7QO 
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 Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, Sew fork. 
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. Royle, Associate Editors. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or marks, or lOHs 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 lino—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 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 wili we be responsible for the debts of 
honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must be sent to us within one montb 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. 
* 
Pick your seed corn out of the shock where you can 
see the stalk. Why not remember that the stalk and 
other stalks which grow around it represent the par¬ 
ents of that ear? Would you select a breeding animal 
by its appearance alone—without looking up its 
parents ? 
* 
This week we have a new idea about starting Al¬ 
falfa. The point is that on a soil of more than aver¬ 
age fertility Blue grass comes in and smothers the 
Alfalfa. Therefore this writer plans to turn up soil 
so poor that the Blue grass will not start, and then 
sow the Alfalfa in it. When the Alfalfa gets going it 
may lie manured or fertilized. This is a new idea to 
us. Yet it is foolish to criticize success or try to 
argue against the methods which lead to it. We have 
some Alfalfa seeded in drills about 18 inches apart. It 
has made a fine start, the best of it being about eight 
inches high at six weeks. 
* 
Letters are pouring in from farmers who answer 
the famous question: 
“If you were Congress and had to be responsible 
for your actions, what would you do to make farm 
life happier and better and give the farmer just what 
he needs?” 
After reading them we long for the power to make 
some of these good friends the whole thing at Wash¬ 
ington for a good term of years. In the great majority 
of these reports the great central truth of the discus¬ 
sion is well brought out. There can be no general 
“uplift” in the condition of country people until they 
get a fairer share of the selling price of what they 
produce. 
* 
Why do grain and potato crops usually do so well 
after corn? Most farmers have noticed that corn 
appears to leave the soil in fine condition for the crops 
which follow it Usually corn is planted on a sod, 
and if there is any manure on the farm part of it is 
quite sure to go on that sod. In a rotation in which 
fertilizers are used most of the manure is applied to 
the corn crop. In addition to this corn is usually well 
cultivated, for it is a favorite crop, and farmers like 
to take care of it. Thus we can see that the manuring 
fills the soil with vegetable matter, while the cultivat¬ 
ing gives the best condition for breaking this vege¬ 
table matter up and turning it into nitrates or the 
soluble form of nitrogen. Thus, for the crop that 
follows it, the corn leaves the soil in condition to hold 
moisture and full of available plant food. Yet these 
very conditions make it more necessary to sow some 
“catch” crop after the corn so as to occupy the ground 
through the Fall and Winter. The corn stops grow¬ 
ing and is cut before the first hard frost, but the soil 
is well filled with nitrates and continues to prepare 
them. Where cornfields are heavily manured the loss 
of plant food through October and November will be 
heavy unless there is some living crop left on the land. 
That is why we sow clover and turnips in the corn. 
It is not too late yet to sow rye—at any rate do not 
leave the cornfields bare. 
* 
The writer recently received at die farm a very 
polite letter from the Congressman representing his 
district. This man is a candidate for reelection. He 
wrote to say that he had been able to secure a very 
valuable pamphlet on fanning. A copy of it would 
be mailed in due time and he hoped we would enjoy 
it. If there was anything further he could do—we had 
only to let him know. We waited as patiently as pos¬ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
sible for this valuable publication, and finally opened 
the package with eager fingers. It proved to be an old 
bulletin from the Agricultural Department on “The 
Germination of Seed Corn.” Perhaps it was because 
we have already had half a dozen copies of this bulle¬ 
tin, or because we do not usually try to germinate our 
corn in October, but we are not greatly impressed by 
this “very valuable pamphlet.” This Congressman’s 
“boom” is germinated in October if the corn is not. 
We tell him what he can do for us—get out and work 
for a parcels post A silence deep and profound falls 
upon him at the suggestion. What’s the matter with 
these fool farmers anyway? They ought to be satis¬ 
fied with free seeds and bulletins, but they don’t seem 
to be—but keep calling for a parcels post. Can’t they 
see how uncomfortable it is for a Congressman to 
oppose the express companies and the politicians? 
We tell this man that the farmers do see these things, 
and that is why they demand his help. Better one act 
of public service which means a sacrifice than 50 tons 
of Government bulletins. 
* 
Some of our readers are receiving a letter from a 
paper known as The Eastern Dealer. A few extracts 
from this letter will show what it means. As boldly 
announced in this letter the object is to “drive from 
the trade of the East”—“the farmer agent and all who 
sell exclusive!}' from catalogues.” 
Your business <if you are a real dealer) is hurt every 
day by sales made by agents and by manufacturers and 
jobbers direct to the farmer. 
We want to assist in doing away with this evil and 
your help will only take a few moments of your time. 
The practice can be stopped by concerted action on 
the part of dealers. It has been done in the West by 
organization. 
When you get this letter you are expected to send 
a “confidential reply,” giving the names of farmers 
who sell goods by sample, and a list of the goods they 
sell. The object is if possible to drive these neigh¬ 
bors and friends of yours out of business, and ruin 
the trade of the manufacturers whose goods they sell. 
If this could be done you and others would be forced 
to buy of the regular dealers—often taking articles 
you did not want because you could not get others. 
Having driven the farm agents out of business the 
“regular” agents could put up their prices, since there 
would be no competition. Then there would be a 
monopoly, and you could take what came to you and 
r.o more. Of course the men who are pushing this 
scheme fight hard against a parcels post, or anything 
else that will give a farmer fair competition in buying. 
Farmers will see right through this scheme, and they 
will know what to do. 
* 
Now then—what about primary nominations and 
ballot reform in New York State? You cannot name 
anything that will do more practical good to New 
York farmers right now than a fair system of select¬ 
ing candidates by popular vote. That is the only way 
for us to touch the Legislature directly. Here is a 
first-class suggestion from a reader in Chenango Co.: 
I suggest that every candidate for Senator or Assembly- 
man of both the great parties, who can be reached by the 
farmers’ votes, be placed on record in regard to these 
questions. Let the readers of The R. N.-Y. vigorously 
apply the postage stamp before election, and let the posi¬ 
tion of each candidate he published in The R. N.-Y. and 
every other paper which will. Then let us vote accord¬ 
ingly. These reforms are of much greater importance in 
this State than party lines. s. 
We have not called upon the Knights of the Postage 
Stamp in some time. Here is a great opportunity for 
the New York Knights to put a postage stamp where 
it will do the most good. On the stamp you use will 
be a picture of the calm, solid face of Washington. 
He was the great American bulldog. Not brilliant or 
rapid, but one who hung on cheerfully through the 
long and tiresome fight. All you who live in New 
York should write these letters before you go to sleep. 
Ask all the candidates how they stand on a primary 
election law, and send their replies right to us. This 
is your chance to put them on record. Don’t wait for 
your neighbor to do it—but do it yourself at once. 
One of our readers will carry the thing further. At 
his Pomona Grange meeting he will get up and de¬ 
mand that the various candidates put themselves on 
record—are they in favor of a primary nomination law 
or against it? Get right after them in any way you 
can. 
* 
On page 782 is the story of a controversy with an 
express company over damages to a hive of bees. We 
are told that bee keepers are continually annoyed by 
such actions. Of course, with a package of this sort 
it is impossible for the receiver to know, when he 
gives a receipt, whether the goods are damaged or 
not. When he unpacks and discovers his loss he is 
met with the statement that since he signed for the 
goods the company is free from responsibility. Years 
ago it was possible to go to some rival company for 
October 10, 
better treatment. Now there is practically no com¬ 
petition, as the following statement made by the N. Y. 
Public Service Commission will show: 
It appears that the Adams Express Company holds 
$!)0G,000 of the .$10,000,000 of stock issued by the United 
States Express Company. The American Express Company 
has holdings in the National Express Company of $484,600 
out of a total issue of $.100,000; in the United States 
Expresss Company, $1,000,000 out of a total of $10,000,000, 
or just 10 per cent; in the Westcott Express Company 
$143,600 out of a total of $150,000 preferred stock and 
$497,650 out of a total of $500,000 of -common stock. It 
also appears that the Southern Express Company owns 
$70,000 of stock in the United States Express Company, as 
well as $111,800 of the $12,000,000 in stock issned by 
the Adams Express Company, and also $118,500 out of the 
$18,000,000 of stock issued by the American Express 
Company. The president of the Adams Express Company, 
Levi C. Weir, and the president of the American Express 
Company, James C. Fargo, are directors in the United 
States Express Company, of which Senator Platt is presi¬ 
dent. 
Thus the stock of these big companies is so mixed 
up that they naturally all work together for their 
profits. The bee keepers all over the land ought to 
sting these robbers until they give better service. We 
never saw any creature yet that would not finally sur¬ 
render to a swarm of bees in action! 
* 
A New York politician had control of the disburse¬ 
ment of a good sum of money, and he proceeded to 
put a good deal of it out where it would do (him) the 
most good. There was a local paper in his home town 
which came to handle considerable printing for this 
politician. In order to defend himself against a seri¬ 
ous charge it seemed necessary to attempt to blacken 
the character of a young man who had long lived in 
the community. The politician wrote an article full 
of sneaking insinuations, and the editor printed it 
without any signature. The young man went to the 
editor, asked him what he meant by printing such an 
article, and offered a reply. The editor refused to 
print it. When asked why, he replied with brutal 
frankness; 
“You see - gives me $1000 worth of print¬ 
ing every year. If he lost his job or I offended him 
it would hurt my business. I can’t afford to disregard 
his wishes!” 
“Then because - has this State job and can 
give you some of the 'graft’ you will let him blacken 
me while I am denied the right to reply ?” 
“That is about the size of it—though I don’t call it 
‘graft’!” 
This is a true story, and the characters are pretty 
well known to New York farmers. One of the most 
damnable things about certain political jobs is the way 
State money is used to corrupt newspapers. It is 
usually distributed in such a way that it would be hard 
to convict anyone of crime, but the result is that 
papers which ought to be champions of the people’s 
rights become mere mouthpieces for politicians, ready 
to blacken character or mislead its readers—for the 
price. It is hard to estimate the injury which these 
bribing rascals do. Nothing but public exposure will 
ever stop it. In the case mentioned we are happy to 
state that the “graft” has been cut off I 
BREVITIES. 
Clover seed ought to be cheaper next year. 
Publish both campaign expenses and campaign demands 
before election. 
How about the trolley freight line as a means of improv¬ 
ing the condition of the farmer? 
A hand separator is the motive which keeps the right 
hand from knowing what the left hand is up to. 
The shower we wanted came September 28. You should 
have seen the Crimson clover start growing after it! 
When the wind stops blowing the windmill quits pump¬ 
ing and the tank runs dry—you feel like finding fault 
with a good old friend. We have no other complaint to 
make about wind power. 
On some chicken farms where the larger breeds are kept 
the practice is to hatch in incubators and put the little 
chicks when 36 hours old under broody hens, it is said 
that the plan works well. 
Tiie famous grapevine at Hampton Court, near London, 
England, has a crop of about 300 pounds this year. This 
vine, which is under glass, was planted in 1768. It has 
attained a girth of four feet six inches one foot from the 
ground, and covers a roof space of 2,200 square feet. 
Ar the New York State Fair we heard of wliat to us is 
a new business. Day-old chicks right out of the incubator 
are shipped to Florida to grow into broilers for the large 
hotels. This is not a good season for hatching in Florida, 
•but the little ones sent from the North grow into good- 
sized birds. 
The Kansas Experiment Station (Manhattan) will soon 
begin a study of boys and girls. As Prof. McKeever puts 
it: “If a farmer has a horse that balks in the harness 
or a cow that acts queerly and runs off the reservation 
he can write to the nearest Government experiment sta¬ 
tion and secure a printed bulletin or a letter on the sub¬ 
ject from a high-salaried expert, hut if the refractory 
creature chances to he his 16-year-olrl son or his fledgling 
daughter be has no recourse other than to fight the case 
out alone, assisted perhaps only by a despairing wife. - ’ 
Ten cr more bulletins will he issued dealing with the best 
way to handle this “best crop on the farm.” 
