774 
tot RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 10, 1022 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Estabtiulwd f»so 
Published weekly by tile Rural Piililishing Ponipuay, 3311 Rest 30th Street,New Turk 
HEltiiKiir W. CouJKQbtooi*. president and Editor. 
Jonv .1. lm.LON, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mits. E. T. Kmvi.k. Associ ate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2,04. Remit, in money 
order, express order, personal cheek or hank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, *1.00 per agate !in< —7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
**A SQUARE DEAL" 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is barked by ft respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubiv sure, we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertiser* or iw*t.ciulir.i- udvritii* lumps in our columns, and any 
meh swindler will 1-e laiblicty ♦ix|M«e«l. We are also often called upon 
to adjust ditfereinvs or iimidu* Ut*«u our ruP-enPcis and honest, 
nwpx'ftble Houses, whether adveruw-rs Or tu t. We willingly use our good 
offices to tide end. but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
tmnsnetions We protect suhn-rlbcrs ngalnst rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of hotirst bankrupts sanctioned by the courts, 
Notice of the complaint tnuFt bo sent to us wittin cue month of t lie time of 
the transaction, and to Identify It, you should mention Tnr Kl’ttAL Nkw- 
Yorkkb when writing the advertiser. 
I T dow seems clear why the Genoa conference 
broke down or failed to give the hoped-for re¬ 
sults. Russia demanded a great loan, but refused to 
guarantee property rights to outsiders. Russia needs 
money to develop her wasted industries, hut no sane 
individual or nation will advance money without pos¬ 
itive assurance that property rights will be respected. 
As individuals none of us would lend money without 
some moral security. "With the vast number of na¬ 
tive Russians or their descendants in this country, 
the United States cannot consider any loan to Russia 
under present conditions, and we think our govern¬ 
ment is wise in keeping out of conferences until the 
Russian government does its plain duty in guarantee¬ 
ing security to property. As matters now stand. 
Germany seems the only nation willing to make a 
definite treaty with Russia without further guaran¬ 
tees. Germany cannot finance the Russian indus¬ 
tries without a loan from the United States or Eng¬ 
land. With such a loan, trained Germans could de¬ 
velop the national resources and the army of Russia 
so as to dominate Europe. It is a question in our 
mind whether the present government in Russia will 
last as long as the radical government during the 
French Revolution. At present we understand a 
comparatively small body of organized town work¬ 
men represent the ruling class, just as a small, com¬ 
pact group in Paris dominated France. We expect 
to see some strong man like Napoleon arise in Russia 
and change the system of government. In spite of 
its apparent failure, we think the Genoa conference 
did much to prevent war and give a better under¬ 
standing among European nations. 
* 
I T has been reported in the daily papers that Theo¬ 
dore Roosevelt will oppose Senator W. M. Calder 
for the senatorial nomination in New York State. 
The politicians have a way of putting out ••feelers” 
of this sort, hoping to test public opinion. Our opin¬ 
ion is that this announcement is a ••feeler." Of 
course the managers must know by this time that 
Senator Calder has nothing of what may be called 
popularity among New York farmers. Must of them 
seem to he indifferent thus far, but there is a large 
element bitterly and actively opposed to Senator 
Calder. These voters believe that the Senator is fun¬ 
damentally wrong on daylight saving, prohibition 
and the general public attitude toward farming. It 
is not likely that he can ever square himself with 
these farmers. As for Theodore Roosevelt, about all 
the people know of him thus far is that he bears a 
glorious name, honored forever, with "Washington 
and Lincoln. But what has lie besides the name? 
The people of New York do not know yet. but they 
would like to know. We are inclined to think that if 
Mr. Roosevelt would come forward as bluntly and 
openly as his father used to do, and take a right 
position on the big questions of tho day. the people 
are in a mood to put him into any position he wants. 
They will never do it, however, on the strength of 
his name alone. 
* 
J UST as we predicted, the bonus bill has been 
reported to the United States Senate. It is much 
the same as the bill passed by the House. It calls 
for a final payment of nearly five billion dollars, and 
provides no particular plan for raising the needed 
money. Our information is that the bill will pass 
Hie Senate by a great majority—perhaps so large 
that it would he possible to pass tho bill over the 
President's veto. The truth seems to be that nearly 
every soldier who joined the army during the Great 
War demands this legislation, and each one seems 
to have from five to a dozen relatives (all voters) 
who join in the demand. This army of voters has 
frightened Congressmen so that only here and there 
may be found a man with the moral courage to carry 
his private convictions out into public view like a 
banner. Both New York Senators oppose the bonus. 
Wadsworth does it openly and defiantly; Calder, 
close to his re-election, seems more inclined to sit 
on the fence. 
* 
E have a field of Alsike clover this year that 
would delight the eye of any farmer who 
knows what clover will do to a farm. Alsike is not 
as popular as Red clover: in fact, we find some 
farmers who never saw Alsike growing in any quan¬ 
tity. It is usually regarded as a ‘‘little clover"— 
more of a plaything than for any practical use. We 
do not find it so. Our Alsike is growing on land 
that is naturally damp and a little sour. Red clover 
would soon fade away on that soil unless the field 
was well drained and a heavy dressing of lime was 
used. There are thousands of acres in the Hudson 
Valley and in New England which naturally will not 
grow Rod clover, yet will produce good crops of Al¬ 
sike. While called a “little clover,’’ our own crop 
stands up as thick and strong as any Red in the 
neighborhood. The Alsike has about the same com¬ 
position as tho Rod. yet has greater feeding value, 
because the stems are finer and thus the stock will 
cat it cleaner. For the same reason the Alsike is 
easier to cure, with less danger of heating in the 
mow or stack. The seed is much smaller, so that 
less is required for an acre. Take it all in all, the 
Alsike has so many good qualities that we wonder 
sometimes that it has not become more popular with 
our Eastern farmers. We think it always pays to 
mix a little Alsike seed in with the Red. This will 
give a thicker and more uniform seeding, and there 
are always sour and damp spots in every field where 
the seed of Red clover will not start well. The Al¬ 
sike will cover these spots and make an even seeding. 
There are many places in our sour Eastern farms 
where farmers have made expensive efforts to grow 
Alfalfa. Some have succeeded, hut many more have 
failed, for the Alfalfa, put in unsuitable land, fades 
away after a few years. In many of these situations 
we think Alsike clover would be far more profitable 
than Alfalfa. 
* 
UFPOSE we take the concrete case of taxation 
presented by the Hope Farm man this week. In 
his town the total to he raised, including State and 
county tax, is $30,992.Ci7. Of this $12,409.91 is for 
improving or lighting roads, and $11,518.19 for State 
and local schools. These two items, roads and 
schools, cover SO per cent of all taxation. The total 
valuation is $493,750 for “improvements," and $302,- 
289 for real estate. There are about 2,200 acres of 
land iu the township. It. is evident that the owners 
of "improvements" are paying more than half the 
taxes, and by doing so they are increasing the value 
of all idle land, for roads, Schools and attractive sur¬ 
roundings are what induces new sot tiers to come in. 
and land values increase as increased population 
creates demand. Now in such a community what will 
he the fairest method of taxation? How would the 
single tax on land, or its rental value, work in such a 
case? Most of us have come to the point where we 
feel that our taxes are eating us up. In the case 
here mentioned we cannot hope to reduce our ex¬ 
penses much, as we are under contract to pay for 
our roads and maintain our schools. But can we 
find a more equitable system for assessing our taxes? 
That is what all farmers are asking. 
* 
AST year we spoke of the educational aid fund 
of the Massachusetts Slate Grange. A sum of 
money was raised to he used in aiding young men 
and women to secure a college education. Naturally 
such young people must be members of the Grange. 
They may borrow up to $150 per year at two per 
cent. They give notes, which must he endorsed l>y 
at least two land-owners. The notes arc to be paid 
within five years after the last one is made. The 
borrower may attend any reputable college, and as 
the notes are paid a revolving fund is secured which 
turns over and over year liy year for new students. 
More than 200 young people have made use of this 
fund, attending some of the strongest colleges in the 
country. These New England Patrons believe in 
higher education. They think education will help a 
farm-trained hoy and girl, whether they return to 
the farm or go into some other line of work. This 
is good work, and there should he more of it. We 
have long felt that some man with reasonable capital 
and a desire to help his fellow men would do well to 
hunt out deserving students and invest some of his 
money in them. Of course we know that some of 
the “old boys" will claim that young people should 
not he helped financially. "Make ’em work it all 
out. I did!’ The writer is one who had to do that, 
but he does not educate his own hoys that way, and 
he would be better off today if someone had invested 
a little money in him iu his student days. We are 
living in a new age now, and no one ever saw a 
“self-made man” who could be said to be an ideal 
character. 
* 
O N page 775 our old friend Senator “Tom” Wilson 
refers to a forestry law which he secured while 
in the New York Legislature. Under this law county 
supervisors, or town or village hoards are authorized 
to purchase land for reforesting. Cheap wild land 
can he planted in trees, cared for reasonably and 
left to grow along with the years. One of the surest 
things we know is that lumber will he scarce and 
high in the future. The little tree planted this year 
will. 50 years or more hence, be paying good divi¬ 
dends as lumber. We have no doubt whatever that 
a good grove of timber planted near every rural 
sehoolhouse would, in 75 years, pay practically all 
our rural school taxes. Too long to wait, you say? 
Well, now, see here. Suppose our ancestors of half 
u century ago had done that, would not this ever¬ 
lasting rural school question he well settled right 
now? A tree is a hostage for the future! 
* 
E VER since the day when human beings rose to 
a form of agriculture which included domestic 
animals, milk has been considered the master food. 
In his attempt to trace the growth of habit in man 
Wells states that milk was first regarded as an un¬ 
natural food, but that its evident effect upon life and 
growth made it permanent. It would he easy to 
show how, again and again, down through history, 
(he world was subdued <>r conquered by milk con¬ 
sumers. In ancient times, as men became cultured 
and gathered in cities, their food habits changed, and 
milk was largely eliminated from their diet. How 
far this will account for their mental and physical 
decline we cannot say, but it undoubtedly bad some 
effect. The human swarms who spread down through 
Italy and captured Rome were milk consumers, liv¬ 
ing very largely on the produce of flocks and herds. 
The races and tribes which used milk freely in then- 
diet have always been superior in size and quality. 
This we think will he found true even of African 
tribes. The Zulus and other peoples which have been 
noted as breeders of cattle were naturally milk con¬ 
sumers, ami are usually superior in size, intelligence 
and spirit. The early settlers in New England were 
noted for their strength, hardiness and intelligence, 
and there seems no doubt that this condition was 
chiefly due to their diet of boiled corn and other 
cereals and milk. There is no escaping the fact that 
milk is the master food. The habit of consuming at 
least one quart of milk each day is the best physical 
training which any child can acquire. This habit 
should he started on the farm, and not. left to city 
people. 
Brevities 
Not much use trying to raise Sweet clover without a 
full supply of lime. 
We use a dust of powdered sulphur and dry arsenate 
of lead on apple and peach trees, and find the same dust 
good for potatoes and melons. 
We are planting more Soy beans and Sudan grass 
this year than ever before for fodder. Our Eastern 
farmers may well do more with these crops. 
IN order to be happy a man must live us well as liis 
intimate friends. If he gets above tlu-ir standard or 
falls below it he must usually find new friends. 
It is a great mistake for the man of middle age to get 
far away from liis “bringing up". Far better for him 
to be simple and natural than to try to be “ fashionable. 
Many a cow driven to chewing boards and drinking 
fillhv water by a lack of minerals in her food has been 
brought hack to “normalcy” by feeding a handful of 
ground bone daily. 
When to c-ut Alfalfa? Look at the crown of the 
plant close to the ground—and notice the lit tie green 
shoots starting up. Gut before these get so large that 
the mower would clip them off. They will make the 
next crop. 
Many of our readers helped in the work of sending 
corn to the starving peasants in Russia. This corn has 
saved many lives. It was usually ground fine in the 
village mills, mixed with eoarse rye or wheat flour, and 
baked with yeast into single loaves. 
Some of the members of ancient tribes were willing 
to ear the fox. but would not eat rabbits. They were 
afraid that if they consumed the flesh of thi.< timid 
animal they would lose their courage. Those who en¬ 
dorse that theory should eat woodchuck. 
There are cases where Sweet clover has been used as 
a cover crop in orchards. All who know this clover will 
remember that it makes a strong growth—almost like a 
young tree. When eut the stubble of these big plants 
will stand up like stakes, and many a falling apple has 
been impaled on them. 
