1236 
The Rural New-Yorker 
TEE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established i860 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company, 333 West 30th Street, New Fork 
Herbert W. Colllngwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Rotle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04, equal to 8s. Cd,, «r 
bis marks, or 10!^.francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal cheek or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, il.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 Toss 
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. 
At the head of your editorial page, issue of Septem¬ 
ber 24. you said: 
“It is our ambition to make The R. N.-Y. so human 
and so sincere that two strangers may meet anywhere 
and, the moment they find they are both readers of this 
paper, instantly fee] that they have the common inter¬ 
ests of members of a great family.” 
Righto! That identical thing happened during the 
past Summer. I was a passenger on board the good' 
S. S. I’atria. booked for Europe; had passed the Azores 
and then on through the Straits of Gibraltar out into 
the Mediterranean Sea. I was perusing my latest copy 
of The R. N.-Y. (issue July 2) when a fellow passen¬ 
ger (hitherto a stranger) saluted me with: “So you are 
a R. N.-Y. man too, eh?” This was our simple intro¬ 
duction, and it was sufficient; we were no longer stran¬ 
gers, as The R. N.-Y. had caused a bond of “common 
interests” to spring up; and had I gone to the North 
Pole I doubtless would have bad a similar experience 
there ! JOHN R. van dine. 
Michigan. 
M OST likely! We have readers in Alaska, so 
far north that they tell us of putting the kero¬ 
sene can on the stove to melt the oil for a light! 
You will find pictures from The R. N.-Y. pasted on 
the walls of cabins in the far north. We also have 
readers as far south as Patagonia. And wherever 
you find us you will be welcome. 
H ERE is something many of our readers want to 
know—how to make brooms. We have had a 
number of questions about it, hut it seems hard to 
get a description that really describes. No doubt 
there are many expert broom makers in our big 
family. Can they tell how to do it so that others 
will understand? This is a case where volunteers 
are desired. How do you make a broom? 
* 
I note what The R. N.-Y. says about tax-exempt se¬ 
curities. A town near me has issued bonds in order to 
obtain money for building a sewer. These bonds are to 
pay 6 per cent and are guaranteed free from tax. The 
sewer is needed and will increase the value of property 
by attracting new residents. What objection can there 
be to making these bonds exempt from taxes? They 
probably could not be sold otherwise. j. s. 
E doubt if this town sewer system is any more 
necessary than a drainage system on thou¬ 
sands of farms. It surely cannot be said that the 
sewer will be more useful to the country than good 
drainage which would increase crop production. 
Without question the tax exemption privilege on 
various forms of municipal bonds makes it more 
difficult for farmers to obtain credit for farm im¬ 
provement. Millions of dollars which ought to go 
into active production or into business are invested 
in these bonds in order to escape a fair share of tax 
burdens or to hide incomes. That is, without doubt, 
one reason for the present business stagnation, for 
nearly twenty billions of dollars are now locked up 
in these tax-exempt securities. Many towns and 
cities are using this privilege so extravagantly that 
they can never pay out without resorting to ruinous 
taxation. The present system works a great injus¬ 
tice to the country, as it gives what amounts to a 
special privilege to the town. We are in favor of a 
law or a constitutional amendment, whichever is 
necessary, to prohibit the issuing of any tax-exempt 
securities. We would compel all classes and all 
forms of wealth to pay their just share, without 
exemption of special privilege. 
* 
T I1E Supreme Court of Michigan in a recent de¬ 
cision is quoted as follows: 
The husband is the bead of the family and has the 
right at common law to regulate his household, its ex¬ 
penses and visitors, and to exercise the general control 
of the family management. 
This was in a case where the wife purchased a 
still and made and sold a quantity of “home brew.” 
The husband was tried and convicted on the theory 
that he was, or ought to be, master of his own 
house! We know a number of gentlemen who will 
be made quite thoughtful by this decision. We have 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
seen them carefully wipe their shoes at the back 
door and then walk meekly into their own house. 
Their manner was not at all like that of a master. 
It was more like that of one who openly recognizes 
a superior household power. How it will shock them 
to be told that they are masters of their own house! 
They may be so legally, hut most of them lack the 
moral power to assert their legal rights. 
sk 
E notice a thing which seems to be character¬ 
istic of all co-operative enterprises. A good 
proportion of the people who join do not fully under¬ 
stand just what co-operation means. They expect a 
prompt advantage for themselves, but do not under¬ 
stand that in order to receive that they must give 
away something of their own. It is hard sometimes 
to realize that in any orderly community law and 
behavior must be a sort of compromise. We must 
all give up something in order to obtain protection 
and public help. There are a good many people 
endowed with an untrained or selfish nature, who 
want to enjoy all the blessings of government or 
organized society, yet are not willing to contribute 
their own share. Someone has said that many per¬ 
sons are frightened at the word “compulsory” when 
used with education. They think it implies some 
nature of tyranny or degradation, when the great 
majority of us agree that it is one of the safeguards 
thrown around national life to compel as many as 
possible of our people to read and write. Milton 
spoke of a class of people who 
Bawl for freedom in their senseless mood 
And still revolt when truth would make them free; 
License they mean when they cry liberty, 
For who love that must first be wise and good. 
It is a popular thing just now in the rush to organ¬ 
ize new societies to forget or ignore the quiet and 
efficient service which the Grange has rendered for 
half a century. The Grange has done the nation a 
great service in training men and women for orderly, 
constructive work. Some of the newer organizations 
are noisier and have more of motion, but they would 
have been impossible hut for the sober, steady, long- 
continued work of the Grange. 
* 
HAT is known as the “commercial vitamine” 
has arrived. It comes in tablets or powders 
said to contain these mysterious principles, and may 
be added to any sort of food. It looks easy, and our 
people are writing to ask if they should use these 
vitamines. We would not use them. They cannot 
contain anything equal to the vitamines in pure 
milk. The milk will give these principles in fresher, 
purer and better condition, and in addition a supply 
of fat, lime and protein, all of the best quality. 
What earthly or heavenly reason can anyone give 
for using this commercial stuff when they can ob¬ 
tain pure milk? 
* 
The Goddess of New Jersey. 
HE geologic map of New Jersey engraved in 
black on page 1227 is, in its original colors, one 
of the most remarkable geographical documents ever 
worked out by the geologist and the map maker. It 
is printed in 45 colors or shades of colors, and shows 
in minute detail all the variations of soils and min¬ 
erals to be found in the Garden State. Iron, lime, 
brick clay, salt marsh and sand; they are all care¬ 
fully classified and colored. The remarkable thing is 
that when the course of the Delaware River is 
smoothed and cleared with a black mark we have the 
fac-e of an agreeable looking woman wearing a gaily 
trimmed hat and the old-fashioned arrangement of 
the hair known as the “waterfall.” It is all there— 
even to the red nostril and “the pimple on her nose.” 
A deposit of brick clay gives almost the exact shape 
and location of an ear. It is probable that 90 per 
cent of the people who were born and raised in New 
Jersey never dreamed that their State showed such 
personality on the map. It ought to be made into a 
great State asset. The map should be hung in every 
Jersey schoolroom. It should be painted in exact 
colors and as large as possible on the wall of the 
Assembly Chamber at Trenton. The Goddess of New 
Jersey! There she stands, looking hopefully off to 
the West—asking the question of the eternal fem¬ 
inine, “7s my hat on straight ?” Yes, Mistress Jer¬ 
sey, your hat is on straight and your head is level \ 
* 
T is now settled that the apple crop will be one of 
the shortest in many years. Following the tre¬ 
mendous crop of last year, when millions of barrels 
rotted on the ground, the present scarcity shows for¬ 
cibly what a gamble with nature farming and fruit 
growing have become. Our own crop ripened at 
least two weeks earlier than usual, and has dropped 
October 15, 1921 ' 
badly. The present outlook is for a warm Fall, 
which means poor keeping in ordinary storage. We 
have thought it best to sell promptly at high prices 
and get rid of the fruit. It requires judgment to 
know what to do in such cases. The indications are 
for a short supply and prices ought to go higher. 
There always comes a point beyond which buyers 
will not go. We think that point will be lower than 
usual this season and there will be unusual loss in 
storage. These prospects decided us to sell promptly. 
Others may make a better guess by holding. Our 
own plan is to make as fair an estimate as possible 
of the cost of production. When we can make a rea¬ 
sonable profit above that we let the fruit go. In 
some years such a profit is impossible. 
* 
T is stated that 600 potato growers, controlling 
20,000 acres in New Jersey, have organized to 
obtain a credit of $500,000 for financing next year’s 
crop. These growers live in what is called the cen¬ 
tral potato belt, including Monmouth County and 
west to the Delaware River. These men propose to 
combine their assets in a legal manner, and then 
with their combined security obtain the loan. This 
is a form of negotiating their credit, much the same 
as a great corporation would do in order to finance 
its operations until it had goods to sell. These 
farmers will he able to use this money in buying 
seed, fertilizer and other supplies, and also in build, 
ing store houses and graders. Such practices will, 
without question, interfere with the present business 
of middlemen and handlers. It seems to be one of 
the industrial developments that are sure to come in 
the future. The individual farmer cannot always 
use his credit to the best advantage, but a com¬ 
bination of most of the farmers in any locality could 
control ample assets for any loan. As we point out 
in another article this week, the New Jersey farmers 
occupy a good position for co-operative work. 
5k 
I heartily agree with your articles on the city hogs 
who drive to the country and steal produce from the 
farmers. Let us now reverse the case, and ask what 
should be done with the country hogs who run roadside 
markets and sell as “produce right from the farm” 
stuff that, has been purchased from the corner grocery 
store? Ask your readers for a discussion, and I bet 
you will get an earful from the city folks who got stung 
at the roadside market. I do not mean every roadside 
market. A . B< 
B UT how do you know that they are genuine 
farmers? We know several cases where city 
hucksters come out into the country and open road¬ 
side stands. They put on a costume which gives 
their idea of what a farmer iooke like, buy cheap 
goods and sell what they can. They are frauds, but 
they are not fanners , and it is unfair to hold up 
their conduct as typical of country people. It is 
doubtless true that some farmers have not given 
their customers a square deal. We have no wish to 
defend them and we would condemn fraud or trick¬ 
ery, anywhere, no matter who does it. But do not 
call these made-up hucksters and penny pinchers 
formers. Most of them are third-rate dealers in 
disguise. 
7k 
N instance of how the Land Bank of the State 
of New York can serve individuals and com¬ 
munities is revealed in a recent transaction with the 
City of New York through the local savings and loan 
association. The city and local banks subscribe for 
$50,000 Land Bank bonds. The proceeds of these 
bends are absorbed by the local building and loan 
association and loaned out to build homes and in¬ 
crease the housing facilities of the city. The expense 
of this transaction is trifling as handled through 
these strictly co-operative institutions, and the 
money in the control of the members serves imme¬ 
diate individual needs, and contributes to the com¬ 
munity welfare. 
Brevities 
You ought to get about 15 pints of popped corn from 
one pint of unpopped. 
The virgin wool blankets sold by the Wool Growers’ 
Association are of good quality. 
Fall is a good time for fence building—before the 
ground freezes there is soft digging. 
Those who still persist in using nitrate of soda in 
late Fall might just as well throw their money away. 
Severau parties write to ask if there is any market 
for horse chestnuts. They have no particular drug 
value, and dealers here do not buy them. 
Fruit buds were generally killed last Spring. This 
should mean a full crop next season. The late frost did 
not greatly injure the trees. It killed the buds, and 
nature will proceed to develop new ones. 
It is remarkable how the shoemaker and cobbler has 
come back in many farm neighborhoods. Too many 
people had formed the habit of buying a new pair of 
shoes, wearing them partly out and then throwing them 
away. 
