1188 
Si'tiLC RURAL NKW-YORKEK 
October 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Established (SSO 
Published weekly by the lltirol Publishing- i'ontpnny, IMS IVesi 80lh Street. Neo Vm-A 
Herbert W. CoiiLTNGwdtSb. President anti Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dh.i.on, Secretary. Mbs. E. T. Rotlk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION ‘ ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.W. equal to 8s. 8d„ or 
Si£ marks, or 10k; francs, item it in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 75 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 every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But 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 our 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 bo confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrunts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to Us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorkf.r when writing the advertiser. 
A T the celebration of the battle of Lake Cham¬ 
plain, on September 11, Gov. Glynn very prop¬ 
erly retold the famous rooster story: 
It is related that during the battle, a shot from one of 
the British ships shattered a packing case and liberated 
a rooster which flew upon one of the guns on McDon¬ 
ough’s flagship and crowed a lusty defiance at the enemy. 
To-day the American eagle looks with pride upon that 
rooster’s exploit, but it has no disposition to emulate 
its achievement. 
Many of us would nominate the American rooster 
as a candidate for the place now occupied on the 
flag by the eagle. The old war eagle is a back num¬ 
ber. He never did anything but fight, and if wo tell 
the truth about him he was a nuisance and a fraud 
in his relation to American industry, a thief and a 
coward—stealing the farmer's chickens and lambs 
and fighting weaker birds or small animals. The 
rooster, on the other hand, represents his wife and 
sister, the “Business Hen.” who has long stood as 
the faithful friend and supporter of humanity. Had 
there been an eagle in that coop at Lake Champlain 
he would have promptly put several miles between 
himself and danger. The rooster remained at the 
front and challenged the enemy. Call the eagle 
down and raise the representative of the Business 
Hen, or why not the hen herself? 
* 
T HE free public markets in New York have not 
yet been able to attract many farmers. As 
we have explained, New York City is a hard 
city to enter with produce—located on a long, nar¬ 
row island, with high hills and a marsh to the west. 
There is plenty of produce within 50 miles of the 
city if it can be collected and transported. This 
problem of bringing in the produce is the vital one 
now. At any rate the starting of these free markets 
and the discussions in the daily papers have been of 
great benefit to the public. City people do not usual¬ 
ly think except along the lines of their reading in 
the daily papers. As they see day after day arti¬ 
cles on these markets and discussions of the price of 
food they will soon come to regard this marketing 
question as one of the most important of any which 
touch their lives. There is no other way to bring 
rhis thinking about except a full discussion in the 
daily papers. If this can he kept up city people will 
soon realize that a 35-cent dollar for the farmer 
means a 165-eent dollar for the buyer. Once let 
them realize that and they will soon kick over the 
machine which plays with their dollar. 
* 
E VERY year at this time we have calls for a 
trespass sign to put up on woods and fields as a 
warning to hunters or reamers. Such signs 
need not be elaborate. The following in large type 
will answer: 
Traspttssing on this properly for any purpose is 
forbidden under penalty of the law. 
-, Owner. 
The local printer ought to do a fair business in 
printing and distributing such signs. They should 
be posted co-operatively. That is, all the farmers in 
a neighborhood should combine and post all their 
farms uniformly. Then they should agree to enforce 
the law and unite, if need be. to drive trespassers 
away. We have heard of one place where the far¬ 
mers posted their farms in this way, and then sent 
a note to the local papers which read about as fol¬ 
lows : 
We, the undersigned residents of-neigh- 
; orhood, have posted our farms against trespassers of 
II kinds. We have agreed to unite in resisting any 
acroachment upon our rights. Anyone who enters 0111 
property without permission is hereby notified that ht 
must take the consequences. Signed. 
That is about what it is coming to if the sports and 
hunters are not checked—and vve do not know of any 
better way of checking them than this form of co¬ 
operative support. 
R EADERS who have apples or other fruit of 
which they are not sure should send it for iden¬ 
tification to 
U. S. POMOLOGIST. 
Dept, of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C. 
New Jersey readers who desire a home identifica¬ 
tion may send to 
PROF. M. A. BLAKE, 
New Brunswick, N. J. 
It is very important to know just what you are 
growing, especially if you ever intend to propagate 
from your own trees. 
I THINK there are two things we should do with ex¬ 
perience. first see that we benefit by what has been 
profitable, and then, if possible, pass it on to the 
other follow who thinks lie needs it. And when it 
conies to the latter I think your organization is doing 
it in a more generous and beneficial manner than any 
similar organization I have ever came in contact with. 
ELMER J. WEAVER. 
Our readers frequently express what we would 
like to say far better than we can do it. This idea 
about experience is an illustration of what we mean. 
Mr. Weaver himself has done as much as anyone to 
help “pass it on.” As for the organization, we are 
fully justified in saying that The R. N.-Y. has gath¬ 
ered about it the most competent and'complete Com¬ 
pany for the gathering and distribution of intelli¬ 
gence about farming ever known in the world. Our 
readers make great use of it. Since January 1 of 
this year the editorial department alone has written 
14,17s letters—which means that about 1S.OOO ques¬ 
tions were answered by mail in addition to those 
printed. We are enabled to do this work accurately 
through the cheerful and conscientious help of people 
like Mr. Weaver, for the best farm intelligence is ac¬ 
curate and tested experience “passed on to the other 
fellow.” 
* 
W ITH the opening of schools tills Fall the laws 
in several States directing the vaccination of 
school children are being enforced, and are 
arousing considerable opposition in some places 
whore there are parents opposed to this measure. 
Much of this opposition, whether with reason or not. 
is due to a sincere fear of the possible results of 
vaccination, and some of it is probably due to nnt- 
ural opposition to compulsory laws affecting what 
people consider their personal liberties. The coun¬ 
try doctor has never been an ardent advocate of 
compulsory vaccination, though he recognizes the 
value of the measure. While few of the present gen¬ 
eration, even among physicians, have ever seen a 
case of smallpox, its very name still strikes terror 
in the hearts of those whose ancestors were liter¬ 
ally slaughtered by the millions by this scourge 
which formerly roamed the world unchecked, and 
which, until tin* introduction of vaccination, about 
the year 1800, annually numbered its victims by the 
thousands. Many who escaped death were blinded 
and otherwise so disfigured as to make life a doubt¬ 
ful blessing. It is possible for accidental inocula¬ 
tion with disease germs derived from dirty instru¬ 
ments. hands, clothing or other sources to infect a 
vaccination wound, and. in rare instances, impure 
virus has made serious trouble. Pure vaccine virus 
from healthy calves is always harmless, however, 
and it is entirely possible to guard against accidental 
infections. When properly performed by compe¬ 
tent hands, vaccination is as safe as it is possi¬ 
ble for the most minor operation to be, and the 
timidity which would forbid this would, if 
logically carried out, forbid the extracting of a de¬ 
cayed tooth or the paring of a corn, both of which 
ordinary procedures have resulted fatally. The one 
thing required to make vaccination safe is the ob¬ 
servance of strict cleanliness during and after the 
operation. Vaccine virus is always, nowadays, put 
up in sealed glass tubes or on equally well-sealed 
ivory points. Neither should be opened until just 
previous to using. The arm should he washed with 
clean soap and water and dried on a clean towel; 
the operator’s hands should he washed and any cut¬ 
ting instruments used Should he sterilized. After 
the operation, the best dressing for the little wound 
is a soft pad of clean doth, a freshly-washed and 
ironed handkerchief being as good as anything. This 
should lie pinned over the arm in such a way that 
neither dirty clothing nor anything else can come 
in contact with the sore. No grease or ointments 
should l>e used, and when the discharge makes it 
necessary to wash the arm this should he done with 
boiled, and cooled, water, and the clean dressing im¬ 
mediately replaced. With these simple, but neces¬ 
sary. precautions upon the part of the physician and 
parents, and the use of fresh virus from an abso¬ 
lutely reliable source, no one need tear vaccination. 
O N page 1108 you say: “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.” 
Are you sure of this? Remember how fiercely the 
first French Republic fought from 1790 to 1805. And 
we ourselves, secure as our position makes us, have 
had five, one of them the greatest civil war on record. 
c. E. I). PHELPS. 
It is a question whether the first French republic 
was a “liberal form of government.” Surely the 
“Reign of Terror” was anything hut liberal, and the 
French wars were mostly forced upon the nation by 
efforts to restore or maintain a monarchy. Surely 
the fall of both Napoleons led to peace. As for our 
own government the Revolutionary War left the 
country full of a fierce fighting spirit, yet Washing¬ 
ton and all the wiser statesmen, declared that 
America must stand for a policy of peace. Every 
war. except the Mexican War, has been fought to 
give what the fighters believed would he a more lib¬ 
eral government. To-day there is less of the “fight¬ 
ing spirit” in the nation than ever before. 
* 
T IIE apple crop problem has become a serious 
one. Our reports indicate few sales thus far, 
and a shortage of buyers. At some of the fruit 
centers where, in former years, buyers were as thick 
as flies, hardly one has yet appeared. No one knows 
just what the foreign situation will develop into, but 
it is evident that American markets must absorb 
much of the stock which would he sent to Europe 
in time of peace. We think this American market 
will take care of the surplus if if can be distrib¬ 
uted properly. During the past week we have re¬ 
ceived six letters from parties in the Middle West, 
who ask where they can buy apples in carload lots 
direct from from growers. That section of the 
West and the South are short of apples, and can 
take great quantities of our Eastern fruit if mod¬ 
erate prices are charged. Here seems to he an op¬ 
portunity for the farm bureaus East and West to 
help in distributing the large Eastern apple crop. 
The home market has never been fully developed. 
Now is the time to organize and push the sale of 
apples into every home. 
* 
6 4TT will pay the farmer to secure a Babcock test 
er,” was the remark of an employee of one of 
the large bottling and milk shipping concerns 
operating in New York State. “This is the reason.” 
he added. "I have been testing milk since I became 
connected with my concern. Some farmers just pass 
flic .‘>.n% mark and secure the 10 cents bonus, and I 
find there are a good many herds which do even bel¬ 
ter than that. I had a remarkable surprise. I test 
ed one farmer’s milk, and it lacked just two points 
of six per cent. I doubted my test. I run through 
I he test again with extreme care, found that I had 
been absolutely correct. This farmer is ignorant of 
the possibilities in bis herd for b itter-making, lie 
only gets the 10-eent bonus, and is losing money 
every day. The added equipment for butter-making 
would lie small, and the labor necessary would 
scarcely be more than that, involved in bringing his 
dairy product down over the hills to the factory each 
day. Then there is value in the skim-milk, depend 
ing on the use to which it is placed. It should 
he worth 20 cents the hundred, and it is an easy mat¬ 
ter to figure bow much this farmer is losing daily. 
Farmers are not asking for their test, and I find 
a good many are satisfied to get through, others 
to get the bonus, and they seem blind, to the possi¬ 
bilities in their herds. It would pay the farmer to 
ask us what his herd tests, and further to put the 
scales and tester in his own barn and make each 
COW make good or leave." 
BREVITIES. 
No cedar trees, no cedar rust on apples. 
Fall plowing beats the cover crops when the soil is 
filled with white grubs! 
On a good many South Jersey farms this year sweet 
potatoes will just about pull loss up to profit! 
Ax effort will be made during the coming Winter to 
organize the vegetable growers in New Jersey. 
The West Virginia Experiment Station will send out 
well-bred Leghorn cockerels of a heavy laying strain t.» 
West Virginia farmers under special condition. 
Tobacco stems will rank as a potash fertilizer. If 
you can buy them at a fair price b.\ all means take 
them. Tobacco is one of the plants which takes large 
quantities of potash from the soil. 
The Alabama Experiment Station has made a full 
study of the boll weevil situation and cotton growing. 
It warns cotton growers in time that this insect will 
compel them to change their farming and their crops. 
Now we hear from parties who say they want t" 
start a poultry contest as a commercial proposition. 
They would charge $15 or more per pen and plan for 
50 or 100 pens. The time has not yet come for sm ;i 
individual contests. They should be controlled or safe¬ 
guarded by some government institution or some grem 
public enterprise so as to carry weight and authority. 
