534 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 20 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARM SB'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
EMablished 1850. 
IlEUBEUT W. COLMNOWOOl), KditOT. 
Db. Waeteu Van Feeet, / 
II. E. Van Deman. VAssoclates. 
Mits. E. T. Koelk, J 
John J. Dii.lon, Business Manager, 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, SI.Ol, equal to 
8 s. Gd., or 8!^ marks, or U)i4 francs. 
“A SaUARE 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 
a<lvertlsinK In our columns, and any such swindler will be publicly 
exposed. Wo protect subscribers against rogues, but we do not guar¬ 
antee to adjust trifling differences between subscribers and honest, 
responsible adveitlsers. 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 
yf)u must have mentioned Tue Bubai, NEW-youKEit when writing 
the advertiser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance Is for, should 
appear In every letter. 
lUimIttances may be made In money order, express order, personal 
check or bank draft. 
THE BUBAL NKW-YOBKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, .JULY 20, 1901. 
The secretary of the Five States Milk Producers’ 
Association announces that the annual meeting will 
be held at Binghamton, N. Y., Tuesday, August 20, 
1901. The object of meeting in August instead of Oc¬ 
tober is to give the Association an opportunity to 
develop plans for better Pall work. The local sec¬ 
tions are to meet August G, and the route unions 
August 13. 
* 
The Agricultural Department now has the power 
to examine and certify dairy products exported from 
this country. Of course anyone can export such 
goods without certification, but it is thought that the 
Government stamp or label will be an advantage. It 
ought to be. The Department has spent a good deal 
of money in learning what foreigners want in cheese 
and butter, and how they want it packed. Its label 
on the package ought to mean something—and it will. 
• 
Not long ago we received a package of strawberry 
plants and a box containing insects from a reader. 
He said he had caught the bugs eating the plants, and 
he wanted to know right away what to do in order to 
kill the rascals. The insects turned out to be the 
common sow bug, while the plants had been in¬ 
jured by the white grub. Our friend saw the bugs 
running about the plants, and concluded that they 
had done the damage. It is not uncommon for men 
to be sure of the effect and then guess at the cause. 
Thus they get off the track in hunting for a remedy. 
We understand that dealers are still trying to tell 
eastern apple growers that the western apple crop is 
“large.” We have secured what we believe to be the 
most reliable reports yet printed. These indicate a 
light crop in the sections which usually send a large 
surplus to the East. It now seems settled that the 
eastern crop will be short, and we certainly hope that 
growers will not give their crop away this year as 
some of them did last. Bear in mind another thing. 
The total amount of apples in sight is not the im¬ 
portant factor. There were plenty of apples last year 
in some parts of the West, but they were not good 
enough to ship! It is the barrel of apples good 
enough to go away from home and make a living 
that affects the market! 
* 
S. W. Allebton, the author of the article dis¬ 
cussed on the first page, makes this statement: 
No man Is entitled to a serious hearing on the subject 
of farming unless he proves his faith by his works. 
“Do you run a fai-m yourself and do you make it pay?” 
are the questions to be put to every man who has any 
advice to offer about farming. If he can’t answer yes 
to both these questions his talk is mere theory and not 
worth listening to. If theorizing would raise crops we 
should have to go to college class-rooms Instead of to 
the fields for grain on which to feed the world; but it 
won’t, and there is no use in giving serious attention to 
any talk on this subject that is not backed up by sound 
results, of a broad, practical sort, which have been per¬ 
sonally obtained by the man making the suggestions. 
That is a little hard on our scientific friends, and it 
would bar out some of the most prolific farm writers 
in the country. Certainly, we believe that no man 
should attempt to describe practical farm matters un¬ 
less he be, in some way, connected with the actual 
management and ownership of a farm. We also be¬ 
lieve that the soundest agricultural advisers are those 
who make the farm pay. We would not limit the 
“pay” part of it to a matter of dollars and cents. 
Some of the most useful and truest things that ever 
came off the American farm could not be measured 
by silver and gold. We can conceive of a hard-work¬ 
ing careful man so conducting his farm as to earn 
but a bare competence, and yet producing upon it the 
noblest crop for God and humanity. It may be ques¬ 
tioned whether the small freeholder will get as much 
real good out of Mr. Allerton’s experience as he would 
from the advice and suggestion of men who are 
“nearer his size.” Pew Americans will ever be called 
upon to manage 80,000 acres of farm land from a city 
office. We hope roe number will always be limited 
for, in our judgment, the smali freeholder, managing 
his own farm, and forcing from nature a living for 
his family has ever been not only the strongest char¬ 
acter in our National history but the best and truest 
type of American citizen. 
* 
Sevekal weeks ago we advocated a change in the 
system of allotting the lands to be opened to settlers 
in the Indian Territory. It seems that the Govern¬ 
ment has decided to try to prevent the wild grab for 
land which occurred when Oklahoma was opened to 
settlement. All would-be settlers are to make formal 
applications. These are to be entered on cards, and 
on August 6 they will be drawn at random, and the 
farms awarded according to the drawing. We con¬ 
sider this far more sensible than the plan which 
gives the man with the fastest horse and the best 
gun an advantage which does not belong to him. It 
is said that so-called “.sooners” purpose to get in 
ahead, squat on the best farms, and hold them on 
the plea that the drawing is unconstitutional. 
• 
Attention is called to the letter from one of Mr. 
Wadsworth’s constituents on page 511. “Bet up on 
him a little, says our friend. We shall be glad to 
“let up” when he agrees to befriend the Grout bill 
rather than antagonize it. Last year we began to 
call attention to the attitude of Congressman S. E. 
Payne. Mr. Payne expected to brush away such criti¬ 
cism as one would brush a fly out of a plate. Before 
long he began to hear from the dairymen of Cortland 
County. In the end he was glad to “square himself" 
by promising to vote for the Grout bill. The chair¬ 
manship of the House Agricultural Committee is a 
National office. Our friend on page 511 seems to 
think the voters in Mr. Wadsworth’s own district will 
settle this matter. That is where he makes a mistake. 
We still advise farmers everywhere to write letters 
of protest to Speaker Henderson. 
* 
Last year many farmers in northern New Jersey 
were horrified to find much of their wheat riddled by 
an unknown insect. Those who delayed thrashing 
until late found the grain badly damaged. The insect 
proved to be the Angoumois grain moth—not at all 
a new insect, yet like many others more dangerous 
in certain seasons than in others. The damage last 
year was heavy, and now is the time to prevent even 
greater damage this year. The worst trouble last year 
occurred in wheat held long in stack or mow before 
thrashing. This gave just the condition needed by 
the insect for development. The remedy this year is 
to have the wheat thrashed at once—this month if 
possible. After thrashing store the grain in tight 
bags well filled and tied up tight. Either this or put 
the grain in tight bins, and if it begins to heat at all 
use bisulphide of carbon at once. 
Last week the most reliable business newspaper 
in New York printed a dispatch from Kansas in 
which it was stated that Kansas farmers in Osage 
County held up a train containing men going to work 
in the harvest fields and compelled them to handle 
their grain! That turns out to be a regular “funny” 
story from Kansas. Secretary Coburn, of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, writes: 
Nothing of the sort occurred In “Osage County” or 
anywhere else in Kansas. We haven’t any more wheat 
than we can harvest, but, of course, properly to care 
for the 5,000,000 acres necessitates getting up before 
breakfast for a few days. “Osage County” has but 1,607 
acres of wheat this year, and could harvest it in half 
a day, whenever ripe, without holding up any trains. 
These funny men on the daily papers must make 
a living in some way, but it is a shame that they try 
to make it by telling lies about respectable people 
and honorable communities. 
* 
A CITY man went out to visit a farmer who lives 
among the hills—far from the centers of so-called 
civilization. They began to discuss public matters, 
and the city man was astonished to find that his 
country friend had strong and original thoughts and 
ideas about deep and living questions. He was a 
little careless in some of his statements of fact and 
figures, and Mr. Parmer caught him up at once and 
corrected him. This astonished the city man, but it 
should not have done so. The country is, as it ever 
has been, the place for deep and searching thought. 
In the city there is a constant rush and excitement. 
Men learn to read mechanically, rarely thinking about 
what they have read. Life in the city is so full of 
change that there is little opportunity for true 
thought. All this is different in the country. Life 
is slower and saner. Fewer thoughts are presented to 
the human mind, and the tendency is to analyze and 
search for the truth. The result is often an original 
view of the matter, crude and rough perhaps, but 
strong and enduring. Yes, the country is now as ever 
the place for sound and healthy thinking. 
* 
An excellent law, which is being enforced to some 
extent in this city at present, is that which forbids 
spitting on the floors of street cars, ferryboats and 
the approaches to stations. The extreme penalty for 
this offence is $500 fine or one year’s imprisonment, 
or both, but the fines usually imposed are much less, 
generally $5. While violators of this law still go un¬ 
punished, because people dislike to complain of of¬ 
fenders unless an officer be present, still enough have 
been fined to stop many who were making nuisances 
of themselves, and a marked difference is noted in the 
condition of cars and stations. No one could con¬ 
sistently object to a man’s expectorating as much as 
he desires when in the fields or woods; but considera¬ 
tion for others should deter him from indulging in 
public places in a practice which is disgusting, and 
iikely to spread the germs of disease. 
* 
The Government crop report is more or less of a 
wet blanket. The wheat crop promises to be tre¬ 
mendous, but most other crops are short. We have 
never had much cxinfidence in these reports of such 
crops as corn or potatoes. How can any human be¬ 
ing look at a cornfield before the tassels appear, and 
tell how much grain it will make per acre? Who can 
look at potato tops and give more than a fair guess as 
to what the yield of tubers will be? We believe that 
the Government statisticians try to be conservative, 
but many people do not or will not understand just 
what their figures mean. Last year the official fig¬ 
ures for the apple crop were far too high, and were 
used to the detriment of those who had apples to 
sell. This year both private and Government report¬ 
ers agree that all crops except wheat are short. Now 
let us see if prices cannot be made long. 
m 
BREVITIES. 
Who comes and kicks you hard and long 
While you are fighting in the throng? 
Who strikes you then? Your enemy; 
You look for that from such as he. 
You know his trick, and warned, you go, 
Prepared to ward his hardest blow. 
But when, in some great fight you stand. 
With enemies at every hand. 
And though you bravely face them all 
They crush you backward and you fall. 
Who kicks you then—your enemy? 
No—that’s the time when such as he 
Can well afford to take a rest. 
For others do the job with zest. 
Your so-called “friends” will gather ’round. 
And kick you when you strike the ground. 
The cigarette habit in chicks—page 502. 
Mr. B. Wright is about the only man who will do 
right. 
Advice to dairymen—talk for the Grout bill and eat 
more cheese! 
How can you expect to make a hen lay without laying 
yourself out to learn her needs? 
If part of your hay must be cut late—feed that part to 
the horses. Early cut for cows! 
Yes. Too much of patting the boy on the back is the 
sort of son stroke that prostrates character. 
We are able to announce several strong articles on 
Porto Rico and the chances on the island for Americans. 
Here is a thing we’ve said before—it’s old but good, 
you know, be positive with negatives and learn to 
answer No! 
The city of New Orleans will begin a warfare against 
mosquitoes by spreading crude petroleum over all stag¬ 
nant wet places. . 
Of the nine justices of the United States Supreme Court 
one is white and two are colored. Nothing need be said 
concerning the complexion of the remaining six. 
Prof. Woods wisely says that the farm is not the 
place where men should look for wealth. Grant that, 
and yet the farm remains the best place on earth for 
those who love it. 
The Government statisticians are already figuring the 
total corn crop of the country down to odd bushels. 
What nonsense that is when, even now, much of the corn 
is barely knee high. 
“How long do you work your men?” we asked of a 
farmer recently. “As long as the horses can keep ahead 
of them!” A strange way that—to measure a man’s job 
by a horse’s capacity. 
Our friend on page 500 restates the old notion that 
driving nails into the trunk of a tree will kill or drive 
away borers. It will no more do it than pulling out a 
hen’s tail feathers will kill lice on her head. 
A NEW ordinance recently passed by the council of 
Tarrytown, N. Y., reads: “Any owner of a dog found at 
large without being muzzled will be subjected to a |10 
fine.” This seems unfair class legislation; there are 
other citizens besides dog owners who ought to be muz- 
bled at times. 
