Don’t  Pay  Freight  on  Water 
Spray  with 
Niagara  Soluble  Sulphur  Compound 
February  12,  l'Jlfi, 
not  the  "two  blades  of  grass”  theory  that 
I'  object  to,  but  I  do  protest  against  the 
foolish  and  prejudiced  advice  to  double 
the  nation's  crop  of  all  food  produce. 
I  never  saw  a  farmer  who  makes  his 
living  on  a  farm  who  advocated  any 
such  plan,  yet.  that,  I  understand,  is 
what  this  minister  advocated.  It  is  also 
advocated  by  the  transportation  people, 
the  speculators  and  the  “thinkers,”  all 
of  whom  have  some  ax  to  grind  because 
their  living  comes,  wholly  or  in  part 
from  interests  which  handle  rather  than 
produce.  I  urn  looking  for  some  advocate 
of  doubling  the  nation’s  crop  who  does 
not  make  at  least  part  of  his  living  from 
interests  which  come  nearer  to  farming 
the  farmer  than  to  farming  the  land. 
Here  is  a  man  from  Illinois  who  is 
like  many  others  iti  this  argument: 
T  notice  that  you  are  not  a  very  strong 
believer  in  the  "two  blades  of  grass” 
theory,  as  the  prices  would  probably  he 
below  the  cost,  of  production  if  farmers 
in  general  doubled  their  production.  I 
am  a  strong  believer  in  the  “two  blades 
theory,”  and  I  will  explain.  If  I  can 
manage  rny  business  here  so  that  by  su 
perior  methods,  or  intensive  cultivation, 
or  proper  methods  of  fertilizing,  or  thin¬ 
ning  or  spraying  or  packing  for  ship¬ 
ment,  or  otherwise,  I  ran  get  on  my  own 
place  two  peaches,  or  two  pa-onies,  or  two 
ginseng  roots  where  ope  grew  before,  or 
if  by  these  or  other  methods  1  can  get  a 
large  sound  peach,  or  pa-oil v  or  ginseng 
root  where  a  small  knotty  one  grew  be¬ 
fore.  or  if  by  superior  marketing  facili¬ 
ties  I  can  sell  my  produce  for  $2  where 
I  only  received  one  before,  then  I  claim 
that  I  am  benefited  by  the  production  of 
the  two  blades.  Hut  if  I  and  my  neighbor, 
and  everyone  else,  doubled  acreage  and  ex¬ 
pense  in  order  to  produce  the  two  blades 
and  lower  the  prices,  then  we  certainly 
would  all  he  losers  by  the  production  of 
the  two  blades.  o.  \r.  o. 
Illinois. 
1  think  that  is  about  it.  We  all  want 
the  “two  blades”  when  we  can  arrange 
things  so  as  to  get  two  prices,  but.  we 
don't  want  ethers  to  share  in  the  deal, 
because  if  they  also  raised  two  blades 
there  would  only  be  two  prices  for  four 
blades!  That  is  just  exactly  what  we 
have  been  trying  to  make  clear.  The 
manufacturers  and  merchants  and  rail¬ 
road  men  are  very  careful  to  regulate 
their  output  so  as  to  avoid  competition 
and  thus  hold  up  their  prices.  They  all 
want  the  farmer  to  double  crops.  That 
will  give  more  work  at  handling  and 
.carrying  and  cut  down  the  price  of  food, 
so  that  city  workmen  will  he  better  sat¬ 
isfied  to  pay  their  enormous  rents.  It; 
is  strange  to  me  that  our  farmers  cannot 
see  where  this  advice  about  “two  blades 
of  grass”  comes  from.  It  is  manufactured 
sentiment  started  and  developed  by  peo¬ 
ple  who  want  to  try  an  experiment  witli 
farmers  which  they  cannot  try  with  ofbe’’ 
interests.  Many  interests  have  secured 
through  tariffs,  public  grants  and  taxa¬ 
tion  schemes  special  privileges  to  hold  up 
the  public.  The  “two  blades  of  grass” 
men  want  to  hand  the  farmer  the  special 
privilege  of  “going  up!"  H.  w.  C.- 
HOPE  FARM  NOTES 
I  have  been  very  much  interested  about 
the  minister  and  the  two  blades  of  grass. 
This  is  tlx-  first  time  I  ever  wrote  to 
an  editor  about  what  he  published,  but. 
I  Want  to  tell  you  the  minister  has  not 
had  a  fair  deal.  I  was  one  who  heard 
what  he  said,  and  I  thought  then,  and 
now,  he  gave  ns  a  splendid  talk  and  good 
advice,  but  I  say.  God  pity  the  minister! 
I  do  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I 
think  the  person  who  wanted  to  compare 
two  ministers  in  the  same  pulpit  with 
making  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where 
only  one  had  grown  before  is  very  un¬ 
reasonable.  I  am  one  who  believes  in 
making  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where 
only  one  had  grown  before;  I  know  it 
can  he  done,  not.  only  grass,  hut  all  other 
crops.  The  man  who  does  it  will  not 
only  have  more  money,  but  his  farm  will 
grow  better  every  year  he  does  it.  I 
know  some  will  disagree  with  me.  but  1 
have  tried  it  all  rny  life,  and  I  will  leave 
it  to  my  neighbors  whether  I  have  made  a 
sueress  or  not.  I  think  we  would  better 
stop  criticising  the  minister  and  turn  our 
thoughts  toward  making  two  blades  of 
grass  grow  where  only  one  grew  before. 
New  York.  T.  R. 
No  one  shall  say  that  we  do  not  give 
the  minister  a  fair  show  in  this  matter. 
I  have  the  deepest  respect  for  these  rural 
ministers,  for  T  know  how  hard  their  lot 
often  is.  I  do  not  join  you  in  saying. 
“God  pity  the  ministers!”  I  would 
rather  say,  “God  give  them  power  and 
•courage  needed  to  faee  their  difficulties 
and  surmount  them  !”  I  think  a  man 
can  live  a  hard  and  trying  life  so  that 
people  will  not  pity  him,  but  rather 
envy  the  power  which  enables  him  to  rise 
above  his  affliction. 
As  I  stated,  I  did  not  know  the  local 
or  personal  side  of  this  case,  and  so  took 
it  up  in  a  general  way.  and  thought  the 
tests  suggested  were  fair  ones.  As  T.  R. 
believes  in  the  “two  blades  of  grass  the¬ 
ory''  (by  the  way  this  is  not  the  world 
famous  “T.  It.”)  I  will  put  it  up  to 
him.  Let  him  tell  us  what  lie  is  raising 
and  what  lie  gets  in  net  cash  for  his 
crops.  We  will  compare  with  retail 
prices.  Let  him  go  to  his  neighbors  and 
obtain  their  net  prices  and  see  how  much 
they  produce  annually  which  is  not.  or 
cannot,  be  sold  at  a  profit.  If  he  raised 
potatoes  or  peaches  last  year,  let  him  tell 
us  what  they  brought.  That  was  a  sea¬ 
son  in  which  we  had  a  partial  applica¬ 
tion  of  the  “two  blades  of  grass”  theory 
showing,  I  think,  what  would  follow  if 
it  were  generally  applied.  Give  us  the 
facts  about  cabbage.  Here  is  a  report 
from  a  well-known  farmer  in  Western 
New  York,  which  I  think  applies  to  this 
“two  blades  of  grass”  theory.  If  it  does 
not  I  want  to  know  : 
I  think  it  just  as  possible  to  overdo 
apple  growing  as  it  is  potatoes,  only  it 
means  so  much  more,  n  whole  life's  work. 
The  wheat  crop  has  been  overdone  all 
my  life.  There  used  to  be  a  little  money 
in  growing  cabbage,  hut  it  is  just  a 
chance  mov.  A  year  ago  a  city  man 
came  into  our  town  and  bought  a  400-acre 
farm,  planted  out  over  200  acres  the  first 
year;  eight  years  ago  another  come  up 
here,  and  planted  out  just  a  little  less 
than  200  acres,  and  is  still  planting. 
Come  now,  T.  R.,  let  us  have  the  fig¬ 
ures  front  your  neighborhood — among 
those  who  heard  the  sermon.  Wo  hove 
your  opinion,  which  I  surely  respect. 
Now  give  us  the  figures. 
Goon  Culture. — Some  people  persist 
in  saying  that  because  I  talk  this  "two 
blades  of  grass”  and  35-eent  dollar 
I  ant  not  in  favor  of  good  farming.  I 
must  have  stated  500  times  or  more  that 
we  get  the  full  100  cents  because  we  deal 
direct  with  the  consumer.  We  have  the 
cost  of  packing  and  delivery,  but  there  would  probably  he  best  to  send  specimens 
are  no  middlemen  in  our  trade  since  we  to  the  State  Experiment  Station  at  Mos¬ 
sed  direct.  On  the  other  hand  we  have  cow,  Idaho,  for  examination.  The  first 
relatives  and  friends  who  receive  30  to  thought  would  he  that  the  apples  had 
30  cents  of  the  consumer’s  dollar  from  been  frozen  and  thawed  several  times, 
their  fruit,  milk  and  other  produce.  I  but  this  usually  shows  on  the  outside, 
have  many  friends  who.  in  years  of  large  and  the  flesh  of  the  apple  is  not  usually 
crops,  do  not  pick  or  harvest,  a  good  share  spongy,  but  rather  soft  and  slippery, 
of  what  they  produce,  since  it  would  cost  Jonathan  is  not  grown  in  this  part  of 
more  than  it.  would  bring  to  put  on  the  the  State  to  any  extent,  hut.  we  some- 
market.  My  estimate  is  that  if  farmers  times  find  Spitzenberg  which  lias  been 
were  able  to  get,  on  the  average,  10  cents  kept  a  long  time  in  common  storage  quite 
more  of  this  consumer's  dollar  they  could  brown  and  corky  near  the  core,  and  this 
put  SO  per  cent  more  of  food  into  the  trouble  may  he  similar.  Horne  varieties 
market  without  planting  a  single  extra  of  apples  and  pears  are  quite  likely  to  go 
acre!  bad  at  the  core  before  showing  any  trou- 
As  for  good  farming,  my  theory  is  to  hie  on  the  outside.  A.  c.  w. 
produce  what  we  now  do  on  just  about  - 
half  our  land.  We  can  do  that  by  prae-  “Wiiekk  is  baby  brdtlier?”  asked  the 
ticing  better  farming  and  using  the  best  mother  anxiously,  when  she  returned 
judgment.  I  would  do  that  and  let  the  fi'om  shopping,  “I  hope  you  haven’t  let 
,,,,  of  fan,,  *0  into  «»»  „  clover 
for  the  production  of  meat  or  some  crop  him  to  ttie  dog  chain,  and  he  and  Tow, self 
of  which  there  is  a  scarcity.  That  is  are  asleep  in  the  keruiol.” 
■  has  proven  that  this  wonderlul  Dpray  Material 
which  dissolves  instantly  in  cold  or  hot  water  is 
Efficient,  Economical, 
Practical,  Convenient 
and  at  the  same  lime  reduces  your  spray  bills  25s  or  more 
NOTE  THIS  COMPARISON 
1 00- lb.  Drum  of  Niagara  Soluble  Sulphur  Com- 
Stan’rd  Drum  pound  makes  more  dilute  spray  than  a  600-lb. 
Niasara  Soluble  Barrel  of  lime  and  Sulphur  Solution.  At  the  same 
Sulphur  Compound,  time  you  have  less  to  haul  and  handle,  no  loss  from 
rhis  100  pounds  of  jeakaae,  no  crystilization,  no  spoilage,  as  Niagara 
Equivalent  xT 60  gal-  Soluble  Sulphur  Compound  keeps  idefinitely  in 
Standard  Barrels 
More  Profit 
THROUGH  better,  more  intelligent,  more  econom¬ 
ical  use  of  good  tools  will  corue  the  profit  that  is  so 
hard  to  find  each  year  on  many  crops  Plant  right  so 
you  will  get  full  benefit.  Work  faster  with  better  tools 
so  you  can  cultivate  and  f  pray  often.  Study  whether 
there  isn't  some  tool  that  Will  do  your  work  better. 
Garden  Seed  Drills 
Wheel  Hoea 
Potato  Planters 
Weedera  &  Seeders  ( 
Hiding  Cultivators 
Walking  Cultivators 
Potato  Sprayers 
Bucket,  Barrel  and 
Power  Spiny  era 
Potato  Diggers 
Cornatub  Cutters  I 
Fertilizer  Distributors 
Row  Makers 
Cotton  Planters 
Corn.  Bean  and  Pea 
Planters 
Asparagus  Ridgers 
Land  Rollers 
Combined^ 
Drill  and 
^Wheel  Hoe 
Potato  machinery,  spraying  machinery,  garden  tools,  etc. ,  are 
built  to  give  you  just  what  you  no?d  to  do  tilings  rigid  Al¬ 
most  any  combination  you  can  think  of  in  each  line,  L'gbty 
years  of  factory  and  farm  experience  behind  tbei  rmanu  facture. 
Ask  your  dealer  to  show  Ihrm,  but  write  ns  for 
separate  booklets  fully  describing  lines  in  which 
you  are  interested.  Let  us  make  good  our  claims. 
Bateman  MTg  Co.  Box  26,  Grenloch.N.  J. 
1U0  per  cent 
JVitatoPlaiiter 
Horse  Hoe  and 
Cultivator 
Seven-and-a-half 
foot  Weeder  , 
“  Riding  1 1 
1  Cultivator! 
Steel  Frame. 
Expensive  Economy 
Last  Spring  many  cotton  growers  in  their 
efforts  to  reduce  expenses  in  readjusting  them¬ 
selves  to  war-time  conditions,  used  less  than 
the  usual  amount  of  fertilizer.  Last  Fall  those 
farmers  found  that  their  losses  from  decreased 
yields  and  poorer  quality  crops  were  greater 
than  their  savings  from  the  use  of  less  fertil¬ 
izers.  It  was  expensive  economy. 
Northern  farmers  should  profit  by  the  cot¬ 
ton  growers’  experience  and  not  make  the 
same  mistake  in  planting  their  Spring  crops* 
Send  for  our  free  booklets. 
Soil  Improvement  Committee 
of  the  Natlenal  Fertilizer  Association 
970  Postal  Telegraph  Bldg.,  Chicago 
Many  aCirrAWAvfCr.ARK) 
T  _  Single  Action  Disk  Har- 
[  CcirS  row- has  established  that 
record ! 
Many,  with  moderate  care,  have  lasted 
longer!  But  even  this  record  does  not  tell  the 
■whole  story  of  Cutaway  (Clahk)  superiority  !  The  tjuali 
that  gives  long  life  does  the  best  job  of  harrowing  or  ci 
vating.  In  the  cutlery  steel  disks  farced  sharo.  the  dust-n 
light  draft.  If  your  dealer 
V  fSCv  Spni'  has  not  the  pen  nine  Cct- 
S  Wr'te  us  direct. 
Harrow  Company 
sin.'"'  1139  MAIN  STREET 
A..V-Vv-.  -  higcanum,  conn. 
Muh'  r  of  the  orUjlnui  <  'LA  UK 
d  u<k  harroiva  and  jjIooh 
