222 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 28 
THE 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS’ PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Cabman, Editor-In-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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able 10 THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY , MARCH 28, 1896. 
Speaking of animals “ cloying” on a well-balanced 
ration, Smiths & Powell write us that they have fre¬ 
quently had indigestion in their herd caused by cattle 
eating clover, which is certainly well enough “ bal¬ 
anced.” They have also had trouble of this kind in 
pastures where there was little, if any, clover. Some 
animals are natural gluttons, and will surely eat 
more than the system requires if permitted to do so. 
Prof. Roberts makes the point that changes in foods 
or combinations of grains are useful, because they 
give the food a better taste, and thus induce the 
animal to eat it with more satisfaction. The tongue, 
as well as the stomach, should be consulted in making 
up the balanced ration. 
0 
A New Jersey local paper contains an advertise¬ 
ment in which an “ experienced hand” offers to hatch 
eggs for others with an incubator. Why isn’t here 
an opening for many a bright boy or girl in different 
parts of the country ? With the introduction of the 
Leghorns and other non-sitting breeds, many people 
have trouble in getting sufficient chicks hatched, and 
an incubator with a competent operator, would be a 
boon to them, as well as a source of revenue to the 
owner. Quite a business is done, too, in some locali¬ 
ties, by enterprising persons hatching and selling 
chicks from the incubators. This is a good way to 
dispose of some of the surplus eggs this year, which 
seem to be so depressing to market prices. 
© 
Dr. Kilborne states (page 229) that under the New 
York laws, it is illegal for a farmer to dishorn cattle 
for money unless he has been registered as a practic¬ 
ing veterinarian. It may be true that some of the 
farmers who arm themselves with a saw and a pair of 
clippers and go into the horn-cutting business, do a 
bungling job ; yet there are other careful men who 
do satisfactory work at a fair price. It does not seem 
fair to crowd them out of their business. Under this 
law, as we understand it, a man without any previous 
practice whatever, may cut the horns off his own 
cattle and not be prosecuted, even though he do a 
barbarous job ! The law seems designed not so much 
to prevent loss of blood, as to prevent loss of fees ! 
© 
Here is an American sentiment that might well be 
incorporated in the platform of every political party 
and every farmers’ organization in the land. 
Poverty is a poor excuse for not purchasing clover seed to sow 
in the spring. The question is not so much whether one can 
afford to buy it. The soil l’obber has had poverty for an excuse 
long enough. He should move further west and let the men re¬ 
main who will keep up the fertility. It is bad enough to rob 
graves, but do not be guilty of robbing those yet unborn by tak¬ 
ing away what ought to be theirs by inheritance, namely, a fer¬ 
tile soil. 
Where do you suppose that comes from? From one 
of those “ abandoned” farms in New England ? Not 
a bit of it—the words are taken from the Iowa Home¬ 
stead—a paper representing a section west of the 
Mississippi River. So the soil robber has made a dent 
even on the rich prairie lands of the West—has he? 
Clover is a splendid friend in need, but before 15 years 
are past, both bone and potash will be needed to re¬ 
inforce clover. There are many farms throughout 
the eastern States that have been nursed to health 
from disease by doses of bone and potash. The 
farmers who did the nursing will be as little inclined 
to accept unchallenged the results of these German 
scientists, as a mother would be to believe somebody’s 
statement that raw potatoes are as good for her baby 
as well-cooked tubers! 
It was Fred Grundy who told us of a man who made 
l> A Fortune in Two Acres.” Mr. Jenkins, who tells 
us about his little place this week, is more modest, 
and credits his two acres with a living. Yet, we will 
venture to say that many a 100-acre farmer would 
willingly change “ livings ” with Mr. Jenkins. The 
story is told in a sensible and interesting way. The 
quartette of strawberry, cabbage, cauliflower and 
celery sing in complete harmony, and Mrs. Plymouth 
Rock and Miss Leghorn play a duet on the organ. 
We are not going to advise every dairy farmer to sell 
out and move to town, but there is a lesson for every 
one in this simple story. That is, to make the acres 
that you cultivate produce full crops by feeding and 
cultivating well, and planting the best varieties. 
© 
The present agitation for purer and cleaner milk, 
is pretty likely to lead to a demand for large near-by 
dairies that can be regularly inspected. The success 
of Mr. Francisco’s “certified milk” farm shows what 
may be expected in the near future. A large and in¬ 
creasing body of customers will want their milk pro¬ 
duced under the eye of the sanitary officers. Such 
milk producers cannot afford to breed their own 
cattle. Their land is too expensive to be used as 
pasture for young stock. They will be obliged to 
buy heifers or young cows in order to keep up their 
herds. This will open up new business opportunities 
for stock farmers on the cheap lands back from the 
railroads. Let them breed large and healthy heifers 
of the dairy breeds to sell with their second calf, and 
thus make a business of supplying these suburban 
dairies. There is a good profit in such heifer-farming 
for those who will breed the right sort of stock. 
© 
Live poultry is always sold in this market at so 
much per pound. Rut the time has passed, when a 
fowl is a fowl, no matter what the size. The larger 
fowls sell for one-half to one cent per pound more 
than small, even though the latter are in equally 
good condition. The largest stock comes from the 
most northerly points, and the smallest from the 
most southerly. That from the West seems to come 
between these two. Heretofore receivers have tried 
to work in the southern, so far as possible, at approxi¬ 
mately western prices. Rut while this may be done 
on a bare market, it will no longer work on the ordin¬ 
ary market. Supplies of southern are constantly in¬ 
creasing, and growers should aim to increase the size 
of their fowls in order to realize the highest prices. 
In addition to the improved shipping cars now in use 
for live poultry, a steam cooker is reported that shall 
supply warm food to the fowls on the journey instead 
of cold. 
© 
That is a very interesting article by Mr. Cottrell, 
on page 228. We are glad to have this side of the 
“balanced ration” idea brought out so forcibly. 
The R. N.-Y. has always argued against the feeding 
of large quantities of cotton-seed meal unless accom¬ 
panied by some decidedly laxative food. There is far 
more science than sense in that ration mentioned by 
Mr. Cottrell as suggested by our station workers. 
Another fact is that our different cattle foods vary 
more or less in composition. We know that some un¬ 
scrupulous dealers mix worthless oat hulls with horse 
feed, and it would be possible for them to put dry 
sawdust with bran. The remedy for this will be to 
compel dealers to sell these foods by analysis. On 
Governor Morton’s farm to-day, grain is bought on 
analysis just the same as fertilizer. One of the chief 
values of scientific study is that it teaches the feeder 
to be exact and thus not only to know what he is 
feeding animals, but to demand that the dealer de¬ 
liver the articles that he is paid to deliver. It will 
pay to study that article. It is a valuable contribu¬ 
tion to the literature of feeding animals. 
© 
Prof. Geo. C. Watson, of the Pennsylvania Experi¬ 
ment Station, reports what seems to have been a 
genuine case of spontaneous combustion in a hay 
mow. For several days, a peculiar smell of burning 
was noticed in and about the barn. On the evening 
of October 16, fire was seen dropping through the 
floor under a certain mow 18x23 feet, and 23 feet high. 
An alarm was sounded, and the hay was finally re¬ 
moved safely from the barn by pitching it out through 
a hole in the barn’s side, and keeping it thoroughly 
wet down while doing it. The whole center of the 
mow was hot and smoking—a large portion of the 
hay being thoroughly charred. The bottom of the 
mow contained corn fodder with second-growth clover 
and Timothy packed in above it. The floor of the 
mow was of two thicknesses of boards, and the sides 
were of matched lumber. This, doubtless, saved the 
barn for, had there been more draft, the hay would, 
in all probability, have burst into flame. There seems 
little room to doubt that this was a case of true spon¬ 
taneous combustion, and it may explain some of the 
mysterious fires that have occurred in barns and 
stacks. 
© 
Farmers have long been aware that horse breeding 
was much less profitable than formerly, and the 
growing use of bicycles, and the adoption of elec¬ 
tricity on street-cars have been given as the reasons. 
But breeders are not the only ones who have suffered. 
In this city not long since, one of the oldest and most 
extensive dealers in horses made an assignment. lie 
had handled thousands of horses every year, but for 
the reasons given above, his trade had fallen off 
heavily. Not many days after, a riding school which 
formerly did a heavy business in teaching horseman¬ 
ship, failed because so many had taken to bestriding 
the bicycle instead of the horse. Shortly after, an¬ 
other old-established firm that dealt in wagons, har¬ 
ness and horse furnishings, went to the wall because 
of the diminution of trade. Many livery stable keep¬ 
ers have seen their business dwindle away, and some 
of the shrewdest ones have put in a stock of bicycles 
to let instead of horses. Many wagon dealers have 
also included bicycles in their stock in trade. Mean¬ 
while no business in the country is enjoying such a 
boom as the bicycle trade. The amount of capital 
invested is tremendous. It is an excellent illustration 
of the manner in which one trade may be built up at 
the expense of others. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
Miss Biddy’s life is hard at best, 
Full oft’ she drinks life’s bitter dregs, 
At every hand an evil guest 
Steps out to stop her flow of eggs. 
The creeping rascals clad m fur, 
The winged fiends in feathers clad, 
It would be fortunate for her 
If these were all the foes she had. 
But no—there comes a minor strain 
Within the bravest of her chants, 
The pest that causes her most pain, 
Comes walking—not in fur but pants. 
The careless man designed by fate 
To hold dominion o’er her days, 
And with his carelessness abate 
The even current of her lays. 
Good roads by bad men ! 
Laziness is ex act science. 
Evolution beats revolution. 
Thrashing fertilizers—page 215. 
A “ bud of a boy ” is a son flower. 
Study that plank frame barn model. 
A lady who will appreciate your card—Mrs. Cow. 
A good maxim gun for you to stick to is, “ I will.” 
Read what Mr. Rawson says about celery—page 214. 
An ounce of sleep may be worth a pound of medicine. 
Better get off the fence than to stay there and be offensive 
about it. 
What’s the difference between barnyard manure and stable 
manure? 
Fred Grundy comes to the defense of J. A. W. in the poultry 
keeping battle. 
The objector is all right so long as he doesn’t have an objec¬ 
tionable object. 
It is a good rule to have strawberries follow the crop that is 
most heavily fed. 
To bring the surplus rooster up to book—kill him and dress him 
—give him to the cook ! 
We have a two-foot rule at our house—the baby is about 24 
inches from head to toe. 
Few peaches this year. People will eat more melons. That 
ought to mean better prices. 
It’s very hard when people seriously contemplate the use of 
potatoes as manure! See page 217. 
There is another “ revolution” in cow feeding—page 228. Good 
pasture grass is a “ balanced ration.” 
We have lately heard of a case where oats were so full of wild 
mustard seed that a horse could not eat them! 
It cost $20 an acre to subsoil some of those hard clay fields on 
Governor Morton’s place. The soil was baked as hard as a brick. 
We understand that man-power machines on the principle of 
Breed’s weeder, are now made. They are to be pushed along like 
the ordinary wheel hoe. 
Whisky ! whisky ! it may make you frisky—perhaps for a part 
of an hour. You think you’re in clover, but when it blows over, 
both life and digestion are sour. 
It is a good thing to let the horse gnaw corn off the ear. It will 
prevent lampas or a growth of the gum down over the teeth. It 
is on the same principle as that of urging the children to chew 
crusts of bread. 
Pat her on the back ! Pat her on the back ! Who ? The good 
old Jersey cow that never jumped the track. Pat her 011 " the 
back ! Mellow up her hide ! Take your curry comb in hand and 
rub both back and side. 
On page 114, we had an account of a Massachusetts bone-grind¬ 
ing business. In answer to several questions, we would state 
that a six-horse-power engine is used, and that the bones are 
kept for seven hours in the tank under a 60-pound steam pressure 
This softens them for grinding. 
There was once a man who neglected his home market because 
it was too much bother to “ peddle.” His produce went in bulk 
to the distant city. Great was his surprise one day to find that 
his own produce was shipped back from the city to his own town 
for sale! Did you ever know that man ? 
