594 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
\ National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Jlomei 
Established tsso 
Fnbltshed weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 338 West 30th Street, New Yor« 
Herbert W. Collixowood, President and Editor. 
Jons' J. I Mux)s', Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union. 82.01, equal to 8 s. 6 d., or 
8)4 marks, or 10)4 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. 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 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 TnK Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
O N page 592 the Hope Farm man reviews the new 
book on “Johnny Appleseed.” This strange 
character died G7 years ago. Are we not right in 
supposing that some of our living readers have seen 
this man or know where some of his trees were 
planted? We would like to hear from any such. 
Here was a man who truly put the apple into his¬ 
tory along with the rifle and the ax. 
* 
A CITY paper tells of a policeman who resigned 
from the force because he was “losing time.” 
He wanted to run his 65-acre farm on Long 
Island. Wbat about this, ye back-to-the-landers? 
“During my two weeks’ vacation last Summer I 
cleaned up .$6,000, buying apples, peaches and pears 
up near Utica and selling them in New York. I’ve got 
a 65-acre farm on Long Island, and I’m going to supply 
old New York with vegetables and fruits. Yep, I’m a 
natural born farmer.” 
There is little that is “natural” about a farmer 
who can make $6,000 in two weeks selling what 
other people worked hard to produce. That is more 
in the nature of a middleman. When this police¬ 
man gets to be a farmer he will see the difference. 
One of his friends is said to have made this wise 
comment —65 acres is enough to raise a family on. 
* 
T HE R. N.-Y. goes everywhere. We believe it is 
more generally distributed both geographically 
and socially than any other paper in the coun¬ 
try. Not long ago a miner, far down underground 
induced several of his mates to subscribe. Now we 
have the following letter written at sea; with the 
money enclosed: 
This man is one of my passengers from Guam to 
San Francisco, and saw The R. N.-Y. in my cabin. 
After reading one or two copies the above is the re¬ 
sult, and this makes the second seafaring man whom 
I have secured for you. I think you have a great pa¬ 
per and it passes many a tedious hour at sea for me.” 
A. B. R. 
Our ambition is to make a paper which shall 
carry that touch of human nature which shall ap¬ 
peal to all (no matter where they labor) who love 
the country and the best that it represents. 
* 
I N spite of all that has been said, we have received 
during the last month at least 50 letters which 
are either unsigned or merely with initials which 
give no clue to the name or address of the writer. 
Some of these letters contain important questions 
which we would gladly answer if we could. Others 
contain statements about public men, or about ar¬ 
ticles which have appeared in the papers, but which 
the author evidently does not care to stand for. It 
is very strange that readers of Tiie R. N.-Y. should 
continue to send -these unsigned letters. In some 
cases a month or two after the first note is received 
these people write, finding great fault because their 
former communication whs neglected, when it was 
absolutely impossible for us to .take care of the mat¬ 
ter through their failure to give us a chance to re- 
,ply. We will gladly take care of any question to 
the best of our ability, but hereafter we shall strict¬ 
ly enforce our rule, and pay no attention to un¬ 
signed communications which cannot be identified. 
T HE papers are now talking about the “jitney” 
cabs or wagons. These are light gasoline cars 
capable of carrying from five to 18 people. 
They are enclosed and comfortable, and in the larger 
cities charge five cents for a long trip. They are 
spreading everywhere, and seem to be cutting into 
the business of trolley, omnibus and even steam rail¬ 
road lines. In some sections where the roads are 
good these swift and comfortable cars are making 
regular trips through country districts. We think 
this business is sure to increase both for passengers 
and for light freight or expx-ess. The road commis¬ 
sioner of New Jersey doubts if another trolley line 
will ever be built in that State. These “jitneys” and 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
light trucks will give the needed service wherever 
the roads are good. We think this development of 
gasoline power is to be the next great feature of 
freight and marketing. It will enable many a coun¬ 
try neighborhood now held up by poor shipping facil¬ 
ities to combine and do their own hauling by means 
of gasoline trucks and cars. 
* 
Your efforts to increase the consumption of potatoes 
or “the potato week” suggested by Cornell University 
or something or other along this line have borne fruit; 
potatoes are higher, they are going up, there is an 
active demand in the country, prevailing market price 
to farmers today in Western New York is 35 cents per 
bushel. Ten days ago, price was 25 cents per bushel, 
indications are for a 40-cent market next week and 
let us hope with actual higher price to farmers. 
Thought we would notify you of this as while the 
market in the cities is quoted lower, still today country 
markets are practically as high as they are in the big 
centers of population. edw. f. dibble. 
E have many notes like this to show that the 
potato market has taken a turn for the better. 
Unquestionably our little crusade for in¬ 
creased potato eating has helped. We believe that 
our people can accomplish any reasonable and 
worthy thing if they will only work together and 
using all their powers to put what they desire into 
popular thought. That is all there is to it. Now 
that we have begun, let us keep it up, for there are 
plenty more potatoes waiting for a market. An¬ 
other halted potato please! 
* 
I feel sure you would be disappointed if your views 
on every subject met the approval of all, and that you 
are not annoyed by adverse opinions. I think your 
paper one of the best, if not absolutely the best that 
comes to my house, and my liking for it is not dimin¬ 
ished because* occasionally I find something in it not 
conforming to my ideas, and viewing the matter in that 
way I feel more liberty .to criticize. av. a. l. 
E find that -the great majority of our readers 
are broad and fair in their views of life. We 
should be sadly disappointed if our people 
a greed* with everything Ave said without comment or 
criticism. That would show that we were simply fol- 
loAving public opinion—safely in the dust behind the 
procession. It would also show that we had no poAA’er 
to stimulate thought. We hold that the paper which 
cannot make men think with a contact of minds like 
the flash of flint upon steel is worse than dead. 
There is too much “safe” and perfunctory journal¬ 
ism which provides entertainment but no thought. 
Now and then we find a man who thinks that the 
expression of an opinion contrary to what he holds 
is little less than a crime. The great majority of 
our readers recognize that the world is wide and 
that growth is made through battle—not by putting 
our opinions away on ice but in warming them up- 
testing them by the fire of honest thought. 
* 
W HEN potatoes were first introduced into France 
there was fierce distrust and hatred. This 
seems strange noAV at a time when but for 
this excellent food Europe Avould starve. The peas¬ 
ants obstinately refused to plant or eat potatoes. 
Turgot, the French statesman, saAV hoAV the culti¬ 
vation of this new food crop Avould help his country, 
and he -took the most practical way for making it 
popular. It was served at every meal upon his oavu 
table, and the peasants, with this example, tested 
potatoes—first on their cattle and then for their 
own food. It required some daring for them to eat, 
at first, what is hoav an indispensable food. Turgot 
was wise in knoAving that he who AA'ould preach a 
reform must practice it. Men learn mostly by im¬ 
itation. The so-called leading or educated classes 
can never expect the people to accept their advice 
until they practice just what they preach. Make 
potato-eating fashionable and the rest will folloAv. 
Who will be chiefly responsible for the loss of mil¬ 
lions of bushels of unsalable potatoes this year? 
The city Avomen who say potatoes make them fat— 
and then eat bread, butter, cream and candy to ex¬ 
cess ! 
* 
E VERY year brings new cases of the same old 
trouble between tree agents and customers. In 
many cases- this agent induces the country buy¬ 
er to sign a contract for trees or plants. Later 
circumstances make it all out of reason for this 
customer to take the goods. We have known of 
cases Avhere an unexpected death or sickness, loss 
of property or change of home made it impossible 
for the buyer to use the stock, AA T hicli he contracted 
for. In many cases too, this contract Avas obtained 
through verbal promises Avliicli could not be kept. 
When, under such conditions, the buyer writes ex¬ 
plaining his condition lie is informed that he will 
be held to his bargain and forced to pay. There 
are threats of lawsuits and so many bluffs that the 
buyer of-ten accepts goods which he knoivs will be 
a complete loss to him. Bear in mind that Ave are 
not referring to all nurserymen but to certain con¬ 
ditions in the agency business which we think are 
April 17, 1915. 
unfair. The usual defense made for these practices 
is that the agent who made the sale gets his com¬ 
mission before the goods are delivered and there¬ 
fore the nurseryman must deliver and collect in 
order to get his money back. This system of pay¬ 
ing a commission on orders before they are de¬ 
livered seems to be the root of the trouble. If the 
agent were paid his commission after collections 
Avere made—and did at least part of the collecting 
it would be possible to adjust some of these cases 
so as to make a far better feeling toward the 
tree agent and prevent many cases of what we 
must regard as rank injustice. Why cannot the 
nurserymen work out a system which will cut out 
these unfair forced collections? 
* 
T HE ostrich stuck his head in the sand and shut 
his eyes. Then, because he could not see him¬ 
self he said: 
“I am not here—no one can prove that I am here 
because the public cannot see me.” 
For several centuries this ostrich has remained the 
standard for stupid “nerve” and inability to judge 
public intelligence. It looks now as if the ostrich 
should take a back seat and resign first place to 
the “American Agriculturist.” In a recent issue that 
paper says: 
“No, this journal is not fighting the State Department 
of Foods and Markets * * * For years this journal 
has fought for such a department in its columns, in 
the Legislature, in committees, on the public platform.’ 
What a wonderful fight it has put up against 
the Kincaid bill! This bill would haA’e abolished the 
Department entirely. Surely a paper which did such 
terrible things “for such a department” rushed in 
tooth and nail to defend it and kill the Kincaid 
bill! Not a rush ! Not a peep! Not a hand’s turn 
in the hour of danger! Worse than that, instead 
of helping, it turned upon the Department in its 
hour of trial with the meanest sort of indirect at¬ 
tack. Printer’s ink is enduring! ShoAv us a sin¬ 
gle printed Avord of “fighting” for this Department. 
Turn to a good old book, St. Matthew 12-30, and we 
find the most appropriate text to pin upon this ter¬ 
rible fighter for market rights: 
“//e that is not with me is against me; and lie 
that gathereth not with me seattereth abroad .” 
* 
E VERY year cases are reported to us where 
farmers claim to haA r e filled their land with 
wild mustard through using unclean seed. This 
foul seed comes in oats, Alfalfa and clover, but per¬ 
haps most frequently in Dwarf Essex rape. Much 
of this is noAV used for sheep and hog pasture, and 
for coA*er crops. When the Avild mustard gets into 
a cultivated farm it becomes a great nuisance. We 
are often asked -to estimate the damage when a good 
farm is seeded to mustard mixed with other seeds. 
This has been submitted to a number of good farm¬ 
ers and the folloAving is as fair a statement as we 
can get: 
It would not be possible for me to form an idea as to 
what the damage would be where mustai'd was intro¬ 
duced on a farm Avithout first knowing the value of the 
land, the crops which were grown and the extent to 
which the mustard became spread over the farm. If 
it were a farm of a A'alue of $100 per acre or over 
which was being cropped with corn, potatoes, cabbage, 
beans and in the rotation grain Avas being grown. I 
should feel that a damage of $25 per acre would be 
none too much. If on the other hand we had the op¬ 
posite condition, where the farm was largely tree fruit, 
the trees having the entire use of the land, I should 
consider it of very little if any actual damage. If I 
were to arbitrate such a case I should take the cases 
its I have described and try to come to a reasonable 
conclusion. 
In order to have a case against the one who sold 
the seed the farmer must be able to prove that the 
Aveed is really mustard, and that it came to his 
farm in this particular batch of seed. It would be 
well to keep a sample of any suspicious seed and 
identify it. The farmer must also be able to prove 
that little if any mustard grew on his farm before 
he used this seed. The surest plan is to have seed 
examined by the experiment station and reject it 
at once if it is foul. The next best is to plow the 
entire crop right under as soon as the mustard is 
identified, and in that case the damage is the value 
of the crop. 
Brevities. 
“Shall it be small farm or bonds?” We are receiv¬ 
ing many answers to that recent question on page 512. 
Of course opinions vary. 
In Lake Co., Wis., a campaign for oat smut con¬ 
trol has been started. This means concerted action of 
all farmers in a neighborhood in treating the seed oats 
Avith formalin. We have often told how to do it. 
It will seem strange to most of us to read of cities 
in Western Canada voting on “daylight saving.” This 
means advancing the clock one hour from May 1 to 
September 30. The thing shoA\ r s what “popular elec¬ 
tions” go to. 
You will now begin to see something of what we 
had in mind in organizing this “Fa\’orite Hen” contest. 
How would it be possible to obtain a fairer idea of the 
capacity of the better class of “farm poultry?” 
shall see some good records from these hens. 
