152 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February ]' 
CORN GROWING IN NEW YORK. 
During “Farmers’ Week” at the 
School of Agriculture at Morrisville, 
N. Y., January 20-24, there was a good 
corn show. There is every good reason 
why corn growing should be encouraged 
in Central New York. A local paper in 
referring to this corn show makes the 
following sensible points: 
The low prices of western corn of 
about 10 years ago caused a great many 
New York farmers to pay less attention 
to the production of this important 
crop. Since then, owing to changing 
conditions throughout the western corn 
belt, the value of corn has steadily in¬ 
creased. As a result, it is now worth 
from 50 to 100 per cent more than it 
was a decade ago. 
Alfalfa cannot take the place of corn. 
That many farmers are realizing this 
fact and are taking advantage of it, is 
evidenced by statistics from the Year 
Book of the United States Department 
of Agriculture, which show a steady in¬ 
crease in the acreage devoted to this 
crop during the past three years. Corn 
will always have its place on the suc¬ 
cessful New York farm. At the pres¬ 
ent time Alfalfa is having a particu¬ 
larly strong run of popularity, and is 
causing many to believe that it soon 
can, be made to take the place of corn 
entirely. In sections where it grows 
naturally it may be more profitable on 
the acre basis, yet it can never succeed 
corn entirely. 
There are several reasons why corn 
should occupy a permanent place in the 
cropping system of a successful farm. 
It introduces a tilled crop, allowing the 
land to be cultivated for a year or more, 
thus getting rid of a great many trou¬ 
blesome weeds. There is almost no 
other crop which is as satisfactory for 
this purpose as corn. The corn land 
furnishes the best place to spread bulky 
or strawy manure during the Winter. 
The cost of tools for the production of 
this crop is very low. Every farm of 
average size usually possesses all that is 
necessary. 
When properly grown, corn practic¬ 
ally never fails. When produced for 
the silo, this plant furnishes a very pal¬ 
atable food, quite similar to pasture 
grass, and when fed with Alfalfa or 
clover hay the grain bill may be cut to 
a minimum. There is no team of crops 
which will pull the mortgage off from a 
farm faster than corn and Alfalfa. If 
Alfalfa does not take hold very well, 
clover makes a good substitute. 
THE “ NEW ” CONSUMPTION CURE. 
Sufferer .—Can you give us any hope 
that the now tuberculosis cure which is 
reported in the daily papers will do what 
is claimed for it? 
Ans.—T he new “cure” for tubercu¬ 
losis, discovered by Friedmann, of Ber¬ 
lin, and sensationally announced by a 
syndicate of newspapers in this coun¬ 
try, has apparently no proven basis of 
merit, and must as yet be regarded as a 
possibility rather than a proven fact, 
with the chances against its proving of 
any greater value than other well-known 
measures. The claims made for it have 
been discussed at length in recent issues 
of “The Journal of the American Med¬ 
ical Association,” and that authoritative 
journal has scathingly denounced the 
newspaper sensationalism responsible 
for the exaggerated reports appearing 
in this country. Acording to the “Jour¬ 
nal,” Friedmann’s treatment represents 
simply another attempt to utilize for 
preventive and curative purposes the 
property possessed by the germs of tu¬ 
berculosis of rendering the human sys¬ 
tem antagonistic to their own life and 
growth. Tubercle bacilli, in common 
with many other disease germs, elab¬ 
orate certain products during the proc¬ 
ess of their growth, which, when ab¬ 
sorbed by the blood render that fluid 
to a greater or less degree destructive 
to themselves. They are thus, in a 
measure, suicidal in their career, and it 
is with the hope of increasing this sui¬ 
cidal tendency that Friedmann proposes 
to inject tubercle bacilli into the human 
system after he has deprived them of 
their capacity for harm to the human 
body without taking away their self¬ 
destructive properties. Just how he has 
accomplished this highly desirable re¬ 
sult is kept secret, and it is certain that 
he has not yet proven that he has ac¬ 
complished it. In an editorial note, the 
Grand Rapids “Evening Press” accom¬ 
panies its announcement of the “cure” 
with the following statement, which 
takes a rational position in the matter: 
“Once again it is announced that a 
positive cure for tuberculosis has been 
discovered. . . . Similar announce¬ 
ments have been made before, and the 
“cure” under extended observation has 
always failed. The Evening Press gives 
this report for what it is worth, but is 
itself skeptical and considers that faith 
should not be pinned to it until it has 
been demonstrated by reputable doctors 
in America,” m. b. d. 
A GRANGE DISCUSSION. 
I am a Granger, and I should like to offer 
a few suggestions as to Grange matters 
through the columns of The R. N.-Y. First, 
I believe the initiation ceremonies are too 
long. I think they should be cut in two at 
least, and the initiation completed at one 
meeting instead of two, as at present. It 
also seems to me to be undemocratic to al¬ 
low a small minority to reject candidates 
for admission to the Grange. U believe a 
two-thirds vote should admit to member¬ 
ship. May we not have the opinions of 
other Grangers on these and any other 
matters pertaining to Grange affairs? 
New York. John q. keynolds. 
To answer Mr. Reynolds’ questions I 
should say no to each one. I have visited 
many different Granges and have been a 
member of three different Subordinate 
Granges in two counties, and also of the 
State Grange. In visiting another Grange 
I have never tired of the “initiation” cere¬ 
mony when carried out properly and in an 
intelligent way. What a child sees makes 
the most lasting impression, and if the 
child Granger sees everything carried on 
“any old way” in the beginning he soon 
loses all interest in the Grange and seeks 
enjoyment elsewhere. I could show Mr. 
Reynolds Granges where the field work is 
well carried out and the attendance record 
will without doubt be excellent. On the 
other hand there are Granges existing most¬ 
ly for insurance, no pains are taken with 
the initiation, perhaps 90 per cent of the 
members never saw the work properly done, 
and what do you see? Irregular meetings, 
poor attendance and an almost lifeless 
Orange, which I believe might better be 
dead unless a chance of improvement is at 
hand. I believe the present form of taking 
candidates into the order to be all right, 
as everyone should remember his obliga¬ 
tion. Often a patron may know of some¬ 
thing that disqualifies a candidate that be 
does not care to tell the general public of 
the order. I do not believe that the Na¬ 
tional body should have power to expel from 
a lower degree. c. b. jic nickle. 
New York. 
If a Grange is going to be continuously 
constructive in promoting its welfare, ad¬ 
justing its ideals, and vitalizing its being, its 
members must be, necessarily, inexhaustibly 
filled with Grange enthusiasm and interest. 
I think there is no greater hindrance more 
formidable to any organization, than that of 
disinterestedness; and since this antagoniz 
ing element is most difficult to eradicate, if 
privileged to be implanted, as a measure of 
loyalty, direct our unceasing attention to 
the significant question of membership. It 
would seem to me expedient and commend¬ 
able to keep the source pure and uncon¬ 
taminated, rather than, ultimately, be 
pressed with disagreeableness and endless 
impositions, which would doubtlessly result 
if exactness and thoroughness were not re¬ 
quired. Therefore, in the event that the 
present method of voting for the admis¬ 
sion of candidates to membership should 
be supplanted by the two-thirds vote, the 
outcome, I think, would be disastrous. 
Would it not be impracticable to allege that 
a two-thirds vote in favor of a candidate 
would be sufficient evidence of his qualifica¬ 
tions. and that all possibilities of his in¬ 
equalities would be removed? Perhaps the 
minority has good and sufficient reasons for 
disapproval, but would it not be injustice 
to the welfare of the organization that 
their would-be superior and precious influ¬ 
ence must result in futility? Human na¬ 
ture is strangely contradictory. We have a 
tendency of commendation when there is 
nothing perceptible to avert our liberality 
of brotherly love. This tendency is stimu¬ 
lated by our faith in our fellow associates 
and spontaneously we act in accordance 
with it. So it seems to me evincible that , 
selection in obedience with such a positive ' 
tendency would be poor and inconsistent. j 
On the other hand perhaps there is ques- I 
tioning whether or not the present method 
is just and consistent. In my opinion, 
there is less aptitude, frankly speaking, of 
the admitting of undesirable persons. Emer¬ 
son says, “Our failures are the preparations 
of our victory,” and consequently if per¬ 
chance a candidate should be unjustly dis¬ 
criminated there is in his favor a ves- ; 
tige of hope. Then, too it might be 
argued that such undesirable drawbacks 
can be eliminated if evidenced to be violat¬ 
ing the laws of the Grange, and effectively 
so ; but in my mind the best way to main¬ 
tain harmony, and prevent the necessity of 
disturbance and hard feeling is to fortify 
the source with carefulness and justice. To 
effect this purpose I truly believe that 
those who know should have influential 
power. 
In congruity with the foregoing thought 
the suggestion concerning the shortening of 
the initiation ceremonies might well be re¬ 
futed. As the parent is responsible for i 
the rectitude or indifference of the child, so, 1 
I believe, in some measure, the Grange is 
responsible for the rectitude or indifference j 
of its members. I would like to know any I 
place more appropriate for getting the right 
conception or at least forming some idea of 
the significant moaning of the Grange than 
when encompassed by that initiatory veil 
of instruction and solemnity. I think to 
shorten this ceremony in any way would 
mean absolute depletion in the beauty, sig¬ 
nificance and meaning of the whole event, i 
rendering it destitute of impression and 
lacking in its purpose. It also must be 
remembered that these ceremonies are au¬ 
thentically valuable to the members as well 
as the candidates. This is true in our 
Grange, for at initiation time the members 
are rejuvenated by the pleasure and teach¬ 
ings it affords. I hope other members will 
take up arms to avert the migration of the 
opinions in favor of the suggested altera¬ 
tions. T. MOItTlMER ELUS. 
New Jersey. 
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