398 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
March  10,  1923 
Hope  Farm  Notes 
Looking  to  the  Future 
Part  II. 
I  think  the  section  which  I  call  the 
“upper  Atlantic  slope”  is  destined  to  be 
the  great  workshop  of  the  world.  It  has 
an  unrivaled  location  for  foreign  skip¬ 
ping,  and  will  have  the  most  wonderful 
access  to  power.  I  believe  that  within  a 
few  years  there  will  be  full  transmission 
of  power  by  “wireless.”  In  that  day  it 
will  be  quite  practical  to  generate  power 
at  Niagara  Falls  or  along  the  St.  Law¬ 
rence  Itiver  and  take  it  out  of  the  air 
through  a  wireless  machine  in  New  Jer¬ 
sey  and  put  it  to  work  !  In  days  to  come 
that  will  seem  as  common  and  matter-of- 
fact  as  our  present  telephone  and  radio 
systems.  And  we  simply  cannot,  for 
many  years  longer,  keep  up  the  present 
wasteful  system  of  distributing  coal. 
Nearly  30  per  cent  of  all  the  coal  now 
mined  is  used  merely  to  transport  the  re¬ 
maining  70  per  cent  about  the  country. 
This  Winter  has  shown  us  what  this 
wasteful  system  may  lead  us  to.  Ameri¬ 
can  civilization  simply  cannot  stand  such 
a  system.  In  the  future  the  coal  will  be 
burned  at  the  mines.  It  will  be  turned 
into  gas  and  electric  power — the  former 
piped  about  the  country  and  the  latter 
sent  all  over  the  country  through  “the 
singing  wire.”  Great  electric  wiring  sys¬ 
tems  will  be  run  from  the  anthracite 
mines  to  Baltimore  and  Washington,  up 
through  New  Jersey  to  New  York,  and 
then  branch  north  and  east  to  cover  the 
entire  North  Atlantic  slope.  rI  hat  will 
mean  a  vast  saving  of  coal  and  a  full 
distribution  of  power,  and  I  fully  believe 
it  is  coming  in  the  future. 
*  *  *  *  * 
There  are  plenty  of  young  people  now 
who  would  hardly  know  how  to  clean  a 
kerosene  lamp.  Perhaps  they  never  used 
a  candle  or  an  oil  lantern.  They  only 
know  that  when  they  push  a  button  or 
turn  a  switch  a  flood  of  light  appears,  or 
a  “heater”  begins  to  warm  up.  Those  of 
us  who  were  brought  up  on  kerosene  and 
candles  and  “airtight”  stoves  have  seen 
this  mighty  change  come  stealing  upon 
us.  It  has  shocked  us  at  times,  but  we 
have  become  used  to  it.  In  like  man¬ 
ner  we,  and  our  children,  will  become  re¬ 
conciled  to  this  fuel  change  which  is 
surely  coming.  I  think  that  as  farmers 
we  should  not  fight  against  it  but  rather 
work  to  have  it  extended  so  as  to  bring 
it  into  every  home.  What  would  you 
think  today  of  a  man  who  would  stand, 
on  a  cold  morning,  with  flint  and  steel, 
trying  to  start  a  fire  in  an  icebound  stove, 
so  that  he  might  light  a  tallow  dip?  Well, 
50  years  from  now  that’s  about  what 
folks  would  think  of  you  if  they  saw  you 
fighting  with  the  coal  dealer  for  a  ton  of 
coal  and  throwing  it  into  a  furnace  or 
stove  one  shovelful  at  a  time,  with  half 
the  heat  running  away  up  the  chimney. 
Naturally,  this  mighty  distribution  of 
power  will  make  great  changes  in  human 
society.  The  railroads  will  no  longer  be 
largely  known  as  coal-heavers.  They  will 
lose  much  of  their  present  freight,  and  I 
question  whether  they  will  be  able  to  pay 
dividends  on  their  present  capital  stock. 
They  will  haul  more  food  and  manufac¬ 
tured  goods,  but  neither  they  nor  their 
laborers  can  hold  any  such  monopoly  or 
tyranny  over  industry  as  they  now  do.  I 
think  the  railroads  will  become  more  and 
more  interested  in  food  production  in  dis¬ 
tant  parts,  so  that  they  may  ship  more 
and  more  into  this  section.  There  will 
be  a  fierce  struggle  between  the  East,  the 
West  and  the  South  for  the  job  of  feed¬ 
ing  the  people  who  live  in  this  great 
workshop.  What  I  fear  most  is  that  the 
railroads  and  the  manufacturing  interests 
will  monopolize  the  business  of  producing 
and  distributing  food  before  our  farmers 
can  unite  and  do  it  themselves. 
*  *  *  * 
I  regard  this  new  distribution  of  power 
from  coal  and  water  as  sure  to  come,  and 
the  future  of  this  nation  will  very  largely 
depend  on  the  way  this  distribution  is 
carried  out.  It  may  be  used  either  to 
build  up  or  break  up  the  big  cities.  I 
hope  and  pray  that  they  may  be  broken 
and  scattered,  for  in  that,  as  I  see  it.  lies 
the  real  future  of  civilization.  There  will 
ever  be  groups  of  master  men  who  will  do 
their  best  to  hold  power  and  manufactur¬ 
ing  in  the  great  cities.  Probably  the 
labor  unions  favor  •that,  since  it  enables 
them  to  mass  their  numbers  like  an  or¬ 
ganized  army.  The  larger  the  city  the 
more  it  glitters,  and  the  more  its  attract¬ 
ive  power — the  greater  its  pull  upon  the 
voung  people  of  the  farm.  In  one  of  II. 
G.  Wells’  stories  we  are  given  a  picture 
of  the  future  of  the  world  after  a  century 
or  more  of  this  policy  of  concentrating 
power  and  business  in  the  city.  We  be¬ 
hold  a  world  of  great  towns  and  cities, 
filled  with  spiritless  people  largely  fed 
and  clothed  by  government  bounty — the 
playthings  and  dependents  of  an  aristoc¬ 
racy  of  manufacturers  and  rich  men. 
Now  and  then  some  bold  spirit  attempts 
a  form  of  revolution,  but  he  never  gets 
very  far,  for  most  of  the  independence 
and  fighting  spirit  has  been  sapped  out 
of  the  people.  As  a  result  of  long  years 
of  socialism,  these  people  are  different 
from  the  “rabble”  in  Rome.  They  have 
lost  their  old  individual  character  and 
power  to  fight  for  their  rights,  and  a  few 
strong  men  control  through  “industry”  as 
completely  as  the  old-time  kings  ruled 
through  military  power.  Out  in  the  coun¬ 
try  a  few  men  are  left  as  herders  or  gar¬ 
deners.  The  people  are  mainly  fed  with 
chemical  food;  those  who  remain  in  the 
country  are  mostly  of  an  inferior  men¬ 
tality,  except  a  few  brave  men  who  in 
every  age  have  refused  to  submit  to  in¬ 
justice  and  wrong.  Then,  as  now,  the 
real  hope  for  the  future  lies  in  the  coun¬ 
try,  among  the  hills  and  silent  places. 
*  *  *  ♦  4= 
That,  I  believe,  pictures  something  of 
what  would  follow  if  the  benefits  of  this 
mighty  distribution  of  power  are  to  be 
confined  to  the  great  cities  or  to  indus¬ 
trial  sections  alone.  There  must  be  such 
a  distribution  of  power  that  it  will  reach 
back  to  every  little  hamlet  or  farm 
home.  I  am  frankly  in  favor  of  an  indus¬ 
trial  policy  which  will  tend  to  break  up 
the  great  cities  and  carry  manufacturing 
back  to  the  old  water  powers  and  market 
places.  Steam  power  and  coal  hauling 
gave  the  city  its  monopoly,  for  under  the 
old  method  it  was  necessary  to  concen¬ 
trate  fuel  and  power.  With  this  power 
generated  at  the  mines  and  distributed  all 
over,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  group 
great  manufacturing  plants  together. 
They  should  follow  the  distribution  of 
power  and  go  back  into  the  country  nearer 
to  the  farm*  That  will  give  our  young 
people  home  opportunity,  bring  the  con¬ 
sumer  closer  to  the  farm,  and  cut  out 
many  of  the  middlemen.  In  fact,  I  think 
the  success  of  our  farmers  on  this  At¬ 
lantic  slope  will  depend  very  largely  upon 
their  ability  to  divert  some  of  this  manu¬ 
facturing  out  of  the  big  towns  and  closer 
to  the  land.  Here  is  another  case  in 
which  we  must  learn  to  do  it  ourselves  by 
making  use  of  our  own  money.  Many 
farmers  have  been  and  are  investing  their 
money  in  industrial  stocks  and  bonds 
which  simply  help  to  build  up  the  big 
cities  at  the  expense  of  the  country.  Given 
a  fair  share  of  this  money,  men  who  un¬ 
derstand  business  and  finance  could  plant 
dozens  of  manufacturing  establishments 
through  the  rural  sections  and  make  them 
profitable.  I  know  of  several  now  which 
have  paid  fair  dividends  in  money  and 
given  great  help  to  the  country.  Most 
of  them  are  small  establishments,  where 
some  article  of  sunerior  quality  is  made. 
In  the  days  when  the  New  England 
farmer  was  the  great  single  power  of  that 
section,  these  local  fac  ories  were  the 
head  centers  of  the  communities.  When 
they  were  taken  away  and  concentrated 
the  life  of  the  country  began  to  fail. 
With  the  coming  of  this  new  form  of 
power  I  think  we  should  go  back  more 
and  more  to  the  old  system  of  bringing 
manufacturing  to  the  country — not  driv¬ 
ing  it  to  the  city.  I  am  openly  in  favor 
of  a  smaller  city  and  a  larger  country¬ 
side. 
*  *  $  $  * 
I  meet  some  farmers  who  seem  to  be 
afraid  of  their  children.  They  say  these 
young  people  are  too  trifling — they 
never  can  be  trusted  to  “run  the  coun¬ 
try.”  I  do  not  feel  that  way.  In  our 
day  the  country  walked — now  it  runs.  I 
think  our  children  will  sober  down  and 
handle  it  when  they  fully  feel  the  respon¬ 
sibility  and  must  pay  for  it.  But  we  do 
not  need  economics  half  as  much  as  we 
need  humanics.  This  idea  of  running  to 
the  Legislature  and  to  Congress  for  help 
doesn’t  get  very  far  with  me.  I  think 
that  75  per  cent  of  our  real  troubles  are 
due  to  the  fact  that  we  cannot  yet  fully 
trust  one  another  and  be  truly  unselfish. 
I  think  laws  to  prevent  adulteration  of 
food  and  fiber  and  other  goods  should  be 
pushed  to  rhe  limit,  and  enforced.  Such 
things  will  help  us.  As  for  “credits.”  I 
think  farmers  could  finance  their  own 
business  if  they  had  full  faith  in  it  and 
in  other  farmers.  The  labor  unions  set 
us  an  example  in  this.  As  for  marketing 
and  the  middlemen.  I  have  no  thought 
that  any  politician  or  party  will  ever 
have  the  courage  to  do  more  than  talk. 
We  have  got  to  reform  marketing  our¬ 
selves.  Thousands  of  farmers  are  already 
doing  it.  We  cannot  afford  to  stand  still 
and  be  coddled  and  waited  on  and  “man¬ 
aged”  by  the  government.  We  can  be 
fully  trusted  to  find  the  best  crops  for 
our  section  and  the  best  way  to  produce 
them  if  we  can  have  a  fair  chance,  and  I 
think  we  are  going  to  take  such  a  chance 
in  the  future.  I  am  one  of  those  who  be¬ 
lieve  that  the  Prohibition  law,  with  all 
its  mistakes  and  failures,  has  proven  an 
industrial  help.  It  has,  as  I  believe, 
greatly  increased  the  demand  for  fruit 
juices,  milk  and  other  farm  produce.  I 
know  of  cases  where  it  has  increased  the 
buying  power  of  families.  When  it  was 
passed  I  did  not  think  it  could  be  fully 
enforced  for  a  generation  to  come.  I 
honestly  felt  that  it  came  too  soon,  be¬ 
fore  people  were  fully  prepared  for  it.  I 
do  not  think  it  can  ever  be  repealed.  It 
may  be  modified  for  a  time,  but  it  has 
now  become  very  largely  a  contest  be¬ 
tween  city  and  rural  sentiment,  and  in  all 
the  history  of  the  world  you  can  hardly 
find  an  instance  where,  finally,  the  rural 
influence  did  not  prevail.  On  the  whole, 
I  feel  hopeful  for  the  future.  I  feel  that 
the  fate  of  farming  lies  in  the  hands  of 
the  farmer.  He  begins  to  realize  that, 
and  I  have  full  faith  in  his  judgment  and 
nnwrpr  H.  W.  C. 
Quiet;  There’s  Music  in  the  Air 
Many  thoughts  of  many  things  course 
through  my  brain  toiiight  as  I  sit  and 
rock  quietly  by  the  fireside,  while  the 
children  sit  by  the  radio  just  across  the 
room  and  listen  to  a  concert  broadcast 
by  one  of  the  powerful  broadcasting  sta- ‘ 
ti'ons  less  than  20  miles  away.  We  have 
had  our  set  but  a  short  time,  a  well- 
made  crystal  set,  and  several  of  our 
neighbors  have  recently  installed  sets  of 
several  different  makes,  although  as  yet 
they  are  all  crystal  sets.  We  have  good 
head  phones,  a  lofty  antenna  and  an  ex¬ 
cellent  “ground.”  all  of  which  helps,  they 
say,  to  bring  the  best  results. 
The  boys  keep  time  with  the  music, 
and  once  in  a  while  an  expression  escapes 
that  tells  me  “it’s  great.”  Father  can’t 
keep  quiet  any  longer,  as  even  the  rustle 
of  the  newspaper  is  objectionable,  so  he 
had  lain  quietly  down  on  the  sofa  to  rest, 
but  only  makes  bad  matters  worse  by 
beginning  almost  at  once  to  snore  “some¬ 
thin’  awful.”  So  I  gently  shake  him 
and  he  rouses  up  and  rather  loudly 
wishes  to  know  what  is  wanted. 
Then  it  seems  as  if  I  can  contain  my¬ 
self  no  longer  ;  it  seems  almost  ridiculous 
keeping  quiet,  that  before  I  know  it  I 
snicker  and  shake,  and  a  warning  hand 
is  quickly  raised  for  me  to  keep  still. 
About  this  time  mother  comes  in  with  an 
armful  of  wood  to  keep  the  temperature 
of  the  room  comfortable  this  wintry  night. 
“Dear,  dear ;  what  a  noise  it  makes 
when  there’s  music  in  the  air!”  The 
little  fellow  wistfully  watches  until  it  is 
his  turn  to  listen,  and  how  delighted  he 
is  with  the  fairy  tales. 
As  I  said,  my  thoughts  are  of  many 
things.  The  spinning  wheel  in  the  attic 
to  the  car  in  the  barn ;  mails  once  a 
week  to  the  daily  R.  F.  D. ;  candle  light 
to  electric,  etc.  Husband  claims  the  priv¬ 
ilege  of  listening  in  for  any  stock  markets 
and  weather  reports,  also  the  late  news 
bulletins  that  come  over  the  air  before  the 
daily  arrives.  There,  my  mind  drifts 
back,  trying  to  imagine  what  life  was 
like  in  this  house  a  hundred  years  ago, 
when  the  people  cooked  their  food  in  the 
fireplace.  What  a  wonderment  a  tele¬ 
phone,  a  trolley,  and  at  last  a  radio 
would  have  been  to  them  !  We  are  living 
in  an  age  of  luxury,  even  if  we  do  work 
hard.  There  are  conveniences  for  any 
and  every  kind  of  work  ;  even  if  we  don’t 
own  them  all,  we  benefit  by  many.  And 
do  we  appreciate  them  all?  I  hope  so. 
Tbs,  the  radio  means  much  to  us  rural- 
ites  when  the  drifts  are  ’way  up  and 
mercury  is  ’way  below,  concerts,  drama, 
music  of  all  kinds,  readings  for  entertain¬ 
ment,  thrift  talks,  home  helps,  the  mar¬ 
kets,  news  and  weather  reports,  which 
help  us  so  much  to  decide  when  it  is  safe 
to  deliver  a  load  of  potatoes  or  vegetables 
to  the  city,  or  prepare  for  a  deep  fall  of 
snow.  And  Sabbath  services,  beginning 
with  the  ringing  of  the  church  bell — how 
sweet  it  all  sounds.  How  clear  the  ser¬ 
mon  comes,  even  more  distinct  to  the  ear. 
almost,  than  if  one  sat  in  the  pew  facing 
the  pastor.  The  turning  of  the  pages, 
the  passing  of  the  plate,  are  so  realistic, 
I  have  heard  some  -  listeners  say  they 
had  reached  in  their  pockets  for  change. 
And  when  church  is  over  the  clatter  of 
the  different  ones  come  so  clearly,  then 
dies  away,  until  the  shutting  of  the  door 
ends  it  for  the  time. 
The  concert  is  nearly  over,  and  we  can 
then  all  take  a  deep  breath  and  walk 
solidly  across  the  floor. 
I  hope  those  who  read  this  and  haven’t 
thought  very  much  about  getting  a  radio 
will  think  about  it  a  little  now.  I  am 
quite  sure  they  will  want  one,  too,  pro¬ 
vided  they  are  not  too  far  from  a  broad¬ 
casting  station,  and  then  one  would  need 
a  more  expensive  set  to  hear  with.  and. 
of  course,  would  have  a  larger  list  of 
stations  to  choose  their  entertainments 
from.  Perhaps  the  invalids  and  shut-ins 
and  the  aged  need  them  more  than  we 
who  can  get  out,  if  only  to  the  neigbors. 
I  know  of  several  who  have  made  their 
friends  presents  of  them,  and  those  friends 
certainly  do  appreciate  them. 
patsy’s  wife. 
The  Story  of  the  Northern  Spy  Apple 
THE  original  Northern  Spy  apple  tree  never  lived  to  bear  fruit.  To 
the  man  who  saved  it  to  the  world  and  first  fruited  it  is  due  more 
honor  and  praise  than,  in  the  words  of  one  eulogizing  historian,  “had  he 
commanded  large  armies.”  Had  Roswell  Humphrey  not  taken  up  sprouts 
from  the  mother  tree,  some  other  variety  would  hold  the  rank  of  third 
in  importance  in  New  York  State,  and  Charles  M.  Hovey  would  never  have 
been  able  to  prophesy  as  he  did  in  1851 :  “In  our  estimation,  it  is  sur¬ 
passed  by  no  other  fruit;  and,  if  its  qualities  for  productiveness  should 
prove  equal  to  the  Baldwin,  it  would  dispute  the  palm  with  that  esteemed 
and  popular  variety.” 
At  East  Bloomfield,  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  stood  the  seedling  orchard 
that  has  become  famous  as  the  place  of  origin  of  three  varieties  of  apples 
— Early  Joe,  Melon,  and  Northern  Spy.  The  seedlings  were  raised  from 
seed  brought  from  Salisbury,  Conn.,  about  1800,  by  Elijah  Taylor,  and  set 
in  an  orchard  by  Heman  Chapin.  Just  what  caused  the  death  of  the 
tree  seems  undeterminable,  but  before  this  unfortunate  occurrence  Ros¬ 
well  Humphrey  had  taken  up  suckers  and  propagated  nine  trees. 
About  1840  the  variety  began  to  attract  attention,  and  in  1847  the 
note  is  recorded,  “while  Swaars,  Spitzenburgs,  Bellflowers,  Seek-no-fur- 
thers  and  other  choice  fruit  sell  for  one  dollar  per  barrel,  the  Spys  bring 
from  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  to  three  dollars  per  barrel.”  Largely 
due  to  the  efforts  of  the  firm  of  Ellwanger  &  Barry,  nurserymen,  of  Roch¬ 
ester,  N.  Y.,  the  Northern  Spy  was  extensively  propagated  and  distrib¬ 
uted.  From  whence  the  name,  seems  undeterminable. 
The  Northern  Spy,  or  Spy,  as  it  is  more  commonly  known,  is  one  of 
the  best  apples  grown  in  America,  and  some  would  even  call  it  the  stand¬ 
ard  of  quality.  Its  attractive  size  and  bright  red  color,  striped  and 
splashed  with  darker  red  and  marked  with  a  characteristic  bloom,  is 
familiar  to  all.  As  a  dessert  sort  it  is  held  in  high  esteem  because  of  its 
crisp,  tender,  juicy  flesh,  and  its  sprightly,  aromatic  flavor,  while  for 
kitchen  use  it  is  one  of  the  best.  Add  to  this  versatility  a  season  that 
extends  from  December  to  March,  or  even  June  in  cold  storage,  and  it 
can  be  readily  seen  why  the  Northern  Spy  has  made  its  mark. 
The  tree  is  hardy  and  strong.  Unfortunately,  it  comes  into  bearing 
rather  late,  although  this  past  Summer  the  writer  saw  a  tree  four  years 
set  carrying  18  or  20  large  fruits.  It  is  rather  susceptible  to  scab  on  both 
fruit  and  leaves,  but  by  proper  spraying  this  fault  can  be  easily  overcome. 
The  young  trees  are  very  dense  and  upright  in  growth,  and  should 
be  pruned  moderately,  with  this  in  mind.  As  they  attain  age  they 
become  more  spreading  and  of  large  size,  so  that  40  to  50  ft.  becomes  a 
desirable  distance  for  orchard  planting.  Biennial  bearing  is  another 
characteristic  of  the  tree,  carrying  large  crops  as  it  does  every  other  year. 
It  is  often  remarked  that  one  of  the  desirable  features  of  the  Spy  is 
its  late-blooming  tendency,  thus  lessening  the  danger  from  late  Spring 
frosts.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  more  exacting  of  its  surroundings  than 
most  other  standard  sorts.  It  prefers  a  well-drained  soil,  not  too  heavy, 
in ’the  higher  altitudes  of  the  State  and  where  a  cool  climate  prevails. 
Fortunate  is  the  man  who  can  provide  these  conditions,  for  the  Northern 
Spy  still  commands  a  premium  on  the  Winter  apple  market.  h.  b.  t. 
