836 
December 13 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Oollingwood, Editor. 
Du. Walter Van Fleet, I As „ O( . lat0S 
Mrs. E. T. Roylk, ^Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to Ss. 6d., or 8% marks, or 10% 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 a,ny 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, DECEMBER 13, 1902. 
IQ Weeks far “SO Cents, 
We must have more names to keep this new press 
busy. It takes 7,000 names to keep it going one hour 
a week. Now is the time to interest your neighbors 
in the paper. To give everyone a chance to get ac¬ 
quainted with it, we will send the paper now 10 weeks 
for 10 cents. Perhaps you can get up a club. If so, 
write for terms and cash prizes. 
‘at 
Who will help us try a practical experiment? That 
plan of “after milking” or working the rich strip¬ 
pings out of a cow’s udder looks sensible. We would 
like to have it tested by practical men. After your 
cows have been milked in the ordinary way will you 
go over them with this new method and see what 
you can get? Wbigh or measure the milk and send 
us the report. 
* 
Tub newspapers are reporting smallpox in many 
widely separated localities throughout the United 
States. Rural communities will do well to take 
proper precautions against it, and to observe care in 
cases of severe eruptive diseases as, during the past 
two years, local epidemics of smallpox in some dis¬ 
tricts were the result of cases treated as a severe 
form of measles. 
* 
We are receiving letters from readers discussing 
President Schurman’s recent statement regarding 
agricultural education and Cornell. We conclude that 
there is without doubt a strong demand for such a 
scheme of education as President Schurman outlined. 
The idea of high schools of agriculture orjagricultural 
courses in the present high schools meets with popu¬ 
lar response. Now that the ball has been started let 
all farmers help push it along. Keep this movement 
out of the hands of the politicians and make it popu¬ 
lar and practical. 
* 
On page 772 we copied the definition of a seed from 
a botanical standpoint! We called upon the author 
to define a seedsman. This is what he sends .us: “A 
seedsman is a living sentient bifurcated motile indi¬ 
vidual of the species Homo sapiens, which during its 
ontogeny acquires nourishment from the environment 
by mercantile operations consisting chiefly in plac¬ 
ing in papyraceous interpositaries certain modici of 
ultimate, trigenerational, symbiotic units in plant life 
histories, integrated from tissues and structures be¬ 
longing to two sporophytic generations and the in¬ 
tervening gametophytic phase, and of uncertain via¬ 
bility, and in disposing of these ultimate trigenera¬ 
tional symbiotic units at seven cents per interpository 
by means of a hysterical, synchtegorimatical, multi- 
chromatic advertisement in a cheap catalogue, be 
jabers.” 
* 
A man of high literary attainments, discussing the 
work of a local library, remarked that it was not 
nearly so difficult to keep out bad books as to keep 
out those that are merely worthless. The same prob¬ 
lem is a vital one to parents. With proper super¬ 
vision and full confidence between parents and chil¬ 
dren it is possible to shut out debasing or immoral 
reading, but it is a far harder matter to debar that 
which is merely trifling and meretricious. Unless 
the taste for good reading is formed in early life, it 
is difficult to quicken such development afterwards. 
It should be remembered that “good reading” does 
not necessarily mean heavy or uninteresting matter. 
We think that many well-meaning people have made 
a very grave error in trying to debar works of fancy 
and imagination, insisting, like Mr. Gradgrind, that 
their children were to be brought up on nothing but 
facts. There is another thing we must remember, 
too, and that is that the present age has no monopoly 
of literary genius. There is some reason in Emer¬ 
son’s plan; he stated that every time a new book 
came out he read an old one. It would add much to 
our literary culture if when we look at the flaring 
advertisement of some ephemeral book, boomed to 
its hundred-thousand edition, we think twice, and 
then go back to one of the older masters, whose 
thoughts are welded into our language. The child 
who is not encouraged to read standard authors or 
gain acquaintance with classic myths in early youth 
finds it almost impossible to make up this want after¬ 
wards; even if his scholastic education goes no fur¬ 
ther than the high school he has to dig out laborious¬ 
ly references that the reading child seems to knew 
instinctively. “Reading,” says Lord Bacon, “maketh 
a full man,” and the time to acquire the taste for 
reading which will gild the briery paths of this work¬ 
aday world, is in early youth. 
* 
In his annual report to Congress Secretary of Agri¬ 
culture James Wilson gives some startling figures to 
show the enormous business done by the American 
farmer. Here are a few of them: 
Fixed capital of agriculture.$20,000,000,000 
Number of farms. 5,740,000 
Total area (acres). 841,000,000 
Real estate value.$16,675,000,000 
Farm implements and machinery. 761.000.000 
Value of farm live stock. 3,000,000,000 
There are 40,000,000 people living on the farms of 
this country. Over one-third of all who work for a 
living earn that living on the farm. The single crop 
of corn was worth $828,000,000, the dairy products 
brought $472,000,000 and poultry $281,000,000. Surely 
your Uncle Samuel Farmer is a substantial citizen 
with a good deal coming to him from public servants. 
* 
What magnificent apples they produce in the 
mountains of Virginia! With the possible exception 
of an exhibit in Maine we have never seen finer speci¬ 
mens of the fruit than were exhibited last week at 
the Virginia State Horticultural Society meeting. It 
seems that little if any of this glorious fruit goes to 
supply American markets. Most of it, the Albemarle 
Pippin in particular, is sent abroad—eagerly bought 
by foreign buyers. The possibilities of this section as 
an apple country are astonishing. The trouble with 
the Virginian seems to be that he is too modest; with 
all his native eloquence he does not seem able to 
blow his own horn with the clear note that his apples 
demand. If Virginia could imitate California in the 
sale of her fruit, prosperity and people would surely 
climb her mountain sides. 
* 
We have great respect for Prof. Waugh. He is an 
honest man with strong convictions, and we appre¬ 
ciate the fact that what he says on page 831 repre¬ 
sents the views held by some of our best fruit grow¬ 
ers. We certainly admire the bold, sturdy man who 
has the courage to stand his ground in the face of a 
popular movement which he believes to be wrong. 
We believe that Prof. Waugh’s position is too narrow 
for a broad man to stand on. The facts are, as every¬ 
body knows, that there are conditions and localities 
where constant and thorough cultivation is impos¬ 
sible. Some of the best fruit lands in the world are 
located on steep and rocky hillsides. To fit them for 
the perfect culture demanded by Prof. Waugh would 
require an expense in time and money quite beyond 
the reach of most farmers. After they are cleared 
and cultivated a sudden flood of rain may wash the 
best of the soil down into the valley. We cheerfully 
grant that for many locations cultivation is the best 
method for producing fine fruit. It is nonsense, how¬ 
ever, to attempt to lay down any cast-iron rule, and 
say that good fruit cannot be produced at a profit 
without constantly tearing the soil apart. Instead of 
making dogmatic assertions our scientific men should 
tell us clearly uliy cultivation is superior to a mulch. 
We need explanation rather than assertion—argument 
rather than opinion. There is force in what Prof. 
Waugh says about the danger in discussing new or 
popular methods for saving work. We know from sad 
experience that some people will refuse to reason, but 
will jump at a conclusion and take it by the tail when 
the head was within their grasp. This has happened 
repeatedly with the theories put forth by our scientific 
friends! The R. N.-Y. considers it a legitimate part 
of its mission to come boldly out and fairly discuss 
farm matters which may even be regarded as heresy 
by scientists or “statesmen.” We are convinced that 
the good arising from such discussions will largely 
offset the evil. 
The visit of the celebrated Austrian surgeon. Dr. 
Lorenz, to this country will prove a great blessing to 
the deformed. This remarkable man has made it 
possible to perform “bloodless operations” by means 
of which deformities are cured or relieved without 
cutting. He twists ill-fitting bones into place and 
gives new strength to useless joints. He came to this 
country to cure a rich man’s child for an enormous 
fee, but while here has operated on many children of 
the poor. His visit and work have shown our phy¬ 
sicians what a man of skill can do to relieve the un¬ 
fortunate. He says that most cases of deformity 
should be treated in early life, and his coming has 
given so much courage and hope to American sur¬ 
geons that we believe within 10 years the deformed b 
child will have a far better chance in the world. 
The Outlook states that Dr. Lorenz was driven to 
study this branch of surgery by what at the time 
seemed to him a great misfortune! A poor but ambi¬ 
tious boy, he had worked through college and hoped 
to become a general surgeon. He found that his sys¬ 
tem was so susceptible to the poisonous effects of 
carbolic acid and other antiseptics that he was un¬ 
able to use the knife. Almost in despair he was ad¬ 
vised to study the surgery of deformity, and as a 
matter of necessity developed the so-called bloodless 
methods of operating. Think what the w r orld would 
have lost if this man had possessed the craven soul 
of the coward who flinches and runs when natural 
forces seek to turn him from the course which he 
knows has been appointed for him. Yes, the coming 
of this great man will prove a blessing to the deform¬ 
ed, yet there is a sad feature about it too. Quacks 
and rogues will take advantage of his visit to attempt 
to deceive the poor. They will hold out false liODes 
to the afflicted and despondent for the sake of steal¬ 
ing a few tear-stained dollars. These are the human 
vultures who follow the truth with falsehood and 
greed. 
The last election was decided by northern farmers. 
What did they decide? That they want a fair and 
just revision of the tariff and that the great combina¬ 
tions or trusts must be thoroughly supervised and 
cleaned of evil by the people—who, in the last an¬ 
alysis support them. They prefer to let the party 
now in power make the first effort to do these things. 
President Roosevelt’s message to Congress clearly 
justifies these statements. He suggests the removal of 
the tariff on anthracite coal, and calls for a law to 
cover the trust question. If Congress cannot or will 
not make such a law that will pass the Suoreme 
Court he calls for an amendment to the Constitution. 
In this matter the President is closer to the ulain 
people than are the politicians who have controlled 
his party. There is nothing in his message that could 
hurt any honest corporation. We commend the fol¬ 
io v/ing extract from the message to our readers: 
Insistence upon the impossible means delay in achieving 
the possible, exactly as, ori the other hand, the stubborn 
defence alike of what is good and what is bad in the 
existing system, the resolute effort to obstruct any at¬ 
tempt at betterment, betrays blindness to the historic 
truth that wise evolution Is the sure safeguard against 
revolution. 
The evils of concentrated wealth and power have 
grown slowly and steadily into American business 
life. They are not unlike a growth in the human 
body which has fastened itself upon some important 
artery. To use the knife upon it involves the risk of 
killing the patient, and slower and gentler methods 
may be required—though some well defined operation 
must be started at once. The people who have done 
most to bring about the evils of the present situation 
are the bigoted party men who have followed the 
politicians through thick and thin, and given their 
votes for measures which they knew were against 
their own interests! 
* 
BREVITIES. 
That’s right—discourage the discouragements! 
We feel sure that the after milking described on page 
830 will cure the cow that holds up her milk! 
The farm telephone enables a wife to keep track of 
her husband, according to a correspondent on page 837. 
Recent rharket reports from Dawson, Alaska, quote 
bacon at 45 cents a pound, and butter $1.50 for a two- 
pound tin. 
Very often the “weighty opinions” pressed upon the 
patient public are, as far as real value goes, about seven 
pounds lighter than a straw hat. 
During the 10 months ending October this country ex¬ 
ported 8,174,259 bushels of corn against 98,303,625 for the 
corresponding months last year. 
“It would be a grand thing if some one would introduce 
a really good early variety of peach for market pur¬ 
poses,” is the opinion expressed on first page. 
We hear from several readers who intend visiting 
Porto Rico this Winter. The island seems destined to 
become a favorite Winter resort for those who fear 
Jack Frost. 
