676 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 16 
A YOUTHFUL HEN MOTHER. 
While we are discussing remarkable families of 
human beings in their relation to agriculture, let us 
not forget to mention the good hen. At Pig. 287 is 
shown a young hen or pullet which will, probably, 
take the record for youthful productiveness. This 
hen is a White Leghorn, bred and owned by O. W. 
Mapes, the electric hen man. Mr. Mapes tells the 
following story regarding this “precocious pullet.” 
If any of our readers have hens that can beat this 
record, we shall be pleased to give them an oppor¬ 
tunity to exploit their pets in the columns of The 
R. N.-Y. : 
This pullet was hatched March 6, with 11 others. 
They were raised in a small brooder in the woodshed, 
and about April 15, they were carried to the middle 
of a three-acre field to keep them away from the back 
door, as they were very tame. Here they ran with a 
flock of about 500 younger ones, all eating from one 
long trough which was filled with feed as soon as 
possible after the chicks cleaned it, usually two or 
three times a day. In June, she and her 10 mates, in 
company with 50 of the later chicks, were colonized 
in No, 2 of my small poultry houses. The surrounding 
houses were filled with the other younger chicks 
There were no old hens nearer than No. 6—about 30 
rods away. The pullets laid two eggs in No. 2 July 
22, and continued to gain up to August 10, when they 
laid eight eggs inside the house. About August 15, 
I found this pullet in an old box in the rear of No. 
2, sitting on 15 pullets’ eggs. The soft side of a board 
was the only nesting material in use when I found 
her. I took pity on her and gave her some machine 
shavings at once. She must have been one of the 
first to commence laying, as on August 27, she hatched 
out eight as bright-eyed chicks as I ever saw, of 
which she is justly proud, as her picture—Fig. 287— 
plainly shows. The feed has always been the same 
since the day she was hatched, except that a little 
baking powder was added the first few days, and then 
the dough baked into a sort of balanced-ration bread : 
otherwise, the feed has simply been wet with cold 
water.” 
MR. CLARK’S GRASS CROP FOR 1897. 
Those who have read The R. N.-Y. for the past few 
years are familiar with the experiments made by Mr. 
Geo. M. Clark, of Connecticut, in showing the possi¬ 
bilities of a 16-acre meadow. We now present his 
statement for 1897. To newer readers, it may be well 
to say that the essential principles of his method are : 
1. The most careful preparation of the soil. 2. Heavy 
feeding with soluble fertilizers. 3. Heavy seeding to 
Timothy and Red-top, and the best care of the ground. 
Here is the statement. Harvesting the first crop from 
16 acres was finished July 10, and the crop weighed 
155,409 pounds. The second crop from the same field 
was finished September 25, and weighed 53,070 pounds. 
The detail in part of these two crops is as follows : 
First Crop. Pounds. 
Total on 16 acres. 155,409 
Total on 10^4 acres. 118,804 
Total on six best acres. 68,707 
Total on 514 poorest acres. 36,605 
Average on 10*4 acres. 11,314 
Average on six acres. 11,450 
Average on 5% poorest acres. 6,656 
Average on 16 acres, whole field. 9,713 
Best five-eighths acre. 9 830 
Rate per acre. 15,728 
Best acre. 13,270 
Second-best acre. 12,943 
Second Crop. 
Total on 16 acres. 53,020 
Total on 10%. acres. 50,725 
Total on six best acres. 35,430 
Total on b l A poorest acres. 2,345 
Average on 10*4 acres. 4,640 
Average on six acres . 5,905 
Average on 5*4 poorest acres. 521 
Average on 16 acres. 3 317 
Amount on five-eighths acre. 4,763 
Rate per acre. 7,616 
Best acre. 7,460 
Second-best acre. 6,140 
Total First and Second Crop, 1897. 
Total 16 acres. 208,479 
Total 10*4 acres. 168,874 
Total six acres. 104,137 
Total 5*4 poorest acres. 38,950 
Total average 10!4 acres. 15,964 
Total average six acres. 17,355 
Total average 5^4 poorest acres. 7,181 
16 acres. 13,030 
Total best five-eighths acre. 14.593 
Total per acre. 23,347 
Total best acre. 20,770 
Total second-best acre. 19,083 
Labor securing first crop. $92.75 
Labor securing second crop. 32.50 
$125.25 
Total outlay...$575.87 
Value op Product and Profit at Different Prices Per Ton. 
Pounds. 
208,479 at $10 per ton_$1,042.39—profit.$466.52 
208,497 at $11 per toil.... 1,146.63-profit. 570.76 
208,497 at $12 per ton_ 1,250.87—profit. 675.00 
208,497 at $13 per ton.... 1,355.11—profit. 779.24 
By reviewing these figures, you will find the sum 
total to be over 104 tons from the 16 acres, an aver¬ 
age of 6% tons to the acre for the season’s crop. 
There are 10 >4 acres of which a separate account has 
been kept. This year’s total crop was over 84 tons. 
My best six acres have been seeded two years, and 
produced 52 tons this year, an average of 17,355 pounds 
per acre. In fact, one-half of the grass grown on the 
16 acres was taken from this six acres. The best yield 
was in a nook of five-eighths acre, its total yield being 
14,593 pounds, an average of 23,347 pounds per acre. 
The best acre gave 20,770 -pounds, and second best 
acre 19,083 pounds. These were the best figures, and 
the poorest were found on 5% acres, quite largely so 
because of different treatment. The six-acre field 
had good treatment. The rest of the 10% acres had 
fair treatment, and the 5 %-acre field had but little 
better than the regular go-as-you-please treatment. 
The result shows the necessity of care in producing a 
grass crop. 
One of the great questions relating to this subject 
is the cost of production ; below is given in detail 
the cost of production, labor, etc., for the 1897 crops, 
and the total amount of fertili zers used on the 16 
acres for the two crops : 
Fall dressing, 1896.$ 96.00 
Spring and summer. 330.62 
Labor spreading same. 24.00 
Total.$450.62 
But I have never sold any hay less than $18 per ton 
at the barn, generally $20. This $5 to $7 advance 
above the highest figures given will more than cover 
any drop in price, cost of cultivation, shrinkage, etc. 
The entire field is an experimental one, and often the 
best results are not obtained; in fact, they are not 
expected. 
A great variety of fertilizers have been used upon 
small sections of these fields and adjoining lands, 
under different conditions, watching results. In fact, 
for 13 years, not a ton of yard manure has been used 
on the 16-acre field, nothing but commercial fertiliz¬ 
ers, and for several years, except in small sections, 
nothing but bone, muriate of potash and nitrate of 
THE YOUNGEST HEN MOTHER ON RECORD. Fig. 287. 
soda have been used. Experience has taught that in¬ 
tense cultivation is necessary to success. 
The land is taken up in sections every five or seven 
years, and worked with the Torrent and Cutaway 
grass tools, 40 to 50 days, and then reseeded. Sun¬ 
shine with a little aid at the right time will work 
wonders in the grass field. The above figures make 
one thing certain about grass culture, that is, only 
one crop can be grown with success at one time. 
GEORGE M. CLARK. 
WHY N. Y. STATE GRAPES KEEP WELL. 
Will The R. N.-Y. give the methods used by the grape growers 
in the Chautauqua Grape Belt, to keep their grapes for the later 
markets ? Here our Concords ripen a little before the Chautauqua 
Concords, but we are unable to keep them in good condition 
nearly so late. Do they keep them in cold storage ? Or to what 
do they owe their staying qualities ? w. h. l. 
Iowa. 
The Chautauqua grape growers have no secrets 
about the picking, packing and marketing of grapes, 
which are not known to the growers in other sections. 
But it is a conceded fact that grapes, apples and 
other fruits grown in western New York have better 
keeping qualities than those from almost any other 
locality in the United States, the reasons, undoubt¬ 
edly, being the soil and climatic conditions under 
which they are produced. That the kind of soil has 
much to do with the keeping and eating qualities of 
grapes, is recognized by growers in the Chautauqua 
Grape Belt. Grapes grown on clay land stand up and 
ship much better than those grown on gravel. In the 
Ohio district, an association has been formed known 
as the Clay Growers’ Association. They handle and 
ship only grapes grown on clay lands. 
Climatic conditions, also, exert a wonderful in¬ 
fluence on the grape. We do know from experience 
that grapes grown in close proximity to large bodies 
of water are the best keepers and the most desirable. 
The three sections in New York State growing grapes 
to the greatest perfection, all lie near or adjacent to 
natural bodies of water. The first is the Hudson 
River district, the second the central or lake section, 
and the third the Lake Erie district, in Chautauqua 
County. 
The bulk of Chautauqua County grapes are picked 
in crates which are drawn and stored in the packing 
houses, where they remain a few days to sweat. After 
this, they are packed in ten-pound baskets for ship¬ 
ment. So it is evident that the keeping qualities 
which W. H. L. concedes, are due to other causes 
rather than to our method of handling. 
Mr. Geo. A. Snow, of Penn Yan, who had charge of 
the viticulture exhibit at the World’s Fair, was very 
successful in holding grapes in cold storage for the 
exhibit. They were placed in cold storage about 
November 1, 1892, and there held until spring, when 
they were shipped to Chicago in time for the opening, 
May 1. They were then placed in the Cold Storage 
Building on the exhibition grounds, and were taken 
from there to the Horticultural Building as needed. 
As is well known, the Cold Storage Building burned 
July 12 ; had this loss not occurred, New York grapes 
would have been on exhibition every day of the fair. 
As it was, a space of only 15 days intervened between 
the cold storage stock and the arrival of fresh grapes. 
Thus it seems that, with proper conditions, grapes 
may be preserved fresh for a long time. 
Of the vast number of varieties grown, only a few 
may be classed as long keepers ; among the best, are 
the Catawba, Diana, Isabella and Vergennes. To have 
even these varieties keep well, they must be very 
carefully handled. Mr. Snow’s success in keeping 
grapes was largely due to the method of handling. 
A very important item, in his opinion, is the gradual 
reduction of temperature from the vines to cold stor¬ 
age—no sudden changes from high to low degrees. 
The cooling should be somewhat as follows : Leave 
the crates out the night after picking, remove early 
in the morning to a cool building or dry cellar, then 
to a still cooler room adjoining the storage, where the 
temperature would gradually fall until the desired 
point is reached. Small quantities of grapes have 
been held and shipped at a time when enough better 
prices have been obtained to pay for the additional 
expense. But with the prevailing low prices of fresh 
fruit, and the improved methods of transportation, 
the Tropics, the sunny South and California’s enter¬ 
prising horticulturists are able to place in our city mar¬ 
kets fresh fruits nearly every day in the year. It does 
not seem that the prospects for obtaining large prices 
for held stock are such as to warrant any one in in¬ 
vesting very largely in cold storage grapes. L D GALE. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. ABk 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.l 
Destroying a Wasp's Nest. 
G. E., Namiet , N. T. —Your account of the nest of the Paper 
Hornet, Fig. 206, page 498, was very interesting to us. Will you 
publish the best and safest way to capture and destroy one in 
our grounds ? The wasps’ nest is in a young pear tree, as large 
as a 16-quart peach basket, and fills the whole head of the tree. 
Ans —The top of a young pear tree is, certainly, an 
odd place for a wasp to start her nest, and it must be 
a curious sight to see-a tree bearing such fruit; doubt¬ 
less boys do not trouble the other fruit, if there is 
any. So far as the tree is concerned, the presence 
of the nest in it will do it no particular harm, but if 
the tree stands near where people or stock frequently 
pass, the nest, probably, has been voted a decided 
nuisance. Oftentimes these saucy nest-builders do 
put their homes in situations where they are a con¬ 
stant menace to man or his stock. In all such cases, 
of course, it is advisable to get rid of the nest at 
once with the least possible danger or delay. Usually, 
in such cases, the nest is where it can be quite readily 
got at, and one agile member of the family finally 
screws up his courage to the point where his pluck 
and nerve will succeed in dislodging the nest with 
gloved hands and quickly dropping it into a fire or 
boiling water at night, when the family of wasps are 
at home and usually asleep. It requires much agility, 
pluck and nerve to do this, however, and I do not 
wonder that C. R. has not yet tackled the nest in the 
tree, where it is, probably, firmly fastened to several 
of the branches. 
If the nest is not where it is a constant menace to 
the family or stock, I should let it go until winter, 
when its inhabitants have deserted it; then it can be 
cut without danger, and may form an artistic orna¬ 
ment to any room. If it was necessary to remove it 
from the pear tree during the summer, I think I 
should have too much respect for the rights of the 
seething and buzzing vengeance that could pour forth 
from the hole in the bottom of the nest, to allow me 
to undertake the job of removing the nest by main 
