836 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER- 
November 10, 
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. Collingwood, Editor. 
Ok. Walter Van Fleet, i. , 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, f Associates. 
John J. Dii.lon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, ?2.04, 
equal to 8s. (id., or 8*4 marks, or 10*4 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 
thp 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 Tiie 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 10 , moo. 
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 ex press companies have increased rates—in some 
cases making prices that are almost prohibitive. We 
wish to obtain actual instances of such increase. Please 
send us figures for a sample shipment—showing weight 
and value of package, distance carried and cost with 
■increase, if any, over former rate. Wc can use 10,000 
of such statements to good advantage. 
* 
This issue of The R. N.-Y. goes to press before the 
election—thus we cannot give the result. A number 
of readers write to say that the farmer^ certainly have 
Mr. Wadsworth ‘'on the run.” We have experienced 
two different sorts of “running.” It is one thing to 
carry the whip and chase others. It is very different 
to run for shelter with an angry crowd at your heels. 
Wc wait until we get the figures before we state which 
side is doing the chasing. The campaign has attracted 
attention from Maine to California, and lias, wc believe, 
started a new and strong power in American public life. 
Wait and see! 
5*: 
We understand that a scheme is- on foot to secure 
what is called a National fertilizer law. Under this 
scheme, as we understand it, the National Department 
of Agriculture would have charge of fertilizer inspec¬ 
tion and control of the trade. At first sight this seems 
like a plan to give some “bureau” of the Department 
additional power. The present fertilizer laws are en¬ 
forced by the States, and it is easy to see that the 
farmers of any State can have greater power to secure 
what they need from State control than from National 
supervision. This is too large a matter to he settled 
in a hurry, and we intend to investigate this proposed 
scheme from the standpoint of farmers who use fer¬ 
tilizers. 
❖ 
Reports are that San Jose scale is rapidly spreading 
in the northern Pacific States. This is a serious thing, 
since the fruit shipping business from this section is 
enormous. Fumigation of nursery stock has been 
tried, but general results are reported unsatisfactory. 
The Oregon State Board of Horticulture has passed a 
regulation providing that in future all nursery stock 
must be dipped in a standard solution of lime, sulphur 
and salt before it is offered for sale. Stock shipped 
in‘o the State must also be dipped hereafter. We have 
felt for some time that something more effective than 
fumigation must he practiced. On the coast fruit with 
scale on it is condemned in the market. This is said 
to be one of the most effective plans for enforcing the 
spraying laws. 
* 
North Dakota has a strong pure food law, which 
is being enforced. Among other things, the law de¬ 
mands that packages or bottles must hear the net true 
weight. Dealers in canned goods claimed that the law 
should not be enforced against them, as one can always 
weighs as much as another. Investigation showed that 
the contents of such goods as canned corn, peas or 
tomatoes varied from 10 to 30 per cent in weight. In 
three years since the law was enforced the average 
can has gained over 10 per cent in weight of contents. 
while the cans run practically uniform in weight. This 
shows what canners will do when they realize that in¬ 
spection means business. A little investigation and use 
of the scales at home will show any of us that we arc 
getting short weight in many of the prepared foods 
we buy. 
♦ 
“Mates, the hen man,” is paying special attention 
to the description of his “hen barn.” That is right 
because the construction of the house will have much 
to do with the result of the experiment. We hope to 
show a picture of the house soon. The first criticism 
of Mapes’s plan comes from Massachusetts. Here it is: 
1 hope that Mapes will give up the idea of giving that 13- 
year-old school girl the task to care for the hens. I think he 
ought to give her a chance to romp and play, free from 
care, while out of school. If the schools there are like 
ours, she will have plenty of studying to do to use up her 
vitality, taking care of her own things, perhaps helping 
Mother some, but to care and feed for 500 hens*—horrors! 
Does he want to make a pigmy of her? Don't do it ! Let 
the practical demonstration bo carried out by grandad or 
the great-grandad. And that will be more valuable than 
some volumes. 
That means putting more work on Mapes himself 
as he is “grandad.” We are sure that the girl will not 
he overworked. 
* 
Superintendent Cooley, of the Chicago public 
schools, asserts that high schools are of no value to 
19 out of 20 pupils. Addressing the Illinois Federa¬ 
tion of Women's Clubs, he said: 
The high school curriculum has been dominated by the 
colleges and outlined as preparation for them first of all. 
In the future they must come into vital touch with the 
needs of society. They must offer vocational study, in¬ 
cluding manual training, household arts and business prac¬ 
tice. I recall a boy who studied Latin for four years. 
Greek for several; learned how to translate these dead 
languages well and also to work problems in higher math¬ 
ematics. Then he went to work as a factory hand. 
This particular point has impressed itself on many 
observers. American people, as a mass, feel that everv 
child is entitled to a good education, provided by the 
Commonwealth (which is Socialism, if you choose so 
to label it). But we are not yet agreed as to what 
constitutes a good education. The classical training 
ordinarily given is excellent for pupils preparing for 
college, but, on the other hand, the boy and girl who 
must begin wage-earning at an early period see their 
parents taxed to educate children whose support is 
insured for several years longer. Perhaps the agricul¬ 
tural teaching to he given in some rural schools will 
bring this point before many who have not previously 
considered it, and prove an entering wedge for what 
Superintendent Cooley calls “vocational” teaching. Wc 
have no sympathy with the Gradgrind point of view, 
and believe that every child has a right to certain forms 
of art in public education, such as music and the har¬ 
monious training of the body, in some manner, since 
they add to both health and happiness, but we do be¬ 
lieve an education that draws one away from work 
that must furnish a future livelihood is unwisely 
planned. It is a big subject, and one many parents 
have reason to consider. 
* 
The Kentucky pure food law appears to be working 
well, as the last report shows. It has already driven 
the coal tar dyes and antiseptics from food products. 
High colors are often used in food to cover inferiority, 
and with so-called “preservatives” inferior goods or 
those partly decomposed can he doctored so as to make 
them salable. As a result of the Kentucky law one 
manufacturer writes as follows: 
We formerly used coal tar dye in our tomato soup, but 
during the season of 1905 and henceforward, the use of 
coal tar dye and benzoate of soda will be entirely discon¬ 
tinued in this product, for we have arranged to make it 
entirely from fresh tomatoes in the height of (be packing 
season, which enables us to produce a palatable looking 
article without the color, and relieves us of the necessity 
of putting away stock and preserving with benzoate of soda 
to prevent fermentation. 
The law also compels dealers to label substitutes for 
lard. When the law went into effect mixtures of cot¬ 
ton-seed oil were sold as “pure lard" at 11 and 12 cents 
a pound. Now these substitutes must be labeled, and 
with their true character made known they sell at six 
and seven cents, while pure lard brings its real price. 
This shows the benefit to both consumer and producer 
which comes from such a law. The public may buy 
the cheaper fats at a lower price if they want to, while 
the producer of a more expensive fat is protected from 
dishonest competition. We are told in this Kentucky 
report how stock feed is adulterated. Ground corncobs 
or crushed stalks and oat hulls arc mixed with bran or 
other feed. In one case a mixture of ground corncobs 
and bran was sold as pure bran. It seems that this 
stuff was labeled and kept in the store until the in¬ 
spector looked at it, but when a farmer came for grain 
the labels were taken off and it was sold as pure bran. 
These food frauds have been taking millions out of the 
public—all over the country. If the pure food hill can 
he thoroughly enforced it will save the public and aid 
farmers. 
The trouble about farm help is driving people to all 
sorts of makeshifts. The most common one is to keep 
the kind of stock that is best able to take care of itself 
when provided with water and food inside a good fence. 
Hogs, sheep and steers are appearing on farms where 
once mixed farming or dairying were followed. In 
some cases wheat or rye are seeded, but never cut. hogs 
being turned in to eat down the crops. Wc know of 
farms where this apparent makeshift policy is carried 
out at a fair profit—one man with the help of his family 
doing nearly all the work. The latest proposition we 
have heard of is for a poultry farm in southern New 
Jersey. On a large tract of light soil wheat can he 
grown with cow peas in between each two crops. As 
soon as the crop is harvested in late June the soil will 
he chopped with the Cutaway and seeded to cow peas, 
using acid phosphate and potash as fertilizer. In Sep¬ 
tember the crop will be plowed under and wheat seeded 
again, and so on for a term of years. The wheat is 
to be cut with a hinder, and a week’s supply for the 
liens thrown in the sheaf, under a shed—leaving the 
hens to thrash and glean it as they sec fit. No one 
recommends this as the best way of keeping hens 
or growing wheat, but it shows how farmers arc 
thinking out new plans for solving the hired man 
question. 
* 
Speaking of the relative importance of agriculture 
and manufacturing in this country the New York Sun 
produces figures to show that while our exports of 
farm products have increased one and one-quarter 
times in 35 years exports of shop and factory goods 
have been multiplied eight times. The Sun says: 
From this only one conclusion seems possible. That is. 
that unless there is a very decided increase in (lie number 
of our planters, farmers and cattle raisers, a day must 
soon come when we shall consume at home practically the 
entire output of our fields and farms, and when we may 
even be compelled to import foodstuffs to supply the tables 
of our mechanics and laborers. To such a condition there 
is perhaps no very serious objection. The puzzle is going 
to bo the establishment of a foreign market for our sur¬ 
plus manufactures. 
The time is coming when the people of this country 
will provide a market for nearly if not quite all that 
can be grown and manufactured here. We have 
not by any means reached the limit of production 
of farm products. The output from New York 
State alone could be nearly doubled by the drainage 
of wet lands alone. Great tracts of land now lying 
idle will he put to use as needed, yet there are people 
enough here to consume farm products if they could all 
he .well fed. And suppose the millions of farm homes 
could be heated and lighted and filled with comforts 
and necessities! To supply them would tax the capacity 
of our mills and factories for 50 years. There is little 
need worrying about the foreign market while the home 
market is neglected. When the money earned in this 
country is more fairly distributed more" of it will go 
to the producers and less to the handlers. Every 
dollar turned to the producers increases the demand 
for manufactured goods. A consumer in the city pays 
one dollar for produce. By the time it gets to the 
farmer the dollar has been pinched to 35 cents. Sup¬ 
pose that by cutting out “graft” and unfair charges 
this 35 cents could be raised to even 50 cents, ft could 
not possibly find its way into trade quicker than from 
the hands of farmers. 
BREVITIES. 
Tnr Italians are organizing a sulphur trust. 
Silage is all right, lint for a steady diet the cow likes a 
bite of dry fodder with it. 
Now it Is said that in the “new” diet for epileptics no 
salt is allowed in the food. 
Profitable agriculture will not long survive without 
lime—an abundant supply in the soil or added to it. 
The dealers are telling us what they think of hulk ship¬ 
ment of apples. As a fruit grower what do you think of it? 
By means of drains and dykes the Dutch expect to add 
one-eighth to the area of cultivated land in Holland. ITow 
much can you add to your farm by a few good drains? 
The Department of Agriculture at Washington has is¬ 
sued Farmers’ Bulletin No. 294.illustrated, on “'Hie Brown- 
tail Moth and How to Control It.” This bulletin should 
he carefully studied by ail In the Infested districts. 
“Keep on telling the apple growers how to protect the 
fruit trees from the mice, as It Is the greatest drawback 
to the mulch system, and I am not satisfied with any 
method yet.” w. w. f. 
A Detroit florist brought suit against a gas company 
which persisted In draining foul and poisonous water into 
a ditch where he grew aquatic plants. The drainage caused' 
the death of plants, and the florist secured $800 damages. 
A READER In Indian Territory gives tills as one of his 
blessings: “One good thing about this country is that 
whisky comes high too, $1 per pint, and anywhere from 
fhr»>e months to three years in jail or the ‘pen’ for han¬ 
dling it.” 
IIilloard states that In some parts of France there is 
too much lime in the soil for successful grape culture. 
Efforts were made to find in this country vines tiiat would 
serve as resistant grafting stock. Such vines were finally 
found in what is known ns the chalk area of Texas*, where 
the native vinos had after many years adapted themselves 
to a soil containing too much lime. 
