070 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
PaMlabed weekly by the Boral Publuhing Company, 409 Pearl Street, New York, 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon. Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. P. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, 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 60 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for tim< 
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 my 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate ^windier 
advertising in ourcolumns, 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. 
* 
Do not let all these other “big questions” crowd out 
the thought of that “Lupton bill.” This was intro¬ 
duced in the New York Legislature by Assemblyman 
Lupton. It would compel commission men to give 
bonds and keep open accounts subject to investigation. 
Such a law is needed, but we shall not have it unless 
farmers in New York make their representatives real¬ 
ize the importance of this measure. You need not 
expect help from city members. Get right after the 
men who represent rural districts. 
* 
There is considerable complaint from farmers re¬ 
garding the contract specifications for flour to be fur¬ 
nished the various State hospitals in New York. The 
State Commission in Lunacy advertises for bids and 
calls for hard zvheat dour. This will shut off New 
York farmers and also those in most Eastern States, 
and will probably cost the State $10,000 more than if 
soft wheat flour were used. It is stated that one-half 
the people of this country live on soft wheat flour all 
their lives. This being so, why should not the State 
of New York buy the wheat grown by our own 
farmers? If there is any reason for this discrimination 
we would like to have it, but thus far three weeks have 
passed since we applied for information, and yet no 
reason is offered. 
* 
You remember that on page 680 we gave fair warn¬ 
ing about coal mines on the Dan River in North Caro¬ 
lina. Here comes a man who has lived in that sec¬ 
tion for years: 
I want to tell you t am right in the field, and must 
say you are just about right as regards the character of 
the coal. About 25 years ago we mined I guess about the 
best coal that has yet come to the surface in this locality, 
and in burning it the very offensive smoke and gas from 
the combustion was so bad we gave up its use. Period¬ 
ically it seems prospectors are on the ground preparing 
foi suckers. I am glad you are on to the game. n. p. m. 
This man understands our motive in explaining this 
coal proposition. He knows that we are not trying to 
injure North Carolina. We would do the State far 
more injury to remain silent and permit or even help 
promotors to sell stock in those coal mines. You will 
no doubt soon see offers of stock or bonds in Dan 
River coal mines. These promoters ought to be in 
bond—take no stock in them. We got in ahead of the 
game this time, and no reader of The R. N.-Y. can 
complain if he invests in this worthless stock. 
* 
A fertilizer case was recently tried in an English 
court, the details of which ought to interest our 
farmers. It seems that in England there are small 
mixers or manufacturers who buy up refuse at 
slaughter houses and mix with potash and phosphates. 
Then they sell the mixtures at low prices as special 
crop manures. They do a small trade, but are not 
expert chemists, and usually make a rough mixture 
without the improved machinery used by the large 
manufacturers. One of these dealers sold a mixed 
fertilizer to a farmer, guaranteeing that it contained 
two per cent of potash. Analysis showed that it con¬ 
tained less than half of one per cent, and the farmer 
sued for damages. The farmer proved that the goods 
were what he bought under guarantee and the chemist 
proved his analysis. For a defense the manufacturer 
claimed that while the potash was short the nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid were in excess, so that this extra 
value more than made up for the shortage of potash. 
The farmer admitted that he used the fertilizer, but 
that he could not yet tell what the result was. In 
brief, his claim was that he ordered potash under 
THE RURAIv NEW-YORKER 
guarantee, and did not get it. The judges imposed a 
fine of $25 and costs, or over- $50 in all. Under the 
English fertilizer law therefore the dealer cannot 
justify a low analysis in one element by showing an 
excess in others. In this country some manufacturers 
cover this point by stating with their guarantee that 
extra value in nitrogen, for example, shall be con¬ 
sidered to make up shortage in phosphoric acid. We 
do not regard this as fair, for the excess of one could 
not possibly make up for the other. The lesson from 
this English case is to buy fertilizers from the larger 
and more careful manufacturers, since their goods are 
more likely to be carefully and evenly mixed. 
* 
I surely am in sympathy with the way you go after the 
frauds, from Florida land swindlers to University School 
methods as practiced by Lewis. It is not very compli¬ 
mentary to us hayseeds that we bite at such baits, but we 
work hard, save and get a few dollars ahead, begin to get 
old, and things do not move as they used to, and one of 
these finished artistic liars comes along. We listen and 
have let our money go, never to see it again. When a 
man like Lewis can get millions it must be suckers are 
abundant, and I am willing to invest a dollar to see your 
good work go on. I. k. 
Florida. 
That letter is a fair sample of many. The fact that 
a man like Lewis can pick up millions from confiding 
people would be astonishing if we did not consider the 
conditions under which such people live. It is almost 
impossible for many of them to obtain accurate infor¬ 
mation regarding investments. Then, all too oftet 
the men and women who ought to help them play the 
part of Judas and betray the friends who believe ir 
them. At St. Louis there were many women who said 
they agreed fully with Mrs. R. W. Tener in her criti¬ 
cisms of Lewis and his methods. They agreed tc 
stand with her and demand fair play—yet when it 
came to the test they failed. Practically every one of 
them had some ax to grind, some office to seek or 
some pleasant little ladylike “graft” in sight. They 
all knew better, yet they could not stand up and state 
the facts. It is usually the part played by “leading 
citizens” for some consideration which gets the money 
away from the people. There would not be so many 
suckers in the world if the fakers could not hire these 
“leading citizens” to bait the hook. 
* 
The principle of direct primary nominations has now 
been settled in New York State. Both of the leading 
political parties have gone on record in their platforms. 
The Republicans, after a long and bitter fight, thus state 
their position : 
To Gov. Hughes is due the credit of arousing the inter¬ 
est of the people and convincing them of the need of 
directly electing their party officers and directly nominat¬ 
ing their party candidates. We promise legislation which 
will enact these principles into law. 
The Democrats unanimously put themselves on rec¬ 
ord as follows: 
We favor a State-wide direct primary to insure to the 
people the right to select political committees and nomi¬ 
nate public officers. 
That settles the principle for which the hard fight 
has been made. We doubt if either party will give us 
a satisfactory bill to begin with. Such a bill niust of 
necessity be an experiment at first, and it must be 
adapted to the conditions in New York State. The 
laws now operating in Wisconsin, Kansas *and other 
Western States are not entirely satisfactory, but they 
are so much better than the old system of nominating 
that there is no possible chance that they will be given 
up. They will be changed only to be made stronger 
as experience shows the need. So it will be in New 
York. No matter which party wins this year a primary 
nominations bill must be passed and the principle will 
be established never to be abandoned except for some 
more progressive method. We knew the decent people 
of New York would rise to the occasion, and put an 
end to the old discredited system of letting the bosses 
dictate nominations. It was a great job—the best one 
the people of New York have put through in many 
years. 
* 
Both parties are catering to “the plain people” in 
New York this'year. The Republicans have a good- 
sized plank on “agriculture.” Idle lands must be 
brought under cultivation, the State Fair maintained, 
and the large appropriations of money now spent for 
agricultural education and for work in the Agricul¬ 
tural Department kept up: 
We pledge ourselves to the continuance of this vital 
work and to the support of all practical methods for 
increasing the number of farm owners and furthering 
their interests. 
The trouble with this is that there should be no need 
of giving any such pledge. There is no party and there 
are few individuals who would ever attempt to dis¬ 
continue “this vital work.” Such talk does not appeal 
to men who think of the matter at all. If the Repub¬ 
licans wanted to interest farmers they should have 
given a pledge to investigate the “consumer’s dollar” 
and find out where that 65 cents goes to. There is no 
October 15,; 
greater business oucstion now before the public, and 
it has as much to do with politics as the tariff or the 
canals. The Democrats go further than the Republi¬ 
cans in demanding a form of parcels post and the 
election of United States Senators by popular vote. 
The parcels post plank simply recommends an increase 
in size and weight of parcels carried by mail. This 
means little or nothing in itself, but it stands for much, 
because it is the first expression of the sort made by 
a political party in New York. No Democratic Con¬ 
gressman from New York can now refuse to vote for 
parcels post, and this plank will make votes for them. 
The election of Senators by popular vote is next to 
primary nominations, one of the most needed reforms. 
There may be one more election of Senator from this 
State without an expression of popular desire, but that 
will be the last, for the people will surely take the 
selection of Senator into their own hands—where it 
belongs. 
* 
A 1‘krsox in this section purchased a good farm several 
years since at a low price, which was inventoried at 
$10,000, about double the original cost, and after a 
year's operation the capitalization was reduced several 
thousand dollars because it did not pay interest on the 
valuation. If the person could have raised the ‘‘freight” 
25 per cent to meet the deficiency the valuation would 
have been all right, but as they are in competition with 
all the world they cannot make the prices for products to 
earn a dividend on over-valuation. w. s. 
What would happen in this world if farmers could 
put an inflated value on their property, charge them¬ 
selves big salaries and then demand the privilege of 
charging enough for their produce to pay dividends on 
the high value? The production of necessities is more 
essential than their transportation, or handling, but 
Government grants no monopoly to a farmer. That 
privilege is reserved for other industries. 
* 
We do not think anyone will deny that in States like 
Kansas or Wisconsin farmers count for more in politi¬ 
cal life than in New York. That is not only because we 
have larger cities and a great proportion of our people 
separated from the farm. Those western farmers 
have a better chance, and exert greater influence be¬ 
cause they have fought for their rights and won 
through primary nominations. This has led to cleaner 
politics and cleaner men in spite of the fact that it was 
necessary to learn how to use primary nominations and 
how to guard against corruption. All over this coun¬ 
try people are watching New York to see what the 
farmers will do. Here is one piece of frank criticism 
which comes from Wisconsin: 
I do not think that it is the cities that are holding 
back in the State. All those cheap rascals that have been 
running things in New York politics are from country 
districts or minor cities, and would not hold their jobs 
but for the farmers. The latter could vote them out of 
office at any election—and in fact it seems have been 
doing something of that kind in a few cases of this recent 
primary. 
That is the way it appears to a western man, and we 
must all admit that there is truth in it. The notorious 
Allds represented a farmer’s district, and was elected 
again and again by the votes of farmers. Other rascals 
have been sent to Albany by rural counties only to 
make bargains with the most corrupt political crea¬ 
tures. These men never did represent fairly the real 
manhood and citizenship of the country voters, but 
under the old convention plan of nominations they held 
on with a wildcat’s grip. It is true that our farmers 
have been partly responsible for this. They realize it 
now, and that is why they forced both conventions to 
endorse primary nominations. This year they will 
take the tickets prepared for them and cut them until 
they look like patchwork quilts, for the only way for 
them to vote a straight ticket is to cut out the crooks. 
BREVITIES. 
Get the fuel ready for Winter. 
Canada gained 305,000 last year—not quite five per 
cent. 
The first reports from cement drain tiles indicate that 
they work well. 
In England license taxes on motor cars run from $10.22 
for 0’/j horse power to $102.19 for 60 horse power. Doc¬ 
tors have half price. 
The “boom town” business will be run under full steam 
this season. The land sharks in Florida and the Far West 
have some lively bait for suckers. Try to keep your 
friends away from it. 
Now the claim is that Irish Cobbler is sold for half a 
dozen so-called varieties of potatoes. The great difference 
seems to be in the price. The same is claimed as to pota¬ 
toes of the Carman class. 
A crowd of Turkish frauds known as the “Black Band” 
have been selling wool at Constantinople. They offered 
samples at a low figure and got most of the money. The 
“wool” when it came turned out to be low-grade cow hair. 
Last year the city of New Haven, Conn., let a contract 
to spray 7,500 elm trees. Each tree was sprayed twice, 
the cost being about $11,000. There were some 30.000 elm 
trees sprayed in Connecticut. All this paid, for these big 
elms have a real value to New England towns, aside 
from sentiment. 
