738 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 7, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PArER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing: Company, 383 West 80th Street, 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 
marks, or 1«H francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates CO cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
ad\ ertisers 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. «c protect sub- 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trifling differences 
between subscriber and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we bo 
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 tune of 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned Tiie Rural New-Yorker 
when w riting the advertiser. 
That is what you may call a “human document” 
on page 734 in the story of a farm boy and his 
father. You may ask why we do not give this space 
to some “thinker” who could analyze the relation 
between father and son. We prefer the real thing— 
the human side of the story. Our people do not 
need to have such things explained and analyzed. 
Give them the truth or the true feelings of boy aud 
father and they will think out the problem in their 
own way. They will be all the better for doing 
their own thinking I That is why we try to give all 
sides and then leave the analysis to the reader. 
* 
There are thousands of bushels of A1 “spuds” in this 
valley for which we cannot even get a market at 15 
cents per hundred pounds. What do you pay i They 
were worth but 30 cents when you were importing at 
two cents per pound or better last Spring. W hat s 
wrong? G * L HATCH. 
Idaho. 
At our local store potatoes are selling at 35 cents 
a peek! The “two blades of grass” men will tell us 
that it is the duty of farmers to raise two bushels 
of potatoes where one grew before. That looks to 
us a good way to grow behind so far that you will 
get lost. We see at once the folly of this “two blades 
of grass” theory as applied to potatoes. It is much 
the same with those Western farmers who are sell¬ 
ing liay at $6 per ton. Double the crop and you get 
less for it! We have had some long and learned 
arguments to prove that there is no such thing as a 
35-cent dollar. For each such argument we have 100 
or more actual cases like the above. Others may 
call statistical guff conclusive evidence—we go by 
the facts iu the lives of our people. 
♦ 
At “commencement” this year various “prominent 
citizens” will hold forth at our agricultural colleges 
and discuss the essential things of agricultural edu¬ 
cation. This system of education is now more than 
50 years old. It has gained a place of power and 
makes use each year of many millions of public 
money. The average commencement orator paints 
the glory of agricultural education and shows what 
it has done to profit the farmer. Thus far there has 
been but little criticism. Most speakers seem to feel 
that only the favorable side of the question should 
be spoken. This year we hope some of the Speakers 
will get away from the old tale of joy and discuss 
this question: 
“What has the agricultural college done to fight 
the battle of the common farmer f” 
The fact is that a large and increasing proportion 
of our best farmers are coming more and more to 
believe that the agricultural colleges are acquiring 
that cowardice which so often comes with pros¬ 
perity. The belief grows that many of these colleges 
are more concerned about their annual appropria¬ 
tions than about fighting the various interests which 
are so largely responsible for the 35-cent dollar. 
The endowed colleges are notoriously cowardly, for 
they do not dare criticize the hand which feeds 
them—or the work which that hand has done. It 
was part of the dream of those who established the 
agricultural colleges that these institutions should 
be free to fight for the farmer. For the bulletin can 
never take the place of the battle which must he 
fought by some one in behalf of our plain farmers. 
Our colleges have done great work in teaching and 
encouraging improved farming, and have given a 
certain dignity to agriculture. Now comes the time 
when increased production and dignity will not add 
to the 35-cent dollar. Any such addition means a 
battle—not a bulletin, a battle in which the pioneers 
must expect to he hurt Now will some commence¬ 
ment orator gird on his armor and speak these evi¬ 
dent truths? The time has come when the farmers 
need some one in authority to fight for them. The 
agricultural college ought to do this. If it does not 
the farmers will find some friend who will do so, 
and pass the college by, or they will gain control of 
the colleges and make them fight! 
The Congressional “rider” is a legal thief which 
has stolen millions of dollars from the public. There 
will be some graft or special privilege which could 
not possibly pass through Congress if advocated by 
Itself. Some long-headed lawyer tacks this proposi¬ 
tion as an amendment upon a bill which is abso¬ 
lutely necessary. The friends of this honest measure 
find that they cannot pass it unless they accept this 
dishonest amendment So the honest bill goes 
through with this hateful “rider” galling its back 
and sides. The President usually finds that he must 
sign or veto the whole tliiug, so skillfully have the 
lawyers grafted the rider to the honest horse. It is 
now proposed to amend the Constitution so as to 
permit the President to veto any such “rider” sepa¬ 
rately from the entire bill. This would be a most 
useful extension of the President’s power. There 
might be a few cases where good features would be 
cut out of a bad bill, but for one such case there 
would be 100 chances to kick a drone or criminal 
“rider” off the working horse. 
* 
Over a month ago we told how the New York 
Senate voted 2S to 21 that Stephen J. Stilwell was 
not guilty of “official misconduct.” One reason why 
the Senate dared not clear itself was found in this 
sinister remark which was whispered around the 
capital just before the vote was taken: 
“Steve will squeal if it goes against him!” 
After this “vindication" Stilwell had the chance to 
resign or face criminal prosecution before a jury. 
He chose the latter, perhaps forgetting that while 
“squealing” might frighten some Senators it would 
not move jurymen. He was found guilty, loses his 
seat in the Senate and faces a sentence of four to 
eight years in prison. We do not follow this up to tor¬ 
ment Stilwell or to expose the Senators who voted 
for him. Let us go right to the head of the evil. 
Stilwell and the Senators who tried to whitewash 
him are merely products of our present political sys¬ 
tem. You can hardly expect anything else so long 
as outside bosses dictate nominations and elections. 
The remedy, as we see it, is to put the nomination 
of candidates right into the hands of the people and 
make them personally responsible. 
# 
During the past few weeks we have been asked 
to help adjust differences between nurserymen and 
buyers over the quality of trees. In one case the 
customer had ordered trees of the largest size and 
received yearlings or small whips. The latter 
chanced to be just exactly the size we have planted 
this year. In another case the buyer ordered small 
yearling trees and received large ones for wnich 
the nurseryman usually charged a higher price. In 
each case the nurseryman evidently ran out of the 
sort of tree ordered and paid for aud substituted 
auother size. Now we could take both large and 
small sizes, plant them and develop them into good 
trees. With a small order, if the trees were clean 
and healthy, we should feel inclined to accept and 
plant them. We should make the nurseryman un¬ 
derstand, however, that never again would he get a 
cent of our money for any substituted trees. If he 
ever tried it again we would haunt him day and 
night We find people, however, who feel that there 
'is a principle involved, and they will accept no 
compromise whatever. These gor so far as to throw 
the trees aside and demand their money back. 
* 
Samuel D. Willard died at Geneva, N. Y., on 
May 23. Mr. Willard was 78 years old. Born near 
Lake Cayuga lie lived his life in Central New York, 
and in his prime was a notable figure iu farming 
and horticultural circles. For years no gathering 
of farmers or fruit growers could be complete with¬ 
out the sturdy, forceful figure of Mr. Willard. The 
energy of the man in those days was remarkable. 
Bluff and outspoken, lie stood for a rugged honesty 
and sterling character which was never questioned. 
We well remember Mr. Willard at Syracuse when 
the N. Y\ State Fruit Growers’ Association was or¬ 
ganized. His strong personality and hard sense did 
much to hold together the little band who had gath¬ 
ered there to build a new society. At the State Fair, 
too, Mr. Willard insisted that every child that came 
carrying a bouquet of flowers should be admitted 
free. Mr. Willard held many offices, and was worthy 
of higher ones. This strong, rugged character has 
passed on into the unseen country where most of the 
brave “old guard” have preceded him. He will be 
remembered lovingly by thousands of men and 
women who in years past have been helped and 
strengthened by his words and example. There are 
men who find it hard to grow old after the bloom 
and joy of power have fled. Blessed is he who can 
carry the best of his youth along with him and find 
recompense in the love and respect of those whom 
he has helped. 
While America gave the potato to the world it 
has remained for Germany to show how to utilize 
the crop. The German crop is five or six times as 
large as that produced in this country. We all know 
how a few million bushels above au ordinary crop 
will drive prices paid to farmers down to a few 
cents. That is because we have not developed the 
potato industry as Germany has. That country has 
given the world cheap potato alcohol, several kinds 
of potato flour and dried potatoes for stock feeding. 
The Germans have now found a way of drying the 
potato tops so as to make a good cattle food. In 
this country about all our people have done is to 
produce starch in addition to the ordinary use of po¬ 
tatoes as food. We ought to be making cheap alco¬ 
hol so as to reduce the cost of gasoline and fuel. 
The Germans are far ahead of Americans in utiliz¬ 
ing such products. Perhaps that is because they are 
obliged to use them. 
* 
We ask you to study the election figures of these 
22 Senators on page 659. Only one of them polled 
a bare majority of the total vote. This one did it 
because his party was “pledged” for direct primar¬ 
ies. Here is our old friend Frank Godfrey with 
only 35 per cent, of the vote of his district, Thomas 
B. Wilson with 44 per cent., or Thomas II. Bussey 
with only 38 per cent! Or, take the case of Elou 
II. Brown. He received only 38 per cent, of the 
total vote aud ran only 1S3 votes ahead of liis near¬ 
est competitor. Not one of these men can possibly 
claim that by his vote iu the Senate he represented 
the people of his district on direct primaries. We 
are safe in saying that not one of them could now 
he renominated by a direct primary nor do we think 
one of them could be re-elected in au election this 
year. Five years ago we made much the same state¬ 
ment about 15 Senators who opposed Gov. Hughes 
in his efforts to reform tlie insurance department. 
The politicians laughed at our statement, but only 
two of these Senators went back to Albany. Of these 
one (lied aud the other was expelled. We feel sure 
that the majority of these 22 Senators will see the 
weakness of their position and support the direct 
primary bill at the extra session. 
* 
On page 658 we printed a letter from a farmer 
who sold hay at $6 per ton. At the same time hay 
of no better quality was costing us over $21.50 at 
our freight station in northern New Jersey. Since 
then other farmers in the Central West have told 
much the same story. Here comes the other party 
—the consumer: 
We would think those farmers would place an adver¬ 
tisement in The It. N.-Y*. and get something for their 
hay, aud at the same time give us teamers a chance 
to get our hay at a reasonable price. 1 could use two 
carloads a week and would he pleased to pay more 
than $6 per ton. w. J. SWIFT. 
Massachusetts. 
How are these two ends to get past the middle¬ 
men and tie themselves together? Of course the 
man who buys a carload of hay must have some 
guarantee of grade or standard before he pays for 
it. The first question these consumers ask is 
whether they can expect square dealing from au 
individual farmer. When they buy from a dealer 
in an Eastern town they can hold him responsible. 
On the other hand, the farmer wants his money 
in advance when dealing with an individual who 
is a stranger to him. Here we see the advantage 
of co-operative business. The farmers in an Eastern 
locality can combine for buying their supplies. For 
instance there is an exchange in the Hudson Valley 
through which farmers buy hay, feed and other sup¬ 
plies. Let Western farmers who have hay or grain 
to sell combine and thus control a fair-sized quan¬ 
tity and establish regular grades for which the so¬ 
ciety is responsible. Then the buying exchange in 
the East can safely buy from the selling exchange in 
the West, and iu this way the producers are also 
the middlemen. This will be cheaper and more sat¬ 
isfactory than individual dealing. There is a great 
opportunity in this for direct business. 
BREVITIES. 
If you do not like people who are “straight-laced’ 
would you have them crooked? 
Now they tells us that the average horse lias a stom¬ 
ach capacity of nine quarts, while the cow can hold o- 
gallons! 
At one time Germany encouraged the use of peat 
moors and swamps for fuel peat. Now the scarcity «>i 
meat is such that peat cutting will be stopped aim 
these moors and swamps fitted up for pastures. 
British seed growers, dealers and farmers are ask 
ing for a Government seed-testing station. At present 
this work is not done there under official auspices wince 
put British seeds at a disadvantage on the continent, 
where there are about 300 testing stations. 
The Georgian Bay Canal, which will provide a water¬ 
way for large steamers from the Great Lakes to t 1 
ocean, will cost $125,000,000. and will be financed b. 
the Canadian Government. It will form a wondertui 
outlet for the crops of the Canadian Northwest. 
