534 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 7, 
farm crops; but I thought then, and still think, that it is 
especially adapted to fruits. In fancy I saw the or¬ 
chards of various fruits that were to be. But the means 
to plant and care for these fancy could not supply. 
Evidently some course must be pursued that will yield 
quick returns. 
THE STRAWBERRIES FAIL—Having grown 
strawberries with some success in my former work, I 
concluded to make a specialty of these and add other 
small fruits and, later, trees, as means and time would 
permit, planning to improve the rest of the farm in the 
meantime as much as possible by careful culture of 
staple farm crops. A few cows, some hogs, quite a lot 
of hens and some bees also had a place in the scheme. 
Strawberries, however, was the watchword. 1 planted 
about an acre, selecting the best soil, using on it most 
of the scant supply of manure on the place, planting 
carefully and feeling confident that whatever else might 
fail that patch would be a success. Alas, what blasted 
hopes! The plants failed to thrive. Examination re¬ 
vealed the fact that the roots were infested with aphis. 
The result was almost a total failure. I had had no 
experience with this pest before and have not since, as 
it is not prevalent in this section. But the experience 
made me cautious in planting for several years. 
RESULTS THE FIRST YEAR.—On the whole, 
the first season’s work was not encouraging. Climatic 
conditions were fairly good, so the following statement 
of scant yields will serve to show the poverty of the 
soil. Six and one-half acres of corn yielded 150 bush¬ 
els; 11 acres of wheat, with fertilizer, 134 bushels; five 
acres of oats, 40 bushels; five acres of grass, not worth 
cutting. Still I kept faith in the soil and was not dis¬ 
couraged. The bees did fairly well, and as the hens 
and live stock were not directly dependent on the prod¬ 
ucts of the soil, profits from them were satisfactory. 
_ D. L. HARTMAN, 
IN FAVOR OF A ROUND BARN. 
On page 456 is to be found a question about round 
barns, and quite an unfair answer, in some respects, 
follows. Some of the disadvantages are named, and no 
advantages presented whatever. 
Now, why are we trying to fill a square hole with a 
round plug any more than the builder of a rectangular 
barn is trying to fill a round hole with a square plug? 
And, when we come down to the fine points of geom¬ 
etry, we find that our round plug comes 14 per cent 
nearer filling his square hole than does his square plug 
our round hole. 
The answer given would, in my opinion, be nearer 
fair and correct if it stated that the round barns pre¬ 
sent many advantages and some disadvantages. This 
subject is one that needs our most thorough study. No 
one has given a clearer conception or more common- 
sense statistics in favor of cylindrical barns than Prof. 
King in his “Physics of Agriculture,” chap. 18, which 
book should be in every business farmer’s library, and 
which chapter everyone should read who is at all in 
doubt as to the practicability of a round barn. 
In the published answer stress is laid on the fact that 
there is waste in building all inside partitions at right 
angles with the curved form. In view of the fact that 
an animal’s hind quarters are wider than its shoulders 
and head, we see no waste when the animals face the 
center and the stall partitions vary in proportion to the 
animals’ bodies. In the barn which I hold in mind 40 
stalls out of the 55 face the center, and what acute 
angles exist in the bins and calving pens present no 
weighty disadvantages whatever. Neither the inside nor 
outside passage behind the cows need be any wider 
than if straight, for all difficulties experienced in making 
the continuous turn are obliterated by the use of a cross¬ 
reach manure wagon. 
That the roof of a round barn will cost more to build 
than that of a rectangular structure, covering the same 
area, I admit, but is not the extra expense laid out 
in roofing more than canceled by the expense saved in 
siding a round barn? An oblong building in which the 
length is twice the breadth will require 40 per cent more 
siding, more paint and more nails than will be required 
to cover a cylindrical one enclosing the same floor 
space; while in the latter case only 24.4 per cent more 
surface presents itself for roofing. 
My opponents will glory in the fact that it costs more 
to roof a given surface than to side it, but if we are 
going to be particular enough to put on a slate roof, 
the siding must match and be built to meet its fitness, 
or we should have another case of a stove-pipe hat in 
combination with leather boots. We will find that as 
the expense in quality of the roofing increases the qual¬ 
ity of the siding follows in proportion, and we can 
hardly figure that the cost of roofing per square foot 
is twice that of siding. 
Over all our advantages and disadvantages stands 
pre-eminent the economy of labor and time, where all 
the animals are brought together under one roof, as 
they are in the cylindrical type of barn. Prof. King’s 
statement should ring in the ears of every farmer and 
burn for themselves a reserve in his memory, that— 
“Economy in labor is of much greater moment than 
economy in material, because the material simply rep¬ 
resents money invested in this case, while the extra 
labor required is a continual expense of high order.” 
The round barn with which 1 am connected is 88 
feet in diameter, 33 feet to the eaves and 66 feet high in 
the center. It contains an 18-foot silo, and with its 
three stories presents a floor space of over 17,300 square 
feet. We must not fail to appreciate the uniform 
warmth throughout our stables, or the many conveni¬ 
ences at hand in caring for stock. In most cases round 
barns are viewed with the spyglass reversed, but are 
deserving of more credit and merit than is usually 
given them. Turn the glass around before you become 
D. L. HARTMAN. Fig. 215. 
prejudiced, and look for a few advantages with the 
disadvantages. 
Having had experience with both types, I feel sure 
that the round barn meets the demand for which it was 
originally intended, and should not, with such intent, 
hesitate a moment in building one. Let us hear from 
owners of these barns as to the suitability of their 
structures for the benefit of those interested, c. o. r. 
Montgomery Co., N. Y. 
PACKING TENDER PLANTS. 
In packing tender vegetable plants, such as cabbage, 
pepper, tomato, etc., for shipment there are two essen¬ 
tials to be considered, moisture for the roots and a 
circulation through the package to prevent heating. 1 
would for that reason never use a barrel. It is too 
tight, even though the staves are cut for ventilation; 
it is too large a package; it is the wrong shape. Plants 
should always be stood upright and their roots protect¬ 
ed from drying currents of air; for this purpose there is 
nothing better than moss that most seed and nursery¬ 
men use, but in the absence of that I have found chaff 
or clover leaves answer the purpose very well. This 
dry material if used should first be thoroughly soaked 
in water before using. 
When ready to pack plants, select a ventilated crate 
A GOOD MASSACHUSETTS HOLSTEIN COW. Fig. 216. 
or box not much higher than plants, sprinkle about an 
inch of the wet material on bottom, put in plants in 
their layers, beginning at one end of package; follow 
this with a layer of moss, chaff or whatever material 
is used, and so on until package is full, making sure that 
all roots are protected. 
Tying tender vegetables in bunches is to be avoided 
as much as possible in my judgment, even though the 
bunches are made small. Some few years ago I had 
shipped me from a nearby town some sweet potato 
plants. These plants were only about hours on the 
road. I was at depot and received them when train 
arrived. This lot of plants was packed in wet moss, but 
was tied in bunches of 25 each and crowded too closely 
in the box. I found the center of the package heating 
quite perceptibly. Now, had this lot of plants been 
packed without bunching, a slatted crate used and less 
plants to same sized package this would not have oc¬ 
curred. Had this lot of plants been 24 hours on the 
road they would have been ruined. Pack loosely, using 
some wet material that holds moisture well. Use crates 
in preference to boxes or barrels, stand plants upright, 
then I think they will arrive in as good condition as in 
any other way. c. c. hulsart. 
FARMING BOTH ENDS OF THE COUNTRY. 
The following extract from a letter states the thought 
in the mind of many a farmer of middle age. This man 
is located in the Central West, south of the Ohio River. 
I am on a nllly farm on which I can make nothing except 
in the culture of grapes. The Winters here are severe, due 
to changeableness, being in the path of the storms constantly 
passing from northwest to east, and it does not agree with 
me to hibernate, nor to work on the farm in Winter. I 
have too much interest here to go away permanently, but 
would like to have work that would be attractive to mind 
and body from about November 1 to April 1, in a warmer 
climate. I have thought some of buying a farm in Florida. 
If desirable I could take a man with family from here and nut 
him in charge of tlie Florida farm so he could farm it the time 
I would be here, and I would be in time there for the Winter 
vegetable trade. I have fair capital. My bump of caution has 
been well developed, and 1 like to know all about a thing be¬ 
fore I put money in it. I have been told that the far southern 
section of Florida was a good location ; that farmers could 
grow tobacco very profitably in Summer and vegetables for 
northern markets in Winter. That would suit the tenant 
I have in view. I have been a farmer all my life, and 
have made a specialty of fruit and vegetables for the last 
15 years. 
We often have this idea of moving back and forth. 
North and South with the seasons, advanced as a the¬ 
ory. In most cases it is not practical unless the family 
can be divided—father and mother going South in the 
Fall while the children remain and carry on the northern 
farm. In the case mentioned the chances are favorable. 
The crops—grapes at the North and tobacco and early 
vegetables at the South—will not seriously conflict in 
time of working, provided the trimming can be done dur¬ 
ing the Winter by competent hands. Many people who 
go to Florida for Winter farming locate too far north 
in the State. They are slow in getting their vegetables 
started, and before they can all be gathered and shipped 
it is time to work the northern farm. Others mistake 
in attempting to ship bulky crops on a small scale. 
The shipping trade favors the large shipper—the small 
man is always at disadvantage unless he can produce 
the very earliest crops. Our friend's idea of growing 
tobacco is wise, because that is not a bulky crop like 
potatoes or truck, and will not leave him at the mercy 
of the railroads. The idea of taking a man to stay there 
permanently is a good one. The plan is a sensible one, 
and can be made reasonably successful, but it will re¬ 
quire great patience to learn bow to handle the condi¬ 
tions which are found in southern Florida. We doubt 
if any part of that State much north of the Keys can be 
guaranteed as “frost-proof.’ It is true that frost is 
seldom known south of Tampa, yet the danger is there. 
In many of the truck and fruit patches will be found 
piles of wood all ready to be set afire in case of low 
temperature. 
A HIRED MAN ON FARM LABOR. 
I have been a subscriber to The R. N.-Y. for about 
10 years, and am greatly interested in the problem of 
farm labor. Having worked on farms as a hired man 
for the period of 12 years between the dates of 1880 and 
1892, I am therefore fully competent to speak, having 
worked in that time for 15 different farmers in New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania, staying in each place from 
three weeks to over a year. In most places the hired 
man is considered inferior to a dog. When he lives 
out the boss thinks he owns him body and soul. He 
works him on an average of 100 hours per week, and 
with very few exceptions feeds him as little as possible 
to keep him from starving to death, and on the poorest 
food imaginable, served to him in the kitchen or in an 
outhouse. I have worked in places where not a single 
meal was served during my stay that could not have 
been bought for five cents. In some places pork, pota¬ 
toes and bread with a little skim-milk formed the daily 
menu, and the only food served. Then in some places 
the bed is not fit for any human being to sleep on, the 
dog having a far better resting place than the hired man. 
The wages paid for farm labor are lower than for any 
other kind of work, some farmers expecting to get good 
help for $8 or $10 per month. Then again, when you 
ask for $5 or $10 they will put you off with $1 or $2, not 
giving you a settlement as long as you are on the place. 
I was compelled to sue three farmers in succession after 
having worked in each place a year, on each of which 
farms was a dairy of from 18 to 30 cows. Of the 15 
I have worked for only three came up at the end of 
each month and paid up like men. 
The average farm laborer is virtually a slave, having 
to work seven days every week, with poorer food than 
is served in poorhouses or prisons. The best men to 
work for T have found to be the men who put their 
shoulders to the wheel and work themselves, and who 
are not above eating at the same table with you; these 
will feed you properly and treat you right. Of course 
these are of the poorer class, who can only afford to 
keep one or two men. But it seems the richer a 
farmer is the meaner he is in his treatment of his hired 
help. There are always plenty of good men in the 
cities who would work on farms if they were properly 
treated, but those having worked on farms are spreading 
the news how thev were treated, and consequently every¬ 
one keeps shy of farms. I suppose that those.advocating 
Chinese labor have heard or read that a Chinaman can 
live on two R’s (rats and rice) and they think there is 
their opportunity, A. S. 
New Jersey, . 
