1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
513 
EVERYBODY'S GARDEN. 
Ball-Bearings Lighten Labor. —In 
common with the Hope Farm man and 
other sufferers I am often called to ac¬ 
tive service at the washing machine, 
while my better half acts as mistress 
of ceremonies. Formerly this was a day 
for fasting and sober reflection. Thanks 
to our new washing machine it is now 
robbed of all its terrors. This is how 
we use it. Clothes are put in soak Mon¬ 
day evening. Next morning, four pail¬ 
fuls of water and one bar of good soap, 
thinly shaved, are put into the boiler, 
over gasoline fire, and brought to boil¬ 
ing point. While water is heating the 
soaked clothes are put through wringer; 
and tubs are rinsed. Four sheets, eight 
pillow slips and half a dozen fine towels, 
or other things of equal bulk, are put in 
machine. The boiling suds is poured on, 
cover shut down, and I take a chair be¬ 
side the machine, working lever back 
and forth about 15 inches. Two coiled 
springs, assisted by the ball bearings, 
make as nearly as is possible to attain, 
perpetual motion. Five minutes finishes 
the batch, and it is finished, as we have 
yet to find any use for the washboard. 
The mistress fishes the clothes from the 
hot suds, guiding them through the 
wringer, while I turn the crank. Anoth¬ 
er batch is put in the machine, and the 
work goes steadily on until all the white 
clothes are rubbed. The suds is now 
drawn from the machine by pulling a 
plug. As there is no inside toggery, the 
machine is quickly rinsed and filled with 
clear water, which has been heated while 
the rubbing progressed. The starch has 
also been prepared, and fire is turned 
out. Two tubs, one of clear, the other 
of blue water, are on the bench. As fast 
as the clothes are run through the hot 
water in the machine, they are rinsed, 
blued and starched. While the feminine 
operator hangs these out, 1 put half a 
bar of soap (previously dissolved), into 
the water in machine, which is still hot, 
and wash the colored clothes. These are 
sorted so as to put those as nearly alike 
in color as possible in the same batch. 
Putting the clothes into the tub without 
folding or rolling, and having the water 
only moderately hot, there is no trouble 
with the colors running. I forgot to 
mention that this work is done in the 
shade of a big apple tree conveniently 
near the kitchen door. We do not com¬ 
mence work until after breakfast, and 
can finish in ample time to get dinner by 
noon. Standing under a young lady’s 
window in the moonlight, singing “0 
Genevieve I’d die for thee” may be all 
right, but when you have taken her to 
wife, she’ll appreciate your standing by 
the tub, to the refrain—“0 Genevieve 
I’ll rub for thee.” 
Marketing Peaks. —The trade for 
which we cater will have nothing but 
the best. It is quite a long job to put 
up even 10 or 12 bushels of pears where 
each one is handled separately. I 
stepped into a store on Woodward Ave¬ 
nue, Detroit, three or four years ago, to 
inquire the price of pears. It was the 
largest table supply house in Michigan. 
They sought nothing but the very best 
trade of the city. It went without say¬ 
ing that nothing but gilt-edged stock 
need apply. This was in September. 
Pears were a drug, with most of the crop 
being fed to the hogs. You must have 
the pears. They must be large and 
smooth. They must have the right color 
and shape. The manager told me they 
could handle some Bartletts, but only 
the best grades. Returning home I took 
three berry baskets and graded the pears 
according to size. They were polished 
with a cotton cloth. I placed them in 
the baskets and enclosing all in a 
satchel I returned to the store. The pro¬ 
prietor and manager were both in. I 
called them aside and opened up my 
satchel. The manager inquired if the 
stock would average with the samples? 
“If not don’t pay me,” I replied. He in¬ 
quired the price. “The highest possible 
figure you can pay,’’ I said. They were 
graded by sizes as firsts, seconds and 
pickling pears. His offer was $1.40, 
$1.25 and 85 cents per bushel. The hired 
man thought it a pretty slow way to put 
up fruit. I saw he would fail to do the 
work right, so he went at other work. 
My wife and I engineered the pear busi¬ 
ness. They wanted the pears in bushel 
baskets. I took new ones and lined them 
with clean paper. They were taken one 
by one and polished with a cotton cloth 
until they shone, each one going into its 
proper place. When a basket was filled 
it was covered with new clean paper se¬ 
curely tied down. They didn’t need any 
tarletan to make them show up larger 
or to hide defects. When all was ready 
they were set into the spring wagon. I 
covered them with blankets and started 
marketward. It was hot, and there were 
pears galore. Sellers were begging buy¬ 
ers at 50 cents per bushel. I saw many 
as good as mine, but they were not “put 
up.” Their long journey to market over 
dusty roads gave them a tired look. 
Pears loose in wagons, or at most put up 
in slat boxes, were not selling well just 
then. The hot weather and the glut 
made me a little shaky. But there was 
no trouble. I drew my money, simply 
exchanging my baskets for a like num¬ 
ber of empties. 
Potato Talk. —You can get top prices 
for new potatoes provided you get them 
into market before anyone else has 
them. I sent to a grower for two barrels 
assorted varieties. They cost me a 
pretty good price laid down. There was 
one bushel Early Six Weeks. I figured 
that if I could get potatoes in six weeks 
from planting I could make some of the 
neighbors grow green with envy. I fit¬ 
ted the ground just as early as I thought 
it safe. The bushel of Six Weeks was 
washed and soaked for 1 % hour in cor¬ 
rosive sublimate mixture, and spread 
upon a rack to dry. The seed was care¬ 
fully cut, one eye to the piece. They 
were planted in rows three feet apart by 
18 inches in the row, one piece to the 
hill. They had the best of culture, with 
never a weed allowed to grow. They 
were sprayed with Bordeaux Mixture. 
I said that the weeds did not grow, 
neither did the potatoes to any extent. 
I got a little worried, for the scientists 
said that a vigorous growth of vines 
and foliage was absolutely essential to 
the development of the tubers. There 
were 22 rows 110 feet in length. Three 
rows on the north side of the patch grew 
strong and thrifty tops as one could 
desire. The rest of the rows with one 
consent began to make excuses, and 
never quit it from start to finish. The 
plants never made more than 10 to 12 
inches in height, with very rarely more 
than a single stalk to the hill. How did 
they yield? About four bushels, most 
of them fair size, nice and smooth. The 
three rows of rank-growing vines that 
were always vigorous never produced a 
dozen marketable potatoes. They were, 
however, set full of little fellows from 
the size of a robin’s egg down to a buck¬ 
shot. What was the trouble? Some 
would say the soil was poor. It grew 
good crops previously, and afterward. 
Some would say I destroyed the seed by 
soaking. Well, some of it sent up rank 
tops at least. What do I say? Really, 
I have nothing further to say. 
Michigan. J. e. morse. 
DEAFNESS AND THE TELEPHONE. 
It has been stated that the use of the 
telephone tends in time to cause deafness. 
What has been the experience of those 
who have used the instrument? 
Our experience does not indicate that 
those who habitually use the telephone 
become gradually deaf and, as far as we 
know, no ear disease has ever been 
caused by its use. It is an undoubted 
fact that after becoming accustomed to 
using the telephone a person can hear 
better through it than he could when un¬ 
accustomed to its use. It is thought, 
however, that this is not due to in¬ 
creased acuteness of hearing but rather 
to being able to concentrate one’s at¬ 
tention on what is heard, and to dis¬ 
regard all outside sounds. 
N. Y. Telephone Co. h. f. tiiurber. 
The continual use of the telephone 
has a tendency to make the hearing 
more acute, as has been our experience. 
I know from observation that the tele¬ 
phone is an aid to the deaf, as I had oc¬ 
casion to note but a few days ago, the 
person being so deaf as not to hear ordi¬ 
nary conversation but receives same 
over the telephone without a particle of 
trouble. b. m. kernan. 
Racine, Wis. 
It is true in the writer’s experience 
that the constant or frequent use of the 
telephone applied to one ear without 
changing will develop acute sense of 
hearing in that organ, while the opposite 
organ will either lose the natural acute¬ 
ness or remain normal, so that I have 
frequently been led to believe the im¬ 
provement was at the expense of unused 
ear. Our chief operator was almost 
totally deaf in her right ear, but the 
persisted application of the receiver to 
that side has rendered her hearing about 
normal. I might name several cases of 
some of our most prominent people who 
had telephones installed in their resi¬ 
dences for the express purpose of im¬ 
proving the hearing of some member, 
and in nearly every case it has been pro¬ 
nounced a success. It may be that if 
one ear was diseased undue irritation 
caused by excessive vibration might be 
detrimental in some cases, but I think 
that it would be the exception rather 
than the rule. h. b. scott. 
Clinton, Iowa. 
I never knew of a case where the con¬ 
stant use of the telephone ever affected 
the human ear. Two of the operators 
in my employ have used the telephone 
daily for over seven years, and their 
hearing is in no way affected. The ear 
is in danger if using the telephone dur¬ 
ing a thunderstorm, as the lines attract 
the lightning, and if it follows the line 
to the receiver it produces a very loud 
snap, that often causes temporary deaf¬ 
ness, and good authorities claim that in 
such cases there is danger of breaking 
the ear drum. Operators over long lines 
remove their receiver during a thunder¬ 
storm. A fact often brought to my at¬ 
tention is the surprise to deaf people 
when using the telephone. They come 
into the office and ask the operator to 
talk for them, but after a little persua¬ 
sion they themselves try it, and to their 
surprise are able to hear distinctly. 
There are two subscribers in this ex¬ 
change who are so deaf they cannot hear 
their bell ring, but can talk over the 
telephone with ease. I should say that 
the telephone is a stimulant to the deaf 
ear, rather than an injury. 
Dover, N. H. w. j. webb. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
WURLITZER 
Brass band 
INSTRUMENTS, DRUMS, ETC. 
Reduced Prices. Don’t buy until you see , 
new 80-pp. Cat. B. MAILED FREE. 
The Rudolph Wurlltrer Co., 
178 K. 4lli St., CIKUAMTI, O. 
FOUR 
FREE 
FOR 
FARMERS 
They are four good books on 
cultivation and fertilization. 
We mail them free to any 
farmer who will send his name 
and address. 
Another good friend is 
POTASH 
GERMAN KALI WORKS 
93 Nassau St., New York 
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Exhibition 
stock won’t pet scratched, or their beauty marred 
In PAGE fence enclosures. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE PENCE CO., ADRIAN,MICH. 
SAN JOSE SCALE. 
And other Insects can be Controlled by Using 
Cood’s Caustic Potash Whale- 
Oil Soap No. 3. 
It also prevents Cnr] Leaf. Endorsed by Entomolo- 
ylsta. This Soap Is a Fertilizer as well as Insecticide. 
60-lb. Kegs, *2.50; 100-lb. Kegs. 14.50; Half-Barrel, 
170 lbs., 3J*c. per lb.; Barrel, 425 lbs., 3$4o. Large 
inantltles, Speolal Rates. Bend for Circulars. 
JAMES GOOD. 030 N. Front 8t., Philadelphia, Pa. 
School of Practical Agriculture 
and Horticulture. 
Courses in Fruit Culture, Gardening, Landscape 
Gardening and Farming Begins September 0,1002. 
Open to men and women for training In practical and 
scientific work Catalogue. 
GEO. T. POWELL, Director, 
Brlarcliff Manor, N. Y. 
Have You Chosen 
a Profession? 
□ Men are in demand at good salaries in the pro* 
fession of agriculture. If thoroughly familiar 
with farm work, you are already well started in 
this profession. Study will supply the rest. 
Perhaps it will cost you less than you think. 
Send your address. 
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE, Kingston, L. I. 
MACHINERY 
Best ami cheapest. 
Send for catalogue 
I00MER & BOSCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
118 Went Water St., 
SYRACUSE, Jf. Y. 
PEACH 
BASKETS 
2, 4, G, 8,10,12,14 and 
10 -quart sizes. 
Peach Covers. 
Wooden, Burlap and 
Cotton. 
Berry, Peach and Grape Crates, etc. 
Write for new 1902 Catalogue. 
COLES & COMPANY 
109 & 111 Warren Street, New York. 
Established 1884. 
We Make Carriers for Peaches, Grapes and Plums 
No. 41—The new South Side Patent Nesting Carrier with six four-quart baskets. Car load 2,000 
more or less. Made up ready for use. 
No. 41—The Pauel End Carrier with six four-quart baskets. Car load 2,500, more or less, in K. D. 
No. 18—The nine-quart Peach and Plum Basket, handle and cover, and a raised slat top. 
If interested, send for Illustrated Catalogue and Prices. 
THE SOUTH SIDE MFC. CO., Petersburg, Va. 
r pj nWlNfw M ABF PACY After years of patient effort we have perfected and hold let- 
iLv/YTliHJ llrtUL Lno 1 , ters patent for a device which will prove a greater boon to the 
farmer than any invention of the age. By the use of our trucks which are 
easily attached to any beam plow, new or old. a furrow uniform In width and 
depth can be secured. Mr. Shaffer, of Newtleld, N. V„ writes: "it is remark¬ 
able how easy the truck does away with the hard labor of plowing.” If you 
would profit by the experience of everyone who has used them you would not 
delay a day in ordering a set. Our new trucks are guaranteed perfect in 
construction and operation. Arms malleable iron. Axle chilled steel. 
AGENTS WANTED. Fast seller every where. Big money for workers. No 
charge for territory. WONDER PLOW CO.. 7 Factory St.. St. Clair. Mich. 
$5 a Set 
