3206 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established, 1850. 
Pabliihed weekly by the Rnral 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 
8s. 6d., or 8ki marks, or lO 1 !! francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates 00 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for timi 
orders. References required for advertisers unknown to 
us; and cf.sh 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 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 subcribers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
t 9 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 within one month of the time of the transaction, 
and yon 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 30 cents for strictly introductory pur¬ 
poses. We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
There is a quaint old English inn sign called “The 
Four Alls,” the sign depicting four men, the priest, 
who prays for all; the soldier, who fights for all; 
the farmer, who feeds all, and the taxpayer, who 
pays for all, this last being a melancholy man with his 
hand in his pocket. Those eminent citizens who have 
united to fight parcels post seem willing to combine 
two of these alls, and force the farmer to feed all 
and pay for all, too. 
* 
A precious cargo of young live stock recently start¬ 
ed from New York to Texas. It was a car contain¬ 
ing 52 babies, not one over three years old. They 
were sent from a foundling hospital in this city, and 
had all been spoken for by people who agreed to 
adopt them on arrival. Texas is a great State with 
live stock valued at $325,000,000 in 1909, yet a few 
carloads of such foundlings can be made more valu¬ 
able than all the dumb brutes ever sent away to feed 
the world. There is nothing finer than this distribu¬ 
tion of little waifs so that they may leave the city and 
find homes on a farm. 
* 
I have known men in the shop to rise up to high 
positions through bluff, but you cannot bluff Dame Nature. 
—It. Thomas, page 1198. 
Of all the good advice which Mr. Thomas gives the 
would-be farmer the above suggestion is best. “Bluff 
Dame Nature!” Try it once and see where you come 
out. The idea of “bluffing” the calm, constant and 
irresistable forces which a man must meet on a farm 
would be fool’s play if it were not pitiful to the men 
who have faced storm and sun and season, and 
forced the farm to yield them a living. Yet “bluffing” 
is what is taught by the joy writers and in the 
“systems” which annually crowd the market at so 
much per system. When a city man starts for the 
country he wants to remember that he will be up 
against a hard proposition at best, and under a boss 
that cannot possibly be deceived. 
* 
It is a hopeful New Year’s story that comes from 
Voltaire, N. D., through theJAgricultural College, 
The farmers in that place own the town site. The 
former owner was a non-resident. All he cared about 
was the money he could get out of it, and the con¬ 
sumer’s dollar looked large and good to him! He 
put an exorbitant price on his land. The people 
taxed him right at his own figures, and he was soon 
ready to come down and sell out! Then the people 
organized a telephone company of their own—no one 
to have more than two shares. It more than pays 
expenses from rented ’phones. The elevator men were 
paying what they pleased for grain, and it made a 
small share of the consumer’s dollar. The farmers 
organized a stock company, limiting individual owner¬ 
ship to eight shares. Last year this company paid a 
dividend of 20 per cent, and the farmers received 
higher prices for grain. Then the share of the insur¬ 
ance dollar did not look quite right, and these farm¬ 
ers organized a mutual insurance company. For five 
years the assessments have averaged about five mills. 
Of course they needed a place to meet, so they or¬ 
ganized a company and put up a building. Contractors 
wanted $3,500 for putting it up. This looked like a 
large dollar. Those farmers hired a man to super¬ 
vise the work, bought material and saved $1,000 on 
the job. To read this one would think we were skip¬ 
ping 50 years ahead on toward the millenium. Not 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
so—all this has actually happened in this Dakota town 
and it might have been done in thousands of other 
towns. We do not need to tell you that in the country 
around Voltaire farms were well cultivated and farm¬ 
ers are prosperous and happy. They ought to be, for 
they have dominated the situation by organizing and 
fighting for what belongs to them. For this dis¬ 
tribution of the consumer’s dollar is pretty much the 
whole thing. For the past 40 years the producers 
have been giving up 65 cents of this dollar to the 
handlers. The result is that this vast accumulation 
has been piled up at the mouth of the Hudson and 
in other headquarters for trade, manufacturing and 
railroads. The farming districts have been bled 
through these years by this carving up the consum¬ 
er’s dollar. The way to save the situation is not by 
producing larger crops to be sold on the old basis 
of division, but to get a larger share of the present 
dollar. Those Dakota farmers show us how to do it, 
and they set a good example to the rest of the country. 
* 
“A PETITION IN BOOTS.” 
You know our opinion of the average petition or 
“resolution.” As a rule, it merely relieves the minds 
of both signers and the politicians who receive it. 
The former think they divide their responsibilty with 
all the others, while the latter know that it means 
only fine birdshot with poor powder. It was a very 
different form of petition which marched into the 
Canadian parliament last week. Over 1,000 farmers 
and their friends made up a genuine “petition in 
boots.” In western Canada alone the Grain Growers’ 
Association has 28,000 members. It runs a coopera¬ 
tive company, controls a bank and a weekly paper. 
It raised $25,000 as an “educational fund,” hired a 
special train and sent a great delegation to the Cana¬ 
dian capital at Ottawa to state their grievances and 
demands. Other delegates fell in at Ottawa, so that 
this “petition” represented 40,000 farmers. Did the 
government try to bluff them off and promise “careful 
consideration”? No, sir. Those farmers were invited 
to the capital and asked to state what they wanted. 
And they did it, not hat in hand, twisting and hesi¬ 
tating, but they stood up and demanded free trade 
or fair reciprocity with this country, free trade in 
imported goods which farmers need, government con¬ 
trol and ownership of grain elevators and meat pack¬ 
ing houses for export, and government construction 
and operation of a railroad to Hudson’s Bay. We 
shall discuss these things in greater detail later. Now, 
at the close of this year, we want to make it clear 
why those Canadian farmers are sure to dominate 
the situation. Many of them are Americans who 
went over the border from this country. These men 
do not intend that their country shall pass under the 
control of railroads and corporations. They know 
their strength, they get together, put up their money 
for defense and instead of “resolving” and growling 
put 100 tons of fighting and determined flesh and 
blood right into the Canadian capital. There is the 
great object lesson for the farmers of America. 
Just as soon as the farmers and country people in 
tliis country can get together, sink their prejudices and 
their fears and send such an army to Albany or to 
Washington, and stand together for their common 
rights, the thing will be done. And as the old year 
goes out we know that the new one will bring us 
nearer the time when such “a petition in boots” will 
shake the land. 
* 
The Western com growers are a little slow about 
coming into the ring on that corn contest. While we 
are waiting for them here is another suggested con¬ 
test: 
On page 1166, first “brevity,” you touch on a subject 
which I would certainly like to see answered. I am will¬ 
ing to admit that I can’t say. Adjoining this farm there 
is a large dairy farm, and I told the owner that I would 
put 10 hens, of my choosing, against any two cows on 
his farm for 12 months, it to be agreed that neither of 
us charge for labor. I will put 10 hens against 99 per 
cent of the cows of this State on above terms. I had 
gross income of $981.81 from 104 hens. I would like to 
see what others are doing. , w. j. derigan. 
Ocean Co., N. J. 
This hen man is game to say the least. We have 
had people say that 25 hens will beat a cow for profit, 
but Mr. Derigan gets way out where the bullets can 
hit him. We hope his neighbor will take up the milk 
pail against the egg basket That would make a great 
contest for 1911. And here is Mr. Walters with his 
statement of “Queen Lil,” the White Leghorn. This 
hen of V/ 2 pounds laid 224 eggs well inside of a year. 
This means over 29 pounds of eggs, and at three 
cents each—well, gentlemen, figure it yourself. But 
remember that this bird is one in 10,000—do not 
dream of handling 10,000 like her. You never will 
do it, but honestly trying for it would do you good. 
December Ml, 
Do not think we talk too much about that sena¬ 
torial situation in New Jersey. It is not a question 
of men or of politics any longer, but a clear fight for 
a principle. A primary election was held and Mr. 
Martine was selected by a good majority. Now ex- 
Senator Smith thinks he can control the Legislature, 
and he proposes to ignore the primary election and 
have himself elected. It is hard to think of a meaner 
foul blow at a fair attempt to make the selection of 
Senator a popular one. Once let the principle of pri¬ 
mary nominations be trampled on in this way and 
the people of New Jersey would better save further 
trouble and meekly hold out their necks for the yoke. 
It is boasted that Mr. Smith owns the New Jersey 
Legislature. Four years ago the same thing was 
claimed for Senator Dryden, and it looked like it for 
a time. Yet you remember how the people got busy 
with tongue and postage stamps—and Dryden re¬ 
mained at home? Here is another chance for Jer- 
seymen in an even greater cause. 
* 
What is an American? 
Among the people who are making The R. N.-Y. 
from week to week are men and women whose par¬ 
ents or more remote ancestors came from the follow¬ 
ing countries: Ireland, Germany, England, Wales, 
Scotland, Canada, Russia, Italy, France, Austria and 
Norway. Side by side with direct descendants of the 
Pilgrims and the original Dutch are the children of 
Irish, German and English immigrants, and refugees 
from Russia and Austria. And it would be hard to 
say which of these would prove the better American 
at the true test. For all of them are the children of 
men and women who came to America seeking 
broader opportunity, the right to own land, and the 
common rights which were denied them in the old 
world. In this land of hope they have found some¬ 
thing of what they came for, and they are learning 
day by day how a larger measure of it may be gained 
by living reasonable and honorable lives. This is the 
way our ancestors would put it: 
My own country. 
My ain countrie. 
Ma Patrie. 
La Mia Patria. 
Mein Vaterland. 
Moia Compara. 
Moia Ro’dina. 
Vy Ngwlad. 
Mo dhuthaich fein. 
fiHO CjG 
All these tongues and dialects finally blend and be¬ 
come “my own country,” just as the swarming hordes 
which come across the sea are finally melted and 
blended into Americans. The representatives of a 
dozen countries are working together to try to make 
The R. N.-Y. strong and useful to humanity. Each 
in his place of printing, managing, distributing or 
editing has pride in the paper, and puts spirit into 
his work. In such a cosmopolitan company there can 
be no such thing as race prejudice or inequality. One 
reason why The R. N.-Y. can speak with freedom 
and without fear is the fact that everyone connected 
with it has worked up through hard conditions, or is 
forced to face them now. There is no dosing of the 
year with us. This is No. 4079, and next week will 
be No. 4080. But at this season we like to go to our 
readers with some human problem which they may 
consider through the year. Just as the business of 
this paper represents a blend of all these different na¬ 
tions, so in a large way what we call the Rural family 
represents a much larger collection of blood and 
human nature. It is our ambition to aid and organize 
and blend this great army that it may help work out 
some of the great problems which Americans must 
face, and we start the new year with greater courage 
and faith than ever before. 
BREVITIES. 
As si snare for ammonia wood ashes is a delusion. 
If yon take our advice you will not use tar on peach 
trees to “protect” them. 
The newspapers report that 30,000 Scottish agricultural 
laborers will emigrate to Canada in the Spring. They 
represent a class we should welcome in the United States. 
We are ready for all the experience you ran give us 
regarding orchard heating to fight off frost. It has been 
done successfully in some cases. What are the facts 
about it? 
In many seacoast States sea gulls are protected by 
law, because they clear up fish waste. They get tired of 
a fish diet in some places and attack grain fields under 
the law’s protection. 
The Indianapolis News observes that the fact that New 
York’s $8,000,000 potato crop cost the consumers $60,000,- 
000 is another evidence of what a long and tortuous way 
it is from the field to the larder. 
Dooks as if we must talk vetch as well as Alfalfa this 
next year in order to give the farm its full title of DL.D. 
This vetch is doing wonders in many places. The only 
way to understand its value is to keep at it. 
