684 
TIIE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 16 , 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established. J850. 
I 
Herbert W. Colling wood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, f 
Mrs. K. T. Koylk, ( Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
declared the majority of the commissioners sampled a 
well-baked Fr.ll Pippin apple. We can think of nothing 
that could put them in a more amiable frame of mind. 
We hope they will carry the apple-eating habit back 
with them and spread it. Nothing is more likely to 
convey that peace of mind which should follow Presi¬ 
dent Roosevelt’s efforts than a diet of baked apples. 
* 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 6d., or 8% 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 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 Tiie 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 Fearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 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. 
* 
In speaking of the “balance of trade” between this 
country and foreign countries we have referred to the item 
of freight rates which are paid to foreign ship owners. 
How great this item must be is seen by the following 
figures. In the last fiscal year imports were carried as 
follows: Cars or land vehicles $78,649,462; American 
vessels, steam and sailing, $160,730,887; foreign vessels, 
$878,132,280. In exports the following division is made: 
Cars $154,234,890; Americans vessels $126,891,607; for¬ 
eign vessels $1,210,618,198. Thus it will be seen that 
the cost of carrying goods both ways is mostly paid to 
foreigners. 
* 
A reader asks what classes of American goods a 
Chinese “boycott” would affect. Chiefly cotton cloth. 
In the last fiscal year this country sent to China $28,- 
017,180 worth of cotton goods. Next in importance is 
petroleum or kerosene, $8,366,124. Some other items 
are given as follows: Flour, $309,587; carriages, $12- 
500; cars, $38,095; locomotives, $286,825; clocks, $23,- 
744; copper, $9,940,834; fruits, $60,268; hardware, $52,- 
000; sewing machines, $28,409; paper, $45,810; typewrit¬ 
ers, $24,507; bacon, $25,854; cheese, $21,100; tobacco, 
manufactured, $1,438,728; furniture, $30,833. Thus it ap¬ 
pears that the Chinese are beginning to buy American 
goods, with a prospect of good increase. The loss of 
this growing trade would be a serious one to Ameri¬ 
cans. The Chinaman seems to know his business when 
he aims a blow at the pocketbook. 
* 
A steer which dressed 869 pounds was recently sold 
in this ciy for $2,100, or about $2.43 a pound. What 
was there about this beef to give it such value? Sen¬ 
timent, thought to be a rare quality in butchers! The 
steer was sold at auction at a meeting of the independ¬ 
ent butchers, who undertake to fight the beef trust by 
organizing to build their own slaughterhouses. There 
are about 500 of these retail butchers in the city, and 
after a hard fight they seem to be making headway 
against the trust. Their slaughterhouse has a weekly 
capacity of 400 steers and 18,000 smaller animals, and 
they are able to get the stock. It is a hopeful thing 
when such an enterprise can start and grow in the face 
of such competition as the beef trust makes possible. 
If we could have more of these independent slaughter¬ 
houses there would be a better chance for eastern live 
stock, and more profit in making meat on eastern 
farms. 
* 
The newspapers state that Baron Komura, the Japa¬ 
nese diplomat, fortified himself for the final tussle over 
the peace treaty by eating a dinner of corned beef and 
cabbage! It seems that when Komura was a student 
at Harvard University some years ago he spent his 
vacations on : New Hampshire farm. There he learned 
to eat a “New England dinner,” baked beans, fish balls 
and the other standard Yankee dishes that have made 
and changed history. He carried the habit back to 
Japan with him, and though he is obliged to use canned 
corned beef he has the American dish in his own house¬ 
hold. Such habits carried abroad by foreigners are about 
the best American exports. No doubt when the truth 
is known we shall find that the night before peace was 
We mentioned on page 652 the case of a poor farmer 
in Ocean Co., N. J., whose crops have been destroyed 
by deer, i hese “wild” animals came out of the woods 
and sampled sweet potatoes, cabbage and corn until 
there was nothing left to sample. We have written to 
one State official after another until finally we ran up 
against the Fish and Game Commissioner. This is the 
satisfaction we obtain: 
Your letter was referred to the Attorney General, who is 
I he legal adviser of the Fish and Game Commissioners. 
He informs us there is no law on the statute books of this 
State whereby a person can get damages for damage done 
by deer* neither has a person the right to kill or injure the 
deer except only in the open season. 
What is the matter with the State of New Jersey 
when a humble citizen must lose his property in this 
way? “No laws on the statute books!” Let a hired 
man take a board off a railroad fence, or a poor woman 
take a pail of coal out of a railroad coalbin, and laws 
would fairly bristle out of the “statute books” to hold 
such “criminals.” When the State fosters and protects 
a lot of worthless deer, it ought to be responsible for 
the damage they do. Here is a chance for the farmers 
of New Jersey to do some useful work. The next Leg¬ 
islature must pass a law similar to the one in Massa¬ 
chusetts, which enables a farmer to recover fair dam¬ 
ages when his property is destroyed by State-protected 
game. The present “law” under which a farmer can 
neither protect his property nor recover damages is a 
disgrace to any State. 
* 
Little things this year show the condition of the 
apple crop. We have printed several statements from 
parties in Virginia who have good crops. In every case 
buyers North and West have been after these apples at 
once. When the general crop is large buyers are indif¬ 
ferent, and sellers must do most of the running. This 
year they cat. stand still and sell the apples. Another 
reason why men are looking up new sections is given 
in this note from a western man : 
AVe purchased our apples in the- market last year, and 
we are sorry to say we got a little the worst of it. We paid 
all the produce man asked for them, and they were sold to us 
as “all No. 1 stock.” AVe managed to lose $1,500 on the 
deal, and can assure you we have no very good feeling for 
the man who will pack the barrel end's with fine apples and 
plug the center with scabby culls, and it will be a long 
time before we purchase apples without a man to watch 
every barrel packed. 
We do not give the name of this well-known apple 
city because there are responsible dealers there, and they 
should not be hurt by the misdeeds of a few rogues. 
These do damage enough to the general market without 
letting them hurt honest individuals. The man who 
faces an apple barrel and fills in with trash is worse 
than the horse jockey who “doctors” a sick horse! 
People may expect such things in a horse trade, but 
they have a right to look for honesty in an apple barrel 
which carries a man’s name. We once heard a local 
minister in an apple section offer prayer at a farmers’ 
meeting. He prayed that all present would be guided 
to put honest apples in the barrel. Did he know his 
congregation ? 
* 
The great express companies have held up legislation 
for a parcels post for some years. Every time such legis¬ 
lation is pressed upon Congress the agents of the ex¬ 
press companies appear at Washington and influence 
the Senate. In fact, Senator Thomas C. Platt of New 
York, head of one of the great express companies, is 
always on hand when this matter comes up. One argu¬ 
ment which these express men attempt to give is that 
the express companies give prompt and useful service 
at a fair rate. We have had some experience with 
them this year which can be duplicated a thousand times 
by our readers. A package of string beans shipped 
from Florida was eight days on the way, and finally 
reached us a mass of filth. We refused to accept it, and 
the company is still trying to make us pay $2 express- 
age. We have put in a counter charge of $4 for the 
beans, and one account is about as likely to be paid as 
the other! Early in June, in response to a telegram, a 
crate of plants was shipped by express, plainly marked, 
from Monmouth Co., N. J. They have never been de¬ 
livered. Letter after let.ter sent to the express com¬ 
pany brings out the information that “the matter is 
being investigated” with the added request that we 
“have patience.” We have lots of it, but the express 
company has our plants, and seems likely to keep them. 
Last Spring a small express package was offered for 
delivery at this office. It was evidently a framed pic¬ 
ture. It was evident that the glass had been broken, 
as it rattled when handled. We refused to accept it 
in such condition, and after some argument the mes¬ 
senger went away. The next day he come again, and 
watching his chance got the office boy to sign his re¬ 
ceipt. The package had been opened, the broken glass 
removed and the package tied up again. We could mul¬ 
tiply cases many times. Ask anyone who has tried to 
obtain fair redress from an express company for his 
experience, and see what he will say. It is little less 
than an insult to the American people for expressmen 
to oppose a fair parcels post because they now “give 
fair service.” 
* 
Last year a rumshop was opened in this city under 
peculiar circumstances. There was a religious ceremony 
including the singing of “Praise God From Whom All 
Blessings Flow!” The reader will wonder what this 
good old hymn had to do with a rumshop, and what 
occasion there was to offer thanks that another one had 
been started! A number of very respectable persons 
felt that while a large amount of liquor will ruin a man 
a small amount of it may save him! At least that 
seems to be the logic of their operations. They claim 
that a rumshop is “a poor man’s club.” They combined 
a chance to buy good liquor with a reading room and 
other conveniences for comfort, which they thought 
workmen needed ! In other words, they reasoned that 
since workmen must have liquor they should make 
drinking respectable by making the rumshop respecta¬ 
ble. A Ft r a year these gentlemen are glad to quit with 
the loss of some $16,000. There was a fierce outcry 
against the scheme at first, but wiser temperance men 
knew that failure was certain. In one sense a rumshop 
is a poor man’s club—that is, the “poorest” specimens 
of men in the neighborhood use it for a lounging place. 
With the healthy growth of temperance sentiment in 
this country you cannot make a rumshop respectable 
in the sense that you can a grocery store or a meat 
market. Men who open a rumshop with prayers and 
hymns and attempt to dedicate it to religious purposes 
will, sooner or later, be recognized as hypocrites or 
fools; because it is clearly understood that the rumshop 
and the church cannot meet on friendly terms without 
loss to the church. 
* 
1 he wire fence question is coming to a head faster 
than we thought it would. 1 here arc some people who 
thought that hard words and violent abuse of the manu¬ 
facturers would give us better wire at once. They 
were wrong, for this problem is harder than appears 
on the surface. From the first we have insisted that 
some public officer must find out the fundamental dif¬ 
ference between good wire and bad, so that buyers can 
tell one from the other. Any other way of settling the 
question will be useless. For example, one of our 
readers sent us specimens of cut nails which had been 
in use 40 years. They were still in much better condi¬ 
tion than some modern wire nails that have seen but 
five years’ service. Now of course there is a reason for 
this, which goes back to the manufacture of the wire, 
and we feel confident that it will be proved before long 
that the trouble is largely due to the process of manu¬ 
facture. We know that most of the manufacturers 
claim that the fault lies in the galvanizing. How can 
they explain the fact that old-fashioned nails and wire 
that never were galvanized remain in good condition 
after 40 years of exposure? We also know that old 
style galvanized wire will last for years after every 
bit of galvanizing has disappeared, while modern wire 
snaps like rotten twine after the galvanizing goes. 
While the galvanizing may be defective the real fault 
is in the composition of the metal itself. Farmers are 
most interested in this question because they pay for 
the wire, They can help settle the matter, and back 
up the Government chemists who are at work on the 
case. A farmer may not understand chemistry, but he 
is usually a good observer, and he can give the chemist 
facts about wire which cannot be learned in the lab¬ 
oratory. Read the questions printed on page 681 and 
send us the best answers you can. Do not think you 
cannot help—you can; your testimony is needed. There 
are two or three vital facts about wire which can only 
be demonstrated by its behavior in the field. Walk 
around your fences and give us a fair report. Your 
evidence is needed! 
BREVITIES . 
Fall is the best time for using lime. 
A good turn is deserving of a better one. 
Answer the questions about wire fences. 
AVhy not cut out the hard cider this year? 
. The politician votes for his principles, but spells them 
with an a. 
Discouraging reports of damage from Asparagus blight 
are coming. 
The man who talks for a living and does no work is far 
from an ideal citizen. 
According to Jersey justice a farmer has no rights that a 
cTeer is bound to respect. 
Do you ever advocate a practice with no good evidence 
to favor it? AA’hat is good evidence? 
AAHth oats bringing less than 20 cents a bushel to the 
western farmer it is hard to see why eastern farmers should 
pay so much. 
