11 38 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BV8INE88 FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established I860 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing: Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Hkrbeut W, Colunowood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. 11 its. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. equal to 8s. Cd., or 
8Ji marks, or 10K 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 ns ; and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
Wo believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
Biblo 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 trilling' differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we bo 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must tie sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned Thk 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 Germany the railroad freight rates on grain and 
feed have been reduced. Reason—farmers proved 
that prices were higher while needs were greater. 
Germany is a monarchy. We live in a Republic. Our 
prices and needs are in much the same condition as in 
Germany—but has anyone heard of lower freight 
rates in consequence? 
* 
The National Grange is in session at Columbus, 
Ohio. It has come to a crisis in its history. The 
leaders of such organizations must at some time show 
true courage and genuine self-sacrifice if they are 
honestly working for the cause. Left as it is the Na¬ 
tional Grange will become a by-word and a farce so 
far as its public influence goes. If it be cleaned up 
and reformed along progressive lines it may yet be 
what it should be—the great vital champion and. 
leader for our farmers. Every farmer in the country 
whether he be a Patron or not, is interested in the 
struggle at Columbus. 
* 
Our “story of a farm day” this week comes from 
Fairbanks, Alaska. Just to show how widely The R. 
N.-Y. is spread over the world, we shall have an¬ 
other from northern Patagonia. Across the water 
we have readers all the way from far up toward the 
north of Sweden to the lower end of New Zealand 
and the south point of Africa. We have asked some 
of these foreign readers why they take The R. N.-Y. 
The answer usually is that they desire to keep in 
(ouch with the spirit and practice of American farm¬ 
ing. After trying many papers they conclude that 
The R. N.-Y. best expresses what they want to keep 
in mind. To come back to this Alaskan farm story. 
The most impressive exhibit at the recent Land Show 
was that made by Alaska in farm products and min¬ 
erals. No one claims that they can raise bananas or 
figs up there, but the grain, grass and vegetables 
were very fine. We stick to the prophecy that our 
children are likely to see a city as large as Pittsburgh 
located on the Alaskan coast with the country back of 
it supplying a good share of its food. 
•A. a 
The California election gave a new illustration of 
the solid power of the country voters. The day after 
election news was flashed over the world that Cali¬ 
fornia had rejected woman’s suffrage. The vote from 
San Francisco and most other cities indicated that re¬ 
sult. “Wait until you hear from the farmers!'’ said 
the other side. Their confidence was justified, for the 
rural communities slowly cut down the majority of 
the cities, and finally overturned it. The same in 
Maine. Day after election the nation was confronted 
everywhere by great headlines announcing that the 
“wets” had carried Maine. “Wait till you hear from 
the farmers!” Again the rural vote as it came in 
overcame the town majority and kept Maine “dry.” 
A few years ago New Jersey voted on the racetrack 
gambling proposition. For two days after the elec¬ 
tion the figures indicated that the gamblers had won. 
Finally the rural vote came in and turned the city 
vote over and drove these gamblers out of the State. 
We could give dozens of instances from history of 
the same sort. Whenever there is a moral question 
at issue and it can he made clear, the country voters 
can be depended on to put it through. It may be no 
compliment to “civilization,” but the city vote - can 
never be expected to support and stand by a moral 
reform. That is one of the things we must look to 
the country for. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The great Land and Irrigation Show in New York 
brought out a wonderful display of farm products. 
No one who attended could fail to see the object of 
this exhibition. It was evidently financed and di¬ 
rected by the great Western railroads in the expecta¬ 
tion of selling land and attracting settlers. When 
New York State appropriated $10,000 for an exhibit 
at this show some farmers objected. As it turned 
out this was a wise investment. Right in the midst 
of the wonders of that Western display New York put 
up an unanswerable argument in the evidence of qual¬ 
ity, market advantages and fair priced land. New 
England came, too, with similar arguments, and they 
were convincing. The attendance was not as large 
as was expected and as a “lure” for the Far West 
the show should be pronounced a failure. The argu¬ 
ment, after a fair and strong contest of exhibits, was 
that a back-to-the-lander will do better to take land 
of moderate price within reach of buyers. We like to 
see New York and the East generally go right into 
these contests of comparison and deliver the goods. 
* 
During the session of the New York State Agricul¬ 
tural Society meeting in Albany last January a sug¬ 
gestion was made in harmony with the long insistance 
of The R. N.-Y. that some one practical thing be 
done to get producer and consumer closer together, 
with a view of cutting out the middleman and secur¬ 
ing for the producer a fairer share of the consumer’s 
dollar, at the same time helping the consumer to re¬ 
ceive better value for his dollar. At that time it 
seemed that the activities of a New York City com¬ 
mittee promised an opportunity to do something along 
this line with the milk supply which the committee 
proposed to handle. A committee was provided for, 
but for various reasons the suggestion has not as yet 
developed any results. 
Commissioner Pearson has, however, crystallized 
the idea into one of the most important departures in 
regard to State affairs, and he has made a precedent 
which must be far-reaching in its effects. He has not 
only carried it far beyond the original suggestion, but 
he has applied it in practice so as to give an object 
lesson not only to the State of New York, but to the 
whole country. The public institutions under the con¬ 
trol of the fiscal agent of the State buy large quan¬ 
tities of farm produce. Heretofore this has been 
furnished by wholesalers, so that the produce of the 
farms went through one or more middlemen before it 
reached the State institutions. The Commissioner 
recognized the opportunity here; and farm produce 
for these State institutions is now bought direct from 
the producer in car lots wherever it is possible to 
do so. Some of the farm organizations which have 
received these orders and furnish the produce are 
gratified with the new order of things. This is an 
important beginning. If followed up, it is capable of 
great development. To make direct trade effective, 
however, there must be some standard for grading 
produce, and this must be done by the producers and 
their local Granges or other organizations. 'It seems 
to us that the entire force of the farmers’ institute 
workers might well be devoted to this work. Clubs 
and committees are being formed in the cities to buy 
table supplies at wholesale in order to reduce the 
high cost of living. With Granges and other 
local clubs of producers organized to furnish graded 
goods of uniform quality direct trade could be readily 
established with profit to both the producer and con¬ 
sumer. Without graded goods, the trade would be 
impossible of development. Commissioner Pearson 
has made a good start, and producers should encour¬ 
age any efforts he makes for further development of 
direct trade with the consumer. 
* 
“It lias been difficult to send the rich to jail. The 
judges evidently think they should have plenty of warning, 
and in case after case of this kind I have howled in vain 
for jail sentences. There was a certain gentleman con¬ 
victed of smuggling. This gentleman was once Governor 
of a State. In. his campaign he stumped that State bel¬ 
lowing for a protective tariff. That was the issue upon 
which he based his fight. Yet he tried to evade the duty 
on some if 11,000 of goods lie brought in. lie was cauglit 
in the attempt and 1 did my best to have him sent to the 
penitentiary. I urged that he be made an example of. but 
the judge let him off witli fines and penalties. Yet a little 
later a poor Greek convicted of the same crime was sent 
to Blackwell's Island for nine months.” 
There surely is cause for a blessed Thanksgiving 
when a United States District Attorney can stand up 
in a public meeting and say that. We should be 
doubly thankful when it can not only he said but pub¬ 
licly reported. The speaker was District Attorney 
Henry A. Wise. He was telling the New York 
jewellers about his efforts to prevent smuggling here 
in New York. The high tariff law declares that when¬ 
ever a person evades payment of the duty on im¬ 
ported goods he is guilty of a crime. Again and 
again the men who fastened the tariff upon the coun- 
November 25, 
try are caught smuggling, or their women try to 
sneak clothing and jewels through the custom house! 
Perhaps they think the nation ought to give them a 
free ticket because they made the tariff possible! Mr. 
Wise says he has begged and fought to have these 
rich rascals sent to jail. Federal judges have let them 
off with fines, ofttimes ridiculously low, while poor 
men, who but imitate the rich, are put behind the 
bars. They did send one rich woman to jail, and that 
attended to the women for a time. This ex-Governor 
of New Hampshire ought to have gone to jail—not to 
have soft raiment and fine food brought in to him! 
We would have fed him on bean soup, potatoes and 
bread, with the soft side of a straw tick for a bed. 
That would have done more to shut off snnTggling 
than $1,000,000 in fines. And how it would have glad¬ 
dened the hearts of the American people to realize 
that there is one square-toed law for rich and poor 
alike! Now and then some man comes along won¬ 
dering why people ever want to “recall” judges! This 
demand does not originate with the people, but is 
caused by the judges who fail to do their duty in 
such cases as Mr. Wise describes. The man on the 
bench may well be cautious, but he should not be a 
coward. 
* 
Could you give me any information as to home indus¬ 
tries that would work in with fruit raising, to occupy 
some leisure time in the Winter, such as broom making, 
basket making, carpet and rug weaving from carpet rags? 
Michigan. R . c . 
If we could only answer that question satisfactorily 
we could bring a genuine thanksgiving to thousands 
of country homes. The writer was brought up on a 
little farm where Winters were spent pegging shoes, 
braiding straw hats or husk mats, or making cheap 
clothing. This brought in cash, and made Winter as 
profitable as Summer. That work has now all cen¬ 
tered in towns, and that is the chief reason why many 
boys and girls have left the farm. What can the 
women and the young people do to turn their Winter 
labor into cash? Here we have one of the greatest 
needs of the time. Can anyone meet it? 
* 
Thanksgiving ! 
Every week and every day of the year should mean 
a time for being thankful. This paper will be read 
by more than half a million people, yet not one of 
them can honestly say he has nothing to be thankful 
for. Not one would be willing to give up his own 
identity entirely. He may at times begrudge another 
the wealth or beauty or power with which he has 
been blessed—but who would take these things if he 
must al assume the faults and mean qualities which 
usually go with them? The R. N.-Y. is mighty thank¬ 
ful. We grow. Two years ago we thought it worth 
talking about that 52 issues gave us a “book of 1,000 
pages.” T his year with half a dozen more issues yet 
to come we have 1148 pages. We have friends. In all 
the world of journalism there arc no such newspaper 
friends as those who take The R. N.-Y. They all 
belong to the family. Their friendship enables us to 
go straight at things without beating around the bush 
or waiting to “take orders” from people higher up. 
We are not very strong on picking out any particular 
day for crowding in thanks. If we had our way every 
one of you would live so that every day could be 
served with mental roast turkey and plum pudding 
as a fair reward for square living. 
BREVITIES. 
Here is a bit of sad news for some. The sauerkraut 
crop iu Germany is short! 
Tell us this! What use to boom New England as a 
great apple country when the wild deer are protected? 
Egypt is coming as a cotton producing country. Last 
season’s yield was 750.000,000 pounds. This country 
imported $15,289,700 worth of Egyptian cotton. 
When you get warmed up over a farm by some real 
estate agent or some man anxious to sell, go and ask 
some cold-blooded friend to look it over before you decide. 
A cake of ice on a burning hope will do it good. 
“Cookixg applps six pounds for 15 cents; eating apples 
six pounds for 23 cents.” These arc the prices now ad¬ 
vertised by a big retail grocer in New York. Selling 
apples by weight is much fairer to the small buyer than 
the quart or is'ck measure. 
From a single German township the sales from fruit 
trees grown on the public roadsides were $4,906. The 
fruit sold at auction the proceeds being used for road 
building. While the fruit is ripening watchmen patrol 
the road hunting for thieves. 
The old question as to the relative influence of heredity 
or environment is up again. Does the child retain the 
habits of its parents or take those of the home in which 
he is reared? We would like to have our readers who 
have “raised” or adopted children give their experience: 
The New York Department of Agriculture issued, last 
year, a bulletin giving a list of all breeders of purebred 
stock in New York. Not all such names were included, 
as they were hard to obtain. Now a circular is being 
sent out in the hope of getting iho names to make this 
list complete. You can help by naming breeders to the 
Department at Albany and answering the circular 
promptly. 
