ib9b 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
747 
which is better and cheaper. Then in winter, either 
roots, squashes (not pumpkins), or ensilage will give 
equal results with much less grain, and better health 
in the herd. I a’so keep a good-sized lump of rock 
salt in each manger, and prefer this method of salt¬ 
ing, as each cow wil 1 quietly help herself to all she 
needs, and the^ e is no waste : it beats ground salt out 
of sight.” 
“ vVhat record should a cow make to be rated a good 
cow ? ’ 
“ Well, I look at it this way. Suppose you have two 
cows; each cow will give, let us say, 7,500 pounds of 
milk in a year, and your poorest cow should do this 
One gives this quantity in eight months and goes dry 
for four months, the other gives less per 
day, but never goes dry, and her best 
month will not exceed her poorest by 
over 30 per cent. The last ccw is, in my 
opinion, by far the best cow, and her 
milk is likely to be the richer.” 
“ What points do you believe indicate a 
good cow ?” 
“ That is hard to put in words. I like 
a medium-sized cow of quiet disposition. 
Good-sized, well-spread teats, and an easy 
milker, one that milks out and done with 
it, not requiring much of any stripping. 
A good-shaped udder, well filled out for¬ 
ward, that milks out to nothing, that is, 
one that is not fleshy. Broad hips, deep 
bodied, large, mild eye, soft hide. While 
lam not ‘cracked’ on the escutcheon, 
you will notice that all of my cows show 
it well winged out; I think that it shows 
that a cow will hold out well, any way. 
I seldom have a cow go dry over two 
weeks.” 
“ When do you aim to have your cows 
fresh?” 
“About two-thirds of them from August 
20 to Christmas.” 
“ Why?” 
“ For several reasons : First, a cow 
will produce at least 20 per cent more milk 
from the same feed, for her flush comes 
in winter; then in spring when she 
would incline to drop off, the grass keeps up the flow. 
Then, milk is worth more in winter, and if I want to 
raise the calf, I can do better with a winter calf every 
time. Again, I have more time to spare from farm 
work. Yes, the winter cow is much the best.” 
“ Do you warm the drinking water in winter ?” 
“ It certainly pays to do so. The water must be 
warmed either by the cow or the owner ; the cow 
uses corn meal, etc., while the owner can do it with a 
few chips of next to no value. The same is true about 
shelter; something must keep the cows comfortable 
if they are to do ary money making, and that means 
feed, or a warm stable; the latter does it for years, 
but the feed to do it, must come daily.” f. m. o. 
TALKS ABOUT PRUNING. 
KNIFING THE SURPLUS WOOD. 
1. Would you prune the different fruits In fall or spring, and why ? 
2. Are there any fruits that are preferably pruned In the fall ? 
3. Would It be better to prune peach trees la the fall than not to do 
It at all ? 
Protect Winter Bark ; an Old Grape. 
1. If the branches are quite small and few, it makes 
little difference when the tree is pruned. As a rule, 
the bark of fruit trees should remain intact through 
the winter, as a cut in the bark in removing the branch 
in the fall causes evaporation through the cold, drying 
winds of winter. The edges of the bark where the 
limb is removed do not heal over as quickly in the 
spring when growth commences. 2. No. 3. Yes, un¬ 
less the limbs are quite large. We have an Isabella 
grape vine planted against the house some 53 years 
ago. It has borne nearly every year, and the grapes 
now are nearly as good as any variety we have. It 
requires close pruning, as it will overbear if neglected. 
Long Island. isaac hicks. 
Some Reasons for Fall Pruning. 
1. In our locality, I would prefer to prune most va¬ 
rieties of fruit trees, the peach excepted, in the fall 
or as soon as they shed their leaves and become dor¬ 
mant, because I have then more leisure, am not hur¬ 
ried by spring work, and, from recent acquaintance 
with the fruiting peculiarities of varieties, and even 
individual trees, I am better able to give my work in¬ 
telligent direction. I think, also, that there will be 
no loss of vitality when large branches are cut off. 2. 
In my opinion, the apple, pear and grape are prefer¬ 
ably pruned in the fall. 3. The health, vigor, and, 
consequently, the profit of the peach depend so greatly 
on its being pruned, that I should say prune in the 
fall rather than not at all. Indeed, I think much time 
can be saved by removing in the fall all superfluous 
branches and water sprouts. In the spring, when the 
buds have swollen, cut out the dead wood, which is 
then easily located. G. h. Murray. 
Delaware. 
Prefers Fall for Apples. 
1. T find October and November the best months to 
prune apple trees, for these reasons : The leaves are 
on and one can see very quickly which branches need 
removing. I would let the brush remain under the 
trees, as this prevents the leaves from being carried 
away by the wind. These leaves are one of Nature’s 
best fertilizers, and I think we should try to save 
them. If I had large branches to remove, I should 
prefer to remove them in the spring, as they will im¬ 
mediately start to heal. Cherry and pear trees do not 
requ ; re so much pruning as the apple, and, if we start 
right and put them in good shape at the time they 
are planted, there need be only a few small branches 
removed each year, to keep them in good, uniform 
shape. I have to do all of my own pruning, as it is 
impossible to get good men that will do the work 
right. Therefore I prune whenever I have the time 
to spare. By pruning in the fall, the sprouts or 
suckers will not start so freely. 2. If any fruits are 
preferably pruned in the fall, they are the apple and 
the grape. I think the latter, especially, should be 
pruned in the fall or early winter months, preferably 
in November or December. If the work could not be 
done in the fall, I would do it in the spring. Some 
neglect to prune their grapes in the fall, and in the 
spring they are afraid they will bleed to death. (They 
will not.) It is better done late than not at all. 3 
Yes. While the peach tree cannot endure the cold 
that other fruits do, it perhaps would be better to 
prune in spring in this locality. But if not done in 
the spring, I would do it in the fall. e. h. 
Wayne County, N. Y. 
New England Winters Hurt Fall Prunings. 
I have not in the past found it satisfactory or advis 
able to prune fruit trees or plants in the fall. Our 
winters in New England are very changeable, with 
occasional hard freezes; pruning is always a weaken¬ 
ing process and I find that in many instances where 
pruning has been done in the fall, in the spring the 
wood has died back or been somewhat injured several 
inches below the wound ; hence, all the pruning in 
our orchards and with our raspberries and black¬ 
berries is done after the middle of February and before 
growth starts in the spring. As to whether it would 
be preferable to prune peach trees in the fall, rather 
than not do it at all, I should say, most assuredly yes ; 
but can see no reason why any one owning trees 
should not be able to do it in the spring. 
Connecticut. j. h. hale. 
A Connecticut Man’s Practice. 
1. I prune at the most convenient time between fall 
and spring, but prefer not to prune when 
the wood is frozen. Especially is this the 
case with berries, on account of their 
being more liable to splinter. Tender 
varieties liable to winterkill we usually 
leave until spring to save going over the 
ground a second time. 2. I prefer to 
prune grapes in fall or early winter. 
3. YeS. G. S. BUTLER. 
Connecticut. 
A COUPLE OF BACK SAVERS, 
O TO THE GRINDS T ONE F O It R E S T ! 
The potato sorter shown at Fig. 243, is 
from a photograph of the one in use by 
Mr. Hicks. It is so simple that any one 
who can use a hammer and saw should 
be able to make it. The frame is made 
of 2 x 4 stuff, bolted together. The sorter 
itself is made slightly rounding, with 
narrow boards at the sides to prevent 
the potatoes rolling off, The foundation 
is of narrow wooden strips fastened with 
the edges upward, perhaps a couple of 
inches apart. The size of the potatoes 
which it is desired to remove, must deter¬ 
mine this distance as well a3 that of 
the transverse strips. These foundation 
strips must be smooth and straight. 
Across these at regular distances are 
fastened narrow strips of leather, nailed 
at each intersection. One of the dif¬ 
ficulties to be overcome in this connection was to 
cover up these nail heads, which, uncovered, would 
bruise the potatoes. This was accomplished by fasten¬ 
ing narrow strips of canvas on top of the wooden 
strips after the leathers were nailed in place. The 
converging boards are for the purpose of reducing the 
stream of potatoes to the size of a basket placed be¬ 
neath to receive them. Or a bag may be hung here, 
and thus the potatoes be sacked at the one operation. 
The potatoes are poured in at the upper end, and 
roll down over the sorter. The more nearly round the 
pot-atoes, the better is the work done. The sorter is 
so arranged that the degree of slant may be increased 
or decreased. The greater the slant, the more rapidly 
will the potatoes roll down, and the smaller the size 
of those which will fall through. The slant will also 
need to be greater for potatoes of irregular shape. 
The short piece shown suspended at the side is five or 
six feet long, hung by the middle to one side of the 
frame by a rope. If the sorter clogs, a few sharp raps 
given to the underside by pressing down upon the 
outer end of this stick will clear it quickly and easily. 
Potatoes are pretty effectually cleaned of adhering 
earth by being rolled down this incline. A receptacle 
may be placed underneath to catch the small ones, or 
they maybe allowed to drop on the ground as desired 
The shovel shown is a most excellent tool for hand 
ling potatoes. The edges and corners are so con¬ 
structed as to prevent cutting, if properly handled, 
and the open bottom allows dirt to fall through. It is 
capacious but light, and is easily handled. 
Fig. 244, represents what is known as the Bicycle 
grindstone. It is hung like the ordinary grindstone, 
but the pitman rod, instead of fastening to a treadle 
worked by one foot with the operator wearily balanc¬ 
ing himself upon the other, is fastened to a double 
treadle suspended under the center of the frame. This 
treadle is worked by both feet after the manner of a 
bicycle. The seat upon which the operator sits is 
movable up and down to suit the varying length of 
legs. A trough suspended beneath furnishes water to 
wet the stone. The work of grinding becomes mere 
play, with this device. No more of the muscle-strain¬ 
ing, back breaking turning grindstone, so familiar to 
the average farm boy. No more of the wearisome 
one-foot power in vogue with the farmer not blessed 
with boys, but, comfortably seated astride the frame 
the tired farmer may put a keen edge on the dullest 
tools, and be rented and refreshed meanwhile. The 
man familiar with the old, can certainly appreciate 
this new and easy plan. This device is made by Charles 
Simonson, Riverhead, N. Y. It is patented, but the 
treadle attachment can probably be secured and at¬ 
tached to any good grindstone, properly hung. 
