200 
e>7c UURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Jlomeo 
Estatiished iSSO 
I'liblUhed weekly by the Knral Pnbliabing Company, 8SS We«t 80th Street, New York 
Herbkrt W. Coi-mnowooi), President and Editor. 
John J. Diixon, Treasurer and Gteneral JIanager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Boyle, Associate Editor. 
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“A SQUARE DEAL” 
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sible person. We use eveiy 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, ines|>on- 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
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to adjust dilferences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
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Notice of the eomplaint must be sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Roeal New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
'J'/iis is a Winter of tough troubles. We all have 
them, and u:e all think our own pet troubles arc the 
limit. LeVs all remember that the prize is not going 
to the one who can best pell his troubles from the 
housetop, hut rather to him who can burg them in 
the cellar and cover them, with a smile! 
a 
T in] fann census of Xew York now lieiiig taken 
by Prof. II. !•]. Ikibcock ouj^bt to sliow wliere 
corn and jiotatoes suitable for seed are to be found 
in fanner’s liand.s. There are linndreds of careful 
fariuer.s wiio have developed sood strains of seed, 
yet have never thought of starting the seed business. 
'J'hi.s year their grain and potatoes will be needed, 
and they should not think of feeding out their corn. 
.\s soon as other fanners know about it such corn 
will lie wanted at a good price. The census will 
locate thi.S' seed, and names and addresses will he 
)>rinted so that any fanner can buy. 
O N jiage 107 we printed a letter from Mf. L. II. 
lYalker to Senator J. AY. AVad.sworth of New 
A’ork. AVe now print Senator AVhvdswoi'th’s rejdy to 
this letter: 
I liave read your comments on the wheat situation 
with great interest. At the time of the pas.sage of the 
bill I had grave doubts of its wi.sdom, particularly that 
part of it relating to the fixing of the price of wheat, 
which article seemed to have been .singled out for espe¬ 
cial treatment, due, I suiipose, to the scarcity of wheat 
abroad, and the desire of this government to help out 
France and England, who insist upon eating wheat 
bread alone. I hear a lot of disquieting reports about 
next year’s wheat acreage. I hope they are not true, 
but if they are they will conlirin my warning, uttered in 
the Senate during the debate on the bill. _ I contended 
then and I contend now that production in vast quan¬ 
tities is infinitely more important than price to the con¬ 
sumer. If you put the price down too low the con¬ 
sumer will re.ioice for a little while, but when the next 
season comes around there won’t be enough wheat— 
production will be stifled. J, w. avadswortii, JR. 
AA’e think that in a general way Senator AA’^ads- 
worth sjarnks the thought of a good majority of 
New York farmers. The attempt to fix the price of 
wheat has not .served to increase planting to any 
great extent. Let us ask any man who is selling his 
labor in any kind of manufacturing or service, be¬ 
sides agriculture, if he would plunge in and assume 
the respon.sibility of inci’eased expense, care and wor¬ 
ry with the same conditions confronting his business 
which now face agriculture! i 
» 
W HEN this war started, nine out of 10 farmers 
who gave any thought to the matter con¬ 
cluded that (lermany had and would hold for years a 
monojioly of potash production. AYhen Germany 
linally shut off exports of potash she little thought 
that she was driving this great nation into a search 
for plant food which Mill in time make us independ- 
(uit of Eui-ope. AVe have already told our readers 
about the alkali lakes in Nebraska from which pot¬ 
ash is taken, and the great supplies found in sea- 
M’eed on the Pacific coast. The chemists have, of 
course, long knoMui that in making cement a certain 
amount of available pota.sh is foimied Avhen lime and 
crushed rock or clay are fused at a high tempera¬ 
ture. It was not thought worth while to try to save 
the dust containing this potash until Germany re- 
fu.sed to supply us. Then this cement dust became 
valuable and it is now being largely used as fer¬ 
tilizer. Chemists estimate that in the fine dust for¬ 
merly blown aw’ay from cement factories may be 
found about half as much potash as M’as formerly 
obtained from Germany. It is not yet all utilized, 
but it will be. and, with the supply obtained from 
the AVestern lakes, M ill make this country fully inde¬ 
dependent. AA^e have no doubt, too, that other 
Muistes M’ill be utilized, so that in the end M’hat M'as 
intended as a calamity by Germany M'ill turn out to 
b(- a national blessing. 
T he meeting of the State Fruit GroM'ers at 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., has been postponed until 
March 6, 7 and 8. OM'ing to the bad M'eather and un¬ 
certainty of traveling conditions, this change M’as 
considered necessary. It muII be a fine meeting, and 
there Mfill be a great exhibit of fruit. New' Y'ork 
fniit men, and especiall.y those M-ho live in the Hud¬ 
son Valley, .should by all means plan to go to Pough¬ 
keepsie this year. If M’ill be a lively and important 
season, and we should get together, if possible, talk 
things over, and make concerted ]ilans for the future. 
» 
A nd noM’ lime has gone up in price! It is hard 
for a farmer to understand M’hy this should 
be, but the ansM^er given is the old one—“great de¬ 
mand for munitions and shortage of labor.” Many 
farmers have a better way out M’ith lime than Mutli 
most other things. AA'herever lime rock is found 
portable crushers can be used to produce ground 
limestone close to the fai’m. There ought to be three 
Ions of limestone used in New A"ork for every ton 
of fertilizer, and M’herever lime rock of good quality 
is found the lime crusher should be as common as 
the thrashing machine.- 
U .'S. SENATOR AVADSAA’ORTH has brought suit 
• against the Board of Education of the toMn 
of Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y. The case in¬ 
volves the neAV toM’iiship school hiM’, as stated in the 
neM’sjiapers: 
The village of Caledonia has a brick schoolhouse val¬ 
ued at $50,000, carries .$28,000 in bonded indebtedness 
on the schoolhouse and the annual cost of maintaining 
the school is $12,000. Because of the ncM' law the school 
tax in the town of Caledonia is $0.50 a thousand. Avhich 
was- levied on real property OM-ners in the third as well 
as the other districts. 
Senator AA'adsM’orth charges that the amendment 
whii-h raises his-school tax in the third district from 
$108.50 to $720..50 is unconstitutional in that it taxes 
one unit for benefits derived by others. He claims that 
the .school facilities of the village of Caledonia are not 
accessible to children re.siding in the third .school district 
because of di.stance and weather conditions, especially in 
the AAlnter. 
Senator AA'adSM’ortli say.s the taxpayers of his 
dhstrict derived no benefit M’hatever from this in¬ 
creased tax. They are simply paying for the higher 
education of other people's children. As Elihu 
Root is one of the attoniej^s for Senator AA'ad.sworth, 
this ca.se ought to get doM’ii to the heart of the laM’. 
» 
I M'isii those who pro.iectpd consolidation of rural 
schools, and write so glibly, in their heated oflices. of 
modern transportation facilities, could make their way 
tAvice daily through the present cold and snowdrifts. 
G. 
ES, it would be a great education. It is safe to 
say they M'ould never make tM'o trips—nor would 
they permit their om’ii children to be transported as 
many farm children are. AATiile they M'ould avoid 
the cold and snow for them.selves we have no doubt 
they would continue to M’rite arguments in favor of 
such tran.sportation for others. The trouble is that 
in most of these .school laM’s and other laws Mdiich 
affect the lives of countiy people a small group, 
mostly town and city residents, proceed to lay 
doM’ii principles of government for conditions M’hich 
thej’’ do not fully understand. For the last 20 years 
or more this tendency has been groM’ing. The va¬ 
rious machines for educating and "uplifting" the 
country People take their cue from the political ma¬ 
chinery and propose to do the thinking and organiz¬ 
ing and directing for the farmer. He is expected 
simply to be good, groM l a little perhaps, but in the 
end come into the yoke and do as the jiolitical or 
educational machine tells him to do. AA’e have a 
glimpse of this idea 'in the article by .lared A’an 
AA’agenen. Jr., on jiage 212. Surely after reading 
this article no one M-ill accuse iis of denying the 
advocates of the laM- a fair hearing. Mr. A’an 
AAhigenen conveys the idea that the oiiinion of coun¬ 
try jieople is not worth considering. He goes to 
the "splendid building at Albany" where a small 
group of men, who may know little of real farm 
conditions, are to tell country peojde what is best 
lor them. Probabl., Air. A’aii AA’agenen does not 
mean just that, but his argument is a good illustra¬ 
tion of the way we are traveling au-ay from democ¬ 
racy and toAvard an autocracy in education. AA’hy 
should not the blacksmith, the canienter or the 
farmer have something to say about how their chil¬ 
dren are to be educated? It is this feeling rather 
than anything else that has aroused such violent 
opposition to this laM\ This Muir and its necessary 
sacrifices have roused the people into a fury against 
the smug and comiilacent arguments of the educa¬ 
tional machine, and. blind as all people M’ith auto¬ 
cratic tendencies have ever been, the educators can¬ 
not .sense the real situation and meet it fairly. Thus 
this school question, starting as a purely educa¬ 
tional discu.ssion, has broken aw’ay. The result will 
be repeal or political revolution. 
February 2, 1918 
T he following case is reported by The Wash¬ 
ington Evening Star: 
Having broughi his family to the city, Capt. -- 
ordered his furniture shipped. At frequent intervals he 
applied to the freight office for information regarding 
the car containing his goods, and was informed that it 
had not arrived. .Tudge of his astonishment Saturday 
when he was blandly notified that his car had been Avait- 
ing for him on the tracks for over 14 days and that his 
bill for storage was $30. 
We have other cases just about like this one. 
They simply shoM’ the terrible mix-up in freight 
Avhich the railroads have drifted into. In the case 
of necessities the owner will be obliged to pay before 
he can obtain the goods, but he should get his money 
back. 
* 
S OAIE of our readers have received letters from 
the Aero Supply Committee of Wa.shington urg¬ 
ing them to grow’ castor beans. A contract is pre¬ 
sented offering to pay $3 a bushel for the beans, and 
calling for a deposit of “.$1.50 as evidence of good 
faith.” This committee tries to make it appear that 
the War Deiiartment is in some M’ay back of the 
scheme. Col. Chas. A’an Way of the TJ. S. Signal 
Corps, has issued the folloAving: 
Thi.s is to advise that the “Aero Supply Committee” 
ha.s ab.solutely no authority from the War Department 
to make contracts for the growing of castor beans. The 
duly authorized representatives of the Signal Corps are 
making contracts with certain persons for the growing 
of ca.stor beans, and these persons are authorized to 
make sub-contracts in certain approved forms. Hoav- 
ever, no contract has been or will be made Avith the 
"Aero Supjily (.'ommittee” or AA’ith anyone connected 
with it. 
It looks as if the committee is Avell named, at lea.st. 
It is up in the air. Better keep on the ground. 
* 
L.ast Summer I had 12 sheep and lambs killed by 
dogs. I sent my bill to the State. The inspector has 
been here and approved my claim. I Avanted the money 
last Fall to buy more sheep with. It seems the go\’- 
ernment and State are demanding more avooI and more 
sheei), but are keeping my money there at Albany, so 
1 could not buy any more sheep with it; therefore the 
flock of sheep I Avanted to buy vi'ent to the butcher’s. I 
.suppose, as a shipper bought them, I understand, so I 
am out the flock of sheep that the dogs killed and the 
money I should have got for them I did not receive in 
time to buy the flock of sheep I wanted. I would like 
to know AA’hen the .State Ivegislature is going to appro¬ 
priate this money for sheep killed by dogs, or, in other 
Avords, when shall I be likely to get my pay for 
these sheep from the State? I think if an indi- 
A’idual Avoiild do business as the State has been doing 
some things they A\ould have him in State’.s luison 
long ago. If you would forward this letter to the 
State Legislature or someAvhere where it would do the 
most good I will be very much obliged to you. 
Cayuga Co., N. Y. f. j. marsh. 
E print the letter here. It w’ould probably 
receive "careful consideration” at Albany. 
T’lider the dog law’ nearly five times as much money 
AA’as i-ollected a.s was needed to pay damages done by 
dogs. Of course, farmers had a right to expect 
jirompt jiaymeut Avhen the reason given for passing 
tlie hiAv Avas that it M’ould “encourage” sheep breed¬ 
ing. Then Ave found that a little “joker” had been 
put into that bill so that no money can be paid out 
until the Legislature specially appx’opriate it. Fine 
“encouragement” that is! Alen like Mr. Alarsh lun’e 
lost their slieej) and could not buy more becau.se the 
State held up their money. What is the matter 
when the great State of New’ York Avill .spend mil¬ 
lions^ for “advice” to farmers and then hold uj> 
the money w’hich. w’ould enable these farmers to lielp 
furnish avooI and meat? In any private business 
the men resiion.silde.for such idiotic policy would be 
]>rom]Uly fired with a machine gun turned on them. 
As it is these patriots even have- the neiwe to ask 
farmers to vote them into another term of ofiice I 
AA’ell, it M’ill ahvays be so until the farmers put their 
own friends at Albany. Fifty farmers in the Xew 
York Leg',slat lire ! 
Brevities 
A TON ami a half of ice for each cow. 
L.ast year 75.324.0«t0 ton.s of irou ore Averc mined in 
tlie I■ 11 ited States. 
The cattle Lave a hard enough time AV'ithout suffering 
from grnli.s in the back. Hunt for them and squeeze 
them out. 
AA’ell. anyway, it has not not been neces.sary to go to 
the North Ibjle this AA’inter for any exploring expedi¬ 
tion. You can have that in a journey to the barn ! 
Some one has figured out that the German Kaiser in 
IfiOS killed 1,025 jiieces of Avild game, including 70 large 
animals. Up to that time he had a record of 01,7.30 
birds and animals. Something of a blood-letter! 
AA’e have a number of rejiort.s like the following from 
I’rof. AA’. F. Massey: "No garden notes, no garden. 
Lost all my jdants. Had to quit the little boiler for 
lack of coal, tind dreAV off the water from the pipes to 
prevent their freezing, and let the plants go.” 
Some of us Avho have steam or hot water radiators 
have wondered Avhere all the heat went to. Experiments 
in Michigan have shown that a radiator coA’ered Avith 
bronze or aluminum paint has one-fourth less heating 
effect than Avhen unpainted or covered with lead paint, 
japan or enamel. 
