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The Rural New-Yorker 
THE Bl’SlXEBS FARMER'S PAPER 
\ National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Home* 
Established ISSO 
I'ublUhrd nrekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 333 West 80th Street, Sew York 
Herbert TV. COLLING WOOD, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
iYm. f. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royi.e, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION* : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
ttfc marks, or 10H francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates. $1.00 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 bouses, 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. 
A RE the farmers in Canada able to produce milk 
cheaper than our dairymen? In every demand 
for a higher tariff on dairy products such a claim is 
made and, as an economic proposition, we want to 
know about it. What are the conditions which en¬ 
able the Canadians to produce a cheap quart or 
pound of milk? We have had a number of explana¬ 
tions, but the following, from a farmer in Northern 
Vermont, seems most plausible: 
Just north of ns iu Quebec they are selling quantities 
of milk to buyers on this side ofthe line. Of course at 
present the exchange rate has considerable to do with 
increasing the imports of milk. I believe that a great 
many of the French Canadian farmers of Vermont who 
have large families are in the habit of working every¬ 
one in the family, women and children included, and by 
utilizing this cheap or free labor, as many of them con¬ 
sider it. they are able to keep costs down, and this 
would seem to make the cost of milk production appear 
low. 
That seems to be the old story of the “unpaid 
labor of women and children.” Can anyone give a 
better reason for cheaper production in Canada? 
>|c 
T HE Ohio Experiment Station gives a new report 
on annual Sweet clover: 
An acre of this new legume at the Ohio Experiment 
Station produced 5.379 lbs. of air-dried hay in 183 days. 
The seed was sown in 30-iu. rows at the rate of 2*4 lbs. 
per acre. 
While this clover will give results as a hay or 
forage crop, we still think its chief value will lie in 
its ability to produce a large amount of green ma¬ 
nure in a short time. That is what we must have— 
here on the Atlantic coast, with high-priced land and 
a shortage of manure. This annual clover will give 
us the equivalent of eight tons of manure to the 
acre and spread it for us. between two cash crops in 
the rotation. The Ohio Station people seek to per¬ 
fect a strain which will mature seed in 140 days or a 
little over. We are sure that we had several plants 
last year that did the trick! 
V ISITORS to New York City often express sur¬ 
prise at seeing so many horses employed at 
hauling express wagons. In most other lines of 
trade the trucks and cars have driven horses off the 
streets. Yet the express companies retain “man's 
most faithful friend.” Why? The following note 
from the American Railway Express Company gives 
the reason—new, no doubt, to many people. It shows 
that the horse still holds his place in industry, and 
that there 'will continue to be a demand for his 
services: 
It is a fact that this company still utilizes in its ser¬ 
vice in Greater New York a large number of horse- 
drawn vehicles* and if some of these visitors to New 
York realized the expense of haulage through the con¬ 
gested streets of this city they would readily understand 
why we do not use more trucks. 
If a vehicle must be tied up in traffic, it is less expen¬ 
sive to have a one-thousand dollar unit idle than one 
that cost three times that amount or more. There is a 
distinct place iu our service for the gas car. also for the 
electric truck, and just as distinct a place for the horse 
and wagon. 
One of the serious problems in New York City is the 
economic loss sustained by reason of the terrible con¬ 
gestion of traffic on the streets, and the remedy would 
seem to lie in providing other thoroughfares, either un¬ 
der the streets or over them. This excessive cost of 
haulage is something that contributes to the high cost 
of living, and affects every man. woman and child in 
Greater 1 New York. Robert e. M. cowie, 
Vice-President. 
5j» 
H ENRY FORD is quoted as saying that in the 
future chemistry will do away with the cow, 
as gasoline is doing away with the horse. Mr. Ford 
will find that the horse still has considerable of a 
kick in defending himself from extinction. The cow 
will die still harder, for the service she renders man¬ 
kind is far different from the labor of the horse. We 
recently printed an article on chemical food by Dr. 
Rose, and others are to follow. The great chemists 
assure us that there is absolutely nothing in sight to 
warrant the statement that synthetic food can be 
prepared at a profit. The chemists are to find new 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
food uses for what are now considered wastes, but 
it is in no way likely that any fluid capable of serv¬ 
ing humanity as cows’ milk does can ever he made by 
any machine except the cow. When Mr. Ford talks 
about automobiles we may accept his statements as 
the last word, with reservations. When he discusses 
cows and milk—well, we prefer the following, by 
Dr. McCollum: 
The peoples who have made liberal use of milk as a 
food. have, in contrast (with non-milk users), attained 
greater size, greater longevity, and have been much 
more successful in the rearing of their young. They 
have been more aggressive than the non-milk using 
peoples, and have achieved much greater advancement 
in literature, science and art. They have developed in 
a higher degree educational and political systems which 
offer the greatest opportunity for the individual to de¬ 
velop his powers. Such development has a physiological 
basis, and there seems every reason to believe that it is 
fundamentally related to nutrition. * * * Milk is 
our greatest protective food, and its use must be in- 
ereased. The price must be allowed to go up, so long as 
the. cost of production makes it necessary, and up so far 
as is essential to make milk production a profitable busi¬ 
ness. Unless this is. done, the effects will soon become 
apparent in a lowering of our standard of health and 
efficiency. 
* 
HE “emergency tariff” passed the Senate with¬ 
out trouble, but it is definitely announced 
that President Wilson will veto it. This tariff bill 
puts high duties on agricultural products, including 
grain, hides, potatoes, eggs and dairy products. It 
is clearly and openly designed to prevent or reduce 
imports of farm products in the definite expectation 
that such tariff duties will increase prices to Amer¬ 
ican farmers. In former years there have been 
tariff bills which evaded or disguised their purpose. 
It cannot he said that this one does so, for there is 
no question about its purpose to “protect” our farm¬ 
ers against the effect upon our markets of eggs from 
China, wheat from Canada, butter from Denmark, 
hides from Argentina, wool from Australia, and all 
the rest. President Wilson will veto the bill,, and 
while doing so take occasion to attack the principle 
of taxing food products. We think the House will 
pass the hill over the President's veto, but there may 
not ho quite enough votes in the Senate to do it. In 
that event all tariff legislation will be laid over for 
the new Administration, and foreign food will con¬ 
tinue to come in. In the final vote the Southern 
Senators outside of Louisiana, opposed the tariff 
and were joined by several New England Senators. 
The South has always opposed tariffs, while New 
England, naturally favors cheap food, since that 
section has neglected agriculture. 
* 
N this discussion over the use of oleo we have a 
number of letters from townspeople who give their 
opinions as consumers. We stated clearly when the 
discussion started that we are not finding fault with 
townspeople who use the butter substitutes. We have 
no quarrel with them, for we think we can show 
them that good butter is superior and well worth the 
difference in price, particularly if there are children 
in the family. What we are trying to bring out. is 
the question of the moral right of a farmer who sells 
milk or butter to others to turn about and buy the 
substitutes for his own family. We confess that this 
seems to us about as small and petty a practice, and 
about as narrow a policy as any we can think of. 
We have been waiting for someone to advance any 
broad and patriotic reason for selling pure dairy 
products and buying the substitutes. Thus far no 
reason except that of saving a few cents has been 
advanced! 
* 
NE of the most useful men the Southern states 
have ever produced is Dr. W. F. Massey. He 
has helped millions of people all over the Southern 
States to improve their homes anil farms, and thus 
improve their conditions of life. Since the Civil War 
no statesman has arisen in the South who has done 
more to sweeten the lives of his people or add to 
their material prosperity than Dr. Massey has done. 
Yet. with all the millions he has helped to solid suc¬ 
cess, this brave and kindly man, now past SO years 
of age, is still doing a full man’s work and earning 
his living through daily toil. Dr. Massey is the last 
of the famous “old guard” of agricultural workers 
who laid the foundation for modern agricultural 
thought. The great army of younger men. now 
swarming into the work, may well stand at attention 
and salute him. They can ask no better outlook in 
life than the opportunity to serve the people as he 
has done, and carry their love and confidence into old 
age. 
A T the Poughkeepsie fruit meeting a fruit grower 
introduced a new feature. He exhibited Green¬ 
ing apples of good quality iu open packages. At the 
side was a little basket, and over the package was 
this sign: 
February 26, 1921 
“Apples two for five- cents. Put the money in the 
basket .” 
He sold several barrels in that way; it was a 
seif-seller without much labor. The apples were 
good, and half the price charged at fruit stands. As 
soon as the people understood the plan they bought 
apples and came back for more. We think there is a 
great chance for development in this idea. Such a 
chance to buy two good apples for five cents on a 
city street at dinner time would be rushed at once. 
At movie shows and other public places thousands 
of barrels of fruit could be worked off. There is a 
good idea iu this which someone should develop. 
We have been to meetings in fruit sections before 
now where you could find stacks of half-rotten ban¬ 
anas or poor oranges for sale, but never an apple or 
a bunch of grapes. The development of such a trade 
would be worth far more than a tariff. 
* 
Why don't the homes copy the army or cafeteria in 
the manner of serving meals? Let each one have as 
many dishes as he or she is willing to wash served 
direct from the dish that the food was cooked in. Then, 
after supper, mother can join the family sport. S. J. E. 
UR friend does not say whether he has tried this 
plan in his own family. We know places 
where pretty much the same thing is practiced and 
the result is not happy. Such families remind us of 
the animals in the barn so far as their social rela¬ 
tions are concerned. Mealtime in a good family is 
an important event. It may be the only chance for 
all the members to get together, and it should he 
made much of. We know a woman who improves 
this shining hour by scolding all her family, from 
father down. We know a man who improves this 
golden opportunity by relating the most doleful 
events of the day. Do you wonder that indigestion 
waits upon that family and that the children get 
away from that home? Supper time ought to be ser¬ 
vice time. We should not make a religion of eat¬ 
ing, but there is much of true religion about a happy 
table group. As for helping mother clear up the 
supper dishes, it is ten to one you jumped at the 
chance to help—during your courting days! Why 
not now? She did not need your help then—now 
she does. 
* 
ANY farmers are contemplating changes in 
crops or farm methods for this year. There 
can be no doubt about that. There will be big 
changes on many farms. Some old crops will he 
abandoned, some of the poorer and distant fields will 
be given up, and the labor which is available will 
he put on fewer acres, nearer the buildings. Of 
course where a farm is run on a regular rotation 
there will not be so many changes, yet we know of 
some farmers who will cut out potatoes aud seed 
small grain. Farmers are not going to quit working 
this year. They are going to cut down expenses, hire 
less outside labor and reorganize their operations. 
Dairy farmers cannot do this as quickly as farmers 
who raise general crops, but they are all studying 
out new plans. Two years ago we said that no man 
of middle years could ever hope to live the old life— 
the farm life of 1915. The world's big changes have 
’made that impossible, and the truth has been pushed 
home sooner than we expected. Many farmers who 
write us are trying to work out a plan for handling 
their best land to better advantage. They want 
some method or some new crop that will give them a 
fair income with less labor and less expense. They 
will work it out, too. 
Brevities 
There are 27,000 fewer cows in Massachusetts than 
there were 25 years ago. Yet probably as much milk is 
produced as ever. Better cows ! 
Pronounce the name for us—but para-di-chloro-ben- 
zeue is giviug good results as a peach borer killer. This 
long-joiuted name is applied to another coal-tar product. 
A Northern reader wauts to know if he can go to 
Florida aud succeed at growing the new varieties of 
chestnuts. No. There are very few, if any, chestnut 
trees in Florida, and it is not likely that the nut will 
thrive there. Pecans will pay better. 
Talking about speed, at the recent skating competi¬ 
tion iu Northern New York, one man skated a mile in 
two minutes and 40 seconds; another three miles in 
eight minutes and 45 seconds. We can remember when 
the horse that could trot in 2 :30 was called a wonder. 
We have had a number of questions about paying back 
taxes when real estate is sold. Who should pay—the 
buyer or the seller? The rule is that the vendor of 
property is liable for all taxes assessed and levied 
against the property at the time of sale, and the vendee 
for all taxes thereafter. 
