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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 1850. 
PabUibed weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, Hew York. 
Herbert W. Colung wood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, (2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6 d., or 8*2 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. 
Advertising rates 60 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for tlmr 
orders. References required for advertisers unknown to 
us; and cash trust 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 swindlerwill be publicly ex¬ 
posed. Weprotect suberibers 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. 
* 
Our friend Luther Burbank has broken out once 
more. Long silence seems to have put new wings 
to his imagination. This time it is spineless cactus. 
Mr. Burbank says he has specimens which are like 
the banana in quality, and which produce at the rate 
of 175,000 pounds per acre. The facts are that some 
of the prickly pear fruits, especially those from Sicily, 
have a pleasant fruity flavor somewhat like a melon. 
The quantity of pulp is small and there is great waste. 
The Mexicans eat them and the experiment stations 
in the Southwest have given full details. Any attempt 
to compare them with the banana is absurd. The 
statement that they yield 175,000 pounds to the acre 
is Mr. Burbank’s highest flight in “dream talk” and 
just about the record for mathematical “guff.” We 
have no doubt, however, that it will sell “spineless 
cactus” to trusting fools who ache to get rid of their 
money. 
* 
North Dakota now has a law prohibiting the sale 
and distribution of agricultural seeds containing 
seeds of quack grass, Canada thistle, sow thistle or 
dodder. The seeds most likely to contain these weed 
seeds are Brorne grass, Alfalfa or Canada Blue grass. 
These will be carefully sampled and examined. Names 
of firms selling such seeds will be printed, and in 
case of very bad specimens such firms will be prose¬ 
cuted. That is right. Farmers in Dakota are spend¬ 
ing thousands of dollars for sulphate of iron to be 
used in spraying for weed killing. They are making 
a good fight to kill the weeds, but that will amount 
to little if such weed seeds continue to be imported 
in grass seed. The foul stuff which some seedsmen 
send out is a disgrace to the trade. Such fellows 
ought to be branded, but first of all farmers must 
learn to let such frauds alone and refuse to buy 
poor or dirty seed. 
* 
Could not the bogus commission dealers be eliminated 
and the commission business be put on a reliable basis 
by the Federal or State Government requiring all would- 
be commission merchants to take out a license and give 
bonds, and a list of such be filed in the office of the 
town clerk in each town where it could be consulted by 
all interested parties? J - p - w - 
North Carolina. 
Yes, the business could be put on a reliable basis 
in this way, and many of us believe that it is about 
the only way to do it. State governments as a rule 
do not handle such things effectively. Again and 
again fakes and frauds operate under State charters 
or State protection and rob the public. The State 
jppears to be too feeble to handle them, and they 
continue their robbery until the Federal government 
gets after them. There is a great outcry against 
giving the Federal government increased powers, but 
unless State governments can show greater courage 
such increase of power will be necessary. 
* 
The Democrats in New Jersey and New York met 
their first vital test in the selection of United States 
Senator. In New Jersey they stood up to it well. At 
a primary election James E. Martine was selected as 
the party candidate. When it was found that the 
Legislature was Democratic politicians tried to re¬ 
pudiate the primary and have the Legislature elect 
ex-Senator Smith. There was only one thing to do, 
and that was to make the voters realize what it 
would mean if the principle of the primary election 
was rejected. The people saw it and they made the 
Legislature realize that it was a case of political duty 
or death. The result was that Mr. Smith withdrew 
and Mr. Martine was elected. Aside from the jus¬ 
tice of it this was the wisest.political move the Jersey 
Democrats have made in years. In New York the 
party has not risen to the occasion. The Legislature 
is wrangling over the selection of corporation or 
political lawyers. The Republicans have thrown away 
an even greater opportunity than was offered the 
Democrats. They might have presented some strong 
independent man who could possibly have been elected. 
Instead of doing so they have actually selected Sena¬ 
tor Depew—the most useless and thoroughly dis¬ 
credited man New York has had in the Senate since 
the Civil War. 
* 
From East to West we have the same story; when¬ 
ever a public official stands up straight against fraud 
or humbug an effort is made to pull him down. As 
an example, take the case of State Forester G. M. 
Homans of California. He did his best to suppress 
the “wildcats” who were booming shares in Euca¬ 
lyptus companies. Those frauds were robbing the 
public and Homans did his best to choke them off. 
Now efforts are being made to induce Governor 
Johnson to dismiss Mr. Homans because “he is an¬ 
tagonistic to the great industry of Eucalyptus grow¬ 
ing.” That is the way such frauds operate. They try 
to make it appear that honest men are with them 
in such 1 efforts. Look over the country and see how 
many men representing “agriculture” in public life 
stand up and fight for the farmer. You can get a 
wagonload of research and wise advice, but where 
do you find a fighter who will risk his job in a 
worthy fight? 
* 
Briefly stated, the proposed “reciprocity” with 
Canada consists in free trade in agricultural products, 
fish and lumber, and reduced duties on agricultural 
implements and some other manufactured goods. The 
advantage is all with American manufacturers, and 
the disadvantage all with farmers To show how 
complicated the situation is, there is now a sort of 
milk famine in western Canada. In spite of the tariff 
of 17H per cent on milk, the city of Winnipeg alone 
imports 1,000 gallons daily. With this tariff removed 
there would no doubt be large quantities of milk sent 
from this side of the line to western Canada. On the 
other hand, free trade in milk would prove a serious 
blow to milk producers in New England. The con¬ 
tractors would have the farmers at their mercy, for 
they could, in case of shortage, go to Canada for 
extra supplies. With the exception of free trade in 
print paper and wood pulp (and these not sure) 
there is nothing in this reciprocity that would injure 
our manufacturing business, while the entire scheme is 
designed to destroy any benefit which the present tariff 
affords to our farmers. 
* 
My wife and myself were going to Ithaca the other 
day, and I wanted to take a half bushel of apples to a 
friend there, so put them up and took them to the sta¬ 
tion. On reaching the station I decided that I couldn't 
bother with the anules. so sent them bv express. One- 
half bushel apples, 25 pounds, Trumansburg to Ithaca 
11 miles, half mile delivery in Ithaca, by same company, 
35 cents. My wife and myself and grip, 325 pounds, 
Trumansburg to Ithaca, 1% mile in Ithaca by another 
company, 54 cents. T. H. king. 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. 
Under our present postal laws Mr. King could have 
put the apples into seven different packages and sent 
by mail at a cost of $4! In Germany those apples 
would have been delivered by mail for less than 25 
cents. Mr. King himself would have been carried by 
the two separate companies for 32 cents. An express 
company which does this nice little business paid out 
in one year nearly $15,000,000 as “express privileges,” 
which means money paid to the railroads for carrying 
packages. It took in nearly $30,000,000 as “gross 
receipts” from all its operations and made so much 
money that it did not dare divide it as dividends, but 
gave it out as “new stock.” During 1909 all the ex¬ 
press companies in the country together took in $137,- 
831,658.65, and paid to their good friends the railroads 
$64,032,126.69! These companies owned real estate, 
buildings, fixtures, horses, everything, to a value of 
$23,313,575.53, or about 18 per cent of their income! 
We know several farmers who would enjoy taking in 
about seven times as much money each year as all 
their property is worth! They could put such money 
into circulation so it would benefit manufacturers 
and dealers at once. The express companies have 
robbed us long enough, but you can see from this the 
size of the job before us in bringing them to time. 
Parcels post is the only thing that will really do it. 
You see what a share of their graft goes to the rail¬ 
roads and the two together are strong in money and 
in pull. The plain people are strong in votes, and 
just as soon as the politicians find we mean business 
we shall get what we need. Keep at them! 
February 11, 
We, at tbe College of Agriculture, get many letters frorQ 
city people who have been taken by the glowing accounts 
of agricultural prospects as portrayed by the popular 
magazines, asking what their chances of success would 
be by going into agriculture without any practical experi¬ 
ence. We have considerable evidence, also, that a great 
many of such persons are falling into the hands of land 
speculators, and are being loaded up either with very in¬ 
ferior land, or else with land at very high prices. The 
movement from the city to the country has now been going 
on for a number of years, and it would seem to me it 
would be a most excellent scheme if The R.-N.-Y. would 
call for the experiences of city people who have without 
any practical farm experience gone into agricultural en¬ 
terprises within the last four or five years. Of course 
there are both successes and failures, and it is equally de- 
eirable that you should hear from both classes. Ask them 
for a brief and plain statement of their trials and dis¬ 
appointments, and their successes. I think it is time the 
city people should be permitted to see both sides of the 
picture. J. L. stone. 
We already have some of those statements. We 
want all we can get. Do not think you must make 
out a good story and hide all the failures. On the 
other hand, do not think it your duty to give only the 
black side of country living with none of the advan¬ 
tages. Give us a fair, plain statement of your experi¬ 
ence, without frills or special pleading. With the 
present “back to the land” movement, no more useful 
thing can be done than to tell the exact truth about 
moving from town or city to a farm after home and 
competence. This change from city to country is one 
of the most important migrations in our history and 
it is important that those who start should know what 
they are doing. Who can teach them except those 
who have been over the road? Beginning this week 
we shall run a series of articles from men who have 
started this journey. 
* 
They seem to be possessed to get tbe gist of anything 
pertaining to a farmer wrong end to. I _ don’t know 
whether it is dense ignorance or pure eussedness. 
LEWIS B. KINNEY. 
I consider this most misleading and false in its rep¬ 
resentation as far as your attitude is concerned regard¬ 
ing sentiments expressed, and ought to be replied to and 
sharply criticized for writing such stuff. 
GEORGE F. HILLS. 
The above extracts from letters refer to the foolish 
statement made by the Syracuse Post-Standard, all 
of which is printed on page 158. There is no need for 
us to reply to such nonsense. Our people do it for 
us, and they do it well. It is pleasant to see the 
way our friends take up these suggestions about 
writing their local papers. We urged them to do 
this about parcels post, but they are going further, 
and making their power felt in new places. You 
will hear no more of these schoolboy essays from 
the Post-Standard, and no one could have shut it 
off but these farmers. A few years ago they would 
have endured such sneers in silence. Now they 
know better, for they understand something of their 
power, and have gained the courage to exercise it. 
They can accomplish great things if they will stick 
a sharp pen into every blind, stupid, ignorant or men¬ 
dacious writer who comes into their local paper with 
a sneer at their efforts to right business wrongs. 
These men would have us go right on increasing 
our products, taking more 35-cent dollars and giving 
the handlers 65 cents every time we take 35. We 
rejoice that The R. N.-Y. has kept at this point until 
thousands of farmers see it. Now we need to reach 
the consumers in town and city. Here is the chance 
for our people to pass the word along to their local 
papers. Do not be afraid of them. They need you 
more than you need them. 
BREVITIES. 
Small farm bridges of concrete are permanent. 
Kansas is a meat producing State. We are told that 
Kansas farmers buy about $7,000,000 worth of meat from 
the butcher shops, giving the various middlemen about 
50 cents of the consumer’s dollar for handling their own 
meat. 
" A reader lias asked Mr. Douean. the $9 hen man, if 
he uses trap-nests. He says ho never did but once— 
that was to find the hen which laid an egg of poor 
shape. lie got her the first day. He cannot! spare the 
time to watch the nests. 
Still another organization is that of the Lespcdeza 
growers in Louisiana. Hay made from this clover has 
great value. This organization will work to make the 
consuming public acquainted with this hay, learn how to 
get rid of weeds and how to get pure seed—also try to 
obtain reasonable freight rates. 
In 1814 20 tons of anthracite coal were produced in 
Pennsylvania. In 1009 the total output had grown to 
2,095,834,234 tons. Anthracite is now becoming a luxury, 
and bituminous coal, oil, gas and wood must be sub¬ 
stituted for it. We think the future price of wood must 
increase. 
A “sticky” whitewash reported from Colorado for use 
on trees marked with sunscald is made as follows: 30 
pounds quicklime, four pounds tallow and five pounds 
salt. Melt the tallow and dissolve the salt and then put 
with the lime while it is slaking. Use enough water to 
make it flow well—and it will stick. 
