2?6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 18 
THE 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established. 1850. 
Elbebt S. Cabman, Kditor-ln-Chief. 
Hebbebt W. Collinowood, Managing Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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able THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets. New York. 
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 1896. 
As usual, we receive many questions about the wis¬ 
dom of sowing Crimson clover in spring. Let us begin 
early to say that. The R. N.-Y. does not advise the sow¬ 
ing of Crimson clover in spring. The chances are 
against it when spring-sown. Its great value is as a 
catch crop, sown in the late summer, to hold the 
ground during fall and winter for spring use. 
O 
That’s a good point that O. W. Mapes makes, on 
page 282, about the people who are willing to pay 
big prices for eggs, expecting a supply the year 
’round. What would the villagers think of a milkman 
who stopped his daily rounds in winter because it 
was so much trouble to milk cows and deliver milk 
in cold weather ? One of the most important points in 
securing and retaining a first-class trade, is to be able 
to furnish a regular and constant supply. 
0 
The Indiana Farmer supports an idea of The R. 
N.-Y.’8 by suggesting a new calling for some enter¬ 
prising young man in a fruit-growing neighborhood. 
This calling is that of sprayor. There are plenty of 
men who realize the importance of spraying trees, but 
who do not care to do it themselves. Let some enter¬ 
prising man provide himself with a good spraying 
outfit, and go about among his neighbors as he would 
if he owned a thrashing machine, spraying trees, 
potatoes, or any other crops that need it. There is 
an opening for some one right in this line. 
0 
Many poultry keepers who depend upon hens to 
hatch the needed chicks, are often sorely troubled by 
biddy’s disinclination to sit in time to hatch them 
sufficiently early to secure the needed pullets for fall 
layers. This is more especially the case when Leg¬ 
horn blood has been introduced into the flock. Some 
poultry keepers claim that they can make any hen 
broody by making her fat. This is the tendency, but 
the question is as to how far it is desirable to carry 
this practice. After all, isn’t the incubator that sits 
just when you wish to set it, makes no fuss, eats noth¬ 
ing when not at work, and behaves itself generally if 
you treat it right, the most desirable ? 
0 
Some of the New York City produce dealers are 
worrying over the effect that the Raines Law will 
have on their business. One of its provisions pro¬ 
hibits free lunches which many saloons formerly pro¬ 
vided for their patrons. Certain articles like corned 
beef, pigs’ feet, bologna sausage, poor cheese, etc., 
were much in demand for this purpose. Of these arti¬ 
cles sold for this purpose, many were of the poorest 
quality. Of course, this demand is cut off. But one 
argument for this law was that it would tend to de¬ 
crease the sale of liquor. This being the case, some 
of the money formerly spent for liquor will probably 
be spent for food, and it is safe to assume that it will 
lie spent for food of better quality than that dealt out 
at the free-lunch counter. The cracker manufacturers 
also have a grievance. They formerly sold large 
quantities of “ extra salted ” crackers for free lunch. 
These with the poor-quality, highly-seasoned free 
lunch, were a prolific source of thirst which it was to 
the profit of the saloon keeper to stimulate that he 
might quench it. The crowd of hangers-on who have 
subsisted largely at the free-lunch counter, must eat 
somewhere, and the demand for provisions is not 
likely to be decreased on the whole, but, on the con¬ 
trary, if sales of liquor be decreased, will ultimately 
be increased. 
That Massachusetts man, page 271, sees more profit 
in producing milk to sell, than in making butter, 
partly, at least, because he can use a cheaper, poorer 
quality of feed, and peddlers are not particular about 
the quality of the milk. This is too true with many 
peddlers, and it is where the disgraceful part of the 
whole business comes in. Consumers who pay a good 
price for milk, have a right to expect and demand a 
good article. The R. N.-Y. has described dairies in 
which it was necessary to introduce a goodly amount 
of Jersey or Guernsey blood to insure milk rich enough 
to satisfy the patrons. This is right. Quality should 
be the watchword, even though quantity must be 
sacrificed. But this need not be necessary. Both may 
be secured in the same dairy. It costs something, 
though, in blood, feed and care. But it pays ! 
O 
A friend living in Victoria, B. C., sends us the fol¬ 
lowing note : 
What do you think of eggs at five cents a dozen ? A hen must 
get down to very line business principles to make money on eggs 
at live cents a dozen. One man says, “ Any hen with any principle 
in her at all would ref use to deposit eggs at such a figure.” Who’s 
right ? 
We think that eggs at five cents a dozen give about 
the cheapest animal food we have heard of yet. As to 
the business side of it, we want to know what those 
eggs cost before we accuse the hen of not knowing 
her business. A business hen will do the best she 
knows to cut the cost of her eggs under the selling 
price. She will get down to “ very fine business prin¬ 
ciples ” if you will let her. Even with eggs at five 
cents a dozen, she may be able to pay more for your 
grain than the speculators will allow. 
0 
“ My wife never eats any eggs but yours,” said a 
city man to one who furnishes him fresh-laid eggs 
regularly. “ When she can’t get anything but store 
eggs, she goes without.” And there are thousands 
more just such people. They want fresh, clean eggs, 
choice butter, nice, ripe fruits, crisp vegetables, 
plump poultry, and dozens of other products of the 
farm. They want them in prime condition, and they 
are willing to pay good prices for them. Failing this, 
they go without. In some lines of produce, prices are 
low and there is a cry of overproduction. It isn’t 
overproduction ; it’s underconsumption. People will 
use more of the farm products when they can get 
them in better condition. Then transportation rates 
are too high. This adds too much to the final cost. 
We need cheaper, better and more rapid transporta¬ 
tion and distribution of food products, and as pro¬ 
ducers and consumers form the larger part of our 
people, why shouldn’t we have these ? 
O 
By dividing the aggregate wages paid in all manu¬ 
facturing and mechanical industries in the country in 
1890, by the total number of employees, you have $445 
as the average amount paid to each worker. Divide 
the gross product of the manufactured articles by the 
number of workmen, and you have $2,204. Thus it 
may be said that the average worker earned $445, and 
turned out finished products that brought $2,204. 
Did the remaining $1,759 go to the employer ? No, 
for it includes the cost of materials, waste, interest 
and half a dozen other items. Figured as carefully as 
possible, the $2,204 were divided about as follows : 
$445 to labor, $1,113 for materials, and $646 for salar¬ 
ies, interest, profits, etc. A hired man might do all 
the work in a potato field, and draw $25 for his work, 
while the potatoes sold for $100. It would not do to 
say that the farmer receives three times as much as 
the laborer, because the farmer must pay all expenses 
and assume all risk, so that, one year with another, 
he may have a smaller cash balance than has the 
hired man. These figures are for manufactured prod¬ 
ucts. If we were to figure out similar items for 
farmers and farm produce, we would find that the 
farmer has a much smaller share of the proceeds of 
his labor. 
© 
Some scientific expert has been figuring on smoke. 
He claims that in the smoke that yearly escapes from 
the chimneys of the New England factories, there is 
as much nitrogen as would be returned to the earth 
in the manure from 1,000,000 cows, well-fed for a 
year ! We don’t purpose to dispute the statement, 
for the chances are that it is true. That nitrogen 
should be saved. Who is to save it—factoryman or 
farmer ? The factoryman may save it by washing it 
out of the smoke as it leaves the chimney. In that 
case, it will be sold back to the farmer at 16 cents a 
pound. The farmer may catch part of it by sowing 
clover or peas, and using them as fodder or fertilizer. 
Prof. Roberts found that a well-fed cow weighing 
1,132 pounds produced, in one day, nitrogen in her 
manure worth four cents, or $14.60 per year. He also 
found that a pile of cow manure left in a loose pile, 
lost 41 per cent of its nitrogen by leaching. Now 
1,132 pounds of good clover hay will furnish $3.98 
worth of nitrogen, or to put it in another way, when 
we gro-^ two tons of clover hay to the acre, we obtain 
in hay stubble and roots, nitrogen worth $21.08 as 
compared with prices paid for other fertilizers. One 
million extra acres of clover in New England would 
save a good share of the nitrogen lost in that smoke, 
make food for half a million more cows, and make the 
factories work harder to consume more coal. 
0 
The Breeder’s Gazette recently printed a note about 
some horses in a Michigan town, that had been pois¬ 
oned by eating hay cut in an orchard that had been 
sprayed with Paris-green. This is the first case of which 
we have heard, where such hay has killed animals. 
If such hay is really dangerous for feeding, farmers 
ought to know it, and take steps to prevent its use. 
Investigation shows that the report has no more foun¬ 
dation beyond the fact that four horses died. They 
were killed, presumably, by something contained in 
the hay, which came from a sprayed orchard. The 
weak points in the logic that takes the poison from 
the sprayer to the horse’s stomach, are the facts that 
eight horses fed on hay from the same orchard, are 
fat and hearty, and that other horses that died with 
much the same symptoms, were fed on hay that never 
came near a spray pump. It is just as fair to conclude 
that the poison got into the hay in the barn, as it is 
often carelessly kept there. The R. N.-Y. desires 
better proof than this that there is danger in orchard 
spraying when done with a fair amount of care, espe¬ 
cially when hundreds of cases are on record where 
such hay has been safely fed. 
© 
BREVITIES. 
The Rubal’s fad this week is “ad,” 
This makes the poet sigh ; 
His thoughts may bloom, yet lie's no room 
In which to versify. 
Now here’s a slice of our advice— 
Read every “ ad,” my friend ! 
Our verses nice will keep on ice, 
But “ ads ” are bound to end ! 
Miss Management should not marry Mr. Slack. 
“Killing time”— the worst murder you can undertake. 
The happy hen is the profitable hen : Keep ’em happy ! 
It is said that there is a growing fancy for pacing horses. 
Yes, there are men who might be taking lessons of a hen. 
Don’t give the dog all the pure air—give the hog some of it. 
Have you a good, big wood pile for the summer campaign ? 
Ibbigate and thus facilitate the independent state for which 
you wait. 
Thebe is very little green in Miss April’s eye thus far—north of 
New York. 
Don’t try to “ paddle your own canoe” till you have stopped up 
the leaks in it. 
Ir a bad beginning makes a good ending, this spring ought to 
be a brilliant success. 
Is the bee such a busy creature, after all, when you count in his 
six months of loafing? 
Lean meat ! The “ spring poor” cow that is so weak that she 
must lean against the fence. 
Keep peace in the family by putting a plentiful supply of early 
peas into a good piece of land. 
Weeps are the lazy man’s “catch crop.” They catch him by 
smothering out the useful plants. 
A Massachusetts man (page 271) gives an opinion as to the 
profits in selling milk, cream or butter. Do you agree with him ? 
We have seen hams from “ razor back” Southern hogs on sale 
by New York commission men, that bring 18 cents a pound—in 
these gold-standard days. 
We learn through the London Garden, that Newtown Pippin 
apples brought in the open market, during the last week in 
March, as high as $17 per barrel. 
A Poland-China hog weighing 1,500 pounds, is being exhibited 
through the West. There is more profit to the farmer in trying to 
grow 1,500 pounds of pork on 20 feet than on four. 
An English agricultural paper advises a rat-ridden farmer to 
secure a pair of owls, and train them to nest and breed in his 
barn ! Owls eat more rat-flesh than eats—it says. 
The Ohio Experiment Station will attempt to renovate old clover 
meadows by working the bare spots with a spike or disc harrow, 
and then sowingCrimson and Red clover seed mixed. 
The latest scheme suggested for Maryland and Delaware straw¬ 
berry growers, is to sow cow peas between the rows of plants 
after picking, give light cultivation, and thus grow manure and 
mulch in one crop. 
On April 4, we pulled plants of Crimson clover with roots over 
five inches long. Our patch, sowed after early potatoes, has sur¬ 
vived the winter well. We shall now see how much growth it will 
make during April. 
A Connecticut dairyman says that his cows got into the orchard 
and gorged themselves on apples. Usually, that means trouble, 
but he fed a good ration of grain containing a large proportion 
of cotton-seed meal, and had no ill effects. 
This mixture is used at the Rhode Island Experiment Station as 
a fertilizer for an acre of potatoes: 65 pounds of nitrate of soda, 
498 pounds of tankage, 367 pounds of dissolved rock, 78 pounds of 
fine ground bone, and 196 pounds of muriate of potash. 
The Ohio Experiment Station has been testing linseed oil meal 
as a fertilizer, and reports favorably concerning it. A mixture of 
75C pounds oil meal, 230 pounds dissolved rock, and 180 pounds 
muriate of potash, has given good results with wheat and pota¬ 
toes. We prefer cotton-seed meal for this purpose. It contains 
more fertility, ton for ton, and is drier, thus making a more per¬ 
fect mixture. 
