' 1905. 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
149 
Hope Farm Notes 
Farm Notes. —The weather is “worse yet," 
if that is possible. The mercury still seems 
to love zero, and with sleet and snow and 
now and then a little rain old Winter has a 
good chance to make a record. The deep 
snow is covered with a little crust, not thick 
enough to hold a man, but sharp enough to 
cut a horse's ankle. No use trying to paint 
or repair during such weather; in fact, there 
are few things that can be done except car¬ 
ing for the stock, cutting wood and keeping 
good-natured. The last is hardest of all. 
The hens are still doing their duty, the cow 
keeps on with her milk, and the horses look 
well. Too bad we can't do what we planned, 
but at least we know that we are willing, and 
that our plans were sound. 
We must remember that there are others. 
This is a dull season everywhere. Last week 
I was snowbound on a train. We were held 
up at a little place in Jefferson Co., N. Y., 
over eight hours, with nothing to do but 
meditate, sleep or get out in a snowdrift and 
exercise. 1 waded through the snow and 
found a place where food could be bought. 
In former years I have had something to say 
about the slavery of the pie-eating habit, but 
in this case I was very glad to buy a big 
piece of apple pie and eat every crumb of it. 
People up in that snowy country took the 
cold and the big drifts as very common things 
and made no complaint. A good proportion 
of the men wore fur coats. I had been told 
that only actors and millionaires can afford 
to wear furs, but these farmers had surely 
joined the “upper classes.” Some of the 
houses and barns in that country were fairly 
buried in snowdrifts. They will hardly be 
free before May ! I wondered how the Win¬ 
ter was going ’ with those who are prisoned 
there bv ill-health or Inability to get out. 
What a blessing a good sound “reading habit” 
is under such circumstances. Philip says this 
Winter in New Jersey is worse than the one 
he passed in Norway last year, and I can well 
believe it. I would like to know what books 
people are reading this Winter. Philip is 
reading “The Making of An American,” by 
Jacob A. Ttiis. I wish that every man who 
comes here from Europe could read that 
book. There are also some so-called Amer¬ 
icans who date far back to Plymouth Rock 
who are hardly half made yet. AVe prize 
our copy of this book because the Madame 
bought it instead of buying a seat in a parlor 
car last year when she went to Boston ! 
Emma reads the papers thoroughly, and I 
am reading AA'atson’s “Story of France” at 
all odd times. So, gentlemen, let’s work as 
we can. read and keep good-natured. I don't 
give this advice to the women folks, for they 
are always good-natured and cheerful. The 
men folks should stop thinking about their 
age and their debts, and tackle more cheer¬ 
ful subjects. Now is the time to bring out 
the best food there is in the house. Clean up 
and look as nice as you can, and have good 
light at night. Be cheerful if it cracks a 
rib to do it! 
Tun SorTir.—The news from Florida is 
better. After the freeze the leaves on the 
orange trees died and hung on like the evi¬ 
dence of death. The farmers watched them 
anxiously, for if the whole tree were dead 
many of those dead leaves would stay on. 
If, however, the wood was alive new growth 
would start and then the dead leaves would 
be thrown off. For some days after the freeze 
the weather was cold and the leaves stuck. 
Still our folks hoped. Finally there came a 
warm rain and the trees fairly peeled oil', 
which indicates life in the wood and a pros¬ 
pect for a new growth. From what I hear 
Florida has rallied bravely from Jack Frost's 
blow. Uncle Ed thinks his grove will re¬ 
cover. Our potatoes were not planted, with 
the exception of a small garden spot. The 
plants on this were not up when the freeze 
came. Now they are above ground and look¬ 
ing well. Everyone drew a deep sigh of relief 
when the leaves peeled off the trees—all but 
the children. The little girl expressed their 
views when she said : “Now we have no place 
to play hide and go seek !” You see the child 
could not understand what that leaf-peeling 
meant. To her it merely spoiled a good game. 
How was she to know what it meant to those 
whose work and money and hopes were in the 
trees? AVhat are the oldest of us but chil¬ 
dren developed more or less? The views we 
take of what to us seem fTie most serious 
things of life may well appear childish to 
Him who knows the end ! The last report 
I have is that our folks had nine barrels ojf 
potatoes planted, with about six barrels more 
to go in. The rains have begun, but I do 
not think the seed will rot. Charlie wants 
to plant another crop in September, sowing a 
crop of cow peas in between. This looks like 
a good scheme, and I am ready to try it in¬ 
stead of pasturing hogs. Among the dozens 
of letters asking about the South is the fol¬ 
lowing from Wisconsin : 
“Please let me know what you think the 
prospects are for a young man with $1,000 
to go to the central part of Louisiana and 
start in the chicken business. The markets 
are good for both eggs and chicken.” 
I don’t know anything about Louisiana. If 
the markets are good I think a careful man 
can surely hatch and raise the chickens at a 
less cost than at the North. I think there 
would be a fair chance for such a m:ui in 
Florida. The hotels and boarding houses 
cannot get enough eggs and chickens from 
nearby sources. People go to Florida, put up 
at hotels and think they are living on the 
very fat of the land. In many cases they are 
eating eggs, chickens, beef, butter and simi¬ 
lar things out of New York cold storage 
houses. This food is actually sent down and 
sold at a profit. Now if this cold storage stuff 
can be sent all this distance I see no reason 
why a man may not ship himself down and 
produce the goods there. Few, if any. have 
done this, tint that is no reason why it can¬ 
not be done. I am asked if Florida is a place 
for a Northern man to live all the year 
around. I don't know. I am going to try to 
get down there while the country is at its 
worst, and see. One thing is sure ; the way 
the State gets on its feet after a blow from 
Jack Frost that seemed to loosen the teeth 
and crack the ribs excites my admiration ! 
Pasture Crops With Rye. —Here is a ques¬ 
tion from a Jerseyman : 
“I have three acres of young rye that I 
shall pasture off in the Spring. Is there any 
kind of seed that I can sow and harrow in 
like clover that will inane me Summer pas¬ 
ture for dairy cows? I would like to plow 
and sow Scarlet clover in August. Oround 
is in good heart.” a. g. si. 
If, as 1 understand it, you want this pas¬ 
ture crop to grow while the cows are eating 
off the rye, I do not know of anything that 
will answer. In my experience cattle kill 
out a young crop as they eat the rye. They 
tramp it in and nibble it too close. For hogs 
I have used Dwarf Essex rape in this way 
by keeping the stock off the rye until the rape 
was started, but this crop is not good for 
cows. I would divide the field and let the 
cows feed part of it down close, then while 
the ground was wet sow oats in the mud. 
With thick seeding you should have a fair 
stand which will give some pasture after 
the rye is done. Another part of the field 
can be seeded to sorghum. I have never 
found such things profitable for cattle graz¬ 
ing. Those tender crops can be cut and car¬ 
ried to the stock, but pasturing tramps them 
down too much and causes great loss. 
Corn Fodder for Horses.—A Rhode Island 
man asks these good questions : 
“Can you tell me whether to cut or shred 
corn fodder for horses? Is silage good for 
horses? Hay brings very good prices in 
Rhode Island, and l know from experience 
that corn fodder, either green or dry, makes 
a very good substitute for horse feed when 
used with a good grain ration, but the horses 
do not eat the dry corn fodder clean, and the 
stalks are troublesome in the manure. Straw 
is worth almost as much as hay In the mar¬ 
ket, sometimes more, and cut or shredded 
corn fodder would make the cheapest bedding 
I could get. Shall 1 buy a cutter or shred¬ 
der? Of course I shall need a larger engine 
to run the shredder. I shall feed both horses 
and cows, but more horses.” l. j. w. 
All I can give is my own experience. So 
long as we grew corn we shredded the stalks. 
AVe have a machine which cuts or shreds as 
desired. The shredder tears and splits the 
stalks by striking it with sharp, curved teeth, 
using a motion not unlike that of scratching 
with the bent fingers. AA'e like the shredded 
fodder better than the cut. The latter gives 
small pieces with sharp edges, which some¬ 
times cut the gums or tongue. The shredded 
fodder is soft. AA'ith us the shredded fodder 
is eaten better and makes better bedding. AA’e 
used it as a complete substitute for hay, feed¬ 
ing wheat bran and linseed meal with it. The 
increased value of tlie manure and the sup¬ 
ply of bedding will alone pay for shredding. 
On a farm where corn is grown and where 
hay and straw bring good prices we should 
certainly shred and feed the stalks. AVhat 
is the use of feeding $”0 hay to horses, or 
bedding them with $20 straw, when $8 corn¬ 
stalks can be made to answer? I have never 
fed silage. Opinions from those who have 
done so vary, with the weight of argument, I 
think, against the practice. A man situated 
as you are, with horses to feed and a good 
market for hay, should never be satisfied 
until he has a good field in Alfalfa. If you 
can get Alfalfa well started you can average 
to cut twice as much of it per acre as you 
could of Timothy. It would be just the 
thing to feed with the shredded fodder, and 
it will add to the value of the manure. The 
more Alfalfa you feed the more corn and 
grass you can grow. 
Picking Stones.— Here is a question which 
bobs up every day in the year—when stones 
are felt or remembered : 
“My farm is situated in AA’arren Co., N. J., 
and is very gravelly and stony ; no large ones, 
but a great many the size of double fists and 
smaller. I have hand-picked hundreds of 
loads, but there are a great many yet. I 
should like to know if there is any way these 
stones can be gathered by horse power. If 
they could be got together in windrows or 
piles it would be a great help. Has there 
ever been any machine made to gather them? 
If so, I should like information, as these 
stones are a great hindrance to cultivation. 
I should consider my farm one-third more val¬ 
uable if it were comparatively free from 
these small stones. I think our American 
genius ought to invent something in this line, 
as we have machinery for doing almost 
everything now.” j. c. 
Some years ago T went all through this. I 
found that some farmers use so-called stone 
rakes with fair success. AVeeders and hay 
rakes have been used, but they were built for 
lighter work, and break too easily. Some 
people take a log or plank and drive stout 
pins through, sloping to the front. AA'hen 
these are dragged along the ground they catch 
many small stones and drag them into piles. 
I heard from a Canadian once who bought 
a steel rail from a railroad, hitched a team at 
each end and hauled it back and forth over 
the ground. This dragged many stones into 
“windrows,” where they could be picked up, 
but I do not understand that any of these de¬ 
vices were very successful. Stone-picking is 
a bad job at best. If any one has a way of 
making it easy let us hear from him by all 
means. That’s one thing about Florida. 
There isn't a stone down There' large enough 
for a. boy to throw. Never break windows 
then? Certainly they do—with pine cones, 
oranges or sticks. h. w. c. 
AA'hen you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply anu 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 18. 
Why Pay 
Repair 
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Insures more barrels per acre, fewer THE BEST 
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-S3 
