1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
4o3 
A MODERN OHIO BARN, 
The barn illustrated at Fig. 145 is built in a most 
substantial manner. It is owned by L. E. Elsbree, of 
Delaware Co., Ohio; length 102 feet, width of octagon 
part 52 feet. There are stalis for 12 horses and 15 
head of cattie. The part now occupied by farm tools 
is so arranged that it can be conveniently turned to 
the use of the cattle either as a covered yard or with 
a double row of stalls running lengthwise of barn. 
The entire upper story of building is used for the 
storage of hay, except the part over the driveway at 
one side, where a granary is located with a capacity 
of 1,500 bushels. The grain is raised by means of an 
elevator carrying 25 bushels at a load. This is emptied 
in at top of granary and drawn out at the bottom, 
thus saving all hand lifting. 
A word in regard to Mr. Elsbree’s plan of farming 
may not be out of place, for we are always interested 
in the man who does things in an original way. Dur¬ 
ing all the years that clover has been proclaimed as 
the only salvation for the farmer Mr. Elsbree has 
continued to grow and sell Timothy hay with steadily 
Increasing yields per acre, often selling 100 to 150 tons 
per year. His manner of seeding at present is to plow 
and thoroughly prepare the ground in the Fall, as one 
would for wheat, only better perhaps. Then with 
grain drill 150 to 200 pounds per acre of a good grade 
of bone meal is drilled in together with about a peck 
of Timothy and a little oats, the latter merely to give 
a covering growth in the Fall and early Winter. If 
the appearance of a man’s buildings and farm are any 
guide to judge by Mr. Elsbree has made a success of 
this manner of farming. j. e. t. 
whites from yellows. Pie fruit is the only grade that 
is not peeled. It consists of overripe fruit or fruit 
that is not ripe. This refuse fruit is simply halved 
and placed in the cans. By all means use the peach 
peeler in paring this fruit for the cannery. This small 
machine costs only $1.25, and will do the work of four 
men. This fruit is usually placed in three-pound cans. 
Fill the cans full of fruit after it i« pared and halved. 
The cans are then dipped into a vessel containing the 
syrup, or the syrup can be poured into the cans. A 
barrel with a spigot is quite good. This syrup is made 
of good granulated sugar. The syrup should not reg¬ 
ister less than 10 degrees. Dissolve the granulated 
sugar in water until it registers 10 degrees on a syrup 
TOOLS 
BREEDING UP THE INSTITUTE SPEAKER. 
It seems there is a growing consciousness on the 
part of institute speakers of the fact that their in¬ 
struction, for some cause, does not take hold of the 
wants of the plain, everyday farmer. This conscious¬ 
ness means progression, as it must lead to a more 
perfect understanding between both 
speaker and his hearers. The trouble 
heretofore, and still largely prevailing 
in institute work, is that the speakers 
assume an attitude with intent to im¬ 
press one with the idea that there is a 
royal road to learning, and that this 
road is only accessible to the select few 
whose duty alone it is never to lose an 
opportunity to make a display of their 
royal prerogative. Knowledge is a good 
thing, but when accompanied by an ar¬ 
rogance of manner which savors of hu¬ 
man Infallibility it is soon lost sight of 
in that other consciousness which a 
doubting audience is always sure to be 
ready to accord to a too assertive 
speaker—a possible mistaken reasoning. 
Nature is a closed book to most of us, 
and he who dares to open wide its pages 
and read with more than human au¬ 
thority is sure to reap a scathing men¬ 
tal criticism in the minds of his audi¬ 
ence. I should think, then, that if the utterances of a 
larger number of institute speakers were tempered 
with that higher spirit of instruction which of itself 
carries the impress of the student, and not alone of 
the learning of the professor, there would be less com¬ 
plaint of lack of interest and attendance at meetings. 
In forcible illustrations of what I have attempted 
to make plain let me cite to our institute speakers 
the exceedingly fascinating style of treating their 
subjects adopted by 0. W. Mapes and J. E. Morse and 
now undergoing publication in The R. N.-Y., and last 
but not by any means least fascinating, the style of 
H. W. C. in Hope Farm Notes. It is the practical 
progress made by the student with his work, and not 
a rounding of the doubtful completeness of the pro¬ 
fessor, that we laymen of the farm need. These 
thoughts have been suggested by reading H. E. Cook’s 
article, page 354. dan m’kae. 
Texas. 
WORK IN THE SMALL CANNING FACTORY 
Will Prof. R. H. Price give another article on canning 
factories, going into details of preparation and pro¬ 
cessing the fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, 
blackberries, peaches, corn, bean.s, tomatoes, etc.? The 
Somali factories are certainly coming, and reliable infor¬ 
mation on preparation and processing is much needed 
Rome, Ga. s. r. c. 
The cannery should be well cleaned at the close of 
every day, and be left open to allow free circulation 
of air. All fruits should be ripe and sound, and be 
put up in the freshest condition possible. All vege¬ 
tables should be canned as soon as gathered. 
PEACHES.—The four grades of canned peaches are 
labeled “extras,” “standards,” “seconds” and “pie 
fruit.” The fruit must be graded carefully, separating 
GROUND PLAN OF BARN. Fio. 144. 
gauge. 1 have simply placed one ounce of sugar in 
the can before putting the fruit in, which gave good 
satisfaction. More sugar should be used when the 
fruit is quite acid. No sugar is used with pie fruit. 
When filled, the cans are carefully wiped and passed 
to the capper. He will have trouble in capping if the 
cans ai-e quite full. After the caps are soldered on 
and the small exhaust hole in the center left open, the 
cans are lowered into the “exhaust kettle” until the 
water comes up within one inch of the tops of the 
cans. Live steam is turned on and the cans are left 
in the boiling water five minutes, or as the canners 
say, they are “exhausted” five minutes. The point is 
to let the water come to a boil inside of the cans. The 
A MODERN OHIO BARN. Fig. 14.5. 
cans are then swung around to the tipper, who solders 
shut the small exhaust hole. The cans are now placed 
into what is called the “process” or cooking kettle. 
This large kettle should be three-fourths full of water. 
Enough live steam should be turned on to make water 
boil rapidly. The cans remain in this kettle 12 min¬ 
utes while water is boiling rapidly. Now, if the cans 
are cooled off rapidly by placing them in cold water 
as soon as they come out of this kettle, the flavor 
will be better and the fruit does not discolor. 
PEARS.—The fruit is pared, cored, halved or quar¬ 
tered; fill cans full. Use 10 degrees cold cane sugar 
syrup. Use three-pound cans, exhaust five minutes 
and process 15 minutes. 
STRAWBERRIES.—Fruit must be free from grit 
The berries should be stemmed and canned as soon as 
possible after gathering. No unsound fruit should be 
used in the can. Use 10 degrees sugar syrup. Place 
fruit in two-pound cans. Exhaust three minutes and 
process five minutes. 
BLACKBERRIES.—Place fruit in a large vessel 
containing water and skim off all stems and leaves. 
Do not leave the fruit in this water but one or two 
minutes, as the flavor will be much injured. Fill the 
cans full of fruit. Use two-pound cans and 10-degree 
syrup. Exhaust three minutes and process from five 
to seven minutes, owing to ripeness of fruit. 
TOMATOES.—Standard cans must be filled reason¬ 
ably solid with good ripe fruit. The fruit is first 
dipped into scalding w'ater about three minutes so 
that the skin can be easily removed. After the peel¬ 
ers remove the skin the fruit is passed to the packing 
table where the fruit is carefully packed into the can. 
No green or unripe parts of the fruit should be used. 
The stem end is carefully cut out in peeling. After 
the cans are packed, wiped, capped, exhausted 10 min¬ 
utes and tipped, they are processed 30 minutes. If the 
fruit is a little green or of inferior quality longer pro¬ 
cessing is necessary. Use three-pound cans. 
STRING BEANS.—Cans must be full, beans young 
and tender, carefully strung; break the larger ones 
in two. Put small quantity of alum and saltpeter in 
scalding kettle. After stringing, the beans should be 
blanched by dipping in scalding kettle about two 
minutes. Pack in two-pound cans and then fill with 
brine which is made by putting one-half peck of salt 
and two pounds sugar in a tight barrel containing 
cold water, stir thoroughly. Exhaust 10 minutes and 
process 60 minutes at a temperature of 240 degrees. 
The beans will have a better fiavor if cooled off in 
cold water after processing. A temperature of 240 
degrees necessitates a closed-top kettle, which is 
the same as that used for corn. 
CORN.—Use sweet corn, Stowell’s Evergreen has al¬ 
ways given me entire satisfaction. Cut from cob 
while young and tender. After corn is husked the 
silk must be removed. A stiff brush will help very 
much to do this. In cutting corn from cob by hand, 
use a large knife. Cut close to cob as possible. Fill 
cans full. Use the same kind of brine as that men¬ 
tioned for beans. Process 10 minutes and exhaust 60 
minutes at a temperature of 240 degrees. This tem¬ 
perature will necessitate a closed kettle. Use two- 
pound cans. R. H. PRICE. 
Virginia. _ 
SENSIBLE INSTITUTE SUGGESTIONS. 
Regarding note books at institutes, Mr. Cook is 
right in the main, although we must remember that 
a small percentage of any audience of adults learns 
as much from written notes as it does from mental 
absorption and comparison with its experience. The 
adolescent mind gets more help by the mechanical 
process of note-taking. As we grow older, mental pro¬ 
cess takes the place to a considerable extent of phy¬ 
sical exertion, fortunately. We make 
our heads save our heels. But ii we 
could induce the younger members of 
institute audiences to intensify their 
mental impression with notes, it would 
give them lasting benefit. The leafiet 
idea is a good one to develop. One man 
in our State has prepared a very excel¬ 
lent leaflet upon cattle rations in the 
line of this idea. 
There is usuaily in the institute audi¬ 
ence, near the front, a talkative person 
ready upon any subject however limited 
his practical experience with it may be. 
Down near the back row is an intelligent 
but perhaps diffident person with a query 
which he expresses indistinctly or awk¬ 
wardly. This query, however, very like¬ 
ly contains the germ of some live ques¬ 
tion for whose solution many may be 
struggling. The skillful institute conduc¬ 
tor will minimize the loquacious brother, 
and the minimizing process will be a 
test of his skill in his work. On the other hand, and 
of more importance, he will plainly restate the crude¬ 
ly-put, but vital question, from the back seat, make 
it his own, and see that it is adequately discussed. 
Now if this institute conductor is as skillful in the 
latter instance as he was with the talker, he will not 
answer this question himself until he has exhausted 
the capabilities of the audience. When that is done 
he may answer it further himself if he can. The skill 
of the institute conductor lies in inducing others to 
talk rather than in talking himself. 
What Mr. Cook might call primary institute work 
can best be done in remote neighborhoods by one or 
two men who can get right at uie heart of things and 
are not afraid to say they do not know to some of the 
hard questions that will be propounded to them. 
Connecticut. e. c. birge. 
SUMMER PINCHING FOR PEACH TREES.—After 
more than 30 years’ experience in growing peaches 
my opinions on this subject are as follows: The fruit 
of the current year is grown on the wood which was 
grown last year. On this growth of last year there 
are three buds, namely, the fruit bud, leaf bud and the 
bud which is to form the growth of the current year. 
1 can tell the fruit bud from the other two after they 
are developed. There are usually three buds on the 
end of last year’s growth. The center bud always 
forms the growth of the current year. The growth of 
last year never again develops fruit buds. Hence it 
follows that to destroy any new growth of any year 
is only equaled by killing the goose that laid the 
golden egg. I am unable to agree with some of the 
writers who discuss this subject on page 369, as the 
experience they suggest is quite unlike mine. 
Parkman, O. w. j. b. 
