January 19, 192-1 
96 
qhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
'-T'l i »t ■'*7- i larger buildings and equipment are demanded. Is 
1 he rYUral INeW- A OrKer the district sure to obtain compensating advantages 
to offset this increase of taxes? Mr. Boyce and 
others claim this will follow, but it does not seem 
to us that they fully prove their case. They tell 
what ought to follow, but is it true that such satis¬ 
factory improvement is sure? We do not think so, 
and we are more than ever convinced that a com¬ 
plete change in a long-established system like our 
school plans should be tried out in a reasonable way 
before being spread over the entire State. 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal tor Country and Suburban Homes 
Established iSSO 
Published weekly by the Rural Publishing Company. 833 West 30th Street, New 1 ork 
Herbert \V. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
Jons J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Hoyle, Associate Editor. 
L. II. Murphy, Circulation Ma nager. __ 
Subscription •. one dollar a year 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.01. Pejnit in money 
order, express order, personal check or bank dralt. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, *1.00 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 hacked bv a _''cspon- 
ftible person We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising or 
tSialllo houses only. But to make doubly sure we will make good any Toss 
to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swmdlei, liiispon- 
sible advertisers or misleading advertisements m our c.-lunHis aiHl any 
such swindler will be publicly exposed. We are also often called upon 
to adjust differences or mistakes between our subscribers and honest, 
responsible bouses, 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 monthI of the tune! of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention The Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
School Conference at Syracuse Jan. 31 
I T is proposed to hold a conference on tlie school 
bill at Syracuse on Thursday, Jan 31. It will be 
a meeting of delegates from counties including New 
York and Kings, the object being to arrange for a 
State organization which may prepare a substitute 
school bill and plan a campaign for giving rural 
people a full share in deciding school matters. Meet¬ 
ings have already been held in Montgomery, Orleans, 
Monroe, Wayne and Ontario, and Ulster, Livingston, 
and others are under way. There should be dele¬ 
gates from every county in the State and we urge 
our readers to act at once, call meetings and plan 
for full representation at Syracuse. Our people xuust 
show that they desire real improvement in country 
schools, and be ready with sensible suggestions. The 
time is short, and quick action is needed. Plan to 
go. Make some sacrifice if need he. In order to 
obtain quick action apply to D. Boyd Devendoif, 
Amsterdam, N. Y., It. D. 1, or James G. Greene, 
Westfall Road, It. 2„ Rochester, N. Y. This con¬ 
ference is of great importance, and we hope our 
friends will make every effort to attend. 
* 
1 have traveled in about one-half the States of the 
Union, but nowhere have I seen the evidences of gen¬ 
eral prosperity in the rural districts as seen m Lan¬ 
caster Co., Pa. They have rightly named it the Gul¬ 
den Spot.” It is the only county I have ever seen 
where it looked like the rich folks lived in the country 
and the poor folks in town. 
These people have met many of their problems, espe¬ 
cially the truck growers, but they are not satisfied alto¬ 
gether, which shows they are a very progressive class ol 
peonle. The market houses and the curb markets, which 
are held two days in each week, have largely solved the 
problem for the local truck growers; tins in co-opera¬ 
tion with the citizenship and the city officials, without 
which no local market can be conducted successfully. 
Oklahoma. l. c. gibbons. 
F OR many years Lancaster Co., Pa., lias ranked 
as the richest agricultural county in America. 
A great share of this prosperity is due to the fact 
that the larger proportion of farm crops is sold 
direct to consumers, with no middleman in between. 
There are several permanent markets, and a great 
curb market where farmers bring in their goods and 
sell them right ou the sidewalk. You can buy any¬ 
thing you like, from a pet cat to white mice, or from 
sausage to roses. Instead of being satisfied with a 
35-cent dollar, the Lancaster County farmers say 
they get a 105-cent dollar, and they surely come close 
to it. These markets are possible because there is 
close co-operation between the farmers and the con¬ 
sumers, and also the officers of the city. All classes 
recognize the fact that the public markets are an 
essential part of the city's life. The farmer is re¬ 
spected. The city knows what it owes to him, and 
is not ashamed of the obligation. Here is a case 
where the 65 cents added to the farmer's usual 
clipped dollar, has built, up a great city and made 
the most prosperous agricultural county an the 
country. 
* 
W E have a number of letters from people who 
say they bought apples at the recent fruit 
show in this city. They met fruit growers and made 
definite arrangements to have apples shipped regu¬ 
larly. In every case there has been the greatest sat¬ 
isfaction. The fruit has been just as represented, it 
has come promptly, and the price has been reason¬ 
able. That illustrates one of the benefits to come 
from such an exhibition. The consumer meets the 
grower face to face, and can make his bargain per¬ 
sonally. The more this can he worked out the better 
for all. We hope this fruit exhibition can be made a 
permanent affair. It will grow larger and better 
year by year as it becomes a regular part of the 
city man’s program. No one can hope to develop 
direct sale of goods all at once. It will take years to 
make much progress, hut the one thing needful is to 
keep everlastingly at it. 
* 
I T will he interesting to see what the New York 
Horticultural Society will have to say about that 
political job in the fruit exhibit at the State Fair. 
There seems no question about the fact that a very 
small piece of politics was pulled off in connection 
with this exhibit. We have presented the facts, and 
it would seem that the fruit growers must do one of 
three things—protest openly and forcibly, comprom¬ 
ise with some meaningless resolution, or submit and 
say nothing through fear of offending some poli¬ 
tician. There is no question about what would have 
happened in such a case 20 years ago. At that time 
our farm leaders were free to say and do things 
independently. Now it seems as if most of them are 
tied up to some appropriation so that they cannot 
express their real opinions. The injury from this 
form of slavery hurts them far more than the money 
can help. 
* 
/ 
When I was a boy about five years of age I frequently 
took my father and mother for a ride. 1 would occupy 
the front seat and firmly grasp the reins, one in each 
hand, while the ends extended to the rear seat and were 
manipulated by my father. At the time I thought I 
was doing great work in guiding the craft, banners 
are too prone to he proficient in this class of eques¬ 
trian skill, with altogether too many people willing to 
ride on the rear seat. D - c - H - 
T HAT is a good illustration of some of the leader¬ 
ship which farmers have had during the past 
few years. There seems to be a growing tendency 
to regard farmers as somewhat like little children. 
They will he praised and petted or scolded, as occa¬ 
sion seems to demand. Like this little hoy driving 
the horse, they will he put at the front, hut all the 
time, back in the shadow, strong hands grasp the 
reins and do the real driving. That seems to be the 
modern tendency on the part of the so-called leading 
classes. We do not believe in this theory, and that 
is why we oppose efforts to centralize power in the 
hands of the few. We are not yet ready to abandon 
the theory of a self-governing democracy. About all 
the hope for such a democracy that remains now lies 
in the country among small freeholders of land. 
A FEW weeks ago a reader presented what we 
called a boy problem. His hoys refused to 
work, and took a generally disrespectful family atti¬ 
tude. We asked for answers to the question. We 
practice doesn’t seem to have very much standing.” 
As regards this boy problem we have much theory, 
but our own experience is that these theory-fed hoys 
usually show a lack of vitamines in their character. 
Rabbi Stephen S. Wise has written an excellent lit¬ 
tle book entitled “Child versus Parent,” in which he 
speaks of what he calls “the irrepressible conflict 
in the home.” He reaches the absolutely sound con¬ 
clusion that in the majority of cases the child will 
absorb its character and views of life very largely 
from the actions of its parents. The flapper and the 
flappee are produced from parental character so 
loose that it flaps in the wind. Here is a letter from 
a man S3 years old. The thought expressed in it is 
sound as it was S3 years ago, or as it will be S3 
years hence: 
I am seldom moved to “take my pen in hand” about 
anv newspaper matter, but the wail of “F.” (“the boy 
problem”) in Dec 29, 1923, issue, awakens the query as 
to what kind of a father he has been. I have lived a 
long life—S3 years—and after much observation of my 
own boys and those of others, I have come to the un¬ 
shakable conclusion that, if the boy goes wrong, the 
trouble can be found in his father’s treatment of him. 
This is true in nine cases out of 10. s. 
Ohio. 
* 
A RGENTINA has long competed with this coun¬ 
try in producing wheat and meat. It is also 
growing large quantities of Indian corn. Now it 
threatens to compete in apple production. The agri¬ 
cultural department of Argentina has imported 150,- 
000 apple trees from New Zealand, and they will be 
planted in the most favorable localities. It is said 
that these trees are mostly Northern Spy. Alfalfa 
is the basis of South American agriculture, and we 
all kndw what apples it will produce. What a turn 
of events when the Northern Spy, a genuine product 
of our northern latitudes, travels nearly to the other 
end of the globe and starts competition with its old 
home! Apple culture in the far South is entirely 
possible. Some years ago, when Joe Wing visited 
Patagonia, lie found a reader of The R. N.-Y. grow¬ 
ing apples. He had successfully turned the North¬ 
ern Spy into the Southern soldier. The variety 
seems to develop new and superior traits in that 
Southern land. 
M ILK producers and dairy leaders speak out 
their minds and feelings in our symposium 
on another page. The bitterness that developed 
with the first dispute, however, has passed. It will 
not return. A year ago the tendency was for re¬ 
proach and anger. Today from all quarters come 
expressions of tolerance and sympathy in a com¬ 
mon misfortune. There is yet some complaint, but 
little or no defiance. 
In a rough way the discussions bring out the 
general feeling of things gone wrong. Strong rug¬ 
ged men have strong convictions. They have 
no skill in the use of words to hide what they 
mean. They have formed convictions on the in¬ 
formation which they have had. When the in¬ 
formation is incorrect or incomplete the con¬ 
clusion cannot be faultless, hut when the worst is 
said the dairyman’s heart is right. After all, it 
matters little what lias kept us apart up to now. 
There is no excuse to stay apart longer. Every hour 
of separation is costing us $1,250 for every hour 
in the month of January from the seveuth on, in¬ 
cluding nights and Sundays. We have no difference 
worth the price. When we see them on paper we are 
surprised that the differences are so little. The 
important thing is that all realize the wisdom of 
getting together. The group leaders have already 
consented to a conference. The wishes of the pro¬ 
ducers, expressed in the symposium, will direct 
them; and a way will be found to reorganize the 
dairy industry on sane and practical lines. Any 
leader who stands in the way must now do so in the 
open. 
AT 
Knf if Hinof CClirl 
* 
M R. G. W. BOYCE has been given full space on 
page 86 to present his side of the school ques¬ 
tion. We print his article just as lie wrote it. and 
we are more than willing to give this opportunity. 
After the study which Mr. Boyce says he has made 
we assume that this states the full argument for the 
hill. We do not consider it convincing. Mr. Boyce 
admits that in liis own case the taxes in his own 
district will he doubled. The bonded debt of $150,- 
000 will be spread over the community unit, and to 
this must be added tlie cost of transportation, the 
increased cost of teachers and tlie additions to tlie 
central building which are certain to be made. Oui 
reports from tlie West show that when such districts 
are consolidated it almost immediately follows that 
that most of it is theory. Somehow it reminds us 
of the story of the uplifter who went out to the 
country church to lecture on bringing up children. 
She was an intelligent maiden woman, finely edu¬ 
cated and thoroughly convinced of her own superior¬ 
ity. She told those country women just how to rear 
their children, and then cal"ed for remarks. A 
woman stood up and with some hesitation ventured 
to disagree with some of the lecturer’s views. The 
latter, somewhat rutiled, made short work of hei 
critics. 
“Your theory is all wrong! 
"Well,” said the country woman, “I do not pre¬ 
tend to know much about theory. I suppose I am 
stronger on practice, as I have had eight children of 
my own and raised them all. In these modern days 
Brevities 
Reports from Florida are that there is a shortage of 
good jobs for the Northern people who have been rusli- 
ing down for Winter work. There are as many tourists, 
as usual, hut an over-production of people who expect 
to pay all expenses and a surplus by doing ordinary 
work. 
It is remarkable how many boards of supervisors in 
New York State are “resolving” against the proposed 
school law. The latest is Tioga County. The super¬ 
visors recently voted nine to one against. Some of our 
readers ask what the supervisors have to do with the 
school bill. It is a case of taxation. The supervisors 
represent the county legislature, and the people natur¬ 
ally desire to express their feelings through the men 
they elect to represent them. 
