1424 
December 2, 1922 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S FAPER 
n National Weekly Journal for Country ami Suburban Home* 
Established ISSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 3S8 30ib Street, \ew fork 
Herbert W. CoixtNGwlDpD, President and Editor. 
John J. Duxos, Treasurer and General Manager. 
We F. PrLI.ON, Secretary. Mbs E. T. Botu, Associate Editor. 
L. H. Murphy, C irculation Manager. __ 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.<H. Rerait in money 
order, express order, personal cheek or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, tl.00 per agate line—T 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 backed by a respon¬ 
sible pereon. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising or 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make good anydoss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, ^respon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleiMlliift advertisements in our columns, and wiy 
suoh swindler will he publleJy exposed. Me ate also often cnilcd upon 
to adjust difference* or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
restw.nsil.le houses, whether advertisers or not Wo willingly use our gOM 
offiee.s to this end, but sucli cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We j.totect subscribers against rotrue*. but we will not be 
restxmslble for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the Cpurts, 
Notice ot the complaint must be sent to us within one month S*thutllMot 
the transaction, and to identify it. you should mention Tut RUBAI Nkw- 
Yorkkr when writing tile advertiser.___, 
A few weeks ago the rural carrier by mistake pxit a 
copy of your paper belonging to a neighbor of mine into 
my box. I read this paper, and foimd it so good that 
I am enclosing check for $1. payment of one years sub¬ 
scription. Your market page was most interesting. 
Maine. M - K - 
W E have in years past made many complaints 
to Uncle Sam about the way mail is de¬ 
livered. Now it seems we have benefited by one of 
his blunders, and a new reader has been made 
happy. 
T HE promised article by D. L. Hartman begins 
on the first page this week. No one can deny 
Hartman's right to speak from experience. He is 
an old and successful salesman. Still, we do not 
agree with all his conclusions, but that does not 
prove either of us right or wrong. It is a big sub¬ 
ject, and it ought to be turned inside out. well 
dusted and aired. The way things are now most 
farmers get but a small share of what the consumer 
pays, because the cost of handling is too great. 
Evidently we must all get closer to the consumer'if 
we expect to make more than a living at farming. 
How are we to do it? We shall see that Mr. Hart¬ 
man does not believe much in ordinary co-operation. 
He seems to be a do it j/ourself man if there ever 
was one. But read his articles carefully—all of 
them—before you try to criticize. Then let us talk 
it all over. 
* 
I have read your list of 12 men who have doue so 
much for agriculture. There are several names in that 
list I would cut out. For instance, bow did Henry 
Ford break into that picture? What has lie ever done 
for agriculture? J. N. c. 
T HIS friend is much like othefs. He objects to 
some of the names, but does not suggest any 
substitutes. We tried to make it clear that this list 
represented a referendum on flip part of readers. 
We asked for opinions, and many were given. Then 
we treated it just like a vote on any question. The 
12 men named in the list received most votes. Our 
owu personal choice was different, but that list rep¬ 
resents the majority. As for Henry Ford, two argu¬ 
ments were presented by his admirers. First they 
said that the cheap car has made it possible for 
country people to stir about, see the country and mix 
together. This ability to travel about and observe 
things lias changed the entire nature of many coun¬ 
try people. They are happier, wiser, broader and 
more observant than when held closely to the farm. 
Co-operation and modern team work would have 
been impossible without the car. Farmers could not 
have enjoyed the car had it remained an expensive 
luxury for the Wealthy. Henry Ford is responsible 
for the cheap car: therefore he has helped agricul¬ 
ture. That is the theory on which he broke into the 
picture, others seem to have voted him in because 
they think Ford is quietly financing the various 
political movements in which farmers are inter¬ 
ested! The truth is that farmers do nut yet agree 
as to what influences have helped them most. One 
reason for starting the discussion is to try to learn 
just what we need most in order to make progress. 
Some say economics, others polities, and still others 
education, organization, “research,” co-operation, 
spiritual power, credit, and so on. They are all 
needed; but which are most important? 
* 
I N a recent public interview ex-Judge E. M. Gar¬ 
rison, on the possibilities of a new political party, 
says: 
“The only question to be decided in any State in the 
elections just held was whether one candidate made a 
belter appeal to the electorate than another. The 
voter had no choice, really, as to principles; he could 
concern himself only with men. But it must be clear 
•that the mere question of political personality is too 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
unstable to be made the foundation of an enduring 
republic. The lack of a definite principle or set of 
principles has brought both political parties into a rud¬ 
derless and semi-chaotic state. Neither party has a 
proper sense of responsibility, because there is no 
standard by which to chart their defection, if they are 
remiss. How can you charge a party with shortcom¬ 
ings when it stand for nothing in particular?” 
It is possible that a “hard-boiled Democrat” or a 
"hidebound Republican” may object to that and say 
that his party still stands for high ideals. We will 
not argue with them, but let the statement stand for 
what it is worth. Speaking for farmers before the 
New York State election we could not see how the 
election of either candidate could be of any particular 
benefit to agriculture. Neither party as at present 
organized dares to take hold of the vital question 
of distribution with bare hands and strangle the 
bloodsuckers which have for so long fattened on 
the fanner through stealing his produce. Through 
a very skillful manipulation of the liquor question 
we now have, more than ever before, a political con¬ 
test of classes—the city against the country. Agri¬ 
culture can never be helped through any contest 
between men; the fight must work deeper than that, 
and involve the underlying principles of common 
honesty and common humanity. 
I wish to ask why do the rural school-teachers most 
always go home to their dinners and stay the full hour 
and yet say they haven't time to cook hot lunch for the 
children that carry lunch and walk a mile? Is there 
no law that they should stay at the schoolhouse? 
New York. c.F. 
H ERE is a case where you must “ask the 
teacher.” There seems to be no general law 
which will compel her to remain at the schoolhouse 
during the noon hour. That is a matter for the 
trustees to decide when they contract with the 
teacher. Tiny can, if they like, make it a part of 
her contract to stay at the schoolhouse, in case they 
consider that necessary for proper discipline. The 
teacher is not under obligation to stay and cook a 
hot lunch unless at the beginning it was understood 
that this is part of her duty in teaching domestic 
science. If there is a general desire among the 
parents for such a hot lunch the district can make 
a rule requiring the teacher to help, but iu most 
cases there would he no need of such a rule; the 
teacher would he willing to do it. But there is no 
general law which will compel her to remain. 
O NE of the big questions up for discussion at. the 
recent election was the soldiers' bonus or, as 
its friends like to call it. the veterans’ compensa¬ 
tion. We have contended from the first that a 
majority of Americans favor this bonus. We do not 
think it is wise legislation, but the election seems 
to confirm the opinion that the nation, as repre¬ 
sented by its voters, is in favor of paying the sol¬ 
diers promptly. It does not seem to make great 
difference to many of the proponents of this legis¬ 
lation just where the needed money is to come from; 
they want it. and we think, as things are now, they 
will get it soon. Our opinion is that the hill could 
now he passed over the President's veto if it came 
up again before this Congress. Surely the next 
Congress will pass it. We think the country might 
just as well face the truth about the matter right 
The apple situation troubles me. My crop was about 
5,000 bushels. I fertilized it according to expert ad¬ 
vice, and I sprayed it three times. I provided 4.000 
bushel baskets, and I joined a co-operative selling con¬ 
cern handled by first-class California-trained apple men. 
The net result will probably be $1,000 out of pocket on 
the whole crop. Better to have let them rot on the 
ground. „ , . , , 
There must be some reason for this. Apples are 
more talked about than ever before. I have come to 
the conclusion that the Pacific coast propaganda has 
touglif -Knstovn people that no Apples aro worth while 
buying except their beautiful, rosy red, tasteless fruit. 
Can we offset this by a propaganda of apples that are 
not so beautiful to look upon, blit are much better to 
eat. aud can be bought at half the price? 
There is an advertisement in the daily papers put in 
by the Pacific coast propaganda, two columns wide and 
50 lines. F - R - 
Y OU have put your finger on one reason. The 
Pacific coast apples are brilliant and showy. 
They are neatly and uniformly packed in a neat 
and convenient package-. You never find a wormy 
or inferior apple in the box. You cannot pick up 
a daily paper without seeing an advertisement of 
these apples. In the cities big colored posters pic¬ 
turing them stare at you on every corner. These 
Pacific coast men understand that the way to the 
stomach lies through the mind and the imagination, 
and they stand right beside the road and beckon. 
A part of the price paid for each box of fruit goes 
to pay for this advertising. In order to insure per¬ 
fectly good fruit less than half the crop is ever sent 
to this market. The rest is kept at home. Now this 
beautiful fruit is never equal iu flavor to the best 
apples from New York or New England. A test 
made in the chemist's laboratory or iu the ordinary 
human mouth will demonstrate beyond any argu¬ 
ment that the Eastern apples contain more of that 
rich, perfumed juice which is the glory of a good 
apple. Yet this superior Eastern fruit grown within 
trucking distance of our great markets must trail 
behind the Western apples—shipped 3,000 miles 
across the continent! These Western growers by 
honestly packing their best fruit aud keeping every¬ 
thing else out of our markets, and then advertising 
thoroughly and expensively, have made our*people 
believe that apples, naturally inferior to ours, 
should have the preference! And the West is full 
of young trees on their way to bearing age, enough 
of them to double the present, shipments. This is a 
case where a well-conducted propaganda has cap¬ 
tured a market—by appealing to the eye. If they 
are to meet it our Eastern growers must conduct a 
similar propaganda, and raise the money to pay for 
it. It can be done. That has been demonstrated by 
many individual growers who have been able to sell 
their own crop in full competition with the Western 
fruit. 
* 
W E are having many letters about shipping 
cordwood to the large cities. Our advice is 
to try the smaller cities and towns for this fuel. 
Most city people are not well fixed to burn wood, 
except in fireplaces, and "gas logs” are mostly used 
now. The cities are quite well supplied with coal— 
the greatest fuel need is likely to he found in the 
smaller places, and they will provide the best mar¬ 
ket for wood. Thus far we have had a compara¬ 
tively warm Fall, and the fuel shortage has not 
pinched hard. It will come later with colder 
weather, for the. coal supply is short. There ought 
to be a good home market for all fuel wood. 
* 
O N page 1204 we spoke of the coming shortage of 
men and women who are willing to do manual 
labor. There is no doubt about it. The average 
American, educated iu our public schools, wants a 
“position” rather than a job. The reason for this 
is largely economic. Society has been so taught and 
organized that the average “handler” earns more 
money with less work than the laborer. There are 
psychological reasons, too. The other day we saw a 
sign, "Dishwasher wanted; $00 per month and 
board!” Most girls would pass that by for a posi¬ 
tion of "saleslady" at $12 a week without board. 
We are all fond of saying that the nation needs 
leaders, but there is going to be even a greater need 
of men who are trained to follow. We are not 
likely to get them from Europe. Even if immigra¬ 
tion were free once more there would be compara¬ 
tively few coming from the north of Europe, where 
the most desirable farm helpers come from. We 
think the hard labor of the future will he done 
largely by colored workmen from the South. Dur¬ 
ing the 10 years following 1910 about half a million 
negroes came into the Northern States, and with the 
improvement in business conditions we think many 
more will come. In the South they say that North¬ 
ern men cannot handle colored labor, yet in parts 
of New Jersey it is giving good satisfaction on many 
farms. Iu fact, we think the future shortage of 
labor is to prove a great boon to the colored race by 
increasing competition for what it has to sell—its 
labor. 
Brevities 
Sprouted oats will help sprout the eggs. 
Too had the salt of the earth cannot be salted down 
for a continuous performance. 
Is the thing you want the thing you need? Now is 
a good time to ask yourself that question. 
It is saiii that (his country spends more for chewing 
gum and candy than for military preparations. 
Ax organization of farmers should proceed from the 
ground up—or the farmers will surely be ground up 
later by the weighty "overhead.” 
Here is an old couplet they used to sing 50 years 
ago: 
"No matter what somebody says, no matter what 
somebody thinks; if you want to he happy the rest of 
your life, don't marry a man if he drinks.” 
PROBABLY the man who feels worst when he is 
cheated is the trapper. lie spends his life catching 
shrewd animals, and when he is caught himself it is 
doubly galling. 
We would not trust any bull, no matter how gentle 
he may be. A bull with a good reputation may he more 
dangerous than a "mean” one, for you would be sure to 
watch the latter. 
Dr. Wiley says he has seen hundreds of cases where 
the mother is the child’s worst enemy. A bird can often 
feed her children with greater skill than a woman can 
feed a liWle child. 
