818 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 24, 
THE VOSBURGH MELON. 
The picture at Fig. 385 shows a load of Vosburgh 
melons as it came into town ready for market This 
variety originated with Mr. Cornell Vosburgh, of 
Greene County, N. Y. He describes it as very early, 
with strong thrifty vines, seeds larger than the ordin¬ 
ary melon, and very nearly blight-proof. Mr. Vos¬ 
burgh says that this year he raised specimens so large 
that six filled a flour barrel, and yet in spite of this 
size, he describes them as well flavored. The flesh 
is salmon color, and a comparative size of the melon 
can be seen in the picture, there being one large 
watermelon. He says he has raised them successfully 
both on light land and also heavier soil. He uses 
stable manure in the hill, with a fair dressing of a 
good fertilizer broadcast, and the melons with him 
have given a heavy yield. This year the melons 
ripened from August 7 until September 25. A local 
paper states that one of these melons delivered at 
Athens, N. Y., weighed 22 pounds, and measured 32 
inches around the center. It is also claimed that eight 
crates of these melons, each with three large melons 
in it, were sent to New York and bought at $2.50 a 
crate. It would seem as if Mr. Vosburgh might have 
the melon market of the East pretty well cornered, if 
the variety turned out in larger cultivation as it is 
with him thus far. He tells us that the load shown 
in the picture contained 22 barrels of melons, which 
sold at $3.50 per barrel. We give these statements and 
figures as Mr. Vosburgh sends them to us. Those of 
us who have tried hard the past season even to raise 
melons for our own use and failed will certainly 
wonder how he does it. 
FARMERS AND THE FERTILIZER FIGHT. 
This fertilizer row in Ohio calls to mind the fight 
made upon Dr. Jordan and the Geneva Experiment 
Station four years ago. The Farmers’ Fertilizers Co. 
of Syracuse put out brands of fertilizer which ran far 
below the guarantee. The Station caught them in the 
act, and stood ready to print the analyses. A number 
of Syracuse politicians were financially interested in 
this fertilizer company. Some held its stock, and 
others were interested in banks which had lent money 
to it. These politicians saw that they would lose their 
money if the fraudulent analyses were printed, be¬ 
cause they were so bad that New York farmers would 
not buy the fertilizers after seeing how poor they were. 
Therefore it was decided to prevent such publication, 
and to change the law quietly so as to get rid of Dr. 
Jordan and tie up the Station so that it would be 
“harmless,” and not show the truth about this fer¬ 
tilizer company until these politicians had made sure 
of their money. They might even have continued sell¬ 
ing their bogus goods at a great profit provided they 
could prevent the publication long enough. In Ohio 
the Smith Company appears to be fighting for time so 
as to collect its money from agents before the facts 
can be printed. The Farmers’ Fertilizer Co. paid its 
fine without going into court, and then hired an ex¬ 
attorney general to prevent Dr. Jordan from publish¬ 
ing his analyses. In Ohio, we remember, the Smith 
Company was able to accomplish the same result by 
securing an injunction against the State Board of 
Agriculture on the plea that it was not legally or¬ 
ganized. This could not be done in New York, so the 
politicians took a new tack. They found that under 
the law then in force Dr. Jordan actually had no 
authority to publish the analyses—unless he did it at 
his personal risk. At least that was the advice given 
by the State’s Attorney General! Then these politi¬ 
cians proceeded to create the impression that Dr. 
Jordan was withholding this publication for improper 
reasons, when in truth they were holding him up. 
Their creatures went about talking against the Station 
and its director, and succeeded in working up an 
apparent feeling against them. The writer well re¬ 
members attending the Fruit Growers’ meeting at 
Poughkeepsie and finding the so-called agricultural 
leaders and institute workers completely discouraged 
and frightened. They all said the situation was hope¬ 
less and that Dr. Jordan was “doomed.” When we 
stated that The R. N.-Y. for that week would contain 
an editorial urging farmers to stand by the Station 
and Dr. Jordan and use their influence to prevent the 
outrage, several of those men advised us to telegraph 
to New York and stop the publication. They were 
sure it could do not good, as it “was all fixed.” We 
noticed however that every farmer at the meeting who 
had no political job, but only “bought fertilizers and 
worked,” was outspoken in condemning the political 
scheme. We decided to follow the advice of the prac¬ 
tical farmers, and we came back and made the edi¬ 
torial stronger than 'ever. This was followed up with 
articles stronger yet, in which the exact facts were 
stated, and farmers were urged to use their influence 
to defend the Station. 
It is a matter of history how the farmers rose to 
the occasion. We think it was the beginning of the 
public assertion of farmers’ rights, which since then 
has defeated Wadsworth and forced the renomination 
of Gov. Hughes. At any rate the farmers soon kicked 
over the scheme that had been so well “fixed,” and 
stamped the life out of the petty conspiracy against 
the Geneva Station. The law was changed to give 
Dr. Jordan the right to publish his analyses, the 
Farmers’ Fertilizer Co. failed, and Dr. Jordan and the 
Station remained stronger than ever. 
The reader will see that this fight in New York and 
the one now going* on in Ohio were very similar up 
to the time the Smith Company proceeded to shut up 
the Ohio State Board. They might have continued 
similar to the end—and ended in much the same way, 
if the farmers of Ohio could have had the facts put 
boldly and clearly before them. Just as soon as New 
York farmers saw what was needed they came with 
a power that could not be stopped. It would have 
been just the same in Ohio if one of the farm papers 
had risen to its opportunity and simply given fair ex¬ 
pression to the feeling among Ohio farmers. Thes^ 
papers hesitated and the opportunity passed. Not 
only have they permitted a most humiliating condition 
to be forced upon the 'State Board, but by hesitating 
in a prompt and fearless defense they have led many 
farmers to question the character of the men who 
serve on the Board. 
CIDER VINEGAR. 
One would naturally think that in a section where 
in a year of an abundant apple crop thousands of 
bushels go to waste, and where cull apples can always 
be had almost at a gift, that the family without good 
vinegar would be a curiosity. But such is not the 
case, for many a family looks upon the making of 
good vinegar as a mysterious art, and rather than 
familiarize themselves with the simple process, year 
after year they undergo the inconvenience and ex¬ 
pense of carrying a few quarts of commercial vinegar 
frequently from the grocery. I know nothing as to 
how this commercial vinegar is made, but I do know 
that everybody who is able to buy good farmers' 
vinegar always prefers it to the kind now sold in the 
stores, even though it does come up to the standard 
of purity required by law, and the farmers’ kind may 
be in the questionable list. 
When I was under the parental roof we always had 
plenty and to spare of the best of vinegar. When I 
started a home of my own I bought my vinegar a 
gallon at a time, and every time I was obliged to 
make a purchase I declared that another Fall would 
see me start a cask for vinegar. But this I neglected 
for several years, until finally I bought an empty 
whisky cask and resolved to start right. I sent the 
cask to the blacksmith shop and had the regular 
iron hoops taken off and new ones made from old 
buggy tires put on. It costs a little more at first, 
but you need never fear your hoops rusting out and 
the loss of all your vinegar. This barrel I had filled 
with cider made from cull apples, ripe and unripe, 
and of all sorts of varieties. It was at once moved 
into the cellar and placed close up to the furnace and 
under the smoke pipe, so that it had plenty of heat. 
This was in November, when the furnace was run¬ 
ning and the apple season about over and cull apples 
cheap. Fermentation at once set in, and in order to 
keep the barrel perfectly full and afford an opportunity 
far the dregs and particles of pomace to work out, I 
poured in enough rain water to keep the fermentation 
throwing the settlings out of the open bung. The tem¬ 
perature being high the fermentation proceeded very 
rapidly, and soon my cider was “hard.” At this time 
I secured a gallon of good vinegar from a man who 
made his own, and told him to allow some of the 
“mother” to get in with the vinegar he let me have. 
I put this gallon in my barrel, and before Spring we 
were using it for vinegar. It had acquired sufficient 
strength to answer the purpose, and in a short time 
was as strong as anyone need to use. By the time it 
was a year old we were reducing it one quarter with 
water for table use. Never since then have I been 
without the best of vinegar. 
No one need hesitate to make his own vinegar be¬ 
cause of a lack of experience. It is simply a matter 
of allowing nature to do the work. It is not necessary 
to have a furnace to make vinegar rapidly. One of the 
best places I ever knew was a barrel that was set in 
the attic near the chimney. Of course vinegar will 
make in almost any temperature if given time enough, 
and more families probably make it in an ordinary 
cellar with no heat than any other way. Many people 
cork their barrel as soon as it has reached the proper 
strength, but I have always left mine open, with only 
a thin cloth over the bung. It is not necessary that a 
person have “mother” or a “starter” for making vine¬ 
gar, although this will greatly hasten the process. The 
cost of making your own vinegar when once you have 
it started is almost nothing, and the convenience of 
always having a first-class article right at hand is a 
source of great satisfaction. 
I would not advise anyone to offer vinegar for sale 
on a large scale without first having it tested. It may 
be perfectly pure and appear to be of great strength, 
but the pure food laws of this State are so strict re¬ 
garding the sale of vinegar, that it must all come up to 
the standard established. According to the law it 
must contain 4.5 per cent of acetic acid and two per 
cent of cider'vinegar solids. Formerly farmers found 
no difficulty in selling nearly all their surplus vinegar 
to neighboring grocers, but now the merchant fears to 
run the risk of getting vinegar that may not test quite 
up to the standard although made from pure cider. 
For this reason the manufacture of vinegar for com¬ 
mercial purposes is now in the hands of a few large 
corporations. This in nowise prevents any one from 
making his own vinegar, and having an article of 
which he knows its every ingredient. a. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
RAISING WHITE CHINA GEESE. 
White China geese arc not raised very extensively 
in this vicinity, about the’ only ones are those owned 
by W. O. Hurst, who has raised this variety for a 
number of years. They are perhaps more tender than 
the Toulouse, but on the other hand they are a more 
attractive-looking fowl, and the novelty was the main 
reason for the original purchase. Their proud and 
stately bearing can be excelled by few other fowls or 
animals. 
They begin to lay in March and continue until June. 
For some reasons it is preferable to raise the goslings 
with hens; the goose would perhaps be more pro¬ 
tection, but both she and the gander become so ugly 
that it is hard to take any care whatever of the young. 
The gander seems to have as much parental feeling 
as does the goose. One Summer a gander appointed 
himself guardian of the young chicks; each brood 
that came off he watched over with as much solicitude 
as though they had been his own species, though he 
would always desert an older brood for the next 
younger ones that hatched. 
As to the care and feed of goslings there is not 
much to say, for they require as little as any kind of 
fowl. One man who raises Toulouse, when asked 
what he fed the young ones, replied, “Nothing.” As 
soon as they were hatched the old goose took charge 
and they received no other care or attention. China 
geese, however, need a little more care than that. 
The greatest trouble seems to be with their chilling. 
It has been our experience that it is often fatal to 
them to stay in the dish of drinking water. We have 
lost a great many small ones in that way; also several 
nice, large ones have died as a result of being out in 
a shower and paddling around in the pools of water 
until they became so chilled that it was imposssible 
to save them. We have been told- since that they 
must be well feathered out on the breast before it is 
safe for khem to remain long in water. A drinking 
fountain is therefore better than a flat, open dish. 
Our goslings are usually penned up until they are 
two or three weeks old; during that time they have 
soaked bread and any kind of green food, such as 
lettuce and the leafy j-oung beets and mangels. When 
they are let out, if there is plenty of grass, they can 
about pick their living; they eat a great deal of green 
stuff. The question is often brought up whether geese 
and ducks can be raised successfully without water. 
We have raised* both on a small scale, and have only 
a little brook which is always dry during the Summer. 
The raising of ducks, however, we have discontinued, 
as there was so little demand for them. 
About the holidays is the best market for geese; 
they will weigh then from eight to 12 pounds, and 
usually bring 14 to 16 cents live weight. Cleveland is 
our nearest city. However, if one is going into the 
business of poultry raising, I think there would be 
more money in chickens; the demand is much greater, 
and the sale of eggs also increases their value. 
Chickens bring from 12 to 14 cents live weight, and 
eggs vary from 20 to 45 cents. Turkeys also bring a 
fairly good price, usually about 20 cents live weight, 
and there is quite a demand for them at Thanksgiving 
and the midwinter holidays. l. e. h. 
Ohio. 
The advice to paint fruit trees with lead and oil does 
not seem to carry very far. 
It is not generally known that before the Civil War the 
United States Government imported a herd of camels and 
expected to make a success of camel breeding in the South¬ 
west. 
There are many farmers like this one from Pennsyl¬ 
vania : “As I read periodicals, dailies and books when 
time admits, I get full of resentment against some of the 
stuff which we farmers are feasted.” Now there is a 
chance that this feeling will get out and up to Congress. 
