1504 ' 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established isso 
On Wished weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 383 West 80th Streets New fork 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Koyi.e, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. equal to 8s. 6d, or 
8t$ marks, or 10k> francs. Demit 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 ns , and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We 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 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 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 be sent to us within one month or the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the ad. trtiser 
There is no farm paper that satisfies my needs as 
does The R. N.-Y. As a member of the Army Educa¬ 
tion Corps, having charge of the army school at Le 
Mans, it was like a visit from an old friend when the 
instructor of the agricultural class—a graduate of the 
Ohio Agricultural College—brought in a bundle of The 
R. N.-Y. for the pupils to read. chas. l. lee. 
Vermont. 
OTHING does us so much good as to have our 
people feel that a call from The R. N.-Y. is 
like the coming of an old friend. Money and power 
are mighty forees in the world, hut. friendship is 
stronger. It follows The It. N.-Y. over land and sea. 
* 
The capitalist, the laborer and the city consumer agree 
! on at. least one thing. They are all unable to under¬ 
stand why the cheap food does not continue. They are 
willing to import peasant farmers, to entice soldiers to 
farms, to fix prices, to prohibit the killing of heifer 
calves, to do almost anything except the one inevitable 
thing; that is, pay more for farm produce than was 
formerly paid.. 
HAT is taken from an address by Prof. G. F. 
Warren, and it is true. These men cannot un¬ 
derstand why food is not. as cheap as it was 20 years 
or more ago. They will not understand that for¬ 
merly food was produced on better land and under 
conditions which made it possible for men and 
women to work for less money. Now much of this 
land is poorer, and will not produce as much per 
acre or per unit of man power. The cheap food 
came at a time when there was so much land that 
farmers were skinning one farm and moving off to 
new land when the first farm began to give out. 
Now comes a time when this older land must he 
improved and kept up if it is to produce fair crops. 
All this costs money, and must go into the price paid 
for food. Then very naturally farmers and their 
families are no longer content to live as they did in 
the old days of cheaper food. They demand, as their 
right, as good a living as their relatives in town 
enjoy, and in order to obtain it they must he paid 
for their labor, and this payment is part of the price 
received for farm produce. So far as he is able, 
every city man does the same thing. As a result the 
price for such service as he gives must be increased, 
and it. is paid by those who buy what he makes or 
gives. We no longer have cheap stoves or carpets 
or brooms or furniture, because the labor cost has in¬ 
creased. We shall no longer have cheap food for the 
same reason. 
* 
I T is evident that, a good many County Farm 
Bureau associations are soon to he tested by acid 
and fire—if this has not happened already. In one 
New York county a dealer publicly states that he 
will “run the agent out.” In other places business 
men and politicians say, “We will get your scalp!” 
What is this all about? Has the agent proved 
ignorant, dishonest or incompetent? Quite the re¬ 
verse—he has merely tried to help his farmers by 
organizing co-operative societies or showing them 
how to save money through direct dealing. His 
enemies do not want his manhood—they want to get 
him out of the way and let them have full chance 
at the farmer’s money. Now can you honestly fi ure 
out why these young men should stand up and U 
the farmers’ battles if the farmers will not go¬ 
al K 1 back them up? Their organization is well pufc 
up and well oiled, but it cannot develop its own 
power. That must come from the farmers them¬ 
selves. It is for them alone to say whether their 
rights shall lie like clean clothes in a bureau drawer, 
or whether the bureau shall be a regular dynamo— 
with a live wire running to every farm in the county. 
We have got to do it ourselves! 
* 
H ERE we come again advising the use of phos¬ 
phorus with the manure this Winter. We feel 
that this advice is so sound that it should come into 
a farmer’s mind as frequently and naturally as sun¬ 
shine falls upon his body. In most of our soils the 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
lacking element is phosphorus. This is also-the most 
needed element in growing grain, seeds of any kind, 
or grass. It is particularly needed in dairy farming 
because when milk is sold there is a constant drain 
of phosphorus, with little if any coming back ex¬ 
cept where fertilizer is bought. There is not a ton 
of manure used in New York State which would not 
produce a better crop if a few pounds of phosphorus 
were added to it! Wc all say grass and clover will 
make a full ration for a cow, yet we add grain to it 
at a profit. Manure is no more a full ration for corn 
than clover hay is for a cow. The addition of plios- 
phorus in some form will pay as well as feeding the 
grain with the hay. 
* 
W F. know of some dairymen in New York State 
who are a little discouraged, and think of 
selling off all their cows and starting in sheep. Such 
men are usually middle-aged, without any growing 
family, and in sections where labor is hard to find 
We could not advise such men to make a complete 
change from cows to sheep. Most dairymen would 
fail as shepherds on a large scale, for the two lines 
of business are entirely different. It is a much bet¬ 
ter plan to sell off part of the cows, if that is desired, 
and put in a few good sheep so as to learn the busi¬ 
ness. On most farms the sheep business will always 
he a side line with dairying, fruit growing or general 
farming. In the usual plan of farming in New York 
State that is the logical place for sheep, and hun¬ 
dreds of farms would do well to start a small flock. 
The experience of Otsego County shows that the cow 
and the sheep can he kept on the same farm with 
profit. But the dairyman who thinks he can sell off 
all his cows and make as good a living out of sheep 
entirely is sure to have trouble. 
* 
P ERHAPS we are giving more attention to this 
question of silo juice aud intoxication than the 
subject is worth. However, we like to get to the 
bottom of a subject when we start, and this “silo 
drunk” joke has come to he a nuisance. After trac¬ 
ing down innumerable stories we have found no 
actual proof that any man ever got drunk by drink¬ 
ing this juice. Plenty of people say they have been 
told about it. but no evidence has yet been produced 
that would he accepted in court. Now we print two 
analyses of the juice as it was taken from the silo. 
There is not enough alcohol in either sample as 
taken to produce intoxication. As for the fool stories 
about burying a porous jug in the silo and finding it 
filled with whisky, that evidently came from a brain 
just out of a distillery. So exit, silo juice as an aid 
to John Barleycorn! The silo is not a brewery, the 
juice is not a substitute for liquor, and the silage 
fed cow is not breeding the booze habit through her 
milk. Bring on the next farm fake! 
* 
I live in a country village, have steam-heated house, 
hot and cold water system, electric lights. What has 
one in a city over us now ? L. A. S. 
E have often put that same qpestion to city 
people and they have only one answer— 
society. They like to he where there is “more going 
on.” The country is “too far from Broadway.” We 
have never had any other argument seriously put up 
to us. In our own case we have tapped a spring in 
the hillside above the house, and thus have full 
water pressure for all conveniences. The electric 
wire supplies light. In many cases this could be 
supplied by power from the farm brook or pond. 
Under these conditions we would not for a moment 
consider moving to the city. What could we find 
there to compensate for what we would lose? So¬ 
ciety? “ There is society where none intruder 
* 
It seems to me quite plain tlm f organized labor intends 
to secure from capital a larger trorc in what it pro¬ 
duces. It is equally plain that capita! is planning to 
enlist the farmer as an ally in this fight. It is doing all 
it can to stir up bad feeling and misunderstanding be¬ 
tween the farmer and the union laborer. Most of the 
abuse of the farmer in the city papers has this in view. 
As a farmer I realize that we are only • main ally organ¬ 
ized and that the labor unions are really fighting our 
battle when they are struggling to secure human rights. 
We should join them and dictate to the trusts instead of 
helping the trusts to crush them and then later being 
crushed by the trusts ourselves. Let us not quarrel with 
our natural friends. 0 . M. T. 
Kentucky. 
HO are our natural friends? The statement 
of the New York Grange repeated on page 
1387 has started a strong discussion. Yon will find 
the beginning of it on page 1490, and more will fol¬ 
low. Without question there is a great battle coming 
between what is known as “capital” and organized 
labor. The farmers do not thus far enter into this 
directly, siuce they are not yet fully organized. 
They hold and will continue to hold the balance of 
power, and sooner or later they will be compelled to 
side either with capital or organized labor in this 
October 11, 1019 
battle—or else stand firm and compel one side or 
the other to come to them. It must be admitted 
that in the past the farmers have followed, and 
handed over their strength instead of holding their 
power in hand and compelling others to come and 
give full equivalent for it. In past political 
campaigns there has never been a case where 
a direct farm issue has been brought out clearly 
and definitely, while issues which directly con¬ 
cern capital or organized labor are always made 
clear. Agriculture gets a little touch of verbal glory 
while capital and labor get “the goods.” Historically 
at least, farmers have usually sided with capital as 
against town or city labor. Every farmer is a small 
capitalist and an employer of labor, and it. will re¬ 
quire long and sound argument to convince the aver¬ 
age farmer just where his best interests lie. Our 
own opinion is that he should keep in the middle of 
the road and get his power well in hand. 
* 
For the past 13 months I have served as a Y. M. C. 
A. war work secretary in charge of a “hut.” During 
that time I have met thousands of men from all parts 
of the country, answering all kinds of questions, and 
assisted hundreds in making application for the Federal 
bonus. Having been a farmer and fruit grower, the Sec¬ 
retary Lane scheme of land for ex-service men has been 
a source of great interest to me. more particularly to 
see how many men would inquire about it. Only one 
ever asked about it. and he was a young man of this 
city with no experience of farm life or work, and no 
capital. He wanted to get some land under this plan 
with the idea of having a relative who has a little ex¬ 
perience work with him. They would have nothing to 
look forward to. in my opinion, but hard work and 
many disappointments, if they ever try it. 
Massachusetts. Arthur w. rarrett. 
UR own experience lias been the same. We 
have met and talked with many returned sol¬ 
diers. We have found only one who favored this 
Lane scheme. That one came from the Far West, 
and openly admitted that the scheme would benefit 
bis fathex-’s property. Wo cannot find any enthusi¬ 
asm for this plan. There is a general feeling that 
the money, if spent at all. should be put into road 
building or improvement. That would give employ¬ 
ment to the soldiers and bring thousands of good 
farms, now idle, into communication with markets. 
This land scheme seems to be held up in Congress 
for the present, but farmers must not stop their 
fight against it. 
- * * 
O N September 30 there was a notable gathering 
at Raleigh, N. C., in honor of Dr. W. F. Massey. 
It was the eightieth birthday of our old friend, 
who still retains his surprising mental and physical 
vigor. This meeting was arranged and carried out 
by Clarence E. Poe. and was a fine and well-deserved 
tribute to a man who all through his long and xisefnl 
life has made enduring friendships, which are, after 
ali, the truest test of living. Eighty years in the 
harness! What a life this man has letl through four¬ 
score of the busiest years this old world has known! 
They have not been idle years, for this veteran has 
made the most of them. He still retains the wisdom 
and the joy of life, sweet and clear and true, and 
our readers will all join with us in hoping that he 
may live to celebrate and enjoy a full century of 
birthdays. He will find that celebration crowded, 
as this one was, with happy memories and loving 
friends. 
* 
ER8EY JUSTICE! We often hear that expres¬ 
sion. It comes down from the law practices among 
the old Dutch settler’s of New J ersey. These men were 
not talkers, but they acted, slowly, promptly and 
effectively. This past week we have had an exam¬ 
ple of the old-fashioned “Jersey justice.” A man 
committed an unmentionable crime. He was caught, 
tried fairly, legally convicted, sentenced to 30 years’ 
imprisonment and permanently jailed—all in less 
than one hour! No flowers, hysterics, legal quib¬ 
bles or lynching, lie got what belonged to him in 
full measure and at once. “ Jersey justice /” A lit¬ 
tle more of that in every State of the Union would 
send a lot of criminal lawyers out to work for a liv¬ 
ing, but there would be less crime along with fewer 
lawyers! 
Brevities 
Tite strength of the concrete post lies in the “rein¬ 
forcement.” 
An article about tanning woodchuck and other small 
skins on page 1513. Arsenic is frequently used with the 
salt and alum, hut we do not advise amateurs to han¬ 
dle it. 
One of our readers has a trap-nest with an electric 
attachment which will ring when the hen enters and lays 
an egg. This device connects with a bell in the kitchen 
or sitting room, so that in Winter immediate warning is 
given. 
From Ohio comes the report that the plan of using a 
cover crop on corn land is gaining. Rye or rye and 
vetch or Alsike clover seeded in the corn at last culti¬ 
vation will hold the ground through Fall and Winter, 
and give a great crop to be plowed under in Spring. 
