1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
339 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
Poison Ivy.—The Bud and the.Graft, and the 
oldest of the two Scions, have, evidently, been ex¬ 
posed to Poison ivy. We think that the vines 
must be on the wood pile, for the children play 
there a great deal. The Graft hardly shows a 
trace of the poison; he must be too totigh and 
wiry for it. The Bud has it a little, but the poor 
Scion is in awful shape. His body is red, and 
when he gets well warmed up in bed at night, he 
is in agony. We bathe him in sweet spirits of 
niter and bicarbonate of soda and oil of sassa¬ 
fras, but life is a burden to him in spite of all. 
It seems strange that these three children should 
show the effect of the poison so differently, since 
all ar.e equally exposed. The Scion's mother was 
almost as easily poisoned. • She could hardly 
walk by <u vine of Poison ivy without showing 
the effects of it. This poison is bad enough for 
grown-up folks, but it is awful for little children. 
Rain and Cold.—“ And the rain descended and 
the floods came!” That weather report will 
answer for last week at Hope Farm. It was im¬ 
possible to work up the land properly, so we let 
it alone. After 24 hours of sunshine, we can get 
the sweet-corn ground ready. That is one ad¬ 
vantage of living on light, warm soil. You 
can work it early and easily. While the rain 
lasts, we get other jobs done and feel thankful 
for the Crimson clover. How that stuff does 
grow! The rain has brought it up as though by 
magic. We worked up three acres of the poorest 
clover for potatoes. After plowing, working 
twice with the Cutaway, and once with the Acme, 
thousands of the clover plants are still growing 
like fun in this wet weather. It makes a good 
“ weed.” 
Cats and Rats.—When we came here, the barn 
at Hope Farm was alive with rats, which fairly 
stole grain right under the noses of the stock. 
These rats appeared to increase in number as 
we stored more grain. A colony of cats has 
gradually collected in the barn. We never knew 
where they came from, and we have made no 
effort to feed them; in fact, they have always 
been half wild, but they have just about cleared 
the rats out. The fact is that rat food has be¬ 
come so scarce that the cats have caught several 
chickens. Only one of these cats has ever come 
to the house for food. The others are strictly 
business cats, as the rats would, doubtless,testify. 
“ Dignity ” in Hens.—Several weeks ago, I said 
that our Brahmas were too dignified to scratch 
up the garden. It doesn’t pay to bank too much 
on the dignity of a hen. A P. Rock hen with half 
a dozen chickens to provide for, began to scratch 
in the strawberry field. The Brahmas never 
dreamed of such business until Mrs. P. Rock 
started it, but now—why, the mulch on that field 
looks as though a man had shaken it tip with a 
pitchfork. There is power in those great feet, I 
can tell you. Thus far, they haven’t injured a 
plant—in fact, I think those great claws scratch¬ 
ing around the plants have done more good than 
harm. I know that strawberry growers some¬ 
times use a weeder on their plants with good re¬ 
sults. Now, don’t get the idea that Hope Farm 
expects to bring out a strain of Light Brahmas 
that will be guaranteed to hoe strawberries, be¬ 
cause we have no thought of it. Our Brahmas 
outlay any hens on the place, and are handsome 
and lovable, but we don’t want workmen in that 
field unless they know the difference between a 
strawberry and a weed. 
“A Diet of Worms”.—Our scientific friends 
are fond of telling us how crops like clover and 
cow peas take most of their bulk out of the 
air. By growing these crops, we “concentrate 
the aii - ” so to speak, and put it down into the 
soil. The fertilizing value in the air and in the 
soil itself has often been discussed. There is 
feeding value in the soil, too. Take your spade 
some day and turn over a little soil in the chicken 
yard. You will be astonished to see how many 
earthworms are to be found in the upper 15 
inches of soil. Go and dig in the same place three 
days later, and you will find as many more. I 
would not care to feed too many of these worms 
to little chickens, for fear of gapes, but for a lay¬ 
ing hen, I consider that they beat any other form 
of meat. Our breeding pen of 10 old Minorca hens 
has 300 square feet of run. In this damp weather, 
we can, by spading up the soil regularly, find so 
many worms that one cent’s worth of corn per 
day will provide a full balanced ration. There 
isn’t any doubt in my mind of the great value of 
earthworms as food and medicine for poultry. I 
see some poultry yards with the ground as hard 
as a board. That is a great mistake. In our 
large yards we get right in with horse and small 
plow and tear the soil all up. There is no non¬ 
sense about the hen food to be found in the upper 
15 inches of ordinary soil. 
Darn the Stockings.—The Madame says that 
it is all very well to talk about hens and crops, 
but the patches on the children’s stockings give 
her most concern. They look like fruitless patches 
sometimes, after the children have been crawl¬ 
ing in the dirt. When I was a boy, as I remember 
it, most of such stockings were knit at home. 
Some good old grandmother or aunt used to make 
the needles fairly fly, and tell fine stories at 
the same time. I seldom see these knitters now. 
Knitting seems to have become a lost art—like 
breadmaking. We can buy stockings cheaper 
than we can knit them. We can order from the 
big city stores by mail and get, in this way, a 
stocking that will stand the strongest sort of 
darning. Pretty soon the little folks will go 
barefooted—then the Bud will stub her toe, and 
the Graft will scrape his heel, and the Scion will 
get a splinter in his foot. They’ll forget it all 
though, one minute after they get into bed. 
The troubles of childhood are many, but the 
hope is mighty. h. w. c. 
Crimson Clover Prospects. 
N. O., Newington, Conn. —Three years 
ago, I sowed about five acres of oats, and 
seeded with Crimson Clover, allowing the 
oats to ripen. After the oats were off 
the ground, the clover looked very slim, 
but by September 1, the ground was well 
covered and remained green until about 
Thanksgiving time, thickening up mean¬ 
while, and much of it bloomed. I flat¬ 
tered myself that I should have a nice 
crop to harvest the next Summer, hut 
not a plant survived the Winter. The 
following Spring, I plowed the land, 
planting to corn, also other land close to 
it. The corn on the land where the 
clover was plowed in was very much bet¬ 
ter than where there was none. 
Last Summer, I seeded 10 acres to Crim¬ 
son clover at the last hoeing of the corn. 
It came up nicely. The corn was put 
into my silo, and the clover grew until 
very late, looking dark green. It has 
been a question with me whether it would 
survive last Winter; a few days ago, I 
went all over the piece, and I cannot find 
a dead plant. It has commenced to grow, 
and I think I have as fine a crop of Crim¬ 
son clover to plow in for corn again as 
any one ever saw in this locality. I in¬ 
tend to do the same thing the coming 
Summer. 
P. B., North East, Pa. —Crimson clover, 
in this immediate locality, is a success, 
if rightly managed, and Tiie R. N.-Y. 
may be thanked for its introduction. We 
now have it looking finely in 30 acres of 
vineyard, and on a small piece of land 
from which we cut hay last year, and 
which we plowed as soon as the hay was 
cut, and seeded to clover about August 1 
with about 15 pounds of seed per acre. 
This land is poor, hut we expect a good 
crop of corn from it the coming season. 
Our corn last season, raised in this way 
from a similar piece of ground, with the 
addition of a light dressing of stable ma¬ 
nure, was a good crop. 
“ Probably no single drug 
is employed in nervous dis* 
eases with effects so mark¬ 
edly beneficial as those of 
cod-liver oil.” 
These are the words of 
an eminent medical teacher. 
Another says: “ The hy- 
pophosphites are generally 
acknowledged as valuable 
nerve tonics.” 
Both these remedies are 
combined in Scott’s Emul¬ 
sion. Therefore, take it 
for nervousness, neuralgia, 
sciatica, insomnia and brain 
exhaustion. 
50c. and $1.00, all druggists. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
HEADQUARTERS FOR COW PEAS. 
Soja Beans, Velvet Beans, Southern-grown Mill* 
and Early Mastodon Seed Corn. 
PACKARD, Seed Grower, Dover, Del. 
p AU( Choice Seed, $1.35 per bushel, 
UwW rCflS boxed and delivered to depot. 
For 25 cents, will send by mail postpaid enough 
seed to grow tour bushels. 
H. H. McMURTRIE, Sparta, Tenn. 
SURE DEATH TO BUGS. 
(SAFE TO USE—NO ARSENIC.) 
Tat. March lUand Nov.9,1897. 
Pat lu Canada Nov. 2,1897. 
Kills Potato, Squash and 
Cucumber Bugs, Currant, 
Tomato Worms, etc. 
PREVENTS BLIGHT 
or Potato Rust. Use freely 
on Vegetables and House 
Plants. More freely used, 
better plant will thrive. 
Applied dry; no water to 
carry; will not blow or 
wash off. 
Apply to local dealer for 
free sample package. 
1-lb. package, 15c.: 3-lb. 
package. 35e.; 5-lb. package, 
50c.; 12J^-lb. package, $1. 
Perfection Shakers, 50c.; 
Rubber Atomizers, 75c. 
For sale by all local dealers 
DANFORTH CHEMICAL CO. 
35 Spruce Street, 
jLeominster, Mass. 
ARMSTRONG * McKELVY 
Pittsburgh. 
BEYMER-BAUMAN 
Pittsburgh. 
DAVIS -CHAMBERS 
Pittsburgh. 
FAHNESTOCK 
Pittsburgh. 
ANCHOR ) 
j Cincinnati. 
ECKSTEIN ) 
ATLANTIC 
BRADLEY 
BROOKLYN ( 
JEWETT 
ULSTER 
UNION 
SOUTHERN 
SHIPMAN 
COLLIER 
MISSOURI 
RED SEAL 
SOUTHERN 
New York. 
Chicago. 
> St. Louis. 
JOHN T. LEWIS A BROS CO 
Philtulelphia. 
M0RLEY Cleveland. 
SALEM 
CORNELL 
Salem, Mass. 
Buffalo. 
N otwithstanding the extrava¬ 
gant assertions of the manufacturers 
making White Lead by quick pro¬ 
cess, comparative painting tests, carefully 
and honestly made, show that Pure White 
Lead made by the “old Dutch process” 
will cover more surface and cover it better 
than White Lead made by .the quick , or so- 
called “up-to-date” process. 
¥“} w~si By using National Lead Co.’s Pure White Lead Tinting Colors, 
tC I q l q any desired shade is readily obtained. Pamphlet giving valu¬ 
able information and card showing samples of colors free ; also 
folder showing picture of house painted in different designs or various styles or 
combinations of shades forwarded upon application to those intending to paint. 
KENTUCKY Louisville. 
National Lead Co ., ioo William St., New York. 
Perfect Farm Fence 
steel wire. Top and bottom wir 
I’op and bottom wires No. 9 
wires No.11. VVe use the strong¬ 
est stay wire in any woven wire 
fence on the market— hence more 
strength and durability. Our, 
I nnn Vnnlientirely new feature, 
LUUp •VllUlpatented), provides' 
perfect expansion and contrac¬ 
tion, and keeps it tight at all temper¬ 
atures. Our Loop Knot being uni¬ 
formly distributed throughout each 
foot of the fence is, in effect, the 
same as placing one coil of a spiral spring in every foot throug" 
length of fence, BESIDES GREATLY STRENGTHENING 
Made of best doubly 
■ annealed galvanized 
All other 
_ IT. Our Loop 
Knots make the fence plainly visible and impossible for stay wire to slip or give, orrK loop knot. 
It is Hog-tight and Bull strong. Will turn all kinds of stock without injuring them Where we have 
no agents, a liberal discount wilt be given on introductory order. Reliable farmer agents wanted in 
every township. Send for Catalogue and Prices. PITTSBURG WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. Pittsburg. Pa 
AGEHTS SR*™ 
fvJwwv your business, write 
your I 
Bond Steel JPomt Co. Adrian, Jtffefc, 
WITH THE 
EMPIRE KING 
or Garfield Knapsack 
Perfect agitators—no scorching of foliage 
—no leather valves. 14 styles spray pumps. 
Catalogue free. Agents wanted. 
FIELD FORCE PUMP C0„ 13Market St.,Lockport, 5.Y. 
Years of Prosperity 
are surely coming, so 
wake up. Buy an 
ECLIPSE 
SPRAY PUMP, 
and save your fruit crop. “ It is 
better to be safe than sorry” 
In fruit growing as well as in any 
other business. 
Send for our 1898 catalogue. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, 
Benton Harbor, Mich. 
___ with our new 
[KEROSENE Sprayers 
is simple. Kerosene Emulsion made 
while pumping. Send for photo, of 
onr New PEERLESS ORCHARD 
SPRAYER, with BORDEAUX 
NOZZLE, the WORLD’S BEST. 
„ THE DEMINQ CO. SALEM, 0. 
'West’n Ag’ts, Henion & Hubbell,Chicago. 
Save the Potatoes 
from the bugs, insects and fungous 
discuses by spraying with our 
KNAPSACK SPRA YER. 
Try it once and you will never be without it. 
You can sprinkle more than one ucre In 
tin hour with it. SAM RLE ONLY #8.50 
Wo have many other styles. Write us forour 
new catalogus. WK SEND IT FREE. 
Agents Wanted Everywhere. 
THE BERGER MFC. CO., Department K , CANT0N0HI0., 
KILLS ALL BUGS 
With our improved 1898 machine you can 
dust one acre of potatoes in 30 minutes 
by doing two rows at once. No plas¬ 
ter or water used. You can dust 
tobacco, cotton, fruit trees, 
current bushes, etc. BOOK 
FREE. Write to 
HOTCHKISS BROS., 
Wallingford, Conn. 
3WIND, WATER AND LIGHT 
Jjaro the only things not successfully turned or confined by 
• KEYSTONE WOVEN WIRE FENCE. 
^Nothing else can get through it, under or over it. Can't in- 
Jjure anything because it's all smooth wire. Never sags 
• -takes up its own expansion and contraction. If your ® 
•dealer doesn't keep it order direct from us. Wo pay the,® 
•freight. Any height up to 68-in. Write for free circulars.*® 
«K KYSTONK WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO. 19 RushSt. Peoria, Ill. I» 
•*«•*«*••••*•**•**••••••«••»• 
zz 
■ 
Aina® 
^Ti^WINH.A 
irtii.hr 
r *iF T » 
WiT 
EntSSr 
Prepare for War! 
New Count Defense. Stretch Page Fence a 
few miles to seaward, and say, “Come on!” The 
recoil of the fence will return the enemy by the route 
De Lome took. Suitable post* wanted. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. 
A-A 
A-A-AA-AA 
fl 
Cl 
STEEL P 
CKET LAWN FENCE, 
Field and Hog Fence with or without bottom cable 
barbed. M. M. S. Poultry Fencing. Lawn and 
Farm Steel Gates and Posts. 
UNION FENCE CO. DcKalb, III. 
[ADAM 
THE FENCE MAN 
Makes Woven Wire 
Fence that“Stands 
Up." Cannot Sag 
I Get his new catalogue. Ii 
tells all about The Best 
a Farm Fence Made. 
J. ADAM, Joliet, 
SOME 
SHARKS 
will offer to sell you 
air, earth or sky along 
with the right to twist 
wire. If we get your 
trade, 'tis on the mer¬ 
its of the goods and the 
fair treatment you re¬ 
ceive. 
LAMB WIRE FENCE CO. 
Adrian, Mich. 
ECLIPSE ATOMIZER 
Positively best on the market. 
Will Last a Lifetime. 
NOT 
CHEAP 
TIN. 
Morrill & Morley, 
st Bug Killer 
on Karth. 
.Salesmen 
Wanted 
Everywhere. 
Good profits; 
write quick for 
particulars 
Sample, $1.50. 
Benton Harbor, 
Mich. 
BEATEN TO DEATH 
direct to the farmer & 
paying freight thereon 
We not only save him all of the middle man’s profit but 
we have beaten the hand fence machine to death, i’rices 
way down. It is a cheaper and bettor fence than can be 
made by any hand machine for the money. It’s all inter¬ 
woven: no loose ends to unravel; cross wirescan not slip. 
REMEIIRFR IT S SOLD ONLY DIRECT TO THE FARMER 
nCITIklnDkll t STWrite for free circulars and extra 
special discount. Better write at once. 
ADVANCE FENCE CO., 9 Old St., Peoria III. 
By selling our 
ADVANCE 
WOVEN 
FENCE 
