1740 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established isso 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 383 West 80tli Street. New Tork 
Herbert W. Colungwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
We 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 
81& marks, or 10^ francs, Remit in money order, express 
order, personal cheek or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post O.Tice as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 00 cents per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and casli 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, wo 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. 
My subscription expires at the end of this month. I 
am always glad to do you a favor to get a new sub¬ 
scriber. If a new man comes into my neighborhood I 
am always there with the same Rural New-Yorker. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. f. b. 
OOD! Can anyone suggest a better reception 
committee or finer advice? 
* 
HE Rural Education Committee of New York is 
composed of three members each of the Grange, 
Farm Bureau, Dairymen’s League, Home Bureaus, 
State Department of Education, State Teachers' As¬ 
sociation and State Agricultural College. This com¬ 
mittee will conduct a full and complete survey of 
rural education. This survey will he made, when¬ 
ever practical, by farmers or their wives or daugh¬ 
ters, thus securing a sympathetic attitude toward 
the rural schools. The central thought of the entire 
plan is to bring about equal opportunity in educa¬ 
tion for the children of the country districts. We 
hope that prejudice and “hobbies” will all be cut out, 
and that this committee will get down to bedrock 
and show the State how to improve the rural school. 
* 
OME of the daily papers continue to print “scare 
heads” stating that farmers in Iowa aud near-by 
States will burn corn instead of coal this Winter. 
We have heard from hundreds of our readers in 
these States. Many tons of corncobs will be burned 
this Winter, but no sound grain will he used for fuel. 
Coal is higher than it should be, hut most farms 
have more or less wood for fuel. When next you see 
this foolish story repeated in the daily papers, forget 
it. The story is told for a purpose—and no good pur¬ 
pose to help the American farmer. 
* 
LONG ISLAND farmer was recently sentenced 
to nearly two years in prison for whipping a 
hoy with a horsewhip. As we understand it, the 
farmer took this 12-year-old hoy from an institution 
to “bring up.” The farmer claims that the boy was 
not truthful, f?o he tied the lad to a tree and pro¬ 
ceeded to try to inoculate truth with a whip. The 
poet tells us what happens to truth when it is 
crushed to earth, hut all efforts to club the truth 
into human beings have failed. Some of us who 
were brought up on a stick may regret that there 
were no such laws 50 years ago. Some of us can 
look back to various hard whippings which never did 
us any harm. We may have submitted to them be¬ 
cause it was a popular part of the child’s training 
to use the stick freely. We do not follow the same 
plan with our own children, and public sentiment 
today would brand any man who tried it. Here is at 
least one illustration of the way in which law en¬ 
forcement and child training lfcive developed. It 
may be an open question whether the heavy “lick¬ 
ings” of 50 years ago were a wise part of discipline. 
We shall always think some of them helped develop 
character, hut what was then intended as an aid to 
character would now rank as a crime. 
* 
ENATOR WARREN G. HARDING was elected 
President by a great majority in the Electoral 
College, and a popular majority of more tlrtm 
0,000,000 votes. This result was generally conceded 
by most people for a month before the-election, hut 
no one dreamed that a “landslide” of such a tre¬ 
mendous proportion was coming. There has never 
been anything like it since the old war days, or when 
the Southern .States were dominated by reconstruc¬ 
tion governments. The American people have formed 
the habit of accepting the results of such elections 
with more or less philosophy. This spirit was given 
a supreme test in 1S7(>, but the Republic endured 
and will continue to stand. Whatever any man may 
think as an individual, he must admit that when 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
such a multitude of Americans agree at the ballot 
box there is little use questioning the wisdom of 
their action. The causes which led to this “land¬ 
slide” are not hard to find. A great majority of the 
American people were thoroughly dissatisfied with 
the work of the present Administration. Part of 
this was undoubtedly the result of a very skillful 
and effective propaganda. Part of it was, we think, 
not justified, but the public, having suffered long 
from high prices, high taxes and poor distribution, 
struck at the only thing in sight—and struck hard. 
In the face of evident extortion and poor manage¬ 
ment. the Democrats could not defend their record, 
nor could they interest- people who felt that they 
were being robbed by profiteers, in any world-wide 
problems like the League of Nations. Nothing could 
stand against the blind, unreasoning rage of men and 
women who felt that the Government stood by while 
they were being held up. The tremendous vote for 
Governor Smith in New York shows that this “land¬ 
slide” was not entirely a partisan movement. This 
vast army of voters will promptly tear down what 
they have erected if after fail* trial they think they 
are not receiving a “square deal.” That is always 
true in a republic, and therein lies both the strength 
and the weakness of a republican form of govern¬ 
ment. The public will not support any autocratic 
or exclusive form of government. Hereafter any 
party or any set of men who aspire to govern this 
country must he open and frank with the people, 
and ready to accept suggestions and advice. The 
American people did not show any great enthusiasm 
for Mr. Harding. They have put him into the White 
House with reservations attached to him. He was 
nominated by the reactionary element of his party, 
but elected by the progressives. These latter will 
now promptly organize to see that the coming admin¬ 
istration carries out their policies. We feel hopeful 
for the future, because we believe this progressive 
element can and will dominate the policy of America. 
Tt wi 11 he the fault of the plain people if they do not 
* 
“It cannot be done!" 
HERE you*have a quartette of plain words which, 
ever since the world began, have stood in the 
way of progress and held man back from his needs. 
When primitive man with his feeble, undeveloped 
mind, first learned the comforts and the possibilities 
of fire, we have no doubt that there were individuals 
who dreamed of a time when fire could be used to 
produce artificial light, aud thus remove the terrors 
of darkness. When these men gave expression- to 
their dreams the great majority of those who have 
ever been supposed to* be the true custodians of 
knowledge wagged their wise heads and grumbled: 
“It cannot be done!" 
All through the dark ages when for the most part 
the human race was sunk into a condition little bet¬ 
ter than slavery, there must always have been fine 
spirits who looked forward to a time when man 
would he his own master—when he could own land 
and secure protection for common human rights. 
And again the great majority of “leaders” and so- 
called thinkers, chained to habit and prejudice, 
would give the old answer: 
"It cannot be done!" 
We only wish that primitive and positive man 
could come upon earth once more and witness our 
modern electric light, and observe the life of a free 
man on an American farm. Would they realize that 
the progress from t»he dark, damp cave to the warm 
and sunny farmhouse has represented one long, 
fierce combat against the so-called leaders who have 
ever entrenched themselves behind that quartette of 
discouraging words? 
To make an application that will bring the matter 
right home to us. let us take the present condition of 
agriculture in this country. The city has long been 
draining the best of our young people from the farm. 
We must stop that drain and keep the cream of 
farm humanity in the country. We have been receiv¬ 
ing but little more than one-third of the consumer’s 
dollar as the farmer’s share. We must receive at 
least one-half. We are unable t.o obtain proper farm 
credit or capital for farm operation, because most of 
our surplus money is sent to the city for investment. 
We have got to keep our money at home and use it 
to finance farm business. These propositions are 
simple, and they are true. Yet go with them to our 
so-called teachers a»nd leaders and <thoy will say it is 
all a pleasant dream, hut 
"It cannot be done!" 
That might be true if we were to apply only the 
old rules and outgrown ideas of the past. Tt surely 
would he true if we were to adopt the moth-eaten 
plan of hiring politicians to do it for us. It can he 
done, however, as surely as light lias banished dark¬ 
ness. if avi* will only have the vision to believe that 
November 13, 1920 
it is possible. Let us kick out the old bigoted objec¬ 
tors and adopt, a new program. 
“It can be done!" 
“We have pot to do it ourselves /” 
* 
T was estimated last year that over $000,000,000 
of American money was spent for investment in 
wildcat securities. Practically all of it was lost. 
Our estimate is that the farmers and country people 
of New York spent at least $40,000,000 on bogus 
securities, or for investments which hurt rather than 
help farming. And all this time competent farmers, 
eager to improve the’r farms and enlarge their busi¬ 
ness, were unable to borrow needed capital or obtain 
credit It ought to be evident to all of us uoav that 
the government cannot or will not finance the busi¬ 
ness so that a worthy hired man or a tenant can ob¬ 
tain a farm on any living terms. Here and there 
we learn of well-to-do farmers who take a chance on 
a man’s character, and thus give him a chance to 
buy a farm, but in most cases the very men ive need 
most on our farms cannot obtain working capital. 
And yet if only a part of the money annually blown 
away by country people on worthless securities could 
he put into a fund for farm investment we should 
have more than enough to take care of the situation. 
Here is another case Avhere country people must 
learn to do it themselves by putting their money 
where it will benefit their own business. Of course 
the city will act like a sponge to sop up the country’s 
liquid capital so long as Ave throw our money into it. 
* 
E have had quite a discussion of the question 
as to whether Alfalfa seed growing would 
prove profitable in Ncav York. There is no question 
that Alfalfa will ripen its seed in the East. It. is 
doubtful, hOAvever, if the seed business would pay. 
Our seasons are too Avet for best Avork in saving this 
seed, and the chances are that the hay Avill pay bet¬ 
ter. There may he developed several localities where 
first-class seed may be grown, but we think seed from 
the dry sections of the West will prove superior. 
* 
Earl Leach, who lives on a farm sonic live miles west 
of Cortland, found oue of his best cows dead Avheu he 
reached home late yesterday afternoon. A full charge 
of buckshot in the animal’s side showed how she met her 
death. The cow Avas in an open field, and in no way 
resembled a pheasant. 
A few days ago. as Dewitt Callen was walking up the 
track just north of the icehouse at Tattle York, a bullet 
went through hi« hat. The same day a man in a row¬ 
boat out in the lake shot at a duck. He missed the duck 
aud also missed by a few feet—less than a rod—parties 
on a dock in front of one of the cottages. 
Mr. Callen Avas about his regular Avork. Mr. Leach 
gets nothing out of his cow but the hide. Yet hunters 
complain and marvel that farmers post their laud. 
TTESE items are taken from a local New York 
paper. We could easily obtain proof of 50 
cases as bad or Avorse. A man in town may own a 
lawn or small field. He puts up a sign, “Keep off 
the Grass,” and how lie does scold if even the neigh¬ 
bor’s cat runs across the lawn. Now, during the 
hunting season that man loads up the gun and starts 
for the country. He strikes a farm which the owner 
has posted. ‘‘No Trespassing Allowed!” IIoav the 
toAvn man does roar at this “meanness.” The chances 
are that he puts a charge of shot into the sign and 
proceeds to hunt We have known them to do that 
Yet Avhat greater right has this man to go on that 
farm than his home neighbors to cross his lawn? 
That is Avhat we Avant some hunters to tell us. Do 
Ave own our. farms or not? Does the deed give us 
any rights of possess ? on? We propose to go gunning 
in the next Legislature in an effort to find out. 
Brevities 
The latest farm slogan seems to he: “United we’ll 
stick ; divided we’re stuck.” 
Bad business to make the dollar so large that it hides 
all the beauty ami vision of life. 
Truth c-ushed to earth makes the roadbed over 
which the right finally comes rolliug aloug. 
It is reported that Ohio farmers are growing 15.000 
acres of Soy beans. Tt is time they agreed upon stand¬ 
ard varieties. 
Wasting grain aud worse—the man who still per¬ 
mits a great army of surplus young roosters to come 
running to the feed box. 
We have had many letters from women avIio discuss 
“The Wife’s Share,” printed on page 1(578. The next 
magazine number will contain a regular talk about it. 
Remember that no tree agent is permitted to do busi¬ 
ness in Pennsylvania unless he can show a State card 
signed by J. G. Sanders, Director of the Bureau of 
Plant Industry. 
One stated reason for the increase of silver and its 
effect upon foreign exchange is the fact that large quan¬ 
tities of European silver coin, driven out of circulation 
by paper money, have been melted. 
TnK agricultural college is not likely to pull a boy 
away from an attractive and prosperous farm. When it 
does, perhaps the hoy never was cut out for a fawner. 
Is there any good reason why such a hoy should he 
forced hack th“ r arm ? 
