i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
791 
will ask, is there no Republican party in these lower 
wards ? Yes, there is, and it is just about as corrupt as 
the Tammany party is. In fact, the whole region is a po¬ 
litical sore—people are in politics for the money and “pull” 
there may be in it. The Republicans ran a local ticket 
headed by a saloon keeper and gambler, and apparently 
most of them voted for the Tammany candidate for 
mayor. The leaders in this district are political Hessians ! 
How they shouted aud chuckled when some vile-mouthed 
orator made a vulgar attack upon the churches and church¬ 
going people ! Such arguments appeal to these fellows as 
nothing else will. 
Is the new ballot law good for anything P Yes, as far as 
it goes ; but it needs strengthening. I am sure that fewer 
votes were bought and sold than ever before, simply be¬ 
cause the buyers would not trust the sellers. The election 
was also quieter because the police kept the noisy “ work¬ 
ers ” away. So far good, but that is about as far as it did 
go. The “pasters” enabled Tammany to put its own bal¬ 
lots in the box, and, as I have shown, gave the “spotters ” 
a chance to identify the ballots. I do not see that there is 
anything in the law to prevent them from using a red, 
blue or green paster which would enable “spotters ” to tell 
it at a glance. The rooms where the voting is held are too 
small for the proper enforcement of the law. I think the 
original law calling for one ballot with all the names on 
it and requiring the voter to put a mark opposite the name 
of the candidate he voted for would be fairer. That would 
stop the “ paster ” business. 
Tammany carried New York this time, first, because her 
voters knew how to vote, while hundreds of good citizens 
did not, and, second, because the opposition had no practi¬ 
cal organization. It was an attempt to combine two ele¬ 
ments that never can be combined. It was merely a tem¬ 
porary and one-sided organization. A first-class Republi¬ 
can with his full party and independent Democrats behind 
him would have made a better showing. As it was, Tam¬ 
many had a desperate fight and its majority was cut 
down. After a few more trials of the new ballot law 
when people know it better, the contest will be closer still. 
But a large Tammany vote will always be found in New 
York city. It will always be thrown against temperance 
and what country people call morality. The claws of the 
tiger may be trimmed from time to time, but it will 
always be a tiger still. No ballot law can be passed in 
New York State that the tiger will not stretch to suit his 
purpose. It may hamper him and cripple him, but it will 
not kill him. It will only be necessary for him to make a 
more desperate “deal” with some conscienceless party 
or candidate. Keep away from the tiger, farmers. Don’t 
ask his help in working out yout riguts. His touch will 
ruin you. _ JERSETMAN. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Shall the Fertilizer be Placed Under or Over 
the Seed Pieces? 
The trenches were dug six inches deep. In the “fertilizer 
under” trials, the fertilizer was strewn in the bottom of 
the trenches, and the seed pieces(Rural Blush) placed on (in 
contact) with the fertilizer. In the “ fertilizer over” trials 
the pieces were placed in the bottom, as with the others, 
and five inches of soil were returned. Then the fertilizer 
was sown on this soil, tne remaining soil (one inch) being 
replaced to fill the trench. 
No. 1. Fertilizer under. Yield per acre_ 232 S3 
“ 3 . “ “ “ “ .353; 
“ 5. “ “ “ “ .269.50 
, J- “ “ “ .255.65 
Average Yield per acre .253.16 
No. 2. 
“ 4 
“ 6 
“ 8 
“ 10 
Fertilizer over. Yield 
*< (i (i 
(< a <t 
« u a 
•« »* tt 
per acre.214 50 
“ 225.50 
“ .218.16 
“ .245 66 
“ 265.83 
Average Yield per acre 
233.93 
A difference in favor of placing the fertilizer under, of 19 23 
bushels per acre. The fertilizer used in both sets of trials 
was the Mapes Potato at the rate of 1,000 pounds to the 
acre. The season was wet throughout. 
In the Season of 1 SS9, 
which was also a wet season, and when the crop was 
thought to be lessened by the flea beetle and blight the 
average results were as follows : 
Under yielded an average per acre of. .235 bushels. 
Over “ “ “ ..268 “ 
A difference of 33 bushels per acre in favor of placing the 
fertilizer over. 
During the Season of 1 8SS 
Stockbridge Potato Fertilizer* was used at the rate of 800 
pounds to the acre. The season was favorable as to rain¬ 
fall, it being neither too muchmor too little, while the tops 
were not harmed by flea beetles or blight: 
Under yielded an average per acre of... .332 95 bus 
Over “ “ “ ....348 2i «* 
We have a difference of 15.26 bushels per acre in favor 
of placing the fertilizer over. 
A Summary 
of the averages for the three years shows as follows: 
Fertilizer over, per acre.283 38 bushels 
under “ .273.70 “ 
Difference in favor of fertilizer over.. 9.68 “ 
♦The average analysis of tbe Stockbridge Potato Fertilizer is alven 
eeu't' OUa ' flV ° ,M?r L-ent: Phosphoric aeitl, lu per cent; potashfsix p 
More silos have been built in New York State this past 
season than ever before. It was evident early in the season 
that many fields of corn would be failures so far as grain 
was concerned, and the owners decided to cut the stalks 
into a silo, aud thus save all they could of the crop. 
The Farmers Club. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address 
of the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question, please 
see if it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate piece 
of paper.] 
THE RUNT PIG OR “ TITMAN.” 
Several Subscribers .—In almost every large litter of 
pigs we find one or more that lack the size and vigor of the 
others. Why are these little “ runts ” or “ titmen ” thus ? 
Is their condition due to a lack of constitution or lack of 
food? Are they worth raising? Can they ever be fed to 
good size? What proportion of the litters contain them ? 
How many are there usually in a litter? 
Result of Extreme Crosses. 
I am of the opinion that they are the result of extreme 
crosses— a breed that has been made up of small and some 
very large breeds, drop pigs of unequal size. They some¬ 
times grow to a fairly good size. I have seen them breed 
well: but these were the exception. I think it would be 
as well to throw them away at birth. t. m. reveal. 
[Note. —The picture at the head—“ Excuse haste and a 
bad pen ”—is reengraved from Mr. Reveal’s circular.] 
A Lack of Nutriment. 
The runt pig, or titman, as the smallest pig in a litter is 
called, is the result of a lack of nutriment. This may 
occur while the pigs are in the fetus state, or it may re¬ 
sult from a pig being compelled to get its suck from the 
teats near the hind legs, which always furnish less milk 
than those forward. I have known titmen or runts to be 
caused by others getting the mastery and some being com¬ 
pelled to take the back teats, even though all were of the 
same size when born. Each pig suckles at the same teat 
or two, which it fights to obtain. The master pigs fare the 
best. When a runt pig is perfectly formed, as it usually 
is, it will grow well with a full supply of nutriment. I 
have kept runts for breeders and they have done well. 
They will often catch up with the others after they have 
been weaned, but not always. As a rule, the best pigs 
should be kept for breeders or for feeding. When the 
strain is scarce the runts can be tried and if they do grow 
well it is all right, but if they do not, then they should be 
slaughtered. I would make the saving of runts an excep¬ 
tion and not the rule. Sometimes they have been deprived 
of nutriment to such an extent in the mother’s womb that 
they are very poor, small and weak and good for nothing. 
Sometimes the only fault they have is that they are small 
while they are constitutionally strong. Such pigs will do 
well if fed liberally, _ f. D. curtis. 
Saratoga County, N. Y. 
The “Titman” or“Jorry.” 
1. Titman is what the Yankees call a runt pig. Pat 
calls him the “jorry.” Why there seems to have always 
been a runt in most litters I have been unable to discover. 
In fact I think swine were all pretty small in Bible times, 
for we read that it took an immense herd of them to hold 
the amount of “devil” contained in one man, and even 
that amount in each caused them to drown themselves. It 
is seldom that there is more than one such in a litter, 
though occasionally there are two. I have known a sow 
to raise six or eight litters in which there was practically 
none, and have also noticed that some strains are com¬ 
paratively free from them. I think the make up of the 
sow as well as the feed has considerable to do with their 
production. The state of the farrowing pen also plays a 
part and the physical condition of the dam and her treat¬ 
ment before and after farrowing have considerable in¬ 
fluence in the matter. 
2. I have seen some of the worst possible specimens taken 
from a litter and so cared for as to equal the best of the 
litter when eight months old, at least to all outward ap¬ 
pearance. I cannot now recall an instance in which such 
an animal has accomplished any great results as a breeder. 
I think I would much prefer to keep for breeding pur¬ 
poses one with no serious flaws in its growth. The old 
rule is that “like produces like, or the likeness of some 
ancestor.” I think in the great majority of cases it is the 
likeness of some ancestor, and that ancestor invariably 
turns out to have been inferior to the animal bred to. 
Finally, I notice that the litters freest from these “ hang¬ 
ers on” are from sows that were well raised, well and 
regularly cared for from conception until weaning time, 
fed largely upon cooling diet, forced to take plenty of ex¬ 
ercise, and housed at night always in a perfectly dry nest. 
Ford County, Ill. d. P. MCCRACKEN. 
A Result of Poor Breeding. 
In almost every large litter of pigs will be found at least 
one runt, while in small litters this is very seldom the 
case. With hens, the last egg of the litter is generally a 
small one, often no larger than a pigeon’s egg, and some¬ 
times it is also malformed I have one now shaped like 
an hour-glass, like two eggs joined at the ends, but there 
is an opening between the two inside, so that blowing one 
emptied both. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that this may be 
the case with the pigs, at least to some extent ? I have a 
friend who raises several litters every season. He keeps 
as breeders the sows that give the greatest number of pigs 
in a litter. I have seen 19 pigs in one litter on his farm, 
and but one runt in the lot, yet in another litter of only 
13 there were two. He never bothers with them, but gives 
them away, unless—as he sometimes can if he has several 
at once—he puts them out to be raised on shares. The 
sows on this farm have always been of good constitution 
and good feeders and have had plenty of feed, so that the 
coming of the runts cannot belaid to any lack in these 
points, yet they may be due to a deficiency in these points 
in some cases, for I have seen a litter of 10 pigs where six 
were runts, one of them with no lower jaw-bone. Even 
here the reason seemed plain—the pigs had been bred in 
and in for several years, no new blood having been used. 
A boar was bought from a distant breeder and one every 
year thereafter, and the runts, except the usual one, 
came no more after the first new generation. 
Orange County, N. Y. F. M. CARRYL. 
Runts are Worth Raising. 
I think little runts are worth raising. Some of mine have 
grown out and made the finest show hogs as yearlings. They 
are mostly in large litters where the sow has to nourish more 
than she can properly supply during gestation. Very often 
they do not get enough to maintain life, and consequently 
they die and are farrowed as skeletons at the regular time. 
In a great many cases there is one in a litter of, say, eight 
or nine; it will take 18 or 20 months to get of good size; 
while the others will be as large at 14 or 15 months; but the 
runt will be as fat at 12 or 15 months, though not as large. 
Some take the runts and put them all together with one 
sow, so that they may have an equal chance of a good sup¬ 
ply of food without having to battle with big ones 
three times as strong. This I have never tried; but think 
it an excellent plan and shall try it in the future. Sows 
that are carrying young should have plenty of exercise, 
good sleeping quarters, where they cannot be crushed or 
crowded, and feed of such a nature as to make milk, so 
that the young may be of proper growth and form when 
farrowed. c. G. SPARKS. 
Saline County, Mo. 
Lack of Constitution and Food. 
The existence of runt pigs is due both to lack of constitu¬ 
tion in the dams and to improper or insufficient food. I 
think that some runts are worth keeping as breeders; but 
not all. I have a purchased sow that I think worth keep¬ 
ing, although when I bought her I did not know that she 
was the titman of a litter. Had I known it I would not 
have bought her, as I used to think that a titman was not 
worth keeping. When she was about two years old she 
weighed about 570 pounds, being in ordinary flesh—not fat. 
She has raised two litters a year ever since I got her, and is 
now over six years old. Her litters averaged about 
eight pigs each and were very even lots. Of course there 
were soine differences in them, but not much; probably 
about from one to two pigs in a litter have been generally 
smaller than the others; but if well cared for they have 
matured to a very good size. j. j, 
Bogart, Ohio 
About Pop-Corn. 
A. J. P.j Mtfflingtown, Pa .—Is it hard to raise pop¬ 
corn ? How should it be cultivated ? Where can the seed 
be obtained and at what price ? What is the general mar¬ 
ket price and can it be readily sold ? 
Ans.—P op-corn is a very precarious crop. The one great 
objection to it is its comparatively feeble root growth. If 
gales occur after the corn is set the plants are pretty sure 
to go down and so remain. The books tell us of great 
yields, but we have never succeeded in obtaining a paying 
crop. The ears, of course, are small, and will not average 
over two to a plant. This is our experience. Seeds can be 
obtained of all leading seedsmen. The catalogue of Peter 
Henderson, e.g., offers the three leading varieties, White 
Pearl, Early Amber Rice and White Rice. The price is 
about $8 per 100 pounds. The demand for seed purposes is 
limited, and most of the seedsmen have special growers. 
Growing Lettuces and Radishes in Winter. 
W. H. J., Walton, N. Y .—Can I grow lettuce and rad¬ 
ishes during the wnole winter for market by the use of an 
oil stove in my hot-bed in the coldest weather, and would 
it pay if I obtained five cents per head for the lettuce and 
50 cents per 100 for the radishes ? 
Ans.—N o. But of course a great deal would depend 
upon local conditions. Many New York gardeners keep 
up a supply of lettuce and radishes all tbe winter long in 
warm, well wrapped up cold-frames and hot beds ; but on 
account of Southern competition this business is now 
barely profitable. The midwinter supply nowadays is 
mostly raised in greenhouses. The dry heat from an oil- 
stove in a garden frame does not at all afford agreeable con¬ 
ditions for these crops, particularlyfor lettuces. Fifty cents 
a hundred for radishes is an enormous price even in mid¬ 
winter. 
Investment in United States Bonds. 
A. M. C., Bunker Hill, III. —1. How are United States 
bonds bought ? 2. What rate of interest do they bring ? 
3. How small an amount of money can be invested in 
them? 4. Can money be obtained for them on short notice? 
Ans. —1. They may be purchased through stock brokers 
in any of the large cities. Any banker can get them for 
you. 2. Different rates. When first issued during the war 
six per cent was the rate. Later issues, when they were 
considered better security, were at lower rates, until some 
of the latest issues pay only three per cent. The most of 
those now handled on the stock exchanges are four or four 
aud one half per cent. 3. One hundred dollars is the 
smallest sized bond, we believe. 4. Yes, they may be sold 
at the market price any day. They are as staple goods as 
wheat or corn. November S, four per cents due in 1907 
were quoted at 124; that is, a bond worth $t00 at par could 
be sold on that day for §124. 
