1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
867 
Hope Farm Notes 
The Storm.— The week ending December 
H was a fierce one at this end of the 
country. Storm after storm with bitter 
cold came down upon us. The city was a 
glare of ice and flying snow. Then we saw 
the comfortable side of flat life. No plow¬ 
ing through the snow to do the chores. 
No starting fires in the morning, or frozen 
water pipes or digging paths. The steam 
pipes kept the house comfortable, and if 
you cared to do so you could stay in the 
house for a week and let others bring what 
you could pay for! That is about what 
living in New York means—a matter of 
getting hold of the “price.” Those who 
tciled to earn this price put up more than 
their share of suffering—there can be no 
doubt about that. There was a loud and 
just outcry from those who demanded coal, 
but few thought of the hard struggle of 
the men and horses who tried to deliver it. 
The coal was frozen solid in cars and boats, 
and had to be mined again with pick and 
sledge before it could be loaded into 
wagons. It required four great horses to 
haul little more than half the usual load 
up the hill on our street. Again and again 
horses would fall exhausted in the snow. 
I helped lift one old horse that had fallen 
on the ice. He had been hauling a ped¬ 
dler’s wagon. We got the poor old fellow 
on his feet and he looked so much like old 
Major that I was startled. No faithful old 
horse of mine shall ever end his days in 
such service as that. Far better a bullet 
in his head. I Saw one old mule that 
preached a good sermon as he lay sprawled 
on the ice. Horses around him plunged 
and struggled and tried to get up—only ex¬ 
hausting and bruising themselves. This 
old mule just stretched out his legs and 
neck as if to say: “Now, gentlemen, it’s up 
to you! I got down here while attempting 
to serve you, and it’s your business to get 
mo on my feet again. This bed is a little 
cold, I admit, but I will proceed to rest 
here until you do your duty.” 
The men unbuckled the harness, pushed 
the wagon back and put a horse blanket 
under the mule’s feet. He rolled one eye 
around to see that the blanket was ready, 
put his feet on it and hopped up with little 
sttuggle. Did you say that a mule is 
stupid? That one showed more sense than 
all the horses and half the humans I saw 
that day. The Madame didn’t like the 
storm, and kept indoors, but the children 
ran out into it like snow birds. At about 
the end of the blizzard the little Bud and 
I went out to the farm to see what the 
snow was hiding there. 
The Farm.— The boys had things warm 
and tight. The drifts were deep where the 
wind whirled over the fields, but that did 
no harm. Under the mulch, around the 
roots of the Fall-set trees the ground was 
still open The strawberries had not been 
mulched, for this snow whirled in upon us 
all out of season The snow is as good a 
fruit mulch as we can get. Before it all 
melts we will have the manure on, and no 
harm will be done. If we had been able 
to plan this storm we would have put it 
off about three weeks, but here it is and we 
make the best of it.Our stock is 
looking well. The cows are now mostly 
dry. It will not cost much to winter them, 
arid in the Spring, when they are fresh, I 
expect to sell all but the old mother cow 
and her best daughter. 
Sell cows when dairying is promising? 
Why? 
One- reason is that they sell to better ad¬ 
vantage now than they may next year. 
After careful figuring I have become con¬ 
vinced that, as we are situated, the pigs 
pay better than the cows. I am working 
the farm into fruit as rapidly as seems 
wise. The farm is long and narrow, and 
poorly adapted to cutting up into pastures. 
The field we have used for pasturing can 
be drained and fitted for strawberries or 
onions so as to produce live times the value 
that cows can get out of it. Pasturing 
cows in orchards is wrong farming. 
Cut soiling crops add feed them? 
That is good practice when dairying Is 
tile chief business on the farm. I do not 
find it advisable when you have only a 
small herd and raise crops which must 
be carefully tended. Either the cows or 
the crops will be neglected. I expect, 
therefore, to sell the cows while prices are 
high and keep the pigs, which I consider 
better side partners of the fruit grower. 
Why do you say that? 
Because they have told me so and I 
would sooner believe a pig when he talks 
in figures which "prove” than a man who 
talks in figures of speech which prove that 
his imagination is good. If a farmer will 
put a fair valuation on his own time he 
will find that a good sow will give him 
about as large a yearly profit as the aver¬ 
age cow. I find it easier to secure a first- 
class sow than it is to breed or buy a 
first-class cow. On a fruit farm there are 
many wastes—the pig handles them better 
than the cow. The cost for fencing is less 
and the pig will get greater value out of 
a clover or grass field than the cow can. 
Given water, pasture and shelter, the pig 
takes care of himself. As for the sow the 
mouth of the little pig beats the hired 
man’s hand all to pieces at milking. These 
little fellows have a system of “after milk¬ 
ing” which beats our scientific friends at 
a walk. The cow is all right where her 
care and handling form the chief business 
of the farm. As a partner in general or 
fruit farming 1 have found that the pig 
pays better. 
We are selling considerable pork this 
Winter. Most of it goes to the local 
butcher, but there is some demand from 
private families. Last week we sold one 
carcass, dressing about CO pounds, at 15 
cents a pound. This seems like a fearful 
price, but the customer was glad to get it, 
for at the present retail prices of meat 
he came out ahead by working up the lard, 
sausage and head cheese. During the Sum¬ 
mer I offered the same pig to this party for 
$3. We have now about 25 young pigs, and 
are fattening four sows which fell below 
the standard as breeders. 
How are you wintering those cows? 
On sugar beets, shredded fodder and a 
little wheat bran. The cows are very fond 
of the sugar beets—I have never known 
stock to be so crazy for roots. We chop 
then 1 up and feed about 15 pounds per day. 
The dry cows have little beside the beets 
and the fodder, with enough linseed or 
bran to keep them in good condition. The 
milking cows have more bran. They have 
gained in their milk yield since we began 
feeding the beets. The pits of turnips have 
not yet been opened, as we want to finish 
feeding the beets first. 
1 regret to say that a good share of our 
fine crop of squashes went wrong. I be¬ 
lieve we left them too long in the field, 
and that they were bitten by a frost which 
I thought was too young to have teeth. 
Many of them had to go for hog feed—but 
there is where my friend the pig comes in. 
If our human customers are denied the 
privilege of eating squash pie piggy 
doesn’t grieve—he has a good time making 
pork. 
Wanted—A Trust? Man!—I print the 
following letter just as it came to me. If 
any reader thinks his picture and char¬ 
acter have been sketched in this man's 
statement of his needs and desires I will 
give him a chance to write and make his 
wants known: 
“When a young man I used to visit farms, 
and was so impressed with the quiet peace¬ 
ful life and the fact that nearly all eatable 
fo •d was grown under your own eye, that 
1 always wanted a farm. Three years ago 
I indulged in a 20-acre farm in New Jersey, 
five miles from Philadelphia. I spent a lot 
of money fixing up place, barn, barn¬ 
yard, piping water all over the place, wind¬ 
mill, etc., and also a lot (foolishly) on the 
advice of some so-called farmers and 
truckers whom I hired to grow vegetables 
for myself and family and hired hands, but 
I soon found out that every basket of 
vegetables raised cost me—shall I say $1 
each? I don’t believe that I am exaggerat¬ 
ing at all. So I stopped and stood still for 
a year. Last Spring again I hired another 
trucker—same result. When I went away 
in the morning he and the man helping 
him would quit; go to sleep in the barn or 
in his tenant house. He would steal milk, 
eggs, chickens, etc. Then a man who owed 
me some money sent me some cows in pay¬ 
ment thereof. I hunted up a party who will 
give me five cents per quart the year 
around for my milk. I can sell direct to 
hotels in Philadelphia every dollar’s worth 
of truck or produce that can be raised on 
this farm. Is it possible for me to get a 
man either on shares or salary who would 
come and build himself and place up to¬ 
gether? One who can grow early and late 
vegetables, scullions, salad, parsley, car¬ 
rots, beets, spinach, etc.; tomatoes, sweet 
poiatoes and the coarser vegetables, cows, 
hay and silage for these, and run the thing 
successfully? I have horses—all imple¬ 
ments-wagons; can get good trade at 
highest prices. I also have as a side issue, 
attended by another man, 100 pigs from 
which I sell breeding pigs. I haul broom 
corn waste from the broom factories of 
Philadelphia, and by bedding these and our 
cows and horses we make 750 cartloads of 
manure per year. I want a man whom I 
can trust to manage these on the lines of 
a successful business. As yet I have not 
teen able to find him. Do you know of 
such?” 
Now, there ought to be capable and 
he nest men to fill such a position and part¬ 
ly fil! their pocketbooks at the same time! 
Where are they? I do not know one at 
this moment. Possibly some man who Is 
m.w struggling to make his own farm pay 
could manage this one, and with the same 
effort which now barely keeps him afloat 
make a fair success. If there is any such 
man, where does he live? I have tried 
hard before now to fit men into such places 
but, I regret to say, with little success. 
Both master and man seem to expect too 
much from the contract. The master may 
be a. successful business man in town, but 
strange to say he fails to grasp the busi¬ 
ness principles of farming. He doesn’t 
realize the difference between handling 
dead things in the city and living things in 
the country. He often becomes Impatient 
before a careful man can possibly work 
out his plan, and holds back the capital 
required just at the time It is most needed. 
The man on the other hand gets an idea 
tha t the “boss” has money to burn, and 
that little savings and economies that 
would be absolutely necessary were he 
working for himself need not be carried 
out with the money coming easily. In 
theory this form of cooperation between 
the land owner and the skilled farmer is 
Ideal. It ought to be worked out In thou¬ 
sands of places, but I doubt if it has yet 
been found satisfactory. Now, will some 
man please stand up and prove that I am 
wrong? Who has done it, or who wants 
to try it? _ h. w. c. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
K. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee 8th page. 
A BREATHING SPELL. 
If the consumptive could 
only keep from getting worse 
it would be some encourage¬ 
ment. 
Scott’s Emulsion at least 
<nves tired nature a breathing; 
o o 
spell. The nourishment and 
strength obtained from Scott’s 
Emulsion are a great relief to 
the exhausted system. 
This treatment alone often 
enables the consumptive to 
gather force enough to throw 
off the disease altogether. 
Scott’s Emulsion brings 
strength to the lungs and flesh 
to the body. 
Send for Free S ample. 
SCOTT & BOWNE. Chemists, 409 Pearl St., N. Y. 
Sharpen your own Horse. 
THE BUZZARD 
the greatest of all 
HORSE ICE CALKS 
Agents Wanted. Address, 
S.W. KENT.Cazenovia.N.Y. 
Cider Machinery.—Send for catalogue to Boomer & 
Boschert Press Co.. 118 West Water St..Syracuse,N.Y. 
5 
% 
Per Annum 
on Your Savings 
GUARANTEED 
DEPOSITS may be made or withdrawn at any 
” time and bear earnings for every day invested. 
Payable quarterly by check. Our operations are 
confined to strictly high-grade, gilt-edged real- 
estate securities. Our business is non-speculatlvo 
and regularly inspected by and under absolute 
supervision of State Banking Department. 
Write at once for fail particulars and indorsements 
of prominent clergymen and professional men. 
Paid In Capital Assets Surplus 
1,000,000 181,600,000 18185,000 
Industrial Savings and Loan Co., 
1134 Broadway, New York. 
The most convenient and economic¬ 
al tool ever invented. Any man can 
pay for the forge many times over 
each year by doing his own repairing. 
Our Wheel burrows with high steel wheels, 
made strongand well at surprisingly low prices. 
tiuHollne KnglncH.Shiilting,Feed Mills 
and all kinds of power machinery for the farm 
at wholesale prices. Get our catalogue. Sent 
anywhere for one two cent stamp, 
ft will enable you to save many 
dollars on purchases. 
V]| , C. A. S. Forge Works, 
S Wiki, Sa.ra.rvac, Mich. 
r rt, i • 
3 *«W Mr 
c y, FWOE vo«mJ XJntll March 31, 
I **?*$**!<.» 1003, vr« offer th 0 following bargain; 
nrT ” Ono Forge ooniploto,ready for use,$4.26. 
Prlco of ono Forgo complete, one anvil 
and vino combined and pair of tongi 
$«.00. Write to-day sending stamp for 
book on farm forges and farm machin¬ 
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f]$3. 
-1 WftaV a •* Inch W.qonTlrc, 
^ Wi/f Last a Lire L/^e. 
College 
Education 
At Home. 
Our Intercollegiate depart- 
ment ofFers courses by mail 
in the Ancient ami Modern 
Languages, Literature, History, 
Mathematics and Sciences. 
Students under direct personal 
charge of professors in Harvard, 
Yale, Cornell and leading col¬ 
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Full Normal and Commercial 
departments. Tuition nominal. 
Text books free to our students. 
Catalog and particulars fret* 
Write to-day. 
HOME CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL, 
Mass- 
ICE 
in the summer is as important 
ua fuel is in the winter, and no 
Dairyman, Farmer, Hotel man 
ran aiford to be without a supply. 
To harvest fire quick, easy and with econ¬ 
omy buy a BORSCH A 1.1. STEM, lioVm.E 
ROW ICE PLOW. Marks and cuts two rows at a 
time, cuts any size cake and any depth. Pays for itself 
in two days. Get our catalogue and introductory prices. 
John lforsch A Hons, iiZtl Wells St. Milwaukee, WIs. 
WOOD’S 
TWIN 
CUT 
ICE PLOW 
Inst ft life time; adjustable 
in width and depth. Edition 
H8 catalog(6bpages,)and book 
on Harvesting Ice, sent free. 
Stock* carried in all large cities. 
Wrn. T. Wood & Co. 
Arlington, Mass. 
Practical, rapid,u saver 
of time 
and 
money. 
ICE PLOWS 
181 6.50. Also ico tools. 
Write for discounts. 
H. I’KAY,No.Clovo, N.Y. 
have 
At Every Step 
A turn of the crank. You 
measured, exact sow- 
ith the improved 
AHOON 
Br S!st Seeder- 
All grains au<l graces. Save* 1-3 of 
eeed, 4-5 of your time. 
Seed Sower’s Book, 
just published, tells what, 
when, how much and how 
to sow. Free. Write for it. 
MAIN ST. ANTRIM, N. H. 
BARNS 
—How to build. Send stamp 
for book. FRANK BRYAN. 
1297 Hamlet St., Columbus,0 
A DOT'S SHEATHING QUILT 
C *. 
insures warm, comfortable houses and 
barns. Gives six times the protection of 
ordinary building papers. Non-inflammable, non¬ 
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SAMUEL CABOT, Sole Mir., 81 Kilby St., Boston, Mass. 
NO PAINTING REQUIRED A»ptsr IS3? 
Booting. Can 
bo easily »!ald 
as thowork 
only consists Of 
nailing and co¬ 
in ontlng the 
joints. Samples, prices & bookletgiving instructions 
ASHHALT READY ROOFING 10. for laying sent 
130 Witter St., New York. frie Postpaid. 
SKUNKS 
and allother Paw Furs; also Cable and Horse Hides 
whipped to un will bring the Farmer and Trapper 10 to 60% 
more than I f Hold at home. Wo want every Farmer, Trader, 
Trapper and Buyer In 1 lie U.8. and Canada to whip IiIh Raw 
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cash returns guaranteed. Wrltoforour price list, whipping 
tags, Game Laws, etc. ANDERSCH BROS., 
!>ppt. Main st., Minneapoli9 1 MInn , 
is the first expression of surprise by a new user of Dietz Lanterns. He 
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As Light as Bay 
