1092 
The Rural New-Yorker 
the naajmaa faumkk-r pa pee 
\ Nutlonnl Weekly Journal for Country mill Kulturhuti Home* 
KulaJiUmheil >HW 
PiiblUUrd woolly liy the Krirnl I'nbliohlnr Ooonpooy, XXI Vnl 80 lhBlr»rt,W»w Yarn 
IlKiinKRT W. Coi.i.ixuwoon, IVoutdentuml Iv!itor. 
John ,1. iHu/tN, Trwwurer and Orn.rul Munaifci'. 
Wm. K. Dimxin, Sncrebuy. Mk*. E - T. Kovijc, Aiwoclate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLI.AR A YEAR 
To foreign eountric* In tint CnlretmJ Portal Union, $*<M. ojuul Iota. <kl., or 
8J(. iimrlCH, or l#q fnuic*. Kemit in money order, exprota 
order, jn-raunal check or hunk draft. 
Entered nt New York Pont Office ait Second Clim* Mai ler. 
Advertising rntoH, 7B cent* pora«rnie li«c—7 word*. Reference* requited fo. 
iKlvei tlwiH unknown to iih ; aiul ca*h mind, aeeoiniiany transmit order*. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We tiellcvo that every advnrtfurmeni In thl* paper Ih ImeVrd liv n renpon- 
allile |Mjr»on. Wr into every povllite precaution unit admit the advertldnir of 
reliahle hoine-H only. But 1.0 make doubly wire, we will make rood any Iohh 
to imlil mbaerllicrM xm.inined hy truatinif any deliberate mxlndb-r, Irreapon- 
alble lulveiilaeru or iiiIhIi-ihUtii? ndvertlwim-nlK In our column*. and any 
Mleh awlndhtr will he publicly expowd. We arc aiao often cjiJB-d upon 
to adluul dilferoneea or mlrtMCo* lintwiien our Miibwrlbcni and himral, 
reKjxina/hle hotmea. whether lulvertlaeni or not. We wllltnply text our Rood 
office" to till* end, hut Hindi eaaee ahoiild not lie ennfmavl with dlalioheat 
truii"netIon*. We proteet "iihHeitlier* apulnxi rogu«v. hut wo will not ho 
re poiiKihh for the debt* of lioneat liankrupt* aanelloficd hv the court*. 
Not lee of the complaint niuut he aent to u* within oiv tnont h of the time of 
the tra.anu*tion, and to Identify It, you aliould mention This Uiikai. Nkw- 
YoitKr.lt when writing the ltdvertlaer. 
N O madam—we would not use any of the so- 
called “canning compounds" for preserving 
food. They usually contain salicylic or boric acids 
—both dangerous to health, and better for under¬ 
taking than for human consumption. To say nothing 
of llie fact that the Federal laws prohibit the use 
of such drugs and poisons—what is the use when 
I lie good old-fashioned heat treatment will preserve 
llie food? 
* 
I N New York City certain rascals are at work try¬ 
ing to get their share out of llie widows’ pen¬ 
sion law. These fakers go to widows who may ap¬ 
ply for the pension and solicit payments. They 
claim this money is needed to secure necessary pa¬ 
pers, No such papers are necessary, and no pay¬ 
ments should ever he* made. The county clerk will 
issue application blanks, properly numbered, and 
no pension will la* paid before January 1. It is a 
mean, contemptible scheme to steal money from poor 
widows. If one of these rascals wanders your 
way tell him that and charge it to us! 
• 
P ItOF. SHAW'S plan for an organization of 
breeders of milking or dairy Short horn cattle 
is a good one. There are many Shorthorns which 
excel as dairy cows. They are big animals and give 
a good carcass when their work af llie pail is fin¬ 
ished. The steers too, make good beef. There are 
many localities where the special dairy breeds like 
Jersey, Guernsey or Holstein are most profitable— 
without much consideration for meat qualities. 
There are other cases where a combination of milk 
and beef will pay. The daily Shorthorn is a candi¬ 
date for such places. Since there is a need for such 
cattle as utility animals, that need should be or¬ 
ganized. The best, way to do it is along llie lines 
suggested by Prof, Shaw. 
* 
N EW YORK farmers have done much work this 
year experimenting with oat smut treatment. 
It lias been a had season for smut wherever the dis¬ 
ease started, in some cases at least 50 per cent, of 
the oats were diseased and the smut Hies from the 
thrasher like a black cloud. The treatment of soak¬ 
ing the seed with formalin and water has proved 
very effective tills year. In some cases reported to 
us farmers treated the oat seed for several years in 
succession and thought they had the disease fully 
killed out. So they gave up the treatment and this 
year have a badly smutted crop. Investigation, in 
several cases, showed that the thrasher came to 
their farms from places where smut was had. The 
thrasher was loaded with smut germs, and the 
clean crop was thus contaminated. This shows the 
necessity of treating the seed oats every year as a 
matter of precaution. 
• 
1 have recently been wondering whether, in tin* Hast, 
we have miy farmers who are operating farms that are 
self-sustaining with respect to maintaining soil fertili¬ 
ty without tlie use of purchased commercial fertilizers, 
and producing forage and grain sufficient to supply their 
live stock without purchasing western grains and by¬ 
products, and are making money. v. k. 
I F there are such fanners we shall no doubt hear 
from them through The R- N.-Y. It would lie 
interesting to compare their figures with those of 
farmers who buy grain or fertilizers with good busi¬ 
ness judgment H may not follow that tin* man who 
never buys any feed or fertilizer is a hid ter farmer 
than lie who invests money in these things and 
makes a profit by doing so. Without question many 
fanners pay cash for stock or plant food which they 
might produce right, on the farm without greatly 
Increasing the laltor cost:. On the other hand, such 
food is like labor or like farm implements—an in¬ 
vestment which with good judgment may Ik* turned 
into a profit. We would not teach the doctrine that 
a funnel* should never go off Ills farm for feed or 
TH EC RURAD NfcCW-YORKKR 
fertilizer. He should get. all he can of them there, 
but there will lx* times when a dollar well spent 
for grain or chemicals will enable a farmer to make 
$5 in profit. A dairyman with a good supply of 
manure might think It useless for him to buy fer¬ 
tilizer. It probably would he if lie bought nitrogen 
only, yet money spent for phosphoric acid anil pot¬ 
ash to reinforce the manure might pay well. 
* 
B Y the time this reaches our readers the first 
orchard auction will Ik* a tiling of history, 
(hi September 1 this auction was held at Red Hook, 
the next day at Gardner and Hie day following at. 
Milton. Now we shall see how this plan works out 
The theory of it is sound, both from the seller's and 
the buyer’s standpoint. Roth sides will save time 
and expense by such a plan. Dozens or hundreds of 
buyers, under the old system, work through the 
fruit-growing districts at great Individual expense, 
trying to make private trades for apples. The sys¬ 
tem is as expensive and inefficient as that of de¬ 
livering milk or groceries in many cities. On a sin¬ 
gle block, or street, a dozen or more wagons will 
travel, each making a few small deliveries which 
could easily he handled by two wagons. Wilder the 
auction system fairly carried out all Ibis useless 
individual trading can he greatly simplified. The 
fruil or tlie orchards are luni|K*d together at some 
central place. The buyers are saved the expense 
of travel and trading. They come together in u 
group where they can do more business in a day 
than they could in a month under the old plan — 
and save at least 25 js-r cent of the expense. The 
grower, too, will have an advantage in this auction 
plan. The business will be done promptly, and he 
will know just where he stands. He will know more 
about couditious and whether the price is fair or 
not. There will he open competition for his fruit, 
and this very fact of bringing the business out into 
the open will prove one of the best lliings about it. 
The auction plan as proposed will mean a form 
of cooperative work. Of course the plan is a new 
one and will require patience and good manage¬ 
ment at the start It. is, however, a sound pro|M>- 
sition with great, possibilities for both growers and 
buyers if they can work together. The old plan 
has been so long in o|ieration that it, has almost 
become a habit, hut, it is now out of date, and not 
efficient for either side. The Foods and Markets 
Department: tries this plan because fruit growers 
wanted to test it out fairly. The easiest way for 
the new Department would have been to sil still 
and do nothing, but It. is not looking for the easiest: 
way, since that means no help whatever for pro¬ 
ducers. This orchard auction represents a fair 
honest effort to improve conditions for apple grow¬ 
ers. They fully understand the motive since they 
are responsible for it, and they will do their full 
part, in making it a success. Whatever happens in 
the future the Department has already saved to 
fruit growers 50 limes its cost It has brought, pro¬ 
ducers together, given them market information and 
the confidence to hold out for fair prices. II will 
he harder to steal apples or bluff farmers into giving 
them away this year than ever before. That is why 
the trade paiiers are howling in such a wild chorus! 
* 
Why do you not tell us, right up and down, just what 
we all want to know about Sweet clover in the Fast? 
s. a. 
I N order to do that we should have to know all 
the ins and outs and have a full knowledge of the 
subject. No one can be said to have that yet. Here 
and there an enthusiastic farmer praises Sweet 
clover to the skies, and urges everyone to plunge in 
and try it. On the other hand the agricultural 
college, the experiment, station, the farm bureau 
agents and farmers’ institute men all urge great 
caution. They are not enthusiastic—in fact you 
might call them rather sour on Sweet clover. With 
all this divided opinion our advice is much (he same 
that, we give aiiout, buying “novelties.” Try il out 
but do not. plunge heavily on this clover, unless you 
are prepared to charge it all against yourself In 
ease it proves a failure. On our own farm small 
patches of Sweet: clover are doing well, and we are 
trying it out in about 15 acres of orchard, if it 
will do for us half of what we know it has done 
for others we shall he fully satisfied, hut we are not 
joining either the “boomers" or the “knockers" with 
the evidence I hat we have at present. 
* 
A NEW wave of interest, in Alfalfa is spreading 
over the Eastern States. It comes with the 
spread of Sweet clover and trial of the new Si¬ 
berian varieties of Alfalfa, and It Is a fine thing. 
Personally we think these new varieties are likely 
to succeed on many kinds of soil when* the old 
kinds failed or merely half lived. As we know them 
better we shall have greater resjiect for them. The 
September 4, 1015. 
variety known as Semlpalatinsk has not seemed to 
us very desirable for Eastern farms, and yet Prof. 
N. E. Hansen, who brought these Alfalfas from Si¬ 
beria, writes: 
The Semipnlatinsk will surprise you I think after 
the first year. The growth is more upright lifter the 
first year. This variety makes abundant bay on eight 
inches of rain, but ns to what those Alfalfas will do 
with you can only be determined by actual trial. It 
seems specially adapted for transplanting in cultivator 
rows, ns it is sure to grow even in tlie driest of sea¬ 
sons. Its seed shelling habit is no special objection, 
as one pound of seed by transplanting will set 20 acres. 
This matter of transplanting the seedlings will 
seem like a small thing to many of our farmers. 
Yet, we believe il will he quite largely practical 
within 10 years. We want to be very earefill in 
talking about this new Alfalfa culture. What we 
believe is one tiling. What we expect our friends 
to believe Is quite another. At any rate Alfalfa is 
coming faster than ever. 
• 
T 1IE silo becomes more important each year as a 
means of utilizing the corn crop. Five years 
ago only 3% per cent, of the total corn crop was 
out for silage*. Last year about eight per cent, of the 
total crop went into the silo, and 11 per cent, in ad- 
dilion was cut and fed green. In many of the 
States less than half the corn is left to mature 
grain. See what the silo has accomplished in (lie 
following named States: 
IV'rtviilafo of Crn|i. 
Cut Cut tor 
for i*Uo. green (V-d. 
Maine . ,'J5 15 
New Hampshire . (15 (5 
Vermont . 71 5 
Massachusetts . 5S lft 
Connecticut . 55 S 
New York . ID ft 
Wisconsin . .‘Ul IS 
Michigan . 2S lft 
Last year the corn grown on S,3(14,000 acres was 
put info silos. This year there is probably a gain 
of 1,000,000 acres. We see that through New Eng¬ 
land and New York less than half the com is ma¬ 
tured for grain. Even in States like Illinois and 
Indiana about one-fourth of the great crop Is fed 
green or pul into the silo. There is only one way 
to look at, these figures. They show that the silo is 
gaining In popularity, as year after year the great 
value of silage is demonstrated. Where corn brings 
the highest price there the largest proportion of the 
crop goes into the silo. As the cultivation of Al¬ 
falfa spreads through the East there will lx* more 
silos. Alfalfa tits tlie land for more corn, and good 
silage and Alfalfa hay are pretty close to a. full 
balanced ration. 
* 
1 have 15 acres of potatoes and they are dying with 
blight. Some of my neighbors are mowing the tops off 
their potatoes, claiming that (his prevents the roots 
from dying, and that tin* potatoes keep on growing 
nearly as well as if the tops had not been blighted. 
Have you over heard of such a thing, and is there any¬ 
thing tO it? W. It. A. 
W E have heard of such cases, and have had 
several reports which show that under cer¬ 
tain conditions the plan succeeded. In these cases 
the blight a Marked the vines and before If. spread 
all through them the field was mowed and the vines 
raked off and burned. New fops grew and those 
were kept well sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. In 
this way they were kept alive uiili! the crop ma¬ 
tured. The theory of this treatment was much the 
same as that of cutting out diseased wood on blight 
od tree's. In this the plan is to cut below the dis¬ 
eased part, burn the cutting and spray the limb be¬ 
low the cut. Where ail the diseased wood ean he 
cut out and healthy wood left, this treatment often 
saves the tree. With potatoes such a plan would 
work only when the diseased part of tlie vines was 
cut off and destroyed and healthy “stumps" or 
lower vines left. In such case the spraying would 
help, hut the disease must be taken in hand prompt¬ 
ly and the diseased vines must be burned. 
Brevities. 
A mood manure pit will throw a part of the fertilizer 
hill into a fit. 
Its.ui:MJii.it that most animals dislike the taste of 
rye. The best way to feed it is to grind and mix with 
oats and corn. 
Quit own advice is not to sow I fairy vetch north of 
New York after September 1. There may be eases 
where il gets through when seeded Inter, but by rights 
il needs an early start. 
Wk are glad to see that the county fairs and fair 
exhibitions generally are making more of a feature of 
“household exhibits,” and (longs gen (‘rally which in¬ 
terest the farm women. There is no reason why those 
exhibits should not la* classified and organized as well 
as any other. The Colorado Agricultural College at 
Fort Collins has issued a very nice pamphlet on 
“Household Exhibits at Fairs." This tells how to nr 
range these useful things, and also gives score curds 
showing how to compare those exhibits fairly on much 
the same basis which is employed in judging the live 
st.<s*k or exhibits in oilier departments. People who are 
interested in matters of this kind will surely find this 
little pamphlet just what they want. 
