1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
2t 
many very warm friends of The R. N.-Y. The grow¬ 
ing of pigs for making bacon is now the fad which is 
overtopping everything else. <t s. woodward. 
“ THE PASSING OF THE OX.” 
NOW HE IS COMING BACK. 
The Western Steer.— At the meeting of the Con¬ 
necticut Board of Agriculture, R. S Hinman, whose 
subject was Common-sense Farming, commented on 
an article in The R. N.-Y., by Mr. Crandall, on The 
Passing of the Ox. Mr. Crandall contended that the 
ox is crowded out by the horse. It is a well-known 
fact that this crowding out of the ox is due, not to the 
horse, but to the great rush of western beef. It is 
well to reconsider the causes of the decrease. Oxen 
were a powerful factor in the prosperity of many 
farmers until western dressed beef flooded the market. 
Oxen supply a handy, valuable team while growing 
in value. They consume feed that will not keep 
horses. A neighbor has changed old for young with 
a cash difference of $30 or $40 in his favor. Beef has 
advanced, so that many are returning to oxen as a 
means to prosperity, after duly considering their in¬ 
creased value as against the decrease to nothing in 
old horses as well as other causes. 
The Ox Comes Back.—It is claimed that oxen 
are slow, but young ones will do as much at many 
kinds of work as horses, and should not be kept until 
old and slow. If they are not fast enough, give them 
half as much grain as one horse gets, and they will be 
all right. Take into account the intelligence of oxen, 
needing no bits and driving reins. They have often 
been known to hide (if possible) as the time was ap¬ 
proaching for them to work. Within my small 
acquaintance, five of the most progressive farmers 
have returned, or are planning to return, to the well- 
known ox team. It is believed that oxen will be used 
as long as the raising of beef is profitable, and will 
not be crowded out until horse meat is better than 
the delicious ox beef. Years of experience prove that 
hornless cattle are of much better disposition, can 
be stabled loose like a flock of sheep, are more easily 
broken, and are decidedly better in every way for 
oxen. They can back or hold down hill, so that 
many are raising young stock with a view of training 
them for work when they arrive at a proper age. 
New Canaan, Conn. A. b. b. 
THE COST OF FOOTWEAR. 
SHOES FOR HORSES AND HUMANS. 
Cost for Horses. —Several weeks ago, on page 834, 
we stated under Hope Farm Notes, that the cost of 
shoeing one horse for one year averaged $23. This 
statement has called out a number of letters from 
readers who say that the charge for shoeing is exces¬ 
sive. One reader in Connecticut says that he paid 
$8.40 for one horse, $9.25 for the other, in 1897. Last 
year, the charge was $9.10 for one horse, and $9.45 for 
the other. Other readers put the cost of a year’s 
shoeing for horses as low as $4 and $5. Our horses 
are kept shod all the year ’round, and travel on hard 
macadam roads, with heavy loads. One horse is 
heavy, with a slow, ponderous step, and the other has 
naturally bad feet. In order to ascertain the cost of 
shoeing horses in New York City, we have corre¬ 
sponded with a number of men who have charge of 
large numbers of horses. 
Some City Figures. —In the Department of Street 
Cleaning, the commissioner states that the yearly av¬ 
erage cost of keeping a draught horse shod in this 
city is $30 per year. The superintendent of the Belt 
Line of horse cars says that the average horse covers 
about 6,000 miles per year. The average cost of shoe¬ 
ing 1,000 horses used on the horse railroads is $12.50 
to $13 per year. The average cost of shoeing delivery 
express horses is from $21 to $22. The general super¬ 
intendent of the Metropolitan Street Railway Com¬ 
pany says that he has a contract for the shoeing of 
all car horses, the average price being about 23 cents 
per week per horse. The contractor furnishes the 
labor, shoes, nails, tools and fuel. The Company fur¬ 
nishes room for the shoeing and forging. This cheap 
price is explained from the fact that he has a contract 
for shoeing from 6,000 to 8,000 horses. The superin¬ 
tendent of Wells Fargo & Company’s Express says 
that the cost of horse shoeing during the year 1897 
was $18.50 per horse, these figures including labor, 
material, etc. The superintendent of the Adams Ex¬ 
press Company says that the cost for keeping each 
horse shod in New York City was the following : For 
1895, $24.26 ; 1896, $22.85 ; 1897, $21.21; 1898, $22 37. 
It will thus be seen that the shoe bill is quite an item 
where horses travel over hard roads or over city pave¬ 
ments. Of course, this cost is greatly reduced on the 
farm, where frequently the horses may go barefooted, 
and travel much of the time in soft dirt. 
Cost l’or Humans. —At the time these figures re¬ 
garding the cost of horse shoeing were given, we also 
stated that the cost for a man’s footwear was $15 per 
year, and for a woman of average size, about $10. A 
number of readers are confident that this cost is ex¬ 
cessive. One friend in Kansas wrote that his wife’s 
foot gear for the year cost but a little over $4, and 
that his own footwear cost less than $3. When asked 
to give a detailed statement of expenses, he sends the 
following note, although he states distinctly that he 
does not want to become popular publicly like “ Sock¬ 
less Simpson.” 
A KANSAS SHOE BILL. 
The $4 was the average for four years. Here is last year’s 
account: 
January 6, 1898—one pair shoes, medium heavy.. ..$1.00 
January 7, 1898—one pair shoes, medium heavy.... 1.00 
One pair low shoes.50 
One pair rubbers.20 
Arctics.15 
Slippers.05 
Total.$2.90 
Credit to shoes on hand.75 
Total.$2.15 
Neither of us has had a shoe in the repair shop the past year. 
The slippers and arctics I averaged by the number of years used. 
The credit of 75 cents is for shoes so seemingly new my wife in¬ 
sisted they should not be counted at all. By using arctics and 
rubbers riding to church and town, they keep their gloss for a 
long time. Her old shoes are good for several weeks yet. Those 
$1 shoes bought on special sale, in my other account, I put at 
$2.50, the regular price of a good serviceable shoe. I have ex¬ 
perienced what New York State soil will do for shoes, also what 
city sidewalks do for the hurried pedestrian. However, not every 
farmer can equal our account for one reason, that there is Blue 
grass everywhere. 
This question of the cost of footwear is a very 
interesting one. Here is an itemized statement given 
by a woman weighing about 130 pounds, who travels 
mostly on the hard sidewalks of city or country 
towns, for the year 1898 : 
One pair heavy shoes.$4 00 
Two pairs light shoes. 7.00 
One pair rubbers.60 
One pair felt slippers . 1.00 
Mending. 2.05 
It will be evident from this that, with all their ad¬ 
vantages, hard pavements and firm sidewalks are 
expensive. _ 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.] 
Surface Drainage From a Well. 
C. N. R., Canton, Pa .—'The surface water comes into my well 
during heavy showers and wet spells, through the wall, which is 
made of stones with nothing between them. Could I cement it 
from the inside, to keep this out, and how long would water have 
to be kept off the cement ? Could you suggest a better way ? 
Ans. —There is but one satisfactory way of meeting 
this trouble, this is surface drainage. By this, we 
mean drains so made and so deeply as to cut off the 
surface flow, and carry it off from the well. Any 
other device will be unsatisfactory, for the reason 
that cement, while it may keep water in, will never 
keep it out, and it will force its way into the well in 
spite of every device. This generally unsuspected or 
unknown fact is due to the absence of support to the 
cement inside the well, while otherwise, as in a cis¬ 
tern, the ground outside supports the water pressure. 
The drain need not be made any deeper than to divert 
the flow of the surface water; quite possibly, three 
or four feet will be sufficient for this, and if stone is 
easily procurable, we would fill in the drain with it to 
near the surface. 
Apples for Western New York. 
J. H. B., Warsaw, N. Y.— 1. Will you give a description of the 
following varieties of apples, their characteristics, color, time 
of ripening, productiveness, immunity from disease, and state 
which are especially adapted to western New York: Oldenburg, 
Grimes Golden, Jefferis, Hubbardston, Jonathan, Longfleld, and 
Sutton Beauty ? 2. If planting an orchard of 100 trees, what pro¬ 
portion of each variety would you advise using ? Would it be 
advisable to plant these new varieties instead of the standard 
kinds, as Baldwin, Greening, Spy, etc. ? 3. What variety of 
apples will come first into bearing after planting ? 
Ans. — 1 . All of the varieties mentioned are suitable 
to the conditions in western New York, and some of 
them are very old and well known nearly all over the 
country. Oldenburg is of European origin, and is one 
of the very hardiest apples known. The fruit is of 
medium size, is distinctly striped with red, making it 
quite handsome ; of fair quality only, but is excellent 
for cooking and market; it is very productive and not 
very subject to fungous diseases. It ripens in New 
York in August and September. Longfield is one of 
the more recent introductions from Russia, and is one 
of the healthiest in leaf and hardiest in tree. It is 
productive and quite regular in bearing. The fruit is 
rather small, yellow, with a red cheek, and of only 
medium quality. Its season in New York is Fall and 
early Winter. Jefferis is a late Summer and early 
Fall apple there. The tree is of beautiful upright 
habit, very productive and as hardy as ordinary varie¬ 
ties. The fruit is of medium size, regular oblate 
shape and striped with carmine over a yellow ground. 
In quality, none is better and few as good, as the 
flavor is subacid, aromatic and exceedingly pleasant. 
The flesh is crisp and juicy to the last. 
Grimes Golden is the standard of excellence with 
which to compare all apples in point of flavor. The 
tree is of beautiful shape, and bears quite well in 
nearly all sections. The fruit is of medium size, 
roundish, regular shape, golden yellow in color and 
always juicy. The flavor is subacid and of the rich¬ 
est aromatic character. For family use or fancy mar¬ 
ket, it is almost without a rival. Its season is from 
November to Spring in New York. Jonathan is al¬ 
most the same in every respect as Grimes Golden ex¬ 
cept that it is brilliant red and more tart in flavor. 
The two should suit all judges of good apples. Hub¬ 
bardston is another apple of high character, being 
above medium size and of rich subacid flavor. The 
color is a dull red over a yellow ground when fully 
ripe. The tree is a satisfactory bearer, and is much 
esteemed in New York and many other States. Sut¬ 
ton is a new apple that is proving valuable in the 
northeastern States where it has been tested for a 
few years. The tree is a good bearer, and the fruit is 
about the size and color of Baldwin, but the flavor is 
better. It is a pleasant subacid. 
2. While it might be considered risky by some to 
plant these kinds instead of Baldwin, Northern Spy 
and Rhode Island Greening, I would not fear to do so 
in New York or almost anywhere in the apple-grow¬ 
ing sections. 3. It is not always wise to put young 
trees in an old orchard, because it is very difficult to 
make them grow successfully even with the greatest 
care. Besides, very few kinds of apples will bear 
early that are worth planting. Wagener is a red 
Winter apple that is good, but the root system is de¬ 
fective, and that may be the reason it bears so young. 
Missouri is a very good one of this kind for the West, 
but it is not certain that it will be as much of a suc¬ 
cess in the East. It might do to try it. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Agents Selling Artichoke Seed. 
0. E. K., Bristol, N. H. —An agent is selling artichokes for seed. 
I understand him that they were raised by the Vermont Experi¬ 
ment Station from seed imported from France. He claims that 
they are a complete food for horses, taking the place of hay and 
grain, and are very valuable for all live stock, including poultry. 
He says they are very productive. He charges for seed $3 per 
bushel. 
Ans. —We would not advise you to purchase arti¬ 
choke seed. This root has been tried quite extensively 
in the West by stock growers. A few report success 
with it, but the majority, apparently, consider it a 
nuisance. It is almost impossible to get rid of the ar¬ 
tichokes when once planted on the farm. They give 
fair hog food, but it is nonsense to say that they will 
take the place of hay and grain for horses. The price 
for seed is altogether too high, and we would not ad¬ 
vise readers to invest in artichokes except in a very 
small way as an experiment. 
Farmers Selling Raw Tobacco. 
E. T ../., Boonville, Ind. —Is there a law in existence to prohibit 
the farmer from selling tobacco in the leaf to his neighbors ? If 
such a law exists, it surely is an injustice. We raise tobacco in 
our nursery, and find it an excellent preventive of insects. We 
sometimes have more than we use, and sell it to the neighbors, 
but I understand that this law of which I speak, took effect last 
July. 
Ans. —There is no law to prevent, or penalty to 
punish, the producer of tobacco from selling it to his 
neighbor in its raw estate. But the law does provide 
against the purchaser selling it again without first 
paying the license tax. 
Lime and Clover Seed. 
J. E. A'., Newport, R. I. —I see in the Ohio notes in The R. N.-Y., 
that they sow rye, and in the Spring, sow clover. What kind of 
clover is it—Crimson clover ? I have a patch of about an acre 
of rye. Can I sow Crimson clover on it in the Spring ? I never 
have been able to get a catch of Crimson clover here. I sow it 
every year in the corn, but it doesn’t amount to anything. I have 
one little piece about six feet wide and 50 feet long, where we had 
sweet peas. I dug it up last Fall, and sowed Crimson clover and 
oats, and it is coming fine so far; but it is next to a fence and on 
very rich land. 
Ans. —The clover used in Ross County, Ohio, is the 
Red or Medium clover. Very little Crimson clover is 
used in that country. We do not advise you to sow Crim¬ 
son clover in the Spring. This variety is not suited 
to a Summer growth. During the hot weather, it will 
run to head, even when only a few inches high. We 
would advise you to sow Red clover on the rye, though 
from what you say, we doubt whether you will obtain 
a good catch. The chances are that your soil needs 
lime. The Rhode Island Experiment Station, Kings¬ 
ton, R. I., has demonstrated that, in many parts of 
your State, lime is absolutely needed to insure a catch 
of clover seed. In many cases, even with fertilizers 
or manures, clover is an uncertain crop; but when 
lime is used as directed by the Station, the clover 
grows successfully. We advise you to secure the bul¬ 
letins from the Station and study them carefully, as 
the chances are that your soil needs lime. 
