1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER: 
5 11 
TIGHT OR OPEN BARNS. 
Some farmers believe that when barns containing new 
hay are kept tightly closed, they are more likely to bo 
struck by lightning than when kept open. Should the 
barn be open or closed? Why? 
It is quite probable that the damp, heated air rising 
from a barn when filled with hay, during the time of 
heavy thunder showers in the vicinity, may have a 
slight tendency to “draw” the lightning; this is based 
on the fact that a moist air is a better conductor of 
electricity than one thoroughly dry, and if an elec¬ 
tric cloud comes over the barn which is isolated and 
higher than the surrounding objects, and from it there 
is rising a current of moist air, it is easier for the 
cloud to discharge through the barn, first on account 
of its greater height, and second on account of the 
moisture rising from it. The influence of the mois¬ 
ture, however, must be comparatively small. The 
fact that barns are struck with lightning so frequently 
just after they have been filled, or are being filled, is 
■probably due more largely to the fact that haying 
time usually occurs at the height of thunderstorm 
seasons, and the greater frequency of strokes at this 
time is probably largely due to the 
more intense electrical development, 
and the greater frequency of thunder 
showers. But in regard to ventilating 
the barn, there is no question but that 
it is desirable to have the hay barn, as 
well as the cow stable, amply venti¬ 
lated; this is necessary in order to pre¬ 
serve the building, as the collection of 
moisture under the shingles tends to 
cause those of wood to rot out more 
quickly if not ventilated, and metal 
shingles to rust out more rapidly. The 
lack of ventilation, tending to hold the 
moisture, will in no way tend to pre¬ 
serve the hay or prevent it from heat¬ 
ing and molding; nothing could do 
this but making the walls of the ha> 
bay as tight as the walls of a silo, and 
even this would not prevent heating, 
because the openness o>f the hay would 
allow air to diffuse with sufficient ra¬ 
pidity to permit heating if there was 
moisture enough present. On the 
other hand, if thorough ventilation 
can be had, so as to hasten the drying 
out of the hay, it will lessen the ten¬ 
dency to heat and so the loss of dry 
matter in the hay. 
Where hay barns are provided with 
cupolas or equivalent outlets in the 
ridge of the roof, this will provide 
sufficient ventilation. It is well, how¬ 
ever, if the upper part of the barn is 
tight, that is, if matched lumber has 
been used, or if the cracks are covered 
with batten, to leave doors or windows 
open so that the air may more freely 
enter. Such thorough ventilation wi 1 
tend to lessen the amount of moisture 
escaping from the hay, because it will 
keep the air diluted with a larger 
volume of the air outside, and so if the 
moist air does have a tendency to form 
a good conductor of lightning dis¬ 
charges, thorough ventilation would 
have a tendency to decrease the dan¬ 
ger. As I have stated, the danger is 
not great, for it is not likely that an 
unventilated barn would “draw the 
lightning" to any serious extent, and I do not think 
the records will show that any such result follows, 
though this opinion is frequently held by intelligent 
farmers. kino. 
Madison, Wis. 
Would Prefer It Closed. 
It will undoubtedly add very much to the comfort 
of the workman filling the barn with hay if the barn 
is well ventilated at the time it is being filled. Every 
farmer’s boy who has had experience in mowing away 
the hay near the roof of an unventilated barn on a 
hot day knows too well how uncomfortably hot such 
buildings become. After the barn is filled, I should 
prefer to have it tightly closed. Speaking wholly 
from my own experience, I am of the opinion that 
hay left in buildings that are freely ventilated, or in 
drafts of air, loses more aroma than would be lost in 
tightly-closed buildings. If the hay is stored in an 
uncured condition, it is held that fermentation will 
likely be carried somewhat further if the building is 
well ventilated and aired than if it can be tightly 
closed. Just how far the fermentation depends on 
specific bacteria that do not require oxygen, I am un¬ 
able to say. For the best keeping of well-cured hay 
or of hay that contains considerable moisture, a 
tightly-closed barn is preferred. I know of no reason 
why a building filled with heated air is more likely 
to be struck by lightning than a well-ventilated one. 
State College, Pa. g. c. watson. 
THE CHERRY CROP CONSIDERED, 
In deciding to plant a cherry orchard, have you 
taken into consideration the fighting of the new 
cherry pest, the Cherry fruit-fly, which Prof. Slinger- 
land says “will be a very difficult pest to control?” 
See Bulletin No. 172, of the Cornell Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station. This and the “tremendous job” of 
picking has reversed my decision in regard to planting 
largely of cherries. I expect, however, to plant a 
few, but only the very latest ripening of the sour 
cherries, such as English Morello, Lutovka and Ost- 
■heimer. The points in their favor are, that the very 
latest cherries bring the highest price; the trees come 
early into bearing, and are more certain to bear reg¬ 
ularly; the fruit seldom rots while on the trees in un¬ 
favorable weather—'therefore, can be allowed to be¬ 
come fully ripe before picking—and keep better after 
gathering if there are no maggo'bs in them. The 
trees are dwarfish, and can be planted much closer 
together; the fruit is much easier to gather. The 
birds do not bother the sour cherries nearly as much 
as the sweet sorts. 
Three years ago I planted one tree of the English 
Morello; it now measures seven feet six inches in 
height, and a little over six feet in spread of 
branches; diameter of the trunk two inches. The 
crop from that tree last Summer would have filled 
three one-quart jars had none been eaten raw from 
the tree; as it was, there were two quarts and one 
pint jar well filled, with some over. We prefer them 
to sweet cherries canned. l. b. 
Rockland Co., N. Y. 
WHEAT HARVESTING 
The accompanying illustrations, Figs. 176 and 177, 
show a modern Wheat harvest as conducted in the 
wheat sections of the East and Central West. In the 
great wheat-growing sections of the West the header 
is used extensively, but the binder is an Implement 
of more general use. It is within the memory of 
young men when the only means of harvesting grain 
was the cradle. This was displaced by the reaper, 
which was a wonderful step in advance, and thought 
to be almost perfection. But the reaper had hardly- 
come into use before the modern binder displaced it. 
With its wonderful mechanism by which it ties se¬ 
curely the bundles it performs the work which four 
men were required to perform in following up the 
self-rake reaper, and it does the work of more than 
eight men cutting by the now antiquated cradle. In 
no department of modern labor has machinery done 
more to lighten the drudgery than in the occupation 
of the farmer, and there is no modern farm tool which 
at one stroke so emancipated the farmer as the 
binder. Fig. 176 shows the shocked grain; Fig. 177 
the binder at work. 
The wheat field shown in Fig. 176 is good for 35 
to 40 bushels per acre. The crop raised the previous 
year was oats. The regular rotation as practiced on 
the field is: First year, wheat. Timothy seeding in the 
Fall and clover seeding the following Spring; second 
year, meadow; third year, corn; fourth year, oats. In 
the preparation of the land for this wheat crop the 
oats are harvested as early as they are in condition 
to harvest. The land is plowed at once after the oats 
are removed from the field. An application of barn 
manure at the rate of about 10 tons per acre is spread 
broadcast over the land, and harrowed 
in. The success of the wheat crop de¬ 
pends largely upon the surface tillage 
which is given the soil. The harrow is 
used repeatedly, and the sub-surface 
soil is compacted, and the surface is 
made loose, and plant food is made 
available. The variety of wheat 
shown is Rochester Red. 
L. A. CLINTON. 
FARMERS AND LICENSE LAWS. 
UNJUST LAWS.—Storekeepers ob¬ 
ject to competition and low prices; 
hence they favor the licensing of ped¬ 
dlers. Town officials favor license 
laws; they please storekeepers and in¬ 
cidentally make jobs for clerks or in¬ 
spectors, and give money to be han¬ 
dled, and perhaps wasted or stolen. It 
appears, also, that there are farmers 
who are peddlers and favor licenses, 
wishing to bar cheap and spasmodic 
selling by farmers who do not make 
a business of peddling. But let farm¬ 
ers beware of such legislation! It is 
inherently unjust. No legislature, and 
certainly no town or village board, 
can with justice interfere between citi¬ 
zen© who wish to buy or sell. It may 
be unpleasant and discouraging to find, 
when one takes produce to town, that 
some itinerant peddler has spoiled the 
market, either by selling cheap or giv¬ 
ing away his stock; but who shall 'in¬ 
terfere? Who can interfere without 
trespassing on the rights of the cheap 
seller or of the consumer? It is just 
such legislation that loads upon farm¬ 
ers a volume of indirect taxation 
which is appalling in extent. Farmers 
are peculiarly the sufferers from un¬ 
just legislation, and therefore are pe¬ 
culiarly the class which should seek 
justice in all laws. Do not let us favor 
or seek special legislation; then with 
clean hands we can ask for and de¬ 
mand righteousness from legislators. 
Blauvelt, N. Y. M. w. 
SELL GOOD GOODS.—I think that a farmer has 
enough to pay taxes and insurance without a li¬ 
cense for the privilege of selling his produce, and 
if said produce is first-class, I don’t think the so- 
called one-horse marketmen can hurt the market 
much. If some farmers ask more than a fair price 
for their goods, just because they handle a large 
lot of it, then it is time some one would call a 
halt, as city people have no more right to pay two 
prices for their vegetables than the farmer has to 
pay excessively for hi© groceries. Good farm produce, 
with us, brings a fair price, no matter how cheap the 
poor stuff is. For instance, I breed Chester White 
pigs, and feed well until six weeks old, sell them for 
$2 each, and can never supply the demand, while 
there are any amount of pigs sellings right here for 
$1 each, and it is the same way with all farm produce, 
apples, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, berries, cherries, 
grapes, etc. If a good, straight article we get a fair 
price, and if not good, we have to take less, and no 
one pays a license. Once in a while we hear some 
man (who wants to ask a high price for his produce) 
say, “Let us have a license,” but for my part I say no. 
Clearfield Co., Pa. J. c. b. 
We irrigated our garden by drinking large quantities 
of water, and then getting the hoes out of the tool house 
and going after the horseradish and docks till the sweat 
would almost dampen the ground. People with water¬ 
works use the other hose in preference. qhjo header. 
A WHEAT FIELD AT CORNELL. FlG. 176. 
4 ^ 
CUTTING WIIEAT ON THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY FARM. Fig. 177. 
