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The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S FA TER 
A National Weekly Journal lor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established i860 
I'ublfiibt-d weekly by the Rural PublUbinfr Company, It It It West 30th Street, Sew York 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Kditor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
W* *. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle. Associate Edito r. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $ 2 . 04 . equal to 8s. Gd., or 
81$ marks, or 101$ francs, ltemit in money order, express 
order, pereonal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates. 81.00 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 am working for new subscribers, and have the prom¬ 
ise of two. as I think your paper is the cheapest on the 
market. It is practical , truthful and honorable. 1 am 
the gu*’ who gave your agent 23 cents to get rid of him. 
and now cannot do without the grand old It. X.-Y. 
Pennsylvania. sam bastian. 
W ELT., you are an honest “guy,” as well as a 
wise one, and we shall try to make The It. 
N.-Y. such a reasonable guide that we shall keep you 
guyed right up to it. 
* 
Can you or any of your friends l>u us of any “ old- 
fashioned cures'' for deaf ness that you know to have 
been practicedt skunk's oil is one “popular" rem¬ 
edy; pounding a tin pan close to the ear is another. 
Wc want to make a collection of such “cures." Can 
you help ust 
* 
T HE following incident may not be very profound, 
hut for hot weather thinking it shows how 
people can mix things up. One of our readers, trav¬ 
eling through Vermont, stopped at an inn for dinner. 
She called for strawberry shortcake. The waiter 
was sorry, but they had no shortcake, hut they had 
some very fine Loganberry cake, the berries fresh 
and good. Our friend ordered the cake and found it 
fine. Then she wrote us, asking wlmt we meant by 
saying that Loganberries will not thrive in this sec¬ 
tion. The Loganberry is a great success on the Pa¬ 
cific coast, but we have never been able to make it 
succeed here. Our friend was sure these berries 
were grown locally in Vermont. So we wrote the 
manager of the inn to learn how these berries are 
grown. And he says: 
Either someone made a false statement or the short¬ 
cake was so well made that one would think it was 
made from fresh fruit, because those Loganberries came 
in cans all the way from the Pacific coast. 
There is an old scriptural injunction, “ Take heed 
how ye hear!" Some time ago we had an excited 
letter from a reader who found a strawberry grower 
in New Jersey picking strawberries every day in 
the year. A call upon the strawberry grower brought 
out the following: “I pick berries 83 days in the field 
and 330 days off the pantry shelves.” 
* 
In fertilizing wheat the Ohio Experiment Station has 
found that eight tons of barnyard manure taken fresh 
from the stable and reinforced with acid phosphate (40 
lbs. to the ton of manure) has given a 28-year average 
yield c f ' more than 28 bushels of wheat per acre, the 
wheat being grown after corn. Tin- reinforced manure 
was applied to clover sod, to be plowed down for corn. 
W E believe the time is surely coming when it 
will lie considered an indication of poor farm¬ 
ing to use any manure without adding phosphorus 
in some form. That is especially true of grain crops. 
Most of the soil on our Eastern farms is deficient 
in available phosphorus. Where grain is sold a 
large proportion of the phosphorus found in the crop 
is sent away from the farm. As compared with its 
nitrogen and potash manure is deficient in phos¬ 
phorus, and when used on a soil also lacking in this 
element, of course the manure cannot prove most 
useful. The addition to the manure of phosphorus 
in the form of chemicals is the best possible prac¬ 
tice, This is particularly true of chicken manure. 
This is very strong in ammonia, and unless phos¬ 
phorus is used with it there will he too much wood 
or leaf growth, and a poor development of fruit or 
seed. 
Y EARS ago, on the old farm, farmers used the 
little potatoes for seed. As a rule this meant 
the tubers that were too small to eat conveniently. 
Such little ones were either cooked for the liens or 
used for seed! There was never a large crop, 
though some of these little potatoes came from 
etrong plants, and they reproduced their kind. But 
what a contrast they presented to modern methods. 
We read of one New England farm where there are 
80 acres of seed potatoes! For weeks, girls, made 
expert by long practice and study, have been moving 
up and down the rows of potatoes, examining every 
plant and pulling out every one untrue to name, and 
every one showing even the slightest indication of 
disease. That would seem an endless job—to exam¬ 
ine every one of nearly GOO.OOO potato plants, and 
cull them so completely that not over 500 diseased 
plants will be left. Vet it. has been done, and the 
result wi’l lie “certified seed.” as pure and strong 
in its way and as certain in its reproductive power 
as purebred, registered animals. 
* 
ARM. MR S’ week at the Connecticut Agricul¬ 
tural College last week brought, out a good 
crowd of interested men and women. Most of them 
came in cars. This practical institution is not locat¬ 
ed near any large town, nor is it any mere adjunct 
ta a college or university where the so-called 
“learned professions” are dominating. If is situated 
in a typical hill section of New England and is con¬ 
trolled by farm interests. The college crops look 
well this year, and the experiments are of large 
enough size to make a practical showing. The vis¬ 
itor is impressed with the.possibilities of this rough, 
hilly land, when reasonably handled. Some of the 
“experts” would have us believe that only the lower 
level lands in the Xew England valleys are worth 
cultivating. The fact is that many of the hill farms 
are well adapted to poultry, dairying, grain and 
fruit. Some of them are too rocky for anything hut 
pasture, hut these pastures may be doubled in effi¬ 
ciency by modern methods of farming. During the 
past, few years there has been a tendency to locate 
on the “State road,” to the neglect of the hack farms. 
We think this will he changed in the future. We are 
to have a new type of farmer in the country—men 
and women who love the soil so well that they can 
enjoy air on the hills without a large percentage of 
gasoline. The Connecticut College is working to 
interest this class of farmers. 
* 
L AST week we mentioned the startling stories in 
the newspapers about pellagra among the South¬ 
ern farmers. Awful stories of suffering were told. 
They seemed incredible to us, and we at once called 
for reports from Southern readers. We now have 
letters from all over the South, and they agree in 
stating that the public reports are greatly exagger¬ 
ated. Here is one typical reply from South Caro¬ 
lina : 
I know of but one pellagra case in our whole comity ; 
in fact, we do not believe the disease is as prevalent 
here now as was the case a few years ago. We have 
read the news dispatches and consider them pure bunk. 
While the cotton farmers’ finances are badly crippled on 
account of the low price of cotton, there is no near 
famine in sight. The Southern farmers have enjoyed 
an abundance of fruits and vegetables this Spring and 
Summer. Every farmer in this immediate section has 
produced more home food than he could possibly con¬ 
sume. Practically every tenant farmer produces an 
abundant supply of milk and butter at home. If there 
is any class of people in the South that are suffering 
for the necessaries of life jt is the “I won’t work” 
class, who doubtless would welcome the establishment of 
free feeds by the Red Cross or government agencies. 
S,i far as this immediate section is concerned, there is 
not an iota of truth in this report. N. R. ke.nnemur. 
Central South Carolina. 
Without question the failure of the cotton market 
has ruined many Southern farmers, but it is hard 
for us to believe that a family located on land, with 
a warm climate, fair soil and a good season, can 
he in any great danger of starving. Our people are 
always prepared to help the needy and the unfor¬ 
tunate, hut there is no reason why the troubles of 
the “I won’t work class” should he used to discredit 
the Southern people, who are meeting their crisis 
bravely. 
* 
Last Spring I answered advertisement for caretaker 
and gardener. I was required to give reference and 
work a week on trial, after which I was. as my em¬ 
ployer termed, permanently engaged. I have no writ¬ 
ten contract, but have letters to that effect. At my em¬ 
ployer's advice I sold my fowls, disposed of my garden 
(at a sacrifice), stored my furniture; in fact, burned all 
my bridges. The agreement was that my wife, on ac¬ 
count of poor health, was in no way to be concerned in 
the transaction. After three weeks’ work, employer’s 
wife sent for my wife and wished her to enter her em¬ 
ploy as a domestic, and-when this was refused I was 
dismissed. My employer tells me that my work is sat¬ 
isfactory and he regrets that I must go, but is powerless 
to do a thing. I had spent considerable time and money 
advertising and rejected other positions to accept this 
one, which I was told would be permanent. Is there 
any redress for me? My employer is a millionaire and 
I am a poor man, and while I would not take advan¬ 
tage of the situation, I feel that I have not had a square 
deal. J * 
E have had several eases much like the above 
this year. They are had—usually the result 
( f unjust treatment or due to some whim or caprice. 
We do not know all the facts in this case, and the 
August 13, 1U2X 
employer might tell another story, hut we do know 
enough about such situations to be convinced that 
rich employers often take advantage of their helpers. 
If the statements made above are true this mil¬ 
lionaire ought to be ashamed of himself to permit 
such treatment. If. as here stated, the rich woman 
is responsible, all the more shame to her. if the 
hired man’s wife is not in condition to work, and it 
was agreed that she was not to work. We think 
this hired man would have a fair ease at law for 
breach of contract, hut under such conditions it 
would be practically impossible to win a ease against 
such people. They have every advantage at law. 
We know of one case where the hired man had, as it 
seemed, a good case against his employer. He 
brought suit, to recover damages. The rich employer 
at once shut him off by bringing counter suit for 
$25,000 “for property destroyed.” lie had no case. 
It was a lawyer's bluff, but the poor man could not 
fight in court and thus abandoned the contest. This 
is only one of the tricks to which wealthy men will 
sometimes resort in order to evade fair responsibil¬ 
ity. Many a man of usually good thought lias been 
turned into an “anarchist” by such treatment. Of all 
the men who undertake to run a farm these wealthy 
back-to-the-landers should bo the most scrupulously 
fair and honest in their dealings with working peo¬ 
ple. They have more than their share of this 
world's goods, and they ought to help rather than 
hinder. 
* 
ORD comes from Massachusetts that Prof. F. 
C. Sears lias worked out a plan for detecting 
“misfit trees.” This plan is to operate on the theory 
that each variety has a certain standard habit of 
growth in shape or texture of the leaf, and in the 
production of wood. These various types are to he 
studied and classified until it will be comparatively 
easy to separate varieties by their leaf and wood 
growth. With this knowledge well worked out ic 
would seem to lie as easy to identify Baldwin or Mc¬ 
Intosh or Spy in the nursery row as it now is to rec¬ 
ognize leaf diseases on potatoes. A nursery could 
he inspected by an expert and certain blocks of trees 
certified as true to name. This would afford much 
protection and save many “misfits” except in cases 
where the trees are shipped about from one dealer 
to another. We once bought some trees which came in 
a packing case with four different addresses marked 
on it. They had apparently been sent through four 
different parties, neither one of whom took the 
trouble to inspect them. They proved a mixed lot 
of no value. But this idea of identifying the nur¬ 
sery tree by its natural markings is a good one. 
5k 
I have just read in The R. N.-Y r . of Mr. Barrett's 
hard luck with the beavers. I do not understand why 
his case is not fully covered by Article 5 of amendments 
to the United States Constitution, which closes by say¬ 
ing: “Nor shall private property he taken for public use 
without just compensation.” I’m no lawyer, but I 
should think that language was plain enough so that 
even Judge Andrews could understand it. Why doesn’t 
it apply here? Edward w. comfort. 
Massachusetts. 
M think it does apply, but what chance has a 
layman in such cases, when the highest 
judges decide the law? It is a most unjust and 
wicked thing when farmers must stand the loss of 
their crops by wards of the State, and be refused all 
recompense. We think the law is wrong, hut the 
way to make it right is to insist that the Legislature 
clearly provide for compensation in such cases. 
Brevities 
Here is a recommendation for red hogs sent by an 
expert: “They do not frighten readily and are better 
fighters, pound for pound, than any other colors.” Is 
that any advantage? 
Trs fine to hitch your wagon to a star; you shake 
the lines, start off, and there you are. Yet you will find, 
as many more have found, your wheels are useless when 
they leave the ground. 
From the account of that Sweet clover barbecue 
printed on the next page it appears that some Southern 
people, at least, are in no danger of suffering from under¬ 
nutrition. 
The reports show that there are 05,000,000 less apple 
trees and 50.000.000 less peach trees in the country than 
there were 10 years ago. This in spite of the heavy 
planting up to the time of the war. 
Two boys in Massachusetts fell into a kettle of hot 
tar. At the hospital the first thing done was to bathe 
the hoys in warm lard. That took the tar off. We give 
this experience, though we hope none of our readers 
will ever be forced to try it. 
lx response to our call for information about cats 
that will eat muskmelons we have the following from 
R. II, S. :.“When a boy at home we had a cat that 
would gnaw the muskmelons about as fast as they 
would ripen in the garden. The same cat would walk 
along the top of the rail fences and eat raspberries, and 
had an especial fondness for raisins and pickles as well. 
A rather unusual case. I think, as the item mentioned 
is the only other case of which I have heard.” 
