584 
August 15 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE B USINE8S FAliMEE'8 PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 18S0. 
IlERBKUT W. COLI-INGWOOD, Editor. 
1)K. WALTER Van Fleet, I 
Mrs. E. T. koyle, ^Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCBIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To forelg-n countries In the Univer.sal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or marks, or IOV 2 francs. 
“A SQUARE 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 against rogues, but we 
do not guarantee to adjust trilling 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 comjilaint 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 RURAI. NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1903. 
We have had questions from farmers who wish to 
obtain the largest possible yield from the second crop 
of hay. Some of them talk of using wood ashes or 
“phosphate” on meadows after the first cutting. That 
will not do them much good. What the grass needs 
is nitrogen in some quickly available form. The wood 
ashes and the low-grade phosphate will make them¬ 
selves felt next year, but if you want grass this sea¬ 
son feed nitrogen. 
* 
Here we^have the report of an American just home 
from Europe: 
Just back from the old country. This Is God’s country, 
though—especially for the farmer. The greatest defect 
in German civilization, for instance, is the fact that 
there are no farm homes. Farmers live in villages and 
have all the evils of both rural and urban life. 
We have long held that the great strength of this 
Republic lies in its farm homes. There lie the pos¬ 
sibilities for true conservatism and patriotic feeling. 
The infiuence of city life is demoralizing, and un¬ 
makes the natural man. That is why every effort 
should be made to put a happy and contented farmer 
on every available farm. This means more to the 
country than millions piled up in Wall Street. 
• 
Mr. Garrett and Mr. Clark do not agree on their 
methods of preparing the soil for a grass crop. In 
trying to reason out the sense of it we must remember 
the difference in conditions. One writes from Ken¬ 
tucky, and describes soil of great natural strength, 
where a permanent meadow is not desired. The other 
describes a smaller farm of poorer soil where it is de¬ 
sired to cut the grass as many years as possible. Both 
agree that no “nurse crop” of grain is needed, and 
twice as much seed as farmers usually sow is useful. 
Clark certainly has the best report of yield. All this 
is important, because the hay crop in the Eastern 
States is bound to pay well for the next 10 years. How 
can you ever get the grain of fact without thrashing 
it out in a discussion? 
* 
Our rules respecting long articles are strict. Busi¬ 
ness farmers want lean meat, and our rule is to root- 
prune with a blue pencil when a writer runs over two 
column's. We break the rule this week, and willingly 
give Prof. Bailey full space to mention his plans for 
the Agricultural College. This is a matter of great 
importahee to every thinking farmer in America. 
There is no reason on earth why New York should 
lag behind any Western State in facilities for teach¬ 
ing scientific or practical agriculture. We have known 
Prof. Bailey for many years. He is, without doubt, 
at the head of his profession as a teacher of the 
sciences which relate to farm life. We have the ut¬ 
most confidence in his ability to organize and develop 
a system of instruction that will bring needed knowl¬ 
edge within reach of the poorest man on the poorest 
farm. If we did not believe this we would take little 
interest in any plan for spending money on the Col¬ 
lege. The R. N.-Y. is on record, and will stay there, 
in favor of the proposition that agricultural educa¬ 
tion must be for the many and not for the select few. 
The farmers of New York State now have a great 
opportunity to come forward and make the College 
their own, for, after all is said, the spirit and power 
of the College must come from them. Prof. Bailey 
working alone with the members of hia faculty will 
make slow progress. Put 100,000 earnest and hopeful 
farmers back of him and he will change the character 
of New York farming! 
The last Legislature of Kansas passed a law de¬ 
signed to regulate the manufacture and sale of com¬ 
mercial fertilizers. It will seem strange to many that 
such a law is considered necessary in Kansas. We 
have been told repeatedly that Kansas soil is rich 
enough to bag and ship East to fertilize the “worn- 
out” soils of the Atlantic coast. The truth probably 
is that some soils in Kansas respond to an application 
of phosphoric acid in ground bone or phosphate rock. 
That is quite natural, since stock farming may ex¬ 
haust the soil of available phosphoric acid, while add¬ 
ing to its nitrogen and keeping up potash. We have 
for years pointed out this sure result, and Kansas 
farmers are wise in trying to put legal restrictions 
around this trade. 
m 
Every year, about this season, it becomes our duty 
to call attention to the work of the American Apple 
Consumers’ League. The object of this League is to 
encourage the use of apples as food. Its members 
pledge themselves to call for apple in some form 
whenever they eat a meal at a public table. This 
creates a demand for the fruit and leads hotel and 
restaurant keepers to serve it. During the past five 
years much has been done in this quiet way to in¬ 
crease the demand for good apples. The League was 
started as a bit of fun, but a number of observant 
men were quick to see what would result if this sim¬ 
ple thing could be followed up. It is time now to 
begin the season’s work. Baked apple is a regular 
part of the bill of fare at most city restaurants. Now 
we want to interest the city bakeries and “delicates¬ 
sen” stores. If we can get them to sell baked apples 
as they now sell pies and cakes, we shall create a new 
demand that will help the market. Come, gentlemen, 
call for apple 1 
* 
An English farm laborer recently died from blood 
poisoning, and his widow brought su^t for damages 
against his employer, under the provisions of the 
Workmen’s Compensation Act. It was shown that 
the deceased had suffered an abrasion of the skin on 
the nape of the neck, as the result of carrying heavy 
bags of fertilizer upon his shoulders, and the infiam- 
mation that followed developed into blood poisoning, 
the inference being that the wound was poisoned by 
the fertilizing material. Although it did not appear 
that the employer had been unduly careless, or that 
he had imposed unnecessary risk upon his employee, 
the court ordered him to pay £150 (nearly $750) to the 
widow and children of the deceased workman, and as 
an appeal was taken, he was ordered to pay the 
widow £2 a month until the matter was settled. The 
case is of interest to farmers generally, as showing 
the sweeping nature of a law that would seem, at 
first thought, to apply chiefiy to factories and other 
lines of industrial effort, far removed from the farm. 
• 
We once met a man who has made a famous fight 
against public corruption. One of a small minority, 
he still kept bravely on against hopeless odds. We 
asked him how he managed to keep up the battle, and 
his answer is worthy of record. “I could not do it if 
I did not have a farm to go to when I am thoroughly 
disgusted with public service!” The farm gave that 
man new hope and courage. It healed the sting, gave 
him something of the great patience of Nature, and 
sent him back to his duty with a larger and truer 
hope. That is the lesson that the farm holds for any 
man who will heed it We see the slow, patient de¬ 
velopment of nature, moving steadily on through the 
seasons with calm, unerring force, and we come to 
realize as we cannot in any other way that the good 
must ultimately triumph over the evil. Yes, the farm 
ought to send any public man back to his work with 
keener views and truer courage. As for the man 
whose home and work are ever on the farm, he ought 
to be the truest and most thoughtful citizen in the 
land, as a natural result. 
« 
On page 51 of The R, N.-Y. we described some “feed¬ 
ing experiments” with young men which Dr. Wiley, 
of the Department of Agriculture, hoped would show 
the effect of borax and salicylic acid on the human 
system. These and other drugs are used for preserv¬ 
ing food, and there has been much debate as to 
whether food containing the drugs is safe. Dr. Wiley 
has been talking about his experiment, but no one 
seems to understand what he found out. We must 
wait for his “complete report.” As we understand 
him two things are clear: 
1. The drugs must be considered unhealthy until 
those who use them prove that they are not. 
2. While the occasional use of food containing such 
drugs might have no serious results the continued 
use of them for any length of time would surely prove 
injurious. 
It seems to us that this fully justifies legislation 
against this drugging. We are asked by several read¬ 
ers if they should buy “salyx” or other “cold process” 
preserving powders. Not under any circumstances. 
Either purify your fruit by fire in the old-fashioned 
way or go without! 
* 
The paper balloons sent up on the night of July 4 
and at other festive times, are a real menace to farm 
property. They may go long distances, and no one 
can tell where they will drop. Farmers find them or 
their burned fragments in the fields or near build¬ 
ings. Though we have never heard of any destruc¬ 
tion being traced directly to the fire balloon, it is 
quite probable that some of the mysterious midnight 
fires in barns or haystacks usually laid to tramps are 
from this cause. There are many laws for the protec¬ 
tion of property, but legislators do not appear to have 
considered the danger in sowing fire in the form of 
this combination of tissue paper and blazing torch. 
• 
There are many good Americans of foreign birth. 
Many of them came here poor boys. Denied opportu¬ 
nity in Europe they found in this Republic chances 
for growth unknown in the old country. It may be 
said that they gained wealth and power by their own 
strong efforts but, after they give full credit to indi¬ 
vidual work, they still owe a debt of gratitude to this 
country. They now have a chance to pay part of this 
debt, in a patriotic manner. Thousands of their 
former countrymen are now following them to this 
land. Conditions have changed since they came, and 
this stream of untrained humanity must not be per¬ 
mitted to drain into our large cities. Scattered about, 
where they can have elbow room, many of these for¬ 
eigners will make useful citizens. Crowded into the 
. cities they simply swell the element in American so¬ 
ciety which is to oppose the interests of the home 
owner. Surely, the foreigners who have established 
themselves here and prospered should now attempt 
to locate their countrymen so that the best balance 
of society can be secured. Is it not their duty to do so? 
• 
Off shore from a famous seaside resort is a sunken 
wreck. A ship, driven upon the shore in a storm, 
went down. The hull is entirely under water—the 
masts showing above it. Not long since the writer 
stood on the shore and saw this wreck slowly clear 
from the fog. First the tops of the masts were seen, 
then by degrees they seemed to rise out of the water 
as the fog settled, until we could see a large black 
sign which some advertiser had posted there. Sud¬ 
denly the sun broke out and made clear the letters 
on the sign: 
WILSON’S WHISKY 
THAT’S ALL. 
It was certainly enough to form the text for a pow¬ 
erful sermon which needed no words to bring it home. 
No one could find a more appropriate place for a 
whisky sign than on a wreck, for whisky has done 
more to wreck human life and bring shame and suf¬ 
fering upon humanity than any other evil infiuence. 
Yes, a whisky sign on a wreck is just where it be¬ 
longs—there are thousands of human wrecks carrying 
it wherever they go. The distillers are just now 
making a desperate effort to make whisky drinking 
respectable, but they will not succeed in doing so. 
• 
BREVITIES. 
The pocket is a good place for pride. 
Late seeding is bad for the Hessian fly. 
Do not use the lime, salt and sulphur wash on peach 
trees now. 
We suggest the following union for farm hands—a 
union of head and heels. 
Last year 1,490,314 tons of phosphate rock were dug in 
this country for fertilizing purposes. 
Never brag about how you are going to beat some old 
farmer until you have actually beaten him. 
Where Spring seeded grass has failed with oats we 
would work the soil again and sow grass with rye. 
The prison and jail population in New York State last 
year was 96,932. We are most interested in what such 
prisoners come to. How many are hardened into perma¬ 
nent crime by their jail life? 
Western farmers are using land plaster and obtaining 
results from it much like those obtained by New York 
farmers 50 years ago. After some years they will find 
that the plaster loses its effect, and then they will be 
obliged to use potash. 
We are sometimes asked if there is any market for 
sumach blooms. No. We tried to find a market for them 
a few years since, but there was so little demand that 
it would not pay to gather them. 
Wall Street men put water into stock and then 
squeeze it out again. The honest scrub woman does the 
same—her stock being a mop. She squeezes out dirt 
with the water while the water in the other stock carries 
honor and character with it! 
A RECENT letter from a farmer contains the following: 
“Please correct before publishing, as grubbing hoes and 
axes were more plentiful here 40 and 50 years ago than 
text books on grammar and orthography.” The letter is 
a model report of a farm enterprise—clear and strong. 
Would that more writers could have grub-hoe and ax 
advantages when young! 
