5i6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 26 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS HAMMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homen. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
DR. WALTER VAN FLEET, / AsKO( ,| Rt ,, R 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, f Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 6d., or 8% marks, or lUVfe francs. 
“ A SQUARE 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 w’e 
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 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, JULY 26, 1902. 
Many farmers have a sort of annual feeling of re¬ 
gret that their garden has no strawberries, but this 
regret lasts only during the strawberry season, and 
is soon forgotten. Now is a good time to take steps 
to avoid future disappointments of this kind. Strong 
potted plants set early in August and properly cared 
for, will speak for themselves satisfactorily next year. 
* 
Now it seems that the “oleo” people say they in¬ 
tend to violate the law by using colored butter in 
their grease and refusing to pay the tax. They figure 
that they can hold the prosecution off for a long time 
while they sell their colored oleo as butter. In the 
meantime they will pull every wire to have the Grout 
law repealed or changed. It’s a nice greasy pro¬ 
gramme, but it will not work. 
ik 
We read of the Utah town where business seems to 
be done on a grasshopper basis. It seems quite appro¬ 
priate to pay for a ticket to a dance in such lively 
insects! This is not an original idea with our western 
friends. Towns in New Hampshire are buying hop¬ 
pers by the bushel, and in Massachusetts 10 cents a 
quart has been paid for the Brown-tailed moth. The 
pickers make more money out of the insect harvest 
than they ever did in the berry field. 
* 
Hundreds of readers are experimenting with root- 
pruned trees and the orchard culture advocated by 
Grant G. Hitchings. We are glad tc see this—though 
it is flying against the teeth of many of our best 
scientists and fruit growers. It is much better to try 
these things in a conservative way than to rush head 
over heels into them. Remember, though, that one 
season’s experience with either of these things should 
not be accepted as proving it good or bad. 
* 
“Why I Take The R. N.-Y!” Several hundred 
essays have been submitted, and as soon as possible 
they will be judged so that the prizes may be awarded. 
We have never before read such an instructive and 
helpful set of letters. They come from everywhere, 
and are evidently written by earnest and clear-headed 
people. A large majority of these writers say that 
they like Tiie R. N.-Y. because it is clean and may be 
put in the hands of any member of the family without 
first being examined by the family censor! We should 
be sorry to be connected with a publication of which 
this could not be said. 
* 
Another “easy-work-at-home” fraud was arrested 
at Buffalo. N. Y., recently, by an inspector of the Post 
Office Department. He advertised for “7,777 girls to 
do work at home.” As usual, the girls were needed 
to do “easy remunerative work at their homes a few 
hours each day.” How familiar that cheering sen¬ 
tence sounds! But instead of crocheting or making 
lace or embroidering little worsted roses on canvas, or 
learning to write with a wonderful shading pen, the 
applicants were told to send $1, for which they would 
receive a “famous eye salve.” They could never do 
the work connected with it to satisfy the advertiser, 
but their dollars staid with him permanently. There 
is something about frauds of this class that always 
arouses our intensest indignation. It is easy to say 
that people should be warned by the extravagant 
promises made, but as a rule the victims are tnose 
whose surroundings naturally limit their business ex¬ 
perience. “I don’t know who’d use such things as 
these,” said one woman, showing some coarse em¬ 
broideries sent out by one of these frauds, “but we 
did hope my daughter, who has to lie on the lounge 
most of the time, could earn a trifle by it, only she 
never seemed able to do it to suit.” It was hard to 
tell her that her money had gone to another of those 
birds of prey who fatten on industrious poverty. Any 
woman who has been thrown on her own resources 
soon realizes that “easy and remunerative work at 
home” is never advertised. Even the skilled work¬ 
woman has difficulty in finding it. Once again, when 
tempted to send money to such people, drop it into a 
savings-box and lose the key. 
* 
Why do we object to the lightning-rod agent? Are 
not rods on a house useful to prevent damage from 
lightning? Do not these agents put up the rods as 
reasonably as others do? We do not object to the 
rods, for when well set and grounded, they are, with¬ 
out doubt, a useful protection. When a rod is put on 
a house and not properly grounded it is worse than 
useless. It leads the electric discharge to the build¬ 
ing, and then fails to carry it off. We have reports 
of buildings that were destroyed by lightning soon 
after these agents put up the rods. The work of in¬ 
sulating ana grounding was carelessly done. Instead 
of passing harmlessly into the ground, as it should, 
the discharge entered the house. We object to these 
irresponsible agents because no one will know 
whether they have invited the lightning into the 
house or ordered it out. 
* 
Why is it that in market quotations on country pro¬ 
duce the extreme prices occasionally obtained for 
stuff of extra quality are not given? Because they 
would be only misleading. Different people have en¬ 
tirely different ideas of the meaning of prime, fancy 
and extra choice. Some growers never have anything 
but ordinary fruit. If not well acquainted with the 
better fruits grown by others, they naturally think 
that the best that they have should bring the top 
price. There is comparatively little of this extra 
fancy fruit grown. It is nearly always the result of 
peculiar combinations of producer and soil conditions, 
which cannot be duplicated in other localities, no mat¬ 
ter how much care is taken. A general quotation of 
these extreme prices would have no value, and would 
be misunderstood by all but those who have seen the 
stuff and know its superiority. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. called for reports from those who 
have followed the “Clark” system of grass seeding— 
that is, who used a large quantity of grass seed alone 
after very thorough preparation of the soil. The first 
reports are not very favorable to this method, yet we 
are not to conclude that the system has no value. We 
have seen enormous crops of grass grown in this way. 
In our own experience we have been unable to come 
anywhere near Mr. Clark’s yield, yet we have cut 
what passes in our section for a heavy crop. We con¬ 
clude that our own failure was due to inability to 
prepare the land as Mr. Clark does. A farmer on a 
rough and stony hillside farm cannot smooth and 
grade his fields all at once. The “Clark” system re¬ 
quires smooth and gently sloping fields. It will never 
do to throw fine seed on rough and cloddy land and 
say that we have given this system a fair trial. The 
experience of Mr. Morse and Mr. Hinman show that 
there are problems connected with soil cultivation 
which cannot be explained with the eyes shut. 
* 
* * * 
The newspapers report a meeting of political lead¬ 
ers of the Congressional District now represented by 
J. W. Wadsworth. These men are said to have fixed 
up their slate. 
It is said that they also discussed Senator Ellsworth 
for Congress. The plan contemplates nominating Con¬ 
gressman Wadsworth of Livingston for Lieutenant- 
Governor, in which event Ellsworth is to go to Wash-, 
ington, it is reported. 
Our experience is that these reports are put out as 
“feelers” to test public opinion. Two years ago a 
similar “feeler” suggested Mr. Wadsworth for Gov¬ 
ernor. Governor Odell was then chairman of the 
State Republican Committee and at our suggestion 
letters poured in upon him from farmers all over the 
State protesting against Mr. Wadsworth on account 
of his record on the oleo question. About 10 days 
later we were not surprised to see another little re¬ 
port stating that opposition to Mr. Wadsworth had 
been developed! We take the report that Mr. Wads¬ 
worth is seeking a place on the State ticket seriously. 
He knows that if he were to run again in his own dis¬ 
trict he would probably be badly cut at the polls. In 
view of his record on the oleo question we consider 
that it would be little short of an insult to the farm¬ 
ers of New York State to nominate him. By this 
time he has doubtless rubbed away all the postage 
stamps which indignant farmers plastered on his 
back last year. At him again! Write at once to 
George W. Dunn, Binghamton, N. Y., and protest in 
the strongest terms against Mr. Wadsworth for any 
State office! Be dignified and firm, do not qualify, 
but state clearly and fairly that you do this solely 
because you want no possible friend of oleo at Albany. 
Mr. Dunn is chairman of the Republican State Com¬ 
mittee and the proper person to hear what you have 
to say. The R. N.-Y. has already written its letter, 
and we are confident that our readers will back us up 
with ink and postage stamp. To revive the old cry— 
“Licit a stamp for bossy and the baby!” 
* 
The Supreme Court of New Jersey decides that the 
courts have power to cut down the high salaries which 
directors of corporations vote themselves. A Jersey- 
man voted himself a salary of $5,000 a year as vice- 
president and $96 a week more as “manager.” The 
court thinks he was worth to the company about $15 
a week all told. He must pay back the remainder. 
There are some farmers who pocket every cent of the 
farm income—vote themselves a sort of financial 
mogul for the family! Suppose the court stepped in 
and made them pay back the part which rightly be¬ 
longs to wife and children! 
• 
“Lend me $50,” said a young man the other day. 
He was a clerk in a city office drawing a fair salary! 
“What do you want the money for?” His look plain¬ 
ly said: “None of your business,” but he knew money 
was not borrowed that way on a personal note, and 
he finally admitted: “I am in a hole and must get 
out!” What he meant was that he was in debt, that 
he had dodged and excused until his creditor demand¬ 
ed payment and threatened to go to his employer 
unless he was paid. He wanted to borrow the $50 to 
pay the old debt. He would like to get out of one 
“hole” by crawling into another where the pressure 
would not be so severe for a year or so! We consider 
it little short of folly to encourage such young men. 
If they would deny themselves of candy, soda water, 
cigars and useless clothing they could work out of 
their “hole,” but no—they want to be lifted out of 
it with no damage to any of their feelings save their 
moral quality. The trouble with such fellows is that 
they have no idea of the moral obligation involved in 
a debt. They sign their name to a note, but do not 
expect to pay it until they are quite ready to do so. 
They should be pitchforked into the sunshine to 
sweat out their obligations in person. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Too much thinking may lead to drinking. 
Still another nursery rogue is exposed on page 512. 
If you had your choice which would you take—place or 
peace? 
True conservatism is well—but not the conservatism of 
ignorance. 
In one week we had orders for subscriptions in Ceylon, 
Alaska, Turkey and South Africa. 
Think of those Minnesota farms (page 509) loaded with 
manure which costs too much for hauling it! 
On July 8 that “hen dairy” of Mr. Mapes laid 650 eggs, 
worth a little over $14. Cost of feed for that day $4. 
If performances follow pedigree that Michigan hen 
mentioned on page 522 ought to start a wonderful family! 
Remarkable how many of our readers rise up to say 
“Amen” to what Mr. Morse said on page 447 about birds 
and fruit. 
The usual reports of cooperative grain elevators are 
afloat. We have traced some of them down and find 
nothing in the way of foundation. 
Land is not injured for crop production by the use of 
high-grade complete fertilizers. Will the continued use 
of low-grade goods do injury? Very likely. 
Reports from China are that the demand for ginseng 
is falling off. One result of modern civilization will be 
to show the Chinaman that this root is largely a hum¬ 
bug. 
The Red River Valley farmer, page 509, is confronted 
by a hard problem when he cannot use commercial ferti¬ 
lizers because of the high freight rates, and is debarred 
from spreading manure in consequence of the price of 
farm labor. 
Friends of Cuban annexation urge that the United 
States should also acquire Hayti and Santo Domingo at 
the same time. If we may judge from present conditions, 
the acquisition of Hayti would give Uncle Sam a tabasco 
sauce race problem that would make him forget all his 
other troubles. 
A man in New York squirted a solution of nitrate of 
silver over the face of a sleeping friend. It turned the 
skin black as coal, and the sleeper brought suit against 
the squirter. A solution of nitrate on the soil around a 
plant will green the leaves nearly to blackness and give 
no occasion for a lawsuit. 
An Indiana boy tied a can to a dog’s tail—to see him 
run. The dog bit the boy, whose father sued the owner 
of the dog. The judge has just decided that a dog has 
rights which humans are bound to respect. To tie a 
can to his tail is to insult him and he would be no dog 
at all if he failed to resent it. That strikes us as com¬ 
mon sense. 
