1214 
October 10, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country anil Suburban Homes 
Established ISSO 
Published weekly by the Knral Publishing Company, 838 lVcst 80th Street, New Vorft 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
Jo;t < Oiu.on, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wn. p. Dillox, Secretary. Mrs. K. T. 11oyi.e. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.01, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8>£ marks, or I OP francs. Remit 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. Hut to make doubly sure, we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate sw indler, 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 eases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but wo will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrants sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month of the time of 
tl>e transaction, and to identify it. you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. • 
N EXT WEEK we shall begin the publication of a 
series of articles on “Farm Stock Breeding.” 
They will run for a number of weeks, and will, 
we think, prove thoroughly useful to all our people 
who are interested in the breeding of farm animals. 
Much of the excellent work done by the scientific 
men along this line has never boon popularized, and 
brought down to the clear understanding of the ma¬ 
jority of the stockmen. The articles which we shall 
print are standard and give in clear, forcible man¬ 
ner the principles of the science of breeding and 
practical application for tbe farmer. Readers who 
are interested in live stock should plan to keep these 
articles on file. 
sjs 
J ERSEY CITY seems to be the first community to 
try The R. N.-lvs suggestion of using an auto¬ 
truck to collect produce for the public market. 
City Commissioner George F. Brensinger has been 
very active in trying to make this market success¬ 
ful. He went out himself with a big truck and col¬ 
lected a load; then helped sell it at retail. It will 
pay to organize a regular trucking service of this 
sort in order to supply these new markets. Tons of 
produce will be wasted unless some arrangement of 
this sort can be made for transporting it. Every 
farmer within hauling distance of New York raises 
more than he can carry. Bring that surplus in and 
all will benefit. 
V 
T IIE apple situation in New York State this year 
is peculiar. The crop is only a little above that 
of last year, yet from almost all sections of the 
State we hear that buyers are scarce. Two reasons 
are given for this, the uncertainty as to the export 
trade, and the tightness of money, as banks are less 
ready than usual to make advances on storage cer¬ 
tificates. The home market will be looked after 
much more closely than usual, by advertising in local 
papers, canvass of the grocery trade, etc., and the 
net returns from such sales will frequently be found 
better than where the fruit is shipped or sold to 
travelling buyers. In several cases reported to us 
farmers have organized, bunched their crops, packed 
under the New York law and advertised in the trade 
papers. If this is kept up the present trouble will 
develop into a future blessing. 
* 
W E learn new things about our old friend, Luther 
Burbank from an interview in the Worcester 
(Mass.) Post. Mr. Burbank was visiting his 
cousin, W. D. Ross. 
“Say, Cousin Luther,” said Mr. Ross to a quiet, com¬ 
mon-looking man in rather ill-fitting hand-me-downs— 
a man whom you would never take for one of the world’s 
greatest scientists—“say, if we’d had you here for the 
fair iind advertised that you’d talk just 10 minutes about 
your work, it would have meant about $10,000 to us.” 
Quite likely Mr. Ross is the author of some of 
those eloquent appeals for $151 sent out by the 
Luther Burbank Society. Mr. Burbank quietly dis¬ 
posed of the statement by saying: “I’m not much on 
talking.” The reporter adds that Burbank’s pictures 
make him look like an orator, “but they do him 
great wrong.” Take all the rest of us, Mr. Burbank 
is interested in the European war. The Post reports 
him as follows: 
Germany will have to depend more on the potato than 
ever before in this war—and it will be the Burbank 
potato. 
Russia can raise in Siberia enough wheat to feed all 
the armies of the world. I am experimenting on a 
wheat which will help her do it. 
Mv spineless cactus, used as a fodder, could feed the 
cavalries of every European army. 
Germany is a wonderful nation, and we are bound 
to have great respect for Mr. Burbank’s opinion, but 
we doubt if she will thunder very loud at the gates 
of Paris with men fed on potatoes and horses fed on 
spineless cactus. Mr. Burbank believes that in 20 
T M E mu RAL NEW-YORKER 
years Siberia, with proper development, will be able 
to produce wheat for the entire world. He says he 
has a new wheat with heads three times as large 
as ordinary varieties. We think Mr. Burbank is 
right in thinking that the present war is to shake 
up the nations like chemicals in a bottle. The social 
explosion resulting from this will blow down old 
customs and ideas which many of us have considered 
fixed for centuries to come. The world is to find in 
Russia a wonderful producer and exporter of food. 
$ 
W HAT Prof. Massey says on page 1209 about 
plowing under rye is further proof that no 
general rule can he given for farm operations. 
The farmer must think out his own plan. No doubt 
Prof. Massey is referring to the light open soils 
of the Delaware peninsula, where disking young 
rye would probably he the best policy. On most of 
our own farm and on most of the soil in our sec¬ 
tion it would be impossible to use the disk effectively 
on knee-high rye. The soil is hard and wet, and 
the seasons are backward. One reason for sowing 
rye on our own lower ground is to let this crop dry 
out the soil in Spring. Even if the disk would work 
on this wet soil it would leave it in bad shape for 
fitting. We are convinced that it pays us better 
to let the rye grow larger, then plow it under, pack 
down and use lime. The soil is very deficient in 
humus and we need all we can get. At least this 
system has paid us well and we conclude it is best 
fitted to our conditions. The danger comes in let¬ 
ting the rye grow too large in a dry season and in 
not packing it down hard. The rye is such a strong 
feeder and drinker that it will dry out a soil if left 
too long. If you leave the green mass loose in the 
soil you will have more trouble. By plowing under 
in time, packing down hard and using lime annually 
we have been able to start the rye into quick decay. 
On most of our Eastern farms and particularly 
where little live stock is kept, this cover crop matter 
is very important. There ought to be the fullest dis¬ 
cussion of it because great judgment is required to 
handle it right. 
T HERE is one probable outcome of the European 
War which food producers should consider 
That is the discovery of new chemical methods 
of preparing food. As we know, the shortage of food 
during the siege of Paris, more than 40 years ago, 
led to the “invention” of oleomargarine. Chemists 
learned how to blend cheap fats into an imitation 
of pure butter. We all know what a remarkable 
effect this discovery has had upon the dairy busi¬ 
ness. It is not at all unlikely that the necessities of 
the present war may drive the chemists to new dis¬ 
coveries which will enable them to produce sub¬ 
stances capable of sustaining life without going 
through the slow processes of animal or vegetable 
growth. The Germans are a strong, capable and de¬ 
termined people. We hear it said that this nation 
may be “starved out,” yet it has been nearly self- 
sustaining in its food production, and its chemists 
are probably most capable of making the laboratory 
substitute for the farm in producing food and fibre. 
While America must now be considered the great 
food-producing nation for the next 20 years, we must 
all be prepared for new chemical foods which may 
affect our business as oleo lias changed dairying, and 
the same necessities will drive our chemists to the 
discovery of new methods of producing the chemicals 
needed in manufacturing. Already it is said that 
Mr. Edison has discovered a new plan of preparing 
carbolic acid. We think both farming and manu¬ 
facturing will be greatly changed by this war 
* 
W HILE we are discussing the trouble about buy¬ 
ing potash this year let us remember that 
large quantities of this element are wasted on 
most farms. Now or never should be the time to 
save it. Ashes from wood, tan bark or similar fuel, 
contain potash. Save every pound of it under cover. 
Coal ashes have very little value as plant food, but 
may help a sandy or a heavy clay soil. The liquid 
manures carry most of the potash in animal excre¬ 
ments. Except in the case of pigs, the liquids con¬ 
tain five or more times as much potash as the solids. 
With cattle S5 per cent, of the potash is found in the 
liquids. For every 1,000 pounds of cattle there will 
pass each year in the liquids about as much potash 
as we buy in 225 pounds of muriate. This year 
therefore we have a stronger argument than ever be¬ 
fore for concrete floors, full bedding and anything 
that will save the liquids. Remember, too, that in 
our grains most of the potash is found in the straw 
and stalk rather than in the seeds. All straw and 
cornstalks should be used as bedding or in the ma¬ 
nure pile. We hear of the great sums of money 
which have been spent for commercial potash. It 
has mostly been well spent, but the sum could be 
multiplied by 10 and then fall short of the sum we 
have thrown away through a failure to save the 
liquid manures. You may have a chance to buy to¬ 
bacco stems, ashes, tan bark or straw. These are the 
things most likely to contain potash. Such sub¬ 
stances as fish, bone, tankage or meat have practi¬ 
cally no potash, hut do supply nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid. But in any event save the wood ashes 
and the liquids. 
* 
O N page 1086 we told how the Gainesville Board 
of Trade has gone out after the land sharks and 
“home seeker” rascals who have so long eyrsed 
Florida like a horde of human malarial mosquitoes. 
These Gainesville people are doing fine work. We 
try to lash the frauds, and we are glad to help the 
fraud killers. Mr. Runnels, the secretary of the 
Board of Trade, says he has received letters all the 
way from Massachusetts to Washington. 
In some instances they have proved my contention 
that those people are laboring under mistaken notions. 
For instance, one middle-aged woman residing in the 
New England States, with only a limited amount of 
money, writes me that she was on the eve of purchas¬ 
ing ILi acre of ground on which she is to build a house 
and grow fruit and vegetables sufficient to maintain 
her. Now, what do you think of that? An inexperi¬ 
enced woman taking wild land and expecting, without 
previous experience, to make a comfortable living, pay¬ 
ing for this land at the rate of $100 per acre! 
What do we think of that? Nothing new. We 
have known of such things for years. We rejoice to 
think that Florida people are at last waking up to 
realize what this rascality means to the State. They 
are not all awake yet. It seems that Mr. Runnels 
lias been criticized by another “Board of Trade” for 
telling the truth about these frauds. We like the 
way he comes back : 
As long as I am in Florida, whenever an opportunity 
comes up to establish the good name of our State, I am 
going to land on these fellows every time I get the 
chance. They have done more to injure Florida, they 
have robbed more thousands of people using Florida as 
their jimmy, and have caused more people to curse the 
State than all the legitimate advertising and legitimate 
salesmen has been able to overcome. 
We have heard people offer a good argument to 
show that Esau was justified in selling his birthright 
for a mess of pottage, but nothing can justify the 
people of Florida or any other section, for giving the 
land sharks and “home” baiters a white card to rob 
the confiding poor. 
BREVITIES. 
California farmers have combined to fight the eight- 
hour law. 
Get the stoves or heaters going early enough this 
year. It may save a cold that will last all Winter. 
A lot of these big stories which we are to take with a 
grain of salt seem to be salted down so that they keep 
forever. 
We believe that more grape juice will be preserved 
by private families this year than ever before. A good 
thing, too. 
I can put a dollar bill on the wall within 10 feet of 
you. Then I can put a copper cent in front of your eye 
so that you cannot possibly see the dollar!! 
“All the eggs in one basket.” The old advice about 
this is good, but the trouble is that most farmers will 
not have any eggs at all—basket or no basket—until 
next Spring. 
Now comes the old question about the superiority of 
nursery trees grown in one section over that grown in 
another. It makes little difference to us provided the 
trees are vigorous and the wood well ripened. 
No question about the growing demand for nuts. This 
is a product well suited to a parcel post trade and for 
advertising. Anyone with good nuts for sale ought to 
let the public know where he lives. 
The Indiana Experiment Station has worked out a 
new method of killing wild onions—that pest of the pas¬ 
ture. It means spraying with road oil and is best done 
in the Spring. We shall tell all about it in time for use. 
In reply to many questions we consider good corn 
fodder—dry and sweet—worth about half as inueli as 
hay. Silage is worth about 20 per cent, of bay prices, 
and green corn, standing in the field, about $1.50 per 
ton. 
The very first principle in using hen manure as a fer¬ 
tilizer is to crush and sift it as fine as possible. All 
fertilizers should be spread evenly and freely to obtain 
best results. A “chunk” is nowhere near as effective 
as a handful of dust. 
Some of the farm writers advise burning all squash 
and melon vines. This is to destroy borers and other 
insects or diseases. Anyone witli an apple orchard 
should hesitate to burn up any organic matter. We haul 
the potato or squash vines and pile them around trees 
where these crops are never grown. 
Many poultrymon use mercurial ointment for destroy¬ 
ing vermin on poultry. It makes a very good lice killer. 
The war lias about doubled the price, as most of tins 
material is produced in Germany. If the war conditions 
continue the material may be practically out ot the 
market, or out of the reach of practical people. 
The Nebraska Experiment Station advises the adding 
if water to the corn while it is yet on the wagon, 
ather than pumping water into the silage, ’l'he watei 
nd silage must be thoroughly mixed to prevent it troin 
Holding. It is the opinion of the station that it does 
•erv little good to put water on silage after it has been 
died. Dry. semi-dry or frosted corn should always he 
lampened as it enters the silo. Ordinarily it 
rom one to three tons of water for each ton of . u 
■orn. It is always better to get too much rather than 
lot enough. 
