1892 
667 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER.. 
house  is  168  feet  in  length  and  has  a  capacity  of  3,000 
chicks.  The  old  house  was  about  110  feet  and  had  a 
capacity  of  about  1,800.  The  two  will  have,  in  round 
numbers,  a  capacity  of  5,000  and  will  each  produce 
about  four  lots  per  annum,  or  an  aggregate  of  20,000 
per  year.  rI  here  were  about  1,900  lively  chicks  in  the 
old  house,  from  funny  little  fellows  less  than  a  week 
old,  to  those  about  ready  for  the  table.  Steam  heat  is 
always  available  from  the  large  central  boiler.” 
“What  breeds  shall  you  use  for  broilers?”  said  The 
Rural. 
“  I  prefer  a  cross  between  White  Plymouth  Rocks 
and  White  Minorcas.  For  eggs,  1  shall  keep  pure 
White  Minorcas.  We  shall  build  a  hennery  next 
spring  and  will  keep  about  2,000  laying  hens.  The 
hennery  will  be  about  400  feet  long  by  27  wide.” 
“  Why  do  you  propose  to  keep  Minorcas  for  layers  ? 
Will  they  lay  as  well  as  Leghorns  ?  ” 
“  Yes.  They  will  lay  just  as  many  eggs  as  the  Leg¬ 
horns  and  they  are  much  larger  and  finer  fowls  when 
they  go  to  the  table.  The  Leghorn  seldom  weighs 
over  four  pounds,  while  the  standard  weight  of  the 
White  Minorca  is,  cock  eight  pounds,  hen  6%.  Then 
I  need  pure  bloods  to  cross  for  my  broilers.” 
“  Shall  you  keep  any  other  fowls  ?  ” 
“Oh,  yes.  We  shall  build  a  house  also  for  ducks, 
of  which  we  propose  to  raise  about  5,000  per  annum. 
Water  is  not  necessary  for  young  ducks,  but  we  need 
it  for  old  ones.  We  shall  also  raise  some  turkeys, 
probably  White  Hollands  and  some  Embden  geese.” 
“  What  do  you  feed  your  young  chicks  ?  ” 
“  At  first  I  give  them  bread  and  cracker  crumbs.  A 
little  later  I  give  them  cracked  wheat  and  buckwheat 
until  they  are  about  four  weeks  old.  Then  I  begin  with 
cooked  food— corn  meal,  oats  and  bran  mixed;  also 
some  ground  meat  and  bones,  fresh  from  the  butcher. 
I  gradually  increase  their  supply  of  meat  until  they 
are  ready  for  the  market.” 
“  At  what  size  do  you  prefer  them  for  market?  ” 
“  They  market  best  when  weighing  from  1%  to  1% 
pound.” 
“  What  incubators  do  you  use  ?  ” 
“  Come  into  the  incubator  room  and  see.  There  are 
five,  you  see,  of  the  Prairie  State  incubators,  with  a 
capacity  of  about  300  each.  The  Prairie  State  is  a  hot¬ 
air  machine,  and  is  very  good.  I  prefer,  however,  the 
hot- water  incubators,  and  shall  purchase  the  Pine- 
land  machines  for  the  new  house.  There  is  as  much 
in  the  man  as  the  machine.  I  get  good  results  from 
either,  but,  as  I  said,  prefer  the  hot- water  to  the  hot¬ 
air  methods.” 
“  Do  they  require  much  care  ?  ” 
“  They  do,  indeed.  I  open  and  air  the  incubators 
twice  every  day.  I  like  to  keep  the  eggs  at  a  tempera¬ 
ture  of  102  to  103  degrees,  but  they  can  be  cooled  down 
to  85  degrees  when  ventilating,  without  injuring  the 
chicks.  I  turn  the  eggs  once  a  day.” 
“  Are  you  troubled  much  with  vermin  ?  ” 
“  !Not  at  all.  We  don’t  have  any.  If  I  buy  eggs 
from  outside,  every  one  is  carefully  wiped  to  be  sure 
that  neither  louse  nor  germ  is  left  on  it.  I  keep  the 
fowls’  quarters  perfectly  clean,  and  have  no  vermin  in 
the  place.” 
“  Do  you  do  any  caponizing  ?  ” 
“  We  have  not  yet,  but  shall  next  season.  We  hope 
to  make  that  a  prominent  feature  of  the  business.” 
What  Mr.  Morton  Says. 
During  our  walk  about  the  place  we  met  the  owner, 
Vice-President  Morton,  and  had  a  pleasant  chat  with 
him.  He  is  a  genial,  unassuming  gentleman  and  when 
walking  about  Ellerslie  looks  like  a  comfortable, 
well-to-do  and  well-fed  farmer. 
‘  Oh  yes,”  said  Mr.  Morton  in  response  to  our  quer¬ 
ies,  “Ellerslie  is  a  very  pleasant  place  and  I  thoroughly 
enjoy  the  time  I  am  able  to  spend  here.  It  seems  like 
so  much  gained.  I  think  every  well  regulated  mascu¬ 
line  mind  has  more  or  less  of  a  yearning  for  Mother 
Earth  and  at  some  time  feels  as  though  he  would  like 
to  own  a  bit  of  it  and  see  something  growing  which  he 
could  call  his  own.” 
“  I  suppose  it  is  hardly  a  profitable  affair,  looked  at 
from  a  business  standpoint  ?”  ventured  The  Rural. 
“Oh  no,  at  least  not  yet.  But  Mr.  Cottrell  is  very 
ambitious  and  very  practical  and  promises  some 
results  in  the  future,  which  will  be  very  gratifying. 
We  are  fast  getting  things  into  good  shape  and  then 
Mr.  Cottrell  can  have  a  chance  to  demonstrate  the 
wisdom  of  his  plans.  Of  course  you  understand  that 
Ellerslie  was  not  established  as  a  money-making 
affair,  but  for  a  pleasant  country  home.  If,  however, 
in  the  line  of  scientific  agriculture,  it  can  be  made  to 
conserve  its  original  purpose  and  also  to  pay,  it  will 
be  a  useful  object  lesson  to  all  concerned.  In  health, 
comfort  and  rural  pleasures  it  already  pays  large 
dividends.  The  other  side  is  for  the  future  to  settle.” 
The  residence  at  Ellerslie  is  a  large  and  imposing 
structure  and  the  grounds  are  laid  out  tastefully,  fur¬ 
nishing  lovely  drives,  beautiful  lawns  and  woodland 
scenery.  Large  hot-houses  for  roses,  flowers  gener¬ 
ally,  vegetables  and  a  grapery  are  kept  up  in  good 
style  and  the  garden  is  as  trim  as  the  skill  of  an  Eng¬ 
lish  gardener  can  keep  it.  With  the  exception  of  a 
small  part  immediately  surrounding  the  residence, 
the  grounds  are  open  to  the  public  and  are  visited 
by  large  numbers.  e.  g.  f. 
What  is  This  Apple? 
At  the  fair  of  the  Ulster  County  Agricultural  Society, 
held  recently  at  Ellenville,  N.  Y.,  we  had  our  atten¬ 
tion  called  to  a  plate  of  apples  exhibited  by  Mr.  J.  S. 
Van  Kleeck,  of  Stockwell  Farm,  Wallkill,  N.  Y.,  under 
the  name  of  Summer  Spitzenberg.  The  apple  was  so 
handsome  and  of  such  excellent  quality,  that  we  have 
had  it  drawn  in  half  section  for  our  readers.  It  is  not 
the  apple  described  by  Downing  as  Summer  Spitzen- 
berg — not  at  all  like  it.  The  following  description 
of  the  fruit  was  made  from  the  specimens  alluded  to 
above : 
“  Fruit  large,  long  conical,  nearly  covered  with  red, 
splashed,  with  yellow  showing  through  in  places. 
Flesh  tender  and  of  high  quality,  somewhat  resem¬ 
bling  the  Spitzenberg  in  flavor.  A  tinge  of  red  shows 
in  the  flesh  near  the  skin.  Ripens  in  August  and 
September.” 
In  a  letter  from  Mr.  Van  Kleeck  he  says  he  has  five 
trees  of  the  variety  about  eight  years  out.  He  cannot 
tell  where  they  came  from,  as  they  were  on  the  place 
when  he  bought  it,  six  years  ago.  He  values  the  apple 
very  highly. 
We  saw  the  same  apple  at  the  Orange  County  fair 
the  following  week,  when  it  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  S. 
J.  Fleming,  of  Wallkill.  lie  says  the  fruit  shown 
came  from  an  old  tree — probably  40  years  of  age. 
Messrs.  W.  B.  Brown  and  Daniel  T.  Weed,  both  of 
Newburgh  and  notable  as  local  authorities  on  apples, 
are  familiar  with  it  under  the  name  given  above. 
They  assert  that  it  originated  in  Ulster  County.  We 
presume  cions  can  be  had  of  either  Mr.  Van  Kleeck  or 
Mr.  Fleming,  and  we  commend  the  matter  to  our 
pomologists.  The  fruit  is  among  the  very  best. 
Rhode  Island  Turkeys. 
RAISING  THE  PRESIDENT’S  THANKSGIVING  DINNER. 
Why  are  these  the  best  ?  They  certainly  are  the  best 
because  the  highest  market  prices  are  obtained  for 
them. 
On  the  farm  of  Mr.  Tucker,  Miss  Lucy  Tucker, 
I  rovidence  Island,  Providence,  R.  I.,  has  been  very  suc¬ 
cessful  in  raising  turkeys  this  last  season.  She  started 
in  the  spring  with  35  hens  and  two  gobblers.  The  hens 
make  their  nests  at  a  distance  from  the  house,  by  the 
side  of  stone  walls  and  in  clumps  of  bushes  in  all  parts 
of  the  farm,  which  comprises  380  acres.  To  gather  the 
eggs,  find  and  mark  the  nesting  places,  set  the  hens, 
coop  and  feed  the  young  turks  when  hatched,  require 
every  day  a  walk  of  from  8  to  12  miles. 
The  young  turkeys- are  fed  three  times  a  day  on 
Rhode  Island  corn  meal  mixed  with  sour  milk  until 
two  months  old,  then  twice  a  day  until  about  three 
months  old,  then  whole  corn  until  fattened.  Miss 
Tucker  has  raised  this  season  over  400  birds. 
On  account  of  the  superior  quality  and  also  the  neat 
dressing  of  her  turkeys,  Mr.  Geo.  0.  Leonard,  who 
keeps  a  market  in  Providence,  buys  the  majority  of  the 
flock,  paying  from  25  to  30  cents  per  pound.  The 
average  price  obtained  per  turkey  last  year  was  $3. 
Four  hundred  birds  at  $3  apiece  bring  in  $1,200.  Miss 
I  ucker  says  that  $300  will  more  than  cover  ail  expenses, 
leaving  the  goodly  sum  of  $900  for  her  summer’s  work. 
The  turkeys  do  not  prevent  Mr.  Tucker  from  culti¬ 
vating  about  25  acres  of  corn,  potatoes,  oats,  etc.,  and 
cutting  about  70  acres  of  grass.  He  has  also  a  few 
acres  of  orchard.  The  crops  are  secured  before  the 
birds  are  large  enough  to  harm  them.  Miss  Tucker  is 
not  quite  15  years  old,  and  it  is  from  her  flock  that 
two  turkeys  are  selected  every  year  and  sent  to  the 
President  of  the  I  nited  States  that  upon  every  Thanks¬ 
giving  Day  he  may  give  thanks  for  the  best  the  country 
produces.  Robert  niven. 
“The  Cost  of  Life.” 
how  some  gardeners  prosper. 
Part  of  Farm  Under  Glass. 
We  can  buy  roller  ground  flour  at  $5.25  per  barrel, 
entire  wheat  flour  at  $5.75  per  barrel,  granulated  sugar 
six  cents  per  pound.  Six  dollars  per  month  will  cover 
our  meat  bill  bought  from  the  butcher’s  cart  at  the 
door,  as  we  are  not  great  meat  eaters.  A  good  business 
suit  of  clothes  costs  from  $10  to  $15.  Ready-made  shoes 
for  dress  $2,50  up,  workshoes  $1.25  to $2.50,  boots  $2.50 
to  $3.50,  all  of  fair  quality.  A  dress  for  my  wife— if  I 
had  one— would  cost  for  material,  calico,  50  cents  to$l; 
cloth  $10  to  $12,  silk  $10  to  $20,  reckoning  on  a  basis 
of  10  yards.  Of  course  much  depends  on  the  manner 
of  making  and  amount  of  trimmings  and  kickshaws, 
but  this  is  as  near  the  truth  as  an  unsophisticated 
bachelor  may  be  supposed  to  know.  We  have  no  use 
for  patent  medicines  and  our  doctor’s  bill  for  a  family 
of  seven  would  probably  not  average  over  $15  per 
year. 
Our  farm  is  mostly  under  fruit  and  special 
crops  with  pasturage  and  part  of  the  winter  feed  for 
one  cow  and  four  horses,  the  43  acres  it  contains  being 
divided  about  as  follows:  15  acres  Niagara  grapes,  6% 
acres  peaches,  two  acres  strawberries,  1  acre  dwarf 
pears,  one  acre  apple  orchard,  one  acre  potatoes,  one- 
half  acre  onions.  The  remainder  is  in  grass,  lawn 
and  fodder  crops.  We  also  have  about  5,500  square 
feet  of  glass  devoted  to  carnations  and  violets,  etc.,  for 
winter  bloom.  Meat,  flour  and  groceries  are  all 
bought.  We  raise  what  fruits,  vegetables,  poultry, 
milk  and  butter  we  need.  The  winter  forcing  of  flow¬ 
ers,  especially  carnations,  is  assuming  large  propor¬ 
tions  in  this  section— Chester  County,  Pa.— and  judging 
from  the  amount  of  glass  being  put  up,  it  mu&L  be 
generally  successful.  Dairying  is,  however,  the  main 
business  with  the  majority,  this  being  a  fine  country 
well  adapted  to  the  purpose,  possessing  a  good  climate 
soil  and  water,  as  well  as  proximity  to  markets. 
C.  P.  BARNARD. 
Seventy-five  to  200  Members  in  This  Family. 
For  nearly  50  years  I  have  lived  in  a  family  numbering 
form  75  to  200,  here  in  the  Oneida  Community,  Madison 
County,  N.  Y.  The  present  number  is  75  or  80,  hence 
the  articles  purchased  for  our  subsistence  have  been  at 
wholesale  prices.  The  prices  of  articles  named  have 
been  recently  paid  for  goods  delivered  in  our  store¬ 
room :  flour,  best  patent,  $5.20;  Graham,  $5;  best 
Akron  oat  meal,  coarse  and  fine  meal,  $5.50;  granulated 
sugar,  $5.31  per  hundredweight.  We  do  not  use  as 
much  meat  as  many  do.  Our  meat  is  mostly  fresh  (ex¬ 
cept  canned)  for  which  we  pay  $75  to  $80  per  month. 
Our  table  is  largely  supplied  with  fruits  in  some  form 
In  June,  July  and  August  our  bill  for  berries  was  $221, 
which  were  grown  on  our  grounds.  Our  board  is  at 
cost  prices— men’s  board  $2.20,  women’s  $1.88.  Per¬ 
haps  in  reality  there  is  not  this  difference  in  the  cost 
of  board  between  men  and  women,  but  the  company 
prefers  to  make  it  as  light  for  the  women  as  may  be. 
The  rent  of  our  rooms  is  according  to  size  and  loca¬ 
tion.  My  rooms  on  the  second  floor,  fronting  the 
south,  with  two  large  windows,  sitting-room  18x18 
feet,  bed-room  adjoining  11x10  feet,  rent  $7.25  per 
month.  In  this  is  included  steam  heat,  Turkish  baths, 
water  baths,  library  and  reading  room  furnished  with 
local  and  daily  papers,  magazines,  etc.;  also  privileges 
of  a  fine  lawn  and  many  house  accommodations  which 
are  highly  prized  by  the  occupants.  Boots  and  shoes 
are  bought  at  low  prices,  from  $2  to  $3  for  men  and 
women;  a  good  suit  of  clothes  costs  from  $13  to  $20.  My 
business  is  growing  fruits  and  a  few  vegetables  in  a 
small  way.  I  am  past  my  three  score  years  and  ten, 
and  find  much  pleasure  in  cultivating  small  fruits  and  a 
few  trees.  The  profits  I  get  are  in  the  direction  of 
fresh  out-door  air  and  pleasant  and  healthful  exercise. 
JOS.  C.  ACKLEY. 
At  a  Massachusetts  Summer  Resort. 
Swampscott  is  a  seaside  summer  resort  and  prices 
rule  high  on  groceries  and  meat.  For  the  past  two 
years  1  have  bought  all  our  groceries  and  provisions 
in  Lynn,  about  three  miles  from  here.  I  buy  at  a 
cash  store  where  a  delivery  team  is  not  kept,  conse¬ 
quently  I  purchase  as  low  as  I  can  at  retail.  I  am  a 
gardener  and  manager  of  a  gentleman’s  farm.  We 
grow  all  the  common  vegetables,  except  potatoes, 
