463 
1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
__ . color and flavor. These strawberries turned 
rlAftP r'AYfn l\nTPQ out like some humans. They took all there 
1 ClI III 1 was in tue chance and used it for their own 
- comfort. Under cultivation they are at least 
c. .. a vveek later than when “wilcf,” they show 
Alfalfa Seeding. IN lnle we have seeded jj ttle, if any, increase in sine, but devote 
Alfalfa several times there is not now, so far most of their energies to producing new 
** 1 « «■* “.-'“S'- far “; C£*-. Smt .% I“°for?, e to°say K'afS? 
It grew for a time and then wasted a^a>. season develops we find considerable damage 
This year we have tried it again under j n 0 ur young apple trees. Of those set last 
"« Hope are belter conditions. The f™™^"*** f £X' £d SMok’ 
held was in corn last year about halfway Most “ f these tl . ee s started their buds, but 
up our eastern slope. It was kept quite ar e unable to carry them beyond a certain 
clean, though last year was a wet season, point. The upper buds are dying, but some 
It. does not seem to me from the nature of of the lower buds near the ground are still 
Alfalfa that it should be put in too early— thrifty, and I may be able to cut back of the 
or until the soil is thoroughly warm. So we damaged wood and get a new . stem. , ■ 
were in no hurry. May 11 we spread 10 loads most damage was done on an exposed part ot 
n f o-ood cow manure to the acre over the the hill where the wind has a teaitul sweep 
field 8 This W w“s plowed under^on May 13, in Winter. Where there, is more protec Ion 
and leveled with the Acme. A little growth the trees are not badly injured. I have found 
of weeds appeared, and it was haVrowed no great loss yet in the appie trees• one ye; 
again. On May 25 it was worked thoroughly planted, or in the young *\® es L ^lv 
with the Cutaway plow Then we broadcast these ^ llck^rost miXnHmW 
at the rate of 800 pounds iron slag and 000 bitten by .tack l'tost. 
pounds of fertilizer rich in potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid, and worked it in with the Acme. 
That is about tip to our limit in the prepara¬ 
tion of the soil. Now we were ready for the 
seed. 
Doctoking Seed.— T Intended to get 
some soil from a successful Alfalfa field and 
_ __ _ Cultivation 
of our young sod-planted trees has begun. We 
hoe around them so as to keep a small circle 
free from grass. Then as the grass grows 
In a fringe around this circle we cut it 
with scythe or sickle and pile it around 
the tree' This grass as it grows represents 
a sucker. When cut and used for a mulch it 
becomes a supporter. If all the suckers in 
spread it on this soil, but after some study society could be trimmed so that they would 
I decided to try the bacteria from Washing- succor humanity instead of suck, what a 
ton Instead. The Department of Agriculture world we would have! With this sort of 
sent me a small flat package which I was to handling the trees that were not frozen las£ 
keep dry until we were ready. I bought my winter are making a beautiful growth—the 
seed—20 pounds to the acre—and when the best we have ever started. 
soil was fit, opened my package for directions. 
There were three little packets in the box. 
Two were white powders, the other a small 
dab of cotton. I got a gallon of clean water 
in a can and stirred in one of the powders 
until it was dissolved. Then I dropped in 
the cotton. The can was then laid aside 
with the cover on for 24 hours, and then I 
put in the contents of the other packet. In 
a few hours the water began to grow cloudy 
and looked like water with milk poured into 
it. We took part of the Alfalfa seed and 
wetted it thoroughly with this white water. 
As soon as this seed was dry enough to 
handle it was sown in the usual way with 
our Cahoon seeder. We left part of the seed 
as we bought it in order to see if there is any 
difference. We knew how far the soaked seed 
went, and now we shall see if this inocula¬ 
tion pays. After seeding the soil was worked 
with the Acme with the blades as flat as pos¬ 
sible, and then rolled. I suppose that by this 
time most farmers understand why we went 
all through this performance. According to 
the best information the wise men have, 
plants like Alfalfa, clover, beans and peas 
owe much of their value to tiny forms of life 
known as bacteria, which grow on the roots 
of the plants. Unless these bacteria are 
present Alfalfa will not thrive, and I am 
told that probably my past failures with the 
crop were due to a lack of these bacteria. 
Now the wise men have found a way of prop¬ 
agating these bacteria and drying them so as 
to seep them dormant and yet alive, so that 
they can be shipped about and brought to 
life and activity when wanted. The cotton 
which I put iii the water contained these 
dried bacteria. The powders contained sub¬ 
stances to stimulate and feed them. When 
I put all three together in that water the 
bacteria waked up and started into business. 
The theory is that they are now on the Al¬ 
falfa seed, and will proceed to put in their 
work in my field. Let's hope they will at 
least. I presume some of us have tested 
drinking water by adding a little sugar to it 
and putting the glass away in a warm place. 
If there are too many bacteria present the 
water becomes cloudv or milky. I have 
confidence in this plan of helping crops. 
Even if we fail with the Alfalfa I shall not 
lose faith in these bacteria. If I can get the 
crop well started on Hope Farm I shall con¬ 
sider it well worth the timo and labor spent 
over It. 
Pig Proceedings. — I went up to a point 
in Morris County, N. J., and bought 10 
little pigs. Ten of them are purebred 
Berks, two half Perk and half Chester White 
(with only a spot of their father’s black 
color), and four nearly pure Chesters. They 
made the trip of nearly 90 miles by express 
in a two-storied crate, and arrived in fine 
shape. Each one was weighed and marked 
as it was taken from the crate, so that we 
can know just how much each one gains. 
The marking was done by punching one or 
more holes in the ear. The two halfbred 
pigs were largest, weighing 32 and 3014 
pounds. The others ranged from 12*4 to 17 
pounds. They were kept in the barnyard for 
a day or two and then given a run on the 
young clover and rape. We shall feed a slop 
of mixed grains and cracked corn, but the 
pigs will have to look for most of their food 
in the pasture. The present outlook for pork 
prices is not good, while grain is high, and it 
will not pay us to stuff these pigs with 
grain and keep them in pens. They will run 
in the orchards, eat the clover and grass and 
the fallen apples, and get grain 'enough to 
make them thrifty. I make this statement 
because I do not want some one to start up 
in October and find fault because we do not 
make these pigs average 250 pounds each. I 
think we could bring them to 175 pounds, 
but that weight would bring us less profit 
than 125 pounds built up in the way we pro¬ 
pose to keep me pigs. There is a sharp con¬ 
test between breeders of white and black pigs. 
The Chester men were sure the whites will 
come out ahead, while the Berkshire men are 
equally sure that the blacks wilt win on the 
scales. The whites average a little larger, 
but I have seen the Berks at pasture before 
now, and know that it takes a lively hog to 
beat them. I would like to have a few Po¬ 
lands and Jersey Reds to make the contest 
a little more exciting. I shall be told that 
it would pay us better to raise our own pigs 
here instead of buying them. Why can we 
not produce pigs as cheaply as any other 
farmer? I am not prepared to answer, but 
after careful figuring I think I got these pigs 
cheaper than we couid grow the same quality 
here. 
All Sorts. —Nellie Bly presented us with 
another fine daughter. She is small, but 
well built and lively. The little thing has 
Farm Notes. —The Crimson clover came just the color of old Major. If she can make 
to full bloom on schedule time—Decora- as faithful a horse as that old veteran i 
shall ask no more. We are now in the way 
of having a fine driving team of sisters. I 
often wish I cared more about a good horse, 
but I shall be voted a dull fellow by horse¬ 
men when I say that a good tree interests 
me more than a horse. . . . The cold and 
windy May has made an open fire feel com¬ 
fortable at night. The children began going 
barefoot earlier than usual, and it was a 
singular thing at times to see a group of 
bare feet and legs shining in the light of a 
fire! . . . Every year I go over this old 
debate about the 'children and bare feet. 
Some good people object, and think it an 
awful thing to let the little folks go unshod. 
I have heard their arguments time after 
time, and always urge Mother to let the 
children get their bare feet into the soil. 1 
went barefoot myself when I was a boy, 
largely because the old folks who brought me 
into full bloom on schedule time—Decora 
tion Day. We expected it to be late this year, 
following most other crops, but it came to 
time with a rush. We haven’t much of it 
this year—a volunteer crop in one orchard. 
It will be eaten down by the pigs and the 
soil worked up for another crop. . . 
We cut the first rye for hay on May 28. It 
was not headed out too far and will make 
fair fodder for the stock. We cut part of the 
rye each year for feeding. No stock is fond 
of it, but horses will eat it, and if cut early 
enough it makes a fair substitute for hay—• 
which is as much a cash article with us as 
bran or corn. ". . . The pepper plants 
went into the ground in good shape and with 
small loss. They have taken hold properly 
and started in to do their share. This is a 
new crop for us. We think we can handle 
it better tuan we can tomatoes or eggplant, 
as the peppers can be held longer than to¬ 
matoes. There are so many Italians at work up wanted to save darning and shoe leather. 
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on the new reservoir that we think there will 
be quite a local demand for peppers. . . . 
On March 31 we sowed Red clover and rape 
in the old orchard near the house. The seed 
was simply thrown in the mud without work¬ 
ing the soil. On Decoration Day the young - - — 7- __ 
clover averaged five inches high and the rape never yet found a place where my laige leet 
nearly eight inches. It made a fine stand, did great damage, and I question whether 
These are convenient things to save, and 
when we add the health which the hare foot 
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irly eight 
and we shall soon turn the little pigs in to 
eat it down. ... I am asked how the 
disk plow will work in turning under trash—• 
like the mulch of straw on an old strawberry 
field. I have not used it for just that pur¬ 
pose, hut for tucking under coarse or strawy 
manure the disk suits me better than the 
turning plow. It tips the trash over and 
small feet are, after all, any sure indication 
of brain power or character. . . . Dec- 
oration Dav is a line time for the children to 
read Edward Everett Ilale’s story of The 
Man Without a Country. Our little folks use 
that in their school. When they come to the 
end where poor Philip Noland pours out his 
... „„„ ^ _ heart in that pathetic appeal our children 
drops the soii upon it. For w r orking up sod cried, and I would rather have them cry over 
h. w. c. 
the turning plow does the better job—that is 
for once working. If you can keep at the 
sod until it is all chopped up the disk will 
do the business, but where there is only one 
working the turning plow will tip the sod 
over out of sight. Then if you do not har¬ 
row too deeply the cultivator and hoes can 
keep the crop quite clean. For bare land or 
with a growth of coarse high weeds, and I 
think, for dead trash I would prefer the disk 
plow. . . .The weather for the latter part 
of May was disappointing. Cold, drying winds 
prevailed, winch sucKed the moisture out of 
the soil until the grass and some of the 
young trees showed the bad effects of It. 
Decoration Day brought a little drizzle of 
rain, which revived things, but these cold 
winds are all out of season. 
Fruit Notes. —We found the first ripe 
wild strawberries on May 29. This is the 
earliest record we have, and only shows .what 
a disjointed season this is. ’this wild va¬ 
riety is one of those I brought down to the 
garden and tried to cultivate. I hop7>d by 
taking care of it and giving it a chance to 
that than to see them kill a 
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