180 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established 1850 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Collingwood, 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. $2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8>£ 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 GO 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” 
IVe 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 sul>- 
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 bankrapts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent, to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and yon must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
Farmers’ week at Cornell, February 10-15, is a great 
event for all who are interested in farm education. 
Those who have attended former meetings know what 
it means. We may say to those who have never at¬ 
tended that they will surely take home with them in¬ 
spiration and experience that will serve as pleasant 
memories all through the year. There should be 
10,000 people registered this year. The programme is 
so long and varied that it is impossible to give it in 
detail, but it is safe to say that any man with a sen¬ 
sible farm problem can find help at Cornell during 
“farmers’ week.” Try it! Fill the college to over¬ 
flowing !” 
* 
A few months ago we discussed that peculiar 
railroad problem in Florida. The East Coast Rail¬ 
road built an extension over sea to Key West 
and attempted to get all or part of the cost back 
by overcharges on fruits and vegetables which never 
passed over this extension at all. The Interstate 
Commerce Commission reduced these freight rates, 
and the railroads appealed to the Commerce Court. 
This court has justly ruled that the railroad built 
its extension to obtain trade from the Panama 
Canal; therefore it had no right to expect farmers 
and gardeners hundreds of miles north to pay for 
it. It was a mighty slick scheme, and a good 
thing to put sand on it. 
* 
This would be the time for doing that soil testing 
in little wire-cloth pots. Mr. Haughton described 
it last Fall in his article on Alfalfa. The plan is to 
take fair samples of soil from different farms and 
fields and mix with it definite quantities of lime and 
chemicals. Then this soil is put in pots and farm 
seeds are planted. The growth of these seeds will 
show what each soil needs in the way of lime or 
fertilizers. While not as sure as actual field experi¬ 
ments it gives a very good idea of soil needs. Think 
what a thing it would be for your district school 
to have the children work out such tests with the 
soil from different farms. Here is a course in agri¬ 
culture easily within the reach of your school. 
* 
Most of us have come to regard Siberia as a hide¬ 
ous land of convicts and desolation. Yet even there 
the spirit of free education is moving on. The Lon¬ 
don Times speaks of the starting at Tomsk: 
An institution was founded by the munificence of Peter 
Makoushin, which aims at the instruction on a large scale 
of the people of Siberia. The institution in question is 
called the House of Science, and is meant to be a popular 
university where anyone may obtain instruction, from the 
elementary to the secondary standard, free of charge. It 
Includes also a section for instruction of the kind usually 
given at universities. Thus it supplies a great want felt 
In Russia—the want of free education. 
It is said that 80 per cent of the inhabitants of 
Siberia are illiterate. What a magnificent habitation 
for the future this “House of Science” will be. And 
how American civilization will contribute to it 1 
* 
The Washington Experiment Station will conduct 
a test to determine the relative value of apples grown 
on the Pacific coast and those produced in the East. 
The Western growers claim that their apples are 
superior. At every Eastern fruit grower’s meeting 
the claim is made that the Eastern apples are as good 
as any grown. Frequently boxes of the Western 
apples are exhibited at these Eastern meetings for 
comparison. The plan now is to obtain good speci¬ 
mens of standard varieties grown in the East and 
compare them with the Western apples for flavor, 
color, analysis and keeping quality. The same com¬ 
parison should be made at one of our Eastern sta¬ 
tions, for the western apples are sold here or in 
Europe and one of the advantages claimed for Eas¬ 
tern fruit is that it can be delivered without a long 
journey which must injure its quality more or less. 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
As the agricultural meetings of the season are held 
it is very evident that changes arc taking place. As 
a rule these meetings are larger than ever before. 
We are not speaking of the farmers’ institutes, but 
of the regular annual meetings. At fruit meetings 
there are about as many who stay looking at the fruit 
and machinery exhibits as of those who listen to the 
addresses. In fact the “programme” is becoming less 
important than ever before. It is hard to interest the 
fruit growers who have for years attended these 
meetings. They know, or think they know, about 
what to do, and it requires a man with a genuine 
message to interest them. These men are in the high- 
school class, and the meetings do not seem able to 
attract many of the lower classes. These conventions 
are likely to become social and business gatherings 
rather than schools. 
* 
New York farmers must not fail to realize the im¬ 
portance of the Commission House bill now before 
the Legislature. We gave a review of its important 
features last week. This bill has been prepared with 
great care, and ranks in efficiency with the bills in¬ 
troduced by the large interests. All farmers will 
realize the necessity of protecting the man who ships 
farm produce on commission. At the present time 
he has no protection whatever except his own power 
to enforce fair treatment, and the character of the 
commission man. The bill provides the means for 
obtaining a square deal both for the shipper and 
the dealer as well, but we need not tell reader’s that 
it will be bitterly fought by the commission men. 
Every vote in the Legislature that can be influenced 
by a rural voter will.be needed. Begin at once and 
make an active campaign for this bill. Write your 
Senator and Assemblyman at once, get your neighbors 
to do the same and talk up the matter wherever you 
go. The Commission House bill is what you should 
fight for. Start the battle now. 
* 
That is a very sensible review of the paper by Dr. 
Hopkins before the Connecticut Dairymen on page 191. 
Twenty years ago it was supposed that New England 
must tell the West how to improve or “restore” poor, 
unproductive soil. Yet—here comes Illinois to do 
the teaching. Without question the advice to fill the 
soil with organic matter is very sound. For years 
we have advocated cover crops, because we have 
seen our own tough soil improve as it gained in 
organic matter. As for the use of lime we think Mr. 
Phelps is right in saying that usually the burned lime 
will be cheaper and more effective. When it comes to 
“floats” or ground phosphate rock we shall find that 
this depends on conditions. The market gardeners 
and tobacco or fruit growers of the East will not be 
likely to abandon “available” forms of phosphoric 
acid. Dr. Hopkins does not advise them to do so. 
On stock farms and on soils well filled with organic 
matter and where grass and grain are mostly used 
we think this raw phosphate is well worth trying. 
Be fair in any experiment made with it. In some of 
the western trials we feel quite sure that the results 
attributed to the phosphoric acid were really due to a 
saving of nitrogen in the manure when the raw phos¬ 
phate was used. 
* 
One or two well-organized and operated factories in 
a country village would prove a blessing to the country 
round about. We do not mean factories in which the 
chief object is to make low-grade goods by importing 
cheap foreign labor. What the rural community wants 
is a factory making high-class goods and giving em¬ 
ployment to men and women whose homes are nearby. 
Such factories might be largely financed by local 
farmers and business men. All this would make a 
community interest which could not help but benefit 
all the country for miles around. We have in mind 
several places where dwellings have clustered about 
the “falls” of a little stream to form a village. Small 
factories have been established there, employing the 
sons and daughters of farmers and giving interest 
and stability to the life of the neighborhood. How 
much better it would be to utilize the water powers 
in the hill country in this way rather than to wire it 
far away to add to the top-heavy power of city and 
large town. This is one of the great problems of 
the future. Some of the men who stand ready to 
give millions for farm education may well think out 
plans for organizing small manufacturing enterprises 
back at the water powers in country valleys. There 
are wealthy men who look back with kindly feeling 
to the boyhood home. Have they thought of what 
they could do for the old place if they would use 
their credit and their executive ability to help start 
the right sort of a factory? Most of such work must 
be started by the men who would like to help the 
boyhood home. 
February 
At the recent annual convention of the New York 
State Agricultural Society in Albany a farmer related 
substantially this: In his home town the local Grange 
had difficulty to buy feed by the carload direct from 
the mills. One drummer finally was found who sold 
the Grange a carload, but the local feed merchants 
held a convention and protested against the practice 
of selling direct to consumers, and pledged themselves 
not to buy from mills which sold direct to Granges. 
The drummer who sold the carload said he had lost 
the sale of more than 30 carloads to dealers because 
of that one sale to the Grange. 
No one can blame the drummer for not wishing to 
repeat the experience. Few will deny the dealers the 
right to buy from whom they please, and to refuse to 
buy from others. The mills will follow the policy 
that brings in the most trade. Suppose the farmers 
in that county had been organized into Granges or 
other cooperative associations, and concluded to buy 
all their feed in car lots direct from the mills. The 
drummer could then sell 30 carloads to the consumers 
where he could sell one to the dealers. The condi¬ 
tion would be reversed. Does anyone doubt that the 
drummers of all the mills would be gunning for the 
Granges trade? The dealers’ association might then 
pass resolutions to their hearts’ content. They do not 
consume a pound of feed, and the drummers know 
it. If they could not sell feed they would not buy 
it, and their protest would be as idle as the protests 
of the lone Grange are now. There are arguments 
for and against this direct buying. We are not dis¬ 
cussing them now. But the lesson is that a dozen 
organized tradesmen can defeat several disorganized 
farmers. Could a dozen organized tradesmen de¬ 
feat several thousand organized farmers? 
* 
I recently met a man who objected to The R. N.-T. 
because, as he said, “It takes the side of the small 
farmer.” As an illustration he pointed out that there 
are a number of gentlemen farmers who raise pheasants 
for their own sport. The working farmers have com¬ 
plained that these birds injure their crops, and The 
R. N.-Y. had the audacity to take the side of these fel¬ 
lows and encourage them in the stand they took. 
“Whose side do you expect The R. N.-Y. to take?” I 
asked. It is the great rank and file of the farmers who 
support the paper. The R. N.-Y. is a serious paper, seek¬ 
ing to help men who are doing the most Important work 
in the country and it does not cater to any body of men 
simply because they have a little more money than their 
neighbors. s. a. 
If anyone expects The R. N.-Y. to “take the side” 
of the gentlemen farmers, the manufacturers or any¬ 
one else just because they have money to spend 
he should revise his estimate at once. On the other 
hand, if anyone expects us to work against such 
people or do them any injustice just because they 
have money he should get right over the idea. The 
rich and strong are usually well able to take care 
of themselves. We have found very few cases where 
any permanent injustice is done them. On the 
other hand, we have daily instances where wrong 
and extortion are perpetrated upon small freeholders 
or tenants. Take the very case of our game laws. 
They have been designed and worked out for the 
special benefit of hunters and sports and the rights 
of farmers have been disregarded and cut away. 
The gentlemen farmers and the "sports” have the 
money and power and organization which enables 
them to dictate legislation. The small farmers have 
no organization, and are forced to take what is 
held out to them. This is only an illustration of the 
way the small farmers are treated, and it is why 
The R. N.-Y. stands by them to the best of its ability. 
We shall keep this work right up—not through any 
class prejudice or any thought of “playing to the 
galleries," but because this class of farmers is in 
greatest need of such help as we can give. 
BREVITIES. 
RicnT not only rhymes with fight but marches along 
with it. 
Yes sir—when any tree agent tells you he has a blight- 
proof pear tell him he is a fake and charge it to ns. 
The British government is to guarantee the interest 
on a loan of $15,000,000 for the development of cotton 
growing in the Sudan. 
The Kansas Agricultural College prepares a list of de¬ 
pendable farmers who have good seed for sale. This list 
is distributed to buyers. This is good business which 
might he extended to all the States. 
A new stock food is to be put on the market. It is the 
bean of the algaroba tree which grows on the Hawaiian 
Islands. A factory for grinding the beau will be started 
at Honolulu. Our animals like our humans are to he 
fed from all the quarters of the earth. 
In Sydney, New South Wales, last November, potatoes 
commanded £22 (over $100) per ton at wholesale, and 
were retailed at eight cents a pound. These were the 
highest prices in 30 years. The high price was soon re 
dueed, however,, by lessened consumption, as the average 
buyer found the retail price too high. 
