412 
TIIE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 20, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TllE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Hehbbkt w. Colling wood, Editor. 
Da. Walter Van Fleet, ( Alte 
Muh. K. T. Koylb, ( Associates 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 0d., or 8% marks, or 10% francs. 
stations to take tip. Now they are changing their minds, 
and if they will keep at the subject and stick to this one 
point, we shall, within a reasonable time, be able to 
buy our wire on a guarantee somewhat like that given 
for fertilizers and feed. Denunciations of the steel 
trust and general complaints about wire may make a 
loud noise, but that is about the extent of their execu¬ 
tion. We shall not be able to buy satisfactory wire 
until we know just what such wire is. The chemists 
employed by the Government are the people to tell us 
about this. Let us all keep at them until they tell. 
* 
“A SQUARE 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 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 lie responsible for 
the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of 1 lie complaint must lie sent to us within one 
month of the time of the transaction, and you must have 
mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when writing 1 lie 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, MAY 20, 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 fpr strictly introductory purposes. 
We depend on our old friends to make this known to 
neighbors and friends. 
* 
In addition to the common methods of soaking seed 
potatoes to prevent scab, fumigation is now suggested. 
This is done by means of formaldehyde gas. Sulphur 
was tried, but not found useful. To produce the gas, 
formalin is used; the same substance that is used in 
soaking. The potatoes are put in an airtight room and 
three pints of formalin for each 1,000 cubic feet of space 
are required. Four times as much water is added, and 
the solution is put in pans or kettles over a stove in the 
middle of the room. Enough fuel is left in the stove 
to evaporate the water. The room is shut tight and 
kept closed for 24 hours. The evaporation generates 
the gas, which penetrates all through the piles of pota¬ 
toes. As a result of a number of trials at the Vermont 
Experiment Station it was found that this fumigation 
was just as effective as soaking. It would he easier for 
some people. There are formaldehyde candles made 
that would answer the purpose. 
* 
There are many spraying reports like the following: 
But very few around here practice spraying of orchards. 
While nearly every farm has a small orchard, it is a sec¬ 
ondary affair, and valued chiefly as a home supply. Many 
who believe in it theoretically do not get around to prac¬ 
tice it on account of pressure of other work, scarcity of 
help, etc. 
All such reports indicate, what many growers claim, 
that the future of fruit growing is in the hands of those 
who will make a business of spraying. There can he no 
doubt of the fact that the San Jose scale and other in¬ 
sects are sure to increase in numbers and power for 
mischief. It must be a constant warfare against them, 
and those fruit growers who will not or cannot spray 
will be eventually driven out of business. This is hard, 
but it is evidently true. In the face of this fact many 
peach growers are going ahead hopefully with new or¬ 
chards. The confidence they have in their ability to 
master the scale by the use of lime, sulphur and salt 
is impressive. 
* 
We are glad to see the Ohio Farmer get on the right 
c ide of the wire question. It prints some excellent 
letters from readers, and then says, among other things. 
The galvanizing is a sham and soon wears off. Some¬ 
thing should lie done to protect farmers in this matter. 
Fence wire should last 25 years at least, and if properly 
galvanized it will. It is too great a tax on the farm to lie 
compelled to re-fence every 8 or 10 years. Woven wire 
fence manufacturers are not to blame, generally, as they 
purchase their wire from manufacturers. Wire is all made 
and controlled, substantially, by the great steel and wire 
trust, and. as one dealer expressed it to ns recently, it is 
made to sell, and to meet the universal demand for cheap 
material, I. e., cheap in price. The manufacturer who will 
put out a fence guaranteed to last 25 years, at a reason- 
aide price, can do a lively business. It would be well for 
the State to fix a standard for this material and require all 
manufacturers to come up to it. 
What we mean by getting on the right side is the 
statement made in the last sentence. When The R. 
N.-Y. first began to urge the experiment stations to in¬ 
vestigate wire and give the public a standard to be 
used in buying the farm papers seemed to be badly 
shocked. They seemed to think s"ch a thing was im¬ 
possible or unnecessary, or else not fair work for the 
Connecticut farmers were not interested in sending 
a man of their own occupation to the United States Sen¬ 
ate. The contest came down to a battle between two 
machines or elements of the dominant party. We heard 
the statement from farmers themselves that there is no 
good reason why a fanner should be sent to Washing¬ 
ton. “A lawyer will do the State, or even agriculture, 
more good than any farmer could!” We do not agree 
with any such sentiment. To :end a well-known farmer 
to the Senate because lie is worthy of the honor would 
dignify New' England agriculture, and call attention to 
it as a business. Why not let the public know that 
law'yers and managers of great business enterprises do 
not have a complete monopoly of the Senate? The 
farmers of Connecticut would have occupied a strong 
position if they had kept away from the political ma¬ 
chines and supported an independent man like J. II. 
Hale. They had a chance to do so. 
* 
The Treasury Department has been making another 
of those vividly illuminating decisions that shed light 
on life’s pathway, and add new gaiety to the monotony 
of existence. It has just decided that while live rabbits 
are just plain rabbits, they are translated by death to 
a higher sphere, and become venison. Instructions were 
recently sent to the collector at Bangor, Me., to apply 
this new classification. For a long time % he has been 
classifying dead rabbits as “non-enumerated unmanu¬ 
factured articles,” but he know's better now. It is re¬ 
ported that the giant intellect that decided frogs’ legs 
to be dressed poultry for tariff purposes has now 
changed this ruling to “non-enumerated unmanufactured 
articles,” so perhaps we may later see deceased rabbits 
put in the poultry class. These famous decisions are a 
trifle disquieting to the timid consumer; they recall 
Sam Weller’s criticism of the veal-and-ham pie: 
“Werrv good if you knows the lady as made it, and is 
sure it ain’t kittens.” 
* 
We have given facts about ginseng culture. It is pos¬ 
sible to grow the root under cultivation. For many 
years it was claimed that this could not be done. The 
root has no more medical virtue than horse chestnuts. 
The Chinese buy the wild root because they have a 
superstition that it contains special powers of healing. 
They refuse to buy the cultivated roots. Commission 
men tell us that they cannot sell the cultivated root. 
Now', in the face of these facts what do the ginseng 
boomers say? About all we have noticed from them is 
the claim that the roots which were rejected by the 
commission men “were not properly grown.” As we 
understand it, the Chinese refuse to buy the cultivated 
roots simply because they are not wild. This is much 
on the same principle that some Chinese believe that 
by eating a piece of lion’s heart they will acquire great 
courage. The heart of an ox would not satisfy them. 
We have no wish to injure any legitimate business. If 
those who have ginseng gardens care to develop the 
roots and take the risk of sale they are at liberty to 
do so. We object to their selling seeds and plants at 
a high figure to those who do not realize what the out¬ 
come will be. 
* 
T he Outlook gives an interesting account of the way 
the Kansas Legislature was induced to vote for a State 
oil refinery. For years the Standard Oil Company had 
been securing control of the Kansas oil fields. How 
this w'as done is too long a story to tell here. The few 
independent oil producers saw ruin staring them in the 
face, while the people of Kansas saw a monopoly ready 
to seize their last right. The only w'ay out seemed a 
plan for the State to equip a refining plant and go into 
the oil business. The Standard Oil Company saw the 
danger to its business in such a plan, and is said to have 
sent its strongest men to Topeka in order to influence 
the Legislature. Left to themselves, the members of 
the Legislature would not have passed the necessary 
bills. Those who wanted the State refinery knew that 
they must go to a higher power than the Legislature, 
and they wisely went to the Kansas farmers. Thou¬ 
sands of names of farmers were obtained. The rural 
free delivery took letters and circulars to them, plainly 
stating the situation and the need of the hour. Snow 
kept the farmers at home just then, and they had ample 
time to study the situation. The result was that a flood 
of letters began pouring in upon the State House, and 
delegations of farmers went to Topeka to stiffen up 
their representatives. In a short time those who op¬ 
posed the bills or were indifferent were driven into line. 
They did not dare stand before such an outpouring of 
public sentiment. We shall all w r atch the outcome- of 
this experiment in public oil refining with interest. The 
greatest lesson of it all is the fact that public men can 
be made to understand that they are servants, and not 
the masters of the people. We venture to say that there 
is no man to-day in public life who would refuse to 
carry out the bidding of those who elected him. Let 
him understand that there really is a sincere and clearly 
defined desire for certain legislation and he will recog¬ 
nize it. What the farmers of this country need is the 
faith to understand that they can have their way in an 
honest cause if they will only use their power. As an 
example, let us take the present demand for a parcels 
post. Last week we printed a tale of woe such as we 
often hear. No use sticking postage stamps on the 
Hon. Thomas C. Platt, they say; he is too large a man 
to care for them. Suppose the people of Kansas had 
become frightened at the difference in size between 
the Standard Oil Company and a postage stamp! They 
had no such fear, but kept sticking on the stamps until 
they stuck the Legislature to its duty. Come, gentle¬ 
men, the Hon. I homas C. Platt is now in New York. 
Keep at him cheerfully and without fear, and make 
him understand that in opposing the parcels post lie- 
is opposing the farmers of New York, and of the entire 
nation! Put faith on your postage stamps. 
* 
I he yearly battle over the birds which destroy fruit 
will soon be on. In Bulletin 116 of the Kentucky Ex¬ 
periment Station there is a very clear and interesting 
discussion of the matter. 1 he Kentucky law prohibits 
the killing of song or insectivorous birds “except where 
the same shall be destructive to the fruit or grain crops.” 
This is practically the same as the law in Delaware 
and some other States. It permits a man to defend his 
property, and that privilege is what the New Jersey 
fruit growers asked for. Prof. Garman has made some 
examination of birds that were accused of eating fruit. 
They were shot in a vineyard. Fifty per cent of the 
contents of one robin’s stomach was found to be the 
skins and seeds of grapes. With another robin this 
proportion was 80 per cent. The proportion of fruit in 
a catbird’s stomach was 90 per cent, and of a mocking¬ 
bird 60 per cent. 1 hese birds were caught in the very 
act, and practical fruit growers will accept such figures 
as proving what they have often claimed—that during 
the fruit season many birds live almost entirely upon 
fruit. It is not denied that these birds also destroy 
insects, especially before the fruiting season, but they 
feed upon insect friends as well as foes. In States 
where the law protects birds they have rapidly in¬ 
creased, yet in those very sections insects have also 
increased, and spraying is more necessary than ever. 
The following statement by Prof. Garman seems to us 
entirely fair: 
In view of the present Impossibility of saying that cer¬ 
tain of our fruit-eating birds, such as the robin, catbird, 
and mockingbird, are on the whole injurious or beneficial, 
it seems wise to give them the benefit of the doubt, and 
keep them with us at least until we have evidence suffi¬ 
cient to convict, giving farmers and fruit growers at the 
same time the privilege of protecting their fruit with the 
shotgun from such feathered marauders as may become too 
troublesome. 
BREVITIES. 
Watch the horses' feet. 
A barb we do not rue is rhubarb. 
Among other things we need rain at this end of the 
country. 
Children are like milk—they will absorb the flavor of 
their associates. 
It’s too early to “Judge the fruit crop" yet, but the 
buyers have already begun to talk about the largest crop 
ever known. 
We are surprised at Ihe many letters expressing approval 
of the recent articles on bathroom fixtures. It seems to be 
one of the most popular tilings we have recently discussed. 
We are beginning to receive reports from those who have 
used the dust spray—that is, a cloud of dust blown against 
the tree in place of a fine liquid. Many reports are favor- 
aide. 
Here is n sample report: “The Philadelphia rose received 
dormant last Christmas week was potted and lias been in 
ordinary living rooms since and lias grown several shoots 
26 inches long and still at it. We are gradually hardening 
it preparatory to setting outdoors." 
The people who advertise the “cultures" for sale could 
tell some strange stories. People call for “cultures" for 
all sorts of plants, forgetting that only the pod-bearing 
plants are helped. One advertiser writes : “We have been 
asked to furnish cultures for nearly everything but the Ben 
Davis apple; one man even asked for cultures for Johnson 
grass." 
It has been found at the Vermont Experiment Station that 
when rhubarb roots are dug in the Fall for Winter forcing 
the use of ether quickens tlieir growth. The roots were 
put in an air-tight box and subjected for 48 hours to the 
fumes of ether. This gave a gain in some cases of nearly 
50 per cent in weight of crop. While 'ether puts a man to 
sleep it wakes up his rhubarb. 
