7t* RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1801 
Investments in Land Bank Bonds 
At the recent special session of the Legislature an 
amendment to the banking law was enacted, as fol¬ 
lows: 
Chapter 149. Bonds of the Land Bank of the State 
of New York shall he legal and valid investments for 
sinking and trust-funds of the State of New York or of 
any municipal corporation or political subdivision 
thereof. 
In compliance with the provisions of this law the 
city of Newburgh has authorized the investment of 
the city’s sinking funds in Land Bank bonds. The 
first order is for $60,000. The purpose is to reinvest 
the proceeds locally for building purposes through 
the local savings and loan associations to encourage 
the building of houses, by furnishing mortgage money 
to build and own homes. It is hardly to bo expected 
that the cities would be satisfied to have any large 
portion of this money invested in farm mortgages, at 
least until the present shortage of city houses has 
been relieved; but rural counties, townships and 
school districts could well insist that their sinking 
funds be invested in the Land Bank bonds, and this 
money would be justly held available for farm mort¬ 
gages. 
Little by little the possibilities of the Land Bank 
of the State of New York are being appreciated. It 
has been handicapped by discriminating tax laws, by 
selfish enemies and by mistakes of friends of farm 
credits. The city press and the Legislature have now 
acknowledged the possibilities in its broad plan of 
organization, and indorsed the safe and conservative 
development of its sendee. 
In a recent address to a country meeting of farm¬ 
ers, former Governor Martin II. Glynn, who was 
largely responsible for the enactment of the law to 
authorize the creation of the Land Bank, analyzed 
its beneficial features, and showed the millions of 
dollars it would, if properly encouraged, save the farm¬ 
ers of the State. It Is the one efficient, logical and 
economic plan we have, not only to relieve the pres¬ 
ent shortage of city houses, but also to suppiy farm 
loans to men of good promise and character, but of 
small means. The system as a whole is the most 
complete example of a truly co-operative system that 
we have in this State or Nation. 
The Farmer is “ Somebody ” in Idaho 
Many of our Eastern readers feel that farmers get 
scant recognition from public officials. Most Gov¬ 
ernors, when asked to come out squarely for agricul¬ 
ture, dodge behind the time-honored statement that, 
being Governor of “all the people,’’ they cannot pay 
particular attention to any one class. They then pro¬ 
ceed to favor the class which has the greatest polit¬ 
ical power. Things are different in the State of 
Idaho. Agriculture is the chief business in that State 
and people seem to realize it. We find the following 
letter, printed just after the election, in the Weekly 
Market Bulletin , a publication of the Idaho Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture: 
I am deeply grateful for the complimentary vote given 
me in the late election by the rural districts of Idaho. 
It renews again my always held belief that the farmers 
and stock growers of Idaho are fair in their deductions. 
A keen campaign among them against me did not have 
the effect that its backers thought it would, and out of 
the contest came a new incentive to me to add even more 
in m.v efforts to help develop the agricultural industries 
and make easier the path of the producer. 
The producers of Idaho may expect of this administra¬ 
tion the broadest sort of assistance. Let me again ex¬ 
press m.v gratitude to all of you, and to those who did 
not vote for me let me say that as citizens of Idaho you 
may have everything good that can be given you by this 
administration. o. w. uavis. Governor. 
The Rural School Situation 
No one will deny that many rural schools in New 
York State are inferior. Many children in country 
districts do not have a fair chance to obtain an edu¬ 
cation. These conditions should he improved, and 
they will be. A few years ago, after a long struggle, 
the State Department of Education, largely through 
the Influence of city people, obtained a new law and 
proceeded to enforce it. The result was a mighty 
uproar from country people. After a contest, which 
will long Ih> remembered, the rural people forced the 
repeal of the law. In doing this they performed 
what may he called a legislative miracle, as anyone 
who knows how legislation is riveted upon the people 
at Albany will realize. The farmers who forced this 
repeal through were charged with being “tax dodg¬ 
ers,” “child killers,” “dunces” and general enemies of 
education. The State Department never seemed to 
grasp the real meaning for this opposition. The 
farmers felt that the law was forced upon them by a 
set of arbitrary people who were out of sympathy 
with rural life, and without full knowledge of rural 
conditions. Those who fought the law realized that 
the rural schools are not what they should he. but 
they took the position that If tbo law is to be 
changed the people who pay the local taxes and con¬ 
tribute the children should have most to say in 
changing the law. Wo felt that this position was en¬ 
tirely sound, and for that reason we supported the 
repeal. At the same time we said that a full investi¬ 
gation should be made by a committee of men and 
women, composed chiefly of people who live in the 
country and know'just what the rural school needs. 
This is now being done—and well done. A committee 
of 21 men and women, most of them from the 
country, is preparing to make a survey of the rural 
school situation. They will get down to “grass roots” 
and give us the truth of the matter. Their sugges¬ 
tions for changes in the law will be sympathetic and 
sensible. We believe they will be accepted and gen¬ 
erally supported by country people, and that the final 
result will fully justify the repeal of the recent law. 
The city papers arc beginning to discuss the case. 
As part of a long editorial the New York Times re¬ 
cently said: 
In making their survey the committee men and women 
should have in mind the stimulating fact that the new 
census showed that there were 382.069 residents of New 
York between 21 and 50 who were illiterate or could not 
speak English. 
Remember, libwever, that the illiterate New Yorker 
is almost entirely a city product. There are but very 
few illiterates in the country. 
Making Most of a Farm Paper 
There was a time when T could not get much out of 
TrtE R. N.-Y., but I find the trouble was with me and 
not the paper. Now that I have learned I read all the 
old volumes I can get, and never fail to find a source of 
information and inspiration. However, there is so much 
good in all departments that it is hard to comment on 
any one without touching another; and rather than com¬ 
ment I would like some information on my own case. 
A farmer called here the other day and expressed 
himself frankly about farm papers. lie said he 
thought most of them were chiefly occupied in “ mak¬ 
ing extra work for Mother /” We have tried to make 
The R. N.-Y. human rather than spectacular. There 
is a tendency among some papers to try to imitate 
the cheap magazines by printing lurid stories or sen¬ 
sational and flippant reports of abnormal farm suc¬ 
cesses. Such things are interesting, but they do not 
remain in mind, or if they do they are of no greater 
value than the gas in a bottle of “soda water.” It 
seems to us that country people need to drink from 
the clear spring rather than some doctored “soft 
drinks.” We regard our readers as human beings 
with all the frailties and virtues, depressions and 
ambitions of common people. Wo go to them for in¬ 
spiration and practical help—and we always get it. 
It is as good as a Thanksgiving dinner for us to re¬ 
ceive a note like the above, for here is a man who 
realizes that if we are to make a farm paper worth 
while we must do it ourselves. 
The Hired Man’s Wife 
Last month we printed a letter from one who 
signed herself “A Hired Man’s Wife.” It was an 
honest letter, written by a woman who expressed her 
true feelings. There have been many comments, and 
several parties have written offering this man and 
wife good farm positions. A recent note from the 
woman tells the sequel: 
We had already made a change before you published 
my letter, and my husband is at his old trade in the city, 
getting big money and working eight hours a day, we 
have rented a house in the village and are well located 
in every respect. The things your good paper is fighting 
for I think ought to solve this help problem. It seems 
to me that the narrowness of life of a farm may tend to 
make the people hard and selfish. If only some of the 
city advantages could be stretched out to reach the rural 
districts, the now seemingly hopeless gulf between city 
and country could be abolished. Your splendid publica¬ 
tion has taken a big step in this direction and I trust 1 
rnav see the day when your efforts will be fully success¬ 
ful. 
We hope so, too, and we have faith to believe that 
the good time is on the way. Give us the power to 
send hot and cold water running freely through 
every farmhouse, with every room warmed and 
clearly lighted, aud we will agree to settle the 
fnrm problem. These things can only come through 
a fairer distribution of the consumer’s dollar. It is 
evident now that wc must bring about that fairer dis¬ 
tribution ourselves. 
Farmers in the Legislature; Primary Laws 
We have been unable thus far to learn the occu¬ 
pations of all members of the New York Legislature. 
The list will be compiled as soon as possible. We 
think there will be more farmers and their out¬ 
spoken friends than ever before. In a recent issue 
of the Cincinnati Enquirer we find some statements 
about the next Ohio Legislature; 
Survey of the roster of the new General Assembly, 
names of elective members having been compiled, shows 
it to he a body that will be dominated by farmers. The 
last Legislature, now soon to die, included many agrar¬ 
ians. but. like a good farmer, the present one has made 
two grow where one grew before, figuratively speaking. 
The result is due to capture of nominations by con¬ 
certed action in the partisan primaries in August. The 
last General Assembly included 36 farmers, but the 
next will have 48. There already is a plan to organize 
the “Cornstalk Club,” which became known jocularly as 
the “String-bean Soviet.” In this will be included mem¬ 
bers with strong agrarian tendencies and a desire to be 
“against the cities.” 
While agricultural producers will have a heavy hand 
in the body, labor will not be extremely influential. 
There are not half a dozen labor men in both branches. 
There are, however, 37 lawyers, nine teachers and 
editors, six insurance agents, four real estate men, four 
merchants, four retired men, three brokers, three sales¬ 
men, two railroad conductors, two clergymen and two 
building and loan men; two physicians, a dentist, a 
chiropractor and a druggist. If the negroes had not 
sought representation there would have been but seven 
Democrats in the General Assembly. The seven, plus 
the six who defeated blacks, make the number 13. 
The point about this is that the Ohio farmers seem 
to have organized to control the primary nomina¬ 
tions. That is where country people can win. It is 
one reason why, in New York, the politicians will try 
their best to kill or weaken the primary law. There 
will be a great battle over this. Farmers must 
understand that the primary gives them their best 
weapon against the politicians. The New York law 
should be made stronger—not repealed. We are 
waiting to see what the new Governor suggests. 
Experience in a Public Market 
My only experience has been on the Johnson Gity. 
N. Y. market. I have had excellent success there in 
selling farm produce. I have found that large loads of 
any one product do not sell as readily as a load of mixed 
vegetables. Last Spring we began our trips to the 
market as soon as our vegetables were ready. TheD 
our loads consisted of milk, buttermilk, eggs, poultry, 
lettuce, green onions, radishes, etc. As soon as other 
vegetables came on they were added to the load. 
During canning season we planned to have enough 
vegetables to sell in small amounts for table use, and 
by the bushel for canning. As the season advanced the 
bunch vegetables were replaced by those selling by bulk, 
i. e., in the early part of the Summer we had lettuce, 
bunch beets, carrots, green onions, radishes, pieplant, 
etc. Later we had beets, carrots, onions and tomatoes, 
which sold by the peek or bushel, besides pickling 
cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, etc. 
This year we began to make some of our early cab¬ 
bage into sauerkraut and we have bad great success in 
selling that. We plan to send the truck to the market 
all Winter with loads of potatoes, apples, poultry, milk, 
cabbage, kraut, carrots, etc. Our vegetables are the best 
we raise, and we give good measure in all eases. Our 
customers on the market are practically the sarad ones 
each day. We stand ready to make good anything which 
lias failed to satisfy them. The prices we farmers get 
on the market are a little higher than what we would be 
paid by the merchants, but these same prices are consid¬ 
erably less than what the same merchants charge the 
consumer. We are. both much benefited by the market. 
I think most of the market farmers are using this gain 
in prices to build up the farm, equip the farms with bet¬ 
ter machinery and to breed higher grade stock, poultry, 
etc. “A square deal” for all has been the motto for the 
Johnson City market., and by living up to this motto the 
market is a great success. n. f. pope. 
New York. 
Trespassing on Farm Property 
It seems that most legal practice and State laws tend 
to bring in large money returns to the lawyer and court 
officers, and little satisfaction to those who should be 
protected. New York State Conservation Law, 1920, 
provides. Sections 361-362: 
“An owner or person having the exclusive rights to 
hunt or fish upon enclosed or cultivated lands, or to take 
fish in a private pond or stream, and desiring to protect 
the same, shall maintain notices or signboards, of the 
size and posted and maintained : 
“Notices or signboards not less than 1 ft. square, 
warning all persons against hunting or fishing or tres¬ 
passing thereon for that purpose, shall be conspicu¬ 
ously posted and maintained”—“not more than 40 rods 
apart close to and along the entire boundary”—“defaced 
or destroyed signs be replaced once a year during the 
month of September.” 
“It shall also be considered due service of notice for 
trespass upon any person or persons, by serving them 
personally in the name of the owner or owners of such 
private nark with a written notice,” etc. 
The distinction between “private lands” and “private 
parks” is vague. 
One of the legal jokers is that signs must he not less 
than one foot square (144 sq. in. area) ; a sign 11x14 in., 
154 sq. in., will not do. 
Signs must be flat; cannot be nailed on the circum¬ 
ference of trees or posts. Good waterproof cardboard, 
such as printers use for this purpose, comes in 22x2S-in. 
sheets; to cut four pieces 11x14 in., staudard size notice, 
the 11x11-in. cards before printing cost about 10c each. 
To comply with the law only two sheets 12x12 in or 
larger can be cut from 22x2S-iu. stock, and this doubles 
the cost of the signs. 
The Conservation Commission was written and 
asked if 11xi4-m. signs would be legal: also how much 
area the printing must cover. In reply, a suggested 
wording of the sign was given, but it was rather lengthy. 
It was stated that an 11xl4-in. sign clearly does not 
comply with the law, as it is not a foot square. The only 
real answer would be a test case in the courts. 
It should he noted that hunters, trappers, fishermen 
and other poachers need not fear the hand of the law, 
because nearly all of the notices are not printed or post¬ 
ed in strict conformity with.the letter of the law, and are 
therefore Illegal and non-effective. Propaganda among 
tit, r ' farm magazines, jointly, to obtain commonsenso re¬ 
vised game laws is in order. JAY I,. SMITH. 
Orange Co.. N. Y. 
