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The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S TAPER 
\ National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homo* * 
Established tsao 
Published weekly hr llie Hnral Piiblbhinc (onipnnj-. 333 IVenl 30th Street, .\cn VorR 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer 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. 82.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8% marks, or 101* francs. Remit in money order, express 
older, 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 hacked 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 exiiosed. 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 we will not he 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the coinplaint must lie 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. 
N OW comes the season when the college student 
goes after a farm job for the Summer. He 
usually likes a fruit farm, but his vacation 
does not come at a time when he can he most use¬ 
ful. Spraying and plowing and most of the culti¬ 
vating are over by July, and picking will not be at 
its best until after college opens in the Fall. Ex¬ 
cept on truck or dairy farms or in harvesting the 
college vacation comes at the wrong time for most 
serviceable work. Some of the agricultural col¬ 
leges, like Cornell, require a record of practical 
farm experience before a student can graduate. 
Many of these students come from the city. Whei’e 
can they get the experience? Farmers do not care 
for this student labor. They are not willing to 
pay high wages for it. Many of them feel that they 
should be paid for explaining their methods to these 
young men. Probably as large a proportion of these 
college boys give satisfaction as would be the case 
with an equal number of hired men, jet for some 
reason more is expected of the college boy, and he 
will surely be called on to run the gauntlet. 
* 
T HE articles on marketing live poultry begin a 
series in which we shall give plain facts about 
market conditions in New York City. We 
shall show how business ruin, violence and even 
murder have been the portion meted out to those 
who have tried to act independently or in opposi¬ 
tion to the organized marketing interests. Study 
these articles carefully. Nothing like them has 
been printed before, and they are all part of a 
lilan of education which farmers must evidently go 
through before they can hope to have anything to 
say about the prices paid for their shipments of 
goods. If we do not show that price making and 
handling of farm produce here is a gigantic system 
of robbery we will try again. The facts are clear 
and the abuses have grown to such tremendous size 
that nothing short of a revolution on the part of 
the farmers and shippers can break them up. We 
intend, first of all. to prove the existence of these 
abuses, and this discussion will develop the causes 
of them and show the only remedy. Let us all un¬ 
derstand at the beginning that this remedy does not 
lie in the Legislature, in new laws or in political 
leaders. The only possible remedy lies in the hands 
of the plain farmers whose unorganized and un¬ 
classified shipments and sales have made it possible 
for these robbers to dominate the situation. Our 
work is to try to get these plain men to understand 
the exact situation. When they do fully understand 
it they will settle it. 
* 
After reading an article in your paper regarding ap¬ 
ple trees, I decided to purchase a “Deacon Jones.” A 
neighbor of mine was requested by me to attempt the 
purchase of one of the aforesaid “Deacon Jones” on 
his next trip to Boston. He made the trip, and also 
made it hot for me when he got back. He accuses me 
of perpetrating a joke upon him. He visited several 
places in Boston, where he had been in the habit of 
purchasing trees and shrubs during the past 15 years, 
and when he asked for a “Deacon Jones" they told him 
to quit his kidding. They told him they never had 
heard of any such variety, and that probably the 
man who wanted a “Deacon Jones” was just having 
some fun with him. No man was found at any of the 
nursery establishments who had ever heard of “Deacon 
Jones” posing before the public as an apple tree. The 
object of this letter is to ascertain the name of a re¬ 
liable dealer who will part with one “Deacon Jones” 
apple tree for a fair market price. n. f. d. 
Massachusetts. 
T HIS “Deacon .Tones” was one of the promising 
new apples described by Prof. Hedrick in our 
Horticultural Number. Most New England boys 
of the former generation knew Deacon Jones, and 
would demand a guarantee with any apple carrying 
some of his business qualities. Bujfing such a tree 
would be much like trading horses or buying cows. 
We have told our friend where the genuine “Deacon 
Jones” may be found, but what has struck those 
Boston nurserymen? Has the millennium started in 
the old Bay State? And Boston is headquarters for 
cur old friend Whiting too! The original Deacon 
Jones might possibly have delivered a Northern ,Spj T 
rather than let the order pass. He would have had 
30 or 12 years before the misfit was apparent! 
What seems to be the matter with these Boston 
nurserymen, that they cannot go to a bundle of 
trees and pick out any variety you want? Is the 
Yankee forgetting how to swap jack knives? At 
any rate the true Deacon Jones apple is all right. 
* 
A New State Issue. 
L ET us all understand about this Foods and Mar¬ 
kets Department. The original bill providing 
for it was passed by a Legislature with a Dem¬ 
ocratic Senate and a Republican Assembly and was 
signed by a Democratic Governor. There was such 
a genuine demand for it that the “leaders” all saw 
that it was not a political question in any way. 
During the last Legislature a peculiar situation was 
developed. The interests of the produce dealers 
and commission men are very strong at Albany. 
They saw that the new Department, as organized, 
meant business. They would like a lazy, perfunc- 
tory, “educational” department which would merely 
talk and do nothing. That would be a very harm¬ 
less and attractive sop thrown to farmers to keep 
them quiet. Such a department, well equipped and 
out in the open ready to fight would be “very dan¬ 
gerous.” So these shrewd interests determined to 
kill the Department if they could. They have un¬ 
limited money for political purposes and have been 
accustomed for years to have their own way in the 
legislature. They have always sneered at the farm¬ 
ers and believe that the producers are incapable of 
getting together in defense of their rights. So they 
started in promptly to get rid of the Department 
in the quickest possible way. 
The first step along this line was the introduction 
of the Kincaid bill, which abolished the Department 
absolutely. This was like taking the ax to the 
young colt—a brutal if sure method. This bill 
would have become a law if the farmers individ¬ 
ually and through the Grange had not fought it. 
Our protests roused a storm among the farmers, and 
they filled Albany with their letters. This outburst 
was so strong that the politicians were frightened. 
They had no idea, as one of them said, “there was so 
much gunpowder in the thing.” They did not dare 
try to kill the Department with an ax. and the 
Kincaid bill never got out: of committee. There are 
other ways of killing a colt besides knocking him on 
the head. You may starve him or feed him such a 
small ration that he cannot become more than a 
poor, weak runt. Then you can turn around and 
say: “I told you so. We gave this colt a chance 
but he has proved that he isn’t worth raising! Now 
knock him!” It was finally decided to try this plan 
on the Department. So a small appropriation was 
made—just about, enough to pay salaries, rent and 
postage, but not enough to do any effective work. 
The object of this was to starve the Department or 
cripple it, just as would be the case with the half- 
fed colt. The next year it would be easy to say: 
“The Department lias done nothing. It. isn’t worth 
the price—now let’s kill it.” It was a very slick 
political scheme, but it will work the wrong way 
for its backers. The first shock comes when the 
Commissioner announced that he will not draw his 
salary for personal use, but spend the money in de¬ 
veloping the Department. Txte R. N.-Y. intends to 
spend the Summer and Fall in making this a State 
issue in New York. We shall see to it that no man 
goes to the next Assembly from a rural district 
without stating clearly, “yes” or “no” as to whether 
lie will vote to give this new Department both ap¬ 
propriations and powers large enough to help farm¬ 
ers in their marketing problems. 
* 
T HE death of Henry E. Van Deman removes one 
more of the old guard of strong men who had 
so much to do in organizing and developing 
the mighty horticultural interests of this country. 
Few of the younger generation of fruit growers can 
now realize what these old pioneers did for us dur¬ 
ing the years following the Civil Wax*. They or- 
ganized and classified varieties, and patiently worked 
out their adaptability, kept up enthusiasm in plant¬ 
ing and cultivating, bred the neeessai\v faith in fu¬ 
ture markets, and developed the transportation 
which made nation-wide distribution possible. 
What a debt we owe to these gi*eat men—most of 
whom were so eager to lead and investigate that 
they never stopped to pick up the golden harvest 
which those who follow genei*allj* find. It is true 
that most pioneers receive their pay in glox*y rather 
than in gold. Some of these strong men developed 
transportation services, others grew sxiccessful or- 
chai’ds, and still others gave choice new varieties 
May 15, 1915. 
to the world. Most of them were specialists—the 
master of some particular branch of horticultural 
service. Prof. Van Deman excelled as a judge and 
student of varieties. He knew fruit as few other 
men did. What the opinion of a justice of the Su¬ 
preme Court meant at law, a decision by Van De¬ 
man meant at a fruit show. Pai’ker Earle, in his 
forthcoming book, tells what some of these fruit- 
jndging opinions meant in the earlier days when new 
and unimproved sections were seeking recognition 
at the larger fruit shows. Prize-winning in those 
days meant floods of new settlei*s and market oppor- 
tunities for new sections. Prof. Van Deman did 
much of the judging at these times when a fruit de¬ 
cision meant so much for Florida, California, Ore¬ 
gon or other sections where fruit growing was de¬ 
veloping. It required strong ehax*acter and sound 
knowledge to act in such cases, and Van Deman 
possessed both qualities. He served his country well 
in war and in peace. A plain farmer’s boy. he 
never lost touch with the true, simple life of the 
old-fashioned farm. We knew him as a man of 
strong, earnest character and high ideals, and as a 
sincere and helpful friend. The old guard marches 
on, but the work done by those strong old fighters 
will ever be with us as fi*agi*ant and green as the 
orchards they planted and the dreams which came 
true through their labor of love. The woi*k that 
Prof. Van Deman did so well is evidenced by the 
following note: 
I note with regret the death of Prof. H. E. Van De- 
man. This brings back to memory the first time I saw 
him. It was at one of the Western New York Horti¬ 
cultural meetings in Rochester about the year 1900. 
During a discussion on varieties of apples Mr. Van 
Deman arose and held up some Jonathan apples in his 
hand, and recommended them, together with the Grimes 
Golden, to the Western New York planters. He dis¬ 
tributed some among the members to sample. “How 
about the King?” some one asked. “The King is all 
right,” he said, “but you can’t get them in the barrel.” 
As a result of Prof. Van Deman’s advice the writer, 
for one, is now enjoying both the Jonathan and Grimes 
Golden and prizes them above all others for Winter 
dessert apples. At this writing, May 1, we have them 
both in the cellai*, sound and full of flavor. Prof. Van 
Deman will be greatly missed. w. a. bassett. 
.Seneca Co., N. Y. 
HE chestnut bark disease has become very ser- 
ious. Those of us who live in Northern New 
Jersey realize this fact whenever we look at 
our chestnut groves. The writer has 30 acres of 
chestnut timber whereiu practically every tx*ee has 
been desti’oyed by this fatal disease. The United 
States Government is now thinking of putting a 
quarantine upon New England and most of the 
States West to Indiana. This quarantine would re- 
strict the movement out of this territory of chestnut 
nursery stock and chestnut lumber with the bark 
on. This disease is caused by a fungus, and is 
spread by the distribution of nursery stock. When 
it once becomes established in any locality, it may 
be spread by the wind, by birds, or by insects, and 
is one of the most damaging plant diseases that has 
ever visited the Eastern part of this country. 
Brevities. 
A coon .shingle may become a board of moral health. 
Full many a man who should be kicking dust sits 
down and lets his mental hinges rust. 
Too much tobacco will kill a goat! What chance 
has a man—unless he is stronger than “Billy?” 
“The yellow peril” is the new name for dande¬ 
lions in the lawn. 
An axiom—a sure thing, as the chicken i*emai*ked of 
the ax. 
Mistress Mary quite contrary, how does your gar¬ 
den grow? I planted my seeds but I let the weeds and 
the quack grass overflow. 
We have many conflicting reports regarding the use 
of “blue ointment” on poultry—as a lice killer. If you 
have had experience will you tell us about it? 
Eveis know a man to become a philosopher because 
he wanted to be one? They are all driven to the job 
at the end of some sharp lash. 
Judging from our letters there is a great desire this 
year to run after greatly boomed “novelties” to provide 
hay or pasture for stock. Our advice is to stand right 
by our old friend oats an '. Canada peas. 
Russia has not only prohibited the selling of al¬ 
coholic drink, but has offered over $136,000 in prizes 
for industrial methods of utilizing alcohol. 
The fearful slaughter of horses in the European 
war will increase the demand for light engines as soon 
as peace is insured. The little strong-arm engine will 
be put at work doing dozens of jobs which, 10 years 
ago would have demanded human or horsepowei*. 
We think there is future in this plan of transplant¬ 
ing Alfalfa roots. At least we ax*e trying it carefully, 
but. as with other “novelties,” we advise our friends 
to take it easy and not plunge. 
There have been some calls for lhe carbolic emul¬ 
sion to be poured along the ouiou and cabbage rows to 
kill the maggots. Ilei-e you are: Hard soap, one pound: 
hot water (soft) one-half gallon: crude carbolic acid 
one pint. Dissolve the soap in the water. Then add 
the carbolic acid and churn the mixture by pumping 
it back on itself until a smooth emulsion is formed. 
This is the stock solution. For use dilute with 50 
parts of water. 
