740 
WKCEi RURAfc NEW-YORKER 
The Rural NTiPW-Yrn-Lr^*- true of wheat ’ corn > P° ultr y> etc. Trade is still 
A “HA I OrKer carried on by the law of supply and demand, but the 
supply end of it is on an abnormal basis. It is evi¬ 
dent that this abuse of secret storage must be re¬ 
moved before trade can be put on a fair and sound 
basis. Hence the most important feature of these 
laws is the provision that periodical reports of the 
quantity of goods in cold storage must be made pub¬ 
lic. When this provision is enacted into Federal law, 
the power of the speculator will be broken, and trade 
will rapidly free itself from the other abuses. 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Ilomes 
Established isso 
— ■ ■ --.-- t _______ 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pear! St., New York 
Herbert W. Colli no wood, President and Editor. 
„ „ r , John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager 
Wm. F. Di l lon, Secretary. _ Mrs. E. T. Hoyle,X s^ciate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $ 2 . 01 . equal to 8s. 6d or 
8% maiks, or 10J£ francs. Remit in money order, express 7 
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” 
that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
5>‘> le P f '^° n - P»t 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 ad just trifling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we be 
responsible for the debts of honest Rank nip ts sanctioned by tile courts 
Notice of the complaint must lie sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and yon 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. 
* 
In his recent articles Dr. L. H. Bailey, of the New 
York College of Agriculture, suggested that farmers 
could provide work for students during the college 
vacation. \\ e understand there was an immediate 
response to this, which practically swamped the uni¬ 
versity. It was unable to half supply the call for 
helpers. 
* 
You will see on page 744 that the Babcock milk 
test is affected somewhat by the quality of the water 
used. A very “hard” water containing lime will 
change the reading of the fat to some extent, and if 
this test should be taken for figuring on a large 
amount of milk there would be considerable differ¬ 
ence. This is an important matter when such a test is 
made to show whether milk is pure or “adulterated.” 
* 
We hope you will study the articles on white 
diarrhea now appearing. The Connecticut Station 
scientists have proved that this disease comes origin¬ 
ally from the mother hen. The germs are in the yolk 
of the egg, and from this they pass into the little 
chick. Sorry that the “Business Hen” has been caught 
in this unbusiness-like game, but they seem to prove 
it without doubt. Now comes a chance for the man 
who can guarantee germ-free hens, eggs or chicks. 
These scientific experiments put us on the right trail. 
Let it be followed up I 
Laws for the regulation of cold storage have re¬ 
cently been made by the Legislatures of New York 
and New Jersey, and great interest is centered on the 
Heyburn bill, covering this matter, now before Con¬ 
gress. The special points aimed at in all this legisla¬ 
tion are to safeguard health, and prevent interfer¬ 
ence with the normal current of trade in foods. Poul¬ 
try and fish have commonly been kept two or three 
years, and in some cases more than five, though it is 
generally admitted that one year is beyond the limit of 
safety for such storage. Those who wish to store the 
surplus of one Thanksgiving’s glutted market so that 
it may be sold at the next Thanksgiving will deny 
this, but they can scarcely be called disinterested 
judges. Doctors and chemists have found that there 
is enough risk to render such storage unsafe. It is 
claimed that in this way poultry may be sold at a 
moderate price at times when fresh-killed would be 
so scarce that only the rich could have it, but what 
sane man cares to risk a case of ptomaine poisoning 
merely because poultry is cheap? The arguments 
about the great benefit the consumer gets from stor¬ 
age are nonsense when both sides of the question are 
Studied. Unlimited secret storage of food products 
makes monopoly, corners and the resulting high prices 
possible. There is plenty of capital available to carry 
on any promising speculation. Under unlimited secret 
storage the packinghouse people and others con¬ 
trolling large warehouses are able to take foods 
from the market, hold them until scarcity puts the 
price above what would be a normal level, and then 
dole them out so carefully as to prevent a drop in 
price. This is the scientific principle of cornering a 
market, though the speculators sometimes miscalculate 
and lose. Large interests are able to disguise their 
own hands in buying and selling in such a manner 
that the general public has only a vague idea of 
their work. Butter fis made, offered for sale, and it 
disappears—some into consumptive trade, but much 
more just disappears until it can have a new and de¬ 
cidedly higher price label tacked on it. The same is 
The Supreme Court decided that the pure food and 
drug law does not cover cases where fakers and frauds 
advertise to sell ‘sure cures” for such diseases as can¬ 
cer, consumption, fits, etc. So long as these hellish 
cures contain drugs as represented it appears that 
the manufacturers, under the present law, may claim 
about what they please. You may trust them to live 
up to their privilege. Justice Hughes protested against 
such a decision, but he was over-ruled. A sample of 
the milder claims made by these fakers is that made 
for the “Egyptian Deodorizer and Germ Killer”: “A 
perfect fumigator and destroyer of disease germs. No 
more bad odors or danger from germs, destroying 
menace of drainage, and other sources of disease.” 
Analysis showed that this was some sort of wood— 
probably cedar—perfumed with essential oils. It did 
not kill any “germs”—they grew fat on it! 
Another snide preparation is “Painease.” “Stops 
all pain such as rheumatism, neuralgia, periodicals, 
backache, headache, etc.; in fact it is for aches and 
pains of every description. It is a sure and very 
effective remedy for excessive dissipation of any kind. 
Contains no poisonous drug or opiate of any nature.” 
The pure food and drug chemists brought criminal 
charges against the proprietor of this stuff. It was 
claimed to be misbranded because of these statements. 
They are false and misleading because “Painease” 
will not stop all pains,” and contains a poisonous 
drug. Under the Supreme Court decision nothing can 
be done to stop these wild and false “claims.” Presi¬ 
dent Taft now asks Congress to tighten up the law 
so as to cut out these fakes and snides by making 
their extravagant claims illegal. Congress should 
act at once. No decent man can object. These 
rascals get over 80 cents of the consumer’s dollar in 
their pretended “cures,” and usually leave the suf¬ 
ferer worse off than before, since he is usually on 
the road to some drug habit. Yet this is the sort of 
stuff we were asked to defend. The Advertisers’ 
Protective Association offers what amounts to a 
bribe of advertising to the papers which will attack 
Dr. Wiley and help break down his work in choking 
off these drug nuisances! We have been waiting to 
see how many papers would spurn the bribe offer. 
Thus far “The Outlook” and “Collier’s Weekly” have 
done so. If any other farm papers have spoken out 
we have not noticed it. 
* » 
See what those practical fruit growers say about 
crown gall on page 734 . These men would not plant 
trees showing the galls. The following letter states 
it about right: 
No one should receive and use any kind of nursery 
stock or trees with any defect or infestation, because there 
is plenty of clean healthy stock. If it is sent anyone it 
should be immediately returned and refused. As to their 
value, on poor soils where weak, slow or imperfect growth 
is made or likely to be made by newly planted nursery 
stock, gall-infested trees will not thrive or do well. On 
strong soils rich with humus where fine growth is likely 
the galls are of vex-y little damage. Trees will outgrow 
them, and they are little damaged. It is a mighty poor 
plan to start out on a 25-year trip with an orchard and 
have anything wrong with it in the start. There is 
plenty that is liable to happen. wm. bombeuger. 
Those last two sentences suit us. On page 702 we 
mentioned a case in Massachusetts where a fruit 
grower sued to recover damages caused by galled 
trees. The case was decided against him, not because 
the evidence proved that galls are harmless, but be¬ 
cause this grower did not prove they are harmful. 
We shall continue to throw out the galled trees. 
* 
What about parcels post? The R. N.-Y. believes 
in giving its readers the truth about parcels post, 
reciprocity and other public matters. There is no 
use bluffing or trying to hide the facts. Regardless 
of their personal desires, farmers will be better off 
to know the real situation. We have not believed that 
the present Congress will do anything with parcels 
post at this session. Our information is that Speaker 
Clark is as definitely opposed to it as was Mr. Cannon. 
True, a committee is giving “hearings,” but little or 
no progress is made. This committee usually shuts off 
argument by asking “What form of parcels post do 
you want?” There are usually several bills before 
them, some of which are purposely put in to confuse 
July s, 
the issue. It seems that a great many farmers 
thoughtlessly signed petitions which they did not 
read or understand. These now turn up against 
parcels post and in favor of the country storekeepers 
and express companies. The express companies are 
working quietly all the time. An organization of 
“business men” is working for a penny postage. If 
they get it there will be another shortage in the 
postal revenues, and parcels post will be held up. 
Thus it has come to be a square fight between the 
city business men and country people. Shall the 
former have their letter postage cut in two, or shall 
the latter get some relief from the express monopoly. 
All the powers which have so long opposed us will 
be back of the demand for penny postage. It must 
be evident now to anyone who is able to think that 
neither of the present political parties will help in this 
fight except in the must perfunctory manner. We do 
not believe either one of them will dare antagonize 
the express companies or the men who want penny 
postage first. We must therefore form an organiza¬ 
tion of our own. Make parcels post and what goes 
with it the vital issue, and elect a Congress that will 
iep us; and above all things, get rid of the farm 
politicians who have put us in a false position over 
reciprocity. 
* 
Before the original United States Constitution was 
adopted the various States had the right to pass tariff 
laws. In 1787 the New York Legislature undertook 
to tax if not destroy a trade between New Jersey 
and Connecticut and New York City. The two States 
mentioned shipped vast quantities of firewood, vege¬ 
tables and poultry to the city. The Dutch farmers 
were experts and their produce was superior. They 
sent it on boats down the rivers and across the bay. 
The best firewood came from Connecticut, and was 
shipped direct by boat. The New York Legislature 
determined to kill this trade, although New York 
farmers could not supply the goods as well as the 
Dutchmen and Yankees. So they put a tariff on all 
such produce, and compelled all boats bringing it from 
the two States to enter and clear at the custom house. 
This led to a “tariff war.” New York City owned 
four acres at Sandy Hook within the limits of New 
Jersey. A lighthouse was built there and the New 
Jersey Legislature taxed it 30 pounds per month ! In 
Connecticut a league was formed, the members bind¬ 
ing. themselves under a severe penalty not to send any 
ai tide whatever to New York for one year. This 
did not go on long enough to give results, for within 
a year the Constitution was ratified and with this New 
York lost her power to tax her neighbors. Here was 
a protective tariff carried to its extreme. No one 
benefited by it. New York City people were held up 
for extortionate prices, the people of New Jersey and 
Connecticut suffered, New York farmers were too 
far away to reap full benefit. The only ones who 
made anything out of it were the middlemen or deal¬ 
ers and custom house officers. The trade of Connecti¬ 
cut went to Boston, and New Jersey taxed New York 
for her lighthouse! In the Senate last week Senator 
Root, of New York, virtually admitted that our high 
protective tariff had been of little or no direct benefit 
to our farmers. For years The R. N.-Y. has claimed 
without serious dispute that the Northern farmers 
have by their votes kept the tariff alive—receiving 
about five cents worth of benefit to the dollar which 
has gone to other interests. 
BREVITIES. 
You want dried grass rather than hay. 
If Alfalfa and clover are hurt by the dodder—let us 
fill up their place with a crop of corn fodder. 
Last year 70,934,(175 barrels of cement were made In 
this country—10,000,000 more than the year before. 
Some of those old hens have about quit laying now. 
Let rid of them. Do not let them become boarders 
Eat them or sell them. 
In Germany a fresh water fish association has been 
formed. Special efforts are made to breed and feed carp 
and experiments in feeding the fish are as carefully car¬ 
ried out as are those in cattle feeding here. 
The latest proposition for getting rich is to raise gold¬ 
fish for sale. There are several places where these fish 
are bred in large quantities. The gentlemen who get the 
most gold out of fishing are those who catch suckers with 
Florida land, mining stocks or get-rich-quick schemes. 
The government tested the shrinkage in 28,000 pounds 
of shelled corn under ordinary storage. During 147 days 
this corn lost 1,970 pounds, or seven per cent. The 
weight went up and down as the corn absorbed moisture 
or dried out. Wet weather was the best time to sell it— 
dry weather for buying. 
We have a letter from a man who says he would like 
to come to the farm and eat baked apples and cream. 
He also suggests that he is not able to do hai'd work. 
Our experience is that the ability to eat apples and 
cream goes with a large dose of hard work on the part 
of somebody. We have never been able to sepaiate the 
two. 
