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The Rural New-Yorker 
THE HrSlXESS FARMEE S PAPER 
A >utloii«l Weekly .loiiriiiil for Country and i-uburban llomen 
Established i6:i0 
rtibllsb^d wfeklj hj tlip Kara! PabliRliInr Company, 333 Went 80th Strert. >fw York 
Heiibkrt AV. Collingwood, President and Kditor. 
John' J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager 
Wm. F. PiLbOK, Secrctai- y. JIks. E. T. Koylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR ' 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. 82.04. equal to 8.s. 6d., or 
Sift marks, or lOi^ francs. Keinit in inone.v order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at'N'ew York Post Office a-s Second Class .'tatter. 
Advertising rat<^. 75 cents per agate line—7 words. Peferences requii-ed for 
atlvertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient ordei-s. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
%ye believe that every advertisement in this 7 )ai)er is backed by a respon- 
eir'ery possible [irecaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable liouecB onlj*. Put to make doubly sure, we will make srood aiiv loss 
to najd suteenbers sustain^ by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon- 
Bible adverti8ei*8 or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
such publicly exposed. We are also often called ui>on 
to adjuCT diirerences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responwble houses, whether advertisers or not We willingly use our good 
oflices ^ this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
tran.sactions. vVe ju'otect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
lesjwnsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts, 
botice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month of tlie time of 
uie transition, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
1 OKKEH when writing the advertiser. 
The writer lately traveled on the Twentieth Century 
Limited (New York Central) and was charged 20c. 
for a glass of (what seemed to be ordinary) milk, or 
at the rate of SOc. jier cj 'art. This is more than is 
charged for beer or other intoxicant.^ that pay large 
taxes to the government. It is no wonder people regard 
milk as an expiuisive luxury. p. 
W E know a well-to-do luau who started in to 
help the dairy bu.siness by ordering a jiiiit 
of milk Avitb every meal at a luililic table. This cost 
him so mucb that busiiie.ss instinct .showed him that 
be wa.s simply throwing money at the distributors 
and dealer.s. Tbi.s retail price of 80 cents a quart 
can be dujdieated many times, but, of course, the 
dealers will say it is not fair to con.sider such iirlees. 
The other day in a New York restaurant of about 
middle class we ordered milk and a well-knc-vn 
wheat “cereal.” They gave us half a pint of milk 
and exactly 3 cents worth of “cereal.” The i»rice 
was 25 cents, and thousands of j»eople pay it. There 
are at least 2,()00,000 i>eople at the mouth of the 
Hudson Avho buy all or part of theii- food at hotels 
and restaiu-ants. Many of them Avould use milk 
freely c::cci ^ that it co.sts them from 25 to 30 cents 
a tjuart by the gla.ss or bowl. These p(' 0 ])le recognize 
the value and satisfactiou of milk as a food, luit 
fliey are compelled to regard it as a luxury. 
* 
D It McCOLLUM iu his addi’ess to the dairy cou- 
fereuce (see page 710) made a i-emarkable 
argument for the dairy cow. She is truly the mother 
of the i-ace. It has been said that she has a golden 
hoof since prosperity Avalks ovei- the farm with hei-. 
It now appears that she is a nation builder—the 
developer of the I'ace. There is no question that the 
]ie()i)le who coii.sume largely milk, butter, cheese and 
cream are supei-ior in health, size and character to 
those who restrict their milk diet or attempt to live 
on dairy .substitutes. There are uo full .substitutes. 
They may ]jerhaps equal milk, cheese or butter in 
chemical composition, but they lack the vital ele¬ 
ments which put milk iu a cla.ss by itself as human 
food. The permanency of any nation will dejieud 
uj)on the Avay its children are fed and cared for. 
It should he considered the (5od-given right of every 
American child to have a full daily supply of pui’e, 
clean milk. '\\’e need milk-fed Americans for tlie 
next generation. It Avould be a national crime to 
Ijci-mit the dairy industi-y to run down. If any indu.s- 
try in this land needs the fostering care of the Gov¬ 
ernment it is that of milk production, and the .sooner 
Ave all realize that the better off Ave shall be. Start 
a campaign for more milk-fed Americans! 
♦ 
We people here Avaut to liaml it to you for your 
stpiare tight for repeal of the school law. It way a 
doubtful thing, but Avell Avorth the experience to the 
rural people. It Avill be a long time before any depart¬ 
ment or politician issues a direct challenge again. I 
hoiie to see the time AA'hen every rural school district 
maintains an efficient organization along non-partisan 
lines for the avowed purpose of protecting the rights 
of the country people. This idea of the soft pedal and 
that farmers must not form associations is all boyh. 
Anything worth having is Avorth going after, and the 
only things handed down from above are likely to hit 
you iu the neck. Today I beiieve an efficient organi¬ 
zation of real farmers, Avith the purpose of first pro¬ 
ducing every possible ounce of foodstuffs and next 
going after a fair price, or cost plus profit, Avould beat 
any system of hanging back or pa.ssiug innocuous reso¬ 
lutions and in the end Avould mean the salvation of tin's 
nation. B. L. n. 
►Schuyler Co., N. Y. 
T hat battle over the school hiAV simply .shoAved 
Avhat New Y'ork country people can do if they 
Avill organize. This contest is not ended yet. The 
Department of Education Avill still attempt to dom¬ 
inate the situation in one Av^ay or another, and the 
organization Avhich resulted in the repeal of that 
school laAV .should be kept up and perfected. It suc¬ 
ceeded in bringing couiiti*}’ people together for a 
definite purpose, and it Avon. Tlie same organiza¬ 
tion should be used to obtain other rights for coun¬ 
try people. Do not let any one frighten j'ou by 
CAc RURAL NEW-YORKER 
saying that this Avork of organizing for farm rights 
is disloyal or in any Avay wron,g. .lust offer to 
organize in the interests of any grou]) of jioliticiaus 
and the.v aa’III tell yon it is “.good Avork I” Only 
Avlien you oi'ganize to jirotect yourselA'es is the 
movement called “disloyal." Tlie jioliticians kium’ 
that our farmers are sound, and loyal and true. 
They also know that a tliorough organization which 
Avill make tliem feel independent and hoiieful Avill also 
make them more “efficient” and enable them to jiro- 
dncp more food. The fact is that such oi-ganizations 
as arc desired by N. Y*. farmer.s Avould proA’e one of 
tlie greatest jiossilile agencies in producing more 
and cheaper food for consumers, since tliey ai'e 
ojK'iily aimed at reducing the middleman's share. 
Our advice is to organize a 1‘atron's Tyeague in every 
school district in the State and get ready at once 
for tlie big .ioh of putting .50 farmers in the Xeio 
I’ark J.rf/islalare. 
* 
S lNCl’l iirinling tli(> lamiarks about farm loans 
on jiage 527, several readers a.^^k Avliy the Fed¬ 
eral land lianks do not settle this ])rohlem. Tliey 
do not settle it because they have iio Avay of start¬ 
ing a fanner Avlio has little or no capital. They do 
not loan enough of the value of a farm to enable 
a man A\ho lias little or no capital to obtain land. 
Our n4iderstandiiig is tliat a large part of the loans 
thus far made liy tlh'se hanks IniA’e not helped men 
to acijuire land. They have been ii.<ed to pay off 
other mortgage.s. For example a farm may carry 
a mortgage at 0 or 7 ]ier cent or more. The farmer 
btirrows trom the Ei'deral hank and uses the money 
to ])ay off' his old mortgage. I'lnis he gets rid of the 
7 ])er cent mortgage and assumes a government 
mortgage at 5 jier cent, arranged .-^o tliat it is jiaid 
off year by year. There is no ikmv' ownersliij) of 
farm land thi’ongh this ti’aiisaction. hut the farmer 
changes liis debt to more faA'oralih* condition's. We 
do not knoAV Avhat jiroportion of Federal loans are 
of tills class, but many of them are. It is a great 
relief to farmers aa'Iio Iuia’c for years stru.ggled Avith 
a galling mortgage, hut it does not permit a hired 
man or a tenant Avithout capital or an ambitious 
c()lle.ge man to obtain land. Our groAA’iug land prob¬ 
lem cannot be settled until some pi’actical AA'ay of 
obtaining credit for .'^uch iieojile is AA'orked one. 
* 
T he it. S. Government has taken steps to iirotect 
the civil lights of euli.sted soldiers. The theory 
of this is that since the GoA^ernment made use of 
its right to demand military service it is under 
obligations to its fighters. Thus under a ,Federal 
law, rents, taxes, interest and payments of iirincipal 
or mortga.ges may be susi»endcd “duidiig military 
service.” If tlie family of a soldier cannot jiay rent 
Avhile he is in the army tliey cannot he evicted, luit 
the debt Avill remain and become due after tlie Avar. 
The .same is true of mortgage interest or taxe.s. 
They may he susiieiided hut pro))(‘rty 'cannot be fore¬ 
closed or sold because of non-payment. This apjilies 
only to the soldier iu actual service, and tlic courts 
may decide tliat he is able to jia.A’. ff'lie suspensiou 
of tlu'se ]>aynieiits does not Avipc? out tlie ilehts. 
They will remain an oldigatioii on (lie iiroiieid.v amk 
must be ]»aid later—like any other debt. The Gov- 
enimeiit simply a.'^siires its soldiers that tlieir fam¬ 
ilies AA’ill not lose tlie lionie Avhile he is at the front. 
IJ" is a very radical law, and may Avork a hardship 
to some Avliose little property is invested in houses 
or mortgages. Their income may be shut off duriug 
the AA’ar. During our CiAul War many a soldiers 
family suffered loss of home and property for lack 
of just this protection. The man Avho goes to a 
foreign country to fight the battles of this nation, 
Avithoiit any option in the matter, deserves all the 
i;rotection Avliich oiir Government can offer hi* 
familjg 
♦ 
I don’t have much time to read. My wife and I are 
running 210 acres. We get up at 5 A. M. and Ave ne\'er 
eat supper until chore.s are done, and the last two 
nights it was 1) P. M. Compare that with labor union 
8-liour days and striking for more money with price- 
regulated farm products, and “if you don’t sell Avill 
commandeer.” That is just a mild form of slavery 
Is it any Avouder farmers <iuit and go to town'/ A neigh¬ 
bor of mine Aveut to the city last Spring. He did not 
have any trade and Avas not considered half of a hand 
on the farm, but he came home the other Sunday in an 
auto and said he Avas getting .$5 per day (not earning). 
Ohio. LLOYD L. GREUU. 
T his is not a special ease. We cau easily find 
hundreds just like it. No doubt there are 
I'lenty of “organizers'’ and advi.sers avIio could tell 
this farmer Avhat he ought to do, how he could be¬ 
come moj-e “efficient” and Avherein his system is 
Avrong. Not one of tliem, lioAvever, could go on this 
farm Avith its i^reseut eiiuipmeut and capital and 
Avith his owu labor make it produce more. Tlie con¬ 
ditions stated by Mr. Gregg ai'c not abnormal— 
they are to be found in all States and in all old sec¬ 
tions. AVe do not mejin to say tliat all farmers are 
May 18, 1918 
in this condition. Many of them, through natural 
ability, inherited or acquired jiroperty or suiierior 
credit are in far better circum.stanoes. The truth is, 
however, that the Avorld is uoaa’ being in large jiart 
fed and clotlied by people wlio are facing just such 
problems as this Oliio farmer describes. The shame 
of it is tliat tlio consuming jnihlic is being taught to 
scold or ridicule sucli pi'oiile when they should he 
doAA'ii on their knei's—tliankful tliat men and AA’omen 
Avorking under rhese hard conditions are proA’iding 
them AA'ith food. To us the Avonder of it all Is that 
the so-called leaders of agriculture do not .'leem to 
realize that such iiooplc need tlie real hand of sym¬ 
pathy. Many a siildier or nurse on the firing line is 
doing less for tlieir country than ISIr. and Mrs. 
Gregg Avith their long, lonely hours of labor, 
not tell them so? 
* 
N OW that the Tliird T.iiierty I-oan has been suc¬ 
cessfully floated AAc Avant to ask yonr help for 
the Red Cross movement. The I.iherty bond is a 
money investment—safer than any otlier bond or 
“scrap of paper'’ on earth. Most of the money in¬ 
vested in Liberty bonds aa’hs called out by patriotic 
motlA’es, but it represented an investment iu Avhieh 
tliere was no chance of losing. Tlie Red Cross rep- 
sents another sort of inA'ostment no le.ss needed at 
this time than tlie money. We must IniA’e money 
Avith which to equip onr soldiers and provide for 
them and their families. We must also have moral 
power and the merciful care which alone can soften 
or wipe out the cruelty and barbarity of this hideous 
Avar. The Avork of sucli an organization as the Red 
Cross will do more for tlie future than the cannon 
and the SA\-ord. It is liimling tlie nation together 
and ultimately there Avill grow, out of its work, 
.'something like tlie spirit of that great statue which 
stands on tlie liouiidary line of Cliile and Argentina 
in .South America. It Avas built by the women of 
both countries Avith the pledge that never again shall 
there be Avar lietAvoen flie tAvo nations. And aside 
from the national patriotic Avork which the Red 
Cross is doing it is orgiiiiizing the Avomen of this 
country as notliing before lias cAer done. It is an 
organization for help, for true service and for Avork 
Avliich is sure to liavo a remarkable Influence, esjie- 
cially upon our country social life. The Red Cross 
needs funds. When you give to it you do not make 
a money inA'cstment—you do far more, for you iiiA’ost 
in the noblest spirit and most helpful sei'A’ice that 
tlie Avorld uoav 1ms to offer. 
* 
■fX yE still continue to receive letters and impor- 
* ■ taut (luestions from persons AA'ho for some 
reason omit to .sign their names or give any addres.s. 
Some of these letters are evidently asked in good 
fiiitli, and the omission of the name seems merely 
an oversight. A fe\A’ of them are evidently not sent 
ill good faith. In any event aa'c .slmll jiay no atten¬ 
tion to unsigned letters. We betray no coutidences 
on the part of readers. I)ut we must have name and 
address to give cliaractor to tlie question or letter. 
Brevities 
Ix tilt' Ear AVost inillot is afflicted by a simit disease. 
'i reat the si'ed Avith a solution of one pint of formalin 
to 40 to 45 gallons of Avater. 
Me fear tliat before this season is o\’er we shall find 
tliat many fruit trees are feeble. ’They suffered from 
last M inter’s awful cold—as many of us humans did. 
The bloom on the apple this year brings many sur- 
jirises. Raid win Avith us is shy, wliilc some other Va¬ 
rieties, supposed to be tender, are covered Avith bloom. 
It is not generally known that host year Ave imported 
over 250,000 tons of clay from England. Clay'/ Have 
Ave not enough in this country'/ You Avould think so, 
yet many high-grade clays have not been developed and 
the railroads cannot haul them to the potteries. At 
any rate, this great A'olume of clay comes from England. 
Ca.x you remember how 20 years ago every road and 
street was crowded witli bicycles? They were every- 
Avhere—the most popular form of human conveyance. 
Then came the motor car and the “wheel” disappearc'd. 
Now it is coming back, and it is estimated that l.OOO.OtK) 
bicycles Avill be sold this year. 
The Ohio Experiment Station finds that it pays best 
to broadca.st fertilizer rather than put it iu the hill or 
drill. The theory is that the corn roots run out and 
search for the plant food. The fertilizer in the hill or 
drill may start the jdaut growing faster, and for that 
reason Ave think jihospliate may Avell be used in the hill 
Avheu manure is siiread and ploAved under. 
A GOOD manj' readers are asking how much powdered 
DUX vomica they should feed to the chickens iu order to 
kill the hawks. No one has given us exact figures. 
They usuallj’ say'they iiut about a teaspoouful of the 
nux vomica in the feed required for 40 to 50 chicks. 
That is as close as we come to it, and it is one reason 
why we hesitate to advise the “treatment.” 
