THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 14 
24 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PARER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Elbert S. Carman, Editor-in-Chief. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Managing Editor. 
Frank H. Valentine, I . „„„. . 
Mrs. E. T. Royle, {-Associate Editors. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or 8*4 marks, or 10*4 francs. 
ADVERTISING RATES. 
Thirty cents per agate line (14 lines to the inch). Yearly orders 
of 10 or more lines, and 1,000-line orders, 25 cents per line. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.,” 75 cents per 
count line. Absolutely One Price Only. 
Advertisements inserted only for responsible and honorable houses 
We must have copy one week before the date of issue. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance is for, 
should appear in every letter. 
Remittances may be made in money order, postal order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1899. 
Send us a club of four subscriptions with $4, 
and we will advance your own subscription 
one year free, or send one new subscription for 
a neighbor with SI, and ask for your choice of 
these books: 
New Potato Culture.$0.40 
Business Hen.40 
The Nursery Book.50 
American Grape Training.75 
Horticulturist’s Rule Book.50 
We send any one of them, post paid, as a reward for 
sending us one new subscription. 
Word comes from Pulaski, N. Y., that the “ Cream¬ 
ery Shark ” is at work near that place. A number of 
farmers have been induced to sign a contract for put¬ 
ting up a §4,800 creamery, although a reputable firm 
has agreed to duplicate it for §1,000 less. It is the 
old, old story, which we have often exposed. Our ad¬ 
vice to these farmers is to stop right off, and refuse to 
select a site for the creamery, or to put up a dollar of 
their money. These “Creamery Shark’ 1 people usually 
have plenty of bluff and bluster, but they will fight 
shy of a lawsuit. 
Mr. Benninger’s claims for the Holstein cow, on 
page 30, remind one of the old saw, “ While you’re 
gittin’, git a plenty.” We fancy that some of the 
breeders and lovers of the gentle Jersey, not to men¬ 
tion other breeds, will have some fun with some of 
Mr. Benninger’s statements. Still, we like to see a 
man stand up for his favorites, no matter if he does 
claim the earth. With a breed which is best for 
beef, best for quality and quantity of butter, there 
seems little else to desire. One thing he omits, and 
that is to mention the quality of the milk. What 
about that ? Was that omission an inadvertence ? 
The discussion on licenses for selling agricultural 
products brings out one fact, and that is that pro¬ 
ducers are not at all agreed as to what they want, or 
what is best for them. In fact, they radically oppose 
each other. Those favoring licenses seem to have the 
idea that licensing all sellers will put an end to all the 
low prices from which they are suffering. We think 
that they have no ground for such an assumption. 
Until the license system is carried to the point of 
shutting out all competition, sellers will cut prices. 
To say that, because a man has a license, he will not 
sell at lower prices, is unwarranted. Suppose this 
point were reached, would the consumers stand it ? 
We doubt it. 
The R. N.-Y. has referred, on many occasions, to the 
“ profitable-work-at-home ” swindlers. Their method 
of procedure is, in all cases, similar. They advertise 
for men and women to engage in well-paid home 
work, usually some form of painting, writing, or 
fancy work, announcing that from §5 to §20 a week 
may be earned easily, and that no experience is neces¬ 
sary. An application for further information always 
elicits a request for a sum of money, which is merely 
required as security for materials furnished, and 
which will be refunded later. Of course, the money 
is not refunded, and the unfortunate worker always 
finds that his efforts are not up to the required stand¬ 
ard. A man doing business in New York under the 
title of the “ Brazilian Art Manufacturing Company ” 
was recently arrested on complaint of the Post Office 
Department, on the charge of using the mails with 
intent to defraud. He had been advertising profitable 
home work, and receiving remittances from thousands 
of men and women all over the country, until a victim 
in St. Louis made a complaint. The Post Office 
authorities are determined to break up this system of 
swindling, which is, without doubt, the meanest and 
5 
for 
$4 
most contemptible fraud in existence, since it thrives 
on the simplicity of the needy. It is a noticeable fact, 
too, that any one answering one of these “home-work” 
advertisements is immediately put on the mailing list 
of all the cheap frauds diffused in this way. One 
circular is followed by a dozen others, ranging all the 
way from plating machines to “green goods”, many 
of them bemg of a class a self-respecting person would 
not permit in his house. Avoid the “ profitable-work- 
at-home ” swindler under all circumstances. 
Mr. Lapham, on page 18, makes an interesting com¬ 
parison of the cost of beet vs. cane sugar. In saying 
that in Hawaii alone is cane sugar profitable, he seems 
to sustain the position taken by The R. N.-Y., viz., 
that under American patronage, cane-sugar making 
on the Spanish islands will be fostered and increased. 
There seems no good reason to believe that Hawaii 
will be favored any more than Cuba and Porto Rico. 
No one believes that the limit of production has been 
reached in Cuba. Few can doubt that American 
capital and enterprise will be satisfied to play with 
the business. Where will American capital be most 
likely to go—to the cane factory in Cuba, or the beet 
factory in New York ? Needless to say that The R. 
N.-Y. would prefer the latter. 
The recent articles in The R. N.-Y. on the forcing 
of rhubarb and asparagus, give a good insight into a 
comparatively new industry which must be of great 
value to farmers and gardeners near large towns. It 
is a branch of the business in which there is likely to 
be less competition than in the regular routine of gar¬ 
den work. It is a striking thing that, in no other 
business, are such methods, which are generally re¬ 
garded as business secrets, given to the public so 
freely. They would be jealously guarded, and used 
for the financial benefit of their proprietors, to their 
fullest extent. Of course, the experiment stations 
are bound to give to the public the results of their 
discoveries and investigations, but no similar obliga¬ 
tion rests upon the ordinary farmer or gardener. It 
is another striking fact that no other paper gives to 
its readers so much in the way of new methods and 
developments as The R. N.-Y. Any wideawake 
reader has an immense advantage, and in many cases, 
almost a monopoly of his markets by adopting some 
of these new methods so fully given from time to 
time. Hundreds have done it in the past, and there 
are yet unnumbered opportunities for further develop¬ 
ments in that direction. The information thus given 
has been worth thousands of dollars. 
It is Governor Theodore Roosevelt now. His first 
message is what we might expect from the man. He 
does not “ slop over, ’ he does not make any promises, 
and his suggestions are practical and in the interest 
of the people. Instead of a flood of new laws, he 
wants the present ones enforced, and he shows how 
this may be done. He wants to cut off a lot of useless 
officials, and reduce expenses and consequently taxa¬ 
tion. He takes position fearlessly against the poli¬ 
ticians on the question of civil service. As to agricul¬ 
ture, this is what the Governor says : 
The work done by the Commissioner of Agriculture, in the mat¬ 
ter of adulteration, shows that the enforcement of the provisions 
of law relating to farm and dairy products has greatly increased 
the volume and size of plants and the aggregate value of produc¬ 
tions. The beneficent result to the farmer of these laws is shown 
by the largely increased production of milk, and particularly of 
cheese, during the last year, an increase which is certainly in 
part due to wise legislation, although, of course, the chief credit 
must be given to the industry, energy and shrewd foresight of the 
farmers themselves. 
Upward of of 25 per cent of our population till the soil as a 
means of livelihood, and they form the foundation and mainstay 
of the commonwealth. They pay a large percentage of the 
taxes in proportion to their means. Few of their number are 
found in penal or charitable institutions. They are intelligent, 
hard-working and deeply patriotic. They do not look for aid 
from the State to carry on their ordinary vocations. Indeed, it 
is doubtful whether they would approve any special legislation 
in their favor; all they ask is protection against improper com¬ 
petition and improper legislation. It is within the province of 
the Legislature to see that the cost of transportation of farm 
and garden products is not exeessive; that vitiated compounds 
and adulterations be not permitted; that those public servants 
especially charged with caring for the health of the State be pro¬ 
vided with all necessary appliances to prevent the spread of dis¬ 
ease among cattle, or among fruit, vegetables and cereals, and 
to inquire as to noxious insects, which so often overrun and 
destroy the results of the husbandman’s labor. It is especially 
in their behalf that every effort should be made to reduce taxa¬ 
tion and to secure the utmost economy in administration. 
We assume, from this, that Gov. Roosevelt under¬ 
stands the situation in the State Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment. Naturally, that department will have to do 
with most of the things mentioned by the Governor, 
and we believe that he will see to it that the work of 
the department is enlarged and, if possible, improved. 
The present cost of carrying farm and garden prod¬ 
ucts is excessive as compared with the cost of produc¬ 
tion and the average selling price. Speaker Nixon, of 
the Assembly, said, on opening the session, among 
other things : 
Our agricultural interests in this State do not present the flour¬ 
ishing condition which the honest toil and industry of our farm¬ 
ers richly merit. It is not only our duty, but should be our pleas¬ 
ure to do all that may be done by legislation to improve those 
conditions. 
In view of these statements, the farmers may safely 
expect that Gov. Roosevelt will, before long, make 
definite suggestion to the legislature, which will be 
carried out by that body. Now, if New York State 
farmers had a thoroughly representative organization 
to state their needs forcibly and plainly, they would 
get what they want! 
Gen. Miles declares that the beef furnished to the 
army in Cuba and Porto Rico was responsible for 
much of the sickness among the soldiers, the canned 
meat being inferior in quality, and unpalatable, while 
the refrigerated beef was slimy, stringy, watery, and 
apparently preserved with chemicals, which caused 
“an odor like that of an embalmed dead body.” 
These assertions are most unfortunate, from a com¬ 
mercial standpoint. We have no information on the 
subject other than that given out to the general pub¬ 
lic, and cannot venture an opinion as to the actual 
quality of the meat supplied ; but looking at the mat¬ 
ter from the beef producer's standpoint, the agitation 
will work enormous damage to our export trade. Ger¬ 
many has been seeking pretexts for the barring out 
of American meats for several years, and the opinions 
expressed by Gen. Miles and others will furnish that 
country with stronger arguments than ever for pro¬ 
hibitive laws. Canned beef has been furnished in 
enormous quantities to the armies of Europe and 
Asia, but it is hardly likely that this trade can be ex¬ 
tended when our meat is so strongly condemned in 
the country that produces it. The Department of 
Agriculture has been working strenuously for the 
promotion of the export trade in American meat, but 
the present agitation, which will be closely watched 
abroad, is bound to result in far-reaching injury, 
which will nullify much hard work. 
BREVITIES. 
’Fore the soil begins to bake, 
Cultivate! 
Stir it up for culture’s sake, 
Cultivate! 
Tillage hinders ’vaporation, 
Tillage works weed ’radication, 
Tillage helps food ’laboration, 
Cultivate! 
If it rains and lays the dust, 
Cultivate! 
If it pours and forms a crust, 
Cultivate! 
Save the moisture hygroscopic, 
Help the microbes microscopic, 
Talk to neighbors on this topic, 
Cultivate! 
If your head begins to swell, 
Cultivate! 
Harrow, crush it, pound it well, 
Cultivate! 
Cultivate a humble heart, 
Give “ Big I ” a meaner part, 
Let the germ of culture start, 
Cultivate! m. a. k. 
Bad habits may lead to wrong rites. 
“ Losing your grippe ”! A happy condition. 
How lockiaw would cure the ills of some citizens! 
Don’t find fault with the teacher before his pupils. 
Most cast iron rules may be broken with impunity. 
The drunkard is likely to become “ sot ” in his ways. 
The cow pea is a good dairy annual for the fruit grower. 
Put more bright local men on the institute programmes. 
No man ever made a “ brick ” of himself by thrashing over old 
straw. 
You can’t spell disease with c-l-e-a-n, but you may cast a spell 
over it. 
“No clover hay!” How that does complicate the feeding 
problem. 
Some people put a spoke in the wheel of progress every time 
they speak. 
New York farmers need it! What? The business of supply¬ 
ing our own sugar. 
On page 20, Prof. Phelps tells us more about feeding two rations 
to dairy cows. This system is coming. 
The New Jersey Horticultural Society agree that the Henry 
strawberry is practically the same as Marshall. 
Every man’s mind should have an “ open door’’—not a back 
door, however, to let principle sneak out when convenient. 
We like to put carbolic acid in the whitewash used in the hen¬ 
house. That’s the sort of whitewash to be used by investigating 
committees! 
California farmers want a fertilizer law. Rhode Island farm¬ 
ers find the fertilizer law so helpful that they demand a food law 
on much the same basis. 
On New Year’s Day, in New Jersey, we picked strawberries— 
in glass jars—right off the shelves of the pantry. Why go to 
Florida to pick fruit every day in the year ? 
There are said to be 8,000,000 Filipinos who average over 25 
cigarettes a day! Some of our “ Imjierialists” ought to go and 
tell the tobacco growers of the Connecticut Valley that this great 
trade will belong to them some day. 
