1344 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S TAPER 
A National Weekly .Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsao 
Pnllishcd weekly liy the Kural Publishing Company. 338 West 80th Street, New York 
Herbert TV. Cor.UN'owoon. President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and Genera! Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mjts. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $ 2 . 01 . equal to 8s. Cd., Or 
8 )a marks, or lolo francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal elieck 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 ; aiid 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 ami admit tiie advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will makegood 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 lie publicly exposed. We arc 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 witii 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 be 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 N the new egg-laying contest just starting at 
Storrs an English breeder entered a pen of Wy- 
andottes. It was necessary to cable about them, 
and all messages must be sent subject to the military 
censor. This message was held up and the breeder 
asked to explain the meaning of the word “Wyan¬ 
dotte” before it could proceed. This will indicate 
the feeling in England, and the strict supervision of 
the army officials. Any new or strange word or 
phrase is regarded with suspicion. They probably 
thought “Wyandotte” stood for some new explosive. 
It seems to. The record and shape of these English 
Wyandottes have certainly exploded a lot of old, 
comfortable notions about “ideal” birds. 
A “FREE school of poultry judging” will be held 
at the Kansas Agricultural College in late De¬ 
cember, in connection with a poultry show. 
"This show will not be judged in the ordinary way, 
where the judges walk down the aisles and place the 
ribbons, no one knows how or why. Instead the 
judging will be done upon a platform, surrounded by 
comfortable chairs, where those interested may see 
everything that is done, and ask questions. Instead 
<>f looking like a Chinese puzzle to the uninitiated, 
every award in the entire show will be carefully ex¬ 
plained in detail.” That is good. The “Chinese puz¬ 
zle” business lias had its day in the show ring. Fine 
points and eggs do not always agree. It is now sug¬ 
gested that all the birds entered at the egg contest 
should be “scored” at the beginning, and thus see 
how shape compares with performance. 
* 
W E have an ambition to help make these egg- 
laying contests occupy as lively a place in the 
popular mind as baseball, football or similar 
sports. Few things really climb into popular favor 
until in some way you can make them appeal to a 
person’s imagination or “sporting” spirit. Certainly 
the egg race just ended at Storrs was as close aud 
exciting as any horse race or ball game. The victory 
of the American Leghorns is a popular one. Mr. 
Lincoln is not one of the “big” breeders, but a young 
man who has only done what hundreds of other 
bright young fellows can do and surely will do. It 
means something to win such a contest. Lincoln’s 
10 hens will now give large interest on a valuation 
of $1,000. At the Thorndale contest a single hen laid 
2S5 eggs in one year, and the owner has been offered 
$500 for her! In fact these contests are creating 
an “advanced registry” for hens by giving them a 
certificate of official record. After a few generations 
of breeding from these public record-makers, pedi¬ 
greed hens will be regarded much as pedigreed cows 
are now. The fanciers with their idolatry of “fuss 
and feathers” may sneer at these contests. That is 
their privilege, but the public prefer eggs to sneers. 
* 
M OST back-to-the-landers fail through lack of 
money. They usually give a heavy mortgage, 
which runs three or five years. Even if they 
keep up the interest they cannot pay the principal 
when it comes due. and at the same time invest capi¬ 
tal in the farm. Without fair capital they cannot 
hope to pay the mortgage. So when it comes due 
they become discouraged and sell out or let the farm 
go. This is done sometimes—even when the holder 
of the mortgage would be willing to renew it. The 
fear that it may be foreclosed haunts the farmer 
and makes him timid about working the farm prop¬ 
erly. We have seen several cases of this sort when 
if the farmer could have had some different system 
of payments he could have planned to improve the 
farm slowly and finally pay out. The new Land 
Lank will offer just such opportunity to hundreds of 
farmers. There will be small and gradual payments 
of the principal extending over 20 years or more. A 
man can plan to meet these small yearly payments 
and still provide a little money for drainage, breed- 
T'HK RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ing stock or other improvements which are really in¬ 
vestments. Such a man will not fear foreclosure, 
but he can go ahead and plan with confidence for the 
future. In our own acquaintance we know of at 
least half a dozen families who failed under the old 
system, yet might have made good under the plan 
proposed by the land bank. Under the old plan the 
mortgage is always master' of the man—the new 
plan gives the man a chance to master the mort¬ 
gage. 
* 
S OME time ago, in an’argument in your columns, a 
cow man volunteered to take a hen man’s 10 cows 
and pay him a good percentage, taking out his 
wages and cost of keep, etc., from the milk hills. 
Could men be found to take charge of a farm of good 
size, stocked and machined, and guarantee to make 
their wages and a fair percentage for the owner? I 
know of several (city men) farmers like myself who 
I believe would be glad to get such a man, and would 
use him a little more than fair if he would do the same 
by them. g. k. 
Why not? Why should not the man who assumes 
to act as manager take some of the risk—along 
with the man who puts up the farm, the equipment 
and the capital ? Give us a reason why the man 
who expects to be well paid for “managing” a 
farm should not be willing to prove his ability by 
taking his chances on a guarantee that lie can make 
wages and a profit. Why should he take charge 
of the farm otherwise ? What should he require 
of the owner in order to give this guarantee? These 
questions are submitted to the men who solicit 
jobs at managing. The answers, freely given, will 
get down to the core. 
❖ 
C HARLES S. WHITMAN is to be the next Gov¬ 
ernor of New York. In this Republic all sensi¬ 
ble people recognize the power of the majority. 
The voters of the State called Judge Whitman to 
the chair in italics—there is no question about their 
choice. Great opportunities await Judge Whitman 
at Albany. The great party which elected him has 
apparently had its lesson and the split of two years 
ago seems to have been bolted together. There 
are also more truly independent voters in the coun¬ 
try than ever before. Judge Whitman’s party is 
seeking for a great leader—a man with the cour¬ 
age and the character of Gov. Chas. E. Hughes. In 
the need of such a great reform leader and in the 
peculiar circumstances of this election lie the ele¬ 
ments which give the opportunity to Judge Whit¬ 
man. lie must realize that he was elected by the 
votes of farmers and country people—and lie must 
look to this solid and conservative class of citizens 
for future support. Gov. Glynn and the last Legis¬ 
lature (the Assembly being Republican) gave us 
four laws which are to have great influence upon 
the future of New York farming. The most im¬ 
portant of these is the law creating the Land Bank. 
This law was demanded by the best farmers in the 
State—not as a political measure, but as far-sighted 
and greatly-needed legislation—not to benefit any 
party, but to give New York farmers a better chance 
to obtain fair and needed credit. It is reported that 
Judge Whitman criticizes this law, and what it 
seeks to accomplish. We believe this criticism is 
based upon a hasty reading of the law. When 
Judge Whitman has full opportunity for studying 
the law and the help that similar legislation has 
been to European farmers, we are confident that 
he will recognize its value and purpose and realize 
the value of the system to our New York farmers. 
After a full, understanding study of this legisla¬ 
tion we believe that Judge Whitman will realize 
the need and the sincere demand for it, and become 
one of the warmest supporters of the Land Bank. 
* 
H E will be a fool to bay even here without first com¬ 
ing to see the country. Farms within a mile of 
our own we would not take as a gift, and yet the 
adjoining farms are very prosperous and the own¬ 
ers have become well off, but these particular farms 
could never be made anything, not even a goat pasture. 
One farm within six or eight miles of this city will 
not grow weeds, it is a light sand which blows like snow, 
and yet farms adjoining are the best ever. How are 
you going to prevent a man getting caught on such land 
if he does not come and see it? The real estate agent 
might not deceive in one single statement, and yet he 
would be burning his money if he put it into such farms. 
c. I. 
No, the land here mentioned is not in Florida or 
California, but right here in New York State. The 
same story might truthfully he told of any county in 
the country. This man lays down a large, solid 
chunk of gospel truth about real estate when he says 
that a buyer should come and see the land before 
buying. We cannot think of a more foolish thing 
than locating a home for the family on some un¬ 
known and unseen spot in order to save the expense 
of fair investigation. We have been criticized for 
taking this position. “Do not interfere with the sale 
of real estate.” these critics say. “Get all the new 
settlers you can: it is not your business to frighten 
them away or care if they are not satisfied.” A very 
short-sighted policy that. New York does not want 
November 14, 
any dissatisfied immigrants. They simply become 
what are known as “knockers,” and there are too 
many such now. We want to see the farms of New 
York occupied by contented and prosperous people. 
There are good opportunities here, but the man must 
fit the farm in order to make a true combination and 
•so—North, South, East or West—our advice is to 
see the land and study it before buying. 
E VER come back after 20 years and see the slen¬ 
der little “best girl” of boyhood grown to a 
broad, substantial lady ordering a large house¬ 
hold about? Ever see a tiny baby in a cradle and 
after a score of years see it grown to a great giant, 
smashing through a football team? If so, you may 
realize how some of the old-timers who helped or¬ 
ganize the New York State Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion feel at its latest announcement. The next meet¬ 
ing will he held at Rochester, January 6, 7, 8 of next 
3 'ear. When the society went to the great conven¬ 
tion hall for its meeting, a few years ago, there were 
those who said it would rattle around like a dry pea 
in a pod. There was no rattling, and now even this 
great building is too small, and the society goes to 
Exposition Park, in order to find room. When this 
society started it was puny and small. It had a 
struggle for a few years, but it has had the advan¬ 
tage of being directed by a group of thoroughly hon¬ 
est, capable and patriotic men, who have gone down 
into their own pockets when necessary, and “boosted” 
without self-advertising or glory. We mean men like 
Senator Thomas B. Wilson, Secretary E. C. Gillette, 
President L. L. Morrell, ex-President Clark Allis and 
scores of others who should be mentioned. We may 
safely state that every man who grows and sells fruit 
in New York has been benefited because this society 
lias grown strong and influential. We think the 
managers of the New York State Fruit Growers have 
set us all an example of how to do things and help 
farmers. 
* 
S OME farmers here claim that the acid in silage and 
apple pomace causes the cow’s teeth to fall out. Is 
it true? e. ii. 
No! This charge has been made repeatedly but 
cannot be demonstrated, and the use of silage is rap¬ 
idly increasing. The teeth of all cows are loose and 
easily knocked out or broken off. Enemies of corn 
silage, or those who have not studied its value and 
use often state that this feed loosens the front teetli 
and causes them to drop out. They blame this to the 
acid. The accusation is wrong. Thousands upon 
thousands of successful farmers have for many 
years fed corn silage and would not do so were this 
feed to cause trouble such as that mentioned. We 
do not believe there is any more danger in feeding 
apple pomace. One troxible about many of such 
things is that people jump at conclusions. Not long 
ago we met a farmer who said lie was ready to swear 
that large-sized cinders, full of fire, came out of a 
passing automobile and set the grass by the side of 
the road on fire. He would swear to it because he 
saw the glowing cinders thrown from the car at 
night and saw the burning grass! Therefore he 
said all cars were dangerous and should not be per¬ 
mitted to come into a yard or barn! On bunting the 
matter up we found that a man riding in the car had 
thrown out his half-used cigar. It was alight and 
glowing, and it had started the burning grass! 
This fanner saw the cigar coming from the car and 
jumped to the conclusion that all cars will “spit out 
red cinders as large as a marble.” We have seen 
many so-called “facts” which had no better founda¬ 
tion than tills “red cinder.” 
BREVITIES. 
. No man can make his business throb unless he stays 
right on the job. 
“Going light” is a disease which, at this season, often 
attacks poultry and pocketbooks. 
Apple packing school at the Massachusetts Agricul¬ 
tural College, Amherst, Nov. 18-24. 
Now we have warning not to use Dwarf Essex rape 
ns a cover crop in an orchard. It is claimed that aphis 
develop on the rape and spread to the trees. Can any¬ 
one give experience? 
We would like to hear of any local live stock clubs. 
Clubs are being formed in counties or townships to pro¬ 
mote the interests of some breed or type of live stock. 
It is a good plan—tell us about it. 
"Jell the subscriber who ‘has the sparrows,’ on 
page 1280 that a Roman candle fired into the trees just 
at roosting time two or three consecutive evenings will 
rid him of the nuisance,” says A. M. H. 
A new one in the line of newspaper frauds. This 
one offers to send the bulletins of the experiment sta¬ 
tion free as a premium for his paper. These bulletins 
are free to any farmer in the State anyway, and no 
agent has the right to promise them. 
You want to remember that making a concrete block 
is something beside throwing sand and cement togeth- 
•o and watering it. Brains too. A streak of pure sand 
through a man will make him stick. Such a streak of 
unmixed sand in a concrete block will make it crumble. 
