484 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE 
Rural New-Yorker, 
TIMES BUILDING, NEW YORK. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
ELBERT S. CARMAN, 
HERBERT W. COLLINGWOOD, 
EDITORS. 
Rural Publishing- Company: 
LAWSON VALENTINE, President 
EDGAR H. LIBBY, Manager. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN, 
OUT-DOOR BOOKS. 
Copyright, 1890, by the Rural Publishing Company 
SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1890. 
Apply the pollen when the, stigma is receptive. In 
other words, strike the iron while it is hot. Make 
hay while the sun shines. 
“ He shall die in the stable! ” We always like to 
hear a man say this about some faithful old horse 
that has done its full share of work. Mr. Terry 
puts it well on another page. Some horses are 
almost human in their affection for the members of 
their master's family. It is indeed a hard heart 
that would drive away to some cruel and heartless 
master one of these faithful animals the moment its 
strength begins to fail. It is claimed that people of 
modern times have less and less patience w ith the 
failings of the old and infirm. We do not believe 
this is true; we prefer to think that right minded 
people now, as ever before, believe in the Golden 
Rule. Take care of your dumb friends. Do not let 
them suffer if you can help it. 
The R. N.-Y. has succeeded in securing a fair 
crop of grain hay housed in good condition. The 
barley crop was nearly a failure, but the oats were 
somewhat better. The cows seem to prefer the bar¬ 
ley hay ; the horses have a little trouble with the 
long beards. We like to feed the o&t hay to the 
horses this hot weather; in fact they have but 
little grain now except what they nibble from this 
oat hay. Certainly, with us, we see no reason for 
thrashing the oats. Thus far we are somewhat 
disappointed in the barley hay, as we expected it 
would prove the better of the two grains for fodder. 
It can hardly be said that we have given the matter 
a fair test yet, but at present it looks as though 
barley hay will not pay in The R. N.-Y.’s locality. 
Another Trust has collapsed ; but strongly as 
farmers are opposed to such organizations, they 
will hardly rejoice at the downfall of this. It was 
a water melon trust which was started in Georgia 
and ruined in Chicago. It was to handle the 
enormous melon crop of the State. The melons 
were to be shipped to duly accredited agents in all 
the large cities of the Northwest, and were to be 
sold wholesale at auction. The plan did not suit 
the ideas of the local dealers in the Windy City, 
and they quickly formed a counter-combination. 
When the first Georgia melons were put up for 
sale, there was but one bid for the entire lot—a ri¬ 
diculously low one, too—and the melons had to go 
at that. Then the trust smashers divided the ship¬ 
ment among themselves and charged full prices to 
small dealers, realizing an immense profit. The 
plan was adopted elsewhere also, and as an inevit¬ 
able result the melon trust ceased to exist. Of 
course there's a moral to this Soory—what is it? 
The Bennett Law, an epitome of which was given 
in The R. N. Y. some weeks since, has aroused 
strong opposition in some quarters. It has been 
claimed by some of the malcontents that it inter¬ 
fered with private schools. Gov. Hoard says that 
this is not the case; it does not affect them, but 
simply provides that each child shall each year re¬ 
ceive three months’ instruction in the English 
language. The Governor purposes upholding the 
law in every particular; it has been made an 
issue in the State and the better class of cit¬ 
izens favor its enforcement. There, as elsewhere, 
is found a foreign element which opposes any 
action having a tendency to strengthen Amer¬ 
ican ideas in immigrants or their children. They 
wish to maintain their Old-World customs and be¬ 
liefs while axious to avail themselves of the advan¬ 
tages and privileges of this progressive country, 
which have been rendered possible only by an 
abandonment of those same old customs. Wiscon¬ 
sin agriculturists, as a class, are progressive, and 
it is to be hoped that no backward steps will be 
taken. There is one way of relief for those who 
consider such laws oppressive : there is no com¬ 
pulsion about remaining where they will be subject 
to them, but the laws should be enforced. 
With an average of 40 bushels of wheat to the 
acre a Western New York farmer has no fear of 
competition in wheat growing. Can that average 
be reached ? Not with the average methods of cul 
ture and manuring. Are there any new systems 
that farmers can make use of in bringing up the 
wheat average ? The principles of husbandry ad¬ 
vocated by those who write on the use of fertilizers 
in this issue of The R. N.-Y. are not new. They 
have been known since Adam’s time. Plants must 
have food that they can easily digest. They must 
be provided with a soil in which their roots have 
room to develop. New methods of applying these 
principles are forcing themselves upon the attention 
of thinking farmers. That is all there is about the 
increased use of chemical fertilizers. These sub¬ 
stances do not of necessity ruin a farmer. If a man 
should buy a reaper and try to use it in cutting 
brush in a rough field, he would lose his money but 
would he have any right to blame the reaper ? 
Fertilizers have come to stay on the wheat fields of 
Western New York. When used with intelligence 
they not only increase the wheat yield but they aid 
every crop in the rotation. Not only this, but they 
give the farmer a chance to make more stable man¬ 
ure than he ever could before the fertilizers were 
used. 
Few readers of The R. N.-Y. can appreciate 
the intensity of the political struggle now going 
on in South Carolina. Farmers against towns¬ 
men ! It is unfortunate in many respects that 
there should be any conflict between these two 
classes. In theory at least, town and country should 
work together for the host interests of the common¬ 
wealth, neither trying to secure privileges or rights 
which in justice belong to the other. Unfortunately, 
theories do not always work out well in practice. 
The farmers of South Carolina, for example, claim 
that under existing conditions, they receive less 
than their share of the good things guaranteed by 
a just and honorable government. As Mr. Stribling 
tells us on another page, the race question intro¬ 
duces a new feature into South Carolina politics 
that is hard for a Northern man to understand. As 
we have had occasion before now to remark, the 
very fact that a large proportion of the white 
voters are fighting the old party organization shows 
that there is a strong feeling that injustice has 
been done. The R. N.-Y. regards this South Carolina 
contest as of National importance, because the 
issues made by the farmer or Tillman party are 
direct and clear cut. It will be noticed that the 
misappropriation of the agricultural college fund 
forms the basis for one well defined issue. There 
are not six States in the Union wherein this issue 
could not be squarely made by the farmers. 
The R. N.-Y.’s offer of free scholarships at our 
agricultural colleges finds strong supporters among 
S regressive and influential agriculturists. We 
ave already printed strong letters from men who 
never permit themselves to indorse doubtful or 
half-way measures. The following note from 
Secretary J. M. Rusk is so directly to the point 
that we print it in full : 
“Addressing myself directly to the subject of 
agricultural education, and to those colleges which 
have been established for the purpose of giving 
direction to young men in the line of thorough 
investigation of those sciences which pro¬ 
mote a higher agricultural production, I would 
employ every word and means of encouragement, 
for they richly deserve them. The agricultural 
colleges deal with those scientific subjects directly 
related to the most practical methods of practical 
life. I believe that more of our young men should 
be educated for the business of farming, and fewer 
for those callings which find occupation only in 
cities. A practical and successful farmer is sure to 
find himself in a most healthful vocation, which 
leads to a character and an independence seldom, 
if ever, obtained through city life. Our colleges 
are the doors through which such a man must 
enter, and the leading agricultural writers and 
thinkers of the day must be unanimously of the 
opinion that anything which serves to promote an 
interest among our rising generation in the tilling 
of the land in a scientific and practical manner and 
in accordance with the laws of science, is worthy of 
all praise.” _ 
The Minnesota farmers are first in the field with 
a full State farmers’ ticket. Last Thursday, the 
Farmers’ Alliance and the United Labor Party in 
joint convention at St. Paul, nominated Ignatius 
Donnelly for Governor and a full list of other 
State officers. The platform embraces a large num¬ 
ber of planks advocated by farmers all over the 
West and South, with a few peculiar to the Lacus¬ 
trine State. Among other things, it demands a 
revision of the war tariff, government control of 
the railroads, prohibition of freight discrimination, 
of the pooling of rates, and the “ watering” of rail¬ 
road stock ; it holds that mortgage indebtedness 
should be deducted from the tax on realty; demands 
lower interest and severe penalties for usury; favors 
an increase in the volume of money, and the free 
coinage of silver, improvement in the great water¬ 
ways, the Australian ballot system and the election 
of the United States Senators and Railroad Com¬ 
missioners by ballot. It denounces the recent 
Supreme Court decisions as “ fraught with danger 
to our form of Government,” and the McKinley tariff 
bill, as “the crowning infamy of Protection.” 
Kansas is certain in a short time to follow Min¬ 
nesota’s example by nominating an independent 
farmers’ State ticket and probably a Congressional 
one also, and some of the other Western States are 
likely to nominate independent candidates for 
county and State officers for districts in which they 
may have a fair chance of success. In the South 
the struggle is for the control of the Democratic 
party, as the necessity for maintaining “ white 
men ” in power prevents the farmers from nominat¬ 
TULY 26 
ing any independent tickets, lest amid the squab¬ 
bles of the divided Democracy, the negro should 
gain the ascendency. The farmers have completely 
triumphed in Georgia, where the Farmers’ Alliance 
has entirely swallowed the Democratic party. The 
“farmer in politics” is creating a tremendous sen¬ 
sation in many sections of the country,’* and 
politicians everywhere are anxious whether he is 
to be considered a permanent factor there or merely 
a temporary phenomenon, somewhat like a bull in 
a china shop. 
Three weeks ago The R. N.-Y. suggested that be¬ 
fore more money is given to the agricultural col¬ 
leges we should know how previous appropriations 
have been spent. Is there anything unbusiness¬ 
like about this proposition ? Let us know what has 
been done, so that we may know what to do. The 
R. N.-Y. is gratified to know that many of our best 
agricultural writers and thinkers are heartily in 
favor of a complete investigation of our agricul¬ 
tural colleges. Here, for example, is an extract 
from a private letter, written by one who has, for 
years, studied this matter from the inside. “The 
Rural’s editorial suggestion that before Congress 
gives the agricultural colleges further aid, an in¬ 
vestigation of the use of previous funds derived 
from the Land Grant Act should be made, is cor¬ 
rect. I speak advisedly when I say that if the 
laws that control private dealings had been applied 
to the expenditure of the funds in question many 
officials would have become acquainted with prison 
life. The purposes of the law were wide in their 
scope, and admit of much latitude; but the law is, 
nevertheless, clear in defining what should be the 
leading purpose of the colleges. Far from making 
this purpose the leading one in most of the col¬ 
leges, it has been subordinated to others, and very 
often merely tolerated, and in many cases abso¬ 
lutely ignored. It is clear to me that the leading 
and broad purpose of Congress was a wisely chosen 
one, and that a departure from it was a gross 
breach of trust. I believe that there is a demand 
for an emphatic newspaper warfare upon the dere¬ 
lict colleges. I hope that The R. N.-Y will inau¬ 
gurate such a movement so decisively that the rest 
of the press will take the matter up.” 
The R. N.-Y. proposes to pash this matter as 
hard as it is able. If Congress will not take hold 
of it and tell the people what the agricultural col¬ 
leges have done with the money, we will take hold 
of the matter ourselves and show the “inside work¬ 
ings” up in our own way. 
BREVITIES. 
The cow as a pedestrian Is not n great success : 
She Is not built for walking fast, and yet I must confess. 
Tha* In some pastures, brown anti dry and burned up by the heat, 
A cow must walk her legs half off to get enough to eat. 
Hut what about the man who ’lilnks to make Ills cattle race 
About such Ileitis In search of foot!, and forthwith has the face, 
To ask his rows to pay his bills and taxes! Take my word. 
The cows will calmly look him o’er and brand his claims absurd. 
Never breed weeds. 
Give the colt skim-milk. 
Hard cider makes a tough rider. 
How about the next school teacher ? 
Have you taken the “day off ” yet ? 
The fat horse longs for cold weather. 
Let the horses eat some sweet apples. 
Roasting ear time—a sweet corndition. 
The collar is the most important part of the harness. 
The next portrait to appear in The R. N.-Y. will be that 
of our contributor C. S. Rice. 
It is safe enough to say that a fertilizer that will not, on 
ordinary land, show its effects on two succeeding crops is 
not worth buying. 
Be kind enough to look under Implement Notes, on the 
ninth patre of each issue, for answers to questions concern¬ 
ing implements or machinery. 
Ole of our best informed farmers (a market gardener), 
who has raised tomatoes for the past 40 years, says that 
there is no manure that on his soil gives him more or bet¬ 
ter fruit than pig manure. 
THERE are very few ears of early corn (Cory, Marble¬ 
head, Minnesota, etc.,) in the fields about the Rural 
Grounds in which there are not from one to three worms. 
From all that we learn this serious pest is increasing all 
over the country. 
Does it ever occur to you that young greeu clover con¬ 
tains a greater per cent, of water than average skim-milk? 
It does though. Here is another idea. If whole milk had 
a structure and frame like a plant or an animal, it could 
stand alone or walk off by itself. As it is, it has no spine. 
Remember that cabbage set out now will make excel¬ 
lent food for the cows in the fall and early winter. Kale 
is another plant much used in England for providing green 
food for stock. This plant is particularly good for poultry. 
Plow the cabbage plants in. The work will be done faster 
and better than with the dibble or trowel. 
One of the novelties which will be offered in this country 
next spring, is a new variety of Cos lettuce, named the 
Early White Self-folding Trianon. We have seen speci¬ 
mens grown without tving measuring 13 inches high and 
seven in diameter. It is in reality self-closing and the 
quality is very fine, the ribs being as tender and brittle as 
possible. It stands the sun better than the Cos varieties 
in general and promises to be a first-rate acquisition. 
Mr. BURGESS makes a good point on page 479, when he 
says that farmers now understand that fertilizers are not 
designed to supersede manure, but rather to help it our.. 
The first tendency invariably is to neglect the manure pile 
when fertilizers are first employed. When a man learus 
the full lesson, however, he gains a higher respect for the 
manure and still believes the fertilizer indispensable. It 
seems generally agreed that the stable manure is best for 
corn. 
The meeting of the Society of American Florists to be 
held in Boston, August 19-22, promises to be of unusual 
value. A large attendance is expected and a programme 
of great interest has been prepared. A synopsis of the 
programme will he found elsewhere. It is hoped that 
florists will make It a point to attend this meeting. There 
are many important matters that should be discussed, aud 
there are many business methods, which, for the good of 
the trade, should be regulated. 
