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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 20, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Iturnl Publishing: Company, 409 Pearl Street, dew York. 
Hkrbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
Joun J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Roylb, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. Gd., or 8 u 2 marks, or 10'e 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 
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 si: itained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in ourcolmnns and any such swindlerwill be publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect stibcribrrs against rogues, but wedo 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. 
* 
We understand that several parties are planning 
to put cheap fertilizer on the market. Most of these 
“fertilizers” are crushed rock. They carry no avail¬ 
able plant food to speak of, and as judged by the 
recognized standards for comparing fertilizers, they 
have little value. Great stories are told about them, 
but no sensible farmer will buy fertilizer on a fairy 
tale, or on what some one believes is true. These 
goods are usually sold for less than $10 per ton, 
so the State is not required to sample and analyze 
them. We advise readers to let those cheap goods 
alone. The only safe way to buy fertilizers is to 
pay on the basis of available plant food. Do not 
fool with insoluble stuff. 
* 
We observe that our good friends the agricultural 
papers are beginning their annual attempt to pat them¬ 
selves on the back. As a position of dignity, this 
ranks with trying to stand on your head, and we 
shall not try it. We do not claim that The R. N.-Y. 
is the only paper, the best paper, the most expensive 
paper, “the acknowledged leader”—or in fact any¬ 
thing else. Our proposition is that The R. N.-Y. 
contains the best we are capable of giving you in ex¬ 
change for your money. If we give you your money’s 
worth you ought to be satisfied, and we believe you 
will be. If we do not give you the value of your 
money, we are sorry, but we cannot promise any¬ 
thing more than to do our best, right along the 
lines of the past year. We assume that you know a 
good thing when you become acquainted with it, and 
we are willing to accept your judgment whether The 
R. N.-Y. is a good thing or not. 
* 
I consider the discussion of the Wonderberry in The 
R. N.-Y. very valuable as a scarecrow to all seedsmen, 
though all seedsmen do not need it, as there are enough 
honest seedsmen for all to get good seeds. 
Ohio. h. A. M. 
We never did have much respect for a bird that was 
afraid of the average scarecrow. We have seen them 
roosting on some stuffed figure that was put up to 
scare them. A living scarecrow turned loose in a corn¬ 
field will accomplish something. When papers talk 
in general terms about fakes and fake schemes we have 
to think of some old coat stuffed with straw, mounted 
on a stick and with a crow on its shoulder. When 
you name the fake and chase him until he is cornered 
and branded you have a living scarecrow that affords 
protection. Some of the most honorable business men 
in America are in the seed trade to-day. They know 
that this blowing about untested “novelties” injures 
their business, and puts the trade in disrepute. 
* 
You will please note what we of Ontario Co., N. Y„ 
did in the recent election. Ontario sometimes rolls up a 
Republican majority of 2,500 or better, normal, 1,500 to 
1,800. Yesterday we elected a direct primary Democrat 
to the Assembly, against Senator Raines’ lieutenant, with 
all the power and prestige of the Raines machine behind 
him, by a majority which will approach 1,000. What a 
condemnation of Raines and Itaines-ism! In Livingston, 
Speaker Wadsworth was returned by the bagatelle or 200 
or thereabouts. Surely the common people are alive, and 
we may have an abiding faith that they will finally do 
what is right. You have had a large share in this triumph, 
and I congratulate you most heartily. r. a. s. 
Right here is the point you want to remember. 
Those politicians have argued that direct primaries 
would break up the party organizations. This has ap¬ 
pealed to many strong party men. The outcome in On¬ 
tario County kills that theory. Under the old plan 
the politicians were strong enough to run the conven¬ 
tion. Then all the people could do was to break party 
lines. They had no other means of expressing their 
real feelings, and they made much of the one offered 
them. With direct nominations the question would 
have been settled inside the party. Personally we do 
not care whether a man is a Republican or a Demo¬ 
crat, provided he will work for the people. The poli¬ 
ticians endeavor to drive men with the party whip. 
By their own folly in opposing direct primaries they 
have forced the voters to cut their ballots. It would 
seem as if Senator Raines and Mr. Wadsworth had 
received their lesson. If, in the face of this verdict, 
they still fight against primary nominations, what piti¬ 
ful figures they will cut. 
* 
We take the position that the Presidept should be 
left free to select members of his Cabinet. It is a 
very different thing to select a justice of the Supreme 
Court. We hold that the people have a right to help 
in such selection. The only men thus far suggested 
seem to be “corporation lawyers.” Now, are there no 
more people’s lawyers, or has this class run out? In 
order to reach distinction in public life is it necessary 
for a lawyer to excel in the art of organizing or de¬ 
fending corporations, so that they can run within a 
hair’s breadth of the limit of an elastic law? The 
people of Missouri, several millions in number, said 
by their votes that the railroads should carry passen¬ 
gers at the rate of two cents a mile. This rate holds 
in other and adjoining States. A single Federal judge 
had power to overrule the judgment of the State, and 
did so. He was not elected by the ballots of the peo¬ 
ple, but appointed by the President and confirmed by 
the Senate. Is there any wonder that the people de¬ 
mand direct control of their Senators and some voice 
in selecting Federal judges? 
* 
A great many people believe, in a general way, that 
agriculture should *be taught in the rural schools. 
iWhen you pin them down to just what should be 
taught and how to teach it, very few can give an an¬ 
swer. There are few suitable text-books, and still 
fewer teachers who can make “agriculture” interesting 
to chi’dren. Yet, there can be no doubt that the chil¬ 
dren would be better off if something practically useful 
to country life could be brought into school work. We 
have a friend who is trying the experiment this Winter 
of using The R. N.-Y. as a sort of text-book in his 
school. Certain articles are used for reading, and are 
afterwards studied and discussed. Let us read this 
extract from a private letter: 
To be honest, I must confess that in using a text-book 
having so wide a scope, the teacher must be “up to 
snuff,” as the saying is, or else “get stuck.” The hoys 
already have learned how to layer grape vines and tosps, 
inspected the nodules on Sweet clover and estimated the 
value of their meadow in Mr. Clark's hands, while writ¬ 
ing letters to the advertisers furnishes a varied and in¬ 
teresting exercise in English and letter writing. 
Now a good farm paper ought to be useful for just 
such work. It ought to contain examples of good Eng¬ 
lish, useful suggestions to farmers, matters that will 
cause him to think hard along clean and useful lines, 
and give him spirit and ambition to improve his busi¬ 
ness. When you come to think of it, what could you 
have better than those things to interest the farm child 
or influence his education? We shall watch this little 
experiment with great interest. We shall certainly 
hold it a high compliment if The R. N.-Y. can interest 
and inspire the bright and hopeful minds in a country 
school. 
* 
The article by Mr. Bomberger on first page is first of 
a series in which will be stated some of the changes 
that farming is going through. We see that South¬ 
western Iowa is turning once more from stock feeding 
to grain growing. After many years of feeding cattle 
and hogs, and in some cases buying grain, the soil has 
grown very rich. The greatest share of the profit in 
stock feeding has gone to the packers and handlers. 
As corn and wheat have steadily increased in price, 
those farmers see more money in grain than in stock. 
There have been before this movements from one 
crop or method to another as prices or conditions 
change. For a term of years now without doubt grain 
will be sold from those farms. It is probable that by 
the time the soil again shows signs of failing the price 
of live stock will rise so that fanning in that section 
will change back again. This stock feeding will not 
again be considered absolutely necessary to maintain 
the soil, for the West will follow the East in the use 
of chemical fertilizers. These very farms have been 
made rich through importing plant food in the form 
of grain. That is practically the same thing as buying 
plant food in chemicals, and these Western farmers 
will understand that before they go back to stock 
feeding. Where, then, is the cheap meat of the future 
to come from? We do not see that there is to be any 
more cheap meat. All sorts of flesh food will bring 
high prices. Many of our people will be forced 
through economy to a diet containing more vegeta¬ 
bles, nuts and fruit—and they will be better for it. 
One change that is coming is a large increase in meat 
farming in the East. Beef, mutton, and to some extent 
pork, will be produced on our Eastern farms—espe¬ 
cially on land now unoccupied or half worked. As 
the culture of Alfalfa spreads, and as the flint varieties 
of corn are improved, many sections in Northern New 
England and New York will produce more meat. Thus 
this change of farming in Iowa will have an influence 
upon other sections. We have now come to a point 
in agricultural history when the West is to learn in¬ 
tensive farming from the East, and teach the best of 
extensive farming in return. 
* 
As stated on page 910, it will be unlawful after Jan¬ 
uary 1, 1910, to circulate checks written for less than 
one dollar. In some towns grocers and others pay 
farmers for produce with due bills. These bills are 
statements of indebtedness. The farmer is expected to 
trade out his account. When he brings back the due 
bill it will be accepted as cash in exchange for goods. 
In some towns there is an agreement among grocers 
and butchers to co-operate and mutually accept such 
due bills. Now we arc asked if under the new law 
such bills when made out for less than one dollar will 
be illegal. On application to the Treasury Department 
we receive this decision: 
In reply to the inquiry contained in yonr letter of the 
26th ultimo, you are informed that the issuance of due 
bills by grocers and others of a less sum than one dollar 
each, is not, in the opiniou of the Department, a violation 
of law, unless Issued with the intention that they shall go 
into circulation and pass from hand to hand as money. 
CHARLES D. NORTON, 
Acting Secretary. 
As we understand this, the due bills are legal when 
brought back and taken out in trade. If, however, 
they are used to pay debts or make purchases where 
otherwise money would be used they are illegal. 
* 
How would you like to belong to a co-operative 
association which is able to make this statement and 
stand up to it? 
This association is peculiar. Its meetings are entirely 
informal, and more interesting on that account. It has 
never struggled for a large membership, because it has 
no expenses to speak of, and therefore the incentive of 
financial necessity is lacking. There has never been a 
time since the association came into existence when the 
treasury was not in easy circumstances. If thosu who are 
growing asparagus would rather stay on the outside, wo 
have no quarrel with them. 
What farmers are able to talk this way, and where 
do they live? As a rule when farmers co-operate some 
of them are obliged to go around hat in hand and beg 
people to join. This is the Massachusetts Asparagus 
Growers’ Association. It has probably accomplished 
more for its members in a business way than any sim¬ 
ilar organization in the country. From the first it 
commanded respect and attention. Everyone who had 
any dealings with it knew that the members meant 
business, and were prepared to stand up for that busi¬ 
ness just as an association of bankers or lawyers or 
manufacturers would do. While numbers count in an 
association, the compelling force after all is the spirit 
which dominates the individual. “Gideon’s band” con¬ 
quered a multitude. History is full of instances where 
small determined bands of men have wrought great 
deeds against a host. We have all got to learn that 
the thin layer of mortar in a great wall is more im¬ 
portant than the bricks. So before we can make a 
success of co-operation we must get hold of the spirit 
which ties men together so they cannot break apart. 
BREVITIES. 
Every time the wheel of progress turns, some one calls 
out “revolution !” 
Stay inside your rights and you will have about as 
much pasture as you can expect to graze over. 
Remejibee the bursting power of frost, and drain the 
water from the steam engine on freezing nights. 
No. We cannot hope to kill off the many delusions, but 
we will try to prevent them from becoming snares. 
The man who farms the land is expected to feed the 
world. The man who farms the farmer expects the 
world to feed him. 
The German government offers subsidies to automobile 
vans provided they are made as specified and can be used 
at once' in case qf war. 
No apology is need or offered for giving full details 
about rose growing for a farmer. Many a farm home 
needs roses and what they represent. There is no better 
statement of how to grow them on the farm, in print. 
A New Y'ork man sued his wife to recover heavy dam¬ 
ages for “alienating the love and affeetion” of his chil¬ 
dren. The judge decided that a father may have right 
to damages for loss of a child’s labor, but that love lias 
no monetary value. 
In Onondaga Co.. N. Y., at the recent election, there 
was a straight contest over direct nominations. F. W. 
Hammond, an old and influential member of the Legisla¬ 
ture. had 3,570 majority last. year. lie opposed direct 
nominations, while John T. Roberts favored the new system. 
Mr. Hammond’s majority was wiped out and Mr. Roberts 
won by 2,127 votes. _ 
