1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
7 o 5 
Short Stories. 
Strawberry Mulch. —Mr. W. F. 
Allen, the Maryland strawberry grower, 
has a problem on hand that will, prob¬ 
ably, interest some of our readers. He 
mulches a good many acres of strawber¬ 
ries every year, but stable manure is too 
expensive for this mulching. This year 
he has several hundred tons of a mix¬ 
ture of cow-pea vines, grass and weeds. 
Put on whole, it proves too loose, and 
will blow away. His plan is to run it 
through an ensilage cutter, chopping it 
five or six inches in length, and then 
use this chopped-up fodder for mulch¬ 
ing. The cut vines will stick closer to 
the soil than before they are cut. Our 
experience with hay for mulching is 
that, unless weighted down, it will roll 
over and blow away. We have used the 
chopped cow-pea vines with good satis¬ 
faction. They do better when they are 
moistened or rotted just a little before 
applying them. The problem of secur¬ 
ing mulch for strawberries in a coun¬ 
try where little stock is kept, is often a 
big one. 
Freight Discriminations. —It is com¬ 
ing out in the discussions regarding 
trusts that tnese great corporations are 
able to secure the advantage of low 
freight rates. They not only save money 
in carrying their own goods, but when a 
competitor comes- up, they can crush 
him by seeing to it that his freight 
charges will eat up his profits. A writer 
in the New York Times has this to say 
of Westport, Conn.: 
We have in this town a large leather fac¬ 
tory wherein it is necessary to use large 
quantities of naphtha to cleanse and free 
from grease the leather. Last January the 
Standard Oil Company very materially ad¬ 
vanced the price of naphtha. The owner 
of the above-named factory wrote to a 
company somewhere in the West, who were 
manufacturers of naphtha, requesting them 
to ship to him some carloads of the same. 
The leather manufacturer here received a 
letter from the owners of the naphtha con¬ 
cern, stating that, although they sold him 
the naphtha at a low price, yet even if they 
should give it to him for nothing, still 
owing to the fact that the Standard Oil 
Company had control of all the lines of 
transportation, the freight charges would 
be made so high upon the naphtha sent 
him, that its ultimate cost would be as 
much or more than if he had purchased of 
the Standard Oil Company. 
The worst of it is that nearly every 
transportation company—down to the 
small steamboat lines—seems prepared 
to go as far as they dare in imitation of 
this policy. They seem ready to sell out 
to the big companies, and thus help 
strangle the little ones. 
Non-Resistant Farmers. —The pa¬ 
pers report the case of a Dunkard 
farmer in Pennsylvania, who had a 
horse stolen, and refused to take it back 
when it was taken from the thief. It is 
said that the Dunkards accept literally 
such texts as Matthew v., 40: “And if 
any man will sue thee at the law and 
take away thy coat, let him have thy 
cloak also.” They never go to law, 
and never resist. An extract from one 
of their sermons is given as follows: 
Our Saviour always likens His people to 
sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. Now, 
the Lord had a purpose in view in picking 
out sheep as a type of submissive character 
that is most remarkable to those who are 
thoroughly informed on the subject. Of all 
the animals that represent the true Chris¬ 
tian character, the sheep stands first. I 
don’t mean the bucks. I have referred to 
th6 lambs and the young sheep. You 
farmers who are sheep growers, you under¬ 
stand this. Did you ever handle an animal 
that resisted less? When you catch a 
sheep, does it not immediately give in? It 
never fights you, never resists you. Even 
the little rabbit will try to bite you and 
escape. Not so the sheep. As quickly 
as the sheep finds itself overcome it is 
docile. See how it lies still to be sheared. 
Ask the butcher. He will tell you that the 
lamb or sheep will never resist the knife 
at its throat, but will die, oh, so peacefully, 
without a struggle. There is not a bit of 
resentment or bitterness in the soft, calm 
eyes as it looks at you and bleeds to death. 
That is the true type of submissiveness, of 
humility, of inoffensiveness, and it fully 
illustrates what our Saviour means by say¬ 
ing if a man smites you upon your cheek, 
turn to him the other in submission and 
humility. 
Farm Ice Cream. —Through the in¬ 
fluence of The R. N.-Y., the circular 
referred to on page 683 was issued, and 
the manufacture of ice cream begun on 
April 21, 1899. Orders kept ahead of 
our supply through the period of four 
months, at which time our 'ice supply 
became exhausted. We made from two 
cows over $100 worth of frozen cream. 
From sales alone we received in cash 
$86.35. Our farm is located one mile out 
of a town where there are two ice cream 
plants, which have been doing an exten¬ 
sive business for years, but using corn 
starch, gelatine and crystal flake, and 
possibly other adulterants. Our cash 
outlay for the outfit was for freezer, 
packing cans and tubs, $13.50, and they 
are only a l'ittle worse for the usage. 
Most of the cream.was sold at the farm 
in gallon to five-gallon lots. 
Oh'io. FRE PATTON. 
New Money. —The Post-Office Depart¬ 
ment is about to issue a new form of 
money order, which will be supplied as 
fast as the old orders are exhausted. It 
is rather different in shape and size 
from the old type, being similar in this 
respect to a bank draft. The most 
marked change is the use of carbonized 
paper to make out two copies of the 
order. One of these is retained by the 
remitter as a receipt for h'is money, 
while the other is retained by the post 
office, and used as a letter of advice to 
the paying office. The original order is 
transmitted as before. The Department 
has also under consideration the ma¬ 
terial reduction of charges for money 
orders. The adoption of this receipt will 
be regarded as a decided security; un¬ 
der the old plan, the remitter retains 
nothing to show that he has paid the 
money. 
A Fish Story. —I will tell a fish story 
that is every word true. We went for 
our vacation to Oak Orchard Inn, lo¬ 
cated on Oak Orchard Harbor, and a 
small steamer takes excursions up the 
creek. One night, when some women 
were in the boat, the Black bass became 
frightened at something, and began to 
jump; seven nice bass jumped in the 
boat, when the women put the curtains 
down to keep the fish out. The boat re¬ 
turned to the hotel, and started out 
again with a party of men. On that 
trip, seven Black bass jumped aboard, 
and one more after the party came 
home, making 15 fish in all. I helped 
weigh them; one weighed 3 y 2 pounds, 
two weighed three pounds apiece, and 
the rest about two pounds apiece. The 
next night a party went over the same 
course, and 53 Black bass jumped into 
the boat; six were small and were 
thrown back, but 47 were brought to 
the hotel, all nice fish, over 75 pounds of 
them. The boat has been over the same 
course several times since, but has not 
had much luck; nine is the largest num¬ 
ber since the 53. Prof. Pound, formerly 
of Lockport, but now at Cornell; Prof. 
Fessenden, and a large number of per¬ 
fectly reliable men and women will 
vouch for the above. claric allis. 
Well or Spring Water. —In Brevi¬ 
ties, you ask. Why should water from a 
flowing spring be better than from a 
deep drilled well? For the same reason 
that a watermelon cut at the time of 
eating is better than one cut the day 
before. Let me ask one: How often do 
those who have deep drilled wells drink 
water direct from the bottom? Why not 
use the well water for trout, if it is just 
as good, tor you will want that pond 
very handy unless you keep a man with 
a gun and dogs to watch it, if you ex¬ 
pect to raise trout to weigh a pound and 
eat them yourself. The man who has a 
good running spring has good water all 
the time. The man who has a windmill 
and tank never has first-class water to 
drink. He may add ice and make it 
cold, but it is not like running spring 
water. h. o. m. 
Lunenburg, Mass. 
Legal Vinegar. 
Several Subscribers .—What per cent of 
solids and acids does the New York law 
require in vinegar? If one has a large 
quantity, will the whole need to be tested, 
or only a sample? 
Ans. —The law requires vinegar to 
show 4 y 2 per cent of acetic acid, and 
two per cent of solids. Many farmers 
have had trouble in selling their cider 
vinegar, and think it very strange. The 
inspectors tell us that there is seldom 
any question as to the purity of such 
vinegar, but the trouble is that :it is 
immature, or not sufficiently made. It 
falls short of the required per cent of 
solids and acid. Sometimes, too, cases 
have been discovered where the cider 
has either been adulterated with water, 
or else the pomace has been wet up after 
being pressed, and again squeezed for 
vinegar stock. This is l'ikely to make 
poor vinegar. Samples will be tested, 
but these may be taken from all the 
barrels. 
A Skunk Farm . 
II. C. TF., Reading, Pa .—I am about to start 
a skunk farm. On what do they feed, and 
what kind of soil is best adapted to them— 
damp or dry? 
Ans. —We investigated several skunk 
farms several years ago. They were 
usually located on a dry hillside, as the 
skunks prefer dry, well-drained soil. 
For food, a variety was given. Clover, 
corn, cabbage and other vegetables were 
eaten, but the chief food consisted of 
meat taken from the carcasses of dead 
horses and other animals. These were 
hauled to the yard, and cut up so that 
the skunks quickly cleaned the bones. 
The skunks prefer animal food to vege¬ 
table, and in a wild state, will rarely eat 
garden vegetables when they can find 
insects or small animals. We have but 
one word of advice, however, to those 
who think of investing in skunk farms, 
and that word is “DON’T.” In theory, 
the business ought to be very profitable, 
but skunks do not thrive 'in captivity, 
and usually a contagious disease car¬ 
ries them off by hundreds. It is about 
the most discreditable business that a 
person can get into, and in most locali¬ 
ties, it would take one many years to 
recover his lost reputation after asso¬ 
ciating with skunks. 
“He That is Warm 
Thinks All So.” 
Thousands are “cold" in that they do 
not understand the glow of health. This 
implies disordered kidneys, liver, bowels, 
blood or brain. Hood's Sarsaparilla 
gives all who take it the warmth of per¬ 
fect health. Get Hood's because 
Sauafautfj^ 
HOW TO DBA.IN LAND PROFITABLY. 
On every farm there is probably some laDd 
that could be made more productive by under- 
drainage. Properly drained land can always 
be worked earlier, and more profitably. The 
best and most 
economical way 
to drain is ex¬ 
plained in the 
book, “ Benefits oi Drainage and How to Drain,” 
which Is.sent free by 
JOHN H. JACKSON, Third Ave., Albany, N.Y. 
Any sized 
platform 
Single, doable or combina¬ 
tion beam. Wagon, stock, 
huy and augur t-une scales. 
OSGOOD SCALE CO., 
103Central St., ltingh.mlou.N.Y. 
The Warmest 
Poultry Houses 
are lined with 
Cabot’s Sheathing 
Pat. 15901 
A new thing and a good one, made 
on scientific principles. Ten times 
warmer than the thin, dense felts 
and papers, and costs only about 
one cent a foot. Decay, vermin and 
cold proof. 
“In the coldest weather the 
water did not freeze in the 
fountain."’—M. K. Boyer. 
Send for a Sample. 
SAMUEL CABOT,81 Kilby St.,Boston,Mass 
BRAND NEW 
_TINNED STEEL 
fe ROOFING - ^ 
[ONLY ■ V W ^ ■ HIM • ONLY 
m 
■ 
T00I 
YOU 
NEED 
$2.00 per Square of 10x10 
feet, or 100 Square Feet. 
Vt CARRY A COMPLETE STOCK OE ALL KINDS xn/ ,. m 
Of MERCHANDISE AND MATERIAL 60UGKT AT 1 
9MERITFS'.RECEIVERS'AND TRUSTEES'SALES. YOU 
Write for Free Catalogue No. 57 NEED 
Our Price. are k of Otliera. 
CHICAGO MOUSE WRECKING CO., 
WEST 35 Trr , & IRON 3T3., 
CHICAGO. 
9 CORDS IN 10 HOURS 
BY ONB BAN, with the FOLDING SAWING BIACHINB. It saws 
down trees. Folds like a pocketknife. Saws any kind of 
timber on any kind of ground. One man can saw 9I0RB 
timber with ft than 2 men in any other way, and do It 
BA8IBR. 163,000 in use. Send for FRKK illustrated cata¬ 
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from thousands. First order secures agency. Address 
FOLDING SAWING MACHINE CO., 
55-57-59 No. Jeffemon St., H-2G, Chicago, 111. 
PAGE' 
WE’VE NEVER CHANGED. 
There are 1 <t oi-omu wire* to the rod on all Stand¬ 
ard Page Fences. All horizontal wires are coiled. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE C0„ ADRIAN, JIICH. 
teas FENCE! 
)«AflfAf>tlfl 
tAWHlA-JjkW 
IfAflflllflfl 
uufl “ 
STRONGEST 
MADE. Bull- 
strong. Chicken- 
tight. Sold to the Farmer at Wholesale 
Prices. Fully Warranted. Catalog Free. 
COILED SPRING FENCE CO. 
Box 24. Winchester, Indiana, U. S. A. 
MACHINE $10 
Write a/t ono© For Catalog 
THE BOWEN CABLE STAY FENCE CO. 
Norwalk, Oliio. 
LOOSE WIRE FENCES 
are quickly made tight 
as new with 
Success Fence Ratchets. 
No holes to bore in end posts. They quickly attach 
In the middle of the fence, and grip the wires au’o- 
matically as It Is wound on No new fence complete 
without them. They give perfect control of each wire 
We will mail you a sample 
to test, if yi u will send us 10 cents 
to cover postage only. Circulars 
Free of this Ratchet, Wire Fencing 
and Supplies. 
W. H. MASON & CO., Showing Wire 
Box 67. Leesburg, O. Wound On. 
but the hog hasn’t been bred that will tear up or break through the 
ELLWOOD WOVEN FENCE. 
Made of 1 
heat or c 
little and 
catalogue, etc., to 
AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE CO., Chicago or New York. 
