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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
263 
HOPE FARM MOTES. 
Poor Blossom.—The Hist break in the circle o f 
Hope Farm folks occurred last week, when Blos¬ 
som ran into a wire-netting fence, and broke her 
neck. Blossom was a heifer—the daughter of 
our old cow. Her sire was one of the best Jer¬ 
seys anywhere within reach of us, and we had 
every reason to expect a great future for her. 
She was nearly eight months old—large for her 
age. On warm, pleasant days, which have been 
like angels’ visits this season, Blossom was 
turned out for exercise in a large chicken yard 
which is inclosed by an ordinary wire-netting 
fence five feet high. The heifer # was on good 
terms with all the hens, and they barely winked 
when she kicked up her heels and dashed about 
the yard. Last week, she either could not see the 
fence or else could not stop in time. At any rate, 
she ran head first into the fence, and broke her 
neck short off. She was dead before the boys 
could get to her. There was an end of poor little 
Blossom, and it was a sad day in the history of 
Hope Farm. 
Death of Stock.—My experience has been 
that, even with the best of care, one must ex¬ 
pect to lose a fair per cent of farm animals. To 
hear some of our poultry experts talk, one would 
think that it is as easy as eating pie to raise 
about 125 per cent of the chicks that are hatched. 
We do not find it so. Take the average 100 eggs 
that are put under hens or into incubators, and 
I doubt whether 10 good pullets are brought to 
laying age. The poultry people carefully avoid 
this side of the business, but it is the most im¬ 
portant side after all. With calves, lambs and 
little pigs there is always danger from death and 
disease. Two years ago we lost a little colt by 
accident. It is discouraging to lose these little 
animals when you have learned to love them and 
look forward with so much interest to their fu¬ 
ture. These little things are working out prob¬ 
lems in breeding or feeding or training that mean 
much to us, both as matters of profit and study. 
A Good Calf.—Our little Blossom meant a 
good deal to us. Her dam is quite a remarkable 
cow, but she Is getting old, and we calculated to 
have Blossom step into her place in about two 
years. The old cow is about our model for a 
dairy animal, and our plan was to try to get to¬ 
gether a small but very choice dairy herd of the 
old cow’s daughters and granddaughters. Blos¬ 
som had her dam’s shape and the darker color 
of her sire, and we were as interested in her de¬ 
velopment as we could have been in a book. 
Then again she had been fed in a peculiar way. 
The little human calves inside the house make 
good use of the skim-milk, and Blossom had very 
little of it. She had no roughage but sweet-corn 
stalks and oat hay, and no grain but oats and 
. bran. I do not find that any of our animals are 
specially fond of bran. They eat it best when 
mixed with oats or corn meal. Some of our good 
friends will be shocked, no doubt, when I say 
that, for months, Blossom drank the warm dish¬ 
water, with a little oatmeal in it, as a substitute 
for skim-milk. This dishwater gave about the 
same analysis as ordinary skim-milk, and the 
calf was larger than the average and in perfect 
condition. Now, understand, I am not advocat¬ 
ing dishwater for calf food. I am telling just 
what that calf had. I claimed that Blossom 
would, as a cow, go hunting after stagnant wa¬ 
ter or filth as a result of the dishwater diet. 
Other good dairymen said No; that “ good clean 
dishwater” wouldn’t hurt her. These feeding 
problems were of great interest to me, but the 
wire fence ended them. Peace to poor Blossom! 
She left only sad hearts and fond regrets behind 
her. That is more than one can say of some hu¬ 
man beings! 
Overfeeding.—The mice are putting up a good 
fight against us in the old house. They were too 
many for the cat, and so we got a big wire trap 
to reenforce her. This acted like artillery, and 
within six hours after setting it, there were four 
live mice in it. Then our folks did a poor thing. 
They fed these mice to the cat! Kitty had al¬ 
ready eaten so much mouse steak that she would 
not watch at a hole, and this extra supply made 
her a sure-enough loafer. She curled up by the 
fire and went to sleep. What in the world was 
the use for her to hunt mice when that wire trap 
would do it for her I It was a development of in¬ 
dustry that suited her to a T—agreeable food 
without labor. Hunt and hunger were separated. 
Men and Plants.—We may smile at the cat, 
but many of us would act in the same way if we 
had the chance! Let some one come along with 
a trap that would catch a good living for us, and 
we would be like that cat within a year! Plants 
are built that way, too. We use cow peas and 
Crimson clover to steal nitrogen out of the air. 
We feed potash and phosphoric acid to them 
about as we feed grain to the pigs—to get a 
larger growth and more pork. It would be folly 
for us to haul out our manure on the clover, or to 
put fertilizer rich in nitrogen on the cow peas. 
If we did, these plants would act like the cat 
with the trapped mice. What would be the use 
of their hustling the air for nitrogen when we 
had put it in the soil all ready for them ? Like 
the cat, they would quit hunting, sit still, and eat 
what was set before them. That would be poor 
farming for us. Put the manure and nitrogen on 
the crops that cannot hunt for it—like corn and 
potatoes. Feed the mice to the dog, pig, or hens. 
Fingers on Springs.—We have our tools all 
overhauled and ready, but the ground is still too 
cold to work. We plan to plant 10 or 12 acres of 
potatoes this year, which is an ambitious plan 
for us on our weedy farm. Two years of clover 
and cow peas have given the soil fair character, 
but the weeds are in ambush for us. But for the 
weeder, I would not undertake it. Hand hoeing 
Would cost too much. Our experience last year 
convinced U3that a weeder used at the right time 
is worth two hired men with hoes. A man must 
learn how to handle a weeder just as he must 
study any other tool. Hundreds of men do not 
know how to handle a hoe or a pitchfork—to say 
nothing of a spade. The first time we used the 
weeder on potatoes, I certainly thought we had 
ruined the crop by scratching half of it up. Not 
a bit of it! The trouble was we didn’t use it half 
enough. We shall keep it moving this year I can 
tell you. Without it I wouldn’t dare to start such 
a potato crop. A weeder may well be called 
“ fingers on springs.” From the days of Adam no 
better weed puller has been invented than the 
human finger and thumb. The weeder provides 
the fingers and the man who holds and guides 
it provides the thumb. Both are necessary. The 
thumb must contain brains. 
The Potato Crop.—Seed potatoes are high and 
going higher. The season is so late, too, that it 
will be a tricky crop for most of us. For early 
varieties, we have secured June Bating, Karly 
Norther, Thoroughbred and New Queen. More 
than half the crop will be June Bating, which 
has given us good satisfaction for the past two 
years. For late crop, we shall plant Rural Blush, 
Carman No. 3 and R. N.-Y. No. 2. We also have 
a barrel of second-crop potatoes from Virginia, 
which we shall test with other early varieties 
On one very weedy field, we shall plant in hills 
and work both ways with weeder and cultivator. 
The rest of the crop will be planted with the 
potato planter. We tested it fairly last year with 
hand planting, and the planter came out ahead 
of hired men and boys. It doesn’t get lazy or 
careless. After a few hours of dropping, the 
average human gets careless and says, “ Let her 
roll! ” to a piece of potato which has an eye on a 
wrong place in the furrow. h. w. c. 
Oil and Potatoes.—A reader in New Jersey tells 
his experience with handling seed potatoes 
through the late freeze. Last Fall, he had an 
idea that seed potatoes would be high in price, 
therefore bought a large lot at 45 cents a bushel. 
He had them in the cellar when the freeze came 
and was afraid they would all be lost; but he 
bought a lot of large lamps, placed them in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the cellar, and kept them burning 
day and night. It took about one barrel of kero¬ 
sene, but he saved the potatoes, which are now 
selling at 90 cents and more per bushel. That 
barrel of oil was worth a good deal of money, be¬ 
cause it was used at just the right time. 
Orange Protection. —Northern fruit growers 
know little, apparently, of the methods that are 
being followed by some of the farmers of Flor¬ 
ida to produce oranges and pineapples. Florida 
growers now realize that, north of a line drawn 
across the State through Tampa, they are at the 
mercy of the frost, and they are taking meas¬ 
ures to protect their trees and fruits, which 
would astonish many northern growers. In 
many cases, stoves are scattered through the 
orchards all filled with wood and ready to be 
fired at a moment’s notice. Others build tents 
over their younger trees, or little boxes made of 
a framework of scantling with thick paper 
tacked over it. One man who owns 600 acres of 
oranges, has put up a sawmill, and is building 
great sheds over his groves. One shed already 
covers 15 acres. It is a rude affair, open at the 
sides and top, but arranged so that at quick no¬ 
tice a temporary roof can be thrown over it, and 
thus protect the trees. This seems to be the way 
Florida orange-growing is developing, for the 
fruit is considered fully valuable enough to war¬ 
rant almost any expense in protecting it. 
Several years ago my brother contracted a severe 
Cold, which resulted in Pneumonia. Being far re¬ 
moved from any physician, he purchased a bottle of 
Jayne’s Expectorant, and after taking a few dSses 
began to improve and was encouraged to keep on 
with the medicine until he had used two bottles, 
when he was completely cured. HE BELIEVES 
THE EXPECTORANT WAS THE ONLY MEANS 
OF SAVING HIS LIFE—J. N. FRENCH, Evangelist, 
Palestine, Texas, November 18,1896. 
Stimulate your Liver with Jayne’s Painless Sana¬ 
tive Pills. — Adv. 
BUY "DIRECT FROM FACTORY,” BESI 
MIXED PAINTS 
At WHOLESALE PRICES, Delivered FREE 
For Houses, Barns, Roofs, all colors, and SAVE Dealer! 
profits. In use 54 years. Endorsed by Orange & Farmers’ 
Alliance. Low prices will surprise you. Write for Sampler 
0. W. INGERS0LL, 246 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. 1. 
WIRE 
FENCING 
c 
a 
a 
Q 
CORRUGATED STIFF 
STEEL STAYS, MADE 
FROM 1-4 IN. GALV. 
STEEL RODS, WITH 
LOCKS ATTACHED. 
Eiieh lino wire helps sup¬ 
port every other lino wire. 
Absolutely takes care of top 
and bottom wires. No ex¬ 
pense for tools. Sold by 
the pound. Write for cir¬ 
culars and price. 
C 3 
a 
a 
3 
GLOBE FENCE GO., 
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. 
Manufacturers of StifTSteel 
Stays and Steel Gates. 
WIRE FENCE A FAILURE 
(When the Poets Give Out.) 
Brick houses are not built on wooden blocks. No 
matter what style of wire fence you build. 
Use Durable Posts. 
We can give you valuable information on the use of 
Steel for this purpose. 
BOND STEEL POST CO.. Adrian, Mich. 
RS 
TATO 
tEvg 
POTATOES, 
CORN, 
BEANS, 
ENSILAGE 
""“DISTRIBUTE 
FERTILIZER. 
C«(£v. by mail free. 
E7" 
. CUTTERS, 
(HORSE*™ HAND) 
SPRAYERS, 
DIGGERS, 
SORTERS, 
WEEDERS,CHURNS 
* ND LAWN SWINGS 
CULTURE.®^ 
A TREATISE ON POTATO 
THE ONLY CONCERN INTHEW0RLD MAKING A COMPLETE UNE OF POTATO MACHINERY 
ASPINWALL MANUFACTURING CO. JACKSDN.MICH.uSa 
1,000 SAMPLES FREE 
of our new Success Fence Ratchet 
which tightens any wire fence. Grips 
automatically as wire is wound on. 
No holes to bore In posts; attaches 
midway of the fence. We will mall you a sample 
free if you will send us 10 ceuts to cover postage 
only. Circulars free. 
W. H. MASON & CO., Box 67, Leesburg, Ohio. 
f t M - 1 i M r * 
* = * 4 - ■ m il 
3=? 
h -h i nn?** 
±XJ~i 
jrj. j \ rj—* 
TOPP 
t 
r r i i r=z= 
.2.-Z L 2 2 
r~r~r 'nr 
Machine $6 
that weaves the above 
fence and many other 
styles. Write for cat. 
McFarland Fence Machine Co., Portland, Ind.. U .S.A. 
A MACHINE 
to weave your own fence of 
Colled Hard Hteel 
Sprlnic Wire. 
52 inches high, at 
25 Cts. per Rod. 
820 buys wire for lOO 
ro<l fence. Agent* 
Wanted. Catalogue Free. 
CARTER 
Wire Fence Maeh.Co. 
Box Mt.Sterllng.O. 
CYCLONE 
FENCE MACHINE 
Builds 100 RODS of strongest fence a day, 27 to 
60 inches high. 7 to 12 cables. [Easy to Build 
and Cheap.] Thousands In use. Fence material 
at wholesale prices. Write for catalog. 
CYCLONE FENCE CO., HOLLY, MICH. 
« . ( Waukegan, Ill., Cleveland, Ohio. 
’ ( Toronto,Can. Melbourne,Australia. 
-fr — e v 
ADAM 
THE FENCE MA 
Hakes Woven Wire 
Fence that“Stands 
Up." Cannot Sag.; 
Get hie newcatalogue. It 
tella all about Tha Best 
Farm Fence Made. 
J. ADAM, 
! Planting; isj 
Pleasant- 
when you watch the corn drop In the rear of a 
Keystone Corn Planter. Its beautiful work, 
covering ten or twelve acres a day, is a constant j 
pleasure to farmers who enjoy seeing work 
well done. The phosphate attachment is a 
perfect piece of mechanism on the 
FARQUHAR KEYSTONE 
Com Planter 
It sows any kind cf pulverized fertilizer. The 
planter drops kernels in drills or hills with any 
desired spacing; works well even in rocky land. 
Plants ensilage, beans, peas, etc. Send for 
large illustrated catalogue. 
A. B. FARQUHAR, CO., Ltd., York, Pa. 
A Good Planter 
should plant all kinds of field seeds, 
Field, Ensilage nnd Sweet Corn. Pens, Beans. 
Sugar Beets, Stock Beets, etc. 
It should plant in hills, drills or checks at the will 
of the operator. It should at tho same time drop or 
drill all kinds of commercial fertilizers, wet, dry 
or lumpy, pulverized hen manure and other 
home made fertilizers, evenly in any quantity 
THE ECLIPSE 
CORN PLANTER AND 
FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER 
does all this in the most perfect manner. Drops 
seed from 6 to 45 Inches apart. Will distribute from 
50 to 450 lbs. of fertilizer per acre. They are strong¬ 
ly built of good material and will last indefinitely. 
Write for free catalogue, circulars, &c. 
THE BELCHER &. TAYLOR A. T. CO., 
Box 75, Chicopee Falls, Mass. 
YOU CAN T FOOL ALL 
the people all the time. That's the reason we are 
selling so much FROST FKNCK. Made of HARD 
HIGH CARBON COILED SPRING WIRE, SPRING 
STAYS and WEDGB-LOCKS. Send for catalogue 
showing FENCES and STEEL FARM GATES. 
The Frost Wire Fence Co., 
CLEVELAND, OHIO. 
CAN YOU AFFORD TO 
DO IT? 
To buy a hand machine 
and ordinary wire and 
spend your 
time on m 
makeshift 
fence 
of no particular merit! 
Do you think It will 
payt We don’t. 
LAMB WIRE FENCE CO* 
Adrian, Mlcb. 
IB i 1 l ij 
ZTZ 'ITTO 
BLl t t. .1. 
I J t J IT 11! 
HI 1 "t t 1 7 iKiLLtr't 'ft t t B. 
SURE THING! 
If there’s nothing in colled springs, why not make 
mattresses of straight wire? But there is, you know, 
and the coil is ours. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. ADRIAN, MICH. 
DON’T EXPERIMENT 
Buy the Pittsburg Woven Wire Fence and avoid all 
mistakes. It’s a prood longr-lived fence at a reasonable 
price. Takes up all expansion and contraction and never 
sags. It’s close enough and strong enough to turn all live stock. Keeps 
yours in and your neighbor’s out. We want good agents in every 
locality. First order secures township agency. Circulars frt.v 
Pittsburg Woven Wire Fence Co.,15 Penn. Av.,Pittsburg,P a 
SELL DIRECT 
TO ruf l St 
/pc four pjpt'pi/D 
l"oa 
Special 
Prices. 
Write Direct to 29 Bond St 
Castree c Shaw CoMfe jXch® 
There is no plow on earth.to day that has done so 
much for the agriculture of the world as the 
OLIVER CHILLED FLOW. 
Catalogue free. THE OLIVER CHILLED PLOW 
WORKS, South Bend, Ind. 
Do You Want 
of the merits 
of our 
HAND 
Cultivator 
Well we have hundreds of letters just 
good as this: 
Gentlemen: The Cultivator came to hani 
few days ago and I am delighted with 
. H. T. Cunningham, Carrollton, Mil 
for sample delivered. Agent, uuntt 
CO., 20 Hirer St., ltoek Fulls, I 
A Good Fence, 
a strong f ence, a cheap fence, 
an every purpose fence and one 
which you can build yourself is 
Chandlee Fence. 
secret is in the lock which 
the stays in such an 
easy and simple way that they 
must stay. Makes the most rigid, 
strongest, nnd most durable lence 
that can be made of wire. No expensive 
machinery required to build it. You make It any 
height and with any number of stays you wish. < 
iw r viiAUT AFEUTC Responsible and reliable 
W u WAN I AUCiv I vi men only. Exclusive ter¬ 
ritory to the right men. Write to-day for terms, etc. 
CHANDLEE FENCE CO., 11 S. Howard St, Baltimore, Md. 
