1480 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE HE SIS ESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Wectlj Journal lor Country and Suburban Home* 
Established tiso 
Pnbli»b«d weekly by the Rnral Ptibli.blnx Company, 333 West 80th Street,New York 
Herbert IV. Colunowood, President and Editor. 
John" J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal to 8s. td., or 
81 4 marks, or lots francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or hank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class M tit ter. 
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” 
tYe believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and ad rnit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. But to make doubly sure, we will make good any loss 
lo 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 tliis end, but such eases 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 Rcral New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
Souk* time ago I met a man carrying his dinner to 
work during the forenoon. I saw him take out a baked 
apple; I told him he reminded me of the Hope Farm 
man : I thought at the time 1 might induce him to sub¬ 
scribe to The R. N.-Y. As it was, I found that he was 
already a subscriber. Nearly everyone around town 
that would be interested already takes the paper. I 
bad not been here more than a week or two when I had 
a man speak to me about subscribing. I told him he 
was too late, for I had been taking the paper for a num¬ 
ber of years. j. e. mallinson. 
Rhode Island. 
HEN a man can be identified by a baked apple 
—well, it's a pleasant form of identification. 
We could stand such a ceremony several times a 
day. And there never was a magazine having more 
real friends than The R. N.-Y. has. 
* 
Your subscribers will thank you to tell them that a 
hickory or apple log. well heated in the oven and dropped 
into the bed on a cold night, is better than a stove or 
radiator. Holds beat all night and saves from misery ; 
try it. Our log is 18 in. long. 6 in. thick. We would 
not trade it for a farm if we could not replace it. 
Pennsylvania. J. g. 
W E do not know how many cf our people are 
troubled with cold feet, but a hot log will 
prove a good bed companion. It will hold its heat 
longer than a rubber bag or a “brick,” and the 
original cost is small. A firm, fine-grained wood is 
best for the purpose. The good old apple tree may 
warm the heart with its fruit and then warm the 
feet with its wood. There may not be much science 
about this advice, but there is good sense. 
5k 
T may be said for Secretary of Agriculture Wal¬ 
lace that lie knows enough about the farmer’s 
problems to put them in understandable language. 
No report coming from the Agricultural Department 
has ever received greater attention from the papers 
than the one of this year. Too many of these re¬ 
ports in the past have been long essays on philos¬ 
ophy or perfunctory sermons on the dignity of agri¬ 
culture. At this time we need more digging than 
dignity—more plain truth than printed textbooks. 
We have got to make the town and city people un¬ 
derstand our story. At present they are “fed up” 
on propaganda until they are ready to believe the 
farmer is a thief, or worse. The education most 
needed right now is a course in plain common sense 
for town people. 
sk 
S a man gets on in years it must become evi¬ 
dent to him that life without faith would be 
worse than a living death. A man must have faith 
in himself and faith in the future of humanity if he 
is to do a man’s work in the world. It is a common 
saying that a man is never whipped until he himself 
will admit defeat. So long as he has the faith 
which refuses to admit defeat lie can never he con¬ 
quered. That is true of individuals, and it is also 
true of groups or organizations. Those of us who 
have worked for the improvement of farm conditions 
must have full confidence in this great truth. It 
may seem at times that no progress is being made, 
or it may seem that mistakes or carelessness or open 
treachery are ruining the work of years. We must 
not permit these things to disturb us, but rather go 
ahead with full faith in the justice of our cause. 
For it is faith that brings the victory. Edna St. 
.Vincent Millay puts it powerfully in a few lines; 
Not Truth, but Faith, it is 
That keeps the world alive. If all at once 
Faith were to slacken—that unconscious Faith 
Which must. I know, yet be the cornerstone 
Of all believing—birds now flying fearless 
Across would drop in terror to the earth ; 
Fishes would drown ; and the all-governing reins 
Would tangle in the frantic bands of Ood 
And the worlds gallop headlong to destruction! 
* 
W E know a farmer who never kept a sheep in 
his life, yet he is doing great things for the 
wool business. The blanket which covers him at 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
night, the suit of clothes he wears to church or 
Grange, the Winter dresses for wife and daughter, 
the blankets which protect the horses, and the robe 
which covers him in the car, are all made of pure, 
virgin wool, supplied by the organized wool growers. 
He buys the cloth direct from the wool growers, and 
has the garments made up to suit him. The blankets 
and robes come direct from the factory. He saves 
■ at least 25 per cent on the cloth and blankets, and 
has the satisfaction of knowing that other farmers 
are able, through his trade, to obtain better prices 
for their wool. In the “good old times” the farmer 
and his family sheared the sheep, washed, dyed, 
spun and wove the. wool into cloth and then employed 
the community tailor to come and make the gar¬ 
ments. True, they carried more strength than style, 
hut they, and the way they were made, gave power 
and independence to the wearers. The farmer still 
shears the sheep, but there his control of the wool 
ceases. A dozen hands get their fingers on it. and 
each one demands final payment from the farmer. 
Towns spring up and great factories, vast stores and 
warehouses appear, armies of men and women camp 
in the town or roam about at “salesmanship”—all 
of them doing for the public what, in former times, 
the farmers did for themselves! This wool situation 
is typical of the business of handling a thousand 
other products. The change in industry has built 
up the town and city at the expense of the country 
by compelling the farmer to pay, out of the pro¬ 
ceeds from his products, half a dozen workers who 
have gained, through common usage, a job which is 
not necessary in true economy. The pure virgin wool 
blanket passes through only three hands; the 
farmer’s, the manufacturer’s and the farmer’s selling 
agent. Formerly at least a dozen hands would have 
had a pull at that wool—and pulled it over the farm- 
er’s eyes. The farmer organizes and “pools” his 
wool. This saves the work of several jobbers and 
buyers. Having collected a large quantity of wool 
by “pooling,” the farmer, through his organization, 
contracts with a manufacturer to make it up into 
cloth and blankets, and then sells these products 
direct, to consumers. This is not a dream or some 
imaginary scheme; it is being worked out in New 
York State today. The writer of this has blankets 
and cloth made in just this manner. They are of 
good quality, the saving is at least 25 per cent, and 
the wool grower receives more for his wool than he 
could obtain in any other way. This, we think, 
shows what is coming in llie future with many other 
lines of farm production. Thei*e is far more hope 
of obtaining our rightful share along this line of 
doing it ourselves than in spending all our force upon 
national legislation. 
* 
HE rise in the price of Liberty bonds has been a 
great feature of the financial situation since last 
Summer. These bonds have risen nearly to par, and 
in one ease the Victory bonds have gone above par. 
We think they will go higher yet. This fully justifies 
the advice we gave when these bonds were down to 
Si or even lower. We advised our readers not to 
sell if by any possibility they could hold the bonds. 
We also advised buying the bonds at the low figures, 
rather than investing in oil stocks or “wildcats.” 
Some readers took this advice, and they have gained 
10 per cent or more in the recent rise in values. We 
think that the habit of investing in government se¬ 
curities is a good one. It gives the people personal 
interest in their government, and also a feeling of 
security in their investments. Probably the most 
patriotic nations in the world are those whose public 
debt is controlled by large numbers of citizens. Many 
reasons are given for this rise in the market price of 
bonds. There are many causes for it. the most .effec¬ 
tive being the belief that this country has started 
seriously to cut down expenses and conduct public 
business more economically. 
HE first great definite result of the disarmament 
conference at Washington is the signing of a 
four-part treaty between the United States. Great 
Britain, France and Japan. This provides for an 
agreement regarding the Pacific Ocean and the ter¬ 
ritory held by each nation. Under the terms of this 
treaty the contracting nations agree to submit their 
differences to arbitration, and they agree to stand 
together for mutual defense. The threatening plague 
spot on the map of the world has long been located 
on the shores of the Pacific in the struggle for 
Eastern trade. Under this agreement it is hard to 
see how war can be started in that quarter. A 
minority of American Senators threaten to fight this 
treaty in the Senate, but they do not carry the power 
to defeat it. The people of the world are tired of 
war and its consequences. They are willing to make 
December 24, 1921 
any reasonable sacrifice for peace. We now think 
the program for restricting the world’s naval power 
will he carried out. In the present condition of 
Europe it is not likely that any great land disarma¬ 
ment will be made. The couference will go down 
into history as a success. It may not accomplish all 
we could wish at once, hut it has, through the pow¬ 
erful influence of America, started the world into a 
more hopeful view of national life. 
5k 
E are convinced that town and city people are 
more inclined, right now. to deal direct for 
country goods than ever before. The high prices and 
inferior goods of the past few years have made peo¬ 
ple critical about their buying. They want bar- 
gains, and they are ready to pay the price. We 
think that now is the time to put country-made goods 
before them. There has been a great demand for 
the blanket and cloth made by the New York wool 
growers. There would he sale for 10 times the 
goods already made if the sales were pushed. The 
new association of maple product manufacturers 
might do an enormous business if they would let 
people know what they have to sell. There never 
was a better time to sell farm goods, under some 
form of guarantee. This can best be done by organ¬ 
izing to control a reasonable quantity of the product, 
giving a strong guarantee, grading fairly, and then 
pushing the sale. The direct sale of small lots of 
perishable goods is not so satisfactory. It will he 
better to organize and handle such things in larger 
lots, but the principle of direct trade is being under¬ 
stood and ought to he worked out. 
:k 
T HE “Henry Wololion Defense Fund” was a sum 
of money contributed by our readers to aid in 
the defense of Mr. Wolohon, the man who shot and 
killed a colored thief in the act of robbing a hen¬ 
house. Mr. Wolohon fired at. random in the dark. 
The killing might be called accidental, but it was 
proposed to have Mr. Wolohon tried for manslaugh¬ 
ter. Our people hastily raised about $250 and would 
quickly have made it $1,000 had it been needed. The 
case was finally dropped, so the money was not 
needed. We offered it to Mr. Wolohon, but he seems 
to be a man of good character. lie would not accept 
the money, because he said he had not been put to 
expense. Among the contributors to this fund is 
John P. Gage of Vineland, N. J. Mr. Gage sent $5 
and promised more whenever it was needed. When 
we asked Mr. Gage what we should do with his 
money, he instructed us to extend the subscription 
of an old friend for three years, and to enter a two- 
year subscription for Sergt. Alvin I’. York of Pall 
Mall, Tenn. He did this because of Sergt. York's 
war record. He is the man who, alone, unaided, 
killed 25 Germans and captured 132 men. With the 
help of a few other soldiers he landed this squad of 
prisoners in the Allied lines. That is what he did— 
the record of it seems clear. And York was a man 
who had conscientious scruples against war and hes¬ 
itated a long time before entering the army. In 
private life we understand he is a mild-mannered 
man, who would not needlessly hurt a bird. Our 
readers will therefore he associated with a hero. 
Perhaps we can induce Sergt. York, now that he lias 
entered the family, to tell us how to slaughter po¬ 
tato bugs or scale or mice or other vermin, in a large 
way. We have no desire ever to have him repeat his 
deadly work among human beings, but if lie sees fit 
to round up 132 Tennesseeans as readers of The R. 
N.-Y r . we will gladly open ranks and let him march 
them in. 
Brevities 
The man who sits still is stale. 
Save the wood ashes for the fruit. 
The way to break the coal trust is to bum all the 
wood you can. 
The Ohio Experiment Station shows that one barn 
owl will kill more mice than a dozen cats. 
Corn damaged by the ear-worm is not dangerous for 
cattle, but beware of too much moldy corn. It may he 
made safe by roasting or cooking it. 
Pennsylvania reports 45,210 silos in the State, and 
about 8,500 tractors. Plain dried grass and horses are 
still ahead. 
The cars have run most of the light driving horses off 
the farm, but try to buy a good farm team if you think 
work horses are cheap. 
Some remarkable stories are told about the recent ice 
storm in New England. During three days there was a 
total fall of rain and sleet equal to 3.77 inches per acre. 
One pine tree carried a weight of five tons of ice on one 
side. For each 100 feet of telephone and telegraph wire 
there were 87 lbs. of ice. 
At the New Jersey farm products show at Trenton, 
January 10-14. there will be a milk and cream contest. 
Samples will be bought in open market in many towns 
and cities and carefully examined to see which com¬ 
munity provides the best and cleanest milk. Last year 
Montclair won. 
