738 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 17 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE BUSINESS EARMEB'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850 . 
IlERBEKT W. COLLINOWOOD, Editor. 
Db. Walter Van Fleet, ( . 
Mbs. B. T. KOVLK, ’[Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSOBIPTION: ONE DOLIiAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, J2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or marks, or 10^^ 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 dilferences 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 17^ 1903. 
We observe that some of our worthy contempo¬ 
raries are having their annual debate as to which is 
the oldest agricultural paper! All that we feel justi¬ 
fied in saying is that The R. N.-Y. has been published 
2,803 times. We might perhaps “point with pride” 
to some of these back numbers, but who cares now 
how many there are? Our readers are more con¬ 
cerned with Number 2,804 and those to follow. 
* 
TiinouGii the dairy districts of northern New York 
it is safe to put the feeding value of the corn crop at 
about 50 per cent of an average. In some places the 
corn is fully equal in bulk to the crop of former years, 
but the true feeding value is very low. Nature has 
been kind, however, and the second crop clover is very 
good. This will save the corn for later feeding, and 
on the whole reports are that coarse fodder for cattle 
is quite up to the average. Grain will, we fear, be 
higher. 
We are all interested in the weight of hay. We 
therefore print the enclosed call; 
The AgrosLologist of the LL S. Department of Agri¬ 
culture is undertaking to investigate the subject of the 
weight in a given volume of hay under different con¬ 
ditions, and would be glad to get into communication 
with anyone who will be baling hay from the stack or 
from the mow any time this Fall or during the coming 
Winter. In writing to us please state what time the 
baling will be in process. w. j. spillman. 
Agrostologist. 
We like this plan of having the scientific men 
come to practical farmers for experiments. There¬ 
fore we hope our readers will communicate with Mr. 
Spillman. Don’t be afraid of the word “agrostologist.” 
It means hayseed. 
* 
We notice that some of the agricultural papers are 
again talking about the creamery laundry. What 
they want is a public laundry located at the cream¬ 
ery or cheese factory where soiled clothes can be 
brought and washed by steam. In theory this is a 
good thing to do, but the scheme Is not practical. 
Last year we went all over this matter and could not 
find a single place where farmers were ready to try it. 
The reason given was that such a laundry would not 
save money! We regret to say that saving work 
for the wife did not present a strong inducement for 
farmers to put up the money needed to start the 
laundry. We do not believe that these public laun¬ 
dries will ever be started until the women folks get 
together and earn the money to buy the machinery, 
“Who would be free himself must strike the blow!” 
* 
At the meeting of the American Pomological socie'.y 
at Boston the writer wore his badge while buying a 
railroad ticket. The ticket agent saw the badge and 
was interested at once. “What does that stand for?” 
he said. “What does ‘Pomological’ mean?” Here was 
a chance to make an active member of the American 
Apple Consumer’s League, and we did the best we 
could to initiate him. The agent seemed to be a 
man fond of fruit ,and recognizing its value, and yet 
unable to pick out varieties or tell good from poor 
fruit by sight. “It is all very well for this society to 
tell people how to produce good fruit, but why doesn’t 
it show the consumer how to pick such fruit out?” 
There is a whole load of common sense in that 
idea. We may talk all day about superior quality in 
apples, but what does it profit if at night a customer 
buys a Ben Davis? He doesn’t like it, classes all 
handsome apples with it, and buys oranges for his 
fruit acids! A great amount of wisdom has been 
rubbed into the producer. A smaller amount put into 
the buyer will give better market results. How is 
he to get it? 
* 
We are told of a city physician who bought a farm 
in a hill town and went to live on it. This is said of 
him: 
It was not a verj"- large place, but it was probably the 
largest and most valuable place In the township, and 
he proposed to develop it. He had an idea that he was 
going to be a boon to me town and county, and that the 
people would regard him as a benefactor and rise up 
and biess him. 
It is not surprising that this man now concludes 
that his neighbors are a set of fools and knaves. We 
can understand just exactly how that man started in. 
If a man wants people to rise up and call him blessed 
he should keep the fact buried about six feet under 
ground. Such blessings grow so slowly that you can 
never tell which way they are going. It is a fault of 
the smart and important to forget that others can¬ 
not keep pace with them. 
* 
From time to time new “cures” for cancer are an¬ 
nounced. This horrible disease is now generally con¬ 
sidered more dangerous than tuberculosis, because 
science has not even discovered its true cause or na¬ 
ture. The so-called “cures” are eagerly sought by 
the afflicted, but rarely prove even a step in advance 
toward mastery of the disease. We are now told of 
success in the use of argon and other gases found i;i 
the atmosphere. It was observed that wounds and 
ulcers heal quickly in the air at high altitudes. This 
led to the extraction of the oxygen and nitrogen from 
this air and the use of the remaining gases in cases 
of cancer. The recorded results are remarkable; so 
much so as to give hope that external ulcers may be 
healed by this treatment. What a great blessing to 
humanity it will be if science can take from the air 
about us a healing balm to stay the ravages of the 
most awful disease to which fiesh is heir! 
* 
Some of our readers are receiving cii’culars from 
the League Success Club. Here is an extract from the 
circular: 
If you desire to become successful, we can show you 
the way. If you wish to better your position, increase 
your business, develop your talents or attain a higher 
social or business standing the members of this club 
can exert their combined mental influence and thoughts 
in your favor and aid you to gain your desire.s. We want 
progressive people who need assistance, to cooperate 
with our thousands of successful members in the grand 
work of transforming failure into success. If we have 
been rightly informeu, you, besides needing the assist¬ 
ance the club can render, are just the person to radiate 
this mental influence to others and help them, while the 
members are helping you. 
If you send one dollar you are to have a chance 
to demonstrate the strength of your mental force for 
two months! All the members of the club will think 
about you, you will think about them—the resulting 
“mental vibration” being enough to shake success 
into the lap of any faithful member. Now why 
should any reader of The R. N.-Y. spend a dollar 
to test this “mental force” when we offer a chance to 
do it for ten cents? We suggest that you think out 
the name of some friend who would be helped by The 
R. N.-Y. and then send us the name and 10 cents for 
a short subscription. Then think about him and see 
if you can get him to become a yearly subscriber! 
Thus you test this matter, save 90 cents and secure 
our best thoughts for your own success. 
♦ 
Three weeks ago we called attention to the efforts 
being made in England to change the British policy 
of free trade. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain has more 
clearly outlined his programme. Briefly stated he 
proposes a tax of two shillings per quarter on foreign 
wheat, no tax on wheat from British possessions, no 
tax on corn, a tax on flour sufficient to give preference 
to the miller in order to revive an ancient industry, 
and a general tariff averaging 10 per cent on manu¬ 
factured goods and five per cent on foreign meat and 
dairy products, except bacon. It is quite easy to see 
the object in view. A tax on wheat will give the 
English farmer slight protection and probably help 
increase the crop of British wheat. The tax on flour 
is for the direct benefit of the English miller, who 
has been nearly driven out of business. Corn is left 
free because the grain cannot be grown in England. 
By admitting wheat free from Canada, Australia and 
other British colonies, England gives them an ad¬ 
vantage over Russia and the United States which will 
benefit the home country in various ways. The tax 
on dairy products will fall chiefly upon dairymen in 
France, Holland, Sweden and Denmark, who now 
send vast quantities of milk, butter and cheese to the 
English market. In order to offset any increased cost 
of food due to these tariff taxes it is proposed to re¬ 
duce the direct taxes on tea, coffee and sugar. The 
reason for putting a tax on manufactured goods is a 
double one—to furnish a chance to ti'ade tariffs with 
other countries, and to hold the English markets for 
English manufacturers. It is not likely that such a 
plan, even if it can be carried out, will prove any par¬ 
ticular hardship to American farmers. The propor¬ 
tion of our own farmers, who must buy all or part of 
their bread and meat is increasing, and the American 
demand for American food will increase faster than 
the supply. 
* 
Faiemers have long memories, and they build plans 
for the future upon what they remember of the past. 
Here is a note from a R. N.-Y. reader in New York: 
I remember the article which I read about 10 years 
ago on treating potato seed with corrosive sublimate for 
.scab. This alone has been •worth the price of the paper 
for the rest of my life. Have found but t'wo scabby ones 
in 400 bushels. Early ones yielded 220 bushels, late 2Ci'' 
bushels per acre, and besides lots of rotten ones, in the 
Lite. I think it wLl pay me to -watch report of those who 
spray, also the Oat smut case. 
We have heard nervous and impatient people find 
fault with farmers because they are slow to pick up 
new ideas and suggestions. Such people do not seem 
to understand that a farmer grows slowly and solidly, 
like an oak tree. This man is an illustration. The 
use of corrosive sublimate saved his potatoes, and 
now he will watch reports of success with spraying 
and soaking oat seed to kill smut. This is the way 
many farmers must feel their way along. They have 
good memories for their friends. 
* 
We have had several requests lately for advice 
about investing money in stocks. Some farmers have 
made money from the sale of hay, grain, stock or 
fruit, and want to send it away from the farm for 
investment. The idle dollar is a poor piece of prop¬ 
erty; it is always wise to keep it at some honest 
work where it will earn something—however small. 
Before we invested in stocks or bonds we should 
make very sure that there are no good uses on the 
farm for the extra dollars. Personally, we consider 
the farm itself as a better place for investment than 
most other forms of property. When a farmer in¬ 
vests money in his farm he can control it, and that 
is more than can be said of stocks and bonds. There 
may be farms so located that their selling or renting 
value will not be largely increased by drainage, 
smoothing or orchard p lanting, but in the majority 
of cases such investment of idle dollars will bring 
large returns both in an increase of crop ana in sell¬ 
ing value of the farm. Who doubts that farmers 
would receive good interest on their money if they 
could put their cash together and improve ^the town¬ 
ship roads or build public buildings instead of bor¬ 
rowing what they need of a bank? It would give far 
more character and profit to farming if farmers would 
invest more of their earnings at home. When father 
cuts close at home and sends the sweat-stained dol¬ 
lar off to the city for investment who can blame the 
boy for following the dollar when he is old enough 
to go? Farming as a business cannot prosper as it 
should so long as the farm is regarded as a place for 
earning but not for spending. There are, of course, 
sound and legitimate stocks which offer fair invest¬ 
ment for a farmer, but the farm or the farm neigh¬ 
borhood may well have first call. 
BREVITIES. 
One thing you mu.st have—sleep. ■ 
Those -who do are seldom “hoodooed. 
The hole in the silo makes the cow sigh. 
If you can’t “shoo” the birds—shoot them! 
A GOOD cranberry crop makes the growers feel saucy. 
There are G,976,574 Filipinos according to the census! 
The hog regards the ring in his nose as a species of 
root gall. 
Wall Street prices may go up or down, but the farmer 
goes ahead. 
Root gall on raspberries will be likely to spread to 
young trees. 
Of course before a man can properly urge others to 
eat apples he eats his three every day! 
The scientific men need some one to pull their coat¬ 
tails now and then. Otherwise they might get too far 
ahead. 
The seed corn for next year will be poor stuff unless 
it is picked out early and well dried. Get it at once and 
fire-dry it. 
Roasted peanuts contain nearly 30 per cent of protein. 
They are richer food than meat—should be eaten with 
other food. 
A FEW years ago corn -w'as not a safe crop in Dakota. 
By breeding and selecting farmers and scientists have 
actually obtained varieties of corn -which will make a 
fair crop in that State. 
A NURSERYMAN in Oregon is named A. R. Beettop. We 
think Mr. Beettop would be more appropriately engaged 
in general agriculture, but we are pleased to include 
him with Mr. Turnipseed of Kentucky and Mr. Green- 
grass of New Jersey. 
