1424 
“She RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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I 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A Nattonal Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Ifomea 
Established isso 
Pnbllibed neekl; b; the Rural PobHiblnf; Company, S33 ITrtt 30(h Street, Nen fork 
Herbert W. Coixingwood, IVesident and Editor. 
JoH.* *; J. DnxoN, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. E. Dn,rx)N, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 8.s. Cd., or 
8 I 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. 7fi cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
ativertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
bible person. 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 honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not bo 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 or 
the transaction, and to identify it, you sliould mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
T he New Jersey Agrieiiltnfiil Departnienfc pro¬ 
poses putting a ban on the production of lux¬ 
uries in order to provide a ,‘<uj)pl.v of farm labor. 
Luxuries will not win the war—they .soften rjitlier 
than harden the soldier and worker. They should be 
cut out of .\iuerican life during this time of trouble 
and nece.ssity. The million, more or les.s, men and 
women who are now iiaid for imiking these luxuries 
might well be put at more necessary work. A strong 
effort will be made to jirevent Congress from shut¬ 
ting off these luxuries, and unless farmers and other 
workers in necessities make themselves heard, there 
will be Jio legislation. Liipior is w'or.se than a lux¬ 
ury; .so are candy, “soft drinks,*’ expensive clothing 
and fooli.sh food. 
* 
T here win be a gi’eat shortage of good seed 
corn. Fro.sts in the early part of October 
wiped out great areas of this seed and mo.st of 
that harvested is low in vitality. Any farmer 
having a good stand of corn should test it early and 
save the best foi’ seed. The damage to field corn 
seed—both flint and dent—will amount to almost a 
calamity, and this will have a had effect niion next 
.vear’s crop. -\11 the more rc'ason for handling the 
corn carefully and idcking the best for seed. 
* 
S EVERy\L readers find fault because the local 
telephone companies refuse to distribute the 
government weather forecasts. Are sncli companies 
required by law to do this? The government has no 
power to comiiel tlie teleiihone companies to do this 
service for nothing. The Weather Bureau has made 
arrangements with .some of these companies to have 
these forcca.sts telegraiihed each day. Then the tel¬ 
ephone companies promptly distribute the news over 
their wires. It is what they call “a purely volun¬ 
tary agreement.” Yon cannot compel the telephone 
company to give this'service for nothing, but it is 
one of the things they might do and ought to do to 
please their patrons. Tt is like putting an extra po¬ 
tato on top of^tbe peck for “good measure.” 
* 
In the November 17 is.sue of The R. N.-Y. I was 
much intere,sted in the article “The Play’s the Thing.” 
Our Orange wi.shes to give an entertainment to help pay 
for a Liberty bond we_have bought, and surely nothing 
could be more .suitable'than one of the plays mentioned. 
MRS. F. M. C. 
T his is an excellent idea—a .good way to pay for 
the Liberty bond. These plays will help the 
whole neighborhood, for the.v are wholesome and 
strong. You may see yourself as others see yon if 
these plays are well brought out. Write the secre¬ 
tary of the Agricultural College, Minneapolis, IMinn., 
for full particulars. There ou.ght to be similar plays 
to portx’ay Eastern farm life. Who will join us in 
offering prizes for best farm plays to be pre,seated 
during Farmer.s’ Week? 
I T is not ])o.ssilde for the American people to make 
a better investment of their money than in pay¬ 
ing higher prices for farm products —to the Amer¬ 
ican farmer. The poorest investment they can make 
is to pay high prices and have the cream of the 
money go to the middleman and handlers. There 
is no u.se expecting low food prices for the next 10 
year.s. Those wlio say that liread and meat will be 
cheap are either childishly ignorant or else dema¬ 
gogues trying to fool the peojile. Food will continue 
to be high, and there is just one hope for a fair and 
needed adjustment of society. That is to .see that ' 
more of the consumer’s price goes to the actual pro¬ 
ducer. T'nless that is done, more and more land will 
be abandoned, and the food supply will be that much 
curtailed. Make farming more prosperous and en¬ 
able the farmers fully to compete in the labor mar¬ 
ket, and labor will flow back to the country. This 
means more food and a more prosperous and con¬ 
tented rural population. It also means a scattering 
of the close-packed centers of population. The last 
must be brought about in some way, or the cities will 
eat them.selves up with disease and di.sorder. In no 
way can working people be induced to go back on 
the farms except by making country life more pro.s- 
perous and hapiiler. This can only be done by giving 
the farmer .good prices for what he produces without 
nil this growling and grumbling at him. Thus the 
money which this nation pays for necessities cannot 
be spent to better advantage than in paying high 
prices direct to the farmer. As an investment in 
national jirosperity and patriotism nothing can give 
better and surer returns. 
* 
W E have a friend in Pennsylvania who can be 
a philosopher under difficulties. He reads 
the fool advice to farmers, printed in the daily 
papers, and finally, at the last straw, finds this grain 
of comfort: 
Say, if it had not boon for the war, we should never have 
known how many fools there are in the world, should 
we ? 
That's right; this war is certainly making pos¬ 
sible a complete census of agricultural donkeys. We 
know them by their bray, and the following, from the 
“Public Ledger,” is about the limit. This man thinks 
miners are not working the coal mines, and so, as 
everybody else is busy except the lazy farmers, he 
presents this great scheme: 
There is one class of our men who, if some “Peter the 
Hermit” or “Joan or Arc” could be raised up, might 
inspire to a crusade for their country’s relief. I mean 
the farmers. They have been blessed with an abundant 
harvest that is now safely gathered in. For four months 
they will have little to do on their farms beyond feeding 
of stock, which could be done by others. They are 
plainly strong, active, hardy men, who are used to toil 
in manual labor. In these days of existence of our sol¬ 
diers in muddy trenches, coal digging b.v comparison is 
not .so olTensive, especially if the fires of patriotism are 
burning in the bosom, as we believe is the case with most 
of our farmers. The man who is skilled in the use of 
shovel or spade would soon learn to handle the coal 
pickax. 
Now, here is a chance for some “Joan of Arc” to 
get out under the arc light! Some “Peter the Her¬ 
mit” who has not petered out may care to attack 
this petrified peat. Don’t all speak at once—there 
is only one job. We might suggest that the author 
of this scheme pull on a iiair of overalls and lead 
the procession to the coal mines! But did anyone 
ever see one of these advisers taking his own advice? 
No, becau.se one day’s actual work would be a com¬ 
plete cure for them. They are not workers—they 
are advisers. 
* 
T his great nation stands .solidly back of President 
Wilson in his noble statement of the aims and 
purposes of America in this war. There will be some 
growlers or aliens by spirit or birth, but the great 
heart of the nation has come slowly but .surely to 
realize the moral magnitude of this war, and Presi¬ 
dent Wil.son may rest as.sured that the farmers, along 
with other classes of worker.s, will support him. 
They may not shout their patriotism from the house- 
tojis, or spend their time over .smaller detail.s, but 
in the strong, fundamental labor of supporting tbe 
nation and its soldiers they will do more than their 
.share. The President understands that, and he 
knows how the farmers must work.out their problem 
under harder conditions than tho.se which surround 
any other industry. President Wil.son shows that 
he realizes this when he says: 
“The law of .supply and demand, I am sorry to say, 
has been replaced by tbe law of unrestrained selfishness. 
While we have eliminated profiteering in several 
branches of industry it still runs impudently rampant 
in others. The farmers, for example, complain with a 
great deal of justice that, while the regulation of food 
prices restricts their incomes, no restraints are placed 
upon the prices of most of the things they must them¬ 
selves piircliase, and similar inequities obtain on all 
sides.” 
This is in fine contrast to the scolding and in.sult- 
iiig remarks which have been iioured upon farmers of 
late. Like the Prime Minister of England, President 
Wilson realizes what our farmers are doing, and sees 
in their hard work a full expression of their loyalty. 
I’liey will back him in this war to the last bushel of 
grain and the last ounce of labor. 
* 
O N page L'lTd we printed a letter which has been 
.sent to members of the New York Legislature 
who represent rural districts. The following reply 
has come from Senator Elon R. Brown: 
In reply to your letter of November 22, I shall have 
to be further advised and informed as to the opposition 
to the new school law and to the statement in your letter 
that this seems to be general and well supported by facts 
before expressing any opinion upon the subject. No 
doubt this information will be forthcoming as .soon as 
the Legi.slature sits again. It certainly will if your 
assumption is correct. ELON R. brown. 
Watertown, N. Y. 
Now that is characteristic of Senator Brown. If 
you are to get an opinion out of him you mu.st dig it 
out with a pickax or blast it out with ink. He is 
December 15, 1917 
right, in hi.s way, and the only thing to do is to 
accept the challenge in his letter and plaster him 
with postage stamps. Senator Brown is the majority 
or “machine” leader in the Legislature, and will have 
moi’e to do with changing this .school law than any 
other dozen men at Albany. That is the situation 
we have reached in our political conditions, and it 
gives us a shining mark for our postage stamps. 
We know that the farmers of New York are arou.sed 
over this school law as they never have been over 
any purely non-partisan question. Senator Brown 
knows this, of course, but we shall have to meet him 
right on his own terms and shoio him! We have 
letters and figures here—enough to fill several copies 
of The R. N.-Y., but Senator Brown wants direct evi¬ 
dence, Let him have it. We therefore ask every 
man and woman in the State who has a just, hon¬ 
est grievance against this school law to put a stamp 
on Senator Elon R. Brown, Watertown, N. Y. Do 
not try to abuse him or bluff or threaten, but show 
him! You are the only people who can do that with 
authority. Farmers are organizing all over the State, 
and members of the Legislature are falling into line. 
Most of them are partisans and will do pretty much 
as Senator Brown tells them to unless they are held 
up to the rack. Therefore let us go right after the 
leader and show him. Do not be afraid of the Sena¬ 
tor, He is a man like the rest of us—depending upon 
other men (and now the women) for his power. 
Come now, play schoolmaster on the school law ques¬ 
tion, and stick a stamp on Senator Elon R. Brown. 
* 
W E wish every American citizen could and 
would read the annual I’eport of Franklin K. 
Lane, Secretary of the Interior. This is one of the 
finest documents ever issued from Washington, and 
takes rank with the war .speeches of President Wil¬ 
son. It is not a dry collection of figures, but a fine 
statement of some of the great things which big 
Americans are doing to serve their country in war 
time. What could be stronger or truer or more need¬ 
ed than this? 
A democracy making war is never an agreeable sight, . 
for it is not in its normal line of life. And those who 
.sneer or jeer because it does not play the game as well 
as might be, pay an uncon.scious compliment to the 
merits of free in.stitutions. It takes time to accustom 
men to the short, hard words of command, and to the 
surrender of personal judgment. It is not easy, either, 
for a nation to turn its back upon the conception of a 
world where justice works out its ends by quiet pro¬ 
cesses, and in its stead come to the stern belief that 
the ultimate court is a battlefield. 
Secretary Lane is one of the big men who see 
the greater America which is to come after this war 
has been won. The mighty forces which are now 
being employed to kill men and destroy property will 
in the future be used to make human life surer and 
happier*, and here in America this great miracle is to 
be worked out through the power of the plain peo¬ 
ple. 
* 
W E have often urged our readers to order their 
.seeds, fertilizers or other farm .supplies 
early. Do it now if possible! Do not think this is 
mere perfunctory advice. We do not offer that sort, 
and in any event we realize the vital need this year 
of giving the early bird every encouragement. The 
railroad situation is bad, and Avill get worse as the 
government sends more and more men and material 
to the seaboard for foreign .shipment. We cannot 
expect any better freight service in the near future, 
and however hard the merchants and manufacturers 
try to get the goods to you they will be powerless 
at times to make prompt shipment if orders are held 
back and come in a bunch later. You are the one 
best fitted to help yourself in this trouble by ordcr- 
iny early. 
Brevities 
Conserve the ice this Winter. 
The letters U, S., when put together, spells %is. The 
firm of We, U.s & Co. try to capitalize on this. 
It is remarkable how dairymen are using ground oats 
for cattle feed. Years ago few thought of doing this. 
A LITTLE oilmeal will oil up the growth works of a pig 
and drive him along to pork. It seems to be next to 
milk in growth. 
If you have no shed for the farm machinery, paint it 
with grea.se. That will shed some rain. 
On December 27 and 28 the boys and girls of New 
Jersey are invited to a meeting at the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege at New Brunswick. A fine chance for Jersey boys 
and girls to organize the youth power of the State. 
We get this from a Pennsylvania patriot: “We are 
going to save 15 tons of coal on this farm this Winter, 
for somebody to burn who can’t get wood, or is too lazy 
to cut it.” 
Thi.s is from a Pennsylvania blacksmith: “Why not 
say something in your paper about farmers and their 
blacksmith bills? What’s wrong? I find it that way 
through the country. ‘See you again when I fetch the 
other boss down,’ or, ‘Papa will pay you tomorrow.’ 
What’s wrong about blacksmiths organizing and getting 
together? Everybody’s doing it.” 
