7o8 
October IS 
THE RURAL N E W-Y O R K E R . 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
l)n. WAI TER VAN FLEET, I Associates. 
MRS. E. T. HOYLE, ( Associate 
JOHN J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in tlie Universal Postal Union. $2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or 8y a marks, or 10'^ francs. 
A SQUARE DEAL.’ 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
backed by a responsible pel-son. 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 bv 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 a- verti -er. _ 
Nat • * and address of sends • and what the remittance 
• for, should appear in every ttor. 
■mittaneos may be made money order, express 
or«L :• personal check or bank d» ft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1902. 
Every now and then reports appear in the daily 
papers of a so-called labor union formed among the 
farm hands of a certain section. We have traced 
some of these reports down, but have never been able 
to find any real truth in them. Does anyone know 
of a successful union among farm hands? Is the thing 
possible? 
♦ 
It looks as though the currant jelly proposition 
mentioned on page 703 is one of the things farmers 
may well let alone. It seems to us like a shrewd 
move to sell a lot of currant bushes. We consider it 
very risky for a farmer who is unused to growing 
and handling a large fruit crop to attempt any such 
thing. We would not try it. 
* 
On page 715 Dr. Howard speaks of the injury done 
to horses’ teeth by biting on pieces of glass, stones 
or other hard substances while grinding their food. 
How about the common practice of putting a handful 
of small stones in the oats to keep the horse from 
eating rapidly? Any man who docs this should have 
liis own food thoroughly mixed with flinty gravel. 
♦ 
Letters stating “Why 1 Take The Rural” are still 
coming. Two things which please us greatly are the 
kindly expressions in these letters and the volunteer 
assistance in our lawsuit. Friends all over the State 
are sending us facts which will make strong evidence 
to sustain our position. We wish to thank those who 
come forward in this way. It is a great thing to have 
such friends at one’s back! 
* 
The cooperative laundry does not seem to he very 
popular. The theory is well enough, hut the practice 
halts. One of the manufacturers thinks that if it 
were man’s work that was to be saved it wouldn’t be 
possible to turn out the machinery to save it fast 
enough. There is a whole volume of truth in that. 
Some men are a little afraid that if woman’s work 
should ever be really done she would get into mis¬ 
chief! 
* 
Those great schemes for cooperation are springing 
up like mushrooms all over the country. Our general 
advice is to keep out of them. Blow the smoke and 
fog away from them and you will find some scheme 
for putting money in a private purse. It is a paper 
after names to pad on its subscription list, or some 
shaky firm .after business which they could not obtain 
in any other way. Let’s learn to make helpful and 
strong combinations with our neighbors and friends 
first. Mortar is strong because first of all the little 
particles grip each other and then hold fast to the 
brick or stone. 
* 
There have been many developments in the great 
coal strike during the past 10 days. President Roose¬ 
velt invited the coal operators and President Mitchell 
of the Mine Workers’ Union to meet him at Wash¬ 
ington. The result of the conference was that Mitchell 
offered to advise the miners to return to work if the 
operators would agree to abide by the decision of a 
commission to be appointed by the President. This 
was refused in a way that left a more bitter feeling 
than ever. At this conference the coal operators did 
not appear to the best advantage in the eyes of the 
public. Later, the President asked the miners to re¬ 
turn to work on the promise that he would appoint 
a commission to investigate the. whole matter and 
report to Congress. This was refused on the ground 
that such a commission could guarantee nothing. As 
we write the politicians are trying to bring about 
some form of settlement which can be only temporary 
at best. Unless we greatly mistake the temper of the 
American people the final outcome of this strike will 
bring about a greater change in society than most of 
us dreamed of when it began. In connection with the 
widespread belief that the trusts must be regulated 
and placed under control, this danger of a coal famine 
will increase the demand for Government control of 
public necessities. 
♦ . 
Stories are being told of the great profit in growing 
witch hazel twigs for distilling. We may safely say 
that there is nothing in the business. In parts of the 
Connecticut Valley farmers cut the wild bush and 
haul it to the distillers. About all they get from this 
work is fair pay for their own labor and for team 
during the Winter months. It would not pay to ship 
the t- . i'he adulterator has entered this business 
as well r.s. ,yi ost others, putting an impure "witch 
hazel” on the market that is largely alcohol. Shun 
the man who tells you to plant witch hazel for profit 
as you do the skunk farmer and the lightning rod 
agent. 
* 
Ox its last arrival at this port the American Line 
steamer Philadelphia came up the Bay to its dock 
at the head of a fleet of tugs from which bombs were 
fired in the air and lusty cheers were heard. The 
cause of the excitement was the arrival of General 
William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, and 
the applause was not inconsistent. Like other armies 
this army has made mistakes. Its methods have been 
the subject of ridicule, sometimes justly, but on the 
whole it has put out a strong helping hand to thou¬ 
sands, particularly in large cities, whose misery, per¬ 
haps self-imposed, was unbearable, and who were 
practically untouched by other organizations. Its 
membership represents a great amount of genuine 
self-sacrifice of business interests and social standing. 
* 
The Government has decided that the rural mail 
carrier is to be no respecter of persons, and any citi¬ 
zen who desires his mail delivered into a birdcage, 
instead of a "boughten” mail-box, can insist upon 
this privilege. A poor widow in a western State sent 
a complaint to the Post Office Department because the 
carrier refused to deliver her mail, she having put 
out a birdcage to receive it because her poverty would 
not permit the purchase of a regulation box. The 
authorities decided that the haughty mail carrier had 
exceeded his duty, and that the birdcage of self-re¬ 
specting poverty was entitled to as much consideration 
as the improved patent mail-box of the more pros¬ 
perous. We don’t recommend birdcages for this 
purpose, but we respect the judgment that gives legal 
status to the widow’s makeshift, until kindly pros¬ 
perity gives her a chance to substitute something 
better. 
* 
We have worked hard for rural free delivery of the 
mail. Years ago, when the subject was laughed at 
by most people, we did our best to show that the 
farmer has a right to such town conveniences as Uncle 
Sam can bring to him. As a general proposition rural 
delivery is an excellent thing. As our correspondent 
on page 702 points out, there are various sides to the 
matter. If we believe in rural delivery why do we 
print such a protest? Because it is the business of 
The R. N.-Y. to give the farmer a chance to be heard 
when lie has fair cause for grievance. We know 
from experience that rural delivery is not an unmixed 
blessing. We are not going to have it put off upon 
the farmer—like a suit of old clothes handed to a 
country cousin! The postal authorities mean to do 
the right thing, and we will help them do it by show¬ 
ing what the right thing is, from the farmer’s stand¬ 
point. “The powers that be” are well disposed—we 
will help make them the powers that set —what the 
people want. 
* 
Many farmers feel sure that the use of arsenic for 
killing Potato beetles is partly responsible for short 
crops. They are convinced that the plants are weak¬ 
ened when arsenic is used too heavily, and thus fall 
an easy victim to disease before the tubers are formed. 
Farmers in Maine have sustained heavy losses from 
rot this year, and they attribute a good share of the 
damage to arsenic. In that State a proprietary mix¬ 
ture containing no arsenic has reached an enormous 
sale in spite of its high price and in spite or the fact 
that most scientific workers condemn it because they 
can find nothing in it that ought to kill the beetles! 
This remedy is costly, yet farmers use it in prefer¬ 
ence to the cheaper arsenic because it does not injure 
the vines. Now they want to know why the National 
Department of Agriculture cannot give them a sim¬ 
ilar remedy. If a private concern can prepare such 
a mixture why cannot the scientists give a better one 
which can be sold within the means of any farmer? 
This thing has gone so far in Maine that Congress¬ 
man Allen of that State has taken it up and will 
bring it before Congress. Why not? If Mr. Allen 
can stir up the agricultural chemists to give safer 
protection to potato vines against bug and blight, lie 
will do more for Maine farmers than if he could 
increase the tariff on potatoes! But are these farm¬ 
ers sure that the arsenic is responsible for the 
trouble? What have the scientific men to say? 
* 
We have a reader who wants to know what we 
mean by saying that a ton of green grass is as good 
for feeding the land as a ton of stable manure. That 
is a good illustration of the way things are sometimes 
twisted about. What we said was that a ton of green 
Timothy contains as much nitrogen as a ton of aver¬ 
age manure. The following figures show what we 
mean: 
Water. Nitrogen. Potash. Ph. acid. 
Ton of green grass.1.400 11 W/a 6 
Ton of manure.1,500 10 12' <a 5 
Thus it will be seen that a ton of grass cut and left 
to rot on the ground will give as much plant food as 
a ton of manure. Something over three tons of green 
grass are required to make a ton of well-dried hay. 
We used the illustration in describing the mulched 
apple orchard of Mr. Hitchings. This grass is good 
enough to yield at least five tons of hay per acre. So 
that means 15 tons of stable manure at least! Don’t 
say you practice the "mulch method” until you can 
do that! 
Ox page 702 an Illinois man gives some goou busi¬ 
ness reasons for taking Tiie R. N.-Y. This man is not 
a farmer although interested in farms and farm land. 
All must admit that his reasons are novel and strong. 
The paper is not only useful to those who obtain their 
living directly from the soil, but to those who do 
business with them. Good reasons for taking The R. 
N.-Y. have oeen sent us from Maine, California, Alas¬ 
ka, Mexico and all the country that lies between. We 
have a subscriber in Turkey who has shown great in¬ 
terest in American farming. His reasons for sub¬ 
scribing are sound enough to put here in his own 
language: 
You want to know why 1 take The It. N.-Y., since I am 
so far from your country. Here arc the reasons: As an 
agricultural student in your country I subscribed to your 
paper while I was there. It did me groat good in my 
student life, keeping me up to date in every phase of 
scientific and practical agriculture. Now that I am far 
from your country I go on taking your paper for two 
reasons. Firstly, it informs me of all the improvement 
and progress made in every line of American farming, 
the only way of farming which I wish for my own coun¬ 
try. Secondly, by means of The R. N.-Y. I keep my 
countrymen aware of the progress agriculture is making, 
by translating articles from your paper and publishing 
them in our daily papers. You see I take your paper it 
my own as well as for my countrymen’s benefit. 
Amassla, Turkey. H. caramanian. 
Who has given a better and more patriotic reason 
than that? No comment can add to the strength of 
it. We wish there w'ere 1,000,000 men on this side of 
the water who could give the same reason! 
* 
BREVITIES. 
Bad weather for roup! 
< 'ater gently to the boy’s hobbies. 
Ought to be dead—a sheep-killing dog. 
There is no such thing as an insoluble substance! 
A good motto for the journalist or writer— be clean 
and clear. 
No such thing as an "exhausted soil.” Try it with cow 
peas and sec! 
Which is greater, the proportion of honest shippers or 
of honest commission men? 
Is this a government of the people or not? Well. now. 
you would better ask the people. 
Some men are victims of the "confidence game” of tak¬ 
ing too much stock in themselves! 
Good ground bone gives your apples tone. Lots of 
muriate makes them shine like fate! 
There is tremendous interest in mulching orchards. 
Don’t forget that there is great difference between a 
mulch and a sod! 
The way to kill poison ivy is to put on a pair of heavy 
gloves, pull up the plant, burn it and pour kerosene or 
carbolic acid on the root. 
“The people pay the deficiency every time,” says 'un¬ 
friend on page 702, discussing rural free delivery. We 
notice that it is always the innocent bystander who gets 
hurt. 
The Nova Scotia apple growers have their troubles. 
Last year an apple buyer got a great quantity of fruit 
and ran away with $40,000 belonging to the growers in 
one county! 
A learned doctor says that the germs of tuberculosis 
have been found in the matter under the finger nails! 
Therefore, he says, babies should not be permitted to pm 
their fingers in their mouths. How does he intend t" 
stri]) them? 
