556 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FAItMEH’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Ilomca 
Established iSoO 
Publinbrd weekly by the Rural PiiblUhIng Company, 833 We«t 30th Street, New Tork 
IlERBEKT W. CouJNGwooD, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Tre,'«urer and General Manager. 
Wkf. F. Dh-lon, Secretary. Miis. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 8 s. 6 d., or 
8)4 marks, or lOlj 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 ns ; and cash must accomijany transient orders. 
"A SQUARE DEAL” 
We heiieve that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
■Ible xierson. 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 our subscribers and lionest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
oflTices 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 of 
the transaction, and to Identify it, you should mention The Rukal New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
O Nl> of our readers in Iowa sends us the fol¬ 
lowing : 
Have you noticed the ofiicial crop report ju-^t issued 
from Washington? It shows that the average .vield 
of corn in Iowa in 1910 tvas (P/z bushels more than 
in 1915; in Illinois it was (P/j bushels le.i.% in In¬ 
diana four hu.shels less, in Ohio 10 bushels less, and in 
Nebraska four bushels less. The.se States are all ir our 
same latitude. We thiuk the difference is due par¬ 
ticularly to the seed corn campaign put on about a 
year ago. and following one of the poorest corn sea¬ 
sons we liave had in many years. 
It is true that the solid wealth and pro.sperify of 
Iowa ai’e built upon corncob.s. Let her great corn 
crop fade away and Iowa M'ould begin to change 
her name to I. O. F. The agricultural college 
through its extension department, made a thorough 
organization of .seed testing and corn .study. It 
was easy to interest bankers and 'business men, be¬ 
cause tliey all realized jns't what corn means to 
Iowa—and to their own business. We believe it 
was this high quality seed corn tliat I’aised the 
average. It is just another argument for pure 
blood and careful selection. 
* 
O i'R dairymen should make the mo.st of the new 
scientific discoveries regarding butter. We 
Jiow know that butterfat contains a principle not 
found in other fats. It is the principle which i.s 
particularly needed to promote growth. The child 
needs this principle in order to make full size and 
development. Hutter, therefore, is not only a food 
but a iieces.-iity to the growing human. The oleo 
people have been able to employ distinguished chem¬ 
ists to say that their hegus hutter is equal to the 
genuine product because its "fuel value’’ is nearly 
as great. One of these scientists has written an 
“opinion’’ for one of the leading jiackers showing 
that bacon fat is very useful in feeding children. 
Thus by securing these endor,<emeuts the oleo and 
liog fat men have placed butter at a disadvantage. 
Now we know that pure hutter is in a class by it¬ 
self—not only as a food hut as a necessity for young 
jieople. Let us make the most of this by compelling 
tlie public to understand it. 
‘■if 
"lloii' fan ve make our Graufjo, more of n factor 
in inflarneing puhlic opinionP 
W E often have that question from members of 
some local Frange. We know of one Grange 
in New Yoi'k State which has .solved that problem. 
At each meeting an article on some live farm topic 
is .selected from a farm pajier or some daily news- 
l»aper. The members study it carefully beforehand 
and, in the Grange, pick it apart and try to squeeze 
everything but the truth out of it. Then some mem¬ 
ber who is good at writing, prepares a statement of 
the discussion and sends It to tlie local jiapers—as 
file voice of the Grange. Thus tliat Grange speaks 
for the farmers in that neighborhood. It is a good 
thing for the local papers, and a good thing for 
country people, to have just such an expression of 
opinion put out in this way. We can hardly think 
of a better way of “influencing local opinion.” 
What we call tlie voice of the American iieojile is 
made uii of thousands of words from Oak Goriiers 
and Smith Cro.ss-roads. If you want to put a i>in in 
the seat of government at Washington, sharpen the 
l<in at home. 
* 
W ITHIN the memory of jieople now living men 
who Avere coii.-idered the ablest members of 
Congre.ss denounced that jiart of America which lie.s 
west of Kan.sas as a worthless .geographical nui.s- 
ance. It A\as a desert of cactu.s, .sage-brush and 
burning sand, out of which no value could come to 
the nation. Tlie emigrants wlio toiled across the 
desert agreed with these “.statesmen,” at least 
while they were toiling. Many a man has felt sick 
CAc RURAL NEW-YORKER 
at heart and many a woman has gone close to the 
brink of insanity as day after day the long stretch¬ 
es of sage-brush met their gaze. They could see 
nothing in this hateful weed but an emissary of 
trouble and in.saiiity. Yet, here we are told on 
page 544, how the chemists of the Utah Station are 
finding supplies of potash in the asli of this liate- 
ful plant I The soil of the desert contains fair 
amounts of pota.sh, but, lacking water, it is unable 
to nourish useful food plants. The sage can endure 
the drought, and though unable to jiroduce food it 
lias slowly taken from the soil millions of tons of 
pota.«h, Avliich it holds I'eacly for the use of food 
plants crying for It el.sewhere! There are few 
things more remarkable than this in all the long 
line of agricultural development. When we think 
out just what this means, we are forced to con¬ 
clude that nothing can he ranked as useless but that 
everytlung to which nature has given life and sub- 
.stance carries .something of value to humanity 
whicli Aviil, in time, be made ajjpareiit. 
* 
ire are at war with Gennang! 
O nation ever entered war more reluctantly, or 
tried with greater patience or self-control to 
avoid the conflict in Avhich our country now takes 
unavoidable action. Pre.sident Wilson, iu his noble 
address to Congress, gave clear exju'ession to the 
true spirit of the American people: 
We have no .selfish ends to .serve. We desire no 
conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for 
ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices 
we shall freely make. We are but oue of the cham¬ 
pions of the rights of mankind. 
It has been true of every war in history that 
certain business interests and certain privileged 
classes have always desired war iu order that they 
might profit by it. Even in our Civil War there 
was a group of cold-blooded rich men who did the 
wire-pulling aipl gained va.st Avealth, while the 
common people did the fighting and endured the 
sacrifices. That Avill be true of tlie pi*esent Avar to 
some extent, and there are in this countiy in- 
iierited racial differences Avhich have sought to bring 
this country into the .struggle. It has required gfleat 
courage and patience on the part of the present 
.Vdministration to keep out of the conflict until it 
cau truly be said, as Pre.sident Wilson e.xpre.ssed it: 
We huA’e no quarrel with the German people. We 
have no feeling toward them but one of .sympathy and 
friendship. It wa.s not upon their Impulse that their 
Goveriimeut acted in entering this war. It was not 
with their previoins knowledge or approval. 
It Ava.s a Avar determined upon as wars used to be 
determined upon in the old, uidiappy days Avhen peo¬ 
ples Avere nowhere consulted by their rulers and Avars 
Avere provoked and Avaged in the interest of dynasties 
or of little groups of ambitious men avIio were accus¬ 
tomed to use their fellow meu as pawns and toots. 
We heiieve that expresses the feeling of a great 
majority of our people. We have no hu.siness to 
enter this horrible Avar except as the foe of tyranny 
and of any despotic govcriiinent Avliich Avould use 
men “as jiaAvns and tools.” The K. N.-Y. has op¬ 
posed Avar on principle. It lias iioav been forced 
upon u.s, and there is uoaa' only one thing to do. 
Every American must get hack of the government 
and push this Avar through to a fini.sh. 
* 
N ew .TERSEY has noAv a laAv Avhich authorizes 
any municipallry in the State to buy and dis¬ 
tribute food. This hiAv provides that three-iinarters 
of the governing hoard may by resolution declare 
that an emergency exist.s. It shall then he laAV- 
ful to authorize tlie mayor or other officers to pur¬ 
chase staple food products and distribute them among 
the citizens at cost. The gOA-erning board of the 
municipality may u.se any available funds on hand 
for such purchase, or they may borrow the money 
on their jnvhlie credit. So far as Ave know tins is 
the only Instance in the East Avhere this poAver has 
been given to local governments. Gov. Edge ap¬ 
pointed a committee to investigate the high cost of 
living. This committee decided that there might 
he an alisolnte shortage of food at .some points In 
the State. In some States the.se coininittees inve.s- 
tigate, and think, and demand extra money. In 
New Jersey they act. They suggested tliis hill and 
the Legislature made it into law. It may not he' 
needed this year, hut the principle contained in this 
legi.>^lation is sound. 
H ere is an instance of AA’hat New York far¬ 
mers are doing through organization. The 
XcAA’ York Con.servation Commi.ssion prepared a hill 
for the Legislature Avliich provided that all currant 
and gooseberry hushes iu the State sliould he de¬ 
stroyed. This Avas to protect the pine trees, since 
the hli.ster rust attacks both pines and these hn.sh 
fruits. Such a laAV Avould have destroyed the great 
currant-groAving industry of the Hudson I’alley. 
The fnait groAvers of tlie valley heard of this law 
April 14, 1917. 
and, through organized actiou, Avere able to have 
the hill changed. It is now likely that a designated 
fruit district Avill be laid out. In this, only dis- 
ea.sed bushes Avill be destroyed, but all the pines 
Avill be removed. The pines are for pleasure—the 
currants are for profit. But for their quick and 
strong action these fruit groAvers would haA'e been 
compelled to stand by and see a large industry 
Aviped out. They got together and got there! In 
this case the Farm Bureau and the Grange gave 
them the needed machinery for action, and they 
found a sti’ong friend in Senator Walton of Ulster 
County. 
*9C 
I N the Avork it has tried to do for farmers The 
R. N.-Y. has avoided any claim that it is capable 
of doing the thinking which farmers .should do for 
themselves. We do uot try to form any opinions 
for farmers, or tell them Avhat they ought to do. 
We collect such facts as Ave can, and give our own 
opinion clearlj'^, Avell satisfied that our readers aaTII 
finally think out tlie right cour.se and act upon 
it. This comes up iu connection Avith the Wicks 
hill at Albany. The original bill is dead. It was 
killed by the farmers. Noaa’ comes a rearrangement 
of much the same principle Avhich we may call the 
BroAvu hill—since it has been made over by .Sen¬ 
ator E, R. BroAA'u. It is an effort to “put one ovei*” 
on the meu Avho killed the Wicks bill. The prin¬ 
ciple is the same, and Ave must remember that the 
farmers have made their fight against this prin¬ 
ciple. It is much the .same iu this Brown edition, 
though perhaps dressed in OA'eralls and carrying a 
hoe. We shall oppose it as Ave did the Wicks bill. 
The farmers Avho fought the milk Avar, and Avho 
made the State Capitol .shake with their expression 
of di.sapproval of the principle underlying the pro¬ 
posed legislation, will not stand for the .same thing 
ill a new dress of words. Most of the members of 
the Legislature from rural counties are on record 
as against the AVicks hill. Now, goaded by political 
leaders, they are trying to evade the issue by sup¬ 
porting the Brown revision. They Avill be held right 
up to their promi.ses. Tliey have been Avariied, and- 
if they break from the expressed Avi.shes of tlie 
men wlio elected them tliey must take tlie conse¬ 
quences. 
A S a piece of practical legislation the ToAvner- 
Smitli hill at Albany is the most important 
farm measure ever introduced. It Avill aid both pro¬ 
ducers and consumers—dairymen directly and all 
others indirectly. It Avill test out an experiment 
which will .settle a long disputed point of .social 
and political economy. This dispute Avill go on 
through the future with growing intensity until 
just such an experiment is tried. The principle 
embodied in tlie Towner hill is absolutely .sure to 
become a part of our laws in tlie future, and avo 
are noAV ready to test it in a practical and eco¬ 
nomical manner. Tills is one of the rights and 
privileges Avhich in all hi.story have been forced 
out of the ruling politicians Avith a .SAA’ord or a 
club. Our gunpowder is ink. Our ibullet is the 
strong and resiiectfiil letter. Our target is printed 
on the next page. Iteady! Fire!! Make them un¬ 
derstand that yonr letter may be a bouquet for the 
willing puhlic servant or a wreath on a political 
grave! 
Brevities 
Who has tried keeiiiiig cider or A’inctcar in a cement 
tank? 
» 
Do not invest at once, lint rather Avait until some 
cool head can investigate. 
There now remains for every hyjiheuate but one 
place in America—the gate! 
The thrift of many a family can be told better in 
tlie garbage pail than in the bank account. 
He fools hini.self (hut no one else l Avho expects to 
w'oi'k in a cooperative society and not give as much 
as he receievs! 
Too often legislation i.s a failure because the chairs 
in the State capitol ha\'e cushions .several inches thick, 
A couple of sharp pins in each chair would help. 
Alaska potatoes! It is now said that they Av’ill be 
used iu the dining cars of a great railroad system as 
baked potatoes. Eacli potato is to Aveigh at least one 
pound and a half. 
Canada peas make the be.st combination for sowing 
with oats in 'Siiriug. Do not use cow peas for that 
jnirpose in the North. Hairy vetch co.sts more and is 
not so good as fodder. 
In spite of all that cau be said .some poultry men 
are planning to put up large ijuantities of eggs in 
water glass and try to sell them next Fall as “fresh’’ 
cgg.s. Gentlemen—don’t, oh don't do it! Y^ou Avill 
lose money and reputation if you do. 
The picture on our first page .shoAA's the advantage 
of a surplus of power. As a contrast the other day 
we saw a back-to-the-lunder ploAving. He had one old 
horse. He held the small plow, with one large boy 
leading the horse and another holding the lines. 
