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The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUSINESS  FARMER’S  PAPER 
Notional  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  llomtl 
Established  1850 
PoblRb.d  w»«kljr  by  Ihe  Rural  Publiabinr  ‘'ompuny.  338  W*«t80tta  Street,  »w  fork 
Herbert  W.  CoiAiNGWobfc,  President  and  Editor. 
John  J.  Dili-ox,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
Wb.  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,  Remit  in  money 
order,  express  order,  personal  check  or  bank  draft. 
Entered  at  New  York  Post  Office  as  Second  Class  Matter. 
Advertising  rates,  11.00  per  agate  line — 7  words.  References  required  for 
advertisers  unknown  to  us  j  and  cash  must  accompany  transient  orders. 
“  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 
sucli  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.  • 
IF  you  want  to  have  a  little  fun  on  the  road  with¬ 
out  adding  to  your  popularity  we  can  tell  you 
how  to  bring  it  about.  Carry  a  standard  gallon 
measure  in  your  car,  and  stop  here  and  there  along 
the  road  to  buy  gasoline.  Make  the  man  who  turns 
the  crank  and  pumps  up  the  gas  from  somewhere 
down  in  the  ground  pump  what  he  calls  a  gallon  into 
your  measure  before  he  begins  on  your  tank!  After 
three  or  four  stops  you  will  get  the  elements  of  an 
entirely  new  education  in  buying  and  selling.  Our 
estimate  is  that  just  about  12  per  cent  of  the  gaso¬ 
line  we  pay  for  at  these  pumping  stations  is  never 
delivered  by  the  pump.  If  we  let  it  go  much  longer 
the  dealers  will  be  able  to  say  that  they  do  not  sell 
by  the  gallon,  but  by  so  many  turns  of  the  pump 
handle.  If  there  is  to  be  any  reform  this  is  a  cer¬ 
tain  case  where  ice  must  do  it  ourselves — and  do  it 
with  a  gallon  measure.  The  average  man  will  con¬ 
sider  this  a  rather  small  business,  and  he  would 
hardly  care  to  use  his  gallon  measure  before  the 
women  folks,  but  in  many  cases  it  is  either  do  that 
or  be  robbed.  Who  will  be  first  to  give  us  the  story 
of  adventures  with  a  gallon  measure? 
* 
OMEONE  has  started  a  sad  story  about  the  poor 
undernourished  children  in  the  country.  We 
are  told  that  dairy  farmers  do  not  use  milk  at  home 
— they  rush  it  all  away  to  the  city.  The  city  papers 
are  making  much  of  such  statements,  and  so  we  have 
started  an  investigation  to  learn  just  how  much 
milk  is  really  used  in  country  families.  One  of  the 
first  reports  follows : 
I  might  say  my  family  consists  of  eight  children  un¬ 
der  16  years  of  age,  myself  and  my  wife,  and  a  girl 
servant.  They  all  drink  milk,  and  they  look  the  part. 
They  drink  milk  at  the  table,  between  meals,  and  at  the 
barn.  There  is  always  a  little  left  in  the  cup  at  the 
barn  for  the  cats  or  the  dog.  Between  us  all  we  con¬ 
sume  over  three  gallons  per  day.  D.  I.  murphy. 
New  York. 
It  may  truthfully  be  said  that  Mr.  Murphy  is 
standing  right  by  the  dairy  business-  and  there  are 
many  more  like  him.  Our  own  family  consumes  all 
the  milk  from  two  good  cows.  The  children  drink 
milk  as  they  would  water.  We  find  it  the  best  and 
most  economical  food  we  can  provide. 
* 
My  grandson,  a  victim  of  the  World  War,  lies  in 
“Flanders  Field,  where  the  poppies  bloom.”  For  the 
past  two  years  the  brightest  and  most  attractive  flowers 
in  my  garden  have  been  those  scarlet  poppies.  Some¬ 
one  has  sounded  a  warning  against  cultivating  them, 
fearing  they  may  become  a  pest.  If  so,  please  tell  me 
about  it.  e.  b.  T. 
Connecticut. 
KEEP  right  on  raising  the  poppies.  We  give  that 
advice  on  the  authority  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture.  Thei*e  would  not  be  any  particular  risk 
in  Connecticut.  The  flowers  are  not  likely  to  run 
wild  and  become  a  pest.  The  European  poppy  has 
been  grown  in  American  gardens  for  nearly  300 
years  and  has  not  yet  proved  a  troublesome  weed  in 
any  part  of  the  country.  There  might  be  some  dan¬ 
ger  in  sections  where  grain  is  grown  year  after  year 
without  any  tilled  crops  in  between.  Americans  who 
have  seen  the  poppy  as  a  weed  in  France,  Belgium 
and  England,  have  feared  that  it  might  become 
troublesome  in  this  country.  No  campaign  against 
it  has  been  started.  We  should  by  all  means,  con¬ 
tinue  to  plant  it  in  gardens,  particularly  where  the 
flowers  bring  remembrance  of  the  dead  soldiers. 
* 
WE  have  called  for  reports  from  readers  who 
have  used  the  ipecac  treatment  for  turkeys. 
We  have  the  reports,  but  they  are  not  very  hopeful. 
Mr.  Randall,  on  page  649,  states  the  ease  about  right. 
On  clean  land  and  with  birds  of  superior  vitality, 
some  eases  of  blackhead  have  recovered.  In 
other  cases  we  are  satisfied  that  the  disease  was  not 
blackhead  at  all.  At  any  rate  it  seems  clear  that 
while  ipecac  will  help  if  given  in  time,  it  is  not  a 
sure  remedy,  and  will  not  ‘‘fully  restore  the  turkey 
industry.”  What  is  to  become  of  the  turkey  busi¬ 
ness?  Throughout  the  North  farm  flocks  have 
largely  disappeared,  except  on  clean  or  new  land. 
Great  numbers  of  turkeys  are  now  being  sent  from 
the  Southwest,  but  our  people  want  the  industry 
back  on  the  smaller  Northern  farms.  In  our  own 
case,  blackhead  ruined  our  flock,  and  we  have  sub¬ 
stituted  geese.  These  birds  are  easy  to  raise,  eco¬ 
nomical,  and  we  think  their  meat  is  superior,  but 
there  is  no  use  trying  to  tell  the  average  American 
that  good  turkey  meat  has  any  equal.  What  shall 
we  do  for  turkeys?  Mr.  Randall  says  raise  Black 
Jersey  Giants.  These  birds  are  hardy  and  active, 
next  in  size  to  turkeys,  easy  keepers  and  very  fine 
in  quality.  If  blackhead  drives  us  to  Black  Giants 
we  shall  still  be  well  served. 
* 
Here  is  the  block  where  I  and  other  blockheads  Jive, 
East  (ilst  Street.  We  have  about  60  families,  and  each 
one  of  us  has  his  separate  furnace,  cooking  range  and 
hot  water  supply,  and  we  have  not  sense  enough  even  to 
buy  our  coal  cheap  by  the  cargo  or  dear  by  the  tou,  nor 
to  use  it  all  together  and  intelligently,  instead  of  sepa¬ 
rately  and  wastefully.  We  confine  our  efforts  to  teach¬ 
ing  “the  hayseeds”  co-operation,  who  already  practice 
much  more  of  it  than  we  even  know  about.  We  rail  at 
the  tenements  because  they  buy  their  coal  by  the  bucket¬ 
ful,  having  no  place  to  store  more,  but  we  don’t  take  the 
trouble  to  save  time  and  money  by  buying  our  own  flour 
and  sugar  and  coffee  by  the  barrel  or  bag. 
HAT  is  taken  from  Bolton  Hall’s  “The  New 
Thrift.”  Tt  is  true  that  many  city  men  preach 
co-operation  to  farmers  and  scold  quite  a  little  be¬ 
cause  these  “hayseeds”  do  not  combine  and  make 
cheaper  prices  for  farm  produce.  The  trouble  with 
the  average  city  man  is  that  he  does  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  word  neighbor.  lie  may  live  for  a 
year  in  the  same  house  with  a  dozen  other  families, 
and  not  oven  know  their  names  or  their  business, 
much  less  their  troubles  and  their  needs.  If  the 
dwellers  in  a  single  city  block  were  to  come  to¬ 
gether  in  a  real  co-operative  business  organization 
they  eould  save  at  least  25  per  cent  of  their  food  and 
fuel,  and  nearly  as  much  on  other  necessities.  Sup¬ 
pose  the  dweller's  in  three  such  city  blocks  combine 
to  buy  their  produce  from  one  Grange  or  country 
co-opei'ative  society.  That  would  provide  a.  volume 
of  ti'ade  large  enough  to  enable  the  Grange  to  plan 
ahead,  and  thus  keep  a  full  supply  of  what  the  city 
people  need.  There  would  be  trade  enough  to  justify 
both  city  and  country  organizations  in  hiring  agents 
to  buy  and  sell  and  distribute.  And  there  are  many 
town  institutions — schools,  colleges,  manufacturing 
plants  or  stores,  which  could  buy  large  quantities  of 
farm  goods  dii’eet  from  the  country.  We  understand 
there  are  several  cases  where  something  of  this  sort 
has  been  worked"  out.  There  ought  to  be  more  of  it. 
All  such  direct  wholesale  trade  means  fairer  prices 
to  both  sides,  and  relieves  the  general  market  to 
some  extent.  But  it  will  mean  organization  at  both 
ends — in  the  city  no  less  than  in  the  country. 
I  am,  or  try  to  be,  an  everyday,  practical  farmer ; 
read,  study  and  think  of  my  job  as  my  city  cousin 
would  of  his  business  enterprise.  I  let  my  experiment 
station  do  the  experimenting,  and  incidentally  they 
wrestle  with  theory  and  long  three-ton  words.  w.  s. 
E  think  it  pays  to  do  a  little  experimenting  at 
home.  For  instance,  this  year  we  are  plant¬ 
ing  several  new  fodder  and  green  manuring  plants. 
It  only  requires  a  little  space  and  a  little  work,  but 
we  learn  many  new  things.  Take,  for  example,  such 
things  as  Ilubam  clover  and  kudzu.  Many  a  farmer, 
by  trying  these  in  a  small  way,  has  decided  whether 
they  ai'e  worth  while  for  him,  years  before  the  ex¬ 
periment  stations  eould  get  at  it.  The  stations  feel 
obliged  to  be  rather  slow  and  ponderous  in  their 
movements  toward  such  things.  They  have  great 
responsibilities,  and  they  might  easily  set  the  public 
wrong  with  some  snap  judgment.  As  for  the  three- 
ton  words,  they  should  think  in  ton  thoughts  and 
speak  in  ounce  words,  but  wisdom  always  did  prefer 
a  black  gown  to  a  pair  of  overalls.  Try  a  little  ex¬ 
perimenting  yourself.  There  is  some  fun  in  it. 
vL 
d' 
ON  page  519  we  gave  figures  showing  bow  farm 
population  in  New  York  State  has  decreased. 
Similar  figures  from  the  entire  country  are  now 
given  out  fi'om  Washington.  The  1920  census  showed 
that  31,359,000  people  were  living  in  rural  districts. 
Since  then  about  2,000.000  have  left  the  farm,  while 
8S0.000  have  gone  fi'om  city  to  country.  This  means 
a  net  loss  to  rural  districts  of  1.120,000,  or  more 
than  3*4  per  cent.  The  births  on  farms  in  1922  were 
925.000,  and  the  deaths  265,000.  making  a  net  loss  of 
460,000  persons.  The  heaviest  loss  occurred  in  the 
mountain  States  of  the  West  and  on  the  North  At¬ 
lantic  slope.  Most  of  us  have  realized  for  years  that 
human  life  is  slowly  trickling  away  from  the  hills  to 
April  28,  1923 
the  town  and  city.  The  more  level  and  easily  worked 
sections  are  not  losing  so  rapidly.  In  any  other  line 
of  industry  this  loss  in  the  number  of  workers  would 
be  called  good,  since  it  ought  to  mean  a  fairer  chance 
for  producers  who  remain  at  work.  The  nation  must 
be  fed  and  clothed  and,  if  the  law  of  supply  and  de¬ 
mand  were  permitted  to  operate  freely,  fewer  farm¬ 
ers  would  indicate  greater  individual  prosperity. 
With  our  present  system  of  distribution  and  hand¬ 
ling  the  law  of  supply  and  demand  does  not  operate 
fairly,  and  the  rush  of  country  people  to  the  city 
and  the  effort  to  create  new  jobs  for  them  may  make 
the  situation  worse  than  ever. 
* 
WE  want  you  to  read  what  the  Hope  Farm  man 
writes  this  week  and  next  about  old  farm 
gi'aveyards.  There  are  many  of  these  little  ceme¬ 
teries  scattered  through  the  country.  Outsiders  often 
buy  the  farm  after  the  old  family  has  faded  away. 
In  a  few  cases,  reported  to  us,  these  little  i*eminders 
of  “God’s  Aci*e”  have  not  been  ti'eated  with  respect; 
there  has  been  what  seems  to  us  actual  desecration 
of  a  place  which  should  be  held  saei'ed.  In  many 
more  eases  these  little  graveyards  are  simply  neg¬ 
lected,  and  that  means  going  back  to  nature.  We 
think  these  places  should  he  kept  neat  and  elean 
whenever  possible.  Our  childi'eu  should  be  taught 
to  venerate  the  dead,  however  humble  or  unknown 
they  may  be.  It  would  seem  an  excellent  work  for 
the  women  of  the  local  Granges  to  watch  such  places 
and  see  that  they  are  kept  at  least  in  fair  appear¬ 
ance.  In  some  cases  veterans  of  the  Civil  War  are 
buried  in  these  graveyards.  The  members  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  have  in  the  past  done 
this  work,  but  younger  hands  are  needed  now.  Why 
not  make  it  a  regular  part  of  Grange  work? 
* 
IIE  United  States  Supreme  Court  has  decided 
that  the  famous  “gi'ain  futures”  law  is  consti¬ 
tutional  and  valid.  This  law  seeks  to  prevent  trad- 
ing  in  “futures.”  It  was  shown  that  while  the  Chi¬ 
cago  market  sold  200,000,000  bushels  of  gi'ain  an¬ 
nually  for  future  delivery,  not  one  per  cent  of  this 
was  delivered.  This  leads  to  manipulation  of  prices 
and  creates  fictitious  values  which  are  not  based  on 
actual  trade  demands.  The  law  seeks  to  prevent 
gi'ain  gambling,  and  the  question  at  issue  was 
whether  Congress,  under  the  constitution,  has  the 
authority  to  use  the  taxing  power  to  restrain  such  an 
abuse.  The  court  decides  that  Congress  has  this 
power.  Western  grain  growers  believe  that  this  law. 
properly  enforced,  will  eliminate  most  of  the  gam¬ 
bling  from  the  grain  trade  and  stabilize  prices  to 
the  advantage  of  farmers  and  millers. 
* 
THE  proposed  new  school  bill  has  been  changed 
and  reprinted,  there  being  32  amendments.  It 
cannot  be  said  now  that  this  new  bill  is  fully  under¬ 
stood  by  the  people,  aiid  there  is  greater  reason  than 
ever  that  it  should  be  held  over  for  discussion.  The 
bill  has  been  reported  by  the  Senate  committee  on 
education,  and  may  pass  the* Senate.  In  the  Assem¬ 
bly  all  committees  have  been  discharged  except  the 
committee  on  rules.  The  friends  of  the  bill  in  the 
Assembly  are  urging  its  immediate  passage,  while 
the  opposition  is  determined  that  it  shall  not  pass 
this  year.  Our  opinion  now  is  that  the  bill  will  not 
pass  the  Assembly  this  year.  In  that  event  we  shall 
.see  to  it  that  it  is  fully  discussed  in  every  school 
district  in  the  State. 
Brevities 
Tiie  Red  Spy  is  a  bright-colored  seedling  of  Northern 
Spy,  with  all  the  good  and  bad  qualities  of  its  parent, 
dressed  up  in  a  red  jacket. 
Now  let  us  introduce  Mr.  Charles  Szafarczylc,  a  re¬ 
spected  subscriber  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  While  we  cannot 
pronounce  Lis  name,  we  hope  that  he  honors  it. 
Tiie  Vermont  maple  sugar  crop  is  reported  close  to  a 
failure  this  year.  There  has  really  been  no  sugar  sea¬ 
son,  as  the  weather  has  been  too  cold  for  the  sap  to  flow 
properly.  The  loss  of  the  sugar  crop  would  be  a  great 
blow  to  many  farmers. 
Several  people  write  to  ask  whether,  in  case  of  a 
separation,  the  wife  or  husband  will  be  given  custody  of 
the  children.  That  should  be  decided  by  the  court.  The 
general  rule  is  to  give  the  children  to  the  parent  best 
able  to  provide  for  them  properly,  and  that  would  in¬ 
clude  their  moral  training. 
We  have  had  three  letters  asking  whom  the  wedding 
presents  belong  to !  On  the  death  of  the  bride,  could  her 
parents  come  and  recover  their  presents?  It  seems  ill- 
most  wicked  to  raise  such  questions,  though  there  may 
be  cases  where  they  are  justified.  At  law  we  understand 
such  presents  belong  equally  to  bride  and  groom. 
