110 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
January 17, 1920 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUS1XESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishinfr Company. 3S3 West 30th Street. New fork 
Herbert IV. Colungwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. §2.01. equal to 8s. 6d. or 
814 marks, or X0J$ francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal chock 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 , and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
eible person. We 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 subscribers and honest, 
responsible houses, whether advertisers or not. We willingly use our good 
offices to tins 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 The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the ad. ^rtiser 
T HE life motto of The Rural New-Yorker may 
be put in four words: 
“Live and Help Live!” 
* 
I am sending in my renewal to your paper. I have 
taken it a few years; hope to take it several more. We 
receive about a wheelbarrow full of papers each week 
at our house, but I come nearer reading everything in 
The R. N.-Y. than any of the others. There is some¬ 
thing so altogether human about it that I feel that all 
R. N.-Y. readers have something in common. j. m. 
Ohio. 
I T lias come to be something of a compliment in 
these exciting days to be called “human.’’ That 
is what The R. N.-Y - . attempts to be—the tie which 
can hold plain common people together—for the life 
of all true co-operation is human nature and con¬ 
fidence. 
* 
It seems to us that if the man himself is sound and 
true, this is well nigh ideal training for leadership 
among farmers. What possible sense can there be 
in going to lawyers or politicians or great business 
men for leadership when we may find leaders right 
in our own ranks? 
* 
T HERE seems to be a market for sound apple 
wood. One firm alone uses about one million 
feet each year. This wood is used for tool handles, 
and sound logs 12 inches and over will bring about 
$40 per cord at the mills—the shipper paying freight. 
Of course, there is little, if any, market for decayed 
or inferior trunks. You must remember also that 
it takes a good many sticks to make a cord. There 
is no fortune in apple wood, but a little side line. 
* 
T HE local committeemen of the Farm Bureau or¬ 
ganization have a large and often thankless job 
to perform. The real democracy of the organization 
rests largely upon them, for they get right down 
to the members and live among them. In an army 
credit for victory goes to the officers who stand out 
in the limelight. The true force and power of the 
army is kept alive by the non-commissioned officers 
who do the drudgery of drilling and keeping up the 
spirit of the men. No one praises them—their work 
is taken as a matter of course, yet without them the 
army would be a mob. These committeemen are 
the non-commissioned officers of the Farm Bureau, 
and the public will never know how unselfishly they 
work for the good of their fellow farmers. With¬ 
out them the organization cannot be truly demo¬ 
cratic; with their best efforts it can be truly so. 
The men at the head of the Bureau can speak for 
if. but the committeemen must put power into their 
language. 
* 
A S we see on the next page, those Nebraska 
farmers will do a sweet job in settling the 
sugar problem. They propose raising one million 
dollars with which to buy and equip a beet sugar 
factory and produce a crop of beets. The sugar will 
lie distributed through their own chain of stores— 
thus not only providing the sugar but giving them 
the profits on its distribution! Who will say that 
:uch an investment of farm money is not better than 
city stocks or bonds? These farmers have a great 
industrial machine in their Farmers’ Union, and 
what is more important, they now understand that 
if they are to have the industrial rights which belong 
to them they hare got to do it themselves. Now the 
question arises: Could New York farmers do similar 
work? Evidently not with beet sugar. The climate 
and conditions in this section are not so well adapted 
to the sugar beet crop. It was tried out here some 
years ago. but with a State bounty the plan failed. 
Our farmers could, however, get together and raise 
the money needed to handle the dairy, potato, hay 
and fruit crops so as to save for themselves most of 
the profits of distribution. In fact, they will be 
obliged to do this in the near future, for it is now 
evident that no political party or public men will 
ever do it for them. The Farmers’ Union of Nebraska, 
which has made this sugar factory possible, is really 
a federation or union of all the agricultural societies 
in the State. We need now in New York a union of 
all farm societies, such as the Federation of Agri¬ 
culture would have given us. 
* 
I T should be the God-given privilege of every child 
to enjoy a full supply of water and milk. We do 
not mean the two mixed together, but the water on 
the outside and the milk inside. This means bath 
and butter, cleanliness and cream, scrubbing and 
skim-milk. Vatamines in the victuals and soapy 
water on the skin is the new year's programme for 
young America—who is the future hope for old 
America! 
T HE newly organized American Farm Bureau 
Federation seems to have found a genuine 
leader in its president, J. R. Howard of Iowa. Mr. 
Howard was raised on an Iowa farm, educated at 
three different colleges, taught for two years, and 
was bank cashier for five years more. Then, six 
years ago, he settled down on an Iowa farm, where 
he has worked just as thousands of other farmers 
around him have been forced to do. When Mr. 
Howard first moved to tlie farm his friends tried 
to dissuade him, on the ground that his children 
would not have proper schooling. Howard’s answer 
was to organize an up-to-date school in the neigh¬ 
borhood. Thus he stamped himself as belonging to 
the group of farmers who know that (i ive hare 
got to do it ourselves.” Born and raised on a farm; 
thoroughly educated not in any one narrow locality; 
trained in business; going back to live 0 T 1 a farm 
because he loves the life and can see a future in it. 
Here is another “vain repetition of an economic fal¬ 
lacy” : Three years ago I sold a beef hide weighing 
30 lbs. for 30c per pound; amount received, $0. Three 
years ago I bought a good pair of shoes for $5. Last 
week I sold a beef hide of the same grade as the above, 
said hide weighing 50 lbs.. The best price I could get 
was 15c per lb., or $8.50 for the hide. Last week the 
price of a pair of shoes of the same quality as I bought 
for $5 three years ago was $10. I need a pair of new 
shoes, but I cannot buy them at this time, when one 
dollar in hide value is worth only 25c in shoe value. 1 
will wait until next Summer, in hopes that some of 
these 25e hides will be made into 25c shoes. 
Pennsylvania. a. a. cogley. 
UT we do not think these “repetitions" have 
been quite in vain after all. We have seen be¬ 
fore now hard rocks with holes eaten into them by 
dropping water. This water fell a little trickle at 
a time, and fur a few years it merely washed off 
the face of the rock. Year by year it kept on drop¬ 
ping. dropping, until first there came a little pimple, 
then a dent, then a hole like a dong wrinkle, which 
experience brings out upon a human face. We be¬ 
lieved that it was true that on the average the far¬ 
mer received a 35-cent dollar, and we have done our 
best to keep that truth before the people. The 
statisticians and economists may come back and say 
that a dairyman or farmer gets a fair share of what 
his hide sells for. but they never can convince a 
man like Mr. Cogley so long as lie sells hides and 
buys shoes. The present distribution of tlie dollar 
paid by the consumer is a national wrong—very 
much greater and more dangerous to the republic 
than most of the things Congress is fighting about. 
Wrongs are like disease germs—they cannot stand 
the sunlight. Shaking them right out to the sunlight 
of fact is the way to get rid of them. 
* 
We occasionally fatten a bull calf, and the lust one 
we had rotted in the car in New York. An old man 
who has but Iwo cows sent an extra fine calf the same 
day that I did, and his rotted also. The calf was worth 
$30, and the old man could not afford to lose it. He 
was pretty sore about it. and said he “didn’t care if 
them New Yorkers starved, if they were going to let 
nice meat like that go to waste while they fonght.” 
J. G. M. 
HAT good meat was spoiled during the useless 
strike of handlers in this city. Veal is no longer 
plentiful, and as dairy herds are reduced there will 
be less of it. During tlie handlers’ strike many tons 
of meat were spoiled the same as calves, and if in 
consequence the price of veal went up. the farmers 
v. ere blamed for it. It is a part of our business to 
tell the truth about farming and farm life. This 
incident tells truly how farmers feel about these 
strikes. Can any city consumer blame them? 
* 
O N page 100 are some remarks about fashion or 
habit and the way most human beings follow it. 
It takes a brave man'to defy public opinion and 
break away from the common habit of action or 
thought. Most men would rather be called a liar 
than lie known as a “crank.” Some 35 years ago, 
when the farmers’ institutes were in their prime, a 
farmer was put on the programme to speak on 
dairying. When his name was called he walked on 
the platform dressed just as he was when working 
in the barnyard. He had on a ragged coat and blue 
overalls tucked into bis boots. He read a strong, 
practical paper and was rather proud that lie ap¬ 
peared as a “farmer.” Now this year the son of that 
old farmer also read a paper at a farmers’ institute. 
This young man is college bred, thoroughly trained 
and a hard worker. He was dressed in a suit of 
good, modern cut. high collar, with all the appear¬ 
ance of a well-dressed man. Now if father had 
talked to the modern audience and the boy had 
appeared before the old-time institute—one would 
have liocn called a “hayseed" and the other a “dude.” 
As it was, each fitted into his time—each was well 
in step with the fashion or habit of liis age. Most 
of us are bound to do about what the rest of the 
world does. Probably the most useful man is he 
who keeps just a little in advance of the crowd, vet 
never lets them notice it as they unconsciously try 
to keep step with him. 
* 
I N a recent edition of the Evening Xews of Bridge- 
ton, N. J.. we counted 44 notices of public sales 
of farms and personal property of retiring farmers! 
There will be such a sale in Cumberland County 
practically every day this Winter. We are told that 
this was not unusual, nor did it indicate any great 
decline in farming. Some of the farms belonged to 
back-to-the-landers, while others were owned by 
well-to-do people who were ready to retire. All 
such farms and property bring fair prices, and the 
farms will afford a good buy to people with some 
capital and reasonable experience. Other counties 
in Southern New Jersey tell much the same story. It 
seems to us that this section is being overstocked by 
most of the Western people who are moving East. 
The lower part of New Jersey is a section without any 
back door, since it pinches off into the Atlantic, but 
considering its climate and markets it has great pos¬ 
sibilities. 
* 
I T is not unlikely that some of our readers have 
an opinion about the Anti-Saloon League which 
might not look well in print. Wc regard the ques¬ 
tion of prohibition as pretty well settled, and shall 
now discuss other issues. But even those who do 
not like the results which the Anti-Saloon League 
is largely responsible for, must admit that its meth¬ 
ods proved mighty effective. It was financed by 
popular subscriptions, which came mostly in small 
sums. It hired trusted agents and paid them so 
they could give their entire time to tlie work. It 
brought temperance people together, and after full 
discussion they decided just what they wanted— 
simply and clearly. Then they refused to organize 
any new party or to tie up permanently with any 
old party. They just cut the party label off their 
clothes and made use of any candidate who would 
pledge support to their demands. In this way they 
made use of all parties at times, so that now pro¬ 
hibition cannot bo made a party issue, and its en¬ 
forcement is not a matter of politics. Now. think 
it over, and see if you can suggest any better plan 
for obtaining tlie peculiar rights which farmers need 
and have lost through party slavery! Get together 
and formulate a simple and clear platform, with 
only a few important planks. Then raise a co¬ 
operative fund and employ the ablest and most loyal 
men we can find. Pay them what they could earn 
in business. Cut off the party labels, but make use 
of any candidate or office-holder who will support 
our principles. That plan has just worked out the 
greatest change in social life ever known in the 
civilized world. Would it not do the same for a 
square deal in farming? 
Brevities 
Quite a number of our readers seem to be making 
brooms on a small scale—as a Winter occupation. They 
grow broom corn and work up their own crops. 
The world has learned to seek for lime to use on its 
fields. The Turks have even carried off the historic 
marbles of Ephesus to burn into agricultural lime! 
It seems as if the great world war had ended “cheap 
European labor” for 50 years at least. Where i> this 
“cheap labor” to he found in the future? Even China 
is getting away from it. 
The object of clothing is to keep the heat in and the 
damp out. Thickuess of cloth does not count us much 
as a windproof quality and protection of wrists and 
ankles where heat would naturally leak away from the 
body. 
A locomotive engineer says he reads The R. N.-Y., 
hoping some day to own a farm. ^Ylieu he goes to a 
market or to a farmers’ meeting and* * hears farmers talk 
about crops and stock he remembers his reading, “Pulls 
on the track, gets up steam and pulls a load of wisdom.” 
