34 
January 19 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
feeding the hay has a considerable value if properly 
handled, and by this means we can save a large part 
of the fertilizer bill, as the nitrogen is the most ex¬ 
pensive element to buy. But above all others the best 
feature of Alfalfa is that it will furnish green fodder 
for almost the entire Summer. There are some other 
points that might be mentioned, but enough has been 
said to show some of the possibilities of this crop. It 
is being raised in many parts of this State with good 
success, and might be in a great many more, if the 
farmers would give it a fair trial. In sowing Alfalfa 
always use new seed, as old seed will not germinate 
so well. If the work is properly done success is quite 
certain. The coming Spring I expect to sow some 
Turkestan Alfalfa, as it is said to withstand drought 
much better, and will report upon it later. 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. d. r. p. 
CUTTING AND LOADING ICE. 
Many articles have been written for the farm papers 
describing methods of harvesting ice on a large scale. 
The plan described below is simple, practical, and two 
farmers can work together and put up eight or 10 
loads of ice in a couple of days. They can “change 
work” with each other, and thus fill two small ice 
houses at almost no expense in money out. We know 
how this plan works from personal experience dur¬ 
ing the last 15 or 20 years. We are obliged to go over 
three miles away from home for our ice in order to 
secure a pure article. It is better to haul on sleighs, 
but we have occasionally been forced to use the 
wagons for want of snow. For cutting the ice we use 
a regular cross-cut champion-tooth saw, taking a 
hand off from one end. A square (see A, in Fig. 14), 
is made of a piece of six-inch board, with brace at¬ 
tached to make it rigid. This, with a 16-foot two-inch 
plank, is used for laying out and marking off the 
squares of ice. Fig. 14 shows a square hole cut, with 
all but three cakes of ice removed. At the left are 
eight more cakes marked out ready for cutting. The 
saw is waiting for an ambitious manipulator. The 
cakes should be cut as nearly straight as possible, but 
many operators find it difficult to keep the saw from 
running to one side, especially when the ice is thick. 
The ice derrick is our own invention, and is more 
convenient and safer to use for lifting the cakes from 
the water and hoisting into the sleigh or wagon, than 
any other plan we ever tried. Use two poles to make 
the derrick and sweep. The upright, B, may be cut 
from a piece of 2x4 hardwood. It should be about 12 
or 14 feet long, well braced at the base. The bottom 
should be smooth in order to slide freely over the ice. 
The sweep, C, should be about 16 feet long, with a 
rope attached to each end. It is pivoted on top of 
the upright, B, one-third or more projecting over, 
where the ice tongs are attached. The other two- 
thirds, with the rope, D, give plenty of leverage for 
lifting the heavy cakes. After a season of cutting 
cakes the two icemen proceed to lift out and load up. 
One seizes the togs and catches on to the fioating 
cakes, while the other presides at the rope, D. The 
derrick is quickly given a slide just far enough to 
swing around and hoist the cake into the sleigh box. 
A load is quickly made ready for transportation to 
the ice house by means of this derrick. There is less 
heavy lifting and straining, with the attendant danger 
of getting wet or slipping into the water, as when 
one stands on the edge of the ice and lifts the cakes 
out by main force. There is also less danger of slip¬ 
ping and being crushed by a heavy cake of ice when 
loading into the sleigh. The derrick costs less than 
$1 to make, can be set up or taken down at a mo¬ 
ment’s notice, and, if cared for, will last for years. It 
should be made strong enough to handle the heaviest 
cakes of ice. _ J. h. brown. 
WHAT A CEMENT STABLE FLOOR DOES. 
In your issue of May 19, 1900, you answer a question 
from me in regard to cement manure pit with large 
cut furnished by L. A. Clinton, of Cornell University. 
The manure pit is an accomplished fact, as well as a 
cemented stable 14x30; manure pit 12x30, all three 
inches thick. Two coats, first small gravel up to the 
size of Black walnut, one of cement to five of gravel; 
second coat coarse sand screened from the gravel, one 
of cement to three of sand. I did not put on the smear 
coat of cement for a third coat, as I thought it would 
make it too slippery. Between six and seven barrels 
of cement (Portland), 400 pounds each at $2.60 net 
per barrel, were used. My hired man and myself were 
the high-priced masons who did the civil engineering 
and labor at $1 per day. Cost, including my time, 
about $25. Fig. 15 shows the whole thing. 
Now for results in water (editorial page, December 
29). I am saving every day more than 15 cents’ worth 
of urine which but for the cement would have gone 
to waste, that is $4.50 per month. So that the first 
Winter of its use I will ha\e received my money back, 
to say nothing of gain through added warmth and ma¬ 
nure being housed and worked over by hogs like at 
Hope Farm. Now let the man with horse stable who 
asked about cement for a covering try Portland 
cement one part, coarse sand three parts and two 
inches thick; second coat cement and sand equal 
parts, one inch thick, and I do not believe it will 
crack. You gave me a little primer science (privately) 
once on a time which you ought to keep in print some¬ 
where in every issue for the benefit of beginners like 
myself. The cement fioor is a not unnatural sequence 
to the knowledge thus obtained. A 16-quart pailful 
of urine is worth nine cents. At State College, Pa., 
in 50 days two cows gave results like this: Value of 
manure, $3.56; urine, $6.06, a trifie over 1 5-7 in favor 
of liquid. Stop up those augur holes in your cow- 
stable fioor, and do a little figuring, and you will 
commence to see that cement and a little labor will 
accomplish something. e. d. r. 
Crooked Creek, Pa. 
FARMING DIFFICUL TIES IN NEW YORK ST A TE 
In connection with the farmers’ reading course of 
this institution, which is essentially a correspondence 
course, very many interesting letters are received. 
The object' of the course is to help the larmer to a bet¬ 
ter understanding of the business of farming and the 
principles of agriculture. Specific difficulties then 
come up, as well as troubles of a general nature. In 
looking over the list of obstacles which beset the far¬ 
mer, one finds that they are divisible into two general 
classes, those that pertain to the farm, and those that 
pertain to the orchard and garden. One finds, again, 
that the farm troubles are of two kinds: first, those 
in relation to the soil; and, second, those affecting the 
product of the soil (the farm crop). Orchard trou¬ 
bles are divisible into the same two categories, trou¬ 
bles which are connected with the character or man¬ 
agement of the ground, and difficulties of plant 
growth caused by the presence of injurious enemies. 
Of course, the son, and the difficulties connected 
therewith, embrace the larger number of Inquiries. It 
is reasonable, too, inasmuch as it is nature’s labora- 
PLAN OF BARN FLOOR. FlG. 15. 
tory; and this laboratory, like many of men’s labora¬ 
tories, occasionally gets out of order. 
A farmer writes: “My land does not now yield good 
crops, though I manure it every year with commercial 
fertilizers. What can I do?” Another man says: “My 
new land does not yield half the crop of wheat that 
I get from my old. Why?” Then another says: “1 
have a field with clayey hollows and sandy knolls. 
Will it pay to make an exchange of soil, carrying the 
sand to the hollows and bringing the clay to the 
knolls?” Again another says : “I have a sod orchard 
of Greenings. The trees were planted 30 years ago. 
They have not been pruned or cared for and they bear 
small crops of poor fruit. Can this orchard be reno¬ 
vated?” These are samples of the problems presented 
and questions asked. They are live problems, too, 
with a large per cent of the farmers of the State. 
Those who attend farmers’ institutes, read agricul¬ 
tural papers and obtain experiment-station literature, 
know the importance of the gospel of humus for 
worn-out lands. Yet, it is a regrettable fact that this 
gospel while old to the few, is yet new to a large num¬ 
ber. How unfortunate this Is! The man who says 
that his farm no longer yields profitable crops, is 
evidently one of those to whom this gospel should be 
preached. He should know the value of clover and 
cover crops as specific soil regenerators. Ihe Farm¬ 
ers’ Reading Course Bureau is attempting to cooper¬ 
ate with the farmers’ institutes and other agricultural 
intelligence agencies in disseminating this knowledge. 
Why new lands are unproductive is quite another 
question. Specific and definite directions cannot be 
offered in these cases. Suggestions only can be made. 
One immediately queries as to the physical condition 
of the soil—whether in the process of clearing It has 
been burned over, and in this way the surface humus 
destroyed; whether it has been plowed in the Fall and 
the furrows thrown up so that the fullest benefit of 
frost action might be secured; finally, whether it is 
not in need of underdraining. 
In the case of the man wno wants to swap clay for 
sandy soil, we have still another question. Here it is 
largely one of expense. There is no doubt that such 
an exchange would be mutually beneficial, but the 
practicability of it would hinge upon the expense. 
Probably the physical character of these soils might 
be improved cheaper, by working in coarse yard ma¬ 
nures in the case of the clay and green manures in 
the case of the sandy loam. The question relative to 
the renovation of the old orchard is a very common 
one. Here, again, we have another factor entering 
into the success of the undertaking and affecting the 
results very materially. The question here is one of 
quality of labor. Some of the operations connected 
with the renovation of that orchard require judgment 
and skill. The ground will need to be plowed and cul¬ 
tivated. This can be done with the ordinary farm 
labor. The trees will need pruning and spraying. 
Here judgment, personal interest and some practical 
skill are required. If the owner is in such a position 
as will enable him to oversee the work, if he knows 
how it should be done, or can do it himself, then a 
large share of the difficulties are removed. If, on the 
other hand, he is a city man, and resides some dis¬ 
tance from his orchard, and must depend upon such 
labor as is easily obtainable, then the undertaking as¬ 
sumes a much more doubtful complexion. The issue 
is quite uncertain. There is no doubt, however, that 
the renovation of such an orchard is entirely feasible 
and a safe business proposition if knowledge and 
intelligent labor are available. In considering the 
character of letters one receives in connection with 
this farmers’ reading-course movement, one cannot 
help being more and more impressed with the favor¬ 
able attitude of the New York farmer toward the ef¬ 
fort being made for the improvement of his position. 
This is exceedingly encouraging, and augurs well for 
the ultimate good of the movement. john craiq. 
Ithaca, N, Y. _ 
FARMERS’ INSTITUTES. 
The Earliest Meetings. 
We have had annual meetings of boards of agri¬ 
culture, agricultural societies, farmers’ conventions, 
lectures on agriculture and science, farmers’ clubs, 
etc., but the term “institute” conveys a meaning a 
little different from any of these. One or more ad¬ 
dresses or lectures on some topic pertaining to rural 
life, to be followed by discussion and questions by 
the audience, are the leading features. Local history, 
music, show of fruits or other products may come in 
to add interest and instruction. About 50 years ago 
the Farmers’ Club of the American Institute in New 
York held weekly meetings, of this pattern for many 
years. Greeley and other New Yorkers could tell 
v/hat they knew about farming, while farmers from 
all parts of the country were invited to present their 
special topics, the dairy, cattle breeding, horticul¬ 
ture, sheep, ornamental trej planting, etc. These ad¬ 
dresses were followed by questions and discussion, 
distribution of fruits or scions, etc. These meetings 
were regularly reported in the New York dailies un¬ 
til it became natural to use the term “institute,” as 
applied to a similar class of meetings. A greater range 
of topics was allowed than would now appear in a 
well-managed institute, and some men were always 
ready to ventilate their theories upon an unsuspect¬ 
ing audience. 
I used often to attend these meetings whenever in 
the city and on one occasion heard Mr. Pell, of Pel¬ 
ham, the man whose skill in raising Newtown Pip¬ 
pins and success in shipping to England gave rise to 
the apple-shipping business of the present day. Mr. 
Pell gave an illustrated lecture on the effects of gal¬ 
vanism on the growth of plants. He exhibited speci¬ 
mens, in pots, of tomatoes and other plants treated 
with galvanism, compared with others under the 
same conditions, the galvanic action being left out. 
The results were so wonderful and convincing that 
I immediately arranged for testing the question my¬ 
self, as the world was crazed by the reports of similar 
