1162 
November 16, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A national Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban llomes 
Established iBSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Colungwood, President and Editor. 
Jons J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wi F. Dittos- Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.01, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8% marks, or 10% 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 us j aud 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
Bible 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 the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and yon must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
Last week we suggested an apple pie-making con¬ 
test between girls at some of the fruit meetings. We 
find that a step in this direction is made at the In¬ 
diana apple show, Indianapolis, November 13-19. 
Prizes amounting to $90 are offered fof best apple 
pie, Dutch apple pie, apple cake, etc. This is good, 
but our plan was to have the pies made where the 
show is held—baked the day they are exhibited. Then 
let the girls get up and tell how they did it. 
* 
On page 1100 we referred to the prohibition ot lm 
ports of potatoes. A New York importer brought 
over 200 sacks of German potatoes which were to be 
sold as food. Agents of the Department of Agricul¬ 
ture seized them under the Department’s order pro¬ 
hibiting such imports. After trial the Federal judge 
ordered the potatoes condemned and destroyed. This 
sustains the government in its ban upon foreign po¬ 
tatoes, and will probably have considerable effect on 
potato supplies and prices this year. It means that 
practicall}' all potato imports will be shut off! 
* 
We have often tried to tell what Alfalfa has done 
for Argentina. The extended cultivation of this crop 
has done as much as anything to give this South 
American country its wonderful place as a meat and 
bread producer. On a smaller scale the same thing 
follows in every local section where Alfalfa becomes 
a popular and general crop. Now word comes that 
Argentina will start the wholesale cultivation of the 
Soy bean in place of flax. That will mean still greater 
progress, for the Soy bean has saved sections and 
countries from poor farming and poverty. Manchu¬ 
ria, once a poor province, has found a new crop in 
the Soy bean—one that has given a cash export trade 
and changed industry in Europe as well. Alfalfa, Soy 
beans and other legumes improve the soil wherever 
they go, and that is the best way to improve history. 
* 
Three weeks ago on page 1076 we gave the case of 
a Connecticut farmer who lost 63 pullets to the “brave 
defenders of our National honor” during the recent 
sham battles. At that time the complaint had reached 
the Adjutant-General of New York. As nothing was 
heard from him we called his attention to the fact 
that New York State has robbed a henroost. In re¬ 
ply we get the following: 
1. The Adjutant-General desires to acknowledge receipt 
of the communication received from you with reference 
to the Major-General, Commanding, Division National 
Guard, 2S0 Broadway, New York City, for investigation 
and report. c. a. simmons. 
It now remains to be seen what the Major-General 
will do. As an example of red tape this is getting 
to take high rank, but we shall stay with the case if 
we live long enough. We repeat the fact that New 
York, through her brave soldiers, has robbed a hen¬ 
roost. She would put a private citizen in jail for 
doing this. What about the big chicken thieves? 
* 
There is more tile draining being done now than 
ever before in our history, and yet it is, we believe, 
only a beginning. For only a fraction of the soil 
needing drainage has yet been touched. Of the lands 
east of the Great Lakes we have no doubt that 75 
per cent would pay a larger interest on the cost of 
draining than they now do on the annual cost of ma¬ 
nures or fertilizer, while this purchased plant food 
would also pay better for the draining. One draw¬ 
back to many farmers is a lack of capital, for drainage 
requires cash, and it is in the nature of a permanent 
improvement with slow if sure income. The Cana¬ 
dians recognize this by providing for public drainage 
loans. One of the chief uses of agricultural credits 
would be to secure needed capital for drainage. 
When properly done it is one of the surest and most 
permanent farm improvements. Some of the old tile 
put down near Geneva, N. Y., by John Johnston in 
1835, is still in good working condition. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
All over Germany the high cost of living has be¬ 
come a serious question with the government. Meat 
is especially high at present, and many of the Ger¬ 
man cities are trying to operate municipal markets 
where the price of meat is regulated by law. Frank¬ 
fort has tried this and sent out a committee to search 
for cheaper meat. It is reported that an American 
packing house offered to deliver 25 head of cattle in 
England where they were to be slaughtered and the 
beef sent to Germany! The American will want to 
know why these cattle should not be used to relieve 
the “high cost of living” here as well as in Germany. 
* 
THE FARM STORIES. 
We doubt if any single project connected with The 
R. N.-Y. for the past 20 years has received more 
thought and work than was put into the farm story 
proposition. As stated last week, out of the 60 or more 
stories which were sent us not one seemed entirely 
“suitable.” A fair share of them had evidently seen 
much service and had, we should judge, been sent to 
several other papers before reaching us. Others were 
entirely new and showed evidences of hard work. 
Several of them are excellent in their way, showing 
considerable skill and power, but they were not exactly 
suited to our definite purpose, and we have been un¬ 
able to use them. The manuscripts will be returned. 
The story we finally decided to use is, we frankly 
admit, inferior in most respects to some of those 
which we feel obliged to return, but it may prove 
more directly in line with our purpose in using the 
story. 
* 
It is a mixed-up situation, and the only comforting 
thing about it is that of all the men who vote for Teddy, 
most of them who are voting for Wilson and a lot of 
them who are voting for Taft, are dead set, incurable 
progressives. No man will have the face to defend a 
standpat policy in public hereafter, or to run for office on 
a standpat platform. w. 
Massachusetts. 
We received the above note a few days before 
the election. We hope our friend is correct, though 
it might mean a large contract to prove it. He is 
right, however, about the future of any “standpat” 
policy. 
It is to be President Woodrow Wilson! 
The latest returns that we can obtain show that 
about 15,500,000 votes were cast—distributed among 
Wilson. 6,378,740 
Roosevelt. 4,022,615 
Taft. 3,526,578 
The remaining ballots are credited to the Socialist, 
Prohibition and other minor parties. Thus Mr. Wil¬ 
son received not far from 45 per cent, of the popular 
vote. Outside of the South it is doubtful if he re¬ 
ceived a majority in any State, but the vote is so 
distributed that he has received an overwhelming 
majority in the Electoral College and is our next 
President. When the American people talk in this way 
there is nothing for good citizens to do but accept the 
verdict with good humor. We are to have as President 
for the next four years a clean and able gentleman who 
realizes the responsibilities which the American peo¬ 
ple have put in his hands. We are also to have a 
strong and vigorous opposition party with the ele¬ 
ments of fair growth and worthy ambition in it. It 
is now the duty of all good citizens to get behind 
President Wilson with sincere and fair support for 
the things we know are right. His hour of trial is 
coming, and he needs help rather than criticism. And 
so, gentlemen, it is moved, seconded and carried that 
we lay politics upon the shelf where the dust may 
accumulate—for a good long rest. 
* 
One of our readers sends us a “confidential” letter 
which he received from a nursery company requesting 
him to act as agent. This man says he understands 
now why peach trees sell at 25 cents each when 
sprouted tree agents handle them. Here is part of 
the letter: 
“A Reminder: Some time ago we offered you the sales 
agency for your district. The offer still stands. We 
await your decision. It ought to be in our favor. Weigh 
the facts, as presented, and you will admit the great 
income possibilities in representing our house. Big men 
handle our products—men who have investigated and 
realized the high value of our proposition as a permanent 
money-making business opportunity. To illustrate its 
possibilities, one of our commission men, accompanied 
by his wife, recently returned from a trip around the 
world. Often we have sent him drafts for $100 or more 
commission on a week’s work. He has worked three 
weeks since his return. Ilis commission the first week 
was $116.28; second week (four days), $54.58, and 
third week, $88.88. One of our new men who had never 
sold nursery stock before has averaged about $25 per 
week since coming with us last May, and in a contest 
won a gold watch. No experience necessary. You may 
work part or full time.” 
Well sir, it is a great pleasure to realize that a man 
without any experience can take his wife around the 
world and wear gold watches. The other side of the 
world would seem to be a safe place for a sprouted 
tree agent when his trees come into bearing. The 
queer part of it is that nurserymen tell us there is a 
very small and shaky margin of profit in their busi¬ 
ness, and that many long years of experience are 
needed. Ask one of them how many times he has 
taken his wife around the world and he would grow 
faint. Yet you would think from this letter that 
tree agents have more money than they know what 
to do with. If we are to believe the nurserymen 
their business will not warrant them in sending fam¬ 
ilies around the world! Who then pays these sprout¬ 
ed tree agents? We can see no paymaster in sight 
except the farmers who buy the trees. 
* 
We have, in weeks past, told some of the things 
which are resorted to in order to prevent farmers 
from selling their produce on the public streets of 
towns or villages. A common plan is to have the 
“council” pass an ordinance compelling farmers to 
pay a license or stay in a certain market place. If 
farmers will combine and fight these ordinances they 
can win, for it is a common right belonging to 
farmers, as citizens, to sell their own produce on a 
public street. Now we hear of a new and meaner 
form of oppression from a mining town in Pennsyl¬ 
vania. The large company which operates the mines 
runs under another name a string of stores where the 
miners are expected or compelled to trade. The com¬ 
pany also owns and operates farms where they grow 
produce to sell at a high price to the miners who 
trade at their stores. Now let one of our readers 
tell what happens: 
I saw one of these store “bosses” follow up an old soldier 
storekeeper who sold and delivered goods to the company’s 
men. When they could get rid of him no other way they 
hired small boys to pelt him with apples. The landholding 
company owns and operates farms. To-day, when I went to 
town with a load of cabbage, ono of these store “bosses” 
followed me and tried to scare the buyers, and when they 
did buy he told them they had to take just as much from 
the stores. Last year the store boss came to my wagon and 
said I could sell cabbage if I’d not sell potatoes; 85 cents 
was then considered a good price, while they got $1.25. 
What can a farmer do ? This is on public streets; can he 
get an injunction? 
You will see what is coming from this. This com¬ 
pany grows potatoes and other crops on a large scale, 
and competes with farmers. When it comes to mar¬ 
keting they evidently do their best to cut out competi¬ 
tion. They pay the miners and intend to get all of 
this money that they can back again by compelling 
these workmen to patronize their own stores. Thus, 
if they can compel these workmen to buy potatoes 
grown on their own farms they have an unfair ad¬ 
vantage over farmers. We have no doubt this is 
what we may look for on a large scale in the future, 
unless the rights of farmers individually and in co¬ 
operation are defined and guarded. In the case of 
this mining company it will be hard for an individual 
to protect his rights, for the large companies through 
ownership and power have a dozen ways of con¬ 
trolling the situation. Here is another case where 
cooperation among farmers is necessary. We are 
having the law of this case examined to see just what 
a farmer can do to protect himself. 
BREVITIES. 
The English apple crop is short. 
A ton of flax straw will he sent from Western Canada to 
Ireland for an experiment in making twine and cloth. 
In Germany 327 factories were engaged in dx-ying pota¬ 
toes, using 47,641 tons, or 15,345,659 bushels, or more 
than were imported into this country last year. 
We have had many questions of late about milkweed 
as a substitute for silk. W’hile great claims have been 
made for some special varieties of milkweed, there is no 
definite hope that practical results will follow. 
Remember, when the new parcels post comes into being 
January 1, 1913, you must purchase parcels post stamps 
for postage; if ordinary stamps are used the parcel will 
be “held for postage.” You must also put sender’s name 
and address on parcel. 
During the past year the Joint Application Bureau of 
the Charity Organization and Association for Improving 
the Condition of the Poor in this city received 47,163 ap¬ 
plications for aid. In 60 per cent of the cases investigated 
the cause of the trouble was intemperance. 
An English landlord, Sir Fortescue Flannei-y. has in¬ 
formed farmers on his Essex estate that he will take no 
rent for land on which sugar beets are grown. lie 
thinks this crop should be more extensively grown in 
Great Britain, and is trying to encourage it within his 
own sphere of influence. 
The County Council of Cornwall, England, has passed 
a by-law prohibiting any person (unless authorized by 
owner or occupier) from destroying or uprooting ferns 
or wild plants by the wayside, in commons or other 
public place, in such a way as to deface the road, lane, 
hedgerow, etc. There is a penalty not exceeding £5 for 
breaking this law. 
