1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
719 
enough now from associating with such officials as 
Mr. Busbey. It seems to us a pity that more of our 
agricultural organizations cannot have such men who 
purpose to wait “ until it sours”, and thus obtain a 
fair share for the farmer. 
An Onion Farm. —Ohio has many great onion farms, 
the latest addition to the ranks being the Compton 
Farm, near Toledo. It consists of over 1,300 acres of 
lake-shore swamp. A canal was dug entirely about 
it, and one across, so that it really consists of two 
islands. On a part cleared and sown to onions the 
present year, 40,000 bushels have been raised; and a 
Government contract of 25,000 filled. These onion 
farms are being rapidly added to in different parts of 
the State, some individual enterprises, others syndi¬ 
cate concerns. The amount of such land in the State 
available for such enterprises is very large, especially 
in the northwest part. Here one can see a corn field, 
an onion farm, an oil, and a gas well, and a barrel 
mill, all in sight from one point of view, a strange 
combination in a farming section, perhaps peculiar to 
Ohio alone. j. g. 
“ Hidebound” Apple Trees. —About 28 years ago, 
my father had a number of apple trees that had been 
unfruitful for a number of years. Thinking that their 
barrenness was caused by being barkbound, he peeled 
six trees, varying in size, at the ground, from 9 to 18 
inches in diameter. The bark was removed from the 
ground, to as high on the lower branches as it would 
come off easily (about 6 to 7% feet). He took great 
care not to mar or scrape the bodies of the trees, 
as an ugly scar would result. Two years later, 
three more were operated on. The skinning 
was done early in June, when the bark peels 
very easily, and the time for doing is quite 
limited. A neighbor, two weeks later, peeled 
two of his trees that died by the following 
Spring. Some of the varieties bore nearly every 
year, others every other year. Eight years after 
the first trees were operated on, an extremely 
cold Winter killed the whole lot, as well as many 
others that were not disbarked. As an experi¬ 
ment,it was very successful, but I consider it of 
doubtful value except in cases of long-continued 
barrenness ; even then, good culture would, prob¬ 
ably, give better and more lasting results than 
the disbarking process. d. d. c. 
Ohio. 
Paper from Corn Stalks. —It is now reported 
that scientists have discovered a way of mak¬ 
ing a good article of printing paper from corn 
stalks. It is said that this paper can be made so 
that it will sell at one cent a pound, which is 
considerably below the present price. Several 
years ago, we investigated a similar report, and 
found that manufacturers had really made a 
rough paper from corn stalks. This paper, 
however, was not equal to the ordinary product 
from pulp or rye straw. The history of paper¬ 
making has had something to do with agricul¬ 
tural developments. In many sections along 
the upper Hudson River, for many years rye 
was an exceedingly profitable crop. The rye 
straw was used for papermaking, and frequently 
brought from $20 to $25 a ton. The use of wood 
pulp in papermaking greatly reduced the value 
of the straw, until now it frequently sells at $4 and $5; 
in fact, the price is so low that farmers are forced to 
give up rye culture, and are hunting for some crop to 
take its place. This is but one illustration of the 
way in which industries outside of farming have 
changed the character of farm life in many sections. 
Insects in Grain. —Questions are now coming in 
regarding the best method for killing insects in stored 
grain. The best known remedy is to use bisulphide 
of carbon, putting the grain in some perfectly air¬ 
tight place. The bisulphide of carbon is a very deadly 
substance. It evaporates, forming a vapor which is 
heavier than air, and which sinks through the grain. 
Formerly, we were advised to put the bisulphide in a 
dish at the top of the grain, and then to cover the 
whole thing over. Entomologists now say that the 
liquid can be thrown directly upon the grain without 
using the dish. Prof. Troop, of the Indiana Experi¬ 
ment Station, now tells us that best results are se¬ 
cured by using a gas pipe with a screen over the lower 
end, to keep out the grain. This pipe is pushed down 
to the middle of the mass, and bisulphide is then 
poured into it, after which the pipe is withdrawn. 
One pound of the bisulphide is sufficient for 50 bushels 
of grain. 
A Gape-Ridden House. —Regarding the brooder 
house mentioned on page 673, if it has a board floor, 
there should be little difficulty in getting rid of the 
gapes by thorough spraying. It would be a harder 
task to rid the soil of the disease ; it would be cheaper 
to put a floor in the house and keep the chicks con¬ 
fined on a floor until they are old enough to ward 
off the worms to some extent. About the best specific 
treatment I have noticed for gapes is the following, 
recommended by the Pennsylvania State Zoologist: 
“ By treating the soil with lime, and spading or plow¬ 
ing it frequently, the eggs of the Gape worm may be 
destroyed. Or the ground may be thoroughly soaked 
with a solution of sulphuric acid (one part to 100). 
The water troughs and feeding places should all be 
thoroughly cleansed and disinfected with copperas 
solution (one pound to two gallons of water).” I 
should think this treatment would be effective, but in 
any case, it would be a risky experiment to confine 
young chicks on a ground floor that had previously 
been affected with gapes. .james dryden. 
Sup’t Poultry Dep’t, Utah Ex. Station. 
ANOTHER YEAR WITH CORN HARVESTERS. 
WIIAT WESTERN MEN SAY OF THEM. 
Much interest is shown in the Central West in corn 
harvesters. One hears the usual statements which 
accompany new machinery. One “ would rather cut 
and shock by hand ”. Another got his “ corn in shock 
with scarcely any expense ”. The reasons for the dif¬ 
ference lie in different conditions of corn, and in the 
working of the machines. One farmer says, “ The 
machine picks up down corn to surprise me, and binds 
it; but in discharging the bundle, it strikes it instead 
of sliding it off, and the heavy stalks with big ears 
break—that is, one or two stalks in a bundle— 
and these make straggly work.” Another farmer 
S. R. DIVINE. Fig. 328. 
agrees that they are helpful, but says, “ They 
will never be nice to shock after, until they bind 
above the ear. My machine binds around the ears, 
and once in a while, the needle strikes an ear and 
stalls the team. Then the bundle will work loose in 
handling more quickly than if tied around the stalks.” 
The machines bind below the ears in big corn, and 
this is an objection. The big ears will fall every way 
on picking up the bundle, and one has to gather them 
up into the shock. Gravitation helps to scatter them, 
while if bound above the ears as you pick up a bundle, 
gravitation tends to swing butts and ears together. 
One other trouble with them is that they cannot be 
raised and lowered quickly enough and far enough. 
We often have thin places in a field, so that corn will 
ear two feet from the ground and should be cut close, 
and in the same row, corn will ear five and six feet 
high. We often have ears that one can’t hang his hat 
on. I have seen ears three feet higher than I could 
reach. Of course, a machine need not be made for 
these very high ears, but we have whole fields of corn 
in which most of the ears are five feet high. It is 
quite common here to grow Stowell’s Evergreen for a 
supplement to pastures, and we want it cut at the 
ground ; in fact we often cut it with a mower. I have 
done so. 
Some harvesters depend on raising or lowering by 
only one side of the machine, and on tipping the front 
down or up. But to lift one side, the range of change 
must be quite limited, or one will rock the machine. 
If the knife be tipped below the horizontal, it pulls 
up corn, and draws hard. One can throw the front 
above the level, and it will cut easier, if anything, 
but in down corn, the points must be down. 
I mention these defects through no unkind feeling 
toward manufacturers, but to aid our inventors to 
make more perfect machines. After all that is said, 
the fact is that the latest machines have overcome 
many of these faults, and do work so well in most 
respects that they render the cost of putting up fodder 
about half what it is by hand. They put it up quickly 
so that it may not be exposed to bad weather, and enable 
one to make his horse power do most of the work, and 
his fodder is tied in bundles, which is an immense ad¬ 
vantage in future handling. Any farmer putting up 
600 shocks, can’t afford to be without one. But two 
or three farmers are buying one machine together, 
and often cut 10 or 15 acres each. e. h. collins. 
Central Indiana. 
MR. S. R. DIVINE. 
THE MAN WHO ICED THE MARSHALL STRAWBERRIES. 
Our readers will remember the articles on straw¬ 
berries covered with ice, which were written last Sum¬ 
mer by Mr. T. J. Dwyer. We are now able to show, 
at Fig. 328, a picture of Mr. S. R. Divine, of Loch 
Sheldrake, N. Y., on whose farm this interesting ex¬ 
periment was tried. Mr. Divine is one of those great¬ 
hearted men who delight in providing work and 
wages for country people. He is a chemist by profes¬ 
sion, and invented the powder that was used to blow 
up the famous rocks in Hell Gate, New York Harbor. 
The farm in Sullivan County, N. Y., has been in the 
family since 1841. Part of it was cleared from the 
primitive forest by Mr. Divine's father, who used the 
water power from the lake for more than 20 years, for 
sawmill purposes. Mr. Divine has greatly improved the 
old farm, and has spent a great deal of money 
in building and beautifying the place, most of 
which has gone to local workmen. Great atten¬ 
tion has been paid to the ornamentation of the 
grounds. 
The experiment cf covering strawberries with 
ice to retard their growth may lead to important 
results among growers so situated that they 
can obtain plenty of cheap ice. The effort among 
strawberry growers now is to prolong the season 
of fruiting. The greenhouse men do this by 
growing the crop under glass so as to produce 
the fruit early. This is expensive, and requires 
special treatment. There seem to be surer re¬ 
sults in retarding the crop so as to bring it into 
market after the rush is over. Mr. Divine’s ex¬ 
periment shows what can be done with ice. 
Probably the experiment would not have been 
made by an ordinary practical farmer. Some 
such man as Mr. Divine, with capital and hor¬ 
ticultural tastes, was needed to carry the plan 
through. 
CUBAN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 
WILL THEY COMPETE WITH AMERICAN PRODUCT8 ? 
What Is Cuba ?—Every earnest reader in 
the United States is thoroughly acquainted with 
the fact that Cuba is a large island, about 700 
miles long and nearly 100 miles wide. As a 
whole, the country is more or less broken or 
hilly. It has some rapid streams or small 
rivers, many small bays and inlets which small 
steamers and sailing vessels may navigate suc¬ 
cessfully. The soil is rich and of a varied texture, 
usually very fine and of a somewhat clayey nature. A 
chemical analysis of the tobacco soils shows that they 
contain a great abundance of calcium, or what is or¬ 
dinarily called lime. The climate is warm, moist, and 
usually not invigorating. Frost never occurs, conse¬ 
quently all tropical fruits may be grown. The hills, 
sometimes styled mountains, are high enough so that 
they may be used as a refuge from the yellow fever 
which seems to be present the year ’round in some 
lowlands. However, with proper food, shelter and 
good judgment, there need be no great anxiety on the 
part of the tourist or the business man living in Cuba. 
The Home of Tropical Fruits. —Such a country 
as described must be the home of a great variety of 
fruits and vegetables. We must remember, however, 
that there are fruits of a temperate country which 
will not grow profitably in the tropics. For example, 
our apples, which grow luxuriantly in the United 
States, north of Florida, cannot be grown successfully 
in Florida. Tomatoes, which grow here nicely during 
the Winter and Spring, pass a rather miserable exist¬ 
ence during the Summer. Sweet corn, which grows 
very well during the Fall, Winter and Spring, is 
preyed upon by countless enemies and untoward con¬ 
ditions of climate, so that it is difficult to raise even a 
little for home use during the Summer. These same 
conditions exist in Cuba so that, while Cuba may raise 
an abundance of tomatoes and other vegetables during 
the Winter, it is not probable that she will be able to 
supply northern markets with these products during 
the late Spring, Summer and Fall. 
Not Prepared to Grow Vegetables.— To make 
vegetable growing a success on a large scale, it is 
necessary to have a large tract of comparatively level 
