I 
.April 12, 1919 
656- 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tSSO 
Published weekly by the Itnral Publishing Company, 333 West 30th Street, New Vork 
Herbert AV. Colt.inowood, President ami Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manaper. 
Wm. F. Dillon. Secretary._ Mrs. E. T. Roylk, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.01, equal to 8s. 64, or 
8p, marks, or 10l£ francs. Remit in money order, express 
order^ personal check or bank draft. 
' Entered at New York Post Oilice as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising 1 rates, 75 cents per agate line—7 words. 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. AVe use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, wo 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 
6uch swindler will be publicly exposed. AVe are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. AA'e willingly use our good 
offices to this end, but such cases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not bo 
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 of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser 
T HIS is the last word to remind you of those 
prizes for best milk plans for the Dairymen’s 
League. We offer $150 in prizes; $100 for first,, $55 
for second and $15 for third. There are no strings 
tied ro the offer. It is open to all and put up without 
reserve. We want plaits big and fair enough to 
cover the large future of the Dairymen’s League. 
Such a plan should be constructive, easily under¬ 
stood and workable. The prize articles must he in 
our hands by April 14. There are many sound think¬ 
ers in the League. Here is a chance for them. 
* 
We appreciate that The R. N.-Y. is a class paper in 
contra-distinction of the masses, but Ave feel very 
strongly that, the masses are in favor of the extra hour 
of daylight. The arguments do not convince me that the 
inconvenience of a few should destroy the enjoyment of 
the many. The greater amount of sunshine and fresh 
air that the average individual would enjoy in contra¬ 
distinction to artificial light, from a physician's stand¬ 
point is the important point of the argument. 
JAMES A. GARDNER. 
HO or what do you mean by the “masses”? 
The R, N.-Y. is frankly and openly published 
in the interests of country people. We do our best to 
interpret their thought and defend their rights and 
privileges. There is absolutely no question about the 
fact that a vast majority of country people oppose 
this daylight saving. Can you not give them credit 
for knowing what, they want and why they want it? 
If, as you say, the “masses” are in favor of taking an 
extra hour of daylight, can you give one single reason 
why they need a law which is offensive to others to 
forceThem out of bed? Why do they not get up an 
hour earlier and not try to fool themselves by chang¬ 
ing the clocks? The answer, please! 
* 
H ERE is a hint at some of the big agricultural 
problems which are to be'worked out in the 
future. Tt is estimated that every ton of pig iron 
put through the blast furnace in this country con¬ 
tains. on n low average, 20 pounds of potash. This 
is largely deposited in the dust of stoves and boiler 
flues of the luruaces, and several companies are now 
saving and selling the dust. Nearly 40,000,000 tons 
of pig iron ; re worked up every year in this country, 
and with only a 50 per cent recovery of potash Ave 
should have 100.000 tons, or SO per cent of our nor¬ 
mal consumption. All this would come from one 
single source, hardly worth considering until the 
great war made it necessary to hunt for new sup¬ 
plies. This is only one of dozens,of great problems 
which the chemists are to work out in the future. 
The next 50 years will he devoted to saving wastes 
of plant food and fuel, and this potash saving is 
only one of many. The German leaders actually 
thought they could bring the nations of the world to 
their knees by holding hack the potash supply, when 
in the smoke and gas pouring uselessly out of our 
iron furnaces there was more potash than they were 
ever able to send us! 
* 
S UPPOSE you have a look at that strange map of 
New Jersey on page 038. With a few scratches 
of his pen Mr. McCampbell has made the good old 
State appear like a human face or figure looking 
west, like one who is supremely confident of his 
future, ami, well may New Jersey seem confident. 
Under the cap sketched on this picture lies the 
greatest market in the world. The State itself 
represents the highway between two of the largest 
cities in the world. The shaded part of the map 
represents a stretch of soil rich enough to he dug 
up and used as a potash fertilizer. We lmA T e heard 
Western men brag that their fat. black soil could 
be bagged and sold to fertilize poor Eastern farms. 
The truth is that this New Jersey marl put on the 
Western soil would increase its producing poaa ci* by 
3&4>er cent. Very few people outside of New Jersey 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
realize the vast possibilities for growing and selling 
crops which this thumb of land between the Dela¬ 
ware River and the Atlantic Ocean can show. Tt 
has been said that New Jersey is famous for pro¬ 
ducing trusts and mosquitoes. Well, they are as fat 
and lively as anything of their kind, and aside from 
fruit and garden truck New Jersey leads every 
Western State in yield per acre of plain farm crops, 
such as corn, wheat, hay, rye and potatoes. That 
is why the face turned west is full of confidence. 
# 
What the school authorities are able to do in an au¬ 
tocratic maimer is only one symptom of the disease that 
threatens our national life. Nominally we have no king 
raid no ruling class, but practically we have something 
much Avorse—an irresponsible class of party bosses to 
whom we have surrendered all our political authority. 
But Ave still have the remedy at our disposal, and I 
would suggest, that A\ r e use it unsparingly. Let us refuse 
to vote for the professional politician, and for the man 
who stands leady to do his bidding. Let us no longer 
submit to the disgrace of sending men to Albany to legis¬ 
late for the private benefit of Tammany Hall, or of any 
corresponding group of political parasites in the Repub¬ 
lican party. Somehow we are always misrepresented— 
and at the same time we have the power to punish. 
Why can Ave not take back the authority Ave have given 
away and use it for our OA\ r n good? We want simpler 
methods and greater economy in the administration of 
our affairs, and if we cannot get them through political 
channels, let us make a business proposition of it and 
employ a manager, as some cities are uoav doing. 
A. J. L. 
H AVE you ever seen the proposition put more 
concisely an<l forcibly than in the above state¬ 
ment? It is true that our public affairs haw been 
taken out of our hands. It is true that the politicians 
of both parties use our common rights for selfish pur¬ 
poses until they are worn down to uncommon Avrongs. 
It is true that the plain people have it in their power 
to get rid of this situation. Tt is also true that they 
never will get rid of it until they do the work them¬ 
selves. Are we right? 
* 
The labor question is, hereabouts, a very serious mat¬ 
ter. As I look out of my window I see an elderly Italian 
who. from what I learned of such matters when I was 
in Italy, probably never was paid 50 cents for a day’s 
labor extending from sun to sun, puttering about, among 
the shrubs in a neighbor’s lawn, for which he is being 
paid $4 for eight-hour day. I suspect there have been 
years when you. as a young man. did not receive $100 a 
month for the work of your hands. • G. n. 
Massachusetts. 
ORTY years ago the writer worked on a dairy 
farm. The day began at 4 :30 a .in. and ended 
after dark—when work was done. The pay was $18 
to $20 per month, with about the worst food one can 
imagine on a farm. Thousands of our readers have 
worked harder and received less money for it. The 
milk from this farm was sold direct to retail custom¬ 
ers at five cents per quart Out of these wages Ave 
saved enough to start at college, while the boss laid 
aside a modest competency from five-cent milk. It 
would ho absolutely impossible to do either now. The 
eight-hour gardener at 50 cents an hour is a product 
of the unequal distribution of the consumer’s dol¬ 
lar. Why should this man, working merely to gratify 
a Avhim or pleasure, receive more than a farmer 
struggling to support a family? All wealth comes 
out of the soil. It is all measured by the dollar 
which the final consumer pays for necessities and 
luxuries. Tt is all finally saddled upon him. This 
dollar is divided among labor, capital and producer 
or farmer. The greater the share taken out by labor 
and capital, the smaller the farmer's share must. he. 
Labor and capital are both organized for the pur¬ 
pose of getting a larger share of this consumer’s 
dollar. The farmer is not organized and therefore 
takes what is left on the table. 
* 
T HE legislation introduced by Senator George F. 
Thompson again places the Department of Agri¬ 
culture and the Department of Markets under sepa¬ 
rate and single heads, and provides that the com¬ 
missioners he both elected by direct, vote for a term 
of four years. The council of the Federation of 
Agriculture has suggested and approved this legis¬ 
lation. It is generally approved by the farmers. If 
the Market Department is ever to he of any service 
to them it must he taken out of the hands of the 
middlemen and trusts that now control it. Let your 
Governor, Senator and Assemblyman know that you 
expect them to favor this legislation. 
* 
A speaker here made (statements that th rt average city 
hoy of 12 to 14 years is much better educated than the 
country hoy of same age. It seems to me this does not 
square up AA’ith some things I have read. Can you cite 
me any authority on the subject? 1 write you, as I see 
other readers of your paper think you are a general en¬ 
cyclopedia. c - 
Pennsylvania. 
HE speaker cannot prove any such statement. 
What does it mean to be “better educated?” 
This man might get figures to show that city children 
are better parrots, or that they have memorized 
more of their honks, hut that is not education. In 
many cases it is a rope tied around the feet of edu¬ 
cation. For the only time test of education is the 
ability so to harness knowledge as to make it Avork 
out a living at some useful toil. The most essential 
thing about an education is the conviction that all 
labor is honorable. There cannot be any clear think¬ 
ing on any practical subject unless the brain is 
bathed in sweat! The average town child may he 
a better human parrot, but the country child has a 
better chance for a real education. 
* 
T HE week before election Alfred E. Smith, as 
candidate for Governor, said: 
“Today the Whitman Council of Farms and Markets 
of nine members consists of five men avIio are residents 
of cities of this State, two avIio are residents of incor¬ 
porated villages, and only two who give their occupation 
as that of farmer.” 
lie promised to restore the Departments of Agri¬ 
culture and of Markets to farmers. 
Now as Governor he admits that a majority of 
this council were selected for political reasons by 
a political agent, and that the council as a whole is 
inefficient and neglects its duties; but be proposes 
to retain them under a nine-year perpetuating term 
of office that removes them -and their appointees from 
direct responsibility to producers or consumers. This 
is clearly a food speculator’s measure. It puts the 
Market Bureau directly into their hands, and re¬ 
moves it, from the appeal or protest of the public. 
Governor Smith may have destroyed his pre-election 
literature and forgotten his promises; but we can 
replace them and remind him of them. 
* 
A WELL-KNOWN scientist went out into a coun¬ 
try neighborhood to talk to a company of farm¬ 
ers. This scientist was a "big man,” and, what is 
more, he believed in his own bigness. He felt, as 
he talked, what a privilege it must be for these 
farmers to come in contact with a really great 
mind! Not all scientists are like that, for true 
science is the art of making mysterious things easy 
and simple. This man could not leave his laboratory 
behind him, and get right into the barns and houses 
of his hearers. Therefore they could not understand 
him, and he went home thinking that he had been 
casting pearls before swine! A farmer in that audi¬ 
ence went home with a hunger of the mind unap¬ 
peased. After supper he picked up one of the chil¬ 
dren's old books and began reading. It was the 
proverb of the Arab in the desert who finally came 
to an oasis and found water. Hungry and faint, he 
found a leathern bag by the side eof the Avell and 
fell upon it eagerly. Great was his disappointment 
on opening it to find it. filled only with valuable 
pearls! Then he said in his soul: “Of what use to 
me are these pearls? Had they only been dates they 
would have saved me from hunger!” And so as the 
scientist went home regretting the wastage of his 
pearls, the farmer was asking why the scientist did 
not take his pearls elsewhere and bring dates to the 
hungry! 
Brevities 
Rememrer that a little manure spread over the cover 
crop before plowing it under will pay. 
The world is “hard up,” but it does not need your 
money half as much as it needs you. 
It is in the man. We will guarantee to find a man 
vho will take a yoke of oxen and produce more food than 
some men ever would with a tractor. 
So many people who have used manure freely on the 
garden complain that the seeds crops do not develop. 
When in doubt, use phosphorus in some form. 
Several million men in this country are talking about 
Bolshevism in Russia, Avhile not even the Russians can 
tell just what it is. 
It is a fine thing to he able to read great books, but a 
much finer thing to be able to translate them and carry 
the message on in common lauguage. 
The man who blindly follows his party politics adds 
about as much thought to the world as the parrot who 
can only say “Polly wants a cracker.” 
Wk can remember when a great party was thrown out 
of power on the issue of a “Billion-dollar Congress.” 
Now a billion dollars seems to everyone except taxpayers 
like 30 cents. 
We have several reports from people avIio fed turnips 
to cows during the early Winter. When the turnips ran 
out these feeders expected the milk yield to slacken. It 
did not. Is this old theory about the great value of roots 
to be pulled out by the roots? 
Last year Ave expressed our opinion regarding the 
probable outcome of attempts to make homemade beet 
syrup. Mr. Ormsbee puts it this way: “When sugar 
was first introduced it. was used exclusively as a rem¬ 
edial agent, and those • >1* *1 Italian apothecaries gave it 
the name of Saccharum Purgatissimum. I Avas never 
able to see the connection until I ate some homemade 
beet syrup. Then, all became clear.” 
