1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
7 
Hope Farm Notes 
I The Farm.— On the Sunday before Christ¬ 
mas Nature felt about as some good 
women do on washday! It was wetter 
than wet! A little snow had been left 
I from the big storm, and it did the best It 
could to hang on and wait for Santa Claus. 
The rain well knew that no one would 
think of pausing at its stocking, and it 
i did its best to melt the snow. Between 
I them they covered the farm with thick 
[ slush and little aimless brooks that wan- 
( dered here and there until they passed into 
j the open drains. The Hope Farm man 
I put on his old hat and coat and rubber 
boots and walked far over to the woods. 
“You are a strange man to go wander¬ 
ing out in the rain when you could sit by 
a comfortable fire!” 
Well, I've been called “strange” so 
many times that I guess there is some¬ 
thing to it. One is apt to lay on fat be¬ 
fore the comfortable fire, especially after 
such a dinner as Hugh gave us! I like to 
see things at their worst. Hang up a 
stocking with a hole in it if you really 
want to test the generosity of Santa 
Claus. I wanted to see the farm at its 
worst. That’s the way to see whether our 
year’s work has given us any Christmas 
presents. Then, again, I admit that I love 
to wander off among my trees and study 
them. Our folks have laughed at me be¬ 
fore now for going to see the trees of a 
Sunday afternoon in an August scorcher, 
a September deluge, a January blizzard 
and a March mud bank! To them these 
little trees are mere shapeless sticks. To 
me they are living, hopeful things which 
are to care for me if I live until my head 
is white, educate the children, provide 
home and income for the Hope Farmers 
and grow into a noble monument when we 
are gone. Of the hundreds that we have 
planted I know every one. As they grow 
old, I shall grow young. I content myself 
with knowing that there are plenty of 
people who feel just as I do about a tree. 
Are you not dreaming when you say that 
apples can do all this? They are likely 
to be a drug on the market! 
No, I feel wide awake when I say that 
good apples, large and clean, will take care 
of us. I am not talking about the poor 
little stuff that floods the market at times, 
but the fruit that people want and call 
for. Here we are within 25 miles of the 
greatest market on earth. If we can’t find 
a way to sell good apples there we couldn’t 
give away dollar bills. 
The farm is in better shape than it was 
last Christmas. The hills are now all 
covered with some living crop. Thus there 
is less wash, and by studying the water 
courses and digging little ditches here and 
there we have been abie to run the water 
off without great damage. One of our best 
fields last year was badly washed. This 
year we have made the water run around 
it and away through open ditches. 
The farm is yielding a better income than 
last year. Our wood brought $2.50 per cord 
in the woods. This is mostly chestnut—the 
tops left after trimming poles. Oak wood 
brings $3.50. Had I known that wood was 
to sell so well this year I would have cut 
several hundred cords last Winter, but at 
that time no one expected that the coal 
supply could be shut off. I believe that 
there will now be a revival of wood burn¬ 
ing that will last several years. I shall be 
ready for it. There is also a good demand 
for young chestnut poles for barn rafters. 
Our pigs are bringing in good money. I 
doubt if we shall ever stick up the “Pigs 
For Sale” sign again. We have been sell¬ 
ing little grade pigs at $3 apiece, but we 
now believe that we can put $3 worth of 
grain into such a pig and sell him for $10! 
Besides that we have the society of the 
pig, which is worth much to a philosopher. 
How about those who are not philoso¬ 
phers? 
Well, I reeret to say that they are pretty 
likely to prove related to piggy anyway! 
But seriously we believe we are now be¬ 
ginning to know how to make pigs pay. 
You have been some time learning. 
True, but one thing that comforts is the 
evident fact that some people older than 
we are have not yet learned. I feel quite 
sure that pork will be high for several 
years to come. Thus far we have sold most 
of our pork by the carcass. I am tempted 
to try our hand at selling in smaller pieces 
and grinding up part as sausage. 
You say vou are just learning. Why 
have you been so slow when writers have 
made it as clear as crystal? 
It must be that these writers are 
smarter than we are, or else it is still true 
that about all a farmer can expect to get 
out of a printed article is wise suggestion. 
He must go ahead and work that sug¬ 
gestion out on his own farm and in his 
own way. Some suggestions are more 
sensible than others, and give a fellow 
more of a boost. 
Our apples are paying us this year better 
than ever. I have picked up some custo¬ 
mers in the city who buy in bushel baskets 
—we paying express. I went to see some 
commission men about the prospect for 
selling boxed fruit. They opened a few 
boxes to show me what people are sending. 
Poor, little scrubby fruit had been packed 
in neat new boxes, and I presume the man 
who sent it thought he had done a smart 
thing. That dealer said he wanted no 
more boxed fruit like that. It hurt his 
trade, and made people pay more than 
ever for the California apples. That man 
advised me to ship in barrels, but as an 
experiment I sent 15 of our bushel baskets. 
The boys lined the baskets and put in good 
sized, firm fruit. Paul Kruger, the grrand 
old man of South Africa, tells how he sent 
a Kaffiir for six pounds of raisins. They 
were sent, and with them came a letter 
telling how many were in the package. 
Only about half came on the outside of 
the Kaffir, who denied that he had eaten 
any. “But the letter which you brought 
tells how many were sent!” “How can 
that be?” said the Kaffir. “The letter did 
not see me. I put it under a big rock 
when I sat down to eat the raisins. How 
does it know when it did not see me?” It 
seems to me that some of these people 
who put second-class apples in a first-class 
package are just about as sensible as that 
Kaffir. 
This is a great season for strawberry 
plants. Those under the mulch are thrifty 
and green. There is little if any frost in 
the ground, and the plants are surely 
growing. Does this Winter growth do 
them any good? Certainly it does. It is 
easy to prove. Mulch a vigorous plant 
before the ground freezes solid, and leave 
another just as large exposed through the 
Winter. In the Spring dig them both up 
and see how the roots compare! I used 
to say that the mulch should be put on 
after the ground freezes solid. I am grow¬ 
ing to believe that it should be put on 
before freezing. I am less and less in¬ 
clined to lock frost In with any living 
thing. 
Among others marked for slaughter is 
old Hugha, the mother Berkshire sow. 
She has a large frame but, like most old 
animals, does not take on flesh rapidly. 
Give her a dollar’s worth of grain and feed 
another dollar’s worth to two of her grand¬ 
children and the youngsters will give far 
more pork and profit. It is wise some¬ 
times to keep our best sows to a good old 
age, but I think many of us make the mis¬ 
take of trying to feed old pork. We have 
sold several hogs that brought over $20 
dressed, but there seems to be most profit 
for us in the $10 pig. These youngsters can 
be jumped along from weaning. Their 
teeth are good and their ambition for food 
is not even limited by the size of the 
stomach. We have over 20 of them now 
stuffing on sugar beets, cabbage and grain, 
and getting ready to turn a $3 grain bill 
into a $10 bill. Youngsters every time for 
pork! 
We are all coming back to the farm for 
Christmas. I hope our little folks will be 
able some day to earn the money that will 
let them travel and see something of the 
world, but the gray hills of this old farm 
on Christmas morning will be about the 
finest piece of landscape their eye will ever 
behold. Flat life has its advantages—I am 
not disposed to deny that—but you can’t 
make our children say that they prefer 
city to country! That does me more good 
than a royal legacy left to my daughter! 
I regret to say the Scion is a natural little 
shirk, yet even he admits that he prefers 
to hoe strawberries and do chores at the 
farm rather than do no work in the city! 
I have read some strong and elaborate 
arguments in favor of country living, but 
the little Scion’s readiness to work Is about 
the most remarkable. The children are 
doing well this Winter in their little school, 
which the Madame still keeps up. We have 
great times at night when the weather is 
good and the Madame lets them go out. 
They can have more fun with five cents 
than some children can get out of $5. I 
wish I could print one of the letters they 
wrote to Santa Claus—bad spelling and all. 
'rhe little Bud has struck a bargain with 
one of her friends to take music lessons! 
She was quite proud when she was able to 
tell the difference between a flat and a 
sharp! What a mistake a man makes 
when he does not grow along with his 
children! 
Grow with children! Why, you grew past 
them 40 years ago! 
That’s right! Grew past some of the 
best things of life. Go back and pick them 
up as you keep step with the little folks. 
A man may well live two lives. One on 
ahead working at a man’s job at the hard 
problems of life—the other behind with a 
child’s finger to lead him on. h. w. c. 
The Mother Apple. 
Your correspondent who writes of the 
Mother apple in the issue of December 13, 
page 829, should not recommend it to any¬ 
one as a profitable market variety. It may 
be found growing in many localities in this 
State, but not often in the market, for 
wherever sold once there will seldom come 
a second order because of the fact that 
the Apple maggot (Trlpeta pomonella), is 
much more fond of this variety than of 
even the Sweet Bough or Porter. Market 
men are as shy of It as they are of Clapp 
pears, which look beautiful on the outside 
but within are soon a mass of filth. There 
is, perhaps, no more beautiful apple than 
the Mother when well grown, being almost 
as brilliantly colored as the Early Will¬ 
iams, and of much the same form. It is 
as much more highly colored than the 
Ben Davis as grown in Massachusetts as 
the sun is more brilliant than the moon. 
In quality it has few equals, but until we 
find a remedy for the Apple maggot it 
should not be recommended, for it will 
only serve as a breeding place for this pest, 
and everything near It will be infested. As 
grown in eastern Massachusetts the tree 
is vigorous and very productive every 
other year. s. T. matnard. 
Massachusetts. 
Cold Blast Lanternsi 
They burn fresh cold air and that means 
strong, pure white, steady light. For 
perfect convenience and safety, there is 
nothing that will so certainly suit your 
needs as 
The DIETZ Blizzard 
It is the cold blast kind. It can’t blow 
out. Just the right size, audits generous 
oil pot runs it 19 hours with one filling. 
It’s the all-service, all-season lantern to 
go with you and make the way plain 
about a hundred household duties. Side 
lever raises tlie globe for trimming, 
lighting and extinguishing, and then 
lowers and locks it to the burner for ab¬ 
solute safety. Look for Dietz stamped on the 
oil pot when you go to buy. If it’s not there 
don’t take It. The dealer will get you a Diets. 
Write for our free catalogue to choose. 
R. E. Dietz Company, 
87 Lalght Street, New York. 
JSsUiblitfud 1840. 
Sower’s Book 
ow, what and when to 
GAHOON 
you the whole story of how, what and when to 
sow and describes the popular 
Broadcast Seeder, 
which sows uniform¬ 
ly, saves >4 the seed 
and covers up to 5'J 
acres a day. For 
every kind of seed. 
Book free. Write 
it to-day. 
CO., 
St., 
H, 
Your Garden. 
will be better and more easily 
and cheaply made if you but use 
the proper tools. For sowing all 
garden seeds in drills, dropping 
in hills, hoeing, cultivating and 
plowing—five distinct operations 
—you need but one tool. It’s our 
“Planet Jr.” No. 4 Combined 
Drill, as shown in the cut below. 
It sows accurately in drills—no 
skips, or drops the seed in hills 
4, 6, 8, 12 or 24 inches apart. It 
not only saves seed, time and 
back-ache but it also saves land 
by putting every seed at the 
right place, right distance, right 
depth and in close, straight rows. 
Throws dirt to or from rows, opens fur¬ 
rows fo? planting, cultivates deep or shal¬ 
low and will kill weeds as fast as you can 
walk. It only takes a little time after each 
rain to run over your garden and break 
up the hard crust. That leaves a mulch 
or blanket of fine earth on top. That saves 
the moisture in the soil for plant use. 
That makes a successful garden in the 
dryest weather. 
We make over 50 other seeding and cultivating 
implements, including plain and combined Seed 
Sowers. Wheel Hoes. Hand Cultivators. Walking 
Cultivators and One and Two-Horse Riding Culti¬ 
vators, Special Sugar Beet Tools, etc. Our 
new 1903 catalogue is just published. 
It contains over 100 illustrations 
with full descriptions and prices. 
It costs you nothing and will 
make you money. Write for it. 
S. L. ALLEN Sc CO., 
Box 1107-V 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
Wise Man’s 
Wagon. 
The man who has had experience 
m running a wagon knows that it 
IS the wheels that determine the 
life of tlie wagon itself. Our 
ELECTRIC 
have given a new lea.se of life to thousands of old 
wagons. Ihey can be had in any desired height.and 
aii^y width of tire up to 8 inches. With a set of these 
wheels you can in a few minutes have either a high 
or a low down wagon. The Electric IlBiuly 
W agon is made by skilled workmen, of best select¬ 
ed material—white hickory axles, steel wheels, steel 
hounds, etc. Guaranteed to carry 4000 lbs. Here is 
the wagon that will save money for yon, as it 
lasts almost forever. Onroatalog descrlbingthe uses 
of these wheels and wagons sent free. W rite for it. 
ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., BOX 88, QUINCY, ILLINOIS. 
WE’LL PAY THE FREIGHT 
and send 4 UheeU, Steal Tire on, - 
Wiih Kubber Tire*, $15.00. I mfg. wheels ^ to 4 in. 
tread. Top Buggies, $28.75; Harness, $3.60. Write for 
catalogue. Learn how to buy vehicles and parts direct. 
Wagon Umbrella FKEE. W. K. iiOOH. Cincinnati. O- 
BARNS 
—How to build. Send stamp 
for book. FKANK BRYAN, 
129J Hamlet St., 0olumbus,O. 
ICE PLOWS 
816.50. Also Ice tools. 
Write for discounts. 
H. PRAY,No.Clove,N.Y. 
ICE 
Hade 
111 Three 
Blzcs. 
CUTTING KtS' 
DOKBCIi All Hteel, Double 
Row ICE I*L«)WS. .Marks and 
cuts two rows at a time; cut.s any size cake 
and any depth, and does it with ea.se and economy. 
Does the work of twenty men sawing by hand. Pays for Itself iu 
two days. No farmer, dairyman, hotel man or other can afford to 
be without it. Ask for catalogue and inlrodiiotory prices. 
John !>or‘»ohA Son«, 25dC Welln St.,.Milu jiuUee* Wla. 
SAVE THE ICE CROP 
Rapid, practi¬ 
cal, adjustable 
In width and 
depth, and be* 
ing made all of 
steel,it lasts for¬ 
ever. 
2S catalog, (56 
pages) and Book on Harvest¬ 
ing Ice, niailecl free- Sioc/ks 
carried in ati large cities, 
Wm. T. Wood & Co. 
Arlington, Mass. 
witli Wood’. 
Twln-Cut 
Plow. 
ICE CUTTING 
muai be done quickly and cheaply to be profitable. 
When the Ice is just right,the work must be rushed be¬ 
fore a rain or a thaw. Nothing so facilitates mat- 
tersasour KKO, WHITE AND HLUE 
ICE PLOW 
It’s a strong, keen, fast 
’cutter. Has our Patent 
Cleurlnic Tooth. SsUea. 
Cut73^, 9 A I0>^ ins.deep. 
Re^Iar or Adjustable Swina Guide on 7)^ and 9 loch. 
Maflespecially for Dairymen, Hotels, Butchers, Farmers and others 
who wish to put up their own ice. It will more than save its cost 
on the first crop put up. We make ice tools of every description. 
Send fur our free llloYtrated e.italotfue and prices. 
AMES PLOW COMPANY, 54 MARKET STREET, ROSTON, MASS. 
PRICES 
LOW. 
ARROW BRAND 
Ready Kooiing: 
can be laid on 
top of old 
shingles with¬ 
out tearing off 
tho old roof. 
ASPHALT READY R00FIN6C0. 
136 Water St., New York._ samples. 
Tbis@i9 a. 
I 
I 
I mark stamped on eadx 
sheet o£ the beat roof¬ 
ing tin made—made 
first in Walas man Sum 
50 yesn ago—perfected in 
pto ces B and ontpmt by the ddBed 
Americans. It nvskes a roof that lasts 
SOyesEB. Ask yn«r roofer, or write to 
w. c CMsanm, i«««, 
BmMdfae, nttobaig, 
for Utwtnted book oa 
roofs aad roofmeklmg. 
AMBRICAK TIN 
PLATS COMPANY, 
New York. 
STEEL ROOFING 
. FREIGHT CHARGES PAID BY US 
Strictly new. perfect. Semi - Hardened 
Steel Sheets, 2 feet wide, 6 feet long. The 
best Uooiln^, Sldlog or iViUng you can use. 
No experience necessary to lay it. An 
ordinary hammer or hatchet the only 
tools you need. We furnish nails free 
and paint roofing two sides. Comes 
either flat, corrugated or “V” crimped. 
Delivered ftree of all ehergea to all ])oint8 
in the U. S., east of the Misslssinpi River 
and North of the Ohio River 
AT $2.25 PER SQUARE 
Frieee to other points on appllestlon. A square means 100 
square feet. Write for free Catalogue No. 67 
CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING CO.. W. 35tb and Iroa Sts., Chicago 
!4^SHIP 
YOUR 
RAW 
TO 
M'MILLAN FUR WOOL CO.^^ 
MINNfAfJOLIS. MINN. ^ 
F=ii-T-E f=-cDp» WJ 
FURS 
