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The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUSINESS  FARMER'S  PAPER 
National  Weekly  Journnl  for  Country  and  Suburban  Homes 
Established  isso 
F'uhlhhcd  weekly  by  (he  Rural  Publishing  Company,  383  IVesI  80th  Street,  New  Pork 
H K.ntntRT  W.  Cot.t.iNtJwoon,  President  :uol  Editor, 
Jons  J.  Duao.V,  Trcvourer  ami  General  Mmiac  r. 
Wm.  f.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Hits.  K.  T.  novt.it,  Associate  Editor. 
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“A  SQUARE  DEAL" 
Wo  believe  that  every  advertisement  in  this  paper  is  backed  by  a  respon¬ 
sible  person.  We  use  every  possible  precaution  and  admit,  the  advertising  of 
reliable  houses  o  ily.  Rm  to  make  doubly  an«.  we  will  make  good  any  loss 
to  paid  subscriber*  snstaintd  by  trusting  any  dcllbcmro  s»  ntdler,  I  r respon¬ 
sible  advert, oeni  nr  riitsleaiiing  advert l-onu  nta  in  one  columns,  ami  any 
such  swindler  will  be  publicly  exposed.  We  arc  also  olten  called  upon 
to  adjust  dttfcrences  or  mistakes  between  our  subscriber*  and  honest, 
responsible  houses,  whether  advert  Oer*  or  not.  We  willingly  mo  our  good 
dffioee  to  this  end.  but  such  cases  should  not  bo  confused  with  dishonest 
transactions,  We  protect  nubsertt.  iv  against,  rogues,  but  we  will  not  bo 
responsible  for  the  debto  of  honest  jian  k  m  ors  r.-i to-f mil'll  [ >Y  the  courts. 
Notice  of  the  complaint  must  be  sent  to  us  within  one  month  of  the  time  of 
the  transaction,  and  to  identify'  it,  you  should  mention  The  Rurai,  New- 
Yorker  when  v  riling  the  advertiser. 
Good  Friends  Who  Stick 
No.  10. 
( >T  so  long  ;igo  we  met  a  man  who  had  been 
writing  for  10  years.  He  said  he  could  not 
think  of  another  thing  to  write  about.  “How  can 
you  keep  it  going?”  he  said.  We  just  showed  him 
a  number  of  letters  from  our  readers — like  the  fol¬ 
lowing  : 
Today  is  my  fifty-seventh  birthday  and  I  have  been 
with  you  10  years,  and  have  had  to  take  in  washing 
to  pay,  but  I  don’t  care.  I  don’t  feel  at  home  with¬ 
out  the  paper  to  read;  it  is  my  favorite  paper.  I  am 
the  daughter  of  an  old  soldier  who  died  in  the  war  52 
years  ago.  mrs.  jennie  wing. 
Vermont. 
We  should  soon  run  down  to  the  poorest  common¬ 
place  if  it  were  not  for  our  friends.  They  take  a 
personal  interest  in  the  paper  and  out  of  their  ex¬ 
perience  and  sympathy  and  homely  wisdom  keep 
us  fresh  and  free.  It  would  he  a  dull  mind  that 
could  not  read  between  the  lines  of  that  letter  and 
find  the  spirit  which  moves  the  world. 
* 
WE  never  before  had  so  many  letters  from  peo¬ 
ple  who  want  to  get  the  tonnage  of  hay  in 
mow  or  stack  by  measuring  it.  Tn  Montana  there 
is  a  law  which  states  that  512  cubic  feet  shall 
constitute  a  ton  of  Alfalfa  hay — in  stack  or  mow 
00  days  or  more  after  stacking.  For  clean  Timothy 
and  clover  450  cubic  feet  constitute  a  legal  ton. 
That  figuring  is  mostly  confined  to  large  outside 
stacks.  Tu  most  of  our  smaller  haymows  at  least 
five  per  cent,  should  he  added  to  these  figures. 
They  are  estimates  at  best,  and  when  hay  is  sold 
it  should  he  weighed  if  possible. 
* 
SELLING  milk  at  18  cents  a  quart  at  Miami, 
Fla.,  looks  like  picking  up  money  (see  page 
1577),  but  whoever  gets  that  price  will  earn  every 
cent  of  it.  There  seems  to  be  no  question  about  the 
possibility  of  producing  milk  in  Florida  in  any  sec¬ 
tion  where  the  cattle  tick  has  been  destroyed.  The 
climate  is  ideal  for  Winter  dairying,  and  a  great 
array  of  forage  plants  can  be  grown.  It  seems  all 
light,  hut  some  years  ago  the  Hope  Farm  man  tried 
to  buy  a  good  cow  in  upper  Florida,  and  did  not 
make  a  thrilling  success.  The  old  Spaniards  looked 
to  Florida  to  produce  the  germ  of  perpetual  youth. 
They  failed  to  find  it,  and  we  advise  our  readers 
not  to  expect  to  find  perpetual  truth  down  there 
either.  Any  man  who  ever  sells  milk  at  IS  cents 
a  quart  will  earn  every  cent  of  it. 
* 
The  testimony  shows  that,  if  these  men  had  such  * 
reputations  they  did  not  have  truth  and  veracity.  I 
wish  you  could  explain  how  I  can  be  lenient  with  these 
men  when  I  have  just  sent  a  poor  man  to  the  peniten¬ 
tiary  for  embezzling  $500.  After  these  men  got  the 
confidence  of  the  farmers,  they  tried  to  wheedle  the 
money  from  them,  and  if  that  failed,  they  threatened 
the  farmers  with  lawsuits.  I  don’t  remember  a  worse 
case  of  this  kind. 
HE  speaker  was  Judge  A.  B.  Anderson  of  the 
IT.  S.  Court  at  Iudianaptolis.  He  was  sending 
James  A.  Everitt  of  Up-To-Date  Farming  to  jail 
for  18  months.  Mr.  Everitt’s  lawyer  tried  to  ex¬ 
plain  that  his  client  had  “a  good  reputation  for 
honesty  and  veracity.’*  Then  Judge  Anderson  laid 
down  the  text  for  100  sermons. 
“I  take  it  for  granted  your  reputation  is  good, 
but  your  character  is  bad  ” 
The  most  successful  and  the  meanest  swindling 
is  done  by  people  who  have  “a  good  reputation.” 
While  his  “reputation”  lasts  the  hypocrite  and  liar 
is  far  more  dangerous  than  the  brutal  cynic  or  open 
rogue.  This  seems  to  be  particularly  true  of  men 
who  deal  with  farmei’s.  Most  country  people  are 
familiar  with  the  rougher  and  cruder  foi-rns  of 
life  and  character,  and  they  can  size  up  a  rogue 
who  sins  openly  without  trouble.  The  glib  talker 
and  promiser  with  “a  good  reputation”  will  work 
Cfce  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
into  their  confidence  and  rob  them  before  they  find 
him  out.  They  would  fight  the  robber  who  tries  to 
outer  their  house  at  night  because  they  know  him 
for  what  he  is.  Sneaking  rascals  like  Everitt  will 
enter  their  house  through  a  farm  paper  and,  before 
they  are  found  out,  rob  them  of  money,  embitter 
their  lives,  and  poison  the  minds  of  their  children. 
We  trust  that  Everitt  heads  a  long  procession  of 
publishers  whose  "reputation”  has  now  worn  so  thin 
that  they  will  soon  break  into  jail.  There  are  half 
a  dozen  more  of  these  pests — some  of  them  high  up 
in  society — who  have,  for  years,  systematically 
fooled  their  readers.  “Reputation"  has  thus  far 
posed  them  as  masters.  “Character”  will,  before 
long,  properly  make  them  jailbirds. 
* 
WE  learn  of  a  farmers’  exchange  on  the  Gulf 
Coast  which  could  handle  many  carloads  of 
apples  during  the  season.  They  do  not  want  the 
highest  grade,  but  could  take  care  of  a  class  of 
fruit  which  does  not  always  sell  to  the  best  ad¬ 
vantage  in  the  apple  growing  sections.  If  they 
were  sure  of  a  steady  supply  this  exchange  could, 
without  doubt,  develop  a  fine  market  for  such  fruit. 
They  are  well  located  for  direct  water  shipment 
and  could  exchange  oranges,  sweet  potatoes  and 
other  Southern  products.  Now  if  some  similar  far¬ 
mer’s  exchange  at  the  North,  located  near  the 
coast,  could  do  business  with  this  Southern  com¬ 
pany  direct,  a  new  outlet  would  he  opened  and  a 
large  new  market  developed.  Thousands  of  barrels 
of  apples,  now  almost  given  away  at  the  North, 
would  be  sold  at  a  profit  and  in  coming  seasons, 
potatoes  and  other  products  could  be  handled.  Here 
is  a  chance  for  organized  farmers  to  get  together. 
Why  not  do  the  work  which  now  hundreds  of  mid¬ 
dlemen  are  paid  to  do  for  you? 
* 
THE  recent  meeting  of  the  Dairymen’s  League 
at  Utica  was  a  wonder.  We  can  all  remem¬ 
ber  when  practically  every  meeting  of  farmers  in 
New  York  State  was  dominated  by  a  few  politicians. 
These  meetings  were  small,  without  enthusiasm,  and 
about  us  dry  and  perfunctory  as  a  gathering  called 
to  discuss  prehistoric  man.  Now — this  is  what 
a  visitor  to  this  Utica  meeting  writes : 
As  I  climbed  the.  stairs  somebody  was  lotting  loose 
something  like  this,  “What's  the  matter  with  Cooper?” 
And  then  the  roar  of  000  healthy  lungs  rattled  the  win¬ 
dows  with  "He's  all  right !”  And  so  on  down  the  list. 
They  cheered  everybody,  the  directors,  the  publicity 
man,  George  W.  Rush,  and  wound  tip  with  a  regular 
rip-snorter  for  Commissioner  Dillon.  I  never  attended 
a  meeting  of  farmers  in  which  so  great  unanimity  pre¬ 
vailed. 
We  presume  you  realize  that  for  years  past  one 
trouble  has  been  that  farmers  reserved  this  noise 
and  enthusiasm  for  men  and  for  issues  which  never 
touched  their  own  lives  directly.  When  they  ask 
what’s  the  matter  with  some  big  politician  their 
voice  is  just  about  as  effective  as  the  squeak  of  a 
toy  pulled  by  a  string.  When  they  ask  what’s  the 
matter  with  Thompson,  or  Cooper,  or  the  rest  of 
their  own  leaders,  they  get.  into  their  own  business. 
We  thank  the  Lord  these  farmers  are  realizing  their 
power. 
* 
SOME  weeks  before  the  election  we  told  the  story 
of  that  big  revolution  in  North  Dakota.  The 
farmers  were  in  great  majority  in  that  State,  but 
the  Legislature  and  Governor  ignored  them.  This 
“government”  thought  itself  safe  so  long  as  it  con-, 
trolled  the  party  machinery.  Those  farmers  start¬ 
ed  in  and  took  the  machine  away  from  Ihe  politi¬ 
cians.  They  nominated  their  own  candidates,  and 
have  now  elected  them  by  great  majorities.  Thus 
begins  one  of  the  most  significant  political  experi¬ 
ments  ever  started  in  the  world.  These  farmers  are 
pledged  to  certain  definite  reforms,  which  are  con¬ 
nected  with  marketing  crqps  and  protecting  and  fin¬ 
ancing  the  farmer’s  business.  There  may  be  some 
hitches  or  mistakes  at  first,  but  vve  believe  these 
determined  men  will  carry  through  their  program, 
and  that  North  Dakota  and  the  country  will  be  bet¬ 
ter  for  it.  The  farmers  of  New  York  have  also 
great  marketing  wrongs  to  be  made  right.  If  they 
should  be  driven  to  it  they  may  duplicate  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  last  year  in  North  Dakota. 
* 
AT  the  close  of  the  year  most  men  are  given 
somewhat  to  reflection.  The  older  they  grow 
the  more  willing  they  are  to  accept  certain  events 
of  life  as  settled  beyond  dispute.  Any  man  of 
50  will  tell  you  that  each  human  being  has  his  lump 
of  sugar  and  must  also  take  his  medicine.  Usually 
the  medicine  must  be  taken  to  counteract  the  ef¬ 
fect  of  the  sugar.  Of  course  by  “sugar”  we  mean 
opportunity,  a  chance  to  become  independent 
through  labor  and  self-denial — and  that  curious  ele¬ 
ment  which  the  world  calls  “luck.”  Some  use  their 
“sugar”  to  sweeten  their  own  cup  with  little 
December  23,  1916. 
thought  that  others  near  them  must  drink  the  sour 
or  bitter  dregs  of  life.  Others  waste  their  sugar 
as  it  comes  to  them,  and  like  all  who  gorge  on 
sweets,  are  finally  confronted  with  the  cup  of  medi¬ 
cine.  No  matter  what  we  do  with  our  “sugar”  we 
must  all  take  our  medicine  sooner  or  later,  and 
probably  the  finest  test  of  character  comes  in  the 
way  we  take  it.  The  face  we  make  up  on  taking 
the  dose  indicates  the  depth  and  strength  of  cour¬ 
age  and  philosophy.  Note  what  a  man  does  with 
his  “sugar”  if  you  would  know  his  character. 
Watch  him  take  his  medicine  if  you  want  the  final 
test. 
* 
EVEN  the  liquor  meu  now  seem  ready  to  admit 
that  prohibition  is  gaining  ground,  and  is  like¬ 
ly  to  win  90  per  cent,  of  the  country  within  a  few 
years.  Mr.  Bryan  now  regards  it  as  the  greatest 
social  question,  and  urges  his  party  to  take  up  the 
issue  seriously^  The  fact  is  that  the  liquor  traffic 
has  no  economic  right  to  exist  in  this  country.  It 
serves  no  useful  or  respectable  purpose,  and  repre¬ 
sents  a  dead  loss  which  society  cannot  afford  to 
suffex*.  The  breweries  and  distilleries  can  be  used 
for  making  industrial  alcohol  and  thus  give  employ¬ 
ment  to  the  meu  who  are  now  worse  than  uselessly 
employed  in  making  liquor.  Every  moral  and  eco¬ 
nomic  argument  is  against  the  liquor  traffic.  It  has 
no  place  in  a  country  or  in  a  world  in  which  pov¬ 
erty  exists  and  where  men,  women  or  children  lack 
food  and  shelter.  Farmers  are  injured  by  this 
traffic  more  than  any  other  class.  They  realize  it, 
and  that  is  why  the  great  strength  of  the  move¬ 
ment  against  “booze”  comes  fi’om  the  country.  The 
business  of  selling  liquor  is  no  longer  respectable 
and  the  end  of  it  is  in  sight. 
* 
WE  have  had  some  remarkable  replies  to  that 
question  about  the  “self-made”  man  and  his 
view  of  society.  Here  is  one — at  least  original  and 
novel  in  expression.  Is  it  true? 
I  have  noticed  the  “self-made”  man,  and  he  is  more 
of  a  cheap  factory  product  than  a  homemade  article ; 
poorly  colored,  lacking  in  polish,  and  lopsided.  His 
mind  is  a  Cyclops,  on  wealth  and  too  small  to  hold 
more  than  the  one  idea.  His  charity  is  hush-money 
to  a  decrepit  conscience  paid  as  a  bribe  to  the  Record¬ 
ing  Angel.  He  is  like  a  horse  with  a  pair  of  gold 
blinds  seeing  nothing  but  the  reflected  color;  he  sees 
life  through  yellow  glasses,  and  loses  all  the  soft  shades 
and  strong  colors.  No  matter  where  he  goes  when  he 
dies,  to  him,  the  mere  fact  of  leaving  his  wealth  will  bo 
enough. 
Most  self-made  men  that  we  know  seem  to  for¬ 
get  at  times  that  they  have  any  other  Maker  be¬ 
sides  the  one  who  wears  their  own  clothes.  But 
are  they  ever  as  bad  as  that?  If  so — what’s  the 
object  of  pushing  yourself  to  the  limit?  We  find 
that  most  of  these  self-made  men  look  with  scorn 
upon  the  people  who  fail  to  fight  or  woi*k  and  go 
through  life  leaning  against  some  stronger  person 
— finally  ending  by  blaming  the  self-made  man; 
8o  there  are  two  sides  to  it  after  all. 
* 
THE  so-called  “egg  boycott”  now  on  in  New 
York  and  other  large  cities  is  a  popular  pro¬ 
test  against  the  extortions  of  the  cold  storage  men. 
It  cannot  succeed  permanently,  and  will  do  both 
consumers  and  producers  more  harm  than  good  in 
the  end.  There  is  so  much  talk  about  it  that  many 
commission  men  and  dealers  have  used  it  as  a  club 
to  beat  down  prices  and  make  low  returns  to  ship¬ 
pers.  The  Rochester  Herald  puts  the  situation  well 
as  follows : 
If  one-tenth  the  time  and  newspaper  space  that  is 
now  spent  in  caterwauling  about  high  prices  were  em¬ 
ploy'd  iu  diligent  study  of  means  adapted  to  bring  the 
farmers’  surplus  crops  within  reach  of  the  cities’  un¬ 
satisfied  needs,  there  would  presently  be  no  food  fam¬ 
ine  anywhere,  nor  threat  of  any. 
Cold  storage  for  certain  foods  is  now  a  public  ne¬ 
cessity,  and  no  one  begrudges  the  storage  men  a 
fair  profit.  When  they  undertake  to  rob  the  people 
through  extortion  and  misrepresentation  of  goods 
they  become  public  enemies.  Quit  “boycotting”  and 
investigating  and  get  together  back  of  the  plan  for 
terminal  city  markets! 
Brevities 
Ax  open  Winter  thus  far — do  not  trust  it  to  stay  so. 
Nitrogen  represents  “smartness.”  The  old-fashioned 
way  of  taking  nitrogen  out  of  the  heir  was  to  use  a 
shingle ! 
A  FEW  weeks  ago  a  farmer  asked  for  help  in  plan¬ 
ning  a  dairy  burn.  He  made  it  clear  that  he  wanted 
plans  from  practical  dairymen.  There  have  been  so 
many  good  suggestions  that  we  shall  print  a  series  of 
these  plans.  Many  of  them  are  very  good,  and  repre¬ 
sent  a  lifelong  study  of  cows  and  the  way  to  handle 
them  conveniently. 
The  county  agent  for  Winston  Co..  Miss.,  got  12 
farmers  to  combine  and  ship  42  head  of  cattle  and  one 
hog  in  a  single  carload.  Several  men  contributed  one 
cow  and  a  calf  each.  The  stock  was  marked  and  sold 
separately,  and  all  brought  $894 — more  than  the  local 
price,  and  that  on  an  “off”  market. 
