i8 
THb RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
the 56 hills, where no fertilizer was used, are small ; 
one could not select half a bushel of marketable pota¬ 
toes. Those from the 26 hills are larger and better 
looking, and with very few exceptions, would sell 
readily in any market. As to the profit shown by the 
use of the fertilizer, we will let the reader figure 
that for himself. 
This is an interesting exhibit, but to us the most 
interesting part of it was the information that Mr. G. 
had secured a run-down farm on which to give “Chem¬ 
icals and Clover ” a thorough and practical trial. Here 
was the very thing we had been after so long—a fair 
trial by a skilled farmer and a good business man, of 
the problem of restoring the fertility of an exhausted 
farm without the aid of livestock (aside from ordinary 
farm teams) and doing it at a profit besides. As we 
consider this one of the most important agricultural 
problems of the age, The R. N.-Y. proceeded to obtain 
all possible facts concerning this trial. I visited King¬ 
ston, and went over the whole plan with Mr. G., so 
that 1 might know just what I was talking about. 
The Possibilities of Cheaper Land. 
it is somewhat hard for one to describe on paper 
just the agricultural conditions that exist at Kings¬ 
ton, Pa., and in similar mining locations. This town 
lies in the Wyoming Valley of historical interest as 
being the scene of a horrible Indian massacre during 
the Revolution. Through this narrow valley, runs the 
eastern branch of the Susquehanna River. Along the 
lines of railroad, coal mines belch out their smoke and 
dust, while around the mouth of each, vast piles of 
black waste have gathered, spreading like great scars 
over the landscape, poisoning the land and water. The 
garden lands are on the flats along the river. The 
land is low and naturally rich, but subject to over¬ 
flows in spring, and sour from the coal gas and wastes. 
Farmers here do not own the land they work. It is 
rented from the mine owners, who are forced to con¬ 
trol the surface in order to follow the veins of coal 
through the earth below. Later we hope to try to 
show how the inside of a mine looks, but now we are 
interested in the upper 18 inches of the surface, where 
farmers grow their crops with scarce a thought of the 
miners burrowing in the earth 1.000 feet below them. 
Mr. Garrahan has paid for this land an annual rent of 
$30 per acre. Another farmer whom I visited, pays 
an annual rental of $650 for 40 acres, and receives 
free the manure from the 90 mules kept down in the 
mine. This is considered a very good bargain, and 
much below the average rent for these coal farm 
lands. How many 40-acre farmers that you know of 
could pay $650 cash for rent and still make a profit ? 
These men are able to do it only by growing very large 
crops of vegetables, and selling them in the splendid 
markets which are provided by the miners and railroad 
men. 
Up to within a few years, such farm-gardening has 
been fairly remunerative. Lately the profits have 
dwindled away just as they have elsewhere in other 
lines of farming. There are several causes for it 
which may be grouped under two general classes. 
There is greater competition in the home market. 
Food products are now shipped in from other sections, 
and the crops grown on this high-priced land must 
compete with those from land where no such rent is 
demanded. The cost of growing crops on this coal 
land cannot be decreased much. The tendency of the 
river to “ back up” and flood the land is a standing 
menace to the crops. Every such flood seeds the land 
to weeds and trash, and the stable manure completes 
the job of foul seeding. The 40-acre farmer referred 
to above said that on five acres of onions he employed 
six women for 103 days at $1 per day and two men for 
most of that time, simply killing weeds. That gives 
an idea of the weed problem on that land. In this 
case, the rich stable manure from the mines has been 
used year after year. It now seems to fail somewhat 
in its effect. One reason for this may be that the 
land contains an excess of nitrogen ; but a more prac¬ 
tical explanation seems to be that the soil is being 
“poisoned” or impregnated from the vast heaps of fine 
coal which are spreading over the flats. There is 
little hope, therefore, of decreasing the cost of 
a pound or bushel of any crop on this land by 
increasing the yield. Cheaper and cleaner land is 
needed where the great rents may be avoided, and 
where the coal mines cannot ruin the soil’s ability to 
feed crops. On the hills back from the mines and off 
the coal beds, may be found an abundance of such 
land. It is now paying but a mere pittance to the 
farmers who inhabit it. Why ? Because these farm¬ 
ers continue to grow wheat and hay with an inferior 
quality of live stock. The land cries like a beggar for 
food, and is not fed because its owners believe that the 
only economical way to improve soil is to use stable 
manure. They are too far away to haul manure from 
the mines, and the land cannot in its present condition, 
give large enough crops to provide manure to feed it¬ 
self. As a consequence, the farms are declining with 
the prices of grain and meat. Now we can understand 
what Mr. Garrahan is doing. He has bought a poor 
run-down farm 20 miles away from Kingston. It is 
naturally good soil, but has been run by tenants for 
12 years with all that implies. His plan is to take 
that farm and improve it by drainage, careful culture, 
and the use of fertilizers and green crops, so that in 
time it will produce as large a crop to the acre as will 
his present high-priced land. That done, he can give 
up his present expensive system of farming, and grow 
the same crops at greatly reduced expense. I believe 
that he will do it, and purpose to tell how it will be 
done. h. w. c. 
(To be continued.) 
WHAT SAY? 
What to Do with Manure. —I can get city stable 
manure for 20 to 25 cents per ton (the cost of hauling 
only) delivered on my place. Shall I spread it directly 
on the land ? Or shall I pile it 7 to 14 feet high 
and then haul it on the ground for the spring crops ? 
Will The R. N.-Y. suggest the best plan to manage it 
to get the most available fertility out of it ? Will 
some practical gardener or farmer answer ? D. c. c. 
Dayton, O. * 
R. N.-Y.—There are many different theories and 
practices as to this. Will some of our gardeners give 
their way, with reasons ? 
For Tying Cows.—Having recently bought a farm 
having a deficiency of stable room, I am compelled to 
build large enough to accommodate 15 cows. I do not 
like stanchions, and have never had an opportunity 
to see any of the improved cow ties. After thinking 
over every conceivable plan, I have settled on the fol¬ 
lowing as the one affording the most comfort, free¬ 
dom, cleanliness and safety, and at the same time be 
cheap and economize room. Circumstances will not 
permit me to use more than three feet per cow. A 
little study of Fig. 7 will explain it. The platform is 
5% feet long, with a slant of two inches. The di*op to 
the bottom of the gutter is eight inches. The parti¬ 
tions between the cows are 2 3^ feet long. The cows 
are tied with a rope and snap 18 inches long, and the 
same distance from the floor. Any improvement upon 
the above plan by The R. N.-Y. or its readers, that 
will not increase its cost, will be fully appreciated by 
Fulton, N. Y. c. w. r. 
Corn Fodder and Combustion. —Did The R. N.-Y. 
ever know of a barn being burned by corn fodder that 
was not thoroughly dry being stored in a bay ? I 
had a barn burn lately, and cannot account for the 
fire. c. L. k. 
WHAT THEY SAY. 
Good Muck is Manure Enough for Celery.—1 
have been much interested in W. B. F.’s inquiry, page 
775, as to fertilizers for celery in a “deep, damp 
swamp almost entirely vegetable mold.” I have for 
some years been growing it in just such land, and I 
must differ with your correspondent in toto. If his 
description be correct, I should answer his query in 
one word : “ Neither.” His soil probably already con¬ 
tains as much nitrogen and potash, ton for ton, as his 
stable manure, and abundant phosphoric acid for the 
very best results, and it would seem as unwise for him 
to pile these substances on as it would be to borrow 
money with a heavy balance lying idle in bank. It is 
quite probable, however, that these essentials may 
not exist in an available form, or there may be harm¬ 
ful compounds present owing to too much dampness 
and lack of aeration. 
While it is not possible to say just what is necessary 
without knowing more of the conditions of his land, 
there are some things clearly indicated. First, an 
absolutely essential condition to the possibility of suc¬ 
cess, is thorough underdraining—not simply a ditch 
cut through the lowest part of the swamp—but a com¬ 
plete system of underdrains so that the water must 
get out, and the air can get in to perform its work of 
sweetening the “ sourness” of all such swamps. Next 
if his soil, when dry, is as we should suppose it would 
be—very light, porous and without any “ body” or 
cohesiveness to it—let him, instead of hauling stable 
manure, cover it with from two to four inches of 
sand ; or, if this be not available, sandy loam. Plow 
deep enough to turn up about as great a depth of the 
original soil as there is of the sand, then thoroughly 
work this over several times with a Cutaway or an 
Acme harrow, and roller ; or if none of these is at 
hand, a cultivator, the object being to mingle the 
sand and muck as thoroughly as possible. When this 
is done, give it a good coat of lime (don’t be afraid of 
getting too much ; 300 bushels per acre won’t hurt it) 
and let it lie through the winter. The following June, 
celery may be set out without any further fertilizing 
except that, in my own practice, I think it pays me to 
use about 200 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre, 
sprinkled along the rows in two applications—one 
about two weeks after setting, and the other when 
ready to handle. This seems to give it its nitrogen 
just when and where it wants it, so that it doesn’t 
have to waste any time in “hunting ’round for it,” but 
is free to devote all its time to, just as the boys say, 
“ humping itself.” r. l. h. 
Millville, N. J. 
Some Ideas. 
[Under this heading we shall print from time to time “ideas” or 
short bits of thought or suggestion that occur to our readers or 
which we can obtain from other sources. The general character 
of these notes will show what is wanted. We shall be pleased to 
have our readers help in this department.] 
Pump Whitewashing.—I want to tell of the easiest, 
quickest and best way I ever whitewashed a henhouse. 
This fall, I made my whitewash, adding a little kero¬ 
sene, and put it into my spraying barrel with spray¬ 
ing pump attached, such as I used in spraying orchards 
and potatoes. I then proceeded to spray the interior 
of my henhouse. It took my man and myself about 20 
minutes to cover nearly 1,200 square feet, filling all 
crevices much better than can be. done with a brush. 
East Charlotte, Vt. A. L. s. 
Binding the Corn. —I cut the greater part of my 
corn with a McCormick corn binder. The bundles 
are, of course, not very large—being of the same size 
as wheat bundles—and in husking them by hand, we 
have found it much handier not to cut or break the 
bands. By turning the bundle over, or clawing it 
around a little, we find that we can husk about as fast 
and clean, and still have the fodder tied. mce. 
Cedar Hill, Minn. 
Pavement for Cows. —A few months ago, while 
walking along a certain street in Chicago, I had a 
new idea. The driveway and sidewalk of the street 
were composed of what they call there “ block pave¬ 
ment.” My idea was, Why wouldn’t it make an ex¬ 
cellent stable floor for horses or cattle ? Earth or 
gravel floors are always uneven, and with me unsatis¬ 
factory. Cement is too hard for cattle to stand on 
constantly, and planks warp and split, and wear out. 
My idea is that this block pavement would make an 
ideal floor. e. h. b. 
Mt. Riga, N. Y. 
Drying Rubber Boots. —We have printed several 
suggestions as to the best way to dry out rubber boots. 
All seemed liable to some objections. This plan is 
suggested by a writer in the Youth’s Companion : 
Tie the boots to a bedpost, or other support, with the foot upper¬ 
most. Get a pasteboard tube long enough to reach up into the 
foot of the boot while the lower end projects below the leg, and 
fasten it in that position with a string. A tube such as pictures 
or maps are mailed in is just the thing. The lower or projecting 
end of the tube must have a funnel-shaped mouth of paper fastened 
to it. Under that place a kerosene lamp with its flame burning 
low. The working of this arrangement is simple and thoroughly 
effective. The stream of warm, dry air from the lamp chimndy is 
conducted up the paper tube into the foot of the wet boot, and 
drives out the colder air down the boot leg. This constant circu¬ 
lation of warm air will dry a very wet boot in 15 minutes, and then 
the tube may be transferred to the other one. The lamp should be 
just close enough under the funnel, and the wick should be burn¬ 
ing at such a height, as to make the foot part of the boot feel 
about a blood heat. If too hot, it will injure the rubber. 
That is certainly neater than hanging the boots over 
the kitchen fire—auicker, too. 
To Save New Seeding. — I would very much like to 
see the following question discussed in The R. N.-Y.: 
What is the best treatment for a newly seeded piece 
of land, when, from any cause, the seeding has utterly 
or partially failed-? The last two years (from severe 
droughts), hundreds of acres of spring seeding utterly 
failed in this county alone, causing very serious loss 
to farmers ; hence the importance of this question. 
The usual practice here is to plow it up in the fall 
and the next spring try again, with a crop of oats as 
before. Of course, if no fertilizer is used, the chances 
for success are no better, but worse than at the first 
trial. I think that I have a better way, which, briefly 
stated, is to look well to the spring seeding about the 
first of August, and if I find an entire failure, sow the 
seed at once, lightly harrow and roll. This is Nature’s 
