1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
125 
Hope Farm Notes. 
(continued.) 
show prizes with our Hope Farm Flacks, 
hut they will lay eggs or we shall know 
the reason why. 
The hen men are still sending in their 
egg records, and many of them beat us 
to death. Here is a man from Steuben 
County, N. Y. : 
I note very carefully your experience on Hope 
Farm every week, especially on poultry, and I 
see that you look on the dark side as well as the 
bright side of the poultry business; but I can not 
figure out the cost of an egg in winter as you can, 
and I suppose that it is because.I have not every¬ 
thing to buy. I am in the retail milk trade, and 
have 24 purebred White P. Rock pullets hatched 
in May which commenced laying the last week in 
December; from January 1 to February 1,1 got 
32 dozen and two eggs, and am prepared to prove 
that, as my wife took care of them in the fore¬ 
noon and I in the afternoon. No doubt there are 
better records than this, but we consider this 
good in this climate, for winter confinement. We 
fed a variety of warm feed in morning with 
abundance of warm water, soft cabbage heads at 
noon, and table scraps, skim-milk and alter¬ 
nately, different grains at night, scattei-ed in 
litter. We got 20 cents per dozen from milk cus¬ 
tomers. w. b. s. 
We look on every side—dark or bright. 
Some folks try to whitewash the dark 
side. That doesn’t pay, for the white¬ 
wash is sure to crack off. What we want 
to do is to breed brightness into the dark 
side. That is much better than hiding 
it in the back yard, or whitewashing it. 
Face it. We may be behind now—but 
wait. We are coming. 
Now here is a New Hampshire boy only 
12 years old : 
In response to your inquiry as to who had 
made hens pay through November and Decem¬ 
ber, I send my debit and credit account. I com¬ 
menced taking care of a flock of 24 hens Novem¬ 
ber 10. From that date to January 1, the figures 
are as follows: 
November, 4 5-6 dozen eggs.$1.55 
Feed. 1.20 
Balance.$0.35 
December, 14*4 dozen eggs.$4.15 
Feed. 2.00 
Balance. $2.15 
Total profit for two months. $2.50 
The feed included middlings, corn meal, corn, 
wheat, oats, and meat scraps. The hens were 
mostly April and May pullets, that had had no 
especial care until I took charge of them. 
JONATHAN PIPER. 
I tell you. right now, that is good for a 
dozen-year-old boy. Of course, these 
birds are pullets. You can’t get old 
hens to do that way, even for a boy. You 
see these people with small flocks are 
getting a good average profit per hen. 
Could they start in with 10 times as 
many hens and make 10 times the profit? 
They will, doubtless, say “ Yes.” All we 
have to say is, “ Try it, and see.” n. w. c. 
WESTERN NEW YORK HORTICUL¬ 
TURAL SOCIETY . 
(Concluded from Page 115.) 
Prof. Surface, of Cornell, talked about 
Birds in Their Relation to Horticulture. 
He said, “ We never miss the water until 
the well goes dry ” ; so we do not miss the 
birds until they are gone. We allow 
them to be killed wantonly, or, at least, 
needlessly. He recommended that all 
rural people send to the United States 
Department of Agriculture and get Farm¬ 
ers’ Bulletin 54, on birds. It costs noth¬ 
ing, and tells much that all should know. 
A most useful little magazine is one 
called Birds, published by the Nature 
Study Publishing Company, of Chicago, 
which will help us to a better under¬ 
standing of these little friends. As birds 
decrease, the insects increase. As one 
end of the balance of Nature goes down, 
the other goes up. Why do birds de¬ 
crease ? Because of their use for femin¬ 
ine hat ornaments. Boys kill them for 
fun with air-guns and bean shooters. 
Men who think they are sportsmen kill 
them with guns. What are the ways to 
encourage birds ? Do not admire their 
skins and feathers on bonnets. Prevent 
boys from having or using air-guns and 
bean-shooters on our premises. Feed the 
cats, and kill those that are persistent 
bird hunters. Put up bird boxes, and 
throw out food in snowy weather. Kill 
English sparrows, which are always 
enemies to our native birds. Have bushes, 
trees or woods near our homes for wild 
birds to nest in. Plant wild cherry and 
mulberry trees, etc., that they may feed 
upon their fruit, instead of those kinds 
we are growing in the orchard and 
garden. Drive stakes beside nests we 
discover in our grain fields and meadows, 
that we may not destroy them in har¬ 
vesting. Believe in, help to bring about 
and observe Bird Day! Prof. Slinger- 
land said that birds get many insects in 
the chrysalis form in the crevices of the 
bark of tree trunks. Mr. Van Deman 
said that he had watched a species of 
small woodpecker picking into the top 
ends of green sweet corn, and getting 
out the worms that damage it so much. 
He had noticed a material benefit from 
this next a piece of woods. 
Prof. S. A. Beach, of Geneva, gave the 
results of five years of careful experi¬ 
ments on an old, neglected apple orchard 
near Seneca Lake, with a view to deter¬ 
mining whether or not wood ashes ap¬ 
plied to the soil would decrease apple 
scab. There were 124 trees, of the fol¬ 
lowing varieties ; Baldwin, Roxbury Rus¬ 
set, Fall Pippin, Rhode Island Greening, 
and Northern Spy. Each year, 100 pounds 
of ashes, showing four per cent of potash, 
were put to each treated tree, making 
1,000 pounds of potash per acre in the five 
years. Stable manure was applied once. 
A part of the trees had no ashes or ma¬ 
nure. The soil was cultivated each year 
over the whole orchard. Where ashes 
were put, the foliage was better, but 
there was some scab rust on it. The 
apples were sorted and counted. In 1890, 
which was the great apple year, all 
seemed alike. The other four years were 
irregularly variable as to scab under simi¬ 
lar treatment to the whole orchard. 
Some years were wet and some dry. 
Dark, wet weather had more to do with 
the prevalence of scab than soil condi¬ 
tions. He could see no real value as to 
decreasing scab, but the potash did 
give an increased yield and size of fruit. 
He desired more time, and would report 
again in a few years. 
II. E. Van Deman talked about What 
to Do with the Old Orchards. His first 
move would be to thin them out in cases 
where the branches were interlocking. 
In some cases, it might be necessary to 
cut out three-fourths of the trees to give 
the remaining ones “ elbow room.” He 
stated that a big apple tree needs more 
room than a big forest tree. The light 
and air must have free play on all sides, 
so that the leaves and fruit can fully de¬ 
velop. He would not prune the trees 
very much, but use common sense and 
moderation, rather than to try to follow 
some fancy notion, or make as much 
brush as possible. He recommended 
shallow plowing, followed by frequent 
cultivation with some fine-toothed imple¬ 
ment. Muriate of potash and dissolved 
bone or phosphate rock might be added, 
but first try to liberate a part of the ele¬ 
ments they contain that are already in 
the soil. Cultivation will aerate the soil 
and help to retain the water that is 
needed to dissolve the fertility. The tree 
roots must drink it up before the leaves 
can elaborate it into true sap to nourish 
the tree and fruit. Clover and cow peas 
may be sown occasionally to gather nitro¬ 
gen from the air, and add humus to the 
soil. Thinning the fruit was advised, at 
least a trial was recommended, that it 
might prove the value of the method by 
actual experiment. 
In response to a question as to the pros¬ 
pects of fruit culture and the possibility 
of too large crops for profit in the future, 
Mr. S. D. Willard said: “No, there is 
no danger of getting too much good 
fruit.” Prof. Jordan expressed similar 
views. He said that, as long as people 
live they will want fruit to eat, just as 
they do wheat or any other staple of 
life. jay. 
WE no longer supply our seeds to dealers to 
sell again. At the same time, any¬ 
one who has bought our seeds of their 
local dealer during either 1896 or 1897 will 
be sent our Manual of “Everything for the 
Garden” for 1898 pnrr provided they 
apply by letter rlvCC and give the 
name of the local merchant from whom 
they bought. To all others, this magnifi¬ 
cent Manual, every copy of which costs us 
30 cents to place in your hands, will be sent 
free on receipt of 10 cents (stamps) to cover 
postage. Nothing like this Manual has 
ever been seen here or abroad; it is a book 
of 200 pages, contains 500 engravings of 
seeds and plants, mostly new, and these are 
supplemented by 6 full size colored plates 
of the best novelties of the season, finally, 
OUR “SOUVENIR’’ SEED COLLECTION 
will also be sent without charge to all appli¬ 
cants sending 10 cts. for the Manual who will 
state where they saw this advertisement. 
Postal Card Applications Will Receive No Attention. 
PETERHENDERSONsCo. 
35&37CortlandtStNEWY0RK 
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ONE HUNDRED MILLIONS 
OF DOLLARS A YEAR 
T HE HE LAVAL CREAM SEPARATORS 
have revolutionized the Creamery and Dairy 
methods of the world since their introduction 
fifteen years ago. They have increased the pro¬ 
ductiveness of the Dairy industry fully One 
Hundred Millions of Dollars a year in that time, 
and practically earned that much a year for their 
users. They have been the “ keystone” of modern 
dairying. They are now used in every country of 
the Globe, and the total number in use is 125,000, 
or more than ten times that of all the one hundred 
or more various kinds of imitating machines ever 
made in the different parts of the earth combined. 
As the De Laval machines were first, so likewise 
have they been kept best, ever keeping further in 
the lead through constant improvement from year 
to year. They are now sufficiently superior in all 
respects to nearly save their cost each year of use 
over and above what is possible with any of the 
imitating and infringing machines. 
The De Laval machines are made in every con¬ 
ceivable size and style and operating form, adapted 
to the requirements of the dairy of one cow to the 
creamery of one thousand or more cows, at prices 
ranging from §50. to §800. 
They are sold, as ever, on the basis of their unqualified and guaranteed 
superiority to all other existing methods and devices. 
Send for “Dairy” catalogue No. 257 
“Creamery” catalogue No. 507 
or 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
Western Offices: 
Randolph & Canal Sts. 
CHICAGO. 
General Offices: 
74 CORTLANDT STREET, 
NEW YORK. 
Branch Offices: 
1102 Arch Street, 
PHILADELPHIA. 
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URPEE’S 
FARM ANNUAL isss 
The Leading American Seed Catalogue. 
The best needs that grow, at lowest price*. 
Twenty-one Grand, New Novelties for 1898, which cannot be had elsewhere. 
This handsome new book of 144 pages is mailed free to planters everywhere, 
WRITE TO-DAY. W. ATLEE BURPEE A CO., PHILADELPHIA.' 
GARDEN *» FARM MANUAL] 
is a Safe and Reliable Guide 
for all who wish to buy GARDEN, FARM AND FLOWER SEEDS. Has in it 
all the good old fashioned kind, which have stood the test of time, 
and all that is NEWEST AND LATEST in seeds and plants. 
If you write to day E5 SiSxe&TSfAf 
JOHNSON & STOKES, 
217-219 Market St., Dept. 44 PHILADELPHIA, PENN. 
FlDEED'C RELIABLE 
; I/JaEEJa. o Seeds, Plants a**d Bulbs 
| are everywhere known as the R EST. To more fully introduce them we make the following special [ 
. offer, viz: Onestrong rooteach of the Two GRAND GANN A8—“Austria” and “Italia” free 
] by mail for 25 cts., and to each purchaser FREE our GARDEN CALENDAR for 1898, the ! 
. handsomest Catalogue of the year; to others we will send It on receipt of 6c. in stamps. 
; HENRY A. DREER, 714 Chestnut Street, PHILADELPHIA, I*A. ; 
SEEDS TO BURN 
For a period of seventeen years the purchasers of LANDRETH’S SEEDS have been 
protected by our Dated Papers and our BLJRNINGSYSTEM, which gives your local 
merchant the privilege of burning his stock left over at the end of the season, thus as¬ 
suring to his customers fresh seeds every year. If your merchant does not keep 
LANDRETHS’ SEEDS 
the United States Mall brings our seed store to every man’s door. We offer Garden 
and Field Seeds of all the standard sorts and many novelties of merit. 
Send us your address by postal card and we will mail you, free of charge, our Catalogue 
with prices attached. Business founded 1784. Address 
DAVID LANDUETH <fc SONS, 21 and 23 South 6th St., Philadelphia,Pa.,U.S.A. 
Ford’s SEEDS 
Produce Paying Crops. 
Catalogue Free. Not many pictures, but 
Lots of Good Seeds, Plants, Trees, and 
Potatoes for your money #300 in prizes. 
FRANK. FORD A SON, Ravenna, O. 
ED RAISE 
Y>y myself from carefully selected 
cabbages, onions, carrots, beets, etc., 
(on the principle that like begets 
like) yet sold as cheap as seed raised 
from trash. As the original intro¬ 
ducer of Gory and Lacky Corn, Deep 
Head and All-Season’s Cabbages, 
Hubbard and Warren Squash, Mil¬ 
ler’s Melon, Burbank Potato, the 
Surprise Pea, and scores of the best 
vegetables now grown everywhere, 
brother farmer, I invite a share of 
your patronage. I want you to plant 
GREGORY’S 
SEEDS 
As promising novelties I catalogue 
for 1898 the Enormous Potato, (604 
bushels measured acre), new cab¬ 
bages, cucumber, beet, etc. The flow¬ 
er seed department of my Cata¬ 
logue will interest wife and daugh¬ 
ter. Established 43 years. 
JAMES J. 11. GREGORY A SON, 
Marblehead, Must. 
Clin AD DECT CCCn THE BEST STRAINS 
OUUAn"DCC I DCCU Send for circular to 
August Killker A Sons, 52 Hey Street, New York. 
FOR 14 CENTS; 
We wish to gain 150,000 ne w cus¬ 
tomers, ana he 
buiu.in, auu UeDCC offer 
1 Pkg. 13 Day Radish, 
1 Pkg. Early Spring Turnip, 
1 “ Earliest Red Beet, 
Bismarck Cucumber, 
10c 
lOo 
10c 
. . 10c 
Queen Victoria Lettuce, l£c 
Klondyke Melon, 16c 
Jumbo Giant Onion, loc 
Brilliant Flower Seeds, 16c 
Worth $1.00, for 14 cents. 
Above 10 pkgs. worth $1.00, we will 
mail you free, together with our 
great Plant and Seed Catalogue 
upon receipt of this notice and 14c. 
postage. We invite your trade and 
know when yon once try Salzer’s 
seedsyou will never get along with¬ 
out them. Potatoes at 81.50 
a 11b 1. Catalog alone 6c. No. ill 
JOHN A. SALZKK SKKI) CO., LA CROSSE, MIS. 
