918 
CAe  RURAL  NEW-VORKF.R 
June  24,  194 <1. 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
the  if rs/.vp.w  fa n irrrr s  pater 
A  National  Weekly  .lournnl  lor  Country  and  Suburban  Homrw 
Kal  u  01  Mini  *  sjt> 
Ikibliihrd  weekly  by  Ihe  Rural  I'ubnOtlnir  Coiujmftv,  3I1U  W.-.t  SOI  b  Street,  .New  fork 
fl HUBERT  W,  CoLUxmvooTi.  President  ami  Kililnr. 
•lulls  J.  PlUiOit,  Troienrcr  ami  Oouoral  Miiirajror 
Wm.  r>TLiyoS.  Secretary.  Mas.  K.  T.  Kont.  Amueiate  Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION:  ONE  DOLLAR  A  TEAR 
Tn  furi  ijjn  countries  in  the  Universal  Postal  Union,  $2.01.  equal  to  $:■.  fid.,  or 
t.  .;  marks,  or  10's  f rune's  Remit  in  money  order,  express 
order,  personal  check  or  bank  draft. 
Entered  at  Nev.  York  Post  OXiee  as  Second  Class  Matter. 
Ad  verti'ine  rates.  T.l  cents  |«>r  atrnte  line — 7  words.  References  required  for 
advertisers  unknown  to  us  ;  and  cash  most  accom|ttUiy  liaiisiem  orders. 
“A  SyCAHE  DEAL*' 
IVe  believe  that  every  advertisement  in  this  paner  is  haelted  hv  a  respon¬ 
sible  iieixon.  IVe  use  every  |Missihh*  lireeaution  and  admit  I  lie  ail've  1  iniuty  of 
reliable  houses  only.  B»t  to  make  doubly  sure,  v.  etvill  make  vood  a:. y  loss 
to  paid  subsc  libers  sustained  by  trust  Inn  any  ileiieeiuli  swi, siller,  im-quii- 
sitile  attvcitisers  or  misleading.*  ailvetlisciucnta  >n  our  columus.  a  ml  any 
moll  swindler  will  be  publicly  exposed.  \Vc-  are  also  often  called  inn 
to  Adjust  differences  or  mistakes  between  our  stil,wrtl»cr-  and  hone  t, 
responsible  tionses.  wlietlier  advertisers  or  not,  Wo  tvilliiuclv  use  our  jror.il 
otticcs  to  thin  end.  but  such  canes  should  not  be  conlused  v  iih  dlsbouc.-t 
trno-aelions.  We  [mil not  subecnboi'S  acainst  rocties.  but  vo  will  not  ho 
responsible  for  the  debt*  or  honest  bankrupts  sanctioned  by  the  courts. 
Notice  ot  (be  complaint  m m i.  be  sent  to  us  within  one  month  of  the  time  of 
(lie  tiaiiBneflun,  and  to  identify  it,  you  should  mention  Thk  Rtn.u.  New- 
Yokkeu  when  writing  the  ml vertiHer. 
Tin:  patrons  of  school  district  No.  47.  Phillips  Homi¬ 
ly.  at  their  annual  election.  May  1st,  voted  to  trans¬ 
port  the  children  who  live  too  far  to  walk  to  the  pres¬ 
ent  school.  It  is  proposed  to  do  this  in  two  autos,  each 
going  about  15  miles  in  colleeting  the  ehildren.  If,  at 
the  end  of  one  year,  the  scheme  proves  successful,  then 
consolidation  of  all  the  schools  will  be  effected. 
THAT  report  is  printed  by  the  Colorado  Agricul- 
timil  College.  Out  in  the  dry  country  the  roads 
are  suitable  most  of  the  year,  and  with  these  cars 
the  children  may  he  gathered  and  distvitn  ted  rap¬ 
idly.  Of  course  in  the  hill  countries  of  New  York 
State  the  cars  could  not  he  used  in  Winter,  hut 
the  trial  plan  is  a  good  one. 
* 
HERE  is  as  much  difference  in  quality  between 
potatoes  as  there  is  between  a  Northern  Spy 
and  a  Ren  Davis  apple.  Some  potatoes  hake  soggy 
and  pasty,  while  others  break  open  and  spread  like 
a  package  of  dry  flour.  The  dry  apple  is  a  nuisance, 
lint  the  dry  potato  is  a  luxury.  The  day  is  coming 
when  extra  baking  potatoes  will  he  sold  for  what 
they  are.  at  a  price  which  corresponds  with  that  of 
superior  apples.  There  must  he  a  variety  which 
naturally  gives  a  high  per  cent,  of  starch,  and  the 
plant  must  grow  to  maturity.  When  blight  or  other 
diseases,  or  hugs,  kill  or  stunt  the  plant  before  it 
ripens  you  cannot  hope  to  produce  high  quality  po¬ 
tatoes.  The  sprayed  vine  kept  growing  until  frost 
produces  the  baking  potato. 
* 
EVERYONE  who  grows  apples  for  sale  knows 
that  the  disposition  of  the  cull  fruit  decides 
the  profit  or  loss.  When  this  cull  stuff  is  dumped 
into  the  market  through  bulk  shipment  or  mixed 
with  good  apples  prices  go  off  and  business  is  up¬ 
set.  That  is  an  okl  story,  yet  year  by  year  this 
cull  stuff  comes — affecting  the  market  about  as  the 
scab  or  the  scale  does  the  general  crop.  It  will 
probably  continue  to  come  until  more  profitable  use 
D  found  for  the  cull  apples.  They  cannot  be  worked 
up  into  cider,  but  there  are  good  opportunities  in 
syrup  and  industrial  alcohol.  Apple  juice  is  treated 
with  lime,  which  forms  a  chemical  combination  with 
the  acids.  When  the  juice  is  then  filtered  it  can 
he  reduced  to  a  fine  syrup  by  boiling  the  same  as 
maple  or  cane  sap.  We  think  there  will  be  in¬ 
creased  demand  for  this  syrup  in  the  future.  We 
expect  to  see  the  pomace  from  cider  mills  handled 
somewhat  like  beet  pulp  and  sold  as  a  valuable  cat- 
1k  food.  There  must  also  be  a  great  development 
in  the  production  of  industrial  alcohol  from  waste 
apples.  The  nation  needs  the  alcohol,  and  fruit 
growers  greatly  need  a  market  for  their  cull  stock. 
By  creating  new  uses  added  values  will  be  given  to 
cull  apples,  and  there  will  be  no  inducement  to  send 
them  to  market  to  compete  with  good  stock  with  the 
l  ig  increase  in  production  which  is  promised.  We 
must  find  an  outlet  for  the  culls.  Syrup  and  in¬ 
dustrial  alcohol  will  make  a  good  team. 
* 
Is  it  possible  for  feeds,  such  as  cracked  com.  ground 
oats.  etc.,  tn  be  sold  anywhere  in  this  State  at  present 
at  $20  per  ton?  A  man  drove  into  my  field  this  morn¬ 
ing  (June  1  l  taking  orders  for  feed  at  the  above  price 
delivered  at  my  railroad  station:  his  terms  were  $3 
per  ton  cash  with  order,  balance  in  90  days  from  de¬ 
livery  (which  is  to  be  the  loth  inst.l,  and  more  time 
if  one  needs  it,  with  no  note  for  small  amounts,  but 
interest  at  5 ' > .  This  man  claims  to  he  a  fa  •mer.  but 
is  not  now  actively  engaged  at  that,  but  with  -others 
is  operating  a  feed  mill  at  Watertown.  N.  Y..  known 
as  the  Old  Herrick  Mill.  I  did  not  order  with  him.  but 
thought  1  would  wait  and  see.  It  looks  almost  too 
good  to  be  true,  as  the  price  of  the  above  feeds  locally 
is  $34  per  ton  at  present.  r.  A.  F. 
New  York. 
IT  is  not  possible  to  sell  any  feed  made  of  pure 
grains  at  $20  per  toil.  The  grains  cost  $34  or 
more,  and  grinding  and  mixing  would  make  an  ex¬ 
tra  cost.  There  is  something  back  of  such  a  propo¬ 
sition  that  will  not  stand  the  sunlight.  The  best 
thing  will  be  to  get  a  fair  sample  of  this  feed  and 
have  it  examined  ct  the  State  Experiment  Station. 
The  experts  will  probably  find  it  stuffed  with  hulls, 
corncobs,  sweepings  and  other  trash.  No  man  can 
afford  to  give  you  a  roll  of  $10  bills  for  $7.50  each. 
'Phe  roll  will  either  contain  a  lot  of  slips  of  worth¬ 
less  green  paper,  or  else  it  is  a  bunch  of  “sucker 
bait”  designed  to  lead  the  buyer  on  to  some  larger 
gamble.  This  offer  of  $20  feed  is  in  the  same  class. 
No  man  can  deliver  clean,  pure  grain  feed  at  any 
such  price  any  more  than  lie  can  sell  $5  bills  for 
$4.  You  will  either  buy  a  lot  of  worthless  stuff,  or 
by  signing  a  contract  or  a  note  you  will  tie  your¬ 
self  up  to  some  future  obligation  which  will  rob 
you  of  twice  the  money  you  could  save  in  the  juice 
of  grain.  Farmers  should  never  pay  any  attention 
to  such  schemes. 
HERE  is  the  situation  regarding  the  coming  bat¬ 
tle  for  better  milk  prices.  The  producers 
fully  understand  that  they  do  not  receive  a  fair 
share  of 'the  consumer's  dollar.  The  consumers  only 
know  that,  they  are  held  up  for  a  high  price,  hut 
they  have  been  educated  to  believe  that  the  farmers 
are  responsible  for  it.  The  problem  is  to  make  these 
consumers  realize  that  their  interests  lie  with  the 
producers,  and  not  with  the  middlemen.  The  great 
insurance  investigation  uf  nro  years  ago  made  the 
small  policy-holders  understand  their  I  rue  relation 
with  the  hig  companies,  and  the  result  was  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  a  real  reform.  Now  in  the  same  way 
the  investigation  of  the  milk  problem  might  be  con¬ 
ducted  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  consumers  just 
how  their  quart  of  milk  is  handled.  The  last  Legis¬ 
lature  appropriated  $253  •<  *9  for  an  investigation. 
That  amount  of  money  used  to  start  a  creamery  in 
New  York  would  have  been  10  times  as  practical  an 
investment,  but  let  us  see  that  the  investigation  in¬ 
vestigates  at  least.  After  long  delay  the  following 
investigators  have  been  named: 
SENATORS 
Charles  S.  Wicks.  Sauquoit,  Farmer. 
M.  S.  Halliday,  Ithaca.  Lawyer. 
N.  M.  Marshall.  Malone.  Ranker. 
1>.  .T.  Carroll.  Brooklyn.  Manufacturer. 
REPRESEXTATIVP.S 
II.  E.  Machold.  Ellislmrg.  Earn  er. 
W.  W.  Law,  .Tr„  Rriarcliff  Manor.  Real  Estate. 
II.  L.  Grant,  Copenhagen.  Cheese  Merchant. 
D.  P.  Witter,  Berkshire.  Lecturer. 
F.  ,T.  Taylor,  Brooklyn.  Merchant. 
Now  all  this  will  result  hi  a  joke,  a  junket  or  a 
just  judgment,  exactly  as  the  dairymen  decide.  If 
they  sit.  still  and  wait  the  chances  are  that  nothing 
will  be  done  until  shortly  before  election,  when  some 
political  play  will  lie  made.  In  the  meantime  farm¬ 
ers  will  lie  obliged  to  sign  contracts  for  another 
term  without  the  figures  and  facts  which  these  in¬ 
vestigators  ought  to  obtain.  Let  us  try  an  experi- 
ment  with  these  investigators.  Assume  that  the 
State  has  paid  them  and  put  them  at  our  service 
to  find  the  truth  about  the  milk  business.  The  hired 
man  who  would  not  get  out  and  milk  on  time 
wouldn't  be  worth  bis  salt,  for  he  would  dry  up 
the  herd.  These  hired  men  of  the  State  (and  there¬ 
fore  your  hired  men)  are  to  milk  the  truth  out  of 
the  dairy  business.  It  is  milking  time,  hut  they 
show  no  signs  of  starting.  We  print  their  names 
and  addresses.  They  are  public  characters,  and 
dairymen  have  the  right  to  say:  "11  nl<  up!  It's 
milking  lime!” 
sfc 
IN  many  parts  of  the  country  the  labor  question 
has  become  a  fierce  proposition.  Here  is  one  sam¬ 
ple  report  from  a  dairy  country: 
If  conditions  do  not  change.  I  shall  sell  the  place 
for  what  it  will  bring  and  get  away  from  it.  It  is 
nothing  but  misery  to  stay  and  work  oneself  to  death, 
and  be  unable  to  hardly  make  a  dent  in  what  ought  to 
be  done.  Mine  is  not  an  exceptional  case,  for  there 
is  not  a  farm  around  here  that  is  being  properly 
worked,  and.  as  a  neighbor  said,  one  hardly  dares  to 
;.-y  "Good  morning”  tn  his  hired  man  for  fear  that 
ihe  tone  will  be  objectionable  to  him.  and  lie  will  quit. 
We  have  hundreds  of  similar  letters.  Most  of 
them  come  from  men  of  middle  age  who  have 
worked  hard  and  with  ambition  to  build  up  a  good 
farm  business.  Now  they  find  themselves  childless, 
1  r  with  the  boys  gone  away  into  other  homes,  or 
lines  of  work.  What  are  they  to  do?  Some  answer 
by  selling  the  farm.  Others  will  sell  the  dairy  cows 
and  go  back  to  grain  farming,  using  clover  and 
chemicals  to  keep  up  the  fertility.  Others  will  seed 
ns  much  of  the  farm  as  possible  in  Alfalfa  and 
Sweet  clover,  and  pasture  beef  cattle.  Sheep  would 
offer  a  fine  chance  for  such  farmers  if  it  were  not 
for  the  dogs.  Some  will  hang  on.  overworking  and 
worrying,  in  the  hope  that  after  the  European  war 
there  will  be  a  rush  to  this  country  which  will  solve 
the  labor  question.  This  is  another  item  which 
will  help  bring  about  the  changes  in  the  dairy  busi¬ 
ness  which  we  have  been  talking  about.  Milk  is  a 
necessity,  and  as  a  dairyman  is  driven  from  the 
business  others  with  a  better  location  or  better 
circumstances  will  enter. 
* 
WE  have  not  for  many  years,  published  an  ar¬ 
ticle  which  has  received  more  general  ap¬ 
plause  from  dairymen  than  the  story  of  the  Chicago 
milk  war  on  page  *53.  In  the  midst  of  this  general 
commendation  comes  the  following  note  from  a  Jer- 
seyman : 
The  article  entitled  “The  Great  Chicago  Milk  War.” 
printed  in  your  issue  of  .Tune  10,  is.  in  my  opinion, 
most  discreditable  to  the  author.  Mr,  Swift.  By  his 
""'ll  confession  he.  or  those  lie  represents  and  supports. 
•  'i'1  descend  to  the  lowest  tactics  of  the  most  lawless 
hi  or  unons.  overriding  individual  rights,  and  destroy - 
i-  the  property  of  those  whom  they  could  not  eon- 
v  ; by  argument. 
If  Is  with  great  regret  that  I  find  The  R.  N.-Y.  edi¬ 
torially  approving  the  above  conduct.  Had  the  article 
appeared  a  fortnight  sooner.  I  probably  should  not 
have  renewed  my  subscription.  I  certainly  shall  not. 
again,  if  another  of  like  tenor  is  printed.  I  am  well 
aware  licit  the  loss  will  be  mine.  I  shall  miss  an  in¬ 
teresting.  and  as  I  thought,  despite  minor  differences  <>f 
view,  a  high  principled  paper:  while  you  will  very  proh*- 
aldv  pain  two  where  you  will  lose  one  reader  hy  print¬ 
ing  this  sort  t h * n g.  Rut  if  The  R.  N.-Y.  leads  that 
way.  I  do  not  follow.  Ir  may  be  well  to  state  that  I 
have  no  pecuniary  interest  in  Borden.  Bowman.  Mix 
A  Co.,  have  farmed  for  nearly  50  years,  and  milked  near¬ 
ly  every  day  during  that  time.  c  .  E.  u.  PHELPS. 
This  contest  over  prices  was  the  most  important 
tiling  connected  with  marketing  milk  that  has  hap¬ 
pened  in  the  last  50  years.  No  one  was  better 
qualified  to  tell  the  story  than  Mr.  Swift.  If  he 
told  it.  at.  all  it  surely  was  his  privilege  and  his 
duty  to  show  just  whal  happened.  We  asked  him  to 
do  it.  and  wo  rejoice  that  we  were  aide  to  put  the 
facts  before  our  readers.  We  have  no  quarrel  with 
Mr.  Phelps  or  men  of  his  type.  They  stand  still. 
Cue  would  have  to  step  out  of  the  procession  to  stop 
and  argue  with  them.  There  comes  a  time  in  every 
reform  movement  when  men  must  step  up  and 
identify  themselves  openly  with  one  side  or  the 
other.  The  R.  N.-Y.  stands  for  flip  milk  producer  in 
this  light.  He  is  not  getting  a  fair  show  and  we 
want  it  understood  openly  that  all  the  power  this 
paper  possesses  goes  on  his  side,  in  a  fair,  open  and 
straightforward  fight.  We  do  not  know  yet  what 
methods  will  be  needed,  but  we  will  not  sail  under 
any  false  colors,  or  let  anyone  imagine  we  are  try¬ 
ing  to  serve  two  masters.  We  give  Mr.  Phelps  fair 
warning  that  there  will  be  plenty  more  articles 
like  that  hy  Mr.  Swift  if  they  are  needed.  Mr. 
Phelps  therefore  knows  just  what  to  expect  and  if 
he  will  say  so  his  subscription  money  will  be  in¬ 
stantly  returned  to  him — cheerfully  and  with  great 
good  nature. 
* 
ON  page  911  Prof.  Brice  makes  the  point  that 
most  college  hoys  will  go  wrong  if  at  all 
through  their  spending  money.  lie  is  right.  There 
arc  many  human  beings  who  envy  their  more  pros¬ 
perous  fellows  the  money  which  makes  a  great 
showing  in  society.  Iti  the  majority  of  cases  it 
would  Do  a  calamity  for  such  people  to  have  a  lump 
of  easy,  unearned  money  put  in  their  pocket  or  have 
easy  credit,  given  them.  Such  character  as  they 
have  has  been  developed  and  trained  by  the  pinch 
of  necessity,  and  wealth  which  did  not  show  their 
own  wrinkles  or  the  stain  of  their  own  sweat  would 
spoil  them.  The  "pocket”  or  spending  money  hand¬ 
ed  out  to  the  average  boy  does  him  far  more  harm 
than  good.  He  ought  to  he  made  to  earn  it  all — 
yet  in  town  there  arc  few  of  the  old  time  “chores” 
left  to  be  done  by  the  boy.  What,  can  he  do  to 
earn  spending  money  unless  he  lives  on  a  farm? 
Brevities 
A  “canary”  is  an  English  girl  who  works  in  muni¬ 
tion  factories  where  the  fumes  turn  the  skin  yellow. 
The  latest  recommendation  for  a  dressing  on  farm 
machinery  to  keep  rust,  away  is  Hour  and  ordinary  lu¬ 
bricating  oil.  It  is  made  in  a  thin  paste  and  painted 
on  with  a  brush. 
One  good  thing  is  that  the  shortage  of  potash  has  led 
many  farmers  to  suspect  that  all  waste  products  may 
contain  plant  food.  That  is  good,  because  it  leads  to 
a  study  of  the  analysis  of  such  things,  and  that  means 
greater  respect  for  them. 
This  is  the  season  for  plowing  rye  under  as  a  rover 
crop.  Every  year  we  come  up  with  the  statement  that 
the  rye  must  be  packed  solid  after  plowing  and  tbut 
lime  should  be  used  if  possible  with  it.  Loose  rye 
under  ground  is  a  nuisance.  Pack  it  down. 
Wiiat  is  a  "brush  burner”?  Several  people  have 
seen  this  device  mentioned  and  want  to  know  what  it 
is.  It  is  an  old  boiler  cut  in  two,  or  a  sheet  of  iron 
or  tin  curved  so  as  to  fit  on  a  wagon  body.  It  is 
hauled  about  through  the  orchard  when  trimming  the 
trees  and  the  brush  is  piled  in  and  burned  as  fast  as 
cut. 
Hex  men  should  remember  that  the  rose  bugs  or 
rose  chafers  are  poisonous  to  chickens.  Thousands  <  f 
little  chicks  have  died  from  eating  these  insects.  There 
is  no  cure,  hut  the  advice  is  not  to  use  grapevines  in 
chicken  runs,  and  if  jiossible  to  keep  the  chicks  out  of 
fields  where  daisies  are  abundant.  These  insects  ore 
attracted  by  the  daisies. 
