44 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home* 
Establinhed tSSO 
PiibllRlird mrekly by tbr RnrmI Piibliiifainfir Company, 383 ITest 80th Stroot, Now York 
IlEKBKRT W. COLUXGwoOD, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Tre.'surer and Oeneral Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries In the Universal Postal Union, equal to 8s. Cd.. or 
8}^ marks, or 10)4 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post OlHce as Second CIa.s.s Matter. 
Advertising rates, 76 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisei-s unknown to us j and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“ A SQUARE DEAL” 
IVe believe that every advertisement in this paper Is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and ailmit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doulily sure, we will make good any loss 
to paid subscribei-s sustained by trusting any delibei-ate sxvlndler, irrespon¬ 
sible ailvertisers 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 advertisere or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect suliscriliers against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the coin|)Iaint 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. 
O WIX(i to the congestion of mail, due to shortage 
of liel)) in the postal service, extraordinaril.v 
heavy mails and the requisition of railroad transiior- 
tation for coal h.v the (Jovernment, the New York 
rit.v jiost-ofilce is nnahle to move ihe mails with 
nsnal jiromptness, and we fear, Iherefore, that a 
iininhcr of onr pajicrs will he late in delivery. We 
are delivering the mail as usual to the i)o,st-ofhce, 
ami the iiost-ofiice force are doing the best they can. 
-\s loyal and iiatriotic citizens we a.sk yoiir imliil- 
gence. lie patient; Imt if your K. N.-Y. does not 
reach yon, after reasonahle time, advise and we will 
forward a dniilicate cojiy. 
Advice to Burn 
'Phe farmer gets more good advice than any man 
heneath the sun. The magazines would treat him 
nic(‘. so fell him once and twice how his duties .should 
he done. And lecturers with hulging hrows in coun¬ 
try schools hi.v down the law; they tell him how to 
groom his cows, and how to raise hlue-rihhon sows by 
feeding artichokes and straw I The editors of weekly 
sheets, who never pu.shed a si>an of mules; sit in 
their chairs with leather seats, and tell him how to 
raise his beets; and for his guidance lay down 
rules. The men pursuing other trades, we all as¬ 
sume, know what to do. No man the merchant 
prince uiihraids. or chides the law.ver till he fades, 
or to the jihnnher hands a few. The sexton, he can 
dig a grave; we do not stop to tell him how, or show 
(he harlier how to shave, or tell the tightwad how to 
save, the dairyman can milk his cow. But every man 
in town believes no husbandman knows how to farm; 
and so we criticise his sheaves and tell him how to 
shear his beeves and treat the old mare for the 
heaves, ami bore him till he has the jieeves. ami to 
his shoulder rolls his sleeves, and tries to do us 
deadly harm.— wii.i.ia.m kelo. 
I wish to put in my protest against the township 
.school law. My taxes are more than doubled without 
any advantage. I also wish to mention that 1 heard Mr. 
Betts’ speech at the Tioga County annual Farm Bureau 
meeting. Mr. Betts is secretary of the State Food 
Commission and was at this meeting on purpose to vin¬ 
dicate Governor Whitman, bnt I don’t think he made 
a very favorable impression on the farmers. a . r. 
Tioga Co.. N. Y. 
NGTIIEK man is cruel enough to say that Mr. 
Betts looks to him like “a .ioh-hunter needing 
the .ioh more than the farmers need what he has to 
say I” One weakness of the New York conservation 
law is that .ioh-hunters enjoy an o))en season when¬ 
ever they have a chance to open their mouths. It 
will do Mr. Betts good to see himself as others see 
him. We often wonder if those iierfunctory orators 
really know what the farmers think of them and 
their talk I ’Phey must know how the farmers are 
feeling on really vital (juestions, yet these camoutlage 
artists look wise and sinijily weave a lot of words 
around an empty and hollow proposition. The 
farmers seem to listen, and there may be some ap- 
plause, but follow them out to their homes, where 
real thinking is done, and .see what they say. Some 
of the uplifters are quite depressing. 
tje 
T he di.scussion of the school law goes on, and 
our correspondence still carries about the same 
jiroportion—1)5 per cent opposed to the law. We have 
all .sorts of arguments on both side.s, but it is unde¬ 
niable that a great majority of the people who ac¬ 
tually live in the country oppose this law. Thus far 
the number of fanuers who have written favoring 
the law is ver.y limited. The friends of the bill may 
not concede that this is any argument, yet if the 
country people are not to be con.sidered in settling 
their school matters, who is expected to decide for 
them? In all our experience we have never known 
such general agreement among country people as is 
now found in oppo.sing this law. We consider that 
the strongest argument that can he offered, for who, 
in this country, will claim the right to force an of¬ 
fensive law upon the majority? We have had but 
one argument in favor of the physical instruction. 
That is from a man who says this law is a start at 
military efficiency of the German sort. The excellent 
young women who are climbing through snowdrifts 
to put the children through their exercises probably 
do not realize that they ai'e training soldiers I 
* 
You advocate writing Senator Elon Brown relative 
to injustice of present school law. Please print it in 
big letters where to address him, so that all may know 
where to send letters. .T. n. mui.len. 
EL right! Here it is. 
SENATOR ELON R. BROWN. 
WATERTOWN. 
N. Y. 
Very likely a letter addressed to Senator Brown, 
New York State, would reach him. but there is no 
])lace like home. Several readers have asked us to 
write a lett(>r which they may copy and sign, hut that 
would not answer. Senator Brown knows already 
what Ave think—what he wants is your own opinion 
right in your own words. We could not possibly 
eipial the jiersonalit.v you will ])ut into your letter. 
Please read newspaper • clijiping enclosed, from your 
neighbor across the river, then loosen that Airedale and 
•‘sic ’em I” tiieo. offord. 
I’ennsylvania. 
HIS clipiiing is taken from the Hudson Dispatch, 
and is entitled “The Slacking Farmer.” The suli- 
staiice of it is taken from a circular sent out by 
Warner M. Van Norden of New York, and here are a 
few gems from him; 
“The American farmers are the most jiampered people 
in the United States—they remind me of the sacred 
cattle of India—the zebu, as they are called, which are 
allowed to eat from the fruit and vegetable stands in the 
bazaars. 
“Nobody is alloMcd to say a woi-d against the Ameri¬ 
can farmer—naturally taking advantage of this situa¬ 
tion. the farmers are holding up the whole country— 
they refuse to raise the required crops because there is 
more money in selling smaller crops at higher jirices. 
The American farmer also on account of his prosperous 
condition feels he knows it all; he refuses to listen to 
the lectures sent out by the Dejiartment of Agriculture 
and spends his (warnings at the movies, rather than in 
studying methods of intensive farming. 
“The farmers whom I know have made so much 
money in the past few' years that they may ea.sily live 
on their income from mortgages, stock and bonds, which 
llu'.v have bought.” 
This seems to us like a comliiiiation of fool and 
malicious cussedness. The Dispatch doesn't know 
any better, and accepts Van Norden's vaporings sim- 
ply because they are neatly printed. As for Van 
Norden, very likely he knows better, hut it suits the 
imriiose of men of his kind to try to poison the minds 
of city peojde against the farmers. The great purpose 
of such men now' is to prevent any mental agreement 
between farmers and city w'orkmen, for that would 
mean a better husine.ss organization and a change in 
present nuhhods of disti*ihution. There is no cure 
for men like Van Norden, hut we regret to .see any 
news]»a])cr. print(Hl where workingmen are victimized 
by the food vultures, passing along such ]»oison to its 
lamders. And the strangest thing about it all is the 
fact that men Avho are reputed to ])ossess fair intelli¬ 
gence actually think that farimu's will be led to 
increase the food supply by such foolish malice! 
T here are still too many un.signed or anonymous 
letters. Most of them are from people who ask 
(piestions which mu.st he of personal importance— 
though the public would not care for them. It is 
(lur standing rule to pay no attention to such un¬ 
signed communications, and those who continue to 
smid them cannot expi'ct answers. We do our best 
to help our ])eople in every possible wa.v. but we must 
have the name and address of the writer as evidence 
of good faith. 
i'f 
M any a farmer must stand uji and carry the 
liadge of an evil reputation pinned on him by a 
dealer or packer. A ease of this is brought out this 
week, and there are many more like it. The R. N.-Y. 
has l>een accused of picturing the farmer as an angel 
far above any sharp practice or ability to drive a 
good liargain. Now w'e know' better than to attempt 
any impossible tasks, but we do know that the farmer 
ranks well with other business men for character 
and business honesty. We do know that a big army 
of handlers and dealers try to evade re.sponsibility 
for their own fraud by trying to put the badge of 
shame on the farmer. We will stop them from “get¬ 
ting away with it” if we can. 
N ine out of ten lime users will agree that the best 
way to use lime is to put it on the plowed 
ground and harrow' in. We get a far better distribu¬ 
tion through the soil in this Avay than w'here the lime 
is put on top of the gruond and left there or plowed 
January 12, 1918 
under. This year brings new conditions. Many 
cover crops will not be plowed under as usual, but 
will be seeded to clover. Such land needs lime. 
Ever.v move must be made to save labor, and a saving 
would be made by spreading the lime this Winter 
when work is not pressing. Under such circum¬ 
stances we should use ground limestone in the Win¬ 
ter at almost any time when the ground is not cov¬ 
ered with snow. It is not the best time to u.se the 
lime, and we would never advise it except as a “war 
measure” to save labor. 
J UST now there is a rush on the part of farmers to 
stock up with sheep and hogs. Sheep are scarce 
and hard to buy, and most farmers have had little or 
no experience with them. When hogs are given a fair 
chance they will pay, and this year the demand for 
pork will be steady and sure. In our own case the 
labor question has come to the point where we must 
change our plans and let the hog do some of the 
work formerl.v done liy the hired man. A number 
of fields now in rye and vetch will not be plowi^d in 
the Siming. but pigs will be turned in to eat down the 
croi)s and board them.selves on the self-feeder plan. 
On man.v farms such a plan will save labor and give 
a fair income. It will be better for a middle-agi'd 
man to work in tliis wa.v than to half kill him.self 
with work and worry trying to cultivate too much 
ground. Another thing. Do pot try to feed the hogs 
too long after cold W(*ather s<‘ts in. We have found 
that a hog weighing 1.50 pounds or a little more gives 
good profit, when if we tr.v to double bis weight he 
may eat him.self u]). 
❖ 
A ll through the East the people who live on small 
places or in towns are figuring on ]ioultry keep¬ 
ing. The hen is the best table scrap handler such iieo- 
ple can keep. She is better than the pig and the health 
board will generall.v .shut out piggy anywa.v. A small 
flock—the size measured by the amount of table 
waste—will pay well, even in these days of high- 
liriced grain, and the demand will keep the chicken 
men in business until commercial egg production 
gets hack to better conditions. Start the small flock, 
and start with good stock. The chaplain of the Uon- 
necticut Agricultural College, Marshall Dawson, tells 
how he kept a flock of eight inillcts and made a 
profit of $1.3 over feed expenses. He sa.A's; 
“When it is romeinbered that this was absolutely my 
first experience in caring for hens it will be seen that 
this profit is something which anyone shonhl be able to 
imjirove upon Avith experience. In my opinion one can 
well adopt a pen of hens as the family pet in lien of a 
meuf-eatiny doy and come out on the credit side in these 
war times.” 
That is true about the dog. It Avill cost about .$.35 
to feed a dog, outside of the license, ’fhat money 
iiiA'ested in pullets Avould he a true Avar measure. 
.Adopt the hen! 
At 
In this State regulation is turned over to tho.se good 
friends Avho Avant to uplift the farmer their Avay, and do 
not Avant to get the farmer’s vieAvpoint. o. m. t. 
Maine. 
T seems to be so cveryAAdiere. SomehoAV the “haul¬ 
ers” seem to think the farmers lune no opinions 
that are Avorth considering, 'fhe Avork is jait in 
'charge of able hiAvyers or bankers or railroad men 
or educators. 3'hese men ma.v be masters in tlndr 
OAvn 'particular lines, but they are iirofoundly ig¬ 
norant ot the real life and needs of the farmers. 
They haA'e no symi»ath.A' for a farnn'r in his jieculiar 
problems, and thus do not even understand his indu.s- 
trial language. Yet they undertake to plan and ar¬ 
range for him as they Avoiild for a lot of children. 
Dining the Liberty Loan cainjiaign the managers 
made their apiieal to toAvn and cit.v jieoide Avho have 
a regular cash income. They made no sen.sihle or 
AA'ell-considered effort to ivach farmers, and then 
proceeded to curse the country jieople because tlu^v 
did not subscribe. The men on these food commis¬ 
sions would bitterly resent an.A’ attempt of fai'iners 
to manage the business of hiAvyer.s, bankers and bus¬ 
iness men, but they do not seem to have .sense enough 
to see Avhat a figure they cut in trying to manage 
the farmer’s food problem. 
Brevities 
We never knew of siieh a demand for seed corn. 
you bu.v a pound of mixed corn feed for a pound 
of milk in your market? 
Our advice is not to simmI Sjiring rye. Sow oats or 
barley instead. 
The garbage can is the true test of housekeeping, and 
in like manner the idle hours are the true test of charac¬ 
ter. What does man or Avoman throw away? Find that 
and you knoAV your friends for what they are. 
Our common conception of Alaska is a country where 
the recent blizzard Avould rank as a mild storm. Yet 
there are many hot springs, some of them with Avater 
nearly at the boiling point, and of course they never 
freeze in Winter. 
