28 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 11 
“FACTS.” 
We get lots of good words from our 
readers, particularly at this time of the 
year. Some of them are printed. Pos¬ 
sibly some of you newer readers think 
that we print all the good things and 
burn up all the bad words that are said 
about us ! Oh, no ! We are not afraid 
to face the music of any honest criticism. 
When a man gives fair and open reasons 
for a verdict against The R. N.-Y., we 
shall not only give him his dollar back, 
but also let him have space to talk about 
it. Here, for example, is a man with an 
honest opinion : 
1 have read The R. N.-Y. for the past three 
years, and had been well pleased with it until the 
last few issues. But now I think that there is too 
much wildness about it. Last fall I sent you four 
trial subscriptions; so to-day I went to see the 
subscribers and asked them how they liked The 
Rural and whether they would renew. One of 
the new subscribers threw his last issue into the 
fire before reading, and the others were boiling 
mad. Now I will give you the reason. This is a 
potato community, aud all are of the opinion thai 
publishing such statements to the whole world 
as that man’s from Wisconsin, who can raise 
potatoes for five cents a bushel, will do them 
more harm than all the good they can get out of 
the pai>er in 40 years. If that man is smart 
enough to raise potatoes at that price, let him 
keep his wisdom to himself as manufacturers do. 
Please do not ask me to get you any more sub¬ 
scriptions. GEORGE KENLINE. 
Genesee County, N. Y. 
Now we respect that man’s opinion, but 
we don’t think it is entirely sound. As 
for the man who burned up his paper— 
he isn’t a good business man, for that 
was just like burning up money. If he 
had even hinted to us that the paper was 
not satisfactory, we would have paid 
him his money right off. Maybe he can 
afford to burn up money that way—we 
can’t; but we wish to say right here 
that we don’t propose to hold one cent’s 
worth of any man’s dissatisfaction. If 
you don’t like The R. N.-Y. and are 
“boiling mad” at something that has 
been printed in it, don’t go through such 
childish performances as burning it up ! 
Write to us man-fashion and say that 
you are disappointed, and want your 
money back. You can have it at any 
time. 
* 
Rut is our friend right in his opinion ? 
You see, he doesn’t question Mr. Cur¬ 
rier’s figures. The question is—is it bet¬ 
ter for him to know what is going on 
among other farmers, and prepare him¬ 
self for coming changes, or should he 
be kept in ignorance until the results of 
those changes strike his farm like a 
thunderbolt? If those Western farmers 
know how to grow potatoes at five cents 
a bushel, you may be sure they won’t 
forget how to do it. Suppose that Edi¬ 
son overheard men talking of a plan to 
utilize the force of the ocean waves, 
and thus produce electricity at one-fifth 
the cost of his own plant. Do you think 
that he would stuff cotton in his ears 
and get “ boiling mad ” at the air which 
conveyed the sound to him? He wouldn’t 
like it, but the result would be that he 
would overhaul his own plans and think 
out some better way. We will guarantee 
that the man who got “ boiling mad,” 
will improve his methods of growing 
potatoes this season, so that he will 
grow a cheaper bushel than before. We 
haven’t so much hope for the man who 
burned his paper ; but even he will be 
stirred up to investigate and see how he 
can squeeze out a little waste. The only 
trouble is that he won’t give us credit 
for the improvement when, in reality, it 
was The R. N.-Y. that started him up 
out of the old rut. 
* 
Ever since the world begun, men have 
fought new things, and tried to stifle 
knowledge. When the Erie Railroad 
first went through New York State, some 
farmers gave all sorts of arguments 
against it. Among other things, they 
said that the smoke from the trains 
would settle on the sheep and spoil the 
wool ! There were men who felt like 
killing George Stevenson or Robert Ful¬ 
ton when they made possible the rail¬ 
road and the steamboat. The first print¬ 
ing presses and wooden types were 
smashed by the writers who had been 
recording the world’s thought with a 
pen. When the United States Govern¬ 
ment began to pay $750,000 per year for 
experiment stations, some people said, 
“There’s an end of The R. N.-Y experi¬ 
ment grounds ”—but they are still on 
deck ! You can’t kill off knowledge that 
way. If you stuff cotton in your ears, 
or tie a handkerchief over your eyes so 
as not to see and hear it—so much the 
worse for you when it grows into a 
mighty giant, and changes the course of 
society. Some years ago, The R N.-Y. 
told how well bred horses were raised in 
Wyoming at a cost of $8 a head. There 
were, doubtless, farmers who got angry 
at that. Perhaps they burned up the 
paper—at any rate they went on breed¬ 
ing poor little scrub horses that are to¬ 
day worth hardly the old time value for 
hide and fertilizer. There were other 
men who saw in that Western compe¬ 
tition a stern command to breed better 
horses or none at all. These men were 
able to hold their own. So it has been 
and will be with wheat, hay, butter, 
milk, potatoes and other things. The 
only men who will stand up against the 
tide, are those who see it coming, and 
prepare for it by making a closer study 
of their business, and developing with 
the times. The man who hasn’t learned 
some new idea from this potato discus¬ 
sion, is a singular being, and all we have 
to say is that he needs a harder knock 
to start up the current of his thoughts. 
* 
Now what we have to say is that The 
R. N.-Y. is going right ahead to tell 
what is being done on American farms 
—North, South, East and West. We 
shall try hard to obtain the truth, and 
then it will be printed without fear or 
favor. We wish to say to you kindly, 
but firmly, that if you expect us to dodge 
any issues or stifle any facts about the de¬ 
velopment of American agriculture, you 
would better drop the paper right away. 
If any of you have already subscribed 
and don’t like this policy, you can have 
your dollar back at the first whisper that 
it is desired. If it gives you more satis¬ 
faction to burn up your paper than it 
would to handle the money you have 
paid—we have no objection. We want 
you to be satisfied. We are going right 
ahead to sound a warning and tell the 
truth for the benefit of those who are 
willing to learn what their mistakes are. 
A little plain speaking now and then 
won’t hurt us any. You know now just 
(Continued on next page.) 
Last Call for Those Cash Prizes ! 
Before you get the next issue, those cash prizes will be in the hands of eight 
agents. It rests with you whether you have one of them or not. As it now 
stands the $75 check would go to an agent who sent us only about half as many 
dollars for subscriptions, and some of the smaller checks would go for clubs of 
from seven to ten names. That is the condition now. We find no fault. Thou¬ 
sands of agents and subscribers have sent in small clubs, but no agents have made 
an effort to lead in the contest. The checks will go no matter how small the 
clubs. There is time enough to start in and win one of the prizes. This is the 
last word. It rests with you whether you get a check on the 16th or not. You can 
work up to the night of the 15th, and wire number of names mailed that night, 
and they will count. THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, NEW YORK. 
None So Blind as Those Who Will Not See! 
Said a fence maker to a wire maker, “Of 
course that‘spring steel’in the ‘Rage’ is all 
bosh.” “Don’tfool yourself,” said the W. INI. 
“We make train loads of Rage wire and we 
couldn’t give them the wire wesell you. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, PJIich. 
Gabled Field and Hog Fence, 
24 to 58 inches high; Steel Web Picket Lawn Fence; 
Poultry Garden and Rabbit Fence; Steel Ga.es, 
Steel Posts and Steel Ralls;Tree.FloweraiidToni<ito 
Guards; Steel Wire Fence Board,etc. Catalogue free. 
DeKALB FENCE CO., | 7 High St., DcKalb, Ilf. 
WOVEN WIRE FENCEi 
0ver50 StyleslThe beston Earth. Horse high, I 
-— ---— Bull strong, Pig and Chicken I 
tight. You can make from 40 I 
to 60 rods per day for from | 
14 to 22c. a Rod. 
Illustrated Catalogue Free. 
KITSELMAN BROS., 
Ridgeville, - Indiar 
5 0 FOR A 
MACHINE 
to weave your fence at 
25 Cts. per Rod. 
10 No. 10 Gal. wires. Cross 
wires No. 12. We will 
sell wire for a 100 rod 
fence for 820 . Agent* 
Wanted. Catalogue Free. 
CARTER 
WlrfFenreJIach.ro. 
Box 30 911.Sterling,«. 
THE BOWEN 
Cable Stay Fence Machine. 
ONLY Si 10.00. 
No Farm Rights or Royalties to pay for. More ma¬ 
chines sold at State Fairs of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois 
and Missouri, than all other machines combined. 
Send for circular. Agents wanted in every County. 
BOWEN CABLE STAY FENCE COMPANY, 
Norwalk, Ohio. Write us at once. 
STEEL 
AXLES. 
Horse Carls 
12 STYLES. 
NARROW am/\j $25 
WIDE TIRES. V Upwurda. 
2 and 4 Wheels. Write for 
circ’sand say %vhatyou need. 
HOBSON A CO. 1 1 factory— 
Ko.4 Stone St., NewYork. ( Tatam/,!'*, 
For 
LEGGETTS PARIS 
OR DRY POWDER GUN, 
Potato Field, Vineyard or Orchard. 
Over one acre potatoes dusted per hour, two rows at 
a time. One pound of Paris-green to the acre; no 
water or plaster used. One grower writes: “I am 
highly pleased with the working of your Gun, and if 
cost was twice as much 1 would buy one before going 
back to the old expensive treatment with plaster and 
water. If all growers would use Green in this way, 
potato bugs would soon be a pest of the past. A 
neighbor had a sprayer. He started spraying, and I 
dusting at the same time. I quit at, 10 A. M.; he quit 
at sundown. Just about the same amount of work 
done in both cases. 1 carried 15 pounds; he carried 
60 pounds.” Circulars furnished showing how to do it. 
LEGGETT & BRO., 301 Pearl Street, New York: or 
WM. T. LEGGETT, Pittsburgh, Pa. Agents Wanted. 
HOW TO BUY ANI) USE 
PLANT FOOD 
$10 to $15 per ton can be saved by buying fertilizers 
intelligently, and using 
NITRATE OF SODA, 
the cheapest and best source of nitrogen. 
A Valuable Pamphlet, containing the results 
of experiments with fertilizers and directions how 
to use and buy fertilizers to the best advantage, sent 
FREE. Address 
S. M. HARRIS, Moreton Farm (P. 0.). N. Y. 
Farmer’s Handy Wagon 
ments can be 
used only in 
one kind of 
work and in 
one crop dur¬ 
ing the year, 
hut our Handy 
Wagon is sav¬ 
ing you money 
all the time. 
It is needed upon 
every farm.wbeiber 
sidehlll or level. Metal Wheels 
The greatest econo- for your old 
mizer ever bought Wagons. 
by the farmer. 
A “NEW IDEA” In wagons, 
and indorsed by the great Agricul¬ 
tural Colleges. We would like to 
tell you Its advantages. We 
make other i m plements and are 
offering special inducements to 
those buying during tne winter 
FARMER’S HANDY WAGON CO., 
Write us. SAGINAW, MICH. 
DSuav *00 acres; 50 Improved, balance 
nlVwl rallTl line timber Price. $2,800; a 
bargain. LOUIS P. FAULKNER, Hancock, N. Y. 
FIVE GREAT BOOKS FREE. 
You want one of these books. We know you do. You probably think that 
you can afford to buy them. No matter; we will not ask you to buy them. You 
can get one or all of them without costing you a cent. Just get $1 of your neigh¬ 
bor for a year’s subscription to The Rural New-Yorker ; send us the $1 and his 
name and address, and if he is a new subscriber, we will mail you prepaid your 
choice of the books. If you want more than one book, send a new subscription 
with a dollar for every book wanted. Please note that two of these books cost $1 
each, and the other three 75 cents each. These are not the cheap trashy books 
usually given for premium work. They are taken from our regular stock, are 
well printed on good paper, and nicely bound, fit for any library. Let it be under¬ 
stood that these books are given as pay for getting a neighbor’s subscription. 
They will, in no case, be sent to any one for sending his own subscription, whether 
new or renewal. Don’t delay. Get after your neighbor at once. Then he can do 
the same with another neighbor, and get his book. Thousands of readers stand 
ready to do a kind act for The Rural. Here is an opportunity to do it, and get 
paid for it besides. Here are the books ; 
The Business Hen. 
H. W. Collingwood. Breeding and Feeding 
Poviltry for Profit. With special articles by 
leading practical and successful poultrymen. 
The egg and the dollar are what it chiefly 
considers. Cloth, 75 cents. 
American Grape Training-. 
L. H. Bailey. Illustrated by photographic 
engravings of the actual growing vines, and 
represents all the practical systems of train¬ 
ing in detail. Indispensable to every grape 
grower. Flexible cloth, 75 cents. 
The New Potato Culture. 
Elbert S. Carman. Grower of over 1,000 
bushels of Potatoes per acre. This book 
gives the result of 15 years’ experiment work 
on the Rural Grounds. How to Increase the 
Crop without Corresponding Cost of Produc¬ 
tion. Manures aud Fertilizers. How to Put 
the Soil in Right Condition. Depth of Plant¬ 
ing. How Much Seed to Plant. Methods of 
Culture. Cloth, 75 cents 
First Lessons in Agriculture. 
F. A. Gulley, M. S. This book discusses the 
more important principles which underlie 
agriculture, in a plain, simple way. It is 
just what the practical farmer, without a 
knowledge of chemistry or botany, needs. 
Cloth, $1. 
The Nursery Book. 
L. H. Bailey. Handbook of Propagation and 
Pollination of Plants. Profusely illustx-ated. 
It tells, plainly and briefly, what every one 
who sows a seed, makes a cutting, sets a 
graft or crosses a flower wants to know. It 
is entirely new and original in method and 
matter. The cuts number 107, and are made 
expressly for it, direct from nature. The 
book treats of all kinds of cultivated plants, 
fruits, vegetables, greenhouse plants, hardy 
herbs, ornamental trees and shrubs, and 
forest trees. Cloth, $1. 
We shall give notice of withdrawal of these terms, later. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York, 
