i78 
niH RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 7 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes, 
Established 1850. 
Hkkbeut W. Collingwood, Editor. 
1)K. WALTKK VAN FLEET, I Associates 
Mas. B. T. UOVLE, j^ASS0C18W,8. 
John J. Dillon, Business Mananer. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, J2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or 8^4 marks, or francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper la 
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 against rogues, but we 
do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences between 
subscribers and honest responsible advertisers. Neither 
■will we be responsible for the debts of honest bankrupt.s 
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 
erder, personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street. New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1903. 
Who w^as responsible for the cut in the bill provid¬ 
ing a suitable house for the United States Department 
of Agriculture? Congressman Cannon of Illinois 
seems to bs the culprit. Some of these agricultural 
cannons seem to kick back at their friends harder 
than they drive their charge at the enemy! 
a 
Some weeks ago we referred to the new method of 
making the lime-sulphur wash for spraying without 
boiling. A surprising number of readers have asked 
how to make this wash. Prof. Lowe tells us on first 
page. We must remember that this wash is as yet 
only an experiment m the East. We have great hopes 
for it, but let us all remember that it is still on trial 
—not fully tested. 
* 
What is corn-wheat? Western readers send us 
clippings from the daily papers highly praising a so- 
called “new grain.” Some “authorities” will go so 
far as to say that it is a cross between wheat and 
corn. It seems that this is one of the macaroni 
wheats brought to this country from Europe in the 
hope of developing macaroni manufacture here. This 
wheat has grains half an inch long and has very long 
beards. 
* 
We want experience from all who have used the 
lime-sulphur-salt mixture for spraying. 
What did you use it for? 
How did you make it? 
What results did you obtain with it in fighting the 
diseases for which Bordeaux Mixture is used? 
Sulphate of copper is going up in price. If lime and 
sulphur will take its place for any purpose we should 
know it at once. The scientific men will tell us what 
ought to be. We want you to tell us what is! 
• 
Tub politicians usually carry an ax in their coat- 
lail pockets all ready for grinding. When they come 
before a body of farmers such men are likely to refer 
to their auditors as “the salt of the earth.” The farm¬ 
ers are getting so that they understand this “salt” 
business pretty well. They do not purpose to be salt¬ 
ed down in the political pork barrel, where the poli¬ 
ticians can come when they need help and cut out a 
big chunk of votes and then put the cover back! They 
may have been “fresh” enough at one time to permit 
this salting, but that is passing away. The farmer is 
coming to understand just what he wants. He is get¬ 
ting out of the political pork barrel, and getting ready 
to put the politicians into it! 
* 
Ne-AULY 60 years ago the Yates County (N. Y.) 
Farmers’ Club passed a resolution calling for cheaper 
freight rates between Buffalo and Albany. The 
Genesee Farmer made these pertinent remarks; 
If every town west of Utica had an efllcient farmers’ 
club to petition the law-making power, the object could 
be obtained at once. But so long as the tillers of the soil 
will not act together, nor associate to advance their com¬ 
mon interests, they can expect nothing truly beneficial 
and important from the isolated efforts of a few public- 
spirited farmers. Tlie whole framework of civilized so¬ 
ciety with all its advantages is but a system of organiza¬ 
tion—of united efforts to accomplish certain purposes. 
There are those who think that the advice to “get 
together” for mutual protection is new. It is as old 
as the hilLs—and also as sound and true. During the 
past 60 years some advance has been made in organiz¬ 
ing farmers, yet when we consider what they need as 
a class and what they have really obtained, we can 
readily see what a complete organization would mean. 
It is true now as it was 60 years ago that “a few pub¬ 
lic-spirited farmers” must do most of the work in se¬ 
curing the rights which belong to agriculture—per¬ 
haps in the end to be accused of doing their work for 
unworthy motives. Still, we are more hopeful than 
ever, for slowly powerful though unseen influences 
are at work. We must wait for tjnncth which, if it is 
to be healthy, must be slow. But keep the idea 
growing! 
♦ 
Some of the true stories of farm experiences on 
the light sandy soils of Long Island and South Jersey 
would read like fairy tales if w'e were to put them in 
print. We know of one young man who, 15 years 
ago, worked out as a hired man. Three years ago he 
bought a poor farm for $2,600. The first year his gross 
sales were over $3,000 and have reached that amount 
every year since! This is in a section where farm¬ 
ers use a ton or more per acre of high-grade fer¬ 
tilizers. They pay little attention to the natural 
plant food in the soil but feed their crops a large 
surplus of soluble food. We hesitate to tell these 
true stories of remarkable success. Why? Because, 
in spite of all we can say, there are some readers who 
will not comprehend the real keynote of this success. 
They wull persist in crediting it to the fertilizer, the 
seed or the machinery when it is the man —or rather 
that quality in the man, which comes out of the fire, 
when courage, hope, endurance and skill are tested. 
The trustees of Cornell University have elected 
Prof. L. H. Bailey Director of the College of Agricul¬ 
ture. His duties will begin next June, when Prof. 
Robei’ts retires. We believe that Prof. Bailey is just 
the man for the place. We accept this action on the 
part of the trustees as evidence that they intend to 
place the college where it belongs. No fair-minded 
man can talk with the Cornell authorities, or listen 
to their plans for agricultural education without feel¬ 
ing that they are building upon broad and deep foun¬ 
dations, and that they are sincerely in earnest. Were 
this not so The R. N.-Y. would not waste a line of 
space on the college, nor would it receive the support 
of every farm organization in the State. In another 
way the election of Prof. Bailey should encourage the 
farmers who feel the need of agricultural education. 
It is no secret that when The R. N.-Y. nominated him 
he did not want to take the position. It was only 
when hundreds of sti’ong letters from earnest and re¬ 
sponsible men came pouring in that he realized the 
demand and felt that it was his duty to accept. It was 
the rale with the im^tane atainp that won in this case, 
and now, in the larger matter of influencing Governor 
and Legislature to give the Agricultural College the 
help which it deserves and needs we must again use 
the postage stamp. From the very first The R. N.-Y. 
has insisted that this must be a movement of the 
farmers for the farmers. It must not be headed by 
politicians but must represent a solid uprising of a 
deserving class for the educational privileges that be¬ 
long to them. The farmer’s honest and effective 
weapon is the postage stamp. We continue to urge 
every farmer in New York State to write to Governor 
Odell and to local representatives and senators, urg¬ 
ing them to support tlie bill for a college appropria¬ 
tion. We shall stick to this proposition like a bull¬ 
dog until the victory is won. Lick a stamp for the 
education of the fanner! 
m 
CoMHAiiE the seed and nursery catalogues of to-day 
with those of 10, 15 or 20 years ago if you wish to take 
a hopeful view of one feature of the business. The 
direct engraving from photographs is partly respon¬ 
sible for the great improvement. The fierce exaggera¬ 
tions which once made these catalogues look like cir¬ 
cus posters are now merely laughed at by sensible 
people. The true and modest pictures from real life 
are far more effective than the caricatures which were 
formerly thought necessary. There are a few seeds¬ 
men who still think it wise to print the old pictures 
and tell the gray-haired old fairy tales about so-called 
“novelties.” They are few, however, and their stories 
grow smaller each year. We suppose there will al¬ 
ways be a number of otherwise sensible people who 
will buy tree “powders” and “paints,” “gold bricks,” 
wonderful ‘new” seeds and similar contrivances for 
lifting a dollar out of the pocket of a curious man. 
We are glad to say that the seedsmen’s catalogues 
contain less of this gilded bait than ever before. The 
R. N.-Y. has done its full share in bringing about this 
reform. For years E. S. Carman hammered persist¬ 
ently at the humbugs and extravagant stories. At 
first the hammer slipped on them, but by fearlessly 
pounding away he finally drove many of them out of 
sight. That experience has encouraged us to keep the 
hammer swinging, for every honest blow tells whether 
the result is manifest at once or not. It must not be 
thought that The R. N.-Y. discourages the testing of 
new seeds or plants. We favor it, but we caution all 
readeis to go slowly with new sorts—to buy in small 
quantities with the understanding that if the new 
candidates prove a complete failure they will make 
no serious complaint. Even the old varieties “intro¬ 
duced” under new names and with ridiculous state¬ 
ments have not been an unmixed evil, for those very 
absurd stories have induced farmers to try the seed 
who would not have noticed a plain statement of the 
facts. Try the “novelties” by all means, but try tlicni 
at your own risk. Do not accept the introducer's 
state.ment as a chapter out of the Gospel. Hp may 
have the facts to back every word he says, and yet 
the “new one” may not suit your conditions at all! 
♦ 
Sevekai. readers want to know why we are so op¬ 
posed to the use of wood ashes. We are not opposed. 
If we were sure of buying a jiure unleached wood ash 
at a fair figure we should consider it a good bargain, 
Are we sure? We can make a mixture of iron slag, 
lime, carbonate of potash and sifted coal ashes that 
will give more plant food than the chemist can find 
in pure wood ashes. We can hardly believe that a 
thrifty people like the Canadians would continue to 
send thousands of tons of these wood ashes away 
from their country. Analyses at the experiment 
stations show that no fertilizers vary so widely in 
composition as do ashes. Potash runs all the way 
from three to seven per cent, and the average farmer 
does not buy far enough in advance of using to lest 
the “guarantee” of the dealer. In general we believe 
that lime, potash and phosphoric acid can be bought 
cheaper in other materials, and that the buyer is 
surer to obtain what he needs when buying them 
separately. 
* 
Here is a letter from a Michigan man which is 
worth considering: 
One thing those prize writers ought to have said: The 
R. N.-Y. never has to give out gambling guessing contests 
to get subscribers. Yet I do not think very much of prize 
essays among so many. They are %'ery apt to think as 
we boys did in a school once in old York State. There 
was quite a beauty of a girl who offered a prize to the 
boy who "W'ould write the best essay of why we loved her 
more than the rest of the girls. Well, each boy thought 
his the best, but all bellev'ed she gave the prize to the 
one she loved the most herself. 
We don’t blame that girl a bit! Anybody can sec 
why she offered that prize! It wasn’t leap year and 
she wanted a chance to notify some bashful young 
man about the state of her feelings! The fellow prob¬ 
ably couldn’t be made to understand in any other 
way. AVe did not offer our prizes for that purpose. 
Our readers make signs of affection which a blind 
man can understand. We wanted a cool, fair state¬ 
ment of the business reasons for taking The R. N.-Y. 
A very large proportion of those who wrote the essays 
were women. Some of these women and some of the 
men, tod, w'rote in a strain that would have done that 
school girl good. AVe are as fond of soft words as the 
next man—when we know they are sincere. They are 
better tor private consumption. The hard, true words 
of honest yet critical praise are best for the printed 
page. Of course blood cools a little with middle age, 
but the things which would .influence us with that 
school girl would be not the shape of her nose or the 
color of her eyes and hair, but the way she helps her 
mother, the tone of her voice in speaking to father, 
and whether her hands are for ornament or use! You 
are right. The R. N.-Y. has not found it necessary 
to gamble for subscribers. The way they come to us 
thi'- year is the surest sort of a sure thing. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Absent treatment for tlie tree doctor. 
Who ever made profit on a hungry pig? 
A'es, the cow's lips have something to do with lilling 
the butter cup. 
It is easy to be cheerful over an aching tooth when, 
like the Christian scientists, we are giving it absent 
treatment. 
Some things may bo better for being left out in the 
cold, but the New York College of Agriculture is not 
one of them. 
So it appears that plants are like humans in family 
matters. The members cannot always eat at the same 
table in harmony. 
An Italian scientist has discovered the hydrophobia 
germ; first thing we know some one wilt corner the germ 
that makes people mad. 
There is a demand for a silage cutter that will snap 
off the ears and cut the stalks. You will not hear any 
startling results from silage without ears! 
One of the- best results of the work done by the w,est- 
ern “corn breeders” is the general desire to buy seed 
corn on the cob. A good farmer can always judge his 
corn better w'hen he sees the whole ear. 
The Nebraska State Board of Health favors passing a 
law which will absolutely prohibit any person under 18 
years of age from smoking cigarettes. If they will add 
an amendment also prohibiting any person over 18 years 
of age from smoking these coffin nails we will support 
the project. 
