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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 18f>0. 
I’utillKhed weekly by the Rural I’ttliliKhlnir Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
Herbert W. Oollingwood, 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 
8s. 6d„ or 8*a marks, or 10‘a 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 our columns, and any such 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 wo bo responsible for the debts of 
honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must bo sent to us within one month of the time of tlio 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. 
* 
Think of it for a moment. Could The R. N.-Y. 
alone and unaided, except by its readers, have ever 
kept this catttle case alive and made it the great issue 
in farm discussions to-day if it had not been founded 
on true principle? 
* 
Nothing new about those libel suits. We ordered 
them for trial at the March term, but Mr. Dawley has 
not served a cross notice as is customary. We look to 
Governor Hughes to force him into court without de¬ 
lay. As it is we are doing our best to bring suits 
against ourselves to trial. 
* 
We invite attention to the clear and forcible article 
by John Q. Wells on page 166. These pheasants were 
first brought in as a plaything for “sportsmen.” It 
was quite easy to get a law passed for their protec¬ 
tion, since few can realize an evil until it becomes 
large enough to menace property or personal rights. 
If these pheasants are to be protected by law much 
longer they will spread all over the State and country, 
and do vast damage to crops. New York farmers 
should be warned in time, and all combine with those 
who live in different districts to put these feathered 
robbers out of business. 
* 
Here we have it straight from a Montana apple 
grower: 
Why don’t the eastern fruit growers form organizations 
similar to those of the Westf Ask them. o. h. b. 
We have been asking them for a good many years 
without any satisfactory answer. Our belief is that 
these organizations do best for wholesaling—at a long 
distance from the market. When you get closer to 
the retail markets it is harder to get growers to act 
together, since there is far more competition for their 
fruit. We think our eastern growers could combine 
to handle the retail markets in our large cities, but 
they do not seem disposed to try it. 
* 
The following statement is credited to Hon. Chas. 
E. Hughes, Governor of New York: 
When you Ret out where a man has a little elbow room 
and a chance to develop he has thoughts of his own. 
11 is thinking is not supplied to him every night and 
every morning, and he is less of a machine and more 
of a man, so that I do not think that the farmers need 
to be looked upon or want to be looked upon as depend¬ 
ents of the State. They do not come to the State gov¬ 
ernment asking alms. They are self-reliant, they arc in¬ 
telligent. What we want in connection with agriculture is 
what we want in connection with every other field of noble 
effort. 
We take it that the Governor made that statement 
as a theory. The farmers are now demonstrating it to 
be a fact in their letters to the Governor. They do 
not ask for alms, but they want something to say in 
the selection of men who are supposed to represent 
them. These words of Governor Hughes fit the 
farmer, and that is just why the farmer wants the 
Governor’s words to fit the men in public office. 
* 
The papers report a political meeting in Brooklyn 
at which ex-Governor Bachelder of New Hampshire 
said: 
I told your Governor lhat the farmers of the country 
were for him. Did he take me in a hack room and tell 
me what I was to get in return for my work in promoting 
the Hughes sentiment in New England? Did he promise 
me any future reward for stating to him that the farmers 
of the country were for him? Not a hit of It. He merely 
answered, ‘‘Mr. Bachelder, you are taking a great respon¬ 
sibility when you make that statement.” 
We think Governor Hughes was right. He no 
doubt had in mind the mountain of letters from 
farmers who are writing about this cattle case. 
Another case where the the “papers” need tailoring 
seems to be up in the Hampshire Swine Association. 
This is a new association which records a compara¬ 
tively new breed of swine. The president comes out 
squarely with charges against the secretary. The latter, 
however, by using a lot of proxy votes was re-elected 
—no attention being paid to the charges. They were 
waved aside with a remark which sounds very familiar 
to us. “This is personal business with his customers 
and not a cause for action to be taken by the asso¬ 
ciation.” Mr. John Goodwine, Jr., who presented the 
charges, stuck to his guns and has printed the whole 
matter for distribution. We do not know Mr. Good- 
wine, but we like the way he does business. He tells 
the people that the future of Hampshire swine depends 
“not so much as to how many breeders there are in 
the country, but as to how the offices or management 
is conducted.” Who in the world will have any respect 
for the association if it lacks the courage and the 
power to keep its records clean? 
* 
This year the New York Legislature is again asked 
to appropriate $50,000 with which to build an assembly 
hall at the Geneva Station. Last year we called for 
an expression of opinion regarding the wisdom of 
such expenditure. The result showed comparatively 
little interest in the matter. The real demand for it 
seemed to come from farmers who live within 75 miles 
of the station. Outside of this territory few people 
express any particular interest in the plan. We think 
the station will do better to go to farmers, for it 
cannot hope to bring many farmers to Geneva. We 
would like to have the State buy several farms, well 
located, but now run down. Have these farms rep¬ 
resent various parts of the State, and let the station 
develop them in a way that will combine science, 
sense and economy. Have outdoor meetings held 
on these farms during the season, with the experts 
present to answer questions. The money spent on 
such work would do the State far more good than an 
assembly hall located at Geneva. 
* 
Almost every day we have letters asking about cer¬ 
tain brands of fertilizer. The best advice is to get a 
copy of the State Experiment Station report and see 
what the chemists find in these goods. The articles on 
“A Bag of Fertilizer” were designed to help just 
such cases, and none should think of buying any quan¬ 
tity of mixed fertilizer without first studying the bul¬ 
letins. A Vermont reader has gone through the fer¬ 
tilizer bulletin of that State and finds, among other 
things, the following statements about certain brands: 
“The guarantee of these goods is bo index of their 
composition.” “Guarantee bears no relation vvlialsoe.ver 
to the actual composition.” “Do not afford a commercial 
equivalent of their guarantee.” Nearly two per cent 
short of their guarantee of phosphoric acid.” 
Now, no man in his right mind would think of buy¬ 
ing fertilizer of either of these four brands after 
what the chemist prints in this bulletin. There was 
a time when people bought fertilizer by its smell, but 
now the chemist’s test tube beats the farmer's nose 
out of sight. There is little need of using the latter 
instrument except to tell when ammonia is being lost. 
Study the fertilizer bulletins. 
* 
We do not mean to say that there arc no actual 
farmers among those who control the County Fair 
Associations in New York. We know a number of 
such farmers, but they are in a minority. The asso¬ 
ciations are controlled and represented by the other 
class. What we object to is that politicians should 
put the great body of farmers of this State in the 
position of demanding graft in the place of a gam¬ 
bler’s share. That is what it amounts to when the 
politicians intimate that they will prevent the passage 
of an anti-gambling law unless the county fairs are 
provided for by a direct appropriation. We believe 
in liberal appropriations for every part of agricultural 
education that is practical and conducted honestly. 
The State cannot do a wiser thing than to foster 
agriculture and increase farm prosperity and values. 
Are the county fairs as at present conducted educa¬ 
tional in character? If they are the State may well 
give them every dollar they need for a clean, honest 
exhibition. If they do not educate the State has no 
business to give them a cent. That is the truth and 
no politician should be permittted to put farmers on 
record as willing to support gambling if these fairs 
are not provided for. 
* 
A few weeks ago a man died in poverty and sorrow. 
It was said of him that he had neither wife, children 
nor permanent home—his life having been given to 
ideals which while enriching others left him in poverty. 
Jacob Moore spent his life in developing new fruits 
and in horticultural experiments. Left with a com¬ 
petent fortune, he spent it all, as well as the earnings 
of a lifetime, in developing and testing new fruits. 
February 29, 
Such work came to he a passion with him, and with¬ 
out business instinct he saw the material fruits of 
his toil go to others. At the age of 72 he was left 
with scarcely enough revenue to keep body and soul 
together, while his work has added millions to the 
general wealth and the private fortunes of more busi¬ 
ness-like men. Like E. W. Bull, who gave the Con¬ 
cord grape to the world, Jacob Moore was forced to 
spend his last years keenly feeling the injustice oj 
conditions which may send the inventor of a new 
broom to a palace and the originator of a new fruit 
to the poorhouse. Jacob Moore deserves a monument 
over his grave, but he should have had a home and 
comforts before his grave was made. The soldier 
who fights for his country is pensioned when old age 
comes. Men like Jacob Moore do more than the sol¬ 
dier and are more deserving of pension. 
* 
Some friend has sent us a post card on which we 
find the following: 
If whiskey interferes with your business, 
give up your business. 
From our limited experience we should say that this 
advice is sound. No business can possibly prosper 
if whiskey once gets into it. Of course we must ex¬ 
cept the saloon business, but when whiskey (or hard 
cider) gets a good grip on any part of farming you 
might as well try to run a machine with broken cog 
wheels. It has always seemed to us very strange that 
many farmers are apparently so indifferent to the evils 
of the saloon and its influence. They must see how it 
affects hired help—unreliable at best, but dangerous 
when filled with what the rumshop has to offer them. 
Of course, too, they can see the gang of loafers and 
rowdies that is bred in every country town by a 
saloon. Their women may be insulted and their 
children corrupted by these hangers-on. Of course, 
too, they know that many a workingman’s family must 
go without luxuries—to say nothing of comforts— 
because a large share of the man’s earnings go into 
the saloon. Those who sell fruit, vegetables, eggs or 
milk at retail in country towns well know how women 
and children crave these things and would buy them 
if they could only have that saloon money! We have 
had faith to believe that sooner or later farmers 
would realize these things. That they are doing so 
explains the wonderful spread of temperance senti¬ 
ment all over the country. We are told that already 
33,000,000 Americans live in territory where the sale 
of liquor as a beverage is prohibited. Probably 
30,000,000 of these people live in the country. By all 
means—“if whiskey interferes with your business, give 
up your business”— long enough to put whiskey out of 
business! 
BREVITIES. 
If you would have a garden fair, 
Three solid pillars you must square. 
To earn a recompense for toll, 
You first must have a proper soil; 
Far better let it run to weed 
Unless you furnish proper seed, 
And then no prizes you will get 
Unless you water it with sweat. 
How well do your own words fit yout 
The real estate agent’s story is always prepared to bo 
discounted. 
One of our readers, an elderly man, sold his farm, but 
made sure that the man wlio bought it became a R. N.-. 
Y. subscriber. 
A reader in the Hudson Valley ordered two-year-old 
Baldwin trees for planting. The nurseryman wants to 
substitute Sutton. We would not do it for that section 
—better use one-year Baldwins if necessary. 
A great deal of “corn judging” is being done at insti¬ 
tutes and fairs. The ear alone is considered. Why not 
consider the entire stalk? With us the stalk is as impor¬ 
tant as the ear. Who would give a final decision on 
silage corn by the ear alone? 
A reader has a little farm and works in town. ITe has 
to he away all day. Think of hiring an unknown for¬ 
eigner from a city agency. Would it be safe to leave him 
alone all day with wife and daughters? We would not 
take the risk with any saloon within reach. 
We haven’t heard much from our ginseng friends of 
late. Now comes the story of a Kentuckian who five years 
ago invested .$10 in ginseng seeds. Nbw he has $10,000 
wortli on less than one-tenth of an acre, and hasn’t done 
as much as a week’s work in the entire five years. What 
next? 
In the old days of Rome this joke was cracked at the 
slave: “When one’s work is In a distant field where 
the master rarely comes, one is not a servitor hut a mas¬ 
ter !” The modern hired man will appreciate that. lie 
must have strong character to make the papers fit the job 
on a hot day in a distant field. 
In a town on the Delaware peninsula we talked with 
two men who did not know each other. One wanted to 
get away to the Far West, where he thought he could do> 
better. The other had just come from the West, and was 
satisfied that the peninsula offered far better chances for 
him. 
“Use the blue pencil on my copy” writes a man who 
sends a strong article. “Do not he afraid of hurting my 
feelings. I am 50 and gray-headed.” Not so long ago 
another gray-haired man said : “Do not touch the copy 
I send you. I would rather have you cut out my vermiform 
appendix than blue pencil a sentence.” 
