1034 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
TTTE  m'SJXESS  FA  TIMER'S  FA  PER 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes 
Established  J850 
PnbliKlied  weekly  lir  the  Rural  Publishing  Company.  USA  Went  fOth  .Street, \>w  York 
1 1  i'rrkrt  W.  cmli.tn'gwooti,  rtvsident  and  Editor. 
John*  J.  Dillon,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
Wm.  F.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Mus.  E.  T.  Ron  e.  Associate  Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION:  ONE  DOLLAR  A  YEAR 
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“A  SQUARE  DEAL" 
TVe  believe  that  every  advertisement  in  this  paper  is  hacked  bv  a  respon¬ 
sible  person.  TVe  use  every  possible.  precaution  and  admit  the  advertising  of 
reliable  houses  Only.  But  to  make  doubly  sure,  wo  w  ill  make  trood  any  loss 
to  paid  subscriber*  sustained  by  trusting  any  delibemto  j.i»  indlci',  irro^poji- 
ail»lo  ad  voriisers  <»t‘  rtiisleedintr  ndvertiwnients  in  our  columns.  amt  any 
inicli  5>vindlor  will  l»«*  publicly  cxpA^vl.  TV*?  are  also  often  culled  up"ii 
to  adRiftt  dltTereneeP  or  tn(s takes  betwpoti  our  subferlhm  and  hone>(> 
responsible  bounty,  Miudior adviTtt#i\‘ :  •  ih»l  WV  wnimirly  tnstf  our  iph»<£ 
offices  to  this  end,  bur  such  ciwr  should  uoi  I-"*  confuted  with  diahone^t 
tran «ac tions.  We  protect,  Mih-rrfberti  against  rogues,  but.  we  will  not  bo 
lyspofiHible  for  the  debts  of  bauVnnitM  siuunioind  by  the  courts. 
>otieeof  Ole  emnplafnt  nniM  b^AMit  to  U8  V  M  bin  one  month  .d  the  time  of 
the  tranxaotion,  and  to  Identify  it,  job  ^lnfttld.  mention  Tit k  Rural  New- 
Yorker  when  writing  the  advertiser. 
Tins  is  one  of  the  seasons  when  top-dressing 
with  chemicals  will  pay  on  the  grass.  The  con¬ 
stant  rains  have  filled  the  soil  with  moisture  and 
there  will  be  more  to  follow.  Thus  if  available 
plant  food  is  put  on  the  meadows  the  grass  will 
take  hold  of  it  at  once  and  make  a  quick  second 
growth.  In  a  very  dry  season  this  form  of  top¬ 
dressing  will  not  always  pay  but  in  a  wet  year  it 
always  insures  a  heavy  second  crop.  Nitrate  of 
soda  and  acid  phosphate  are  the  chemicals  for  such 
top-dressing.  This  year  the  hay  crop  is  heavy  hut 
much  of  the  first  cutting  was  injured  by  the  wet 
weather.  Bright,  second-cut  hay  ought  to  bring 
a  fair  price  or  substitute  for  earlier  cut  at  home 
feeding. 
•  * 
THIS  is  a  season  when  most  of  us  m*e  tempted  to 
pax*ade  our  tale  of  woe.  The  steady  rain  has 
mined  the  hay,  filled  the  corn  with  grass  and  weeds, 
drowned  the  garden,  filled  the  potatoes  with  blight, 
and  onr  joints  with  rheumatism,  besides  other  cal¬ 
amities.  If  we  keep  thinking  about  this  it  will  de¬ 
velop  into  a  chronic  tale  of  woe.  Now  3*ou  may  have 
seen  a  dog  with  a  very  fine  or  a  very  poor  and  mu¬ 
tilated  tail.  It  may  be  sore,  it  may  carry  fleas  or 
perhaps  the  dog  has  nothing  better  to  do.  At  any 
rate  he  just  chases  that  tail  around  and  around. 
You  know  what  a  figure  he  cuts  at  this  exercise  but 
it  is  just  as  useful  and  dignified — -and  no  more  so 
than  the  job  of  the  man  who  just  chases  a  tale  of 
woe !  Is  there  not  something  bright  on  your  farm  to 
consider? 
* 
SOME  of  our  people  write  asking  where  they  can 
sell  two  pounds  of  salicylic  acid  or  10  pounds  of 
sulphate  of  copper  or  small  quantities  of  other 
chemicals.  There  is  no  chance  to  sell  such  small 
lots  to  advantage,  for  the  brokers  cannot  afford  to 
handle  them.  The  large  manufacturers  do  not  buy 
direct.  The  only  way  to  sell  such-  chemicals  to  ad¬ 
vantage  will  be  to  collect  the  small  lots  and  offer  a 
good  sized  lump.  It  is  something  like  the  sale  of 
wool.  When  each  farmer  offers  a  small  quantity 
the  advantage  is  all  with  the  buyer.  When  the 
wool  is  brought  together  so  that  5.000  pounds  or 
more  can  be  offered  the  advantage  turns  to  the 
seller.  A  number  of  readers  ask  if  Ihere  is  a  mar¬ 
ket  for  old  tincans.  Practically  none  that  will  pay 
for  collection. 
* 
LAST  week  the  Pastoral  Parson  told  of  a  fann¬ 
er  who  will  try  to  get  on  with  oxen  and  an 
auto.  The  oxen  will  do  the  farm  work  while  the 
car  will  be  used  for  marketing.  When  the  oxen  are 
through  they  will  have  some  value  as  beef.  When 
the  car  is  through?  It  will  be  worth  as  much  as 
broken  horses!  The  thing  about  all  this  is  that  we 
have  come  to  the  time  when  the  selling  end  of 
farming  demands  the  best  and  the  quickest,  part  of 
the  outfit.  Production  is  hard  work  and  requires 
the  finest  sense  and  judgment,  hut.  taking  farmers 
as  they  run,  more  of  them  fair  as  salesmen  than  they 
do  as  producers.  In  New  England  farming  at  least 
the  car  is  none  too  fast  for  hustling  off  the  goods, 
v  * 
WIIAT  is  the  best  time  to  seed  Alfalfa  in  the 
Eastern  States?  In  Northern  New  Jersey 
and  through  most  of  Southern  New  York  most 
writers  seem  to  agree  that  some  favorable  time  in 
early  August  is  best.  This  means  when  the  soil  is 
in  fine  condition  and  a  gentle  min  gives  it  just 
enough  moisture.  Farther  north,  in  the  latitude  of 
Syracuse,  and  farther  west,  many  prefer  Spring 
seeding  or  about  the  same  season  as  with  Red  clo¬ 
ver.  Spring  seeding  lias  not  done  well  with  us. 
The  soil  is  wet,  cold  and  weedy.  The  young  Alfalfa 
is  not  as  hardy  a  plant  as  is  young  clover  and  is 
more  likely  to  be  killed  by  wet  weather  or  srnoth- 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
ered  by  weeds.  When  once  firmly  established  it  can 
take  rare  of  itself  but  the  baby  plant  is  f<4fi>le  and 
the  weeds  choke  it  out.  In  August  conditions  are 
more  in  its  favor.  The  ground  is  warmer  and  in 
better  tilth.  A  different  class  of  weeds  come  to 
fight  it.  They  are  not  able  to  put  up  such  a  strong 
battle  as  the  Spring  weeds  and  the  Alfalfa  ha  a 
better  chance.  If  we  cut  the  first,  growth  in  early 
October  and  let  it  lie  on  the  ground  as  a  mulch,  we 
give  the  Alfalfa  a  fairer  chance  than  when  we  seed 
in  Spring.  In  the  section  where  Spring  seeding  is 
preferred  yon  will  find  other  conditions.  The  ground 
is  not  so  weedy  and  can  he  fitted  well  in  Spring.  Tt 
is  farther  north  where  the  season  is  later  and  where 
August  seeding  would  hardly  make  enough  growth 
to  carry  it  safely  through  the  hard  Winter.  In  a 
damp  season  like  the  present  we  advise  seeding  Al¬ 
falfa  alone  as  soon  after  August  1  as  the  soil  can 
be  made  ready. 
* 
THERE  has  been  some  discussion  regarding  the 
age  of  mortgages  recorded  in  some  of  the  rural 
counties.  On  page  709  we  gave  a  brief  history  of 
the  old  TT.  R.  loan  commission  mortgages.  A  sur¬ 
plus  which  had  accumulated  in  the  IT.  8.  Treas¬ 
ury  was  distributed  among  the  various  States  and 
loaned  out  on  farm  mortgages.  The  history  of 
some  of  these  mortgages  is  remarkable.  In  Living- 
si  on  County  a  mortgage  for  .$215  was  dated  Au¬ 
gust  1,  1830 — or  SO  years  ago.  The  first  payment 
shown  on  this  mortgage  was  in  1837.  From  then  on 
lor  42  years  interest  was  paid  regularly  at  7%,  then 
for  11  years  at.  0%  and  then  for  18  years  at  5%. 
The  total  interest  received  by  the  land  commissioner 
was  $907.50  with  nothing  on  the  principal.  That 
mortgage  surely  stood  like  a  wolf  at.  the  door.  An¬ 
other  in  the  same  county  was  made  for  $400  in 
1849.  T'p  to  1911  the  interest  had  been  paid  regu¬ 
larly.  The  total  interest  amounts  to  .$1,019.30,  while 
the  principal  has  been  reduced  to  .$297!  In  most  of 
the  other  rural  counties  similar  rases  may  be  found, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  that  mortgages  given  to  pri¬ 
vate  parties  have  paid  in  interest  far  more  than  the 
original  principal,  without  any  reduction.  Why, 
such  a  mortgage  is  worse  than  a  ball  and  chain 
tied  to  a  man’s  foot  until  it  becomes  a  part  of 
him.  Under  the  plan  of  amortization  or  paying  a 
little  of  the  principal  each  year,  these  mortgages 
would  long  since  have  been  wiped  out. 
* 
THE  Wicks  Committee,  which  is  investigating 
the  milk  business  lias  held  a  number  of  hear¬ 
ings  throughout  the  State.  Their  plan  is  to  go  into 
every  dairy  section  and  then  come  to  the  city  of 
New  York.  The  committee  is  reported  as  saying 
that  “firework 8  mag  he  e.rpeeted  before  the  hear¬ 
ings  are  through .”  Now  “fireworks”  do  little  but 
amuse  the  crowd  and  keep  them  good  natured.  In 
the  modern  “safe  and  sane”  celebration  the  fire¬ 
works  are  cut.  out.  and  our  farmers  would  rather 
save  the  powder  for  more  effective  work.  The  trou¬ 
ble  has  been  that  most  investigating  committees 
heretofore  have  hunted  for  “fireworks”  and  not 
much  of  anything  else.  What  is  needed  most  of  all 
is  a  good  hunch  of  dynamite  with  which  to  blow  up 
some  of  the  methods  and  privileges  which  have  be¬ 
come  a  part  of  the  milk  business.  For  instance,  at 
the  hearing  held  at  Norwich  a  dairyman  claimed 
that  he  put.  the  milk  from  one  cow  into  two  separate 
cans  and  sent  them  to  the  creamery.  The  tester 
reported  that  one  can  showed  2.5  per  cent,  butter- 
fat  and  the  other  2.9.  All  through  the  dairy  dis¬ 
tricts  farmers  complain  that  they  are  not  given  a 
fair  test.  This  may  mean  a  great  loss  when  the 
milk  is  sold  on  the  fat  test  and  this  side  of  the 
business  ought  to  he  opened  up  to  the  bottom.  There 
is  no  other  business  in  which  the  seller  is  so  com¬ 
pletely  at  the  mercy  of  the  buyer  as  in  this  method 
of  sampling  and  testing  milk. 
Also  the  matter  of  inspection  of  dairies  and 
e-’iiipmcnt.  There  is  much  complaint  that  the  scor¬ 
ing  is  not  uniform,#  equitable  or  fair.  When  the 
total  score  falls  the  price  for  the  milk  drops.  This 
s-  oring  is  done  by  the  agent  of  the  buyer.  We  have 
had  general  complaint,  that  this  judgment  is  modi¬ 
fied  by  things  outside  of  the  barn  and  dairy.  The 
•supply  of  milk,  the  size  of  the  dairy,  the  producer’s 
standing  in  the  neighborhood  and  competition  for 
tile  milk  at  times  modify  or  change  the  scoring— 
which  should  not  he  the  case.  These  two  matters, 
scoring  and  fat  test,  are  fundamental  in  the  milk 
selling  business.  They  are  things  which  can  be 
most  quickly  reached  by  legislation  and  they  affect 
the  dairyman’s  income  nearly  as  much  as  the  final 
price  of  milk.  Therefore  this  Committee  should 
make  special  effort  to  find  the  truth  about  the  many 
complaints  made  by  farmers.  If  any  farmer  has  the 
facts  about  any  injustice  in  scoring  or  testing  he 
July  29,  191(1. 
should  write  them  out  and  give  them  to  this  Com¬ 
mittee.  They  may  be  sent  to  us  if  desired  and  we 
will  forward  them. 
* 
THERE  is  a  movement  on  foot  to  induce  Ameri¬ 
can  farmers  to  go  to  Argentina,  South  Ameri¬ 
ca  and  establish  a  big  farm  colony.  The  promoters 
are  able  to  make  a  good  story  out  of  it,  and 
Argentina  is  in  many  ways  a  wonderful  country. 
It  is  no  place,  however,  for  an  American  farmer 
brought  up  with  the  habits  and  ideals  which  pre¬ 
vail  in  this  land.  In  order  to  succeed  in  that  coun¬ 
try  you  should  carry  a  good  proportion  of  Spanish 
or  Portugese  blood  in  your  veins.  Otherwise  the 
conditions  will  not  fit  into  your  life,  and  you  will  be 
far  out  of  place. 
* 
HERE  are  a  few  figures  for  those  gentlemen  who 
say  there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  a  35-eent  dol- 
lai*.  ,T.  N.  McBride,  Michigan,  director  of  markets, 
says  tlfat  investigation  of  the  cost  of  milk  from 
25  herds  near  Howell,  that  State,  shows: 
The  average  cost  for  each  100  pounds  of  milk  for 
March,  1910.  was  $1.3.3,  and  for  April  $1.84.  The 
twenty-five  herds  for  the  March  investigations  included 
437  cows  mid  for  the  April  investigations  523  cows. 
The  selling  figures  for  milk  sold  by  the  owners  of  the 
herds  for  the  same  months  are  also  available.  They  are, 
March,  .$1.52,  April,  $1.14.  The  1.  iss  to  the  growers  was 
therefore  ”1  cents  for  each  100  pounds  for  March,  and 
40  cents  for  each  100  pounds  for  April. 
Now  some  one  will  ask  how  it  is  possible  for  any 
business  to  continue  at  a  loss.  Mr.  McBride  gives 
this  reply : 
One  reason  that  the  dairy  industry  can  prevail  under 
such  unfavorable  conditions  is  because  a  large  part  of 
the  labor  cost  is  unpaid  overtime,  and  unpaid  woman 
and  child  labor. 
TVe  are  after  foundation  facts.  If  any  one  can 
dispute  these  statements  let  him  come  forward  and 
do  it  at  ouce. 
* 
ON  July  17  President  Wilson  signed  the  rural 
credits  bill  which  has  been  so  long  discussed 
by  Congress.  In  signing  it  the  president  said, 
among  other  things: 
The  farmers,  it  seems  to  me.  have  occupied  hitherto 
a  singular  position  of  disadvantage.  They  have  not 
had  tile  same  freedom  to  get  credit  on  their  real  estate 
that  others  have  had  who  were  in  manufacturing  and 
commercial  enterprises,  and  while  they  have  sustained 
our  life,  they  did  not  in  the  same  degree  with  some 
others  share  in  the  benefits  of  that  life. 
The  new  bill  establishes  12  loan  banks  under  the 
direction  of  the  Federal  hoard.  We  are  not  sure 
of  the  great  immediate  benefit  which  will  come  from 
this  new  law.  President  Wilson  wisely  says  that 
he  looks  forward  with  “confident  expectation”  rath¬ 
er  than  with  “extravagant”  hope.  A  fair  criticism 
of  the  bill  is  that  it  provides  no  clear  way  in  which 
a  tenant  or  mail  without  present  assets  can  obtain 
the  capital  with  which  to  buy  and  equip  a  farm. 
Most  of  the  men  who  will  use  this  system  at  first 
could  probably  obtain  credit  through  our  present 
banking  system.  We  believe,  however,  this  is  only 
a  beginning.  When  the  famous  German  system  of 
credits  was  started  the  plan  was  largely  confined  to 
the  great  land  mi  ners  or  well-to-do  farmers.  After 
it.  was  seen  that  the  tenants  and  poorer  farmers  were 
not  benefited,  Ihe  laws  ’were  changed  so  as  to  in¬ 
clude  all.  The  same  thing  will  follow  here.  The 
great  victory  in  Ibis  legislation  comes  in  the  recogni¬ 
tion  that  farming  and  land  values  are  as  fairly  en¬ 
titled  to  credit  as  tiny  other  business  or  any  other 
property.  It  inis  been  a  long  hard  fight  to  establish 
that  principle  and  now  we  believe  the  right  applica¬ 
tion  of  it  will  be  worked  out 
Brevities 
Tim  Agricultural  education  which  does  not  make 
a  farmer  think,  is  not  worth  much.  An  undigested  fact 
is  a  spoiled  fact.  A  brain  taught  merely  to  absorb  aud 
not  work  is  worth  nothing  but  a  headache. 
The  English  courts  appear  to  have  decided  definitely 
that  when  a  farmer  can  prove  that  he  delivered  milk 
just  as  it  came  from  the  cow  he  cannot  be  fined  if 
such  natural  milk  falls  below  the  standard. 
Take  our  advice  and  do  not  try  to  act  as  your  own 
lawyer  in  any  case  involving  records  or  rules.  You 
will  most  likely  law  yourself  out  of  court.  Probably 
you  will  laugh  at  the  lawyer  who  tries  to  farm.  Do 
you  expect  to  do  any  better  at  his  job? 
Tx  England  the  Government  steps  in  to  make  sure 
of  the  wool  crop  and  so  we  have  the  following: 
‘‘Baa,  baa,  black  sheep,  have  you  any  wool? 
Yes,  sir;  yes,  sir,  the  usual  bags  full. 
But  none  for  the  master, 
Nor  for  the  auctioneer. 
The  Government  have  collared  it,  >. 
And  the  price  is  what  we  fear!” 
A  Cat.iforxia  reader  writes  that  he  has  found 
crushed  limestone  of  a  good  grade  equal  or  superior  to 
crushed  oyster  shells  as  a  source  of  supply  of  lime  to 
his  large  flocks  of  hens.  The  limestone  also  replaces 
the  grit  usually  supplied  to  liens,  thus  serving  a  dou¬ 
ble  purpose.  If  ( 'alifornia  hens  can  use  their  teeth 
both  for  grinding  food  and  making  shell,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  Eastern  hens  can  be  taught  the  same 
trick  and  the  proprietors  of  limestone  quarries  should 
do  a  little  experimenting  with  their  product. 
