2l8 
March i). 
The Rural New-Yorker 
Til E BUSINESS FARM Ell'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. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet, t 
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. Od., or 8 l / a marks, or lU'/a francs. 
“ A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is 
backed by a responsible person. But to make doubly sure 
ve will ‘make good any loss to paid subscribers sustained 
by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising in our col¬ 
umns. and anv such swindler will be publicly exposed. V> e 
protect subscribers against '-ogiies, 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 thp time of the transaction, and you must have 
mentioned The Rural New-Yorkeii 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’ork. 
SATURDAY MARCH 9, 1907. 
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. 
* 
“ LEST WE FORGET 1 ” 
The A. /. C. C. will now investigate that cattle case. 
We trust that its committee will make a prompt and 
thorough search for the truth, and report their findings 
without tlinching. We have no further comment to 
make at this time.. We wait the action of the com¬ 
mittee. 
* 
The Western New York Evaporated Fruit Growers’ 
Association will hold a meeting at Rochester on March 
8 . Every fruit grower within reach should attend. 1 his 
“baby” association should start off with a rush. It is 
important just now that fruit growers make an impres¬ 
sive showing. 
* 
A reader recently wrote about as follows: “I saw 
a question recently asked in The R. N.-Y. I thought 
everybody knew the answer. Why refer it to other 
people?” This man answers his own question by going 
on to give just the bit of practical experience we were 
after. He doesn’t quite get the R. N.-Y. idea. We are 
after real information. No single man can give it all. 
We answer as best we can, but not with any “know-it- 
all” feeling. We welcome criticism and comment if it 
will only make the truth clearer. 
* 
Illinois is making a crusade against impure milk. 
The State Food and Dairy Commission finds that only 
30 to 35 per cent, of the milk examined was in sani¬ 
tary condition. After analyzing 1,400 samples, 76 suits 
were brought for cream or milk adulterated with for¬ 
maldehyde, 17 for skim-milk sold as standard milk, five 
for milk both skimmed and watered and sold as stan¬ 
dard, 12 for milk below standard and sold as standard and 
.30 for watered milk, of which seven were against farm¬ 
ers delivering milk to creameries or shipping stations. 
In most cases the defendants pleaded guilty- the others 
are fighting out the issues in court. Worse still is the 
record of embalming fluids sold to milkmen for the 
preservation of their product, most of them being sim¬ 
ply formaldehyde. The law should show no mercy to 
anyone who uses such preservatives; their makers are 
modern Herods, engaged in wholesale slaughter of the 
innocents. 
* 
T.t seems that hundreds of readers are watching Mapes 
and his new “hen barn” with deep interest. We have 
had letters from many who say, “If Mapes succeeds T 
shall try it.” No one believes that a single big flock 
in one building can he made to produce as many eggs as 
the same flock divided into 10 or a dozen pens. The 
object is to try to solve the labor problem which is now 
the dominating element on many farms. We are being 
driven to the kind of stock which can do most to take 
care of itself. Hogs or sheep are displacing dairy cows 
on some farms for this reason. New methods of caring 
for hens are welcomed by people who cannot possibly 
give the time for “fussy” details. Mr. Tillinghast of 
Connecticut keeps hens in a way that will shock many 
poultrymen. Tn Summer the hens run at large over an 
apple orchard. In Winter they take care of themselves 
T1IE RURAL NEW-YORKF.R 
—located in small houses. A week’s supply of food is 
given them, and they depend upon snow for their drink. 
It is not expected that such hens will lay many Winter 
eggs, though they do lay some, 1 he Summer egg is 
expected to give a profit—and it does. One man is 
able to care for 5,000 or more hens. It will seem cruel 
to most people to leave a hen in this way witli free 
access to a snowdrift. Yet we have recently seen hens 
kept in this manner. They were healthv and happy, and 
were laying some egys. All these ijew things simply 
show how people are planning and contriving to keep 
stock with the least possible labor. 
* 
Farmers learn more and more each year about buy¬ 
ing mixed fertilizers. The station chemists help by 
giving us accurate analyses of samples. By careful 
study a farmer learns to understand these analyses so 
as to know just about what the fertilizer contains. Still, 
he is not sure of it unless he can buy a large lot and have 
special samples taken from it. The surest thing the 
small buyer has to bank on in buying is the reputation 
of the manufacturer. This is perhaps truer of the fer¬ 
tilizer trade than almost any other, for the business is 
carefully watched. Another thing which buyers should 
remember is the fact that low-grade fertilizers are always 
most expensive. They contain less nitrogen, phosphoric 
acid and potash than the higher class mixtures so that 
the cost of the actual plant food and also the handling 
and freight comes higher. Do not buy the low-grade 
goods. Most likely you will get nothing but a mixture 
of kainit, tankage and acid phosphate at a price far 
above what you would pay if you bought these goods 
separately. 
Most of our readers, especially those in New York, 
know how Gov. Hughes proceeded to demand the resig¬ 
nation of the Superintendent of Insurance. He became 
satisfied that this man was not doing his duty. A re¬ 
quest for his resignation was refused. The Governor 
then took advantage of his right under the law and 
called the superintendent before him for a public hear¬ 
ing. There he showed clearly by the officer’s own state¬ 
ments that he was not the man for the place. There 
was no wire-pulling or hidden investigation, but plain 
and open analysis where all could see. It is safe to say 
that the peoole of the State appreciate this way of doing 
business, and thev will support Governor Hughes in it. 
The proper thing to do is to keep the limelight playing 
on our public men. If they are unworthy there is no 
better way of demonstrating it. We have found it nec¬ 
essary to criticize certain public men. There is no pleas¬ 
ure in doing this, but there is a genuine pleasure in 
commending such men as Governor Hughes when they 
make a worthy and open stand for the public welfare! 
* 
T he following letter voices a want that is genuine 
and widespread. The usefulness of a disk harrow is 
greatly lessened when the cutting edge is worn off. In the 
West a large part of the necessary tillage could he done 
with- such harrows if there were some simple way of 
keeping the edges sharp. 
Is there any practical method of sharpening disks on a 
disk or Cutaway harrow? 1 have been advised by a large 
manufacturing concern that the only way is to remove the 
disks from the gang and sharpen them on an emery wheel. 
This is no easy matter to do and I doubt if it can he ac¬ 
complished with such tools as the average farmer may have 
without breakage. This style of harrow is designed to cut, 
and if used to any extent for one season the disks become so 
blunt that the machine is practically useless. 1 have en- 
dervored to sharpen disks with stone and file, but neither of 
these implements has tHe desired effect. w. r. s. 
Massachusetts. 
The manufacturers give us very little encouragement. 
The hard steel which ought to he used in making these 
disks will hardly be scratched by a small emery wheel. 
Tt is suggested bv a manufacturer that the dull disks 
be heated and the edges drawn out thin with the ham¬ 
mer and then sharpened on the stone. Can any reader 
tell ns of a way to do this necessary thing—within the 
reach of a farmer? 
* 
The grades of cotton-seed meal were changed by the 
Interstate Cotton Seed Crushers’ Association in May, 
1906. and now stand as follows; Choice meal, 41 per 
cent protein, eight per cent ammonia; extra prime, 
38^2 per cent protein, 7 V 2 per cent ammonia; prime, 
36 per cent protein, seven per cent ammonia. Con¬ 
sumers now buying meal should examine the tags on 
the bags to see what they are getting. The difference 
in grade depends upon the amount of hulls in the feed. 
We recently visited a eotton-oil mill where they were 
making prime meal, and to the pure meal they were 
adding 15 per cent hulls. The difference between this 
and pure meal can readily he seen in the cake meal, but 
in the ground meal as it reaches the northern buyer 
one can only note that the prime meal is a little darker 
than choice meal. The difference in price between 
prime and choice meal is only 75 cents to $1 per ton, 
so that the maker gets a big price for the 300 pounds 
of cotton hulls in the ton of prime meal. If the choice 
meal costs $1.65 per 100 then the protein in it costs 
practically four cents per pound, and allowing the 
protein in prime meal to figure at the same price (four 
cents), which we think is fair, it would make the prime 
meal worth only $1.44 per 100, or a difference of $4.20 
per ton in favor of choice meal. Bear this in mind 
the next time you buy cotton-seed meal. Buy only 
light-colored meal. 
* 
We take the liberty of printing the following letter 
from a reader in California, since it expresses several 
things better than we can do it ourselves: 
I am glad to have Tiie U. N.-Y. It is one of a few papers 
we cannot afford to do without. Your efforts that resulted 
in the defeat of J. \V. Wadsworth have been talked about 
in my family of young men and women as something done. 
We (everybody) all talk much but do little. You have taken 
up a direct issue against evil and for good and it is worth 
more to m.v . boys and girls than a thousand nice sweet 
nothings. For many years The R. N.-Y. has been looked 
upon by us as a standard; the highest of its class. Yes, 
I might say that I know of none other of any kind or 
class that equals it. As you are strong enough to meet the 
task we shall lte expecting you to undertake olhers. We 
are never afraid of the moral tendency of The R. N.-Y. 
The Republican slogan in 1868 was “See more and do 
little" (Seymour and Doolittle), quoting the Democratic 
candidates against them. D often occurs to me that you 
really ‘‘see more” than many and do ail you can." 
e. si. H. 
The R. N.-Y. has received far more than its share of 
credit for the result in the Thirty-fourth District. We 
simply tried to do the small part which seemed to be¬ 
long to us. We cannot repeat too forcibly the truth that 
an agricultural paper can have no power except that 
which conies from its readers. A man may be fortunate 
enough to help give expression to the sentiment and 
desires of a large body of earnest men. That is honor 
enough for him and he should not make the mistake of 
claiming that he created the power that did the work. 
* A waterwheel gives the running stream a chance to 
move machinery. The stream is powerful because the 
particles are concentrated into a common purpose; were 
they scattered in vapor or spread out over a flat sur¬ 
face they could not turn the wheel. Our belief is that 
the plain people of this country have failed to make 
themselves felt because they lacked opportunity to 
unite their blows. The best service we can do is to 
show if we can where to strike to the best advantage. 
We make no effort to pull wires or work beneath the 
surface. When a thing is to be done our plan is point 
out the dutv fearlessly and without favor and urge our 
readers to seize the opportunity. In other words the 
help we try to give men is the chance to help them¬ 
selves ! We shall come back to a true government by 
the people when men are willing to help themselves and 
make sacrifices for the public good. We are sometimes 
asked to attack certain men or to endorse or support 
others. We steadily refuse to do this unless the man can 
make himself a part of some moral or uplifting issue—or 
unless he is a representative or advocate of some evil 
public influence. The man dies or is swept aside, but the 
influences for good or evil which work behind him en¬ 
dure. It is doubtful if any act of legislation is worth 
its passage unless a fair number of men are willing to 
advocate and stand by it openly and fearlessly. 
BREVITIES . 
“Keep pegging away,” is the twin motto of “stick to your 
last.” 
Which will pay the greater profit, 200 pounds of hen or 
800 pounds of cow? 
Dignity is a fine thing, but we know some people who 
wear it like a millstone tied around their necks! 
The time seems to have come when a new variety cannot 
get into general use unless it possesses great merit. 
Let us not find fault with those who do not dig the 
Panama Canal while the drains on our own farm are undug. 
Many a poor cow is suffering because nature provided 
her with a strong milk-making function and then by some 
slip she got under the wrong master, one who was ill bred. 
It is interesting to learn that the Ameer of Afghanistan 
is an enthusiastic gardener, who studies seed catalogues, 
and has recently sent orders to English seed firms for 
complete garden equipments of the most modern style. 
Goon adiice from a committee on the Prevention of 
Tuberculosis: “If a child is noticed to become easily tired, 
to have pale cheeks and eyes unnaturally bright, to cough, 
and to grow thin, take warning! Go and see a doctor.” 
The Illinois State Florists' Association sent a deputation 
to the Legislature recently asking an appropriation for ex¬ 
perimental greenhouses at the State Agricultural College. 
A number of the State experiment stations have done good 
work for the florists in their study of diseases of green¬ 
house plants. 
Under the English dog law of 1906, any dog seen wear¬ 
ing a strayed expression of countenance is at once taken 
into custody by the police, even if he has a collar with his 
owner’s name and address. Evidently British dogs will he 
obliged in self defense to assume an air of Independent self" 
confidence under all circumstances, to avoid misunder¬ 
standings. 
A member of the Missouri legislature proposes a bill 
whose essential portion reads : “Hereafter it shall be un¬ 
lawful for any woman, either married or single, to purchase 
for herself, or to receive or in any way procure for her use 
and benefit, more than two hats, each to cost not moire than 
$1.98. oftener than every twelve months." We do not know 1 
what provocation the poor man has suffered, hut we can at 
least tender our sympathy. 
