1906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 
Hope Farm Notes 
Farm and Home. —The snow has gone, 
except for little fringes along the north 
side of the stone walls, and the wind is 
fast drying out the ground. This gives us 
a good chance to see where we are at. 
I am afraid some of our Fall-set straw¬ 
berries have been killed. They were small 
and planted late. With an average Winter 
—where the ground remains frozen all 
through—these plants would have lived 
through, but the thaws and freeze of this 
season were too much. The earlier set 
plants look right thus far. I regret to say 
that most of the Alfalfa seems to be on 
top of the ground. It may revive and 
make a showing yet, but at this writing 
is doesn’t seem likely. It started the 
Winter in good condition, but like the 
strawberry plants, seems to have been 
pulled out by the roots. The old patch 
seems to be a total wreck, and I expect to 
plow it up and set raspberries. Too bad 
when Alfalfa means so much to a farm 
like ours. Up to date the peach buds look 
right for a fair crop. It’s early yet, still 
I think we shall have some peaches, and 
they will be very welcome. The young 
trees have mostly wintered well. I hear 
some complaint from people who say they 
have lost many trees from mice working 
under the mulch, even when cinders are 
piled around the trees. We have not lost a 
single tree thus far that I have been able 
to find. They were all packed or mounded 
with earth last Fall, and there has not 
been enough snow to cover these mounds 
for any length of time. The boy has taken 
the job of hoeing these mounds down 
and leveling the soil around the tree. I 
offered him seven cents an hour for the 
work, But he wanted to work by the tree. 
So he said I could time him for half an 
hour to see how many he could do. Like 
some other workmen he put on steam at 
the wrong point, and fairly ran from 
tree to tree so as to make a record in his 
half hour—forgetting that such a record 
would stand. Then I think he made a 
little mistake in counting—at any rate 
he reported 106 trees finished. At 
cents the price for a single tree will not 
run very high, and when the sun gets 
high the boy will regret that he used his 
trial half hour in which to “show off.” 
. . . I have, in times past, spoken of 
washing machines. Our machine went 
out of use and stood idly at the back 
door. It became necessary for Mother 
to take a hand as laundress again, and 
so the old machine was hunted up. There 
was a great lump of ice in it where the 
water had run in and frozen. This was 
scalded out and the old veteran put into 
service. With the boy on the handle it 
■did great work. The way it took those 
clothes between its wooden fingers and 
scoured the dirt out of them was a full 
sermon to some humans who think they 
ought to go on the retired list. The 
only way the old machine could talk was 
in the language of swashing water and 
creaking wheels, but it plainly said: 
“You thought I was a back number, 
did you? Put me out behind the house 
to tumble into kindling wood! Well. I 
just held myself together through cold 
and heat and rain and sun in order to 
show you a thing or two. Just fill me 
with hot water, pile the soap on those 
clothes and turn the crank and I’ll show 
you whether I’m fit for the wood pile or 
not! Don't give me cold water and a 
lack of soap, but use me right. Mine is 
a laundry job, but if I had your language 
I'd preach a sermon on labor that would 
make some of you folks ashamed of your¬ 
self.” 
And the old machine would too. Most 
folks are not thrown out of service by 
others, but they get out themselves and 
invite the woodpile to march up to them 
when they ought to be having the best 
years of their lives. 
Stock Notes. —The horses have come 
through the Winter in good shape. No 
one would expect much joking from 
Fob. Yet he feels that life needs a little 
merriment. I took him the other morning 
to drive Mother to the station. “Why did 
you take this slow horse!” It was of 
■course my duty to defend Bob, which 1 
proceeded to do as a faithful, sane and dig¬ 
nified animal—it being a great comfort to 
have such a faithful beast in the family. 
I left him standing by the station, fully 
convinced that his highest ambition was 
to stand still. The train came and just as 
I was doing the honors—helping Mother 
on the cars—a neighbor yelled: 
“Look at your horse!” 
It was easy to look! There was Bob 
on the dead run for home. I had no idea 
. the little horse had such speed in his 
stiff legs! I forgot about my case of 
“shingles” and started after him. There 
was no good reason wby I should look 
behind so the bystanders lost the best 
part of the joke! I puffed before I caught 
that little horse. He finally stopped and 
looked at me as if to say: 
“Now as man to man, can’t I make you 
understand one of the simplest thing? 
connected with good society? Don't pay 
too much attention to your wife. She 
could get on that car without your help. 
I am tired of seeing ‘self help’ discouraged 
in any such way. Be warned in time 
and cut it out. Do you notice how I 
handle Nellie and Madge?” 
I had noticed the little horse nipping 
and lashing at these barn ladies, but sup¬ 
posed it meant a good share of his food 
unconsumed by energy. I will take him 
out and work him until he has nobler 
views of his associates. 
The Poor Postmaster.— I believe in 
giving everybody a fair show, and so print 
the following from a Louisiana postmas¬ 
ter : 
I do not see that anyone has said a word 
in defence of the postmaster complained of 
in Hope Farm Notes, page 241. 'Hie post¬ 
master was wrong; he should look for mail 
when requested to do so. But as a post¬ 
master of 13 years' experience I want to offer 
a few words of apology. First, if you have 
never tried it, you do not know how hard it 
is to work in a postoffice, express office or 
a railroad ticket office, and you have no 
idea of the work, worry and trouble which 
has to be gone through every day. I had 
one man come to my office at least an average 
of three times a week for four years, and 
during that time he received two letters, 
one of which I had a friend write him in 
hopes he would stop asking for mail. I re¬ 
ceive two mails a day and do not average 
26 drop letters per year, yet people will come 
in three and four times a day and ask, for 
mail. I have had people mail letters that 
took 56 hours to reach their destination 
come in 36 hours after and ask me why they 
did not get answers. This is ludicrous when 
you feel that wav, but sometimes it is ex- 
actly the reverse. Then every day you must 
“See if this letter is directed right,” “Put 
on this stamp" or “Seal this for me.” It is 
hard work to smile and look pleasant all 
the time, so don't be too hard on the post¬ 
master, lie lias his troubles ns often as you 
do, and they are just as serious. Think how 
you smile when your plow won’t scour or when 
'the calf won’t drink, and the hired man does, 
and remember how hard It was to smile and 
look pious when the preacher called just as 
that cow had beaten you to the gate going 
into the cornfield. The postmaster is but 
human, and is sometimes wrong, but don't 
be too hard. 
Yet I have no doubt there are plenty 
of public-spirited citizens who would be 
glad to have these public jobs and guar¬ 
antee to put in a fair number of smiles. 
The great trouble with some of these 
public servants is that they do not seem 
to realize all the obligations that ought to 
go with the job. They are supposed to 
serve the public, and not to boss it. When 
a man manufactures a smile as the cow 
goes into the garden and the preacher 
drives in the front gate he does it from a 
sense of duty. When a man asks a post 
master what seems to be a foolish ques¬ 
tion he should remember that the Gov¬ 
ernment pays him so much an hour for his 
time, and that right in his own town are 
several gentlemen who would take his job 
and make his office a perfect garden of 
smiles What I object to is this idea 
that public servants get that they are 
larger than the public. The people who 
pay the taxes, feed them, and have a right 
to he treated fairly. I know very well 
how a little sense of power will puff up 
a man’s vanity. If he did but know it a 
good prick right in the center of the puff 
is the best thing that can happen to him. 
By the way this Louisiana postmaster 
writes I take him to be a philosopher. If 
the minister caught him in the embarrass¬ 
ing situation he pictures he would ex- 
plait^ that he was exercising for the good 
of his health. Ten to one he is a civil 
public servant. h. w. c. 
== COLUMBIA 
*50 King Buggy 
Iluy direct at factory prices. Wrlto to-day 
for free catalog of vehicles 41 ml 
harness '.’M) styles, two year guar 
TTf*' unteo, 30 days' free trial. 
NABl Columbia Mfg. & Supply Co. 
808 Vandalia Ave. 
CINCINNATI, O. 
SAVE $10.00. 
You can do this if you buy your 
Carriage of us. Ask about it. 
No. 118S Top Buggy, 
Price, - - $ 50 . 00 . 
If you intend to buy a carriage and want to 
get full value for your money, write to us for 
our new Carriage Catalogue and Wholesale 
Price List. We can show you 70 different styles 
of high grade vehicles at the lowest prices 
ever quoted on this grade of work. Our 
catalogue is free. 
ROCHESTER VEHICLE CO., 
P.O. Drawer, No. 1002. ROCHESTER. N.Y. 
“Anderton” 
Vehicles 
S OLD direct from the factory at loweit 
factory prices. 
Thirty Days Free Trial, 
No Money in Advance. 
We mean this. We are giving a real free 
trial, and we won’t ask you to deposit your 
money in any man's bands. 
No leaving your money with a banker or 
express agent. A genuine free trial without 
any fuss or quibble of any kind. 
And we won't charge you from $1,50 to 
$5.00 more for buying on this plan than we 
would charge you if you paid cash in ad¬ 
vance. There is no scheme no hidden 
meaning about this offer. 
It is a square and fair offer, made because 
we know our goods and because we can real¬ 
ly save you from $15.00 to $35.00 on your 
vehicle. 
You can "Try an Anderton with your 
money in your pocket." 
And, more than this, we will give you be¬ 
sides our thirty days' trial offer, a two years* 
approval test of the vehicle you buy of us. 
You have the right to send it back to U9 
at any time within two years. We have placed 
$25,000 in our bank as a guarantee of your 
money back if it is not all we claim for it, 
and a satisfactory vehicle in every way. 
We make this offer because thirty days 
is not a real test of a vehicle at all. Any 
vehicle ought to be all right for thirty days. 
Our vehicles have to be all right for two 
years or you get your money back. 
Why pay from $15.00 to $35.00 more to 
trade through a dealer? Why not buy an 
"Anderton” and keep this money in your 
pocket? 
Write for our free 110 page Illustrated 
catalog No. 18 of Vehicles and Harness. It 
will tell you just how and why we make this 
offer. Address 
THE ANDERTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY. 
19 Third Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
FARMERS 
HANDY 
WAGON 
Low steel wheels, wide tires, make 
loading andhandling easier. We fur¬ 
nish Steel Wheels to lit any axle, to 
carry any load. Straight or staggered 
spokes. Catalogue free. 
EMPIRE MFG.C0., Box 70 F Quincy, III. 
Factory Prices 
W ON THIS VEHICLE ON A SATIS- W 
FACTORY SELLING PLAN. 
The first selling step is to send It to you on 
30 days free trial. If it stands the racket for 30 
days and appears to be right, you pay us its 
price, but we are not released. We give you a 
personal guarantee, good for three years. Per¬ 
sonal, mind you; straight from the factory to 
you, the user. 
We are not mail order dealers, but manufac¬ 
turers. We make every vehicle we sell, and sell 
every one we make direct to the users. 
Well, this three-year guarantee: You are free 
to act on it any time. If any defect appears, if 
it is not all it should be, or all we represent it 
to be, or you are not satisfied with your pur¬ 
chase, you can have your money back for the 
ciski n 
You see we give you every ad vantage; lowest fac¬ 
tory price, buy with your eyes open, seeing and try¬ 
ing, and give you opportunity to protect yourself 
against latent defects three full years. WeseilaU 
styles of vehicles this way—all direct, and all on 
same terms and guarantee. Just now wearooirer- 
lng two special bargains. Our catalogue explains 
them all. Write uu for It. 
The Progressive Vehicle Mlg. Co., 
Dept.T. Ft. Wayne, Indiana. 
Two Years Guarantee 
AND A BARGAIN 
Send direct to our factory for catalog, 
make your selection (many styles) and we 
will ship it, freight prepaid, for you to try 
30 days. If it doesn't stand the test, if quality 
isn’t high and price low (about half local 
dealers’), if you are not satisfied, ship it back 
at our expense. 
You Deal With the Factory 
when you buy our vehicles. Not a mail order 
house or agent. And you can buy just as safely 
from us as from any local dealer. Be sure 
you send for catalog. We make it all plain 
there. We pay the freight. Address Dept. N. 
The Apex Mfg. Co., Bloomington, III. 
GUARANTEED BUGGIES 
WERE Is a reason why you can buy a bettor buggy from us at $29.SO than y 
s at W. r >. 00 and $60.00. We bought our gear woods, wheels and 
split hickory when the market was iow. These woods 
Top Buggy exclusively In the parts named and the 
It Is the highest grade, strongest, 
lo 
T E 
can from others at I 
shafts of whlto sp 
are in the Evanston . _ 
buggy itself sells to you for $ 29 . 80 . 
light draft and most stylish vehicle In the World. Hides easy, wears long , 
and Is of striking tlulsh and appearance. Our complete catalogue of 
vehicles and harnesses freo when you send for it—a book about top buggies ’ 
you ought to get and read before buying one. „_ 
- THE FAVORITE CARRIAGE MFG. CO., | 5 Dayton Block, 
iincinna 
Have You Seen the New Split 
Hickory Vehicle Book? I 
Top 
Buggies 
This is an illustration of our new 
1900 Split Hickory Special. You can't 
seo from this small illustration just 
what it is like. Our catalog shows it 
gotten up in 19 different stylos. We 
cun furnish it any way you want it 
and ship it promptly. The price is 
$50.00 with a legal binding guarantee 
for two years, and shipped anywhero 
to anyone on 30 Days Free Trial. 
T will be well 
worth your 
while to send 
for one. It costs you nothing but a penny for a postal, or a 
two-cent postage stamp. You can’t know what our great 
proposition is until you get our catalogue. You may not 
think you will be interested—perhaps you may not. We do 
not sell every one, but we can save you money. We guar¬ 
antee every vehicle that we manufacture for two years. 
Our Guarantee is a legal one and it means full value to 
every purchaser. 
hpllt Hickory Name Plate on a vehielo stands for quality. It 
stands for fair treatment, and if our goods are not satisfactory after 
you havo given them 80 l>«y» Free Trial, they cost you nothing. 
The new catalogue tells you all about the factory we have 
equipped inwhich wemunufaetureourSPLIT HICKORY SPECIAL 
TOP BI7GGY. It tells ail about the saving that you make in buy¬ 
ing from headquarters, how you save the dealer’s and middleman’s 
profit. which Is at least $26 on a buggy like our Split Hickory 
Special. Wo want you to know all about our plan. Will you write 
for our new catalogue today? 
Tho Ohio Carriage Mfg. Co., H. C. Phelps, Proa. 
Station 290 y Cincinnati, Ohio 
A Word from Texas 
About 
The Milburn Wagon 
rPEXAS Is tho Bad Lands of the wagon business—the place where 
-L hubs uml wheels go to pieces—the dry, hot land where cheap 
wagons won’t do. 
Our Texas Jobber, who has in the last live years sold 15,000 MILBURN'S, says: I have never heard of a 
loose tiro, a loose spoke or a checked hub on the Milburn Wagon since 1 havo been selling them. 
And most wagons fail because of the wheels. Tho Mltburn Whool» jtbmwh 
do not fall— that is the difference. And the hub, too.is all important. Look 
at the cut that shows how the spokes go in the MlLBUKN hub—strongest 
just where straight tenon spokes are weakest. 
That is the way with the MILBURN, all the way through. 
These hubs are all turned from Pennsylvania black birch, a closo- 
C ined, sound, durable timber. They are stored in well-ventilated 
Idings for years. When dry they are carefully culled and all checked 
hubs are thrown out. The good ones are then soaked in hot boiled 
linseed oil. The oil soaks into the pores and, drying there, makos them 
impervious to moisture. They will not swell in wet weather or shrink 
in dry weather. They are then mortised to take our peculiar double 
shoulder spoke, as shown in the cut. They are then banded; all bands 
are made of refined iron of great tensile strength. Hands are welded by 
electricity and compressed by a powerful steam compressor at the 
proper place on the hub. Bands oannot be put on a« tight by any other 
process. After the bands are on. the spokes are driven by a powerful 
hammer and we run no risk of splitting the hub. This Is tho kind of 
work that makes MILBURN WAGONS last In Texas or anywhere else. 
They are the kinds o! things you ought to know all about, before you buy any wagon. 
And to make them clear to you we publish a little Wagon Book. Heading it will make any man a good 
judgv of a wagou. It I. Fr.o. Write lor It. 
MILBURN WAGON CO., Dept. R, Toledo. O. 
