VOL. XXVI
(-•.
>*■/
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., OCT. 24,1891.
NO. 43
■rrtrh
Wrltten for the Indiana Farmer.
Fairs Notes.
BY IiUIiA DAVIDSON WAUOH.
Though the fair seas*>n is nearly over
and the progressive farmer has attended
one or more, accompanied by his family, a few general notes gleaned from various sources may not be amiss.
The attendance at many has been phenomenal, owing probably to the good
wheat crop and prosperous season.
The exhibits as a'rule have been superior
to any heretofore given, especially in hor-
' tlcultural and floral departments. The
cultivation of flowers by amateurs seems
to be largely on the increase, a fact
which should be noted with pride since
their influence searches far and wide. No
one ever entertained an impure thought
or, planned an unworthy action while
working in their culture. What man
does not recall with reverent pleasure his
mother's bed of garden pinks, the sweet
white rose by the lattice, or the lily of the
door? No man, woman or child can come
in contact with such natural beauty and
not feel enobled by the asscciation. Many
women have learned the pleasure of cultivating specialties and make large collections of begoniai), f uchias or roses.
With limited space and accom mc d irion this
plan is especially good, as they may choose
what best suits the conditions.
Oar Agricultural S jciety (Montgomery
county) is as generous as the average with
II _ r_l premiums, and the advance in this
was noticeable at our recent fair. We advise ail societies to recognize floriculture
in a substantial way and give sufficient
space for exhibits. Vou will then have
an attraction second to none, which will
pay for itself in many ways.
The show of flowers and fruit at the
State Fair was fine though the hot weather
and dust detracted somewhat from its appearance. Vegetables were there in tempting profusion—we were about to say
beuatiful—though some people can't appreciate silvery-skinned onions, crimson
beets and rosy radishes, to say nothing of
delicate celery and feathery parsley.
Many societies report an increase of entries in the Art Department, notably, the
State Fair.. The work in some instances
was not up to the usual standard, but the
increase shows a healthy ambition if some
of the results are crude. Competition of
this kind is a spur to strengthen the efforts towards quality. The ranks of ama*
tours are rapidly filling, and it cannot be
expected that only the best work shall be
shown.
Water colors begin to get the appreciation they desire, by people who have heretofore devoted themselves to oil alone.
In fancy work there were fewer novelties than usual at the State Fair, and this
fair may be taken as a point from which to
measure our judgment of others. The
character of the work would rate as good,
and no surprise need be manifest at a
shortage of new work, for it sometimes
seems impossible that anything new be
devised, either in article or kinds of work.
As embroideries appear under new names
we can trace their relationship to work
centuries old, from various countries, both
in stitch and design. The needle-women
of to-day are elaborating ideas gleaned
from details of old work, until some
especially beautiful pieces may boast a
"family tree," antedating - the bluest
blood of foreign aristocracy. On linens
and for various decorations pure white
seems to be the prime favorite and fad of
the time, and there can be no surer evidence of the advance of artistic ideas.
Knitting and crochet work seems to be'
gradually finding its truo sphere and does
not weary us by its presence In incongruous places.   01 its intricacy and beauty,
there can be no doubt but that it has been
'abused,* there is also no denial.
Under "Miscellaneous" are found the
acme of taste and the vagary of f ancy. In
most Instances these articles have some
claims toward beauty and utility.
We have been pleased to learn of the old
ladies' department being on the increase.
Interesting and fascinating work for beloved hands which have laid down life's
active cares, is a powerful assistant in the
art of growing old gracefully. There can
be no more charming sight than the
snowy haired grandmother fashioning
delicate and useful articles by her cosy
fire. While her needle flies fast she lives
over again 'the joys and sorrows of her
life and weaves with her thread good
wishes and silent prayers for the little ones
clustered around her knee.
Children too, are pushing to the front
with work that often rivals the skill of
the older sistors. Fair associations can't
easily afiord to stint the sum set apart for
the children.
Table luxuries increase with every year
among people who appreciate the art of
cooking, and we wish all women who
cater to the palates of men would learn
that nothing is worth doing if not done
well. Pretty dishes means a great deal,
i. e., anything can look appetizing, or the
opposite, according to the care given its
preparation. No "Lord of creation," however stoical or common place, but appreciates a neat table and good-looking food.
If it looks good the taste will not be disappointed.
"There is quite a craze now for home
made confectionery and we. with a "sweet
tooth" hope it will "stick" to popular favor.
"A prime attraction at State Fair was
the magnificent show made by one of the
leading Dry Goods stores of the city.
They had five rooms furnished in modern
style and displayed many handsome and
unique pieces. This attraction alone
added not a little to the success of the
fair.
We hear a few chronic cases who rate
fairs as "flat, stale and unprofitable'' but
where proper care is taken with premium
lists and general management the receipts increase yearly. This does not indicate a decadence ot the county or district fairs, and we believe they do an excellent work. Tbey afford an interesting
place of amusement, besides furnishing a
great deal of information in the lines they
seek to encourage. -
Do the Farmers Need More Legislation?
Editors Indiana Farmer:
This is getting to be a serious question.
While the last Legislature was in session,
for many weeks these columns were filled
with letters advocating many theories that
ought to be enacted into laws to help the
farmer. Thus far it is safe to say that
none of them were feasible, or else they
would have boen placed in the statutes of
the State. No law can be passed that will
make one man prosperous and keep that
right from another. Such a law would be
unconstitutional. All that^a farmer needs to
make him prosper is to have something to
sell. No law can be passed that will fertilize farms, cultivate them and market
the produce. This is all it takes to make
a prosperous farmer and he must do it himself. We often hear of those who have
fallen behind, who are sick and in debt.
These are the ones who cry loudest for
help from the Legislature. The only way
in which this class can be reached by legislation is to pass a law, if it can be done,
giving them a pension out of the State
Treasury and put them on the list of those
who cannot take care of themselves. We
hear so much from some of the farming
class about the great expenses through the
oounty offices—unnecessary expenses that
the farmer must stand. Let us puncture
this eye sore and see what there is in it.
The greatest drain upon the county treas
ury is for the building of bridges and caring for the poor. These obligations rest
upon the county commissioners. Let us
take this county as an example. The
The great expense of building bridges is
made necessary by the demands of the
farming class. True, this is for the public
good, but it Is asked for by the farmers
and not objected to by any other class of
tax payers. Fjr sixty years in this oounty
the commissioners have been almost exclusively from the farming class, and all
the other offices have been about equally
divided between the farmer and other
classes—if any difference, the farmers have
had the advantage in numbers. The only
two that mismanaged the affairs and came
out defaulters were farmers, and they cost
the county more than all the balance. It
is often the case that a few farmers want a
bridge in their neigborhocd, and the farmer
commissioners are asked to build it out of
the public funds. In fact It would sometimes be cheaper to buy these few farmers
farms near a bridge already built, but they
voted for the commissioners and theymust
have their pay, so the bridge goes up and
all classes are taxed to pay for it. Has tbe
farmer any real grounds upon which to
grumble at tbis expense? We have a
bridge in this county built at a cost of several thousand dollars, asked for by farmors, granted by farmer commissioners and
paid for by all the public, and to-day the
dog fennel has closed both ends ol it and
turtless bask on its sunny floor. Who is
responsible for this useless expense?
We also hear so much about adulterated
food that lessens the demand for the
genuine article produced by the farmer,
and a law is asked to stop it. It is sometimes laughable to see an old man looking
for his spectacles, or asking some one to
find them for him while they are only
pushed back on the top of his head, but it
is no more laughable than this cry about
adulterated food. We now have all the
laws necessary to stop such frauds on the
public, and it would be a benefit for those
who complain of this fraud to name those
who are guilty of it and have them indicted and fined. The fine reaches all the
way from $10 to 5500 with imprisonment.
Liyirg aside this preventative, it is the
farmer's own fault if he cannot produce a
better article than the adulterated one.
Oleomargarine must be manufactured,
branded and sold as such, and if the people would rather have it than the farmer's
butter, whose fault is it? The most successful farmers have made their money
out of cattle, sheep, hogs and grain. They
never lived in fear of being driven out of
the market by an adulterated steer or
horse. The very few things that are
adulterated and cast upon the market are
not a drop in the sea compared with what
the successful farmer makes the greater
part of his income out of. Perhaps vinegar,
butter and lard are all that are adulerated
to any extent, and if they| were_not, few
farmers would make them leading staples,
on the farm.
We also hear a great deal said about the
exorbitant rate of interest on money that
the farmer has to pay. Interest on money like everything the
farmer has Is governed by the law of supply and demand. If the demand for
money makes the market price worth six
per cent, how is anyone going to change
it? If the farmer is honest he should pay
the capitalist the market price for his
money for the same reason that he asks
the capitalist to pay him the market price
of wood or corn. Of course the objection
to paying six per cent interest grew out
of the sub-treasury scheme of borrowing
from the Government at two per cent.
Of all the wild schemes for helping the
farmer, this is the wildest. Those who
ask,it seem to forget that the Government
is now paying four per cent on borrowed
capital itself; that is in fact a pauper, and
has nothing but what it gets from the people. Another thing is.forgotten, that we
have a school fund that must be loaned at
six per cent. If the farmers are supplied
with all they want fromjthe general Government at two per cent, what will become of the $10,000,000 school fund in this
state and the schools that are kept up
with the interest of tbe same? Laws are
gocd things to have in a civilized country,
but some people are a Uttle over sanguine
in getting them, asking for some that we
cannot get and asking for some we already have.
A law that will help a great many
farmers in this country will be one that
will compel them to manage their farms
after a proper system; to think more of
what they are going to do rather than
think of how to get somebody to help
them do it; to set out more fruit and have
less waste ground; to study how to drain
their farms instead of the public treasury ;to
keep their fence rows six feet wide instead
of 20, and to keep their machinery iu the
barn duri.g the winter instead of in the
field. I venture to say that if all the
farmera in this country had a great sur
plus of farm produce and stock to self
there would be found none who would
have cause to grumble, except those who
were born to complain. D. K.
Montgomery county.
A Useful Device.
"Editors Indiana Farmer:
I have used a simple home made device
for several years for drawing up corn
shocks to tie. Take a board 12 to 10 inches
long and a foot wide, nail on a piece two
inches wide across near each end; then a
shorter board on to these two-inch pieces.
Bore an inch a. da half hole through the
middle of both boards. Take a smooth
piece of wood, four or five feet long; shave
It down so as to make a spindle, that will
fit the hole in the board, so thatit can be
run through the board until within six
inches of the larger end. Leave the large
end three inches in diameter, bore an
inch hole through it and put a round
through it like an auger hanlle. Fasten a
half inch rope to large piece of the spindle
and it is ready for use. To bind the shock
thrust the spindle into the shock and carry
the end of the rope around the shock and
bring it back to the end of the handle,
pass it under the rope; then turn the handle
until the rope winds around the spindle
till it is tight as wanted. Tie with a strong
twine, and your shock will stand as long
as wanted. It does not twist the shock.
If one is using it by himself he can keep
it from unwinding by boring a small hole*
through the boards and thrusting in a
small rod or stick long enough to reach the
handle. d. m. A.
Rome, Kans.
Ricking Corn Fodder.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Whild traveling over the J. M. & I. B.B.
last winter, I noticed large ricks of corn
fodder on many farms. Will the Fabmeb
or some of its readers tell how they are put
np? R.D. H.
Sullivan county.
'—We have noticed the ricks you speak
of, and some years ago we enquired about
them of one of our readers who adopted
the plan. We gave an account of them In
the Farmeb at the time, but have forgotten the year and month, and cannot take
time to hunt it up. Our recollection is
that after piling the fodder up in bundles
to a height of six feet, they build a rick
upon the top, resting the buts upon the
pile, and binding the tops together with
poles or rails tied on with strings. They
usually build the ricks on the north, west
and east sides of the cattle yard, so as to
be a shelter from wind storms, and at the
same time be convenient for feeding  ou