3o 
January IS, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKF.R. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, Editor. 
rut. WALTER VAX Fleet, ( Assoclate8 
Mrs. E. T. Boyle, ^Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. 6d., or 8 marks, or 10 Vi 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 he 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, JANUARY 13, 1906. 
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. 
* 
One thing can be said about our new book, “The 
Farmer’s Garden,” which is not likely to be disputed. 
The chapter on plant diseases is the clearest and most 
available discussion of the subject now in print. This 
is the only scientific matter in the book—the rest of it 
all being direct from practice. 
* 
Last Fall we called attention to the tariff on iron 
slag or phosphate. No sensible reason can he given for 
retaining this tariff. The slag has no value except 
as a fertilizer—supplying phosphoric acid. No other 
fertilizing material which enters this country is subject 
to a tariff, and the principle through which this single 
product is taxed has nothing to defend it. Congress 
should remove this tariff at once. 
* 
Many reports from fruit growers show damage from 
the use of Bordeaux Mixture last year. Even when the 
usual strength of copper was used much scalding and 
burning of foliage and fruit was noticed. There was 
so much trouble that some of the growers tell us that 
they expect to give up Bordeaux this year, and trust 
to a thorough early spraying with lime and sulphur. 
No one seems prepared to say just what the trouble is 
—even the scientific men asking for more time in which 
to study the matter. They should hurry up before 
spraying time comes. 
* 
Thts is the way one reader puts it: 
Seeing that the Hone Farm man is not going to Florida 
nor the Legislature this Winter I believe he will have time 
to read this long letter. 
If the Hope Farm man had been elected to the Leg¬ 
islature he would have tried to raise a warmer climate 
than they have in Florida. He always has time to read 
letters, and welcomes them. It doesn’t make any dif¬ 
ference whether they are written with a typewriter or 
not, so long as they express sound and true convic¬ 
tions. The most helpful ideas and suggestions that 
come here are those written by hand—often slowly and 
with difficulty by stiff hands. We like to get them. 
* 
The oleo question is up before Congress again. Hav¬ 
ing been beaten at every point on the old law the oleo 
manufacturers now attempt a new fight. The present 
law, which the Supreme Court has sustained, levies a 
tax of 10 cents a pound on all oleo colored in imita¬ 
tion of butter. On uncolored oleo the tax is two cents 
a pound. The object of this high tax is to give pro¬ 
tection to butter makers, for in no other way was it 
found possible to prevent the oleo makers from rais¬ 
ing the color of their product by artificial means. The 
highest court has passed upon this point, and decided 
that under the circumstances the tax is just and fair. 
Now the oleo men ask Congress to pass a bill which 
reduces this 10-cent tax on colored oleo to two cents 
a pound. One can easily see what the effect of such 
a bill would be. The present two-cent tax is a nominal 
one, and consumers may buy the u-ncolored oleo for 
just what it is at a fair price. With coloring matter 
added the greater part of the oleo would be sold as 
butter—at a price far above the value of the inferior 
fats which compose it. * The color tax is the best 
real protection the dairy industry has and color is also 
the most practical test for genuine butter. Every dairy¬ 
man in the country should oppose this bill. 
* 
The great poultry show held in New York during 
the first week in the year was a good indication of the 
way the poultry business is developing. Some of the 
old favorites like Barred Plymouth Rocks and Barred 
Wyandottes are coming back into favor with a rush. 
Among newer breeds the Rhode Island Reds have 
gained great popularity. Taken as a whole, the poultry 
business was never more promising than now. In spite 
of all that has been done to “boom” it the prices for 
eggs and chickens are higher than ever before. It 
seems impossible to overdo the “fresh egg” trade. 
* 
The movement from city to country is said to be 
larger this year than ever before. Here is a single re¬ 
port from a salesman who is planning to leave a city job 
and invest his savings in a farm. 
You have no idea of the number of men who are inter¬ 
ested in this kind of a proposition. Three men of my 
acquaintance who have been trained as I have, gave up 
their places January 1 to go to the country to live, one in 
Texas, one in Maine, and one in New York State. 
These people are likely to succeed. They have fair 
capital to start with, good business judgment, and they 
know just what they are doing. When people without 
capital or any knowledge of farm life talk of going to 
the country we usually try to discourage them. They 
do not understand what it will mean. When business 
men say they want a home and a chance to know their 
families in the country it is a pretty safe move. 
* 
The report of the Interstate Commerce Commission 
gives figures from 752 railroad companies representing a 
mileage of 214,477.82 miles. The gross earnings of 
these roads were $2,073,177,325, of which $1,449,182,702 
came from the freight service. These figures show the 
tremendous volume of business which the railroads rep¬ 
resent. They have made a comparatively few men ex¬ 
ceedingly rich. Many people of moderate means have 
invested their savings in railroad stocks and bonds, and 
several million people depend upon the railroad service 
for their daily bread. On the other hand, every dollar 
which the railroads represent or earn came originally 
out of the labor of what are called the common people. 
These things show what a fearful problem it will be 
to overhaul the railroad business without doing injus¬ 
tice to somebody. It is evident now that some sort of 
legislation will be carried through at this session of 
Congress. May it be a really “square deal!” 
* 
The meeting of the N. Y. Fruit Growers’ Association 
at Lockport was probably the largest gathering of actual 
fruit growers ever held in this country. It was held in 
the heart of the leading fruit section, where railroads 
and electric lines make travel easy. This great throng 
of substantial men was in marked contrast to the meet¬ 
ing five years ago at Syracuse when the Association 
was organized. From the first this Association has 
put the business side of fruit production and sale fore¬ 
most. Other societies may give more time to discus¬ 
sions of methods of culture or varieties, but this one 
was organized for the definite purpose of helping busi¬ 
ness conditions. It has succeeded far beyond the early 
expectations. Without any doubt this organization has 
helped obtain higher prices for fruit, better car service 
and lower prices on fertilizers and other chemicals. 
Efforts will now be made to establish headquarters in 
New York or other large cities, where fruit grown by 
members can be sold. All such efforts are in line 
with co-operation, which is sure to come with patience 
and continued work. 
* 
The Massachusetts Agricultural College has a new 
president. Kenyon L. Butterfield, for the past three 
years president of the Rhode Island College, goes to 
Amherst, where lie will have a larger opportunity. Mr. 
Butterfield is a well-trained and efficient educator, and 
the Massachusetts College, under his direction, will 
grow into great usefulness and power. His ancestors 
were New England men of puritan stock. His grand¬ 
father was a Michigan pioneer. It is significant of the 
change that is coming upon American agriculture that 
the grandson now comes back to New England, bring¬ 
ing the larger western view with him. Years ago men 
left the long-cultivated lands of the seaboard and went 
West after stronger lands. Now many of their chil¬ 
dren and grandchildren are looking back to the sea¬ 
board again. After half a century of farming the west¬ 
ern soils are confronted with the same old problem of 
how to restore lost fertility. Science will show' the 
way, and the East, with cheap land and excellent mar¬ 
kets, offers to-day better farm advantages than ever 
before. We regard it as a good sign of the times that 
President Butterfield’s transfer to Amherst attracts 
considerable attention. It shows that the cause of agri¬ 
cultural education is gaining dignity and acquiring a 
recognized place. We can easily remember when most 
prominent educators regarded the agricultural colleges 
as unworthy of serious notice. Now this is changed, 
and the farmers’ colleges have won their place. The 
Massachusetts College is peculiarly fitted to help the 
desired movement from city to country. The State is 
dotted thickly with towns and cities, and a consider¬ 
able number of its students come from these places. 
All this will help draw bright and forcible boys into 
farm enterprises. Too many boys have been drawn by 
a classical education away from the farm into half- 
developed lives. The college at Amherst is well fitted 
to draw the sons or relatives of such men back to the 
land. 
♦ 
It seems (page 19) that a man living in the city of 
Jerusalem has better facilities for mailing packages 
of merchandise than any American citizen. That ought 
to be a useful New Year’s thought to Americans! Arc 
we making such wonderful progress after all? Since 1 
we printed the letter from Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, 
on page* 932, it appears that that gentleman is carrying 
a great load of postage stamps on his back. We have 
received among others the following note from a reader 
in central New York: 
As you will notice by reading the enclosed copies of letters 
I have written to our Senator C. M. Depew, be certainly is 
tending very closely to his work, for he is not tending to 
mine, and inasmuch as I am contributing my mite to his 
salary and expenses, I write to you to find out about how 
many letters I should be expected to write to our hired 
man in Washington before I give it up. I notice that he 
replied to your letter December 12, and so would like to 
know how many letters, and how far apart you wrote them, 
in order to get the somewhat abbreviated results. I tell 
you it will be an up-hill struggle for some time to get parcels 
post recommended by railroad directors and express presi¬ 
dents. W<v certainly can keep the temperature up so that 
even they will quit or eventually do the work for us as we 
want it done, and when we want it done. 
This man has sent three letters to the Senator—reg¬ 
istered, so that he knows they were received! We will 
print some of these letter later. It took Senator Depew 
19 days to write four lines in reply to our letter. He 
seems to be badly overworked. There is a sure remedy 
for him! Our friend is right in saying that we “can 
keep the temperature up”—and that is just exactly what 
we will do! In happier days, when Senator Depew 
found the people ready to laugh at his jokes, he might 
have told us to move to Jerusalem if we wanted a par¬ 
cels post. There may be historical reasons, memories 
and examples why the Senator would not feel at home 
there himself! We once heard the Senator make a 
speech in which he said that America is the “best coun¬ 
try God ever made!” It would be interesting to know 
what the Senator thinks he has done to help make 
it so! _ 
BREVITIES. 
“Call for apple” wherever you go. 
An ounce of patience beats a ton of profanity. 
The truth has hurt more “feelings” than anything else. 
We seem to see others as we see ourselves—a narrow view. 
Some people think there are not “square deals” enough 
to go ’round. 
We are promised a full description of the gasoline brooder 
lamp mentioned recently by F. Q. White. 
Mr. Cosgrove’s problem as to a punishment for the 
horse thief has called out a great volume of discussion. 
Read it next week. 
If we had a henhouse with a big hole in the top for a 
ventilator we would stuff it with straw or hay to prevent 
the steady draft which the open hole gives. 
“What you said at the bottom of page 932 made me take 
heart,” says a Pennsylvania reader, who sends one of the 
best plans for a garden that we have seen. 
An ex-governor of Oregon wants another term. One 
plank in his platform is a demand for teaching agriculture 
in the public schools. He needs teachers to ride on this 
plank. 
Farmers everywhere are looking for the benefits of 
cooperation. For example, a reader on Prince Edward 
Island says that potato growers there intend to combine 
and sell in the Cuban market. 
The wife of a Missouri sheriff recently prevented the 
escape of prisoners from jail by beating them back with 
a broomstick. This is conclusive evidence of the value of 
old-fashioned domestic training. 
“It is a common trait of mankind to talk loudly about 
the successes and keep quiet about the failures, and the re¬ 
sult is too often, that an erroneous impression is given of 
the value of certain procedures and crops.” 
A domestic who had been employed in one family for 61 
years died recently in New York, aged 79. It would be 
quite unnecessary for either that faithful worker or her 
employers to ask for a certificate of character. 
This from J. H. Hale: “Bully for you ! I like that idea 
of sitting down by a bulldog for inspiration ; wish you could 
inject the spirit into a lot of fellows, who just need that 
to make a success in life.” The only way to get that spirit 
into some men is to have the bulldog inoculate it with his 
teeth! Yet progress stands still for the lack of It. 
Add the following to the Alfalfa article on page 18: “I 
have in the past been working a gravel pit along the 
edge of my Alfalfa field, and this has given me a good 
chance to see the subject from top to bottom. In some 
places I have found five-year-old Alfalfa rootlets at a 
depth of 15 feet from the surface, but no bacteria was ob¬ 
served except near the surface.” 
