408 
THE RURAL NEW-Y OK KEH 
March 18, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S TAPER 
A Ndtlnniil Wtcklj Journal for Country nu<l Suburhuti llomo* * 
Established mzo 
I'nbllthrd nceLIj by the Rural Piibliihiur Company. 333 Writ 80th 6tre*t.New Vorr. 
Herhert W. Coli.i no wood, President nnd Editor. 
John i— iim/[y Ti-ensurer nm) General Manager. 
Wm. F. Diixon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Rovix, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in tlie Universal Postal Union. $2.01. equal to 8s. Gd., or 
marks, or 10V. franes. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or hank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advcrtisinf? rates. 75 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accoin|»any transient orders. 
"A SQUARE REAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this pa|>er is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every fios^iljlo precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. Rut to mak* doubly sure. WO will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, nnd any 
such swindler will lie publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust difference* 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. we will not bo 
rcsismsilde for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must lie sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, nnd to identify it, you should mention The Rl'IIai. New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
R EPLYING to your inquiry I am sorry to say I 
don’t know, and up to ditto have not been able 
to find out. Very sorry I cannot be of service 
to you in tlie matter, and trusting you may be 
able to get the information, I am with best wishes, 
sincerely yours. e. l. a. 
We think a lot of that answer. It is from a busy 
man, well posted and intelligent, lie might have 
made a good guess or written a page of opinion. 
As lie felt that he did not know he said so. Some 
small men think they lose reputation by admitting 
their lack of information. The big men know better, 
for reputation is lost through pretending to know 
when it is clearly evident that we do not. During 
the year we find it necessary to send over 10,000 
questions out to our readers for answers. We run 
upon all sorts of characters, but the big man who 
is willing to say “I don’t know” when that is the 
truth stands about at the top. 
* 
I N spite of all this danger from dogs we claim that 
more sheep should be kept on our Eastern farms. 
The sheep became unpopular a few years ago. 
In New York State there were 930,000 sheep in 1910, 
and 849,000 in 1915. At this time, with the future 
demand for mutton and lamb which is in sight, 
the sheep ought to come back. When New York 
sheep men make up tlieir minds to do it they will 
take care of the dogs, as the apple men have han¬ 
dled the scale and the worm! 
* 
W E are trying to obtain a fair, accurate state¬ 
ment regarding the feeling of country women 
in New York and New Jersey regarding the 
actual sentiment one way or the other on “Votes 
for Women” or women’s suffrage. There will he 
a referendum vote on the subject in these States 
this Fall. We have sent letters asking for reports 
to farm women. In some cases the women do not 
attempt to answer, hut turn the question over to 
"workers” or professional agitators, who send ns 
long arguments on the subject. Now. ladies, this is 
just what we do not want. We know most of these 
arguments by heart now. We want honest opin¬ 
ions from working farm women who will tell us 
fairly just how their neighbors stand on the sub¬ 
ject. 
* 
S OME years ago the New York Legislature passed 
a law prohibiting the employment of alien la¬ 
bor on public works. The law was generally dis¬ 
regarded by contractors, who were able to employ 
gangs of foreigners at low wages. Suit was finally 
brought to test, this law and the Court of Appeals 
has decided that it is sound. The theory is that 
public works are paid for in public money. This 
money, being taken from the people, belongs to them, 
and they have the right to say who it shall he paid 
to. If they say it shall he paid only to citizens of 
this State or nation, they may so decide. This de¬ 
cision will probably not conflict with the recent Su¬ 
preme Court decision. Tn that case the court de¬ 
cided that labor is property and that under our 
constitution no one can he deprived of his property 
without due process of law. The difference is that 
this case had to do with individual contracts while 
in New York only public money is involved. The 
contractors have without doubt made a profit on 
cheap, imported labor. Unless the law is repealed 
they must now employ American labor—negroes 
from the South—or the idle men now being fed in 
the large cities. Many of these idle men are not 
fit to perform the rough labor which the aliens have 
been doing. The law will not affect farmers. There 
is a strong demand for a repeal of this law—chiefly 
from contractors—while the labor leaders want it 
continued and enforced. 
V ISITORS to The R. N.-Y. composing room have 
seen a short, thickset man—alert, alive to his 
job. That was John Hall, for many years our 
foreman, who died March 3. Mr. Hall was a master 
of his trade, always courteous and on the square 
with everyone—a type of man we are glad to have 
known and worked with, llis life was white as 
Winter in Canada, where he was born. It is with 
sincere regret that we announce the death of this 
faithful and conscientious workman and true, loyal 
friend. 
N O question about it—\ve are making progress 
in this potato campaign. Hardly a day passes 
without a call for information about buying 
from 50 bushels to a carload. It is strange that 
some of the growers have not tried advertising their 
stock. We find many localities in the South where 
good potatoes are needed, yet retailers are held up 
by the large dealers. In fact this campaign thus 
far has revealed a remarkable condition of affairs. 
A large proportion of the people of this generation 
do not know anything about the food value of the 
potato. It has become rather unfashionable to eat 
this humble tuber. It seems that 10 or 12 years 
ago some of the so-called “expert” household writers 
laid down the law that potatoes are unwholesome. 
It was a most stupid and damaging thing to do, 
for it drove many city people away from potatoes 
to the expensive prepared “cereal” foods. We run 
upon this foolish prejudice against the potato, and 
first of all it is necessary to make city people real¬ 
ize that the tuber is both a food and a remedy. It 
will save the purchase of much high-priced flour 
and also save pain and doctor’s hills. This sort of 
intelligence must be put before tlie people prompt¬ 
ly. The Agricultural Department is doing good work 
in this line—doing it promptly and well. All the 
domestic economy departments at the colleges should 
help peel the potato question and show how the 
tuber can be used. Let us have no half-hearted 
apology about this, lint a strong hold claim that 
the potato ought to he eaten. No use sitting at 
home and talking about it. The larger demand for 
potatoes must be developed among the consumers, 
and in order to reach them we must go to the pa¬ 
pers and magazines which they read. Most farmers 
take a daily or a county paper which is read by 
people in town. The thing to do is to write letters 
to these papers, explaining the food value of pota¬ 
toes and urging people to eat (hem more freely 
in place of flour. If this can he kept up a new de¬ 
mand will he created, and the great stock now in 
storage can he moved out to advantage. Tiie R. N.- 
Y. is doing its best to help this potato situation, hut 
from the very nature of tlie case the really ef¬ 
fective work must lie done by our friends in getting 
tlie facts about potatoes before tlie public eye. Will 
not i/ou write at least three strong letters to papers 
which you know are read by consumers? 
* 
I TRIED to show them that, the Food and Markets 
Commission was offering more than the 35-cent dol¬ 
lar, offering hope to many, and this Kincaid bill 
would plunge the State into despair. I hope you 
have succeeded in arousing the farmers and even the 
consumers to stand up for fair play in the market 
world by defeating this Kincaid bill! u. .7. T. 
That is a sample from the letters which farmers 
are writing us. There is a genuine uprising against 
(liis Kincaid bill—which seeks to abolish the Food 
and Markets Department. Hundreds of consumers 
are helping on the theory that fair play at least 
entitles this new Department to a chance to prove 
itself. Keep right after the Legislature. Every 
possible letter is needed. Petitions and “resolu¬ 
tions” are largely ornamental. It is the strong, per¬ 
sonal letter that counts. Start one today. This hill 
would never have been dreamed of if the new De¬ 
partment had not started in witli a proposition 
which gets light to the heart of the subject. The 
middlemen would like nothing better than some 
sleepy and perfunctory department issuing orna¬ 
mental nothings while they went on with their dis¬ 
credited system of distribution. The trouble with 
them is that they find a Department ready to fight, 
with strong backing from farmers and with a new 
and vital plan for action. The Commissioner in his 
report used plain language aliout the 35-cent dol¬ 
lar and the crime of the present wasteful method 
of distribution. The surest indication that this was 
true is the abuse heaped upon it by the organs of 
(he middlemen and dealers. “Foolish,” “ignorant,” 
“grossly exaggerated.” “absurd” and “willful misrep¬ 
resentation.” are a few of the comments made on 
the statement that the farmer receives on the aver¬ 
age a 35-cent dollar. Every man who has ever sent 
any goods to New York for sale knows about this 
35-cent dollar, but we will take up the challenge 
and prove that there is such a thing. Just now is 
tlie time for fight rather than for figures. Tlie 
middlemen are at Albany with their money and 
their organization, and we tell you frankly that they 
will pass this Kincaid bill unless the farmers get 
busy at once. In New York State there are about 
220,000 farms with a total value of over one billion 
and one half. There are some 10.000 middlemen who 
would starve to death if they did not handle -and 
sell What these farms produce! Now then, are you 
going to let these 10,000 men kill off the first real, 
vital thing New York State has done to give you 
your common rights in this great market? That is 
all there is tn it, and that is just what will happen 
if you do not make your member of the Legislature 
see that you mean business. You may tell him for 
us that when he votes for this Kincaid hill he signs 
a contract for a year’s advertising, for as sure as 
the sun shines we will print his name week after 
week for a year as one who failed to serve the 
farmers. Inch a stamp for the HO-cent dollar! 
* 
W E had a representative in Cuba to sell potatoes 
and h.v chartering our own boats and dickering 
the freight rates down reduced the potato rate 
from *1.22 per barrel to about 62 cents for 
ocean and railway freight to Cuba, .toitn Buchanan. 
Who did this? The Cooperative Association of 
Nova Scotia. In these hard times for potato grow¬ 
ers this society did not sit slid, hut went after this 
southern trade. The South American trade would 
handle millions of bushels of potatoes if our people 
would organize and develop the business. The news¬ 
papers have boomed the reported demand for wheat 
until flour has become almost a luxury. Ten per 
cent, of the same space devoted to the potato sit¬ 
uation would have increased consumption and saved 
the crop. 
* 
1 AM one of those back-to-the-landers, who made the 
fatal mistake of getting into a development proposi¬ 
tion, so I cun only wait now until good times come 
back, so that T can make enough money to do 
some real back-to-the-Iand work on a farm. In the 
meantime, I find The R. N.-Y. tlie best reading I can 
get to satisfy my enthusiasm and keep me hopeful. 
C. H. M. 
There is a cheerful spirit and a good sport. We 
wish him luck in earning the price of a farm and 
a full measure of joy in it when he gets there. 
Some men are bitten in a land deal and the wound 
never heals. They go through life cursing fanning 
—though it was in no way responsible for their 
troubles. We like to see people take these things 
like a philosopher, and the first act is to keep away 
from all development propositions, unit orchards 
and similar schemes. 
* 
N o We can see little encouragement to “plunge" 
in Spring wheat this year in the Winter wheat 
section. The Indiana Experiment Station finds 
that a five-year average yield of Spring wheat gave 
11.7 bushels per acre, against 27.4 for Winter wheat. 
and 37.9 for oats during the same period. A 10-jt-ar 
average of oats at the station give 50 bushels per Acre 
aud of Winter wheat 28. It would not lie safe to’ex¬ 
pect much over 15 bushels of Spring wheat in a 
good year. I*reparation of the soil will cost more 
for Spring wheat than for either barley or oats, and 
some fertilizer will he needed. We think that in 
most cases either oats or barley will give greater 
feeding value than Spring wheat There may be 
cases where poultrymen want to try a few acres for 
feeding grain, hut as a cash grain crop we would not 
advise it. 
BREVITIES. 
Yes, the elbow grease of a Yankee might be called a 
c<»d liver’s oil. 
Abe there any people in your section as badly off 
as the Relgians are reported to be? 
The mother of your rooster is to decide the laying 
qualities of your next flock of pullets. 
I)rn you ever read your insurance policy carefully s<> 
that you know just what it actually stands for? 
Tf the game law makers are permitted to have then- 
way they will soon have us fined for saying that we 
kill two birds with one stone! 
Oun horses never faced the Spring work with a 
smoother fur and better shape. Largely due to carrots 
tlie host stock tonic yet invented. 
Please remember that soaking the potato seed with 
formalin will only kill the germs which are on tin- 
seed. It will not destroy the germs which are in th“ 
soil. 
The Spanish government has made Arbor Day a 
national and royal holiday throughout the kingdom. 
’Phe local authorities may fix a proper date to suit con 
ditions, but the holiday must be held and trees must 
he planted. A gobd move for Spain—a country that 
needs trees and what they stand for. 
It is hard for the reformer sometimes to have Un¬ 
people act like a flock of sheep. lie leads them along 
the hard and dusty road until he knows that right 
around the corner are green clover fields. Then tin- 
sheep see some old scarecrow ahead. The leaders bolt 
over the stone wall and the rest follow—back to the dry 
and sour old pastures! Nothing to do but to go after 
the sheep. 
