664 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 28 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Colling wood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, / 
H. K. Van Deman, VAssocIatos. 
Mrs. B. T. Uoyle, \ 
John J. Dillon, Business Manauer. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.0i, equal to 
8s. (id., or 8 % marks, or 10^4 francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper Is backed by a 
responsible person. But to make doubly sure vro will make good any 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising In our columns, and any such swindler will bo publicly 
exposed. Wo protect subscribers against rogues, but we do not guar¬ 
antee to adjust trilling differences between subscribers and honest 
resiKinslble 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 Kuhal New'-Yorkeu when writing 
the advertiser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance is for, should 
i ■)ear In every letter. 
U^mlttances m»y be made In money order, express order, personal 
check or bank draft. 
THE KUKAU NEW-YORKER. 
409 Pearl Street, New Y’ork. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1901. 
If any changes are to be made in the President’s 
Cabinet we hope that the Department of Agriculture 
will remain as it is at present. Secretary James Wil¬ 
son is by far the most useful man who has tilled the 
chair of agriculture. He has won the respect and con- 
tidence of farmers, and from every consideration of 
business he should remain where he is. 
The American Pomological Society did a wise thing 
in tinaliy limiting the time for reading and discussing 
the papers read before it. Some of these papers are 
altogether too long. They contain much useful in¬ 
formation, and ought to oe printed in the Society’s 
reports, but they are not suited to public delivery, 
and are quite likely to send an audience to sleep. A 
brief and forcible synopsis is all that the audience 
should listen to. 
Apples which in ordinary seasons are not consid¬ 
ered fit for anything but pig feed may be sold to ad¬ 
vantage this year after being dried in the form of 
chops. The labor of preparing them is not great, as 
neither skin nor core is removed. The apple is cut 
in slices crosswise of the core, and may be dried either 
by sun or artificial heat. To bring the highest price, 
however, they should be bleached by exposing to the 
fumes of burning sulphur. 
A FRIEND on page 665 refers to farm land in Illi¬ 
nois. This land produces a greater profit per acre 
than ever before, and yet the selling price is lower 
by 35 per cent. It formerly paid 10 per cent profit 
on its selling price, and will now pay nearly twice 
that on its cash value. Why is it? No wonder that 
question is asked, for if any other business offered 
such financial returns to an individual investor there 
would be a tremendous rush into it. What has dead¬ 
ened farm property? 
“No, I want to see the trees. They are beautiful!” 
Thus spoke the death-stricken President to his nurse, 
as she was about to adjust his pillows so that the 
light from the window might not annoy him. These 
words, simple as they are, will impress themselves 
indelibly upon the memory and heart of every lover 
of trees the wide world over. How clearly and touch¬ 
ingly they reveal the innermost sweet unsullied na¬ 
ture of the dying man. Verily, the soul of any true 
tree lover does not wander very far astray. 
* 
Prof. L. H. Bailey, of Cornell Experiment Station, 
in a bulletin issued several years ago, claimed that 
“the Japan plums constitute the most important type 
of fruit introduced into North America during the 
last quarter of century,” and the yearly crop of plums 
now being secured from the earlier planted trees well 
bears out the prediction. Scarcely a dozen years ago 
plums were a high-priced luxury only found in the 
markets of a few cities. Now the cottager and ama¬ 
teur may eat his fill of Burbank or Abundance, and 
the village grocer displays his boxes of plums in com¬ 
pany with late berries and early tomatoes. The japan 
plums have shown many weaknesses, and are un¬ 
sparingly condemned by some growers, but it can no 
longer be denied that they are easily raised and give 
lots of good fruit. There are doubtless better plums 
than the Japan varieties now most generally planted, 
but so far as they belong to the European or Domes- 
tica type they are likely to remain of limited value on 
account of the restricted conditions under which they 
thrive. There is much hope of getting useful plums 
of excellent quality among the many hybrids now 
produced by plant breeders in various parts of the 
country, and in nearly every instance where real 
merit is evident a Japan variety is claimed as one of 
the parents. The time cannot be far distant when 
good plums will be as cheap and plentiful as grapes, 
thanks to this valuable introduction. 
* 
The opening gun in the coming battle against oleo 
will be fired at the coming meeting of the Farmers’ 
Congress at Sioux Falls, S. D. We are informed that 
efforts will be made by the oleo people to put this 
Congress on record as against the Grout bill. The 
honesit butter delegates should go prepared to defend 
the interests they represent, and if any action at all 
is taken by the Congress it should be an emphatic 
endorsement of the principles of the Grout bill. What 
other action could be taken by a meeting supposed to 
further the interests of farmers? 
The Department of Agriculture has devised three 
simple and easy tests for oleo. We have already given 
them in The R. N.-Y. These tests ought to form a 
part of the programme at fairs or farmers’ institutes. 
There is usually present some dairy expert who is 
competent to show in this simple way how oleo differs 
fi'om butter. It would make a very interesting ex¬ 
hibition and would, we believe, induce many people 
to try the test at home. It is of the utmost import¬ 
ance to educate buyers so that they will realize what 
oleo is and how it may be detected. The best friends 
of the farmers are the consumers who do not want 
to be deceived. Teach them the test! 
* 
For at least five minutes on the afternoon of Sep¬ 
tember 19 the most complete quiet and rest fell upon 
the great city of New York that it has known for a 
century. Usually the city is never quiet. Thousanas 
turn night into day, and labor while others sleep. 
The streets which through the day are crowded with 
those who follow trade or, pleasure, at night contain 
groups of workmen who by the light of great flaring 
lamps, repair the pavement and dig sewers or ditches. 
So it may be said that New York never sleeps, yet 
for five minutes a uush like that of a rurai Sunday 
afternoon held the great city in its gentle grasp. Not 
a wheel turned—not an arm was raised in labor or 
strife, for at that hour tue body of the murdered 
President was being laid at rest. These brief silent 
moments meant more for the uplifting and truest 
good of this great city than the millions she has 
raised for charitable purposes during the past five 
years. 
Much has been written and spoken regarding the 
public and private life of President McKinley. The 
world now knows the man as he was, and the Presi¬ 
dent as he hoped to be. It is generally recognized 
by all that the great ambition of the President’s lire 
was to benefit and uplift his country in the way 
which seemed to him best. A short time before the 
assassination he concluded a striking speech as fol¬ 
lows: 
Let us ever remember that our interest is in concord, 
not conflict; and that our real eminence rests in the vic¬ 
tories of peace, not those of war. We hope iliat all who 
are represented here may be moved to higher and nobler 
effort for their own and the world’s good, and that out 
of this city may come not only greater commerce and 
trade for us all, but, more essential than these, relations 
of mutual respect, confluence, and friendship which will 
deepen and endure. Our earnest prayer is that God will 
graciously vouchsafe prosperity, happiness and peace to 
all our neighbors and like blessings to all the people 
and powers of earth. 
That of itself is the sincerest tribute which one 
could write. It should be the hope of all true men 
that the future may see this prayer answered. 
» 
The writer recently ate breakfast at a hotel There 
was no printed bill of fare, but the waiter, after 
bringing the usual glass of water simply said; 
“Fruit?” 
“Yes, I would like a baked apple!” 
“We aint got no apples!” 
“What? No apples? That’s a singular thing! Hun¬ 
dreds of people want to start the day properly, and 
after honest prayer there are few things more suit¬ 
able to do it with than a good apple. Tell the pro¬ 
prietor for me that he ought to sei’ve apples!” 
A man at the foot of the table had listened to this 
conversation. 
“I’ll guarantee you belong to the Apple Consumers’ 
League!” he said. “I’ve heard about that League, and 
it’s a good thing. They will be serving baked apples 
here within a week!” 
When we began to talk about the American Apple 
Consumers’ League, three years ago, we must confess 
that the plan was partly a jest. We are glad to say 
that many people took it in dead earnest, and began 
to carry out the pledge at once. It is all very simple 
—we merely agree to call for apples in some form 
whenever we eat a meal at any public table. When 
apple has been omitted from the bill of fare we al¬ 
ways call attentiou to it. The object is to increase 
me demand for this excellent fruit. We want to 
educate the people ot town and city so that they wlil 
eat apples as freely as farmers eat them. Think what 
it would mean to the farmers of this country if suen 
a course of education could be carried out! The best 
place to start such a reform is at the table where food 
is bought. The people to start it are those who buy 
such food. We would like to have 1,000,000 membets 
of the American Apple Consumers’ League—and have 
them all talk apple. The trouble is that hundreds of 
members say the League is a fine thing, but they are 
as silent as the grave when some bill of fare without 
even a mention of dried apple is put in their hands. 
We want members who are not afraid to move their 
Adam’s apple for the benefit of their favorite fruit! 
It 
We have heard good farmers say that ashes seed 
land to clover. Their argument is about as follows: 
For several years the field had no clover in it. They 
sowed no clover seed. The year after using ashes a 
fair crop of clover appeared. Where could it have 
come from except in the ashes? When we point out 
the fact that no seed could live in a fire hot enough 
to burn wood to ash they say: ‘Well, where could 
the clover have come from?” Our explanation is that 
the clover seed was already in the soil, but the con¬ 
ditions were not right for its development. Seeds 
will live for years in this way. The ashes supplied 
what was needed, and the clover sprouted and grew. 
The ashes did not make new seed, but it gave the 
old seed opportunity. Sometimes a man will toil for 
years unrewarded and unrecognized. Then all at once 
opportunity comes to him and he prospers. Such a 
man is apt to say: “Oh, if I could only have had th s 
chance years ago, when I needed it more!” Had it 
come to him then he would have failed with it. 
Through the hard years of toil he was unconsciously 
building up character and ripening judgment. Like 
the seed in the soil, these waited until opportunity 
made the conditions ready for their use. 
* 
State Master Norris, of the New York Grange, 
gives a good reason why the Grange grows in power 
and usefulness while other farm organizations flourish 
for a time and then decline. Most of these other or¬ 
ganizations are built up on some political or business 
idea. For a time this is strong and popular, but in 
the very nature of the case such things mu.st change. 
Something more attractive takes its place, for both 
politics and business shift about, and will carry an 
organization up or down with them. The Farmers’ 
Alliance was strong, while what was Known as Popu¬ 
lism was a great political force. When that weakened 
the Alliance weakened with it. Not so with the 
Grange, which in spite of political changes grows 
stronger each year. Why? Because it is non-political, 
and does not depend on the whims of jioliticians. In¬ 
stead of being based on the shifting foundation of 
politics it is built on the solid foundation of the farm 
home. It is a social organization with a place for 
every member of the family—from Grandmother to 
the baby. The common, homely things that make 
up the routine and aims of farm life and their solid 
and true development are the foundation principles 
of the Grange. That is why it is a constantly grow¬ 
ing power. 
* 
BREVITIES. 
l^OTAsn brings in rag weed. 
"Smalleu roots for planting.” 
How the pigs do like “pusley.” 
Munch a bunch of grapes for lunch. 
A GOOD run often beats a bad stand. 
Bulky food for the young brood sow. 
Sei.fishness make.s home-groan fruit. 
'The bee tells a tale with a clear point to it. 
Killing peach borers with “gas” is the latest fake. 
Every corn grower has a right to the title of “kernel.” 
Shoui.d die with the leaves in October—the surplus 
young rooster. 
Get the stoves out of the shed. Beware the early 
tN’intcr cold in the head. 
Y'es, the California fruit crowds the market, but It In¬ 
creases the demand and doubles the fruit eaters. 
The Ohio Experiment Station finds that on poor soil 
heavy seeding (nine to 10 pecks) of wheat pays best. 
One hard feature of it Is that the President’s slayer is 
an .American—a distorted product of the American public 
school. 
In spite of the Government’s low report on corn, we 
believe the price for this cereal is higher now than the 
situation justifies. 
It is said by the Vermont Experiment station that the 
feed bill of the State amounts to $10 for each Inhabitant. 
Most of it is Western corn and bran—fed to cows. 
That moth-catcher man is a very convincing talker. 
We will use his trap next year, and send the whole batch 
of captured insects to a good entomologist for identifi¬ 
cation. 
