1298 
iThe Rural New-Yorker 
THE liUSjyESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A ^ntlonnl cekly Joiiriiul for f'ouiitry mill Huburbnn llomeg 
Established tsio 
PiiblUhrd irrrklr by thr Rural Pitblisblnir Company, 83!! West SOili Siroet, .Vrir fork 
IlERnERT W. COLMNOWOOD, President and Editor, 
nr r, rr JORb' J- UtixoN, Tre.'surer and General llanac-er. 
f . D1T.IXJX, bccretary. _ Mbs. E. T. Royi.k, As. sociate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.W, equal to fe. Cd.. or 
8)6 marks, or 10)4 francs. Remit in monev order, express 
order, personal cheek or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Odlco n.s Second Class Matter. 
Ad vert Isinpr rates. 76 cents per aerate line—7 words. References required for 
adwrtisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
adverti-sement in this i«per is backed hy a respon- 
possible precaution and admit the advertisinir of 
niliabic houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make arood any loss 
mt .sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irresixm- 
rtble advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and 
S "'e R’-o also often called upon 
between our subscribers and honest, 
rid? ifna or “ot- '""c willinprly use our gooii 
S^n^cf?onQ^ wi’ oasM should not be confused with dishonest 
against ropues, but we will not be 
debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts, 
**?*■ o® within one month of the time ol 
*? identify it, you should mention The Rukal New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Soldiers of the Legion 
No. S. 
AN E ])rize tliis lettor for many reasons: 
In reply to your lettor asking for a renewal of the 
fiiihsci'iption of AXark Nhiiltis I enclo.se five tlollars that 
hi.s name may remain on your books for the next few 
years; for although he is no longer with us in the flesh 
he is present in the .spirit in these New Ilamp.shire hills 
in the hearts of the people of this community, and in 
the liearts of men engaged in an honorahle profession; 
a middleman who was known and resiiected from Afaine 
to Minnesota for the way in which he conducted his 
business for 37 years. newton .siiui.tus. 
It is a beautiful thing when a man can feel that 
way about his fathei’. AVe fully apiireciate the spirit 
which can connect The K. X.-Y. in this way with 
the loved ones who have passcRl on. 
A KEADEK in I’enn.sylvania hears that horses 
fi-om a circus are working at Camp Aleade, and 
that the Covernment is paying .$1S per day for two- 
horse work. AA'e have had some rejiorts of extrava¬ 
gant prices and favoritism, and wo sent this one to 
the AN'ar Department. The Qnartermaster-Ceneral 
replies as follows: 
1. Tbe rate paid for teams at Camp Aleade has not 
ex'-eeded SOc per hour for a 10-hour day, with time and 
one-lialf for overtime and Sunday. 
2. At this rate the owners of teams furn’sli the 
drivers, feed the animals and maintain the equipage. 
3. Four-horse teams have been paid .$1..30 an hour, 
under same conditions as above stated for single teams. 
4. No teams have been rented from Ilingling Bros.’ 
circus. So far as known none of the teams are owned 
by them. 
AA’^e will hel]) analyze these reports whenever we 
can. AA'e see that the Covernment pays $8 per day 
for 10 hours of men and team. Yet when a farmer 
charges $5 per day as expense in raising grain he 
is criticized for putting his labor too high! 
* 
T he 1017 Connecticut egg-laying contest ended 
on Tue.sday, October 30, a new one, with differ¬ 
ent birds, immediately beginning. In former years 
the ANYaiulotte and Leghoi-n have had things their 
own way, hut this yaar there were Itocks which 
barred their way. The first five pons to find places 
in the sun wore: 
1. Apidccock Farm, X. II., Barred Rocks.2.119 
2. A. 1*. Robinson, X. Y., AA’hite Leghorns.2,090 
3. AA'indswoep Farm, Conn., AA’lute Leghorns.2,022 
4. AI. II. Clark, Conn.. Barred Rocks.L991 
5. A, Allan, Jr., R. I., R. I. Reds.1,990 
These winners were certainly rocked in the ci-adle 
of a deep-laying strain. They established a new high 
record for their breed. The returns from the New 
Jersey contest will be given next week. Air. George 
Cosgrove will give ns a study of the egg-laying con¬ 
tests, and show what they have done for the poultry 
industr}'. 
^f»e RURAL NEW-YORKER 
figures to lu-ove them. The R. X.-Y. wants the .school 
question settled right, for unless the country chil¬ 
dren can have a fair chance at practical education 
the next generation will lose its grip on the country. 
I’eH ns .inst what objection jqu have to the law. 
Send your facts or conclu.sions to u.s, and we will 
organize the combined protest and show the public 
ju.>t what it is. Do not write long essaj's or 
opinion.s, hut give us the facts and reasons why you 
either object to the law or approve it. Then we 
can put it up to the Legislature and have it mean 
something. Tins is work for that non-partisan 
league that has been started. 
* 
IJjEDIGRLLD BUDS! We have often told our 
-L readers how California citrus growers have 
come to believe in jiedigreed trees. In several or¬ 
chards a system of testing individual trees has been 
carried on. It is not unlike testing the cows in a 
herd. Tliis work sliowed that the orange or lemon 
trees in an orchard may vary as much in iiroducticn 
as cows or hens. In some case.s, of course, this varia¬ 
tion may be due to the difference in soil or moisture, 
but there Avere genniiie cases Avhere the tree itself 
was natiH’ally superior or inferior. By selecting 
buds from these suiierior trees it became evident 
that their good qualities jiass on wjth the bud. There 
has been much contvoversy about this, hut California 
growers seem to believe in the theory. They have 
01 deled for this season 100,^)00 of these pedigreed 
buds with which to rehud drone tree.s. A “drone'’ 
tree is a scrub. A “scrub’’ is an animal or tree or a 
plant (or a human) which, having had proper food 
and care and training, fails to appreciate it, and 
Iiecomes a sucker rather than a worker. It is the ax 
for the animal drone. Let us hope it is the pedi¬ 
greed hud for the drone tree. 
w 
I should like very much to know tbe effect that the 
township educational school law is having on our rural 
people in the various parts of the State. In this section 
we are all a unit in condemning the law. Our taxes 
have been increased practically threefold. Last year 
a neighbor of mine in another district paid .$30. This 
year liis tax was .$95. One of our main objections is 
tliat the law so ojierates that school taxes in our villages 
have been lowered and the burden has been transferred 
to our farms. D. n. d. 
Alontgomery Co., X. Y. 
W E have received a number of reports from our 
readers. Alost of them ai’e in condemnation 
of the new law. A few reporters praise it or ask 
for time in which it may prove itself. Thus far,. 
hojA’ever, the people Avho live in rural districts and 
whose children have attended the country schools, 
opiwse the law, and Avill make an active fight for 
its repeal or amendment this AA^inter. This conflict 
is inevitable, judging from the temper of the reports 
Avhich come to ns. Now, in order to go to the I.eg- 
islature AA’ith a fair and logical pi'ote.st, our farmers 
must get their objections into shape with facts and 
L get many letters from men and AA'omcn aa'Iio 
a.sk advice about contracting their farms. 
Some have limestone ledges, others think the.e may 
he oil or coal, still others have a good quality of 
building stone. Strangers come and tell great stories 
of profit and Avant to contract for material. Xoaa', 
we can only give general legal advice in such* cases, 
and we would not attempt to settle them definitely 
Avithout personal iiiA-e.stigation. Tlio safe Avay is to 
haA-e some good local lawyer draw up the papers 
and make sure that your rights are protected. Do 
no't try to do this AA'ork yourself, or trust entirely to 
outsiders and strangers. Aloney spent in employing 
a good attornej' in such cases is the best inA'estment 
.YOU can make. “I saved $5 hy drawing up the papers 
myself,” said a self-.‘;atisfied neighbor. Later he 
mourned over a loss of $50 as the result of playing 
lawyer. 
♦ 
I X’ Jill this talk about cheaper retail milk no one 
of the “authorities” gets anywhere, near the only 
solution. That i.s direct dealing between farjnei* 
and consumer. 'The Xe\A^ York papers, oflicials and 
busine.ss men all seem to start and end Avith the 
single proposition that the present system of dis¬ 
tribution must not be disturbed. The people may he 
robbed and exiiloitod, hut the milk di.stributors must 
not be interfered Avith! There are two Avays of re¬ 
ducing milk prices to consumers. One is to rob the 
farmer of a part of his price; the other is to permit 
the farmer to deal direct AA’ith the consumer. If 
half the energy uoaa- spent in cursing and lielittling 
the farmers Avere spent in demanding ojicu nmrket.s 
and free distribution of milk in this city the que.stiou 
AA'ould he settled. * 
A QUITTER can never be a reformer. He can 
only deform a reform. lie Avill have his days 
Avhen the job seems too large and impossible. Then 
the thing for him to do is to get aAvay from the 
haunts of men out among the hills and tree.s, Avhere 
Nature, the great reformer, aaTU give him patience. 
Then let him come back and go at It again. That is 
all there is to it. X’o one regards the bulldog as a 
reformer, yet he is a living example of Avhat all re¬ 
formers must have! 
The mamifacLurers of ground phosphate rock say 
that mixing it Avith manure Avill so iWlect the rock that 
it becomes the same as acid phosphate. Is it true? If 
so, Avhat advantage in Dr. J. G. Lipnian’s patent? 
Pennsylvania. g. s. av. rhillips. 
November 10, 1917 
make more progress—on the upper Atlantic coa.st. 
at least—by recognizing the possibilities in Dr. T.ip- 
man’s process. .Sulphur is uoav very expensive, hut 
after the AA-ar it Avill come doAvn to a reasonable fig¬ 
ure. AA’e are ready to admit that the raw phosiihato 
rock has given good results in many AA'estern expeii- 
ments. AA’hat Ave say is that it is not changed to 
acid phosphate in the manure pile—as some of its 
adA’oeates indirectly claim. 
* 
H ere is further evidence of the way farming is 
changing all over the Avorld. Japan is im¬ 
porting Percheron horse.s. Consider Avhat it means 
to have this land of small farms and of hand labor 
turn to these big draft hor.ses. .Tapan has been es¬ 
sentially the home of the man Avith the hoe, and 
only small, pony-like horses AA’ere used. The AA’ar 
has brought new demands and opportunitie.s to 
Japan. Large farms are appearing, and, in addi¬ 
tion to rice, Avheat, corn, oats and barley are de¬ 
manded. There must he improved machinery to 
Avork these farms, and the small natiA’e horses can¬ 
not haul 'the big plows, seeders and harvesters. So 
the big Percheron Avalks in to do the Avork of 20 
men Avho formerly tore up the soil and planted 
Avith boos, fidiese Percherons, Avorking in the grain 
fields of .Tapan aa’III, after the AA'ar, become riA'als of 
their brothers hauling the plows and harvesters on 
the farms of the Alississippi Valles*—and this is only 
one illmstration of the way this Avar is to mix up 
the nations. 
• you request all your readers who are interested 
in the sheep business to write Herbert C. Hoover, ask- 
mg for a war tax on dogs of at least $5 on males and 
.$10 on females? AA e can get protection now if we will 
only make a concerted effort. Let us all puli together 
uiKi do businoss, •p xrigg 
T T Avhat ha.s All’. Hoover got to do Avith a tax 
oil dogs? ’There has been much iioiisoiise Avrit- 
ten about the poAA-ers and duties of the Food Admin¬ 
istrator. lie is luiA’ing his troiilile and more Avith 
the things he has started. Alaiiy of ns think he has 
got hold of the AA'rong end of the food .situation by 
making his big driA’e on rediKyng prices. You might 
call this good iiolitics, hut poor economics. Low 
prices may appeal to city consumers and to “big 
business,” hut it is the worst thing that can happen 
to iiioducers. It seem,s to us that Air. IIooA'er i.s 
surrounded and influenced chiefly by men Avho are 
interested mostly in reducing retail prices Avithout 
great consideration for the business needs of farm- 
er.s. The facts are that the world is facing a de¬ 
preciating currency and a reduced food supply, and 
AA-e think Air, Hoover and his advisers fail to realize 
these facts in the plans they are making. The dog 
question is one for the State and the community to 
settle. All the laws on earth Avill fail to protect the 
sheep until public sentiment puts the right tag on 
the dog. AN’e bark iq) the Avrong tree Avhen Ave bother 
Air. Hoover Avith dog^taxes! 
W E have heard from many farmers who want 
to join the movement for a non-partisan 
fanners’ league to put 50 farmers in the New York 
Legislature. There are tiiou.sands of XeAV York farm¬ 
ers Avho ought to be in this. Send your names. Th" 
R. X’.-Y. will act to help organize the movement, hut 
the farmers Avill run it themselves. EA’ery thinking 
farmer must uoav realize that the politicians and so- 
callcd “leaders” Avill do nothing for u.s. AA’hatever 
Ave get must lie Avorked out through our own orgaiii- 
zatiou. There are several things to he jiut through 
the next Legislature, and we must get together so 
as to elect 50 farmers. AVe need you in this. Come 
in and help! 
W E hereby challenge any manufacturer or 
grinder of phosphate rock to make any such 
public statement. Some of them do try to make it 
appear that the raw phosphate changes to acid 
phosphate in the manure pile, hut uoav let us .see if 
they Avill come out squarely and make the definite 
claim ! Dr. Lipman claims that the sulplmr in the 
compost heap is oxidized and changed into sulphuric 
acid and thus acts upon the phosphate rock, but 
without the added sulphur this action Avould not take 
place. It seems to us the raw phosphate men would 
Brevities 
AIichigan has a law to prevent trespassing cats. 
Ip beef’s too high—try beef stew. 
Tavo extremes out of the same Avord—“a great nerve” 
and very nervous. 
Gkoavino SAveet potatoes iii New Englaud—substitu¬ 
ting baked squash. 
Just because pigs Avill eat up the Avaste, it does not 
folIoAV that they can bi; fattened on AA’aste alone. 
A MIXTT7RE of half and half ground bone and Avood 
ashes is hard to beat for fruit trees. 
The Pennsylvania College finds that cows fed on 
silage alone did not give as much milk as Avhen hay Avas 
fed Avith less silage. 
The Italian government Avill take charge, through a 
committee, of exports of acid fruits. This includes both 
shipping and selling. 
_ “The famine in men !” is th$ way one paper puts the 
hired help situation. To keep our men Ave must give 
them a fair show and make them comfortable. 
The Connecticut College Press Bulletin makes tliis 
point for farmers Avho live in a stony country: “In 
clearing up that stone pile or those loose stones in the 
pasture, don’t haul them to some out-of-the-way comer 
on the farm, but pile along the road, ready for crushing 
Avhen the neAV town road is built.” 
