1006 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
633 
CHEMICALS AND WORN OUT SOIL. 
Story of a Ton of Hay. 
Foundations of Success. —We were 
speaking a while ago about certain forms 
of plant food producing certain specific 
results, some forms helping the growth 
of foliage, some inducing the formation of 
seed, and some assisting in the develop¬ 
ment of structural growth, each having 
its separate function to perform. The 
man’s part evidently is so to blend and 
mix the different ingredients as to fit 
them for the soil and crops. The man 
who is attempting to grow a crop of hay 
or a crop of anything else, build up a 
rundown farm, restore wasted fertility, 
and make the venture a commercial suc¬ 
cess, must have not money alone; he must 
take brains, and a fair share of them. A 
man will also need a large measure of the 
optimistic spirit. Whoever heard of a 
pronounced pessimist becoming a howling 
success at anything? Look up the biog¬ 
raphies of the great and successful men 
since the beginning of time, and without 
exception you will find them, one and all, 
men possessed of the spirit of optimism. 
They kept constantly before them a lofty 
ideal, towards the attainment of which 
their footsteps were ever turning. I have 
seen that spirit exemplified in many farm¬ 
ers’ experience. I have in mind two or 
three causes that have conspired to pro¬ 
duce failure in the formation of a meadow 
where success was confidently expected. 
The first of these, and perhaps the one 
most frequently met with, is lack of or¬ 
ganic matter in the soil. The fact is well 
known that a large quantity of vegetable 
matter in the process of decomposition 
exerts an influence in a variety of ways. 
By its gradual decay it develops certain 
acids which have a material effect in 
changing and rendering available certain 
inert forms of plant food lying dormant 
in the soil, and then a mechanical effect 
is obtained also by the presence of organic 
matter; the ground is more lively, less 
compact, better aeration, etc. To most 
persons the fact is well known that if the 
air can penetrate to a point where the 
earth is cooler than the surrounding at¬ 
mosphere, moisture will be produced, pos¬ 
sibly as the moisture gathers on the sur¬ 
face of a pitcher of water while sitting 
on the table in warm weather. Also hu¬ 
mus—or decaying vegetable matter—has 
the property of retaining large quantities 
of water in a time of rainfall, to give it 
hack in time of drought. Fertilizing ma¬ 
terial depends upon the soil moisture to 
render it soluble, for we all know that 
plants take their food in solution, like 
some men we are familiar with, they 
drink everything. 
Further Requisites. —A second reason 
why failure sometimes comes to men in 
their efforts to obtain a good stand of 
grass is owing to faulty mechanical condi¬ 
tion of the ground. Poor plowing, lying 
uncared for in the sun and wind to dry, 
harden and form clods; little harrowing, 
no rolling, all these contribute largely to 
produce failure. Another reason, one not 
so frequently advanced, is found in the 
statement made by some well-informed 
persons concerning certain fields they had 
in view—in fact, large sections of some 
neighborhoods, that, according to the 
statement, should never have been 
plowed; nature had claimed them for the 
purpose of a forest, and they never could 
be farmed profitably. As one looks over 
the mountainous section of his native 
State he sometimes wonders if there is 
not some reason for the statement. I may 
just refer to the necessity of good seed, 
enough of it, sowing both ways of the 
field to insure uniformity of seeding. 
A Successful Method. —A neighbor 
of mine who is quite uniformly success¬ 
ful in seeding meadow land, has a meth¬ 
od of his own, that invariably proves 
successful. As soon as possible after hay¬ 
ing he turns the soil with a plow three 
inches deep and 12 to 14 wide, laying it 
over quite flat. After the soil has cooked 
through he rolls and harrows until he has 
the surface to suit. After the surface has 
been properly fined, he usually works the 
field both ways with a good riding culti¬ 
vator. With the following application his 
ground is constantly increasing in produc¬ 
tiveness : 200 pounds ground bone; 200 
pounds acid phosphate; 200 pounds tank¬ 
age; 200 pounds muriate of potash, with 
probably 200 pounds nitrate of soda in the 
Spring. He is quite emphatic in his 
statement that unless he works the fer¬ 
tilizer well into the ground at seeding 
time he fails to obtain much benefit from 
it. The nitrate is invariably applied ii» 
the Spring as a top-dressing. 
Applying Commercial Fertilizer.— 
The question was asked not long since, 
where a group of rather intelligent farm¬ 
ers were gathered: “If the chemical con¬ 
tents of a load of hay can be measured, 
even approximately from the commercial 
standpoint, by the value of 25 pounds of 
nitrogen, 10 J /2 pounds more or less of 
phosphoric acid, and 18 pounds of potash, 
what shall be the form of this applica¬ 
tion, and about what the cost?” One of 
the party stated that in matters of that 
kind he thought he had got beyond the 
experimental stage, and gave this state¬ 
ment as an illustration of how he figured 
the matter out: 150 pounds of dried 
blood, 12 per cent nitrogen, $2.75 per 100 
pounds, six pounds nitrogen, $1.38; 100 
pounds cotton-seed meal, six pounds ni¬ 
trogen, $2; 50 pounds nitrate of soda, 
eight pounds nitrogen, $1.38; 100 pounds 
hone, 12 pounds phosphoric acid, four 
pounds nitrogen, $1.20; 30 pounds muriate 
of potash, IS pounds potash, at $2.25, 81 
cents; total $0.77. The party in question 
stated that the cotton-seed he purchased 
analyzed 8-2 nitrogen. Moreover, he 
went on to say that he found it profitable 
to apply just three times this much to 
every acre, 50 pounds of soda per acre in 
the Fall, the remainder in the Spring. 
M. GARRAHAN. 
TALKS WITH A LAWYER. 
Legal Holidays on Farm. 
What holidays is a man working on a 
farm by the month or year entitled to? 
New York. w. B. 
If this question refers to the number 
of days a laborer is entitled to quit work 
and receive pay it depends entirely on 
the contract. If a laborer is employed 
for work which must of necessity be 
done each day it is implied that even on 
Sunday at least the necessary work, for 
instance, milking and taking care of the 
milk, shall be done. The laborer is ex¬ 
pected and required to abstain from all 
work not necessary on Sunday because 
the law of most States prohibits work on 
that day. It does not follow that be¬ 
cause there is a legal holiday like the 
Fourth of July that no work can be done 
on that day, or that the man whom you 
have employed and paid can stop work. 
All this is a matter of contract. The 
only proper way is to have a definite un¬ 
derstanding in the contract. Custom has 
often permitted the man employed on the 
farm by the month or year to have the 
statutory legal holidays, but there is no 
law to enforce it. If your hired help 
want the day, and can get plenty of work, 
they will quit if you don’t give them the 
holiday. A contract with a hired man 
is generally a jug-handled affair anyway. 
Encroachments on Brook. 
My property is bounded by a stream on the 
east, and a road on the south. The bridge 
is 27 feet, but a building opposite to me is 
set at such an angle as to narrow the stream 
about eight or in feet, and parties owning 
a lot below this shop have filled in the 
stream about 10 feet. I put a building below, 
and from my building to a stump on the 
bank of the brook is 25 feet, which is 
proof of the width the stream formerly was. 
Narrowing the stream in time of freshet 
helps to back the water, and sometimes it 
flows over the road. Can I compel the 
owner to widen the brook, or would I better 
coax? w. v. 
New Jersey. 
W. V. neglects to state what bound¬ 
aries his deed calls for. If the stream is 
navigable he owns to the meandered 
line. If, as is probable in this case, it is 
not, he and his neighbors own to the 
middle of the stream. But no one has 
a right to use the waters or divert them 
to the detriment of his neighbors. W. J 
V. would certainly better try to coax his 
neighbors into making concessions, but if 
the damage to him is too great to bear 
he will be compelled to go to law to 
enforce his just rights. 
Various Questions. 
1. Can a statutory notice “to quit,” in 
summary proceedings to eject a tenant, and 
statutory exemptions regarding household 
furniture and wages of head of family, be 
waived? 2. Regarding proceedings Cor re¬ 
moval of hedge or fence which has become 
objectionable. 3. Can right of way secured 
through necessity be abrogated when neces¬ 
sity no longer exists? If one of several 
users of a right of way wishes to repair 
same and others refuse, can attorney fees 
and appraisers or other court costs be made 
part of the expense, and how is proportion 
of expense apportioned? E. P. N. 
Connecticut. 
1. Whenever such rights are waived it 
should be done in writing. If a land¬ 
lord finds it necessary to secure himself 
it would be better for him to take a 
chattel mortgage or an assignment of 
wages. 2. A hedge is a fence, and if the 
matter of a line fence cannot be amicably 
arranged, the regularly constituted fence 
viewers are empowered to settle the mat¬ 
ter. 3. The question of acquiring an 
easement is governed by the facts in 
each particular case. When the easement 
becomes permanent the rights of the 
owner become secondary to the public, 
and the owner has lost the right to annul 
those rights. If the owners of a private 
right of way cannot agree on the appor¬ 
tionment of costs of repairing, they 
would be obliged to go to court, and the 
court would determine and apportion the 
cost. In almost every case it would be 
cheaper for any one man to pay all the 
cost than to pay the expense of getting 
justice through the courts. 
The Columbian Raspberry. —Our first 
page picture, Fig. 260, shows a field of 
Columbian raspberries on the farm of 
Chas. Siddons, near Syracuse. The R. 
N.-Y. did much to help introduce this 
berry. We visited the originator’s place 
5 years ago and saw the original bush. 
It was claimed for years that the Colum¬ 
bian was exactly the same as Shaffer, 
but there are some distihet points of 
difference. It often happens that cus¬ 
tomers will refuse to try Columbian at 
first sight. It has a dull color, which 
looks like mold. Once let a person taste 
the berry, however, and prejudice usually 
disappears. It is a heavy yielder, strong 
and vigorous, and when once really in¬ 
troduced is a sure seller. 
Reseeding With Alpai-fa.—I f I. P., page 
502, will follow the directions of II. M. 
Cottrell, Illinois, ns to liming and harrow¬ 
ing, resowing with Alfalfa, I lielieve he will 
find the first sowing has inoculated the soil. 
I saw a fine piece of Alfalfa this Spring 
where the first sowing was not successful, 
where the ground was plowed, sowed with 
oats and reseeded witli Alfalfa. The oats 
When you write advertisers mention Tiih 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal/' See guarantee, page 8. 
I put Macbeth on my lamp- 
chimneys as I am satisfied to 
be known as the maker of the 
only good lamp-chimney. 
There are other lamp- 
chimneys, but their makers 
fail to own them. It’s no 
wonder. 
My Index is useful to everyone who owns 
a lamp, and it’s free. 
Address, MACBETH, Pittsburgh. 
HORSE OWNERS! USE 
GOMBATJLT’S 
CAUSTIC 
BALSAM. 
A safe, speedy and positive euro. 
The safest. Best BLISTER ever 
used. Removes all bunches from 
Horses. Impossible to produce 
scar or blemish. Send for cirou- 
_ __ hirs. Special advice free. 
LAWRENCE-WILL LVM8 CO., Cleveland, Ohio. 
FERTILIZER LIMEJM5S 
WALTON QUARRIES, Harrisburg, I’a. 
Still more facts about The Stevens Brothers- 
Hastings Co. Ilolsteins at Lacona and Liverpool, 
N. Y. They were at the State Fair, Syracuse, N. Y., 
last year and won 9 Firsts, 6 Seconds, 4 Thirds and 
one Championship. 
They won first and second on the produce of their 
great cow Jessie Veeman A withA.lt O. of 2G‘-.f lbs. 
butter ini days, also first and second on get of sire— 
Such a showing was never heard of before, where 
there teas any competition. 
Gilson Gasoline Engifu 
“00ES LIKE SIXTY’* 
All Sizes. Send for Catalogue. 
GILSON MFG. CO. 
Park St., Port Washington, Wis. 
ADVANCE 
Gasoline Engines. 
We make a spe¬ 
cialty of Gasoline 
Engines for farm 
ers. If you want to 
learn about the 
best farm gasoline 
engine on the mar¬ 
ket write to Geo. 
I). Poll l Mfg. 
Co., Vernon, N. Y. 
Steam Engines 
3 to 25 ITorse Power, mounted or 
stationary. Also 1, 2, and 3-Horse 
Tread Powers, 2 to 8-Horse Sweep 
Powers, Separators, Corn- 
Shellers, Feed Grinders. Fod¬ 
der Cutters,Wood Saws, Cul¬ 
tivators, Land Rollers, Cora 
Planters, Potato Planters. 
TUE UES8IXUKK BKO. CO., Tatamy, Pa. 
CHAIN-HANGING 
CATTLE STANCHION 
The Most Practical 
CATTLE FASTENER 
ever invented. 
Manufactured and for 
sale by 
O. H. ROBERTSON, 
Forestville, Conn. 
were allowed to ripen. This I do not think 
was wise as I would have cut the oats green 
and given the Alfalfa a better show. 
Rock port, Pa. a. p. k. 
A Good Wheat Crop. —I have raised no 
wheat for the past 15 years, but intend sow¬ 
ing this season after the following plan: 
The field was in oats this season; I shall 
disk the ground thoroughly, then plow : shall 
then apply barnyard manure as far as it 
will go, then about 250 pounds bone meal 
per acre on remainder of field. I shall also 
use at least two tons finely ground lime¬ 
stone per aere. The field will then be har¬ 
rowed and rolled until in very fine condition. 
I shall sow last of September or first of 
October two bushels recleaned wheat per 
acre with disk drill; follow In Spring with 
grass and clover. roy weight. 
Illinois. 
WARRINER'S h M g STANCHION 
I. B. Calvin, Vice-Presi¬ 
dent, State Dairy Associa¬ 
tion, Ivewanno, Ind.,says: 
“I think them 
PERFECT.” 
Send for BOOKLET. 
W. B. CRUMB, 
73 Main Street, 
ForestviUe, Conn. 
STEEL STANCHIONS 
Write for new circular and prices. 
F. R. & H. J. WELCHER, 
BUTLER ST., NEWAKK, N. Y. 
Do You Use a DISC HARROW ? 
If so, look at the picture. See there isn’t any tongue—but a truck—to hitch to. 
Know what that means? We’ll tell you. It means that the Detroit Tongueless 
Disc Harrow, the greatest invention of the age, will save your horses 25 per 
cent of the strain of Discing. There’s no Side Draft—and no Neck Weight. 
One horse doesn’t have to pry the machine around by 
crowding on the tongue. It’s just an even, steady pull 
for both horses, and saves much time by making quick, j 
easy turns. And it's sold direct from our factory on 
time and on approval test. If not just as represented, 
after 30 days send it back—we’ll pay all the freight 
both ways. Write for our catalogue today. It de¬ 
scribes and gives delivered prices on 14 sizes. s 
AMERICAN HARROW CO - 
TILE DRAINED LAND IS MORE PRODUCTIVE 
Earliest anil easiest worked. 
Carries oil surplus water; 
admits air to the soil. In¬ 
creases the value. Acres of swampy land reclaimed and made fertile. 
, Jackson'* Round Drain Tile meets every requirement. We also make Sewer 
iM Pipe, Red and Fire Brick, Chimney Tops, Encaustic Side \\ alk 1 lie, etc. Write 
for What you want and prices. JOUN U. JACKSON, 7G Third Arc., Albany, N. r. 
