34 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
20 miles and make more than they do ? Stop starving 
to death on wheat and raise potatoes ! ” 
“ But our land isn’t strong enough, and where can 
we get manure ? ” 
“ Use fertilizer ! ” 
“ Bat that will poison the land and kill even grass ! ” 
Now there is no use talking to such people as that. 
They are like the blind man who said that he would 
rather sec it than hear tell of it; so Mr. G. said no 
more, but came with his car-load of fertilizer, and 
started in. He took pains to invite the neighbors to 
come and see what he was doing, and purposely left 
strips through his field with no fertilizer in order that 
they might see the contrast. Thus it happened that 
some of these doubters came and dug the potatoes that 
were pictured last week. They dug hard to find a 
bushel in 56 hills where nothing was used, while the 
basket was filled from 28 hills where 1,200 pounds per 
acre of fertilizer were used. Some very poor wheat 
was growing on the farm when Mr. G. started. Part 
of this was top dressed to show the contrast with the 
crop from the natural soil. The latter was not worth 
cutting. One acre of that poor soil with 1,400 pounds 
of fertilizer, produced a crop of cabbage worth $169. 
On the stubble of a wheat field that yielded 15 bushels 
of wheat, one ton of fertilizer plowed under, and half 
a ton more applied on top, gave 387 bushels of onions 
to the acre. It was a part of Mr. G.’s plan to make 
these experiments and results so plain and open, that 
all could see and understand them. The farmers who 
declared that fertilizers would poison this soil, came 
and saw what was dug from it. It is likely that they 
went away wishing that some of that same poison 
could get into their own crops. I asked one of them 
what he thought of Mr. Garrahan’s experiment. He 
said, after some thought: 
“ I consider that my farm is worth $300 more than 
it was before Mr. Garrahan showed the possibilities of 
land in this valley ! ” 
Who ever heard a stronger tribute than that to the 
value of skill and knowledge in agriculture ? 
But this year is only a beginning. This first crop 
pays interest, expenses, ditching and tiling, and opens 
the way for better crops. That is one thing about 
potato culture with fertilizers. The soil is always 
improved with each crop—in fact, the potato crop 
seems to be a necessity in bringing up a farm like this 
at a profit. While growing more or less onions, cab¬ 
bage and corn each year, Mr. G. will, for the next few 
yeai's, devote most of his attention to potatoes and 
green crops, as he believes that his soil is sadly in 
need of humus. The corn grown this year was cut so 
that the husks and lower stalks will be plowed into 
the soil. Several acres of rye will be plowed in also. 
One strip of Crimson clover through the field showed 
remarkable vigor. It was sowed August 20, and at 
the same time a strip of Red clover was sowed near it. 
In early December, it was hard to see any great dif¬ 
ference in growth, but the chances are that the Crim¬ 
son will largely outstrip it in the spring. On the flats 
at Kingston, Mr. G. showed me some Crimson clover 
sowed October 1. It was very small and thin, but by 
mulching it with spent hops from a near-by brewery, 
he hoped to pull it through the winter. Next week I 
hope to tell how Mr. G. grows some of his crops like 
potatoes and cabbage. h. w. c. 
(To be continued.) 
WHAT SAY? 
Small Press Wanted. —Where can I get a press 
that will bale my peat moss'? I am using a hay press, 
but it makes the bales too big, and the slats don’t hold 
it all. I want a press that will bale with burlap. 
Would a hop press do, and where can 1 get one ? 
Chenango Bridge, N. Y. H. p. 
“ New Culture” for Celery. —Will celery growers 
give their experience on celery grown by the new 
process. 7x7, 8x8, or 6x10 inches apart? What is the 
best kind to grow that way, White Plume, Golden 
Self-blanching, Golden Heart, or Giant Pascal? How 
much manure should be used to the acre ? j. s. 
Caledonia, N. Y. 
Three Garden Questions. —What is the best thing 
to kill stink bugs (squash bugs) ? I lost three acres of 
winter squashes by them last summer. What is the 
best variety of celery to grow by the new process ? 
Would 6x12 inches make the heads larger and more 
salable ? Is there any demand for dried chicory ? If 
so, at what price, and to what extent ? How is it 
prepared for market ? j. s. 
Caledonia, N. Y. 
“White Caps” and Darkness. —I have not heard 
much about white caps in butter since creameries 
came into general use. But many still use pans, and 
I wish to ask the readers of The R. N.-Y. if any have 
had an experience like mine. My milk room has a 
window that permits a strong light directly upon the 
milk when the blind is open, and I was troubled with 
white caps. Sometimes the blind was closed accident¬ 
ally and then I would have no white caps. Finally it 
dawned upon me that a strong light would cause them. 
I then kept my milk room dark, and have had no 
further trouble. e. c. 
Verona, N. Y. 
Culture of Chicory. —What is the process of the 
cultivation of chicory ? What soil does it need ? How 
does the amount of work required compare with that 
done upon a properly managed piece of potatoes ? 
What is the average yield per acre of the dried prod¬ 
uct ? What kind of kiln is used for drying? What 
market is there for it in the United States? H. m. 
Toronto, Canada. 
R. N.-Y.—We shall be obliged to any reader who 
can tell us about growing chicory. 
Some Silo Questions. —I know of some silos in this 
region, Fox River Valley, which are constructed of 
2x4s in a circle, lathed and plastered on the inside 
with cement, and sided up on the outside, the siding 
acting as hoops to hold the structure together. So far 
as I know, they are a success, but if there are any 
drawbacks to this plan, I would like to know what 
they are. What are the dimensions of a round silo to 
hold 30 or 35 acres of corn ? Is there any objection to 
starting the bottom three or four feet below the sur¬ 
face of the ground ? c. H. 
Bristol, Ill. 
What Next ?—Since the duty on wool is removed, 
what are Ohio farmers who live on uplands, to do next? 
Beef and mutton are two to three cents per pound, 
and horses and wheat are nowhere. The R. N.-Y. 
talks dairy a good deal ! Well, milk is two to three 
cents per quart, and the business very much over- 
FEEDING GRIT TO POULTRY. Fig. 16. 
done at that. Butter is 15 to 20 cents per pound. 
Potatoes are not a success here. What shall we do 
next ? j. c. b. 
Oatville, Ohio. 
R. N.-Y.—Will some farmer who has answered this 
question on his farm, tell us what he did to answer it? 
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.] 
A Grit Feeder for Poultry. —Get a box about one 
foot square and 8 or 10 inches deep, remove the top, 
and place it inside at an angle from one corner of the 
bottom of the box, leaving about three-quarters of an 
inch space from the bottom and one side, and the 
other side of the board about two inches from the 
other side to allow space to fill; or it may be filled 
tight, and the side of box removed and hinged so as to 
open and fill. Place a strip of wood about one inch 
square, about two inches from the three-quarter inch 
space at the bottom of the box, to keep the grit in 
place. Bore two small holes in the bottom of the box 
near what is to be the top, and hang on nails so as to 
raise the box a few inches from the ground, to prevent 
the chickens from scratching dirt in. Put in the grit, 
oyster shells, charcoal, etc., and the fowls will have 
it fresh and clean, as it will drop down as they eat it. 
There will be no waste as when fed on the ground or 
in open boxes. The same arrangement may be used 
for feed where it is desirable to keep feed before the 
poultry all the time. The device is shown at Fig. 16. 
Columbus, N. J. j. e. s. 
Can I Afford to Borrow ?—I have a neighbor, a 
young, energetic farmer who has one of the finest 
farms in this vicinity. For instance, the arrangement 
for watering his stock is as follows: The water is 
pumped by a windmill from a deep well into a 50-bar¬ 
rel tank which is elevated a few feet from the ground. 
This tank is inclosed by a suitable building, and the 
spaces between it and the walls are packed with 
sawdust to keep out the frost. Under the tank, 
is a small room that may be used as a milk room. 
From this tank, water is conveyed to frost-proof 
tanks in the different yards by pipes laid deep in 
the ground. The water is kept at the proper level 
in the tanks by check valves operated by floats. 
Even the pigs have their automatic watering boxes 
with arrangements for keeping the little pigs from 
drowning. Everything is complete and convenient, 
and as good as money and brains can make it. All he 
has to do is to see that the windmill keeps water in the 
main tank, but does not make it overflow. 
He has put up all his buildings and fences in the 
same thorough style. His house is a roomy, two-story 
building, and heated by a furnace. His place strikes 
one as belonging to a wealthy farmer who has fixed 
his farm up to suit himself, rather than put his money 
out to interest, and such I took him to be. 
But those conveniences, especially the watering ar¬ 
rangement ! I wish that I had the money so that I 
could duplicate them on my place ! Then the idea 
strikes me that if that is a profitable investment, why 
not borrow the money, put it in, and make it pay for 
itself ? If it is a money saver, why not put it to work 
on the farm? If it is not worth its cost, we don't want 
it anyway 1 Something like this was running through 
my mind when I asked Mr. D. if he would advise a 
man to fix up his farm as his was, if he had to do it 
on borrowed money. “ Well, that is just exactly what 
I have done. When I bought this place, I went con¬ 
siderably into debt, and I still owe it. I have put up 
practically all these improvements. I thought I 
could not wait till I was out of debt, but wanted the 
advantages of all the conveniences I could get now 
while I was young and could appreciate them.” This 
is the opinion of a man who is credited by his neigh¬ 
bors with rare common sense, on a question which is 
harassing a good many young men who are trying to 
get a start in farming. E. B. watson. 
Jasper County, la. 
R. N.-Y.—That is a thoughtful question, and we 
would like to have it discussed. 
Clover as a Corn Substitute. —Here in southwest 
Missouri, we are discussing the subject of feeding 
wheat, and some experiments have been made. The 
result has been that we have received about 60 cents per 
bushel for the wheat by feeding hogs. Of course, that 
pays better than selling for 40 cents. It is equally 
good feed for all kinds of stock, especially the Busi¬ 
ness Hen. We are much discouraged by three success¬ 
ive short corn crops, and are seeking some forage 
crop that we can substitute for corn. We have a fine 
wheat country. One of my neighbors raised an aver¬ 
age of 32 bushels per acre last year on 18 acres of 
clover sod, and his land has been in cultivation 35 
years. We have one of the best soils for clover to be 
found in America. Can we not do better to quit corn 
and raise clover and wheat exclusively? 
I have seen the statement that T. B. Terry feeds 
nothing but clover and clover hay to his horses, and 
works them hard with no other feed. Is this course 
practicable ? We have a great deal of rocky land here 
that cannot be plowed ; yet this land will grow the 
finest kind of clovei\ If we can feed horses exclus¬ 
ively on clover, we can do pretty well without corn. 
I don’t think we get over 20 bushels per acre of corn 
here any more, from the fact that it never rains any 
more in July. Of course, when we do get plenty of 
rain, we make from 40 to 60 bushels of corn per acre. 
Our wheat and first-crop clover are always ripe in 
June before the drought begins. w. H. R. 
Springfield, Mo. 
R. N.-Y.—Here is another thoughtful subject, which 
might well be discussed. With clover and wheat, we 
believe that more pork can be made to the acre than 
by taking such chances on corn. Pork from such 
feeding would be lean, and would in time win a dis¬ 
tinct reputation for that section. Some breeds of hogs 
will do better than others on a no-corn ration. Some 
of the breeds have been practically made by corn 
feeding. We should prefer such breeds as the Berk¬ 
shire, Chester-White, Cheshire or Jersey Red for clover 
and wheat. Horses can be kept on good clover hay, 
and with some wheat added, will do well. While corn 
is one of our most useful plants, it is not an absolute 
necessity where one can grow good clover. 
From “ Trade” to Cash. —About a year ago, I found 
myself in this plight; taxes and other cash items to 
pay, and no money and nothing to raise money on 
except my butter. I could take it to the store, but I 
had to “trade it out,” and “ trade” would not pay 
taxes. So wife and I held a council which ended in 
her making the butter into neat rolls, weighing two 
full pounds each, which were placed on a platter in a 
market basket covered with a white cloth, and I went 
to our nearest town, a place of about 2,000 inhabitants. 
I knew very few people there, so I had to peddle from 
house to house. It was up hill work, for most people 
had their regular place to get butter and did not care 
to change ; but I could not afford to give up, so if one 
said “ no,” I tried the next, and night found me with 
only one roll left. The next week, and the next, 
were something the same, only that I sold a second 
and third time at the same houses, and soon had a reg¬ 
ular route. 
What price do I ask ? The same the grocer asks. I 
go to the grocer each week, and ask him the price. If 
I wish anything I buy it, if not all right; he knows 
