328 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 9 
“BLUE STONE.” 
Most of you who have been in our 
eastern towns and cities, know how the 
sidewalks are paved with wide blocks of 
a smooth, light-colored stone. Millions 
of these blocks have been used for this 
purpose. They are better than brick, 
more durable than wood—in fact, for 
many reasons, they are superior to any 
other substance for keeping the feet of 
foot passengers out of the mud. In 
several parts of the country, great 
masses of this “blue stone” crop out 
near the surface, and these great quar¬ 
ries have been formed where large 
chunks of the stone are taken out, split 
to the proper thickness, and then sawed 
into blocks of the desired size. It is 
wonderful how this trade in stone is 
spreading all over the country—led by 
the desire of the people to keep the mud 
off from their boots and shoes. That 
desire is at the basis of all this immense 
trade just as other desires and wants 
have developed trade in other lines. 
While many of our farmers have little 
use for this blue stone, there is one fact 
about its preparation that may well 
serve as an incentive to many young 
men and women. When the stone is split 
into slabs of the proper thickness, the 
next thing is to cut them up. You might 
say that they, probably, take a saw and 
do that—something with teeth on it that 
will cut it off just as a man saws through 
a stick of wood. That won’t answer, 
for the stone is harder than steel—you 
may use it for a grindstone if you like. 
You might make progress with a heavy 
saw, but it would cost too much to keep 
it sharp. To cut the “ blue stone,” there¬ 
fore, they use a plain band of steel 
without any teeth on it. It just runs 
along over the stone, and the groove in 
which it runs is kept filled with sharp 
sand. The constant friction and scratch¬ 
ing of the sand eats or cuts away the 
stone so that it may be broken off with 
a clean cut. The sand is harder and 
sharper than the saw, for every corner 
of it is a tooth that never needs filing or 
setting. 
Now, if you will look up the definition 
of the word “ sand,” in the latest dic¬ 
tionaries, you will find “ courage, pluck, 
grit,” given as the latest accepted mean¬ 
ing, and this is the side of the word we 
expect to take up. Farming has been 
covered with very “ blue ” stones for the 
past few years. Many of us feel as 
though a regular slab were resting right 
upon the farm. It’s resting on our backs 
—we want it cut into chunks that we 
can put under our feet so that we may 
keep out of the mud. And the question 
at once arises, With what can we cut the 
blue stone up ? 
If a fellow had money out at interest 
or some fat political office to yield him 
an easy revenue, the way would be easy, 
for such things are just like sharp teeth 
to cut off the blue stone into any size 
you like. With such teeth, all a man has 
to do is to supply the needed power. But 
when a man has not the capital or the 
office—in fact, when he has nothing but 
his head and his hands to work with, it 
looks as though the stone might master 
him. But no—if that thing were true 
in the stone business, what would we 
do for sidewalks ? A man without the 
teeth of capital to cut with, must fall 
back upon his “ sand.” Be true as steel 
to the right principles of farming ! Make 
a definite plan ! Start the thing going, 
pour in the sand and hang on ! Don t 
quit, but keep the machine moving ! It 
will be a long, hard grind, but if you 
hang to it, you will surely saw off the 
block, and get it where you can stand 
on it! Now is the time to throw in a 
double dose of “ sand ” ! Don't get dis¬ 
couraged ! Put on the sand and rub it in ! 
Thus far you will notice that we have 
said nothing about The It. N.-Y. Next 
week, we shall give the names of the 
prize winners, and then we shall take 
occasion to talk R. N.-Y. for all we are 
worth. In the meantime, let us hear 
from an Illinois man who has been put¬ 
ting “ sand ” on that blue stone. Here is 
his letter : 
I am glad that you jogged my memory in re¬ 
gard to my renewal, which I sent at once, for I 
value The R. N.-Y. above all of the farm papers. 
I would like to tell some of the younger readers 
of Tue R. N.-Y., why I like the farm. In the first 
place, we only have to do our work, and trust an 
allwise Creator for our living. Second, I think 
breeding and rearing stock is one of the most 
noble pursuits that a man can follow. Third, a 
farmer can be more independent, even with a 
small capital, than at any other calling. To 
prove what I say, I will give a summary of my 
last year’s work. One year ago, I bought 70 acres 
of land for $2,800. I went in debt $500, bought a 
team, wagon, harness, plows, harrows and all 
things needful; that is, I bought such tools as I 
could not get along without. I lost one horse, 
and bought three more. These tools and horses 
cost me $370. I also bought four purebred 
Poland-Chinas—three sows and one boar—and 
one purebred Berkshire sow, paying $100 for 
them. I got them all paid for out of last summer 
and winter’s work, have $280 for hogs sold, 800 
bushels of corn in the crib, and my horses are 
worth more than they were the day that I bought 
them, for they are young. I have 13 sows bred 
for spring, and have 40 acres of clover to pasture 
them on. I have till January, 1897, to pay the 
$500, and I think, with reasonable success and as 
much hard work as I did last year, that I shall 
get out of debt. I almost forgot 1,200 gallons of 
vinegar that I made from my orchard. I wish to 
say in conclusion that I had backing, so that 
every time I spent a dollar, I got 100 cents’ worth. 
Hutsonville , III. _ c. k. 
CROP AND MARKET NOTES. 
Hops are getting worse and worse. 
The wool market is well sustained. 
Good goods guarantee good gains. 
Pork cuts a small figure in the market. 
Bananas are always plentiful and cheap. 
Dried small fruits are mostly low and dull 
Eggs for this market should be closely graded. 
California oranges are still being sold at auction. 
Prices of dried beans have an upward tendency. 
Honey is scarce, but demand is light and trade 
dull. 
Boston egg prices are higher than those of New 
York 
There is a considerable export trade in dried 
apples. 
Receipts of foreign oranges and lemons con¬ 
tinue large. 
A Labor Saver. 
The most labor-saving 
of farm implements to¬ 
day, considering cost, is 
the low Metal Wheels with 
wide tires. By using low 
wheels the wagon is low¬ 
ered so as to save one 
man’s labor in loading 
and unloading. Wide tires 
prevent cutting of ruts on 
farm; also make hauling 
easier for horses. The 
Metal W’heels also save ex¬ 
pense of resetting tires, no 
blacksmith bills to pay. 
Are made in any size 
wanted and any width of 
tire, hubs io fit any skein 
or axle. We suggest that 
every reader write to The Empire Mfg. Co., 
Quincy, Ill., and get their catalogue. 
QPRAVYourFruitTrees: 
I B ■■ B Wecau serve you well in tlie line of \ 
™ mmm m ■ Spraying Apparatus & Insecticides. > 
ISrsiNH Horticultural Syringe, $1.25 
Little tiem all Bi-hkh Bucket Pump, $3.T>0 > 
Leggett’s Dry Powder Gun, if 7.50—puts Paris \ 
Green on without mixing, and docs it rapidly and well. 1 
Write us your wants, and get our circulars, catalogues, prices. | 
JOHN SOX & STOKES, 217 & 219 Market St., Philada., Pa. > 
FOR SALE, CHEAP! 
One eight-can COOLEY CREAMER, elevator 
style; one Davis Swing Churn, No. 5, with folding 
frame; one improved P li i I a d el p h i a Butter 
Worker, No. 2. These goods are nearly new and in 
perfect order. Will sell very cheap, as : 1 have quit 
the dairy business. Address 
W. E. BONZO, Brush Creek, Beaver Co., Pa. 
A F ■ B U of 280 acres. Good land; good build- 
rnnm ings. 4.400Peach Trees, bearing. Price, 
$10 per acre. With present prospects for full crop, 
peaches should more than pay for farm this season. 
AMOS COLE & SON. Dover, Del. 
STAR PATTERN 
BILLINGS 
Planter and Fertilizer 
Is the latest, and it drops 
at twelve different dis 
For CORN, 
BEANS, PEAS 
and 
BEET SEED. 
If you want them, we fur¬ 
nish Marker and Trip At¬ 
tachment for rowing both 
ways. Send for Circulars. 
madeonlvbvJfmes Plow Go. Boston and new York. 
Eclipse Corn Planter 
Will plant 
Corn, Beans, 
Peas and Beet 
Seed in hills, 
drills <k checks, 
i n distances 
desired. It is 
the only Planter that will distribute all fertilizers, 
wet or dry, with a certainty, in different amounts, 
each side of seed. Send for circulars. 
ECLIPSE CORN PLANTER CO., 
Enfield. Grafton. Co.. New Hampshire. 
AN INSTRUMENT 
OF TORTURE 
Is the old style 
leather valveSpray 
Pump. 
The “ Eclipse,” Model '96, 
is far ahead of all. Every¬ 
body enthusiastic who 
sees it. 
SEND FOR CATALOGUE. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, 
Benton Harbor, Mich. 
Aeration 
Cleanliness 
DON’T HAVE SOUR MILK. 
>» 
NOTHING is of more importance in the proper handling 
of your milk for any and every purpose than cleanliness. 
NOTHING aids you in dairy cleanliness ^ 
more than the proper aeration of milk. *“ 
NOTHING aerates your milk and at the 
same time cools it as well and as easily as 
the Champion Automatic Milk 
Cooler and Aerator. 
NOTHING costs so little and saves so much 
for you as this same Champion. 
“IT PAYS FOR ITSELF IN A WEEK.” 
A request for it will give you full information. 
Champion Milk Cooler Company, Box R, Cortland, N.Y. 
IMPROVED 
United States Separator. 
Receipts of milk are heavy, and the price of the 
surplus is lower. 
Pure beeswax is scarce and is held at 30 to 31 
cents per pound. 
The cultivation of sugar cane is to be officially 
encouraged in Egypt. 
Most New Jersey small fruits promise well this 
year, except blackberries. 
The first arrival of Egyptian onions, consisted 
of a lot of 250 bags, and sold for $2 per bag. 
Green apples are still arriving in considerable 
quantities, and find a good demand if choice. 
Receipts of cheese in this market last year were 
about 20 per cent less than those of the preceding 
year. 
The year’s receipts of butter, up to May 1, of 
this year, were considerably in excess of those 
one year earlier. 
(Continued on next page.) 
Users are enthusiastic in its praise on all 
points that go to make a first-class Separator. 
One says: 
“We make 15 per cent, more butter.” 
Another writes: 
“ 0.03 of 1 per cent, was the test of the skim-milk to-day, 
running the Separator as it runs every day.” 
Says another : 
“ It’s a fine running machine. Can be easily turned with 
one hand, and only takes from 3 to 5 minutes to clean it.” 
“And there are others,” hundreds of them, in our 
special catalogue. Have you one? If not, ask for it and 
we will gladly send one. 
We furnish the best Babcock Tester, the best Churn, 
as well as the best Butter Workers, Butter Printers, 
Cooley Creamers, Butter Packages of all sorts, Vats, 
Engines and Boilers, and everything for the Creamery 
and Dairy. 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO , 9 Bellows Falls , Vt. 
Let it storm, and blow, and freeze 
—your cows, horses, and hens will 
not care if your buildings are sheathed 
with***** 
YOUR COWHOUSE 
NEPONSET 
Red Rope 
Water-Proof 
For Roofing and Side Covering 
It costs much less than shingles—absolutely 
water-proof, wind-proof, frost-proof, and durable 
—any one can put it on..... 
We will send you Free of expense 
Samples and Particulars. 
F. W. BIRD & SON, 
Sole flfrs. East Walpole, Mass, 
IHkip™ J].lliillll P iWllP^ 
/your henhouse, 
