THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 2, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TIIE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established. 1SS0 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Hint BERT W. Collinowood, President and Editor. 
Join. J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wji. P. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.01. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8)4 marks, or 10)4 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter, 
Advertising rates (10 cents per agate line—7 word a Discount for time orders. 
References required for advertisers unknown to us ; and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
"Wo believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible. person. Hutto make doubly sure wo will make good any h>-s to paid 
subscribers sustained by trusting'any deliberate swindler advertising in our 
columns, and any such swindler will he publicly exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences 
lietwcen 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 bo 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. 
* 
Wiiat punishment for the rascals who are trying to 
sell Everglade Florida lands to “home-seekers”? Im¬ 
prison them right on the swamp mud they are trying 
to sell, and compel them to prove their claims by 
making a home! 
* 
Farmers’ Parcels Post Letter Day. 
March 18, 1912. 
On this date all farmers are requested to write to 
their Members of Congress stating their demand for 
parcels post. Let every reader of The R. N.-Y. write 
such a letter and try to get three others to do like¬ 
wise. 
* 
On page 292 you will find a statement about some 
glandered horses. The State of New York destroyed 
Mr. Horner’s property and ought to pay for it, but 
under the present law it will be necessary to pass a 
special bill appropriating the money. Now you know 
how these little bills are sifted out of the screen un¬ 
less there is power back of them. As an experiment 
we want to see what our people can do to help put 
this bill through. Will you help? Write your Sen¬ 
ator and Assemblymen to vote for this bill and push 
it. They may call it a small matter, but never mind 
that. Help it through. 
* 
Age cannot wither them nor custom stale. Who? 
The tree dopers who promise to cure a tree of every 
ill by poking some “dope” into the trunk or roots. 
There are more than ever of them this year. The 
Michigan Station chemist analyzed a sample of this 
stuff and found lime and sulphur. This was to be 
put into a hole in the tree to kill scale and every other 
tree trouble! Institute speakers in New York have 
been confronted by samples of “Fruit Growers’ 
Friend”—another dope to be tapped into the tree. It 
seems to be a fact that condemnation of these fool 
freaks actually increases their sale for a time. We 
cannot explain this, but it seems to be true. 
* 
Parcels post! After all their fair words the lead¬ 
ers in the House failed to come up to the rack. They 
intend to tack a little sop of parcels post onto the pos¬ 
tal appropriation bill as a “rider.” You will probably 
see this run along till the last day of the session, and 
then cut off on the score of “economy.” It is the same 
old beastly trick, and the American people must not 
stand for it. Make them report the Sulzer bill and 
stand up and be counted for or against it. If they 
have their own way they can go on giving “careful 
consideration” and we cannot put them definitely on 
record. Make them put up a definite and separate bill 
and go on record. 
* 
Several Western States have what is known as the 
initiative and referendum in legislation. This means 
that when a certain number of citizens demand the 
privilege, proposed legislation must be submitted to 
popular vote before it becomes law. In Oregon a law 
was passed in this way imposing a tax upon the gross 
income of certain corporations. One corporation re¬ 
fused to pay on the ground that a law passed in this 
way was not legislation by a Republican form of gov¬ 
ernment guaranteed by the constitution! This cor¬ 
poration held, in effect, that only laws passed by the 
Legislature are valid. This case got up to the U. S. 
Supreme Court, which has just decided that the law 
stands. A sovereign State has the right to make its 
laws to suit its people. That settles it from the stand¬ 
point of the people. 
We have had a number of questions like the fol¬ 
lowing: 
In the “Country Gentleman” for January 27 was an 
article about the wonderful “Lliani” horses by David 
B(l)ufTum, illustrated by photographs of what looked like 
a stuffed or wooden horse. I think it is in part or whole 
a fake and it might be amusing to run it down. 
Another man wrote that his neighbors had a dis¬ 
cussion, and all the R. N.-Y. readers voted it a fake 
and left it to us to decide. The article in question was 
a long one describing some remarkable dwarf ponies 
in much detail. Well, we sent to Washington and re¬ 
ceived this official report: 
“The story to which you refer concerning certain 
midget ponies from Lliani island, Haiti, is a fake pure 
and simple. There are no such ponies and so far as I 
know Lliani island does not exist.” 
That seems to settle the ponies. If either island or 
ponies could be found there might be some chance, 
but apparently both are too small to be seen. We 
fear that our esteemed contemporary has fallen a vic- 
time to some one who cannot make the papers fit the 
ponies! 
* 
Nineteen years ago The R. N.-Y. issued its first 
Annual Horticultural Number. It contained 20 pages 
and little except reviews of the various catalogues 
and advertisements. This number became a fixture, 
and it has grown in size and changed in character. 
This year there are 56 pages, more than ever before. 
The catalogue review feature has been dropped. There 
is now no connection whatever between the editorial 
and advertising, and we consider our readers very 
competent to obtain catalogues and study them. We 
now try to make this number a new volume of an 
encyclopedia of horticulture—something that will be 
kept for reference both for information and for the 
advertising. He who keeps this issue on file may know 
where to buy reliable seeds, plants and trees, and also 
the materials needed to fertilize, spray and cultivate 
them. He will also find the how and the why of do¬ 
ing important things which everyone who cultivates 
the soil must do. We do not attempt to tell our peo¬ 
ple what this big number contains. They are compe¬ 
tent to read and judge for themselves. This year’s 
issue shows growth in size, and we hope in character 
and practical wisdom as well. 
* 
The New York Press is outspoken for parcels post 
It says that President Taft has delivered 50 speeches 
in behalf of his peace programme, and not one real 
speech on parcels post—though the demand for the 
latter is as 1,000 to one. Now comes the Hartford 
Times criticising this: 
There are enough legitimate occasions for criticism of 
Mr. Taft’s speeches without making a mountain out of the 
parcels post mole hill. It Is distinctly not the fact that 
there is or ever has been such a public demand for the 
parcels post in this country as is here alleged. Ilad such 
a demand existed Congress would have legislated it into 
existence before now. President Taft knows that the coun¬ 
try merchants of the United States, which is to say the 
great body of its business men, have never favored and 
do not now favor the parcels post, and the feeling of the 
great majority of the American people has been in agree¬ 
ment with them. 
We thought th e Times was up to its name! Con¬ 
sidering the fight which the Connecticut Grange and 
country people generally have put up for parcels post, 
this is the worst misfit statement of public sentiment 
we have seen in years. One of two things is true: 
The Times does not know what Connecticut people 
want, or this is a little sop to interests who do not 
want parcels post. The Connecticut farmers ought to 
bring the Times to time. 
* 
I have been much amused and also pleased with the 
stirring up you have given the nursery tree business. It 
has been the means of bringing to my notice several tree 
men in whom I feel I may place much confidence. Two 
persons have offered to guarantee their stock with a forfeit 
behind the guarantee of true to label. One man puts up 
$1.50 guarantee and the other $2. A guarantee without a 
forfeit is no good. I have ordered 500 peach trees from 
the nurseryman who guaranteed a forfeit of $1.50 and am 
to pay 20 cents per tree. I could buy for half that price 
from many firms, but I am willing tc pay for a good true 
article. 1 have received catalogues from as many as half 
a dozen firms new to me and whose catalogues are of such 
a style as to give me confidence; real business statements 
not brag and wind. M _ 
Massachusetts. 
This is from the man who wrote the recent article 
on misfit trees. As soon as the article appeared we 
were approached by people offering various forms of 
guarantee. Most of them were men who do a small 
business, just about what they can personally super¬ 
vise so as to be sure of their buffs. We believe there 
are many buyers like “M.” who will pay double price 
if they can feel assured that they get what they pay 
for. Our reports show that many fruit growers are 
planning to grow their own trees. This may prove a 
mistake, for growing a tree is a business by itself, 
and an expert nurseryman can do it better than a 
fruit grower. At the same time the nurserymen must 
understand that the growers will produce their own 
trees more and more unless they can get some form 
of guarantee. 
* 
Some of our readers want to know how to test the 
honesty of a nurseryman! There are tests for acid 
soil, for milk and nearly everything else, but what will 
show the nurseryman a true blue? A large grower in 
Washington gives us the following as his test: 
My reason for belief in the honesty of this firm is 
based on the sending of an order in 1909 for a small 
order of trees not listed in their catalogue, with a request 
that if they could not fill as ordered to return check. 
They returned check with statement that they could fill 
order except two trees. My experience is that the substi¬ 
tution of two trees would not keep most nurseries from 
filling a $10 order. Hence my belief in their honesty. 
That’s good! When a nurseryman can resist the 
temptation to substitute you may conclude that he 
will keep away from other tricks. 
* 
We are no doubt partly responsible for that savage 
snarl from Senator Raynor which is printed on page 
293. We particularly asked our Maryland readers to 
write their representatives in Congress. They did so 
by the hundred, and did it well. Mr. Allen, as we 
see, went further and planted a few free seeds in the 
garden of Senator Raynor’s heart. Wc assume our 
responsibility for this cheerfully and thank our Mary¬ 
land friends for what they are doing. “ Savage snarl!” 
The phase is justified if you will read this corre¬ 
spondence. Mr. Allen well asks the Senator what he 
thinks he is in Washington for, and whom he thinks 
he is representing. . We hope he will give these ques¬ 
tions “careful consideration” and then reply to them. 
As a great constitutional lawyer Mr. Raynor ought to 
know whether he dropped the common law and picked 
up something mighty Hiicommon when he went to the 
Senate. If the people who made him Senator must 
hold their breath and shade their eyes when they ap¬ 
proach the wonderful product of their votes, let us 
know it at once. We are thankful that men like Mr. 
Allen are willing to come out and face the discord 
when necessary. It certainly cannot be called music. 
As a matter of fact, Allen has done more for the 
material development of Maryland soil than Senator 
Raynor ever did. He asked fair questions and is en¬ 
titled to an answer. 
* 
As you know, we have suggested the “inside ballot” 
for farmers who sell produce on commission. This 
“ballot” is a note put somewhere in the goods stating 
where they came from and what the producer re¬ 
ceived. The New Haven (Conn.) Register tells how 
this ballot works: 
Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 13.—W. II. Ryitigton, a well-known 
resident of this city, to-day told of an experience in egg- 
buying which he had had recently. lie said he went to a 
grocery store in this city on February 3 and purchased a 
dozen eggs, warranted to be home laid, and paid 50 cents 
for them. On his arrival home he found among them an 
egg bearing an inscription asking the purchaser to com¬ 
municate with J. L. Thomason, of Iteadyville, Tenn. Mr. 
Byington says he wrote to Iteadyville, inquiring of Mr. 
Thomason as to the date when the eggs were sold and 
the price received for them. In reply Mr. Thomason told 
him that the eggs were sold on December 10, 1911, and 
that the price at which they were sold was 17 cents a 
dozen. Mr. Thomason added that he thought 17 cents a 
good price for the eggs, but supposed that Mr. Byington 
had had to pay 25 or possibly 30 cents a dozen for them. 
So the Tennessee man got 34 cents of the consum¬ 
er's dollar. It was also an outrage upon the Con¬ 
necticut hen to call these “home-laid” eggs. They 
were laid in the dear old Tennessee home, but that is 
1500 miles and 55 days off. And yet many of these 
consumers claim that the farmers are holding them 
up. So they are, for if the farmers took their hands 
off the plow for one season the whole edifice of town 
civilization would fall flat. The entire correspondence 
is printed on page 295. 
BREVITIES. 
Hum us in the soil is like human nature in the man. 
Let us hope our tyrant zero weather has crawled off. 
You see our old friend Bordeaux mixture is not yet quite 
out of business. 
When you lose your temper some one is sure to find it 
and do things to it before you get it back. 
It certainly docs take time to convince some of these 
public men that we mean business. Keep at them—they 
will come in time. 
Since we printed the picture of that big Ohio family 
other records are pouring in. A Utah man reports 12 big 
children, while there is a family of 18 living children In 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
The Cross Cabbage, which is extensively grown in the 
Greeley district of Colorado for shipping, is believed to 
be an accidental cross between the Winningstadt and Hen¬ 
derson’s Flat Dutch. It is globe-shaped, and about half 
way in season between its two parents. 
