398 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 13 
from 25 to 75, bred to lamb early, so that all grade 
lambs and others not fit for breeders, may be disposed 
of before the sheep are turned to pasture. Two or 
three cow&are kept as needed. This amount of stock 
can be cared for by one man, if accommodations are 
suitable—warm, dry quarters, as many box stalls as 
possible, and sunny, sheltered yards for exercise. 
The sheep, at lambing time, need close attention 
early and late, but the rest is easy. In summer, the 
boarders are gone, mares, colts and sheep are in 
pasture, the cows come to barn night and morning to 
be fed and milked, and the day is free for work in the 
fields. 
“The sheep now kept are purebred Dorsets, and I 
hope soon to have nothing but purebred Jerseys for 
cows. I use nothing but purebred males, and the best 
obtainable. Good females are also necessary to keep 
up the quality of the stock.” 
WHAT CROPS FOR A SMALL FARM? 
HOW TO MANAGE A 3 0- ACRE PLACE. 
I own a small farm of 30 acres, mostly light loam soil about 18 
inches deep to a clay subsoil, X am told, in fair condition. It is 
situated on the Niagara River, nine miles from the city of Buffalo, 
N. Y., a city of 350,000 population, which, I suppose, would be a 
good market for almost any kind of product which could be 
grown. I use this place for a summer home, my family passing 
five months of the year there. I could not spare more than one 
day each week to oversee any work going on there. Heretofore, 
I have had no income to speak of from it. I would like to get, at 
least, six per cent interest on my investment of $3,000, if possible. 
What would you advise me to do with it ? I would be willing to 
invest $1,000 or $2,000 or more, on any improvements, if I could see 
any chance of getting interest on it back in a few years. Would 
it be advisable to put it all into fruit? If so, what kinds ? Or 
into what other crops? I can hire ordinary help and teams at 
reasonable wages. Almost the entire place is in grass now, which 
Is about run out. J. o. o. 
From a Near Neighbor. 
The general schedule of prices for all farm products 
in Buffalo is lower than we find it in most larger 
cities. Hay, however, is usually readily salable at 
rates that are decidedly profitable for the producer. 
On the whole, however, I would hardly advise a city 
man who knows nothing of farming, and can not look 
after the farm, to choose farms and farming as a means 
of investing money. But a country home will afford 
privileges and enjoyments which the city cannot give, 
and for which the well-to-do city man does not pay 
too much, even though he should not get any money 
returns from his capital invested. In fact, I would 
hardly expect much money profits, and I know 
whereof 1 speak. The greatest difficulty is in secur¬ 
ing reliable help. A man that can make farming 
pay, will usually make it pay for himself rather than 
for somebody else at small hire. If J. G. G. can get 
a good man to take care of the farm, he may let him 
farm it as any good farmer would; in some sort of 
rotation—for instance, wheat, clover, corn, potatoes, 
with smaller areas in fruits, etc. Then keep a cow, 
some poultry, etc., and have his own milk, butter, 
eggs, berries, etc. If there be any surplus (and there 
may be some in garden stuff and fruits, less likely in 
hay), this can be disposed of at retail prices, and 
bring in a little cash. But whether it do or not, the 
products that are consumed at home, should be worth 
more than the interest on the investment at six per 
cent. If one have a man that understands small fruit 
growing, it would pay to devote an acre or two to 
strawberries, currants, etc., and, perhaps, to large 
fruits, A still safer way, perhaps, would be to let a 
good man till the land on shares. t. greiner. 
Niagara County, N. Y. 
At Least Five Acres in Fruit. 
The first thought that suggests itself in considering 
these inquiries, is relative to the fact that his soil, 
looality and convenience to one of the best markets 
the country affords, would favor fruit-growing as a 
most profitable industry. Not his whole plot of 30 
acres, but a small portion, say, four or five acres, should 
be devoted to the growing of raspberries, strawberries 
and currants of the different varieties which have been 
thoroughly and favorably tested in that locality. 
Blackberries could, also, be grown with profit, un¬ 
doubtedly, but, owing to their spreading and ram¬ 
pant growth, requiring more care and attention, it 
would be better, perhaps, under the circumstances, 
not to attempt their cultivation. Of the larger 
fruits, pears of the dwarf varieties, German prunes 
and peaches, could occupy a portion of this five-acre 
plot, together with a limited number of trees of the 
most popular kinds of both early and late apples. 
The remainder could well be devoted to the growing 
of grass and hay, aside from what would be required 
for pasture, garden, lawn, etc. Considering the fact 
that his family is to spend nearly one-half of each 
year at this country home, an abundance of these 
fruits would be found a great convenience and luxury, 
as compared with the stale and unpalatable supplies 
often obtained at the groceries and fruit stands. With 
a little additional labor, a surplus could be disposed 
of in the nearby markets, at a fair profit, especially 
as the owner would be enabled to attend to the “mar¬ 
ket end ” of the fruit much of the time during the 
week. 
The land now occupied by grass should, as soon as 
possible, be made in condition for reseeding. Plant a 
portion to corn or potatoes, the first season, to be fol¬ 
lowed the next spring by some sowed crop, when, im¬ 
mediately after its harvest, the ground should be 
deeply plowed and thoroughly prepared for winter 
wheat. Timothy seed should be sown at the same 
time, or a few days later, and the following spring, 
Red and Alsike clovers should be added. With reli¬ 
able help and a good work team, it seems that this 
place could thus be made to pay a fair income, espe- 
Sec First Page. 
cially when it is considered that a large share of the 
family living expenses would be derived from it. 
J. G. G. should not be unduly anxious or disappointed 
that heretofore he has derived no income to speak of 
from his little place, when he is reminded that thou¬ 
sands of farmers have been working farms of much 
larger size, for years past, vainly hoping for an in¬ 
come more than sufficient to cover outside and family 
expenditures. irving d. cook. 
Genesee County, N. Y. 
Fruit for Family ; Hay to Sell. 
J. G. G. does not say anything about fruit, so I take 
it that there is nothing of the kind. The first thing 
to do would be to set out enough fruit for a succes¬ 
sion, from the time strawberries ripen until they come 
again. By choosing early and late varieties of cher¬ 
ries, he may have them from June 10 to nearly Sep¬ 
tember 1. If he will manage his berries as I do, he 
will have the most luscious ones he ever tasted. I 
have my berries thick in the row, the rows 3% feet 
apart, keep them trimmed close and the ground cov¬ 
ered with straw or strawy manure, so that it does not 
N 
SECOND FLOOR OF ONE-MAN BARN. Fig. 131. 
See First Page. 
take any time from the spring mulch until pick¬ 
ing begins. I do not think that it would pay him to 
hire help to raise anything for market, as prices are 
so low for everything ; but if he raise all the fruit 
and vegetables his family can use, he will more than 
get six per cent on his investment. If he should have 
a surplus of anything, and it be No. 1, he can sell at 
any time. 
From what I know of Alfalfa, I would try a few 
acres, and if it do well, would sow more. I have just 
sowed 10 acres, but it is so dry that I am afraid that 
it will not come up evenly. I think that he would 
better seed his farm after he gets enough fruit of all 
kinds for his family. CLARK ALLIS, 
Orleans County, N, Y, 
In Fruits on Shares. 
It all depends on the future intention of the owner. 
If the only object be to realize the money on the in¬ 
vestment, the grass will do it with the least effort on 
his part. Should the owner desire to realize on his 
investment, or make the place more desirable, even 
as a summer home, I would invest the $2,000 in build¬ 
ing a cottage and barn costing, say, about $1,200, 
for a tenant. Find the right family, and make a 
contract with him for 10 years to work the place, plant 
it to fruit, if suitable by location, say, 10 acres to 
grapes, 5 to peaches, 5 to apples, 2 to pears, 2 to 
prunes, 1 to currants. Raspberries, blackberries, dew¬ 
berries and strawberries could be grown between the 
trees, for a number of years. I would use the rest of 
the land for truck and grass. I would keep, at least, 
one cow, two pigs, and chickens, besides the working 
team. The proprietor should furnish all plants, trees 
and fertilizers, and half the packages. The tenant 
should furnish team and tools, do all the work and 
marketing, and receive half the proceeds, except the 
first year, when the tenant should have all the pro¬ 
ceeds that he can realize from growing such crops 
among the trees as do not interfere with their well 
doing. I could show J. G. G. vineyards of 60 to 100 
acres that are worked on this line, where proprietor 
and tenant have been together for 40 years, and both 
are doing well. G. s. 
Chautauqua County, N. Y. 
THOUGHTS AB0U1 FARM IMPLEMENTS. 
It is not an easy matter for the general farmer to 
decide how many and what farm implements he 
should own. He can not afford investment in that 
which is not profitable, and he can not well afford to 
be without those that can make a profit for him. 
With only ninety acres actually under tillage, it 
would seem that I would not need a large stock of 
farm implements ; but I am continually puzzled to 
draw the line satisfactorily. The crops must be planted 
and worked in a thorough manner, yet reasonably 
economically, and the latter means only a limited 
amount of hiring, wages being relatively higher in 
price than other commodities. With a rather large 
tool-house, pretty well filled with tools that I have 
bought with hard-earned dollars, I have been study¬ 
ing to see whether some money has not been wasted, 
and find that it has been only when invested in the 
wrong “ make ” or size of some kind of implement. 
My first disk harrow was a 16-inch, and the 
gangs were attached to the pole, or to a casting 
around the pole, with rods. When sitting in the 
shop, a man on the seat balanced the weight of the 
tongue, and the natural inference for an inex¬ 
perienced man was that no weight would rest upon 
the tops of the horses’ necks, settling the collars and 
causing the point of draft to fall too low on the 
shoulders. But the gang rods had a downward pull, 
and the greater the draft, the greater the pull down¬ 
ward upon the pole. By moving the seat back, this 
additional weight could be balanced, the double-trees 
being under the pole ; but when a turn was made at 
the corner of the land, and one gang of disks cut extra 
deep, weight fell upon the horses’ necks, and their 
shoulders were bruised. The disks were set to throw 
the ground towards the center, and the surface could 
not be left level, even when lapping one-half. When 
lapping or cutting a second time, the loose ridges of 
earth prevented the harrow from going as deep as it 
should. The harrow appeared to be doing plenty of 
work, but in reality, was not cutting more than one- 
half the depth of an eight-inch furrow. 
After several years’ use of this harrow, I cast it 
aside in the interest of horse-flesh and a looser seed 
bed for potatoes. I found a harrow that had the 
hitch made direct to the end of the frame. That 
seemed sensible. The pole was put in only to guide 
the harrow. It could be attached to the center when 
two horses were used, and to a point on one side when 
three were used. The hitch, in either case, was to 
the center of the frame, and the harrow was drawn in 
the same manner as a breaking plow. No weight 
could get upon the tops of the horses’ necks. In this 
respect, I consider this an ideal harrow, and believe 
that it is an important point to watch when buying a 
harrow. Any weight at the end of the pole when 
turning, or at any other time, is hard on horses. The 
disks were 20 inches in diameter when new, and 
that seems just right for deep cutting. With disks 
throwing the earth from the center, one can, by lap¬ 
ping one-half, leave the surface reasonably level. 
The oil-cups near the top of the frame, had common 
caps over them, easily raised by loose earth, and I had 
threads cut in the tops of the cups, and caps with 
threads fitted in. This insures against dirt, and the 
harrow is one of my best investments. 
I have had two two-horse cultivators with adjust¬ 
able arches, and in both cases, they sprung, or sagged 
from some other cause, The distance between the 
