5c8 
TIIH RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 1, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
HERBERT W. COLLINGWOOD, Editor. 
Ok. Wai.teh Van Fleet, | , 
Mrs. K. T. Kovlk, | Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. <5(1., or 8Vi marks, or 10Vi francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
backed by a responsible person. But to make doubly sure 
\ve 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 trilling 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 lie made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
THE RURAL NEW-YOUKEIt, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1905. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
Ik 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. 
* 
PRIZES FOR GARDEN PLANS. 
We offer prizes of $5, $3 and $2 for the best three 
plans for a farmer’s garden. We want a drawing show¬ 
ing how the garden was planned, and a brief statement 
of the vegetables grown, the work required and some¬ 
thing about the product. We want only plans of 
fanners' gardens, showing how a good supply of vege¬ 
tables can be provided year after year without inter¬ 
fering with the regular farm work. We do not want 
essays on amateur gardening or stories of special work, 
but simply accounts of plain farmers’ gardens. The 
drawings and essays must be here by August 1. 
* 
A smart and rich rogue is usually able to have a 
“great” lawyer to keep him out of jail. These lawyers 
are able to cut within a hair’s breadth of the law, so that 
while their clients can rob the public they cannot be 
indicted. It is one of the most discouraging things in 
connection with modern business that these so-called 
great lawyers are willing to sell their brains to unjailed 
rascals who live by robbing the people. 
* 
The Spring thus far has been unusually cold. A few 
days of unexpected heat caused great suffering in the 
cities. Most of us have forgotten what hot weather is 
like, but we must get used to it if there is to be any 
corn. Thus far the corn crop is far behind. The 
weather has been too cool, and unless July and August 
are scorchers there will be a shortage of corn. There 
is no “strike” that will affect so many people as a strike 
of the weather makers against a hot Summer. Short 
corn makes a long price on feed and everything that 
comes from it. 
* 
Savings banks pay a low rate of interest but many 
small investors are glad to deposit their money because 
they feel that such banks are perfectly safe. The reason 
why the rate of interest is low is because these banks 
are under careful supervision and the directors are not 
permitted to invest funds in any speculative schemes. 
As a result savings bank funds are usually invested in 
mortgages, city or State bonds or other perfectly safe 
securities. The great life insurance companies accept 
money from the people and agree to pay it back with 
interest after a term of years, or to pay a certain sum 
of money at the death of the insured. While in most 
of these companies the policy holders or those who 
insure are supposed to get the profits back in dividends 
they rarely receive more than is paid by the savings 
banks. It is well known that the profits made by these 
large companies are much larger than the sums paid 
as dividends. The balance seems to be held as a surplus 
or eaten up by paying large salaries to officers. There 
is little doubt that this “surplus” is used by officers for 
private speculation. All the income such an insurance 
company can have comes from the policy holders. Their 
money therefore is used in dangerous speculations, while 
they receive as interest no more than would be paid by 
savings banks, which are not permitted to speculate! 
People are realizing this, and the result will surely be 
an overhauling of the insurance business. There must 
be close supervision of the affairs of the great companies. 
If they pay the policy holders no greater interest than 
the savings banks pay, their investments must be 
guarded and speculation must be stopped. 
* 
A long string of accidents by automobiles has been 
reported of late. People have been killed and wounded 
by servants who took the autos without leave and 
drove recklessly about. Such drivers usually have more 
or less liquor aboard, and in their hands an auto 
becomes a terrible menace. In New York the magis¬ 
trates have at last begun to punish a second offense 
at fast driving by imprisonment. That is the only sen¬ 
sible punishment. It is easy for a rich man to pay a 
small fine. That is a good joke, but when he spends 
a week or more behind the bars as a common prisoner 
the smile comes off, and he will go slow enough to 
keep out of jail.’ 
* 
In trimming out brush along roadsides or fences 
during the Summer, be sure that no wilting leaves or 
branches of Black cherry (Primus serotina) are scat 1 
tered where browsing stock may reach them. It is 
a singular fact that when wilting a combination of 
ordinary harmless constituents in the leaves of this 
cherry cause the formation of deadly prussic acid, and 
cases of poisoning are not uncommon where such 
material is left before cattle. The poisonous property 
is volatile, and passes off quite quickly; it is only dan¬ 
gerous while the leaves are wilting, but it is easier to 
avoid risks than to treat a case of prussic acid poison¬ 
ing. The prominent symptoms of Black cherry poison¬ 
ing in cattle are labored respiration, diminished pulse, 
numbness, fright, protruding eyeballs, convulsions and 
rapid death from paralysis of the lungs. Sometimes 
there is frothing at the mouth; the breath always carries 
strongly the peculiar peach-kernel odor of the acid. 
Where this property of the Black cherry is not known, 
such cases are an absolute mystery to the owners of 
affected stock. 
* 
President Roosevelt has appointed a committee which 
is expected to overhaul the Government service, weed 
out the drones and incompetents, and attempt to run the 
public otisiness as a successful private enterprise is run. 
Among other suggestions the President informs this 
committee that it may well pick out the people who 
write long letters when a few' lines might answer. 
Fresh from his efforts to bring about peace between 
Russia and Japan the President no doubt feels capable 
of great things, but does he fully realize the size of the 
job he has now undertaken? Who can shut off the 
torrent of words flowing from one of these Government 
windbags? We see only one way to do it, and that is 
to compel them to write their letters with their own 
hand. The modern system of dictating letters to a sten¬ 
ographer has bred words into many a good man’s letters 
who would be as brief as need be if he were obliged to 
write each one with a pen. We would prick these wind¬ 
bags with the point of their own pens. The modern 
letter is often twice as long as it need be, because 
some one beside the writer has to do the work of putting 
it on paper. By all means give the windbags a pen 
prick! 
* 
Mr. Darlington on page 514 gets at the wrong end 
of the trouble with beef prices. He thinks eastern 
buyers are not willing to pay enough for their meat. 
When we are forced to pay 90 cents for a small roast 
—weighing, when trimmed, a little over three pounds— 
we feel that we are giving up “all the traffic will stand.” 
Last Fall we gave the retail prices demanded by 
butchers in a small New Jersey town. They are re¬ 
peated here—to-day the prices are higher than ever. 
Best sirloin steak.28 to 30 vents per pound. 
enderloin steak.24 to 2(5 cents per pound. 
Beef ribs.18 to 22 cents per pound. 
Round.1(5 to IS cents per pound. 
Leg of lamb.22 to 24 cents per pound. 
Forequarter of lamb.18 to 20 cents per pound. 
l oin of pork.1(5 to 18 cents per pound. 
Bacon.18 cents per pound. 
Now what does the man who is paid $4.50 per hundred 
for i.ve cattle think about such retail prices. Can he 
blame the eastern buyer for cutting out part of his 
meat bill? How is a man with a moderate income to 
buy needed meat at such figures? The majority of 
American workmen have been brought up on the theory 
that high prices for goods are not entirely bad, because 
the money goes to producers, and thus gets back into 
circulation to make more work. In the case of this 
meat we may well stop and ask—who gets the money? 
The stock feeders evidently get little of it. We know 
that local butchers who cut up the meat work on a small 
margin. From the time the stock is bought until the 
carcass is delivered to the local dealer practically all 
the handling is done by the packers. Do not blame 
eastern peope for refusing to pay extortionate charges 
for meat. The trouble lies with the middlemen, who 
are enabled through a monopoly to buy at the lowest 
figure and sell at the highest. 
THE FACTS ABOUT GINSENG . 
For the past two years The R. N.-Y. has given the 
facts about ginseng cultivation. These facts may be 
briefly stated as follows: 1. It is possible to grow 
ginseng in cultivation. For years this was thought to 
be impossible, but we know the plant can be grown in 
gardens, because we have seen it growing. 2. While 
cultivation is possible it is by no means easy. Take 10 
expert gardeners who grow vegetables successfully, and 
we doubt if two of them can make even a fair success 
with ginseng. 3. Even if one succeeded in growing 
ginseng there is now practically no market for the root. 
We have stated these facts with variations, and have 
been challenged to prove them. The challenge comes 
from those who have seeds and young plants for sale. 
In answer to this challenge we print the letters on page 
509. These are from dealers in ginseng. If there is 
any higher authority on the subject—where is it to be 
found ? 
Another challenge comes from the experiment stations 
which have helped “boom” the ginseng business. Here 
are the statements: 
Mow do you account for the following explicit reports? 
“The price paid for first-rate cultivated roots is better 
than that realized by most collectors of the wild ginseng.”— 
II. Carman, Bulletin 78, Kentucky Experiment Station, 1898. 
“The roots of cultivated plants are usually larger and 
more uniform than those from the wild, and will bring from 
50 cents to $1 more per pound."—W. M. Munson, Bulletin 
95, Maine Experiment Station, 1903. 
“Price offered (by exporting, house) was: 5 1-16 pounds 
cultivated root at $8.50 per pound ($43.03) ; 13-16 pound 
native root at $6 per pound ($4.87). This offer was ac¬ 
cepted and the price was paid."—George C. Butz, Bulletin 
(52, Pennsylvania Experiment Station, 1903. 
Are these gentlemen absolutely in error? To settle the 
matter kindly give the facts on which you base your con¬ 
clusions. 
Our authority is found in the notes from dealers above 
referred to. Prof. Garman of Kentucky writes us that 
cultivators tell him that the price of cultivated root 
has been cut down. He assumes that it is “merely a 
scheme to cut prices.” Prof. Munson writes that he 
has no further information to give. Prof. Butz writes 
that he has had testimony that the Chinese will not buy 
the cultivated root. He thinks the price will rise again. 
He would now discourage planting at the present time, 
but thinks those who have roots growing should hold 
them for a rise. The statements made in these bulletins 
were correct at the time, but they did not take into 
consideration the fact that the Chinese make distinction 
between wild and cultivated plants. We understand that 
the Chinese and the Koreans are cultivating ginseng. 
If this is the case they will be likely to supply all that 
is needed. We have no desire to injure any legitimate 
business, but ginseng culture has been “boomed” in such 
an extravagant way that the cold facts ought to be 
known. The retired ministers and poor widows who 
invested their savings in seeds of ginseng—expecting a 
competence for old age—are to-day objects for pity. 
Without meaning to do so the Government bulletins 
have led them astray. It seems to us that even if the 
Chinese decide to buy the cultivated root there will be 
so much of it dumped upon the limited market that it 
can hardly be given away. 
BREVITIES . 
A good article on colt raising—first page. 
The dentist’s operation covers many achers. 
Many servants could stand a good uncivil service examina¬ 
tion. 
As we write the hot weather has really started. Good 
for the corn. 
Throughout central New Jersey at this time the lmyfields 
plainly show the Alsike clover. 
The New York State Supreme Court decides that a married 
woman who works outside of her family may sue in her own 
name for wages unpaid. 
The Rhode Island Agricultural College has adopted the 
excellent western plan of holding a farmer’s field day and 
basket picnic on the college grounds. 
Oregon hop growers are combining to control the sale of 
their crops. If they can hold together they can save two 
to four cents a pound on commissions. 
We notice a good many Twice-stabbed ladybirds wander¬ 
ing over trees this season. They are welcome, for they are 
credited with devouring scale as a hungry man eats oysters. 
The latest news is that Chicago grand juries are likely to 
indict some of the beef packers for conspiracy, violation of 
anti-trust laws and other crimes. This is like putting car¬ 
bolic acid into Commissioner Garfield’s whitewash. 
The following note from Adams Co., Penn., calls for 
reports: “ What has become of our old friend the Potato 
beetle? Diligent search over half an acre of potatoes did 
not reveal a single one. My immediate neighbors report the 
same.” 
It is stated that colored oleo is sold for use in the navy 
yard near Philadelphia, Pa. Dr. Warren, the Pennsylvania 
Dairy Commissioner, has brought the matter before’ Presi¬ 
dent Roosevelt. As a butter-in for honest butter Dr. Warren 
is a success. 
Why do so few strawberry growers reach the great suc¬ 
cess of men like Mr. Hunt? One reason is that most people 
will hoe and weed once, fewer twice, still fewer three times, 
while most will quit at four times. A very small per cent 
will stay by the job patiently enough to hoe 10 times. 
