878 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAVER 
A Niitionul Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* * 
Established iSSO 
I'ublUlied weekly by the Kami Publishing ( ompnny. 333 >Ve#l SO(h Street. New Yorft 
HKRBKKT W. Collingwood, I’rerident and Editor. 
•Ions J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
TV"m. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mks. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.°!. equal to 8e. 6d., or 
iijj marks, or 10S£ franca 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. Kefercnces 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 out subscribers and honest, 
responsible bouses, 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 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month or the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention Tub Rl'ltAL Nbw- 
Yokkkr when writing the advertiser. 
T HE president of Harvard University is reported 
as saying that a man reaches his highest point 
of mental efficiency at 23. For years that number 
has been considered unlucky. How often when some 
blunderbuss wanders into trouble or becomes “it” 
in the game of lifyi we have heard people jokingly re¬ 
mark "23”! Let some callow Harvard man of the 
“age of efficiency” run up against some experienced 
grandfather of 60, and the answer will be his age— 
“23.” 
* 
M ANY farmers are having excellent results in 
feeding skim-milk to heifers and young colts. 
In some localities heifer farms pay well. The own¬ 
ers make butter or sell cream and use the skim- 
milk for raising the best heifers they can pick up. 
These heifers are sold with their first or second 
calf, usually at a good profit. Young colts make 
a fine growth on skim-milk, hut some farmers claim 
that milk-fed colts are “soft,” lacking muscle and 
endurance. We would like to know what horsemen 
have to say about this. Milk pushes the colts on so 
fast that it, will give good profit unless there is 
something in this claim that a milk-fed colt is like 
a milk-fed chicken. What is your experience? 
* 
T HE scientific men have their say this week re¬ 
garding the butterfat test for milk. More of 
them will talk next week. As you see, they gener¬ 
ally agree that the fat test is fair in estimating the 
value of milk. Many of the farmers who are de¬ 
livering milk which tests around 3.5 per cent will 
not fully agree with this, especially where the milk 
is condensed. Probably the “solids not fat” have 
greater food value in condensed milk than in any 
other milk product, including cheese. The scientists 
figure the price of these “solids not fat” at a low 
price—lower we think, than actual values warrant. 
What we have got to do is to demonstrate and pub¬ 
lish the real value of skim-milk as a food. 
* 
T WO things for apple growers to study now. One 
is the article on the apple markets which be¬ 
gins this week, and the other the announcement of 
the Foods and Markets Department which was 
printed on page 844 of last week. It is made per¬ 
fectly clear that the prices paid for apples are de¬ 
termined by a comparatively small group of buyers. 
As a rule the growers have little to say about it, 
and markets and quotations are so manipulated that 
supply and demand cuts hut a small figure. The 
growers must get right down to the heart of the 
matter, and take a hand at establishing a price for 
New York fruit. The plan is to sell New York ap¬ 
ples at auction every day during the season. They 
will be sold honestly and openly right on their 
merits, and as soon as the public feel convinced that 
both the apples and the sale are straight there will 
be plenty of buyers, and prices will he based on 
supply and demand. These auction prices will es¬ 
tablish the figures for graded fruit instead of having 
them made at some secret conference by selfish in¬ 
terested parties. Now in order to make this plan 
a success there must be business cooperation among 
New York apple growers. Such growers must guar¬ 
antee to furnish a sufficient number of carloads to 
provide a continuous supply of fruit We must all 
realize that a bitter fight will be made to prevent 
any plan under which the growers will have a hand 
in fixing the price. The point is right here: Under 
this auction plan, the growers have, for the fii-st 
time, a chance to help settle the price of their own 
goods. For many years they have talked and “re¬ 
solved” and tried to organize. Now comes a sound, 
definite plan for doing something under the super¬ 
vision of the State. It is a chance to help them¬ 
selves by putting up part of their apples to be sold 
in this way. We saw in those recent articles how 
the farmers of Western Canada put up their money 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
and their grain when asked to do so and in that 
way obtained control of the sale of their products. 
Here is the first practical opportunity for New York 
apple growers to do the same thing. 
* 
O N page 746 we gave a statement of the compara¬ 
tive egg yield and profits of the leading pens 
of Barred Rocks and It. I. Reds in last year’s egg- 
laying contest. It seems that an error for which we 
were not responsible got into these figures. The 
actual record should he given as follows for the 
year’s work: 
10 Barred Rocks 10 R. I. Rods. 
Total Eggs in Year. 1606 1S85 
Value of Eggs. $47.84 $50.04 
Cost of Feed. 10.21 20.26 
Thus the 10 Reds gave a profit over their feed of 
$30.68, while the 10 Rocks gave $28.63. This gives 
the advantage to the Reds and we are glad to make 
the correction. The price at which the eggs were 
figured varied from 50 cents a dozen in December 
to 21 in May. 
* 
As to your articles on cover crops I might say that I 
plowed under six acres of buckwheat in blow last year, 
and now have the best piece of rye that I have raised. 
I shall take my riding cultivator as soon as my silo 
corn is off, stir up the ground, disk it, and sow about 
a bushel of rye all to be plowed under for oats next 
year. I would prefer to plow it under for corn, as it 
would give the rye a better chance to grow, but I want 
my corn ground Fall-plowed. c. o. b. 
UNDREDS of our readers have tried this cov¬ 
er crop plan. We would like to have more of 
their experience. The time now comes to talk cov¬ 
er crops and lime once more. We think these four 
words represent a square-sided foundation for many 
a soil which would not otherwise be improved. 
Ninety per cent of our old farm soil needs organic 
matter, and cover crops, growing while the land 
would otherwise lie bare, will supply it cheaply. 
* 
The Lion’s Share. 
T ALKING with a farmer the other day he 
brought out the figures to show what he re¬ 
ceived for shipments of apples and potatoes. He 
had looked up retail prices for such goods and found 
that he received less than a 35-cent dollar. “Yes,” 
he said, “these handlers have received the lion’s 
share.” As we often hear this expression we asked 
this farmer if he knew just what it means. He 
did not know exactly—like many others he had 
heard the expression and used it. So it is well to 
give here the fable by xEsop which started the fa¬ 
mous expression. After reading it who doubts that 
JEsop shipped goods to market and took his 35-eent 
dollar? 
The Lion went once a-bunting along with the Fox, 
the Jackal, and the Wolf. They hunted and they hunt¬ 
ed till at last they surprised a Stag, and soon took its 
life. Then came the question how the spoil should be 
divided. “Quarter me this Stag,” roared the Lion ; so 
the other animals skinned it and cut it into four parts. 
Then the Lion took his stand in front of the carcass 
and pronounced judgment: 
“The first quarter is for me in m.v capacity as King 
of Beasts; the second is mine as arbiter, another share 
comes to me for my part in the chase and as for the 
fourth, well, as for that, I should like to see which 
of you will dare to lay a paw upon it.” 
“Humph,” grumbled the Fox as he walked away 
with bis tail between his legs; but he spoke in a low 
growl: 
“You may share the labours of the great, but you 
will not share the spoil.” 
* 
IIE Agricultural Department has been collect¬ 
ing samples of Hairy vetch seed—such as is 
offered for sale by various seedsmen. Some of it is 
fearfully adulterated in some cases carrying less 
than half true Hairy vetch. Now the price of this 
vetch seed is high and it is a great shame to palm 
off inferior seed upon buyers. The Department 
suggests the following test for vetch seed: 
The difference in color of the interior of the seed of 
different, kinds of vetches affords a ready means for 
detecting the use of other vetch seed as an adulterant 
of Hairy vetch. Crushed Hairy vetch seed is of a 
lemon-yellow color, somewhat lighter on the flat than 
on the rounded surface. The crushed seed of most 
of the other vetches occurring with the seed of Hairy 
vetch varies in color from dark fawn to I’eddish orange. 
When a small handful of seed is crushed, if there are 
any fawn, salmon, or reddish-orange colored pieces 
present the seed is not pure Hairy vetch. 
If you take our advice you will reject all im¬ 
pure seed of Hairy vetch. 
* 
A SK and ye shall receive!” We asked for 
a \ experience with Sweet clover on our com¬ 
mon Eastern soils, and we are surely receiving it. 
Here is a sample: 
I am sending you a sample of my Sweet clover. If 
you stand on the floor and let the root of this plant 
extend downward through a convenient rat-hole till -t 
assumes its normal field position, I think you will find 
it about your size (lengthwise). Part of the field Is 
commencing to bloom and I am wondering if it is 
about time to cut it, but don’t know. The air is full 
of bees where the bloom is coming out. and the smell is 
July 3, 1915. 
great. If any of the Sweet clover boys have told you 
when to cut I should be glad to get the information. 
Connecticut. fred m. peasley. 
Judge Peasley stated the ease correctly. The 
plant stood nearly six feet high above the root. It 
was just right to cut as we understand from the 
Sweet clover cranks. Now a great legume, like this 
one, growing on a Connecticut hillside, will make 
us all stop and think harder than any institute lec¬ 
turer ever succeeded in doing. For here is a ni¬ 
trogen factory and humus collector working over¬ 
time and charging nothing for it. Who ever saw 
another acclimated Yankee doing that? Joe Wing 
comes over into New England now and then and tells 
the people that Sweet clover will change the history 
of their country. Here is the answer in this big 
plant from Judge Peasley. No sour milk about 
Sweet clover. 
* 
T HE Commissioner of Internal Revenue states 
that since 1902 more than 200,000,000 pounds 
of untaxed oleomargarine have been sold as but¬ 
ler. This means $27,000,000 lost to the U. S. Gov¬ 
ernment, and very much more than that stolen from 
the people by selling cheap fats as butter. The 
“oleo” makers and dealers have always claimed that 
they were greatly persecuted in their efforts to give 
the poor man a cheap butter substitute. Yet here 
they are caught red-handed in the most contemptible 
frauds. Selling this counterfeit butter has been just 
about as profitable as handling counterfeit money 
a nd one is as dishonest as the other. 
The offenders resorted to various means to deceive 
the Government and the public. The methods employed 
by fraudulent oleomargarine manufacturers to color 
their product were to purchase palm oil and by circu¬ 
itous routes ship it to the factory, where it was put 
into oleomargarine in connection with other ingredients 
to mask this coloring chemical, when it was placed on 
the market under tax paid stamps at one-quarter cent 
a pound, when it was subject to tax at 10 cents a 
pound. 
Under the present law colored oleo is taxed 10 
cents n pound while the uncolored carries a tax of 
one quarter cent. This difference in taxation has 
enabled the manufacturers to cheat both the gov¬ 
ernment and the public. The thing to do now is to 
make these rascals pay the penalty and start fresh 
with new legislation which will hold them. The 
National Dairy Union favors a new law embodying 
the following features: 
(1) The adoption of a color standard for oleo, and 
the prohibition of its manufacture or sale under any 
conditions when the degree of yellow coloration is great¬ 
er than that prescribed. 
(2) The limiting of the amount of butterfat that 
may be incorporated in oleomargarine to five per cent. 
(3) The adoption of a uniform tax rate for all oleo¬ 
margarine. 
A uniform tax of one cent a pound for all oleo 
is suggested and a color standard which will clearly 
separate “oleo” from yellow butter. A test for meas¬ 
uring color has now been devised which will hold 
the oleo makers to a fixed standard. Under the 
present system both government and people have 
been robbed, and every department of dairying has 
felt the effect of these frauds. The principle in¬ 
volved in all this oleo legislation is to prevent coun¬ 
terfeiting. If people want to eat oleo let them have 
it for just what it is, but stop the makers and deal¬ 
ers from palming it off for the better and more ex¬ 
pensive butterfat. Evidently the double system of 
tiixation has failed, without a definite standard of 
yellow color. The new plan will give a better chance 
to stop the frauds. 
Brevities. 
Gan you give any sensible reason for killing a black- 
snake ? 
llow many years before the grain binder grows gray- 
Laired? 
Get rid of the rooster, ob poultryman, now, or he’ll 
eat most as much as a middle-sized cow. 
We hear of a fruit grower who picks and ships near¬ 
ly 1,600 crates of strawberries during the season, 
yet he says his family rarely eat a berry at home. 
Honest now, how many people in your neighbor¬ 
hood would pay money for a successful cow-tail hold¬ 
er? A number of such devices have been patented late¬ 
ly, and the inventors think there are thousands of men 
waiting to buy one. How about your neighborhood? 
We have just sampled apples coming originally from 
Tasmania. They were shipped first to England and 
then brought here. This fruit was in fair condition 
after its long journey and the quality was good. This 
Tasmanian fruit brings $5 per box in England. 
Oat smut was practically driven out of Wisconsin 
by cooperative work in using the formalin treatment. 
The Farm Bureau agents in New York are developing 
great interest in oat smut control. Many bushels of 
seed oats were treated this year and the results will 
be surprising. 
The multiplication of auto cars on farms has de¬ 
veloped a new form of farm outings. “Excursions” are 
made. Some 100 or more farmers will gather and 
journey in a crowd to a dozen or more good farms 
comparing notes and studying methods. This has been 
made possible by the auto. 
