i89o 
479 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
generally accompanies wheat-sowing. If I were to give a 
word of advice I would say: sow Timothy at the same time 
the wheat is sown ; that seems to insure a catch, and 
another good reason for sowing wheat is that with us it Is 
considered the best crop to precede a hay crop. 
Marion. OLIVER hill. 
Should Show In Wheat and Two Hay Crops. 
Sow the manure in the spring on all spring crops, oats, 
barley and buckwheat. From the 1st to the 20th of Sep¬ 
tember sow wheat using 200 pounds of fertilizer per acre. 
It does not pay to sow fertilizers broadcast on any land ; 
they should always be drilled in, as 200 pounds drilled in 
with the crop will prove as good as 400 pounds per acre 
broadcast, as one is more apt to lose a great part of the 
benefit of t he broadcast application by exposure to the sun 
and air. We always seed after wheat in this locality, and 
don’t consider a fertilizer of much account that will not 
show us good results in the wheat and two first hay crops. 
A fertilizer should analyze $30 to $35 in value per ton to be 
profitable, but competition has brought a great many in¬ 
ferior articles into the market, which sell at a low price, 
and are only a curse to farmers. Our wheat here is a beau¬ 
tiful crop this year, but for the past two years our spring 
grain has been a failure on account of wet weather. Fer¬ 
tilizers are of no account on wet land. I use stable manure 
on my corn, with from 100 to 150 pounds of fertilizer per 
acre, following the corn with barley, with 75 to 100 pounds 
of fertilizer per acre, after which I put in my wheat, with 
200 pounds per acre, seed down, and seldom tail to have 
good crops. The hay crop here is very heavy this year. 
We can only raise wheat for our own use, with a little to 
spare. Should we use all the fertilizer in the world we 
could not compete with the West, and we must find some¬ 
thing else to do. f. w. S0YDAM. 
Cayuga County. 
We Must Crowd Our Yield To 40 Bushels. 
1. I drill in the fertilizers with the grain. How much 
should be used will depend somewhat of course on the 
condition of the land. For land that will pro¬ 
duce two tons of hay or 100 bushels of ears of 
corn per acre, 200 pounds are, I think, sufficient. 
If land is poor and badly run down, I would 
use 400 pounds. I have never been sorry that I 
used so much ; but have often been sorry I did 
not put on a little more. An extra 50 pounds 
will often make the difference between an extra 
good crop and a very ordinary one. 2. On corn. 
I stable all my cattle in box stalls. I would not 
torture a "critter” by confining it in a stan¬ 
chion. I use plenty of straw for bedding, as we 
have plenty on a grain farm. When one or two 
loads of manure have accumulated in each stall I 
haul it directly to my corn-field and spread. By 
using plenty of litter the urine is saved as well 
as the solids. I think the manure is never any 
better than when first made. Taking it out at 
once saves a great deal of handling, as we throw 
it from the stable on the sleigh or wagon as the 
case may be. There is no doubt that manure used in 
connection with fertilizers for wheat is good, but 
as I cannot make all the manure I want, and 
as corn is a gross feeder, I prefer to manure heavily for 
corn, and by manuring the ground in winter if sod (as it 
should be for corn) the grass will get a fine start in the 
spring I let this stand as long as I can, and then turn it 
under as quickly as possible and plant. The grass, to¬ 
gether with the manure, will heat and make a good warm 
seed-bed for the young corn. Then, too, I think the more 
the manure is mixed with the soil the better. When we 
cultivate the corn, we are mixing it more or less, aud when 
we plow the corn stubble the following spring, and turn 
up the decayed sod, we are still mixing, aud then again in 
fitting the land for wheat in the fall, the mixing goes on 
I cannot raise wheat successfully'without fertilizers. Be 
fore I used any I raised from 15 to 25 bushels per acre. 
Now, by using fertilizers I get from 25 to 35 bushels. I 
have seen about as much difference in the following clover 
crop as in the wheat. 3. As to whether fertilizers will en¬ 
able us to compete with the West in wheat growing, or 
whether farmers in this section must take up some new 
money crop, it is a hard matter to decide. Of course, they 
have the advantage of us in having a cheap virgin soil and 
one easy of cultivation. Still I think we are not so subject 
to failures as they are, as I have scarcely ever known a crop 
to fail on good, dry land if well prepared. I wish I could 
impress it on the minds of all my brother farmers that the 
foundation of successful agriculture is dry land. If not 
dry by nature, it must be made so artificially before we can 
have any certainty of success. I have not lost faith in wheat 
growing. If we can crowd up our yield to 40 bushels per 
acre, which I know can be done, as I have done it, although 
of course, I do not expect to do this every year, I do not 
think we had better throw it up at present. When com¬ 
mercial fertilizers first began to be used here, farmers 
seemed to value farm yard manure less perhaps than be¬ 
fore. When on drawing out one load a man can manure 
10 acres, it is quite a temptation to pay less attention to 
the manure pile. But I am glad to see a reaction in this 
respect, for most of our farmers are beginning to see that 
a good pile of manure is about as good as a bank account. 
The only way 1 think we can compete with the West is by 
making our land dry, clean and rich. jas. bUrgess. 
Ontario County. 
suits with the wheat but harvested several heavy hay crops 
in succeeding years, using also barn-yard manure in con¬ 
nection with the fertilizer. I use stable manure on all 
crops as far as I can obtain a supply, but I employ-it prin¬ 
cipally for top dressing meadows, directly after mowing 
and top dressing for wheat, if the manure is well rotted ; 
otherwise I would spread it on oat or barley stubble before 
plowing for wheat. For hoed crops I draw and spread in 
the fall or winter. The longer before plowing in the 
upon which it stands are cut up to the shape of the sled 
runners, and two teams will draw it anywhere. The par¬ 
titions in the bedding and feeding floors are all slipped In 
between cleats and may be removed, allowing the building 
to be used for wintering a bunch of hogs. These buildings 
are not intended for sows to farrow in; but for sows and lit¬ 
ters after they are a week or two old. The entire cost of 
the house was $18.60. 
PLUM CURCULIO PUNCTURING APPLES. 
Insect Life prints the picture shown at Figure 179. It 
illustrates the work of the plum curculio on small apples. 
The R. N.-Y. has referred to the damage done by this pest 
before. Our readers may have observed similar specimens 
of damaged fruit, and attributed the mischief to other 
insects. 
A SMALL HOG HOUSE. Fig. 177. 
spring the better the result. I find fertilizers profitable in 
connection with barn-yard manure. I do not feel sure of 
a crop of wheat without a good fertilizer. I am always 
paid in wheat and the succeeding crops of grass for several 
years. I do not deem it wise to make a specialty of wheat 
growing, but in the rotation it pays, and I have no fear of 
competition with the West; but I must also grow large 
hay and other crops to feed sheep, cattle and hogs, and 
make the farm better year bv year. Fruit should also 
come in for its share of care where practicable. I have 
often been asked: "Does it pay to use fertilizers?” I 
answer: Yes, if used wisely : no, if to the contrary. My 
observation teaches me that it will not pay in the long run 
to use fertilizers to raise crops and then sell everything— 
APPLES PUNCTURED BY PLUM CURCULIO. Fig. 1 7S. 
straw, grain, potatoes, etc—stimulating and robbing the 
soil, but I think I have proven by my experience that fer¬ 
tilizers used to supplement barn-yard manure in order to 
raise large hay and grain crops, feeding hay, straw and 
all coarse grain—and even buying much cheap Western 
corn, etc.—to sheep and cattle, and making the winter a 
busy season, manufacturing mutton, wool, etc., to sell, and 
manure, to be spread on the land, will pay largely. This, 
together with thorough tillage of the soil, enables the 
plant to take the nourishment offered. A. j. rumsey. 
Bethany. 
A SMALL HOG HOUSE. 
The house illustrated at Fig. 177, was built by Dr. D. P. 
McCracken, of Paxton, Ill. The drawing was made by 
the American Swineherd. The house is 12 by 18 feet 
floor, with corner posts three feet high. The feeding floor 
is six by 18 feet divided into three pens, each six by six 
feet with three sleeping pens of the same size. The doors 
are each 22 by 30 inches. The ridge pole is five feet two 
inches high and 20 inches back from the division wall, thus 
Fertilizers and Stable Manure 
Team. 
Make a Strong 
I drill my fertilizer in with the grain. I have used 
various brands, using with profit from 100 to 300 pounds 
per acre according to the'needs of the soil; the latter 
amount I have used on worn-out soil with wheat, seeding 
heavily with Timothy. At the time of sowing the wheat 
and clover in the spring not only did I obtain excellent re¬ 
PLAN OF MILK COOLER. Fig. 179. 
making the back of the roof longer than the front. The 
front roof projects three inches above the back and is 
hinged to the top of the back roof so that it can be lifted 
to admit the sun. The sleeping compartment is first 
sheathed with half-inch stuff. Building parchment is then 
matched over the outside and roof, and the whole sleeping 
compartment is weather-boarded outside aud cracks or 
joints on the roofs are mismatched with the same half-iDch 
stuff, thus protecting the paper and making a warm, dry 
house. The object in having so small a house is that the 
pigs may be readily removed to fresh ground. The poles 
BOTTLING MILK FOR SALE. 
HENRY STEWART. 
A pioneer in the business; uphill work at first; failure 
at first, as the milk soured prematurely; experiments 
to discover the cause of this souring; aeration, 
slowly cooling in a worm pipe passed through cold 
water; complete success of this method; “ Why is 
this thus?” Improperly cooled milk contains sub¬ 
stances similar to flesh; aeration necessary to get 
rid of the animal gases. 
Considering the susceptibility of milk to change and de¬ 
teriorate under so many influences to which it is subject 
in its management and distribution to customers, it is 
clearly advisable to secure it, by some effective means, 
from contact with the atmosphere and all possible impuri¬ 
ties. At present the most practicable and effective 
method of doing this is by sealing it in glass bottles. I 
was among the first few dairymen who introduced this 
method of distributing milk, having begun the practice 
nearly 20 years ago. At that time there were no opportuni¬ 
ties of learning by experience, but those able to do so had to 
experiment for themselves to find out the best 
way of procedure. Every difficulty that now 
presents itself was then met with and it is 
strange that now, after so many years, the same 
difficulties bother the milk dairymen, which then 
appeared and were overcome. This shows clearly 
that the public are scarcely yet prepared for this 
innovation upon the common but very ineffective 
method of disposing of milk, an innovation which 
came prematurely before its time, through a few 
dairymen who were in advance of public appre¬ 
ciation. It may seem strange to say that at first 
I found the greatest reluctance among the pur¬ 
chasers of my milk to use the bottles, although 
no increase of price was made on account of the 
increased expense, the objections mainly being 
that they never saw milk put up in that way be¬ 
fore, and it was too much trouble for them to 
handle the bottles. Out of more than 100 pur¬ 
chasers, less than 10 favored the change and the 
experiment was abandoned after two years of costly uphill 
work. But much was learned in the meantime which may 
serve for use now among the inexperienced. 
The first complaint was the milk would not keep. It 
was put into the bottles as it came from the barn after 
being strained three times, and at once sealed ; the evening 
milk was set in the bottles in a cold-water tank as they 
were filled, the morning milk was distributed at once. 
Both of the milks became sour prematurely. This led to 
a temporary cessation of the bottling until the cause of 
the trouble could be discovered by experiment. A few 
days’ thought and study led me to suspect that the trouble 
lay in the retention of some acid in the milk, or some 
other active ferment which should be got rid of. Among 
other experiments, that of fully aerating the milk, and 
cooling it to 60 degrees before the bottling was tried. 
The milk, as soon as brought to the dairy house, was 
poured slowly through an elevated strainer into a pail, 
and then back again so as to expose it to the cool air of the 
house; it was then again strained in the same way into a 
shallow pan (shown in Figure 179) from which a worm-pipe 
passed through a tank below the pan. This tank was 
filled with ice water by means of a pipe shown at the 
upper corner. The milk rau through the pipe and a stop¬ 
cock into the bottles the tan k being raised by the legs to so ch 
a hight that a bottle could be placed under the tap. The 
milk as drawn off was cooled to a temperature of 55 de¬ 
grees. The bottles were put into boxes, and a piece of 
thick woolen felt was laid over the 12 bottles, each of 
which had a separate division to prevent jarring and 
breaking. The success was complete. Some test bottles 
kept in the dairy were quite sweet after three days, 
showing all the cream at the top of the milk, the tempera¬ 
ture of the dairy being 60 degrees. The fourth day the 
milk souied. These boxes of milk were sent to several 
stores for sale, and the milk soon became popular at nearly 
double the former price among the best class of consumers, 
while the chief difficulty vanished in regard to the ordi¬ 
nary trade. Now, it is asked, “ Why should this be thus ?” 
To explain the reason, several points in regard to »nlk 
may be stated. Milk, as it comes from the cow, is not 
pure. It contains several gases (carbonic acid for one), 
some of which escape from the milk during the milking, 
causing the foaming in the pail, and these gases partake 
strongly of the character of the flesh of the cow. They 
have the same odor as the meat of a freshly slaughtered 
animal, which it is well known, will quickly spoil unless 
cooled and well aerated. It cannot be doubted that these 
animal impurities act as a strong ferment, which, if re¬ 
tained, would quickly cause the milk to sour and actually 
putrefy. In the course of my experiments, I put up some 
bottles of milk filled directly from the cow and sealed at 
once, and the milk when opened after 12 hours was offen¬ 
sively odoriferous ; a yellow oily matter floated on the sur- 
