1186 
August 0, 1910 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban llomen 
Established ISJO 
t>nhli«lifd TTookly tiT the Rural riihlishing Company. 333 West 30th Street. New York 
Herbert W. COLi.tNr.woon. President and Editor. 
John' .1. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. DtLLON. Secretary. Mrs, E. T. Roylk. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal toSs. fid, or 
8 ?a marks, or 10 L. francs. Remit in money order, express 
. ” order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter 
Advertising rates. 15 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us , and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
AA'e 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 sw indler, irrespon¬ 
sible advertisers or misleading 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 w illingly use our good 
oflices to this end, but such cases should not bo eonfused 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 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. 
The saloons are now closed, but the Farm Bureau 
office is open. Instead of meeting your friends at the 
former place, meet them in our office. This office is 
at your disposal. Some are making use of it and many 
are not. A groat many of our members we have never 
met. We can be of but little service to you unless we 
know wliat you want. 
HAT is from tlie Farm Bureau of Licking 
County. Ohio, and it is good sense. We have 
had all sorts of opinions about the value of Farm 
Bureaus. Some claim wonderful results, while 
others can see little in the organization. When we 
come to analyze the reports we find that the suc¬ 
cessful Farm Bureaus are located in counties where 
for one reason or another the farmers dominate the 
bureau. It is not possible for such an organization 
to rise much above the spirit which dominates it. 
Where the farmers take an interest in the work and 
are disposed to give reasonable and kindly help the 
i bureau can he made wonderfully efficient. Where 
the farmers do not take interest in it how can it 
do otherwise than go into the control of grafters 
or politicians? We are hearing considerable about 
the dangers which confront the Farm Bureaus. 
There is one and only one strong antidote for such 
dangers, and that is the sound and loyal backing of 
the farmers. 
* 
T HERE is little new to relate about “daylight sav¬ 
ing." The House of Representatives passed a 
special bill repealing the law. The Senate will also 
pass it. The report from the White House now is 
that President Wilson will veto it when it comes t«» 
him. Letters and arguments by the thousand in 
favor of repeal are pouring in upon the President, 
and also upon Congress. It is thought by some that 
President Wilson will change his views when he 
realizes how bitterly the farmers oppose the law. On 
the other hand, the friends of daylight saving are 
working like tigers to hold the President to their 
views. It has become a contest largely between town 
and country people. The big concentrating argument 
upon which there is substantial agreement is the 
following: 
Article by .1. S„ on page 1133, beaded “Daylight Sav¬ 
ing and Sleep Loss,” is just my case exactly. It lias 
been a great loss to us. We have changed back to the 
old time. We consider it has (bunaged us $2 per day. 1 
have a family of eight, five school age. We find they did 
not keep up their studies for lack of sleep. Lots of our 
neighbors have changed back to right time. 
Xew York. cjiarles l. french. 
Many farmers will change back to the old time 
and let those who deal with them follow or not, as 
they see fit. 
* 
O F all the results of fertilizer experiments in this 
country nothing is so conclusive as the proof 
that 00 per cent of our cultivated land needs phos¬ 
phorus. There are a few sections of the country 
where this element is naturally so abundant that new 
supplies are not needed. These sections are few. 
On the great majority of our American soils we may 
safely conclude that phosphorus is the dominating 
element in fertilizing. Nitrogen is lost from all 
cropped soils, but that can he and is in part returned 
wherever clover and the other legumes are grown. 
On dairy and stock farms it is also true that con¬ 
siderable nitrogen is brought back in purchased feed. 
There is little to make up the loss in phosphorus, for 
most of the feeds now sold are lacking in that cle¬ 
ment. Where grain is grown the need of phosphorus 
is particularly strong. The grain kernels cannot he 
made perfect without this element. The plant roots 
are made larger and more vigorous and early ripen¬ 
ing is hastened when the plant is fully supplied with 
1 hosphoric acid. Now, when it is absolutely neces¬ 
sary to obtain the largest possible growth of grain 
and fodder crops, we find most of our older soils de¬ 
ficient in this life-giving element. It must he sup¬ 
plied in some form of fertilizer. The most logical 
‘Ihc RURAL NEW-YORKER 
time for using it is at grain seeding or planting. Its 
effect upon the young plant is stimulating, and we 
till know the advantage of a quick, early start. It 
will pay lo use some form of phosphate at the time of 
seeding wheat or other Fall grain or grass. On corn 
and most other crops it is good practice to use the 
phosphorus with the manure as made or hauled out. 
On most dairy farms the practice is to haul and 
spread the manure day by day. This saves labor and 
manure, since there is never a time when the manure 
contains more plant food than on the day it is made. 
In the future it will he the .common practice of good 
dairymen to use some form of phosphorus with the 
manure each day as it is hauled out. It will he con¬ 
sidered as sound a practice to feed the manure with 
phosphate as it is to feed the cows with grain. 
* 
T HOSE Ne\y Jersey farmers (page 1173) show- 
how practical men may make use of science to 
advantage. They wanted to locate a plant for crush¬ 
ing limestone. So they got samples from various 
places and sent them to the State chemist for an¬ 
alysis. Thus they found how much lime they could 
get. in a ton. and then, after considering the location 
and other things, they knew where to go. It is good 
to see farmers make practical use of what science 
has to offer them. Manufacturing made use of sci¬ 
ence many years earlier than agriculture, and that 
is one reason for its present power. Farmers have 
great need of true scientific knowledge, hut science 
should not be their master. They should use it as 
they do improved machinery, and protect the sci¬ 
entists by keeping the politicians away from them. 
* 
D ENMARK has been held up before the world as 
a great example of what a nation or a section 
can do in dairying. The war has hurt Denmark 
severely, and the dairy business is declining. The 
blockade cut off supplies of feed and the Danish 
farmers had not been trained to produce anything 
like a full supply of grain and fodder. Thus many 
cattle wore slaughtered, and it will he some years at 
best before the herds can he renewed. American 
cheese is now being sold in Denmark, and the war 
has given Ireland a great chance to supply the Eng¬ 
lish market. Denmark grow great in dairying on 
the theory that feed can be economically brought 
3.000 miles or more to feed the cattle. In somewhat 
like manner, Germany with all her careful prepara¬ 
tion, neglected to provide a home supply of fats for 
both man and beast When the struggle came the 
feed and the fats could not be provided because 
Denmark and Germany had neglected to produce 
them. There is a good lesson in this for many of our 
Eastern dairymen who have got into the habit of 
buying all or most of their feed, instead of planning 
to produce most of it at home. 
$ 
O N the next page is the first of a series of articles 
on agricultural conditions in Europe. Those 
are written by Dr. Jacob G. Lipinan of New Jersey. 
Dr. Lipman is now in France making a study of farm 
conditions, particularly in regard to fertilizers. 
There is no one in this country hotter qualified to do 
this, and the questions of plant food are to have 
much to do with future competition in the world's 
supply of food. The first article discusses the potash 
situation. The war lias brought potash deposits un¬ 
der control of the French, and also started the de¬ 
velopment of other deposits in Spain. Prices must 
go lower, and there comes the big question of a tariff 
to protect the new potash industry in this country. 
Our own opinion is that the experience during the 
war shows we do not. need potash on most heavier 
soils half as much as we thought we did. 
* 
The hist caucus I attended in this town I saw a group 
of live or six men put in nomination a man who had 
had that office for several years, during which time lie 
had not attended to his business, against the wishes of a 
large number of those present and voting, lie was elect¬ 
ed and has been re-elected to the same office. As is well 
known, an organized minority can usually rule an un¬ 
organized majority. a. \v. 
VERY time, unless, as will happen now and then, 
the people really get angry and let their anger 
substitute for organized effort. When such things 
happen the result is about as it is in the case of some 
good-natured person who in a moment of anger as¬ 
sumes responsibilities for which he is not fitted. 
When he cools off he realizes his situation and often 
goes to the wrong people for support. Farmers do 
not need revolution as much as they do evolution in 
working out to a fairer share of social and business 
benefits. Still, revolutions seems to lie needed at 
times to start evolution. Evolution is always an 
organized growth—ahead or backward. Revolution 
is a destruction of organized forms of society with¬ 
out exactly knowing what is to follow. The time has 
gone by when 100 good men should stand helplessly 
by as individuals and let half a dozen “organizers” 
force a candidate upon them. That will always he 
done, however, until the farmers change the situa¬ 
tion themselves. The politicians are parasites, and 
live on the 100 individuals who stand apart and let 
the half dozen do it. Out on the plains a band of 
horses were attacked by wolves. Instead of scat¬ 
tering. as the cows did. to he pulled down and killed 
one by one, these horses stood in a circle—the colts 
in the center—with hind feet to the wolves. It was 
death to the wolf that came within range of those 
heels. Every now and then there comes a great 
chance for farmers to practice this plan of doing it 
1 liemselves. There is such a chance in Wayne Co., 
X. Y.. this year, and farmers everywhere will watch 
to see how they do it. 
* 
O N the next page is a discussion of the sale of 
food now held by the War Department. This 
food was bought or contracted for at a time when 
another year of Avar seemed sure. With the army 
rapidly disbanded this food is not needed by the 
soldiers. It has been held hack on the theory that 
prices would he upset if it were thrown upon the 
market, hut. Congress has uow ordered the War 
Department to sell it at once. Most of it will be 
sold in small lots and distributed by parcel post 
direct to buyers. The War Department is to give 
out prices as soon as they can he figured. This 
supply, if it can he distributed to people in moderate 
circumstances, will give a little relief, but there is 
not enough of it to make any great difference in 
prices if the law of supply and demand is permitted 
to work. There has been no such law in operation 
lately—the 'handlers and speculators have had their 
own hn\\ When this comparatively small amount 
of food is offered for sale the handlers and dealers 
will attempt to cut down prices to producers on the 
false claim that this offering of food compels them 
to pay less. They have already made a good profit 
on this food. What they are afraid of is this direct 
distribution by the Government. If such distribu¬ 
tion means fairer retail prices the consumers will 
begin to realize that what we have so long claimed 
about direct dealing with producers is true. In a 
small way the co-operative selling of wool has shown 
that the labor of many buyers and handlers was 
not necessary or economical. Both the farmers and 
the manufacturers made a better bargain by dealing 
direct. In a much larger way the public must learn 
the benefits of direct, dealing in food. Thus while 
this Government sale of war supplies will be little 
more than a drop in the bucket, or less than a 
Aveek’s ration of meat and canned goods, it will help 
break the monopoly Avhich the handlers and distri¬ 
butors have so long enjoyed. The array bleAV holes 
in one form of autocracy Avith its powder and shot. 
We Avish it. could bUnv up ahother trade autocracy 
with its meat and bread! 
A delegation of railroad workers called upon 
President Wilson and told him they must have 
higher Avages or cheaper food! This has started 
Congress and the Administration into a crusade 
against high prices. In XeAvark. N. J.. the city gOA'- 
ernment is selling army bacon at 36 cents, while re¬ 
tailers charge 50 cents. Now Avatcli how this fight 
against “profiteers” turns out. You will soon begin 
to see the daily papers. charging that the farmers 
are the real profiteers—that the dealers are barely 
making a living! That will he the work of the big 
interests Avhich stand in the background and pull 
wires of silver and gold to make their puppets dance. 
And they Avill succeed in convincing the consumers 
that the farmers are the robbers unless the latter 
can get their story fairly before the city people, and 
show that the crime of cutthroat prices lies in the 
present ruinous system of distribution. 
Brevities 
Not too late to seed barley for hay or fodder. 
From South Carolina conies the report that crops 
were injured by using a form of potash from one of file 
California deposits. 
The Canadian wool growers have built a $60,000 
building as a wool warehouse. They handled 4,500.000 
pounds of avooI last year. 
There is probably not an acre of old pasture in the 
Eastern Stales which docs not need lime in some form 
before it can produce good crops. After lime, its greatest 
need is phosphorus. 
That great race at the Vineland egg-laying contest 
still speeds on. The Reds gained one egg in the thirty- 
seventh week. That about equals an eyelash in a horse 
nice. There are 106 days more—which pen do you 
back? 
Diamonds! The Geological Survey estimates that 
about half the diamonds in the world (valued at one 
billion dollars) are owned in the United States. Every 
year a feAv diamonds are found in this country—valued 
at a feAv thousand dollars only. 
