1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
731 
Hope Farm Notes 
Life Insurance. —Among other questions 
I have been asked several times if a young 
man ought to insure his life. Just now when 
the big insurance companies are being 
turned inside out, people do not like the 
looks of the inside. I carry an insurance. 
When I took it out I had nothing else that 
had much value. I have been surprised to 
see how many people there are in towns 
and cities who have nothing on earth except 
some furniture and an insurance policy. A 
failure of the great insurance companies 
would mean awful disaster to thousands of 
families. I do not fear this, for in spite of 
what the public is finding out these com¬ 
panies are still perfectly safe. They can 
pay the face value of every policy they have 
issued and still have a surplus. They ought 
to pay more than this face value, and the 
fact that they do not is what creates this 
great surplus and causes the trouble. The 
undivided surplus of other people's money is 
what leads to “graft." Pure insurance in 
a safe company is good, but I doubt the 
wisdom of mixing investment with insurance. 
Investment. —I will give the exact fig¬ 
ures to show how a friend of mine stands, 
lie took out a policy in one of the large 
companies for $3,000. For about $60 a year 
he could have had a pure insurance policy 
—that is, the company was willing to take 
the risk and agree to pay his wife $3,000 in 
case of bis death—though be would get none 
of his money back even if he lived 75 years ! 
The agent talked investment. My friend was 
to pay $100 a year for 30 years. In case of 
llis death his widow would have $3,000. 
In case he lived 30 years lie would get his 
money back with interest, and he could bor¬ 
row his money back from time to time. The 
agent painted' these things in glowing colors, 
and my friend, in spite of the advice of his 
wife, took this 20-year investment policy. 
It ran along for some years until he had 
paid in all $1,930. Then he began to figure. 
He needed some money, and asked this com¬ 
pany wliat they would give for his policy 
and what they would lend him on it. A 
prompt reply came that the policy has no 
“surrender value” ; that is, they will not give 
him a cent on it until he dies or lives the 
full 30 years. 
What will it be worth then? 
They dodge the question, and will not say 
what per cent his money is earning.. By 
talking with people who have been paid it 
seems that such earnings are not ovej - 2'/> 
per cent. They will lend him $1,150 at 
five per cent—interest taken out in advance, 
demanding bis policy as security and holding 
over $800 of his money and all the so- 
called earnings! 
Figure It Out. —You will see how this 
“investment” feature works out. Suppose 
this man had put his $1,920 from year to 
year into a savings bank at four per cent ! 
He would be far better off to-day. Suppose 
lie had naid $60 a year for pure insurance 
and banked $l0o each year at four per cent. 
Roth he and his wife would be better olT. 
In case of his death now his wife would gain 
but little over $1,000 because, lie has al¬ 
ready paid (lie company nearly $2,000. If lie 
had a pure insurance policy bis wife would 
receive $2,200 more than be lias paid in 
and would have $1,500 in the bank! What 
has this man done? Helped pay the agent s 
salary and helped build up a great cash 
“surplus” which may be used against ids 
own interests as an individual. 
What does the agent say? 
He gets his styare and doesn't need to talk 
except to new ones ! About all you can get 
out of him is the opinion that you wouldn’t 
have put your money in the savings bank any¬ 
way ! You would have spent it if the insur¬ 
ance company hadn't dug it out of you arid 
put it in its surplus! 
What About It? —It seems to me that the 
present system of investment, insurance 
favors the company rather than the policy 
holder. At the same time I do not see why 
some fairer plan cannot be carried out. I 
believe it will be. I think the present poli¬ 
cies are safe, and I would he willing to take 
pure insurance in the leading companies, but 
as for giving them money to invest I would 
like to know what it earns and be able to get 
hold of it if I give good security. For ex¬ 
ample. this company lias had my friend's 
$1,920—as we suppose at interest. Why 
can’t they lend him more than $1,150? They 
have his' policy and the interest on his 
money. They hold back nearly $800, which 
he has paid in, though he could use it to good 
advantage. 
The American people understand some of 
these things at last, and the insurance busi¬ 
ness will have to be made over. The sore 
spot in the whole business is that big sur¬ 
plus. The officers act as if it belonged to 
them, but it doesn’t: it belongs to thousands 
of policy holders like my friend. T can see 
no reason whv an insurance company should 
not be obliged every year or every two years 
to state publicly bow much each policy has 
earned. Savings banks do this, and credit 
each account with such earnings. In the 
future Ibelieve people will refuse to take out 
these investment policies unless they are 
guaranteed something like this. If these 
companies did not pretend to be co-operative 
—that is. working for the benefit of policy 
holders—it would be different. The agents 
make them out as great benevolent institu¬ 
tions aching to act as a father to the “wid¬ 
ows and orphans” Their actions seem to 
me somewhat like those of the father who 
sells the boy's calf or colt—and pockets the 
money ! 
Saving. —The argument that a man would 
not save unless he was forced to do so is 
an obi one I have had grocers and butch¬ 
ers fell me that customers have dodged their 
accounts in order to make their payments at 
the Building and Loan Association. The 
money they put into the B. and I,, meant a 
savin?. and they let their debts go. It is 
true that mo«t of ns do our best when pressed 
by hard conditions and the first $190 of 
property saved means tou<rb polf denial. 
If a man m”=t lie <5p-iipp-/cf] aud ninned down 
by an insurance comnauv in o ,- fW to kpep out 
of the poorhoe«p tn old age, he doesn’t seem 
to me a verv desirable tvne of man. It is 
true, however, that the insurance companies 
have saved many families from want and 
suffering Properly conducted their business 
is a noble one—almost justifying some of 
the tearful orations that are told by the 
agents. That makes it all the more neces¬ 
sary that the business should be overhauled. 
The big surplus must be divided where it 
belongs, the graft must be cut out, and 
policy holders treated like the depositors in 
a savings bank or in a B. and L. association. 
When this is done investment insurance will 
prove a good thing. 
Rum Did It. —-“And so after all this dis¬ 
cussion we decided”—that was as far as 
Mother got in telling of the important day's 
doings. It was past 10 o'clock on as bad a 
September night as New Jersey cares to put 
on the plate—dark as pitch—wet as a sop. 
foggy as smoke and muddy as putty ! Every 
Hope Farmer was abed and most of them were 
asleep. Mother stopped at the crisis of 
her story to listen. 
“Somebody lias driven into our yard !" 
It was true—a loaded wagon and team 
stood in our driveway and a voice thick with 
fog and beer called out: 
“Where am I ?" 
I will not say how hasty my toilet was, 
but I got down at. last with a lighted candle 
and found a man with various kinds of a 
“load." with his team nearly tangled up in 
the big cherry tree. The only way to get 
out of our yard when you once get in is to 
drive between trees to the barnyard, 
turn around the walnut tree and come back. 
The horses hung their heads with fatigue, 
and the man did well to keep from rolling 
off his seat. I finally led the poor brutes to 
the barnyard and turned around the tree with¬ 
out injury, though the candle flickered in the 
wind. The man claimed that he mistook our 
gate for the turn in the road, but more likely 
those tired horses were after shelter and 
food. I wanted to get a bucket and give 
them some water, but before I could turn the 
man drove away, nearly knocking the gate 
post over as he went. The weary horses 
went toiling on through the mud headed, I 
hope, for home. It is hard to be lost at 
night—harder still to ride through the dark 
with brain benumbed and sight dimmed by 
that which has no mercy. Rum is a fearful 
curse. We do not realize what it really rep¬ 
resents to humanity till we see what dan¬ 
gers a partner of it puts himself into. Six 
inches more to one side in our yard might 
have meant death to man and horses. In 
such cases the horses have more sense than 
the man. M.v work was done when this 
poor fellow struck the highway and started 
south. The black night settled upon us 
blacker than ever. I can only hope that the 
horses carried him safely home. He could 
hardly have reached it alone. As for me. 
I went back to bed and heard the finish of 
the story. 
Punching Out Dirt — I got myself into 
trouble when I spoke about washing ma¬ 
chines. Here is a letter from Maine: 
“We do not own. borrow or use a wash 
boiler. The place for row-boats is the lake, 
and Hot in the kitchen. Two tubs, one for 
white, the other for colored; while the hot 
water is being drawn to the tubs, the clothes 
are soaped. They stand for 10 to 20 min¬ 
utes and are then “punched” with a “ma¬ 
chine” shaped exactly like a large funnel. 
The one we use is eight inches in diameter 
across the face. Two and one-half inches 
from the outer rim is a plate closing the 
funnel and then two strips of same width 
(inches) cross each other, making four 
chambers, air and watertight of course. The 
small end fits on to a broom handle. When 
this is forced down into the clothes, the 
air is compressed and thoroughly agitates 
the suds and removes the dirt without injur 
ing the most delicate fabric and rendering 
rubbing unnecessary except on badly soiled 
wristbands, etc The clothes are then passed 
through the wringer; put into the rinsing 
water, the funnel used again, and one more 
wring and they are ready for the line This 
machine costs about 50 cents, is made of 
heavy tin and will last for many years, and 
any tinman can make it.” f. c. c. 
This seems simple enough, and this 
“punching" beats doubling over a wash board 
Some of us have done things in a certain 
way all our lives, confident tiiat our way is 
Hie best that can be found All of a sud¬ 
den we wake up to find that some one right 
over the hill has a better and easier way of 
doing it. it pays to look about and see what 
others are doing 1 usually gain most infor¬ 
mation by saying that I don't know how to do 
a thing Some one comes forward at once 
and tells how it should be done. 
Farm Notes. —We have been cutting the 
second-growth grass. It is not as heavy as 
usual this year, but every little helps, for 
we are likely to run short of fodder after all. 
Our corn fodder is curing just ns it should. 
The third cutting of the old Alfalfa field was 
largest of all There is no doubt but that 
the Alfalfa is thickening the more we cut 
it. On about one-third of the field there is 
now a good stand. The August-seeded Al¬ 
falfa looks well—better than, any we have 
had before, and seems to be ready to stay 
by us. . . . The potatoes are coming out 
in good shape. The yield is fair and the 
quality, extra good.. As we dig we use the 
horse rake to pull the weeds and vines to 
gether. This trash is carried to the hill to 
put around peach trees ... I wish 
those who make light of the San JosC scale 
could see my neighbor's orchard. He has 
some Greening trees that promised a good 
crop. The fruit is large—a tree badly crusted 
with scale often gives a crop of large fruit 
and then quits. These apples are so spotted 
with scale marks that not one in 50 could be 
sold as fine fruit. I never saw a worse look¬ 
ing lot. A thorough spraying with lime and 
sulphur or K.-L. this Spring would have 
saved 80 per cent of that fruit. I feel quite 
confident that we have struck a good thing 
for Fall spraying in those “soluble oils” I 
have been talking about. Two weeks after 
spraying the bark still feels greasy, and the 
scale rubs off with light pressure I cannot 
say they are all killed, because I do not 
know it, but most of them will do no more 
damage. The scale has appeared upon the 
currants, which is the worst thing yet to 
clean up. ... A killing frost is reported 
in the valley a few miles from us, but no¬ 
thing on the hills has been injured yet. 
H. w. c. 
JONES PAYS 
FREIGHT 
Wagon $Q IT 
SCALES JO 
ON TRIAL w W 
ALL IRON, STEEL AND BRASS 
Jones Box No.331 Binghamton. N. Y. 
rr The Resister 
Rex Stintkote 
ROOFING 
Just 
as 
Go 0 ' 
RESISTS , Bay 
TEMPTATION. 
t* 'f'ho I 
'ltsiheapl 
l 
oW 
id 
MotePm 
'on This 
the 
We Will Not Reduce 
Quality to Meet Low Prices 
We started business in 1837. For 68 years 
we have made and ha 7 idled only the best goods, charged 
a reasonable price, quality considered, and have never 
allowed unfair competition to weaken this position. 
Rex Flintkote Roofing is the best wool-felt roofing in 
•world—it has no “quality competition.” Prompted by our success, scores 
of cheap substitutes which look (on the surface) like Rex Flintkote are 
being offered by some dealers for larger profit. 
Its quality is proved by time —its durability and weather-resisting 
power make it the cheapest and most satisfactory SIDING and ROOF¬ 
ING for houses, barns, poultry buildings—even if first-cost is a trifle more. 
Unlike shingles, it resists fire. Unlike tin, it will not leak at the 
first touch — no need to shovel snow off Rex Flintkote. Unlike tar 
roofing, it resists the effect of heat in summer and cold in winter. It 
is so much better than we can tell you here that we ask you to 
Send for Free Samples 
•\F 
TRADE 
and our book. State your roof problems—we 
will either solve them or admit that we 
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or can get it if you insist —better insist. 
Look for this trade mark. May 
we hear from you? Write to-day. 
3. A. & W. BIRD & CO. 
India St.. Boston. Mass. 
FEED & LITTEVn 
ji'h m//M7mffx&^sssss& 
Built of sleel. Strongest and most reliable carrier made—no 
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saver. Lightens stable duties and encourages cleanliness. Can 
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Wilt epet ate any distance over head. 
Our tubular steel stanchions are sanitary, durable and humane. Forinfor- 
matiooabouc PERFECT EQUIPMENTS FOR MODERN BARNS address 
Louden Machinery Co., 39 Broadway. Fairfield, Iowa. 
ilta 
and 
Goodhue 
Wind 
Mills 
Our hand¬ 
some free 
booklet explains their many ad¬ 
vantages, a nd tel Is about ou r new 
INDESTRUCTIBLE 
TOWERS. 
It gives much valuable and practical Informa¬ 
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Send for it to-day and ask abouc our 
Windmill Insurance Policy. 
APPLETON 
27 FARGO ST. 
MFG. CO. 
BATAVIA, ILL. 
IF YOU WANT A MACHINE FOR 
Well 
'DRILLING OR 
PROSPECTING 
with either Rope or Pipe Tools, write to us de¬ 
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LOOMIS MACHINE CO., TIFFIN, OHIO. 
$148.50 r HAY: 
PRESS 
that is 1 
guar-' 
an teed to be strictly ' 
‘ASS first-class. Write , 
for particulars now. 
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Cornell Street, 
KINGSTON, N. Y. 
Here Is the cheapest good gun yet made. By theomlssion of the take down feature we have 
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(jO. 157 Willow Street, New Haven, Ct 
