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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 20, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Knral Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
Herbert W. Colling wood. President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. P. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6 d., or 8*2 marks, or 10 ^ 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 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in ourcolumns, 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 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. 
* 
We await with some interest to see our friend E. G 
Lewis get over or under or around the proposition 
put up to him on the next page. He has his chance 
of side-step, hop-scotch or leap-frog. In the end it 
is more likely to be “walking Spanish.” 
* 
The word “mash” is often used in connection with 
poultry feeding and nearly every week some one asks 
what it means. It is understood that a “mash” is a 
mixture of ground grain, meat or other materials. 
A wet mash means that this mixture has been wetted 
with water or milk and fed in a crumbly or a soppy 
condition. The dry mash may be the same mixture 
without moisture. Mr. Hunter tells us this week of 
his success with dry mash feeding. We judge that 
the plan is growing in popularity. 
* 
Mr. Lupton gives us a very interesting statement 
regarding his air-pressure spraying outfit. We now 
ask those who use gasoline or gas power outfits to 
show us if they can the disadvantage of air pres¬ 
sure methods and the merits of their own methods. 
It seems evident that the air-pressure system is spe¬ 
cially adapted to large orchards. The outfit is expen¬ 
sive and there would be danger in using weak or 
defective tanks. Let us have a fair and friendly dis¬ 
cussion of the best power for driving the spray ma¬ 
terial through hose and nozzle. 
* 
The New York Commission men think they have 
killed the Lupton bill which would compel them to 
take out a license and give bonds. They have it 
buried in a hostile committee. There it will remain 
unless farmers can get it out. It is a clear contest 
between the commission men on one side and the 
country shippers on the other. Very likely one com¬ 
mission man considers himself as powerful as 100 
farmers. So he is with this bill tucked away in a 
committee, for one man might put it there while 1,000 
could not get it out. Now we must not let it be said 
that we are held up in this way. It will take long 
and hard work to save that bill, but it can be done if 
we will all go at it. Write to your State Senator and 
Assemblymen at once and urge them to try to get 
that bill reported. Here we have a chance for a 
square fight between a few shrewd wire pullers and 
a great body of voters. Save the Lupton bill. 
* 
We are often asked why we spend so much time on 
“small things.” For example the “Wonderberry.” 
It is comparatively a small thing, yet we have hung 
■to it for months. Our critics ask why we do not 
spend that space and energy on “great things which 
mean more to the country.” During the past 50 years 
we have learned more from human nature than from 
books. The great majority of us are still in the 
primer class. We may dream in “great things” but 
we work and touch the great affairs through the very 
small things of common life. For the soldier in the 
ranks the study of military tactics or the plan of 
campaign is useful but the knowledge of how to 
handle his gun is absolutely essential. The battle is 
won by the men who know how to pull the trigger. 
It has seemed to us that the farmers of this country 
have been like a great army of soldiers unskilled in 
the art of handling their common weapons. They 
cannot, under present political conditions, touch the 
“great things” effectively because they are kept off 
by a chain of politicians. And this is because they 
have not known how to make their influence felt by 
using the simple weapons now in their hands. We 
take up “small things” and chase them down and 
brand them because we believe this gives education 
and practice for the people who need it and could not 
get it in any other way. The “Wonderberry” is a 
small and miserable thing of itself, but its discussion 
involved a large business principle. We stuck to it 
because we wanted our people to understand this 
principle. They do understand it and thousands of 
them now know how to make their power effective. 
The letters they have written to seedsmen and papers 
will never be forgotten and will have a stronger effect 
upon the seed trade and farm journalism than any¬ 
thing that has happened in years. And the training 
will not be lost, for having once learned how to work 
together these Knights of the Postage Stamp will take 
hold of other and larger things. We have several 
more “small things” coming and we shall stick to 
them in the same way. 
* 
Here is a new fraud which merits the sternest form 
of treatment. 
Another trick seems to be set in motion, or it may be 
an old one. My fowls have bad an annoying bowel trouble. 
For six weeks I have been feeding cracked oyster shells 
from our feed dealer. Last night I noticed several large 
lumps in dish that were apparently gray quartz. Rather 
nettled at paying such a price for our most common rock, 
I struck one of these pebbles with a stone hammer, in¬ 
tending it to make grit, hut found it soft and in powder. 
Tasting it it proved to be rock salt—which constitutes a 
good part of the “shells.” I notified the dealer, but he 
has discreetly kept silence. No redress I suppose? 
Any one who knows the effect of salt on a hen will 
recognize the crime of selling such “stuff.” It has 
come to a pretty pass when even oyster shells are 
adulterated. We would like to trace these “shells” 
up to headquarters and see who .put in the salt. It 
would be a pleasure to put printer’s ink through his 
shell. 
* 
There were 10 letters sent from our family the 12th 
of March to our Representative and Senators. Each mem¬ 
ber of the family old enough to write wrote the letter 
without knowing what the others were writing. When 
all had finished, each in turn read their letters. It 
certainly was a treat to listen to them. All so different 
and telling their Representative in no uncertain manner 
what they wanted and why they wanted it. G. h. 
New York. 
That made it a part of family education, and it will 
never be forgotten. We firmly believe that the country 
people of America are coming back to some of the 
old ideals and methods which before the Civil War 
gave the farm home such an extraordinary influence 
in public affairs. Those who are old enough to re¬ 
member the anti-slavery campaigns will recognize in 
this family letter writing the spirit and purpose of 
those glorious old days. Our country people are be¬ 
ginning to realize the power of pen, ink and postage 
stamp, when used without fear or fawning, and they 
will win what they need in time. 
* 
Each Spring for several years we have urged our 
readers to plant corn! Now we come with the same 
advice, made stronger than ever by experience. Last 
3'ear, on our own farm, we grew more corn than ever 
before—most of it on rough land. We have proved 
to our own satisfaction that old pasture or meadow 
land can be plowed and planted to corn, so that by 
using a fair dressing of fertilizer a good crop may be 
grown. With us the small-growing flint varieties 
are best for this sort of culture. When such corn is 
grown in hills and worked both ways the land is 
subdued, and after a few seasons small grain can be 
seeded. On many of the rough Eastern farms poultry 
keeping is the most promising business in sight, but 
the fearful cost of grain makes any sort of stock 
feeding a doubtful proposition. Yet most of such 
farms have more or less waste land now yielding 
but poor pasture. These old fields are the place for 
corn grown with fertilizers. The way to cut down 
that awful feed bill is to plant corn! Plant corn!! 
And along with corn planting plant peas and try 
Alfalfa. 
* 
Will you help us get at the co§t of things this year? 
We want you to charge 20 cents per hour for man 
and 40 cents for man and team for all the work you 
do on your farm this year. Keep a record of the 
hours you work and, as far as possible, get at the 
time you spend on corn, potatoes and other crops. 
You will know what you pay in cash for labor, feed, 
fertilizer or other things. You have probably not 
counted up your own labor at a fair price. A foreign 
laborer will demand 20 cents an hour and get it when 
work is crowding. You are worth as much as he is. 
So figure up every hour of your time and add the 
amount to other cash expenses. The total, with a 
fair interest on the value of your property, will rep¬ 
resent the cost of your crops. Having done this we 
want to see if, at the end of the season, you can name 
a price for your products which will make you square. 
In doing this you will only follow the lead of the 
railroads, the manufacturers, or any other business 
which enjoys a special privilege. When an effort is 
made to reduce passenger or freight rates or to cut 
the tariff on manufactured goods the ablest lawyers 
in the country line up with figures to prove that the 
cost of operating or manufacturing is so great that 
prices must not be cut. These figures always include 
big salaries for the head man. You are the head man 
on your farm. Now see if you can pay yourself a 
liberal salary and get it out of the price. 
* 
A Southern friend sends us the story of a colored 
man, “a pillar of the local church,” whose business it 
was to pass around the plate for the collection. 
Finally he was requested to resign this duty and did 
so. The next Monday he walked into the office of a 
justice of the peace for legal advice: 
On walking into his pew on last Sunday he realized 
the motive of the delegation in asking him to get out. 
The new tax collector was a one-armed man. “What hit 
mean?” he asked 'Squire Purdie. “I dunno,” said the 
’Squire. “Dunno? Why, bless yo' soul man, hit mean a 
man what ain't got hut one ban' cai/n't hold de plate en 
take nuthin’ out at de same time. Now I want to know, 
is dis groun’ fur legal action.” 
Our colored friend regarded the appointment of 
the man with one hand as suggestive to say the least! 
We are reminded of this story in reading the com¬ 
ments which come from some of the “Nightshade 
Family” papers. They are greatly shocked at any 
suggestion that the interests of their readers do not 
come first of all. Why—both hands are kept busy 
fighting for their subscribers—it is never a case of 
one hand patting the back and another in the pocket. 
We shall probably shock these gentlemen with the 
following remark. It would be a great thing for the 
country if for the next 10 years 25 of our leading 
farm papers could be controlled by one-eyed men. 
By that we mean men with one single purpose and 
one eye watching solely for the honest and just rights 
of their readers. 
* 
There are many Jerseymen like the Hope Farm 
man who would like to know what Senator John Kean 
has ever done for the people of New Jersey. He may 
have accomplished great things, but if so, he has suc¬ 
ceeded admirably in keeping them concealed. Mr. 
Kean comes up for re-election next January. It is 
therefore entirely fair to ask what he has done for 
New Jersey. We have no doubt we can point to val¬ 
uable services he has rendered to railroads, large cor¬ 
porations and business interests, but what has he done 
for New Jersey and plain Jerseymen? Suppose we 
take that question as one of the “small things” to be 
discussed during the next eight months? 
* 
We have had a number of questions lately about 
the use of sorghum in the North as forage plant. In 
our own experience a native variety of corn will give 
more fodder and grain than sorghum and we would 
surely give corn fodder the preference. The Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture shows that three kinds of sor¬ 
ghum have been used by fakers to fool the people; 
one man in Oklahoma sells what he calls “California 
wheat” at 50 cents a pound. It is an inferior sorghum. 
“Chocolate corn” is the common Early Amber cane. 
“Texas seeded ribbon cane” is a sorghum sold under 
this name to induce Southern people to think they 
are buying sugar cane which does not bear seeds. 
These are but a few of the humbugs which frauds 
may attempt with a crop like sorghum. We should 
stick to corn and select our own seed. 
BREVITIES. 
The knights of the postage stamp are doing it. 
To get the most out of the hen manure, make it as fine 
as possible. 
So it seems water-glass eggs are “pure food” when sold 
for just what they are. 
Reports are that Alfalfa seed may be put on the grain 
like Red clover, but the seed must be covered by har¬ 
rowing. 
We farmers have always been considered easy picking 
for all kinds of fakers, and it is high time to change the 
opinion. R. w. g. 
Here’s one thing you must be sure of; you do not 
jump into great success, but you grow with it, and 
usually so slowly that you do not know when you get there. 
Still another contribution on page 400 to the story 
of “inspected” milk farms and the cost of producing milk. 
We want all the evidence we can get showing what these 
inspections amount to. 
A reader describes himself as the moving spirit of a 
new co-operative organization. Before he gets it in suc¬ 
cessful operation he will certainly find it necessary to 
move with considerable spirit. 
We know a man who went around with several apples 
in his pockets. Where others gave a cigar and a drink 
for some favor, this man gave an apple! Now we hear 
of a farmer who gives a trial subscription to The R. N.-Y. 
in place of a cigar! 
“You. Mr. Parent, are probably trying to give your son 
many advantages denied you. It may be an education, 
an opportunity or a dozen pleasures or privileges that you 
in your youth never enjoyed. For all of this you deserve 
unqualified praise. But why not help to give him parcels 
post,” asks S. M. 
