6o4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 12, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Colling wood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, | , 
Mrs. E. 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. 0d., or 8Mi marks, or 10% 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 trifling differences between subscribers and honest, 
responsible advertisers. Neither will we be responsible for 
the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned bv 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, AUGUST 12, 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. 
* 
The State Superintendent of Education for Mississippi 
is reported to have made the following remark: 
We have relied too much on the potency of our blood and 
have given too little consideration to training as a factor in 
the work. 
\ou never can tell what a man really says from 
printed reports, but even if the Superintendent deny the 
statement it would still stand for a great truth. Many 
a man has wasted useful energies in dreaming about the 
great deeds of his grandfather. He should be a happy 
man whose parents were ordinary faithful citizens who 
never did anything remarkable. The pioneers who con¬ 
quer a wilderness may bring ruin to their children by 
giving them too much to brag about and too little to do. 
1 he things that help make success are training, hard 
labor and bulldog courage. “Blood” may bring the 
latter, but the other qualities must be worked in from 
the outside. 
★ 
According to the official figures this country exported 
during the year ending June 30 goods valued at $1,515,- 
000,000. In the same period we imported, chiefly from 
Europe, goods valued at $1,115,000,000. This apparently 
leaves a balance in favor of this country of $400,000,000. 
It has been asked how long Europe can stand the drain. 
As a matter of fact there is no drain of money from 
Europe—in fact the drain is the other way. Nearly all 
exports and imports are carried in foreign vessels, and 
the freight is paid to foreigners. It is also estimated 
that American tourists spend nearly $000,000,000 in 
Europe every year. The money taken away by Ameri¬ 
cans and spent in London, Paris and other cities more 
than wipes out the balance cfeated by American farmers 
by the sale of cotton, provisions and breadstuff's. We 
have heard men call farmers unpatriotic when they 
expressed a desire to buy goods in the cheapest market 
in order to avoid the monopoly of a trust. Yet these 
same men will spend thousands in Europe, chiefly for 
pleasure, when the money was needed to furnish labor 
for Americans. 
* 
The outbreak of yellow fever in New Orleans comes 
as a most unwelcome reminder that science has not 
yet conquered this dread disease, though much light 
has been shed on its mode of propagation. It is now 
generally agreed that the infection is carried by certain 
species of mosquitoes, abundant in warm countries, and 
is not conveyed through the air or by contact with 
soiled garments and similar materials. The disease does 
not appear to originate with the mosquitoes, as they are 
quite harmless until they have bitten and drawn blood 
from some human sick with yellow fever. The germs 
multiply in the body of the mosquito without apparently 
harming it, and after a short period of incubation are 
capable of inoculating the persons next bitten if they 
are susceptible to the disease. The only effective 
methods of controlling yellow fever seem to be the 
destruction as far as possible of all mosquitoes during 
an epidemic, and the screening and guarding of patients 
sick with the disease from mosquitoes so infection is 
reduced to its lowest limits. When yellow fever is once 
recognized the danger of dissemination is practically 
over if effective means are taken to prevent its spread. 
Little progress has been made in the treatment of the 
actual disease. The mortality still remains fully 10 per 
cent, but recovery carries with it almost certain im¬ 
munity for a long time from subsequent attacks. The 
recognition of the nature of the infection and its mode 
of dissemination is a long step toward its control, and it 
is not likely that the terrible epidemics of the past will 
be repeated if the local health authorities in infected 
places exert their full powers. It is more than possible 
that the outbreak in Louisiana will be in full control by 
the next issue of The R. N.-Y. 
* 
Three years ago an Austrian came to this country 
and spent some time studying fruit growing—especially 
apple culture. We saw him on his way home. We 
expected that the immense planting of apples which he 
had seen must have convinced him that America is, in 
the near future, to supply Europe with apples. To our 
surprise he said lie should plant a large orchard at once, 
as he felt sure that America would never monopolize the 
European market. Events are turning out as he pre¬ 
dicted. Germany will levy a tariff of $2.38 per barrel 
on American apples, while fruit from Austria and other 
European countries will be admitted for half that sum. 
During the year ending June 30 there was a loss of 
over $800,000 in our exports of fruits to Germany as 
compared with the previous year. Our Austrian friend 
not only saw our apple orchards, but he also saw that 
the high tariff on sugar would, in time, force Germany 
to close her markets to American food stuffs. The 
American tariff on beet sugar is of no benefit to 99 per 
cent of American farmers. Its effect is a direct injury 
to them, since it forces the Germans to seek other mar¬ 
kets where mutual trade is fair, or else to curtail the 
area in sugar beets and devote it to producing things 
which American farmers have to sell. 
* 
From Maine to Manila the wire fence question is 
stirring up the farmers: Here is a sample letter from 
Texas: 
The fence is the highest tax on my farm, as I have to 
renew my barb wire about every three to four years; on 
account of the had quality of wire and the vicinity of the 
Gulf of Mexico and salt air, it rusts so quickly. A few 
months after the wire is put up the barbs begin to rust, and 
gradually the rust spreads over to the smooth wire where 
the barb is fastened, and so the whole wire is rusted and 
breaks. 1 think that a manufacturer who would guarantee 
his fence wire for a certain length of time and advertise 
it would do a great business. h. j, k 
No doubt about it, such a manufacturer would be 
swamped by orders. Is such a thing possible? All a 
man would need to do would be to manufacture just 
such wire as was sold 12 to 15 years ago. That would 
fill the bill as similar wire did in the old days. Several 
steps must be taken to make sure of such wire. We 
must know what it is made of and what the difference 
is between good and bad wire. Knowing this there 
must be some standard and test, so that when we buy 
wire we can be sure that we get what we pay for. This 
is the form of protection the Government gives us in 
buying fertilizers and feeds, and the same protection is 
needed on wire. Every man who buys a pound of wire 
should ask for a chemist’s guarantee, and keep talking 
and writing about this need. 
* 
The letter from Senator T. C. Platt which we printed 
last February has become famous. We asked Senator 
Platt how he stood on the subject of parcels post. Ide 
said he had never given the subject serious considera¬ 
tion. Greater matters absorbed his attention. He was 
inclined to wait and see which side had the majority. 
Then he said: 
“Very likely, sometime—perhaps after 1 am dead— 
this subject may be one for thorough consideration.” 
There were those who interpreted this to mean that 
Senator Platt will not permit a bill for parcels post to 
get through the Senate. We accepted it as a desire to 
learn what farmers and others wanted. They have told 
the Senator in no uncertain terms. Fred Grundy in 
Farm and Fireside seems to state the conclusion of the 
majority: 
I am safe in saying that there will be no parcels-post leg¬ 
islation get through the Senate as it is now constituted. If 
any of the younger and more modern members of that body 
should so far defy the express companies’ lobbyists as to 
offer any measure tending in that direction. Senator Piatt, 
the president of one of the express companies, is there to 
squelch him with “a point of order.” The only means by 
which such legislation can be had is by the forcible retir¬ 
ing of all the old fossils and barnacles who are there to pre¬ 
vent action along that line. 
We do not take any such gloomy view. The farmers 
have “a point of order” right at the end of their pen 
that will put new blood into those “barnacles.” Some 
men respond to the gentle blistering of postage stamps— 
others need a stab with the pen. The Hon. Thomas C. 
Platt of Washington, New York, Highland Falls or 
Owego needs the latter! 
THE CASE OF DR. MOORE. 
Dr. George T. Moore of the Department of Agri¬ 
culture invented or devised a simple method of handling 
the bacteria used for inoculating soils. Briefly stated, 
his method is to dry the bacteria in cotton, seal air¬ 
tight, and send with the proper food for feeding them. 
Scientists have for years tried to find a simple way of 
carrying these bacteria from laboratory to field. There 
are great possibilities in Dr. Moore’s discovery, though 
its true value has not yet been demonstrated. Instead 
of taking out a patent for himself Dr. Moore turned all 
rights over to the Government—or the public. This 
was a patriotic thing to do, and Dr. Moore undoubtedly 
gave away a fortune. In exchange he had the chance 
to rank among the world’s great scientists. Had he 
gone modestly and silently at work fully to demonstrate 
the practical value of his discovery the truest honor 
which comes to a scientific man would have been his. 
Instead of this, long before the real value of “soil inoc¬ 
ulation’ was settled, the most extravagant stories began 
to appear in the magazines and papers. It was hard to 
understand why Dr. Moore permitted these wild stories 
to appear without a word of rebuke. We assumed that 
the Department was responsible—its love of display and 
advertising being well known. J here was another 
reason. 
Last year a company was organized to sell this bac¬ 
teria. '1 his concern coined the name “nitro-culture.” 
1 hey obtained bacteria from Dr. Moore, and, as now 
appears, offered him a position with them, and gave him 
some shares of stock. These shares were held in his 
wife’s name until he finally decided not to take the 
position. In the meantime he sent large quantities of 
bacteria to this concern—though hundreds of farmers 
were asking for samples and being refused. Applicants 
were referred to this commercial house, which charged 
$2 for what the Government had given away. It was 
while Dr. Moore was considering this offer and holding 
the stock of this company that the great booming of 
nitro-culture was going on. 1 hese facts were put 
before President Roosevelt. As a result Dr. Moore 
was permitted to resign. 
Dr. Moore is an able and useful man. He was doing 
good work in the Department, but under the circum¬ 
stances he could not honorably remain. Once let it be 
known that the Government scientists are taking “graft” 
like common politicians and the true value of the De¬ 
partment is ruined. 1 o us Dr. Aloore is largelv the 
victim of a system which, if it be not rooted out, will 
destroy the Department. This system has two main 
roots self-advertising and ‘ graft. 1 he various bureaus 
seem to be expected to “make a showing”—that is, do 
something which may be paraded before the public in 
a spectacular manner. We hear little about the quiet, 
patient work of the true scientists which has real value. 
'I his “nitro-culture” experiment has been a show piece 
for the Department. It appealed to the imagination, 
and interested the magazine readers and others who 
take little interest in the practical side of farming. As 
a scientist Dr. Moore ought to have protested against 
this form of advertising. He knew that the stories were 
misleading, and that there is no sure thing about his 
method. Instead of stopping it he weakly submitted, 
and even helped it on, thus giving strength to the infer¬ 
ence that he was using his official position to help a 
company in which he was interested. By doing so Dr. 
Moore threw away his chance to rank as a great scientist. 
We do not blame Dr. Moore for this as we do those 
who set him the example. These are the officials of the 
Department. We are told that Dr. Galloway, head of 
the Bureau o f Plant Breeding, knew that Dr. Moore 
had been offered the position. In fact, he had Dr. 
Moore’s resignation in December. In spite of this he 
was quite willing to have Dr. Moore remain and boom 
nitro-culture”—though it all meant business for a 
private concern. Secretary Wilson too is responsible. 
An appropriation was wanted from Congress. These 
misleading articles in the magazines and great papers, 
praising the Department’s work, were needed to make 
Congress give nearly $6,000,000 to “agriculture.” It was 
right that Dr. Aloore should go. No man who occupies 
a public position has any right to dream of “graft.” We 
are sorry that an able man should have fallen a victim 
to a dangerous and vicious system. 
BREVITIES. 
A THING may be good and yet not good enough. 
Short apple crop—is the report from everywhere. 
Who expects a teacher’s children to be best educated or a 
minister’s to be best behaved.? 
The experiment stations of Illinois (Urbana) and Wiscon¬ 
sin (Madison) have issued excellent bulletins on silo building. 
In 10 Eastern States 11,733 automobiles have been regis¬ 
tered, 9,750 gasoline. 576 electric and 1.407 steam. At”an 
average cost of $3,000 we have nearly $300,000,000 Invested. 
J. H. Hale's report is: “Ten times as many borers in 
peach trees in rough ground where we are grubbing around 
the trees as there are where we are giving clean culture on 
similar lands.” 
