1262 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUSINESS  FA  JtXRR'  S  TA  PE R 
A  Notional  Weekly  Journui  Cor  Country  nn<l  Suburlinn  Homes 
JOstabliahetl  ti&l} 
Publlxhed  weekly  by  llie  ftnrul  Pilhtinlilnc  ennt|i»nj.  333  West  80th  Street,  New  York 
Hf.UIIK.UT  W.  COt.MXGWKID,  l’fff iilOtll  31  id  Editor 
Jons  J.  l'tt.t.o.s,  Treasurer  atnl  Uenoml  Manager. 
W».  P.  DiVLON,  Secretary.  Jins.  E.  T.  Boti.k,  Amoriate  Editor. 
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“  A  SQUARE  HEAL” 
We  believe  that  every  advertisement  in  tltis  paper  is  baeked  hy  a  respon¬ 
sible  person.  We  use  eiery  possible  precaution  *nd  admit  tlie  atlVertisinar  of 
reliable  bouses  only.  Rut  to  nuke  doubly  sure,  v> "  will  make  wood  any  loss 
to  paid  subscribers  sustained  bjr  trusUnar  any  doliberato  swindler,  irrespon- 
■lblc  advertisers  or  misleading  advertisement;  in  obr  cxutoiis,  and  any 
euub  swindler  wiil  be  ixubllclr  expeoed.  Wo  are  affix)  ofteu  called  upon 
to  adjust  diffcivm  -  -  or  mlM.Occ  between  «ui  subUTiffi.  .*  and  honest, 
responsible  lioiises,  whether  udvortlnei  -.i  or  not.  Wo  v  ill inpety  use  our  good 
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the  transaction,  and  to  identify  it,  you  should  mention  Tire  Rural  New- 
Yorker  when  writing  the  advertiser. 
THIS  is  the  season  when  nature  and  man  must 
“settle  up”  on  the  crop.  As  usual  \ve  have 
many  cases  put  up  to  us  where  a  dispute  has  arisen 
between  the  worker  and  the  employer,  or  money 
partner.  The  season  has  not  pone  as  either  ex¬ 
pected  and  both  want  what  little  there  is  to  divide. 
In  most  of  these  cases  there  was  no  contract  or 
written  agreement  whatever.  The  parties  just 
talked  it  over  and  started  hi.  Now  they  do  not 
agree  as  to  what  each  promised  and  in  many  cases 
lifelong  trouble  will  result.  It  is  only  additional 
evidence  of  the  folly  of  trying  to  do  business  with¬ 
out  a  contract  or  a  written  agreement.  No  matter 
who  you  agree  to  do  business  with — a  stranger  or 
the  wife’s  relatives — do  not  start  without  a  definite 
written  agreement  as  to  what  each  party  must  do. 
A  drop  of  ink  properly  spread  on  paper  may  save 
a  quart  of  sweat  and  a  gallon  of  blood. 
* 
THE  Indiana  Horticultural  Society  will  help  its 
members  sell  their  apples.  One  great  trouble 
in  the  past  lias  been  the  bulk  shipments  of  low- 
grade  fruit  right  into  the  market  where  growers 
were  trying  to  sell  their  good  apples.  Of  course 
this  knocked  down  the  price  and  spoiled  the  mar¬ 
ket  while  the  bulk  shipments  lasted.  This  year  the 
society  has  found  a  market  for  this  low-grade  stuff 
at  50  cents  per  100  pounds.  It  will  go  into  apple 
juice  and  vinegar,  and  if  the  growers  will  only  sell 
it  in  this  way  they  will  have  the  market  clear  for 
their  good  apples.  A  little  later  the  society  may 
work  to  obtain  markets  for  the  good  fruit.  Another 
thing:  Many  people  want  to  buy  such  varieties  as 
Raxnbo,  Belleflower  and  other  local  favorites.  The 
society  will  make  lists  of  growers  who  have  these 
apples  and  send  to  all  who  want  to  buy.  All  this 
is  good  work — which  might  be  duplicated  in  every 
State.  For  years  these  societies  did  little  beyond 
education  and  gathering  statistics.  No  greater  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  popular  demand  for  marketing  reform 
could  be  had  than  the  fact  that  these  societies  are 
going  into  business! 
* 
IS  lime  needed  in  tipple  orchards?  Your  genuine 
“lime  crank”  will  advise  lime  for  every  soil  and 
co-op,  except  perhaps  potatoes  and  cranberries,  and 
we  often  read  statements  about  the  great  need  of 
lime  in  orchards.  Our  own  experience  indicates  that 
if  we  consider  the  trees  alone  it  would  be  well  to 
keep  lime  out  of  the  apple  orchard.  The  apple 
seems  to  prefer  a  slightly  acid  soil,  though  varieties 
vary  in  this  respect.  Most  of  the  popular  commer¬ 
cial  varieties  seem  to  thrive  better  without  lime. 
In  any  event  we  would  rather  use  ground  limestone 
in  the  orchard.  When  it  comes  to  the  cover  crop, 
however,  we  have  another  story.  Where  clover  is 
seeded  lime  will  pay,  because  the  clover  will  not 
do  its  best  in  an  acid  soil.  Usually,  when  a  heavy 
crop  of  green  clover  is  plowed  under  the  land  is 
soured  and  a  moderate  application  of  lime  will  help 
to  grow  more  clover.  Our  own  plan  is  to  make  an¬ 
nual  use  of  about  500  pounds  of  lime  to  the  acre 
when  green  cover  crops  are  plowed  under.  This 
is  not  to  help  the  apple  trees,  hut  to  promote  the 
growth  of  the  cover  crop,  and  thus  have  more  or¬ 
ganic  matter  to  plow  under. 
* 
TIIE  following  little  story  will  illustrate  the  pe¬ 
culiar  hold  which  The  R.  N.-Y.  has  upon  its 
readers.  A  farmer  from  Maine  started  with  his 
wife  for  a  trip  to  the  South.  They  were  not  used 
to  travelling  and  had  been  warned  by  their  children 
not  to  pick  up  strange  acquaintances.  It  also  hap¬ 
pened  that  an  Iowa  fanner  and  his  wife  started  on 
a  trip  to  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  at  a  railroad  sta¬ 
tion  in  a  great  city  the  lines  of  travel  crossed  and 
the  four  farm  people  met.  They  eyed  each  other 
sitting  on  the  same  row  of  seats  and  knew  they  had 
Z57i<»  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
much  in  common,  but  somehow  there  was  no  com¬ 
mon  point  of  thought  to  get.  them  together.  Fin¬ 
ally,  there  passed  in  front  of  them  a  woman  with 
three  children,  all  with  hair  about  the  color  of  the 
American  Beauty  rose.  One  of  the  children  stum¬ 
bled  and  the  woman,  tired  and  irritated,  gave  him 
a  rousing  box  on  the  ear.  The  farmer  from  Maine 
turned  to  his  wife  and  said: 
“If  the  Hope  Farm  man  saw  a  ‘red-head’  treated 
like  that  he  would  complain  to  Publisher’s  Desk!” 
The  Iowa  farmer  turned  at  the  word  and  said: 
“What,  do  you  take  The  R.  N.-Y.  I  know  all 
about  those  ‘red-heads’ !” 
In  an  instant  the  ice  was  broken  and  these  four 
friends  had  been  “introduced”  in  the  happiest  way. 
In  10  minutes  it  seemed  ns  if  they  had  always  known 
each  other,  for  as  they  talked  they  found  that  in 
(heir  long  reading  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  they  had  un¬ 
consciously  come  to  think  alike  on  dozens  of  sub¬ 
jects,  and  had  sympathies  and  views  in  common,  all 
taken  from  the  paper.  We  hear  of  such  incidents 
again  and  again.  One  man  who  travels  consid¬ 
erably  says  he  has  never  yet  been  on  a  train  or  a 
steamboat,  or  in  a  crowd  of  any  size,  without  find¬ 
ing  at  least  one  other  reader  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  and 
in  every  case  it  was  like  meeting  an  old  friend! 
We  take  great  pride  in  this  “family”  quality  of  our 
readers.  There  is  no  other  paper  in  the  country 
which  can  show  so  much  of  it. 
* 
Put  Them  on  Record  ! 
WE  want  your  help  in  properly  posting  on  the 
political  signboard  the  name  of  every  candi¬ 
date  for  State  office  and  the  Legislature  in  New 
York  this  Fall.  How  do  they  stand  on  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  properly  financing  and  supporting 
The  Foods  and  Markets  Department? 
Will  they  give  it  new  life  or  will  they  kill  it? 
This  is  the  largest  State  issue  which  New  York 
farmers  have  faced  in  many  years.  It  gives  them 
their  first  chance  to  stand  for  a  definite  farm  issue 
— entirely  aside  from  ordinary  politics.  We  want 
to  show  the  public  just  where  every  candidate 
stands  on  this  question,  and  we  want  your  help  in 
finding  out.  Just  as  soon  as  candidates  are  nomin¬ 
ated  in  your  county,  will  you  give  us  their  names 
and  sound  them  on  this  plain  question?  We  will  do 
the  rest.  We  want  most  of  all,  the  record  of  all 
candidates  for  the  Legislature. 
* 
Let  Every  Milk  Producer  Heed  This 
WHENEVER  we  start  a  fight  for  the  rights  of 
New  York  fanners  we  hear  from  all  over  the 
country.  Farmers  everywhere  come  asking,  ilWhat 
can  I  do  to  help?"  In  several  cases  it  was  this 
strong  moral  and  business  support  which  turned 
(he  scale.  Dairymen  everywhere  are  watching  this 
battle  for  fairer  milk  prices.  Our  farmers  are  mak¬ 
ing  their  fight  fairly  and  honestly,  without  bluster 
or  bluff.  The  entrance  of  the  Funds  and  Markets 
Department  in  an  effort  to  help  sell  the  milk  is  a 
new  and  important  move.  Thus  all  farmers  are 
watching  the  fight  and  all  want  to  help,  for  they 
know  that  sooner  or  later  their  State  must  take  it 
up.  Every  man.  no  matter  whether  he  produces 
milk  or  apples,  or  poultry  or  potatoes,  grain  or 
onions,  knows  that  there  is  now  being  fought  out  a 
principle  which  will  affect  him,  and  decide  whether 
he  shall  have  something  to  say  about  what  is  paid 
for  his  crop  or  whether  the  handlers  shall  settle  it 
all  for  him.  Of  course  they  want  to  help. 
This  is  the  way  they  can  do  it.  The  big  milk  com¬ 
panies  begin  to  realize  that  our  New  York  farmers 
and  all  who  belong  to  the  Dairymen's  League  will 
stand  firm  for  the  prices  they  have  named.  .So  these 
companies  will  reach  out  into  other  States  in  order 
to  obtain  milk.  They  will  go  to  New  England, 
Pennsylvania  and  other  States,  and  offer  lug  prices 
for  October.  They  must  have  milk,  and  they  want 
your  ruilk  cans  to  use  as  a  club  in  smashing  down 
the  organization  which  our  New  York  farmers  are 
building!  They  can  afford  to  pay  you  extravagant 
prices  for  your  October  milk,  not  for  its  butterfat 
value,  but  for  its  power  to  hatter  the  life  out  of 
the  fight  for  freedom  which  our  dairymen  are  mak¬ 
ing.  Can  you  not  see  that  if  you  now  turn  your 
milk  over  to  them  you  become  a  mere  cat’s-paw 
for  these  milk  dealers,  and  help  to  scratch  the  eyes 
out  of  your  brothers  here?  These  dealers  will  make 
use  of  you  to  help  them  rob  our  dairymen  and  then 
they  will  turn  on  you.  Do  not  he  deceived  or  led 
astray  by  the  chance  to  make  a  small  temporary 
profit  for  the  October  milk,  for  every  cent  you 
make  in  this  way  will  mean  the  loss  of  .$10  later  on. 
Keep  your  milk  away  from  New  York  and  let  ua 
fight  our  battle  feeling  that  our  brothers  in  other 
States  will  stand  by  us  and  not  give  ammunition 
September  SO,  1010. 
to  the  enemy  while  the  fight  is  hot.  That  is  the 
sort  of  help  we  want  right  now.  Refuse  to  sell  your 
milk  for  shipment  to  New  York  until  we  can  perfect 
our  organization  and  control  the  supply.  By  doing 
that  we  shall  all  get  our  price.  If  you  dairymen  in 
other  States  pour  your  milk  into  New  York  just 
when  we  are  fighting  for  your  rights  and  our  own, 
you  only  succeed  in  helping  the  dealers  and  make 
us  fight  on  for  another  year.  The  time  has  come 
when  you  can  help.  Refuse  io  ship  pour  milk  io 
Few  York  until  the  League  price  is  accepted. 
* 
WE  have  talked  about  the  35-cent  dollar  until 
it  has  become  a  national  issue.  Every  man 
who  has  ever  sent,  farm  produce  to  the  commission 
market  knows  there  is  such  a  dollar,  in  spite  of 
what  the  wise  men  tell  him.  Now  we  come  to  the 
watered  dollar.  Tt  is  not  a  new  one.  but  it  gets  to 
us  now  bigger  than  ever  in  this  milk  situation.  We 
showed  last  week  how  the  Borden  Company  has  been 
paying  some  $1,800,000  in  yearly  dividends  on  their 
common  stock.  Such  stock  is  “water.”  It  does  not 
represent  money  paid  in  or  tangible  material  value 
which  represents  labor,  like  a  man’s  farm  or  farm 
outfit.  Usually  “common  stock”  costs  little  more 
(ban  the  paper  and  printing.  It  is  a  scheme  for  get¬ 
ting  rid  of  extra  profits,  so  they  will  not  look  quite 
so  large  to  outsiders.  Suppose  a  company  had 
$500,000  in  profits  to  distribute,  and  was  capitalized 
at  one  million.  It  would  not  look  well  to  declare 
a  dividend  of  50  per  cent.,  but  suppose  they  could 
create  “common  stock”  enough  to  make  a  capital  of 
$10,000,000.  Then  they  could  declare  a  dividend  of 
five  per  cent.,  distribute  their  big  profits  and  even 
plead  poverty  and  call  for  an  increased  price  on 
what  they  have  to  sell!  It  would  pay  them  to  give 
away  one  million  of  this  in  small  lots  and  then 
claim  that  the  Interests  of  “widows  and  orphans” 
would  not  permit  them  to  pay  more  for  what  they 
bought  or  to  charge  less  for  what  they  sell !  That 
is  what  we  call  the  watered  dollar!  The  big  milk 
companies  have  millions  of  them.  The  farmers  have 
furnished  the  milk  for  a  mere  pittance,  the  deal¬ 
ers  soil  the  solids  in  that  milk  and  then  the  public 
put  their  money  into  the  remaining  water  and  raise 
cream  on  it!  The  milk  dealers  will  never  talk 
about  the  watered  dollar,  but  they  are  fierce  after 
the  watered  milk.  •  There  never  was  any  purebred 
stock  that  can  make  cream  like  the  common  stock 
of  the  Borden’s  Company. 
* 
WE  have  not  heard  much  about  this  “two 
blades  of  grass”  proposition  lately.  Here 
comes  Hoard’s  Dairyman  with  the  following: 
It  was  Dean  Swift  who  made  the  following  remark 
that  has  been  quoted  many  thousands  of  times  since: 
“Whoever  could  make  two  ears  of  corn,  or  two 
blades  of  grass,  to  grow  upon  a  spot  of  ground  where 
only  one  grew  before,  would  deserve  better  of  man¬ 
kind,  and  do  more  essential  service  to  his  country,  than 
the  whole  race  of  politicians  put  together.” 
In  the  opinion  of  Hoard’s  Dairyman  this  is  a  very 
just  observation. 
We  agree  fully  with  that.  It  is  not  a  very  high 
compliment  to  the  “two  blades”  when  we  stop  to 
consider  how  little  the  politicians  have  ever  done 
for  their  country.  Surely  the  farmer  who  produces 
one  extra  head  of  hayseed  more  richly  deserves  a 
monument  than  all  the  politicians  who  ever  raided 
a  treasury  or  took  their  places  at  the  trough.  The 
trouble  is  that  a  lot  of  theorists  have  misquoted 
Dean  Swift  and  changed  the  meaning  of  his  “just 
observation.”  They  twist  and  turn  his  meaning  so 
as  to  make  it  appear  the  chief  duty  of  the  farmer 
is  to  raise  “two  blades  of  grass”  without  any 
thought  as  to  whether  he  can  do  it  at  a  profit  or 
whether  he  can  sell  the  extra  blade  after  he  pro¬ 
duces  it.  The  prizes  in  life  have  come  to  those  who 
first  learned  how  to  dispose  of  one  blade  at  a  profit 
before  they  tried  to  crowd  two  blades  on  the  mar¬ 
ket.  Those  who  crowd  two  blades  into  a  market 
which  has  absorbed  only  one  before  will  have  to  eat 
their  own  grass  in  order  to  live! 
Brevities 
It  isn’t  how  much  the  cow  will  give,  but  how  much 
the  milk  trust  will  give,  and  we  are  all  tired  of  the 
condition. 
Trials  in  Montana  show  that  corn  cut  after  the 
kernels  glaze  over  is  more  digestible  than  when  cut  be¬ 
fore  this  glazing. 
The  present  battle  over  milk  prices  is  not  likely  to 
affect  the  price  of  certified  milk.  That  is  like  an  ar¬ 
ticle  carrying  a  tight  legal  patent. 
Our  advice  is  to  plant  asparagus  and  strawberries 
iu  the  Spring.  Fall  planting  often  succeeds  under 
most  favorable  conditions  but  Spring  is  surer  and 
better. 
The  Montana  Experiment  Station  has  issued  a  list 
of  all  breeders  of  standard  poultry  and  purebred  live 
stock  in  that  State.  A  good  move  toward  stock  im¬ 
provement. 
