1792 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSIXESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country nnd Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
Pj.Mished weekly by the Rtirnl I'ubJishinjr Company, 333 West 30 th Street, New fork 
Herbert W. Collingyvood, President nnd Editor. 
John J. Dili.on, Treasurer and General Manager. 
wm. F, D ill on, Secretary. _ Mrs. E. T. Roylk. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.01. equal to 8s. 6d, or 
8|£ marks, or IOJa francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank ‘draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 75 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us , nnd cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. \v e use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. Rut 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 subscribere and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
ofhees 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 of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention Thk Rural New- 
x orkk.h when writing the ad .crtiser 
Enclosed find another V for the old stand-by. This 
makes forty-odd years since it has been the most welcome 
visitor of all the numerous papers and magazines re¬ 
ceived by me, and I hope to have it as a visitor until 
the end. I am now G9, and still every day in the field— 
no help. .W ith my best wishes for continued prosperity. 
Mississippi. chas. e. pabst. ' 
UR hope is that Mr. Pabst may he with us for 40 
years longer. The best advertising The R. N.-Y, 
can have is the fact that men like Mr. Pabst can read 
the paper 40 years and then come back with .$5 for a 
renewal. When beginning a friendship with a paper, 
select one that does not wear out. 
* 
T HE farmers of Canada having elected nearly a 
majority of the members of the Ontario Legis¬ 
lature have now formed a cabinet—of which all but 
two members are farmers, and most of them grad¬ 
uates of an agricultural college. Now we shall have 
a fair experiment in the ability of intelligent farmers 
to control a government, legislate wisely and show 
character and self-control in public life. Most of 
the so-called leaders say they will fail, but we bank 
on these farmers to succeed. 
* 
W E are safe in saying that the series of articles 
on “Farm Buttermaking” just starting in 
The R. N.-Y. are the best of the kind ever printed. 
We never had so many questions about making small 
lots of good butter. There seem to be more “family 
cows” than ever before. The campaign against, using 
oleo on dairy farms has started many dairymen in 
the plan of keeping one good cow for the family 
supply. This cow is known as “Mother's cow,” and 
she provides the family butter. On many farms 
where from 15 to 50 cows are milked buttermaking 
has become a lost art. These articles by Prof. Jud¬ 
kins give us the best there is. 
* 
A FEW weeks ago the National Nut Growers’ As¬ 
sociation met at Albany, Ga. Few people real¬ 
ize how the humble nut has grown into a big tree of 
business. The year’s business in peanuts alone has 
grown to nearly $200,000,000, while trade in other 
nuts comes to about $35,000,000. As is the case in all 
other lines of industry, invention and the develop¬ 
ment of machinery has helped the nut business. A 
machine for cracking nuts has been invented, and 
big graders capable of handling half a million 
pounds of nuts are in operation. If anyone be in¬ 
clined to wonder how there can he such a trade in 
nuts, let him remember that a pound of cracked nuts 
contains more nutriment than a pound of beefsteak. 
There are thousands of strong, healthy people who 
obtain most of the protein in their food from nuts, 
and they will hold their own in any test of strength 
with the meat eaters. AVe believe it is true beyond 
question that in the future a good share of humanity 
will cut their roast and steak from pecan and hickory 
trees—and be better for it. Furthermore, the future 
will see improved hickories grown in New England 
to an extent that will rival the walnut industry in 
California. 
* 
T HERE has been for some time a bill before Con¬ 
gress to make the bonds of the Federal Land 
Bank taxable. At present they are exempt from the 
income tax, and this exemption has made them 
reasonably salable. The money obtained from the 
sale of these bonds is loaned on farm property. The 
effort to remove this tax exemption from the bonds 
is largely backed by the banks and money-lenders. 
They expect in that way to prevent or injure the sale 
of bonds, and thus cripple the Land Banks. In the 
Eastern States these banks have conducted only a 
moderate business, but in the West and South bor¬ 
rowing has been heavy. Most of the loans have been 
used to pay off old mortgages. This gives the farmer 
a reduction in his interest rate and a surer title to 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
his farm, since he pays off the mortgage year by year. 
Thus, while it may not be said that these Land Bank 
loans have greatly increased the area o f land under 
cultivation, they have made many farmers more pros¬ 
perous and contented. So far as we can find out. the 
movement to take away the tax exemption from 
these bonds has no great strength in Congress. We 
think it will fail, but it should be watched. What 
we need is a more liberal Land Bank law—not a 
restriction of the present one. What we must have 
is a sound system under which a tenant or hired 
man with character but little capital may obtain a 
farm of his own. 
* 
A FARMER in New York State, at a time when 
farm work was slack, took a contract to haul 
railroad ties from a sawmill. The farmer engaged 
a man to drive the team at this work. The driver 
met with an accident—a pile of ties fell over and 
injured his foot. It is claimed that the injury was 
not as bad as represented, but, be that as it may. the 
driver took eight weeks off and the farmer was 
forced to pay nearly $110 compensation, which was 
about seven times as much as his profit on the job. 
1 nder the New A ork law farmers are exempt, and 
if this man had been hurt while doing ordinary farm 
labor he could not have obtained such compensation. 
Hauling ties or similar work is classed as a haz¬ 
ardous occupation, being outside the regular farm 
labor, and when a farmer takes such outside work 
and employs labor he becomes responsible for com¬ 
pensation. We make this clear so that New York 
farmers may understand the point. If a farmer 
leaves his farm and starts in what the law calls a 
hazardous occupation” it will pay him to carry com¬ 
pensation insurance. This is not expensive, but will 
give protection. 
* 
TT has come to be a common thing for meetings of 
A farmers to protest against any plan for combin¬ 
ing with organized labor. That may bo regarded as 
the definite feeling among farmers, but we think 
these meetings might well go further in expressing 
their convictions. A failure to combine with organ¬ 
ized labor does not mean that farmers are seeking 
to combine with what is known as capital—now 
being classed as the enemy of “labor.” While farm¬ 
ers do not intend to take definite sides with capital, 
they may be placed in the false position of seeking 
to do so unless they make their position clear. The 
farmers should not side with either capital or 
organized labor in the present fight. Neither side 
has any particular love for the agriculturist. Each 
wants his power to help them crush the other, while 
the farmer would not be benefited by the crushing 
of either side. He would be benefited by compelling 
both sides to be fair and reasonable in their rela¬ 
tions. The present situation will lead to the destruc¬ 
tion of industry unless labor and capital stop their 
present war of extermination. The force of fully 
organized agriculture is the only power which can 
stop the present foolish and destructive conflict. 
Farmers should not take sides in this industrial 
battle. Let them organize down to every school dis¬ 
trict in the land and keep in the middle of the road. 
Keep their organization as democratic as possible, 
and find leaders who can and will lead. Do not go 
to either side of the present conflict as a servant or 
follower, hut remain as master, and compel one side 
or the other to come to you. 
* 
I T was expected that by this time there would be 
heavy shipments of potash to this country from 
France. The truth is that very little has come thus 
far. Various reasons are given for this failure. It 
is said that Europe and England need potash even 
more than we do. On the other side, every effort 
is being made to increase food production, and great 
quantities of potash will be used. The Allies are 
all looking to the French mines for their supply. It 
seems that these French mines have not come up to 
expectations. They were not prepared to mine the 
potash properly and a 10-weeks’ strike left France 
unable to produce export potash, as our own coal 
strike left this country unable to export coal. When 
the war ended the American potash operators mostly 
stopped working in order to sell off their surplus at 
a good figure. The result of all this is that unless 
the French or German supply can be speeded up. we 
shall have to pay immense prices once more. Muriate 
of potash is now quoted at $300 per ton—too much 
except on very light soil. 
* 
The effort should not lie for farmers to work shorter 
hours to curtail production, hut for each one to do all 
he can himself, refusing to hire the offscourings of the 
labor unions sent out from the cities. Doing big things 
with lots of hired help or planning for the same, being 
in perpetual slavery to them, adding to the drudgery for 
the women folks, is the mistake under present conditions. 
• December 0, 191!) 
The shortage of labor is an unnatural condition, caused 
by short, hours, requiring too many hands to do the 
same work, and where the farmer and his family can 
confine themselves to small operations, side lines or not, 
independent of hired help, there is more hope than try¬ 
ing to do big things, to get that “several thousand dol¬ 
lars” to turn over to someone else. Most of us under¬ 
take too much, anyhow. r, 
A S we go about the country we find many farmers 
who are taking that position. In fact, farming 
seems to be passing into groups—being determined 
largely by the supplies of labor and capital. Some 
farmers with cash or good credit are actually in¬ 
creasing their operations. They figure on a shortage 
of food, and consequently higher prices, and they are 
taking a chance on increased expenses. They will 
pay big prices for labor, buy more cows, or plant 
more acres, and gamble on future prices. Where one 
has the money it may be as safe a risk as men are 
now taking in trade or manufacturing. Other farm¬ 
ers are trying to borrow money with which to do the 
same thing. This is a dangerous chance which we 
would not take at this time. A majority of farmers 
who talk to us have about the same idea as is ex¬ 
pressed in the above note. They will change their 
methods somewhat, cut down their acreage in cul¬ 
tivated crops, keep more stock, and do all they can 
with their family, independent of hired help, until 
the labor question comes back to some reasonable 
basis. This is what thousands of our smaller farm¬ 
ers are planning to do. with that natural instinct 
for the most sensible business method which is char- 
acteristic of farmers. There will be experts and 
patriots who will protest that this is not patriotic or 
“economic/’ but they may be assured that it is going 
to happen. It is a condition forced upon our smaller 
farmers by. the events of the past few years, and 
farming will be the better for it. 
* 
A very good article is given on page 1700. I hardly 
believed a farm paper would come out so plainly for 
the truth in regard to sale of farms by agents, e. j b 
New York. 
'P'OR years The R. N.-Y. has denounced the work 
* of land sharks and defrauding real estate 
agents. We have been abused and threatened and 
sued for libel, but we shall keep right on showing 
up these wicked frauds. That true story of the 
farm and the Land Bank, printed on page 1709, has 
called out a flood of letters. We find many cases 
where agents or owners have misrepresented farm 
values and induced buyers to pay far more than the 
outfit is worth. The scheme is to get all the cash 
possible out of the buyer and then tie him up with 
a contract which is deliberately calculated to rob 
him or make him a slave for life. In most cases it 
looks like a plan to get all he has, then finally fore¬ 
close on him and sell the farm to another back-to- 
the-lander. In some cases it is evident that the 
buyer never could pay out. and the Land Bank could 
not accept him as a good risk. In other cases the 
buyer is a good farmer, and with half a chance could 
work out and pay for the farm. It is to the interest 
of every rural county to see that these land sharks 
are put out of business, and that good farmers have 
a chance. Tt would seem to be great work for the 
Farm Bureaus to see that newcomers are not fooled 
or cheated in this way. 
❖ 
S HERMAN J. LOWELL, Master of the New York 
.State Grange, has been elected National Master 
of the order. This is the highest honor which the 
Grange can bestow, and a host of friends will join 
us in congratulating Brother Lowell and commend¬ 
ing the good judgment of the National Grange. Mr. 
T.owell will give all he has to the work of the order 
faithful and loyal service. The next few years 
are to he momentous ones for organized farmers. 
Much of the hard, patient work of the past 20 years 
is noAv coming to a head. A current or tide is 
moving which cannot be checked. Big, brave, wise 
and patient men are needed at the head of farm 
organizations. We all hope that Brother Lowell 
will live up to the finest traditions of the Grange. 
Brevities 
The latest proposition is to combine Thanksgiving 
with Armistice Day in one celebrntion. 
Several readers ask if the owner of property ie com¬ 
pelled to put up a mail box for the tenant. No.’ the mail 
delivery is more of a personal privilege and it does not 
“go with the real estate.” 
Many a poultryman would make more money by 
raising pullets to a laying age and then selling them to 
some one else who can feed them for egg production. 
And the same is true of dairying. Some men can raise 
heifers cheaper than they can milk cows. 
Hardly a day passes without some report of sickness 
or death from drinking “homemade booze.” These vile 
decoctions are made from recipes which are sold through 
advertising. We have, of course, refused to print any¬ 
thing of the sort. It is hard when men will risk blind¬ 
ness and death rather than “cut out booze.” 
