734 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMERS TAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established iSSO 
Published weekly by the ltnral Publishing Company, 383 West 80tb Street, New York 
Herbert W. Coli.in’GWood, President ami Kditor. 
Joiix J. Dili /OS, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. equal to 8s. Od. or 
81* marks, or 1016 francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter 
Advert ising rates, 75 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us , and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
Wo believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every 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, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements in our columns, and any 
such swindler will bo publicly exposed. We arc 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 dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers against rogues, but we will not be 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must he 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. 
How can we best get back of Arthur Capper, Senator 
from Kansas, to repeal the “new time” law? Who will 
suggest a plan? Speak up. JOHN c. DENEEF. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
HE best plan is to write to Hon. Arthur Capper 
at Washington, D. C-, and give him facts about 
this daylight saving. Your opinion about it may 
help, but what he wants is a statement of facts — 
showing just why this law is injurious to farmers. 
We must build our case solidly on facts, and these 
can be obtained. Do this, and get everyone you can 
to help. It is apparently no use appealing to the 
Senators from New York. Go to Senator Capper of 
Kansas. So far as we know he is the first man in 
the Senate to take up a plain, definite question of 
farmers’ social rights and make an issue of it. The 
others seem to wait until they find what the party 
is likely to do. Mr. Capper is close enough to 
country people to know that they are working away 
from the “party” issues when it comes to a question 
of daily life. We are in favor of giving Senator 
Capper all the ammunition he can get. 
* 
O X page 770 a reader proposes that we send facts 
about the 35-cent dollar right straight to the 
Secretary of Agriculture at Washington. A good 
idea—let us all take a hand in it. We are told that 
the Secretary is working out some figures to show 
that there is no such thing as a 35-cent dollar. 
Every man in this country who has ever shipped 
goods on commission and kept any track of city 
prices knows better. Apparently we cannot hope to 
have our case fairly worked out at Washington 
unless we do it ourselves. Every other interest in 
the country will work to show that we are now 
receiving as much as we deserve—or more. It will 
require several million drops of ink to add five cents 
to the farmers’ share of the dollar, but it can be 
done. We are in favor of filling Washington up with 
facts about our own experience in selling. If you 
can do that the statesmen will have to take notice. 
* 
I believe. if I were the editor of a country newspaper, 
I would print, every so often, a list of those National, 
State and local officers in whom my readers should be 
most interested. How often, when I was on the farm, 
I have wanted to write to my Senators or Congressmen, 
and did not know then names ! M. B. 
New Jersey. 
HE country papers could hardly give any better 
service than to keep the names of public officers 
right before their readers. What does it profit a 
farmer if he can give the names of the presidents of 
these new European states and cannot tell who is 
coroner of his own county? 
* 
Has the education of the farmer’s son been overdone? 
Or is it from the cities that the abundance of would-be 
farm managers come? All the farm papers have a long 
list of farm managers looking for a position, but we sel¬ 
dom notice an advertisement of a plain hired man. It 
would seem that most of them are looking for something 
easv. for the majority are looking for the management of 
a small poultry farm. It would seem to me that a young 
man might tackle a bigger job than that of a rooster— 
the bossing of a henroost. J. G. M. 
New York. 
T HAT opinion is being expressed by many of our 
readers. One reason why there are so many 
calls for the position as poultry manager is the fact 
that the poultry business is “coming hack.” For sev¬ 
eral years past the business did not pay. It has been 
adjusted, and the prospect is good. Thus thousands 
are rushing back into poultry and many more are 
starting. Among these are people who think they 
can run a hen farm by proxy, and they are paying 
high salaries for managers. That accounts for the 
present run! It will not last. In the future, more 
than ever before, success in fanning will depend on 
personal management. The greatest need of the 
country today is for skilled and intelligent hired men. 
Our present form of agricultural education is turning 
Vhe RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
out too many would-be managers. A good propor¬ 
tion of them come from the city and seem to have lit¬ 
tle knowledge of farm work beyond what they learn 
in classroom and laboratory. The mistake they usu¬ 
ally make is in thinking they can manage a good 
farm without a backing of real practical work. 
* 
O UR belief is that we are soon to see a great in¬ 
crease in the use of devices for “electrifying” 
plants. We have printed accounts of several small 
ones. They are quite easy to make, and many gar¬ 
deners can put them up next season and help by ob¬ 
serving the results. After all the wonders worked 
cut by the electric engineers no one really knows 
just what electricity is. Few of us care so long as 
we can have it under control and make it serve us. 
We are not going to lose any time speculating how 
these “electrifiers” help the seed or the plant. They 
evidently do help in some way, and they obtain their 
power out of the air. We can measure this benefit 
and learn how to apply the power to best advan¬ 
tage. We think this small beginning will lead to the 
time when what is in the air will be harnessed and 
prove about as productive of power as what is in the 
earth. 
M R. OSBORNE’S article oil the food value of milk 
ought to be distributed by the million copies all 
through the cities among the consumers. Many of 
these people seem to think that milk is useful for 
coloring the coffee and that is about all. There are 
thousands of families where one pint of milk per day 
is considered a liberal allowance. The fact is that 
every growing child should have one quart of milk 
each day. Our own children have fully that and it is 
the best food we can provide for them. We see many 
nervous, colorless children who could ho brought back 
to health and bloom by a full milk diet. In fact, we 
have proved this again and again by taking poorly 
nourished city children to the farm. As Dr. Osborne 
shows, the protein or muscle-making food in the 
grains is in no way equal for promoting growth, to 
the same class of foods in milk. The “breakfast 
food” habit has now become fixed in most American 
families, but it is not suited to young children or 
invalids unless good quantities of milk are used with 
the cereal. This is particularly true when cornmeal 
or rice are used; iu fact, milk is the cheapest and 
best food with which the usual city family cau bal¬ 
ance their ration so as to make it sustaining. These 
things are true, and, in demonstrating them, the 
scientific men have given dairymen the foundation 
for great business possibilities. We must now show 
the world that milk carries in its white liquid form 
not only the best single food, but the best substance 
for combining with every other food. Milk is even 
more necessary for the full development of the 
human body than is bread, and a combination of the 
two is better than either one alone. The milk dairy¬ 
man is the most important producer in the nation. 
Thus far he has not received the share that is due 
one who holds that position. That is partly because 
the public has regarded milk as a luxury rather than 
as a vital necessity. Now we must convince the pub¬ 
lic that no matter how else they economize in food 
they must keep up the family milk supply. No one 
will do this educating for us. We must do it our¬ 
selves. 
* 
T hat article on the dirt roads in the back 
country needs following up. The plan of put¬ 
ting most of the work on the main roads and letting 
the side roads go means life for the car drivers, but 
is death to the hill farms. These farms on the back 
roads have as much right to live and thrive as any 
others. They are necessary to the nation, and must 
have a fair show. They cannot have that unless 
they have reasonable communication with the rest 
of the world. As it stands in many townships farms 
on the main roads have up-to-date communication, 
while the hill farms are further removed from 
market and social needs than they were 40 years 
ago. These back farms cannot hold their values 
or attract young people unless they can have fair 
connection with the rest of the world. It will he a 
shame and disgrace to Jet these hill farms decay 
through any injustice in spending the road money. 
# 
T HE other day two young soldiers just back from 
France called to talk things over. They were 
on their way home, sobered by their war experience, 
yet eager to get hack to their work. One was from 
Northern New England, the other from California. 
We asked them both the same question: 
"What do iiou want to do?’' 
The New Englander answered about as follows: 
“I am going home to look things over. Father has 
May 3 , 1910 
a good farm, but it has not been worked well for 
some years. Father got a little discouraged, and lias 
invested his money in mortgages. I have seen the 
way they farm in other countries, and T think we 
have a good chance if we can put capital into it and 
run it right. I see that you cannot run such a farm 
without capital. I shall try to get father to sell one 
of his mortgages and use the money for working 
capital on that farm !” 
The same question was put to the California boy 
and he said: 
“I am going straight home. Father has a good 
piece of land, but he cannot see any money in farming, 
and has put his money in some stock. Now I have 
seen how they farm in France and Italy, and I think 
I know what that land of father’s can be made to 
do. It will need capital to do it, and I shall try to 
get him to put it up!” 
Both these young men said they wanted nothing 
to do with the scheme to drain the swamps and 
water the deserts. Take care of the older farms 
first and build good roads up to them! All this 
shows one thing that the war has done for young 
America, and if these fathers are wise they will 
fall in line with the capital. We have had too much 
of the theory that the farm is a good place to make 
a dollar, but no place to invest it. 
* 
A S we predicted last year, the poultry business 
is “coming back” with a rush. From all over 
the Eastern States reports come of an increased 
business in chicks and eggs. Most people who quit 
the business were forced out by the high cost of 
feed. They did not have the capital needed to hold 
on at a temporary loss until prices for meat and 
eggs could he adjusted to grain prices. Those who 
were able to hold on, cull out the poor stock and 
improve, are now reaping their reward. This experi¬ 
ence has compelled many who formerly never thought 
of producing their own grain supply to put all avail¬ 
able land into wheat, barley and corn. The crop 
of Spring wheat in New England and other Eastern 
States will he greater than ever before, and most 
of the grain will be fed to poultry. A good pullet 
will beat Uncle Sam with his guaranteed price, and 
you do not have to collect a carload in order to sell 
it. The hen accepts any quantity from a handful 
up. The corn crop will also be heavy this year on 
most poultry farms. The tough experience of the 
past few years has taught many a hen man that he 
can no longer depend on far distant sections for his 
grain feed. lie will make his idle fields work, or 
save labor by putting some of the garden and truck 
fields into corn and wheat. It is a question whether 
the so-called “commercial” poultry farms where all 
grain must he bought can keep up under the changed 
conditions, but the farm poultryman who cau grow 
a part of his grain is in for years of prosperity. 
* 
What do you think about au honor button for the 
farmer? I am a man 6S years old, working a 100-acre 
farm, with the help of another old man about my age; 
12 to 14 hours a day is about all we can do. I bought 
Liberty bonds, Savings Stamps, donated to the Red 
Cross and war chest, raised wheat, buckwheat, oats, 
corn, potatoes, beans, pork, beef, calves, chickens, milked 
15 cows, cut nearly 00 tons of hay. I think farmers 
and their wives and children did their bit as well as 
the boys over there. Let Uncle Sam give us a button 
to wear, with emblem to represent our occupation. 
Washington Co., N. Y. geo. w. wood. 
HAT is a good suggestion and we favor it. Mr. 
Wood is right. Thousands of men and women 
worked hard and without complaint in their efforts 
to help win the war. Denied the privilege of lining 
up at the front with rifle and bayonet, they fought 
in the back fields and lonely farms with plow and 
hoe and scythe. They slioud by all means be recog¬ 
nized. We call for suggestions as to a suitable 
design for such a badge. Here is a chance for the 
Agricultural Department to get up close to such 
farmers! 
Brevities 
Heart without head—run short <>f bread! Head 
without heart—live a lonely part. 
Tx California a deposit of lignite has been found 
which gives (52 gallons of oil and 18 pounds of sulphate 
of ammonia to the ton ! 
It is hard to believe that the coarse vines and leaves 
of Soy bean hay contain as much cow nutriment as 
clover, yet “the stuff is there.” 
Will not some of the scientific men start a set of ex¬ 
periments to show what influence, if any. the moon has 
on plant growth? The time has come to settle the ques¬ 
tion, if possible. 
lx reply to questions about rural mail carriers 
delivering mail to rural boxes we are told by the Post 
Office Department: “It is a violation of the Postal laws 
and regulations for a rural carrier to throw any mail 
matter upon the ground. Rural carriers are required 
to provide such equipment as will enable them to handle 
all mail instructed to them, and protect it from adverse 
weather conditions.” 
