1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
691 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Money in Farms. —A friend writes to 
say that he thinks we make a mistake 
in spending money to secure a water 
supply. There are some farmers who do 
not like to invest any surplus in the 
farm itself. Lots of people will make a 
little money on the farm, and then go 
and invest it outside. In our own case, 
the selling value of the farm was cut 
down at least 40 per cent by the lack of 
good water. We were able to buy it 
cheaper because no one had been willing 
to invest on the farm itself to the ex¬ 
tent of providing good water. Our in¬ 
vestment will, I feel sure, make the 
farm more salable, and increase the 
selling price. There may be localities 
where improvements of this sort would 
not make such a change in the farm’s 
value. In nine cases out of ten, though, 
it will pay to keep the property “in 
training.” What I mean is, to keep it 
so that it will always look well and pro¬ 
duce a good crop. 
Potato Prices. —They have been 
dropping steadily since September 1. 
We sell now in 25-bushel lots at 50 cents 
for first size and 35 for seconds. The 
dealers talk of lower prices yet. We ex¬ 
pect to sell early, and shall not try to 
carry many through the Winter. One 
reason for this is that we have a poor 
place to keep them. I think the crop 
throughout the country is larger than 
most people think. Every year makes 
me more certain that, for us, the very 
early varieties are most profitable. The 
competition from the country south of 
us is not so sharp or so long-lived as is 
that from the North and West. It is 
true that the late varieties are heavier 
yielders, and that the work of digging 
and handling the earlies comes at a 
time when it interferes with other farm 
work; yet, for us, I think the early va¬ 
rieties pay best. 
Rural Blush Potato. —We have 
often referred to this variety. “With 
all its faults,” there is no variety quite 
equal to it for quality. On a cold, frosty 
night at supper, a baked Rural Blush 
piping hot from the oven, will make a 
man forget that he has any joints in his 
fingers or legs. Let Admiral Dewey 
have one, with plenty of good Jersey 
butter to melt on it, and he would feel 
doubly thankful that he had struck 
American soil once more. The virtues 
of the Rural Blush are 'its fine quality 
and freedom from scab and blight. With 
us, it does not rank as a very heavy 
yielder, and it straggles so in the hill 
that hand digging is not satisfactory. 
It is not by any means a handsome po¬ 
tato. The eyes are very prominent and 
bulgy, and the skin thick. The R. N.-Y. 
sent it out to subscribers several years 
ago, but very few growers now handle 
it. The most serious objection to it was 
the straggling habit. With the modern 
potato diggers, which scoop up a wide 
track, I think this objection is less 
serious. 
Handy Tools.— One night recently, 
we had the wagon all loaded, ready for 
market. While hitching up, Dan stepped 
on the shaft, and smashed it down. 
Uncle Ed took a piece of wire and the 
Russell Staple Puller, and in 10 min¬ 
utes, had that shaft wound and strength¬ 
ened so that it has done service ever 
since. This little tool is almost half a 
machine shop. You can pull staples, 
twist, hammer and bend or cut wire 
with it in any situation, and any farmer 
knows what that means. The Hunter 
Toothless currycomb is another good 
one. Instead of the ordinary teeth that 
will clog and hold the dirt, this one is 
composed of thin plates of steel curved 
and fluted. It scrubs and knocks off the 
dirt, and is quickly cleaneu. It is just 
about indestructible—a first-class imple¬ 
ment for the horses’ toilet. 
The Hens. —We are selling off a num¬ 
ber of hens and pullets. The pullets 
bring 50 cents each, and they are well 
worth it. I shall keep less stock than 
usual this Winter. We shall have too 
much to do with other things to give 
full attention to the hens. Next Spring, 
too, I hope to try several new breeds, 
the White Wyandotte, in particular. Our 
Blacks are very satisfactory as layers, 
but they are quite tender, and we lose 
many chicks in the brooders. The White 
Leghorns seem hardier than the Blacks. 
We had one breeding pen of each, and 
the chicks ran together after leaving 
the brooders. The Whites now far out¬ 
number the Blacks. One of our neigh¬ 
bors has White Wyandottes, which he 
hatched from eggs bought last Spring. 
I must say that I like the looks of them. 
Our brief experience with ducks indi¬ 
cates that a webbed foot can scratch up 
more money than a claw. 
Wiiat About Grass? —One or two of 
the damper fields on the new farm made 
a fair second crop after mowing. It be¬ 
came a question what to do with this 
rowen. It was short, and would not 
yield much hay, yet feed is scarce this 
year. Should we cut it for hay, or pas¬ 
ture it down? There were many sides 
to the question, as there are to most 
farm problems. We finally decided to 
let the grass alone, and feed it down 
with the best stock we can get. It looks 
like pretty small business after all to 
clip over a short crop of rowen. I want 
to select the field best suited for Alfalfa, 
and then work hard to seed properly to 
that crop. A few acres in Alfalfa will 
provide hay for all our stock. 
The White Ribbon. —I am glad to 
say that the folks at Hope Farm show 
more white ribbons than white feathers. 
There was a meeting of the W. C. T. U. 
about eight miles from the farm last 
week, and Grandmother, the Madame 
and the Bud packed into the buggy with 
a box of lunch, and drove over to it. No 
other farm in the county sent three gen¬ 
erations all wearing the white ribbon. 
The Bud gave us a great account of the 
meeting. She says she is willing to take 
the pledge, but hesitated for a time 
when she thought it 'included soda water. 
Finally she said she would give that up 
even, but on a hot Summer day, I fear it 
would be a case of Bud “variation.” The 
Madame used to drive old Major on 
these trips, but of late, she has called 
for Dan. The reason seems to be that, 
while Dan hasn’t much of a trot, he is 
a very fast walker. In the country, 
where there are some steep hills and 
soft dirt I’oads, a fast-walking horse is 
a good companion. 
Calf Feeding —We are having the 
usual contest which occurs on a one-cow 
farm where there is a quartette of 
healthy children and a pet calf to be 
raised. The men folks want the skim- 
milk for the calf, and the little human 
calves think they can make better use 
of it. We had a calf last year that was 
fed on warm dishwater. By analysis, 
that fluid is shown to be about as strong 
as skim-milk. Dishwater certainly 
made that calf strong enough to break 
her own neck. I was astonished last 
year to find how many one-cow men ac¬ 
knowledged that they fed calves in the 
same way. Your man with the big herd 
will tell you that you can’t raise a good 
calf without skim-milk. He is like the 
well-to-do scientist, who will tell you 
that no man can live on water, air and 
scenery. The tramp, who has 'had prac¬ 
tical experience, knows better. Oat meal 
or bran thoroughly cooked to a thin 
jelly, and sweetened a little with mo¬ 
lasses, will surely make bones and meat 
in the calf. n. w. c. 
BULLETINS BOILED DOWN. 
Law Against Crop Pests.— Bulletin No. 
1, of the Georgia State Board of Entomol¬ 
ogy, was issued by W. M. Scott, Atlanta, 
Ga. This contains a copy of the Georgia 
law against crop pests. It also gives a list 
of the dangerous pests described by the 
State Board. Among these are the San 
Jos6 scale, the new Peach scale, Cabbage 
web-worm, black-knot of the plum and 
cherry, Peach yellows, and mistletoe. The 
latter is termed “the parasite,” and is 
considered injurious because it fixes itself 
on the limbs of trees, and sucks out their 
juices. Prof. Scott says that the kerosene 
treatment for San Jos6 scale has given 
good results. This is the mechanical mix¬ 
ture suggested by Prof. Smith, of New 
Jersey. 
Foreign Seeds and Plants.— Inventory 
No. II., issued by the Section of Seed and 
Plant Introduction, United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, includes 900 invoices, 
among them a continuation of Prof. N. E. 
Hansen’s importations from Russia and 
Central Asia, and a variety of seeds from 
Japan, Alaska, and various parts of Eu¬ 
rope. Among Alaska fruits received from 
Prof. Georgeson, was the Salmonberry 
(Rubus spectabilis), which may be de¬ 
scribed as a raspberry with reddish-yel¬ 
low fruit of extraordinary size. Prof. 
Georgeson reports meeting with these ber¬ 
ries as large as Seckel pears. The flavor 
is rather insipid, but it is suggested that 
this Rubus may be useful for crossing 
with the cultivated raspberry to get a 
larger fruit and hardier plant. The Sal¬ 
monberry ripens in July. A species of red 
currant was also sent from Alaska by 
Prof. Georgeson, which is said to be 
worthy of cultivation. It grows abund¬ 
antly in open woods in the Cook Inlet 
region. Among fodder plants listed is the 
Turkestan Alfalfa, originally from Siberia, 
but now found through Bokhara and other 
parts of Russian Turkestan into western 
China. It is said to be peculiarly valu¬ 
able in dry regions, growing in sections 
where ordinary Alfalfa would perish. In 
Turkestan it is the main fodder, both in 
Summer and Winter. A number of vetches 
and clovers # are listed, and such plants as 
spurry, burnet, sainfoin and others, of 
which we seldom hear in this country. 
These seeds, so long as they last, are fur¬ 
nished free to applicants who desire to 
test them. Application should be made 
to O. F. Cook, Special Agent in Charge of 
Seed and Plant Introduction, Department 
of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
Bovine Tuberculosis.— This is the title 
of Bulletin No. 108, consisting of nearly 90 
pages, issued by the Ohio Experiment 
Station (Wooster). This has become a 
fruitful subject among dairymen. This 
bulletin treats of the tuberculin test, 
methods of using it, its effects, etc.; of 
the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis, its 
relation to the public health; the identity 
of tuberculosis in man and the lower ani¬ 
mals; municipal inspection of milk and 
meat in Ohio; State control of tuberculosis, 
and various other related topics. It ex¬ 
plains the class of diseases known by the 
generic name of tuberculosis. The bulle¬ 
tin expresses great confidence in tubercu¬ 
lin as a diagnostic agent. There has been 
an outbreak of tuberculosis at the Station, 
hence material for experiment has been 
right at hand. A full history of the Sta¬ 
tion herd is given by individuals, so one 
may study each case by itself. It is re¬ 
ported that post-mortem examinations 
confirmed the tuberculin diagnosis in all 
but two cases out of 38. Among other 
conclusions, are these: 
“Tuberculosis is produced in the lower 
animals by inoculation with tuberculous 
material from human subjects.” 
“Tuberculosis has been produced in man 
by inoculation with the tuberculous ma¬ 
terial from cattle.” 
“The development of tuberculosis in hu¬ 
man subjects has followed in so many 
cases upon the use of the meat or milk of 
tuberculous cattle that there is no room 
to doubt that the disease is transmitted 
from cattle to man in this manner.” 
“In view of the experience of other 
States, it would seem that the rational 
method of extirpating bovine tuberculosis 
lies not in the wholesale and immediate 
testing of all the cattle of the State, and 
the slaughter of all reacting animals, but 
in such municipal action as will control 
the sale of both milk and meat within 
municipal limits.” 
LIGHTNING WELL MACHY 
IS THE STANDAR D 
STEAM PUMPS, AIR LIFTS, *.fl 
GASOLINE ENGINES 
WRITE FOR CIRCULAR 223 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS __ _ 
AURORA.ILL -CHICAGO - DALLAS.TEX 
DRILLING 
Machines 
Otk Tl iIim and atylM, for drilling either deep or 
■hallow wella In any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse power*. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
USE LOOMIS’ 
LATE IMPROVED 
“CLIPPER 
DRILLER 
Tho rosult of 30 years’ expe¬ 
rience in Woll Drilling. 
LOOMIS & NYMAN, 
Tiffin, Ohio. 
RIFE HYDRAULIC ENGINE 
Will pump more water tliau any 
hydraulic ram. 
Pumps 30 feet high for each foot of 
rail. Minimum fall, 18« 
Inches. Maximum ele¬ 
vation, 575 feet. 
WON’T WATER LOG. 
NEVER STOPS. 
Cowkk Specialty Co. 126 Liberty St., New York. 
BUCKEYE FORGE PUMPS 
are leaders In the trade 
because they work easy, throw a steady 
stream, do not drip, do not freexe but 
Please all who use them. 
They are made to pump and to last, and 
they do both. The complete embodiment 
of pump goodness. Write for circulars. 
MAST, FOOS & CO., II River Street, Springfield, Ohio. 
Largest manufacturers of 
Steel Wagon Wheels and 
Handy Truck Wagons in 
America* Guaranteed su¬ 
perior to any other make 
WRITS us 
IVIotaI Wheel Co. 
HAVANA. ILLINOIS 
MADE ON HONOR 
AND SOLD ON THEIR MERITS. 
We make Buggy. Carriage and all 
kinds of Wagon Wheels and sell them 
for alow cash price under a positive 
zunrniitee of quality. 
NEW WHEELS ARE CHEAPER 
THAN HAVING OLD ONES REPAIRED 
when yon can buy them at these prices. 
857.50 Buys 4 Buggy Wheels, 
7-8 inchSteelTire. 
$8.00 Buys 4 Carriage Wheels, l in.Steel Tire. 
All kinds of light and heavy wagon wheels at propor¬ 
tionately low prices. We furnish gears and axles, 
and set boxes when ordered. Write at once for our 
price list No. 38 and directions for measuring. 
WILMINGTON W HEEL CO., Wilmington, l»cl. 
FARMERS’ 
HANDY 
WAGON 
CO., 
MONEY SAVED IS MONEY EARNED. 
If you buy an article of the proper quality you immediately cut oif the 
expense of repair. To save repair saves money. To save money earns 
money. You stop all expense of repair when you buy a set of 
ELECTRIC STEEL WHEELSn 
They neither break down, warp, rol. get loose or shed the tire and 
last indefinitely. Made to fit any skein, any height, any width of tire. 
Send for free iliust’d catalogue of these and our ELECTRIC HANDY WAGON 
ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., Box 88, QUINCY, ILL. 
