1124 
The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
September  1,  1925 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
THE  BUS1XES8  FARMER'S  PAPER 
A  National  Weekly  Journal  for  Country  and  Suburban  Home* * 
Established  tsso 
Published  weekly  by  the  Rorel  Pnbliibinr  Compeny,  »3S  West  *Otb  Street,  Kew  Terh 
Hkrbkrt  W.  COUJNOWOOD,  President  and  Editor. 
Jon v  J.  Dillon,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
Wn  F.  Dillon,  Secretary.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Royle,  Associate  Editor. 
L.  H.  Murphy,  Circulation  Manager. 
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"A  SQUARE  BEAL” 
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 
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res|>onsible  houses,  whether  advertisers  or  not.  We  willingly  use  our  good 
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Notice  of  the  complaint  must  be  stmt  to  us  within  one  month  of  the  time  of 
the  transaction,  ami  to  identify  it,  you  should  mention  Thk  Rural  New- 
Yorker  when  writing  the  advertiser. 
SOME  of  our  readers  have  entertained  and  in¬ 
structed  us  by  figuring  how  many  potatoes,  how 
much  butter,  or  how  many  eggs  a  farmer  of  these 
days  must  produce  in  order  to  pay  one  day’s  wages 
for  a  modern  workman.  The  result  is  startling,  but 
John  C'oolidge,  father  of  our  new  President,  gives 
some  new  .figures.  He  says  his  great-grandfather 
went  into  the  wilderness  and  worked  to  such  good 
advantage  that  he  left  a  farm  to  each  of  his  five 
children.  As  Farmer  Coolidge  puts  it,  “he  had  to 
work  or  starve.” 
He  got  a  peck  of  potatoes  for  a  day’s  work,  and  was 
glad  of  the  chance.  The  other  day,  when  I  was  paying 
a  man  who  had  done  some  work  for  me,  I  figured  out 
that  I  was  paying  him  at  the  rate  of  64  times  as  many 
potatoes  as  my  great-grandfather  got — and  for  a  differ¬ 
ent  kind  of  day’s  work. 
Grandfather  Coolidge  worked  about  15  hours  a 
day  and  got  a  peck  of  potatoes.  Many  of  us  who  are 
now  hiring  farm  hands  worked  out  in  our  youth, 
and  know  the  difference  between  old-time  wages 
and  the  present  rate.  Under  present  conditions  and 
prices  it  requires  the  finest  sort  of  management  to 
make  any  profit  out  of  farm  labor. 
* 
HEN  this  drought  comes  to  an  end  there  will 
be  a  great  loss  of  nitrates  from  the  soil  if 
the  ground  is  left  bare.  Organic  matter  has  been 
burning  up  in  the  soil,  and  when  the  rains  finally 
come  the  water  will  leach  through  and  carry  off 
great  stores  of  fertility  unless  there  are  living  crops 
to  take  it  up.  That  is  why,  in  a  season  like  this,  late- 
seeded  cover  crops  will  pay  a  double  profit.  They 
will  save  most  of  the  plant  food  that  would  other¬ 
wise  be  washed  out  of  the  soil,  and  add  organic 
matter  to  replace  what  the  drought  lias  destroyed. 
Rye  alone,  or  rye  and  vetch  seeded  at  the  first  sign 
of  rain,  will  pay  a  great  profit  this  year. 
* 
VERY  year  in  American  cider  and  vinegar 
making  about  150,000  tons  of  apple  pomace  are 
produced.  Years  ago  practically  all  of  this  was 
wasted,  but  methods  of  saving  it  have  been  slowly 
perfected.  Most  of  this  pomace  has  a  higher  feeding 
value  than  corn  silage.  Many  dairymen  have  put 
it  in  silos  and  fed  it  out  with  good  success.  Others 
simply  dump  it  in  the  field  and  let  the  cattle  go  to 
it.  The  latest  plan  is  to  soak  or  cook  the 
pomace  in  hot  water  to  extract  the  pectin, 
which  may  be  used  for  making  jelly.  The  pulp  left 
after  this  extraction  is  pressed  and  dried  and 
ground  fine  somewhat  after  the  plan  of  making  dried 
beet  pulp.  The  result  is  a  good  cattle  feed,  superior 
to  corn  silage  and  giving  much  of  its  feeding  effect 
when  mixed  with  water.  The  dried  pomace  and 
waste  molasses  fed  together  have  given  a  good  sub¬ 
stitute  for  part  of  the  gran,  in  a- ration.  In  fact  it 
now  seems  true  that  in  this  waste  product  of  the 
cider  mill  we  have  a  new  form  of  stock  food  worth 
millions  to  our  dairymen.  It  is  now  about  15  years 
since  The  R.-N.-Y.  began  to  talk  about  dried  apple 
pomace.  It  was  then  considered  a  dream  but  it 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  dreams  that  come  true.  The 
scientists  and  practical  men  have  demonstrated  the 
value  of  this  feed.  It  will  enable  a  dairyman  to 
carry  the  “succulence”  of  a  silo  in  a  bag.  You  can 
have  silage  without  a  silo.  Some  commercial  enter¬ 
prise  will  take  hold  of  this  apple  pomace  proposition 
and  make  it  even  more  important  than  dried  beet 
pulp. 
* 
HE  terrible  drought  has  cut  most  crops  so  that 
many  farmers  will  be  short  of  hay  and  fodder. 
Is  there  any  substitute  they  can  use  even  at  this 
late  date  to  help  out?  Of  course  nothing  will  grow 
until  rains  can  wet  the  soil  down  through  the  upper 
surface  at  least.  We  have  sorghum  and  Sudan 
grass,  both  supposed  to  be  drought-resistant 
crops,  heading  out  a  little  over  two  feet  high.  When 
these  vegetable  camels  from  the  desert  cannot  find 
moisture  there  is  little  sense  in  putting  ordinary 
seed  into  the  ground.  If  rain  comes  soon  the  best 
crop  for  a  hay  substitute  is  barley.  That  grain  will 
stand  an  early  frost  better  than  most  others,  and 
with  reasonable  moisture  will  make  a  good  growth 
in  cool  weather.  We  have  cut  a  ton  of  good  hay  to 
the  acre  from  Fall-seeded  barley,  or,  Canadian  peas 
can  be  seeded  with  the  barley.  While  they  will  not 
mature  a  full  crop  they  will  increase  the  yield  for 
the  barley  alone.  At  any  rate  barley  is  the  best 
crop  to  try  for  a  hay  substitute  now — if  the  rain 
ever  comes. 
* 
Why  do  you  print  such  an  article  as  the  one  on  page 
1078,  by  a  Minnesota  Congressman?  Does  he  know 
what  he  is  talking  about?  Can  you  not  see  that  such 
articles  will  make  farmers  discontented  and  inclined  to 
try  experiments  in  public  affairs,  when  they  ought  to  be 
encouraged  to  remain  very  conservative?  s.  F.  L. 
IIE  article  in  question  was  written  at  our  re¬ 
quest  in  an  effort  to  learn  just  why  the  people 
of  Minnesota  elected  Magnus  Johnson  Senator.  We 
assume  that  these  people  know  their  own  business 
better  than  we  do,  and  we  further  assume  that  when 
they  elect  a  man  to  serve  them  in  Congress,  that 
man  is  qualified  to  express  their  convictions.  What 
we  try  to  get  is  the  truth  about  these  things ;  the 
plain  truth,  without  sugar  coating,  whitewash  or 
political  mystery.  We  do  not  consider  that  the  truth 
is  made  of  fine  lace  or  cobwebs,  to  be  wiped  out  with 
a  cloth  or  duster.  It  is  harder  than  steel  and  more 
rust- resistant  than  gold.  You  cannot  unload  it  with 
a  shovel  or  break  it  with  a  pickax.  The  only  way  we 
know  of  to  put  it  before  the  public  is  through  hon¬ 
est  and  open  discussion.  Personal  abuse  or  violent 
denunciation  does  not  bring  out  the  truth ;  they  only 
raise  blisters,  and  that  is  usually  the  poorest  sort  of 
a  crop.  We  think  farm  journalism  has  suffered  from 
too  much  special  pleading,  too  much  of  a  desire  to 
give  only  one  side  of  a  subject,  and  then  obscure  or 
neglect  all  others.  The  farmer  is  naturally  a  fair 
man  and  a  good  reasoner.  Most  of  his  prejudices 
have  resulted  from  one-sided  or  biased  discussion  of 
fundamental  facts.  Give  him  fair  analysis  of  the 
questions  which  now  confront  him,  and  he  will  think 
them  out  right.  We  are  getting  tired  of  seeing  the 
most  thoughtful  class  of  people  in  the  country  treat¬ 
ed  like  grown-up  children  who  must  have  their  work 
and  their  organization,  and  their  thought,  all  safely 
worked  out  for  them.  They  need  to  experiment  a 
little.  It  is  high  time  they  did. 
* 
In  case  neighbor’s  “cows  get  in  our  truck  patch  and 
destroy  our  crop,  which  means  our  Summer’s  living,  or 
income,  how  must  I  go  about  it  to  make  them  pay  dam¬ 
ages  when  they  refuse  to  make  good?  All  damage  was 
done  at  night,  and  all  the  proof  I  have  is  the  cows’ 
tracks  and  where  they  got  through  the  fence.  Is  barbed 
wire  a  lawful  fence  along  the  public  highway  in  New 
York  State?  In  case  I  find  cows  in  my  truck  patch 
again,  will  law  allow  me  to  put  one  or  more  in  stable 
and  hold  them  until  the  owner  of  cows  pays  for  damage 
they  have  done?  M.  s.  A. 
New  York. 
HIS  is  in  New  York  State  and  is  answered  here 
because  we  have  many  questions  like  it.  In 
case  you  find  the  cows  on  your  property  doing  dam¬ 
age,  you  have  a  right  to  hold  them  until  all  damage 
has  been  settled.  Our  advice  is  to  lock  up  the  cows 
and  consult  a  good  lawyer.  He  will  tell  you  just 
what  to  do  about  collecting  damages.  In  some  cases 
readers  have  tried  being  their  own  lawyer  in  such  a 
case.  About  all  they  got  out  of  it  was  a  fight.  If 
you  do  not  catch  the  cows  in  your  field,  but  can 
prove  they  did  damage,  you  can  sue  the  owner  of  the 
cows — but  be  careful  of  your  proof.  In  giving  this 
advice  we  assume  that  the  cattle  got  on  your  prem¬ 
ises  through  the  fault  of  the  man  who  owns  the 
cows.  Barbed  wire  fences  are  not  permitted  along 
the  highway.  When  used  on  line  fences  you  must 
get  the  permission  of  the  adjoining  owner  in  order  to 
be  exempt  from  damages. 
5k 
HE  American  people  will  spend,  this  year,  about 
one  billion  and  a  half  dollars  for  gasoline. 
About  SO  per  cent  of  that  amount  will  be  spent  for 
motor  vehicles,  and  over  50  per  cent  of  that  figure 
explodes  for  pleasure.  Thus  it  may  be  said  that  the 
American  people  pay  around  $600,000,000  for  the  fun 
of  “going  somewhere” — usually  aimless  travel  for 
the  joy  of  “getting  there.”  In  the  majority  of  our 
American  families  of  moderate  means  this  is  the 
largest  tax  of  all.  In  many  cases  the  cost  of  gaso¬ 
line  and  auto  repairs  and  tires  will  amount  to  far 
more  than  all  public  taxes  combined.  Many  of  us 
who  growl  about  high  taxes  do  not  realize  that  this 
immense  gas  tax  is  self-imposed,  and  that  it  costs  us 
more  than  we  pay  for  schools,  churches  and  good 
roads.  A  little  personal  figuring  will  show  you 
whether  this  statement  is  exaggerated  or  not.  Most 
of  our  public  taxes  are  now  saddled  upon  us  in  such 
a  way  that  we  cannot  help  ourselves.  One  set  of 
politicians  will  be  just  as  extravagant  as  another 
when  once  safely  in  power.  The  gasoline  tax, 
largest  of  all,  is  the  one  item  over  which  we  have  ab¬ 
solute  control.  It  represents  a  case  where  ice  can  do 
it  ourselves,  and  if  we  did  a  good  job  at  it  we  could 
handle  some  of  the  other  ruinous  taxes  to  better  ad¬ 
vantage. 
5k 
THE  season  has  gone  far  enough  now  to  give  us 
all  a  good  indication  of  the  financial  outcome 
for  farmers.  The  wheat  growers  face  a  desperate 
situation.  There  are  apparently  too  many  hogs  for 
the  market  demand.  Corn  looks  better,  and  hay 
promises  fair  returns.  The  drought  has  been  severe 
in  many  sections,  but  it  has  not  been  general.  We 
find  some  sections  practically  burned  up,  while  100 
miles  away  there  has  been  a  fair  supply  of  rain.  The 
poultry  men  generally  report  a  good  year,  with  good 
prospects.  Fruit  will  bring  better  prices  than  last 
year,  and  potatoes  are  certainly  higher.  Taken  as  a 
whole,  the  farmers  on  the  North  Atlantic  slope  are 
in  better  condition  this  Fall  than  any  other  group  of 
farmers  in  the  country.  This  does  not  mean  that 
their  income  will  equal  that  of  former  years,  but 
they  are,  on  the  whole,  better  off  than  farmers  in 
other  sections.  Some  who  live  in  drought-stricken 
districts  will  question  this  statement,  but  we  are 
speaking  of  New  England,  New  York,  New  Jersey 
and  Pennsylvania  as  a  whole.  Many  of  our  farmers 
have  cut  down  expenses  and  changed  their  methods 
so  as  to  accomplish  more  with  family  help.  By  using 
more  improved  machinery  and  cutting  out  some 
crops  that  never  paid,  these  farmers,  while  produc¬ 
ing  less  in  bulk,  have  cut  expenses  so  as  to  leave  a 
fair  net  income.  As  we  go  about  the  country  we  find 
more  and  more  of  such  men.  They  have  a  surplus 
of  money  and,  what  is  more,  they  have  confidence 
in  the  future,  and  they  think  this  is  a  good  time  to 
invest.  In  reading  about  the  disaster  which  has 
fallen  upon  the  wheat  grower  the  public  may  con¬ 
clude  that  all  farmers  are  affected  in  this  way  by 
the  slump  in  wheat  prices.  In  truth,  the  output  of 
the  poultry  business  is  larger  than  the  entire  wheat 
crop  value.  Exclusive  wheat  growing  is  confined  to 
a  comparatively  small  part  of  the  country,  and  our 
Eastern  farmers  are  largely  wheat  consumers.  While 
no  one  can  rightly  claim  that  our  farmers  on  the 
North  Atlantic  slope  are  highly  prosperous  this  year, 
the  truth  is  that  they  are  in  better  shape  than  any 
other  group  in  the  country. 
5k 
E  have  had  many  cases  of  trouble  where  trees 
grow  on  or  near  the  boundary  line,  and  reach 
over  with  their  branches.  Many  neighborhood  quar¬ 
rels  have  been  started  over  disputes  treigarding 
ownership.  Now  comes  the  trouble  from  under¬ 
ground  work.  In  a  number  of  cases  complaint  is 
made  that  certain  trees  send  roots  out  tinder  the 
boundary  line,  and  from  them  grow  great  number 
of  sprouts.  In  some  cases  these  so  fill  up  the  gar¬ 
den  that  it  becomes  a  great  nuisance.  It  does  very 
little  good  to  dig  up  these  sprouts.  That  only  seems 
to  cultivate  them.  They  grow  the  better  for  it.  In 
many  cases  this  underground  spread  is  worse  than 
the  branches  reaching  out  over  the  fence.  Under 
the  law  one  has  the  right  to  cut  off  the  overhanging 
branches  close  up  to  the  boundary  line,  but  few 
people  like  to  disfigure  a  tree  in  that  way.  The 
same  legal  right  extends  to  the  roots,  and  prob¬ 
ably  the  best  plan  will  be  to  dig  a  deep  ditch 
just  over  the  boundary  line,  cutting  off  the 
tree  roots.  Keep  the  ditch  open  for  a  season, 
and  in  the  Winter  fill  it  with  stones  or  line  it  with 
concrete.  If  the  roots  are  cut  off  in  this  way  the 
sprouts  will  stop  growing  and  the  tree  will  not  be 
injured.  Far  better  settle  such  trouble  with  a 
spade,  rather  than  try  to  settle  it  with  a  fist. 
Brevities 
If  the  man  must  earn  the  living  the  women  should 
know  how  to  manage  it. 
Many  of  our  poultrymen  are  taking  the  suggestion 
about  feeding  more  wheat. 
From  Wisconsin  comes  the  report  that  Alfalfa,  thick¬ 
ly  seeded,  is  killing  out  Canada  thistle. 
The  word  obsolescence  in  income  tax  rules  refers  to 
property  which  gradually  loses  its  value,  so  that  it 
finally  becomes  obsolete.  It  is  now  being  applied  to 
orchards. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  wheat  smut  with  germs  in  the 
seed  grain.  What  is  known  as  stinking  smut  is  treated 
by  wetting  the  grain  with  a  solution  of  one  part  of 
formaldehyde  to  40  gallons  of  water.  Loose  smut  is 
handled  by  soaking  the  seed  for  10  minutes  in  hot 
water  at  130  degrees. 
