1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
385 
The  Weeder  as  a  Cultivator. 
BREAKING  UP  THE  SOIl/s  CRUST. 
Shall  the  Cultivator  Follow  the  Hoe? 
We  have  thought  for  some  time  that  Breed’s  weeder 
is  hut  the  first  of  a  series  of  light,  cheap  tools  that 
will  revolutionize  the  work  of  plant  tillage.  It  is  not 
at  all  unlikely  that  farmers  of  the  future  will  use  the 
plow  more  and  the  cultivator  less.  To  learn  something 
of  the  changes  in  tillage  brought  about  by  the  use  of 
the  present  weeder,  the  following  questions  were  sent 
to  about  50  good  farmers. 
1.  How  late  can  the  weeder  be  used;  that  is,  how  high  can  the 
plants  be  without  Injury? 
2.  Have  you  used  it  for  any  purpose  except  weeding,  as  raking  stones, 
covering  grass  or  grain  seeds,  or  working  over  spring  crops?  If  so,  with 
what  success? 
3.  To  what  extent  will  it  take  the  place  of  the  cultivator;  that  is, 
how  much  less  cultivator  work  is  needed  when  the  weeder  Is  used? 
4.  If  the  teeth  were  detachable,  so  you  could  take  out  enough  to  pass 
over  the  rows,  would  Breed's  weeder  answer  for  a  cultivator?  Does  it 
work  deep  enough? 
5.  Do  you  prefer  a  one-horse  to  a  two-horse  riding  cultivator  ?  In 
what  way  does  the  latter  do  better  work? 
We  regret  that  we  have  not  the  space  to  print  all 
the  answers;  but  the  following  are  fair  samples.  It 
is  only  fair  for  us  to  state  that  some  farmers  are  not 
pleased  with  the  weeder.  One  of  the  best  farmers  in 
the  writer’s  township,  borrowed  our  weeder  and  re¬ 
turned  it,  saying  he  would  never  put  it  in  his  field 
again.  He  said  it  raked  up  and  tore  over  old  corn 
stubble,  spoiling  the  looks  of  the  field!  We  cannot 
account  for  this  failure. 
On  Yard-High  Corn  ;  New  Cultivator  Teeth. 
1.  Here,  in  Genessee  County,  Mich.,  I  have  used  the 
weeder  on  corn  36  inches  high  with  the  best  results. 
By  placing  the  board  near  the  head  it  comes  in  contact 
with  the  tops  of  the  plants  first  and  bends  them  gradu¬ 
ally  so  that  they  do  not  break,  and  the  teeth  readily 
slip  around  the  stalks.  I  have  used  it  on  potatoes 
when  they  were  24  inches  high ;  it  bends  the  tops 
down,  but  they  straighten  up  in  a  few  hours.  My  soil 
is  sandy  loam. 
2.  It  is  not  adapted  for  raking  stones.  I  have  used 
it  for  covering  grass  seed  or  oats  and  found  it  excellent. 
It  was  also  good  for  fitting  the  ground  for  carrots, 
mangels,  etc. 
3.  This  will  depend  on  the  condition  of  the  soil  and 
the  season.  Last  year  I  cultivated  my  corn  only  once 
in  a  row  each  way,  and  my  potatoes  once  in  a  row, 
the  rest  of  the  work  having  been  done  with  the 
weeder,  and  the  ground  was  kept  mellow  and  as  clean 
as  the  bed  of  a  much  traveled  road. 
4.  It  will  depend  on  the  condition  and  smoothness  of 
the  ground  ;  some  soils  in  some  seasons  will  become 
set  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  a  cultivator  to  loosen 
them  up.  Again,  if  the  surface  is  not  smooth,  there 
are  places  which  the  weeder  cannot  touch,  being  stiff, 
and  a  cultivator  is  needed  to  destroy  the  weeds  that 
escaped  it.  Ordinarily  it  works  deep  enough — that  is 
one  of  its  fine  features. 
5.  I  prefer  a  one-horse  cultivator.  I  am  using  the 
Planet  Jr.  with  sweep  teeth  and  am  satisfied  that  such 
teeth  are  of  the  right  shape,  as  they  cut  all  the  surface 
and  do  not  run  too  deep  and  hence  do  not  destroy  the 
roots.  The  teeth  of  the  cultivators  in  general  use  for 
crops  are  made  in  a  wrong  way  and  cause  a  loss  of 
millions  of  dollars  every  year  to  the  farmers  of  this 
country.  i,.  brown. 
Will  Save  Half  the  Cultivating. 
Here,  in  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  I  have  used  the  weeder 
on  corn  six  or  eight  inches  high  without  removing  the 
teeth,  and  on  fodder  corn  sown  with  a  grain  drill  in 
double  rows,  when  a  foot  or  more  in  height,  without 
injury.  2.  It  could  not  be  used  to  much  advantage  for 
raking  stones,  because  it  is  made  to  run  over  them  ; 
but  for  “bushing”  manure,  covering  grass,  millet  or 
turnip  seeds  sown  broadcast,  it  is  perfection  personi¬ 
fied.  Land  which  is  seeded  to  wheat,  oats  and  barley 
is  usually  also  seeded  to  grass,  which  the  weeder  would 
treat  as  it  does  weeds  of  like  dimensions — root  it  out. 
I  believe  it  could  be  used  to  advantage  upon  crops  not 
seeded  to  grass.  3.  If  the  soil  is  free  from  stones,  or 
comparatively  so,  and  thoroughly  fitted  before  seeding, 
and  the  season  is  favorable,  the  weeder  will  do  nearly 
all  the  work  in  potatoes  and  planted  corn,  and  the 
whole  of  it  in  fodder  corn,  if  put  in  and  used  largely 
and  often.  The  trouble  is  that  farmers  are  afraid  of 
it  and  do  not  give  it  a  chance  to  show  up.  Should  heavy 
rains,  however,  occur,  the  cultivator  must  be  used  first 
to  break  the  surface  between  the  rows,  after  which 
the  weeder  should  follow  immediately  among  the 
plants  to  finish  the  rows.  If  the  weeds  are  too  deeply 
rooted,  the  weeder  will  cultivate  them  exactly  in  the 
same  way  as  it  does  the  crop.  The  effect  of  using  the 
weeder  is  to  check  evaporation,  and  so  forward  the 
crop,  especially  corn,  as  to  enable  it  to  smother  weeds 
in  the  rows.  1  should  say  that  less  than  half  of  the 
cultivator  work  is  necessary  in  the  average  season. 
This  saving  is  quite  an  important  item,  as  the  weeder 
will  easily  cover  an  acre  an  hour.  4.  The  teeth  are 
detachable,  and  the  weeder  can  be  used  in  the  way 
suggested  ;  and,  by  putting  more  weight  upon  the 
handles,  it  could  be  made  to  work  from  one  to  two 
inches  in  depth,  but  if  the  surface  is  hard,  it  must  be 
broken  up  by  some  more  powerful  implement.  If  the 
weeder  could  be  properly  used,  I  think  it  would  work 
deep  enough  for  most  crops.  But  it  is  intended  to  stir 
the  surface  from  one-half  to  one  inch  deep,  and  the 
results  are  satisfactory  without  crowding  it  out  of  its 
sphere.  j.  a.  musson. 
It  Only  Tickles  a  Rooted  Weed. 
1.  Breed’s  weeder  is  of  no  value  after  weed  growth 
has  started.  It  will  not  injure  the  growth  of  plants 
much  if  the  ground  is  not  cloddy  or  stony,  even  when 
two  or  three  inches  high.  Its  value  is  in  its  use  to  pre¬ 
vent  growth.  2.  It  won’t  gather  stones  at  all  or  cover 
grain  ;  but  it  is  very  good  to  brush  in  grass  seed  if  the 
ground  is  freshly  plowed  :  otherwise  it  is  of  no  value 
for  that  purpose,  as  it  will  not  stir  the  soil  enough  on 
wheat  fields  in  spring.  3.  It  won’t  take  the  place  of 
the  cultivator  at  all,  except  that,  if  used  immediately 
after  planting  and  frequently  afterwards,  it  will 
greatly  help  to  prevent  weed  growth.  After  they  have 
taken  root,  the  weeds  would  only  be  tickled  by  it ; 
still  two  cultivatings  may  be  saved  by  the  use  of  the 
weeder,  if  the  work  is  done  soon  enough.  4.  No,  no. 
5.  Here,  in  Noble  County,  Irid.,  I  use  both  one  and 
two-horse  cultivators  in  corn.  Sometimes  better  work 
can  be  done  with  one  than  the  other ;  hence  I  use 
either  as  occasion  requires.  I  use  spring-tooth  culti¬ 
vators.  They  are  far  the  best  I  have  seen,  as  they  cut 
deep  enough  and  leave  the  soil  level  and  well  pulver¬ 
ized.  I  use  only  walking  cultivators.  I  never  saw  a 
riding  one  that  would  do  as  good  work.  w.  w.  latta. 
Two-Horse  Riding  Cultivator  Used. 
1.  Here,  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  I  have  used  the 
weeder  when  the  plants  were  from  10  to  12  inches 
high  without  any  injury  and  think  that  in  some  cases 
it  could  be  used  when  they  are  even  higher  without 
any  perceptible  harm.  2.  I  have  never  used  it  for  any 
purpose  except  weeding.  3.  In  a  loose,  sandy  soil  I 
think  there  would  be  no  particular  use  for  any  other 
cultivator  till  the  plants  were  from  10  to  12  inches 
high.  In  a  heavy  clay  soil  it  would  be  necessary,  after 
heavy  rains,  to  use  a  spring'  tooth  or  any  other  cultiva¬ 
tor  that  would  leave  the  ground  in  a  comparatively 
level  condition,  as  the  surface  in  that  kind  of  soil 
would  get  so  firm  that  the  weeder  could  not  do  its  best 
without  first  loosening  between  the  rows.  4.  I  think 
it  would  hardly  answer  as  a  cultivator  on  the  removal 
of  the  teeth  after  the  plants  have  grown  more  than  10 
or  12  inches  high.  5.  I  prefer  a  two-horse  riding  culti¬ 
vator  and  use  it  almost  exclusively  except  in  corn, 
which  sometimes  gets  too  high  for  the  two  horse 
machine.  I  think  the  riding  cultivator  runs  more 
steadily,  is  easier  to  handle  and  stirs  the  ground  more 
thoroughly  and  can  do  the  work  with  one  man  whereas 
it  would  take  two  to  do  the  same  work  with  the  one- 
horse  cultivator.  On  hill-sides  the  one-horse  cultivator 
would  be  the  best,  as  no  riding  cultivator  works  suc¬ 
cessfully  on  such  land.  JOHN  F.  wagner. 
Use  the  Weeder  and  Cultivator  Together. 
1.  Here,  in  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  1  have  used  the 
weeder  on  corn  until  it  was  10  inches  high  and  on  po¬ 
tatoes  until  about  six  inches,  without  injury. 
2.  I  have  also  used  it  in  preparing  garden  and  onion 
ground.  It  pulverizes  the  soil  very  nicely  and  rakes 
up  any  loose  weeds  or  trash  that  may  have  accumu¬ 
lated.  I  have  had  no  occasion  to  use  it  to  cover  seeds, 
but  if  I  were  going  to  sow  grass  seeds  rather  late,  after 
the  ground  had  become  settled,  I  would  surely  use  it. 
3.  The  extent  to  which  it  could  be  used  as  a  culti¬ 
vator  would  largely  depend  on  the  character  and  con¬ 
dition  of  the  soil.  If  the  ground  were  mellow  and 
there  were  no  deeply  rooted  weeds,  but  only  seed 
weeds  with  which  to  contend,  it  would  do  a  large  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  work,  or  in  case  a  crust  had  been 
formed  which  needed  pulverizing,  it  would  form  a  bet¬ 
ter,  finer  and  smoother  mulch.  If  it  is  used  properly 
it  will  do  away  almost  entirely  with  hand  hoeing. 
4.  On  sandy  or  very  mellow  land  the  weeder  would 
do  the  work  of  a  cultivator,  if  there  were  no  large 
weeds,  but  on  hard,  stony,  or  grassy  land  it  would  not 
be  of  service  until  the  soil  had  been  loosened  up  with 
a  more  rigid  tool.  I  think  that  with  soils  and  condi¬ 
tions  favorable,  it  would  take  the  place  of  the  culti¬ 
vator  and  work  deep  enough  for  corn;  but  if  the  soil 
were  hard  and  compact  I  should  prefer  to  work  deep 
early,  before  the  roots  had  spread  so  as  to  be  destroyed 
by  the  cultivator.  I  prefer  deep  culture  for  potatoes 
at  the  start,  as  I  think  the  soil  should  be  kept  as  loose 
as  possible  on  account  of  the  room  required  for  the 
expansion  of  the  tubers;  but  I  should  discontinue 
deep  cultivation  as  soon  as  the  roots  had  spread  so  as 
to  be  disturbed. 
5.  I  have  never  used  a  two-horse  riding  cultivator, 
having  used  the  Planet,  Jr.,  heretofore.  I  have,  how¬ 
ever,  purchased  one  for  this  season’s  work,  as  it  is 
claimed  that  with  it  one  man  can  do  as  much  as  two 
with  a  one-horse  implement.  My  only  reason  for 
changing  is  to  expedite  matters. 
My  ground  is  thoroughly  pulverized  and  fitted  be¬ 
fore  planting,  and  my  potatoes  are  planted  about  four 
inches  deep  ;  both  they  and  corn  are  planted  in  drills 
with  the  Aspinwall  planter.  I  shall  work  the  top  of 
the  ground  thoroughly  with  the  Thomas  smoothing 
harrow  before  the  plants  get  near  enough  to  the  sur¬ 
face  to  be  broken.  That  will  put  the  weeds  back  so 
that  the  crop  will  get  a  nice  start  before  they  appear 
again.  I  shall  follow  on  the  potatoes  with  the  weeder 
at  once;  but  with  regard  to  the  corn,  I  shall  wait 
until  the  plants  get  up  and  uncurl,  as  sooner  they  are 
too  tender  to  withstand  the  weeder.  I  shall  begin  to 
cultivate  the  potatoes  deep  as  soon  as  they  are  nicely 
up,  working  nearer  each  time  I  go  over  them.  I  shall 
begin  to  cultivate  the  corn  when  about  five  or  six 
inches  high  and  continue  as  long  as  possible.  I  shall 
use  the  weeder  after  each  cultivating,  as  then  it  serves 
a  double  purpose — it  destroys  the  weeds  in  the  rows 
and  at  the  same  time  smooths  off  the  ground  after  the 
cultivator  and  rakes  all  weeds  and  roots  cut  up  by  the 
cultivator.  I  shall  not  work  my  potatoes  after  the 
tubers  begin  to  form.  In  my  last  cultivating  I  shall 
use  the  Planet,  Jr.,  with  the  wings  throwing  the 
earth  to  the  rows  a  little.  I  shall  not  hill ;  I  like 
level  culture  better.  c.  R.  white. 
Those  Melon  Questions. 
Here,  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  we  are  almost 
too  far  North  to  speak  with  the  authority  of  successful 
melon  growers,  as  we  get  a  good,  paying  crop  only 
once  in  about  three  years,  the  later  kinds  not  ripening 
at  all.  We  pinch  the  tips  when  the  vines  are  about 
two  feet  long  and  let  about  six  or  eight  melons  set  in 
each  hill.  Manuring  in  the  hill  is  found  to  be  the  best, 
as  we  need  the  warmth  of  the  manure  to  overcome  the 
chilliness  of  our  late  springs.  Sandy  loam  or  light  grav¬ 
elly  soils  give  us  the  best  musk-melons.  But  very  few 
water-melons  are  raised  here,  the  summer  being  too 
short  and  cool  for  them  to  be  sweet.  I  have  found  that 
pinching  off. the  leaves  of  tomato  plants  when  about 
four  or  six  inches  high  gives  them  a  much  more  stocky 
growth  of  stems,  and  they  stand  transplanting  better, 
and  a  hard  wind  does  not  injure  them  so  much. 
W.  B.  GREEN. 
Trying  a  New  Plan. 
Here,  in  LaCrosse  County,  Wis.,  neither  I  nor  the 
neighboring  growers  pinch  the  runners.  Broadcasting 
manure  is  by  all  odds  the  most  satisfactory,  provided 
the  melons  are  planted  on  a  clover  sod  which  had  been 
rather  heavily  manured  the  previous  season.  We  use 
in  addition  unleached  wood  ashes  at  the  rate  of  75 
bushels  per  acre,  and  plow  about  May  10  to  12,  when 
we  generally  plant  our  melons,  because  by  the  time 
plowing  begins,  the  manure  is  well  rotted  and  fine, 
and  the  clover  has  attained  quite  a  large  growth,  mak¬ 
ing  it  still  better.  This  year  we  are  trying  a  different 
way,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  different  results,  if 
possible.  An  old  strawberry  bed  was  plowed  just  after 
the  last  picking  in  1891,  white  turnip  seed  was  sown 
on  it,  and  the  entire  crop,  which  has  grown  very  rank, 
was  left  in  the  ground  to  rot.  This  spring  cow  manure 
was  applied  at  the  rate  of  about  15  double  wagon  loads 
per  acre,  and  plowed  under ;  600  pounds  of  tobacco 
dust  and  200  pounds  of  Mapes’s  Complete  Manure  for 
Light  Soils  were  applied  broadcast  and  harrowed  in, 
and  the  land  marked,  and  to-day — May  21 — musk- 
melons  were  planted  in  hills  four  by  eight  feet  apart. 
A  more  inviting  piece  of  ground  for  the  purpose  would 
be  hard  to  find.  The  finest  melons  are  produced  in 
rich,  sandy  soils.  JOHN  VAN  BOON. 
Business  Bits. 
An  advertisement  of  the  Fitzwater  Rear  appears  in  our  advertising 
columns  this  week. 
The  Rocker  Washer  Co.,  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  send  a  little  pam¬ 
phlet  showing,  by  picture  and  print,  how  washing  day  is  made  easy. 
Mr.  R.  E.  Sanford,  Ex-Rresldent  of  the  New  York  Milk  Exchange, 
is  building  a  large  creamery  or  mllk-recelvlng  station  at  Bloomvllle, 
Delaware  Co.,  on  the  Ulster  and  Delaware  Railroad.  It  will  be  30x100 
feet  in  sl/.e  and  fitted  with  all  the  modern  improvements. 
At  this  date  the  prospect  for  a  satisfactory  crop  of  apples  is  very 
good.  What  is  to  be  done  with  the  surplus  ?  Many  will  be  evaporated, 
but  not  all  can  be  handled  in  this  way.  A  good  deal  of  cider  will  be 
made,  perhaps  more  than  in  any  other  former  year.  Cider  making  is 
like  butter  making  in  the  fact  that,  with  old  methods  and  tools  a  good 
deal  of  juice  is  left  in  the  pomace,  and  much  fat  Is  left  in  the  sklm- 
milk.  To  save  all  the  juice— get  a  powerful  press,  one  that  can  squeeze 
out  the  last  drop.  The  Boomer  &  Boschert  Rress  Co.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
sell  just  such  a  press. 
A  DECIDEDLY  novel  and  interesting  feature  has  been  added  to  the 
first  United  States  Food  Exposition,  to  be  held  at  Madison  Square 
Garden,  New  York,  in  October  next,  in  the  way  of  a  national  exhibit  of 
dairy  products.  This  department  will  be  in  charge  of  Rrof.  James 
Cheesman,  who  represented  the  dairy  interests  of  the  United  States  at 
the  late  Paris  Exposition.  Prof.  Cheesman  has  an  international  repu¬ 
tation  as  a  dairy  expert  and  as  an  authority  in  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  dairy  interests.  This  part  of  the  exposition  promises  to  be  one 
of  its  most  popular  features. 
