204 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MARCH 29 
TH E 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
<34 Park Row, New York), 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban 
Homes. 
ELBERT S. CARMAN, 
HERBERT W. COLLINQWOOD, 
EDITORS. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1890. 
Measure your bite, measure your bite 
Then put your teeth in and chew it just right. 
Plans laid in March, 
May take the starch 
Out of your back-bone when August comes 'round. 
Do what you do 
Right through and through. 
Don’t put too big a crop into the ground; 
Study your needs, 
Wait and be sure; 
Don’t let the weeds 
Steal your manure 
Measure your bite, then if you’re shrewd 
There’11 be no balance to swallow unchewed. 
Hens dislike wind. They hunt 
for shelter when the air is stir¬ 
ring. Sensible men are like poul¬ 
try in this respect. This is a fact 
for writers and orators to remem¬ 
ber. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
never publishes an anonymous 
contribution. It is always un¬ 
derstood that whenever any arti¬ 
cle is unsigned, the R. N.-Y. it¬ 
self is responsible for it. 
It is of course desirable to have 
sweet corn as early as possible. But 
it should not be forgotten that the 
earliest kinds are inferior in quality. 
For home use, therefore, let the earli¬ 
est patch be no larger than will sup¬ 
ply the family until the later varieties 
are ready—a matter of scarcely one 
week. 
It is to be regretted that certain 
writers are advocating the use of ni¬ 
trate of soda. Unless the land is well 
supplied with potash and phosphoric 
acid and weeds nitrogen alo.ne, nitrogen 
will not materially increase the crop. 
We must supply the land with just 
what it needs. If it needs potash 
only, sow that; if nitrogen only, sup¬ 
ply that. But neither one nor any 
two alone are going to help the yield 
if it is deficient in the constituent or 
constituents omitted. 
Farmers are always advised to 
attend all nominating conventions 
and see that honest men are selected 
as party candidates. Politicians fre¬ 
quently have a way of ordering such 
conventions at a season when farmers 
are so busy at farm work that they 
cannot attend. The Farmers’ Alliance 
of Georgia has just addressed letters 
to the officials of both political parties 
demanding that no convention shall 
be called earlier than the middle of 
August. This is the month, they say, 
when Georgia farmers can give time 
to politics. 
Sweet potato growers are greatly 
interested in the causes and charac¬ 
teristics of the “soilrot,” a local name 
for a fungous disease of the sweet po¬ 
tato. The experiment stations in 
New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland 
should make a special study of this 
disease. Is it induced or aggravated by 
the use of stable manure, and will 
chemical fertilizers prove as useful in 
preventing it as they prove in pre¬ 
venting scab in the white potato? 
These are the questions most frequent¬ 
ly asked of the R. N.-Y. Those who 
have used fertilizers seem unanimous 
in saying, “ yes,” to the last question. 
Some of our fertilizer men should 
make a specialty of offering small 
quantities of potash, phosphoric acid 
and nitrogen so that farmers can use 
them for experimenting, in the way 
described by Mr. Lusk on page 198. 
We feel sure that many farmers 
would test their soils if they could se¬ 
cure small quantities of the necessary 
substances at reasonable prices. There 
is small economy in using fertilizers 
blindly, and the only way to use them 
intelligently is to know what the soil 
needs. Fertilizer makers will help 
their own business by making it easy 
for farmers to experiment. 
That “one horse” Jerseyman who 
tells, on the first page, about the big 
proceeds from his little farm, teaches 
us that a single horse can be made to 
haul out a larger profit than four 
horses often have to move. In this 
case the harness fits the horse. The 
load is the profit and the harness 
means the methods, crops and busi¬ 
ness management. What about the 
ractice of selling wheat at 90 cents a 
ushel to a neighbor who manufac¬ 
tures it into eggs and sells it in its new 
form for $5? Who is going to get rich 
at such trade? Has the 90-cent man a 
right to demand that the $5-man 
* ‘divide up ” with him ? 
Ever since the farmers made their 
desperate and successful fight against 
oleomargarine an effort has been 
made to induce Congress to tax “com¬ 
pound lard ” or common lard mixed 
with cotton seed oil. Day before yes¬ 
terday the House Committee on Agri¬ 
culture voted to place a revenue tax 
of one mill per pound on the “com¬ 
pound.” The advocates of the meas¬ 
ure insisted that a distinction should 
be made between pure leaf lard and 
the manufactured article. The two 
members of the committee who op¬ 
posed the bill argued that the govern¬ 
ment had no right to control private 
business by legislation. 
The R. N.-Y. knows that it will pay 
to raise potatoes with special atten¬ 
tion to their table quality. Every po¬ 
tato grower knows that by making a 
combination of certain varieties, soils 
and methods of manuring he can pro¬ 
duce tubers which cook so dry and 
“mealy” that customers can readily 
be found who are willing to pay an 
extra price for them. The R. N.-Y. 
goes so far as to say that it will pay 
the farmer located near a large city 
to produce “extra fine table potatoes” 
and sell them under his trade mark. 
Most practical farmers know how to 
roduce potatoes of the best quality, 
ome of our scientific friends will soon 
tell us why different soils and different 
manures make different potatoes. 
Any man who has ever witnessed an 
election in a large city will understand 
why honest and thoughtful men all 
over the country are demanding a re¬ 
form in our system of balloting for 
public offi cei*s. There is every reason 
why they should not favor it. It is 
claimed by those who oppose the 
measure that it would disfranchise a 
number of citizens who read well. In 
the Saxton bill, now awaiting Govern¬ 
or Hill’s signature, this objection 
seenis to have been fairly met. There 
can be no doubt that under the pro¬ 
visions of this bill, the briber, the vote 
eddler and the political striker could 
e driven out of business. These are 
the features of city politics that fann¬ 
ers fight. The R. N.-Y. hopes the bill 
will become a law. 
--*■»- 
On page 211 will be found a careful 
synopsis of the tariff bill which will 
soon be presented for the consideration 
of Congress. The R. N.Y. will give a 
careful report from time to time of the 
rogress made in the discussion of this 
ill. Just now we have merely to say 
that if there is any virtue in the sys¬ 
tem of “protection” the farmer cer¬ 
tainly has the best of it in this bill. If 
a reduction in the revenue means that 
the price to the consumers of the 
country will be that much less, the 
farmers should save some money on 
the decreased price of sugar and lum¬ 
ber, for example. If, on the other 
hand, an increase in the tariff means 
a higher price, the farmer should 
again reap an advantage in the better 
prices for potatoes, hides, cattle, hay, 
etc., etc. This, we may say is the the¬ 
ory of the matter. We shall all watch 
with interest to see how the facts bear 
out the theory. The point noted here 
is that in framing this bill, the farm¬ 
ers seem to have received a more re¬ 
spectful consideration than has been 
accorded to any other class. But if 
the tariff on sugar is to be given up in 
whole or in part, let us not forget that 
we want in exchange for it a chance 
in the South American markets for 
the sale of our dairy goods and our 
pork products. 
The Harlem Valley Branch of the 
Milk-Producer’s Union at a recent 
meeting in this city settled upon the 
plan for the"delivery and sale of milk 
coming over the Harlem Railroad, 
amounting to about 2,700 cans daily. 
The price fixed for April is three cents 
per quart. This is in accordance with 
the plan adopted by the central union 
some time since. The territory sup¬ 
plying New York is divided into a cen¬ 
tral union and branch unions, the lat¬ 
ter being named after various milk¬ 
shipping routes leading into the city. 
The central union fixes the prices, 
looks after the creameries, etc., and the 
branch unions see that the fixed prices 
are maintained. Creameries are to 
be erected or leased along the various 
lines of transportation to take care 
of the surplus milk. This removes the 
chief bone of contention between the 
producers and dealers. It is expected 
that the union will control at least 
four-fifths of the milk coming to this 
city. It proposes to see that all milk 
furnished is pure and healthful ; to co¬ 
operate with every honorable dealer; 
to serve consumers faithfully at a fair 
and uniform price ; and to encourage 
confidence on the part of consumers. 
These certainly are laudable objects 
and should have the encouragement 
and support of every interested per¬ 
son. 
The Farmers’ Alliance of Kansas 
has called the attention of the Kansas 
delegation in Congress to what is con¬ 
sidered an alarming condition of the 
agricultural interests of the State. It 
is claimed that a systematic plan of 
foreclosing mortgages has begun, one 
single law firm taking a contract for 
the foreclosure of 1,800. The Alliance 
claims that the holders of the mort¬ 
gages are determined to secure the 
farms 11 and people them with a more 
servile tenantry imported from foreign 
lands for this especial purpose.” The 
Alliance also charges that this state 
of affaire is made possible by vicious 
legislation, and demands immediate 
attention on the part of Congress. 
The Kansas delegation at Washington 
have been interviewed but have little 
to offer beyond advocating the free 
coinage of silver, the most liberal pen¬ 
sion legislation and the suppression of 
option gambling in cereals. There 
are many old soldiers in Kansas and 
the pension advocates argue that 
money given them would help relieve 
the stringency. Some of the Congress¬ 
men from Kansas advocate free sugar 
in spite of the claim made by enthu 
siastic sorghum growers that Kansas 
can raise enough sugar to supply the 
Nation. There can be no doubt that the 
system of gambling in options has 
done Western farmers a great injury. 
NITROGENOUS OR COMPLETE? 
N experiments made at the Rural 
Grounds during two seasons to as¬ 
certain the effects of nitrogen on pota¬ 
toes it was found that additional quan¬ 
tities of nitrate of soda or sulphate of 
ammonia or blood or all three, beyond 
what was supplied by the “complete” 
fertilizer, did not increase the yield in 
any case. Where large (400 pounds 
to the acre) additional quantities were 
supplied the yield was lessened. From 
1,200 to 2,000 pounds of the fertilizer 
were used, guaranteed to contain 3 A 
per cent, of nitrogen, 12 per cent, of 
phosphoric acid and six per cent, of 
potash. 
It appeared, therefore, that the 
amount of nitrogen supplied by the 
fertilizer was amply sufficient for the 
crop’s needs and that the added nitro¬ 
gen was so much money thrown away. 
Similar experiments with wheat gave 
similar results the only difference 
being that where additional nitrogen 
was sown the color was of a deeper 
green. 
In the R. N.-Y.’s judgment, found¬ 
ed upon the above and similar trials, 
it is not advisable to sow nitrogen on 
wheat unless one is assured that pro¬ 
portionate amounts of available phos¬ 
phates and potash are already in the 
soil. In soils so supplied we should 
never sow soluble nitrogen in the fall. 
In the spring, nitrate of soda'might 
profitably be sown at the rate of one 
or two hundred pounds to the acre 
and safely left upon the surface, 
since by such exposure none of 
its nitrogen can be lost. Neither 
does it appear to us that there 
is any necessity of harrowing in a 
complete fertilizer after sowing it 
upon a grain crop in the spring. We 
should prefer to mix it with an equal 
quantity of moist soil or to dam rum it 
by the use of a sprinkler, in either of 
which cases the fertilizer will remain 
as sown to be incorporated with the 
soil after the first rain. Using nitro¬ 
gen upon grain without any knowl¬ 
edge of the needs of the soil cannot 
rationally be advocated. It would be 
just as sensible to sow potash alone or 
phosphoric acid alone. 
THE GREAT JAPANESE WINE- 
BERRY. 
A CCORDING to the catalogue an¬ 
nouncing this Japan raspberry, 
it was discovered by Prof. Georgeson 
(late Associate Editor of the R. N.-Y.) 
while traveling in Japan. Its “ex¬ 
ceeding lusciousness and beauty 
prompted him to dry some of the ber¬ 
ries and send the seed home to rela¬ 
tives in this country with the informa¬ 
tion that, if it succeeded, it would 
prove the most valuable berry-novelty 
ever introduced.” The seed, in the 
hands of the enterprising editor of the 
catalogue above referred to, “pro¬ 
duced a few plants,” and he was so 
struck with their novelty and beauty 
that he “ at once opened negotiations 
for its (sic) purchase. The next season 
it fruited and he at once bought it (sic) 
on the terms offered, paying the enor¬ 
mous price of one thousand dollars 
per plant. ” 
The R. N.-Y. finds that this rasp¬ 
berry is in fact a Japanese species, 
though somewhat more ornamental 
than useful. It is very hardy and 
free-growing and keeps its foliage well 
in summer. It also keeps its orna¬ 
mental flowering and fruiting condi¬ 
tion for a longer period than do our 
garden raspberries. The fruit, how¬ 
ever, is somewhat insipid. As to its 
being “new,” this species has been 
grown in this country as a botanical 
curiosity for at least 12 years. It may 
be useful for purposes of hybridiza¬ 
tion as well as for its peculiarities of 
calyx, flower, foliage and habit. 
BREVITIES. 
Time’s up. 
Step lively. 
Plant pansies. 
Spring-time is upon us. 
Sow clover wherever you can. 
How have you spent the winter ? 
Remember about that “ stitch in time.” 
Some strains of blood are thicker than 
others. 
A SMART horse knows more about a good 
road than the average road-master. 
Well cured corn silage and oats should 
make a model ration for milch cows. 
Fit the collar on vour horse as carefully 
as you would fit a shoe on your own foot. 
Don’t nut good hay and grain into a 
crack in tne barn door. Hammer and nails 
are cheaper. 
There is no tariff on ice. The Canadi¬ 
ans are preparing to send us thousands of 
tons this season. 
They are now talking about practicing 
dishorning on rams. Why not ? Wool 
never grows on horns. 
It appears that the Baldwin Apple and the 
Concord Grape still head the lists of desired 
varieties. Is this strange or not ? 
All the careful experiments that have 
been made to test the question show that a 
heavier yield comes from sowing than from 
drilling in oats. 
The R. N.-Y. will have practical men 
give their views on some of the station bul¬ 
letins. T. B. Terry talks about Prof. Goff’s 
potato bulletin next week. 
Is it possible to feed too much corn in a 
ration containing a large quantity of silage 
in which the ears were permitted to mature 
and then chopped up with the stalks f 
The R. N.-Y. desires to emphasize the 
fact that the earliest kinds of sweet corn 
and pease should never he planted for suc¬ 
cession. Their mission is to give the ear¬ 
liest bite. It begins and ends there. 
The Weeping, White-flowering Dog¬ 
wood (Cornus florida pendula) was found 
wild in Maryland and was introduced by 
Thomas Meehan. It differs from other 
weepers in having an upright leading shoot 
from which the drooping side branches 
emerge as it grows. The flowers and 
fruit are the same as those of the species. 
Can we secure as large a root-growth 
from an acre of thickly sown corn as we 
can from an acre of clover. We now have 
a class of farmers who claim that we can 
and that under certain conditions and on 
certain soils, thickly sown corn will pro¬ 
duce the desired green manure in the short¬ 
est possible time. The R. N.-Y. would like 
to near more from those who have used 
corn for plowing under. 
A friend in Ohio writes that he has no¬ 
ticed in every community one man who 
pushes ahead and by dint of economy, fore¬ 
thought and thrift, makes farming pay, 
while about nineof his neighbors fail to reach 
his success. Young man, are you planning 
to be the one successful farmer, or will you 
be satisfied to represent one-ninth of the 
majority Your place will depend largely 
upon your own efforts. 
