Tht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1089 
their corn crop serious damage, and often they see 
the damage when too late, and in future abandon it 
altogether. 
Late cultivation of corn, if rightly done, will keep 
the corn growing longer, and hence make the ears 
longer. It will make the corn later in coming to 
maturity. I differ with Mr. Coon where he says it 
makes more ears. That is entirely a matter of pol- 
lenization. Frequent cultivations as soon after rain 
as ground will work tip properly will retain moisture. 
Hut we cannot create moisture by cultivation. Water 
leaks up through the soil as well as down, so a fine 
dust mulch as soon after rain as we can get it there, 
will assist in conserving the moisture. But do not 
ever think that you can replace this moisture by cul¬ 
tivation after it has leaked out. The hole in the 
Seed Texts with Teas. Fig. JfG9 
bucket must be patched before the milk has leaked 
out if you would do it at a profit. 
Since, then, late cultivation adds bushels to the 
corn crop, and hence dollars to the pnckothook. what 
are its dangers, and how avoided? Your corn rows 
at time of caring are a network of feeder rootlets 
extending clear across the rows, hence shallow and 
narrow cultivation is best. Rut above all else do not 
break or in any way disturb the brace roots, those 
large roots that show above ground next to the stalk. 
In hand cultivation one has the sense of sight, sound 
and feeling, so if you hear or feel rootlets snapping 
narrow down your cultivator. I know it injures 
corn after brace roots start even lo pull weeds or 
grass from near the hill, and I have paid dearly for 
the lesson. If they seem unsightly cut them off 
above ground. .r. n. tichexor. 
Wisconsin. 
A Poultrywoman’s Problems 
I was keenly interested in George A. Cosgrove’s 
article, “Making a Living by Keeping Hens.” I should 
greatly appreciate a more detailed discussion of the 
question as to whether il really pays the poultrytnan 
keeping from 500 to 1,000 chickens in grow the feed. 
My particular problem resolves itself into this: I am 
a city woman who has recently purchased a place of 
about 85 acres with tile purpose of growing fruit and 
asparagus. There are two obi orchards on the place, 
in run-down condition, but with good possibilities. It 
will take both time and money to put them on a paying 
basis, and still more time and capital to plant the now 
orchard I am planning. In the meantime, in order to 
have any income. I must specialize on either dairy cows 
or poultry, and have decided on the latter for egg pro- 
Pea Pickers at Work. Fif/. .{70 
duction. A man is employed on tho place at $50 a 
month. As his time would not all be required for the 
actual care of the poultry, would you say that it would 
pay best to have him put liis extra time into the grow¬ 
ing of grains for chicken feed or into gardening, selling 
the products? 1 have only a few hens at present, and 
plan to buy about 200 pullets, ready to lay in October. 
Would it be wise to start with a larger number? 
New York. m us. j,. w. h. 
T HE above letter from Mrs. L. W. 11. raises n 
question that might be answered differently by 
different people. Rut as she intends to plant a young 
orchard, which must be cultivated, a crop of corn 
can be raised between the trees for several years 
with no harm to the trees, and if a cover crop is 
sown in the corn at last cultivation, to be plowed 
under later, it will be to the great advantage of the 
trees. If no cows were kept to use the corn fodder, 
it would still be very useful if run through a feed 
cutter and used as litter to scatter grain in for the 
lions, and the bens would eal every particle of the 
corn blades, to their great benefit. 
In those early, days on my farm I bought all the 
grain. It was so cheap in those days (30 years ago) 
that very few farmers attempted to raise their own 
grain. It is a natural grass country, dairying almost 
the only business. This little bill town ol‘ less than 
300 voters used to send over $50,000 a year to the 
West for grain. The superintendent of a factory in 
Brooklyn came up to see me. Ilis first question was: 
“Where is the plowed ground? I don't see any 
plowed ground anywhere.’’ And it was true On 
the 214-mile drive from the station to my farm not 
one field of corn was visible. Rut advancing prices 
of Western grain have changed all that—there is 
corn on every farm now. 
To reply more explicitly to Mrs. L. W. II.'s ques¬ 
tions. I would say that her success with poultry will 
depend a great deal on how much of a poultryman 
her “man” is. Also his time to grow grain will de¬ 
pend on whether she plans to increase her flock of 
200 by raising young chicks or not. If she intends 
to increase the flock by buying full-grown pullets, 
the man can raise practically all the grain. 
In my own practice I raised corn largely for the 
shade and shelter from hawks for the growing 
chic-ks. 1 had a field 300 ft. long by 184 ft. wide. 
After the hens had weaned the chicks they were 
put in little houses that would bold about 50. and 
the houses spread along on a strip 30 ft. wide on the 
north side of the lot. This 30x300-ft. strip was cov¬ 
ered with oats, and the oats cultivated in so they 
would be just sprouting through the ground when 
the chicks were moved in there. The rest of the lot 
was planted with corn, in which the chicks lived 
until put into Winter quarters in the Fall. The 
chicks would dig and work in those sprouted oats 
Packing a Basket. Fig. )11 
all day. and when they were nearly gone 1 would 
cultivate in more. The chicks did not eat the corn 
until in the Fall, when the ragged husks revealed it. 
Then they would strip the under side of many ears, 
but it was for them, anyway, so I did not mind that. 
One surprising thing was that in five years they had 
practically destroyed all the weed seeds in that soil. 
The fifth year it was cultivated both ways, twice, 
and not a hoe touched to it. Yet I got 205 bushels 
of ears that shelled 22 quarts to the bushel, equal 
to 113 bushels of shelled corn, on a strip 300x154 ft., 
a fraction over an acre. It was a 10-rowod flint 
corn: most flints are eight-rowed. Tlie only fer¬ 
tilizer used on that lot in the five years was hen 
manure. Awfully poor farming, I know, but 1 was 
green then. 
Mrs. L. W. II. must understand that some liens 
are boarders: not all liens pay a profit. One flock 
of 500 may pay double the profit that another flock 
of 500 does, even of the same breed and fed exactly 
alike. So it is wise to breed your own chicks. Select 
the best layers, preferably year-old hens, and then 
get the best possible males to mate with them, not 
necessarily the highest priced. georo.e a. cosgrove. 
Value of Unleached Wood Ashes 
Can you tell me the value of unleaehed hardwood 
ashes for hay. land already seeded, in fair condition? 
Also, in your opinion, are they of value in raising oars, 
rye or buckwheat? If in connection with fertilizer, 
wlnit kind? My soil is mosth heavy clay, with some 
light clay in the back fields. At $25 per ton would the 
vnb'e of ashes equal or exceed fertilizer? x. w. r. 
Maine. 
T will depend on the analysis of the ashes and the 
strength of the guarantee back of them. Ashes 
contain no nitrogen whatever, and you cannot hope 
to grow good grass or grain without using nitrogen 
in some form. An average sample of ash will con¬ 
tain about five per c-ent of potash, two of phosphoric 
acid and about 30 per cent of lime. We have never 
been able to find any combination of potash, lime 
and phosphorus which gave fertilizing results equal 
to a pure wood ash—pound for pound of chemicals. 
The way to figure this out is to get prices on muriate 
of potash, acid phosphate and lime at your station, 
and compare costs with the ashes. What will it cost 
to buy 100 lbs. of potash. 40 lbs. of phosphoric acid 
and 000 lbs. of lime, or what you would receive in 
a ton of wood ashes? Muriate of potash contains 50 
per cent of actual potash, or 1,000 lbs. to a ton. 
Thus if you get the price of a ton of muriate and 
divide it by 1.000 you have the cost of 1 lb. of actual 
potash. In like manner acid phosphate will average 
The Flivver at the Hauling -Joit. Fig. .{72 
about 10 per cent of phosphoric acid. That means 
320 lbs. of phosphoric acid in one toil. < 1 et the final 
price per ton and divide it by 320 to get the cost of 
1 lb. The lime is figured in much the same way. 
Thus you can figure (lie cost of 100 lbs. of potash. 
40 lbs. of phosphoric acid and COO lbs. of lime to 
compare with $25—the cost of a ton of ashes. 
If you decide to use the ashes we would suggest 
in addition to each ton 500 lbs. of a mixture of three 
parts acid phosphate to one part nitrate of soda, 
figured by weight, nor measure. 
The Great Auto Travel 
We are on the edge of the State road. Probably 1,500 
ti> 2,000 cars pass daily, of all kinds and descriptions. I 
am more interested iu the family wirh a cheap car and a 
rent. We see many of them, and houses all along the 
road furnish meals and lodging. Eight years ago there 
was none of rhis. j. 
HAT is from a man who sits hy the side of the 
road at a point in Northern New York, where 
the sons of men pass by to New England and back. 
T'p and down the road they go. along the way mov¬ 
ing and mixing, the entire family out to see the 
world. This is only one way in which the modern 
ear is changing American life. Years ago the plain 
people remained at home, unable to take a vacation 
and get a change of scene. Now the car makes it 
possible for the family to pile in and go off on a 
gasoline tramp. They come back better for the out¬ 
ing. Their vision of life is wider, and home seems 
Readg for Market. Fig. .{73 
better than it was before. There may be some old- 
timers who shake their heads at these family tramp 
trips along the pleasant road, but the truth is that 
we have come to a period in history so big and full 
of material development that the human mind nat¬ 
urally seeks wider fields and must be satisfied if it 
is to be contented. And the farmer, no less than any 
other man. is entitled to his share of honest enjoy¬ 
ment and change of scene. The car is giving him 
his chance. 
The newspapers report that Henry Ford was recently 
arrested and fined for speeding, liis car was going ar 
the rate of 43 miles au hour. It was not a Ford car at 
that! 
