1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
7z7 
This season’s trial tends to show me that mulched 
potatoes, in a dry summer, will grow unchecked to 
maturity, require no work after the mulch is applied, 
will yield a much larger crop of better-shaped pota¬ 
toes, and that the planting can be at least as close 
again, if the ground is fertile. I shall next year 
mulch to the extent of the material available, and 
then the rest of the ground will be disced finely three 
or four inches, then plowed, the sets dropped on the 
side of every other furrow. With the weeder across 
the rows, and the cultivator between them shallow 
and nearly flat culture, with no need of the hoe near 
them, I can snap my fingers as loud as I dare, at the 
drought. All cultivation was this year as flat as the 
cultivator and weeder would do it, with no hoeing, 
the few coarse weeds escaping, being pulled out. 
Each and every idea and plan herein described, dif¬ 
fering at all from the ordinary way, was obtained 
from The R. N.-Y. and its correspondents, to whom I 
tender my thanks. I don’t flatter myself that I should 
ever have had the wit to hit upon either of them. 
Green County, Wis. w. 
WHAT THEY SAY. 
Sublimate Solution Failed. —I recommended the 
above solution for potato scab to one of my neighbors 
last spring. At the same time I advised him to sub¬ 
scribe to The R. N.-Y. which he did. IIow he likes 
the latter, I don’t know ; but he says that the solu¬ 
tion did no good at all, as his potatoes are scabbier 
than last year if possible. My own experience is that 
it does all claimed for it. I saved a barrel of very 
scabby potatoes last fall, and last spring I soaked 
them in a solution of one part of corrosive sublimate 
to eight gallons of water, and planted on land that 
produced very scabby tubers the year before ; the 
crop is smooth and large, with almost no small ones. 
Massachusetts. c. w. king. 
They Organized and Won. —Some years ago the 
Grocers’ Union, of Syracuse, N.Y., induced the aider- 
men to pass a very obnoxious ordinance compelling 
every farmer and gardener to pay 85 per year for selling 
his own produce in any part of the city, except on Clin¬ 
ton Market. This oppressive and unjust law has been 
only partially enforced until a short time ago, when 
some 12 or more arrests were made in one day. The 
farmers and gardeners called an indignation meeting 
at North Syracuse, organized the Farmers’ Protective 
Association, employed a lawyer, and made up a purse 
of money to defend one of the farmers arrested and 
locked up for refusing to pay the $5 demanded for 
selling his produce on the streets. We determined to 
carry this test case into the higher courts if neces¬ 
sary ; but the Common Council or city fathers have at 
last seen fit to repeal the ordinance when convinced 
that the farmers were determined to battle for their 
rights as an organized body. So much for coopera¬ 
tion. Farmers in this and other States should organ¬ 
ize to protect themselves in similar cases. A. b. 
North Syracuse, N. Y. 
Down on the Canal. —In what way would the 
farmers of this State be benefited by having the State 
appropriate $9,000,000 for enlarging and deepening 
that old ditch known as the Erie Canal ? Is it not 
time that the farmers of this State should insist that 
all appropriations for any purpose whatever, except 
for carrying on the government of the State in the 
most economical manner possible, should be stopped, 
until the laws concerning taxation can be so revised 
that the hundreds of millions of dollars of personal 
property in the State that now escape taxation, may 
stand their just proportion of taxation with farm 
property ? If the voters of the State are so anxious 
to vote an appropriation of $9,COO,000 for some pur¬ 
pose, why not vote against the canal appropriation, 
and get a law passed to appropriate that amount for 
building good roads that the city people and bicyclists 
are so anxious that the farmers shall build for them ? 
Would not the $9,000,000 build five good roads the 
whole length of the State, and four across it, so that 
every person in the State could derive some benefit 
from the appropriation ? j. h. c. 
Chautauqua County, N. Y. 
The Business Pear.—The R. N.-Y. has told us 
about the business hen, and about the business peach 
orchards of Georgia and Connecticut, and you call 
The R. N.-Y. the business farmers’ paper. But we 
have’nt seen much about the business pear, which is 
doing a wholesale business right along at the old 
stand here in Delaware. Through the kindness of 
my friend, Mr. W. H. McKee, I am able to give figures 
of this season’s crop on a little orchard of two and 
two-fifths acres. The trees were set six years ago, 
and stand 16 feet apart each way. There are 285 
trees on the block. From this block were picked 
and sold this season over 2,000 five-eighths bushel 
baskets of first-class fruit, and there are about 800 bas¬ 
kets of seconds that Mr. McKee is evaporating. The 
strong points of the Keiffer pear are strong, healthy 
growth, freedom from insects and disease (no blight), 
early bearing, an erect, symmetrical top, and heavy 
annual crops of handsome, perfect fruits which bring 
in the dollars. About the only weak point about 
them is their rather inferior quality for eating out of 
hand, but when canned they are very good. 
Another illustration of the value of a business vair 
is seen in the fruit farm of Thos. B. Hanson. One of 
the leading features of his farm is the immense orchard 
of the business pear (Keiffer), containing upwards of 
17,000 trees. The trees are set 16 by 32 feet and cul¬ 
tivated crops are grown among them. This season 
only about 5,000 of these trees bore fruit—and these 
AN ANCHOR FOR THE ELECTRIC PLOW. Fio. 226. 
were on the outside parts of the orchard. These trees 
had been set eight years, and from them there were 
picked and sold 16,000 baskets (five-eighths bushel) of 
fruit, which sold for 25 cents per basket on the cars 
at Wyoming, Del. From a single tree, which stood in 
a very favorable location, were picked 21 baskets of 
large and fine pears, or $5 25 worth of fruit. A single 
branch, 18 inches in length, bore 20 perfect pears of 
large size. The Keiffer is a good keeper. The crops 
above referred to were shipped in bulk in ordinary 
box cars, at low freight rates, to Chicago and Cincin¬ 
nati, and there barreled and sold. The Keiffer does 
not show bruises easily, does not rot at the core, and 
colors up slowly to a beautiful golden yellow, while 
yet hard. As the pears run very uniform in size and 
shape, they make a very attractive appearance. 
E. G. PACKARD. 
Some Potato Points. —I received last spring a Car¬ 
man No. 1 potato, weighing between two and three 
ounces. It contained eight eyes, from which I made 
eight hills. The total product was 34 potatoes, weigh¬ 
ing 21 pounds 10 ounces, all marketable but two, and 
all shapely but one. The best potato weighed 22 
ounces ; the best eight, eight pounds. I also planted, 
for comparison, 17 hills of Rural New-Yorker No. 2, 
each containing a single eye, which produced 55 pota¬ 
toes, weighing 35% pounds. The best potato weighed 
PLOWING A FIELD BY ELECTRICITY. Fio. 228. 
27 ounces, the best 17, 17 pounds six ounces, all mar¬ 
ketable, except one. These had the advantage, owing 
to the larger seed pieces. The single-eye pieces of 
the other two kinds were so small in some cases 
that they scarcely grew. 
One pound of Carman No. 3, containing 31 eyes, 
making 31 hills, produced 106 potatoes, weighing 68% 
pounds, all marketable except 10, the total weight 
of which was one pound. The best potato weighed 
26 ounces, the best 31, 31 pounds six ounces ; 31 single¬ 
eye pieces planted in another place produced only 75 
potatoes, weighing 45% pounds. The Carman No. 1 
potatoes are so unlike others in appearance, that any 
one could pick them out of the others* if .they were 
mixed. They are longer, more flattened, the eyes more 
sunken, and are covered with a very heavy netting, 
much heavier than the others. All were planted 
May 2, and what were above ground May 17, were 
frozen. For weeks at a time we had no rain, with 
countless numbers of flea beetles, potato beetles, and 
another grayish insect, that killed about two inches 
of the tender growth over the tops, giving them a 
scrubby appearance. Blight set in about August 1, 
which shortened their days. At the time of digging, 
September 11, the No. 1 only showed a green ap¬ 
pearance, the others having been dead for some time. 
Orbisonia, Pa. G. H. B. 
PLOWING BY ELECTRICITY. 
Many attempts have been made to use electricity as 
a motive power for forcing a plow through the soil. 
They have failed—that is, all of them that depended 
on the system of hauling the plow to and fro across 
the field by means of windlass and chain. U. S. Con¬ 
sul Doederlein. of Leipsic, Germany, sends an account 
of a plow that works on a new principle which seems 
to promise some actual results. 
Briefly stated, the plan is as follows : an anchor, 
Fig. 226, is fastened at one end of the field, with a 
similar one exactly opposite. A chain runs between 
them and through the plow shown at Fig. 227. 
Notice how this plow is made. There are two wheels 
with wide tires. There are two plows and two seats 
so arranged that when one goes down to the ground 
the one at the other end is tilted high in the air and 
clears the ground. In the body of the plow is suit¬ 
able gearing for turning the wheels. The electric 
current sets this gearing in motion, and the whole 
machine passes forward dragging the plow after it 
and guarded by the chain. 
Fig. 228 shows the whole thing in operation. A 
traction engine is driven into the field and well braced 
Its power is communicated to a dynamo on wheels 
which generates the electricity. A cable carries this 
electric current to the plow and sends it moving over 
the ground just as a trolley car is sent along the track. 
In order to keep this cable off the ground, little wheeled 
trucks are provided which will run in any direction. 
The picture shows how the thing is done. First the 
anchors are fastened at either end of the furrow. I’he 
driver sits on the rear plow, his weight bringing it 
down to the ground. The electric current is turned 
on, and the machine starts across the deld like a trac¬ 
tion engine, guided by the steering wheel pulling in 
the chain as it goes, and drawing up to the anchor. 
At the end, both anchors are moved to the next fur¬ 
row. The driver takes his place at the opposite end 
tilting up the plow he has just used, and bringing 
down the other, and off they start back. In places 
where an electric wire ran along the main road, the 
engine and dynamo would not be needed, as the 
electric current could be brought direct from the main 
line. A single share can be used in the plow—or 
half a dozen ; it depends on the force at command. 
The characteristic feature of this plow is the fact that 
the power is applied to the machine itself like any 
electrical conveyance. There is no dead haul across 
the field with power lost on a long cable or chain. 
The figures given by German authorities show that, 
as compared with steam or horse plowing, the electric 
plow was cheaper, and did better work, all things 
considered. The expanse at starting was heavy, and 
many hands are required. Of course, at present, this 
matter of electric plowing is only one of the things 
we can think about. It is probable, however, that 
something will come from this eventually. While it 
may not directly interest those of us who work on 
small fields and farms, the great level fields of the 
West may be worked by such machines, and their 
cheaper products will compete with those of Eastern 
farms. So it is well to know what is coming. 
MAKING A TEMPERANCE DRINK. 
“ No, I thank you ; I never drink wine,” said the 
Deacon as my wife poured him out a glass, and held it 
towards him. It was amusing to see the look which 
accompanied the words. He evidently did not expect 
to be thus insulted in the house of his friends. 
“ But I want you to try this,” said she. 11 It is deli¬ 
cious, and you need have no conscientious scruples, as 
it is as harmless as fresh grapes. I put up a large 
supply of it, and we use it in place of cider. You 
know that cider will get hard so quickly, while this 
will remain perfectly sweet for a year.” 
The Deacon began to look interested, and inquired 
how it was made. 
“ Here is my recipe,” said she as she took it from a 
shelf. 
The Deacon put on his specks and read : “ Remove 
10 pounds of grapes from the stems, discarding any 
that are not fully ripe and in good order. Put in a 
stew pan and crush a little with the potato masher. 
Add five quarts of water and boil for five minutes. 
