858 
■iShe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
77/7? nr^lSKSi^ F A JIM FAT PAVEn 
A XtifW.nal \Vo(‘Kl 3 »loiiriinl Tor i'oiinfry sind StitMirhnn lloniCA 
E^tfthhHhPii /s.W 
we«*UlT by Hnral l*iihliKji!nc rompanv. JWS V JJOih Strp#*f. N>it Vork 
nRRBHRT AV. (’OLTJN*fiWOOT>. PiY*«qd<»nt fiinl Kiiifor. 
JoMV .1. Dn.T/)S', Trea«un*r nnd (ienonil Mfiriaj 2 :«*r. 
Wm- F. Pilt/)N'. s«*oi*Ptai*y. Mus. K. T. 1?oylk. .Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foroifrn oonntrios in the fnivei-snl Poctnl X'nion, $2.04. equal to 8s. fid., or 
814 marks, or lots francs. Jtemit in mone.v order, express 
order,'personal cheek or biink draft. 
Entered at New York Post Oflioe as Second Cla-ss flatter. 
Advertislnpr rates. To cents per aarate line—T words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to tis ; and eash must aceompany transient orders. 
“A .SQPARE PEAL” 
Vr'e l>elieve that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every poasjble precaution and admit the ad'vertisinpr of 
iviliable houses oiil.v. But to make doubly sure, we will make pood any loss 
to paid subscribers stistained b.v tmstinp an.v deliberate s^vindIer, iirespon- 
sible advertisers or niisleadinp 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 willlnply use our pood 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused‘with dishonest 
transactions. We protect sub.scribers apainst ropues, but we will not be 
i-esponsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned bv the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it. you should mention Thk Ri'Kal New- 
Yorker when writinp the advertiser. 
HERE are Home men in linn irorld v:ho Him pin 
make haste mithoui npeetl. The problem is to 
make speed v:iihovt haste, and no one, he he man 
or horse, ean do that vithout special hreedinp or 
training. It must he. in the man or put into him so 
as to make it a hahit. 
tf 
W E ha.^tPii to hack up ^Mr. Reynolds in what 
he says about clover. This fine old jilant 
. IS .iust as jrood as it ever was—and there we have 
said it all. There have lieen so many “booms” for 
Alfalfa, Soy bean.'<. cow jicas and all the rest that 
clover is beincr iiPjrlected. Uet back to it. Take 
New England. If half the effort expended in boom¬ 
ing Alfalfa had been devoted to telling the truth 
about plain -\lsikc clover farming in that section 
would be further jilong. 
if 
F armers in Colorado are being told that the 
government will tax broom corn and other 
crojis from $5 to .$6 per acre. The Agricultural I)e- 
jiartment stjimps this as “a ridiculous lie,” with no 
foundation whatever. The country is full of such 
statements, iind too many people believe them and 
pjiss them on—a little larger than when received. 
We shall all do the country a real service by for¬ 
getting such stories at once, or sending them prompt¬ 
ly to the nearest government agent. Such things 
are usually started by pro-Germans or aliens in 
order to make trouble. No possible good can come 
from passing them iilong. Forget them. 
» 
I WANT to sav to you personally that I appreciate 
The R. N.-Y. Few realize what it is worth to the 
farmer to have a paper to stand up for him and his 
rights at all times, a paper unbia.sed. and, above all, 
unpurchasable. I have read your paper carefully and 
watched your unswerving effort to help the farmer, and 
I am sure, with success. There is not a dollar paid by 
me during each year that pa.vs as well as the dollar 
jxaid for your pajxer. P- 
HE writer has now been with The R. N.-Y'. for 
•TS years—through one full generation. Our 
readers will admit that this has not been any per¬ 
functory service—but most of it has been out under 
the searchli.ght. where men must move and grow un¬ 
less they are willing to appear shopworn and 
wrinkled. What do we care for the “.slings and ar¬ 
rows" when after all these years our friends write 
such letters as the above? 
sit 
'I'liREE successful milk depots have been est.ablished 
at lire stations in New Haven. Gonn.. b.v the city home- 
demonstration agent of the Department of Agriculture 
and the State Agricultural t’ollege. The fire stations 
make clean, central places where plenty of volunteer 
lieln is available for handling the milk. Bottled skim- 
milk from two large dairies outside the city is sold at 
five cents a quart. The stations are open during the 
noon hour, with two women volunteers on duty at each 
one to supeiintend the sales. Children stop for the 
milk on their way home from school. 
T hat comes as a news item from the National 
Department of Agriculture. Why not? Why 
should not the city make u.se of its public facilities 
for distributing a necessity? We have been going 
on the theory that the State or community should 
stand by and see its people exploited or robbed 
rather than interfere with some trade privilege. The 
war is blowing that idea out of transportation and 
maimfacture of goods which supply the army. A 
.similar change has got to come in the distribution 
of food. 
T he newspapers report that King George of Eng¬ 
land is practicing with a baseball. He has 
promised to jiitch a few curves in opening a game 
on July 4. Good news! It must he said that the 
Kaiser has a good batting avera,ge thus far—too 
good to suit the Allied nine. With King George 
developing a new drop curve sind a few hot twisters, 
and General Pershing behind the bat to re<-eive them,, 
we hope to .*<00 the Kaiser, the Crown Prince and 
Hindenburg fan out in .succes.sion. “Back to the 
Imshes" for them I We suggest t>t. Helena for their 
future practice! 
m 
W HEAT growers everywhere are worked up 
over the government price for wheat. They 
agree that the jiresent price, which nets the grower 
about .$2.10 jier bushel, is too low. both for cost of 
jiroduction and as compared with other necessitie.s. 
The jiower to regulate wheat jirices has now been 
put in the hands of Mr. Hoover, the Food Adminis¬ 
trator. He ma.v determine the price above the pres¬ 
ent government figure if. in his .judgment, any in- 
crea.'je is desirable. It is an arbitrary power such as 
was never, in this countr.v. delegated to a public 
officer before. We think this action indicates an 
admission that tlm jiresent pi-ice may be too low. 
and that it must be I'aised if the next croji is to be 
increased. AVe still Itelieve that, on the whole, this 
jirice-fixing was a mistake, and that, as a whole, the 
countr.v would be better off if wheat had been left, 
like other gi-ains. to find its price as the result of 
supply .and demand. 4’he price having been fixed, 
the figure must be large enough to encourage in- 
ci-eased production or the wheat acreage will be de¬ 
creased. J'he price must be increased as matters now 
stand, or the woi-ld will not have its bread ration. 
* 
‘'You're another!" 
HAT is usuall.v the argument of small men 
when they are forced to meet a di.scussion of 
principles or fundamental motives. Instead of 
standing up in a broad, logical way to defend their 
acts or their policies they evade the issue and hope 
to escaite fair discussion h.v pouring out a flood of 
j.ersonal abuse upon an.vone wlio ma.v question 
their actions or policies. Thei-e is said to be a 
species of li.sh in certain tropical waters which seeks 
to e.scape its enemies by emitting an inky fluid, in 
the mid.st of which, it hides until escape is possible. 
AYhen a man gets into politics he usually takes this 
fi.sh for his model. Thus R. D. (Jooper. president of 
the Dairymen's League, seeks to hide his mistakes 
and incompetency undei- cover of a flood of printers’ 
ink in a pei’sonal attack upon Mr. Dillon. This 
tirade has nothing to do witji the main question, 
which is whether the Cooper policy is helping or 
hurtijig the Daiiwinen’s League. AA'e think it is hurt¬ 
ing the T.eague, ami a fair discussion of the record 
will pi’ove it. The puldic is not interested in Mr. 
Cooper’s opinion of Mr. Dillon. The war in Europe 
is large enougli to ali.'^orb all our enei-gies without 
adding a war of jier.sonalities. The public, how¬ 
ever. is intx'rested in anything Avhich will improve 
or simplify the milk situation. The Dairymen’s 
I.eague is the only hope for a fair settlement of the 
milk question which pi’oducer and con.sumer have. 
If Mr. Coojier can and will defend his present poli- 
eies lie is hereby jiublicly cliallenged to come out in 
the ojien before an.v audience in the dairy districts 
and debate the (piestion. Ber.sonalities should be 
avoided and the discussion held down to the record 
of the oHicers and the jire.sent iiolicy of the Ixiague. 
Such meetings through the dairy districts would 
clarify the issue and ]mt the I,eague right. 
P DT.VTO growers in Monmouth County, New Jer- 
.sey. are up in arms to jirotest again.st the jiro- 
]jo.sed system of grading potatoes. These growers 
])lant the American Giant variet.v. which is pecu- 
liarl.v adapted to their localit.v and soil. On account 
of its shape and size the “Giant” does not gi-ade as 
well as other potatoes, and for several good reasons 
these growers believe it is a hardship to conqiel them 
to .grade as the government demand.s. It is a serious 
matter with these grower.s. and they are combining 
to fight for what they consider their rights. A great 
potato meeting has been called for July 13 on the 
farm of Theron McCampbell at Holmdel. It prom¬ 
ises to be one of the most i-emarkahle meetings ever 
held by Jer.sey farmer.s, . and every farmer within 
gas-ex]>loding distance may well attend. 
T O what extent does Alfalfa enrich the ground? 
It is generally supposed that a great gain in 
nitroiren is made by any soil where Alfalfa is 
.grown .vear after yeai’. M’e see. however, from the 
articles on the fir.st jtage. that when the ha.v is 
cut and taken away from a certain field for a num¬ 
ber of years, the soil of that field ma.v he actually 
])oorer than when the Alfalfa was first started! 
While the Alfalfa takes considerable nitrogen from 
the air, it will take less and less as the soil becomes 
richei-. Thus on a very rich soil the Alfalfa might 
make a splendid growth, yet it would not add as 
much nitrogen as a smaller growth made on poorer 
.soil. Thus we may add Alfalfa to the long list of 
.Tuiy fi, lots 
living things which will not I’eally exert themselves 
for food unless they are obliged to. It is the old 
familiar story of the cats and the mice. So long as 
the cats were fed onl.v a little milk at the harn they 
cleaned up the mice—because the.v needed the meat. 
The children set traps and caught many mice trhieh 
then fed to the eats. Of course. Kitty got tired of 
hunting, with food thus provided, and it seems that 
in like manner the le.gume plants on rich soil will 
use up the soil nitrogen rather than bring moi’e in 
from the air! That is one great reason why potash 
and pho.sphoric acid should be used on these legume 
plants if possible. In “Hope Farm Notes” this week 
there is some discussion of the chemical work which 
certain plants do in making over or manufactui’ing 
plant food. This is to be one of the lug farm (pies- 
tions of- the future. 
N eat Y'ORK farmers ou.ght to stait an offensive 
on one kind of fence, and that is the political 
fence. Let us tear down the old-fashioned hoard 
fence where these political parasites can sit. and 
make new ones of barbed wii’e. There will not be 
an.v .sittin.g on that; hut under the anti-loallng law 
a lot of .job hunters will get down and .go to woi-k. 
Better yet make a human barbed wire fence around 
our rights b.v putting oO farmers in the New York 
Legislature. Here is a table .showing how various 
industries and professions were represented at -Al¬ 
bany last year: 
Farmers. 
Number in 
I /Cgislature 
r> 
Total in 
State 
.").’13.o57 
Proportion to 
Population 
• 1 to 92.77.S 
Lawyers . 
74 
17.271 
1 to 
236 
Insurance .... 
S 
14.960 
1 to 
1.774 
Near-farmers . 
17 
40.000 
1 to 
2.553 
Real estate. . . . 
19 
17.429 
1 to 
1.936 
Merchants . . . . 
14 
LSO.lol 
1 to 12..S39 
Bankers . 
4.r)32 
1 to 
503 
We tlilnk it is time we got busy and sent more 
farmers to Albany to represent our agricultural 
counties. Until we do so our “agricultural legisla¬ 
tion” will consist of “.iokers” and “strikes’’ tied up 
with pretty ribbons. It is lime now for acti<m. 
Will you help send a farmer from your county? 
O N jiage SoO we start what we shall try to 
make a full di.scussion of the cover crop 
question. This is in an.swer to over HO inquiries 
which have come to us this season. There may lie 
some cases where a cover ci’op. to hold the ground 
between two regular farm crops, would not be 
economical or profitable. We can conceive of such 
ca.ses, but the.v are not likely to occur on Eastern 
farms. A"ast sums of mone.v have been lost through 
failures to .save the available plant food left in the 
soil during the Fall. Alany of our Eastern farmers 
use manure and fertilizer heavily on corn, potatoes, 
garden truck or in orchards. When those crops ma¬ 
ture or are killed by frost nitrification still goes 
on in the soil, and if the .soil is left bare the product 
of nature’s chemistry is washed away through the 
drainage water. Next S]irin.g we .go out and buy 
more nitrogen to take its place. If a fertilizer manu¬ 
facturer s])ent his energies in producing available 
'plant food and then deliberately threw it into the 
liver or ocean he would ver.v .justly be branded as 
an alien enemy. Yet in many cases when we fail 
to follow the corn and iiotatoes with a cover crop 
we are .guilt.v of this same waste. Having .seen all 
sorts of soils—from light sand to heavy clay—come 
hack to life and fertility through the use of lime 
and cover ci'ops. we natui’ally believe in them. AA’ill 
you read these articles and give the plan a trial? 
Brevities 
Peach trees certainly respond to a cultured life ! 
()FE with his head ! Into the chicken pie with him— 
the rooster. 
The price.s charged for flags come close to throwing 
cold water on patriotic expression. 
There is a fair chance that the man with a good wood 
lot will be held up for coal next Winter. Better get 
ready for it. 
The loss of Baldwin apjde trees in Alaine is a ca¬ 
lamity. Yet it is evident that a new variety must be 
found. 
The Schoharie Co. (N. \’.) Farm Bureau will cele¬ 
brate July 4 by taking an “auto run” to visit a number 
of good farms. Good way to celebrate. 
One thing this war has done at least. The govern¬ 
ment employee has to work as he never did_ before. The 
government job is no longer a “snap”—it’s a buckle— 
not a "cinch,” but a pinch. Keep it up. 
It seems to be necessary to jirint the formula for 
“lice powder” over and over. Three parts of gasolene 
and one part crude carbolic acid with as much plaster 
of Paris as the liquid will moisten. Dry this and grind 
it fine. Dust it with the feathers. 
No one likes to say a good word for weeds through 
fear of being called a lazy farmer ; but if they can be 
kept from seeding .some of our weeds make a good cover 
or mulching crop. In an orchard, when cut with a 
mower and left on the ground, the weeds surely help. 
