THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
March 17 
194 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National V/eckly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, j 
H. E. Van Deman, V Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, | 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 
8 b. 6 d., or 8* *4 marks, or 10*4 francs. 
ADVERTISING- RATES. 
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of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-line orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.," 75 cents per 
count line. Absolutely One Price Only. 
Advertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
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should appear in every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
408 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY MARCH 17, 1900. 
The “F. F. V.’s” of the country are Fruits, Flowers 
and Vegetables. These may not seem so aristocratic 
as some persons of proud lineage might desire, but 
they are wonderfully convenient, besides being very 
elevating in their effects upon humanity, both in their 
production and enjoyment afterwards. They are truly 
the aristocrats of the farm. We should have many 
more of them. The fruit growers, the florists and the 
vegetable gardeners are among the best and most en¬ 
nobling people in the world. 
ft 
A nursery company established in Massachusetts 
recently brought suit against a woman to recover 
$145 for shrubs, alleged to have been sold to her on 
contract. The woman claimed that she signed a 
paper because the agent represented that he simply 
wanted her name and address, and being unused to 
business methods, she was not aware that she was 
signing a contract. The court sustained her plea, and 
the nursery company lost its suit. The moral is the 
same old one; don’t sign your name to oblige a 
stranger. 
* 
Under the Treaty of Paris, the United States must 
pay indemnity claims for losses due to the Cuban in¬ 
surrection, incurred by citizens of this country, the 
Spanish Government being no longer held respon¬ 
sible. It is said that already more than $10,000,000 
of such claims are in sight, all to be litigated over. 
The ancient French spoliation claims will now step 
aside for these later assaults on Uncle Sam’s pocket. 
Your Uncle finds the adoption of abused orphans a 
\ little expensive, and the children seem rather un¬ 
grateful, too. 
• 
German politicians are now discussing a meat-in¬ 
spection bill which, according to its friends, is de¬ 
signed to protect consumers from unwholesome food 
Opponents of the projected law say that it means the 
exclusion of American meat from Germany. Natu¬ 
rally, American meat producers view the bill with 
strong disfavor, since it will drive them out of an 
increasing market, and, should it become a law, ef¬ 
forts will doubtless be made to frame retaliatory 
legislation. On the other hand, Germany is not 
united on the subject; the consumers demand Ameri¬ 
can meat, and the merchants want American trade, 
but the Agrarian party, representing the conserva¬ 
tive agricultural element, opposes them. 
ft 
There is much criticism of the proposed tariff in 
x articles imported from Porto Rico. That Island came 
into the possession of this country as a result of the 
war with Spain. It is as much a part of our Nation 
as Alaska. We have from the first opposed the pur¬ 
chase or conquest of any of the Spanish islands. The 
trade they may give our manufacturers will, it seems 
to us, be more than offset by the competition of their 
products with those grown by the American farmer. 
Having acquired this Island, however, and having 
stated that this was done in the interests of humanity 
and civilization, our Government should have given 
the Porto Ricans an equal chance in our markets— 
that means free trade. We are speaking now of the 
moral side of the question. This seems to have been 
the first thought of the Administration, but this plan 
was suddenly Changed, and a tariff—finally cut down 
to 15 per cent of the ordinary duties—proposed. 
What brought about this change? The sugar trust 
and the tobacco trust have been accused of forcing 
this change, but we are frank to say that we do not 
believe it. We feel sure that the beet sugar growers 
and the Connecticut tobacco growers are directly re¬ 
sponsible for the change. The President gave way to 
them because he honestly felt that they would be in¬ 
jured by free tobacco and sugar. Two years ago was 
the time to realize that a resident American should 
come in ahead of a Spanish islander. The tariff prob¬ 
lem now comes home to this country in an unex¬ 
pected and troublesome way. 
* 
n, The health authorities of a western city have 
started a crusade against circulating milk tickets, 
which they consider responsible for the communica¬ 
tion of many contagious diseases. We still see, in 
some cases, limp and filthy shreds of much-worn 
pasteboai’d doing duty for milk tickets, but we think 
that many of the more progressive dealers have 
adopted the paper tickets pasted together at one end 
like a writing pad, which are destroyed after being 
torn off and used once only. They were described in 
The R. N.-Y. some time ago. 
* 
Mr. Woodward, on page 183, advocates some rad¬ 
ical measures against the San Jos6 scale. We fully 
agree with what he says about the fumigation of 
nursery stock. While this will prove a hardship for 
some nurserymen, it seems to us one of the necessary 
things which must sooner or later be made impera¬ 
tive. In the end it will pay nurserymen better to get 
into line at once rather than to try to pull against the 
inevitable. As to cutting and burning every scaly tree 
—we doubt the wisdom of any such general advice. 
We feel sure that many trees can be saved by prompt 
and thoi'ough treatment. At the same time the nur¬ 
serymen who oppose this law may well stop and con¬ 
sider what such a demand really means. When the 
scaly trees now being sent out begin to die the people 
will demand laws that will cause nurserymen 10 
times the annoyance and expense that fumigation 
does. Better spend the cent before you are forced to 
spend ( the dime. 
ft 
One charge brought against the Cubans and Fil¬ 
ipinos was that they are addicted to cock-fighting. 
It was strange some breeder of Game cocks did not 
see in this an argument for “expansion” because it 
would create an export trade for his birds. The 
Chances are, however, that the Spanish Game cock 
would give the American a harder battle than did the 
bipeds who wore clothes instead of feathers. Be 
that as it may, last week tue papers announced a 
public fight between Game cocks in South Carolina. 
The birds were armed with steel spurs, which are 
not used in Cuba. There was no violation of law, for 
South Carolina permits such battles. New York 
State has permitted prizefights, though we hope the 
law will finally be repealed. American civilization is 
doubtless needed in the Spanish islands, but why not 
be consistent and clean up some of our own “amuse¬ 
ments” before we attack our new neighbors? 
ft 
\ The man who thinks dairying is now what it used 
to be is likely to be badly shocked. We spoke some 
time since of the quick delivery of a cream order. 
Here is the programme on a Connecticut dairy farm. 
The cows are milked from 4.30 to 6 p. m., and some 
hot nights last Summer, right after milking, the milk 
was run through the separator and the cream run 
into a can packed in salt and ice to cool it thoroughly. 
It was then immediately made into ice cream, and 
by 7.30 was being sold at 10 cents per dish and 40 
cents per quart. Less than two hours from the cow! 
The butter is churned every morning at about 6 a. m., 
and the buttermilk taken fresh on the cart, and fre¬ 
quently reaches the consumer within 15 minutes of 
the churn. The butter is salted in the churn, printed 
after breakfast, and by 9 or 10 a. m. is in the hands 
of the consumer. The cream of to-night and to-mor- 
l'ow is set to ripen the same day at 11 a. m., and 
churned the next morning, so the butter is made 
from milk only 24 to 36 hours old. Some mornings, 
when milk is scarce, the skim-milk has been taken 
on the cart immediately from the separator, and 
within 30 minutes of the cow, delivered to customers. 
( 
"A The milk producers still mean business, as will be 
seen by reading the resolutions adopted at their re¬ 
cent meeting. Resolves are all well enough, though 
it requires many of them to make an act. The pro¬ 
ducers are on the right track, however. Let them 
first get ready by providing factories where the milk 
can be used up if need be. Then, When that is done, 
let them offer their milk at a fair, living price. If 
the dealers refuse what is fair, let the milk be kept 
at the factories. That will settle it. New York needs 
milk more than it needs gold. When the public de¬ 
mand the white liquid, dealers will show the white 
feather. Be fair in demand and price. Show tJhe 
world that the farmers’ demand is merely a demand 
to live fairly and secure a just share. If the pro¬ 
ducers stick to these lines they will Win. Last year 
they got a trifle better price than they did before 
they organized, and milk was more plentiful in New 
York last year than in evious years. The small 
advance received last year has put from $500,000 to 
$1,000,000 in the pockets of the members of the 
F. S. M. P. A. Sooner or later the movement will 
succeed. The producers may not be on the right 
line of procedure for success at present, but if they 
are not they can change and endeavor to adopt some 
line of procedure that will bring success. At any 
rate, the organization has been formed. 
ft 
The quarrel between Messrs. Carnegie and Frick 
over the finances of the great steel company lifts the 
curtain and shows the public a side of the trust ques¬ 
tion that is worth looking at. The profits of the con¬ 
cern last year were not far from $40,000,000, while it 
is said that the entire business would readily sell in 
the London market for $500,000,000. Think of one sin--' 
gle company making such a profit as that! Is it any 
wonder that prices for iron and steel have been so 
increased that even the man who buys a pound of 
nails pays tribute to the trust? But think for a mo¬ 
ment what this Single company represents. It would 
sell for $500,000,000, which is nearly half of all the" 
cash in the United States Treasury on January 1— 
$1,048,006,041.97. There are but $401,464,504 of silver 
certificates and $184,844,619 gold certificates in circu¬ 
lation. The total amount of paper currency in circu¬ 
lation is $1,267,587,642—not enough to buy three such 
companies. The entire expenses of the Government^ 
for 1899 were $539,336,190.50! It cost but $55,468,143.69 
to maintain our entire navy, and but $12,106,513.77 to 
support all our Indians. The total expenses of this 
Government for the month of December were but 
$39,145,559.51. One would hardly think that a con-^ 
cern of this sort still needs “fostering” or protection. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
“/ pulled the longest piece'." My little man 
Held up the wishbone with a radiant face. 
"Of course, I’ll get my wish!” But then there ran 
Across his face a shade—a flitting trace 
Of doubt—and he was silent, while his hand 
Still held the wishbone, and his little head 
Struggled with doubts he could not understand. 
“When will my wish come true?” he slowly said. 
“/ pulled the shortest piece'." My little maid 
Said, with her eyes shining with childish tears; 
“1 pulled the shortest piece, and I’se afraid 
That I shall lose my wish for all the years.” 
Ah! little man and maid—the wishbone test 
Can make or tear apart your happiness; 
You think each vagrant fowl has, in its breast 
Some mighty charm to curse you or to bless. 
Live on and learn, my little man and maid. 
That faith and hope are life's great wishbone true; 
Pull it with courage—never be afraid. 
And God will bring your best wish home to you. 
Live steam—dead bacteria. 
No new facts without faith. 
Some men till the soil—others kill it. 
Business hours belong to the boss. 
Have any readers given up their silos? If so, why? 
Oh, no, a swelled head is never a well of knowledge! 
Yes, the poet states his views in a per verse manner. 
Too bad that it requires so little force to draw an in¬ 
ference. 
The barn door could tell you that the fat man has a 
streak of lean in him. 
Don’t ever forget it! The proof of the pudding lies in 
the call for a second plate. 
Yes, sir, sulphur on the potato seed will help preserve 
it when the soil is cold and wet. 
Just as sensible to use potash and dissolved rock with 
manure as it is to feed grain with clover hay. 
"The idea of small size is always Inherent in the 
scrub,’ says a recent writer. It is, eh? How about the . 
scrub's appetite? 
Lime is pretty sure to benefit cabbage, especially when 
the crop Is planted on sod, or where a green crop is 
plowed under. 
Words are seeds; like oats they scatter rust and blight 
—you ought to soak your oats in formaline, and soak your 
words in thought. 
Is this to be a year of grace? The oleo men would have 
the face to try to bring about decrease of grace and 
make it year of grease. 
Mules on the Louisiana sugar plantations often do fine 
work on a diet of grass, corn and waste molasses. The 
molasses seems almost as useful as oil meal. 
People talk about the "laissez-faire or let-alone pol¬ 
icy.” A good policy to follow in swallowing liquor. The 
trouble is that most people apply this policy to the saloon. 
Several railroads touching points in Minnesota, North 
Dakota and Montana have put in effect half rates on 
shipments of grass, clover, and Dwarf Essex rape seeds. 
They realize that good forage means increased transpor¬ 
tation business. 
An expert who has been traveling in Europe in the in¬ 
terest of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce ex¬ 
presses the opinion that Siberia will never compete seri¬ 
ously with the American wheat supply. He says that 
wheat grown in eastern Siberia is inferior in quality, and 
even when grown from American seed it deteriorates the 
first year. 
