79o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
becau.se tlie droug'ht and the depth at which they 
were planted compacted the soil about them, these late 
planted ones were shapely because planted near the 
surface, and in a soil kept moist and loose by the 
mulch, so that they could develop freely their true in¬ 
dividuality. It would seem, too, that when thus 
mulched, cultivation is not necessary, either to loosen 
the surface or to destroy weeds ; and that, while very 
fine crops are {rrown where cultivation must break up 
many feeding rootlets, better results may be obtained 
when every root-fiber is allowed to remain and feed 
just where the plant put it as a gatherer of nutriment. 
I believe this intensive method is the true way to 
grow potatoes, and that one acre thus treated may be 
counted on to produce more than five by present sys¬ 
tems. But the flea-beetle must be overcome, and we 
must make sure against weeds in very foul land. 
If I live to grow a crop next year, I shall plant in 
April with the best seed, kill off the weeds just as the 
potato sprouts appear above ground, then apply about 
one inch deep of horse manure, prepared by heating 
and frequent turning beforehand, just as we would 
prepare it for a mushroom bed. That will kill the 
seeds of weeds and grass in the maniire, and the flea- 
beetle will not infest it. Over this will go about two 
inches of corn stalks, cut to three inches or le.ss in 
length, or cut salt hay, wheat or oat straw, or other 
like material—or all or any of them mixed. 1 know 
there is nothing new under the sun, and I am not put¬ 
ting this out as a novelty—whether H is or is not new 
in some of its features—but strictly upon its merits 
as of real practical value. 1 hope some one will work 
it up and commend it a great deal more successfully 
and perfectly than I have done or can do. 
Middlesex County, N. J. woodbkidgk strong. 
WHAT SAY? 
Hen Ration Wanted. —Will the following bill of 
fare be a good one for eggs this winter for my flock of 
White Leghorn pullets just beginning to lay : Bran 
in the morning, mixed with boiled potatoes or turnips, 
and dried beef cracklings, or animal meal, cracked 
bone and glass for grit, wheat at night scattered in 
straw varied once in a while with whole corn ? My 
hens generally get some green rye, grass, etc., nearly 
all winter, except for a few days now and then. Can 
1 afford to feed any other grain at the prices given 
below, and how can 1 change to get more eggs ? I 
have never been able to get quite half as many eggs 
as hens each day during the winter, and my hens are 
generally too fat by spring. I am thinking of getting 
a green bone cutter, and shall use green bone in place 
of meat and dry bone, if 1 do. Would fresh rabbit 
meat be worth as much, pound for pound, as some of 
these dried-meat preparations ? Wheat is 4.5 cents per 
bushel, oats 30, corn .')(), bran Vi]4 cents per bushel of 
20 pounds, ship stuff 80 cents per 100 pounds. My 
hens are very fond of Crimson clover, and I fear they 
will nearly ruin one plot, as they keep it eaten to the 
ground. G. M. A. 
Tamaroa, Ill 
Berries and Ci.over. —1 would like some opinions 
on the following points : 1. My plan is to set straw¬ 
berries in checks, 3x3 feet, work both ways wdth a 
horse, keep free from weeds and runners, till about 
August, keeping the ground level. Then let them 
run over the whole surface, running the runner cutter 
between every other row one way, to leave a narrow 
path from which to gather the fruit. 1 would sow 
clover seed thickly over the wdiole patch to roll down, 
pick one crop of fruit, and the next season mow for 
hay. The reason I do this is to avoid .sowing any 
grain, as my place is small. Little patches of grain 
do not pay. 1 think the clover will .shade the fruit, 
and keep it clean. I would like to know if this is 
practical. 
2. In the spring of 1894, I planted one acre of black 
raspberries. In the spring of 1895, 1 intend to culti¬ 
vate and hoe, leaving the surface as level as possible ; 
then sow clover thickly over the whole, and about 
the first of June, 1899, run a horse and stoneboat be¬ 
tween the rows to wallow down the clover. 1 shall 
pick the berries in July, cut out the bushes, thus leav¬ 
ing a crop of clover to plow under for potatoes the 
following spring, and saving one season’s cultivation 
in the berries. Is this plan practical, or will the 
clover spoil the second crop of berries ? j. e. t. 
Auburn, N. Y. 
Pay for Cotton Seed. —If A take a bushel to B’s 
mill to grind, he expects to pay toll in cash, or that B 
will take toll in meal. Here is another case which I 
have heard likened to the above by a man with seed 
on his w^agon. C owns and operates an oil mill. D 
grows a crop which produces the oil which C wants, 
as a by-product, together with two others, both of 
which D or some other man wants for a different use. 
1. Should D pay C for extracting the oil; if so, how 
much ? Or, 2, Should C pay D for the oil and extract 
it; if so, how muQh ? southerner. 
WHAT THEY SAY! 
Another Strawrerry Story. —In the spring of 
1893, I set one-half acre to Bubach No. 5 strawberries, 
planting every third row with Jessie for a pollenizer. 
The rows were 33^ feet apart, the plants two feet in 
the rows. No fertilizer whatever was used. The year 
previous, a good clover sod had been turned under, 
and potatoes grown, giving a yield of 110 bushels of 
marketable tubers. The strawberries were given good 
cultivation up to the time the runners began to spread 
pretty freely, when all cultivation was abandoned in 
order that the plants might set naturally and not be 
jammed and crowded into the row by the cultivator. 
I like this method best, because the plants are not .set 
too closely, and con.sequently give finer berries and 
bigger yields. Of course the pickers will crush some 
berries, but the extra yield and finer fruit more than 
compensate for that. No mulch was put on this 
plantation, as I was short of material, and having such 
a heavy leaf growth they came through the winter in 
good shape. I picked and marketed from this patch, 
2,600 quarts of as fine berries as one would wish to 
see, which sold for 10 to 12 cents per quart very readily, 
allowing us a net profit of at least $240 for the half 
acre in one crop and they have gone into winter quart¬ 
ers promising us another good crop. I presume, of 
course, that many can beat this recoi’d, but that is 
about the best 1 have been able to do with the straw¬ 
berry in eight years’ experience in growdng small 
fruits. Does The R. N.-Y. consider that an extra 
yield ? 1 hope to beat this record in the near future. 
Pansy, Pa. w. i*. k. 
R. N.-Y.—Yes, we do. 
The Grasshopper a Burden. —Seeing accounts of 
such excellent results obtained by sowing Crimson 
clover in the coin field, I resolved to improve on this 
plan, and forthwith, during the latter part of August, 
cut off the corn from one field, and with a two-horse 
cultivator, worked it up in good shape. I sowed eight 
pounds of the clover seed per acre, and a good rain 
following, I was delighted to see an even stand of 
clover all over the field. A few days afterwards, when 
driving past the field, I could see no clover at all from 
the wagon. I got out and a thorough examination 
revealed the fact that the grasshoppers had eaten 
every stalk of my clover. At the time (or, perhaps, a 
few days earlier), of sowing this field, I sowed a small 
strip in the adjoining field where the corn had not yet 
been cut. At this writing, it looks as pretty and green 
as one could wish. In the field that I prepared with 
A CHAIN PUMP FOR LIQUID MANURE. Fig. 211. 
such care, the grasshoppers, which were unusually 
plentiful this year, had nothing else to eat, so they 
fell upon and devoured my clover ; while in the field 
where the corn was standing, they ate the corn in 
preference to the clover. Moral: Don’t try to get too 
much ahead of your neighbors. p. B. C. 
Id ary land. 
TO HANDLE LIQUID MANURE. 
A Long Handled Dipper. 
For several years, while I was a young man, I was 
employed during the winter seasons in hauling and 
handling liquid manure. The easiest and most ex¬ 
peditious manner was found to be by means of a long 
handled dipper (see Fig. 210) holding about eight 
quarts. The box or tank for hauling was made of 
inch matched pine, with a partition in the center and 
a six-inch board on the top to prevent slopping when 
in motion. This manure was mostly used for hops, 
and was dipped from the box directly on the hills. 
At the hind end of the box, a gate was made to draw 
the last from the bottom of the loads, and a corre¬ 
sponding one in the partition. When manuring the 
meadow lands, the gate was raised and tfie team 
staited as, in those days, no liquid manure sprinkler 
had been dreamed of. I have hauled 12 loads per day 
for three months at a time, with the arrangement 
described. b. e. p. 
An Endless Chain Pump. 
Like A. W., page 729, I have built a tank for holding 
liquid manure, and found great difficulty in getting it 
out. After much thought, I have solved the problem. 
On a board two feet square, I nailed window screen 
netting the dopth of my tank. I sunk this, and kept 
it in position by putting a heavy stone on the bottom 
(see Fig. 211). On the lid of the tank I placed a com¬ 
mon chain pump—cost, $4. By this method I get out 
the liquid clear, without the slightest clogging. I find 
the effects of liquid manure on vegetation are simply 
marvelous. t. t. r. 
Long Island. 
Absorbents Beat Pumps. 
To save liquid manure, construct the stable fioor of 
cement on an incline of about one foot in 100. At the 
lower end, put in a catch basin, say, three feet square 
and three feet deep of cement, to catch all liquid not 
absorbed by litter. From this catch basin lay a tile to 
a shed with a cement bottom and walled sides, say, 
two or three feet high. In laying the tile from the 
catch basin, start it about one foot from the bottom. 
The top of the basin should be covered with a grating 
which can be taken up. As the sediment accumulates 
in the bottom of the basin, it can be easily taken out 
with a hoe, and none of it will pass through the 
tiles or clog them. Fill in the shed w ith absorbents 
such as muck, horse manure or any dry substance, 
and the pump and sprinkler question is easily solved. 
One need not worry about tanks, pumps, sprinklers, 
etc., to dispose of the liquid manure. 1 have a shed 
large enough to hold the manure from 20 cattle, 6 
horses and 10 hogs. It is all mixed together, and in 
the spring there is no liquid to pump out. It is all 
absorbed in the manure. A. ii. 
Twinsburg, O. 
ABOLISH NEEDLESS FARM FENCES. 
The fence tax, or the cost of maintaining fences, on 
all our farms, is quite an item in the expense account 
In most cases, this expense might be greatly lessened; 
on many farms to the extent of 40 or 50 per cent. 
When the country was new, and timber was an incum¬ 
brance, rather than a benefit to the farm, numerous 
rail fences of the zig-zag or worm pattern, and occupy¬ 
ing quite a strip of cheap land, could be tolerated and 
encouraged. Fields were quite small, too, in those 
days to no very great detriment or loss to the land 
owner. Now the scarcity of timber alone forbids such 
wanton waste of good material by splitting it into 
rails. Not only this, but larger and better shaped 
fields are a natural demand and outgrowth of the in¬ 
troduction of farm machinery, ^^ai-ger, rectangular 
fields are the result on the better class of farms ; and 
still—notwithstanding the expense attached to it— 
most farms are fenced entirely too much. A little 
head-work and a wi.se and often inexpensive re-model¬ 
ing of the plots and plans of our farms, will frequently 
allow the owner to dispense with quite a portion of 
his fences. 
Usually portions of the farm, either on account of 
the lay of the land, or convenience to buildings, are 
better adapted to frequent, or constant cultivation, 
than other portions. If the rougher, steeper land 
should be set off by itself for a permanent pasture, it 
would be exempted from w^ashing thereafter in times 
of heavy rains, while it would yield equally as much 
grass. If all the plow-land on a farm can be thrown 
into one field, all the better. I have been practicing 
this for years on my farm with the best of satisfaction. 
I find that, of the many others who have from time to 
time adopted this plan, and removed their inside 
fences, a similar report is given. I have never known 
an instance where they have gone back to the old 
way of keeping up numerous fields. 
Why should we maintain fences that during 10 
months in the year are entirely useless ; merely serv¬ 
ing as divisions between crops—that would not mix if 
they were taken away—and occupying good plow- 
land ? It was formerly thought to be a matter of 
wise economy for farmers to pasture the wheat and 
hay fields after the crop was harvested to glean what 
was left by the rude implements then in use. With 
our modern harvesting machinery, however, the 
amount left is so trifiing that such a course is not 
necessary (if it ever was). The money value of the 
grain that is left scattered after a good binder has 
done its work, is a mere trifle in comparison to the 
cost of maintaining partition fences. Not only this, 
but the damage to the young grass and clover, and the 
tramping of the land by the stock would in most in¬ 
stances, many times over-balance all good that is 
derived from such gleaning. 
The practice of pasturing meadows after harvest, 
and allowing stock to run over them during winter 
and spring, is also bad, even though the intention be 
