The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1298 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established is JO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company. 3:13 West. 30lh Street. New fork 
Herbert AV. Coli.ingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION ; ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.<H, equal to 8s. 6d., or 
81 a marks, or 101* * 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 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 bo 
responsible for the debts of honest bankrupts sanctioned bv the courts. 
Notice of the complaint must be sent to fis within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Boys, do all you possibly can to help us get a good 
price for milk. G. c. p. 
New York. 
W E will! You can bet on that! That is the 
most important farm problem in New York 
State, because dairying is the most important indus¬ 
try. The most useful distribution of money that, can 
be made is to put a fair share of the retail price 
into the hands of the producers. That is the surest 
way to put it back into trade. The milk trust domi¬ 
nates the city market, and makes low prices to the 
producer and high prices to the consumer. We want 
to see the producers dominate the city market, and 
make prices fair to all. This purpose lias been de¬ 
layed, but it. is not defeated. It is right, and because 
it is right it will win. 
* 
A N observing friend who is traveling in the Gulf 
States sends us the following little story: 
I took it into my head to buy a watermelon this 
morning from a negro farmer who was selling in the 
street right from his wagon. While I was picking one 
out, up came a darky about 11 years old who wanted to 
buy a 15-cent watermelon. “I don’t have any 15-cent 
watermelons,” the farmer answered, “ ’case I can’t 
afford to raise no 10 and 15-cent watermelons on poor 
land no moh.” So the idea has spread down *liere, as 
elsewhere; either the farmer gets his money’s worth or 
he doesn’t sell the stuff, or perhaps doesn’t raise it. In 
the Middle West I found that farmers have stopped 
growing beef cattle or hogs in quantity, and down here 
land lies idle because there is no one to work it. It 
doesn’t look good for the consumer at all as I see it. 
No intelligent man will continue to produce food 
or other articles at a loss. Just as soon as he is con¬ 
vinced that the price received for his goods does not 
pay him reasonable wages for his work any sane 
man who is master of his actions will stop producing, 
as witness the woolen goods manufacturers. From 
patriotic motives—during Avar or under some strong 
emotion—a man may he willing to toil without re¬ 
ward, but he will not do it willingly otherwise. And 
when, from the negro melon farmer to the big grain 
grower or dairyman, they all come to realize cost of 
production as compared with price, the old order of 
things will surely pass away. You can make no law 
to compel a man to grow 15-cent melons or 3-cent 
milk or 30-eent eggs, if the man concludes that he 
loses money at such prices. One great trouble with 
farming in the past has been the fact that no one 
really knew the cost of production, so that for years 
goods were produced at less than cost. The startling 
change that is coming now is largely due to the en¬ 
forced study of economics which farmers have been 
compelled to make. City people for years enjoyed 
low food prices, which were made possible by rich 
land and the unpaid labor of women and children. 
The rich land is now disappearing, and there must 
be no more unpaid labor. 
* 
Kindly send a email supply of ballots, and if I can 
get to the picnic will be glad to take hold and see. what 
eau be done, but would like to know Avhat plan is fol¬ 
lowed in securing the ballots or votes. I presume it 
would he necessary to take a list of tlie names of the 
voters as they A 7 ote, to have it fair and clean and avoid 
repeaters. J - c - 
W E get a number of such requests. It is desir¬ 
able to get as large a vote as possible any¬ 
where in the State. Not only will this give a good 
expression of opinion, but it will encourage farmers 
to take interest in the primary and other public mat¬ 
ters. The B. N.-Y. will supply the ballots—the same 
as published in this paper. Several well-known men 
may take charge of the work. Select some good cen¬ 
tral point for the voting. IIaA r e a sealed box with a 
slit at the top for inserting the ballots. Have this 
box on a table with the blank ballots all ready for 
use. Put up a sign calling attention to the voting, 
and paste up several ballots where people can read 
them over. It will lie well to make a list of the vot¬ 
ers as they drop in their ballots. Encourage them to 
vote freely and in exactly their own way, for the 
great object is to learn the personal wishes of the 
people—not to “load up” for any special candidate! 
When the A 7 oting is over have a fair committee ap¬ 
pointed to count the ballots. Of course, the chief 
thing is to have such A T oting fair and straight. Make 
it a clear expression of public opinion in your com¬ 
munity. There are great possibilities in this plan, 
and we would like to see it tried at every gathering 
of farmers. They are the true “unofficial conven¬ 
tions.” 
* 
T HE Republican “leaders” of NeAV York held an 
“unofficial” meeting at Saratoga and “recom¬ 
mended” a full State ticket. We have seen before 
now the boss of the household hold out. a dose of 
medicine to the boy and “recommend” it to him. The 
boy accepted it, for he had a mental vision of the 
shingle which the “boss” held behind his back. This 
meeting did not represent the real rank and file of 
the party—the men and women who cast 995,149 
votes for Charles S. Whitman tAVO years ago. The 
chief object of this “unofficial” meeting Avas to de¬ 
stroy the direct primary, and its suggestions for 
candidates are all in that direction. NeAV York 
polities has now divided both parties into two 
sharply defined groups. One small, organized 
group of very able men propose, if possible, to select 
suitable candidates and compel the people to A T ote 
for them. This is on the theory that the plain Avork- 
ing people cannot be trusted to select candidates or 
govern themselves. The other group, comprising the 
rank and file of the party, desire to select candidates 
of their own choice—men who will be responsive to 
the people and who know, in their own lives, the 
need of progressive reform. These “leaders” have 
now drawn the issue closely. In much the same way 
the Democratic leaders are to meet and “unofficially” 
select Governor Smith as their candidate. The 
plain country people of New York must realize that 
all this means the destruction of the primary system 
of nomination if these “leaders” are permitted to 
haA r e their way. With the primary destroyed our 
people may bid good-by to their best AA'eapon in a 
fight for independence. Instead of a sword ready 
for use, if they will use it, they will have only a 
rotten stick. This meeting “suggested” Judge Nathan 
L. Miller as a candidate for Governor and Senator 
Wadsworth for re-election. So far as any free or 
unprejudiced expression of opinion goes it. was of 
no more importance than a “straw vote”—not. as 
clear an expression of opinion as the first 1.200 A'otes 
in our referendum. We are safe in saying that 
Judge Miller, while an able attorney, does not. on 
his record or his associations or his profession, fairly 
represent the desires and the life habits of the vast 
proportion of the voters to who he must look for 
election. We feel confident of that from the cor¬ 
respondence brought out in our own referendum. All 
these things will he fully discussed before the elec¬ 
tion. We advise our friends not to be discouraged 
or “rattled” by the outcome of this meeting. The 
primary does not occur until September 14, and it 
will he hotly contested. Do not under any circum¬ 
stances, stop voting in the referendum. Get every 
ballot you can and send them in promptly. It is now 
more important than ever to poll a large vote. Keep 
cool and keep on working. 
* 
What has Income of Charlie Cole and his rubber 
cream bag, and what are they doing about the ease? 
F. s. p. 
W E understand that Charlie Cole is in Vermont 
on-a dairy farm. No doubt the cream bag is 
with him. The answer to the other question is, 
very little, if anything. Charlie Cole is the man 
who confessed that Avhen testing a Holstein cow for 
a high butterfat test he added cream to the milk, 
thus making a rubber water bag stretch out the cow’s 
pedigree. Cole SAA'ore that he did this, and then 
swore that what he swore Avas false, lie seems a 
very poor creature at best, with a moral fiber as 
elastic as his rubber bag. When these disclosures 
were made the Holstein-Friesian Association very 
properly started to investigate them. They should 
have been permitted to proceed at once, and clean 
up the bad mess, and they Avould no doubt luiA'e done 
so but for the action of Mr. Oliver Cabana, Jr. Mr. 
Cabana Avas the owner of one or more of the cows 
indicated by Cole in his confession. Instead of join¬ 
ing with the association in a prompt and thorough 
investigation, Mr. Cabana secured an injunction re¬ 
straining the association officers from canceling any 
of the records of his cows. Tills has held up the 
matter nearly or quite a year, naturally to the injury 
of the Holstein breed of cattle. Judgment has now 
been rendered in this case. The court decides that 
the hoard of directors are to decide about these rec¬ 
August 7, 1920 
ords. They have the power to cancel the records, 
but they must give Mr. Cabana full notice of a hear¬ 
ing in the case. He may appear in person and with 
counsel offer testimony and cross-examine witnesses, 
lie must have a fair and impartial trial, and the 
president of the association and members of the 
executive committee are prevented from voting. 
Briefly stated, that is Avhat the judge has ordered 
It is now up to the association to proceed, and wo 
understand they will act as soon as the case can he 
fully made up. They probably cannot bring Cole 
from Vermont, but they will he able to use his con¬ 
fession. This nasty case has been held up too long. 
It should have been settled last yeai', and its long 
delay is working great injury to a splendid breed of 
cattle and a worthy group of men. The case seems 
to shoAV how under the technicality of our legal 
practice, a wealthy man might delay proceedings and 
hamstring justice if he cared to do so. Now let the 
association get at the case and settle it. 
* 
S INCE AA r e printed the statement on page 1181 the 
Internal Revenue Bureau has published a de¬ 
cision regarding homemade cider: 
The bureau’s interpretation is as follows: Any per¬ 
son may without permit and without giving bond, man¬ 
ufacture non-intoxicating cider and fruit juices, and in 
so doing he may take his apples or fruits to a custom 
mill and have them made into cider and fruit juices. 
After such non-intOxicating cider and fruit juices are 
made, they must be used exclusively’ in the home, and 
when so used the phrase “non-intoxicating” means non¬ 
intoxicating in fact, and not necessarily less than one- 
half of 1 per cent of alcohol. 
Homemade cider may be sold to any person having 
a permit to manufacture Vinegar. A farmer can sell 
cider or other fruit juices so long as they contain 
less than half of 1 per cent of alcohol, “but the pur¬ 
chaser cannot use or possess the same after they 
contain more than half of 1 per cent.” This seems to 
leave the cider-maker free to sell sweet cider. If it 
ferments after it leaves his hands Ave conclude that 
the purchaser is responsible. Of course there will 
be no restriction in the sales of pasteurized cider or 
apple juice. Reports from Western New York sIioav 
that feAV contracts are being made for cider or can¬ 
ning apples. This has been due to the great sugar 
hold-up, and the uncertainty about the prohibition 
amendment. The latter situation is relieved by this 
last decision. 
» 
W E imagine what some of our people may say 
when they read that strawberry article by 
Mr. Hartman. It does seem incredible, but Ave have 
known Mr. Hartman for many years, and Ave believe 
every Avord he says. The field of berries was viewed 
by many reputable men, including the Secretary of 
Agriculture. Let us consider just Avhat Hartman 
did. He set 40,492 piants to the acre, while most of 
us at the North use about 7,000. Our plan is to set. 
plants about 3x2 ft. and let the runners fill in. 
Hartman, in Florida, sets his “stock” plants in 
Spring. These make runners which are transplant¬ 
ed in October. In New Jersey these runner plants 
sleep through the Winter; in Southern Florida they 
proceed to fruit at. once and keep it up for months. 
We see that something over five plants were required 
to produce a quart and each plant earned on the 
average 10c. We cannot handle berries that way at 
the North, and it may be years before Hartman can 
do it again at the South. We give the story because 
Ave believe it to lie true, but let us all understand it, 
and not make any wrong application. What Mr. 
Hartman says about rushing to Florida to engage in 
berry culture is sound. Would that Ave could make 
people see all sides of such things. 
Brevities 
Tiiroav out the naturally broody lieu as a breeder. 
Can anyone tell us how to catch a Aveasel —after the 
chicks? 
Think of empty apple barrels at $1.35 to $1.50 each! 
Some of us have sold a full barrel of fruit at that price. 
We can sqe no chance for a full supply of coal next 
Winter. There ought to be a good demand for wood as 
fuel. August is a good time for cutting. 
There is no question about the big demand in town 
and city for good-sized horses. The little roadster has 
had his day, but the big puller is getting a new day. 
The New York State School of Forestry at Syracuse 
offers a prize for the biggest tree in New York. The 
biggest one yet found is a black walnut near Setauket, 
Long Island. 
There are many calls for the plan for estimating the 
amount of hay in a stack or mow by measurement. We 
allow from 480 to 520 cubic feet, depending on the kind 
of hay and the way it is packed down. 
