254 
April 7 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, 1 
H. E. Van Dkman, V Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Roylk, j 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 12.04, equal te 
8s. 6d., or 8 y% marks, or 10J4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 lines to the inch). Yearly orders 
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. 
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 , APRIL 7, 1900. 
One of the officers of the Oregon Dairymen’s Asso¬ 
ciation advises that farmers and dairymen pass a 
resolution not to consign any produce to any commis¬ 
sion house that has been found guilty of selling oleo, 
process butter, or any other adulterated food con¬ 
trary to law. In the forcible language of the street— 
what’s the matter with that? 
* 
The American people have given oleo men a chance 
to be honest. They had a chance to sell their in¬ 
ferior fat for just what it is. They did not wish to 
do this—they wished to sell it as butter, and so they 
made up as close a counterfeit as they could. It is 
always right and fair to give people a chance to be 
honest if they really desire to be so. If they refuse 
to be honest the only thing left is to force honesty 
upon them. 
* 
“The R. N.-Y. uses the word ‘orts’; what do you 
mean by it?” That question comes from a want-to- 
know reader. The word means a morsel or fragment 
left from a meal. We use it in describing the rem¬ 
nants left by a cow after eating the food put in her 
manger. She picks out what she wants, and leaves 
the rest. A man’s “oughts” are the duties he leaves 
undone after picking out the easiest and most agree¬ 
able. By putting salt or sugar on the ‘orts,’ a cow 
can be induced to eat most of them up. By sugaring 
the “oughts” with gold or flattery the man will per¬ 
form a few of his neglected duties. While such sugar¬ 
ing helps the cow it hurts the man! 
* 
Those who visited the World’s Fair at Chicago will 
recognize the picture shown on the next page. The 
striking groups about the Agricultural Building were 
among the noblest shown at the Fair. Well they 
might be, for agriculture is the noblest and truest to 
Nature of any of our industries. The poet has caught 
the true spirit oi this powerful figure, and his lines 
are worthy of profound thought. We wish to point 
out the fact that it is not always the vigorous, 
healthy giant who dignifies agriculture. We often see 
weakly, sick, or even deformed persons, who by sheer 
force of will or exercise of keen brains have wrested 
success and honor from the soil. 
* 
The secretary of the American Cranberry Growers’ 
Association makes this statement, which many people 
will stamp as true: 
When a man sells for $1.25 what he thinks has cost him 
$1 he is well satisfied with himself. When he learns af¬ 
terward that the actual cost was $1.50 he wants to kick 
himself, and when he discovers that after all he might 
as well have made a profit, he feels like calling in his 
neighbors to assist in the performance. 
No doubt the neighbors would be quite willing to 
assist. A kick is one of the few things which are easier 
to give than to receive. Our observation is that many 
of us are producing some crops at a loss, but there 
are few of us who prove it—though we could do so 
if we desired. 
* 
Ten years ago a Supreme Court decision in a tele¬ 
phone patent case would not have greatly interested 
many farmers. Now, there are so many rural 
telephone lines in operation that the decision will 
directly affect many. The Bell Telephone Company 
claims exclusive right to the use of the microphone 
or mouthpiece of the long distance ’phone. This is 
absolutely necessary for long distance talking. Local 
telephone companies can operate in towns or over 
short distances, but when they attempt to reach out¬ 
side points they run up against this Bell patent, and 
must pay a high price for the service. The patent was 
applied for in 1877, and lay for 14 years in the patent 
office. It is claimed that the Bell Company did this 
purposely, so as to have continued protection when 
its other patents expired. The present suit is brought 
by the Bell Company to prevent other companies 
from using the microphone, which they have done, 
hoping that the Court would decide in their favor. 
If the Bell Company win, they will have a monopoly 
for nine years more. If they lose the microphone will 
become public property and telephone service will at 
once be extended and cheapened. The R. N.-Y. be¬ 
lieves that our patent laws need overhauling at once. 
In a case like this telephone patent the Government 
should have the power to buy it of the inventor 
or owner and make it free to the people. 
• 
The oleo men seem to scent defeat, and they are 
throwing out “an anchor to windward.” A bill is be¬ 
fore Congress which purports to define “renovated,” 
or more properly, deviled butter. This is the way 
these law makers would define this stuff: 
Any article or compound produced by mixing or com¬ 
pounding with or adding to natural milk or cream, pack¬ 
ing stock, or other butter, and animal fats, or animal or 
vegetable oils, or any oleaginous substance not produced 
from milk or cream. 
It will be seen that this would include oleo. Very 
likely the oleo men see that the Grout bill is likely to 
pass, and they want this loop hole to crawl through. 
It would be a sleek scheme to obtain a low tax and 
easy regulations on deviled butter, and then continue 
their fraudulent trade under the new name. 
* 
One of the witnesses before the Chicago sub-com¬ 
mittee of the National Industrial Commission said 
that one reason why American workmen do not save 
more is Decause there is no place in this country 
where he can deposit his savings with the knowl¬ 
edge that they will be secure. The absence of Govern¬ 
ment savings institutions, and the many failures of 
small banks, give a feeling of insecurity, and dis¬ 
courage thrift. The person of small means must be 
encouraged in thrift by convenient places of deposit 
that are absolutely safe. Here again we see a strong 
argument for postal savings banks, which would give 
absolute security and convenience of access to all 
small holders. Such banks are usually urged for 
their value to small wage-earners, but anyone famil¬ 
iar with rural life can see their great need in farming 
communities. Free rural mail delivery and postal 
savings banks are two reforms imperatively de¬ 
manded by farm conditions. 
* 
The New York State Agricultural Society recently 
met. It gave the State all rights to its property at 
Syracuse, and adjourned to May 8. It was evident that 
the property would go back to the State, but most 
people who gave thought to the subject expected 
that the State Fair would be placed in charge of the 
Agricultural Department. A bill designed to bring 
this about was introduced in the State Senate, but 
suddenly the bill was amended so as to put the con¬ 
trol in charge of a commission of 11 persons selected 
by the Governor. This was rushed through the Sen¬ 
ate, apparently at the order of Governor Roosevelt. 
The idea of another expensive and cumbersome com¬ 
mission will not strike most farmers favorably. A 
great majority of the life members of the Society 
are opposed to such management. They believe that 
it will become a mere political machine. The bill ap¬ 
propriates $100,000 to be used in paying the debts of 
the Society. The annual appropriation of $22,000 will 
be forthcoming also. It would, indeed, be strange 
if with this great sum of money the State Fair could 
not be made to succeed, under almost any manage¬ 
ment. 
* 
The fraud commission man is still very much alive. 
His scheme is to write pleasant letters, offering extra 
good prices, or guaranteeing special advantages. One 
of our readers in Sullivan County, N. Y., recently re¬ 
ceived the following letter from a party in Mass.: 
Dear Sir: Being well established in the above-named 
business and having been referred to you as an extensive 
producer of maple syrup and sugar, I beg to say: 
I am in a position to receive and sell all of these goods 
that you can produce and ship this season, get you the 
highest prices for the same, and make returns as soon as 
the goods are sold. 
I want syrup put in one (1) gal. cans, twelve (12) to 
the crate, sugar in ten (10) lb. pails, twelve (12) to the 
crate. 
There is going to be a ready market this season for all 
the syrup produced at $1.00@$1.25 per gal., and 10<g)12c. per 
lb. for sugar. 
Hoping to hear from you and to receive your goods as 
soon as they are ready for market, I remain, 
Yours very truly, 
Some people might have sent some sugar or syrup 
at once, but our friend sent us the letter with this 
comment: 
I regard commission agents with suspicion when they 
send circulars without references. Perhaps the above 
proposition is all right, but I shall sell in the home market. 
That is just where our friend shows rare good sense. 
This commission man may be all right, but he must 
have a queer idea of human nature if he expects men 
to ship goods to him without reference or investiga¬ 
tion. Yet the truth is that hundreds of farmers do 
this very thing. You could not possibly fool them in 
a horse or grain trade, but the first smooth rascal who 
comes along will get a share of their hard-earned 
dollars. 
• 
Can a man farm both ends of the country at once? 
In theory a northern farmer can produce a crop of 
grain or potatoes, then go to Florida or Texas, and 
spend the Winter and early Spring in producing a 
crop of early potatoes, truck or fruit. The plan is to 
return after finishing this southern crop to the north¬ 
ern farm, and cultivate that during the Summer. This 
is a good theory, and could it be worked out it would 
prove a blessing to many old farmers who feel the 
keen teeth of the northern Winters. The farmer 
might have his northern farm in wheat, rye or hay 
and then get through in time for his southern work, 
but we doubt whether potatoes, oats, corn or fruit 
would enable him to do it. A large family might be 
divided—the frailer ones going south at the opening 
of Winter. We are trying something of this plan 
with a small potato crop this year. Another year we 
would like to send the incubators to Florida, hatch 
eggs in December or earlier, and bring the pullets 
north in May. 
BREVITIES. 
THE WEED’S COMPLAINT. 
"It’s rough, 
I tell you what, an’ tough. Five times 
I’ve taken root, this Spring, an’ tried to grow, 
But ev’ry time I git a start, along 
That smarty comes a-brandishin’ his hoe— 
An’ chop! An’ there I am again. They might, 
I think, at least jest let a feller be, 
Who wasn’t doin’ nothin’, but they seem 
To have a spite agin me, I can see, 
An’ I don’t git no chance,” said the weed. 
“O’ course, 
If I was both’rin’ anybody—but I ain’t; 
Ain’t bonin’ favors an’ ain’t makin’ any blow. 
I’m peaceable an’ quiet an’ jest try 
To git along the best I know; 
I wasn’t even planted, but jest growed 
All by my lonely—wasn’t helped a speck, 
As others are; but the less I ask, 
It seems, the more I git it in the neck— 
An’ I don’t git no chance,” said the weed. 
—Cleveland Leader. 
Woodchucks love salt—page 249. 
Sunday belongs to the women folks. 
Money shouts and conscience whispers. 
Come, now, arrest that “rest” and put it at work. 
Some housewives are under carpet-bug government. 
The mice will call a litter of kittens a good catch crop. 
A “Blossom Festival” was held at Saratoga, Cal., on 
March 20! 
Be this the burden of your song—the hurrler most oft 
goes wrong. 
Frauds may come and frauds may go, but the one that 
stays is oleo. 
Sowing pine needles on a strawberry patch is a south¬ 
ern plan of campaign. 
A dangerous tree—the wild cherry. It will kill stock 
and feed Peach borers. 
The Minorca rooster and the Galloway bull are good 
examples of black male. 
Given a blind man and a mince pie, and you have a 
case of pie plant in the dark. 
Has anyone ever proved scientifically that there is 
nothing in the “planting-in-the-moon” theory? 
The Government decides that it’s Puerto Rico, and that 
we mustn’t spell the first syllable with an o. 
Little Is said about dishorning these days. Has it 
been given up, or does everybody know about it? 
One of the great tests of Christianity is a low per cent 
of resentment against those who have injured us. 
Nursery stock and young trees and plants may be dug 
up and taken away by a tenant before his lease expires. 
This question keeps coming up each year. 
There is a district in Missouri where the corn cobs are 
in great demand for pipe-making. Now, if the farmers 
could only fertilize their corn with tobacco stems! 
What is the best State in the Union? The state of 
happiness. It is bounded on the north by love, on the 
east by self-denial, on the south by clean heart, and on 
the west by faith and hope. 
Many farmers believe that dissolved bone black is a 
better source of phosphoric acid than dissolved phos¬ 
phate rock. A mean little fraud somewhat practiced is 
to stain the rock with aniline dyes and sell it for bone 
black. 
Cornell University has been voted a State appropria¬ 
tion to be used in investigation of human food. Let’s 
see whether our scientists can devise a general farm 
ration that will make a deeper dent In the country than 
the New England pork and beans have done. 
