'1' i-i H, RURAL NEW-YORKER 
A Bunch of Notes 
The Black Winter’s Burden. 
The New York Telegram prints the 
picture shown herewith under the head¬ 
ing of “The White Man’s Black Bur¬ 
den.” It tells without a word the fright¬ 
ful expense and care of people who live 
in or near the town and city. The fuel 
question is a cruel one, the coal bill 
mounts up heavily, and there are times 
of scarcity when it is very difficult to get 
a fair supply even at a high figure. This 
picture is no exaggeration of the feel¬ 
ings of many a man when he thinks of 
the vast quantity of coal which passes 
in at his cellar window, and the ashes 
that are taken out through the door. It 
is a fearful tax both in money and worry. 
The City Man’s Burden. 
Many a farmer saves from half to two- 
thirds of his coal bill by making use of 
wood. Some of the house heaters of 
steam, water or hot air are fitted with 
grates which enable one to use good-sized 
chunks of wood when only a moderate 
heat is required. This is particularly 
true where water is used for heating, 
for with a moderate wood fire it is pos¬ 
sible to keep up enough heat under the 
boiler to make the house comfortable. 
This picture, and the thought of what it 
means, ought to make us all look with a 
thoughtful eye upon the brook or the 
pond located anywhere near the farm¬ 
house. If it is possible to dam the brook 
or the pond, and put in a water wheel of 
reasonable power, part of the fuel and 
light trouble can be solved by running 
an electric current into the house. Cer¬ 
tainly the picture of the man who has 
harnessed the nearby brook would be 
very much prettier than the picture of 
this poor thing carrying the Winter’s 
supply of coal on his back. 
Bleaching Peaches in Drying. 
On page 1170 G. H., Pennsylvania, 
asks how to dry peaches so they will not 
get dark. The method of drying on an 
apparatus consisting of galvanized wire 
shelves, one above the other and placed 
over the cook stove, has proved very sat¬ 
isfactory, and in the absence of such a 
convenience peaches may be dried very 
nicely by spreading on plates and placing 
in the oven, with fire enough to dry 
quickly, yet not hot enough to burn. The 
faster they dry, the lighter colored they 
will be. The burning of sulphur to 
bleach both peaches and apples is often 
advised; but too much cannot be said 
against its use. A few years ago a re¬ 
cipe advocating this method of bleaching 
was quite extensively advertised and used 
by many. An examination of the com¬ 
pound showed that it was composed of 
sulphur, charcoal, nitrate of soda, cane 
sugar and salt. The salt, it was said, 
might have been an impurity of the ni¬ 
trate of soda. The directions for the 
use of this recipe were that the compound 
should be burned in a closed space and 
the fumes arising from the burning 
should be absorbed by water placed in 
suitable vessels, and that the fruit, in 
some cases, should also be exposed to 
the fumes. Finally the fruit was to he 
placed in the water which had absorbed 
the fumes of the burning compound, and 
the vessel closed. The burning of the 
compound resulted in the production of 
sulphur dioxide—also known as sulphur¬ 
ous acid—and it was this substance 
which exerted the preservative action in 
the process. The other materials were 
simply used to aid in the burning of the 
sulphur. Now sulphur dioxide is a very 
poisonous gas, and its use as a food pre¬ 
servative is prohibited in European coun¬ 
tries. There is no doubt that it will, like 
salicylic acid, preserve fruit perfectly, 
but there are grave objections to its use 
in food. As the use of sulphur is fre¬ 
quently employed in bleaching dried ap¬ 
ples, every housewife should thoroughly 
understand its effect. 
MRS. J. M. WILLSON. 
Oceana Co., Mich. 
A Cat, Bird and Rose Bush Story. 
A man interested in bird preservation 
gives us this experience : 
“My neighborhood had a large number 
of cats which destroyed many wild birds, 
so I got my gun out, and any cats found 
stalking birds on my premises were shot. 
But I might about as well have slain 
the neighbors’ children, as the women 
made a great ado, and everyone was sure 
her cat never caught birds. To avoid 
trouble I devised a box trap so arranged 
that a sponge soaked with chloroform 
can be put in a small receptacle in front 
and the door tightly closed. This trap 
baited with fish heads and set in the 
shrubbery was quite successful. I now 
have 19 of the finest rosebushes in this 
locality. The neighbors admire them and 
ask what I have done to get such a re¬ 
markable growth, but I merely tell them 
that it is a secret which I cannot give 
away.” 
A Pumpkin that Canned Itself. 
The pumpkin in picture was grown on 
a plot of ground back of the home of Jess 
Estep in Pennsylvania. Bast Spring Mr. 
Estep planted some pumpkin seeds at the 
rear end of this plot of ground where 
many weeds grow and old rubbish is 
thrown out of the way. A few days ago 
he was searching the vines to see how 
many pumpkins wei-e on same when he 
discovered this pumpkin that had taken 
up its abode in an old tin bucket. The 
pumpkin has grown down into the bucket 
until it has filled the inside, and so 
A Self-canned Pumpkin. 
tightly is it wedged in the bucket 
that it could not be dislodged without 
smashing the vegetable. The pumpkin 
just as it grew in the bucket is on ex¬ 
hibition in a store window at the present 
time. e. E. c. 
Lewistown, Pa. 
How to Raise Mocking Birds. 
When I was a child I helped my sis¬ 
ter raise quite a few mocking birds suc¬ 
cessfully. Perhaps our experience may 
help others. When the birds were first 
taken from the nest we fed them bread 
dipped in milk and occasionally a little 
sand. If we found a soft grasshopper 
this was offered them sometimes. We also 
made a stock food that we kept sealed 
in a glass jar and mixed with their other 
food from day to day. AA r e took one-half 
cup of pure -hemp seed and rolled it per¬ 
fectly smooth, and then mixed it with 
12 crackers rolled smooth. Every day 
it was divided in pieces and fed a little 
at a time. As the birds grew older we 
we would take some of this feed and mix 
it with the yolk of a hard-boiled egg 
and feed it to the birds or let them pick 
at it. We also fed them fresh beef or 
chicken chopped in pieces not larger than 
a pea. This was fed not oftener than 
twice a day. Small grasshoppers, lettuce 
leaves and pure water frequently w’ere 
offered them. AVe kept a rusty nail in 
their drinking cup always, and never let 
their cage hang in a draft. To vary their 
diet we mashed a boiled potato with 
their hard-boiled egg. Keep the cage 
clean and sharp sand on the floor all 
the time. When fully feathered give them 
a bath-tub with water with the chill 
taken off. anna s. baker. 
Kansas. 
Good Words 
The II. N.-Y. is our favorite farm pa¬ 
per. Most of its articles are not only 
readable but also useful and practical 
and we cannot say that of the majority of 
farm publications. AA’e enjoy your 
Monthly Special very much. 
Oregon. mrs. geo. siieppard. 
* 
I was a farmer till 21 years of age, 
and have never lost my interest in the 
good work. At present I am pastor of 
one of the largest churches in the Middle 
AVest, and have a few of the largest 
farmers and stockmen in my audience. I 
find that your paper is even a help to me 
in the ministry. 
REV. L. A. PICKETT. 
AA'aukesha, Wis. 
* 
AVhile I am not in any sense a farm¬ 
er’s wife I enjoy your paper very much. 
1 think it was last Summer you pub¬ 
lished a formula for canning corn and 
other vegetables which I have found to 
be almost invaluable. It seems to me 
this alone was worth many times the 
price of your paper. 
MRS. C. G. FRENCH. 
* 
If I could only have one farm paper 
I would say Tiie R. N.-Y., as I think 
you are giving the farmer the square 
deal, in the way you handle your adver¬ 
tising and the help you give outside of 
the paper. I take four farm papers and 
they are all good. J. C. M. 
Uuionville, Pa. 
* 
This is the first time I have ever writ¬ 
ten for a paper, quite likely the last, but 
I feel that I should not be doing right if 
I delayed any longer in adding my word 
of praise for The R. N.-Y. AVe have 
taken this paper nearly 15 years, and it 
has surely and steadily improved every 
week. May its size and quality never 
grow less. mart a. nix. 
Massachusetts. 
* 
In renewing my subscription for an¬ 
other year I cannot refrain from saying 
that although I am a butcher and not a 
farmer I take great pleasure in reading 
your paper, for no one has to have any 
doubt where you stand on any question, 
and this is an age when we like to see 
backbone and common sense displayed. 
You certainly have both. 
* Connecticut. J. II. wiiitcomb. 
* 
You stated in one of your letters that 
it depended upon renewals as to whether 
your efforts in the past year had been 
successful or not. But in my case it was 
not, for there have been single issues 
that were worth the price of the paper 
for a year, but owing to conditions that 
would not interest you it was impossible 
for me to send mine. 8. G. P. 
New York. 
* 
It has been on my mind to write you 
for some time, to express my apprecia¬ 
tion of The R. N.-Y. My recreation, 
when I can get a little leisure from the 
serious business of editing Sabbath-school 
lesson literature, is to read your weekly 
issues. I appreciate especially the stand 
you are taking for the farmer against 
everybody that tries to take an unfair 
advantage of him. 
rev. r. a. lapsley, d. d. 
Virginia. 
* 
I am taking several farm papers, but 
consider The R. N.-Y. the regular one; 
as to the others, I don’t care particularly 
whether I have them or not, but I do cer¬ 
tainly get a great deal from The R. N.- 
Y. I thank .you for giving so much for so 
small a price. I enjoy especially the 
“Hope Farm Notes,” but would feel more 
akin to the author if he ever exhibited 
any evidence of human weakness or 
faults. To my mind he seems buttressed 
about by a never-failing composure or 
philosophy and everything seems to come 
his way. I wish I was more that way. 
New York. i>. e. b. 
R. N.-Y.—A’ery likely the Hope Farm 
man’s wife could write an interesting 
commentary on this! 
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The Rural New-York¬ 
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and uplifting influence in 
your community where 
it circulates. For the 
good of your neighbor¬ 
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should make known to 
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