1503 
What’s the Idea, Anyway 
T take great pleasure in telling you that you ought 
to change the policy of The Rural New-Yorker as 
soon as possible; you're raising hell toith the farm¬ 
ers all over the State. 
We have had, during the past 40 years, many 
comments regarding our work with farmers, but on 
the whole the above is about the highest compliment 
we have ever received. 
How can that be possible? 
Well, listen! As you know, the New York State 
Wool Growers are holding their wool for a better 
market. As a side line and as an experiment they 
contracted with a woolen mill to make a quantity of 
blankets, robes and suitings for direct sale. The 
goods are fine in quality, and are sold at a reason¬ 
able price. Practically alone among farm papers, 
The Rural New-Yorker has pushed the direct sale 
of these goods. Our people have bought them freely. 
We have tided to make our folks understand what 
this direct sale represents. It means a higher price 
for the farmer’s wool on one hand, while to the con¬ 
sumer it means a saving of at least 25 per cent. Tt is 
our judgment that right along this line is the way 
out for farmers. 
Now the man who wrote the expressive sentence 
at the head of this article studied what we have 
written, and also attended several meetings of sheep 
men. Then he went home and wrote out his con¬ 
clusions, endorsing the plan of direct trade. The 
article was sent 'to an influential paper for publica¬ 
tion. All that ever got into type was a short, per¬ 
functory note about “pooling.” 
Being a little curious to know why a subject of 
such interest to farmers “got the ax,” he called to 
see about it, and this is about what he was told: 
“Of course such stuff as this direct trade might 
suit the farmers, by keeping them worked up all the 
time. But that isn’t what we are after. A farmer’s 
business is to plow and drag and produce the stuff. 
Let them do it. What sense is there in printing stuff 
that makes them discontented? 
‘"Tell 'em to trust in God and the Republican 
party! 
“There is no use worrying them about things they 
don’t understand and can’t understand! That’s the 
right idea.” 
This is a true story. The manufacturers and deal¬ 
ers in wool goods realize that if this direct manu¬ 
facturing and sale can be developed, competition 
will break their monopoly, and not only give the 
farmer a 50-cent dollar in sales, but a full dollar in 
buying power. The special form of “hell” which 
The It. N.-Y. is raising among farmers is preaching 
the truth that ice must do it ourselves. We hope 
that, like Dante, the farmers may have the strength 
of purpose to pass through the infernal regions to 
the better prospect beyond. 
Sympathy for the Railroads 
Every now and then some great man stands 
up to wonder why the people have no sympathy 
for the railroad corporations. To hear him talk, 
one would think the railroads are great, benevolent 
enterprises, bristling with desire to benefit their 
patrons. Some of us have a different opinion. The 
following incident may show why some people, at 
least, have little love for a railroad. We may eail 
the man Jones. That is not his real name, but 
everything else about the story is absolutely cor¬ 
rect. Jones travels on the Erie Railroad—a com¬ 
muter. For 35 years or more he has been riding in 
Erie cars, paying in advance for his ticket. During 
these years he has, with his family and guests, paid 
more than $15,000 to the Erie Railroad for trans¬ 
portation and freight. In exchange for this he has 
received service which cannot be called better than 
fair. Cars are often dirty and badly lighted. Again 
and again he has been forced to stand. Trains have 
been late or delayed or skipped altogether. lie has 
probably lost $1,000 through this poor service, with 
no recompense whatever. On several occasions he 
forgot his ticket or left it in other clothing. In such 
cases he has been forced to pay full fare on a threat 
of being put off the train—though the employes know 
him well. Recently Jones bought a month’s commu¬ 
tation ticket. Early in the month he accidentally 
destroyed this ticket along with stubs of former 
tickets. lie was obliged to buy a new one, but he 
applied to the Erie Railroad Company for a rebate. 
He proved that he had bought two tickets and was 
prepared to swear, if need be, that the first one had 
been destroyed. In his own business Jones fre¬ 
quently has cases where customers lose checks or 
other valuable receipts. When they prove such loss 
L.e (promptly replaces the documents. That is not only 
‘Jbc RURAL NEW-YORKER 
an honorable thing to do, but it is good business, 
since the customer feels that he gets a ’square deal. 
Yet the Erie Railroad Company refuses to refund the 
price of the monthly ticket. It feels that it has a 
monopoly of transportation in this case. Jones can¬ 
not help himself, and in spite of his long patronage 
and the inferior service he has often received, the 
Erie Railroad takes advantage of a technicality and 
practically robs an old patron. It is like taking the 
pound of flesh. Tf you ask Jones why lie has little 
sympathy for railroad corporations he can quickly 
tell you. There are thousands more like him. and 
some day the railroad companies will understand 
why they are not popular. 
The Western Corn Situation 
Our investigations show that the plan, of burning 
ear corn as fuel is not as general in the West as has 
been reported. Some communities are, without ques¬ 
tion, burning corn ; others have cheap coal. In some 
sections there are outcrops of coal, so that nearly 
every farm has its private coal mine. In many 
cases, however, ear corn will certainly be burned. 
Where a farmer must haul corn 10 miles or more 
and obtain little over 20 cents a bushel for it, and 
then haul $14 coal home, he will cut out the two hard 
trips and burn the corn. Some remarkable stories 
are told about railroad rates. Here is one: 
Verona, Neb., November 17.—A shipment of corn was 
made from this community to Billings. JMont., recently, 
the corn selling in Billings for $416.05. The shipper 
was notified that the freight charges were $416.56, 51 
cents more than was received for the corn at market. 
Another clipping, from a South Dakota paper, fol¬ 
lows : 
A Kansas farmer who shipped a carload of Alfalfa 
to the Kansas City market, asked what he got for it, 
made an answer that bids fair to become historic. “I 
got to grow it,” was the cryptic and illuminating 
answer. It expresses the need of support for all such 
as Gov. McMaster who are making a fight against freight 
rates that are properly described as strangling the 
farmer. Their adequate modification would be a start 
in the direction of a fait market price for the products 
of the farm. 
In our local market corn sells at. $1 and over per 
bushel. Double the quantity now sold would be used 
if prices were more reasonable. 
Cattle Killed by Tag Wires 
I wish you would use your influence to have a law 
passed prohibiting the use of wire to attach tags to 
grain and feed bags, as it is dangerous to live stock. 
Personally I have had three valuable cows killed in the 
past year by wire taken with their feed and passing 
through the system to the heart. My veterinarian tells 
me that in one large dairy he has charge of II cows 
were killed in this manner. One of my neighbors had a 
cow that was not doing well. Upon examining her he 
found an enlargement upon her foreleg. When opened, 
one of these wires was taken out. A law prohibiting 
the use of wire on grain and feed bags should be passed 
at once. frank brinukeriioff. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. 
We are not sure that such a law could be made 
“constitutional.” If there is real danger in this we 
think it can be stopped without legislative action. 
Dairymen can surely stop the practice if they will 
use their own power to do it. First of all, we must 
have a big volume of facts to prove the danger. Will 
all dairymen who have met with such- loss let us 
know at once? 
What the Sportsmen are Saying 
The following article is appearing, unsigned, in 
some of the local newspapers in New York. It is 
part of propaganda devised by the “sportsmen” to 
prevent any changes m the present law. But why do 
these local papers, supported chiefly by farmers, 
print such stuff? 
The hunting season will soon come to a close. Now. 
Mr. Hunter, and also Mr. Fisherman, do you realize 
that this may be our last season unless the sportsmen, 
not only a few of them, but each and every one, gets 
busy at once. 
Why? 
We had a taste of it this season. The compromise 
Betts bill, which provided that if a farmer posted his 
lands once, even if the signs were removed the same 
day, the laud was still posted for the whole year. Sev¬ 
eral of our sportsmen were caught in the trap. Not 
seeing any posters to keep off, started to hunt, only to 
be confronted by the farmer and a constable. The 
farmer had witnesses that he has posted the land, Re¬ 
sult. $50 fine, half to the State and “half to the farmer” 
—fine law. But the worst is still to come. 
A certain organization now has a fund of over $75,000 
to force through a bill which will require you to get a 
written permit, from every property owner before you 
can fish or hunt on his property. Imagine anyone wish¬ 
ing to hunt from here to Town Line. Who knows all 
the property owners, and how long would it take to get 
written permits from each one, and how many would 
refuse you, or either demand a price for each day of 
hunting? 
The different sportsmen’s clubs realize the danger, 
and are preparing to fight. 
In regard to hunting law in Niagara Gounty, we be¬ 
lieve the season for rabbits should be the same as for 
pheasants. As they are scarce, they are hunted with 
ferrets, etc., oh Sundays. Pheasants are hunted at the 
same time on the sly. If anyone asks about pheasants, 
they say they are after rabbits. There is not much 
regard for posted lands. w. it. 
Ransomville, N. Y. 
A Question about the Trespass Law 
I am about to post my land here against trespassing 
for hunting and fishing in accordance with latest pro¬ 
visions of the conservation law of New York State. On 
page 1237 you printed under caption “The New' York 
Trespass Law,” details of how to post and prosecute, 
for which I am greatly obliged. The same article below 
mentions something about the law which “throws open 
to perpetual trespass farm lands which have been stocked 
by the State with fish or pheasants, etc.” A certain 
so-called game protective association in a near-by vil¬ 
lage, I understand, was instrumental in distributing 
pheasants’ eggs to farmers hereabouts and also secured 
a quantity of fingerlings which were placed in local 
brooks. Just where they were set out I do not know, 
nor was I ever asked for permission to place any fish 
or game on any of my farm land. Supposing I go to 
the expense of posting my lands as prescribed by the 
new law and demand prosecution of likely offenders; 
can an offender after all my trouble then put up a de¬ 
fense that he understood the State caused game or fish 
to be distributed in our locality and then not only escape 
punishment, but turn about and even have me sued 
for false arrest? r. e. l. 
R. N.-Y.—-If private lands or waters are stocked by 
the State with game or fish, without the consent of the 
owner, the owner is in no way prejudiced. Only lands 
or waters stocked by the State, with the consent of the 
owner, are thrown open to trespass. Many farmers, 
however, have permitted their lands and brooks to be 
stocked without realizing that thereafter they could not 
be protected by posting. 
Trespassing Stock in Ohio 
The Ohio law requires that a constable, and not the 
person in charge of land trespassed upon by live stock, 
shall take and impound the stock, notify the owner, 
collect cost, etc. But in this part of Ohio this is done 
only as a last resort. What we really do is to get the 
stock out as soon as possible, fix the fences and settle 
for the damages, if any. or if we can’t agree as to the 
amount of damage, leave the amount to be settled by 
disinterested parties. Going to court is a last resort. 
The owner is regarded as responsible for damage done 
by his stock when out of his control, regardless of how 
they get out. Almost all of our partition fences are 
divided, and the landowners must keep up their own half 
of fence to turn all usual farm stock. No one except a 
constable or similar officer may impound stray or tres¬ 
passing stock, and if the owner cannot be found or fails 
to redeem after 10 days they are then advertised as 
strays, and sold. w. E. duckwall. 
Highland Co., O. 
Reports on the Trespass Law 
The hunting and trespass law worked perfectly on 
our farm this season. No hunters, where last season 
they were coming in all directions. <;eo. j. Irish. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
In regard to the Betts game law. I can say that there 
has been very little trouble from hunters this season. I 
have not had a single request to hunt on my farm, nor 
did I see any hunters trespassing or find aiiy signs of 
their crossing the place. 
Although all the farms in this neighborhood have been 
posted for Several years, there has been a great deal of 
trouble from hunters shooting and frightening stock and 
breaking fences. My neighbor had a colt shot and 
killed three years ago, and until this year it has been 
my rule to keep all stock in the open fields on days 
when pheasant hunting was allowed. I am not as famil¬ 
iar with the Betts law as I might be, but do know that 
it has put a check on lawless hunting. I. for one farm¬ 
er. do not want to see this law grow weaker; make it 
stronger if necessary. Stephen r. wiiitaker. 
Yates Co., N. Y. 
Some Developments in the Milk Trade 
A fiber container, lined with oiled paper, and con¬ 
taining a fiber spoon, will be more largely a feature of 
the ice cream trade the coming year. This package has 
been used to some extent and is destined to make ice 
cream more popular. The cream is cut from trays, 
wrapped and placed in the iced packer. The cost is in 
the vicinity of one cent, including the spoon, and filled 
with cream will sell for 10 eertts. Its advantage more 
than offsets the cost of dishes and the labor necessary 
to keep them clean and sanitary. One ice cream pro¬ 
ducer who is well known to the trade said his plant 
had been increased 50 per cent during the past year, 
and it was proposed to increase the capacity of the 
plant 50 per cent again next year. Since ice cream is 
a food, particularly if made with a butterfat content 
of not less than 10 per cent, its possibilities are in their 
infancy. The opinion is current that the demand for 
sweet cream for ice cream purposes closes with the ap¬ 
proach of cool Autumn weather. However, sweet cream 
will be frozen perhaps in larger quantities* than hereto¬ 
fore. The cream will be placed in tin cans, frozen 
solid, and placed in storage. This will remain frozen 
until required, at which time it will be mixed one-third 
sweet cream, run through a homogenize!’, and the pro¬ 
duct cannot be discerned from ice cream made from the 
strictly fresh product. 
Another development in the milk industry is the use 
of the glass-lined car for transportation of the product 
from receiving station to the distributing point. The 
transportation of milk in this way simplifies handling it. 
since the filling and cleaning of many cans is dispensed 
with. It may be possible that this can be adapted to 
collecting milk from farms, and if the consumer would 
provide sanitary containers, it would be possible to use 
it in a measure in distribution. w. j. 
R. N.-Y.—Last Summer, in New England, we found 
many little stands where ice cream was sold in indi¬ 
vidual packages. They were made of paper, much the 
same shape as the familiar pint or quart package 
with which all are familiar. They were filled and 
packed in a freezer, where the cream was kept solid. A 
little spoon was served with each package. It was 
more satisfying than serving the cream on a paper plate, 
and at most places there was a good sale. 
