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April 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homea. 
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. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Doyle, 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>2 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. 
* 
Special question for Jerseymen: What has John 
Kean ever done for New Jersey? 
* 
As will be seen on page 501, Green’s Fruit Grower 
is now headed for the “Sunshine List." It passed out 
of the “Nightshade family” by printing Mr. Van 
Deman’s Wonderberry letter. Now, then, gentlemen, 
which shall we have the pleasure of presenting as 
the next candidate for repentance? Mr. Horace G. 
Keesling, a well-known fruit grower of San Jose, 
Cal., sends us this report: 
I still think that it is the most worthless fruit novelty 
that was ever foisted on a gullible public. It is now a 
weed .in a thousand gardens in California. I cannot but 
believe that John Lewis Childs will lose many customers 
by reason of their disgust with the Wonderberry. 
* 
Volunteers wanted! We want at least 500 farmers 
to help us learn the cost of growing crops. From 
past experience, we know that we cannot expect 
elaborate bookkeeping accounts. We do not ask for 
them, but we would like to have you keep a record 
of the number of hours you spend working a certain 
field of corn, potatoes or what you like. Simply 
record the hours and charge 20 cents per hour for 
your own work and 40 cents for yourself and team. 
Add the cost of seed and fertilizer and see what it 
makes. Will you volunteer to help in this? If so, 
please let us know at once; give us the hours already 
spent on the field you select, and let us know each 
two weeks what more you do. 
* 
A reader in Florida sends us the facts and papers 
regarding a hold-up game played by “respectable” 
dealers. Instead of trying to escape prublicity, if 
such is needed, this man tells us to go ahead and 
make any use of the documents that will help others. 
His case is closed. Then he adds: 
“I consider a farmer who is not willing to furnish 
a pinch of powder , occasionally, for such a pin as 
The Rural New-Yorker as a -. Well, let him 
run his game down!” 
Our folks not only provide the powder, but the 
shot as well, and also help aim the gun. Some men 
may have ambition to become great orators or poets 
or statesmen, or shining lights in literature. The 
R. N.-Y.’s ambitions in this line are very simple. We 
desire to merit the confidence of our people and 
help give them the courage and faith to fight for 
their farms and their rights. 
* 
I raised last season 1,700 bushels of potatoes, and put 
l,H0O bushels in my cellars, expecting by reason of high 
price of meat, etc., that a great many potatoes would 
be used in the cities, as I supposed they would be sold 
at a reasonable retail price, but I find that they have 
held the retail price up to $1 a bushel, thereby decreasing 
the consumption, so that we are obliged to sell at a big 
loss. Why the State should send institute instructors 
around urging the farmers to raise bigger crops of po¬ 
tatoes is more than I can figure out, as it only seems 
to benefit the retail dealers in the cities, not the growers 
or the consumers. h.* f. plumb. 
You hit the nail right on the head. Had there 
been anything like a natural law of supply and 
demand the retail price of potatoes would have fallen 
and the consumption would have increased. As it 
was, the retailers simply held to their high prices 
and the wholesalers cut down the price to farmers. 
The consumer and the farmer were both robbed. 
We will turn the last question over to the college 
and institute speakers. From choice we should pre¬ 
fer an answer from President Brown, of the New 
York Central. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
It was a very valuable package which Adam Trim- 
bourn, of the Hudson Butterine Company, is said to 
have carried from his home each morning. It might 
have passed for a dinner pail, but it was far more 
than that. This Butterine Company is charged with 
defrauding the Government out of $100,000 in taxes. 
It is claimed that for months this concern has been 
shipping colored butterine marked as uncolored and 
thus saving the difference in tax, while they obtained 
the price of imitation butter. No search revealed any 
coloring matter at the factory, but finally vats of it 
were found at Trimbourn's home. He evidently 
carried a day’s supply with him. The schemes these 
fraud butter men work to pull off their counterfeit 
business would startle the public. And all the time 
they are pictured as saints fighting against injustice 
to give “poor man’s butter” to a starving public. The 
oleo men try to keep up the price of good butter while 
pretending that they want to bring it down. Millions 
of pounds of oleo are fraudulently colored and then 
sold as blitter. 
* 
Mr. Edward V. Goodman, a New Jersey farmer, 
deserves credit and thanks for the way he stuck to 
the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company in the fire case 
noted on page 490. As a result of this case, a new 
principle has been established in New Jersey at least. 
Hereafter the railroad lawyers cannot bring witnesses 
to “prove” that the screens are proper and then 
have the judge throw out the case, even when reputa¬ 
ble men were ready to swear that sparks came from 
the engine and actually started the fire. Such cases 
will now get to the jury with a fair chance for the 
evidence. We wish there were more men like Mr. 
Goodman, with the power and the spirit to 
put up a fight and stay with it through a long siege. 
Farming needs such men quite as much as it needs 
teachers and lecturers or demonstrators. Mr. Good- 
man’s suggestion is that farmers all along the Lehigh, 
the Erie, the “Central” or other lines should com¬ 
bine, pay their dues and hire as good a lawyer as they 
can get to look after their interests. That is a 
business proposition. 
* 
The country parsonage and the country graveyard 
are, as a rule, anything but “beauty spots.” Too often 
they are veritable “eyesores,” when they might easily 
be made neat and attractive. The graveyards are 
being improved slowly, but no one seems to think of 
developing the parsonage. One of our readers in 
Maine has made this excellent suggestion : 
As ministers do not always remain long enough in a 
place to become firmly rooted in the soil, the parsonage 
has little encouragement to become a fruit farm. It has 
been noticed, too, that their children have the same 
tastes for preserves of fruit that others have. So that, 
after obtaining permission to undertake the work, I am 
going to see that ours have something to do. I have 
ordered the stock and shall set a lot of grapevines on the 
south side of the shed, and intend to care for them until 
they come into bearing; for here grapes are so rare 
that few know how to trim and trellis them properly. 
The varieties will be Green Mountain, with one or two 
Campbell’s Early. If grapes do not always ripen, they 
are now so much in demand for jelly and for juice that 
they will not be wasted. 
This idea of making the parsonage a small edition 
of the Garden of Eden is a good one. As a rule, 
the country pastor has little money to invest in 
nursery stock. If one or more enterprising men 
in each parish would do as our friend in Maine has 
done, the church and, through it, the entire com¬ 
munity would be made better. 
* 
As usual, the annual picture of bogus “New York 
Baldwins” stirs up great comment. Among others, 
we have the following direct and straightforward 
letter; 
As you seem to be at a loss to explain the existence of 
a small heart found in a large barrel of New Y'ork 
Baldwins by Prof. Henry, I desire to say that the picture 
of this diminutive member shown on page 411 of The 
It. N.-Y. reminds me very strongly of what I actually 
saw being packed into barrels in a neighboring orchard. 
But not by any farmer. There was not one farmer, nor 
even a respectable farm hand on tbd job. The orchard 
(or rather the crop) was purchased by a New York 
commission house, and the apples were picked and packed 
by their own men. The orchard had been badly infested 
with the green apple aphis and the fruit was under¬ 
size, but everything not actually rotten went into the 
barrel. I have lived in the country nearly all m.v life, 
and I never saw anything like it. I doubt very much 
if you could find one farmer in a thousand who would 
put up such fruit, even under orders. It occurred to 
me at the time that these apples were not intended to 
be placed upon the market in the original package, but 
would be overhauled in cold storage and used to adulterate 
a better grade and shipped to distant points. 
New York. frank l. teal. 
Mr. Teal names the parties who packed this fruit. 
We hold these names for the present while we try 
to trace some of the apples further along. It is a 
standing disgrace that this worthless stuff should be 
handled in this way. We have no doubt that Mr. 
Teal is right in assuming that these wretched culls 
were used to “stove-pipe” barrels for the trade and 
worked off in that way! 
On April 25 the post office committee of the House 
of Representatives will give a public hearing on par¬ 
cels post. Hon. John W. Weeks, chairman, says the 
hearing will continue until all who care to appear 
have had a chance to do so. This is one result of 
the stamp act. Before that blizzard of letters started 
not one Congressman in 50 would admit that there 
was any chance even for an experiment. Now 
comes this hearing, and it will be made impressive. 
Most of you cannot afford to go to Washington, 
but a two-cent stamp will make the journey for you. 
Here is a list of members of this committee. Our 
conviction is that they will recommend a trial of 
parcels post if they feel there is a popular demand 
for it: John W. Weeks. Mass , chairman ; John J. Gard¬ 
ner, N. J.; Nehemiah D. Sperry, Conn.; William H. 
Stafford, Wis.; George F. Huff, Pa.; J. Sloat Fas- 
sett, N. Y.; Sylvester C. Smith. Cal.; Frank O. 
Louden, Ill.; Cyrus Durey, N. Y.; Thomas R. 
Hamer, Idaho; Francis H. Dodds, Mich.; Victor 
Murdock, Kan.; 'John A. Moon, Tenn.; David E. 
Finley, S. C.; James T. Lloyd, Mo.; John PI. Small, 
N. C.; Thomas M. Bell; Ga.; William E. Cox, Ind.; 
Ralph H. Cameron, Ariz. We have done our best 
to get a definite target in sight. You now have it 
in these 19 men. Our Massachusetts readers are 
doing nobly with Mr. Weeks, who is taking a sensible 
position. Now for the final charge of firm and re¬ 
spectful letters. 
“Why can’t them - fools let me alone?” 
We quote the exact language of a saloon-keeper 
who was caught violating the Sunday liquor laws. 
He held that since he paid a license to the State he 
should be let alone. The same idea in a little choicer 
language is expressed by all the fakes and frauds, and 
all the gentry who fatten on special privilege. They 
all want to be “let alone.” The rogue who sells 
you bogus medicine or worthless seed or novelties or 
tries any other bunko game always wonders why 
“them fools” will not let him alone. Very likely he 
thinks he has paid the price in advertising, and should 
be left free to play his game. And the politicians and 
public men feel the same way. They have an idea 
that they are put in office to do about as they please. 
Before the election they throw many bouquets at the 
people for the rare judgment they display in voting. 
After the voting is done these same people are ex¬ 
pected to forget that they ever exercised any judg¬ 
ment but to surrender all right to it to the “public 
man.” Then when the people who made this man 
possible have ideas of their own you will hear this 
old cry about being let alone. What seems strange 
to us is the fact that these politicians are as blind as 
bats. They are the only men on earth apparently 
who cannot understand that the plain people have 
got through surrendering their judgment and power 
to any set of men. If a farmer wants parcels post 
he wants it and his Congressman must either work 
for it or come out openly against it and take the 
consequences. 
BREVITIES. 
One of the finest things in life is to see a powerful 
public man using his power to help some feeble citizen 
obtain his rights. 
When any stranger offers vqu prices above the regular 
quotation, while he knows nothing about you or your 
goods, you may safely let him alone. 
Win xi peg, Canada, is in a cold country. City houses 
will be supplied with steam and hot water through under¬ 
ground pipes; also with compressed air for power. 
Come now, tell us if you know of a section or even of 
an individual which did not prove the poet’s statement 
that where wealth accumulates, men decay. 
Perhaps the old farmer was not so very far out of the 
way when he remarked : “It looks as if one of the most 
distrusted trusts at present is the Congress of the United 
States, and by this time the lawmakers ought to mis¬ 
trust it.” 
Under free trade in hides there has been a large 
increase of imports from foreign countries. Instead of 
falling, prices of hides are higher, while shoes and leather 
goods either cost the same or more than when hides 
were “protected.” 
A few years ago it was claimed that good corn could 
not be grown in Dakota. Last year South Dakota alone 
produced over 65,000,000 bushels of corn. Some people 
claim they cannot grow Alfalfa. Keep at it and see the 
corn experience of Dakota repeated. 
A few months ago we described the process of taking 
nitrogen from the air in the form of “cynnamid.” This 
is now being made at Niagara Falls, Canada—the first 
shipment of 26 tons being made last December. The 
material will be used in mixed fertilizer. 
We have reported several cases where farmers and 
gardeners have sued to recover damages caused by fumes 
or dust from factory chimneys. They have been able 
to prove loss and win damages. In some factory towns 
this smoke and fume nuisance drives men away from 
their business. The United States Bureau of Animal In¬ 
dustry has found a serious ease in Deer Lodge Valley, 
Mont. A great smelter roasts daily nearly 10,000 tons 
of ore. The smoke can be traced for over 16 miles, and 
out of it falls in dust over 20 tons of arsenic each day. 
This constant shower of poison is ruining trees and 
plants and making the soils sterile. Living animals in 
this valley develop loathsome diseases and become unfit 
for food or for breeding purposes. 
