1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
371 
MILKING STOOL NOTES. 
Some Problems from Farm and Dairy. 
The milk peddler comes home and tells his wife that 
a lot of the customers are kicking about bitter, bad- 
tasting milk, and hints of the stable, etc. The poor man 
knows the cows were kept clean, and so were the cans 
and bottles. Only two or three days before he turned 
the cows in a fresh pasture, where the grass was rank, 
and they filled up to their hearts’.content. But at night 
when milking you could smell the strong grassy odor 
and the aerator would not take it all out. Either do 
not let the cows stay too long for a day or two in the 
fresh pasture, or put them in a day or two before the 
growth is so rank. 
Yes, we make mistakes, and they usually cost some 
money. We bought a new milch cow that was said to 
give 16 quarts daily. She gave about 15, and we wanted 
more, so we increased her grain ration up to what some 
of the better cows were getting. Suddenly things went 
wrong. Garget started, the cow lost her appetite, and 
now she gives only 20 pounds daily. We found she was 
not used to grain, and could not stand a fairly go'od 
ration. We never yet made a cent on the cows we 
bought that never had a pound of grain and were going 
to do so well on “your care.” 
They have been on the farm now 15 years and it has 
run down hill most of the time. They were never con¬ 
tented from the first, and expected to sell, and so never 
made any permanent improvements. They thought the 
farm would sell for as much without them, and they 
didn’t want to put in a lot of hard work for some one 
else to get the benefit. Even the ordinary repairs were 
neglected after a time. Paint cost money, and they 
never used it. Barns wanted shingling and new sills. 
“We may not stay here, so let it go for awhile.” The 
pastures grew up to weeds and brush; fences arc m 
miserable makeshift condition, and there 
is a row of brush six to 20 feet wide 
near the fences on all the mowing land. 
One or two years they let the trimming 
after the mowing machine go, and the 
bushes got too much start. Althougn 
they bought the farm “skin renters” 
could not have treated it more shabbily, 
and now it will not bring over two- 
thirds what they paid for it, and the 
income from it is growing less each year. 
Don’t get the idea that you are not go¬ 
ing to stay. Every place has sonic draw¬ 
backs that are not seen on the surface. 
There is more in your farm than you 
have ever taken out. “Get busy.” 
We are almost always tempted to begin 
plowing too early. There is lots to do 
in the Spring, and we want to push the 
work along, but it is time ill spent when 
plowing is done before the ground is 
ready. When it is fit to plow it can be 
quickly fitted for the crop, and put in 
good condition, but it is hard work to 
get land in good shape plowed too early. 
We have seen clay loam plowed too 
quickly, and the soil was lumpy through¬ 
out the season, and it would be almost 
impossible for the tiny rootlets of a plant to penetrate 
one of these chunks of soil. Before you plow pick up 
a good handful of the soil and squeeze it. If water 
leaks out through your fingers or you have a mass of 
putty in your hand, wait awhile before you plow. If 
you want to raise a crop of corn this year and have 
very few weeds in the field try this plan: Plow the 
ground as early as you can, and have the land in good 
condition. Let it lie a week and harrow it once. Then 
harrow it once a week for a month or six weeks before 
you plant your corn. Many of the weed seeds wdl 
sprout early; your frequent harrowing will kill them, 
and you have comparatively a clean soil when you plant 
your corn. We have tried this and know it works. 
Personally we are not very fond of Holstein cows, but 
a friend said recently: “If it hadn’t been for our Hol¬ 
stein cows I should have been in a hole long ago.” We 
know that in one year recently he cleaned up over a 
thousand dollars profit from this herd of about 40 Hol- 
steins. We can at least respect a herd that will do this. 
He is not feeding any grain; says he can’t afford to 
at the price he gets for his cream, and the high price 
of grain. His hay is not early cut, nor of the best, 
and you can imagine his cows are not paying much. We 
saw them last Spring and the proverbial “Spring poor” 
is too tame an expression to describe them. If one 
isn’t going to take care of cows there certainly will be 
no money in them, and precious little fun in it. As 
one dairyman said: “I’m keeping cows for the pleasure 
of their company,” but there is no pleasure surely in 
their company unless they are doing well and are kept 
healthy and contented. We once knew a man who 
started in the hen business and went on the theory: 
“If you won’t lay I won’t feed you.’ and as a conse¬ 
quence he soon quit the hen business for the good of the 
hens. If you do not put something into your cows (or 
hens) or anything else you undertake you can never 
expect to take much out of the business. 
H. G. MANCHESTER. 
SPRAYING BEANS WITH BORDEAUX. 
Has anyone met with success in spraying beans to prevent 
rust or blight? 
I have not come into communication with the growers 
of commercial dried beans who are regularly spraying 
to prevent fungus diseases, but 1 know of canning fac¬ 
tory people who have been spraying for several sea¬ 
sons with great satisfaction. They are using the ordi¬ 
nary strength of Bordeaux Mixture, although it is 
presumed that a somewhat more dilute solution would 
answer the purpose equally well, and they are holding 
their bean plants free from blight when fields alongside 
that are not sprayed are practically ruined. I have no 
hesitation in saying that if the work is begun early 
enough and persistently followed up the Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture will prevent blight of beans as effectively as in the 
case of potatoes. J. l. stone. 
Cornell University. 
There has always been more or less rust or anthrac- 
nose affecting beans in this locality. Last year it was 
worse than usual in some neighborhoods, while in most 
other sections there was very little, if any, of it. We 
do not know of any cases in which spraying was re¬ 
sorted to. The farmers generally have an idea that 
spraying, in order to be efficient, must be done before 
the rust appears, and they don’t want to do it then, for 
they are not certain that their crop is going to rust, and 
after the crop has rusted, they think it is too late. 
We certainly would be very glad to know how and 
when this Bordeaux Mixture should be applied, and also 
whether any benefit can be derived from the treating of 
the seed before it is planted and how it should be treated. 
We will be glad to provide a machine for spraying beans 
and have it in readiness to use this year in case it should 
seem to be necessary. n. b. keeney- & son. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. 
On the low ground I had marked results in the bright¬ 
ness and size of the vines. At the same time, on the 
upland, where there is good air drainage, there was not 
much difference, and I met with the same results differ¬ 
ent years. On the whole, I would not advise spraying 
field beans for profit. albert wood. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
It has been our custom, as well as that of many 
other canners, to spray string beans during the growing 
season. We use for that purpose the regular Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture, and spray them several times during 
the season. Regarding a machine for loading peas will 
say that we have placed an order this year with C. H. 
Childs & Co. for a number of machines that we expect 
are going to do the work. 
Madison Co., N. Y. the burt olney canning co. 
I have never sprayed beans; one of my neighbors did 
one year, but thought it did not pay. Some of the can¬ 
ning factories have the beans raised for string beans 
sprayed and claim it is the only thing to do to be suc¬ 
cessful. CLARK ALLIS. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
NOTES ON SHOCKING WHEAT. 
Most people are probably familiar, in a general way, 
with the principles and methods used in wheat shocking. 
Yet there are details, the conformation to, or neglect of 
which, makes all the difference between a first-class job 
and a poor one. I wish to show here some of the details 
which make for convenience and excellence in the work. 
I find the following plan of setting up a shock most 
satisfactory: Set down four bundles in a row, and fol¬ 
low with one in the middle on each side. Now place a 
bundle in each of the four vacant places, and put on 
two caps. For caps, select bundles with long straw 
above the bands. They will cover the shock better, and 
will not fall off so easily. Place the heads of the caps in 
the direction from which the strongest winds blow. If 
the heads face the wind, the caps will not blow off as 
readily as they will if the butts face it. 
Here are a few general suggestions: If the shock 
has been set up as here directed, it will contain 12 bun¬ 
dles. Experience teaches that this is very nearly the 
right number. Some little variation, of course, is allow¬ 
able. But if a shock is much smaller, it lacks stability; 
and the same is true if the shock is much larger, espe¬ 
cially if the wheat is dead ripe. When the wheat is 
dead ripe, the heads stand out. and, especially in a 
large shock, the bundles are liable to fall down. If 
the heads stand out, it is a good plan to hug the shock 
tightly before capping. In a large shock slightly green 
wheat is apt to mold. When starting a shock, if con¬ 
venient, start it in the middle of the bunch of bundles. 
This will save the time and labor involved in carrying 
bundles around the shock. If practicable, put shocks in 
exactly straight rows. This will not increase the yield, 
but it will produce a neat appearance, and will make it 
easier to get at in hauling from the field. If pushed for 
time, however, put shocks where most convenient. One 
cannot afford, in so practical r. matter as wheat shock¬ 
ing, to sacrifice economy for neatness. To avoid damp¬ 
ness as much as possible, place shocks out of depres¬ 
sions. While it is true that only the butts would be wet 
by the surface water, it is also true that a shock, once 
wet, will dry out more quickly on dry than on damp 
ground. 
If the foregoing suggestions are followed in shocking 
wheat, two very desirable things will, I think, be ac- 
accomplished. The work will be done 
with a minimum of time and energy, 
and a first-class job of work will be 
done. I helped shock over 40 acres of 
wheat last Summer, during which these 
suggestions were kept in mind. As a 
result, fewer caps blew off, fewer shocks 
fell down, and a neater appearance was 
made than in neighboring fields. 
Indiana. c. A. ludwig. 
BROODER GASOLINE BURNER. 
Will F. Q. -White tell us more about his 
brooder—the one heated by a gasoline 
burner. many readers. 
The letters piling up here state that 
there is “room for oceans of improve¬ 
ment in brooders.” There seems to be 
hardly anyone satisfied with his brood¬ 
ing arrangements, and as it is impossi¬ 
ble for me to answer any more personal 
letters, I will give a description of our 
houses. 
I am very sorry to say that Mr. Men- 
ges is not ready to put his heater drum 
on the market, as it is the best thing 
for its purpose we have seen yet. He 
hopes to be ready another year, and it 
is pretty late to make much change this year anyhow. 
You can try the gasoline burners on your old brooders 
if you wish, as they merely take the place of a lamp, 
doing the work much better and cheaper, too. ‘ Any per¬ 
son wishing to raise only a few chickens can get along 
with a kerosene lamp, but when you have 1,000 or 
2.000 little ones to look after in all kinds of weather, 
then is when you will appreciate our system of brood¬ 
ing. The gasoline burners can be secured from a gaso¬ 
line stove manufacturer. We have some made in 
Cleveland, Ohio. The Omaha Stove Repair Works sell 
a very simple one that we like very much, but they 
charge exorbitantly for them, and we have been too 
busy to find anyone who will make us a good burner at 
a reasonable price. In Fig. 154 a gallon oil can, A, is 
soldered to a pipe, B, for a tank and 4/> feet of pipe 
gi.-es good pressure for the burner, which sets under 
the heater drum, F, where the lamp ordinarily sets. 
The box where the burner is, E, must be fireproof, as 
the heat is very great from a stove burner. As a mat¬ 
ter of fact we never use the stove burner, as the 
small igniter gives all the heat we need. It is well to 
use plenty of asbestos between all wood and the box 
where the burner is. There is no smoking, and we 
rarely have a bun' r go out; only one went out last 
year, and one must be sure no gasoline has leaked out 
before re-lighting the burner, or there will be trouble, 
as it is explosive. Ten gallons of gasoline have warmed 
six houses one week, April 3 to 10, filling the tanks 
twice in that time, and no trimming or bother rainy 
nights, as it used to be with lamps.. We have two 
different sized houses. 6x8 and 8 -x 8. For the earlier 
hatches, those coming in March or early in April, we 
like the smaller house best, as being smaller it is more 
easily kept warm. We keep from .50 to 200 chicks in 
each house, and sometimes take the bu ners from houses 
which do not need heat any longer, and use the same on 
other houses with newly-hatched chicks. After the first 
ot June we take all burners out and store them, ready 
for next year. Fig. 154 shows house, cut at center 
showing lamp box heater, E, drum, F, with burner under¬ 
neath it; C, hover; D, curtain. floyd q. white. 
S. 
HAY LOADER SAVES A HIRED MAN. FlG. 156. 
