556 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 14 , 
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. 
i 
Herbert w. Collinowood, Editor. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, i 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, 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 8 Ms marks, or 10 % 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, JULY 14, 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. 
* 
Here is a point about the Seedless apple which you 
may not have considered. The variety is untested. If 
you pay $2 for a tree, plant it and wait eight or 10 
years for fruitage you are simply testing it for others. 
All other varieties which sane people buy are tested 
by competent authorities before you take them. Re¬ 
member that fair testing takes the value out of 90 per 
cent of “new things.” By the time this “Seedless” runs 
the gauntlet its value will be considerably less than 30 
cents. Why pay $2 for the privilege of testing it? 
* 
Read the figures from western farms on page 561 
We expect to give such statistics from every State in 
the Union, and all from regular subscribers. While 
such comparisons may not show a farmer just how to 
raise more corn or potatoes it will do him good to hold 
up his own farm by the side of others and look at re¬ 
sults. It need not surprise anyone that we can obtain 
such reports inside the family. The fact is that The R. 
N.-Y. has a more extended circulation and covers a 
wider range of country than any other agricultural 
paper. 
* 
Every year comes the old discussion about damp hay 
in a barn. It is sometimes necessary to put it in before 
it is fully cured, or while it is a little damp. How dry 
it to best advantage? Salt or lime scattered over such 
hay as it is put in the mow will help to some extent. 
Should the barn be kept open or shut tight while such 
hay is steaming? Perhaps seven out of 10 will say at 
first thought that the barn should be left open, so the 
air may blow through and cool the hay. The reverse 
of this is true. Such hay will be safer and better if the 
barn is shut tight with openings at the top. In this case 
the water in the hay will rise as vapor and pass off at 
the top as the upper part of the barn is kept hot. In 
the other case the vapor reaches the top of the hay and 
is there condensed into water by the cooler air from 
outside. 
* 
We find the following statement in the Fruit Trade 
Journal of New York: 
With The R. N.-Y., J. H. Hale and George T. Powell 
joining the ranks of those who “want to be shown,” it looks 
as if the seedless apple bubble had burst in the blowing. 
To that indefatigable investigator, W. N. White, belongs the 
distinction of first challenging the claims of the Spencer 
Seedless Apple Co., and we understand that the American 
Agriculturist has not forgiven him for pointing out how 
that paper tried to get on both sides of the seedless apple 
fence. 
Also the following: 
The Fruit Trade Journal was also invited to publish the 
Spencer Seedless apple literature, but we declined with 
thanks. Our columns were not. open either for their adver¬ 
tising or their write up. 
Now no one can deny that we have done our best to 
show Mr. John F. Spencer and his lawyer that they 
should have answered the great question— where did he 
get the Seedless apple? People are sure to draw con¬ 
clusions, and when Mr. Spencer ran behind his lawyer, 
while the latter demanded a promise to print anything 
he might write before submitting his statement of course 
people formed an opinion. What else is there to do 
when a man ignores a vital question after permitting 
certain statements to be made? The lamp still holds 
out to burn and we still invite Mr. Spencer to tell about 
the origin of the apple. On page 553 we are given a 
lot of ancient history about the seedless fruit. Among 
other literary curiosities we have an article apparently 
printed by a “Seedless” agent in which the guess is 
made that it was the Seedless apple which Eve used to 
tempt Adam! History as ancient as this is not in our 
line. We are more concerned in getting the modern 
Adams to know what they are doing before they pay 
$2 for an apple tree. 
* 
Early in March. it was reported that the “outlook 
for the Summer boarder crop” was bright. It seems 
that hotel and boarding house men watch the business 
conditions and figure in late Winter whether it will pay 
them to spend money in repairs and new fittings. This 
year it seems likely that people will leave the cities by 
hundreds of thousands during the Summer months to 
“rest” at some farmhouse or hotel. Let them go. They 
carry needed money to many a farm. They pack up 
a good “home market” and carry it into -the country, and 
come back, let us hope, better for the outing. Feeding 
and housing these boarders is often a bed of roses— 
with the thorns well in evidence. We have said that 
a farmer to thrive at the business must have in his 
make-up some of the qualities which helped make the 
following people noted characters in history: Moses, 
Job, Samson, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth and John 
L. Sullivan. Safe to say that the farmer who houses 
Summer boarders will earn all he gets out of it. 
* 
We have never advised any farmer in the East to try 
to begin growing Alfalfa on a large scale. It is a crop 
to experiment with—not one with which to gamble. Our 
own small field is the result of four years of experi¬ 
menting. Still, we call it well worth while, and shall 
keep on trying. It is true that many failures are re¬ 
ported, and that considerable money has been lost in 
trying to learn how to start the crop. Any farmer who 
will go to the farms around Syracuse, N. Y., or any 
other section where Alfalfa growing is general, wvll 
quickly see that it is worth while to spend time and 
money in “learning how.” When we see those great 
barns around Syracuse bursting with Alfalfa hay, and 
every crop in the rotation showing benefit from it, we 
must remember that even here, years ago, the great 
majority shook their heads at the crop, while the first 
growers “had to learn how” like the rest of us. The 
advice to “go slow” with Alfalfa and not plunoe in with 
great expense is first-rate—but keep moving at it in a 
small way until you know how to do it! 
* 
The following note has been received from Penn¬ 
sylvania : 
To-day an agent for wheat passed through our community, 
offering to (jive our farmers two bushels of wheat. The 
conditions are that next year his company is to have 10 
bushels of the crop for each two bushels seed furnished. 'Hie 
wheat is named “Hybrid No. 10." I believe the farmer 
must sign some kind of an order, but he may keep this 
order. The agent says he raised 48 bushels from two 
bushels on his farm somewhere in New York, and says 
further than this “Hybrid No. 10” will surely produce at 
least 15 bushels more per acre than any other variety. Do 
you know whether such a wheat has been tried by the N. 
Y. Experiment Station? Why, if two bushels give 48 should 
the company be willing to get but 8 bushels? I think there 
is something questionable about the scheme to say the 
least. 
Dr. W. IT. Jordan, of the Experiment Station, tells 
us that he knows nothing about any “Hybrid No. 10” 
wheat. He further says that the scheme looks like 
an old-time fake. It may be possible to sell wheat hon¬ 
estly in this way, but in several cases that we know of 
it proved a scheme to defraud the farmer. As general 
advice we would say—let all such agents alone. 
* 
It is amusing to read the comments of leading news¬ 
papers regarding the work done by Congress. Most of 
the Republicans say this Congress has been the most 
useful in years—accomplishing more than any Congress 
of recent history. The Democrats admit that some 
work has been done, but that nearly all of it should have 
been done better! The fact is that most of the impor¬ 
tant bills that went through, excepting the free alcohol 
hill, brought out a struggle not so much between the 
political parties as between the great moneyed interests 
and the people. Opinions will differ as to which side 
gained the greater advantage in this contest, but it seems 
to us that the cause of common rights has been on the 
whole advanced, that the common people feel a little 
surer of their power, and know a little better how to 
use it. Credit should he given to the President rather 
than to Congress for such good as we can find in rate 
legislation, meat inspection and other legislation which 
puts greater power in the Government’s hands. We 
believe this is generally understood, and that the average 
voter will support the President rather than the Con¬ 
gressman who opposes him. 
Is it any advantage for the editor of an agricultural 
paper to own a farm and do actual farm work? We 
have heard men argue in the negative—saying that such 
labor interferes with true scientific study and thought. 
Maybe, but on the other hand it seems like a wise thing 
to combine the real working, with the art or science of 
telling about it. We think most practical farmers will 
agree with us in saying that the chief weakness of farm 
papers is to tell big stories and talk over the heads of 
common people. Personally we have least inclination to 
do these things when we go over the farm accounts, 
when the back aches, the sunburn on the arms smarts 
and the blisters on the thumbs shed water. There may 
be better ways of overcoming these unfortunate tend¬ 
encies—and that of giving cocksure advice—but we do 
not know what they are. 
* 
The following letter comes from a resident of the 
Congressional District represented by James W. Wads¬ 
worth : 
If you expect to defeat Congressman Wadsworth by un¬ 
called for and unmerited abuse you are apt to be mistaken. 
He has had as much experience in the cattle business as 
anyone in his district, and is largely in it now. He, like 
others who have cattle in the East, have their kick against 
the so-called packers. We have found that they can and 
do pay more per pound for cattle on foot in Chicago than 
the same cattle would sell for in New York, and the eastern 
meat dealer could get the same cattle meat in his market 
for much less than he could pay the same price and slaugh¬ 
ter them himself, the reason being their profit coming from 
what the small slaughterer has to throw away. As far as 
the business is concerned, I know no reason why it is not 
on a par with running a newspaper; there is always a 
chance for improvement if one has no regard for expense. 
But the character of the product is such, it being a nasty 
business at best, that if one wants to enjoy his 
dinner one would better keep away from any slaughter 
house I ever was in. I think these large packers, 
whose places are open to freest public inspection, are as 
apt to know their business as a couple of impractical the¬ 
orists perhaps, or perhaps sent there to make a report to 
suit the President’s pique at the decision of the Chicago 
judge, of which he has so much to say, as if he had any 
more right to criticise his decision than a cross-road petti¬ 
fogger the decision of a country justice. It would, per¬ 
haps, be a good poultice to take some of the swelling out of 
your head to read what the Democratic leader in Congress 
has to say of Mr. Wadsworth. r. j. ray. 
Livingston Co., N. Y. 
This seems to be a fair sample of the arguments ad¬ 
vanced in favor of Mr. Wadsworth. Briefly stated, our 
position is that President Roosevelt was right in his 
demand for a strict and useful inspection law, while 
Mr. Wadsworth was wrong. The real sentiment of the 
country was back of the President. Mr. Wadsworth 
opposed the President, and without question, worked to 
make the inspection law easier for the packers. Had 
not President Roosevelt appealed to the country as he 
did two very important things would have been left out 
of the hill. One is the demand that inspectors must be 
appointed under civil service rules. But for this the 
politicians would have handled these inspectors. An¬ 
other point gained by the President in his contest with 
Mr. Wadsworth is the right to withdraw inspection from 
any packing house which will not comply with the rules. 
We hope Mr. Wadsworth and his friends will go about 
the district repeating Mr. Ray’s statement about the 
President’s motive in demanding this legislation. That 
appears to be a typical Wadsworth argument. People 
will not stand that, for they know the President was 
eternally right in the principle he laid down. By mak¬ 
ing such insinuations Mr. Ray helps put Mr. Wads¬ 
worth where lie belongs, and makes the needed argument 
against him. We have read what Congressman Williams 
is reported to have said about Mr. Wadsworth’s cour¬ 
age. He said what he did to insult or belittle the Presi¬ 
dent. Does Mr. Ray imagine for a moment that Wil¬ 
liams would vote for Wadsworth if he lived in the dis¬ 
trict? We have no abuse for Mr. Wadsworth. We say 
that his record on the oleo and meat inspection laws 
unfits him to represent a district of farmers. We should 
consider him a good representative of a packing house 
district. An attack upon President Roosevelt’s sincerity 
is no answer to our statements, but only confirms the 
opinion expressed already by hundreds of good farmers 
throughout the district who know that they are mis¬ 
represented in Congress. 
BREVITIES. 
Blessed be hot weather—says the corn. 
And the weeds grow while we cut the hay. 
Now -we want reports on new varieties of strawberries. 
The prospect for fruit as a whole is not as good as it 
was a month ago. 
How would you like to have some talkative young pro¬ 
fessor in the haymow this week? Would you pitch hay at 
him? 
It seems that automobiles have made their way to Fin¬ 
land and Iceland. Near the latter motor boats are used for 
fishing. 
“I can draw nothing but my breath and small checks,” 
writes a reader, who then proceeds to make a good sketch 
of a silo. 
It seems that the auto driver regards the farmer who 
tries to stop him as a “hog.” There’s an exchange of 
compliments. 
