588 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 5, 1924 
The 'Worlds Biggest Store 
Station W J. R. located on the tower of Sears, Roe¬ 
buck and Co.’s gigantic merchandise building at Chicago, 
will be in operation beginning the month of April. 
Just another instance that the World’s Biggest Mail 
Order Store is FIRST in everything worth while. 
Those who have radio sets will appreciate the fact that 
our station will be the most modern in the air; every 
advance made in the science of radio, every successful in¬ 
vention making for clearer broadcasting and improved 
reception has been embodied in our station. 
Station W J. R. located on the tower of the World’s 
Biggest Store—will be under government supervision. 
It is a class B station—the highest rank in broadcasting. 
It will provide entertainment and education to the world. 
It is fitting that Sears, Roebuck and Co. should under¬ 
take this work because we were FIRST in the radio busi¬ 
ness. We encouraged the amateurs in the days of wireless 
before radio was known. We were endorsed by the 
American Radio Relay League and the National Amateur 
Wireless Association. 
Now, as always, the World’s Biggest Store proves its 
claim for leadership. 
In addition to our Special Catalog of Radio Supplies 
you will surely want our New Big General Catalog if you 
have not already received it. It contains almost every¬ 
thing you need for the family, the home, the farm and 
the shop. We have sent it to one-fourth of all the 
families in the United States, so that they can buy most 
economically. If you want this Big Book all that is 
necessary is for you to write us and say: "Send me your 
New Big General Catalog No. 66R28G 
Send for Our FREE Radio Catalog 
r 
Sears, Roebuck and Co. 
Chicago—Philadelphia. 
Send me FREE Radio Book No. 66R28 
Mail 
Coupon 
today 
to store 
nearest 
you. 
Name . 
.Postoffice. State. 
Rural Route.Box No. 
Street 
and No. 
Things To Think About 
Agricultural Colleges and Farmer 
Advancement 
Permit me to question your inference 
and that of President Coolidge as stated 
in your editorial on page 322 both in re¬ 
gard to production, distribution and con¬ 
sumption of farm products, also your 
statement that the agricultural colleges 
have not given “adequate thought to the 
more important matters of marketing and 
distribution.” 
I left the New York College of Agricul¬ 
ture nearly nine years ago. Dr. Warren, 
in farm economics, was at that time lec¬ 
turing on the fallacy of the “two blades 
of grass ’ theory. This was very plain 
to see, but at the same time we were 
taught and saw from practical observa¬ 
tions and surveys, accounts and figures 
that to make the farm business an im¬ 
mediate success we must put into prac¬ 
tice the two blades of grass” theory. We 
must have cows that produce 10,000 lbs. 
of milk instead of 5,000 lbs., hens that 
produce 200 eggs a year instead of 100 a 
year, oats that will go 50 bushels to the 
acre instead of 30 bushels and so on 
down the list. 
Why were we taught this? Because 
that is the primary function of a col¬ 
lege of agriculture, nor could we go out 
and become prosperous farmers unless 
we could practice this theory. The prob¬ 
lem in hand for every farmer is to make 
a living. We studied marketing, but 
there one enters a field which cannot be 
successfully organized in a short time. 
Changes come slowly with the great mass 
of the farming public. Colleges cannot 
put anything over in a hurry. They are 
teaching marketing, and our advance¬ 
ment along these lines in the past 15 
years is due to their teaching. 
Bumper crops are an economic neces¬ 
sity. Successful farmers produce bumper 
crops. These farmers are leaders in 
study and practice for advancement in 
marketing, distribution and consumption 
of farm products, and for a more staple 
and dependable market with less spread 
between producer and consumer to stabil¬ 
ize their business. The knowledge how 
to grow two blades of grass where one 
grew before is not only the salvation of 
the progressive farmer, but is the means 
of weeding out yearly thousands of un¬ 
successful producers. The theory men¬ 
tioned has caused all this drift from agri¬ 
culture and to my mind it is a fine thing. 
“A bumper crop always bumps the 
(poor) producer harder than anyone 
else.” 
We are moving forward every day. -The 
game of politics, the examples of indus¬ 
trial efficiency, the consolidation of coun¬ 
try schools will not solve our problems. 
“We will do it ourselves.” f. K. b. 
Coustableville, N. Y. 
Why License the Horse? 
After reading the article on page 420, 
regarding truck license for farmers, it 
is very likely there will be a discussion; 
at any rate there should be. Mi*. Howes 
speaks of the damage done by a pair of 
horses on a State road. Could it be 
possible that this man would like to see 
a horse licensed? Is it not enough that 
the horse has been nearly pushed off the 
earth? It is almost impossible to keep a 
horse on his feet on a State road. Two 
horses in this vicinity have been ruined 
with broken hips falling on a State road. 
Should they have to pay for it? Yet the 
horse did all farm work, took all crops 
to market, pressed our hay, thrashed 
our grain, in fact at one time furnished 
all the power, or 95 per cent of it. 
Should he pay a license because a road 
has been built that he cannot stand up 
on? Here we have a problem to draw 
our hav. Snow here is 15 or 18 inches 
deep. We can get as far as State road 
with sleighs, then we are up against— 
bare State road plowed clean of snow for 
trucks, not for teams. Should a farmer 
pay a license because he takes a chance 
and drives his team to town a few times 
durine’ the year? I should say not. The 
trucks use the State roads; let them pay 
for it, and hands off the horse. What 
should be done is a road made by side 
of a State road for the horse. It is hard 
to believe that there is a man who would 
deny the American horse a free road to 
travel on. fred c. niciiols. 
Schenectady Co., N. Y. 
A Union Man Talks 
Twenty years ago I read your paper 
as a hired man and farmer; then I went 
to the city and became one of those mis¬ 
understood union men. Now I am back 
on the farm and took your paper two 
years before coming, so as to wise up a 
>bitl . The article entitled “Eight-hour 
Day and Labor Prices” is the truest, 
most fair presentation of the case in 
point of the relation of the farmer to the 
city worker that I have ever read in a 
farm paper. The progressives even years 
ago used to say in our union, the farm¬ 
ers will be the last to aw T aken to group 
consciousness and a knowledge of their 
economic condition. F. A. anderson. 
New York. 
Henry Ford and Muscle Shoals 
Your editorial, on page 510, relative to 
the Ford proposal in Alabama, for con¬ 
trol of Muscle Shoals, strikes me favor¬ 
ably. Henry Ford has an almost hyp¬ 
notic influence over many people of or¬ 
dinary analytical power. They sir* al¬ 
most ready to give him anything he asks 
tor, for life and 50 years after his chil¬ 
dren are dead. IIis idea seems to be to 
build up an industrial empire in North 
Alabama; a sort of Pittsburgh ,to Johns¬ 
town affair, on the Tennessee River. 
The associated power companies, and 
especially the Alabama Power Company, 
have made a better offer. It is the policy 
of these companies to distribute power 
over all of Alabama to farmers, and 
others, for the State-wide development of 
this State. Roger Babson states that 
Alabama has the best developmental pos¬ 
sibilities of any State in the Union. 
Doubtless he referred to water power and 
minerals, as well as farming. The Ala¬ 
bama Power Company has been steadily 
spreading its lines to sell power to com¬ 
munities and thus give them factories to 
develop their resources. 
For example, here in this city we were 
hauling coal to make steam power, or to 
generate _electricity. Our bill averaged 
about $35 per month for electricity from 
steam generation. The power company 
bought the plant, after it had been sold by 
unanimous vote of this city to them, and 
the reduction is now nearly half in most 
cases. 
Furthermore, we have a new electric 
bakery, a 5,000-spindle cotton mill almost 
ready to open up, and an electric ginnery. 
The ginnery reduced the cost of baling a 
bale of cotton from 75c a bale to less than 
50c. Cheap hydro-electric power is the 
salvation of the country. South Alabama 
is not in the mineral belt, and must de¬ 
pend largely on electric energy. 
People here feel that the super-power 
zones will distribute power to the people 
all over the State and country. They alsj 
feel that while Mr. Ford manages his fac¬ 
tories on an admirable basis, he localizes 
all of his efforts, and would build an in¬ 
dustrial autocracy, while the rest of the 
State dwindled and did the best it could. 
Thoughtful people agree with you, that 
no man or corporation should be given 
unlimited control over a natural commod¬ 
ity for 100 years. With respect to cor¬ 
porations, we have a public service cor¬ 
poration which controls rates, according 
to the income, etc., and there is no danger 
of any corporation unduly endangering 
the people. 
Several years ago a Legislature passed 
a law freeing from taxation for a period 
of 10 years any industrial concern which 
would come to Alabama. Last Winter 
they repealed this law, which had brought 
many cotton mills into Alabama. If a 
Legislature can do this and get by w T ith it, 
what can they not do with a corporation, 
if they wish? Howard c. smith. 
Alabama. 
“Bringing Up Mother!” 
Mrs. Willcox, on page 312, is mistaken 
thinking her children will like to read 
how their mother came to a premature 
death. They would much rather have 
their mother with them than to learn 
how she wore herself out, only to give 
them a step-mother ; for surely she is fix¬ 
ing for a second wife for her husband, 
and she may be sure the second will not 
walk in her footsteps. 
How much happier they would be if 
each came down completely dressed. Why 
should not each have a special place for 
his or her belongings, and know where to 
find them, always? The writer had a 
place for his boots in the kitchen corner ; 
the bootjack hung on a nail right there. 
My clothes were never found for me; 
also, I had to milk one cow after I was 
eight years old, morning and night. It 
did not hurt me or lessen my love for my 
father and mother. I built fires Winters 
after I was 12, getting up at 5 o’clock to 
get the kitchen warm before the rest were 
called. 
Did it hurt me? I learned to bake pan¬ 
cakes as well as the best, or set the table 
properly; learned my lesson in school. 
There were fewer studies and plenty of ’ 
time between classes to prepare lessons. 
What would be the most likely result 
of such coddling bringing up? Mrs. 
Willcox gives it away when she writes 
about their squabbling while being 
dressed. Also when she tells of their fin¬ 
icky appetites. It reminds me of a les¬ 
son in my old reading book, where no 
two could eat of the same dish. Food for 
one was poison for another. What kind 
of citizens are in the making by such 
bringing up? It is not right to cater to 
such finicky appetities. The future man 
or woman should be considered. Selfish 
indulgence of appetite will not beget un¬ 
selfishness in other matters in later years. 
As these children must be at least of the 
ages of eight to 14 years, it is now they 
are of the age when they learn to help 
make home a happy place if they ever do. 
Some never learn that happiness comes 
by what we give instead of what we get. 
Pennsylvania. H. t. a. 
