238 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 18, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
DR. WALTER VAX FLEET, I Associates 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, | Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 0(1., or 8% marks, or 10y 2 francs. 
cut reader to devise that—a woman, too. Here is what 
she says: 
A neighbor had a hen steal her nest in a manure pile in 
Winter, and hatch nearly every egg. Taking the hint, 
we put a peck of fresh horse manure in a box with a good 
deep nest on that and hatched 11 chicks from 13 eggs, and 
the same number from 14 eggs. Our later hatches in com¬ 
mon nests did not do as well, so I gave the manure some 
credit. 
Here is a case where the wisdom of the hen was 
amply justified by results. We should like to know 
whether others have applied the same hotbed principle 
to early sitting hens. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
backed by a responsible person. Hut to make doubly sure 
we will make good any loss to paid subscribers sustained 
by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising in our col¬ 
umns, and any such swindler will be publicly exposed. We 
protect subscribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
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. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one 
month of the time of the transaction, and you must have 
mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when writing the adver¬ 
tiser. 
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 RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 18 , 1905 . 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce The R. N.-Y. to progressive 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, we send it 
10 weeks for 10 cents for strictly introductory purposes. 
We depend on our old friends to make this known to 
neighbors and friends. 
* 
Keep up the talk about inferior wire and nails. In 
a battle it takes the weight of a soldier in bullets to 
put one of the enemy out of line. It will take tons of 
words to make the manufacturers give us good nails 
and wire. So keep at them cheerfully, and make the 
words weigh up to standard. Keep telling the story! 
* 
The “Corn Meetings” in Iowa are remarkable for 
size and enthusiasm. Special trains run all over the 
State, carrying Prof. Holden, of the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, and other experts, and stops are made for special 
corn meetings. There is more enthusiasm than there 
was during the great political campaign of 1896. A 
sample of Prof. Holden’s talk was printed last week. 
Why can we not have such meetings here? There is 
altogether too much dignity about some of our meet¬ 
ings ! 
* 
The New York Senate has passed for the second time 
the bill calling for an issue of $50,000,000 in State 
bonds—the money to be used in building good roads. 
It must he passed again by the House, and then sub¬ 
mitted to the voters of the State. We find public senti¬ 
ment divided even among farmers as to the wisdom of 
issuing these bonds. From our own investigations we. 
conclude that the great majority of farmers favor the 
bond issue on the general principle that the roads, be¬ 
ing public property, should be built by the State. As 
we have pointed out before, if the State had not issued 
bonds to enlarge the Erie Canal, few would have seri¬ 
ously considered this road bond issue. We find a 
small minority, of farmers who object to the bond is¬ 
sue on general principles, believing that it will open the 
way for all sorts of “graft” and plunder. 
* 
The Massachusetts Legislature is considering a bill 
putting a bounty on fox scalps, these animals having 
become a nuisance to farmers and poultrymen, but 
fox hunters are showing a strong opposition to the 
bill, and are exerting all their influence against it. Some¬ 
how we never realized that fox hunting is one of 
the infant industries that ought to be protected, or 
that the gentle and beneficent fox is suffering from the 
vicious assaults of the ferocious hen. As some of the 
State legislators may be suffering from the impression 
that Mr. Reynard is doing more to build up the Com¬ 
monwealth of Massachusetts than Mrs. Biddy, we would 
recommend farmers of that State to offer some infor¬ 
mation on that subject to their lawmakers. This is 
another case for the postage stamp ballot. Cast a vote 
for the Massachusetts hen. 
* 
When we issued “The Business Hen” we did not 
expect to cover all the details of the subject, nor did 
we think for a moment that we had left nothing unsaid. 
The hen resembles the “Serpent of old Nile” in one 
particular at least; age cannot wither nor custom stale 
her infinite variety. But we did feel that we had 
boiled down the science of gallinoculture into the es¬ 
sence of hen-keeping, just as the housewife boils down 
a whole caldron of soup stock into a quart of con¬ 
somme, and yet we never once thought of combining 
a hen with a hotbed! It was reserved for a Connecti¬ 
When we started the American Apple Consumers’ 
League we were unable to see all that the future had in 
store. Since then we have learned that apples stop the 
craving for strong drink, bring youth to old age and 
prevent family disputes. But one cannot live in sun¬ 
shine without casting a shadow, and here is a little 
of the shade: 
“An apple-eating wager took place at Avignon, France, on 
February 13, 1905. Jules I-eclerc ate 41 apples in 70 min¬ 
utes, Alex Demorest ate 47 in 70 minutes, and Alphonse 
lloguet managed to swallow 53 in 80 minutes. At latest 
accounts all three were seriously ill." This sickness, impos¬ 
sible with any quantity of wholesome American fruit, sug¬ 
gests that Monsieur Benjamin Davis lias crossed the herring- 
pond. H. L. W. 
We hope these three useful members of the League 
will recover. One can be intemperate in the most 
temperate things if one tries. For instance, cold water 
is the emblem of temperance, but it is doubtful if the 
Filipinos who tried the famous “water cure” will vote 
it entirely harmless. It is the man and his motive, and 
not the apple that does the injury. What we would like 
to know is whether these apple eaters are afflicted as 
cows are when they break into the orchard and gorge 
on apples! 
* 
Well, what about that letter? 
What letter? 
Why—the letter to Hon. Thomas C. Platt about the 
need of a parcels host. He is waiting to learn your 
opinion. Senator Platt is already hearing from people, 
but he wants this to rank among the large and im¬ 
portant things before he helps us. Here is a note from 
Michigan: 
No, 1 have not. written that letter to Mr. IMatt yet, hut 
7 intend to do so. I saw the benefit of the parcels post 
system while I was in England 7% years. j. B. 
Perhaps our friend has waited because he thinks the 
invitation extends only to New York readers. He 
need not fear. Senator Platt is a National character, 
and the parcels post is a great National question. Of 
course any citizen in the country is justified in writing 
Senator Platt. All together ! 
Here is another note from a New York reader: 
If Senator IMatt thinks parcels post will wait for him to 
get off the earth, would he not better put his affairs in 
shape soon? w - 
Strange, how differently we read between the lines 
of Senator Platt’s letter. We take it he is .only waiting 
for a strong expression of public feeling to come out 
and help us get the parcels post! 
* 
The Connecticut Experiment Station points out the 
danger of losing the varieties of flint corn formerly 
grown in that State. These varieties were hardy, and 
had been bred with great skill for many years. They 
gave grain much richer in protein than the western corn 
mostly used in the State to-day. Since the silo became 
popular there has been a demand for the large southern 
and western dent corn, which gives a heavy yield of 
stalk and leaf. Thus the smaller flints have been neg¬ 
lected, and in many cases it is feared that all the seed 
of good varieties has been lost. Dr. Jenkins well asks 
if tbe New- England farmers are not losing a birthright 
in letting these flint varieties pass out of culture. It is 
just as useful to keep them and improve them as it is 
to introduce new crops like Alfalfa or cow peas. Steps 
should be taken to save these flint varieties and breed 
them up to higher excellence, as has been done in the 
West. 
* 
The Breeders Gazette gives some excellent advice 
about writing letters to public men. Among other 
things, it says: 
Legislators are quick to question the motive which 
prompts appeals. They want to know the man behind the 
signature, and the reason why he has signed. They seardh 
for the inspiration of his action, for the cause of his peti¬ 
tion. Especially is this the case latterly when movements 
of all kinds are put on foot to influence the enactment of 
legislation. If a stream of letters couched in similar terms 
begins to flow to the desk of a member of Congress he 
sets to work to find out the force behind them and is 
bound to conclude that these requests are “machine-made," 
so to speak; that is, that they are not spontaneous out¬ 
pourings of popular opinion or expressions of popular de¬ 
sire, but that they are made to order by some force that 
is peculiarly interested in the pending legislation which such 
letters are designed to effect. Hence petitions liave largely 
lost their power to sway legislators. 
We became convinced of that long ago, and rarely 
advise people to send long petitions. The same is true 
of the average “resolution” passed by a meeting of 
people. Public men well understand tbe difference be¬ 
tween a direct and indirect appeal- When a man votes 
or signs with 100 others he divides responsibility and 
influence. When he writes a personal letter and signs 
it alone he lends all the influence he has to the cause. 
We have seen “resolutions” introduced at a farmers’ 
meeting which merely represented the personal wishes 
of a few selfish men. When put to a vote they were 
reported “carried,” though a majority were at heart 
opposed or did not understand what it was all about. 
Let us not deceive ourselves about such things. Public 
men accept such resolutions and petitions at their true 
value. Take the New York State Grange—or any 
other agricultural organization in the State. The Grange 
has nearly 70,000 members. Suppose the delegates of 
the State meeting or part of them voted “aye” on a 
certain resolution. Suppose 5,000 individuals each 
wrote a strong letter opposing tbe resolution! Does 
anyone doubt where public men would place the true 
power of the order? It is the strong, personal letter 
that gives power to the postage stamp vote. Keep in 
practice. 
* 
We are often asked by readers why we do not print 
full addresses of correspondents. It is often desired 
to write them for information. There are several good 
reasons, one of which is suggested by the following 
letter: 
I have had only one child, and she is dead, but the mem¬ 
ory of my own little one makes me wish to do what I can 
to help and protect all others. This week I have received a 
package through the mail containing a number of circulars 
advertising various novelties. Some of them seem innocent 
enough, but I send you one from which you can form an 
opinion of tlie general run of their contents. I suppose 
these are intended for the young people of our laud, and 
the package came to me by mistake. Now, I wish to 
know if something cannot be done to put a stop to this. 
The pictures and suggestions on this circular are not 
quite nasty enough to warrant the Government in ex¬ 
cluding them from the mails. No one with a clean 
mind would want them sent into his family. To print 
an address publicly is to invite such circulars and worse 
into your family. There are people who make a busi¬ 
ness of collecting such addresses. They are printed on 
long lists, and offered for sale. In that way your ad¬ 
dress may fall into the hands of a man who offers 
“green goods” or -the most offensive stuff for sale. We 
wish to protect our readers from a deluge of such 
“literature,” but will furnish privately any such address 
to reputable people._____ 
BREVITIES . 
Try a little Alsike clover seed. 
What is the true value of dust spraying? 
Why does the dollar we give to charity seem largest of all? 
Too bad when a man cannot have at least five apples 
a day. 
Silence is golden. Make most of your words as good as 
gold ! 
Yes sir, the man who would use formaldehyde should be 
formally de hided. 
Some people wouldn't even give others their sympathy if 
it cost anything in particular ! 
One way to get your crops worthy of the limelight is to 
lighten up your soil with lime. 
The California legislature asks for an appropriation of 
$8,500 for the investigation of pear blight. 
“Dodder” is a parasitic plant which chokes out Alfalfa 
in some fields. A bulletin from Cornell (Ithaca, N. Y.) 
describes it. 
We are told that a soft answer turneth away wrath. No 
answer at all will sometimes turn if off into a field where 
it will starve. 
Our Maryland friend (page 230) refers to the rotation of 
cow peas, patience and perseverance. It may do to rotate 
the cow peas, but the others should be as constant as the 
air and sun. 
We hear of the man who was told that hens need lime, 
lie pounded up a piece of quicklime and gave it to the liens. 
Now he says the hens are sick—with sore mouths—won t 
eat. Who blames them? 
A bill just introduced in the New York Legislature pro¬ 
poses to tax automobiles at the rate of $2 per horse power. 
It is reckoned that this would bring into the State Treasury 
an annual revenue of $400,000. 
A Texas man, who has perhaps been studying the Con¬ 
gressional discussions on free seeds, recently sent the fol¬ 
lowing request to his Representative: “Will you please send 
me a bull pup from the Bureau of Animal Industry?" 
Gov. Handy is reported as saying that he will not appoint 
a drinking man to an important office. If lie said so, he 
said well. Railroads and large corporations demand temper¬ 
ance in their employees—why should the State ask less. 11 It 
would be a good move to separate army officers from rum ! 
The New York City Health Commissioner recently tested 
a jar of so-called “plum Jelly” which contained enough in¬ 
delible dye to color 256 square inches of white cloth. It is 
not asserted, however, that this is as dangerous as those 
fluids which are supposed to impart an indelible color to a 
man's nose. 
The United States General Appraisers have decided offi¬ 
cially that the shamrock is a clover, and thus shamrock 
seeds may be imported free of duty as grass seeds. This 
suppresses those who believe the original shamrock to be a 
wood sorrel, but in any case no one but a cold-blooded ana 
unsentimental customs officer would ever think of assessing 
duty upon it. 
