THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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Business. 
SOME FARM BUSINESS. 
Vegetable Packages for Market. 
C 0. A., Bucksport, Me.— What are the size and form 
of the packages for vegetables referred to in the market 
reports; that is, e. g., the crates of beans, the boxes of to¬ 
matoes, and especially the dozen of celery—is it a dozen 
roots or a dozen bunches, and, if the latter, how many 
roots to a bunch ? 
Ans. — The R. N.-Y. gave an article on this subject last 
March, but a brief summary may interest other new sub¬ 
scribers. The size and kind of packages are well under¬ 
stood by people in localities which ship produce regularly 
to this market. The sizes of most packages vary in 
different localities; e. g., the Cape Cod cranberry crate 
holds 32 quarts; while the Jersey crate holds 30 quarts. 
Cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces, and sometimes egg plants 
come in barrel crates. Beets, green peas, string beans, to¬ 
matoes, onions and some other similar articles are in 
crates holding about a bushel. The smallest bushel 
crates come from Bermuda and the largest from Nor¬ 
folk. Charleston sends large numbers of octagonal crates. 
Tomatoes from Key West come in crates holding about 
a peck apiece, each tomato being wrapped in paper. 
When potatoes in bulk are sold by the barrel 180 pounds 
are counted a barrel. The barrels have a capacity of 
about 105 pounds of packed tubers. English and Scotch 
potatoes come in 168-pound sacks. All the coarser vege¬ 
tables, as well as apples, etc., come in ordinary barrels 
holding about 2% bushels. A keg of pears means about a 
bushel. Some barrels, evidently made on a fence machine 
with the pickets close together, are used for cheap and 
light vegetables from the South. A barrel made from 
splints something like a basket, is sometimes seen. A 
dozen of celery usually means a dozen roots, though occa¬ 
sionally, when the roots are small, two or more roots are 
counted as one. 
“ Sell Corn And Buy Linseed Meal.” 
H. W., Mtnaville, N. Y. —I was very much interested in 
an article in The Rural New-Yorker of January 24, page 
62, entitled A Problem for Grain Farmers. After reading 
and thinking it over, I came to the conclusion that perhaps 
a change in the grain rations I am feeding my cows might 
prove advantageous to me in dollars and cents while still 
maintaining or increasing the quantity of milk. My usual 
custom has been to raise all the grain fed on the farm ex¬ 
cept wheat bran. I feed the horses about six pounds of 
oats per day and all the oat straw they will eat, when not 
at work, and hay when worked in winter, and from 6 to 
12 pounds of oats and all the hay they will eat in summer, 
according to the severity of the work. The milch cows re¬ 
ceive three times a day, all the mixed hay, clover and Tim¬ 
othy they will eat up clean, and each gets four pounds of 
the following mixture fed at one feeding : one pound of 
wheat bran ; IX pound of barley, oats and peas, (mixed 
grain grown together), and IX pound corn meal. The 
barley, oats and peas would last only half as long as I 
wished to feed: after they were gone the feed would be IX 
pound of bran and 2X pounds of corn meal. Now the ques¬ 
tion that arises in my mind is whether it would not pay 
better to sell part of the corn and buy linseed meal. Could 
any better and cheaper change be made for the horses? 
Wheat bran is worth $22.50 per ton, corn meal, $24. 
The barley, oats and peas would be worth about $25, and 
linseed meal $25. Would it be a well balanced ration with¬ 
out the linseed meal? How many pounds of each should 
be used to make a well balanced ration. 
Ans. —In feeding horses, five pounds of bran and one 
pound of linseed meal may be substituted for six 
pounds of oats. The oats at 50 cents per bushel of 30 
pounds would cost 10 cents per horse per day. The bran 
and linseed at $22 50 and $25 per ton respectively, would 
cost 6.88 cents per horse per day. The actual food furnished 
by the bran and linseed meal would be greater than that 
furnished by the oats, and at a saving of over three cents per 
day per horse. Linseed meal is rather laxative and should be 
taken out of the ration, if the animal is changed from 
dry hay to green food. In the ration for milch cows the 
bran could be increased to two pounds per day, and one 
pound of linseed be substituted for the corn meal: the 
mixed grain of barley, oats and peas could not be improved 
upon, though after they are used it would be cheaper to 
buy linseed or cotton-seed to fill out the ration. A good 
ration could be made as follows : 15 pounds of mixed hay, 
10 pounds of oat straw, five pounds of wheat bran, two 
pounds of cotton seed meal and one pound of linseed meal, 
making the cost of the bought feed in the ration less than 
10 cents per day. By feeding in this way the corn and oats 
could be sold as suggested in The R. N.-Y. on page 62. The 
value of the manure would also be increased, which is an 
important consideration. 
Cattle Ties and Silos. —I would like to ask of some 
one who has tried them if the Smith’s self-adjusting swing 
cattle stanchions give satisfaction. How close should they 
be put so as to get the greatest number of cows in a 
stable with comfort and ease for the stock ? Are they con¬ 
sidered the best cattle fastenings ? I intend changing from 
summer to winter dairying, and want to convert an under¬ 
ground stable into a cow stable, and also to put a silo into 
one part of the bay, which is 30 by 40 feet and 16 feet deep 
from the plates. Will some one with experience give me 
points on the subject ? I’ve never seen a silo, and don’t 
believe there are any in this county. A. D. s. 
Essex Co., N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—This stanchion gives excellent satisfaction. 
It is the most humane stanchion on the market. We will 
ask our friends to give their experience with the cattle 
ties and silos. 
NOVELTIES AND STAPLES. 
From the Catalogues. 
The Dingee & Conard Co., West Grove, Pa.— 
“Our New Guide to Rose Culture,” is the name of this 
illustrated catalogue, which places its roses first, but is 
giving more and more space each year to hardy plants of 
all kinds, and seeds. A colored frontispiece shows Augus¬ 
tine Gulnoisseau, a white La France; Mad. Baron Veillard, 
a large, pink flower, and J. B. Varrone, large buds of the 
color of Jacq. Another colored plate shows Doctor Rey- 
mont, purplish-red ; Mad. Allegatiere, rosy pink, and 
Sappho, yellow. Sets of roses, carefully selected are offered 
at reduced and very reasonable rates. All rose lovers 
should examine this catalogue. The plants are all upon 
their own roots and may be sent by mail at a trifling 
expense and in perfect safety. 
Northrup, Braslan & Goodwin Co., Minneapolis, 
Minn.—A large illustrated catalogue of “Northern-grown,” 
tested seeds.” The list of potatoes is especially good. On 
receipt of $1 (in cash or postage stamps), the firm will 
send a specified collection of 100 potato eyes (25 eyes each 
of four sorts), nicely boxed and labeled, with full cultural 
directions, postpaid to any address in the United States or 
Canada, in as good condition for growing as if freshly cut 
from the potato, and safe arrival is guaranteed. The R. 
N.-Y. favors this method of introducing new kinds. It 
enables every farmer to try them at small cost. Two 
new oats are highly praised, viz., Golden Giant Side and 
Early Archangel. 
The catalogue of the Eclipse Corn Planter Co., of En¬ 
field, N. H., describes an excellent implement—one that 
The R N.-Y. feels justified in commending. Besides the 
many advantages of using such a planter already given, 
the following note from a North Carolina subscriber indi¬ 
cates a new one : “ Last Spring I bought a Bicycle cultiva¬ 
tor. Owing to our careless way of opening furrows and 
dropping corn by hand, the corn isn’t true in the rows or 
See Page Id 3. 
the rows straight, and some of it is cut up by the cultiva¬ 
tor. I think that if I had a corn planter with a fertilizer 
attachment, and the corn were dropped true, not much 
would be cut up by the cultivator.” There can be no 
doubt about the advantage of having straight rows. 
Geo. S. Josseltn, Fredonia, N. Y.—A tasty and neatly 
arranged catalogue of small fruits. Conspicuous among 
them is the new gooseberry, Red Jacket, a colored portrait 
of which appears. It is as large as the foreign kinds, red 
in color, smooth and said to be entirely free of mildew. 
If so, it will prove to be just what every one wants. Mr. 
Josselyn’s list of grape vines is especially full. He is said 
to have the largest number of plants stored in his cellars 
of any firm in the country. He is the Introducer of the 
popular Fay Currant. 
In the fight against the “ useless fence,” look out for the 
good fence, if you must have any. The catalogue sent by 
S. H. Garrett & Co., Mansfield, O., shows what is made by 
the Garrett fence machine. It is a combination of picket 
and wire, strong, handsome and durable. 
The science of farming with chemical fertilizers is yet in 
its infancy. We are most of us in the primary school, 
trying to master the elements of this science before we 
waste our money and time in experimenting on a large 
scale. The A B C of Agriculture, issued by W. S. Powell 
& Co., Baltimore, Md., is a good primer. Read it. 
There seems to be a great demand for wood ashes this 
year. Many farmers who have never before used this fer¬ 
tilizer are now preparing to try it. Before buying it will 
be well to send for the circulars of the Forest City Wood 
Ash Co., London, Ont., or South Sudbury, Mass. 
A New Cattle Tag. —We are about to adopt in our 
herd a small leather disk, say, one inch in diameter, on 
which Initials and a number have been stamped, the disk 
to be secured on the top of the ear by a hog-ring made by 
J. H. Brown Co., of Chicago. The ring is put close to the 
head so that the disk will hang inside the ear. We con¬ 
cluded to adopt this kind of tag after a comparison of ex¬ 
periences with Mr. George T. Van Norman, the able super¬ 
intendent of T. W. Palmer’s stock farm at Detroit, Mich. 
He informs us that in using this kind for many years he 
has never known one to pull out, while, as is well 
known, the ordinary metal labels are frequently lost, 
especially from young cattle running in the brush. 
Venango Co., Pa. miller & sibley. 
One cent will mail this paper to your friend 
n any part of the United States, Canada or 
Mexico, after you have read it and written 
your name on the corner. 
153 
ABOUT WILLS. 
It is New Year’s Day 1891. Wife has stepped out to call 
on some friends. I have taken out from among my valu¬ 
able papers, here at my desk, something that looks pretty 
blue, but it doesn’t make me feel blue, and I hope it will 
never make my wife feel blue either, or our children. All 
these valuable papers are out of the bank vault on ac¬ 
count of a little business I have with them. This some¬ 
thing that looks so blue is the outer sheet of an important 
document. I do not care much who knows about it. I 
have recently read T. B. Terry’s article in The Rural for 
December 13, last, “Have you made your will?” Yes I 
made it, or rather had it made and paid $5 for the making 
to an experienced lawyer, and now I am going to follow up 
my first idea this afternoon and give The Rural readers 
the exact words of this will with the exception of the 
proper names. There is no occasion for them to know who 
writes this article. I simply give a copy of the will as a 
help and guide to those who care to make wills. 
In the first place we have something less than $10,000, 
of property. Nearly all of it we have earned together. 
We are about 50 years of age and have been married a trifle 
over 25 years. The eldest of our seven children is twenty- 
two and the youngest seven. We are all in fair health. We 
haveabout $500 in bank, nearly or quite enough to pay all 
debts. If the estate were put in the hands of some one to 
administer on I cannot see how any one of my busy neigh¬ 
bors, serving as administrator,could be expected to perform 
the task very well, or how the interests of the family would 
be subserved by dividing the estate in any manner, or how 
wife or children would be helped by paying out the large 
lawful fees to the county judge for his services in settling 
the property. 
We have done and are doing our best to fairly educate 
all the children. That is the best we can do for them. 
The buildings, furniture and four horses are insured 
against fire and lightning. So far, so good. My life is in¬ 
sured for $2,000 in the Ancient Order of United Workmen 
for my wife’s sole, individual benefit, and the money can¬ 
not in any way be used or seized to pay any of my debts. 
When I have been traveling alone on cars or steamers, and 
have been suddenly or rudely awakened at night, I have 
generally turned away to sleep again thinking: “All 
right 1 This is no concern of mine. I have prepared for 
life or death as well as I know how, and I’m going to 
sleep.” That is, I mean to say, that having one’s life and 
property insured and his will made, all tends to allay 
worry in several directions. 
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ENOCH ARDEN. 
I, Enoch Arden, of Blanko, In the County of Tennyson, 
State of Colorado, being of sound and disposing mind and 
memory, and being mindful of the uncertainties of human 
life, do make, publish, and declare this to be my last will 
and testament: 
First. I direct that my funeral expenses and all my just 
debts be fully paid. 
Second. I give, devise and bequeath unto my beloved 
wife, Mary Elizabeth Arden, all my property of every kind 
and nature, both real, personal and mixed, wheresoever 
the same may be situated. 
Third. In case my said wife shall survive me, it is my 
express will that none of my children now living, nor any 
child hereafter to be born, shall receive or become vested 
with any portion of my estate at my decease, but that in 
such event all the rights in my said estate which any such 
child or children would have inherited had I died intestate, 
shall descend to my said wife, as my sole devisee and lega¬ 
tee. This provision is made because I have perfect confi¬ 
dence that my children’s interests will be better subserved 
by their mother’s ownership of the property than by their 
inheritance of the same from me. 
Fourth. I hereby constitute and appoint my said wife, 
Mary Elizabeth Arden, sole executrix of this, my last will 
and testament, and request and direct that she shall not 
be required by the county court, or any court probating 
this will, to give any bond as such executrix, and, further, 
that with the permission of the court, no inventory or ap¬ 
praisement of my property ahall be required, unless in¬ 
sisted upon by my creditors. And I give unto my said 
executrix full power to sell at private sale any or all of my 
property, either real or personal, without any order of 
court; and to manage my estate in all respects as the ab¬ 
solute owner thereof, always recognizing the rights of my 
creditors and parties with whom I have made contracts. 
Fifth. I hereby authorize my said executrix to com¬ 
pound or allow time for the payment of any debt due to 
my estate, and to settle any claim against my estate 
which, in her judgment, is just, whether supported by 
strictly legal evidence or not, and to settle all accounts be¬ 
tween me and any person or persons as she shall in her 
discretion deem expedient; and if agreeable to her and to 
the other party or parties in interest, to refer any matters 
relating to my estate to arbitration. 
In witness whereof I, Enoch Arden, have hereunto set 
mv hand and seal, this seventeenth day of February, A.D., 
1890, in the presence of William Lawson, Amos B. Simp¬ 
son and Joseph Allen, present at my request. 
[Seal] ENOCH ARDEN. 
The foregoing was signed, sealed, published and declared 
by said Enoch Arden as and for his last will and testa¬ 
ment, in the presence of us, who, in his presence, and in 
the presence of each other, and at his request, have sub¬ 
scribed our names as witnesses thereto this seventeenth 
day of February, A.D., 1890. 
William Lawson, of Blanko, Tennyson Co., Col. 
Amos B. Simpson, of Blanko, Tennyson Co., Col. 
Joseph allen, of Blanko, Tennsyon Co., Col. 
What is the cause of this widespread neglect to make 
wills ? It is the fear we all have of facing the terrible, in¬ 
evitable future. The proposition, “ All men must die,” 
strikes with no special terror. But the proposition “2 
must die, and that very soon ,” is appalling. Now the 
making of a will is the applying of the vague truth to self. 
I look down, as it were, into my own open grave. I flee In 
abject terror. I neglect the pressing duty to her whom I 
hope to know and love beyond the present life. There is a 
beautifully bright side to this sad subject. You have it 
in your power to-day to scatter flowers, comforts and 
happy memories along her possibly cold and lonely path 
of widowhood. Thus may the happy dream of youthful 
fidelity have as full a fruition as man and wife may 
reasonably anticipate in this world. Enoch arden. 
