1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
801 
STIRRED  UP  BY  EDWARD  F.  DIBBLE. 
A  New  Set  of  “  Demanders.” 
A  short  time  ago  a  fairly  intelligent  man  who  lives 
in  town  and  works  at  a  trade  said  to  me  :  “  These 
farmers  around  here  are  iust  as  overbearing  and 
grasping  as  the  railroad  companies  and  trusts.  Yes¬ 
terday  I  asked  that  ragged  S.  to  bring  me  in  a  load  of 
corn,  and  he  said  he  wouldn't  do  it  at  present  prices. 
I  asked  him  how  much  he  wanted  for  his  corn,  and  he 
said  10  cents  a  bushel  more  than  they  are  now  offering 
at  the  elevator !  He  said  that  was  his  price,  and  he 
was  going  to  hang  on  to  his  corn  till  he  got  it.  I  tell 
you  the  government  ought  to  control  the  farms  of  this 
country  and  manage  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole 
people.  It  could  then  compel  these  hayseeds  to  sell 
their  grain  at  a  reasonable  price  to  any  person  that 
wanted  to  buy.  Affairs  have  reached  a  pretty  state 
when  farmers  are  so  independent  and  avaricious  that 
they  won’t  sell  me  feed  for  my  cow  and  pigs  when  I 
offer  them  the  market  price  for  it.  The  fact  is,  the 
government  ought  to  own  all  the  land  and  rent  it  in 
small  lots,  50  cents  or  so  per  acre,  to  anybody  that  will 
work  it !  Then  I  could  raise  my  own  feed.  Nobody 
should  be  allowed  an  exclusive  right  to  the  soil.  It 
should  belong  to  the  government  and  be  managed  for 
the  best  interests  of  all  the  people  !  ” 
Three  more  workingmen  who  were  standing  by  said 
there  was  “  good,  sound  sense  in  that ,  and  if  any  party 
would  put  a  plank  in  its  platform  embodying  that  idea, 
that  party  would  get  the  vote  of  every  fair-minded 
workingman  in  the  country.” 
I  asked  the  spokesman  if  he  didn’t  think  that  this  is 
a  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the 
people.  “  No,  sir  !  ”  said  he,  “  this  is  a  government  of 
the  rich,  by  the  rich  and  for  the  rich  !  These  big  com¬ 
panies,  trusts,  syndicates,  capitalists  and  land  owners 
have  us  poor  workingmen  down,  and  they  intend  to 
keep  us  down  as  long  as  they  can.  But  I  tell  you  we’ll 
rise  up  and  surprise  them  one  of  these  fine  days ! 
We’ll  show  them  who  owns  the  soil  and  who  runs  this 
country  !  We’ll  show  some  of  you  fellows  that  we  have 
rights,  and  that  we  know  what  they  are  !  ” 
Allow  me  to  refer  the  above  sentiments  to  Brother 
Dibble  &  Co.  Is  it  possible  that  the  bitter,  irrational 
abuse  and  calumny  heaped  indiscriminately  upon  rail¬ 
road  companies,  manufacturers,  and  men  who  have 
saved  their  earnings  until  they  are  accounted  wealthy 
by  ‘  calamity  howlers  ”  and  their  ilk,  are  leavening  the 
whole  mass  in  a  manner  not  counted  on?  Will  the 
workingman  take  up  the  howl  and  add  new  “  de¬ 
mands  ”  to  it,  until  we  have  anarchy  rampant  in  this 
country  ? 
The  howlers  have  “  demanded”  government  control 
of  railroads,  telegraphs,  etc.,  etc.,  until  they  have 
started  other  powerful  and  influential  classes  into  the 
“  demanding  ”  business.  Won’t  it  be  a  little  rough  on 
Brother  Dibble  et  al.,  if  they  should  some  day  discover 
that  they  have  started  a  conflagration  which  will  get 
so  far  beyond  their  control  that  they  themselves  will 
be  cremated  in  it  ?  fred.  grundy. 
Christian  County,  Ill. 
Payment  of  a  Canadian  Mortgage. 
Mr.  Dibble’s  logic,  as  exemplified  in  a  late  Rural, 
reminds  me  of  an  interview  said  to  have  taken  place 
between  two  farmers.  One  remarked  on  the  bountiful 
harvest  and  expressed  thankfulness  thereat.  The 
reply  was  : 
“  Yes,  but  heavy  crops  are  hard  on  the  land.” 
The  success  of  T.  B.  Terry  should,  I  think,  be  con¬ 
clusive.  If  the  farmers  of  the  United  States  were  for¬ 
tunate  enough  to  average  25  bushels  of  wheat  to  the 
acre,  it  would  not  at  all  be  likely  that  other  countries 
would  be  so  fortunate,  and  a  ready  sale  would  be 
obtained  for  the  surplus.  History  has  never  recorded 
a  large  universal  crop  of  any  product  the  same  year. 
I  think  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  very  large  pro¬ 
portion  of  mortgages  in  the  United  States  as  well  as 
in  Canada,  are  the  result  of  undue  haste  to  build  a 
brick  house,  forsooth,  or  drive  a  comfortable  carriage 
with  other  appointments  in  keeping.  To  borrow 
money  on  mortgage  or  otherwise  for  necessary  im¬ 
provements,  such  as  power,  barns,  drainage,  fencing, 
or  implements,  carefully  expending  it,  is  often  a  wise 
procedure  ;  because  these  all  tend  to  make  and  save 
the  crop.  I  never  knew  a  farmer  who  mortgaged  his 
farm  to  build  a  barn  and  who  contented  himself  with 
the  old  house  for  a  time,  fail  to  succeed.  I  cite  a 
case. 
A  neighbor  six  years  ago  bought  110  acres  of  land, 
on  which  he  had  been  a  tenant  for  a  few  years,  for 
88,000.  He  paid  from  his  savings  83,000  down  and 
gave  a  mortgage  at  six  per  cent  for  the  rest.  Many 
would  have  built  when  the  mortgage  had  been  re¬ 
duced;  instead  he  put  a  new  roof  on  the  house  and 
painted  the  same — to-day  the  mortgage  is  paid  off 
entirely  ;  a  large  barn  has  been  reboarded  and  a  stone 
foundation  has  been  put  underneath  for  stabling. 
Other  barn  improvements  have  also  been  made — all 
accomplished  by  ordinary  farming.  There  have  been 
no  specialties,  but  the  work  has  been  thoroughly  and 
well  done.  From  16  to  25  well-selected  cows  have 
been  the  backbone  of  his  success.  The  milk  he  has 
sent  to  a  cheese  factory,  netting  from  eight  to  nine 
cents  a  gallon.  We  are  living  in  a  fast  age  and  the 
man  who  mortgages  to  keep  pace  with  the  rest,  will 
almost  surely  come  to  grief  sooner  or  later.  The  care¬ 
ful,  prudent  and  thorough  farmer  very  rarely  fails. 
Ontario,  Canada.  w.  c.  johnston. 
We  Must  Become  Angels. 
It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  reason  with  a  man  like  Mr. 
Dibble,  who  on  page  739  says  if  silver  is  restored  to  a 
parity  with  gold,  and  if  all  the  world  is  opened  to  our 
products,  and  a  free  ballot  and  a  fair  count  are  secured, 
farming  will  be  all  that  can  be  desired.  Why  does 
not  Mr.  Dibble  add  to  his  requirements  one  making 
angels  of  us  all,  and  another  to  turn  the  world  back¬ 
ward  in  its  course  around  the  sun.  It  would  be  no 
more  difficut  to  do  these  things  than  those  he  asks  for. 
How  can  any  nation,  or  the  whole  world,  make  silver 
that  is  now  produced  for  12  cents  a  pound  by  some  of 
the  Colorado  mines,  worth  the  same  parity  of  value 
as  formerly  with  gold,  that  costs  more  to  mine  than  it  is 
sold  for  by  the  majority  of  those  engaged  in  the  busi¬ 
ness.  Gold  is  dearer  than  ever  as  gauged  by  wheat, 
and  silver  is  cheaper  than  ever.  How  is  all  the  world 
to  be  opened  to  our  products?  By  our  fleet  and 
armies  ?  Can  we  prevent  other  nations  from  buying 
where  they  please,  or  taxing  our  products  for  revenue 
or  protection  as  we  are  taxing  those  of  other  nations? 
How  will  he  collect  the  income  of  any  income  tax, 
except  by  making  all  of  us  angels,  or  honest,  which  is 
the  same  thing  ?  And  what  is  the  matter  with  the 
ballot  and  the  count  made  on  November  8th,  1892  ?  In 
this  respect  we  beat  the  rest  of  the  world  anyhow,  and 
while  improvement  might  be  made  if  we  could  be 
changed  into  angels,  as  it  is  there  does  not  seem  so 
much  to  complain  of  considering  what  weak  mortals 
we  all  are.  Mr.  Dibble’s  great  ability  as  he  judges  of  it 
for  himself,  does  not  seem  to  lie  in  the  way  of  states¬ 
manship  so  much  as  in  farming.  henry  stewart. 
THE  FENCE  QUESTION  SETTLED  HERE. 
The  fence  problem  is  one  that  has  puzzled  the 
farmer  for  a  long  time,  and  much  ingenuity  has  been 
displayed  in  devices  for  making  wire  and  slat  fences. 
Most  of  the  fences  now  being  put  up  here  are  a  great 
improvement  upon  the  old  rail  or  board  kinds,  which  I 
believe  were  quite  wasteful.  The  slat  fences  were  a 
favorite  here  till  the  various  woven  wire  fences  were 
introduced.  When  a  person  buys  real  estate  he  takes 
precaution  to  know  that  he  will  own  it  not  only  10  or 
12  years,  but  always.  If  we  make  a  fence  why  not 
use  the  same  judgment,  provided,  of  course,  it  is  good 
while  it  lasts,  and  cheap. 
The  life  of  a  wood  fence,  or  a  part  wood  fence,  is 
only  the  life  of  the  wood  composing  it.  The  Page,  58- 
inch  fence  (10  wires  black)  costs  but  little  more  than 
a  board  fence  ;  and  will  last  four  times  as  long,  pro¬ 
vided  fire  does  not  burn  in  the  grass  and  take  the 
temper  out  of  the  wires,  as  on  the  temper  depends  the 
value  of  the  fence.  There  is  another  fence  which  was 
introduced  here  this  season.  It  is  the  Ryder,  and  is 
made  right  on  the  ground,  and  we  are  not  obliged  to 
pay  100  per  cent  or  more  to  manufacturers.  Any 
farmer  who  can  build  a  board  fence  can  build  it ;  or 
he  can  get  the  company  to  put  it  up  for  55  cents  per 
rod  for  a  10-wire,  annealed,  galvanized,  five-foot  fence. 
If  a  farmer  makes  it  himself,  it  costs,  including  his 
labor,  about  35  cents  per  rod.  Then  it  requires  on 
smooth  ground  only  one  post  in  four  rods,  and  I  doubt 
if  any  other  fence  can  be  satisfactorily  made  with  so 
few  posts — certainly  not  a  fence  loaded  down  with  200 
or  300  pounds  of  slats  between  the  posts  ;  first,  because 
of  their  weight,  and,  second,  because  they  will  catch 
the  wind.  The  regulation  Ryder  fence  has  perpen¬ 
dicular  wires,  or  stays,  every  four  feet,  or  four  to  the 
rod.  The  stays  are  made  of  two  wires  twisted  together, 
around  each  other,  with  eyes  spaced  for  the  wires. 
The  top  and  bottom  wires  are  stapled  loosely  on  the 
posts,  then  the  stays  are  fastened  rigidly  to  them,  and 
the  rest  of  the  wires  are  strung,  or  threaded  through 
the  eyes  in  the  stays,  and  stapled  loosely  to  the  posts. 
One  of  the  end  posts  has  holes  bored  through  it  to  cor¬ 
respond  with  the  holes  in  the  stays,  and  the  outside  of 
the  post  is  faced  so  that  a  tightener  for  each  wire  may 
be  set  against  it,  and  it  can  be  tightened  or  slackened 
with  a  wrench  at  will.  A  good  man  will  make  stays 
for  80  to  100  rods  per  day,  and  the  machine  for  making 
them  costs  810. 
A  great  trouble  with  most  wire  fences,  and  particu¬ 
larly  with  slat  fences,  is  that,  when  a  wire  breaks,  it 
is  a  big  job  to  repair  it.  With  this  fence,  one  slackens 
the  wire,  splices  it,  and  draws  it  up  again.  The  mate¬ 
rial  for  the  Ryder  fence,  as  here  described,  costs  from 
25  to  29  cents  per  rod  besides  posts,  but  including  the 
10  tighteners  for  each  string  of  fence.  These  consist 
of  60  separate  castings.  I  built  over  500  rods  of  this 
fence,  and  have  run  colts,  sheep,  lambs  and  cattle 
against  it,  and  it  has  given  perfect  satisfaction.  I  be¬ 
lieve  this  is  the  fence  of  the  future ;  first,  because  it 
can  be  made  on  the  farm  as  cheaply  as  in  a  factory  ; 
second,  because  it  can  be  built  by  paying  to  the  pat¬ 
entees  a  nominal  fee  for  the  right,  and,  third,  be 
cause  it  is  a  superior  fence.  A.  e.  b. 
South  Haven,  Mich. 
*  *  * 
Boys  vs.  Chinese. — California  grape  growers  are 
often  bothered  to  secure  good  pickers.  The  Chinese 
and  Japanese  have  usually  done  this  work  in  the  past, 
but  now  there  is  so  much  objection  to  this  class  of 
labor  that  white  labor  is  in  active  demand.  We  are 
told  how  one  grower  resorted  to  what  he  calls  boy- 
power  to  pick  his  grapes.  He  went  to  San  Francisco 
and  secured  a  large  force  of  boys  from  13  to  18  years 
of  age.  The  report  states  : 
A  novel  but  satisfactory  system  of  compensation  was  arranged,  each 
boy  being  given  as  many  dollars  monthly  as  he  was  years  old.  Tho 
13-year-old  boy  received  $13,  and  the  18-year  old  boy  $18,  and  so  on.  To 
each  boy  an  abundant  supply  of  plain,  well-cooked  food  was  furnished 
free  of  charge.  In  addition,  prizes  of  shoes,  trousers  and  other  articles 
of  clothing  were  given  regularly  to  the  18  boys  out  of  80  employed  who 
gathered  the  highest  number  of  trays  above  80  every  two  days.  These 
prizes  proved  a  great  stimulus  to  the  efforts  of  the  boys,  and  there  was 
much  rivalry  for  the  rewards  of  Industry.  It  was  found  that  under  this 
system  these  San  Francisco  boys  accomplished  more  and  better  work 
than  either  tho  Chinese  or  Japanese. 
Strict  discipline  was  enforced,  there  being  regular  hours  for  each 
portion  of  the  day’s  duties,  and  obedience  to  the  tap  of  tho  boll  was 
required.  No  drinking,  cigarette  smoking  or  card  playing  was  allowed, 
and,  as  a  result,  the  boys  all  sent  the  bulk  of  their  earnings  home  to 
their  parents. 
This  ought  to  settle  the  labor  question  and  go  far 
toward  settling  the  city  boy  question  too. 
BUSINESS  BITS. 
TnE  picture  showing  one  effect  of  tile  drainage  on  Mr.  Chamber¬ 
lain's  farm  Is  taken  from  his  little  book  on  Tile  Drainage,  published 
by  A.  I.  Root,  Medina,  Ohio,  who  kindly  loaned  us  the  cut.  This  little 
book  Is  an  excellent  description  of  Mr.  Chamberlain's  great  success 
with  tile  drainage.  It  Is  about  the  best  work  on  the  subject  now  In 
print. 
A.  G.  Tuttle,  of  Baraboo,  Wls  ,  says  he  has  learned  these  things 
after  40  rears’  experience  In  a  “  cold  country:  ” 
The  best  grounds  for  orchard  planting  are  the  elevated,  well  drained 
clay  lands. 
We  should  plant  nothing  less  hardy  than  the  Duchess  of  Oldenburg. 
Trees  should  bo  trained  with  bodies  from  four  to  six  feet,  accord¬ 
ing  as  their  manner  of  growth  Is  upright  or  spreading. 
The  bodies  of  the  trees  should  be  protected  from  the  summer  sun. 
The  orchard  should  be  cultivated  In  some  hoed-crop;  neither  mer¬ 
chantable  fruit  nor  healthy  trees  can  be  grown  with  trees  long  In  sod. 
TnE  latest  reports  of  the  Income  from  tho  horse  show  recently  held 
In  Madison  Square  Garden,  New  York,  puts  the  total  receipts  at  $174,- 
000,  and  the  aggregate  expenses  at  $73,.r>00,  leaving  a  net  profit  of  $101,- 
5001  Are  not  these  figures  enough  to  make  the  mouths  of  the  managers 
of  ordinary  agricultural  shows,  water  ?  Nothing  but  horses,  swells, 
dudes  and  dudines  was  on  exhibition,  too.  The  promoters  of  this 
exhibition  have  made  an  excellent  profit.  They  are  all  wealthy 
of  course.  Isn’t  It  another  exemplification  of  the  truth  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tural  saying  that  to  him  who  hath  more  shall  be  added  ? 
How  did  the  word  “bay”  ever  come  to  be  used  In  connection  with 
the  color  of  a  horse?  It  Is  not  used  In  that  sense  for  any  other  objects. 
It  Is  said  to  have  been  first  applied  to  a  breed  of  horses  too  light  to  bo 
called  brown  and  too  brown  to  be  called  red.  These  horses  were 
found  In  a  district  in  England  noted  for  Its  bay  trees,  for  the  leaves  of 
which  they  showed  a  great  liking.  Every  breeder  of  horses  In  that 
locality  relied  upon  these  trees  for  the  medicine  with  which  to  cure 
his  diseased  animals.  The  horses  coming  from  this  district  became 
known  as  bay  horses  and  their  uniformity  In  color  led  to  tho  common 
use  of  the  term. 
Tue  Bouden  Automatic  Cream  Separator  offered  in  our  special 
premium  number  for  a  “  first  ”  club  of  50  subscribers,  is  a  four-can 
cabinet  creamery  with  a  capacity  of  20  gallons.  The  cut  shown  In  the 
premium  offer  Illustrates  one  of  the  cans  only.  The  float  shown  In  the 
cut  rises  In  the  can  as  the  cream  separates  from  the  milk  and  marks 
the  line  of  separation.  As  the  milk  Is  drawn  from  the  can,  the  float, 
or,  as  It  Is  called,  the  separator,  descends  and  automatically  closes 
the  can  before  the  cream  can  escape,  but  not  until  ihe  milk  has  all 
passed  through.  The  bottom  of  the  can  Is  so  constructed  that  the 
sklm-mllk  carries  away  any  sediment  that  may  settle  In  the  can. 
“The  Curtis  Steel  Roofing  Co  ,  of  Niles,  O.,  has  just  added  to  Its 
plant  a  10-foot  corrugating  machine  with  V  crimp  and  weather-board 
dies,  and  Is  prepared  to  furnish.  In  addition  to  its  standard  seam  roof¬ 
ing,  corrugated  and  V  crimp  roofing  and  siding  and  weather-board 
siding.  The  machine  Is  just  new  from  the  manufacturers,  and  the 
very  best  work  Is  being  turned  out  by  It.  The  company  is  now  filling 
a  10-ton  order  for  heavy  corrugated  Iron,  painted  with  Its  graphite 
paint,  for  the  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co.,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  Graphite 
paint  for  metals  Is  becoming  very  popular,  as  It  Is  being  recognized 
more  and  more  as  the  best  and  most  lasting  paint  known.” 
The  Mark  Lane  Express  has  this  significant  note:  “Tho  farmers  of 
Suffolk  have  formed  themselves  Into  a  Farmers'  Defense  Association, 
mainly  with  a  view  to  mutual  assistance  during  strikes.  Notice  has 
been  given  on  most  of  the  farms  that  this  week  tho  wages  of  adult 
laborers  will  be  reduced  from  12s.  to  11s.  per  week.  As  a  consequence, 
strikes  are  anticipated  In  several  districts.”  It  Is  coming  to  that  then? 
About  the  most  effective  argument  used  with  workingmen  In  the  recent 
campaign  was  this:  “A  lower  tariff  will  make  what  you  buy  cheaper 
and  your  labor  unions  can  keep  your  wages  up  anyway.”  There  will 
be  lively  times  before  this  question  Is  settled. 
Many  business  houses  now  send  out  literature  primarily  Intended, 
of  course,  to  advertise  their  own  goods,  but  which  nevertheless  contains 
very  valuable  Information  In  general  on  the  goods  which  they  manufac¬ 
ture  or  sell.  The  subjects  are  usually  treated  so  that  the  Information  will 
apply  to  other  makes  of  goods  as  well  as  to  their  own,  but,  of  course, 
each  individual  firm  presents  special  claims  for  Its  own  goods.  Home 
Health  Hints  Is  a  little  booklet  published  by  Scott  &  Bowne,  132 
South  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  with  the  evident  object  of  advertising 
Scott’s  Emulsion  of  Cod  Liver  Oil,  but  it  contains  many  valuable 
hints  and  suggestions  for  physical  culture.  The  information  In  regard 
to  Scott’s  Emulsion  Is  no  less  noteworthy,  as  It  Is  a  most  valuable  and 
often  essential  form  of  food  for  persons  subject  to  frequent  colds  or 
showing  other  Indications  of  constitutional  weakness. 
