346 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 21, 
again “after corn shucking.” Some “swear off” on 
drinking, marry, and settle dowa to be good, sober, in¬ 
dustrious citizens. But most—although good workers— 
have to “go to town” about every two weeks and get 
on their “regular drunk.” in which knives, revolvers, 
and the latest approved forms of Kentucky profanity 
are horribly mixed up. I never hire a man for any 
specific time. I learned better years ago. I should be 
obliged to come up to my contract—the man will do as 
he pleases about it, in spite of all of my efforts. So I 
hire “by the day,” for as long as we mutually wish only. 
Here an ordinary farm hand gets about $1 a day and 
board through the Spring and Summer. About the last 
of October half of the hands “jump their jobs” and 
“strike for corn shucking,” at which the best of them 
can fully double the above wages. About Christmas 
the depot platforms will be weighted with jolly crowds 
“going back to old Kaintuck.” benj. buckman. 
Central Illinois. 
Wanted in Texas. 
I cannot help but think that such would come very 
close to solving the farm labor problem. While they 
might not be desirable where only one or two men are 
wanted at a place, yet where they could go in squads 
working under a foreman of their own nationality, they 
certainly fill the bill. This would relieve the tension in 
the demand for farm labor, and make it possible for 
anybody requiring a hand to get one. I cannot see any 
wrong in letting limited quantities of these people come 
to work on farms, but farms only. It is reasonable to 
presume that they would prove more satisfactory than 
many emigrants we get to-day from southern Europe. 
Since, as matters appear at present, a concession of 
some kind must be made on the part of our Govern¬ 
ment to the Chinese in order to appease them, a modifi¬ 
cation of the exclusion law ought to be good states¬ 
manship. J. W. STUBENRAUCH. 
Texas. 
Co-Operation in Hiring. 
As a practical farmer, one who employs about half 
a dozen men during the Spring, Summer and Fall 
months, and two to three at other times. I feel that I 
am practically acquainted with the labor problem as it 
exists in New Jersey to-day. Never was there a time 
when help was so hard to procure, so high in price, 
and so poor. The Chinese can talk no English when 
they arrive, and as I have seen them are slow to learn. 
That is the difficulty existing to-day with much of our 
imported help. These people like their own country¬ 
men and seek their society. Would not the Chinese be 
likely to do the same, where they were placed one or 
two on small farms, while on nearby farms were em¬ 
ployed Poles, Germans, Italians. Hungarians and on 
some negroes? Would it be possible to keep help under 
^ueh conditions? My opinion is that something will 
have to be done, and that soon, or the agricultural in¬ 
terests of this country are going to suffer. The key to 
the situation seems to be in the admission of Chinese 
as laborers, but the question is who is it going to bene¬ 
fit, the small farmer or the large one or monopolist? 
If the situation is left as it stands to-day I am afraid 
the man who hires large numbers of men will have the 
advantage. This can, I believe, be overcome when small 
farmers awake to their own interest. If men can be had 
in numbers why not meet those conditions and hire that 
way? We have numerous local clubs and the Grange. 
Why not bring these people here, and if need be colonize 
them in each neighborhood? Hire an interpreter, let 
one or more cook and prepare their meals as they are 
wont to have it done, give as near homelike conditions 
as circumstances will warrant, and then 1 believe we are 
doing something that has some foundation under it, but 
so long as Jones hires colored help, and his .neighbor 
Smith employs Poles, and so on around the neighbor¬ 
hood. I fail to see where Chinese will be any improve¬ 
ment. They are absolutely green as to our methods of 
farming. Now if we are to change hands every few 
days or a month “where are we at” as progressive agri¬ 
culturists? To the average farmer of this country 
who employs two or four farm hands, let me urge you 
to get in line co-operatively, unite your forces in your 
vicinity, and be prepared for this move. You have your 
Granges in almost all localities, and those who have not 
should have, and can have for the asking. Then through 
these organizations or other kindred ones co-operate and 
be prepared to handle these Chinamen as good judg¬ 
ment dictates. It should be done, it can be done, and 
I hope in the near future will be done. c. C. hulsart. 
New Jersey. 
EXERCISE BEFORE SCHOOL.—Fig. 136 shows a 
situation that will appeal to the boys who have 
to take this form of exercise while perhaps their 
chums are disporting themselves out on the street. 
We would suggest, if consolation is needed, that 
the operator apply some of Tom Saw T yer’s philos¬ 
ophy. and thus make the bucksaw an evidence of higher 
intelligence, just as that youthful philosopher impressed 
his friends with the dignity of the whitewash brush. 
MAIL BOX ON A WIRE. 
I send a drawing and description of my R. F. D. 
mail box on wire. A, Fig. 137, shows box ready to 
start. For a beginning I have a stout post in the 
ground; for motive power I have a bicycle with saddle 
and front wheel removed fastened against post with 
pins as shown in cut. The main wire is No. 10; 0 would 
EXERCISE BEFORE. SCHOOL. Fig. 130. 
be better for long lines. The belt wire is No. 17 gal¬ 
vanized. Broom wire will do for a short line on level 
ground. The box itself is an ordinary R. F. D. box; 
the block under the box is hard wood and about one- 
half the length of the box. The belt wire starts at 
this block, runs the entire length of the line, around the 
wheel at end of route, returning over pulleys on inter¬ 
mediate posts, around bicycle wheel and fastened to 
block at other end, in a small hole in a piece of strap 
iron fastened in block. This makes an endless belt, as 
if it were fastened to the box. B shows end of route 
with box open; the wheel is an old sewing machine 
wheel. I have a trough or support for box at this end 
to hold it firm while being opened and shut. C, Fig. 
138, shows end view of box, passing an intermediate 
post, which should be about 50 or GO yards apart. The 
wooden bracket is 2 x 2-inch stuff; the iron aj top that 
supports the top wire is made of old spring wagon tire 
with a half-round groove on top for the wire to rest 
in; if groove is made to fit wire it needs no fastening; 
its weight holds it in place. The top wire should be 
high enough above notched guides below so the bottom 
of box does not “bump”’ when passing a bracket. D. 
Fig. 138, shows how pulleys are arranged, also guides 
DETAILS OF MAILBOX ON WIRE. Fig. 138. 
to keep belt wire on pulley when box passes. The 
guides are made of inch hard wood screwed to arm of 
bracket. The outside pulley is underneath arm, and 
should be about one foot from other pulley so wires 
do not get “mixed” on windy days. The top wire 
should be kept tight with a wire fence ratchet. Belt 
wire must not be too tight, just tight enough not to 
slip on wheel when turning crank. 
My line is about 250 yards long; extends over creek 
and up a considerable hill to road, which is about 75 
feet higher than starting point, but box must go up and 
down in two minutes. If any of our folks try this 
plan just use brains, hands and determination, as I had 
to. I studied and scratched my head for a year; then 
worked hard before I could make it go. I did all the 
mechanical work myself and spent about $5 in money 
for the entire outfit. It has been in use about three 
months, and gives good service and lots of satisfac¬ 
tion ; would not do without it for three times its cost. 
The intermediate posts should be high enough to carry 
box up out of the way of teams, etc. The line may be 
built over a hill or hollow, but must not vary much 
sideways. a. a', s. 
Woodstock, Va._ 
THE WORK OF LIME AND SULPHUR. 
On page 254 is an article from an orchardist who finds 
live San Jose scale beneath the lime, salt and sulphur 
applied last Fall. This same condition holds with no 
variation in practically every case I know of, and has 
each year since the use of lime and sulphur sprays has 
been practiced in the East, and yet in the total there 
have been nine cases of final success to one of failure in 
the scores of orchards which I have observed during 
the past three years. The key to the situation is in 
the fact. I believe now firmly proven, that although 
some scale is killed by the immediate action of the lime- 
sulphur, yet the greatest good comes from the June 
work which the material does upon the young hatched 
at that time. I am inclined to believe Fall applications 
of lime-sulphur sprays are not to be recommended un¬ 
less the work can be repeated in the Spring, for much 
of the June effect is certainly lost, although made up 
‘partly by the action on scales more immature in the 
Fall than later. If I were in the owner’s place I would 
not be alarmed if a goodly amount of the material re¬ 
mains on the trees still, particularly if the orchards are 
peaches. If. however, there is little material left, and 
the trees are apples, I would retreat. 
PERCY L. HUSTED. 
PLUM CURCULIO; BORDEAUX MIXTURE. 
My orchard of 250 plum trees has had a great surplus 
of curculios. How do tlies'e insects get on to the trees? 
Do they fly from the ground or crawl up the bodies? 
Spraying does not seem to kill them, so I am thinking of 
putting about a four-inch strip of sticky fly-paper around 
the body of each tree above the ground, renewing the strips 
about once each week for several weeks after the plums 
“set." Can you tell me if this plan has been successfully 
tried? Will an excess of lime in Bordeaux Mixture and 
Paris-green have any injurious effect on the chemicals 
used? I usually use several times more lime than the regu¬ 
lar formulas recommend, in order to make the spray snow 
white when dry on the trees. J. w. t. 
Marion, O. 
The Plum curculio is able to fly, and most of them 
get into plum trees by flying. Possibly a few may 
crawl up the trunks; I doubt, however, if more than 
one in 50 crawls up the tree. Various kinds of bands 
have been used on the trunks of plum trees to prevent 
the ascent of the beetles, but so few beetles are caught 
that the method was long ago discarded. The two 
methods now employed successfully for controlling 
the Plum curculio are the “jarring” process and spray¬ 
ing with a strong poison. The “jarring” process is 
familiar to all, and effective when faithfully practiced. 
Many plum grow r ers are also confident that they con¬ 
trol the pest with poison sprays. I have carried on 
some co-operative experiments along this line with 
some New r York fruit growers during the past two 
years. The general conclusion from these experiments 
is that the Plum curculio is readily controlled with 
a poison spray on cherries; some fruit growers are 
also convinced that it can be controlled on plums, but 
most of the results were not conclusive; and there is 
need of further experiment on peaches, as the evidence 
is very meagre. I would recommend the arsenate 
of lead in preference to other poisons, for it adheres 
better, can be used much stronger, and there is less 
danger of injuring the foliage. Use the poison at the 
rate of from three to four pounds in 50 gallons of 
water for Bordeaux Mixture, and the Bordeaux should 
contain not more than half as much of the copper sul¬ 
phate as is usually used on apples, for the foliage of 
stone fruits is often easily injured by it. At least two 
applications should be made, one just after the blossoms 
drop, and another about a week later. Recent experi¬ 
ments in Missouri and Illinois, where the Plum cur¬ 
culio is a serious pest on apples, show that under fa¬ 
vorable conditions from 20 to 40 per cent of the fruit 
can be saved by five sprayings, and that a large majority 
of the grubs and pupae can be disturbed and killed by 
thorough superficial tillage within a period of 30 days 
from July 10, as the insect transforms within two 
inches from the surface of the soil. No, an excess of 
lime in Bordeaux Mixture and Paris-green would have 
no injurious effect on the ingredients used, but an ex¬ 
cessive amount of lime would be liable to clog the 
nozzle and make it more difficult to apply thoroughly. 
Some seasons, when there is an excess of moisture, 
it is best to use two or three times as much lime as 
the formula calls for. As one can never foretell such 
seasons, it is always advisable to use the lime freely, 
but I would not load up the mixture with more than 
two to three times as much lime as is necessary to 
make the Bordeaux Mixture. m. v. slingerland. 
