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The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  RVS1NESS  FARMER’S  PAPER 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Hornet 
Established  1850 
CnbiHbrd  uetbly  by  the  Rural  Publishing  Company.  333  Hast  30th  Street.  New  fork 
Herbert  W.  Collingwood,  President  and  Editor. 
John*  J.  Dillon,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
m.  F.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Royle.  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,  persdnal  cheek  or  hank  draft. 
Entered  at  New  York  Post  Office  as  Second  Class  Matter. 
Advertising  rates,  tl  00  j>er  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.  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  Nbw- 
Yorker  v  hen  writing  the  advertiser. 
“Safety  First!” 
ALL  sane  governments  and  individuals  will  en¬ 
dorse  that  rule.  Know  where  you  are  going 
before  you  jump.  It  fully  expresses  our  opinion 
regarding  the  proposed  school  law.  Let  it  he  under¬ 
stood  before  it  is  jammed  through. 
* 
THE  following  news  note  has  been  going  the 
rounds  of  the  newspapers: 
Who  Got  the  06  Cents? 
Note  in  a  Potato  Shows  Price  Rose  400  Per  Cent. 
Lynchburg,  Ya„  March  S. — Mrs.  W.  .7.  Crowder  of 
this  city,  while  peeling  a  potato  found  a  note  in  it 
reading : 
“I  got  24  cents  per  bushel.  What  did  you  give?” 
It  was  signed  “G.  F.  Beardsley,  Stanton,  Mich.” 
Mrs.  Crowder  said  she  paid  50  cents  a  peck,  or  at 
the  rate  of  $1.20  a  bushel. 
We  have  no  doubt  these  relative  prices  are  cor¬ 
rect.  Mr.  Beardsley  got  what  we  call  a  20-cent  dol¬ 
lar.  That  part  of  it  is  correct,  hut  how  is  it  pos¬ 
sible  to  put  a  note  under  the  skin  of  a  potato?  We 
know  of  eases  where  such  notes  have  been  put  into 
peach  baskets  and  apple  barrels.  In  one  case  such 
letters  were  put  inside  a  lot  of  dressed  turkeys,  but 
this  story  of  putting  a  note  under  the  skin  of  a 
potato  is  a  little  strong  for  us.  We  have  seen  a 
circus  trainer  get  under  the  skin  of  an  unruly 
elephant,  and  we  have  seen  lawyers,  agents  and 
commissioners  embarrassed  by  sharp  retorts,  hut 
how  do  you  hide  a  note  inside  a  potato?  There  is 
no  question  about  the  fact  that  potato  growers  have 
been  robbed  this  year,  but  how  do  you  get  the  evi¬ 
dence  in  the  tuber? 
REPORTS  from  Washington  state  that  taxes  on 
fa  rm  lands  have  more  than  doubled  during  the 
eight  years  following  1914.  The  average  taxes  per 
acre  of  farm  land  paid  in  the  Eastern  States  is 
given  as  follows,  the  figures  showing  an  increase 
since  1914 : 
Maine,  .35  cents  and  60  cents;  New  Hampshire,  56 
and  67;  Vermont,  55  and  65;  Massachusetts,  65  and 
$120;  Rhode  Island,  59  and  99;  Connecticut,  50  and 
99;  New  York,  59  and  $1.12;  New  Jersey.  96  and 
$2.22;  Pennsylvania.  58  and  $1.11;  Delaware.  57  and 
OS ;  Maryland.  50  and  85. 
The  average  for  the  country  is  a  little  over  70 
cents.  Taxes  on  farm  lands  are  highest  in  New 
Jersey.  This  is  partly  because  many  smaller  farms 
are  in  townships  or  boroughs  where  school  and  road 
taxes  are  practically  ruinous.  On  our  own  farm  of 
100  acres,  taxes  last  year  were  more  than  $506.  in 
addition  to  Federal  income  tax.  When  we  bought 
this  farm  the  taxes  were  $78!  There  is,  of  course, 
no  sense  in  attempting  to  grow  ordinary  farm  crops 
on  land  which  must  pay  a  local  tax  of  $5  per  acre. 
Such  land  must  either  be  put  in  fruit  or  other  in¬ 
tensive  crops,  hold  for  a  speculative  rise  in  value 
or  sold.  It  is  true  that  some  farmers,  even  on  this 
highly  taxed  land,  make  a  fair  income,  hut  the 
great  majority  of  them  lose  money.  Our  own  farm 
income  last  year  was  not  quite  half  that  of  1921. 
We  faced  a  combination  of  late  frost,  glutted  mar¬ 
kets  for  Summer  and  Fall  crops,  and  low  prices. 
The  outlook  seems  a  little  better  this  year,  but  we 
are  prepared  to  cut  down  crops  by  at  least  one-third. 
In  tlie  face  of  these  horrible  taxes  our  public  men 
go  on  spending  public  cash  and  contracting  credit 
far  beyond  our  present  power  to  pay.  No  one  talks 
about  public  economy,  or.  if  be  does,  lie  is  branded 
as  ' *un progressive."  We  favor  Liking  the  broadax 
to  every  item  of  public  expenses.  Some  we  would 
cut  off  entirely:  others  we  would  trim  like  an  over¬ 
grown  tree. 
WE  have  not  been  able  to  find  anyone  yet  wlio 
will  claim  that  the  proposed  new  school  law 
is  perfect.  Even  those  who  are  trying  to  push  it 
through  the  Legislature  admit  that  it  may  need 
changes.  Pass  it  now.  they  say,  and  change  it  later. 
We  should  think  it  would  be  hard  for  them  to  keep 
a  straight  face  while  saying  this.  Many  villages  of 
4.500  or  less  would  quickly  have  their  bonds  spread 
over  unencumbered  rural  districts.  This  and  other 
selfish  benefits  would  make  repeal  or  amendment 
difficult  if  not  impossible.  We  want  our  rural  read 
ers  to  understand  that  before  they  listen  to  this  idea 
of  passing  the  Dill  at  once  and  then  changing  it. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  bill  does  not  go  into  effect 
until  July  1,  1924.  It  is  entirely  possible  to  take 
another  year  for  discussion,  fix  the  lull  to  suit,  the 
majority,  and  then  pass  it  before  the  time  now  fixed 
for  its  enactment.  Rushing  this  Dill  through  is  a 
lea])  in  the  dark.  Holding  it  up  for  study  is  build¬ 
ing  a  bridge  to  safety.  As  a  final  argument,  some  of 
the  backers  of  this  bill  say  it  will  be  impossible  to 
get  up  a  more  thorough  discussion  of  it.  The  II. 
N.-Y.  i nil  guarantee  to  develop  a  fair  discussion 
ickich  trill  reach  into  every  school  district  of  the 
State.  It  has  not  been  possible  to  do  this  before, 
because  it  was  only  a  few  weeks  ago  that  the  actual 
Dill  was  presented,  and  we  were  all  given  to  under¬ 
stand  that  it  would  not  he  passed  this  year. 
* 
S  it  not  possible  for  us  to  obain  results  of  experi¬ 
ments  in  feeding  ipecac?  We  have  frequently 
given  the  remedy,  and  we  think  many  readers  have 
tried  it.  The  great  value  of  such  a  matter  lies  in 
the  discussion  of  results.  We  have  had  a  few  re¬ 
ports,  and  they  vary,  but  on  the  whole  the  remedy 
seems  hopeful.  Now  will  not  you  tell  us  of  your 
lesults?  Will  ipecac  cure  or  help  blackhead  in  tur¬ 
keys? 
* 
SOME  of  our  Western  readers  seem  surprised  be¬ 
cause  we  do  not  rush  into  red  ink  celebrating 
the  passage  of  the  farm  credits  bill  by  Congress. 
Frankly,  we  see  very  little  benefit  for  Eastern  fann¬ 
ers  in  this  legislation.  Many  or  most  of  them  have 
already  borrowed  more  than  they  can  reasonably 
hope  to  pay  under  present  conditions.  They  would, 
on  the  whole,  be  better  off  to  stop  borrowing,  read¬ 
just  their  business,  raise  less,  concentrate  on  fewer 
acres,  and  wait  until  farm  business  settles  down. 
Under  present  conditions  it  is  a  form  of  economic 
crime  to  borrow  and  worry  and  work  to  increase 
production  on  borrowed  capital.  That  can  only  re¬ 
sult  in  over-production,  which,  under  our  present 
system  of  distribution,  is  the  worst  thing  that  can 
happen  to  farmers.  The  credits  legislation  was  de¬ 
manded  and  obtained  by  Western  farmers,  and  it  is 
said  that  they  will  borrow  heavily.  It  may  be  that 
the  money  will  be  used  to  meet  their  present  obli¬ 
gations.  and  thus  relieve  local  banks.  If  these  loans 
are  used  to  increase  crop  production,  inflate  laud 
prices  and  induce  young  farmers  to  depend  more  and 
more  on  borrowed  capital,  we  think  the  future  situ¬ 
ation  will  be  worse  than  it  is  now. 
* 
HE  last  storm  which  came  whirling  over  the 
Northern  States  piled  up  drifts  which  were  like 
the  last  straw  on  the  camel’s  back  to  many  country 
people.  It  may  not  break  the  back,  but  it  will  make 
the  camel  shake  off  some  of  his  burden.  It  is  quite 
impossible  for  most  of  our  city  people  to  realize 
just  what  this  long,  hard  Winter  has  meant  to  men 
and  women  who  live  out  among  the  hills  in  lonely 
places.  Last  year  was  close  to  an  economic  failure 
with  them,  and  through  this  hard  season  they  have 
been  shut  in  with  discomfort,  doubt  and  debt.  It  is 
quite  easy  for  those  who  live  under  fairly  comfort 
able  circumstances  to  tell  these  rural  dwellers  what 
to  do  and  how  to  be  cheerful,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  there  is,  right  now,  more  discontent  and  dread 
of  the  future  than  we  ever  remember  to  have  known 
before.  It  is  a  psychological  condition  which  must 
he  admitted.  It  must  be  faced  and  overcome.  We 
think  it  will  do  some  good  to  give  expression  to  it. 
We  propose,  therefore,  to  let  some  of  our  people  tell 
their  story,  gloomy  and  hopeless  as  it  may  seem. 
We  do  not  personally  believe  in  advertising  any  tale 
of  woe.  but  in  this  ease  we  think  it  will  be  a  relief 
to  let  some  of  it  out. 
* 
AL1FORNIA  people  are  alive  to  the  need  of 
advertising  their  food  products.  They  have 
talked  about  iron  in  their  raisins  until  many  people 
believe  they  can  become  as  hard  as  anvils  by  eating 
dried  grapes.  Now  they  are  featuring  vitamines  in 
oranges  much  the  same  way.  All  this  is  what  the 
boys  call  “good  dope.”  There  is  enough  of  truth  in 
it 'to  carry  it  through,  and  most  people  have  a  gen¬ 
eral.  if  weird,  idea  of  what  vitamines  will  do  to 
them.  It  is  good  work,  hut  California  should  not 
have  any  monopoly  of  it,  We  shall  find  both  iron 
March  24,  192u 
and  vitamines  in  our  Eastern  apples.  We  think 
analysis  will  show  that  Eastern  fruit  is  superior  to 
all  others  in  these  vital  principles.  Proof  of  this 
will  he  the  strongest  argument  we  can  present  for 
our  fruit.  Within  the  year  there  will  be  started  at 
Cornell  a  series  of  exhaustive  experiments  to  meas¬ 
ure  and  determine  the  quality  of  our  Eastern  apples. 
We  all  know  that  such  fruit,  when  well  grown,  is 
juicy  and  spicy  beyond  compare;  now  we  are  to 
know  all  that  the  chemist  can  find  out  about  it.  It 
is  a  great  idea.  Time  will  be  needed  to  develop  it. 
hut  when  the  facts  are  established  (as,  for  in¬ 
stance.  they  have  been  regarding  various  qualities 
of  milk)  it  will  prove  oue  of  the  greatest  argu¬ 
ments  our  Eastern  fruit  growers  have  ever  known. 
SENATOR  R.  I).  COPELAND  resigned  as  Health 
Commissioner  of  New  York  City  after  an  ad¬ 
ministration  which  surely  benefited  dairymen. 
When  Dr.  Copeland  assumed  office  the  daily  con¬ 
sumption  of  milk  in  this  city  was  about  1,600,000 
quarts.  Today  the  average  consumption  is  2,500,000 
quarts.  On  October  5,  1S97,  the  figures  were  1,411,- 
658  quarts,  while  on  November  19,  1922,  the  daily 
consumption  had  risen  to  2,256,779  quarts.  The 
highest  point  was  in  June,  1920.  when  2,646,554 
quarts  were  used.  Much  of  this  increase  is  due  to 
the  steady  and  continuous  education  which  has  been 
going  on.  Thousands  of  people  formerly  thought 
the  chief  value  of  milk  was  merely  to  “take  the  color 
out  of  coffee.”  We  must  make  New  York  under¬ 
stand  that  milk  is  the  great  "strong  drink” — 
stronger  by  analysis  than  any  other.  Dr.  Copeland 
helped,  and  the  new  commissioner  will  continue  the 
good  work,  hut  when  it  comes  to  the  final  effort  of 
raising  New  York’s  daily  consumption  to  5.000,000 
quarts,  ire  must  do  it  Ourselves. 
* 
T  has  been  a  hard  Winter,  and  as  we  write  it  is 
with  us  still.  We  have  been  astonished  at  the 
number  of  old  friends  who  write  us  from  Califor¬ 
nia.  Out  in  that  sunny  country  they  seem  to  have 
found  new  homes,  and  have  found  new  life  and  am¬ 
bition.  They  write  us  in  pity.  -Why  do  you  not 
come  out  into  God’s  country  and  enjoy  life,”  they 
say.  And  sometimes  when  we  look  out  at  the  snow 
and  the  fierce  storms  eating  at  our  Jersey  hills,  we 
think  of  it,  and  the  answer  comes,  "It's  too  far  from 
home" — for  that  is  where  “God’s  country”  may  he 
found. 
* 
NE  trouble  with  this  country  is  that  there  are 
too  many  people  who  think  “The  Sidewalks  of 
New  York”  comes  nearer  to  ‘being  the  national  an¬ 
them  than  “My  Country  'Tis  of  Thee.”  What  we 
mean  is  that  there  are  many  people  who  are  too 
small  and  narrow,  and  cannot  grasp  the  bigness  of 
this  country  and  the  need  of  a  true  national  feeling. 
The  truth  is  that  the  sidewalks  of  New  York  would 
he  as  grassy  as  a  hill  pasture  if  the  farmers  of 
America  made  up  their  minds  to  quit  work,  as  city 
workers  often  do.  Grassy  as  a  hillside  pasture,  and 
10  times  as  desolate.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
farmer  back  in  the  woods  of  Podunk  Corners  lias  to¬ 
day  a  finer  spirit  and  vision  of  national  life  than 
two-thirds  of  those  who  tramp  the  sidewalks  of 
New  York. 
Brevities 
Let  justice  walk  with  generosity 
“Honest  to  a  fault !”  Is  it  possible  for  anyone  to 
have  such  a  quality? 
The  final  ruling  in  this  country  is  made  bv  public- 
opinion,  and  you  can  control  part  of  that. 
"My  first  woman,”  on  page  482.  An  ounce  of  taffv 
to  the  living  is  worth  a  ton  of  epitapliy  (y)  to  the  dead. 
It  is  a  good  time  now  to  go  over  the  backs  of  the 
cattle  for  warbles  or  grubs.  You  can  easily  find  the 
bunches.  .Squeeze  them  out. 
Some  of  our  people  say  that  they  are  able  to  buy 
good  quantities  of  tobacco  stems.  These  stems  are 
worth  about  four  times  as  much  as  average  manure. 
At  this  season  you  will  often  notice  certain  hens  in 
the  flock  walking  around  shaking  their  heads.  Very 
likely  they  have  colds  and  are  trying  to  clear  their 
nostrils.  A  hen  must  blow  her  nose  that  way. 
At  the  recent  trial  of  a  land  fraud  case,  where  a  com¬ 
pany  was  charged  with  selling  worthless  land,  every 
witness  was  asked  what  farm  paper  he  read.  The  de¬ 
fense  promptly  turned  down  every  R.  N.-Y.  reader! 
A  case  in  a  police  court  here  involved  the  question 
of  wife,  husband  and  money.  A  woman  sued  her  hus¬ 
band  for  snatching  a  purse,  containing  money,  from  her 
hand.  The  husband’s  defense  was  that  she*  had  taken 
the  money  from  his  clothes  several  days  before.  The 
court  sustained  him  ! 
When  in  your  garden  soil  of  clay  you  walk  with 
patience  day  by  day,  through  twilight  dusk  or  bright 
sunshine,  to  try  to  make  the  soil  more  fine,  when 
though  you  scratch  and  hoe  and  thump,  the  soil  will 
still  proceed  to  “lump,”  and. hake  as  hard  as  any  brick, 
and  make  your  peas  and  cabbage  sick,  my  friend  you 
then  may  know  it’s  time  to  give  that  soil  a  dose*  of 
lime. 
