6l2 
September 6 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PARER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Kditor. 
Dr. Walter Va.v Fleet, ( . 
Mrs. K. t. Kovle, j-A ssociates. 
Johx J. DILLON, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to i>s. 6d., or 1% marks, or !(% 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, SEPTEMBER 6, 1902. 
The prizes offered for the best essays on “Why I 
Take Tile Rural New-Yorker” have been awarded 
as follows: 
First—J. E. Ferrell, Crawford Co., Ohio. 
Second—James E. Rice, Westchester Co., N. Y. 
Third—Dan McRae, Williamson Co., Texas. 
Fourth—Ed. Eekardt, Ontario, Canada. 
Fifth—Owen J. Burley, Ontario Co., N. Y. 
We have never had a more difficult task than that 
of trying to decide this contest. At least 250 of the 
essays were so good that it was hard to sort out those 
that were not in some way entitled to consideration 
for a prize. Thirty-nine States and all parts of Can¬ 
ada, as well as Australia, were represented, and the 
expressions of good will and honest appreciation con¬ 
tained in the essays are enough to spur the dullest on 
to better work. We made the fairest choice that six 
different people could agree upon, and we desire to 
thank all those who contested for the kindly and 
helpful things they have written. 
* 
In the experiment with fertilizers mentioned on 
first page a heavy crop of ragweed was cut and 
hauled away from the held. We believe that this 
removed a good share of the available potash. We 
observe that ragweed has a peculiar ability to use 
potash and, with us, always thrives best on potato 
ground or wherever a high per cent of potash is used 
in fertilizing. Whenever possible to do so it pays to 
keep the young ragweed clipped off. 
* 
Students of the Cornell short course in agriculture 
of the 1892 class expect to hold a reunion at the New 
York State Fair on Wednesday, September 10. At 11 
o’clock they will meet in the center of the Horticul¬ 
tural Building, and at 12 o’clock they will camp at 
The R. N.-Y.’s tent. This idea of holding reunions 
and friendly meetings on the Fair grounds is a good 
one. Let others follow these young men and “get to¬ 
gether.” These Cornell boys will be known by their 
red-white posies. 
* 
Here is the definition of a hobby:* 
A subject or plan upon which one is constantly setting 
off; a favorite and ever-recurring theme of discourse, 
thought or effort; that which occupies one’s attention 
unduly, or to the weariness of others; a ruling passion. 
Accepting that definition why should not farmers 
take for their hobby a demand for a parcels post in 
this country? Let’s keep at it and make it an “ever- 
recurring theme” to the great “weariness” of the Con¬ 
gressmen who send their votes by express. Thus may 
a hobby wear down a lobby! 
♦ 
President Roosevelt made an excellent address to 
the Maine farmers. Among oiner things he said, 
with much truth: 
4 
It remains true that the countryman, the man on the 
farm, more than any other of our citizens to-day, is 
called upon continually to exercise the qualities which we 
like to think of as typical of the United States through¬ 
out its history, the qualities of rugged independence, mas¬ 
terful resolution and individual energy and resourceful¬ 
ness. He works hard (for which no man is to be pitied), 
and often he lives hard (which may not be pleasant), but 
his life is passed in healthy surroundings—surroundings 
which tend to develop a fine type of citizenship. In the 
country, moreover, the conditions are fortunately such 
as to allow a closer touch between man and man, than, 
too often, we find to be the case in the city. Men feel 
more vividly the underlying sense of brotherhood, of 
community of interest. 
We rejoice to see these facts recognized by our 
Chief Executive. As we have often pointed out, coun- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
try living with all its so-called disadvantages, affords 
noble opportunities for high thinking and manly ac¬ 
tion. The town and city may provide the show pieces 
of society and the high-strung nervous energy, but 
the sound and conservative strength of American 
citizenship will ever remain close to the soil. 
* 
Every now and then a dam breaks or a public 
reservoir goes dry and the people gfc„ a chance to see 
what they have been drinking! The mud and foul¬ 
ness are enough to disgust those who, before they 
saw the bottom, considered the water “good enough.” 
When an evil is diluted and we get it in small daily 
doses, we may growl a little, but we endure it, and 
even learn to accept it as an unavoidable thing. When 
by accident or otherwise the evil is concentrated and 
we get a month’s accumulation at once, the great 
wrong becomes evident and we are ready to fight for 
our rights. While the present nigh price of coal is a 
fearful hardship to many, we believe the present situ¬ 
ation will, in the end, educate the people as few other 
things could. 
• 
The apple situation is developing slowly with prices 
in favor of the growers. The apple shippers at their 
convention took a brighter view of the situation than 
the true conditions warrant. If their object was to 
depress prices and thus frighten farmers into selling 
at less than the fruit is really worth, they failed, for 
never before have growers been so well posted. We 
feel justified in saying that the New York State Fruit 
Growers’ Association has saved the farmers of the 
State at least $100,000 this season alone. This has 
been done partly by issuing accurate reports but 
mostly by bringing growers together for mutual sup¬ 
port and conference. We want reports of figures of¬ 
fered by buyers in your locality. The advantage is 
with the growers. Keep it there! 
• 
By the death of Dr. Thomas Gallaudet the deaf 
mutes of this country, and, in fact, of the whole 
world, have lost a friend who probably did more than 
any other person to remove the barriers placed by 
nature between them and the various activities and 
pleasures of life so freely opened to others. He con¬ 
tinued with success the educational work for deaf 
mutes started by his father, giving his entire time to 
this and other humanitarian work for those thus af¬ 
flicted. He traveled widely, speaking with sign lan¬ 
guage to gatherings of mutes wherever they were to 
be found. We once saw Dr. Gallaudet interpret sen¬ 
tence by sentence the spoken address of another 
clergyman to a congregation of deaf mutes, a sur¬ 
prising exhibition of skill on his part and of attention 
on the part of the hearers. 
* 
Let us not forget the date of the New York State 
Fair—September 8-15. We have the assurance of the 
managers that this year’s exhibition will be the best 
ever held. They have done their part. They need 
two things to help out, fair weather and a good 
crowd. You may not be able to influence the weather 
but you can make a lively unit in the crowd. You 
may say that the exhibits will be an old story to you 
and that you have seen the whole thing a dozen 
times! You can go to the Fair if you like and never 
look at an exhibit and still get far more than your 
money’s worth by simply mingling with the crowd. 
Far more important than all ihe animals or ma¬ 
chinery or specimens of plant life, will be the humans 
from the farms. It will do any man good to shake off 
the dust or scrape off the mud and take his family to 
the Fair. Tile R. N.-Y. will be found tenting on the 
Fair grounds. Come and see us—make yourself at 
home! 
• 
Several of our readers have received circulars 
from dealers in “green goods.” They will be inter¬ 
ested to know that the New York police recently 
captured a large gang of swindlers and have them 
now lodged in jail. What are “green goods”? They 
are not farm crops as the name might imply, but 
counterfeit money. There is, however, one farm crop 
that makes about the greenest piece of goods in the 
world. That is the smart countryman who thinks 
he is a match for the rogues who play this game. 
These rascals obtain a list of names from some source 
and send printed circulars in which they offer to sell 
about $10 in counterfeit money for one of good. They 
usually claim to have stolen a plate from the Gov¬ 
ernment printing house and their statements are so 
plausible and convincing that not a few people bring 
good money here to exchange for the “green goods. ’ 
Such a man is called a “come on,” and the way he is 
handled is a revelation in the art of diplomacy. He 
is first shown samples of good money which he be¬ 
lieves is counterfeit. Finally, he agrees to buy and 
sees, as he believes, a great roll of bills put into a 
box or bag and locked up. This is either shipped by 
express to some point at a distance or given to him 
to carry away. In either event the “come on” is dis¬ 
appointed, for he finds nothing in the bag but a roll 
of blank paper with green edges—with perhaps one 
good bill on top. It often happens that some smart 
country boy thinks he can beat such a game as this 
and he comes to the city to try it. It is a useless ef¬ 
fort, for he runs up against the coolest and slickest 
rascals that are unhung. We have no sympathy for 
people who come to New York expecting to obtain 
counterfeit money. They know beforehand that the 
business they purpose doing is dishonest. They lose 
their money because they are not so smart as they 
thought they were. It is bad business to have these 
circulars and letters sent to any member of an hon¬ 
est family. There is where we hear from those foun¬ 
tain pen letters again. The people who sat up nights 
to write letters to all their friends praising the pen 
opened the door of many a respectable home to just 
such correspondence. The names they sent are all 
on printed lists which are sold to any dishonest ras¬ 
cal who will pay the price. 
W 
The following dispatch was recently cabled to uiis 
country: 
London, Aug. 2C.—Beginning September 1 the Post 
Offices of Great Britain will accept parcels for trans¬ 
mission to ihe United States. The various attempts of 
the British Government to conclude a parcels post ar¬ 
rangement with tiie United Slates having resulted in 
failure, the British Post Office Department has arranged 
this independent service. The Cunard and White Star 
lines will convey the parcels to the United States, and 
the American Express Company will deliver them in that 
country. The charges to principal points in the United 
States will be 24 cents for each three pounds up to six 
pounds, and 72 cents for packages weighing from seven 
to eleven pounds. 
Let us think for a moment what that means. After 
September 1 a man in England can put English 
stamps valued at 24 cents on a package weighing six 
pounds and a size of six feet for length and girth 
combined, and have it delivered anywhere in this 
country! The English Government, unable to ar¬ 
range with our own postal authorities to handle this 
mail, goes to a private express company! This pack¬ 
age can be carried across the ocean and hundreds of 
miles on this side for 24 cents. At our present rates 
of postage on merchandise it would cost 96 cents to 
mail the package in this country. One could send it 
across the ocean to England for much less. Who ever 
heard of a more absurd and unjust state of affairs? 
Wnenever a bill for a parcels post comes before Con¬ 
gress the express companies send agents to Washing¬ 
ton to lobby against it Thus far they have suc¬ 
ceeded in preventing its passage. The figures quoted 
above show why they are so seriously opposed oi it. 
We are not told what share of the 24 cents the ex¬ 
press company receives for carrying the package 
after it reaches this country, but suppose they re¬ 
ceive half of it, we venture to say they will still make 
a good profit on the service. No wonder they fight 
hard to prevent a parcels post. As a class, farmers 
would benefit from these cheap mail rates on packages 
more than any other. They are just as much en¬ 
titled to it as they are to free delivery of rural mail. 
They will never have it until they show their Con¬ 
gressmen that the country vote will veto the Wash¬ 
ington lobby! 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Has anyone used candles in place of lamps in the 
brooders? 
Freight on apples in refrigerator boats to England is 
$1.25 per barrel. 
Fowl Meadow grass will thrive in places too wet for 
Red-top or Timothy. 
People who expect something for nothing usually re¬ 
ceive nothing for something! 
Topping & Small is the name of a firm. Should they 
be in the apple packing business? 
It is hard for farmers to understand that limestone soil 
may need an application of lime. Yet it does. 
We believe in burning a sulphur candle every few 
months jn damp rooms where mold accumulates. 
Do not carry a check in your pocket. It is not cfeish— 
merely a promise to pay cash. Have it cashed at once. 
It is time we heard from some of the people who have 
tried experiments with oil or petroleum for killing mos¬ 
quitoes. 
The Oklahoma Experiment Station people found a quack 
veterinarian selling a “sure” cure for blackleg in cattle. 
The substance proved to be corrosive sublimate—a dead¬ 
ly poison. It would cure some human blacklegs. 
If, as the scientists say, malaria is spread by the bites 
of mosquitoes, why is it that when new or marshy land 
is opened we have more malaria? We do not always have 
it, but when we do it is because the new soil gives a bet¬ 
ter place for the mosquitoes to breed and grow. 
A new concrete now used in greenhouse construction 
for gutters and plates can be nailed like a piece of wood, 
the nail being hammered in or pulled out without trouble. 
It is said to be very durable, and would appear worth 
studying for farm building. 
