640 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established 18S0 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert tv. Cou.is'cwoon, President and Editor. 
John' J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wsl F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. g2.M, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8>.£ marks, or 10>4 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Ofllcc 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 BEAT,” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible pei-son. 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 bo 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 bo 
responsible 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 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. 
* 
You may not agree with that discussion on page 
644. Very well—tell us what you would do with 
$60,000,000 if it were put into your hands. You are 
to be held responsible for its use. What would you 
do with it? The chances are you cannot figure out a 
more useful plan than this: Establish a land bank 
with interest just large enough to pay expenses. 
Make loans on farm property with long terms. Make 
it a part of the contract that the borrower must con¬ 
tinue to work his farm and use lime, clover or Al¬ 
falfa and fertilizers as specified, and handle the land 
in a definite manner. 
* 
There is a resolution before Congress to provide 
money with which to send a committee of American 
farmers to Europe. These farmers are to study the 
various systems of agricultural cooperative credits. It 
would be a good thing if the right kind of farmers 
could go—free to say just what they found. It would 
come close to a farce, however, if a group of “agricul¬ 
turists’’ or students went over. Europe is far ahead 
of us in this work. Over there all classes understand 
that farming is the foundation of all society. We say 
it is here, but we do not prove it by giving our farm¬ 
ers equal financial opportunity with our bankers. 
* 
We would like to see the N. Y., N. H. and H. Rail¬ 
road in New England make some thorough experi¬ 
ments with lime. We believe 80 per cent or more of 
the cultivated soils in Massachusetts and Connecticut 
will be helped by liming. Let there be made as thor¬ 
ough an application of lime on these soils as was 
made in Pennsylvania, and the whole productive face 
of the country will be changed. The railroad is in a 
position to do great things with this lime proposition. 
It can locate the best lime deposits and give special 
freight rates which will put the lime at a farmer’s 
station at a fair price. Every ton of lime used on a 
New England farm means a larger crop. This means 
more freight either to haul that increase of crop di¬ 
rectly or to haul the things which will be bought with 
the proceeds. No one asks the railroad to go into 
any benevolent scheme. Its tracks are not laid for 
that purpose. The proposition is that lower rates will 
mean more lime, larger crops and more railroad 
business. 
* 
Thanks for your remarks on the editorial page of The 
R. N.-Y. for this week, on the contest of Messrs. Roosevelt 
and Taft for votes. You say it is a sad spectacle for the 
American public to contemplate. What of the people in 
Europe who are looking on? They say over there that we 
think of nothing here but money, and that our polities 
reek with venality and corruption. Surely that opinion 
is not likely to be changed in the face of such charges and 
countercharges as we are having from Colonel Roosevelt 
and the President of the United States, wm. r. fisher. 
Pennsylvania. 
If there were but one or two letters like the above 
we should not print it. There are many such—enough 
to make it appear that this opinion is shared by a 
very large number of our people. The spectacle is a 
sad one. The worst feature is the effect of this fool¬ 
ish word scuffle upon young men. Many of them have 
looked upon Mr. Roosevelt as their ideal in morals, 
public actions and manners. The example he is set¬ 
ting them on the stump is bad. The politicians must 
all be chuckling over it. for the easiest way to ob¬ 
scure real issues and genuine debate is to encourage 
personalities. A candidate for the White House 
should get above “ You’re another!” as an argument. 
the RURAL NEW-YORKER 
We know of a large number of students at agricul¬ 
tural colleges who want to work on farms this Sum¬ 
mer. They can give good service and are willing to 
work. Many of them are working their way through 
college, and must earn money during vacation. Do 
you know anyone who wants such help? Some farm¬ 
ers seem to take the position that such students ought 
to pay for what they will learn on a good farm! 
But how are they to live and earn their schooling? 
If they can provide the labor they ought to be paid 
for it, and we believe many a fruit grower or gar¬ 
dener could obtain a good profit out of the work 
of these energetic young men. 
* 
We hear of these proficient men who do great 
things; here comes a hen. She’s no pure blood Rhode 
Island Red—this Business Hen who goes up head, 
nor Plymouth Rock, nor Wyandotte, but just a com¬ 
mon scrub—old Spot. No beef scraps, “mash” or 
other fad was hers, she scrapped for all she had, 
which was not much, yet she could scratch a living 
from the garden patch. One day she found, right in 
her tracks, a package of new carpet tacks. Strange 
poultry food as you may say, and yet they went the 
good old way. For, one by one, she let them drop 
within the mazes of her crop. Then to the farm 
house straight she flew, prepared some mighty deed 
to do. She walked right through the parlor door, and 
laid—a carpet on the floor. 
* 
“Tier men have been some time free they know not 
how to use their freedom. The final and permanent fruits 
of liberty are wisdom, moderation and mercy. Its imme¬ 
diate effects are often atrocious crimes, conflicting errors, 
dogmatism on points the most mysterious. . . . It is 
just at this crisis that its enemies love to exhibit it. 
. . . and ask in scorn where the promised splendor 
and, comfort may be found.” 
This extract from Macaulay’s essay on Milton 
comes back to us with great power at this time. We 
are, in this country, trying out various forms of pri¬ 
mary elections or expression of popular opinion. In 
several States voters have been given a chance to 
express their preference for Presidential candidates. 
In New York the result was little better than a farce 
under the foolish primary law which the politicians 
threw as a sop to public sentiment. In other States 
the result has been more satisfactory, yet the poli¬ 
ticians and the hide-bound party “workers” are de¬ 
nouncing the plan as a failure. It is a failure—for 
them, for it lias been demonstrated that they can no 
longer guarantee to.“deliver the goods” whenever the 
people have a chance at a secret, popular ballot. We 
asked a politician the other day how his State would 
vote. He said, “Honestly, I cannot tell. Under the 
old law I could absolutely guarantee to deliver these 
delegates, but under this primary they get away from 
me—I hardly dare ask people how they will vote. We 
can do nothing but put up popular candidates and 
popular issues.” There is the whole story. In many 
cases the laws are crude, and the people may not 
know how to use their power to best advantage. They 
may make mistakes which seem clumsy and childish, 
and of course the politicians and special privilege 
classes “ask in scorn” where the great results* are 
to be found. Wait! Never again will we take any 
backward step to the old stale caucus and packed 
convention. Every step will be in advance to a 
stronger and simpler primary law. The principle has 
come to stay, and all the forces of graft, hatred and 
ridicule can never put it back. 
* 
I am sorry to have even to think the “short and ugly 
word” regarding any of your correspondents, but I can't 
swallow the claim of Baptiste Diabo who “can dross 600 
fowls or better in 10 hours.” That means 60 birds an 
hour—one bird a minute. I am willing to affirm that it 
can’t he drpie—not even if he flays ’em. If some one else 
does the killing and puts the birds properly scalded into 
your hands, you can do a dozen an hour, perhaps 20—and 
do it neatly. But 60 an hour—well, I’m a doubting 
Thomas or a Missourian. Anyhow I must see it to believe 
it. w. e. k. 
Massachusetts. 
There has been a shortage of “the short, ugly word” 
about The R. N.-Y. for some time. It was some¬ 
what in evidence during a memorable occasion 
when we tried to do a tailoring job on some cow 
papers, but it required a hen to bring it back. Mr. 
Baptiste Diabo is of French and Indian extraction, 
and we should judge that the hens shed their feathers 
at sight of him! Prof. Rice, of Cornell, thinks so 
well of his picking fingers that he wants to have Mr. 
Diabo give a demonstration at Cornell. We wrote Mr. 
Diabo and asked what he called a fair day’s work. 
He says he can dress 600 fowls or better in 10 hours! 
One of our boys can consume an entire forenoon in 
killing and dressing three hens, but we gave Mr. 
Diabo a chance to tell his short story. Now comes 
May 25, 
our Massachusetts friend with his “short, ugly word.” 
Prof. Krum, of Cornell, is well known in New York 
State. He saw Baptiste Diabo in action and this is 
his report: 
“This young man gave a demonstration at the poultry 
show while I was there this Winter with five good-sized 
roasters that had been thoroughly scalded. He picked 
them clean in one minute and 21 seconds. The next day 
he repeated the performance with six birds in one minute 
and 30 seconds. Ilis employer also informed me that he 
is an expert in dry picking, although I have not seen him 
do any work of this kind.” 
We trust our Massachusetts friend will admit that 
this makes the word longer and takes some of the 
ugliness out of it. You notice Mr. Diabo does not 
have any “system” to sell; nor does he claim to make 
$25 a hen profit. All he claims is that he can pick or 
dress a bird in record time. He is in a class by him¬ 
self, like those men who dig 100 bushels of potatoes 
in a day, chop 10 cords of wood, or set out 15,000 
plants. It is no proof that they are fakers because 
we cannot do the job ourselves. 
* 
Last year we had several references to the case of 
a Jersey farmer against the Lehigh Valley R. R. for 
fire damage. In 1905 a spark from a passing locomo¬ 
tive set fire to a barn owned by J. A. Goodman. All 
the farm buildings were destroyed and also others on 
nearby farms. The case was fought for years through 
court after court, but the Court of Errors and Ap¬ 
peals finally settled it by sustaining a verdict against 
the company. It gives a verdict of over $8,000 to Mr. 
Goodman. The railroad fought this case hard be¬ 
cause what is known as the “screen rule” was at 
stake. They undertook to prove that the screen in 
the smokestack of the locomotive was in good con¬ 
dition and as required by law. They claimed this as 
a full defense—that they had complied with legal re¬ 
quirements. The court held that this did not free the 
railroad from liability if it could be proved that large 
sparks actually escaped. 
* 
Those articles on the. German system of agricul¬ 
tural credits have stirred up reports from Americans 
who try to borrow money on farm property. Here 
is one from Florida: 
I have a farm that would bring $4,000 under the ham¬ 
mer, and I tried to get a loan for $300 on first mortgage 
to buy engine and puinp to irrigate with. I found cheap 
money, $300 at 10 per cent, $30 per year; for getting the 
money for me, $15 ; compelled me to insure, $15 ; pay for 
ail papers being made, $6. I wanted it for three years, 
$300. and they would take out the $36 first and give mo 
$264, and then 10 per cent at $30 per year, $90, for a 
three year loan on $264, or $126 In three years for $264 
loan. J. A. F. 
Florida. 
This is not even an exceptional case. We have no 
doubt that even worse ones will be reported. How 
can a man without capital hope to make his farm pay 
under any such arrangement? That is where the 
farmers in Canada and in Europe have such an ad¬ 
vantage over our own small land owners. 
BREVITIES. 
The general opinion seonis to be that silage will go well 
with Eastern beef making. It should have been used more 
for this purpose. 
According to London despatches of May 8, a whole 
year had elapsed since any vessel sailing under the Stars 
and Stripes had entered the Thames. 
A New Hampshire man says he can grow 200 bushels 
of potatoes per acre. Shall he cliange and grow pickles at 
$1.25 per 1,000? We should stick to potatoes if sure of 
that yield. 
Advice to mulchers—do not pile the mulch material 
around the trunk of the tree. The roots will run out 
somewhat farther than the branches extend. The thirsty 
tree mouths are out there. 
The courts decide that when a customer can prove that 
he was made sick by the food bought at a restaurant he 
may obtain damages. In Louisiana the court thought $100 
not excessive in such a case. 
The entire world is interested in the market question. 
In Montevideo. Uruguay, the bakers demanded repeal of a 
law compelling them to sell bread and meat by weight. 
Their demand was turned down. 
Among advertisements in an English gardening paper 
we find garden netting for fruit trees, 25x8 yards, seven 
shillings and threepence; 14-pound bag of odd pieces of 
netting for bush fruits, two shillings. This netting against 
birds is regarded as a regular part of the garden work. 
The Southern States need grass—as well as corn and 
Alfalfa. The Department of Agriculture is experimenting 
in South Carolina. 100 farmers helping. One ton of lime 
per acre is used and a mixture of 200 pounds fine bone 
and 200 pounds acid phosphate per acre. This unusual 
fertilizer appears to work well on soils well supplied with 
potash. They use a combination of Orchard grass, Tall 
meadow oat grass aud Italian rye grass—with Red clover. 
This promises to yield 2% tons or more per acre, and 
such a yield will greatly encourage the dairy and live 
stock industry. This is just what the South needs to do— 
go to grass. 
