1162 
•Jht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September G, 1924 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER’S PAPER 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes 
Established tsso 
Published weekly by the Rnral Publishing Company, 333 West 30tb Street, .New Vorfc 
Herbert W. Collingwood, President and Editor. 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. M its. E. T. Koyle, Associate Editor. 
L. H. Murphy, Circulation Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION : ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04. Remit in money 
order, express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates, 31.00 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 by a respon¬ 
sible person. We use every possible precaution and admit the advertising of 
reliable houses only. Rut 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 be sent to us within one month of the time of 
the transaction, and to identify it, you should mention Tim Rural New- 
Yorker when writing the advertiser. 
ET us repeat the statement that we do not give 
legal advice in divorce cases. We have made 
this statement before, but still the questions come— 
often giving details that are both pathetic and nasty. 
We do not care to discuss or handle such cases, al¬ 
though it is evident in some of them that great in¬ 
justice has been done. Our advice to parties who 
seek divorce information is to go and see some local 
attorney. They will require his services anyway 
in order to carry their plans through. The best way 
to prevent such troubles is to avoid rushing into 
marriage-—often against the advice of sincere 
friends. Our people come to us with all sorts of 
troubles and we listen to them patiently—often 
regretting that we cannot do more to help. 
* 
T is said that corn growers in Argentina and 
near-by parts of South America will have about 
175,000,000 bushels of corn for export. That coun¬ 
try has been made, agriculturally, by Alfalfa. That 
plant has enriched the soil and the people. It is not 
generally known that Buenos Aires ranks as the sec¬ 
ond largest city on this continent. Corn is quoted 
in Buenos Aires at between 05 and 70 cents a bushel. 
Tariff and freight will run to about 35 cents addi¬ 
tional charge. The same grade of corn has been sell¬ 
ing in New York at about $1.10. If the western 
crop is badly damaged by frost and prices rise, as 
now seems likely, this corn from Argentina must be 
considered, for it will be sent wherever it can be 
sold at a profit. Some years ago this South Ameri¬ 
can corn was sent here and proved satisfactory. In 
recent years the difference in price between the 
home market and New York has not justified ship¬ 
ment, but the chances now are that more of this 
corn will come. 
* 
I have been told that Andrew Carnegie has offered 
$2,000 for anyone having twin boys. Can you tell me 
if this is correct and how I can get the money, as I 
have twin boys aged two years. mrs. a. p. 
T he stories about Andrew Carnegie and what he 
expected to do for humanity would fill a book 
as large as a dictionary and only a few pages would 
be required for the actual truth. We never heard 
of his offering any prize or bonus for twin boys, 
and have no idea that any such offer was ever made 
in this country. Very likely the mother of twins 
would be rewarded in France, but in this country 
there would he a drain of prize money which might 
tax even such a fortune as Carnegie’s. Most of us 
would be well satisfied to have two good healthy 
boys without considering any prize. And for us 
we would much prefer to have twin girls. 
* 
The roads are full of fools, and the most careful and 
skillful driver is likely to get smashed in spite of him¬ 
self; he cannot control the other fellow. I never had 
any serious accident, but I realize that I may have 
any day, and I never go out without feeling that my 
time may come any minute. The fact is that driving 
has lost much of its charm, and I believe that many 
people are giving it up. The roads are now becoming 
so crowded that one cannot but feel that he is always 
in danger andi that, of course, is not a pleasant feeling 
when one is out for pleasure. I presume that younger 
people do not feel this; though it would probably make 
for the general safety if they did. D. 
HIS of course refers to driving a car. It takes 
about one generation to become so used to a 
new idea or innovation that people can view it witli 
true philosophy. Many of us have seen the auto¬ 
mobile grow from a luxury into a necessity, a pas¬ 
time into a habit, and with it has come a new 
thought about transportation. There is a restless 
spirit in the human mind, a desire to change from 
one thing to another. We think the car or some- 
ting more rapid, to be developed in the future, will 
always be demanded for business transportation. 
For pleasure riding we expect to see many of our 
present speeders going back to the riding and 
driving horse. 
* 
Y OU remember the note on page 1115 entitled 
“The Woodchuck Was Full of Fire”? He surely 
was if we are to believe the newspaper story. Long 
experience in this business has made us a little shy 
of some of these printed stories, and so we asked 
Mr. Phillips, the farmer who owns the farm, and the 
woodchucks, for the facts. Here they are: 
You inquire as to my experience with woodchucks. 
I was away at the time, but I had given a man a can 
of carbon dioulphide to put some on a rag and stop up 
the holes, and smother the woodchucks. Running out 
of that he tried kerosene, but in lighting the rags he 
set the stubble on fire, but did no damage, only a few 
moments’ time to put it out. But it sure was a nice 
write-up. a. p. Phillips. 
Yes, you may call it a nice write-up. The play of 
Hamlet with the leading character left out would be 
rather fiat, but this reporter invented a woodchuck 
and surrounded a burning rag with a thrilling story. 
Yes, and the average human mind is both fed up and 
fed down by just that sort of stuff. 
Remember the School Meeting 
T is a meeting of the New York Rural School Im¬ 
provement Society, held on the State Fair 
grounds at Syracuse, September 12. This meeting 
will be open and fair—everyone will be free to offer 
suggestions. The object of the meeting is to encour¬ 
age organization of rural people for the improvement 
of our rural schools. This society is determined that 
our country people shall have a full share in decid¬ 
ing what is best for the country children. As mat¬ 
ters now stand, our rural people have no other way 
of making their organized influence really felt except 
through an independent and open organization like 
the Rural School Improvement Society. It has a 
distinct work to do, and it needs your help in order 
to do it properly. Come and see for yourself. The 
meeting will be free and open to all. 
* 
O N August 22 word came that the American air 
men in their attempted flight around the world 
had reached Greenland—that desolate, ice-covered 
country in the frozen North. One more “hop” to 
the coast of Labrador and the rest of their remark¬ 
able journey will be comparatively easy. As one 
pictures these airmen rushing through the clear, cold 
air at S5 miles an hour, imagination carries us back 
nearly 350 years when Sir Francis Drake first 
sailed around the world. He started from England 
on December 13, 1577, and sailed off upon unknown 
seas, not knowing where his voyage would end. 
Two years and 10 months later he sailed into the 
harbor of Plymouth, England, after sailing always 
to the west—around the world. It is a mighty con¬ 
trast—this small vessel carrying a handful of men 
slowly sailing off toward the setting' sun, and the 
great airship, with its mighty engine, driving it at 
the rate of more than 100 feet for each tick of the 
clock. A mighty contrast—and typical of the 
changes in human life which the long years have 
brought It required courage of the highest order 
for Drake and his “sea dogs” to push off into the 
unknown wastes of watex*, and an equal courage of 
another sort was necessary to induce these airmen to 
venture out over the icebergs into the desolation of 
Greenland. It is evident that the human mind and 
body have kept pace with the new demands for 
courage and endurance which modern invention and 
development have created. And to think that these 
mighty changes mark only the beginning of what our 
children and grandchildren are to see! Year by year 
the peoples of the earth are being brought closer 
and closer together. Tomorrow will be yesterday al¬ 
most before we realize its meaning. Yet the world 
is nearer right than riotous as the pessimists would 
have us believe, and those who follow us will carry 
life on to higher altitudes. Let us only hope that 
there will still be connection with the earth. 
* 
A POLITICAL campaign usually calls for various 
standard performances which age cannot seem 
to wither nor custom stale. One of these is the 
notification of the candidate. Of course everyone 
knows he has been nominated, yet some orator will 
solemnly harangue the candidate, and he in reply 
will talk back as if he never heard of it before! 
It all makes us think of -the signs which confront 
one at every corner of the road —free air! The air 
is more or less hot, and does not cost the public any¬ 
thing. Most men seem to stop and use this political 
air to inflate the tires in the wheels which run in 
their heads—and then “step on the gas” during the 
campaign! Most of these addresses are quite per¬ 
functory. They are skillful efforts to say nothing, 
but to frame a noise around an impressive silence 
on the mistaken theory that the American people are 
incapable of original thinking. This year, however, 
there has been at least one statement in all this 
great cloud of words which ought to be painted on 
the sky. One orator said, in effect, that thousands, 
if not millions, of men and women envied the Presi¬ 
dent his power to say “No!” and thus veto useless 
family expenses. The truth is that every man and 
woman of the great middle class knows perfectly 
well that a large proportion of the “high cost of 
living” is due to the gratification of tastes and de¬ 
sires which are not entirely practical or useful. 
Many of us are simply living beyond our means. 
Those who are old enough to have gained experi¬ 
ence know it, but the desire to live as well as our 
neighbors and to give our children what are called 
“advantages” has weakened our will so that we can¬ 
not say “No.” Now, no matter how the politicians 
may disguise the facts, or how they may tell us the 
government should, in some way, help us, the plain 
truth is that legislation cannot give us this power 
to say no —ive must do it ourselves! 
* 
T HE latest job or profession, if you may call it 
such, is that of “professional blood donor.” 
Such a man sells his blood by the pint or quart in 
cases where transfusion is Accessary. Frequently 
in the great hospitals there are patients whose blood 
supply has been exhausted—through an accident or 
some long wasting sickness. Unable to make the 
needed blood in their own system they must have it 
supplied direct from the veins of another person. 
The “professional blood donor” sells his blood for 
this purpose. He is paid $25 or more for a pint. A 
strong man may safely give a pint every six weeks 
and keep it up for some years. Many human lives 
have been saved by these “blood donors,” and the 
business, if that is a proper name for it, has been 
scientifically developed. But let no man think he can 
go on the market and sell a pint of blood as he 
would a quart of milk. His blood must be tested 
in various ways and he must be on hand for im¬ 
mediate service. He may be taken from his work, 
his dinner or from sleep in case of an emergency. 
We just refer to this to show how modern life is 
cieating new uses and new forms of service for 
human beings. 
Brevities 
Sheep will clean up poison ivy. 
The great need of some men we know is a little 
more sunshine in their system. 
People write asking what to do with the tops of as¬ 
paragus this Fall. Let them alone. There is no need 
of cutting them. 
No use talking—chickens do not like rye grains. 
About the only way to get them to eat rye is to grind 
and make a dry mash with corn and oats. Chickens 
do not seem to like wheat bran either. 
It seems to be settled that calcium cyanide will de¬ 
stroy woodchucks and similar animals. Now we want 
to know how effective it will be for killing peach 
borers? 
Would you vote for the man who will guarantee to 
come and spread five tons of manure to the acre on 
your corn field next Spring? Then why not seed rye 
and vetch in the corn—and vote for yourself? 
A tenant hires a country place and plants a rose 
hush, whic-li makes a good growth for several years. 
When the tenant moves away can be dig up the bush 
and carry it with him? No; not unless the landlord 
gives consent. The rose has become a part of the real 
estate. 
Some of our readers say they are afraid to put tile 
in orchards or Alfalfa fields fearing the roots will fill 
and clog the tiles. We have had this up for discussion 
several times. There seems to be no danger when the 
water runs freely and the tiles are not clogged. W'hen 
they are laid so that the water stands in them the roots 
go after the water and clog the tiles. 
Dozens of our readers seem to be troubled with stray 
cattle which run on the highway and enter property. 
What can be done with them? When one takes pos¬ 
session of cattle trespassing on his land he must im¬ 
mediately go to the nearest justice of peace and file 
with him the papers required by statute, then give no¬ 
tice as required by law to the owner of the property, 
and if the owner does not take the cattle and pay the 
costs the property may be sold at public auction. 
