1902 
55 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
We shall have to hold a sort of farmers’ 
institute this week, since question are 
coming- faster than snowflakes. Here is 
a good one: 
“Will it hurt a crop of potatoes if I use 
seed potatoes that are slightly black at 
one end, provided I discard said damaged 
part?’’ 
it will depend on what the “black’’ is. 
If it is plain rot I would cut it out and 
use the rest of the tuber for seed. If it 
is caused by sunburn or a touch of frost 
at one end I would do the same. If, how¬ 
ever, there are little black lines or threads 
running from this black part all through 
the tuber I would not use any part of it. 
The threads will indicate a disease, and 
1 would no more try to feed a potato baby 
on diseased food than I would feed a calf 
on milk that I knew contained the germs 
of consumption. True, we can boil the 
milk and put sulphur on the seed piece, 
but I believe it safer to discard both. In 
such a case it is safer to call in the why 
man or scientist and have him tell what 
the “black’’ is. That is what he is in 
science for. 
Here is a question from Oneida Co., N. Y.: 
“Is well-cured millet hay good for horses 
and colts?’’ 
I would not feed millet hay to horses. 
Why not? 
Because it is the general opinion of 
horsemen that millet is not good horse 
feed. Experiments have been tried with 
it, and in several cases the horses died. 
The millet seemed to affect the kidneys 
and joints seriously. The cattle do well 
on millet, and therefore I would feed it to 
the cows and avoid all danger to the 
horses. 
Have the scientific men learned why the 
millet kills a horse? 
Not that I know of, any more than they 
know why oats will give “life” to a horse. 
The scientific men killed their horses with 
millet and kept them alive without oats. 
I am satisfied with both experiments. I 
accept their results, and decline to feed 
millet to horses, and also decline to feed 
oats when I can buy a cheaper grain. 
Here is a question which has given me 
much thought: 
“Will the feeding of silage three times a 
day to cows with hay or straw have a 
deleterious effect upon the calves? Bran 
is so high that it seems extravagant to 
pay such prices.” 
1 cannot anwer the question accurately, 
but this is my opinion. The danger from 
feeding nothing but silage, hay or straw 
would be the lack of bone-forming ma¬ 
terials in such food. 1 regard bran as one 
of the most useful feeds for cows and sows 
because it contains more of the minerals 
than any other grain. Such animals have 
a special need of bone-forming material. I 
feel sure that both cow and calf, or sow 
and pig will suffer for lack of it. Corn is 
especially weak in these bone-formers and 
where silage is fed heavily, or where dry 
corn is fed to breeding stock, I am sure 
that provision must be made for the min¬ 
erals. I have said that I feel safe in feed¬ 
ing some corn to brood sows so long as I 
can burn the cobs and feed the ashes. I 
keep a box of wood ashes constantly be¬ 
fore our sows, and they eat large quan¬ 
tities of them. My belief is, though I can¬ 
not yet prove it, that a constant supply of 
wood ashes kept before these cows would, 
to some extent, take the place of bran, not 
as a food, but as a source of bone formers. 
1 would try that, and would expect to have 
better cows and calves to pay for it. Don't 
say, though, that the Hope Farm man 
claims that wood ashes will fully take the 
place of bran, for that is nonsense. At 
best the ashes will provide a make-shift, 
if you want to make thrift instead of shift 
you should use bran. 
Here is a note about another matter 
which has mixed some of our folks a little: 
“I have been interested for some time 
in reading about sour land and the use of 
lime. But there are some things that I 
do not understand. It is said that clover 
will not succeed on sour land, while pota¬ 
toes do much the best on such land. Many 
of our best potato growers for years ad¬ 
vocated planting on clover sod. Look at 
Air. Terry, of Ohio, who is a clover crank, 
also one of our best potato growers, raising 
large crops of choice potatoes every year, 
and always on a heavy clover sod. How 
about this, wise men?” 
1 don't pretend to sit with tHo wise men 
but this is my view. It has been pretty 
well settled that clover does best when the 
soil is “sweet” or alkaline. In a sour soil, 
where sorrel comes in, it is hard to obtain 
a good “catch" of clover seed. When lime 
or wood ashes, or stable manure is used on 
such land, the clover starts and grows 
much better, since the lime “sweetens” the 
sour soil and thus gives the clover a better 
chance. As to potatoes, some farmers have 
the facts twisted. This crop, like the 
clover, will give its best yield in a neutral 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
* 
or "sweet” soil, but when scnbbv seed is 
put in such a soil the disease is much 
worse than where the soil is acid. The 
little germ which causes the disease known 
as Potato scab does not develop rapidly in 
a sour soil, while the little germ which aids 
the clover seed operates best in a “sweet” 
soil. Most potato growers agree that a 
fair crop of smooth tubers is better than 
a larger crop of very scabby ones, so they 
say that the sour soil is “best.” Thus the 
fact that potatoes do well after clover may 
be explained. The clover sod adds humus 
to the soil and sours it more or less, thus 
lilting it to produce clean potatoes. The 
culture and manure which go with the 
crops that follow the potatoes open and 
air the soil and clear out most of the acid 
before the clover seed is sown again. We 
hear of potato growers who use clover in 
this way who say that it pays to use lime 
with grain and clover, and I can see how 
on some soils this would be good practice. 
It would surely be worth trying, for the 
more clover the more potatoes. 
Here is a note from California which 
stumps me: 
“I write you for a remedy for a cow that 
will not let her milk down. She has been 
fresh 3% months and has dried off nearly 
one-third or more. We pamper her with 
the best of feed, and treatment is always 
kind, and milk her not ‘40 times a day,’ 
but six and seven right along. She is in 
her prime of life, being seven years old 
last September. We have no other cow, 
and a nearby custom for our butter at 70 
cents per block. If a remedy cannot be 
found she will go to the butcher pretty 
soon. I would rather have that ‘kicking 
Julia’ than our gentle Lily.” 
Without knowing more about that cow 
I can only guess that she was never de¬ 
signed by Nature to “hang on to” the milk 
habit. Our own cows seem to have a 
streak of bulldog in them, for it is nearly 
impossible to dry them off. 1 imagine that 
this is naturally a beef animal, and that 
her drying up is what one should expect 
from her pedigree and habits. If I was a 
cow I should certainly resent being milked 
“six or seven times” a day. I think that 
would discourage even Julia who, for all 
the “kick” in her nature, knows all the 
kinks about producing milk 365 days in a 
year. Why. certainly, who wouldn’t prefer 
a kicker who has character tied to her 
leg muscles, to a good-natured, flabby in¬ 
dividual who turns even the fat of human 
kindness into beef? 
All Sorts.— The little house is slowly 
growing. The carpenters are pounding 
shape into it and Charlie and Aunt Emma 
hope to move in by the latter part of Feb¬ 
ruary. This thing of putting a house to¬ 
gether—making a home out of pieces of 
lumber, stone and metal—ought to stir up 
any man who has any thought in him. 
Why, it’s like the birds bringing hundreds 
of little sticks, hairs and strings to build 
their nest. I doubt if carpenters ever 
think of these things except when they .are 
building the first little house for them¬ 
selves. I guess it’s just as well that car¬ 
penters are not poets, for they would surely 
pound their fingers if they got to thinking 
about all that their hammer represents. 
.Our barn is cold in spite of the 
fact that we have made it tight. We have 
adopted something of Air. Mapes’s plan of 
letting the horses keep themselves warm. 
Wooden shutters have been fixed so that 
they let down in front of each horse, as 
he stands in the stall, thus shutting them 
all into a warm place. If I were building 
another barn I would try to give each 
animal a small box-stall where it could be 
free.About six weeks ago the 
Madame found that quite a lot of skim- 
milk was left every day. At first thought 
this would seem to belong to the pigs or 
hens, but why should not humans come 
first? The Madame tried the experiment 
of putting a big pitcher of this skim-milk 
on the table at each meal. I long ago 
struck for a big dish of apple sauce every 
time the table is set. Little was said about 
that milk, but it was always there, and 
gradually our folks began to lighten the 
pitcher. We now drink nearly six quarts 
a day! The habit was formed by having 
the milk constantly before us. This has 
caused a decrease in the use of bread, 
meat and butter that is quite evident. 
Years ago Dr. W. H. Jordan conducted a 
sort of “feeding experiment” with a lot of 
college students. He found that when thise 
boys had all the milk they wanted the cost 
was reduced, because much less meat and 
bread were demanded. I feel sure that the 
same result will follow in any family. O. 
W. Mapes finds skim-milk a full substitute 
for meat in feeding his hens, and many a 
farmer can put the knife to his living ex¬ 
penses if he will train his family to drink 
skim-milk and eat more fruit. Right at 
home is a good market for our surplus 
products! h. w. c. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee 8th page. 
Fruit Questions from Vermont. 
V. E. K., N. Bennington, Ft.—1. At what 
distance apart should Aloore’s Early grape 
be planted in a vineyard with rows north 
and south? 2. A small black bug appeared 
in numbers upon buds of Cuthbert rasp¬ 
berries last Spring, and destroyed many 
buds by eating, and injured many others 
on plants tardy in leafing out. Are such 
visitations common? 3. As Cuthbert rasp¬ 
berries began to color red many plants 
would wither and die with apparently 
healthy stem and roots, and without any 
injury from the black bug. The young 
canes from same plants were thrifty and 
have made a good growth. What is the 
cause and remedy? 
Ans. —1. The distance for planting 
will depend entirely upon the method of 
training. I should usually set the vines 
eight feet apart. 2. I have never ob¬ 
served the trouble mentioned. It is cer¬ 
tain, however, that the insect may be 
destroyed by spraying the plants, as 
soon as the buds begin to open, with 
Paris-green, using one pound to 150 
gallons of water, and adding five pounds 
fresh lime to prevent injury to young 
foliage. 3. It is probable that the plants 
in question were infested with the 
Raspberry cane borer, which has given 
much trouble in some parts of New 
England during the past few years. The 
remedy is to cut and burn infested 
canes as soon as the trouble is observed. 
W. M. MUNSON. 
Health for let. 
Send me no money, but simply write 
a postal for the book you want. 
I will send with it an order on your 
druggist to let you have six bottles of 
Dr. Shoop’s Restorative. He will let you 
take it a month. If it cures, the cost 
will be $5.50. If it fails, he sends the 
bill to me. 
This remedy strengthens the inside 
nerve power that operates all vital or¬ 
gans. It brings back the only power 
that can make tne organs do their duty. 
I have spent a lifetime on it. 
I sometimes fail, but only when the 
trouble is organic—some trouble like 
cancer that causes a damage beyond re¬ 
pair. Such conditions are rare. My rec¬ 
ords show that 39 out of 40 who get those 
six bottles pay for them. Yet no drug¬ 
gist accepts a penny where the patient 
states that the treatment failed. 
This offer is too fair to need argu¬ 
ment. Your own druggist is the one 
who fulfills it. Won’t you write me a 
postal to learn what I can do? 
Simply state which 
book you want, and ad¬ 
dress Dr. Shoop, Box 
570, Racine, Wis. 
Book No. 1 on Dyspepsia, 
Book No. 2 on the Heart, • 
Book No. 3 on the Kidneys, 
Book No. 4 for Women, 
Book No. 5 for men (sealed), 
Book No. 6 on Rheumatism. 
MUd cases, not chronic, are often cured by one or 
two bottles. At all druggists. 
IMPIID ATHD? Best and Cheapest. For Catalogue 
INul) DA I Ullu addressG.S.Slnger,Cardington.O. 
MIRROR, SCALES, ETC. 
There was a man. And his 
mirror said “ sallow skin.” 
And the scales said “losing 
weight.” And his friends did 
wag their heads as he passed 
by. But being a prudent man 
he forthwith swallowed daily 
certain pleasant doses of Scott’s 
Emulsion. 
Then his mirror said “ruddy 
face.” And the scales sunk 
beneath his weight. And his 
friends looked upon him with 
amaze. 
(Note.—T his is no fable—but is true 
history), 
We’ll send you a little to try, if you like. 
■SCOTT & BOWNE, 409 Pearl street, New York. 
TAR INCUBATORS 1ST 
We will send free on request our Illustrated cata¬ 
logue of incubators, brooders, foods and remedies. 
Star Incubator Co., Bound Brook, N.J., or 38 VeseySt., If.Y. 
Incubators From S60 ° Up - 
Brooders From a * 400 Up 
FnUy Warranted. Free Catalogue. 
L. A. BANTA, Llgonler, Ind. 
grade machines. New Catalogue KRKK. 
The RLAIRSVILLE INCUBATOR CO 
77 North Strf t. Itlnlravlllo. Pa. 
J 
200-Egg Incubator 
for $ 12* 80 
V/Tctor 
V INCUBATORS 
The almpleit, moat durable, cheap¬ 
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If not at represented. Olrotalar \ 
froe; catalogue Sc. We pay the i 
freight. GKO. KRTELCO. Qulicy. III. » 
w because they 
need animal food. Feed 
cut bone and get eggs when 
ecsta are eggs. The 
HUMPHREY 
, Green Bone and Vegetable Cutter 
is guaranteed to cut more bone in less . 
time and with less labor than any other \ 
cutter made. Get your money if not 
, perfectly satisfied. Catalogue free. 
HUMPHREY & SONS, Box 39, Joliet,III. 
bales Agents—Joseph Breek & Sons, 
Boston, Mass.; Johnson & Stokes, Phil¬ 
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i.more; Sure Hatch Incubator Co., 
Clay Center, Neb.; E. J. Bowen, 
Portland, Oregon; Seattle, 
^ Wash., and San 
Francisco. 
I 
$5 
FOR AN INCUBATOR. "w****! 
to any incubator made for hatch¬ 
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smaller. THE 50 EGG BANT¬ 
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J ou follow instructions. 20th Century 
> oultry Book explains all. Sent for 
ten cents Write for it at once. 
Reliable loc.&Brdr.Co.Bx. 
and is equal 
LEE’S EGG MAKER 
makes fowls healthy and profitable all the year. If 
not sold in your town send 25c for big package, or $2 
for 26-pound pail. GEO. II. LEE CO., Omaha, Neb., 
cr 8 Park Place, New York. 
Ute Lee’s Lice Killer for lioe and mites on chickened: hogs. 
D oes it pay?,kt',:” 
hogs, horses, and poultry to become In¬ 
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All about them In our 168 page cata¬ 
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90 ,OesMolnei.il. or Bx 80 , Buffilo.H.T 
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They are self-regulating, 
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cataloguef |3 K? t 
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AND CHILDREN. 
Get an Incubator that they can run; 
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Used on 26 Gov. Experiment Stations 
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Ask nearest office for book No. 101 
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Buflalo, N. Y., Chicago, Ill., Bo.ton, Bait., New York,3. Y« 
Make Your Hens Lay, with 
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It makes them lay, by furnishing all the material to make eggs with. It also 
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poultry foods. Enough for ten hens, three months, §1.00; four times as much, 
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Expert Testimony. 
I am using Bowker's Animal Meal, and consider it 
the most complete of any food on the market. 
D. H. Rice, 
Barre, Mass Prop Kockwood Poultry Yards. 
pa 
EG 
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