i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
221 
Business. 
A REPLY TO THE R. N.-Y.’S CRITI¬ 
CISM OF THE N. C. EXPERI¬ 
MENT STATION BULLETIN. 
In the issue of the Rural New-Yorker 
for March 15. some rather caustic comments 
were made upon a recent bulletin of the 
North Carolina Experiment Station. While 
the author of the bulletin gave an errone¬ 
ous impression as to the guarantee offered 
by European seedsmen, I must confess I 
am in sympathy with the spirit of his arti¬ 
cle. For 12 years I have had considerable 
experience in testing the seeds sold by vari¬ 
ous seedsmen, and I know that they fre¬ 
quently have a vitality so low as to be 
worse than worthless. I also know some¬ 
thing of the character of the commission 
seeds sold by the Southern groceries, and 
am not surprised that our friend recom¬ 
mends heroic methods. In proof of my 
statement that seeds have too low a viabil¬ 
ity allow me to offer an experience of my 
own: 
Early in the winter a friend living in a 
distant town, procured for me collections 
of common vegetable seeds from 10 of our 
most reputable seedsmen, the same kinds 
being obtained from each. He then sent 
them to me with the original bundles un¬ 
broken. I placed 100 seeds from each pack¬ 
et in the seed testers, and have since then 
planted most of them in seed boxes in 
the forcing-house. With fresh seeds our 
tester will show 09 to 100 per cent, in the 
case of radishes, lettuce and cabbage, and 
from such seeds we average about 95 per 
cent, in the seed boxes. While a majority 
of the seeds showed a high percent, of vital¬ 
ity, many of them were very weak. As an 
example I give the results in the testers 
with the lettuce, onion and tomato seeds, 
obtained from three seedsmen who shall be 
designated as Nos. 1,2 and 3. 
Percent, of germination In the seed tester. 
Seedsman Seedsman Seedsman 
No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. 
a ® 
• ce 
4-» » 
•goo 
3 >> 
. U3 
3* 
o» a 
C'O 
Sw 
o) a 
0*0 
O — 
o 
n 
m 
u 1/3 
£.2 
OS 
(k 5 
>«• "• 
Is 
0*1 
Zj „ 
0.2; 
Lettuce. Hanson. 97 
iro 
93 
97 
0 
10 
Tennis ball. 0 
3 
91 
91 
0 
1 
“ Simpson, 
0 
0 
98 
98 
Onion. Danvers. 37 
56 
5 
13 
19 
29 
“ Wethers¬ 
field. 
20 
29 
13 
27 
Tomato. Acme. 0 
S 
3 
17 
4 
98 
“ Perfection, 
6 
56 
2 
10 
“ Mikado, 
0 
22 
The le£tuce and tomatoes have been sown 
in seed-boxes. Where the tester showed 
over 80 per cent., a good stand has been ob¬ 
tained; below that they are very weak. 
From the four lots of lettuce with a low 
vitality, not a plant has appeared although 
those from the others have been up a week. 
The Acme from No. 3 is almost perfect 
in the seed-box, while from No. 1 no plants 
are visible. The Acme and Perfection 
from No. 2 and the Perfection and Mikado 
from No. 3 are very weak. The onions 
have not been sown, but for comparison it 
may be said that the same varieties from 
other seedsmen gave 93, 94 and 96 per cent. 
The seeds from the various seedsmen were 
placed in the tester and the different sorts 
were given the best temperatures. 
The only way I can account for one 
packet of seed giving 100 per cent., and 
another of the same variety 0.00 is to sup¬ 
pose that one was good and the other 
worthless. The average per cent, of ger¬ 
mination in the seeds from different se ds- 
men was ; from No. 1, 70 ; No. 2, 70; No. 3, 
713^; No. 4, 74 ; No. 5, 78 ; No. 6, 82; No. 7, 
83; No. 8, 84; No. 9, 87; No. 10, 90. When 
we consider that an allowance of from 10 
to 15 per cent, must be made between the 
figures here given and what can be secured 
when the seeds are planted, we must ad¬ 
mit that 90 per cent, is too low, and if so, 
what shall we think of the man whose 
seeds only test 70 per cent., with an average 
test in the soil of less than 50 per cent. 
In the light of these figures one must 
admit that, although “ seedsmen take 
great pains to procure fresh seeds,” they 
are not particular enough with the seeds 
they sell. I would strongly deprecate any 
steps to antagonize the seedsmen; but I 
trust the time is not far distant when the 
combined efforts of the agricultural press 
and the experiment stations will compel 
seedsmen to sell only seeds whose average 
vitality will be much higher than it is now. 
At present I can only repeat the Rural’s 
advice—to order seeds of reputable dealers, 
early in the season and test their vitality 
before planting. L. R. TAFT. 
Agricultural College, Mich. 
MR. GERALD MCCARTHY OF THE 
NORTH CAROLINA EXPERIMENT 
STATION SPEAKS. 
An anonymous contributor to the busi¬ 
ness columns of the Rural New-Yorker 
undertakes, in the issue for March 15, to 
score me for certain alleged “ errors ” in a 
recent bulletin of the North Carolina Ex¬ 
periment Station. Since this contributor 
acknowledges that most respectable Amer¬ 
ican seedsmen would be glad to adopt the 
specific guarantee system, provided the 
experiment stations would render such a 
change possible by adopting a practicable 
and official method of seed testing, I see no 
sufficient ground for a quarrel. ’Tis sad 
when brethren cannot agree to dwell to¬ 
gether in amity ! The only seedsmen whose 
occupation is likely to be interfered with 
by the guarantee system, are those whose 
methods will not bear the light. 
The Rural’s contributor grows quite 
hysterical over the idea that the poor, help¬ 
less seedsman may be over-reached by the 
villainous, swindling consumer. All this 
might well come from a representative of 
one of those malodorous firms who make a 
specialty of “ tramp ” seeds for the rural 
trade. 
The contributor was so wrought up by 
the bare possibility of such a calamity that 
he forgot to sign his name to his lugubrious 
screed. We are therefore left in the dark as 
to the standing of the firm he represents. 
His logic is, however, of a very peculiar 
kind and I believe I have met it before. 
The matter which this man criticises was 
published under my proper signature. I 
am prepared to accept all responsibility 
and make all necessary explanations, but 
really I cannot undertake to answer reck¬ 
less anonymous attacks. Life is too short 
for that. If this contributor will step forth 
like a man and own his bantling, I will un¬ 
dertake to show that he is quite mistaken 
as to the party who has gone off at “ half- 
cock.” If he is afraid to come forth into 
the light, let him forever hold his tongue 
and restrain himself. This is the epitome 
of my sentiments. GERALD Me CARTHY. 
Botanist, N. C. Experiment Station. 
[The “ lugubrious screed” was written by 
E. S. Carman. Mr. Me Carthy should know 
that the editors of the R. N.-Y. are respon¬ 
sible for every unsigned article that ap¬ 
pears in its columns, whether written by 
them or not. Eds.] 
A NOTE FROM MR. WARN. 
Stump-pullers—useless tools. 
As MANY have asked about my stump- 
puller, I give a description of it through 
the R. N.-Y. First I secured a strong, 
tough, white ash pole 30 feet long, eight 
inches at the small end and 12 inches at the 
butt. The large end was trimmed down so 
that a 10-inch ring could be slid six inches 
back on the pole to keep it from splitting. 
Next 1 bought at a junk shop (at the price 
of old iron) a six-foot chain made of seven- 
eighth-inch round iron, and got the black¬ 
smith to put on a grab-hook made of 134 - 
inch square best Swedish iron. Six inches 
from the ring four holes were bored close 
together and trimmed out so that the end 
of the chain could just slip through : it was 
fastened on the opposite side with a rail¬ 
road or car link and pinned. Four inches 
from the end a 134 -inch hole was bored each 
way through the log and cut out to the 
end. One can use a flat, sharpened stick or 
spud to turn the log. Five inches from the 
small end of the log cut a crease one inch 
deep and two inches wide around the log ; 
put a common chain three feet long around 
this and toggle it so that it may turn 
around the pole; hitch to this chain and 
draw to the stump. After a little practice 
you may stop nearly at the right place 
every time. The outside ends of the roots 
must first be cut, then hook the large chain 
around a root and twist it around the 
stump until it “ turns up its toes.” I have 
twisted out hundreds of bad stumps with 
this rig, saving many days of hard and 
tiresome work. The cost of building It is a 
mere trifle, and when one has no further 
use for it the chain may be sold to the junk- 
shop for about the same price that was 
given for it. 
As to the potato-sorter : Two years ago 
while I was at Mr. Hoover’s I saw a sorter 
he had made and on my return home I made 
a somewhat similar one. Messrs. Hoover 
& Prout inform me that last July they re¬ 
ceived a patent on the sorter and are at 
present manufacturing and selling it for a 
lower figure than that for which it could 
be made by a private person. 
Some think the cost of the number of 
tools used on my 93-acre farm, as shown in 
the cut in the R. N.-Y. for February 22, is 
sore to ruin me, and I am not sure that it 
would not were I to leave them around 
the fence-corners and road-sides when they 
are not in use, as many do ; but with the 
care they receive I do not in the least fear 
the sheriff. Others think I could profit¬ 
ably add more. No roller was shown, as 
our old one was laid away to rest last fall 
and a new one was ordered, but was not 
received in time for the picture. As to a 
fanning-mill, my near neighbor owned a 
good one which it was agreed both should 
use until a new one was needed; then it 
would be my turn to buy one. I have 
never had to clean even one bushel of 
wheat for market; but I have always made 
it a practice to clean and sow only the best. 
As to a hay-loader, I have not really 
needed one, as my hay has been mostly 
clover and I do not approve of leaving it on 
the ground in the dew to dry and turn 
black. J. H. warn. 
IMPLEMENT NOTES. 
A Great many questions are asked 
about the probable success of grain-binders 
which can use straw for binding. It is hard 
to conceive of an implement that would 
give more general satisfaction than a straw 
binder, and probably no other problem of 
farm mechanics has been so carefully 
studied. A number of such machines have 
been made to do fair work on floors where 
the straw was nicely arranged for them, but 
in actual field work every such machine 
has failed, even where the grain stood up 
well. Don’t, waste money on straw binders 
yet. 
A friend in Colorado promises to send 
us a description of an arrangement for 
fastening a little harrow to a common plow 
so that the ground may be thoroughly 
worked while it is moist. He argues that 
the most economical time to fine the plowed 
surface is the moment the plows turn it 
up. We want to hear more about this. 
This friend also speaks of the great value 
of the Tower cultivators. These tools are 
especially designed for shallow cultivation. 
Instead of plowing up the ground between 
the rows with fixed teeth, a series of knife 
blades are drawn over the soil cutting and 
slicing the weeds, while a scraper follows 
and levels the surface. We do not know 
how these tools would work in stony soil. 
A Potato Tool. —The R. N.-Y. said, not 
long since, that a new potato tool is called 
for which shall distribute fertilizer in the 
trenches and fine the soil below the point 
reached by the ordinary plow. The Ames 
Plow Company desire to call attention to 
the implement shown at Figure 65 which 
Fig. 65. 
they say will make the trench and scatter 
and cover the fertilizer. With a sub-soil 
plow to follow, the trench is left in the best 
possible shape for the potatoes. 
Snow Rollers.— A Maine subscriber of 
the R. N.-Y. asks about snow rollers. The 
roller works on a principle entirely different 
from that of a plow. The latter throws up 
ridges on each side of the road. When the 
wind blows it drifts the snow over the 
ridges and fills the furrows, a light wind 
greatly impeding travel. Then the road is 
narrow and it is difficult to turn out over the 
ridges. A roller does away with all these 
evils. It can be made as wide as the road 
that is needed so that teams can pass each 
other at any point; it passes over the snow, 
crushing it down and packing it solid, so 
that it will hold up the heaviest loads, es¬ 
pecially after a freeze. If there are no 
fences to stay the wind the snow does not 
pile in enough to give much trouble. Wire 
fences are best for roads. No shoveling is 
necessary except to keep the road level. It 
is best to tread down the snow where it is 
too steep for the team drawing the roller 
to go through readily. As the roller is 
heavy it requires a strong team, especially 
on hilly roads. Six horses are not too 
many. Two rollers are kept in this town. 
Of course, they do not visit all of the back 
roads, but keep the main roads open. For 
hilly and narrow roads, common field roll¬ 
ers can be used. A five-tooth harrow or a 
smoothing harrow is the best substitute 
for a roller. The rollers are seven feet high, 
made in two parts, each part six feet long. 
Of course, they can be made longer or 
shorter. The two parts are one foot apart; 
this leaves a ridge in the middle of road. 
The stuff is two-inch plank ; the ends are 
doubled. The staves are nailed to the 
heads, then hooped with heavy iron. It is 
well to have an iron shaft for each part with 
iron boxes. A frame is built around them, 
a tongue is fastened in the center and there 
is a seat on the top. It takes 1,500 to 1,800 
feet of lumber to build one, and it will 
weigh from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds according 
to whether the lumber is soft or hard. 
Stowe, Yt. J. W. NEWTON. 
TREAD-POWERS. 
J. A., Birkbank, Ontario, Canada.— 
What are the advantages and disadvan¬ 
tages of a tread power? 
Ans. —The advantages of a tread-power 
are that the machinery is compact, occupies 
little space and can be used in a corner of 
the barn. It utilizes the weight of the 
horses, and some of the power of the har¬ 
ness is used and rightly applied. It is 
cheap and durable and can be easily and 
quickly applied to any purpose. It is also 
portable and can be moved easily and set 
up quickly. There are no real disadvan¬ 
tages worth considering. Some think it is 
“hard” on the animals, but it is not so 
hard as the lever power, and if used skill¬ 
fully and kept well oiled and properly set, 
there need be no complaint on this score. 
Being under cover, in a roomy barn, 
thrashing, feed-cutting, etc., may go on in 
bad weather, and its use would displace 
the hard, disagreeable, costly and incon¬ 
venient steam thrasher on faims where the 
grain crops could be handled through the 
winter, instead of being thrashed all at 
once. 
-*■ 
* ♦ 
Among the readers of the Rural New- 
Yorker must be many who will equip 
themselves with horse forks this season. 
I got a set of iron pulleys with mine last 
year, and after handling 40 tons of bay, 
found the most of them worn out, and my 
rope badly used up. I changed quickly to 
wooden pulleys, and found my team could 
handle 25 per cent, more hay at a lift. The 
self-lubricators are the best: but the com¬ 
mon rawhide-bushed pulley does very well, 
but costs three times as much as the iron. 
The latter should not be taken as a gift. 
In unloading I used one heavy horse, and 
did not give my rig very hard work. 
Winslow, Me. G. s. P. 
The success of the Cutaway harrow 
seems to have stimulated manufacturers to 
produce a variety of so-called diggers which 
work somewhat on the principle of the Cut¬ 
away. In most of these the notches in the 
disk are made deeper while the saw-like 
teeth are of peculiar shape and formed par¬ 
ticularly for digging. There is one point 
about these diggers that must not be lost 
sight of. They are admirable surface cul¬ 
tivators, but it will not do to use them 
alone year after year. They do not work 
deep enough into the soil for that. In farm 
economy they occupy a place between the 
plow and the harrow. 
Ittb’ccUnneouss ^dvevti.sing. 
DAftlC UC1I FOR POULTRY. Crushed Oys- 
DUI1E III CAL ter Shells, Flint and Beef Scraps 
Send for new price list. 
YORK CHEMICAL WORKS. York. Pa. 
MURRAY 
$55 .85 BUGGIES anF$5 
THEY ARE SOLD DIRECT TO CONSUMERS. WRITE FOR CATALOGUE. i*ii. OCR 
&S* ONE PRICE. NO DEVIATION.”®*' fYlLDtn 
.m harness r i d E r T i 
H. MURRAY MANUFACTURING CO., Cincinnati, 0. 
