612 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
SEPT. i3 
“Rough on Rogues .” 
looITout 
ALMANAC 
LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE. 
SEPTEMBER, 
Monday kook ou ^ T° r American Home- 
* stead, printed by the American 
■*■0* Publishing Company, of Jersey 
City, N. J. This fraud pops up every year 
under one name or another. This year 
they offer to give a “$45 sewing-machine 
for SI, ora" S25 silk dress for 90 cents.” It 
is strange that these absurd frauds are 
ever able to attract customers, but they do 
get lots of people to send their hard-earned 
money for these “premiums.” Many of 
these folks are men who claim that “ farmin’ 
don’t pay !” A good deal of their ill-success 
is due to the fact that they are continually 
trying to get “ something for nothing.” All 
the rogues know of this trait and they 
make the most of it. True honesty is built 
on business. Beware of the man who brags 
about the great bargain he is offering you. 
Tuesday 
16. 
Look out for horse frauds. Here 
is an adertisement that appeared 
in a city paper last week: 
A T QUARTER VALUE-MUST B*: SOLD-PONY 
Phaeton, S50; two Messenger Duroe Colts, Hol¬ 
stein Cow and Bull, three years old ; Wilkes Stallion ; 
sell cheap or eive on shares. Apply at Bluestone 
Yards, No. 543 West 39th st., near 11th av. 
A clergyman at Nyack, N. Y., wanted a 
good cow so he went to look at the one ad¬ 
vertised. The locality proved to be very 
bad. While the clergyman was trying to 
find out about the cow, a red-whiskered 
man appeared and got into a loud dis¬ 
cussion about a stallion that he said he had 
agreed to buy. The clergyman w T as at last 
invited to come into a dark shed and see 
this stallion. Instead of doing so our 
reverend friend pulled out a revolver, 
cocked it, and ordered the men to open the 
gate and let him out at once. This proved 
to be one of the most effective sermons he 
ever preached, for the rascals fell back and 
let him go. The plan was that the red- 
whiskered man should privately propose to 
the minister that the latter should buy the 
horse. Its value would be placed at $300 
but the minister might get it for $200 in 
cash. Then the coachman would promise 
to buy it from him for $300 as soon as they 
should leave the yard. After paying for 
the horse, the minister would have found 
that the coachman had suddenly disap¬ 
peared, and that the animal was worthless. 
Wednesday kook out for real estate 
J frauds who try to sell farms 
on commission. They will do 
almost anything to make a sale. Here is 
an instance of their work. Baer Kasson is 
a Russian Jew who recently came to this 
country. After landing he put his money, 
$1,250, in the Bowery Savings Bank. It 
came to the ears of certain alleged dealers 
in real estate that the farmer had money in 
the bank and that he wanted to buy a 
farm. He could speak no English, but the 
sharpers tackled him in his own language, 
which at the outset was calculated to make 
him lend them his confidence. They 
offered him a farm on Long Island “ dirt 
cheap,” and they persuaded him to go with 
them to see the property. Poor Kasson 
didn’t know anything about farming in 
this country, but he drank in as Gospel 
truth the sharpers’ assertions that it would 
make him a rich man, and that he could 
get his money out of it any time he wanted 
to sell. Luckily some one warned Kasson 
in time, and the sharpers were foiled. 
ThnFSdfrV kook out for your horse when 
q • you have any important journey 
to make. A young widow in 
Michigan had two suitors, named Clam 
and Butler. Not knowing which to choose, 
she gave them to understand that the one 
reaching her house first with a marriage 
license should secure her Land. They both 
secured the necessary document and each 
hired a horse to beat the other to the 
widow’s house. Butler had hard luck, as 
he got a horse that had the heaves, and 
while his horse was standing still in the 
road and coughing as if his head would 
drop off, Clam dashed by and arrived at the 
widow’s house 10 minutes ahead of Butler, 
and by the time the tardy young man 
arrived at the Justice’s house to urge his 
case the widow had become Mrs. Clam. A 
horse with the heaves is a poor supporter 
in a race for a bride. By the way, you 
had better not marry any one who has such 
a hard time in trying to decide between 
two persons. 
Fj-iday Last spring The R. N.-Y. inad- 
^ vertently inserted an advertise- 
19. ment of A. C. Nellis & Co., seeds¬ 
men, 62 Cortlandt street, New York, sup¬ 
posing the firm to be the old and reliable 
one of The A. C. Nellis Co., formerly of 
64 Cortlandt street, now of Canajoharie. 
This firm was formerly at Canajoharie, but 
after a disastrous fire there in 1886, removed 
its headquarters to this city. A. C. Nellis 
was president, and, by some sort of hocus- 
pocus so manipulated matters as to get 
almost entire control of the business and 
the funds. This was done without the 
knowledge of the stockholders, but upon 
their gaining information of the facts, pro¬ 
ceedings were at once begun which secured 
to them the return of all tangible property, 
and which have at last landed Mr. Nellis 
in Ludlow street jail for the money mis¬ 
appropriated. The property of the com¬ 
pany was returned to Canajoharie in the 
autumn of 1889, but notwithstanding this 
Mr. Nellis had continued to do business 
from a small office at 62 Cortlandt street, 
using letterheads dated at 64 Cortlandt 
street, the old location of the company, 
and claiming all mail which came for it. 
We have had several complaints of his busi¬ 
ness transactions, but our representative 
has been unable to find him to secure an 
explanation, neither have we been able to 
colltct our bill for advertising. We regret 
more deeply the insertion of an advertise¬ 
ment which may have caused our friends 
losses than we do the loss of the amount 
of our advertising bill. It is to be hoped 
that the dishonest methods of the former 
head of this firm may result in bis severe 
punishment. The company, with which 
he has now no connection, is doing a legit¬ 
imate, and, for all that we know, a reli¬ 
able business at Canajoharie. 
Saturday kook out f° r a middle-aged man 
J who tells a sad story of how he 
was robbed of all his valuables 
and ends up by asking for financial assis¬ 
tance. He also tries to sell a heavy gold 
ring for “half its value.” Mr. Jordan, of 
Morris, Conn., was recently nicely cheated 
A young scamp appeared at the farm, and 
convinced Mr, J. that he was his nephew 
from Kansas. It became known presently 
that his nephew had some gold bricks 
which he had brought with him from Cali¬ 
fornia, and that he needed money. He 
could afford to pay a high rate of interest 
for the use of the money for a few days, 
and would pledge the bricks as security. In 
order to convince Mr. J. that the goods 
were genuine, he proposed to take them to 
Waterbury to have them tested. Mr. J. 
went along, and on the way they fell in 
with a friend of the nephew. The friend 
advised them to be very careful and recom¬ 
mended a certain jeweler in Waterbury. 
Arrived there, the nephew volunteered to 
negotiate with the jeweler. He came out 
of the jeweler’s shop presently with a card 
containing what purported to be a message 
from the jeweler, in which he referred 
them to a United States assayer, who, the 
message said, was staying at the Scoville 
House. Here the nephew found the pre¬ 
tended assayer. He at first refused to have 
anything to do with private work of that 
kind, saying that it was incompatible with 
his duty as a public officer; but, finally, he 
was persuaded to test the bricks, and cer¬ 
tified that they were all right. By borrow¬ 
ing $2,000 from a neighbor and realizing on 
securities, Mr. Jordan finally got together 
$5,000, which he paid over to the nephew, 
and took the bricks. The few days allowed 
for redeeming the bricks passed, but no one 
appeared for that purpose, and Mr. Jordan 
has finally discovered that he is the victim 
of a very old game, that the bricks are 
worthless, and that the supposed nephew 
wasn’t his nephew at all. 
Poultry Yard. 
ROUP IN POULTRY. 
H. L. C., Wincheiidon, Mass.— What 
makes my hens die, and how can I prevent 
the misfortune f Since the first of last 
January, out of 90 I have lost about 20, and 
my chickens are dying in the same way. 
Two or more do not die at or about tne 
same time, but every now and then they 
drop off, one at a time, one, two or three or 
more weeks apart. They mope about in a 
stupid way for several days, or a week or 
more, and then die. Their droppings are 
partly green and partly white, and when 
the birds die they are very light, dying ap¬ 
parently of exhaustion. Their feed is one 
part of corn-meal and two of shorts, with 
some scraps in the morning, and wheat, 
oats and cracked corn the rest of the day. 
The hens run everywhere, but the chickens 
are yarded. 
ANS.—The difficulty is probably due to 
roup, which carries off the hens gradually. 
It is a disease that appears in many forms, 
covering consumption, bronchitis, catarrh, 
diphtheria, etc., and is usually the result of 
colds or exposure; and is due very often to 
draughts of air through the poultry-house. 
The best remedy yet discovered is the 
homeopathic spongia,—10 drops of the 
mother tincture added to a quart of water, 
no other drink being allowed for both sick 
and healthy fowls. It would not be out of 
place also to look closely on the skin of the 
head and neck for the large gray lice, which 
cause the symptoms described, especially at 
this season. Chicks should be examined 
V8ry carefully. A few drops of melted lard, 
or sweet oil, applied on the heads and 
faces will destroy the vermin. 
DUCKS VS. HENS. 
In salt meadows and creeks, and by the 
seashore, bays and inlets, lakes and ponds, 
wherever they can pick up part of their 
food—and in some places they will find 
most of it—ducks are more profitable than 
hens under ordinary circumstances. In 
the absence of these natural facilities,ducks 
are not profitable to the average poultry 
breeder, although there are well-known 
cases where they have been profitably 
raised on a large scale without such water 
facilities, but to do so requires much ex¬ 
perience, energy and good markets. When 
engagements are made to supply good cus¬ 
tomers with first-rate early ducklings, 
almost double as much is realized as when 
they are sent to casual dealers in our large 
cities. There is a great difference between 
the profit of ducks and hens in autumn and 
early winter. The ducks eat enormously 
and lay but few eggs at that season, while 
the hens lay enough to pay for their food 
in the least profitable times and commence 
to lay heavily long before the ducks start. 
The latter do lay some eggs in autumn 
when well fed ; but not enough for profit. 
There is a notable diversity in the habits 
of ducks; some become quite attached to 
home and are easily managed, while others 
ramble away and are very troublesome; 
nor is this especially the case with any par¬ 
ticular breed. When a breeder finds his 
stock is reliable he should not change; 
but he should raise his own breeding birds. 
HENRY HALES. 
HINTS. 
Go to the fairs and do not forget to take a 
stroll through the poultry department. It 
is a good place to study and compare the 
different breeds. You can talk with those 
who have made a study of mating and 
breeding fine poultry for years—vet¬ 
erans In the business—and gain much val¬ 
uable information in regard to any varieties 
you may prefer. Do not undertake to raise 
any poultry unless you take an interest in 
the business. Settle upon one variety and 
make arrangements with some reliable 
dealer for a few good specimens of thorough¬ 
bred fowls. There is more money in 
blooded poultry than in common mongrel 
stock. Let some one else keep the latter. 
If you follow this advice your interest in 
poultry will increase and you will have 
something to show your visitors in which 
you will take as much pride as in your 
other blooded stock. I always prefer to buy 
the birds rather than the eggs for a start. 
With the former the eggs are not subjected 
to careless handling by expressmen or to 
extremes of temperature. One need only to 
watch the poultry building at any of our 
agricultural fairs to see the great interest 
there is in poultry. No agricultural society 
which cares for its own prosperity will fail 
to make ample provision for this depart¬ 
ment in its premium list. If the prizes are 
not offered the birds will not be there, and 
the visitors will be disappointed and attend 
some fair where the display is better. p. 
RURAL SPECIAL CROP REPORTS. 
Tennessee. 
Northville, Cumberland County, Au¬ 
gust 10.—We are having a hot, dry summer. 
Crops are very poor. If we get half crops 
we shall be lucky. Corn, one-half a crop; 
wheat, one bushel to the acre. Potatoes, 
half a crop, but the quality is very good. 
Flour, $9 per barrel; butter, 10 cents per 
pound. We own our home, however, and 
are very thankful for what we have. We 
love the farm and wish others had a nice 
little home in the country. H. H. G. 
Canada. 
Middlesex County, Ontario, August 20. 
—Harvest is ended, and in this county we 
farmers need not grumble, for our crops 
stand somewhat above the average. But 
in some parts of this province I have heard 
that they are barely an average. We have 
had an abundant supply of rain, but we 
also have had one or two very dry spells, 
and this has been the hottest season I ever 
remember, the thermometer often register¬ 
ing as high as 99 degrees in the shade. We 
had a light frost on Monday the 18th. Po¬ 
tatoes will be a little more abundant than 
last year, and other vegetables are good. 
Hay is abundant. Fall wheat is good and 
spring wheat has done better than usual. 
Oats were blighted or injured by a green 
aphis in some fields, while in others adjoin¬ 
ing they were splendid. Peas in some places 
were drowned out with continued wet 
weather in the first part of summer, and 
barley shared the same fate. We tried a 
new barley this year and it did very well. 
It is a two-rovved named Carter’s Prize 
Prolific, and was sent out by Carter, of 
London, England. Apples are scarce and 
fruit generally was not over plentiful. 
This is an off year with bees and honey, 
though bees may winter well as the honoy 
that is gathered is very good. j. m. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
Baden, Beaver County, August 22.— 
Apples, peaches, pears and quinces are 
almost a total failure. Cherries and berries 
(except elderberries) were very light crops. 
(I think I know one person who will try 
Mr. Terry’s plan with berries sometime.) 
A large crop of hay was harvested in fine 
condition. Grapes look well. Corn is 
lUisfcUnncmisi §Uvnti£ing. 
Please mention The R. N.-Y. toour adver¬ 
tisers. 
The soft, velvety coloring effect so desirable for 
house exteriors can only be produced and pein a- 
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, Hoston, Mass. 
Meution Ru«al New-Yorker. 
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. JONES SCALES 
THE CHEAPEST, 
THE BEST.’’ 
EMI CBEC CATALOGUE 
I U II I II L L ADDRKSS 
JONES of BINGHAMTON, Binghamton, N.Y. 
