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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 27, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home*. 
Established, 1860. 
Published weekly by (be Hum! Publishing Company, 409 I’earl Street, New Pork, 
Herbert W. G'ollingwood, 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 
8s. (id., or S'a marks, or 10*9 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Offico 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 subcribers against rogues, but we do 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. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. wants the best story of American 
farm life that can be written. We will pay $250 for 
the best 50,000-word story submitted before Septem¬ 
ber 15, 1908. There ought to be a distinct literature 
of farm life, and readers of The R. N.-Y. are the 
best people to produce it. We come to them for this 
story. We want a story that will be a classic, and 
live as long as The R. N.-Y. does as a clean, whole¬ 
some, natural sketch of some strong problem of farm 
life. All manuscript not used will be returned, for 
which postage should be sent. This competition is 
open freely to all who may desire to compete, without 
charge or consideration of any kind. Prospective con¬ 
testants need not be subscribers for The Rural New- 
Yorker, in order to be entitled to compete for the 
prize offered. 
* 
“T ully quits the Senate.” This is the heading of 
a^ note in the daily papers. The man referred to is 
Wm. J. Tully, one of the Senators named in our list. 
Mr. Tully resigned in order to practice law in New 
York. “Leaf by leaf the roses fall!” 
* 
After that display of steel and iron nails last week, 
you can easily see what losses occur when steel is 
used. We have a building now from which good 
shingles are dropping because the steel nails are 
rusted through. It is too expensive to use steel nails. 
We shall get what we ought to have when we refuse 
to use steel nails or inferior wire. The manufacturers 
have now had ample time to improve their goods. 
Now for better nails and wire. 
* 
The tuberculosis bill finally passed by the New 
York Legislature provides for two confidential agents. 
There was no special need of these agents, but as the 
bill now stands they can be made useful. They can 
be appointed or removed at the option of the Com¬ 
missioner, who also determines their salary at any 
amount under $1800. He may also assign them to 
any department work. That is a good start in the 
worthy plan of getting the department out of “poli¬ 
tics” and making every employee earn his salary. 
* 
Our old friend, the tree faker, has taken the road 
again. He is working in towns and cities. He 
usually pretends to be employed by the United States 
government or the State Experiment Station. He 
looks at trees, notifies the owners that borers or scales 
are at them, and that the law compels treatment. 
Then he offers to do it for them with some new 
remedy at $15 or more per gallon. These rascals find 
plenty of victims—some of them lawyers or others 
who are good at catching other swindlers. No gov¬ 
ernment officer is permitted to charge for examining 
trees, and not one of them is permitted to sell 
materials for spraying. When any man pretends to 
do either, and also claims to be a “Government ex¬ 
pert” he proves himself a swindler. Drive him right 
off the place and do not buy any of his stuff. 
♦ 
Last week we printed some advice to young men 
who desire to go West for the Summer and work 
through the harvest. By starting in southern Kansas 
and working north to Canada an industrious man can 
obtain steady work at good prices. Last year several 
young men that we know tried this, chiefly for the 
sake of seeing the country. It is no job for a feeble 
or lazy man and no place to “learn farming.” It will 
be hustle and jump from daylight until dark and even 
by moonlight. At the time the papers were printing 
calls from the West for help in saving the grain they 
were also publishing accounts of the “bread line” in 
this city. Strong, able-bodied men were lined up 
waiting to receive a free loaf of bread! Some were 
worthy of help, but the great majority of them would 
not leave the city except to go tramping through the 
country. With a “bread line” at one end of the 
country and men calling for help to save bread at 
the other the labor question becomes more compli¬ 
cated than ever. One of the hardest things to over¬ 
come is the awful fascination which a great city has 
for thousands who would be far better off in the 
country. 
* 
It will pay to take time to study that article by 
Mr. Prickett on farm machinery. Just as he says, 
the best time to appreciate the need of thorough till¬ 
age is not before we plant, but after the crops are 
up on poorly fitted land. This idea of doubling up 
teams and tools so as to cover land rapidly is a good 
thing, as we know from experience. With our short 
seasons and the danger of poor weather at planting 
time, any plan for saving time in fitting the soil is 
more than welcome. If we can borrow a neighbor’s 
team and hitch it with our own to a four-horse tool 
we get the work done quicker and save one man’s 
work. This plan of changing teams would work in 
some neighborhoods, and the extra horse on many 
tools would- save much time. The ioo-acre farmer 
must consider all these things. Anything in the way 
of horseflesh or wood and steel that will enable one 
man to increase his work is worth while. 
* 
There are reasons why we would like to be a 
resident of Tompkins, Schuyler or Chemung counties, 
New York. That is a beautiful section to live in any¬ 
way, and as a greater privilege we should have a 
chance to work and vote against State Senator Owen 
Cassidy. He voted to retain the Insurance Commis¬ 
sioner in office, and also against the anti-gambling 
bills. Mr. Cassidy was a delegate to the National 
Convention at Chicago. The daily papers have printed 
the following: 
State Senator Owen Cassidy, a delegate from New York, 
says: “We are here. We lean up against one bar, we 
turn around and lean up against another. Then we walk 
around and wonder what in - we are here for.” 
Mr. Cassidy seemed to know what he was in 
Albany for, but we think it would puzzle the majority 
of those who sent him there to tell why they did it. 
Farmers do not have much time these days to lean 
up against even the pasture bars, but they will know 
why Mr. Cassidy is left at home. If the politicians 
put him on the ballot—cut him right off again! 
* 
The daily papers have made much of a supposed 
controversy in Orange Co., N. Y., between the State 
Engineer and the Board of Supervisors over changes 
in the plan of a State road. The following brief 
statement covers the case: Many radical changes 
have been found in the plans for the building of a 
State road from Newburgh to West Point, N. Y. 
The proposed road is laid through a mountainous 
section, and connects two historic towns. State En¬ 
gineer Skene frankly admits that the changes have 
been made, but asserts that he has discretion to alter 
plans if in the interest of the State; that he was 
advised to do so by his predecessor, Mr. Van Alstyne; 
that he consulted with the local authorities; that the 
route last selected is shorter, easier built and less 
costly, reducing the outlay from $225,000 to $187,635, 
and that the original plans are impractical. The 
members of the Good Roads Committee of the 
Orange County Board of Supervisors deny that they 
have been consulted, but do not object. The prop¬ 
erty owners along the routes are protesting. No one 
suspects the State Engineer of impropriety, but 
naturally some property owners wanted the road to 
pass them. 
* 
Last week a quantity of corn from Argentina was 
sold in New York. This, we think, is the first time 
that this grain has been brought here from South 
America. There have been small importations from 
Egypt and the Danube country. The South Ameri¬ 
can grain was brought here because the price has 
run so high of late that the high rate of freight 
could be paid and leave a profit. With most products 
the price is regulated, within reasonable limits, by the 
supply. For example, potatoes rarely go above a cer¬ 
tain price. If the crop is short here prices rise until 
they reach a point where English, Belgian or German 
dealers can afford to pay the tariff and send part of 
the foreign crop here. Millions of European potatoes 
are used for making starch or alcohol, and can be 
quickly taken from the factory and sent here. Thus 
the price is kept below a certain point. It is not the 
same with corn, since few other countries raise 
enough of the grain for export. The price must go 
close to 80 cents in New York before imports will 
pay. The Argentine Republic is more likely to have 
a surplus than other countries. That is an Alfalfa 
country, having made greater use of this wonderful 
plant than any section of similar size on the conti¬ 
nent. With an Alfalfa backing any State or country 
can do wonders in wealth production. 
* 
One of the meanest things the last New York Leg¬ 
islature did was to defeat the plan for primary nomi¬ 
nations. Every intelligent man in the State knows 
the criminal folly of the present system. A little 
group of politicians in each township gets together 
and elects delegates to a county convention. These 
delegates or others like them make nominations, and 
when a man’s name is once on the party ticket it is 
expected that the great majority who were never 
consulted will swallow their disappointment and vote 
straight. As a result of this evil system we have in 
New York from United States Senators down a set 
of public men who, with a few honest exceptions, 
are practically out of direct reach of the people. They 
depend on the politicians for their office, and conse¬ 
quently their first duty is to the politicians. A sys¬ 
tem of nominating by a primary election would settle 
that for good. There would be no more little meet¬ 
ings at saloons or private houses where half a dozen 
men fixed up a slate and ran it through. There 
would be a popular expression of opinion inside the 
party. We would not be obliged to support a can¬ 
didate all cut and dried by the politicians. We could 
help cut and dry him ourselves. The West and South 
are far ahead of New York in this matter. In Oregon 
the people elected a Republican Legislature and, at 
the same time, gave their choice to a Democrat for 
United States Senator. In Iowa there was a clear-cut 
fight inside the Republican party for Senator settled 
by popular vote. Imagine either Senator Platt or 
Senator Depew coming before the people of New 
York for popular endorsement! Or, take those State 
Senators whose names are printed week after week. 
Not one of them could be renominated by a primary 
election. If the members of their party could get 
a chance at them before election you would hardly 
know they had been running. For example, Senator 
Wemple has been renominated. He was denounced 
all over his district. Meetings were held, resolutions 
were passed; without question a large majority of the 
decent people in the district oppose him. Yet lie 
controlled the politicians, and they controlled the con¬ 
vention. Had there been a primary election to decide 
his nomination Mr. Wemple would have met with 
overwhelming defeat. We trust he will anyway, but 
if the common people could have had a chance at him 
they would not now be obliged to cut their party 
ticket in order to keep him at home. There is a 
genuine demand for this primary election. The com¬ 
mon people realize at last that they are no match for 
the politicians at wire pulling. Their only hope is to 
get out into the open with their ballots, where their 
power lies. Let us all begin a campaign for a primary 
election in New York right now. As fast as they are 
nominated put your candidates for the Legislature on 
record, and if they oppose this needed reform cut 
them off your ticket. 
BREVITIES. 
Wb doubt if a silo for less than 10 cows will pay. 
Your average politician regards a true moral issue about 
as he would a case of smallpox. 
Somebody calls the farmer's wife the “silent partner.” 
But why should she remain silent? 
The United States courts uphold a decision that butter 
containing over 16 per cent of water is “adulterated.” 
If one of your boys shows a desire to fix up the place 
and plant flowers and shrubs don’t you ever prevent him 
from doing it. 
In mulch culture a growing weed is a sucker (of mois¬ 
ture), but when cut and put around a tree it succors by 
saving moisture. 
The birds never did greater damage on the farm than 
this year. They are far more numerous than ever, yet 
there is no lack of insects. 
The present outlook is for a “bumper” crop of hay and 
grain. This ought to cut down the feed bill, which has 
been worse than a nightmare to eastern buyers. Anything 
that drives us to more clover and Alfalfa is a blessing in 
disguise. 
In 1907 2,265,343 tons of phosphate rock were pro¬ 
duced in this country. There is little likelihood of a 
shortage of phosphoric acid. Some of the richest known 
deposits are being found in the small islands of the 
Southern Pacific. 
Our reports show that there is more trouble than 
ever with the express companies this season. They ai-e 
losing packages and damaging property, and then holding 
up settlement as long as possible. They seem to go on the 
theory that most people will quit in disgust after about 
three letters. One must hang to them like a bulldog and 
tire them out if he ever expects to get what is due him. 
A new affliction known as the Brown-tail Moth itch 
appears in New England. The cast-off skins of the moth 
cause a painful irritation. Prof. Kirkland prescribes the 
following remedy: Carbolic acid, one-half dram; zinc 
oxide, one-half ounce; lime water, eight ounces. The 
mixture to be well shaken and applied to the parts af¬ 
fected.” It will probably help other forms of skin irri¬ 
tation. 
