338 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 22 
die or paddles ought to work so as to cause up and 
down currents ; rotary paddles do this as well as 
those with an up and down motion, provided they are 
set at the proper angle, say the same at which wind¬ 
mill fans are set. 
So far, brass pumps have given most satisfaction ; 
not all the construction need be of brass, but all 
working parts in contact with the spraying material 
should be of brass, and all valves of that or other 
non-corrosive material. All parts should be strong, 
and easily reached for repairs, replacement or clean¬ 
ing. As nearly as possible, all power expended ought 
to be applied in forcing the material—in hand work, 
especially. In orchard work, more or less leaves, 
sticks, etc., will fall into an open barrel and cause 
much annoyance. Keep this trash out by cutting 
holes in the barrel head only large enough to fit the 
pump in ; it is best to put cross cleats on the inside of 
the barrel head to hold the head together. Where 
the form of the pump admits, bolt it fast to the bar¬ 
rel head, then cut away the chine so that, when the 
top hoop is loosened, the pump and barrel head can 
be lifted out for repairs, etc. Often it is better to 
make a new barrel head out of one-inch hardwood, 
because barrel heads are, usually, uneven and out of 
true. Bore a two-inch hole in the head, and use a 
large funnel to get the liquid in. 
Proper manipulation in making Bordeaux Mixture 
will make a mix that will not separate quickly, but 
as ordinarily made, and is likely to be made, it re¬ 
quires nearly constant stirring ; for that reason, the 
air chamber of the pump ought only to be large 
enough to keep the pressure up for a minute or two 
after pumping ceases. For reasons of economy, the 
supply pipe leading from the pump should be pro¬ 
vided with a quick-acting valve, so that, when not 
actually using the spray, none need issue from the 
nozzles; also, that when any clogging of nozzles 
occurs, that necessitates removal of them or the hose, it 
can be done without loss of time, waste of material 
or deluging the workmen. 
The hose should be strong, one-half inch inside ; 
smaller would cause too much friction ; larger than 
that, the hose would be very heavy when full of ma¬ 
terial. It has been a source of annoyance that manu¬ 
facturers did not use the same standard in cutting 
threads. It has seemed that each one tried to use 
threads unlike those used by any one else, so the user 
of pumps was obliged to go to a machine shop, or send 
to the factory for repairs, when, if the same standard 
were used, repairs, in many cases, could be quickly 
and cheaply made. Another annoyance of the same 
kind, is the different standards used in cutting 
brass and iron threads. Practical machinists say that 
no good purpose is served by these differences. 
Delaware. s. h. derby. 
IRRIGATION OF STRAWBERRIES. 
The only requisite for irrigation is a sufficient sup¬ 
ply of water. Brains combined with mechanical in¬ 
genuity will, in nearly every instance, find a method 
to convey it to the field and distribute it to the best 
advantage. Among the small fruits, the strawberry 
will, doubtless, give the best returns. As the fruit 
alone contains 90 percent water, a dry season at fruit¬ 
age invariably decreases the yield, while the market 
price is correspondingly raised. 
I witnessed, at the Wisconsin Experiment Station, 
an experiment in irrigating strawberries,a full account 
of which may be found in the 11th and 12th reports of 
that station. The water was obtained from a lake 
adjacent to the strawberry ground. A thrashing en¬ 
gine worked a rotary pump connected with the lake 
by a three-inch suction pipe. From the pump, a 2%- 
inch discharge pipe connected with the strawberry 
plantation, the water pouring into a line of wooden 
troughs which distributed it to the different rows. 
The water flowed from the troughs through %-inch 
auger holes placed 3% feet apart. Fig. 145 shows a 
section of trough with the hole partly closed by a 
“gate ” This consists of two pieces of galvanized 
iron, A and B. A, which has a %-inch hole correspond¬ 
ing to the hole in the trough, is nailed to the trough. 
B is a slide held in place by the folded edges of A, 
but can be raised to regulate the flow of water. These 
troughs were arranged across the field and moved 
from place to place. They were arranged so that the 
water ran through the little holes directly upon a 
row of berries. 
The bed was planted 3% x 2 feet, and formed matted 
rows with a foot-space between. Irrigation was cir- 
ried on whenever needed, but certain rows were given 
no water. The data of results (Twelfth Report) are 
as follows : 
Twelve rows Warfleld, four rows Wilson, Irrigated in 1894 Boxes 
and 189o, yielded. 5( .j jj 
Twelve rows Warfleld, four rows Wilson, irrigated in 1894 
but not in 1895, yielded. ’ jjj g 
Twelve rows Warfleld, four rows Wilson, never irrigated 
? ielded . .I 66.2 
The season was exceptionally dry, giving an excel¬ 
lent opportunity to test the value of irrigation. The 
figures speak for themselves. 
There are many places in this State where some 
system of irrigation might be used to advantage. 
While it is always dry at fruitage, scarcely a year 
passes but the plants suffer from lack of water at 
some period of their growth. Sometimes water may 
be sprinkled over the plantation by means of hose 
and nozzle ; but damage often results from sunscald 
unless the work is done towards evening, hence is not 
altogether satisfactory. It is a good plan to mulch 
the space between rows, letting the water soak its 
way aloDg under this covering. By this means, the 
ground will not be washed, baking is prevented, 
evaporation is reduced, in addition to keeping the 
fruit clean along the borders. If water be applied 
during the picking season, it should be done imme¬ 
diately after picking the ripe fruit, so that the ground 
may become firm before the next picking. At such a 
time, two light irrigations are much better than ohe 
heavy one. It is an advantage to have the ground 
underdrained. The western growers were forced to 
IRRIGATING TROUGH FOR STRAWBERRIES. Flu. 145. 
irrigate, and those in the East may leaTn some valu¬ 
able lessons from the wonderful results obtained 
where water is given when needed. o m. TayloR 
Ontario County. N Y. 
WHA T THEY SA Y. 
A Homemade Roller. 
The roller is inexpensive, and is a tool that 
every farmer should Use. It smooths the land and 
leaves it in the best shape for the mowing machine. 
It packs the earth firmly about the seed, and con¬ 
serves moisture to germinate and start the seeds 
which are not properly covered by the seeder or har¬ 
row, that would otherwise be dried and lie on top of 
the ground until the germ is killed, thereby giving 
place for a weed to start. It is, also, beneficial to the 
old meadows which are poached up by cattle feeding 
on them in late fall and early spring. Another im¬ 
portant part the roller plays is to press the small 
stones into the soft earth, so that a man can run his 
reaper, mowing machine or scythe oYer the field 
without the perplexity or thought of breaking a 
knife or guard at any moment. 
The weight of this roller is about 1.000 pounds. It 
is made from an old mowing machine ; the shaft is 
cut, and a piece welded into the center to make it six 
feet long from outside to outside of the rim, project¬ 
ing through the hubs of the wheels about four inches 
to receive the upright frame, with a Washer ahd pin 
to keep it in place. The pole is from the same 
machine, also the braces on the pole. The wheels 
are drilled with a %-inch drill, four inches apart, the 
planks are made of any hard wood which is most con¬ 
venient, and bolted to the rim with the heads of the 
bolts outside. There is a center circle made of planks 
spiked together, and the planks of the rim spiked to 
it to keep it in place. This roller has been in use 12 
years, and is as good to day as when first made. 
Although it is not as easy to turn as a roller made of 
two or more sections, it being large in diameter, it 
does not turn hard. The cost of the roller outside of 
the old machine should not be more than $5.50 to $6 ; 
it is cheap and durable when well cared for. 
Waterbury, Conn. o b p. 
Water More Expensive than Milk. 
Not long ago, I witnessed a strange comparison. At 
a railway station in southern Vermont, several farmers 
were seen bringing their milk in five gallon cans to 
be shipped to Troy and Albany. There was also a 
man at the station with a wagon-load of five-gallon 
demijohns filled with spring water to l?e shipped to 
various points. The express agent told me that this one 
firm shipped more water than the milk of all the farm¬ 
ers combined. A printed card on each crate told the 
price of the water—$2 delivered to New York and 
New England points, with a rebate of $1 for returh 
of the empty package. Cases of water in quart bot¬ 
tles were quoted at 25 to 30 per cent higher prices. 
In every instance, the water would cost the consumer 
at least five cents a quart. The cost of delivering a 
five-gallon cask of water, to average points in New 
England, is estimated to be from 1% to 2 cents per 
quart, so the shipper actually receives not less than 
3 to 3% cents a quart for his spring water. The 
dairyman receives from 2% to 3 cents a quart for his 
Uiilk at the depot. 
Sere is a problem to think about. Why should 
people pay more for pure, natural spring water than 
for pure, clean whole milk $ The dairyman devotes 
all of his time and energy to the care of his farm, 
gives all the produce of the farm to feed the cows, 
and puts about all the profit derived from his cows 
into fertilisers to feed the farm so as to raise more 
grain, to feed more cows, to make more milk, to sell 
for more money, to buy more phosphate, to grow 
more feed, and so on year after year. The other fel¬ 
lows simply spout the water from Nature’s great, 
subterranean reservoir, down to the spring house 
where the bottling is done. This particular case that 
I have mentioned does not claim the virtues of a 
mineral spring having life-giving qualities, but 
simply pure uncontaminated water. There are plenty 
of men doing this same thing. There are thousands 
of springs bubbling up and pouring out quantities of 
pure, cold water. Almost every community is sup¬ 
plied with the genuine article 
Which Would be the easier fora beginner, unknown 
to the trade, to build up a business selling water or 
milk ? This is a practical question (not to be con¬ 
founded With the experience of some allegted dealers 
Who are said to compromise the matter by mixing the 
articles). A correct solution of the problfem might be 
Worth a good deal of money to us. Should we try to 
produce a standard article that will sell at some 
price, regardless of quality, or produce an article 
that without merit, has no price at all, but with high 
merit brings a fancy price ? It is easier to ask ques 
tions than to answer them, so I will stop right here. 
Vermont. _ c . w. soarff. 
100 QUARTS OF MILK PER DAY. 
HOW .MANY COWS NEEDED TO PRODUCE IT 2 
In your experience as a dairyman, how many cows would you 
say are necessary to warrant a milk trade of 25, 50 and 100 quarts 
per day, the year ’round ? This question is often asked by readers 
who wish to establish a little milk business near some small 
town. Probably, from your study of this matter, you will be able 
to tell them about how many quarts per day a good cow may be 
expected to yield during the year. 
Thd Average Is Low. 
The betteT way to determine the number of cows 
which would be required to furnish a given amount 
of milk for the year, is to calculate what each cow 
of the herd will average per year. In this respect, 
the variation of different hel-ds, and different breeds 
of cattle, is so great that the class of cows must, neces¬ 
sarily, first be dal rmined. According to the report 
of State Dairy Commissioner Brown, giving the yield 
of about 40,000 cows, comprising over 1,200 cream¬ 
eries in this State, a few years ago, the average of the 
milk furnished to the creameries, per cow, was shown 
to be 3,034 pounds. Taking this as a basis, the num¬ 
ber of cows required for a certain quantity of milk 
can easily be determined, but no dairyman should 
calculate to keep cows which will give only this 
amount of milk. It will not pay. A first-class dairy 
of well-bred cows, of any of the large-producing 
breeds, ought, at the least calculation, to average 
from 5.000 to 6,000 pounds per year. Of course, this 
would require good cows, and they must have good 
care and feed. There are herds in this State which 
have averaged fully double, and sometimes more than 
double, this largest amount. By selecting the very 
best class of animals, and those from the largest- 
producing families, these larger amounts can be 
realized. smiths & powells co. 
New York. 
Good Record by Ayrshires. 
My cows, for the past 17 years, have averaged 13 
quarts per day. The quantity of milk to be depended 
on from a cow or a number of cows, is uncertain at 
best, for accidents often happen. Then, too, it 
depends very much on the quality of the cow. A man 
may say that a cow is a cow, and a cow should give 
such an amount of milk, but that depends largely on 
the cow as to her natural capacity, and again on the 
owner, in the way he cares for the cow. Another 
thing to be considered is the uncertainty of a cow’s 
calving at the right time to keep up the even flow of 
the herd. Suppose he has cows that would give 13 
quarts a day average, he would say that eight cows 
would run a milk route of 100 quarts ; but he would 
