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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October is 
“WHY I TAKE THE RURAL NEW-YORKER.’’ 
Not Directly Interested in Farming. 
I will give you ray reasons for taking The R. N.-Y. 
these many years, while not directly interested in 
farming. Of course we have our metropolitan daily 
papers, hut after looking through their many pages 
with column after column of double-leaded and dis¬ 
play type calling our attention to murders, suicides, 
elopements, prize fights, etc., it is a positive relief to 
turn to a clean paper like Tin. R. N.-Y., that you can 
read from cover to cover with satisfaction. Tt. acts 
like a moral tonic. Again, over 40 years ago l remem¬ 
ber seeing on my grandfather’s desk Moore’s Rural, 
and Greeley’s Weekly Tribune. That is the senti¬ 
mental part of it. 
Financially it has paid me to take and read it Ibis 
way. Twenty-five years ago 1 was in the dry goods 
trade in Missouri. A few sample copies of farm 
papers occasionally came to my desk, and I passed 
them out to my farmer friends. Noticing the satis¬ 
faction with which they were received I subscribed 
for Tin: R. N.-Y. and other papers from the first num¬ 
ber down to the present day. After reading these 
papers 1 passed them out to my farmer customers, 
and I soon noticed as 1 read up along this line that 1 
was getting interested in their affairs, their failures 
and successes. I came in closer touch with them, and 
e asily held their trade. As an advertising medium it 
was the cheapest and best investment I ever made in 
printer’s ink. Later on continued ill-health compelled 
me to quit merchandising. In looking around for a 
safe and conservative investment for my money farm 
mortgages seemed the thing. From the day T take a 
mortgage on a man's farm I regard myself as a silent 
partner in said farm to the amount of my loan, and 
am as much interested in making the farm pay as its 
owner. If l find he is taking no farm paper 1 see that 
lie gets that kind of reading every week. There come 
to me now regularly nine publications. These are 
looked over carefully and when I see an article espe¬ 
cially applicable to a certain party, 1 use my blue pen¬ 
cil on it to call the attention of the man receiving it. 
In this way I find I am taking an interest in the suc¬ 
cess of these people with whom I am doing business. 
My town lot consists of one acre of ground, and I use 
it as an experiment garden. Quite a number of my 
neighbors are retired farmers, passing their last years 
in town. They tell me I am farming this lot for mv 
own amusement and the amazement of the whole 
neighborhood. On account of the confidence game the 
boomers and introducers of fine (?) fruits have played 
on me, T have had to dig up many a tree and vine 
after the first crop. I can say that of the many agri¬ 
cultural papers that come to my desk Tiif, R. N.-Y. 
is easily the leader. w. r.. Thompson. 
Illinois. 
DEFECTS IN RURAL MAIL DELIVERY. 
Chautauqua County has been covered by a complete 
system of rural mail routes, which were laid out by 
agents of the Postoffice Department, and are called 
perfect by the Department. Many of the small offices 
are or will be discontinued as a result of these routes. 
There is some dissatisfaction with the routes as laid 
out The agents of the Department, while professing 
to desire a service to please all, and requesting that 
the people meet them and explain their desires, were 
at all times very arbitrary and finally did as they 
chose. They evidently thought that the farmer—poo. 
ignorant fellow—ought to be so thankful to get his 
mail every day that he would be pleased with any 
service, even if it came from a village from five to six 
miles distant and to which he seldom went. It seems 
absurd to me that 1 should head my letters witli the 
name of a village four miles distant when there is a 
fourth-class postoffice 2 V> miles away having the same 
railroad facilities, and a “cross roads” station which 
has done more than $1 4,000 worth of freight business 
in a year. It certainly makes a difference in the mar¬ 
kets where our grapes and small fruits are shipped 
whether our letters are headed with the name of our 
home town or with the name of one which is un¬ 
known in the fruit business. It makes a difference 
to us if we are obliged to drive eight miles to mail an 
answer to an important letter instead of five miles as 
formerly. You know that there is occasionally i 
farmer who has to answer a letter the day it is re¬ 
ceived, and for such the old system was much the bet¬ 
ter. I find no fault with the carriers; their lot is hard 
enough. But I maintain that it is not right to divide 
the territory formerly served from a fourth-class 
office between three towns, and thereby work a posi¬ 
tive injury to the citizens of that “favored” section. 
Much is said about the R. F. D. service being nearly 
self-sustaining, but let us remember that the Postofficc 
Department was not self-sustaining before the rural 
delivery system was begun, and that no one mentioned 
that the deficiency' had to be made up, and that the 
farmer was unjustly taxed for benefits he did not re¬ 
ceive. The people pay the deficiency every time. It 
will hurt no one if a deficiency should occur as a re¬ 
sult of retaining fourth-class postoffices, and operating 
R. F. D. routes from them, when such a course will 
best serve the patrons of those offices. I have not 
mentioned the catalogue business, as I consider that 
a separate matter, and the natural outcome of the de¬ 
partment stores. I believe in rural life and in a R. 
F. 1). service which shall best serve the interests of 
our rural population. -l t. \r. 
Dunkirk. N. Y. 
THE HITCHINGS APPLE ORCHARD. 
WHAT DOES THE MULCHING ACCOMPLISH? 
Bacterial Hired Men Under Ground. 
A FAIR DISCUSSION OF ALL SIDES. 
Part IV. 
Mr. Ditchings planted, this Spring, 1,000 peach trees 
with alternate rows root-pruned as Mr. Stringfcllow 
advocates. These trees were set on strong soil in a 
situation lower and far more level than that of t.lm 
apple orchard. Nearly all the trees are now alive, and 
have made a good growth. The few dead ones are 
about evenly distributed between pruned roots and 
long roots. The roots of the Stringfcllow trees were 
cut back to mere stubs, and the tops cut back to about 
two feet. Small holes were made with a spade, the 
little stick inserted and the soil packed hard aroun 1 
the root. To show how rapidly such work can be 
done, Mr. Ditchings says that he and one other man 
planted 700 of these trees in one day. The trees were 
Let him that, thinketli lie standeth take heed lest 
lie fall r—The Ram’s Horn. 
not manured or fertilized but the grass was cut and 
piled around them. It was like putting a good-sized 
cock of hay around each tree. A careful study of the 
trees in early September showed that the Stringfellow 
trees were, on the whole, slightly smaller than the 
others. While some of the root-pruned trees were 
larger than many of the others, 1 think the general 
average would be a little under size. On the other 
hand it was quite evident that the root-pruned trees 
are heading out lower than the others. This was so 
noticeable that 1 think one who knew nothing about 
the experiment would decide at once that something 
had changed the habit of growth on alternate rows. 
My own experience has been that the root-pruned 
trees are quite sure to head very low. I have known 
cases of higher heading, but in the great majority the 
bead is formed close to the ground. Whether this is 
any advantage or not depends upon what the grower 
wants to do with the trees. 1 was much surprised at 
the growth these trees have made. My own trees 
grew very slowly the first, year—and were consider¬ 
ably behind those set with long roots and cultivated. 
The second year they made a good start and have 
gained on the others. I planted little June buds, 
while Mr. Ditchings planted strong two-year-old 
trees. Some of my two-year-olds are now about as 
large as his, while others are much smaller. The dif¬ 
ference is partly due to the variety and largely to the 
difference in soil. Mr. Ditchings has his trees on rich 
soil where there is an abundance of grass for mulch¬ 
ing, while mine are in a poor sterile field, covered 
with brush and weeds—with no grass. I expected to 
kill them by abuse or hard conditions, yet most of 
them grew, and 1 am now beginning to force them. 
Mr. Ditchings gave his trees good < are from the 
start. It remain? to be seen whether the root-pruned 
trees will, when they fruit, possess any advantage 
over ihe others. Fruit growers do not care to risk 
their money on what people think. It has certainly 
been demonstrated that the short-rooted trees will 
grow when given a fair chance. Will they grow any 
better than others? That is the question which these 
trees must answer. If they wall not there is no sense 
in trying to upset a svsteri v-hieh has been practiced 
for years with the endorsement of leading practical 
and scientific growers! Time tells everything—even 
the merits of a tree. 
I have been told that this “mulch method” is such 
an old and worn-out thing that it. does not deserve 
tiie space given it. I do not think that is a wise 
view to take. Here and there growers are coming 
forward with fruit “grown in grass” which both takes 
prizes and pays mortgages. At every fruit meeting 
r attend I find men who are unable for one reason or 
another to cultivate as the authorities recommend. It 
seems to me far better to analyze the matter and sei 
just, what “mulching” is before we either condemn if 
or accept it as a wise practice. It has thus far paid 
Mr. Ditchings as well as cultivation has paid some of 
his critics, but that does not prove that it will pay 
every man to let the grass grow 7 in his orchards. We 
have come to the point in fruit growing now when 
general rules must be picked apart and made over to 
suit each particular case. H. w. e. 
SILK GROWING IN AMERICA. 
S' vorul bulletins issued by the North Carolina Kxp< ri- 
ment Station have advocated the culture of silk in ;i 
small way. We had no idea that any quantity of silk 
had really been produced until Prof. McCarthy, of the 
Station, announced that a manufacturer stood ready to 
buy all tin: cocoons grown in North Carolina at a fail- 
price. In reply to ciiiestions, Prof. McCarthy makes this 
statement about the industry: 
Our silk, experiment this year was carried ou by 
about 100 persons—mostly wives and daughters of 
white farmers. The result lias been very satisfactory 
and has far exceeded our hopes. The work was found 
very easy, interesting and pleasant; quite a lot of 
silk was produced, though we did not look for much 
or any that could be sold, on account of the inevitable 
crudeness of a first, attempt. We have sold all thai 
was offered at a good price, and look for a great ex¬ 
pansion in this industry. We think we have learned 
how (o avoid previous errors, and how to secure an 
abundant demand for all the good silk we can pro¬ 
duce, at prices which will pay women and children to 
give the necessary attention to feeding silk worms 
during the six weeks of their active life. We do not 
advise any peonle to make silk growing their prin- 
•ipal support. It is work suitable only for spare time, 
and for the feebler members of the family whose time 
•ommonly has no money value. Those families which 
earn $30 or so each year by such means will be able 
to enjoy comforts which in the long run will make 
' their lives more complete and satisfactory. Sill: 
growing should have a place on all American farms 
in regions where the mulberry or peach tree thrives, 
which includes at least, three-fifths of the entire 
United States! 
A VIRGINIA FARM AND ITS BARN. 
The picture at Fig. 286 shows my barn with tli 
pigpens in foreground. In the left end of shed exten¬ 
sion I have a manure pit, while on the extreme right 
is my henhouse. The story above is filled with straw. 
Being a city farmer my idea three years ago was to 
get my 60 acres down to grass, partly because the land 
was poor, and also to secure a profitable and perma¬ 
nent crop with the. expenditure of very little labor. 
Labor is scarce in tin's section. My catch of gras^ 
was good, and I now have 40 acres of meadow and 1" 
acres of Kentucky Blue grass. The mixture 1 use w. 
composed of Orchard grass, Italian rye grass, Meadow 
fescue, Red-top, Meadow foxtail, etc. A good meadow 
composed of these permanent grasses will last a long 
time with proper care and occasional top-dressing, as 
tests have shown. Two crops of hay can he it dur¬ 
ing a favorable season or if cut but once al '.dan' 
pasture is afforded till very late. My grass was r own 
in Fall by hand, following the wheat drill, a: l a er- 
wards lightly harrowed and rolled. Last Fall I sow- d 
eight acres to grass alone, sowing same fvay as with 
wheat, and have a fair stand, which would have been 
much better had it rained in Fail, as some of the seed 
failed to germinate owing to dry weather. My gar¬ 
den of one acre is a source of much pleasure and 
profit, and it is hard to understand why some people 
take so little interest in a flower and vegetable gar¬ 
den. Altogether I am well satisfied with my experi¬ 
ment, and believe that country life is the natural 
mode of living; be it for health, an independent liveli¬ 
hood, or the pursuit of happiness. «• »• ' • 
Round Hill, Ya. 
