94 
February 11, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
young clover of last year's growing that we are tempted 
to leave it for mowing. 
Another field seeded to rye and 1 imothy in the ball 
of 1902, and on which clover was sown the following 
Spring, was sown last Spring, with excellent results. 
After the Timothy had got well started, it was pastured 
to check its growth and give the clover a chance with it. 
After this the clover seemed to keep ahead of the I im¬ 
othy, and made a lot of excellent Fall pasture. We had, 
however, the best results from a field sown to rye in 
Fall of 1903 and clover last Spring. This was on a 
field that, we were informed by those who had previously 
farmed it, would give very disappointing results, and did 
in the corn crop; 160 pounds of a high grade, complete, 
animal matter fertilizer per acre was sown with the 
rye, and some of the thinnest spots top-dressed with 
fresh stable manure. The clover seed was sown toward 
the last of March, and as soon as the rye was about 
a foot high, cows and hogs were turned on the field 
and pastured the rye off. 1 hey were taken off as soon 
as the rye was cropped close enough, and the rye allowed 
to head. When the grains were well hardened hogs 
were turned in to harvest the rye and everything was 
left on the field. The stand of clover is a surprise to 
those who had farmed it previously, and is, in fact, as 
good a stand of clover as we ever had, even under much 
more favorable conditions. Nearly every farmer bas 
some particular time which he thinks best for sowing 
clover. One farmer of our acquaintance has great faith 
in the “sign of the crab,” so the clover will crawl back 
into the soil after being frozen up out of the soil in 
the Spring. For ourselves we prefer to sow as soon 
as the soil is in good condition, which to our notion is 
just after a sharp freeze, when the soil is full of little 
cracks, and there is prospect of a thaw to cover the seed 
It is not always possible to catch a whole field in that 
condition, especially where there is a variety of soils, 
but when most of the field is in that condition we sow. 
We like to sow early as possible, preferring rather to 
run the risk of late freezing than from drought later in 
the season, especially on our hill lands. We sow 10 
pounds seed per acre, and think it pays better to sow 
more rather than less amount, even at the present high 
price of seed. If one has land that bas grown clover in 
rotation for years, it may not be necessary to use so much 
seed, but on land that bas not grown clover recently it 
pays to use plenty of seed. o. e. c. 
Licking Co., Ohio__ 
TOP-BUDDING TO MIX POLLEN. 
1 have read of a method of top-budding or grafting one 
variety into another to induce them to bear better because 
of the mixing of pollen. Is there anything in it? I tried 
it and failed. Perhaps I did not do it right. J. c. 
Oak Grove, Mo. 
There is something in the mixing of pollen to cause 
better bearing with some varieties of fruit. Sometimes 
a variety has an abundance of pollen, but it is not 
potent upon its own flowers, although it may be potent 
on the stigmas of others, and vice versa. There is a 
case here and-there where the grafting or budding of 
another variety on the top of a tree or on several trees 
in a row may cause far better fruitfulness than with¬ 
out it, but this should be done with knowledge of 
which varieties need it and those that will produce the 
desired effect. The work may be done by grafting in 
the ordinary way in early Spring, or by budding later 
in the season, when the buds on the new growth are 
well formed. Grafting is rarely done in the Summer, 
but it can be done if the principles of the business and 
practical work are well understood and performed. 
All foliage must be removed from buds or scions in¬ 
serted, to prevent evaporation of the protoplasmic cells. 
The stock and bud or scion must be in proper condi¬ 
tion; that is, with an abundance of albuminous matter 
between the bark and wood, for by means of it the 
vital union takes place. Air is usually excluded from 
the wound made by waxing or binding with raffia 
or some wide and strong material. H. e. van deman. 
TWO PICTURES OF WATER SUPPLY. 
BEFORE.—From the back door of a large house 
comes a woman in a calico work dress. A scarf dan¬ 
gles from her head, but gives no protection. Drying 
her sudsy hands on her apron as she goes, she swiftly 
makes the slippery four rods between the house and 
well. A frolicsome wind turns to a gale as she grasps 
the frosty pump handle and, while she raises the water 
supply for a family of a dozen people, searches the 
marrow of her bones and turns her skirts into a flag 
at half mast. During the course of a day the expedi¬ 
tion, exposure and exertion are repeated several times. 
The cistern, although nearer, is also outside, and to 
this, too, the woman makes frequent trips, and carries 
some of the soft water upstairs for use in the bed¬ 
rooms. All the water used in the house must be car¬ 
ried out by the same power of human muscle that 
brought it in. There being no drain, kitchen slops 
are mostly heaved out from the vantage ground of the 
doorstep. As the Winter season advances the accumu¬ 
lations climb higher and higher on the mountain-like 
formations at the back door. Baths are taken from a 
bowl, and are indulged in as matters of conscience 
rather than of comfort. The closet is another four rods 
or more from the house, cold and airy, and often be¬ 
yond drifted banks of snow; a dread for half the year 
and a menace to health for the other half. There is 
no available surcease from drought for the parched 
lawn and garden in midsummer. 
AFTER.—A windmill now raises the water from the 
well, Eig. 40. A steel derrick supports a 15-barrel 
WATER SUPPLY FOR TIIE HOME. Fig. 40. 
tank, furnishing power to force water to be tapped at 
faucets in the kitchen and basement and for flushing 
the closet on the second floor. The tank and pipes 
leading to and from it are surrounded by an air space, 
encased by boxing filled with asbestos, or “mineral 
wool.” (Fig. 41.) The pump itself is enclosed by a 
well house that promises all the uses of a milk room 
in case of need of one. In the coldest weather of last 
Winter this furnished protection from frost. The over¬ 
head tank also supplies power for sprinkling the lawn 
and hotbeds and for washing porches and buggies. 
By the use of a pair of triangles and a shaft, the wind 
also works the pump in the basement, drawing the 
water from either or both of two cisterns and forces 
it to a tank in the attic, when this is not kept supplied 
by rains from the roof. An overflow pipe allows the 
attic tank to discharge into the cisterns in case of 
heavy rains. From the house tank soft water descends 
by pipes and is tapped at faucets in the bathroom on the 
second floor, and in the kitchen and basement. One 
pipe runs to the furnace and returns with hot water 
also to all three places. In addition, the rain and well 
water supply pipes are connected with each other by a 
short pipe with a gate valve, by means of which either 
kind of water may be introduced into all pipes in case 
of a drought or breakage at the pump. The water in 
the cistern is kept pure and sweet by a lengthened 
intake pipe curving upward near the bottom of the 
cistern. (Fig. 41.) This forces fresh water laden 
with air through the body of the water and prevents 
the horrible stagnant odors quite common to cisterns. 
THE SEWAGE QUESTION.—Thus is solved the 
problem of the farm home supply so far as bringing 
it into the house is concerned. But every woman knows 
there is another side, that of getting the waste water 
out, that taxes her strength and time almo t as much. 
In the instance in hand the instructions of Bulletin 
No. 43, from the Department of Agriculture at Wash- 
CI.STERN FOR A FARMHOUSE. Fig. 41. 
ington, were followed, and a sewerage system is in use 
that works admirably. By this system the cesspool may 
be near or distant from the house, as it is entirely 
closed. It is watertight, with a brick partition and an; 
automatic flush. It can be built by any mason or in¬ 
genious man who will follow instructions. Idle liquid 
overflow drains off clear into an open ditch, where 
nature restores it in her chemical laboratory for other 
uses. 
CONCLUSIONS.—Water is as easily forced into a 
house for the family as into a barn for stock. But 
the thought of it must go first, and there’s often the 
rub. Betterments rarely come until we first think of 
them, and look for ways to make them real. A tank 
placed inside under the eaves may be made to furnish 
part of the house water supply, instead of having it 
brought in in a pail; and a soap-box, lined with zinc, 
with a piece of gaspipe driven in the bottom and run¬ 
ning to an open drain over sun-exposed soil, is a vast 
improvement over the practice of throw-from-the-back- 
stoop process. Moreover, either costs less when the 
doctor’s bills are paid. These strength-savers and com¬ 
forts, in varying degrees, may even be put in the old 
house. There is no necessity to wait for the new. 
Hold firm to the idea of them in some form. Search 
farm building bulletins, house plans in magazines and 
papers, invent, consult, and adapt. Desire in most 
cases, leads to design, and design and determination to 
doing. _ J- 
FERTILIZING VALUE OF CLOVERS. 
At the suggestion of some one at the Agricultural Col¬ 
lege of this State one of my neighbors, August 14 last, 
sowed an acre each of Mammoth clover, Red clover, 
Crimson clover and Winter vetch. Later in the season 
(November 25) a square yard of each was measured, 
roots and tops sent to the Agricultural College. Prof. 
F. W. Robinson, the station chemist, reports as follows, 
giving the per cent of fertilizing matter and weight of 
dry matter. Money values per acre of fertilizing con¬ 
stituents found in the four crops: Mammoth clover: 
Nitrogen, $13.35; phosphoric acid, GO cents; potash, 
$2.18; total, $16.13; cost of seed, $2. Red clover: Ni¬ 
trogen, $17.27; phosphoric acid. 79 cents; potash, $6.50; 
total, $24.56; cost of seed, $2. Crimson clover: Nitrogen, 
$3.19; phosphoric acid, 19 cents; potash, $1.21; total, 
$4.69; cost of seed, $1.25. Winter vetch: Nitrogen, 
$36.75; phosphoric acid, $1.57; potash, $9.29; total, 
$47.61 ; cost of seed, $6.50. These figures were given at a 
meeting of the State Horticultural Society at Benton 
Harbor, December 6, 7 and 8. What is the matter with 
the Crimson clover? loraine ashman. 
R. N.-Y.—We do not know what ailed that particular 
sowing of Crimson clover. The crop does not do its 
best on some soils. It is hard to obtain pure, fresh seed. 
We have known it seeded in August, with a hot Fall 
following, to go to head when a few inches tall and 
stop growing. With us the Crimson has never given as 
heavy a Fall growth as Red clover. It sprawls out and 
covers the ground, but by December is usually behind 
the others. It wakes up earlier in the Spring, and when 
it has wintered well will rapidly outgrow other clovers 
through April and early May. This is its chief value— 
the ability to mature early in Spring and make stock 
food, or to be turned under in time for a May-planted 
crop. Make the same fertilizer estimates in May, and 
if the Crimson has wintered well, we will guarantee that 
it makes a better showing. 
MAKING BUTTER AT HOME 
1 have two cows and make butter. Some customers prefer 
(lie store or creamery butter, because they say it is uniform 
—the same all the time. How can I make my butter so it 
will always be the same? Would you advise me to buy a 
hand separator? header, 
I think the greatest trouble is that one is apt to 
neglect small matters and not give the proper care 
at the proper time. I would buy a separator; some 
people are always changing their business, and I 
believe that a little “want” advertisement in The R. 
N.-Y. would find a small second-hand separator at a 
small cost. I had a good creamer, but found I could 
make two-thirds of a pound more butter from each 
hundred pounds of milk with the separator. I will 
tell you how I make butter, and will say right here 
that what applies to a lot of butter also applies to a 
little, for a little neglected milk or cream will spoil just 
as quickly as a lot of it. First, I aim to have my cows 
freshen at different times all through the year. This 
insures nearly an even amount of butter to supply 
my customers, and the milk of the fresh cows makes 
the butter churn quicker. Of course the barn and the 
cows must be kept clean, and all milk utensils. My 
milk is taken immediately to the separator, and the 
cream is at once cooled to about 40 degrees. After 
it is cooled it is mixed with the preceding cream, and 
kept cool until I have enough for a churning. Then 
it is warmed to 70 degrees, and allowed to ripen, after 
which it is cooled to 60 or 62 and churned. When the 
butter granules are the size of shot cold water is added 
and the buttermilk drawn off. The butter is washed 
until the water is nearly free from buttermilk. In cold 
weather warm the last rinsing water sufficiently to 
allow the butter granules to “gather” after the salt 
is added. Add- salt to suit the taste of the customer, 
close the churn and turn the handle until the salt is 
thoroughly incorporated with the butter. Remove 
butter from the churn and press out what moisture you 
can and pack at once. I use five-pound crocks mostly 
for my butter, for I think it keeps best in this way. 
The way to learn almost anything is to see some one who 
knows do the thing, and then try it yourself and let him 
point out your mistakes. J. grant morse. 
