i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
681 
he is 18 months old he will be a grand animal, carrying 
the same girth clear back. Such a beast has a very 
strong, wide loin and will prove very profitable. A model hog 
is strong and vigorous, having a short nose, much width 
between the eyes and ears, a small, sloping ear, a dark, 
mild eye, indicative of gentleness, a long, wide back, ribs 
well sprung, and short from the ribs to the point of the 
hams, an easy, quick feeder. Such a hog is what all 
breeders are aiming at; but until they get closer to the 
type of the old Chester Whites they cannot produce it. 
In building and keeping up this high standard, it must 
not be supposed that all of a litter can be used as breeders. 
On an average, five to six are all that can be so used, the 
rest go to the butcher, and it is because the breeder must 
be constantly watchful that these fine pigs are held above 
the average in price. 
OHIO FARMERS ON POLITICS. 
An Interview with Col. J. H. Brigham. 
ALYA AGEE. 
A week of sunshine and pleasant weather dropped in 
between our many cold, rainy ones, just in time to make 
glad the hearts of the management of our State fair. From 
all parts of the State the people flocked into our capital 
city, to see the finest exhibit probably ever made by Ohio. 
The departments were full, and producers and consumers 
were brought together by tens of thousands to the mutual 
profit of both classes. As an educator, our fair takes high 
rank, and is deserving of the liberal patronage it i3 receiv¬ 
ing from the people. The duty assigned to me was to 
give, as faithfully as possible, the feeling of our farmers 
in regard to the economic questions and proper political 
action on their part. 
Col. J. H. Brigham, Master of the National Grange, 
spent an hour in the discussion of the situation for the 
benefit of The R. N.-Y. readers. In answer to the 
question : 
Why did not the Ohio farmers demand a reduction of 
the tariff as nearly all the Western farmers 
in convention have done ? He said : 
“ The resolution they adopted favored 
only sufficient indirect taxation to meet 
the expenses of the government economical¬ 
ly administered. The fact is that a major¬ 
ity of that convention favored sufficient 
protection to maintain diversified indus¬ 
tries in this country. Farmers, as a class, 
do not favor high protection, but the as¬ 
sumption that they - are free-traders is 
entirely wrong. Personally, I favor such 
legislation as will enable the agriculturists 
and manufacturers of the United States 
to compete successfully with the agricul¬ 
turists and manufacturers of all foreign 
nations, and I am opposed to all measures 
that will place at a disadvantage the Amer¬ 
ican farmer, laborer or manufacturer. The 
impression seems to be prevalent that the 
Western farmers are agitated about the 
tariff, but it is not true. They care very 
little about it, and claims to the contrary 
are all humbug. A few in their conven¬ 
tion want the adoption of a resolution de¬ 
manding tariff reduction, and the farmers 
let it pass, as they do not care one way or 
the other. People are going to be “left” 
if they think this question of protection is 
regarded as important by the Western 
people. Their interest is almost entirely 
absorbed by another question—the currency problem. 
They want a greater volume of money, and they are in 
earnest about it. They demand free coinage of silver, and 
enough paper currency to allow a circulation of $50 per 
capita In the United States. This is the Kansas idea, and 
it suits me well. I want a liberal supply of money for this 
couutry. I will never vote for a Wall street candidate for 
the Presidency. As to national banks, I would favor a 
revision of the national banking law, and in this revision 
I would watch more carefully the interests of the people. 
How about reciprocity ? Well, it is an experiment; but it 
will doubtless help the farmer by securing an abolition of 
the tariff on wheat and other agricultural products by 
countries that cauuot produce enough for their own use, 
in return for the privilege of furnishing us sugar free of 
tariff charges. It is not a movement toward free trade, 
but fair trade.” 
Our farm and some political journals have much to say 
at present in praise and in unjust criticism of the conven¬ 
tion lately held and the action of some of the leaders in 
that movement. Master Brigham, recognizing the wide 
circulation of The R. N.-Y. iu his order and among all 
farmers, desires to make the following statement: 
“ As the farmers of Ohio were organizing so rapidly in 
different orders and there was no unity of action, an Ohio 
agricultural journal suggested the idea of calling a con¬ 
vention to form a union of the various organizations for 
more effective work. This seemed all right to those of us 
whom the journal consulted, and it made the call. I was 
invited by the President of the Farmers’ Alliance to meet 
and confer with a few representatives of the various or¬ 
ganizations before the convention was held. My under¬ 
standing was that the consultation was to secure an 
amicable and orderly arrangement of a programme for the 
meeting, so that there would be no clashing or spirit of 
rivalry between the Grange, Alliance and other bodies. 
When the Alliance first entered our State I told our 
Grange leaders that there must be no rivalry between us, 
but that we must work with the Alliance men shoulder to 
shoulder. At the preliminary meeting I found 200 or 300 
earnest, intelligent men, representative of the whole State, 
and it was thought best to effect a temporary organization 
and propose matters to be submitted to the convention the 
following day. I did not appoint a single committee. 
Whatever was done was done by these representative 
farmers. When my name was announced as chairman 
the next day it was a complete surprise, as I had previ¬ 
ously positively declined. When I accepted the position it 
was with the determination of giving every one a fair 
show, and I enforced only the rules of the convention. My 
only error consisted in a too lax interpretation of parlia¬ 
mentary law in the interests of some to whom the great 
majority did not care to listen. The harshest critic of my 
course in that convention is the editor of the New Era, 
who knows, or should know, that all arrangements were 
made openly and that there was no manipulation. He 
virtually calls me a liar. We are old co workers; he has 
been my guest, and his charges are in every respect un- 
gentlemanly, unkind, and entirely false.” 
Col. Brigham is strongly opposed to the formation of a 
farmers’ party in Ohio, believing that by forming one we 
will hurt our cause. I think he has the majority on his side, 
though the editor of the organ of the Northwestern Alli¬ 
ance in Ohio says : “ The truth is that the time has come 
when the Alliance in Ohio might as well throw off the 
shackles and stand clear of all political entanglements, for 
every day it grows more evident that the farmers must 
come out boldly and absolve themselves from allegiance to 
any party or faction. If we undertake to work in any 
other way, we must consort with politicians who cannot 
be trusted, for all past experience has proved that their 
words are but idle vaporings, and their promises ropes of 
sand.” 
Mrs. Mayo, the talented Grange speaker from Michigan, 
addressed the Grange meeting on the grounds on Wednes¬ 
day. She urged farmers to improve, first, themselves, and 
then their farms. Her address was received enthusiastic 
ally. When told by your correspondent that the National 
Farmers’ Alliance and Industrial Union was charged with 
too much meddling with things political, the answer came 
quickly ; “ I like that. The Michigan farmers are drift¬ 
ing fast in that direction.” 
A MONTREAL MELON PATCH. Fig. 299. 
Thursday Secretary Rusk addressed the people. He is a 
popular man in the West. He spoke of the benefits to be 
derived from reciprocity, and doubtless helped to make a 
good impression for the new doctrine. The word has a 
rich, oily sound which is very soothing, and cau be used 
with much effect on some occasions, but many of us do 
not see just how the thing is going to help the farmer. 
We are willing to wait, however, and see it tried. 
Here is an explanation of the inability of the farmers to 
accumulate wealth at present. It is an emanation from 
the brain of an Ohioan who lately aired his views in a polit¬ 
ical paper. He says: “ The professional and commercial 
industries stalk over the agricultural population, culling 
the brainiest of every generation, until the knottiest fruit 
is decidedly in the majority.” The architecture of this 
lie is unique, but the lie itself is of the knottiest sort. 
Gallia County, Ohio. 
LISTENER’S NOTES. 
Feeding That Calf.—I t seems a little strange that 
with all the millions of calves that have been raised since 
cattle breeding began, nobody has yet been able to give 
exactly the best method of starting one on the road to beef 
or milk, and yet it may not seem so strange when we 
remember that no two people seem to agree as to the best 
method of performing such a simple operation as “raising” 
a child. One reader of The R. N.-Y. says his way Is the 
“ best,” so he has a chance to state it. 
“I let a calf suck once or several times, being guided by 
the condition of the cow and the streugth of the calf. 
When I take it from the cow I generally put it in some 
place wheie the cow can see it and know it is all right. If 
possible, I put it where she can reach over and lick it. I 
never had any trouble with a cow holding back her milk. 
As to the calf, I simply let it go 24 hours without feed, 
then take about two quarts of milk in a pail,warm from the 
cow, straddle the calf’s neck, hold the pail by its side with 
the left haud, and with the right gently force its head 
down into the pail, and its nose into the milk. Iu nine 
cases out of ten the little thing will drink the milk within 
10 minutes, or at least half of it. When it gets tired I stop 
feeding at once, even if it has not drunk anything, and let 
it go until the next feeding time, and then I never knew a 
ca’f to fail to empty the pail, and afterwards it always 
puts its head into the pail when it is offered, and d inks. 
M ire calves are killed by over-feediDg than by under-feed¬ 
ing. Give a calf whole milk as long as you can afford to 
do so TL it out or give it fine clover hay, so that it can 
nibble at it from the time it can drink. Some calves eat 
freely when a week old; others do not do it so soon. If you 
have only a little milk to spare stir about a tea-cup of oat¬ 
meal in eight quarts of water; let it simmer on the back 
of the stove until” boiled to death,” when it will be re¬ 
duced to about six quarts; give this in two feeds (so that 
only one mess a day is cooked) with what milk you can 
spare, even if it is only a quart of skim-milk at a feed, and 
the calf will do well. Increase the amount of oat meal 
very slowly as the calf grows. Never give a calf under 
four months old any meal uncooked. It may seem to get 
along all right on it, but it will not thrive nearly so well 
as if it were cooked. Give nothing but oat-meal until it is 
two months old; then if you want the animal to get fatter 
add a table-spoonful of old-process oil meal to the oat¬ 
meal when you cook it. Always tie a calf from the first, 
so that it may “ lead ” well all its life, and use a chain; a 
rope is too easily chewed, and “ kinks ” when wet. 
Shall I Leave the City ?— The following letter is a 
typical one. Dozens like it have come to hand: “I was 
born and raised among the beautiful hills and valleys of 
central New York. My father was a clergyman. When 
about 17 years of age I left school and went into a country 
store in our village. From that I went to book-keeping 
for a manufacturer, and from that to short hand and from 
th it to general office positions. I have been in Chicago 12 
years. I am married and have one child, living ; my age 
is 39. My health has always been good, thought I am nob 
what is called ‘robust.’ Now I am greatly dissatisfied 
and discontented with city life, and am sick and tired of 
working hard and faithfully for others with only dis¬ 
appointed hopes and ambitions and a slim pocket-book to 
show for it. I long for outdoor life and that among the 
hills of my native State, and am thinking 
seriously of taking the little capital of 
$2,000 or $2,500, I have in our home here, 
and going into some sort of farming. I 
never failed in any thing I have under- 
, # taken. My wife was born and raised on a 
farm and her health is good, and she feels 
as I do about this change. I have been 
telling my good old father about it, and 
he begs me not to do it, as, in his opinion, 
it will be the great mistake of my life, etc. 
I cannot see why I should not succeed, and 
I would like to have The Rural’s opinion 
as to the probable outcome of such a vent¬ 
ure. Our habits are economical and we 
are both hard workers. If any particular 
branch of farming has less chance of fail¬ 
ure in it, kindly intimate what it is. What 
we are after i3 independence—freedom— 
not from God, but we want to work for 
ourselves, and receive the recompense for 
our labor directly from the hands of God.” 
R. N.-Y.—It is unfortunate that only the 
most general advice can be given in such a 
case. Few men of 40 years can successfully 
make such a sudden change as is here con¬ 
templated. It is true that some persons 
have done so; but if we examine into their 
careers we will generally find that they 
were peculiarly well fitted for farm life. A 
man may think he is a natural farmer be¬ 
cause he likes fruits, flowers, animals and out-door exercise. 
But the fact that he likes to play at gardening or farming 
is no proof that he would like to follow either one as a busi¬ 
ness. We notice that many of these would-be farmers want 
to come back East to farm, and it is quite likely that they 
will do as well within easy distance of one of our large 
cities as they would anywhere. Their business training 
would fit them to do “ fussy ” farming, such as poultry or 
bee-keeping or dairying. 
Slave to a Hired Boy.— The following note from Wis¬ 
consin will appeal to more than one reader of The R. N.- 
Y., who has been treated in much the same way. This 
question of securing competent and reliable “ help ” on 
the farm becomes more and more serious every year. This 
boy will be found in almost every agricultural neighbor¬ 
hood. How can we become independent of him ? With¬ 
out knowing more of the terms of the engagement The 
R. N.-Y. could only give an opinion regarding the ques¬ 
tions asked. 
“ What would be about right when I settle with my 
hired boy, about 15 years old, hired for eight months at 
$14 per month. He has just lost over a week on account 
of sickness, during which the frosts have cut my corn, and 
I have not been able to get other help to secure it with me. 
From the time peas were big enough to suck from the pod 
the boy selected the finest specimens (which my father was 
saving for seed) till he went home because ‘ he could not 
cut corn.’ He has eaten everything he could grab—green 
peas, unripe berries, cherries, grapes, and especially green 
apples, till, of course, his stomach and bowels rebelled. 
This method of living, together with late nights—from 10 
to 11:30 and 12—has used up his strength. He has now 
come back good-natured and well. May I deduct the 
time he has been away, iu addition to the time he lost, 
as compensation for the damage to me ? He is an Old 
Countryman’s son and feels this is a free country, so I feared 
he would leave me altogether if I shut down squarely on 
such eating and bumming.” 
New Jersey Horticulture.—A special meeting of the 
New Jersey Horticultural Society was held last week at 
New r Brunswick. Mr. Blackwell, who attended, sends us 
the following notes: “ Mr. J. M. White exhibited one basket 
holding about half a bushel ofJDuchess Pears^ 35 specimens 
