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The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home« 
Established isso 
Published weokly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Hkrbxrt W. Colusowood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mas. 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 yi marks, or 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 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 respon¬ 
sible 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 exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible 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. 
* 
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death 
of Dr. Edward B. Voorhees director of the New 
Jersey Experiment Station. Dr. Voorhees was born 
in Somerset Co., N. J., 55 years ago. He graduated 
at Rutgers College in 1881, and by thorough study 
and hard work became one of the most noted edu¬ 
cators and agricultural scientists in America. In the 
New Jersey station lie gathered around him a notable 
body of men who have made that institution famous 
for the accuracy and value of its work. Dr. Voorhees 
was a plain, unassuming man who understood the 
farmers and had full sympathy for them. He en¬ 
joyed their confidence and did not fail them. 
* 
I am glad to know that you are looking up the gentlemen 
who represent us in the State Senate, especially the gentle¬ 
man who went there in disguise and gave his occupation as 
an “agriculturist.” lie tells us through The R. N.-Y. what 
his claims to the title of “agriculturist” are, but he avoids 
telling us how he “makes his money in the city to lavish 
it on the farm.” Will Mi - . Ormrod now come forward and 
tell us what his real occupation or business is. And while 
he as about it will he also tell us whether he is in the 
New York State Senate in pursuit of his fad as an “agri¬ 
culturist” or is he there to represent his money or business 
interests, whatsoever they may be? J. G. M. 
That is a live question and we gladly offer Senator 
Ormrod space in which to answer it. He calls him¬ 
self an “agriculturist” and tells us why he is not a 
'farmer. It is a matter of outside occupation. There 
are some 100,000 of us right now who would like to 
be “agriculturists” for a vacation if some one will 
tell us where and how to make the necessary money. 
* 
Our friend, E. G. Lewis, undertook to try the 
"Senator Page act” in California. The “woman’s 
friend” is marching through California on a bed of 
roses in which some long and sharp thorns are left. 
At Los Angeles Mr. Lewis said he wanted to have a 
real expression of opinion, so he called a meeting of 
women who desired to ask him questions! It was a 
splendid bluff, but the women took him right at his 
word. They went to the meeting loaded with the evi¬ 
dence of broken promises and the full power of ex¬ 
pression which has been given certain members of 
the gentler sex. Mr. Lewis wisely sent word that he 
was “sick.” This was the one engagement in all the 
trip that he missed. The poet has made a very ac¬ 
curate comparison of the mental altitude of “a woman 
scorned.” There may still be infatuated creatures to 
hand bouquets to Mr. Lewis, but this idolatry is nearly 
over and there can be no more savage enemy than a 
deceived worshiper once aroused from her folly. 
* 
The arguments for and against Canadian reci¬ 
procity are in. Senators may talk for a month, but 
we do not believe all this flood of words will change 
a single vote. The plain truth is that President Taft 
has strengthened his position during the past few 
weeks. His strongest argument has been the fact 
that this trade agreement with Canada affords the 
only chance in sight of getting tariff reform really 
started. A vast majority of the people of this 
country are in favor of such reform. Our desire 
is to give our readers the truth regarding public 
matters whatever personal opinion or feeling may 
be. Our private advices from Washington indicate 
that certain farm politicians have injured the cause 
of the farmer rather than helped it. When they 
gave President Taft the insinuation of a threat they 
gave him a chance to reply t© them in a way 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
that marked them as poor bluffers in the eyes of the 
country. Strong men do not bluff or threaten and 
public men know the difference between cold fact 
and “hot air.” The farm politicians we refer to 
have given the country to understand that our 
farmers are a lot of narrow unprogressive bluffers 
when the only hope for country people is to take a 
broader view of public questions. 
* 
We stay right by this attempted game of shutting 
off the sale of dairy butter. Dealers have been trying 
to scare farmers into thinking that such butter is 
“adulterated” because it contains over 16 per cent of 
water. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is 
reported as ruling: 
Surplus butter of the farmer would not be held subject 
to the tax of 10 cents per pound although it might contain 
16 per cent or more of moisture nor would the merchant 
receiving or purchasing the same and selling in its original 
form be reqqjred to pay special tax, hut if these various 
lots or parcels are gathered up and reworked so as to lose 
their identity as originally produced on the farm, all the 
taxes imposed by law for the manufacture and sale of 
adulterated buttei would be imposed if the product is 
then found to contain excessive moisture. 
It is the same old story. The handlers get into 
trouble through trying to substitute water for butter 
fat and then try to blame it on the farmer. Dairy 
butter made as you and your ancestors have made it 
is all right 
* 
It has been shown that the crown gall disease of 
fruit trees is caused by bacteria. It has been proved 
that these bacteria when taken from the galls on peach 
trees will produce much the same growth on the roots 
of tomatoes, sugar beets and many other plants. The 
bacteria also live on the roots of Alfalfa and the 
clovers, and may be carried in the soil in which such 
plants grow. For instance, an Alfalfa field may con¬ 
tain plants carrying these crown-gall bacteria on their 
roots. If soil from this field were used for inoculat¬ 
ing a new seeding of Alfalfa in a field where an or¬ 
chard or a crop of sugar beets were to be grown, the 
crown-gall disease might be started on the trees or 
the beets. The Department of Agriculture has 
worked this matter out until there seems to be no 
question about it. Alfalfa and Crimson and Alsike 
clovers are most likely to spread the disease, and be¬ 
fore we used soil for starting these crops in an or¬ 
chard we should make sure if possible that this 
crown-gall disease is not in the soil. We have been 
brought up to reject every nursery tree which shows 
the gall on its crown or roots. It must be admitted, 
however, that nurserymen and some of the scientists 
offer evidence to prove that such galls are harmless. 
* 
Two things happened last week which may have 
much to do with American industry. A new type of 
fiver steamer started from New Orleans up the 
Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It was built to over¬ 
come the troubles which have hurt the river traffic. 
The flat, shallow bottom of the boat is of steel to 
prevent damage from snags. There are new “funnel 
propellers” which will work in shallow water or even 
in mud. Tt is hoped that these boats will open the 
shallow Missouri River to water traffic, give new 
competition to the railroads and thus force better ser¬ 
vice and lower rates. 
In the East a successful trial was made of the 
new Edison storage electric battery. For years Mr. 
Edison has been working to perfect a storage battery 
that will be light, portable and reasonably cheap. It 
is now said that he has one that will go into an or¬ 
dinary suit case. It can be charged from any avail¬ 
able power and easily carried wherever needed to 
supply an electric motor. The possibilities of such a 
thing on a farm where there is water power can 
hardly be estimated. A man with such a power could 
not only use the batteries for his own use, but sell 
“canned force” to his neighbors. We hope that the 
boat and the battery will help break down the 
monopoly of power which coal and oil now hold 
over us. 
* 
At the suggestion of President Taft, the last Con¬ 
gress created a “Commerce Court” which was to de¬ 
cide cases of law arising from decisions of the Inter¬ 
state Commerce Commission. The argument for this 
new court was that it would hasten business and pre¬ 
vent delay. This court has just decided a case which 
gives half a million dollars a year to the sugar trust. 
The rate for carrying sugar from New York to 
Cleveland, Ohio, was 17 cents per 100 pounds. The 
sugar trust floated its sugar on “lighters” three miles 
from the refinery in Brooklyn to the railroad terminals 
ir. Jersey City. It then charged two cents rebate 
for “cartage” and 4 1-5 cents for lighterage. This 
the railroads paid back to the sugar trust, so that 
their sugar was carried from New York to Cleveland 
June 17, 
for 10 4-5 cents. The Federal Company, located at 
Yonkers, was obliged to float its sugar 12 miles down 
the Hudson and was charged 17 cents with no rebate! 
Thus the sugar trust beat its competitor $1.22 in 
freight on every ton of sugar. The Federal Company 
appealed to the Interstate Commerce to compel the 
railroads to stop this rebating, and after two hearings 
the commission agreed to do so. The railroads ap¬ 
pealed to the new court, and it has now granted an 
injunction restraining the commission from interfer¬ 
ing with the privileges of the trust! The question in¬ 
volved was whether this court had the right to go 
behind the commission’s decision. The court claims 
that right, and if the Supreme Court should uphold 
it every trust in the country will be helped by this 
decision, for new schemes for rebating will be worked 
out. It is in line with the decision that mopopolies 
may be reasonable' or “unreasonable” at the option of 
judges. It looks as if the railroads were getting all 
they wanted out of this new court. No one can be 
blamed for losing faith in onr courts in the face of 
such decisions. With corporation lawyers as judges 
the trusts will naturally control them. There is no 
cause for wonder at the demand for the “recall'’ of 
judges when such decisions are made. 
* 
If this condition of affairs is not changed it will result 
in greatly cutting down the support you receive from the 
manufacturers of almost numberless foods, beverages and 
proprietary or patent medicines, and the question presents 
itself: Will you and your influential paper stand for such 
a condition. We think not. * * * Let your Senators 
and your Congressmen know your attitude in this matter 
and you will be rewarded not alone by an improvement in 
your business but by feeling that you are standing up for 
your rights as well as ours. 
These extracts are taken from a circular letter sent 
us by the Advertisers’ Protective Association. They 
take pains to inform us that the association is com¬ 
posed of manufacturers of foods, beverages and 
drugs, representing an investment of $400,000,000. 
They spend $100,000,000 eacli year in advertising. The 
object of this letter is to enlist The R. N.-Y. in an 
attack upon Dr. Wiley of the pure food and drug 
bureau. We are gently but firmly reminded that a 
“reward” of advertising will follow such attacks. Now 
we know Dr. Wiley and have followed his operations 
carefully. He may have been over-zealous in chasing 
after some of the people who use questionable chemi¬ 
cals and drugs, but we think he is trying honestly to 
protect the public. His work thus far has been of 
great benefit to farmers, for they suffer in a double 
sense when adulterated or poisoned goods are put up 
and sold. Every pound of adulterated food displaces 
a pound of pure food and to that extent injures the 
business of producers. We believe that the public 
should be protected against fake goods and poisons 
and we believe Dr. Wiley is giving us such protec¬ 
tion. As for attacking the worthy work of the pure 
food bureau in order to be “rewarded” with advertis¬ 
ing, we thank God that The Rural New-Yorker is 
not obliged to stand hat in hand waiting to take or¬ 
ders before we express our convictions. We will 
gladly denounce any injustice or abuse of privilege, 
but not for $1,000,000 per line will we condemn an 
honest and efficient public servant at the suggestion 
of such “reward.” 
BREVITIES. 
The latest use we hear for cement is making hen's 
nests. They are “sanitary”—can be scrubbed free of in¬ 
sects ! 
Australia is to build a new Federal capital. Clay hav¬ 
ing been found nearby the government is to put up a brick¬ 
yard and make its own brick for building. 
The Dutch are thrifty. They will put criminal youths 
on waste land and put them at work under expert farm¬ 
ers. When the land has been improved it will be sold ! 
The British Cotton Growing Association endeavors to 
increase cotton growing in the British Empire and is 
succeeding. Queensland, Australia, is the latest section 
where cotton pays. 
“I never expect more than 100 cents for each dollar I 
spend, and am thankful if I get as much as 90 cents, ex¬ 
cept in the case of the Rural New-Yorker, in which I get 
many times a dollar's worth,” says J. W. L., of Georgia. 
In hunting the facts about selling corn silage as a busi¬ 
ness we find one or two instances where silage is used 
as manure or for use in hotbeds. It is said to answer 
fairly well for the last named use. Now we want facts 
about that if anyone can give them. When we get on a 
trail we like to run it to the end. 
Several young men were competitors for a good job. 
After one was chosen we asked the boss why the others 
were rejected. “They were more anxious for the salary 
than for the opportunity. It was a permanent thing, in 
which a young fellow had a good chance to grow. These 
young men stood hard for a good salary before they proved 
themselves.” 
The scientific men are getting this manure problem 
down to a pretty fine point. In North Dakota they find 
that fresh manure from flax straw should not be used 
on flax because it carries disease germs. Same of wheat 
straw. The remedy is to compost the manure or put It 
on other crops. 
