1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
739 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Farm Figures. —We are not ready to 
say how the farm accounts stand yet, 
for quite a little of the crop is unsold. 
The potato crop is quite short. It will 
not be much over half what I hoped for. 
That is partly our own fault. Prices are 
good, and 900 bushels will bring about 
as much as 1,500 would in a year of 
plenty. That is the argument Charlie 
advances as we dig. That doesn’t sat¬ 
isfy me. I am always sorry to harvest 
a poor crop of anything. The cabbage 
is good, and this crop will help us out. 
As a strict matter of dollars and cents 
we shall not make much cash on the 
year’s farming. Yet we are ahead if you 
look at it as you would any other busi¬ 
ness; that is, if you consider improve¬ 
ments. One year ago the farm was 
nothing but weedy sod. We now have 
nearly 40 acres, more or less, fitted for 
crops. Over four acres are well seeded 
to grass, and nearly five are in rye after 
potatoes and oats. Over 10 acres are 
covered with cow-pea vines, which I con¬ 
sider fully equal to manure. The earn¬ 
ing capacity of every cultivated acre on 
the farm has been increased. Every acre 
we have touched will, with the same 
care it has nad this year, give a better 
crop next season. While such results 
from our work do not show in cash they 
are none the less valuable assets. Good 
farming is not a matter of one season; 
it means a series of years. I feel sure 
that many farmers make a mistake when 
they do not invest more of their capital 
in the iarm itself, instead of in some 
bond or mortgage on property belonging 
to others. If a man is satisfied to call a 
farm his home he can safely invest his 
money in it. 
Jack Frost. —On the morning of Oc¬ 
tober 18 we woke to find old Jack’s fin¬ 
ger marks all over the farm. There was 
little that he could hurt. We had cut 
all the fodder but one little patch of 
sorghum, it was time for the flowers, 
the beans and the late sweet corn to die 
anyway. Of course the cow peas were 
nipped. Early Black and Whippoorwill 
had fully seeded out, while Clay and 
Wonderful made a few seeds. The frost 
did the business for the Cabbage worms, 
and gave the corn fodder the brittle 
touch which it ought to have. It did no 
harm to the Crimson clover. Why 
should we growl about Jack Frost? He 
has kept away for at least three weeks, 
and given us a good chance to get our 
work under way. The Summer is over; 
now, boys, for Winter! 
Around the Farm. —The prettiest spot 
on the farm just now is the rye and 
Crimson clover, where the early potatoes 
were dug. As soon after digging as pos¬ 
sible the ground was plowed and seeded 
with a peck of clover and five pecks of 
rye per acre. It is a grand sight now, 
for it has not been pastured. . . We 
put the grass seed.on by hand, dividing 
the field into regular spaces, and then 
worked the harrow carefully. In spite of 
all this care tnere are bare streaks and 
patches over the field. The boys cannot 
understand it. We have gone over the 
worst places with more seed. No use 
talking, a good wheelbarrow seeder will 
do a better job with grass seed than the 
average human hand. . . . We have 
started the cooker—keeping it well filled 
with little potatoes. Our experience with 
the cooker goes to show that it pays to 
cook roots, potatoes and possibly pump¬ 
kins for hens and hogs. I think the 
stock eat ti^s bulky food better after 
it has been well cooked. I have not 
found cooking grain profitable. It pays 
to boil bones or parts of a fresh carcass 
with the roots, especially for hogs. It is 
a job, though, to do this when work is 
pressing. 
Farm Convenience. —Our water sys¬ 
tem lias given good satisfaction thus far. 
When we put up the windmill we were 
told that it could not keep the tank 
filled. So far as I can learn tnere have 
not been hall a dozen days during the 
past year without wind enough to turn 
the mill for at least a few hours. The 
tank has really never been dry. Our 
hills seem to be naturally windswept. 
The mill rises above a dense apple or¬ 
chard. About 500 feet east of it is a 
sharp fall into a little valley. My no¬ 
tion is that the air is cooled in that or¬ 
chard and tumbles down into the val¬ 
ley, thus creating a disturbance of air 
that starts a breeze. It is hard to state 
what a great convenience it is to have 
this constant supply of pure water. I 
have explained our kitchen water ar¬ 
rangement. The water from the tank is 
piped to the range, and gives Aunt Jen¬ 
nie and her assistants a constant supply 
of hot and cold fluid. I stated last Win¬ 
ter that this range with its fixtures is 
called the Madame’s “gravestone.” She 
said she would enjoy that more than 
the same amount of money put into a 
monument. There is a good big list of 
people who drag along a living death be¬ 
cause their housemates think the soil 
should close over them Defore they see 
the color of love or money! 
Fodder Notes. —After several days of 
light frosty breeze following a storm we 
began hauling the corn to the barn with¬ 
out husking. The shocks were thrown 
on the wagon whole, and lifted up to the 
mows. Even when every corner of the 
barn was stuffed there was enough for 
a regiment left outside. • This unhoused 
fodder will be husked in the field, and 
the stalks put in big piles or stacks to 
be fed first. The corn in the barn will 
be husked on cold or stormy days. The 
Hope Farm programme is to make the 
stock eat the fodder and stalks so as to 
leave the hay for sale. That is one rea¬ 
son why I like the Thoroughbred flint 
corn. Its yield of grain is only fair, but 
it makes the finest fodder one could wish 
for. . . . “What is the truth about 
Kaffir corn?” asks a reader. Strange to 
say, the truth in New Jersey might be 
called a falsehood in Kansas. I con¬ 
clude that for horses and cattle Kaffir 
is inferior to our native corn. For hen 
feed there is another story. The grain 
of Kaffir seems to me equal to wheat for 
chicken feed. We can raise 35 bushels 
of Kaffir per acre, while 20 bushels 
would be a large yield of wheat. The 
wheat straw would be of little account, 
while the Kaffir stalks, if well handled, 
are better than millet hay or average 
corn fodder. The hens will husk and 
shell the Kaffir without help. 
Happy Hogs. —About October 1 Uncle 
Ed and Charlie drove Billy Berkshire. 
Jr., and Charlie Chester into a pen by 
themselves, and began stuffing them 
with food. Rape, sweet corn, apples, 
melons, boiled potatoes, grain—they had 
only to squeal to have every want at¬ 
tended to. Like foolish fellows they 
plunged into the good things and then 
lay down to dream of the next meal. 
Humans are not unlike hogs. If some 
fine-looking man were to invite us to a 
swell hotel and try to stuff us with all 
possible good things most of the young 
and thoughtless would think it a great 
tribute to their own personal worth. A 
few old hardheads would make sure of 
one good dinner and ask “Well, say what 
you are trying to get out of this!” When 
a hog or a human finds himself jumped 
into such rich surroundings he may 
safely infer that he is destined to be 
ground up ir the end for physical or 
financial sausage. Billy and Charlie 
haven’t sense enough to realize that they 
are to be butchered to make a Hope 
Farm holiday. Our hogs have done well 
this year. I have never fed them so 
economically. What with rape, sweet 
cornstalks and apples they have cost lit¬ 
tle or nothing, while they have worked 
the manure into first-class shape. 
h. w. c. 
Northern Cow Peas. —Mr. Silas Dean, 
of Greene Co. N. Y., sends a sample of 
Early Black cow peas grown by him this 
year. We shall try to test this seed next 
year by the side of southern-grown seed. 
The season in Greene County has been 
very dry, but the peas made a fair 
growth. There is quite a question as to 
the superior value of northern-grown 
peas. We think that they will prove 
better adapted to northern sowing. 
FORCING RHUBARB IN WISCONSIN. 
The mammoth greenhouses of F. 
Busch, of Minneapolis, are wholly de¬ 
voted to forcing vegetables for Winter 
market. His main crops are tomatoes 
and cucumbers, but as a side issue he 
markets several thousand pounds of 
rhubarb every Winter. The style of 
greenhouse most favored by Mr. Busch 
is the lean-to, or shed-roof. His two 
largest houses, 60x300 feet and 35x200 
feet respectively, are built on this plan, 
each with a shed 12 feet wide on the 
north side, and it is in these sheds that 
the rhubarb is forced. The plan fol¬ 
lowed by Mr. Busch is not the same in 
all respects as that outlined by Mr. 
Morse and others in past issues of The 
R. N.-Y., but he seems to have met with 
success. A field of eight acres of rhu¬ 
barb attracted my attention on a recent 
visit to his place, and led to the subject 
of forcing the roots in Winter, when the 
following ideas were advanced in our 
discussion by Mr. Busch: 
Roots from one to six years old may 
be used, but three-year-old roots are the 
best; the roots should be dug, not 
plowed out, as late as possible in the 
Fall before frost, and left in the field 
to freeze. It is not essential that the 
roots should be dug with soil adhering, 
for equally good results are obtained 
when the roots are entirely freed from 
soil. The roots are removed to the shed 
as needed, and thawed out slowly, after 
which they are lightly covered with soil 
and thoroughly watered. After this, no 
further attention is required beyond 
maintaining tne proper temperature, un¬ 
til the crop is ready for market, which 
is usually four weeks from the time the 
roots are brought into heat. The shed 
abutting the larger house is 20 feet high 
in the front and about 12 in the rear, 
and is equipped with but one run of 
steam pipe, which, with the radiator 
from the adjoining greenhouse, will 
maintain a temperature of 50 degrees in 
very cold weather, 60 degrees in ordi¬ 
nary weather. These temperatures will 
be about the same day and night, and 
are said by Mr. Busch to be the most 
favorable for the work. 
The shed is not wholly darkened, sev¬ 
eral small windows in the north wall 
admitting considerable light. Mr. Busch 
claims this is a decided advantage, as 
it induces a sufficient development of 
green leaf surface to give it a natural 
and attractive appearance on the mar¬ 
ket, without affecting the crispness of 
the stem. The stems are pulled and 
bunched when considered the best size, 
as when allowed to grow over two feet, 
it is apt to be too soft. The stalks are 
sold by weight, and bring an average of 
five cents per pound, although as high 
as eight cents has been obtained. I had 
somehow got an Impression that the 
rhubarb forcing industry is a very new 
one, and was immensely surprised on 
being told by Mr. Busch that he had 
been forcing rhubarb for 25 years! 
Wisconsin. erederic craneeield. 
Rapid 
Grinding 
We guarantee this mill 
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foronly ....iPlvl 
THE NEW HOLLAND 
COB AND FEED MILL. 
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Mill No. 2 grinds from 20 to 60 bushel per hour 
price Kill. Send for catalogue showing how we savo 
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The EASIEST TO RUN 
lecause they have the bestsystem of reg¬ 
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ai anti ■ a Incubators 
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Hot Air or Hot Water. Mon.y back If you want 
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mjj Before Buying a Mew 
Harness 
you will insure the best re¬ 
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sending 4 cents in stamps for 
descriptive catalogue of 100 
styles of single and floublo 
Oak.TnnmMl Leather llarncH. 
Sold direct to the consumer 
at wholesale prices. 
THE KING HARNESS -CO., Mfrs., 
312 Church St., 0WEG0, N. Y. 
GRINDING MILLS 
Before purchasing a mill for grinding 
or meal, or anything that can be 
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for catalogue and discounts. 
Guaranteed and shipped on 
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FLOUR MILL MACHINERY. 
SPROUT, WALDRON & CO., Box 1H, Muncy, Pa. 
VICTORY FEED MILL 
Oldest and RestOrlndlug Hill Blade 
Will crush and grind corn 
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Made in four sizes for 1,4,8 
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Til OS. ROBERTS, 
Box 02, Springfield, O. 
200 BU. A DAY 
with this OTIS BALL BEARING No. 2 MILL. 
Grinds ear corn ami other grain, fine or coarse. 
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Marvin Smith Co.. 53-55 N. Jefferson St., Chicago, Ills. 
INCUBATORS theFARIM 
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anybody can run it, because it 
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SPECIAL PRICES 
ISO liny. Trial on 
Ufim* CHOU Incubator* 
NUnC'OUuli and Brooder*. 
Self regnlating. Automatic egg 1 , 
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The IMPROVED 
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hatches all the fertile eggs; is 
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DOOM 
1 >* -rr-r 
AT THE TOP 
Farm, Stock and Home thinks that if 
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Recognizing 
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A THOUSAND HEN 
owners have doubled their egg crop by feeding 
Green Cut Bone. The best, easiest, most lasting 
and hence the cheapest way to prepare it Is withi 
Mann’s New Bone Cutters. 
They are made in numerous sizes to suit all needs. 
Cuts any kind of bone, adhering meat, gristle, Ac., 
withot choking. Turn easy. Mann’s Clover Cutters 
actually cut clover. They’re not toys. Also Granite 
Crystal Grit and Feed Trays. Catalogue FREE. 
p. W. MANN CO., Bos I5. Milford, Maas. 
The Egg Season 
is months longer and twice as profitable iL 
you feed green cut bone. Hens are fatter, 
sleeker, stronger and better for eating, 
every contest the 
STEARNS 
BONE CUTTER 
(Formerly Webster & Hannum) 
has won the prize for ease of running, — 
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E. C. STEARNS & CO., Box 20 Syracuse, N. Y. 
G et more eggs, how? 
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right in the middle of the winter, i 
when eggs are worth most money. J 
DANDY C, C utters^ 
with or without gear are the best 
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fowls. Cut fa*t« turn cany. 
Catalogue and prices free. 
STRATTON MFG. CO., 
itox t r , Eric, l’u. 
