520 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 18 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUE BUSINESS FARMEB'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
I)R. Walter Van Fleet, ( . , ^ 
Mrs. E. T. Koyle, ^Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or 8* */^ marks, or lOV^ francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
backed by a responsibie 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 vye 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 check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NHW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street. New Y’'ork. 
SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1903. 
As we cut our own hay crop we are astonished to 
see how much there is of it. Two weeks ago we felt 
like giving it up, but the few days of sun coming 
after the rains have done wonders for it Through 
central New York a more hopeful feeling prevails. 
The hay seems to be far better than was expected, 
and with clear weather it will be cured in fine condi¬ 
tion. We never before realized what a few days of 
clear sunshine can do. 
* 
Mr. Cox, of southern Ohio, in his excellent fruit 
notes on page 521, says that we must expect a drought 
to follow this long rainy spell. That will be nature’s 
way of evening things, for take a series of years in 
succession and the total rainfall does not vary much. 
We now have moisture enough in the soil to mature 
our crops if we can keep it there. Mr. Cox will try 
mulching his apple trees. Hay is worth too much 
with us to justify the plan of cutting all grass and 
heaping around the trees, but we shall put a good 
share of it there. The discussion of the “mulch 
method’’ has made some converts, but best of all, 
it has induced some who have practiced it for years 
to let the fact be known! 
* 
The daily papers have reported frauds in relation 
to the contract for providing seeds for the Govern¬ 
ment distribution. It is charged publicly that short 
weight was given and that cheap varieties were sub¬ 
stituted for more expensive kinds. So far as we can 
learn the National Department of Agriculture is en¬ 
tirely free from blame in this matter. As soon as 
the authorities in the Department found how the con¬ 
tract was being filled they refused to pay the con¬ 
tractor. We understand that he has entered suit 
against the Government for $18,000, which sum the 
Department refused to pay him. We are also in¬ 
formed that he has brought suit for $25,000 each, 
against two well-known seedsmen who protested 
when they found how the seeds were being put up. 
This whole business of sending common seeds free 
to those who call for them ought to be shut up. It 
is an injustice to the trade, and the whole principle 
of it is wrong. 
The Bordens have for years refused to accept 
silage-fed milk for their condensing factories. They 
argue, as we understand, that milk from cows fed on 
silage will not make good condensed milk. What 
can they say after reading the notes printed on page 
516? There are no higher authorities than Babcock, 
Conn, Voorhees, Jordan and the others, and these men 
agree that when silage is made from mature corn and 
properly kept in the silo, it does not impart any 
fiavor or quality to milk which unfits it for con¬ 
densing. It appears to be true that the argument 
against silage is based on results obtained from feed¬ 
ing the poor stuff that was made 20 years ago. Since 
that time the whole principle of preserving crops in 
silos has been overhauled and carefully studied. It 
is foolish to say that because silage that was made 
while farmers were experimenting with it spoiled 
some milk, the modern silage is no better. Besides, 
who knows whether the milk was hurt by feeding 
silage to the cows, or by leaving the open can close 
to the silo? There is no fair excuse for any arbitrary 
rule against the use of silage. The fair plan would be 
an inspection of silage—rejecting silage that is not 
first class, just as inspectors would reject moldy or 
worthless hay or grain. We hope that the Borden 
Company will realize what this means to farmers 
who need cheap and succulent Winter feed. 
• 
We have never known a year when it seemed more 
difficult to estimate the probable fruit crop than this 
season. There are so many things that may upset 
all calculations! Plant lice have come upon some 
orchards in swarms, and there seems no practical 
way of fighting them on a large scale. At first it was 
thought these lice were doing great injury to the 
fruit, but it now appears that most, if not all the 
injury, was done to the young growth, especially on 
small trees. While some late varieties like Baldwin 
are short, we think the present outlook is for a fair 
crop of apples. It certainly will not be a large one, 
and prices ought to be above average. We have little 
faith in any attempt to make a definite estimate so 
early in the season. The trees may be well covered 
now but fungus may appear, or a severe gale may 
throw the fruit down, so that prophesying is profit¬ 
less. Our correspondents give from week to week 
the fairest estimate of the situation. 
* 
According to the statistics furnished by the Chicago 
Tribune, 52 persons were killed this year in cele¬ 
brating the Fourth of July, and 3,665 were injured. 
This year’s celebration was very destructive to pro¬ 
perty, causing fires amounting to $400,625. The toy 
pistol was well to the front as usual, injuring 559 
persons, while 768 were damaged by homemade bombs 
and fire works. Firearms injured 562 persons; sky¬ 
rockets, 206; cannon, 319; and unclassified fireworks, 
1,170. These statistics were collected from 200 cities 
throughout the United States; without doubt the list 
could be greatly extended. The Fourth this year 
seemed unusually destructive, and there is no doubt 
that many of the modern noise-producers are very 
dangerous in character, even when carefully handled. 
It would appear that the campaign in favor of a 
quieter Independence Day met with little success; 
also that a great many people throughout the country 
have plenty of money to burn. 
The country boarding-house season is in full blast. 
Thousands if not millions of dollars are paid each 
Summer to hotels and hoarding-houses by people who 
leave town and city for a taste of country living. 
Now farmers do not handle enough of this money, 
and it is partly their own fault. Cooks, waiters and 
helpers are well paid, but very few dollars drop into 
the pockets of those who own the farms near the 
hotel and boarding-house. Yet these boarders demand 
country produce—chickens, milk, fruit and vegeta¬ 
bles, and consume vast quantities of them. The hotel 
keeper actually goes to the city market, sometimes 
more than 100 miles away, to buy eggs, chickens, 
sweet corn, peas or even potatoes. While he does this 
farmers within easy drive of the hotel are growing 
farm crops which return a bare living. There is no 
sense at all in any such way of doing business. What 
would be thought of a manufacturer or city merchant 
who would refuse to handle new trade which was put 
right into his hands? It is too late now to take full 
advantage of this market, but we bring it up now 
when it is most in evidence. No finer market was 
ever offered a farmer than that provided by a country 
Summer hotel! 
* 
Even in Kentucky the farm labor question is hard 
to answer. For years northern farmers imagined 
that in the South at least there was no trouble about 
farm helpers. While it was reported that the negroes 
are lazy and inefficient, it was supposed that there 
were enough of them at least to do the work. Now 
we have this note from a Kentucky farmer: — 
Generally the outlook in this part of our Southland l.s 
full of promise. The labor question! The labor question!! 
So it is, I suppose, everywhere. It appears to me that 
a good number of German laborers—of both sexes—could 
find profitable and pleasant employment among our peo¬ 
ple. How can I find them? 
There are several agencies in the city where efforts 
are made to place deserving foreigners on good farms. 
The demand is far in excess of the supply, and the 
wages demanded are nearly prohibitive when we 
figure what a workingman can earn in cash on a farm. 
It is not likely that the best foreigners will go to the 
South. They come from northern Europe, and prefer 
a climate like their own. Most of the immigrants 
now coming are from southern Europe, and are the 
least desirable of any for farm helpers. Canada seems 
now to be attracting the best class of immigrants. 
Over 50,000 Americans went over the line into western 
Canada last year, while Swedes, Germans and Danes 
comprise a large proportion of European immigrants. 
Farmers of the Middle South, with their fertile soil, 
mild climate and great natural advantages, often won¬ 
der why the best farm laborers prefer the West and 
Northwest. They forget that these immigrants like 
to follow their friends, or prefer a climate similar to 
that of their old home. 
Last week we printed the contract between repre¬ 
sentatives of the milk producers and the People’s 
Pure Milk Company. It will be easy to pick out parts 
of this contract which a wise man would not agree 
to if he could make all the terms himself. For ex¬ 
ample, with the present prospects for milk it may 
not be the best policy to agree to a five-years’ con¬ 
tract of prices. True, these prices may average higher 
than those paid during the past five years, but do the 
prospects warrant even higher prices for the future? 
That is one way to look at it, yet farmers must con¬ 
sider other things. If the men who are back of this 
Company are to put up the large amount of money 
required to fioat it, it is right that they should be 
fully protected. Again, farmers may well ask them¬ 
selves if they have any other practical plan for ob¬ 
taining a higher price for milk. If they could or¬ 
ganize and control the business themselves they would 
do better, but are they ready to do that now? Have 
they come to the point where they will actually put 
up the required money? If not, is it not wise to make 
this arrangement with a strong company? They will 
be no worse off, and the fact of operating together 
to sell and deliver their milk will prove an education 
along the road to full cooperation. This seemed to 
be the view taken by the majority at the Binghamton 
meeting. The R. N.-Y. believes in discussion, and 
requests brief, pointed reasons for or against the ac¬ 
ceptance of the contract printed last week. Long 
articles cannot be used, and just now we can only 
consider this one important point 
• 
The Postal Progress League is a National associa¬ 
tion of patriotic citizens interested in advocating the 
greatest possible expansion of our postal service to 
include not only the convenient activities so common 
in other countries and so woefully lacking in our 
own, such as the telegraph and telephone, an effec¬ 
tive parcels post and postal savings bank, but ulti¬ 
mately the control of all means of transporting mer¬ 
chandise, passengers and intelligence. They have in 
mind a great National Post Department, bringing the 
full amenities of civilization to every farmhouse door 
as well as to the thickly populated cities, presided 
over not by a spoils partisan, but managed by the 
ablest business talent procurable. This is not a “pipe 
dream,’’ ’though i” these days of exposure of office¬ 
holding rascalities it seems a long way off. The Pos¬ 
tal Progress League may be the leaven destined to 
modify the general apathy regarding postal improve¬ 
ment There are mighty interests, financial and po¬ 
litical, that find it advantageous to discredit the idea 
of radical post development and to keep the service 
packed with incompetent or unscrupulous employees 
that it may make as poor showing as possible. It is 
not enough to consider the Postoffice Department as 
the biggest commercial enterprise on earth. It can 
also be made the most useful and effective under¬ 
taking conducted by man if the people earnestly will 
it. The publications of the League show how it can 
be done. Many of them may be had for the asking 
by addressing the Secretary, James L. Cowles, Farm¬ 
ington, Conn. 
p 
BREVITIES. 
Hardly a Potato bug yet! 
The late potato crop is reported “fine.” 
We hope that prices will help out the short crops. 
We want early peaches of higher quality if the de¬ 
mand is to be kept up. 
There are at least two sides to the electric road ques¬ 
tion as it affects farmers. 
In time of rain prepare for drought. Plan to hold the 
surplus moisture in the soil. We will need it all later. 
How about a fine “growing day” when weeds and all 
are jumping, but the soil is so wet that you can’t possibly 
work it? 
The fellows who bore into a tree and stick in powder 
to cure disease and kill insects are still at work. Who 
will bore into them? 
We are asked every day about investing money with 
strangers! Is it possible that there are no chances for 
safe investment near home? Look for them first. 
A Paris doctor is said to claim that the exercise 
known as “cake walking” will destroy all bacteria. 
However, if one won the cake the eating of it would 
bring most of the harmful bacteria to life! 
With mob law in several States and an organized sys¬ 
tem of brutal slavery in the South, the time does not 
seem strikingly propitious for ordering foreign powers 
to amend their domestic manners. 
Egypt established postal savings banks two years ago, 
and the system already has 14,000 depositors. In addition 
to the encouragement of thrift, the postal savings bank 
makes the “plain people” partners with the govern¬ 
ment, giving them a business interest in the proper 
management of public affairs that is advantageous to 
both the nation and the individual. 
