1370 
Vht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 1, 1924 
York Harbor. Being landlubbers, born and bred, 
the Atlantic, stretching to the horizon, was much 
more a novel sight than mountains, and yet, in the 
lazy quietude of a calm Sunday afternoon in August, 
the view was not awe-inspiring. A storm, lashing 
the waves into fury and threatening the beach, 
would have been more to the taste of at least one 
fresh-water tourist; possibly a very little storm 
would have answered the purpose. Coming from the 
fogs and dews of the mountains, a pleasant and 
somewhat surprising feature of the camp ground 
here was its dryness; within a few feet of an unlim¬ 
ited acreage of water, there was no evident moisture 
in the air, and the grass was as dry as tinder. 
BACK TO MASSACHUSETTS.—Driving down 
the coast toward Boston on the following day, many 
beaches were passed, and beautiful glimpses of the 
ocean were caught from the shore road. Before the 
sixth night fell we were in the old fishing city of 
Gloucester.' Friends staying at one of the large 
hotels of East Gloucester wished us to spend the 
night there and, there being no room in the inn, the 
proprietor kindly offered us the use of the lawn at 
the edge of the bay for our car and tent. We pre¬ 
ferred a little greater privacy, however, and, look¬ 
ing about the streets, found a small yard by the side 
of one of the houses, which we were 'given ready per¬ 
mission to use. The owner told us that he and his 
family had driven to Florida and back, camping by 
the way, which experience probably made our re¬ 
quest to spend the night upon his lawn seem less 
startling. Campers arouse little curiosity nowadays, 
and we were left quite as much alone close to the 
narrow city street as anywhere upon our trip. It 
was the sixth night out, and we had slept in a dif¬ 
ferent State each night; New England States, how¬ 
ever, are small. Owners of gasoline stations and 
refreshment stands often offer camping facilities to 
tourists. Just beyond Gardner, in Northern Central 
Massachusetts, we found one of these upon the sev¬ 
enth evening. It was a smooth meadow, bordered 
by trees, well back from the highway. A party of 
boys from the Michigan Agricultural College were 
there, on their way back from a military camp. 
Strangely, their military drill had not taught them 
to clean up their litter when breaking camp in the 
morning. A cheerful man who had lost both legs 
midway between knee and hip, with two boys, was 
also camping for the night. He was making the cir¬ 
cuit of agricultural fairs, and showed how easily he 
could sleep upon the rear seat of his car; rather 
gruesome comfort to the onlooker, after all. 
THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.—The eighth and 
ninth nights were spent with friends in South Had¬ 
ley, on a fine farm in the lower valley of the Con¬ 
necticut, a river whose northern reaches we had seen 
in New Hampshire, and the beauty of which we now 
Had opportunity to see as it approached its mouth. 
Our neighbors in the hills of Southern New York, 
who must ship their produce several hundred miles 
to market, and take in return for it what is left after 
freight and commissions are deducted, would feel 
that they could soon become rich if they had the 
opportunity of these Connecticut Valley farmers to 
sell their milk and potatoes at the door, or truck 
them a few miles to a large manufacturing city, and, 
in either case, get the greater part of the consumer’s 
dollar. And they would, comparatively speaking, 
at least. 
BACK TO NEW YORK.—The tenth and last night 
found us again in the Catskills, this time at Fish 
Creek, in the town of Saugerties. We were not look¬ 
ing for Fish Creek, but had turned into an appar¬ 
ently lit tie-used farm road leading from the main 
highway. It was a lonesome road for a few miles, 
but finally led into a pleasant little hamlet where 
an orchard by the side of a well-kept farmhouse 
tempted us to camp. Here we met with the first 
hesitation in granting the permission that we asked. 
“We are all strangers,” was the rather dubious com¬ 
ment of the farm owner, as we suggested using his 
pretty orchard for the night, but his good nature 
soon overcame his quite justifiable caution, and we 
were made welcome. W 7 e took pains to see that he 
should have no regret that he had shown hospitality 
to strangers, and we urge upon the ever-increasing 
number of those who take these Summer pilgrimages 
that they remember their obligation to use the priv¬ 
ileges granted with all possible regard for the rights 
of property owners. Otherwise we shall, some day, 
find these privileges withdrawn. m. b. d. 
A Monument to “Johnny Appleseed” 
T HIS shows a monument erected to the memory 
of “Johnny Appleseed” by the Indiana Horticul¬ 
tural Society. John Chapman was a strange charac¬ 
ter who roamed about what is now the Central West 
or Ohio Valley in the early part of the last century. 
He was originally a nurseryman. He had visions of 
what was to come when the rich section at the heart 
of America was drained and cleared, and he deter¬ 
mined to do his share in making it a desirable land. 
So he went about, planting apple seeds and distrib¬ 
uting little apple trees. Orchards without number 
came as a result of his pioneer work, and the early 
settlers found fruit waiting for them. A great man 
was Johnny Appleseed—a pioneer in a promised 
land. It is a beautiful thing for modern fruit grow¬ 
ers to perpetuate his memory. The man standing 
beside the monument is Joe A. Burton of Indiana— 
another modern pioneer in fruit growing. 
Dangerous Political Fun 
Will you please publish the editorial of the New York 
Herald-Tribune of October 11, 1924, regarding the cruel 
attack of Elisabeth Marbury (a Tammauy woman poli¬ 
tician)? It will reach the people who stand behind 
the "milkpail stulf,” and Governor Smith’s sneers at 
statesmen who pitched hay in their youth will give an 
insight to your readers on how he regards the farmer, 
and whether they can expect sympathy from him when 
they need help. MRS. II. it. B. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
A PART of the editorial referred to follows. 
There are no doubt some cases where it may 
at least do no harm to try to be “funny,” but politics 
Indiana Monument to “Johnny Appleseed.” Fig. 575 
is more of a serious business. At any rate, this is 
what the Ilerald-Tribune said: 
Miss Elisabeth Marbury, Democratic national com- 
mitteewoman from New York, has written to the Her¬ 
ald-Tribune to complain that “serio-comic remarks” 
made by her in a recent address to local Democratic 
workers have not been interpreted in their true “serio¬ 
comic” spirit. Miss Marbury protests that this is the 
first time her “facetiousness” as a politician has been 
“taken seriously.” 
Yielding to the temptation to be facetious has cost 
more than one American the presidency. It has blight¬ 
ed the careers of many promising politicians. A presi¬ 
dential candidate ought to pray daily to be delivered 
from the indiscretions of humorous supporters. Miss 
Marbury is likely to discover that one of the best ways 
to help to elect an opposition presidential candiate is to 
be unwisely “facetious” at his expense and that of his 
family. 
M iss Marbury told her hearers that “while it is an 
admirable thing to be able to milk a cow, it is not a 
qualification for the White House. . . . You can’t 
fool anyone with that milkpail stuff.” Also “When Mrs. 
Davis gets to the White House I hope she will not feel 
it necessary to advertise that she makes her own shirt¬ 
waists at $1.69, or that she goes into the kitchen and 
makes biscuit.” 
It seemed to us no more than fair to give Miss 
Marbury a chance to explain her remarks. .So we 
sent her a copy of the above letter. Slie makes tlie 
following comment: 
I have always been in sympathy with the man and 
woman who in their homes or on their farms do the 
day’s work courageously and honestly, and it is in the 
very defense of the real toilers, whether they work from 
necessity or as a pastime, that I loudly protest against 
those conducting political campaigns, whether they are 
Democrats or Republicans, who advertise the private 
lives and occupations of our candidates merely as an 
appeal for votes. 
I venture to quote from a letter which I recently re¬ 
ceived, written by a supporter of LaFollette: 
“In America we don’t think we belong to a different 
class just because we are poor. And let me tell you 
that’s why LaFollette is going to get our votes. He 
isn’t always talking down to us. You don’t see any 
pictures of him pitching hay, and you don’t see any 
pictures of his wife darning socks. We are sick and 
tired of that kind of bunk, and don’t you forget it. 
“I make my living banging a typewriter, but when I 
have my photograph taken I don’t carry the little old 
typewu-iter along with me. Yours truly, 
“POOR WORKING GIRL.” 
Now?, it seems to me that this young woman says in a 
nutshell all that I have been trying to say. 
I was brought up by an American mother along very 
sensible lines. From my earliest years I was taught to 
cook and to keep house for a large family. I had a 
chicken farm on Long Island, one of the first, took care 
of it myself, and am proud to say that I made it pay. I 
look after every detail of my present house, and there 
is never a time when I do not bless my good mother for 
the domestic training she gave me. 
The builders in our country today are the men and 
women who work. I have never had any use for wast¬ 
ers. Idless is a moral vacuum. I only wish that more 
young women were taught by their mothers to sew and 
to cook, and the boys to care for the live stock. 
I am afraid that so far as the girls are concerned, the 
bargain sales in the department stores, and the appetiz¬ 
ing delicatessen counters are making these household 
virtues rarer to find, and that even in our rural dis¬ 
tricts the mail order catalogues are often discouraging 
to the seamstress and the biscuit-maker. 
I hope, however, that my fears are without justifica¬ 
tion ! ELISABETH MARBURY. 
Caring for the Incompetent 
N OW and then we have letters from people who 
ask how to have some relative or member of 
the family declared incompetent. A recent typical 
case is that of a middle-aged woman who married an 
old man. She claims that her husband is subject to 
fits of depression or excitement. He insists upon 
handling his own property, and she fears he may 
squander it. Can she be appointed guardian in 
such a case? What will be her duties, and will she 
get any pay for it? We confess that the last ques¬ 
tion makes us a little suspicious, and we are glad 
that the courts give much protection to such people. 
This woman must first prove to a court and a jury 
that he is incompetent to manage his own affairs. If 
that is satisfactorily found, the judge can appoint a 
committee or guardian, and if the wife is a suitable 
person she may serve. But the court will not act on 
the mere opinion and request of the wife. She must 
have good evidence to prove her case. Such things 
frequently happen—all the way from the man with 
small savings up to the millionaire with hoarded 
wealth. In some cases it is an act of kindness and 
affection to relieve a wearied mind of care; in 
others it is a wicked attempt to secure control of 
property. Our general advice to the aged person of 
reasonable health and mind is to retain control of 
their property as long as possible. 
Apple Tree Has Not Bloomed in 30 
Years 
I have an apple tree that was bought from a nursery 
30 or 35 years ago, and so far as I can tell it has never 
had a single blossom on it. It is a big, thrifty tree. 
What can 1 do to make it bear? j. n. ii. 
T is not common to find a tree that never blos¬ 
soms even slightly, yet it is entirely possible that 
a tree might react that way. You are familiar with 
the sickly or injured tree which blooms profusely for 
a year or two and then dies. This condition is due to 
the higher proportion of carbohydrate materials built 
up in the leaves of the tree as compared with a re¬ 
duced supply of nitrate materials because of injury 
to roots or trunk or branches. On the other hand, a 
tree may be in just the opposite condition, wherein 
it is so liberally supplied with nitrates from the soil 
that the tree is “over-vegetative” and so produces no 
blossoms. The remedy is to reduce the supply of 
materials from the roots, the simplest of which is 
“ringing,” in which a strip of bark is removed com¬ 
pletely around the trunk or around the limbs. It 
must be understood at once that this practice is only 
to be used as a last resort, because it is not per¬ 
formed without at least some degree of hazard, and 
it should never be employed year after year on the 
same tree. 
Ringing is accomplished by removing a strip of 
bark of the desired width from the member that is 
to be treated. A strip two or three inches wide is 
plenty wide enough, and often merely running the 
knife around the trunk or limb without removing 
any bark is sufficient to throw a tree into bearing. 
You might try the method on one' limb and see the 
effect before treating the entire tree in this way. 
There is another angle to the matter, however. A 
variety of sub-species of apple is not uncommon, 
which is known as “bloomless.” It is not strictly 
“bloomless,” yet to the average observer it appears 
without flowers because the flowers have no showy 
petals. Bees and insects not being attracted by show 
of flower or by the possibly supply of nectar, do not 
effect cross-fertilization, and so fruit is seldom 
brought to maturity. In Europe children take blos¬ 
soms from other trees and toss them into the “bloom¬ 
less” tree. Perhaps they do not know why they do 
it, but they are helping the tree to set fruit. 
H. B. TUIvEY. 
