G50 
Tire RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home)* 
Established 1850 
f'lililltbr.d weekly by the Karel PnblUhlne Company. Went 80th Street, Sew fork 
Herbert W. Collinowood, President and Kditor. 
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, 82.04. equal to 8s. Gd., or 
8!', 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, 11.00 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 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 aga inst 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 mouth of the time or 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
W E have the following note from one of our 
New York readers: 
My husband says: “I never plan to rest an bom- or 
two but my wife comes along and says ‘Darling, The It. 
N.-Y. says you must do so and so,’ and I have to get at 
it right away to save the chickens or flower garden or 
something. I’m going to pay them $5 a year to keep 
flic paper olT the place.” Still, T notice lie’s always ask¬ 
ing me to write you for advice, f 1 don’t; just look up 
the files and find what he wants to know.) 
MRS. B. F. c. 
We surely have no desire to make trouble between 
man and wife—there are plenty of things both print¬ 
ed and spoken which tend to do that. And of course 
we would not accept this $5 “to keep (lie paper off 
the place,” for if the wife wants it of course it has 
become a household necessity. But this good lady 
should not drive her husband into too great an exer¬ 
tion. Give the good man a chance to rest.. We 
should feel sorry to have him come to regard The R. 
N.-Y. about as a boy regards work. Make the paper 
a pleasure—not a penance. 
* 
T has ever been the contention of the daylight sav¬ 
ers that the towns and cities are unanimous for 
the new time, as well as 90 per cent of the people of 
New York State. Yet here is the result of a “straw 
vote” in Jamestown, N. Y.: 
To determine the sentiment, of workers as to the es¬ 
tablishment of a daylight saving ordinance by the com¬ 
mon council. Ihe board of commerce lias taken a straw 
vote in factories. A total of more than 4.000 ballots 
was received, of which 2,357 were in favor of advancing 
the time and 1,831 against. 
Owing to the closeness of the vote the. common coun¬ 
cil is not expected to enacf such an ordinance. Many 
factories, however, will establish the advance time, be¬ 
ginning May 1. 
A similar vote in otlr cities would greatly sur¬ 
prise the daylight save) . Even in New York City 
there would be a large vote against the plan. This 
shows plainly that the contentions of those who 
fought the repeal bill were misleading. They either 
did not know what they were talking about or they 
were just fighting for the local option feature. On 
Long Island and in some other thickly settled places 
this “local option” is giving the towns all they ever 
called for. 
T 
A FEW years ago The R. N.-Y. began to talk about 
the revival of the small industries, when fann¬ 
ers might manufacture their wool, hides and some 
other products and cut out a few middlemen. We 
were laughed at, but that made no difference. Now 
we see farmers here and there having their wool 
made directly into cloth and blankets. We believe 
that business will grow and that the manufacture of 
bides directly into harness and shoes will follow if. 
Other manufactures of food products must come 
sooner or later into the hands of farmers. We think 
there will be a chance to revive some of the local 
slaughter houses.. Our Canadian correspondent on 
the next page has it right when he says that society 
lias become topheavy through the abnormal growth 
of city and town. This has created an army of 
workers who do no productive labor, yet they all are 
paid out of what the farmer produces. The system 
of distribution is all wrong and naturally the city 
workers will not change it. We have r/ot to do it our¬ 
selves, and the wool men are showing the way. 
W 
HE horrible railroad rates now prevailing are 
more responsible for the present stagnation of 
business than any other one thing. We know dozens 
of people who need certain goods and are well able 
to pay for them, but they are so disgusted at the ex¬ 
tortionate freight charges that they will not buy. 
Practically everyone can tell the same story. The 
result is that people will buy for shipment only their 
great necessities, and everyone, from farmer to man¬ 
ufacturer, suffers. One reason for the present im¬ 
mense imports of wool is the fact that it costs nearly 
30 per cent of the price of wool in the West to carry 
it to the Atlantic coast where it is distributed and 
manufactured. It can he brought from Australia for 
less money per ton ! The same is true of grain. The 
shipper must pay (he price of one bushel of corn to 
have another bushel carried from the Central West 
to New England. Corn can be carried from Argen¬ 
tina to New York for less than half the cost of 
freight from Chicago, and corn grows well in South 
America ! These excessive freight rates have par¬ 
alyzed business except where trucks can be used in 
competition. The situation will grow worse unless 
the^e rates are cut down. 
ijj 
OMMISSIONER PRATT of the State Conserva¬ 
tion Commission resigned and Ellis Staley, of 
Albany, was appointed in his place. The battle for 
a change in the game laws resulted in a compromise. 
The farmers demanded a law which would recognize 
their right to the game found on their farms, and 
require a written permission from the land owner 
for hunting. This was violently opposed by the 
hunters and sporting associations, who organized 
carefully. The farmers stood by their original de¬ 
mand. but some of their representatives weakened 
and consented to changes in the bill. It was openly 
reported at Albany that they did this so as not to 
“put Governor Miller in a hole”—that is, incur 
the powerful opposition of the sports and hunters, 
who displayed great strength nt the bearings. The 
result was a compromise bill, giving but little ira- 
provement in the game laws. We are confident that 
this will be demonstrated during the coming season. 
We must get together for the fundamental proposi¬ 
tion that game belongs to the farmer on whose land 
it runs and feeds. 
* 
O NE remarkable thing about the last session of 
the Legislature was the way the majority held 
together. The Legislature was so one-sided that 
many believed the majority would split, particularly 
in the face of such hills as daylight saving, prohi¬ 
bition enforcement and city transit. These questions 
all brought direct conflict between city and country 
interests, and caused much hitter feeling. Yet the 
big majority, mostly from up the State, never wa¬ 
vered. hut went right through the prepared program. 
There has never been anything quite like it in New 
York State: probably no Legislature ever adjourned 
with less criticism from the majority. There is bit¬ 
ter criticism from New York City, but very little that 
is open elsewhere. The fact seems to he that there 
has come a great reaction from the radical or pro¬ 
gressive policies of the past few years. Some of the 
things advised by the progressives were not wise, and 
some were not, expedient. There has. without ques¬ 
tion, sprung up in the minds of many sound, middle- 
class people, a feeling that there is danger in radical 
thought. 'Phis has brought a reaction to a more con¬ 
servative policy, and we think we are to have several 
years of it. The last National Administration so 
thoroughly discredited its party that the present ma¬ 
jority will probably hold together for some years be¬ 
fore there is any formidable revolt of progressives. 
It is unfortunate in many ways that in New York 
State the lines are being drawn sharply between city 
and country. New York City feels that “up-State” 
is interfering with her rights. Daylight saving, pub¬ 
lic transit and prohibition enforcement were all 
aimed at this big city—so at least the city people 
think. There are interests in this great city which 
have for years robbed and ridiculed and exploited 
the farmers. The city probably deserves some of the 
discipline that is coming to it. hut it is a had thing 
to capitalize this sectional bitterness as a political 
asset. 
* 
T HAT plan for distributing eggs and other pro¬ 
duce, described on page 651, might well be de¬ 
veloped and extended in many large towns and cities. 
Why not make greater use of Uncle Sam’s business 
facilities? There are many complaints about parcel 
post deliveries of eggs shipped long distances, or 
from country postoffices. In the case here men¬ 
tioned we have a combination of express and a short 
parcel post delivery which seems to work well. It 
is evident that if we are to make such a system suc¬ 
cessful there must be standard grades and some re¬ 
sponsible nearby organization. Individual shipments 
by parcel post are not usually satisfactory. There is 
not a uniform grade, and the breakage is consider¬ 
able. The better way of distribution is through or¬ 
ganization. The goods may be sent to some central 
point and there graded and packed to suit customers, 
with prompt and quick delivery. The future success 
April 30, 1921 
with co-operative distribution will, we think, be 
worked out. on some such plan. 
" * 
OME of our apple growers are puzzled to know 
when to spray with the poisons this year. The 
season of blooming is about two weeks ahead, and, 
what is more, the blooming is quite uneven. For ex¬ 
ample, with us McIntosh was in full bloom before 
Baldwin fairly opened. We have been in the habit 
of spraying or dusting at about a certain date. Shall 
we wait until that date, or shall we begin as usual 
when the bloom falls? Are the moths at work earlier 
than usual this year? In our own ease we shall pay 
no attention to the date, but dust as usual when the 
flowers disappear. 
* 
I have been feeding out some of my neighbor’s cab¬ 
bage, paying .$2.50 per ton, and am now feeding bis po¬ 
tatoes at 30e a bushel. This is about one-tenth of what 
he_ expected to get when he planted the stuff. I shall 
raise some feed for the stock, but nothing to sell. 
J. G. M. 
HE outcome of the last potato crop is bewilder¬ 
ing. One year ago there never was a better out¬ 
look in farming than was offered in the potato crop 
—if we were to accept, any of the indications which 
have in the past proved reliable. Prices were high, 
stock was short, industrial population well paid and 
demand apparently assured. The same thing seemed 
true of the cabbage crop. Yet the whole thing went 
wrong. The crop was not excessively large, but from 
the first digging potatoes ran low’ in price. The pub¬ 
lic would not buy as formerly. Most of the crop has 
sold for about half of what it cost to produce, and 
millions of bushels which should be eaten by human 
beings are being fed to stock. There never has been 
such an outcome for the potato crop before. In con¬ 
sequence of the great surplus of old stock left on 
hand, this year’s prices start lower than ever, and 
from all that can be seen now are likely to continue 
low through the Summer. The large growers seem 
to he planting as heavily as ever, but the smaller 
growers are evidently giving up the crop except as a 
side line. The season is starting badly so far as 
weather goes, with frost and wet. and it seems to us 
as if the potato crop must give fair returns next 
Fall. Yet we have never seen the time when plant¬ 
ing potatoes seemed more of a gamble than this 
Spring. 
HE political leaders in New York waited until 
the last moment before introducing their bill 
to change the primary law. It was then too late to 
arrange for any popular discussion, and the bill 
w r ent, through as a party measure. The new law* 
takes the nominations for State offices and judge- 
ships out of the primary, and provides for a nom¬ 
inating convention. There was, finally but little real 
opposition to the bill. The primary has not given 
the results we all expected from it. That failure 
was in part due to the clumsiness of the law, but 
most largely to the failure of our people to make use 
of it. With all its faults, we regarded it as a 
weapon which the plain people might use in defend¬ 
ing their rights whenever they cared to do so, but 
•the truth is that most people were not willing to take 
the trouble to come out and vote. The experience 
of New Jersey shows that a primary law can be 
enforced and made useful. In that State very few 
people would think of abolishing the primary. The 
New York law was defective, and never was made 
popular. We still think that the principle of pri¬ 
mary nominations is right. We would go so far as 
to combine the primary election with registration, 
and permit no one to register a vote at a genei’al 
election who did not vote at the primary. It is evi¬ 
dent, however, that New York people are not ready 
for that. 
Brevities 
Well, there is no middleman in sight on the roadside 
market at least. 
Right you are! The Canada pea for Spring and the 
cow pea for Summer. 
A new issue of $40,000,000 worth of Federal Land- 
Bank bonds has been offered for sale. 
What has become of the “orchard heaters” this year 
of untimely frosts? We have beard but little about 
them 
Many a man suffers torture from unknown diseases 
which are due to infected teeth, the trouble being above 
the gums. 
Most farmers would agree to accept the law of sup¬ 
ply and demand in their business if every other interest 
would do the same. 
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.” We know some men 
who would have difficulty in living up to that injunction 
unless tbe neighbor was of a veiy atti’active personality. 
