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The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUSINESS  FARMER'S  PARER 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Home* * 
Established  1880 
Publbbrd  wrrkly  by  lb*  Jlur»l  Publiihlnr  Company.  838  Hut  30th  Street.  .N*„  fork 
H  erbkrt  W.  Colling  wood.  President  and  Editor. 
John  J.  Dillon,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
Wii.  f.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Hoyle,  Associate  Editor. 
L.  H.  MURPHY,  Circulation  Manager. 
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Advertising  rates,  $1.00  per  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  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  i>aid  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- 
Yorkek  v.hen  writing  the  advertiser. 
THE  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Treasury  re¬ 
cently  announced  that  the  gross  debt  of  the 
United  States  is  now  $22,722,003,333.19.  lie  also 
made  the  more  surprising  statement  that  owners  of 
Liberty  bonds  have  failed  to  present  for  payments 
of  interest  now  past  due  coupons  to  the  amount  of 
$r>s, 314,380.25.  This  means  that  the  government  yet 
owes  this  amount  of  interest  to  holders  of  bonds  who 
have  not  cut  off  the  coupons  and  presented  them  to 
i he  banks  or  to  the  government  for  payment.  It  is 
said  that  some  of  the  people  who  bought  Liberty 
bonds  during  the  war  think  that  they  owe  interest 
to  the  government  instead  of  the  fact  that  the  gov¬ 
ernment  owes  them  interest  and  is  anxious  to  pay 
up.  We  doubt  if  many  farmers  are  laboring  under 
any  such  delusion,  but  it  should  be  an  agreeable  sur¬ 
prise  for  anyone  to  know  that  Uncle  Sam  is  holding 
a  share  of  that  fifty-eight  million  dollars  for  them. 
They  must  present  the  coupon  to  get  it. 
* 
N  Pennsylvania  and  New  Hampshire  the  Legis¬ 
latures  have  passed  laws  prohibiting  any  munici¬ 
pality  from  adopting  a  daylight  saving  ordinance. 
The  Connecticut  Assembly  went  even  further,  but 
the  bill  was  killed  in  the  State  Senate.  This  shows 
the  fierce  hostility  of  the  fanners  toward  daylight 
saving  in  any  form.  The  same  bitter  feeling  is  found 
the  world  over  among  country  people.  Everywhere 
the  cities  and  large  towns  are  endeavoring  to  force 
this  change  of  time  upon  country  people.  It  means 
pleasure  to  the  city,  but  penance  to  the  country.  The 
big  cities  will  get  around  the  law  through  private 
organizations  of  employers,  and  the  railroads  pro¬ 
pose  to  join  with  them — disregarding  the  protests  of 
country  people.  Take  the  case  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad.  There  are  no  State  laws  providing  for 
daylight  saving  in  either  New  York,  Pennsylvania  or 
New  Jersey,  yet  this  railroad  proposes  to  advance  its 
time  and  run  trains  an  hour  earlier.  This  issue  be¬ 
comes  one  of  the  never-ending  controversies  between 
city  and  country.  It  will  never  be  settled  on  present 
lines,  for  it  means  recreation  to  the  city  and  serious 
business  loss  to  the  country,  and  the  action  of  the 
railroads  means  a  clear  injustice  to  farmers.  One  of 
our  Massachusetts  readers  sends  us  a -published  ad- 
certisemeut  of  a  farm,  with  stock,  for  sale.  It  con¬ 
tains  this  statement: 
Mr.  Britton's  reason  for  selling  is  the  labor  ques¬ 
tion  amt  the  daylight  saving  curse. 
Has  anyone  ever  heard  of  a  case  where  daylight 
saving  has  induced  a  man  to  buy  a  farm? 
>jc 
WHO  is  responsible  for  the  foolishly  criminal 
propaganda  now  being  put  out  about  country 
children  and  milk?  Day  after  day  we  see  flaming 
statements  in  the  papers  that  country  children  are 
“undernourished,”  that  they  do  not  have  milk  to 
drink,  and  that  they  are  inferior  to  city  children! 
There  is  some  motive  back  of  all  this  that  is  hard  to 
understand.  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  constant 
effort  to  belittle  the  country  and  compare  it  unfavor¬ 
ably  with  city  life?  As  for  the  statements  about 
undernourished  children  and  milk  consumption,  they 
are  false.  We  are  making  a  careful  investigation  of 
family  life  in  both  city  and  country,  and  find  that  on 
the  average  far  more  milk  is  consumed  in  rural  fam¬ 
ilies  than  in  the  city.  We  do  not  care  wliat  the  high 
authorities  and  other  highbrows  say  about  this  we 
know  our  own  people  and  their  habits. 
% 
WE  talk  with  people  who  express  surprise  that 
so  many  farmers  are  opposed  to  unlimited 
'immigration.  Why,  they  say.  farmers  complain  that 
they  cannot  obtain  labor;  why,  then,  do  they  not 
opt  m  the  doors  wide  and  let  European  labor  flock  in? 
All  this  sounds  plausible,  but  farmers  know  that  the 
class  of  people  now  coming  from  Europe  would  not 
help  the  farm  labor  situation.  Europe  is  not  sending 
good  farm  laborers.  There  is  great  need  of  food  over 
there,  and  all  who  can  work  on  the  land  are  given 
inducements  to  stay.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  ever 
was  a  time  in  many  parts  of  Europe  when  a  working 
man  with  limited  capital  could  more  easily  secure 
land  than  now.  It  is  evident  that  large  sums  of 
money  are  being  sent  back  from  this  country  to  buy 
land  in  Europe.  Now  and  then  some  group  of  farm¬ 
ers  arrive  here  from  the  other  side,  hut  they  have 
capital.  They  will  work  their  own  farms  and  hire 
labor  themselves.  Open  the  gates  wide  and  there 
would  he  a  rush  of  cheap,  unskilled  labor  for  work 
in  mines  or  shop  or  on  railroads,  or  large  operations. 
This  would  benefit  the  great  contractors,  but  it 
would  give  little  or  no  help  to  farmers.  Our  cities 
and  industrial  towns  are  already  too  large.  Wliat 
we  need  is  higher  quality  in  our  immigrants — not 
greater  numbers. 
* 
THE  school  bill  at  Albany  will  be  held  over  until 
next  year  for  further  discussion.  Just  as  we 
go  to  press  word  comes  that  the  Republican  con¬ 
ference  voted  to  postpone  action  on  the  bill  this 
year.  We  think  that  is  the  part  of  wisdom,  and 
The  R.  N.-Y.  will  make  good  its  promise  to  give  a 
discussion  of  this  hill  which  will  reach  every  corner 
of  the  State. 
THE  new  tariff  contains  a  clause  to  the  effect  that 
the  President  may,  after  an  investigation, 
change  existing  rates  without  consulting  Congress. 
Two  cases  have  now  come  up  for  such  investigation. 
One  is  the  present  tariff’  on  sugar.  Would  the  re¬ 
moval  of  the  tariff,  or  cutting  it  in  two,  give  us  a 
lower  retail  sugar  price?  There  is  now  great  waste 
in  the  use  of  sugar.  While  waiting  for  such  facts  as 
the  investigation  will  show,  the  remedy  lies  in  our 
own  hands — ice  must  do  it  ourselves.  Every  family 
in  the  country  could  use  less  sugar  and  still 
he  sweet  enough.  All  combine  and  cut  out  the 
wastes,  and  the  price  will  soon  drop.  The  sugar  left 
undissolved  in  the  tea  and  coffee  of  the  nation  will 
lie  enough  to  control  the  situation.  Another  appeal 
for  a  reduction  in  the  tariff  comes  from  Western 
farmers,  who  want  feeding  cattle  from  Canada. 
These  unfinished  cattle  are  driven  over  the  line  and 
fattened  on  farms  in  this  country.  Such  cattle  are 
needed  by  Western  farmers,  and  there  seems  no  good 
reason  why  a  tariff  should  be  paid  on  them,  for  it 
does  not  appear  to  give  protection  to  any  American 
industry. 
* 
HE  United  States  Supreme  Court  has  decided 
that  the  legal  territory  of  this  country  extends 
over  a  three-mile  strip  of  ocean.  The  case  came  be¬ 
fore  the  court  over  the  right  of  American  ships  to 
transport  and  sell  liquor,  or  of  foreign  ships  to  bring 
liquor  to  this  country.  The  court  decides  that  it  is 
illegal  to  transport  liquor  inside  the  three-mile  limit, 
but  that  this  country  has  no  legal  right  to  prevent 
such  transporting  on  the  high  seas.  It  says,  how¬ 
ever,- that  Congress  lias  the  right  to  make  laws  pro¬ 
hibiting  such  traffic  outside  the  three-mile  limit  if  it 
sees  tit  to  do  so.  The  court  also  states  that  bringing 
liquor  into  the  country  on  the  person  or  in  cars  is 
illegal.  The  significance  of  all  this  is  not  confined 
to  the  liquor  business;  it  establishes  a  rule  showing 
the  power  of  Congress  to  handle  foreign  shipments, 
and  this  might  be  applied  to  many  other  things  be¬ 
sides  liquor.  It  is  a  fact,  however.,  that  practically 
all  the  higher  court  decisions  have  upheld  the  Pro¬ 
hibition  law. 
* 
OUR  old  friend,  Amos  I.  Root  of  Ohio,  well  known 
to  most  of  our  readers,  passed  away  on  April 
30.  Mr.  Root  was  more  than  SO  years  old,  and  lived 
a  life  of  great  usefulness.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
convictions  and  with  the  courage  to  maintain  them 
at  all  times.  lie  had  the  plain  sincerity  that  goes 
with  old-fashioned  Christianity.  Men  and  times 
might  change,  but  A.  I.  Root  stood  four-square 
through  it  all  for  wliat  he  believed  to  be  right  and 
true.  In  bis  day  lie  carried  great  influence  among 
country  people,  and  he  will  always  be  missed  by 
those  who  ever  knew  the  man  or  who  came  within 
the  scope  of  his  influence.  There  is  perhaps  no 
higher  test  of  the  true  value  of  a  human  life  than 
the  memory  which  mail  leaves  behind  him.  The 
universal  thought  that  a  man  is  missed — that  noth¬ 
ing  can  quite  take  the  place  of  what  he  represented 
t  •  us,  is  not  only  the  finest,  but  the  most  beautiful 
thing  which  can  twine  about  the  memory  of  those 
who  pass  on.  Amos  I.  Root  will  he  missed ;  there  is 
not  one  left  in  this  busy  world  who  can  quite  take 
his  place  to  those  who  knew  him. 
May  12,  1923 
OW  we  are  coming  once  more  to  the  roadside 
market  season.  Already  asparagus  and  rhu¬ 
barb  are  appearing — with  the  last  of  the  apples. 
Strawberries  will  soon  follow.  In  our  own  section 
there  will  be  more  than  ever  of  these  markets  dur¬ 
ing  the  coming  season.  Properly  handled,  we  think 
these  roadside  markets  can  do  much  to  help  the 
middleman  trouble.  The  theory  is  fine.  People  are 
sure  to  travel  more  and  more — so  long  as  fhe  gas 
holds  out — and  they  like  to  deal  direct  with  country 
people  when  they  can  feel  that  they  are  treated 
right.  Some  country  people  are  making  a  mistake 
in  holding  these  customers  up  to  the  highest  retail 
prices  in  town.  This  may  mean  a  temporary  advan¬ 
tage.  hut  in  the  long  run  it  will  ruin  what  might  be¬ 
come  one  of  the  most  useful  market  helps.  We  must 
remember  that  every  bushel  of  apples  or  potatoes 
sold  on  the  roadside  helps  to  reduce  the  surplus  in 
the  city  market,  and  this  surplus  is  what  gives  the 
advantage  to  the  buyer.  Our  great  object  is  to  keep 
all  we  can  off  the  regular  markets,  and  thus  give  the 
law  of  supply  and  demand  a  chance  to  operate.  We 
must  also  remember  that  there  is  absolutely  no  rea¬ 
son  why  the  city  buyer  should  patronize  these  road¬ 
side  markets  unless  lie  can  feel  that  he  saves  money 
by  doing  so.  If  he  finds  that  he  must  pay  as  much 
as  the  grocer  or  butcher  in  town  will  charge,  why 
should  he  come  again?  No  one  can  blame  him  for 
refusing  to  buy  under  such  circumstances.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  make  these  overcharges.  We  should 
charge  enough  less  than  the  storekeeper’s  charge  to 
make  it  an  object  for  buyers  to  come  out  to  us. 
There  is  good  opportunity  in  this  business  if  it  is 
handled  fairly,  but  it  will  kick  back  like  an  old  mus¬ 
ket  if  we  try  to  charge  as  much  as  the  storekeepers 
do,  without  giving  the  service  they  give.  We  are  not, 
trying  to  kill  the  middleman  so  much  as  to  cut  out 
liis  excessive  cost.  A  good  feature  to  try  this  year  is 
for  several  farmers  to  combine  and  bring  their  goods 
to  some  central  place.  Then  advertise,  with  fair 
prices,  in  the  local  newspapers,  and  invite  people  to 
come  and  buy.  They  will  come,  and  if  quality  and 
price  are  right,  they  will  keep  coming. 
* 
UST  a  word  about  the  legal  questions  which  come 
pouring  in  upon  us.  We  i.lways  desire  to  help  our 
people,  but  there  must  be  some  limit  to  such  service. 
We  do  not  care  to  advise  in  divorce  cases.  The  only 
safe  way  in  such  things  is  to  go  to  some  good  local 
lawyer  and  he  guided  by  his  advice.  It  seems  evi¬ 
dent  that  some  of  the  cases  presented  to  us  are 
“made  up” ;  they  are  fictitious  cases,  evidently  sent 
out  of  curiosity.  In  other  cases  it  seems  that  people 
have  consulted  an  attorney  already  and  want  to 
check  off  his  advice!  We  do  not  care  to  enter  cases 
where  a  lawyer  has  already  been  engaged.  In  many 
of  the  ti’oubles  sent  us  only  half  tlie  story  is  told. 
We  should  have  all  the  facts  in  order  to  give  helpful 
advice.  While  we  can  help  in  some  cases,  the  most 
sensible  thing  to  do  in  any  serious  legal  trouble  is  to 
go  to  some  reliable  local  lawyer  and  get  his  opinion. 
If  the  case  is  important  you  will  have  to  employ  an 
attorney  sooner  or  later.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
troubles  put  before  us  are  family  matters,  where 
personal  hatred  or  bitterness  have  grown  out  of  mis¬ 
understanding.  Tile  great  majority  of  them  never 
could  have  arisen  had  all  the  parties  been  willing 
to  bear  and  forbear. 
Brevities 
Too  many  people  seem  to  plant  before  they  plan. 
Most  cattle  lice  seem  to  gather  on  the  neck  or  back. 
Practical,  farming  is  no  rocking-chair  job— and 
never  will  be. 
An  overloaded  horse  and  an  overloaded  stomach  can¬ 
not  be  blamed  for  balking. 
We  have  many  questions  about  the  best  strawberry 
to  grow  on  wet  land.  There  is  but  one  answer- — Gandy. 
The  business  of  growing  hops  seems  to  have  hopped 
right  off  the  map. 
It  is  said  that  common  bindweed  is  so  bad  in  some 
parts  of  Kansas  that  mortgage  companies  will  not  loan 
money  on  farms  where  it  is  found. 
We  understand  that  naturalists  will  pay  a  fair  sum 
for  the  uest  of  a  mole.  For  all  that  has  been  said  about 
moles,  their  breeding  habits  are  nearly  unknown. 
There  must  be  a  “first”  in  every  farm  operation. 
Albert  J.  Pechin  of  Pinellas  Co..  Fla.,  claims  first  hon¬ 
ors  for  producing  the  earliest  ripe  watermelon  in  the 
country  for  1923. 
For  lawn  grass  a  mixture  of  two  parts  of  Kentucky 
Bluegrass,  one  part  Red-top  and  a  little  White  clover 
will  answer.  The  New  York  Station  has  found  much 
trash  and  weed  seeds  in  most  of  the  regular  lawn-grass 
mixtures. 
I .ate  in  April  a  fanner  sent  us  a  package  of  Northern 
Spy  apples  that  were  kept,  in  the  ground  over  Winter. 
He  just  dug  a  hole,  lined  it  with  straw,  put  in  the  ap¬ 
ples,  covered  with  straw,  and  then  threw  the  soil  back 
on  top.  The  apples  were  in  good  shape — better  than 
those  in  common  cellar  storage. 
