696 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Pnblitbpd Ttpckly by the Itural Publishing Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York, 
Herbert W. Colungwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
\Ym. F. Dillon, Secretary. MRS. E. T. KoyLe, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6d., or 8‘a marks, or 10'2 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at Now 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 wo will make good any 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in ourcolumus, and any such swindler will bo publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibors against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
to adjust trilling differences between subscribers and honest, respon¬ 
sible advertisers. Neither will wo bo 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. c We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
The season is young yet, but we have stronger faith 
than ever that lime-sulphur or some other sulphur 
compound is to prove a substitute for Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture. The evidence is accumulative, and it grows 
stronger all the time. 
* 
You may think Prof. King’s article on saving mois¬ 
ture by cultivating about as timely as planting rose 
bushes in December. But wait! We may be soaked 
now, but dry days are coming. Before long you may 
be calling for a shower. There is water enough in the 
soil now, and we must hold it there for use in July and 
August. We shall keep the cultivators moving when¬ 
ever we can get through the corn. 
* 
A case is reported where a retail dealer in New 
York sold bottled vinegar which had been labelled 
“Pure Cider Vinegar” by the wholesale dealer. The 
goods were found adulterated and the retailer was 
fined $100. He in turn sued the wholesaler to recover 
damages. The lower court decided against the retailer, 
but the Court of Appeals reversed this decision, a id 
holds that the wholesale dealer who bottled the vinegar 
was responsible for the label and the misrepresentation 
it contained! He must stand for the loss or damage 
sustained by the retailer. That is good law and good 
morals. When a man purposely puts on a label that 
does not fit the goods he and nobody else should be 
held responsible for the misfit. 
* 
Now comes Connecticut into the real estate business. 
The Pomological Society is trying to interest people in 
the farm lands of the Nutmeg State. When you come 
to put up the advantages of Connecticut you make 
a great showing. There are only three States in the 
Union with a denser population. There are 21 miles 
of railroads to every 100 square miles, and the average 
farm is only 2J^ miles from a railroad. There are no 
better markets. Connecticut produces more corn to 
the acre than any other State, and has more dairy 
cows for her size than any other State except four. 
As for the hen and the Baldwin apple—these farm 
partners are at their best on the Connecticut hills. 
The State offers homes to home-loving people. The 
unoccupied hills have not been losing strength, but 
rather gaining it during their long rest. 
* 
When reading your editorials and Publisher’s Desk, I 
sometimes wonder whether you ever feel discouraged when 
you think of the hosts arrayed against you. I often 
wish I could whisper in your ear, “Courage, Brother,” you 
do not stand alone. Thousands of us silent fellows wish 
you to know that you have our “Bravo” if that will help 
any. geo. w. rhone. 
Pennsylvania. 
No, we have no time to feel discouraged. When we 
feel the meanness of human nature we have a farm to 
got to. There amid the trees and on the hills one can 
forget all except the hope for humanity. We have 
never tried to count or measure the “hosts arrayed.” 
The larger the better so long as one can keep on the 
right side. The “silent fellows” are good enough 
backers for us. They are not silent either, for their 
influence is being felt more and more. 
* 
There is no doubt about the rising value of Eastern 
farm lands. The higher prices for food are, in a way, 
an advertisement for farming with a certain class of 
people. We are going to get more of that consumer’s 
dollar, or know the reason why. When they really fifld 
out why the farmers will be dumbfounded to think that 
all these years they have been feeding and carrying j 
pack of useless middlemen. These things are coming, 
and they will all add value to Eastern farm land and 
make it more salable. The danger is that railroad 
companies and speculators will get control of the land, 
throw it into large tracts or try to work it as they 
would work factories. Just at this time such danger 
is not great. There has never been a time when so 
many people of moderate means were figuring to buy 
a fair-sized farm with their own money. There are 
town people, mechanics and farmers’ sons and farmers 
who are moving from the West. The movement is 
now on in full swing, and we think it will break 
farms up smaller instead of creating land barons. 
* 
The fund for appealing that Celebrated Milk Case 
is growing (see next page). It will be best to raise 
this money in small amounts so as to muster as large 
an army of dairymen as possible, still any sum is 
welcome. The R. N.-Y. will do its share, and there Are 
one or two other plans being considered. The chief 
object in appealing this case is to settle definitely just 
what rights the New York milk inspectors have. A 
new law passed by the last Legislature puts the work 
of inspection in the Agricultural Department. There 
is not money enough to give such inspection as will 
satisfy the New York Board of Health. We want to 
find out if the inspectors arc to have arbitrary power, 
or whether the farmers have any rights in the matter. 
This will cost money, and it is better to raise it in 
small contributions from many dairymen. 
* 
The battle over oleo in the present Congress has 
resulted in a “stand off.” The oleo men could not 
pass their bill removing the 10-cent tax on colored 
oleo, and the butter men failed to amend the revenue 
laws so as to put oleo manufacturers fully under gov¬ 
ernment inspection. These actions were only part of 
a skirmish. The big fight comes with the next Con¬ 
gress, and we warn dairymen now that they must get 
ready for it. It will not to do to wait until Con¬ 
gressmen are safely elected and then try to reason with 
them. You can then talk to them only through a small 
knot-hole. Before election their minds are open as 
wide as a barn door. Go right after them as soon as 
they are nominated and make them tell where they 
stand on oleo. If they dodge or favor oleo openly let 
us know at once, that we may warn dairymen against 
them. 
* 
When we were fighting that Jersey cattle case alone, 
against powerful interests, we were frequently ap¬ 
proached by people who felt that the facts we offered 
could not be true. In such cases we merely invited 
the critics to come and examine our documents and 
evidence. Some of them came, and in every case we 
were able to convince them that our position was abso¬ 
lutely sound. In like manner we may take the case 
against E. G. Lewis. This plausible faker has made 
a great showing with other people’s money. He has 
deceived a large number of worthy people, including 
many excellent women who support him with the 
vigor and unreasoning devotion characteristic of them. 
As in the Jersey cattle case we have documents and 
evidence to sustain our position, and they are open 
to inspection. We believe they will convince any fair- 
minded person that our position is more than justified. 
* 
WHAT has become of the Lupton bill? Stir it up—let’s 
have more of it. W. E. Q. 
Pennsylvania. 
This bill before the New York Legislature would 
compel commission men to take out licenses and give 
a bond before they could do business in this State. 
This is greatly needed. The bill first introduced was 
sent to the legal committee, where it was bottled up 
and corked so securely that there was no hope for it. 
Then a new bill with a few changes was offered. This 
made it a part of the agricultural law and was then 
referred to the Agricultural Committee. From that 
it went to the committee on ruJes and was reported. 
It was up on the order of third reading when one of 
the committee which had the former bill made objec¬ 
tions which threw it back and killed it for that ses¬ 
sion. But for these objections in the rush of closing 
the Legislature we think the bill would have passed. 
The principle on which the bill stands is just. We 
must begin early next Fall and make sure of it before 
the Legislature is elected. 
* 
There will be no parcels post legislation at this 
session of Congress. We did our best, and we know 
that if we could have had the right sort of backing 
from other papers there would have been a trial of 
parcels post on rural routes at least. We have learned 
our lesson from this Congress, and now know, just 
what must be done. There is no use fooling or begging 
or pleading, or arguing with Congress. Nothing but 
a club will answer. You will get absolutely nothing 
worth while in public reform out of Congress until you 
make Congressmen understand that unless they will 
serve you they must get out. We must thank the 
“insurgents” in Congress for any real help in the new 
railroad bill or any other reform legislation. We take 
July 2, 
the following from a private letter from one of the 
“insurgent” Senators: 
The trouble is that the men who stand for progressive 
legislation here are at present very much in the minority. 
Wft cannot secure the consideration of legislation. All 
that we can do at present is to take such legislation as 
have behind it sufficent force to to propel it, and insist 
that it shall be perfected before it becomes a law. 
It is therefore simply a question of force or power. 
We must either put new men in Congress or make the 
present members do what we want. We shall have 
no parcels post so long as Congressmen believe that 
we lack the courage to rise above party and strike 
for our own rights. 
* 
How this “law of supply and demand” does trouble 
some of our friends. That Boston milk strike was 
fought out hard. The farmers won a victory and got 
a better price for their milk. It was a hard fight to 
win, because it came at a time when the milk con¬ 
tractors stood the best chance of getting a supply. The 
farmers hung together, kept back the milk and won. 
Now comes the Boston Transcript with the following: 
The pubMc probably has little realization of the actual 
danger with which it was threatened had this strike been 
prolonged. May and .Tune are the months of growing 
grass, when the milk supply is ordinarily abundant. Had 
a dry Summer come on, like that of the last two years, the 
farmers would have been in a very strong position, and 
the shortage of milk might have proved even more distress¬ 
ing than that of coal during the strike. The situation 
could not have been relieved, as in that case, by importa¬ 
tions from abroad or by much use of substitutes. While 
the public is thus relieved of one danger, the demonstration 
of what the farmers can do by united action along trade 
union lines is to a considerable degree disquieting. Why 
can they not push the price to figures altogether beyond 
those prescribed by the law of demand and supply? 
The Transcript could stand by and see the farmers 
held up for grain, transportation and manufactured 
goods, and forced to pay extravagant prices. The 
railroads, the grain dealers and the manufacturers all 
enjoyed special privileges or were organized to control 
prices. These parties did not produce and sell at a 
loss, and they held up the farmers worse than the 
farmers could or would hold up city people. Not a 
word was said about this, for the farmers were consid¬ 
ered legitimate prey. When they begin to learn how, 
and use the trade weapons to protect their rights, we 
hear this old story of “supply and demand.” The news 
certainly is “disquieting” to those who think all a 
farmer is good for is to sell at wholesale prices and 
buy at retail. He will get over doing that as soon 
as he can and combination is one of the methods. 
* 
As we write the New York Legislature has met in 
special session to consider a primary nominations bill. 
It is the same body of men who so flippantly kicked 
primary nominations out of the Legislature a few 
weeks ago, but the body has a new spirit. These 
legislators have been at home among the people who 
created them, and they now know what they are ex¬ 
pected to do. The political bosses have ordered them 
to oppose primary nominations just as they did before. 
The voters have ordered them to support a bill that 
will be satisfactory to Gov. Hughes. It is a simply a 
question of serving one master or the other. And as 
the Legislature met the ink was hardly dry on the 
little speech made by Theodore Roosevelt as he stepped 
foot upon American soil: 
I am more glad than I can say to get home, to be back 
in my own country, back among the people I love and ready 
and eager to do my part so far as I am able in helping 
solve the problems which must be solved if we of this 
greatest democracy upon which the sun has ever shone are 
to see its destinies rise to the high level of our hopes and 
opportunities. 
Do these Albany legislators imagine that Mr. Roose¬ 
velt has come home to help work out these great 
problems by supporting the sickening political parasites 
who have cursed New York so long? They know 
better. The greatest problem we now have in this 
country is how to give the plain, common voter direct 
control or direct influence with State and National 
legislatures. The people understand this, and they 
know that their future as free men depends upon their 
ability to obtain a fair chance to nominate candidates. 
No human power can now prevent them from finally 
gaining this right. A few misrepresentatives at Albany 
may hold it back for a few months, but thev can do 
no more. Their day is done, and they know it. Keep 
right after them and never let up. 
BREVITIES. 
The Alfalfa soil advertisers ought to prove their soil by 
its works. 
No great thing can be done unless you are willing to con¬ 
tribute your small share. 
For a case of wilful substitution of nursery trees we 
would favor line and imprisonment. 
The New York Attorney General holds that shipping 
calves that are under four weeks old, unless for some 
other purpose than food, is a violation of the law. 
No doubt about it, weeds are worse to light on land that 
is not well drained. On wet and waterlogged soil the farm 
crops are slow to grow, but the weeds jump. When that 
land is drained the crops can keep up with the weeds and 
cultivation is possible so that the weeds can be killed. 
