1002 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 0, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country an<l Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company. 833 West 80th Street, Hew 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 1024 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. Rut 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. >> e protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trilling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible advertisers. Neither will we be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the coin ts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month of the time or 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. 
Our reports show that more silos are being built 
this year than ever before. This is particularly true 
of eastern dairy districts. Some of the new ones 
are “Summer silos” for holding feed to help out 
poor pastures. This year of fierce drought has made 
a great argument for the Summer silo. Grass may 
dry up, but while there is a “barn pasture” full of 
a former corn crop the cows need not be sold or 
fed at a loss on high-priced grain. The Summer 
silo carries the crop of the fat year into the lean 
season—where it is needed. 
* 
On page 951 the statement was made about cer¬ 
tain hybrid chestnuts which, while of fair or good 
quality, promise to he immune to the blight disease. 
Any resident of the Hudson Valley or of New Jer¬ 
sey or Eastern Pennsylvania will understand what 
these varieties may mean to the country. All over 
this eastern section the chestnut trees stand stripped 
and dead with no possible way of fighting the dis¬ 
ease or preventing it. If these new varieties prove 
to be truly resistant to the disease we shall have the 
most important development in nut culture and for¬ 
estry of the century. 
* 
The State of New York owes over $300,000 to 
farmers and dairymen. Under a law which provided 
for and promised compensation the State killed 
cattle claimed to .be afflicted with tuberculosis and 
horses suffering from glanders. The law was clear 
and the debt is legal, and many of these farmers 
have waited for years without receiving their money. 
Some of them were put to great trouble by the de¬ 
struction of their property. Yet the great State of 
New York has repudiated its debt. The last Leg¬ 
islature appropriated the money, but Gov. Sulzer 
vetoed the bill, and the debt still blackens the rec¬ 
ord of the State. Now Mr. Glynn, who claims to 
be Acting Governoi’, asks the Legislature to appro¬ 
priate the money once more and he will sign the 
bill and see that the debts are paid. In our pres¬ 
ent condition of double Governors such a proceed¬ 
ing might lead to a further tangle, but for once 
at least they should all get together and pay for 
these slaughtered cows. 
* 
The discussion of this baby chick question is 
growing to the size of a large book. On his record 
and imputation one would naturally consider Dr. H. 
W. Wiley an expert on any question of good health 
and vitality. Yet baby chicks prove a gigantic fail- 
ure with him: 
I have had some experience in the shipment of young 
chicks. Forty-five freshly hatched White Orpingtons 
were shipped to me by express from St. Paul, arriving 
during the cold weather in May. They were sent to 
my Washington address, and I tried to keep them for 
a few days until I could go up to the farm. Of the 
first shipment of 20 all arrived alive but one. The 
furnace fires had gone out and the house was cold. I 
kept the chicks as warm as I could, and fed them all 
they wanted to eat. but nevertheless they began to die. 
At the end of three days I only had 11 left alive. Those 
I took with me to the farm, 50 miles away. One died 
in transit and two soon after arrivel. The others were 
put with a hen who mothered them. Nevertheless, they 
all died but one. The second shipment of 25 arrived 
two or three days latex’, during the height of the cold 
spell, and all were dead on arrival. Final result, one 
chick from 45. H. w. wiley. 
As a dry nurse for baby chicks Dr. Wiley could 
not pass a civil service examination—on his record. 
Yet thousands of men who never see their name in 
print will tell the same story. The baby chick prop¬ 
osition stands alone and unique among the many 
things which naturally come to a farm paper. Noth¬ 
ing seems to present such contradictory results. The 
great majority of both buyers and breeders express 
dissatisfaction with this method of handling poul¬ 
try. On the other hand, a small minoi'ity are en¬ 
thusiastic in praise of what we may call the cradle 
department of the chicken business. For our own 
part the baby chick trade has caused more complaint 
and annoyance than even the nursery business. 
Marc W. Cole, of Orleans County, N. Y., is chair¬ 
man of the New York Assembly Committee on Agri¬ 
culture. He did excellent work in putting through 
the commission man’s bill and other farm legisla¬ 
tion. Mr. Cole is a hard worker and with the ex¬ 
perience gained during the last session he would 
have made a very useful member. The report is 
that he will not be renominated. The reason given 
is that Mr. Cole voted against direct primaries and 
in favor of impeaching Gov. Sulzer. Public senti¬ 
ment throughout the country districts seems to be 
in sympathy with Mr. Sulzer personally, and cer¬ 
tainly favors direct primaries. Every election makes 
it clearer that the politicians are afraid of public 
sentiment. 
* 
lx recent weeks we have had before us daily stories 
of the awful condition created in the Southwest by lack 
of rain. It is certain that if the soils of that section 
had been filled with humus the condition—bad as it 
then would be—would not have been as complete a 
disaster. » 
That statement comes from Wisconsin and refers 
to Western Kansas. Did anyone ever hear of a 
total crop failure from drought o^ soil that was 
well filled with organic matter? Grind up a brick 
to powder, plant seeds in it, add water and expose 
it to the hot sun. It again becomes a brick—crum¬ 
bly, but so hard and dry that the little plants die. 
Grind up a handful of clover hay and mix it all 
through the brickdust. Water and plant. You then 
have good, mellow “soil” which will hold water and 
give the plants a chance to grow. On a larger scale 
we have much the same difference when we ex¬ 
haust the soil of humus or when we keep it full of 
cover crops. These cover crops save the nitrates 
during the Fall and make the soil like a sponge in 
Spring—when they hold water like money in a 
bank. It is cover crop seeding time now. If noth¬ 
ing better can be had, sow rye. 
* 
The Mexicans are good bluffers, but apparently 
unable to govern themselves. The late President 
Diaz ruled his country with an iron hand, but when 
an experiment at anything like real democracy was 
tried Mexican society fell apart into revolution and 
misgovernment. The people living in the so-called 
republics of South America have long been suspi¬ 
cious of the United States. They evidently believe 
that our secret national policy is one of conquest— 
that we are merely waiting for opportunity to con¬ 
quer and absorb Mexico, Cuba and such other terri¬ 
tory as we desire. They ought to know that tropical 
territory would prove a nuisance and a curse to our 
people, but they view us with a suspicious hatred. 
Thus the announcement of our national policy by 
President Wilson is vei* *y timely. He tells Mexico 
in effect that they must set their own house in order. 
We are not to interfere except to protect Amei’icans 
and American property. American citizens are urged 
to leave Mexico as quickly as possible, but those 
who cannot get away will be protected. While this 
country will not take sides with either political 
party in Mexico it will if need be help to establish 
a stable government in the interests of all the Mexi¬ 
can people. With the exception of a few promoters 
and war shouters this policy will be endorsed by 
the American people. The end seems to have come 
to the poor dupes who invested in rubber or banana 
propositions, or in Mexican mines. 
★ 
Of course, every booklet of this sort is open to more 
or less suspicion because it is in a sense of an advertis¬ 
ing nature. And yet there are some of us in commer¬ 
cial work who regard our business in tne light of a 
profession, and who would no more make an untrue or 
inaccurate statement in a booklet of this sort than we 
would if we were writing a text-book for the use of 
college students. On the whole. I feel that this is the 
general tendency with high-grade business people to-day, 
and I think it is an encouraging sign of the times. 
This refers to a pamphlet designed to advertise 
and explain a brand of manufactured goods. The 
statement is true. We have a class of manufac¬ 
turers and dealers in this country who would rather 
have one of their fingers cut off than to feel that 
they had knowingly deceived their friends and cus¬ 
tomers. During a long and busy life these men 
have been accumulating competence and honorable 
character. How well they know that the compet¬ 
ence once lost may be regained, but the honorable 
character—never. That is the one priceless thing 
in a business career whether it be passed upon a 
small farm or in some great factory. For this sort 
of character is built upon confidence—firmer than 
a rock when there is faith in it; as unstable as a 
Summer wind when men question it. Thus it Is 
that honorable business men try to make the public 
statements about their goods as sound as “a text¬ 
book for the use of college students.” The most 
satisfactory thing in the business world to-day is 
the fact that the public believes this and is coming 
more and more to recognize the earmarks of 
honesty. 
Circular 69 of the New York State Agricultural 
Department contains the names of 542 commission 
men who have given bond and obtained a license 
under the new law. Every shipper should obtain 
this circular and keep it for reference. Our advice 
is not to patronize any dealer who cannot show a 
license. This is the shipper’s privilege, and it is 
his part of helping to enforce the law. There are 
many commission men who would like to have this 
law pi’oven a failure. It may rightly be considered 
such if our farmers do not make it a success. One 
of the common weaknesses of humanity is to say 
“let George do it”—that is, shift the work and re¬ 
sponsibility which represent a part of our duty 
upon someone else. Men will often sign petitions, 
write letters and spend money in order to obtain 
some legislation which they think is needed. Before 
the ink from the Governor’s pen is dry upon the 
bill many of these good people go back to work and 
leave the enforcement of the law to “the authori¬ 
ties.” In the case of this commission bill the people 
having real authority are the farmers and shippers. 
They and they alone can establish this principle of 
fair trade supervision like bedrock in the law. 
Come, gentlemen, make the dealer show his license 
before he receives your goods! 
* 
A year or so ago we had a lively tilt with various 
college instructors over their connection with pri¬ 
vate enterprises. Some of them were clearly en¬ 
gaged with speculative or promotive enterprises— 
lending their names for advertising purposes. We 
claimed that this brought discredit upon the agri¬ 
cultural colleges and deceived people who would not 
otherwise invest in certain bogus or near-bogus 
schemes. When such an instructor ties up to a 
promoter’s scheme there should be no place for him 
at an agricultural college. There is another form 
of scientific graft which ought to be exposed. There 
will be a contest at Washington or before some State 
legislature over the sale of a food or a drug, a 
patent or some other ease, involving the sale of a 
discredited or harmful article. When the fight 
comes the government lawyers find lined up against 
them an army of professors or scientists from great 
universities. These great men are hired to split 
hairs and give scientific opinions that some nasty 
food or drink is good enough for the public, or that 
some graft or dubious privilege is right. These 
well-paid hirelings come dragging in the names of 
their great universities to strengthen a case of graft. 
These men are worse than the smaller instnictors 
who need the money which they might earn by 
helping promote a fake school or a unit orchard or 
stock in a nut grove! These larger men do more 
damage, and their universities ought to shut 
them off! 
BREVITIES. 
West Virginia now has girls’ canning clubs with 
girls’ institutes which go with a picnic dinner. 
The bull they say is half the herd and if you want 
a useful calf, believe this tale about the bull—but don’t 
forget the other half. 
A Danish company is selling hogs’ brains for manu¬ 
facturing a medical preparation largely used in Ger¬ 
many. 
An International Congress of the Deaf and Dumb 
was opened at Ghent, Belgium, August IS. All the 
proceedings were in the sign language. 
In a vei'y dry season if a late crop of weeds start we 
would mow T them off rather than lioe them out. The 
latter will do the crop more harm than good by ripping 
up too many roots. 
On the boundary line between South Australia and 
New r South Wales is a fence 135 miles long, 3*4 feet 
high and nine inches under ground. It is to keep out 
rabbits and wild dogs. 
A toy factory in Maine uses up the waste, slabs and 
boards from a sawmill. At another mill the sawdust 
is dried, mixed with pitch and pressed into blocks for 
fuel. Thus the wastes are being utilized. 
“Community silo building” is becoming popular in 
Wisconsin. The agricultural college furnishes forms 
for concrete silos and they are passed about from farm 
to farm—an expert going along to show how’ to do it. 
Tiie Office of Public Roads of the U. S. Department 
of Agriculture has issued Circular 100 ou specifications 
for the building of steel highway bridges. Road com¬ 
missioners and froeholdei’s will find this circular very 
useful when considering local bridge building. 
Wild hoi’ses are causing damage in Alberta. These 
horses are descendants of horses which were abandoned 
in the gold rush of 15 years ago. They come to farms 
in droves, killing many work horses and enticing others 
away. 
Much uni’est among English farm laboi’ers has cul¬ 
minated in strikes in several places. The Agricultural 
Workers’ Union in Yorkshire -is demanding a minimum 
wage of 24 shillings ($5.76) for a week of 60 hours, 
Saturday afternoon off, and 12 cents an hour overtime. 
“I l’UT in vacation this year in a sea trip, a hasty 
run over the east end of Porto Rico, and, naturally, a 
sea trip back. The tropics are charming,—but—the 
first thing we did in New York, after checking our 
hand baggage on the home railroad, was to head straight 
for a fruit stand and buy peaches,” says F. D. C. No 
place like home” and few things in their season equal 
to home peaches. 
