432 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Juue 10 
Short Stories. 
CAPTURED AND CULLED. 
Potato Bug Talk —“I have observed,” 
said a Connecticut farmer, “that the 
earliest bugs usually come on the small¬ 
est plants. One reason for this seems to 
be that, on these plants, the eggs have 
more sun, and hatch earlier and surer. 
On the large and heavy plants, the eggs 
have more shade, and do not hatch so 
well. Therefore, I conclude that it is a 
good thing to feed heavily, and force 
our potatoes hard in the early part of 
the season. The larger the plants, the 
less likely they are to be damaged by the 
bugs.” 
Faith and Poultice —People are some¬ 
what worked up over the faith curers 
just now. At the graduation exercises 
at Bellevue Hospital, one speaker said : 
Hezekiah the King was going to die, and the 
Prophet came in and prayed. The Prophet 
prayed and put on a flg poultice. That is the 
point ot the cure—after you get through pray¬ 
ing, put on a poultice. That is the reason I be¬ 
lieve in faith cure. 
That will strike most people as good com¬ 
mon sense. Faith is a mighty powerful 
thing, but it is good to take a poultice 
or a little medicine along with it. 
Rural Mail Delivery Wanted.— Con¬ 
sider for a moment how free rural de¬ 
livery of the mails would work for your 
interest. I live three miles from the 
post office, which I do not visit half a 
dozen times a year, but pay for having 
my mail brought to a box on a road that 
I pass almost daily. Of course, I do not 
like to leave a letter with money in it 
in a box so exposed, and when I go to 
town, I forget all about the post office, 
so The R. N.-Y. does not get its money. If 
a carrier came this way, you would have 
it at once. Give us general rural de¬ 
livery—call it free or not. We know we 
have to pay for it, one way or another, 
and are only mighty anxious to have the 
chance. k g h 
Beldens, Vt. 
Use for Oleo. —The scientists are tell¬ 
ing the old story of how oil or grease 
spread on the surface of the ocean will 
butter the waves, and protect a ship at 
sea. The National Provi9ioner well says: 
Many a ship has weathered a gale by the use 
of oil, because the gale just fell down and slipped 
over. A cyclone stepping on a greased streak in 
midocean is in as dangerous a predicament a3 a 
fat man whoBtrikes a banana peel on a flagstone. 
If every sea craft carries this peacemaker in its 
hold, it will boom the oil trade a bit, but it will 
have its compensating pleasures in safer sea 
travel. A couple of years of greasing may leave 
old ocean a broad oleaginous expanse, but we 
could even stand that as well as grease-girded 
coast lines for the sake of a comfortable ride and 
a fair chance at the table, to get even with the 
high cabin rate charged for a passage. 
We suggest the use of oleo for this pur¬ 
pose. Better use it for buttering the face 
of old ocean, than to spread it on our 
daily bread. What a boom for the honest 
cow, too. 
“Doodle Bugs” in California—A 
writer in the Pacific Rural Press writes 
an interesting account of the habits of 
“ Doodlebugs ” or ant-lions. These little 
creatures have been described in The R. 
N.-Y. The ant-lions dig little pitfalls or 
traps for ants, and then lie in wait for 
their victims. The writer spoken of says: 
Just as “ dry spell” commences In the Spring, 
these insects build their pitfalls to catch the 
ants and other crawling things which are active 
only in dry weather. When they build, a dry 
time of at least a week may be expected, as they 
do not seem to appreciate shorter periods. By 
keeping a dozen or more of these natural weather 
prophets in a dry place, such as a wagon shed, 
they can be made to foretell either rain or shine. 
During dry weather, disturb several of the pits 
every day, and note whether they are rebuilt. If 
the dryness is to continue, the insects will put 
them in shape again in two or three hours; but 
if they have not rebuilt in 24 hours, rain may be 
expected shortly. These ant-lions are as inde¬ 
fatigable in rebuilding as a spider or a swallow. 
This is no imaginary yarn; if the reader be 
doubtful, let him experiment with an outfit for 
hlmse f. 
Prof. M. V. Slingerland, commenting on 
this, says : “ These observations in re¬ 
gard to their ability to prophesy rain or 
drought are new to me. I have inquired 
of several other entomologists here, and 
none of them had ever heard of thiB 
habit of the insects. However, it seems 
not unreasonable that the little ant- 
lions should be able to predict weather. 
It would not require an unreasonable 
stretch of their instinct for them to 
know that, when their nests are broken 
down, it would be unwise to build them 
at once, if it is liable to rain. The rain, 
of course, would spoil their nests, and 
they have, doubtless, learned through 
many generations of their ancestors, 
bow to tell whether it is going to rain 
or not. They are all very interesting 
creatures to watch, and any one can ob¬ 
serve all of the curious things which the 
correspondent has recorded. If any one 
here in the East has observed this habit 
of predicting the weather by this ant- 
lion, I should be very glad to learn the 
particulars regarding it.” 
A Sugar Bkkt Report. —My crop was 
used for feeding milch cows, and al¬ 
though I have a silo and was feeding 
fine ensilage at the time, the beets in¬ 
creased the milk production more than 
one-quarter in quantity and the quality 
was not decreased. I believe the sugar 
beet is worth almost $5 per ton for milk 
production. As to the value of the 
sugar beet as compared with other farm 
crops in this section of the State, the 
sugar beet can hardly have a place. 
With ground made ready early for the 
crop, with good tillage, at timeB when 
the work can be done best and cheapest, 
the sugar beet can be produced in large 
yields of a high percentage of sugar. 
This is a fruit section, some grain is 
raised, but the principal money crop has 
been the bean for the farmer, and I 
don’t believe 6ugar beet growing will 
ever be so profitable. w. i. s. 
Hilton, N. Y. 
Substitutes for Clover. —The old 
clover was all killed by the severe Win¬ 
ter, but enough seed shattered out over 
the fields last Fall to reseed them. I 
have plowed up 12 acres of Timothy and 
clover sod; the old clover was killed by 
the cold, but by the time I finished 
plowing the piece the young clover was 
coming thick all over the field and would 
have made good hay by the time Timothy 
was ready to cut. Clover sod, when 
plowed for auy cause in this section, is 
invariably followed by corn, as corn is 
the staple crop of this section. Cow peas 
are not used here. Many fields in which 
the old clover was killed have been left 
for the new seed to grow. The clover in 
my hog pasture was killed with the rest, 
so I sowed barley and oats mixed on one 
lot, to-ghum on part of one, and Dwarf 
Essex rape on the rest, and backed it up 
with an acre of sweet corn. I shall sow 
rye for late Fall feed. c. a d. 
Silver City, Va. 
Lively Roadstbrs. — An automobile 
came rolling into New York last week 
that ended a great record of 707 2-5 miles 
from Cleveland, O. It covered this dis¬ 
tance in 47 hours and 34 minutes actual 
running time. The roads were mos'ly 
bad. This machine used a gasoline 
engine, and consumed 15 gallons during 
the trip, at a cost of $1. Mr. Winton, 
who ran the machine, said among other 
things: 
Near Rhinebeck, up the Hudson, we overtook 
an ox team. We passed the team at the rate of 
25 miles per hour, while its speed was not more 
than two miles per hour. There were the old and 
the new foryou. If the time of the driver had been 
worth anything, it would have paid him to have 
had an automobile to draw his wagon load, fer 
the wagon in which we were riding was hauling 
just as much weight as was the ox team. Near 
Amsterdam, we raced with a freight train for a 
couple of miles on an up grade, and beat it by 
100 yards. The train consisted of an engine and 
three cars. 
These horseless carriages are bound to 
be a feature of future traveling—there 
is no doubt about that. They can’t take 
the place of an ox team, though, for on 
the hills of the eastern States, oxen are 
still in use, and gaining in value all the 
time. Even an ox has more brains than 
a horseless carriage. 
A Dakota Potato Planter —I see 
several homemade potato planters men¬ 
tioned in The R. N.-Y. of May 13, but 
none like the one in use here. We use a 
wide-wheeled two-horse corn planter. 
Across the seed-boxes, we lay a plank 12 
inches wide, with the ends extending far 
enough beyond for a boy or man to sit 
on, and fasten down solid to the planter 
with bolts or clamps. In this, just over 
the heel of the shoe, a three-inch hole is 
cut, and three-inch boiler flue or gas 
pipe is bolted, which extends to the bot¬ 
tom of the shoe, and is fastened securely 
to the leg of the shoe with a clamp bolt. 
This pipe must be cut up at the rear 
about three inches, and winged out 
straight with the sides to allow the 
potatoes to pass out. Make the box for 
holding seed by nailing two 12-inch 
planks one inch along the sides of the 
bottom board. Put in the potatoes. Put 
an active boy (or man) on each end of 
the plank, hitch on four horses, and go 
ahead, and you can plant 10 acres a day. 
Letcher, S D. w. h. h. 
Lessons from Frost. —The freeze in 
Florida last Winter taught fruit growers 
that they must protect their fruit if 
they expect to have even 10 per cent of 
a “ sure thing.” Some large growers 
are even building sheds over large orange 
groves. Strawberry growers are plan¬ 
ning to cover the fruit. Next season, 
the growers will prepare for cold, and 
cover their rows during dangerous 
periods. The Georgia Southern & 
Florida Railway will give them warn¬ 
ings of coming frosts by blowing six 
long whistles. It has been suggested 
that portable V-shaped frames, covered 
with roofing paper, in sections about 
fifteen feet long, be used to cover the 
rows. The covers would cost about $200 
per acre, but would last for four seasons, 
so that the actual cost per acre per an¬ 
num would not be heavy, and this ex 
pense would be amply repaid by raising 
earlier berries and more of them. Some¬ 
thing of the same thing has been tried 
at the North to hold back the fruit for 
better prices. 
Farm Life in England —Mr. Rider 
Haggard, author of King Solomon’s 
Minss, is an English farmer. In a re¬ 
cent address, he paints a sad picture of 
English farm life. It is almost impossi¬ 
ble to obtain farm laborers in his sec¬ 
tion. Most of those who work the farms 
are old men averaging 60 years or there¬ 
abouts. The young men are leaving the 
farms because they can make more cash 
in the town or city. There is a dis¬ 
tinct migration away from the land. 
What is the outcome ? 
Mr. Haggard says among other things: 
As rega T ds the land, the chances seem to be 
that, wit')in the next 20 years or so, a great deal 
of the p o-er soil—the very heavy and the very 
light—will go out of cultivation; the grass area 
will be largely increased, while such lands as 
remain arable will have to be cultivated by 
machinery directed by a few highly-paid 
mechanics. 
One effect on the appearance and strength 
of Englishmen he pictures as follows : 
By way of example, look at the purebred cock¬ 
ney—I mean the little fellow whom you see run¬ 
ning in and out of the offices in the city, and 
whose forefathers have for the last two genera¬ 
tions dwelt within a two-mile radius of Charing 
Cross. Then look at an average young laborer 
coming home from his day’s field work, and I 
think that you will admit that the city breeds 
one stamp of human beings, and that the coun¬ 
try breeds another. They may be a little sharper 
in the towns, but after all, it is not mere sharp¬ 
ness that has made Great Britain what she is. 
It is the thews and sinews of her sons which are 
the foundation of everything, and the ever, 
healthy minds that dwell in healthy bodies. 
Take the people away from their natural breed¬ 
ing and growing grounds, thereby sapping their 
health and strength in cities, such as nature 
never intended to be the permanent homes of 
men, and the decay of this country becomes only 
a question of time. 
This is true, not only of England, but of 
America as well. The farm has ever 
been the great breeding place for the 
blood and bone that have pushed human 
progress onward. 
Mr. Haggard says that “ wages and 
nothing but wages are at the bottom of 
this movement from the country to the 
towns.” What he means is that the 
country young man must be made to feel 
that his labor is worth as much on the 
farm as it is in town before he will be 
content in the country. This was once 
true in this country, and is now in some 
sections. When it comes to remedies, 
Mr. Haggard says : 
I venture to suggest one of two things. Very 
stringent measures which would make it impos¬ 
sible for the farmer to be defrauded by the sale 
as his produce of that which he never grew; the 
equalization of rates and taxation on real and 
personal property, thereby lessening the burdens 
that now fall on the land ; and the making it im¬ 
possible in fact as well as in name for carriers 
to transport foreign goods at cheaper rates than 
they grant to British produce. 
The hardest thing about it all is that, 
while Engl’sh agriculture is bleeding to 
death, no one seems to know how to stop 
the flow of blood. In this country, one 
great hope is to induce town people to 
go “ Back to the land ! ” and give new 
character, strength and capital to cer¬ 
tain farming districts. 
Jockey Dogs —In New York, one fre¬ 
quently sees small dogs riding in deliv¬ 
ery wagons, sometimes chained fast, at 
other times ranging about the wagon at 
will Sometimes they are seen cavorting 
around over the tops of truck-loads of 
merchandise, one would think in im¬ 
minent danger of falling off and getting 
killed. The other day, one was seen in 
a novel position. He was riding horse¬ 
back. The horse was attached to a de¬ 
livery wagon, and the dog sat with his 
front feet perched on the collar, and was 
barking and wagging his tail as the 
horse jogged along, in a very paroxysm 
of canine delight. The horse didn’t seem 
to mind it a bit. 
Sick Crops 
—the faded out, yellow kind that are 
not doing well may be instantly re¬ 
vived by the application of a dressing 
of Nitrate of Soda. 
It acts at once because it is very sol¬ 
uble. This makes it instantly avail¬ 
able as plant food; 100 to 200 lbs. 
per acre is sufficient for most crops. 
This is the most concentrated fertilizer 
on the market. Our free books tell all about 
it. Send for free copies to John A. Myers, 
12-0 John St., New York. Nitrate for sale by 
BALFOUR, WILLIAMSON & CO. 
27 William St., New York. 
Pedigree Strawberries 
Recommended to all strawberry growers by Rukai, 
NKW-YoEtK kk March 11. ’99, and praised by it July 1", 
'97. and July 16. ’98. Weotlo-JOE,CARRIE SILVERS. 
STELLA and KEBA in pot-grown plants at 25c each, 
$2 per doz., $5 per 100; and ROBBIE and NETl’IE, tbe 
best late strawberries yet introduced, at 25c. each, $2 
per doz., $0 per 100. Plants to be all pot-grown aud to 
be delivered alter July 1st. Order quick; stock limited 
JOS. H. BLACK , SON & CO., Hightstown, N. J. 
NEW 
AND FINEST 
FRUITS 
(Trade-marked.) 
MURDV PLUM and 
DIAMOND PEACH. 
NEW PEACHES. 
(Copyrighted.) 
Dean’s Red, Dan Boone. 
Deaconess & St. Clair. 
THE ALBAUGH NURSERY AND ORCHARD CO., 
Pn ox kton, Ohio. 
100 POTTED 
GLEN MARY for 50c. 
T. C. KEV1TT, Athenia, N. J. 
f \ _ . . . rt _^.—90cents per bushel. f.O. b 
uUW rcab Seaford, Del. 
BROWN BROS., Box 114, Seaford. Del. 
PLANTS 
THE SHORT HAY CROP 
Tomato, 
Cabbage, 
Celery, 
Peppers, etc. 
Cheap in large lots. 
S. L1NTH1CUM, Woodwardsvllle, A. A. Co., Md. 
due to tbe 
__ _ dry Spring 
means that you will need to raise extra forage. 
TRY JAPANESE BARNYAKD MILLET 
75c. If) peck; $2 ^ bu. WM. P. BROOKS. Amherst,Mass. 
NEW MILLET 
The Japanese Barnyard Grass. 
(Panicum Crus Galli.) 
Grows six to seven feet high. Valuable as a green 
fodder crop. Also used for ensilage. Abundant 
Seeder, and is good for poultry or may be ground for 
cattle. Bend 5Uc. for three pounds by mail, postpaid, 
and book giving full description of this and other 
forage crops. ROSS BROTHERS, 162 Front Street, 
Worcester, Mass. 
POTATO GROWING. 
For a number of years past, 1 have been experi¬ 
menting in the cultivation of potatoes, and have 
succeeded in developing a mode, or process of plant¬ 
ing, by which their yield is increased at least 50 
per- cent. The only extra expense above the usual 
or ordinary way of planting them, is two days extra 
labjr per acre, for on» man, at the time of planting: 
in all other respects the potatoes are cultivated and 
cared for in the usual way or manner. 1 will mail 
tht instructions, giving full directions and explana¬ 
tion of the new mode of planting, for the sum of 
one (SSI), which can be remitted to my address, by 
Registered Letter, Post-office Order, or Express 
Order. D. TYLER, 806 North McKinley Avenue, 
Canton, Ohio. 
