THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
io3 
1902 
NOTE ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO EQUALIZE 
TAXATION. 
There is another phase of note acknowledgment 
which I believe should he called to the attention of 
thinking farmers and others, and that is in Its bear¬ 
ing upon the adjustment of taxes. While it is quite 
true, as stated in the editorial comment on page 72, 
that some men give notes who for good reasons do not 
want the fact made public, it is equally true that 
some men take notes who, for obvious reasons, do not 
want, the fact, called to the attention of the tax 
assessor. It is a well-known condition that money 
loaners escape in too many cases the payment of their 
legitimate proportion of the taxes, there being want¬ 
ing tangible evidences of taxable property in such 
cases, while the average farmer’s property is in the 
shape of buildings, lands, etc., and there is nothing 
hidden from the assessor, so that the tiller of the 
soil bears not only his own burden but also a goodly 
portion of that of others, which comes home to us 
forcibly in a tax-burdened State, where the aim of the 
common people should be constantly to seek after a 
proper distribution and equalization of taxes in all 
of these seemingly minor details. Did the loaner have 
the note entered and recorded in each instance, which 
he does not do, all would be well, and oath of money 
at interest, before the court, would occur less fre¬ 
quently. Legal requirements would prevent the no¬ 
tary or justice of the peace from making public any 
of the business appertaining to his office, and which 
should be known only to himself. Tn 99 cases out of 
every 100 it would he the borrower who would desire, 
and rightly so, protection from publicity. 
In making his returns to the commissioner 
or other county office (which should con¬ 
stitute a part of the duties of the notary’s 
or justice’s office for purposes of assess¬ 
ment only), the name of the loaner only 
would need to appear. This would furnish 
information which would greatly assist the 
assessor in getting at the taxables, and 
would do away with many embarrassing 
situations that now occur. It would be but 
natural for the loaners to object, but a 
large majority of the agricultural com¬ 
munity does not. belong to this class to any 
marked degree at least, and we should as 
one man favor any and all arrangements 
well calculated to equalize taxation. Being 
neither a loaner nor borrower of money, it 
lias been the object in writing this to look 
at the matter from an unprejudiced point 
of viow r . The end of all law should be jus¬ 
tice, or at least a seeking after justice. 
When the man with $50,000 at interest is 
paying tax on only $25,000 I am strongly 
of the opinion that he is escaping the tax 
on the equivalent of a first-class farm, and 
that there are some loopholes in the law 
that the agricultural interests and their 
representatives should look after, and 
thereby do away with the signature 
swindle, as well as the form of fraud re¬ 
ferred to in this article, by requiring the 
acknowledgment of all valid notes. Its 
expense would more than bo made up in 
the proper distribution of taxes. This would touch 
some farmers who occasionally loan a little money, 
but it has been my experience that there is no more 
honest class of people, nor none more willing to 
shoulder their burdens and perform their duties in 
these matters, but above all “right wrongs no man.” 
While 90 per cent of the entire people would favor 
complete equality of taxation, the other, and very 
probably the controlling 10 per cent, would, for sel¬ 
fish interests, oppose it. Yet we should not cease ad¬ 
vocating, seeking after and continually demanding of 
our representatives that legislation which is just to 
all and which we know we should have. 
Pennsylvania. huoii m. shebwood. 
HENS THAT BALANCE THEIR RATION. 
For some time before your first aitiole on Mr. 
Mapes’e plan of feeding I had been feeling my way 
toward a more natural and easy method than mixing 
mash, chopping bones, and giving just enough but 
not too much .three times a day, of just the right 
kind and variety. I had at the time a pen of 4G pul¬ 
lets hatched about May 1, mostly cross-bred Buff Leg¬ 
horn and Buff P. Rock, with a few purebred Buff P. 
Rocks. The cross-bred had done fairly well through 
November and December; the purebred had not laid 
an egg. On the evening of December .‘50 I carried 
then 10 pounds each of corn, damaged wheat., buck¬ 
wheat and rye. Next morning I gave them a pail of 
skim-milk and some dry clover hay, besides shellis, 
water, and any green trash available, then watched 
anu waited results. The way they gorged themselves 
and stood ..round would make the amateur sober and 
the orthodox poultryman smile. For several days 
they ate five pounds each of corn and buckwheat and 
2*4 pounds of the wheat, beside picking at the clover 
and drinking some milk, leaving the rye untouched. 
For the first week there was no increase in laying, 
averaging only 14, and laying only eight January 5. 
I stopped weighing the grain, but kept, feeding, and 
soon there was a marked improvement both in ap¬ 
pearance and laying, ,the P. Rocks falling into line, 
and all as lively and healthy as bees. Gradually 
the fears of “too fa,t to lay,” “indigestion,” "bowel 
trouble” and “paralysis” began to weaken. About 
January 15 I noticed that the hens were eating less, 
and began weighing again. I found that they were 
eating only three and one-third pounds each of corn 
and the wheat and a lift I e rye, the buckwheat, being 
gone, making a total of less than seven pounds 
against 12*4 on the start, and the egg record increas¬ 
ing until now (January 31) the last six days averaged 
25. Beside the grain they are eating about a bushel 
of dry clover leaves and chaff from the barn floor, 
and drinking quite a quantity of skim-milk. At 
present I feel perfectly satisfied with the method, 
and am now trying 26 old hens with similar results, 
believing that dhere is a great saving in time and 
feed and a gain in profits, even if it is not exactly 
like the poultry books say. j. i>. n. 
A DEFENSE OF THE BURBANK PLUM. 
To the question of how to prune neglected Burbank 
plum trees, two of the authorities in January 25 issue, 
PICKING WINDFALLS IN OKLAHOMA. Fig. 45. 
page 50, make the incidental remark that the said 
plum is a worthless one. This statement it would 
not. be right to leave unchallenged. I have grown 
the Burbank (and many other plums) for quite a 
number of years, and where I sold it once, I sold it 
again. The past season every bushel brought me 
$1.50 or more. Some of my customers who bought 
them the first time, told me afterwards they were 
sorry for not having bought more of them when they 
had the chance. Mr. Mead, of Massachusetts, at the 
close of his remarks, says: “I see little reason for set¬ 
ting the Burbank except as a sauce plum.” That 
means, I suppose, a canning plum. Now, will he 
please arise and tell the people what use a plum 
may he put to outside of canning? If he has discov¬ 
ered any other use, and the people can be informed 
of this discovery, a market might be opened up for a 
great many plums that cannot now be sold at fair 
prices in years of plenty. While speaking of the 
quality of different plums I wifi add .this: In my 
immediate neighborhood and in the small surround¬ 
ing towns the Lombard plum has a great reputation. 
Everybody wants Lombards. On the other hand, the 
fruit men at a horticultural meeting in Rochester a 
few years ago did not know what to do with their 
Lombard plum trees; said they could not sell the 
fruit at any price, 'the Lombard is certainly a profit¬ 
able plum for me to grow. All the fault I find is that 
it does not bear every year, as the Burbank does. 
When T don’t have Lombardis, and I can assure the 
people that my Burbank is equaHly as good (or bet¬ 
ter—and it is!) I can generally make a sale with per¬ 
sons who know me. 
I am sorry to state the majority of Japan plums 
are of poor quality and not well adapted for canning, 
although I have not tested all. There are a great 
many varieties of all kinds of plums that seem to be 
of good quality to eat. out of hand, when fully ripe; 
but are worthless for canning. Many of these plums 
I find cracked up to be of the finest flavor. With the 
exception of the German prune and the Satsuma I 
have not found a better plum for canning than the 
Burbank. I do not even except the damson, although 
this plum sells at 40 cents per eight-pound basket 
in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, 
when other kinds only bring 25 cents. By the way— 
and let. me whisper this into your ear, any kind of 
small blue late plum is shipped to those markets as 
the damson and sells at the above named price. The 
name does it—not the quality of the plum. If the 
Burbank could be put into the market in October 
and November this plum, I believe, would give better 
satisfaction than the average damson. v. o. 
Naples, N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—In the larger towns and cities there is a 
large trade in plums to eat out of the hand. 
A CHATTY LETTER FROM CUBA. 
I can tell a January story which I think would 
make some of our northern gardeners’ mouths water 
as they sit around the fire or dig their way through 
snow banks. On January 10, two weeks ago to-day, 
1 planted in open ground radMi, lettuce, tomato, egg 
plant, beet and onion seeds, and peas, wax and Lima 
boans. To-day the Lima beans stand seven inches 
high, the wax beans five inches with 
leaves from two to 2*/ 2 Inches broad, the 
peas from two to three inches, and the 
onions, beets and tomatoes from one to 
inch. The lettuce is putting out the second 
leaves, and I send a sample of the radish. 
[It measured five Inches from tip of root to 
t.op or leaf. Eds.] The egg plants, though 
behind at the start, are now well up and 
are quickening their pace. It, does my eyes 
good to look out from my window across 
the stretch of dry grass to that little patch 
of fresh green, every day covering the 
ground more and more. It seems to me a 
prophecy of what our Cuban orphans and 
their helpers will do, not simply on a few 
square rods, but on acres, and not for only 
five or six months of the year, but for all 
the 12 months. I think I shall not be sat¬ 
isfied till every square foot of our idle soil 
and all the sunshine that falls upon it is 
put. to work helping to feed and train these 
children. And then I shall not be satis¬ 
fied, for I shall want to get hold of the 
land lying idle on two sides of us, and 
set that to work, too. 
We are still looking for the American to 
help us in our gardening. A goodly num¬ 
ber responded to the call of the Hope 
Farm man, in one way and another, but 
none has yet put in an appearance. One 
young man had engaged passage on the 
steamship and then was detained at home 
by sickness. Two or three men wanted 
to come and give their services for the Winter 
or longer, but could not afford the cost of a long 
railroad journey to New York in addition to the 
steamship fare. Some of the others may yet show 
up. While we are waiting I would like to give an in¬ 
vitation to the whole R. N.-Y. family to come down 
to viHtt us. Only don’t all come at once, tiniest? you 
come prepared to camp out, for we could not well re¬ 
ceive more than 100 at a time. Let the men bring 
their overalls and .their hoe or rake, and the women 
their work-dress and their patience, and wo will give 
all enough to do to pay for their board and lodging 
while they are here. Come, we want to get acquainted 
with you; and some day you will be glad that you 
have visited Cuba. elmkr e. huhbakd. 
Industrial School, Cardonas, Cubt. 
APPLES IN OKLAHOMA.—Fig. 45 illustrates 
pretty well what the children have to do after a wind¬ 
storm or heavy rain. They go about with their sled 
gathering up the fallen apples, storing them away for 
future use or to sell, as the case may be. The great 
on-hards of the West are very unlike the meager or¬ 
chards we used to have in Ohio when we were chil¬ 
dren. There were one or two trees of a kind through¬ 
out the orchard, and very seldom were there apples 
stored away to last over the holidays. Now we have 
apples till apples come again the following season. 
Oklahoma. e. nousnonDER. 
The Colorado Supreme Court has handed down a de¬ 
cision upholding the State Live Stock Inspection law. 
The law was contested by the cattlemen, who claimed 
that the Federal Inspection laws superseded those of the 
Stale, rendering Slate Inspection unnecessary. 
