67o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 4 
“WHY I TAKE THE RURAL NEW-YORKER.” 
Third Prize Article by Pan. McRae, Texas. 
I am taking The R. N.-Y. because the price I pay 
for it is the best investment I can make for a dollar. 
Each week as I open its pages I feel like I am enter¬ 
ing a live wideawake farmers’ institute, not omitting 
that best of help, the privilege of asking any ques¬ 
tions of this large assemblage of the best talent this 
great agricultural country affords. I read all of its 
departments, not neglecting its advertising columns 
because I am sure to find something for future reflec¬ 
tion, and of much practical value by way of advan¬ 
tage to be gained in some work, or of help in form¬ 
ing some plan. In this I am a large debtor to its 
pages. One suggestion, alone, worked out saved me 
last Winter lam sure not less than $50. Let me say 
that The R. N.-Y. is doing more than any other 
agency to make farming an ideal business and the 
American farm the ideal home of the world. 
Fourth Prize Article by Ed. Ekard, Canada. 
I take The R. N.-Y. because it suits me better than 
any other paper I have yet seen. When I find a bet¬ 
ter one I shall make a change. I like it because I 
find that which I want to know in its columns. If 1 
do not, and ask a question, I immediately get the 
opinions of half a dozen persons who have made a 
specialty of that particular line, and the subject is 
thoroughly discussed. Another good feature is the 
weekly market quotations and fruit prospects from 
all over the country, thereby materially aiding one 
in forming opinions as to the probable price of our 
products. The guaranteed advertisements and the 
fearless exposure of all fakes a d frauds places your 
advertisers on a very high plane, and we do not fear 
to deal with them. The notes from the Rural Grounds 
and tests made there are of great value to me. The 
Hope Farm man tugging away at that old worn-out 
farm gives us an experience that we all appreciate. 
On the whole, The R. N.-Y. comes among us as one 
of the fraternity, and does not soar in the realms ot 
theory. Last, but not least, its moral tone is such 
that we welcome it into our family circle with glad¬ 
ness. 
Fifth Prize Article by Owen ,J. Burley, N. Y. 
Because in these times every person should keep as 
thoroughly posted as possible in his business, and 
especially the farmer. To do this it is necessary to 
take a paper devoted entirely to that business. 
The better I am posted as a hired man the more 
valuable I am to my employer, and consequently 
command better pay. 
I have to take a paper I can get tne most informa¬ 
tion from in the shortest time, and I find no other 
paper with as much solid reading condensed into pc 
small a space as The R. N.-Y. 
Because it makes me better satisned with myself 
and surroundings. 
For the help it is in our own household, as there is 
hardly a week that my wife does not profit by some 
of the things in the household department. And 1 
certainly did justice to the “old-fashioned johnny- 
cake,” mentioned on page 454, this morning. 
FRUIT NOTES FROM ILLINOIS. 
I send sample of Magnet apple, showy and good (see 
Fig. 273). I got this in 1890 from the Michigan Ex¬ 
periment Station, under the name of Stayman’s No. 
1, and also from Mr. Stayman in 1893 under the name 
of Stayman’s Superior. They are the same and are 
what he now calls Magnet. I have eaten Melon, 
Early Joe, Garden Royal, Jonathan, Mother, White 
Pippin, Summer Rose and others supposed to be of 
best quality, and I think this at its best will compare 
favorably in quality with most of them. I have no 
scions to sell or give away, as I think that the man 
who originated so good an apple should reap what 
pecuniary benefit there is from it. Tree is vigorous 
and healthy, but drooping at base; needs a five-foot 
stem and much thinning of limbs. 
The Perkins apple was received from J. B. Watkins 
& Bros., of Virginia, in 1893, in scions, and fruited 
for the first time this year. It originated with Judge 
Perkins, of Cumberland Co., Va., and is one of the 
best apples I have tasted this season. It is above 
medium in size, a clear yellowish white, extremely 
fine and tender, juicy, rich and spicy, mild subacid, 
and should be added to the very short list of “best” 
apples, quality considered. An August apple. Via’s 
Seedling, also listed by the Watkins Bros., but re¬ 
ceived many years ago from the Virginia Experiment 
Station, has given many large crops of full medium¬ 
sized, dark, solid red, showy apples. It is fine in tree 
and one of the heaviest bearers I have. But the fruit 
will only rate as good” in quality, as it is nearly or 
quite sweet and rather negative in flavor. Season 
September here. 
I notice from time to time writers mention that 
the Sutton Beauty promises to take the place of 
Baldwin in the East. Well, the apple is all right, 
no objection to size, appearance or quality, but it 
must bear a hundredfold better in other places than 
here, or it cannot be a market apple. Mine planted 
in 1885 gives only from one to a dozen specimens 
yearly. Yellow Transparent, which figures in a recent 
issue, is here and in many other places in the West 
only an early bearer, not a good one. I have several 
trees 15 years old, but never have seen over a half 
crop yet on any of the trees. Yet, of course, there 
may be places where the showing is better. We do 
not think its quality as good as that of the Early 
Harvest, as it lacks in richness—only a plain simple 
NEW SHIPPING PLUM. Fig. 272. See Rukaxisms, Page 674. 
subacid. Most of the Russians are afflicted in the 
same way—only more so, or acid in the place of sub¬ 
acid. b. 
BISULPHIDE OF CARBON AND A SKUNK 
It was early in the Fall and he got into a small 
cellar under one of the outbuildings. He not only 
got into the cellar, but he got into an empty barrel 
and couldn’t get out, and was discovered by the 
daughter of the household, who was after potatoes for 
dinner. He was not worrying about his misfortune, 
for he had curled up like a kitten and was fast asleep. 
Everybody on the place had peered cautiously over 
the edge of the barrel without waking him up. He 
never moved a hair, and then we formed ourselves 
into a committee on ways and means. I believe the 
skunk to be a useful animal who does more good 
than harm, but he is a nuisance in a cellar, in the 
well, or at close quarters at anytime. Our Madame 
had one unpleasant experience on the backdoor step 
THE MAGNET APPLE. Fig. 273. 
one dark evening. We all remember it yet. Our boy 
finally thought of a pint can of bisulphide of carbon 
on a shelf in the back room closet. It had been pur¬ 
chased to kill woodchucks, being recommended by an 
advertiser, and I think by one or more correspondents 
in The R. N.-Y. I was never sure I killed a wood¬ 
chuck with it, for I never dug out a carcass, and 
though the garden and several holes nearby gave evi¬ 
dence against the varmints, I was in no case sure that 
the woodchuck was at home at the moment when I 
called. Moreover, the holes were invariably dug open 
within a week, whether by some outsider who dug in 
or some convalescent who dug out I never knew, but 
here was a good chance to test the stuff on our 
skunk. A half teacupful was soon poured inside the 
bai rel and an old blanket immediately thrown over 
the top. The skunk was instantly awake and 
scratching desperately, but all was over in 20 sec¬ 
onds, perhaps it wasn’t 10 seconds. It seemed no 
time at all before all was still. Fifteen minutes later 
we brought the barrel up into the open air and cau¬ 
tiously uncovered it. Our skunk was dead and the 
barrel was odorless save for the waning fumes of the 
chemical. 1 have written this thinking it might sug¬ 
gest to some readers that this stuff is handy to have 
in the house. Why Isn’t this a good way to dispose 
of pet animals who have developed bad habits or be¬ 
come sick and infirm? It would seem to be easy, 
cheap, quick and humane. Of course all know it is 
very volatile and must be tightly corked, that it is 
dangerous to human lungs and very inflammable. It 
is sometimes called disulphide of carbon. s. 
Hingham, Mass. 
THE TRIUMPH PEACH IN MAINE. 
I send a peach from a small tree sent to me as a 
premium three years ago. At first I thought I would 
throw it away, knowing so well that peach trees would 
not live in this climate, but finally decided to set it 
in a flower bed south of the house, where it would be 
shielded from our cold north winds. I was surprised 
that it lived and leaved out the next Spring, and 
grew well through the Summer. A year ago this 
Spring it had one blossom down on the body of the 
tree. This Spring, much to my surprise, it was full 
of blossoms, and I had 40 peaches. The one I send to 
you is of the average size; some are larger, but are 
a little over-ripe. The tag on the tree bore the name 
“Triumph.” I send you the peach to ask you if it 
really is the Triumph. Everybody who is interested 
in fruit has gone wild over these peaches, and if they 
are sure of the name will order many trees for next 
Spring. m. h. b. 
Dexter, Me. 
R. N.-Y.—The peach is undoubtedly Triumph—and 
a fine specimen of the variety. The fruit was picked 
September 11, long after our own trees in New Jer¬ 
sey fruited. 
SOME BIG PENNSYLVANIA CORN. 
The picture on our first page shows a McCormick 
corn harvester at work in a Pennsylvania cornfield. 
Robert F. Shannon, of Pittsburg, who owns the corn, 
writes as follows about it. The crop pictured was 
grown in 1899: 
I live in a residence community where an acre is 
worth a small farm; this field is seven acres, and I 
pay $150 rent per annum, and it will sell under the 
hammer for $5,000 per acre. It was used for years 
for cow pasture, until nothing but sorrel was left. 
We spread about 60 loads of cow manure with Kemp 
& Burpee spreader before plowing; before harrowing 
about 50 bushels of fresh ground lime was applied, 
and we planted it in rows far enough apart for the 
corn harvester to handle, dropping seed every 15 
inches, using 300 pounds per acre of good fertilizer. 
The best of the corn was 18 feet high, and the field 
would average 14 feet; cannpt tell how many tons of 
green corn per acre as we cannot get on wagon scale 
and back to cutter in good shape. This year the corn 
is not so heavy; average about 12 feet. We have had 
a wet cold June and July, but my corn, except one 
lot, is good. I feed my land and don’t expect gold 
dollars for 90 cents, and with heavy rent and high- 
priced labor, must get big crops. Each year this 
field is seeded to Winter rye, and my cattle get good 
feeding on it for a while before breaking up for corn 
again. The corn is selected Horse-tooth silage. Our 
silos are 32 feet high (eight feet underground) by 16 
feet in diameter. The soil is a sandy loam. I noted 
a western correspondent can’t get his manure out on 
account of high-priced labor. Tell him to get a Kemp 
& Burpee spreader and he will say It beats hand 
spreading “out of sight,” and cuts a big hole in 
labor expense. 
BLOWER OR CARRIER FOR SILACE. 
The blower is fast taking- the place of the ordinary 
chain carrier so far as feed and silage cutters are con¬ 
cerned. A great many farmers and dairymen are, of 
course, a little skeptical, and they possibly have good 
reason for being so, as a great many blower outfits 
have in the past failed to do their work satisfactorily. 
The elevation of silage by wind is, practically speaking, 
in its infancy, but it has made rapid progress within 
the last few years. The failure of some blower outfits 
to do their work has not in all cases been the fault of 
the outfit, but the lack of sufficient power, and in many 
cases the use of ordinary judgment in their operation. 
working satisfactorily is much better in every way than 
an ordinary chain carrier. These outfits of course re¬ 
quire considerably more power than an outfit with chain 
carrier, and we would advise no one to attempt to 
operate such an outfit unless he has ample power. The 
amount of additional power required varies according 
to conditions. In elevating dry material the amount of 
power required is not greatly in excess of that required 
for an outfit with chain carrier. In elevating green 
silage to the height of the average silo, which varies . 
from 30 to 40 feet, the excess power required will run 
from 50 to 75 per cent. It does not require all this power 
to keep the outfit in motion, but as the successful oper¬ 
ation of any fan regardless of the use to which it is 
put depends upon the steady maintenance of its required 
speed it is advisable, if not absolutely necessary, to 
have considerable reserve power. This is especially true 
in a silage outfit, which is generally crowded to its 
utmost capacity. Another feature with reference to the 
elevation of silage by wind is the fact that the more 
perpendicular the pipe can be set the less liability there 
is of clogging. Where the pipe Is set at a low angle 
particles of the silage will drop to the low side of the 
pipe and the wind will pass over it until finally sufficient 
silage has accumulated entirely to clog the pipe. Where 
the latter is set at a steep angle or entirely perpendic- 
,, e wind pressure Is always directly underneath 
the silage, and It has no chance to clog. 
Massillon, Ohio. w. r. harrison a co. 
