116 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February «!, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAVER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
. Established, 1850. 
Published weekly by the Kuril! PtiblishlnR- Company, 409 I’earl Street, New York. 
Herbert W. COLUNG wood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet and Mrs. E, T. Roylk, Associate Editors. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6 d., or 8*2 marks, or 10 '-2 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal chock or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates 50 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for time 
orders. References required for advertisers unknown to 
us; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“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!'!! ourcolumns, and any such swindlerwill be publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
to adjust trifling differences between subscribers and honest, respon¬ 
sible 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 ono month of the time of the transaction, 
and you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when 
writing the advertiser. 
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 pur¬ 
poses. We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
It is not a bit too early to go over the seed 
catalogues and decide upon your orders. If the 
women folks are not in the habit of reading Rural- 
isms, we advise them to turn to page 88 and see 
what is said about annuals for the flower garden. 
There are sure to be some vegetables you have not 
yet tried, too, and a small expenditure may add 
very materially to the pleasure and profit of the 
home garden. 
* 
There are some western farmers who still think 
the farms of the Eastern States are all worn out. 
Let them remember that X*. H. Brewer, of Connecti¬ 
cut, heat the entire country on yield from one acre 
of corn. For something like 250 years the Brewer 
family has been trying to wear that soil out. They 
have now got it down so thin that it produces 133 
bushels of corn on an acre 1 
* 
Several southern readers write us Shout the state¬ 
ment regarding fertilizers on page 50. We claim 
that the southern people have gone fertilizer crazy— 
using chemicals freely and not making use of green 
manures as they should. We have no doubt some 
of the experiment stations are responsible for it. So 
long as they depend on the money obtained from 
fertilizer manufacturers largely for their support 
these institutions will hardly be likely to advocate 
the more rational course of green manuring. They 
should try to cut down the fertilizer hill and not to 
increase it. 
* 
You will notice what Mr. Bledsoe, of Georgia, 
says on page 102 about gambling in cotton prices. 
If this were done in the South, where the cotton 
is grown, the people would soon stop it. It would 
be the same with many other evils from which 
farmers suffer if they could reach right in and 
control the machinery. Why should they not do 
so, since they pay for producing the article and 
then must be content with 35 cents of the con¬ 
sumer’s dollar? The plan of selecting candidates 
by vote instead of by caucus will help—so will 
anything that brings the farmer closer to the real 
source of government. 
* 
There are two sides to this deer nuisance in Ver¬ 
mont. It seems that in New England there are cer¬ 
tain sections which are overrun by deer. The ani¬ 
mals are protected by law, and have increased so 
that they cause great damage to farmers. On the 
other hand, in some of the best apple growing sec¬ 
tions of Vermont practically no damage is caused 
by deer. In the Champlain Valley, where these 
“world’s best” apples are grown, there are few, if 
any, deer, and orchards may safely be planted. We 
state these facts, since we do not want it under¬ 
stood that all Vermont is at the mercy of deer. 
Every farmer in New. England, however, should take 
a personal interest in the campaign to give land 
owners the right to defend their property. 
* 
Western New York fruit growers have taken 
the apple question right by the barrel. They had 
to, because “Choice New York Baldwins” stamped 
on the package were getting to be something to 
run away from. Fine Pacific coast apples 'are 
coming into our best markets, and somebody has 
been packing New York fruit in a fraudulent 
manner. These things act like two millstones to 
grind the New York State grower. They cannot 
get rid of the western apples, after inviting 
them here and offering them the best markets, but 
they can stop the other millstone. Representatives 
of all the Fruit Growers’ Associations met recently 
at Rochester and formed a permanent organiza¬ 
tion. The object is to make a high standard for 
quality and package for both green and dried fruit. 
This is the only way to do it, and also the only 
way to save New York apple growing for the 
growers. 
* 
We presume many of our readers have used the 
various “meat extracts,” supposing they had some¬ 
thing of high food value. The Connecticut Experi¬ 
ment Station has been examining these “extracts.” 
Dr. Jenkins says: 
“In some of the extracts nitrates were found in 
small amount, along with much common salt, sug¬ 
gesting strongly that the ‘extract’ is in part at least 
an evaporated beef pickle, which, having served its 
purpose for curing corned or salt beef, was saved 
from waste and made into an extract ‘absolutely pure, 
contains no foreign matter,’ etc.” 
How do you like the idea of paying a good 
round price for an evaporated meat pickle? Better 
live on baked beans! 
* 
A business man recently called to talk farming. 
He has been successful in the city, and has read 
much. Now he has bought a farm, and this is the 
way he talks: 
“/ am going to show those old farmers how to 
raise crops.” 
If this man will take our advice he will change 
his mind and withdraw public advertisement of his 
intentions. Able men before him have gone out 
well loaded with theory and printed words to “show 
these old farmers how.” It hurts the feelings to 
march in through the large end of theory and 
crawl out of the small end of experience. We 
advise such a man to approach the soil with some¬ 
thing of a humble spirit, and wait until he actually 
shows them how before doing much talking. 
* 
State Senator John Raines attacks Gov. Hughes 
and goes on record against primary nominations. 
Now we may ask—who does Mr. Raines represent? 
In the last election the vote of Ontario County, 
where Mr. Raines lives, shows the following fig¬ 
ures : 
Plurality for Gov. Hughes.2,587 
“ Senator Raines .1,367 
If we were to ask Senator Raines why he sits in 
the Senate he could well answer that the people of 
his county and district gave him a majority of 
their votes. That is convincing, because the major¬ 
ity rules in this country. Now if the majority rule 
is to apply to men why does it not also apply 
to ideas or principles? During the election Gov, 
Hughes stood for primary nominations. That was 
well understood. While the voters of Ontario County 
gave Mr. Raines 1,367 plurality, they changed or 
cut their ballots so that they gave Gov. Hughes 
2,537, or nearly twice as much as Raines received. 
One “majority rule” ought to be as good as another. 
Ontario County voted in favor of the ideas which 
Gov. Hughes stands for and sent John Raines by 
a reduced plurality to Albany to support these ideas. 
Mr. Raines probably understands that this is only a 
beginning of what will follow—a fair primary elec¬ 
tion law. 
* 
It is claimed that the present tariff on sugar costs 
the consumers of this country about $300,000,000. 
That is, if sugar were admitted free of duty that 
much would be saved to our people. Why are the 
American people held up for this sum? The usual 
answer is that since revenues are needed to carry 
on the Government they are as well raised by 
taxing sugar as any other article. To farmers, 
however, a special argument is given. We are told 
that beet sugar growing in this country is an “infant 
industry” which, with fair protection, will in time 
grow so that we can produce all the sugar we need 
in North America. That was a plausible argu¬ 
ment, but the time has come to cut into it with 
cold facts. Here in New York beet sugar growing 
has been tried for some years. The State has paid 
out $34,000, and the business had ample “protection.” 
What are the facts? Can we safely advise a New 
York farmer to sign a contract to grow sugar 
beets? Not on the record as given on page 113. 
We have been invited to keep still and do nothing 
to injure a growing business. Tf the business is a 
profitable one for farmers to encage in it cannot 
have too much publicity. Tf it does not pay. the 
sooner farmers find it out the better for them. 
There is nothing in the facts given this week to 
show why farmers should continue to pay their 
share of the great sugar tax in order to keep this 
infant industry in the cradle. Mr. Fessenden re¬ 
ceived $23.70 for five acres of beets. The beet sugar 
company refers us to another grower as one who 
made a success. This man tells us that it cost him 
$53.60 to grow an acre of beets. Only by having the 
very best soil and giving the very best care could 
he grow 12 tons of beets and receive $60. He says 
the price of beets should be $7 a ton in order to 
pay a farmer. If the cost to Mr. Fessenden was 
the same he paid out $268 and received $114-! 
Now we want the truth, and we intend to get it. 
We ask any New York farmer who has grown 
sugar beets to give us his figures. 
* 
Several boxes of Pacific coast apples found their 
way to a New England hill town. They were splen¬ 
did specimens, large and fine, and of fair flavor. 
Apples grow naturally in that section, hut arc not 
cared for. The large proportion, being unsprayed, 
are full of worms, and could not be sold to advan¬ 
tage. The coming of these western apples will 
start some of these farmers into better care of the 
trees. They can easily see what it would mean to 
have such fruit for sale. Some years ago the intro¬ 
duction of a pen of high-class hens with a fine lay¬ 
ing record would have attracted the attention these 
apples do. Many of the farm hens were inferior, 
but a few good hens set .the standard, and farmers 
in these hill towns have bred and selected until 
Connecticut farms can show some of the finest 
poultry in the *vorld. It is a great thing to be able 
to bring the evidence of the best there is right to 
the farms, and then show how to match it. 
* 
A dozen readers have sent us that notice of the 
“cucumber-orange.” Dr. Van Fleet on page 110 
tells what this fake proposition is. There is a man 
and a very slick citizen at the back of that scheme. 
A New York farmer wrote him and received the 
following reolv: 
Yours of the 12th Inst, at hand; in reply will say that 
the stories which I have seen published in regard to 
Orange-cucumber are true, and owing 1o the newspapers 
publishing this so extensively throughout the country. 1 
have had a groat demand for seed and now have but 12 
seeds left. I sold what seed I had in packages containing 
six seeds for $10 a package, and will make the same 
price to you on three seed for $5. It is possible to obtain 
a hardy plant from a seed which should bear fruit in throe 
months from planting, and from wnieli you could procure 
several hundred seed. Those who bought seed thought the 
price very reasonable and the fruit ‘promises to be very 
popular. Hoping to have an early reply from you I 
am - - 
This farmer did not give any “early reply,” hut 
we have no doubt the rogue who offers the seeds will 
take in more money than a farmer could make on 
50 acres of corn or potatoes. One encouraging thing 
at least is that nobody charges this to Burbank! 
How do these fake stories get into print? The 
daily papers employ many young men at “piece 
work”—that is, they are paid by the space they fill. 
These men know that plain food is not wanted, so 
they hunt for the “spicy” and improbable. These 
papers would not print a plain story of honest farm¬ 
ing, but when it comes to “seedless apples,” “Alaska 
wheat,” “orange-cucumbers,” etc., they jump at them, 
and their ignorance leads people into the folly of 
trying to get rich quick. 
BREVITIES. 
Old age pensions will cost Great Britain about $ 35 , 0 <>o.- 
000 this first year. 
Does anyone know of a machine that will cut and trim 
asparagus and weigh it into one pound bundles? 
That school is not high, but low which gives boys the 
idea that they should not do labor which soils hands or 
clothes. 
Oii, no! Those Pacific coast apple men can’t handle 
apples as you do potatoes and ship them East with prolit. 
They must he handled more like eggs. 
“People are laughing at your efforts for primary nomi¬ 
nations.” That is the latest argument why we should 
stop working. Let them laugh. We like to see people 
enjoying themselves and tiiey will have to get along on the 
memory of these laughs later. We can grow fat on ridi¬ 
cule. 
Now the Maine apple growers are finding fault mildly 
because we sajj Vermont apples lead the world. They say 
Maine fruit is just as good. Send us a barrel of each and 
we will sit and eat in judgment. Both States, however, 
ought 1 o feel ashamed to sit by and let Oregon and Wash¬ 
ington step in and absorb the best New England markets! 
See if you can disprove what that Vermont citizen says 
to the Hope Farm man about woman’s influence upon 
farming. Out on the Pacific coast women are helping the 
apple growers in their campaign for a market. At apple 
shows women and girls cook and serve the fruit in various 
styles and advertise the apples as no one else could. 
The Commission appointed by the British Government 
to consider means for aiding the unemployed recommends 
a plan for planting 0.000. ono acres of forests in Great 
Britain and Ireland, about 150,000 acres to he planted 
annually for SO years, and the work to employ 18.000 
men in the Winter months The forests would bo self- 
supporting after 40 years, and after SO years their in¬ 
come is estimated at $87,500,000. 
