54o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July is, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FAR ME It'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850 . 
T5 
Herbert w. Colling wood, Editor. 
Du. Walter Van Fleet, i ._. 
Mrs. K. T. Roylk, ^ Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. (id., or 8% marks, or 10 Vi francs. 
“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 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 be made in money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
TIIE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, JULY 15, 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. 
* 
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. 
* 
President Roosevelt’s remarks at Harvard University 
Commencement must have shocked some of the old 
timers. The time was when such an address would not 
be considered proper without liberal quotations from 
Latin authors, and a sort of serious dignity \fhich is 
supposed to be an essential part of a classical education. 
We will stay on record as saying that dignity becomes a 
disease with some good people. Some of the great 
universities have nurtured the germs of this disease, and 
we are glad to see a germ killer applied. 
* 
At one corner of the farmhouse we have a Ruby 
Queen Rose—at the other a Crimson Rambler. Both 
were in full bloom the latter part of June. At a low 
estimate they add $25 to the value of the house—no 
member of the family would have them permanently 
removed for that money. As we go about the country 
we are surprised to see how many farmhouses have 
these beautiful vines climbing over them. They are 
a source of constant pleasure, not only to the farm 
family, hut to passers-by. The R. N.-Y. is happy to 
think that it has contributed in some degree to this 
display by sending Ruby Queen and Philadelphia to 
its readers. 
* 
Now is the time to plant “catch crops.” It is good 
farming to keep the land covered with some growing 
crop. It is true that weeds will crowd in and cover 
the land when the other crops are done. Some weeds 
are useful to be plowed under as green manure, but the 
best of them are inferior to cultivated crops even for 
this purpose. Most people who let weeds grow would 
seldom think of using them for a good purpose. Cow 
peas may follow grain which has not been seeded to 
grass. The cow pea grows readily, especially in warm 
soils, and with a fair start will do more for the land in 
90 days than any crop we have ever tried. We do not 
advise making hay of cow pea vines at the North—we 
would pasture or plow the vines under. Another simple 
j “catch crop” which has proved very useful with us is 
a mixture of Crimson clover and Cow-horn turnips to 
follow corn. We can sow 12 pounds of clover and two 
of turnips to the acre, and usually depend upon a good 
catch. We scatter the seed on the ground ahead of 
the cultivator at the last working, and aim to cover it 
a little over one inch. A plank dragging behind the 
cultivator helps put the seed in right. There are many 
combinations of catch crops. Rye is a good crop to fol¬ 
low potatoes. The chief point is to keep some living 
crop on the land .during late Summer and Fall, for most 
of the loss in plant food occurs at this season. If weeds 
are left to save this waste they should be clipped off 
several times to prevent their seeding. 
* 
We learn that some of our scientific friends do not 
take kindly to the suggestion about trying the hired 
man’s job as a vacation. They think the suggestion is 
undignified. We have often remarked that dignity may 
grow into a form of disorder under some conditions. 
Take a chemist or a botanist up under the eaves of a 
hot barn mowing away hay—could he learn anything 
about chemistry or botany? Probably not much—but 
they would doubtless unlearn some things about science 
that would make the remainder of their knowledge 
more useful. They would have more sympathy for the 
man who does the farm work. We will guarantee that 
this sympathy would show in the bulletin they might 
write thereafter. Sympathy is a good thing to carry 
science down to the people. 
* 
The Connecticut man who offers $25 jointly a month 
to a man and his wife, the man to work on the farm 
and the woman in the housk, is not likely to be crowded 
with applicants. In our locality a woman doing general 
housework gets $15 to $20 a month, a waitress or “up¬ 
stairs girl” $18 to $22; a cook and laundress $22 to 
$35. Where a man and wife are employed together 
their wages are usually computed separately. With 
farm hands getting $20 a month, $5 does not seem a 
glittering opportunity to an industrious and competent 
woman. The high wages which are paid in town and 
city put a farmer at a disadvantage. It is seldom that 
he can pay such wages out of the proceeds from an 
average crop, yet this sort of competition forces up the 
price of labor. Something is wrong when the man who 
merely handles and sells can afford to pay more than 
the man who actually produces. 
* 
According to one of the Massachusetts officials en¬ 
gaged in exterminating the Gypsy moth automobiles are 
spreading the pest by stopping under infested trees, 
whence the caterpillars drop into the auto, or on to its 
occupants, as they prefer, to be carried far and wide. 
We do not think the eloping caterpillars are invited by 
motorists, however, nor does the average automobile 
halt under the trees for any length of time purely for 
frivolous association with Gypsy moths. As a rule, 
when we come upon a stationary auto on a country 
road, we find a perspiring man underneath it, and 
if public opinion did not teach us to regard him as an 
idle plutocrat pursuing a reckless amusement we should 
think him a hard-working mechanic struggling with a 
very disagreeable job. If the auto man is to be abused 
for disseminating caterpillars when he stops, and equally 
abused for endangering public safety when he doesn’t 
he seems to have a hard road before him. 
* 
It has long been evident to many Americans that the 
relations of this Government with the Chinese have 
been one-sided. We exclude the Chinese—with the in¬ 
tention of keeping out cheap or undesirable labor— 
while admitting other laborers who are quite as ob¬ 
jectionable as the Chinese. In enforcing this law many 
prominent Chinese have been subjected to unnecessary 
hardship. Educated and refined people have been treat¬ 
ed as if they were suspected criminals or worse. There 
has been no excuse for much of this, and there is no 
wonder that the Chinese Government has begun to 
strike back. A boycott against American goods in 
China is a serious thing just now, when we are talking 
about “open doors” and a share of eastern trade. China 
has hit Uncle Sam’s pocket hard, and that seems to be 
why, all of a sudden, orders are given to stop persecut¬ 
ing the better class of Chinese. This order should have 
been given years ago, before there was any talk of 
boycotting in China. It looks as if the pocket nerve is 
the most effective place to strike if justice is desired. 
There are many farmers in the East who favor the 
free entry of Chinese, believing that they will help solve 
the farm help problem. While the Chinese might be 
willing to work in gangs somewhat as the Italians do 
or have done, we do not believe they would ever prove 
successful as single “hired men.” It is evident, how¬ 
ever, that this country will lose much of its trade in 
China if our present policy toward the Chinese is con¬ 
tinued. 
* 
It is stated that the Germans have levied a new tariff 
on American apples. It will amount to $2.38 a barrel, 
while apples from some other European countries will 
enter Germany under a tariff of $1.19. During the 11 
months ending May Germany bought $2,799,298 worth 
of American fruit. This was $700,000 worth less than 
the year before, and $450,000 less than the year before 
that. The Germans have developed a taste for Ameri¬ 
can apples, and would buy many more of them if they 
did not feel that this country legislates against them 
in the sale of beet sugar. The American tariff on sugar 
benefits only a comparatively few people. One argu¬ 
ment in its favor was that this tariff would build up the 
beet sugar industry in this country, and give farmers 
a new industry even in the Eastern States. It has done 
nothing of the sort. Even with large State bounties to 
aid them the eastern beet sugar factories have mostly 
given up. In the Far West a few factories are still 
running, but as a National enterprise American beet 
sugar-making cannot be called a success. On the-other 
hand, the tariff on sugar adds to the cost of an article 
needed by all. It is also killing our foreign trade with 
Germany, for that country must find an outlet for its 
beet sugar or give up that crop and take up others 
which will compete with the things American farmers 
have to sell. Our export trade in meats has already 
been hurt, and will be cut more, because the Germans, 
deprived of their beet sugar market will produce more 
live stock and either grow more apples or buy them 
from people who will take German goods. 
* 
Rural free delivery of the mail has come to stay—the 
question now is how to make it self-sustaining and more 
effective. We are constantly told that the Government 
loses money on this service, and plans are offered for 
increasing the revenue from it or decreasing the expense. 
Here is one suggestion : 
Rural free delivery is desired nil over our country, but 
a constantly increasing deficiency in the Department treas¬ 
ury retards its extension. Why should not an Immense 
saving be made by letting R. F. D. routes to the lowest 
bidders, with certain restrictions as to qualifications? Take 
an instance known to the writer: An office has seven 
routes. There is some doubling and retraveling of roadfe 
that might be avoided if less carriers were employed and 
details better arranged. It now costs over $5,000 for sal¬ 
ary of carriers, yet it is almost universally conceded by 
men of good judgment that if one man could have the 
management of the seven routes he could handle them for 
$3,500 and have a good profit left. What is (lie opinion of 
others as to the desirability of such a change? e. r. 
1 he people most likely to object to such a change are 
the rural carriers, who have a more or less fat job. 
1 here is no doubt that many departments of the public 
service could be handled cheaper if conducted as the 
best private enterprises are. The public has not for¬ 
gotten the scandal arising from the old Star Route cases 
of 25 years ago. I he best way to make rural deliverv 
self-supporting is to start some sort of a parcels post. 
The increase of business from this change would be 
largely from country people, and the revenues would 
he doubled in a short time without great increase of 
expenses. 
BREVITIES. 
Keep dusty hay away from the horse. 
The prize garden articles are coming in. 
A fat job is a good filing to lean against. 
When can you afford to feed grain to cows at pasture? 
It is said that in some parts of China castor oil is used 
for cooking purposes! 
A newspaper printed in a rural county ought to make 
a specialty of farm news. 
Secretary Hitchcock deserves far more praise than he 
lias received for the way he has run down some of the land 
thieves. 
Now we know what they use to make milk produce 
“double the amount of butter." They use rennet and make 
pot cheese! 
There seems to be trouble in Georgia over the Agricul¬ 
tural College. The “university” seems to have taken the 
college so thoroughly under its wing that it lias absorbed its 
substance. 
The Connecticut Experiment Station is starting some 
experiments in corn breeding. There are native varieties of 
corn that have many valuable qualities. It is believed that 
these varieties will give better results both for grain and 
silage than imported seed if they can be selected and “bred’ 
for improvement. This is excellent work which will prove 
very useful to New England farmers. 
A Michigan man who moved to Arizona was surprised 
to find that The R. N.-Y. had readers there. There is no 
reason for the surprise. We have subscribers in every 
State and Territory and nearly every foreign country, 
l’ractically every county in the United States is represented 
in our family. We are safe in saying that no agricultural 
paper is so widely distributed as The R. N.-Y. 
In dealing with the method of strawberry growing fol¬ 
lowed by Tlios. It. Hunt, on page 504, we said he mows the 
vines and burns them. Mr. Hunt says: “I do not burn the 
berry tops, but let them and the weeds that are not seedy 
and the old mulch lie on the ground and rot down. It 
forms a mold something like that found in the woods, and 
tends to keep the ground more cool and moist than bare 
ground would be, besides perhaps adding a little fertility 
to the soil. I am entirely opposed to burning any kind 
of vegetable matter that can be worked into the ground.” 
A tribute to Crimson clover comes from a reader in Dela- 
wart, 82 years old: “I have had one acre in corn 12 suc¬ 
cessive years; put no fertilizer on in that time. I sow it in 
Scarlet clover the last working in July, plow the next 
Spring, turning the clover under; plant about May 16 to 20; 
h*ve averaged 70 bushels of corn or about 140 tons on the 
cob. One crop destroyed by hailstorm made only 12 bushels, 
and one was destroyed by heart worms. Scarlet clover has 
made Kent and Sussex Counties rich. In 1860 I could buy 
land there for $5 to $10 per acre, that will now bring from 
$80 to $100 per acre.” 
