1270 
THE HURAb NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BE SIXERS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country- and Suburban Rome* 
RtifatUisheri s'K/S 
Published weekly by the Rural Pohlishio« Company. 40* Pearl 9r., N-ew York 
HerbiUM 1 W. Cor.r.wnwoon, PvcsIrtBnt and Editor. 
.lotrv X. Dilros, Treasurer ami Seneral Manasrer. 
IVm. K. Dnxos. Seerwtary. T. RoYI.B, Associate Editor, 
sm&Gfunn&x-, &ms. boexar a year 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, S2.ru. equal to 8s. Cd., or 
1% mark*, or 11% franco. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advert! sins? rates 80 cents per aerate line—7 words. 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 hacked by a respon¬ 
sible person. But to make doubly sure we will make (rood any loss to paid 
snbserlbers sustained by trtVstJmf any deliberate swindler advertising in onr 
columns, and any such swindler will he publicly exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers apainst rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we he 
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 Tub Rtnux, New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
We have been told that a great effort will be made 
this Winter to tinker the highway laws in New York. 
The proposition is to prohibit the use of auto trucks 
on improved country roads. This comes just at the 
time when farmers are really beginning to cooperate 
for shipping their goods. The auto truck will take 
them along the road to transportation independence. 
The roads must be kept open for it. 
* 
The Kansas Agricultural College organized an “ex¬ 
change” to help sell the apple crop. More than 400 
farmers and fruit growers wrote for help in selling 
the crop. Now the report is that the same work is 
starting in an effort to find a good market for corn. 
Some want to buy—others want to sell. Alfalfa hay 
is also in demand. Can anyone tell us why this is 
not proper and useful work for an agricultural col¬ 
lege? 
* 
It is a terrible temptation to try to argue about 
farm problems from limited evidence. Most people 
feel that they must say something when the question 
is put up to them, and they dislike to admit that they 
do not know. It is dangerous to make positive state¬ 
ments from negative evidence, for if people believe 
what you say you only set them walking off nowhere. 
Get the right label on the advice. If it is a guess 
do not label it “fact.” 
* 
No use talking, there is great interest in this 
parcels post proposition. All over the country people 
are preparing to use this service after January 1. 
We hope our readers will use it whenever possible, 
for we cannot hope to get just the service we need 
until we make it evident that the American people 
will patronize such a post. Manufacturers are at 
work devising packages for shipping such products 
as eggs, poultry and fruit. Do not expect too much 
at first. Be patient and the thing will work out 
properly. 
* 
Every farmer who has the chance to do so should 
patronize a local town market whenever he can. In 
some places the argument against starting such a 
market is that farmers will not patronize it. This 
getting consumer and producer closer together is 
the vital principle in any effort we can make to ob¬ 
tain fairer prices. The local market .should be sup¬ 
plied first. This gives a better trade to nearby 
farmers, and stops useless shipments to distant mar¬ 
kets where goods are often handled over and then 
sent back to the point they were shipped from to be 
retailed. By all means go to the local markets when¬ 
ever there is a chance. 
* 
The annual meeting of the New York State Agri¬ 
cultural Society will be held in the city of Albany 
in the new Educational Building on January 15. In 
accordance with the custom of the society a general 
meeting of the agricultural interests of the State 
will be held in connection with the annual meeting 
of the society on January 13, 14 and 15, beginning 
at two p. m. on Monday, January 13, and continu¬ 
ing through Tuesday, January 14, and Wednesday, 
January 15 following. The management has prepared 
a most interesting programme. Several very promi¬ 
nent speakers have accepted invitations and the meet¬ 
ing promises to be one of the best that has yet been 
held under the auspices of the society. In a later 
issue we will give more details of the programme 
and in the meantime those who are able to attend 
may be assured of an entertaining and instructive 
meeting. The meeting should be a large one. Many 
subjects of great interest to the farmers in New 
York State will be discussed and a good many im¬ 
portant measures acted upon, and the producers of 
the State should be present to back up their leaders 
in this society in supporting measures of vital im¬ 
portance to the farming interests of the State. 
Perhaps you have wondered why we spend so 
much time each Summer and Fall talking “cover 
crops.” We know what these living crops do to 
our own hilly soil, and we have seen the result of 
their work elsewhere. There is no question but that 
these Fall and Winter crops save nitrates which 
would otherwise be washed out of the soil, and add 
needed vegetable matter at low cost They do even 
more than this in hilly or rolling countries by pre¬ 
venting erosion or soil washing. We have seen fields 
with the best part of their soil washed away into 
some useless swamp or into the river when a thick 
mat of rye and turnips would have held that soil in 
place. The U. S. Geological Survey estimates that the 
yearly loss from this soil washing for the entire 
country is 783,000,000 tons. If the power required 
to wash this soil away could have been concentrated 
at Panama it would have washed out the canal in 
73 days! We want our soil on the hills and not 
in the rivers! 
* 
Two weeks ago we spoke of what Mr. Herbert 
Myrick calls an “iniquitous rider” to the postal ap¬ 
propriation bill. This “rider” states that publishers 
must plainly mark as advertisements any articles 
which are paid for. The intent of this ought to be 
clear to anyone who is capable of thought. There 
can be but one reason why an editor should attempt 
to palm off, as original advice or opinion, matter that 
has been paid for by someone else. It is a plain case 
of deception—nothing more. The government has 
the right and should have the right to compel publica¬ 
tions to make the label fit the editorial—or get out of 
the mails. We can see no possible harm that can 
come to an honest publisher through any such ruling, 
while it is easy to see great benefit to the public. In 
Boston, as we write, various prominent citizens are 
on trial for fraudulent use of the mail in selling min¬ 
ing stock. It develops during this trial that a num¬ 
ber of papers printed supposed editorial articles boom¬ 
ing these mining stocks. Here is a sample of the 
evidence: 
Frank S. Adams, who was employed by “The Mercan¬ 
tile and Financial Times,” was then called to explain an 
article which appeared in his newspaper. 
“Soma of the Hawthorne literature,” he said in explan¬ 
ation, “drifted into the office. It looked good to me, and 
I told someone to fix it up. I took the proofs to Mr. 
Freeman and said I should like to print it. He agreed to 
take 1,500 copies at 10 cents each.” 
In the article appeared the statements that “the com¬ 
pany had uncovered well-defined veins” and that “not one 
of the 30 claims of the Temagami-Cobalt Company is 
without mining value.” 
Thus this man simply took the advertising “dope” 
which the promoters were sending out and rewrote 
it for the munificent sum of $ 15 . There were plenty 
more who did the same—only they demanded a larger 
share of graft. The entire object of this dirty busi¬ 
ness was to make the readers of these papers believe 
that the editors advised buying this wildcat stock. 
An undisguised advertisement would not have paid, 
but these promoters were willing to pay for that poor 
tattered scarecrow of a thing which passed as the 
editor’s conscience. The original Judas betrayed the 
confidence of his great Master for a handful of silver 
—these puny imitators want to sell the confidence 
of their readers for even less. That is all there is to 
it, and we will challenge Mr. Myrick or anyone else 
to give any other reason why an advertisement that 
is paid for should not be marked as such. This is 
of great importance to the public—a form of protec¬ 
tion which they should demand. 
* 
Allow me to express a word of appreciation for the 
best agricultural paper. I take a number of others, but 
The It. N.-Y. is by far the “meatiest” of all. I can read 
every week's Issue from cover to cover with interest. 
Your editorial ou page 1,200 concerning the “New York 
Times” hit the nail exactly on the head. That paper’s 
editorials have frequently roused me to anger, hut your 
article led me to write to the editor expressing my own 
opinion and enclosing yours. I have subscribed to the 
“Times” for a long while and like it for its many valuable 
features, hut I can’t quite swallow some of its agricultural 
dope, printed with apparently malicious intent, w. h. d. 
New Jersey. 
We keep right at this proposition of the “New 
York Times,” as we have learned that there is no 
other way of getting anywhere. Somehow that paper 
goes further than any other daily in New York or 
in fact any other daily that we have seen, to attack 
fanners and their interests. This paper might do 
good service for its city readers if it would give 
the farmer a square deal. City consumers ought 
not to antagonize farmers, but to work along with 
them. The farmers are not responsible folr the 
“high cost of living” yet the “Times” would make 
it appear that they are, and it is capable of doing 
great injury in its foolish and malicious attacks upon 
our farmers. It plays into the hands of middlemen 
and transporters who are responsible for high prices. 
December 21, 
Mast city people are unable to get the other side 
of the question. 
In a recent address before a “school of journalism” 
the editor of the “Times” told the students that in 
order to make good writers they should “read much, 
talk much, think much and travel when they could.” 
Then he turned around and printed the following: 
“The plea that something more ought to be done for 
the farmer is most untimely, because the farmer so be¬ 
grudges the reward to those who make his own profits 
possible. If it were not for the railroads the farmer's 
profits would be impossible and the prairies would still 
be wastes. But the farmer has been conspicuous for his 
malice toward the railroads, although the services of the 
railroads to the community at large—apart from the 
especial service to the farmer—shine by comparison.” 
This gentleman ought to go back and tell the stu¬ 
dents the most important thing of all, “Know what 
you are talking about or keep still’* 
* 
I have about 3,000 barrels of apples to haul 11 miles to 
the station, and considerable hauling from station, lime, 
sulphur, fertiliser, etc. I wish you would continue the 
discussion of traction and motor trucks for hauling on 
commo-n or worse clay roads. Would like something that 
would haul 50 barrels up a maximum grade of 10 or 12 
per cent. ; would not care to make more than the round 
trip in one day and perhaps one at night. Out roads in 
October and November are almost always free from mud. 
Virginia, j. R . 
We shall certainly keep up this discussion, for the 
above note states a great need both for large farmers 
and for groups of smaller ones. When we see one 
of these powerful trucks puffing and snorting off to 
market with a giant’s load on its back there seems 
to be a clearer view of industrial freedom for the 
farmer. We want real discussion—nothing else. It 
is evident that some classes of these trucks are better 
suited to farm work than others, the same as different 
breeds or types of horses. We want fair and unbiased 
analysis of their real merits. 
* 
Still we have people coming forward to say that 
farmers do not need any credit which they do not 
now possess. No use arguing with such people—they 
need the facts. We are collecting actual statements 
from farmers to show what they need. Here is one 
from a New York State farmer: 
I own. over 300 acres of good land that I have half 
paid for. I would like to borrow some money so that I 
can buy a carload of fertilizer for use this year. As a re¬ 
sult of six years’ experience on this farm I have found 
this to be a good investment on my soil. If I buy for 
cash I can get the fertilizer ranch cheaper. Because I 
made a large payment on my farm this year I have not 
enough money to buy this fertilizer for cash. I would 
like to borrow from a hank, but no bank in my town will 
loan money to a farmer without a signer. 1 think that I 
can get money as easily as any farmer in the community, 
so that there is nothing personal about it. But I do not 
ask anyone to bolster up my credit, hence 1 cannot bor¬ 
row money. I used to farm in the West, and although 1 
had much less property than I now have, I never had 
any trouble to get money. In fact, since coming to this 
State I have sent to the Western bank and borrowed on a 
note twice because I could not borrow here. Besides my 
interest in my farm above the mortgage value, I have nine 
horses worth $1,500 any day; 000 purebred hens worth 
$900 (I would not sell them for twice thisj ; 17 cow r s 
and young stock, worth $1,500, eight of them are pure¬ 
bred ; farm machinery worth $1,000; 500 bushels of wheat, 
800 bushels of oats, 700 bushels of buckwheat, 25 tons of 
Alfalfa, 35 tons of mixed hay. Most of these 1 will feed. 
All these products are free from debt. All I owe is on 
the mortgage. Yet I cannot borrow a cent from a bank. 
I would like to know if this is the experience of farmers 
in all parts of New York. ir. 
Now you will agree with us that a manufacturer 
or a merchant with similar resources could obtain 
credit which would enable him to enjoy the benefits 
which come from cash. This farmer is above the 
average in property, reputation and character, yet he 
cannot obtain the cash with which to do business. 
And if he cannot obtain credit think of the poorer 
farmers whose resources are less than his! They 
must continue to pay from 10 to 30 per cent, higher 
prices for supplies than cash would enable them to 
obtain. 
BREVITIES. 
Fowles vs. Katz was the title of a legal case in Eng¬ 
land. 
A steamship line has offered to carry free to England 
the first 2,000 tons of cotton grown in South Africa. 
And now the U. S. government proposes: to prohibit im¬ 
ports of sugar cane or parts of the cane plant, in order to 
keep out injurious insects. 
“We used to run a dairy,” says a Connecticut corre¬ 
spondent, “but had to cut the dairy out to live and got 
a flock of hens in its place.” However, he finds profit 
in sheep. 
Those who have seen the light, sandy soil of Florida 
can hardly realize that about 1,300,000,000 gallons of 
water are taken from it daily for domestic and irrigation 
purposes. 
And now the statement is made that no one gets No¬ 
vember eggs at a profit. It is true that some flocks do lay 
fairly well during the month, but counting cost of the 
entire flock, do such eggs pay? 
