March 14 
198 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARM Eli'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
EstablWied 1850. 
Herbert W. Coleingwood, Editor. 
T)R. WALTER VAN FLEET, I » Rcoclatei 
MRS. K. T. UOYLE, ^Associates. 
JOHN J. DILLON, Business Manager. 
the Company sees fit to carry It. Needless to say The 
R. N.-Y. is ready for them whenever they see fit to 
begin. The report that they have won the suit when 
they have not even tried it is a fair sample of the bluff 
which their agents have tried to work off on the 
farmers. No reader of The R. N.-Y. will be deceived 
by any such talk. The decision of the Court of Ap¬ 
peals is an important one, and we shall give a full 
synopsis of it. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, J2.04, 
etiual to 88. 6cl., or marks, or Vi'A francs. 
“A SaUARE 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 lo.ss to paid subscribers 
sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising 
In our columns, and any such swindler will be publicly 
exnosed We protect sub.scribers 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 bankrupts 
Sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint must 
be S to us within one month of the Ume 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 
la 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 14, 1903. 
New Jersey farmers may well use a few postage 
stamps for the benefit of their agricultural college. 
As explained two weeks ago, the State justly owes 
the college a sum of money, but special legislation is 
needed before it can be paid. As a citizen of New 
Jersey the writer has written to his Senator and 
Assemblymen asking them to help this legislation 
through. Kvery farmer in the State may well do the 
same. Jerseynien believe in justice! 
We observe that interested parties are discussing a 
new name for what is called “renovated butter. As 
is well known this butter consists of strong or rancid 
stuff which is melted and made over in imitation of a 
first-class article. Some tender-hearted persons are 
now trying to have the name changed to “refined” 
butter. Several years ago we suggested “deviled” 
butter as the most appropriate name for this stuff. 
We are of the same opinion still. Why are people so 
desperately afraid of hurting the tough feelings of a 
rogue or one of his imps? 
CoNORESs has adjourned without giving us the need¬ 
ed parcels jiost. We must continue to patronize the 
express companies, pay high rates of postage or go 
without! It is not all over yet. Fifty express mag¬ 
nates may think they are larger than 50,000.000 com¬ 
mon people, but it’s only because the 50,000,000 let 
them think so. Wait! When that parcels post does 
come it will bring other common rights along with it. 
That is what the monopolists will get by trying to 
hold it back. 
* 
SiioRTLV after the recent election in Vermont we 
Interviewed leading members of the Grange regarding 
the position of farmers on the temperance question. 
It seems'clear that in the section east of the moun¬ 
tains a vast majority of the farmers opposed any 
license plan. West of the mountains the sentiment 
was more divided, and some Granges report a ma¬ 
jority against prohibition for the reason that the old 
law was constantly violated. We are not now ex¬ 
pressing any opinion regarding the matter, but simply 
stating the facts. It is safe to say that the reputable 
farmers of the State either voted against the new 
license law or voted for it in order to give it a tiial. 
It is quite reasonable to conclude that if this law is 
not properly enforced the result will be a stronger 
prohibitory law than ever, or a trial of the State dis¬ 
pensary plan now a law in South Carolina. 
* 
The American Farm Company is still working 
through its agents in New York State. These agents 
are reported as saying that the Company has secured 
a verdict of $50,000 afiainst The R. N.-Y. for defama¬ 
tion of character! The facts are that this Company 
has been beaten out of its boots in every stage of the 
suit against us. They fought the demand for a trans¬ 
fer of the trial to New York County. They were 
beaten. They then tried to have cut out of our an¬ 
swer to their charges all reference to the business 
dealings of J. W. Woodruff, who appears to be about 
all there is to the Company. Readers will remember 
that in our reply we made statements about the busi¬ 
ness history of Mr. Woodruff which we claimed had 
a direct bearing upon the present case. The lawyer 
for the Company tried to have all this thrown out, 
but the New York Court of Appeals has refused to 
(1(» so. iimi Woodruff’s record must go to the jury—if 
A SWINDLER in Oklahoma has been trying to work 
a particularly brazen fraud on farmers in the vicinity 
of the Otter Creek irrigation ditch. He induces them 
to sign a contract committing them to pay him $200 
three days after the water is turned into the irriga¬ 
tion ditch, and interest from maturity at 10 per cent 
a year, as well as an additional 10 per cent as collec¬ 
tion fee if the money is not promptly paid. The con¬ 
tract also provides that farmers whose land Is not 
susceptible of irrigation from the proposed irrigation 
plant shall pay the holder of the notes $1.25 an acre 
in lieu of the $200. This contract is an absolute steal; 
the National Government is doing all the work on 
this irrigation canal, and the Interior Department at 
Washington has warned farmers to pay nothing on 
such contracts. 
Several "get-rich-quick” concerns, counting their 
victims by thousands, have been exposed in New York 
during the past few weeks. They offered returns of 
from 60 to 300 per cent on money “invested” by them, 
and regiments of dupes responded, although the Wall 
Street normal return from safe investments is four 
to five per cent. The victims of these schemers are 
not by any means confined to the credulous rural 
class; many professional and business men, who sure¬ 
ly know better, bite at the gilded bait. The gambling 
mania will never be cured by good advice, but to those 
who are honestly practicing thrift in the hope of pro¬ 
viding for future needs we oen recommend two abso¬ 
lutely safe rules: Don’t trust your money to strang¬ 
ers without security. Don’t invest it to earn more 
than four or five per cent. Still another useful sug¬ 
gestion was received by a man who saw an advertise¬ 
ment which offered, for the sum of 50 cents, to teli 
anyone how to get inch. He sent his 50 cents, and re¬ 
ceived a card bearing this inscription: “Work like a 
heaver, and don’t spend any more money on fake ad¬ 
vertisements.” 
The annual contest between the owners of canning 
factories and farmers who grow produce for them is 
sharper than ever this year. Contracts are being 
signed slowly if at all. For the past few years prices 
for canned goods have ranged high. Various reasons 
are given for this, but it seems agreed that the can- 
ners have made considerable money while prices to 
farmers have not advanced in proportion to the ad¬ 
vance in canned goods. Thus the farmers feel that 
they should receive a fairer share of the proceeds. 
They seem to have become satisfied that as individ¬ 
uals they have no possible chance to bring about an 
improvement. Therefore they have begun to organ¬ 
ize. There are many canning factories in and around 
Oneida Co., N. Y. Differences between them and the 
farmers have led to the organization of the Farmers’ 
Produce Association. The object is stated in the fol¬ 
lowing section of the by-laws: 
The object of this corporation shall be to promote the 
Interests of farmers and fann owners, to secure by all 
lawful means just and commensurate prices for farm 
produce, to procure uniformity of price for farm produce, 
to arrange and maintain the uniformity of usages, cus¬ 
toms and contracts relating to produce and marketing 
thereof. 
This Association is going about its business in what 
seems to us an honorable and legitimate manner. It 
has drawn up a scheduie of prices at which members 
can afford to grow canning crops. The canners may 
consider this presumptuous, but as a matter of fact, 
who has the better right to say what his goods are 
worth—the producer or the buyer? The buyer usuaiiy 
has the advantage, but that is no reason why the pro¬ 
ducer should be forever bound to take what is offered 
him. Conditions in that section are pecuiiar. While 
the soil is well suited to the growing of canning 
crops it is also a good dairy section. In fact, most of 
the farmers seem to be dairymen. They are not 
obliged to grow the canning crops, as farmers in some 
sections are. The average of a series of years shows 
that the prices offered by the canners leave little if 
any margin of profit. Most farmers would be just as 
well off if they were to grow hard corn and other 
grains for stock feed and thus avoid the heavy ex¬ 
pense lor western grain! While the chief difference 
between grower and canner is over the contract price, 
there are other things to be considered. Peas are 
hauled to some canneries in bulk, weighed and 
thrashed out—the price being paid for shelled peas. 
It is chiimed that the machines do not alwaj^s thrash 
cleanly—for in the silage made from the vines many 
peas are found. It is also said that workmen are 
careless about weighing, and sometimes mix up dif¬ 
ferent lots of vines. The Association members believe 
that they should have a representative at the factory 
to look out for the interests of their members. From 
all that we can learn members of this organization 
are disposed to be fair and conservative. They have 
a perfect right to “get together” in defense of what 
they consider to be their best interests, and if they 
will be dignified and firm they will in the end better 
their conditions. 
The chief thing to look up in buying a fertilizer is 
to be sure of the source of its nitrogen. The potash 
and phosphoric acid are important, but if we are 
guaranteed a certain amount we can be quite sure 
where it comes from. Not so with the nitrogen. 
There are a dozen different forms in which nitrogen 
is supplied and they vary greatly in value. The buyer 
has a right to know whether he is buying nitrate of 
soda, blood, tankage or fish scrap, when he pays for 
a mixed fertilizer. As a rule, the nitrogen in low- 
grade mixtures is of the poorest quality, and that is 
one of the best reasons why such mixtures are the 
most expensive. Few men will go into a strange 
restaurant and deliberately order a plate of hash! The 
reason is that they do not know where the meat comes 
from. They eat it at home because they do know the 
“source of the meat supply.” To buy a low-grade 
fertilizer without knowing where the nitrogen conies 
from is worse than buying the “foreign” hash. Who 
would pay as much for the nitrogen in a pile of ma¬ 
nure that had been leached all Winter as for that in 
a sheltered pile? Yet the nitrogen in the low-grade 
fertilizer may be no better than that in the leached 
pile. Make the dealer guarantee his nitrogen! 
* 
La.st week we referred to a resolution passed by 
the Yates Co. (N. Y.) Farmers’ Club 60 years ago. 
This stout old club still lives—hale and hearty, watch¬ 
ing the interests of the farmer. It is the most natural 
thing in the world to learn that the club has endorsed 
the plan for building up the Agricultui’al College. 
The members will go right straight to the Governor 
and the Legislature with their postage stamps. This 
strong and vigorous club has a long memory. It has 
seen more than half a century of New York agricul- 
tui'e. Its members know that now, more than ever 
before, does the farmer need the help which science 
alone can bring to him. It has taken us a good while 
to understand that the classical or so-called 
“academic” college course is not what we need to 
bring out the best that is in our farms and homes. 
We need and we will have an ayricultural college- 
one with the biggest sort of an A; one dominated by 
the farmers themselves and in touch with the poorest 
farm in the State. This is not a work for next year 
or the next century but for io-day. Do not dream 
about it, but get at it at once. A letter to Gov. Odell 
and to your Albany Representatives is worth more 
now than ever before because the “right” time has 
come. Lick a stamp for the ediuxttion of the farmert 
« 
BREVITIES. 
One-year-old strawberry plants and hens for business 
Read the discussion of strawberry varieties—page 191. 
Caustic potasli in the lime and suliihur wash will cause 
stick. 
If you want a big crop of strawberries don’t try to sell 
plants. 
There is no substitute for milk that will keep the Htlle 
calf thriving. 
Who should hold the tiller of the ship of state? The 
tiller of the soil! 
What is a farmer’s club for except to raise Cain with 
the enemies of the farm? 
Has anyone sold shredded fodder in bales? There is 
some demand for it, but the bales seem to heat badly. 
Reports of the use of lime-sulphur wash are coining 
in. Read what Mr. Pease says on first page. We have 
strong faith in this treatment. 
Corrosive sublimate is a deadly poison. If you soalc 
seed potatoes in a solution of it you can keep them, but 
do not let the stock get at them. 
Impatient people sometimes say of a hard, matter-of- 
fact farmer that he has no sentiment or real love of the 
farm. That is where they make a mistake. The love is 
there, but has never been developed. 
It is proposed to organize a course in ceramics at the 
New Jersey Agricultural College. This is the art of 
making useful things out of baked clay, such as potterj 
or bricks. In 1900 New Jersey produced $11,000,000 worth 
of such products. Man is also a clay product—valuable 
to society as he is “well baked.” By all means let us 
have the hew cour.se! 
We wouldn’t be human if we did not think this Jersey- 
man is doing a great work: “I dropped in 10 cents for a 
good man’s subscription for The R. N.-Y. the other da>. 
He wanted to pay me, but 1 told him to pass it along 
and drop in a dime for his friend and order the next 
nian'to pass it along and so on, an endless chain for ttie 
rarniers’ busine.ss paper.” 
