1108 
THR R.UR.A. L. NEW-YORKER 
September 12, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE It ISIS ESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsio 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 3* *8 "put 8(Hh Street,New Vorft 
Herbert W. Collingwooh. President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wn F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in I lie Universal Postal Union. $2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8}6 marks, or Kl'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, 7.7 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 person. We use eveiy possible precaution and admit the ad vertising of 
reliable houses only. Rut to make doubly sure, we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in onr columns, and any 
such swindler will be publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts, 
Notice of the complaint must he sent to us within one month of the time of 
The transaction, and to identify it. you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
I T is true that every now and then some good 
farmer conies ui> with a good argument for cut¬ 
ting Soy beans, cow peas, sunflowers, clover or 
some other crop into the silo with the corn. We do 
not question the claims made by such farmers, hut 
we think it safer generally to fill the silo with corn 
alone, and cure the Soy beans or cow peas into 
hay. In theory the beans and corn together make 
a “sandwich” for the cows. Yet the corn silage and 
the dry legume fodder also make a sandwich, and in 
some respects a better one than when both parts of 
it are fermented in the silo. A cow certainly does 
better with some dry fodder along with the silage. 
In theory beans and corn put into the silo together 
may make a balanced ration, but it is too bulky to 
give results without grain and dry fodder. Our ad¬ 
vice is to fill the silo with corn alone, and to cure 
the other crops to feed as hay. 
* 
A LL sorts of people are organizing these days. 
The latest poultry society is composed of the 
men and women who have entered hens at the 
Storrs egg-laying contest. The wives or husbands 
of the hen owners are eligible to membership. Judge 
F. M. Beasley is the first president, but hereafter the 
society will have a most original way of electing 
this officer. On November 1 of each year the winner 
of the contest automatically becomes president. 
Thus the president is elected not by humans, but by 
hens! You may possibly bribe or influence a human 
being so he will use the ballot box as a trap-nest for 
laying a bad egg. but you cannot fool or bribe or 
bulldoze a good lien. When she votes with her eggs 
you may be sure of an honest ballot. This new or¬ 
ganization is a fine thing, for we venture the predic¬ 
tion that egg-laying contests will lay the founda¬ 
tion for a wonderful trade in utility stock. But 
what if in the future well bred daughters of the 
Hope Farm man’s “scrubs” should elect their own¬ 
er president? 
* 
T HE European war has brought up a new dis¬ 
cussion of the thought that this nation is a 
collection of European immigrants and their 
children and descendants. How many foreigners are 
there in. the country? The census of 1010 found 
13,515,886 persons who were horn in other coun¬ 
tries. This was 11.7 per cent, of total population. 
If we were to include the children of these people— 
horn in this country—we should have about 35 per 
cent. The following table shows where the larger 
number of these people came from: 
Germany . 2.501,181 
Russia . 1,602,752 
Italy . 1.342.070 
Ireland .. 1 ,.!»)>!,155 
Great Britain . 1,159,068 
Austria . 1,174,924 
Norway and Sweden . 1,069,041 
Hungary . 495,600 
Out of this number there were 6,646,817 males of 
voting age, of whom 3,034,117 had been naturalized. 
With this large foreign born population it is but 
natural that there should be strong national feeling 
if not race prejudice. Many of our readers have 
relatives and friends fighting on one side or the 
other, or suffering hardships in the war zone. It is 
but natural that they should feel deep sympathy for 
their native land. Let them, however, remember 
this: We or our parents came to this country seek¬ 
ing freer and fairer opportunity. We cannot expect 
such opportunity here for ourselves or our children 
unless we can keep this nation absolutely free from 
old world complications and quarrels. Once drag 
this country into European politics and we do not 
help Europe, while we do complicate and cripple 
our own future. Every citizen, no matter where he 
comes from, should help to keep our country safely 
neutral in this conflict. Most of us can help most 
by silence and self restraint. 
I NOTICE, on page 1054, you say that to relieve the 
potash situation more lime will have to be used to 
release the soil potash. This is true where “burned 
lime” is used, but you will never get results of that 
kind from ground limestone. s. 
We believe that is true. A sharp chemical action 
will he needed. Ground limestone is more gentle in 
its action. We should not, however, place too much 
dependence on this action of lime to supply potash. 
Some of the scientists think there is but little power 
in the lime to make potash available in the average 
soil. It will be most likely to do so on the heavy 
clays. Do not expect too much from lime on a 
sandy or light soil, and do not let anyone convince 
you that his particular brand of lime is superior. 
* 
T HE New York State Fair passed into the “Ex¬ 
position” class last year, and this year it went 
further along the way. Could some old timer 
have come back to the Exposition this year after an 
absence of 10 years he would hardly have known 
where he was. Many of the old faces are missed, 
hut younger and energetic men have come in charge 
of departments, and there is more and more of a 
tendency to make the exhibits “educational” in char¬ 
acter. At this great show it is possible for a farm¬ 
er to see and study any variety or breed or any im¬ 
plement or farm product in which he is interested. 
There was an enormous exhibit of fruit and vege¬ 
tables. The very size and beauty of this exhibit 
served to bring out the great, glaring defect in this 
exposition. This is the dreadful building devoted to 
the horticultural exhibits. They are now crowded 
into a poorly arranged, dark place with a roof which 
admits water like a sieve. On Wednesday there was 
a sudden and fierce shower, and hundreds sought 
shelter in this building. They might as well have 
secured their soaking outside. The rain came down 
through the roof in streams. Great pools formed 
on the floor; there was no dry place to he found 
in all the dark budding. It was a disgraceful thing 
that these great industries of fruit and vegetable 
growing should ho obliged to swim for their lives in 
a State building! 
* 
T HE opening of public markets in New York 
City gives a good opportunity to farmers with¬ 
in 50 miles of the city. Housekeepers here are 
eager to buy produce at a fair bargain. They will 
go after the goods when convinced that it is profit¬ 
able to do so. New York is built on a long narrow 
island, not easy of access with wagons as is the case 
at Boston, Baltimore or Rochester. That is why 
in former years the public market plan has not suc¬ 
ceeded. To the west there are wide marshes and 
steep hills to cross before you come to the river, 
so that the average farmer, with one or two teams, 
cannot hope to take long daily trips to the city. To 
make these markets successful cooperative organiza¬ 
tion must he started. While one farmer may not be 
able to utilize this market he. with a dozen of his 
neighbors can do so. A large auto truck with two 
or three men could transport the produce which now 
requires 25 horses to move. These horses and at 
least 10 men would he left free for other work. This 
truck, running over the fine roads which are found 
in Northern New Jersey, would move this produce 
into the city market where the organization of farm¬ 
ers could maintain a store or stall, and obtain retail 
prices for their goods. That is what many individ¬ 
ual farmers near Boston are doing, because they can 
drive directly into that city with their wagons. New 
York is so hard to reach from the west side that 
few individual farmers can hope to use the new 
markets permanently. A group of them, say 12 or- 
more, within 60 miles of the city, can combine their 
labor and their capital and more than double the 
35-cent dollar, which they must expect to receive as 
individuals. 
* 
T HERE is one, thing about this horrid European 
War which all people who are able to think 
ought to consider. Whenever a nation moves 
nearer to a republic or a more liberal form of gov¬ 
ernment the military spirit weakens, and with it the 
desire for fighting. How could it be otherwise as 
men learn more and more how to govern them¬ 
selves? For centuries the plain, common people were 
kept poor and subservient by strong military govern¬ 
ments. There was nothing for them to do hut to 
produce children and food to build up and feed the 
army. And what did they get in return? Protec¬ 
tion from their enemies! Who were these “ene¬ 
mies?” Plain, common people like themselves who 
had the same life purposes and desires that they 
had, and who naturally should he their friends and 
partners. A few strong men for purposes of their 
own quarreled among themselves and kept up the 
fiction that the plain people who did the fighting 
needed to he “protected.” This is the false and 
cruel proposition which has kept the autocratic mili¬ 
tary governments in power. Under democracy, where 
men come nearer and near to governing themselves, 
about the first thing which intelligent men realize 
is the folly of spending vast sums of money upon 
standing armies or war preparations. Democracy 
brings a sense of personal responsibility and men 
come to understand that they need no such protec¬ 
tion when they can fairly reach men of their own 
class in other countries. When Norway decided to 
separate from Sweden there was no war because 
the working men in both nations agreed that there 
was nothing to fight about. Yet a few centuries ago 
a little group of “rulers” in each nation would have 
started a bloody war in order that their people 
might be “protected.” Now, all this being so. Democ¬ 
racy faces a serious danger in this war. The auto¬ 
cratic, military government is always prepared to 
fight and strike hard. The more liberal a govern¬ 
ment becomes the less it is prepared for war, because 
the very idea of a liberal government is based on Un¬ 
common rights of men and not upon standing armies 
or ability to fight. The strong warlike nation can 
trample over the peaceful country before the people 
can prepare themselves for the fight. Herein lies 
the greatest test thus far presented to Democracy or 
popular government. If the republic must stand 
constantly with sword in hand prepared to fight a 
brutal and unscrupulous autocratic nation Democ¬ 
racy is in danger as never before, because the world 
has seen its blessings. These blessings of freedom 
may actually become a menace if the brutal power 
of war is to settle national dispute. 
L AST year the daily papers printed sad stories of 
disease and deatli from eating chestnuts from 
trees affected with the blight disease. Gray 
squirrels were said to lie dying and an epidemic 
among humans was reported. Careful investigation 
has been made by scientific men, and the results 
prove that such stories are simply fakes and nothing 
more. Not one case could be found where the 
blighted chestnuts were any more injurious to 
health than perfectly healthy nuts. 
A SEED house in Indiana makes a glowing offer 
of “Marvelous” wheat. The statements are 
very cunning and plausible, and would lead a 
farmer to think the wheat is sure to yield 50 bushels 
per acre from little more than a peck of seed. We 
have had many letters from farmers asking about 
this wheat. We have it oil the best authority that 
this “Marvelous” is the old “Miracle” wheat which 
was boomed so freely a few years ago. It is a 
good wheat—probably a strain of Fulcaster—but it 
is incapable of making the great yields which are 
claimed for it, by this firm. It is sold by reputable 
seed growers at a fair price, but buyers are told that 
it is nothing more than a good wheat, and that they 
should use at least one bushel of seed per acre. The 
advice to use one peck only is nonsense under gen¬ 
eral conditions. Tf you ask how it is possible to in¬ 
duce fanners to pay .$3 and $5 per bushel for this 
wheat we give the answer in this letter from an ex¬ 
pert grower: 
“It is only on account of the assistance of the so 
called high-grade farm papers that - is able to 
get the extraordinary prices he is charging for this 
wheat!'' 
You have an entire sermon on the ethics of ad¬ 
vertising and the responsibility of journalism in 
those few lines. 
BREVITIES. 
Tiie silent example will spread the sound idea. 
A good stockman is known by the culls lie gets rid of. 
The balanced ration talk is good, but this idea is 
best. It isn’t the amount you eat but wliat you can 
digest. 
As we expected, “feelers” are appearing in some of 
the papers about wonderful new fertilizers or sources of 
fertility. Pay no attention to them until the experiment 
stations give them an O. K. 
The seedsmen will have their troubles this year, for 
many of the best seeds and bulbs are imported. This 
year they cannot be sent in large numbers. It will be 
interesting to see what the seedsmen claim in their 
catalogues. 
It surely pays on our soil to sow Alsike clover seed. 
We use half Alsike and half Red. The Alsike will do 
better on sour or wet places. It might well be Alsike 
and Red-top for wet sour soils, and Red clover and 
Timothy for well-drained sweet soils. 
Many cattle are killed each year by lightning—usu¬ 
ally when near wire fences. The wires of such a fence 
should be grounded to prevent such loss. The Wisconsin 
Station says: “To secure the best results ground wires 
ought to he placed about 100 feet apart and closely 
stapled to the post, so as to form a contact with every 
one of the fence wires. The ground wires should also 
extend slightly above the fence post, and like a lightning 
rod, should penetrate the soil far enough to reach moist 
earth. No. 8 or 9 wire is most satisfactory for this 
purpose.” 
