1088 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAP$R 
A National Weekly Journal for Country anil Suburban Homes 
Established iS50 
Published weekly by the Hnral Publishing Company, 333 West 30th Street, Sen York 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Rii-eon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
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“A SQUARE DEAL” 
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columns, and any such swindler will be publicly J?dHre,. e nee8 
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Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within of ^ t imeot 
the transaction, and you must have mentioned Tins Rural New Yorker 
when writing the advertiser. __, 
The following note is from a man 39 years old, 
married and with two children. He was born on a 
farm and has a successful record as farm manager: 
For two months I have been trying to locate a per¬ 
manent farm, but nearly everyone objects to children. 
What is it coming to? My record is good, references 
Al, onlv bad habit smoking, and that not around the 
barns. ‘The old-time farmer did not object, but the 
new ones seem to think children in the way. _ On the 
last farm the new owner objected to my working, said 
a superintendent should use his brains, not his hands. 
I always have bad to use both. s. H. c. 
“Children in the way!” There is no place on 
this good earth where the child has a better right 
to life than on a farm. The responsible hired man 
or the expert foreman should be encouraged to rear 
children. They will act like anchors to hold him to 
his job, and make him a better farmer and a better 
man. Of course we have heard the arguments 
against having children on the farm. Most of them 
strike us as being selfish or superficial and unfair 
to many a worthy couple who w r ould make 'the best 
of farm help. We have never found any more satis¬ 
fying live stock for the farm than children. 
* 
Last week we referred to the quarantine on im¬ 
ported potatoes, which amounts to the same thing as 
a prohibitive tariff. It is now announced from 
Washington that this quarantine will be continued 
indefinitely. 
The countries against which quarantine is to be con¬ 
tinued are the British Isles, Germany, Austiia-1 lun- 
garv. Newfoundland, and two islands belonging to 
France in the St. Lawrence River, called St. Pierre 
and Miquelon. The object of the quarantine, which 
was first imposed just a year ago, is to prevent the 
introduction into the Lmited States of a dangerous 
potato disease, now unknown in this country. Inis 
disease is known as the potato wart, the potato canker 
or black scab, and is prevalent in the above-mentioned 
countries. 
Potatoes may still be imported from Canada, but 
the heaviest imports have come in past years from 
Europe and Great Britain. Before this quarantine 
went into effect 15.000,000 bushels were imported. 
Now our own farmers must produce what our con¬ 
sumers need without foreign competition. British 
farmers have asked to have the quarantine remoi ed, 
but our government refuses to admit foreign pota¬ 
toes. The removal of the tariff therefore will have 
no effect upon prices. Pay no attention to people 
who tell you otherwise. The American crop is short, 
and prices ought to ruu high. 
* 
How shall, we proceed to get our Legislature to pass 
a new law or amend an old one? I? or instance, we want 
protection against hawks and crows. s. M. 
Delaware. 
In order to obtain legislation you must get some 
legislator personally interested and then hack him 
up by public sentiment. It is said of the English 
Parliament that during the past century it has 
passed many just laws—but not one of them was 
given willingly. They all had to be fought through 
with a demonstration of power. Much the same 
thing is true of every legislative body, aud it is 
right, because no law could ever be enforced if there 
be not power back of it. The thing for you to do 
is to find who represents you in the Legislature— 
both Senate and Assembly. Ask them to help you 
by introducing a proper hill. If they seem indiffer¬ 
ent, get out among your friends and neighbors and 
get them to talk or write to these men, urging this 
legislation. Wherever you go and whoever you 
write to talk about this matter. Write letters to 
the local papers about it, post up notices—make it 
a business to keep talking about it. This will create 
public interest, and if you can do that your repre¬ 
sentatives will he glad to take notice. A single de¬ 
termined man with his own family' can, by constantly 
talking about a worthy thing, make it a part of the 
local demand and it will spread and grow. Do not 
expect that the man you send to the Legislature can 
do it all. The chances are that he could do little 
unless you make strong public sentiment to back him. 
M'tliC RURA.L NEW-YORKER 
Some of our Western friends may call that Con¬ 
necticut witch hazel business a small thing. The 
trouble with some of our Western friends is that 
they have come to the time when these small things 
are needed, and yet they cannot realize it. Cutting 
witch hazel gives a cash job for Winter, and does 
not seriously exhaust the soil. This means a lot to 
a number of New England towns. One of the worst 
industrial needs in many country districts to-day is 
a clean and profitable job for the young people by 
which they can earn cash. 
* 
The New York Central Railroad offers a reduction 
of about 30 per cent in freight rates on limestone 
where the price for the lime does not exceed $1.50 
per ton. This is for 20-ton carload lots inside New 
York State. When sold in excess of $1.50 per ton 
the freight will he higher. Five firms are named 
who sell limestone for less than $1.50. It will be 
good business policy for any railroad to give special 
freight rates on lime. There is hardly an acre of 
land in the East which has been under cultivation 
for 50 years which will not respond to liming. 
* 
For months we have pointed out the fact that 
New York State owes money to several hundred 
dairymen. The State took cattle from these men 
and slaughtered them on the claim that they were 
afflicted with tuberculosis. Some of these cattle 
proved harmless to the public, but they were de¬ 
stroyed. Under the law, New York State was 
clearly responsible, and these men were entitled to 
compensation. We all know how this matter dragged 
on. The Legislature provided for payment, hut 
Gov. Sulzer vetoed the bill. Now the Legislature 
has appropriated $225,000 and Gov. Glynn has 
agreed. Checks for the money will be mailed at 
once, and joy and justice go with them! Now let 
the State of New York decide definitely what is to 
he done with these diseased cattle. If the owners 
are to be compensated, make the payment just as 
important and prompt as salaries of State employees. 
* 
You might think dogs have done enough with 
their teeth to ruin the sheep industry, but there is 
now another charge against them. What is known 
as the sheep measles parasite has been found to be 
quite common in American fiocks. This parasite is 
located in the muscles, and may kill the sheep or 
make the flesh unfit for food. Now it is proved that 
this parasite is one stage in the life of the dog tape¬ 
worm. Sheep become infested with this parasite by 
swallowing the tapeworm eggs which are scattered 
over pasture or yards by the dogs. Dogs in turn 
acquire the tapeworms by eating raw mutton—the 
carcasses of infested sheep. In a way the trouble 
may be compared with the cedar rust on apple trees. 
A part of the life of this rust disease is passed on 
cedar trees. If these are cut down the disease does 
not live. And so this sheep parasite could not con¬ 
tinue to exist if there were no dogs to develop the 
tapeworms! The sheep-killing dog is not even as 
useful as the wild cedar, and he should have the 
same treatment—the ax ! 
❖ 
There was a man—not a back-to-the-lander either 
—who did some foolish farming. He bought a small 
quantity of high-priced seed corn. It seemed a waste 
to plant the big kernels, so he had them cracked into 
pieces the size of wheat and broadcast the whole 
thing. Of course he grew no crop. Only the germ 
of the seed contained life. Though there were 20 
times as many cracked pieces as of entire kernels 
every one was dead. A silly fellow—you say—I 
would not do that! Are you sure of it? There are 
other things besides seed corn which men crack and 
destroy. Take your vote or your influence as a 
man. It contains a living germ of power when it is 
known that you will plant it entire, squarely in the 
heart of what you know is right. When you dodge 
here aud there, seek expedients and excuses and 
vote as the party politicians tell you to, you crack 
up your power until it is as dead and lifeless as the 
cracked seed corn. You who live in the country 
districts of New York will have a chance to prove it 
this Fall. The year’s history has proved that the 
one great thing needed in the politics of New York 
State is a real direct primary law. No use cursing 
at crooks and grafters while we do not apply the 
true remedy, which is to make public men abso¬ 
lutely dependent upon the people for their nomina¬ 
tion and election. We hold that it is the duty of 
every farmer absolutely to refuse to vote for any 
member of the Legislature who will not pledge him¬ 
self to support a genuine primary law. If, now, you 
scatter your power and vote for any man who re¬ 
fuses to give such a pledge, how can you condemn 
the folly of the man who cracked the seed corn? 
October 4, 
The newspapers report that John Campman, of 
Passaic, N. J., is in jail charged with murder for 
killing a chicken thief. The family was wakened 
in the night by their dogs and saw two men prowling 
about. John, a j'oung man, took a shotgun and 
fired two shots—one at random into the air and the 
other toward the henhouse. One man ran—the other 
was found dead—shot through the breast. The body 
had not been identified when the report was made. 
A few weeks ago we reported the case of a crippled 
man in Massachusetts who, when chicken thieves 
appeared, fired at random and killed one of them. 
This poultry keeper was tried and convicted of man¬ 
slaughter, but was pardoned by Governor Foss of 
Massachusetts. The New Jersey State Poultry As¬ 
sociation should take up this case against John 
Campman and make it their own. Let us find out 
the exact balance of right between the hen man and 
the thief. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. has thus far but little to say about 
the new farm bureaus and county organizers. What 
is there to say—except that these new agencies for 
helping farmer’s should be given a fair chance and 
permitted to prove themselves without unfair criti¬ 
cism or fulsome praise? Work of this sort is lai’gely 
personal, and its value will depend upon the tact 
and common sense of the agent or worker. While 
a good knowledge of science is necessary, a keen 
judgment of human nature is essential in personal 
work of this sort. A purely laboratory man or one 
who had failed as a practical farmer might prove 
successful in a college classroom or at a farmers’ 
institute, but he could hardly endure the test of 
personal contact with farmers in a farm bureau. 
The R. N.-Y. supports any honest and sensible effort 
really to help our farmers. The farm bureau has 
many elements of hope in it, and we urge readers 
to give the agent a fair showing. It is far better 
to try to develop the scheme solidly and without 
any brass band. 
* 
On the first page you find pictures of two repre¬ 
sentative types of White Leghorns. One has the 
highest record of what has come to be called the 
English type—the other leads the American-bred 
birds in the Storrs poultry contest. We understand 
that these birds are fair representatives of the two 
Leghorn types. Evidently the American bird would 
give a higher score in the showroom—it is not likely 
that the English Leghorn would be given a place as 
judged by the score card. Yet she and her sisters 
lead in egg production, and that is what the man 
with a family to support is after. Englishmen have 
made rather a poor showing in various “sport” con¬ 
tests, but the English hen lias proved her superiority. 
We have seen some rather ill-natured criticism of 
the policy of permitting these English birds to com¬ 
pete at our egg-laying contests, and win! That 
seems to us a narrow view. If henmen in England 
or France or Turkey or Greenland have developed 
hens which can honestly beat our American birds it 
would seem to he our business to learn how they do 
it and get hold of some of this superior blood rather 
than to growl over defeat! 
BREVITIES. 
Now ’the island of Ceylon has a college of tropical 
agriculture with buildings planned like those at the 
Cornell College of Agriculture. 
The early freeze in Western New York killed fruit 
and vegetables, and also damaged peach stock so as to 
make budding a hard proposition. 
A certain German street car line charges half fare 
for passengers who stand up. The “strap hangers” in 
American cars should have tiro same chance. 
Scientists are holding a convention in Germany to 
test the value of “divining rods” in finding water or 
minerals. It is a good thing that the “water witches 
at last have a chance to prove their claims. 
The Wisconsin University will encourage community 
singing among country people. It is a tine thing to go 
back to the old “singing school” and develop it. The 
Germans and the Danes owe much to their folk songs 
and singing societies. 
It is said that the white grub caused over $4,500,000 
worth of damage in Wisconsin alone last year. While 
other insect pests grow less damaging this grub is worse. 
An organization has been formed to co-operate in fight¬ 
ing this insect—1,000 farmers joining. 
Tiie following comes from the Colorado Experiment 
Station : “One of the best methods of preventing the 
formation of scale in steam boilers is to put halt a 
peck of potatoes in the boiler at the beginning of each 
week and clean the boiler out at •the end of the week. 
Rural mail carries are not now required to collect 
loose coins from rural mail boxes. Such coins should 
be put into an envelope or wrapped in paper betore 
putting in the box. Carriers who pick out loose coins 
do it merely as a matter of accommodation, lkey need 
not do it if they object. 
There are four bills now pending in Congress re¬ 
quiring wooden passenger cars to be replaced on a 
railways by steel. Recent railway wrecks have shown 
the value of steel cars as a safeguard for human hie 
though it must be admitted that they resemble an oio- 
fashioned Dutch oven on a hot day. 
