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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 5, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, | . , . 
Mrs. E. T. Boyle, j-Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2 04, 
equal to 8s. Gd., or 8Ms marks, or 10 Ms francs. 
“ A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
hacked 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 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 to us within one 
month of the time of the transaction, and vou must have 
mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when writing the adver¬ 
tiser. 
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, NOVEMBER 5, 1904. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce I he R. N.-Y. to progressive 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, we send it 
10 weeks for 10 cents for strictly introductory purposes. 
We depend on our old friends to make this known to 
neighbors and friends. 
* 
THE PRIZE PHOTOGRAPHS. 
Prizes in the last contest were awarded as follows: 
M. J. Sherwood, Niagara Co., N. Y. 
C. M. Whitney, Hudson Co., N. J. 
Nyers Chittenden, Bradley Co., Tenn. 
We are unable to print the pictures at once, but 
they will appear in good time. We will continue the 
contest and offer prizes of $2, $1.50 and $1 for the best 
farm photographs sent during the next two weeks. 
* 
Sylvester Johnson, treasurer of the Indiana Horti¬ 
cultural Society, says he has belonged to the American 
Apple Consumers’ League for 82 years, or ever since 
he was born. He also says that faithfully carrying out 
the pledge to eat at least two apples every day has saved 
his life. Members of the Hundred Years Club, who 
pledge themselves to try to live 100 years, all eat apples. 
* 
We understand that the chances for obtaining the 
new dairy building at the Vermont Agricultural College 
are good. The bill has been introduced, and no serious 
opposition has yet developed. We know from experi¬ 
ence that it is never safe to count a chicken or a college 
building until it is out of the shell and has eaten its first 
food. Vermont farmers should “keep at it” therefore. 
In Ohio last year farmers lost part of their appropria¬ 
tion by being too confident. 
* 
In spite of all that has been written about them, 
creamery sharks still get their teeth on many a neigh¬ 
borhood. Their favorite method is to go into some 
country place and talk about the great value of a cream¬ 
ery. They tell wonderful stories about the profit to be 
made, and usually say they have some special process 
or some advantage in the market which enables their 
patrons to make several cents per pound more than 
others. They usually bribe some “prominent citizen” 
to play the part of Judas and go about with them advis¬ 
ing people to buy stock in the creamery. Their plan 
is somewhat as follows: They propose to build and 
equip a creamery for $5,000, with fifty shares at $100 
each. Farmers are induced to buy these shares. Some¬ 
times a farmer thinks he is merely signing an agreement 
to take the shares under certain conditions, only to find 
later that what he really signed was a note or promise 
to pay $100. If the money is pledged the creamery is 
built and would usually be considered expensive at 
$2,500, or half the price paid. Sometimes, when farmers 
are left with such a white elephant on their hands, they 
rally, put up more money and make it pay small interest. 
Usually, however, the money is lost. It is strange that 
an entire stranger, often a man with all the marks of 
a bluffer and fraud, can come to reputable farmers and 
humbug them in this way. They do not always carry 
off their game. In a community near New York the 
creamery sharks actually got a number of farmers to 
subscribe for stock. The signers were brought together, 
shown copies of The R. N.-Y. in which this game is 
exposed, and reasoned with by sensible men. As a 
result they hired a lawyer, found out their legal posi¬ 
tion, and notified the creamery shark that they refused 
to take the stock. Of course the shark blustered and 
bluffed, but he could not force the stock upon these sub¬ 
scribers, and he did not dare to sue them. The result 
was that he backed out and left for parts where people 
were not so wise. This game is attempted again and 
again, on a larger or smaller scale, with all sorts of 
goods, and it is saddening to think that such frauds live 
on the fat of the land after trying it out of confiding 
farmers. 
* 
Two weeks ago a Vermont reader gave us some argu¬ 
ments for mule breeding. The following news item 
from Allentown, Pa., indicates that the mule may serve 
as an antidote for the “auto” habit: 
The automobilists admitted that several miles out of town 
their searchlight discovered a big mule grazing by the road¬ 
side. The French tooter whooped a warning and the chauf¬ 
feur decided he'd see how close he could steer to that mule 
without hitting him. The animal paid absolutely no atten¬ 
tion to the machine until it was within three feet of him, 
and then he let go his hind legs. One tire and the engine 
hood were kicked clear off. the machine and the steering 
gear was put out of commission. The mule kept on grazing, 
while the autoists spent several hours putting on a new 
tire and making other repairs. 
West Virginia has prohibited the driving of autos 
on roads of that State. We do not believe such prohi¬ 
bition will ever prohibit. We cannot prevent the use 
of autos, but they ought to be compelled to use special 
tracks or roads. They are *as dangerous as the steam 
cars, and have no more right to run on our public 
highways. 
* 
Last week we gave a letter from the Attorney General 
of New Hampshire regarding the right of a farmer to 
protect his property when threatened by wild animals. 
Our readers will be interested in the following letter 
from the Attorney General of Delaware: 
We have had no decision in our court upon the right of 
a farmer to kill birds in order to protect crops. Under our 
law there is no necessity for the raising of any case involv¬ 
ing the question. Section 7 of the existing law, passed in 
March, 1901, upon the subject, reads as follows: 
“Section 7. The English or European house sparrow 
(Passer domesticus), the Red-wing blackbird, the Purple 
grackle, sometimes kuown as the Crow blackbird, are not in¬ 
cluded among the birds protected by this Act; nor shall this 
Act prohibit any person from killing any bird on his own 
premises, when in the act of destroying his grain, fruit, 
berries or poultry; such birds so killed shall not be offered 
for sale.” h. h. ward. 
Attorney General. 
In Virginia the law excepts 11 birds. No case has 
yet been carried to the higher courts, but we believe 
that the principles which govern the New Hampshire 
case quoted last week will be held sound. The Delaware 
law seems to us just and right. We favor such a law 
in the Northern States. 
* 
A reader wants to know why we approve of spending 
public money for agricultural colleges, institutes and 
other meetings, or for pamphlets and bulletins. “Do 
you not see,” he says, “that all this injures your own 
businesss? What use will people have for farm papers 
if all this public information is given away?” To the 
first question we answer, no, we do not see it. We favor 
all the practical education that can be made available 
for farmers. We much prefer the fair competition of 
education to the monopoly of ignorance. Anything that 
will make a farmer think, or which encourages the read¬ 
ing habit, can be turned to the advantage of a farm 
paper. As to the second question—judging from our 
own experience—people have greater use for a farm 
paper than ever before. Circulation increases and new 
readers are constantly appearing. It is true that new 
conditions force the farm paper into growth. It can no 
more stand still and live than a peach tree can bear 
fruit without making new wood. It has been said that 
farm papers have not grown as rapidly as other papers 
and magazines have done. We think some of the others 
have grown so fast that they have lost influence with 
their readers. The farm papers have kept closer to 
the development of those who read them than any others. 
* 
The Supreme Court has now finally settled the oleo¬ 
margarine tax question. One point was left open at the 
last decision. Palm oil was used by the manufacturers 
to color oleo so that it would resemble butter. They 
claimed that this was a vegetable substance, and a legiti¬ 
mate oil used in making the oleo, therefore its use was 
justified, and it did not represent “coloring matter” as 
meant by the law. This meant everything to the oleo 
makers. If the court decided that the palm oil was 
merely a part of the oleo, like lard or beef fat, the tax 
on the mixture would be only one-fourth cent per pound. 
If, on the other hand, the court decided that the palm 
oil was added merely to color the other fats so as to 
make them resemble butter, the tax would be 10 cents 
a pound. The court takes the view that the palm oil 
was used for coloring purposes, and that oleo containing 
it must pay the full tax. This decision is very satis¬ 
factory to dairymen, but it will not do to drop the matter 
entirely. I he oleo makers employ expert chemists who 
will, if they can possibly do so, find some way of color¬ 
ing oleo so as to escape the heavy tax. It is the political 
duty of the Government to watch for such things, but 
the moral duty of farmers to see that the Government 
does not fail. 
*. 
The long list of “easy work at home” frauds is still 
with us, and the crop of victims is always large, es¬ 
pecially when long evenings give a greater portion of 
leisure. Sometimes it is “copying letters in spare time” 
for which they offer weekly incomes which would not 
be paid by a reputable firm employing similar labor seven 
or eight hours a day; sometimes it is sewing or fancy 
work; sometimes the sale of proprietary compounds. 
Only one thing is certain about such advertisements, 
and that is the demand for a remittance or deposit, 
either to pay for materials, or as a “guarantee of good 
faith.” We have followed up a long list of such adver¬ 
tisers, and however glittering their offers may appear, 
they always resolve themselves into some such scheme. 
Modern conditions of industry really leave no place 
for the unskilled home worker, or we should not hear 
of poor women in this city who work buttonholes for 
nine cents a hundred or finish overalls for 35 cents a 
dozen. Modern women’s work is centralized in great 
factories, save in the case of skilled individuals, but 
we believe the problem of work at home will finally be 
solved, not by herding in cities, but by establishing handi¬ 
craft communities. This is being tested in both America 
and England, rug-making, weaving, embroidery, lace¬ 
making and cabinet-making being among the industries. 
In the meantime think twice, and then tell us about it, 
before you send money to a firm advertising “easy work 
at home.” 
♦ 
The Iowa Trade Journal asked the members of Con¬ 
gress from Iowa if they were in favor of a parcels post. 
All who replied say they are opposed to such a post, 
and will vote against a bill which calls for it. In call¬ 
ing attention to this the Trade Journal says:: 
If we are ever cursed with a parcels post it will be be¬ 
cause the advocates of that measure have succeeded in win¬ 
ning the majority of the members of our National Congress 
to their way of thinking. So long as we can succeed in 
holding the majority in opposition to the measure we are 
not in danger of defeat. 
There is no question about that. It is the same old 
story—we have been through the mill a dozen times. 
All those who try to hold back legislation which is in 
the interests of the people, know that it is merely a 
question of pressure brought to bear upon Congress. 
Can the man with the vote push as hard as the man 
with the dollar? The reasons given by these Congress¬ 
men are that a parcels post would hurt the business of 
the local dealer and would not pay for itself in revenues. 
They are willing that 25 farmers should suffer from the 
extortion of the express companies in order that one 
storekeeper may not be compelled to brighten up his 
business and keep up with the procession. The fact 
is that the storekeeper can, if he will, use the parcels post 
to advantage. As for revenues, we believe that after a 
few years of trial this part of the postage service would 
be most profitable of all. If these Congressmen are 
so anxious to save money let them begin by killing the 
abuses in the franking privilege under which Congress¬ 
men fill the mails with private matter. Iowa is an 
agricultural State. What in the world are her farmers 
doing to permit these men to say that they put the 
wishes of a handful of storekeepers above all else? 
BREVITIES . 
Time moves livelier as it grows older. 
Shall we box the apples? Only the best, and only for a 
fancy trade. 
It is time to see how the eggs packed in water glass are 
doing. IIow do you And them? 
Among the worst Industrial “grafts” Is the habit of graft¬ 
ing yourself upon a chair at a busy time. 
Will some southern farmer tell us why farmers in his 
section have opposed the antl-oleo legislation? 
What a shame that such a fine old apple as the Rhode 
Island Greening should be so subject to scald and scab. 
IIang up this motto—get your wife to 'broider it in silk : 
The man behind the meal bay is the man who makes the milk. 
A Connecticut Italian was recently fined .$120.90 for hav¬ 
ing in his possession six dead robins. We think he will be 
more ready to sympathize with protesting fruit growers 
than with the Audubon Society. 
The foolish man packs second-class apples in boxes or 
small cases and tries to sell them, lie may sell one lot, 
but never another. The smaller the package the larger a 
worm hole looks. Put only first-class fruit in boxes. 
Last Spring a reader asked where he could find wood 
from the old Blue Pearmain apple for grafting. We printed 
his request, and from a dozen States came offers to fur¬ 
nish the wood. It was also found that there was a good 
tree of this variety within 20 rods of the seeker’s house— 
though he never knew it! There are probably many of 
us who hunt abroad for things we need only to find that 
they were, all the time, right within our grasp. 
