582 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 28 , 
depend the production of abundance often undreamed. 
Moreover, the possibilities of demand are equal to the 
supply. This is a hungry world, and all the mouths are 
seldom if ever fully fed. The way to market may be 
long. Often by some means in effect, if not in miles, 
4his may be greatly reduced; at any rate, it is well to 
remember “He is always farthest from market who has 
nothing to sell.” 
THE 1905 ACCOUNT.—Following is a statement 
of receipts and expenditures for the year 1905. Quite 
a number of minor entries on both sides are grouped 
under the term “miscellaneous”: 
RECEIPTS. 
Dairy products . 
Eggs and poultry . 
Strawberries . 
Raspberries, red and black. 
Blackberries . 
Grapes ... 
Apples and pears . 
Pansies . 
Radishes . 
lettuce . 
Cabbage . 
Corn .... 
Tomatoes . 
Cantaloupes ... 
Watermelons ... 
Cucumbers .... 
Celery ... 
Beets . 
Lima beans .. 
Snap beans . 
Peppers . 
Miscellaneous . 
Total receipts 
EXPENDITURES. 
Labor . 
Fertilizers . 
Feed . 
Seeds . 
Freight charges. 
Taxes .. 
Blacksmithirig .. 
New wagon and harness . 
Crates . 
Market expenses . 
Miscellaneous repairs and improvements 
Total expenditure 
$135.23 
265.42 
555.96 
462.07 
101.11 
77 22 
100.43 
60.28 
101.31 
39.77 
416.66 
. 256.47 
912,56 
238.14 
25.39 
41.34 
43.47 
4S.91 
25.11 
60.75 
58.75 
78.28 
-.$4,108.23 
$1,286.99 
. . 522.03 
. . 392.03 
. . 54.71 
. . 14.24 
.. 28.95 
. . 23.41 
. . 150.00 
. . 46.32 
. . 107.31 
. . 70.58 
——--$2,696.57 
Net earnings . $1,411.66 
Pennsylvania. d. l. hartman. 
TIMBER FOR FENCE POSTS. 
Which would be most profitable to raise for posts, tele¬ 
phone poles and timber, Catalpa, Yellow locust, Black locust 
or chestnut? 1 would like to know the lasting qualities of 
each. Do you know of any other wood that will last as 
long as or longer than these? s. R. b. 
Newark Valley, N. Y. 
Catalpa speciosa is likely to prove the most profitable 
and manageable tree to grow for fence posts. It is 
hardy, quick growing and quite free from disease and 
insects. Yellow and Black locust are the same, though 
it is more usual to call this tree Black locust. It 
makes very durable posts and is a quick-growing tree, 
but so liable to be attacked by borers before it reaches 
suitable size that it is scarcely worth planting. There 
is only one native timber likely to be as durable, and that 
is the Osage orange, but it is a very slow-growing tree 
and often affected by San Jose scale. The chestnut 
is very profitable if you have a natural stand and can 
care for the sprouts that come from the stumps, but it 
does not seem practicable to grow chestnut posts from 
the seed. It takes 15 to 20 years for chestnut sprouts to 
grow to post size from the stump. Catalpa in good 
soil will reach post size in from eight to 12 years. 
NATURAL GRAFTING OF TREES.—Fig. 237 is 
a good illustration of the not uncommon phenomenon 
of the natural joining of trees of the same species 
growing near together. Probably limbs from each tree 
rubbed together many years ago, until the bark was 
partially denuded, and then grew together, the union 
gradually enlarging until it became the broad, firm 
brace so well shown in the cut. Much rarer is the 
apparent grafting or union of trees of diverse species, 
but this is accomplished by one growing over or 
around a portion of the other and not by a true physi¬ 
ological union of the tissues. Thus we have seen a 
hemlock and beech joined together, but close inspec¬ 
tion showed that the beech had closed about the hem¬ 
lock limb that formerly grew through a crotch in 
the former tree. 
DESTROYING FIELD MICE. 
We are much troubled with what we believe to he field 
mice. They have injured many costly bulbs, and done a 
great deal of other mischief. We found holes in the 
ground in many places, and a great many of them on the 
outside near the foundation of the house. How would 
we best get rid of these pests? Some one suggested that, 
if I mistake not, bisulphide gf carbon should be placed in 
the holes and those stopped up. I have hesitated following 
this course, particularly near the house, for fear that if 
these little rodents should die, either in their holes or 
after finding an entrance into the house, the resulting odor 
might be almost unbearable. Furthermore, I do not know 
much about bisulphide of carbon, and am afraid that its 
odor near the house might be very disagreeable; besides it 
may be poisonous to touch or inhale. c. s. s. 
New Ilaven, N. Y. 
Field mice do not often cause injury so near the 
foundation of bouses as they appear to in your case. 
They are best got rid of with some poison placed on 
grain and dropped in their holes or runways. There is 
very little danger of actual field mice getting in the 
house after poisoning and dying, but if the injury is 
caused by ordinary house mice some would likely die 
where they would cause a transient inconvenience. The 
best method of poisoning ground mice is to drop corn 
or wheat prepared with strychnine in their runways, 
covering the holes with stone or slate, so that other 
vermin arc not likely to get at it. Any druggist can 
prepare wheat or corn with strychnine on application, 
if you explain for what it is needed. Bisulphide of 
carbon is not very convenient to use about dwellings. 
It is a liquid giving off a very offensive gas, and while 
not highly poisonous when used in the open air is very 
OHIO TREES FIRMLY JOINED. Fig. 237. 
inflammable, and likely to cause explosion if used near 
a cigar or fire of any kind. The method of using it is 
to saturate balls of cotton with it and drop them in the 
holes, stopping them at once with clods made of sod 
or moist earth. While effectual in the open field, it 
is as we have said not convenient to use about houses, 
as gas is likely to escape in the cellar. It is not poison¬ 
ous to the touch and only moderately so when inhaled. 
MOVING SPRUCE AND PEAR TREES. 
I wish to move this Fall or next Spring, according to 
your advice, some Norway spruce trees. They are 10 years 
old and from eight to 15 feet high and vigorous. What is 
the easiest, cheapest and most practical method? Also 
some pear trees, Clapp and Bartlett, about same age. 
St. Catharines, Ont. h. s. 
It is not difficult to move Norway spruce trees 10 
years old and 8 to 15 feet high, nor pear trees of the 
same age, though the latter are likely to suffer a con¬ 
siderable check, and are not likely to start strongly for 
two o.r three years after moving. It is better when 
moving trees of this size first to prepare the holes in 
which they are to be planted, digging them very wide 
and deep, and having at hand a good supply of top soil 
for working around the roots. In digging trees of this 
size it is well to go three or four feet from the trunk 
and cut a deep circle down in the soil, preserving the 
roots as well as possible, and working under the ball of 
earth. If possible it is well to keep considerable earth 
about the roots by means of large sheets of burlap or 
sacking, which should be moistened as soon as the trees 
are moved. The drawing to the holes in which they are 
to be planted can best be done on a strong low sled. 
The ball of earth is slipped into place, the sacking 
thrown out, and good top soil well worked in among 
the roots, the ends of which should be smoothly trimmed 
with a sharp knife. The earth should be very thor¬ 
oughly worked among the roots, and packed and 
firmed, and about one-third or more of the top pruned 
away to balance a loss of the roots. The trees should 
be firmly staked and held in position by wire passed 
through a rubber hose to avoid chafing the trees. Prob¬ 
ably the best time to move evergreens is when the 
new growth starts about the middle of May. Pear 
trees may be moved any time during the Fall, Winter 
or Spring, when entirely dormant. A very safe and 
effectual but expensive method of moving evergreens 
like Norway spruce is to dig them when the ground 
is deeply frozen, cutting out as large a ball of earth as 
possible, and immediately planting in large holes, previ¬ 
ously dug in the Fall, and which have been kept from 
freezing by means of covering with fermenting manure. 
BUILDING A FIREPLACE . 
At the request of readers, we repeat from a previous 
issue illustrations and details of a fireplace used by 
J. M. Drew, of Minnesota. The lower cut, a section of 
chimney and fireplace, shows how the fire brick should 
be set to make a narrow throat toward the front of the 
fireplace. This throat or opening should extend across 
the entire width of the fireplace from side to side, but 
should be not more than two or three inches wide. This 
has the effect of making a strong draft at the front and 
will not allow any smoke to get past it. If the whole 
size of the flue is left open some of the smoke is almost 
sure to roll out, as the flue gets enough draft without 
making a very strong pull at any one place. Narrow¬ 
ing the opening into a flue has the same effect as using 
a nozzle on a hose; it gives more force where it is 
wanted. In a flue a certain amount of air is continu¬ 
ally rising; by narrowing the opening a strong draft is 
caused through the opening. . This sketch also shows the 
way the sand box is supported under the brick hearth. 
The sand box is supported by pieces of 2 x 6 spiked 
to a joist and let into the chimney. The hollow foun¬ 
dation of chimney is used as a storage place for ashes. 
This is a great convenience, as the fireplace may be 
cleaned in a moment by moving the iron plate and 
sweeping the ashes into the hole. The clean-out door 
at the bottom is large enough so that a common shovel 
is used to get the ashes out. A fireplace should have 
a flue in the chimney separate from that used for fur¬ 
nace or stoves. An inside chimney, that is, one built in 
the middle of the house, always has a better draft than 
one built into the outside wall, as it is kept warmer. 
An outside chimney often does not draw well when fire 
is first started, but does better after it becomes warm. 
The first cut shows how the fireplace looks from 
the front. The inside is lined with fire brick set in 
fire clay mortar. The other brickwork is of gray pressed 
brick. The arch is almost straight and rests upon two 
pieces of channel iron which are let into the. wall on 
each side. 
