1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
161 
Hope Farm Notes 
All sorts of letters come to me at this 
season. It is so cold and uncomfortable 
outdoors that many of our friends do their 
chores and then come in by the fire and 
write letters or read. I call that good 
farm practice where a man is fixed so that 
he can do it without neglecting any duties. 
I have known a man to sit by the fire on 
a cold day and read an essay on comfort 
for stock and barn ventilation while there 
were great cracks in the barn and water 
froze all around the stock. Such a man 
ought to be out with hammer and nails 
warming the stock instead of warming a 
chair. The best article in a farm paper is 
not the one that entertains a man, but the 
one that makes him think and drives him 
out into the cold to do his duty—being like 
his wife in this respect. 
Apples and Apple Eaters.— You will see 
by the following from the Pacific coast 
that the apple-eating habit is spreading. 
“I am not so sure in the example you 
set in eating five apples at intervals dur¬ 
ing one evening, and presumably after eat¬ 
ing a big supper, too. I always thought 
I was hard to beat as an apple consumer, 
but must take off my hat to the Hope 
Farm man. Two, or at most three, of our 
Kittitas Spitzenburg or Northern Spy are 
about all I can possibly surround at one 
sitting, and they sometimes make me feel 
just a little ‘tight’ around the waistband 
for a time. But, then, there may be some 
difference in the size of our respective 
apples and eaters as well.” e. g. g. 
Washington. 
I do not care for a very hearty supper 
when the apple bins are full. Your apples 
are probably larger than ours, and while 
I have no desire to compare personal 
measurements I must say that the Hope 
Farm man is regarded as an expert on 
apple consumption. I do not care for the 
large apples. Medium sized, firm fruit of 
good color is best in the long run. When 
you sell boxed fruit to the family trade 
you will find that the smaller apples are 
desired. The children come several times 
during the day asking for an apple. They 
will eat several each day if the apples are 
not too large. With big fruit mother will 
cut each apple in two or even three pieces, 
and the child comes to regard an apple 
like a pie—a luxury, to be cut up and 
saved. We want the child to look upon 
apples as they do upon bread—a necessity, 
to be eaten before they get old. Our 
Washington brother is all right. Let him 
keep on with his three big apples He sets 
the world a fine example. There are 3,000,000 
people within 10 miles of the mouth of the 
Hudson River who ought to eat two good 
apples a day. That would make 6,000,000 
apples or, as we pack them, about 50,000 
boxes. Keep this up for 200 days and we 
see what the apple business comes to from 
this one little corner of the country. The 
city people are not going to pick up the 
apple eating habit unless it becomes popu¬ 
lar. We must set them a good example 
and make apple eating fashionable. I will 
stop right here to eat another Hope Farm 
Baldwin! 
Bird Killing.— I am on record in favor 
of the bill before our New Jersey Legisla¬ 
ture giving fruit growers the right to shoot 
birds that take our fruit. While I haven’t 
heard a robin sing for 25 years I would 
like to see them around—if they behaved 
themselves. I feel sure that some speci¬ 
mens of them at least have changed their 
habits within recent years, and now eat 
far more fruit than they once did. With¬ 
out any doubt they have become a great 
pest, and fruit growers should have a right 
to defend their property. Those senti¬ 
mental people hold up their hands in 
horror at such talk, but let the neighbor’s 
pet cat come over and steal their chickens 
and what a howl they would make. You 
see it makes a great difference whose dol¬ 
lar bill Robin Redbreast gets his bill into! 
But here is a good brother from Pennsyl¬ 
vania who believes in non-resistance! Let 
everyone be heard from: 
"Now, let us look at the moral side of 
the question. My neighbor across the way 
hates me and mine, because we attend to 
our own affairs and try to make our little 
10-acre farm a garden spot. He deliber¬ 
ately set fire to my house, last Fall, and it 
was utterly destroyed. Then he and his 
mocked us, because we had to live two 
months in the barn. For four years they 
have injured, cursed and robbed us. Kill 
them! some would say. At least have 
them arrested. We have done neither. 
Even now their dog is stealing our eggs, 
that we could sell for 45 cents a dozen. 
Kill the dog? We have put the nests 
higher so that the dog cannot reach the 
eggs. I tell you, brother, that it is far 
better to suffer wrong than to fight. God 
has said so, and we have no reason to 
doubt it. Instead of rushing into the houso 
for that gun, hunt up your Bible and fol¬ 
low its advice. Thou shalt not kill!” 
We have been told of men who sit up at 
night with guns full of buckshot waiting 
for fruit thieves! The Hope Farm man 
likes to be regarded as a philosopher, but 
1 fear he would grapple with the fellow 
who cut the peach trees—if he caught him 
in the act and had a bad cup of coffee 
for breakfast. Our friend certainly "turns 
the other cheek” until one would think 
the hinges must be about broken! I fear 
I should try my luck on that dog at least. 
If I caught him at the nest and he invited 
me by his actions to go with him a mile 
I think I would go with him twain or until 
I got within reach of him. I never had 
any trouble with a neighbor but once. A 
man persisted in letting his cows roam all 
over my farm. I did my best to stop it, 
and finally threatened to go to law unless 
he settled in 10 days. In about 245 hours 
he sent around an olive branch in the form 
of a $10 bill and I was glad to plant it. 
The cows never came back. As for run¬ 
ning into the house after the gun—I haven’t 
a gun or a pistol on the place, but there 
is a Bible in pretty nearly every room. I 
would like to refer our non-resistant friend 
to the text which declares that he should 
not “cause his brother to offend.” I be¬ 
lieve he causes both his neighbor and the 
dog to offend -when he permits them to 
walk all over his rights, because he en¬ 
courages them in their evil course. I 
surely hope this patient brother will have 
a chance to heap upon that neighbor’s 
head some coals of fire which will average 
2,000 degrees in temperature. 
Talking Machines.— This is the cheer¬ 
less season of the year, and so we will 
think about the most cheerful things that 
come along. Here is another Pennsylvania 
man at me: 
“If the editors of farm papers and dairy 
papers could invent some kind of a talking 
machine and distribute them around the 
country stores and post offices, they might 
benefit a few of the people by having their 
papers put in and read aloud as people 
came in. They have no time to do their 
own reading and never think of what they 
read, but by persistent hammering at them 
week after week perhaps some good would 
prevail.” 
That may be a gentle hit at me for talk¬ 
ing too much. The idea is not so bad, 
though I think it would hit the experi¬ 
ment stations better than the farm papers. 
Let the directors talk into these machines 
full directions for making Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture, lime and sulphur wash ana various 
other things that farmers need to know. 
It would beat any bulletin ever issued for 
drawing a crowd. Some of the institute 
lecturers might obtain select audiences in 
this way. For my part I have never felt 
disposed to find fault with a farmer tor not 
taking interest in farm literature. He will 
take interest in it when it is put at him 
so forcibly that he can’t help reading it. 
Those who are paid to provide such liter¬ 
ature should stop finding fault with the 
target and learn to improve their aim. 
They may be like the deaf man who, when 
he finds the voices of his friends hard and 
harsh, thinks they are scolding him—when 
he alone has changed! 
Home and Farm.— Still cold, with the 
ground covered with ice. Pruning has be¬ 
gun, but it is disagreeable for any job out¬ 
side. The long continued cold sadly tries 
the ambition of man and beast. Old Major 
is the most hopeful animal on the farm. 
He comes as near to kicking up his heels 
as the ice and his game leg will permit. 
Charlie hitched up Major and Frank and 
took the school children to ride, and thi 
old horse fully enjoyed it. Poor old 
Johnnie has passed away. He became so 
stiff and feeble that it was a mercy to 
have him put away. This old veteran 
started life on the plains, and he carried 
to his grave some of the spirit that the 
old wild life gave him. He entered civi¬ 
lization covered with brands. Some one 
docked his tail and clipped his mane, but 
no one docked the story of his duty 
Johnnie did his best. If every human 
whom he served would do as well there 
would be a ripple of humanity that would 
mean something. ... As Spring comes 
we find the horses’ teeth out of shape. We 
have the tool for filing them down and 
Charlie can act as dentist. I am very sure 
that many old horses suffer because they 
cannot chew properly. Some of their teeth 
grow out and spoil their mouthful. File 
them down! . . . Our children are deep¬ 
ly interested in the war between Japan 
and Russia. Their diaries record some re¬ 
markable facts about it. Japan has no 
stronger friends in America than this lit tit 
quartette. It seems that Ida, the Finnish 
girl, is responsible for their opinion of 
Russia. In my younger days I saw Char¬ 
lotte Cushman as Lady Macbeth and Meg 
Merrilies. She had an expressive face, but 
Ida can match her when she starts in to 
tell what Russia has done to Finland. It 
is a case of “Oh, my unhappy country!” 
and enough to make most people wish more 
staying power to the little brown men. 
For that is what they must have—staying 
power—if they expect to stand against the 
slow, stupid, patient brute force of the 
Russian soldiers. I can see evil to the 
world if the Japanese were to win this 
war with ease. They will not win it easily, 
however. The fearful struggle that is 
coming may give the nation just the quali 
ties it now lacks. You have seen confident 
young men sobered and made into good 
citizens by the efforts to handle a desper¬ 
ate job which they thought was small. 
H. w. c. 
THE 
FLAT TOOTH 
made the weeder a 
successful tool. It 
is the famous Hal- 
lock patent. Special 
license entitles us 
to manufacture the 
Hallock Weeder 
the tool perfectly adapted to weeding and light sur¬ 
face cultivation of all crops in various conditions of 
soil. When equipped with our positive force feed 
seeder attachment as illustrated, it assures a good 
stand of all grasses by light covering in mellow soil. 
Sows from 2 to 18 quarts per acre. Catalog and book 
of field scenes, half-tone* from photographs, show¬ 
ing weeder In use, free. 
KEYSTONE FARM MACHINE CO., 
1 547 N. Beaver Street, York, Pa. 
POTATO 
Potato 
Success 
with 
ASPINWALL 
MACHINERY. 
| Proilt comes onlyby using practicaland mod¬ 
ern Potato Implements. 
We Make Them. 
I Machines to quickly and economically cut and 
I plant t he seed, fertilize the soil, spray the grow¬ 
ing vines for bugs and blight and harvest and 
1 assort the tubers. Thousands of customers in 
every State in the Union and twenty foreign 
countries. SOyears the favorite. Valuable il- 
| lustrated catalogue tree. Contains “How and 
When to Spray’’ table for all crops. Write now. 
ASPINWALL MFC. COMPANY, 
Dept. K, 25 Sabin St.. Jackson, 
“! a [[Hand GARDEN TOOLS! plants and Fertilizes. 
UI “ _-!!!, I-'oi seeding, furrowing, covering, rolling, _ . _ in 
In plain 
For seeding, furrowing, covering, rolling, 
hoeing, cultivating, raking, etc. 
Matthews’ 
New Universal 
Hand Seeders and Cultivators. 
Best adapted li ne for all work, 1 arge 
or small gardeners. Tool for every 
.purpose. Combination tools, 6 in X. Wide¬ 
ly adjustable. Pull dotaila in froo 1904 
catalogue. Write for it. 
Drops twelve distances apart^. 
Marker and Trip Attach¬ 
ments If desired. 
One peration for 
corn, beans, peas, 
beets, etc. with the 
Star Pattern Billings 
Planter and Fertilizer 
Write for latest catalogue 
of farm specialties. 
AMES PLOW ^COMPANY, S 4 M ARkTTsTrEET, BOSTON, MASS, 
WHERE LAND IS ROLLING 
If you have to farm sidling lands and are looking for a plow that turns 
a smooth furrow up or down, and will work equally wel I on tne level, 
you’ll find it in the Combination 
No other plow of its type has ever met such an unprecedented de¬ 
mand, or been so extensively copied. Now made with Steel Moldboard 
und separate shin piece, cast laudable, chilled or steel shares. Made 
right and left hand, with round or flat colters. Ask 
your dealer about this Syracuse plow for general 
purpose work. Also anything in walking. Sulky 
and Gang plows. If your dealer does not handle 
the Syracuse line, write us direct. We'll see you 
are supplied. Catalog and beautiful souvenir free. 
SYRACUSE CHILLED PLOW CO., 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
Planet Jr. Companion Tools. 
I lkl X D1 4 I Hill and Drill Seeder, shown on the right, holds its position as the tool for perfect hand 
ItO« Jrlanel <3 To seeding. Converted in an instant from drill to hill planter and back again. Drops in hills 
4, 6, 8,12 or 24 inches apart. It opens the furrow, drops the seed, covers it different depths, rolls down and marks the next 
row. With this tool any novice can plant all garden seeds at the speed of a walk and with great accuracy. 
I Ikl IT D1 4 I Double wheel Hoe is the companion tool for the No. 3 Seeder. The plant is never too 
£yO« IZ 1 1 <11161 small nor too large for it to work perfectly. Quickly adjusted to suit wide or narrow rows, 
to suit man or boy, to work astride plants of any height up to 20 inches, or between them. Kills weeds, hoes, — 
cultivates, furrows, ridges, and throws earth to or from plants as desired. 
Placet Jr. 1904 Catalogue 
shows forty different machines, including Seeders, Single and Double Wheel 
Hoes, Hand, One and Two Horse Cultivators, Horse 
Hoes, Beet Sugar Cultivators, etc. Over 100 
illustrations, including 16 beautiful half 
tones of home and foreign farm and 
\ garden scenes. Mailed free to all. 
Write to-day for the booh, 
S. L. ALLEN & CO., 
Box 1107-V f Philadelphia, Pa. 
WATER. 
If you want water only when the wind blows a windmill will do your work 
and cost less money than our lttder and Ericsson Hot-Air Pumps, butlf you want 
water every day while your flowers are growing and do not want your pump blown 
down when the wind blows too hard, no pump la the world can equal ours. We 
have sold about 20,000 of them during the past twenty-flvo years, which Is proof 
that we are not making wild statements. 
Our Catalogue “C 4” will tell you all about them. Write to nearest store. 
* 35 Warren St.. New York. 
239 Franklin St., Boston. 
Rider-Ericsson Engine Company, 
692 Craig St., Montreal, P. Q. 
Tenlente-Rey 71, Havana, Cuba. 
22 Pitt St., Sydney, n. s. W. 
40 Dearborn St., CHICAGO. 
40 N 7th St., Philadelphia. 
The Power of the Air 
is the natural water raising agency. Profiting by all 
the teachings of the past, and adding to this, years of 
experment in field and shop, the one perfect machine 
for harnessing this power has been produced in the 
SAMSON WINDMILL 
The Strongest and Best Windmill in the World. 
It occupies a field by itself in its double gearing, its 
consequent strength and power, its distributing of 
weights over four long bearings and avoidance of un¬ 
necessary torsion and overhanging strains. Its wheel 
embraces more perfectly than any other the wind 
forces and transmits them with least friction and 
loss. In every windmill essential, from gathering and 
appropriating the greatest amount of power to the 
minutest working detail the Samson features are the 
m teachings of science, tested and reduced to practi¬ 
cal workings. 
The Samson Tower 
w 
< of galvanized steel is lithe and graceful, and no matter what its 
height, can be relied upon not to buckle or blow down in 
the severest storms. With the Samson Windmill goes a 
Samson guarantee from the greatest windmill factory in the 
world. Investigate before buying. Catalog free. Send for it. 
The Stover Mfg. Go., 502 River St., Freeport, III. 
