1076 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUS1SES0 FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established isso 
Published meetly by the Rural Publishing Company. 333 West 30lh Street, New York 
Herbert W. Coli.ingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
%V M . F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal 1 nion. $3.01. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8k, marks, or 1054 francs. Remit in money order, express 
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 or 
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 bv 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. _ 
L AST week the daily papers started, a wild state¬ 
ment about a great “wave” of reduced prices. 
We were told that prices of all necessities were rap¬ 
idly falling—food in particular. Of course, in any 
effort to reduce living costs the first efforts would he 
to cut into the farmer. For a few days this great 
talk about falling prices kept up, and wholesale 
prices of farm produce went down for a time. As 
for retail prices to consumers, here is a report from 
a housekeeper in this locality: 
•Flour. 24V 2 -lb. bag. $2.30; that is $18.40 a barrel. 
So-called lamb, very ordinary, loin. 60c. per lb.; leg of 
lamb. 70c. The constant increase in everything is mak¬ 
ing me so exasperated that I no longer wonder at al¬ 
leged Reds—and I have little respect left for any mem¬ 
ber of our alleged government. 
Prices to farmers fell during this talk about price 
reduction, but except in a few cases of lield-over 
goods the consumer has been held up for more. The 
worst feature of the business is the fact that the last 
sentence in the above note exactly expresses the 
opinion of millions of people who find themselves be¬ 
ing robbed without any protection whatever. 
* 
T HE recent sale of the milk of its members for 
the months of June. July. August and September 
by the Dairymen’s League brings a feeling of relief 
and a bit of sunshine into the lives of thousands of 
dairy farmers. Many a tired farm woman is going 
to get that power washing machine. There will be 
a new dress for the daughter, and the boy who wants 
to go to college in the Fall can go on with his dream 
of an education. Father, himself, will be happier, 
too. Perhaps he can figure now on an automobile 
for the business and pleasure of the farm, or on that 
purebred bull that he has so long coveted. The 
whole family is going to take a new lease on life. 
Hope has been injected into the daily routine, hope 
in the ability of the farmer to organize and get a 
square deal, hope in the future of farming itself— 
and all because of a fraction of a cent added to the 
price of a quart of milk. When we think of it all, 
we wonder how any country could be so shortsighted 
as to deny to the people who are its mainstay, and 
upon whose business its existence depends, the right 
of a living wage and equal opportunities with other 
industries. 
♦ 
F RUIT growers in the Hudson Valley have taken 
prompt and forcible action to help remedy the 
sugar situation. The danger is great. The big in¬ 
terests are reported as buying up all possible sugar 
supplies. If permitted to do so they will corner the 
market and sweep it clean, so that the smaller inter¬ 
ests and the family trade will he unable to obtain 
supplies. Millions of housewives must have sugar 
for their canning and preserving. A failure to 
supply them will not only mean a great loss of food, 
but a gi-eat loss to the fruit producers. The great 
quantities of fruit needed for this home canning 
will be thrown back upon the market. It is a more 
serious situation than the sugar problem during the 
war and only a big organized effort on the part of 
fruit growers and consumers can help. We have got 
to make a noise that will compel attention at 
Washington. Let every one who eats sugar get into 
the movement. F. W. Vail of Milton. N. \.. is lead¬ 
ing the fight in the Hudson t alley. Mill you not 
get back of him at once with your influence and 
voice? 
* 
T HERE are a good many “scenery farmers” in 
the country. They are mostly men who have 
been highly successful in business or in some pro¬ 
fession. Having made “a barrel of money,” or per¬ 
haps a hogshead full, they buy a farm and proceed 
to run it. The great powers of organizing and the 
shrewd brains which guided them through financial 
dangers come to grief when they strike the plow and 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 12, 1920 
harrow. Most of these farms have simply eaten up 
a share of the money which the owner earns else¬ 
where. • Surely if there were anything in the com¬ 
mon argument that farmers fail through a lack of 
business management these farms ought to be highly 
successful, for the owners have demonstrated their 
ability to “manage” in other lines of industry. An 
examination of income tax reports would probably 
show that some of these farms have an earning 
capacity after all. Before the war a person running 
a farm as a side issue was not expected to include 
the farm business in his statement—and few did so. 
Now the owner of such a farm is required to make 
a separate return for his farm business, and he adds 
or deducts profit, or loss, as the case may be. This 
has enabled many a farm which never before pro¬ 
duced a doughnut at a profit to l’aise a crop of debts 
which reduce the income tax. For instance, the 
farm owner may deduct the cost of repairs and a 10 
per cent depreciation on buildings and equipment. 
This can be, and often is, figured at a tidy sum, and 
is carried over and added to the regular tax exemp¬ 
tions! Thus many a “scenery farm” is now used to 
farm the income tax at a fine profit. 
♦ 
O UR potato reports continue to indicate an in¬ 
creased acreage over last year. This will not 
seem possible to some of our readers, who see the 
local plantings cut down, hut it is what we learn 
from trustworthy sources. There is abandonment 
of many small fields, but an increase of large plant¬ 
ings. While some growers have used poorer seed 
than usual, others are using superior seed. So that, 
take it as a whole, if the season is usually favorable 
the potato crop is likely to he larger than last year. 
It cannot, with present reports, he a large crop, such 
as we have had several times in past years. 
* 
T HIS year has witnessed the strange performance 
of New England helping to feed the Central 
West. Many trainloads of potatoes and onions left 
Maine and Southern New England for Chicago and 
other Western cities. While New England produces 
but a small proportion of her bread and meat, she 
is generally “long” on potatoes, onions and apples. 
Years ago the New England States produced all 
needed corn for their bread and 75 per cent of needed 
wheat. That could he done once more, and nothing 
would do more to promote the general prosperity of 
this northeast corner of the country. 
* 
T HEY tell us the following story. At a certain 
club in New York a dozen rich men met to con¬ 
sider the food production question. These gentlemen 
had a combined annual income of $6,000,000. Loung¬ 
ing about the same club were nine sons of these men 
—all big, husky fellows, living for the most part on 
a liberal allowance. Outside were 12 big men driving 
cars for these rich men. In their family service, in¬ 
cluding butlers and flunkeys of various sorts, were 
at least 30 more men. all good-sized and able-bodied, 
every one of them receiving far more clear money for 
doing unproductive work than 75 per cent of our 
farmers. This dozen men discussed the food ques¬ 
tion, and were made to understand clearly that there 
is sure to lie a shortage of food. They understand 
that fully, but they -are inclined to blame the farmers 
and class them as quitters. They cannot understand 
why or how a farmer cannot obtain labor. Yet with 
their own sons and servants they are keeping 51 able- 
bodied men at unproductive labor and encouraging a 
standard of wages which makes it impossible for 
farmers to compete. 
* 
T HE college commencements this year seem to he 
striking something of a new note. It is always 
interesting to see what men of age and experience 
have to say to youth before the latter has learned to 
handle its training like a weapon or tool. At present 
1 he world is bewildered and perplexed, and men are 
feeling about in an effort to learn the truth and thus 
to know what .to do. There never was a time when 
the man with a little learning or the man with an 
untried college education was capable of doing more 
evil or more good to society than he can do today. 
Now, if ever, we need solid thought and fair analysis 
of history. There have been dozens of times in the 
world’s history when practically the same problems 
confronted society. The world has now a greater 
mastery of power than ever before, but essentially 
the great problems are the same, and only the patient 
and yet progressive thought of the plain, land-owning 
people can carry us through. The young college man 
with his smattering of knowledge or his untested 
learning is capable of putting it to an evil use unless 
he can realize what life is. And who is capable of 
telling him what life is if not the man of experience? 
For life ic only a search ior power, iouth sees in 
worldly power the very substance of life. Age looks 
back upon life and finds that it has spent long years 
In chasing after shadows! These shadows are not 
made into the substance by material things, but only 
through the higher work of the heart and soul. 
* 
N OT long since a member of the Astor family 
sold a tract of land in New York City at auc¬ 
tion for $5,159,000. It was hailed as remarkable 
evidence of the great prosperity of New York. In¬ 
stead of investing this money in productive enter¬ 
prises we are told that most of it went into Liberty 
bonds at 3* *4 per cent, so as to escape the income tax. 
In Meyer’s “History of the Great American For¬ 
tunes,” we are told how this New York property was 
originally obtained. It seems to compose only part 
of a tract of land which originally cost $23,000 on 
foreclosure of a mortgage. This property was made 
valuable largely at public expense through city im¬ 
provements, and entirely so through rents paid by 
the public. The fact is that the great majority of 
the swollen American fortunes have resulted from 
the original control of city land by a few families. 
The public hastmade these lands exceedingly valu¬ 
able, while the families have continued drawing in¬ 
creased tribute from the people. 
* 
A LL over Great Britain there is a determined 
effort to increase the production of cotton in 
British colonies. Americans must understand that 
neither money nor effort will he spared to develop 
African cotton. It may require years to bring any 
great result, hut the English people have gone at it 
in their usual persistent way. Spain and France are 
also ready to spend great sums of money in develop¬ 
ing African cotton. We think they will finally suc¬ 
ceed, to some extent, at least, and we also believe 
that California and the great Southwest will he noted 
for cotton production. This will, in time, mean 
serious competition for the Gulf States, but that sec¬ 
tion has no occasion to worry. It is admirably 
adapted to the production of grain and live stock and 
will, in the future, help supply the world with bread 
and meat and wool, as well as cotton, and both the 
% world in general and the South in particular will he 
better for this change in industry. 
* 
Considering the status of national affairs at the pres¬ 
ent time, would it be the least disloyal to refuse to pub¬ 
lish the inclosed advertisement? With faith in reports 
that come out of rural districts, and a knowledge of the 
number of old people who are dependent on a pension, 
or a small hoard representing a life’s saving, and the 
misery that II. C. L. is causing this class of peeople, I 
find myself questioning the patriotism, or good judg¬ 
ment at least, of the men responsible for this campaign 
of flaming, alluring and misloadiug posters seen in all 
public buildings and railroad stations, especially in rural 
districts. s - E - L; . 
New York. 
T HE advertising referred to is a big poster urging 
young men to “Join the Navy.” It pictures in 
glowing colors the great advantages to be obtained 
by serving in the navy. You are supposed to travel 
about the world,*well fed and well paid, while Uncle 
Sam pays your hoard. It is an appealing picture to 
put before young country boys who are greatly need¬ 
ed at home. Young fellows who have served in the 
na«vy tell us the picture is greatly overdrawn, and 
that actual service is not at all like the alluring 
statements made in these posters. We think young 
meu are far more necessary on the farms at this 
time than they are needed on warships. With the 
crisis* in food production now on the way, we ques¬ 
tion the wisdom of trying, to pull young men away 
from farm work. We do not consider it disloyal to 
refuse to display these alluring posters. 
Brevities 
Limestone will bring a farm into the. limelight. 
We would raise farm poultry to the limit this year. 
UNLESS it’s worth doing well it isn't worth doing at 
n. 
Remember that millet hay is good for cows, but not 
esirable for horses. 
The Supreme Court decided that stock dividends are 
ot taxable as income. It is reported that the Govern- 
nent must pay back $500,000,000 under this decision. 
Go down into the limestone country and see how prod- 
gal nature is in her use of lime. Also see what results 
he gets. Then consider wliat a small dose man usuauj 
ives. 
During a recent Western trip we saw patches of 
traw-covered potatoes. The seed was planted shallow 
ad about five inches of straw .spread over the entire 
dd. The plants grow right up through the straw. 
This is the season for clover and Alfalfa bloat in. 
attle. The latest suggested remedy is a drench of oue- 
isIf ounce of formalin in one quart of water. Atteij 
efief, give one pound Epsom salts and one-half ounce 
linger iu one pint of warm water. 
Here is the latest proposed remedy for the bedbug • 
It can be easily, quickly and cheaply eradicated during 
he Summer months by heating the house to L><) degree 
a- warmer and holding it at that temperature for JU 
lours. Every egg and insect will be killed. But how 
lo you heat the house without setting it on brer 
