ii4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 14 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FAB MEN'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
Egtahlished 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. WALTER VAX Fleet, I, 
Mrs. B. T. Boyle, (^Associates. 
JoHX J. Dillon, Business Manatier. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union. $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 6d., or 8^^ marks, or francs. 
“A SaUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper Is 
backed by a responsible person. But to make doubly 
sure we will make good any loss to paid subscribers 
sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising 
In our columns, and any such swindler will be publicly 
exposed. We protect subscribers again-st rogues, but we 
do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences between 
subscribers and honest respon.sible advertisers. Neither 
will we be responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts 
sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint must 
be sent to us within one month of the time of the trans¬ 
action, and you must have mentioned The Rural New- 
yoRKER when writing the advertiser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance 
Is for, should appear In every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, express 
' order, personal cheek or bank draft. 
THE RURAI. NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street. New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1903. 
•Tfst now we receive more questions about the use 
of fertilizers than on any other single subject—with 
apple growing a good second. There are sections as 
far west as Iowa where fertilizers are being used in 
considerable quantities. The hardest thing for most 
fanners to understand is the difference between the 
various forms in which nitrogen is sold and the rea¬ 
sons why more than one form should be used. That 
is the most important thing in the purchase and use 
of fertilizers, and we .shall do our best to make this 
subject clear. 
The American Apple Consumers’ League has been 
reenforced by the Association of Commercial TraveK 
ers! These drummers are now calling for “apple” 
wherever they go—and no more effective work could 
possibly be done for the great American fruit. At a 
leading hotel where, a few years since, apple was 
scarcely named on the bill of fare, eight men out of 
11 ordered baked apple for breakfast! Four years ago 
the writer went about alone calling for apple—now 
the chorus is sung by at least 25,000 champions of 
the healthiest American acid. 
* 
Tn the store of a New York fruit dealer who caters 
solely to high-class trade we recently saw some Penn¬ 
sylvania boxed Spy apples that seemed to be about all 
that one could ask for. The fruit man paid $3.50 per 
bushel box, and was glad to get them. He said: “We 
should have no use for Pacific coast apples if we could 
get enough eastern-grownof this type, and in this 
shape. This box cost as much as a barrel, but there 
are more good apples in it, and we have no use for 
the low grades.” There is no doubt that it pays to 
put up the choicest fruit to catch this special trade. 
It may pay to use it for one grade lower, but we are 
not so certain about that 
• 
Mr. Mead asks why capital does not take hold of 
spraying and guarantee to insure the crops! In some 
parts of the West and even in western New York 
power sprayei's are becoming quite common. In nu¬ 
merous cases those who own the powers go from farm 
to farm spraying trees or vines at a stated price per 
day or job. The season for spraying to kill insects is 
short, but several applications of Bordeaux are made. 
Probably no one will insure the crop, for the “death 
rate” in rainy weather will upset all calculations. The 
last season was so wet that even ordinary Bordeaux 
harmed the trees. We agree with Mr. Mead that 
something better than the present Bordeaux Mixture 
is needed. We hope to find it in new combinations 
of lime, salt and sulphur. 
♦ 
As WE go to press the New York State Grange is 
closing its successful annual meeting at Syracuse. 
The Grange is a secret organization, and therefore 
much of the work done at this meeting will not in¬ 
terest the general public. It does, however, give ex¬ 
pression to the views of thousands of farmers on pub¬ 
lic questions, and we shall print the more important 
re.solutions to which it gave support. We have said 
before that the Grange is doing more for true Ameri¬ 
can advancement than any other club or society in 
the country. We feel sure that a study of such a 
gathering as that at Syracuse will convince any fair- 
minded man that this is so. Too many townspeople 
have been taught to sneer at the word “Granger,” and 
belittle the efforts of honest country people to better 
their conditions and acquire a true and enduring cul¬ 
ture. Such people should go back to the lonely farms 
among the hills where, naturally, life is narrow and 
hard, if they would know what the Grange is doing. 
They would see how this organization is making life 
broader and sweeter, teaching men and women to re¬ 
gard the toil marks on their hands as honorable scars 
from labor’s battlefield! But for the infiuence of the 
Grange whole sections which have done much in the 
jiast for American history would now be largely de¬ 
populated. The marvel is that all this work has been 
done by the farmers themselves. They have not gone 
to men in other professions to teach them how to de¬ 
velop the farmer and his home, but they have done 
the work themselves—slowly, conservatively and well. 
Yes, the Grange is a noble organization. Its past in¬ 
dicates great possibilities for the future, because what 
these farmers have done for themselves in improving 
their social condition can be repeated on a much 
larger scale in developing a system of education, and 
in protecting the business of the farmer. 
Grape growers in Pennsylvania have now an ex¬ 
cellent cbance to vote with the postage stamp. There is 
a bill before the Pennsylvania Legislature calling for 
an appropriation of $8,000 to enable the scientists at 
the Agricultural College to study the diseases of 
fruits, particularly grapes, and find remedies for 
them! In Erie County alone there are 6,000 acres in 
grapes, which represent an investment of $1,800,000. 
Every grape grower knows how the value of his crop 
is cut down year after year by rot and other diseases. 
He knows, too, that while a few enterprising men 
figiu the evil the great majority do not—thus loading 
the market with poor fruit and spreading the disease. 
Over the line, in Ohio, the scientific men have led the 
way, and the practical men have put up a good fight. 
That is the j:rogramme for Pennsylvania. Let every 
fruit grower at once write his Member of the As¬ 
sembly that he favors that appropriation. The sum 
called for is insignificant compared with the value this 
work may bring to the State. Up and at them at once 
with your postage stamp! 
« 
Prof. I. P. Roberts read a strong and timely paper 
before the Western New York Horticultural Society. 
Some men, when past middle life, stop growing. They 
are like a tree which continues to produce fair crops, 
but makes little if any wood growth. Sometimes it 
is found that the variety which this tree produces is 
out of date—not suited to the market. The tree has 
made so little new wood that grafting to better varie¬ 
ties is difficult, if not impossible. We must encourage 
that tree and make it throw out new shoots upon 
which we can graft before we can fit it for the future. 
So with many elderly men. Some of them have or¬ 
chards or farms—monuments to industrious and fru¬ 
gal lives—yet there is no one to follow them and carry 
on the work they planned so well. Ambitions and 
sympathies of early manhood may have died out with 
prosperity or disappointment. Now is the time to re¬ 
vive them. That is like throwing out new wood upon 
which to graft opportunity for some needy and hope¬ 
ful young man. Far better to give opportunity to the 
young while living than to leave them money when 
you pass away.’ 
« 
Readino purely for entertainment is often criticised 
by hard-headed persons who consider all time wasted 
that is not spent in the acquisition of marketable 
commoditie.s. To them, a book means idleness in or¬ 
ganized form, and they picture, for the reading child, 
a future suggesting the life of the sluggard, as por¬ 
trayed by good Dr. Watts, The pity is that in families 
whore this view of reading prevails there is no sym¬ 
pathetic guide to lead the child’s literary taste, which 
may be fed upon ignoble material to its lasting detri¬ 
ment. When we hear of some boy whose reading in- 
fiuences him to seek adventure among base or de¬ 
praved companions, or some girl who gratifies her 
sense of romance by clandestine acquaintances or cor¬ 
respondence, we feel that parents or guardians have 
failed to make good use of an opportunity for molding 
character. In a house where each member of the fam¬ 
ily shows intelligent interest in books taste is formed 
unconsciously. We always feel sorry for boy or girl 
who gains the impression that good reading is neces¬ 
sarily stupid; yet this view may be given by injudi¬ 
cious selection on the part of adults. The average 
boy wants literature that is full of thrills; he will get 
it in “Captains Courageous” or in “The Cruise of the 
Cachalot,” but he will also get lessons in courage, 
manliness and discipline. They awaken curiosity, 
also, in this great round world, and many a boy owes 
his first interest in natural sciences to the influence 
of some story of adventure. We might go further and 
assert that what are called boys’ books usually form 
the best reading for girls. Many books written for 
girls have a tendency to induce morbid introspection 
and premature sentiment, to which most girls are 
prone in any case; the healthy literature of all out¬ 
doors may be an antidote. After all, the best way to 
give a child a taste for good reading is to begin on his 
grandfather. 
* 
What is the true situation regarding the effort to 
build up the Agricultural College? We want to be 
perfectly frank with our readers in this as in other 
matters. Every farmers’ organization in the State is 
in favor of the desired appropriation. A few local 
societies have not voted on the proposition, but we 
are safe in saying that never before has any scheme 
of education received the backing from progressive 
farmers that this plan is receiving. The opposition 
comes from three sources. A few politicians who have 
received more than their share of public favors from 
farmers are quietly at work in an underhanded way to 
discredit the movement. They are known and it may 
be necessary to name them! Their motives are sel¬ 
fish and unworthy. Other institutions of learning will 
apparently try to prevent any State appropriation for 
the Agricultural College. We do not know the mo¬ 
tives which lie back of this opposition, but assume 
that they are due to a failure to understand the needs 
or desires of farmers. At Albany there is a desire to 
decrease State expenses. The Governor and his ad¬ 
visers do not seem to understand yet that the farmers 
really want to support their own college. They must 
be convinced not by “go-betweens” but by the farm¬ 
ers themselves that there is true power and force be¬ 
hind this movement. To attempt to reach the Gover¬ 
nor tlirough some petty politician will be like trying 
to telephone over a broken wire. This is a fair state¬ 
ment of the situation. Farmers—it is “up to you!” 
In spite of what the politicians may tell you, there is 
the best chance in the world to win this year if you 
will do your share and do it now. We must show Gov. 
Odell that we are in dead earnest, and the best way to 
show that is to send strong, personal letters straight 
to him. Let the faint hearts go to the rear, but “on, 
to Albany for brave men! One word as to The R. 
N.-Y.’s position on this matter. If we did not believe 
that the hour has struck for this forward movement, 
and that the Agricultural College can and will be 
made to help the poorest farmer on the poorest farm 
in New York, we would not lift a little finger in its 
support. It will never be in the truest sense a farm¬ 
er’s college until the farmers themselves demand from 
State and from faculty what they are justly entitled 
to. State first—faculty next! Lick a stamp for the 
education of the farmer! 
* 
BREVITIES, 
Make your iiogatives positive. 
Farm values arl.se from the dust—except where you 
mulch! 
The reports from cooperative milk selling companies 
show remarkable profits. 
Buying seed corn on the ear! 'U'^hat surer way of 
getting what you w’ant can be named? 
Some cotton planters at the South use kainlt for pot¬ 
ash becatise they think the salt in this chemical destroys 
many insects. 
Mr. Van Drman tells us about Sleepy grass on page 
103. It won't do for the farmer to put seed of this grass 
in his hair! 
The politicians ask the farmers to follow them—the 
farmers have the right to ask backing from the politicians 
when the time comes! 
Smooth peas for early, wrinkled sorts for late; bear 
this in mind when planting. You will need one pint of 
seed to 100 feet of drill. 
Gov. Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania, wants legisla¬ 
tion to curb “yellow” journalism. A simpler plan would 
be for people to stop buying such papers. 
There are few farmers, gardeners or fruit growers 
who are not the better for membership in some of their 
trade organizations. Such societies give an incentive for 
better work and greater enthusiasm. 
We have visited farms where the family garden could 
not even display a row of rhubarb—the housekeeper’s 
friend when apples grow wrinkled and flat in flavor. 
Are you treaitlng your rhubarb as well as It deserves? 
“There is sunlight in my soul to-day!” That is what 
your cattle will sing if you put in those windows and 
give the sunshine a chance at the stable. The cows will 
not sing the hymn when bunched up around the straw 
stack in the teeth of a zero breeze. 
Chicago bacteriologists say that bottled gi'ape juice 
added to water in the proportion of from one to five per 
cent destroyed the typhoid and colon bacilli more effec¬ 
tually than lemon juice. Vineyardists and grape-juice 
makers will feel inclined to move a vote of thanks to 
these scientists. 
Here is a copy of an “excu.se” sent to the teacher In 
a New York town: 
My boy Hiram do not chide 
Nor 'gainst him aught inveigh. 
Because of absence from the school 
One half of yesterday. 
Within his teeth were cavities 
Which gave him oft the hollers; 
The dentist filled them yesterday. 
From me pulled seven dollars. ' ,. 
