476 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE HU SIN ESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1800. 
Published weekly by the Itural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl 8treet, New York. 
Herbert W. Oollingwoou, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dili/in, 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. oa., or 8*9 marks, or 104 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. Notico 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. 
* 
Plant corn ! Plant corn ! Plant corn ! 
* 
You remember what a warm discussion there was 
over that mulched orchard experiment in Mr. 
Auchter’s orchard. All sorts of suggestions were 
made about the care of the orchard this year. Some 
advised the use of nitrate of soda, others talked lime 
and others wanted the grass raked and piled around 
the trees. Prof. Hedrick tells us that no change in 
treatment will be made. The experiment is to test 
two methods of orchard management as they are 
practiced in New York. The “mulchers” therefore 
will not have a chance to see their suggestions carried 
out. The grass will simply be cut and left on the 
ground. We shall see if those mulched trees show 
any greater growth than they did last year. 
* 
We find a good many farmers who are testing their 
soils to see if any special element is lacking. This is 
good practice provided you use the right test. The 
thing to do is to use chemicals which contain only one 
element, so that if it gives an increase of crop you 
may know just what is responsible for it. Two neigh¬ 
bors tried this testing. One used wood ashes alone, 
and the other basic slag alone. The farms joined, yet 
both noticed a decided gain in crops. One claimed as 
a result of using ashes that his soil was in great need 
of potash. The other got good returns from the 
slag, and argued that phosphoric acid was the needed 
element. The chances are both were wrong, and the 
lime was the element really needed. The ashes contain 
one-third and the slag one-half their weight of lime. 
Most likely the soil was sour and the lime corrected it. 
Nitrate of soda contains nitrogen, acid phosphate 
phosphoric acid, and muriate of potash contains pot¬ 
ash. Any gains from the use of either of these chem¬ 
icals can be traced to a definite element. A test with 
some chemical that contains two or more elements 
of plant food cannot be conclusive. 
* 
Attorney-General Ellis of Ohio has filed a suit 
intended to oust the Smith Chemical Co. from its 
charter and thus drive it from Ohio. Readers will 
remember this company. It is charged with bribing 
an employee of the Board of Agriculture, and held 
up that Board by an injunction. The Attorney-General 
charges the company with selling fertilizers which 
were below the guarantee, and with operating ficti¬ 
tious branches and various companies for the purpose 
of deceiving the public. It is claimed that the Smith 
Company kept these other concerns going simply to 
make a show of competition. This is the fine old 
game of dressing up a straw man and then bidding 
against him so people will think there is sharp com¬ 
petition. The Smith Company when openly exposed 
adopted the plan of selling fertilizers on a private 
guarantee. That seems to be the great refuge of 
those who cannot do business on their record. The 
Buffalo Fertilizer Co. has also adopted this course. 
They and the Smith Company are the only ones that 
we know of to offer to sell in this way, and their 
reasons for making the offer are evident. They were 
obliged to do something to overcome the effect of 
their last year’s record at the stations. For example, 
in the Connecticut Station report last year 16 brands 
of fertilizers were so poor that the record is printed 
in black type. We believe that 12 of these brands 
were made by the Buffalo Fertilizer Co. and sold by 
their agents or by other houses. One of the others 
was sold by the Ohio Farmers’ Fertilizer Co., which 
is one of the names under which the Smith Co. has 
done business. This brand ran behind the guarantee 
10 pounds of nitrogen and 18 pounds of potash, or a 
shortage of $2.70 in one ton. The dealers’ price for 
this fertilizer was $26, the valuation figured by the 
station $17.65. In Pennsylvania, out of five brands 
offered by this Ohio Farmers’ Co, all were below in 
nitrogen, three in potash and two in phosphoric acid. 
In one such case the shortage amounted to $2.78 in a 
ton. By making their offer of guarantee these two 
companies invite criticism of their record, and it is 
open to inspection. 
* 
WHAT DAWLEY SHOULD NOW DO. 
The R. N.-Y. will conduct an honorable warfare 
to a finish, and will then conclude an honorable peace. 
It is honorable prosecution to fight an opponent openly 
and fairly until he is beaten. It is dishonorable per¬ 
secution to strike a fallen foe. We have fought 
Frank E. Dawley openly and squarely for nearly two 
years. Our blows were not aimed at him personally. 
They struck him because he stood for an evil system 
in both private business and public service, which no 
honest man could afford to cover up. Mr. Dawley 
has now been declared guilty by the A. J. C. C.—the 
highest authority and the court of last resort on 
Jersey breeding. The foundation principle for which 
we contended so long has been vindicated. There are 
now three other things which Mr. Dawley should 
do before the matter can be dropped. 
He should immediately get out of public life and 
stay out. We told Governor Hughes four months ago 
that Dawley’s retention as a teacher of agriculture 
was a scandal which he could not consistently tolerate. 
It is doubly so now after the A. J. C. C. report. The 
State could not afford to employ a lawyer who had 
been disbarred by the Bar Association for criminal 
practices. It can much less afford to employ a man 
to teach dairying and stock breeding who is not per¬ 
mitted to register or transfer his cattle as purebred! 
This is especially true when we remember that Daw- 
ley’s trade in cattle depended largely upon his prom¬ 
inence as an Institute director. Mr. Dawley should 
see the impropriety of remaining where he is, and 
retire at once. If he does not do so he should he 
promptly removed, or the Department will have no 
standing with New York farmers—even less than it 
has now ! We are gratified to see that in this position 
we are in exact accord with Brother Tucker of The 
Country Gentleman. He has said that whatever the 
verdict of the A. J. C. C. might he it would he im¬ 
partial and conclusive. He has also said that if the 
Club found Dawley guilty he should of course retire 
from his public position. Brother Tucker is emi¬ 
nently sound in both propositions. 
Mr. Dawley should also retire from the various 
breeders’ associations with which he is connected. 
The effect of this case and its open discussion will 
and must be greater care and a general cleaning up 
on the part of these associations. It must be so, for 
the public now knows something of the possibilities 
for dishonesty, and they will demand greater safe¬ 
guards. After that terrific arraignment by the A. J. 
C. C. Mr. Dawley could bring nothing but discredit 
to any breeders’ association. 
Mr. Dawley should also settle fairly and promptly 
with Rogers and Squiers, as he has already settled 
with Mr. Button. Rogers bought nine females 
and a bull in the Fall of 1905. Had all been true to 
name and free from disease, with an average increase 
he should now have nearly 25 head of cows, heifers 
and heifer calves, besides the bull calves, which, if of 
good breeding, could have been sold. Instead of 
having such a promising herd Mr. Rogers has not a 
single one of those so-called purebred Jerseys left. 
With one or two exceptions they were fed at a loss 
until they sickened and were killed. Even if they 
had lived most of them would now be thrown out of 
registry. Mr. Squiers is hut little better off as the 
result of trading 20 grade heifers for six alleged pure- 
hreds. The least Mr. Dawley can do is to settle 
promptly and fairly with all who have suffered 
through buying his cattle. Let him make this just 
restitution and retire to private life, where he may 
live down this evil record. He must now admit that 
The R. N.-Y. gave him far better counsel than his 
so-called friends did when it advised him to settle 
the matter promptly and cleanly. 
As for the “friends” and co-workers of Mr. Daw¬ 
ley! They have by influence and advice kept off the 
full knowledge of the truth. They are therefore 
mainly responsible for the scandal, and they have 
made the blow harder than it would otherwise have 
been. The least they can now do is to insist that 
Mr. Dawley promptly retire from public life and 
settle with the people who bought the fraudulent cat¬ 
tle. They must now see that their advice and example 
has thus far done Mr. Dawley more harm than good. 
They now have a chance to do him a real service, for 
this matter will not be settled until it is settled right. 
Our duty to the public in this case will be ended when 
Dawley retires from office and settles with those who 
lost through those cattle deals, and not until then. 
May 30, 
Next in public interest to this famous cattle case is 
the outcry against the dishonest apple barrel. There 
can be no doubt as to the great damage done the trade 
last season by those who stuffed cider apples into the 
center of the package. The western men have been 
all through this thing and know what it means. This 
is from an Idaho man: 
“A Packer Who Signs Ills Work,” Fig. 179, page 
418, should teach a useful lesson. Here in Idaho we 
learned the lesson by paying dearly for it. Now we go to 
great expense in preparing onr packing plants, and then 
every detail in packing is carried on with the greatest 
care, with a guarantee that only first-class fruit Is in the 
package. a. l. r. 
That is what has got to come in the Eastern States 
if our fruit growers are to hold their trade. Imagine 
what would happen if those western growers put a 
few of those “Choice Baldwins” in the center of a 
box 1 Laws to make men honest will never amount 
to much until men decide to he honest for the sake 
of honesty. At the fruit meetings next Winter it will 
be a good object lesson to buy a few barrels of apples 
just as they are put on the market and open them 
before the audience 1 
* 
• President Roosevelt will appoint a commission con¬ 
sisting of Prof. L. H. Bailey of Cornell, Prof. A. A. 
Noyes and Dr. Gifford Pinchot “for the study of rural 
life.” It seems that the President has long been in¬ 
terested in the problem of the farm family life. 
Among the questions which he would like to have 
answered are these: 
IIow can the life of the farm family be made less soli¬ 
tary, fuller of opportunity, freer from drudgery, more com¬ 
fortable, happier, and more attractive? IIow can life on 
the farm be kept on the highest level and where it is not 
already on that level to lie so improved, dignified, and 
brightened as to awaken and keep alive the pride and 
loyalty of the farmer’s boys and girls, of the farmer’s 
wife and of the farmer himself? IIow can a compelling 
desire to live on the farm be aroused in children who are 
born on the farm ? 
We have no doubt the gentlemen who make up this 
commission will hear many and varied reasons. We 
can tell them beforehand, however, that when they 
find happy farm homes and young people glad to stay 
on the farm they will find people who feel that they 
are getting a fair share of what their produce sells 
for, and have a natural love for country life. Some¬ 
times this feeling that they are fairly paid comes 
through producing a superior article and selling it on 
its merits, sometimes through cooperation with others, 
but no man can be satisfied if he must feel that he is 
denied a fair share of what he earns. Next in bitter¬ 
ness to being denied the God-given right to labor is 
the feeling that middlemen are taking more than half 
the price of what one produces. Farm life will not 
be made more attractive to the young until it is made 
more profitable and until the profit is used wisely 
at home. If this commission will get at the honest 
facts and report them fearlessly it will do the country 
a service. _ 
BREVITIES. 
Wb begin cutting the rye for hay about May 25. 
The trouble with Crimson clover hay is to get weather 
for curing it. 
This year we have worked the potatoes three times 
before they came up. 
There will be a heavy planting of mangel wurzel beets 
this year on many dairy farms. 
The huckleberry season has begun in North Carolina. 
Think of that, ye New Englanders. 
Fight houseflies by preventing their breeding in manure. 
Get the manure out and under ground. 
Mafes, the hen man, tells us he is now selling guar¬ 
anteed ‘‘germless eggs” at a good price. 
By May 15 some of the young apple trees had made 
five inches of growth—in northern New Jersey. 
English swine breeders have a new association for the 
“curly-eoated pig.” The animal looks somewhat like a 
Cheshire with thick curly hair. 
The “papers” misfit in many cases besides cattle. In 
this city there is an exposure of people who have sold 
bogus paintings, claiming they are the originals! 
On Monday morning we make out a programme of what 
we want to accomplish (' rough the week, and each morn¬ 
ing go over it and modify if need be. Have a plan and 
stick to it. 
The Watertown Times tells of a horse that fell dead in 
front of a feed store. The owner had just been in to ask 
the price of grain. It had gone up, and the horse heard 
the statement. 
Now and then we hear of a “cure-all” to kill insects 
and cure diseases of plants all at one shot. A self-boiled 
lime-sulphur mixture with some form of arsenic in it 
would come as near to it as anything we know at present. 
An English farmer was accused of watering the milk, 
and placed on trial. A chemist swore that the milk was 
watered, and the man on the milk train swore that the 
cans were not opened. The farmer and three hired men 
swore that no water was added on the farm, and another 
farmer swore that his milk had often been tampered with 
on the train. The result was that the farmer was fined 
a total of over .$20, while the court distinctly stated that 
the farmer was not guilty and “left the court without a 
stain on his character.” Pretty expensive justice—that! 
