1334 
■Uhe RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TIJE BVSiyESS FARMER'S RARER 
A Xaflonnl Wceklj Journnl for Country and ^uburhan Ilomeit 
Established isio 
riibliKbrd nerklf hj Ihr Rural Piibliahlnp Oorapany, 833 tVr«t 30t!i Street, New Tor’k 
llERnr.RT tv. COLLi.vowoOD, President and Editor. 
John J. I>rr.i/)S, Treasurer and General Manager. 
^Vm. F. DtLixi.v. Secretary. Mbs. E. T. Hoyle, Atstociate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign oonntrie.u in the Universal Postal Union, equal to 8s. Cd., or 
814 marks, or 1014 franc.s. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class JIatter. 
Advertising rates, 7.5 cents per agate line—7 word.s. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders, 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper Is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and mlmit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make good any lo.ss 
to i>aid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
such swindler will be publiely 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 cases should not be confused with dishonc.st 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
resjionsible for the debts of honest Imnkrupts sanctioned by 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 The Rural New- 
Yorker wiien writing the advertiser. 
I'le.qfip send me your paper for another year. I am 
surpri.sed that you haven’t raised the price. You can’t 
put out a paper like it for the money, and ever expect 
to get rich ; that’s a cinch. The only papi'r that gives 
rvfryone a square deal, the farmer’s friend; I would 
rather do without all of the other papei-s I take than 
The R. N.-Y. We farm here entirely different from 
Uie Eastern way, but I’ve never found yet one single 
issue of The R. N.-Y. that was not worth the year’s 
sub.scriptiou price. My very best wishes to all con¬ 
cerned. G. 8. GORIX)N. 
Washington. 
N O. There is no use trying to get rich publishing 
a paper like The R. N.-Y. Any new.spaper 
man will tell you that. We have no desire to “get 
rich’’ out of war conditions. No patriotic American 
expects to do that. We keep up the quality of our 
liaper and try to increase its spirit and value as an 
expression of confidence in our old friends and read- 
er.s. We give them our best and they appreciate it 
and will .show their appreciation when this war ex¬ 
citement is over. 
* 
T he hardest thing to break is a well-fixed habit. 
The thing that has most to do with fixing the 
habit is a precedent. Most of us begin to do things 
in a certain Avay because others before us began 
doing .so, and others around us do the .same because 
their fathers did. The great majority of us inherit 
our politics, our methods of thought and our preju¬ 
dices about as we do the color of our eyes or hair. 
The strange iiart of it is that we do not realize it, 
and often think we are very open-minded and free, 
when in reality we work around and around 'in a 
little ring. Some people through study or hard ex¬ 
perience or natural unrest and curiosity enlarge this 
ring of action a little. They get a little clearer view 
of duty and right, and wonder why others do not 
jump ahead at their advice and their theories. The 
great slow-thinking masses of humanity will not and 
cannot jump or run ahead into progres.s. They are 
tied to habit and precedent. These are not to be 
beaten down with a club. Such a form of attack 
only toughens them. You can only substitute one 
habit for another by making a man think. Thinking 
is hard work, and man will not usually thank you 
for making him think. 
» 
Knitting yarn for soldiers’ .and sailors' sweaters is 
now S4.8(> and .^o.GO a iiound; that at $4.36 is the 
kind 1 bought last year for $3.20 at retail. That at 
$.0.60 is like what I bought at wholesale for .$3 per lb., 
last Spring, then about $3.84 at retail. E. B. 
O F all the “profiteei'ing" Avhich has been per¬ 
mitted in this country during the war this ex¬ 
tortionate price on knitting wool is the meanest. 
That is true because the demand for tlie wool is 
inspired bj’ the finest motives. We have been un¬ 
able to obtain any explanation from Washington— 
or anywhere else—for this abominable hold-up. The 
price of raw wool was fixed or assigned by the 
government to the loss of our farmers. Yet the 
prices for what is made out of the wool have soared 
'ky high. What is the great idea? Why should 
prices for what the farmer sells be nailed down to 
the ground, while when his wife and daughter buy 
tbe same products back these prices mount up like 
a skylark? 
» 
.\t.tiiougii only a recent subscriber to The R. N.-Y’., 
1 wish to make use of the advantages you offer in giv¬ 
ing information to those who want to know about grow¬ 
ing things. I have taken a strong fancy to your paper, 
although I have re.sided in the city all my years, and 
know very little of farm life. However, since I became 
one of your readers, that little is beginning to expand, 
as the weekly perusal of The R. N.-Y’. is a liberal 
education in itself. You have a great field before you in 
ac(]uainting the city man with conditions on the farm. 
XPERTENCE has taught us that the differences 
between city and countrj’ people are mostly 
due to false doctrines preached and promulgated by 
a small class of interested people. What the French 
c.alled “the third estate” represented the grerit middle 
class of working people who come in between the 
ruling aristocrats and the serving laborers. This 
“third estate” carried the energy, the .sound ambi¬ 
tion, the inventive genius, the skilled industry and 
the true patriotism of the nation. Through long 
years this class of people struggled for common 
rights and finally won them. In this country the 
“plain people” who woi’k for a living and provide 
the energy and skilled labor represent the class 
which finally rose to power in France. These people 
are not all in the country or all in town. Some are 
producers of food—others are handlers and con- 
sumer.s. No matter what they do or where they 
live, they have fundamental intere.sts in common, 
and they should not fight or antagonize each other. 
It has been to the interest of the handlers and mid¬ 
dlemen to make the city con.sumers believe that the 
farmers are “profiteers” and thus re.sponsible for 
high retail price.s. The object of that is to create 
trouble and suspicion, so that it will not be possible 
for the great body of consumers to act with the 
farmers either politically or in a business way. 
Neither the farmers nor the consumers are strong 
enough, acting alone, to obtain the marketing and 
distributing rights which belong to them. Thus, if 
they can be kept apart through suspicion or ill- 
feeling on both sides, conditions mu.st grow worse 
instead of better. ’The R. N.-Y. believes that it will 
be possible to make the more thoughtful class of city 
people understand the true situation. We do not 
think any .sound and lasting refonn in food distri¬ 
bution can be worked out until a fair proportion of 
city people can be made to see the justice of the 
farmer’s position. ’That is one great rea.son why we 
talk “35-ceut dollar” and spend time exposing the 
foolish and malicious statements made by the city 
papers. We know from correspondence that we are 
gaining ground and we ask all serious-minded coun¬ 
try people to help. We are going on in future Lssues 
to tell what they can do. 
W- 
T hat is a new and hajipy chapter in the “back- 
to-the-land” story on page 1327. If there could 
be more such transactions i-ural life would be more 
promising. ’This young man could not have bought 
that farm if the owner had not been willing to bank 
or his character. No bank or trust company or 
private money-lender Avould have accepted the note 
as the owner did. He did it because he made a fair 
piofit and knew that young man Avould make a good 
citizen. ’The town needed him, and he had no other 
chance of getting a farm. He establi.shed credit at 
the bank by paying his first note, but, of course, the 
bank could not take a mortgage for more than half 
the value of the property. The owner took his risk 
on the balance, and all won out, becau.se the farmer 
was a worker and the shortage of timber and fuel 
gave him a chance to realize promptly on his pur¬ 
chase. Let no back-to-the-lander think he can do the 
same—with no farming experience and without war 
prices for timber. There are other land-owners who 
might well consider this incident. Mhny a deserving 
young man goes through life denied the right to own 
a farm because he lacks capital and has no security 
except his character and his ability. 
» 
N OW that “the melancholy days have come,” with 
feed prices out of sight, many poultrymen are 
stud.ving this new idea of lighting the chicken-houses 
at night. Some years ago when this plan was lii’st 
suggested it was laughed out of court as a joke. 
“Who expects to fool a hen?” Avas the deciding ques¬ 
tion. It Avas voted “all 'imagination.” A dry experi¬ 
ment will take the sap out of most imaginations, but 
the more they applied figures to the idea the better 
it stood up and proved itself. In parts of the Far 
West Ave are told that this plan of keeping the 
poultry-houses lighted until nine o’clock or so is con¬ 
sidered about as profitable as keeping the hens Avell 
provided Avith green food. It seems that Avhen a hen 
goes to sleep at dark and gets up Avith the light in 
Winter she overdoes the resting part of life. At 
any rate, Avith three or four extra hours in the light 
she manufactures more eggs. The hen is the one 
Avorker on the farm who appreciates daylight saving 
and addition. 
■8 
I T is evident to us that a large majority of our 
readers in NeAv York favor national prohibition. 
A great majority of them voted at the last election 
for members of the Legislature Avho are ready to 
ratify the national amendment The R. N.-Y. 
stands for Avhat a majority of its readers demand. 
I.ong experience has taught us that when such a 
majority, after thought and study. faA-or a public 
nieasure, such a measure is right and acceptable for 
country people. We therefore stand Avith our read- 
November 30, 191S. 
ers. The next Legislature will contain a majority 
in both branches of men who know they were elected 
for the purpose of ratifying the amendment. There 
are certain politicians AA* *ho do not AA’ant such ratifi- 
catiop, and they will delay or prevent it if they can 
Their favorite plan is to organize the Senate and 
Assembly by electing officers who are opposed to 
ratification. With such an organization a few strong 
men can hold up any measure and prevent a vote 
on it. There is grave danger that this scheme will 
be worked this Winter. It AA’ill do no good to wake 
up next Spring and try to influence the Legislature 
after the “machine’’ has been put together and well 
oiled. We must “control the beginnings” if we ever 
expect to influence this Legi.slature. Therefore 
every man and Avoman in Ncav York who belieA’es 
in ratification should get right after their repre.senta- 
tives and tell them plainly that both houses (the 
Senate in particular) must be organized so as to 
give the “dry” element control. Do not neglect this 
if you really want that amendment ratified. 
» 
When the American gardeners now in France return 
I look to see a neAV impetus showing in several depart¬ 
ments of gardening and horticulture. g. a. 
O do Ave. The public kuoAvs little of the vast 
busine.ss in gardening which has been conducted 
behind the battle lines. ,Tust as. in this country, the 
small backyard or toAvn-lot gardens helped out the 
food supply, the great AAmr gardens in France helped 
feed the anuy. We haA^e heard from several of our, 
readers who were detailed for this garden Avork 
under the best of Fi’ench gardeners. These young 
men wfill come back Avith many new ideas and much 
enthusiasm. We shall feel the effect of it all 
through our agricultui’e, and our army has not only 
learned new arts of peace—it has also taught them 
Many prosperous and skilled French farmers have 
been living contentedly in houses Avhich lack wdial 
AA-e call common conveniences. They lack tools and 
equipment which the Amertean farmer must have. 
For in.stance, Avhile there are hundreds of thousands 
of acres of transplanted crops the transplanting, 
machines which are so useful here are unknown in 
France and Germany. While our Amencans have 
learned neAv methods they haA’e taught the French¬ 
man the need of new machines, and there will be 
an increased trade from this country in consequence 
18 
T WENTY-FIVE years ago Px*of. W. A. Henry, 
then in the prime of life, conducted a depart¬ 
ment of live stock and feeding in the Breeders' Ga¬ 
zette. Much less AA’as then known about the science 
of feeding, but th'is practical depai’tment was without 
doubt the most useful thing of the sort ever attempt¬ 
ed up to that time. It did much to change the farm¬ 
ing of the Nortlnvest. That Avas then a wheat-groAv- 
ing section, most of the wheat feed being sent away 
to stockmen in other parts of the country. Prof 
Henry took a large part in shoAving farmers in Wis¬ 
consin and Minnesota that they should keep these 
wheat feeds at home and keep more stock to con¬ 
sume them. We believe our ueAv department oi 
“Live Stock ^Matters,” now conducted by Prof. F. C. 
-Minkler, Avill grow into the most useful and practical 
discus.sion of live stock and its relation to farming 
that has appeared since Henry’s time. We Avant you 
to watch the development of this department. We 
intend to make it so useful and interesting that nc 
stockman can afford to be Avithout it. 
Brevities 
Winter still seems a distant proposition. 
Yes, the pessimist is usually a post. You wish you 
had missed him. 
Can you find a cultivated farm in the State of Cou- 
necticut which Avill not respond to an application ol 
lime? 
The calf does not need cream, but it must have somf 
milk. You can take out the cream and substitutf 
cheaper fats. 
There seems to be more Fall plowing this year than 
we have ever seen before in our section. Of course, 
this kills the chance for a cover crop. 
It is said that the Germans have taken the best ol 
the Belgian draft horses to Germany to be used for 
breeding. This has brought out a uoav name for tht 
late Kaiser—“the biggest horsethief in the world.” 
Prof. G. W. Cara'er of ’Tuskeegee has found in the 
sweet potato a beautiful brown dye, well adapted to col¬ 
oring leather. ’The SAveet potato is developing nearly as 
many uses as the cottonseed. 
The article on lime Avash or cold-water paints hae 
started up quite a discussion. Many farmers say they 
are not worth using. One man claims to have used 
plain buttermilk with red lead mixed in it and found 
it a good barn paint. 
