779 
occurs, and I do not despair of being able to 
raise even 1,000 bushels upon the same amount 
of land. The method is comparatively simple 
and inexpensive, in view of the results to be 
obtained; and I am almost persuaded to un¬ 
dertake it on a limited but proportionate scale 
next spring. h. m. h. 
Chicago Ills. 
POTATO GROWING. 
I have watched with deep interest the ex¬ 
periments made in the grounds of the Rural 
New-Yorker, and believe that those careful 
tests will result in much good to the cultiva¬ 
tors of potatoes, yet I do not believe that one 
test, no matter how carefully conducted, is 
applicable to all soils. In a dry, warm soil, 
in a climate where there is a scarcity of rain, 
deep planting with level culture may prove to 
be the best and surest practical method of 
getting a large and sure yield of excellent po¬ 
tatoes; while in a climate like Central Ver¬ 
mont’s, where we have an abundance of 
showers during the growing season, a different 
method might prove more advantageous. 
For the past few years I have had the best 
and largest yield on my driest and best 
drained land. Manure was applied from a 
spreading cart, and well mixed with the soil. 
The rows were marked three feet apart, and 
the potatoes cut to one eye to each piece, 
dropped in the drill once in 15 inches and cov¬ 
ered with a horse hoe. The soil was kept clean 
and mellow by frequent use of the cultivator, 
and hilled with a shovel plow. In good seasons 
the tops early cover the ground and it is not 
uncommon for the stalk to be one inch in 
diameter, and from one stalk I have taken 12 
potatoes which weighed seven pounds. Had 
every eye yielded the same, what an enor¬ 
mous yield I would have had! I know no 
reason for the difference, all receiving the 
same culture. T. h. spear. 
UNFAVORABLE EXPERIENCE WITH THE 
TRENCH SYSTEM. 
The Rural Trench System has not been a 
success with me the present season. As a 
matter of fact, there has not been any appre¬ 
ciable difference in the yield of any late- 
planted potatoes, whether planted on top of 
the ground or in the trenches. With early- 
planted ones I think I can safely say that what 
difference in yield there was at digging was 
against the system instead of in its favor. Of 
course, even where there is no loss in yield 
there is assuredly a loss to the extent of the 
labor involved in trenching and the extra 
labor of digging, but my loss was certainly 
much greater than this. I do not condemn 
unconditionally the system, but the results of 
my experiment have been so strongly im¬ 
pressed upon my mind that I think it will 
take several years before I will care to again 
try the experiment on early-planted potatoes 
even on the most sandy soil, and then only on 
a very modest scale. The best potatoes I 
grew were planted on or very close to the top 
of the ground, and the poorest ones in trenches, 
and, mind you, I tried to see what I could do 
with the trench backed by the most liberal 
amount of fertilizers. My belief is that on 
land neither especially wet nor especially dry, 
the season alone determines whether the 
trench will prove advantageous or detrimental 
to the crop. Let each make a guess whether 
the season will be a wet or a dry one, and 
plant accordingly; but don’t let him place too 
much confidence in the R. N.-Y.’s Trench Sys¬ 
tem until he has tried it, at least in one dry 
and one wet season. bert m vedder. 
Tioga Co., Pa. 
fnvm (Topics. 
OH, THE THREE-HORSE POLE! 
horse pole. Some six weeks ago I sold my 
potato crop to a dealer to be delivered on the 
track at my station two and a half miles dis¬ 
tant. It began to rain about that time, and 
we have had the wettest fall and tde worst 
roads I ever saw. For some four weeks I 
waited for better weather, and then, as the 
job could be put off no longer, went to draw¬ 
ing. For the last 13 days I have been steadily 
moving the crop without regard to depth of 
mud or weather, and every day and every hour 
of the day I have felt thankful for my three- 
horse rig. In spite of all, I have taken from 
50 to 60 bushels at a load, while with two 
horses I could not have drawn more than 30 
bushels at the outside, and kept it up by the 
week. 
Some 12 or 15 years ago I had a large strong 
pair of thills made to fit my two-horse wag¬ 
on, by simply taking out the common pole. 
It is but a minute’s work to make the change. 
Then one horse goes between the thills and one 
on each side and two short neck yokes are 
used. A set of three-horse eveners of course 
is put on. It is direct draft and one of the 
most useful little contrivances I have on the 
farm. Three times since I made it, has it let 
me out in good shape from a bad job* It 
works to perfection. The three horses are 
bandied as easily as two and draw as much as 
four would with one team ahead of the other, 
When the roads are good we have no use for 
it, as two horses will draw 50 to 60 bushels of 
potatoes with ease; but when we get caught 
with such terribly bad roads as we now have, 
it is a big thing to be able to put on a third 
horse and have him draw all potatoes—no 
more dead weight, no more wagon or driver, 
and then the three make play of coming home 
witn the empty wagon. To be sure, a team of 
1.800-pound horses would draw as much as 
my three; but for most purposes my team of 
1,200-pound horses are heavy enough, and 
when there comes such a pull I think it cheap¬ 
er and better to put on three than to keep 
three on eight feet all the time—mostly to do 
the work of two. Three 1,200 pound horses 
make a strong team. I have never before 
seen the roads so bad in the fall that I could 
not go right along with 67 bushels of potatoes 
on—two tons. 
For reins we take a common pair of two- 
horse ones and run the whole reins through 
on the middle horse; then get two extra 
short reins, or checks, from the other harness, 
and put on. With a little care they can be 
arranged in a few minutes so as to handle the 
horses well. I have driven through the most 
crowded streets ip Cleveland and Akron.hand- 
ling them just as readily as if there were but 
two horses. I can drive through a nino-foot 
gatp, and even an eight-foot one on a pinch. 
Some will say, perhaps: “What is the use of 
so much power, as one can not get on more 
than 40 bushels of potatoes on a common 
wagon?” Well, the writer long ago fixed his 
wagons so that he could put 67 bushels on 
the smaller one, handily (without lifting up 
very high), and 80 or more on the larger one. 
Such things are worth looking after where a 
man has much bulky stuff to draw. 
Now, if any reader of the Rural has to 
draw heavy loads to market a long distance, 
or a short distance when the roads are likely 
to be bad, he had better go straight and get a 
double pole made for his wagon; that is if he 
keeps three horses or more. He will thank 
me time and again when he sees how easily 
three horses will move right along with a load 
50 per cent, heavier than the one that is over¬ 
taxing his horses. You may depend on just 
what I say, for I know what I am talking 
about. I have ridden behind my double pole 
for months and watched my loads and what 
others drew with two horses, and 1 have seen 
the loads weighed on the scales when we were 
teaming on the same job. 
Just hear it rain again! Never mind; I 
will pull three big loads to-morrow, unless the 
axle gets down so as to drag on the mud. 
Summit Co., O., 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
T. B. TERRY. 
The thing that has proved most particularly 
satisfactory lately on my farm is my three- 
Grape Shoots Broken by the Wind.— It- 
is often recommended to commence breaking 
out one of the shoots from the double buds of 
grape-vines and the adventitious buds upon 
the lower portions of the canes not needed, as 
soon as they appear. With such varieties as 
Delaware and others that start to grow early 
in the spring, this is the right practice to 
follow. But with Worden and other sorts 
that start late and make a sudden succulent 
growth, it is sometimes disastrous and 
should not be adopted because the wind is 
almost sure to break out those that are left. 
Double buds upon the vine form one of nature’s 
provisions for just such emergencies. I do not 
say that there is forethought upon the part 
of the grape, but the fact that the provision 
of these double buds exists in the grape, 
whereas they are seldom seen on other plants 
not liable to this kind of accident, is in itself 
verv suggestive. 
The gardener will find no fast-and-loose 
rules for his work. He must be an observing 
man and be governed by conditions and cir¬ 
cumstances. With succulent, late-starting 
vines he must wait longer; but he will find 
the practice of resolutely breaking out the 
surplus canes at the right time of the greatest 
advantage to the vines and the crop. The 
right thiug to do is to turn the forces of the 
vines into developing fruit, and not waste 
their energy upon'surplus wood. 
Jefferson Co., N. Y. d. 3. marvin. 
Why is the Farmer Easily Duped?— The 
answer is not far to seek. Other people con¬ 
tinually deal with other men, and learn to be 
always on their guard against treachery. But 
the farmer deals on the one hand with Provi¬ 
dence, and on the other, only occasional¬ 
ly with his fellows. Plain man as he is, he oc¬ 
cupies the rare and high position of inter¬ 
mediary between the Creator and the Ruler 
of the earth, and all mankind who derive 
their food and clothing from its soil. He finds 
God’s rain descending alike upon the just and 
the unjust, and God’s promise of an annual 
vield as sure as the rainfall and the rainbow. 
There is no mistrust on that side, and he has 
difficulty in learning to mistrust man. It is a 
bitter experience when he finds his confidence 
made his bane, and that he must be wise as a 
serpent on one hand while harmless as a dove 
on the other. warpa. 
Starting an Orchard from Apples.— 
The Rural comes to me every week so 
richly freighted with advice, suggestions and 
facts about agriculture and farm work, that 
I feel it a duty to contribute any mite I may 
have that may be suitable for its columns. 
For many years I was under the impression 
that an apple tree would need some trim¬ 
ming; but otherwise it would take care 
of itself—that it needed no more looking after 
than a forest tree. But the reading of the 
Rural for eight or ten years has changed my 
notions. I have mulched, manured and placed 
ashes around the trees, and have been sur¬ 
prised at the result. Trees that bore 
small, spotted apples before treating them, 
have since nearly doubled in size, and are 
smooth and well-formed. I applied ashes and 
manure to a Vandever tree, as I thought, in 
liberal quantities, but for the first dozen years 
I did not get a bushel of apples from it. This 
spring I hauled two loads of ashes and three 
loads of manure around it, making a mulch 
six inches deep, and we will get from this tree 
three or four barrels of fine apples this year. 
It may be that I overdid the good work and 
the tree may die for an overdose of manure, 
but at this time it is very thrifty in appear¬ 
ance. This fall I shall plant an apple in the 
spot where I wish the tree to grow and 
save the best sprout for grafting, so 
that the tree shall have no check from a 
breaking of the roots, such as occurs in re¬ 
moving the tree from the nursery to the 
orchard. To mark the spot where the apple 
is planted, I shall place a common drain tile. 
If a tile will exclude the sun and air too much 
I shall saw the tile into three or four-inch 
lengths. Have the Rural readers any sug¬ 
gestions to make for or against such a plan of 
starting an orchard ? s. b. h. 
Crawfordsville, Ind. 
TRUSTS. 
Having read the opinion of Carnegie on 
this matter, I was pleased that my opinion on 
the same subject agreed with his. His opin¬ 
ion was to the effect that there was nothing 
to fear from the existence of these associations, 
as they had within themselves the elements of 
self destruction. Reading my diary of the 
31st of October, 1887, I find the following. It 
is satisfactory to know that if the lawyers 
find a difficulty in the lawful suppression of 
trusts, natural circumstances will foil the 
schemers. Here is the extract:—“All the 
trades and manufactories are combining un¬ 
der different forms and names to get better 
prices by avoiding competition. Tnese com¬ 
binations would perhaps succeed, if after com¬ 
bining, they did not have to take in the host 
of new firms that spring up tempted by the 
high rates and profits realized by the combi¬ 
nations. Thus, the combinations must freeze 
out the outsider or give him shelter. In the 
first case another snake has to be scotched, or 
another baby has to be fed.” j. b. 
The Trench System in Washington Ter¬ 
ritory-1 have been tr \ ing the Rural’s trench 
and level culture system in a rough way. I 
did not trench, only furrowed out the ground, 
using no manure. The ground was two-thirds 
loam, and the remainder a clay loam. One- 
third had never had potatoes on it before. 
The remainder had borne potatoes two to 
four years; but bad never been manured. 
Result on four rods, less than one-third of an 
acre, 184 bushels—164 marketable. I have 
for the past four years been testing the best 
old and new kinds of potatoes. The American 
Giant yielded heaviest, with Dakota Red, 
Empire State, Green Mountain, a white pota¬ 
to called Prolific, and Summit following clos- 
ly in the order named. The Summit is only 
three or four days later than Early Ohio, and 
yields double as much as any other early 
potato that I know of For poor, dry soil the 
Mammoth Pearl beats any potato I ever 
tried. We have not had a bit of frost yet. 
Roses and all tender flowers are in bloom in 
the garden. Strawberries and raspberries 
have blossoms as well as ripe and green 
fruit yet. b. t. 
tXL 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Illinois. 
Sterling, November 3.—We are having 
splendid fall weather; frosts have not hurt 
celery, cauliflower, cabbages or many other 
things. A temperature of about 28° is the 
lowest yet. Pastures are very short, as the 
weather has been too dry; but we have had 
good rains of late. Potatoes are a light crop; 
but of good quality. Small grains poor; 
corn a large crop; but a considerable amount 
of it is soft. Farmers are beginning to crib. 
Apples were never finer; scarcely a scab or 
worm: but only a few trees were left. Grapes 
are of poor quality: they have rotted, mil¬ 
dewed and failed to ripen well; but there are 
plenty on the vines. j. h. w. 
Iowa. 
Pleasanton, Decatur Co., November 3.— 
We have had a very wet season. Corn good. 
We had a storm on July 4,which blew the oats 
down and made them very light in weight. 
Hay good. Not much corn has been cut and 
shocked this year. Fall pasture good. Cattle 
doing well. w . E . P> 
Montana. 
Fort Benton, Choteau Co., November 4.— 
The past year has been a favorable one for the 
farmers of this section. The fore part of the 
season was very wet and crops got a good 
start before dry weather set in. Wheat is 
being brought up very closely, some of it for 
Minnesota millers; price, 80 to 93 cents per 
bushel; oats 75 to 80 cents per cwt.; potatoes 
50 to 75 cents per cwt.; eggs 40 cents per doz.; 
butter 30 to 40 cents per pound. This is a 
splendid stock country, but the “Cattle 
Kings ” are not making money as easily as in 
times past. Stock farming is going to pay 
best in the future. o. a. p. 
4 
Vermont. 
Perkinsville, Windsor County, Novem¬ 
ber 10.--The season since haying has been one 
of reverses. September had 24 stormy days; 
October had 20. On September 5 and 6, a! 
heavy frost cut the partially ripened corn, 
and the continued wet weather since has al¬ 
lowed no time for ripening. The crop is near¬ 
ly a failure; the fodder is absolutely worthless. 
Hay was far above the average in quantity 
and quality. Oat? fell off one half owing to a 
drought. Other grains suffered in propor¬ 
tion. Potatoes are a failure in some localities, 
and an abnormally large crop in others—an 
average taken as a whole. All sorts of fruit 
abundant. Prices rule high for labor; there 
are no laborers. Hay, .$12 per ton; potatoes, 
50 cents per bushels; corn, 68 cents; oats, 45 
cents; apples, $1.00 to $1 25 per barrel. Al¬ 
though the damp weather has damaged the 
outstanding crops to a greater or less extent, 
farmers have been prosperous. All are ex¬ 
ceedingly hopeful for the future. b. h. a. 
Washington Territory. 
Oakville, Chehalis Co., Oct. 30.—This has 
been a good year for farmers. The last part 
of spring and early summer were very rainy, 
quite an exception to the usual rule. Crops 
grew very finely and the weather turned dry 
without any damage from rust. Most of the 
hay was cut in good drying weather, and it 
was a much larger yield than last year. It is 
worth $9 a ton now. The market is not very 
certain because no logging camps are at work 
near this place, but in a few years we shall have 
a home market for every thing. The popula¬ 
tion of our county is increasing at a rapid 
rate since large saw-mills have been built on 
Gray’s Harbor. The best lands convenient to 
roads and settlements are mostly taken up; 
but new-comers are pushing out up the small 
creeks wherever good land is found. Uplands 
are being eagerly bought up for timber. 
