528 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 9, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
been properly called “the filthy milkman’s makeshift.” 
They turn natural milk—the most healthful of all fluids 
—into an embalming compound. The Government will 
do well to stop the use of such stuff in all foods! 
* 
Herbert w. Colling wood, Editor. 
Du. Walter Van Fleet, I . . 
Mrs. E. T. Kovle, (-Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. SIMM, 
equal to 8s. (Id., 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 col¬ 
umns, 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 transaction, and you must have 
mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when writing the adver- 
t iser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance 
is for, should appear in every letter. 
Remit lances may be made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1904. 
THE PRIZE CLIPPINGS. 
The first prize this week goes to Missouri, the sec¬ 
ond to New York, and the third to Maine, as follows: 
W. H. Peak, Jackson Co., Mo. 
Wm. Sealey, Cayuga Co., N. Y. 
M. A. Butler, York Co., Me. 
We still offer weekly prizes of $1.50, $1 and 50 cents 
for the best clippings from local papers. 
* 
It is observed in Ruralisms that domestic fowls avoid 
Rose beetles. It is believed that this insect is sufficently 
lively to eat its way out of a bird’s crop if swallowed,, 
and a discussion of the subject some years ago appeared 
to prove that this villainous beetle is likely to be a 
fatal lunch to young chicks or ducklings at least. 
* 
The present high price of beef has given a good many 
farmers a chance to dispose of their surplus and scrub 
animals at a good price. A New England fanner was 
recently offered five cents per pound live weight for his 
working cattle, and often it is hard work to sell them 
at this price dressed. Lots of scrub bulls have been 
sold at prices that would allow the seller to buy a 
pretty good purebred animal without any extra outlay, 
and this money could be spent in hardly any better way. 
In fact, right now is the best time we have had in years 
for stocking up with purebred animals. 
v 
We all remember what a fight the beef cattle men 
put up against the anti-oleo law. The cotton seed oil 
men at the South also fought the bill. The cattle men 
claimed that the tax on colored oleo would so reduce 
the demand for oleo oil that their business would be 
ruined, because the price of beef must fall with the 
decrease in oleo. The cotton oil-men said the same. 
They were false propnets. The Supreme Court has 
upheld the law, and at about the same time the price 
of steers rises one cent or more per pound live weight, 
i he exports of oleo oil are larger than ever, while cot¬ 
ton and its products never were higher. That cry of 
“ruin” was certainly the most remarkable "bluff” ever 
put up to defeat a worthy measure. 
* 
It has been settled by experiments at Washington 
that borax should not be used for preserving food. 
These experiments were practical. A number of per¬ 
sons consumed food known to contain a definite amount 
of borax, and careful tests were made to learn how the 
drug affected them. The results show that the con¬ 
tinued use of borax, even in small quantities, causes 
in many individuals headache and slight loss of mental 
powers, and, to some extent, indigestion. Dr. Wiley, 
who conducted the experiments, makes a conservative 
statement: 
While many of the individual data obtained are con¬ 
tradictory, the general results of the investigation secured 
by combining into single expressions all the data relating 
to each particular problem studied show in a convincing 
way that even in doses not exceeding half a gram (7% 
grains) a day boric acid and borax equivalent thereto are 
prejudicial when consumed for a long time. It is undoubt¬ 
edly true that no patent effects may be produced in per¬ 
sons of good health by the occasional use of preservatives 
of this kind in small quantities, but the young, the debili¬ 
tated, and the sick must not be forgotten, and the safe rule 
to follow is to exclude these preservatives from foods for 
general consumption. 
For years The R. N.-Y. has fought against the use 
of “preservatives”—especially those sold for use in milk. 
They usually contain borax and salicylic acid, and have 
American sympathy is largely with the Japanese in 
their war with Russia. This is a case where sentiment 
outbids business. As a matter of fact, Japan is likely 
to be one of the greatest business rivals this country 
will have. Our exports to Japan are diminishing, while 
Japanese manufactured goods are not only coming here, 
but meeting our own products elsewhere. The Japanese 
have the brains and the skill to adopt the world’s best 
methods, and the cheap labor which enables them to 
underbid the other manufacturing nations. Should 
Japan win the present war she will not prove a larger 
customer, but a more powerful competitor. On the 
other hand, Russia is sure to prove a much better cus¬ 
tomer for the things which Americans have to sell. In 
case of her defeat she will have even greater demands, 
for defeat will so stir up Russian society that the most 
progressive men will be forced into power. 
* 
Mr. Cook's argument for the dairy cow is worth 
studying. With the great markets within reach of New 
York farms, there is every reason why milk and its 
products should continue to be the leading feature of our 
cattle industry. There are many places and many con¬ 
ditions which render the feeding of beef cattle desirable, 
but as a rule there will be greater profit in feeding 
western stock than in breeding steers here. We think 
the yearling beef animal can be produced for less money 
in the Mississippi Valley than in New York. We agree 
with Mr. Cook that our farmers need cows that will 
produce more and better milk. While the question oi 
beef should not be ignored, we think the milking quali¬ 
ties should come first in the New York cow. Condi¬ 
tions here are such that the western idea of sacrificing 
milk production to beef does not seem best for the aver¬ 
age eastern farm. The Agricultural College can do 
much to educate farmers along this line. It should 
seek to find what is best for New York farmers and 
adopt a definite policy for breeding and instruction. 
Mr. Cook has started a useful discussion. We invite 
others to continue it. Tne College should have a clear 
idea of what New York farmers want. 
* 
This is the season of aching nerves ana shattered 
fingers—of small boys minus segments of their anatomy, 
and of indignant citizens mourning over the ashes oi 
miscellaneous property—in other words, we have just 
celebrated Independence Day. Last year, according to 
statistics returned from 200 cities in the United States. 
52 persons were killed in celebrating the Fourth of 
July, and 3,665 were injured, while fires resulting from 
the same cause amounted to $400,625. The toy pistol, 
which is now prohibited in a number of cities, injured 
539 persons last year; 768 were injured by homemade 
bombs and fireworks; firearms injured 562 persons; 
skyrockets, 206; cannon, 319; unclassified fireworks, 
1,170. This makes no count of the ageu or sick who 
were physically injured by the outrageous and unfor¬ 
givable noise produced. We have not yet acquired 
statistics for this year; Chicago, which was formerly a 
grievous sinner in this line, is reforming, and has a 
strong and growing sentiment in favor of displaying 
its patriotism in other lines, and the movement is grow¬ 
ing in other cities. We do not expect a noiseless 
Fourth, but may we not be genuine patriots without 
hideous cacophony or reckless destruction of life and 
property ? 
* 
It is not ‘the business of The R. N.-Y. to tell its 
readers how they should vote. Our readers are intelli¬ 
gent men who are capable of making a sound judg¬ 
ment. One thing about the political parties is worth 
pointing out. There is a struggle within each party 
between the new and the old. Young and vigorous men 
are forcing their way to the front. They do not desire 
to push the old timers aside, but they feel that new and 
living issues must take the place of the old dead ones. 
They do not fully succeed in carrying their point, but 
they make their presence felt more and more each year. 
It is well that this should be so. Hope belongs to youth 
—and this is a hopeful age. The young and vigorous 
cannot be denied, for National growth comes from them. 
The younger men will bring truer ideals, cleaner meth¬ 
ods and nobler plans into politics—all of which are 
needed. We shall soon come to a time when public 
thought will be less about what has been and more 
about what is to be. In much the same way a change 
is going on among farmers. Younger men are claiming 
recognition. New methods, new plans of doing busi¬ 
ness, new ideas of education are being thought out and 
tested. This is not because young men desire to crowd 
older men aside, but because these newer things are 
necessary, if agriculture would keep up with other pro¬ 
fessions. There has not been a time since the Civil 
War when the restless spirit of youth made itself felt 
in all lines of enterprise as it does now. 
The recent sudden rise in meat prices was a serious 
matter for small dealers, as well as for consumers. 
Our little local butcher told us that it meant, for him, 
an increase of about $12 in an entire carcass. He is 
expected to pay cash for his meat; if he does not 
settle at the end of nine days he can get no more 
meat, either in his own town or another. The great 
western packers control his business, but he is unable, 
in turn, to use similar pressure on the consumers; some 
of them pay cash, and thus keep him going, but others 
let his bills stand for two months at a time, thus di¬ 
minishing the small margin of profit that the meat trust 
allows him. Ours is not a meat-producing section, and 
thus the small retailer is caught between the upper and 
the nether millstone. In the meantime, the meat trust 
stands within its fortress of absolute control, and asks 
producer, retailer and consumer alike with cynical geni¬ 
ality: “Well, what are you going to do about it?” 
* 
Readers of The R. N.-Y. will remember how we 
called attention last Winter to the danger that threat¬ 
ened the Geneva Experiment Station. A fertilizer man¬ 
ufacturing company had been detected in the fraud oi 
offering goods far below its guarantee. Influential po¬ 
litical friends of this company tried, through the Legis¬ 
lature, to prevent Dr. Jordan from publishing the 
bulletin which gave the result of his analyses. They 
also tried to change the character of the station so as 
to make it more a part of a political machine. Their 
failure is now a part of history, for the farmers of the 
State blocked their game in short order. The fertilizer 
bulletin was not held up, but the law was strengthened, 
so that it is now the duty of the director to print these 
fertilizer analyses. The bulletin has now been published, 
and the figures it contains fully justify its publication. 
The fertilizer company which tried to stop this publica¬ 
tion paid a fine, but this would prove a small protection 
to the farmer if it were the only penalty. A man may 
be quietly fined for his evil deeds, and the matter hushed 
up so that few know of it. In this way he practically 
escapes punishment. When, however, the story of his 
crime is printed so that all may know of it the punish¬ 
ment is doubled, for honest men shun him. We agree 
with the New York Produce Review when it says: 
If a milkman is fined he can soon make up the amount 
by further adulterations, hut if sufficient publicity is given 
to the fact that his dairy or cans are dirty, or his milk 
deficient, his customers will soon take care that he does 
not have the opportunity of serving them again. And pub¬ 
licity, while it discourages fraud and misrepresentation, also 
encourages the offer of honest goods. For this reason it 
is highly desirable, and executive officers should certainly 
he held free from any responsibilities in the matter except 
such as attach to the honesty and accuracy of their owu 
work. 
It is even more necessary that farmers should know 
the truth about the fertilizers they buy, for not only do 
they spend money for them, but in many cases the suc¬ 
cess of the season’s crops depends on the plant food 
which these fertilizers contain. We cannot have too 
much publicity about such things. Rogues and frauds 
are desperately afraid of printer’s ink, while honest 
men profit by it. The farmers of New York knew what 
they were doing when they stood by the Geneva Station. 
BREVITIES. 
Whine not!—why not? 
Make hay while the wind blows.. 
Our oats and peas never were better. 
Haying is late everywhere this year. 
Admiral Togo seems to know his trade. 
House flies come from the manure piles. 
How do you graft ambition on the hired man? 
Put the edge of the hoe on the grindstone or file it sharp. 
Now is the time to take up road dust for the hen’s Winter 
bath. 
There has been a good deal said about the San Jos6 scale 
and how to fight it, but little about the damage it has 
actually done. We shall soon begin to print actual reports 
of its work. 
Now we see how the cold damaged the young trees last 
Winter. Scale and plant lice had weakened them, and 
thus they fell a victim to the frost. Trees that hung to 
their leaves through the Fall hung to health. 
You may feed your cows with all the skill and science 
that is known, and yet they will give more milk on good 
pasture with plenty of White clover in it than on any 
ration or combination that has ever been devised. 
As you drive through gome country sections these days 
you will find a climbing rose blooming on nearly every farm 
house. During the past few years these roses have crept in 
everywhere, and no one can tell how much good these 
beautiful vines have done. Ruby Queen is doing nobly iu 
thousands of dooryards. 
Poultry keepers who are troubled by the ravages of 
hawks among young birds will sympathize with a West 
Australia poultryman who says he suffered heavy losses from 
hawks, snakes and iguanas. The iguana Is a most unlovely 
beast, too, though said to make a delicious stew—if one 
has no prejudices against a lizard diet. 
The past two seasons were so wet that many farmers 
were prevented from keeping their fields as clean of weeds 
as usual, and the land is pretty well seeded. To-day we 
saw one lot as perfectly filled with the white daisy as 
though it had been cared for on the Clark system. An¬ 
other field of unusually good soil is so given over to Quack 
grass that the owner said he was going to let it go. 
