758 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established iSSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Puhliuhlmp Company, 833 West 80th Street, New York 
Herbert W. Collingwoqd, President and Editor. 
John' .T. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm F Dillon-, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.01, equal to Ss. 6d., or 
8)4 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 60 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers 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. Hut 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, w e protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to ad j list tinning differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we be 
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 time ot 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
Senator Geo. F. Thompson, of Middleport. N. Y., 
voted against the Sulzer direct primary bill. He 
wrote us a long letter stating that only one man in 
his district had endorsed the position which The 
K. N.-Y. has taken. On May 31 the Niagara County 
Farmers’ Club met at Orangeport. and Senator 
Thompson was on hand. He was challenged to get 
up in the pulpit, explain his position and then take 
a vote of the farmers who were present. He de¬ 
clined the opportunity, for he well knew that the 
big gathering would have voted 10 to 1 against him. 
In the single town of Newfane nearly 500 responsi¬ 
ble citizens have requested Mr. Thompson to go 
back to Albany and support the bill. It is much 
the same way all over the State throughout the 
country districts. The great mass of the people, re¬ 
gardless of party, favor the primary bill, while these 
Senators have little back of them except a rusty 
and broken "machine.” Would you not think they 
had enough political sense to see that this primary 
bill gave their broken-down party a last chance to 
show that it has the right to live? 
* 
In the discussion of plans for providing credit for 
farmers much will he said about the “Ashland Dairy 
Plan.” Let us try to understand it from the begin¬ 
ning. Ashland, Wis., is in the northern part of the 
State—a new country where many of the settlers 
must endure the hardships and privations of pioneer 
life. It is a fine clover and stock country with a 
great dairy future. The natural possibilities are 
there, and the State of Wisconsin has induced many 
settlers to buy or take up land. Most of these men 
found themselves unable to utilize the rich possi¬ 
bilities of this fine clover land through their inabil¬ 
ity to buy cows which could turn this clover into 
milk and its products. It was the old story of the 
inability of farmers to develop their business 
through lack of cash or credit. The State Dairy¬ 
men's Association met at Ashland last November 
and its members quickly sized up the situation. This 
was no place to talk concrete floors and sanitary fix¬ 
tures, when farmers could not raise the price of 
cows. It was a ease for deeds and dollars instead 
of words and wisdom. The Dairymen’s Association 
rose to the occasion with a suggestion which forms 
the basis of the “Ashland plan.” 
Under the laws the national banks could not lend 
money directly on such security as these farmers 
could offer. The business men of Ashland were in¬ 
terested in the dairy development. Suppose 1,000 
good cows could be located on the farms near the 
town—the milk or cream brought to the local cream¬ 
ery! That would mean at least $50,000 cash each 
year distributed in that town, and all business men 
and banks would have their share. So these busi¬ 
ness men were asked to lend their credit and thus 
secure the banks. Suppose each of 10 business men 
became responsible for $250 at the bank. The bank 
then loans $2,500 with which to buy cows, which are 
sold to the farmers on reasonable time! In brief 
this is the Ashland plan of obtaining farm loans. 
With the money thus obtained good judges of cattle 
went to dairy districts in southern Wisconsin and 
bought good grade cows. These were shipped to 
Ashland and sold at actual cost to the farmers. 
When a man bought a cow he signed a note for the 
amount, and also a contract which binds him to sell 
the milk or cream at the local creamery. Each 
month half the cream check goes to the farmer and 
the other half to the bank to be applied on the price 
of the cow. In this way the farmer slowly pays off 
his debt and in the end will own a good herd of cat¬ 
tle. The bank is doubly protected—in the cream 
returns and the credit of the business men. The 
latter find their trade increased through the money 
brought into town by these cows. This is the skele¬ 
ton of a plan which has great possibilities in many 
other places. In future articles we shall elaborate 
the plan and show more of what it means. 
“As / trundle mi/ grandchildren on mil knee I 
thank my God that things are as they arc.” 
That is what our friend says on page 751, and he 
means it. With the boys in partnership and the 
farm doing well this man may well think he has 
solved the great farm problem. We do not know 
whether the college education worked into this case 
or not, but, at any rate, here is a happy outcome of 
a trial which has shaken many a home apart. This 
man grew along with the boys and gave them a fair 
chance. 
* 
Lime is one of the most useful things to use in 
connection with agriculture. The functions and 
value of the different forms of lime have been ex¬ 
plained again and again, yet they are understood 
apparently by comparatively few farmers. We know 
that caustic lime or slaked lime should not be 
mixed with manure since it will set free ammonia.- 
But what about ground limestone? Some of the 
“authorities” would have us believe that this lime 
dust is quite equal to land plaster as an absorbent 
in the stable. Prof. IL J. Wheeler, the highest lime 
authority in the country, explains this matter on 
page 751. This is one of the articles you should 
lile for reference. 
* 
Tiie U. S. Supreme Court has decided that a pat¬ 
ent on an article does not permit the manufacturer 
to dictate the price at which it may be retailed. A 
retail dealer bought a patented or trade-mark arti¬ 
cle, the price of which had been put at one dollar. 
The dealer cut the price and offered it for less. The 
manufacturer undertook to prevent this price cut¬ 
ting on the ground, among other claims, that a 
patent gave the owner not only the right to exclu¬ 
sive manufacture but also to a control of the price. 
The courts have generally held that this theory is 
correct, but the Supreme Court has now upset it. 
The right to the sale of a patented article passes 
to the dealer when he buys it. He may then sell at 
his own price. Some of the manufacturers of pat¬ 
ented articles claim that this decision is unjust and 
that it will injure them. We cannot see why. They 
still retain the monopoly of manufacturing and can 
make their wholesale price large enough to insure a 
fair profit. If by selling closer the retail dealer in¬ 
creases the demand we should think the manufac¬ 
turers would be better off. The public certainly 
will be. 
* 
Gov. Sulzer finally signed the bill appropriating 
$250,000 for a College of Forestry at Syracuse Uni¬ 
versity. The Governor knew that a great majority 
of our best farmers as well as the representatives 
of their organizations are opposed to this hill. He 
gave as a reason for signing it his great belief iu 
the need and value of forestry to New York State. 
Our farmers, however, understand the situation, and 
generally believe that this hill was part payment of 
a political obligation. The Governor has unques¬ 
tionably weakened himself with our farmers by 
signing this bill. He loudly proclaimed his desire 
to economize, and yet lets this quarter of a million 
get by him for what most of us consider an unneces¬ 
sary expense. In saying what follows we wish to 
have it distinctly understood that we have no preju¬ 
dice for or against any particular institution. Pex* *- 
sonall.v we do not care five cents for Syracuse Uni¬ 
versity or a nickel for Cornell University. If there 
is to he any money spent for agricultural education 
we want it spent so it will do our farmers most 
good. Here is a section from Article Nine of the 
New York constitution engraved directly from the 
Legislative Manual: 
No aid in denominational schools.— § 4. Neither the 
State nor any subdivision thereof, shall use its property or 
credit or any public money, or authorize or permit either 
to be used, directly or indirectly, in aid or maintenance, other 
than for examination or inspection, of any school or insti¬ 
tution of learning wholly or in part under the control or direc¬ 
tion of any religious denomination, or in which any denomi¬ 
national tenet or doctrine is taught. 
Orphan asylums wherein no religious instruction is given during 
school hours not within prohibition. Sargent v. B. of Ed. of Rochester, 
177 N. Y. 317. 
If we understand the English language this clearly 
prohibits the use of New York State's money in aid 
of the Syracuse Forestry College. True, an effort 
has been made to separate the management of the 
college from that of the University, but we think 
the University certainly derives an indirect benefit 
from this money. If such appropriations are to be 
made the other denominational colleges in the State 
have an equal right to secure a school called “agri¬ 
cultural” and use it as an advertisement for the 
institution. We think the time lias come to settle 
this matter definitely. We favor an organization 
of farmers who will force this question to the high¬ 
est courts for settlement. 
June 14, 
The city of Lockport, N. Y., is one of the most 
beautiful places of its size in the country. Walk 
through its streets and you will know that the peo¬ 
ple take pride in the lawns and front yards. As is 
the ease iu many other places this pride did not 
always extend to the backyard. If you want to test 
the really fine points of a farmer’s character go 
’round behind his house and look at his backyard! 
This is even a better test for the city man. So sev¬ 
eral men organized a backyard campaign for Lock- 
port, and it proved a great success. A number of 
men were provided with steady work at the job of 
cleaning up, the children took pride in the campaign, 
and Lockport is now back and front the neatest city 
you can find. 
* 
On page G5S Mr. Wm. A. Olds, of Michigan, told 
how he sold his hay at $G per ton. At about the 
time this hay readied New York we paid $18 for 
hay—not the highest grade. Now Mr. Olds writes 
again: 
Our local dealer took the rest of our hay at $G per 
ton and said he made 75 cents a ton on the first two 
carloads. 
Last week we bought another ton. The price had 
gone to $20. As before the Erie Railroad charged 
$3.GO for hauling this ton less than 25 miles. Thus 
the hay cost us $23.G0 at our station. Mr. Olds got 
$6, and as we figure it he received a 2G-cent dollar. 
Out of this 26-cent dollar he must pay 100-cent 
dollars for labor, fertilizer, taxes, machinery and 
other farm expenses. This is a good illustration of 
the way our farmers are expected to do business. 
The 35-cent dollar is the greatest industrial question 
now before the people. They are just beginning to 
realize what it means. 
* 
It is almost worth the bother and expense of a 
libel suit to receive the demonstrations of confidence 
and support from subscribers that always follow 
the announcement of a suit. Since the Strout Farm 
Agency began to file its suits reports have come in 
from all quarters, giving experience with the agency, 
and sending clippings of papers and other reports 
of suits brought by the Strout Agency to collect 
fees from farmers, and suits brought by farmers to 
recover alleged damages from them. According to 
these reports some of the claims for fees have been 
dropped; other's have failed in court, and some have 
been paid by farmers in preference to going to court. 
Our subscribers know that the reports published in 
the paper on which the suits were based were pub¬ 
lished for their information and benefit; and when 
the paper is attacked they rush to its defense with 
information to justify its efforts to protect them. 
Many of these reports come from readers who have 
had no dealings with the Strout Agency themselves, 
but send the reports as a matter of loyalty to the 
paper. The burden of the complaints by farmers is 
that they were led to believe that the seller paid 
the agent’s commissions, but that they afterwards 
learned that they paid the agent a profit in the pur¬ 
chase price and that in some cases this agent’s profit 
ran as high as 50 per cent, of the selling price. An¬ 
other form of complaint is that farmers have been 
induced to sign blank contracts for listing their 
farms, and later find that the contract contained 
clause requiring them to pay a withdrawal fee. The 
Strout Agency claims that these complaints are not 
true. Hence it is a question of veracity between the 
Strout people and complaining farmers. The records 
seem to corroborate the farmers, and there promises 
to he a respectable volume of it. In the meantime 
this new test of our friends serves only to prove their 
loyalty. 
BREVITIES. 
A corn crop gives little chicks the shady side of life. 
All things considered, good corn fodder is the best 
hay substitute. 
Texas has an “Onion Day” in the districts where 
trucking is largely carried on. “Onion pie” is said to 
be a great delicacy at this celebration. 
The conservative father often thinks his son^ tells a 
tale of woe. The progressive son thinks father s story 
a tale of whoa. 
Now the Kansas College claims the earliest planted 
corn is least injured by ear worms. The theory is that 
the ears finish “silking” before the worm gets ready. 
Now they say that the experts perform “a slight sui 
gical operation” on the throat of a rooster and prevent 
his crowing. The vocal chords are cut and the bird 
goes through the motions iu silence. 
We have no record of any professional agriciiltuiist 
who has talked the “two blades of grass” theory for *>'' 
past six months. It’s good work to cut such talk out 
with a scythe until the one blade cuts a fair figure. 
Here is an instance of how habit or fashion affects 
ade. The Chinese men began cutting off their queues, 
hen they began to wear liats, and the export trade i 
its from Japan jumped from $50,223 m 19IG t 
104 704 in 1912. Then fashion decided that women 
iouid wear switches and wigs, and this Chinese hair 
>ok on millions in value. 
