104 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established iSSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Colt.ingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wsi. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, S2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
%% 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 ; 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 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. 
It is good to see the agricultural colleges establish¬ 
ing “exchanges” to help farmers buy and sell or obtain 
information. The Ohio College of Agriculture at 
Columbus has started a farm operators’ exchange 
bureau. This is for persons who want positions as 
managers or superintendents, or who want farms to 
rent. This plan of acting as “medium of exchange” 
for farmers and their patrons is excellent—just the 
sort of service these colleges may well render. 
* 
The New York Experiment Station at Geneva has 
issued a very valuable bulletin on “Inspection of 
Feeding Stuffs.” Every man who buys a pound of 
commercial feed ought to study this bulletin. It not 
only shows what these feeds contain, but gives figures 
and facts which every feeder ought to know. Some 
of these “stuffs” are properly named, for this bulletin 
shows that they contain sand, weed seeds and trash. 
There are fewer of this sort than in former years, 
but that is all the more reason why these few should 
be spotted and boycotted. 
* 
The Fall-bearing strawberries have given a fine 
chance for the plant frauds to do business. These 
varieties are high priced and they do not make run¬ 
ners freely. There has been a good demand for them, 
and plants are scarce. Evidently the frauds have sent 
out ordinary varieties for the Fall bearers. We cannot 
say of some of them that they could not resist tempta¬ 
tion. They did not intend to try, for temptation was 
a trick. Not a week passes without letters from 
people who ask advice about “plunging” on some new 
“variety.” In some cases the writers are willing to 
borrow money and invest heavily in untried “novel¬ 
ties” in the hope of doing a large plant trade. This 
is gambling and nothing more—perhaps the most fool¬ 
ish thing the average fruit grower can attempt. 
* 
As shown on the next page, many of the large 
Western daily papers have shown a liberal spirit in 
starting parcel post. They give free advertising for 
a time to farmers. Of course this will lead in the 
end to a large amount of regular advertising after 
the farmers learn how to handle this postal privilege. 
It would not have started so soon if these papers had 
not made the inducement. We commend this policy 
to those local papers which have, for so long, opposed 
parcel post and similar business rights which belong 
to their farmer readers. These papers seem to feel 
that their first and largest duty lies in protecting or 
defending the town merchants. The subscriber usually 
gets very little defense or protection from such papers. 
It is hard to think of a more short-sighted policy, for 
sooner or later the farmer readers will understand the 
situation and act accordingly. There is now a good 
opportunity for those local papers to encourage their 
readers to use parcels post. 
* 
We have the following suggestive note from an “old 
boy” who is renewing his youth at an agricultural 
college: 
I am taking the Winter course at Cornell in Agriculture, 
having received my degree at this university 21 years ago. 
My wife is entered in the Home Economics course, and I 
can imagine no better vacation than for a man and his 
wife to come here for three months. 
Just realize what that means. Here is a man who 
“graduated” 21 years ago going back to attend school 
with the young fellows. Such a man will realize, as 
no one else can, how agricultural education has broad¬ 
ened and developed, for he can remember as he 
studies this Winter how little we really knew of agri¬ 
cultural science 25 years ago. Indeed this is a great 
vacation for a farmer and his wife. Such people 
make ideal students, for they can graft the latest 
science upon a stock of sound experience. A few 
years ago we met a middle-aged farmer at several of 
the short Winter courses and “farmers’ weeks.” Hg 
was spending his Winter at such gatherings. 
THE RURAh NEW-YORKER 
We have had our say about the local newspapers 
which misrepresent their readers. Now we are glad 
to record “The Leader-Dispatch” of Galeton, Pa., on 
the right side. A large, seed house sent this paper an 
offer to run an advertisement to be paid for in seeds. 
This offer was planted by the following letter: 
We have recently purchased this plant and can find no 
record of any previous contract and do not care to run 
advertisements in exchange for merchandise. We notice 
also that you arc featuring the “New Sunberry or Im¬ 
proved Wonderberry.” Personally we do not believe this 
plant is of any value; in fact we understand it is of the 
same family as the deadly nightshade, which is a poisonous 
plant, consequently we do not care to advertise it. 
No “Nightshade Family” for the “Leader-Dispatch.” 
That paper is true to its name—it is a leader and dis¬ 
patches the “Wonderberry” back to the shades of 
night. That is the sort of business that readers like. 
If there were more local papers willing to take such 
a stand the great problem of human life would be 
easier. For these papers get close to the plain people, 
and they can do a mighty work for humanity whenever 
they will fight graft and dishonesty with clean hands. 
* 
There is far more to this idea of farm credits than 
appears at first sight. If a farmer can change his 
indebtedness from a three or five-year mortgage to 
a 20-year annual payment system it is easy to see how 
he could plan to better advantage. There would be 
little danger of losing his farm or worrying about 
payments. He would not be under the harrow with 
politicians and agents telling him what he must do. 
We need not tell thousands of our readers what often 
happens near election time, when the vote promises 
to be close and they have a mortgage nearly due. A 
20 -year payment plan, such as we outlined in that 
Vermont drainage law last week, would mean freedom 
and hope to many a farmer. And such a plan would 
afford opportunity to other farmers for sound in¬ 
vestments as safe as a government bond. Much of 
the money now saved in the country is finally spent 
on wildcat investments. Under a farm credit system 
it could be invested right at home—not to build up 
town or city, but to develop the farms on a clean 
and solid basis. Any man can see that if the savings 
of farmers could be invested so as to help other 
farmers, and at the same time be absolutely sound, the 
business of farming would gain new character and 
force. We are often told what would happen if farm¬ 
ers for one year were to refuse to ship any food! 
Let us also consider what would happen if the well- 
to-do farmers were to stop sending their money away 
for investment and have it put into farm credits at 
home! Again, think what a power in the business 
world a group of farmers would become after they 
had once tied themselves together with cash in one 
of these credit unions such as they have in Europe. 
It only needs a little thought to see how the idea 
broadens out into great possibilities if we can only 
have confidence in ourselves and in our business. 
* 
If Governor Wilson’s last message to the New 
Jersey Legislature is an intimation of what we may 
expect in National affairs, there are lively times 
ahead. He rightly says that the New Jersey laws at 
present encourage monopoly by permitting “holding 
companies” to evade the law. And here is something 
even better: 
The people of the State are at present, moreover, at the 
mercy of investment companies of every kind. Securities 
of any and every sort can be sold in New Jersey by irre¬ 
sponsible persons, and the purchasers must depend upon 
their own investigations to ascertain whether they are 
bogus or based upon good business. They should have the 
protection of the law. 
This is what we mean by the “blue sky” legisla¬ 
tion, or driving the fakers who capitalize wind and 
guff out of business by making them prove tangible 
assets before they do business. Regarding agriculture 
the Governor says: 
The farmer has not been served as ho might be. We 
have set up and subsidized agricultural schools, horticul¬ 
tural schools, schools of poultry breeding, and the rest, 
and they have done excellent work. But a more effective 
way still has been found by which the farmer can be 
served. Lectures and schools and experimental farms at¬ 
tached to schools like laboratories are excellent but they 
cannot of themselves push their work homo. Some States 
have gone much beyond this and we should follow them 
with zest. 
That’s right, but such talk may well make some 
of us ask if we are not dreaming after all. For 
years we have seen governors come and go, throwing 
out dull platitudes about “agriculture” which meant 
nothing and were forgotten 10 minutes after they were 
spoken. Now our public men suddenly wake up as 
if in place of the soft haycock behind them they saw 
the gleam of a bright pitchfork! And the “35-cent 
dollar” has don£ the business. No one has been able 
to dispute the fact that this 35 cents has been the 
farmer’s share, and as they cannot bluff any longer 
our public servants are going to work: *' 
January 25, 
The freeze in California caused great damage to 
fruit and upset many calculations. One of our read¬ 
ers expresses it tersely: 
I resided for 35 years in Napa County and am living in 
the orange belt of Tulare County. However, Jack Frost 
in the last three weeks and particularly in the last two 
nights has about “busted” that belt. Exposed hydrants 
and water pipes he burst wide open. h. 
For the last few years the Californian has been in¬ 
clined to speak rather patronizingly of Florida as a 
nice country, but always in danger from frost. Both 
States may now get down to business and realize that 
much of their fruit growing is a gamble. Old hands 
at the business will continue to find a profit in oranges, 
for they will be conservative and know what to ex¬ 
pect. But the “boomer” who tries to sell “unit” or 
group orange groves ought to find his tongue frozen 
for a time. This freeze was a great test for the fire 
pots and heating devices. They did well and would 
have held off nine out of 10 cold snaps. It happened 
to be the one time when the mercury went too low. 
This freeze will change history somewhat by driving 
commercial orange culture a little farther south, and 
some of the crowd will go with it. 
* 
We believe it is a patriotic duty for good citizens 
to use the parcel post whenever they can. We have 
been under slavery to the express companies for years. 
The way to get out of slavery is to get out when the 
door is opened. The present parcel post is not all 
we want, but the way to improve it is to work it as 
well as we can. If the people do this their repre¬ 
sentatives should do it also. The State of New York 
has many packages to deliver. It should give parcel 
post the preference whenever it can save money by 
doing so. For instance, take this letter from Syracuse: 
It appears to me that with the new parcel post now 
In operation not only ' 8110111(1 the people avail themselves 
as individuals of its privileges, but also the State authori¬ 
ties should do so where it involves a saving of State 
moneys. Here is the case in point: I have just received 
my new number plates for auto; shipped by express at 
a cost to the State (that is, the people) of 25 cents in¬ 
stead of coming by jiarcel post at a cost (from Albany 
to here) of 11 cents. Regard for a moment the number 
of packages of these plates now going out, and the total 
saving by post will be no inconsiderable amount. How 
much better to put this on the roads, or to other State 
uses, than in the pockets of the express companies? Can¬ 
not this be taken up with the State authorities? 
J. A. L. 
We take it right up now. The State ought to pat¬ 
ronize this post whenever it can save money by doing 
so. Some of the departments have bulky and heavy 
reports which they claim go cheaper by express, but 
whenever parcel post will save the State a dime or 
a cent it should be used! 
BREVITIES. 
“To the users of silos, try a barley fork to throw 
down,’ says L. H., of Michigan. 
By a new English method “wood sugar” Is made by 
treating sawdust with weak sulphuric acid. Used for 
feeding cattle. 
In Norway sawdust is sold by measure, about eight 
cents for a little less than three bushels. “Wood flour” 
is ground sawdust. 
The first aerial parcels post started from Boston to New 
York on January 13. It carried the most characteristic 
Boston product possible to obtain—baked beans. 
Moke than $40,000,000 worth of agricultural inplements 
were exported from the United States to foreign countries 
last year. Russia is the largest individual buyer. 
Years ago potatoes trero sent from this country to 
save Ireland from famine. Last year the Irish crop 
came to 95,000,000 bushels, or an average of £161 bushels! 
We get many question like this—“Would the hens that 
win blue ribbons at poultry shows also win in egg-laying 
contests?” We doubt it. The “scale of points” does not 
seem to point at eggs. 
Public report was made that the students at Harvard 
college spent about twice as much for tobacco as they did 
for books. It’s tough—but here’s a pertinent question— 
did you, last year, spend half as much for books as you 
did for tobacco? 
We get quite a number of letters from readers who ask 
if their seed potatoes are safe to plant. Some of this seed 
has been chilled. It probably never occurred to these 
people to put sample tubers in the sun in a warm room 
and see if healthy sprouts will start. Of course we could 
only guess at it. 
Great Britain has “struck oil”; the first oil well in 
the British Islands was discovered recently at Kelliam, 
Nottinghamshire. Boring has been going on for four years 
in the belief that there were valuable mineral deposits 
there, but the oil came as a surprise at the depth of 
2,440 feet. Scientists say the oil is true petroleum of 
excellent quality. 
Tn recent experiments with strychnined apples to destroy 
rabbits in Australia, a quantity of apples, cut into pieces, 
were scattered in a furrow four miles long. For three 
nights in succession the apples were exposed without poison 
and quantities of them were eaten by the rabbits. On 
the fourth night the apples were strongly Impregnated 
with' strychnine, and 1914 dead rabbits were found in 
he furrow the next day. 
