876 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established isso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company. 383 West 30th Street, New Pork 
Herbert W. Coleingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION; ONE DOLl.AR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.0* *. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
sy„ marks, or 10}$ francs. Remit in money order, exp. .33 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 90 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¬ 
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 of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
In my opinion, what this man needs is a farm doctor. 
If I were in his place I would hire some good, level¬ 
headed. practical farmers to go with me to that farm 
and tell me just what is the matter with it. I should 
expect that part of the trouble was in myself, and I 
should have it in the bargain that the doctor should 
point out. the trouble wherever he found it. 
T HAT is the suggestion of a hard-headed, prac¬ 
tical farmer regarding that recent letter from 
“Scenery Farmer.” The usual advice is to employ 
some scientific expert to analyze such a situation. 
He might he called a farm doctor, but a successful 
farmer who has reared a family and gained a com¬ 
petence on a piece of land would be more like a 
farm surgeon. We think most of these “scenery 
farms” need a surgical operation more than they 
need medicine. If you could get a practical man 
to give his honest opinion and point out just what 
he saw in the way of mistakes and wrong methods, 
it might hurt, but it would help. 
* 
A SLICK fraud in this city is sending letters 
to some of our readers about a celebrated plan 
be has for making $10,000. All you have to do is 
to write your name plainly on a piece of paper, and 
send it with one dollar to the given address. Then 
you will receive a plan for a new project which will 
enable you to make at least $10,000. You would 
hardly think such a palpable and open fake could 
draw money out of people. Yet it is likely this 
humbug is making far more money than most hon¬ 
est and hard-working farmers. He gets the right 
answer now and then, however. Here is one com¬ 
ment that naturally has our approval: 
Enclosed is a letter that I wish you would add to 
jour collection. Perhaps the author was brought up in 
the country, and thinks that suckers are now running. 
I did not answer this offer because I do not know what 
I would so with so much money ($10,000 a year) if 
I had it. I would not have any time to take care of 
the chickens. I do know what to do with the dollar 
that he is anxious to extract, from me. A dollar will 
buy quite a lot of things, notwithstanding the high 
cost of living. The best dollar’s worth we get here on 
the farm is the 52 issues of The Rural New-Yorker. 
Then we can get three big gallons of gasoline that 
takes us in our flivver around 00 miles. I can buy a 
new pair of socks that have a sprinkling of wool in 
them, or can get a square meal at any moderate-priced 
restaurant. So I think that if Mr. Phillip Barron 
would tel] ten thousand farmers how to get an honest 
dollar he would do more good, in the world than selling 
individuals the secret how to do others to the tune of 
$10,000 in 12 months. d. j. Lambert. 
* 
A LL sorts of schemes have been tried in “boom¬ 
ing” Florida, and thousands have lost their 
money in “wildcat” investments. The latest is 
Florida oil. A number of deep wells have been 
drilled in that State, but the geologists are not hope¬ 
ful of success. There may be some small deposits 
of oil or gas, but no one should invest in Florida oil 
stocks unless he is well prepared to lose the money. 
The United States Geological Survey puts it strongly: 
“Wildcatting,” as drilling for oil in an area not. known 
t. be oil-bearing is called, is the wildest kind of spec¬ 
ulation. and it should be indulged in only by those who 
are able to lose monej\ The United States Geological 
Survey does not recommend wildcatting in Florida. 
But this is no condemnation of Florida and its 
honest resources. We have some property there, 
and know that parts of the State are growing, while 
the entire State is rapidly increasing in wealth and 
population. Florida is all right for what it is. Peo¬ 
ple have made the mistake of booming it for what 
it is not. 
* 
S TUDENTS at the New r Jersey Agricultural Col¬ 
lege. at New Brunswick. N. J., have organized 
the Rutgers Agricultural Club. As a new propo¬ 
sition this club will hold a fair on May 8 at the 
college. These students feel that many Jerseymen 
do not even know that their State has one of the 
best agricultural colleges in America, or that this 
college is a State institution reaching out close to 
the people. This fan* will be conducted by the 
students with the advice and supervision of the 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
faculty, and it should be encouraged as a good 
student operation. Here is a good chance for Jer¬ 
seymen to help a worthy undertaking by attendance 
and providing exhibits. 
* 
Two years ago this Spring I set out 135 apple and 
pear trees, which did well; some of them are eight to 
nine feet high. Since April 1. 1920, after the snow 
was off the ground, the rabbits have eaten the bark off 
22 of them; all the way around, some as much as 2 ft. 
high. Can I save them? Can I collect from the State 
damages done by the rabbits. Some of my neighbors 
say I can. as they are protected by the game laws. 
New York. S. w. K. 
T HIS is only one of many complaints, and there 
seems to be a general belief that since the State 
protects the rabbits, it should pay for the damage 
they do. The best advice we can give is to make an 
appeal to the Court of Claims, filing a clear state¬ 
ment of damage. You will have to prove beyond 
any dispute that the damage was done by wild 
rabbits and not by tame rabbits or mice. If done 
by tame rabbits the claim for damage is against 
their owner. If by mice, you will have no claim. 
You must also be prepared to show that .you used 
reasonable precaution to guard the trees from dam¬ 
age. We are not saying this to discourage anyone 
from trying to obtain payment, but to show exactly 
what must be done. 
* 
M ANY years ago the English people, or, rather, 
the English government, were forced to decide 
ii great question of future national policy. Up to 
that time England had been successful as an agri¬ 
cultural nation. The well-kept farms supplied a 
large share of the nation’s food, and produced the 
men who made England a world power. It may be 
said that in those days agriculture dominated the 
British policy, and other industries were supported 
by it. There came a time when manufacturing and 
shipping challenged the leadership of agriculture. 
The new theory was that England should import 
raw materials, manufacture goods and do the world’s 
carrying trade, buying food for her people wherever 
It could be bought cheapest. Instead of encourag¬ 
ing the English farmer to produce food at home, the 
new policy was to swap or trade with other coun¬ 
tries. exchanging manufactured goods for bread and 
meat. The English farmers saw what this meant 
to their business, and they fought against it. They 
were overpowered, and England became a big fac¬ 
tory with a few backyards and pastures. While the 
manufacturer and the financier became rich, and 
while money flowed to the towns and cities, agri¬ 
culture was ruined. At the opening of the war the 
F.nglish farmers were producing barely 20 per cent, 
of the nation’s food. The Germans would hardly 
have dared attack England had she not been so 
thoroughly dependent upon foreign nations for her 
food. No one will know how close England came 
to defeat because of her unjust and unwise treat¬ 
ment of agriculture. She grew richer in money, 
but poorer in men as agriculture changed from a 
dominating industry to finally occupy the place of a 
parasite—living by the favor of middlemen and for¬ 
eign competitors. 
We have now reached the time in this country 
when this same great national question comes up 
for settlement. Thus far America has been essen¬ 
tially an agricultural nation. Farming lids been 
our chief industry, not only at home, but in our 
lelation to the rest of the world. Manufacturing 
and finance have received far greater favors in 
legislation, but agriculture, in spite of unfair and 
unwise treatment, is still our great industry. It 
should remain so. and be recognized as such, yet 
the same great question which was presented to 
England years ago now comes up before us. There 
is evidently a large and powerful group in this coun¬ 
try working beneath the surface to develop a vast 
international plan. This seems to contemplate an 
immense loan by this country to the European na¬ 
tions. The bonds covering such loans could prob¬ 
ably be bought at a discount, with payment guar¬ 
anteed from national incomes, and with an agree¬ 
ment to buy manufactured goods from us and sell 
us any surplus of food, like beet sugar from Ger¬ 
many or potatoes and butter from Belgium and Den¬ 
mark. It is probable that another war would be 
necessary to collect payment of these bonds, but the 
plan would be immensely profitable to financial in¬ 
terests and manufacturers. It would operate just 
as the English policy worked, or, in a smaller way, 
as the manufacturing policy of New England oper¬ 
ated to depress and disorganize agriculture and make 
it a secondary industry. We see now how our war 
policy of petting and pampering manufacturing and 
distribution has taken labor and capital and credit 
away from agriculture. The scheme of giving 
special favors to export trading and making man¬ 
ufacturing as our great national industry would still 
further depress farming and change the character 
May l, 1020 
and power of the farmer just as was done in Eng¬ 
land. Thus far the movement has not been brought 
cut into the open, but it is the object of a strong and 
wealthy group, who well know how to work beneath 
the surface until public opinion has been formed. 
Our farmers should be ready for it, and oppose any 
candidate or party who would try to push agricul¬ 
ture into any second place. 
* 
A NUMBER of nurserymen have been advertis¬ 
ing what they call “bearing-age trees.” The 
claim is that such trees will begin to bear the year 
they are planted. We have steadily advised our 
readers not to buy these old trees. Younger trees, 
properly pruned and headed, give us better satisfac¬ 
tion. ITof. J. C. Sanders of Pennsylvania warns 
the public against what he calls these “worthless 
trees.” He says they are “unsold stocks of former 
j ears” which ought to go to the brush heap! Now 
we would hardly agree with that in full. We have 
planted some of these old trees, cutting them back 
at the trunk so as to get a new, straight stem on 
(lie old root. They developed into good trees, though 
we would rather start with younger ones. The fake 
about such business is trying to make the public 
think that these old trees will start bearing at once 
and keep it up. They will not, and it is usually 
impossible to shape them properly without cutting 
off the entire top. 
* 
W ITAT is the proper postage for letters mailed 
on a rural mail route? In some cases a let¬ 
ter is mailed to a neighbor who lives less than a mile 
along the road. Farmers often say that a one-eent 
stamp is enough for such service, but the Postotliee 
Department has made the following rule: 
Postage on letters deposited in rural or star-route 
boxes, or mailed to persons who are served by rural or 
star-route carriers, shall be charged at the rate of two 
cents for each ounce or fraction thereof. 
That seems to settle it in favor of the two-eent 
rate. 
T HE latest thing to attract attention in the town 
and city is the “overalls club.” Thousands of 
men have agreed to wear overalls in place of buying 
new clothes at the present outrageous prices for 
clothing. Many more will wear cheap suits made of 
denim. We see these overalls appearing everywhere, 
and many women are planning to wear the cheaper 
ginghams as a protest against the fearful prices de¬ 
manded for ordinary clothing. At first thought this 
might appear as a joke, hut after talking with some 
of these “overallers” we conclude that it is a serious 
and organized effort to get back at the “profiteers.” 
These people say the government has shown its utter 
incapacity to do anything except talk. “IFe have got 
to do it ourselves" is the familiar way in which 
they put it. and they seem ready at last to join 
with the men who wear overalls naturally in the 
country to fight the profiteers. Let us not take this 
overall campaign lightly. It means more than you 
think—more than the wearing of a so-called inferior 
garment. For the overalls are worn not only on the 
body, but in the spirit as well, as evidence of inde¬ 
pendence and a return to sober and sane ways of 
living. The New York Sun puts it this way: 
To he in overalls in the spirit menus in the bigger and 
le truer sense for every worker to put in the. hardest 
r ks he knows how at production, whether digging coal. 
>eing potatoes, spinning textiles, building houses or 
hatever be his share of the task of earning his living 
nd contributing to the world’s store of necessaries ot 
fe. Such “overall” labor will be worthy of every 
merican—the man who scratches out his daily '0i l ' a . ( 
ther with his pickaxe or with his pen; the man who i. 
builder of railroads and of steel plants or of chicken 
lops and beanpoles. , . ,i..> 
To be in overalls in spirit means to get back to Un 
indamentals of economics, to the grass roots ot Amen, 
in ism, to the bedrock of honest and honorable, stout 
In that sense let us all get into our overalls foitlnvitn 
Brevities 
Speed the plow! 
Make the most of a good day. 
It is hard to help most people without hurting ( 
It may not seem possible right now, but somewliei 
le sun is shining.” 
Next Winter many of us may have to live mosib 
a vegetables. Make sure of a good garden now. 
Several readers have asked if duck eggs can 'be P 1 ^ 
irved in waterglass the same as hen ' n0 
ne report of success with duck eggs, anc we ca 
lason why the plan should not succeed. 
The modern wise man does not remind his 
le pies “mother used to make. Now that his 1( j 
liter, he is more likely to say: “If mother had cook 
s. you do, what a childhood we would have had. 
For horses that gnaw wood a remedy is 
ooden corners within their reach smeared ( , 0[U . 
il. Some humans are inclined to gnaw a ul , 
lain over everything. What oil can we use ou 
