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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
; 
February 13 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS PARMER'S PAPER. 
K National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homei. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert w. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, I , 
Mrs. K. T. Koyle, ^Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, J2.04, 
equal to 8s. 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 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 trifling 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 to 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 
erder, personal check or bank draft 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street. New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1904. 
With Prof. Bailey at the Western New York Hor¬ 
ticultural Society saying that the sod method is prac¬ 
tical for hillside orchards, and Grant Hitchings elect¬ 
ed a vice-president, the mulch men have no reason to 
complain! 
In the 12 months ending January 1, 1904, there were 
exported from this country fruits and nuts to the 
value of $19,839,107. This will startle many people 
who have no true idea of the rapid development of 
the fruit industry in this country. Of this amount 
apples alone contributed $7,758,908. Ten years ago 
the exports of fruits and nuts amounted to only $3,- 
918,799, while the exported apples were worth only 
$1,580,052! This immense increase in the export trade 
in fruits is only a suggestion as to what the future 
has in store. It is also a mere mouthful compared 
with the increase in home consumption which the fu¬ 
ture is sure to bring. Stand in this city on any crowd¬ 
ed corner and stop 100 men at random. Ask them 
how many apples they have eaten within a week and 
you will be astonished to find that the great majority 
hardly know what an apple tastes like! All these 
people are to be educated in fruit eating. They will 
learn in time, and each year will bring new recruits 
to the Apple Consumers’ League. Let no man fear 
for the future of apple culture—if he is willing to con¬ 
duct it in a business-like way. 
Two Harvard professors have recently stated that 
what that institution needs as much as anything is 
the energy that comes out under the lash of poverty. 
There are too many rich students. There is no par¬ 
ticular reason why they should exert themselves. 
They will go to work when they finish their college 
course, but “education” means for many of them a 
season of pleasure rather than a time for self-denial 
and toil. The great university with all its millions 
cannot buy the true spirit of labor which ambitious 
poverty puts into the heart of a boy. There will be 
nothing strange in this to any man of middle years 
who has gone through the fire of opposition to win 
the education which fate declined to buy for him. It 
is with universities as it is with men. The poverty 
that makes one a beggar is a curse—as is the wealth 
that makes one a soft-handed idler. The poverty that 
spurs one on to grow out of it into nobler things is a 
blessing, and so is the w T ealth which is recognized as 
a responsible gift from society. The poor boy may 
well take new courage when he thinks that a great 
university needs the true metal that is hammered out 
by his affliction. 
* 
One of the most necessary qualities for anyone en¬ 
gaged in public service is patience. Some newspaper 
contributors and farm lecturers become so impatient 
at what they call “fool questions” that they destroy 
a good share of their usefulness. A man comes and 
asks them a question. He hesitates, does not know 
how to express himself, and makes a blundering state¬ 
ment. A little patience and tact would draw him out 
and enable him to make his meaning clear. A little 
intuition -would show the teacher how to read between 
the lines and grasp the man’s meaning. There comes 
a rare test of self-control. There may be cases where 
it is wise to “sit down” on some vacant-minded per¬ 
son who likes to hear himself talk, but the man who 
is supposed to answer the question will do well to 
conclude that most questions are asked honestly, and 
The Experiment Station is in Danger. 
About a dozen years ago the New York Experiment Station was afflicted by a sort of dry rot. It stood 
still. Few cared for it. Farmers had largely lost confidence or interest in its -work. The Board of Con¬ 
trol hunted for a man to save the Station, and finally secured Dr. W. H. Jordan, then of Maine. Dr. Jor¬ 
dan came to Geneva with a clear conception of the duties and purpose of such an institution, which have 
little to do with the practical operations of farming, but everything to do with scientific investigation into 
agricultural problems. He insisted that the Station should develop principles rather than practice. Since 
he came to the Station Dr. Jordan has conducted its affairs solely in the interests of farmers. This has 
been shown not only in work at the Station, but before farmers’ meetings and elsewhere. The Station was 
thoroughly reorganized, and under Dr. Jordan’s management won back the confidence of farmers, and now 
ranks among the best institutions of the sort in the country. The strongest element which contributed to 
this success is the fact that Dr. Jordan is a strong, forcible man. Not in any sense a politician, he has gone 
on with his work with no apparent truckling to the political influences of the State. He has had opinions, 
and has expressed them openly, with an honest faith in the good sense and judgment of the people. It would 
have been impossible to make Geneva what it is to-day if the farmers had not felt that Dr. Jordan is honest 
and not “in politics.” The duties of the Station have grown with the years. As laws were passed governing 
the sale of fertilizers and feeds,' the Station was expected to gather and analyze samples. If there was any 
object in this at all it was to protect farmers in their purchases by showing them how to distinguish between 
pure and impure goods. Other States have, we believe, given greater authority to their stations in this re¬ 
spect, but Geneva has gone to the limit of its authority in its efforts to protect farmers. But for the work 
it has done New York farmers would have lost thousands of dollars in the purchase of inferior goods. It is 
because of this very effort to protect farmers, not because he has failed in his duty under the law, that efforts 
are now being made to remove Dr. Jordan and destroy the true value of the Station. A fertilizer was put 
on the market so inferior that it seemed to demand special public attention. On consulting the Attorney- 
General, Dr. Jordan was informed that he had no power to issue a special bulletin, as the public service seem¬ 
ed to demand. This incident seems to have brought to a head the effort to muzzle the Director and put a 
chain on the work of the Station. Manufacturers who seem afraid of the analysis of their goods, small poli¬ 
ticians whose acts will not stand analysis, and men who probably have felt the sting of a few honest words, 
are introducing bills at Albany with a definite object. This object is to put in place of Dr. Jordan a Director 
who will have more respect for the wishes of the friends of Albany politicians, and also to change the char¬ 
acter of the Station. It is safe to say that every trick k nown to the trickiest of small politicians will be 
played in this game. They will even try to compromise the bill providing for the Agricultural College—in¬ 
deed the foundation of their plan is to make bad feeling between the friends of the College and the friends of 
the Station—thus giving both into the hands of the enemy. We are told that the best thing to do is to keep 
quiet—say nothing and let the politicians work it out. This we decline to do. The “say nothing” policy is 
responsible for too many crimes against justice already. This legislation affects farmers more than any other 
class. They have a right to know what is being done with their Station, and they shall know. The farmers 
of this State are strong enough to obtain any fair thing that they will demand. Better take nothing than be 
obliged to let whispering politicians suck the orange and throw the skin to them. As to Dr. Jordan, we do 
not assume to speak of or for him as an individual. To us he represents the type of man who should head a use¬ 
ful experiment station. He is, as all will admit, honest, conscientious, capable and fearless. There may be 
other men in the country who possess these qualities in a higher degree, but we do not know them. He 
should remain at the Station at least until an abler man in all respects is found. In any event, we stand 
for the principle which he represents in this controversy. We protest in the name of the farmers of this 
State against any effort to take the affairs of the Station away from the present management and put it in 
exclusive control of the politicians. In common language, it is “up to” the farmers of the State to say 
whether they want the Station maintained as at present or not, just as it is “up to” them to say whether 
or not they want to have the Agricultural College at Co rnell. We do not wish to be understood from this 
as saying that every legislator at Albany is in this sch erne. Indeed, the plan seems to be conducted by a 
limited few, and we believe that the majority of the cou ntry representatives at Albany will be glad to carry 
out the wishes of farmers if they are advised what these wishes are. Hence, it becomes the duty of the 
farmers to express their views on this subject. Now is the time to use postage stamps. Write both your 
Senator and Assemblyman at Albany that you are unalterably opposed to any change in the management of 
the affairs at the Geneva Experiment Station, and that you also want the Cornell Agricultural College. Don't 
be afraid to express yourself forcibly and clearly as well as politely. If every reader of The R. N.-Y. in the 
State will write these letters during the next week, the Agricultural College at Cornell will be built and the 
Geneva Station will continue to do the good work that it has been performing for the last 10 years under 
Dr. Jordan’s management. The Station is in danger 1 Save it! 
that they are entitled to a fair answer; at least “I do 
not know!” We were thinking of this the other day 
when the following note came from a reader: 
You must be at times much vexed at the way in which 
people will ask practically the same questions over and 
over again, but it shows that people feel you are inter¬ 
ested in their welfare and that you will not get mad. 
No, we have no thought of “getting mad” when 
honest questions are asked. When a large number of 
persons ask much the same question we know that 
the thing they talk about is of general interest. To 
read their letters is like keeping a finger on the public 
pulse. In fact we welcome these questions and sug¬ 
gestions. It would be impossible to make Tiie R. N.- 
Y. what it is without them. 
The remarkable properties of the newly discovered 
element radium have been so much exploited by the 
public press that exaggerated notions of its power to 
cure cancer, consumption and other formidable dis¬ 
eases have been widely disseminated. So far there 
have been discovered four substances, radium, thor¬ 
ium, polonium and actinium having the property of 
throwing out a peculiar form of radiant energy more 
destructive to disease organisms than to the highly 
vitalized tissues of warm-blooded animals. Polonium 
and actinium at present are mere chemical curiosities, 
not procurable for use in sufficient quantity at any 
price. Radium can be bought at the rate of $2,000 a 
gramme (15 grains) and is so active in extremely 
small quantity that the price is not prohibitive, but 
the demand far exceeds any visible supply. Thorium 
is very much less energetic, but more abundant, as it 
has been used for years in making the Welsbach man¬ 
tles so much used to increase the illuminating power 
of gaslights. Worn-out mantles are usually rich in 
thorium that becomes radiant under proper treatment, 
and success has already been claimed in the treat¬ 
ment of consumption or tuberculosis by inhalations 
of the vapor. Thorium is said to exert its medicinal 
activity in many ways, and the claims for its efficiency 
will doubtless soon rival that of the costly radium. 
Science appears to be on the threshold of wonderful 
discoveries in the properties of matter, and it is to be 
hoped that some measure of the present great expec¬ 
tations will eventually be realized, but it must be re¬ 
membered that the whole subject is in its earliest ex¬ 
perimental stage, and it may be a long time before 
practical results are reached. It is the history of many 
valuable discoveries that while they may fail to real¬ 
ize early hopes they later develop utilities not at first 
suspected. 
BREVITIES. 
The “white” man’s burden—the golden rule? 
Do you want a silver lining to the golden rule? 
A National Potato Society is proposed in England. 
Many of us will rejoice when w r e see the honest soil 
sticking its nose up through the snow. 
A good test of character is the ability to take honest 
criticism with self-respect—and act upon it. 
The motto at the Connecticut Pomological meeting 
was, “Not the land of the big red apple, but the land of 
the good red apple. 
The Russet apple—where it will grow—keeps as well 
as Ben Davis and has three times the quality. The time 
is coming when its brown color will not hurt its sale. 
Mr. Mapes tells us how the feed affects the color of 
the egg’s yolk. It is not all in the feed. We have had 
hens that persisted in laying light-colored eggs in spite 
of corn feeding. 
In some parts of Connecticut peach trees have been 
frozen to the ground and perhaps below it. The worst 
damage seems to be in the lower orchards. The hills 
have a few live buds. 
Inside information concerning the flower market this 
Winter here makes us think that unskilled beginners 
would best not launch forth in the violet business on 
the strength of glowing newspaper reports. In this, as 
in everything else, it is the man with the know-how 
who “gets there.” 
