776 
November 16 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homea. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, / 
H. E. Van Deman. >-Associates. 
Mrs. B. T. Royle, \ 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOEIiAE A YEAR. 
To foreign oonntries in the Universal Postal Union, t2.04, eqnal to 
8s. 6d., or 814 marks, or 1U>4 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 
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 trifling differences between subscribers and honest 
responsible advertisers. Neither will we be responsible for the debts 
of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Motlce of the complaint 
must be sent us within one month of the time of tne transaction, and 
you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when writing 
the advertiser. 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance Is for, should 
a; 2 pear 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 Tork. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1901. 
It seems from what the hay dealers say on page 
773, that most of the stories about rocks, old boots 
and other “foreign substances” in hay bales are 
“fakes.” It is easy to accuse the farmer of cheating, 
but an investigation of this sort shows that there is 
really less ot it than one would suppose. Modern 
methods of doing business are often a great check on 
dishonesty, because when the consumer finds that he 
has been cheated the disgraceful record is handed 
back through one handler after another to the orig¬ 
inal seller—and he is rightly shunned. But what a 
world we would have if true honesty were applauded 
as dishonesty in such matters is condemned! 
« 
Mr. Clinton’s article on teasels is useful in again 
bringing out the fact that there are little localities 
or pockets scattered over the country which are well 
suited to some particular crop. It is a legitimate part 
of agriculture for one to hunt out these localities and 
utilize them. Many of us do not really know what 
crops our farms or fields are best adapted to. Per¬ 
haps we lose time and money every year because we 
try to grow potatoes on soil that never was designed 
for that crop, or grain on fields naturally adapted to 
fruit. No one would think of suggesting teasels as 
a crop for all farmers, but the facts about it ought 
to set every farmer to studying the needs and capacity 
of his own farm. 
The American Apple Consumers’ League is grow¬ 
ing. The Fruit Trade Journal of this city prints the 
pledge and pats the League on the back. There is no 
fooling about this movement. Just go ahead and 
“call for apple.” Human nature will do the rest. We 
have this note from a city man: 
Could you recommend me to some good man who would 
sell me A1 goods at a fair figure? A man who does not 
wish to become rich through a single transaction would 
be the right party. e. d. 
Life member A. A. C. L. 
There is the weak point in the business. Where 
are these fine apples to be bought? The time is rap¬ 
idly coming when there will be in this city alone 
50,000 families who will demand a box of fine apples 
each week. The California growers are preparing 
for that trade. What a wonderful opportunity the 
New York State Fruit Growers have to put guaranteed 
boxed apples on the market! Keep up the call for 
apples. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder!” 
* 
One Saturday afternoon, in this city, the writer saw 
a large wagon loaded with baskets of grapes which 
were being sold at 10 cents a basket. The price was 
so low that people at first fought shy of them, but 
finally it was found that the grapes were excellent 
and the load was quickly sold out. Investigation 
showed that the man who grew and shipped these 
grapes had actually secured more than the buyers 
paid. How could that be possible? It turned out 
that the commission man had paid an average price 
per basket for an entire large shipment. They had 
been sold at different prices—the average being such 
that he cleared a fair profit. On Saturday there were 
a few hundred baskets left, and more were coming 
the following week. It was decided to close them 
ouL at once at a low price, since the entire shipment 
had already paid. In one way it was a good adver¬ 
tising dodge. People who bought these grapes were 
sure to notice the names of the grower and the com¬ 
mission man, and call for their goods when they 
bought again. Every taste of good fruit creates a 
craving for a dozen more, and this is what builds up 
and develops trade. In most lines of business manu¬ 
facturers are willing at first to give away the price 
of one article to advertise four more. 
* 
The postal authorities have issued an order deny¬ 
ing the use of the mails to a so-called art manufac¬ 
turing company in this city. They advertised to give 
profitable employment at home, and promised to buy 
the work done by those who sent them $3.50 for an 
outfit. The books of the company failed to show 
that they had ever made any of these promised pur¬ 
chases, the whole thing being a clear case of fraudu¬ 
lent intent. The Government is also after a number 
of oil companies which have sprung up in Texas 
and are trying to sell worthless stock in the East. 
It is said that of the 550 or more oil companies which 
have been organized in Texas during the present year 
less than one-fifth hold any property of value. It is 
a hard blow to these frauds to shut them out of the 
mails, and all who run across clear cases of this sort 
should communicate with the postal authorities, giv¬ 
ing all the facts. 
* 
Last week we had a good article describing some 
of the peculiar methods of culture which have made 
the apple orchai’d of Grant Hitchings famous. We 
always hesitate before printing such articles. They 
are as true as human mind can put them, yet readers 
do not always apply them as they should. We may 
safely say that whenever any farmer makes a true 
statement of results that are much above the aver¬ 
age, it is always safe to assume that some natural 
advantage of climate, soil or location is partly re¬ 
sponsible for it. There is generally some controlling 
factor which either cannot be duplicated by all, or 
else requires the most patient study and the most 
ceaseless toil. We do not say this to discourage any¬ 
one who tries to duplicate these remarkable successes, 
but rather to point plainly to a fact which many of 
us must leai’n to our sorrow. One great ti’ouble with 
agricultural journalism as we view it is the fact that 
writers try to paint the story of their successes with¬ 
out a shadow of qualification. 
* 
The Milk Commission of the New York Medical 
Society has been investigating the city’s milk supply. 
They make various suggestions about the care of 
the milk on the farm, some of which are sensible. 
The following, however, strikes us as getting down 
to a point finer than the bacteria which it is desired 
to keep out of the milk: 
In addilion to having a milker clean shaven, it is better 
that he should be a single man than a married man, be¬ 
cause the former is less likely to carry infection from 
his home, as the details ol his living admit of better 
oversight. 
There has long been an outcry against the child of 
the hired man, and this looks like warfare on the 
married milkman. If our medical friends really de¬ 
sire to improve New York’s milk supply they may 
well bring all their guns to bear on the enforcement 
of a law which compels dealers to steam thoroughly 
all milk vessels sent back to the country. Let the 
cans be well steamed here and there will be less trou¬ 
ble at the farm. Don t waste your time over the mar¬ 
ried man and his beard, gentlemen, but see that the 
cans are steamed! 
In a recent address before the American Bankers* * 
Association Secretary Gage among other things said: 
Taking the last 30 years, what sum, on the average, in 
excess of an ample working balance has the Treasury 
kept under lock and key and away from all current use 
in the fields of industry and exchange? The amount is 
found to average $50,000,000. If these surplus millions 
had been deposited with National banks in the Clearing 
House cities in the proportion the relative capital of 
each bank bears to the whole capital; and if secondly, 
the only security to the Government had been, in case 
of bank failures a prior lien on such bank’s assets, not 
a dollar of loss would the Treasury have suffered. Next, 
if under these conditions the banks had paid interest to 
the Government at the rate of two per centum upon the 
funds so deposited, how much would the Treasury have 
been benefited? Answer: $32,000,000. With this fund as 
an aid to their general operations in the field of trade 
and commerce, to what extent, on the average, would 
the banks have been able to increase credit accommoda¬ 
tions to the people? Answer: $200,000,000. Have we not 
been guilty of an enormous economic waste by reason of 
our peculiar Treasury system? , 
The “idle dollar” is usually more of a curse than a 
blessing. It would seem as though every honest dol¬ 
lar should be regarded as a tool to be kept clean and 
free from rust by fair work. Why should Uncle Sam 
keep such vast sums hidden away in his stocking, 
while worthy enterprises are suffering for the lack 
of credit or capital? How absurd it is to keep these 
great sums of money in the Treasury and still keep 
up the stamp taxes levied during the war with Spain! 
The remaining war taxes are no longer needed for 
purposes of revenue, and should be repealed at once. 
“What are the chances of passing the Grout bill 
this Winter?” We were surprised to hear this ques¬ 
tion from a man whom we supposed took little inter¬ 
est in trade matters. He went on to expiain: “1 
have read about this bill in The R. N.-Y, At first it 
did not impress me as of much importance, but I 
now understand the principle that lies back of it. 
The whole thing comes down to a question of busi¬ 
ness honesty. The oleo people have had every chance 
to be honest if they really cared to sell their product 
for just what it is. They have declined the chance, 
and now it is a question of chaining them to honesty 
with a high tax. If they are permitted to sell a coun¬ 
terfeit the way is opened for dozens of other frauds 
and adulterations. Therefore this is a matter which 
concerns the whole body of American common peo¬ 
ple. It will establish a precedent one way or the 
other, and there is every reason why it should be 
decided honestly.” 
* 
From all over the West come reports of corn shows 
and studies of the corn ear. All these things help 
farmers to decide just what a good ear of seed corn 
should look like. A few wise men here and there 
have for years taken great care in the selection of 
iheir seed. In some cases they had but a crude idea 
of what was wanted in the shape and character of the 
ear, yet by selecting what they called the “best” they 
have produced a local strain which produces a fine 
crop. The work now being done is an effort to learn 
just what the “best” ear is—what shape, how many 
rows and the size of the kernel! One trouble with 
many farmers is the fact that they have no definite 
standard for seed or work. A man can no more farm 
well without some ideal in mind than a hunter can 
learn to shoot without a target. This plan of study¬ 
ing and classifying the desirable points in an ear of 
seed corn is excellent, and will surely increase the 
yield of all who try it. 
Last year we impoi'ted into the country 34,735,632 
pounds of Egyptian cotton, valued at $5,2o4,853! The 
year before nearly 50,000,000 pounds of this cotton 
were imported. Strange, is it not, that while this 
country supplies its own mills and actually exports 
nearly 3,500,000,000 pounds, it must still send $5,000,- 
000 abroad for cotton! There is nothing strange about 
it when we understand that the Egyptian cotton is 
of a peculiar quality which we have not yet been able 
to duplicate profitably. We must first find some place 
in this great country where the conditions of climate 
and soil which prevail in Egypt can be duplicated. 
For several years past the Department of Agriculture 
has been searching for just such a place—and it is 
now reported that New Mexico and Arizona give just 
ibhe conditions required. It is hoped that out on the 
sands of these territories a way may be found to wipe 
out our National cotton bill. One of the most inter¬ 
esting things connected with the development of 
American agriculture is the slow and patient search 
for sections where may in time be grown the sugar, 
tea, coffee, fruit and other food products which we 
now purchase abroad. 
m 
BREVITIES. 
A TICKET is a bill of fare. 
Cow peas for humus—Canada peas for hay. 
You turn a bill into a William by paying it. 
Gives a good account of itself—the cow pea. 
Campaign cry for the dairyman—the full milk pail! 
The hen, as ever, stands ready to do her share for the 
family. 
Some men have the stuff in them—others are simply 
stuffed! 
Why, oh why, has not the surplus rooster been made 
into pie? 
Sometimes a so-called scientist at some tough nut will 
squirm. Instead of saying “I don’t know” he gets be¬ 
hind a “germ.” 
Many young men need both help and advice. They 
demand the first and kick hard when the latter is gently 
handed them. 
It looks as though the progi’ammes of the various 
horticultural and agricultural meetings would be better 
than usual this year. 
To bring the discussion of work for the country girl 
down to a more definite target we will say that she now 
asks whether balsam pillows will sell! 
Twelve deaths from lockjaw, as the result of Infected 
antitoxin supplied to diphtheria patients, is a matter the 
St. Louis board of health must investigate very closely. 
It will be used as an argument to strengthen the claims 
of anti-vaccinationlsts. 
Various devices were employed during the recent cam¬ 
paign in this city to break up opposition meetings. One 
man employed twq dogs which started a fight just as the 
opposition speake^was gettln^^^ his best licks. An¬ 
other employed a' professional*^^t thrower” who had 
what is known as a “fake fit” just when the speaker 
most needed his audience! 
