448 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country ami Suburban Homes 
Established i860 
I'nblished weekly by tbc Rural Publishing Company, 383 West 80tb Street, New York 
Herbert W. Cou.in’owood, President and Editor. 
John* J. Dillon, Treiumrer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, #2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
84s marks, or 104* francs. Kemit 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 pa)»er is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But. to make doubly Mlre. we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon- 
siole 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 aud honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases Rhould 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 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. 
A GREAT, strong article—that by Dr. Twitcliell, 
printed on the next page. Here is the 35-eent 
dollar and no getting away from it. And here 
is the vital thing about this two blades of grass 
theory. No one advocates it who would not be 
made richer by handling the extra blade. No one 
can show that the farmer would not be poorer for 
producing the extra blade. 
* 
A SMALL orchard of dwarf apple trees might 
serve as a sort of Babcock tester for nursery 
stock. You might cut fair samples of wood 
from this stock, as it comes from the nursery and 
graft it upon the dwarf trees. They would be more 
likely to bring it to earlier fruiting than the stand¬ 
ards and by keeping accurate records you could tell 
whether you had received “misfits” or not, instead 
of waiting until the standard trees came into bear¬ 
ing. We do not regard dwarf stock as practical for 
most growers and for average care. These little 
trees have their places, however. We advise going 
slow with them for the practical orchard, but there 
are cases where they will pay. This scheme for 
testing may be one of them. 
* 
W HEN you come to plow this Spring try to look 
forward to July. During that month usually 
drought comes with burning hand to rob you 
of the fruits of your labor. Every pound of water 
you can hold in the soil at plowing time will help 
the July crops. Spring is usually a season of sharp 
winds and few realize how they whip the moisture 
out of freshly-plowed ground. When the land is 
plowed and left in rough furrows these winds have 
a double chance to work into the upper soil and steal 
water. Harrowing or crushing down the surface 
helps to prevent the moisture from escaping. It will 
pay to quit plowing each day an hour earlier and 
harrow over what has been plowed. You may not 
get over quite so much ground, but what you do 
work will be better. 
<k 
W HAT is a living fruit tree worth? This ques¬ 
tion often comes up in trying to settle cases 
of damage by deer or rabbits or railroad fires, 
or where nurserymen send “misfits.” The Vermont 
State Horticultural Society appointed a committee 
to consider this question. After some discussion it 
was decided that young, healthy growing trees 
should be valued as follows: 
“A tree that has been set less than one year is 
worth not less than one dollar, and said tree or 
trees increase at the rate of not less than one dollar 
a year thereafter .” 
We have known cases to be settled at the rate of 
half this valuation—that is, 50 cents for each year’s 
growth. The rate here mentioned is fair—lower 
than the actual value, for who would sell a 10-year- 
old tree, say of McIntosh apples, for $10. 
* 
I AM inclosing two editorial pages of the Newburgh 
Journal, that you may read two articles on that 
page. One contains the editor’s ideas as to the 
rights of American farmers, and the other contains 
mine. I believe that farmers, whenever they see any¬ 
thing detrimental to their interests appearing in any 
local paper, should make a protest in writing, that their 
side of the question may be presented and aired, and 
our local editor is fair-minded enough to give the 
farmer this privilege. c. o. warford. 
Mr. Warford hits the nail right on the head. 
These local papers are in large part supported by 
country people. The merchants who advertise in 
them must have country trade, and they know it 
well. The farmers therefore should feel entirely 
justified in presenting their side to the public through 
these local papers. No one else will do it for them. 
Some politician may try to do it when he wants an 
office, but the farmers will get less than a 15-cent 
dollar out of him! They must frame their own 
printer’s ink. In this case the Journal suggested 
THE RURAL NEVV-YOR K E R 
that an embargo on wheat would be desirable be¬ 
cause it would cheapen food prices. Mr. Warford 
answered this in one of the best arguments we 
have read to show how prices of farm products may 
be kicked up or down to suit speculators or con¬ 
sumers, while all other products, including trans¬ 
portation service, are to be kept uniform or slow¬ 
ly raised. This is a good way for farmers to do it. 
Make use of the local papers to get your story be¬ 
fore the public. When the consumers understand 
it they will be with you! 
* 
A PERSONAL STATEMENT. 
HE “American Agriculturist” recently printed 
a personal attack upon John J. Dillon, Com¬ 
missioner of Food and Markets. Under ordin¬ 
ary circumstances no notice whatever would be 
taken of such a matter. While aimed at Mr. Dil¬ 
lon personally the article was really an attack upon 
the new Department, and as such demands atten¬ 
tion. The author wished to injure the Department 
if he could, without assuming responsibility for a 
direct attack. Under these circumstances, therefore, 
1 wish to say that the insinuations of the American 
Agriculturist are false and unworthy. I am largely 
responsible for Mr. Dillon’s acceptance of this ap¬ 
pointment. He came hack from Albany having re¬ 
fused Gov. Glynn’s honest insistence that he should 
take the place. We talked the matter over fully 
and frankly in all details, as we do all important 
matters of this sort. Among all his associates and 
intimate friends I was the only one who urged him 
to accept. They all knew that he did not. want the 
place, that it would mean a great sacrifice of time, 
business interests and health, and we all clearly saw 
that it might, mean just such bitter attacks from 
people who ought to help rather than try to injure. 
I knew all this to be true, and yet I urged Mr. Dil¬ 
lon to accept the appointment and organize the De¬ 
partment. I believe that this Department can be 
made the most powerful and effective weapon in the 
battle for fair market rights which New York farm¬ 
ers have ever known. I felt that the great danger 
lay in having it organized on commonplace, per¬ 
functory lines without originality or fighting spirit. 
I knew that Mr. Dillon would give it both. I kuow 
the man, having been intimately associated with him 
for 25 years. We have fought many farm battles to¬ 
gether, with what success our readers may judge. I 
can see such great possibilities in this work, if it 
ean be carried on in a fearless and far-sighted way, 
that I urged Mr. Dillon as strongly as I could to 
lay aside other considerations, accept Gov. Glynn’s 
offer and organize the Department. He did so 
upon my advice, and at the insistence of his associates 
in cooperative w T ork. Herbert w. colling wood. 
* 
F ARMERS in the upper Atlantic States are in 
danger of making a great mistake this year in 
sowing large areas to Spring wheat. The pres¬ 
ent high prices tempt them to plunge with this un¬ 
natural and speculative crop. This is not the 
proper section for growing Spring wheat. We have 
neither the soil nor the climate suited to this crop. 
You cannot hope to obtain much more than half the 
yield of Winter wheat, and the seed is high in price. 
Oats and barley will pay better. While wheat is 
now selling at high figures there is no assurance 
that they will continue. Every nation on earth 
which produces wheat at all has increased its 
acreage. Canada will sow one-third more than last 
year, and the grain will come flowing into Europe from 
every quarter of the world. There are millions of 
bushels in Russia waiting shipment, and as soon as 
the waterways leading from the Black Sea are opened 
this grain will come out. As it eomes you w r ill see 
the price of American wheat go down lower and 
lower. You must remember the vast power of Rus¬ 
sia to increase her wheat supply in case of need. 
With a way open for shipment Russia can supply 
Europe. In view of all these things the seeding of 
Spring wheat in the Atlantic States becomes a gam¬ 
ble, with the odds all against the farmer. We hear 
of farmers who, discouraged at the present potato 
outlook, intend to give up potato growing and seed 
this Spring wheat instead. This, we believe, is poor 
judgment, sure to bring trouble and regret. True, 
potatoes are now low and the outlook for the crop 
now on hand is gloomy. It is also true that reports 
indicate that many Southern farmers have cut down 
their cotton area and foolishly planted potatoes in 
the face of the enormous surplus now in storage at 
the North. Let us remember, however, that all the 
stock now growing and in storage will be cleaned 
out before next season. The next crop must stand 
by itself and a dozen things may operate to reduce 
the supply below demand. Rarely if ever have two 
seasons like the present one come together. Take it 
from the present outlook, and we are more likely 
March 20, 
to have profitable prices for potatoes next Fall than 
for Spring wheat. Again, many farms are run in a 
definite rotation which includes potatoes. It will be 
a blunder to break up this rotation and drop pota¬ 
toes out. Good seed of favorite varieties is now 
cheap and plentiful. It is a favorable time to stock 
up with good seed. There ought to be a normal 
planting of potatoes. Tt will not be wise to “plunge” 
on the crop, but the safe plan this year is to plant 
the usual acreage and not be led off into the swamp 
by the firefly of Spring wheat. 
* 
N EWS of another “tree dope” comes from Mon¬ 
tana. This is a system of “blight bands” which 
we find described as follows: 
The procedure is a simple and cheap one. It merely 
involves treatment of the affected tree with bands of cot¬ 
ton cloths that have been dipped in the proper solu¬ 
tion of napthaline and boric acid. The bands contain¬ 
ing the solution are wound spirally around the tree, in 
the early Spring, while the sap is running, the theory 
being that the sap absorbs the solution, which is said 
to act as an anti-toxin to the poison of the blight. The 
inventors claim that the foliage of the tree thus treated 
assumes a richer, darker hue and that the blight com¬ 
pletely disappears. 
We have heard inventors talk before. They are 
sometimes able to invent stories and words which 
are more remarkable and effective than the actual 
work of their inventions. Personally we have little 
faith in any of these schemes for curing plant dis¬ 
eases through the sap. This scheme of working on 
the outside of the bark is a new one, but we do not 
believe it will be any more effective than the old 
exploded notion of boring a hole in the tree and 
poking in some powder. There are dozens or hun¬ 
dreds of such schemes. While they are new the 
promoters can get fruit growers to “endorse” them. 
A peach tree might be suffering from borer attacks. 
One of these “tree dopers” puts his stuff into the 
tree and, incidentally—kills the borer. The tree re¬ 
covers and makes good growth and the “dope” is 
credited in full! We do not believe such treatments 
are safe or sound, and we advise our readers not to 
fool with them. 
* 
W E have, several times, called attention to the 
trick which some poultrymen have of adver¬ 
tising “Tom Barron stock” when they have 
only cross-bred fowls for sale. Some men who 
ought to be too large for such petty business are 
up to it. The way they do is to buy a cockerel of 
the Barron stock and breed him to their own Wyan- 
dottes or Leghorns as the case may be. Then they 
offer the pullets or cockerels from this cross as 
“Tom Barron stock.” charging about twice as much 
for it as their own stock would bring. These men 
would not rob a henroost, yet the spirit of what they 
are doing is as mean as that which prompts a man 
to enter his neighbor’s henhouse after dark. These 
cross-bred birds are not the real article. The true 
Barron stock is quite distinct from the typical 
American birds and our steady advice has been to 
breed one strain or the other true and not mix 
them. The R. N.-Y. did its share to help put the 
story of what Tom Barron lias done before the pub- 
lie. It hurts now to see this deception going on. 
* 
A SOUTHERN reader asks the following ques¬ 
tion: 
Gan you find out if any of your readers kill and cure 
pork in the Summer? It must be done somewhere, for 
the people in hot countries surely cure meats. It will 
be mighty convenient to have a few medium-sized hogs 
and kill them along in hot weather, use what one needs 
fresh and salt down the balance for later use. 
On former occasions we have only found it ne¬ 
cessary to ask. If readers can answer will they 
do so promptly. Butchering in warm weather is 
not common on the farm, but we have no doubt some 
of our people have tried it and will tell us. 
BREVITIES. 
Who said gentle Spring? 
Things which are a great “credit to the heart” rna> 
be a discredit to the head. 
Crimson clover is afflicted with a disease—crown 
rot. This probably kills more plants than March weatli- 
or. Vetch is taking the place of this clover in many 
sections. 
The recent article on nut culture has stirred up great 
interest For some time now thoughtful fruit growers 
have seen what they thought was an overproduction of 
apples coming and they are considering nut culture as 
never before. 
Do not prune early Spring flowering shrubs now: 
this cuts away the flowering wood. We often see gold¬ 
en bell (Forsythia) trimmed neatly back now, the re¬ 
sult being sparse twigs of weak flowers. Prune such 
shrubs after flowering. 
A valuable cargo was just delivered at Boston from 
South America. Wool and hides from Argentina and 
Uruguay were jammed into this vessel and piled high 
on the decks. Among other things there were 2,000 
horses’ hides. The entire value of this cargo was more 
than $2,500,000. Now if this vessel could be sent 
hack loaded with potatoes, apples, and other products 
which are needed in South America, we should have 
a worthy exchange. 
