i89o 
279 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Michigan. 
SHELBYVILLE, Allegan Co.—Wheat is look¬ 
ing splendid and if no misfortune befalls 
it, Michigan will have a most bountiful 
harvest. Farmers are just beginning to 
plow for oats. Grass is looking good and 
clover stood the open winter well, not very 
much heaving out. Peaches are mostly all 
killed, except in the western part of Alle¬ 
gan and Oceana Counties, where there will 
be about half a crop. Apples and almost 
all other fruits are as yet uninjured. Prices 
for fat cattle and veal calves are very low. 
The latter when four to six weeks old are 
selling for from $2.00 to $3.00. Farmers all 
seem to be short of money, and all com¬ 
plain of hard times. It does not seem that 
very much is being done for the benefit of 
the farmer and laborer. I read with very 
much interest in the R. N.-Y. about the 
working of the Farmers’ Alliance and the 
great good it is doing. G. N. D. 
WYOMING’S WANTS. 
Since Wyoming has been knocking at the 
door of Statehood, much has been said and 
written concerning her, in which there is 
little truth. On the one hand, her facilities, 
resources and advantages have been very 
much overrated; while on the other, she 
has not been credited with what is justly 
due her. People of the East have been led 
to form some very erroneous ideas regard¬ 
ing this Territory. One of these ideas seems 
to be that this is a land literally flowing 
with milk and honey, that bank bills grow 
on bushes, and silver dollars are found roll¬ 
ing up hill. The result of this is seen in the 
influx of a large number of poor people from 
the East and South, who come with nothing, 
stay here a few months or more, and then, 
not finding their dreams realized, depart 
for “ greener pastures,” taking with them 
whatever they have earned. This, it can be 
seen at a glance, can not fail to be detrimen¬ 
tal in the extreme. 
The other side of the story reads some¬ 
thing like this: “ Wyoming abounds with 
cut-throats, highwaymen and desperadoes 
of every description ; wild cow-boys scour 
the plains, terrorizing all peaceable, law- 
abiding citizens,” and so on to the end of 
the chapter. This idea serves to keep out 
people of -wealth, culture and refinement, 
which is again a detriment. This is all 
wrong. Our towns and people are quiet 
and orderly, highwaymen are unknown 
here, and our cow-boys are, as a rule, gen¬ 
tlemanly and well behaved. But we have 
to work for a living here the same as any¬ 
where else. The time has been when money 
was plentiful and everything brought high 
figures; now, as elsewhere, financial de¬ 
pression overhangs all business. Wyom¬ 
ing’s great need at present is railroads. 
We produce enough, we want the markets. 
Our climate is variable, I might say pe¬ 
culiar, but, withal, healthful. Our alti¬ 
tude is about 4,500 feet; winters are usual¬ 
ly mild and open. Very little snow falls in 
the valleys, not enough, I think; and if 
perchance we have a good, old-fashioned 
fall, a Chinook (warm wind) will very like¬ 
ly come sweeping down from tfie moun¬ 
tains, and take it all off in a few hours. 
We experience at times the most intense 
cold. I have seen the thermometer run 
down to 60 and 62 degrees. Here again the 
peculiarity of our climate manifests itself. 
In the East, under such a low temperature, 
man and beast would almost, if not en¬ 
tirely, succumb to the cold. Here, while 
of course it is cold, we manage to get 
along quite comfortably. But the differ¬ 
ence lies in this: ours is a dry cold, while 
yours in the East is a damp or wet cold. I 
think it is safe to say that we can endure 
60 degrees of cold here with less inconven¬ 
ience than you can 30 degrees. But this 
very dryness, coupled with our sudden 
changes from mild to severe, renders this a 
very trying climate on fruit. Any tree, 
vine, shrub or plant that is able to “ pull 
through” in Wyoming, is a thoroughly 
iron-clad, and may be depended upon to 
succeed in any part of the globe. We have 
bought and planted and experimented and 
failed, and bought and planted and experi¬ 
mented again and again and again, until 
we have expended hundreds upon hun¬ 
dreds of dollars in the nursery, seed and 
plant business, and here are some of the re¬ 
sults we have arrived at through bitter ex¬ 
perience. 
Before entering upon a discussion of vari¬ 
eties, however, I wish to speak of soil. This, 
like our climate, is variable and peculiar, so 
much so that I am almost at a loss how to 
describe it. For example, a description 
which might apply correctly to one piece of 
ground, would be-all wrong when applied 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
to another piece five or ten rods distant in 
the same field. Mark, then, the inconven¬ 
iences and disadvantages under which we 
are compelled to labor while attempting to 
make careful experiments. We have to test 
the ground almost inch by inch, in order to 
suit the soil to the plant or tree. But these 
very tests have developed some valuable 
facts, viz , that we have soil adapted to al¬ 
most everything. It takes patience, push 
and perseverance to find it, and make use of 
it: that’s all. Our uplands are mostly com¬ 
posed of clay and “ hard-pan,” intermixed 
more or less with sand. Our bottom lands 
are a rich, black loam, composed of clay, 
sand and leaf-mold from the mountains, a 
mixture which yields immense crops and is 
very porous and absorbent. 
Returning now to the varieties tested, we 
will begin with fruit—the apple first. In 
connection with this subject, let the reader 
keep in mind the fact that tree planting in 
Wyoming extends back over a period of 
eight years only, hence the longest test 
mentioned has been commenced within that 
time. Among the apples which have seem¬ 
ingly proved iron clad, we find the Wealthy 
and Duchess of Oldenburg. The Pewaukee 
and Tetofsky have not as yet been suffic¬ 
iently tested to permit me to speak decidedly 
with regard to them. I believe, however, 
that they will succeed. All crabs have 
proven extremely hardy, and fruit well. 
The Yellow Transparent during three years’ 
trial has proved hardy, and made a 
healthy, vigorous growth; but this may, 
after all, not prove much, for another 
strange feature is that a tree will 
grow and thrive, and even fruit for two, 
three and four years and then suddenly die 
down to the surface of the ground. Of 
cherries we have tried but three varieties— 
Dye House, Early Richmond and English 
Morello. We have had no success what¬ 
ever with any; all succumb at once. The 
Lawson and Keiffer Pears during two 
years’ trial have done well, but we have 
some doubts as to the final results. Of 
grapes none survive without substantial 
protection. Currants and gooseberries do 
exceedingly well, with the exception of the 
Industry, which is practically useless here, 
as it mildews badly. Among raspberries, 
the Gregg is utterly without value in this 
climate; it is not hardy; the canes die 
down every winter. The Nemaha is a total 
failure; in fact, no blackcap, save the 
Tyler, is of any use here. Tyler is perfect¬ 
ly hardy, and a prolific bearer, but is small¬ 
er and more thorny than is desirable. 
Among the red varieties, Hansell and Reli¬ 
ance are most to be depended upon. Gold¬ 
en Queen does well; but is rather more 
tender than the two preceding. Of black¬ 
berries the Snyder can be grown success¬ 
fully, with attention. We have not tried 
Stone’s Hardy; but the Lucretia Dewberry 
does famously. Of strawberries all varie¬ 
ties, except May King, have yielded grand 
returns. The Russian Mulberry is only 
half hardy. In the line of vegetables and 
grains, Wyoming can hold her own against 
all competitors. Everything of that class, 
unless it be some very late varieties, at¬ 
tains perfection and that, too, in enormous 
quantities. My experience in this branch 
has been large and varied, as I grow all 
kinds largely for seed purposes. In pota¬ 
toes we lead the world, both for yield and 
quality. G. J. L 
Sheridan County, Wyoming. 
A PROGRESSIVE FARMER. 
(EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.) 
The farm and nurseries of Isaac Hicks & 
Son are at Westbury Station, on Long Is¬ 
land, about 25 miles from New York. They 
own and thoroughly cultivate a farm of 
100 acres about a mile from the station, the 
land extending to the railroad. This is 
only a short distance from the Hempstead 
Plains which were a synonym of barrenness. 
The farm of the Messrs. Hicks, however, 
as well as those surrounding it, as judged 
by the large and well-kept buildings, the 
clean and well tilled fields, the fences in 
good repair and free from brush and weeds, 
and the general air of thrift and prosperity 
on every hand, were far from being barren 
plains. The Hicks family are old settlers, 
Isaac Hicks and three brothers owning be¬ 
tween them the original homestead, which 
was purchased by the father many years 
ago. The venerable mother at the ad¬ 
vanced age of 99 still occupies the old fam¬ 
ily residence. She has four generations of 
descendants, including all of a large family 
of children, still living, and bids fair to 
round out a full century in the enjoyment 
of all her faculties. Isaac Hicks at the age 
of 77, when most men, if spared thus long. 
would be old and feeble, is hale and hearty, 
a grand specimen of vigorous manhood. 
He finds among his fruits and flowers, 
trees and vines, a satisfaction and quiet en¬ 
joyment unknown to those who are not 
lovers of Nature in all her moods. Start¬ 
ing in the nursery business after reaching 
middle life, purely from a love of it, and to 
gratify that spirit of investigation which 
all horticulturists will understand, he has 
achieved a success and establshed a reputa¬ 
tion for reliability which might well be en¬ 
vied by those engaging in the business from 
mere mercenary motives. 
The more active member in the general 
farm management, as well as the mechani¬ 
cal genius of the firm, is the junior mem¬ 
ber, Mr. Edward Hicks. A quiet, unosten¬ 
tatious man of middle age, he combines the 
inventiveness of genius with the practical 
good judgment and common sense of the 
successful farmer. He has surrounded 
himself on every hand with labor-saving 
devices of his own invention and, in many 
cases, of his own construction. Every¬ 
thing about him shows the thinking, studi¬ 
ous man who aims to accomplish by the use 
of brain-power what many fail to do with 
pure muscle. We have drawings of some 
of the simpler and moie easily constructed 
appliances which were observed, and shall 
present them from time to time with brief, 
easily understood descriptions. Mr. Hicks 
says that if he has anything that will ben¬ 
efit farmers he is very glad to have them 
know and make use of his inventions. He 
has placed every facility at our disposal 
and has put us and, through us, our readers 
under great obligations. It is an inspira¬ 
tion to visit such a man and hear him des¬ 
cribe his different implements and discuss 
the ways of using them. It is a splendid 
exemplification of the power of intelligent 
labor as opposed to brute force. Mr. Hicks 
has a son who is taking the agricultural 
course at Cornell University. We do not 
see how any young man could wish to leave 
such a farm and such a home for the city. 
Asked as to what part of his farming ope¬ 
rations he found most profitable, Mr. H. 
said the nursery. After that, hay had 
paid well. He has a large dairy, and sells 
the milk, but the price is low and the profit 
small. Poultry proves profitable. The fat¬ 
tening of milch cows for beef, supplying 
their places with purchased fresh ones, for¬ 
merly paid well, but the Western dressed- 
beef business has reduced this to a profitless 
proceeding. The strictest economy of labor 
and a careful application of business prin¬ 
ciples are depended upon to give a profit 
rather than the amount to be realized from 
any particular crop. 
In addition to his other business, Mr. 
Hicks has been the sole trustee of his dis¬ 
trict for nearly a quarter of a century, and 
is giving the district a first-class school. 
He employs two teachers, one a Normal 
school graduate at a salary of $800. He 
says that although there are few children 
of the farmers and tax-payers to attend 
school, he considers that those of the labor¬ 
ers and foreigners who furnish the larger 
part of the attendance are entitled to the 
best means attainable towards making 
them good citizens. He considers it a 
duty we owe to them. This is in striking 
contrast to the policy pursued in many 
districts. 
gfti.sceUaneousi Advertising. 
Please mention R. N.-Y. to our adver¬ 
tisers. 
The soft, velvety coloring effect *o desirable for 
house exteriors can only be produced and perma 
nently held by the use of 
CABOT’S CREOSOTE SHINGLE STAINS. 
For Samples on Wood, with Circulars and full 
Information, apply to 
SAMUEL CABOT, 
70 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass. 
Mention Rubai, New-Yorker. 
The GARRETT PICKET A 
WIRE FENCE MACHINE 
Weaves to the posts. Best in the 
world. Thousands in use. Guar¬ 
anteed. Freight paid. Agents 
are reporting big sales. Machines, 
Wire, etc., at wholesale direct to 
Farmers where I have no Agent. 
Catalogue free. Address the man¬ 
ufacturer, 8 . H. GARRETT, 
MANSFIELD, OlllO. 
POTATO DIGGER. 
HOOVER & PROUT, Avery, Ohio. 
A 10-page pamphlet free. 
Mention this paper. 
Address 
the 
M’frs 
AGENTS WANTED FOR 
WILLIAMS’ CRINDER 
FOR MOWING MACHINE KNIVES. 
Introduced in 1889- proved a Great Success. Also for 
Williams’Automatic Seed Sower 
A new invention—just ready. Descriptive 
Circulars sent free. The very liberal terms 
to agents given to the first applicant from 
any town where no agency is established. 
THE WILLIAMS BEOS. MT’G CO 
Naubuc, Hartlord Co., Conn. 
P 
OCLTRY PAPER, 16 
Sample free. C. C. 
pages, 4 months fori - 
DkPUY, Syracuse, N. * 
“FIGHTING OVER MILK" 
A Book for Dairymen. 
THE FIGHT OF THE DAIRY FARMERS. 
Giving a full account of the efforts now be¬ 
ing made by the Milk Producers’ Union, to 
secure fair prices for the producer and a 
pure article for the consumer in the New 
York market. 
History of a Powerful Organization 
among Eastern farmers, with a full account 
of the different methods of conducting the 
milk business in all our large cities. 
You ought to read this book. 
Price, 25 Cts. Sold by the Rural New-Yorker. 
e..tror»w^o n ,j|o. The Elkhart Carriage 
Harness Mfg. Co. 
For 16 Year, 
ha.e sold to 
_ _ consumers at 
WHOLESALE PRICES, taring them the 
dealers’profit. 8hlp anywhere for ex¬ 
amination before baying. Pay freight 
charges If not satisfactory. Warranted 
for 2 years. 64-page Catalogue FREE. 
Address W.B. PRATT, 8ee*y, 
Elkhart* - - Indiana. 
The BEST on Wheels. “ Handy ” Wagons 
Buggies. Surreys, Spindles, Buckboards, Con 
cords, PhcCtons, Cabriolets, Two Wheeiers, Bond 
Carts,etc. .V-i-pjisrecatalogue and circular,'* Hou. 
to purchase direct from the manufacturers,’’ FREE. 
SYRACUSE. N. Y. 
68 Murray St.. New York. 
• PS Sudbury St., lio.ton. 
MOSELEY’S 
OCCIDENT 
CREAMERY. 
SOLD ON MERIT. 
Scud for Special Inti ^duo- 
tory Offer, 
Freight Paid by us* 
MOSELEY & PRITCHARD 
MANUFACTURING GO., 
Clinton. - • low*. 
rniiun Valuable article on Feed for Poultry; reduces 
rUUHll cost one-half. Mailed free. H. New-Yorker. 
P. A, WEBSTER, Cazenovla, N. Y. 
Beecham’s Pills cure bilious and nervous Ills. 
General Advertising Rates of 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
TIMES BUIL DING , NEW YORK. 
The folioicing rates are invariable. All are there¬ 
fore respectfully informed that any correspondence 
with a view to obtaining different terms will prove 
futile. 
Ordinary Advertisements, per agate line (this 
sized type, 14 lines to the Inch).30 cents 
One thousand lines or more,within one year 
from date of first insertion, per agate line, 25 “ 
Yearly orders occupying 10 or more lines 
agate space.25 " 
Preferred positions.25 per cent, extra. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.,” per 
line, minion, leaded .75 cents 
Terms of Subscription. 
The subscription price of the Rural New-Yorker Is 
Single copy, per year.$2.00 
“ “ Six months. 1.10 
Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and 
Germany, per year, post-paid.$3.04(12*. 6d.) 
France.. 3.04 (16)4 fr.) 
French Colonies. 4.08 ;29^ fr.) 
Agents will be supplied with canvassing outfit on 
application. _ 
Entered at the Post-office at New York City, N Y., 
as second class mail matter. 
