342 
THE RURAT NEW-YORKER 
MAY 24 
who would like to try some of these one-year-old tools at a 
discount of 20 per cent, in the retail price. This explana¬ 
tion seems to us very “ thin ” indeed. 
New Bicycle Tire.— It is said that English inventors 
have devised a new tire for bicycles, that will do away 
with the vibrati on so disagreeable to most riders. It is a 
hollow rubber tire, stout and very thick, and air is forced 
into it by means of a pneumatic arrangement connected 
with the treadles. Thus there is an air cushion between 
the ground and the rim of the wheel. It is also proposed 
to apply this principle to the lightest carriages. 
Stone Gatherer.— Some weeks ago a subscriber asked 
about a machine for collecting stones. It seems that 
people in other countries are asking similar questions. The 
South Australian government has offered a prize of §750 
for a “ stone and stump gatherer ” that can rake up stones 
and stumps under 28 pounds in weight. The draught is 
not to exceed the capacity of three horses and it is to clear a 
space four feet wide. It is to be attached to an ordinary 
tip cart or to include a tip receptacle capable of holding 
one ton. The cost of the machine is not to exceed §175 
About Bee Hives.— Mr. Charles Wray, of Atlantic 
County, N. J., wishes a hive which can be opened to allow 
him to remove the honey without disturbing the bees. He 
thinks it should have glass, doors, etc. It would be 
well for him to get the plain, simple Langstroth hive. No 
experienced bee-keeper wishes doors or glass about his 
hives. All practice sustains the idea that the simple mov¬ 
able frame hive is the best. Such hives, all complete, need 
not cost more than §2.50 apiece. In such hives the honey 
is secured in small, neat, white sections which tempt both 
eye and palate, and they can be easily removed from the 
hives without in the least disturbing the bees. The best 
way to get such a hive is to buy one from some manufac¬ 
turer like A I. Root, Medina, Ohio, all complete, and then 
give it to a good carpenter and tell him to make others ex¬ 
actly—to a hair’s breadth—like it. Hives of different 
sizes are a great nuisance to the bee-keepers. The hives 
should be made of good, thoroughly seasoned pine lumber. 
Lansing, Mich. A. J. COOK. 
Cost and Price of Tools. — I have read with a good deal 
of interest the communications in the Rural on farm tools. 
I hope to see one more point investigated before the paper 
quits the subject viz., are not the prices of farm tools to 
farmers generally.too high when compared with their actual 
cost and the charges for transportation, the over-charges be¬ 
ing too often based upon royalties on patents and mere 
changes called improvements? I have just received a Planet 
Jr. horse hoe,1890 pattern,a splendid tool, and well made,for 
§9—cheap enough, yet there is not about it a piece of fin¬ 
ished work requiring skilled labor; but no doubt consid¬ 
erable capital is invested in shop tools that any one can 
soon learn to use. Thus with piece work, t he first cost is 
reduced to a minimum and a fair margin of profit is left 
to the company. That it could not be made by hand for 
twice the price is my beliet as a machinist; but I have 
priced lots of farm tools of all sorts the prices of which 
were “ out of all reason,” and I believe it is for this reason 
so many farmers are slow to buy improved tools. 
Mobile County, Alabama. C. c. w. 
Trade in Spraying Apparatus.— The dealers in 
pumps, nozzles, sprayers and similar goods report a big 
increase in trade this season. This is largely due to the 
great interest now being taken in spraying fruit trees. It 
looks as though the time would come when farmers would 
consider it just as important to fight fruit insects as to 
fight potato beetles. Many farmers have had a bitter ex¬ 
perience with machines that merely pump the poisoned 
water without keeping it well stirred up. In such cases 
the poison settled at the bottom of the water so that part 
of it was harmless to insects while the rest killed the 
plants. The great demand now is for a machine which 
will stir the liquid automatically. The Vermorel nozzle 
is in great demand. There is also a good demand for 
horse-power machines. The Field Force Pump Company 
make two such machines which have both been supplied 
with appliances for throwing them out of gear at the will 
of the driver. These machines have also been furnished 
with pressure spouts set at about 40 pounds. When the 
force exceeds that pressure the spring is pushed back, 
allowing the bottom of the spout to open and the liquid is 
returned into the cask, thus preventing the bursting of 
the hose or any unnecessary strain on the pump or ma¬ 
chinery. 
TOOLS FOR CULTIVATING ORCHARDS. 
What tools do nurserymen use in working among large or small 
fruit trees in orchard or nursery ? Are there any special tools 
devised for such work ? 
The Same as any other Crop. 
We cultivate an orchard in the same way as any other 
farm crop, but a hoed crop is preferred there. In our 
nursery among our growing trees we use a one-horse culti¬ 
vator and plow, and when necessary hoe by hand. We use 
no other tools. smiths, powell & lamb. 
No Special Tools. 
We do not know that any special tool is made for work¬ 
ing among trees. For working very small nursery stock 
we use the Eclipse cultivator, with reversible side shovels 
to prevent the stock from being covered with dirt; when 
there is no danger of this, we think the Canandaigua 
cultivator, manufactured by Hawley, is the most satisfac¬ 
tory and far superior to anything that we have ever used 
or seen used in a nursery. We are using three two-horse 
cultivators manufactured by Lehr Bros., Fremont, Ohio. 
These, we think, are the best kind of implement for work¬ 
ing among trees: but we have never found a two-horse 
cultivator that was very satisfactory. Such implements 
are good for stirring merely the top of the ground, but 
they do not take hold like the Hawley tools. For a single¬ 
horse plow for working among trees, we prefer those 
manufactured by Oliver Bros., of South Bend, Ind. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO. 
Planet Jr., and a Special Tool. 
In working among large or small fruit trees I have found 
the most useful horse tools to be the Planet Jr. one-horse 
cultivator and Pearce’s Patent Orchard Gang two-norse 
cultivator. The latter cultivates a strip six feet wide and 
is so adjustable that the gangs can be extended on each 
side and cultivate six feet more—three on each side—so 
that the cultivator can be run near the trees while the 
horses are a considerable distance off. Occasionally I use a 
common gang plow and spring tooth cultivator as may be 
required. Up to middle of August I cultivate often 
enough to subdue all weeds and grass and keep the sur¬ 
face soil mellow. I sow rye before the last cultivation in 
August, and turn it under or cultivate it up some time in 
the following May. s. s. bailey. 
Common Plows and Cultivators. 
In my orchard the most satisfactory results have come 
from a thorough and clean cultivation up to within about 
two or three weeks of the time for gathering the fruit. 
In my experience the best and most useful implements 
for orchard cultivation are the two-horse plow with short 
whiffletrees (each about two feet long) the one-horse plow, 
the roller and the 40-tooth and spring tooth harrows. For 
nursery cultivation the one-horse cultivator with good, 
sharp teeth I have found to be the most useful horse tool, 
with a shovel plow for hilling up the stock in the fall. 
JULIUS HARRIS. 
The New York Horse Market. 
The most important horse market in this country is in 
this city and the center of it is in East 24th Street. Here 
the prospective buyer can find anything in the shape of a 
horse, from a Shetland pony to the patient, plodding Per- 
cheron, or from the veriest “plug” to the most stylish 
pair. No matter what the requirement, or the buyer’s 
taste, the bill can be filled. During much of the early 
spring the weather was very unfavorable for driving, and 
in consequence the horse market was very much over¬ 
stocked, and prices were unusually low—about 20 per cent, 
below those of last spring. Within the last two or three 
weeks, however, the weather has improved and the demand 
for horses has improved correspondingly. Trade has been 
quite brisk, but still prices have been more favorable to 
the buyer than to the seller. But while there are more 
horses than the market requires, there are some breeds 
that are in great demand, and for which very satisfactory 
prices are obtained. Breeders should be posted as to the 
requirements of the market that they may plan to meet 
them. 
Horses are shipped to this market from all over the 
country, besides those that come from across the Atlantic. 
Country dealers pick them up wherever they can buy 
them, train them more or less and send them on for sale. 
There are just two classes of horses that bring good prices, 
and of which the supply is not equal to the demand : the 
heavy draft horses like the Percherons, and the fancy car¬ 
riage horses well trained and with good knee action. A 
heavy horse to meet the requirements of the city trade 
must weigh from 1,600 to 1,800 pounds. It is a common 
sight to see a truck horse drawing 24 or 25 barrels of pota¬ 
toes at a load, or to see a pair drawing 25 or more barrels 
of sugar weighing considerably over 300 pounds per 
barrel, and it is easily seen that this kind of business re¬ 
quires heavy horses. Full blood Percherons are what are 
wanted. Such horses weighing 1,600 pounds and upward, 
if well-broken, will sell quickly for §300 to §325, or even 
more. Large numbers of what are called three-quarter 
horses (a cross of a heavy stallion upon a common mare) 
are received, and are very slow of sale. They are not 
heavy enough to fill the requirements of a draft-horse, 
and are too heavy for those uses that demand an active, 
quick-stepping horse. If a half-breed must be raised, prob¬ 
ably the most profitable is one produced by crossing a full- 
blood coach horse upon a clean-limbed, active mare, of 
medium weight. Stylish carriage horses with good knee 
action are in good demand, and this cross is likely to pro¬ 
duce such. To sell well, a horse must be well broken and 
trained. Well matched pairs sell well. It is a great mis¬ 
take to send carriage horses that are unbroken. Those 
who buy such stock want them well-trained, and dealers 
have no time for that sort of work. The poorest stock 
that reaches this market comes from the Western plains, 
where Percherons have been bred to the small native mares 
with the idea of producing a tough, wiry horse of medium 
weight. The progeny of such a cross are generally a wild, 
unbroken, nondescript lot, and sell very poorly. No one 
seems to want them. All horses that are not heavy enough 
for trucking and similar heavy work, or stylish enough 
for carriage horses, go for street-car work, or for grocers’, 
butchers’ or other delivery wagons, and many of them find 
their way on the farms of the surrounding country. 
Horses don’t last loDg in the city. The pavements are 
hard on their feet, hence they should have good hoofs. 
Some give out in six months, while others last as many 
years. The average life of a street-car horse is about two 
years. 
Formerly more or less horses were shipped to England ; 
but little of this is done now. The horses required for 
this trade are the fancy carriage animals that sell for such 
good prices here, and the risk of loss or injury is so great 
that there is little profit in the business. Mr. J. H. Whit¬ 
son, one of the oldest and most reliable dealers on East 
14th Street, says that the country is overstocked with 
horses and that prices are likely to go still lower. He 
recommends farmers to breed the two classes we have 
mentioned, and, above all, not to send unbroken, un¬ 
trained horses to market expecting to realize high prices 
for them, for disappointment will certainly result. 
Womans Work. 
GHAT BY THE WAY. 
A VE you ever come in from a journev, or a shopping 
trip, or a day of violent exertion, feeling utterly 
crushed, used up and fagged out, hungry, yet too tired to 
eat, and too tired even to rest ? The most admirable pre¬ 
scription I know for reviving one under such circum¬ 
stances is to take a cup of hot beef tea or hot milk, and a 
sponge bath in warm, salt water. The hot draught puts 
one in condition to take a better meal than one would 
without it, and the salt bath is a wonderful tonic and re 
viver. One can buy sea salt put up in boxes at the drug¬ 
gists’ with directions for use. Physicians often recom¬ 
mend sponging with this salt water for the alleviation of 
back-ache, especially in the case of growing girls. We 
sometimes find, in the case of very delicate, nervous per¬ 
sons, that a greater benefit is obtained from this home 
salt-water bath than from actual sea bathing, which is 
not beneficial to all. Another exceedingly refreshing bath 
for a fatigued person, especially if liable to take cold read¬ 
ily, is a sponging with water containing a little alcohol; 
this will often ward off cold. It is noticeable that many 
people take cold only when over-fatigued, and any treat¬ 
ment which rapidly recovers one from the fatigue will be 
likely to prevent the cold. Many of the severe colds con¬ 
tracted during house-cleaning are caused quite as much by 
the fatigue as by the many draughts. 
* 
♦ ♦ 
IN trimming a gown with silver braid or gimp, try to 
avoid the use of white silk or ribbon near it; it will tarnish 
the silver in a very short time, owing to the presence of 
sulphur in bleaching the silk. A pretty white surah plas¬ 
tron, trimmed with silver gimp, soon exhibited the truth 
of this : before it had been worn half a dozen times the 
bright silver was permanently oxidized. Care must also 
be taken that no elastic is b-ought near silver trimmings, 
either, as the rubber tarnishes them very quickly. Metal 
braids and trimmings of all sorts need constant care; even 
the most expensive seem to get discolored very quickly.— 
Very handsome metal trimmings keep best whencarefully 
swathed in soft, white tissue paper, whenever the garment 
is hung away, 
* * 
* 
All sorts of pretty trays and boxes for holding one’s 
trinkets add to the decorations of a dressing table; but for 
actual use the best thing for small pieces of jewelry is a 
box filled with fine box-wood sawdust. Gold or silver or¬ 
naments plunged in this material always keep their “ store 
shine,” and there is no risk of scratching To clean gold 
trinkets, first wash them well in soap and water, wipe with 
a soft cloth, and then put them in the sawdust until they 
are thoroughly dry. They will be beautifully bright. 
This sawdust is used by jewellers; it may usually be ob¬ 
tained from them, or from wood-workers who use Turkey 
box-wood in making printer’s materials or engraver’s 
blocks. The box of sawdust will be especially good for the 
care of the dainty gold beads now so much worn; they 
seem to become discolored very soon, even though of the 
best quality, particularly when worn constantly by a per¬ 
son with a moist skin. 
* * 
Do you notice that the average woman appears to have 
become far more sensible about her feet than she was a 
few years ago ? One sees more stout-soled shoes now than 
formerly—shoes which really look as if they were meant to 
be walked in—nor are there so many idiotic narrow-toed, 
high-heeled affairs. Long, slim feet are now regarded as 
more desirable than short, bunchy members with cramped 
and tortured toes, and it is worth noticing that one can 
wear a narrower shoe if additional room is given in the 
length. A woman who can only wear C or D width in a 
four-and-a-half shoe, can generally wear a narrow B in 
number five, to the improvement of both comfort and ap¬ 
pearance. A great many laced shoes are now worn in 
preference to buttoned ones. They are very neat and trim 
in appearance; comfortable too. It will always be ob¬ 
served that the top of a woman’s shoe always looks shabby 
before the vamp does, owing to the contact with her 
skirts; for this reason neat over-gaiters will be a desirable 
investment. They will bide the shabby tops, and give the 
half-worn boots a presentable appearance. They are also 
a convenience to wear over Oxford ties, when traveling, or 
exposed to sudden changes of weather. Again, gaiters 
are indispensable in wet weather; every woman knows the 
misery of a dripping waterproof cloak, which will flap 
limply against her insteps, or wrap about the ankles, soak¬ 
ing the shoes above the rubbers. Good gaiters prevent this 
entirely, and keep the ankles dry, thus removing one fem¬ 
inine disability. But 1 don’t believe even Mrs. Jenness- 
Miller could go out in a driving rain attired in a water¬ 
proof without soaking her reformed skirts. 
EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
Pi,$rcUancou«s' JuUcvti.siug. 
In writing to advertisers, please mention the R. N.-Y. 
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla. 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she hud Children, she gave them Custom 
