44o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 29 
be advisable to remove most of the bunches soon after 
the berries form. All grape vines growing under or 
on the east side of trees that were in full leaf, were 
not injured, and they will produce a full crop of fruit. 
A friend of mine had his vines on a trellis jointed four 
inches above the ground, and when the freeze came, 
he removed his supports, laid the trellis down, as he 
does in winter, and covered the vines with straw, lie 
has a full crop. _ fred grundy. 
SHALL FRUIT GROWERS PRODUCE MILK 
AND VEGETABLES? 
One of the problems to be solved in cultivating a 
small place, is to determine properly what not to cul¬ 
tivate. Of fruits alone, it is difficult sufficiently to 
abbreviate in this “ Michigan belt,” the long list of 
desirable varieties. Another temptation is to raise 
food for the horse, and milk and butter for the table. 
For some years, I have assumed that I am economi¬ 
cal in buying the latter from others ; but my forti¬ 
tude is put to the test when I try to cut down the 
list of vegetables for table use. Yet, as the seasons 
roll by, it becomes more evident that “ pottering ” 
doesn't pay. Profit is a coquettish element to be won 
only by concentration on a few special crops best 
suited to the soil, markets, etc. 
Twenty tomato plants will supply a family table ; 
but that number requires one to be on the qui vive in 
their interests just the same as do 500. It takes the 
same time to hitch a horse to a harrow to fit the 
ground for a dozen rows of sweet corn, as it would 
for a couple of acres. To compound spraying mix¬ 
tures in small quantities, is more perplexing than in 
arger. between the last row of strawberries and 
your first row of raspberries, there is an element of 
loss. The strawberry mulch is in the way of cultivat¬ 
ing the raspberries, and raspberry suckers in a fruit¬ 
ing strawberry patch ai-e as an enemy that steals upon 
one from the rear. So it goes. Cherries may be profit¬ 
able, and so may celery; but between the twain, there 
lies a chasm in crossing which a loss of time, thought 
and energy is unavoidable. Now, that kind of a 
chasm is not a good thing to have around on a few 
acres, to the extent of more than a dozen or so at a 
time, so that it would seem to be the part of wisdom 
not to try to provide for a whole county exhibition 
all on one farm. 
I am much interested in the possibility of finding a 
quick growing plant that will succeed on our light 
soil, and supply humus for the soil, fodder for stock, 
or at least mulch for berries. Something of the kind 
of more value than rye, that can be sown in August 
or September and cut or plowed under in June, would 
help us as much as the proper solution of the silver 
question. Speaking of mulch, 1 wish to express my 
unqualified interest in, and approval of, the ideas 
thrown out by Woodbridge Strong in his references 
to Nature's methods of maintaining fertility. They 
are worth storing, certainly, and acting on as nearly 
as we may. F. hakmer. 
Manistee County, Mich. 
“MY POULTRY 
W1IAT THEY HAVE AND HAVEN’T DONE. 
How / Got In. 
IIow did I happen to drift into poultry raising? It 
was all very simple, and The R. N.-Y. was partly 
responsible for it. Our hens had been “on strike” 
during the winter of 1891, and though greatly vexed 
with them then, I now know more about the reason 
for their stubborn mood. Easter came very late in 
March that year, and the first egg seen in weeks was 
brought in on Good Friday. Several good neighbors 
pitied our eggless condition, and sent me a gift of 
“ eggs for Easter,” so that we did not suffer as we 
deserved ; for if truth must be told, those hens had 
been abused. They roosted wherever they could find 
a resting place, and their food was not in the least 
suggestive of plentiful egg production. An account 
of Mr. Wyckoff’s egg farm was published in The R. 
N.-Y. about that time, and it set me to thinking. If 
the Wyckoff hens could do so much, surely our flock 
could be coaxed to do something. 
On April 15, I began to put my newly acquired 
knowledge to the test, and April 20, I began keeping 
an account of the eggs gathered. I ransacked the 
granary and seed boxes, securing a few beans, a few 
cow peas, some sorghum seed and—but no matter, 
“ all was grist which came to my mill,” and when the 
hens did not relish any grain in the natural state, it 
was cooked and they were sure to eat it then. There 
were 50 hens in the flock, a mixture of Light Brahma, 
Silver Wyandottes, and common stock. There was 
but one thoroughbred in the flock, a Wyandotte and 
old enough to vote—only, she was a hen—and they 
had given me 3,435 eggs to December 31. 
I began setting hens May 7, and finished June 18, 
using 21 hens as incubators. I bought nine dozen 
Brown Leghorn eggs, part Single and part Rose Comb, 
and succeeded in raising 20 fine pullets, some of 
which began laying in November. I also raised some 
pullets from common stock, and after killing a part 
of my old stock, I found that I had 75 hens and pul¬ 
lets left. A room in the basement of the barn was 
made warm and comfortable for the fowls, and then 
I made a great mistake. A long cold season, extend¬ 
ing over three weeks, rendered it necessary to keep 
the birds shut into a space which was only about 
half large enough for them. When the weather 
grew warmer, I gave them their liberty, and the poor 
half-cooked things had been rendered so tender that 
they caught cold and became roupy. I only wonder 
that the disease had not reached the malignant form, 
but it did not. Those which seemed really sick, 
were dosed with “condition powder,” and in most 
cases they recovered. 
A Start With Brown Leghorns. 
I reserved the best of my Rose Comb Brown Leg¬ 
horn cockerels for breeding, and discarded the Single 
Combs, as they seemed less attractive, and during the 
next season set none but Rose Comb Brown Leghorn 
eggs, though I kept a number of mongrel hens for 
incubators and brooders. I find that the Brown Leg¬ 
horns are good foragers, good layers, and the chicks 
are hardy and willing to live and thrive if given half 
a chance. Some call Brown Leghorns wild birds, 
but, though they are more nervous than the larger 
breeds, I find them just as susceptible to kind treat¬ 
ment, and they cluster around me, fly up on my 
shoulder, and are as tame as one could wish them to 
be. Brown Leghorns have many points in their favor 
aside from their wonderful feats as egg producers. 
They are such clean, tidy-looking birds, and they 
mature so early, making such dainty little broilers 
when their relatives, the Cochins and Brahmas, and 
even the Plymouth Rocks, are only feathers and bones. 
The chicks are so active that they may be fed high 
without much danger from leg weakness, and that is 
a great consideration. Oh ! yes, they would roost in 
the top of the barn if so disposed ; no fence can keep 
them in if they really wish to get out, and they so 
object to starvation that they will eat the goodies in 
the garden if they must to sustain their reputation as 
egg producers. But a well-fed Leghorn is a well- 
behaved bird, and has no more depravity in her na¬ 
ture than any other hen ; and she has twice the 
inclination to turn her food into eggs that many 
other breeds possess. 
The Care of the Hen . 
Madam Leghorn must be well treated, however, in 
winter, if she is to go on with the egg business. Tier 
house must be warm and dry, and there must be no 
draughts upon her. She must not be overcrowded, 
and she must have plenty of food and water and exer¬ 
cise. The same is true of the other breeds, though the 
larger fowls are not quite so quickly affected by cold. 
The man who chooses hens with small combs so that 
they will not freeze so easily, has no business with 
Leghorns. They and all hens must be quietly han¬ 
dled, and, if possible there should be no change of 
attendants. Even my tame hens will stop laying for 
a day or two after the house is cleaned by a stranger. 
This proves how important it is that pullets should 
lay their first egg in the house which is to be their 
winter home. Every change of surroundings or com¬ 
panions puts back egg production. 
So much has been said of the necessity of grit, 
oyster shells, meat, bone and the like for hens, that 
it seems foolish to mention it again ; but all of these 
things are worth all they cost. Green food is also a 
necessity, and cabbage seems the very best form in 
which it can be fed, though turnips, beets, carrots and 
apples are all good and well relished. My flock get a 
few boiled potatoes every day with their soft feed. 
Too much cannot be said about keeping the litter 
in the houses dry. There is nothing better for litter 
than dry forest leaves, and if a few loads are stored 
for the hens it will pay well. Next to leaves come 
chaff and cut straw. The litter from the hay mow 
should all be saved for them, and little chicks will 
enjoy it greatly in the brooders. The litter must be 
changed often, for it soon becomes wet and dirty. 
This cleaning up is the most laborious part of the 
care of hens, and some way should be arranged in all 
houses to make it as easy as possible. 
Figuring Things Up. 
I cannot give an exact account of my poultry profits 
last year, as it was impossible to keep other hands 
than mine from the ground-feed bins ; but my 200 
hens gave me $255.52 for eggs and poultry sold, with 
eggs from 10 to 25 cents per dozen and poultry from 
12 to 20 cents per pound. About 300 chicks were 
raised, the hens doing all the incubating and a part 
of the brooding ; 47 hens were killed during the sum¬ 
mer, and perhaps a dozen died from various causes. 
Eggs and poultry were used liberally on the table, 
and these are not counted. This is not a large show¬ 
ing, but there were many drawbacks which could 
hardly be made plain to the reader, but which told on 
the egg account. 
I have a few White Plymouth Rocks and Light 
Brahmas this year, and though I think that I shall 
like them for some reasons, I am sure they will not 
crowd out my pretty Brownies. I have found that 
Buff Cochins are only beautiful pets. Their eggs are 
small. They do not hatch well for me, and the chicks 
are delicate and slow growers. They are lovely pets, 
however, and fair winter layers. 
I couldn’t keep house without a few Bantams. Such 
cunning elfins as they are ! Their scolding and coax¬ 
ing for food is quite irresistible. They make excellent 
mothers. A little Buff Pekin was given some choice 
chicks after sitting two days last summer, and she 
took to them as kindly as though she had spent the 
full three weeks in hatching them. s. A. little. 
Seneca County, N. Y. 
ALL SORTS FROM WISCONSIN. 
A few experiments are under way (to assist the 
experiment stations), c. g., a field of corn on “disked” 
land, seed drilled. For the first time, I found a two- 
horse planter this spring, that will drill corn, one 
grain at a time, any desired distance apart, with abso¬ 
lute certainty and accuracy. Having found it, no more 
corn in hills for me ; and with the aid of a weeder, 
no more weeds in the drill, either. 
A dozen of the newer sorts of potatoes were planted, 
including Mammoth Rose and the Extra Early Bovee 
seedling so favorably mentioned in The R. N.-Y.’s re¬ 
port last fall. Some of them were cut to single eyes, 
planted a foot apart each way, and the surface mulched 
with straw, as they were coming up. If the results 
will interest you, I will report them. [Let’s have the 
report. We are trying much the same thing. Eds.] 
I was pleased to see the new feature of notices of 
the experiment station bulletins, and am sure that 
it will please many of your readers and be of assist¬ 
ance to them. 
The articles by Mr. Woodbridge Strong interested 
me greatly ; so much that he said is beyond dispute. 
But I don’t yet see how we are to have similar con¬ 
ditions in fields devoted to crops, though my mulched 
potatoes are a modification of the plan. 
As Mr. Woodward says, the steel evener before 
described in The R. N.-Y. is heavy for plowing and 
harrowing, and the one he describes is better (and 
much cheaper), for those purposes ; but for a wagon 
with a pole, I do not see how his style of evener can 
be used, unless the middle horse will consent to travel 
astride the pole without kicking. Failing that, he 
will be crowded, and there will be the unpleasant side 
draught, usual with most three-horse eveners, when 
used on a two-horse wagon. However, I am in no 
wise interested except in the one I use, and that I 
liked so much for that purpose that I told about it, 
thinking others would like it also. Merely that, and 
nothing more. w. 
Wisconsin. 
THE DROUGHT AND HOW IT WAS DODGED. 
Not since the plow was started in April, has there 
been sufficient rain to prevent the working of the soil 
within a few hours after each shower. The ground 
is so dry now that dust follows at the heels of the 
plowman. Breed’s weeder stirs up a cloud of dust so 
that the man following it can scarcely be seen at 
times. Meadows that cut two tons of hay to the acre 
last season will not cut more than one-fourth as much 
this year. Newly seeded meadows were cut down by 
the frost; some pieces were mown and are not re¬ 
covering as well as those left as they were ; in either 
case they will cut a light crop of hay. Meadows 
everywhere are being plowed up, and a large acre¬ 
age of corn is being planted. Millet and Hungarian 
grass are being largely sown for fodder. Should rains 
come soon, the enterprising farmers will have enough 
to carry their stock through the winter. 
This is how we keep ahead of the drought: On the 
potato field, the weeder and cultivator have been 
kept busy. Before the potatoes were up, the weeder 
had been run over the field three times. Twice each, 
have the weeder and cultivator been used since the 
crop was up ; going twice in each row with the culti¬ 
vator the second time through. The tops are one foot 
or more high, and as far across. The early varieties 
are budded and young potatoes are setting. With 
drought on all sides, there seems to be no lack of mois¬ 
ture in that potato field ; only a little of the surface 
soil has to be pushed aside to show fresh, moist earth. 
Intelligent and systematic cultivation of the soil will 
bring to the surface the supply of water which our 
crops must have. 
If the Planet Jr. cultivator is to do its best, the 
teeth must be kept sharp ; a file has always been 
used for the purpose until this spring, when the teeth 
had become worn quite blunt. I started in as usual ; 
