663 
THE) RURAb NEW-TORKER 
THE JAPANESE WALNUT. 
Some years ago some Japanese walnut trees were 
planted here, and began to bear when about five years 
old. The nuts are borne in long banana-like clusters 
with as many as 15 nuts in a bunch. I understand 
that there are two varieties of this tree, Sieboldiana 
and Cordiformis; the latter name a Latin derivative 
meaning heart-shaped. The nuts on these trees, which 
were purchased from an eastern nursery, proved to 
be of infinite variety in shape and must have been the 
product of seedling trees. One or two trees only 
bore nuts of the true Cordiformis shape; the others 
resembled the butternut in varying degree and were 
of little value. Their kernels were cut up by parti¬ 
tions and consequently tedious to extract. The Cordi¬ 
formis nuts are the smallest, but they have only one 
partition through the center and the kernel comes out 
easily and in halves. This is a valuable characteris¬ 
tic and the quality, too, is superior to that of the 
other kinds. I note several inquiries in regard to 
this nut in The R. N.-Y., but my experience is limited 
to these young trees and of their value as affected 
by age I could not speak, but recently I met a man 
who had been travelling in Japan for the purpose of 
buying railroad ties for American roads, which, when 
one thinks of the age and resources of the two 
nations, reminds us of the old saw about “carrying 
coals to Newcastle.” He told me that the Japanese 
walnut was not regarded in its own land as having 
much value. Its principal weakness was its tendency 
to die comparatively young, begining to decay at its 
top. He also assured me that in consequence of this 
habit, it never attained very large size, seldom ex¬ 
ceeding 18 inches in diameter. The character of 
its wood is common and of poor lasting quality. In 
confirmation of this I have lately observed that one 
CUTTING ASPARAGUS IN SOUTH JERSEY. Fig. 179. 
of the largest of the group that grows here is already 
beginning to die at its top, although it cannot be over 
8 or 10 years old. This appears to doom this species 
for permanent planting. In its favor we can say 
that it is an extremely vigorous and rapid grower, is 
attractive in looks and bears young and freely. Where 
quick results in growth and shade are wanted, it 
should please. A cluster of these nuts and the two 
types shelled are shown in Figs. 180 and 181. 
Missouri. l. r. Johnson. 
THE RUSH TO EDUCATE FARMERS. 
Is it not wonderful how the desire to educate the 
farmer is growing? Everybody is taking a hand in it. 
Farm bureaus with fat salaries for officials, demon¬ 
stration cars galore, instruction in agriculture in 
grammar grades in public schools, and the press of 
the country eagerly extending a helping hand. Who 
Pays the cost? What good does it all accomplish? 
A farmer can learn more for one dollar for one 
year’s subscription to The R. N.-Y. on all subjects 
pertaining to every branch of agriculture, than he 
can for $100 attending lectures and demonstration 
meetings. A farmer cannot always practice the best 
method of agriculture known, or even with which he 
is familiar. The weather, his financial circumstances 
and ability to get help when he wants it will often 
prevent him from practicing the best methods of 
farming, and it is a startling fact that if every .farmer 
m the country could and would double the production 
of all crops in one year their total profit would be 
less than if they would reduce their production 25 or 
50 per cent. joiin l. schwartz. 
N.-"Y •—Wonderful, indeed! They are all waking 
,»P to the proposition that something must be done 
for the dear old farmer, or the aforesaid d. o. farmer 
may go and do it himself. Should he once decide to 
do that he would learn a few things about taxation, 
distribution, transportation and production which he 
is not now expected to know. Count centuries up 
by the score and you always find that it has been a 
part of the scheme of the ruling classes to think 
and plan for the farmer, prepare his education for 
him and let him work. That might keep him half¬ 
way quiet and fairly contented oh his 35-cent dollar. 
The final cost of all these schemes for education is 
paid by the farmer—the man who produces food and 
fibre. In the end it all comes back upon him. As 
things are now organized the transporters and han¬ 
dlers can usually get rid of any increase of taxation 
VARIATIONS IN JAPAN WALNUTS. Fig. 180. 
by putting up the price so that the farmer will pay 
more. We had an illustration of this in the recent 
efforts to put a tonnage tax on feed and fertilizer 
in New York. The manufacturers promptly stated 
that they would tack this tax and a little more onto 
the price of their goods—and the farmers would pay 
it. The trouble is that this vast outpouring of “edu¬ 
cation” is designed to show the farmer how to prod¬ 
uce more food. What he needs is a thorough drill in 
political economy which will show him how to get 
more for what he now produces and how to stand for 
a system of taxation which will make the “interests” 
pay their share. How much of this form of education 
do you see handed out? 
THE FUTURE OF FARMERS’ INSTITUTES. 
We have all got to face the situation regarding the 
farmers’ institutes. Why have these meetings failed 
to attract and hold the attention of farmers who 
CLUSTER OF JAPAN WALNUTS. Fig, 181. 
most need their help? We shall not stop to argue 
with those who claim they have reached as many of 
such farmers as they should. We have made quiet 
and careful studies of the meetings in New York. 
The total attendance counts for little. How many 
present were working farmers, and what propor¬ 
tion does this number represent of the real farmer 
who could easily have attended? Is not that a fair 
way of judging the value of the institutes? We 
are not so much interested in knowing why farmers 
come as why they stay away. The following report 
is as fair a statement of this side of the case as 
we have yet obtained: 
It is difficult to And out just why those farmers who 
might have attended and did not stayed away. It is evi- 
April 19, 
dent that they do not consider the institutes worth their 
while, but why they do not they can hardly tell themselves. 
I am rather inclined to think that it is not so much lack 
of faith as lack of hope; not sceptical but spiritless. 
“What’s the use?" “We have all we can do to keep our 
heads above water now; these new things require more 
money and more labor, neither of which we can get, so 
we may better keep on in our old narrow ruts, not trying 
to spread ourselves on new methods or measures, of which 
we are not sure.” ; ^ 
I think that this is about what most of them would 
say, if they could express their real altitude. They do 
not doubt the value of new ways and methods, but these 
new ways require an additional outlay and the financial 
returns from them are apt to be delayed, and possibly 
uncertain. A wet field should be drained. “Yes, but that 
takes money and the returns will be slow in coming.” A 
purebred bull will improve the herd. “Yes, but my herd 
hardly pays their keep now, a purebred bull costs consid¬ 
erable money and it will be five years before I can hope 
to see any particular benefit from him. What am I going 
to do meanwhile?” Spraying the orchard will make a 
good crop i-n place of a poor one, perhaps. “Yes, but that 
is expensive in apparatus and labor; the crop is uncertain 
anyway, the investment may not be repaid, and I shall 
be worse off than now.” Turning under clover will im¬ 
prove the land and make it far more productive in the 
future. “Yes, but when I turn that clover under I bury 
money that I must have, not in the future, but to-day, if 
I pay my taxes and keep my children in school.” 
You see “improved agriculture” as it is usually 
taught involves cash or long credit. No human being 
can follow the ordinary scientific teaching without 
a pocket book reasonably well filled. Who is to pro¬ 
vide the pocketbook? For years we have argued that 
our farm education is one-sided—teaching how to 
produce more at added expense, but doing little or 
nothing directly for the pocketbook side. Do you 
TELEPHONE POLES ON THE LINE. Fig. 182. 
know what would happen if the institutes could teach 
a farmer how to get a dollar in money for his d'ollar 
in plain labor? The halls could not hold the crowd. 
They would break down fences to get in. Cannot be 
done you say? Then what is the use of the present 
farmers’ institute? How long before it will enter 
the ranks of “class legislation” since it will cater to 
10 per cent, or less of our farmers? Come, gentle¬ 
men, get down to the heart of it and tell us why 
the institute has become a high school when it ought 
to reach the lower grades? 
TELEPHONE POLES. 
The picture, Fig. 182, shows how a farmer in west¬ 
ern New York avoided a frequent trouble in having 
public service poles strung along in front of his farm. 
Many of these companies, when putting up telephone, 
telegraph or electric light poles, seem to think that the 
public has no particular rights, and they will set their 
poles along the highway wherever they see fit, some¬ 
times close to the road and sometimes back, but often 
so as to destroy the sidewalk and make it difficult to 
keep the roadside clean. They do this by drawing up 
a contract which simply states that the poles may be 
set in front, of the farm, but without stating just 
where they are to go. Then with this contract in 
hand they do about as they please. The picture shows 
how one farmer handled this proposition by insisting 
in his contract that the poles were to stand on the 
line of the farm. Thus they were put close along the 
fence, where they would least interfere with the ma¬ 
chine or other tools used in keeping down grass and 
weeds. _ 
It is good to have “an open mind” but its owner must 
know how to shut it at times or wind will blow it 
empty. 
