966 
35>6c RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FABMER'S PAPER 
A ^National Weekly Journal f’or Country and Suburban ]Iome8 
Established iSSO 
rnliliiihrd weekly by tlie Rural I’liblUhlofr Company, 333 West SOIh Street, Sew York 
Hkkbkrt W. Colunowood, President and Editor. 
.lOHK .1. Dilix)N, Trej'surer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillos', Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Koyle, Aasociate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
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8)4 marks, or 10)4 francs. Keniit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Ofilce as Second Class Matter. 
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advertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
tVo believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible pei-son. 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 tMiid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements In our columns, and any 
such swindler will be publicly expo.sed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether atlvertisers 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 of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
T he good feeling or genuine affection which 
many of our readers feel toward The R. N.-Y. 
is remarkable, nad it mean.s the finest think in all 
journalism. We have just received a letter from a 
Michigan woman, who says: 
I have retained my husband’s name since his death, 
for my paper, as I have a son coming on by the .same 
name, and hope he will continue to feel about your pa¬ 
per as his parents have—when we are both gone. 
Nothing could he finer than that—there is no re¬ 
ward for long service quite equal to it. The pres¬ 
ent owners have now been connected with the paper 
for nearly a full generation. Before they came Mr. 
IMoore and Mr. Carman conducted The R. N.-Y., 
each for many years and it is a great pleasure to 
realize that it has always carried the respect and 
confidence of its people. 
* 
O N page 958 W'e have some figures on the value 
of a currant bush. There ought to be some 
standard basis for figuring values of all fruit trees 
and vines. The sale of a fruit farm requires some 
such valuation, and losses from “misfit” trees, rail¬ 
road fires or wuld animals call for .some standard 
figures. We have tried to get .these from readers, 
but only a few have responded. Can you not give 
us a few facts? 
♦ 
T he Dairymen’s T-.eague song (see next page) is 
a tuneful attempt to put some poetry into the 
campaign. IMany a race has sung itself to freedom. 
Music has character and “kick” as well as charms. 
It is well to have this song come out of .Jefferson 
Co., N. Y.—the home of Senator Elon R. Brown— 
and we might .suggest the following additional 
verse: 
“Our sword it is the milking stool—our spear it is 
the hoe. 
The ballot is our shining .shield to guard against 
the foe. 
The head of the Albany gang is here—come boys, 
let’s salt him down. 
Let .Jefferson County take a rest—from Senator 
Elon Brown!” 
We hope the Dairymen's T.eague will accept this 
humble poetic offering and give it full voice. 
* 
I HOPE to live long enough to see our producers or¬ 
ganized to handle the problem of collection and pro¬ 
cessing of milk in the country, so that the function of 
the middleman can be limited strictly to the city end 
of the business, and I would like to see the farmers or¬ 
ganization so powerful that the middleman could be 
dictated to instead of having him dictate to the pro¬ 
ducer. B. 
H'.VT is written by a comparatively young man 
Avho will live to see his hopes realized. I.et 
any farmer think for a moment and he must see 
that .such organization offei’s the only hope for the 
dairyman. We all realize now that every indiistry 
which handles the milk after it once leaves the 
farmer’s barn is organized. It is only through such 
organization that these industries are able to han¬ 
dle the 65 cents of the dollar. The way for the 
farmer to increase the 35-cent dollar is to do some 
of the Avork which these handlers now do—and 
pay himself for doing it. The Dairymen’s I^eague 
.should be Avorking now to build and control plants 
for collecting and pa.steurizing milk. The great 
profit in the milk business is made in this preparing 
and selling milk and the farmers, through organ¬ 
ization, must be prepared to .share that profit in¬ 
stead of turning this Avork over to the distributors. 
* 
T he man Avho has folloAved the milk business 
in New York State for the past 20 years must 
wonder if he is not dreaming Avhen he reads the 
last announcement of the Borden’s Company. They 
offer to sell milk by three different methods, in¬ 
cluding bulk delivery—that is, dipped or poured 
out of a can. Last Fall during the “milk war” such 
a plan A\'as scoffed at as unsanitary and fooli.sh. 
Where is our old friend McCann the food expert 
noAV that Borden’s offers to sell milk in pitchei's 
or tin pails? The Towner bill would haA’e made 
the same thing possible, only in that case, the 
dairy farmer.s, though the State, would have done 
the selling. Public opinion has forced the Borden’s 
to admit that the farmers must haA’e a fair price 
for their milk. Their scheme to sell bulk milk 
has also been forced in the same Avay. No finer 
illustration could be had than this to show the 
poAA'or of public sentiment and the force AAdiich 
farmers and their AA'ives have piit into their local 
papers. Fine Avork—keep it right up. 
And then the mode.st demand from Borden’s that 
10 per cent on their capital is about right! That 
is fine, because of coAirse the Borden’s now feel 
that the dear old farmer must have a fair show¬ 
ing—fully equal to their own. FolloAving their ba¬ 
sis of figuring the dairyman Avould present about 
the folloAving statement::— 
“My farm would sell for about ?4,000, and my 
stock AA'ould bring about .$2,500 more. I understand 
that the Borden”s business fixtures and real estate 
Avould sell for perhaps 25 per cent of their total 
stock, upon which they want 10 per cent. Applying 
the same rule to my plant and adding ‘good Avill’ 
and trade secrets my interest earning capital AAmuld 
be .$26,000. My sei’A-ices shoAild be Avorth $1,200 as 
manager, and I should be ashamed to offer mother 
less than $800. The hired man and the boys are 
not overpaid at $1,000 more. I ought to have that 
and good substantial overhead charges and any 
other items which the Borden’s charge up. After 
these are paid, let me have ]0% on my capital, or 
$2,600, as profit and I am well .satisfied!” 
Surely in their noAV and benevolent view of the 
dairy farmer the Borden’s Company cannot reason¬ 
ably object to such figuring—for is it not after their 
OAvn plan? 
* 
B y a vote of 65 to 20 the U, S. Senate passed 
the following amendment to the National 
Constitution:— 
The manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxi¬ 
cating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or 
the exportation thereof from the United States and 
all territories subject to the jurisdiction thereof for 
beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. 
This must also be passed by the House with a 
two-thirds vote, and afterwards ratified by 75 per 
cent of the States before it becomes a part of the 
constitution. The Senate amendment provides that 
this State ratification must be given inside of six 
years. The chances are that the House will con¬ 
cur—but AA’hat chance will the amendment have 
Avith the States? We understand that 26 States 
have already enacted prohibition. There are 48 
States in all. These may be expected to ratify 
this amendment, but Avill it be possible to secui’e 
JO more AAuthin six years? We think so, for 
unquestionably the public is groAAung more and 
more to believe that the liquor traffic has no 
moral or economic right to exist. The temper¬ 
ance movement in this country has been largely 
fostered and developed 'in the country. It is 
strongest in those States Avhich are chiefly agri¬ 
cultural, and in those neighborhoods which are 
most clearly rural in thought and industry. The 
chief and hardest opposition to prohibition has 
come and Avill continue to come from the large 
towns and cities. We have never believed that 
the enactment of a laAV can change human nature 
or human desire. There Avill be for years many 
hone.st and patriotic citizens Avho feel that pro¬ 
hibitory laAvs mean a curtailment of “personal 
liberty” and a narroAA' public policy. In some of 
the States, like .sections‘of NeAV York and New 
.Jer.se5’', AA’e have no doubt that prohibition laAvs 
may be fought for years. The spirit of the nation 
backed by a great majority of the people Avill, we 
believe, back up those laAvs, and by doing so make 
this country a better place to live in and give the 
common man a fairer chance in life. 
* 
I liAA'E been interested in your discus.sions of co¬ 
operation. I am a country minister and have been for 
twelve years. During that time I have become deep¬ 
ly interested in the economic problems of the country. 
A couple of years ago in New Hampshire I helped to 
organize and Avas president of a fruit growei-s’ union. 
H. M. EASTMAN. 
R. EASTMAN Aviutes the article Avhich is print¬ 
ed on page 959. The country minister may 
Avell interest himself in such AVork. He should 
preach the union of strength Avhenever he gets a 
chance. We kneAV a minister in Florida who on 
Sunday preached cooperation in his pulpit and on 
Monday packed oranges in the packing house. The 
minister can often do great work in organizing and 
keeping the true spirit in a farmer’s business so¬ 
August 11, 1917, 
ciety. It is true that some of such enterprises fail 
becau.se the moral side is neglected. Thus the coun¬ 
try minister should be more than a preacher. The 
true man of God is a man of action and of growth. 
* 
T he potato situation is such that plans for 
promptly handling the crop this Fall should 
be made. We all know what happened last year to 
consumers. They can avoid a repetition of this by 
starting uoaa' to obtain their Winter’s supply. The 
plan is to organize units of 10 or more families, each 
using five barrels or more during the Winter. Now 
if the 50 barrels or more can be bought in one lot 
and stored for use both consumer and producer 
Avill be better off. The former aauII get his pota¬ 
toes for about half AA’hat the5' aa'ouUI cost him in 
small lots Avhile the farmer, knoAA’ing what his mar¬ 
ket will be, can handle his crop to better advan¬ 
tage. Jf, instead of buying 50 barrels, these custo¬ 
mers buy 1,200 pecks, one at a time, they pay 
out tAA’ice as much, and the extra money goes 
to the middlemen. This plan of buying by clubs 
or purchasing units wmuld absorb the crop 
as it is dug, and prevent its being thi’OAvn upon the 
market so as to permit the middlemen to gamble 
with it. Thus a fair price would be paid to the 
farmei’, and the consumer Avould not be robbed dur¬ 
ing the cold Aveather. These purchasing clubs 
should be organized in every city and town, so as 
to deal direct AA’ith farmers, 
* 
The American people is a funny institution and yoAi 
can’t expect them to have the use of their brains or 
gumption when they live on evening editions, movies, 
etc. We need all of these things, but the American 
people won’t think for themselves save in spots. 
W. F. L. 
E hear that from a Maryland fai* *m philoso¬ 
pher who has seen several big reforms 
SAvitehed off the track by frantic appeals to party 
patriotism. It is true that nothing except clear, 
hard, individual thinking can ever get us out of 
our present difficulties. Thought can only be made 
healthy through labor. Labor can only be made 
fruitful through some Avorthy ambition or some 
desire to benefit another. Our friend is wrong, 
how’ever. The American people are truly beginning 
to think as they never did before. All sorts of peo¬ 
ple have been trying to stir them Aip—“statesmen” 
muck-rakers, half-baked theorists and demagogues, 
but not until plain men and women of their own 
class take up these big subjects will the great mass 
of the people be led to think. Some of you may 
have AA'ondered why Ave have been so pei’sistent in 
urging our readers to write to the papers in de¬ 
fense of farmers’ x'ights. It is because that is the 
surest Avay to induce people to think. 
* 
T WO products from the Southern States are 
going to help out the food and feed situation. 
These are dried SAveet potatoes and veh’et bean.s. 
The sweet potatoes are boiled or steamed and then 
dried or dried without cooking and ground into a 
meal. This can be used alone or mixed Avith flour. 
We all know how hard it is to induce the people to 
eat ncAV food but this dried SAveet potato will be 
one of the best. It can be used for humans or for 
stock feeding. As for velvet beans, we believe they 
Avill before long, make a great change in our cattle 
feeding rations. They make a protein food and Avill 
be mixed Avith cornmeal and similar grains. There 
are now growing 1,000,000 aci'es of the.se beans in 
IMississifipi alone. We believe they will in time 
make many Southern farmers independent of cot¬ 
ton culture and relieve the feed situation at the 
North. The Southern experiment stations have done 
great Avork Avith Velvet bean culture. Our North¬ 
ern stations should begin Avprk at once on feeding 
the beans. 
Brevities 
A SUPPLY of these poisonous Burma beans has been 
found on sale in New Jersey. 
Limestone and ground bone give the soil a famous 
tone. 
The pasture is no place for burying or rotting car¬ 
casses of dead animals. 
If Ave must have “dog days” let us make them of 
the Airedale variety. 
Rate made into Avhiskey means riot; plowed into the 
soil as humus it means richness. 
In the West the chinch bug is getting a cinch on 
the corn. A layer or track of tar or oil along the 
cornfield Avill keep the bugs out. 
The wire fence kills .thousands of cattle every year 
by giving the lightning a chance at them. To avoid 
this ground the wires by connecting each one with the 
ground. 
Let us can all we can from the garden _ and farm ; 
It will feed us when Winter draAVS nigh. 
And if there’s a surplus it won’t come to harm. 
For what Ave can’t can we can dry. 
