June 15, 
48o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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. 
soluble oil question. Is there any way of obtaining a 
reliable oil at less cost? Can anything be used to act 
as a fungicide? We consider these questions of great 
importance. The experiment stations should take them 
up, even if they find it necessary to drop other work. 
* 
Hekbkrt w. Collinowood, Editor. 
«K. WALTER VAN FLEET, ) 
Mrs. E. 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. 0d., or 8% marks, or 10 Mi francs. 
“ A SQUARE DEAL.” 
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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 lie responsible for 
the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of tlie complaint must be sent to us within one 
month of the time of tlie 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 Y»rk. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 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. 
* 
The Ohio Farmer is making a brave and effective 
fight against Senator J. B. Foraker of Ohio. Mr. For- 
aker should never be permitted to represent Ohio in 
the Senate after his present term expires. The Ohio 
Farmer demonstrates clearly that he has not been a 
true friend of the people. It is a pleasure to see these 
unworthy men picked out and held up where all may 
look at them. 
* 
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great 
riches.’ “A poor man is better than a liar.” The above 
words from the Proverbs of Solomon are worth pon¬ 
dering in a time when so many, to gain wealth and 
position, have brought themselves to the lowest depths 
of poverty, so far as honor, humanity and even com¬ 
mon decency are concerned. And it is a most hopeful 
sign for the community that so many of these men 
are receiving the reward of their shame in an outraged 
public sentiment that is not afraid to have its say. 
* 
That gray-haired joke about farming with apes has 
started again. This time we are told that a Minnesota 
farmer bought six apes at circus sale, and has trained 
them to do all kinds of farm work, including milking 
and cooking. We actually have people writing to ask if 
it would be possible for them to train apes and thus 
solve the labor question! It is hard to treat such things 
seriously, but there are people so desperately driven by 
need of farm help that they grasp even at this straw. 
There is absolutely nothing in it—the report is a lie 
pure and simple. 
* 
Two classes of people are at us to ask about the use 
of “dry Bordeaux.” This is a dust containing copper 
and lime, much the same as that found in the liquid 
material. The dust is blown upon the vines or trees in 
place of spraying a liquid through a nozzle. Some peo¬ 
ple ask questions like the enclosed. They are after 
information: 
Has anyone bad experience with dry Bordeaux Mixture, 
and with what success? If as effective as the mixture with 
water, it would be much cheaper to use, and less expensive. 
G. w. A. 
Others accuse us of trying to discredit this dust 
method of spraying by refusing to talk about it. We 
refer the question to our readers. Let us have the facts 
from experience. That will settle it. In our own lim¬ 
ited experience we do not find the dust on the whole 
equal to the liquid, but we want the truth—with the 
reason for it. 
* 
Many of us thoroughly believe that the soluble oils 
are to solve the problem of spraying to protect our 
trees from scale. All recognize the great value of lime 
and sulphur when properly made and applied. Yet it 
must be evident to observing people that there are con¬ 
ditions which make the oils preferable. One large fruit 
grower, for example, writes us that it is necessary 
for him to do at least part of his spraying in late Fall 
and Winter. The oils are undoubtedly better for use 
at this season. Other arguments can be given to show 
the importance of the subject. Our scientific men 
'hould begin at once a thorough investigation of this 
Long Island is terribly infested with the San Jose 
scale, and this makes it a paradise for scale-killing hum¬ 
bugs. When people see their favorite trees dying they 
are ready to pay well for any plausible scheme for 
saving them. We are not surprised to receive the fol¬ 
lowing letter: 
The Milford Nurseries Company’s agent was here last 
week with a guaranteed remedy to destroy San Jos6 scale 
by painting the trunk of trees with iodide of mercury, caustic 
soda and some other chemical. He claimed by painting two 
feet of the trunk of the trees it would poison the sap and 
kill all scale on the trees. T. s. 
Rockville Centre, N. Y. 
Ask the agent if he will paint some of his compound 
on his feet to destroy a wart on the end of his nose! 
When he can do this he can expect to kill the scale in 
this way—and not much before! Do not under anv 
circumstances pay money for such “remedies.” It is 
also a safe game to cut out all orders from people who 
make any such “guarantee.” 
* 
“You might as well try to melt an iceberg with a 
box of matches! You cannot make a dent on them !” 
That cheerful remark was made by a Jersey breeder 
last Fall. He warned us in a kindly way that we 
could not make the A. J. C. C. feel the force of public 
opinion,- He knew that the club membership was Hin¬ 
ted, and that the executive committee have self-created 
and arbitrary powers—but he was wrong! A single 
box of matches will scarcely bring a drop of water 
from an iceberg, but when you put 100,000 boxes to¬ 
gether you can raise the temperature considerably. Of 
course the executive committee felt secure perched on 
their aristocratic and well-guarded roost. The Country 
Gentlemen, Jersey Bulletin and those creatures who 
worship snobs and do the bidding of politicians were 
very willing to help stifle an investigation. “Thereisnoth¬ 
ing to investigate,”they said,as if that settled it for good. 
The R. N.-Y. has had no help in this contest except 
such as was volunteered by its readers. That 
was enough—it is all we want in any fight for 
a principle. But imagine if you can the feelings 
of the Country Gentleman and Jersey Bulletin when 
that committee admits that the papers do not fit the 
cow! They claim to be the champions of purebred 
cattle, yet if they could have had their way a bogus 
cow would have passed as a purebred animal. How 
many more such are there as a result of the policy of 
sneering silence which they stand for? And the agony 
is not yet over for them. We intend to find out 
whether the papers tie the man to the cow. The A. J. 
C. C. will answer if it takes 200,000 boxes of matches 
to melt the answer out of them! Mr. Dawley sold 
what he claimed was a purebred Jersey to Mr. Rogers. 
He and the A. J. C. C. gave this cow all the value it 
possessed as a breeding animal, since they certified to 
her pedigree. Now, on the strength of what its own 
committee reports the A. J. C. C. refuses to transfer 
this cow—thus stamping her as a fraud. But if she 
is bogus, who made her so, and where is the real cow 
which, by reason of her pedigree has a right to the true 
name and number? If these papers do not tie Mr. 
Dawley to that cow, of what value on earth are the 
transfer and registry records of the A. J. C. C.? 
A few red hot coals like the following dropped on 
that “iceberg” will help: 
Since returning to the old homestead some few years ago 
I have been breeding a smallish herd of grade Jerseys, 
beginning with a grandson of Pedro. It was my Intention 
to put on some registered stock this season. Like your corre¬ 
spondent on page 449 who wrote, “We are about to em¬ 
bark in the registered ones, but hesitate a little,” only I 
do not hesitate at all. The Jerseys on hand will be sold, 
and Guernseys or some other breed introduced, where “the 
papers fit the cows.” c. r. 
Litchfield .Co., Conn. 
That is the way hundreds of people who are not in 
the ring begin to talk. The responsibility for this loss 
of trade and prestige will rest entirely upon the execu¬ 
tive committee of the A. J. C. C. At any time during 
the past year they could have settled the matter and 
stopped the injury to Jersey cattle inside of 24 hours! 
* 
There is no let up in the campaign against those New 
York Senators who voted against Gov. Hughes. Al¬ 
ready several of them have said that they “do not care 
to remain in the Senate.” Everybody knows what this 
means'. They see the handwriting on the wall—it is 
reflected from hundreds of letters which voters of their 
districts have written them. It is not necessary to 
abuse them or attack them personally. They are on the 
wrong side of a moral public question, and therefore 
the best place for them is on the outside. We call at¬ 
tention to the “political” discussion on page 481. Now, 
then, as a farmer and an American, which sort of 
“politics” do you believe in? Here is a letter from a 
well-known farmer which we print for your special 
benefit: 
If more farmers would speak out their honest sentiments, 
these irresponsible men in rural communities, who assume 
to dictate and control all political action, would have much 
less Influence. In nearly every rural town there are a few 
men who are not worth a dollar in property, who are prac¬ 
tical failures in any line of work, yet who are active in 
attending caucuses and getting out voters, especially those 
who can be bought, and who control the important interests 
in the town. These are the active tools of equally irre¬ 
sponsible political bosses In rural districts, who would not 
be trusted by any bank or in any responsible business trans¬ 
action. 
Now is that true of your town or not? Do any of 
these New York Senators depend upon such characters 
to control caucuses or conventions? They could not do 
it if the really respectable farmers in any township took 
the old-time interest in town affairs. You must realize 
that there is no sense in a farmer’s trying to influence 
big national affairs if he will not handle those of his 
own town. The first thing to do with these Senators is 
to beat them for the nomination or make a great show¬ 
ing in the conventions. Do not wait to cut the ticket 
after the politicians have nominated them, but get busy 
at once to put the homes of the people against them. 
* 
The meeting last week to celebrate the fiftieth anni¬ 
versary of the Michigan Agricultural College was re¬ 
markably successful. There was not a hitch in the 
programme, the weather was perfect, and there was, 
without doubt, the greatest gathering of prominent edu¬ 
cators ever seen in this country. The affair reflects 
great credit upon those who organized the celebration 
and carried it out. It was a great day for agricultural 
education, for the American farmer and for American 
history. For years the right of a farmer to enjoy a 
special education was scoffed at, and fought by author¬ 
ities in education. The National Government had de¬ 
cided that soldier, sailor and farmer should be educated 
at public expense, as a public asset, and had laid aside 
a vast sum for the purpose. Still there was fierce oppo¬ 
sition to the idea. Older college men could see little 
virtue in the so-called “new education,” while most 
farmers could not understand how “book farming” 
could help them. Thus with bitter enemies and few 
supporters in their own class the agricultural colleges 
made an uphill fight for years! As is usually the case, 
the tide seemed to turn all at once, but this was not so, 
for even when there seemed to be greatest discourage¬ 
ment forces were at work which could not be resisted. 
It is an achievement little short of marvelous to start 
with nothing and in 50 years pile up such a mountain 
of worthy records as was built at Lansing. From 
North, South, East and West men came with messages 
of hope and confidence from farmers. No man could 
attend such a meeting without feeling that the future 
has greater things in store. The colleges will learn, 
among other things', to stop talking about “lifting up” 
the farmer, but will learn to carry their science up 
to the level of his practice. This celebration cannot 
help but give new life and power to our agricultural 
colleges. Their best work will be done in training 
country people to study public questions accurately. It 
may be that there will be little evidence of this for 
years, but wait until some crisis comes or some great 
principle is to be settled, and you will find the evidence 
of it. 
BREVITIES . 
How about limoid and kerosene for scale? Has it already 
fallen into innocuous desuetude? 
Spring has been unkind to the mosquitoes, Potato bugs 
and cutworms. 
What do you think of an “open season” for the fruit 
thieves and chicken stealers? 
We should like to have the “Bureau of Plant Industry” 
do something to make our sweet com and Lima beans a 
trifle more industrious than they seem at present. 
Gov. Hughes has signed the “rabbit bill,” which makes 
an open season in several Hudson River counties and gives 
farmers the right to shoot rabbits found injuring property. 
The Mayo.r of Chicago says that bed-slats, properly ad¬ 
ministered by parents would cure a lot of drunkenness in 
the embryo. This seems a somewhat allopathic endorsement 
of Solomon’s views on child culture. 
The Indianapolis Board of Public safetv recently bought 
Kansas prairie hay at $15 a ton for the fire department 
horses, being assured it was just as good as Timothy at 
$20.20 a ton : both being bought in car lots. Wonder how 
much the Kansas farmers get for it? 
The New York City Milk Commission, consisting of five 
prominent physicians, recommends the sale of skimmed or 
separated milk (which is not now allowed) under proper 
official inspection, because of its high nutritive value, and 
the fact that it might be sold cheaper than whole milk. 
On page 295 w r e pictured a horrible lot of pea seed 
which was sold for Telephone. Here is a note from the 
man who bought the seed : “They looked bad for Telephone 
peas, didn’t they? I noticed also you marked them as 
cheap seed. I don’t believe I said anything regarding the 
price of those peas, which was $5 the bushel, that being the 
regular price in all the different seed stores in our city, so 
not very cheap after all.” 
