1904. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
747 
AN ILLINOIS FARMER ON WIRE. 
It is a very serious matter whether farmers have to 
buy new fencing each five years, or with honest goods 
once in each 25 years. I have some black fence wire 
that has been in daily use 36 years, and to-day is the 
best wire on the place. I bought 24 years ago about six 
miles of galvanized barb wire, good now; that that I 
have bought the past six years a perfect fraud. Six 
years ago I bought two miles of woven wire fence, said 
to be galvanized; absolutely worthless now. It was 
bought for good quality, standard make. It is in the 
iron, as well as the polished wire they now sell for 
galvanized. Something honest will have to be done in 
(his before long, or hedging will again be used. Or 
why not fence stock in, rather than the farm? Shingles 
will last 20 years, but the nails nowadays will stand 
only seven to 12 years. While at my old home in New 
York State two years since 1 obtained a few shingle 
nails from the old house at least 75 years old; they 
were good and strong yet. The facts are through big 
combinations and trusts there is an abundance of fraud, 
and it is time to call a halt on things as necessary as 
wire fencing. L F. 
Wheaton, Illinois._ 
HEAVY YIELD OF SORGHUM. 
A remarkable field of sorghum is growing at the 
Willard State Hospital for the Insane, Romulus, N. Y. 
Twelve pounds of Early Orange seed were sown to the 
acre May 17. The ground had then been recently 
plowed, and was an old Alfalfa field containing five 
acres. The width between the drills was 2S inches, and 
the crop was cultivated six times with a Planet, Jr., 
cultivator. T he average height of crop as it stands is 
almost 12 feet. On September 12 the sorghum was cut 
from a square rod of the land, and weighed on the hos¬ 
pital scales, showing a weight of 430 pounds per square 
rod, or an average weight of 68,800 pounds per acre, or 
34^5 tons per acre. At the time above mentioned the 
leaves were very green and had not attained their full 
growth. At this time considerable weight per acre can 
be added to the above figures. .Mr. Warne, the steward, 
stated that it was the first crop of sorghum raised on 
the hospital farm. e. r>. c. 
Romulus, N. Y. 
A BIG CROP OF SILAGE CORN. 
One hard job is behind us. We usually cut our silage 
from September 20 to October 1, but this year some of 
the corn was further along than usual, and we began 
cutting September 5, putting in the silo September 6, 
and finished up September 12, having lost about 2'A 
days by rainy weather, but had less than an acre of corn 
out during the storm. We knew the corn on our four 
acre piece was big and really was a fine sight, so in 
order to get a good story we cut out some good sized 
squares, measured them and weighed the corn. The 
yield ran from 34'/. to 3X tons per acre. This would 
do to tell at a farmers’ institute. Of course we did not 
take corn from the poorest parts of the piece; that is 
not what is done when some of our friends tell their big 
stories. We have since filling and settling however, 
measured one silo and find that there are 95 tons in it. 
and this from four acres, and some six tons from the 
same piece that we could not get in this silo, so that our 
four-acre piece averaged fully 25 tons to the acre. Many 
people said this was the finest piece of corn they had ever 
seen. Grown on a very steep hillside, rows three feet 
apart and three bushels of seed on the piece, as on ac¬ 
count of the seed scare we planted thickly, but ap¬ 
parently every kernel came up. Ibis was mostly dry 
soil, and weather conditions good. From this ex 
perience we shall not plant quite as thick; shall not have 
the rows over three feet apart; will give the land a 
heavy coat of stable manure just before plowing and 
plow just as early as possible in the Spring, and harrow 
at intervals a few times to kill off the weed crop before 
we plant corn. We shall use about 5()0 pounds of fer¬ 
tilizer per acre in the drill when planting to give the corn 
a start until it can take hold of the stable manure 
From between six and seven acres we have 155 tons 
of silage. One two-acre piece was planted thickly, but 
cut-worms thinned it a lit*le too much; from size of 
stalks we expected twice what we really got. I wen*y 
quarts of good seed per .acre of the large kerneled var- 
eties just about suits us. This year we planted Rimal 
Thoroughbred and Eureka, the latter apparently a south 
ern white corn. We shall use it entirely next year, and 
discard Rural Thoroughbred, which has been our stand¬ 
by for years. 
For years we have thrown some pumpkin and squash 
seeds in the fertilizer drdl of the planter, but hereafter 
these will go in somewhere separate, as in good corn few 
pumpkins or squashes mature and the vines are a nui¬ 
sance. Likewise are the beans sent us for trial by Tjie 
R. N.-Y. We think heavy growing corn shades I he 
ground so much that while they make a few leaves 
practically no beans are found. Corn and corn alone on 
the corn ground. Immediately after the corn was cut 
the ground was harrowed and rye sown, and a shower 
since will give it a quick start and give us some late 
pasturage. Keep the ground from washing and we can 
feed early in Spring or plow under a good crop to help 
out whatever we put on the ground next season. This 
extra early cutting of the corn gives much more time 
for the rye. _ H. G. M. 
HOW THE RYE PAID. 
About one year ago, in talking with a friend, he spoke 
of the unsatisfactory returns from a wheat crop of 
the harvest then just past; $65 the cash return from a 
field of about 20 acres. He had another field of 23 
YOUNG MULE AND MOTHER. Fig. 333. 
Second Prize Picture. 
acres of similar soil, that he had recently purchased; 
cold clay land, on which he had never known a good 
crop of wheat to grow. This field he wished to get 
down to permanent pasture. 1 advised him to sow rye, 
and then to seed in the rye as many kinds of clover and 
other grasses as he wished. Recently 1 met this same 
friend again, and he could hardly wait to tell me of 
the success of the plan. Had he sown the field to wheat 
all surrounding crops indicated that the cash return 
would have been no more than from the crop the pre¬ 
ceding year. Last Spring common Red, Alsike clover 
and Blue grass was sown on the field. No stock went 
on the field till the rye was ripe and fallen down, and 
the clover had grown up and began to show above the 
rye. The Alsike came on remarkably fast and occa¬ 
sionally a Blue grass setting could be seen. The rye 
WELL 15RED AND FED FARM YOUNGSTERS. Fig. 334. 
Third Prize Picture. 
crop was a very heavy one, but being allowed to fall 
of its own weight, and because of deadness of straw, 
it worked no injury to the grasses and clover, but was 
rather'a help to them. 
A man was employed with a binder to cut a small 
amount for seed, and questioned the owner why he 
should let the remainder of the field fall down in such 
a wasteful way. He answered that he would look after 
the saving of the crop. He said it would have cost him 
$3 an acre to have harvested and put the crop in the 
bushel. By not doing it this amount was saved. He 
put his hogs on the field, and said he never had hogs 
do better, and to rush them on to market was giving 
them a corn ration besides. The «wes and their lambs 
also went on the field, and the lambs went to market 
at an entirely satisfactory weight and very fat. As the 
long and short of it, he regards the field of rye as worth 
$300, and without expense or labor besides the seed and 
sowing. Then he said: “I will have as good a crop 
next year, and the pasture, clover, etc., will certainly be 
fine, for the rye straw will save them from freezing out 
this Winter.” 
Had the field been in wheat I could only expect that 
on this land much of the clover will perish during the 
Winter, as this has been the history of this field; too 
wet to be safe for wheat and clover. The inexperienced 
along this line cannot know the volume of pasture that 
can be had from such a field. “John, your advice was 
worth $100 to me.” "I will square accounts for one- 
half that amount.” "Oh, well, I advised you a few 
years ago to feed lambs, and you have been pleased with 
results, so we will call it square.” 
Ohio. _ JOHN M. JAMISON. 
A PENNSYLVANIA FARMER'S ICEHOUSE. 
Two years ago my old icehouse gave out completely 
at the bottom; spread out. 1 set about to think out a 
plan to avoid this and not be at any extra expense. I 
built 12x12 feet in the clear on inside. This size is 
large enough for ordinary use with three to five cows. 
I went to the woods and got 13 chestnut poles from 
12 to 16 feet long, and large enough to hew seven inches 
at the surface of the ground and six inches at the top. 
The corner posts are hewed square, and the middle posts 
are flattened. Set these posts 2/ feet or more into the 
ground. Saw off the tops of the sides of building level 
and spike a 2x6 to prevent bulging out at middle. The 
posts on end are sawed according to the pitch of build¬ 
ing. The two center ones are connected by a timber 
of suitable size, and will serve to tie the gable ends 
and support the roof. The inside is boarded up, first 
with rough lumber 121/2 feet in length, and put on so 
as to interlock every other course and prevent spread¬ 
ing out at corners. After the inside is boarded and the 
corners stripped up and the loose ends nailed tack a 
piece of heavy tar paper on outside. It will take four 
pieces, as there are three middle posts. Now side up 
the outside with any lumber you may choose. 1 made 
roof and sides of rough boards. The space in wall is 
filled up with sawdust. The paper prevents the passage 
of currents of air. This keeps the ice better than single- 
wall. On the foundation I put in old rails. Under 
these at lowest part is a string of tile; these end in 
the ground, and prevent the entrance of a current of air. 
In filling the house, which will take a cake of ice 10x10 
feet with the blocks 15x24 inches, the first course runs 
one direction and the next the other, thus preventing 
the joints between blocks coming in same place and 
prevents a passage for air to come up through. I can 
see no difference in bottom or right side up, but use the 
latter, as the blocks are smooth on the bottom and slide 
around more readily when being moved to their place. 
Ice eight to ten inches thick makes the best all around 
in putting in and getting out. wm. h. miller. 
Crawford Co., Pa. 
PARASITE WONDERS. 
For many years in varying degrees my pear trees have 
suffered from the depredations of the psylla. In 1903 
the effects were very serious, and spraying was only par¬ 
tially effective in arresting them. The same season also 
over two acres of raspberries were attacked on the 
underside of the leaves by a mite about the size of the 
red spider of the greenhouse, but a different insect. It 
was not an aphis, bu.t ate from the underside of the leaf, 
leaving it with the same appearance given by the red 
spider. I estimate that the crop of this year was injured 
50 per cent thereby. I was prepared this Spring to 
combat both these insects wi.tli sprays of kerosene emul¬ 
sion and whale-oil soap. Both insects were early seen 
in large numbers commencing their operations. While 
experimenting in the use of the insecticides 1 discovered 
a single egg, poised .on the end of a hair or stem, of 
the Lace-winged fly (Chrysopa). Thinking that where 
there was one there must be more, 1 held off my spray¬ 
ing for fear of destroying this useful parasite. I soon 
discovered a few other eggs and some young upon the 
raspberry leaves, and also more upon the limbs of the 
pear trees. At the same time l found upon growing 
twigs of the apple and pear very large numbers of Aphis 
mali, which completely arrested their extension. After 
much watching and waiting l decided that all of these 
three insects were not increasing, and the decrease con¬ 
tinued mTil about the middle of August, at which time 
l could not find a single specimen of either one, and 
though there were not many of the Lace-wings to be 
seen it was very evident that the latter had exter¬ 
minated the others, a most welcome result. 
Only the closest observation would have suggested the 
relation of the parasitic action, but I have no doubt of it. 
I anticipate that it will require some time for the psylla 
or the Raspberry mite to regain their standing, for their 
extermination seems complete. 1 he Lace-wing will be 
abundant next Spring, but finding nothing to live upon 
will be itself exterminated by starvation. Thus does 
nature provide against too great a disturbance of the 
balance of insect and vegetable life. I should very much 
like to know if similar results have occurred in places 
where the psylla was injurious last year, and especially 
if this or other parasite has been observed in connection. 
Worcester Co., Mass. frrn.l Jabez fisher. 
