1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
539 
quantities  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  in 
the  same  forms,  that  it  makes  very  little  difference 
which  the  farmer  buys.  The  real  object  of  buying  a 
fertilizer  is  to  secure  certain  elements  of  plant  food 
which  it  contains,  elements  which  have  as  definite 
prices  as  sugar,  flour  or  iron,  prices  which  are  authori¬ 
tative  in  commercial  circles.  In  other  words  a  pound 
of  nitrogen  or  potash  is  sold  to  manufacturers  for  so 
much,  just  as  retailers  buy  flour  or  sugar  at  certain 
prices.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  consumer  should 
not  buy  his  nitrogen  or  potash  in  the  same  way,  and 
the  time  is  undoubtedly  coming  when  this  will  be 
done.  Now  trade  names  are  made  much  of,  but  with 
a  more  rational  method,  trade  names  will  disappear, 
and  nitrogenous,  or  phosphatic  or  potash  material 
will  be  sold  as  such  and  will  be  rated  according  to 
what  it  contains.” 
Home-Mixed  Fertilizers. — The  fertilizer  manufac¬ 
turer  buys  or  makes  his  materials  and  mixes  them, 
why  cannot  the  farmer  do  his  own  mixing  ?  Instruc¬ 
tive  statements  concerning  this  question  may  be  found 
in  the  reports  of  the  Connecticut  Experiment  Station. 
In  that  for  1890  it  is  stated  that  the  average  cost  of 
62  nitrogenous  superphosphates  was  .$33.80  and  the 
average  valuation  $28.57.  The  difference  is  $5.23,  a 
percentage  difference  of  18.3.  That  is,  the  same 
quantities  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash, 
which  were  contained  in  an  average  ton  of  nitrogenous 
superphosphate  could  have  been  bought  in  raw 
materials  of  standard  quality  in  ton  lots  in  that  State 
for  $28.57  cash  ;  while  in  the  average  superphosphate 
they  cost  $33.80,  and  hence  the  manufacturers’  and 
dealers’  expenses  and  profits  on  a  ton  of  fertilizer 
averaged  $5.23,  or  18.3  per  cent  of  the  cost  of  the 
materials. 
Eight  samples  of  home-mixed  fertilizers  were  ana¬ 
lyzed  by  the  Connecticut  Station  in  1890.  The  average 
cost  of  the  materials  in  them  was  $34.23  per  ton,  de¬ 
livered  at  the  purchaser’s  freight  station.  The  average 
valuation  of  these  fertilizers  was  $34.85  per  ton.  The 
actual  cost  of  the  materials,  the  report  states,  was  in 
most  cases  lessened  by  special  rates  which  are  given 
where  a  number  of  farmers  give  a  cash  order  for  a 
car-load  or  more.  But  estimating  the  cost  at  the  reg¬ 
ular  trade  price  as  above,  and  calling  the  cost  of  mix¬ 
ing,  $2,  which  is  more  than  it  really  costs  in  actual 
practice,  the  average  difference  between  cost  and 
valuation  was  less  than  six  per  cent.  In  factory- 
mixed  goods  the  difference  averaged  in  round  num¬ 
bers  18  per  cent.  The  mechanical  condition  of  the 
home-mixed  goods  was  found  to  be  excellent.  It 
should  be  understood  that  these  fertilizers  were 
“complete”  fertilizers  prepared,  as  are  most  of  the 
manufactured  fertilizers,  without  any  special  reference 
to  the  wrants  of  the  soil. 
The  reader  may  wish  to  see  some  of  the  formula) 
used  in  compounding  these  fertilizers.  A  mixture  for 
corn  was  composed  as  follows  :  500  pounds  of  ground 
bone  ;  200  pounds  of  muriate  of  potash  ;  100  pounds  of 
sulphate  of  potash ;  500  pounds  of  dissolved  bone 
black  ;  350  pounds  of  tankage  ;  500  pounds  of  nitrate 
of  soda. 
Another  for  potatoes  contained  200  pounds  of  muri¬ 
ate  of  potash ;  300  pounds  of  sulphate  of  potash  ;  750 
pounds  of  tankage ;  350  pounds  of  nitrate  of  soda  ; 
500  pounds  of  dissolved  bone  black. 
I  would  not  recommend  any  one  to  adopt  either 
formula  or  any  similar  one  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  needs  of  the  soil  and  the  best  sources  and  right 
combinations  of  plant  food.  But  if  any  one  wants  a 
complete  fertilizer  made  up  in  proportion  similar  to 
those  which  enter  into  the  factory-mixed  goods,  these 
figures  will  show  him  what  to  use.  j.  w.  newton. 
Lamoille  County,  Vt. 
(lobe  Continued.) 
It’s  a  Good  Year  for  Good  Farmers. 
THE  FARM  FAYS  AN  INTEREST  ON  CAPITAL. 
R.  C.  Prugh  of  Preble  County,  Ohio,  is  an  intelligent 
reading  farmer.  Unlike  C.  E.  Chapman  of  Tompkins 
County,  N.  Y.,  who  started  with  nothing,  Mr.  Prugh 
started  farming  as  a  money  investment  to  get  the 
benefit  of  his  capital  and  enjoy  health  in  a  rural  home 
of  his  own.  His  health  was  poor  when  young,  and  he 
traveled  over  the  continent  in  search  of  health  until 
30  years  old.  About  12  years  ago  he  married  an 
educated  woman  and  bought  his  present  farm  of  275 
acres  of  rich  bottom  land,  part  clay  and  good  wheat 
soil.  It  cost  $65  per  acre,  and  he  put  in  miles  of  tiling 
and  is  now  the  model  farmer  of  this  section. 
This  is  the  year  when  good  farming  pays;  for  while 
his  neighbors  complain  that  “  farmin’  don’t  pay  ”  his 
crops  are  good,  especially  wheat,  oats  and  corn.  He 
has  about  50  acres  of  wheat  that  will  yield  25  bushels 
of  60  pounds  per  acre.  His  lands  being  thoroughly 
tile-drained  and  otherwise  in  as  good  condition  as 
possible,  he  lost  no  favorable  day  in  April,  May  and 
June  to  get  his  planting  and  seeding  done  in  the  best 
possible  order  in  spite  of  the  frequent  rains.  His  tiler 
drained  land  admitted  of  earlier  plowdng  and  planting 
than  others.  He  fertilizes  and  manures  to  push  the 
growth  of  his  crops,  and  by  carefully  reading  and 
learning  the  experience  of  others,  he  has  taken  ad¬ 
vantage  of  every  opportunity  to  make  his  efforts 
against  rain  and  a  late  season  a  success.  This  is  the 
year  for  good  farmers  and  good  farming.  The  oats  and 
corn  are  simply  immense,  and  the  contrast  between  his 
crops  and  others  in  his  section  show  what  a  man  who 
tries  can  do. 
Since  he  began  farming,  12  years  ago,  his  health 
has  improved  and  all  the  surroundings  denote  thrift 
and  comfort.  From  T.  B.  Terry  he  learned  the  manner 
of  cultivating  small  fruits  and  he  has  had  plenty  of 
strawberries  and  raspberries,  both  red  and  black,  and 
blackberries  for  his  own  use.  Ilis  lien  house  is  a 
model  in  all  its  appointments.  He  keeps  about  50 
hens.  To  show  the  push  of  the  man,  he  cut  and  put  50 
acres  of  grass  in  his  barns  in  three  days,  and  judging 
from  what  I  saw,  it  would  yield  at  least  100  tons.  He 
has  all  the  modern  tools  in  use  on  his  farm,  including 
hay  tedder,  hay  loaders  and  unloaders.  He  was  using 
a  side  delivery  horse  rake,  something  entirely  new  to 
me.  He  makes  farming  a  business  matter,  counting 
results  as  in  any  other  branch  of  business,  without 
making  slaves  of  himself  and  family.  He  reads  many 
of  the  agricultural  papers  including  The  Rural  New- 
Yorker,  and  imputes  his  success  to  the  experience  of 
others.  d.  l.  c. 
A  Useful  New  Plum. 
We  are  in  receipt  of  some  specimens  of  a  new  plum 
from  Mr.  J.  W.  Kerr,  of  Denton,  Md.,  who  has  the 
following  to  say  of  it : 
I  send  you  herewith  samples  of  an  attempted  cross 
between  the  Wild  Goose  plum  and  the  German  prune. 
The  tree  is  a  very  prolific  bearer.  The  buds  before 
opening  are  pink  and  very  ornamental.  The  growth 
and  foliage  are  quite  a  variation  from  the  Wild  Goose, 
being  not  so  thorny.  The  fruit,  as  you  will  see,  is 
prune-shaped,  and  is  much  firmer  in  flesh  than  any 
native  variety  I  have.  I  really  regard  it  as  one  of,  if 
Cross  Between  Plum  and  German  Prune.  Fig.  229. 
not  the  best  market  variety  in  a  collection  of  over  150 
kinds. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  illustration,  Fig.  229,  the 
plum  varies  decidedly  from  the  Wild  Goose  form,  hav¬ 
ing  much  the  shape  of  the  prune,  especially  in  the 
neck.  In  color  it  is  substantially  that  of  the  Wild 
Goose — a  rather  deeper  shade  of  red,  and  the  skin  is 
prettily  dotted  with  very  minute,  whitish  specks.  It 
has  also  a  bloom  much  as  has  the  prune  family.  The 
flesh  is  yellow,  solid,  and  adheres  firmly  to  the  pit, 
which  is  about  the  size  of  the  pit  in  the  Wild  Goose. 
The  fruit  is  about  one  eighth  larger  than  the  Wild 
Goose.  The  quality  is  good,  not  best,  there  being  a 
little  too  much  astringency  for  that,  but  it  is  good 
enough  to  be  a  valuable  variety.  It  is  very  handsome 
in  appearance,  and  would  doubtless  sell  well. 
Odd  and  Even  Farm  Notes. 
Double-barrelled  eggs ;  best  sweet  corn  ;  good  raspberry 
plants  ;  keep  flies  oj)'  the  horses ;  turnips  for  green 
manure  ;  eggs  in  salt. 
In  April,  1887,  Mr.  Peter  Oman  sold  to  Mrs.  Linde- 
green  of  West  8th  street,  Jamestown,  New  York,  13 
double-yolked  eggs  laid  by  one  Light  Brahma  hen  he 
owned.  Mrs.  Lindegreen  set  those  13  eggs  under  a 
Plymouth  Rock  hen  and  she  hatched  out  24  well  de¬ 
veloped  chickens  and  raised  to  maturity  22  of  them. 
This  could  be  verified  by  an  affidavit  from  both  Mr. 
Oman  and  Mrs.  Lindegreen.  I  am  personally  acquainted 
with  both  parties. 
There  is  no  sweet  corn  that  I  have  ever  raised  that 
can  compare  with  Perry's  Hybrid  for  quality,  earli¬ 
ness  and  productiveness.  It  is  remarkably  tender  with 
very  large,  well  developed  kernels.  I  have  raised 
every  variety  known  to  the  trade,  and  after  10  years’ 
experience  this  is  my  standby.  I  have  had  10  varie¬ 
ties  growing  at  a  time,  but  dropped  all  but  this  and 
S towel’s  Evergreen. 
There  is  one-third  of  an  acre  of  the  Gregg  Raspber¬ 
ries  growing  on  the  farm  of  C.  W.  Scofield  in  Fluvanna, 
N.  Y.,  which  I  planted  in  the  spring  of  1885,  and  in 
1891  they  produced  the  largest  crop  they  ever  yielded, 
and  have  done  the  same  this  year.  Every  spring  all 
the  old  canes  are  cut  away  and  burned  ;  the  ground  is 
thoroughly  plowed  or  cultivated  between  the  rows  and 
in  autumn  thoroughly  mulched  with  leaves  gathered 
from  the  grove  of  50  sugar  maples  on  the  lawn.  The 
plats  do  not  deteriorate  or  rather  grow  inferior  with 
age.  The  soil  is  sufficiently  rich  and  mellow. 
To  keep  flies  from  horses,  make  a  strong  decoction 
of  shellbark  hickory  leaves  and  sponge  the  animals 
with  it  and  the  pests  will  not  annoy  them  that  day. 
Repeat  daily  ;  to  do  so  is  very  little  trouble,  and  is  an 
effectual  remedy. 
I  could  not  advise  turnips  as  a  green  manure.  In  a 
small  trial  several  years  ago,  I  could  not  see  any  bene¬ 
fit  from  them.  Having  a  small  piece  of  ground  I  in¬ 
tended  sowing  to  buckwheat,  quite  early,  I  sowed  it 
to  turnips — Strap  Leaf.  When  about  three  to  four 
inches  through  and  the  growth  very  rank,  I  plowed 
them  under.  In  oue  week  I  sowed  to  buckwheat  with 
another  plat  of  the  same  size.  I  could  never  discover 
any  difference  in  the  crops  or  the  corn  crop  the  follow¬ 
ing  year.  Turnips  are  about  87  per  cent  water.  [This 
is  what  The  R.  N.-Y.  has  said.  The  turnips  alone  add 
little  besides  humus  to  the  soil — the  “bulk”  of  stable 
manure.  Chemical  fertilizers  should  be  used  with 
them.  They  will  then  give  better  results  than  the 
fertilizers  alone. — R.  N.-Y.  | 
Several  years  ago  I  was  gathering  from  four  to  six 
dozen  eggs  daily  in  April  and  May.  The  market  price 
was  15  cents  a  dozen.  I  concluded  to  try  to  preserve 
mine  as  fresh  as  possible  for  summer  use.  I  procured 
common  boxes,  such  as  canned  peaches  come  in,  and 
put  about  an  inch  of  common  barrel  salt  on  the  bottom 
of  each,  and  placed  my  eggs  in  on  end,  so  as  not  to 
touch  each  other,  and  put  in  salt  to  fill  all  the  spaces, 
and  then  a  layer  of  salt  and  another  of  eggs  until  the 
box  was  full.  Then  I  nailed  on  the  cover.  I  put  up 
180  dozens  in  that  way.  Twic  e  a  week  the  boxes  were 
turned  over.  These  eggs  were  used  in  the  last  half  of 
August  and  September  for  all  purposes — fried,  boiled 
and  poached  ;  in  cakes,  icing  and  in  all  ways  in  which 
eggs  were  used — and  my  cook  said  no  person  could  tell 
them  in  looks,  taste,  texture  or  any  manner  from 
freshly-laid  eggs.  I  practiced  that  way  every  year 
when  I  was  in  the  hotel  business  until  I  quit  it, 
and  I  never  had  one  poor  egg.  I  was  sure  the  eggs 
were  fresh  when  they  were  put  in  salt.  When  left 
without  turning,  the  yolk  settled  to  one  side,  and 
sometimes  hardened,  and  then  a  few  thin-shelled  ones 
became  spoiled.  u.  a.  whittemore. 
Poultry  for  the  Farmer. 
Poultry  on  the  farm  should  net  the  owner  at  least 
$1  ahead  clear  profit,  but  as  a  rule  the  case  is  just 
the  reverse,  the  hens  putting  the  farmer  in  debt  each 
year.  I  have  no  faith  in  an  exclusive  poultry  farm, 
believing  that  there  is  too  much  risk  in  it,  unless  the 
entire  business  is  gone  into — broilers,  roasters  and  eggs. 
Then,  if  the  operator  has  any  experience  and  working 
capital,  he  can  make  a  success  of  it.  But  there  is  a 
big  opening  on  the  farm  for  poultry  culture.  There 
will  be  money  in  every  farmer’s  pocket  if  he  will  kill 
off  all  the  hens  over  three  years  of  age  ;  if  he  will 
grade  up  his  common  hens  with  thoroughbred  males  ; 
if  he  will  provide  better  shelter  ;  if  he  will  keep  the 
premises  cleaned;  if  he  will  stop  corn  feeding  and 
supply  better  feed  ;  and  if  he  will  give  the  hens  as 
good  attention  as  he  does  his  cows. 
I  stopped  one  day  at  a  farmer’s,  and  took  a  look  at 
his  poultry,  and  thought  as  I  watched  the  movements 
of  the  hens,  is  it  a  wonder  that  poultry  on  the  farm 
don't  pay  ?  Two  hundred  fowls  in  one  flock,  and  au 
average  of  two  eggs  a  day  !  At  least  half  of  the  flock 
ran  in  age  from  four  to  six  years.  The  house  was  an 
old  dilapidated  shed,  and  the  roosts  the  highest  points 
of  the  trees.  I  did  not  ask  him  what  he  fed  ;  it  was 
not  necessary.  He  was  but  a  fair  example  of  what 
one  generally  finds  on  the  farm  of  the  man  that  knows 
there  is  not  a  dollar  in  “  a  whole  flock  of  hens.” 
But  I  have  been  visiting  farms  where  the  owners 
take  a  pride  in  poultry,  and  are  making  a  good  thing 
out  of  the  investment.  They  use  poultry  as  an  ad¬ 
junct,  and  they  find  that  it  pays  to  give  the  fowls  the 
best  of  care.  A  farmer  in  the  town  of  Hammonton, 
N.  J.,  by  the  name  of  Swank,  combines  broiling  rais¬ 
ing  with  the  milk  business.  With  a  brooding  house  of 
1,000  capacity,  and  a  dozen  cows,  he  says  he  can  make 
more  clear  cash  than  at  general  farming.  Another 
farmer  devotes  his  time  to  the  butter  and  egg  business, 
believing  it  to  be  the  best  combination.  He  keeps 
nine  fine  Jersey  cows,  and  about  300  fowls  (Brown 
Leghorns  and  Black  Minorcas),  and  by  feeding  good 
egg  foods  to  the  latter,  and  the  best  of  feed  to  the 
former,  and  by  providing  warm  and  comfortable 
stabling,  has  butter  and  eggs  for  sale  just  when  those 
articles  are  scarce  and  when  prices  are  at  their  best. 
Henry  Philipps,  of  Hammonton,  combines  broiler  rais¬ 
ing  with  the  growing  of  fruit.  He  has  the  largest 
brooding-house  (one  having  a  capacity  of  5,000  every 
10  weeks.)  He  also  ships  every  season  tons  of  small 
fruits,  and  seems  to  be  in  the  best  of  financial  health. 
Mr.  Adams,  of  the  same  place,  combines  egg  farming 
