162 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  3,  1923 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUSINESS  FARMER  S  PAPER 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  tor  Country  and  (Suburban  Homes 
Established  >S30 
t'lililbhfd  weekly  by  the  Rural  Publishing  Company.  3113  West  80lb  Street.  New  York 
Herbert  AV.  Collingwood,  President  and  Editor. 
John  J.  Dillon,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
Wm  f.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Hoyle,  "Associate  Editor. 
L.  H.  Murphy,  Circulation  Manager. 
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“  A  SQUARE  DEAL” 
We  believe  that  every  advertisement  in  this  paper  is  backed  by  a  respon¬ 
sible  person.  We  use  every  possible  precaution  and  admit  the  advertising  of 
reliable  houses  only.  But  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  The  Rural  New- 
Yorker  when  writing  the  advertiser. 
MANY  of  our  legal  questions  reveal  a  stubborn 
obstinacy  and  determination  to  tight  for  cer¬ 
tain  rights  which  may  prove  a  hindrance  rather  than 
a  help.  La  wing  is  had  business  at  best.  Getting  out 
is  much  harder  than  getting  in.  There  are,  of  course, 
cases  where  it  is  necessary  to  stand  firm  and  refuse 
to  compromise,  but  in  tlie  majority  of  cases  it  is  pos¬ 
sible  to  make  a  prompt  settlement,  and  we  always 
advise  such  action  whenever  possible.  There  is  good 
advice  in  the  New  Testament  about  this: 
“ Agree  with  thine  adversary  g-uickly,  while  thou 
ai  t  in  the  way  with  him,  lest  at  any  time  the  adver¬ 
sary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge  and  the  judge  deliver 
thee  to  the  officer  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.” 
WE  regard  milk  as  t lie  greatest  single  food  pro¬ 
duct  in  all  nature.  It  is  the  best  conveyor  of 
lime  and  vitamines,  the  best  frame  builder,  and  both 
by  analysis  and  its  liquid  character  the  best  “bal¬ 
ance”  for  any  wrong  diet,  it  saves  children,  protects 
old  age,  and  gives  strength  to  strong  adult  life. 
Fresh  air  and  milk  are  two  great  essentials  to 
health.  The  men  and  women  who  produce  good 
clean  milk  are  responsible  for  prime  necessities  and 
may  fairly  be  called  the  most  necessary  class  in  the 
world.  Dairymen  are  national  life-givers,  but  .it 
must  be  said  that  too  many  of  them  do  not  use 
enough  milk  in  their  own  families.  It  may  be  that 
constant  association  with  this  vital  fluid  makes  one 
lose  the  thought  of  its  importance,  but  there  is 
scarcely  u  farm  family  in  the  country  that  would 
not  be  healthier  and  happier  if  it  would  double  its 
consumption  of  milk. 
WE  found  a  new  use  for  the  radio  last  week. 
One  of  our  folks  is  slowly  recovering  from 
the  grippe.  That  means  a  long,  tedious  waiting  for 
the  return  of  strength — there  are  few  things  more 
depressing  than  such  an  attempt  to  rally  from  this 
mean  disease  when  the  sky  is  clouded  and  the  storm 
roars  outside.  The  eyes  ache,  the  head  is  tired — 
life  seems  a  long  monotonous  grind  of  anxious  wait¬ 
ing.  We  just  moved  the  radio  into  the  sick  room, 
connected  it  properly  and  searched  the  air  for  a  sign. 
It  came.  There  was  a  fine,  impressive  church  ser¬ 
vice,  a  great  concert,  an  interesting  lecture,  and  the 
patient  could  hear  it  all  to  the  lightest  detail.  It 
was  wonderful ;  the  depression'  passed  away,  the 
sense  of  loneliness  was  gone.  Invisible  hands  seemed 
to  reach  out  of  the  air  with  kindly  sympathy  and 
helpful  entertainment.  It  was  better  than  medi¬ 
cine.  We  may  well  speak  of  the  wonders  of  the 
radio.  It  means  much  to  all  who  have  hearing,  but 
the  supreme  satisfaction  will  come  to  the  sick  or 
infirm  who  would  otherwise  lie  shut  away  from  what 
we  call  “society”  and  its  pleasures.  We  look  for¬ 
ward  to  the  time  when  the  radio  will  he  placed  in 
every  country  home,  and  considered  as  necessary  as 
the  stove.  Speed  the  day  when  the  nation  and  the 
world  will  be  brought  closer  together. 
NO  doubt  the  question  of  daylight  saving  will 
come  up  in  various  State  Legislatures  this  year. 
In  New  Jersey  the  farmers  are  ready.  With  the 
present  organization  of  the  Senate  it  will  be  impos¬ 
sible  to  pass  any  law  forcing  daylight  saving  upon 
the  entire  State.  The  farmers  will  try  to  prevent 
the  use  of  this  system  of  time  registration  in  the 
entire  State,  Imt  it  is  not  likely  they  can  succeed. 
In  New  York  we  understand  that  an  effort  will  be 
made  to  revive  the  daylight  saving  law  which  was 
repealed  two  years  ago.  We  understand  that  Gov¬ 
ernor  Smith  favors  such  a  law,  and  the  New  York 
City  members  of  both  parties  can  control  the  Legis¬ 
lature  if  they  care  to.  That  is  the  situation,  and  if 
the  farmers  do  not  want  a  daylight  saving  law  they 
must  prepare  for  battle  at  once. 
AS  everyone  knows,  the  California  fruit  growers 
have  long  held  a  monopoly  in  the  sale  of  canned 
peaches.  Perhaps  we  cannot  fairly  call  it  a  monop¬ 
oly,  but  at  any  rate  California  has  the  bulk  of  the 
trade.  Now  the  canners  in  Michigan,  New  York  and 
Canada  are  going  after  this  business.  At  least  they 
are  after  their  share.  With  thorough  organization 
and  investment  of  capital  they  will  be  able  to  put  up 
strong  competition  with  California.  This  will  mean 
a  renewal  of  interest  in  growing  cling  peaches  of 
canning  quality  that  will  grow  well  in  this  section. 
These  clings  will  surely  be  grown  for  such  a  can¬ 
ning  trade.  A  few  years  from  now,  if  present  plans 
are  carried  out,  this  will  be  one  of  the  big  fruit 
questions,  and  we  intend  that  our  readers  shall  be 
prepared  for  the  change  in  varieties  which  this  can¬ 
ning  problem  will  make  necessary. 
* 
Every  city  man  that  goes  back  to  the  country,  if  he 
goes  in  the  proper  spirit  and  with  due  modesty  toward 
his  rural  neighbors,  adds  immeasurably  to  the  rural  wel¬ 
fare.  The  truth  is  that  in  all  ways  the  city  needs  the 
country  and  the  country  needs  the  city;  “useless  each 
without  the  other.”  a.  w.  l. 
HE  great  strength  and  truth  of  that  statement 
lies  in  six  words — “proper  spirit  and  with  due 
modesty”  The  trouble  with  the  average  back-to- 
tlie-lander  is  that  he  expects  to  “show  these  old- 
timers  how  to  farm,”  but  what  he  usually  does  is  to 
make  a  show  of  himself.  Give  the  average  back-to- 
the-lander  a  full  outfit  of  modern  tools  and  let  his 
farmer  neighbor  take  a  team  and  plow,  an  old  har¬ 
row  and  a  cultivator,  and  tlie  farmer  will  beat  him 
two  to  one.  That  is  because  the  farmer  has  gained 
instinct  or  horse  sense  through  long  years  of  observa¬ 
tion.  The  back-to-the-lander  cannot  buy  these  essen¬ 
tial  things,  nor  can  he  gain  them  through  education 
or  science.  He  must  dig  them  out.  He  cannot  teach 
his  farmer  neighbors  half  as  much  as  they  can  teach 
him. 
* 
TKANGE  as  it  may  seem  to  readers  who  live  in 
thickly  settled  communities,  a  good  share  of  our 
legal  questions  refer  to  hunting  or  trapping  disputes. 
They  are  often  hard  to  settle.  Here  is  one  from 
Pennsylvania ; 
Swingle’s  dog  was  running  fox.  Abbey  and  Patterson 
went  out  to  shoot  fox.  Abbey  shot  and  wounded  fox. 
Patterson  and  Abbey  pursued  fox.  Patterson  caught 
fox  when  it  fell.  This  was  all  on  Patterson’s  farm. 
Legally,  who  has  title  to  fox?  Fox  ran  about  80  or  40 
rods  before  it  fell.  The  question  of  ownership  is  be¬ 
tween  Patterson  and  Abbey.  f.  w.  o. 
The  general  rule  among  hunters  seems  to  be  that 
no  one  can  fairly  come  in  front  of  the  dog  and  shoot 
the  fox.  We  do  not  understand  that  there  is  any 
legality  about  this  rule,  but  it  is  held  sacred  by 
usage  in  most  communities.  If  we  were  to  attempt 
to  make  an  equal  division  of  the  fox  in  question,  we 
believe  that  we  would  give  the  pelt  to  Abbey,  the 
carcass  to  Swingle’s  dog,  and  a  medal  to  Patterson 
for  his  fleetness.  This  is  the  first  instance  that  we 
have  ever  had  our  attention  called  to  where  a  man 
Avas  able  to  catch  a  fox  on  foot,  and  surely  “The 
dun  deer's  hide  on  fleeter  foot  was  never  tied.”  We 
know  of  no  statute  covering  this  particular  question 
in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  but  have  no  doubt 
that  the  owner  of  the  property  would  also  he  en¬ 
titled  to  damages  for  trespass,  unless  he  invited 
Abbey  on  his  property  to  shoot  the  fox. 
* 
OW  do  you  account  for  the  difference?  New 
Jersey  is  a  typical  State  of  the  upper  Atlantic 
coast;  Oregon  fairly  represents  tlie  upper  Pacific 
coast  line.  New  Jersey  is  nearly  or  quite  200  years 
older  than  Oregon.  Agriculture  has  given  place  to 
manufacturing,  and  the  State  is  dominated  in  popu¬ 
lation  and  occupation  by  half  a  dozen  large  cities. 
Oregon  is  still  largely  agricultural.  Gov.  Silzer  of 
New  Jersey  was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  and 
thus  claims  to  carry  a  mandate  from  Jerseymen. 
Speaking  of  the  prohibition  laws,  Gov.  Silzer  claims 
that  these  laws  have  failed,  and  he  calls  for  more 
liberal  enforcement,  if  not  the  annulment  of  the 
Eighteenth  Amendment!  Now,  Gov.  Pierce  of  Ore¬ 
gon  was  also  elected  by  a  good  majority,  and  he 
claims  to  express  the  thought  of  Oregonians  when  lie 
says : 
1  have  been  saddened  many  times  by  finding  that 
prominent  men  of  this  State  behind  closed  doors  are 
breaking  the  prohibition  law.  I  ask  for  a  higher  sense 
of  moral  duty  and  for  an  awakening  of  the  public  con¬ 
science.  We  must  one  and  all  determine  to  drive  liquor 
from  our  midst  by  making  it  so  hard  for  the  bootlegger 
to  thrive  that  he  will  be  glad  to  leave  our  State  and 
take  with  him  his  nefarious  business.  Liquor  venders 
cannot  do  business  alone.  I  ask  you  for  assistance  in  a 
continued  effort  to  enforce  the  la\AT. 
Both  are  Americans,  both  seeming  anxious  to  act 
for  the  best  interests  of  their  States.  This  differ¬ 
ence  of  opinion  regarding  prohibition  is  typical  of 
other  differences  which  openly  exist.  Hoav  do  you 
account  for  the  difference? 
SOME  of  the  city  papers  have  featured  the  change 
of  January  milk  prices  as  a  price  war.  It  has 
caused  some  feverishness  in  both  city  and  country, 
but  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  price  war  has  yet  de¬ 
veloped.  The  pood  price  for  January  Avas  originally 
$8.37  per  hundred  for  Class  I,  and  $2.80  for  Class  II. 
On  January  5,  however,  Class  II  Avas  i-educed  to 
$2.70,  as  of  January  1.  On  January  16  the  pool  asso¬ 
ciation  reduced  the  price  to  $2.90  for  Class  I,  and 
$2.50  for  Class  II,  to  take  effect  January  16.  The 
price  of  milk  per  can  on  the  city  platform  Avas  orig¬ 
inally  fixed  at  $4  per  can  to  small  dealers.  Under 
the  new  price  to  producers  this  Avill  uoav  be  reduced 
to  $3.60  per  can.  The  milk  sold  in  hulk  to  the 
stores  will  probably  be  reduced  a  cent  a  quart  to 
consumers  who  buy  it  in  the  stores  in  bulk.  This 
reduction,  however,  is  not  general.  No  reduction 
has  yet  been  made  to  consumers  of  bottled  milk. 
The  Sheffield  Farms  group  fixed  a  flat  price  of  $3.15 
for  3  per  cent  milk  for  January,  and  at  their  meeting 
in  the  city  last  Aveek  they  decided  to  continue  that 
price  through  January.  None  of  the  other  groups 
has  changed  the  original  January  prices,  which  in 
all  cases  are  based  on  a  fiat  price  for  milk  delivered, 
Avith  no  further  reduction  for  surplus  or  manufac¬ 
turing  purposes.  At  the  Borden  oflices  on  January 
24  no  reduction  to  consumers  had  been  decided  upon. 
The  reduction,  it  was  said,  came  as  a  cloudburst  out. 
of  a  clear  sky,  and  tlie  office  Avas  not  prepared  for 
it,  but  there  aagis  an  intimation  in  the  city  press  that 
(lie  reduction  would  probably  be  passed  on  to  the 
consumer. 
* 
OMEONE,  we  think  it  is  our  old  friend  Senator 
Moses  of  New  Hampshire,  started  the  story  that 
“ihe  ’farm  bloc’  in  the  Senate  is  composed  of  19  law¬ 
yers,  one  editor  and  one  well-digger.”  The  remark 
was  evidently  intended  as  a  sneer,  and  Ave  find  it 
bobbing  up  frequently  among  city  people.  Well,  it 
must  be  said  that  a  Avell-digger  must  have  his  feet 
in  the  soil  at  least.  Our  understanding  is  that  every 
member  of  this  “farm  bloc”  owns  land  and  knoAvs 
from  experience  how  much  the  farmer  gets  of  the 
quoted  market  price.  That  is  the  chief  reason  why 
they  are  in  the  “bloc.”  These  lawyers  have  been 
retained  by  farmers  to  look  after  their  interests. 
They  are  all  from  agricultural  States,  and  it  has 
been  made  known  to  them  that  the  people  “back 
home”  want  certain  legislation  and  do  not  want  cer¬ 
tain  laws  and  practices.  These  laAvyers  represent 
their  constituents.  Some  lawyers  go  to  Congress 
from  farming  districts  but  they  do  not  represent 
farmers.  They  oAve  their  election  to  the  votes  of 
country  people,  but  they  do  not  represent  them.  It 
is  quite  likely  that  if  Ave  can  find  a  skilled  laAvyer 
who  Avill  act  honestly  for  us  and  do  what  Ave  ask 
him  to  do,  Ave  may  he  better  served  than  by  a  farmer 
untried  in  political  work.  If  Ave  have  21  fearless 
men  in  the  United  States  Senate  avIio  Avill  do  Avlia  1 
AA  e  ask  them  to  do,  and  do  it  fearlessly  and  openly, 
it  does  not  make  much  difference  what  their  private 
business  may  be.  These  men  are  pushed  along  by 
concentrated  public  sentiment.  The  Eastern  people 
may  Avonder  how  it  comes  that  these  men  can  break 
away  from  party  ties  and  work  for  definite  agricul¬ 
tural  purposes,  but  the  Western  people  have  been 
quicker  to  realize  the  power  of  concentration  behind 
a  representative.  Some  years  ago  there  was  a  ter- 
rific  tornado  near  St.  Louis.  The  wind  raged  Avith 
fearful  violence.  Pieces  of  ordinary  joist  Avere 
driven  right  through  the  steel  siding  of  a  bridge,  and 
common  straws  were  actually  driven  through  inch 
boards.  We  have  seen  pictures  taken  from  photo¬ 
glyphs  slioAving  these  wonderful  things.  Given  force 
enough  behind  it.  a  straw  may  actually  be  driven 
through  a  board.  It  all  depends  on  the  power.  For 
years  farmers  have  sent  men  to  Washington,  hut  the 
half-hearted  power  given  them  could  not  make  a 
dent  on  the  solid  Avail  of  prejudice  and  politics  which 
surrounds  Congress.  Then,  through  organization 
and  desperation,  tlie  agricultural  States  generated  a 
force  which  lias  sent  their  representatives  through 
tlie  Avails  of  political  habit  as  the  straws  were  blown 
through  the  board.  It  is  all  in  the  power  back  of 
the  man. 
Brevities 
It  is  reported  that  a  chestnut  tree  quite  immune  to 
the  blight  disease  has  been  found  in  Lancaster  Oo..  Pa. 
One  of  onr  people  sends  a  year’s  subscription  for  the 
janitor  on  his  block.  There  are  some  city  readers  who 
would  give  considerable  for  literature  that  Avill  civilize 
the  janitor ! 
Speed  is  not  confined  to  automobiles,  airships  and 
horses.  Skaters  have  it.  JewtraAv.  the  American  cham¬ 
pion.  recently  skated  220  yards  in  39  seconds,  and  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  2  :03. 
There  is  great  need  of  a  potato  picker  that  will  take 
up  the  tubers  Avithout  bruising  them.  There  are  ma¬ 
chines  Avhich  do  this  fairly  Avell  on  open,  level  soil.  Avith¬ 
out  stones,  but  they  will  not  work  on  ordinary  soil. 
