32 
Ishtt RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Jainiary 12, 1918 
grains, or their further elaborations, meats and 
dairy products, continually pouring in over a vast 
network of converging lines to the ])opulation cen¬ 
ters of the country, the food being there consumed by 
man and his animals. Picture now the excreted 
nitrates poured fortn from thousands of sewer 
mouths to contaminate- Oex- waterways and be lost to 
man’s use forever. To the loss of nitrogen through 
sewage add that lost in dumping garbage at sea or in 
tilling land; that lost by fire in different ways; that 
lost by burial of human and animal bodies; that 
lost by seepage and heating of manuj-es, and in a 
number of other ways. 
What is true of nitrogen is true of those other no 
less necessary, if less expensive, elements of jilant 
food, phosphorus, lime and potash, all of which 
must be returned to the land for its full utilization. 
Ry what means are we trying to make up to the land 
for these losses of plant food? There is a small 
trickle of manure back from the city to the farm, 
we import much nitrate from Chile, we make a trifle 
by electricity, and we insistently urge the farmer to 
grow legumes. Gas works, fisheries, slaughterhouses 
and rendering plants help out some. We fetch ])hos- 
jihates from the South and potash from Germany 
when we can. Germany threatens to starve the 
world by withholding potash. If we did not waste 
our potash we could disregard her threats. No ele¬ 
ment is destroyed by any form of consumption. It 
merely passes into another place or state. Rut? it is 
not evident either that these returns are equal to 
the losses, or that their sources are inexhau-stible. 
’I’hese, then, are the two questions: Are we stead¬ 
ily losing plant food from the land in excess of re¬ 
turns, or are we maintaining a balance? Shall we 
assume that our sources of plant food are inex¬ 
haustible, and that it is easier and cheaper to dig 
and haul nitrates, potash and phosjdiates than it 
is to save them? The great civilizations of the past 
have all declined. Their fall has been attributed 
variously to efTemiiiacy from luxury, to cbani:e« in 
<-limate or humidity, to malaria sapping vitality, 
and to other causes. Yet, to my mind, it is certain 
that in many of these declines waste of plant food 
was more than a contributing factor. Century after 
century of drainage of plant food from country to 
city, and thence by the .sewer route to the water- 
wfiys, would surely and steadily reduce fertility and 
favor general deterioration and ineflicienc.v, baxl agri¬ 
culture, poor drainage, mosquitoes, malaria and finally 
swamp or desert conditions. They had no rendering 
Itlants, they imported no nitrates or potash, they dug 
no ]»hosphates and grew legumes unsystematicall.v. 
They could not have returned plant foods to the soil 
as fast as they were was'ted. We do a little better, 
but are not similar influences oi)erating today? 
Will it take only a few centuries longer for our 
country to become too unproductive, unhealthful and 
arid? 
It is not necessary. China for thousands of year.s 
has maintained the fertility of her .soil, and supports 
more people to the acre than any other country, sim¬ 
ply by returning all fertility to its source. The solu¬ 
tion of the problem is not difficult. It may be 
troublesome and expensive to piunp and filter sew¬ 
age, to render all garbage and dead animals, to 
prevent fire destruction and other losses, b\it from 
what else shall we get such immense returns? 
We are fighting now for liberty and national ex¬ 
istence with cost, labor and life itself almost un¬ 
counted. Afterward let us have visions and see that 
we must not reckon the first cost in saving plant 
food, and that is the same as human food when you 
come to think about it, if we are to maintain human 
existence on a high ]>lane. w. r. deming, m.d. 
Connecticut. 
Rural Sociology 
O NE of the strongest books we have read of late 
is “Rural Sociology,” by Paul L. Vogt. The 
author seeks to answer the question. “What is the 
matter with agriculture?” and he goes at the subject 
calmly and methodically, with figures, facts and 
conclusions. Among other figures he gives the fol¬ 
lowing table: 
1850. 
1860. 
1870. 
1880. 
1800. 
1000. 
1910. 
-Urban Wealth-v 
.$3,160,437,000 44% 
8,170,123.(X)0 51% 
21,123,661.000 70% 
34,461,400.(K)0 72% 
49.0.54,824,000 75% 
66.778,0(K).000 76% 
80,000,000.000" 66% 
-Rural Wealth-^ 
.$3,907,-343.000 56% 
7,980,493,000 49% 
8,944,857,000 30% 
12.170,501.000 28% 
16,082,267,000 25% 
20,4.39,901,000 24% 
40,991,449,000 33% 
These figures show that in 1850 the rural Avealth 
of this nation composed 56 per cent of the total. Or, 
more than half the total wealth was inve.sted in farm 
property. Fifty years later, in 1900, only 24 per 
cent of the total was located in the country. At the 
last census there was a gain in rural wealth to one- 
third of the whole, but this increase went to the 
landlords rather than to the Avorkers. There were 
many reasons for this transfer of Avealth from the 
country to the city, but the mo.st potent one Avas 
the one-sided division of the consumer’s dollar. It 
was because 65 cents I'cmained in town and .35 cents 
Avent back to the farm. It has been this unequal 
division multii)lied several billion times Avhich has 
made the town rich and the country comparatively 
poor. When put at the ends of the beam the 65 
cents have ti])ped doAvn into the city, and, sliding 
doAvn it, have gone the boys and girls Avho should 
have remained in the country. Who thinks they Avill 
ever go back until the dollar is evenly divided by 
fair di.stribution? Labor is like water. It Avill imn 
doAvn hill to the larger pond. 
The Real Cost of a Car 
T he Avriter attributes much of his peace of mind 
to the fact that he has usually re.solutely refu.sed 
to keep any account of his expenuiture.s. In the 
matter of the cost of running a car, hoAvever, the 
di.screpancy betAveen the figures suggested by the 
agent and those given him by his real friends Avas 
so great that he decided last .Spring to find out for 
himself just Avhat it did co.st to run a car as he 
Avould run it. So he opened an account Avith his 
car, taking the first jiage of the ledger for the as¬ 
sumed credit and hoi)ing that the balance of the 
book Avould suffice for the disagreeable items. 
The name of the car doesn’t matter much, for the 
habits of the different makes in the same price class 
appear to be about the same, and the satisfaction 
each gives depends more upon t e man Avho drives 
it than upon the name plate. The OAvner of this car 
believes that he has undeA’eloped^^echanical geniu.s, 
and his Avlfe agrees Avith him—.so ftw as the deA’elop- 
ment goes. So he decided that the local garage man, 
Avho rather gloated Avhen the car Avas purchased, 
should be ignored. (This attitude toAvard the garage 
man is a mistake; he .should be made a friend of at 
all hazards.) He also belieA’es that unjustifiable 
speed is a prime cause of much of the high cost of 
motoring, and that unnecessary use contributes not 
a little of it. Having acted upon these belief.s, the 
.speedometer of his car registers only 2,700 miles 
after eight months’ use, and has never marked 35 
miles in its Avildest bursts of speed. Nine-tenths of 
the car’s traA'el has been at a speed Avell under 25 
miles per hour. 
Tire troubles have been limited to one puncture 
on the road and considerable patching of porous 
tubes in the barn—pardon me, garage. A smart 
neighbor Avho Avanted to .shoAV the OAvner hOAV to re¬ 
move a defective spark plug let his Avrench slip and 
break the adjoining ])lug. Tavo neAV ones cost .$1.7.5. 
q’he storage battery, hoAvever, has been an expensive 
projtosition. The one Avith Avhich the car Avas 
equipped went to pieces internally after five months’ 
service and had to be rei)laced. After some unsatis- 
tory correspondence with the makers of the battery 
an offer to replace it for $18 Avas refused and one 
of another make Avas purchased through a friend in 
the business for $18.15. Incidentally, a little iiisight 
into the first cost of batteries retailing at from $30 
to $35 Avas gained. Storage batteries, upon Avhich 
most cars noAv depend for ignition as Avell as for 
lights and starting, are uncertain things at best. 
Gasoline has, of course, been the chief item of ex- 
])ense; 1.57 gallons, at 27 cents per gallon, liaA’e been 
used. This gives a mileage of 17 miles per gallon; 
all, the writer believes, that should be expected from 
cars of its cla.ss. He is confirmed in his belief by 
comparison of his mileage Avith that of friends Avho 
driA’e similar car.s. Statements about mileage should 
frequently be taken Avith more than a grain of salt. 
It is .said that the most conscientious car oAvners 
Avill lie brazenly about their mileage, and manu¬ 
facturers. of course, see nothing to be gained by 
underestimating the performance of their cars in 
this respect. As a matter of fact. OAvners seldom 
take the necessary trouble to measure their gasoline 
accurately; their figures are largely estimate.s. 
Lubricating oil, at 25 cents per (piart. has co.st 
$.3. This is unneces.sarily high for a ncAV car, and 
probably much too Ioav for one that has seen nnich 
service. After about 500 miles the oil Avas drained 
from the engine, kerosene run through to clean it 
out, and five quarts of neAV oil supplied. This 
cleaned out the dirt and grit that the first Avear of 
neAV machinery produces, and the smooth action of 
the engine noAV leads the OAvner to believe that the 
Ava.ste of still uiiAVorn oil Avas justified. 
Tire expense must be estimated. The original 
tires are a little more than half Avorn out, so far as 
can be judged. They have been inflated to 70 pounds 
pressure and kept near that figure. This is 10 
IK)unds under the pressure recommended by all man¬ 
ufacturers, but more than most motorists carry for 
a car of its weight and load. Even 70 pounds trans¬ 
mits an undesirable vibration to the car and its 
occupants, and the full SO would apparently about 
nullify the good effects of air-shod Avheels. An alloAA'- 
ance of $75 for Avear Avould probably be genei’ous 
to the tire.*?. 
Miscellaneous expenses figure up to $18. Miscel¬ 
laneous expenses are something that you Avant to, 
but can’t, help. The State licen.se costs .$5 per year. 
Insurance against fire costs .$1 per hundred of the 
car’s valuation the first year, and much moi‘e after 
that. The cheapest tire chains cost .$3.4.5, and all 
sorts of necessary and unnecessary sundries tempt 
the veriest tight-Avad Avho OAvns a car. The garage 
man got .$3.25 of this oAvner’s money, and he earned 
it q'he oAvner borroAvs the garage man’s tools, asks 
his advice, buys his supplies of him, and occa.sion- 
ally hollers for help. good repair man has come 
to be about the most useful man in a community. 
Ion may look upon him as you do the undertaker, 
but you Avill ju.st as surely need him before your 
career is over. 
Foo'ting up the knoAvn costs, and carefully esti¬ 
mating the other.s, the oAvner of this car finds that its 
o])(‘rating cost, from April 1 to December 1, Avas so 
near $175 that it isn't AA'orth Avhile to try to remem¬ 
ber the odd figures. What it Avill cost another season 
he doesn’t knoAV and don't care to estimate. I'lie 
car may be commandeered by the government before 
that time, and, if it is, the laugh Avill be on T'ncli' 
S:im. M. B. DEAN. 
A Communiiy Potato Crop 
O N page 1400 Ave had-a brief statement of a po- 
tato-groAving exi)eriment conducted in the toAvn 
of Wilisted. Conn. The Chamber of Commerce took 
charge of the bimine.ss and rented 20 acres of land, 
q'he County Agent helped plant and cultivate the po¬ 
tatoes. In order to fin'ance the scheme, stock Avas 
sold to families in the toAvn and .something like .3.50 
shares Avore di.spo.sod of in this Avay. I’lie crop Avas 
Avell cai'ed for and Avhen harvested Avas distributed 
among the stockholders. We noAV have the folloAA'- 
ing facts and figure.s, .showing just hoAV this com¬ 
munity plan Avorked out. It Avas called one of the 
most succe.ssful attempts at co-operation ever tried 
in that part of NeAv England: 
There Avere .357 shares sold at $10 a share and later 
.324 of the .357 shai’eholders jiaid an additional $4. 
Those Avho paid $10 received 9% bushels of potatoes 
and those paying $14 received 121/2 bushels. I’lic sum 
of $635.85 Avas distributed as refunds to shareholders, 
so that each shareholder paid 97 cents a bushel for the 
potatoes delivered. There were 20 acres planted, re¬ 
quiring 266 bushels of seed potatoes, or 131^ bushels to 
the acre. I’lie price paid for seed potatoes Avas $.3.42. 
q'Aventy-fiA'e tons of fertilizer Avere used, or I 14 tons to 
an acre. The price paid for the fertilizer Avas $2.5 a 
ton. About half of the fertilizer Avas n.sed at the time 
of planting and the balance cultivated in later. 
There AA’ere 4,7.50 bushel, of potatoes harvested, Avhich 
is an average yield 0 '.. 2.37t/^ bushels to the acre. If the 
first delivery of potatoes had been Aveighed instead of be¬ 
ing mmisured, no doubt the yield avouUI have shoAVii 
more. The price paid for the rental of the land was 
$20 an acre. A total of $174.41 was expended for spray¬ 
ing materials, Avhich consi.stcd of 100 pounds of Pyrox, 
200 arsenate of lead, 34 paris green, 575 copper sul¬ 
phate, 10 nicotine sulphate, 2Si/4 solution of formalde¬ 
hyde, three barrels of lime. For labor and teams, Avhieh 
included delivery, it cost $2,440.24, or practically $122 
an acre*. 
FIN.ANCIAL REPOKT 
Receipts— 
324 shares at .$14. .$4,5.36.00 
.3.3 shares at .$10. .3.30.00 
Credit for seed returned. 116.28 
I’otatoes sold, 75 bushels at .$1..33. KXl.OO 
Potatoes sold. 292 bushels at .$1..50. 438.00 
Scabs sold, tAvo bushels at $1. 2.00 
Pickups sold, 14 bushels at .50c. ’7.00 
Seconds sold, four bushels. 4.45 
Machinery and equipment. 100.00 
.$5,6.33.7.3 
Disbursemen ts— 
T.abor. ,$1,915.88 
q’eams. .524.37 
Seed potatoes. 1.026.00 
Spraying materials. 174.41 
Machinery and equipment. 223.25 
Postage and express. 19.f).5 
Miscellaneous. 89.02 
Fertilizer. 625.00 
Rent of land.'I. 400.0() 
Cash refunded. 635.8.5 
$5,6.33.7.3 
The committee expre.ssed its indebtedness to the Win- 
sted Evening Citizen for its loyal .support, also to Hoav- 
ard 1\L Deming for furnishing printed matter Avithout 
charge. 
The Avind may be tempered to the shorn lamb, but if 
you ask the lamb he will say that it cuts like tempered 
iron (steel) and steals his comfort. He Avho steals his 
comfort steals fat. 
