86 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 6 
is that a slate roof is a hot roof and makes the sleep¬ 
ing rooms so warm. I think a great deal of that is 
imagination. I have failed to find any good roofing 
material that will make a good roof and a cool garret 
on a hot Summer day. Granted that slate makes a hot 
roof, but that does not prove the heat descends to 
the sleeping rooms. Hot air is lighter than cold, and 
as the sun shining on the slate roof generates hot air 
in the garret the hot air ascends to the apex of the 
roof, and forces the cooler air to the garret floor. All 
garrets should have some ventilation, and if two win¬ 
dows are left open it will give a good circulation of 
air and keep the garret cool. A good slate has no 
faults, but it should not be confounded with those 
poor cheap slate roofs that need repairing the first 
year they are put on and every year they stay on, that 
turn gray in a few years and are a thorn in the flesh 
of the owner as long as he owns them. R. f. 
New Jersey. _ 
A SUGGESTION TO TOMATO GROWERS. 
For the special benefit of those who will soon be 
starting their hotbed tomato plants I would make a 
suggestion: Don’t allow your selection of varieties 
to be influenced by the results obtained in your ex¬ 
periments of last season with new varieties. I have 
no doubt they were disappointing to thousands of 
growers. The fact is the low temperature of last Sum¬ 
mer was inimical to the normal development of the 
tomato, which is emphatically one of our heat-loving 
vegetables and the results are that some of the new 
sorts, of which the Earliana, Maule’s Early and Nolte’s 
are examples, of which great things were promised, in 
many instances failed to give satisfaction. It was so 
on my own experimental ground, and had not their 
characteristics been determined by the experience of 
other seasons they and many other real good sorts 
would have been rejected as comparatively worthless. 
Take for illustration Livingston’s Stone tomato; this, 
as every tomato grower well knows, is an extra large 
and very prolific sort, one of the very best for the 
general market; yet last season, as raised in the ex¬ 
perimental patch, it yielded but a small crop of small¬ 
sized fruit, amid a great growth of vine and leaf. We 
obtained the same unsatisfactory results from sev¬ 
eral other standard sorts. No doubt under some con¬ 
ditions the tomato crop of last season w'as to a degree 
a success, but the extraordinary price the fruit bore 
throughout the season tells it own story of compara¬ 
tive failure. J- J- n. Gregory 
Massachusetts. 
“A CATCH OF CLOVER SEED.” 
As to the question of seeding clover on a thin mea¬ 
dow (page 49) undoubtedly very much will depend 
upon the natural adaptability of the soil for 
clover and the seasonal conditions. It is un¬ 
fortunately true that on some soils clover 
does not succeed any too well under the most 
favorable cultural conditions. Likewise on 
the same soil the temperature and rainfall 
influence the catch of clover. The writer 
has had experience in reseeding without 
plowing only on one field. This was a field 
of about 30 acres containing some trees and 
a wide variety of soil. The result was that 
when sown to both Timothy and clover, 
parts of the field became well seeded to Tim¬ 
othy while other parts contained only clover, 
often a poor stand even of clover. As this 
field was kept as a permanent meadow and 
pasture, the clover soon disappeared leaving 
a very spotted field. Parts of the field that 
contained little or no grass were harrowed 
and reseeded to clover. While the meadow 
was improved by this practice, the results 
were not as good as they would have been 
if the land had been plowed and reseeded 
in the usual way. There are those who 
maintain that for reseeding without plowing 
Alsike clover is superior to common Red 
clover. They point out that when the seed 
of Alsike clover is scattered by accident or 
otherwise along the roadway this clover will 
spring up and make an abundant grdwth, 
while common Red clover does not do so. 
In the field above mentioned Red Alsike clover 
did not do any better than common Red 
clover. It was not, however, a region in which Al¬ 
sike clover thrives. It is probable that wherever a 
fine stand of grass has already been obtained not 
much clover will be obtained by sowing clover seed, 
but that on portions of a field where the stand of 
grass is not satisfactory there is just enough of a 
chance of the clover succeeding to make it worth 
while to see what can be done to cover up some of 
the bare spots in the field. [Prof.] t. f. hunt. 
Ithaca, N. Y. 
THE FARM LABOR PROBLEM. 
Among the immigrants arriving in this city are 
many who come from European farms. They are 
trained to farm work, crude perhaps, but such work 
as -would help an American farmer. A large propor¬ 
tion of these men and women never leave New York. 
Friends or interested parties get hold of them and 
paint glowing pictures of what a working man can do 
in this great city. There is no one to take any inter¬ 
est in securing them jobs on a farm while dozens are 
interested in keeping them here. It is bad enough to 
see those who know nothing about farming crowd in- 
A SCENE AT SEEDING TIME. Fig. 37. 
to the “sweat shops” and tenements, but when farm¬ 
ers are crying for help it becomes a crime against so¬ 
ciety to keep farm hands here. Here is a case where 
well-to-do Americans of foreign birth ought to take 
their countrymen in hand and provide means for put¬ 
ting them on farms. Such men owe their indepen¬ 
dence, their prosperity, in some cases their life, to 
the influences found in this country. Let them pay 
the debt in part by organizing bureaus where farm 
laborers can be brought into communication with 
farmers. It does not appear that the quality of the 
immigrants now coming is much lower than in for¬ 
mer years—certainly not with those who come from 
northern Europe. A writer in the New York Sun tells 
of a Polish farmer who came here anxious to work on 
a farm. He waited a while but found no place where 
he could learn about the chances for farm labor. 
Finally some friend learned of a farm in New York 
State where he could earn $12 a month to begin with. 
By this time the man had disappeared; after long 
search he was located in a Polish boarding house: 
The new friends he had made there told him if he 
wished 10 do well he must remain in town. Ready¬ 
made clothing was an industry offering a fine oppor¬ 
tunity. He would have to break in with a week’s work 
gratis. Tnen he would receive $6 a week and his ad¬ 
vancement would depend upon the facility he acquired. 
A manufacturer had told him he would give him a 
chance. His rent would be 75 cents a month in a room 
occupied by 12 or 15 loggers. His board would cost 
about $2 a week. He would save money from the start 
and might hope for a speedy advance in pay. He had 
just decided to accept this brilliant opportunity when 
the chance to go into the country, where he really be¬ 
longed, was presented to him. It took an hour’s talk to 
convince him that he owed it to his family and his own 
well-being to go into the country, But he finally promised 
that he would go. All the next day his new acquaint¬ 
ances plied him with arguments to induce him to stay 
in town. They told him he was a fool to go to a farm 
at small wages when he could do fairly well at the start 
in town and might expect good wages here before long. 
Plere was his best chance to make a living for his wife 
and three children, who were still over the sea. But he 
had promised to go, and the following Tuesday morning 
saw him started for the country. 
Everybody knows that our demand for good farm labor 
is now greater than the supply. This Pole knows it to¬ 
day and is very glad he is in the country. He proved 
to be so faithful and efficient that his wages were soon 
increased to $17, then to $20, and from April to October 
next he is to receive $25 a month. Three of his com¬ 
patriots are to leave Poland in April to join him in the 
township where he lives. There will be a little Polish 
colony in the place and the farmers are glad of it, for 
they sorely need good farmhands. 
The fact is that no agency exists in this greatest center 
of immigration that gives disinterested advice and in¬ 
formation with regard to opportunities for employment 
on the farms. There are private agencies which send 
men to Michigan or elsewhere under conditions that 
bleed them almost to the last drop. But -where is the 
place in which the large supply of farm laborers who are 
coming here without predetermined plans can be put in 
communication with the farmers who need good help? 
The experience of this Pole is that of thousands of 
others. If they remain here a few days they of course 
fall in with their countrymen, and the chances are that 
they permanently exchange the healthful life and work 
of the country, to which they are accustomed, for the 
crowded tenements and the ill-ventilated workshops of 
the town. 
As many of our readers know the Immigrants’ Aid 
Society places deserving men and women in the coun- 
' try without charge. 
SUGGESTIONS FOR COLD STORAGE. 
Having studied this question somewhat for several 
years, and especially this Winter, with the view of 
building a potato and apple storage house next Sum¬ 
mer, I thought perhaps some of my observations 
might help the inquirer and possibly call out further 
discussion, which might be helpful to many of us. R. 
A. Hunt, of Euclid, 0., has operated a building similar 
to the one described by Grant Davis on page 51 for 
several years with good results. Mr. Hunt has an 
artificial pond adjoining the storage house and the ice 
is dra-wn up from the pond to the upper story of the 
building by horse power and stored where wanted at 
once. He buys a large part of the fruit handled and 
usually stores it in bulk in bins, selling in the Cleve¬ 
land market about 10 miles distant. The advantages 
of this plan are that the ice is handled but once and 
the room is cooled the entire year. The disadvantage 
is that a very large and strong building is required 
in order to support the large amount of ice required. 
The other plan which I have in mind, and which I 
expect to pattern after somewhat, is the one adopted 
hy F. P. Vergon, the well-known orchardist of Dela¬ 
ware, 0. In this building the construction is much 
lighter and hence cheaper, and the building, which 
holds about 1,000 barrels if I remember rightly, con¬ 
tains an ice chamber above holding 25 tons of ice. 
This was filled last Fall when apple picking began 
and nearly a ton remained at the time of my visit, 
on January 11. Before the approach of warm 
weather in Spring it will be filled again and 
this filling lasts until about June 1, by which 
time Mr. Vergon plans to have his crop sold. 
This plan has proved very satisfactory for 
several years. Mr. Vergon stores the apples 
(grown by himself) in crates which are filled 
at picking time and not sorted until ready 
to send to market. 
My own plan as at present developed is 
to excavate as deep as drainage will permit 
(about two feet), and build a cellar wall of 
concrete about eight feet high for potatoes. 
We have the material at the stone crushers, 
within a mile. Upon this I expect to build 
a wall of hollow brick. These bricks, as 
made at a nearby kiln, are 4x8x16 inches 
with three air spaces running lengthwise of 
each. I expect to lay the flat in outer course, 
making a wall eight inches thick. Inside of 
this will be an air space of three or four 
inches filled probably with mineral wool, 
and inside of this a course of the hollow 
brick set on edge, making them four inches 
thick. The whole will be well insulated and 
ventilated, and concrete wall banked to top 
with dirt. I expect to build an ice house 
adjoining this so the ice can be drawn up 
into chamber of storage room on a slide by 
horse power. Any suggestions or criticisms 
of the above plan will be gladly received and 
be of service to others who are similarly situated. 
q ^ 0 W. W. FARNSWORTH. 
On page 40 you express a wish to know .the condition 
of the fruit buds on the peach. At this writing (January 
20), though some of the buds are dead, there are still 
nle’ntv living for a crop. Speaking as a peach grower of 
over ‘30 vears’ standing, and having neighbors who have 
had several years’ more experience than I have, it is 
generally conceded here that 12 degrees below zero will 
certainly kill the fruit buds on the peach, no matter if 
thev are dormant. 1 am rather of the opinion that the 
condition of the sap may have some influence on their 
vitalitv but just how or why I am at a loss to determine. 
The lowest temperature here so far this Winter has been 
six below zero. I have put in a full ^ay pruning peach 
trees to-day and may be able to report further later. 
Godfrey. Ill. J< 
