1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
499 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Wholesale Poisoning. —Last week, I 
told how we used the Paris-green guns 
behind the wagon. This week, we show 
a snap-shot made with the Madame’s 
camera. This pictures the work better 
than I can describe it. I don’t pretend 
that this is the best way, but we killed 
more bugs to the minute with this rig 
than with any other device we have 
tried. We mix flour and Paragrene half 
and half by weight. Flour sticks better 
than plaster. Paragrene is bulky, and 
mixes better with a dry filler than Paris- 
green. ^ We open the slides in the guns 
so as to dust about two pounds of the 
mixture per acre. A little practice will 
enable one to hit it just right. The best 
time to use the dry poison is when the 
leaves are a little moist and sticky, out 
we have killed the bugs even when the 
plants were as dry as wind could make 
them. 
Cultivating Crops. —We have had 
several good showers, but the weather 
clerk is mighty stingy about his water. 
Every shower has been followed by a 
sharp, drying wind, which carried the 
moisture out of the soil by the bucket. 
Our showers have all fallen in the late 
afternoon. Within 24 hour's, the surface 
soil has been blown hard and dry by the 
stingy winds. I notice there is less 
crust where we worked the ground most 
before planting. They begrudge out¬ 
crops a fair drink. Our plan has been to 
cultivate lightly as soon as possible after 
each shower. Here is where the third 
horse and the riding cultivator earn 
their salaries. With one man riding and 
the other with the walking Planet, Jr., 
or diamond-tooth, we cover a great 
acreage in a day. Our scientific friends 
figure out the tons of water that are 
saved by this cultivation. They make it 
more than would run through that noz¬ 
zle for which we paid five cents a nun- 
uLe. I’d hate to have old Major under¬ 
stand that his services are worth any 
part of that. He would strike for more 
feed. 
Skimpy Potatoes.— Four acres of tne 
Carman varieties of late potatoes plant¬ 
ed along the road give the passers-by a 
good chance to laugh at “book farming.’’ 
These potatoes in their babyhood are as 
exasperating as one of those puny hate¬ 
ful children that ought to be spanked, 
yet haven’t the body to endure it. The 
Carman potatoes dawdle and play along 
with one little stem, so that a farmer 
who does not know their habit would be 
tempted to plow them up and spend L*e 
rest of his days inventing names to 
throw at those who introduced and sold 
them. They also come up irregularly, 
which, I think, is partly due to the fact 
that most of the eyes except those at 
the seed end are weak and slow. The 
“I-told-you-so” folks are ahead just 
now, for that field is certainly a “sorry” 
sight. Wait! We are giving these 
plants the best of care. Just when the 
croakers are talking loudest, the vines 
will give a tremendous jump, throw out 
their big branches, and cover the 
ground. That is their habit, and you 
can break an old man’s bad habits 
quicker than you can change the grow¬ 
ing habit of a potato. 
Quality in Potatoes. —“Why in the 
world do you object to the Ben Davis 
apple, and then turn around and plant 
the R. N. Y. No. 2 potato?” said a 
friend last week. It is a fact that many 
growers object to the No. 2 on account 
of its quality. We planted four barrels 
of No. 2 this year, on soil that seemed 
well adapted to it. This variety is pecu¬ 
liar in its behavior. On some soils, it 
gives tubers of more than average qual¬ 
ity, while again it may produce a big 
watery tuber that cooks as soggy as a 
turnip. We wouldn’t touch it for home 
eating while we can get Rural Blush, 
yet there are some customers who prefer 
it. Restaurant keepers like the No. 2 
because it is soggy, for after being 
boiled, it slices up well for salad or fried 
potatoes. A potato of fine quality 
crumbles too much, but a soggy tuber 
makes a hard, firm slice. No. 2 is a 
good salad potato. It was originated 
on a rich garden soil. It gives its best 
yield on heavy soils, but like other va¬ 
rieties, it gives best quality on light, 
open loams. Our Ben Davis apple friends 
don’t need to worry about quality—they 
think. The large potato growers who 
ship in wholesale lots to the great mar¬ 
kets naturally prefer some variety that 
the manger. There was a fierce strug¬ 
gle that made old Frank jump, and then 
the black cat jumped up carrying a big- 
rat in her mouth. She had cut its throat 
with her sharp teeth. She expected a 
fine feast, but Uncle Ed took the rat 
away from her. After a few minutes of 
reflection, back she went to Dan’s man¬ 
ger after another rat. Uncle Ed’s theory 
is that if we let her eat too many rats, 
she will stop catching them, so he takes 
them away from her. As you all know, 
I think much the same thing applies to 
owned by the gentleman with the “whisk¬ 
ers on his chin” and the wisp of straw be¬ 
tween his teeth, who runs the farm. And 
he is by no means over-particular as to the 
drainage that runs near his well. 
If the bicyclist wants to keep his health 
and avoid typhoid, let him be cautious 
where he drinks on his country runs. 
There is no use denying such ridicu¬ 
lous nonsense as that. The farmer 
doesn’t ask the wheelman to stop. The 
wheelman is usually very glad to sit un¬ 
der a tree and cool off on the farmer’s 
premises. We have known him to help 
himself to fruit and other things when 
he left. By all means, keep out of the 
farmer’s yard, if you are afraid of 
water! 
will give a great yield of large potatoes. 
We must have potatoes of high quality, 
for we are close to the best local mar¬ 
kets, where there is a very discrim¬ 
inating class of customers. Such people 
find little fault with early potatoes, but 
wait until Winter, and try to sell them 
No. 2 the second time, if you want to 
know what sort of a man you are. 
Suitable Crops. —We have decided 
that our family is not well adapted to 
strawberry growing. We don’t seem to 
nick in with it somehow. The crop is 
too short-lived for us. Hereafter, I shall 
plant only enough strawberries for our 
own use, with a small surplus, and not 
attempt to market them. We can pro¬ 
clover and nitrogen. The cat and rat 
suggested to me an experiment that I 
have always wanted to try. We had 
plowed under a field of Crimson clover, 
and expected to plant potatoes on it. 
Will the clover supply all the plant food 
needed for a crop of potatoes? If not, 
what elements are needed? We planted 
the potatoes in the usual way, and then 
marked off 18 plots, each 18x25 feet. We 
have applied combinations of chemicals, 
which asic these potatoes 18 different 
questions. I shall try to tell what these 
questions are before long. To us they 
are mighty interesting. h. w. c. 
“Play Ball.” —It’s only half an 
American, apparently, who doesn’t un¬ 
derstand what that means. The story is 
duce the crop well enough, but some¬ 
how we don’t take to it as we do to 
bush fruits, potatoes and sweet corn. 
In order to succeed with any crop, a 
farmer must get it right into his blood, 
and we don’t seem able to get a straw¬ 
berry mark on our left arm. My belief 
is that many farmers fail with crops 
because they have no heart in their cul¬ 
ture. It is like a man surrounding him¬ 
self with uncongenial companions. He 
never can make the most of himself, or 
influence them. Why do farmers select 
the crops they try to raise? I wonder 
how many farmers have ever asked that 
question! It’s a sensible question, and 
if we could get true answers, I think 
many of us would be astonished at the 
way we do business. Too many of us 
try to raise crops that do not fit the 
farm or the family. 
Fertilizing Questions. —The black 
cat sat on the front of Frank’s manger 
while the horses were eating supper. 
You know how a hungry horse enjoys 
now going the rounds that a regiment of 
our soldiers was attacked by the Span¬ 
iards. The officers tried hard to waken 
the boys: 
But still the weary, fagged-out men were 
slow. They roused, but seemed unable to 
shake off the meshes of slumber which 
clogged their brains. 
“For God’s sake, boys, wake up!” cried 
the captain—and then, with a sudden in¬ 
spiration, he shouted, “Company F, play 
ball!" 
That settled it. The men were wide 
awake in an instant and, led by their cap¬ 
tain, every man dashed for the trenches to 
the relief of the detail already there, and 
the enemy was thrust back—as history will 
tell us. 
At another time, two nines of soldiers 
played a full game of ball right on the 
firing line, with the bullets from the 
Filipinos whistling over them. Baseball 
is a “get there” game—that’s why it is 
American! 
Good Drinking Water. —Among the 
prize nonsense that we have read this 
year, is the following from the New 
York Herald: 
FRAZER c A ^s, 
BEST IN THE WORLD. 
Its wearing qualities are unsurpassed, actually 
outlasting three boxes of any other brand. Not 
affected by heat. VT GET THE GENUINE. 
FOR SALK BY DHALERS GENERALLY. 
AN UP T O TIM ES 
DAIRYWAGON 
SOLD DIRECT TO 
DAIRYMEN. 
IF INTERESTED IN 
A DAIRY WAGON.write. 
GONCO.CHILLICOTHLO. 
YOUR 
WAGON 
WHEELS 
limy need new ring", 
new spoke* or new 
tires. These repairs 
have to be made every 
little while with wood¬ 
en wheels. Stop all this 
expense for all time 
by buying a set of our 
ELECTRIC 
Steel Wheels 
They are made with dircet or Mtuggered oval 
spoke*, broad tire*, any height, and to lit 
any wagon. They can’t rot, go to *poke»and 
need no tire setting-last Indefinitely. There 
is only one thing better, and that is an 
ELECTRIC HANDY WAGON. 
Our free illustrated catalogue tells all about 
both and gives prices. Send for it. 
ELECTRIC WHEEL CO. Box 88. Quincy, III. 
L ARGEST manu¬ 
facturers of the 
best steel wheels 
for farm wagons in 
America* Any size, 
straight and staggard 
spokes, any width tire. 
The head of 
spoke in the 
groove can’t 
wear off. 
Make best 
Handy Steel Wagons. 
All steel, and wood. 
Four different kinds. 
SEND FOR OATALOQUE 
Havana Metal Wheel Co. 
Havana, III. 
his grain after a hard day’s work. He 
will take a mouthful out of the box, 
stretch his neck out over the manger, 
half shut his eyes, and turn that mouth¬ 
ful over in his mouth to enjoy every 
corner of it. He doesn’t get it all either. 
Little dribbles fall away from his mouth. 
Down under the manger sharp eyes are 
watching. A brown head comes cau¬ 
tiously from a hole, and a rat creeps out 
to enjoy his share of the feast. The cat 
knew all about this. That was why she 
perched herself in front. She sat there 
like a statue for about five minutes, and 
then like a flash she disappeared iuto 
Hot, tired, dusty, thirsty, the city wheel¬ 
man on his run over country roads these 
hot days, is on the constant lookout for the 
“good old farmer’s well,” at which to slake 
Ills thirst. But he should bear in mind that 
the good old farmer is likely to have a bad 
old well, and half the ills with which bi¬ 
cyclists are attacked are due to the drink¬ 
ing of foul water by the wayside! 
A thirst that has been increasing with 
every turn of the wheel on the dusty roads, 
adds enchantment to the picturesque vine- 
grown well house, and the cool water that 
comes up in the moss-covered bucket seems 
like a gift from Heaven. But it isn’t. It’s 
Impossible for any Liquid that is Sprayed on 
Cow, to protect her from Flies, in sun of 1(0 de¬ 
grees, l /i as long as “SHOO-FLI” applied with a 
Drush. See “Shoo-Fiy” adv., page 500, ll is paper. • 
% Inch diameter. Comes in bales of 300 lbs. each, 
and in lengths 20 to 40 feet. Price per Pound 4c. 
We buy our goods at Sheriffs’ and Receivers’ sales. 
Write for free catalogue of Hardware, Plumbing, 
Roofing, Wire, Dry Goods, Clothing, etc., etc. 
“OUR PRICES are ONE-HALF of OTHERS.**, 
Chicago Howe,Wrecking Co. w< ciiioieoL 8 * 
