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The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established, 1850. 
Pnblliked weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, Hew York, 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or 8^ 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 timr 
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 swmdlerwill 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-Yorkee 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. 
* 
Let’s see, President Taft and Secretary of Agricul¬ 
ture Wilson were to begin a campaign to educate the 
farmers on “reciprocity.” The President made a 
speech.and the Secretary gave out an interview. Since 
then a great silence has fallen upon them. Can it be 
that they have learned at last that the farmers of this 
country mean to think and act for themselves? 
* 
Before the end of April the Interstate Commerce 
Commission will probably decide a question of ex¬ 
press rates which will have a great bearing on the fu¬ 
ture. There will probably be a great overhauling of 
express rates and we hope the Commission will go to 
the bottom of the matter. The law passed last Winter 
gave the Commission power to act. The way the rail¬ 
road rate question was settled makes us hopeful that 
the express companies will get just what they de¬ 
serve—no more, no less. 
* 
No doubt about it, some of the apple growers begin 
to shake their heads over the outlook. Trees are 
being planted by the million—many of them in the 
most business-like way. What can be done with the 
fruit when all these trees come in bearing? If we 
assumed that everyone now had fruit enough there 
could be but one answer to the question. As it is, not 
one person in 10 living in our cities has all the apples 
he wants. Go into any town and ask the people you 
meet at random about this. They all want more 
apples—at a fair price. This would mean a living 
price to growers if they could in some way deal more 
directly with consumers. There would be a good de¬ 
mand for twice the apples anywhere in sight if dis¬ 
tribution could be arranged so as to let the people 
have them at fair prices. All these people who are 
planting apples are more than interested in analyzing 
the consumer’s dollar. That will .be even more im¬ 
portant than the orchard. 
* 
A littee thing, very simple in itself, may often 
make a great difference in a large business. Such a 
thing is the steamer for plant bed soils shown on the 
first page. Gardeners will tell you how much they 
have lost by trying to start their young plants in 
soil which is full of weed seeds and disease germs. 
The Southern tobacco grower who turns over a piece 
cf ground in which to start the plants and the North¬ 
ern farmer who sows late cabbage seed after spad¬ 
ing the soil under a bonfire knows the value of 
clean soil. This idea of a heavy iron pan bottom 
side up to hold the steam over the loose soil is sim¬ 
ple enough and is just as effective. The steam, un¬ 
der pressure, kills weeds and germs and leaves the 
soil just right for seeding. Mr. Shamel says he got 
his idea of this from using a wagon box with cloth 
spread over it. This steaming pan is a perfect suc¬ 
cess, and should be brought to the attention of all 
who raise seedlings. 
A few years ago most people regarded the mos¬ 
quito pest as they did a cold wind or a hot sun. 
About all you could do was to endure it and pro¬ 
tect yourself. Now we know more about .the pest. 
It cannot breed except in stagnant water. If there 
are no dead ponds nearby most of us get our 
supply out of old tin cans or tubs left where they 
will be partly filled with water. Half a dozen 
such cans will populate a farmhouse for the season. 
The adult mosquito which will be responsible for 
this year’s crop has probably wintered in your house 
cellar. When the days grow warm she will come 
out, hunt for stagnant water, and lay her eggs. A 
thorough fumigation with Jimson weed right now 
THE RUR_A.I> NEW-YORKER 
will kill many of these adults. Eight ounces of 
powdered Jimson weed (Datura stramonium) will 
fumigate 100 cubic feet. With this cellar fumigation 
and emptying all vessels and puddles which might 
hold water, the mosquito pest will be cut down by 
75 per cent. A few will blow in from other lo¬ 
calities, but the home crop is the worst. 
* 
Plant corn! Plant corn! Plant corn! 
That advice does not cost you anything extra, but 
it may mean a lot of money. No matter what reci¬ 
procity does to potatoes, hay or milk, it cannot mean 
greater imports of corn. Canada is not a corn produc¬ 
ing country. The Canadians want our corn. There 
are still thousands of old pasture or meadow lands 
at the East which as they are, barely pay taxes. The 
meadows are kept alive by using fertilizers, but the 
grass is old and cannot yield much. The pastures 
give little, and are getting more and more foul with 
brush and weeds. It will pay to plow as much of this 
old sod land as you can handle well and plant corn, 
using some fertilizer to start and harden the crop. 
In this way you can get a good crop of grain and 
stalk and get the ground in shape for grain or re¬ 
seeding. We have taken these old grass fields, worked 
them into corn in this way and seeded to rye in the 
corn—working lime in at the last cultivation. This is 
the quickest and easiest way we know of to help out 
the grain supply on many an Eastern farm. These 
old fields have been accumulating plant food for years. 
Corn is just the crop to take it out for you. 
* 
Those articles by Chas. R. White on cooperation 
are valuable because they give the experience .of a real 
farmers’ association. It must be evident to everyone 
by this time that the surplus middlemen will never 
voluntarily give up their share of the consumer’s dol¬ 
lar. It is just as true that the Government cannot; 
even if it were willing to try, put more of the white 
meat of that dollar on the farmer’s plate. The his¬ 
tory of business development shows that organization 
is the foundation of success. In the nature of the 
case it is harder for farmers to get together than for 
merchants, railroad men or manufacturers, yet we 
must learn to do so if we expect to get our share. 
Farm organizations seem to be more successful in the 
West, largely because the people in a new country do 
not have such deep prejudices or suspicions as in 
older sections. It seems evident that there can be no 
successful organization unless a few strong men are 
willing to practice self-denial and patience. No man 
who is easily discouraged should undertake the job. 
* 
The conviction is growing among farmers who 
have really studied the question that there should 
be in this country a political party much like that 
in Germany known as the Agrarian. That repre¬ 
sents a group of legislators or public men who 
labor first of all to obtain justice for agriculture. 
These men may take sides with one great political 
party or the other on many public questions, but* 
when it comes to the farm and farming they act 
together solidly for what they believe will best help 
their business. Acting in this way the Agrarians 
have been of great service to German agriculture. 
It needs but a moment’s ‘thought to see how such a 
pa,rty .would help American agriculture. In this 
country our public men are either Democrats or Re¬ 
publicans. There may be a few “insurgents.” but, 
generally speaking, the things which vitally affect 
agriculture are mixed up with other “demands” or 
“issues” and decided on party lines. What real chance 
has the farmer under such an arrangement? His 
business is wide and diversified and his friends are 
unorganized. The other interests are compact and 
organized, and under the present division of party 
lines they can always get first choice of legislation. 
Tf we had a party or group like the German Agrarians 
our farmers would have a far better chance. In 
this country, for more than a century, our people 
have been trained to divide on certain party lines 
so that it has been impossible to settle some of the 
great agricultural questions on their true merits. As a 
result the farmers of Germany, France, England and 
Canada have secured far more favorable legislation 
than American farmers enjoy. Politically the 
farmers at ,the North have been chiefly concerned 
in keeping up the Republican party, while Southern 
farmers have in like manner carried the Democratic 
party. When men spend their lives toiling for others 
their own job is neglected. That is just what has 
happened to the farmers of America. We need 
a party or a ‘group of men in public life who will, 
first of all, act like the German Agrarians to give 
agriculture a fair showing with other industries. Our 
farmers do not want special privileges, but they do 
want fair treatment. We might as well conclude 
that under the present division of political thought 
we shall not get it. 
April 1, 
“Tariff reduction” as illustrated by the Canadian 
reciprocity agreement seems to mean free trade in 
farm products and just as little reduction on manu¬ 
factured goods as is' possible. If this plan is carried 
out to the end our farmers will face serious com¬ 
petition from Argentina. That country is developing 
rapidly, and is producing wheat, corn and meat in 
large quantities. It is the only country at present 
which promises to compete with our farmers in the 
production of corn. Several shipments have already 
been made and more will follow. While Argentina 
has a fertile soil and good climate, her two chief ad¬ 
vantages are Alfalfa and liberal land laws. During 
the past 20 years it has become almost a national 
policy to encourage the cultivation of Alfalfa. It is 
often a part of the terms of contract or sale of land 
to immigrants that Alfalfa must be grown. The re¬ 
sult of this has been cheaper meat production and 
more fertile soil. The time will surely come when 
the nation which encourages the growth of clover and 
Alfalfa will have a clear advantage over rival nations 
which do not foster these crops. The land laws of 
Argentina are framed so as to attract the best class 
of European immigrants and give them a fair chance. 
The country has been developed on the theory that 
agriculture represented the foundation industry and 
was therefore entitled to first choice and first place 
in legislation. Thus it appears that our main com¬ 
petition in .farm products is to come from Canada 
and Argentina—two countries in which farmers have 
more practical help than our own government affords, 
and actual financial help as well. 
* 
We doubt if there has ever been a time in the his¬ 
tory of this country when greater efforts were made 
to sell land in “colonies.” The mails are full of the 
most plausible statements which lead a man to think 
that for a few cents a day he can buy a farm of 
strong land in an ideal situation. The most glowing 
offers are from the South. Usually the promoters se¬ 
cure a tract of land on tax sales for a few cents per 
acre and offer it at $25 or more. We may take as a 
typical case an offer recently made to advertise a 
tract of land in The R. N.-Y. The cash for the ad¬ 
vertising came with the order, and it was mild and 
reasonable in statement. After an investigation we 
refused the advertisement and returned the cash. We 
learned that the land in question was really strong 
and fertile. Compare it as soil with the land on most 
northern farms and it. would show to great advantage. 
“Shipping facilities” were also good, as the land lies 
close to two large railroads. There can be no doubt 
that early vegetables and fruit can be grown on this 
soil by those who know how to handle it. Thus far 
the claims of the promoters were fair, but they 
did not go on and tell the more important things 
which an immigrant should consider. 
Go to church or Sunday school in this section and 
you would find people yellow as an orange, children 
that did not jump and play, and great sad eyes that 
looked out of fever-stricken souls. For this good soil 
and good shipping location was in a low, fever- 
stricken district where a northern man would lose his 
energy within a year. He would go there high in 
hopes, based on the business possibilities, only to face 
a sure struggle with fever and disease. Some men do 
fairly well in this district. They are strong enough to 
become immune after years of sickness or they are 
able to live in the mountains during the hot and moist 
Summer months. The average northern immigrant 
cannot do this. He must stay on his land and work 
out his home. We could not conscientiously put such 
a proposition before our people, though the men back 
of the land sale are well known and the claims are 
not extravagant. This is but one case of dozens 
which have made it necessary for us to take the stand 
we do regarding colony land sales. There are no 
doubt cases where a change of location would help a 
farmer but we have yet to find a “land boom” 
scheme which we can recommend. Before you buy 
land in these colonies read “Martin Chuzzlewit,” by 
Charles Dickens—even if you have read it before. 
BREVITIES. 
For best results harrow in the lime. 
It looks bad for the Georgia peach crop. 
The Winter vacation is about over—spring in! 
Do not trust to “average” figures. Get the limits before 
you decide. 
Remember the bill! It is Assembly bill 590 intro¬ 
duced at Albany, N. Y., by Mr. Collin Its object is to 
make the commission men show their record of sales 
and be subject to supervision. The bill is a just one and 
is needed. New York State readers should at once get at 
the men who represent them at Albany and urge them to 
support this bill. 
A few facts about hen manure. Keep it perfectly dry 
and there will be little loss of ammonia. Crush or grind 
it up fine for best’ use. As a fertilizer it is comparatively 
rich in nitrogen and weak in potash and phosphoric acid— 
therefore ground bone or acid phosphate and potash are 
the chemicals to use with it. Of course lime or wood 
ashes should never be mixed with it. 
