THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 28 
154 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE B US1NES8 PARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
DR. WAI.TER VAN FLEET, (Associates 
Mrs. B. T. ROVLE, ^Associates. 
JOHN J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union. J2.04, 
equal to Ss. Cd., or marks, or 10'^ francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper la 
backed by a re.sponsible person. But to make doubly 
sure we will make good any loss to paid subscribers 
sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler advertl.sing 
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 re.sponsible 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. 
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Is for, should appear In every letter. 
Remittances may be made In money order, express 
erder, personal check or bank draft 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1903. 
Join the Procession! 
The following larger farmers’ organizations in New 
York State have put themselves on record as favoring 
an appi’opriation this year for the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege: 
New York State Grange. 
New York State Breeders’ Association. 
New York State Dairymen’s Association. 
New York State Fruit Growers’ Association. 
Western New York Horticultural Society. 
Niagara County Farmers’ Club. 
Orleans County Horticultural Society. 
Other smaller societies are coming into line. Let 
every Grange and farmers’ club in the State go on 
record. Send us the name as soon as action is taken, 
that we may print it here. 
« 
Do not for a moment believe that the oleo rogues 
are dead, or that they have gone out of business. They 
are still at work. Some of them are sending out cir¬ 
culars telling of the horrible things which chemists 
find in butter. Others are going about shouting that 
the Grout bill is a failure and ought to be repealed. 
Others are quietly mixing palm oil with cotton seed 
so as to get a darker color, and thus deepen the shade 
of the grease which they use in making oleo. They 
are all at work—as usual to try to obtain butter 
prices for inferior fats. It does not pay to strike at 
such people where they appear with a brass band. 
Their most dangerous work is done underground. 
The cooperative creameries in New York will be 
organized into a strong association. Many of them 
report great success in handling the milk of their 
owners. They break up the local monopolies which 
have given the milk dealers a chance to dictate the 
price. They also relieve the market in times of glut 
by giving the farmers a chance to work up their milk 
at home and not crowd it upon the cities. Naturally 
if these creameries can succeed as individuals they 
will have a still greater strength if they can be or¬ 
ganized into a strong State association. We hope 
that the meeting at Binghamton on March 4 will be 
largely attended. Organize! That is the watchword 
everywhere among farmers. 
• 
As a result of the extortionate increase in express 
rates on cut flowers, a number of florists in the vicin¬ 
ity of Madison, N. J., now send their products daily 
to New York by wagon. The journey is about 35 
miles, and they change horses once during the trip. 
It sounds like a return to ancestral conditions to dis¬ 
card the modern rapid express service for primitive 
horseflesh, like the good old days when steam was 
unknown, but it is the natural result of a conscience¬ 
less monopoly which oppresses a thriving industry 
for no reason save that of greed. One greenhouse 
establishment of moderate size admits a saving of $40 
a month in express rates since making use of the road 
van, and in some cases the saving is very much larger. 
Unfortunately many flower growers are so situated 
that they cannot adopt this plan; otherwise the ex¬ 
press companies would be visited by a mighty boy¬ 
cott. While these continued hold-ups on the part of 
the favored express companies provoke a stronger 
sentiment in favor of the parcels post, we notice that 
the recently-established Anglo-American parcels post 
is meeting with much criticism from British business 
men. The chief ground of complaint appears to be 
the delay eaused by the customs officials in New York. 
Domestic parcels post would not be subject to this 
inconvenience, and we can see nothing but good in it, 
though opposition to such reform will naturally be 
cultivated by corporations whose pecuniary interests 
are likely to suffer by its establishment. 
« 
The contention of the eminent Prof. Koch, the dis¬ 
coverer of tuberculin, that bovine tuberculosis could 
not be transmitted to human beings by infected milk 
and cause true tubercular phthisis or human lung 
consumption is being warmly supported by competent 
investigators. At a late meeting of the Berlin Medical 
Society Prof. Van Hanseman concluded as the result 
of prolonged investigation that tuberculosis of the 
cow could be transferred through food and cause 
tuberculous tumor of the digestive organs, but this 
affection is not of itself fatal and often tends to self¬ 
cure. No cases are known where this local trouble 
has caused lung infection. Milk from diseased cattle 
is not wholesome and may cause dangerous catarrhs 
of the bowels, but the cow should be acquitted of 
spreading pulmonary tuberculosis, the most destruc¬ 
tive of human diseases. The filthy habit of expectora¬ 
tion without sanitary precautions by humans more or 
less affected by tuberculosis, and the subsequent wide 
dispersion of the dormant bacilli explains the persist¬ 
ent spread of this horrible disease. 
• 
L.4ST year we gave a full account of the famous 
“mustard seed’’ case in Niagara Co., N. Y. A farmer 
bought seed oats of F. B. Mills, the seedsman. The 
oats contained seed of mustard—a bad weed, which 
covered the field where the oats were sown. Unable 
to settle on a fair basis, the farmer brought suit 
against Mills, and on the first trial recovered dam¬ 
ages for $900. The Court of Appeals set this verdict 
aside as excessive. On a new trial the farmer was 
nonsuited, but on appeal the court reversed the non¬ 
suit and ordered a new trial. After this Mills offered 
to settle out of court, and this offer was finally ac¬ 
cepted by the farmer. This ends a long and interest¬ 
ing case. The trouble evidently came from the deal¬ 
er’s buying seed from a third party and selling it 
“under guarantee’’ without taking pains to iearn 
whether it was foul or clean. That is the way most 
nurserymen’s mistakes seem to occur. They buy 
plants of others and sell them—often without any ex¬ 
amination. A few farmers like this one in Niagara 
County would quickly clean up the business. 
m 
In many parts of the West farmers are combining 
to ship and sell their own stock and grain. For years 
the railroads have had a monopoly of this business— 
controlling elevators, cars and markets, so that farm¬ 
ers were forced to take what was given them. Some 
of the farmers became thoroughly discoui’aged, but 
other bold spirits took the matter in their own hands 
and caught up the farmer’s best weapon—organiza¬ 
tion. The first plan is for the farmers to build co¬ 
operative elevators or warehouses where their produce 
can be handled and stored at their own terms. In 
many towns the stock for such elevators was quickly 
subscribed for. The record in one Nebraska town is 
a fair sample of what followed: 
We have about $2,000 subscribed, but could easily double 
it as soon as we find out what we can do. The largest 
and best elevator here is priced to us at $6,000, which is 
considered to be nearly twice what it is worth. The rail¬ 
road has refused to lease us a site, giving as their reason 
that there are plenty of elevators here to do the business 
and they have no available site. We found while at Lin¬ 
coln that the railroads were not disposed to lease sites to 
cooperative shipping companies to build elevators, so we 
visited the Legislature, which was in session, and a bill 
was soon introduced compelling the railroad companies 
to lease sites the same as condemning land for any other 
purpose to build elevators on railroad right of way. 
When representatives of these cooperative elevators 
met in Lincoln the railroads and most of the papers 
refused even to call attention to the meeting. Yet the 
largest hall in the city could hardly hold the crowd. 
We rejoice when any body of farmers begin to realize 
that their salvation depends upon their own action. 
Let them cut loose from the politicians and strike out 
with their own money and management. 
• 
An interesting question has arisen in New Jersey 
regarding money which the State justly owes to the 
Agricultural College. This college was organized in 
1864 as a department of Rutgers College, which made 
a contract with the State to put up new buildings, buy 
land and provide a number of free scholarships. This 
contract has been carried out, but the State has from 
time to time increased the number of scholarships 
without paying for them. Gov. Murphy appointed a 
commission to investigate the matter, and this com¬ 
mission now reports that the State fairly owes the col¬ 
lege $131,610. There is no question about the equity 
of this debt. The service has been rendered, but pay¬ 
ment for it has not been made. The constitution of 
New Jersey declares that “No donation of land or ap¬ 
propriation of money shall be made by the State or 
any municipal corporation to or for the use of any 
society, association or corporation whatever.” Lawyers 
are divided in their opinion as to whether this sec¬ 
tion of the constitution will prevent the State from 
paying the money to Rutgers College. In order to pre¬ 
vent any possible trouble a bill has been introduced 
into the New' Jersey Legislature placing these pay¬ 
ments under the supervision of the State Board of 
Education. As there is no question about the justice 
of this claim we think this bill should be passed with¬ 
out trouble. We are often asked why so many of the 
agricultural colleges were started as an annex to some 
classical or denominational college. In some States 
that was the only thing that could be done. There 
were neither funds nor public sentiment to organize 
and locate a separate college. The time has now come 
for the farmers themselves to dominate their college 
and make it what it should be—whether it is to re¬ 
main longer an annex or cut loose and stand by itself, 
♦ 
Let us face the exact situation regarding the New 
York Agricultural College. This State is behind the 
West in agricultural education. While many Western 
States have invested money fairly in their agricul¬ 
tural colleges. New York has adopted a close, if not 
niggardly policy. One result of this is the fact that 
western competition in the products which are well 
suited to New York soil has grown harder and fiercer. 
We venture to say that the only lines in which New 
York agriculture has held its own are those like cer¬ 
tain forms of fruit culture, which have received most 
help from our agricultural scientists. Our own col¬ 
lege is now so crowded that nearly 100 boys have been 
turned away. Each year young men are forced to 
leave this State to obtain elsewhere the education 
which the close-fisted policy of their own State denies 
them. 
Who is responsible for this? 
Largely the farmers themselves. They have not 
fairly understood the situation, and have not exerted 
themselves to demand what is due them. They now 
begin to see that they will never have an agricul¬ 
tural college worthy the name, no matter where it is 
located, until they demand it and make it possible. 
The time has gone by when we can safely trust this 
thing to politicians, or to men who believe that a 
“classical’' education will cure the ills that afllict New 
York farming. The present movement has started up 
a few people here and there with new plans for agri¬ 
cultural education. Such people as a rule either know 
little about the subject or are working for personal 
ends. They do not at least represent the organized 
farmers who demand justice for their college. Do not 
follow such theories, but put every energy back of the 
call tor strengthening the present agricultural col¬ 
lege. We want a suitable appropriation from the 
I.egislature this year. The'postage stamp ballot is 
telling. Keep it up! Lick a stamp for the education 
of the farmer! 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Despatch the hen that won’t scratch. 
No custard pies are made from the lays of the lazy hen. 
Some unfortunate people use tacks where they should 
use tact. 
Who can say that dwarf apples have ever paid com¬ 
mercially? 
Think of that worn-out farm in Greater New York— 
page 146. 
One way to make some people “hot” Is to try to throw 
cold water on them. 
When you see a greenhorn don’t try to cut off the 
whole horn, but simply the green part. 
Plants may grow in value through their feet, but the 
farmer grows in value through his head. 
The man who goes around with a chip always on his 
shoulder will get his shoulder hurt in time. 
Who will give a good reason for using lime with ma¬ 
nure’ We observe that some farmers do use the two 
together. 
Here is a farmer within 25 miles of a great market 
grieving because his soil is so poor. Here is another 
farmer 1,600 miles away grieving because his market is 
so poor. Which has greater cause for grieving? 
At one time large quantities of cotton-hull ashes were 
used as fertilizer in Connecticut. The practice of feeding 
the hulls to cattle has become so common that few if 
any hulls are now burnt, and no ashes are sold. 
An effort is being made in Pennsylvania to remove the 
tax on renovated butter. Under the existing law, manu¬ 
facturers of renovated butter must pay a license of $1,000; 
wholesale dealers $500; retailers, $100; hotels $50, and 
boarding houses $25. Dealers say that this tax has en¬ 
tirely killed the trade in renovated butter, and that it is 
a burden upon both the dairyman and the poor consnmer. 
The following note, printed in the old Genesee Farmer 
57 years ago. is still true: “While we pay a respectful 
deference to the opinions of men, as published in books, 
we should ever have an eye, and a thought keenly per¬ 
ceptive of Nature’s process for changing crumbling rocks, 
air and water into good bread, milk, meat and materials 
for clothing. The science of agriculture should be studied 
for its benign influence on the moral faculties of man.’’ 
