THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 2 
i38 
I afterwards made on the farm was from the sale of 
potatoes at less than 15 cents a bushel, and live pork 
at $2 per 100 pounds. During the war, I got high 
prices for all I could raise, and I paid off the most of 
my mortgage. A few years after, I had my farm all 
paid for, and I have saved a little money every year 
since.” 
“ When did you buy this farm where you now live ? ” 
“I bought it four years ago because I wanted a 
larger farm, and one that was nearer to a railroad 
town.” 
“ Do you keep purebred stock ? ” 
“No, I have no purebreds except my bulls. I keep 
at least 50 cows in milk, besides raising my best calves. 
They are all grades—some Jersey blood, some Ayr¬ 
shire. and some native—but all good, profitable milk¬ 
ers. When I find a cow in my herd that does not pay 
her board and a profit besides, I sell her or beef her.” 
“ How do you feed your cows ? ” 
“ I feed all cows in milk dry fodder and hay, with a 
fair ration of grain, which 1 raise myself. Some 
years I buy a little mill feed.” 
“ Did you ever feed ensilage ? ” 
“No, I never have, but I am beginning to think 
that I shall before long. I plant a few acres of corn 
every year for the grain, besides drilling in a great 
deal for fodder, which I think makes pretty good feed 
when properly cured and housed.” 
“Under present conditions of farming in Vermont, 
would you advise a young man with small means to 
buy a neglected farm and make it his home, with the 
expectation of paying for it and improving it at the 
same time ? ” 
“ Yes, or an old man either ; were I to lose my farm 
through misfortune, 1 would tackle a cheap one my¬ 
self, and knock the dollars out of the soil to pay for 
it. All a man needs is good health, grit and deter¬ 
mination, and he will succeed. When we received 
high prices for our products, we also paid high prices 
for our supplies. We lived too high, and we wasted 
a great deal because we did not know enough to save 
it. The help that science has given the farmer in the 
last few years, more than compensates for high prices, 
for it enables him to save and make use of everything 
on the farm, and to know his business better than he 
did.” 
Mr. Bassett now has a farm of 500 acres, all hilly 
and stony land, except about 100 acres of grass and 
tillage land near the house and barn. His barn is 130 
feet long by 45 feet wide, with an addition 20x80 feet 
on the rear. He fills this large barn with hay, fodder 
and grain, which is all fed to his stock of some 75 
cows and heifers, seven horses and 50 sheep. All the 
manure is saved under cover, and this, with the addi¬ 
tion of about one ton of fertilizer, is all the medicine 
he gives his land. He has a beautiful home, and is 
surrounded by more than the usual farm comforts. 
He has a sugar orchard of 1,500 trees near the house, 
which yields him from 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of sugar, 
according to the season. A fine, bearing orchard and 
large beds of small fruits supply his table with fruits 
in season. Cold spring water finds its way down 
from the hills, through the house and barn. 
Mr. Bassett does not claim to be a scientific farmer, 
but he has been contented to work on with what 
means he possessed from year to year, till now, in the 
prime of life, he and his family can enjoy the fruits 
of their labor. What we need in Vermont is not 
more territory, but more frugal, industrious men to 
work our farms as they should be worked. Our soil 
is fertile, our climate healthful and our scenery de¬ 
lightful. Nature is pleading for the caressing care 
of the husbandman vrho once was, but to-day is not. 
_ c. w. SCORFF. 
SHORT FRUIT NOTES. 
Spraying and Keeping Qualities. —On page 69 of 
The R. N.-Y., A. L. J. asks, “ What effect does spray¬ 
ing have on the keeping quality of apples ? ” The 
answer by Prof. Slingerland is correct, and I am able 
to add to the evidence in favor of spraying to prevent 
rot. In the winter of 1891-2, we put away 100 apples 
each of half a dozen varieties, both scabby and those 
free from scab, and duplicated the experiment. We 
found in every case that the scabby apples began to 
rot sooner than those free from scab, and we came to 
the conclusion that at least 50 per cent of rot in varie¬ 
ties much subject to scab, may be prevented by spray¬ 
ing. It will pay to spray for this reason alone. I 
have had similar experiences since, and with pears as 
well as with apples. This has reference to spraying 
for the scab alone, as in our experiments, all wormy 
apples were rejected. w. j. green. 
Ohio Experiment Station. 
In regard to the spraying of fruits affecting their 
keeping qualities, is it not due rather to its effect upon 
the health of the tree, through its foliage, than to any 
direct effect upon the fruit ? Of course, destroying 
the germ of scab on the fruit, or the embryo insects, is 
an aid to securing good fruits ; but the germs that 
cause decay are usually attached to the fruit some 
time after spraying ceases. If decay is natural, simply 
overripeness and the breaking down of the cellular 
tissue—then fruit from a tree with healthy, vigorous 
foliage, would naturally be likely to keep much longer 
than from a tree sickly or weak in foliage, augur. 
Connecticut. 
Zero Weather for Delaware Peaches. —While I 
never placed much dependence upon an examination 
of peach buds at this season of the year, and never 
feel sure of a crop until I actually have it, I have ex¬ 
amined buds of several varieties, and inclose a list 
which may give some idea of their present situation 
after the recent cold snap. The mercury has been 
three degrees below zero once, and near it for several 
mornings, but the buds are in the best possible con¬ 
dition to stand cold weather. I examined the buds on 
only one twig of each variety, from 12 to 20 inches 
being the average length. Of course, if there had been 
a number of twigs of each variety, taken from severa 
different trees, I believe the result might have been 
somewhat changed, as, for instance, with Chairs’ 
Choice, which withstands cold better than most peaches 
of its class : 
.—No. buds—. 
Name of variety. Alive. Dead. 
Chairs’ Choice. 2 23 
Burke. 31 5 
Berenice. 33 0 
Peninsula Yellow.... 62 27 
Early Beauty. 19 37 
Chinese Cling.25 5 
Wonderful.34 8 
Algerine. 56 5 
Troths.23 2 
Watkins Early. 25 9 
Beers’ Smock. 34 6 
McCollister. 12 25 
Sea ford, Del. 
No. buds—. 
Name of variety. Alive. Dead. 
Elberta. 34 18 
Gavey’s Hold-On_ 24 19 
Globe. 4 33 
White Heath Cling... 44 5 
Couper’s Late. 22 50 
Mountain Rareripe . 25 5 
Mountain Rose.20 12 
Stump.18 15 
Crawford’s Late. 9 30 
John Haas.20 1 
Foster.35 8 
Wheatland. 2 28 
C. W. 
THREE WAYS OF FASTENING COWS. 
Feeding from Rack and Box. 
On page 18, C. W. R., asks for plans of cow stables. 
Fig. 43 shows one which we have had in use several 
winters, which has proved quite satisfactory to us, 
and apparently so to the cows. The drop may be of 
any width and depth to suit the builder, and the plat¬ 
form any length to suit the cow. If there is much 
difference in the length of the cows, either the drop 
or the rack should run a little angling so as to be 
nearer at one end, and then the cows should be 
arranged along it according to their length. The 
height from the floor to the bottom of the feeding 
slats is two feot ; length of slats, three feet. The 
sliute on which the hay rests, should have slope 
enough to keep the hay well against the slats. The 
grain box is placed in the corner of the stall. The 
advantage of this rack over the manger, is that the 
cows cannot befoul the floor while standing forward 
to eat, and then step back and lie down in it ; but are 
compelled to stand back while eating, so that the 
manure falls into the drop, keeping the floor clean. 
Our cows are as clean as when running on pasture. 
Jackson Center, Fa. a. m. c. 
A Model After a Long Search. 
For a number of years, 1 have been watching for a 
cattle tie that would take the place of stanchions, but 
I have seen nothing that would do. The two prin¬ 
cipal requisites are cleanness and comfort to the cow. 
After buying a few each of the cattle ties offered for 
sale, I found the tie marked No 1 at Fig. 44 to be the 
best. I took a few to the blacksmith shop, and had 
them made like No. 2. By using two round, hard-wood 
poles 2% inches in diameter, placed 14 inches apart at 
the bottom and 16 inches at the top, the rings will be 
governed by every movement of the cow. No fodder 
can get under the cow's feet; she can take out her 
head at will, and sleep with the head alongside the 
body. After a few weeks’ experimenting / I find the 
cows as clean as when in stanchions. I am so well 
pleased with this tie, that I have bought 43^ dozen 
ties; shall have them all made like No. 2, and this 
week 1 shall take every stanchion out of my barn 
and relieve my stock of their old prison life. No. 4 
is the same tie, but is made of gas pipes. In 
ease of fire, by turning the crank, the pipe pulls up, 
as shown, and the cows are all loose. This will be 
patented. My object in having the two rings, is first, 
the chain across or between the poles, prevents the 
fodder from getting under the cow ; second, by having 
the stalls 3% feet apart as they should be, the cows 
can not hook each other, and when they get up, they 
will not pound their shoulders against the poles, as 
they do in the stanchions. This is, in some cases, the 
cause of abortion. If the farmers would try a few 
such ties, the stanchions would soon go. The cost of 
the ties is, No. 1, $2.50 per dozen, and No. 2 will be 
about $4, or $3 at the factory. m. nelson 
Menominee, Mich. 
Chains and Rods for Fasteners. 
My way of fastening cows in the stable is shown at 
Fig. 45. Hay and grain are put into the manger. At 
either side, as shown in the cut. rods are fastened 
standing out two inches from the wall. The cow has 
a leather strap around her neck. The two short chains 
shown have rings at one end and snaps at the other. 
The rings play on the rods, and the snaps fasten into 
a ring on the neck strap. The cow has ample room, 
cannot Interfere with her neighbor, or waste her 
feed, and will keep clean. I put two cows in each stall, 
and it saves one-half of the partitions. s. c. h. 
Rix’s Mills, O. 
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Why Lime is Used in Bordeaux Mixture. 
fV., Monroe , Wie .—In making Bordeaux Mixture, why is not a 
saturated solution of lime—the clear liquid without sediment— 
such as is, or was used in preserving eggs, as good as the milk of 
lime as directed ? It would not clog the nozzle. 
Ans.—T he copper sulphate solution used in making 
Bordeaux Mixture, is an acid, and enough of the alka¬ 
line milk of lime must be mixed with it to form at 
least a neutral mixture, or injury to the foliage may 
result from an excess of the acid. The safest Bordeaux 
Mixture will give an alkaline reaction, for it contains 
lime in considerable excess. Many experiments have 
shown that four pounds of freshly slaked lime, is the 
proper amount to mix with six pounds of the sulphate 
to make the safest Bordeaux Mixture. If the lime be 
thoroughly slaked, there will be but little sediment 
1 he reason why a saturated solution of lime is not as 
good as the milk of lime, is simply that there would 
not be four pounds of lime in 40 or 50 gallons of lime 
water, and thus the resulting mixture would be 
strongly acid and would doubtless do serious injury 
to foliage. The chemist tells me that there is only 
one pound of lime in nearly 90 gallons of a saturated 
solution of lime. Thus, one would have to add about 
350 gallons of the saturated solution to the six pounds 
of copper sulphate, before the resulting mixture would 
be sufficiently alkaline to use with safety. This, of 
course, would make the Bordeaux too dilute to be 
effective. Bordeaux Mixture made with properly 
slaked lime, can be satisfactorily thrown through 
most of the realty good nozzles, like the McGowen, for 
instance. m. v. slingerland. 
When Is Plant Food in Fertilizer Exhausted ? 
L. V., Stanton, Ky.—le, fertilizer exhausted the lirst year, or do 
its fertilizing properties remain in the soil for many years ? 
Ans. —It depends on a dozen things, chief of which are 
the form in which the fertilizer is applied and the con¬ 
dition of the soil. The three chief elements of fertility 
are nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash—the last two 
being minerals and found in the ash of plants. These 
substances must all be soluble before the plant can 
make use of them. The drainage waters from ordinary 
soils rarely contain much potash or phosphoric acid, 
except from surface drainage, where the manure or 
fertilizer is put on the surface of the soil, and the 
water flows along the soil through it like the water 
through a leach. Take a bushel of wood ashes, and 
soak water through it, and you will leach out nearly 
all the potash. Mix the ashes with six or ten bushels 
of earth, and you will never be able to leach it through 
with water. When well worked into the soil, the sol¬ 
uble phosphoric acid and potash assume new forms 
by uniting chemically with lime or silica. We shall 
try to describe the chemistry of these changes under 
Primer Science. It is enough here to say that phos¬ 
phoric acid may be changed in the soil so that 
water cannot wash it out, while the acid principle in 
the roots of plants can dissolve and utilize it. Or, it 
may be so changed in the soil that plants cannot 
utilize it, or it may be washed down into the subsoil 
so that roots of ordinary plants cannot reach it. Thus 
it might remain in the soil and still be unavailable for 
ordinary culture. 
It is different with nitrogen. In the form of leather, 
this substance might remain in the soil for years, 
because it is not soluble in water. Nitrate of soda is 
as soluble as salt. A moderate amount of water will 
dissolve it,’ and with good drainage it will largely 
pass out of the soil unless there are growing plants at 
hand to utilize it. Cold, wet weather in the spring 
causes a loss of nitrate of soda on leachy soils, because 
it is dissolved easily and the plants are backward 
about growing. The nitrogen in blood, tankage or 
fish, is called “organic” nitrogen because derived from 
animal substances. This requires warmth as w’ell as 
moisture to become available, and, therefore, nour¬ 
ishes the plant later in the season, not being soluble 
in spring. Bone provides organic nitrogen of a yet 
more stable kind, and the nitrogen in green crops and 
roots is still harder to decay and become useful. A 
