40 
^HE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
January 11, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly .TournnI for Country and Subnrban IToraes 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Colmngwood, President and Editor. 
John' J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. S2.01. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8 K 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 80 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 DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. But to make doubly sure we will make pood 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 j ogucs. but wc 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 you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
Tell us your experience with the parcels post — 
whether it be satisfactory or not. The service started 
promptly at midnight of the old year. Some remark¬ 
able shipments were made, including a live bulldog. 
Gov. Wilson received a box of apples as his first 
parcel under the new law. “Comfort me with apples,” 
feaid the Hebrew poet. As President, Mr. Wilson 
will need half a dozen apples per day to keep good 
natured! 
* 
The inauguration address of Gov. Wm. Sulzer of 
New York is the most sensible document of the sort 
we have read in 25 years. Most of such speeches are 
full of big, rolling sentences, which really mean little 
besides guff and bombast. When we read them we 
think, “Here is a man of wind getting ready to blow 
himself away from his promises in case it seems good 
politics to do so!” Mr. Sulzer used plain, simple 
language, which all can understand. If he sticks to 
his words the people will stick to him. He will be 
watched as Governor never was before! 
* 
In former years we have had hundreds of ques¬ 
tions about the value of waste materials, such as saw¬ 
dust, pomace, ashes or plastering. This is an age of 
saving, and we must all hunt for plant food wherever 
we can find it. In order to help in this hunt we have 
prepared a little pamphlet on “Plant Food Wastes.” 
This gives average analyses of 50 or more articles 
often thrown away, and brief notes about using them 
effectively. You may he throwing away the equivalent 
of several tons of fertilizer in your failure to secure 
some of these wastes. 
* 
Mr. Cosgrove has referred several times to the fine 
record of the English hens in that egg-laying contest. 
A good many reasons for their excellence have been 
advanced. The most probable reason is that the Eng¬ 
lish breeders have been selecting their breeding stock 
for utility. Their show “scale of points” seems to 
spell egg. In America it has run too much to feather 
and exterior points. The American show ring has 
not given the utility bird a square deal, and until we 
get more feathers out of their pedigree the American 
birds will he likely to travel in the dust scratched up 
by the English Leghorns. Let us get back to eggs! 
* ** 
One of our readers sends an advertisement of a 
Southern land company which, among other remark¬ 
able things, states that the location is “a home land 
with 30 millions of neighbors within a half day’s 
ride.” Our friend wants to know: 
Are the thirty millions of neighbors within half a day's 
ride of the cities of Mobile and New Orleans combined 
with the mosquitoes of the Gulf Country? Isn't that 
one-tliird the population of our country? 
We think you will be obliged to count in many 
mosquitoes and rabbits in order to get this large 
gathering of “neighbors.” This is just “guff” and 
nothing more. It is easy to take wild land and tell 
wilder stories about it. Now and then you can get 
wild men to believe the yarns. That is about all there 
is to the land shark business. 
* 
A dozen or more of eminent citizens are Joeing 
groomed and boomed by their friends for the agri¬ 
cultural place in Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet. Of course 
these gentlemen must know that the lightning is not 
going to strike them. Without question Mr. Wilson 
has already decided this part of his woes. To con¬ 
tinue these various Cabinet campaigns will merely 
make annoyance for the new President. Why, then, 
do not these men become wise and accept the situa¬ 
tion? Probably they reason that by making a good 
showing of strength they will get in line for some¬ 
thing else. We have been asked to support four dif¬ 
ferent men—only one with the remotest chance of 
being selected. Why not let Mr. Wilson alone to 
select his own Cabinet officers in his own way? 
There is another instance of what this fool game 
law of New York comes to on page 47. Coons come 
high in this State. They may rob your hen roost and 
do even a better job than those “brave defenders” 
did in Connecticut, hut the State will not pay the 
damage, and if you get rid of the cocn you must 
expect to shed some of your money. They do things 
better in Iowa, as we learn from the following: 
George A. Lincoln, State game warden, declared in a 
letter to the State executive council recently that new 
legislation is needed to protect the people of the western 
part of the State against wild deer. There are several 
hundred deer in Pottawattamie and Shelby counties, and 
in some respect they are a menace to the people. Mr. 
Lincoln said the bucks at this season of the year are 
vicious. 
In our Eastern States the sports protect the coons 
and skunks and deer, while in Iowa the State tries 
to protect the people. That seems to he because the 
people get closer to the heart of things. 
* 
Salute the Flag! 
Beat the drums! 
Sing America! 
Do anything else you please which will show that 
great patriotic results are in sight. You remember 
that during the late “war” in New England certain 
“brave defenders of our national honor” hailing from 
New York robbed a Connecticut henroost. They did 
not take the roosters or veteran old hens—nothing but 
plump young pullets would suit these soldiers, and 
they got 63 good birds. These soldiers represented 
New York State, and that Commonwealth of uncom¬ 
mon wealth is responsible. The R. N.-Y. started out 
to help the owner of these pullets collect his claim. 
We were referred to five men one after the other— 
but now at last Number 6 comes forward, acknowl¬ 
edges that the claim has been presented and wants to 
know if the price is fair for pullets “on the hoof.” 
This means progress, and unless some other military 
man wants a hand in it we think the claim will he 
paid. We have tried the teeth of printer’s ink on a 
good many different propositions, hut military red 
tape is the toughest beefsteak we have seen yet. 
* 
All over the country our people have been reading 
about the “Suffrage army” which marched from New 
York to Albany. It is true that a few women did 
walk the entire distance, though most of the starters 
fell out along the way. This “army” halted for din¬ 
ner at the house of one of our readers. It was rain¬ 
ing hard, yet the “army” leader ’phoned that it was 
“a lovely day.” They were cheerful and “game,” and 
this helped them all along the way. Of course the 
object of this “march” was to attract attention to the 
cause of “Votes for Women.” If 50 farmers were to 
tramp across New York to Albany and ask the Legis¬ 
lature to pass a commission house bill, their cause 
would receive 10 times as much attention from city 
people as ever before. Many of our country readers 
do not realize that this “votes for women” is really 
an industrial movement. Until a man comes to a 
great city like New York hunting for an ordinary 
office job, he does not realize how women and girls 
have almost monopolized certain lines of industry. 
The typewriter, adding machines and cash register are 
revolutionizing business. It will not be long before 
the average untrained man will he forced to compete 
more and more with women for his employment. 
What is to become of these men? 'Who are to be 
our home-makers of the future? Are women to re¬ 
ceive man’s pay for their- labor, or if not who is to 
hold the difference? These are a few of the hard 
questions coming out of the shadow thrown by the 
banner of “votes for women.” 
* 
We will ask you to study the article on the Fort 
Wayne market and also the “findings of the court,” 
printed on the next page. Both of these will be val¬ 
uable when it comes to developing a market in your 
town. The court declares in effect, that a public mar¬ 
ket is a public convenience. That is right, for it is 
both a profit and a convenience for the buying public 
to have the right to meet conveniently farmers and 
others who have food for direct sale. In many cases 
the so-called “city fathers” seem to think it their 
chief duty to keep consumer and producer apart, so 
that the middlemen may have the chance to obtain a 
larger share. This Indiana court says that the city 
should “afford every convenience to those who have 
such produce for sale.” Let us get that point first 
and stick to it. Next the court declares that the 
object of a public market is not to raise revenue. The 
city should only expect to pay fair expenses and stop 
there. The judge cut the Fort Wayne charges in 
two on this theory, and he was right, for the city has 
no business making a profit out of a public benefit. 
The best thing of all to remember is the way those 
Indiana farmers finally secured their rights. A single 
man would have had no show. A large organization 
would, very likely, have fallen apart, but a federa¬ 
tion endured. In that experience lies the hope for 
most organizations of farmers. The small home club 
or league may be bound tightly together. Then these 
clubs may be organized into a federation. There is 
the story in a few words. The small organization 
forms a unit which will not crumble when the pinch 
comes, for it is a separate and solid part by itself. 
* 
At the opening of the 3 'ear it is customary to look 
both ways—backward and into the future. Looking 
backward is not much in our line, but to the man on 
the Atlantic coast the future is interesting. We have 
already given the estimated population of New York 
City. Here it is again : 
In 1910. 4.S10.000 
3 920. 7,000,000 
1930. 9.SOO.OOO 
3 940. 13.700,000 
1950. 19.250,000 
Eagle Rock is a high point of land not far from 
Orange, N. J. The chances are that your grandchild 
will be able to stand on this high place, and, on a 
clear day look down upon the homes of 20,000,000 
people. That is more than are to be found to-day in 
all the States west of the Missouri River. And 100 
miles away along the Delaware in that day will be 
grouped at least 12,000,000 more. And down along 
the coast from Sandy Hook each Summer will be 
millions of visitors added from the interior. New 
Jersey touches two of the world’s greatest cities. In 
the years to come there will be no spot on earth of 
equal size so densely populated or with such wonder¬ 
ful markets for the finer kinds of food. And in 
those days society will be forced to admit that the 
hand which feeds the city is far more of a necessity 
than he who simply runs the errands of mankind. 
* 
Our first page picture shows what we expect to 
see as the result of parcels post. We have never had 
any thought that this new system would revolutionize 
industry or country life all at once. It may take 
months or years to adapt it properly or get it into 
satisfactory working order. It is just the beginning 
of a new and useful transportation privilege which 
may be developed into a great and far-reaching bene¬ 
fit. We shall not join the chorus of snarls and crit¬ 
icisms which many who ought to know better are 
starting. True, the service which Congress has given 
us is inadequate, and not whpt we desired or deserved. 
We could easily pick a dozen holes in it. It is, how¬ 
ever, all we could force the last Congress to give us, 
and we can, if we will, use it to prove all we have 
claimed for parcels post, and thus secure the unan¬ 
swerable argument of facts when we demand a bet¬ 
ter system. We therefore urge all our friends to 
make a patient study of the system, and when they 
understand it make all possible use of it. We shall 
have what we want in time, and the way to it lies 
through proving the principle of parcels post in the 
present bill. It is unfortunate that some good people 
act as if they thought all their troubles were over 
when Congress passes some desired legislation. In 
fact, trouble really begins with such passage, for we 
must then come forward and ourselves do the part 
which Congress cannot do for us. 
BREVITIES. 
Oxe good thing about a sweep power—it keeps the 
young horses busy. 
This warm weather is not an acceptable gift to fruit 
growers. It may mean sunscald and frozen buds later. 
In making your New Year's “resolutions” consider the 
following : “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast 
himself as he that puttetli it off.” 
IF you had put that money you sunk in a rubber 
plantation into your own farm and stretched your faith 
a little this might be a happier New Year. 
A Pennsylvania judge dismissed his court when the 
public spraying demonstrators came to town. The judge 
advis<*d all court house people to go and see the spraying. 
A wise judge. 
Colorado potato growers are startled at the new 
diseases marching upon them. They are asking the State 
to put up the money for experiments in studying these 
pests. Unless they can be headed off there will be great 
trouble. 
The Housewives' League is now turning its attention to 
reducing the price of apples to the consumer in New 
York. The League thinks 15 cents a quart for medium 
grade apples is too high, compared with prices paid the 
producers. 
Drought and hurricanes will cause the Jamaica banana 
crop to be about 1.000,000 bunches short this year, but 
it is expected that increased yield in other West Indian 
Islands, and iu Central America, will make up the deficit. 
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912, Jamaica alone 
exported 44,520,530 bunches of bananas. 
When the Chinese began to cut off their queues they prob¬ 
ably did not realize how they helped workers in American 
factories. There is now a good trade in clothing, hats and 
caps, shoes, canes, shirts, collars and ties. Barber tools 
and toilet articles are also iu demand. This is like 
making five hairs grow where one grew before. 
