1304 
stalk-littered  Middle  West,"  and  the  other  the  roll¬ 
ing  East  with  flocks  adding  to  its  native  beauty. 
Then  there  are  extremes  of  toil  and  trouble.  One 
where  the  men  drudge  to  sell  grain,  or  feed  hogs 
and  cattle,  or  get  up  early  seven  days  in  the  week 
to  sit  under  cows,  and  the  other  where  gentlemen 
give  sheep  pleasant,  watchful  care,  and  they  in  turn 
put  in  full  time  working  for  their  owners. 
SITEEP  INSTEAD  OF  HIRED  HANDS.— The 
rolling  land  or  hill  owner  is  a  fortunate  man  if  he 
knows  how  to  handle  his  holdings.  The  price  of 
labor  is  becoming  prohibitive,  while  sheep  are  able 
and  willing  to  help  us  ignore  much  of  it.  The  hands 
cutting  com  for  us  are  getting  $4  a  day  and  board, 
and  if  not  shown  every  consideration  would  quit.  It 
is  more  than  the  fodder  is  worth,  but  we  want  the 
land  cleared  for  wheat  and  grass.  We  will  grow 
the  flock  larger  and  replace  some  of  these  men  with 
more  congenial  animals,  that  will  appreciate  good 
treatment.  A  land-owner  here  who  has  several  ten¬ 
ants  at  about  $50  per  month  gave  them  a  task  of 
$2  worth  each  day.  at  the  price  per  shock,  and  is 
paying  them  about  $3  excess.  He  is  also  seeding 
down  75  acres.  When  the  writer  was  a  boy  he  was 
longing  to  be  “of  age”  so  he  could  hire  out,  but  the 
atmosphere  does  not  grow  many  of  that  class  now. 
COSTS  ON  THE  GROWER.—' The  net  profits  only 
count.  Eastern  productions  have  long  freight,  ex¬ 
press  and  drayage  charges,  as  well  as  all  kinds  of 
commissions,  and  you  well  know  who  pays  the 
freight.  Also  there  is  an  enormous  amount  of  grains, 
meals  and  hay  bought  to  produce  them,  so  the  grow¬ 
er  catches  it  coming  and  going,  and  he  catches 
more.  The  Wicks  Committee  shows  how  the  feed 
man  works  to  put  cooperative  bureaus,  Granges  and 
farm  agents  -out  of  business,  and  it  is  fitting  to 
plan  a  change  of  farm  operation  so  he  can  be  ig¬ 
nored.  He  is  an  unnecessary  appendage,  even  if  he 
did  not  practice  “ways  that,  are  dark,”  and  when 
folks  plan  to  grow  what  feed  they  need  from  their 
own  places,  he  will  become  an  extinct  animal.  Do 
not  kick  about  his  methods.  It  strikes  me  that  a 
Yankee  who  can  buy  feed  and  keep  from  bankruptcy, 
would  have  a  snap  growing  his  own  and  feeding  it 
to  sheep.  I  have  seen  some  conditions  very  similar 
among  the  poor  whites  of  the  South  and  the  intelli¬ 
gent  ones  of  the  North.  Every  wagon  leaving  town 
in  the  Carolinas,  Georgia  and  Florida  has  a  re¬ 
signed  little  mule  in  the  shafts  and  a  bag  of  meal 
or  bale  of  hay  in  the  abbreviated  bed,  and  there  is 
waste  land  as  far  as  the  driver  can  see.  At  Ocala, 
Fla.,  I  saw  a  man  buy  10  cents  worth  of  shelled 
corn  and  made  his  acquaintance  to  learn  that  he  had 
1.10  acres,  while  his  mule,  cow  and  “razorback”  were 
in  the  singular.  The  planter  dearly  loves  to  buy 
feed,  and  the  only  difference  in  favor  of  the  North 
is  that  more  bales  and  bags  are  carried,  in  better 
vehicles. 
TIME  TO  RREAK  OUT  IN  A  NEW  PLACE.— 
If  “Farmer  Ferguson”  must  make  up  the  deficit  for 
“Dairyman  Ferguson,”  as  on  page  1244,  and  if  Wm. 
Trueman  speaks  truly  when  arguing  for  a  county 
agent,  “after  careful,  seven  years’  search  to  find  a 
single  farmer  who  had  secured  his  present  posi¬ 
tion,  except  by  rise  of  land,  marrying  a  rich  widow 
or  hanging  to  a  political  job,”  it  is  time  for  some 
changes.  Dry  the  cows,  fatten  them  for  beef,  put 
the  price  of  them  into  a  good  investment  and  let. 
the  feed  man  utilize  his  own  feed.  If  one-half  the 
dairy,  berry  and  vegetable  men  will  change  their 
lines  they  will  make  life  easier  and  more  profitable 
for  themselves  and  for  the  half  that  continues. 
Ohio.  W.  W.  REYNOLDS. 
The  Farm  Bureau  Discussion 
Need  of  More  Practical  Work 
HAVE  carefully  read  Mr.  Trueman’s  answer  to 
Mr.  Baird  in  regard  to  the  farm  bureau  move¬ 
ment.  It  seems  to  me  Mr.  Trueman  stands  afar  off, 
and  is  not  in  close  touch  with  the  heart  of  us  work¬ 
ing  farmers,  at  least  his  article  gives  that  impres¬ 
sion.  He  is  not  in  sympathy  with  the  farmer  at 
heart  whether  he  is  himself  a  farmer  or  no.  My 
old  friend  Stout  sums  up  the  situation  very  concise¬ 
ly  in  few  words,  as  I  get  it  from  mingling  with 
farmers  all  over  the  State. 
The  young  men  whom  the  college  is  putting  at 
the  head  of  the  work  in  the  various  counties  are 
bright,  clean  young  men,  and  willing  and  desirous  to 
do  good  work.  Yet  in  the  background  of  their  lives 
is  practically  nothing  but  what  they  have  learned 
in  school  from  books,  a  second-hand  knowledge  that 
has  enabled  them  to  get  by  examinations  and  qualify 
to  go  out  and  counsel  farmers  who  have  years  of  ex¬ 
perience,  and  know  what  the  real  problems  of  .the 
farm  are,  and  what  is  required  in  their  solution, 
T>he  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
though  they  are  themselves  unable  to  apply  the  so¬ 
lution. 
“Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and 
angels  and  have  not  love  I  am  become  as  sounding 
brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal.”  The  main  truth  is, 
there  is  too  much  sounding  “brass”  among  the  fel¬ 
lows  going  out  to  uplift  farming.  If  anyone  desires 
to  help  the  farmer  he  desires  a  good  work,  but  in 
order  to  he  of  real  services  it  is  needful  that  the 
helper  shall  know  the  problems  of  the  farmer  from 
having  lived  them  and  gone  through  the  experiences 
which  we  farmers  have  passed.  Then  and  only 
then  can  anyone  get  at  the  root  of  the  farmer’s 
problems  and  reach  the  heart  of  the  man  on  the 
land.  We  all  of  us  know  that  the  real  problems  be¬ 
fore  our  farmers  are  not.  simple  problems  of  getting 
more  dollars  out  of  farms,  though  we  need  the  dol¬ 
lars.  Away  down  under  it  all  are  problems  of  life 
and  work  that  passing  of  examinations  will  not 
qualify  for  reaching.  The  whole  problem  of  agricul¬ 
tural  education  is  to  some  extent  based  on  a  false 
basis  in  this  respect..  The  church  has  failed  because 
she  has  for  years  presented  to  the  world  a  cut  and 
dried  abstract  theology  from  the  college  and  semin¬ 
ary  by  a  class  of  ministers  who  have  no  background 
to  their  lives  except  the  school.  Agriculture  of  this 
kind  must  also  fail. 
I  know  a  good  many  farmers  like  my  friend 
Nichols  of  Indiana  who  went  onto  an  old  worn  farm 
which  he  purchased  by  paying  down  one  hundred 
dollars.  Nichols  has  paid  for  the  farm,  put  it  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  built  new  barn  and  out¬ 
buildings  and  is  preparing  to  build  a  new  residence, 
while  raising  a  family  of  seven  happy,  hearty  chil¬ 
dren.  Methinks  this  man  and  his  kind  have  served 
their  day  and  generation  better  and  contributed 
more  to  progress  and  society  than  many  another 
who  feels  much  superior  because  he  has  passed  a 
lot  of  examinations  in  hooks  and  qualified  to  go  out 
and  instruct  the  so-called  ignorant  Nichols. 
'I  have  hunted  over  the  entire  State  of  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  for  a  man  who  has  graduated  from  an  agri¬ 
cultural  college  in  poultry  lore,  and  gone  out.  and 
taken  up  a  poultry  proposition  and  made  it  pay  its 
way,  and  left,  a  profit  for  five  years.  We  have  had 
plenty  of  poultry  graduates.  Can  you  point  me  to 
one  who  has  begun  at  the  bottom  and  made  good? 
I  know  of  a  number  of  men  who  have  gone  at  it  by 
hard  work  and  common  sense  and  built  up  a  profit¬ 
able  business  without  any  college  diploma. 
I  know  a  lot  of  farmers  like  my  friend  Nichols 
above  mentioned,  who  have  gone  out  on  an  old  farm 
and  made  it  a  success,  while  the  agricultural  grads 
are  not  to  be  found  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  ever 
doing  as  much.  Seems  to  me  more  education  should 
show  more  real  results,  and  not  less.  Things  are 
not  always  what  they  seem  when  you  get  beneath 
the  veneer  and  varnish  of  modern  education.  No, 
I  am  not  prejudiced.  I  used  to  think  like  a  lot  of 
Mr.  Trueman’s  class  until  I  come  to  know  the 
farmer  from  being  one,  paying  for  a  farm  and  build¬ 
ing  a  home  by  hard  work.  Mrs.  Campbell  and  T 
started  farming  together  with  one  hundred  dol¬ 
lars  and  abounding  faith  in  ourselves.  Then  1 
learned  to  know  farmers  as  a  class  by  working  with 
and  among  them  in  a  larger  way. 
The  R.  N.-Y.  is  getting  at  the  bottom  of  things  as 
no  other  farm  paper.  Speed  and  success  to  your  work. 
Pennsylvania.  J.  t.  Campbell. 
Defence  of  the  Bureau 
After  reading  your  articles  on  the  farm  bureau  I 
cannot  help  but  write  a  few  words  in  defence  of  this 
work.  I  have  been  following  the  results  obtained 
by  the  farm  bureaus  in  four  neighboring  counties 
for  the  past  few  years,  and  find  that  they  have  ac¬ 
complished  a  great  deal  of  good.  I  notice  that  one 
of  your  writers  says  the  farmer  is  insulted  by  this 
movement  to  uplift  him,  and  that  the  movement  is 
started  and  supported  by  lawyers,  doctors  and  mer¬ 
chants.  This  is  absolutely  not  true  in  Lehigh  Coun¬ 
ty.  The  demand  for  a  farm  bureau  was  made  by  the 
Pomona  Grange  of  this  county,  and  the  Grange  is 
made  up  entirely  of  farmers. 
The  executive  committee  of  the  farm  bureau  is 
made  up  entirely  of  men  engaged  in  making  their 
living  from  tilling  the  soil,  and  tilling  it  themselves. 
There  is  not  one  professional  man  or  merchant  on 
this  committee,  but.  all  farmers.  I  consider  the 
farm  bureau  as  (lie  best  method  jet  devised  to  bring 
the  State  Agricultural  College  and  Experiment  Sta¬ 
tion  to  the  farmers  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  farm  bureau  was  not  forced  upon  the  farmers 
in  Lehigh  County  by  any  politicians,  as  they  had  ab¬ 
solutely  nothing  to  do  with  its  organization.  The 
forming  of  boys’  and  girls’  clubs  and  testing  seed 
corn  is  only  a  small  portion  of  their  work,  hut  I 
consider  it  very  important  to  instruct  the  coming 
generation  of  farmers  in  the  newer  and  more  profit- 
October  14,  1916. 
able  methods  of  farming  rather  than  to  allow  them 
to  continue  along  the  same  lines  of  farming  as  their 
great-grandfathers  did.  What  would  become  of  the 
city  business  man  who  tried  to  run  his  business  as 
he  did  50  years  ago?  The  plea  for  “older  and  more 
experienced  men”  is  simply  the  cry  of  a  few  ap¬ 
plicants  who  could  not  qualify  under  the  provision 
of  the  Smith-Lever  Bill.  There  are  .30  farm  bureaus 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  they  are  doing  a  great  deal  of 
good  for  the  fanners  of  this  State. 
Lehigh  Co.,  Pa.  wm.  s.  weaver. 
Work  of  a  Cow-testing  Association 
MOST  of  our  readers  now  understand  what  a 
cow-testing  association  is.  A  number  of  farm¬ 
ers  club  together  and  hire  an  expert  to  club  out 
the  robber  cows.  Tills  expert  tester  moves  from 
farm  to  farm,  weighing  milk  and  testing  milk,  ad¬ 
vising  about  feed,  and  figuring  out  each  cow’s  per¬ 
formance  with  cold-blooded  ink  or  pencil.  At  the 
end  of  the  year  each  cow  has  to  stand  for  her  record 
without  guesses  or  favoritism.  Many  a  neighbor¬ 
hood  has  been  brought  to  the  road  which  leads  to 
prosperity  by  the  cow-tester  through  the  simple  pro¬ 
cess  of  weeding  out  the  drones. 
The  following  table  shows  the  year’s  work  of  the 
Isebua  Valley  Cow-testing  Association  in  Cattarau¬ 
gus  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Paul  L.  Green  did  the  test¬ 
ing  for  1015-1G: 
At.  whole  At.  10  best  At.  10  poor- 
Assoc.  rows  est  cows 
(390  cows) 
Footi<l»  inllk  Oaring  year .  0244.  10790.  3831. 
Avorajce  butter  fat  text  (per  et.)  3.43  3.34  3.48 
Pounds  butter  fnt  during  year..  214.3  300.4  133.3 
Cost  of  rouglmgn  .  $25.80  $32.50  $20.70 
Cost  of  grain  .  18.23  33.02  10.89 
Total  cost  of  feed  .  44.10  00.12  43.0*3 
Money  received  above  cost  of  feed  53.00  119.40  11.20 
Returns  per  ?1  expended  In  feed  2.27  2.81  1.33 
Feed  cost  to  produce  1  lb.  butter 
fat  .  .205  .183  .  328 
Feed  cost  to  produce  100  lbs. 
milk  . . .  .700  .012  1.14 
A  year  ago  the  average  money  received  above  cost 
of  feed  was-  $47.35  per  cow  on  the  400  cows  on  test  for 
a  12-months  period,  this  year  it  is  $5,3,  the  10  best  cows 
last  year  averaged  $07.34  in  money  received  above  cost 
of  feed,  this  year  they  averaged  $110.40.  The  10  poor¬ 
est  cows  last  year  averaged  $7.80  in  money  received 
above  cost  of  feed;  this  year  they  averaged  $11.20.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  the  association  records  dairymen  are  feed¬ 
ing  a  little  more  feed  than  they  did  a  year  ago  and  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  milk  prices  are  no  higher  they 
are  getting  somewhat  better  returns  for  their  work  and 
money  invested. 
This  shows  how  such  records  lead  to  improve¬ 
ment.  When  we  are*  guessing  at  results  without  any 
exact  figures  one  year's  guess  will  he  about  like  an¬ 
other.  With  the  exact  figures  in  hand  from  year  to 
year  a  definite  gain  can  be  worked  out.  Unless 
these  figures  are  produced  no  man  can  tell  bis  best 
cow.  There  are  26  dairymen  in  this  association, 
and  it  cost  $050  to  carry  the  work  through  one  year. 
The  second  year  there  was  a  gain  in  money  above 
cost  of  feed  of  $5.50  per  cow.  The  same  kind  of 
accurate  testing  and  figuring  is  needed  for  liens  and 
swine. 
Grain  Binder  for  Cutting  Corn 
AST  year  I  cut,  by  hand,  about  four  acres  of 
fodder  corn.  Meanwhile  my  team  enjoyed  the 
leisure  of  pasture  life,  and  my  grain  hinder  stood 
in  the  tool  house  yielding  no  profit,  on  the  invest¬ 
ment.  This  year  I  resolved  to  have  my  share  both 
of  the  leisure  and  the  profit.  I  hitched  to  my  grain 
binder  and  cut  my  corn  satisfactorily  at  the  rate  of 
an  acre  per  hour.  Some  of  it  was  over  six  feet 
high  and  as  thick  as  it  could  stand  on  the  ground. 
The  binder  should  be  stripped  as  much  as  pos¬ 
sible  of  all  parts  not  absolutely  necessary  which 
would  hinder  the  easy  passage  of  the  long  bulky 
stalks  of  corn  through  the  binding  mechanism.  The 
reel  should  be  lifted  high  and  well  forward  to  pre¬ 
vent  breaking  the  stalks.  The  knotter  parts  should 
receive  added  oiling  attention,  as  they  are  subjected 
to  an  unusual  strain.  A  slow  steady  motion  of  the 
team  seems  to  land  right  a  greater  proportion  of 
t lie  cornstalks  than  does  a  rapid  motion.  Corn 
ground  which  is  to  be  cut  in  this  way  should  be  well 
rolled,  or  at  least  the  large  stones  picked  off. 
It  seems  to  me  that  this  method  is  ahead  of  cut¬ 
ting  corn  with  a  regular  corn  binder,  since  it  al¬ 
lows  the  corn  to  be  sown  thicker  on  the  ground,  thus 
producing  smaller  more  digestible  stalks,  makes  it 
possible  to  out  a  wider  swath,  and  requires  only  the 
one  tool  to  cut.  both  grain  and  corn.  m.  c. 
Cuba,  N.  Y. 
We  would  never  burn  weeds,  waste  hay  or  other 
“trash.”  Pile  it  around  the  fruit  trees. 
It  takes  a  man  of  good  judgment  to  make  up  a  crop 
report  which  will  bo  fair  for  the  section. 
There  is  no  cure  for  corn  smut  except  destroying 
the  smutted  ears  and  stalks.  It  will  pay  to  go  through 
the  field  and  “spot"  them. 
