1903 
469 
EVERYBODY'S GARDEN. 
Killing Weeds. —They never take a 
vacation. Hot or cold, wet or dry, they 
go on forever. Through neglect, our 
ground has become very foul, and just 
now an oversupply of rain makes it 
very difldcult to decide who or what is 
really boss. A few days of prosperity, 
however, I hope will settle the matter. 
The most successful weed-killing I have 
ever seen was to pitch into them before 
they came in sight. This was hardly 
practical this year, as many had already 
possessed the land ahead of us. A new 
garden tool (or. at least new to me) has 
come under my notice this Spring. It 
is simple in construction, but quite ef¬ 
fective in work, and in hard or weedy 
ground very useful. While there is no 
discount upon the wheel hoes, and I 
find them always willing workers, yet 
this too is very desirable for many pur¬ 
poses. The wheel is 15 inches in diam¬ 
eter, with handles attached and bolted 
together with cross piece at the back 
end like a push cart. The digger is an 
ordinary cultivator tooth fastened to a 
standard and securely braced between 
the handles, which are raised or lowered 
by a bolt through them and the stand¬ 
ard, to suit the height of the operator. 
A neighbor has one which cost him 50 
cents exclusive of his labor, and it is 
all the cultivator he has or uses in a 
fruit and vegetable garden of one acre, 
and there are no weeds allowed to grow. 
A Cup op Cold Water. —I took a gar¬ 
den to work on shares this Summer. 
Not that I could see much profit in it, 
for I could ill afford the time, but there 
was opportunity to aid a very aged wo¬ 
man, blind and partially deaf. I rea¬ 
soned that if a few more weeds grew 
in our own garden there was chance to 
kill some in another’s, and perchance, 
let a little sunshine into a dark home. 
Death had recently deprived her of an 
aged husband and adopted daughter, 
her only dependence, so far as interest¬ 
ed help was concerned. There was good 
ground for vegetables, some of which 
had already been planted before the 
daughter was taken. Plum trees were 
promising an abundant crop, and quite 
a large patch of strawberries must be 
cared for. These must all go to waste 
unless some one would lend a helping 
hand. The surplus products could be 
marketed with our own, my wife could 
step in with a word of cheer or hope, 
the girls could sometimes run errands 
or chatter to liven up the dull hours, 
and thus we decided that our services 
would be a cup of cold water if nothing 
more, and in the end would be no loss. 
The Strawberry Market. —We are 
sometimes led to mourn over the fool¬ 
ishness of some people’s wisdom. By 
the downright nonsense of some of the 
countryside growers, the bottom has 
nearly fallen out of the strawberry 
market. Two weeks ago the people here 
were paying 12 to 16 cents per box 
(shorts) for strawberries and they were 
buying lots of them too. Now they are 
worth just as much for use, one time 
as another; but people will buy as 
cheaply as they can, and have a right 
to do so. The foolish part of the busi¬ 
ness is that the growers will allow them 
to buy so cheaply. Passing a store a 
few evenings since, I saw berries of¬ 
fered at seven cents per box. I inquired 
of the dealer how he intended selling 
next day. He replied that he did not 
know what the price would be. I said: 
“I have gilt-edge berries for sale, but 
rather than put them into competition 
with that class of fruit, and at such 
prices, I will can them.” This, he 
agreed, was good practice, but he re¬ 
plied: “We have nothing to do with 
making the price; the growers do that,” 
and thereby hangs the tale of foolish¬ 
ness. The growers rush into town with 
their berries, “field run,” or just as 
they were picked—good, bad and indif¬ 
ferent. They begin selling from house 
to house for what they can get. The 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
next thing, they hear of some one who 
has been selling cheaper, and down they 
come on their price, with the result that 
in an hour or two they are all on the 
run, and fighting with each other to 
see who can sell cheapest. Then, after 
selling all they can in that way, away 
they rush to the stores and leave the 
remainder of their berries to be sold for 
whatever they will bring. Going out 
of the store above referred to I called 
on a party who wanted berries for can¬ 
ning. I said: “I have the fruit, but it 
is select, and the price will be accord¬ 
ingly high.” The next morning she 
passed three or four stores where ber¬ 
ries, such as they were, were retailing 
at seven cents per box and paid me 10 
cents in quantity at the house. Our 
small berries, which were equally good 
as the unsorted ones on sale at the 
stores, were made into jam, and esti¬ 
mating them at seven cents which oth¬ 
ers were sold at, it averaged nine cents 
for the entire lot. If we can ever learn 
the lesson that culls mixed in with 
fancy fruits inevitably bring the prices 
of the latter down to the value of the 
former, we shall have gained a valuable 
point in the packing of fruits and vege¬ 
tables also. 
Some of the Crops. —The Lima and 
Golden Wax beans were not planted 
early, but are making rapid headway. 
Warmer weather and less rain would 
give better growth, with less chance of 
rust. The first day that comes and 
closes without rain they will get a bath 
of nitrate of soda and water, which will 
put new life and mettle into their heels. 
The transplanted cucumbers, with no 
accidents, will soon begin to run, but 
the striped beetles are disputing the 
right to ownership and we are trying 
to quiet their title with a heavy dose of 
tobacco dust. The wet weather is de¬ 
laying the planting of the pickle crop, 
but it makes the transplanted lettuce 
and crops of that sort rejoice. The 
perennial or tree onions are all going 
up to sets now, and are no longer of 
use for table onions. To provide for 
this, however, we planted the common 
onion sets in wide rows or rather sow¬ 
ed them quite thickly. Broad shallow 
trenches were made with a plentiful 
supply of hen manure mixed in. The 
sets were sown thickly with only a light 
covering of soil. They are returning 
their thanks for the fertilizer with 
rapid growth. The larger ones will be 
thinned out for green onions as they 
come on, and the smaller ones left to 
make more growth. Some growers con¬ 
sider this the most economical way of 
growing the home supply of onions, 
both of the green and Winter supply. 
Of the proposition for Winter onions, 
however, we shall be better able to 
judge by further experiments. 
Michigan. j. e. m;orse. 
Preparing Clofh for Frames. 
O. 8., Matatcan, N. J .—Will you repeat 
the formula for coating cloth to cover cold 
frames with mixture of oil and raw eggs? 
Ans. —The proportions are two thor 
oughly beaten eggs to .a pint of raw lin¬ 
seed oil. Keep the mixture well stirred, 
and allow one coat to dry before apply¬ 
ing another. Three or four coats are 
needed. 
The Corn Crop and Humus. 
O. TV. S., Matawun, N. J.—Csm you or any¬ 
one else prove that growing corn on the 
same ground for a number of years, with 
a liberal use of fertilizer, increases the 
humus in the same piece of land? 
Ans. —No, it would be impossible to 
prove that growing corn year after year 
with fertilizers alone would increase the 
amount of humus or vegetable matter 
in the soil. Experiments have clearly 
shown that the reverse is true. Corn 
draws heavily upon the supplies of hu¬ 
mus in the soil, more so than most oth¬ 
ers, while the roots and stubble do not 
return as much as would be the case 
with grass or small grain. If, however, 
at the last cultivation of the corn we 
sow rye or a mixture of Crimson clover 
and turnips, let these crops grow 
through the Fall and early Spring, and 
turn them under before another corn 
planting, we can probably keep up the 
full supply of humus in the soil and 
even increase it on naturally heavy 
soils. It is a fact that on some light 
soils of Long Island or New Jersey 
heavy crops of corn are grown year 
after year on fertilizers alone. 
Dwarf Pears and Cherries; Fruit Fertilizers. 
TV. E. O., Hammonton, N. J.—l. I have been 
reading your article on "Pears for Quick 
Returns,” page 429. I am a native of Or¬ 
ange Co., N. Y. In 1869 I set some dwarf 
pears as you have recently recommended, 
that is, with the graft six inches below 
the surface. I left them there in the Spring 
of 1874. I wrote the person living on the 
place In 1899, who said they were 30 feet 
high and had borne fruit annually until 
1898. I presume the roots of these trees 
were in the overflow drain from the cess¬ 
pool I put in. Do you think trees for this 
section are better for us, say from Corn¬ 
wall or Rochester, N. Y., than from .Mary¬ 
land or Delaware? Which is the best dwarf 
pear to be had for this county as for profit 
and market? 2. Are there any dwarf 
cherry trees, say White Oxheart, Gov 
Wood or Black Tartarian? 3. Do you be¬ 
lieve in high cultivation, using first-class 
fertilizers I have some fine Kieffer pear 
trees fertilized for two years past with 400 
to 500 pounds per acre of fruit and vine 
fertilizer, and they are looking well. 
Ans. —1. It is my opinion the trees 
from several hundred miles either to 
the south or in any other direction 
would be just as good for planting in 
New York as those grown in nurseries 
there, provided they were transported 
without injury, which is by no means 
difficult. Angouleme (often called 
Duchess), is the most profitable pear on 
dwarf stock of all that are grown for 
the market alone. Yet, there are some 
good fruit growers who condemn it 
even for that purpose, and have dug out 
their orchards of it. It bears early, and 
generally quite freely; the fruit is large 
and attractive, and the market men like 
to handle it, because of little loss from 
rough handling or decay. 2. Cherry 
trees are rarely dwarfed with success, 
and I know of no place to recommend 
the inquirer to procure them. I would 
plant trees of such varieties as he men¬ 
tions as are on Mazzard stocks. They 
will not sprout under ordinary treat¬ 
ment. 3. Yes, I believe in working a 
tree for all it is worth, up to the point 
of not injuring it. Give it high living 
and it will return accordingly. 
H. E. V. D. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
El. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, 14th page. 
Farm Wagon only 8:31.95. 
In order to introduce their Low Metal Wheels with 
Wide Tires, the Empire Manufacturing Company- 
Quincy, Ill., have placed upon the market a Fanner’s 
Handy Wagon, that is only 25 inches high, fitted 
with 24 and 30 inch wheels with 4-lnch tire, and 
sold for only $21.95. 
This wagon is made of the best material through¬ 
out, and really costs but a trifle more than a set of 
new wheels, and fully guaranteed for one year, v Cat¬ 
alogue giving a full description will be mailed upon 
application by the Empire Manufacturing Co., 
Quincy. Ill., who also will furnish metal wheels 
at low prices made any size and width of tire to fit 
any axle. 
WE LEAD THE WORLD 
We are the large»t manufac¬ 
turers of Grooved and Plain 
Tire Steel Farm Wagon 
Wheels in America. We 
guarantee our patent 
Grooved Tire Wheels to 
be the best made by anybody 
anywhere. Write us. 
HAVANA METAL WHEEL Cd 
HAVANA, ILL 
Til# Gem Fall-Circle baler, lighteet, itrongeet, cheepeet 
baler. Mode of wroagbt iteel. Operated by 1 or 2 horiei. 
Balei 10 to 15 tom a day. Bold on 6 daya’ trial. Oatologne 
jreo^Addre»i gEO^ERTEL CO., Qnlacy, IlL 
NOW 
is the time to 
Enjoy Buggy 
Riding 
Get a Famous 
Split Hickory 
Special<>— ■ ■ — 
Buggy Only 
and enjoy yourself. 30 Days Free Trial Allowed. 
Guaranteed for2y ears. Sold direct to you 
hy the makers. Everything yon want in 
vemcles we m ake. Get our Ca talogue. 
Carriage Mfg. Co. 
station 89 “Cincinnati, Ohio. 
U.S. FARMER’S SPECIAL’3g2? 
This grand Buggy Otter is described in our 
V'UKB vehicle book. When you buy direct 
from our factory you save middlemen’s profit 
and get our 2 years guarautee. Satisfaction 
and safe delivery guaranteed or money refun-i 
ded and freight charges paid. Buggies |21.SoA 
Runabouts |26,Phaetons $46.50, Harness $4.25. 
Write today for Money Saving Catalogue, 
U. S. Buggy & Cart Co., B 637, Cincinnati, O. 
30 YEARS SELLING DIRECT 
no. 8S1 —Surrey. Price $68. 
Aa good os sells for $40 more. 
We are the largest manufacturers of 
Vehicles and Harness in the world 
selling to consumers exclusively. 
WE HAVE NO AGENT.S 
butship anywhere forexamina- 
tion, guaranteeing safe deliv¬ 
ery. You are out nothing if not 
satisfied. We make 195 styles of 
and 65 styles harness. 
Visitors are always welcoms 
at our factory. 
Large Catalogue FREE. ^44—Light Stanhope. Price $58.50. 
Send for it. As good as set Is for $35 more. 
ELKHART CARRIAGE & HARNESS MFG. CO., Elkhart, Ind. 
CLIMAX ENSILAGE aid FODDER CUTTERS 
CI.IMAX Cutters are the latest development in Ensilage 
Machinery. They cut and deliver the silage at one 
operation. They require less power to operate than 
any other. They are strong. They are simple in con¬ 
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light. Absolutely guaranteed. Cutting device acknowl¬ 
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by getting the CLIMAX. Write for our catalogue—it’s 
free. 
“The Complete Machines” 
WARSAW-WILKINSON CO., 
WARSAW, N. Y. 
OHIO 
»» STANDS 
FOR 
The 1903 "Ohio” Blower Elevators solve the 
blower problem. The best in the past, they are still further improved, and will 
unquestionably cut and elevate the most feed or ensilage for the power re¬ 
quired. “Ohio” machines work, and our absolute guarantee goes with 
every machine. New Patent Applied For interchangeable Shrewder Blade 
for all sizes. Everything complete in one machine. 
To know all the good points you must 
have our new 1903 catalogue or ask the man 
who has an “Ohio.” Thousands of "Ohio” 
machines have made thousands of satisfied 
owners. Self-feed increases capacity 1 
and 75% labor feeding. Write for 1903 
' The Silver Nanufacfuriivg Co., 
Established 1854-. Salem, Ohio. \ 
