424 
April 2, 
The Rural New-Y orker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published -weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wn. 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. 6d., or 8Lj 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 subcribers against rogues, but we do 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. 
* 
Last week we expressed interest in the course our 
friend E. G. Lewis would take in meeting the propo¬ 
sition put up to him. It seems that he did not side¬ 
step or play hop-scotch, but came up and paid the 
notes, “walking Spanish” at the hand of public opin¬ 
ion. 
* 
Every year we have more or less complaint from 
people who buy barrels of apples and find inferior 
fruit in the center. The last complaint conies from 
Prof. Henry, of Wisconsin; 
Under separate cover I am sending you a package con¬ 
taining three Baldwin apples, weighing live ounces, which 
came with many others, little or no better, in a barrel of 
New York Baldwins, costing our grocer .$4.75. lie tells 
me that there was half a bushel of good apples on top, 
but the rest from poor to worthless. Is it any wonder 
that our people are largely buying Western box apples? 
What is the great State of New York doing to better 
conditions? w. a. henry. 
These apples are shown, exact size, at Fig. 159. 
We are not able to learn who packed them in this 
barrel, but whoever he is, this man is injuring the 
reputation of his State and making a market for his 
competitors. This sort of packing is the worst handi¬ 
cap New York growers have to-day. 
* 
It is reported that Syracuse University will estab¬ 
lish a school of agriculture. The trustees evidently 
have in mind a farm in connection with the Uni¬ 
versity where practical farming may be taught. Onon¬ 
daga County is a fine farming section—headquarters 
for Alfalfa growing in the Atlantic Coast States. We 
believe the University will start its school without 
seeking any State aid, and that it will make the 
economic or business side of farming a special feature. 
Among other plans suggested is that of taking cer¬ 
tain methods or theories advocated at Cornell and 
testing them in actual farm practice—charging a 
fair sum, like $2 per day, for a man, and $4 for man 
and team for each day’s work, and then finding just 
what it cost. In truth, that is just what is wanted, 
and if such things could be done fairly and without 
prejudice, such a course would be worth while. We 
all want to know how such cost will compare with 
35 cents of the consumer’s dollar. 
* 
Our readers will remember the position we took 
regarding those “insurance Senators.” Gov. Hughes 
tried to remove the Superintendent of Insurance, Mr. 
Kelsey. The State Senate prevented this removal. 
There were 15 Senators from rural districts who op¬ 
posed the Governor. We selected these men as with¬ 
in the reach of farmers, and printed their names week 
after week until election. Twelve of them either 
failed of renomination or election. Of the three re¬ 
maining, Raines is dead, Allds is branded as a bribe 
taker by public opinion, while Lieut-Gov. White 
wears a coat of whitewash which will keep him out of 
public life. Now the new Insurance Commissioner 
is showing just why Mr. Kelsey should have been re¬ 
moved. and why these insurance Senators stood by 
him. It is shown that the insurance men spent money 
by the thousands to buy legislation, or hold up bills 
that were in the interest of the people. They bought 
both politicians and parties. Republicans or Demo¬ 
crats were alike to them so long as money would keep 
them quiet or make them “deliver the goods.” The 
whole shameful story is now coming out. One great 
hope is that the disgrace will burn in so deeply that at 
last the farmers of New York will kill off the leeches 
and the putty men. and give us one legislature of clean 
and brave men. 
THE R. U RA L NEW-YORKER 
The story of that milk inspection case told on page 
297 has stirred up the dairymen all over the State. 
Mr. S. K. Bellows sues Mr. Raynor, chief of the 
Sanitary Bureau, for $1,000 damages. It is hoped to 
try this case at the May term of court. Before it is 
done with we shall find out just how much right the 
Board of Health inspectors have to regulate dairies. 
Our correspondence shows that all through central 
New York dairy farmers are thoroughly roused and 
are watching every move in this case. A few of them 
take the ground that no inspection should be made. 
Another small proportion claim that even closer in¬ 
spection and harder terms would be better. Between 
those two extremes stand the great majority of dairy¬ 
men who recognize the justice of a call for clean 
milk and are ready to comply with fair demands. They 
will not stand for arbitrary or unjust treatment, and 
it is to their credit that they take that position. They 
also want to know why they should be compelled to 
increase the cost of production while others receive 
the benefit, if there be any, of improved quality. 
* 
Mr. W. I. Chamberlain, in the Stockman and Farm¬ 
er, seems disturbed because we say: 
We would not buy any fertilizer except on the basis of 
its analysis of nitrogen, available phosphoric acid, potash 
or lime. 
We certainly believe that the way to buy nitrogen, 
potash and phosphoric acid is by guaranteed analysis, 
To avoid paying the cost of handling, bagging and 
freight or commissions, we should buy high-grade 
mixtures, because then we can get in one ton what 
we should get in two tons of a low-grade mixture. In 
the case where we knew but little nitrogen is needed 
it would be probable that nitrates were most 
likely to pay. In such case, it would be more eco¬ 
nomical to buy phosphate and potash and add the 
small quantity of nitrate or sulphate of ammonia. As 
for lime, the most economical way to buy it is by analy¬ 
sis. If ground limestone contains 56 per cent and 
burnt lime 75 per cent, we should take the prices of 
the two kinds and figures how much lime we get for a 
dollar, including freight. The authorities seem to 
agree that this is the way to buy lime. 
* 
Among the methods suited to enter the “back num¬ 
ber” class is the old plan of deciding the strength of 
spraying materials by pouring in so much of the copper 
or sulphur or lime to a gallon of water. It is a much 
surer test to stir the mixture thoroughly, and then use a 
hydrometer. A special instrument for this testing can 
now be bought for one dollar. It shows the specific 
gravity of liquids. In pure water it will sink just 
far enough to bring the water level to a certain point 
on a scale. As lime, sulphur, copper or other ma¬ 
terials are added to the water, of course, the weight 
of the mixture changes from that of pure water. As 
it varies the hydrometer when put into the mixture 
sinks deeper or floats higher as the weight of the 
mixture compares with that of water. As it sinks or 
rises the top of the liquid shows on the scale. When 
we add enough sulphur or lime or copper to make 
just the needed strength the hydrometer will float in 
the liquid at a certain mark on the scale. As this has 
been figured out, we can quickly tell just when the 
mixture has the proper strength. This is the surest 
way of testing, and we believe the method will come 
into general use. 
* 
We assume that most of our readers have read the 
story of the great legislative fight in Congress. 
Speaker Cannon of the House, under the old rules 
which governed that body, assumed arbitrary power. 
Naturally a strong, arrogant man, with narrow par¬ 
tisan views, he used the great power which the situa¬ 
tion gave him against what the great majority of 
Americans believed to be the best interests of the 
nation. Mr. Cannon, by exercising his arbitrary power, 
exercised a stronger influence even than the President. 
So long as the politicians controlled the party and 
dictated nominations it was impossible to make any 
headway against “Cannonism.” Finally, certain West¬ 
ern States began to select candidates under a primary 
election law. Under this system the people selected 
candidates by popular vote, and thus the candidate 
reflected the desires of the people—not of politicians. 
As a result the present Congress contained 35 “in¬ 
surgents,” most of whom came from States where the 
primary elections were held. These men knew what 
their people demanded, and also knew what they were 
sent to Congress for. They knew that if they did not 
stand up and fight they would be set aside for those 
who would fight. And so they fought. The time 
finally came when it was possible for them to strike 
“Cannonism” a hard blow, and they did it. Formerly, 
a small “committee on rules” dominated by the Speak¬ 
er, decided what legislation the House should consider. 
Now there is to be a committee of ten selected by 
the House, and representing all sections, with the 
Speaker definitely removed from it. This is not a 
great thing of itself, yet viewed in the light of its 
future, it is the most important and significant thing 
that has happened since the war. It is the opening 
of a campaign, which we believe will succeed, to 
bring government out of the hands of politicians and 
monopoly and closer to the people. All men must ad¬ 
mit that the power of a few strong politicians to con¬ 
trol Congress could never have been broken except by 
men who knew that they must represent the plain 
people who selected them, or get out of Congress. 
There is no way of getting around that proposition. 
Now the American people know what to do. Let u^ 
spend no time denouncing Congress or politicians, 
but fight for a system of primary nominations that 
will give us control. 
* 
The Mark Lane Express describes a legal action 
over some pigs which makes one point of English 
agricultural law clear. A farmer sold a number of 
live animals for butchering. Among the rest were 
six pigs which were described as “fat pigs,” which 
would make good bacon. Upon killing them, three 
were found afflicted with tuberculosis. The buyer, 
therefore, refused to pay for these three pigs on the 
plea that, being diseased, they were not fit to “make 
good bacon.” The seller sued for the price of those 
pigs and received judgment for nearly $70. The case 
was appealed and the higher court reversed the de¬ 
cision and decided that the buyer need not pay for the 
pigs. The judge stated that the pigs were for food, 
that the seller knew it, and that when he stated that 
the pigs would make good bacon, he gave a certain 
guarantee. As good bacon could not be made from 
tuberculous pork, and as this disease was found, the 
buyer had a right to reject the pigs. In brief, that 
is the English law. The moral is, be dead sure of 
what you guarantee and then stand by it. 
* 
We have a large stack of letters here from Con¬ 
gressmen in reply to our readers. Here is one from 
Senator H. C. Lodge, of Massachusetts: 
I have received your letter. Let me say at once that 
I am in favor of the parcels post as proposed by Mr. 
Meyer, and that I should gladly vote for such a measure 
if I had the opportunity. There is, however, a wide¬ 
spread opposition to such a measure in the House and 
Senate, and I do not believe the bill will be reported at 
this session. You should bear in mind that the opposition 
does not come so much from the express companies as 
from the small dealers, who fear that they will lose their 
trade to the great mail-order houses. h. c. lodge. 
Many of these letters refer to the opposition from 
country storekeepers. This now appears to be greater 
even than that of the express companies. We believe 
that a majority of Congressmen would now break 
away from the express influence, but they hesitate to 
antagonize the storekeepers. These merchants are 
usually politicians, and they can have great influence 
in a political convention. In some localities a large 
proportion of workmen and small farmers are in 
debt to the local merchant. The first thing that our 
letter has demonstrated is that many Congressmen 
are afraid of these storekeepers. And here is Senator 
C. M. Depew, of New York, with another of his 
powerful letters; 
I am in receipt of your letter of March 12, and shall 
give the matter my earnest attention. 
CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW. 
He wrote us just the same thing four years ago. 
It seems as if Senator Depew can give more “earnest 
consideration” to a subject and get less out of it than 
any other man in public life. Senator Depew thinks 
he ought to go back to the Senate for another term. 
We have not met anyone else who shares this belief 
with him, but we might suggest to him that the way 
to make his fellow citizens agree with the proposition 
is to get busy and actually do something for parcels 
post. _ 
BREVITIES. 
Stay right by the Congressmep. 
Test the corn. Read the article on first page. 
The hen’s eggshell is mostly lime. It is like a sour 
soil—must have lime. 
Even China is shipping frozen pork to England. It 
comes in poor condition. 
A Leghorn hen’s body contains 55 per cent of water— 
her egg 65 per cent. Rats may live weeks without water, 
but not a hen ! 
The death of W. F. Taber, of Poughkeepsie, removes 
a strong, honorable man and a prominent figure in Hudson 
Valley horticulture. Mr. Taber was 79 years old—every 
year spent in useful service. 
In North Carolina 80 per cent of the samples of “ice 
cream” sampled by the State were found “illegal.” This 
means that instead of being pure cream or milk these 
samples contained eggs or gelatine. 
“I am of the third generation of my family who have 
taken your paper, and I believe I read it with as much 
interest as my ancestors have done.” A. H. B. 
And may we hope there will be others. 
You might not think water could be “adulterated,” yet 
the pure food and drug commissioners have fined a num¬ 
ber of persons for selling bogus water. In one case, “Dia¬ 
mond distilled water” was found full of “filthy decom¬ 
posed matter.” It was most likely taken from the town 
pump. 
