386 
May 4, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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. 
Ur. Walter van Fleet, 
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. (id., or 8*4 marks, or 10y a 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, MAY 4, 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. 
* 
We understand that the A. J. C. C.’s investigating 
committee will report May 1, at the annual meeting of 
the club. Then we shall know whether these gentlemen 
could make the registration papers fit those cows. We 
shall all be interested to learn about it. In the mean¬ 
time some other Jersey cattle matters are moving pretty 
fast. There will doubtless be some further “doings” 
after this report is made. 
on the whole we are not very popular with them. That 
is because wc believe in going out in the open—straight 
to the people when there is any political work to be 
done. The sort of “pull” we desire with politicians 
is the jerk on the halter from the plain people who 
sent them to office. Americans should get nearer to 
popular government—not further away from it. A 
“Knight of the Postage Stamp” can vote 25 times in 
one year or once for every stamp he uses. Let no man 
be so hopeless as to say that his letter will not count. 
♦ 
Three years ago Jack Frost held off until far into 
the Fall. This enabled many farmers to finish their 
farm work and saved many belated crops. At that 
time we felt that old Jack deserved a better title, md 
we called him the Hon. John Frost. We are not aware 
that the title “Hon.” has ever civilized anyone. If a 
man has natural evil tendencies he is most likely to use 
his title as a cloak to cover his wickedness. So it has 
been with the “Hon. John Frost.” The following note 
from Kansas tells the story: 
A splendid but too forward fruit prospect was ruined by 
a freeze April 13 and 14. Ice formed five-eighths of an inch 
thick on our water tank. Tough. J. F - 
It is the old story. The “Hon. John” put on his 
benevolent smile and tempted out the buds. When 
they were ready the same old “Jack” nipped at them 
and they were gone. 
* 
Last week witnessed impressive ceremonies at Cornell 
University. On Friday, the one hundredth anniversary 
of the birth of Ezra Cornell was celebrated, and on 
Saturday the new buildings of the College of Agricul¬ 
ture were dedicated. Both events make us stop to 
realize that the plan of a special agricultural education 
is no longer a theory, but a definite fact. Now that 
these noble buildings are completed we recall the fierce 
opposition from the advocates of the old classical meth¬ 
ods of education—who seemed to regard methods of 
mind and character training based upon work in the soil 
as rank heresy. It yet remains for Cornell University 
to prove that its beautiful buildings are in the highest 
sense temples of true education. No doubt the orator 
of the day brought out clearly the fact that training 
in farm science is teaching farmers to think out public 
duties in a broader and more courageous spirit. 
* 
Horticulture is a most inviting pursuit, and is acces¬ 
sible to anyone who can command 10 acres of land. 
People are beginning to understand that no one thing is 
so much needed in their diet as fruit, simple, natural 
fruit. It pleases the palate, invigorates digestion and 
renovates the whole system—at once a luxury, a food, a 
medicine, and he is a philanthropist who sets this dish 
before the families of the nation. 
* 
That is a very just criticism of a “farmers’ bulletin” 
printed on page 374. “Speak as the common people- 
think as the wise” should be the motto of the gentlemen 
who turn out the millions of free words for the infor¬ 
mation of farmers. It will not do to say that a farmer 
ought to know these things which are so simple to a 
scientist. There is no more obligation on the farmers’ 
part to know them than there is on the scientist’s part 
to realize the limitations of those who make a living 
from the soil. 
* 
The articles on New England corn growing have 
stirred up great interest in the subject. We are getting 
letters from farmers who have obtained remarkable 
yields by planting some of the flint varieties which 
have become suited to New England soil. The best of 
these flints, grown on the rough lands with fair dressings 
of chemicals, offer the best chance to-day for New 
England farmers to cut down the grain bill. It is just 
as necessary to “breed up” these flints as it is to im¬ 
prove the large western corn. 
* 
We have had manv letters from fruit growers asking 
what is to be done about that German tariff on apples. 
As is well known the German Government threatened 
to increase this tariff from 50 cents to $1.65 per barrel 
unless this country could make some concessions. This 
increase would ruin our fruit trade with Germany, and 
growers are anxious to know what they can do about 
it. Our understanding is that an arrangement has been 
made to continue the present tariff one year longer. 
We can all unite to urge Congress to make this ar¬ 
rangement permanent, for this country must not lose 
that foreign trade. 
* 
Not long ago we heard the editor of a farm paper 
boast of his “pull” with certain politicians. He claimed 
a great acquaintance with public men, and thought this 
gave him a chance to exercise large political power. 
We consider it worse than trying to build a house on 
the sand to bank on a “pull” with politicians. The R. 
N.-Y. never goes to politicians for help or advice. 
They come to us sometimes, but we should judge that 
We begin the regular campaign for Alfalfa trials. 
Farmers still need to realize what it would mean to 
have a few acres of this wonderful plant. Here is a 
sample report from Cayuga Co., N. Y., which anyone 
can understand: 
A young farmen here had a small piece of Alfalfa near 
the house in a small orchard. It was astonishing how much 
lie got from this small piece of ground by feeding it green 
and dry to his 10 cows. lie has been bringing every other 
morning to the butter creamery skim station, 430 to 465 
pounds of milk. I know, as I am there myself every other 
morning. Another man with 10 cows carries much less 
than 100 pounds. The first man fed Alfalfa all the Fall 
once a day, and had enough dry to feed once a day about 
all Winter. 
Of course the first man may have had better cows, 
and very likely he took better care of them. Still, we 
have no doubt the Alfalfa was largely responsible for 
his gain. We have had many such reports. It is easy 
to believe them, for a ton of well-cured Alfalfa hay has 
the feeding value of a ton of good wheat bran. T lie 
chemists’ analysis shows it, and trials in which this hay 
was compared with bran, pound for pound, prove it. 
If you had 10 acres of good Alfalfa on your farm it 
would seem much as if Santa Claus came every year 
and put 30 tons of bran into j'our grain bin. Therefore 
it will pay any farmer to work hard and spend a little 
money trying to get Alfalfa started! 
* 
Last week we spoke of the work of the Canadian 
Government in helping to build cold storage plants. In 
addition to this the government offers to pay $50 as 
part of the cost when five or more farmers will unite 
to buy a power spraying outfit. Such associations 
must agree to spray thoroughly at least 25 acres of 
orchards each season. Of course the object of this is 
to encourage spraying and have the work conducted 
more or less under government inspection. The Legis¬ 
lature was asked for $6,000 to apply to this spraying 
account. We do not hear of much opposition to this 
paternal scheme on the part of the Canadian Govern¬ 
ment as applied to cold storage, spraying or handling 
products, because this does not seriously interfere with 
any other business. It might, however, be carried too 
far. For instance, the government is holding what 
it calls demonstrations to show the advantages of a cer¬ 
tain breed of hogs for making high-class bacon. At the 
same time sales of animals of this breed are held. Now 
this comes close to competition with private breeders 
who have other excellent breeds for sale. The govern¬ 
ment not only argues against the breeds in which they 
have invested money, but competes with them in sales. 
The government also distributes plants and vines of 
new fruit varieties. These are sent free even of post¬ 
age, and this can hardly help competing with nursery¬ 
men and plant dealers. It is possible that government 
can be too “helpful” in some of these things. At the 
same time there is no use concealing the fact that the 
railroads and great corporations have so cornered most 
lines of business that people are more than ever before 
inclined to give the government control of public articles. 
* 
With the end of the contest in the I hirty-fourth 
New York Congressional District last Fall we thought 
we could bid a long farewell to our old friend, Hon. 
James W. Wadsworth. Had he been wise he would 
have taken his defeat good-naturedly. The people like 
a man who acts and talks like a philosopher—in the 
face of trouble or defeat. Mr. Wadsworth’s actions 
show that his people sized him up properly. He sees 
his political machine crumbling away, and he breaks 
out in a wild attack upon President Roosevelt and Gov¬ 
ernor Hughes. No one seems to listen to him, for his 
own words demonstrate that all he ever had really back 
of him was a small group of officeholders and family 
friends who did his bidding. T hey handled what we 
may call “canned politics” of a character worse than 
some of the canned beef which helped give Mr. Wads¬ 
worth a job at home. His own words act like a can 
opener to expose the mess. But after all Mr. Wads¬ 
worth has done an excellent thing in his raving over 
defeat. He has shown the common people what they 
can do if they try. For years he was a boss with a 
“machine” that seemed too strong to be beaten. If two 
years ago a politician had been asked what Congress¬ 
man in New York was surest to be re-elected he would 
have said at once—Wadsworth. Yet in spite of the 
“machine” a crowd of unorganized farmers beat him 
out of sight. These farmers hammered that “machine” 
with their axes and punched it with pitch forks—and 
behold, it was only a shell! All there was to it was 
blind party prejudice and a few politicians and place 
hunters. There is something of poetic justice in this 
spectacle of Mr. Wadsworth, in his anger, exposing the 
sham and weakness of the system which has enabled 
him to keep up his bluff so long! 
BREVITIES . 
IIumus for tlie strawberry crop. 
It may seem unseasonable, but nature knows her business. 
One thing about the housekeeping of Jack Spratt and his 
wife—dish washing was a small job. 
“Nothing in it”—this carbolic acid painting for killing 
scale according to Prof. Smith, page 375. 
The great refuge of some scientific gentlemen when asked 
to diagnose a trouble is—“some bacterial difficulty.” 
We have often been asked to tell how mint is grown 
and extracted. The article on first page makes the facts 
very clear. 
What wag has started that old one about boring a hole 
in a stump and filling it with saltpeter? If every man who 
has proved the folly of this advice would subscribe to The 
R. N.-Y r . we should have a great collection. 
South Carolina has been ordering some makes of “cherry 
phosphate" out of the State, because they contained nearly 
four per cent of alcohol and also coal tar dye, thus violat¬ 
ing both the dispensary law and the pure rood law. 
How do the women folks like sending a hundred miles 
for groceries, as that western farmer relates on page 318? 
There is another side to that farming—and sometimes It 
is marked by a lonesome little grave out on the open 
prhirie. 
A clergyman in a “no license” town suspected that a 
certain “malt extract” was the cause of considerable drunk¬ 
enness. A sample was sent to the experiment station. 
Analysis indicated that this “extract” was surely extract¬ 
ing sin. 
Justice Brewer of the Supreme Court says that the 
wisdom of the law maker cannot keep pace with the in¬ 
genuity of trained minds which seek to evade the law. All 
the more reason for common honesty and uncommon atten¬ 
tion to public matters. 
Some years ago a few of us tried to tell the virtues of 
the cow pea crop. It was something like building a fire 
out of an iceberg. Now it gives us strange thoughts to see 
the Northern experiment stations issuing bulletins about 
cow peas and Soy beans. 
A meeting of mosquito exterminators was recently held 
in New \ T ork. One of the papers said the State Entomol¬ 
ogist of New Jersey was a greater official than the Governor. 
The real powers of a Jersey Governor make him little more 
than the Legislature’s hired man. 
A new candidate for plant medical honors is benzoate 
of soda. This was formerly used in canning fruit and 
vegetables, as it prevented ferments and germ growth. 
Now it is to be used to prevent or destroy fungus diseases 
in combination with Bordeaux. Experiments are under way. 
A reader in Illinois says this: “As to apple pie, we had 
one last Sunday and spoke of you while eating it. If it 
hadn’t been for old Ben it would have been prunes or some¬ 
thing like that—and the pie tasted good to me.” That's 
about the best argument for Ben Davis we have seen yet. 
We are still eatiug Russets and Pippins. 
For the benefit of those who like “Hamburg steak” the 
following from the Connecticut Station report is worth while: 
“Since butchers use the trimmings from beef for Hamburg 
steak, depending on bisulphite of soda to prevent tainting 
or else to deodorize meat already tainted and give it the 
bright red color of fresh meat, it is advisable for consumers 
either to chop the meat for themselves or eise have this 
done by the butcher in their presence.” 
