642 
Iht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 6, 1922 
Notes from a Maryland Garden 
What wo boro been fearing has hnp- 
pened. Frost struck us on the night of 
April 22. I am hoping that my beans and 
corn are saved, as I covered them with 
earth, which has not been removed yet. 
But the Irish potatoes were too tall to 
cover, and they are blackened. The beets 
and peas do not seem to have minded it. 
The difference in the temperature at the 
ground and up in the air was very strik¬ 
ing. While the tender plants next the 
ground were frozen, the mercury, 6 ft. 
from the ground, scored 40 above zero. 
Therefore it is evident that the fruit has 
not been hurt. The peaches and some of 
the plums are as large as peas, and the 
foliage large enough to make a very con¬ 
siderable protection. Of course it will 
take some little time to determine if any 
damage has been done. Today (April 
24) I trust the warmer weather which 
the weather man has been predicting 
daily for a week, while it got colder, will 
come. The tomato plants, which are 
usually out in the garden at this time, 
are still in the frame, for the continued 
cold nights made it evident that they were 
better off under the sashes. 
The eggplants are still in the flats, as 
they were sown early in April, a month 
later than usual, as I have found it need¬ 
less to hurry them till the real warm 
weather arrives, when they can be made 
to grow rapidly. 
The Wakefield cabbages from plants 
grown from Fall-sown seed have done re¬ 
markably well, for only one plant ran to 
seed. We seldom get less than 3 per cent 
failures. The ones which go to seed in¬ 
stead of heading are usually the plants 
which get overgrown in the Fall. 
The market growers have planted a 
good many cantaloupes, but I do not 
think any were up, and the seed may not 
be hurt. There are between 2,000 and 
3,000 acres planted in cantaloupes in this 
county, and a good many in watermelons. 
The early Irish potato crop is not planted 
here in large areas; the sweet potato 
crop is of much more value and impor¬ 
tance. The early Irish potato crop is the 
leading vegetable grown in the Virginia 
counties just south of us, and potatoes 
planted here come in in the heaviest rush 
of the Virginia crop, after they have 
taken the cream off the market. The Vir¬ 
ginia counties also grow a great many 
sweet potatoes, but they rush for the late 
Summer and early Fall shipment, while 
our growers let the crop mature and ship 
some in late Fall if the market is favor¬ 
able, but put most of the crop in storage 
to ship in warm spells in Winter and 
Spring, and by watching the market out- 
farmers usually get better prices than the 
Virginia growers. There is really very 
little difference in the crops. The Vir¬ 
ginia farmers sell the immature crop, 
while our growers make the mature crop, 
but the shrinkage in storage cuts them 
pear down to the others. At Pocomoke 
City, 20 miles south of us, they had quite 
a flourishing produce shipping exchange, 
which also did quite a business in farm 
seeds. Bast week the whole business sec¬ 
tion of the town and F0 dwellings were 
burned, and the Produce Exchange lost 
its store and warehouse, but will soon 
again be on its feet. It will scarcely in¬ 
terfere with the shipment of truck, which 
hardly begins till .Tune, with the exception 
of small area in asparagus. With frost 
and fire the cultivator of the soil is sub¬ 
ject to enough risk without having to 
take the 35-eent dollar. But the co¬ 
operative organizations are fast closing 
up the gap between the grower’s dollar 
and that of the consumer. That is at the 
grower’s end. But the grower cannot help 
the consumer much. And now they are 
making a tariff that will put a quarter in 
the fanner's pocket, perhaps, while tak¬ 
ing a dollar out of it to bolster up the rich 
manufacturer. Great is the tariff. We 
build ships to carry foreign trade, and 
then pass laws to kill the trade. Great is 
the Diana of the manufacturers! 
W. F. MASSEY. 
Creosote from Stovepipe 
Is there anything to keep creosote from 
running dowu a stovepipeV It funs down 
so badly it fills the seams full and spreads 
them open, and below an elbow it runs 
down so I cannot even catch it in a pan. 
There arc two elbows up above and I 
cannot very well have the pipe any dif¬ 
ferent. The pipe from our other stove 
goes in the same chimney, but it does not 
run dowu that. We cleaned the pipe and 
chimney all out. and in four days it van 
down the elbow below in a stream. We 
are burning good dry wood. Our stove 
has a good draft. MRS. a. A. 
Pulaski, N. Y. 
The tarry deposit that drips back 
through your pipes exists as a vapor in 
the smoke from the wood fire. This is 
true of all wood fires, but the condition is 
aggravated when burning green wood. If 
this material can be kept in thp form of 
vapor until it escapes from the chimney 
it will not give trouble, but, unfortu¬ 
nately, it is likely to condense either in 
the smoke pipe or chimney and run back 
down, spoiling everything with which it 
comes in contact. The only relief seems 
to be the construction of a tight, warm 
chimney, and conducting the smoke to it 
by the most direct route possible. Heat 
is the requirement for keeping the ascend¬ 
ing smoke column in the pipe warm, 
hence the necessity of a tight, warm 
chimney and pipe, for every little air cur¬ 
rent entering through a crack or imper¬ 
fectly fitted joint, cools the ascending 
smoke to a certain extent and tends to 
condense the vapors that we wish to get 
rid of. 
It is probable that the other flue enter¬ 
ing the chimney makes the creosote more 
bothersome than it. otherwise would be by 
checking the draft, in the pipe that is giv¬ 
ing trouble. Where two flues enter a sin¬ 
gle chimney there is a tendency for one 
of them to “hog” all of the draft, making 
trouble in the other flue. Each pipe 
should have a separate flue clear to the 
top of the chimney. In your case this 
probably would be difficult to arrange. 
However, use as brisk a draft as possible, 
using small quantities of wood, and feed¬ 
ing the fire oftener, in order that the 
smoke pipe may be kept warm. When 
necessary to check the draft, do so by 
closing the drafts leading in to the fire, 
rather than by opening the cheek draft 
at the base of the pipe. Opening this ad¬ 
mits cold aii- to the smoke column, eou- 
densing the vapor and causing the drip¬ 
ping from the pipe. 
Another thing that is sometimes done 
to help is to put the pipe together back¬ 
ward, giving it, a good slope to the stove. 
This tends to lead any liquids back to 
the stove without dripping. The success 
of the whole thing, however, hinges on 
keeping the outgoing smoke Warm enough 
to prevent condensation of the vapor that 
it carries. r. h, s. 
At what age should you take 
needless risks ‘with your health ? 
Is that a queer question ? 
Then many people are doing a queer thing 
—and often it turns out to be a serious thing. 
The Federal Bureau of Education says in its 
rules for the health of school children that chil¬ 
dren should not drink coffee or tea. This rule 
is based on the well-known fact that the drug 
element in coffee and tea whips up the nerves, 
and that serious ills often follow. 
If it’s a good rule for children to keep away 
from the harm of nerve-stimulation, isn’t it a 
good rule for everybody? 
Think it over. 
Granted that your body may stand more, can 
your judgment afford to risk more ? Any doctor 
can tell you what coffee and tea often do to the 
health of adults as well as children. 
There’s no sacrifice in being safe. Postum is a 
delightful, satisfying mealtime beverage, whole¬ 
some and pleasant alike for adults and children. 
Postum has no age limits! 
Your grocer has both forms of Postum; Instant Postum 
(in tins) made instantly in the cup by the addition of boil¬ 
ing water. Postum Cereal (in packages of larger bulk, for 
those who prefer to make the drink while the meal is being 
prepared) made by boiling for fully 20 minutes. 
Postum for Health 
“ There 9 s a Reason 99 
Made by Postum Cereal Co., Inc., Battle Creek, Mich. 
Binder Twine ufub 01 ord^S 1 ^ 
lots onr specialty. 
Fanner agents wanted. Samples and circular free. 
TflEO. BURT & SONS - Melrose, Ohio 
The Farmer His 
Own Builder 
By H. Armstrong Roberta 
A Practice! and 
handy book of all 
kinds of building 
information from 
concrete to carpen¬ 
try. Price HO. 
For sale by 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 W. 30th St.. N. ¥. 
Here’s 
a Real Small-Farm Tractor 
and Cultivator 
Sturdily built. Plenty of power. Easy to handle. 
Full equipment of suitable implements for plow¬ 
ing, harrowing, cultivating, etc. 
A one-man Small-Farm Tractor that will do 
anything that can be done with horses. Built by 
the BUFFALO PITTS COMPANY, manufac¬ 
turers of agricultural machinery since 1837. 
This Tractor can be used for cultivating where 
bigger tractors cannot operate. It is only 24 
inches wide, but strong enough and powerful 
enough to handle a 10 inch plow. Weighs 1135 
pounds. Rated 3-6 horse power. Speed one to 
three miles per hour. 
The tractor will draw a small wagon, saw wood, 
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charge batteries, turn a grind-stone and do other 
belt power work. 
For full specifications and other details, send 
for free illustrated booklet. 
AGENTS WANTED 
Desirable territory is still open for live agents. 
Write for particulars, giving territory you are 
prepared to cover thoroughly. 
I- 
BUFFALO PITTS COMPANY 
Buffalo, N. Y. 
Gentlemen: Please send me illustrated booklet 
and prices on your Small-Farm Tractor. 
Name. 
Address. 
