i8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 14, 
✓r buyers to seek you; then spray, thin, prune and 
cultivate as thoroughly and intelligently as do the apple 
growers of flood River, and other points in Oregon, 
and you will have little cause to complain of bitter 
competition, or that Nature has done more for other 
localities than for yours. w. k. newell. 
PROTECTING YOUNG TREES. 
Contributory to the discussion on the prevention of 
injury to trees by rabbits and mice, I will suggest the 
HEADS! WILL WE WIN? Fio. 10. 
following method: 'fake strips of cloth (worn-out 
linen or calico would be as good as, if not better, than 
new cloth), the strips to be long enough to reach as 
far up the tree as is desirable, and wide enough to 
reach around the tree and allow for a good lap. This 
cloth should be saturated with a thick solution of lime 
(whitewash), or if lime is deemed injurious in contact 
with the bark then the cloth should be saturated with 
a thin starch solution. Wrap the saturated cloth about 
the tree and when dry apply a thick coating of lime 
in the form of whitewash. The soil should be dug 
away from the base of the tree for two to three inches 
in order that the cloth may be applied below the region 
affected by mice and borers. The cloth should be ap¬ 
plied in the Fall and allowed to remain late enough 
in the following Spring or Summer to protect the trees 
from the danger of being stung by the insect produc¬ 
ing the borer. This application has the advantage of 
protecting the trees from borers as well as mice and 
rabbits. If the cloth is applied low as advised it will 
not be necessary to remove mulch, as mice will hardly 
attack trees through this protection. This method has 
the advantage of being economical both as to money and 
time. I used a plan similar to this most effectually 
when I was a boy on the farm. e. a. d. 
Newfoundland, N. J. 
I see that there are still some persons making in¬ 
quiries for a sure remedy that will prevent rabbits 
from barking young trees. 1 will give my remedy, 
which has proved successful after many years’ trial. Tt 
will also keep out borers and repel all other insects 
which are injurious to trees. Take one pound of whale- 
oil soap and boil it in one gallon of water till it is 
thoroughly dissolved, then add one pint of tobacco 
dust and one-half pound of sulphur. Boil again for 
about 20 minutes, keeping the mixture well stirred 
while boiling. Add hot water enough to make one 
gallon when done. Put it on the trees with a paint 
brush. The above amount will paint about 200 trees 
the size of a broomstick. One application is generally 
sufficient, but if the Winter is a very rainy one it may 
require two applications. It is a sure thing. T. j. w. 
St. Mary’s, Ind. __________ 
BUSINESS OF AN AMERICAN FARMER. 
Below will be found statements of income and expense 
from several farmers. This is part of an investigation we 
have started io learn how much money the average farmer 
handles during the year. We selected a number of names 
at. random, mostly among those who wrote the essays on 
“Why I Take Tite R. N.-Y.” Other estimates will be printed 
from time to time. 
A Connecticut Tobacco Grower. 
Forty acres is the extent of the farm, tobacco the 
principal crop. This year I had 2/ acres of tobacco, 
and have sold it for 20 cents per pound, but it is only 
half ready to deliver at this date. Probably it will 
weigh 4,800 pounds. Tobacco, $900; cream, four cows, 
$180; poultry, $100; one-half acre potatoes, $75; corn, 
200 bushels, $75; pork, two pigs, $40; total, $1,400. 
Expenses: Fertilizers, $150; hired help, $200; cost of 
pork, $20; taxes, $09; living expenses (two), $000; 
total, $709. Income, $1,400; expenses, $709; balance, 
$721. 1'he above is for this year, as far as 1 can guess. 
Last year my tobacco came to only $100 for three acres, 
and all other receipts and expenses about the same. 
Two years ago two acres came to $070. You ask a hard 
question about the average income from farms around 
here. One man will raise two acres of tobacco, another 
five to 10. One man will keep two cows, another seven 
or eight. Some raise stock and tobacco, with other 
produce, and work out what chance they get. d'here 
is hardly a farmer but what makes a good living, but 
I suspect one-half of them do not get ahead very much, 
taking all years together. I know the merchants hold a 
good many mortgages, and I know most of the people 
are reticent about money matters. One object may be 
to keep their taxes down. d. o. 
An Illinois Renter's Figures. 
I am a renter, paying one-third of the corn and one- 
half of the wheat, both delivered at town about 2)4 
miles distant, The land owner furnishes the seed wheat 
and pays one-half of thrasherman’s bill. For the 
year 1903, which perhaps shows about an average con¬ 
dition, we had 88 acres of corn and 60 acres of wheat, 
expense on which I find to be: Labor (including my 
own, figured at average cost), $517.34, our one-half 
of thrasherman’s bill, $25.60, and binder twine, $21.87; 
total, $564.81. We received for our part (one-half) 
the wheat, $554.08, and for our two-thirds the corn 
$1,068.42; total, $1,622.50. Balance, $1,057.69. For the 
depreciation in value of machinery and for expense of 
horses I cannot give figures so accurately. R. o. 
A One-Horse North Carolina Farmer. 
As this year’s operations are not yet completed, T will 
give you figures from last year’s record. I find that 
total sales for 1903 amounted to $810.75; besides this 
we had our bread and pork, poultry and all the vege¬ 
tables and fruits we wanted for consumption by family 
of seven, besides plenty of milk and butter. I keep only 
one horse (a first-class one, though), two cows and 
usually four hogs. I cultivate about 25 acres of land; 
grow about one acre of early cabbage, and about four 
acres in tobacco; one acre potatoes; six acres corn; 10 
acres wheat, rye and oats. We have plenty of grapes 
from July 4 to November 1, closing with the Scupper- 
tiong, the finest of all grapes. My farming compares 
favorably with the ordinary two-horse farms in this 
section. R. m. a. 
A Mississippi Farmer’s Showing. 
Below is estimate of cash income for past year: 
Butter. 1.800 pounds, at 25 cents, $450; sour milk, $180; 
NEW POTATO, NOROTON BEAUTY. Fig. 11. 
See Ruralisms, rage 22. 
strawberries, $50; honey, $5; blackberries, $2; rasp¬ 
berries, $40; peaches, $18.70; plums, $22.45; grapes, 
$50; vinegar, $10; melons, $9.18; sweet wine, 
$20; chili sauce, $8; vegetables, $16.55; one hog, 
$20; goats, $33; veals, $10; one mule, $75; one 
horse, $75; chickens and eggs (about), $15; total, 
$1,109.88. I have 140 acres in pasture and cul¬ 
tivation, mostly in pasture. My neighbors’ income 
is from 4 to 20 bales of cotton, work from 25 to 200 
acres of land. They have sold just enough to pay 
their debts. They are holding more or less cotton, ex¬ 
pecting higher prices. This is the first year since I 
have been here (11 years) that very many could hold 
their cotton. We had good cotton and corn crop, and 
this part of the country is in better shape than it has 
been for years. w. o. P. 
Cotton and Corn in Texas. 
A fairly accurate shownng of what the figures should 
represent as the average income from my farm in one 
year, of crops grown and the number of acres in culti¬ 
vation, is as follows: Cotton, 35 acres; 15 bales of 
500 pounds each at eight cents, $600. Corn, 35 acres; 
525 bushels at 30 cents, $157. Sorghum hay, six acres; 
15 tons at $5, $75. Oats, 10 acres; 15 tons (used as 
hay), at $7, $105. Other crops, consisting of peas, 
melons, cushaws, potatoes and garden, four acres, $65. 
Total number of acres in cultivation, 90; total value of 
crops, $1,002. The number of acres assigned to each of 
these crops varies according to circumstances, and 
the figures showing production and cash income have 
not been approached since 1900 by fully 70 per cent, 
the cause being boll weevil, climatic conditions, and 
resulting feeling of discouragement. The conditions 
this year have lent some encouragement to the future. 
I live in a community of small farmers. My neighbors 
are doing but little better than myself, excepting in a 
few instances, and this owing to a peculiarity in the 
working of the boll weevil. The stock I handle have 
not yet proven profitable, and would not perhaps affect 
the above figures either way. d. m. r. 
A Massachusetts Man’s Grain Bill. 
I cannot give absolutely accurate figures, but the 
average income from my farm is about as follows: 
Butter, $300; eggs, $115; calves, $40; poultry, $65; pork, 
$10; garden truck, $15; blueberries, $60; potatoes, $200; 
total, $805. Besides this our family, five to seven in 
number, is supplied with vegetables, milk, butter, pork 
and poultry. My home place consists of 65 acres, mow¬ 
ing or tillage, pasturage and woodland. I also hire for 
a term of years 27 acres additional from which I cut 
two or three tons of hay and pasture the rest. Some¬ 
times I receive more than the foregoing estimate, and 
sometimes less, but I think I have given a fair average. 
My neighbors are not receiving as much, and they are 
not paying out nearly as much for grain as I do (I 
could get rich, and so could lots of eastern farmers, 
if it were not for the grain bill), preferring to sell hay 
rather than get it through buying grain and fertilizer. 
It costs me nearly a dollar a day for grain, and I paid 
over $68 for chemicals for 1904. But I have this satis¬ 
faction : My farm grows better right along, while many 
are growing poorer. Some farms here are devoted to 
making milk; these farms improve year by year, and 
the owners seem to make a fair living. N. 
A Colorado Man Talks Up. 
My farm consists of 80 acres, 45 only being under the 
ditch, and three five-acre lots about two miles from the 
home place, making a total of 60 acres irrigated land; 
15 acres peas, making 49,956.9 pounds of green peas, at 
$1.75 per 100 pounds, $874.25; 17 acres, wheat, 786 bush¬ 
els, at $1.70 per 100 pounds, $786; between 11 and 12 
acres potatoes, about 1,600 sacks, estimated, $800; be¬ 
tween five and six acres beets, about 136 tons, $680; 
total, $140.29. The remainder is in oats and Alfalfa; 
will furnish feed for the stock and teams for the year, 
making a total cash income from the 60 acres of 
$3,140.25, or over $52 per acre. On the .35 acres above 
the ditch I had eight acres Winter wheat, making 120 
bushels, worth $120, the remainder being used for the 
buildings, corrals and pasture for the stock and teams 
when not in use. I also sold three cows for $110, and 
one fat pig for $12, but it would be hardly fair to credit 
the year’s income with the three cows; I think I aver¬ 
age to sell one a year. We raised all the cher#cs and 
peaches we needed, and a surplus of plums and apples. 
This surplus, together with sales of butter and eggs, 
will go a long way toward paying our grocery bill for 
the year. My principal expenses for the year are as fal¬ 
lows: Peas for seed, $99.38; extra help hoeing weeds, 
about $40; beet seed, $13.95; help for harvesting peas, 
$30; thrashing, $54.27; help harvesting beets, $45; dig¬ 
ging potatoes, $137; taxes, about $110; sacks, $70; 
ditch assessments, $50; man for season, $209; total, 
$858.60. Twine, repairs, improvements, etc., would 
bring the total to between $900 and $1,000, perhaps 
pretty close up to the latter figure. The potatoes are 
estimated at about what they would bring on the mar¬ 
ket now, whether I get more or less for them remains 
to be seen. Wheat prices are from 20 to 25 per cent 
more than the average, and potato prices from 50 to 100 
per cent less. Beets and peas are raised by contract. 
While this estimate may be more than the average large 
farmer receives per acre, yet I think anyone with proper 
rotation and intensive cultivation could easily exceed it. 
Colorado. _ g. d. rider. 
ROGERS HYBRID GRAPES. 
Will you Rive me the name of Rogers No. 30 grape (seed¬ 
ling of E. S. Rogers, Salem, Mass.)? Ilis seedling grapes 
were each given a number and name. J. s. c. 
Malden, Mass. 
The numbered varieties of Rogers hybrid grapes now 
listed in various catalogues are No. 1, Goethe; No. 2, 
Massasoit; No. 4, Wilder; No. 9, Lindley; No. 14, 
Gaertner; No. 15, Agawam; No. 19, Merrimac; No. 22, 
Salem; No. 28, Requa; No. 33, Amina; No. 41, Essex; 
No. 43, Barry; No. 44, Herbert. We have never heard 
the name, if any, applied to Rogers No. 30. Apparently 
some of these numbered seedlings were not named. If 
any of our readers can supply the missing name we 
shall be glad to publish the information. J. S. C. gives 
TAILS WE LOSE! Fig. 12. 
us later the following interesting note concerning the 
Salem grape (Rogers No. 22) : 
“From what I have been able to learn of Mr. E. S. 
Rogers’s grapes, I think he put out the different varie¬ 
ties, 13 of them, with number and names, 11 with num¬ 
bers only. He started out a few vines under the num¬ 
ber 22; after that, with the advice of John M. Tves, 
of Salem (Mr. Ives being one of the leading horti¬ 
culturists of that day, and one of the charter members 
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society), he called 
it the Salem, and renumbered it 53. I have that infor¬ 
mation over his own signature.” 
