1560 
XShe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
December  23,  1916, 
General  Farm  Topics 
One-horse  Snow  Plow 
Would  you  give  instructions  how  to 
build  a  cheap  but  serviceable  snowplow 
suitable  for  one  horse?  I  am  sure  that  a 
great  many  farmers  who  have  to  spend 
hours  shoveling  snow  in  order  to  get.  to 
their  outbuildings  would  greatly  appre¬ 
ciate  such  a  handy  method  of  snow  re¬ 
moval,  especially  those  who.  like  myself, 
have  a  long  driveway  leading  to  the  barns 
and  another  to  the  road  from  the  house. 
Newburgh,  N.  Y.  f.  s. 
A  serviceable  snowplow  suitable  for 
one  horse  may  be  made  in  the  following 
manner:  Take  two  planks  (any  strong 
wood)  2  in.  x  10  in.  and  5  ft.  long.  Bolt 
these  together,  side  by  side,  leaving  a  2-in. 
space  between.  This  space  is  formed  by 
placing  a  block  at  one  end,  and  the  end 
of  a  2x4  hardwood  piece,  about  5  ft  long, 
between  the  planks  at  the  other  extrem¬ 
ity.  You  now  have  a  “ceuterbnard.”  with 
the  hardwood  piece  extending  back  at  a 
convenient  angle  to  form  a  handle  with 
which  to  keep  the  plow  in  position  when 
in  use.  For  wings  use  hardwood  boards, 
at  least  12  inches  wide,  by  6  ft.  long. 
Bolt  these  together  at  the  front  end, 
previously  bevelling  the  centerboard  at 
such  an  angle  that  the  outer  ends  of  the 
wings  will  be  about  4  ft.  apart.  Brace 
wings  strongly  to  centerboard  and  attach 
a  hook  in  front  to  draw  by.  The  plow 
will  last  longer  if  the  point  is  shod  with 
iron.  When  the  snow  is  deep  a  boy  and 
man  together  can  do  better  work  than  a 
man  alone.  The  boy  rides  on  the  plow 
and  drives,  and  the  man  walks  behind 
and  steers.  c.  s.  M. 
Eggplant  After  Spinach ;  Cabbage  Lice 
1.  I  have  a  plot  of  ground,  a  sandy 
loam  that  has  been  in  peaches  for  six 
years  that  I  intend  planning  to  spinach 
in  the  Spring  as  a  first  crop,  and  then 
eggplant  as  a  second  crop.  I  intend 
manuring  piece  this  Fall  and  plowing 
under  in  the  Spring.  I  thought  by  ap¬ 
plying  nitrate  of  soda,  100  lbs.  per  acre, 
in  toree  spinach.  Would  this  have  any 
tendency  to  cause  the  eggplant  to  pro¬ 
duce  too  much  foliage  aud  not  “eggs''? 
2.  What  is  the  cause  of  little  lice  on 
cabbages  and  cauliflower?  What  is  the 
remedy  for  them?  f.  n.  L. 
St.  Joseph,  Mich. 
1.  If  you  apply  100  pounds  per  acre 
of  nitrate  of  soda  to  your  Spring  spinach 
the  crop  should  be  greatly  benefited- 
The  broadcasting  of  manure  cannot  be 
too  heavy  because  both  spinach  and  the 
succeeding  crop  of  eggplants  are  very  re¬ 
sponsive  to  manure.  As  you  infer,  egg¬ 
plants  frequently  fail  to  set  much  fruit 
when  the  soil  is  exceedingly  rich  in  ni¬ 
trogen.  However,  the  100  pounds  of  ni¬ 
trate  of  soda  applied  to  the  spinach,  or 
even  two  applications  each  of  the  same 
amount  cannot  harm  the  eggplants,  be¬ 
cause  spinach  is  a  rank  feeder,  and 
quickly  uses  up  the  nitrate  of  soda  and 
other  available  plant  foods  in  the  soil. 
If  any  should  be  left  over  it  would  he 
beneficial  to  the  eggplants  in  helping 
them  to  get  started.  The  latter  crop  re¬ 
quires  large  amounts  of  the  mineral  fer¬ 
tilizers  in  the  soil  so  that  they  can  pro¬ 
duce  a  set  of  strong  persistent  blossoms. 
For  this  reason  ground  bone  or  acid 
phosphate  should  be  generously  used  to 
supply  phosphoric  acid,  and  wood  ashes 
applied  separately  in  the  hills  would  be 
especially  beneficial  in  supplying  potash 
and  lime.  A  generous  supply  of  nitrogen 
with  these  is  essential  but  an  excess  of 
nitrogen  is  detrimental  just  as  you  sug¬ 
gest. 
2.  The  little  plant  lice  or  green  aphis 
on  your  cabbage  are  those  which  have 
proved  to  be  so  destructive  to  several 
crops  this  Fall,  especially  to  turnips. 
They  are  hard  to  fight  economically,  be¬ 
cause  they  live  by  sucking  instead  of  eat¬ 
ing  so  that  they  have  to  be  killed  by  a 
contact  poison  instead  of  through  the 
stomach.  Besides  that,  they  cling  to 
the  under  sides  of  the  foliage,  making 
it  extremely  difficult  to  strike  them.  A 
powerful  poison  is  extract  of  tobacco, 
containing  over  40%  nicotine  sulphate, 
mixed  with  one  thousand  parts  of  water 
and  three  pounds  of  soap  to  every  50  gal¬ 
lons  of  the  solution  will  do  very  effective 
work,  provided  it  is  applied  so  that  it 
strikes  the  bodies  of  each  insect.  A 
high  grade  of  tobacco  dust  sometimes 
mixed  with  equal  parts  of  air-slaked 
lime  is  frequently  used  on  a  small  scale 
with  good  success,  provided  it  is  applied 
when  the  foliage  is  dry  so  that  it  will 
not  burn  the  leaves.  e.  d.  b. 
Some  Short  California  Notes 
Tiie  Little  Landers. — Two  miles 
from  the  Pacific  and  half  a  mile  from  the 
Mexican  border,  the  farthest  southwest 
in  the  United  States,  is  the  town  of  San 
Ysidro,  the  home  of  the  Little  Landers,  as 
they  are  called.  About  eight  years  ago 
this  colony  was  founded  by  a  Californian 
who  believed  that  a  man  with  a  hoe  could 
make  a  living  on  an  acre  of  land.  A  tract 
of  land  was  bought  through  which  the 
Tia  Juana  River  flowed,  and  was  par¬ 
celled  out  amoug  those  who  formed  the 
colony.  Some  took  more  than  an  acre, 
some  less,  hut  an  acre  was  generally 
chosen.  It  was  an  ideal  spot,  for  the 
plan.  Wells  were  sunk  in  the  river. 
During  the  Summer  there  is  no  rain  and 
the  river  runs  upside  down,  as  they  say 
here :  that  is,  the  river  bottom  is  per¬ 
fectly  dry  on  the  surface,  but  from  three 
to  10  feet  down  in  the-  soil  there  is  an 
abuudauce  of  water.  The  water  is  pump¬ 
ed  into  a  reservoir  for  irrigation,  and  the 
owner  of  the  land  paid  only  for  the  actual 
cost,  about  50  cents  an  acre  each  month. 
Frost  is  practically  unknown,  thus  in¬ 
suring  continuous  cropping  the  year 
round. 
One  Little  Lander  showed  me  two  rows 
of  sweet  potatoes  that  he  told  me  were 
planted  three  years  ago.  Whenever  be 
wanted  some  sweet  potatoes  he  scraped 
away  the  earth  until  the  potatoes  were 
seen,  then  gathered  the  potatoes  and  drew 
back  the  earth  and  the  vines  kept  on 
growing.  I  saw  one  sweet  potato  that 
weighed  14  pounds  and  some  ounces.  Aud 
there  is  no  day  in  the  whole  365  of  the 
year  that  they  cannot  gather  ripe  fruit  of 
some  kind.  Apple  trees  will  have  ripe 
fruit  aud  blossoms  at  the  same  time  and 
the  strawberry  season  runs  from  May  to 
December. 
And  yet  as  a  community  settlement  it 
failed.  As  one  of  them  said  to  me:  “If 
we  had  been  a  lot  of  ignorant  foreigners 
and  had  done  as  the  boss  told  us  wo 
would  have  kept  ahead.  But  we  all  knew 
more  about  running  it  than  all  the  rest 
put  together  aud  we  bust  up.”  Which 
they  did.  The  company  store  was  nailed 
up  and  a  sign  “For  Rent”  chalked  on  it. 
A  California  Thunderstorm. — Cali¬ 
fornia,  the  southwestern  corner  of  it,  is 
a  great  place  to  sleep  out  of  doors,  there 
being  no  rain  from  April  till  November. 
A  few  nights  ago  I  was  awakened  with  a 
sense  of  some  unusual  hupw'uing,  and 
felt  a  drop  of  rain.  BefoA/\  YTtld  get 
to  sleep  there  was  anot4l  a 
flash  of  light.  Target  4^  Fort 
Rosecrans,  I  thought.’ .  came 
the  unmistakable  rumttfejMOfbunder. 
There  was  no  wind,  an*#!®W/four  or 
five  minutes  the  rain  tr*  i^rtised  so 
that  I  drew  the  covers  over  rdy  face  to 
keep  off  the  drops.  After  a  wait  of  an¬ 
other  few  minutes  I  decided  that  if  it 
did  not  stop  soon  I  would  take  up  my  bed 
and  go  iu  the  house.  It  did  not  stop,  aud 
although  the  roof  of  the  house  was  flat 
the  rain  increased  so  that  water  began  to 
drip  from  the  eaves  and  as  one  of  the 
children’s  beds  was  under  the  eaves  we 
hurried  to  shelter.  By  the  time  we  had 
gotten  indoors  it  stopped  raining  and  the 
only  storm  of  the  Summer  was  over. 
Coyote  Ranch  and  TnE  Jack  Rab¬ 
bits. — About  two  miles  from  where  I 
live  is  a  tract  of  land  called  Coyote 
Ranch,  that  is  above  the  frost  belt.  Or¬ 
dinarily  when  it  rains  here  the  rain  turns 
to  snow  back  on  the  mountains,  and  the 
wind  from  off  the  snow  brings  frost  to 
all  low-lying  land,  but  if  one  goes  up  to 
an  elevation  of  200  feet  above  sea  level 
the  frost  is  left,  below.  One  of  my  neigh¬ 
bors  told  me  of  this  ranch,  and  said  if 
I  would  set  out  tomato  plants  there  in 
August  I  would  have  ripe  tomatoes  all 
Winter  when  they  were  scarce.  All 
other  information  I  could  get  tended  to 
confirm  this,  but  I  was  advised  to  plant 
nothing  but  tomatoes,  as  jack  rabbits 
would  eat  every  other  vegetable.  So  I 
arranged  with  the  water  company  for  a 
supply  of  water  and  started  to  plant.  I 
put  out  2,500  plants,  when  I  found  that 
the  jack  rabbits  having  no  other  green 
food  were  eating  a  few,  and  two  days 
later  they  had  eaten  2,499  plants.  One 
being  hiddeu  by  some  weeds  escaped,  like 
the  servant  of  Job.  to  bear  the  tale. 
There  was  then  nothing  to  do  but  put  up 
a  fence,  and  as  one  of  The  R.  N.-Y. 
readers  asks  about  a  rabbit  fence,  per¬ 
haps  he  would  like  to  know  about  ours 
for  I  am  convinced  that  if  a  fence  will 
turn  a.  California  jack  rabbit  it  will  turn 
any  kind  of  rabbit  that  jumps.  For 
posts  we  used,  two  laths  nailed  back  to 
side,  so  that  a  cross  section  made  the 
letter  T,  and  you  will  be  surprised  how 
stiff  a  post  it  makes.  Then  open,  a  fur¬ 
row  at  least  three  inches  deep,  aud  turn 
the  water  in  to  soften  the  ground,  or  if 
you  haven’t  water  on  top  wait  until 
rains  or  use  a  ,bar  to  make  the  hole. 
Next  nail  on  IS  inches  of  one-inch,  mesh 
poultry  wire  netting  at  the  bottom,  and 
on  the  top  12  inches  of  two-inch,  throw 
a  furrow  to  it  from  the  outside  and  your 
crop  is  safe.  p.  b.  ckosby, 
California. 
Corn  in  Hills  or  Drills 
We  have  for  years  drilled  our  silage 
corn.  This  year,  with  an  unusually  wet 
season,  the  weeds  secured  a  big  start  be¬ 
fore  we  were  able  to  get.  on  to  the  land 
with  cultivators.  We  then  had  to  clean 
the  rows  by  band.  Ilad  the  corn  been  put 
iu  with  a  seeder,  we  might  have  culti¬ 
vated  both  ways  and  saved  an  enormous 
amount  of  hand  labor.  Will  you  tell  us 
what  the  difference  would  be  iu  tonnage 
per  acre  between  the  different  ways  of 
seeding,  or,  in  other  words,  will  there  be 
sufficient  additional  hand  labor  required 
to  keep  the  crop  dean?  c.  f. 
Charlotte,  N.  V. 
We  would  like  to  get  a  wide  discussion 
on  this  subject,  and  have  the  figures  from 
farmers  who  have  kept  accounts.  Our 
own  attempt  would  be  about  as  follows : 
Where  corn  is  planted  in  hills  three  feet 
apart  four  or  five  stalks  to  the  hill,  and 
kept  well  cleaned,  the  yield  will  be  from 
20  to  25  per  cent,  less  in  actual  weight 
than  where  the  corn  is  put  in  drills  or 
furrows  and  cultivated  one  way.  While 
the  total  weight  would  be  less,  the  quality 
of  the  corn  for  feed  would  be  better.  The 
ears  are  better  matured  and  we  think  the 
stalks  have  higher  quality.  In  such  a 
case  as  is  here  mentioned  it.  seems  neces¬ 
sary  now  and  then  to  put  the  corn  in  hills 
so  as  to  give  the  ground  thorough  clean¬ 
ing.  The  work  of  keeping  drilled  corn 
clean  iu  a  wet  season  is  enormous.  We 
would  like  to  have  figures  from  farmers 
showing  the  difference  in  yield  between 
corn  in  drills  aud  corn  iu  hills. 
How  to  Trap  a  Fox 
Take  about  six  strong  steel  traps  to  a 
butcher  shop,  or  when  you  kill  hogs  or 
beef;  smear  them  all  over,  chains  and  all, 
with  blood  stains.  Winter  is  best  when 
the  ground  is  frozen.  Take  a  dead 
chicken  or  hen,  run  wires  through  the 
feet,  through  the  legs  into  the  body,  one 
wire  from  mouth  to  body.  Go  into  the 
woods  or  thicket  where  foxes  have  their 
run,  wire  your  chicken  in  a  bush  or  tree 
on  a  limb  about  3%  feet  from  the  ground 
in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  deceive 
anyone,  especially  a  fox.  The  chicken 
must  appear  as  though  it  had  gone  to 
roost.  This  is  essential.  Now  set  your 
traps  in  a  circle ;  cover  with  leaves  in  a 
natural  way.  The  surface  of  the  ground 
must  all  look  the  same.  A  fox  comes 
along  and  sees  the  chicken  on  the  roost 
and  drops  flat  on  his  belly ;  sometimes 
circles  ’way  around,  then  drops  flat  and 
creeps  within  springing  distance.  He 
makes  the  jump  aud  gets  the  chicken  by 
the  neck,  comes  down  into  the  trap.  I 
was  the  happiest  boy  that  ever  lived 
when  I  caught  my  first  fox. 
To  catch  hawks  or  owls  you  take  the 
same  plan,  but  the  trap  does  not  need  to 
he  bloody  and  three  are  usually  enough. 
Take  your  chicken  out  in  the  open  field, 
wire  down  to  stakes,  cover  slightly  with 
grass;  make  it  appear  so  the  chicken  was 
hiding  in  the  grass  from  the  hawk.  Old 
hawk  comes  along,  sees  the  chicken, 
and  darts  down,  strikes  the  chicken  in  the 
back  and  steps  off  Into  a  trap.  I  caught 
them  last  Winter  and  got  a  dollar  each. 
To  catch  mink  catch  a  muskrat,  take  off 
the  skin,  tie  a  string  to  a  leg  and  drag  it 
along  a  creek  or  stream  for  a  mile,  then 
hang  up  in  a  bush  three  feet  from  the 
ground.  Set  about  four  traps  around  the 
bush.  A  mink  will  take  that  muskrat 
scent  and  follow  it  like  a  dog.  You  are 
sure  to  get  him  every  time  and  if  he  is  a 
big  one  $5  to  $7  is  in  your  pocket. 
W,  M.  W, 
Kelly's  TREES 
The  Kind  That  '‘Make  Good/*  True  to 
Name — Free  from  Disease.  Apple*,  Pear. 
Poach,  Plum,  Cherry  and  Quince  Trees,  also 
Small  Firuita  and  Ornamentals  .“hipped  direct 
to  your  orchard  at.  Grower***  Prims.  36  years*  _ 
expo rio nee  in  growing  trees  enables  us  to  produce  guaranteed 
Nloek  at  a  low  cost.  So  we  can  ship  splendid  trees  at  a  low 
figure.  Write  tor  catalog-.  It  will  pay  you. 
Kelly  Bros.  Wholesale  Nurseries,  60  MainSf.,0an*ville.M.Y. 
You’ll  nrver  regret  planting  Kelly  Trees. 
GLOVER 
AtWHOLESALE 
We  save  you  money. 
Buy  now  before  ad¬ 
vance.  Cron  short.  Wa 
expect  higher  prices. 
Don't  buy  Field  Seeds  of  any  kind  until  you  see  our 
samples  nnd  prices.  We  specialise  on  Guaranteed  quality, 
tested  Clover. Timothy.  Alfalfa,  Swet  Clovsraud  AlsiUc; 
sold  subject  to  your  approval  am!  government  test.  Write 
tod,,  tvr  itampU'S.ftrecIa)  prices  und  IncProfil-f  lmroac  8ecd  Guide. 
American  Mutual  Seed  Co.,  Dept.  160.  Chicago,  Illinois 
StrawberryPlanfe  looo. 
SWEET 
CLOVER 
Builds  Worn  Out  Soil.  Has 
higher  protein  content  than  alfalfa. 
Write  for  price*  and  Information. 
E.  Barton,  Box  29,  Falmouth,  Ky. 
.00 
BU. 
CLOVER;  TIMOTHY  *4 
Greatest  Grass  Seed  Value  Known — Investigate.  Alslka 
Clover  and  Timothy  mixed — the  finest  grass  grown  for 
bay  and  pasture.  Cheapest  seeding  you  can  make,  grows 
everywhere.  You  will  save  >-3  on  your  grass  seed  bill  by 
writing  for  free  sample,  circular  and  big  Co-operative 
Seed  Guide,  offering  Field  Seeds,  ail  kinds.  Write  today. 
American  Mutual  Seed  Co.,  Dept.  S60  Chicago,  Ill. 
Coming  Farmers  Meetings 
Madison  Square  Poultry  Show,  Madi¬ 
son  Square  Garden,  New  York  City,  Dee. 
29-  J an.  3. 
Poultry  Show,  Marshalltown,  Iowa, 
Jan.  1-7. 
West  Virginia  State  Horticultural  So¬ 
ciety,  annual  meeting,  Morgantown,  W. 
Va.,  Jan.  3. 
New  York  State  Fruit  Growers’  Asso¬ 
ciation,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  3-5. 
Peninsula  Horticultural  Society,  Do¬ 
ver,  Del.,  Jan.  8-10. 
La  Fayette  poultry  show,  La  Fayette, 
InrL,  Jan.  S-13. 
Corn  Growers’  and  Stockmen’s  Con¬ 
vention,  Urbana,  Ill.,  .Tan.  8-Feb.  23. 
Kansas  City  Poultry  Show,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  Jan.  8-13. 
Norfolk  Poultry  Show,  Norfolk,  Va., 
Jan.  9-13. 
Ayrshire  Breeders’  Association  annual 
meeting,  New  York  City,  Jan.  11, 
Chicago  Poultry  Show,  Jan.  10-16. 
Massachusetts  Fruit  Growers’  Asso¬ 
ciation.  Inc.,  annual  convention.  Muni¬ 
cipal  Building,  Springfield,  Mass.,  Jan. 
11-12. 
Central  New  York  Poultry  and  Pet 
Stock  Association  annual  exhibition, 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  15-20. 
W.  Va.  State  Grange,  Charleston,  W. 
Va.,  Jan.  16. 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Society, 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  18. 
New  York  State  Association  of  Coun¬ 
ty  Agricultural  Societies,  Albany,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  IS. 
American  Forestry  Association,  Wash¬ 
ington,  D.  C.,  Jan.  18-19. 
Marietta  Poultry  Show,  Marietta,  O., 
Jam  22-27. 
Pennsylvania  State  Board  of  Agricul¬ 
ture.  State  Horticultural  Society,  State 
Breeders’  Association,  State  Vegetable 
Growers’  Association,  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
Jan.  23-25. 
Western  New  York  Horticultural  So¬ 
ciety,  Rochester.  N.  Y.,  Jan.  24-26. 
Ameriean  Cranberry  Growers’  Asso¬ 
ciation,  Camden,  N.  J..  Jan.  27. 
Appleton  Poultry  Show,  Appleton, 
Wis.,  Jan.  28-31. 
Farmers’  Week,  Ohio  State  Univer¬ 
sity.  Columbus,  O.,  Jam  29,  30,  31,  Feb. 
1,  2. 
Ohio  State  Dairymen’s  Association, 
Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  O., 
Jan.  30,  31.  Feb.  1,  2. 
Ohio  State  Horticultural  Society,  Ohio 
State  University,  Columbus,  O.,  Jan. 
30- 31. 
Ohio  Percheron  Breeders’  Association, 
Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  O., 
Jan.  31. 
Ohio  Vegetable  Growers’  Association, 
Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  O., 
Feb.  1-2. 
Ohio  Rural  Life  Association,  Ohio 
State  University,  Columbus,  O.,  Jan.  30, 
31,  Feb.  1. 
Ohio  State  Corn  Show,  Ohio  State 
University.  Columbus,  O.,  Jan.  29,  30, 
31,  Feb.  1,  2.  Entries  close  Wednesday, 
Jan.  23. 
Machinery  Show,  Ohio  State  Univer¬ 
sity,  Columbus,  (>.,  Jan.  30,  31,  Feb.  1, 
Duluth  Poultry  Show,  Duluth,  Minn., 
Feb.  1-6. 
New  York  State  Grange,  Oneonta,  N. 
Y„  Feb.  6-9. 
Farmers’  Week,  Cornell  University, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  12-17. 
Now  York  State  Vegetable  Growers’ 
Association,  I-thaca,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  13-15. 
American  Jersey  Cattle  Club,  New 
York  City,  May  2. 
Holstein-Friesiau  Association  of  Amer¬ 
ica,  Worcester,  Mass.,  June  6. 
All  crops  are  poor  this  year  around 
here.  Pigs  six  weeks  old  810  a  pair ; 
calves  three  weeks  old  11c  per  lb. ;  fresh 
cows  875  to  $100:  no  beef  cattle  raised 
her.  Wiheat  ,$1.90  per  bu. ;  corn  $1.30 
bu. ;  oats  65c  bu. ;  potatoes  $2  bu- ;  cab¬ 
bage  5c  lb. ;  eggs,  fresh,  65c  doz. 
Homestead,  Pa.  A.  n. 
“For  the  Land’s  Sake,  use  Bowker’s 
Fertilizers;  they  enrich  the  earth  and 
those  who  till  it.” — Adv. 
