82 
THE RURAL RE W-YORKER 
January 8, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
I’ubUahed weekly by the Iliiral Publi«hlng Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York, 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. 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, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6a., or 8*c marks, or lO^ francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates 50 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for time 
orders. 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 
responsible person. But to make doubly sure we will make good any 
Jos 1 ' to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertisingin ourcolumns, and any such swindler will bo publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibers against rogues, but wedo not guarantee 
to adjust trilling differences between subscribers and honest, respon¬ 
sible 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 of the transaction, 
and you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when 
writing the advertiser. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce The R. N.-Y. to progressive, 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, we send it 
10 weeks for 10 cents for strictly introductory pur¬ 
poses. We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
Those turkey raisers in the Bashful State (see page 
24), know how to find what they got of the con¬ 
sumer's dollar. They slipped letters right into the 
turkeys! The consumers were about as anxious to 
reach the producers as the farmers were to reach 
the consumers. These two parties could divide be¬ 
tween them a fair share of the 50 cents which the 
middlemen took. These concealed letters may open 
your eyes! 
* 
If you have read Bulletin 31G of the Geneva Ex¬ 
periment Station you know what sort of stuff these 
dealers are putting up in “mixed feed.” The U. S. 
Government has now got after one of them—the 
Globe Elevator Co. Under the pure food law the 
Government seized 6,400 pounds of so-called “mid¬ 
dlings” which had been carried out of New York to 
Pennsylvania. This passing from one State into 
another made the transaction interstate commerce and 
gave the Federal Government a right to act. These 
so-called “middlings” contained 10 per cent of ground 
corncobs. They were thus misbranded and adulterated 
and their sale was illegal, because it was the evident 
intent to show by the name that the feed was made 
entirely of wheat. The feed was seized and con¬ 
demned. Now that is just what ought to he coming 
to every man who tries to sell worthless trash at full 
grain prices. The use of dried peat in fertilizers is 
justified by some manufacturers who use it as a 
‘■tiller.'’ Weed seeds and floor sweepings in feeds 
are more in the line of a “killer.” 
* 
Last week the farm education discussion was start¬ 
ed. The keynote of this is the idea that since the 
farmers provide the children they should have some¬ 
thing to say about plans and methods. One thing is 
sure; this development of farm education must not 
get into the hands of the politicians. There is great 
danger of this. The scheme is for a politician to go 
to the people in his district and promise to get an 
appropriation for starting a farm high school. Right 
now this would he a popular thing for those politicians 
to work. Many of them are in bad odor at home, 
and they can plainly see what is coming their way. 
Their scheme for an appropriation for a farm school 
is in the nature of a bribe with public money. The 
scheme should be exposed and killed. Wait until the 
three schools already established prove themselves. 
Do it right. It would be in some ways desirable if 
the various colleges in the State could establish farm 
departments. We think most of them will be obliged 
to do this later, but when it comes to State education 
for farmers let us wait and find by discussion the 
best way to do it, and keep the politicians as far away 
from it as possible. 
* 
The following note is from a boy who is learning 
two trades at once—one in town and the other between 
times in the garden; 
We have a nice garden, about 125x150 feet. Mother 
lias about one-third of this for flowers, and I “farm” the 
rest between times, for I am with a large shipbuilding 
company and learning to he a draftsman, and I like it, 
but I also like farming, and wisli I had a small farm. 
Last Spring I sold about 1,500 bunches of onions and 
leeks, and got a fair price for them, and 2,500 heads of 
lettuce, and a big lot of radishes, and planted a bushel 
of potatoes. We also have a lot of flowering plants to 
soil. Last year I cleared over $63, besides supplying our 
own table. 
Now this will mean over $300 to the acre. The 
boy gets good returns for his spare time and, while 
doing it. is learning a trade which will make him in¬ 
dependent later on. This boy represents a class of 
people which will greatly influence food production in 
the future. Our new book, "The Heron Nest,” deals 
with this hard problem of intensive farming for town 
people. Some of you who have grown moderate 
crops of grain, hay or potatoes for years may find 
it hard to believe the story of Billy Heron’s farming, 
yet it is entirely probable, and thousands of farmers 
have done better. So can you if you will believe in 
your soil and work it properly. In addition you will 
need the incentive and ambition so beautifully devel¬ 
oped in “The Heron Nest.” 
* 
We understand that Mr. Childs has a very large 
stock of Wonderberry seed on hand. It was also 
reported at- one time that he intended spending 
$20,000 in advertising it. —The R. N.-Y., December 11. 
John Lewis Childs’s new catalogue, just issued, 
contains over eight pages and nearly 15,000 words 
devoted to the “improved Wonderberry.” We proved 
by the highest authorities that the Wonderberry as 
sold by Mr. Childs was the old black nightshade. 
In the face of this exposure even Mr. Childs seems 
to lack the colossal nerve required to repeat the 
claims made for the “Wonderberry.” It is now the 
“Sunberry.” The “improvement” seems to have come 
from one year’s growth on Long Island. One might 
expect Mr. Childs to be consistent at least. On one 
page he repeats Mr. Burbank’s well-worn statement 
that the. plant “always comes exactly true from seed!” 
Right on the next page Mr. Childs says his “Sun- 
berry” is liable, being a hybrid, to “sport” in many 
ways. Mr. Childs is something of a sport himself, 
for he offers $10,000 in cash for a new “Sunberry.” 
Now it is evident that if Burbank is right Childs must 
be wrong, in saying that the plants will vary. His 
offer of $10,000 may mean just as much as Burbank's 
celebrated bluff did. If Childs is right—what becomes 
of Burbank’s statement? If the “Sunberry” will 
“sport” as Childs says it will, why is it not as likely 
to go hack to the poisonous or non-edible qualities of 
its parents as it is to improve? Dr. Greshoff found 
the nightshade poison in plants grown from seeds 
bought from Mr. Childs. If we accept the statement 
made in this catalogue, why is not one who buys this 
seed as liable to have a “sport” back to a poisonous 
berry as to have a “delicious fruit?” Personally we 
think the chances favor the former! 
Now we were told last Summer that Mr. Childs 
intended to spend $20,000 in advertising the “Won¬ 
derberry.” We judge that he has stocked up with a 
large amount of seed and intends to unload it. We 
believe this is against the advice of the best and most 
honorable men in the seed trade. We do not 
believe there is a reputable seedsman in America 
who would offer the “Wonderberry” and stand 
for the odium which accompanies it. Mr. Childs 
does not appear to he troubled by such scruples. 
B}' changing the name he evidently expects to 
sell his seed. How can he do so in the face of the 
facts? The answer is found in that $20,000 adver¬ 
tising appropriation which was suggested to the trade 
last Summer. That can do two things—bring the 
extravagant claims of the “Sunberry” before the 
people and silence any editorial criticism. We were 
told a few weeks ago by one of Mr. Burbank’s partners 
in the Florida land booming business that a “knock” 
is a “hold-up.” The reverse is true—silence or a pat 
on the back is the result of a “come-down.” The 
magazines and the daily papers may be expected to 
print anything of this sort that is offered. When we 
come to the farm papers we naturally expect to see 
that $20,000 as far from making connections as we 
have been from Burbank’s $10,000. We feel such 
confidence because these papers all know the facts in 
the Wonderberry case, and also know the motive and 
principle at stake. They could not possibly plead 
ignorance as any excuse for accepting this “Sunberry” 
advertising. Should they accept it they would be 
obliged to stand up and admit that they have sold 
their influence and accepted a price for their silence. 
The issue is so clear and the facts are so evident that 
it does not seem possible that any reputable farm 
paper will accept money to aid in promoting this great 
bluff. Here is their chance, and we confidently expect 
to see them rise to it and line up on the side of their 
readers and of the honest, legitimate seed trade. 
* 
Last year our correspondent J. Grant Morse went 
to the New York Sta,te Dairymen’s meeting. At that 
time we asked Mr. Morse to learn the sentiment of 
the actual farmers who were present, and tell us 
squarely just what this Association was apparently 
doing fo-r actual cow milkers. Most of our readers 
will remember what he reported. The conclusion was 
that the Association did not at that time fairly repre¬ 
sent the practical dairymen-. This year we asked Mr. 
Morse to go again, without any feeling or prejudice, 
and size up the situation as before. He reports an 
excellent meeting—large, enthusiastic aj*d practical. 
The Association has made a strong effort to learn 
what the cow milkers need, and is ready to represent 
them. In the coming battle against oleo the dairymen 
of New York cannot do better than get into this 
Association and support its officers. We would like 
to see 50,000 members. It gives us great pleasure to 
state that the New York State Dairymen’s Association 
has shaken itself free, and is ready for good service. 
* 
The death of Senator John Raines makes it neces¬ 
sary to hold a new election in the district composed 
of Yates, Ontario and Wayne counties. Mr. Raines 
represented the “machine” element of his party—the 
politicians as opposed to the people. We think the 
sentiment of the people in his district was surely turn¬ 
ing against him. Had he lived there would have been 
open rebellion. It is now most important that this 
farm district should be represented by a progressive 
man who will act in the interests of the people. If 
some straddling politician should he nominated, or 
some man who is known to represent the “machine,” 
he ought to he beaten out of sight, and people of all 
parties should make common cause against him. With 
direct nominations in that district it is not likely that 
any machine politician would dare to run. 
* 
Mr. Haughton, who tells us of his experiment with 
those wire baskets for testing soils, says the results 
in the field exactly tallied with those in the baskets. 
Others have reported the same thing. Of course such 
experiments require care and judgment in selecting 
the soil, and mixing the fertilizer. If you use enough 
of the baskets you should be able to tell whether your 
soil needs lime, or what element of plant food is 
lacking, and this can he done during the Winter— 
before the next crop is planted. This ought to be 
a good exercise for a country school. With a good 
number of the baskets samples from all the farms in 
the district could he tried. Under the teacher’s di¬ 
rections the children could make the baskets and do 
most of the work. Such experiments might be of 
great use in j-our district in showing what your soils 
need to grow Alfalfa. As Mr. Haughton says—do 
not spend the Winter writing to ask strangers what 
your soil needs—make its acquaintance and ask the 
question yourself. 
* 
A celebrated seed case has been settled by the New 
York Court of Appeals. In 1904 a New York farmer 
bought five bushels of Alfalfa seed from a RocTT&steu, 
seed company. The manager of the seed company 
pronounced this seed “the best you can get." This seed 
was put in the ground for Alfalfa, hut the crop showed 
a mixture of Yellow trefoil and dodder. The seedsmen 
refused to pay damages, and the farmer sued them 
to recover $822. This was classed as follows: $700 
for loss of a year’s crop of Alfalfa, $80 for cost of 
fitting 10 acres and $42 for clean seed. The seedsmen 
defended their case by claiming that they did not 
guarantee the seed, and hence were not responsible. . 
The jury in the county court gave a verdict for the 
farmer. The case was carried to the State Supreme 
Court and to the Court of Appeals—both confirming 
the lower court. This case has interested many New 
York farmers, and will influence many seed pur¬ 
chasers hereafter. No farmer can expect to get 
damages in court that will compensate him for stock¬ 
ing his farm with weed seeds. His best plan is to 
have a fair sample of his seed tested by the Experi¬ 
ment Station or at Washington. If weed seeds are 
found in it reject the stuff at once. 
BREVITIES. 
Patronize the swamp bank. 
Money in muck as an “amendment.” 
A trial shipment of Cuban beef has been made to 
New York. 
Dr. Tracy says "a seed is simply a plant packed for 
transportation.” 
Mutton and lamb are the cheapest meat foods just 
now. The healthiest meat food, too. 
The New York State Department of Agriculture reports 
9S4 active agricultural societies in the State. 
The British post-office Savings bank last year carried 
$781,794,533 for 11,018,251 depositors, who received $18,- 
360,112 in interest. 
When you do your grafting this year try to get some 
wood from orchards you have read about or visited. When 
they develop the fruit will be a constant reminder of 
friends—old and new. 
A proposed French law will provide for postal checks. 
Citizens are to keep a deposit of $20 with the Govern¬ 
ment and then check against any sum deposited above 
this amount, as they would with a hank. 
The manufacturers of sulphate of ammonia wanted a 
duty so they could develop their “infant industry.” It 
is a part of your farm duty to use muck in the stable 
and catch the ammonia there. 
Those millers on page 28 tell us something about 
what becomes of the consumer’s dollar for buckwheat 
Here is another. We are asked to pay 25 cents a pound 
for good bacon. What does the hog man get? 
Here is something for you to remember when you think 
good tillage will not pay. In a cubic foot of ordinary 
light loam soil the surface of all the soil particles will 
make about one acre. The water in the soil extends as a 
thin film over all these little surfaces. 
