1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
23 
Hope Farm Notes 
City Work.— I wish that some of the 
men who think they have a hard time 
in the country could be made to work for 
a while at some of the jobs in the city. 
It would be an eye-opener to them. Take 
the drivers and the diggers and those who 
work on the new subway—or tunnel 
through which the passenger trains are to 
run. They are at it through all weathers 
with a boss over them who can only earn 
his money by driving them on. These men 
are under the lash from daylight to dark, 
and when night comes they have no com¬ 
fortable home to go to. They lodge, or 
rather roost in a crowded Hat, and they 
are paid only for what they do. If they 
lose an hour they are “docked” or dis¬ 
charged. 
A young man in the country will some¬ 
times say that he will not do such work 
as that-he is not after a "job" but will 
••accept a situation.” This “accepting” is 
a polite way of saying that he takes what¬ 
ever he can get. Unless he has some 
strong “pull” or great ability coupled 
with bulldog courage he can only hope to 
scrape out a mean and bare living in the 
city I suppose that most young men who 
read this will feel in their hearts that they 
have this great ability, but they will And 
that it has no coinage value until they 
can make others recognize it. 1 consider 
this flat life—the crowding of human be¬ 
ings into little pens or stalls—as about the 
most demoralizing feature of modern civi¬ 
lization. It is claimed that higher culture 
and intelligence are found in the larger 
cities. That is true, but it appears to stay 
in pretty select circles. 1 should say that 
the average flat-dweller in New York is 
about the narrowest citizen I have struck. 
He pays practically no taxes, and yet en¬ 
joys all public beneiits. Within gun-shot 
of great libraries and other sources of in¬ 
formation he reads nothing but a daily 
paper! Packed in close with human be¬ 
ings, many of whom need sympathy or 
help’, he drops all kindly feeling, and all 
neighborly spirit, and becomes just about 
as selllsh as a horse shut in his stall away 
from the others. It is not strange that 
such people drop mpst of their individual 
character and become not even machines, 
but little cogs on a very small wheel. To 
.see such people undertake to sneer at 
farmers who pay taxes, earn their living 
at independent labor and provide food, 
blood and character for the nation makes 
me so indignant 'that 1 want to heq^ off 
the sturdy young men and women who are 
crazy for the city, i wish i could make 
such people see how much more they can 
do for their country by staying on the 
land, building up a true farm home and 
trying to make country society what it 
ought to be! No use talking, the third 
generation of these flat dwellers will be 
the most dangerous citizens in the coun¬ 
try! As I have said before, if one have 
the “price” he can buy in New York any 
of the bodily comforts and luxuries which 
society has yet discovered. That doesn’t 
appeal to me to-night on the farm. The 
snow is deep and frosty lingers are tapping 
on the pane, but there is a roaring wood 
lire! Right within reach there is a dish 
of baked apples, a pitcher of cream thick 
enough to stand alone, a loaf of bread, a 
plate of butter and a big pitcher of cool 
milk! No, thank you, gentlemen, I 
wouldn’t change with you for the most ex¬ 
pensive dinner your club can afford! 
ASHKS FOR Swine.— A New York friend 
writes: “I see that you feed ashes to 
hogs. How do you feed the ashes, and 
what do you do it for?’^’ 
We put our wood ashes in little boxes 
kept constantly before the hogs. At one 
time we put sulphur with the ashes, but 
now feed ashes alone. These ashes provide 
the minerals or bone-forming material. A 
brood sow needs such food. We are sure 
that the litters are stronger and the pigs 
larger when this ash is provided. The 
ashes seem also to have a good effect on 
the hog’s digestion. I shall have to let 
our scientific friends explain just why the 
ashes help the hogs. It Is a common be¬ 
lief that they are useful, especially when 
corn is largely fed. Our experience cer¬ 
tainly proves that belief. Feed the grain 
of corn to a hog, burn the cob and feed the 
ashes, and you get all the benefit there Is 
in the ear! 
Feeding Strawberries.- Here we hare 
a New York man after me: 
‘T was surprised to read what the Hope 
Farm man says about rotten timber. I 
expect if I live 10 years more to do won¬ 
ders with rotten wood and ashes on straw¬ 
berries. I have raised nice ones on ground 
so poor it would not raise anything: only 
used ashes and bone dust or ground bone.” 
A. F. 8. 
We must understand that when I talk 
about ashes or anything el.se I merely give 
my own experience and observation. We 
have obtained far better results with ashes 
on fruit trees than on strawberries, but I 
can easily see that on some very sour soils 
ashes would give great results. It will do 
me good to have you knock my theory 
clear off your farm. Let your big straw¬ 
berries drag it off the premises. Yet, that 
will not kill it, for the fact remains that 
the strawberry does its best on a slightly 
acid soil. If you use large quantities of 
ashes on a soil that is just about sour 
enough for the crop you will certainlj 
“sweeten” it so that the strawberries will 
not do their best. If your ground is very 
sour the ashes may give it just the needed 
character. I feel pretty sure of my ground 
on that. I can imagine a case where rot¬ 
ten sawdust put on with ashes neutralized 
the lime so that it had little effect upon 
the soil. There is no doubt about the value 
of ground bone, for all fruits. 
Home Notes. —Hugh has been keeping 
house this Winter. If he ever had any 
notion that “woman’s work” is a job so 
soft that it falls all apart I think he has 
been argued out of it. It would be pretty 
tough on the family, but the world would 
be better off if some farmers I know had 
to get the meals and keep house for about 
three months. What a world we would 
have—and how the doctors would thrive! 
Yes, and how woman’s work would be dig¬ 
nified! And man’s work degraded? Not a 
bit of it! . . . . There has been some 
discussion of kitchen drains; I think most 
people expect too much of the average 
drain in the country. Our own drain does 
quite well with clear water, but does not 
carry the dishwater well. I try to pre¬ 
vent our folks from throwing dishwater 
into the sink. We have a barrel on wheels 
near the kitchen door and I would like to 
have all dishwater put in it so the pigs 
can get it. The women folks don’t like to 
carry this water out when the sink will 
send it out of sight! 
“What is that drain for?” they ask. 
They won’t accept the explanation that 
it is for clear water or soapsuds! “Go and 
make it right!” says the Madame, but 
that is a job that stumps the Hope Farm 
man thus far—besides the pigs can find 
some money in that dishwater! .... 
Our Christmas dinner at the farm was a 
big success. 'I'he poor little Scion had a 
bad cold and couldn’t venture out into the 
storm. It was genuine Santa Claus 
weather. Hugh met us with the big sled 
packed full of straw and the little folks 
burrowed into it. Aunt Hustle couldn’t 
come along, but she sent a couple of mince 
pies that would make the mouth of a stone 
image water! Most of the plates came up 
tliree times for turkey and the baby sucked 
a bone so clean that Shep viewed it with 
disgust! The snow was piled up outside 
and the air was full of raw frost, but every 
animal on the place was comfortable, and 
the humans did their best to keep regrets 
outside. Did they succeed? Why, the 
Graft regretted that he couldn’t hold an¬ 
other piece of that mince pie, but I think 
that was the chief one! 
Pig Results.— On May 19 Charlie took 
one of the little Berkshires to feed as an 
experiment. The pig weighed 19 pounds at 
that time. Charlie’s plan was to feed the 
kitchen slop from his small family, weeds 
and grass, and as small a quantity of 
grain as was needed. The slop was fed 
three times a day thickened with middlings 
or bran. During the last month the pig 
had a small amount of ear corn each day. 
On December 26 the pig was slaughtered 
and weighed 150 pounds, dressed. There is 
nothing remarkable about this weight! 
Kvery day farmers report pigs of about 
this age that dress 225 pounds or more. 
'J’hey do not usually tell what they fed in 
order to produce this weight. As nearly 
as we can figure it Charlie’s pig ate 250 
pounds of middlings, 50 of bran and 50 of 
corn. The rest of the gain is to be credited 
to the slop from a family averaging less 
than three adults. The pig was not pushed 
or forced—we wanted to get a fair idea of 
what such dishwater and swill are worth, 
'i’he pig was not very fat, but the carcass 
was well streaked witli lean meat. The 
butcher here paid W/z cents a pound for 
our other pork of the same age. That 
means $15.75 for the pig! At the present 
prices of grain that is like picking small 
pearls out of the dishwater. No wonder 
1 object to having it go down the drains! 
I would be better off to-day if I had not 
sold a single little pig this year. Mind you 
now, I am not reporting the weight of this 
pig as a sample of what the Hope Farm 
Berkshires will do under forcing. This pig 
was never forced. I just wanted to show 
what a workingman can do with his 
kitchen swill and dishwater. h. w. c. 
GREATEST HOUSEHOLD 
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without deposit or advance payment 
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greatest fainiiy labor saver ever in¬ 
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wear and tear. Will do the family 
washing without boiling clothes, 
hand-scrubbing or back-breaking. 
Revolves on bicycle ball-bearings, 
and is therefore easiest running washer ever made. 
Will do two hours’ washing in 10 minutes. Washes 
blankets as well as laces, absolutely clean, and with¬ 
out the slightest injury. 
KANSAS City, Mo., 
May 14. 1902, 
“I have given your washer a fair 
(' trial. It Is the best washerl ever saw. 
! It has washed our heavy blankets with 
ease. 1 washed them last Spring and 
rubbed more than an hour, and yet 
they had to go through again, but the 
“1900” Washer cleaned them thor¬ 
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__^very quick, and have no tired and 
’’worn-out feeling as of old.” 
Mrs. J. L. BANNER, 4:102 Troost Ave. 
It costs nothing to try. Sent absolutely free, freight 
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required in advance. 
Write at once for lX)ok and particulars to 
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14:t F. .state Street, Itiiighauitun, N. Y, 
The most convenient and economic¬ 
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pay for the forge many times over 
each year by doing his own repairing. 
Our Wheelbar rows with high steel wheels, 
made strongand well at surprisingly low prices. 
OaHolInc KngincH.ShultlnK.Fccd .41 Ilia 
anu all kinds of power machinery for the farm 
at wholesale prices. Get our catalogue. Sent 
anywhere for one two cent stamp. 
It will enable you to save many 
dollars on purchases. 
, C. A. S. Forge Works, 
Sa.rai.i\ac, Mich. 
fOR^t 1 
* mAM »r 7Mt -> 
iDRICt 
Si 
15 00 U a 
I ln(A 
* Will La At A Lire Ttstt 
row MOMS. XJnUl March 31, 
1003, we offer the foIlow!n(( barf^la; 
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Price of one Forge complete, one eoTll 
and rife combined and pair of tonge, 
96.00. Write to-daj sendinif etamp for 
book on farm forgei and farm maohin> 
erj. Shis offer cannot last long. 
Handy Farm Wagons 
mske the wonc easier for both the man and team. 
Thetlresbeingwide they donotcutintothe ground; 
the labor of loading Is reduced many times,because 
of the short lift. They are equipped with our fam¬ 
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White hickory axles, steel hounds. Guaranteed to 
carry 4000 lbs. Why not get started right by putting 
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ELECTKIC WHEEL CO., BOX 81. QUINCY, ILL. 
SPENCER^S 
Horcutemm A five wire, large bale press. 
Guaranteed capacity 8 tons an hour. ^ 
ThoAUIgalor Box Promo can bale 22 tons 
in 10 hours, or no pay. Write for catalogue. 
J, A. SPENCER, Box 60, Dwlghl, lUm. 
PLANETJR 
It is easy to plant, but something 
more to properly care for a garden. 
Tile amateur gardener, the flower I 
gardener and the market gardener 
who grow vegetables for profit will | 
each find in this 
"Placnet Jr." No. 12 Wheel Hoe 
the best and most efficient garden 
tool ever offered the public. Cul¬ 
tivates all vegetables astride or be¬ 
tween the rows; deep or shallow; 
kills all weeds; breaks up the top 
crust after rains; saves the soil mois¬ 
ture, plows, opens furrows, etc. 
Adjustable to various width 
rows. One man can do more 
work with it and do it 
. easier and better than six 
men can do with 
^ _ common hoes. 
They are so easy to handle that 
many boys and even girls operate 
them successfully. 
This is but one of the fifty 
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S. L. ALLEN & CO., 
Box 1107-'V', Philadelphia, Pa. 
A MAN SAVED 
BY USING A FOLDING SAWING MACHINE. 
On* man can taw more 
wood with it than two 
In any other way and 
do it easier. 0 CORDS 
IN 10 HOURS, flaws 
any wood oti any 
ground. 8awa trees 
flown. Catalog free. 
First order secures st;eocy. 
MdlngSflwIoiMoch. Co., 55 N. Jefferson SL,CIilGa 80 ,IIL 
8«^«dfr 
Four 
of the 
Famous 
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Iron Age Implements 
___ _ !io. 60 Iron Ab« 
ImproYPdwKolibiiis 
PoUto Filmier 
Figure out how much time, work, seed, fertlll 
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Tliey have won tlieir way by hon¬ 
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Write for free book. 
Ho. 60 Iron Are 
Pivot Wheel CuUlvmtor 
THE WEAR 
OF RUBBER BOOTS AND 
SHOES DEPENDS UPON 
THE RUBBER IN THEM. 
'I’hcre is absolutely no wear in any of the other ingre¬ 
dients of wnich they are composed. Every time the 
quality of Rubber Boots and Shoes is reduced 10 per cent., 
the durability is reduced over‘20 percent, because there is 
only one way to cheapen them, and that is to leave out 
Rubber and put in its place other things that have no 
wearing quality whatever. This cheapening process has 
been steadily going on for the past 40 years. 
othe: 
BUCKSKIN BRAND 
OF KirnitKK KOO'l'S ANI> NlfOES 
nro iiiiule of real riibb4>r—aii<l one |>air 4»f llieiii 
tvill outwear t4vo |>airN4»f tlie Mtamlard lirst grades) 
now on tile market. Try a pair and be convinced. 
Made in Duck Boots, Duck rolled edge Overs for Socks, 
and Felt Boots and in Arctics and light rubber shoes. 
Insist on getting the BLCKSKI.V BU.i.M). .\'unc gen¬ 
uine without the word BIJt'KSKlN’ on the top frontof 
the legs of the hoots and the hottoins of the shoes. 
If your dealer does not keep them write us and we will 
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profusely illustrated, which describes the mak¬ 
ing of Rubber Boots and Shoes from the gath¬ 
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MONARCH RUBBER CO., 
80 Bridge Street, LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. 
FACTORY, ST. LOUIS. MO. 
NOT MADE BY A TRUST. 
An actual test of a 3-Inch 
strip cut from the sole of 
the Ituekskin Boot. Note 
the elasticity and strength 
Onlv the best Rubber 
will S' and a test like this. 
W el gilt of boy and swing 
110 lbs. 
