1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
4i9 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Alt. Sours.—"Animal nature” is one 
of the things that bind the brute to the 
human. It has often been a job to get 
Peter, the pony, and the yearling heifer 
to come home from the pasture at night.. 
As the nights grew warm we decided to 
let them view the stars at night, as they 
seemed to like the fre-h air so much. 
Do you know that when we quit chasing 
after them and trying to get them home 
they became suddenly homesick, and 
would hang around the bars by the barn 
all the evening, fairly begging to be 
taken in. I have heard of slaves at the 
South, before the war, who sighed for 
freedom. Their masters gave them their 
freedom for a month or so, and after a 
week of idleness many of these men 
wanted to go back to work. If I were 
to say that many of us growl, and hang 
back, and object, because we don’t know 
what is best for us, I would be more 
truthful than polite. I would be still 
more truthful if I said that this habit 
is more characteristic of men than of 
women.The crows have left 
our tarred cornfield. They held a caucus 
there, and evidently voted by a large 
majority that a man who will put tar on 
corn is no gentleman. I now see them 
in the potato field, where I hope they are 
eating the bugs or eggs. If tar will 
drive a crow to such useful work, it may 
not be unwise to use it on some humans. 
. . . . There has been no lack of 
wind for pumping yet. There is hardly 
a day without wind enough to turn the 
mill for a few hours. I think our dense¬ 
ly-shaded orchard helps. The mill rises 
albove it. I think the air is cooled in the 
orchard and rolls on down hill, thus 
creating a current of air. I know that 
our mill turns when others are idle. 
The Weather. — I expected a wet sea¬ 
son, but thus far we have had but few 
showers. Most of the grass is short. 
Where we put nitrate of soda, it is much 
better, and on the lower part of the 
farm there will be a fair crop of hay. 
We have had light showers all around 
us. In some cases the valley two miles 
away was well soaked, While a mere 
sprinkling fell on our hills. Men were 
driven out of the field for a day by the 
rain on these lower farms, while with 
us the cultivators barely stopped. On 
the lighter soils moisture was necessary 
from above, while we had plenty of it 
below, and cultivated to bring it up. 
Grass has suffered somewhat, but any 
of our crops that can be hoed or culti¬ 
vated can be irrigated by irritating the 
upper soil. You will remember that 
we planted potatoes in a Fall-plowed 
sod which was not turned up, but sur¬ 
face harrowed four times. The object 
was to put the seed pieces right down 
into the sod With as little disturbance as 
possible. I then expected a wet season, 
and was prepared to ridge or hill up as 
the season went on. The season proves 
dry. yet this preparation seems almost 
perfect. The sod was well packed down, 
an'd it holds the moisture like a sponge. 
It also gives a good guide for cultiva¬ 
ting, for when the sod begins to turn up 
we know we are a little too deep. 
Garden Notes.— We sow Nott’s Ex¬ 
celsior heavily for home use. This little 
dwarf has many good qualities. It is so 
small that the rows may be crowded 
close together. It is a good variety to 
crowd in Detween other crops. It does 
as well as any for late planting. This 
year we plant sweet corn in the drill 
with the peas. After the peas are picked 
we expect the corn to produce a fail- 
crop. We do not need to crowd things 
so in the garden, yet I like to see how 
much can be grown on a small area. . 
... I am satisfied that it pays to put 
the early potatoes in the sun for several 
weeks before planting. The thick, 
heavy sprouts make vigorous and early 
plants. The first we started in this way 
showed bloom on June 3.Our 
corn and melons that were started in 
pots and transplanted have dawdled 
along slowly. I am not sure that there 
will be much, if any, gain. This cold 
season has been against them, but the 
worst trouble was in using pots that 
were too small. You take any young 
thing and cramp its early tendencies to 
root down into good things, and you can 
never fully overcome it by after cultiva¬ 
tion. To tell the truth, we found that 
true of the little Graft. During the first 
four years of his life he picked up some 
habits that can never be fully taken out. 
Probably that might well be sakl of 90 
per cent of us. 
Orchard Notes.— There is an old ap¬ 
ple orchard near the house that had 
been in grass for many years. Some of 
the trees were failing, and last Fall we 
plowed it. During the Winter manure 
was spread in the orchard, and tuis 
Spring we used the Acme. The effect 
on the trees is already evident. They 
have taken on new life—the foliage is 
rich and strong.I was tempted 
to let the sod remain and let the trees 
go, but I love a tree, and know that it 
means half a century to replace one of 
these great fellows, while the sod is a 
matter of one year. I wish we had the 
grass this year, for I observe that in 
every old orchard in our neighborhood 
the grass stands higher than it does in 
the open fields. "It’s the shade which 
prevents evaporation!” says my neigh¬ 
bor. Perhaps, but an acre of large ap¬ 
ple trees will require a vast amount of 
moisture, and will steal it from the 
grasts. I don’t understand it. 
The very best hay we had last year 
came out of this orchard. I feel sure 
that the fine quality was due to the 
fact that it was cured in the shade. The 
trees protected it from the direct rays 
of the sun, and it kept its color and 
fragrance.What to sow in 
this orchard for a late fodder crop is 
now bothering me. We need the fodder, 
and the trees are booming so that some¬ 
thing is needed to take some of the sap 
out of them. I did think of sowing cow 
peas, but I now have a hotter job for 
them at the back of the farm. Rape will 
do, and so will sorghum, Kaffir corn and 
millet. 
Potato Notes. —Uncle Ed's potato 
crop in Florida was only fair. Prices 
were not. bad, running from $3.50 to $5 
per barrel, tie sent several barrels here 
for seed. There were two that we had 
no use for, which sold at the local 
grocers for $3.75 per barrel. The tubers 
were hardly larger than walnuts. There 
ought to be money at such prices, if 
you can raise any crop! .... Our 
Florida seed potatoes are spread out in 
the sun on the grass. We are trying to 
make them sprout, but it is slow work. 
Those sprouts are certainly lazy. We 
might plant them as they are, but we 
think it surer to wait until the sprouts 
appear before planting. This is the sec¬ 
ond crop within 10 months of the first, 
planting, but we want three crops in 15 
months, and four crops in 20. 
live Black flea beetles and the striped 
past are thicker than ever before. We 
shall have a season’s fight for the crop, 
and the other work must be crowded so 
as to get ready for it. u. w. c. 
THOUGHTS FROM WELCOME FARM. 
Our Busy Day.—A s we go into the 
offices of the business men of the city, 
we see a notice posted in a conspicuous 
place, “This is our busy day,” as much 
as to say, “If you have any business, do 
it quickly.” For the last two months I 
think the man on the farm has the right, 
to wear the same notice every day in 
his hatband. It might serve to shorten 
the calls of the man With the Life of 
Dewey, or of Moody, etc. We as farm¬ 
ers have come to think that the fruit 
tree agent is a sort of necessary evil, to 
be borne with as good a grace as possi¬ 
ble, as through him alone Is the stock of 
ifruit kept up. 
A Potato Experiment. —Not having 
a suitable field for the purpose, we took 
a four-acre piece of rather tough Quack 
grass and Timothy sod. We turned a 
back furrow through the center of three 
acres, and in each third one we put the 
potato seed, some whole, but mostly cut 
in two pieces. Three strong horses 
drew first plow six inches or more deep 
and 14 inches wide, followed by strong 
two-horse team in bottom of same fur¬ 
row, with a plow only eight, inches 
length of moldboard, the rest, being 
broken off by accident. This went down 
four to six inches, lifting the soil and 
dropping it entirely within the furrow. 
To break up and level this soil, to facili¬ 
tate dropping, we hitched a light, chain 
to end of evener and back behind plow 
to the one handle, as the other one went 
off duty, when the accident occurred. 
Rolled with heavy roller at once, and 
followed with spring-tooth harrow with 
leveller attached, and hope to work it 
into a fine tilth before sprouting time, 
or before they get above ground. 
Ai.eai.ea as a Protein Crop. —After 
a successful experience of five years 
with three-quarters of an acre, I have 
just, finished seeding (May 29) 4 y 2 acres 
more, using two bushels of choice new 
seed, and drilling one-half bushel of 
oats, and also 300 pounds soluble fer¬ 
tilizer per acre. All kinds of soil, from 
an old barnyard to a stony knoll; a por 
tion protected by an orchard and stone 
wall, the rest unprotected save by wire 
fence, from the north and northwestern 
blasts. If Alfalfa succeeds here it will 
anywhere in this latitude. Plowed nine 
inches deep, one spring-tooth harrow 
ing, with leveler attached; twice with 
roller and smoothing harrow, to cover 
the broadcast seed, finishing with roller 
again. The fine tilth thus secured is a 
good omen for future results, p. w. c. 
Onondaga Oo., N. Y. 
SCRAPS. 
The Midland Farmer says that dairy¬ 
ing is gaining ground In Missouri every 
year. 
An exchange says that It Is a poor pol¬ 
icy to try to drown your troubles in 
drink, as they all wear life preservers. 
The United States Fish Commission re¬ 
cently stnil a shipment of 700,000 shad eggs 
to Ireland to be used in stocking the River 
Shannon. 
Nebraska Farmer says that often people 
who speak of “my physician” with an ah 
of absolute ownership, are owing the medi¬ 
cal man $50 or more, which he never ex¬ 
pects to get. 
It Is said that a Pennsylvania concern 
has obtained the contract to furnish the 
cement for building the New York under¬ 
ground railroad. Not far from 1,500,000 
barrels will be used, and the cost will be 
about $2,000,000. 
A farmer drifted Into a hardware Store 
at Mulvano, Kan., says the Denver Tlrnes- 
Sun, and was asked by the manager: 
“Don’t you want to buy a bicycle to ride 
around your farm on? They’re awful 
cheap this Spring. Can give you one for 
$30." "I’d sooner put $30 in a cow," said 
the farmer. "But think," replied the man¬ 
ager, “how foolish you would look riding 
around your farm on a cow!” “Oh, I don't 
know,” said the farmer; " no more foolish, 
perhaps, than l would milking a bicycle!" 
I was taken with a harsh, dry Cough. I Krew stead¬ 
ily worse. My neighbors thouKht 1 was going In o 
that dreadful disease, consumption. A friend recom¬ 
mended Jayne's Expectorant which I tried, and In 
loss than It) days 1 was cured. (Mrs.) W. A. Cl ROVE, 
Sterling Centre. Me , October 31, IHtl.'i. 
For the I.lver use Jayne’s Rainless Sanative Rlllr. 
—Adv. 
Death to Heaves, 
Coughs and Distemper, 
is NEWTON’S CUKE. 
Host references. It Ik can 
Newton Horse remedy 
Co. (Y), Toledo, O. 
SAVE THE MONEY 
you are on repaint ami huy new wheel a* 
It Im rheuper ami III every wny better. We sell 
lA Buygy Wheels, 7-8 In. Steel Tire for $7.50 
A Carriage Wheels, I In. Steel Tire for $8 00 
Other wheels for other puriioneH equally low priced 
MeoaurluM direction* free. VVrite for nrlee I 1st No. H8. 
Wilmington wiikkl uo. t Wilmington, iu*i. 
We are the largest manu¬ 
facturers of Steel Wheels 
and Truck Wagons in the 
World. Write for Catalogue. 
Havana (III.) Metal Wheel Co. 
In every town 
and village 
may be had, 
the 
Made 
by 
Standard 
Oil Co. 
that makes your 
horses glad. 
« 
SWIM BATH 
H 
N ON-POISONOUS 
Sheep Dipping Powdel 
(PATENTED) . t 
prevents rind destroys fly. Uco, ticks nnq 
nil parasites, on sheep, cattle, horses and 
(logs. An Invaluable cure for scab. 
Easily prepared, easily used. Most eco¬ 
nomical. Perfect satisfaction guaranteed 
It used as directed. On receipt of*! 
Hiilllclent powdor for 20 gallons of "dip** 
will Im delivered free. 
Write for full particulars. 
THETOBACCO WAREHOUSING AND TRADING CO. I 
LOUISVILLE, KY. 
MINOR’S FLUID 
Sheep Dip and Disinfectant 
Low in price, but high in quality. 
Send for testimonials and prices. 
W. E. MINOR, dfc CO., 
Champlain Street, Cleveland, Ohio. 
25-gallon pkt., 50o.; 100-gal Ion pkt., $2. 
If druggist cannot supply send $1.76 for 100-gallon 
pkt. to J. 1>. MERCER, tin Murray St., New York 
Premiums to Catrons. Get" 1‘amphlet 
- -Before Buying a New 
Harness 
»«udl !4 ct* In »Untpa to pay pontage on descriptive cat* 
aiogue 100 atyleti of tdngle and double? oak*rrtHR«i 
Leather Maine*** to aelect from. Sold direct to tho 
oon»umcr at wholesale price. W# can rou qoui; 
king Harness company. Mfr*. 
an* Church St., Owego, N. Y. 
CHARTER GASOLIHE EHGINE 
Any Place 
By Any One 
For Any Purposi 
UtatkmarlM, Portable* 
Knffinee and Pomp*. 
State your Power Needs. 
Charter Gas Engine Co., Box 26, Sterling III 
THE MIETZ & WEISS 
Kerosene 
ENGINES 
Cheapest an.l Safest 
Power k n own. For 
I’uinping water, grinding 
corn, separating cream, 
sawing wood ,and all power 
purpose*. Send for ('at a log. 
A. MIETZ, 
12M Mott Street, New York. 
Rife Hydraulic Engine 
Pumps Water Automatically nv 
Water Power. Place this engine two 
left or more below your water supply 
anil It will deliver a con¬ 
stant stream of water :to 
feet high for every foot of 
fall. 
WITHOUT STOPPING. 
WITHOUT ATTENTION. 
POWER SPECIALTY CO., 126 Liberty Street, NEW YORK. 
