158 
^he RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE EJSIXESS FARMER'PAPER 
A National M’eekly Journnl for Country and /Suburban Ilomcn 
Established >s.io 
Publlsbed weekly by the Rnral PnbliBhlnif €om|)any, 333 tVeat 30th Street, New fork 
Herbert AV. Colijngwood, President and Editor. 
Jons' J. Dillon, Trersurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mr-s. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION ; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, 82.04, equal to 8s. Od., or 
8)4 marks, or IOI4 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Ofllce as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 75 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us j and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every ailvcrtisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising ol 
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 ca-ses 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 ol 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Hearing on the School Bill 
ITr are notified that a hearing on the Martin 
School Hill (AsHcmhiy Hill 2(i) vill he held, in the 
Axxetnhlu dhamlter, Alhanii, on Fehruary 5. This 
hill proposes to repeal the present law. There must 
he a hiy gathering of fanners and their representa¬ 
tives at this hearing. Send strong and determined 
men and women who are not afraid to go on record! 
E ^■KRY year at this season we have many <iiies- 
tions from farmers who have clipped oats, frost¬ 
ed potatoes or old corn. Will they grow? Are they 
safe to use as seed? Frost has crept into many a 
“safe” cellar this .season. Asti the seed! Nothing 
.els'^ can answer the question. A few of the oats-and 
corn kernels or half a dozen of the potatoes cut as 
for a crop and tested in damp cloth or planted in 
boxes, will tell the story as nothing else can. 'This 
year, more -than any other gone before, it will pay to 
test the seed. We would tell you, if we could, but 
the seed knows more about it. 
«! 
O N the day this Avas Avritten we threAA’- into the 
Avastebasket at least .‘15,000 printed Avords of 
advice to farmers. And this is not a particularly 
prolific day. The advice ran all the Avay from hoAV 
to kill rats to how to behave at the table. Among 
the rest we found the folloAA'ing, addressed to “The 
Farmers of New England,” by Sinclair Kennedy: 
What do vou think of an able-bodied woman keeping 
six other Avomen to do the housework for a family of 
one? W'hat do you think of a man having three to six 
automobiles just to carry him and his famil.v to and 
fro? There are r)(),0()() to (iO.OOO in the candy bu.siness 
in New England. These people are not only Avasting 
their own labor, hut they are Avasting other peoples’, 
for they use coal AA-hich has been mined and transiiorted 
by lahiir, materials which have been produced and trans¬ 
ported by labor, and, further, their_ finished product 
takes more labor to disiiose of it. This labor should be 
available for the farmer and at a price which, instead 
of raising the cost of living to everyone, Avill keep the 
necessities of life Avithin the reach of all, 
^Ir. Keiiiiod.A’' should add the thousands aa'Iio manu¬ 
facture -and sell liquor and cigars. Idien he would 
surely have an industrial army. P.ut how much help 
Avould these men and Avomen be on a farm? Could a 
candy-maker be tnisted Avith a good team? What 
sort of a jol) Avoiild a jeweler make at milking or at 
seeding grain? Who is to driA’e these AUiAA’iHing 
AA'oi'kers out on the farm, and AA'hat part of the army 
Avill keep them there? It is true that their Avork is 
not essential, but Avhy plan to put all this unskilled 
labor on the farm? Farmers need the skilled farm 
laborers Avho have left them for higher Avages in the 
city. Make it possible for farmers to compete in the 
labor market for skilled Avorkmen, and the food prop¬ 
osition Avill be settled. 
D AIUYIMEN are under obligations to Prof. C. F. 
Warren of Cornell for the AVork he did in 
.shoAving the cost of producing milk and in defending 
his figures. WheneA'er an “inA^estigation” starts, the 
milk distributors come up Avith the figures to shoAV 
the cost of distribution. They get them doAvn to 
the fraction of a cent, and they are prepared by high- 
jiriced bookkeepers so that feAA' people can detect the 
"water” or padding. In order to meet the distrib¬ 
utors fairly, the farmers must sIioav the cost of pro¬ 
ducing milk. Unless they can do this and iirove 
their figures they Avill he at a disadvanta,ge in any 
contest Avith die distributors. Dr. Warren figured the 
costs of production carefully, and held his ground 
in the attempt to disprove them. We must have 
these accurate figures on production for all crops. 
P>efore this Avar is over prices for practically all 
farm products Avill be investigated. The distrib- 
utoi-s Avill have their figures shaved doAvn to a mill 
to show the cost of handling. We must have the 
exact cost of production in order to meet them, or be 
at a disadvantage. 
I T must be evident to anyone that the old com- 
lietitive sy.stem of conducting business has broken 
doAvn. We. have been told of its efiiciency for the 
jiast 20 years, and it has been used as the “star” ar¬ 
gument” against any serious effort at substituting 
co-operation. Noav the Avar finds us almost helpless 
propi'i'ly to distribute food and other necessities un¬ 
der the jiresent cut-throat methods of conducting 
business. 'The hope for the future of this country 
lies in united co-operative action, with a fairer 
chance for the producers. 
O Ull old friend EdAvard Van Alstyne has passed 
on into the undiscovered country. He had been 
failing for some time, but the end came on January 
17, unexpectedly. Mr. Van Alstyne, or “Van,” as he 
Avas familiarly called, Avas a noted figure in Ncav 
Y' ork agriculture, and in former yeai’s he traA'eled 
through many States at institute Avork. It is safe to 
say that EdAvard Van Alstyne Avas the best farmers’ 
institute organizer and Avorker in the country. Other 
men apjilied themselves to the study of other lines 
of farm education, but to Van Al.styne the institute 
Avas the supreme study of a life. He Avorked earnest¬ 
ly and sincerely to maintain and develop this jiart of 
farm education, Avhich many believed had served its 
full time. Van Alstyne Avas a farmer—the sixth 
descendant of his family on this one farm. He Avas a 
practical farmer and made a success of his farming. 
He Avas a man of strong convictions, and he held 
to them steadfastly. He died as he desired—in the 
harness—working to the last and facing the great 
change or adventure of death as one Avho jias.ses on 
to higher and more useful labor. He fought his fight 
and did his duty as he saw it. I’eace to him! 
» 
T he battle over the school hiAV is on at Albany in 
full blast. A bill has been introduced to repeal 
the present hiAA'. It is Assembly Hill No. 2(>. ’The 
fight has come to a fiuestion of repeal or amendment. 
We haA'e yet to find a dozen disinterested parties 
Avho say they are fully satisfied Avith this hiAV. A 
great majority of the peojile aa’Iio Avrite us in its 
faA’or admit that it is not perfect, and Avill not de¬ 
fend it as a Avhole. They Avant it “.given a fair trial" 
—eA'idently because in another year a large iirojtor- 
tion of the school projierty could be sold ! -\ fmA' of 
our readers see fit to impugn ’I’liE K. N.-Y.’s motives 
in standing for the rejieal of this law. ’riie.A' say 
“Yoff have to take the position you do."' A niimher 
ot big interests and “big men have in times past tried 
to force us into a public ])osition on A’arious subjects. 
Ask them Iioav they came out and you Avill never 
a.gain accuse this paper of taking any public position 
through fear of any man, men, money or machine. 
Aside from sound argiiinents against the hiAV, Ave 
stand on the broad (piestion of rights of the ma¬ 
jority and “consent of -the governed.” For .‘10 years 
past, Avhenever Ave Avanted to knoAV the sentiment of 
farmers, Ave have gone right to them for a fair, oiien 
discussion. We have never failed to get their true 
point of A-ieAv in this Avay, and Avhen thus expressed 
it has never proved to he Avrong. In the present case 
Ave have on record the oiiinion of thousands of intel¬ 
ligent farmers, and over O.o per cent of them ojipose 
this hiAA". 'This coin-'inces us that a great majority 
of country iieople do not AA’ant the Uiaa’, and. that 
being so, Ave stand for them and oppose it. "We are 
Avell aAvare that many able men, practically all the 
politicians and the great educational machine at .\1- 
haiiy, Avant this hiAV. They are Avell able to take 
care of themselves, but it is entirely clear that the 
great rank and file of country people do not Avaiit 
this hiAV. 'There has never been in the last 50 years 
any moA’ement among New York country people so 
nearly unanimous as this jirotest. 'Therefore, Avith 
all due respect for those avIio think otherAvise, Ave 
stand for our people. We Avill help them express 
their sentiments and organize their forces, and Ave 
Avill fight Avith them for the rights of the majority. 
'This is not a narrow or in-ejudiced vieAV. It is broad 
as the uniA’erse and AA'ide as humanity. No small, 
closely organized group has the right to force hiAvs 
or practices AA'hich are oft'eiisiA'e to the majorit.v I 
No effective free government or system of education 
can ever rise above the plain, common thoipaht of 
the majority! 'The great majority of people ])er- 
sonally interested in rural education are opposed to 
this hiAV. We stand on these propositions. 
t'.: 
T he attempt to relieve the fuel situation by shut¬ 
ting doAvn business Avas only jiartly successful, 
OAviug to the cold and storms. In the lai*ge cities 
most people accepted the situation Avith reasonable 
good nature. When the order AA^as first giA’en out 
there AA'ere some Avho thought the American people 
Avould not submit to Avar discipline. 'They Avere mis¬ 
taken. 'The great majority of the people in this 
February 2, 1918 
country stand ready to give up their means and 
their comfort in any true aid to the .government. 
They Avant a .square deal and common sense in pub¬ 
lic administration, but they aaTII stand and endure 
hardship Avhenever it is necessary. 'The aAvful Aveath- 
er has held up the entire nation's busines.s, and feAv 
of us realize the .suffering and trial it has caused. 
'The past Aveek has been a .great test for the Amer¬ 
ican people, and they have stood it Avell. 
* 
O NE of the best acts of the Ngav York State Agri¬ 
cultural Society at its late conA-ention AA-as the 
approA'al of the folloAving resolution, introduced by 
Mr. Datus C. Smith of Columbia County: 
^Yhpl•pas, Tlip farnipi's’ Avlipat has. since August last, 
been delivered by the Food Administration to the miller 
at fixed price.s. the millers agreeing with the Food Ad¬ 
ministration to .sell the product of the wheat at a profit 
of 25 cents a barrel on flour and 50 cents a ton on bran 
and shorts; and. 
Whereas, 'The licensed dealers Avere in October la.st 
able to sell Avheat bran in Eastern New York at .$58 a 
ton or 1p.ss, all of the interests doubtless then getting 
their full alloAA-ed profits; and. 
Whereas. 'The price of Avheat bran was advanced dur¬ 
ing December last to .$4.5 to .$4S a ton by the .same deal¬ 
ers. indicating an abnonnal, unreasonable and illegal 
lirofit to the various interests of .$7 to .$10 a ton, taken 
from the farmer, on the basis of the October price, and 
more yet on the basis of the Food Administration’s 
“Milling Circular,” effective December 25th, be it 
_ Itesolved, by the Ncav Y'ork State Agricultural So¬ 
ciety, in annual meeting assembled. That the Federal 
authorities be urged to demand and secure reimburse¬ 
ment by the various interests of all excess profits taken 
from the farmers throughout the country on bran, mid¬ 
dlings and flour middlings produced from Avheat taken 
at fixed prices. 
Mr. .Tillius H. Hariie.s, at the head of the Wheat 
Committee in the National Food Administration, is 
already on record in 'ITie R. N.-Y. as saying that the 
lirice of bran has been fixed at .IS per cent of the 
cost of Avheat per ton, making the price about ,$28 
])er ton in Ncav Y'ork. jiliis the cost of bags at the 
mill. Noav let us test it out and .see if the admini.s- 
trator Avill be abl(> to enforce his re,gulation Avith the 
big mills and feed dealers. If farmers AA’ho have 
bought bran will get a bill of it shoAving freight and 
price, and send it to us. Ave Avill follow it up and see 
Avhetlier or not a regulated price can be enforced 
for the farmer Avho bii.A’s bran, as Av'ell as against the 
farmer Avho raises and sells Avheat. 
J*: 
OiMEONE .started the rumor that fruits are to be 
re.garded as luxuries, not as food. One rei>ort 
stated that Mr. Hoover Avould IniA’e the land u.sed 
for .groAving fruit put into grain. 'Then came the re¬ 
port that Mr. Hoover stated that we could not have 
fed the starving Helgians properly Avithout a supply 
of American apjile.s. We Avrote Mr. Hoover about 
this, and received the folloAving reply: 
I do not recall Avhnt I may have said on this sub¬ 
ject. hut I look upon fruit jiroducts as very essential to 
our diet during the Avar. 'The more fruit and vegetables 
that are u.sed the better it is for the he.alth of the pub¬ 
lic; and through their substitKtion for more concen¬ 
trated exportable foods it makes possible the sending of 
larger quantities of the needed food supplies to our 
Allies. 'The Food Administration is vitally interested in 
the deA'clopment of the perishable food indu.stries during 
the Avar, and it is doing all in its power to promote the 
Aise of these products among consumers as a whole. 
HERBERT HOOVER. 
'This country and the Avorld need all the fruit that 
can be produced and .saved. 'The more changes are 
made in the ordinary diet, the greater the need of 
good fruit. Go ahead and jilant fruit freely. Many 
apple orchards in Europe have been destroyed, and 
they Avill not be replaced for years. 'Tbe export de¬ 
mand for American apples Avill be greater than ever 
after the Avar. Investigations sIioav that milk con¬ 
tains vital principles absolutely necessary to groAvth 
and vigorous life. Noav Ave are told that apples con¬ 
tain a principle of vital importance to the nervous 
system. 
Brevities 
Stand by your beguns. 
.Tack Frost knoAvs Iioav to spoil “cold spell.” 
If there is nothing to smile about—don't .'^coaa'L any- 
Avay. 
Y'ou notice Iioav .all over the country AVomen and girls 
are making good as fruit pickers I 
Y’oti must “hit 1 '.e nail on the head” to drive it home, 
Imt you must give it a “side Avipe” to clinch it. 
'Thousands of bushels of potatoes were frozen in 
“safe” cellars during the cold spell— Avhich is still spell¬ 
ing. 
'Ten to one a good hired man Avill do a better ^ob in 
some neAV “skilled indinstry” tlmn the .skilled AA'orkman 
ever could do on the farm ! 
Oa'er in the Connecticut Valley they conclude that 
this Winter is about like that terrible season Avhen the 
French and Indians came down upon Deerfield, Mass. 
The people stood up under that fearful Winter and they 
will stand this one. . 
The ox Avarble or cattle grub is no food conservator. 
He hui'ts the hide and Avorries fat off the cow. You 
may find the lumps on the cow’s back. Squeeze the 
grubs out and smash them, 
