1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
369 
Some  Hints  on  the  Befry  Business. 
Keeping  Tally. — Usually  I  haven’t  enough  berries 
to  require  a  perfect  system  for  keeping  accounts  with 
the  pickers.  For  the  last  three  or  four  years  I  have 
employed  a  competent  German  as  boss  picker.  He 
engages  all  the  help  needed :  keeps  the  daily  account  of 
the  number  of  quarts  or  cups  (one-third  quart)  picked 
by  each  ;  and  always  the  contents  of  the  filled  crates 
tally  with  the  aggregate  sum  of  the  individual  pickers. 
All  imperfect  work,  whether  rough  handling,  scant 
filling  or  not  picking  clean,  is  reported  by  me  to  the 
boss  picker,  and  if  the  fault  is  not  corrected,  he  is 
directed  to  discharge  the  picker.  On  a  small  scale 
where  not  more  than  a  dozen  pickers  are  employed  this 
arrangement  has  worked  well. 
Free  Crates  for  Berries. — When  the  transporta¬ 
tion  and  express  companies  carry  berries  at  the  same 
rate  as  grapes  per  100  pounds — as  they  certainly 
should — it  will  be  an  advantage  to  use  free  crates.  I 
do  not  know  of  any  packages  for  raspberries  that  are 
low-priced  enough  to  permit  me  to  do  this.  In  Mich¬ 
igan  strawberry  crates  holding  16  quarts  each  are  sold 
for  $11  per  100.  If  the  shape  of  the  quart,  nearly  a 
cube,  is  not  objected  to  by  the  purchasers,  these  pack¬ 
ages  have  much  to  recommend  them.  At  present  the 
expense  of  free  crates  is  the  principal  reason  why  I  do 
not  use  them  for  all  kinds  of  berries. 
Best  Packages. — From  the  Hudson  River  Valley 
nearly  all  strawberries  are  shipped  in  32-quart  crates. 
If  the  packages  are  clean,  filled  just  so  that  the  top 
berries  are  not  flattened  by  the  lid,  and  are  firm  and  of 
uniform  size,  I  know  of  nothing  more,  except  always 
careful  handling,  that  can  be  done  by  the  shipper. 
The  price,  however,  depends  much  on  the  supply. 
When  to  Pick. — If  picked  immediately  after  the  dew 
has  dried  off,  berries  are  undoubtedly  in  better  order 
for  shipment  than  after  they  have  been  exposed  to  the 
hot  sunshine  five  or  six  hours.  But  as  they  are  in  very 
bad  condition  when  wet  either  by  dew  or  rain,  it  is 
necessary  that  a  part  of  each  day’s  shipment  must  be 
picked  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  wm.  d.  barns. 
Clover  and  Corn. 
SNATCHING  A  GOOD  CROP  FROM  THE  DROUGHT. 
“  Clover  and  corn,  clover  and  corn. 
The  best  combination  that  ever  was  born.” 
Such  was  the  couplet  that  appeared  some  time  ago 
in  The  R.  N.-Y.,  and  to  my  mind  it  covers  the  ground 
so  completely  that  I  quote  it  here.  No  crop  is  pro¬ 
duced  on  the  farm  by  the  '  ordinary  farmer,  or  the 
skilled  agriculturist,  which  is  of  so  much  value,  can  be 
used  in  so  many  different  ways,  but  which  (at  least  in 
the  tobacco  section  where  I  reside)  is  so  much  neglected 
as  corn.  What  is  there  to  give  greater  delight  to  the 
eye  of  the  true  farmer  than  the  broad  field  where  the 
corn  leaves  rustling  in  the  wind,  whisper  of  plenty 
and  domestic  joy  !  All  farm  stock  can  be  kept  on  the 
product  and  the  family  need  not  starve  so  long  as  there 
is  “  corn  in  the  crib.”  Then,  too,  corn  is  the  plant 
that  can  make  the  best  use  of  all  coarse  manures, 
tough  old  sod,  or  well  seeded  clover.  In  regard  to  its 
cultivation,  perhaps  I  can  best  explain  my  ideas  by 
giving  a  synopsis  of  my  favorite  field  in  1891. 
The  season  was  the  driest  ever  known  here,  in  Onon¬ 
daga  County,  N.  Y.;  corn  all  through  the  country  was 
almost  a  total  failure  ;  hundreds  of  acres  failed  to 
sprout  at  all  in  the  spring.  The  field  contained  four 
acres  and  had  been  seeded  to  clover  one  year,  the  first 
crop  being  cut  early  and  cured  for  hay,  the  second 
allowed  to  stand  until  about  to  blossom,  when  it  was 
cut  and  left  as  it  fell  until  spring.  During  the  fall 
and  winter  the  field  was  well  covered  with  cow 
manure,  plowed  in  to  a  depth  of  five  inches,  and  marked 
three  feet  four  inches  each  way.  The  corn  was  planted 
by  hand.  Cultivation  began  as  soon  as  we  were  able 
to  follow  the  rows,  and  was  continued  almost  inces- 
smtly  to  overcome,  as  Shakespeare  says,  “  all  the  idle 
weeds  that  grow  in  our  sustaining  corn.”  As  the 
season  advanced  and  the  drought  remained  unbroken, 
the  cultivation  was  kept  up,  the  Planet  Jr.  cultiva¬ 
tors  being  set  to  a  depth  of  two  inches,  that  the  roots 
that  meet  and  intermingle  between  the  rows  might 
not  be  disturbed.  The  field  was  hand-hoed  once  and 
at  the  last  cultivation  the  tassels  nodded  at  each 
other  above  the  horses’  back.  Oh  !  how  we  did  delight 
in  that  field,  and  many  were  the  visitors  taken  to  view 
the  result  of  our  handiwork. 
When  the  corn  had  been  cut  and  husked,  we  found 
the  yield  to  be  80  bushels  of  shelled  corn  per  acre,  which 
was  a  grand  showing  for  the  season.  Now,  what  the 
practical  farmer  should  aim  to  do  is  to  raise  such  a 
crop  every  year,  despite  weather  and  season.  If  the 
following  rules  are  observed,  they  will  assist  largely 
in  obtaining  the  desired  result : 
Select  the  seed  with  care,  for  therein  lies  the  future 
harvest.  .  Good  seed  springeth  up  and  beareth  fruit  a 
hundredfold.  Save  the  ears  that  in  growing  have 
striven  for  perfection  ;  carry  them  from  the  field  after 
each  day’s  husking,  and  keep  them  where  there  is  no 
fear  of  rats  and  mice,  wind  or  weather ;  for,  if 
you’ve  planted  poor  seed,  you  are  sure  to  fail  at 
the  very  outset.  Corn  is  a  rank  feeder  and  delights 
in  coarse  manure  ;  don’t  be  afraid  of  overfeeding  it. 
Clover  roots,  a  good  dressing  of  cow  manure  with 
perhaps  (but  not  necessarily)  a  pinch  of  phosphate 
in  the  hill  as  a  starter,  will  do  very  well.  The 
preparation  of  the  ground  is  an  all-important  part. 
Always  use  a  jointer,  and,  if  the  sod  be  heavy,  it  is 
an  excellent  plan  to  roll  before  harrowing  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  tearing  up  of  the  sod.  Harrow  until  the  sur¬ 
face  is  thoroughly  pulverized,  remembering  the  old 
“  saw  ”  that  “  the  ground  being  well  fitted,  the  crop 
is  half  hoed.”  In  marking,  do  not  get  the  rows  too 
close  together.  Give  it  a  chance  for  air  and  sunlight. 
Do  not  put  too  many  kernels  in  a  hill,  and,  when  hoe¬ 
ing,  pull  to  three  or  four  stalks.  Begin  cultivating 
as  soon  as  the  rows  can  be  followed,  and  there’s  nothing 
like  “  keeping  at  it when  the  corn  is  from  one  to  two 
feet  high,  do  not  take  the  shovel  plow  and  hill  it  up 
as  did  your  fathers.  This  means  destruction  to  mil¬ 
lions  of  roots  every  time.  They  meet  across  the  rows, 
run  the  cultivator  shallow,  and  do  not  disturb  them. 
If  the  weather  be  dry,  constant  cultivation  will  break 
the  crust  and  form  a  mulch  of  pulverized  earth  on  the 
surface,  preventing  evaporation  by  capillary  attrac¬ 
tion.  H.  S.  WRIGHT. 
Skims  From  Maple  Grove  Dairy. 
Until  last  winter  I  had  always  watered  my  cows 
twice  daily,  leaving  them  in  the  yard  for  an  hour  or  so 
mornings  and  evenings,  but  about  January  1,  I  com¬ 
pleted  my  water-work  system  so  that  there  was  a 
drinking  cup  between  each  two  stanchions,  and  after 
the  cows  for  three  days  had  running  spring  water 
when  they  wanted  it,  by  day  or  night,  they  yielded 
nearly  20  per  cent  more  milk  than  before. 
In  churning  I  use  a  large-sized  barrel  churn  rwn  by 
dog  power.  After  I  had  tried  several  other  ways  of 
attaching  the  power  to  the  churn,  I  hit  on  something 
I  have  never  seen  elsewhere  and  which  runs  the  churn 
quite  smoothly  and  is  not  liable  to  get  out  of  order, 
and  will  do  the  heavy  churning  with  at  least  20  pounds 
less  weight  of  dog  than  anything  else  I  have  ever  seen. 
Adjust  the  axle  of  the  churn  and  that  of  the  dog- 
power  to  the  same  height  and  connect  with  a  piece  of 
gas-pipe.  The  blacksmith  will  fit  it  for  you  for  a  few 
cents.  My  50-pound  dog  has  churned  35  pounds  of  a 
No.  1  granulated  butter  at  once  in  this  way.  Try  it 
and  do  not  overwork  the  good  wife  while  the  dog  takes 
his  ease  behind  the  kitchen  stove. 
It  has  been  ray  experience  that  if  one  has  good  cows 
and  handles  them  kindly,  stables  them  well,  feeds  them 
rightly,  and  milks  them  in  the  cleanest  way,  uses 
deep,  cold  setting,  ripens  the  cream  evenly,  and 
washes  the  butter  with  brine  while  in  the  granular 
form,  and  works  it  slightly,  packing  and  selling  it 
immediately,  he  will  get  Elgin  prices  and  make  a 
fair  profit.  j.  q.  wells. 
Railroad  Rates  for  Milk. 
The  various  lines  of  railroads  bringing  milk  to  the 
Metropolitan  market,  held  a  meeting  of  their  represen¬ 
tatives  recently  and  talked  over  their  differences,  in¬ 
cluding  the  threatened  cut  in  rates  by  the  New  York, 
Susquehanna  and  Western  Railroad.  This  road,  as  our 
readers  will  remember,  has  been  losing  quite  a  large 
amount  of  its  business  of  late  and,  attributing  the  loss 
to  the  shrewdness  of  the  New  York,  Ontario  and 
Western  and  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western 
in  their  work  of  encouraging  the  building  of  milk¬ 
receiving  stations,  threatened  to  cut  the  rates,  if  it 
was  not  stopped.  But  it  weakened,  as  we  supposed  it 
would,  concluding  that  it  would  only  be  another  case 
of  “  biting  off  one’s  nose  to  spite  one’s  face.”  At  any 
rate,  a  truce  was  patched  up  and  there  is  no  likelihood 
of  any  cut  being  made  in  the  rates. 
The  business  for  April  shows  that  the  Delaware, 
Lackawanna  and  Western  is  rapidly  creeping  up  to 
the  first  place  ;  indeed,  if  the  facts  could  be  definitely 
ascertained,  it  is  thought  that  it  would  really  beat  the 
head  of  the  list,  with  the  Erie  second  and  the  New  York, 
Ontario  and  Western. third.  The  business  of  the  latter 
road  shows  a  steady  and  healthy  growth  and  it  will 
not  be  long,  we  predict,  ere  it  will  lead  the  Erie  in  the 
magnitude  of  its  milk  business.  It  furnishes  its  patrons 
with  refrigerator  cars  and  ice,  bringing  the  milk  into 
the  city  in  the  best  possible  condition,  while  the  Erie, 
relying  on  its  natural  advantages,  gives  its  patrons  no 
favors.  Any  old  box-car,  with  tenacity  enough  to  hold 
together  for  the  trip,  is  good  enough  for  a  milk  car  on 
that  line.  The  dealers  in  the  city  are  generally  open 
in  their  preference  for  the  milk  brought  in  by  the 
Ontario  and  Western  or  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna 
and  Western,  both  of  which  roads  take  especial  pains 
in  doing  the  work  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
Was  It  a  Swindle  ? 
Many  are  the  tangles  seedsmen  are  called  upon  to 
straighten  out.  Let  us  give  a  real  instance.  Here  is 
the  first  postal  card,  name  and  address  omitted  : 
I  saw  an  advertisement  in  The  Rural  New-Yorker 
of  -  -  as  growers  of  seeds,  and  on  the 
strength  of  it,  about  six  weeks  ago  I  sent  for  some 
seed  corn,  and  I  have  never  received  it.  At  the  same 
time  I  also  sent  for  garden  seeds,  which  came  all 
right.  I  thought  The  R.  N.-Y.  never  advertised 
swindling  firms.  This  looks  like  one. 
We  at  once  wrote  the  firm  named  for  an  explanation, 
and  received  this  : 
We  are  in  receipt  of  your  favor  of  the  10th  and  thank 
you  for  calling  the  matter  to  our  attention.  We  in¬ 
close  the  original  order,  and  a  glance  will  show  how 
the  error  occurred  : 
COPY. 
1  Pkt.  Early  Blood  Turnip  Beet . 05 
1  Pkt.  Nlchol’s  Medium  Green  Cucuinher . 10 
I  Pkt.  Improved  Tom  Thumb  Pea . 05 
I  Pkt.  Stowell’a  Evergreen  Corn . 05 
1  Pkt.  Prolific  Black  Wax  Bean . 05 
1  Peck  Rideout  or  Mercer  Corn . 00 
The  clerk  who  executed  the  order  read  ‘"packet”  for 
“  peck”  of  the  corn.  We  have  sent  Mr. - the  corn 
by  express  prepaid,  and  have  written  him  that  before 
denouncing  any  one  he  ought  first  to  make  his  com¬ 
plaints  directly  to  the  offender.  We  had  received  no 
communication  from  him  in  reference  to  the  matter. 
In  this  connection  let  us  state  that  every  year  we 
receive  orders  containing  money  with  no  name  signed 
or  with  the  post-office  or  other  address  omitted,  and 
it  is  sometimes  a  year  or  more  before  we  can  find  the 
proper  parties  and,  curiously  enough,  we  are  often 
able  to  do  it  through  their  writing  to  papers  or  to  the 
postmaster  regarding  the  matter.  We  received  this 
spring  several  very  warm  letters  from  a  lady  who  had 
sent  us  quite  a  large  order,  but  neither  on  it  nor  on 
any  of  her  letters  did  she  sign  her  name.  If  during 
the  seed  season  the  papers  would  call  to  the  attention 
of  their  subscribers  the  importance  of  giving  full 
instructions  and  especially  of  signing  their  names,  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  would  be  avoided  by  all  houses. 
Now  is  this  fair  or  not  ?  Are  we  not  all  of  us  liable 
to  make  mistakes  at  times  ?  The  R.  N.-Y.  is  always 
very  glad  to  help  to  straighten  things  out. 
Business  Bits. 
Herb,  In  Adams,  N.  Y.,  I  have  used  Breed's  weeder  for  weeding 
peas  only  when  small  and  for  fitting  the  ground  for  sowing  with  a  hand 
drill.  It  does  the  work  well  In  peas,  and  fits  the  ground  finely  for  sow¬ 
ing  small  seeds  with  the  hand  drill.  t.  v.  m. 
Rout.  Crane,  who  has  charge  of  the  creamery  started  by  the  Phila¬ 
delphia  milk  producers,  writes:  “The  creamery  Is  working  up  the  Phila¬ 
delphia  surplus  satisfactorily.  Just  now  some  new  machinery  is  being 
added,  to  give  greater  capacity.  In  a  day  or  two  the  capacity  will  be 
sufficient  to  take  care  of  all  the  surplus  sweet  cream  butter  which  is 
selling  as  fast  as  we  can  make  It.” 
Asparagus  “Tip”  Business.— I  have  never  catered  to  the  aspar¬ 
agus  tip  trade,  and  know  of  no  grower  who  has.  Asparagus  has,  how¬ 
ever,  been  put  up  In  that  form,  viz.:  selected  tips,  by  some  of  the  can¬ 
ning  factories  for  several  years  for  first-class  grocers.  I  have  been 
informed  that  the  crop  has  not  been  grown  especially  for  them— they 
simply  cut  off  the  tips  from  their  regular  purchases,  and  I  have  an  Idea 
that  the  same  Is  the  case  with  the  restaurant  supply.  I  grew  aspar¬ 
agus  for  several  years  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  we  still  grow  It  on  the 
homestead  farm  In  Connecticut,  but  there  is  no  call  in  either  section 
for  tips.  If  It  Is  cut  In  this  form  especially  for  restaurants,  I  think  it 
is  confined  to  the  larger  cities  like  New  York.  I  think  the  trade  In 
this  line  must  be  limited.  everett  e.  brown. 
A  Curious  egg  Market.— The  supply  of  fresh  eggs  to  the  saloons 
and  soda-water  fountains  of  New  York  City  has  become  a  curious 
feature  of  suburban  farm  life.  Such  eggs  mustn’t  be  over  two  days 
old,  and  It  Is  found  that  they  can  te  satisfactorily  supplied  only  on 
the  retail  plan.  Accordingly  many  nearby  small  farmers  visit  New 
York  daily  with  two  or  three  dozen  or  more  fresh  eggs  in  a  basket. 
The  owner  of  100  hens  in  Westchester  County  disposes  of  six  dozen 
eggs  a  day  to  one  soda-water  fountain  that  sells  large  quantities  of 
egg  phosphate.  The  price  is  75  cents  per  dozen  the  year  round,  but 
the  demand  Is,  of  course,  greatest  in  warm  weather.  The  difficulty  of 
securing  suitable  fresh  eggs  at  a  reasonable  price  has  led  to  the  use  of 
a  substitute  for  “hen  fruit”  in  many  cases.  It  looks  and  tastes  like 
the  genuine  article,  but  is  a  cheap  manufactured  product. 
A  Trade  Mark  for  Peaches.— Twenty-five  years’  experience  In 
growing,  handling  and  selling  peaches  has  developed  in  my  case  the 
following  methods  as  most  effective  in  securing  first-class  fruit:  1 
carefully  prune,  moderately  fertilize  and  thoroughly  cultivate  my 
orchards  every  year,  whether  they  bear  fruit  or  not.  I  allow  the 
peaches  to  remain  on  the  trees  until  fully  matured  and  colored.  1  in¬ 
sist  that  they  shall  be  carefully  handled  when  picked,  and  closely  culled 
and  sorted  when  packed.  I  use  only  neat,  clean  baskets  and  cover  the 
fruit  with  wood  or  burlap  covers.  A  few  trials  of  fruit  so  prepared  will 
generally  convince  buyers  of  its  value  and  reliability.  In  my  judg¬ 
ment  no  better  trade-mark  can  be  used  than  the  full  name  or  initials 
of  the  grower;  and  he  can  best  “  back  it  up”  by  maintaining  at  any 
cost  the  highest  attainable  standard  in  the  quality  and  preparation  of 
hlS  fruit.  G.  H.  MURRAY. 
A  Road  Master  Talks.— I  have  read  a  good  deai  both  pro  and  con. 
on  our  present  road  system.  Now,  In  this  section,  Suffolk  County. 
N.  Y.,  I  have  my  doubts  if  the  present  system  could  be  bettered. 
Within  a  few  years  the  local  feeling  In  regard  to  roads  has  been  ma¬ 
terially  changed.  In  former  years,  when  men  were  called  out  to  work 
on  the  roads  they  used  to  try  to  get  through  the  day  with  as  little  work 
as  possible.  Now  they  take  an  interest  in  the  matter,  and  put  in  all 
the  work  they  can.  In  the  two  districts  of  which  I  have  charge,  there 
is  not  a  man  who  isn't  ready  to  work  whenever  called  upon.  They  have 
often  told  me,  “Keep  the  roads  In  good  condition;  never  mind  the 
time;  when  you  want  us.  say  so,  and  we  will  be  there.”  We  have 
no  gravel  or  stone  in  quantities  enough  to  be  of  any  account:  the 
only  material  we  have  is  sand  and  loam,  and  I  think  we  have  men  who 
can  make  just  as  good  roads  of  the  materials  at  hand  as  any  paid  State 
engineer.  We  have  two  Champion  scrapers  that  belong  to  the  town, 
and,  I  think,  eight  of  different  patents  that  are  owned  by  some  of  the 
districts,  and  they  are  not  allowed  to  lie  idle.  Some  of  the  districts 
are,  of  course,  in  better  shape  than  others,  showing  where  most  interest 
is  taken  and  where  the  most  practical  and  live  man  has  charge.  We 
have  in  this  town  upward  of  75  miles  of  roads,  and  I  think  one  would 
have,  to  travel  some  time  to  find  the  same  amount  in  as  good  repair. 
As  a  whole  it  is  the  wheelmen’s  paradise.  n.  g, 
