THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 15, 
932 
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. 
Hekbekt W. Collingwood, Editor. 
Du. Walter Van' Fleet, l 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, fAssociates. 
John J. J)illon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, #2.04, 
equal to 8s. (Id., or 8Mi 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 makp 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 tiie 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 Y T ork. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 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. 
* 
Can any farmer in New Jersey give us one sound 
reason why Senator John. F. Dryden should be re¬ 
elected? If not—those fanners have it in their power 
to keep him at home! 
* 
We are able to announce a series of articles by Prof. 
C. S. Plumb on registering purebred cattle. These 
articles are intended to show the value of pedigree 
papers and the weakness and dangers of the present 
methods of registering. Now while the question of 
investigating that disputed case is up before the A. J. 
C. C., Prof. Plumb’s articles will be very timely. 
* 
A reader in West Virginia sends this little note: 
I sowed four acres in Alfalfa August 18 and it looks so 
well now, it has almost given me the Alfalfa fever. If 
it stands the Winter all right I want more next Summer. It 
has made a fine growth, a good stand, and just as green 
as can be now. I think I had the ground right for it. if 
the Alfalfa does not stand the Winter the ground will be 
better for something else. 
The Alfalfa fever may be called a healthy disease. 
To work through it to a successful crop of Alfalfa 
will cure a good many of the material ills of farming. 
To think of taking HO tons of wheat bran out of a 10- 
acre field each year is about enough to give any man 
a fever. Yet that is fust about what Alfalfa farmers 
are doing right along. Keep at the Alfalfa with lime 
and patience. . 
There seems' to be no doubt that much swindling 
was formerly done in selling seedling pecan trees as 
either budded or grafted stock. The seedlings were 
cut off just above a bud, so that when the new growth 
started it looked exactly like a budded tree. When 
this was done skillfully buyers who were not experts 
were often deceived, and thus paid several dollars for 
a seedling-tree. A nurseryman or expert budder would 
probably recognize the fraud, but others were often 
caught. The National Nut Growers’ Association has 
nearly stopped the practice by exposing the men who 
practiced it. The same trick could be worked on fruit 
trees, but it would hardly pay at the ordinary price. 
We should watch closely for it on such varieties as the 
Seedless apple! 
* 
We get an idea of the great extent of territory cov¬ 
ered by The R. N.-Y. when we receive letters like that 
printed on first page. Here is a man close up to the 
pole, and almost in the same mail came a note from a 
man down near the southern point of Florida. Both 
men seem happy and prosperous, and tell us that they 
look forward to the coming of The R. N.-Y. Our 
northern friend can sell hay at $S0 a ton, yet apples 
cost him 50 cents a pound, so that a bale of hay will 
buy less fruit than it will with us. It appears that 
Jack Frost attends to his business at both ends of the 
line, and makes farming a gamble. At the North where 
they always expect him he gets the grass and vege¬ 
tables. At the South he waits until people are off their 
guard and then takes everything. Happy the man 
who can honestly say “there’s no place like home,” 
whether his back yard extends to the North Pole or 
the Equator! 
North Dakota has a law covering the sale of paint 
in that State. In principle it seems to be based upon 
the fertilizer laws which have proved so useful in the 
Eastern States. No paints are to be sold in North 
Dakota unless they bear a label stating just what they 
contain. The State chemist collects samples of paints 
as our eastern chemists sample fertilizers, and analyses 
are made to learn what metals and oils are used. The 
results are printed for public inspection. Many bogus 
paints have been detected in this way, but as is usually 
the case, opposition was made to the law. The United 
States Paint Grinders’ Association secured an injunc¬ 
tion when an attempt was made to enforce the law. 
After a hard fight the courts declared the law consti¬ 
tutional, but the association has appealed the case to the 
United States Supreme Court. It is believed that the 
law will be fully sustained. Most likely the appeal was 
taken in order to discourage similar legislation in other 
States. The object of this law is a worthy one, for 
without doubt there has been much fraud in the sale 
of paint. 1 here should be similar laws in all the 
States. 
* 
Among other letters from Jersey breeders regarding 
that dispute about cattle we have received the fol¬ 
lowing: 
This is, indeed, a very plain statement of facts and, 
if they are facts, the American Jersey Cattle Club cer¬ 
tainly should recognise them. This is one of the most 
dangerous weaknesses in the whole breeding business 
and, if such things are allowed to go unchallenged, zee 
might as well quit breeding. I shall write the Ameri¬ 
can Jersey Cattle Club 'and also take up the matter 
with our Jersey paper. Such things should either be 
explained or the culprits punished. c. h. sears. 
Chillicothe, Ohio. 
We have stated the facts as they were presented to 
us. If there is any error, in any particular, we shall 
be only too glad to have it pointed out. We offer any 
of the parties involved ample space to present a state¬ 
ment. Both buyer and breeder have written us since 
the publication of the statement. Buyer offers further 
details regarding the purchase and identification of the 
cattle. He claims that the breeder praised the cattle 
highly before they were delivered, and now considers 
them a job lot! The breeder characterizes the state¬ 
ment that he intimated that any investigation would 
be biased as an abominable lie ! Thus far we have 
made no effort to bring pressure to bear upon the 
A. J. C. C. We leave that to the breeders—our part 
is to give them a chance. As Mr. Sears says, this " 
matter turns upon one of the weaknesses in the breed¬ 
ing business. We have every confidence that Jersey 
breeders yvill do the proper thing. We merely remind 
the officers of the A. J. C. C. that sooner or later they 
will be obliged to act, and that the longer they delay 
the more suspicion will gather about them. 
* 
At the 1905 meeting of the New Jersey State Grange 
the Master’s annual address contained the following 
regarding oleomargarine legislation : 
The Grout law, regulating the manufacture and sale of 
imitation dairy products, which was enacted through the 
influence of all farmers’ organizations, has received much 
strength through the recent decision of the Supreme Court, 
declaring it illegal to use palm oil in manufacturing oleo¬ 
margarine without the payment of 10 cents a pound tax. 
A vigorous attempt will he made by (he oleomargarine 
interests before the present session of Congress to repeal 
or disqualify this law and such attempt should he promptly 
and vigorously met by tiie representatives of the agricultural 
and dairy interests of tiie country. The note of warning 
has been sounded. I caution you to he vigilant and watch¬ 
ful. Keep in close touch with all matters pertaining to 
legislation and let your Representatives and United States 
Senators know you are opposed to having this law repealed, 
which many of you here at this meeting gave valuable assist¬ 
ance in having enacted. 
That is both truth and sound advice. Right in New 
Jersey we have one of the very few Senators from 
Northern States who actually voted against the Grout 
bill. Senator John F. Dryden is the man who voted 
for oleo and who will, if re-elected, favor the removal 
of the 10-cent tax. At least that is what we may 
expect from his record. Yet Mr. Dryden actually has 
the effrontery to ask the representatives from the agri¬ 
cultural counties to send him back to the Senate. The 
fact that he was a candidate lost his party the counties 
in which the great cities of Jersey City, Newark and 
Paterson are located. All they have left are counties 
in which farmers are numerically strong. Think of 
the folly of asking the agricultural counties of New 
Jersey to support a man like Mr. Dryden. We do not 
like to mention party politics, yet sometimes it is 
necessary to do so. Let the Republican politicians in 
New Jersey get out into the country awhile and also 
look up the facts of the Wadsworth campaign. They 
will know that if they become responsible for Dryden 
they cannot possibly carry the State. Some of them 
say that if they do lose the farmers they will gain 
townspeople who want cheap oleo. Nonsense. A 
man will fight hard for his cow, but no one puts up a 
battle for a grease factory. The farmers of New 
Jersey, in this matter, have the greatest chance of 
their lives to dominate a political situation and strike 
a blow for their own interests. “Keep in close touch,’’ 
says Master Gaunt of the Grange. There always 
comes a time when a heavy boot is the only thing with 
which to touch che situation. This is such a time. 
Get after your representatives at once. 
* 
Are the personal rights of the individual giving way 
before the public rights of society? It would seem so 
from two recent law cases. On the Pacific coast the 
State of Oregon gave the right to its Board of Agri¬ 
culture to destroy property which was considered dan¬ 
gerous to others. As all who have seen the insect 
know, the San Jose scale is a fearful menace to fruit 
growers. A few trees or a small orchard, if neglected, 
may afford a breeding place for the scale so that it 
may be scattered all over a neighborhood or section. 
No orchard is safe so long as such trees are left. The 
Oregon law gave inspectors the right under certain 
conditions to enter such an orchard and destroy the 
trees if it were thought wise to do so. This was done, 
and the owner brought suit for damages. The court 
upholds the law r on the ground that no man has the 
right to maintain a nuisance—which may cause injure 
or loss to his neighbors. Thus, according to this law, 
a man in Oregon has no personal right to let his trees 
become covered with the scale, because by doing so 
he does no good to himself or others, while he does 
injure his neighbors. In many States there are so- 
called “weed laws” which aim to compel farmers and 
others to destroy noxious weeds and thus prevent their 
spread. In some cases hard penalties are provided, 
but they are rarely .enforced, since public sentiment is 
either against them or farmers are very strongly it 
favor of holding their “personal rights.” In this Ore¬ 
gon case people had been thoroughly educated both as 
to the nature of the scale and its life history, and 
also as to the danger from its spreading. But for this 
it is doubtful if the law could be enforced. 
The other case to which we refer is quite different. 
In this city there arc many tenement houses occupied 
mostly by the very poor. They are old buildings, in 
some cases dark and unsanitary. When first built they 
were considered habitable, but both the city and medi¬ 
cal science have developed, and the health authorities 
now declare that some of these houses are unfit for 
habitation, and injurious to health and morals. True, 
people are found willing to live in them, but it is 
claimed that they breed and convey disease, and make 
a place for criminal and immoral practices. A New 
York law, passed in 1901, sought to compel owners 
of these buildings to remodel them and put in sanitary 
appliances. It is said that this law would compel 
changes in 40,000 tenement houses in New York City. 
In some cases the expense would be more than the 
value of the property as it stood! The owners claimed 
that this meant practically a confiscation of their prop¬ 
erty—or destruction without compensation. They 
combined and fought the law on the ground that it 
was unconstitutional to destroy property in this way. 
The case went from court to court until the Supreme 
Court has finally decided that the law is constitutional 
and that the State has the right to compel house owners 
to comply with sanitary regulations. It will doubtless 
be admitted that the effect of such laws will be on the 
whole helpful to society. The orchard covered with 
insects and the filthy tenement are alike injurious to 
those who come in contact with them. 1 he principles 
of the Golden Rule should induce the owners to do 
without compulsion what they ought to do, but unhap¬ 
pily many will not do this. It evidently will not be 
done unless the State does it, but the question now 
arises—how far is the State justified in going? 
BREVITIES L 
What is your experience in feeding dried beet pulp? 
1 he lack of more truth in some public discussion is not 
because it is stranger than fiction, but because it hurts 
more when applied. 
A thorough dairy cow milks close up to calving. She 
hangs on far better than the “scrub.” This is the case 
where the well-bred makes only half the loaf. 
Years ago farmers found labor plenty but capital scarce. 
Now capital is easier to obtain than labor, and we learn 
as we never did before which of the two is more im¬ 
portant. 
Readers are asking about painting fruit trees with oil 
and lead to protect against borers and vermin. Our im¬ 
pression is that the weight of testimony is against the 
practice. 
If a plowing match with suitable prizes were arranged 
in your neighborhood, would it draw as large a crowd as 
a horse race? If not, why not? Such plowing is evidently 
more sensible than racing. 
A man who has made a good sample of lime and sulphur 
mixture thinks he can do well by boiling a lot of it this 
Winter and packing in kegs and jugs for sale next Spring. 
Our advice is not to try it. The canned mixture seems 
to fail. 
