596 
August. 3fi 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* *. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert w. Collinowood, Editor. 
i)R. Walter Van Fleet, | . 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, Associates. 
John J. Dillon-, Easiness Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 0d., or 8'A marks, or ID 1 /* 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 we 
do not guarantee to adjust trilling 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, AUGUST 30, 1,902. 
Pew of us stop to realize how the business of pro¬ 
ducing food and fiber from th soil is splitting up in¬ 
to special branches. Even the nut growers have an 
organization of their own and a paper devoted to their 
special interests! These nut growers were driven to¬ 
gether as a matter of self-defence. Rogues and frauds 
have tried to sell trees that are untrue to name! From 
the day of Bunker Hill the American farmer has 
fought best behind breastworks. 
♦ 
Mr. Sciioenfeld, who tells us, on page 590 of the 
spraying experiments conducted in his vineyard says: 
This experiment and trial has certainly been one of the 
encouraging bright rays in this gloomy season, showing 
that with energy, determination and right understand¬ 
ing, seeming unsurmountable difficulties can be over¬ 
come. I offered the crop of grapes on four acres before 
the experiment to a dealer for $25, which was promptly 
refused; $200 and not less would be what I want now for 
t lie same crop. 
That’s business! 
• 
The cow now doubtless considers what an advan¬ 
tage an octopus would have in the matter of fighting 
flies. A judicious use of one of the standard fly kill¬ 
ers will give much relief with little trouble and ex¬ 
pense. At any rate, the cows should be allowed to 
run where there are some thick bushes during fly 
time. It is cruel to make them stay all day in a pas¬ 
ture with no shade. A horse or mule can remove 
flies by rolling, but the cow’s only means of defence 
are to switch the insects with tail or head, stand in 
the brook or brush them off m the bushes. 
* 
Mu. Cook, page G02, takes a cheerful outlook re¬ 
garding future prices for milk. We think he is justi¬ 
fied in his conclusions. It is true, as he says, that no 
wise man will expect immediate good results from 
revolutions. Yet the settling which comes after the 
stirring up leaves the pool clearer than it was before! 
The demand for milk and its products among city peo¬ 
ple ought to be doubled. This means education and 
confidence. The townsman must be taught to know 
that milk is a food and not a mere luxury, and he 
must be confident that he is buying a pure, clean ar¬ 
ticle! 
• 
From the details of a recent railroad accident it is 
evident that dangerous portions of track are not 
watched anywhere near carefully enough. An express 
train was rushing to this city. There had been heavy 
rains during the night, just the kind of weather to 
make washouts, and long after daybreak the train 
was derailed from this cause, many passengers being 
injured, though none killed. Railroad companies that 
amount to anything are understood to patrol danger¬ 
ous portions of track a short time before a fast train 
passes over it, but in the case mentioned this had 
surely been neglected. Several hours elapsed between 
the close of the storm and the accident, and a track 
walker would certainly have discovered the weak 
roadbed. We recognize the great value of railroads 
in building up the industries of this country. But 
they do not do this for philanthropic purposes. Most 
of them make money. They have privileges greater 
than any private citizen can claim. They can cut 
through a man’s farm, even running so close to his 
buildings as to be a constant menace on account of 
fire, and make night hideous with their shrieking 
whistles. Do they use all possible precautions to en¬ 
sure the safety of travelers? The official lists of col- 
TIIE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
lisions and derailments say no. It may not be reason¬ 
able to expect that all danger of accidents will be re¬ 
moved, but most disasters from washouts might be 
avoided by merely having a watchman walk over 
parts of the track liable to such accident a short time 
before the arrival of a fast train. To do less than this 
is criminal neglect. 
« 
Many towns in the New England States are cele¬ 
brating what is known as “Old Home Week.” The 
object is to revive old memories, call back wander¬ 
ing sons and build up a stronger pride in the town. 
In most cases we understand these celebrations have 
been highly successful. The best are those held in 
the farming towns. Hundreds of former boys and 
girls—now gray-haired men and women, have revisit¬ 
ed the old home. This returning army shows how 
wonderfully New England has contributed to the 
progress of the Nation, and how the farm has done 
more than its share. Wherever there is a live Grange 
these celebrations are doubly helpful. We feel sure 
that Granges in other States as far west as Ohio 
might well organize such reunions. They will help 
both the farm and the farmers. 
• 
ir has been well said that “the richest individuals 
in the United States are not farmers, but the richest 
class is the farming class." Take the value of farm 
property alone and we have a figure equaling the 
combined values of all manufacturing enterprises and 
an railroads! Yet, Bradstreet’s states that “every 
dollar of manufacturing capital produces $1.30 worth 
of products while agricultural capital produces less 
than 25 cents worth.” When we consider that this 
great vaiue is realized largely Dy handling or 
making over the things which originally came out of 
the soil, we see how the farm is handicapped as com¬ 
pared with the factory. One reason for it is the fact 
that capital earned on the farm has been sent away 
for investment. True, just now, in parts of the West, 
monied men are investing in farms and this has given 
increased value to agricultural land, but in the past 
the farm has been milked to fatten other industries. 
The ugures show how under modern methods of doing 
business the rich individual has a great advantage 
over the rich class. 
* 
We receive many letters asking about certain con¬ 
cerns that offer positions as agents. The “offer” is 
usually made on a printed circular—so put together 
tnat it looks much like a typewritten letter. Even the 
signature is printed. These are sent out to lists of 
names which can be bought for little money. By 
sending 100 or more of these circulars at random the 
“company” is quite sure to strike some honest and 
worthy people who desire employment. The circular 
makes a direct offer of a position as “general agent” 
at a salary of $1,000 and all expenses paid. Before 
the final contract is drawn up you must send $10—as 
evidence of good faith. You see these benevolent 
gentlemen have full faith in you, but they want you 
to pay $10 for your faith in them. If a man will but 
stop for a moment and think about this he will see 
how absurd it is for such people to offer $1,000 posi¬ 
tions to strangers. When a man makes you an offer 
in a printed circular and asks you to put up $10 befoi'e 
going any further you may safely put your money 
in your pocket and take no notice of the circular. 
Such things are the earmarks of roguery. 
v 
We think it will be agreed that the average town 
high school does little for the boy or girl who is to 
remain on the farm. The course of study at such 
schools is, in our opinion, better calculated to pull a 
boy away from a farm than to plant him there. vVe 
are frank to say that we would not care to have our 
boys attend them. Would we deprive country chil¬ 
dren of the privileges of higher training than the dis¬ 
trict schools afford? No, but we would organize coun¬ 
try high schools where children of the farm might 
gain the sort of higher education that will prove most 
useful in their life work. This is not entirely a theory, 
for the State of Wisconsin has already organized two 
such schools as a .11 experiment. They will be country 
schools in which practical agriculture will take the 
place of much unpractical matter now taught in the 
town high school. The object will be to interest farm 
children in the literature and practice of farming, the 
profession of their parents. We predict for this Wis¬ 
consin experiment a good share of success. Such a 
school, wisely conducted, will not only prove helpful 
to the young who are to be educated, but it may also 
be made headquarters for farmers, and a part of the 
system of education now embracing the agricultural 
college, the experiment station and the farmers’ in¬ 
stitute. The town high school has taken too many 
country boys and girls from the farm. This plan for 
a country high school is an excellent thing. 
In 1899 there were used On the farms of this country 
$54,783,757 worth of fertilizers. Georgia led with 
$5,738,520 worth. The comparatively small State of 
South Carolina actually used about $1,500 worth 
more of fertilizers than New York! Seven of the 
Southern States paid for more than half of the total 
National fertilizer bill! There is i±'o part of the 
country where crops for manurial or stock-feeding 
purposes can be so easily and cheaply produced as in 
these States. With this awful fertilizer bill eating 
the heart out of the farm income, is it not remarkable 
that Southern farmers should oppose the anti-oleo 
bill? No section of the country has greater need of 
dairying! 
* 
Apple prices! The following note from Greene 
County, N. Y., shows the necessity of knowing some¬ 
thing about the apple crop: 
From the present outlook apples in this section will be 
about 50 per cent of a full crop, principally Baldwin and 
Greening, quality very good. Buyers started prices at $1 
per barrel for select fruit, and report “apple crop equal 
to ’96.” Later prices paid are $1 as picked from tree, 
$1.25 for select fruit. 
That is about what we expected. It fully justifies 
our efforts to obtain the price offered by buyers in 
various parts of the country. The man who says that 
this year’s apple crop is equal to the great yield of ’96 
either knows nothing about it or knows too much for 
the farmer’s good. The truth is, that first-class fruit 
fit to go in box or barrel is scarce. There is a large 
amount of fruit which may grow to fair size, but it 
will not rank as first-rate, though there may be sale 
for it this season. We are often asked the direct 
question: “Shall I hold my apples for $2 or more?” 
The season has not yet developed so that we can take 
the responsibility of answering definitely. The pros¬ 
pect at the present time is for a short crop of first- 
class apples and a heavy crop of seconds. The ad¬ 
vantage thus far is with the grower. 
* 
When farmers were struggling to obtain even a 
trial of free delivery of rural mail they found the 
strongest opposition coming from the large storekeep¬ 
ers in the city. For some reason these men did not 
believe that business by mail with country people 
would ever pay. In spite of their opposition the sys¬ 
tem was started and has won its own success. No 
one would now think of giving it up—all are trying 
to extend it. Some of the strongest of its present ad¬ 
vocates are the very storekeepers who formerly op¬ 
posed it. They now know that country people are the 
best buyers in the land and a good share of their 
business comes by mail. It is still much smaller than 
it should be because a great proportion of the goods 
which they sell must go by express. The cost of this 
traffic is too heavy, although the store will often pay 
the express charges to nearby points. If we had, in 
this country, a parcels post, so that packages could 
be sent through the mails at cost, the country trade 
would be vastly increased with mutual advantage to 
storekeeper and country dweller. The storekeeper 
was won over to the cause of rural delivery by the 
fact that this system brought orders to him more 
easily. Now he wants to ship the goods back just as 
readily and a parcels post will do it. We want his 
influence and help. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
To-day— “the living ask thy aid.” 
Is a dishorned cow a renovated butter? 
Will Spring vetch do to sow in Winter? 
The farmer makes no mistake in burying his talents 
in the soil! 
The boy will follow father’s dollar if it is invested 
away from the farm. 
As a farmer which do you really need most, strength 
of mind, muscle or moral feeling? 
The man who waits for somebody to come and blow his 
horn for him will enjoy a long period of silence! 
In 1S99 the total labor bill of American farmers was 
$365,305,921—over one million dollars a day to hired men! 
The Pencillaria grass which one of our readers in¬ 
quired about suffered somewhat from the pencil area of 
writers who had tested it. 
Egg producers who agreed to sell eggs at a uniform 
retail price of 25 cents a dozen have actually obtained 
more than this at wholesale. 
The fence machines which wove wire slats together 
were very much in evidence 15 years ago. One seldom 
hears of them now. Cheap wire and costly lumber put 
them out of business! 
Farm laborers in eastern Galicia, Austria, have oeen 
on strike, until cowed by military force. The men re¬ 
ceive eight to 16 cents a day, women four to eight cents. 
They rarely taste bread, and subsist chiefly on soup made 
from water and herbs. 
See how some of the farm papers are dressing them¬ 
selves up for the subscription season? A little better 
paper and printing while the trial subscription is on. 
Something like the family wash up before visitors come. 
Better be constantly clean! 
