Mai'ch V 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
154 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TJI£: BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* *. 
Ettablished 1850. 
Hbbbebt W. C!ollingwood, Editor. 
Db. Walteb Van Fleet, j 
H. E. Van Deman, V Associates. 
Mbs. E. T. Royle, j 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 12.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8H marks, or 10V4 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 guar¬ 
antee to adjust trilling differences between subscribers and honest, 
responsibie advertisers. Neither will we be responsible for tbe debts 
of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must be sent us wltbln one month of the time of the transa.ction» and 
you must have mentioned The Bubal New;Yokkeh 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 order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1901. 
A FivE-HOKSE team is one of the newer develop¬ 
ments in trucking noted in this city while the streets 
were obstructed with snow. The team is made up by 
hitching a pair of horses in front of three driven 
abreast. A spike team, made by hooking one horse in 
front of a pair, is not so often seen on a heavy city 
truck as the three hitched abreast, but the extra pair 
in front of the three seems a novelty. It is a pleasure 
to see the ease with which the five-horse team moves 
a big load over slippery and obstructed streets. 
* 
We take pleasure in announcing two more “essen¬ 
tial-principle” articles. J. R. Cornell, of Orange Co., 
N. Y., will tell our readei-s of his experience with pear 
growing. There is no man in the Hudson River Val¬ 
ley better qualified than Mr. Cornell to handle this 
subject. Another strong article will be “The Land 
of the Rome Beauty Apple,” by U. T. Cox, of Ohio. 
Mr. Cox grows Rome Beauties that are really beau¬ 
ties. He sells them in boxes. There are dozens of 
other good articles on the way. 
* 
Mb. Peocioi!, on the first page, says that his father 
set an apple orchard when 50 years old and lived to 
enjoy the fruit, and to derive an income from it. We 
have heard men of middle years say that they will 
not plant apple trees because the chances are against 
their living to see the trees in bearing.” That strikes 
us as a poor excuse. Even if it be true, is it not a 
selfish view of life to say that we prefer to have out¬ 
work die with us? To our mind there are few things 
more inspiring than the sight of an old, gray-haired 
man planting an orchard carefully and hopefully, and 
caring for it as though he were a young man once 
more. What nobler monument can a farmer leave be¬ 
hind him than a thrifty orchard? 
* 
Let the fate of the Grout bill be what it may at this 
session of Congress there is one man who deserves 
attention from farmers. That man is Congressman J. 
W. Wadsworth, of New York State. He is chairman 
of the Agricultural Committee of the House, but has 
no business to occupy such an important position. His 
action over the Grout bill shows plainly that he is 
more friendly to oleo than to honest butter. Well, 
one may say admitting that, for the sake of argument, 
what can the farmers of this country do about it? 
The chairman of this committee is appointed by the 
Speaker of the House—no vote can reach him. That 
is where you are wrong. The farmer has a new bal¬ 
lot. It bears the picture of a man whose name will 
ever live in glorious memory as the enemy of tyrants. 
This ballot is a two-cent postage stamp! Farmers 
should begin a systematic campaign against the re¬ 
appointment of Mr. Wadsworth as chairman. Just 
now we ask farmers everywhere to begin at once to 
write letters to Hon. James B. Henderson, Washing¬ 
ton, D. C., protesting in strong terms against the re¬ 
appointment of Wadsworth. Give us a friend of the 
farmer! 
“Will it pay a farmer to study the crop and wea¬ 
ther reports issued by the Government?” That ques¬ 
tion is asked by a thoughtful farmer, and we answer 
without hesitation—yes! These reports are of little 
value unless they are studied. There is a vast amount 
of work back of them, which must be known if we 
are to understand the indications. Take a clock, for 
example. The works of machinery are fixed and con¬ 
stant. We know that they are not affected by ordi¬ 
nary conditions—it is safe to look at the hands with¬ 
out further thought. But suppose the cold, the heat, 
the moisture, the wind, and half a dozen other things 
all affected the "works," causing them to skip or stop 
or move faster! Unless we understand these things 
and could discount them properly the hands would not 
tell the whole story by any means. It is much the 
same with the Governnient weather and crop reports. 
The bulletin and notices are merely the hands on the 
clock, and the “works” are affected by dozens of con¬ 
ditions which ought to be understood before we take 
the time. Watch the course of a single storm across 
the country as mapped on the weather charts, and 
you will at once get a new idea of the use of this ser¬ 
vice. Cei-tainly—the farmer should .stiidi/ these things, 
or else pay little attention to them. 
* 
Some farmers are increasing the capacity of their 
outdoor tub silos by having only a temporary roof, 
taking it off at filling time. With permanent roof it 
is almost impossible properly to fill and tread a silo 
chock full, and even then it will settle four to six 
feet, which very materially decreases the capacity of 
the silo. By laying aside the roof and putting up 
cheap boards on the inside five or six feet high, then 
filling full, it can be trodden well down, and when 
settled will be about even with top of silo. Take off 
the boards and put on roof, and the silo holds a good 
many more tons at no expense. 
A 
Last week we printed a copy of a letter written by 
one of our readers to his Senator. There is a second 
chapter to this little story, as the following note from 
that reader will show: 
The Senator took my letter as being intended for him, 
and writes me that he will vote for the Grout bill if it 
comes up! I have written him that ttie oleo fraud Is so 
bare-faced that it was expected that self-respecting Sen¬ 
ators would vote for the Grout bill. The trouble, 1 told 
him, was in the delay that had reached such a pass that 
it became disreputable. I disclaimed anything personal, 
and assured him that I should not suspect him of being 
smoothed over with either cotton-seed oil or tallow. I 
think my first letter jarred our Senior Senator a little, 
and the last will not ease his mind as to letting the bill 
go over. 
“Jarred” him! Well—that is just what he needed. 
Good for the farmer who follows such things up and 
makes his Senator understand what is wanted. 
A 
The other day a great combination of steel manu¬ 
facturers was formed with a capitalization of $800,000.- 
000. This will doubtless mean a monopoly in the pro¬ 
duction of steel—a product absolutely essential to the 
safety, comfort and labor of Americans. Think of it 
—the manufacture of a substance almost as essential 
to modern civilization as water or air in the hands of 
a few men who may regulate price and production at 
will. There is another side to this trust matter. This 
capitalization of $800,000,000 represents about 40 per 
cent of the total value of American farm products for 
1900. A single lawyer hired by this great corporation 
might go before Congress, and say that he represents 
business interests which are larger than the com¬ 
bined business of 1,000,000 farmers! Congressmen 
would listen to him with great respect—and then com¬ 
plain because here and there an individual farmer 
writes a personal letter in defense of his business. 
The point is that farmers must also combine if they 
are to make themselves heard. They cannot combine 
their business as the steel makers can, but they can 
combine their infiuence and vote. We must make the 
letter mightier than the lawyer! The postage stamp 
well applied may be the salvation of the American 
farmer and his material prosperity. 
A 
Much excitement has been lately caused in Liver¬ 
pool, Manchester and other manufacturing centers of 
.England by the tracing of hundreds of cases of severe 
illness, usually accompanied by extreme exhaustion, 
heart-weakness and general paralysis, and too often 
terminated by death, to the presence of arsenic in the 
beer so copiously consumed by British workmen, it 
appears on careful inquiry through many inquests 
that the brewers were innocent of wilful contamina¬ 
tion of their product, and were utterly at a loss as to 
how this deadly poison got in it in such quantities, as 
it has been calculated that the amount of arsenic in 
the beer consumed in Liverpool in a single week 
amounted to over 300 pounds; more than enough to 
kill a million human beings if divided and taken at a 
single dose. It has been finally determined that the 
poison came in through the use of cheap sulphuric 
acid, made from iron pyrites, which always contain 
arsenic in combination. This acid is used by glucose 
and “corn-sugar” makers, who sell their vile product 
to brewers as a substitute for malt. In this manner 
it is easy to imagine how arsenic in dangerous quan¬ 
tities can get into beer without the actual knowledge 
of the brewer, who is, however, criminally careless 
and guilty of fraud in adulterating his product with 
cheap and dangerous substitutes for the barley malt 
his customers think they are getting. Since the mat- 
tei- has been traced home the brewers have destroyed 
great quaulilies of the poisonous beer, 18U,(H»0 gallons 
having been poured into the Liverpool sewers aloix;. 
It is rather astonishing that the effect of this con¬ 
tamination has not been even more fatal, but it must 
be remembered that arsenic in small doses is rapidly 
eliminated from the body, and it is only when its use 
is continued unduly that such unpleasant conse- 
rjuences ensue. The whole matter teaches us a very 
pretty lesson in temperance in the use of malt bever¬ 
ages. It is in every way better to let the abominable 
stuff alone. We have no reason to believe that 
American beers are any better than the British pro¬ 
duct, but the fact that we do not hear of such serious 
results attending their use is probably due to a more 
limited indulgence on the part of American laborers, 
who are not so addicted to drinking as the natives of 
some European countries. 
* 
The oleo people, when pushed into a corner with 
the argument that their stuff is a counterfeit, either 
dodge the question or undertake to say that colored 
oleo is a blessing to the poor man. This is not because 
the poor man is to pay less for it, but because it costs 
less to make! These folks have been very free to 
make light of the argument against fraud. Now, 
however, this fraud question comes a little nearer 
home. The National Provisioner recently said: 
'I'be brewery chemist has found a similarity between 
cows and malt—that is, he has found that he can make 
a beef extract of purely vegetable matter which has the 
taste and the chemical similitude of the packinghouse ex¬ 
tract, which is made from real beef. A Chicago brewery 
expert discovered this fact first. An English specialist 
discovered it next. Now, when a German or a French 
scientist also finds out the fact it ought to be pretty well 
discovered and finally accepted. Then we shall see the 
spurious extract and all its fake substitutes masquerad¬ 
ing under the real name of the real beef extract. The 
fact that this new product may be made from the refuse, 
or residue of the malt tank of a brewery will not jar 
anyone. The next thing we shall expect will be Ham¬ 
burger steaks and sausage meats direct from the still 
and the beer factory. 
Very likely; and who will be most responsible for 
it? The very rascals who have painted cheap fats 
and palmed them off as pui'e butter! What reason 
have they to complain if the dregs and filth of the 
beer tubs are colored and sold as “beef extract,” after 
setting the example they have? 
BREVITIES. 
RUR ALETTES. 
Put firsts along with seconds 
If with greed you are athirst; 
Your seconds will not rise up. 
They will only pull dow-n first. 
AAA 
The best of advertising 
That the universe can send. 
Is the honest word arising 
Prom the mouth of some good friend. 
AAA 
Apple! Apple! Call for apple! 
Everywhere you go. 
Closely watch the bill of fare, 
And if apple is not there. 
Then proceed at once to pare. 
Cook and landlord down with care. 
They will come with smirking manner, 
Offei-ing the big banana, 
Or the orange—be not shaken 
In the job you’ve undertaken; 
Call for pie or raw or bake 
Sauce—no matter what you take 
If you only call for apple, 
Make your tongue proceed to grajiple 
With this plan of education 
For an apple-eating nation. 
AAA 
Snoring may be called a night-trait. 
Catalogue-review number next week! 
The man who constantly "gets left” cultivates leaves. 
Better to boycott the saloon than to have a case of 
boy caught. 
Certainly some folks never hatch out the best that 
is in them until some one “sits on them hard.” 
When the German Kaiser proclaims against American 
fruits we may safely conclude that our trees are affected 
by crown gall. 
What is the next best thing to election of Senators by 
popular vote? The vote with the postage stamp—strong, 
sharp letters from fearless men on the farm. 
"Yes,” says Mr. Baldwin Apple, “they think some of 
these smart young fellows are to run your humble ser¬ 
vant out of busine.ss, but I am still pretty well, thank 
you!” 
There are men wdio honestly feel that they have done 
•so much for society that they are warranted in sitting 
down for the rest of their lives. They are nice men, but 
don’t put them at the head of a live society. 
"A LATE R. N.-Y. says that ‘the first requisite of suc¬ 
cess in farming is the ability to be happy on the farm,’ 
and that I am very sure is true, but if we could only 
make that read ‘the ability to be happy on the farm will 
bring success,’ and still have it true, then, oh, what a 
success I would make.” b. 
The man who writes the following comes pretty near 
lo being an ideal contributor: “Now, I wish to say that 
.\ ou can sift the whole of this, and if it all goes through 
into the waste, 1 shall not feel offended In'the least, as 
after serving the public for more than 40 years, I am 
inclined to conservatism.” 
