5o 
January 27 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
asked him how many apples he usually finds in a 
barrel. He says they average about 250 good ones, 
but sometimes he invests his little savings in a whole 
barrel, only to find a layer of fine fruit at the top 
and a lot of miserable little culls, or even a big 
pumpkin, packed in the center. He says he likes the 
California boxed fruit best, because there is less risk 
in buying the smaller package, and the fruit is usual¬ 
ly of more uniform quality. To quote him again: “I 
used to oe down on them Chinase, but I understand 
that in Californy the Chinase do most of the apple 
packing, and I must say they do it very uniform, and 
give me small cause for complaint! Good luck to the 
Chinase while they put no small fruit in me box!” 
New York buyers need to be educated in quality. 
We must show them that the beauty of a Ben Davis 
isn’t even skin deep. They desire to learn, for they 
like apples, while the half-eaten stuff which they 
throw away shows how often they are deceived. 
THE ESOPUS SP/TZENBURG APPLE. 
So little is said of this most valuable apple in these 
days, that I am inclined to believe we are losing 
sight of it, and that it is gradually dropping out of 
cultivation. This would be a universal misfortune, 
that should not occur. Our friend Van Deman knows 
this very well, yet he rarely, if ever, mentions the 
good old Spitzenburg. Nothing in the whole pomo- 
logical bunch, new or old, quite equals the Esopus 
Spitzenburg for flavor and general quality as a des¬ 
sert apple in its season. It would be easy to select a 
score of varieties that might well be dispensed with, 
but the old Spitzenburg would not be among the num¬ 
ber. What a beautiful apple it is; how typical and 
perfect in shape, size and color; 10 inches around, 
roundish ovate, tapering slightly to the calyx; 
smooth, rich, lively, dark red, flecked with yellow 
russet dots, obscurely striped; stem slender, reaching 
out from a deep cavity to the top of the apple, sur¬ 
rounded by russet furrows; calyx small and closed 
in a shallow basin; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, juicy, 
aromatic; flavor delicious, spicy, sprightly and dis¬ 
tinct. Downing called it the “first of all apples,” and 
Thomas said that it was “nearly unequaled in its 
high, rich flavor.” I would make the typical outline 
less oblong than Downing has it, also less tapering, 
and more like the form presented by Thomas. It is 
surpassed in quality only by the famous Newtown 
Pippin; like that grand apple, the Spitzenburg orig¬ 
inated in New York State, and among her old Dutch 
settlers. It is even more Dutch than the Newtown, 
because there were nothing but Dutch people here in 
old ’Sopus when it first saw the light. 
Now what is the matter with the Spitzenburg, any¬ 
way? Why is it so difficult to find in market now, 
even here in its native place? It must have been neg¬ 
lected, and planted sparingly of late. Some say that 
it doesn’t grow as it used to, nor bear as well, and is 
therefore less profitable as an orchard sort. I never 
saw such uniformly fine Spitzenburg apples as came 
to this local market last Fall; large, smooth, perfect, 
and without a blemish. They were grown here in the 
shadow of the Catskill Mountains, both in old and 
new orchards, and without any special care, by men 
who never heard of their deterioration. The trees 
were loaded just as heavily as other sorts, and the 
apples brought higher prices than any other except 
the Newtown. The tree, while not so vigorous as 
that of a few rank-growing sorts, is hardy and en¬ 
during. The fruit is not subject to scab, and how de¬ 
liciously superior it is to all other apples for all cook¬ 
ing purposes. Its distinctive flavor is maintained, 
and you know the cook has used Spitzenburgs every 
time. Then, too, Spitzenburg jelly. Surely I need 
say nothing to those who have tasted that. Don’t let 
us give up growing this apple, even though there are 
a host of other inferior sorts that grow better and 
produce more fruit. h. hendricks. 
LAND-MEASURING DEVICES. 
Every up-to-date farmer should know the contents 
in area of each field on his farm; but he often has no 
idea of the length and breadth of a field, and none of 
the number of acres in it, except what the surveying 
attachment on his grain drill makes. The device 
which I most frequently use in land measuring is 
shown at the upper part of Fig. 17. It requires two 
pieces of light pine, about I%x2 inches, and seven 
feet long. Lay them down on an even surface in a 
position corresponding to the form of the letter V, 
with the spread ends just eight feet three inches 
apart. Now mark with a pencil at the ends where 
they come together, and, referring to these marks, 
make a bevel, or so-called miter, in each, as shown 
by A. Fit the pieces together again, and make a 
small hole in both, through which place a bolt to hold 
the pieces in the position shown by B. For conveni¬ 
ence, use a long, threaded bolt with a thumb-nut. 
This completes the measure. 
Its use is very simple; the operator steps or swings 
it along, two steps making, when the pieces are set 
correct distance apart, 16% feet, or one rod, bearing in 
mind that the first step made when starting at cor¬ 
ner of field is equal to two steps, or a rod, as the 
measure, -when set up with one point at edge of field 
and the other 8% feet from the edge, has already 
made the first step, and, therefore, when the operator 
swings it round the first time he causes it to make 
the second step. If desired, the measure can be made 
of pieces about five feet long, and with the points 5% 
feet apart. Then three steps are necessary to make a 
rod. When finished using the measure, loosen the 
thumb-nut of bolt and swing the uprights together, as 
shown by C, when it will occupy a small space for 
transporting from place to place or storing away. If 
well made and painted it will present a neat appear¬ 
ance, and last a lifetime. 
The measuring wheel shown in the lower part of 
the figure, requires a little longer to make, but it is 
WALKING AND WHEELING MEASURING DEVICES. Fig. 17 
the most rapid when in use. Selecting an old wooden 
hub from the wheel of a toy wagon, fill it with light 
spokes about 31% inches long, according to size of 
hub, so as to make a wheel 5*4 feet in diameter. Put 
on a tire of light hoop iron, fastening it with a 
small nail to each spoke. Hang the wheel, with a 
pin or bolt for axle, between two light strips, about 
%x2 inches and four feet long. Between the strips, 
close to rim of wheel, place a block to nail strips to 
and hold firm, and at the end of frame put a cross¬ 
piece or handle to hold by. The wheel has a cir¬ 
cumference of 16% feet, and each revolution makes 
one rod. Color one spoke to count by; or, better 
still, put a nail or small peg in spoke, and on the 
block in the frame fasten a thin wooden or steel 
strip to catch the nail or peg each revolution, and 
make a sharp clicking sound, as illustrated in dia¬ 
gram B. To use the measure, start at edge of field 
and push wheel along, counting the clicks, each click 
indicating that the wheel has made a revolution, and, 
\ 
TWO SIMPLE MEASURING DEVICES. Fig. 18. 
if the dimensions are correctly kept when construct¬ 
ing it, has covered 16% feet of ground and made a 
rod. When starting, have the nail or peg in spoke 
of wheel just on top of click, and the spoke C in 
diagram A, just at edge of field, or directly at the 
point from which it is desired to measure; then the 
first click made when measure is pushed along means 
just one rod. 
Another measure which is not so convenient or 
rapid to use, but which can be very easily and quickly 
made, is shown in Fig. 18. It consists of a stick of 
wood, eight feet three inches long, with a piece of the 
same material, about two feet long, on each end of 
stick. A straight piece about 1x1% inch is about 
right size, and if the two points are put „n the ends, 
as shown in cut, it should be eight feet one inch long, 
and the points, being each one inch thick, will make 
the distance from point to point 8 1-3 feet, or one-half 
rod. It is used the same as the measure first de¬ 
scribed, Fig. 17, and if desired an old shovel handle 
can be attached to aid in swinging it along. Brace the 
points as shown. 
If a farmer has occasion to do some measuring with¬ 
out the help of an assistant, and has not time to con¬ 
struct any of the devices I have described, he can ac¬ 
complish the work as follows: Take two pieces of stiff 
wire, each eight inches or so long, and bend one end 
of each into a ring. Now take a fine wire, or what 
is better, a piece of cotton rope, one-quarter-inch 
size, 66 feet (four rods) long, and tie each end to the 
ring in each of the wire pins, allowing enough line 
over 66 feet to equal tie. Now set one pin at point 
where measuring is to begin, and walk length of line 
and set the other pin, as shown in Fig. 18. Pull on 
line, and draw out the first pin. Carry it on another 
length of the line and set it again; then draw out 
second pin, etc. This obviates walking back to pull 
pins, and one man can measure almost as rapidly as 
two. 
To find the area of a field with crooked and irregu¬ 
lar sides and ends, the farmer must obtain the mean 
length and mean breadth in rods, multiply them to¬ 
gether, and divide by 160, which gives number of 
acres in the field. The mean, or average breadth, is, 
of course, found by taking breadth of the field at sev¬ 
eral points an equal distance apart; i. e., the meas¬ 
uring wheel, or other device, is run across the field 
from several points which are an equal distance apart 
when we measure lengthwise of the field at a right 
angle to direction wheel is run. Add the several 
measurements, and divide sum by number of measure¬ 
ments taken. This gives the mean breadth. The 
mean length is then found on the same plan. Know¬ 
ing the mean breadth and mean length, the contents 
are easily found. j. o. allshouse. 
SOLUBLE SCIENCE ON FOODS AND FEEDING 
Corn Heal and Dried Brewers' Grains. 
We can buy here a ton of dried brewers' grains for $13 
and a ton of ground corn (not corn-and-cob meal) for the 
same price. We need both foodstuffs for feeding cows, 
but wish to know which of the two is the cheaper for 
the money. I am 11 years old, and the cows are under 
my management, and Father gave me the advice to ask 
you this, for me, important question. w. r. 
Whiteflsh Bay, Wis. 
WHAT FOOD IS.—It is an encouraging sign when 
boys of 11 years are asking questions like this. It 
promises well for the future of farming. And the 
boys are not behind in asking hard questions. To 
get at this problem let us begin as nearly as possible 
at the bottom. Let us take some of the grain, the 
ground corn, or corn meal, as we will call it, to a 
chemist. First he will dry it in a very hot oven 
until every drop of moisture is driven off, and if he 
started with 10 pounds of meal, when the drying was 
done only 8.9 pounds would remain, which is called 
the dry matter of the corn. Then he would treat this 
with different acids and alkalies, and by this means 
divide the meal up into different parts, which as a 
whole are called nutrients. One of these nutrients is 
protein, another carbohydrates, and a third the fats. 
But suppose we feed some of the same com meal to 
a cow. If she would reason and talk she would say: 
“I can’t get as much protein, carbohydrates and fat 
out of this meal as the chemist did. My stomach 
and intestines will not digest all that he finds.” 
DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS.—So the chemist will 
treat some of the cow’s manure in the same way that 
he did the meal, and find out how much of each nu¬ 
trient the cow digested. When he learns this he 
makes out a table showing the percentage of di¬ 
gestible nutrients in the meal. It is partly on this 
basis of digestible nutrients that we figure the feeding 
value of the various foods. The table below gives this 
data for the two foods in question: 
Corn mi 
Dried 
grains 
Dry 
matter. 
Pro¬ 
tein. 
Carbohy¬ 
drates. 
Fat. 
Total. 
irs’ 
7.9 
66.7 
4.3 
84.3 
....92. 
15.7 
36.3 
5.1 
63.5 
other nutrients because one pound of fat will produce as 
much heat or energy as 2>4 pounds of carbohydrates. 
From this we see that 100 pounds of corn meal con¬ 
tain 84.3 pounds of digestible nutrients, while the 
same amount of brewers’ grains contains only 63.5 
pounds, or 20 pounds less. Or, at $13 per ton, the di¬ 
gestible nutrients of brewers’ grains would cost about 
one cent per pound, while those of corn meal would 
cost about three-fourths of a cent per pound. But 
we must not only look at the total nutrients of a food, 
but also at the quantity of each nutrient. A glance at 
the table shows that brewers’ grains contain twice 
as much protein as does corn meal. Protein is usually 
the nutrient most difficult to obtain in our farm crops, 
and as it is very necessary in the food of milch cows! 
a pound of it is worth more than a pound of carbohy¬ 
drates, which are abundant in all farm crops like 
corn, grain or fodder. Thus, if only one grain were 
needed, it would be better to Duy brewers’ grains, 
simply because it contains so much more protein 
than corn, and makes so good a feed along with 
corn fodder, silage or hay to balance the ration. The 
foods, then, may be compared according to total di¬ 
gestible nutrients. When the corn meal is the cheap¬ 
er, or if protein alone is most needed, brewers’ grains 
are the cheaper of the two. Whether or not protein 
is needed depends on what composes the remainder 
of the ration. T . 
