444 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 26, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Entered at New York as Second Class Matter. 
Herbert W. Colling wood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, i 
Mrs. E. T. Koyle, f Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. Gd., or 8Y 2 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 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, MAY 26, 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. 
WHERE DID HE GET IT? 
IVc wrote John F. Spencer, of Colorado, asking him 
to settle the question as to where the Seedless apple 
came from. A U. S. Registry card dated May 7 shotvs 
that he received the letter, hut nothing has yet been 
received from Mr. Spencer. How can he hurt himself 
or the prospects of the apple by telling the truth? 
* 
When some years ago there was a ‘‘booin’’ in sugar 
beet culture two things seemed probable to us. The 
business of making beet sugar without a State bounty 
did not seem likely to prove any bonanza east of the 
Great Lakes. In the Far West, where a large amount 
of land can be obtained close to some central point, the 
business on a large scale seemed reasonable. Events 
seem to have justified this view. We also said that 
even if the sugar factories failed it would pay to grow 
the crop to feed to stock. We still believe this. 
* 
We have had some discussion as to the value of light¬ 
ning rods on farm buildings. Do they protect, and are 
such rodded buildings safer as insurance risks? In 
Iowa there are many cooperative mutual insurance com¬ 
panies. At their last State convention this question 
came up. It was found that in all reports from the 
State no record was made of loss from lightning on a 
rodded building, while in nearly every county consid¬ 
erable losses had been paid for damage on buildings 
not rodded. The convention did not think it wise to 
make a special low rate for insurance on rodded build¬ 
ings, but there was no doubt from the figures that rods, 
properly put on, made most buildings practically im¬ 
mune from lightning. 
* 
For the past few years we have been urging farmers 
to plant more corn. The advice should be stronger 
than ever this year. The export trade in corn is such 
that the price is never likely to go down as it did 15 
years ago, when it was burned for fuel in many western 
towns. At one time eastern stock men were advised to 
feed less corn, on the plea that the grain is too fattening, 
but little of that is heard now. In our own case we 
shall plant more corn than in recent years, plowing sev¬ 
eral old fields and using chemicals to help the crop. 
There are many old meadows and some pastures which 
give barely feed enough to pay taxes. If they could be 
plowed, planted to corn and fertilized the grain and 
stalks will feed more stock, while the ground will be in 
far better shape for reseeding. 
* 
All sorts of rogues are traveling up and down with 
an eye and tongue out for victims. One of our readers 
in Indiana records the following: 
A poultry buyer came to my house lately wanting to buy, 
or exchange a nostrum he was selling for sick poultry, 
claiming to cure and ship to Cincinnati. lie said lie never 
saw as much roup in the country before, and bad some 
roupy fowls in his coops. I said if he went to people’s 
premises with those sick fowls, there would lie much more 
disease, and promptly fired him. also “phoned” our daily 
and published a warning to poultry keepers. 
It is wholesome treatment for such fellows to “fire” 
them and then ’phone a warning. The chances are those 
sick hens would be slaughtered at once and sent to mar¬ 
ket. After resting in cold storage awdiile they will be 
in fine shape for eating. The farmer gets all the dis¬ 
credit which they carry along. 
* 
We go to Colorado again this week in discussing the 
merits of the Seedless apple. Colorado is the home 
of the apple, and it may fairly be expected to do its best 
there. When a man runs for an office he usually likes 
to tell what his neighbors think about him. Unless he 
can convince those who live near him that he has char¬ 
acter and worth what right has he to ask others to put 
him ahead? It is much the same with this Seedless 
apple. If those who know it best cannot see great merit 
in it, why should strangers pay great prices for the 
trees? We print on page 438 a letter from one of the 
best authorities in Colorado—a sound, well-informed and 
conservative man. What do you think of it? By the 
way, nothing has yet been heard from John F. Spencer, 
wdio is said to have originated the apple. Where did 
he get it? 
* 
We have our share of letters from people who wonder 
why we talk so much about Alfalfa. Some of them have 
tried to grow this crop and failed. Others have read 
about it, or seen pictures of it, and fail to see anything 
wonderful. Why not give Alfalfa a rest? At one time 
we felt just about that way. You may read about a 
thing or listen to truthful stories about it. and yet fail 
to be impressed until you see with your own eyes the 
real power and glory. Let any farmer go to the farms 
around Syracuse, N. Y., where Alfalfa is grown. Let 
him see the crop in the field and the great barns stuffed 
with the hay. Let him see how oats, hay, potatoes, fruit 
—every crop grown on the farm—has increased year by 
year as the result of feeding Alfalfa, and he will under¬ 
stand why we are giving so much attention to it. We 
are satisfied that we cannot do our readers who keep 
stock or practice mixed farming more good than to urge 
them in every possible way to keep on trying Alfalfa. 
Fruit growers, too, will find the crop very useful. A few 
acres in Alfalfa will provide hay enough to feed the 
stock needed on a fruit farm. Do not be impatient 
about the Alfalfa talk. Study every word of it, and 
keep on trying. 
* 
With the death of Carl Schurz a strong character 
steps off the stage of human affairs. Much is being 
said and printed about the character and public services 
of this strong man. Driven from Germany because he 
dared to speak and fight for a freer and higher type 
of manhood, he came to this country just as the great 
struggle against slavery was drawing to a head. Amer¬ 
icans did not realize it then, but now they know how 
much the Union owed to the brave foreigners who, 
driven from their native land, came here to aid the cause 
of freedom. Schurz was but a type of hundreds of 
brave men who on the battlefield and in public and pri¬ 
vate life gave the best they had for their country. The 
death of such a man should bring home to us, what we 
cannot get away from, the fact that the great defect in 
American life to-day is a lack of patriotic public spirit. 
Too many of us are inclined to give less and less of 
our time, our energy and our money to the service of 
the Republic. The great majority of us will be limited 
to our own homes and neighborhoods in the exercise of 
such service, and yet if the homes are not what they 
should be, how can the Nation prosper? We may well 
ask ourselves if we are doing our full duty to society 
within the limits of our own farms! 
* 
The following letter from a woman in New York 
State is only one of many that have come during the 
past six months: 
Together with others on our rural route, I have received 
notice to exchange my mail box for a box approved by the 
Government. Mine is a good metal box bought from one 
of our hardware dealers for the purpose: it is securely fast¬ 
ened to a good wooden post painted black, which is also 
firmly fastened in the ground. I paid .$1 for the box, and it 
has served the purpose for four years, and never rusted. I 
have kept it painted, and it is a better box than many of the 
approved boxes in the neighborhood. I would like to know 
if The It. N.-Y t . approves of such demands, and if we can 
be called residents in a free country, and be obliged to sub¬ 
mit to such rules. 
In some cases patrons have been forced to take down 
serviceable boxes and substitute others on penalty of 
losing the free mail service if they refuse. Most people 
comply with the demand rather than have any trouble. 
As we understand it, there is no legal decision which 
justifies such arbitrary action—it is simply a rule laid 
down by the Post Office Department. What is most 
needed is some good citizen who will test this matter 
in the courts. Let him provide a good box. and if the 
Post Office Department order it removed, refuse to take 
it down, and bring suit to compel the delivery of the 
mail. We ought to have it settled whether the Depart¬ 
ment legally can carry this arbitrary power to the foolish 
extent which has been done on some routes. Our friend 
wants to know if this can be called a free country when 
such things are permitted. The political orators are 
very fond of calling it free when they are after votes, or 
else they claim we shall all have more freedom if we 
will only elect them! As a matter of fact, those who 
enjoy special privileges are growing stronger each year, 
and this strength is gained at the expense of the ordi¬ 
nary people, and is being reflected more and more in 
the habits of those who govern us. 
* 
A convention was recently held at which cotton man¬ 
ufacturers met cotton producers. Efforts are being- 
made to get rid of the speculator. The plan is for cot¬ 
ton planters to combine and hold their cotton in large 
lots—selling direct to the manufacturers, instead of let¬ 
ting the cotton go through half a dozen hands, each one 
grabbing a share of the selling price. There is a fair 
chance that something of this plan can be carried out. 
Cotton, unlike most other farm crops, is not consumed 
in its raw state, by a large number of persons. A com¬ 
paratively few manufacturers handle it, and we believe 
it will be found quite possible for growers to deal 
directly with them. Not all the crop can be handled in 
this way, but a large share of it undoubtedly will be, 
for the cotton speculator is of no use to either buyer or 
seller. The cotton growers should keep up their organ¬ 
ization. and make any fair sacrifice that will enable them 
to hold the crop. It will be a very different matter to 
attempt to deal direct with consumers of grain, fruit or 
hay. Where cotton growers deal with a dozen, growers 
of other products must deal with 10,000, and the rail¬ 
roads give the advantage to the middleman. We must 
not be understood as trying to discourage combinations 
among farmers. As we have pointed out, a National * 
combination is possible for cotton growers, but for other 
growers we believe the smaller combinations of neigh¬ 
borhood, town, county or State must be made first. 
* 
Market gardeners and farmers in Minnesota are 
pushing an amendment to the State Constitution which 
ought to win. It deals with the old question of selling 
farm produce on the streets. The grocers and hucksters 
throughout the State attempt to prevent farmers from 
selling their own produce without a license. The object 
of this of course is so to increase the cost of such selling 
that farmers, rather than pay the license, will sell at 
wholesale to the dealers. Farmers tested the matter 
by selling on the streets. They were arrested and fined. 
The cases were carried to the Supreme Court, which 
decided against the farmers; that is, the court decided 
a license imposed by a municipality for peddling covers 
the producer as well as he who buys and sells. Before 
this decision it was understood that a farmer who sold 
merely his own products was not a dealer and hence not 
subject to a license. As a result of this the dealers have 
in some cases induced towns to demand a license fee of 
$50 or. in one case, $10 a day. Rather than be beaten 
the farmers have decided to go over the Supreme Court 
—to the people. In November of this year a consti¬ 
tutional amendment will be voted on of which the fol¬ 
lowing is the germ: 
Section IS. Any person may sell or peddle the products 
of the farm or garden oecunied and cultivated by him with¬ 
out obtaining a license therefor. 
Under the leadership of the Minneapolis Market Gar¬ 
deners’ Association the farmers of the State will make 
a great fight for this amendment. That is the way to do 
business—rather than sit down and tamely submit to 
injustice. __ 
BREVITIES. 
Try not to slop over ! 
Knowletge is power—not pow wow. 
The truth hurts! Well, what worthy thing did it ever 
hurt? 
In 1005 1,000,026 cords of tan bark were used in this 
country. 
A tax of eight cents a pound on single men is suggested 
in England. 
The road along which men rush to advertise their fail¬ 
ures is not crowded. ‘ 
It has been demonstrated that corn silage and good Alfalfa 
hay makes a milk ration for a cow. 
The Atchison Globe says that if farmers’ wives ever 
were slaves, chickens are emancipating them. 
Anyone who has ever seen a crop of Crimson clover in 
bloom will appreciate Mr. Gepford’s article. No motro beau¬ 
tiful crop can be imagined. 
A reader in Washington does not wonder that the entire 
delegation from his State is opposed to a fair parcels post. 
There are three lawyers and a banker. 
What have we to say to those Ben Davis figures on first 
page? Not a word—there isn’t anything to say. We are not 
inclined to call it “tainted money,” though we are glad we 
do not have to eat the apples. 
The battle against the “free seeds” will now he carried 
to the United States Senate. Efforts will be made to cuff 
off the appropriation there. Here may be some real value 
for the Senate’s “conservatism.” 
The usual questions about killing quack-grass are coming 
in. The thing to remember is that this grass sprouts from 
the roots or underground stems. These must be cut off and 
thrown up to the sun and air before they can be killed. A 
spring-tooth harrow or disk will do it. 
Prof. Stone of Cornell calls attention to the spread of 
wild mustard in New York. This weed can be destroyed by 
spraying. Ten pounds of sulphate of copper dissolved in 40 
gallons of water and sprayed on an acre when the mus¬ 
tard is from three to four inches high will destroy the weed 
and not injure the grain growing with it. 
