following 
question: 
i have charge of a large dairy and have had a large 
experience in a practical way, and a natural love for 
stock. 1 am 28 years of age. Would you advise me to 
leave a position that pays me $3(W a year and board to 
Lake a course in a dairy school? 
That is a good job to leave for any uncertainty. A 
man who can eai’u such wages for one man can do it 
lor another. If he can make that amount of money 
without scientific knowledge he can doubtless make 
more than that with an education. While it is a risky 
thing to give general advice about change of occupa¬ 
tion, we would, were we in this young man’s position, 
attempt to master the science of dairy husbandry. 
* 
Reports indicate a movement of people from the 
East to the West this year. It appears that hundreds 
of people in the Mississippi Valley are moving to the 
Pacific coast—thinking to better their conditions. 
Some of them, too, are restless by nature, and demand 
a change of home every few years. We call public 
attention to the following letter, which shows what 
some of these immigrants may expect to find at their 
journey’s end; 
This laud has been homesteaded years ago, improve¬ 
ments were made, buildings and fences put up, fruit trees 
set out, etc., and during his live years of residence the 
owner found that the land is worthless except for the 
timber. He sells the logs to a sawmill, and will now sell 
the land for a song. Hundreds of such farms have been 
abandoned. 1 find that certain parties have a plan to 
get possession of this land for almost nothing, go to the 
East and Middle West, and exchange it for land, cattle, 
stocks of goods, or anything, as what they get in ex¬ 
change is almost clear profit. When the immigrant ar¬ 
rives at his ranch, his means are perhaps exhausted, 
and he has to begin life over again. 
There are without doubt good opportunities in the 
Far West for many people. We would put no obstacle 
in the way of any man who wants to go there. We went 
there to live years ago—and came back again. We 
would warn our friends, however, not to exchange 
farm and stock tor a “ranch about which they know 
nothing. Far better stay where you are and try to 
make a new start. 
What a blessing it would be for the Southern 
States if southern farmers would draw “the color 
line” on yellow oleo. No section of the country so 
sadly needs the society and salary of the dairy cow 
as the Gulf States. Yet the great bulk of the sup¬ 
porters of oleo came from that part of the country. 
Can the southern oleo men “make it unanimous”? 
Not by a good deal. Here is a letter from one of our 
readers—a Georgia cow man: 
Keep up the fight against oleo. Georgia dairymen are 
with you, if our representatives are not, but we are going 
to talk with them next election time. 
That is one of the most hopeful signs from the 
awakening South that we have seen. We are glad to 
see that Georgia cow men are not cowards. Think 
what would happen to the State of Georgia if her 
dairy interests were fully developed! Here is a table 
that will bear study: 
Popu- No. Value 
, State. latlon. of cows. of cows. 
Georgia .2,216,331 286,431 $6,836,072 
Vermont . 343,641 268,886 8,677,463 
Indiana .2,616,462 606,866 20,447,606 
Michigan .2,420,982 463,698 16,162,926 
Wisconsin .2,069,042 1,003,321 33,711,686 
Iowa .2,231,853 1,263,283 44,088,577 
Minnesota .1,761,394 672,640 21,285,891 
Kansas .1,470,495 707,675 22,999,438 
Georgia and Iowa are about equal in population, 
yet Iowa supports nearly 1,000,000 more cows, worth 
$37,000,000 more than the milch cows of Georgia. The 
cows on the rough hills of Vermont are worth $1,- 
700,000 more than their sisters on the sunny slopes 
of Georgia. Give Georgia one good milch cow for 
each two inhabitants, and let them be well fed and 
eared for, and the State will receive greater benefit 
than would be the case if the cash value of every 
Georgia slave set free at the close of the Civil War 
was returned to the former owner! In view of these 
things is it not astonishing that southern Congress¬ 
men will join hands with the oleo men whose appar¬ 
ent aim is to kill off the cow? 
* 
On page 286 we were told how a Pennsylvania far¬ 
mer improved a hard, shallow clay loam soil by sow¬ 
ing Cowhorn turnip seed in the standing corn. We 
have been flooded with letters from readers who ask 
all sorts of questions about this. The turnip is not 
an ideal crop for green manuring. Still, it adds a 
large amount of vegetable matter to the soil. This 
vegetable matter opens up the hard-packed soil, in¬ 
creases the bacterial action—gives it “life”—in fact, 
is just what such soils need. The deep-growing root 
also breaks up the subsoil, deepens the tillable earth 
and brings fertility to the surface. We have no doubt 
txiat a crop of these turnips will increase the power 
of the poor soii to produce other crops in far greater 
proportion than we could expect from the actual fer¬ 
tility which they contain. They may actually fit the 
land, so that it will grow clover or cow peas. Where 
a man can afford to buy fertilizers we do not consider 
it good economy to use a manurial crop alone. 'Tur¬ 
nips, like buckwheat, can utilize crude forms of plant 
food, making them over into available material for 
corn, wheat or potatoes. We would, if possible, use 
fertilizer of some sort when growing a crop to be 
turned under. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
How dear to our heart is the bright silver dollar. 
When some kind subscriber presents it to view; 
The liberty head without necktie or collar, 
We long for the bush where the pretty thing grew. 
The wide-spreading eagle, the arrows below it. 
The stai's and the words with the glory they tell. 
The coin of our fathers, we’re glad that we’ve got it, 
Foi' some time or other, 'twill come in right well; 
The spread-eagle dollar, the star-spangled dollar, 
The old silver dollar we all love so well. 
—Credit Lost. 
* * « 
The word of some men who are faultless in grammar 
Wouldn’t sell for five cents if put under the hammer. 
While others who knock all the grammars to smash 
Are known to be worth their face value in cash. 
Still, that is no argument why anyone 
Should kick out “I did’’ and put tongue to "I done.’’ 
4> • * 
Let us once more our tale rehearse; 
This time we frame it in a verse. 
Do not mix lime, I beg you, men. 
Into organic nitrogen. 
For nitrogen’s a shaky scamp, 
And ever ready to decamp. 
“Affinities” but lightly hold, 
A chap so fickle and so bold. 
And lime will come with burning hand 
To cut the all too fragile band > 
That holds organic nitrogen 
In harness for the good of men. 
Wait till you get him in the soil; 
'Then let him out and make him toil. 
But if you value cash or care 
Don’t set him free in open air. 
* * * 
Loose statements get men into tight places. 
It s the boiled-down article that “burns on.” j 
The growth some people need Is to grow small. 
The sensational reporter is the write man in the wrong 
place. 
Ask the hog if the grass sward is not mightier than 
the pen! 
Listen to the mocking bird—In other words, the lying 
cackle of the robber hen. 
The people who but live to stuff and eat will surely 
call their later years a cheat. 
Truth will put rubber into a man’s conviction. The 
more people “jump on him” the harder they bounce back. 
The Canadians exported 10,187,906 dozens of eggs last 
year, while our own countrymen sent abroad but 6,910,162 
dozens. 
During the past year American exports of butter de¬ 
creased $120,442, while exports of oleo oil increased 
$1,320,197. 
This very rain that drives us out of the field is a 
God-send to the dairy farmers whose meadows have been 
brown so long. 
If this wet weather continue there will be less need 
than usual for soiling crops this Summer. Still, we shall 
plan for a dry August. 
We use the formalin solution by pouring It over the 
oats and then raking them into a damp pile. It Is also' 
used the same as for potatoes— by dipping the oats down 
into it. 
Lord Roberts says the American wagons are the best 
sent to Africa, but that the American mules do not equal 
those from India. The mules probably sympathize with 
the Boers! 
Scarlet fever rages in a New Hampshire town, and 
to prevent its spread all money passing through the local 
bank is sterilized. Some people put their money through 
what is known as “a hot time,” without destroying its 
germ power for evil. 
Russia seems likely to become a formidable rival to 
butter-producing countries, the exports for the first 10 
months of 1900 being 37,729,200 pounds. The principal in¬ 
crease of export is the butter product of Siberia, for 
which butter trains equipped with refrigerating appa¬ 
ratus have been employed to transport the goods to the 
ports for shipment. 
