1178 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country an<l Suburban Homes 
Established isso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company. 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President anil Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. K. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal to 8s. Cd., or 
8>£ marks, or 10J^ 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 os j and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by n respon- 
sible person. Rut 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 pnbliely exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to ail just trifling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we be 
respon slide 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. 
* 
The man on the run with the bear after him could 
tell if he had the breath why he was the chasee rather 
than the chaser. He aimed his gun without looking 
through the hindsight. Thousands, yes millions, of 
men and women lament their loss and ill fortune be¬ 
cause they had no hindsight until the mistake had 
been made or the money thrown away. For hindsight 
is experience—the great teacher of mankind. For 
more than 25 years we have seen the human flood 
pass along the great highway of life, throwing money 
at fakes and frauds. Sometimes a fraud will rob one 
of these wayfarers, then put on new clothes and rob 
him again—all because the victim did not recognize 
the earmarks. This has become so common that it 
lias seemed necessary to brand those frauds so they 
may be known. This has led to the preparation of 
our new book, “Hind-Sights,” which will he presented 
to readers as was “Nell Beverly,” “The Business 
Hen” and others. The hook is called “Hind-Sights” 
because it gives just the information about fakes and 
fraudulent schemes which you need in order to detect 
them. There will be thousands of promoters or down¬ 
right robbers to point out great fortunes through the 
front sight. This book gives you hindsight—the 
experience of the millions who have blown their blood 
and sweat away on foolish or fraudulent schemes. 
There is nothing just like it anywhere in print. 
* 
It is not generally known how rapidly the New 
York College of Agriculture at Cornell is growing. 
On November 1 there were 918 students in agricul¬ 
ture, with nearly 100 more taking post-graduate 
courses. The Winter course will add 500 more! 
Col. Roosevelt recently addressed the agricultural 
students. He told them that practical farm training 
is the foundation for success. Upon that foundation 
must be built solid work of social, moral and spiritual 
power. Those who are reading the autobiography of 
Robert M. La Follette will remember his tribute to 
the University of Wisconsin. He tells how the in¬ 
fluence of that institution has been a power in the 
State by making men think and encouraging them to 
independence. The New York College of Agriculture 
under Dr. Bailey should be much the same factor in 
the public life of New York State. 
* 
From time to time Americans hear of the develop¬ 
ment of the Soy bean industry in Japan and China. 
Quietly but steadily this development has gone on 
until Consul Wm. Kent is justified in saying: 
The Soya bean and its products continue to grow in 
importance throughout Manchuria and to furnish the prin¬ 
cipal articles of commercial activity at Newebwang. When 
it is recalled how recently the Soya bean and its extensive 
uses have come to the knowledge of the commercial world 
aud how rapidly it has taken its place as an article of 
commerce, it must be regarded as a parcel of agricultural 
transformation, comparable alone in modern times to the 
discovery of Indian corn, tobacco, and the potato. 
The bean is used as food. An oil is extracted 
which is said to equal linseed for many purposes. 
The dried cake left after the oil is extracted is ex¬ 
ported to be used as stock food. It has already 
ehanged the method of feeding animals in Europe 
and England. Not only this, but the Soy bean, like 
Alfalfa, adds nitrogen to the soil. There have been 
many jokes about what the white bean did for New 
England. These jokes had a serious side though the 
Yankees import most of their beans. There is no 
doubt, however, that the Soy bean is bringing about 
one of those world wide changes which the crops 
mentioned by Mr. Kent have done. Alfalfa is doing 
THE NEW-YORKER 
much the same for the Argentine Republic, and we 
think on a smaller scale flint corn and apples are to 
change New England. Most of the great world’s 
changes have been started by farmers through the 
development of new crops which increased trade. 
History shows that the great benefits have usually 
gone to those who handled this trade rather than to 
the producers. 
* 
We have tried to get the facts about that yield of 
70 tons of green corn on an acre. Some of our read¬ 
ers bluntly say that they do not believe any such yield 
was ever grown. We give the facts and the proof 
seems to be sound. At the Massachusetts corn show 
the Bowker prize for largest yield went to a Con¬ 
necticut man who grew on a measured acre 160.4 
bushels of corn, harvest measure, and 112.6 bushels 
when reduced to crib-dry corn. Such yields are both 
encouraging and discouraging. They show possibil¬ 
ities when every condition of seed, soil and season is 
right, but to the average man who somehow never is 
able to get this combination, they seem too large to 
grasp. Take the case of Mrs. Harris and her 70 
tons of stalks. Few of us could hope to start with a 
henyard and a hogyard and cover it thickly with ma¬ 
nure. Even if we did the chances are we would run 
into a drought or an early frost. Yet this record 
shows us that if we are to raise corn at all we ought 
to be sure of our seed and fertilize and fit the soil to 
the limit. A few acres of corn well handled will 
beat many acres half cared for. 
* 
Last week we pointed out the folly of expecting that 
“good times” will follow a doubling of America!] 
crops of grain and other food. History is clear on 
this point. 
In 1S95 and 189G thousands of bushels of potatoes sold 
in Monroe Co., N. Y., for five cents per bushel, and other 
thousands were never sold, as there was no market. In 
1S9G and 1S97 thousands of bushels sold for 25 cents to 
10 cents per bushel, many more at the latter than at the 
former price. One thing 1 am unable to understand, and 
it is this: Why is the tchole world down on the producert 
I mean the one who produces from the land. Ilad con¬ 
ditions existing in 1895-6-7 continued a few years longer 
two-thirds of the farmers in Western New Y'ork would 
have been bankrupt. » c. t. 
Correct! And that is just what would follow if the 
railroad and city business interests could double the 
country’s crop of corn without changing the present 
cost and method of distribution. Right at the time 
these 10-cent potatoes were being sold, soup and 
bread lines of wolf-like men were found in every 
city. Organized charity never was so nearly dis¬ 
couraged in trying to feed the starving. This was be¬ 
cause, however little the farmers got for their produce, 
the handlers kept up prices to consumers. People 
had no money to buy even cheap food because they 
had no work. That was because the demand for 
manufactured goods fell off. The reason for this 
was that farmers did not get enough for their crops 
to pay running expenses, and of course they could not 
buy! There you have the whole story. We will ask 
some of our scientific friends who advocate doubling 
our crops to name the nation or the period of history 
when true prosperity has followed cheap food, which 
meant low prices to fanners for their crops. Our 
friend wants to know why the world is “down on 
the producer!” Because he is unorganized and good- 
natured and has a reputation for growling but never 
biting with his ballot! 
* 
Are Eastern farmers too conservative? I believe they are. 
The cities have been crying the high cost of living, and 
rightly too. The city press has been telling them that 
the farmer was to blame for it all, and naturally they 
believe it, for they do not read the other side. In fact 
I do not believe they think there is another side. We 
have a great many farmers entirely competent to place 
our side before the city reader (even as a paid advertise¬ 
ment) if they will not accept and print it for the public 
good. We believe the Granges of the different States 
should have a fund for this purpose of disseminating agri¬ 
cultural knowledge through the city press; the pros and 
cons, if you please, of farm life. Let our agricultural 
press tell us less of how to raise and fatten pigs and 
cattle; most farmers know well how to do this. What 
we most need today is to instil into the farmer’s mind 
what his rights are, and then stand by and help him to 
get them. e. a. hawks. 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. 
Amen! ! / The farmers have waited a long time 
for the “leaders” to go right into the enemy’s coun¬ 
try and put up a battle. Now let them take the mat¬ 
ter right into their own hands. Begin right away 
in the local papers. Outside of New York the city 
papers must depend on their country readers for a 
good share of their support. These readers are the 
best buyers, and they give local advertisers good 
support. The papers are therefore under obligations 
to them and they should have the right to state their 
case in their own way. This suggestion by Mr. 
Hawks is first-rate. It will make a needed form of 
education. 
December 9, 
In his fight for pure food Dr. Harvey W. Wiley 
tried to prevent the use of benzoate of soda in pre¬ 
serving food. He was overruled, and this material 
is used in many canned goods. A committee of ex¬ 
pert German scientists has studied the effect of this 
drug and condemned its use in food: 
The experiments of the imperial health office have 
demonstrated that by mixing 0.25 per cent, benzole acid 
or sodium benzoate with chopped meat a slight smell of 
decay in the meat disappears for a time. By this process, 
therefore, food which has already commenced to decay 
can be given the appearance of freshness and the pur¬ 
chaser deceived as to its quality. 
That is nice stuff to put in the hands of a butcher 
with freedom to use it. This chemical should not be 
used in food. It is possible to preserve food without 
using drugs or poisons if perfect cleanliness be em¬ 
ployed. The U. S. Government should stop per¬ 
mitting the manufacturers to feed embalming fluid to 
the people! If the manufacturers cannot put up 
canned goods without using poisons there are thou¬ 
sands of country people who can do so and would be 
glad to have the trade. 
* 
About a year ago we gave the story of a “horse 
company.” A very slick lot of horsemen sold a young 
stallion to a company of farmers—taking notes in 
payment. We gave the facts about this horse deal, 
and this started up memories of a dozen like it. Not 
one of them that we could learn ever turned out 
profitably for the farmers. During the discussion the 
promoters put up a fine bluff and said we were making 
good business for them. We now learn that this ex¬ 
posure practically drove them out of the State. They 
could not find a hamlet or a farmhouse in New 
York where The R. N.-Y. had not gone with that 
horse history. The paper faced them at every turn. 
Y et they could not say we misrepresented the facts. 
They quit the State and went South. -Even there, 
after a time, the same thing happened. The R. N.-Y. 
had carried the story ahead of them and they finally 
gave it up. Now all we ever did in this case was to 
give the plain facts—just as they were. It was well 
known to people on the inside that unsalable horses 
have been worked off upon farmers’ companies at 
extravagant figures. In one case a horse was offered 
for less than $700 and refused. He afterward sold 
for over $3,000 to a farmers’ company. We think one 
of the most legitimate things a farm paper can do is 
to print the facts about such deals, and keep putting 
on a plaster of printer’s- ink. 
* 
Last year a new “Commerce Court” was estab¬ 
lished. The suggested plan was to establish a court 
which should quickly hear cases growing out of de¬ 
cisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Such 
cases were often delayed for years. During the dis¬ 
cussion in Congress some of the “Progressives” 
strongly objected to this court. They argued that it 
represented the method of the railroad to nullify the 
good work of the Commission. As things have turned 
out it looks as if these men knew what they were 
talking about. The Court has just reversed two im¬ 
portant rulings of the Commission. One was a case 
where an industrial company controlled by the Chi¬ 
cago Junction Railroad paid $50,000 to the stockyards 
company. The Commission decided that such pay¬ 
ment was a rebate—a cunning way of getting back to 
the old evil. The other was the famous long and 
short haul decision under which the Commission or¬ 
dered the railroads to reduce certain rates. The 
Commerce Court has reversed these orders and 
granted the railroads an injunction! The opinion is 
now freely expressed at Washington that this Com¬ 
merce Court will now be abolished. The people will 
not stand for any backdown in the fair regulation of 
railroad rates and privileges. If the Commerce Court 
is to stand for the former abuses it will be brushed 
aside. 
BREVITIES. 
Topheayy —the man who thinks science is all there is 
to farming. 
You are right. The man who changes with every wind 
that blows works in vane. 
The hog or the horse or the cow ne’er was born that 
can make all the bone that it needs out of corn. 
The New Zealand postal department offers to supply 
settlers with rural delivery mail boxes at $3.60 each. 
Ix 1909 32,573,343 cases of vegetables and 5,350,015 
cases of fruits were canned in this country. All eaten 
too! 
A reader wants to know if he can safely feed the 
carcass of a tuberculosis cow to hens! No—-not unless 
it is thoroughly boiled. Far safer make it into fertilizer. 
The new process of cutting steel with a flame under 
high pressure did in 75 minutes what would have re¬ 
quired four men working three days with hammer and 
chisel. 
The suggested remedy for white grubs is to flood the 
land in Summer when the insects are most active. That’s 
all right for irrigated land, but we cannot get half water 
enough for the crops—say nothing of grubs. 
