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THE RURAL NEW-'* ORKER 
May 28, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal to r 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. 
Wm. 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 
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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.” 
Wo 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 our columns, and any such swindler will bo 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. 
v 
The case of S. K. Bellows against the chief of 
the Sanitary Bureau of the Xew York Board of 
Health came up at Delhi, N. Y., May 18. This was 
a suit to recover damages for rejecting milk from 
the Bellows dairy. The case was nonsuited. Fuller 
particulars are given on page 619. 
* 
The R. N.-Y. seems to be going into high places. 
Hundreds of clippings are taken and sent straight to 
Congressmen and other public characters. That is the 
way the Knights of the Postage Stamp break a lance 
for agriculture. Some of these Congressmen actually 
break the politician’s rule of silence and write direct 
to us. We judge that The R. N.-Y. poked into high 
places produces some low language. 
* 
It is stated on good authority that no oleo legisla¬ 
tion will be attempted this year. The oleo men made 
a bluff of attempting to remove the 10-cent tax on 
colored oleo. Their bills will not be reported. This 
attempt was largely a bluff, because, as was ex¬ 
plained last week, under present court rulings, oleo 
is illegally colored and sold as butter. What we 
really want is authority from Congress to apply the 
general revenue laws to oleo and its manufacture and 
sale. , 
* 
Prof. L. R. Taft, of Michigan, calls attention to a 
spraying fraud who offers “Bordeaux Mixture and 
Paris green compound.” Tests show that this is 
nothing but hydrated lime with a little white arsenic 
colored with ultramarine blue to make it look like 
Bordeaux. It has no value as a fungicide, and might 
burn the foliage. Prof. Taft should have named the 
manuafeturer of such bogus stuff. He calls it a “bare¬ 
faced fraud.” Such things are so old that they wear 
grey beards. 
* 
On the next page Mr. Hitchings addresses a few 
pertinent remarks to Mr. Brown, president of the 
New York Central railroad. We hope the last-named 
gentleman will consider them. We would also like his 
views on the last season's potato market. Retail prices 
have run as high as ever, while prices paid to farmers 
have seldom been lower. At some shipping points car¬ 
loads have been dumped and wasted because they 
would hardly bring the cost of shipment. Yet during 
the Winter poor people have been unable to buy pota¬ 
toes at a fair price, though they needed the food. 
What nonsense to talk increase of crop when the 
trouble lies in transportation and distribution! 
* 
These figures showing the cost of growing crops 
promise to become one of the most useful things 
we have ever taken up. Many farmers will be led to 
keep a book account for the first time in their lives. 
When Fall comes and our crops are put on the market, 
we can tell whether the price offered will give us fair 
wages or not. We shall also find differences in crop 
costs, and these will lead us to find out why one man 
can grow a pound or bushel cheaper than another can, 
and growing out of this we shall organize another set 
of figures. We hope to obtain agents or helpers all 
over the country who will tell us just what they obtain 
for their products and where they are sold. Then we 
shall find the retail price for these goods and show 
the relation between the consumer’s dollar and the 
farmer’s price. Thus we expect to follow these 
crops through to the consumer’s mouth or back. We 
would like an agent in every county to report whole¬ 
sale and retail prices. 
We stick right to Brother Whiting of the Whiting 
Nursery Co. so that when lie seeks new pastures, the 
denizens thereof may know him well. He seldom 
works the same field twice. A good crop of suckers 
is an exhaustive one. As reports come in from 
Orleans County it seems evident that Mr. Whiting 
deserves the gold medal as champion nursery orator. 
We understand that Mr. Burbank has a new chestnut 
which produces nuts six months from planting the 
seed, and give£ eight crops a year. Our suggestion 
may not carry great weight with Mr. Burbank, yet it 
seems to us that Mr. Whiting could make a success 
at introducing this chestnut. 
* 
Jerseymen are thought to be a little slow and 
deliberate. They like to take time to think things 
out. No doubt that is why no one has yet come 
forward to name the great things which Senator 
John Kean has done for the people of New Jersey. 
Mr. Kean has been 12 years in the Senate. During 
the past dozen years many great questions have 
arisen. As New Jersey’s champion in the Senate, Mr. 
Kean has certainly had opportunity to do great things 
for the people. What are they? The best time to 
ask the question is right now when New Jersey is to 
select a Senator. What has John Kean ever done 
for the people of New Jersey? We pause for a reply. 
* 
It is very hard to make anything definite out of 
the so-called “investigation” of Secretary Ballinger. 
It has developed into a bitter personal contest between 
sets of men who represent different ideas of conduct¬ 
ing the public land business. It is safe to say that 
Secretary Ballinger’s administration of his depart¬ 
ment has been discredited with the public. The peo¬ 
ple have generally lost confidence in him as a result 
of the latest disclosures. The evasive and foolish 
methods of conducting public business, as revealed 
in this case, will destroy confidence in the administra¬ 
tion unless President Taft stops explaining and de¬ 
fending and comes out clearly and boldly with a sat¬ 
isfactory position in this public land question. While 
it is not likely that any illegal or criminal connec¬ 
tion can be proved, this “investigation” will convince 
the American people that Secretary Ballinger is too 
much in sympathy with the promoters and the large 
investors to remain in charge of our great public 
domain. He ought to get out! 
* 
Mr. Sinclair’s article on feeding cactus is endorsed 
by the Department of Agriculture, and is the best and 
most practical statement of the facts yet printed. As 
Mr. Sinclair is feeding 100 head of cattle he ought 
to know what he is talking about. It seems that 
there are many varieties of “spineless cactus” growing 
wild. For years the Department of Agriculture has 
been quietly at work testing these varieties and 
improving them. There has been no great parade or 
boasting or howling about new “creations,” yet right 
in Mr. Sinclair’s dairy has been done some of the most 
important work on record. You will see that the 
spines are really considered an advantage in the 
country where cactus grows, for they protect the 
plant from its enemies. The northern dairyman goes 
out and cuts his “soiling crop” and hauls it to his 
cattle. His Texas brother goes forth with a plumber’s 
torch and burns off the spines so that the cattle 
may eat the plant to the ground. Then it grows up 
again, providing its own barbed wire fence for pro¬ 
tection. The discovery of methods of doing such 
things ranks with the events that change history, for 
the vast quantities of cactus in the Southwest may 
provide food for millions of milk or meat animals. 
* 
The New York Assembly has defeated the bill for 
primary nominations advocated by Gov. Hughes. Last 
year the bill was laughed out of the Legislature. Just 
after the Fall election we estimated that 50 Assembly¬ 
men would support it. The vote in its favor was 
67—almost entirely from members representing rural 
districts. Before the Legislature met our estimate was 
that the bill would be defeated and as a result Gov. 
Hughes would accept a renomination and make an¬ 
other fight on the old issue. 1 hat part of the plan 
ended when Mr. Hughes accepted the position on the 
Supreme bench. The following is probably a fair 
statement of what has been working out behind the 
scenes. The “organization” men in the Republican 
party in New York have become badly frightened and 
demoralized. They know that the people despise them, 
and only want a strong leader and an opportunity 
to drive them out of politics. Gov. Hughes might 
have been the leader, and another direct campaign for 
primary nominations offered the opportunity. The 
great object of these politicians was to “get rid of 
Hughes.” In this wish they were no doubt joined 
by President Taft. He has steadily lost popularity, 
and without the aid of the “organizers” it is doubtful 
if he would have the support of this State. The death 
of Justice Brewer offered a very respectable oppor¬ 
tunity to “get rid of Hughes.” The Governor ac¬ 
cepted the offer, and his work as a New York political 
reformer was over. The work of reform is not over, 
however. It will go on, for the people are determined 
to put an end to the rule of the hateful gang which 
has so long cursed New York. They will find new' 
leaders and finish the job. 
* 
The U. S. Supreme Court is asked to decide whether 
under the pure food and drug law, a patent medicine 
maker can print misleading or false claims for his 
stuff. A “cancer remedy” was offered for sale. 
Labels on the packages claimed that the use of this 
remedy would remove or cure cancer. This claim was 
very carefully made, but eight out of 10 persons would 
regard it as a form of “guarantee.” Suit was brought 
against this company on the ground that the “remedy” 
would not cure cancer and that, therefore, the claims 
were false and misleading. The company shipping the 
goods was indicted. They brought suit to quash the 
indictment on the ground that the pure food and drug 
law does not make such misleading statements an 
offense. The judge decided in their favor on the 
ground that the law is designed to protect the public 
against adulterated, poisonous or deleterious food, 
drugs, etc.: 
“If it had been the mind of Congress to make it an in¬ 
dictable offense for such manufacturers and vendors by 
their labels or brandings on bottles and packages to mis¬ 
lead the buyers as to the curative or-healing properties of 
the drugs, as to the mere matter of commendation, apt 
words, both in the title and body of the act, couhl, and 
should, have been easily employed to indicate such purpose, 
and not leave it to the courts by strained construction to 
read it into the statute.” 
The Department of Agriculture will carry the case 
to the Supreme Court. Let us find out whether the 
medical fakes can use poisonous or adulterated words 
to sell their goods! 
* 
These “careful consideration” Congressmen are get¬ 
ting it both going and coming. “Trade,” a Michigan 
paper, is opposed to parcels post. It complains that 
Congressmen, when asked where they stand, reply 
about as follows: 
I assure you that when this matter comes before me 
your position in the matter will be given very careful 
consideration. 
This “careful consideration” has a very familiar 
sound. These Congressmen probably consider them¬ 
selves very careful, but both sides are now fully up to 
their tricks. These careful gentlemen are trying to 
ride two horses at once. The farmers represent one 
horse and the merchants backed by the express com¬ 
panies, the other. The back of that farm horse is galled 
and sore where those “careful” Congressmen have 
stepped on him. Let that horse bolt and kick up his 
heels. That rider must then get squarely on one horse 
or the other. If he gets on the farm horse we will 
carry him right up to the rack. If he takes the other 
mount we will get a new rider and race him off the 
track. “Trade” is fighting parcels post, but it is just 
right when it says: 
Undoubtedly tlie merchant would have more respect for 
the Congressman who has the backbone to come out and 
say that he favors parcels post than for the one who 
takes refuge behind a letter such as the above and refrains 
from exposing his hand for fear of affecting his po¬ 
litical future. 
Of course they would. Who wants to be represented 
by a coward? “Careful consideration” in this case is 
only another name for cowardice. The time for ar¬ 
gument has gone by. It is now simply a question of 
making these men realize that they must be either for 
us or against us, and if they are against us we are 
against them! 
BREVITIES. 
Read the article on Soy bean culture. We believe this 
crop is to help settle the grain bill. 
Mr. Sinclair says, page 602, that the ideal cactus for 
stock feeding should have spines in great abundance, and 
he tells why. Where does the wonderful spineless cactus 
come in? 
Follow the notes on the cost of a crop and see how 
the expense for fitting the land varies. This may mean 
that one soil is lighter than another, and easier to work, 
or that one team is stronger than another and capable of 
doing more in an hour. 
A bill before the New York Legislature authorizes and 
instructs the Commissioner of Agriculture to investigate 
the cost of producing and handling milk and other farm 
products. This bill appropriates $25,000 for conducting 
this investigation. That item will probably kill it. It 
would be better to authorize the investigation and not 
ask for the money. A good start can be made, and re¬ 
sults would show the need of getting down to actual fig¬ 
ures showing cost. 
■ A very large proportion of our legal questions refer to 
the succession of property and more particularly to the 
rights of a husband or wife. Some of these questions 
are complicated and hard to answer except in a general 
way. There was a statement recently about the property 
of a married woman who dies intestate without children. 
We are now informed that her personal property all goei 
to her husband, and he takes letters of administration to 
reduce the possession of her personal estate to himself. 
