526 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 7 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
The Crimson clover sown in the sweet 
corn on July 16, was visible above ground 
in 48 hours, and is now growing well— 
a perfect stand. Two acres of Evergreen 
sweet corn had become almost too large 
for cultivating. The constant rains have 
prevented us from working it for the 
past two weeks. With little hope of 
being able to cultivate the seed in, we 
scattered it in the mud through the corn 
on July 22. Within five hours, there 
came the heaviest shower of the sum¬ 
mer, washing the seed to the lowest 
places, where it lay in handfuls. At 
night, a flock of crows was observed ap¬ 
parently feasting on this seed. The next 
morning, the washed seed was scraped 
up and scattered again as well as possi¬ 
ble. It is now sprouting and giving a 
fair stand. We are using rather more 
seed than the Delaware growers advise, 
as our land is poor. 
X X X 
We had an order for five barrels of 
June Eating potatoes one wet day last 
week. They came out well covered with 
mud. The boys washed them carefully 
until every tuber was clean and fair. It 
took time, but what a contrast they 
presented to the dirty potatoes some of 
the grocerymen had for sale. The ap¬ 
pearance of those potatoes sold every 
tuber in the field. People have come to 
the farm after them. The early crop is 
all sold, and we are tempted to begin to 
dig the R. N. Y. No. 2 at half size. A 
neat product pays. We made a mistake 
in not planting more early potatoes. 
June Eating has given excellent satis¬ 
faction to our customers, but next year 
we shall plant the Bovee largely. We 
can clear the early potatoes off in time 
for a crop of millet to be followed by 
rye, or set the ground to strawberry 
plants, and thus obtain a fair crop the 
following spring. We also made a mis¬ 
take in not having a good crop of early 
cabbage to sell now. 
t X X 
The young roosters of this year’s breed¬ 
ing are now ready for sale. About as 
soon as the sex could be determined, we 
clipped their wings off close and put 
them in small quarters with all the 
cracked corn they would eat, and an 
abundance of water and skim-milk. 
They sell in the local market at 16 cents 
a pound dressed. It is a low price but, 
according to our figures, there is a little 
profit in it. Birds with Plymouth Rock 
blood give us the best satisfaction at 
this business. We are not killing any 
of the young roosters from our Black 
Business birds. About 60 per cent of 
our old hens have, evidently, served out 
their time as layers. We have put them 
in a pen in a dark corner of the barn, 
and they are stuffing on cracked corn 
and skim-milk. They will soon be fat 
enough to sell. 
t X X 
It is wonderful how cheaply the family 
supply of pork can be made. Late in 
May, we bought two little shotes for $5. 
They have been fed chiefly on refuse— 
swill, skim-milk and table waste. A 
pail of dish water or swill is always 
thickened with a handful of bran. These 
shotes have grown like weeds, and it is 
hard to figure that they have cost any¬ 
thing besides about 50 pounds of bran. 
We think that we can keep four breed¬ 
ing sows with profit next year when we 
get a clover pasture started. There is 
quite a demand in our market for pigs 
dressing from 125 to 150 pounds. In 
cold weather, boarding houses and small 
hotels will buy the half of such a pig at 
seven and eight cents a pound. We are 
after that trade. 
X X X 
I prefer a growth of green ragweed to 
rye as green manure. Possibly one reason 
is that Hope Farm is full of ragweed 
seed. It springs up everywhere if you 
give the land 10 days’ rest. This weed 
is very rich in potash. It seems to have 
the ability to take this substance from 
the soil. Analysis of its ash shows that 
it ranks far above other ordinary plants 
in its per cent of potash. Plow it under 
while green, and it is really useful as a 
manurial plant. Sheep are fond of rag¬ 
weed, and we notice that the hens eat 
many of the seeds. We often see them 
jumping up to pick at the heads. The 
good qualities of the ragweed die at 
the ripening of its seeds. Our pea ground 
is a mass of green ragweed. It all goes 
under this week and strawberries will 
utilize the potash that the rag weed has 
stolen. In theory, a rotation of rag¬ 
weed and Crimson clover would give 
pretty cheap fertilizing—one stealing 
potash and the other stealing nitrogen. 
Many of these theories, however, do not 
practice right. 
X X X 
Potato blight has appeared in the 
fields all about us. Some fields of late 
potatoes are now almost entirely dead. 
The continued wet, muggy weather has 
given this disease just the right condi¬ 
tions for spreading. We noticed it first 
in a row of Orphans which had lagged 
behind the others all through the sea¬ 
son—seeming yellow and feeble. So far 
as I can find out, the boys neglected to 
put any fertilizer at all on that row. 
As soon as the leaves began to curl and 
turn black, we began to dust Fungiroid 
on the vines. The constant rains have 
washed it off, but the five rows on which 
we used it most thoroughly are, evi¬ 
dently, stronger and greener than the 
others. Carman No. 3 and R. N.-Y. 
No. 2 are least affected, but all will 
surely die before their time. R. N -Y. 
No. 2 will prove the most profitable this 
year, for that variety sets its tubers 
early, and when two-thirds grown, they 
are readily salable. After examining a 
number of fields, we conclude that the 
blight has injured certain varieties far 
more than others. We have seen noth¬ 
ing that resists it better than Carman 
No. 3. We are certain that northern- 
grown seed stock will give stronger 
vines than the local seed, and that well- 
fertilized vines will stand a batter 
chance than either stunted plants or 
those that have grown too rank from 
too much nitrogen. I do not see how 
any application of Bordeaux Mixture 
could have kept off the disease in this 
wet season, with rain almost every day. 
The best that can be done is to keep the 
plants alive as long as possible. 
X X X 
Since we began to discuss the “ Robber 
Hen ” and the best methods of detecting 
her, a friend in Massachusetts has told 
us of his plan. He has a nest of his own 
contrivance so arranged that when a 
hen goes in to lay, she shuts the entrance 
and is obliged to go out by another door 
into another pen. The hens being num¬ 
bered, it is easy to tell which hens lay 
and which do not. Our friend breeds 
Light Brahmas. Some of his remarks 
may interest R N -Y. readers : 
“ Does a poor layer improve with age ? ” 
Up to the present, I have kept my fowls even 
after they have proved to me that they are un¬ 
profitable, in the belief that, perhaps, a poor¬ 
laying pullet may develop into a good-laying 
hen; but I never found such to be the case. Here¬ 
after, I shall dispose of all which don’t show a 
fair record from the time they begin laying (end 
of September or early October) to January 1.- 
“ Does ability to lay differ widely in the average 
flocks ? ” 
Decidedly; I have had records of from 42 eggs 
a year to 178. Of course, I breed only from those 
that come close to the top figure. 
«Have you found that the daughters of the 
best layers inherit this increased ability to lay ? ” 
Yes, with rare exceptions. Not only do the 
daughters inherit this laying ability, but I have 
found that the sons will infuse this good-laying 
quality to their get, even when mated to decidedly 
inferior layers. 
There will always be two or three fowls in a 
pen of 12 to 15 that will lay on fat on a ration 
that is just right for the rest, and so stop lay 
ing. I mean to try to breed this fault out if I can. 
Again, I have had occasionally some extraordi¬ 
narily large birds, hens weighing close to 14 
pounds; but they have never proved good enough 
layers to go in the breeding pen. I have some 
plans in view looking towards gaining this 
weight without sacrifice of egg yield. My best 
refcord has been 178 eggs a year; I have never 
beaten this, but occasionally equaled it. I want 
to try some Inbreeding next season, taking the 
eggs of one “ pullet ” (7) that made that record 
last year (figuring from October 3, 1895 to Octo¬ 
ber 2, 1896, and laid 154 from October 3, 1896 to 
July 13, when I left home). I have kept her over 
on purpose for this experiment, in the hope of 
beating this record. 
Clover and Stringy Milk. —Last year, 
during the month of August, we were 
troubled for a week or ten days with 
ropy or stringy milk. At the time, our 
cows were fed principally on clover pas¬ 
ture. We changed them into meadow 
pasture, and the milk became all right. 
Would you attribute it to the clover or 
to some other cause ? b. s. 
Norristown, Pa. 
Ans —We do not believe that the clover 
pasture was the cause of this trouble. 
We feel sure the milk would have turned 
right again if the cows had remained on 
the clover. Out of a dozen such cases 
that we have investigated, not one could 
fairly be traced to clover. 
Two Western Horses. —I am of the 
same mind as 0. B. M., page 406. A 
year ago I lost one of my horses, sold 
the other and looked around for a team. 
There were plenty, but they were small 
and high priced. I went to Albany, and 
bought a pair of western horses, or 
rather, colts ; they were four years old, 
and not broken. I got them together 
and drove home, 25 miles. They weighed 
1,100 pounds each. As I had a good pair 
of oxen, I thought I might get along 
with the colts. I never want a better 
farm team, they are so kind. I named 
them, as I was coming home, Fan and 
Frank. Fan is dark gray and Frank is 
black, and they are good for all uses. 
My boy 10 years old can drive them. 
They have never been sick, eat well 
oats, rye, corn or whatever I give them. 
I gave $120 for them, and I don’t want 
to sell them. o J. r 
Ransselaerville. N Y. 
SMALLEY FEED SAVERS catalog of Feed 
Mills, Fodder and Root Cutters. Silo Machines. Pow¬ 
ers, etc. Smalley Mfg. Co., Manitowoc. YVU. 
That 
is how 
much 
the N EW 
TRAVEL¬ 
ING FEED 
TABLE, which 
we have applied 
to our machines this 
season lias increased 
the cutting power of 
FEED & ENSILACE OHIO 
CUTTERS & FODDER SHREDDERS. 
Then, too, it saves about that much of the labor 
of feeding. With their large throats, high 
speed knives, rapidly revolving feed rolls, and 
this new traveling feed table, they will cut 
more feed, green or dry, than any 
other machine made—positively a 
self feeder. Catalogue and 
“Book on Silage” free. 
5 SILVER MFG.Cl 
Salem, O. 
Are Filled 
Quickly and 
Economically with ‘‘New HerjT 
ENSILAGE CUTTERS 
BECAUSE THEY 
EXCELL 
in rapid 
work, 
strength, dur¬ 
ability and 
simplicity. 
Two gears only 
on the com- 
' plete cutter. 
Sizes to suit 
nil needs. STRONCEST GUARANTEED. 
SOMETHING NEW: 
desired angle, and can be changed from one angle 
to another without stopping cutter. Mew 160 page 
catalogue mailed FREE# Tells all about Hero 
Ensilage_and Fodder Cutters. Corn Buskers 
Sweep and Tread Powers. Feed Mills, Goodhue, 
Wind Mills, Shelters, Peck’s Corn Thresher, etc. 
APPLETON MFG. CO. Batavia, Ills. ^ 
Yfonfoui 
GUARANTEES 
Endurance 
Condition And 
Strength 
“Vour money's mortb or Vour 
money Back" 
Address 
THE H=0 COMPANY 
71 and 73 Park Place, New York City 
A Labor-Saving Separator. 
Now is the time of year when great 
waste occurs in the 
dairy. The milk 
sours so quickly 
that the cream 
cannot rise. A 
Safety Hand Sep¬ 
arator will stop 
this waste. It will 
also increase the 
butter yield, at 
least 25 per cent. 
The saving in labor through its use is 
great. Any one can learn to use it. 
P. M. SHARPLES, 
West Chester, Pa 
Elgin, Ill. 
Rutland, Vt. 
CREAM SEPARATORS. 
De Laval "Alpha" and " Baby” Separators. 
First— Best—Cheapest. All Styles—Sizes. 
Save $10 per cow per year. Send for Catalogue. 
Prices, $50 to $800. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO., 
Rand ol ph and Cana! Sts., | 74 Cor«audt R Street, 
SIMPLEST ! 
CHEAPEST ! 
BEST ! 
OUlUDinM AUTOMATIC MILK 
bn AlVIrlUn cooler&aekator 
Our free book, “ Milk,” for the asking. 
CHAMPION MILK COOLER CO. 
_ ex_4- V V 
THE PERFECTION 
MILK COOLER 
AND aerator. Latest 
and Best. Why? Because 
it Is low down. It has 
the greatest cooling sur¬ 
face. It is cheap ! Cost¬ 
ing no more than in¬ 
ferior coolers. Circulars 
and prices. 
L. K. LKWI8, 
50 Main St., Cortland.N.Y 
FRENCH 
MILLS 
All kinds farm grind¬ 
ing. A boy can operate 
and keep in order. 28 
nmin sizes and styles. Every 
rm D l M K mill warranted 
U WIN II “Book onJlills” 
and sample 
meal FREE. 
All kinds mill 
machinery. 
Flour mills built, roller or 
system. Get our reduced 
NORDYKE&MARMONCO. 
270 DAY ST., INDIANAPOLIS. IND. 
nnmmmwwu 
HEEBNERS’ 
ir*JI"l7HQRSE POKIER 
ith SPEED REGULATOR. 
-1, 2 and 3 Horses. 
. Send for 
Catalogue u Ensilage and Dry Fodder Cut¬ 
ter with Crusher. Also Threshers and Cleaners, Feed 
Mills, Corn Shelters, Drag & Circular Saw Machines, etc. 
UEEBNEli A SONS, Lausdale, i'u., U. S». A 
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ENSILAGE OUTFIT 
for the LEAST money without regard to QUALITY, we are not “in it”. But if you want a 
THOROUCHBRED outfit, at a reasonable price, guaranteed in every respect satisfactory, 
buy a ROSS. ° ur 1897 machines are without an equal in any point or particular. Strictly up-to- 
date. Write for catalogue, THE E. W. ROSS COMPANY, Springfi.ld, Ohio. 
