1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 349 
THE PROSPECT. 
Last week we gave a picture of the Paris-green 
gun—showing its different parts in detail. As we 
have before now explained, this gun is the best thing 
we have found for applying poisons and fungicides in 
a dry form. There is no longer any doubt about the 
value of this gun for applying Paris-green to such 
crops as potatoes. There is an immense saving 
in time and power, because all the work of mix¬ 
ing, carrying and forcing out large quantities of 
water, plaster or other materials, is done away. It 
seems to us certain that for many kinds of this work 
of poisoning insects or curing plants, the dry method 
is bound to supersede the wet. It will require further 
experiment to tell under just what circumstances the 
water mixture is to be retained. 
tt 
The outlook for new potatoes seems better this year 
than during some recent years. Reports indicate that 
the old stock is pretty well cleaned up. Many foreign 
potatoes have been brought in, but the supply of 
these 'is nearly exhausted. Bermudas have been quite 
plentiful, but won’t cut much of a figure longer. The 
Southern crop was badly damaged and belated by the 
freeze in March. The great trouble is likely to be 
that these will come into market about the same time 
as those from more northern points, and thus cause a 
glut in the market. Aside from this, the outlook is 
favorable. Potato 'receivers complain that southern 
shippers do not assort their potatoes closely enough, 
and thus receive lower prices. Some shippers also 
use crates holding about a barrel each, but buyers do 
not like these, and they usually sell for less than bar¬ 
rels. Bushel crates are not wanted except at very low 
figures. ^ 
Why is it that crooks are forever getting up some 
new scheme to swindle farmers ? It must be because 
they find so many victims among that class. It is but 
fair to the farmers as a class to say, however, that 
those who are defrauded are usually those smart 
individuals who can’t learn anything from the papers, 
or who are too penny wise and pound foolish to sub¬ 
scribe for them. One of the latest frauds is reported 
from central New York, though it isn’t to be supposed 
that it will end in that locality. A slick individual 
who represents himself as an agent for a variety 
show, rents space on farm buildings and fences on 
which to post bills. He pays cash for the privilege, 
which is square enough, but requires the farmer’s 
signature to a printed receipt that he may have a 
voucher to show for the money paid out. Soon after, 
the farmer receives notice from a third party that the 
latter holds a note against him which the farmer is 
obliged to pay. The voucher has been transformed 
into a note. Never sign any kind of paper for a 
stranger. ^ 
In The R. N.-Y., of May 26, we gave some figures 
showing the cost of selling wheat in North Dakota. 
In the same issue was a statement from western 
Kansas about the feeding value of wheat. In a recent 
bulletin from the South Dakota Station, we have the 
record of an experiment designed to show that farm¬ 
ers can realize more by feeding their wheat to hogs 
than by selling it to millers. Hogs were bought about 
September 1, “ fed on nothing but wheat, water, ashes 
and salt,” with a little hay or com fodder, and sold 
about December 1. The difference between cost and 
selling price of the hogs shows that the wheat fed to 
them brought from 56 to 58 cents per bushel. It is 
assumed in this figuring that the manure paid for the 
labor. Mr. Carpenter told us last week that his wheat 
netted him 42 cents a bushel. The hogs paid better 
than the millers in this case. Not only that but they 
left a good share of the fertility of the wheat on the 
farm. This item is worth considering even in South 
Dakota. It seems a pity that the famous wheat of the 
Dakotas should not aU be made into bread ; but facts 
are stubborn, and, for the present, at least, it will 
evidently pay to feed much of it to live stock. 
* 
Few inventions of late years have done more to 
lighten work in the hay field than the hay loader. 
With one of these machines fastened to the back of a 
wagon, one man and a boy will take the hay from the 
ground as fast as the team can walk. The tireless 
steel fingers that gather the hay and carry it to the 
top of the load, ask for nothing but oil to eat, and, 
with careful usage, never go on a strike. With 
mower, horse rake, loader, and some good device for 
unloading by horse power, a farmer can handle a 
large crop of hay without going outside of his own 
family for help. Before buying a hay loader, a farmer 
should remember that he will need to cut a good deal 
of grass to make such a tool pay interest on its cost. 
Not only that, but he must get one that will do the 
best work on his farm. The very fact that different 
farms and farmers require differences in tools, ex¬ 
plains why there are differences in hay loaders just 
as there are in plows, harrows or cultivators. Each 
one is designed to do a special work. There are two 
chief principles operated in hay loaders. In one the 
hay is pulled on by a system of rakes which work 
much like the old hand rake of earlier haymaking. 
You might compare this to the principle of raking 
the hand towards you with the fingers down. The 
other principle is the reverse of this. It is more like 
putting the hand on its back aud working the fingers 
toward you. In a general way this is the chief differ¬ 
ence in hay loaders. We can readily see that both 
plans have their use, according to the grass to be 
raked and the surface of the field. Our advice to 
farmers is to study the merits of these machines as 
described in the manufacturers’ catalogues. And 
here we take occasion to say again that the adver¬ 
tisements in The R. N.- Y., and the circulars and 
catalogues that lie back of them are a very useful 
part of the paper. « 
There has been some discussion as to how the pro¬ 
posed income tax in the Wilson tariff bill would affect 
building and loan associations. As the bill now 
stands it reads : 
This act shall not apply to the Income or dividends received or paid 
by such balldlnK and loan associations as are organized under the 
laws of any State (or) territory or the DUtrict of Columbia, and which 
do not make loans except to shareholders for the purpose only of en¬ 
abling such shareholders to provide for themselves homes (within the State 
where such associations have been organized). For the purposes of 
this act, ‘‘ dividend ” shall include every payment In the way of 
division among the owners of the stock or capital of a corporation or 
persons entitled to a share of Us protlts or Income, whether such divi¬ 
dends are paid out of the profits or not, or are paid in cash or other¬ 
wise. 
The words in parentheses were in the bill as it came 
from the House. The Senate committee took them 
out and added those in italics. While, on its face, 
this seems to exempt such associations, it is said that 
many of these companies make temporary loans to 
shareholders which are not strictly to provide homes. 
It is feared that a strict construction of the income 
tax bill would exclude such asso'ciations from the ex¬ 
emption. ^ 
When The R. N.-Y. first began to talk about “ Chem¬ 
icals and Clover,” many of its Western friends shook 
their heads dubiously. The idea of using clover for 
anything but stock feeding was a proposition that 
seemed absurd to many. Our plan has always been to 
get the facts about this matter. While we fully be¬ 
lieve that chemicals and green manures can take the 
place of stable manure, we simply ask others to in¬ 
vestigate and experiment—not to plunge in and make 
a complete change at once. It gives us great satisfac¬ 
tion to find the following written by M. A. Thayer, 
the small fruit grower of Wisconsin : 
Qreen clover, cut when the blOBsoms appear, and applied at once, la 
beat [for mnlchlugj. It abould be placed continuously along the hllla, 
about three feet wide and four inches deep, leaving a clear apace be¬ 
tween the rows for shallow cultivation. It Is easily applied, retains 
the moisture near the surface, prevents the growth of weeds, keeps 
the berries clean and enriches the soil. 
Think of that use of green clover for a Western State ! 
Yet, who will say it is not a scientific method of grow¬ 
ing small fruits ? That is where Scarlet clover gets 
more votes than its Red brother. It will grow right 
between the rows of berries and needs only to be cut 
and left on the ground ! 
tt 
The question of hired men’s wages comes up again 
this week. The statements made in this issue are 
worthy of study. One would suppose that in times 
like these, when thousands of men are out of work, 
farm labor would be cheaper in the Eastern States, 
because the idle town workmen would go the country 
for work. This does not seem to be so at all. As a 
matter of fact, the nearer one comes to a market the 
higher are the wages demanded by good farm labor¬ 
ers. Wages are apparently lowest in sections where 
agriculture is about the only industry and there is less 
competition for labor. For example, our North Da¬ 
kota friend finds it cheaper to be his own hired man 
in spite of the fact that many hands are working for 
board. In Colorado, cattle and sheep herding create 
an outside demand for labor, and the result is compe¬ 
tition, which enables the farm hand safely to demand 
higher wages and easier terms. The question presents 
some very curious aspects. In the older States to-day 
a skillful farm hand has a safer job and can save more 
money than a man of equal skill in almost any branch 
of city or town trade. Farming to-day pays a larger 
proportion of its income to labor than any other 
branch of industry. The farm hand is better off in 
the proportion of his wages to the income of the farm¬ 
er than the workman in mill or factory is to his em¬ 
ployer. While prices for the farmer’s products have 
fallen, the hired man’s wages have actually risen, 
while he does not, as a workman, produce more than 
he used to. Why then is the manufacturer better off 
than the farmer? 1. He has better control of his 
market. 2. He does business on a scale that enables 
him to take advantage of every new machine. 3. He 
can organize his forces. 4. He has a better oppor¬ 
tunity for securing cash, with all its advantages in 
making a bargain. ^ 
The New England “ abandoned farm” bugbear has 
been about exploded. Long lists of such places have 
been printed and orators have held them up as evi¬ 
dences of the decadence of agriculture. Many a man 
has started out to find one of these “ dirt cheap ” 
places. When he did find one that “ sold for a song,” 
he found it was not worth singing for. There are once 
cultivated fields that are now growing up to trash and 
trees. Instead of being a subject for sorrow, this is a 
hopeful sign because the land never should have been 
broken. It never would have been if the early settlers 
had known what lay beyond it. Generation after 
generation has grown lean and hard on these old 
fields, until at last enforced competition with other 
sections has forced some recent sprout of the race to 
see that desertion is the only honorable way of keep¬ 
ing up the fight. A fair price must be paid for any 
land in New England that has real value of soil or 
situation. We say, as we have always maintained 
that for the man with a reasonable amount of cash, 
the East offers to-day a better opportunity for soil 
culture than many parts of the West. Read what 
Prof. Roberts said about this last week. 
The Louisiana Planter prints the following letter 
from a fertilizer manufacturer who had sold fertilizer 
for use at the Louisiana Experiment Station. Dr. 
Stubbs, the director, analyzed the goods and found 
them far below grade. On pointing out the adultera¬ 
tion, he received this answer : 
We have absolutely no defense for the adulterated chemicals sent 
you. As before written you, our senior, owlCKto Illness, was not able 
to give his attention to business during .January and February. We 
employed a competent man, we thouKht, to run the business; he came 
from a reputable fertilizer concern to us, and much to our surprise, 
upon InvestlRatlon, after your complaint, wo found he was followlnK 
In the same footsteps which ho sajs was the practice In the house he 
came from, actually adulterating our goods to make his factory 
accounts show belter for his own benefit. We would really never 
have found this out, had we not received your complaint, and com¬ 
menced a stringent Investigation. 
The name of the manufacturer is not given, or are we 
told how the fertilizer was adulterated. The farmers 
of this country have been swindled out of millions by 
these fertilizer sharks. What in the world was this 
man doing that he did not know what was in his goods 
until complaint was made ? A single analysis of the 
miEed goods in his own factory would have told him. 
We are glad to say that only in States where the fer¬ 
tilizer laws and system of inspection are lax, would 
such goods be sold in large quantities. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Tub Johnston Harvester Co., of Batavia, N. Y., Is a very reliable 
concern. They make the Globe mower, which Is highly praised by 
many who have given It a fair test. Our advice to those who want a 
new mower this year Is to Investigate the merits of the Globe before 
buying. Send to Batavia for a catalogue. 
TUB .1. E. Porter Co., of Ottawa, Ill., manufacture a complete outfit 
of tools for getting hay Into the barn. Tracks, pulleys, slings, grapples 
and forks are all described and Illustrated In their catalogue. Get¬ 
ting the hay under cover Is a very Important part of haying. Goto 
headquarters and learn how to do It properly. 
AIk. Euwauu S. Him., of the Hillsdale Farm, Peruvllle, N. Y., 
writes us that Tub K. N.-Y. is such a good middleman that he wants 
us to keep his little ad. standing some time longer. Mr. Hill has some 
fine breeding Berkshire sows, and he tells us that his stock never did 
better than this year, some of his sows farrowing 17 nice pigs. 
Spkayinu has helped other fruit growers; It will help you if you 
get the right sprayer. To get the one best suited to your partlcnlar 
needs is the problem. A good, one-man machine Is the Perfected 
Galloway Knapsack sprayer. The Demlng Company, Salem, O., will 
send their catalogue, which tells all about It, If you ask them. 
Following up what is said elsewhere on this page about hay 
loaders, we call attention to the catalogues and circulars of the Rock 
Island Plow Co., of Rock Island, Ill. Theirs is the rake that works on 
the principle of the old hand rake. The machine Is well made and 
those of our readers who want to Investigate Its merits will receive 
prompt and courteous treatment. 
The Keystone Mfg. Co., of Sterling, 111., have advertised In The U. 
N.-Y. for many years. We have always found them an honorable and 
trustworthy firm to do business with. The special tools that claim 
our attention this week are those used In haying. The Keystone hay 
loader and side delivery hay rake are two useful and popular too.s. 
We Invite our readers to send to headquarters for a descriptive cata¬ 
logue. 
Spubadino manure by hand Is hard work, as every farmer knows, 
but Kemp's manure spreader makes easy work of H. But there Is an¬ 
other point In favor of the spreader. It spreads the manure evenly 
and puts on a certain quantity to the acre. Besides this, it Is finely 
pulverized and In better shape for plant food than when spread by 
hand. Write Kemp & Burpee Mfg. ;co., Bjx 38, Syracuse, N. Y., for 
catalogue. 
Small powers of one kind or another are getting to be a necessity 
In the economic management of farms. The boiler and engine are 
not just what every farmer needs, but when he can use them to ad¬ 
vantage they always make a satisfactory power, and are always 
turned to more uses, when once on the farm, than were anticipated. 
We have never known a farmer to regret having invested in one. 
Armstrong Bros., Springfield, O., furnish various sizes for farm use 
and will be glad to send particulars. 
Two things have bothered you before now in your farming. You 
have been delayed because you could not drive on to plowed or soft 
ground with a load or after one. Your narrow tires out into the 
ground too much, acd so you lost valuable time waiting for firmer 
ground. You have probably lifted thousands of tons of useless burden 
by putting weights on a high wagon. If you could have saved a foot or 
18 Inches on each lift you would be a stronger and happier man to¬ 
day. Stop doing It now, right away. The Farmers' Handy Wagon Co. 
Of B’lorence, Ala., make a wagon that Is Just what you have been look¬ 
ing for. A good picture of It^ln their advertisement. 
