1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
239 
TO MAN THE CROSS-CUT. 
In “Brevities,” .February 27, you ask 
for some practical person to tell you 
about “a handy device to help one man 
saw wood with a cross-cut saw.” Your 
question is answered in a new, very 
pretty and interesting home magazine, 
which shows that you should read more 
and not spend so much time “sawing 
wood.” The answer is—hitch your wife 
to the other end and yank her back and 
forth. Or, to be more exact, the article 
in the magazine referred to tells of how 
the wife hitched the man to the saw and 
gave him a drill in muscular exercise 
that quite put golf on the back seat. This 
wife took the $200 her husband had 
given her to buy a pin—pin money—and 
fixed up an old carriage house into a 
“studio,” and made a rare collection of 
tools. “A beautiful new spade, bright 
and shining in a way to do credit to the 
finest bridle bit,” also a lot of other 
similar shining things and “a long, two- 
handled saw for work vis-a-vis.” After 
it was all arranged and a Latin motto, 
a “coat-of-arms.” I think she called it, 
translating into “Let us do and rejoice,” 
put over it all, she let in her husband 
and surprised him. He was surprised. 
Looking at the cross-cut saw he apos¬ 
trophised it thus: 
“That splendid implement—long, 
shining, sharp and with handles for two 
—a duet in wood-music!” They then 
“between them took down the long saw” 
and “set the implement on edge,” and 
sawed wood. “The saw began to move 
back and forth, its teeth to work down 
into the wood, the yellow sawdust to 
fall on the mahogany-colored floor.” Of 
course, Mr. Editor, this is the modern 
way of sawing wood in high life, and 
may be no answer to your question ex¬ 
cept as a suggestion. We could persuade 
our “Madames” to rise an hour or so 
earlier and get the breakfast over, 
dishes washed, children’s hair brushed, 
lunches put up, rubbers and mittens put 
on and kiss them off to school, the 
chickens fed, beds made, the kitchen 
swept and tidied up, when they would 
be ready to hang on to the other end of 
a “shining implement” for three or four 
hours and develop “legs, arms, back and 
chest.” When going to the woods on a 
picnic or a-nutting the saw could always 
be taken along, and during the little 
periods of rest a couple of cords of wood 
cut up to add gaiety and recreative zest 
to the occasion. The jingle of a good 
cross-cut makes nice music in the 
woods, and an imaginative mind could 
catch in that music the strain of "Whai 
is home without a mother?” 
w. f. m’sparran. 
EXPERIENCE WITH PAINTING TREES 
During' the past 15 years I have painted 
young apple and peach trees with white 
lead paint as a protection against borers 
and mice. I have never seen any injury 
done to the trees by the paint and, as a 
preventive against injury done by mice 
and borers, it is a decided success. 1 
know of nothing better, but to get people 
to try it is another thing. While horticul¬ 
turist of Texas Experiment Station for 10 
vears. I recommended this paint to the or- 
chardists of the state, and a great stream 
of letters poured into my office asking if 
it would not damage the trees. Even a 
professor of entomology stated to me that 
the oil in the paint “would surely injure 
the trees.” I asked him to try it and see 
for himself. I went even still further, and 
recommended a modification of this paint 
to prevent injury done by rabbits. Rabbits 
had destroyed entire orchards in some 
localities, and it was a serious question 
what should be done. I recommended a 
small quantity of Paris-green to be mixed 
with the paint, just enough to color the 
paint slightly. The trees were painted up 
the trunks about three feet, and I got a 
large orchardist to use this paint on his 
young orchard which was rapidly being 
ruined by rabbits. Letters soon came to 
me about so many rabbits being found 
dead in his orchard. For several years 
regular reports were made to me concern¬ 
ing the operation of the paint. The or¬ 
chard was saved and the man was delight¬ 
ed. Now let others try it and report on it 
before condemning it. The trees can be 
painted for about 1% cent per tree, whi h 
is a very small insurance policy on a fine 
young orchard. Of course, as the trees 
grow and expand, the paint will be crack¬ 
ed, thus letting borers have a chance to 
get in again, therefore the trees must be 
repainted every year where these enemies 
are serious. I was connected with the 
Virginia Experiment Station when Prof. 
Alwood began using the paint on the trees. 
I noticed its effects carefully and in one 
instance especially I remember the trees 
were saved from injury by mice during a 
deep snow that remained on the ground 
four weeks. The mice had gone around 
the trees under the snow in various places. 
Virginia. r. h. price. 
Testing Seed Corn.— The Ohio Experi¬ 
ment Station predicts trouble with seed 
corn this year. The corn dried slowly last 
year, and hard weather came early. Tests 
have shown from 60 to 80 per cent of 
vitality. Before planting the corn should 
be tested. A convenient way to test corn 
is between sheets of moist paper or cloth, 
placed in a box of suitable size. Several 
lots may be tested at once and examined 
much more easily and quickly than when 
planted in sand. Simply keep the paper 
moist and where the temperature does not 
fall below 55 degrees. It should all germi¬ 
nate in from four to eight days, depend¬ 
ing upon the sort of corn weather fur¬ 
nished. Handled in this way it is possible 
to examine it daily and note the progress 
of germination. There are different de¬ 
grees of vitality in corn that will germi¬ 
nate. Many of the weak, spindlings stalks 
which produce a small nubbin, or nothing 
at all, spring from seed of barely enough 
vitality to get the plant above the ground. 
Seed that w'ill grow fairly well when con¬ 
ditions are favorable at seeding time will 
rot if cold, damp weather happens to pre¬ 
vail. If possible use only such seed as 
has large, bright-looking germs. Wrinkled 
and dull-colored germs have likely been 
injured by freezing. Plumpness at the tip 
is an evidence of vitality. Thin, shrunken 
kernels having sharp pointed tips should 
be rejected, as well as those having an 
excess of soft, white starch at either 
crown or tip. 
The Right Way 
To Paint Cheap 
And Have it Look Better, Wear 
Longer and Cost Less Than the 
Best White Lead Paint. 
Fifty Sample Colors and Illus¬ 
trated Booklet Prepaid to Any 
Address Absolutely Free. 
The cost of painting Is a heavy burden. 
Cheap paints soon fade, peel or scale off 
and white lead and oil costs so much and 
has to be replaced so often that it is a 
constant expense to keep the bright, clean 
appearance so desirable in the cosy coi- 
iUany of the Largest Buildings in the World 
are Painted Inside and Out With 
Carrara Paint. 
tage home or the elegant mansion. 
CARRARA PAINT is increasing in pop¬ 
ularity and use at an enormous rate. Last 
year over one million gallons were used in 
this country, and over 50 thousand houses 
were covered with it. The buildings and 
magnificent hotels of our largest cities, 
the palaces of our millionaires and cottages 
of our workmen, the farm houses, barns, 
store buildings, factories, mills, elevators, 
warehouses, machine shops, depots and 
round-houses are being painted every day 
throughout the length and breadth of the 
land with CARRARA PAINT because it 
has proven best. You can use CARRARA 
with a feeling of security that it has 
stood the test and has given satisfaction 
in all places where paint is used. Its uni¬ 
versal popularity with all people and the 
satisfactory service it has given on all 
classes of buildings give you positive as¬ 
surance that you are getting the best and 
cheapest when you buy CARRARA. 
There is but one CARRARA. It is made 
by the Carrara Paint Agency, 62 Carrara 
Bldg., Cincinnati, Ohio. Anyone having 
anything to paint should send for fifty 
free sample colors and our handsome, 
illustrated booklet, showing many build¬ 
ings reproduced in all the colors just as 
they are painted with this great paint. 
Distributing depots in all principal cities. 
Write to-day telling us what you have to 
paint and we will show you how to beau¬ 
tify your property and save half your paint 
bills‘in the future. 
Rotary Disc 
AMERICAN 
STANDARD Automatic 
“ THE OLD RELIABLE.” 
EASILY OPERATED BY BOY OR GIRL 
POINTERS. 
An absolutely successful rotary drop¬ 
ping disc—adjustable for all sizes and 
numbers of kernels ; drops accurately 
and never skips a hill or clogs. 
A sheet spring brass “■cut-off” that 
does its work perfectly; does not in¬ 
jure the grain and never wears out. 
This planter is better made, has 
reached a better sale, has proven 
more popular and has given better 
satisfaction than any other hard 
planter ever manufactured. 
SOLD IN FORTY-SIX STATES AN D 
TERRITORIES OFTHE UNION,also 
SEVEN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
Send for Descriptive Circu¬ 
lars and Prices. /l 
SHEFFIELD MFC. CO., Burr Oak* Mich., U. S. A. 
vCIENTIFIC GRINDING MILLS grind Corn 
K In the ear, or Grain in any form. Strong, exact, 
J reliable. Catalogue D mailed free. 
FOOS MKG. CO., Springfield, Ohio. 
MAN AND 
HORSE 
have easier work when a low-down 
handy wagon is used. Low down,itis 
easy to load; wide tired and low draft 
It is easy to move. Short turn makes 
It easy to go around short turns or into 
narrow places. A man saver and a 
horse saver. Wood or metal wheels, 
and all at prices so low that no farm¬ 
er can afford to be withouta Farmers’ 
Handy Wagon. Our new catalogue, 
Just off the press, is the best we have 
everpublished and will be mailed you 
free if you ask for it. 
FARMERS’ HANDY WAGON COMP’Y 
SAGINAW, MICH. 
(/>PG- 
A Golden Rule 
of Agriculture: 
Be good to your land and your crop 
will be good. Plenty of 
Potash 
in the fertilizer spells quality 
and quantity in the har* 
vest. Write us and 
we will send you, 
free , by next mail, 
our money winning 
books. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau Street, 
New York. 
WHEELS 
’FARM WAGONS 
any size wanted, any width of 
tire. Hubs to fit any axle. 
No blacksmith’s bills to pay. 
No tires to reset. Fityonrold wagon 
with low steel wheeis with wids 
tires at low price. Oar catalogue 
tell* you bow to do it. Addreas 
Co.,Box 70 ,Quincy,IUL 
\ WORSE- 
mm 
A o. ' 
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 the level, 
you’ll find it in the §y p>aCUSQ 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 
and separate shin piece, east landside. chilled or steel shares. Made 
right and left hand, with round or flatcolters. 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 
arc supplied. Catalog and beautiful souvenir free. 
SYRACUSE CHILLED PLOW CO., 
Local agencies and complete repair stocks everywhere 
CHAMPION 
HARVESTERS 
International Harvester Co. of America, Chicago, U. 8. A. 
■*> 
Fifty-One Years Development. 
It has resulted in a peerless type of machinery, the best known 
to the threslie rman’s art. 
THE RUMELY 
Line of Threshing nachinery covers the field. It 
constitutes the model outfit. Th. New Rumely Separa¬ 
tor, Rumely Traction Engines, Wind Stackers, Sell 
Feeders, Clover Hullers, etc. All the up-to-date attach- 
ments and devices. Investigate It before buying. It ( 
Is sure to meet your exact needs. Free illustrated 
catalogue on application. Write for it. 
,,IM. RUMELY CO., La Porte, Indiana. 
. IB.nG III 
