44 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TUE BCSINESS FAItMEIt'S FAPER 
A ?iatIonal Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban IIonicB 
Established tSiO 
rnhlbhrd weekly by the Rural rnblisblnfr Company, 333 West SOtb Street, New fork 
Herbert W. Colwnowood, President and Editor. 
John J. Diblon, Tre,'surer and General .Manatter. 
Wm. F. Dii,tx)n, Secretary. Mits. E. T. Roixb, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To forcljrn countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
816 marks, or 10)6 francs, liciuit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertisinpr rates. 75 cents per atrate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and ea.sh must accompany tranaSent orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a re.spon- 
eible iieison. We use every possible precaution and atlmit 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 
sucl) swindler will be publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribere and honest, 
responsible houses, whether a<ivcrtlsei-s or not. We willingly use our good 
office.s to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribei’s again.st rogues, but we will not bo 
rcsijonsible for the debts of honest bankiuiJts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us witliin one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Appreciation 
E our reader.s to make tlie subscrip¬ 
tion mail on Jan. 2 the larjfe.st in tlie his¬ 
tory of The It. N.-Y. They made ti wonderful re¬ 
sponse. Tlie mail on tlnit day was 1(5 per cent. 
larger than on the corresiiondiiifr day last year, and 
wiis, we Iielieve, the best single day’s mail ever 
received Iiy a farm paper of the class of The R. 
N.-Y. Many readers tried to set in on that da.v, 
hut storms tind bad weatlier dehiyed, .so tlnit their 
money came to us on Wednesday and Thurs¬ 
day. For the first three husine.ss days of lt)17 our 
subscription returns ran 20 jier cent, aliead of the 
three corre.spondiiift days of 1010. We want to 
thank all who contributed to this fine result. The 
money is needed with the awful increase in the 
lirice of paiier, but it is tifter all a small matter 
compared with the endorsement and genuine af¬ 
fection which our jieople send with the money. We 
cannot tell you how thoroughly Ave appreciate this 
solid (‘vidence of fttiod will. We Avill try to show 
our appreciation in honest service. 
* 
SoAiE of your readers probably own automobile 
trucks, and haul jiroduce from the farm to the city 
for their neighbors 20 or 25 miles. It would be a 
favor to me if they would through your paper give 
some informaticu on what kind of charges they make. 
Kentucky. grant gilpin. 
HAT is a good question and we would like 
answers taken from experience. Perhaps we 
shall find that such charges vary in different sec¬ 
tions, as would he the case with plowing or haul¬ 
ing with horse.s. At any rate let us know Avhat 
1 / 01 / charge. No doul)t about it—the truck ynd the 
tractor are coming more and more into use, and 
standards of value for their services are needed. 
* 
R KPfbRT comes from Lockport, N. Y'., thal 
.ludge Wesley 0. Dudley has declared the New 
York apjile grading law defectiA’e. It .seems that a 
fruit grower was fined .$50 for jiacking inferior ap- 
]iles as “(Irade A.” 
Dismissing the complaint on the ground that the 
State has no right to collect a penalty until a convic¬ 
tion has been obtained. .Tustice Dudley said that “the 
law is defective, and it is not my function to write 
into a law anything which the Legislature omitted.” 
There are many other cases jiending. Many have 
jiaid the fine under pressure. We think this same 
ruling will apply to those who are fined by the 
Fish and (lame Fommissiou Avithout ]e.gal con¬ 
viction. 
* 
F .iRMKRS’ WEEK at Cornell this year Avill be 
more attractive than ever before in its appeal 
to country people. Reginning on Monday. February 
P2th. the exercises Avill continue through the AA’eek 
to the 17th. Morning, noon and night there Avill be 
much going on, and the visitor can find entertain¬ 
ment or instruction in any line Avhicli touches farm 
life in NeAv York State. There are many people 
Avho take this occasion for a family outing. The 
Avhole family, or as many as can be spared from 
home. Avill go to Ithaca and jnit in the full Aveek, 
investigating the things in AA’hich they are par¬ 
ticularly interested. It is a great occasion and an 
excellent institution, and each year the attendance 
groAvs larger and larger. We hope there Avill be a 
crowd this year Avhich Avill test the cajiacity of 
the campus and its buildings. All Avho go Avill 
liaA’e an enjoyable time. It is one of the great in¬ 
stitutions of the agricultural year. 
* 
T here is great need of a neAV horticultural 
building at the NeAV .Ter.sey Agricultural Col¬ 
lege. This need is urgent. Ngaa"^ Jersey is a State 
of intensive farming, Avhere the production of vege¬ 
tables and fruits Avill ahvays be a leading indus¬ 
try. N(‘av York and the other cities at the mouth 
CAc RURAL NEW-YORKER 
of the Hudson Avill demand more and more from 
the .Jersey farmers. Every pierson in the State is 
interested in making the farms and the farmers 
more efficient. Money spent to make NeAv .Ter.sey 
soil more productive and the market system more 
efficient does not come into class legislation, but it 
is the one Avay of spending public money Avhich 
benefits all. It requires no argument to shoAv that 
a suitable building at NeAv Rrun.sAvick Avill benefit 
the farmers and gardeners of the State. There 
should not, therefore, be any fair objection to the 
bill for this necessary appropriation. Every man 
Avho is interested in a garden or a farm should help 
convince the Legislature. 
* 
Senator Elon R. RroAvn, WatertoAAUi. N. Y. 
Senator Chas. W. Wicks, Sauquoit, N. Y. 
Judge Ward, Ftica, N. Y. 
E might call them the “Three Guardsmen” 
of political patronage, “all for each and each 
for all.” It seems to be evident that the.<e men are 
after something. Senators RroAvn and Wicks haA’e 
an eye on the Governor’s chair. We do not knoAV 
yet Avhat Judge Ward is after. They spent .$.”>0,- 
000 at investigating, hut the further they Avent the 
more their courage seemed to fail, and they ended 
up Avith the usual “safe and sane” cut and dried 
toothless suggestions. We pre.sent the names of 
these three gentlemen as the most effective targets 
for your “arroAvs dipped in ink.” Senator RroAvn 
in particular, AA-e understand, takes the po.sition that 
no one is to tell him AA’hat he shall do. We think 
our farmers may AA-ell do him up broAvn I 
* 
Brace up, Burkett! 
E refer to Dr. Chas. W. Rui’kett of the 
American Agriculturist. He .should brace be¬ 
en u.se there is high authority for the fact that sin¬ 
ners stand on slippery places. Nature divides the 
animal kingdom—hor.‘<es. coaa’s, hens or donkeys— 
into utility and fancy stock! The .sons of Ananias 
are also separated in this Avay. Some of them 
seem to take after the mother of the race Sapphira I 
The utility liars put up a plausible story Avhich can¬ 
not Avell be refuted. They haA’e brains enough not 
to say anything Avhich can be positively denied and 
disproved. The fancier sons of Ananias substitute 
brass for brains. They take some hearsay report, 
decorate it Avith comb and tail feathers of insinua¬ 
tion and malice, and are stupid enough to put it up 
to croAV in public. The folloAving from The, Ameri¬ 
can Af/riculturi.tt belongs to the fancy class! 
From time to time it has been reported Iioav grafting 
officials take their toll at the public crib; hoAV bighly- 
jiaid State officials use their time at private Avork; 
lioAV personal expenses are paid in public vouchers, 
but the latest is the limit. Refore the Wicks Commit¬ 
tee H. A. Von Son, an employee of the Ncav York 
State Foods and ^larkets liepartment. told how he, 
while selling milk for farmers, sold it to a milk com- 
jiany in Avhich he Avas financially interested, and from 
Avhich he received a Aveekly salary of .$50; and then 
turned his milk stock to the tune of $2,500 profit. Oh. 
isn’t it jolly' fine to be on the salary roll of a State 
department! That official actually made and pocketed 
more money than a hundred farmers Avho shipped the 
milk ! 
The facts are that >Ir. Yon Son is not connected 
Avith the Department at all. He is not an employee 
and never received any salary or pay or graft 
from it. He never Avorked for the Department, 
never had any contract Avith it. never got a penny 
out of it. He has sold milk for cooperative milk 
producers for years, and is one of the best friends 
NeAV York milk farmers haA’e had, hecause he paid 
more money for milk than the trust Avould offer or 
]»ay. Had it not been for the Avork ^Ir. Von Son 
has done in dealing direct it is doubtful if the far¬ 
mers could have Avon their strike. Ry doing this 
he earned the enmity of the big milk companies, 
Avho seem to have coAved the Wicks Committee and 
Avorked upon Dr. Rurkett’s insane hatred to induce 
him to join the Ananias fanciers! They have sim¬ 
ply made him their mouthpiece as usual. At the 
Cortland Co. (N. Y.) Farm Rureau meeting a re¬ 
solution containing the folloAving Avas passed: 
“We repudiate the actions of Jacob S. Brill and 
his mouthpiece, the American Agriculturist." 
Dr. Rurkett should knoAV that he never can live 
doAvn the reputation of lieing a “mouthpiece” until 
he stops talking. Climbing a greased pole is easy 
compared Avith the job of fooling milk farmers this 
year. 
Brace up, Burkett! 
* 
M r. ,T. W. riNCUS of the Jewish Farmer names 
Avhat he thinks is the first farm loan as.so- 
ciation organized under the neAV hiAv, in Fairfield 
County, Conn. We thought that the association at 
Farmingdale, N. J., Avas entitled to this distinc¬ 
tion. Mr. Pincus says that the Connecticut associa¬ 
tion Avas organized about the middle of October, 
January l.S, 1917. 
when $2,000 of the stock was subscribed. This as¬ 
sociation expects to start business just as soon as the 
Federal Land Rank Avill open its doors. Other a.s- 
sociations are being formed of JeAvish farmers at 
Flemington, N. J., Ren.sselaer County. N. Y., Elling¬ 
ton, Conn., Colchester, Conn, and in Sullivan and 
Ulster counties, Ncav York. The Federal Land Rank 
is noAv definitely located at Springfield, Mass., and 
it is likely that many more local associations Avill 
be promptly started. As usual, our JeAvi.sh farmers 
are among the first to take hold of any proposition 
for obtaining farm loans. EA’ery day brings let¬ 
ters from people avIio Avant to know Avhat this Fed¬ 
eral loan is. Some of them seem to think they have 
only to Avalk into this bank and get all the money 
they Avant. Let all Avho are interested Avrite to the 
Secretar.v of the Federal Farm Loan Commission, 
Treasur.v Department, Washington, D. C. 
* 
A n attempt Avill be made at this se.ssion of the 
Legislature to amend the consei’A’ation laAv so 
as to keep hunters at a .safe distance from home 
premises. The folloAving amendment Avill be offered: 
No .such licensee shall discharge any gun, pistol or 
other firearm, or exi'rcise any of his privileges under 
such license, Avithin five hundred feet of any dAvelling- 
hou.se or orchard. 
As it is noAA’ hunters luiA’e fired so close to the 
farmhouse that the shot has Avounded animals in 
the barnyard and endangered the lives of Avomen 
and children. In order to put this amendment 
through it Avill be nece.s.sary to have the facts about 
such .shooting. Anyone Avho can give such facts 
ought to send them to James G. Greene, Rochester, 
N. Y". He Avill make good use of them. 
♦ 
F or the past 15 5 ’ears there have been argu¬ 
ments for “heifer farm.s.” These are dairy 
farms Avhere high-cla.ss heifers and steers are the 
principal product for sale. The cah’es are all. or 
nearly all, raised on the coavs, and hut little milk is 
sold. Where there is cheap pasture and a fOAV 
acres of strong land foi’ clover and silage one man 
(an do most of the Avork. Right noAV the outlook 
for the heifer farm is good: 
There is a shortage of fre.sh coavs in this section, 
and I gue.ss it is so elseAvhere. I recently sold a 12- 
year-old coAV for $100 Avithout the register pajiers. 
That is a pretty good price for an old milker. Hardly 
anyone is raising any grade heifer cal\’es, and the 
purebred calv’es are cheap. The oAvners are anxious to 
sell all the milk, so they let the dealers Iuia’C the young 
calves. Look out for high prices for coavs in a couple 
of years from noAv, j. g. m. 
Of course this is not a business for all to go into, 
but looking ahead for a feAV years it seems as if 
some one could make money at this sort of farming. 
♦ 
W E have letters about young city men who are 
now students at agricultural colleges. The 
letters come from these young felloAvs and their 
parents. Such students cannot get their degree 
until the.y can jiroA’e that they have done some 
practical farm Avork. Thus they Avant the name of 
a farmer Avho Avill take them this Summer, give 
them a job and pay them! It is one of the Aveak- 
ne.s.ses of agricultural education that these amateur 
hired men do not knoAv just Iioav farmers feel about 
this. The fact is that mo.st farmers do not AA^ant 
this sort of help. The college vacation comes at 
the Avrong time to make such boys most useful on 
the aA’erage farm, for planting is done and picking 
has not begun. The best chances are on dairy 
farms AAdiere milkers are scarce. Our advice to the 
young men is to learn how to milk rapidly and 
cleanly. Then go after the job as a milker rather 
than as a maiden .scientist. The busy farmer doe.s 
not Avant your laboratory knoAvledge—he Avants 
your hands and Avrists pulling properly at his coavs. 
The best place to pull yourself into favor Avith a 
practical fai’iner is at the right end of a coav. 
Brevities 
Prof. ^Mary Broome ought to make a fine teacher of 
domestic science—equal to Prof. Ann Raker! 
The man Avho says “Come boys,” must lead the 
Avay himself. 
“Y’es,” said the hired man as he brought the horse 
out to Avater, “I am the exponent of a leading industry.” 
A PROPHET to have honor in his OAvn country must 
be a very good prophet or else make no profit out of 
his OAvn prophecies. 
Moldy silage was fed to Illinois horses as an ex¬ 
periment. After four days of such feeding the horses 
showed signs of poisoning and later most of them died. 
We Avould not feed moldy silage or moldy hay or grain 
to any stock. 
A FUOS’i'ED comb Avill brush the life out of any hen. 
Tlie birds should be kept Avarm, but if the combs do 
freeze the New Jersey Station advi.ses thaAving at once 
Avith snoAA' or cold water and rubbing Avith an oint¬ 
ment. This can be made by mixing five jiarts of vase¬ 
line, two parts of glycerine and one part of turpen¬ 
tine. 
