724 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Rural Pulilisblnc Cuatpany, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
Herbert W. Codlingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. 
Dr. Walter Van Fleet and Mrs. E. T. Royt.e . Asso ciate Editors. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8 ’2 marks, or lO^ 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 papor is backed by a 
responsible person. But to make doubly sure we will make good any 
loss to paid subscriliers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in our columns, and any sqeh swindler will 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 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. 
* 
“The last word” in The R. N.-Y. ought to be the 
truth about the subject under discussion. If for any 
reason the exact facts have not been presented, and 
you feel that you have them, we want you to feel 
that it is your privilege to bring them in. But be 
careful that you have the facts. We have known 
people who unconsciously tried to fit the papers of 
opinion or prejudice to what they called facts. Of 
course we do not want that kind. , 
* 
We believe that the organization of that Fruit 
! Selb’ng Exchange in Rochester marks the beginning 
of a new prosperity for New York fruit growers. 
It was high time something of the sort was tried, 
for the fraudulent packing of “New York Bald¬ 
wins” has hurt the reputation of fruit-growers of 
this State. When fruit is sold under the brand of 
this Exchange, it will be guaranteed, and this is 
the only way in which an evil reputation can be 
overcome. 
* 
We have heard it stated that English or European 
fence wire lasts longer than American. Prof. A. L. 
Cushman, who has spent the past 10 years investigat¬ 
ing fence wire, says that English manufacturers 
sometimes buy American billet steel for wire-mak¬ 
ing. Foreign fence wire is not essentially different 
from the wire used in this country. Why then does 
it have the reputation of lasting longer? It carries 
a heavier coat of zinc in the galvanizing. The woven 
or twisted wire fences are not much used in Europe, 
but rather straight wires. These can be thickly gal¬ 
vanized, so they will resist rust. Much the same 
kind of wire in this country would be woven into 
fence, and for this process a thick coat of galvaniz¬ 
ing will not work. Those who want straight wire 
can now buy it with a heavy coat of zinc, which 
will last three or four times as long as the same 
sized wire in a woven fence. This kind of wire 
is now made, but the great problem is to know; bow 
to put a heavy coat of galvanizing on the woven 
fence. We believe this problem will be solved. 
* 
Oregon, with other Pacific States, has a law com¬ 
pelling fruit growers to spray their trees and keep 
insects and diseases in check. It seems that consid¬ 
erable discretion is required to enforce this com¬ 
pulsory law. Like all such laws, public sentiment 
must be aroused before it can be made effective. 
Where very little fruit is grown, and where the 
chief business lies in other kind's of farming, it 
would be next to impossible to enforce such a law. 
On the other hand, where fruit-growing is the main 
business, the majority see that the law is needed, 
and they all want it enforced. This makes public 
sentiment and it is easy, with this backing, to make 
the slow or the shiftless spray their trees. Thus 
the plan in Oregon is to arouse public sentiment first 
and then use the law to compel spraying. Perhaps 
the most effective work on the coast is done through 
market inspection. The inspectors hunt for scale- 
marked fruit and have the power to destroy it. 
They carry cans of kerosene, and whenever fruit is 
found carrying scale or worms, oil is poured over 
it, and in order to make sure the fruit is dumped into 
the garbage wagon. In many place! this would be 
called harsh and arbitrary treatment, but Oregon 
growers have found such things necessary, for the 
very life of their fruit trade depends upon keep- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ing scale and worms from their apples. We be¬ 
lieve that sooner or later it will be necessary for 
our eastern growers, to obtain such laws and live 
up to them. 
* 
If you want any testimonials from the “stuns” in yonr 
campaign against the railroads on account of their fire¬ 
setting, count me in. If there wore any way . of getting 
at these people, I would spend four or five times the 
amount of my claim to fight it, but I presume they have 
me on a technical point. Cannot something be done in 
the State Assembly? If a fund should he raised to secure 
good legal assistance in this matter, I would like to be 
counted in. 
This is from a man in New York vvlio has lost 
property through railroad fires. There are thou¬ 
sands more like him, and they all feel the same way. 
Most of them can prove that the fires were started 
from sparks sent from the engines, but that is 
about all they can do. If they get into court they 
will probably be thrown out again. Either the rail¬ 
road will claim that the engine was “properly 
screened,” or else that the fire started on the “right 
of way.” It would be easy to raise a fund with 
which to make a legal fight, but just now money 
is not needed so much as manhood. The people 
must make this a living issue, and heat it so that it 
will burn its way into the Legislature and the Pub¬ 
lic Service Commission. 
* 
In his “Conspiracy of Pontiac,” the historian 
Parkman tells how Pennsylvania white men took ad¬ 
vantage of the Indians in a land deal. The Indians 
contracted to sell a certain tract of land, the western 
boundary of which was measured by the distance a 
man could walk in one day. The Indians, of course, 
understood that this meant the distance a man could 
cover while walking through the forest—and the 
white men knew what was understood. When they 
came to measure this line the white men cut a road 
through the forest and had men specially trained to 
walk fast. As a result, this western boundary was 
several times as long as the Indians intended, while 
technically it could be called “a day’s journey.” We 
have to think of this when we see how the tariff 
legislation is working out. The election was car¬ 
ried on a platform which stated that tariffs should 
be high enough to give manufacturers “a reasonable 
profit.” No one ever suggested that other classes 
should tax themselves in order that fanners should 
be sure of a “reasonable profit,” yet the fanners 
voted for this proposition. As it turned out, they 
were not unlike the Indians selling their land on the 
basis of a day’s walk as measurement, for the “rea¬ 
sonable profit” part of it is to be decided by the peo¬ 
ple who make the profit. The farmers have Secre¬ 
tary Wilson and other gentlemen to tell the world 
how rich they are, but when the large corporations 
benefit by the tariff do you ever see their earnings 
or profits made public? Not unless the figures are 
blasted out of them, or they have stock to sell and 
desire to make a showing for it. Ever since tariffs 
were thought of the system lias worked out just 
about the same as the bargain between the white 
men and the Indians. It will continue to be so un¬ 
til we have a fair tariff commission to settle rates. 
We shall never have that until we can force Con¬ 
gress to give it to us, and the power to do that can 
only come through direct nominations. 
* 
Give us the money spent on “gold bricks” or fake 
schemes of one kind or another and we could open 
the most useful sort of a bank. This bank would 
loan money to worthy farmers on the security of 
their land. This money would be used as working 
capital, and a part of the contract would be an agree¬ 
ment to sow clover seed, use lime if need be and 
handle the soil in a definite way. No one can esti¬ 
mate the good that would result from such use of 
money, and every dollar of it would be saved from 
promoters who at present live like leeches on the 
public. Friends sometimes wonder how people with 
small capital and usually good judgment are drawn 
into these promoting schemes. It is usually because 
they see the names of friends or men of supposed 
good standing in the circulars. If they knew how 
some of these names are obtained they might not 
be so ready to part with the cash. For example, one 
of our readers recently received this card; 
If I can secure you two building lots, value two hun¬ 
dred dollars apiece, in one of the best built-up suburbs 
of New York City, will you allow us to use your name 
in connection with a high-class advertising proposition? 
The above offer will not require you to build or buy 
any more lots. 
We regret to say that some men who ought to 
know better jump at this bait, accept the little 
“graft,” and permit the use of their names. They 
must know what this “use” will be, and that their 
reputation for business judgment and square deal¬ 
August 7, 
ing will be used as a bait to induce others to invest 
in the property. This scheme is worked again and 
again. Not long ago we printed part of a letter 
from an oil manufacturer to farm institute speak¬ 
ers. He offered them a barrel of oil free if they 
would speak of his particular brand in their lecture 
to farmers. The man told us frankly that he had 
no thought of offering a bribe or “graft,” but that 
he followed what he had found to be a general prac¬ 
tice. The whole thing is wrong, both in principle 
and in practice. Such “endorsements” lead the public 
astray, and the result is a lack of confidence in men 
who ought to be farm leaders. It is one of the 
meanest forms of petty “graft,” for it means the 
loss of millions of dollars by people who cannot afford 
the loss. It also destroys confidence and breaks down 
the character of men who ought to stand firm. 
* 
No—nothing yet from Mr. Burbank—neither the 
$10,000 nor the call for additional proof. The New 
York Tribune prints the following report: 
Santa Rosa, July 19.—Lather Burbank, speaking of his 
Wonderberry Imre this evening, said that it was far too 
early in the season for the eastern people to know anything 
about the new variety. The Wonderberry is at its best in 
Autumn, and the report from Massachusetts that it is a 
failure comes before the plant has had a chance there 
to prove itself. Burbank says that the eastern people 
will find the Wonderberry all right if they will give it 
a fair chance to show its qualities. A huckleberry which 
was sent out recently and proved of no value is believed 
to be having its effect on the Wonderberry’s reputation. 
You see there is nothing here about the real issue. 
Mr. Burbank offered $10,000 to anyone who would 
prove that this Wonderberry is a black nightshade. 
He said nothing about the quality of the plant, but 
his offer was based on its botanical character. We 
have met him with the proof, and we stand ready to 
give him more when he calls for it. It is Burbank’s 
move! We stand pat on the proposition that we 
have proved our case, and that it is now Mr. Bur¬ 
bank’s duty to break down the case if he can or pay 
up. He need not worry about those Massachusetts 
people, for they know their business thoroughly. 
We take this opportunity to correct an impression 
which one of our readers voices, as follows: 
“I understand you are claiming that Burbank has 
not originated anything that has been of special 
merit or usefulness.” 
We never made any such statement, and would 
not make it now. We have repeatedly asked the 
public to name the Burbank novelties which have 
proved successful with them. Mr. Burbank cannot 
object to this, since he says, “The verdict of the 
people must stand.” We have taken pains to print 
all that has been written by our readers in praise 
of Mr. Burbank's work, and have withheld 90 per 
cent of the adverse comment. The offer remains 
open and any friend of the Burbank novelties may 
have space in which to prove their worth. Thus 
far the discussion shows that some of Mr. Bur¬ 
bank’s “creations” are being grown with profit in 
California. Outside of that particularly favorable 
climate, with very rare exceptions, these “creations” 
have failed to prove superior to old sorts. These 
untested novelties have been offered, on the -strength 
of their behaviour in California, for sale to parties 
who live in climates- where such plants are doomed 
to failure. Mr. Burbank is a fair subject for criti¬ 
cism in lending his name for the exploiting of un¬ 
tested novelties. 
BREVITIES. 
Consider barley and Canada peas as a cover crop in 
sections too far north for Crimson clover. 
That fruit show in Boston in October promises to be 
the greatest thing of the sort ever held in the Hast. 
Better keep away from “headache cures.” There have 
been reported from, their use 28 deaths, 814 cases of poison¬ 
ing, and 136 cases of “drug habit.” 
Si-baking of Jersey farmers, we have one reader who 
has gone for two years to the Philippines to earn the 
capital required to do what Mr. Johnson did. 
Buckwheat is praised as a cover crop by bee keepers 
since it not only gives humus for the soil but bee pasture 
also. Buckwheat and Crimson clover is a good combina¬ 
tion. 
Sweden is another country which settles its tariff prob¬ 
lems through a tariff commission. Another Swedish evi¬ 
dence of sanity and civilization which Americans lack is 
a parcels post. 
Mr. Van Alstyne’s apple report from the Hudson Riva¬ 
ls the most encouraging we have yet seen. In every other 
large apple growing section from which we have reports 
come stories of short yield. 
The latest reported novelty is a tenement house in St. 
Louis where no tenants without children will he accepted. 
For every girl born in the house one month’s free? rent 
will he given and for every boy two months. 
We are often asked if lime can be drilled in with wheat 
or rye at the time of seeding. It can lie done, but this 
is not the best time to do it. We would rather spread 
the lime a week or more ahead of grain sowing. 
