828 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 18, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUK BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, ( . 
Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, j 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 8*4 marks, or 10*4 francs. 
“A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement In this paper is 
hacked 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 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. NOVEMBER 18, 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 poets are now after Luther Burbank. One of 
them in a long poem pictures Mr. Burbank as taming 
the desert and doing other remarkable tilings. A 
man can usually stand the photographers and magazine 
writers with some philosophy, but when the poets get 
after him he may well run for cover. All this gush and 
florid advertising must be very offensive to a modest 
and retiring man like Mr. Burbank. 
* 
An order for 3,000 boxe.s of apples has been given 
to Seattle merchants. This fruit will be sent to the 
Philippines, and the best and highest colored apples 
are wanted. This will probably mean several thousand 
new members for the American Apple Consumers’ 
League, and will lead to a new trade in apples. We are 
glad this foreign trade did not begin with Ben Davis 
apples. The brown citizens have had too many of the 
dry sides of American civilization pushed upon them 
already'. 
* 
Business men of Liverpool, England, are planning 
to erect modern flouring mills to rival Minneapolis, 
where they will use Canadian wheat. They figure 
that in the future the United States will not raise 
enough wheat for its own consumption, and that Liver¬ 
pool will thus have a chance to control the wheat and 
flour of the world. It would seem better business for 
our Canadian friends to make flour at home rather than 
export the entire grain. There can be no doubt that 
the development of the Canadian Northwest is to 
change history in many ways. 
* 
It seems as if the potato crop must now’ be ranked 
among those wdiich are classed as “gambles.” Blight 
and rot have appeared in new’ sections, and 
seem to become worse each year. Formerly a 
farmer was quite safe in planting potatoes with 
ordinary care. He w r as reasonably sure of a crop. Now' 
the chances are often against him unless he uses the 
best of care and applies the best of skill. The result 
will be that the profit in potatoes will go to those wdio 
know just how to grow them. The increase of potato 
disease makes a premium on care and skill. 
* 
At several county fairs in New York “Children’s 
Day” has become a recognized feature. On that day 
school children are admitted free; prizes are offered 
for specimens of their w'ork, and efforts are made to 
get as many of the little folks on the fair grounds as 
possible. In theory this is an excellent scheme, but in 
practice it sometimes w'orks out the wrong way. A 
strong protest has just been made against the Chemung 
Co. Fair, as this extract from the Elmira Gazette will 
show' • 
In a letter addressed to tlie Roard of Education, which 
met last Monday evening:. Superintendent Walker denounced 
the fair as unfit for children to attend on account of the 
many gambling games and immoral shows that are present, 
and also the unfit language used by the “barkers” for the 
different exhibitions. 
This idea of enticing a crowd of children to the fair 
and then permitting a lot of fakers to go through their 
nasty and criminal performances is more than foolish. 
A child might better come in contact with some bodily 
disease than to be put in such surroundings. If the 
fair association will not clean up their show the chil¬ 
dren should be kept away! But if Supt. Walker’s 
statements are true how does this fair association re¬ 
ceive any financial aid from the State? The law' de¬ 
clares that no State money shall be given where such 
shows are permitted. 
* 
From personal observation we feel sure that Mr. 
Wright’s statement of apple possibilities in Delaware is 
conservative. It only show's how old theories and be- 
\ *■ 
liefs are being upset. Years ago the best “authorities” 
claimed that there w’as a “dairy belt” in this country 
outside of which good commercial butter could not be 
made. The use of the^cream separator and modern 
dairy methods have disproved all that, for good butter 
can be made anywhere between Alaska,and Mexico, 
provided one has the cream and the apparatus. It is 
much the same with various crops. By adapting varie¬ 
ties to locality and changing methods to suit the soil 
and conditions a young generation may take land which 
an old one abandoned, and make it as profitable as the 
best. 
* 
The difficulties in handling the Chinese trade are 
shown by the following incident. A shipment of Amer¬ 
ican flour w'as sent to Amoy and sold both raw and 
baked to natives. Several parties died after eating it, 
and the most alarming reports spread all through the 
country. The explanation seems to be that Chinese mer¬ 
chants used the flour for smuggling morphia into the 
country. They put this drug into the packages of flour, 
and either failed to take them out or some of the pack¬ 
ages were broken. Of course such a deadly mixture 
meant death and the American flour was credited with 
the damage. The best way to avoid such things is to 
ship under seal and in unbroken packages, but this inci¬ 
dent in connection w'ith the Chinese “boycott” shows 
how hard it will be for this country to increase its 
Chinese trade. 
* 
It is reported that in one day last w'eek 19,000 bags 
of foreign potatoes were received in New York. The 
price is running high, and the home crop is reported 
short, so that imports of potatoes are starting earlier 
than usual. Several times during the past 10 years the 
price in Spring has warranted imports, but it is quite 
unusual to find European potatoes here at this time of 
the year. The European crop is heavy. Germany pro¬ 
duces an enormous crop which is used largely for the 
production of alcohol for fuel. Let the price on this 
side go high enough and a portion of the German crop 
w'ill be taken from alcohol manufacture and sent here. 
Thus the retail price is not likely to rise above $3, if it 
reaches that figure. When we think that less than a year 
ago farmers could hardly give potatoes away we realize 
that potato growdng is getting to be as much of a 
gamble as peach culture. 
* 
T he wire fence question gets more and more alive 
each day. The chemists at Washington have proved 
beyond reasonable doubt that the trouble lies in the 
process of manufacturing the wire and not in the gal¬ 
vanizing. A bulletin will soon be printed which will 
demonstrate this. The manufacturers, or at least the 
wiser of them, realize what is going on, and they know 
that they must sooner or later furnish better wire. They 
are experimenting, and waiting to see if customers 
really demand a higher quality. Here then is the need 
of redoubled efforts on the part of farmers. The letters 
they wrote and the pow’er they displayed induced the 
Department of Agriculture to test the wire. When the 
final report is made there is to be no excuse for a man¬ 
ufacturer to refuse to sell good w’ire, except the old 
one that farmers only want what is “too cheap to be 
good.” I hat can be settled only by farmers themselves. 
Let every man who uses wire W'rite at once to both 
agent and manufacturer that he wants nothing but 
guaranteed “wire, subject to test by the Department of 
Agriculture. No use waiting for some anti-trust law'. 
Be a law unto yourself and trust in the postage stamp 
vote. 
★ 
Many cotton farmers in Texas and other Southern 
States find themselves in a hard position. The boll 
weevil has done so much injury to cotton that it seems 
likely to destroy the industry of cotton growing in 
some sections. What are the cotton grow’ers to do 
then? Many of them are on strong land that w'ill pro¬ 
duce fine crops of vegetables, fruit or forage crops. 
In the North, close to the large towns and cities, the 
change from any staple crop would be quite easy. The 
change from grain growing to dairying, or fruit grow¬ 
ing has been carried out in many parts of the North 
wth great advantage to farmers. What seemed at first 
a curse to them turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 
Why then will not the same thing follow' at the South? 
The conditions there are quite different. The aver¬ 
age farmer knows little of farming except cotton grow¬ 
ing. He usually works on the credit or lien system, 
often borrowing money in advance on his crop. It is 
doubtful if he could obtain an advance on a new crop 
for the seed or stock or new tools required to handle 
it. Whatever he raised would be shipped hundreds of 
miles to find a market, and if located far from the 
railroad a farmer could hardly handle perishable goods. 
He w'ill find it difficult to obtain reliable and intelligent 
labor. 1 bus the situation is entirely different from 
that at the North, w’iiere a farmer is closer to market, 
more ready for the change and able to hire laborers 
who know how to grow' the new crops. Of course 
there are southern farmers w'ho can and will over¬ 
come these disadvantages, but the majority will find 
it hard to do so. 
* 
There will be a great battle when Congress meets 
over the question of regulation of railroad rates. The 
railroads seem determined to prevent legislation that 
will give the Interstate Commerce Commission greater 
pow'er if they can possibly do so. They seem to real¬ 
ize that public sentiment is with the President, and 
their move is to change that sentiment. Books are 
being written for free distribution. Every week we 
receive letters and pamphlets with requests to print 
them or call attention to them. They are all plausible 
arguments against Government control of rates. In many 
cases editors of country papers receive offers to furnish 
a “fine supplement” free. This “supplement” contains 
a variety of good matter, with articles hidden among 
the rest arguing foj the railroad’s side. In some cases 
the titles indicate that the article favors the President, 
but that is only a bait for the purpose of enticing the 
reader. It is doubtful if ever before a more dangerous 
or plausible campaign to use the public press for direct¬ 
ing public opinion from a just cause was started. Com¬ 
bined with the railroads are the express companies, who 
send out similar arguments against a parcels post. The 
scheme will fail. The American people intend that 
Congress shall give the Interstate Commerce Commis¬ 
sion pow'er to enforce its own rules. That is what they 
thought they had done 18 years ago, when this com¬ 
mission w'as created. They intended to do it then, and 
had they succeeded in doing so many of the present 
troubles would have been avoided. The Supreme Court 
has decided that Congress must definitely give this rate¬ 
making power to the commission before its rules can be 
enforced. "1 hat is what the American people want, and 
they will not be drawn or driven from their purpose. 
BREVITIES. 
Rye bread is recorumended for eases of diabetes. 
No need for idle rainy days with a good shop on the farm. 
Wb wait until late Winter or Spring before trimining 
raspberries. 
The bread winner sometimes loses if his wife is not a 
bread maker. 
With a good eow, a crop of cow peas and a flock of hens 
a good living is in sight. 
One reader writes us “as the son of an old subscriber 
and a subscriber to be"—which is about an ideal com¬ 
bination. 
The women folks say the men put aside house jobs "for 
a rainy day," and then when the rain comes find others 
more pressing. 
Yes, we are always waiting for some one to tell us about 
a labor union of farm hands that has held water. Is such a 
thing possible? 
One big Chicago rose grower is now reported to have 
30 acres under glass. lie would appear to be bringing 
his farm indoors. 
Let some men alone and they will take the credit which 
you have honestly earned, and offer you their own dis¬ 
credit in exchange. 
Yes, sir—we would rather have a barrel of gunpowder 
in the cellar than a barrel of hard cider. We are thankful 
we don’t have to have either. 
The Ontario government has decided that hereafter no 
club charter will lie granted without a clause attached to 
it prohibiting the selling of liquor. 
The man who denies himself to save the money for his 
insurance policy is not likely to shout for joy when he 
reads of an insurance grafter spending $10 for a dinner. 
The feeder who keeps his hogs in a muddy yard, without 
shelter in stormy weather, as mentioned by Mr. Jamison on 
first page, has to shovel in corn enough to warm the hogs 
and Robin Hood’s barn as well! 
Regarding cement blocks one man says cement costs so 
much that sometimes too much sand is used. Another 
says sand is expensive and too much cement is wanted. 
It makes great difference where a man lives! 
A cheerful German scientist suggests the use of cement 
coffins, the bodies of the dead to be placed in molds and 
tlie cement poured around them, the blocks thus formed, 
when perfectly hardened, being use to build monuments. 
That man seems to be blessed with a frugal mind ! 
Union plasterers in New Y'ork have made a demand on 
independent employers for $G a day (eight hours), an 
advance of 30 cents. If the demand is granted these men 
could make $12 a day by working four hours overtime, as 
overtime receives double pay. The outlook is not cheering 
for the clerk on $12 a week, who finds his rent raised for 
every increase in building-trade wages. 
