628 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September -19 
The Rural New=Yorker. 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS' PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman. Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collengwood, Managing 1 Editor. 
Joun J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
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safest means of transmitting money. 
Address all business communications and make all orders pay¬ 
able to THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
Corner Chambers and Pearl Streets, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1896. 
In Bergen County, N. J., the army worm has 
attacked a piece of late Hungarian grass within the 
past week. It is not usual, we think, for this worm 
to operate so late in the season. The worm seems to 
be particularly fond of Hungarian grass, and it is 
well enough for farmers to keep an eye out for the 
pest up to the time of frost. 
0 
There were a good many fakirs and Cheap John 
shows at the New York State Fair this year, but this 
part of the exhibition was much cleaner than last year. 
One wicked performance was permitted to open up, 
probably, without the knowledge of the managers. 
A representative of The R. N.-Y. visited this show, 
and reported its immoral character at the managers’ 
office. In a short time, the place was closed. We 
still believe that it is a mistake to permit even the 
so-called “ harmless” fakirs to ply their trade on the 
fair grounds ; but we are told that the managers need 
the money these people pay in order to make both 
ends meet. 
o 
A good many corn harvesters will be used this year, 
and the question as to what is a fair rate to charge 
for them when hired by the day, is coming up. As 
with thrashers, sawing machines or ensilage cutters, 
a fair price for their service must be agreed upon. 
Along the Hudson River, 86 a day is considered a fair 
price for cutting corn—the owner of the corn to fur¬ 
nish the twine. One man with a good team on the 
harvester, will cut eight acres a day, thus making the 
cost of cutting and binding 75 cents an acre. In addi¬ 
tion to this, it will require from two to three pounds 
of twine per acre—depending upon the size of the 
bundles and the yield of corn. 
O 
One of the presents given Li Hung Chang during 
his visit to New York, was a collection of ginseng 
roots. It is doubtful whether anything he received 
pleased him more than this. One of the most singular 
things about modern trade is the Chinaman’s desire 
to buy ginseng. Tons of the root are sent from this 
country to China every year, but no one seems to 
know what the Chinese do with it. They are eager 
to buy it, but will give no information as to what be¬ 
comes of it. During past years, the price has aver¬ 
aged about 83 75 per pound, while, but for the Chinese 
demand, it would be slow of sale at five cents. The 
roots of commerce are mostly dug in the woods from 
wild plants. It is now claimed that the plants can be 
cultivated and grown as a garden crop. If that is 
true, there is a fortune awaiting the man who can 
do it. 
O 
The picture of the prize-winning Devon cow on our 
first page, will serve to illustrate one singular thing 
in stock breeding. There are larger beef breeds than 
the Devon. The chances are that a Galloway or an 
Angus will make more beef from a given amount of 
food than the Devon, while the hide will be worth 
more. For the dairy, an Ayrshire or a Jersey or 
Guernsey grade will “ hustle ” just as well, and make 
more butter in a rough pasture than will a Devon 
cow. If these things are true, why, then, is the Devon 
bred ? Why does not the breed pass out of existence 
if other breeds are able to surpass it on its own 
ground ? One reason is that its breed characteristics 
are more strongly marked than those of any other 
breed. For years and years, the Devon has been bred 
in one line until its bright red color, beautifully- 
shaped horns and carcass, and its energetic, “hus¬ 
tling ” qualities have become fixed. You may know 
with certainty just about what the offspring of a 
Devon bull will look like, and how it will act. It is 
not likely that the Devon will ever be very widely 
scattered throughout the country. The Devon steers 
make the best working cattle, but for milk and beef, 
except in the English home counties, other breeds 
will crowd the Devon out. Still, in its marked pre¬ 
potency, the Devon is a striking object lesson of what 
may be done in preserving and strengthening desired 
qualities in a breed of animals by proper selection and 
care. 
0 
It seems that there is quite a business in the prep¬ 
aration of fancy mixtures of cheese. Full cream 
cheese of high quality is broken into small pieces, 
and mixed with olive oil, butter fat, whey syrup or 
even a little brandy or wine. The mixture is then 
packed in small packages of paper, wood or porce¬ 
lain, and sold at high prices. There is no attempt to 
defraud the public, and the substances used are pure 
and wholesome. The Treasury Department has de¬ 
cided that this mixture is “ filled cheese,” and that it 
must be taxed and branded as such. As generally 
understood, the “filled” article is a cheese made from 
skimmed milk with some cheap fat like lard or tallow 
added to take the place of the butter fat removed in 
skimming. Those who framed the law, probably, 
did not have in mind this fancy mixture in which a 
more expensive fat is used. Doubtless the decision is 
just, but it seems unfortunate that a superior article 
must carry a brand which people have been taught to 
believe is a badge of inferiority. 
0 
Last Monday, at Dunkirk, N. Y., was held a con¬ 
ference of the representative grape shippers of Ohio 
and the Chautauqua, N. Y., district. This was due to 
the extremely bad condition of the grape market, it 
being stated that shipments of Ohio grapes the pre¬ 
vious week had not netted the growers over six cents 
per nine-pound basket. This is a ruinous price, and 
the Ohio shippers asked that the Chautauqua people 
shut down on shipments until the markets are relieved. 
This was not agreed to, although it is probable that 
shipments will be much lighter; but the New York 
growers were to be asked t delay harvesting Concords 
until the market is in better condition. The Ohio 
crop, at the time of this meeting, was about one-third 
marketed. While these low prices are disastrous to 
growers, they increase the consumption of grapes 
many fold, and if the cost of transportation and mar¬ 
keting could be correspondingly decreased, the low 
prices might not be such a bad thing. But the rail¬ 
roads must pay the usual dividends on stock that is 
half water, no matter who suffer. 
0 
The retail price of coal in this vicinity, is just 81 
per ton more than it was one year ago. There is no 
shortage ; on the contrary, the production has been 
large, and the storage capacity of many of the coal¬ 
carrying roads is said to be tested to the uttermost. 
The cost of mining coal has not been increased ; the 
operatives, as a general thing are paid a miserable 
pittance. It costs no more for transportation and 
handling. The country at large is in the midst of a 
financial depression, where the pobr and the great 
middle classes are having a desperate struggle to 
make a bare living. Winter is coming on, when coal 
is a necessity, and the man of family finds that, out 
of his hard-earned, carefully-expended wages, he is 
forced, in times of generally depressed prices, to pay 
a higher rate for the coal he must have. Why ? 
Simply because a few millionaire mine owners who, 
by some accident, have secured control of the deposit 
of coal that the allwise Creator intended for all who 
need it, met and “ agreed” that the price should be 
raised. This has not been done all at once, but it has 
been shoved up a little at a time, and it is rumored 
that it will be advanced still more. This is a shame¬ 
ful business, aDd is the sort of thing that makes 
anarchists and socialists. It is the sort of thing that 
makes advocates for the Government ownership of all 
corporate interests. It is no better than highway 
robbery, and if this sort of thing were done by a 
private individual, he would be called in plain English 
a thief. What makes the difference ? It is needless 
to argue that no one is forced to buy coal. They 
must, or freeze ! 
O 
It will be noticed that Mr. Moss, on page 635, 
speaks very highly of dried blood as a food for ducks. 
We have received excellent reports from a number of 
poultry men who have substituted blood for dried 
meat in the hen’s ration. The blood is more uniform 
in its composition ; it is more digestible, and gives a 
greater feeding value for a dollar than the ordinary 
dried meat. Experiments in the West have, also, 
shown that dried blood fed with corn, has given great 
results in hog feeding. A well-known dairyman 
recently told us that dried blood increased the milk 
flow from his cows s no other food would do. He 
said that he would feed it regularly to the cows, but 
for the fact that the public would be prejudiced 
against such “bloody” milk, though it would be as 
sweet and clean as any. Some of the fertilizer deal¬ 
ers are preparing special samples of bone and blood 
which are designed for stock feeding. The bone, as 
Mr. Moss says, is prepared from selected samples, 
while the blood is clean of hair and dirt. It was a 
good many years before the public came to under¬ 
stand that cotton-seed meal can be used for feeding 
both plants and animals. Great quantities of cotton¬ 
seed oil are used for human food. Dried blood has 
long been used as a fertilizer, but now it is evident 
that we are soon to begin to use it for feeding stock. 
There ought to be lots of “ muscle-makers” in it! 
O 
Some of the western agricultural colleges have been 
greatly improved during the past 10 years. Those in 
charge of them have made an earnest effort to keep 
up with the times, so that a boy can be graduated 
from such a school prepared to take hold of something 
connected with farming at which he can make a 
living There was a time when, unless the agricul¬ 
tural graduate had a farm of his own, or a partner¬ 
ship in his father's farm, it was necessary for him to 
teach school, or go into business, to make money 
enough for support. Since the experiment stations 
were established, this has gradually been changing, 
and scientific agriculture is being lifted to the dignity 
of a profession. For example, the students at the 
Wisconsin College are fully capable of judging live 
stock, fruit or vegetables at any fair in the State. 
They are sent out for this purpose, or they can go to 
herds or farms for advice or suggestion. This sort of 
thing has proved a strong feature in Wisconsin. It 
brings the farmers closer to the college, and gives 
them a respect for it that they would not otherwise 
feel. It also gives the boys confidence, and teaches 
them to associate actual business with their school 
training. 
BREVITIES. 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Over the lonely farm! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Can’t do a bit of harm ! 
Cattle are all inside, eating their grain and hay; 
Children and wife are safe here at the close of day. 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Dropping along the eaves! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Hark how the old tree grieves! 
Supper is smoking hot—here in the firelight bright, 
Dearer than all beside is the old home to-night. 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Darkness and gloom outside! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Trouble and terror hide! 
Under the shadows black, grimly they brood and frown, 
Keep them away to-night, pull all the curtains down! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Pall of the year has come! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Let us sing, “ Home, Sweet Home” ! 
Mother, put down your work ! Open the organ, Joe! 
Right from a thankful heart, let the old chorus flow! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Over the lonely farm! 
Rain! Rain! Rain! Can’t do a bit of harm! 
Nature may cry outside, weeping her tears of rain, 
But at our door to-night, misery knocks in vain ! 
Don’t do business by wait! 
Don’t be afraid of feeding smutty corn. 
Money that is “salted down” must be corned money. 
Does a calf with all the skim-milk it wants, need water ? 
We understand that the hired man is boss at your place. 
Shed the reaper. It will be slower to shed its coat of paint. 
Now, then, Mr. Hired Man, are you counted as a hand or a head? 
The surplus roosters are nothing but loafers—get rid of them! 
Read what S. D. Willard says about thinning apples, page 622. 
Mr. Stevens, page 622, certainly has confidence in the Keiffer 
pear. 
Now, then, how about the muscle-makers in that hen’s winter 
ration ? 
A good 16 to 1 policy for the dairyman— 16 ounces of butter to 1 
of salt. 
The cow is the best cider press you can find. Get the apples 
inside her. 
A quart of bran weighs less than a quart of corn meal. Feed 
by weight. 
Are there fewer song birds in your neighborhood than there 
used to be ? Why 1 
The man who spends good money on a “fake”, can scarce be 
said to take what’s called “the cake”. 
When the lame farmer chased the boys out of his orchard, they 
gave him a dose of apple “sauce” as they went. 
Does the moulting hen realize that her personal appearance 
isn’t what it should be ? She sometimes acts that way. 
More cow pea reports—page 632. These men sowed the peas 
alone and obtained a heavy growth. That's the way to use them 
ON August 27, there were 317,170,384 pounds of sugar in sight 
throughout the world. We are not likely to go unsweetened, for 
some time. 
The cow that is plump needs help from the pump to help out 
her work at the pail. With fat on her ribs she’ll have to tell fibs 
or confess that she lives but to fail. 
Dried blood contains a higher per cent of muscle-makers than 
ground meat. If you change to blood in your poultry ration, don’t 
use the same weight tnat you did of meat, for the ration will then 
be too narrow. 
The law in Connecticut prohibits bakers or food venders from 
selling or exposing for sale any article of food in which imitation 
butter was used unless in the store, or on the wagon, a sign is 
displayed informing the public that the bogus article is used. 
