46o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 2, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE 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. Collingwoou, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, i 
Mrs. K. 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. Od., or 8Ms marks, or 10 Mi 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 trilling 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 I lie 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, JUNE 2, 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. 
* 
The prizes for essays on best methods of handling 
the hay crop were won by the following named persons: 
W. E. R., Eaton County, Michigan. 
E. E. Crosby, Niagara County, N. Y. 
O. O. Wiard, Crawford County, Pa. 
Several of the essays will be printed next week. 
* 
We have letter after letter from the Pacific coast 
about Chinese labor. Nine out of 10 are like those 
printed this week. The volunteer evidence is pretty 
much all one way, and we conclude that the introduction 
of the Chinese to help the smaller farmers would do 
more harm than good. 
* 
The Technical World says that excellent “ice cream” 
is made from triple refined cotton-seed oil, which is re¬ 
volved in a centrifugal machine making 3,000 revo¬ 
lutions a minute. 1 his produces a beautiful emulsion, 
which, when flavored with coal-tar extract, is frozen. 
The product is cheap, is said to taste good, and does 
not melt as quickly as the genuine cream. We are told 
that this is sold in the Southern States. 
* 
We ran short of hay last week, and needed a small 
amount to carry us through to the new crop. We 
bought 1.150 pounds of baled hay in New York at one 
dollar per hundred. The freight on this hay for haul¬ 
ing it about 20 miles was $2.42. A ton of hay, therefore, 
will cost us delivered over $24. From the best we can 
learn the farmer who baled the hay cleared about $8 
per ton! Thus two-thirds of the price to the consumer 
goes to men who merely handle and transport the hay! 
* 
In Congress the other day a member of the House 
of Representatives said: 
“The fanners need us now. IVe will need the 
farmers a little later on.” 
Both statements are true, and each need seems to 
imply a duty. Many Congressmen appear to think that 
farmers will respond to their needs later on, no matter 
how much they shirk action on the farmer’s needs of 
to-day. For example, take the parcels post. The need 
of better postal service is urgent, and no one needs it 
more than the farmer. Yet, plenty of these Congress¬ 
men will dodge their plain duty on this question, and 
then go hat in hand next Fall begging the farmers to 
help them back to Congress. 
* 
Every week we have one or more questions about 
land plaster or sulphate of lime. Some years ago 
plaster was quite extensively used, but now its use is 
seldom reported. Lime and complete chemical ferti¬ 
lizers have largely taken its place. Men write us to 
ask if they cannot now expect the same results which 
their fathers obtained, so as to avoid the use of expen¬ 
sive fertilizers. In nine cases out of 10 such men will 
be disappointed if they depend on land plaster. The 
results obtained years ago were not well understood at 
that time, but science now seems to have demonstrated 
that plaster is less effective in fitting the soil than is 
slaked lime, and that it adds no needed plant food except 
that it sets free a small amount of potash. The greatest 
need of most eastern soils is nitrogen. We must buy 
that or produce it by growing the clovers, beans or peas. 
* 
It will be seen that this week we begin a discussion 
of the soiling system of feeding cattle. We have intended 
to do this for several years, but various things have 
prevented. This year we hope to follow the different 
crops through the season, and show how the cows are 
supplied with “barn pasture.” Yet mere printed words 
cannot give the true idea of the value of this method. 
One should see the crops actually growing—one stepping 
upon the heels of another and see how year by year the 
soil grows more productive! What we shall write is not 
an argument for this plan of feeding stock'—but a plain 
statement of fact. Here is a farm producing a large 
quantity of milk without any pasture at all, and also re¬ 
ducing the cost of making milk by substituting such 
forage as Alfalfa, cow peas and oats and peas for grain. 
Will it pay other dairymen to feed in this way? There 
are several “ifs” in the answer. We expect to give the 
facts, and leave it to you to figure out. 
* 
A big automobile renting agency in New York has a 
novel plan for dealing with law-breaking chauffeurs. 
Says the manager: 
When one of our drivers is arrested and held for speeding, 
he knows that he will be fined $25 by the company in addi¬ 
tion to whatever fine he gets in court, which he has Jo 
pay. Our drivers are in the position of the boy who gets 
a whipping in school and another from his father. We 
made the rule because not only would we lose the time 
of the chauffeur while he was in court, but we would lose 
the future patronage of the persons who happened to be 
inconvenienced by the arrest of the driver. If the private 
owners of machines would adopt our plan the bicycle po¬ 
liceman would have little to do. 
Another rule adopted by storage garages compels 
a chauffeur to show a written order from his em¬ 
ployer before he can take out a machine. This is 
the result of reckless employees taking out machines 
without authority for their own personal diversion. 
Public sentiment against the careless use of these ma¬ 
chines is growing so overpoweringly strong that we 
expect to see a great increase, not merely in repressive 
legislation, but also in the enforcement of existing laws. 
* 
A recent law case in western New York ought to 
make farmers cautious about dealing with old concerns 
mder new names. McCarthy & Sons sold trees to the 
H. S. Taylor Nursery Co. For years a firm known as 
H. S. Taylor & Co. had been in business. Three years 
ago, in company with another man, they formed a cor¬ 
poration known as the IT S. Taylor Nursery Co. One 
of the Taylors bought trees of the McCarthys, the latter 
supposing they were dealing with the old firm. As the 
bill was not paid suit was brought against the corpora¬ 
tion, as it was found that the new man was not a mem¬ 
ber of the old company. The defense was that the trees 
were not sold to the corporation, but to the old com¬ 
pany (which we understand is not responsible), there¬ 
fore the corporation need not pay. The court upheld 
this view, and the nurseryman loses his trees. Let us 
see how such a state of affairs permits the devil to 
whip honest men around the stump. A man without 
any financial standing at all may form a corporation 
with some capitalist and thus obtain apparent credit. 
Having done so, he buys goods on time, the seller be¬ 
lieving that the financial partner is responsible. When 
the money is due the “corporation” falls back upon the 
plea that the goods were sold to the old concern—even 
when this same corporation has used or sold the goods! 
* 
In France, 117 years ago, the King called the States 
General together. This was a gathering which gave to 
the French people, in some degree at least, a form of 
popular representation. At first it gave the people but a 
feeble voice in public affairs, but from it developed the 
French Revolution, and the overthrow of the monarchy. 
Once given a chance for expression, the will of the 
people could not be kept down. French history was 
made and unmade rapidly in a few years, and it would 
seem that Russian history is to be changed in much the 
same way. For the first time the Russian people have a 
chance to express their desires in something approach¬ 
ing a popular assembly. This is the first chance they 
have had even to go through the motions of suggesting 
legislation. No one expects that all their demands will 
be granted, though to us they seem just and moderate, 
yet the privilege of stating their wrongs can never be 
taken from them. The French King fought the demands 
of the States General, but in the end they won. It 
has evidently come to the point now where Russia as a 
nation cannot borrow more money without the consent 
of some assembly which represents the people. We 
expect, therefore, to see some of the results of the 
French Revolution follow in Russia. These results will 
be slower, for there is a great difference between French 
and Russian character, and it does not seem possible that 
the Russian people can act together as the French 
did. They appear to have less in common, and to 
be lacking in public spirit, with a greater reverence 
for what royalty represents. The work has started, 
however, and no power on earth can stop it now. If 
the Czar and the Russian nobles can understand tne 
plainest truths of history, it would seem as if they 
would avoid the mistakes which Louis made over a 
century ago, and save themselves by listening to rea¬ 
sonable demands. When the Russian “worm” turns he 
will carry part of the earth with him. 
* 
1 he railroad rate bill finally passed the Senate with 
only three votes against it. The bill, as passed, was 
somewhat different from the original bill sent from the 
House. 'I he vital principle was retained—that is, the 
Interstate Commerce Commission is given the power 
to regulate rates and to enforce its rulings. These 
rulings, however, are to be subject to a review by the 
courts. Representatives of the two Houses of Con¬ 
gress are now to meet and attempt to agree upon some 
sort of compromise. The bill as passed by the Senate 
is not satisfactory to those who really want fair service 
from the railroads. Yet they accept it as a long step in 
advance, and we feel quite sure that the bill will be im¬ 
proved before it is sent to the President. Without doubt 
the overwhelming vote in the Senate shows that public 
opinion can influence that body. Some Senators are 
fond of saying that they represent States and not people, 
but when the crisis comes they will always find that the 
people make the State. We all remember how, when the 
oleo question came before the Senate, a number of Sen¬ 
ators wanted to vote for oleo, but did not dare to in 
the face of the protests showered upon them by farm¬ 
ers. It is evident that Senators must talk. No human 
power can stop their flow of words—but they are able 
to ffeel the force in drops of ink like other men. 
* 
In our discussion of the Seedless apple this week we 
leave Colorado and come back to New York. Geo. T. 
Powell makes a fair statement regarding the merits of 
the fruit. He makes the point that the deep cavity at 
the blossom end of the apple is a decided disadvantage, 
because it makes a place for the scale to hide and grow. 
1 his seems like a reasonable statement; at the same time 
we are very willing to give John F. Spencer a chance 
to combat the theory. While he is telling where he got 
the apple in the first place, he might also tell what good 
is claimed for this ca. ity. Nothing has been heard from 
him yet. The circulars of the Seedless Apple Co. lay 
particular stress upon the fact that the seedless orange 
is an acquisition—consequently the seedless apple must 
be. Mr. Powell claims, and we think justly, that the 
seedless oiange never would have come into general use 
had it been handicapped with such serious defects. It 
does not seem sensible to claim that a “seedless” quality 
alone can carry an inferior fruit to popularity. Refer¬ 
ring to this point one of our highest authorities writes: 
In reference to the Seedless business, the Rutter is a 
valuable pear, following Duchess, but because it is practi¬ 
cally seedless ahd coreless does not seem to have added 
to its popularity or even value. The old Lincoln Coreless 
pear was boomed by a certain class of nurserymen, because 
it was seedless and coreless, but it lacked merit, totally 
without quality, and yet it had size. Burbank’s seedless 
prune does not seem to have amounted to very much other 
than a novelty. However, the housewives throughout the 
country would hail with joy a seedless cherry. Now, if there 
W'as such great value in seedless and coreless fruits why 
should it not be discovered in the 'Rutter pear? 
I hat is a fair question. We are after information re¬ 
garding the merits of the Seedless apple. Personally we 
have no idea that without quality the “seedless” char¬ 
acter will make the fruit worth the price. Are we right 
or wrong? 
BREVITIES. 
Our needs may not rhyme with our wants. 
Here’s a rule for success put in language precise—just 
make your performance lap over your price! 
We shall be pleased to have all the reports of the be¬ 
haviour of new strawberries that growers can send us. 
Can you Ik; driven like a shote to back up schemes which 
rogues promote? You'll have to answer with your vote! 
It is evident that sheep are becoming more popular on 
many farms. We wish we had a few right now to eat the 
grass and weeds in fence corners. 
The work of plant lice on pea vines is sometimes mis¬ 
taken for blight. Whale oil soap solution will kill the 
lice if you can spray it all over the vines. 
Suppose some one had told the average .Terseyman 25 
years ago that his State would go into the mosquito killing 
business! And yet—why is it not as sensible as several 
things we call very wise? 
A reader sends us a clipping from a Kansas paper in 
which it is stated that Secretary F. D. Coburn of Kansas is 
“deeply interested" in that Vineless potato humbug! Mr. 
Coburn makes haste to say that he is both ignorant and 
innocent. 
Senator John F. Dr.vden of New Jersey is a candidate 
for re-election. We are informed that he voted for oleo in 
the famous battle of three years ago. What use have the 
farmers of New Jersey for any such man? He ought to stay 
at home ! 
The Farmers’ Institute Association of Tippecanoe Co., 
Indiana, offers prizes to boys and girls between the ages of 
10 and 18 years for best corn, potatoes, melons, fowls and 
other farm products. It seems like an excellent thing to 
make a feature of such a contest. 
