1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
119 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Frost and Fruit.—This has been a hard Win¬ 
ter on the bush fruits. I am afraid our Early 
Harvest blackberries have been severely injured. 
That’s bad, for they gave us more profit last year 
than any other single fruit. The Cuthbert rasp¬ 
berries are not seriously injured, but I don’t like 
the looks of the Greggs. Kansas is very hardy. 
I am glad now that we did not prune the bush 
fruits too early. I would rather wait until Jack 
Frost has done his worst, and then know how far 
we must cut back. About this time in the year, 
some folks begin to lose faith in Crimson clover. 
A long, steady freeze,with no snow on the ground, 
shows lots of dead leaves all over the ground, 
and the beginner thinks that Crimson has given 
up. Don’t believe it. The leaves often show 
brown and dead that way, but the root is alive 
yet. The greatest danger will come in March, 
when the frost comes out of the ground and lifts 
the roots. We think it a good plan to broadcast 
the manure lightly over the Crimson clover be¬ 
fore the ground fully thaws out. 
Winter Strawberries—I told last Summer 
what a warm time we had when a grocer sent 
us back a crate of strawberries that we had 
picked with great care. The Madame put most 
of them into preserve, but it was a warm time—a 
season for the men folks to remain thoughtful 
rather than to talk. Since we have begun to pick 
that fruit off the cellar shelves, we have been 
glad the grocer sent it back. It would hurt my 
feelings to pay cash for such preserve, and we 
certainly wouldn’t like to go without it. It’s a 
great help to have such an unlimited supply of 
fruit during the Winter. That’s about what we 
think about eggs, too. 
Starve the Cat —Our old stone house is over¬ 
run with mice. They live in the walls, and come 
out in swarms to steal the food. The cat kept 
them down for a time, but finally she failed to do 
her duty, and the mice increased like smoke. The 
trouble was that the children fed the cat too 
much. She hunted mice for fun and not for food. 
The remedy was to starve her into business. No¬ 
body ever received a cash dividend out of the 
proceeds of fun! An empty stomach turns mouse¬ 
hunting into a matter of self-preservation. That 
is what gets business out of cats, cattle or human 
critters. I might say out of plants, too! We hear 
much about the tubeicles on the roots of cow 
peas and clover. These tubercles or warts show 
that the plant is obtaining nitrogen from the air. 
.1 notice that, on thin, poor soil, these tubercles 
are larger and more prominent than where the 
•soil is rich. I think, therefore, that the cow pea 
is somewhat like our cat. Where there is an 
abundance of nitrogen around it, in the soil , I 
think it will get lazy and take it in rather than 
work it out of the air! That is one reason why 
the cow pea is particularly valuable for use on 
poor, thin soils. By using it in the rotation, 
when the soil is poorest, you will add more nitro¬ 
gen to the farm than by putting it on rich land. 
Making Over Clothes.—The Bud came out last 
Sunday in a little brown dress which could show 
a useful pedigree. For two seasons, the Madame 
used the cloth for a bicycle suit, and before that 
it served as an evening dress. I don’t know what 
it will come to when the Bud is done with it. It 
is about like the progress of a piece of meat 
through our family. From roast, it passes 
through slice, soup, stew and hash until the cat 
gets little of it. In a family where there is some 
one skillful with the needle and shears, it pays 
to buy good cloth. When one garment has served 
its purpose, the cloth is still worth making over 
into something else. Grandmother says that, 
•when she was a girl, most of the dresses were 
made at home. The oldest girls wore them first, 
and then the cloth was ripped out and made over 
for the others. The cloth was so good and the 
work so well done that the clothes always seemed 
neat and fresh. I can remember when some 
smart old lady used to go through the neighbor¬ 
hood from house to house doing this sort of tail, 
oring. It takes a finger with a skilled tip and a 
nimble joint to work the cloth up properly. I call 
it rough on a child to do a clumsy, bungling job 
with the cloth, and then expect the child to wear 
the awkward garment. 
The Egg Business.—Our hens laid 623 egf s in 
January. Last year, our record was 311 eggs. 
We are selling now at 2*4 cents each. At this 
time last year, the hens were dying rapidly, but 
this Winter they are remarkably healthy. This 
has been a hard Winter for them, too, with much 
eold and snow. Our hens are crowded more than 
they should be. We have younger and more vig¬ 
orous stock than last year. For one thing, the 
roosters were better. We are also feeding more 
corn this Winter, and I think this has been a 
good thing through this bad weather. Another 
thing, we are careful to keep them well supplied 
with grit. Out of grit—out of eggs. 
Reading on the Farm,—We know, from ex¬ 
perience, what grand opportunities farm life 
affords for reading and thinking. The long 
Winter evenings and the dull days during the 
scarlet fever siege gave our folks a grand chance 
to read carefully a number of powerful books. 
They practiced the plan of reading aloud—tak¬ 
ing turns at the reading—and thus they were 
able to keep up their work and enjoy books at 
the same time. I think the most appreciative 
book-readers in the country are found on the 
farms. Around the quiet country firesides, people 
have a chance to read slowly and thoughtfully. 
There is less to disturb and divert their minds. 
What a blessing it is to be able to acquire the 
reading habit—early in life. Our children shall 
have it if we can possibly graft it into them. 
Cows and Trees.—During the past few weeks, 
I have been out quite a little among dairymen 
and fruit growers. It is hard to tell whether a 
dairyman loves a good cow more than an or- 
chardist loves a tree. You take a man who has 
spent most of his life watching the growth of 
trees and training and developing them by feed¬ 
ing and pruning! A tree to that man is almost 
as much a friend as a human being would be. A 
great noble tree arouses all that is good within 
him. A neglected tree or orchard makes him feel 
sad. How these men do love an apple tree. That 
represents something to be planned for—built up 
and developed. You care for it in babyhood and 
in its strength it cares for you. It certainly 
ought to give a boy character to grow up with a 
good apple orchard, and feel that he is helping to 
direct its growth. We want our boys to grow up 
that way. _ h. w. c. 
Fish for Small Pond; Peaches. 
G. J. M.,Hyde Park. Mass. —1.1 have a small pond 
fed by sprmgs upon my farm, with an area of 
about 2,500 square feet, which 1 would like to put 
into an ornamental shape by the use of aquatic 
hardy plants, suited to southern Massachusetts. 
Will you favor me with a suggestion regarding 
fish for such a small pond and under the condi¬ 
tions described ? I wish to make the place at¬ 
tractive at a reasonable expense. It may be 
that, in Summer, owing to the usual dry weather, 
the water may be much lower than at present, 
which is about four feet deep. 2. On page 54, H. 
E Van Deman advises a list of peaches for fam¬ 
ily use. In looking over catalogues, I do not find 
these names complete in any one. Which of 
these are early, medium and late, and which free¬ 
stones ? 
Ans. — 1. We have just such a pond at 
the Rural Grounds, and we have tried 
many different kinds of fish, but we 
have not not tried Black bass for the 
reason that we have no way of prevent¬ 
ing them from going over the dam. Up 
to about three years ago, the pond was 
well stocked with sunfish. After that, 
we put a number of pickerel in, and 
since then, the sunfish have notably de¬ 
creased. We also tried a number of Ger¬ 
man carp, but they were not seen after 
being thrown in. We put into the pond 
at one time about 100 perch, but they all 
disappeared, going over the dam as we 
presumed. From our own experience, 
we can, therefore, recommend sunfish 
only. 2. Greensboro : Early, nearly free ; 
Triumph : Extra early, freestone ; Early 
Rivers: Early, freestone; Mountain 
Rose: Rather early, freestone; Cham¬ 
pion : Early, perfect freestone ; Elberta : 
Freestone, early August; Oldmixon Free: 
Season medium or first of August; Sal- 
way : Late, freestone; Heath Cling: 
Season very late. 
Cow Peas for Poor Land. 
T. F. K., Carmel . N. Y.— Can I bring a poor 
piece of sandy soil up to a good state of cultiva¬ 
tion, by sowing Black cow peas? If so, how 
shall I do it ? I have eight acres on a ridge that 
I would like to get seeded down to grass. Barn¬ 
yard manure will bring this lot up, but I can¬ 
not get that, and have heard that cow peas will 
do wonders for the soil. Will May or June do to 
sow the peas here in this latitude? Should I let 
them grow all Summer, and die down on the 
ground, and the following May or June plow 
them under and sow grass seed ? 
Ans. —Yes, the southern cow pea will 
improve that land, though it will not 
alone, in one year, fit it for a good crop 
of grass. That would be asking too 
much In Bergen County, N. J., we sow 
the cow peas about June 1, using five 
pecks per acre broadcast, or about three 
pecks when drilled. We have obtained 
a fair growth when sown alone, even on 
very poor ground ; but the yield is much 
more satisfactory when potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid are used with the peas. We 
let the peas die on the ground, and work 
them under in Spring. Our observation 
is that the pea vines improve the soil by 
adding “ body ” or humus to it quite as 
much as by adding actual fertility. On 
a soil inclined to be sour, we have found 
that lime gives us a better crop of cow 
peas, and also helps with the following 
crops. We advise you to work two crops 
of cow peas into the soil, and then use a 
fair dressing of some fertilizer rich in 
potash and phosphoric acid, before seed¬ 
ing to grass. 
BUY "DIRECT FROM FAOTORY/’ BEST 
MIXED PAINTS 
At WHOLESALE PRICKS, Delivered FEES 
For Houses, Barn*, Roofs, all colors, and S A VB Dealer: 
arofits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Orange 4 Fanners 
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A CUSTOMER WRITES: 
“ I was much gratified a few days ago when renewing the floor slats 
in the stalls of my stable, to find that the planking underneath 
which had been coated with your P & B Paint, prior to the placing 
of the slats, nearly five years ago, was in perfect condition. It is 
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The above is one of many letters received testifying 
to the durability as well as to the acid, alkali and 
waterproof qualities of 
P & B PRESERVATIVE PAINT 
It is of great value for preserving all wood and metal 
however exposed. 
THE STANDARD RAINT COM RA NY, 
Sole Maxcfactdkeks, 
81-83 John Street, New York. 
CABOT’S 
CREOSOTE 
WE BUILDIFARM TRUCKS ONLY. 
TEN 
STYLES. 
It has 6 in. tires, short-turn" 
and tlie patented front wear 
and 5th wheel is very strong 
and especially built to hold 
a load steady on a short turn. 
Stakes pull out and 1 x 16 
ft. flat platform, only 32 in. 
from the ground, rests on tho _ 
bolsters. Our patented wedge made wheels, or steel 
wheels if desired. Tho best Farm Truck made. 
Send for free descriptive circulars. 
FARMER’S HANDY WAGON CO., 
SAGINAW. MICH. 
BUY THE BEST. 
If you want the best low-down wagon you 
should buy the Electric Handy Wagon. It is the 
best because it is made of the best material; the 
best broad tired Electric Wheels; best seasoned 
white hickory axles; all other wood parts of the 
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wood. Well painted in red and varnished. Extra 
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This wagon is guaranteed to carry 4,000 pounds 
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Wheels and Electric Feed Cookers. 
2s£l£HDrive a Nail? 
Anybody that can drive a 
null cun build 
The Chandlee Fence. 
An y kind of wire may be used. 
f Makes the most rigid, strong:* 
... l( _ eat, and most durable fence 
No. 7 H H that can be made of wire. Look at the 
“ Hr ? 11 cut “THAT STAY WILL STAY.’’ 
Steel vlrv jjo twisting, straining or breaking:. The 
secret Is in tho lock which absolutely holds the stay. 
It make* tho cheapest good wire fence known. 
wv WANT AGENTS Reliable and responsible men only, 
We give exclusive territory to right men. Write for 
terms and territory. Sample and Catalogue Free. 
CHANDLEE FENCE CO., 11 S. Howard St., Baltimore, Md. 
It’s a maUh 
for the most 
breechy Bull. 
FENCE PAINT 
Preserves fences, sheds, coops, and all rough wood¬ 
work. Handsome, durable colors, and costs only fifty 
cents per gallon. “Wood treated with Creosote is not 
subject to dry-rot or other decay. "—Cent’v Dictionary 
Sahokl Cabot, Sole Mfr.,81 Kilby,St., Boston, Mass. 
The McFarland Fence Machine, $6. 
Builds fence that beats them all for Cheapness, 
Strength anti Durability; 10 to 18c. a rod. Cir¬ 
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BULL-STRONG 
The ordinary fence is not 
good enough. It takes some¬ 
thing more than ordinary. 
Our Duplex Automutle 
Much I nc makes 100 varieties 
of fence at tho rate of CO rods 
per day. That brings the 
cost of a iirstclassfaimfence 
to only 18c. per rod. 19c. for 
poultry fence; ICe. fora rab¬ 
bit-proof fence—excellent for 
| HORSE-HIGH 
tM nurseries and orchards, and 
12c. fora good hog fence. We 
sell you plain, coiled spring 
and barbed wire direct at 
wholesale prices. Don’t buy 
wire or fencing until you get 
our free catalogue. Wo will 
save you money on all orders. 
KITSELMAN BROW. 
Box 108 , RldgeviUe, lad. 
PIG 
vV . -f _ 
IMPORTANT 
.FEATURE 
> in any wire fence 
g Is thnt of 
ELASTICITY 
You cannot get it in 
a soft lateral wire. 
Look to the size and 
quality o f the up- 
_ rights as well. 
Lamb Wire Fence Co., Adrian, Mich. 
YOU CAN USE 
Coiled Spring, Cable, Barbed 
or Smooth Wire in our 
$10 MACHINE 
And Build the BEST Wire Fence at 
16 to 24 Cents per Rod. 
Agents Wanted. Write for Cataloj 
BOWEN CABLE STAY FENCE CO 
Box 1 Norwalk, 0., U S. A 
Our FENCE MACHINES 
-A ftMake this and many other 
pm styles of Fence. 
Mil PAYS FOR DELIVERING 
A MACHINE AT YOUR 
STATION. We have Lawn Fenc¬ 
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Wire, Ratchets, &c. Full in¬ 
formation for postal. Box m. 
EurekaFence Co, Richmond, In ' 1 
A SINGLE SHOT 
never won a battle. Steady bombardment with 
big guns, little guns and rapid fire pieces counts. 
Wo nave all sorts of ammunition. \V rite for it. 
page WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., ADRIAN, MICH. 
STRONGEST FENCE MADE. 
■a hi—amtar wiijiiiM^iJiAiwsiiuEsa aaarMW 
BULL-STRONG AND CHICKEN-TIGHT. 
Our prices will surprise you for we sell direct to th» 
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COILED SPRINC FENCE CO., 
Box 24. Winchester, Indiana, U. S. A. 
M. M. S. POULTRY FENCING 
Our New Fence Ratchet 
tightens, 
any wire 
,fence. Grips automatically as wire 
Is wound. No holes to bore in posts. 
Attaches at any point between end 
posts. Sample and circular free. 
W. H. MASON & CO., Box 67, LEESBUKG, OHIO. 
FENCING 
K. L. SHELLABERG 
For Poultry, half cost of 
Netting. Also farm, yard, 
cemetery fences. Freight 
paid. Catalogue free. 
L. 8HELLABERGER, 70 F. St., Atlanta, Ga. 
is thoroughly interwoven but has long horizontal wires, 
which classes it as 
A FENGE, NOT A NETTING. 
Like a fence, it can be properly stretched and erected with 
few posts and without top and bottom rails. Has cable selv¬ 
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Each roll contains the famous M. M. S. trade mark. 
None other genuine. 
We are manufacturers also of the following famous fences: 
CABLED FIELD AND HOG FENCE 
with or without lower cable barbed. All horizontal 
lines are cables. 
STEEL WEB PICKET FENCE K 
parks, cemeteries, etc. Steel gates, posts, etc. Everything 
the best or its kind. 
DE KALB FENCE CO., 315 High St., DE KALB, ILL 
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22 
Pat. July 21,1896. Pat. July 6, 1897. 
