648 
IHE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 13 
time, and when they look the poorest, is from three 
to four months of age. They begin to grow again at 
five months.” 
“ What is an ideal ration ? ” 
“Milk, grain and roots. One-half bran, one-quarter 
cheap fiour, one-eighth corn and one-eighth oil meal. 
Good coarse middlings are the best single food.” 
“ What is thumps ? ” 
“ It is caused by a lack of exercise. The pig is too 
fat. Make the quarters warmer so that they will not 
huddle together, and cut off the feed so that they will 
hunt around for food.” 
“ To what other disease are pigs subject ? ” 
“Too sudden changes in food will cause scours. 
White droppings which have a very offensive odor, 
are its indication. The pig is the most susceptible to 
change of food of any animal on the farm.” 
“ What medicine do you use ? ” 
“ I do not have to use any. Throw in some sods and 
charcoal, or let them out to the ground. If getting 
too much milk, cut off the sow’s feed.” c. k. c. 
YIELDS OF EARLY AND LATE POTATOES; 
FERTILIZERS. 
Some months ago, The R. N.-Y. asked questions re¬ 
garding the relative yields of early and late potatoes. 
I have been growing potatoes for 18 years, and I have 
made many experiments and tested scores of varieties. 
I have proved that the largest crops can be grown 
from kinds ripening 10 days or two weeks later than 
Early Rose. We have had a terrible drought this sea¬ 
son, so severe that many forest trees have dropped 
their leaves and 1 fear are dead. Since potatoes came 
up, there has not been rain enough to wet the fertilizer 
which was placed in the drills—one ton per acre of 
high grade potato manure. They were planted 3 feet 
by 14 inches for the smaller, and 3 feet by 18 inches 
for the larger kinds. The crop is good for this year, 
though not what I had hoped had the season been 
favorable. I have dug but one of the medium kinds 
yet, but will give the yield per acre of the early kinds, 
market size only. Burpee’s Extra Early, 190 bushels ; 
Crown Jewel, 172; New Queen, 160; Tanhocks, 150; 
Freeman, 150. 
In quality, I would rate these in the following order : 
Crown Jewel, New Queen, Tanhocks, Freeman and 
Burpee’s Extra Early. I am sorry that Burpee’s is 
not of higher quality, as it is the heaviest yielder, but 
I shall drop it as I raise for retail, and want only the 
best. I don’t know the name of the medium kind, but 
it yielded at the rate of 223 bushels per acre, and I be¬ 
lieve the others will do about the same. 
I have never agreed with The R. N.-Y. that it was 
best to broadcast part of the fertilizer, and experience 
and observation this year strengthen my conviction 
that, for me, it is better, far better, to put all in the 
drill. 1 have tried different amounts up to 3,200 
pounds per acre. I believe those who broadcasted for 
potatoes this year, got very little benefit. A very 
thoughtful, intelligent farmer came to see my field a 
few days ago. After digging hills here and there, 
that he might note the probable yield, he said: “ Well, 
you seem to make a success of putting all your ferti¬ 
lizer in the drill, but I mind most of those who try it, 
don’t.” The trouble is that they don’t mix the soil 
and fertilizer properly. I have a homemade rig drawn 
by my horse that mixes thoroughly three inches deep 
and 8 or 10 inches wide. I don’t grow any weeds and 
to broadcast fertilizer is a bid for a job fighting them. 
Some who have broadcasted half, say that they will 
put all in the drills next year. I think one of The 
R. N.-Y.’s arguments against exclusive drill fertiliza¬ 
tion was that the crop was overfed at first to be starved 
later. I much doubt the correctness of this position. 
If my experience proves anything, the potato plant 
cannot be overfed at any stage of growth, and unless 
the roots that at once begin to secure nourishment for 
the use of the growing plant, soon die or cease their 
office (which I do not believe) they will continue to ap¬ 
propriate that nourishment just as much to the benefit 
of the plant as though taken up by roots later formed 
and farther away. 
The heaviest yielding kinds 1 have grown the past 
two years are Halo of Dacota and Early Rochester, 
not early. I am testing Fillbasket, Columbus, Great 
Divide and Irish Daisy. K. d. g. 
Ashburnham, Mass. 
A SHORT POTATO TALK. 
I find so many good qualities in the Charles Down¬ 
ing potato that I have wondered why it was not grown 
to a larger extent than it seems to be. There are now 
so many varieties of potatoes, covering such a wide 
range of quality, form, appearance, productiveness 
and general habit of growth, that it ought not to be 
difficult to select a few that are well adapted to the 
special requirements of different growers under vary¬ 
ing conditions of climate, soil and treatment. But is 
this true after all ? Are there not times when the 
kinds ordinarily grown soom to fail, or appear defect¬ 
ive ? Now I don’t claim infallibility for the Down¬ 
ing. If I did, some of The R. N.-Y. readers would be 
very likely to point out defects which never revealed 
themselves to me. They could probably tell me just 
when and where the variety originated, which has 
now escaped my mind ; hut it would be hard for any 
of them to convince me that it is not one of the very 
best potatoes I could grow for family use, both as to 
quality and yield. The fact is, I am a stickler for 
quality in a potato ; it ought to be very good to eat 
before we admit it to our tables. This is about 99 
points out of a possible 100 in the merits of any variety. 
And yet how often it is that productiveness and vigor 
are considered first. The old Snowfiake is a favorite 
with me because of its excellent quality, smooth and 
handsome appearance, but it seems to have been super¬ 
seded by other more productive sorts, though at the 
sacrifice of quality in most cases, I think. 
In the Downing, we have quality almost as high, 
shape and general appearance much the same, and 
greater productiveness. It has not the russet skin 
peculiar to the Snowflake, for the Downing is pure 
white and very smooth. It is oval, oblong in shape, 
with eyes on the surface, like the Snowflake, matures 
earlier, is very productive, with a vigorous habit 
of growth and not subject to disease. What, then, 
is the matter with Downing for a desirable table 
potato ? I have it in the same garden with the Puritan 
this season, which is fair in quality, but far behind in 
yield, size and every other respect. I shall plant it 
exclusively next year if I can hide enough of the tubers 
where the cook will not find them, for seed. Some of 
the very new potatoes may yet surprise me with their 
superiority, but it will be a big contract to beat the 
Downing. 
What an endless list of varieties of the potato we 
have in America to-day; all hatched sine 3 the Early 
Rose came upon the scene. A thousand or more 
doubtless. Perhaps about 900 of them ought to be 
weeded out of existence. Who will invent the device 
to do the weeding ? One hundred of the best sorts 
ought to be quite enough. After all, how many kinds 
find their way into the general market to any extent? 
Just ask the average marketman to name over the 
sorts he knows. It will not take him very long. 
While it is true that some of the desirable new pota¬ 
toes have not reached the market yet, the fact is that 
hundreds of the older sorts never did and never will, 
simply because they never deserved a place there, 
although each one dawned upon us with all the glow¬ 
ing promise its enthusiastic originator and ingenious 
introducer could throw around it. 
I do not ask that efforts to improve the potato shall 
cease, not by any means ; let us keep right on breed¬ 
ing for points, planting the best, sorting the seed 
carefully, rejecting what is commonly known as 
“good enough for seed,” and then give the best culti¬ 
vation possible. But let us be honest with ourselves 
and not propagate any new variety that is not better 
than those we have. Then visionary originators and 
designing speculators will be more careful how they 
flood the country with worthless and indifferent sorts. 
_ H. HENDRICKS. 
BITS OF CONNECTICUT PRACTICE. 
“ I bought one barrel of the R N.-Y. No. 2 potatoes 
last spring, and I wish now that I had bought 10 
barrels instead of one. The Early Rose were all dead 
six weeks ago, and the No. 2’s are just as fresh as 
ever said a prosperous Connecticut farmer the other 
day. “ I have about three acres of potatoes and ought 
to harvest nearly a thousand bushels this year, but 
shall fall far short of that.” 
“ Do you use commercial fertilizers on your pota¬ 
toes ?” I asked. 
“ Yes, the soil is very rich, but I put on also about 
2 }^ tons of fertilizer on the three acres, putting it all 
in the drills.” 
“ Do you consider that better than spreading part 
of it broadcast ?” 
“Yes, in my case. The ground is so rich that it 
isn’t necessary to broadcast it, and it keeps the grubs 
from the potatoes by having a heavy application in 
the'drills.’’ 
“ Do you believe, then, that this prevents the grubs 
from attacking the potatoes ?” 
“ Certainly, they never attack mine. My potatoes 
are always smooth, while my neighbors’ are badly 
eaten.” 
“ Do you follow a regular rotation ? 
“ I have, but I think I have been making a mistake. 
I have usually plowed up the sod, planted it to corn, 
the next year planted to potatoes, and seeded it after 
the potatoes. I think I shall try putting potatoes 
directly on the sod ground, instead of planting them 
after the corn crop.” 
“ How long can you mow your meadows before re¬ 
newing them ? ” 
“Not nearly so long as we formerly did ; the time 
varies, but the erqp keeps growing lighter very rapidly; 
not, I think, because the grass runs out, but rather 
because it heaves out and freezes. It has been quite 
a question as to why the meadows run out so quickly, 
when years ago we used to mow them year after year.’’ 
“ But if you wish to contiuue your meadows with¬ 
out breaking them up, can’t it be done by sowing 
grass seed in the fall when they begin to run out ? ” 
“ Probably it might, and that is just my solution of 
the difficulty. Now we cut our hay when in blossom f 
years ago we let it stand until ripe before we began to' 
cut, and much of the seed shelled off and scattered over 
the ground and reseeded it. This was a great deal bet¬ 
ter for the meadows, but nowadays we wouldn’t con¬ 
sider such hay worth feeding ; it is too dry and woody. 
Probably sowing on the seed would answer the same 
purpose in preserving the meadows.” F. h v. 
A CASE OF ROUP. 
WHA.T TO DO FOR IT HOW CONTAGIOUS IS IT ? 
If yoa found roup appearloK in a lartte fl ock of hens at this season, 
what would you do at once? The hens roam together, but feed and 
roost lr. different hocks. Is the roup likely to spread rapidiy under 
such conditions 7 
Douglas Mixture, Ginger and Kerosene. 
Roup, in its advanced stages, is very contagious, as 
offensive mucus is constantly running from the nostrils 
and mingling with the drinking water. I would 
advise isolating the affected birds and treating their 
drinking water with Douglas mixture. 1 would mix 
ginger in their soft food, and bathe the heads, nostrils 
and throats with kerosene—using a feather. This 
treatment will almost always effect a cure. 
JAMES RANKIN. 
The Hatchet for Bad Cases. 
If the trouble is merely a cold which is likely to lead 
to roup, I would use coal oil in the drinking water, 
and inject a weak solution of peroxide of hydrogen in 
the nose and throat. But if a bad case, and it has 
settled down into roup, the best and only safe remedy 
is the hatchet; for if doctored up and made to get 
apparently well, at the first little cold, it is 10 times 
worse. Affected birds never make healthy hens. 
Besides, I do not think it possible to get entirely rid 
of the germs of the disease. james h. seedy. 
Death the.Only Sure Cure. 
There is but little, if any, treatment that can be 
given, owing to the difficulty and labor of handling a 
large number. Separate the sick fowls from the 
others, thoroughly disinfect the house and yards, as 
the disease is very contagious and spreads quickly. 
Add a teaspoonful of liquid carbolic acid to every gal¬ 
lon of drinking water, for both sick and well birds for 
a week. It is better to destroy all that are very sick. 
There is no sure cure known for the disease. 
P. H. JACOBS. 
Still Another Treatment. 
If I had a large flock of hens that had symptoms of 
roup, I would at once clean the roosting places and 
sprinkle carbolic acid about the houses. Then I 
would give a feed of soft food once a day and put in it 
some ginger. I have seen flocks of chickens at this 
season of the jear, that would seem to have taken a 
little cold and they would cough and pip a little ; but 
this soon wore off without their having roup. But if 
the birds have swelled heads and run at the nostrils, 
they have roup or will have it surely if not treated. In 
that case, I would separate the worst ones, bathe the 
heads with camphorated oil and inject it in the 
nostrils. p. williams. 
MORE OR LESS MONEY IN FARMING? 
THREE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HEARD FROM. 
A Central New York Fruit Grower. 
In reply to those questions on page 598, I would say 
that my net receipts are less and gross receipts more. 
It cost3 more to clothe and educate my children and 
more for help, because I am getting older and can do 
less hard work. I am a fruit grower, and increased 
my area largely more than 10 years ago. Of course I 
sell more, but the help take all the income and leave 
me scarcely anything. My gross receipts will average 
about $2,500 a year from 20 acres. Four-fifths of this 
goes for help, and I have left only $500 to live on and 
buy fertilizers. The cost of production is about the 
same. Increased competition will drive the weakest 
to the wall. I shall increase my area by hiring more 
land. w. 8 . H. 
Tompkins County, N. Y. 
A Canadian’s View of the Matter. 
I make less money than I did 10 years ago under 
better conditions. Prices of most farm products have 
decreased fully one-third since that time; in some cases 
50 per cent. For instance, export cattle at that time 
(and this has been our most important industry), sold 
for 6, 6M and 63^ cents per pound; the present year, 
the best cattle were sold for 4, 4}^ and 4}^ cents per 
pound. The McKinley Act killed the barley trade. 
Wheat is worth only half what it was then. Horses 
