AUG. 2 
498 
FARMERS’ CLUB—DISCUSSION. 
More About Landlordism. 
H. B. S., PAULINA, Oregon.— On reading 
the article headed “No Alien Absentee 
Landlordism,” on page 404 of this year’s 
issue of the Rural, I am prompted to 
express my opinion at once. I would go a 
step further and say no absentee landlord¬ 
ism, whether citizen or alien. Many of the 
arguments against alien landlords apply to 
absentee citizen landlords also. These are 
patent and need not be rehearsed here. As 
for the poor tenant, the more penurious 
the landlord becomes, which he naturally 
will, the more he will grind the tenant into 
the dust. A tenant, at best, has but little 
time to keep himself posted on fluctuations 
of prices or new demands in the market, the 
progress of the sciences of agriculture and 
stock raising, and the proper education of 
his children ; and he must pay attention to 
these matters unless the markets are ex¬ 
tremely good or the agricultural conditions 
excellent, or he will become a drudge—a 
slave in fact if not in name. He must nec¬ 
essarily devote most of his time and atten¬ 
tion to his crops and stock, the condition 
of his soil, the destruction of weeds, the 
Health and care of his animals and (he phys¬ 
ical wants of his family. Under these 
circumstances he rarely cultivates fore¬ 
handedness, adorns or beautifies his home, 
collects a library of useful books and 
journals, or takes a deep and patriotic in¬ 
terest in his country. Further, under these 
circumstances how is he to protect himself 
from the machinations of the “ bulls ” and 
“bears,” the manipulators in corners in 
domestic and foreign exchange and com¬ 
merce, the toils of trusts and combines, 
the gambling in futures and the thousand 
and one frauds and deceits of those who 
make their living by their wits alone? 
These devote their whole time and energy 
to the study of the situation, the approach 
of new conditions and the planning of 
plots to cover the new situation as soon as 
it arrives. I am inclined to think that not 
a few editors would be caught napping 
when some of these new traps are sprung. 
How, then, is the farmer, and especially the 
tenant farmer, to protect himself from the 
wiles of these wary leeches among whom 
the landlord is not the least rapacious ? I 
can think of no other way than for him to 
appeal to our legislators. To this strong 
opposition will be raised. Legislation on 
this subject, similar to what is proposed in 
the bill now before Congress, would be 
paternalism on the one hand and class legis¬ 
lation on the other ; but what legislation 
is not more or less of that nature ? These 
landlords might appropriately be called the 
parasites or caterpillars of the State, and 
the wise legislator, the good shepherd 
or husbandman. ' What good shepherd 
would allow these parasites to sap the life 
blood of the young stock, or prudent 
husbandman let the caterpillars suck the 
last drop of the life-giving sap as it arose 
to the leaves of the tender shoots without 
any attempt at destroying them ? The wise 
legislator to be such must act as the 
prudent farmer would do, for who could 
believe that our country would be just as 
prosperous, strong and durable if every one 
of the tillers of its soil, were a renter; or 
who can help believing that our country 
would be more prosperous, strong and dur¬ 
able if every tiller within its borders were an 
owner of the soil he tilled. And so reason¬ 
ing a posteriori, we must believe that 
every addition to the proprietor class of 
tillers must strengthen our country and 
elevate its sons. By the bill now before 
Congress rack-renter Scully and all his ilk 
must become citizens or sell their land. If 
he were to become a citizen, would he then 
become—do you think—any the less a rack- 
renter ? I trow not. 
The New Morrill Bill. 
T. H. Hoskins, Orleans Co., Vermont. 
—I was glad to see Prof. Chamberlain’s ar¬ 
ticle on this subject, but along with it 
came the information that the bill had been 
emasculated in the Senate. It was no less 
than I expected. Influential rascals have 
more power than the best men in all pub¬ 
lic matters in this country. The literary 
colleges whifch have gobbled and misappro¬ 
priated the original grant have all the in¬ 
fluence of the literary and collegiate men 
in the country on their side, and rascality 
in dealing with the farming interests in this 
matter, derogates nothing from reputation 
with their own class, or the public generally. 
The writer spent several years in trying to 
right the wrong in Vermont, only to find 
that while the farmers took no interest in 
the matter, he himself was made the victim 
of an assault on all sides from clergymen, 
lawyers and the men interested in the old- 
THE RURAL N 
fashioned academic methods of instruction. 
Common honesty and common decency were 
both ignored in these attacks; but “ the 
most unkindest cut of all ” was when Sena¬ 
tor Morrill took a hand against him, and 
told the public that a college which now in 
more than twenty years’ use of the Morrill 
fund cannot show one-half of an industrial 
pupil a year for the whole period, was yet 
doing just exactly what was designed in 
the original Morrill bill. I thought it a 
good time to retire when the author of the 
bill made such a statement, and I have 
stayed retired ever since; but I come out of 
my retirement just to say that there is no 
effective power in this country to compel an 
honest use of such money, and that such an 
appropriation, with the view of benefiting 
the common farmer is a predestinate 
failure. 
Strychnine a “Specific” for Go¬ 
phers. 
J. M. D., Minnesota City, Minn.— I 
have learned much from the writings of 
Prof. Henry, and never expected to be able 
to give him any information, but I can 
give him a pointer in regard to the pocket 
gophers. We have always been troubled by 
the pests here, and until the present season 
did not know that there was any better 
way of getting rid of them than by trap¬ 
ping ; but we have now found that strych¬ 
nine fed to them in small potatoes is a 
“sure cure.” This spring, just after sow¬ 
ing a 20-acre field to oats, I counted over 
40 places where gophers had thrown up 
fresh mounds in one evening. My father 
took small potatoes (about the size of 
hickory nuts) and cut a slit in each and in¬ 
serted a small quantity of strychnine on 
the point of a knife." The poison was first 
reduced to fine powder, and a quantity 
about equal to a radish seed was used for 
each potato. He would start out while the 
gophers were working, and would find 
many of the holes still open. Those that 
had been closed could be easily opened 
while fresh. By going over the field three 
times, and rolling a poisoned potato dowu 
each hole, he succeeded in stopping the 
work of all but one gopher, and this one 
was afterward quieted in the same way. 
The mounds of dirt thrown out by the go¬ 
phers are a great nuisanqe in meadows, 
especially when the earth contains small 
stones. From what I know of the long 
channels which the gophers dig through 
the ground I should have little faith in the 
plan of killing them with gas. In using 
the poisoned potatoes in a case where the 
hole has been stopped up, one should dig 
back till he finds the main channel, and 
drop the potato there, and the gopher will 
be sure to find it. 
Notes and Comments. 
J. W., Vineland, N. J.—Believing as I do 
that “ the world do move,” I would like to 
say a few words to B. E. L., of Portland, 
Michigan—page 886—but first permit me to 
say that one of the surest and best signs 
that the above quoted proposition is true, 
is the sympathy shown by many papers 
with the under dog in the- ever-present 
struggle for justice, which will be largely 
obtained when there is a more equitable 
distribution of the proceeds of labor. To 
help the toiling millions to obtain this in 
the least objectionable way, the masses 
must be educated in the “ principles of 
economic government.” None need this 
sort of education more than our farmers, 
and The Rural, which I have read for 
more than two years, and have persistently 
proclaimed the best of its class, never did a 
wiser thing than it has done in introducing 
and discussing through its columns ques¬ 
tions of great moment, such as Socialism, 
Paternalism, Trusts and various econo¬ 
mic problems ; for this has made it doubly 
valuable to its readers. And this leads me 
to remark that in the new political 
economy, made necessary by the changed 
conditions of society, the hours of labor are 
an important factor, and will play a very 
important part in the settlement of the 
great questions between capital and labor, 
iD which are involved the prosperity and 
happiness of the people all the world over. 
But B. E. L., who lays about him in a most 
startling fashion with this cudgel of skep¬ 
ticism, while reserving his blows for those 
who are so foolish as to believe that they 
are oppressed, would have us believe that 
all such talk “is extremely absurd” and 
“ grossly exaggerated,” and inferentially 
he tells us that the manufacturers, the 
middlemen, and all those who are accumu¬ 
lating vast fortunes out of the toil and 
sweat of those whom “ Providence designed 
should live together harmoniously.” are 
the innocent injured ones. There would 
be the same justification for saying that 
Providence designed that the Ron and the 
BW-YORKER. 
lamb should lie down together without 
harm to the lamb, but the manifestations 
of such designs on the part of Providence 
are rare. The question of the reduction of 
the hours of labor be treats with amanifest 
flippancy and contempt unworthy of the 
dignity of American citizenship. But B. E. 
L. can rest assured that these vital ques¬ 
tions which affect notonly the prosperity of 
nations,but their very life cannot be settled 
in his self-sufficient fashion, but can and 
will be brought to a happy issue by an en¬ 
lightened people through intelligent co¬ 
operation. In conclusion, I would suggest 
that B. E. L. write to Samuel Gompers, 
President of the Federation of Labor, for a 
list of the names of those who have in¬ 
dorsed the reduction in the hours of labor, 
which is necessary to the highest form of 
citizenship. 
Irrigation Rights In the “Arid 
Region.” 
F. H , Climax, Micil—I n The Rural of 
July 5, in reply to M. B., of Home Park, 
Montana, we are told that “if the amount 
of water expended in irrigation before the 
water returns to the stream is enough to 
sensibly lessen the volume of the latter, 
our inquirer has no right to use the stream 
for irrigation purposes to the injury of 
those living lower down along its course.” 
Prof. L. C. Carpenter, in a paper on irriga¬ 
tion, before the Michigan Engineering So¬ 
ciety says : “By the laws of the arid region 
the first ditches have the prior right. Any 
new ditch must get its supply after the 
rest are satisfied.” Is Montana in the arid 
region ? If so which is right ? 
R. N.-Y.—The answer to the inquiry had 
no special reference to the “ arid region 
it merely stated the general principles 
applicable to irrigation throughout the 
country. We learn from the Department 
of the Interior at Washington, that Pro¬ 
fessor Carpenter’s statement of the cas-e 
with regard to the “arid region” is correct. 
A Dairy Correction. 
Prof. W. W. Cooke, Burlington, Vt.— 
A few weeks ago in answering one of 
The Rural correspondents in reference to 
the methods of setting milk, I used the ex¬ 
pression : “ At 50 degrees there is no method 
of deep setting known that does not leave a 
large amount of fat in the skim milk.” Now 
I shall have to own up that I was mistaken. 
We have been making, at the station farm, 
some experiments in adding to the milk, 
directly from the cow, one-third of its 
weight of water heated to 135 degrees and, 
then setting it in water at 58 degrees, as 
compared with setting the same milk di¬ 
rectly in water at 45 degrees, and we find 
as the average of many experiments, that 
the two methods give equally close cream¬ 
ing. So much for the theoretical part of 
the problem. Whether or not it will pay 
in practice to add hot water to the milk is 
entirely a different question and one that 
each farmer will have to answer for him¬ 
self. In general it may be said that the ad¬ 
dition of the hot water causes the cream to 
sour so quickly that this method cannot be 
used by those who patronize a cream¬ 
gathering creamery, nor by those who have 
so small a dairy that they churn only two 
or three times a week. With a dairy of 
50 cows, where churning is done every day, 
the method can probably be nsed with ad¬ 
vantage. 
Bots in Horses.— The Mark Lane Ex¬ 
press says that its attention has been called 
to the loss of life this season caused by 
bots, the larviu of the gadfly. One Instance 
came under its notice, where a fine young 
four-year-old cart gelding died from them. 
It had been at work, apparently in good 
health, until the day before its death. The 
circumstances of its death were that the 
horse-keeper found it in the yard the first 
thing in the morning apparently suffering 
slightly from its water, so he at once 
fetched a drink, but on leading it to the 
stable it fell dead. Examination showed 
that it contained about a pint of bots, and 
that they had eaten through the walls of 
the stomach, thus allowing some gallons 
of water to escape, which drowned the 
heart. The bladder and all other organs 
were healthy. Another instance happened 
within two miles of the former case, when 
a valuable mare suddenly fell down and 
died. Again examination showed the 
same results. About a pint of bots was 
found in the paunch, a hole through which 
ft couple of fingers could be plawd bad 
been eaten through, and about two pail¬ 
fuls of water had escaped, causing death 
as before. It is no new thing that bots 
should eat through the walls of the 
stomach, but as, unless death actually 
occurs, the horses seem to suffer very little 
in health, the pests are not looked upon in 
a very serious light. Frequent losses do 
occur, however, but as examinations are 
not always made, they are not always de¬ 
tected, and they are not looked upon in the 
serious light they perhaps should be, and 
small means are taken to prevent their 
spreading. When the animals are infested 
with them, it is very hard to make them 
move, as it is difficult to get at them, as 
their heads are enveloped in the lining of 
the stomach, and the bodies are so hard 
that medicine has little effect on them, and 
though physic is occasionally given, it is 
doubtful whether much good is done. 
Fresh green food, such as rye and tares, is 
popularly supposed to hasten their ex¬ 
pulsion, but it is difficult to prove that it 
actually does it. While the Idea prevails 
that they are harmless, very little endeavor 
will be made to check them, but means 
might certainly be taken to do so with ad¬ 
vantage. The fly deposits the eggs on the 
lips, arms, knees and body of the horse, and 
they are licked off by the animal and find 
their way to the stomach, where they are 
hatched. The little yellow eggs are very 
easy to detect, and if a thin solution of 
paraffin or other obnoxious dressing were 
applied to the coat of the horse in the 
autumn, in all probability the fly would be 
kept away, or the horses would not lick 
themselves on the parts mentioned. The 
fly should be killed whenever an oppor¬ 
tunity occurs; and in June and July, when 
the bots are voided, any that are seen 
should be destroyed, therefore a look-out 
should be kept at this season with that 
view. As they are so hard to move when 
once they are fixed in the stomach, and as 
they make perforations through the walls, 
the only means of avoiding the evil seems 
to be to feed the animals so that their 
stomachs are not unduly distended, for if 
they are they are much more likely to rup¬ 
ture. Food which is liable to ferment in 
the stomach should therefore be avoided, 
and nothing is more likely to do this than 
stale or moldy corn, especially if it is in 
the form of meal fresh off the stones. 
Moldy hay and freshly-cut, tough straw- 
chaff should also not be used. 
Dogs and Sheep.— A Greenfield, Mass., 
correspondent of the Springfield Republi¬ 
can says that there is not likely to be any 
dividend for the schools or library funds 
out of the dog fund this year at the rate 
that sheep are being slaughtered through 
the country. At Deerfield over 100 choice 
sheep have been killed within a few weeks, 
and bills of $1,000 will have to be paid to 
that town alone for the destruction already 
done. Indeed the commissioners, seeing 
the danger of absorbing the whole dog 
fund before the year is up, have given no¬ 
tices not to have any claims paid until the 
end of the year, that all the sufferers may 
have a pro rata share in the fund. Smith 
Harding, of Deerfield, who has acquired a 
reputation through the State for his fine 
sheep, had a flock of 25 butchered by these 
bloodthirsty canines in one night, and 
Francis Clapp, who has taken first pre¬ 
miums wherever he has exhibited his 
flocks, has had ascore killed and mutilated. 
He took special precautions to save his 
valuable sheep, but to no effect. Bells 
wore put on the animals and a watchman 
slept in the pasture to guard the innocents. 
The other night he heard a commotion in 
the flock, and rushing out fouud four sav¬ 
age dogs attacking the sheep. As he ap¬ 
proached they turned upon him, but fortu¬ 
nately he had a revolver, and blazing away 
he killed one dog and drove the others 
away. The sequence shows how a man 
will defend his dog against all charges, no 
matter how clear the evidence is. Going 
to the house the man gave the alarm, and 
with Mr. Clapp started on a hunt for the 
dogs. At the first place they found one of 
the dogs all wet from having been through 
the fields, but the man promptly swore 
that he had been tied up all night and 
but just let out. At the next house the 
man stuck to it that his dog was tied up 
out in the barn, but he could not be found, 
as he evidently had not returned from his 
deadly work. At still another place the 
owner was quick to tell Mr. Clapp that he 
would shoot him down if his dog was 
touched, and he acted as if he meant to 
carry out his threat. This is certainly a 
pretty state of affairs. Bills of about $1,500 
to pay for sheep killed within three 
months, and men threatened with their 
Ryet) if they touch the cause of the mis- 
