608 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 20, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S FAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Established 1S50 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl St., New York 
Herbert W. Coli.ingwood, President nml Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer nnd General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royi.k, Associate Editor. 
Subscription: one dollar a year 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04, equal to 8s. Cd., or 
S}$ 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 00 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 lxdieve thnt 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 onr 
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 ho 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Not ice of the complaint must he 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. 
That cooperative silo (page 613) is surely a new 
one. Yet who has heard of a better illustration of 
practical benefit from getting together? Not one of 
these single cow men could have built a silo with 
profit, yet when they pooled their issues and built one 
silo for all they were all benefited. Here we have 
another of what the Hope Farm man calls “a toy 
performance” of the great business development which 
is to give thousands of farmers the benefit cf a mental 
and industrial silo. 
* 
See what a nuisance this cur dog damage is getting 
to he. Our friend who writes on page 594 must wait 
until next year for payment of his bill, and may not 
get it all then. If he could tell who owned the dog he 
could collect full damage from the owner, but those 
cur dogs are worse “fly-by-nights” than bogus com¬ 
mission men. The theory of such dog laws may be 
well enough, hut it falls down in practice when your 
property is destroyed by curs and you must wait a 
year and then perhaps get only part of your money. 
* 
I don’t know whether you folks began it, but if you 
didn't I reckon you were ’way up near the head of the 
procession, close to the first hand. What I mean is, who 
started the talk about the 35-cent dollar and the need of 
cooperation among the farmers? G. e. p. 
We respectfully claim to have coined the phrase 
“35-cent dollar” some 10 years ago. People have 
talked about getting farmers to act together for six 
centuries or more. We have tried to do our share. 
We have no brass band and would rather not march 
near one. Those who like the limelight or the band 
music are welcome to get into it, but we have found 
that the place for effective service is in that part of 
the procession where the common folks march. The 
R. N.-Y. respectfully declines any nomination for the 
office of drum major. 
* 
In preparing these articles on the drone tree of 
course we realize how most of the horticulturists 
regard the matter. Thus far the weight of scientific 
argument is against the theory that through bud selec¬ 
tion we may breed “pedigreed” trees as we improve 
living animals. There is always the danger that some 
unscrupulous dealer may use an argument for bud 
selection to palm off trees at a high price on the plea 
that they are “pedigreed.” Yet we think all this is 
no real argument for not discussing the drone tree. 
It is worth the discussion simply to realize that in all 
our orchards there are unproductive trees, just as 
there are “robbers” in a herd of dairy cows. Mr. 
Shamel has proved the fact of these drone trees 
beyond question. We will wait and see what comes 
from this experience in rebudding from trees of 
known value. 
* 
T here are many reasons why that question on the 
first page should be discussed. The relation between 
the conservative father and the progressive son will 
have more to do with the future of American farm¬ 
ing than the tariff. The agricultural college student 
is bound to absorb many new notions and plans about 
farming. Some of them are sound and will stick. 
Others are mere froth, which will disappear in sweat 
and responsibility. The boy must separate one class 
from the other through his own experience. If he 
can do this on father’s farm without too much ex¬ 
pense so much the better for the boy and for the 
farm as well. For this is one of the great problems 
of life. The boy must remember that the thing 
which he calls “conservatism” in his father is the 
thing which made farm and home possible in former 
years. Father should understand that what he calls 
“new-fangled notions” in the boy is but the voice of 
the new order of things trying in its untrained way 
to say “Forward! march!” Yes, indeed, let us get 
down into the heart of this struggle of father and 
his educated boy to understand each other. 
Our reports show that many trees known to carry 
the scale could not he sprayed this season. The warm 
Winter pushed the buds along and the high winds and 
rains made thorough spraying impossible. Thus the 
call comes for an effective Summer spray which will 
kill the crawling insects without injuring the trees. 
Yoju will find the first of the discussion on page 600. 
No theory wanted. Give us facts. Of course we 
must understand that the difference between killing 
the dormant scale and the crawling form is not unlike 
attacking an oyster inside its shell and another with 
the shell off. It might be easy to kill the crawling 
uncovered scale by frequent spraying, hut the tree 
must not be scalded with a strong mixture. 
* 
There are many criticisms of our parcel post 
service. It is not all we need, but it is a start and 
as we shall see, we can make it better by sticking 
to it. Here is a case where it paid: 
In the discussions on parcel post you may be interested 
to know that my future orchard (for the farm home) 
arrived yesterday in four packages in perfect condition. 
The dealers usually pay the freight, but I arranged with 
them to pay the difference between that and parcel post— 
in this case $1.04. The nurserymen sent this as a new 
venture and hesitated somewhat about it, but I insisted, 
with a saving to me of not only at least 96 cents, but 
the service of a man to drive 12 miles over a bad road 
to haul it out; and that, too, In the rush of plowing. 
Parcel post is certainly a blessing, though sometimes in 
disguise. f. k. 
Shipping an orchard by mail is a new one, and not 
so bad either. The nurseryman can easily trim the 
trees down to whips so they will do far better when 
planted than if left unpruned, while the postage will 
be light. Give parcel post every chance you can. 
That is the way to make a living thing grow—give 
it every chance! 
Here are the names of the New York Assembly- 
men who voted against the Cole commission man’s 
bill: 
Thomas B. Caughlan, 
’ Louis A. Cuvillier, 
Edward Weil, 
William J. Gillen, 
Harry W. Kornobis, 
Vincent A. O’Connor, 
Jacob Schifferdecker, 
James J. Walker, 
Solomon Sufrin. 
These men are all from Greater New York, where, 
we regret to say, our people cannot get at them 
directly. In former years members from country dis¬ 
tricts actually voted against a hill to regulate the com¬ 
mission trade. This year there was such an outburst 
from farmers that no man with a farm in his district 
dared oppose the Cole bill. As we write Senator Mc¬ 
Clelland is trying to hold up the bill in the Senate. 
We think it will roll over him and become a law. 
When it does we will all get in and help make it 
effective. 
* 
The sensation at Albany during the closing days of 
the Legislature was the trial of Senator Stephen J. 
Stilwell for attempted bribery or extortion. Our 
readers have no doubt read the facts in this case. It 
was different from that of the notorious Allds in the 
fact that it came down to a question of veracity be¬ 
tween two men—neither one of any great strength of 
character. The Senate voted 28 to 21 that the evi¬ 
dence did not “establish official misconduct.” A few 
hours before the vote was taken the general opinion 
was that Mr. Stilwell would be found guilty. Here is 
a newspaper report which sheds a little light on a dark 
and dirty subject:— 
Senator Stilwell’s pleadings in the Senate last night 
were entirely personal and gave no hint that he was think¬ 
ing of anything except the refutation of the charges against 
him. During the recess, however, the statement most often 
heard was : “Steve will squeal if it goes against him.” 
No matter how the Senators voted every one of them 
knows that Stilwell is not fit to remain in the Senate. 
He should be expelled or if he must save his face 
and his feelings, he should be told to resign! The in¬ 
cident is useful and our farmers and country people 
must remember it. There are grafters and political 
snides still working at Albany. They are not so bold 
as they were, hut at heart they are worse than ever. 
Their work is more expensive and they have to get 
down under ground. Our farmers cannot possibly 
be too careful about the character of the men they 
send to the Legislature. They must keep after the 
men they send and back them up squarely and openly. 
No use cursing such men as Allds and Stilwell. The 
country was responsible for one—the xrity made the 
other possible. The thing to do is to cut out the poli¬ 
tical culls and refuse to vote for any man of ques¬ 
tionable character. 
“Tlic damnable tariff bill!'’ 
“It is the best tariff bill for farmers ever suggested 
in this country.’’ 
Here are quotations from two letters which came 
almost in the same mail. One is from a farmer who 
says the tariff bill practically wipes out protection 
on farm products, yet leaves a tariff on manufactured 
goods. The other is from a city man who says that 
under this new tariff the things which farmers buy 
will be much cheaper. Both of these men fail to 
grasp the thought that the tariff is not half so much 
responsible for the 35-cent dollar as is the present 
system of distribution through middlemen. These 
two men and the classes they represent will not be 
brought together so long as tariff laws are made by 
Congress under the present system. These men might 
unite in supporting a decision of the Supreme court, 
even if one of them felt it was against his personal 
interests. They cannot regard an act of Congress 
as carrying the same authority. Thus if Congress 
pass the present tariff bill the matter will not be set¬ 
tled. As a political result it is quite likely that this 
question will serve to reunite the two wings of the 
Republican party once more. There ought to be a 
Tariff Commission composed of men as large and 
able as those on the Supreme bench. This commission 
should have power to take the tariff question out of 
Congress and out of politics and settle it. 
* 
Thousands of bushels of apples went to waste here last 
Fall, but the State keeps sending men around telling us 
how to produce more. No doubt they make more gDing 
around talking at the tax-payers’ expense, than they could 
staying at home raising apples and milking cows. Turn 
the key in about half of the experiment stations and send 
the staff back on the hill farms, with a mortgage for 
two-thirds of their value, and watch them scratch the 
principle and interest out of the hard-pan soil, that's de¬ 
void of humus and waterlogged for 10 months of the year. 
The crying need of the farmer is not more crops, but 
his just share of what his labor produces. N. u. i. 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y. 
We helped this man collect a bill from a commis¬ 
sion man. His letter is printed as part of the dis¬ 
cussion of farm education—not with any desire to 
ridicule or belittle the work of the college or experi¬ 
ment station. Is this man in the minority? Are there 
only a few men here and there who talk this way? 
Our estimate is that over 60 per cent, of the actual 
working farmers have more or less of this same 
feeling. We shall be glad to correct these figures 
if they are wrong, hut we have exceptional facilities 
for learning what these farmers really have in their 
hearts. Unquestionably it is true that the majority 
of farmers are no longer satisfied with that instruc¬ 
tion which merely shows them how to produce larger 
crops. Any man may now learn how to do that if 
he want to, but what has always happened to him in 
years when through a combination of favorable con¬ 
ditions the country produced a “bumper” crop of 
apples, potatoes or corn? Who gets humped in such 
a year? It is always the producer, through inability 
to sell his large crop to advantage, since the larger 
the crop the more serious the competition. This sit¬ 
uation has become so evident that there is no wonder 
farmers claim that they are receiving a one-sided 
agricultural education. Like most farmers, our friend 
does not make hash or mincemeat of his words, but 
goes right at the center. That is the way thousands 
of them feel. The questions which we want answered 
are: 
1. Have they any right to feel that way? 
2. Does the farmer receive his just share? 
3. Can the colleges and station do anything about it? 
We do not want long essays in. reply but articles 
as st raight to the point as the above letter is. 
BREVITIES. 
A lot of money has been foolishly spent lu paying for 
fancy names but the top notch is reached when you pay 
a big price for limestone because it carries a pretty brand. 
IIebe is a poiut made by a Jersey cattle man—the 
cheaper foods make butter fat—the higher priced ones— 
skim-milk! 
‘‘Opr farmers are the nabobs of the situation,’’ says an 
Iowa correspondent. “In a few years the East will bow 
to us, instead of to Wall Street.” 
The Massachusetts Silver-Black Fox Company, capital¬ 
ized for $350,000. was recently incorporated in. Boston, 
to raise Prince Edward Island l'oxes. 
The great advice these days is to “boost.” We want to 
know what we are boosting before we begin. A blind 
boost—may put a fake upon the roost. 
The great tiling to remember ubout using lime Is to 
spread it On the plowed or disked ground and hurrrow in. 
Do not plow it under or leave it on top. 
According to the London Gardeners’ Chronicle farmers’ 
cooperative societies have made great progress in Ireland. 
The movement was begun by Sir Horace Plunkett in 1899, 
and there are now 955 societies, with a membership of 
97,000. In 1911 the business transacted amounted to 
£2.066,483. aud the total business done since the In¬ 
ception of the movement amounts to £28,000,000. 
