1209 
November 30, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BVSIKES8 FARMER'S PAPER 
A .national Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 4W Pearl St., New York 
Herbf.rt W. Coilinowood, President and Editor. 
John" J. DnxoN, Treasurer and General Manager. 
IV*. F. DlUiON, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Eotlk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. 92.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
marks, or 10^ francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or hank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates GO cents per agate line—7 worda Discount for time orders. 
References required for advertisers unknown to us ; and 
cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed 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 trilling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we l>e 
responsible for (he debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month or the tune of 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned TnE Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
The most remarkable thing about the New York 
Land and Irrigation Show was the way New Jersey 
walked off with grand prizes. When you go 150 
miles from the Atlantic coast you find New Jersey 
farming regarded more or less as a joke. They will 
tell you that Jersey raises good mosquitoes and had 
trusts, hut no one thinks much of Jersey agriculture. 
Yet the State won prizes on corn, potatoes, sweet 
potatoes, poultry, eggs, and came within a fraction of 
one point of winning the great Coe-Mortimer apple 
prize. The fact is that good farmers in New Jersey 
can grow as many bushels of corn or potatoes or as 
many tons of hay to the acre as can be produced 
anywhere without irrigation. The Jersey farmers who 
irrigate can match irrigators anywhere—and the pro¬ 
duce sells at the highest market price. 
* 
The Federation of Jewish farmers recently met in 
this city. One of the most interesting things dis¬ 
cussed was the Cooperative Credit Union. These 
farmers have, in a small way, shown what such credits 
will do. During the past 10 months they have loaned 
$25,000 in 342 loans at six per cent.—all to farmers 
who otherwise could hardly have obtained credit. The 
original capital was contributed by members of the 
union, several wealthy men starting it. In a small 
way this Credit Union has served its purpose for 
these Jewish farmers. It was easier to form because 
many of the members came from European countries 
where the government helps such cooperation. In a 
larger way our farmers do not want to lean upon the 
government, or to be subsidized. They want to get 
together so as to obtain fair credit as easily as any 
other class. 
* 
The Hudson Dispatch, of Union, N. J., is doing 
excellent work in trying to develop a public market. 
Many local papers oppose such markets. They seem 
to think that local storekeepers are of far greater im¬ 
portance than the great buying public. The Dispatch 
takes the view that housekeepers have rights which 
should be respected, and so it is trying to develop an 
admirable plan. That part of New Jersey is thickly 
settled—several towns joining. The plan is for these 
towns to unite and establish a market place where 
farmers can drive in and sell direct from the wagon 
while buyers can readily come from all the towns. It 
is an excellent plan, and all who are interested in 
an economical distribution of the consumer’s dollar 
ought to help put it through. For here is a good 
opportunity to prove the value of direct dealing. 
Every such market will help establish several more. 
The only thing thus far advanced against this plan 
is a doubt that farmers would avail themselves of it. 
They have in every other case where they had the 
chance. Try them! 
* 
A “new administration” is expected to act as a 
new broom—sweep clean. Some people really expect 
the new President and Congress to reform every pos¬ 
sible public abuse. Others claim that they should do 
so in order to set them impossible tasks. Both classes 
will be disappointed. Most of our public abuses have 
been growing 30 years or more and have fastened 
their roots into public life like a vigorous tree. No 
one with ordinary perception can expect that such 
things can be ripped out at once. The most that any 
fair-minded man can expect is that an honest and sin¬ 
cere effort be made to start reform. One thing at 
least the new administration has promised—“economy 
along all lines.” Some so-called economies are ques¬ 
tionable, but the free distribution of seeds is not 
of that kind. Last year the Government distributed 
65,364,555 packets of vegetable and flower seeds—in 
all 497 tons, or enough to fill 20 freight cars. This 
was in direct and unfair competition with a legitimate 
business, and did no earthly good except provide a 
little “graft” for Congressmen. Here is a good place 
for that “economy” to start. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The State of New York, through its “National 
Guard,” robbed the henroost of a Connecticut farmer 
during the recent “sham battle.” It seems to have 
been a sham battle fought by sham soldiers, though 
there was no sham about the pullets they stole. Is 
the State of New York also a sham? We have traced 
this claim from Washington to the “Major-General 
Commanding Division National Guard.” He pays no 
attention to letters or statements. Seems to have gone 
to roost like the original pullets. Is there no way 
of getting him off the roost and building a fire under 
him? Some of the “brave defenders” from Massa¬ 
chusetts robbed grocery stores as they went forth to 
battle, and we understand the State has paid the bill. 
The “Major-General” must be busy figuring how to 
defend New York from a foreign foe. We are more 
concerned about the enemy that runneth by night and 
emptieth the henhouse. 
We have spent some time hunting various agricul¬ 
tural champions. It s6ems well enough to give the 
possibilities, though most of us cannot hope to reach 
them. Now we have another. The champion blunder¬ 
buss in discussing farmers and farm problems is, with¬ 
out question, the New York “Times.” Other papers 
may be malignant or foolish now and then, but for 
plain stupidity in taking the wrong side of farm ques¬ 
tions and sticking to its blunders the “Times” jpes up 
head. Its latest freak is this lying statement: 
“It is the country, not the city, that crowds the 
insane asylums.” 
Now this malignant lie has been exposed time and 
again, yet it is repeated whenever some city paper 
wishes to show its sneering hatred of farmers and 
farm life. Papers like the “Times” will probably con¬ 
tinue to repeat *it, even when the facts are made clear. 
We ask you to read the letter on page 1200 from 
Dr. Wagner, of the Binghamton State Hospital. This 
is located in a farming district where, if anywhere, 
the asylums would be crowded with farm patients. 
Orange Co., N. Y., is another farm section. Dr. R. C. 
Woodman made a careful study of insanity in that 
county. Between January 1, 1903, and April 1, 1910, 
there were 543 Orange Co. people admitted to insane 
asylums. Of these 299 were from the three cities of 
Port Jervis, Middletown and Newburgh. Thus all the 
smaller towns and villages and all the farm sections 
together sent less than 45 per cent, of the total. It is 
doubtful if the farms sent 20 per cent, of all! In all 
Orange County only two farmers and two farm 
laborers were committed for delirium tremens out of 
a total of 64. Dr. Woodman says distinctly: 
The pathetic accounts which appear from time to time 
in the Sunday newspapers, of farmers’ wives driven by 
loneliness and hard life to melancholia and suicide, are not 
true of Orange County. Only two farmers’ wives are 
found among the entire 37 women in these two depressive 
groups, and both of these had given up farming and 
moved to the village. It is from the villages and ham¬ 
lets that most melancholia comes. 
It is doubtful if such figures will have any effect 
upon the “Times.” It has recently stated that farmers 
as a class have been pampered and supported more 
than any other. The “Times” believes that our farm¬ 
ers are responsible for the high cost of living—that 
they are all growing rich. Our treatment for such 
forms of insanity is to put the writers in overalls and 
make them do hired man’s work on a back farm where 
the hired man makes more cash than the boss. 
* 
We print the following in order that our readers 
may know something of the troubles of New York 
fruit handlers. Many people do not realize how these 
complications upset trade: A dispute about cartage 
charges during the past week caused a mix-up in the 
California citrus fruit business at New York. This 
fruit is sold at auction, the auction companies making 
delivery, for which a cartage charge, determined by 
the truckmen’s unions, is made. Some buyers get the 
fruit from the docks with their own trucks, to make 
sure that it is not delayed, but they have had to pay 
the cartage charge the same as though it had been 
done by outsiders, this being demanded by the labor 
unions. One man is said to have paid nearly $4,000 
per year in these outside cartage charges, when the 
work was actually done by his own men, who were 
paid the regular union scale of wages. For some 
time the standard cartage charge was four cents per 
box within normal distances. A demand made both 
by those who carted their own fruit and those who 
did not, resulted in the auction companies agreeing to 
reduce the charge to two cents. This went on for 
two days until a strike of the teamsters restored the 
old charge, with one cent added, five cents per box, 
when the buyers struck, and on November 18 refused 
to bid at the auctions. This resulted in a compromise, 
the charge being reduced to three cents per box, which 
will probably stand at that until the present accumu¬ 
lations are cleared. 
U. S. Consul Winslow of Copenhagen reports a 
new Danish law to prevent unfair competition and un¬ 
true advertisements: 
This law has a provision that forbids more than two 
“clearing” sales a year by any firm. Exceptions are 
made in case a bankrupt stock is to be sold or the death 
of a partner or owner shall cause the closing out of the 
business “below cost,” or if a bona fide winding up of 
the business is undertaken, or if the place of business is 
to be removed to another locality, etc. If, however, any 
of the above exceptions can be shown not to have been 
true, a criminal prosecution is possible. ' 
The law furthermore contains penal clauses for persons 
who are found guilty of using false descriptions of goods 
offered for sale, of employing false business names or 
firms in carrying on trade, and the like. 
Denmark is the nation which, more than any other, 
owes its very business life to high quality and square 
dealing. We think the tendency throughout the world 
will be to choke off the fakes and the humbug blow- 
hards. If it cannot be done any other way, the Federal 
government must do it. 
* 
The Supreme Court has just decided the celebrated 
bathtub case, which settles one question involved in 
the patent laws. The case hinged upon a patent 
process for enamelling iron ware. The ware is heated 
to a red heat and then white glass, either powdered or 
liquid, is sifted or poured over the red hot metal. 
Up to 1899 this work was done by hand, the glass 
being sifted through a sieve with a long handle. In 
that year a mechanical device was patented. This 
patent was bought by a large manufacturing company, 
which refused to sell or license the right to use it to 
others. E. L. Wayman finally acquired the patents 
through options and combined most of the manufac¬ 
tures under a license agreement. There were severe 
penalties for violating this agreement, with a system 
of royalties and rebates which kept up prices. The 
scheme was to use this patent as the basis for organ¬ 
izing a monopoly among manufacturers and jobbers. 
The Government held that these licenses to use the 
patent were tricks to make possible an evasion of the 
Sherman law. The Supreme Court upheld this point. 
It says: 
Rights conferred by patent are Indeed very definite and 
extensive, but they do not give any more than other rights 
do. a universal license against positive prohibitions. The 
Sherman law is a limitation of rights, rights which may 
be of civil consequence and therefore restrained. 
Thus the monopoly which goes with a patent does 
not permit a combination to dictate prices as in these 
bathtub cases. It is said that since this combination 
was broken prices for this enamelled ware have fallen 
25 per cent, or more, with a greatly increased demand, 
while manufacturers are making a good profit. 
* 
There is still much complaint about the distribution 
of those fine fruit books from the Geneva Experiment 
Station. Many fruit growers have been unable to 
obtain them except by paying an exorbitant price for 
a free public document. One of our people made 
early application for “The Grapes of New York.” He 
was turned down, and is still on the under side. Now 
he receives the following from an Albany book store: 
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. 
My Dear Sir —A gentleman closely connected with the 
late Senator Grady has just brought in 10 sets of “The 
Apples of New York,” still in the original wrappers. They 
were bought cheap, and this will give .you the opportunity 
of getting them at a considerable saving. 
A DIRECT REDUCTION OF $1.50. 
“Apples of New York,” by Beach, Booth and Taylor; 
with 136 full-page colored plates and 78 half-tones. Two 
vols., 8 vo„ cloth. Express 60 cents extra. Albany, 1905. 
Were formerly $7.50. Reduced to $6.00. 
I want to send you one of these sets, but it is necessary 
that you let me know your decision AT ONCE. They are 
sure to sell rapidly at this low price, and I am offering 
you one chance to get them. 
Your check will be promptly returned in case the books 
are all sold, so why not ACT NOW—before you forget it? 
Now, mind you, these books were printed at public 
expense on the plea that fruit growers needed them. 
Yet the bulk of the books were turned over to mem¬ 
bers of the Legislature for distribution. More than 
•half those members live in town and city, where no 
one could raise a crop of fruit, but they seem to 
know how to raise a crop of dollars! This is the 
first direct reference we have seen as to the way 
these books get into trade. Senator Grady is dead, 
but there are a number of very live gentlemen who 
•know the way to the book stores. Every member 
ought to be compelled to show what he did with the 
books. 
BREVITIES. 
What about that apple pie contest? 
Bread in French is spelled “pain.” Poor bread cer¬ 
tainly gives a good-sized American pain. 
The Department of Agriculture wishes to “get in touch” 
with farmers “who keep a definite record of their farming 
operations.” So do wo. 
Y'our family is not half so much interested in the new 
administration as in the oid wood pile. Can you not 
elect a woodshed this Winter? 
