THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
4i 
THE PROSPECT. 
We have seldom seen the arguments in favor of 
wide tires on farm wagons, put more plainly than in 
the following note from A. W. Slaymaker, of Dela¬ 
ware. We think that farmers may well ponder these 
words. It seems to us that laws providing for the use 
of wide tires are hound to come as a natural method 
of protecting the better roads now so much talked 
about: 
At the December meeting of our farmers’ institute, a committee 
on good roads made a report in favor of wide tires and non-track¬ 
ing wheels on farm and freight wagons. In the discussion which 
followed, nearly every one present could bear witness to the bene¬ 
ficial effect of the wide tire on our roads. Such wagons have the 
effect of very heavy rollers, smoothing, firming and filling in the 
ruts instead of cutting them deeper, as is the case with common, 
narrow wheels. Wide tires are a necessity to the maintenance of 
any good road. Stone will longer resist the bad effects of narrow 
wheels, but even on stone, the constant cutting and grinding of 
narrow wheels always in the same track, will wear ruts, and no 
road can remain long in good order with ruts or holes to hold the 
water. But it was argued that on our Delaware earth roads, the 
beneficial effects of such wide tires would be especially apparent. 
The mamif acturers of the Kemp manure spreader have given many 
of our farmers an object lesson on road making, of the greatest 
importance. Their spreader is built with tires six inches wide 
behind and four inches before with the gauge so arranged that 
the front wheels track inside of the main hind wheels. Only those 
who have observed the effect of hauling loads with this spreader 
can at all appreciate its wonderfully beneficial effect on the road 
over which it passes. Ruts and holes soon disappear, loose earth 
is packed firm, and sand and dust become a part of a good hard 
roadbed. Another illustration open to all is the foot paths which 
traverse all farm neighborhoods. The footman travels on a good 
wide track. In proportion, a wagon should have a tire not less 
than 10 inches in width (front and back) to compare in pressure 
per inch with that of the foot. There is very little money spent on 
foot paths ; generally they are kept up entirely without ex¬ 
pense. But who ever saw a foot path that was not in good shape, 
free from mud, sand or dust nearly all the year, and all because 
the great designer knew enough to make the foot of wide tread, 
in proportion to its load, and tracking an impossibility. There is 
a widespread movement for good roads all over the country just 
now. Money will be expended in large, and increasing amounts, 
and if properly directed, the benefits can hardly be overestimated. 
But I wish that there might go along with it more correct ideas of 
the effect of medium tires and tracking which are together re¬ 
sponsible for more bad roads than most persons are aware. 
O 
Last week, The R. N.-Y. mentioned the disastrous 
cold wave which had swept over the South, and ex¬ 
pressed the hope that the damage was not so great as 
first reported. But later reports only confirm the 
former. The worst injury was in Florida. The total 
crop of oranges was estimated at 5,000,000 boxes. Of 
these, about 2,000,000 boxes had been shipped at the 
time of the freeze. It is estimated that not more than 
500,000 of the remainder are sound fruit. Much of the 
remainder will be marketable, though not of so good 
quality, and not bringing so high prices. The frozen 
oranges may be saved, it is said, if picked at once after 
being frozen. Many growers did this, so that the loss 
on the crop is not so great as it otherwise would have 
been. Prices advanced at first, though they have since 
dropped about to former prices and the market is very 
dull. Recent sales at auction in this market were at 
prices fully 50 per cent higher than those generally 
ruling before the freeze. But the cold was so severe 
that in many cases, young trees were killed. The cold 
wave extended farther south than previous ones, and 
all vegetation suffered severely. The pineapple plan¬ 
tations were reported killed to the ground. Early 
vegetables are almost entirely destroyed. It is a se¬ 
vere blow to Florida, and the greatest sufferers are 
the small growers. It has been claimed that sufficient 
warning of this cold wave was not given, but the offi¬ 
cials of the Weather Bureau claim that warning was 
given the preceding day. Secretai’y Morton says that 
the public pay too little attention to these reports. 
This disaster to the Florida growers has, however, 
helped the prospects of the California oranges. Pre¬ 
vious to this, the market there was demoralized, on 
account of the large crop, estimated at 10,000 car-loads 
in the State. The market has stiffened, and prices 
have greatly improved. The crop will meet less com¬ 
petition in the cities of the Middle West, and some of 
it will probably find its way farther east. The Cali¬ 
fornia orange is considered by some superior to the 
Florida, and certainly is superior to the imported fruit, 
but the heavy transportation charges have operated 
against its sale here. It may have more of a chance 
this year. 
O 
The largest hay building in the country, and, per¬ 
haps, in the world, has just been opened by the 
Lehigh Valley Railroad at Communipaw, just over 
the North River from New York. It covers about 1 % 
acre of land, is covered with fireproof roof and siding, 
and contains windows in roof and sides sufficient to 
light thoroughly every part. The cost was about 
$74,000. It is a most admirable building for handling, 
storing and inspecting hay. On one side are the rail¬ 
road tracks ; on the other a basin in which lighters 
may take on loads to be transported to any part of the 
harbor. By means of overhead tracks, hay tongs, etc., 
hay is unloaded, weighed, moved to any part of the 
building and stored with little labor. Every car-load 
is weighed when it enters and when it leaves the 
building. Hay, on account of its bulky character, has 
always been a difficult commodity to handle satisfac¬ 
torily ; but with the facilities afforded by this build¬ 
ing and its equipment, and its unequaled location, the 
problem seems to be pretty well settled so far as the 
L. V. R. R. is concerned. 
O 
We have spoken of some of the possibilities of Crim¬ 
son clover for the farmer and gardener. Here are 
some of the ways in which a florist proposes to make 
it useful: 
After housing our carnations, we sowed the patch where they 
had grown during the summer, with Crimson clover, and covered 
the seed lightly with the smoothing harrow. It was late, of 
coxirse—September 27—but there is a fair stand, and some of the 
roots are three or four inches long now and growing nicely, when¬ 
ever the ground is free of frost. If successful with so late plant¬ 
ing, this clover will be of much use to the carnation grower in 
keeping his often limited grounds supplied with cheap nitrogen. 
Another use for it will be in making up compost for the houses. 
Make the soil and manure in a pile about a foot or so deep, sow 
the clover on It in, say, Jvly, and let it lie until the next year; then 
turn it under in time to rot thoroughly before putting on the 
benches. Two lots of soil alternated in this way, ought to get finer 
and richer every year—at least we intend to try it and see. 
Chester County, Pa. c. r. isabnabd. 
As the reports continue to come in, we feel more and 
more confident that a majority of the experiments 
our readers are making with this plant will prove suc¬ 
cessful. What an eye-opener to agriculture that will be. 
O 
A farmer recently made an assignment. It is 
seldom that we hear of such a thing. An assignment 
is a business-like way of failing when one is unable 
longer to continue business. Farmers who fail sel¬ 
dom care to do anything so business-like as this. This 
farmer had one of the best farms in the township. lie 
was an excellent and a careful farmer, and was gener¬ 
ally looked upon as a prosperous man. A neighbor 
was asked as to the causes that led to such a step. 
“ You know that big new house he built a number of 
years ago ? Well, that was the starting point. He 
got in debt, and has been struggling ever since. He 
finally got where he cotildn’t borrow any more money, 
and had to quit.” The house was a large brick one, 
far beyond the needs of his family. One costing half 
as much would have done just as well. The question 
is asked in another column whether it is best for a 
man to borrow to make needed improvements. Wisely 
and prudently expended, borrowed money may render 
the farm more profitable, and the home life far more 
comfortable. But it is not wise to carry this to ex¬ 
tremes, and expend more than is necessary to achieve 
the object sought. Convenience, utility, comfort, 
should be sought, and not show. 
The United States Separator 
WAS AWARDED 
THE ONLY COLD MEDAL on CREAM SEPARATORS 
AT THE 
CALIFORNIA MIDWINTER INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION. 
The United States Improved (Oiilsson Patents), illustrated above, 
is pronounced superior in every respect, and wins 
Golden Awards the Worlds’ Expositions, and 
Golden Opinions from every-day users. 
And we have plenty more testimonials of the same tenor. 
We have not been advertising in the papers much recently. 
We have let our “would-be” competitors do the blowing, 
while we have been taking the orders. 
NOTICE RESULTS. 
Bulletin No. 66, Cornell University Experiment Station, shows that in a long 
series of tests of the No. 3 De Laval Alpha it averaged to do only 571 pounds of 
milk per hour, and left seventeen hundredths of one per cent of fat in the separated 
milk. 
The United States No. 3 averaged 658 pounds of 
milk per hour, and left in only twelve-hundredths 
of one per cent. 
This shows that the United States of the same claimed capacity as the De 
Laval Alpha did 15 per cent more milk per hour, and the De Laval had 41 per 
cent more fat left in the separated milk than the United States. 
The United States excelled in Quantity and in 
Thoroughness of Separation. 
The Sharpless Russian made such an extremely poor showing that we will not 
humiliate them further by quoting the figures, but refer all to the Bulletin for 
facts, and merely suggest in passing that the SlIARPLESS ARTIST unwittingly 
illustrated the true state of affairs in giving to the UNITED STATES the most 
exalted position, leaving the “Russian” bears so far below, that nothing but their 
disappointed growls can be heard. 
Examine a little farther, and see what the renowned Dr. Babcock has to say 
about the United States Separator : 
“ Your No. 1-B Separator has done most excellent work in every 
trial which we have made with it. It skims 2,000 pounds per hour 
on the average, and the skimmed milk usually contains about one- 
tenth of one per cent. This is a most excellent showing. 
“ I think for the amount of work which the machine does that 
the power is very low.” s. m. babcock, 
Chief Chemist Agricultural Experiment Station, 
University of Wisconsin. 
(It is a well-known fact that Dr. Babcock never reads anything lower than 
one-tenth in using his test.) 
Send for Illustrated Circulars for ail Creamery Supplies. 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE COMPANY, BELLOWS FALLS, VT. 
