1078 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
November 19, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for 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 
8 s. 6 d., or 8*2 marks, or 10*2 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal chock or bank draft. 
Entered at Now York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates GO cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for timi 
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 backod 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 wo be responsible for the debts of 
honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must be sent to us v ithin one month of the time of the transaction, 
and you must have mentioned Tiie 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. 
* 
The great New England Corn Show is being held 
this week at Worcester, Mass. It is a mighty exhibi¬ 
tion and a genuine eye-opener on the possibilities of 
New England as a corn-growing section. Some of the 
flint varieties evolved in the East and selected for many 
years will, we believe, produce more actual food for 
man and beast per acre than any other grain. This 
expositions will do great things for food production in 
New England, and that will affect the entire country. 
* 
There has been a strike of express drivers in New 
York, and this has given us another taste of the need 
of parcels post For more than a week no express 
packages were delivered. We had packages of apples 
and of butter on the way held up like the rest. The 
express companies held out against the demands made 
by drivers, and the public suffered from the quarrel. 
Had there been a fair parcels post in operation this 
quarrel of the express companies would have made 
little difference to the public. No one interferes with 
the United States mail delivery, and our packages 
would have been delivered, whereas now thousands of 
them will be ruined by being held too long. 
* 
Many of the stories of farm life never ought to be pub¬ 
lished. One in the Christian Herald, October 2G, speaks of 
the heroine standing on the porch to hear the partridge cry, 
“Bob White,” tells a woeful tale of the drudgery, being 
obliged to “churn the milk.” Farm life is not all sun¬ 
shine, but we certainly get our share. 
Right! The magazines and literary papers seem to 
feel that they must take a hand in “back to the land.” 
Some of the nonsense they print in trying to come 
back would be laughable if it were not pathetic. The 
people who write this jituff simply do not know what 
they are talking about, and most of them lack the 
ability to learn, yet they actually have the nerve to 
tell farmers how to run their business. 
* 
Let us make it entirely clear that in analyzing the 
consumer’s dollar we are not trying to distort the facts 
or make any special plea. We want the truth without 
any frills or bay windows. We know what consumers 
pay for food. Now tell us exactly what the producers 
receive. It would be easy to find cases where a farmer 
gets the entire consumer’s dollar, or where he gets 
none of it. We have plenty of reports where farmers 
did not even get enough to pay transportation, and 
had to pay the balance said to be due—even though 
the consumer paid a good price for the goods. In 
this investigation we offer a fair chance to the middle¬ 
men, expressmen, dealers and consumers to come for¬ 
ward with actual figures, and match them with farmers. 
* 
The Democrats have elected John A. Dix Governor 
of New York, also all the elective State officers and a 
majority of the Legislature. It is a good thing that the 
party should have unhampered control of a State rather 
than to have responsibility divided. We believe that 
Mr. Dix is a clean and capable man who will give the 
State a business-like administration. He has a chance 
to make a record. His party is pledged to give the 
people a primary election law. Let ns all work to 
secure a law that will be worth something. The Demo¬ 
crats will face a fair test when they select a man for 
United States Senator in January. New York needs 
a statesman at Washington. We would like to have 
our readers suggest suitable men for Senator. As for 
the National Congress, we are nearer to parcels post 
than ever before. The Democrats must recognize the 
popularity of this legislation. If the Republicans had 
not treated it with poorly concealed contempt they 
never would have been thrown out. If the Democratic 
House will pass a fair parcels post hill the Republican 
Senate will never dare reject it. Let us then get after 
Congress harder than ever. We named personally the 
one candidate in New York who made his campaign 
on a parcels post issue. This was Dr. Theron Akin, 
and he was elected—overcoming a majority two years 
ago of 7,125 ! That is what a man can do if he will 
get out and work for a worthy thing. 
The latest we have heard is the printed story of an 
Englishman who grew a fine crop of wheat in 12 
weeks from seeding! Of course this remarkable 
growth is due to some secret and patent process of 
soaking the seed before sowing! We expect to see 
this turning up in American papers soon—with adver¬ 
tisements to follow. This coming season promises to 
start the biggest army of fakers and business dreamers 
that ever took the road. They will chase after farmers 
in particular, since the daily papers claim the country 
people are responsible for the high cost of living. 
Paint these letters on your bam: “No stranger can 
sell you secret truths about fertilising or fanning which 
your experiment station will not give you for the ask¬ 
ing.” 
* 
The writers on “pedigreed” seed potatoes who have 
been giving their experience have proved their case. 
The potato with a pedigree seems to be like the pure¬ 
bred animal in its effect upon the following crop. Why 
then should not all potato growers follow some such 
plan? Farmers on Long Island and in New Jersey 
raise many potatoes. The crop is one of their best, but 
most of them shake their heads at the idea of home¬ 
grown “pedigreed” seed. They will pay more for seed 
grown in the far North. The chief reason is that their 
own crop is planted and harvested early—usually so 
that wheat may follow potatoes. In the mild Winters 
these early-dug potatoes will not keep well. Show 
them how to keep the home-grown seed fresh and 
plump and they will talk “pedigree,” but, as it is, the 
northern seed comes firm and but little sprouted, and 
gives good results. But these northern growers ought 
to breed up their seed. 
* 
Few of us begin to realize how lime-sulphur spray¬ 
ing mixtures will he used next season. It has been 
clearly demonstrated that this mixture is a full sub¬ 
stitute for Bordeaux, and less dangerous to foliage and 
fruit. Arsenate of lead is used with it to kill the 
eating insects, and this combination is the greatest 
“cure-all’ for fruit trees yet discovered. A multitude 
of new brands of commercial lime-sulphur will come 
upon the market, and in order to protect the public 
and also the reliable manufacturers it will soon be 
necessary for the State to inspect and sample lime- 
sulphur as it now does Paris green and other poisons. 
The experiment stations should, if possible, devise 
some fair and simple test which will enable a buyer 
to know what he is getting. There is some complaint 
that certain commercial brands contain a caustic which 
burns the foliage. The stations should tell us what 
this is, and help us keep away from injurious com¬ 
pounds. 
* 
Virginia apple growers have had an experience this 
year which ought to boost them along the road to 
real cooperation. The secretary of the State Horticul¬ 
tural Society started in early and sized up the apple 
crop accurately. He gave the facts to members, and 
told them to hold "their fruit for a certain price. The 
apple buyers worked a very smooth game. They came 
around with stories of enormous crops in other sec¬ 
tions, and were not anxious to buy. Then they went 
off and remained away. They were good judges of 
human nature, and knew that some growers would get 
nervous as the season advanced and he ready almost to 
give their crop away. So it proved. In spite of the 
advice to stand firm and hold out for a fair price, some 
of the growers weakened. These men lost thousands 
of dollars through their failure to stand by the Hor¬ 
ticultural Society. This experience has clearly shown 
the need of strong cooperation and some system of 
storage which will enable these Virginia growers to 
hold their fruit. 
* 
When you come to figure on farm possibilities in 
this country we must consider the extreme corners on 
the Atlantic coast—New England and Texas. The 
apple and the hen are to make the northeast corner of 
this country one of the richest agricultural sections in 
the world. It will, in time, surpass California in farm 
wealth, because it is nearer rich markets. The hills 
are admirably adapted to growing the Baldwin and 
other special varieties of apples. The wastes of the 
great manufacturing towns will be utilized to provide 
fertilizer. Hairy vetch will come in to supply vast 
quantities of nitrogen. The granite of the hills will, 
seme day, furnish available potash. Corn growing is 
coming back to that section. The entire thing waits 
for the men and the capital. The other promising cor¬ 
ner is in Texas—just as it is, dry, hot and dusty. The 
despised cactus is to make this desert as rich as the 
old explorers dreamed it was three centuries ago. The 
common prickly pear may be taken from the desert and 
chopped into cuttings. These are dropped on top of 
the ground in rows eight feet apart and a light furrow 
turned over them. Then without fertilizer, without 
irrigation and merely with ordinary cultivation the 
pear after two years growth will give from 25 to 50 
tons per acre of food equal to green fodder corn. It 
does not need fencing or harvesting. You just go out 
with a burner and scorch off the spines and the cattle 
eat it down. Many varieties of “spineless cactus” have 
been tried and rejected. This cactus and Texas cotton¬ 
seed meal make the cheapest ration for feeding stock. 
Nowhere in the country can the food required to make 
a pound of butter or beef be grown at less cost than 
on these Texas deserts. Thus the neglected corners 
are coming back into great prosperity. 
* 
Bulletin 117 of the Minnesota Experiment Station 
(St. Paul) is one of the most useful pamphlets ever 
issued by a government institution. It contains studies 
of the cost of producing crops in Minnesota. As the 
authors state, little attention has been paid to the 
“science of business.” As a result farmers do not 
know what their crops cost. In manufacturing, when a 
man finds that he is producing goods for less than he 
receives, he learns how to reduce the cost or abandons 
the goods. A farmer might go on for years paying 
50 cents’ worth of labor for a 35-cent dollar unless 
lie knew something about the cost. The Minnesota 
Station has figured from actual farm accounts the cost 
of producing a bushel of corn, oats or other grain, a 
quart of milk, the board of a horse, the cost of board¬ 
ing hired help and many other similar items. For 
instance, the cost of keeping a horse one year ran 
from $65.23 to $104.27, with an average of $79.42. Now 
such facts as this are very important. They ought to 
be collected in every State in the Union, for this 
“science of business” is even more essential than the 
science of increased production. 
* 
“stop thief!” 
“Who steals my purse steals trash, hut he who robs 
me of my chance to get pure food is a murderer.” 
“Knock! Knock! Knock!” 
We take these remarks from circulars issued by the 
« 
New England Mineral Fertilizer and Chemical Co. 
We understand that these shots are fired at The R. 
N.-Y. Your humble servant is the supposed thief, 
murderer and knocker, and he is disposed to carry his 
honors easily. This concern is offering stuff as fer¬ 
tilizer which it claims contains in each ton 30 pounds 
of potash and five pounds of phosphoric acid. At 
regular market prices this means a value of about 
$1.75. The price charged for this stuff is $15 to $20 
per ton. In our opinion any man who would be silly 
enough to pay such a price for this stuff does not de¬ 
serve sympathy, hut should be put in charge of a 
guardian. We stick to the old-fashioned truth that 
the only safe way to buy plant food is to figure on the 
value of the potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen 
which it contains. Such powers of stealing, murder¬ 
ing and knocking as we possess will be exercised upon 
the guff, pious profanity and inane science which is 
used in floating so-called “fertilizers.” 
BREVITIES. 
Let every farmer give his farm the degree of LL.D.— 
lime, legumes and drains. 
Yes, sir—the bread wagon standing at the door usually 
indicates a loaf of the bread makers. 
You can see for yourself on page 1079 how the apple 
dealers differ over the box package for apples. 
The politician claims to have vested rights—he carries 
the will of the people in his vest pocket. What we need 
is more of the won't of the people. 
There are two automobiles in Dawson, near the Klon¬ 
dike region. The charges for them are $15 per hour, 
$10 for each additional hour, or $75 per day. 
One part of the trap-nest for a rooster is in his throat 
for the ability to do loud and frequent crowing is indica¬ 
tive of ability to fill the position of husband of the busi¬ 
ness hen. 
There have been many responses to the question about 
laying a waterproof stable floor. Our people have the 
experience for solving about any sensible problem that 
can come up. 
In Paris the dealers in horse aud mule meat are obliged 
by law to show the sign of a horse’s head in front of 
their store. How would the oleo sellers like to show 
heads of hog and steer in like manner? 
New uses for the Soy bean are being discovered. Be¬ 
sides its use as human food the vines and fruit are 
excellent food for stock. The oil is extracted and the 
pomace crushed and ground into a feed meal, which has 
changed the rations fed to stock throughout Europe. Now 
some one has found a waterproof material in the bean oil. 
It may also perhaps be used as a substitute for linseed 
oil in paint. 
