696 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 3 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS EAEMES’S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Hekbekt W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van B’leet, ( 
Mrs. B. T. Koylb, Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLUAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, J2.04, 
equal to 8s. Cd., or 8Vi marks, or IOV 2 francs. 
“A SaUARE 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 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 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 NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1903. 
When we think of the new varieties and seedlings 
that are being tested we must conclude that those 
who live 25 years hence will be well supplied with 
fruit. At one place in North Dakota over 250,000 
seedlings of wild fruits are growing. Out of this vast 
array it is reasonable to expect something that will 
combine the hardiness of the wild plant with im¬ 
proved flavor. The hybridizers must often work for 
years without even a promise of success, but now the 
work is being done upon such a wonderful scale that 
results seem sure to follow. 
* 
Various wise men are now calling for a law to 
license cats—all unclaimed cats to be killed! The 
object of this law is to prevent the destruction of 
birds, but some of our fruit growers would prefer the 
cats to the birds. It is estimated that there are 2,000,- 
000 cats in New York State, and the man who under¬ 
took to catch and kill the unlicensed pussies would 
have an unending and unenvied job. We have heard 
of men who rave and throw bootjacks at cats that cry 
in the night. They should remember that the cat at 
that hour is merely trying to give expression to sen¬ 
timents which from a man with a tenor voice and a 
guitar would be greatly appreciated. 
* 
A FAir.uRE of the corn crop will mean hard times 
to the western farmer, but the blow would fall harder 
on the New England milk producer. The silo has be¬ 
come a fixture on most milk dairy farms. It will be 
hard to make Winter milk without silage. In central 
Massachusetts, where milk is a staple product, we are 
told that not much more than half the silos can be 
filled. The corn is not only short but poor in quality. 
A poor corn crop cuts down the supply of New Eng¬ 
land forage and also puts up the price of western 
grain. The milk farmer cannot produce a quart of 
milk as cheaply as he could In former years, and he 
must receive more for it. The milk producers afe 
working to obtain a fairer price for the Winter. They 
must have every element of strength and cooperation 
if they are to succeed. 
* 
Several years ago a monument was erected to the 
memory of the Baldwin apple. It was put where the 
old tree stood in Massachusetts. Now a tablet has 
been placed to mark the spot where the first Primate 
apples were grown near Syracuse, N. Y. The prac¬ 
tical man may say that such things do not “pay,” 
but to our mind there are few more beautiful or use¬ 
ful things than such efliorts to mark the spot where 
worthy fruits originate. Surely our children cannot 
be taught more hopeful or more lovable things than 
this respect for those who give the world good fruits. 
The men who gave America the Baldwin apple, Bart¬ 
lett pear and Concord grape have done as much for 
their country as those who tacked Alaska and Hawaii 
to the map! 
* 
In 1840 Harriet Martineau visited this country and 
found only seven occupations open to women, outside 
of homekeeping. These were teaching, sewing, keep¬ 
ing boarders, working in miils, typesetting, bookbind¬ 
ing and household service. Now women have entered 
about every occupation known to society. There are 
women veterinarians, blacksmiths, hod carriers and 
carpenters, to say nothing of clerks, doctors and law¬ 
yers. Improve’d farm machinery has enabled wives 
and daughters of farmers to help at cultivating or har¬ 
vesting crops. There has always been much argu¬ 
ment as to whether this broadening of woman’s occu¬ 
pation has made it harder for man to compete with 
other laborers. There are two sides to this question, 
but on the whole we think there has been great gain 
to society from the fact that woman has been able to 
earn wages in cash. Men may have been crowded out 
of some occupations, but there are some things which 
a woman can do better than a man and the race sure¬ 
ly gains in spirit and independence as woman becomes 
master of her own living. The worst feature about 
woman’s work is the fact that some women, who have 
no real need for doing so, will do work which right¬ 
fully belongs to those who actually need it. The wo¬ 
man who works merely to buy clothes or for amuse¬ 
ment has no business to help cut the wages of those 
who must toil for bread and butter! 
• 
Mr. Okr in his remarks on the barge canal (page 
697) asks what interest New York City can have in 
improving country roads or in educating country 
children! What would this great city do if there were 
no country roads? Where would its food and its raw 
materials come from? Every pound of material used 
here, with the exception of ice and fish, was originally 
hauled over a country road somewhere. Again, what 
would New York City do without country chiidren to 
bring new blood and energy fresh from the soil? Shut 
ou all supplies of farm-bred flesh and blood for three 
generations and New York would be inhabited by a 
race of mentaUand physical dwarfs! Country roads 
and country children! ’ They are the veins and the 
life blood of New York. She will neglect them when 
she wants to commit suicide. 
« 
Here is another side to the apple box problem— 
the question of good packing: 
I have experimented quite a good deal with boxes as 
apple packages, and liave always found the fruit sell 
much better in the box than in the barrel. The dilflculty 
wlilch i have heretofore expeidenced is in getting com¬ 
petent people to pack the fruit. That is my trouble this 
year. Labor is vtry scarce, and having 2,000 or 3,000 bar¬ 
rels of apples to pack, I And myself unable to secure the 
necessary labor to use the boxes to advantage, i have 
always used the bushel box, and shall continue to use 
the boxes in a small way until I can educate some of 
our people in packing. The chief argument in favor of 
ihe box seems to me to be the fact that the gibwer can 
realize from 30 to 50 per cent more for his apples packed 
in boxes than in barrels. This has been my experience 
in every instance, but this year, having an unusually 
heavy crop in this section, it is practically impossible to 
get labor to handle the fruit. s. l. lupton. 
Virginia. 
It certainly never will do to throw apples carelessly 
into boxes and expect the consumer to be satisfled 
with them. The smaller the package the more 
critical the customer because he can examine the con¬ 
tents easily. The object of packing in a box is to ob¬ 
tain a chance to advertise our skill and honesty! 
* 
Gov. Odell of New York welcomed the Farmers’ 
Congress at Niagara Falls in a pleasant speech. 
Among other things he spoke of the help and recog¬ 
nition which National and State governments give to 
farmers. He defended this practice on the ground 
that whatever helps those who produce food and fiber 
also helps those who must use the products of the 
farm. The Governor took pains to bring this point 
out clearly: 
* 
It is as much the duty of the Government to aid in the 
development of the soil of the country as it is to protect 
its artisans against unjust discrimination or unfair com¬ 
petition at home and abroad; to aid in promoting the 
material welfare of its citizens, as it is to stamp out dis¬ 
ease or epidemic which may thi'eaten the lives of indi¬ 
viduals. This encouragement w Inch the Government ex¬ 
tends does not lead to a dependent spirit, but rather 
makes our citizenship more self-reliant, and more pa¬ 
triotic. 
Of course we agree with that—it is well said, but 
while the Governor was talking did not his mind run 
back a few months to the time when the fair appro¬ 
priation for the Geneva Experiment Station was cut, 
and the needed Agricultural College building held up? 
Farmers think at times that they are fed more than 
their share of words. A few deeds along the line of 
this “aid in the development of the soil” would help 
balance the ration. The Governor has probably been 
told by this time why the farmers oppose the barge 
canal. Among other reasons the following is given by 
the Chautauqua County farmers: 
We believe that the expenditure of this large sum for 
such a purpose would so burden the taxpayers of this 
State that we would feel the distressing effect for many 
years, thus precluding the possibility of securing needed 
appropriations for many worthy objects. 
The Agricultural College building was refused by 
the last Legislature because “the State is too poor.” 
And yet, by inference from the Governor’s own state¬ 
ment agricultural education is the first duty of the 
State. Farmers fear that this same old plea of pov¬ 
erty will go with the canal for years. 
SoME'i’XMES we hear city men say that the improve¬ 
ment of a country road does not concern them be¬ 
cause they never haul anything over it. Some men 
work for years and even accumulate great fortunes 
without understanding the simplest fundamental 
truths. Name a few things produced in this country, 
and which contribute to the wealth of the city, which 
are not hauled over a country road somewhere! All 
wealth came originally out of the soil. The city may 
be fed by the railroads, but the railroads are fed by 
the country highway. Shut up the country roads and 
the city would be like the Mississippi with all the 
hillside springs dried up. 
* 
Our scientific men will do well to remember that 
what is called learning is one thing and that the ap¬ 
plication of it to the bread and butter side of life is 
another. Take the familiar case of the poisons re¬ 
quired to kill Potato beetles. There are many farm¬ 
ers who believe that more Paris-green is required to 
destroy these insects than was the case 10 years ago. 
They also believe that Paris-green injures the vines. 
The entomologists oppose this, and still urge the use 
of Paris-green. The following note shows how some 
farmers feel about it: 
My experience teaches me that It does take more Paris- 
green to kill Potato bugs than It used to. I do not know 
if the bugs are getting Immune to the poison, or if the 
poison is adulterated, but I have to use much stronger 
.solutions to kill them than I did formerly. I only grow 
a few potatoes for home use, and do the spraying my 
self, consequently I know how it is mixed and put on. 
I am sorry to say that I am losing a good deal of faith 
in those learned men, so far as real practical knowledge 
goes when applied to general applications. I think as 
the old darkey said to his master: “Now Master, I know 
you are a very smart man Indeed, and know a great deal, 
but while you know a good deal, I know a little.” 
We print this because it states clearly what not a 
few farmers say. They admit the value of scientific 
research, and are very willing to acknowledge the 
service which the scientists are performing. They 
feel, however, that the learned men often have a poor 
opinion of their judgment and powers of observation. 
The true scientist should never quarrel with the 
farmer, because the only possible future of a scientific 
theory lies through the bread and butter side of 
living. 
* 
Mn.LioNS of the public money are spent in caring 
for homeless children. Nearly as much is spent in 
private benevolence. Poorhouses, reform schools, 
jails, asylums and other institutions are crowded with 
children who are to be brought up without the home 
and love and care which childhood requires. Many 
of these institutions cannot produce good citizens—in 
fact they will turn out one of the most dangerous 
elements of society. No matter how successful such 
children may become they will always lack the char¬ 
acter which nothing but home and private influence 
can furnish. The reason for this is that when chil¬ 
dren are herded together the habits of the lazy and 
vicious prevail. A child may enter such an institution 
with the most hopeful chances for right development 
only to yield to the debasing influence of other chil¬ 
dren. It is the worst sort of a mistake to herd these 
little children together. They should be separated and 
put in small colonies, or in private homes. The mil¬ 
lions that are spent in jailing these little ones might 
well be spent in setting them free. Make it an object 
for some worthy farmer’s wife to take one or more 
of such children and care for them. Pay her for doing 
it—it would cost but little more in the end than the 
present plan of herding the children in institutions. 
It would give the farmer’s wife a chance to earn 
money and provide a new occupation and interest. 
We would hardly advise this for children whose evil 
habits are well formed, but for small children nothing 
could be more desirable. We understand, of course, 
that some farmers are not suited to such work. Oth¬ 
ers are, however, and for all such this plan might give 
a profitable occupation and a chance to perform a 
worthy service for society. 
BREVITIES. 
Canned Belgian hare is the latest novelty. 
When might makes right slavery’s in sight. 
Certainly— a blanket factory is a “cover plant.” 
Why do not Pacific coast farmers grow us more vetch 
seed? 
Prof. Craig considers vetch a more useful plant than 
cow peas. 
If Jack Frost will only stay off two weeks longer w« 
will call him the Hon. John Frost. 
We understand that those Colorado peach growers who 
are laying down their trees are laying up treasure in the 
bank. 
We can inoculate by adding a small living piece of one 
thing to another. This is not true of the mind. When a 
wife gives a husband a living piece of her mind she does 
not add to his peace of mind! 
We never had so many seedlings or ‘new varieties” 
sent for examination. Some of them are fair, but few 
are worthy of introduction. There are savage men with 
clubs standing ready to polish off new varieties' 
