?  322 
«T*e  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
October  20.  19k“3l 
A  Plucky  California  Woman 
A  California  woman,  Mrs.  B.  Griscom, 
is  reported  to  have  put  up  the  following 
sign  in  front  of  her  farm  : 
Warning  to  Auto  Hogs 
NOTIS !  Tresspassers  will  B  persecut¬ 
ed  to  the  full  extent  of  2  mongrel  dogs 
which  never  was  over  socliible  to  strang¬ 
ers  &  1  dubble  brl.  shotgun  which  ain't 
loded  with  sofa  pillors.  Darn  if  I  ain’t 
gitten  tired  of  this  hell  raisen  on  my 
place.  B.  GKISCOM. 
This  woman  says  she  means  business, 
and  that  her  statement  about  the  charge 
which  her  gun  contains  is  correct.  We 
may  say  that  she  expresses  the  full  senti¬ 
ments  of  many  other  country  people. — R. 
N.-Y.,  page  1046. 
The  original  of  this  sign  appears  on 
the  road  from  San  Diego  to  Yuma  “and 
points  east”  about  35  miles  from  here. 
About  10  years  ago  Miss  (not  Mrs.) 
Griscom  was  told  by  her  physician  that 
to  regain  her  health,  it  would  be  neces¬ 
sary  for  her  to  live  in  the  mountains. 
Her  finances  were  in  such  shape  that  the 
only  way  this  was  possible  was  for  her 
to  pitch  a  tent  in  the  woods  of  a  friendly 
mountaineer  ranchman. 
This  was  all  right  for  Summer,  but 
for  the  Winter  rains  something  more  sub¬ 
stantial  was  desirable.  There  were  40 
acres  of  government  land  nearby,  which 
through  the  kindness  of  friends  she  was 
able  to  take  possession  of,  neighbors  help¬ 
ing  her  build  a  shack,  except  the  floor, 
which  was  omitted  for  want  of  lumber. 
But  about  this  time  the  State  of  Cali¬ 
fornia  decided  to  pave  with  concrete  the 
road  near  her  place.  The  men  working 
on  the  job  learned  of  her  needs,  and  one 
Sunday  loaded  cement  and  sand  upon 
wagons,  drove  to  her  home,  and  by  night 
the  house  boasted  a  fine  concrete  floor. 
Her  health  had  all  the  time  improved, 
but  not  so  her  finances.  So  she  borrowed 
money,  and  put  up  another  shack,  which 
she  rented  out  to  city  folk  who  wanted  1o 
spend  a  few  weeks  in  the  mountains.  It 
was  a  success,  so  others  were  added,  two 
of  them  being  built  of  adobe  bricks,  which 
some  near-by  Indians  made  for  her,  until 
now  she  has  14  cottages  on  her  place, 
and  has  completely  regained  her  health. 
The  spelling  in  the  sign  is  only  a  touch 
of  local  color,  but  I  would  not  advise  any¬ 
one  to  ignore  the  warning. 
I  don’t  know  if  this  is  the  right  kind 
of  material  for  a  farm  paper,  but  I  was 
sure  that  from  your  universal  interest  in 
any  member  of  the  human  race,  you 
would  like  to  hear  how  one  plucky  wo¬ 
man  pulled  herself  out  of  a  pretty  deep 
hole.  P.  B.  CROSBY. 
California. 
Fining  the  Reckless  Driver 
At  Haverstraw,  N.  Y.,  a  large  touring 
car  with  man  driver  and  probably  his 
daughter  passed  at  high  speed,  on  the 
State  road  route  between  Stony  Point 
and  Nyack.  The  cycle  cop  gave  chase, 
and  on  his  return  said  the  car  was  frdm 
New  Jersey.  The  driver  admitted  he  was 
going  fast,  but  did  not  have  much  money 
with  him.  The  cop  asked  how  much ; 
nearly  $20.  Officers  took  half,  the  New 
Jersey  party  went  on  his  journey.  The 
State  road,  from  near  th^  railroad  sta¬ 
tion,  south,  out  of  Nyack,  is  along  the 
edge  of  the  mountain ;  a  poor  place  to 
speed  during  heavy  traffic.  There  are  no 
cross  streets,  no  houses,  no  children.  At 
10  a.  m.  the  road  was  empty ;  a  speed  of 
30  miles  per  hour  would  do  no  harm, 
even  if  it  did  violate  the  obscure  signs 
reading  “20  miles  per  hour.”  The  system 
of  allowing  small  cities  and  villages  to 
collect  revenue  in  this  manner  is  a  poor 
one.  Then,  too,  if  the  policeman  collects 
fines,  may  we  not  suspect  that  he  collects 
bribes?  Just  how  to  curb  the  reckless 
driver  and  excessive  speed  driver  is  a 
hard  problem.  j.  I.  s. 
The  Other  Side  of  Auto  Hogs 
Y'ou  have  made  so  much  of  the  van- 
dalous  and  thieving  auto  people  from  our 
cities  that  I  thought  I  owe  you  the  fol¬ 
lowing  items,  to  the  point,  that  have 
come  my  way. 
Friends  from  Connecticut  wrote  us  that 
last  year  a  car  drove  up  and  asked  the 
favor  of  picking  a  few  elderberries  from 
bushes  near  their  roadway.  This  was 
cordially  and  cheerfully  granted.  This 
year  the  same  party  drove  up  and  asked 
to  be  recalled  and  kindly  presented  a 
fine  box  of  chocolates  with  their  regards. 
Now  that  was  pretty  nice,  and  points 
the  kind  of  relation  and  good  will  that 
we  ought  to  get  between  the  city  and 
country  people.  I  fear  it  is  not  all  a 
one-sided  matter,  and  for  the  other  side 
is  this  item.  . 
My  brother,  motoring  from  Chicago, 
stopped  at  a  farmhouse  one  night,  having 
four  adults  in  his  party.  He  asked  and 
took  only  rooms  for  the  night  without 
any  food.  The  next  morning  the  kindly 
and  generous  country  farmer  charged 
them  $4  each  or  $16  for  the  two  rooms, 
as  much  as  better  rooms  could  have  been 
secured  at  the  best  hotels  in  New  York. 
And  again,  take  our  farmers’  roadside 
produce  stands.  Again  and  again  I  have 
noted  these  to  have  very  inferior  fruit, 
so  inferior  that  it  would  not  pass  our 
commission  men  in  the  city  markets,  with 
prices  attached  as  high  as  really  good  and 
selected  produce  in  the  city,  all  based  on 
the  idea  that  just  because  it  was  at  the 
farm  it  therefore  was  choice  stuff  and 
that  the  city  “guy”  stand  for  any  price — 
or  ought  to. 
All  would  do  well  to  read  “The  Friendly 
Road,”  by  David  Grayson.  Let  us  make 
our  country  roads  “The  Friendly  Roads” 
and  perhaps  the  seed  will  take  root. 
Anyway,  one  reaps  what  one  sows,  pretty 
generally,  and  one  would  do  well  to  ask 
what  he  wishes  to  reap  in  sowing  the 
seeds  of  kindness  and  good  will  along  our 
farm’s  roadside. 
ARTHUR  AY.  RICHARDS. 
R.  N.-Y".  Are  you  sure  these  stands 
you  speak  of  are  conducted  by  farmers? 
We  know  of  cases  in  New  Jersey  where 
peddlers  buy  farm  produce  on  the  market, 
take  it  out  to  road  stands  and  sell  it — 
disguising  themselves  so  as  to  give  a 
poor  imitation  of  a  farmer.  It  is  a  mis¬ 
take  as  we  have  often  stated  to  de¬ 
mand  extravagant  prices  at  these  stands 
— but  who  compels  these  buyers  to  pur¬ 
chase  if  they  can  do  as  well  in  town  and 
have  the  goods  delivered?  They  are  not 
forced  to  buy  if  they  do  not  want  to — 
and  we  know  plenty  of  farmers  Avho  sell 
good  products  at  a  fair  price. 
The  Farmer  and  the  Merchant 
In  article  on  page  1132,  by  L.  A.  W., 
are  many  truths ;  at  the  same  time  it  is 
not  hard  to  see  that  his  is  purely  an 
argument  for  the  trade.  He  states  that 
when  farmers  bring  in  produce  he  tries  to 
get  them  to  set  their  own  price,  and  their 
usual  reply  is  “All  I  can  get,”  indicating 
in  that  one  sentence  that  they  really  have 
not  stamina  enough  to  set  a  price  that 
would  afford  a  profit  over  and  above  cost 
of  production,  and  if  they  did  L .  A.  W., 
or  any  other  dealer,  would  not  pay  the 
price.  If  L.  A.  W.  is  as  honest  as  he 
purports  to  _  be  he  must  admit  that  “all 
I  can  get”  is  little  enough  as  he  or  any 
other  dealer  will  pay  just  as  little  as  pos¬ 
sible  in  order  to  enable  him  to  sell  at  a 
nice  margin,  for  “well  bought  is  half 
sold.”  and  L.  A.  W.  is  not  in  business 
for  his  health,  whereas  many  farmers  get 
mighty  little  more  than  that. 
Then  he  refers  to.  the  lack  of  brotherly 
feeling,  displayed  by  the  farmers,  towards 
the  merchants  after  the  war,  when  said 
merchants  were  asked  to  take  a  little  loss 
on  some  high-priced  goods.  Granted.  And 
did  those  same  merchants  display  great 
brotherly  feeling  for  anyone  during  the 
war  when  they  sold  goods,  bought  before 
the  war,  at  a  profit  of  from  200  per  cent 
to  as  high  as  800  per  cent  and  possibly 
more?  Just  one  incident,  I  could  cite 
many.  Writer,  during  the  war,  bought 
from  a  local  dealer  a  milk  pail  for  $2  less 
a  discount  of  10  per  cent,  or  $1.80  net. 
In  a  little  wordy  squabble,  which  this 
dealer  and  writer  often  indulge  in,  the 
dealer  said  “Now  just  to  make  you  feel 
good  let  me  show  you  on  the  bottom  of 
that  pail  where  I  have  marked  it  up 
twice.”  Sure  enough  the  original  selling 
price  was  00c  or  a  50  per  cent  profit,  as 
the  paid  cost  $7.20  per  doz.  or  60c  each. 
The  next  mark  was  $1.25  and  the  third 
mark,  as  before  stated  was  $2  less  10  per 
cent  as  he  was  putting  on  a  sale,  with  a 
capital  S.  It  doesn’t  require  an  educa¬ 
tion  in  higher  mathematics  to  discover  a 
profit  of  300  per  cent  in  this  transaction, 
and  still  this  merchant,  like  L.  A.  W.. 
and  most  all  others,  kicked  when  they 
were  expected  to  follow  the  market  dowrq 
as  they  had  followed  it  up." 
This  incident  is  only  a  mild  form  ot 
profiteering,  and  I  dare  say  most  any 
reader  could  tell  a  story  even  more  in¬ 
tensified. 
Then  L.  A.  W.  doesn’t  want  disagree¬ 
able  customers  ;  in  other  Avords  one  who 
dares  to  say  that  he,  or  she,  possess  a 
soul.  Evidently  he  desires  them  to  come 
in  the  usual  half-hearted  way  and  ask 
“How  much  must  I  pay  for  your  goods.” 
and  in  less  than  a  half-hearted  manner 
ask  “What  may  I  hope  to  get  for  mine?” 
New  York.  d.  c.  h. 
Care  of  Soldiers’  Graves 
In  further  answer  to  Mrs.  G.  S.  M., 
page  1205,  many  posts  of  the  American 
Legion  make  it  a  practice  to  care  for  and 
decorate  the  graves  of  Revolutionary  sol¬ 
diers,  both  American  and  British,  as  well 
as  those  of  the  veterans  of  succeeding 
wars.  I  would  suggest  that  Mrs.  G.  S. 
M.  inform  the  nearest  post  of  the  exist¬ 
ence  and  location  of  the  grave. 
LEGIONAIRE. 
“Hang  it,  boy !”  exclaimed  the  tender¬ 
foot  from  the  East  as  a  bellboy  for  a 
Texas  hotel  came  bouncing  in  on  him 
without  knocking,  “haven’t  you  got  any 
manners  about  you?”  “Didn’t  you  ring?” 
asked  the  boy.  “Of  course  I  rang.” 
“Didn’t  you  ring  three  times?”  “It  may 
have  been  three,  as  I  was  in  a  hurry  foi 
ice  water,  but  that  doesn’t  excuse  you  for 
bursting  in  the  door.”  “Beg  pardon,”  re¬ 
plied  the  boy,  as  he  backed  out,  “but  you 
ought  to  read  the  bell  card.  It’s  one  ring 
for  the  porter,  two  for  the  bellboy,  and 
three  for  a  gun,  and  when  a  guest  rings 
for  a  gun  in  this  hotel  the  orders  are  to 
get  it  to  him  before  the  other  fellow  can 
beg  his  pardon!” — Houston  Post. 
II 
H 
& 
A  Timely  Reminder 
for  Everyday  Farmers 
THE  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  has  shown 
that  farm  equipment  is  one  of  the  smallest  items 
in  the  cost  of  farming,  the  yearly  average  being  only 
4  to  8%  of  the  total.  Yet  in  profitable  farming  there 
is  nothing  more  important  than  good  equipment. 
If  you  would  check  the  cost  of  your  farm  ma¬ 
chines  against  the  rest  of  your  investment  —  land, 
buildings,  labor,  live  stock,  etc. — your  figures 
would  probably  agree  with  the  average. 
The  fall  season  is  a  good  time  to  inspect  the  con¬ 
dition  of  your  machines.  Most  of  them  have  been 
used  lately  or  will  be  used  this  fall.  Are  any  of  them 
worn  out?  Are  some  of  them  so  out  of  date  that  it 
does  not  pay  to  use  them?  Are  there  new  methods 
on  the  market  you  should  be  adopting?  Have  you 
been  getting  along  without  certain  machines  that 
would  save  .you  money  and  labor? 
To  help  you  take  an  inventory  ofiyour  needs,  we 
are  printing  the  full  McCormick-Deering  line. 
The  purpose  of  all  McCormick-Deering  machines 
is  to  make  farming  better,  easier,  and  more  profit¬ 
able  for  their  owners.  They  are  all  useful,  modem, 
and  efficient.  The  Harvester  Company’s  work  of 
standardization  has  simplified  the  variety  of  lines, 
combining  many  good  features  in  fewer  essential 
machines.  Power  farming  is  at  its  best  where 
McCormick-Deering  Tractors  [15-30  and  10-20]  are 
used  with  McCormick-Deering  machines  for  draw¬ 
bar  and  belt  work.  They  are  made  to  work  together. 
We  will  send  you  descriptive  material,  catalogs, 
details  as  to  sizes  and  styles  on  any  machine  or  line 
that  may  need  attention  on  your  farm.  Write  the 
address  below.  Call  on  the  McCormick-Deering 
dealer;  he  will  always  be  at  your  service. 
McCormick-Deering 
Farm  -Operating 
Equipment 
GRAIN  HARVESTING 
MACHINES 
Binders  Headers  Reapers 
Push- Binders  Rice  Binders 
Power  Drive  Binders 
Shockers  Threshers v 
Harvester  -Threshers 
HAYING  MACHINES 
Mowers  Rakes  Tedders 
Loaders,  all  Types  Stackers 
Comb.  Side  Rakes  and  Tedders 
Sweep  Rakes  Baling  Presses 
Comb.  Sweep  Rakes  and 
Stackers  Bunchers 
CORN  MACHINES 
Planters  Listers  Drills 
Cultivators  Binders 
Lister  Cultivators  Pickers 
Ensilage  Cutters  Shelters 
Huskers  and  Shredders 
Huskers  and  Silo  Fillers 
BEET  TOOLS 
Seeders  Pullers  Cultivators 
PLANTING  AND  SEEDING 
MACHINES 
Corn  Planters  Cotton  Planters 
Corn  Drills  Listers  Grain  Drills 
Broadcast  Seeders 
Alfalfa  and  Grass  Drills 
TILLAGE  IMPLEMENTS 
Tractor  Plows  Riding  Plows 
Walking  Plows  Disk  Harrows 
Tractor  Harrows 
Orchard  Harrows 
Spring-Tooth  Harrows 
Peg-Tooth  Harrows 
1  and  2  Horse  Cultivators 
Culti-Packers 
POWER  MACHINES 
Kerosene  Engines 
Kerosene  Tractors 
Motor  Trucks 
BELT  MACHINES 
Ensilage  Cutters  Threshers 
Huskers  and  Shredders 
Corn  Shellers  Cane  Mills 
Huskers  and  Silo  Fillers 
Feed  Grinders  Hay  Presses 
Stone  Burr  Mills 
DAIRY  EQUIPMENT 
Cream  Separators,  Hand, 
Belted  &  Electric  Driven 
Kerosene  Engines 
Motor  Trucks 
OTHER  FARM  EQUIPMENT 
Farm  Wagons  and  Trucks 
Manure  Spreaders  Cane  Mills 
Stalk  Cutters  Knife  Grinders 
Syrup  Evaporators 
Potato  Diggers  Binder  Twine 
Lime  Sowers  Tractor  Hitches 
straw  Spreader  Attachments 
INTERNATIONAL  HARVESTER  COMPANY 
606  So.  Michigan  Ave. 
OF  AMERICA 
[.Incorporated] 
Chicago,  Illinois 
