NEW YORK, DECEMBER 2, 1905. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PEK YEAK 
Voi. LXIY. No. 2914. 
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IS THANKFUL 
KEEPS SUMMER BOARDERS AND KEEPS HAPPY. 
How Machinery Saves Hired Men. 
CLEARING LAND.—Some time ago the writer told 
in your paper some of tlie labor-saving devices used by 
him about bis farm, and the number of personal letters, 
received are among the reasons that induce a further 
description. 1 have a small farm here of about 25 
acres, bounded on the east by the Mystic River. I was 
born near here, but have spent the greater part of my 
life in Wisconsin and New York. I came here in a 
wagon, overland, from central New York, about 15 years 
TWO IDLE WATER WHEELS. Fig. 381. 
ago, where potatoes usually sold for 75 cents a barrel, 
and here they usually sell for 75 cents a bushel. I have 
raised 325 bushels on a measured acre, and 75 bushels 
of shelled corn on another measured acre. When I 
bought the land it was mostly overgrown with juniper 
trees and covered with stones from size of an egg to size 
of a bushel basket; very few large ones. Trees and 
stone have been cleared from about 10 acres, and I have 
it now all in grass. The soil is naturally black on top. 
with yellow loam subsoil. I worked my land over and 
over, removing stones, small trees and roots, until it is 
all sniQoth, and every foot can be cut by machine. 
Rockweed, growing near on the coast, and selling for 
$1.50 per ton, makes one of the best and most lasting of 
fertilizers. Having boats, I can procure this myself. 
I have never reached Mr. Clark’s results in yield of 
hay, but feel satisfied with my product. I keep only one 
horse on the place, and so sell lots of hay; that makes 
settlement for store bills, and my boats furnish me fish 
and money from sailing parties that I take out on the 
Sound. I have also a good yield of oysters, of the first 
GROUr OF FARM BUILDINGS. Fig. 382. 
quality, from my own private bed, less than 300 feet 
from the house. Of course, all people cannot combine 
farming and fishing, and have a profit from both. Still, 
there are many around here that would write up very 
interesting matter. As a rule, the residents are frugal 
and have money in the savings bank. 
LETTER TO THE WEST.—Not far from me lives 
a man 78 years of age, who owns, and has lived on his 
35-acre farm over 50 years. His brother bought a farm 
of 350 acres in Iowa the same year he bought this one. 
My Connecticut neighbor has raised and educated, in 
common school, a large family, and laid away in the 
savings bank $27,000, and last year he was called upon 
by his brother in Iowa for a loan of $480 to pay interest 
■on his farm mortgage. The western man has probably 
‘‘cut a wider swath,” but evidently the Connecticut man 
has “cut closer to the ground.” The Hope Farm man 
says it’s the “man and the soil." I believe it is the man 
alone. '1 he loan of $480 for three months is nine months 
overdue and unpaid, and recently my neighbor got a 
letter from his brother asking if lie would loan him 
$200, “to make an advance payment on an automobile 
that he had bargained for, as he thought it would be so 
much easier for the young folks to get around.” My 
neighbor showed me the letter and his reply, and I will 
take the liberty to use it in my letter to you, as I know 
the Iowa man does not take The R. N.-Y., though my 
neighbor has for years. Remember the writer of the 
letter is 78 years old. and old style prevails: 
Dear George: I lake my pen in band to answer your 
letter, just received. I think though you are younger in 
.years, you must be older in mind, for you forgot to mention 
that $480, borrowed for three months, over a year ago. 
Besides this serious forgetfulness upon your part, you 
seem to think I have forgotten, too, and ask for a loan 
of $200 more, without saying a word as to when you would 
agree to pay if. t am gjad, however, you stated the object 
ROWER SHOP UNDER WINDMILL. FlG. 383. 
of the loan. You say that your young people can get 
around much better in an automobile. That may be so, 
but me and my children have got around in cowhide boots 
for a great many years, excepting Sundays, and as we 
have managed to live, and pay our own interest, or should, 
if we had any to pay, I recommend them to you, and if 
you will send tlie sizes, I will send you a pair, all round, 
and like enough, if you don't move as swift, you may be 
the better able to catch on to something. And with the 
boots, if you need if. I will send you a full barrel of mess 
pork and five bushels of beans, kept over from last year, 
that I raised on my little farm, and I will pay the freight 
on all to your place. If you accept this offer, let me know 
at once, as I butcher a steer next week, and if cold enough, 
can send you a quarter of that, as I hear that western 
beef is scarce and high. My folks are all well, and send 
love, and hope you are enjoying the same great blessing. 
No answer has yet been received. 
HAY MACHINERY.—When I decided to raise all 
hay I found my greatest difficulty in getting it from 
cart to barn, so I cut out the peak of my barn, over the 
regular hay door, making a large opening, about 12 x 15 
feet, hinged at the bottom, and when in use let down 
by hay fork rope and hoisted up and closed by the horse 
attached to the same. T have read with much interest 
the descriptions recently published in The R. N.-Y. of 
cheap and easy haying, and while your last man was cer¬ 
tainly “slick,” I can in some ways go him one better. T 
use a one-horse mower, tedder and horse rake, and haul 
to the barh on a four-wheel dump cart, with “ladders/’ 
“butterflies,” etc., taking about a ton at a jag. I keep 
no steady help, but engage a man to just pitch my hay 
on cart for me, making load myself. This lie does from 
the windrow, and I rake the scatterings later with the 
horse. My windmill tower is <50 feet high, and nearly 
in front of the barn 50 feet from same. I shove a pole 
out from this, 40 feet high, with pulley on end, and run 
a rope to the traveling head on track in barn, the other 
end of rope dropping to ground and loaded with a 
weight. As my mow is 40 feet long, and the pole 40 
THE WINDMILL GOING UP. Fig. 384. 
feet from the ground, the travel is alike in each case. 
My work harness is fitted with snaps, and when I come 
in with a load of hay I snap the horse out of the thills, 
and snap him into the whiffletree, which is fitted with 
short thills, and one snap on top of back, to ring in 
harness, near crupper, so nothing gets under horse’s feet. 
I use the Lowden hayfork and rigging, and if hay is 
fairly long and cured enough to keep, the fork will 
take 500 to 600 pounds easily. I shove in my fork, speak 
to my mare, and away she goes till told to stop. I hold 
the trip rope still standing on the load, and fill from 
the back end of barn, so that it will always come out 
readily from the front end. When the mare feels the 
relief from tripping the load, she turns, walks back, 
turns around, and awaits order to repeat. When she 
is in position, a slight jerk on same trip rope starts the 
head, and the rope with weight at windmill delivers it 
over load ready for another fork full. I want no help 
to unload, or mow away, and have no use for anybody. 
FOURTH OF JULY CANNON. Fig. 385. 
lliree to five forkfuls take up a good one-horse load. 
My mow is on the second floor, and holds 20 to 30 tons. 
WINDMILL POWER.—Having had the “run of 
tools" from boyhood, I decided to have a “power shop” 
and so built a workship 16 x 32, to which I have since 
added an addition to each end of io feet. The shop is 
12 feet high, with tin roof; T tried iron roofing, but it 
very soon rusted out, though constantly painted. I have 
a cellar under shop, full size, and through the center a 
line shaft arranged in 10-foot sections, so can throw 
