984 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
the  it  r si. x ess  fa  it  m  Fir  s  paper 
A  Rational  fffcklj  .Inn rnid  for  Country  uml  Suburban  llouica 
JUHtabtfyhcrt  ■'  <t~" 
Published  weekly  by  the  Rural  Pnhliirtifnie  ('mtijiuny,  H.'tU  V i-sl  !IO(h  Street,  New  y«rk 
HkRBP.rt  W,  ComJNoWooii,  I’rosirlent  anil  Editor. 
.lulls  .1.  Un.UMfi  Triumurur  and  Ocnernl  Mnuai^rr 
We  F.  Dn.TaiN.  Seondarj  Mrs.  K.  T.  Royi.r.  Aimociate  Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION  :  ONF  DOLLAR  A  YEAR 
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“ A  SQUARE  PEAI.” 
,Wo  believe  that  every  advertisement  In  this  paper  Is  hacked  by  a  respon¬ 
sible  person.  We  use  every  possible  precaution  and  admit  the  advertising  of 
reliable  houses  only.  But  to  make  clou  lily  sure,  we  will  make  good  any  loss 
to  paid  subscriber*  sustained  by  trust  mg  an.v  deliberate  Kwinuler,  irrespon¬ 
sible  advertisers  or  inislradlng  advert Isonn-nt.s.  in  our  columns,  anil  any 
such  swindle)  w  ill  be  publicly  exposed.  We  ant  also  often  called  upon 
to  adjust  differences  or  mistakes  between  our  subscribed  uml  hone  l, 
respoiLsible  houses,  v  hetber  advertisers  or  nol.  Wo  willingly  it  so  out  good 
othce<  to  this  end,  but  such  eases  should  not  be  confused’ with  dishonest 
transactions.  We  protect  snlisoribetr  against  rogue*,  lint  we  will  not  lie 
responsible  for  the  debts  of  Imriesi  bankrupts  sanetloned  by  the  courts. 
Notice  ol  the  complaint  must  lie  sent  to  us  within  ope  month  of  the  time  of 
the  transact  ion,  and  Ut  identify  if,  you  should  inunfiou  Tot  lUK.u.  Xkw- 
Yorker  when  writing  the  ail  vert  iser. 
Dlv.  BEVERLY  T.  GALLOWAY  lias  resigned  as 
I>ean  of  tlic  College  of  Agriculture  at  Cornell. 
The  trustees  at  first  declined  to  accept  this  resigna¬ 
tion,  but,  as  Dr.  Galloway  refused  to  reconsider,  it 
was  finally  accepted.  The  trustees  passed  a  strong 
resolution  highly  complimentary  to  Dr.  Galloway's 
administration.  lie  -will  return  to  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  at  Washington.  No  definite  action 
has  yet  been  taken  regarding  his  successor.  It  is  a 
place  for  the  biggest  agricultural  educator  in  the 
country.  New  York  fanners  need  right  at  this  time 
a  big,  broad-minded  man  who  knows  their  needs  and 
can  sympathize  with  them  and  lead  them. 
* 
JULY  came  in  with  better  weather — a  fine  brand  of 
sunshine  and  good  liay-making  breezes.  This 
weather  came  in  time  to  make  our  own  hay  crop 
the  largest  and  finest  we  ever  had.  We  think  the 
corn  crop  will  get.  through  after  all  in  most  lo¬ 
calities.  It  will  he  a  desperate  struggle  with  the 
weeds,  hut  this  finer  weather  gives  us  all  new  cour¬ 
age  to  go  at  it.  Since  last  week  we  have  had  addi¬ 
tional  reports  about  putting  clover  and  Alfalfa  in 
the  silo.  We  would  advise  it  only  as  a  last  resort, 
and  we  would  out  green  rye  or  millet  or  oats  into 
the  silo  along  with  the  Alfalfa  if  possible.  We  be¬ 
lieve  it  is  better  to  make  hay  of  the  legumes  if  it  is 
in  any  way  possible  to  do  so.  • 
* 
AS  we  have  opened  this  Farm  Bureau  question, 
for  discussion,  of  course  we  must  expect  all 
sides  to  have  a  good  airing.  Mr.  Dunn,  on  page 
879,  put  up  the  favorable  side  in  a  good  light.  Next 
week  a  farmer  from  Pennsylvania  will  take  another 
side  and  aim  his  searchlight  at  it  Let  us  under¬ 
stand  that  a  fair  discussion  means  a  fair  showing 
for  all,  and  not  some  special  plea  for  or  against  a 
project.  Some  people  cannot  bear  to  see  an  opinion 
which  is  contrary  to  their  own  expressed  in  print. 
Others  find  fault  because  unprejudiced  readers  will 
not  accept  a  personal  opinion  as  a  full  answer  to  a 
fact!  The  great  majority  of  our  readers  appear  to 
be  broad  and  fair,  and  it  is  safe  to  put  all  the  facts 
before  them  and  let  them  decide. 
* 
THREE  weeks  ago  we  mentioned *the  plan  of  mak¬ 
ing  syrup  as  a  by-product  from  cull  apples. 
We  believe  there  are  possibilities  in  this.  The  ap¬ 
ple  juice  is  acid  and  quickly  becomes  more  so  on 
exposure  to  the  air.  By  adding  lime  this  acid  forms 
as  a  solid  which  may  ho  filtered  out — after  which 
the  juice  may  be  boiled  down  the  same  as  maple 
sap  or  cane  juice.  While  this  is  still  undeveloped, . 
wo  believe  it  will,  in  the  future,  become  a  large 
industry  and  help  make  a  market,  for  the  cull  or 
smaller  fruit.  Such  a  market  must  be  found  in 
some  way.  for  the  dumping  of  this  grade  of  fruit 
into  the  cities  upsets  prices  and  makes  it  impossi¬ 
ble  to  obtain  what,  first  class  fruit  is  -worth.  It 
costs  just  as  much  to  pick  and  pack  and  carry  and 
sell  the  culls  as  it  does  the  best  fruit.  If  it  can 
only  be  utilized  and  kept  away  from  competition 
with  No.  1  apples  all  growers  will  be  better  off. 
* 
SINCE  the  publication  of  that  article  on  page 
900  about  express  companies  we  have  had  more 
than  50  letters  on  the  subject.  Of  this  number  two 
writers  say  they  have  had  very  satisfactory  service 
ii.  sending  eggs  by  express.  All  the  others  say  they 
can  duplicate  the  experience  given  in  that  article 
so  far  as  breakage  and  loss  are  concerned.  The  R. 
N.-Y.  has  received  over  1,000  complaints  from  egg 
shippers  against  express  coni  panics — practically  all 
of  them  justified.  The  record  shows  breakage,  and 
loss,  serious  and  long  continued,  which  are  unques¬ 
tionably  the  result  of  careless  or  incompetent  bund¬ 
ling.  We  believe  there  is  no  longer  any  question 
about  tliis — the  record  will  force  even  the  express 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
companies  to  admit  if.  They  must  also  admit  their 
obligation  to  the  public.  While  they  are  presumed 
to  be  private  corporations  they  must  depend  for 
their  patronage  and  their  life  upon  the  good  will  of 
the  public.  If  through  carelessness  or  indifference 
they  do  not  merit  this  good  will  they  have  no  right 
to  expect  that  it  will  he  continued.  The  R.  N.-Y. 
is  convinced  that  egg  shippers  have  a  real  grievance 
against  the  express  companies,  and  we  herewith 
start  a  public  campaign  for  reform.  There  is  no 
class  hatred  or  feeling  in  this — just  a  plain  demand 
for  fair  treatment  for  egg  shipments.  We  shall 
keep  right  at  it  until  the  express  companies  improve 
their  service  voluntarily  or  the  United  States  gov¬ 
ernment  compels  them  to  do  so. 
* 
Your  editorial  calling  attention  to  the  petty  “free 
seed  graft”  and  its  effect  on  the  small  seed  producer 
undoubtedly  stated  the  case  correctly.  The  next  ques¬ 
tion  is.  liow  long  will  it  be  before  the  Department  en¬ 
ters  into  active  competition  with  the  seed  dealers,  us¬ 
ing  Members  of  Congress  as  middlemen?  This  may 
seem  an  absurd  proposition,  but  it  is  suggested  by  seeing 
a  bag  full  of  seeds  containing  an  assortment  of  various 
kinds  in  what  appeared  to  be  hundred  lots.  There  were 
-.o  many  of  them  that  the  packages  were  not  all  ad¬ 
dressed,  hut  sent  in  a  bundle  with  only  the  top  con¬ 
tainer  directed.  I  noted  that  the  frank  covering  the 
shipment  (1  use  the  word  in  its  commercial  sense)  was 
that  of  a  Congressman  of  another  State,  so  that  he 
must  have,  in  effect.,  taken  the  vegetables  out.  of  the 
mouths  of  his  constituents  and  donated  or  sold  them. 
Virginia.  G.  j. 
E  understand  that  this  is  often  done.  Some 
Congressman  from  a  rural  district  will  make 
a  bargain  by  which  be  obtains  the  seeds  allotted  to 
some  city  member.  In  return  be  gives  up  part  of 
liis  share  of  stationery,  ink  or  other  supplies,  or 
even  agrees  to  vote  for  certain  personal  bills.  Then 
the  “man  back  home”  gets  a  great  story  of  the 
ability  of  bis  Congressman  to  “do  things.”  The 
whole  thing  is  a  poor  and  politically  poisonous 
“graft”  which  cannot  he  defended.  After  repeated 
calls  for  some  wel  1-to-do-fa rmer  to  get  up  and  ex¬ 
plain  why  he  calls  for  these  seeds,  we  have  been 
unable  to  find  one.  We  still  want  to  find  some  man 
who  can  afford  to  buy  his  seeds  and  yet  accepts 
this  “graft”  from  the  government.  We  arc  in  earn¬ 
est  about  this,  for  wo  want  to  be  of  real  service  to 
our  people,  and  if  this  seed  distribution  is  anything 
except  a  graft  we  want  to  know  it.  Last  week  the 
U.  S.  Senate  voted  31  to  24  to  kill  this  free  seed 
graft.  This  does  not  mean  the  end  of  it,  for  the 
House  of  Representatives  will  vote  to  send  the  seeds 
as  before  and  the  Senate  will  probably  agree.  It 
all  shows,  however,  that  Congress  is  beginning  to 
understand.  Let  us  ask  the  question  once  more. 
Who  will  stand  up  and  publicly  admit,  that  he  is 
able  to  buy  seeds,  and  yet  give  one  honest  reason 
why  he  should  ask  the  government  to  supply  him? 
* 
TITE  new  State  Board  of  Agriculture  of  New 
.Jersey  made  an  excellent  start  in  electing 
Prof.  Alva  Agee  as  secretary.  He  will  be  the  execu¬ 
tive  and  administrative  agent  of  the  hoard,  and  is 
fully  competent  to  fill  the  position.  When,  a  few 
years  ago,  Prof.  Agee  came  to  New  Jersey  from 
Pennsylvania  we  predicted  that,  he  would  gain  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  New  Jersey  farmers.  In 
the  long  run  no  teacher  can  do  more  than  that  and 
has  no  need  of  doing  more,  for  in  order  to  do  it  he 
must  make  a  record.  We  now  predict  that  this  New 
Jersey  Board  will  develop  into  one  of  the  most  use¬ 
ful  organizations  of  the  sort  ever  started  in  this 
country.  The  conditions  are  right  in  New  Jersey  for 
effective  organization.  The  State  is  small  and  com¬ 
pact,  and  separated  from  others  except  for  a  nar¬ 
row  neck  of  land  at  the  North.  Some  of  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  and  most  progressive  farming 
may  be  found  within  its  borders.  Jersey  men  have 
always  been  noted  for  their  solid  and  independent 
character  and  they  all  recognize  the  great  need  of 
marketing  reform.  All  these  things  and  others, 
taken  together,  will  give  the  new  Board  of  Agricul- 
t:  re  ambition  and  popular  backing  to  work  out 
several  needed  reforms,  and  we  have  every  confi¬ 
dence  that  the  work  will  lie  done.  A  picture  of  the 
new  secretary  is  found  on  the  next  page. 
* 
UP  in  New  England  the  other  day  we  were  speak¬ 
ing  about  the  vast  sums  of  accumulated  farm 
earnings  which  have  gone  down  the  Connecticut 
Valley  to  New  York  or  Boston  for  investment. 
These  millions  were  taken  out  of  the  farms  orig¬ 
inally.  The  farm  was  a  good  place  to  make  a  dol¬ 
lar,  but  a  poor  place  to  invest  it,  and  thus  the  dol¬ 
lar  went  down  the  river  and  left  the  farm  that  much 
poorer.  Later,  the  boys  came  of  age,  and  many  of 
them  followed  father’s  dollar  as  it  rolled  away  from 
the  farm.  Can  you  blame  them?  We  now  under¬ 
stand  what  would  have  happened  to  New  England 
if  the  dollar  had  been  held  at  home  so  as  to  keep  the 
boy  there!  Some  of  these  boys  made  a  fortune  in 
July  15,  1010. 
the  city  and  now  come  back  to  build  a  fine  Summer 
house  on  Ihe  farm.  But  this  makes  the  farm  a 
plaything  when  it  should  bo  the  finest  sort  of  a  busi¬ 
ness  proposition.  One  fanner  with  whom  we  talked 
agreed  with  this  fully.  Then  he  wanted  to  know 
where  he  could  invest  $250  in  good  railroad  bonds 
or  manufacturing  stocks. 
“ii  hit  wot  invest  the  .$250  in  drain  tile,  lime  and 
clover  seed  and  fixtures  right  on  your  men  farm?" 
All  these  things  were  needed,  and  they  would  pay 
far  larger  interest  than  any  safe  stock  or  bond  that 
he  could  possibly  buy.  A  good  part  of  this  cam¬ 
paign  for  the  35-eent.  dollar  lies  in  this  thing  of  in¬ 
vesting  our  money  at  home — right  in  the  farm. 
* 
WE  think  the  original  back-to-the-land  move¬ 
ment  is  dying  out.  We  mean  the  rush  of 
unprepared  town  people  who  thought  all  they  need¬ 
ed  to  do  was  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  in  the  country 
and  raise  crops.  Many  of  them  had  no  capital  and 
absolutely  no  knowledge  of  farm  life.  Of  course 
these  failed,  or  finally  held  on  after  a  struggle 
which  took  the  best  they  had  out  of  them.  This 
movement  had  to  run  its  course,  and  could  only  be 
stopped  by  the  reports  of  those  who  really  went 
through  the  experience.  It  will  go  on  in  a  modified 
way,  hut  hereafter  most  of  those  who  go  will  real¬ 
ize  that  they  must  have  experience  or  the  money  to 
buy  it  with.  This  ill-advised  back-to-the-landing 
does  no  one  any  good  in  the  long  run.  But  now,  we 
think,  there  will  soon  begin  another  crusade  which 
will  really  help  the  country.  We  look  to  see  many 
of  the  manufacturing  enterprises  in  the  city  break 
up  and  go  hack  to  some  good  country  location. 
Many  will  he  driven  to  take  this  step  by  high  rent, 
labor  troubles,  poor  water  supply  and  the  condi¬ 
tions  which  have  always  grown  up  in  large  cities. 
Out  in  the  country,  near  some  good  water  power, 
such  manufacturers  will  have  a  far  better  chance 
and  so  will  their  workmen.  The  manufacturing  towns 
built  up  in  the  country  will  carry  the  markets  to 
farmers,  improve  farm  values  and  make  country 
life  more  satisfactory.  We  believe  this  change  is 
actually  coming  and  that  it.  will  have  a  great  in¬ 
fluence  upon  farming.  Some  of  our  cities  are  surely 
growing  too  large  for  the  good  of  society,  and  the 
world  will  be  far  better  off  if  part  of  their  business 
can  be  sent  out  nearer  the  farms. 
* 
NO  one  can  realize  the  power  of  country  people 
to  supply  the  nation’s  needs  until  a  crisis 
comes.  At  one  time  potash  for  manufacturing  pur¬ 
poses  went,  to  $500  per  ton.  The  fertilizer  manu¬ 
facturers  could  not  afford  to  pay  this,  but  many 
lines  of  business  had  to  have  the  potash  at  any 
price.  Announcement  of  this  need  brought  out  thou¬ 
sands  of  little  stores  of  potash  which  farmers  had 
held  in  reserve.  Dozens  of  country  people  went  to 
work  burning  wastes  and  collecting  ashes.  These 
■were  leached  and  boiled  down  into  strong  lye,  which 
sold  at  high  prices.  So  much  of  this  was  found 
that  the  price  lias  been  cut  down,  and  there  seems 
no  danger  of  a  shortage  for  manufacturing  pur¬ 
poses.  There  is  still  a  great  shortage  for  fertilizers. 
Advertisements  for  old  metals  or  rubber  and  paper 
stock  have  brought  in  great  supplies  from  the  coun¬ 
try — where  it  lay  as  waste.  Our  farm  districts  rep¬ 
resent  the  greatest  business  fishpond  in  the  world. 
You  may  sell  anything  or  find  anything  you  like  l»y 
going  after  the  business. 
Brevities 
It  takes  a  heap  of  solid  common  sense  to  keep  a 
fence  from  breeding  hot  offense. 
Tn eke  will  be  much  bogus  Crimson  clover  seed  of¬ 
fered  this  year.  Test  it  before  sowing. 
It  will  pay  to  spray  the  potatoes  even  if  the  amount 
of  copper  must  he  cut  down.  Three  pounds  each  of 
lime  and  copper  to  50  gallons  of  water  will  pay. 
The  value  of  the  soap  made  in  this  country  during 
1914 was  $135,340,490.  The  dirt  it  washed  out  con¬ 
tained  an  even  greater  value  in  plaut  food. 
Now  we  hear  of  a  man  who  has  invented  a  motor 
for  a  baby  carriage.  It  can  be  transferred  from  the 
carriage  to  .a  bicycle ! 
The  mosquito  exterminator  is  a  little  circular  print¬ 
ed  weekly  at  the  New  Jersey  Experimental  Station. 
There  are  “no  flies  on  it.” 
In  hunting  for  cheering  items  in  this  wet  season  we 
might  mention  the  following  report:  “I  noticed  the 
other  day  that  a  woodchuck  hole  near  the  top  of  a 
hill  in  our  Alfalfa  field  is  full  of  water!” 
The  fertilizer  trade  ran  up  to  $168,388,405  in  1914. 
There  were  1,124  factories,  Georgia  leading  with  293. 
Think  of  the  South  leading  in  purchased  chemicals 
when  it  has  the  best  climate  on  earth  for  growing  cover 
crops. 
What  they  call  a  “cockroach  powder”  is  made  of 
three  parts  flour  and  one  part  plaster  of  Paris.  Set 
this  dry  mixture  in  a  dish  with  water  near  it.  The  in¬ 
sects  eat  the  mixture — then  drink — and  you  know  what 
happens  when  water  is  mixed  with  plaster  of  Paris. 
At  least  the  roaches  will  understand. 
