1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
639 
A FARMER’S SUIT OF CLOTHES. 
Last October a man, accompanied by an acquaint¬ 
ance, whom I knew and honored as a man of ex¬ 
cellent judgment and reputation; called at our home 
for the purpose of interesting us in the Franklin 
Merchandise Co. He was not trying to sell anything. 
Oh, no, indeed! He was just explaining and il¬ 
lustrating the methods of this great mail-order house. 
For instance, their method of advertising. They were 
giving a few—only a few, mind you—of the best and 
most reliable families in each town opportunities to 
obtain high-grade tailor-made suits at low prices 
thus. The agent carried with him several pieces of 
the suitings (which he at this point made haste to 
produce and unroll), so that one could examine the 
quality and choose the color desired, but should any¬ 
one wish a different color or style than the agent had 
with him, it could be obtained in the same quality 
at their branch store in a neighboring city. Each 
family must order at least two suits, or one suit and 
one outside garment. The material for 
the two suits cost $22.50. The linings 
were to be obtained from the company 
and were in different grades, the best 
throughout for a suit costing $6.50. The 
company agreed to take measurements, 
make suits according to any style de¬ 
sired, guaranteeing them to fit, and ex¬ 
press them to the customer free of 
charge. This they claimed to do in 
order to iinduce people to do other 
buying'from their mail-order house. The 
agent had the names of many of the 
most influential people of the town to 
show as customers, and the mere fact 
that he was accompanied by a man hon¬ 
ored and respected throughout the 
whole locality was in itself an induce¬ 
ment to listen to him. Let me say that 
this man who accompanied him was 
innocent of any thought of misrepre¬ 
sentation. 
The wife and I were certainly in need 
of suits, but had decided to wait until 
Spring, as I had recently been obliged 
to expend all my ready money for other 
purposes. I said as much to the agent, 
only to be met with an avalanche of 
reasons why I should invest. He said 
repeatedly that they did not ask for 
one cent for two months after the order 
was given, and then only required six 
per cent interest on the money until I 
found it convenient to pay it. We were 
called upon to note the quality of the 
goods, which I will sav was all that 
could be desired. The agent declared 
that if I found a thread of cotton in 
any of their goods they would present 
me with a suit free of charge. Well, 
the upshot of the matter was that he 
persuaded me to give them an order for 
a suit for my wife and one for myself. I 
was not just suited with the pattern I 
had chosen, so on my next visit to the 
city 1 went to their store to exchange 
as per agreement. There I found many 
pieces of shoddy goods, and, though 
I had no idea of taking up with the 
agent’s offer of a free suit, 1 mentioned 
his promise to the clerk. Their “crawl- 
out” was that it was linen, not 
cotton, which I detected in their “all- 
wool” goods. However, by stead¬ 
ily refusing to accept any but A No. 1 goods I was 
finally taken to the back of the store and shown some 
goods that were really all wool and of good quality, 
and we had our measurements taken. As I said 
before, our suits were to be made according to any 
style we desired. I took mine from their style book 
and they made it as I ordered, without demur. My 
wife chose hers from a current fashion catalogue, 
but soon found that the tailor who measured her 
knew much more about what she wanted than she 
herself did, and was persuaded to have an item 
changed here and another there until the completed 
suit very closely resembles one of those illustrated in 
their own style book. 
When the suits arrived, which was some time 
before the two months from the time of ordering 
was up. we found them to be sent C. O. D., but not 
subject to examination. We were obliged to pay the 
amount due for linings before we could examine the 
suits. We did this, protestingly, and. found our suits 
satisfactory except that the wife’s does not fit quite 
properly and will have to be slightly altered. This, 
I have no doubt they would do, but that they have 
left this locality quite unexpectedly to several peo¬ 
ple, including the dressmaker who had done the alter¬ 
ing on their suits. They paid her in full for her 
work, however. At the end of the two months I 
received a communication from a Chicago bank, say¬ 
ing that they had bought my note (so unwittingly 
given) of October, to the Franklin Merchandise Com¬ 
pany, and could not extend the time of payment. I 
mentally kicked myself good and plenty, borrowed 
the money and paid the first—and I think I may 
safely add the last—of my debts to the Franklin 
Merchandise Company. Our suits, which, by a slight 
discount, cost us $17.50, seem to be as good as those 
retailed at $25 in local stores, but the inconvenience 
of paying for them at the time when we had to, and 
the loss of self-respect through dealing with such a 
firm, more than balance what we saved in money. 
They desire advertisement. May they get it good 
and plenty through such dependable agencies as The 
Rural New-Yorker. g. r. m. 
A PLANT DISEASE COLLECTION. 
A recent bulletin from the North Dakota Experi¬ 
ment Station discusses plant diseases which have 
caused great damage to the farm and garden crops of 
that State. The scientific men may study these diseases 
and discover remedies, but unless the information can 
be given in popular, form the great mass of farmers 
or gardeners will not profit by it. In North Dakota 
as elsewhere a large proportion of the people will 
never receive any school training beyond what they 
get in the common schools. This is particularly true 
of farmers. The rural schools are usually head¬ 
quarters for study, for many grown-up people follow 
their children in their studies. The North Dakota 
Station reasoned from this that these country schools 
afforded fine opportunities for teaching the facts 
about plant diseases. Accordingly large boxes were 
prepared, each containing plant specimens, showing 
20 different diseases which affect crops in that State. 
Accompanying these specimens are printed statements 
with the life history of the diseases and how to fight 
them. The complete collection costs $2 and is de¬ 
signed to aid teachers to introduce the study of these 
diseases. A photograph of one of these collections is 
shown at big. 215. This strikes us as one of the 
most sensible things we have heard of.for interesting 
country pupils in useful agriculture. Much the same 
thing is being tried in other States, and the plan 
ought to be carried out further. There is not a 
school district in the country wherein there arc not 
several men who do not know how to treat oats for 
smut or potatoes for scab or blight, or fruit for rust. 
This collection would enable them to see at once 
what the disease is and just how to handle it. 
CORN GROWING IN WITCH GRASS. 
A Successful Fight Against a Farm Pest. 
For years—in fact, as long as the writer remem¬ 
bers—we have been fighting witch grass at The Pines. 
Newspaper files and the experiences of farmers and 
gardeners everywhere appear to show that we are 
not alone in our contention with this vigorous en- 
croachcr upon our hoed fields. We now believe we 
have quite fully accomplished our purpose in the hoed 
areas of the farm, and through this work we hope 
to clear the greensward from it, thereby leaving the 
land more to bearing of clover. 
Our advance upon the enemy has 
been made in the fields of sweet corn 
through the use of the check-row plant¬ 
er and the constant, persistent use of 
the cultivator, across the piece, as well 
as lengthwise. A heavier growing corn 
would serve the purpose better, as the 
ground would be better shaded, but as 
we wish to grow the sweet corn, this 
is made to answer the purpose. The 
check-row system has been used three 
years, each year with increasing satis¬ 
faction. The corn is dropped in a 
bunch, allowing the cultivator to be run 
close both ways, and we are convinced 
that the cross cultivation does the great¬ 
er part of the destructive work. Our 
fields are comparatively long and nar¬ 
row, hence they are always plowed in 
the same direction; there is no revers¬ 
ing of the soil by the plow. The only 
cross-work formerly done was that of 
the disk and the smoothing harrow in 
fitting the seed bed. All through the 
growing season the work was in the 
same direction, and with the space be¬ 
tween the hills left untouched there was 
quite a proportion of the land not 
stirred at all. But the cross-cultivating 
overcomes all this. The land is worked 
over and over again, and in all direc¬ 
tions. The soil particles arc constantly 
changed in their positions one with the 
other, and the soil is not packed. No 
amount of hoeing will equal in effec¬ 
tiveness one passage of this cultivator, 
for by the hoe this top of the grass, as 
it is cut, is left in the best possible con¬ 
dition to grow again, while the culti¬ 
vator leaves it torn and twisted in a 
manner that makes recuperation very 
slow. 
So far our first cultivating has been 
done with a walking diamond-toothed 
cultivator; but as soon as the corn 
is large enough to stand the heavier 
cutting of the wide-toothed riding 
cultivator, that is put on, and used 
to the end of the season. There 
are many makes of these culti¬ 
vators, all of them having some 
advantages not possessed by others; 
but regardless of other considera¬ 
tions, we would always prefer one 
with foot levers for lifting and depressing the teeth. 
The pivot wheel is also an essential feature. With 
a good riding cultivator and a quick, true walking 
team, one man can readily, and easily, take care of 
10 acres of corn, do it well and leave time for the 
other necessary team work of the farm. At the same 
time the fight is on against the witch grass pest the 
ground is being prepared for succeeding crops, and a 
paying crop is being gro'*<n, one that pays liberally 
in cash for the fertilizer and tillage, leaving more 
food value for roughage in the stover than any other 
except large-growing si 1 age corn, so it is readily seen 
that we are reaping this season and building for 
others coming. 
I also have in this a message for the farm boy; 
it is that the dry of the hand hoe is past. There is 
to be no more back-breaking, hand-blistering work 
with the hoe. In its place has come the cultivator 
and the horse, and with them the boy rides com¬ 
fortably to victory over all weed pests, but particularly 
over witch grass, and to the reward of abundant 
crops, a fertile soil, a country home, a competence 
and the respect and esteem of his townspeople. 
Maine. b. walker m’keex. 
R. N.-Y.—This system of corn growing is one of 
the best methods of eliminating witch grass—and it pays. 
PLANT DISEASE COLLECTION FOR N. DAKOTA SCPIOOLS. Fig. 215 
“THE LAMB STOOD ON ITS MOTHER’S NECK.’’ Fig. 210. 
