1464 
THE KUkAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
\ National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Established ISSO 
1‘ublbljvd n»»tly by IHr Kuril Pnbllahlnf Company, 333 >V»«t JOtli Slrrrt, »w Torft 
Herbert W. Colj.inowood, President and Editor. 
Jons DnxoN, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. I>ii.i.on, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Bom, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8>4 marks, or 1014 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 pci-son. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
l-eUable houses only. Rnt to make doubly sure, wo will make good any loss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertiser# 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 bouses, 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 or 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention Thk RihaL New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Many a good cow has been judged to be worthless 
when really good feed and care would have made her 
extra good. This happens in many of our New Eng¬ 
land herds. We hear the cry “I)o not keep the board¬ 
er cow,” which is very good, but be fair and use the 
cow rightly before condemning her, as good cows are 
becoming scarce and should not be disposed of hastily. 
HAT is all right too. There is a good deal said 
about the robber cow, and she deserves it all. 
But what about the angel in the barn? We believe 
it is true that many a good cow has been con¬ 
demned because she did not have a fair chance and 
was not properly fed. We get many letters from 
farmers who have changed their ration so as to give 
it a good balance, and find the cows coming right 
up without any extra cost. 
* 
T HEY are all coming to it—and a glorious thing 
too. Censorship of advertising! Not long ago 
an agent called at a country home soliciting sub¬ 
scriptions to a paper. It was a good paper, but the 
man of the house was not satisfied with the editorial 
announcements. “Let me see the advertisements!” 
he said, and they were all examined. This fanner 
is now wise to the plan of printing sermons and 
saintly matter in one part of the paper, and then 
putting fake and nasty advertisements in another 
part. lie knows that a very small “ad” may prove 
a wide door for sin or loss to enter his home, and 
he doesn’t want his children to play with question¬ 
able advertising. Far better play with gunpowder. 
* 
“After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well!" 
T is with deep personal sorrow that we are forced 
to record the death of W. Atlee Burpee of Phila¬ 
delphia. We have lost a personal friend, kindly and 
true, and the nation has lost one who might well be 
called an ideal American business man. It is hard 
for a man of 57, in the prime of mental powers, with 
the justified pride of honorable business success, 
and with an unbounded horizon of hope for the fu¬ 
ture, to be called off into the great unknown. Yet 
we think Mr. Burpee lived his life in such a way 
that he could lay down the burden without regret. 
Tl was our privilege to know Mr. Burpee well. He 
was a kindly and loyal friend, a man of the strict¬ 
est integrity, a benevolent, useful citizen, whose 
memory will be kept green by hundreds who have 
felt his strong, kindly help and unobtrusive char¬ 
ity. A good man and loyal friend has passed on— 
out of the battle of life. We can say no more, 
though we might easily fill a page with true records 
of the sympathetic and kindly help given to human¬ 
ity by this true gentleman. Peace to him after the 
tumult and trials of life. 
* 
T HE French people have raised more than $4,- 
000,000,000 and loaned it to their government 
This did not come from bankers and rich men en¬ 
tirely, or even largely. It was raised by people of 
the thrifty middle class out of comparatively small 
savings. These Frenchmen have suc-li confidence in 
their own country that they put up their money and 
willingly accept government paper in return. At the 
end of the war with Germany, 35 years ago, the lat¬ 
ter country demanded of France a sum of money 
which seemed far beyond the power of the govern¬ 
ment to raise. Without question the thrifty French¬ 
men of the middle class went to their hiding places 
and produced the needed money, cheerfully accept¬ 
ing their government’s promise to pay. Now they 
come forward once more with a much larger sum. 
The people of this country have a great lesson to 
learn from this. While this nation is still com¬ 
paratively new, we are already face to face with 
great needs of capital on the part of farmers. Rural 
credits are greatly needed in order that deserving 
men may obtain possession of land and fair equip¬ 
ment. In practically every community, large and 
small, there is sufficient combined cash and credit 
to finance the deserving farmers and put them on 
their feet without going outside to banks and money¬ 
lenders. Every year some $300,000,000 is wasted in 
this country on foolish and wildcat investments. 
If this money with the millions more tucked away 
in. stockings and clocks and other hiding places could 
be invested in a liberal and safe system of rural cre¬ 
dits the benefit to farmers and to the nation would 
be beyond calculation. We need more of the thrift 
and patriotism of the French people. We must 
learn to combine our capital and credit as farmers, 
and make it available for other farmers, instead of 
waiting for the government to do it for us. 
* 
The Railroads and New York Farmers. 
L AST month two hay-growers’ associations of 
Central New York requested the Department of 
Foods and Markets to organize a sale of their hay 
in New York City. The commissioner made a per¬ 
sonal visit to Syracuse, and completed arrangements 
there for a sale of 10 cars or more weekly, while 
the supply lasted. The New York Central and Le¬ 
high Valley railroads refused to handle the ship¬ 
ments on the ground that their lines and terminals 
were congested. The Central maintains hay sheds 
at the Chelsea yards on 34th Street, where hay is 
regularly received and stored and sold by receivers 
at private sale; but it absolutely refused to permit 
the Department to sell at auction anywhere on its 
property, even when the road was clear for the 
shipments. The Lackawanna road, however, agreed 
to take the shipment and permit the sale on its 
28th Street dock. The first sale was advertised for 
November 30th. The hay was loaded, but when 
offered for shipment it was refused by the Lacka¬ 
wanna railroad which had meantime placed an em¬ 
bargo on hay, and the New York Hay Exchange put 
in a protest against the delivery. 
The Department sent a protest to the Interstate 
Commerce Commission, and the following telegram 
to Governor Whitman: 
By verbal agreement with the Delaware, Lackawanna 
and Western Railroad, this department has advertised 
a sale of 10 carloads of hay on behalf of the Onondaga 
Alfalfa Growers’ Association, and the Patrons’ Co¬ 
operative Association of Cayuga County, to be held on 
the forenoon of Tuesday, Nov. 30, next, and to be sold 
at public auction without reserve. ’The hay is loaded at 
Syracuse but the Lackawanna officials have placed an 
embargo on hay. The Hay Dealers’ Association has 
protested against delivery and the Lackawanna officials 
have repudiated their verbal contract with this depart¬ 
ment to deliver the hay at time specified. New York 
Central has refused to accept shipment. The tracks 
and terminals of the railroads are crowded with hay 
from points outside the State and farmers producing 
hay in New York are discriminated against and kept 
out of this market by the railroads in the interest of 
the Dealers’ Association. Will you use your good of¬ 
fices through Public Service commission or otherwise, 
to help this department deliver and market the hay for 
the farmers of this State? John j. dtllon, 
Commissioner New York State 
Dept, of Foods and Market. 
The Interstate Commerce Commission reported 
that the vice-president of the Lackawanna reported 
that no hay had been offered the agent at Syracuse, 
and the Public Sendee Commission of Second New 
York District replied that the New York Central 
reported a congested road and so far it ended there. 
On the day of the sale many buyers were at the 
pier to buy the hay and, of course, went away dis¬ 
appointed. In the meantime New York farmers 
all over the State are looking for a market for their 
hay. The railroads favor the long haul from Ohio, 
Michigan and Canada, and commission dealers mon- 
ojiolize the market. If the distant shippers got any 
adequate return, there would be some consolation 
in it for the local producer; but the distant shipper 
protests at long distance, and often takes his medi¬ 
cine without protest. 
These experiences are beginning to show New 
York farmers what is the matter with their busi¬ 
ness; and they are waiting to see what the Gover¬ 
nor and railroad commission are going to do about 
it. Are the railroads to be permitted to discrimin¬ 
ate continuously against the farm products of the 
State? 
* 
T HE Canadian government has “commandeered” 
17,000,000 bushels of wheat about to be ex¬ 
ported from Canada. This wheat will be sold to the 
Italian government. As a war measure the Cana¬ 
dians have the right to seize and hold the grain 
which they, or their allies, may need. The object 
of this seizure is to prevent speculators from rush¬ 
ing the selling price too high. The Canadian gov¬ 
ernment has fixed its price at $1.04% for No. 1 
wheat It will not interfere with the producer or 
diminish his price, but it will prevent speculation in 
Canadian wheat. In all the countries now at war 
food speculators have held up prices and made for¬ 
tunes out of the necessities of both government and 
December 11, 1915. 
individuals. In all these countries it has been ne¬ 
cessary for the government to take some step at 
price regulation in order to protect the public. It 
is likely that the entire crop of Canadian wheat 
may be handled or regulated by the government. 
The effect of this will be to raise the speculative 
price of wheat in this country, though it is doubt¬ 
ful if the producers will reap any benefit. All over 
the world there is a movement to shut out the specu¬ 
lator or useless handler of farm produce, and bring 
producer and consumer closer together. The war 
has forced this movement to a head among the 
fighting nations, and this gives an object lesson to 
all the world. 
* 
T IIE daily papers are full of big-lettered an¬ 
nouncements that the next Presidential cam¬ 
paign is to be fought over the tariff. Without doubt 
the European war will cause industrial changes 
which will make it necessary to change our tariff 
laws. In all the history of American legislation 
there never has been a satisfactory tariff bill passed 
by Congress. How could such a bill he satisfactory 
when it must of necessity be a compromise in order 
to obtain votes enough to pass? Those who are on 
the inside know that a tariff bill in Congress is al¬ 
ways mixed up with the most selfish kind of poli¬ 
tics. The people read what a lot of “orators” say, 
hut they do not see the dangerous men who stand 
back and pull the strings. There has been too much 
of this using the tariff as a scarecrow in order to 
avoid other questions which are just as important, 
and if the next campaign is fought on this issue we 
shall have another postponement of rural credits, 
marketing, and other things which vitally concern 
farmers. The tariff should be taken out of politics 
and put in the hands of a strong tariff commis¬ 
sion, with power to make a change in rates after 
fair hearing. Under this arrangement all industries 
would have a fairer chance than they now have, and 
public thought could be centered upon needed re¬ 
forms. 
S OME of our readers ask if there is any justifica¬ 
tion for the increased price of acid phosphate 
this year. This acid phosphate is the raw phosphate 
rock “cut” or treated with sulphuric acid. The price 
of this acid lias increased nearly $5 per ton since 
last Spring. Manufacturers of explosives have used 
over 250,000 tons—formerly used in the fertilizer 
trade. Furthermore three acid plants at the South 
have been destroyed by fire and storm. There seems 
to be no doubt about these facts, and they will ex¬ 
plain why acid phosphate will be higher this year. 
Read this in connection with the article on the first 
page regarding raw phosphates. The soluble phos¬ 
phates will cost more than ever this year, and if we 
believed the raw ground phosphates would give sat¬ 
isfaction on the usual crops grown on the Atlantic 
slope, we would certainly advise their use. We 
have found no evidence to show that for next sea¬ 
son’s potatoes, fruit, hay, corn or vegetables, these 
raw phosphates will answer. If you need to use 
phosphorus at all on these crops our advice is to 
apply fair quantities of acid phosphate, slag hone 
hlack or fine bone. Remember we are not talking 
about those Illinois farms, naturally deficient In 
phosphorus, where grain and cattle are sold and 
where clover grows rank and full. We refer to our 
Eastern farms where the humus supply is low and 
where our regular cash crops are grown. Under 
these conditions available phosphates are needed. 
Brevities. 
The knitter earns pin money by needlework. 
Dip the clog—kill the tleas before he has house room. 
Jack Frost is fond of fat. Leave the cow or steer 
unprotected and prove it. 
The hen that spends her time upon the roost can 
never be depended on to boost. 
During August 1G1 ocean-going vessels carrying 575,- 
337 tons of freight passed through the Panama Canal. 
And now the oystermen on Puget Sound have or¬ 
ganized. They will not be as silent as their shellfish 
either when it comes to their rights. Even the oysters 
on that body of water ought to be able to talk. 
Tiie know-it-all man has come to town, he’ll settle 
your business right up brown, show you just how to 
inn your affairs, from earning your living to saying 
your prayers. 
The latest scheme for “rabbit-proofing” trees comes 
from Arizona—painting the bark with commercial aloes 
in water. In this case the biter would surely find his 
tongue bitten by a bitter taste, but we stick to the wire, 
stalk or wooden protectors. 
From every European nation now at war comes re¬ 
ports of enforced temperance in the use of liquors. 
Russia has enforced prohibition and the other nations 
have started along the way. AH report favorably on 
the plan. As a matter of “preparedness” we might go 
farther with temperance in this country. 
