172 
February 12, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FA EMEU'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Rnrsl PnMishlng Company, 409 Pearl 8treet, New York. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wii. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Roylb, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8s. 6d., or U h 2 marks, or 10’s 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 
ns; 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 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in oureoiumns, and any such swindler will be publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
to adjust trifling differences between subscribers andhouest, 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. 
* 
Another side of farm education is given on page 
160 by Mr. Allen. This is an excellent statement oi 
what can be done in a community or section where 
farmers can dominate such thing. According to this 
theory farmers can get the Sort of school they need 
when they act together and make their wishes known 
with power. When you come to think of it, they 
could get about any worthy thing on earth if they 
went at it in that way. 
* 
Having occasion to send a box of 25 cigars to a friend 
in Staten Island, I had to pay 55 cents express charges 
from Forty-second street, New York. I'm for a parcels 
post. BEDFORD. 
Of course! We welcome another recruit to the 
regular army. That legion of battle-scarred veterans 
will be self-organized yet, and every time they shoot 
a postage stamp the scars will remind them. This 
contest is no dress parade, but a fight to the political 
death of the men who stand for the express com¬ 
panies rather than for the people. 
* 
Xo one has attempted to reply to the real argu¬ 
ments fqr parcels post. Here are 40,000 men and 
teams carrying loads over the rural mail routes 
which a good-sized dog could handle. All along 
these routes are men and women eager to make 
purchases or send packages by mail. With a fair 
postage rate they would fill those empty wagons and 
buy stamps enough to make .the rural mail service 
pay and wipe out the postal deficit. There is the 
whole thing, and nothing could be simpler. Yet 
Congress will not even give us a chance to demon¬ 
strate it. There is only one thing to do—get a new 
Congress. 
* 
“Why should my brother be able to buy American 
meat in London cheaper than I can buy it in New 
York?” 
This question was asked last week by an English¬ 
man who gave figures to show that retail prices are 
actually lower on the other side than they are here. 
Consumers are now up in arms over the high prices 
of meat,- while for the past year the packers have 
been talking “scarcity.” Can it be possible that while 
our own people are paying these high prices because 
there is not “meat enough to go around,” shipments 
are being made to Europe? ^ On looking up the 
figures we find that during 1909 the following quan¬ 
tities of meat were sent away from this country, 
chiefly to Great Britain: 
Pounds. Value. 
Canned beef. 16,647,712 $1,843,205 
Fresh beef. 93,742,451 9,502,176 
Salt beef. 43,963,459 3,303,947 
Bacon.212,551,671 23,318,162 
Hams and shoulders.195,765,704 21,937,171 
Pickled pork. 46,743,915 4,494,038 
Lard. . .. 458,261,434 48,770,370 
Every pound of this meat was needed here, and 
the greater part of it appears to have been sold for 
less money than it would have brought here. In 
England meat is freely imported from South Amer¬ 
ica, Australia and Canada, and our American meat 
must compete with the world’s supply. In this 
country the meat packers are protected by a tariff. 
We say the packers, for it does not appear that under 
present conditions the farmers receive any benefit 
from this tariff. Last year only $778,750 worth of 
meat was imported. So far as we can see the present 
tariff on meat simply permits the packers to hold up 
the consumers by regulating the supply, and through 
control of slaughtering and transportation, to dictate 
prices to farmers. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Please tell your readers how and where we shall get 
men to send to Washington to make laws that the people 
want, who will not be afraid of the express companies, 
or outright grafters? Wells Fargo stock 600, United 
States Post Ofl.ce stock 600 below o; must have the recall. 
New York. h. p. b. 
These men will be found when the people actually 
show that they will put principle above party. For 
years and years these politicians have seen good men 
go through all the motions of independence up to 
election day, and then get “cold feqt.” The politi¬ 
cian isn’t very much afraid of the “next timer.” That 
is the man who tells what fierce things he will do 
with His ballot until he gets to the polls—and then 
concludes that he will do it next time. We shall 
never get any parcels post through the votes of next 
timers. It must he done right now, this year, first 
by letter and then by ballot. We want you to spend 
six cents for your country. On March 12 readers 
of The R. N.-Y. will each write three letters, one to 
their representative, and one to each of their Senators. 
Tell these gentlemen plainly and respectfully that you 
ask them to work for a parcels post. Do not be 
in the least afraid of them, but do not try to bluff 
or bluster, yet give them to understand that you 
mean business. If we can all write together on this 
day there are enough of us to make an impression. 
Will you spend six cents for your country? 
* 
THE NIGHTSHADE FAMILY. 
The following, which may be classed as “farm 
papers,” are reported to us as printing the Wonder- 
berry advertisement: 
The Garden Magazine. 
Country Life in America. 
Suburban Life. 
It sesms to us very unfortunate that this class 
of publications in particular should join the “night¬ 
shade family.” The publishers do not need the 
money, and these magazines are supposed to represent 
a select, high-toned, superior class of people. They 
ought to stand for the things which love light rather 
than darkness. When the so-called aristocracy of 
the farm press knowingly enter the nightshade 
family we have a text for a mile-long sermon. And 
not a word of it need be written, since people will 
know by instinct what to say. 
★ 
For 20 years and more Bordeaux Mixture, a com¬ 
bination of lime and copper, has been the standard 
remedy for plant diseases. Never entirely satis¬ 
factory, it was freely used because of the belief that 
copper is the specific for destroying disease germs. 
Finally the use of Bordeaux caused serious trouble 
in staining or scalding the fruit. There was a 
general demand for a substitute. We joined in this 
demand until assured that the scientists were working 
out the problem, and only wanted full time for 
experimenting. We now think they have met the 
demand with various new combinations of lime and 
sulphur and copper. The statement that “Bordeaux 
Mixture has become a back number” has truth in 
theory, though it will be long before the standard old 
remedy is given up. In searching for a new fungi¬ 
cide we understand the scientists have gone on the 
theory that sulphur in some of its forms is even more 
effective than copper, and we feel confident that 
their discoveries will revolutionize our present meth¬ 
ods of spraying. We shall, of course, give full 
details regarding the new mixture. 
* 
The beef combine could not invent a better way to 
depress the cattle market and buy .cheap, than this boycott 
is giving them. Call it off! a. t. g. 
This reminds us of an oft-quoted passage from 
Shakespeare. The druid or mystic wishing to show 
his importance says: 
“I can call spirits from the vasty deep.” 
The practical Hotspur replies: 
“So can I or so can any man. But will they come when 
we do call for them?” 
We have no power to call off the “meat boycott.” 
We have heard much about it, and have hunted for 
individuals who have given up meat. There are few 
of them in evidence. We agree with what our friend 
says. The beef trust can use this so-called “boy¬ 
cott” as an excuse for cutting down prices for live 
stock, and we do not expect any other outcome until 
present methods are changed. The only successful 
food “boycott” that we know of in this county was 
the “Boston tea party,” when the American people 
refused to drink tea that was taxed. In those days 
Americans had the power of self-denial and the love 
of liberty which enabled them to put up a successful 
fight against a comparatively small tax. To-day the 
tax levied upon them by the various monopolies which 
control food, light and fuel is far greater, yet men 
endure and hesitate to use their true power. 
“One of the speakers has said that the babies in 
in the city are badly in need of milk. That is very 
true, but there are also babies in the country zvho need 
shoes, and if the city won’t meet our price these babies 
must go unshod.” 
The above remarks were made at a recent “milk 
hearing” in this city. The speaker was a farmer who 
had been listening to the story of the city consumer’s 
needs. In this comparison of babies there seems 
no good reason why all the attention should be 
given the city product. These orators who roll out 
their volumes of words always tell us how much the 
city needs the fresh blood from the farm! The 
barefoot baby appears well in a poem, but if this 
nation is to keep its feet warm the farm baby ought 
to be well shod. Can this be done on 35 cents of 
the consumer’s dollar? 
* 
There is a bill before the New York Legislature 
to regulate the produce commission business. It is 
proposed to compel commission merchants to take out 
licenses. The license will be issued by the State 
Comptroller at a yearly cost of $2. In order to 
obtain such license the merchant must give a suit¬ 
able bond for $10,000 As part of this bond he must 
agree to make a just and full account of all produce 
received and sold by him, and must make full net 
returns within- 10 days after the sale. Any com¬ 
mission merchant found guilty of violating the above 
provision would under the proposed law, lose his 
license and be fined $500. This is not a new theory 
of legislation. In 1907 the Minnesota Legislature 
passed a law containing the following section: 
2114. DEFINITION—LICENSE—BOND—For the pur¬ 
pose of this sub-division, a commission merchant is a 
person who may receive for sale, for account of the 
consignor, any agricultural products or farm produce. 
No person shall sell, or receive or solicit consignments 
of such commodities for sale, on commission, without first 
obtaining a license from the railroad and warehouse 
commission to carry on the business of a commission mer¬ 
chant, and executing and filing with the Secretary of 
State a bond to the State for the benefit of his consignors; 
the amount of the bond to be fixed and sureties to be 
approved by the commission, who may increase or reduce 
the amount of the bond from time to time. 
In Minnesota a commission has charge of bonding 
and licensing. A consignor who does not receive 
a settlement from a merchant may file a complaint 
with the commission and sue on the bond. We 
have no doubt there will be a great outcry from the 
commission men in case this law is passed. If it 
could be passed and honestly enforced we think it 
would work no real hardships to honest commission 
men, but at the same time drive the fakes and 
snides out of business. If a commission merchant 
handles $100 worth of a farmer’s property it is 
the same thing as carrying $100 of his cash. Why 
should he not be controlled and supervised the same 
as a bank? 
BREVITIES. 
Cannot you stop that leak in the stable? 
What is it that gives strength to unity? 
Yes, there is a small amount of ammonia in snow— 
washed out of the air. 
Order your seeds and your fertilizer and your tools 
early. Get in before the rush. 
Never foi’get that there is no more business-like ab¬ 
sorbent for stable liquids than dry swamp muck. • 
Middleman's share! Middleman’s share. Let him alone 
and he'll have the whole pear. 
Make up that map of the farm this Winter, and plan 
the season’s work. This is a good job to interest the 
children. 
We had no idea there was so much interest in milch 
goats. Every time they are mentioned a dozen people 
come asking about them. 
“Worms in codfish” page 130. As something of an 
authority on fishballs we would just as soon have remained 
in the bliss which goes with ignorance. 
Do not expect any miracle when you scrape the trunk 
of an old apple tree. The most you can hope to do is 
kill insects which winter in the bark. 
The latest attributed to Mr. Burbank is thornless 
cactus to take the place of meat. We do not think Mr. 
Burbank ever started this fool story. He has had enough 
for the present. 
“This is the latest going the rounds of the local papers 
about our frieud the Ben Davis apple,” says W. A. B.: 
“Bake well in a hot oven, apply plenty of sugar and cream, 
and you will hardly notice it.” 
New Hampshire people have long been selling air and 
water and scenery to Summer visitors with good profit. 
Now the same thing will be done in Winter. With com¬ 
fortable houses to eat and sleep in thousands will come 
to play In the cold air. 
The U. S. Geological Survey figures the annual loss from 
fires in this country at $456,485,000. This is more than 
the total production of gold, silver, copper and petroleum. 
The annual cost of building for the entire country is about 
$1,000,000,000. Thus we burn down half we build. 
We have told how the great increase in growing Soy 
beans in China and Japan is changing various businesses 
all over the world. The oil from these beans is taking 
the place of linseed and the crushed cake after the oil 
extraction is being used in place of linseed and cotton¬ 
seed meal for feeding. 
