714 
Vht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Home** 
Established isso 
I’ubllihtd nrrlly by the Rural Pnblinhinir Company, 333 We»t 80th Street, New fork 
Herbert W. Collixgwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. DllXON, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate F.ditor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreipn countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. equal to 8s. 6d., or 
8!a marks, or 10‘jj francs, liemit 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 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. 
I believe most all the readers of The R. N.-Y. would 
like to know liow 1 have helped to make new friends for 
the paper. In sending small amounts of money through 
the mail to business firms I always wrap the money in 
a piece of The R. N.-Y. securely, even though they may 
not have used the advertising columns of The R. N.-Y. 
In selling hatching eggs through the mail I wrap each 
egg with a piece of The R. N.-Y., line the container also 
with The R. N.-Y. It is useful to tie up plants in to 
sell to local trade. It is impossible to cast bread upon 
the waters for a just cause and lose it. Every subscrip¬ 
tion secured for The R. N.-Y. is a benefit and a help to 
the working people. a. stokesberky. 
Ohio. 
OOD seed will often grow in unexpected places. 
We once met a man in Georgia on a railroad 
train. lie turned out to be a reader of The R. N.-Y. 
lie said be bought a bale of hay which came from 
Michigan. When he came to open it he found a big 
stone and a copy of the paper. He said he forgave 
the man who put. in the stone for the value he got 
through this introduction to The R. N.-Y. 
* 
Last night school meeting was held as usual. There 
were six men and three women present. That is about 
the usual number of men and more women than have 
ever attended. Other districts run about the same. 
b. E. I). 
HI*S meeting was held in St. Lawrence County, 
N. Y. It has been suggested that we give space 
to school meetings of this sort. They ought to repre¬ 
sent the real feeling among country people. We 
would like to have them. Tell us how many attended, 
what was done and what was the sentiment about 
the rural schools. If you can get such reports we 
can surely help the rural schools. 
sk 
W E go ou record as predicting a great “come¬ 
back” in small fruit culture. Strawberries 
and bush fruits demand constant hand cultivation. 
During the war this could not he performed at any 
reasonable price, and thus many small fruit fields 
were neglected or plowed up. Prices ran high and 
i iere will be a shortage this year. The way things 
look now there ought to be fair prices for berries for 
several years to come, and planting will bo heavy. 
On the first page this week Mr. Proctor tells of a way 
of planting strawberries that will be new to many 
readers. It can he done, but if you try it you must, 
attend to the details, and they are many. It Avill not 
do to turn over an old sod of mixed grasses and 
weeds and plant berries at once. Many readers ask 
if they can do that, but the cost of keeping the grass 
and weeds out would be heavy. In Northern New 
Jersey we have planted strawberries in every month 
of the year except December, January and February, 
and brought them through successfully. We prefer 
Spring planting, though the plan suggested by Mr. 
Proctor is well suited to small areas and intensive 
culture. But you must have your land clean if you 
expect to make any profit with berries. 
* 
P PENNSYLVANIA agricultural report states that 
37 per cent of farmers in that State used lime, 
while 77 per cent used commercial fertilizer. The 
cost of the lime thus used was about three and one- 
half million dollars, while the cost of the fertilizer 
was eleven and one-half million. On the great ma¬ 
jority of our Eastern farms lime is more important 
than fertilizer. The exception will be found in a few 
places, where phosphorus is specially needed.. With 
a full supply of lime, farmers could grow clover or 
Alfalfa and get on with very little chemicals. There 
ought to be at least two tons of lime used for every 
ton of chemical fertilizer. 
* 
ROWN denim is a coarse cotton cloth used for 
making overalls and similar clothing. It is, or 
is supposed to be, pure cotton. It, is selling now at 
retail for upholstery at 75c a yard, and one yard 
will weigh a few ounces. At the same time raw 
cotton is quoted at. about I2c in the market and 
7 to 8c on the farm. It is tough when a cotton 
farmer must give at least 18 lbs. of cotton for the 
cloth required to make one pair of overalls. 
C AN the plant known as kudzu be made to grow 
in New York as it grows in Florida? The 
average fanner will perhaps say “What do 1 care 
whether it will grow here or not? What difference 
will it make with me?” Tt, may make 75 per cent of 
the difference between profit or loss. As it grows in 
Florida kudzu is the most remarkable of forage or 
pasture plants. It is as permanent as asparagus, as 
rich in animal nutriment as Alfalfa or Soy beans, 
and more productive than either. You plant the 
roots, give them fair culture, and the kudzu will 
finally chase everything else out of the field—includ¬ 
ing the farmer. Tt is a legume, and when once 
started will do well on rough or rocky land. It is 
not a dry. sandy land plant, but likes good soil. Tf 
it can be started on some of our old Northern pas¬ 
tures it will run riot and double the productive pow¬ 
er of the land. The trouble lias been to hold back the 
Southern-grown roots until they can safely ho plant¬ 
ed at. the North. We have succeeded this year in 
getting a few roots started, and they look as if they 
would grow. Tf they do we can toll about it. It is 
now too late to get them started, but if we find it. 
possible to make kudzu grow on our Northern soils it 
will prove a wonderful help to all stockmen. 
% 
M AY DAY brought news of great labor strikes all 
over the world. New York City shipping is tied 
up by a strike of workmen. Trade every where is held 
up or crippled chiefly because workmen refuse to 
accept, a reduction in wages. During the war wages 
in most trades soared like a flying machine—far 
above everything ever known before. The chief rea¬ 
son for the demands of labor was “the high cost of 
living.” and the farmer was blamed for that. T T n- 
der “deflation” the wholesale prices for what the 
farmer has to sell have been steadily cut down, 
until they are now far below the cost of production. 
The cost is kept high because the necessities which 
farmers must buy have not been greatly reduced in 
price, while prices for what he has to sell have been 
cut in half. Thus the farmer found his wages, or 
the payment for his labor, cut in two, or even three 
parts. He lias suffered far more in this respect than 
any other worker in the world. Yet he is urged to 
work harder and produce more food, with the most 
unfavorable outlook for his business yet known. 
And the people who are urging him to do this are 
not attempting any such plan in their own industry. 
It is about time the average city man understood a 
few things. When city workmen are asked to accept 
a reduction of war wages they strike and paralyze 
industry. The farmer has suffered a reduction in 
wages twice as large as any contemplated in their 
business, yet he keeps right on turning out. the food! 
Now, who is the patriot? 
* 
E shall keep our promise regarding the work 
of that Educational Committee of Twenty- 
one. and give full reports of its work. Such a report 
of the meeting at Watertown is printed on the next, 
page. At that place the committee ran upon a group 
of farmers and their wives who have firm and de¬ 
cided ideas about the rural school. They are not 
backward about expressing these ideas, and we think 
this contact with them is doing the members of this 
committee a world of good. It helps us all when we 
can see ourselves as others see us. The Albany edu¬ 
cators are getting a full-length portrait of them¬ 
selves. as sketched by the farmers and rural peo¬ 
ple. They have doubtless had a mental picture of 
these same farmers. An exchange of these pictures 
will do both parties good. The committee knows by 
this time that it would be impossible to revive the 
school law which was repealed a few years ago. 
They also know that forcing “consolidation” of school 
districts upon unwilling school patrons never can be 
a success. They will also learn that they cannot run 
the rural schools on any exact- program for city 
schools. We think this committee will help. We 
advise farmers to attend the meetings and take a 
hand in the discussions. 
* 
NE excuse for giving so much space to the dis¬ 
cussion on canning crops on page 705 is that 
this controversy between canners and farmers is 
typical of dozens of other struggles now being fought 
out between producers and handlers. This lias come 
to a head in Western New York as the result of farm 
organization.. For many years the unorganized 
farmers were forced to accept about any price which 
May 14, 1921 
was offered. At that time any such thing as collec¬ 
tive bargaining was impossible, because the farmers 
were forced to deal as individuals. It has always 
been possible to see what could be done if the com¬ 
bined product of 100 or 1.000 farmers could be 
massed and offered for sale as a unit. In fact, we 
all understand that increased power comes from in¬ 
creasing the size of the unit. Individuals could not 
well do that, but a strong organization can. and this 
is what those farmers are doing. Instead of com¬ 
ing. as they did in former years, and asking. “What 
will you give?” they now say “The price is so much !” 
It is a great, struggle, and, as one correspondent 
writes, “the air is fairly vibrating with the conflict !” 
We think the growers are fair in their demands, but 
they must realize that they are fighting against very 
powerful interests. The letter which we print as an 
attack upon the organization shows the old ear¬ 
marks. The effort will he to create jealousy and dis¬ 
trust among the farmers. This means personal jeal¬ 
ousy between individual farmers and bitter rivalry 
among organizations. Of course the canners know 
full well that their only hope lies in splitting the 
farm organizations apart by introducing personal or 
class feeling. On the other band, the farmers must 
realize that their only hope lies in ignoring petty 
rivalries and small personal feeling, but standing up 
like a rock for the principle at stake. Let them 
remember Ben Franklin’s remark when lie signed the 
Declaration of Independence: “HV must- all hang 
together nr ire shall all hang separately /” You no¬ 
tice that “Agriculturist,” whose letter we print, in all 
his volume of words does not offer any proof that 
farmers have not the right to name a price for their 
product if they want to! 
* 
L AST week Governor Miller signed the Ferris Bill 
amending the State Farms and Markets Coun¬ 
cil. Tinder the original bill the Farms and Markets 
Council was responsible for the conduct of the affairs 
of the Agricultural Department and conducted it 
personally or through committees of the council. 
Tinder the amendment, the council is retained, blit 
its only function seems to be the appointment of a 
Commissioner of Agriculture and advisory to him. 
The amendment provides for a Commissioner of 
Farms and Markets, who is charged with the con¬ 
duct of flic department exercising all of the powers 
and functions, except, that of his own appointment, 
previously exercised by the council itself. The old 
Division of Agriculture and the Division of Foods 
and markets are retained. The commissioners in 
charge of them are also retained, but the new Com¬ 
missioner of Farms and Markets has the authority to 
terminate the tenure of the commissioners and to 
fix their salaries. He also has the authority to 
appoint all heads of bureaus and employees and to 
fix their salaries. His own salary is fixed in the 
bill at $10,000 per annum. He holds office at the 
pleasure of the council. 
Brevities 
School discipline begins at home. 
The last word is worse than the first. 
Business hours belong to the boss! 
IIow much real help does the teacher in your district 
school get from you? 
Where it is possible to take time for it, disking the 
ground before plowing pays. 
Fine bmiemeal fed to hogs will surely help make a 
sturdy frame. Breeding animals in particular need this 
mineral food. 
We never saw a season when farmers showed less 
enthusiasm for their work than this year. They will 
work, hut there is not much spirit in it. 
THERE seems to be good reason for the advice not to 
eat oysters in any month “without the R.” It seems 
that oysters are usually diseased in Summer. 
It is reported that only one farmer in 17 in Pennsyl¬ 
vania is able to secure female help on the farm or in 
the house. The woman’s land army is needed in the 
kitchen. 
Bright sunshine will kill bacteria, and it will also 
kill the roots of young trees if left exposed. As soon as 
you can get the nursery trees out of the package, “heel” 
them in—that is, dig a hole—and bury the roots. 
Cases of yellow fever appeared at Tampico, Mexico. 
As this disease is spread by mosquitoes a campaign 
was started for using oil on all stagnant water. This 
interfered with the natives and gave great trouble. 
Then it was found that the little fish known as the 
top minnow (Ganilisia) feeds on the young mosquitoes. 
This fish was put into the local ponds and has been so 
successful that it has displaced the use of oil. 
