Building a New City on Water 
The latest engineering proposition is that of ex¬ 
it nding Manhattan Island, on which New York City 
is built, some six miles down (he bay. This island 
is really a great mass of rock rising in places 90 feet 
or more above the ocean, sloping both east and west 
to Hit' rivers, and covered in part with a thin skin 
or rind of soil. This gives New York the best sur¬ 
face drainage of any city in the world, for heavy 
rains, rushing away in both directions, clean her 
streets. The latest proposition is to extend the 
city south of the mouth of the Hudson by building 
vast concrete walls down to the bedrock and extend¬ 
ing above the water. The present depth of water 
varies from 40 to 90 ft. These proposed walls would 
be 25 to 30 ft thick ana about 12 miles long. Then 
by pumping out the water and sand the solid rock 
foundation would be exposed, and upon this the new 
city would be built. 
This is not an impossible dream, but a practical 
engineering proposition. If the business of the city 
is to develop there must be more room for build¬ 
ing. The growth to the north is restricted, and this 
plan, worked out successfully, would create new 
“land’’ worth two billion dollars, on which would be 
erected buildings worth some three billions more. 
Such at least are the estimates of those who back 
the scheme. We think the work is possible, and that 
the engineers could put it through, but several other 
things arise in mind regarding it. Who would own 
this great tract of rock redeemed from the water? 
The city, the Federal government or the men who 
provide the money? What would be the effect upon 
commerce and industry? It would without doubt 
add greatly to the number of people who are to live 
a 4 the mouth of the Hudson. There are already 
about seven millions crowded into this limited terri¬ 
tory. This extension and the draining of the New 
Jersey marshes would bring new swarms of humans 
to the Hudson, and in a few years the present popu¬ 
lation would be doubled. All these people must eat 
and wear clothing, and few if any of them could 
produce any food. This would mean greatly in¬ 
creased opportunity for all farmers and gardeners in 
New Jersey or anywhere with 150 miles, or as far 
away as trucks can haul farm produce. All this 
would mean opportunities for the sale of vegetables, 
fruit, eggs and other perishable food, such as the 
world has never yet seen. The entire Atlantic slope 
would benefit from it. 
On the other hand, wc believe it to be a vital mis¬ 
take in national life to continue to increase and build 
up the great cities. New York is already too large 
for its own moral health and that of the country. 
Every nation which has in past years rushed to de¬ 
cay has gone along the way of building up the city 
at the expense of the country. The same amount of 
money needed for extending Manhattan Island down 
along the water would make a far better national in¬ 
vestment if it could be used in developing the smaller 
water powers and building little industries around 
them. Pride and glory may call for the great Amer¬ 
ican city, but the common sense of history knows 
that the nation has greater need of a country devel¬ 
opment. 
The Farmer and Food Prices 
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Fnited 
States Department of Labor sends out a table show¬ 
ing the increases in the cost of six groups of pro¬ 
ducts since 1914 in 19 cities of the United States. 
The products were all included in the following 
groups: Food, clothing, housing, fuel and light, fur¬ 
niture and furnishings, and miscellaneous. The av¬ 
erage increase of all, including food, is 74.8 per cent. 
The increase for food alone is 47.1 per cent. '1 his 
indicates the increase in foods to be substantially 
one-half the average increase of the other five 
groups. With the continued high cost of distribution, 
the cost of food to the consumer has been compara¬ 
tively less than the cost of other necessities, esti¬ 
mated on pre-war prices. There lias been lots of 
sympathy expressed for the farmer, but all practical 
work since the beginning of the war has been devot¬ 
ed to keeping down the jtrice of his products, leav¬ 
ing the things he must buy to be manipulated either 
to increase or maintain prices. The farmer is 
warned to keep out of politics; and politicians are 
conspiring with food trusts to reduce the price he 
is to receive for his products. 
New Developments With Wool and 
Cotton 
While workers in other European countries seem 
to be standing around looking for particular jobs 
at high wages, the Germans have gone to work at 
Th RURAL NEW-YORKER 
available jobs, and at the wages they can get. With 
millions of men idle in London and other cities, strik¬ 
ing for higher wages, the Saxon mills in Germany 
have contracted with Australian growers to make 
$2o <)< 10.000 worth of wool into cloth. The mills 
will I»c paid for the work, and the cloth will remain 
the property of the growers, who will sell it outside 
of Germany. British merchants are supplying ma¬ 
terials in other lines and taking advantage of the 
low cost of German production to have them manu¬ 
factured in the German mills and shops. Germany 
can ask nothing better than that her late enemies in 
war should stand idle and permit her people to do 
the work. If this policy is .continued there is noth¬ 
ing surer than that economically Germany will forge 
ahead of the other countries that remain idle while 
she works. In this country a big group of cotton 
dealers is figuring to send cotton to mills ia Austria 
and Hungary, where it will be made into cloth on 
commission at a cash price. The cloth will then be 
put into the world’s regular trade. These cotton 
men claim that they can thus obtain more for their 
cotton than by having it spun in Fall River, New 
Bedford or Manchester. 
Troubles of Western Farmers 
Farming here is at low ebb. Wheat lowest in 25 
years, “normalcy” and the protective tariff notwith¬ 
standing. Our farmers haul wheat 30 miles and receive 
from 85c to $1 per 100 lbs. With the exception of 
potatoes other things are in proportion. Alfalfa hay, $4 
per ton, with tons of it lying in the fields unstarched. 
Taxes are high ; 4 per cent in the country and 7 per 
cent or even more in the small towns. The State admin¬ 
istration goes right ahead creating useless offices with 
high-salaried incumbents, and unnecessarily spends hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of dollars with reckless extrava¬ 
gance. To wit: Recently built a million-dollar addition 
to the State House, when, upon their own admissions, 
the cost of everything entering into its construction was 
112 per cent above normal. ... 
The farmers and laboring men knew all or this, and 
more, too, and vet they returned the same gang to pow¬ 
er. and defeated a “dirt farmer” for Governor on the 
Non-Partisan ticket. They sowed the wind and they 
are reaping the whirlwind. Every interest is solicitous 
of the farmer’s welfare until he forms an organization 
with teeth in it. A * GILMORE. 
Idaho. 
Many or most of our letters from the Rocky Moun¬ 
tain States read like the above. Prices are ruinous 
and expenses are high. The great trouble seems to 
be in the lack of local markets. Farmers are so far 
removed from consumers that they are at the mercy 
of handlers and middlemen. Alfalfa hay at $4 per 
ton shocks some of us, who must pay $25 and $30 
at retail. Farmers on the Atlantic slope are better 
off than their far Western brothers. Many of us aie 
now within trucking distance of good markets. While 
the middlemen still rob many who live far back and 
must ship to strangers, taken as a class, the Eastern 
farmers are now in better shape than those of any 
other section we know of. We have our troubles, 
and many of us have had a hard if not disastrous 
season, but as compared with any other section we 
think the farmers of New England, New York, New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania have the best outlook of 
any. 
Enforcement of the New Trespass Law 
Because of a strong desire to stop undesirable tres¬ 
passing. as well as to preserve ami increase game, many 
farmers in this part of the State have posted their prop¬ 
erties and are backing up this step with a determination 
to see that the law is enforced. , 
Some illegal trespassing has occurred. One Sunday 
morning, while I was preparing for church, four Italians 
began to shoot up the farm. I had to give up cnuich, 
but I bagged these four marauders, and saved a uumoer 
of partridges and gray squirrels, which I greatly need, 
because even with the multiplication of what stock was 
on hand last Spring 7 haven’t much over 10 per cent 
of a normal breeding stock of these species.. upon ex¬ 
amination I found the men were absolutely ignorant or 
the posting law. They claimed that the little law book 
which they received with their license did not warn 
them concerning the crime of trespassing on posted 
property with a gun. I intended to secure one of these 
books immediately after that incident, but have not been 
able to do so. However, the moment I did spend in 
looking through the book of one of these men. I was 
unable to see any materially important warnings. 
What I did was to decide on the spot that inasmuch 
as the Conservation Commission has apparently tailed 
to notify sportsmen concerning these important elements 
of the jaw. I would take it upon myself to notify, or 
rather warn local sportsmen, and then if there are any 
violations there probably will be prosecutions. 
Considerable confusion has also resulted from the 
appearance of many misleading articles (framed for that 
purpose) throughout the press of the country. _ I 
thought I would send von the enclosed clipping to snow 
you how we are handling the matter here. A non- 
posting law is the ideal law, and is correct ethically, but 
I really believe that farmers are not entitled to it un¬ 
less they are willing to “do it themselves.” 
Montgomery Co., N. Y. d. foyd devendorf. 
R. N.-Y.—The clipping contains an excellent article 
which Mr. Devendorf wrote for the Amsterdam Evening 
Record. He outlines the law and quotes from it: 
“Section 365, which was made a part of the conserva¬ 
tion law last Winter, provides that “no person shall 
take or disturb fish, birds or quadrupeds on any private 
park or private lands, or trespass thereon with or hav¬ 
ing in his possession a rod, gun or any implement or 
means by which fish, birds or quadrupeds may be dis¬ 
turbed. taken or killed, after notices have been posted 
as prescribed above. 
1307 
“Also Subdivision 5 of Section 1S2 in effect provides 
that any person who trespasses with a gun on posted 
lands without the written permission of the owner, 
drives, disturbs or in any way molests game, leaves bars 
and gates open, damages fences, mutilates signboards or 
commits similar lawlessness, shall be guilty of a mis¬ 
demeanor, and in addition thereto is liable to a penalty 
of $50, together with costs of suit, in addition to the 
actual damages, all of which may be recovered in the 
same action.’ 
Mr. Devendorf also says: 
“I am sure that a careful observation of the teeth of 
this law will convince any sportsman that the only safe 
policy will be for him to know where he treads with 
his gun. and that in case of doubt it will be an evidence 
of wisdom if he will first call at the neighboring farm 
house and secure permission as a gentleman sportsman 
ought to do, instead of sneaking over the back fields 
and through the hidden ravines, reasoning as he picks 
off every specimen of game which his ability as a marks¬ 
man will permit that if he doesn't get this game the 
other fellow will.” 
We wish more of our readers would study such 
laws and write clearly about (hem to the local papers. 
That is the way to spread such truth. Many of the 
articles appearing in local papers were evidently written 
in the interests of hunters and “sports.” 
Milk and Lime Disease 
The R. N.-Y. is working in every legitimate way 
to induce the American people to make milk a great 
national drink. Pure milk is the most healthful 
fluid that anyone can absorb. It is more than food, 
foi it is tonic, medicine and miracle worker, and 
nothing could be of greater industrial value to the 
country than increased consumption of milk. Dairy¬ 
ing is an essential industry, seen from any point 
of view. The business is now threated by frauds 
and counterfeits and by selfish social laws. It must 
be maintained at any cost, and the only way to main¬ 
tain it is to make it profitable. The only way to 
make such a business in perishable food profitable 
is to increase demand and promote quick sales. That 
is what we are trying to do by showing the good 
qualities of milk. Now comes a suggestion which 
we have not heard before. It may be summarized 
as follows: Milk contains more lime than any other 
food, far more than ordinary “hard” water. We are 
told that lime increases trouble from rheumatism 
and calculi or stone in kidneys and bladder. If 
“hard” water is injurious to those suffering from 
these troubles, should not milk, which contains even 
more lime, be condemned as a drink for such suf¬ 
ferers? 
We referred this question to medical authorities 
and have received the following reply from Dr. M. 
F. Schlesinger. As many of us know, skim-milk has 
often been suggested as a suitable food for persons 
troubled with diseases of the kidneys. 
Iu certain forms of rheumatism, especially those asso¬ 
ciated with enlarged finger joints, oxalate of lime or 
calcium crystals are found in the urine. This is known 
in medicine as oxaluria. The precipitation of these 
crystals, however, does not depend as much on the total 
amount of oxalic acid present as it does on its solu¬ 
bility. 
The precipitation of calcium (lime) oxalate in the 
urinary tract, on the other hand, is of very great impor¬ 
tance, since from 30 to 50 per cent of urinary calculi 
consists of calcium oxalate, and these are the worst of 
stones. 
These crystals are not due to imbibing hard or lime 
waters or milk, but the chief source is food, especially 
certain vegetables, as beans, artichokes, beets, potatoes 
and especially tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, certain fruits 
and grains, cocoa, tea and coffee. It is therefore seen 
that hard water is not the cause of rheumatism or its 
complications—or is it responsible for calculi. This ap¬ 
plies equally well to milk. m. f. schlesinger. 
That Water Witch 
.Tim Robinson, living with his father in Crawford 
County, O.. in the 60’s, got married, and “Uncle Davy” 
gave him the “northwest eighty.” My father was an 
invalid, and we lived on a nearby forty, all paid for, 
and I was glad to work with Jim on a big place at 50 
cents for 14 hours’ work, This wealth went for the 
publications of Horace Greeley and men of his class, as 
my other expenses were one pair of boots a year. I was 
corn-fed, and mother made my clothes over from 
father’s virgin wool until I outgrew him. Our half- 
dozen sheep and mother’s wheels furnished the acces¬ 
sories. Jim built a little frame house on the bank of 
a Summer-failing brook, and I helped dig a couple of 
holes for wells. When the first one was started the 
father-in-law came to call, not to dig, and like men of 
all ages began at once to throw cold water on the plans 
and aspirations of youth. He and an elder stick pow¬ 
wowed about the premises and he said: “You may 
have to dig here to China, but there is plenty of water 
here at six to 12 feet.” .Tim wanted the well opposite 
the kitchen door, where he was going to build his “milk- 
house” with a projecting roof, so “Em” could pump and 
wash under cover. 
We were down 18 feet and destroying a good knot 
maul driving a crowbar when our advisor came with a 
peach limb and pow-wowed some more. He insisted we 
would get water at half the depth where he had driven 
a stake his last visit. In hopeless desperation we threw 
the dirt from the second hole into the first, and walled 
the well at 10 feet. There were 7 feet of nice water 
the next morn. 
I have seen some strange things since. I am a Cal¬ 
vinist and a Covenanter. There are no dregs of pagan¬ 
ism. idolatry or superstition in my system, but I do 
not know how Lewis Littler and the elder knew there 
was water there. Neither do I know how the sap run¬ 
ning in the roots, trunk and branches of a seedling 
apple tree to grow bitter fruit that will make a pig 
squeal to step on will give me Grimes. Spy or Jonathan 
when I cut off the end of a limb and stick a scion in it. 
Ohio. W. W. REYNOLDS. 
