1142 
THE RURAIi NEW-YORKER 
December 10, 
Hope Farm Notes 
I am a young man of 23, and am writing 
you as to the proper place to send drawings 
of a perpetual motion machine which I 
have designed. I have no way to make a 
model, but 1 have made my drawings clear, 
and anybody can understand the mechanical 
principles in use. I am not the only man 
who has tried to invent a perpetual motion 
machine, and if I fail am not the first one. 
I have invented a mechanical movement 
which sends back as much power to the 
handle as is sent out, and have invented a 
harness for the power which leaves the 
handle to enter and it all comes back. I 
think I have got the motion so long wanted 
and wish to send my drawings to the proper 
place. My machine is so constructed that 
not an atom of power put in can escape, 
but my mechanical movements are secret. 
Massachusetts. o. f. b. 
You are right in saying that many 
have tried to invent perpetual motion 
machines. At the Patent Office the first 
requirement is a working model. The 
drawing alone will not do. Thus far this 
requirement has settled the case. You 
cannot construct a machine with no fric¬ 
tion in the moving parts. An examiner 
in the Patent Office who has had long 
experience writes me this: 
Even if the bearings could be constructed 
without friction, the atmosphere would of¬ 
fer resistance to the movement, and no 
vacuum has ever been devised high enough 
in which a machine could be placed and not 
be retarded in its movement by what small 
amount of air remains in the vacuum re¬ 
ceptacle. You can’t get something for noth¬ 
ing from a machine, because it can’t be 
Lewisized. 
Do not pay out money to patent law¬ 
yers in the hope that they can get a 
patent on perpetual motion. You will 
see from the above that nothing would 
be done anyway until you made a work¬ 
ing model. 
Is there any Erie It. It. stock, paying div¬ 
idend or not, other than the “common” and 
“preferred,” such as we see quoted in our 
daily market reports? S. 
I am not a railroad expert. The Erie 
runs our local railroad and I have given 
some figures showing how some of my 
neighbors were frozen out. I under¬ 
stand the Erie has no stock not listed in 
market reports except a small amount in 
their treasury. In 1908 the following re¬ 
port was made of their capitalization: 
Stocks, 1st, 2d, preferred and 
common .$176,271,300 
Stocks, all kinds, per mile of 
line . 144,666 
Funded debt or bonds, all 
kinds . 222,713,531 
Ronds per mile, all kinds. 182,781 
Total capitalization . 398,984,831 
Capitalization per mile. 327,447 
That looks like water. I have told 
how our commutation rates were shot 
up into the air. It is evident that the 
State of New Jersey has thus far lacked 
the courage to protect its citizens from 
the railroads, and as usual the Federal 
Government must step in and do it. All 
over our section are “small investors” in 
railroad stocks or bonds who have lost 
all they invested. So long as the rail¬ 
roads are permitted to capitalize for more 
than they are worth their securities can¬ 
not be called very safe investments for 
small investors. I do not see how they 
can be until the government gives the 
Interstate Commerce Commission con¬ 
trol of capitalization. This railroad ques¬ 
tion was more responsible than any other 
for the recent political blow-up in New 
Jersey. 
The Cat Question. —The first dis¬ 
cussion of cats comes in the following: 
Your correspondent, R. L. S., in de¬ 
nouncing cats for destroying birds, says 
that they destroy game birds which would 
“give the boys who shoot many happy 
afternoons.” I don’t see any great ethical 
difference between the cat, which, prompt¬ 
ed by her instinct, destroys birds, and the 
boy who goes out with a gun to slaughter 
them likewise in cold blood. It recalls the 
gibe of a Royalist wit during the English 
Protectorate, who said that the Puritans 
put an end to the sport of bear-baiting, 
not because it gave pain to the bear, but 
because it gave pleasure to the spectators. 
T. R. E. 
There is a good one. The average 
boy with his gun is a thing to be avoided. 
Some years ago I saw one of them miss 
a human being, with a charge of bird 
shot, by almost six inches. Personally 
I care nothing about hunting, and our 
boys never owned a gun. My own opin¬ 
ion is that a cat is a miniature tiger with 
a very thin gloss of civilization over the 
old tiger nature. Some men, however, 
are nearly as close to the stone age in 
natural disposition. The cat has no such 
genuine affection as the dog often shows. 
No one could expect a cat to defend a 
child, even from animals smaller than 
itself, or to stay by the dead body of its 
master as dogs have often done. Still, I 
think the cat can be made a useful ani¬ 
mal on the farm. 
Farm Boys and the Navy. —The fol¬ 
lowing letter is a sample of a number 
that readers have sent me: 
Enclosed find a letter from the naval 
recruiting station at Philadelphia, making 
the third received. Early in the Spring, 
my son, 16 years of age, wrote for an ap¬ 
plication as a machinist at the Bethlehem 
Steel Works, and received a blank to fill 
out, stating height, weight, age, etc. He 
filled it out, but received no reply from 
the steel works, but received a letter from 
the naval station stating what bright 
chances a boy could have to see the world, 
but it did not promise outright to send 
him away. Is the U. S. Navy in such a 
hard way for boys as to seduce them from 
their homes, and farm homes at that, and 
Roosevelt and all of the great men shout¬ 
ing “go back to the farms.” It is some¬ 
thing to induce a person to love the Gov¬ 
ernment when they wish to steal away the 
boys he wishes to retain on the farm. You 
know as well as I that the navy affords 
nothing good for a quiet farm boy, but is 
suited to a boy that is of a wild nature. 
B. M. N. 
We have had these letters at Hope 
Farm. My boys wrote for the pamphlets 
and read them over. We know a young 
man who has been in the navy for six 
years or more, and he has been here to 
tell us about it. The government wants 
to develop a high class of men on the 
warships, and, from choice, I think would 
prefer farm boys. Such boys are large 
and strong, will submit readily to dis¬ 
cipline, and have not picked up bad hab¬ 
its as many town boys do. In spite of 
all this a farm boy entering the navy 
must find himself in a more or less 
“tough” crowd. While I know that a 
few sailors save money and finally leave 
the ship to settle down into some sort of 
business, the great majority do not. It 
is just like any other government job. 
The man who works for the government 
or holds some public office for a term of 
years is rarely capable of making a 
business of his own pay. There may 
be some boys who are born to be roam- 
ers or fighters. The navy will give them 
a chance to follow their natural inclina¬ 
tion to some extent. For the average 
farm boy, especially one who is needed 
at home, the navy strikes me as a poor 
school. While we have warships and 
armies you cannot blame the government 
for wanting the best material for soldiers 
and sailors, but it is a remarkable thing 
when one branch of government tries in 
the most alluring way to get boys to 
leave the farm, while others shout “Back 
to the land!” I understand that at the 
football match between the Army and 
Navy some of the officers put on very 
large airs by the side of a farmer who 
brought his boys to the game. I have yet 
to understand why gold lace and “dig¬ 
nity” are any more worthy than tan and 
hard hand. 
The Southern Migration. —The Sum¬ 
mer birds that make their homes at 
Hope Farm have long since packed their 
goods and started South. They have 
the advantage of the humans in the fact 
that their outfit of clothing is always 
ready and the matter of supplies requires 
neither money nor worry. When instinct 
tells them it is time to go they take a 
final meal of Northern worms and seeds, 
head South and work their wings. As 
for the children they reared at Hope 
Farm, once the youngsters are pushed 
out of the nest the old folks drop re¬ 
sponsibility. The humans have had no 
such easy job. There has been a long 
season of mending, packing, planning and 
producing for the Winter. The boat 
finally sailed away with 12 of our hu¬ 
mans, Frank the bob-tailed horse, and a 
load of boxes and barrels containing ap¬ 
ples, canned fruit, clothing and other 
supplies for this small army. The house 
will be ready for them, and within a few 
days school will begin and rooms will 
be ready for boarders. In reply to many 
questions, I will say that our location is 
in Putnam Co., near Lake Crescent. Close 
by the lake there is some stony land, but 
the little town is on a sandy ridge near 
the railroad. Years ago this section pro¬ 
duced good crops of oranges, but it is 
too far north for safety, and repeated 
freezes have injured the trees. There is 
a small crop this year, and picking has 
already begun. There is little at this 
place to attract people except climate, 
which is ideal in Winter—more agree¬ 
able I think than at points farther South. 
People with money enough to pay their 
way could live comfortably in such a 
place, but it would mean a hard struggle 
for people of limited means who tried 
to make a living out of the soil. I am 
told that certain parts of Florida are now 
filled with “home seekers” who have been 
brought down by glowing stories of pos¬ 
sible wealth. A large part of them will 
leave what little money they have in a 
sand bank or a swamp, and pass the rest 
of their lives broodng over the loss. 
There are good chances in Florida, but 
the “boomers” as a rule are not offering 
them. H. w. c. 
ALPHA 
PORTLAND CEMENT 
is absolutely the best that can be made 
for all farm work. Largely used by 
U. S. Government and in State, Munici¬ 
pal and Railroad work—a reputation of 
20 years behind it. Ask your dealer for 
ALPHA 
Send for Booklet and learn why it is the best. 
ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO., 
ADDRESS 
2 Center Square, EASTON, PA. 
Price $10 and Up\ 
Earn $10 a day and more, easily, 
sawing firewood, lumber, lath, posts, 
etc., for yourself and neighbors with a 
Hertzler & Zook 
Portable Wood Saw 
Fully Cuarantoed for One Year 
The Hertzler & Zook is the cheapest and best 
Baw you can buy. Direct factory prices—finest 
tested materials. Easier than 
other saws to operate because 
the stick sits low and the 
saw draws it on as soon 
as you start work. It Is 
the only saw made, sell- 
ingat$10, to which a ripping 
table can be added. Write for 
circular and save money. Y 
Hertzler a Zook Co.. Box 3 
Belleville, Fa. 
Would Vi More Water 
With the same power ■ n |. £ j ir£llC |. Vnil? 
> from deep wells 111 LI/I Cot lUUi 
It is accomplished with the Double-Acting 
“American” 
Deep Well Pump 
It delivers full cylinder 
capacity both on the Down- 
stroke and the Up-strolte. 
It requires at no time more 
power than the up-stroke of 
a single-acting cylinder of 
the same displacement. 
Send for the most com¬ 
plete deep well catalogue 
ever issued, No. 110 just off 
the press, mailed free. 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS, 
General Offlee and Works, 
* Aurora, 111., D. 8. A. 
Chicago Office, - - First National Bank Building. 
JACOBSON 
SELF-CONTAINED ENGINE WITH AUTOMATIC DRAINING 
WATER TANK. 
No Freezing No Overheat lug 
No Large Water Tank 
The Agency is available in some sections and 
valuable in all. 
JACOBSON MACHINE MFC. CO. 
Ill Irvine Street Warren, Pa. 
Get This Powe 
—Back to the old reliable Leffel Steam Power i 
the cry from hundreds of farmers who 
used gasoline engines. There are 
reasons. Let us tell you them. 
LEFFEL Steam 
Engines and 
Boilers 
have proven most 
dependable, 
durable und 
Write postal now 
“The Farmer’s Pow¬ 
er.” Address 
James Leffel & Co. 
Box 250, 
Springfield, 
Ohio 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’il get a quick renly and 
"a square deal.' See guarantee page 12. 
Flexible 
Trade Mark 
Steers by the mere pressure of 
hand or foot on the steering-bar, 
past all other sleds and around 
every obstacle. 
The Flexible Flyer saves its cost 
in boots and shoes alone the first season. 
No dragging the feet. This prevents 
wet feet, colds, doctors’ bills. It outlasts 
three ordinary sleds. 
Years ago we patented the principle of the 
famous Flexible Flyer steering-bar an 1 now 
every one recognizes the superiority of “the sled 
that steers’ ’. 
Our patented grooved runners prevent 
skidding, and the Flexible Fly rt has 
many other exclusive features. Ask your 
dealer to show them to you. 
Insist on the Flexible Flyer and be 
sure to look lor the trade-mark! 
Card-board model free 
Let us send it. Also booklet, beauti¬ 
fully illustrated in colors showing coast¬ 
ing scenes, etc. A postal will bring both. 
WRITE TODAY! 
Do It 
NOW 
hef ore 
you 
get it. 
S. L. ALLEN & CO. 
Boxll02E, Phila., Pa. 
Patentees <t Sole if/re. 
THE SLED 
THAT „ 
STEERS 
— (•> 
- A 
yf 
. m ■ 
ONLY 
GUARANTEED 
HARNESS 
is shown in this big 
100-Page Catalog 
Mr. H. D. Loyster, Ensenore, N.Y., says: 
“My father bought a set of King Harness 20 
years ago. It lias beeu used nearly every day 
except Sundays and I am still using the same 
harness, which is in very good condition.” 
This handsome catalog illustrates and 
describes over 75 styles of harness just as 
good as Mr. Loyster’s. 
Every sot is custom made from oak tanned 
leather —every strap is cut from the hide 
where it is strongest. 
Every Harness is Guaranteed for 5 Years 
Get this catalogue, pick out the harness 
you want —single or double, carriage or 
draft—and if it doesn’t convince you that 
by buying direct from us you get better 
value for vour money, return the harness 
at our expense and,we will refund your 
money without quostion. 
Some of our customers have bought har¬ 
ness from us for over 25 years. 
Write for Free Catalog j? and see why. 
THE KING HARNESS CO. 
6 Lake St., Owego, Tioga Co., N. Y. 
Mail Orders Only—We Have No Agents. 
The Awl 
tor AIL 
Make Your Own Repairs! 
Mends Harness, Shoes, Canvas; Myers' 
Sewing Awl makes lock-stitch 
like sowing machine. $1 postpaid. 
BIG MONEY FOR AGENTS. 
C. A MYERS CO. 
’6:528 Lexington Ave., Chicago, Ill. 
Yours FREE 30 Days 
I’ll Pay Freight Anywhere 
Just let me send my Chatham Fanning Mill to your 
It. It. Station on a mouth’s trial. No money, no 
contract and I pay the freight. Return at my ex¬ 
pense or keep it and take a year to pay me. Just let 
me prove the money you can make with a 
CHATHAM and Seed Grader 
Cleans and grades all kinds ofseeds, grasses and grains. Don’t 
grow weeds or thin stands. Landand taxes are too high. Double 
the crops,get better crops and have high-priced seed.to sell. Send 
postal now for my factory price, liberal terms, and get FREE 
BOOK No. 104. Tells how thousands are making big, 
with a Chatham. Send your name by next mail. 
Mich. 
Wash. 
No Money Down 
No Note 
No Contract 
Riddics 
Enough for Every Purpose 
