i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
799 
Business. 
BUSINESS IN HORSE BREEDING. 
The Horse Show just closed In this city is considered 
the most successful ever held. The entries have been 
larger, the attendance all that could have been desired 
and many of the most celebrated horses in the country 
have been present. It was a show for the “ 400,” that is to 
say, it appealed most powerfully to the fashionable people, 
who demand showy and speedy animals, and are prepared 
to pay almost any price for them. The lessons to be 
learned by the average farmer at such a show are few; but 
they are none the less important. These fashionable 
horses top the market in price, and, when they are good, 
are as staple articles of commerce as wheat or pork. A 
stylish roadster or coach horse of good style and color will 
never go begging for a customer. The averge farmer can¬ 
not hope to breed Nelsons or Axtells; that costs too much 
money, and must be left to the wealthy breeders, who have 
every facility for breeding and training the best, and who 
can afford to give away nine poor horses for the profit of 
breeding the one first-class animal. But the farmer can 
afford to raise good coach or carriage horses just as well as 
he can afford to raise nondescript animals that naturally 
find their way to the street cars, with the certainty of 
finally being driven from that work by the electric motor. 
The breeders who exhibited at this show all agree that 
the business of breeding and training fine horses grows 
better with each year. Sales of trotting stock for breeding 
purposes are largely determined by "records.” As one 
family or strain increases the number of its members in 
the "2.20 class,” or under, the demand for that “ blood” 
increases. Just now, for example, Nelson’s great perform¬ 
ance has attracted attention to his breeding and ancestors, 
and it will doubtless change the plans of many breeders, 
and create a demand for animals which otherwise would 
hardly be noticed by the “experts.” All this is the most 
necessary sort of business for the breeder, and while of less 
importance to the farmer, it is, nevertheless, important 
that he should know what he is breeding his mares to. A 
study of pedigrees and performances will help him just as 
a knowledge of the good qualities of several bulls will be 
of service to him in breeding up a herd of good cows. 
Few of the breeders had anything to add to what was 
said last week in regard to breeding and training roadsters. 
Special attention, they said, should be given to the mare, 
and unless she is large, strong and solid they would seek 
for vigor and strength, rather than great speed, in the 
stallion. In fact, endurance, good nature and a popular 
color will prove more valuable than great speed without 
any of these qualities. There is a great demand for good 
hunters and jumping horses. So long as rich people will 
organize so-called “ hunts ” after foxes or anise-seed bags 
there will be a demand for good saddle horses that can 
clear a fence or a brook with ease. Who is better qualified 
to meet this demand than the farmer whose pastures are 
on hill sides, and whose rough land will not provide a liv¬ 
ing for slow-moving, heavy horses ? 
Hackney horses are also in good demand. These 
" chunky ” and handsome animals are wanted by the riders 
who like to show themselves off in the parks. Many good 
Hackney stallions are being sent to this country from 
England. If there is one in your neighborhood and you 
have a sound, active " blocky ” mare, it will pay you to 
breed her to him. There is every chance that the colt will 
be salable at a good price. 
Another chance for making money is in breeding Shet¬ 
land Donies. There is a great demand for these little fel¬ 
lows—try to buy one and see how difficult it is to get what 
you want. They are tough and hardy, easier to keep than 
mules and will do more farm work in proportion to their 
size than any other farm animals There are several stock 
farms in the country where they are kept exclusively, 
doing all the farm work, from plowing to haying, and 
doing it well. There is three times the money in breeding 
two good ponies that there is in breeding one car horse and 
the cost is about the same. The Exmore ponies are also in 
good demand. They are somewhat larger than theShet- 
lands, but are strong, active and rugged. 
THE HOP INDUSTRY. 
It was about 1S2S that Erastus Taylor and Timothy 
Babcock, of the town of Otsego, N. Y., were induced by a 
farmer of Brookfield, Madison County, to commence the 
cultivation of hops, and from that time to the present, the 
raising of hops has steadily grown until it has reached the 
proportions of a vast industry. About nine out of ten of 
the present farmers of the towns of Otsego, Middlefield 
aud Springfield are engaged in the business. The towns of 
Milford, Hartwick aud Richfield contain some hop grow¬ 
ers, though not so many as the former. Farmers of this 
class are very fortunate this year. About the middle of 
August the price of hops began to advance, and gradually 
increased until 45 cents was obtained, many selling at 
from 40 to 45 cents per pound. These prices return a hand¬ 
some profit to the growers. 
Very much depends upon the culture given the hop 
field, and the farmer who thoroughly attends to his hops 
in every particular, receives the greatest returns for 
his labor. The sale of old and new hops this season will, 
iu the aggregate, bring into Otsego County over §1,250,000. 
The work of harvesting hops is no small item. It is es¬ 
timated that the six towns mentioned above give employ¬ 
ment to over 10,000 people, including men, women, and 
children, nearly 16 days each year. The culture of hops 
also gives work to a large number of men throughout the 
early season. 
It is safe to say that the largest and most successful hop 
grower in the world lives in this county, and that is James 
F. Clark. He has now under thorough cultivation about 
115 acres. Last year his crop amounted, in round num¬ 
bers, ;to 175,000 pounds; this year it falls short of that 
figure about 45,000 pounds, as it amounts to about 130,000 
pounds. The hops are shipped directly to England, and 
return Mr. Clark a trifle over 53 cents per pound—truly a 
handsome fortune. This enterprise is a vast one and gives 
employment to a great many. At the time of harvesting 
the present crop, Mr. Clark employed 675 people. He 
possesses a thorough business faculty, and with the aid of 
the telephone and a few trusted men, his vast enterprise 
is carried on in a perfectly systematic manner. I greatly 
doubt whether there is another section in the world that 
Harrow Attachment for Plow. Fig. 384. 
can produce, from year to year, as many fine hops as 
Otsego County, and although our hop growers have occa¬ 
sionally met with a year of extreme blight, another season 
was sure to bring forth an abundant yield, which thor¬ 
oughly convinces me that the old Otsego hills and valleys 
are peculiarly adapted to the raising of hops. 
Otsego County, N. Y. george e. beadle. 
Evaporating Potatoes. —We have had quite a little to 
say about the evaporated potatoes, which proved a valuable 
commodity for some California dealers. The following 
note from Wynkoop Bros., of Milford, Delaware, gives in¬ 
formation that we have not been able to obtain before: 
" F. E. Y. E., of Stanley, N. Y., some time ago asked in¬ 
formation about the method of evaporating potatoes. Here 
is a method which we used years ago, and I think we were 
successful. A dealer who handled our product said that if 
he had a car-load of them he could sell them out in three 
or four weeks. We first pared them with an apple parer 
Tongue Holder for Wagon. Fig. 385. 
(we bought only those that were sound), then we sliced 
them about a quarter of an inch thick, and dropped them 
in salt and water so that they would hold their color. They 
were then spread on trays (there was a steam box for slid¬ 
ing the trays in) and steamed until they began to get soft. 
Then we took them out and placed them in the evaporator 
until they were dry. One should not use as strong a heat 
as for apples. Unless he knows where to market them 
and what the price will be, I hardly think the business will 
pay F. E. V. E. We put ours up in 1S79, and I took them 
to Leadville, Colorado. This was before the railroad ex¬ 
tended to that place, and we had to pay ?5 per cwt. for 
hauling from Buena Vista to Leadville, a distance of 35 
miles—five times as much as I paid from Lockport, N. Y. 
to Buena Vista, Colorado. This was when green apples 
were selling at 15 cents per pound by the barrel, and pota¬ 
toes at 12 cents per pound. Our evaporated potatoes were 
bought by miners from the camps 20 to 40 miles from 
Leadville, as they cost much less to pack that distance 
than if they were in the green state. Unless F. E. V. E. 
has some market of that kind he had better let them 
alone.” 
A Canadian has invented what he calls a combined drill, 
seeder and grain cultivator. It- has an attachment which, 
it is claimed, will cultivate the growing grain. Many ex¬ 
periments have been made to show that stirring the ground 
about grain plants is a profitable practice. Until Breed’s 
weeder was introduced this work was done with a harrow. 
THREE NEW PATENTS. 
Harrow Attachment for Plow.— A patent has jus 
been issued for the device shown at Figure 384. It seems 
to The R. N.-Y. that something of this sort would prove 
very useful in plowing, particularly in sod. As will be 
seen, the device is quite simple—merely a row of knives, 
shaped much like(those used in the Acme harrow, attached 
to the plow handles, so that they will cut aud slice the 
previous furrow at the next “ round.” While this might 
not save harrowing entirely, it would make the harrow 
more effective in thoroughly fining the soil. Good farmers 
agree that the best time to fine the soil is immediately 
after plowing, and some go so far as to attach a light float¬ 
ing harrow to the plow and let it drag behind. This plan 
is fairly successful with a riding plow, but with a walking 
plow it is sure to get in the way of the plowman and 
cause trouble and delay. Some such attachment as that 
shown in the picture ought to work. 
Tongue Holder For Wagon. —It is a little surprising 
that some device like that shown at Figure 385 is not in 
general use, considering the damage frequently done by the 
thrashing about of the pole and the weight it puts on the 
horses. As can be seen, this device is a stout spring which 
is fastened to stout steel rods at the front of the wagon and 
can be easily and quickly attached to the tongue. Some¬ 
thing of this sort is worthy the attention of the " merciful 
man.” 
“More Power to Your Knee.”— The curious device 
shown at Figure 386 has recently been patented. It is 
meant to “give increased power to runners and jumpers.” 
The foot rests on a steel bar which is attached, by means of 
stout springs, to fixed rods above it, held in place as 
shown. In walking or running when the weight of the 
body is thrown on one foot, the springs are pulled out and 
the foot nearly reaches the ground. When the weight is 
transferred to the other foot, the body is propelled not 
only by the force of the knee muscles, but by the springs 
as well. In this way the weight of the body is somewhat 
utilized in propelling itself! 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
New Uses For Paper. —For a number of years alarm¬ 
ists have been worrying about the lumber famine which 
the future has in store for us. There is no reason for get¬ 
ting excited about the matter, for as the lumber supply 
decreases, lumber substitutes spring up to carry on the 
world’s building. Before railroad ties become scarce, 
metal ties are successfully used and now paper comes for¬ 
ward to relieve boards and lath in light buildings. The 
•* Neponset ” paper is being largely used not only as a roof¬ 
ing, but for siding; in fact, a comfortable and attractive 
house can be made out of it, without the employment of 
A Paper Flower Pot. Fig. 3S7. 
any timber smaller than that used in the frame. It is 
water and vermin proof, and is therefore an excellent ma¬ 
terial for chicken houses and sheds. The house in which 
the writer lives has a thickness of this paper under the 
shingles, thus making the roof perfectly air-tight and 
avoiding the heat from the metal shingles, as the paper is 
a non-conductor of heat. Another novel use for it is il¬ 
lustrated at Figure 387. Flower pots of all sizes are made 
of a single piece of it cut out at a single stamp. At 
the left the pot is shown, ready for use, while at the right 
the open piece is shown. It is only necessary to curl it up 
and fasten with the little clasp. Peach baskets can be 
made in the same way, and the enterprise promises to 
open an entirely new field for work. 
California Contrivances.— We learn through a local 
California paper of a home-made machine for stemming 
dried grapes. It is somewhat like a potato sorter. “ It 
consists first of an ordinary fan-mill, such as is used in 
cleaning wheat. On top of this is placed a wooden frame 
in which is suspended a circular receiver made of coarse 
wire netting, which tapers downward somewhat in the 
form of an inverted sugar loaf. Inside of this receiver is 
another similarly shaped wire contrivance, made of smaller 
wire with smaller meshes, which revolves within the larger 
one, which is stationary. At a convenient height from the 
ground there is a wooden hopper into which the grapes are 
dumped and from which they are carried up by ordinary 
elevator-cups and emptied into the receiver. By the revo¬ 
lution of the inner wire netting the grapes are separated 
from the stems and pass down into the hopper of the fau- 
mill, where they are cleaned of all coarse stems, dust and 
refuse grapes, and run into sacks. Horse-power is used to 
run the machinery.” 
An interesting account is also given of the method of 
harvesting sugar beets on the large tracts of land. Six 
digging plows each drawn by two horses, are constantly 
running, and each has a crew of men who throw the up¬ 
rooted beets into rows, after which the toppers follow up 
and prepare them for shipment. The topped beets are 
thrown into boxes holding about 75 pounds apiece. The 
ranch is provided with tramways which are portable and 
can be laid on any part of the farm. Small cars holding 
about 10 boxes of beets are run over the tramways thus 
hauling the crop to the factory, with little wagon power. 
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