656 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August Si, 
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. 
pR. Walter Van Fleet, l 
Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, } Associates. 
John J. Dillon, Business Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, 
equal to 8s. Cd., or 8% marks, or 10 V? 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 he 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, AUGUST 31, 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. 
* 
There has been in the past much fighting for pos¬ 
session of the Champlain Valley. The French, English 
and Indians fought for it, and Americans have shed 
blood in its defense. It is quite doubtful, however, if 
any former invader threatened greater damage than the 
present one. This is a weed known as Sow thistle 
(Sonchus oleraccus). If it be not checked this weed 
will actually drive farmers from their farms, yet it can 
be subdued if farmers will unite in fighting it. We are 
asked if it has invaded other sections of the State, and 
if so what measures are taken for fighting it. Will 
readers please report? 
* 
On August 1 Dr. William Saunders, of the Canadian 
Experiment Station, and his wife, celebrated their 
golden wedding. Advantage was taken of the occasion 
by the station staff to offer a suitable present and an 
address to this worthy couple. Through plant breed¬ 
ing, introduction of new varieties and in teaching new 
methods, Dr. Saunders has done a great work in the 
development of Canada. Whenever the records of such 
a lifework are fairly enumerated the record of the 
average statesman or soldier seems poor enough. The 
time is coming when, more and more, the work of the 
farmer and scientist will be appreciated at its true value. 
* 
All this work for a parcels post has not been thrown 
away. Postmaster General Meyer states that he hopes 
to start within a year a limited parcels post and postal 
savings banks. It will be necessary to obtain the con¬ 
sent of Congress, but with some one in office really 
desiring these things the American people will take 
care of Congress. No one expects to get the full limit 
of a parcels post at once. What we want is a chance 
to prove that the public will make such a service profit¬ 
able if they can get a chance. In spite of all the dis¬ 
couragements and opposition there has been a steady 
growth of opinion in favor of parcels post. Keep at 
it and we shall win. 
* 
On page 662 Mr. Hathaway gives a sensible talk on 
live stock exhibits at county fairs. It is true that in 
New York a percentage of the gate receipts of racing 
associations is paid to the county fairs. There are many 
good citizens in the State who believe that this money 
is “tainted,” because gambling is permitted at or near 
these race tracks. Where efforts are made to prevent 
this gambling it is claimed that this would ruin the 
associations and thus cut off the money now paid to 
the county fairs. It has been claimed that if such an 
anti-gambling bill were passed the State should make a 
permanent appropriation for the fairs. So that, after 
all, those fairs depend upon the State for support. 
Where they are made educational exhibits which really 
benefit agriculture we think the State would be justi¬ 
fied in helping them directly. We have believed for a 
long time that the most useful exhibit that could be 
made at those fairs would be a bull of some well-known 
breed and a group of four or five of his daughters from 
ordinary cows, such as provide a living for farmers. 
That would be educational, and something that any man 
could understand. The average farmer cannot afford a 
herd of purebred animals, but it will always pay him 
to have good blood in the head of the herd. Give him 
an object lesson that he can understand and he will be 
far more likely to invest in good stock. If the breeders 
cannot see anything in this idea the experiment stations 
might work it out. 
* 
There have already been nearly 2,000 automobile 
accidents in New Jersey this year. A large part of 
them were due to speeding beyond the legal limit. Not 
a day passes but that some rich man in his haste to 
“go” breaks the law and risks human life. Some of 
them are said to go well provided with cash, expecting 
to pay occasional fines, and to put on extra speed in 
order to make up for the delay. The law will remain 
a farce and our highways a menace to life just as long 
as no punishment beyond a small fine is meted out to 
the auto hogs. The way to cure them is to put them 
in jail on prison fare. The Hope Farm man’s “work 
cure” without the rest or the baked apples would make 
such fellows go slow for awhile. 
* 
“We have done all we could for Mr. Rogers.” That 
appears to be one claim made by the A. J. C. C. Grant 
it for the sake of argument, but have you done all you 
could to show cattle men that you intend to keep your 
records pure? You dawdled and dodged over an inves¬ 
tigation. It was stated, and you did not deny it, that 
there was nothing to investigate. Then, when you had 
to move, your own committee found that at least one 
of the cows in question was not true to her papers. 
One of the two men, Dawley or Rogers, must have 
been responsible for this substitution. No man who 
will do such things should be permitted to register and 
sell purebred cattle. We have not called upon Prof. 
Redfield for an opinion lately,-but we think that prop¬ 
osition can be safely put up to him. The A. J. C. C., 
however, goes right on registering cattle for both men, 
although one of them has evidently been guilty of con¬ 
duct which should debar him. Whenever the A. J. C. C. 
will consent to give a full and open investigation this 
guilty man can be found and punished. Cannot the 
Club see what a small and cowardly policy it is to stand 
still and wait for the courts to settle other sides of this 
case? There is a principle beneath it all which no court 
of law can settle—which is a part of the reputation of 
the A. J. C. C. People are talking about this case every¬ 
where. From their actions one would think the Club 
does not know or does not care what the public think. 
Prof. Redfield might care to read the following letter 
from Kansas. The brother of this man ran up San 
Juan Hill by the side of President Roosevelt: 
I very much enjoy that A. J. C. C. serial. More fascinat¬ 
ing to me than a love story. Since I became a breeder, of 
registered cattle, I see so many ways I could “cheat a con¬ 
fiding public,” I am inclined to think some others may do it. 
A neighbor, a few years ago, who belonged to a national 
registry association, met with an opportunity to dispose of 
his entire herd to an “out of the State man,” and did so. 
He also had some fine grades, which the purchaser also 
bought. In the transfer of papers the purchaser asked for 
“all” of the papers of those having died, crippled and non¬ 
breeders, of which there is a goodly per cent in a large herd 
running several years. The papers were given. The neigh¬ 
bor said I was the only one he had ever told of this. I 
have wondered if anyone else was ever puzzled getting the 
“papers to fit the cows.” The criticism that The R. N.-YL 
is biased and unfair to Dawley is untrue. Dawley is noth¬ 
ing; insignificant. Rogers but a speck. The “principle” is 
everything. I would not pay more than href prices for any 
registered animal, except as I had faith in the breeder. If 
you weaken • or turn tail in this fight, (and others so nobly 
begun), you may return my subscription price until you get 
“stronged” up again, as the youngster said. J. e. h. 
Kansas. 
It seems to us that the man who having measured the 
danger and faced it, then runs, does more harm than 
he who dodged in the first place. When we weaken 
and run we want to' run so far that we can never look 
our friends in the face again! 
* 
Massachusetts generally marches pretty near the 
head in educational matters. A Summer school for 
teachers has been started at the Agricultural College 
with over 200 in attendance. It is purposed to give a 
short course which will enable those teachers to do 
something of agricultural work in country schools. As 
we understand it, this is the outcome of a suggestion to 
establish trade schools. There was opposition on the 
part of labor unions to schools for teaching the ordi¬ 
nary trades, but no objection could be made to teaching 
agriculture. Thus the State provided money for the 
work and assigned the duty to the agricultural college. 
A definite course has been started so that all students 
will study some of the principles of agricultural teach¬ 
ing. We believe this is excellent work. Of necessity 
any system of agricultural education at our colleges was 
at first like starting a fire at the top of a pile of wood. 
Now that it has been well started we can send sparks 
and bits of flame down to the foundation by sending 
trained men and women into country districts with 
something beside the three Rs. 
The State of Missouri now has a law which prohibits 
a brewery or distillery from operating a saloon through 
an agent, or under another’s name. Such a law in New 
Jersey would be about the hardest blow that could be 
struck at the rumshops. Most observers have noticed 
in New Jersey how two names usually appear over a 
saloon. There is the name of the brewing company, 
and also the name of the supposed owner of the saloon. 
The latter is usually little more than an agent—the 
brewing qompany either owning the business or holding 
a mortgage on it—the license being taken by the sup¬ 
posed owner. For the average country community this 
is about the most vicious arrangement that can be 
thought of. If a law like that in Missouri could be 
enforced in New Jersey we should have within a year 
a great improvement in the State. 
* 
Will some of the wise men tell us what there is in 
this idea that the bacteria of clover sometimes grow 
too feeble or lazy to work? We understand that in 
some cases these bacteria seem to lose their power to 
obtain nitrogen from the air. This is usually on rich 
land where the plant can obtain its nitrogen easily 
from supplies in the soil. In such cases we are told the 
bacteria become somewhat like the children of the 
indulgent rich—incapable of working and of no assist¬ 
ance to their parents. This appears to lead to one form 
of “clover sickness,” and one remedy is to inoculate 
the soil with a stronger family of bacteria. This is a 
very pretty theory—but has it any value in actual prac¬ 
tice? We would like to know about it. We have seen 
“new” human blood become as lazy as the old after a 
short time at a “soft job.” Are these “bacteria” any 
more enduring.? 
* 
The average “petition,” like the average “resolu¬ 
tion,” is worth just about as much as the paper on 
which it is written or printed. When will people realize 
just what public men think of such documents? It 
the easiest thing to get signatures to a petition. Most 
of the signers think they divide responsibility with the 
others, and where you divide the average responsibility 
by 25 or 30 there isn’t strength enough left to stand 
alone. Much the same is true of a “resolution” passed 
by a meeting. Not 10 per cent of the people present 
vote for it, yet it is supposed to pass as the voice of 
the gathering. Is anyone so simple as to suppose that 
a man like Gov. Hughes, for instance, cannot size up 
such an expression of opinion? It is the strong per¬ 
sonal letter that counts. Public men respect such things, 
and they know just what it means when a man tells 
them plainly what he wants, and signs his name to it. 
* 
A statement is going the rounds that experiments 
in England show that grass and trees cannot grow har¬ 
moniously together. The wise men claim that the grass 
secretes some sort of “toxic principle” which poisons 
the tree. We don’t know what these wise men would 
do if they didn’t have these “toxic principles” to fall 
back upon. The news is not very alarming to those 
of us who have hundreds of trees growing in sod with 
more or less grass piled around them. On our own 
farm we have never had a harder season for the 
mulched trees, for 1 the soil has -been baked as hard 
as a brick, and practically no grass has grown since 
haying. Yet wherever a fair amount of mulch has been 
used around the trees they have a rich green foliage 
and have grown steadily through the hot weather. A 
mulched tree is all right provided it is mulched. It is 
simply a question of finding enough vegetable matter to 
pile around the tree. If you cannot get it a tree in 
hard, dry sod will suffer. 
BREVITIES . 
IIow many voters at your school meeting? 
Another guest usually crowds into the “room for im¬ 
provement.” 
Better the old farm with new methods than a new farm 
with the old ones. 
You will see that there are two sides to this muslin screen 
ventilator proposition. 
“We ate our last quart of strawberries August 10.” That 
report comes from Rensselaer Co., N. Y. 
In Franklin County, Iowa, they celebrate “Bean Day” 
and in another county “Sauerkraut Day.” 
For the disease known as “freshness” in children we do 
not know of any board of health quite equal to a stout 
shingle. 
Some one asks in a farm paper how a young woman can 
attract a young man. Why not have her learn to make a real 
apple pie? 
All parasites seem to like one victim more than another. 
Some horses are specially afflicted with horse flies. Some 
people appear to invite trouble from rogues. 
If there is any holiday when we should be truly American 
it is July 4. Yet we use imported firecrackers to proclaim 
our patriotism. Nearly $100,000 worth were imported from 
China last year. 
A good idea of the true New England constitution and 
character at their best is seen in the announcement that 
Mrs. N. J. Pitkin of Massachusetts celebrates her eightieth 
birthday at a reception at which she led a “Virginia reel.” 
The notice adds “no presents are desired.” 
