1502 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Jouriiul for Country and Suburban Home* * 
Established ISM 
I'liblblird werlly by tbr Rural PnbliwHlnir Company. 333 WrM 30lh Street, Hew York 
JIkriikiit W. C.'OLLINGWOOD, president imd Editor. 
John J. Dillo.v, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Rovlk. Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union. $2.04. equal to 8a Cd., or 
8l£ marks, or 10 1 -;. francs. Remit in money order, express 
order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates. kl.OO per agate line—7 words. References required for 
advertisers unknown to us ; and cash must accompany transient orders. 
“A SQUARE DEAL” 
tVe believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a respon- 
Oble person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. Hut 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, he Kent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention Tut; Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
were books or writings, the literature of the time 
was kept alive by blind men, who wandered about, 
singing or reciting to those who would listen. In 
many cases the barons or chiefs purposely blinded 
these men so that they could not travel, yet even 
then they wandered about, representing the only 
books or papers of the time. Only the afflicted can 
understand the restless desire which impels the 
blind and the deaf to wander or search for some- 
tiling that may keep the mind interested. Those of 
us whose lives lie in pleasant places, and also those 
of us who feel the burden of trouble at this happy 
season of the year, may well let our hearts go out 
to this cheerful blind man who finds in the darkness 
of his slow and weary way a cheerful happiness 
which many of us may well envy. This blind wan¬ 
derer is to send us some notes describing some of bis 
adventures in darkness. What a remarkable thing 
it would be if he were to meet the Berrangs on their 
way! 
* 
December 31, 1021 
national issues, but many a fruit grower has lost 
more from mice than lie ever did from middlemen. 
Let’s punch the enemies we can reach. 
w 
* 
I have just returned from Porto Rico. On the trip I 
was interested to find the captain of the steamer an 
enthusiastic admirer of The It. N.-Y. lie has already 
bought a farm in New York State, and hopes soon to 
cease to plow the waves. f. i. j*. 
Y OU cannot get very far away from them. They 
will be found all the way from the Hotel Astor 
to the mountain cabin—and they are all friendly. 
* 
S EVERAL readers have asked what was done at 
the meeting of the National Grange in Portland, 
Ore. It was the largest meeting of farmers ever 
held on the Pacific slope, and much business was 
transacted. X. .T. Lowell of New York was re-elected 
National Master; Burton Needham. Lecturer; (’. M. 
Freeman, Secretary, and L. II. Wright. Treasurer. 
The Grange went on record regarding many public 
questions. It opposes a National Department of Ed¬ 
ucation. being convinced that it would be a scheme 
of putting education into politics—even worse than is 
at present the case. The Grange favors a Depart¬ 
ment of Public Welfare, and also favors control of 
the Farm Loan System by representatives of the 
farm loan associations. 
* 
W E have, before now, referred to a new book on 
the Grange by Jennie Buell of Michigan. It 
is entitled “The Grange Master and the Grange Lec¬ 
turer,’’ and this title accurately states its character. 
It is the most practical book we know of for study¬ 
ing and developing Grange work. The Subordinate 
Grange ever constitutes the working power of the 
organization. From the very nature of the Grange 
it is evident that the organization will live or die 
just as the Master and the Lecturer decide. These 
Officers must do most of the planning and working. 
They are the true organizers, and many times their 
]towers are taxed to the limit in their efforts to keep 
up interest and provide some sort of a helpful job 
for all. Miss Buell’s book is invaluable for such 
officers. It. gives real help and suggestion and shows 
how ice may do it ourselves. 
* 
is our understanding that the Committee of 
Twenty-one, appointed to investigate the rural 
school question, has reached unanimous conclusion 
regarding the matter of consolidating schools. They 
agree that consolidation is often desirable and neces¬ 
sary. There are hundreds of school districts with 
such a low assessment of real estate that they cannot 
reasonably raise the money for a good school. In 
such cases the district must receive financial aid nr 
combine with some other district. The Committee 
of Twenty-one will, however, recommend that consol¬ 
idation must not be forced upon any district; it is 
not to lie carried out unless the district agrees to 
the plan. 
. * 
M' 
ANY of our readers are renting their farms for 
next year, and there is quite a puzzle over the 
contract. In many cases these farms are well 
stocked and equipped, the chief cash outlay being for 
feed, fertilizer, seeds and taxes, (in a good dairy 
farm, especially where milk is sold, there will be a 
cash income from the start. We think it a good plan 
to specify in the contract that all receipts are to be 
deposited in a certain bank, and all bills paid by 
check. It is wise to have an agreement that all 
checks must have double signatures—both landlord 
and tenant signing them. This will act as a check 
against any needless expense and prevent disputes 
and trouble after bills are paid. Another thing to 
provide for is outside work with the team. There 
may be jobs for the town or for oilier farmers which 
would pay better than farm work if the tenant were 
free to use the team as lie pleased. We have known 
cases where the regular farm work was neglected 
for this outside work. The contract should specify 
that no such work is to be done unless both parties 
agree, and the proceeds are to be equally divided 
between the two parties. 
* 
In a recent number, in your Publisher’s Desk, was an 
answer to a correspondent about Mr. Black, the man 
who was advertising for farms. The same evening that 
The R. N.-Y. came, I noted his advertisement in the 
A'ttleboro Sun. 1 cut the page out of The R. N.-Y. 
and the advertisement from the Sun, and mailed the 
same to the Sun people. Result, the advertisement has 
not appeared since. D. . 
Massachusetts. 
E have report of a new operation by chicken 
thieves. Two well-dressed men appeared at a 
farmhouse and after much bargaining bought 300 
chickens. These birds were to be put in crates and 
left near the road for shipment. These slick and 
showy strangers stood by while the farmer, his wife 
and the hired man ran the chickens down and crated 
them. The strangers paid a small part of the price 
to “bind the bargain’’ and depart'd. The next morn¬ 
ing all the chickens had departed also! These ras¬ 
cals came in the night with a truck, loaded on the 
crates and got away with the whole thing. Those 
farm people had caught and packed the chickens, 
made things easy for the thieves, and then lost their 
property. The payment of a small part of the price 
lulled the farmer’s suspicions, and be never thought 
of watching the property. We pass this experience 
along for what it is worth. A more hopeful report 
comes from New Hampshire, where a judge sen¬ 
tenced a.chicken thief to a term of two years in jail 
for stealing two roosters. One year for each stolen 
bird! We would like to see the same rule adopted 
in the case .if the rascal who stole 300 chickens. 
* 
If the “country gentlemen ” and the kid-gloved 
^agriculturists^ wish to put something over on the 
average former, they always wait till the “man with 
the hoe ” mokes trucks for the horn, and has been 
summoned to the realms of choredom. s. o. 
Ills refers to the “resolutions” frequently passed 
by gatherings of country people. We often see 
some announcement that a Grange or farmers’ so¬ 
ciety lias passed a resolution which puts the ma¬ 
jority of the members in a false position. Shrewd 
politicians can go into any meeting, and if they wait 
their time, can get a few people to “resolve” to bang 
a man or horsewhip a woman. If they find much 
opposition to begin with they wait until most of the 
working farmers have gone home, and the few re¬ 
maining are tired out. Then they spring their “reso¬ 
lution” and pass it. There being but little opposi¬ 
tion they call it unanimous. It never binds anyone 
to definite action, but it goes out to deceive the public 
as to the real views cf the farmers. The ordinary 
“resolution” is just about equal to a rope of sand in 
its power to hold the resolvers to their duty. 
T 
UIAT is one of the things we must do ourselves. 
It is simple and effective. The local papers 
exert a strong influence in all communities. They 
will be dominated by advertisers and town people, 
or by their readers, just as the latter decide. Farm¬ 
ers are. in many eases, the chief patrons of these 
local papers. They have it in their power to put 
them at work for the good of country people. 
F 1 
Fi 
xf ve 
£j <*i 
|VER since the world began men ljave fought, 
dtlier against their own kind or against forces 
which would destroy them if unresisted. There have 
always been two distinct methods of fighting. The 
Great War brought them out clearly. Hindenburg, 
the German, threw bis men forward like a mad bull 
rushing to smash through the enemy’s line. It was 
O NE Christmas thought this year has to do with 
a traveler—a wanderer who makes his way 
about the earth under sorrowful conditions. Many 
of our readers are interested in the affairs of Mr. 
and Mrs. Berrang, who are slowly journeying •‘West¬ 
ward TIo!” behind their ox team. The Berrangs are 
not forced to travel in this way. They are in com¬ 
fortable circumstances, and they enjoy their journey. 
Now we learn of another who is slowly groping his 
way along their track. This is Mr. Fay, a blind man, 
who has slowly felt his way across the continent and 
back three times. This man walks in darkness, day 
by day, but there is light and good cheer in his heart. 
He supports himself by selling shoestrings and little 
poems of his own composition. He is at present in 
West Virginia, disabled by a fall, but by Christmas 
lie will be groping his way along through the dark¬ 
ness to the South, in ancient days, before there 
like a sledge hammer. Foch. the Frenchman, met 
these mad rushes by side-stepping or bending his line 
like a rubber band. He let the rush pass through, 
and then, suddenly, like a pair of huge pinchers, his 
army would stiffen and nip off great blocks of the 
Germans. The Frenchman won. Again and again 
In the world’s history the sledge hammer and the 
pinchers have met. Tn the end the latter prevails. 
We might make a dozen applications of this in dis¬ 
cussing the fight of farmers against the troubles 
which threaten them. Here is one which confronts 
many a fruit grower this Winter. In many localities 
there is a perfect scourge of mice. Should there be 
a hard Winter, with deep snow, there will he great 
damage to trees. Mice must or will eat, and the 
hark of our apple trees suits them as well as the fruit 
suits a small boy. Mounding or protecting the trees 
will help, hut with deep snow the mice are made 
hold by hunger. We have known them to work on 
top of the snow—above the protectors. We are ad¬ 
vised to poison them. That may he called the Hin¬ 
denburg way. It may kill some mice, hut is danger¬ 
ous to animals and poultry. The Foch way is to 
prune the trees and leave the primings on the ground 
ov on the snow. That will satisfy the mice. They 
will strip the hark from the primings and let the 
trees alone. You may call this a simple matter. It 
is not so spectacular as roaring about impossible 
* 
ROM now on you may expect to hear much about 
the “agricultural bloc” in Congress. This “bloc” 
is an association of Senators and Representatives 
from agricultural States of the West and South. It 
is the first instance in our history where men of both 
parties have agreed to drop partisan feeling and 
vote for what they consider the best interests of 
farmers. Never before have Kansas and South 
Carolina or Wisconsin and North Carolina found a 
common cause in legislation. The men who repre¬ 
sent agricultural States have found that in order to 
get what their people need they must combine and 
go out after what they want. The critics of this “bloc” 
forget that for many years there have been just 
such combinations in Congress to promote or defend 
hanking, “business” or manufacturing. The only 
difference is that these former combinations have 
been secret. No one could tell just exactly who 
blocked legislation or who promoted it. The "bloc” 
was always there, working quietly and unseen. The 
agricultural “bloc” is out in the open. Everyone 
knows who belongs to it and what they are trying to 
do. If is open and aboveboard, while those who de¬ 
nounce it have for years tried to do much the same 
thing by hiding in the shadow and pulling wires. 
Brevities 
A good board of correction—a shingle. 
You may not 1 i 1<<■ a skunk, but he is the best hunter 
of field mice you will find. 
Three children in a backyard garden in New York 
City grew a pumpkin weighing 135 pounds. 
The New York State Jersey Cattle Breeders call 
upon the Dairymen’s League to*value and sell milk on 
the basis of the fat content. 
If you must criticize the hired man or the people in 
the house, do not “bawl them out!” They get their 
base on balls when you do that. 
Pennsylvania is the leading buckwheat State, with 
New York a close second. It would pay farmers every¬ 
where to raise more buckwheat. 
It is stated that a ten-dollar bill, unwrapped, with 
onlv a tag tied to it, recently went safely through the 
mails from Massachusetts to South Carolina. 
About 20 tons of paradichlorobenzine were used in 
New Jersey this year for killing peach borers. At the 
rate of one ounce to the tree, that means something of 
a forest. 
