THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 23 
134 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homea. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collinowood, Editor. 
Dr. Waiter Van Fleet, ) 
H. E. Van Deman, v Associates. 
Mrs. E. T. Rotlb, ) 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
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personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1901. 
The Agricultural Appropriation bill, as reported to 
the Senate, calls for $24,500 to be used in conducting 
an investigation into the character of food preserva¬ 
tives and coloring matters. This would seem a wise 
expenditure appropriately placed, for food adultera¬ 
tion of any class, or the use of deleterious so-called 
preservatives, reacts directly upon agriculture, and is 
therefore of moment to the farmer. As a matter for 
comparison, however, what shall we say of a $9,000,000 
appropriation for the rich shipbuilders, and half that 
for the farming interests which form the foundation 
of National prosperity? 
It is a terrible thing to have a fire break out on the 
farm. One may go to sleep at night thankful for the 
comforts and blessings or home, and be roused before 
morning only to see that home eaten up by flames. 
One of our readers has just met with this sad mis¬ 
fortune. “It is a terrible thing,” he writes, “to be 
without a home, but neighbors, and friends have been 
so kind that it has made us realize that it would be 
much worse to be without friends.” It is truly an 
awful thing to lose the home, but the depths of deso¬ 
lation are reached when standing by the grave of the 
home one must realize that he is without a friend! 
Such things occur every day in the great cities, but 
seldom or never in the country. 
The picture on the second page shows how the 
average Senator looked when the honest-butter people 
were done with him. He is plastered from head to 
foot with two-cent postage stamps—every one of 
which represents a personal letter urging him to vote 
for the Grout bill. He is a living illustration of the 
power of the postage stamp—of the combined force of 
pen and tongue. The pen that uorites the letter and the 
tonnue that lichs the stamp! The only way to get those 
stamps off is to vote for honest butter. There is room^ 
for a few stamps yet. Let every friend of the cow' 
invest two cents more in a postage stamp, and stick 
it to his Senator with all the force of his mind and 
pen. Right now is the time! “The brand of the pos¬ 
tage stamp” is more useful than ornamental. 
* 
A SUBSCRIBER to The R. N.-Y. wrote the Senators 
from his State as to the Grout bill, and from one got 
a very cheering letter. The other Senator, while hav¬ 
ing nothing to say against the bill, spoke of the many, 
important matters before the Senate and doubted, 
considering the opposition, whether the bill would get 
to a vote. In reply our subscriber wrote the follow¬ 
ing suggestive letter: 
Dear Sir: Yours of the 3d is at hand, and I have read 
it with anything but comfort. I know what an obstruc¬ 
tive, dilatory body the United States Senate is. I know 
that oleo sold as butter pays a profit of 100 per cent or 
more, and that there is a lot of money back of the busi¬ 
ness. It is deeply humiliating to think that the United 
States Senate can be "held up” in the interests of fraud. 
Can’t you get a law through allowing them to pass 
counterfeit money instead of counterfeit butter for a year 
or two, while the Senate gets time to think it over? If 
the present Senate is unable to wrestle with so palpable 
a fraud, and the Grout bill goes over, there is likely to 
be some praying done, and Senators as well as Members 
of the House may find that there is a God in Israel. 
« * • « • 
That is what we call “sticking a postage stamp.” 
There are some smug and amiable people who can’t 
understand how Senators and Representatives could 
vote against the army canteen. “All logic and facts 
are against it,” they say. If they could read the let¬ 
ters these Congressmen receive they would quickly see 
how their so-called “logic and facts” are melted out 
of the minds of Senators by the red-hot sentiment 
that comes from the common people. It has been just 
the same with this Grout bill. A lot of wise human 
owls have talked about the “logic” of oleo, but mighty 
little of this logic lodges in the Senator’s mind after 
a few hot ones right off the bat of the men who are 
not afraid to speak out. 
* 
As we go about the country we meet a good many 
farmers who think our social and economic conditions 
are all wrong. Few of them have a clear idea of what 
particular things are out of joint, but in a general 
way they believe that the strong and powerful are 
taking money and the common rights which belong 
to humanity away from the poor and feeble. In spite 
of the constant talk about “prosperity ’ it is a fact 
that the common people have a deep-rooted conviction 
that the income and benefits from American capital 
and labor are not fairly divided. It does not seem 
to have occurred to many of these critics and com- 
plainers that before they lay down rules of conduct 
for others they should themselves show in their daily 
lives examples of the strictest rectitude. Has any man 
the moral right to denounce fraud and selfishness in 
others unless he has taken something out of his own 
life and given it to humanity? We doubt it! 
* 
There is a bill before the Pennsylvania Legislature 
which aims to establish a division of horticulture and 
pomology in the State Department of Agriculture. The 
Commissioner and his secretary are to be appointed 
by the Governor to serve under the Secretary of Agri¬ 
culture. The following amendment is to be offered: 
Provided, however, that the Governor shall appoint one 
of three persons who shall have been recommended for 
the said office of Commissioner of Horticulture and 
Pomology, by the Pennsylvania State Horticultural As¬ 
sociation at its next regular meeting. 
This amendment certainly ought to prevail. What 
is the sense in making a Department of Horticulture 
unless the only organized society can have a hand 
and voice in selecting the commissioner? Another 
bill is designed to enforce the laws against diseases 
and insects that injure trees and plants. This bill 
would take bower away from the local authorities and 
put it all into the hands of the Secretary of Agri¬ 
culture. We are informed that there is serious op¬ 
position to this change. 
* 
We print this week an interview with B. P. Van 
Valkenburgh, ex-Assistant Commissioner of Agricul¬ 
ture for this district. The substance of his complaint 
is that oleo offenders are tried in civil courts, where 
there is practically no publicity, as the offender can 
quietly settle the case through a lawyer. Mr. Van 
Valkenburgh says that if these oleo rascals were pro¬ 
secuted in the criminal courts and sent to jail now 
and then they would soon get out of the business. 
The Attorney-General is responsible for sending these 
cases to the civil courts; both Mr. Wieting and Mr. 
Kracke do all they can to catch offenders and obtain 
evidence against them. From the statement made on 
page 130, it is evident that the criminal courts are now 
getting their share. That is as it should be. These 
oleo rogues are the meanest sort of criminals. There 
is no sense in being civil to them—giving them a 
chance to hush things up and keep their rascality 
away from the public. We understand that the At¬ 
torney-General defends his course on the ground that 
the civil cases bring in larger fines—more income to 
the State! Is the State of New York prosecuting the 
oleo rogues for the purpose of earning money, or be¬ 
cause it really desires effectively to stop the sale of 
this fraudulent stuff? 
« 
On the next page is printed a call addressed to fruit 
growers. They are urged to meet at Syracuse, N. Y., 
on February 27 and 28, for the purpose of organizing 
a fruit growers’ association. The reasons given in the 
call showing the need of such an organization are 
sound and dignified, and will, we think, appeal to all 
sensible fruit growers. The R. N.-Y. hopes that the 
new society will start right. It should not antagonize 
any other similar association, but should be organ¬ 
ized on broad, liberal lines by strong, business-like 
men. Advantage should be taken of the mistakes 
which have been made in organizing other societies 
in New York State. Let us make it entirely indepen¬ 
dent of State officials or State appropriations. Too 
many so-called farmers’ organizations are fostered 
and pampered by the State until they have little in¬ 
dependence left, and do not fairly represent the work¬ 
ing farmers. One great trouble with some of these 
societies is the fact that the officers are selected by a 
“nominating committee.” We hope that the new so¬ 
ciety will never have any such committee, but that 
the chief officers will be nominated and voted for in 
the open meetings. True, this will take more time, 
but it will be time well spent. We hope that there 
will be an outpouring of fruit growers at Syracuse, 
and that they will not come prepared to turn over the 
management into the hands of a few men, but that 
they will demand and obtain a society that will give 
fair expression to their wishes and wants. After do¬ 
ing that let them go home and do their own part of 
the work. 
• 
It is made clear by Mr, Bonham’s article (page 122) 
that clover requires good soil or fair manuring in 
order to give a good account of itself. It is not the 
crop for restoring poor or neglected soil when one 
has little manure and no money with which to buy 
fertilizer. Is there any plant that will do this? Yes, 
the southern cow pea will make a fair growth in poor 
soil, and when the vines are plowed in the character 
of that soil will be greatly improved. One may take 
a soil so poor that clover will not grow on it, and sow 
cow peas with the certainty of producing a fair crop. 
Plow the peavines in and use a fair dressing of lime, 
and a catch of clover is as sure as it would with a fair 
coat of stable manure. During the past year experi¬ 
ments with cow peas were made at many of the ex¬ 
periment stations, and the results shown in manorial 
value are astonishing. We used to think that the cow 
pea required the entire Summer for its growth, but 
now we know that it is of great value when grown 
between early potatoes or oats and Fall-sown grain 
or grass. 
• 
Here is a smooth game which some of the canning 
factories are trying to work. .This note is from an 
old friend: 
Since writing you in regard to canning factory con¬ 
tracts, I have learned that our factory people are re¬ 
fusing to let anyone grow sweet corn for their coming 
season unless they will also grow some peas, at the same 
time keeping the price the same as last year, making 
the growers take the whole risk. 
Now see what a scheme that is! The factory peo¬ 
ple know that the Green pea-louse is more than likely 
to ruin the pea crop. They know about this, for they 
discuss it at their annual convention. The price of 
canned peas is sure to go higher. The farmers who 
have heard about this destructive insect are inclined 
to give up growing peas for a season at least, but the 
eanner purposes to make them grow the crop, as¬ 
sume all the risk, but have no share of any probable 
profit! Sweet corn is a crop which many farmers like 
to grow. The canners know this, and they are sharp 
enough to try to put a “rider” on the corn crop by 
compelling the corn growers to plant peas. The can- 
ner takes no risk whatever under this deal, for he 
will get the price of the seed peas out of the corn. 
The thing is unequal and unjust—a fair sample of the 
one-sided contracts which farmers are expected to 
sign to their own detriment. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
RUR ALETTES. 
The square-toed hen well kept in tow 
By food and shelter day by day. 
The squareness of her heart will show 
By piping up her round de lay. 
* * * 
Of speakers who climb up into the cloud 
At institutes, alas, we have no dearth; 
Get up and notify them—right out loud 
That most of those who listen are on earth. 
* * • 
What shall we do when the sulky crew 
Of doubts go painting the whole soul blue? 
Some take powders and some take pills; 
Give me a walk on the lonely hills 
Into the heart of the mystery 
Of God and Nature; there, comes to me 
A stronger hope and a clearer sight 
And a truer faith in eternal right. 
No house-bound prison with doubt for me 
But the silent hills where the soul is free. 
* * * 
“The milkmaid sat pensively milking the cow. 
Then, pouting, she turned to mutter: 
T wish, oh, I wish, you would turn into milk,’ 
And the animal turned to butt her.” 
« * * 
More soluble science on page 126. 
Not all the men with handles to their names are cranks. 
What do you say about rabbits and white color—see 
page 131. 
Mr. S. J. Scale is of the opinion that there will not be 
an overproduction of fi'uits in. the future. 
To the many who are writing about the profits in grow¬ 
ing witch hazel for distilling we wish to say—there is 
nothing in it. 
Alfalfa; get good seed, give the soil the best possible 
preparation, sow 20 pounds per acre and cover with a 
drag or clod crusher. 
It’s bad enough to take seeds of a common grass, label 
them “Billion Dollar” and sell at a high price, but it’s 
like adding injury to insult to mix weed seeds with it. 
How many eggs will a cow lay? That’s a question some 
of our wise men will try to answer this week. The cow 
is a dead one cut and ground up into bone and meat for 
poultry food. 
“The people are the strongest and most intelligent I 
ever saw. Such handsome, rounded, cheery, rosy-looking 
women and girls I never saw before, except one now 
and then.” That is what Mr. Van Deman writes about 
the “Palouse Country” in the State of Washington. 
