392 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 1 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FABMEB'S PAPER, 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Hornet. 
EgtabUshed 1850. 
HEKBEBT W. COUJOfOWOOD, Editor. 
Dh. WAI.TBB Van Fleet, I 
H. H. Van Deman. VAssoclatet. 
Mbs. E. T. BOYLE, 1 
John J. Dillon, Bostness Manager. 
STJBSCRIPTION; ONE DOLIiAB A YEAR. 
To foreign countrlea In the Univeraal Postal Union, t2.0l, equal to 
88.6d., or Syi marks, or 10>^ francs. 
“ A SaiTARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this pai>er 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. W protect subscribers against rogues, but we do net guar¬ 
antee to adjust trilling 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 us within one month of the time of the transaction, and 
you must have mentioned The Bubal New-Yobkeb 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 RUBAIi NEW-YOBKEB, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1901. 
The subscription offer on page 380 is the best we 
have ever made. Two subscriptions to The R. N.-Y. 
for the remainder of the year, two Ruby Queen roses 
and a copy of “The New Horticulture.” Where can 
you possibly find a larger dollar’s worth? The book, 
by Mr. Stringfellow, is very interesting and valuable. 
It is “easy to read,” as one reader well puts it! 
* 
Mb. Cook has a thoughtful article on page 398 re¬ 
garding the tenant system of managing the farm. We 
agree with him that improvements on our own farm 
are better than a mortgage on another farm Again 
and again we see the bad results which follow when 
farmers move to town and leave the old farm to a 
careless tenant. Far better stay on the farm and try 
to bring the town to it by encouraging free rural Aiaii 
delivery and telephones. 
* 
Some men forget their hats or umbrellas. Some 
forget to sign their name to a letter, or to give post 
office or State. They are so well-known locally that 
they forget that people in other localities never heard 
of them. They sometimes write important letters and 
find fault because they are not answered. The fault 
lies with themselves because they left out name. 
State or post office. The simplest remedy for all this 
is to have name and address printed on your paper. 
Put the name of the farm there, too. 
* 
After a desperate struggle the farmers of Pennsyl¬ 
vania have won a victory in the passage through the 
State Legislature of a strong anti-oleo bi”. It was 
a hard and long battle, in which the State Grange and 
other organizations took part. The oleo interests 
were strong and well organized, and they fought 
desperately for their fraudulent profits. The farmers 
did not have much money, but they made a brave 
showing when they organized for business. Why do 
we keep on talking about organizing and “getting to¬ 
gether?” Because that is the only way to turn the 
wrongs of the farmer into rights. 
* 
The history of last year’s apple crop is still fresh in 
mind. All through the season there were reports of 
a “heavy crop.” Many farmers were deceived and 
sold their apples for half of what they should have 
brought. The only way to prevent another blunder 
of this sort is to have better understanding of the 
crop conditions, and to know what prices are offered. 
It is just such information as this that the New York 
State Fruit Growers’ Association wants to collect. In 
order to make its reports valuable there must be 
many of them—sent by individual farmers. Thou¬ 
sands of farmers should join the Association at once. 
It gives them a chance to “get together” tx mutual 
help. Write at once to F. E. Dawley, Fayetteville, N. 
Y'., secretary, or L. T. Yeomans, Walworth, president. 
* 
Yes, a “retired farmer” might do much for his 
country If he would. We do not refer to the farmer 
w'ho rents his farm to some careless tenant, and 
moves to town in order to find fault with society in 
general. Such a man is not only retired but tired. 
The ideal retired farmer trains one or more of his 
boys so that they love the farm. These boys pick out 
farmers’ daughters for wives, and all live happi'y to¬ 
gether. Thus relieved, the old gentleman retires from 
hard, active work and stays on the farm. His coun¬ 
cil and experience are useful in public affairs Society 
has protected him, and given him fair opportunities, 
and now he pays part of the debt—not as a general 
critic of the universe, but as a helpful and inspiring 
example. It is very easy to become sour and bitter 
during the last years of a busy life, if we narrow the 
point of view aown to our own individual wants and 
troubles. There ought to come to the declining years 
of every worthy farmer a fair, calm view of life in 
which he may realize now much he owes to others. 
* 
One of the most inconsistent things we have seen 
is the habit of a man in a small village, who harnesses 
his horse and drives to a large town four miles away, 
urging the animal to such an extent that he is covered 
with foam when he arrives The man does not do this 
because there is any need of hurry, for he sits around 
in the stores and gossips the rest of the day. A 
stranger seeing him go would think he was after a 
doctor, the fire department or a political appointment, 
but the neighbors only laugh at his ridiculous actions. 
Such a “bluff” does not amount to much anyway, and 
does not deceive. The saddest thing about a bluffer 
is the fact that he seems to believe in his own bluffs. 
• 
Not long ago a celebrated minister went to a coun¬ 
try neighborhood to preach. A large audience greeted 
him, and he gave an eloquent discourse on “Unselfish¬ 
ness.” As he walked out a man stepped forward to 
thank him for the sermon. “It was good,” he said, 
“1 hope it will help make our people unselfish!” 
“Yes,” said the minister, with a half sigh, “I hope so, 
but you must remember that the people are called up¬ 
on to give for many different things!” “You are mis¬ 
taken,” said the man, “I did not say generous —1 said 
unselfish!” Tnere is material for a year’s thinking 
right in that sentence. Many people cannot see the 
real distinction between the two words. The great 
work for the world’s uplifting requires pei’sonal sac¬ 
rifice. The “generous” people like to hire substitutes 
to do the real fighting for them. 
• 
We have received a complete report of the hearings 
on oleomargarine before the Congressional commit¬ 
tees last season. It makes a book ot over 900 large 
pages, weighing three pounds. This big document 
contains what was said for or against oleo by the 
rriends and foes of the Grout bill. We believe that 
any fair-minded man who will study this report will 
see that the arguments of the oleo people are founded 
on bluff and deception. One of their most “eloquent” 
champions undertook to defend what he called “inno¬ 
cent deception.” What a beautiful, kindly thing it is 
to color lard and suet and then sell it as butter! The^-e 
men always dodge the living issue, which is the fact 
that they use the yellow color in order to deceive. 
They attempt to steal the livery of the honest cow 
for the benefit of the hog and steer! 
« 
Pacific coast dairymen are naturally much interest¬ 
ed in the adjustment of the Philippine tariff' as re¬ 
gards butter and oleo. The Taft tariff proposes a dif¬ 
ferential of half a cent a pound in favor of butter; 
the dairymen consider this not nearly enough, and 
believe that oleo should be subject to a duty of at 
least 10 cents a pound. The oleo ships to the tropics 
much better than genuine butter, the beef tallow it 
contains keeping it firm, and it does not lose its fiavor 
during a sea voyage. It can be made to stand any cli¬ 
mate much better than the delicate butter fats. If it 
is admitted to the Philippines at almost the same rate 
as butter, dairymen will be able to do little business 
with the Islands. If butter has a fair chance against 
oleo, the Philippine trade will provide a great stimu¬ 
lus to dairy industries on the Pacific coast. 
The State of California seems to have “taken the 
lead over every State and country in the world” in 
fighting insects. There are State and county boards 
of horticultural commissioners, a State Board of Hor¬ 
ticulture and a quarantine officer. All these various 
beards are not mere boarders, for they do actual work. 
Nursery trees are inspected before they can be 
brought into the State. The State law reads as fol¬ 
lows: 
Whenever a petition is presented to the board of super¬ 
visors of any county, and signed by 25 or more persons 
who are resident freeholders and possessors of an or¬ 
chard, or both, stating that certain or all orchards or 
nurseries, or trees of any variety, are infested with 
scale insects of any kind, injurious to fruit, fruit trees 
and vines. Codling moth, or other inse.cts that are de¬ 
structive to trees, and praying that a commission be ap¬ 
pointed by them, whose duty it shall be to supervise 
their destruction, as herein provided, the board of super¬ 
visors shall, within 20 days thereafter, select three com¬ 
missioners for the county, to be known as a county board 
of horticultural commissioners. 
Local inspectors are employed. Each inspector ex¬ 
amines all the trees in his district. If any of the 
(comparatively) harmless kinds of scale are found, 
the owner is notified, and nothing more is done by 
the inspectors, as they yield to a wash of whale-oil 
soap, or disappear after a season of hot weather. 
When White scale are found the inspector starts a 
colony of ladybirds imported from Australia (Vedalia 
cardinalis). For this there is no expense to the own¬ 
er of the orchard. The cost to the owner whose trees 
are afflicted with the kinds of scale that require gas 
treatment is say 50 cents per tree, which the owner 
gladly pays rather than see his orchard destroyed by 
insects. These methods work well in a State like 
California, where a large share of the land is devoted 
exclusively to fruit growing. It is necessary too that 
the fruit growers should be intelligent and able to 
“get together.” Any such law in a State or com¬ 
munity where fruit growers were distrustful and 
ready to cut each other out would be worse than a 
dead letter. The only thing that gives force to any 
public law is the law of private biotherhood or fair 
combination of personal interests. 
* 
During the last fiscal year this country exported 
domestic merchandise to the value of $1,307,760,571. 
The imports during the same time came to $849,941,- 
184—thus leaving apparently a balance of $457,819,- 
387. As this has been going on for some years the 
people have been led to believe that we ha.'e a large 
balance in Europe and that this is at last a creditor 
nation. New York bankers say that there is practical¬ 
ly no balance to our credit abroad. One of them is 
reported as follows in the New York Sun: 
In figuring the balance In favor of this country on the 
basis of the net exports of merchandise over the net im¬ 
ports of mei'chandise, there has been no taking into ac¬ 
count of the very large amount of money that rich 
Americans residing abroad spend there, the money, of 
course, being drawn from this country. In this category 
are such men as William Waldorf Astor and Bradley Mar¬ 
lin, and such women as the Countess de Castellaiie and 
the Duchess of Marlborough. There is a great number 
of such rich foreign Americans living in London, Paris 
and Italy, and to them can be added a great many more 
Americans of less wealth who also live abroad and who 
spend a very large sum in the aggregate. For example, 
there are living in the city of Dresden alone 30,0o0 Ameri¬ 
cans. Besides all this there is the amount, which has 
been calculated at $100,000,000 yearly, which is spent by 
American travelers in Europe. In addition there is the 
amount of the freights and insurance on our shipments 
abroad which we pay to Europe. The net balance is very 
much smaller than the amount which the statisticians 
have been figuring at. 
We have long believed that the iigures given by 
the statistician needed a good deal of shading. Eu¬ 
rope could not buy such vast amounts of American 
food and machinery if payments were made in cash. 
So we do not get rid of our grandees when they be¬ 
come too good for their native land and move over 
the water! They continue to live on Amerienp money 
.Tiid ab.sorb our foreign trade balance. 
« 
BREVITIES. 
We like a dose of theory 
As well as other folks, but we 
Would take a homeopathic dose 
And fill the measure, packed down close 
With practice clear and hard and plain. 
And thus unite the hand and brain. 
For every wise man understands 
That brains are useless without hands, 
For wisdom often idly lingers 
Unless worked out through skillful fingers. 
And we should mark each quality 
This practice is—that theory. 
Put labels on so all may know 
One from the other as they go. 
For we add wormwood to life’s cup 
Whene’er we mix these labels up. 
Not many Baldwin apples in sight. 
The hen man’s credit is a yard wide. 
He only earns a rest—who does his best. 
All men have judgment but few give it proper exercise. 
We have no authentic report of any injury to live stock 
from spraying. 
Measure your prosperity by your debts rather than 
by your assets. 
Are there any people who really enjoy being swindled? 
It would seem so! 
When rainy days lay you upon the shelf, don’t scold 
your wife but go and scold yourself. 
The letter on “Farming in Mexico” is worth reading 
even though you never expect to try it. 
While farmers in New York are seeding oats farmers 
in the Gulf States are harvesting the crop. 
We avoid tacks by using tact, though sometimes the 
lacks grow into spikes for lack of a pounding. 
In our experience too much wheat bran makes pale 
eggs and pale butter, but strong bones for young stock. 
Some men live by their wind and others by their wits— 
each one of them will be sized up and find a place that 
lits. 
The fellows who make a business of criticising every¬ 
thing and everybody usually do nothing else, hence their 
judgment is N. G. 
What shall it profit a farmer and his wife to toil and 
slave and lay up money by inches only to have their 
children “blow it out” by yards? 
Since the mosquito has been shown up as a carrier of 
yellow fever and malaria the scientists have gone after 
him with all their tools. They will make holes in his 
ranks. 
On page .387, Prof. Goff refers to the distal end of pota¬ 
toes. This means the point farthest from origin or place 
of attachment—a term often used in anatomy, but not in 
farm practice. 
