' 2 ,04 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban IIonicR 
Established iSSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
Joh! J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mbs. 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 
S'/, marks, or 10/ francs. Remit in money order, “xpress 
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 j and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is hacked 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 ttie courts. 
Notice of the complaint must he sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and you roust have 1 lentioned The Rural New-i orkru 
when writing the advertiser. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce Tiie 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. 
* 
A novelty in horticultural instruction is a “two 
weeks’ school of apple packing” at thd Massachusetts 
Agricultural College, February 12 to 24. An expert 
box packer from Oregon will tell how the famous 
western apples are packed, and the whole story of a 
good apple will be told and drilled. If anyone thinks 
he can learn to box apples in less than two weeks 
let him figure how many years he or others have 
been putting all sorts of fruit into the barrel. It will 
take some time to break up the habit. 
* 
On page 220 is the statement of a railroad in Flor¬ 
ida. Building that great cement bridge from one 
island to another is a great engineering feat. Yet 
why should the Florida truckers be expected to pay 
for it in high freight rates on their crops? They 
can receive no benefit from this railroad over the 
ocean. In fact they are likely to be injured by it. 
Carrying out the scheme of free trade in food prod¬ 
ucts Cuban crops will come in free and be hauled 
over this new railroad. Thus the Florida farmers 
will be expected to pay for a railroad which carries 
pineapples, oranges and vegetables in ruinous com¬ 
petition right past their own farms! 
* 
As part of the annual meeting the Connecticut 
Pomological Society gave a great banquet. One not¬ 
able figure present was Governor Simeon E. Baldwin, 
lie impressed one as a hearty, well-preserved man of 
strong character, clear brain and rare good sense. 
Some public men seem to think it their duty to de¬ 
liver a lot of childish drivel and worn-out “stories” 
when they come before farmers. Gov. Baldwin said 
a few sensible words about Connecticut fruit and then 
sat down. He seems to have in human form the good 
qualities of the apple, which helps make New England 
famous. In all the talk about Presidential “tickets,” 
why do we not hear more about Governor Simeon E. 
Baldwin? He could add brains to the head or solid 
character to the tail. 
* 
The New York State Grange at Auburn elected 
W. H. Vary of Jefferson Co. as Master, to succeed 
F. N. Godfrey. Two weeks ago we offered the fol¬ 
lowing advice to members of the order: 
In any event the strongest men in the Grange should 
go to Auburn and help settle the gravest crisis which the 
order has yet faced. This is no time for personal feeling 
or recrimination. We must drop polities or playing for 
personal advantage and get together like grown-up men 
and find a man large enough for the occasion. 
We also advised Mr. Godfrey to withdraw and not 
stand for re-election. In his address to the Grange 
Mr. Godfrey denied that he had ever been a candi¬ 
date “in the sense of seeking it.” He said he had 
served the order to the best of his ability, and con¬ 
cluded with this fair and manly statement: 
I have a farm awaiting my return to it, which I left 
at a personal sacrifice to serve you, and shall gladly re¬ 
turn to it when you are through with my, services. I ap¬ 
preciate more than words can tell the honor you have 
conferred upon me, and the lifelong friends which I be¬ 
lieve I have made through this work. 
The Grange evidently took him at his word. We 
believe Mr. Godfrey is a good honest man, who made 
the mistake of mixing up. with politicians when he is 
not a politician or wirepuller by nature. We cannot 
agree with his estimate of the high character and in¬ 
fluence of the National Grange, because we know bet¬ 
ter. The outcome of the State Grange meeting will, 
we believe, be a good thing for the order. Let us all 
drop personalities and get down to the quiet work of 
making the Grange the great, true representative of 
the working farmer. 
THE RURAL* N Hi W-YORKER 
Late in the session of the last New York Legisla¬ 
ture a railroad bill was introduced at Albany with 
the following vital section: 
Every railroad corporation, and any lessee or other per¬ 
son in possession of its road, shall be responsible for all 
damages caused by reason of fire communicated to adjoin¬ 
ing land, by reason of the operation of their roads, 
where it shall be shown that said operation was the 
proximate cause of the fire damage irrespective of whether 
such fire shall be communicated directly by the railroad or 
as a result of a fire caused originally by such operation. 
It was too late last year to push the bill through. 
The long wrangle over the election of United States 
Senator held up this and some other good measures. 
There is a good chance this year to get this needed 
legislation. All we need is firm and solid backing 
from farmers, who are the people most interested in 
railroad fires. Under this bill the railroad company 
will be held responsible for any fire which it starts— 
no matter where the sparks land. Now this legis¬ 
lation is needed. It is of special importance to farm¬ 
ers, and they can get this bill through the Legislature 
if they will work for it. The thing to do is to get 
right after the members from your district and tell 
them you are in favor of this fire bill. This is one 
of the things we shall chase and follow up. ~ 
* 
The Hope Farm man starts a thought about the in¬ 
fluence of printed words. Let us follow it a little 
further. Some of the men who make our magazines 
and papers bring themselves to believe that they are 
really doing the thinking for what they call the “com¬ 
mon people.” Because their words are widely read 
they imagine that they must become a part of the 
reader. Such people live in a fool’s paradise, and 
will find it out all too soon. Any man who expects 
to perform by proxy the real mental work of reading 
country people will have a rude awakening. He 
might do it for city people and carry it on for some 
years, for the average city man has little time to 
think for himself. Country people have more time 
for reading and reflection and with each year they 
gain in serious and independent thought. They will 
separate the true from the false as It were by in¬ 
stinct. They will follow the magazine writer just as 
long as he is sensible and true. When he tries to 
lead them off the track they will sooner or later find 
him out and simply read his words for entertain¬ 
ment, take him by the collar and walk him back to 
the track or drop him. At the Connecticut fruit grow¬ 
ers’ banquet last week we met a financial expert. This 
man goes about talking on the money question and 
investments. His audiences are city business men of 
a good class. We asked him how many of such men 
read and studied strong books and kept fully up 
with general progress. He said very few indeed— 
most of them had no time except for a hasty glance 
through a daily paper. They read short stories to 
relieve the mind. The room was filled with men and 
women, the great majority of whom worked with 
their own hands at fruit growing or farming. Since 
Winter opened most of them had each read 10 or a 
dozen strong books and had done real thinking on 
public questions. There can be no doubt about the 
ract that the real studying of human rights and prog¬ 
ress is being done in the country. If the men who 
think they are “framing public opinion” could go to' 
the farmhouses and hear their frames taken apart, 
they would go home and simply hunt for the truth 
and let their readers frame it to suit themselves. 
* 
Question about investments in “unit” fruit orchards 
come in nearly every mail. Many of these pro¬ 
posed orchards are in Virginia—others are in the far 
West. Our steady advice is to let them alone. We 
have printed the timely warning by Dr. Fletcher, of 
the Virginia Experiment Station. It ought to save 
many an investor who cannot afford to lose money. 
Of course it was “stationary.” The wheels quit turn- 
things call us “knockers,” with various adjectives at¬ 
tached. Thank you, gentlemen—your language is 
certainly appreciated at its full value, but if any of 
our readers get into “unit” orchards it will be be¬ 
cause they disregard our warning. The fruit crop 
from some of these promoters is being harvested 
now, and it turns out bitter misfits. Here is a sam¬ 
ple news item: 
Seattle, Feb. 2.—Harry E. Wilson, the attorney who was 
appointed receiver of the Washington Orchard Irrigation 
and Fruit Company yesterday, was appointed receiver to¬ 
day of the Columbia River Orchard Company, the parent 
of the first-named compnay. The Columbia River Orchard 
Company is alleged to have sold bonds of the face value 
of 94,250.000 to investors all over the "United States. When 
Mr. Wilson entered upon his duties he forced his way into 
the offices supposed to be occupied by the fruit companies, 
lie found two of the rooms vacant. There were desks in 
the other three rooms, and these on being opened were 
found to contain only stationery. 
Of course it was “stationary. “The wheels quit turn¬ 
ing when the “units” stopped pouring in money. What 
February 17, 
makes us hot is to see the magazines which claim to 
be “forming public opinion,” laying dowm financial 
morals in one column and then advertising those 
wildcat schemes in another! 
A 
The Elgin Board of Trade on February 5 lowered 
the price of butter to 32 cents, a drop of four cents, 
and in the great markets of the East there Rave been 
proportionate declines. The reason is not that a 
surplus of butter has developed, but Ttat consumers 
have been held up beyond the limit of endurance 
and stopped buying. Dairymen’s associations in but¬ 
ter sections may well consider the effect of such ex¬ 
tortion on their business, and the measures to get 
the distributing end of it out of the hands of spec¬ 
ulators who consider a consumer a victim to be bled 
to the limit rather than supplied with butter at a 
reasonable profit. Extortion may prove a quick way 
of getting rich, but it is hard on the business in 
which it is practiced. 
* 
You- will see we are making a three-sided hunt for 
information about fruit varieties. This week the 
nurserymen tell us what is indicated from their or¬ 
ders. It seems evident from this that the Ben Davis 
apple is getting off the stage. It is not being planted 
heavily. With one or two exceptions our reports are 
that sales have fallen off one-half or more. A good 
thing that. Next week we shall have reports from 
commission men as to the best selling apples. The 
week after growers will talk. We have asked a num¬ 
ber of good fruit growers what varieties they would 
(plant if they were doing it over. In the light of 
their present experience would they plant the same 
varieties they now have in bearing? That ought to 
be a good test. This matter of varieties is the foun¬ 
dation of the business and the hardest one to settle. 
* 
“Yours for Parcels Post!” 
The time has now come to seed Congress with 
strong letters. From this time on all hands must do 
the stamp act. We can have parcels post if we will 
work, but it will be no lazy man’s job. The express 
hogs are in the steal pen, but the steel pen can drive 
them out. Prof. W. A. Henry comes to the front 
this week with a vigorous blast. He has taken hold 
of the campaign in dead earnest, and we may all get 
in behind and push. After the articles by Prof. Price 
on the German system of parcels post we do not see 
that further argument is needed. It is a blessing in 
England and Europe, and it will prove as much here. 
Congress will not give it to us willingly. Let us un¬ 
derstand that right now, and give our Congressmen 
the most “careful consideration” that can flow off the 
point of a pen. Up and at them! 
* 
In reply to many questions we print on page 201 
a brief statement about the “bottled bacteria” for in¬ 
oculating the land or the seed. The plan is sound in 
theory and practice, provided these bacteria are true 
and vital. As it requires a compound microscope to 
see them the buyer must have great faith in the plan 
and in the people who sell the bacteria. But let every 
one understand just what this thing can do for him. 
If a woman bought a yeast cake she would not expect 
to bake a loaf of bread unless she had flour and a 
good hot oven. The yeast does not make the bread— 
it acts upon the flour and makes it “rise” into the 
loaf. The “bacteria” alone can no more make a soil 
productive than the yeast alone can provide family 
bread. There must be good seed, well drained, open 
soil, not sour, but well limed, and plenty of available 
plant food. If these things are provided the bacteria 
can help the crop. The plants, through this bacterial 
help can obtain nitrogen from the air, and the soil 
will improve. Unless the lime, the drainage, the 
plant food and the good seed are provided the bac¬ 
teria cannot thrive or help the crop. Remember these 
things and use judgment as well as bacteria. 
BREVITIES. 
Plums for the orchard and plumbing for the house. 
A good use for the big stick this weather is to saw it up 
for fuel. 
This open-front henhouse proposition seems to have as 
many sides and conditions to it as there are poultry breeds. 
Keep away from the land boomers. When you see a 
man blowing his own horn—let him enjoy his own music, 
but do not pay for the concert. 
If you would have an egg to hatch, make the mother of 
that egg scratch. For the light of life in the egg will pale 
if the hen gets lazy and fat and stale. 
Tiie Connecticut peach buds are reported dead. From 
present indications there will be few 1 if any peaches there. 
We shall not give up until the bloom fails to come on at 
the proper time. 
Now we have a body of men who want to know if the 
“baby crop” is worth one-tenth as much as the fruit crop. 
They want the money to establish a new bureau for in¬ 
vestigating children’s diseases. About 10 per cent of the 
money now spent in studying bugs and blight will be 
needed for this bureau. 
