1160 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSIXESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal l'or Country and Suburban Homes 
Established IS',0 
pnhllahM tropkly by the Rural Publishing Company, 888 IVesi ::oih Street, \rw York 
Herbert W. Collingwood. President anti Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and Ueneral Manager. 
v m. F . Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. K. T. Hoyle, Associate Kditor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreipn countries in the T'niversal Postal Union. S'! 0 t. equal to 8s. fid. or 
8'.i marks, or 10 V, francs. Remit, in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Oflice as Second Class Matter 
Advertising rates, 75 cents per agate lint'—7 words. References renuired for 
advertisers unknown to us , atid cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
sible tanston. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, w «• will make pood any loss 
to Paul subscribers sustained by trustiup anv deliberate swindler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or mislendinp advertisements in our columns, and any 
sneh swindler will be publicly exposed. We are alsi) often called upoii 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and lionest 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our pood 
offices to this end, but. such eases should not be confused with dishonest 
transactions. We protect subscribers apainst rogues, but we will not he 
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 
tlie transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Hi ku. \fw- 
i orkkr when writing the advertiser 
F OR a good many years now The R. X.-Y. lias 
“stood up” for Alsiko clover. We learned its 
merits on our farm, where the soil was tough and 
sour, and often too wet for Rod clover and Alfalfa. 
This soil gave Red clover an attack of bilious fever, 
but we noticed that Alsiko always came up smiling 
and happy. We were told that it was only a “little 
clover”—too small to he taken seriously. We took it 
seriously, however, and it has proved no joke. In 
many sections farmers have spent fortunes in trying 
to make Alfalfa grow, without success. In such 
places Alsike would prove far more profitable. Now 
we have good reports about Alsike clover from all 
ever. It does us good to see an old and faithful 
friend get what he deserves. We shall always put 
seed of Alsike in with the Red. 
* 
N OW comes our friend, the Maryland “Profiteer.” 
with his figures on page 11 . 10 . What do you 
make out of them? Can you see where lie lias wast¬ 
ed money? Is it a case of mismanagement? For 
years we have not printed an article which has 
caused so much discussion as this original “profiteer” 
article . They have all come; hired men. successful 
farmers, fa mi failures, back-to-the-lnmlcrs. city men. 
bashful workers and hlowhards. The R. X.-Y. has 
given them all a chance to got together and talk. 
That seems to be our mission, and we glory in it 
Give them all a chance to talk and work out the 
great moving picture of farm life. Horace Fletcher 
developed a system of eating food which he claimed 
would make the old young. It was called “Fletcher- 
izing,” and all there was to it was chewing each 
mouthful about 50 times. We do not recommend it 
to the hired man or the hoy in haying time, hut 
value and virtue do come out through chewing. So 
let’s ’’Fletclierize” some of these hard problems— 
chew them up. 
* 
W E have heard Illinois farmers boast that their 
black soil was so strong that if it were 
bagged and shipped East it would make a suitable 
fertilizer for the “thin soil of Xew Jersey!" That 
Illinois soil is, we understand, rich in nitrogen hut 
low in potash. Xow here is a counter proposition. 
Let us dig a ton of marl out of the ordinary farm 
land in Monmouth Co., X. J.. along the river. Scat¬ 
ter that ton of common Jersey marl soil on an acre 
of Illinois.black prairie soil and it will increase the 
yield of corn by 15 per cent or more! Here is a 
chance to show what that black soil is really made of. 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
off? Could we really make our hoys and girls think 
more of it? Do we really want every boy and girl 
on the farm to become farmers or farmers’ wives? 
Is there room in the business for all of them? Has 
not Nature fitted some of them for other occupations 
far better suited to their abilities? Is there any bus¬ 
iness except perhaps selling gold bricks or real estate 
which can stand painting in rosy colors alone, with¬ 
out any shade? We should all have greater faith in 
our business and stand up for it under all circum¬ 
stances. hut reasonable “kicking” is an essential part 
of progress. Without it. a farmer might become a 
prosperous and good-natured slave! 
A NUMBER of our readers seem to have an idea 
that the “flame throwers” used by the Germans 
in the great war could be used for clearing the weeds 
and trash out of fence corners and stone walls. We 
wrote to the War Department about it, and received 
the following reply: 
I am directed by the Chief of Ordnance to advise you 
that this office will gladly furnish information requested 
in letter to any individual to whom it may be of value 
in industrial work. It might be stated that the liame 
projector designed by the Ordnance Department throws 
a flame of too great a volume and too great a distance 
to he safe or practical for industrial use. 
e. j. w. raosdale. 
Lt. Col. Ord. Dept., U. S. A. 
We asked how these flame throwers were made 
and operated. Perhaps Lieut.-Col. Ragsdale has 
never seen the growth of poison ivy and other trash 
along an old stone wall when he thinks the flame is 
too large! 
O UR friend the “farm booster,” oil page 1150, is a 
hopeful soul, and we have to agree with much 
that he says. But now. see here, suppose we all be¬ 
gan to “boost” as he suggests, and never gave ex¬ 
pression to any criticism or suggestion of economic 
or social troubles! Would fanning really lie better 
August 2, 1910 
~Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows 
in their affliction and to keep himself unspoiled from 
the world." 
'pHE surest indication of the success of a eo- 
-I. operative movement among farmers is the 
amount of attention the middlemen concerned give it. 
Ihe big milk dealers paid little attention to the 
Dairymen’s League prior to the first strike. From 
then on until they gave the proposition up as a bad 
job they were incessant in their endeavors to break 
it up. Ihe h.story of the co-operative sheep associa¬ 
tions is like that of the Dairymen’s League. When 
the first sales were made a few years hack in Otsego 
and Essex counties, little attention was paid to them, 
even by the local wool buyers. Developing slowly, 
county by county, the full force of the county wool 
pool did not. strike the State until last year. Even 
then the buyers did not feel its full effects, because 
in-ices and commissions were fixed by the Govern¬ 
ment. Early this year indications were plentiful 
that the wool buyers were worried and determined 
to break up the proposition, if possible. The chances 
are, however, that they, like the milk dealers, have 
started too late. They have a different type of sheep 
raisers to deal with from that of a few years ago. 
This is something that most middlemen have failed 
ever from now on, and anyone who expects to ~ r;ls P- bile the farmer has been progressing they 
ship goods during the late Summer and Fall should lmve boon standing still. There is something almost 
get his order under way at once. The railroads patllotic in position of the buyers. In itself it 
have not increased their equipment particularly, and ** l iro °f Giat such men cannot perform the service 
are now facing the tremendous job of handling the wl *ich is tho olll - v excuse for their existence, 
big wheat crop. This will tax all their resources, * 
and the wheat must lie handled and put out of the 
way. Every freight ear that the Western roads can 
hitch an engine to will he picked up and sent West. 
Few ol ns realize how. under Government super¬ 
vision. the rolling stock of the railroads has been 
mixed up. Recently on one train running out into 
Xew Jersey on a side line we noticed cars from 
seven different railroads, all the way from Maine to 
Kansas. One of the things which must he hauled 
promptly is tHo Fall supply of fertilizer. This ought 
to he distributed before the rush of wheat hauling 
begins, or there will he a disastrous delay in getting 
it to the farm. Early orders, calling for prompt 
shipment, will greatly help this situation, and if you 
are m use fertilizer this Fall, our advice is to figure 
what you need and order at once. 
M OST of us have been frightened at the price of 
hay this past season, and we are working out 
all sorts of substitutes. We are still drilling fodder 
corn after early crops. There has been a heavy seed¬ 
ing of millet, and some of us will try buckwheat for 
fodder. We have found it profitable, in a wet season, 
to mix barley with the rye as a cover crop. The 
barley grows a crop of fair hay which can he cut in 
Ostohcr without injuring the rye. We had rye 
seeded in the sweet corn by July 20. 
T 
TIE freight situation promises to lie worse than 
W E said we would give the hired man a chance 
to state his case, and we have—given him the 
first page! We think this man is sincere, and we 
know lie expresses the views of many others. Let 
us ask ourselves if in our treatment of hired men we 
justify any such feeling. The writer worked several 
years as a hired man. For most of Ihe time he felt 
as much at home as though lie were one of tho fam¬ 
ily. Some of the farmers we worked for were poor 
and struggling, hut we all made the best of the con¬ 
ditions. and had little fault to find. During.the past 
2o years we have employed over 50 different men at 
farm work. We never had one who would not he 
glad to come hack if he needed a job. Some of them 
we would not have on the place under any condi¬ 
tions. Others were gentlemen and workers equal 
in character to any visitors we ever had. So we 
have learned that you cannot lay down any fixed 
rule on either side. It is in the man—his personality 
and his habits. And when we say that we include 
the farmer, too. One tiling is sure. It is the poorest 
economy to treat a decent man as you would an in¬ 
ferior being. The hired man is entitled to a square 
deal—and we think he gets it in most farm families, 
for we have known hired men who demanded Ihe 
earth—buttered. 
Your Rural Nkw-Yorkkk does me good every time I 
read it. Its sterling wholesomeness to me is undoubt¬ 
edly enhanced, because my father. Rev. (’has. R. North, 
preached "pure religion” in your building when it was 
a church, SO years ago. e. r. north. 
S most of our readers know, the building in 
which The R. X.-Y. has its home was formerly 
occupied by the Chelsea Methodist Church. When 
the congregation of that church moved away from 
this neighborhood it was our privilege to buy the 
building and refit it to suit the purposes of a pub¬ 
lishing house. It is surprising to find how many of 
our readers say that they formerly worshipped in 
this building. It is gratifying to have them say that 
something of tho spirit and character of this fine 
old church society is still retained in the industries 
which center here. The Rev. Mr. North preached 
“pure religion” here. We find the definition of this 
in the first chapter of St. James, twenty-seventh 
verse: 
“J'urc reliyion and undcfllcd before God and the 
qpnE wet weather has played havoc with many 
fields of grain. Some of the wheat and rye 
began to sprout in the shock before the weather 
cleared. We think a fair share of this sprouted 
giain can be sold at a reasonable price to poultry- 
men. It should not be a loss. If finally dried and 
advertised we think chicken men would take it. The 
poultrymen have increased their business, and need 
all the feed they can get. and sprouted grain will 
suit them, it will not lie worth as much as the 
higher grade wheat, but it ought to bring its feeding 
value. In the A\ estern States tills sprouted grain 
has been used successfully for feeding. 
f | HIE Granges and farm organizations in Wayne 
A Co., X. started early and requested the 
managers of both political parties to suggest practi¬ 
cal farmers as candidates for the Legislature. The 
Republican managers responded by suggesting 
Charles II. Betts. Mr. Betts is not a farmer, and 
by bis course on many public matters lias greatly 
antagonized many of the leading farmers of Wayne 
County, 'fhe Democrats met and in response to the 
Grange request suggested Fred W. Cornwall as their 
candidate. Mr. Cornwall is a well-known farmer, 
greatly respected and thoroughly familiar with the 
needs of Wayne County. He made it clear that he 
declined to run as a Democratic candidate, but as a 
fanner, pledging himself to put the farm interests 
of Xew York above everything else. There is a 
movement on foot to nominate a farmer to contest 
the primary nomination with Mr. Betts. At any 
rate, we are assured a straight, clear-cut contest in 
Wayne County. It is the first one of its kind in Xow 
York, and it will he a "hummer.” 
A 
S this is written a great demonstration of farm 
tractors is under way at Ftica, X. Y. There 
will he at least 10.000 farmers present. Who would 
have thought 25 years ago that such a gathering 
could he possible? The old-fashioned plowing 
matches, with horse or ox power, famous 75 years 
ago. died out. Xow comes this tremendous exhibit 
of farm teams which feed on gasoline! Another big 
demonstration will lie held on Aug. 13-14 in Ontario 
County on the Oliver M. Dibble farm at Holcomb. 
This will attract another big crowd. 
A 
Brevities 
You will find that audible thinking is more clangorous 
than silence. 
A dose * if democracy " ill cure many social troubles, 
but it is not a patent medicine. 
Beans for stock. Except for feeding to sheep we 
should steam or boil before feeding. 
Is there any real cure for a dog that has acquired the 
sure habit of chasing and killing chickens? 
More people than usual this year are talking about 
mushroom culture. Most of them would better take it 
out. in talking. 
Tiie American production of Crimson clover seed is 
estimated this year at 2,280,000 pounds. Up to June 
30 1.175.000 pounds of this seed were imported. South 
of Philadelphia Crimson clover is the great Winter 
cover crop. What vast quantities of nitrogen are col¬ 
lected by it! 
