774 
E>>«?  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
New  England  Notes 
SKILL  IX  XEW  ENGLAND  FARMING. 
Is  New  England  agriculture  still  on  the 
up-grade?  President  K.  L.  Iluttorfio'd 
of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  (’«■!- 
lege  asserts  that  the  farms  of  this  sec¬ 
tion  are  far  better  handled  than  ever  be¬ 
fore.  and  that  some  of  the  most  skilled 
farming  in  the  United  States,  if  not  in 
the  world,  may  be  found  in  New  Eng¬ 
land. 
"With  the  use  of  commercial  fertil¬ 
izers."’  he  declares,  “some  of  the  New 
England  cultivated  soils  are  not  only 
more  productive  than  ever  before  in  their 
history,  of  from  150  to  nearly  MOO  years, 
hut  they  arc  more  productive  than  any 
other  lands  in  the  United  .Slates,  with 
possibly  a  few  exceptions,  and  production 
is  still  gaining  slowly,  if  gradually.” 
The  wide,  level  areas  of  the  West  are 
impressive,  but  acreage  and  yield  per 
acre  are  two  very  different  things.  New 
England,  taken  all  together,  is  no  larger 
than  several  of  the  Western  States. 
Yet  New  England  surpasses  the  average 
uf  the  States  in  number  of  farms,  acres 
of  improved  land,  value  of  annual  farm 
products,  average  yield  per  acre.  The 
fertilizer  bills  may  be  higher  than  in  some 
other  sections,  but  what  of  that,  if  larger 
and  higher  priced  crops  arc  raised  to  pay 
the  extra  cost? 
Some  of  the  best  agricultural  increases 
in  the  country  are  made  from  side  lines 
whose  managers  are  winning  profits  and 
not  saying  much  about  it.  There  are  sev¬ 
eral  thousand  market  gardeners,  most  of 
them  making  a  little  more  than  a  living 
on  average  years  and  a  few  rolling  up  big 
incomes  in  good  times.  There  are  hun¬ 
dreds  of  flourishing  fruit  farms,  a  few  se¬ 
curing  fancy  prices,  like  $-1  a  box  for 
apple®  and  75  cents  a  quart  for  straw¬ 
berries.  The  cranberry  specialty  is  con¬ 
sidered  profitable.  There  are  thousands 
nf  nice  retail  milk  routes,  and  scores  of 
choice  cream  routes.  Many  have  turned 
their  farms  into  little  factories  for  con¬ 
verting  the  raw  crop  material  into  canned 
goods,  fruit  juices,  moat  products  and  the 
like. 
One  of  the  largest  strictly  farm  in¬ 
comes,  about  $12,000,  is  in  New  England 
and  few  of  the  market  gardeners  have 
done  still  hotter.  It  is  a  section  of  odd 
little  industries,  like  the  South  Shore 
roaster  business,  and  here  and  there  such 
oddities  as  raising  bees  for  greenhouse 
use.  fox  farms,  fish  ponds,  willow  holts, 
cranberries  under  glass,  pansy  and  bulb 
farms.  New  England  is  the  home  of  the 
small  poultry  keeper  as  well  as  of  the  old- 
time  thoroughgoing  fancier  who  sticks  to 
one  breed  for  a  lifetime  and  acquires  na¬ 
tional  reputation.  In  short,  New  Eng¬ 
land's  agriculture  is  as  remarkably  va¬ 
ried.  ingenious  and  intensive  as  its  man¬ 
ufactures.  and  as  its  mental  output 
If  there  is  anything  in  organized  lead¬ 
ership,  New  England  ought  to  go  ahead 
still  more  rapidly,  Six  colleges  and  six 
or  seven  experiment  stations  in  a  section 
about  the  size  of  Michigan,  also  1.500 
Granges  with  125,000  members,  besides  a 
long  list  of  agricultural  societies  and  ufii- 
cials  of  various  kinds.  The  M0  or  40 
comity  agents  are  bright  young  men  with 
considerable  School  training.  As  fast  as 
they  acquire  experience  and  make  good, 
they  are  attracting  the  confidence  of  far¬ 
mers.  The  school  agricultural  clubs  sug¬ 
gest  a  new  attitude  of  the  coming  gen¬ 
eration.  Years  ago  the  school  children 
everywhere  were  inclined  to  laugh  at  the 
idea  there  could  be  anything  worth  the 
study  in  farming.  Now  there  are  more 
boys  and  girls  of  the  schools  enrolled  in 
agricultural  clubs  tlum  in  any  other  sim¬ 
ilar  area  in  the  United  States.  This 
means  very  much  fur  a  change  in  public 
attitude  within  a  few  years,  and  it.  means 
that  more  and  more  of  the  brightest 
young  minds  will  turn  toward  the  ad¬ 
vancement  of  agriculture.  It  works  in  a 
circle.  The  brightest,  most  forceful  minds 
make  any  business  pay.  and  a  paying  line 
of  business  attracts  tbe  best,  talent.  There 
is  surely  a  new  enthusiasm  for  agricul¬ 
ture  that  is  gradually  changing  the 
thought  and  practice  throughout  the 
whole  section. 
PUBLIC  .MARKETS. 
The  public  market  law  of  Massachu¬ 
setts  is  now  better  enforced,  thanks  to  re¬ 
cent  efforts  by  an  agent  of  tbe  Board  of 
Agriculture.  Fifty-three  towns,  all  but 
12  of  those  of  over  10,000  people,  have 
set  aside  squares  or  streets  as  public 
markets.  Most  of  the  others  are  prepar¬ 
ing  to  do  the  same.  Hut  the  practical 
results  are  slight  unless  the  town  pro¬ 
vides  funds  and  a  manager.  So  far  only 
a  few  of  the  "high-cost-of-living”  towns 
and  cities  in  the  Boston  suburban  district 
have  done  much  to  develop  an  actual 
working  market.  It  is  partly  indifference, 
partly  opposition  from  storekeepers  and 
partly  a  lack  of  skilled  leadership.  In 
smaller  towns  there  is  no  doubt;  a  feeling 
that  the  farmers  are  already  supplying 
all  needs  by  means  of  peddling  produce 
from  house  to  house.  In  such  places  the 
public  market  would  serve  largely  as  a 
clearing  house  and  place  of  supply  for 
the  peddlers.  Friends  of  the  market 
plan  claim  that  many  consumers  also 
would  soon  acquire  the  habit  of  buying 
in  job  lots  and  carrying  the  goods  home. 
But  at  present  the  market  is  most  popu¬ 
lar  in  crowded  sections  where  farmers  do 
not  come  in  large  numbers  and  where  the 
aristocratic  storeman  rules  the  most  de¬ 
sirable  trade.  Even  hero  the  farmers  are 
beginning  to  invade  with  motor  wagons, 
but  the  public  market  does  plenty  of  busi¬ 
ness.  It  is  certainly  a  time-saving  plan 
for  the  seller  and  will  save  money  for  the 
consumer  who  is  willing  to  -take  a  little 
trouble  for  the  sake  of  cutting  down  liv¬ 
ing  costs  and  securing  bis  produce  Avhilo 
it  is  fresh  and  good. 
HIGH  COST,  LOW  PRICES. 
“No  wonder  farmers  are  kicking.”  said 
a  North  Market  street  commission  man. 
"Everything  they  depend  on  for  cash  has 
been  in  a  bad  way  this  Spring.  Apple'S 
have  been  going  down,  potatoes  weak  and 
onions  sick  most  of  the  time,  and  there 
has  been  poor  demand  for  most  every¬ 
thing.  Even  there  is  too  much  milk  I  am 
told,  arid  the.  dealers  won’t  pay  a  decent 
price.” 
Here  is  someth ing  more  cheering  from 
II.  F.  Tomson,  special  agricultural 
agent,  in  the  Boston  market  garden  dis¬ 
trict.  “Nearly  all  business  is  improving.” 
be  declares.  "There  is  every  reason  to  be¬ 
lieve  that  the  average  consumer,  with 
larger  earnings  than  ever  before,  will  de¬ 
mand  move  of  our  products:  and  cause  bet¬ 
ter  market  conditions  in  1910  than  we 
have  had  the  past  two  or  three  years.” 
The  market  gardeners  have  troubles  of 
their  own  besides  high  cost  of  all  mate¬ 
rials.  seed  and  labor.  Some  old  seed  was 
used  oil  account  of  scarcity,  and  it  is  not 
coming  up  so  well  as  it  might.  Mr.  Tom- 
sun  has  al vised  testing  seed  before  used, 
Both  these  men  know  thnt  when  it  comes 
to  human  safety  there  should  be  but  one 
standard  for  big  car  or  little. 
And  they  both  know  that  though  Timken 
Axles  may  differ  in  size,  they  all  have  the  same 
substantial  Timken  quality  —  which  never  has 
been,  and  never  will  be,  limited  by  pocket  book 
considerations. 
Motor  cars  will,  of  course,  differ  in  price — and 
justly — according  to  their  power,  size  and  capac¬ 
ity,  the  number  of  their  conveniences  and  the 
luxury  of  their  appointments. 
But  both  the  buyer  and  the  builder  of  snv  car, 
big  or  little,  want — and  know  that  Timken 
gives  them— The  utmost  safety  and  long -service 
value  in  their  car’s  foundations,  the  axles,  and 
bearings. 
Whether  a  Timken  front  axle  supports  a  light 
or  heavy,  medium  priced  or  high  priced  car,  it 
embodies  the  same  precautions  against  any  pos¬ 
sibility  of  breaking  at  any  point. 
and,  if  it  sprouts  poorly,  sow  it  more 
thickly.  Some  arc  drilling  onions  twice 
to  be  sure  of  plants  enough.  Lettuce 
growers  have  been  enjoying  some  im¬ 
provement  over  the  low  prices  of  the 
Winter,  but  the  damping-off  disease  lias 
given  them  much  trouble  m  cloudy,  wet 
weather.  Air.  sunshine,  thin  planting  and 
nse  of  lime  are  recommended.  Mr.  Tom- 
son  also  advises  ground  limestone  in  the 
field  to  favor  early  workability  of  the 
soil  and  quick  decay  of  manure.  Garden¬ 
ers  are  paying  about  $1.50  per  ton  in  bulk 
with  freight  extra.  Cabbage  maggot  is 
bothering  the  gardeners,  too.  Some  are 
using  disks  of  tar  paper  around  the 
plants',  with  good  success;  these  disks 
cost  $2  per  thousand. 
LIVE  STOCK  AT  BRIGHTON  YARDS. 
The  milch  cow  trade  seems  to  stick  to 
Brighton,  tire  or  no  tire.  There  were  M50 
on  sale  this  week  :  which  is  nearly  up  to 
the  average  number.  But  the  customers 
have  been  rather  scarce  since  the  tire, 
and  prices  are  in  buyers’  favor,  with  quite 
a  number  of  cows  left  unsold  at  that. 
The  range  of  prices  has  not  changed 
greatly,  hut  dealers  seemed  willing  to  con¬ 
cede  a  little  to  make  sales.  Buyers  were 
mostly  of  the  trading  class  and  inclined  to 
drive  close  bargains.  Fancy  cows  bring 
$110  to  $115.  Good  cows,  $00  to  $70. 
The  lowest  sale  price  noted  lately  was 
$45.  Dealers  are  still  talking  about  their 
tire  losses.  "I  luyl  about  $1,100  worth  of 
cows  in  the  barn."  said  one.  "and  no  in¬ 
surance.  Quite  a  bunch  of  the  cattlemen 
let  their  insurance  slide  at  the  time  of  the 
quarantine  when  the  yards  were  closed 
last  Fall,  and  when  the  tire  came  we  got 
caught.  We  are  not  sure  yet  whether 
they  will  put  up  a  new  barn.  It  would 
need  to  be  fireproof,  of  brick  or  concrete. 
Whether  a  Timken  rear  axle  in  big  or  little, 
whether  it  is  fixed  hub  type  or  full  floating. 
Whether  it  has  helical  bevel  or  worm  drive,  you 
can  absolutely  depend  on  it  for  it  has  back  of  it 
ell  theengineering  skill  and  manufacturing ability 
of  a  great  organization  of  axle  building  specialists. 
Every  part  and  piece  of  every  Timken-Detroit 
front  or  rear  Bxle, large  or  small,  is  made  of  a 
steel  selected  with  the  same  care,  proved  to  be 
the  best  possible  for  its  purpose,  heat-treated  by 
the  same  procesf.es,  machined  to  size,  ground, 
gauged  to  the  same  I units,  and  assembled  Under 
the  same  system  of  continuous  testing  and  in¬ 
spection —  followed  by  every  member  of  the 
Timken  organization  with  the  same  sense  of 
responsibility. 
Furthermore — in  motor  car  axles  certain  broad 
principles  of  design  have  become  established 
through  Timken  experience  with  motor  cars  of 
every  size  and  type.  Among  these  arc  the  proper 
size  and  weight  of  front  axle  I-beams  and  steer¬ 
ing  knuckles  for  cars  of  various  types,  the  taper- 
May  20,  1916. 
So  many  fires  have  happened,  it  is  not  \ 
likely  a  wooden  barn  would  be  allowed.” 
The  manager  of  the  corporation  leasing 
the  yards  said  he  thought  they  would  have 
a  now  building  within  two  or  three 
months.  No  attempt  would  be  made,  he 
asserted,  to  shift  the  cattle  trade  back  to 
Watertown.  "We  have  tried  it  a  num¬ 
ber  of  times,  but  there  is  tm  cow  market 
there.  Buyers  would  not.  go  there.  We 
are  using  the  old  sheep  barn  for  cows 
now.  It  will  answer  the  purpose  for  the 
jirese.nl.  How  did  the  fire  happen?  We 
feel  sure  it  was  set.  It  was  blazing  in 
three  or  four  places  at  once  when  first 
seen .  Some  drover  may  have  had  a  grudge 
against  a  cattle  man  and  tried  to  get 
even.” 
Nothing  1ms  been  done  with  the  ruins 
except  to  cart  away  the  carcasses  to  the 
fertilizer  factory.  The  final  say  yibout  re¬ 
building  rests  with  the  B.  tfe  A.  Railroad 
Co.,  which  owns  the  real  estate  and 
leases  it  to  the  N.  E.  Wool  &  Dressed 
Meat  Do.,  which  in  turn  gets  an  income 
from  weighing  the  meat  stock  and  board¬ 
ing  the  cows.  It  is  understood  tbe  rail¬ 
road  corporation  has  been  hesitating  be¬ 
cause  of  the  cost  of  fireproof  construction 
and  from  doubt  whether  some  other  use 
of  the  land  might  not  pay  better.  It  will, 
of  course,  be  possible  to  keep  on  with 
the  markets,  for  a  while  at  least,  in  the 
present  limited  and  rather  unhandy  quar¬ 
ters.  The  old  barn  holds  about  250  cows. 
Others  are  tied  in  the  uuburuod  sheds  and 
in  the  fenced  yards.  G.  B.  F. 
It  was  a  New  England  parson  who  an¬ 
nounced  to  his  congregation  one  Sunday: 
'"You’ll  be  sorry  to  hear  that  the  little 
church  of  Janesville  is  once  more  tossed 
upon  the  waves,  a  sheep  without  a  shep- 
ing  shank  of  the  steering  ball,  the  pressed  steel 
housing  of  the  rear  axle,  the  sptined  ends  of  the 
axle  shafts,  and  the  curved  teeth  of  the  helical 
gear.  These  are  but  a  few  of  many  cases  where 
Timken  assures  the  car  owner  of  the  very  best 
up-to-the-minute  engineering  practice  in  axle 
building. 
Finally — and  this  is  Worth  noting — the 
Timken  Axles  in  your  car,  no  matter  what 
its  size  or  price,  were  selected  and  installed 
only  after  many  conferences  between  Tim¬ 
ken  engineers  and  the  engineers  of  the  car 
builder.  Every  detail  that  could  add  to 
your  security  and  satisfaction  has  been 
foreseen  and  provided  for . 
No  motor  car  owner  should  Ignore  the  part 
played  by  axle3  in  good  motor  car  values.  The 
facts  make  mighty  interesting  reading  and  are 
yours  for  the  asking.  Write  for  the  Timken 
Primer  F-25.  “On  Axles,”  sent  free,  postpaid, 
with  a  list  of  Timken  equipped  cars,  on  request 
to  either  address  below. 
THE  TIMKEN-DETROIT  AXLE  COMPANY,  DETROIT,  MICH. 
THE  TIMKEN  ROLLER  BEARING  COMPANY,  CANTON,  OHIO 
\ct°/ 
herd,  — v  redit  Lost. 
Both  Boosters 
Timken  puts  highest  quality  and  engineering  skill,  plus  Timken  experience, 
into  every  axle,  regardless  of  size  or  price 
