1296 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 6, 1919 
Things To Think About 
The object of this department is to give readers a chance to express themselves on farm 
matters. Not long articles can he used—just short, pointed opinions or suggestions. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER does not always endorse what is printed here. You might 
call this a mental safety valve. 
Notes on Profiteer’s Figures 
I have been interested in “Profiteer’s” 
trouble, page 1150. I think if he had his 
cows tested he would find he has some 
boarders in his cow-barn. lie does not 
got. enough out of his butter. He said 
he has 15 cows, a team of horses, hogs 
and chickens. It seems there ought to be 
manure enough so he could cut his fer¬ 
tilizer bill almost in two. and have enough 
.to buy a manure spreader. He said he 
jraised his meat, flour, fruit and vegetables. 
Then why should he have $100 for gro¬ 
ceries? He has $100 for general ex¬ 
penses. and also $109 for farm equipment. 
I should think they both would be general 
expenses. His taxes are not high in 
comparison with taxes here. Taxes aver¬ 
age about $1 per acre, and the personal 
besides, lie certainly had a lot of grain 
to sell, besides what it took to feed his 
stock. The hours he works are about 
the same as most of the farmers work 
here. So many unhandy barns here every¬ 
thing has to be handled so many times. 
The new barns have remedied that a 
great deal. The water systems here are 
a failure in Winter. The ground freezes 
sometimes seven or eight feet deep, where 
there is much tramping. MRS. o. n. N. 
Michigan. 
On page 1050 “Profiteer” gives his 
summary of the year 1917. Among his 
expenditures we find an item of $445 as 
notes paid, without anything to show for 
these notes in the cash column. The $445 
should not be included in expenditures 
unless a like amount was entered in the 
cash account when he was loaned the 
money (or goods, which are equivalent), 
because at the time he gave the notes he 
gave them obviously “for value received.” 
and although he may perhaps have re¬ 
ceived no actual money, but goods in¬ 
stead, the transaction is no different from 
receiving that much money from one per¬ 
son and paying it out to another. The 
fact that he has perhaps included it 
under the items which he needed (when 
he found it necessary to give the notes) 
as cash paid for those items seems to me 
a very probable source, or perhaps I 
should say location, of his “gentleman in 
the wood pile,” and he has therefore $445 
to add on the credit side of his ledger. 
As his present accounts stand he has 
paid the $445 out twice. If the notes 
were given in some previous year he 
should have brought forward that amount 
to the current year’s cash account as cash 
on hand. frank j. m’gregor. 
Massachusetts. 
I was glad to see the profit sheet sub¬ 
mitted by “Profiteer” on page 1150. This 
is a sort of supplement to his previous 
letter, in which he complains of the low 
percentage of profit resulting to the 
farmer. I notice that, in the column 
representing his receipts, he makes no 
mention of such items as rent, fuel, food 
produced on the farm and consumed in 
the home and dozens of minor items which 
should be included. I also notice that, 
in the column representing the expendi¬ 
tures. he includes $244.40 for interest, 
$445 for notes paid, $31.35 for life in¬ 
surance and $169.56 for farm equipment, 
besides several other minor expenses, a 
part of which should be considered in the 
light of permanent improvements. Sum¬ 
ming these all up, I find that, above the 
interest on his investment, and above his 
living expenses of every kind and nature, 
he has made a net profit of $631.91. Now, 
is there any other business or occupation 
which would yield him greater returns? 
C. o. o. 
Human Nature and Beet Pulp 
It will interest you to know of a con¬ 
versation I had recently with a man 
prominent in the beet sugar industry 
along the lines of waste materials or by¬ 
products. He said that they found it 
impossible to give farmers either their 
spent lime or their waste pulp. They 
were forced to charge a good price for it. 
and when they did they had no trouble 
in getting rid of all of that material for 
which no one would furnish a teifm to 
cart when it was free. P. w. 
R. N.-Y.—There is a good example of 
“human nature.” Few men seem to have 
the power to give value to a product or 
estimate what it may come to, after de¬ 
velopment. We are inclined to wait until 
someone else puts a value on it Fortunes 
are made by those who have this faculty 
of looking ahead and estimating future 
values. 
Farm Investments 
I wonder whether you realize how the 
articles published in your paper are 
cussed and discussed by your readers, and 
consequently how great an effect they 
have on these same readers’ attitudes to¬ 
ward life and farming? You say articles 
like “Confessions of a Profiteer” and W. 
S. Peck’s milk experiences are true. Per- 
hays they are in a way, hut there must 
be a screw loose somewhere in both of 
them. Someone, I have forgotten who, 
seems to have discovered it for Mr. Peck 
in his ovei*feeding and his undervaluation 
of the manure. I think if we could see 
“Profiteer’s” budget it would be very evi¬ 
dent in his case too. In the June 21 issue 
The Rural New-Yorker I notice you ask 
how far do we go with Mr. Reynolds in 
his idea of farm investments. Answer. 
“To the limit.” It's the only solution. 
This is one of the best articles you have 
published in many months. M. E. c. 
New York. 
R. N.-Y.—Yes, we realize how these 
articles are “cussed and discussed.” They 
are printed in order to encourage just 
such mental exercise. Our readers un¬ 
derstand fully that we are trying to en¬ 
courage clear thinking. We can hardly 
think of anything more useless than a 
set of placid articles with which no one 
can possibly disagree. 
Lightning Rod Agents 
The lightning rod agent gets a few 
kind words on page- 1156, and I feel 
moved to give my experience, or rather, 
lack of experience with them. I wished 
to rod my barn, and an agent offered to 
do the job for $83. I purchased a com¬ 
plete outfit, with 32-wire woven copper 
cable, from a company advertising in The 
It. N.-Y.. for about $28, freight paid. We 
installed it ourselves and did it ‘right, 
and are well pleased with our pay of $55 
for 10 hours work. My experience and 
observation lead me to believe that all 
agents get big commissions, and the light¬ 
ning rod agent the most of all. 
f. w. packer. 
Keeping Out Trespassers 
E. A., page 1007. seems to be out of 
luck. A good pair of field glasses would 
help identify the trespassers, and a row 
of beehives would help keep them out. 
This latter is not an experiment, as it 
has had.at least one. successful try-out, 
the only objection being in the length of 
line it has to cover. F. M. kirby. 
But would not the golf players knock 
the hives over? 
Misrepresentation in Sale of Farm 
A buys a farm from B. B stating in a 
printed advertisement that there was run¬ 
ning water in the barn, piped from a 
spring. The pipe is there, but no spring, 
only surface water. What can A do in 
regard to the matter? Can A get the 
money back that he paid on the farm, or 
sue for damages, or both? E. T. s. 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
This misrepresentation in regard to run¬ 
ning spring water in the barn is hardly of 
such vital importance that it would war¬ 
rant a voidance of the contract, and A’e 
getting his money back, unless the parties 
had made it so by their actions or under¬ 
standing. If A had said “I don’t want the 
farm unless it has running spring water in 
the barn.” and then B had warranted that 
it had all of that, and later it had turned 
out that B had made a deliberate mis¬ 
statement, A could then rescind the con¬ 
tract. But where the statement in regard 
to the water was merely one of many in 
respect to the farm, and A had not relied 
solely on it, A could hardly rescind the 
contract. He could, however, Tecover dam¬ 
ages for the loss he has suffered by reason 
of the misstatement, and the measure of 
his damage would be the difference in 
value of the farm as it is and as it would 
be if the statement had been true. A 
friendly settlement would be best if such a 
thing is possible; if not, A should get the 
best lawyer obtainable and follow his ad¬ 
vice. 
Building on Rented Land 
I live on a rented place and wish to 
build a chicken house. Will you give me 
a contract for the same? \v. c. B. 
Pennsylvania. 
My understanding of the law is that a 
portable building put up by a tenant upon 
a rented place is his personal property, 
which he may remove at will. This build¬ 
ing should not be put upon a stone or 
concrete foundation after the manner 
usually adopted for permanent buildings, 
but should be built upon runners or tem¬ 
porary posts in a way that will show that 
the idea of removing it later is in the 
tenant’s mind. I do not think that any 
written contract is necessary, unless re¬ 
quired by special laws of your State, but 
it would be wise, perhaps, to have a reli¬ 
able witness to your verbal understanding 
with your landlord that you intend to re¬ 
move the building when your tenancy ex¬ 
pires. Ask some go.od neighbor to wit¬ 
ness the agreement with your landlord 
that the building may be removed, and do 
not use anything belonging to the land¬ 
lord in its construction unless you have 
purchased and paid for the same. 
M. B. D. 
Benefits of Potato Associations 
In the August 9 issue of Tiie R. N.-Y. 
is part of a column devoted to the nc- 
f'unt of an association formed by Long 
Island potato growers for the purpose 
of producing seed stock true to type and 
free from disease. It is gratifying to 
read of such action, and to know that 
growers are fast becoming alarmed at the 
real and immediate dangers that are con¬ 
fronting the potato industry. As in the 
case of disease among animals, there can 
be no thoroughly effectual methods 
adopted to combat it until a systematic 
organization is completed and the co¬ 
operation of all concerned obtained. The 
rapid spread of potato diseases may be 
rightly attributed to very many different 
causes, among which are insect carriers, 
methods of transportation and the ship¬ 
ment of tubers from section to section, 
a means of spreading disease that is caus¬ 
ing much trouble for New Jersey and 
Long Island growers. These growers, as 
a rule, use Northern-grown seed, and as 
a result have accumulated practically 
every infectious disease that is common 
in other sections. Lately much interest 
has been awakened and no little action 
taken to combat disease in localities that 
ship to these growers, and no doubt the 
present season will estatblish relations 
between them and the Northern growers 
that will be instrumental in furthering the 
interests of all concerned. 
To. accomplish this end several local 
associations, under the New York State 
Potato Growers’ Association, are devot¬ 
ing their time in an effort to produce 
disease-free and true-to-type varieties. 
These fields are inspected by experts from 
Cornell, and scored on tlieir condition 
at each inspection, of which there are 
three, two in the field and one after the 
crop is harvested. Potatoes that success¬ 
fully pass the rigid inspection are classed 
as “certified,” and as such are as true-to- 
type and free from disease as modern 
methods can make them. At. the annual 
meeting of the New York Association, 
held at the farm of Chas. Lacy. Fulton, 
N. Y„ August 9, men of prominence from 
this and other States gave much bene¬ 
ficial information on all phases of the 
potato question, and the interest that was 
displayed by the general public augers 
well for the growth and spread of the 
value that the association wishes to im¬ 
part by its activities. The fields of the 
Granby Seed Potato Association were 
visited by a large number at the annual 
meeting, and much enthusiasm evoked by 
their appearance. There are now 18 
members in this association, and this year 
they have about 120 acres grown from 
selected seed entirely of the Green 
Mountain and Cobbler types. These fields 
present a pleasing contrast to those in 
which ordinary seed and methods are 
Used. DONALD LUKE. 
Dog-training Book Wanted 
Can you quote me price on.a practical 
book on training cow dogs? T. U. R. 
New York. 
We have had a number of requests for 
books giving clear and indefinite instruc¬ 
tions on how to train dogs to be used 
with cattle and sheep, but thus far have 
found no book that seems to fill these 
wants. There are many books giving 
long descriptions of the breeds and some¬ 
thing about their care, but practically 
nothing on these points of training. Can 
any reader give the title and publisher 
of such a book or pamphlet? 
Eradicating Thistles 
What is the best way to eradicate 
Canada thistles from an old pasture of 
about 60 acres which is very full of 
them? It is intended to permanently re¬ 
store the grass on the land without plow¬ 
ing, because it is too hilly and stony to 
plow without a great deal of difficulty, 
and if plowed it would badly wash. 
Michigan. H. B. G. 
We shall have to turn that over to 
some of our experienced readers. To 
clean out 60 acres of hilly and stony pas¬ 
ture without plowing is a job which would 
stump us. Plowing or full cultivation is 
the best remedy we know for Canada 
thistle. Would anyone undertake to clean 
the old pasture? 
Save Money, Grind Your Own Feed 
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-—It grinds corn and small grains per¬ 
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only asmoilinvestment. You buy di¬ 
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Two Excellent Vegetable Books 
By R. L. Watts 
Vegetable Gardening . , . , , $1.75 
Vegetable Forcing.2.00 
Clearly written, practical, convenient for 
reference, covering outdoor and green¬ 
house vegetable work. For sale by 
The Rural New-Yorker 
333 W. 30th St., New York 
LIMING PAYS 
And it pays best when you Lime with 
Annville Snow Flake Hydrated Lime 
ns it is almost 100% pure and is high in Car¬ 
bonate of Lime. Insist on having it. If you 
can’t get it from your agent, write us direct 
for prices. 
In order to get the best results from Fer¬ 
tilizer or Manure, you must sweeten tlie soil and 
give the Bacteria a chunee. as a Sour Soil won't 
digest tlie Plant Food in,the Fertilizer or Manure 
to the best advantage for tlie growing crop if 
your soil contains so much acid that tlie Bacteria 
in the soil is weakened. That is why you must 
Lime heavily to get a good catch of Alfalfa or 
Clover, as tlds gives the Bacteria a chance. 
While we have our money invested in Fertilizer 
as well as in Lime, until you correct that Soil 
Acidity on your Farm we would advise tlie use 
of Lime, as we recognize that on a Sick Soil our 
Fertilizer won't give as good results as on a 
Healthy Soii: amr we want our Fertilizers to be 
used under tlie best conditions. 
THE READING CHEMICAL CO. 
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from 500 to 1,000 lbs. to the acre. 
INTERESTING GARDEN BOOKS 
A Woman’s Hardy Carden— By Mrs. 
H. R. Ely .$1.75 
Old Time Gardens—Bp A. M. Earle 2.50 
Flowers and Fern* in Their Haunts— 
By M. O. Wright .... 2.00 
Plant Physiology— By Duggan . . 1.60 
For sale by Rural New-Yorker, 333 W. 30th St., N.Y. 
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