1 3K12 
STH El RURAL NBW-VOWKLCR 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TIIE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Established ISSO 
PnblUhed weekly liy tho lturnl I'lililinhlne t'om|inny, 888 Wert 80tb Street, New York 
IIrbbert W. CoLLiNOWorm, President and Kdltor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon*, Secretary. Mrs. K. T. Koyi.e, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, S2.M. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8 14 marks, or 10)4 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank drart. 
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 j 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 wo will make good any loss to paid 
subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler advertising in our 
columns, and any such swindler will bo publicly exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against rogues, but wo do not guarantee to adjust trilling differences 
between subscribers 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 time of 
tho transaction, and you must have mentioned Tub Rural Nkw-Yohkkr 
when writing the advertiser. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to maintain the improvement and en¬ 
largements that we are now planning for The R. 
N.-Y., we should have a circulation of 200,000 copies 
weekly. We must depend on onr old friends for 
this increase. To make it easy for these friends to 
introduce the paper to other farmers who do not 
now take it we will send it 10 weeks for 10 cents 
for strictly introductory purposes. We will appre¬ 
ciate the interest of friends who help make up the 
needed increase of subscriptions. 
* 
With the closing of this year's volume of The 
It. N.-Y. we find that 1396 pages have been printed. 
Last year’s volume contained 1300 pages. When, 
a few years ago, we reached “the book of 1000 pages’’ 
we thought it meant something—now we are well 
along the road to 1500 pages. But quantity without 
quality is not satisfactory. There must be some 
solid pith to the bulk, and we hope that every one 
of these 1390 pages has carried some message that is 
worth while. 
* 
During the past week we received letters from 
people asking where they could buy direct, un- 
roasted peanuts, old-fashioned cane molasses, sheep’s 
milk, apples, a second-hand wagon cover, hickory- 
nuts, pecans, and many other things. Then there 
were letters from people who want to sell hay, sweet 
potatoes, bircliwood, second-hand machinery, old 
stamps and coins, eggs and poultry, and so on. Now 
a moment’s thought will show that we cannot possi¬ 
bly know the individual trade needs of our readers. 
Yet we are sure that someone in our great family 
can supply any ordinary article, or fill any common 
need. It is only a question of introducing buyer 
and seller. We would gladly do this privately if 
we could, but in the very nature of the case publicity 
is needed. That is why the department of Sub¬ 
scriber’s Exchange was started. 
* 
Many potato growers are greatly troubled over 
the market situation. They are told by buyers that 
New York and other Atlantic ports are crowded 
with foreign potatoes to such an extent that prices 
must go down. This talk is evidently for the pur¬ 
pose of inducing these growers to sell out at a low 
figure. On the other hand, the potato importers and 
the agents of foreign countries are claiming that 
potatoes will go to $6 a barrel unless the quarantine 
on foreign potatoes is lifted. This is absolute non¬ 
sense, as has been demonstrated again and again. 
Whenever potatoes go over $3.50 per barrel, con¬ 
sumers simply stop eating them and take up rice, 
corn meal and similar food. Thus one set of com¬ 
pressors is trying to scare farmers into giving their 
crop away through stories of large imports, while 
another gang of boosters is trying to frighten con¬ 
sumers by stories of local high prices! At this 
time there are nearly half a million sacks of for¬ 
eign potatoes piled up on the piers and in storage 
waiting for a decision from Washington. Much of 
this stock was shipped from Belgium and Holland, 
but came originally from countries against which an 
American quarantine exists. It is not likely that 
this stock will he sold. The price for this season 
will be determined largely by the action of the Sec¬ 
retary of Agriculture on this quarantine. The im¬ 
porters ask him to raise the quarantine and thus 
admit potatoes freely from all countries. On the 
other hand the farmers and the scientists demand 
that this quarantine be extended so as to cover all 
countries which send us potatoes. On -the basis of 
our domestic crop alone farmers ought to receive 
fair prices. If the quarantine is lifted the prices 
to farmers will he cut down while the consumers 
will find little if any difference in retail prices. 
Some years ago the New York Legislature passed 
a law designed to prevent fraud and counterfeit in 
the sale of oleo. It forbade the production or sale 
of “any human food in imitation or in semblance 
of natural butter.” It also distinctly stated that no 
person manufacturing with intent to sell any sub¬ 
stitute for butter or cheese, 
“Shall add thereto or combine therewith any annatto 
or compounds of the same, or any other substance or 
substances whatever, for the purpose or with the effect 
of imparting thereto a color resembling yellow, or any 
shade of yellow butter or cheese, nor introduce any 
such coloring matter or other substance into any of the 
articles of which the same is composed.” 
The oleo men naturally fought tills, as their great¬ 
est profit comes from mixing inferior fats, coloring 
this mixture and selling it as butter. They disre¬ 
garded the law and kept on coloring the oleo. The 
lower courts upheld the oleo men, hut the appellate 
division reversed this decision. The case was car¬ 
ried to the court of appeals, which has now sustained 
the lower court. In arguing for the law the attorney 
general claimed: 
That the law did not attempt to prohibit the sale of 
oleomargine hut was designed to compel the use of or¬ 
dinary ingredients so as to produce a color not resemb¬ 
ling butter, and to prevent the designed and deliberate 
production of a commodity for the purpose of procur¬ 
ing a wider market by the alleged deception. 
Judge Collins of the court of appeals says that 
the present law 
“Does not prohibit in oleomargarine the semblance in 
color to butter which results not from imitation hut 
from a selection of ingredients dissociated with the 
design or intention to produce it.” 
Tf this means anything it means that skillful 
chemists may work out a combination of fats and 
chemicals which will be sure to give the oleo a 
bogus color. The manufacturer may tlieu make 
what he knows to lie counterfeit and escape punish¬ 
ment because he did not “premeditate” anything, 
lie can do all his meditating after selling the bogus 
butter. Oil the same line of reasoning, the shoddy 
manufacturer, the fool food maker or even the gold 
counterfeiter might escape punishment if chemists 
can show him how to counterfeit without any “pre¬ 
meditation” on his part. The law should be made 
over so it will hold, or the case should he carried 
to the Supreme Court, which has already decided a 
somewhat similar case in Massachusetts. Another 
proposition is a law forbidding the sale of both but¬ 
ter aud oleo iu the same store. 
* 
“HAPPY NEW YEAR.” 
Just 2S years ago the writer was asked to fill a 
small space in The It. N.-Y. with a New Year’s 
greeting. There was only a small hole in the paper 
—left for a little sentiment. J. S. Woodward was 
then managing editor, and he wanted a large senti¬ 
ment iu a small hole. This is what we wrote: 
Another year has gone, and Father Time 
Has put within his pigeonhole with care 
Another manuscript, and prose and rhyme 
Both good and bad are badly tangled there. 
And now we take another sheet as pure 
As is an angel’s wing and grasp the pen. 
To write the New Year’s waiting record—sure 
That all our writing will confront us when 
The wing of years shall blow the dust away, 
And from Time’s pigeonhole the master hand, 
►Shall take our manuscripts all worn and gray 
And read them so that all may understand. 
Then write with care, my brothers—through the years 
Lest all your work be blotted out with tears. 
Since that time 1463 numbers of The R. N.-Y. have 
been issued—each one carrying a message of good 
will and a desire to be of some service. Yet here 
at the end of another year we cannot think of a 
kindlier expression of what we have in mind than 
this old sentiment ground out to order under trying 
conditions. 
Happy New Year! It will be left to ourselves 
very largely to make it a happy one. We have been 
old friends for many years now, and we are free 
to enjoy that neighborly feeling which takes the 
place of talk in expressing friendship. We never 
had so many hopeful and useful plans for the fu¬ 
ture. We are able to make these plans with confi¬ 
dence because we know that each year our readers 
become more and more a part of the great plan and 
purpose which The R. N.-Y. is trying to work out. 
The headquarters of the paper may be said to be 
here, but that more important thing, the heart- 
quarters, may be found at 200,000 firesides where the 
paper is read and thought out and discussed. We 
look forward to the happiest and best year we have 
ever had, and you are all to stay with us and help 
make it so; for you have no idea what a bright and 
beauty spot we can make on this old world if we 
will only carry what we may caII determined good 
nature into 1914. And so “write with care my 
brothers!” Happy New Year—and God bless you! 
December 27, 
The Northern Nut Growers’ Association think they 
have caught a northern nurseryman right in the 
act of selling bogus nut trees. The facts are not 
quite ready for the public yet but they seem conclu¬ 
sive. The price of good nut trees runs high, and 
there is a great chance for dishonest dealers to 
work oil bogus trees. In order to protect planters 
the Nut Growers’ Association will keep an “accre¬ 
dited list” of men who honestly sell budded aud 
grafted trees. Some of the snides know how to 
cut off a seedling tree and make it grow as if it 
were grafted! The Nut Growers will investigate 
nurserymen and quickly crack the shell of any who 
prove crooked. This is fine work. There ought to 
be more of it. 
* 
There is a movement on foot in Wisconsin to 
create a market commissioner, to have charge of 
marketing conditions in the State. He would make 
a close study of the market situation, and he given 
powers enough to enable him to help shippers in 
their troubles with commission men, or with the 
railroads. Last year the Legislature refused to 
enact a law creating a rather complicated market 
commission. It seemed to be rather in advance of 
present conditions. A market commissioner, how¬ 
ever, would probably help the market situation. 
Just so long as in one part of Wisconsin apples rot 
oil the ground through lack of market, while in an¬ 
other part of the State similar apples bring $3 and 
$4 a barrel, a market commissioner or some one else 
is needed to bring buyer and seller together. There 
is an old story of two men cast away on a desert 
island. One took one side of the island, and the 
other another. They could not speak to each other 
or he of mutual benefit in time of need, because 
they had never been introduced. One day one of 
these men saw the other walking about, evidently 
iu great distress, and lie heard a parrot chattering 
from a tree, making a sound very much like “Mr. 
Brown.” Our friend considered that close enough 
to an introduction, and he went to the aid of the 
other man. Sometimes when apples rot in one 
county, while the people of another cannot buy them 
at a fair price, we think that even a parrot to in¬ 
troduce the two parties would earn more for the 
people than many a State Governor ever brought 
to them. 
* 
The New York Legislature passed a good direct 
primary bill and adjourned. We think this hill will 
help, and all country people should unite and give 
it a fair trial. We shall explain it fully before tlie 
next nominations are made. It is a matter of won¬ 
der to many why Gov. Sulzer’s bill failed, while 
the same Legislature a few months later passed a 
primary bill without discussion. Looking back at 
the matter we think Mr. Sulzer was not wise in 
calling tlie Legislature back and trying to force 
them to pass his bill. There was very hitter per¬ 
sonal feeling, and many of the up-State members 
would not realize liow the people felt. There had 
to be some chance for the people to express their 
views through the ballot. As soon as the people 
got a chance to vote on the subject they spoke in 
italics, and the most hidebound and prejudiced old 
rounder saw that the end had come. There had to 
be just this popular vote on tlie question before New 
York could have a direct primary. Then the party 
now in power saw that they are badly discredited, 
and they tried to do something to offset their fool¬ 
ish record. Then again the so-called “leaders” of 
both parties are cold-blooded cynical men, who be¬ 
lieve that our farmers and country people will not 
use the new primary. These discredited political 
snides expect to see this law fail and become a 
farce through the indifference of the common peo¬ 
ple. Therefore the best test of the primary is yet 
to come. We shall do our best to explain it and 
create an interest in it. Let’s all go to school in 
higher politics for the next six months, so that we 
may use this primary to show that we mean business. 
BREVITIES. 
The skeleton Inis no place in the closet. Pull it out 
and grind it up for fertilizer. 
Straight as a string. But a string is not kept 
straight unless it is pulled up and tightened with a 
firm hand. 
There are 3,500.000 goats in Spain. These goats 
weigh 60 to 90 pounds, and give about two quarts of 
milk per day. 
If a naan cannot form a true brotherly cooperation 
with his neighbors, how can he hope to do it with some¬ 
body’s else neighbors? 
Experimenters in Western Kansas are to seed Al¬ 
falfa in rows or drills. This it is thought will stand the 
drought better than broadcast seed. 
Full many a man arises from his couch and carries 
to his daily work a grouch, why not subdue it in a 
certain grapple by the inward application of an apple? 
