1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
673 
Old-Time  Fish  Farming. 
The  interesting'  account  of  Messrs.  Hallock  &  Son’s 
farm  in  a  late  Rural  sug-gests  that  thoughtful  readers 
of  the  paper  may  be  glad  to  learn  something  about 
the  venerable  town  of  which  Orient  is  an  important  part. 
South  old  town  originally  included  Shelter  Island 
and  Riverhead.  The  former  was  set  off  first,  and  the 
latter  has  been  independent  for  over  100  years.  South- 
old  town  now  includes  the  village  proper,  with  Pe- 
conic,  Cutchogue,  New  Suffolk,  Mattituck  and  Oregon 
on  the  west,  and  Greenport,  East  Marion  and  Orient 
on  the  east ;  also  Fisher’s  Island,  Great  and  Little  Gull 
Islands,  Plum  Island  and  Robin’s  Island.  The  town¬ 
ship  proper  is  bounded  north  by  Long  Island  Sound, 
east  by  Gardner’s  Bay,  south  by  Peconic  Bay,  and  west 
by  Riverhead,  and  has  nearly  8,000  inhabitants,  most 
of  whom  are  farmers.  The  250tli  anniversary  of  South- 
old’s  settlement  was  grandly  celebrated  August  27, 
1890  ;  hence  much  of  the  land  has  been  under  cultiva¬ 
tion  more  than  two  centuries,  and  requires  a  treat¬ 
ment  quite  different  from  that  suitable  for  other  parts 
of  the  Empire  State. 
The  south  shore  of  this  northeastern  part  of  Long 
Island  is  indented  with  numerous  coves  and  creeks, 
outputs  of  Peconic  Bay,  and  these  abound  with 
shellfish,  eels  and  seaweed  which  have  long  been  used 
by  some  for  fertilizing  purposes  ;  and  near  Greenport 
is  a  successful  oyster  plant. 
There  is  often  an  abundance 
of  menhaden  in  Peconic  Bay, 
and  these  are  taken  in  *  ‘pound  s  ’ 
and  bought  by  farmers  and  cul¬ 
tivated  into  the  soil.  Previous 
to  35  years  ago  these  fish  were 
caught  in  seines  about  200  rods 
long,  which  were  owned  in 
shares  by  the  farmers,  who 
manned  the  same  and  some¬ 
times  made  large  hauls.  The 
writer  helped  to  land  more  than 
000,000  one  morning,  and  On 
the  same  day  assisted  in  another 
catch  of  more  than  200,000. 
At  that  time  30  inches  square 
were  allowed  for  each  fish. 
From  8,000  to  12,000  were  spread 
to  the  acre  on  cornfields  for 
wheat,  and  sometimes  the  fish 
were  buried  in  ridges  on  “  shad 
rows”  across  the  fields,  and 
the  “shad-dirt”  was  spread 
and  plowed  under  oat  stubble 
for  winter  grain.  The  price  of  fish  in  those  days 
ranged  from  $1  to  50  cents  per  1,000.  Wages  per  day 
for  ordinary  farm  labor,  with  board,  were  62 )4  cents, 
and  $1  for  harvest  time  and  while  fishing,  d.  p.  horton 
Steel  Roofing  Defended, 
On  page  638  S.  J.  P.,  Mosgrove,  Pa.,  discusses  metal 
roofs.  His  first  statement  with  regard  to  them  is, 
“  The  noise  made  by  them  every  time  a  strong  wind 
blows  is  annoying,”  etc.  This  may  be  so  if  the  roof  is 
carelessly  put  on  and  not  properly  anchored.  In  any 
case  the  annoyance  from  this  cause  cannot  be  more 
than  occasional,  when  there  is  an  exceptionally  severe 
wind.  We  can  find  many  barns  from  which  shingle 
roofs  have  been  blown,  and  in  most  of  these  cases  raf¬ 
ters  and  sheathing  were  taken  as  well.  The  liability 
is  no  greater  with  metal  if  properly  anchored. 
“  They  drop  moisture,”  etc.,  “unless  building  paper 
is  laid  between  the  sheathing  and  roof.”  This  is  true 
under  certain  conditions.  If,  however,  the  sheathing 
paper  is  properly  put  on  (and  with  our  best  steel  it 
costs  but  five  cents  per  square)  sweating  is  impossible. 
No  metal  roof  will  sweat  unless  the  air  has  free  access 
to  the  under  surface  of  the  metal.  A  roof  furnished 
with  two  coats  of  graphite  paint  on  the  under  side  as 
well  as  on  the  upper,  and  with  paper  under  will  never 
rust  on  the  under  side. 
“  In  hot  weather  toilers  or  sleepers  are  almost  suf¬ 
focated.”  No  more  so  than  under  tin  or  slate  roofs, 
and  in  such  weather  a  person  is  nearly  suffocated  any¬ 
where — even  in  the  open  air. 
“  Painting  is  a  periodical  expense.”  Certainly,  if 
one  uses  the  common  iron-clad  paint ;  but  if  he  uses 
the  graphite  paint — two  coats  at  the  factory  and  one 
when  the  roof  is  completed — he  need  not  repaint  for 
from  15  to  20  years. 
The  shingles  of  23  years  ago  were  entirely  different 
from  those  of  to-day.  We  hear  the  statement  every 
day,  “  We  cannot  g«t  good  shingles  nowadays.”  We 
know  that  shingles  are  at  present  made  from  timber 
that  will  make  nothing  slss.  The  liability  to  acci¬ 
dents  in  painting  is  no  greater  with  metal  than  with 
any  other  roof.  A  man  must  use  every  precaution 
necessary  for  his  own  safety  in  painting  a  roof  as  in 
digging  a  well  or  cutting  down  trees. 
“Plan  of  construction  is  faulty.”  This  may  be  so 
in  his  roof.  It  must  be  an  exceptional  case  when  one 
is  compelled  to  put  a  cleat  exactly  at  the  cross  lock. 
We  never  have  more  than  six  thicknesses  at  any  one 
place  on  any  seam,  and  we  do  not  use  a  cap  either. 
“  Sand  holes”  may  occur,  as  they  may  pass  through  a 
workman’s  hands  without  being  seen,  but,  with  special 
attention  to  this  particular  defect,  not  many  get  out. 
The  advantages  of  metal  roofs  named  are  certainly 
correct,  and  “  lightning  proof  ”  is  not  a  “  ifiay  be,”  but 
a  fact,  as  testified  to  by  many  users  of  iron  and  steel 
roofing. 
“  Lower  insurance  rate.”  Who  ever  went  to  an  in¬ 
surance  agent  to  get  a  building  insured  without  his 
asking,  “  What  kind  of  a  roof  ?”  Look  at  your  poli¬ 
cies.  They  read  “  slate,”  “  iron,”  “  shingle  ”  or  “  tin  ” 
roof,  as  the  case  may  be.  Mr.  S.  J.  P.  is  probably  so 
situated  that  his  risks  from  outside  are  insignificant,  or 
the  agent  did  not  give  him  proper  credit  for  the  metal 
roof.  Insurance  companies  undoubtedly  do  reduce 
rates  of  insurance  on  this  account,  and  he  should  in¬ 
sist  on  the  reduction,  or  change  agents. 
“A  tin  roof  may  do”  “with  biennial  painting,” 
provided  expansion  and  contraction  do  not  break 
the  solder,  when  something  Besides  paint  would  be 
necessary.  Expansion  and  contraction  never  break  an 
iron  or  steel  roof,  and,  if  properly  put  on  and  painted 
with  a  durable  paint  which  firmly  adheres  to  the 
metal  and  never  scales  or  crack®,  it  will  be  just  as 
A  Pile  of  Crushed  Corn  Fodder  F  g.  265. 
perfect  a  “rain-proof  covering”  as  tin  or  any  other 
material  for  roofing  purposes,  curtis  steel  roofing  co. 
Milk  Notes. 
The  New  York  Condenseribs  (Borden's)  announce  the  following 
prices  for  milk  at  thecondenserles  at  Wallklll  and  Johnson’s:  October, 
$1.35  per  100  pounds;  November  and  December,  $1.53.  The  Anglo-Swlss 
Company,  at  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  pays  $1.60  per  100  pounds  for  Nove  i.- 
ber  and  December. 
TnE  New  York  Condenser  Milk  Company,  at  Amenla,  Dutchess 
County,  has  recently  made  contracts  for  six  months  with  producers, 
paying  three  cents  per  quart  for  October  and  November  and  3J4  for  the 
four  following  months.  It  is  arranging  for  a  bottling  business  at 
Mlllerton,  about  10  miles  from  Wassalo. 
The  New  England  Milk  Producers’  Association  has  fixed  the  price 
for  milk  for  the  winter  at  37  cem  s  per  8!4  quart  can,  or  about  cents 
per  quart,  the  shipper  to  pay  the  freight.  This  Is  better  than  their 
confreres  who  sell  In  New  York  will  average.  The  one  section  Is 
organized,  the  other  Is  not— that  tells  the  story. 
The  creamery  at  Clrcleville,  N.  Y.,  which  has  been  run  under  a  lease 
to  J.  H.  Weastell,  a  New  York  dealer,  has  been  closed  and  It  Is  re¬ 
ported  that  he  owes  producers  about  $1,500.  As  usual,  Mr.  Weastell 
says  the  milk  was  very  bad— very  bad  Indeed,  and  that  he  lost  money 
on  It  all.  It  looks  as  If  others  might  also  be  losers  by  the  business. 
AT  a  conference  held  recently  at  Elgin,  Ill.,  between  milk  producers 
and  the  proprietors  of  the  milk-condensing  factories,  the  price  of  milk 
was  agreed  upon  from  October  1,  1892  to  April  1,  1893—98  cents  per 
eight-gallon  can,  or  a  trifle  over  three  cents  per  quart.  The  winter 
season  for  dealers  In  Chicago  begins  a  month  later,  on  October  1,  and 
the  price  there  has  not  yet  been  settled.  The  producers  hope  to  make  It 
at  least  14  cents  per  gallon,  as  they  have  to  pay  the  freight  on  the  milk. 
Strawberries  in  Late  August. 
In  a  recent  R.  N.-Y.  Mr.  Jerry  Dutter,  of  Indiana, 
told  us  how  he  gathered  ripe  specimens  of  the  Parker 
Earle  Strawberry  on  August  29.  Mr.  G.  W.  Lowry, 
of  Ohio,  thinks  there  must  be  some  mistake  about  it 
and  wants  an  explanation,  so  Mr.  Dutter  writes  the 
following.  We  can  say  that  the  ripe  berries  he  speaks 
of  came  to  us  in  good  condition  : 
“I  have  some  berries  now  (September  25)  which  I 
have  just  picked  to  show  at  the  Kendellville  Fair.  Of 
course  there  are  not  many  of  them,  but  I  can  find  any 
number  of  hills  bearing  blossoms  and  green  ber¬ 
ries.  I  sent  Thu  Rural  a  boxful  last  September  or 
October,  one  year  ago,  and  the  editors  said  they  were 
as  fine  as  those  that  ripened  in  June  in  the  East.  As 
soon  as  I  had  finished  picking,  I  have  for  three  years 
with  a  mowing  machine  mowed  off  the  vines  and  let 
them  dry  thoroughly,  and  when  the  wind  was  just 
right  burnt  over  the  whole  patch,  mulching  and  all. 
Then  I  took  my  vineyard  plow  and  turned  a  furrow 
each  way  from  the  rows,  after  which  I  hoed  out  all 
hills  to  1)4  foot  apart.  Then  with  the  cultivator  I 
leveled  the  furrows  and  kept  all  clean  until  the  vines 
are  well  matted — in  about  from  six  to  eight  weeks. 
The  vines  treated  in  this  way  always  bear  a  few  ber¬ 
ries  each  in  the  fall  as  well  as  new  sets  planted  in  the 
spring,  probably  owing  to  good  cultivation  and  plenty 
of  stable  manure  and  bone  dust  and  ashes.  I  have 
Salem,  Wilder  and  Eaton  grapes  that  will  not  drop 
througa  an  inch  auger  hole.  How  is  that  ? 
Man  More  Stupid  Than  a  Hen. 
In  The  R.  N.-Y.,  page  647,  the  question  is  asked, 
“  What  is  more  stupid  than  a  Cochin  hen?”  I  answer, 
Man.  In  proof  of  this  I  refer  to  page  639  where  Eras- 
tus  Wyman  is  quoted  as  saying  :  “I  undertake  to  say 
that  about  nine-tenths  of  the  coal  lands  east  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains  are  controlled  by  about  half  a 
dozen  men.  Those  half-dozen  men  could  starve  New 
York  next  winter  if  they  choose.  They  have  struck  a 
blow  at  every  industry  that  makes  wealth,  etc.”  Now 
would  a  lot  of  Cochin  hens  allow  half  a  dozen  of  their 
number  •'o  control  their  means  of  subsistence  ?  Throw 
some  corn  to  a  lot  of  Cochin  hens  and  see  if  they  allow 
a  few  to  get  possession  of  it  all  and  then  let  the  rest 
have  a  little  or  none,  just  as  they  choose.  Now,  men 
make  laws  to  encourage  just  that  sort  of  monopoly. 
Those  half-dozen  men  got  control  of  the  coal  lands  and 
as  long  as  they  do  not  develop 
them  they  are  taxed  at  a  mini¬ 
mum  rate  so  that  they  can 
afford  to  hold  them  idle  and.  in 
that  way  limit  the  supply  of 
coal.  If  those  lands  were  taxed 
to  their  full  value,  whether 
used  or  not,  how  long  would 
the  owners  hold  them  idle  ? 
How  long  would  a  good  bus'- 
ness  man  keep  a  horse  in  the 
barn  eating  his  head  off?  If 
he  had  no  use  for  him,  he 
would  sell  him  and  get  rid  of 
the  expense  of  feeding  him.  So, 
a  good  business  man  would  not 
hold  on  to  coal  lands  that  were 
eating  him  up.  If  he  could  not 
use  them,  he  would  very  quick¬ 
ly  get  rid  of  them.  Tax  those 
lands  to  their  full  value  and  no 
one  can  afford  to  hold  them 
without  using  them,  and  val¬ 
uable  coal  lands  now  held  out 
of  use  in  order  to  limit  the 
s  pp\y  of  coal,  will  become  unprofitable  and  will  be 
worked  or  thrown  into  the  market  and  forestalling  be 
prevented.  Now,  it  is  evident  to  any  fair-minded  person 
that  the  coal  is  in  the  earth  for  the  use  of  all  persons, 
and  if  a  few  are  allowed  to  hold  what  was  intended 
for  all,  why  is  it  not  fair  that  they  should  pay  what 
the  privilege  is  worth  ?  Instead  of  that  we  allow  these 
owners  to  put  in  their  own  pockets  what  should  go 
into  the  public  treasury,  and  advocate  more  heavy 
taxes  on  personal  property  incomes,  etc.,  etc. 
Yes,  man  is  more  stupid  than  a  Cochin  hen. 
GEO.  N.  SMITH. 
Business  Bits. 
The  best  antidote  forltbe  cholera  Is  cleanliness.  Cholera  can't  got 
In  where  everything  Is  clean.  What  makes  things  clean  ?  Hot  water 
well  rubbed  In.  The  trouble  with  many  people  Is  that  the  muscle 
gtves  out  before  the  clothes  are  really  clean.  What  Is  the  remedy  ? 
Magnify  the  muscle  by  the  use  of  machinery.  In  other  words  use  a 
washing  machine  like  the  Rocker,  made  by  the  Rocker  Washer  Co., 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 
Before  you  buy  a  farm  mill  be  sure  to  send  to  N.  P.  Bowsher,  South 
Bend,  Indiana,  for  a  catalogue  of  the  Bowsher  combination  mill. 
These  mills  are  built  In  three  different  sizes,  which  require  from  two 
up  to  twelve  horse  power  and  with  capacities  adapting  them  to  the 
needs  of  every  one,  from  the  farmer  who  grinds  for  himself  alone  to 
those  who  carry  on  a  regular  custom  business.  The  mills  crush  ear 
corn,  husked  or  unhusked,  and  grind  every  kind  of  small  grain,  oil 
cake,  etc.  They  also  crush  ear  corn  and  grind  small  grain  at  the  same 
time,  mixing  the  two  in  any  proportion  desired. 
One  of  the  “green  goods  ’  swindlers  Is,  or  has  been  stopping  at  the 
Passaic  County  Hotel,  at  Passaic,  N.  J.,  and  calls  himself  W.  Shel¬ 
don.  At  least  that  Is  the  Information  contained  In  a  batch  of  bis 
circulars  mailed  to  a  Rural  reader  and  forwarded  to  us.  It  would 
be  Interesting  to  know  how  much  the  police  make  out  of  these  swin¬ 
dlers— how  much  of  their  Ill-gotten  gains  they  have  to  disgorge  In 
order  to  receive  the  protection  or  Immunity  they  desire.  An  earnest 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  police,  backed  up  by  the  postal  department, 
ought  ;o  land  all  these  “green  goods  ”  men  in  the  penitentiary. 
Crushing  Corn  Stalks.— We  shall  print,  next  week,  an  Interest 
ing  symposium  on  the  wisdom  of  cutting  up  the  whole  supply  of  hay 
and  dry  corn  fodder  early  in  the  fall  for  winter  feeding.  In  this  con¬ 
nection  we  want  to  call  attention  to  a  Western  machine  made  by  the 
Keystone  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Sterling,  Ill.  It  Is  called  a  corn 
husker  and  fodder  cutter.  Ordinary  corn  from  the  shock  is  put 
through  It;  the  ears  are  husked  and  delivered  ready  for  shelling  and 
the  stalks  are  cut  and  crushed  so  that  they  are  ready  for  feeding.  We 
gave  a  picture  of  a  pile  of  this  fodder  In  our  corn  number  and  now 
reproduce  It  at  Fig.  265.  This  fodder  is  In  excellent  shape  for  feeding 
and  it  can  be  handled,  In  feeding,  with  fork#  like  hay. 
