1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
803 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
The Fence Question. —Tlie picture of 
our house seems to have pleased many 
friends, and we have received a number 
of pleasant comments about it. One old 
friend, whom I think a great deal of, 
writes: 
Your picture of new house all right, only 
next Sunday take a little time and pull up 
that fence; give it to the poor; lend to the 
Lord, or make kindling-wood of it sure. 
When I told him that Sunday was our 
day for mending and straightening up 
our moral fences, he wrote that if I 
would get the “Madame and the Kids” 
started for Sunday school, he would 
come and pull the fence out himself. He 
thinks this would be pronounced proper 
Sunday work by all concerned. I regret 
to say that the Madame still sticks to 
that fence, and won’t have it pulled 
down. I hope, however, she will become 
a no-fence citizen yet. The fences back 
on the farm are surely coming out. 
The Food Question. —Mr. P. Sutton, 
of Pennsylvania, comes forward with the 
following note: 
The diet list in The R. N.-Y. for October 
21 makes me feel like giving a little of my 
experience in regular Methodist style, but 
first say to that "Crank,” G. G. G., give 
us your hand. At the age of 25 years, in 
the year 1856, I decided to quit eating all 
sorts of flesh, and was told by one of the 
knowing ones that >1 would be dead within 
six months if I carried out my resolution. 
Well, I have carried that resolution out 
so far, and propose to keep on in the same 
direction so long as I keep my senses. My 
occupation has been and still is farming 
and fruit-growing—mainly the latter—and 
I could always do as much work as any 
common man during the past 43 years, and 
am vain enough to-day, to think that I can 
still do as much work per day as the 
majority of men of my age. It is nonsen¬ 
sical nonsense for a man to claim that one 
needs flesh food to give working strength. 
Flesh eaters generally cannot miss a meal 
without having a gone feeling at the 
stomach, and if two meals are missed they 
are just about played out. Many a time I 
have got up at three o’clock A. M., and 
driven eight miles to market with a load of 
produce, having partaken of no food until 
my return home in the afternoon. Why 
don’t the people knock the beef trust 
higher than a kite—go without using the 
stuff for 60 or 90 days? 
I agree with Mr. Sutton that flesh food 
is not needed to enable most people to 
do full work. I must say that since I 
quit eating meat I have felt better than 
in years. I am sure that I can go with¬ 
out a meal, or even two, with less ill 
effect than when I ate large quantities 
of meat. I realize, however, that people 
differ in their eating requirements even 
more than do horses and cows, and I am 
not yet prepared to say that all men 
should drop meat entirely. 
Hens and Apples. —The following 
note is sent by Mr. L. Clark, of Massa¬ 
chusetts: 
Your Hope Farm Notes, which gave us 
lessons from the hens, remind me of a 
little experience of my own. I built a hen- 
yard to take in about six or eight apple 
trees that had been standing 20 years. My 
first object was to fight the Canker worm. 
There was one small tree that had never 
borne half a dozen apples any one year. 
The hens took that tree for a roost, and 
the next four years I picked from that tree 
each year from one to four barrels of ap¬ 
ples. The Summer that I got four barrels 
from it I selected out of the four barrels 
230 apples which filled a barrel—a flour bar¬ 
rel—so full that I could not head it up. 
Readers will remember that I spoke of 
a Greening apple tree that bore a few 
knotty and small apples. It was in a 
tough sod that had not been plowed for 
years. We built a wire fence around this 
and several other trees, and put a flock 
of hens inside. By accident, rather than 
design, the feeding trough was put un¬ 
der the Greening tree. The hens congre¬ 
gated there, as they always do at their 
regular feeding place. They burrowed 
in the soil and scratched and tore up the 
sod till the grass was completely killed. 
As a result, this year the tree was loaded 
with large and beautiful apples, which 
were much finer on the side where the 
hens scratched most. No use talking, 
the hen has a golden claw. She is a 
professor of agriculture, too, and teaches 
clean culture and lots of it, with high 
feeding, for a fruit orchard. 
Hen Matters. —A friend in Cleveland, 
Ohio, wants to know about the follow¬ 
ing: 
I notice that you think of discarding the 
Minorca fowl at Hope Farm, on account 
of tenderness. If the poultry house could 
be kept above freezing point, would you 
advise keeping Minorcas as the best egg 
producer? I have an old greenhouse boiler 
and pipe, and intend to use it in a first- 
class house which I sh..ll erect in the 
Spring. 
We think our country is a little too 
cold and damp for the slow-maturing 
Minorca. The pullets do not grow as 
rapidly as Leghorns, and often receive 
a setback from our sharp frosts and cold 
Autumn rains, as well as in the brooders 
while chicks. I must also admit that 
this past season the White Leghorns laid 
a few more eggs than our Blacks, while 
the Blacks certainly ate more food. The 
total weight of eggs from the Blacks was 
greater. We have not found any breed 
that can produce larger eggs than the 
Minorca. We are not able to obtain 
enough more for the big eggs to make 
them pay. Our Blacks are certainly 
handsome birds, tame and good-natured, 
but I am sorry to say that I cannot re¬ 
commend them as “the poor man’s 
fowl.” With glass-house culture they 
would do better, but I think that the 
White Leghorns would excel. I will also 
say that the black legs of the Minorca 
are greatly against them when sold as 
meat. I am sorry to have to make this 
report, for we had great hopes for our 
Blacks. 
Waste Not, Want Not. —When we 
sold the fruit on the trees, I reserved 
five trees of Greenings. They yielded 55 
bushels of fine fruit. Not bad for a neg¬ 
lected Jersey orchard. The children 
helped pick up the frulit and gave a 
curious illustration of the way some 
people act in time of plenty. Under one 
tree the boys found nearly 40 fine ap¬ 
ples, each with a single bite in it. The 
Bud, the Graft and the Scions saw all 
the apples on the ground, and concluded 
that there wasn’t any need of practicing 
economy—they could afford to take one 
bite and throw the rest away. Charlie 
picked all these apples in a basket by 
themselves, and organized a court, with 
himself as prosecutor and Brent as 
judge. He made each child take a full 
bite out of an apple, and then compared 
the marks of the little teeth on this sam¬ 
ple with the marks on the bitten fruit. 
There was quite a tearful time as this 
terrible evidence was brought out, and 
I don’t like to state how many apples 
were found to bear the tooth marks of 
the Graft and the little Scion. The judge 
decided that the children can have no 
more fruit until they have eaten those 
bitten apples. They must learn early in 
life that prosperity swings back and 
forth like a pendulum, and that the way 
to make things even is to cut a fair 
slice from abundance and hold it until 
the short year comes. Many of us are 
like the children. In time of plenty how 
we forget the days of want, and how we 
waste. h. w. c. 
Hydrocyanic Gas for Fumigating.— 
This subject has been freely discussed on 
several occasions in the pages of The R. 
N.-Y. Circular No. 37, Division of En¬ 
tomology, United States Department of 
Agriculture, is devoted to a discussion of 
this work, and will be of interest to those 
testing such fumigation. 
An English nursery list says of the Wil¬ 
son blackberry, which is there included 
under the head of "American fruiting 
brambles,” that it is one of the largest, 
finest, and most prolific varieties in culti¬ 
vation. 
Moore’s Early grape appears to be giv¬ 
ing a favorable impression in Oregon, 
where a few growers are testing the va¬ 
riety, chiefly in Washington and Clacka¬ 
mas Counties. It is said to excel any 
California grapes sent to Oregon. 
If you are a farmer or want to be one, 
send for the “Western Trail.” Published 
quarterly. Full of pointers as to settling 
in Kansas, Oklahoma and Indian Terri¬ 
tory. Handsomely embellished and con¬ 
cisely written. Mailed free. 
Address by postal card or letter. 
John Sebastian, G.P.A., Chicago.—Adi). 
The Youth’s Companion Announcement for 1900 is so full and rich 
that but few of its features can be noted here. A glance at the 
topics to be treated will indicate the scope of the new volume : 
Valor 
Music.... 
Success. 
Travel... 
On a Cuban Reef, 
CAPT. CHAS. D. S10SBEE 
My War-Horses, 
GEN. JOSEPH WHEELER 
The Manila Wire, GEN/CHARLES KING 
A Baritone Among Famous People, 
VICTOR MAUREL 
Taste in Music, REGINALD DEKOVEN 
Experiences as a Bandmaster, 
JOHN P. SOUSA 
The Modern Girl’s Ambitions, 
MARGARET DELAND 
Character, Credit, Capital, 
HON. LYMAN J. GAGE 
The Habit of Thrift, 
ANDREW CARNEGIE 
How I Acted the Missionary, 
H. M. STANLEY 
In a Mexican Dugout, 
CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER 
Lecturing to the Dutch, I. ZANGWILL 
Captain Charles D. Slgsbee, U. S. N 
The Youth’s Companion 
Fifty-two Issues a Year. Subscription Price $1.75. 
The Fireside Friend in Half a Million Homes. 
Free Every Week *2 1900 
Clarissa’s Future, 
A Little Country Girl, 
Two Sacks of Potatoes, 
The Stage Tavern, 
April Showers, 
The Rebellion of Anne, 
Katherine’s Gown, 
A Bunch of Nerves, 
Eliza Orne White 
Kate Chopin 
Jane Barlow 
Sarah 0. Jewett 
Edith Wharton 
Mary E. Wilkins 
Margaret Sangster 
Ellen Mackubin 
Eight 
Charming 
Companion 
Stories 
The Illustrated Announcement Number, with full list of 200 
eminent writers engaged for 1900, sent free to any address. 
SUBSCRIBE NOW, 
sending $1.75 with 
this slip or the name 
of this paper, and 
you will receive all the issues for the remaining weeks of 
1899 Free from the time of subscription ; then the 52 issues 
for the new year to January 1, 1901. This offer includes the 
Thanksgiving and Christmas Double Numbers, and The 
Companion’s Superb Calendar for 1900, lithographed in 12 
colors—a gift that will be preserved and enjoyed the year round. 
THE YOUTH’S COMPANION, 201 Columbus Ave., Boston. Mass. 
CC 94 
Brig.-General Joseph Wheeler, U. S. A. 
SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER! 
The Youth’s Companion Calendar lor 1900 (a rare souvenir in twelve colors) and The Rural New-Yorker 
Both papers to January 1,1901, for only $2.50 in advance. Address THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New-Yobk. 
