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THE RT_JR-A.lv NEW-YORKER 
February 8, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE 1W SI NESS FAli ME ITS PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Fublishrfl weekly by the Rural Publish tng Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
H errkbt W. Colling wood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. P. Dillon, Secretary. 
Dr. Waltkii Van 1'lkkt and Mrs. E. T. Rovle, Associate Editors, 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8‘e marks, or 10*2 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
"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 ourcolumns, and any such swindler will be publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
to adjust trilling 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 Tuk Rural New-Yorkkr 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. 
* 
Fruit growers should remember the meeting of the 
Eastern New York Horticultural Society at Pough¬ 
keepsie, February 13-14. This city is located in the 
Hudson Valley, so that hundre'ds of fruit growers 
can easily reach it from their homes. There ought to 
be a large gathering. The programme is well 
arranged, with much space given to general discussion. 
Let the hall be crowded like a well-packed barrel df 
apples! 
* 
V hat's this? Not a single resolution endorsing 
the New York Department of Agriculture this year! 
In former years that was about the first thing thought 
of by the “leaders” at gatherings of farmers. The 
recent horticultural meeting at Rochester was the 
most representative gathering of real farmers ever held 
in the State. It was generally agreed that nothing 
but the admirable tact of Geo. T. Powell in closing 
the dfscussion prevented a hot attack and fierce criti¬ 
cism of the Agricultural Department. When our 
farmers begin to compare their agricultural standing 
with that of western farmers, look out for them! 
* 
Since we have printed several articles on Johnson 
grass our readers have become much interested in it. 
Will it do to plant in the North? Does it spread so 
as to become a nuisance? The Department of Agri¬ 
culture is experimenting with it in sections too far 
north for its use as a perennial. It is being used as 
an annual, and in some cases seems to give more hay 
than the millets. Southern farmers are now able to 
handle Johnson grass so that it will not spread like a 
dangerous weed. Good judges believe that this grass, 
under proper management, is destined to become even 
more important than Timothy. We think it will pay 
to experiment with it, as an annual, as far north as 
central New York. 
* 
Some of the apple buyers are complaining. They 
bought apples freely at a high price and filled their 
storage rooms. Various things have acted to make 
sales slower than were expected. The orange crop is 
very heavy, apple prices started high and many con¬ 
sumers decided that the fruit was out of their reach. 
The uncertainty about money prompted a good many 
to curtail their expenses. Thus, with a large quan¬ 
tity of apples on hand, the buyers became frightened. 
The retail price of apples in the cities is as high as 
ever. If good fruit could be sold at a reasonable price 
the demand would be immediately increased, and the 
apples now in storage would pay a good profit. In¬ 
stead of hoping that Europe will help them out by 
taking more apples, the dealers ought to develop our 
home markets. 
* 
The Western New York Horticultural Society is 
the strongest organization of its kind in the country. 
We do not think anyone will seriously deny that 
proposition. For over 50 years the Society has led a 
useful and honorable life. At the last meeting over 
1,000 members attended—some of them able to go 
back to the very beginning of the Society. We would 
like to see a great monument erected in Rochester in 
the shape of a suitable building dedicated to Horticul¬ 
ture. It might well be built by the Western New 
York Society. Members might each pledge 10 
barrels or more of apples per year until the fund was 
raised. If they would contribute apples suitable for 
the boxed trade they might be sold under the So¬ 
ciety’s trade mark, and thus develop a new business, 
besides providing for the building. In all history men 
have erected beautiful temples whenever they wished 
to glorify an honorable profession or a worthy con¬ 
quest. The fruit growers of western New York have 
not only made fruit growing a profession but they 
have changed local history by saving farms which 
otherwise might have lost in value in the face of 
western competition. When we realize what fruit 
growing in that section will be 25 years hence, we see 
that the old Society is well deserving of a permanent 
home. Some of the older members should take this 
matter up, put the best of the past into a suitable build¬ 
ing, and hand it down to those who will follow them. 
* 
Some of you good people who think of buying 
country property want to be sure your deeds and 
other papers are right. In a country town you will 
often meet a “judge,” a “town clerk” or a “real estate 
expert” who professes to be able to write deeds, 
make contracts or draw up other papers which may 
mean a good deal to your property. Some of these 
men are incompetent, and make mistakes which may 
cause you no end of trouble. We know of several 
cases where such men made mistakes in describing 
property. In one case there is no starting point 
specified in the description, and a lawsuit is already 
under way in consequence. There are some men who 
pretend to be lawyers who cannot be trusted to trace 
the ownership of property. Look out for them. Be¬ 
fore you sign any. papers or accept any deeds have 
them examined by some one that you know is com¬ 
petent. Otherwise, don’t buy. 
* 
A reader says he has a small interest in a 500-acre 
farm in western New York. This farm is well-fitted 
with buildings, has good pasture, cuts over 250 
tons of hay and has soil that will produce 
any of the crops common to that region. 
Our friend wants to know if it would pay 
to organize a stock company, buy that farm and go 
to raising hogs, poultry, potatoes and hay, all of 
which could be sold locally. He evidently thinks sev¬ 
eral men could combine to buy the farm and stock it, 
and then put in their labor, much as they would run 
a dry goods store' or a factory. We have records of 
two or three cases of this sort which failed. The 
workmen or partners could not agree about labor or 
management. If such a plan could he made to work 
it would solve the problem of farming in many cases, 
for several farms could be put together and worked to 
far better advantage than they are now worked sepa¬ 
rately. If there are cases where this has been done 
we would like to hear of them. The theory is right, 
hut what about the practice? 
* 
Many older readers will remember the account we 
gave some years ago of the little farm of Alfred John¬ 
son in New Jersey. Mr. Johnson, when past 50, and 
not in good health, bought a small tract of rather wet 
land and started in to make a living and a home. He 
drained the land, put up good buildings, bought ma- 
mure and fertilizer—in fact, built upon a solid founda¬ 
tion. For some years he had a hard struggle, but at 
last he got the soil into such shape that “it had to 
produce a crop.” With strawberries, chickens and 
hay he paid for the farm, and laid aside a compen- 
tency. Some men do this, but fail to enjoy it prop¬ 
erly. Mr. Johnson is now nearly 70, but in good 
health. He has a partner on his farm, and is free to 
go and come. Every year he takes a long trip. He 
has been through Europe and the Holy Land and 
has now just started for New Orleans and Cali¬ 
fornia for a five months’ trip. The farm still pays for 
these trips, leaving his investments intact. Mr. John¬ 
son believed in the farm. He put all he had into the 
soil with confidence and now he finds it a bank which 
does not close its doors. 
* 
A Connecticut friend sends us the following: 
In your issue of January 4, on the editorial page, is an 
article containing a quotation from a Middletown paper 
which criticises the present “deer law” of Connecticut. 
I am very positive that this quotation is, word for word, 
part of an article published about November 1G in the 
Ansonia (Conn.) Evening Sentinel, under the Seymour 
local items. Is this a trick of the sporting element to 
have this article published as an editorial or local corre¬ 
spondence in different papers throughout the State? If so. 
The R. N.-Y. might do good service by showing the real 
origin of these articles. One thing seems certain ; unless 
the laws are soon amended to give far more liberty in the 
killing of deer, farming in some sections of the State will 
be a practical impossibility. “Compensation” does seem 
good, hut it doesn’t compensate. c. w. a. 
We do not know where the article started, hut gave 
credit to the paper in which we found it. It is an 
old and dangerous trick for interested parties to make 
use of the local papers in this way. Such papers are 
close to the people, and when they are honest do much 
to form public sentiment. We have a good illustra¬ 
tion of this in New York State, where glowing re¬ 
ports of the farmers’ institutes are apparently written 
by paid agents of the Department. 
Our good friend, The Country Gentleman, is much 
concerned about that letter from Gov. Hughes. It 
says: 
“It will be interesting to see how much space they 
can spare for the Governor's letter.” 
He will find it all and more than he bargains for on 
the next page! We do not agree with the Governor 
that this is not a case for official action. A libel suit 
cannot from its very nature get down to the heart of 
a case like this. A jury might refuse to award Mr. 
Dawley damages on these complaints, yet leave the 
most serious charges unsettled. Dawley’s libel suits 
touch only one side of the case. They do not have 
anything to do with the sale of cattle to Squiers, and 
absolutely nothing to do with the serious, direct 
charges made against Dawley. We confidently expect 
that Gov. Hughes will change his conclusions when he 
considers all the facts in the case. He already knows 
from replies made to him by farmers that they are 
not satisfied with his position. How could an inves¬ 
tigation of the sale of cattle to Squiers or of the other 
charges against Mr. Dawley possibly deprive him of 
any civil rights in the libel suits if his records are 
straight ? 
However, the Governor has done one excellent thing. 
He learned for the first time what it means to have a 
direct appeal from country people, and as a result he 
has forced Dawley actually to start in the direction of 
a court. That is the very direction Dawley did not 
want to go, because once there he can have no secret 
sessions, but must stand up and face his record for the 
first time. We decline to believe that Mr. Dawlcy’s 
attorney was stupid enough to bring suit against a 
company which did not own the paper, when the char¬ 
ter of the company that did own it was on file in 
Albany, where he evidently found the company name 
in which he did sue. It was either a slick trick or a 
stupid blunder. In either case it afforded an excuse 
for Dawley’s purpose to delay. If, as is claimed, he 
did not know his mistake until September 23, he might 
have corrected the papers the next day, hut it took him 
126 days, and he did not start then until Gov. Hughes 
evidently drove him into it. We moved the case for 
trial for the November term, and in reply Mr. Daw¬ 
ley’s attorney came to New York and offered to with¬ 
draw the suits and arbitrate, as is explained on the 
next page. In proof of this we refer to George E. 
Peer and President E. A. Darling of the A. J. C. C. 
The Country Gentleman says the cases will never he 
tried if our attorneys can prevent it. But let the facts 
talk. We have instructed our attorneys to press the 
case for March, and Dawley will be now forced to 
come into court or find some new excuse for staying 
out. His trick is exposed and his bluff is called. 
BREVITIES. 
Try oats and peas for an early seeded forage crop. 
This warm Winter means cold feet for the ice man. 
We hope .you are keeping the hen manure dry and under 
cover. 
The man with the water-glass eggs has his innings 
right now. 
Remember the cow. If she must pass the Winter tied 
up, make her comfortable. 
A reader says the San Jos6 is reducing the sap in his 
trees and also in his patience. Oil ’em ! 
The snow picture may not seem timely to many of us 
just now, but it is what we ought to have. 
Find a man whose life is a “snap” and he will develop 
into one without force enough to snap a silk thread which 
binds him to idleness. 
There are men living who can remember when scythes 
were sharpened on a wooden paddle which was first 
greased and then coated with a fine sifted sand. 
A few years ago if a man got up in a large fruit meet¬ 
ing and advocated “mulching” you could laugh him out 
Now you put must put up your best argument against him. 
At the Connecticut Domologicai Society meeting, Con¬ 
necticut apples were passed among the audience and then 
western apples—so as to give a good chance for compari¬ 
son. 
.Test read what is written about register papers and 
guarantee on page 113. That is the only way to sell goods. 
They must be built upon honor. Those men who ask you 
to “hit ’em up” should be hit themselves—with a club. 
Indiana is collecting statistics on the sheep Industry, 
with a view to enacting severe legislation against sheep- 
killing dogs. Many parts of Indiana are well adapted to 
sheep-raising, hut the industry is hampered by the dog 
nuisance. 
Judge Hammond, of Georgia, states that criminal laws 
were once passed against any persons who should leave 
cotton seed where it could he eaten by stray farm animals. 
Now the seed and meal are bought and fed to millions of 
animals—North and South. 
Remember the trouble with rye as a green manure? 
You are likely to have it too long in Spring. In that 
case it sucks too much moisture out of the soil and gets 
so hard that it does not decay readily. Then, if it is not 
packed down hard with a roller the soil dries out. 
