34 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE IS U SIS ESS FARMER ’ S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established isr,0 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 333 lYost 30tb Street, Now York 
IIkrukrt W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. 82.04, equal to Ss. 6d., or 
S>£ marks, or lOJ^J 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. 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 respon¬ 
sible pei'son. But to make doubly sure we will make good any loss to paid 
subscribers sustained by trusting"any deliberate swindler advertising in our 
columns, and any such swindler will be publicly exposed. We protect sub¬ 
scribers against, rogues, but we do not guarantee to adjust trilling differences 
between subscribers and honest, responsible 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 maintain the improvement and en¬ 
largements that we are now planning for The It. 
N.-Y., we should have a circulation of 200,000 copies 
weekly. We must depend on our old friends for 
this increase. To make it easy for these friends to 
introduce the paper to other farmers who do not 
now take it we will send it 10 weeks for 10 cents 
for strictly introductory purposes. We will appre¬ 
ciate the interest of friends who help make up the 
needed increase of subscriptions. 
* 
We regret to learn of the death of an old friend, 
John M. Jamison, of Ohio, who died at his home on 
December 12. Mr. Jamison was one of the most in¬ 
telligent and thorough farmers in Ohio. A man of 
the highest character, whatever he said or wrote 
was accepted as sound personal experience or con¬ 
viction. Mr. Jamison was one of the famous “old 
guard”—men who 25 years ago kept alive the spirit 
of agricultural education when it required hard 
work and strong faith to do so. In these easier and 
richer days our young men do not fully realize what 
these old veterans did in laying the foundations. 
* 
“That editorial is - narrow.” 
“The editorial is God’s truth.” 
What are we to say when these forcible, opposite 
opinions are honestly expressed by educated men? 
Can you easily think of a statement of which both 
of these remarks may be true? The editorial re¬ 
ferred to is found on page 1205. We stated that 
the endowed colleges do not seem to offer great hope 
for the peculiar educational needs of the common 
people. As these colleges grow more and more in¬ 
dependent of direct support from the public they 
grow more and more away from the actual needs of 
the working classes. Some of them do this openly 
and rather defiantly, while others follow the sources 
of their endowments unconsciously. All, however, 
are, we think, journeying on toward what we may 
call class education. This being so the great hope 
for the popular education of the future lies in our 
State universities and agricultural colleges. These 
are State or National institutions, supported not by 
private endowments but by general taxation. They 
are therefore for the people, which comes more and 
more to mean that portion of our people who need 
popular and truly practical education. It follows 
naturally if these propositions are accepted that 
these public universities and colleges should be ad¬ 
ministered in the direct interests of the people who 
need their help. This means that our agricultural 
colleges should be organized and dominated by the 
true spirit of farming or agriculture, and right here 
is where the two men quoted above separate. One 
seems to think that these colleges are best served by 
business or professional men who either own a farm 
as a plaything or as a side issue in their business, 
or who deal with farmers in some trade capacity. 
Our friend thinks that such men are by training 
and experience better qualified to run an institution. 
By having one toe or part of one foot on the soil 
he thinks they acquire enough of this spirit of agri¬ 
culture to enable them to know what a farmer needs. 
The other man thinks that since these colleges are 
for farmers they should be such both by name and 
nature. Thus they should be dominated and con¬ 
trolled by men, the majority of whom make all or 
most of their living out of the land in practical farm¬ 
ing. Granting that such men have the needed busi¬ 
ness capacity, they will be more likely to possess 
that true “spirit of agriculture” than the other class. 
We believe that this last proposition is correct. It 
is a great question, and we should welcome an 
argument from those who think the agricultural 
college should not be controlled by real farmers. 
We are now to have a new department. “The Home 
Acre.” Under this heading will be discussed the 
peculiar problems of the man with a garden or com¬ 
paratively small piece of land which he must work 
to its full capacity. These men must have their soil 
- in the best condition, make the best selection of 
seeds and plants and give them the finest care. This 
is “intensive culture.” It is absolutely necessary on 
a small piece of land, and becoming more and more 
necessary on all our Eastern farms. Our new de¬ 
partment will give the best possible methods of mak¬ 
ing the soil productive, and take up in ample season 
the questions of selecting varieties, planting and 
care. An expert gardener of long experience will tell 
how to plant and beautify the grounds around a 
house. He can sketch plans, make lists of desirable 
trees and shrubs, and tell how to care for them. The 
best experts in garden and fruit culture will be on 
call to answer questions and suggestions. This work 
will prove invaluable to “The Home Acre” man, and 
the farmer with broad acres can also learn how to 
make the garden the most valuable spot on the farm. 
* 
“ HAPPY DAYS.” 
At this season of the year we get the real thing in 
heart-to-heart talks with our readers. It is the sea¬ 
son for renewing subscriptions, and thousands of 
people take advantage of the opportunity to wrap 
some good wish or good-natured criticism or hit of 
experience around their dollar. They all want to 
help in some way—all want to prove our statement 
that The Ii. N.-Y. is closer to its readers than any 
other paper in the country. What texts these good 
friends give us in their letters! 
“My neighbors used to take The It. N.-Y. to please 
me. Now they take it to please themselves.” 
New Jersey. i. s. b. 
Sooner or later a paper must stand or fall by about 
that test. In these days few businesslike people will 
pay for a paper simply to please their neighbors. 
They might do it once, but eventually the test of 
actual, personal service must come and the readers 
will “please themselves.” 
I was one of the younger set of boys who whooped it 
up for Uncle Sam in the ’sixties, but who came home 
and (lug hard for a living till rheumatism and heart- 
weakness laid me out. I am not a disgruntled old 
grouch, but a man fond of good literature, music and 
flowers, and little children, jokes and friends. Being 
very deaf, I have to depend on myself for ways to be 
entertained, which is why I take The R. N.-Y t . j. h. 
Ohio. 
This old veteran gives us all a text for a living 
sermon. Here is a man who makes “happy days,” 
into which even these severe afflictions cannot enter. 
Some of us who fancy we are greatly abused may 
think we are justified in playing the part of a “dis¬ 
gruntled old grouch” during 1914. Let the thought 
of this brave old soldier enable us to cut that 
“grouch” out. “Happy days!” We might fill the 
paper with these original texts, but here is one more: 
“I take The R. N.-Y. because it is the paper with 
a conscience and a punch.” w. H. m. 
Connecticut. 
Can anyone have an enduring “punch” unless there 
be a conscience hack of it? Can any conscience be 
worth a single thought unless it can start a hard 
punch at some evil? We think that a “punch” with 
merely cold-blooded reason or some personal motive 
back of it would do far more harm than good. “ Con¬ 
science and a punch!” What a motto for those of 
us who want to have a hand in the great things 
which open up for 1914. We shall all enjoy working 
on together— “Happy days!” 
* 
Tiie “tree dopers” are at work again. These fel¬ 
lows offer to cure a tree of diseases and fix it so the 
scale and other insects will not work by “inoculat¬ 
ing” it. Their scheme is to cut a little hole in the 
hark and poke in a capsule or pill containing some 
mysterious powder. Then the wound is waxed over 
and the tree left to cure itself. These fakes charge 
10 cents or more per tree, and can dope 250 trees a 
day in a large orchard. It is plain daylight robbery 
and nothing more, yet these fellows are now at 
work in Pennsylvania and Maryland, making more 
dishonest money in a day than the average honest 
man can make in two weeks. The scheme has been 
exposed again and again, yet people continue to bite 
at this old fraud. We know an educated man who 
had an argument with one of these fakes. The tree 
doper showed a newspaper clipping which showed 
how one man had given his blood into the veins of 
another! Then he told how doctors vaccinate to 
prevent smallpox, and use a toxin in cases of diph¬ 
theria, and of wonderful consumption cures through 
inoculation, and of feeding sulphur to sheep to kill 
the ticks. “Now,” he said, “if these scientists can 
do all this by inoculation, I can do the same things 
through the sap of a tree!” That is the sort of 
logic these scamps are using, and it works the money 
out of many a pocket which cannot stand the loss. 
January 3, 
The last issue of the Tribune Farmer contains this 
statement: 
With this issue the Tribune Farmer closes its career 
as a distinct publication. It lias been purchased by the 
proprietors of The Rural New-Yorker, who will here¬ 
after merge it with that publication. * * * Sub¬ 
scribers to the Tribune Farmer will receive Tiie Rural 
New-Yorker to the expiration of their subscriptions to 
The Farmer. Persons who are now subscribers to both 
papers will have their subscriptions to The Rural 
New-Yorker extended for the period covered by their 
subscription to The Farmer. 
We now confirm this agreement and take great 
pleasure in welcoming our new readers. This is 
the first issue of The R. N.-Y. which goes to Tribune 
Farmer readers under the new arrangement. While 
old readers will naturally regret “the breaking of 
home ties” and separation from their old friend, we 
hope they will feel in a measure, at least, compen¬ 
sated and satisfied by such service as we can give 
them through The R. N.-Y. We find that many 
farmers have been reading both papers. Their sub¬ 
scriptions have been extended by agreement, and we 
need not give them a special welcome. 
To newer readers we may say with sincerity that 
we welcome this material increase to what we call 
the Rural family. We want you to feel at home at 
once and permanently. Call on us whenever we can 
he of any service to you. Tell us your needs, 
and we will do our best to meet them. Let us work 
together to make the New Year a happy and pros¬ 
perous one. We cannot hope entirely to replace your 
favorite old friend in your affections, for we know 
what these long-time friendships mean. We hope, 
however, to win a permanent place in your lives 
and in your homes. 
* 
For the past few years the “two blades of gi’nss” 
men have worked their theory very hard. They only 
needed an audience to argue that the farmers of this 
country would all get rich if they would only double 
their crops. Sometimes, when they could not get an 
audience, they talked to themselves. At one time 
they seemed to have the colleges and stations and 
most other agents of agricultural education going 
their way. We have claimed from the beginning 
that this “two blades of grass” theory would be the 
finest thing for the carriers and handlers, but the 
poorest thing for the producers. These carriers and 
handlers are able to collect fixed charges per pound 
or measure. When they handle loo cars they natu¬ 
rally collect twice as much as when they handle 50 
cars. When the farmers produce 100 cars they find 
that the extra 50 will be used to heat down the price 
of the original 50. and the more they produce the 
less they receive. We have proof of this in a recent 
statement from the Department of Agriculture. Here 
are the comparative figures of crops for two years in 
the country: 
Total crop— 
Total value— 
1913 
1913 
1913 
1912 
Corn. 
Potatoes... 
Tobacco.... 
Ilay. 
2,44(5.988.000 
331,525,000 
953,734,000 
01,110,000 
3,124,740.000 
420,047,000 
902.855,0.'10 
72,091,000 
$1,092,092,000 
227.903,1 HK) 
127,481,000 
797,077,000 
§1,520,454,000 
212,550,000 
104,003,000 
850,095.000 
Thus with smaller crops of corn, potatoes and to¬ 
bacco than last year, our farmers obtained over 
$200,000,000 more than they did for the larger crop. 
With a smaller hay crop the average ton brought 75 
cents more. Now what on earth would be the in¬ 
ducement for the farmers of this country to double 
their production at increased cost and secure less for 
their crop? We think these “two blades of grass” 
men see the point. At any rate there are 100 men 
driving this thought home where one was doing it 
10 years ago. Cut out the “two blades of grass.” 
Make it possible for the farmers to get a 50-cent 
dollar for the one blade, and it will feed the nation 
like the widow’s cruse of oil. 
BREVITIES. 
Yes, a mossbacked soil usually needs lime. 
Try' a little Alfalfa seed when you sow Red or Alsike 
clover. 
Worcester County, Mass., lias an Alfalfa Club. 
What about your county? 
The Wisconsin Dramatic Society will present “The 
Book of Job” as a drama. Job ranks in history as the 
patient farmer. 
The residue from acetylene plants is a wet, slaked 
lime. It may be used wherever lime is needed. There 
is nothing injurious in it as usually found. 
We should be careful about buying chestnut timber. 
The blight disease has killed many chestnuts, and these 
dead or dying trees are being cut up for lumber. 
Be sure to follow the articles on acid soil. Some of 
us may be trying too hard to fit our soils for alkaline 
crops, when others will do well on our acid soils. 
Several New York dealers in barbers’ supplies have 
been convicted and fined for selling “bay rum” which 
contains wood alcohol. It seems that this stuff is quite 
largely used by barbers, yet whenever it comes on the 
face there is danger of entire or partial blindness. 
