8 r 2 
T11 E RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November ti, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUK BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
don’t want boric acid in our food, but if it will keep 
things fresh, use plenty of it on the efforts of the turn 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homea. 
Established 1H,W. 
IfEKBKKT VV. COLLINGWOOD, Editor. 
Im. Wai.tck Van Fleet, i . 
Mas. K. T. Kovi.k, f Associates. 
John J. Iiii.uin, HiikIiiukh XlanaKur. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union. $2 04 
equal to Ks. (Id., or 8Vi marks, or 10 Vi francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
Wo believe that every advertisement In this paper Is 
hacked by a responsible person, lint 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, tail we do not guarantee 
to adjust trilling differences between subscribers and honest 
responsible advertisers. Neither will we lie responsible for 
the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts 
Notice of the complaint must he sent to us within one 
month of the time of the transaction, and von must have 
mentioned Tin: Rural Nkw-Youker when writing the adver 
Name and address of sender, and what the remittance 
Is for, should appear In every letter. 
Remittances may he made In money order, express order, 
personal check or bank draft. 
TIIE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York. 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER n, 1905. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce 1 he R. N.-Y. to progressive 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, vve 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. 
* 
We have long believed that there is no possible ency¬ 
clopedia of agriculture that can compare with the expe¬ 
rience of readers of I he R. N.-Y. They are intelligent 
people, and are scattered all over the world. They 
seem to be engaged in all sorts of occupations, and what 
is best of all, they are willing to give their experience. 
\\ c feel sure that any reasonable (jiicslinn relating to 
farming or farm life can he settled, as far as human 
experience can settle it, by reference to our readers. 
Some reader of I he R. N.-Y. will always have just the 
bit of experience needed to satisfy the Question. 
* 
Skim-milk is a useful and wholesome beverage. 
Most of us drink it when we drink milk at all, taking 
the cream off the milk for separate use. It should he 
sold under fair restriction in all towns and cities, hut 
in New York the law forbids its sale. There would be 
a heavy demand for it, and, in the end, such sale would 
help the producers of good milk, because it would lead 
to a guarantee of butter fat. Customers would he edu¬ 
cated in the difference between skim-milk and whole 
milk, and thus milk would he graded. As it is now many 
people buy skim-milk and pay the price of whole milk 
for it. 
* 
During the recent political campaign in New York it 
was well said of one man: “11 is only hope is to keep his 
mouth shut. Let him talk and he is lost!’’ Of another 
it was said: “ 11 is only hope is to talk freely and get 
the cause he represents before the people.” It was the 
principle, or a lack of it, which stood behind the man. 
Advertising ruined one and saved the other. The same 
is true of other things, from the sale of goods to tlie 
saving of public rights. For example, the only hope for 
farmers to obtain a parcels post law is for them to talk 
about it and make Congress realize that they mean bnsi 
ness. Keep at the Congressmen. 
♦ 
A young American “social leader” who probably never 
would have risen above a dry goods counter had it not 
been for rich ancestors, was recently sent to jail for 
reckless auto driving. An example of American justice, 
eh? No, it was in France, where this lively American 
was put behind the bars. There are hundreds of them 
who should lie jailed on American soil. It is utter non¬ 
sense to fine these rich rascals and let them go on 
boasting of their exploits. We would have them put in 
the common jnil and fed on soup, boiled potatoes and 
bread for a month Their death dealing autos would 
scorch ’ alintit as a hearse does after such an experience. 
* 
It has been claimed that Dr. H. VV. Wiley, of the 
Department of Agriculture, is a friend of oleo. We 
doubt the statement, hut at any rate, President Roosevelt 
did a good thing when he sent Dr. Wiley to Philadel¬ 
phia to testify in an oleo case! A firm in that city was 
charged with selling oleo as butter to the Navy Yard. 
When this firm saw that the United States Government 
was helping the prosecution they quit and made no 
defense. They were fined $250 and sent to jail. Served 
them right. Another man charged with selling sausage 
containing boric acid was fined $100 and costs. We 
who take the job of hunting rogues, 
i 
A farmer in the South has just built a fine house. 
‘We can’t take anything away with ns," he said, "so why 
not he comfortable while we arc here!” A farmer at 
the North has put steam heat in his house. “We can 
live hut once, says he; "we have crowded into one 
room too long. Now let's he comfortable and enjoy 
the entire house.” In this case the man had saved the 
money and would invest it in gome way. He preferred 
i eomfortabl house to a mortgage on another farm. 
Every week people write us about various schemes for 
investing money. Some stranger has offered them large 
interest in a mining scheme, or some industrial plan. 
We know little about such concerns; they may or may 
not succeed, depending on the honesty of the managers. 
Not infrequently on the very farms where this money 
has been saved for investment, comforts are lacking in 
bouse or ham. or implements, stock or fertilizer invested 
for the farm would pay good interest. Why not invest 
ui home or in farm instead of sending money to 
strangers' One trouble with the country to-day is that 
thousands of farmers have sent their money for other 
people to handle. I hat is where these vast sums come 
from. If this money, or a good share of it, could have 
been invested at home, manufacturers, railroad men and 
others would have been running after the farmer as their 
best customer. Why squeeze the farm and home dry 
in order to put juice in a railroad or factory, or a town 
hundreds of miles away? 
+ 
YV it at would those poor farmers do if there were 
no wise ones to plan for them? The latest suggestion 
is co-operative dishwashing. It is planned to have a 
$700 dishwasher at some central point and have a man 
go from house to house picking up the dirty dishes. 
They are to he washed and carried home! Of course 
the person who makes this beautiful plan never lived in 
a farmhouse, and probably never washed a dish. Yet 
he or she represents a good-sized class of people who 
would like to live 1»> “planning" for others. Apparent¬ 
ly the less they know about a subject the better qualified 
they are to plan it They strike a popular chord when 
they talk about dishwashing, for of all farm work that 
is the worst. 'I he genius who will invent a practical 
dishwasher that will come within the means of a farm¬ 
er’s wife will deserve a monument—and lie will get 
one too. No one talks of erecting a monument to 
Breed, the inventor of the weeder, though his imple¬ 
ment revolutionized the culture of small plants, and 
saved farmers much labor and time. Farmers may lie 
ungrateful enough to feel that the price of the tool is 
all they should pay, hut farmer’s wives will see to it 
that the man who invents an animated dishrag gels a 
monument. 1 he farmers who turn in to help wash or 
wipe at times will also contribute. 
* 
Our readers have not forgotten Hon. T. C. Platt, 
Senator from New York, and his position on the parcels 
post question. We are at liberty to print a correspond¬ 
ence with one of them. A citizen of central New York- 
sent this'letter to the Senator: 
I lake this early action lu writing you to ascertain just 
what position you propose to take in the matter of parcels 
post, which is to lie thoroughly gone Into this coming session 
of Congress. I trust you will not longer lend yourself to 
the nefarious business of serving the express company in the 
Senate as against the people whose representatives placed 
you lu the great and honorable position which you now oc 
copy. I trust the time Is not far distant when it will he 
unnecessary for a farmer to pay to any express company 
• r,!) cents for bringing less than four pounds of cast Iron from 
Philadelphia, Ua„ to central New York. That Is Just what 
happened to the writer this last Spring. Kindly let me hear 
from you ns to your Intentions regarding parcels post with¬ 
out unnecessary delay. 
Within a short time he received the following from 
an express office in New York: 
In reply to your letter or the 18th, I have to say that up 
to (tie present time there has been no serious discussion lu 
Congress of parcels post legislation, t am not a member of 
the Committee on Cost Office and Cost Roads, where such 
a question would naturally receive preliminary consldern- 
lion, and I would not he called upon (o exercise any In 
fluenee for or against such legislation until it came before 
the open Senate In the form or a bill, to lie voted upon. 
If I ho question ever appears in Ibis concrete form. I should, 
of course, extend to such a measure most careful eonsldera 
lion, and my action would reflect my best judgment as to Its 
elleel upon the public welfare. Very truly yours, 
T. C. PLATT. 
It is not likely that Senator Platt expects people to 
lake such statements seriously. He knows belter, lie 
knows that thousands of people have written him per¬ 
sonally, and that thousands more have petitioned Con 
gress to give a fair parcels post service, (t won't do to 
make such jictly statements. They do not deceive cliil 
dren, to say nothing of grown-up men. When the 
Postmaster General made a suggestion about a postal 
note or check did Senator Platt wait until it came be¬ 
fore the Senate? No. He killed it before it got near 
any committee, because lie thought it would hurt his 
express company. We accept'Ibis letter as evidence 
that Senator Platt begins to realize what and who arc 
after him. Keep at him therefore with sharper pens 
than ever. So he is waiting for this subject to get into 
"concrete shape!” When that comes he is likely to he 
inside the concrete. Let us remember that concrete is 
of little value without a full supply of sharp sand, and 
farmers must supply this sand if they ever expect a 
print Is post. I he man who wrote this letter says he 
wishes our New York Senators were running for office 
this year! No such luck! Neither one of them would 
have the ghost of a chance for an elective office. They 
would run Spanish. In their attitude on this very par¬ 
ed-, post question they give the strongest possible argu¬ 
ment in favor of the election of Senators by popular 
vote. 
* 
Since the question about the value of washing ma- 
' bines was started in Hope Farm Notes there has been 
a lively discussion from housekeepers. The evidence 
thus far is about 10 to one that the machines really help 
the housewife. I his is especially true when the men 
folks are ready to help, or there is some stout child to 
wotk the machine. It will require about so much labor 
to get the <1 i 1 1 out of clothes and if we can make wood 
and rubber do part of it so much the better for the 
lingers! It appears to lie demonstrated by the reports 
which conic to us that a washing machine serves a pur¬ 
pose in the house quite as legitimate as the horse culti¬ 
vator or weeder on the farm. The farmer does not 
discard these tools because he must use a hoe in order 
to do a perfectly clean job. I he hand work required to 
complete the job of a good washing machine is pro¬ 
portionately less than the hand hoeing which follows a 
cultivator. 
* 
The following question is a fair sample of many 
from people who wonder why the great outcry for 
fumigation with Hydrocyanic acid gas has died out: 
In view of the doubt with which stum* orchnrdlsts seem 
to view the efficacy of llmo-sulphur-salt, and the danger 
which others claim attends the-use of petroleum and similar 
washes for the benefit of our friend San Jose, cun you give 
me any Information as to resulls of orchard fumigation? 
I have seen some reports, (N. Y. Slate Experiment Station), 
of experiments, hut nothing of recent date. The expense! 
of tents lias been considered, 1 believe, the chief drawback 
to this- method of lighting Insects, but I am gradually com¬ 
ing to the belief that, provided orchard trees can Is* fund 
gated with little danger of Injuring the trees, we shall he- 
compelled to resort to this method of protection. J. i>. v. 
Wc can all remember how, a few years ago, a craze* 
for fumigation passed over the country. It was claimed 
that this deadly gas would destroy the scale on nursery 
stock without injuring the trees, and some States; 
passed laws compelling nurserymen to fumigate. In 
California the gas was used in orchard work, tents, 
being thrown over the trees and the gas generated! 
inside the tent We saw this tried in a peach orchard! 
in West Virginia. Fumigation for nursery stock is, 
now little better than a farce. Practically every targe- 
nursery has the facilities for fumigation, hut most 
buyers prefer not to have it done. I he compulsory- 
laws have become pretty near a dead letter. Many 
trees have been injured by fumigation. When the hud's, 
have opened or after they have begun to swell tile gas 
will do them more harm than good. We have bought 
trees which were so weakened by fumigation that they 
were winter-killed, or dawdled on for several years 
before recovering. In the orchard this method has not 
given results which commend it to practical men. A 
few fruit-growers may practice it still, but no one advo¬ 
cates it as a method adapted to general use. It is 
more likely that ltmc and sulphur or some other wash, 
with a change in the form of the tree, will prove most 
effective in fighting the scale. A smaller tree, headed 
close In the ground, and with a wide, open top, will he 
the fruit tree or hush of the future. With the peach 
the tendency will be to plant new orchards each year, 
and depend upon young and vigorous trees for the 
fruit. I he present tendency certainly is to depend 
less and less upon fumigation. 
BREVITIES. 
Scalp out l lie* swill barrel now and then. 
Pasteurizing may kill the germs in milk, hut It doesn’t 
clean out the dirt. 
California fruit growers are discussing a tariff on 
bananas to help fruit growers. 
Tim English (iovernincnl has contracted with a California 
rain maker to produce rain in Soulli Africa, on (tic principle 
of no rain no pay. 
We wonder whether any render of Tin: R. N. V. would 
exchange poverty and setr respect for the position tilled b.v 
one of tin* big life insurance frauds! 
Last year (he single city of Marseilles, France. Imported 
182,010 tons of peanits. They were used for extracting an 
oil. The French even sent $27.0(15 worth of peanuts to this 
country ! 
What Is a "milk fed chicken"? A fowl fed on milk mixed 
with ground grain. This Is given in the form of porridge 
or soup, and forced down the bird’s throat under pressure. 
Many of such chickens are now on the market. The flesh 
Is excellent, but reporls are that they do not curry or 
keep well. 
