1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
•Currant Culture. —We have about 
300 currant bushes at Hope Farm, and I 
do not think we shall start more. This 
fruit has only a fair sale in our markets 
—almost entirely for jelly-making. It 
is time now to start ctittings in case new 
bushes are wanted. We usually cutback 
to five or six buds, and make a small, 
stocky bush. While this does not give 
such a heavy weight of fruit, what does 
grow is larger and finer than where the 
canes are lightly pruned. The cuttings 
may be stuck into the ground in some 
protected, well-drained place, and cov¬ 
ered with manure when frost comes. 
They will root slowly, and in Spring may 
be transplanted or left another year in 
the nursery. 
Mulching Strawberries. —In another 
month, the strawberries should have 
their Winter overcoat on. Last year, we 
tried forest leaves, fine manure, coarse 
manure, stalks, marsh hay, and cow-pea 
vines. We liked the pea vines best of 
all. We must not forget that the object 
of a mulch is not to keep the plants 
warm. The strawberry is a cold-blooded 
plant, and does not need to be warmed. 
The mulch is needed to prevent the soil 
from freezing and thawing too often. It 
is an old story that, when the soil freezes, 
it opens or separates a little. When the 
frost goes out of it, the soil contracts. 
This lifting and settling will throw out 
the strawberry plant, and expose its 
roots. The mulch prevents it by keeping 
the temperature of the soil more uniform, 
and thus causing fewer changes from 
freeze to thaw. 
More About It. —This lifting and heav¬ 
ing is worse on heavy soils, because they 
are naturally more compact to start 
with, and contain more water, so that, 
when they do freeze, there is a greater 
lifting power in them. On clay lands, 
wheat and rye are often lifted out and 
killed unless the roots are large and 
strong. Crimson clover will often pass 
safely through the Winter only to be 
thrown out and killed in March and 
April. Fruits like raspberries, black¬ 
berries or currants do not need this 
mulching, because their roots run far 
and deep into the soil, and safely an¬ 
chor the plants. The strawberry plant 
is peculiar in the fact that its roots are 
small and can hardly be said to anchor 
it safely. We shall use a lot of moldy 
corn stalks and some marsh hay an¬ 
chored down with manure. We would 
like to use cow-pea vines this Winter, 
but we think they are needed where 
they grew, as the soil is so light. We 
have, also, covered the rhubarb with a 
good coat of manure, though we might 
have left this for a month yet. 
Protecting Bush Fruits. —Our Early 
Harvest blackberries came through last 
Winter safely, and we expect to risk 
them again this Winter. We could pro¬ 
tect these and the Cuthbert raspberries 
by laying the vines down and throwing 
soil over the tops, but we question the 
need of it. On the whole, I doubt 
whether it pays us to grow in large 
quantity the fruits that need this protec¬ 
tion, when there are good, hardy varie¬ 
ties. The bush fruits have had a good 
chance to ripen their wood this season. 
Last July, after plowing up part of the 
strawberry bed, we transplanted the 
sprouts of Cuthbert raspberries, and set 
them out between rows of cabbage. We 
used the Richards transplanter for this 
work, and hardly a plant was lost. They 
started growing at once, and are now 
large and stocky. When the frost came, 
some of them were in bloom. 
Homemade Tar Paper. —We told last 
year how our poultryhouses were cov¬ 
ered. I bought a lot of thick paper such 
as printer’s paper is wrapped in, and had 
it tacked over the sides and roof of the 
houses. We bought a barrel of water- 
gas tar, and painted or daubed the stuff 
all over this paper. The tar was first 
heated, after which it smeared as readily 
as thick paint. We put on two coats of 
this tar, and dusted a little sand and 
gravel over the roof before the tar hard¬ 
ened. This has given first-rate satis¬ 
faction, except that the black houses 
were very hot in Summer. The tar has 
not run, and the paper has not given 
way. The roof sheds water well, and 
we find this combination a cheap sub¬ 
stitute for purchased tarred paper. 
Light Brahma Chickens. — Several 
friends ask why we have said nothing 
about the Light Brabmas lately. Well, 
now, there isn't much to say. We started 
with two hens and a rooster—and very 
high hopes. The two hens laid 133 eggs 
and then one started to sit. We put the 
other with her husband in with a pen of 
pullets, and it hurt her feelings so that 
she hasn’t laid an egg since. The hens 
ate about 30 of their eggs, one of our 
finest hens died on a nest containing 15 
more, and what with mishaps to in¬ 
cubator and brooder, we have actually 
only nine young birds. One of the hens 
ventured into Billy Berkshire’s pen on a 
muddy day, and got those great feather- 
dustered feet so clogged up that Billy 
got a crunch at her back so that she 
died. There you are for Light Brahmas. 
They are quiet and nice birds to have 
about. They are good layers, easy keep¬ 
ers, and the best-natured birds in the 
world, but we haven’t been able to make 
a good showing with them. 
Winter Fertilizing. — In Delaware 
and other places where large quantities 
of fertilizer are used, farmers often 
broadcast the potash and phosphoric 
acid in December or January. They put 
4t on the Crimson clover usually, and 
claim to receive a double benefit in this 
way. They think that the clover is im¬ 
proved by this fertilizing, and that the 
fertilizer is left in better condition for 
the Spring crops. I agree with this to 
some extent, but on our rolling land, I 
do not think it pays us to broadcast fer¬ 
tilizer now. I would much rather put 
the muriate of potash and acid phosphate 
into the manure pile as we haul from the 
pigpens, and mix with muck. We expect 
to make a large amount of compost in 
this way, and I think the chemicals are 
safer and better in this pile than they 
would be on top of the ground. There 
is no doubt in my mind that it pays to 
use potash and phosphate with the ma¬ 
nure—just as much as it pays to use 
grain with ensilage or corn fodder. In 
fact, they are both used on much the 
same principle, viz., that of balancing 
the ration for plants and for animals. 
The Wood Pile. —We burn a good deal 
of wood at Hope Farm. We are still get¬ 
ting fuel out of the old rails and posts 
that made a ragged edge around the 
farm when we came here, and we have 
just invested in a big wood stove. We 
spent part of Election Day at the wood 
pile—putting in some good votes for the 
prohibition of frost inside our house this 
Winter. I got the Graft started at one 
end of a cross-cut saw. Like most boys 
and many men, his first idea was to look 
around and see who was watching him 
in his new job. Of course he got the saw 
twisted and made hard work of it. When 
he learned to keep his eyes on the saw, he 
did good work for a little fellow. I ob¬ 
serve that many grown-up men have to 
learn this same lesson before they are 
worth much on the farm or anywhere 
else. h. w. c. 
SPRAYING PEACH TREES IN OHIO. 
We have not sprayed peaches specifi¬ 
cally for the Peach scab, but have noted 
the effect upon trees sprayed for curl- 
leaf. We use for the latter a dilute Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture after the first application 
in the Spring. The trees are sprayed, 
just before the time of blooming, with 
Bordeaux Mixture containing four 
pounds of copper sulphate and four 
pounds of lime to a barrel of water. 
Remember that B o w k e r ’ s Animal 
Meal is sold only in yellow bags and 
yellow packages. The original; richest 
in protein.— Adv. 
Three or four more sprayings are made 
later at intervals of about a week, with 
a mixture half the strength of the above. 
We have noted that the sprayed trees 
have less scab on the fruit than the un¬ 
sprayed, but, as might be expected, the 
late ripening varieties are benefited less 
than the early. In order to get the best 
results, it would be well to use copper 
carbonate for two or three applications 
after the Bordeaux Mixture, for the lat¬ 
ter is liable to spot the fruit if applied 
too late; besides, its continued use in¬ 
jures the leaves to some extent. A safe 
plan would be to apply full strength 
Bordeaux once, half strength twice, and 
copper carbonate two or three times. 
This treatment will have a beneficial 
effect upon both foliage and fruit. 
Should there appear to be any injury 
from the use of the Bordeaux Mixture, 
the copper carbonate may be substituted 
at any time. w. J. GREEN. 
Ohio Experiment Station. 
When the children are 
hungry, what do you give 
them? Food. 
When thirsty? Water. 
Now use the same good 
common sense, and what 
would you give them when 
they are too thin? The best 
fat-forming food, of course. 
Somehow you think of 
Scott’s Emulsion at once. 
For a quarter of a century 
it has been making thin 
children, plump; weak child¬ 
ren, strong; sick children, 
50c. and $i.oo, all druggists. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
A Winter 
Egg Producer 
Warm quarters make hens lay, and nothing 
will make as warm poultry houses as 
Cabot’s Insulating 
Pa!.l«U9i 
This wcmderful insulator is constructed 
upon scientific principles, is ten times as 
warm as resin paper, and costs only about 
lc. a foot. Send for a sample. 
SAMUEL CABOT, 81 Kilby St..Boston,Mass 
healthy 
Fire-Weather-Lightning Proof 
Black, painted or galvanized metal ROOFING 
and siding; (brick, rocked or corrugated) 
METAL CEILINGS AND SIDE W ALLS 
Write for Catalogue 
Penn Metal Ceiling & Roofing Co.. Ltd., Philadelphia. 
urri I DRILLING 
WELL Machines 
Over 70 slzea and styles, for drilling either deep or 
shallow wells In any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse powers. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Bend for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
iOODHHI 
Galvan¬ 
ized 
Steel 
DOWER and 
BUMI 
Self-oiling, 
Best Governed, 
Acknowledged 
ito be the most 
S owerful and 
urable made. 
I We have every- 
‘ thing the farmer 
needs In this line. 
Towers, 
Tanka and 
Pumps, 
> Gutters, Grinders, 
Shelters, etc. 
MILLS 
limping 
Catalogue, full of valuable points, free. 
Appleton Mfg. Gom 
[27 Fargo St. _ BATAVIA.. ILL. 1 
787 
MICA 
AXLE 
CREASE 
The best slippery 
1 stuff for saving 
wear and tear on wagons and carriages. It saves 
horseflesh Your dealer sells It. Get some. 
FRAZER C ^ E 
BEST IN THE WORLD. 
Its wearing qualities are nnsnrpassed, actually 
outlasting three boxes of any other brand. Not 
affected by heat. fW GET THE GENUINE. 
FOR SALE BY DEALERS GENERALLY. 
We are the largest C^-ppI 
manufacturers of.. ^ LCCI 
Truck Wheels 
for farm wagons in America 
Send for Catalogue 
Havana Metal Wheel Co , Havana, III. 
Steel Wheels 
Staggered Oval Spokes. 
BUY A SET TO FIT YOUR NEW OR 0L0 WACOM 
CHEAPEST AND BEST 
way to get & low wagon. Any size 
wheel, any width tire. C&tal. tbxb. 
Electric Wheel Co., Box 88, Quincy, Ills 
“KEEP OUT!” 
Is what Eastern nations are telling eaeh other, 
just like the farmer says to unruly stock. We 
can fix the stock for you, neighbor. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. ADRIAN,MICH. 
CABLED POULTRY and GARDEN FENCE 
og Fencing v_ 
cable barbed. Steel Web Picket Fence for Lawns and 
cemeteries, Steel Gates, posts, etc. 
DE KALB FENCE CO., 316 High St., DE KALB, ILL. 
!adam 
THE FENCE MAN 
Makes Woven Wire 
Fence that "Standa 
Up.” Cannot Sag 
1 Get his 1888 catalogue. It; 
tel la all about The Best 
1 Farm Fence Made. 
Wi J. ADAM, Joliet, 
l ten* a 
a Farr 
L* 
Good Fence, 
u strong fence, n cheap fence, 
un every pur pose fence and one 
which you can build yourself la 
The Chandlee Fence 
The secret is in the lock which 
fastens the stays In such an 
easy and simple way that they 
must stay. We sell you the wire,loeka 
and stuys at prices which make this the 
cheapest fence on earth. No expensive 
machinery required to build it. You make 
it any height and with any number of stays you wish. 
WE WANT AGENTS EVERYWHERE. Exclusive territory 
to the right men. Write to-day for terms and territory. 
To-morrow may be too late to get what you want. 
No. 7 
Hard 
Steel 
CHANDLEE FENCE CO., 11 S. Howard St., Baltimore, Md. 
Machine $10 
TO BUILD THE STRONGEST 
AND BEST WIRE FENCE. 
§ 16 to 24 Cents per Rod. 
—5 No farm rights, royalties or 
patent stays to bay. AGENTS 
CJ WANTED. Write for circular. 
The Bowen Cable Stay Fence Co. 
NORWALK. OHIO U S A 
$8 to $15 MACHINE 
to weave your own fenceof 
Coiled Hard Steel 
Spring Wire, 
52 inches high, at 
25 Cts. per Rod. 
#20 buys wire for 100 
rod fence. Agents 
Wantcd.Catalogne Free. 
CARTER 
Wire Fence harh.C’o. 
Box 23 9It.Ktcrling.Ow 
9 CORDS IN 10 HOURS 
■T ONE Silt, with the FOLDING SAWING MACHINE. It saws 
down trees. Folds like a pocketknife. Saws any kind of 
timber on any kind of ground. One man can saw MORE 
timber with it than 2 men in any other way, and do it 
EASIER. 146,000 in use. Send for FRKK illustrated cata¬ 
logue showing latest IMPROVEMENTS arid testimonials 
from thousands. First order secures agency. Address 
FOLDING SAWING MACHINE CO.. 
64. 8 Clinton Street, 11 20, Chicago, III. 
