524 
The Rural New-Yorker 
Tin: BVRiyESS FATt^TEKS PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and ffiiburban llomc* 
Established ISSO 
Pnbllshrd weekly by the Rural Pnbllshlnf: Company, 833 West 80th Street, New Fork 
Hkbbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
Jons .J. Dimx).v, Tre.'«urer and General Manofjer. 
Wm. F. DiLtX)N, Secretary. Mks. E. T. Royns:, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION ; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreiprn countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 8s. 6d.. or 
8ik marks, or 10>4 francs. Remit in njoncy order, e.vpress 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Oflice as Second Class Matter. 
- / 
Advertising rajes. 76 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and casli must accompany transient orders, 
"A SQUARE DEAL” 
We l)elievc that every advertisement in this paper Is backed by a respon- 
eible |)ci-son. We use every possible precaution and admit tlie advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make good any loss 
to imid Bub.scribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon- 
rtble advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
*uch swindler will be publicly exposed. AVe are also often called upon 
to adjust dlflrerences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. AVe willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. AA'e protect subsciibere against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest banknipts 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 Thk RfB.4L New- 
Yorker when w riting the advertiser. 
M ost of the sot'dsmon arc struRKUii.!; day and 
iiijfht to take care of their orders in time. 
The help question i.s a serious one. None but care¬ 
ful and AA oll-trained helpers should handle the .seed 
trade, ’riien the railroad serA’ice has gone to pieces. 
There has been great delay in collecting seeds from 
the groAAers, find CAen greater trouble in shipping 
orders. In fact the seedsmen are crowded bal’d in 
their .sti’uggle to take care of all customers fairly. 
They are not loafing or shirking but doing their 
best under hard conditions. Ite jiatient and they aa III 
work out. 
W E tiiid an astonisliiiig interest in goo.xe rais¬ 
ing this year. (Questions about it come from 
all over. Teople seem to think a goose AA-ill go out 
and pick up grass and Aveed.s, Avithout grain, and 
turn up fat and liappy in the Fall. Then there is 
a story floating about that the goose has kept Ger¬ 
many from starA’ation by proA’iding the meat of the 
pig and the fat of the coav for cooking—and doing 
It for nothing! There is no doubt as to the eco¬ 
nomic value of the goose, hut people avIio believe 
all they hear or read are sure to come to grief. 
The department of Agriculture at Washington has 
issued an excellent pamphlet on goose raising. 
* 
A FEW Aveeks ago a correspiuident advocated a 
hiAA’ eiieouraging Chinese coolie laborers to 
come to this country as farm hands. We asked for 
discussion, and have had many letters from prac¬ 
tical farmers. Thus far not one farmer has en¬ 
dorsed tlie jilan. One city man, Avho has never 
done any fiirming of his OAvn, says he favors im¬ 
porting the Chinese, but every real farmer Avho 
comments on the subject condemns the project. 
When it comes to a question involving the prac¬ 
tical side of farming Ave go to our practical read¬ 
ers. They know Avhat they Avant better than any 
student of political economy. They evidently do 
not Avant the Chinese, and that ought to settle it 
The same is true of the lU’oiHised .scheme of im¬ 
porting Filipinos for farm Avork. 
S EVEKAL college students are inclined to chal¬ 
lenge our statement that many or most prac¬ 
tical farmers do not take A’ery kindly to student^ 
labor during Summer vacation. At the agricultural 
college years Jigo, as a student, the Avriter fre¬ 
quently Avorked as hired man for iiractical far¬ 
mers. Later Ave have employed a number of stu¬ 
dents for farm work and have placed many more 
on farms. It Avonld seem as if we ought to know 
something jibout it, but the big court of final ap¬ 
peal is found among the farmers Avho read The 
R. N.-Y. So Ave Avill put it up to them Avithout 
argument. Take a city-raised boy Avho has never 
Avorked on a fai'in. but is studying at an agricul¬ 
tural college. Does he, or can he. make a satis¬ 
factory hired man, aiid liOAV much is he Avorth? We 
would like a Avide range of ansAvers to this. 
❖ 
T hose recent articles on blueberry culture seem 
to have started up a number of frauds Avho 
will offer blueberry plants for sale. They Avill tell 
you that these plants Avill groAv in any garden—like 
raspberries or currants. BeAvare of tlie trick. 
There are comparatively few genuine blueberry 
plants ready for cultivation. The difficulty of pro¬ 
pagating them limits the number Avliich can be of¬ 
fered. Then Ave must remember that the true blue¬ 
berry Avill not groAV or thrive in cdmmoii garden 
soil. It must haA-e an acid soil, like that found 
in SAvamps. Do not pay any attention to the peo¬ 
ple who offer cheap plants for garden culture. 
There is, we believe, a great future in the blue¬ 
berry business, but it must be handled with common 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
sense. You would not select the Sahara desert for 
growing bullfrogs or basket willoAvs. The blue¬ 
berry will not .succeed unless it can have SAvamp 
soil. 
* 
M any, or most, of our Eastern farmers are 
having a desperate fight with quack grass— 
otherwise known as twitch, witch, crab or Avire. 
This hated plant has run into many a once-fine 
field and driven cultivated crops out We have on 
hand enough articles on fighting this gras.s to fill 
an issue of The R. N.-Y, and the experiment sta¬ 
tions haA’e fired many bulletins at it. Yet here 
comes a California man who wants to plant this 
pest: 
I want seed or roots of witch or quack gra.ss. Can 
The R^ N.-Y. supply me, or give me the address of 
someone vA’ho can furnish me Avitb the roots or seeds 
of this grass? GEORGE RUSSELL. 
Calaveras Co., Cal. 
It ought to be easy for Mr. Russell to obtain roots 
of quack, but who will thank him for introducing 
this weed? It reall.y has some value for use in an 
orchard as a permanent cover crop. We hear of 
one man Avho fought it for years in his young or¬ 
chard, until he gave up in despair. It then took 
possession of tlie bearing orchard and witli annual 
ploAving gave the best of results as a .self-renewing 
cover crop. 
* 
E very farmer, and town man as well, in New 
York Sta*te should support the Towner milk 
bill uoAv before the Legislature. This bill aims to 
establish a milk market in NeAv York City with the 
avowed purpose of reforming the business of milk 
distribution and bringing con.sumer and producer 
into more direct contact. The fruit grower or gen¬ 
eral farmer, or the sheep man may ask : “Why .should 
I support this bill? I can see how it may benefit 
the dairyman—but where do I come in?” 
Most reform legislation of this sort has been 
broken down by those last half-dozen words. The 
politicians know that there is a narroAv and selfish 
streak in most of us, and they ahvays play upon it 
rather than upon the nobler parts of manhood. 
Think of it for a moment. If this market legisla¬ 
tion goes through and the plan succeeds every dairy¬ 
man in the State Avill benefit directly. He Avill be 
surer of a standard price and the demand for milk 
will increase. And every fruit grower will benefit 
indirectly. There will be more money in circulation 
with which to buy his fruit and every consumer 
who obtains milk through this new market will de¬ 
mand the same access to fruit and other food. It 
happens that milk on account of its short life and 
its being a necessity offers the most favorable and 
immediate opportunity for trying out the plan in¬ 
volved in this ToAvner bill. Let the plan succeed 
and it may be extended to all farm products. Thus 
in supporting this Towner bill all farmers (and con¬ 
sumers no less) are fighting for a principle Avhich 
may revolutionize marketing and thus benefit CA’ery 
producer. It is not special legislation for dairymen 
but is presented in this way because at this moment, 
milk offers the best opportunity for proving Avhat 
we have so long claimed about the markets. Let 
every fai’mer in Noav York think this over and drop 
any selfish vicAV of the matter, and help the Town¬ 
er bill. 
* 
If I oA-er had any intention of discontinuing my 
subscription I would not alloAV it to overcome me at 
this time, Avhen the struggle betAA-een right and privilege 
is about to become so keen. This is a period Avhen the 
reactionary forces are ascendant, and I am afraid that 
you are about to hit some hard going in the next few 
months. And I want to be in position to hear at first 
hand Avhat yon have to say when the farmers, on Avhom 
you depend so completely, step out from under and 
let you fight alone. If they do not do this I shall be 
more than surprised. The great army of tenants and 
renters Avho have not much to say in the papers are 
the ones who will do that little job to the middleman’s 
taste. They grumble and kick 364 days out of the 
year, and \vhen the day comes that they have an op¬ 
portunity to do something for themselves they forget 
all the injustices that have been accumulating for years, 
and put the same old bunch in positions to exploit them 
.'iome more. b. c. w. 
New York. 
HIS letter was written early in January. It is 
true that we have “hit some hard going,” but, 
contrary to our friend’s belief, the plain, Avorking 
farmers have been first to get in line and pu.sh. 
The feAv “quitters” have been from the ranks of 
the vei’y men Avho by education, inheritance, study 
and financial resources should have been first of 
all to lead the battle against “reactionary forces.” 
So far as Ave know every man who has run away 
from the fight—or kept out of it Avhen he was 
needed—has been of the so-called “better” or higher 
class—afraid of losing a job, a little money, or 
some little social position. On the other hand, 
some of the most dependable workers are fi’om this 
well-to-do educated class. There is nothing new 
April 7, 1917. 
about this. It has been the case all the way down 
from the stone age. The blood or sweat of the 
jilain common people has always oiled the wheels 
of progress. Through their unselfish loyalty there 
has been worked out in the dairy business the great¬ 
est revolution in farm business knoAvn since the 
Civil War. In former years a .small group of milk 
dealers would always come to the farmers and say. 
“IFe will give you so much—you may tahe it or 
leave it!" This year the condition has been exactly 
reversed. Now the farmers come and do the talk¬ 
ing. "Our price is so much—take it or leave it 
And the dealers pay the price! Does our friend 
realize that this would have been impossible if the 
“tenants and renters” had not stood like a rock in 
the face of bluff, threat and bribery? Let him pre¬ 
pare to be still further .surprised! He says they 
Avill “crack” and quit on election dajL We accept 
the challenge to disprove that. We are organizing to 
double the number of farmers in the Legislature. 
That means farmers —not politicians who Avear over¬ 
alls 14 days (before election) out of 365. We shall 
put the plan up to New York farmers, and avc be- 
lieA’e they will .stand for it. 
* 
T he Pomona Grange of Niagara Co., N. Y.. re¬ 
cently adopted a resolution containing the fol¬ 
lowing : 
RESOLVED', That Pomona Grange of Niagara 
County, N. Y., request Edwin- A. DufPey, State Com¬ 
missioner of Highways, and Thomas M. Brennan, 
County Superintendent of IlighAA-ays, to cause all re¬ 
pairs made to said county highways and county roads 
to b* made prior to August 15th, each year, so that 
said highways and roads will be open to traffic at all 
times after August 15th of each year. 
Farmers in that .section feel that not enough con¬ 
sideration is given them in this matter of repairing 
roads. Repair work on the roads leading to market 
towns is often left until ju.st about the time far¬ 
mers begin to haul fruit and vegetables. This work 
cannot be delayed. It is the most important use to 
which the roads can be put. In some cases main 
roads to Buffalo or to railroad stations have been 
closed for repair work all through the busy hauling 
season. All this great loss and inconvenience to 
the farmers might easily be avoided if the repair 
work could be done before or after this rush of 
road work. What is the reason the commissioner 
and superintendent of highw’ays cannot serve the 
people instead of souring them? 
* 
D ave S. DUNLOP says he is chairman of the 
Putnam Co. (Ind.) Farmers’ Congress. He 
wiites us in company with six other farm papers 
asking us if Ave Avill stand for the rights of fanners. 
Mr. Dunlop says: “IFc must he Ic-nown as patriots as 
well as pig raisers” Then he writes the folloAving 
solemn truth: 
There are many farm papers which do not recog¬ 
nize the existence of farmers as members of the hu¬ 
man race. Their editors consider that their papers 
are printed solely to get mouey from advertisers. Their 
only interest in farmers is as buyers of fertilizer, 
seeds, plows, and fancy stock. They consider that 
they get their papers’ income from advertising, but the 
truth is that the list of paid-up subscribers is the 
only sound basis of attraction for advertisers, and it 
is therefore right that the interests of farmer sub¬ 
scribers be given more space than the interests of 
pigs. It is greatly to be desired that the subscriber to 
the mere fertilizer-and-plg sheets should withdraw their 
subscriptions and give their support only to those farm 
papers which realize that farmers are not hogs but 
humans. 
We never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dun¬ 
lop but he Avould be worth looking at if his shape 
is as sound and square as this statement. We have 
rarely seen the point put up to the farm papers 
more forcibly or fearlessly. There could not be a 
more encouraging thing for agriculture than this 
pulling the farm papers right out into the sunlight 
where they must shOAV up or shut up. Our far¬ 
mers in New York have been doing tiiis Avith tlie 
local papers this past Winter, and offering them 
friendship or a fight, and it has been one of tlie 
best things that ever happened to farming. 
Brevities 
A STORY about bridge-grafting next week. 
Do we set the sitting hen or sit the setting hen? 
How much of your farm “help” is help by nature as 
well as by name? 
Trench warfare is necessary against soggy ground, 
and it helps against drought too. 
Mr. Powell, on page 514, reports a plague of mice 
in the Hudson Valley. Has it struck you? 
Why do we hear so little about good, old-fashioned 
cornmeal mush as a cure for high cost of living? 
Who can tell Avffiy, on a certain day, all the town 
boys in any particular latitude, begin to play marbles? 
Will any of our readers who can do so, tell us what 
valuation has actuallj’ been put on sheep killed by dogs 
in their community? We would like the actual figures. 
The U. 'S. Government bulletin on care of babies 
states that the child over three should have at least 
one quart of milk per day. Thousands of children in 
this city will average but littib over a tablespoonful. 
