fM  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
841 
Things  To  Think  About 
The  object  of  this  department  is  to  give  readers  a  chance  to  express  themselves 
on  farm  mjatters.  Not  long  articles  can  be  used — just  short,  pointed  opinions 
or  suggestions.  THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER  does  not  always  endorse  what 
is  printed  here.  You  might  call  this  a  mental  safety  valve. 
Why  Should  This  Farmer  Fail? 
[It  is  a  great  privilege,  which  we  fully 
appreciate,  to  have  our  people  come  to 
us  with  their  problems  and  troubles.  We 
know  just  how  they  feel,  and  their  frank 
explanations  enable  us  to  understand  the 
farm  situation  as  we  could  not  realize  it 
in  any  other  way.  We  think  the  following 
true  story  of  a  man’s  hard  struggle  for 
a  home  is  a  part  of  real  literature.  We 
should  like  to  have  some  of  the  smug 
and  selfish  people  we  know  get  the  real 
spirit  of  this  letter.  Here  is  a  man  with 
all  the  traits  which  we  would  give  to  the 
ideal  farm — love  of  the  land,  industry 
and  honesty,  faithful  sense,  pride  in  fam¬ 
ily  and  simple  ambition.  Is  it  not  a 
shame  that  such  a  man  should  go  down  in 
these  times  when  true  farmers  are  badly 
needed?] 
I  read  with  interest  the  three  articles 
on  pages  505,  500,  and  as  the  lists  are 
open  1  am  moved  to  write  you.  Mr. 
Demarest’s  article  on  page  519  is  very 
good.  I  think  Mrs.  Willcox  is  too  bitter, 
and  I  would  like  Mr.  Coons  to  tell  me 
wherein  I  have  failed,  if  it  is  easy  for 
a  young  man  to  own  a  farm,  if  he  will 
work.  Perhaps  it  is  a  matter  of  location. 
At  any  rate,  here  are  the  details  of  my 
case :  , 
I  am  a  printer  by  trade,  Avith  15  years 
experience.  Given  sufficient  time,  I  could 
produce  a  perfect  It.  N.-Y.  from  manu¬ 
script,  having  performed  every  operation 
andl  worked  on  every  machine  necessary 
to  produce  it.  I  am  probably  somewhat 
rusty  noAV.  My  last  job  was  foreman  of 
a  job  plant  and  two  weekly  newspapers 
at  $35  per  Aveek  in  1917.  We  Avere  living 
in  a  suburb  of  Boston,  and  my  Avife  and  I 
having  contracted  the  back-to-the4and 
itch,  bought  a  small  place  about  five 
miles  farther  out.  Here  Ave  lived  in  peace 
and  contentment.  We  kept  one  coav 
(Avhich  I  learned  to  milk),  24  hens 
(which  I  found  out  did  not  lay  every 
day),  one  very  ordinary  rabbit  for  the 
little  girl  and  two  cats.  We  also  had 
our  OAvn  garden,  and  I  kept  my  job ;  so 
you  can  see  Ave  baek-to-the-landed  in  the 
most  approved  and  up-to-date  manner.  In 
the  Fall  of  1918  I  contracted  the  influ¬ 
enza  (as  did  the  rest  of  the  family) 
stayed  at  home  a  week  and  Avent  back  to 
work.  Our  linotype  operator  gave  out, 
and  I  stayed  dOAvn  nights  and  ran  the 
machine.  What  Avith  the  influenza  and 
lead  fumes,  tuberculosis  got  me,  and  I 
had  to  give  up  and  stay  outdoors.  In 
1920,  January,  with  the  help  of  a  rela¬ 
tive,  we  purchased  a  100-acre  farm  27 
miles  from  Boston  for  $10,500.  Avith  tools 
and  eight  coavs  and  a  horse,  taking  back 
an  $8,000  mortgage.  Three  days  after 
we  got  there  we  had  a  blizzard  that  shut 
us  in  for  two  months.  I  found  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  buy  another  horse,  and  he  died 
one  month  later,  just  before  the  last  note 
of  $50  became  due.  He  died  of  pneu¬ 
monia  contracted  Avhen  I  went  after  grain 
in  one  of  the  terrible  storms  we  had  that 
year. 
Outside  of  that  and  a  feAV  other  mis¬ 
haps  Ave  got  along  all  right  until  May, 
1921.  Up  to  that  time  we  had  paid  $450 
on  the  mortgage,  the  interest  and  $250 
taxes.  May  1,  1921,  the  wholesaler  noti¬ 
fied  us  that  he  could  not  take  our  milk 
except  at  surplus.  As  we  had  to  have 
the  income,  I  had  to  start  a  milk  route, 
Avhich  made  quite  a  loss  for  six  months. 
May  18  we  had  a  frost  that  killed  every 
fruit  bud  on  100  apple  trees  and  100 
peaches,  after  I  had  paid  out  $90  for 
pruning  and  spraying.  I  planted  tAVO 
acres  of  sweet  corn  to  take  the  place  of 
the  fruit,  and  somebody  let  the  bars  down 
and  the  cows  took  care  of  it.  That  Sum¬ 
mer  was  dry  and  the  hay  crop  was  light. 
In  November  we  had  an  ice  storm  that 
took  down  about  half  the  orchard,  and 
the  upshot  of  the  Avhole  thing  Avas  that 
we  could  not  pay  the  taxes  and  interest 
on  the  principal  and  the  mortgagee  started 
to  foreclose.  At  this  point  a  friend 
took  the  deed  with  the  understanding  that 
he  Avas  to  hold  it  until  it  could  be  sold 
and  Ave  could  get  back  at  least  part  of 
what  we  had  put  in,  Ave  to  send  him 
Avhatever  money  Avas  not  needed  for  living 
expenses.  He  then  refused  to  guarantee 
credit  at  the  grain  elevator,  with  the 
consequence  that  Ave  have  been  obliged  to 
buy  grain  a  bag  or  tAvo  at  a  time  for 
about  18  head,  and  sometimes  avc  c-oyld 
not  buy  for  lack  of  money,  and  conse¬ 
quently  the  coavs  went  down.  We  do  not , 
knoAv  Avhen  Ave  may  have  to  get  out, 
probably  without  money  and  Avith  no 
definite  place  to  go  or  Avhat  to  do.  No 
one  can  say  it  is  lack  of  Avork. 
With  the  exception  of  tAvo  boys  for  tAvo 
months  last  Spring,  a  man  for  a  month 
during  haying  (who  was  drunk  at  least 
two  days  a  week)  and  the  same  man  for 
three  Aveeks  in  the  Fall,  I  ha\re  run  the 
farm  alone,  with  my  Avife’s  help.  And  I 
want  to  say  right  here  that  my  Avife  is 
a  real  partner.  She  is  a  city  girl,  and 
weighs  about  110  lbs.,  and  she  has  been 
up  on  a  load  of  hay  while  I  pitched  up 
to  her  many  times.  She  helps  milk, 
feeds  the  co;ws  Avbile  I  am  on  the  route, 
saAvs  Avood  if  I  have  not  the  time,  and 
has  peddled  milk  a  good  many  times. 
Goodness  knows  Iioav  she  stand  it,  but  she 
does,  and  keeps  smiling.  This  Winter 
has  been  awful.  I  get  up  in  the  morning, 
feed  the  stock  and  milk  10  coavs.  My 
Avife  bottles  the  milk  while  I  hitch  up 
and  load  the  sled.  Come  home  and  clean 
the  barn,  water  the  cows  and  usually 
three  times  a  week  drive  five  miles  at  four 
or  five  in  the  afternoon  after  some  grain, 
come  back  and  milk,  do  the  chores  and 
get  to  bed  very  seldom  before  10 :30. 
Sundays  and  holidays  alike.  I  peddled 
75  or  80  quarts  of  milk  from  an  open 
sled  from  November  28  until  March  10, 
and  neither  the  horse  nor  I  ever  missed 
a  day  in  three  months  and  two  weeks. 
The  coldest  day  Avas  24  degrees  beloAV  at 
5 :30  a.  m.  I  caught  the  grippe  in  Jan¬ 
uary  and  had  it  tAvo  AA-eeks,  and1  lost  my 
voice  for  tAvo  Aveeks  more.  I  stayed  on 
my  feet  and  did  the  Avork,  but  I  don’t 
know  Iioav  I  ever  got  through.  I  am  35 
years  old,  my  'wife  is  33,  and  we  have 
four  healthy,  happy  children,  the  oldest 
seven  and  the  youngest  tAvo.  My  mother 
also  lives  uith  us,  and  is  a  serai-invalid. 
This  is  a  good  farm.  It  has  Avintered  30 
coavs  and  four  horses.  It  is  Avell  Avorth 
more  than  we  paid.  It  is  no  fault  of  the 
farm  that  I  have  not  succeeded.  I  have 
as  good  a  Avife  as  any  man  could  have. 
I  can  handle  any  farm  machine,  including 
tractor,  and  can  drive  a  car  or  truck.  I 
do  most  of  my  OAvn  Avork  and  have  done 
harrowing  and  mowing  for  neighbors.  I 
have  no  bad  habits,  and  have  not  even 
bought  clothes  since  AA'e  came  on  the 
farm.  And  yet  Avith  all  these  advantages 
I  have  not  got  anyAvhere.  Perhaps  Mr. 
Coons  can  tell  me  why.  Do  not  get  the 
impression  that  I  am  at  all  bitter.  I 
am  not ;  but  I  am  some  discouraged.  I 
like  the  AArork  ;  I  like  to  milk  and  am  fond 
of  animals.  I  Avoukl  rather  stay  here 
and  fight  it  out  than  anything  else.  I 
Avould  not  exchange  this  life  for  any  easy 
job  in  the  city.  All  I  ask  is  that  at  the 
end  of  a  10-hour  day  I  can  look  back 
and  see  that  I  have  made  some  progress 
toward  .my  goal  ;  simply  to  oaa’u  my  oavu 
farm,  give  the  children  a  clean  and  happy 
childhood  to  look  back  on,  and  a  good 
education,  to  live  my  life  in  the  harness 
among  the  things  and  -work  I  love,  and 
to  leave  the  Avorld  at  least  no  worse  than 
I  found  it.  A  BACK-TO-TIIE-LANDEK. 
Two  Stages  of  Agriculture 
I  Avas  much  interested  in  the  discus¬ 
sion  in  The  R.  N.-Y.  relative  to  the  pres¬ 
ent  condition  of  agriculture  and  to  note 
the  range  of  opinions  from  those  avIio  are 
entirely  satisfied  AVith  present  conditions 
to  those  Avho  can  see  no  hope  in  the  pres¬ 
ent  situation. 
I  Avonder  if  the  point  of  vieAv  cannot 
be  accounted  for  by  the  kind  of  farm  busi¬ 
ness  in  Avhich  your  correspondents  hap¬ 
pen  to  be  engaged?  It  seems  to  me  there 
are  two  stages  of  agriculture  (a),  the 
self-sufficing  stage  Avhere  the  farmer’s 
main  consideration  is  a  home  on  the  land 
and  the  raising  of  family  supplies  with  a 
small  incidental  surplus.  The  work  is 
largely  done  by  family  labor;  and  (b) 
the  commercial  stage,  where  the  farm  is  a 
commercial  enterprise  operated  for  profit. 
In  this  case  the  labor  is  quite  largely 
hired.  The  farm  today  provides  just  as 
good  a  home  as  it  ever  did,  and  just  as 
good  family  supplies  will  be  yielded  as  a 
result  of  the  labor  of  the  farm  family. 
Such  surpluses  as  there  may  be  will  com¬ 
mand  as  good  returns  as  they  did  in  my 
boyhood  days,  Avhen  our  farm  was  con¬ 
ducted  on  this  basis. 
The  commercial  farmer  Avho  is  operat¬ 
ing  his  business  for  profit  and  must  com¬ 
pete  in  the  market  for  labor  today  is, 
hoAvever,  having  a  pretty  difficult  time, 
because  the  prices  for  farm  products  do 
not  permit  the  payment  of  Avages  in  com¬ 
petition  Avirh  other  industries  and  leave  a 
profit  for  the  operator.  It  seems  to  me 
that  this  latter  class  of  farmers  must 
plan  to  multiply  muscular  effort  by  the 
use  of  machinery  just  as  much  as  possi¬ 
ble,  so  that  production  per  unit  of  labor 
w'ill  be  high.  Farmers  Avho  do  this  can 
Avcather  the  present  situation  ;  those  avIio 
cannot  will  fall  by  the  wayside,  which 
will  mean  ultimately  a  decreased  produc¬ 
tion  and  a  higher  price  for  that  which  is 
produced.  Elbert  s.  bbigiiam. 
Be  Prepared  for 
COLIC 
For  safety  sake  keep  a 
package  of  Hr.  Lesure's  Colic 
Drops  on  hand  always.  Sure 
relief  for  Colic,  Cramps. 
Stoppage  of  water,  Black 
AA’ater,  Indigestion  and 
Scours,  in  horses,  alfalfa 
bloat  in  cows  or  Colic  Bloat 
in  calces.  No  opiates;  en¬ 
tirely  safe.  Quick  and  stimu¬ 
lating;  easy  to  give.  Sold  by 
best  dealers,  $1.25.  Sent 
postpaid  on  receipt  of  price 
if  dealer  is  not  supplied.  Sat¬ 
isfaction  or  money  back. 
DR.  LESURE'S 
Colic  Drops 
Dr,  J,  G.  Lesure,  Keene,  N„  H, 
'•■vitSx 
THRESHERS 
8c  WOOD  SAWS 
enjoy  among  our 
mang  thousands  of 
friends  and  custom¬ 
ers  the  highest  repu¬ 
tation  for  superiority 
and  dependability,  for 
the  reason  that 
“GRAY”  standards 
of  quality  and  New 
England  honesty  of 
manufacture  have 
always  been  rigorous¬ 
ly  maintained. 
Made  for  lifetime- 
service,  yet  priced 
surprisingly  low- 
Get  the  facts 
about  this  low-cost 
small  thresher 
Solve  your  threshing  problems  with  a 
‘Gray” — the  ONE  farm  machine  which  you 
cannot  afford  to  do  without,  if  you  raise  grain. 
Built  since  1840,  the  “GRAY”  is  the  result  of 
long  experience  and  embodies  every  desirable 
and  advantageous  feature. 
Threshes  all  kinds  of  grain,  peas  and  beans. 
Built  in  five  sizes,  capacities  ranging  from  30 
to  120  bu.  oats  per  hour. 
The  traveling  threshing-rig  is  never  ready 
Avhen  YOU  are.  Be  independent,  and  SAVE 
GRAIN  by  threshing  when  your  crops  are 
“just  right”. 
Prices  within  reach  of  every  farmer. 
Make  Our  Thresher  Your  Thresher 
For  full  particulars  and  price-list,  fill  out  cou¬ 
pon  and  mail  NOW. 
A.  W.  GRAY’S  SONS,  Inc.,  Poultney,  Vt. 
Factory  at  Middletown  Springs,  Vt. 
A.  W.  Gray’i 
Soni,  Inc., 
Box  20,  Poultney,  Vt. 
Send  catalog  and  net 
factory  price  list  on 
Gray  Line  Threshers.  I 
average  about . acres  in 
grain  crops.  (Check  here  ( _ )  If 
Wood  Saw  Catalog  is  also  wanted.) 
f,  4 
■"Name. 
Address 
WANTED-BARE  FARM 
NOT  LESS  than  lOO  ACRES  with  STREAM 
lO  feet  wide,  1J4  feet  deep  near  barns 
Can  pay  $12,000 
If  you  have  a  farm  with  the  following  requirements  to 
sell  :  Well-shaded  twelve-room  house,  two  stories,  at 
least  250  foet  from  public  road  ;  Stream  damable  at 
point  not  over  1,000  feet  from  barn,  where  at  least 
10  foot  fall  can  be  obtained.  Stanchions  for  ten  eows, 
stalls  for  four  horses.  30  acres  of  flat  stonefree  land, 
tillable  by  tractor.  10  acres  of  Woodland  with  good 
timber  stand.  Not  over  75  miles  from  New  York  City 
or  10  miles  from  Philadelphia;  or  over  one  mile  from 
State  road,  or  three  miles  from  sohool,  store.  Episcopal 
church  and  doctor.  Send  name  and  address  to 
T.  W.  STERLING,  Brookrtdge  Dr.,  Greenwich.  Conn. 
Photos  sent  will  be  returned 
Carload  New  Wire  Fencing 
BIG  BARGAIN 
IH"  mesh,  6)4  ft.  high.  No.  11  gauge,  2'/2c 
sq.  ft.  Also  3”  mesh,  No.  9  gauge,  electric¬ 
ally  Avelded,  galvanized,  7c  lineal  foot. 
NATHAN  KLEIN  &  CO.,  208  Centre  St.,  New  York 
DO  YOU  NEED  FARM  HELP? 
We  have  able-bodied^Jewish  young  men,  most¬ 
ly  without  experience,  who  wish  to  work  on 
farms.  If  you  need  a  good,  steady  man,  Avrite 
for  an  order  blank.  Ours  is  not  a  commercial 
employment  agency,  and  we  make  no  charge 
to  employer  or  employee. 
thejewish  agricultural  society, INC. 
176  Second  Avenue  New  York  City 
Subscribers’  Exchange 
Other  Advertisements  of  Subscribers 
Exchange  will  be  found  on  page  843. 
HONEY — Pure,  extracted,  postpaid  first  three 
zones,  clover,  5  lbs.  $1.25;  10  lbs.,  $2.15; 
buckwheat,  5  lbs.,  $1;  10  lbs.,  $1.80;  satisfac¬ 
tion  guaranteed.  WALNUT  GROVE  FARM, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
BEES — Produce  your  own  honey;  circular  free. 
VAN’S  HONEY  FARMS,  Hebron,  Ind. 
HONEY — Finest  quality  clover,  5  lbs.,  $1.10;  10 
lbs.,  $2;  buckAvheat,  $1  and  $1.75;  postpaid. 
M.  BALEARD,  Roxbury,  N.  Y. 
SLEEP  on  Adirondack  balsam  pillow;  soothing, 
refreshing,  invigorating;  pleasing  gift  for 
shut-in  friends  or  well  ones,;  picked  fresh,  cre¬ 
tonne  cover,  3  lbs.,  $1.25,  prepaid;  check  Avith 
order.  HANNAH  PAYNE,  No.  2,  Raquette 
Lake,  N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE— “Wishbone”  oil  brooders,  all  sizes; 
neAv,  never  uncrated.  S.  H.  HEIST,  Penllyn, 
Pa.  ... 
PRACTICAL  NURSE  Avill  give  mother’s  care  to 
patient  with  lung  trouble  in  a  small  Catskill 
Mountain  house;  1,200  feet  elevation;  doctor’s 
orders  strictly  observed;  board  reasonable;  AVrite 
full  particulars  in  first  letter.  COU,  Deep 
Wood  Lodge,  West  Shokan,  Ulster  Co.,  N..  Y. 
FOR  SALE: — Keystone  traction  driller,  full  equip¬ 
ment,  cheap;  good  all  around  practical  opera¬ 
tor  Avanted  for  No.  5  machine;  references.  T. 
S.  MOORE,  Stockton,  N.  J. 
FOR  SALE — Ninety  tons  cow  hay,  partly  Al¬ 
falfa.  E.  C.  BARDIN,  West  Winfield,  N.  Y. 
A  ERMONT  finest  quality  pure  maple  syrup, 
$2.25  gallon;  10  gallons,  $2.10;  fresh  made 
sugar,  10-pound  pail,  $2.75;  pound  cakes,  30c; 
immediate  shipment;  products  guaranteed.  G. 
L.  HOWARD,  Essex  Junction,  Vt. 
WANTED — Summer  boarders  on  farm  in  Cats¬ 
kills;  bath,  electric  lights.  PLEASANT  HOME 
FARM,  Box  61,  Halcottville,  N.  Y. 
DELICIOUS  CARAMELS — Pure  and  wholesome; 
made  after  a  famous  recipe;  pound  box,  post¬ 
paid  $1.  IDLE  WOOD  CARAMELS,  Hillsdale, 
•  J  • 
HONEY— Quart,  80c;  gallon,  $2.50;  delivered  3d 
zone.  RICHARD  D.  BARCLAY.  Riverton, 
N.  J. 
FOR  SAI.E — 6,000  Candee  incubator;  used  two 
years  and  guaranteed  to  be  in  first-class  con- 
d' non;  price  $400.  ADVERTISER  3461,  care 
Rural  New-Yorker. 
FOR  SALE — Deleo  Light  Plant,  iu  excellent 
condition;  less  than  three  years’  old;  850- 
Aiatt  generator;  100-amper  hour  battery*  price 
reasonable.  W.  R.  KNOX,  220  Clarendon 
street,  Boston,  Mass. 
MAKE  up  your  oavu  Balsam  Pillows;  fresh  cut 
Adirondack  Balsam,  enough  for  tAvo  pillows, 
postpaid,  $1;  prompt  delivery;  or  beautifully 
painted  pillows,  14x17,  stuffed,  Avith  fresh  cut 
Adirondack  Balsam,  $1.25  postpaid;  send  for 
descriptive  matter;  satisfaction  guaranteed 
DORSEY  FARMS,  Schroon  Lake.  N.  Y. 
FOR  SALE  CHEAP — 1  BidAvell,  Jr.  Bean 
thrasher,  in  very  good  condition;  used  only 
on  private  place-..  Address  J.  R.  BRINLEY. 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  N.  Y.  O. 
WANTED — Blue  Hen  Incubator;  state  size,  age, 
condition  and  price.  I.  M.  JOHNSON,  Iekes- 
burg,  Pa. 
WANTED — White  comb  honey;  give  your  best 
prices  per  lb.  BOX  201,  Emin,  Tenn. 
AVANTED — Board  on  farm  for  boy  11  years,  for 
July  and  August;  must  be  reasonable.  AD- 
A  ERTXSER  3477,  care  Rural  New-Yorker. 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention 
The  Rural  New-  Yorker  and  you’ll  get 
a  quick  reply  and  a  “ square  deal.  ”  See 
guarantee  editorial  page. 
