The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
913 
Things To Think About 
Religion of a “Specked” Apple 
An item on page 790 reminds me of 
your last trip to Lancaster Co., Pa. You 
saw a man on our market displaying an 
apple on the top of the measure with a 
portion that had decayed cut out. You 
remarked if that were in your country 
that cut would likely be filled with plas¬ 
ter of Paris, painted red and placed in 
the bottom of the measure. Maybe that 
horse trader had the same brand of re¬ 
ligion that our apple seller had. Seems 
sort of parallel, anyway. E. J. w. 
We remember the incident well. The 
“repaired” apple was right on top where 
all could see it. One had an instant 
feeling that every apple in the package 
was just wbat- ’i pretended to be. A 
good brand of religion was stamped on 
the entire outfit. 
Farmers Should Study Economics 
After carefully reading the leading ar¬ 
ticle in May 24 issue, “A Farm Is 
Sold. What It Means to America,” I 
cannot help but conclude that although 
the editor of the North American seems 
sufficiently sympathetic, he should have 
gone further in studying the question, 
and that he should have suggested a rem¬ 
edy for such conditions. It is certainly 
a very serious condition that confronts 
many farmers. It can easily be seen 
We Crackers are far too lazy to work 
16 hours a day, when we can get better 
pay for eight. So one of my neighbors 
works at the carpenter trade; another 
grinds spectacles, in a shop about 20 
miles from home, and a third works in 
a garage, as repairman. I ground up my 
scythe, and cut weeds for other people, 
and got more than common labor wages 
for it. 
Last Winter, we set our own price on 
grapefruit, on the grove, and sold partly 
to local dealers, and partly direct to con¬ 
sumers. Those who would not pay our 
price, could let it alone, and we only let 
the dealers have about one-third of the 
retail price, instead of from two-thirds 
to three-fourths, as some farmers do. 
What did not sell for cost of production 
could rot, and we could get a living, 
working for wages. Most of what we 
did not use ourselves, was sold. 
When the same man is a union me¬ 
chanic, and a land-ownirtg farmer, as 
with many in Dade County, it would be 
hard to convince him that good pay, in 
either line, harms him in the other. Also, 
he knows that skilled work on a farm is 
worth as much as equally skilled work 
in a shop, and he sees a prospect of get¬ 
ting it, or lets his farm rest. When the 
farm pays better, he lets some other fel¬ 
low do the mechanic work. 
There is no genuine shortage of farm 
labor until a skilled farm hand gets more 
than plasterer’s pay, and a competent 
farmer gets that, and interest on his in- 
The Navajo Indian woman shown at her primitive loom is weaving a rug in the 
open air. Conditions here pictured are very different from a crowded, noisy 
factory, and the product is unique in coloring and design. Perhaps this woman’s 
ancestors were weaving similar fabrics, on just such a loom, when Columbus first 
sailed to the New World. Thie worker was photographed by Paul E. Gradall 
near Cornfields, Arizona. 
that something is radically wrong, and an 
editor of such a great paper should 
know that wherever there is a wrong 
there is a corresponding right to correct 
that particular wrong. 
Our statesmen (save the mark!), our 
editors, our teachers and our labor lead¬ 
ers. so-called, are continually writing and 
talking about economic matters, know¬ 
ing, I fear, very little of the simple prin¬ 
ciples of political economy. There they 
stood, a bunch of fairly intelligent men, 
with not one idea of what was wrong, 
and the worst of it that they gave no 
thought to trying to solve the problem 
that confronted them. These vexing 
questions can be settled just as soon as 
people apply a few simple, fundamental 
principles of political economy. 
Political economy is the science of the 
production and distribution of wealth. I 
wonder how many readers of The R. 
N.-Y. and the North American ever read 
a book on the subject, or even a leaflet. 
Political campaigns should turn on eco¬ 
nomic questions solely. Yet we are on 
the eve of one in which thirty millions of 
citizens are going to get all het up, and 
are going to vote, on economic questions. 
If so, and according to knowledge, or the 
lack of it, not 2 per cent of them are 
really qualified to vote. 
I suggest that your many readers get 
busy and qualify by reading up on some 
good books on economy; J. .T. Dillon’s 
book on “Co-operationSherman on 
“Natural Taxation;” there is just out 
a fine condensation of “Progress and 
Poverty,” by H. George. 
WM. W. MUSItO, 
The Answer About Farm Labor 
On front page of The R. N.-Y. for 
May 24, was a lamentation over the sale 
of farms which no longer pay for culti¬ 
vation, because of depression in agricul¬ 
ture. Dade County, the southeast tip of 
Florida, has been through such things, 
and found the answer. One of our chief 
products is grapefruit, and for the last 
v nine years, more of it has been sold at 
a tV^ss than at a profit. There have been 
spin irs of good prices, but of the last 
nine <yrops, less than half paid a profit. 
Thererivypg many g r0 ves are dead or dying, 
and grov., 7n up wee( ] s an d p i lie saplings. 
vestment in addition. I have seen that 
happen. 
Besides mechanics, in this county, 
farmers have become merchants, doctors, 
lawyers, preachers, bankers, and of 
course real estate agents. We were too 
lazy to form any organization, with a 
high-sounding name, salaried officials, 
hall rent and other expenses, to relieve 
the depression, by diverting men into bet¬ 
ter paying lines, so we just did it our 
selves. w. w. G. 
Lemon City, Fla. 
Extinguisher for Hornets 
I note the article “The Unwelcome 
Guest—the Hornet” on page 807. While 
shingling a large mill near here, we were 
troubled by a nest of hornets, and suc¬ 
ceeded in getting stung a number of 
times. Their nest was on an elevator 
tower that extended about 40 ft. above 
main roof, under a belt cornice about 10 
ft. above the eaves of the main roof. We 
destroyed it immediately after getting 
stung, first time, then soaked a rag in 
kerosene, tied it on a pole and wet all 
around where nest had been, but next 
morning new nest on old base had been 
built down about two inches. Again we 
destroyed it; next morning same result. 
That evening after conference with the 
“know-it-alls,” one man said, “Try this,” 
taking the fire extinguisher off the wall. 
We did, and lo and behold, one squirt 
did it! Every one dead, with no more 
trouble after that. I have found it good 
for almost all kinds of vermin. 
Connecticut. ben n. north. 
Clogged Smoke-pipe in Brooder Stove 
I have just had an unusual experience 
with a coal-burning chick brooder. For 
several days it has been difficult to keep 
the fire hot enough. Today I discovered 
that the opening into smoke pipe was en¬ 
tirely filled with a cinder-like deposit, so 
hard that I had to use a hammer -and 
chisel to remove it. I have used stove 
other seasons, and never had any trouble, 
so do not blame stove. I wondered if any 
of your readers might be having trouble 
in getting stoves to draw. If so, it might 
help them if attention were called to this 
experience. a. t. g. 
Erin, N. Y. 
14 Bi^er Profits 
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No waste—maximum profits from all your apples. 
Custom Pressing 
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Mount Gilead Presses are the 
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Write for Booklet 
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When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
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