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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 17. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS PARER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 405 Tearl Street, Sew York. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
JOHN J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon. Secretary. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet and Mrs, E. T. Rovle. 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 Ha francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check 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 
ns; 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 in ouroolumns, and any such swindler will be publicly ex¬ 
posed. Wo protect subcribers 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 one 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. 
* 
• 
\Ye are informed that acres of Wonderberries have 
been planted in Southern California, making ready 
for next year’s crops of seeds and suckers. Yoit 
remember that several million trees of the Seedless 
apple were reported growing in nurseries. A little 
daylight let in upon nightshade will let the most in¬ 
nocent sucker see the hook inside the bait. 
* 
Mr. Van Wagenen gives us some further facts 
about the possibilities of a water power. There are 
thousands of little streams tumbling down the hills, 
idling away their wasted power. If these streams 
could he held hack in ponds and made to turn wheels 
th£y could supply thousands of farmhouses with 
light, power or heat. The ponds would prevent 
Hoods in Spring, drought in Summer and help change 
the climate. The time is coming when the man who 
can control power of this sort will be envied as one 
with a fortune. 
* 
At the Omaha corn show last year an exhibit 
was made by New York State. Samples of corn 
grown on the soil of so-called ‘“unoccupied” farms 
were exhibited. The figures showed that the soil of 
these farms would produce as much corn per acre as the 
high-priced land in the Western States. Every bushel 
of such corn was worth one-third more per acre 
than the corn on western farms. We make this 
statement so often that there is ample chance to dis¬ 
prove it if anyone has the facts to do so. If you con¬ 
sider cost of land, productive power, markets and 
other advantages, New York offers better chances to 
c irn growers than any other State exhibiting at 
Omaha. 
* 
The State of Colorado has appropriated $ 10,000 
for special experiments with potatoes. Colorado 
growers want a new variety specially adapted to their 
climate and conditions. Few of us realize the ad¬ 
vantages which Colorado enjoys as a potato section. 
There are no beetles or blight, a full water supply, 
and level fields where machinery can be used at its 
best. The quality of Colorado potatoes is extra. The 
varieties which give such good results in other sec¬ 
tions do not last long in Colorado, and thus growers 
are after special varieties which are peculiarly 
adapted to rich soil, irrigation and steady sunshine. 
It will be worth many times $xo,ooo to Colorado if 
such varieties can be produced. 
* 
The fly pest is always with us.“ We have seen 
the danger from these filthy creatures, and in fight¬ 
ing the other frauds and middlemen we must not 
forget the fly. Prof. Surface of Pennsylvania men¬ 
tioned two forms of poison not generally known: 
The latest, cheapest and best is a solution of formalin 
or formaldehyde in water. A spoonful of this liquid put 
into a quarter of a pint of water and set where they 
can find it and drink it will be enough to kill all the flies 
in tlie room. A cheap and perfectly reliable fl.v poison, 
one which is not dangerous to human life, is bichromate 
of potash in solution. Dissolve one dram of the drug, 
which can be obtained at any pharmacy, in two ounces 
of water, and add a little sugar as sweetening. Put some 
of this solution in shallow' dishes, and distribute them 
throughout the house. 
As we know, the formaldehyde is used for de¬ 
stroying scab on potatoes and smut on grain, and 
also for fumigation. In connection with any of 
these remedies we must try to prevent the flies from 
breeding by keeping them away from manure. 
Those grade dairy cows at the New York State 
Fair! The contest will not prove particularly val¬ 
uable unless there is some business-like standard for 
picking out the “best.” What is the best cow for 
a dairyman? Mr. Woodward says on the next page 
that such cows ‘‘are not supposed to have any value 
as breeders.” That is not quite correct, for no mat¬ 
ter how good the hull may be lie cannot be more 
than “half the herd,” and the best cows should be 
used to keep the herd up. Thus in every way 
need a fair standard for picking out the “best” cow. 
We are glad to have dairymen take a hand in this 
discussion. Tell us what you would do if you were 
the judge in this contest. 
sje 
Secretary of the Treasury MacVeagh recom¬ 
mended some changes in the anti-oleo law. We 
printed a synopsis of them last week. I he one 
which stirred dairymen up was the proposition to 
put the oleo tax at two cents per pound. At pres¬ 
ent the manufacturers are supposed to pay 10 cents 
a pound on colored oleo. The change would he a 
great advantage to them—in fact what they have been 
scheming for all these years. President Taft now 
states that he cannot endorse any such reduction in 
the tax. At the same time the dairymen should keep 
on guard. When the Illinois Legislature elected 
Mr. Lorimer to the United States Senate they put 
the worst enemy of the American dairy cow where 
he is likely to do great mischief. 
* 
We meant just what we said when two weeks ago, 
we asked the listeners at farmers’ institutes to tell 
us what they think of these meetings. No one will 
claim that the institutes are as useful as they might 
he. How can they be improved unless the directors 
know what is lacking? No one would think of going 
into a primary or grammar school and asking the 
children what sort of instruction they want. Most 
of them would say “vacation or baseball!” O 11 the 
other hand, no one would seriously say that farmers 
should be regarded as children and taught only what 
the institute directors think is good for them. There¬ 
fore. let us know what farmers need in the way of 
instruction, and what you think is lacking in our 
institutes. Cut out all “taffy” and prejudice and 
give us an honest opinion. 
* 
No. We have not yet received that $10,000 from 
Luther Burbank, nor lias he stated the proof which 
he requires. It will become our cheerful duty to 
remind Mr. Burbank from week to week just how 
the case stands. He offered to give $10,000 to any¬ 
one who would prove that the Wonderberry is a 
black nightshade. Seeds of this Wonderberry were 
bought from John Lewis Childs, and carefully planted 
and marked for identification; when they were large 
enough to be identified they were examined and pro¬ 
nounced by high authorities to be nightshade. 'I hese 
facts can be verified to Mr. Burbank’s satisfaction. 
It now remains for him either to pay the $. 0,000 or 
state what further proof lie demands. He might as 
well make up his mind right now that sooner or 
later it will be necessary for him to do one of these 
two things. In spite of the good advice of Mr. Bur- 
hank’s father we intend to go right at the hornet s 
nest and keep it stirred up. 
* 
The Brown-tail moth has appeared at Rye, N. Y., 
on a large estate where it is said to have been in¬ 
troduced by nursery stock from Massachusetts. The 
Commissioner of Agriculture has at once taken 
charge of the campaign against this insect, and it 
is hoped to prevent further spread in New York 
State. It is a more recent introduction than the 
Gipsy moth, but has already attained a much wider 
distribution. It is fearfully destructive to fruit, 
shade and forest trees, and is very disturbing to hu¬ 
mans also, for the barbed hairs, falling up’on the 
flesh, cause a painful and sometimes dangerous irri¬ 
tation. This latter trouble is so serious that the 
Boston Board of Health gave a public hearing on 
this subject in 1901. The caterpillar is from one 
to one and one-quarter inch long, head pale brown 
mottled with dark brown, body dark brown or black 
with numerous dull orange or gray spots. Reddish 
brown hairs are scattered over both head and body, 
and white branching hairs form elongated white 
spots on each side, and there are two bright red 
tubercles on the hind segments. They make very 
close firm webs or pockets, in which they remain 
over Winter. A most excellent bulletin on these in¬ 
sects was published by the New York State Educa¬ 
tion Department at Albany in 1906, Bulletin 103, “The 
Gipsy and Brown-tail Moths,” by Dr. E. P. Felt. It 
costs 15 cents, and we think every farmer and or- 
chardist should study it. Once let these destructive 
insects get foothold in New York State, and the loss 
to rural interests will be beyond computation. 
All through New York State a fight is on over di¬ 
rect primaries. The next Legislature will see many 
new faces. The politicians are calling early conven¬ 
tions, hoping to get their men nominated before 
farmers can find time from their work to organize. 
In spite of this members of the Legislature who op¬ 
posed direct nominations are being defeated. If the 
State Grange could have come forward in June with 
a clear-cut and practical bill giving the chance to 
nominate by petition there would have been the great¬ 
est upheaval in rural politics that New York has 
ever seen. The outrageous conduct of the United 
States Senate over the present tariff bill is the most 
powerful argument for direct nomination we have 
ever had in this land. The people now see how little 
they can ever have to say about vital public matters 
until they can control their public servants. We 
fiifd wherever we go that the farmers will not fight 
for the nomination hill suggested by Gov. Hughes. 
They know just what these “political committees” 
will amount to in country districts. The memlx rs of 
the Grange do not believe in this bill, yet they are 
heart and soul for the principle of direct nomination. 
The best evidence of the present feeling among coun¬ 
try people is the fact that they are ready 
to oppose on general principles the men who 
opposed Gov. Hughes last Winter. What they would 
do to these politicians if they had a clcar-cut, definite 
issue to fight for would he a caution. Here is where 
the State Grange lost an opportunity to lead the farm¬ 
ers and convince the Governor. 
* 
This question of farm fires started by railroad en¬ 
gines gets bigger the more we look into it. It is not 
a local question, but one that concerns farmers 
everywhere—because if one corporation can evade re¬ 
sponsibility for damages on technicalities, others will 
and can do so. Even though a man live 20 miles 
from a railroad he ‘3 injured in principle, if the rail¬ 
road starts a fire on private property and escapes 
responsibility. The railroads usually try to evade 
such responsibility in two ways. They will claim 
that the fire did not start in their “right of way”— 
that is the narrow strip along the track. Many cases 
are on record where sparks were blown over into 
fields 100 feet or more from the track—there starting 
a dangerous fire. The railroads often escape in such 
cases because the fire does not start on their prop¬ 
erty. In other cases they wriggle out on the plea 
that the engine was “‘protected” by a screen in the 
smoke stack. For example, in New Jersey the law 
declares that proof that an engine is properly 
screened is full defense in a damage suit. I 11 some 
cases live cinders an inch in diameter are thrown 
blazing from the smoke stack, yet a crowd of me¬ 
chanics or inspectors will go on the stand and swear 
the engine was "properly screened.” In a trial held 
in New York the railroad’s witness admitted that 
many trains were overloaded on steep grades. The 
extra work thrown upon the engine caused them to 
throw larger sparks with greater force. The present 
laws are too feeble to prevent railroads from starting 
these fires. That being so the railroads Should be 
compelled to pay for all the damage they are re¬ 
sponsible for, no matter where the fire starts or 
whether it comes through a screen or not. W? be¬ 
lieve that in New York State the Public Service 
Commission has authority to say that the railroads 
must stop damaging property. Let them say this and 
stand up to it. and the offender will quickly discoyer 
a remedy. We want all the facts bearing on such 
damage in order to make a strong showing to the 
Commission. _ 
BREVITIES. 
Mr. Let-tecs is postmaster in a New England town. 
Spare the shingle and overwork the club later on. 
Wanted —« man! Hunt for him first in your own 
house I 
The appropriate new name for the common house-fly 
is typhoid fly. 
If this drought continues and grain goes higher you will 
need every ounce of fodder. 
Ten days after the first cutting of Alfalfa plants had 
made a new growth of over nine inches. 
Litti.e use putting Boardeaux Mixture on potatoes or 
tomatoes after the blight has started in the plants. 
The squash and sweet corn planted in the peas have 
grown well. Now the pea vines are cut and tlie squash 
can 1>e cultivated. 
Currants came lapping upon strawberries and before 
they were done raspberries and blackberries were upon 
11s. Then will come baked apples. 
A Pennsylvania friend says he has been a reader of 
The R. N.-Y. for 26 years, and hopes to continue- ‘-twice 
that time" longer. We wish him no less! 
This year in New York City alone 314 persons were 
killed and wounded during the celebration of the Fourth 
of July. The total American loss at Lexington was 84, 
and at Bunker Hill about 400 ! 
Take it from us—we shall not see cheap grain again 
in this country. That means a greater den.and for vege¬ 
tables. nuts and fruits. Why not get some of that 
waste laud of yours ready for the demand? 
