718 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 31 
Jersey farmer most economically raise ? These and 
dozens of other questions are constantly coming up, 
and Prof. Voorhees has determined to try to answer 
some of them by studying the processes by which the 
fodder and grain are made into milk. 
The larger part of the farm is devoted to growing 
fodder—chiefly corn, clover and small grain, cut 
when green. The ordinary “ rotation ” is something 
like this : Corn, with Crimson clover seeded in August, 
then fodder corn for soiling, followed by rye. The 
rye is cut green in the spring, and followed by oats 
and peas. These are cut green and followed by a 
seeding of clover and Timothy, which is cut twice 
and the land plowed for corn again. This gives seven 
green crops in four years. The greater part of these 
crops is cut and fed while green, but any of them may, 
if desired, be cut and cured for hay. This is not a hay 
and pasture dairy, however. It seems to be neither 
scientific nor sensible on 100-acre farms near large 
towns, to feed large quantities of hay, or waste large 
tracts of land as pasture. On this college farm, the 
cows have two acres for exercise, and exercise only. 
There is nothing growing there for them to eat—it is 
cheaper to raise the feed and bring it to them than 
to let them hunt for it. With ensilage and green 
forage produced on the farm, and grain bought on 
the basis of its feeding value, there will still be 
money in the dairy. 
Prof. Voorhees has 15 acres of Crimson clover the 
sight of which would do a farmer good. It was 
sown in the corn, and covers the field with a perfect 
mat of green. Last year, the field was an old meadow. 
It was plowed and planted to corn, with a fair amount 
of fertilizer. At the last working, the Crimson clover 
was sown between the rows. Part of the corn was 
cut about August 1 for fodder, while the rest was cut 
a month later for stover and ensilage. Where the 
corn was cut early, the clover is nearly twice as heavy 
as the other. It is a great object-lesson showing the 
value of a month of sunshine as compared with a 
month of shade ! It is proposed to keep these 15 acres 
in corn and Crimson clover year after year, using 
only bone and muriate of potash as fertilizer. 
The seeding of Red clover in August has given a 
fine stand. When grown side by side with the Crim¬ 
son, it is easy to see the points of superiority 
possessed by the Crimson. It grows faster during 
the cool weather. It sprouts quicker, and, between 
August and Christmas, will make a considerably 
heavier growth. The growing habits of Red and 
Crimson are as distinct as are those of Timothy and 
rye. These may be sown at the same time in the fall, 
and by Christmas the rye will have made a much 
heavier growth than the Timothy. That is its habit 
or nature, and in the same way, it is the habit of Crim¬ 
son clover to make a quick growth during the fall. 
The most satisfactory way to use it is to start out 
with the understanding that, whether it live through 
the winter or not, it pays a good profit before Christ¬ 
mas. Prof. Voorhees has a field of rye with Crimson 
clover seeeded in it. He hoped to be able to cut the 
rye for early feeding, and then have the Crimson 
grow up through it for another cutting, before plow¬ 
ing for fodder corn. The rye seems a little too thick 
to give the clover a fair chance. 
Among other experiments under way in the barn, 
is one of feeding wide and narrow rations. Eight 
cows, as nearly alike as possible, are divided into two 
lots. They are fed the same roughage, but four of 
them receive a grain ration of corn meal and other 
grains that have a high per cent of fat-formers as 
compared with muscle-makers. The other cows are 
fed bran, linseed meal and other grains that are rich 
in muscle-makers and also in minerals. The feed and 
the milk are all carefully weighed, and the milk is 
also tested and analyzed. The manure is kept sepa¬ 
rated, and is to be used on two distinct plots of land 
as nearly alike as possible. These plots will be worked 
through the regular farm rotation, and accurate 
records will be made of the crops removed. This 
ought to measure something of the superiority of a 
manure from food selected chiefly for its “ manurial 
value ” or, rather, for its high analysis of minerals. 
The milk is cooled as soon as taken from the cows, 
by passing it over a Star cooler. This cooling is done 
in a building near the stable, where the utensils are 
steamed. After cooling, the milk is carried to a 
spring house where it is bottled and then immersed 
in cold water until ready for delivery. The milk 
jars, with tight-fitting, waterproof paper covers, are 
used for this purpose. 
“I want to tell you,*'said Prof. Voorhees, “ how 
we use the Star cooler to Pasteurize the milk of our 
tuberculous cows! ” 
“ So you have cows that are known to have con¬ 
sumption ? ” 
“Yes, they are in a hospital by themselves; some 
of them have been there for years ! ” 
But this article is so long that I shall leave the story 
pf the cows for next week. h. w. c. 
WHAT THEY SAY. 
A Few Pin Feathers. 
The night lamp used by my friend to keep milk from 
freezing (see page 619), was just five inches in height. 
He bought it at a 10-cent counter in a novelty store. 
He says that he has sought high and low for another 
like it, but has been unable to find one. The nearest 
to that size that he can find is seven inches. He tells 
me that he intends to have a pan holder made of sheet 
iron. It will be 12 inches high and 8 in diameter, 
and he will paint it inside and out. He will then 
make a platform 20 inches square and 5 inches high, 
and cut a hole in the center large enough for the pan 
holder to slip through. This will raise the pan well 
above the lamp, and the hens can step up on the plat¬ 
form to drink. The pan holder will have six half¬ 
inch holes two inches above the bottom, and six more 
three inches below the top for ventilation. Only a 
very small flame is required to prevent milk or water 
from freezing in a reasonably warm poultryhouse. I 
shall have two of these contrivances made before 
winter comes on. 
Fig. 233 shows the handiest little poultry feed 
trough I ever used. It is made of half or three- 
A POULTRY FEED TROUGH. Fig. 233. 
quarter inch stuff, and shaped like a wall pocket. I 
make them four inches deep, and not over four feet 
long. They are hung on two nails driven into the 
wall or side of the poultryhouse. They are just the 
thing to put grit in, and also wheat, oats and cracked 
corn when the weather is bad. Hang them so that 
the fowls can eat out of them conveniently ; they can’t 
very well get their feet into them and soil the feed. 
I have just been putting up some woven wire poultry 
fence, and it is not a job any one need hanker after. 
A roll of netting that was woven evenly and smooth 
is easily put up ; but when you get one that was 
warped and twisted in the weaving, it is a difficult 
matter to put it up in respectable shape. 
One of the best and cheapest poultry fences that 
can be put up is made as follows : Set the posts 12 
feet apart. Close to the ground, nail a 4-inch board, 
just above it netting 18 inches wide, then another 
4-inch board, 18 inches more of netting, another 4-inch 
board, and finish with 18-inch netting. That makes 
a fence 68 to 70 inches high, and not one fowl in a 
hundred will ever attempt to fly over it. Midway be¬ 
tween the posts, put a 2-inch strip, nailing it to the 
boards, and stapling the netting to it, and you have a 
neat-appearing and very effective poultry fence. I 
prefer netting 18 inches in width because it is easily 
handled and can be put up straight and tight. 
FRED GRUNDY. 
An Extension Ladder. 
How often I have seen men lift long, heavy ladders to 
reach high objects, and then, as like as not, not be 
able to reach the object on account of the ladder not 
being quite long enough. The following extension, 
or folding, ladder is very easily made, and is very 
handy for picking fruit, painting buildings, or any 
work which requires a long ladder. It consists of 
c= 
1 
1 
r 
4 
b 
C 
E 
AN EXTENSION LADDER. Fig. 234. 
two single ladders, of any length desired—I think 
that 10 feet each make about the right length. The 
sides should be made of pine, 2x3 inches. The 
rounds or steps should be of seasoned hard wood. 
About two feet from the top of the bottom section, 
bolt two flat pieces of iron, 2x3 inches, the top part 
of the iron above the rounds far enough to admit the 
top section (see Fig. 234). These flat pieces of iron 
will keep the top from falling backwards. On the 
bottom of the top section, bolt two pieces the shape 
of a half circle, as shown in the figure. These will 
rest on the rounds of the bottom section at any de¬ 
sired place. The top section should be made just wide 
enough to fit nicely inside the bottom section. I can 
start up this ladder, and as I go up, push up the top 
to the desired height, place the half circle irons on a 
round, and I am ready to go to the very top with per¬ 
fect safety. m- c. thomas. 
Champaign County, O, 
Red and Crimson Clovers. 
We have had a corn-growing experience quite as 
marked as the one reported at Governor Morton’s 
farm, on page 653, and, in my opinion, the success and 
failure are attributed to the same cause—nitrogen. 
The land is a sandy loam, and, in a dry season, suffers 
from lack of moisture. This season, rains have been 
copious. Three acres were bare of vegetation all win¬ 
ter ; the other portion was well covered with Crimson 
clover. The seed used was R. N.-Y. and Learning. 
The three acres I need not describe, as Mr. Cottrell 
did it completely in The R. N.-Y. of October 3. The 
clover part was so immense that I hesitate to attempt 
an account of it, for it is almost beyond belief. 
Much of it was 12 feet in height, and so completely 
loaded with ears and leaves that, in going between 
the straight rows, one could only see a very short 
way ahead. Everything was favorable for the light, 
dry soil—rain enough, and often more, from the time 
of planting to harvesting, and the heavy growth of 
clover turned under gave all the nitrogen the corn 
could use, continuously. I am of the opinion that more 
value grew upon one acre of the clover than upon 
five acres like that which was bare from August of 
last year to the June planting of last spring. I have 
tried many of the land-improving and forage crops, 
and have about settled on the clovers and corn. Feed 
Crimson clover to the soil, and Alsike, Medium and 
corn to well-cared-for, good cows, and they will hold 
us up. G. W. HUMPHREY. 
Southeastern Massachusetts. 
HOTBED CULTURE IN ARKANSAS. 
wuat are your methods with hotbeds, and what 
CROPS ARE GROWN ? 
Lettuce and radishes are the principal crops grown 
through the winter, with, frequently, a crop of spin¬ 
ach. Ordinarily, we don’t have continued cold weather 
here until about January 1, we have a cold snap 
when the temperature goes down to freezing and, 
sometimes, to 10 to 15 degrees below, but only at 
night, generally followed by mild weather for several 
days. After January 1, we generally have two or 
three light snows of two to four inches, sometimes as 
much as 16 inches, and which stay on the ground two 
weeks; but, ordinarily, it is all gone in two or three 
days. We usually have three or four nights during 
the winter when the temperature falls to zero, and a 
few times, a few degrees below. We have spells of a 
week to 10 days of comparatively mild weather, all 
through the winter, when we can strip the covers 
from all hardy plants, and give them a good airing 
and sunshine. We don’t need artificial heat very 
often until January 1, but when we do need it, we 
need it mighty bad, and if we are not prepared for it, 
everything will be killed to the ground. 
I plant lettuce and radishes in September—about 
the 15th, usually. I sow the lettuce in six-inch drills 
pretty thick. I sow, at that season, a non-heading 
variety, as Black Seeded Simpson or Grand Rapids. I 
let this grow up thick, and blanch, pull it up and clean 
off all dead leaves, and tie into five-cent bunches, 
sometimes into 10-cent ones when the market is bare. 
I find that this pays me twice as much per square 
yard as head lettuce, it is much easier raised, and 
most customers prefer it. I never saw it sold any¬ 
where else in this shape, as it is generally cut and 
sold by measure ; but leaving the roots on helps to 
keep it fresh. The bunches are washed and pi .ced in 
a box, roots up. I keep several plantings coming on 
so that I can get plants of exactly the right size to 
set out in the beds from which the bunch lettuce is 
taken, and these plantings are head-lettuce partly. 
I hardly ever have any artificial heat before Janu¬ 
ary 1 ; when the temperature is likely to go to 32 de¬ 
grees, I cover everything at night only. Later in the 
winter, some heat is kept up at all times, under the 
beds, but every mild day, the tops are removed a part 
of the day. If a cold snap comes on, of course, the 
top is left on day and night, and steam turned into 
the pipes on each side of the bed above the plants. 
These pipes are not used except in severe weather, 
and are kept ready for an emergency. The beds are 
very simple ; 2x6’s are laid on the ground, a layer of 
1x6 oak lumber is used for the floor, six to seven 
inches of soil are put on this floor for growing crops ; 
four runs of one-inch pipe go under the floor for bot¬ 
tom heat. The sides of the bed are 18 inches high on 
the south, 36 inches high on the north, and both sides 
are banked up with soil to near the top. Two runs 
of one-inch pipe go, one on each side, above the 
plants, to protect them in severe weather only. 
Radishes are managed pretty much in the same 
way, but no crop that I have tried will pay so well as 
lettuce. Grown in this way, it looks as though it had 
been grown in the open ground in May. I have never had 
any disease to contend with, but I do have the grub 
worms all hunted out of the soil in the fall before 
planting. We usually sell lettuce and radishes from 
