1906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
9i5 
Hope Farm Notes 
Home Notes. —A baby brings something 
of a test of character into many homes. 
1 have spoken of these gentlemen who 
will hold the child and make much of 
him before company, but badly peter 
out when it becomes necessary to care 
for him at night. As I stood the other 
morning, long before day, holding a sauce¬ 
pan over a lamp in order to warm up the 
baby’s breakfast, I was reminded of some 
of the common things of life which bring 
humanity to a level. The child dominated 
the situation. He was pounding and call¬ 
ing, impelled by that strongest of all in¬ 
centives—an empty stomach. Of course a 
man can turn such work over to the 
women folks if he have the proper author¬ 
ity or price, but he makes a more useful 
citizen if he is able to do a good job at it 
himself. A philosopher can learn great 
lessons of life with a hot saucepan, a lively 
baby and a lady capable of pointing out 
his mistakes. . . . The little boys are 
taking great interest in collecting old 
birds’ nests. They have already found 
over 20 kinds, and know them all. The 
nests are used to decorate a room. We 
have several books on birds, including 
“Bird Homes,” “Bird Neighbors” and 
“Citizen Bird.” The children have studied 
these books until they know far more 
about birds than I do. As I examine 
these little homes I am more and more 
impressed with the great instinct for home 
building which seems to rest in every liv¬ 
ing creature. The boys tell me that the 
whippoorwill makes no nest at all, but 
you take the home of a robin or an oriole 
and see how patiently the birds must 
have toiled to build it, and what inge¬ 
nuity they showed, with only beak and 
wings for tools. It has always seemed to 
me that the life of the average bird is the 
most idle and selfish that could well be 
imagined. Yet these nests represent a toil 
and devotion such as many humans win 
never show. “Homebuilding!” Nothing 
like it in this world. The toil and sweat 
and care required to make a home out of 
what we can dig out of the world is the 
mightiest force of civilization. Those 
whose homes are made for them miss the 
best of life. ... A man is driving 
with a small boy. He is after a train. 
He knows that his horse has powers of 
speed that the boy knows nothing about. 
He gets in sight of the station with a 
stretch of one-quarter mile of hard, level 
road, and sees the train coming around 
the curve. The horse can make it by let¬ 
ting out, but what aboJcfT’the boy? I asked 
myself that question rapidly the other 
morning as Madge turned the corner and 
we saw the train coming. The instinct 
for train catching was too strong, and the 
way that brown mare flew along the road 
surprised me and, I fear, opened new pos¬ 
sibilities in the mind of that small boy. 
I didn’t know the mare had such speed. 
I am glad she has it, but I regret that the 
small boy has begun to sound its depths. 
Tree Treatment. —The following ques¬ 
tions represent several others: 
I have about 500 peach trees, same age 
as yours recently described. I have wormed 
mine with about the same results as* yours, 
and was puzzling to know what else to do 
with them. Are you sure the lye wash will 
not injure the trees? I have left the holes 
still open. Would you advise to bank soil 
up around the trees or leave level? I have 
some scale; when shall I spray, and with 
what? T. s. 
New Jersey. 
All I can do is to tell how we are 
handling the trees. After “worming” part 
of the peach trees with knife and wire we 
gave them a good dose of hot lye. The 
boys took an old wash boiler into the or¬ 
chard and set it on two large stones with 
a hole dug between them. The boiler held 
about 40 quarts. A fire was built under 
the boiler, and as the water got hot half a 
pound of potash lye was put into the 
water and well stirred up. As the water 
boiled the boys dipped it out in a gallon 
measure and poured it on the tree trunks, 
beginning about a foot above the ground 
and letting it trickle down on all sides. 
A hole had been left around the base of 
the tree. A good many trees were not 
“wormed” at all with the knife, but the 
gum was scraped from the base and a 
small hole made. Then the hot lye was 
put on. I am not sure that it will not 
hurt the trees, but I have faith enough to 
use the mixture. I feel very sure that it 
kills the borers. We are banking soil 
around all our trees. I regard this as 
good treatment. It keeps the tree from 
working loose, gives some protection from 
mice and rabbits, and in a very cold Win¬ 
ter helps protect the crown of the tree. 
In northern Florida I noticed that they 
threw a large bank of earth - around the 
base of the tree. The object is to give 
some protection to the tree in case of a 
freeze. If the tree is frozen to the 
ground the bank protects enough of it so 
that the new growth starts above the bud. 
As for soraying, we are now putting on 
soluble oil, and shall go over every tree 
we can reach. I believe in using the oils 
in the Fall. If in the Spring more scales 
are found I shall go over the trees again 
either with oil or lime and sulphur. If 
you spray at all spray thoroughly and 
do not try to save the mixture. 
Use of Lime. —Here is a Canadian with 
some good questions: 
I have about an acre of land that I use 
as truck garden. I put on a heavy coat of 
manure last Fall, spread it on top after 
plowing. Some parts gave good yield, some 
parts very light. I came to the conclusion 
that the land Is Very sour in spots. Should 
I put on lime or salt, or both? Should I 
put it on this Fall or next Spring, or both ; 
l>efore plowing or after? I intend to plow 
it next Spring instead of this Fall, and how 
much should I put on to the acre? 
Again I can only tell what we try to do. 
Test that soil. Get a few sheets of blue 
litmus paper from a drug store. Take a 
fair sample of the soil just moist enough 
to pack well into a teacup. With a case 
knife make a small opening down into 
^the soil and push into it a piece of the 
litmus paper, and press the soil firmly 
around it. Leave it there an hour and 
then pull it out. If it has turned red you 
have a good indication that your soil is 
sour and needs lime. Do not use salt 
at all. We like to spread the lime on the 
rough furrows after plowing, then harrow 
it well in. I would use at least one ton 
per acre, and if the paper turns a very 
bright red 3,000 pounds. I would not 
plant potatoes right after using the lime, 
for it will increase the scab should there 
be any. Most other vegetables will be 
helped by the lime. 
“Life Worth Living.”— Some of our 
friends who think they are having a hard 
time should read this note from a Mich¬ 
igan woman. Read it between the lines 
and on the outside: 
I have 11 children, nine of whom are at 
home. I am doing all the work that is 
done. My children walk a mile to school 
—a graded school—returning at noon for 
lunch—if I send lunches for six it makes 
another meal. I trust your column Is not 
read in many homes where the mother is as 
overburdened as I—still my life is full of 
what makes life worth living. 
In contrast with that I will mention a 
case which I think has been stated before. 
A friend of mine sells vegetables. One 
afternoon he went to deliver orders, and 
fond a customer’s house locked. He was 
turning away after trying to attract atten¬ 
tion when a child’s voice called from an 
upper window: 
“Mamma has gone to a card party and 
the baby and I are locked in!” 
If I thought it desirable to use slang I 
should ask if that didn’t give you a feeling 
which makes one think of a receptacle 
in which preserves are kept! Think of 
going off to play cards leaving a four- 
year-old girl and a baby locked in with 
matches and nobody know what! I am 
told that this is by no means uncommon 
in that town. No doubt that woman 
ranks her card games as among the things 
that “make life worth living.” I have 
heard children called hostages to fortune, 
but with cards and lock and key in their 
bringing up I should call them “hostility.” 
That mother in Michigan doesn’t attend 
many card parties! When my own 
mother died after a hard and self-denying 
life my sister selected a line for the stone 
at her grave. I do not know of one more 
appropriate r 
“Her children shall rise up and call her 
blessed!” h. w. c. 
SOLID COMFORT 
Is what the FARMER seeks when driving in 
Winter and this may be easily attained by using 
a celebrated 
LEHMAN HEATER 
They are universally known and recognized 
as the STANDARD carriage, wagon and sleigh 
Heater. 350,000 LEHMAN HEATERS are in 
actual use; they burn Lehman Coal, from which 
there is no smoko, smell or danger of fire, and 
they can be operated at the cost of Sets, per day. 
LEHMAN HEATERS are in use by FARM¬ 
ERS, Horsemen and the medical profession 
everywhere. Have you one? 
A LEHMAN HEATER will make an Ideal 
Xmas Gift. Write for booklet telling more about 
them, mentioning The Rural New-Yorker. 
LEHMAN BROS., MFRS., 10 BOND STREET, NEW YORK. 
J. W. ERRINGER, Gen’l West. Sales Agt. 
45 E. Congress St., Chicago, Ill. 
^"Beware of imitations. Get Lehman’s if you 
wish the Best. Refuse substitutes. 
Gasoline Engine 
HALF-PRICE OFFER 
FOR A LIMITED TIME. 
We will sell a 
3 3 4 h.p., 5 h. p. 
and 7 h. p. gaso¬ 
line engine sta¬ 
tionary complete 
for half price. 
C. H. A. Dissinger & 
500 N. Fourth St. 
Wrightsville, Pa. 
■■ j jp If you are interested in 
► If K I" Concrete Construction 
■ ® you should have our book 
"CONCRETE-CONSTRUCTION 
ABOUT THE HOME AND ON THE FARM” 
It is the A. B. C. of Concrete work and contains:— 
photographs, descriptions, specifications and sectional 
drawings for many of the smaller structures that 
can be built by the suburbanite or farmer without 
The Standard American Brand the aid ? £ , skil,ed Iabo f' Als ° , m “ c , h 
general information and many valuable 
hints to small contractors. 
A copy of this booK sent free 
upon request 
The Atlas Portland Cement Co. 
30 BROAD STREET, NEW YORK CITY 
Always Uniform 
fa* PORTLAND ^ 
ATLAS 
% CEMENT Jj 
| Will You Let Us Send You a Sta=Rite § 
8 Gasoline Engine on 30 Days’ Free Trial? | 
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You 
Have 
No 
Deposit 
To Make 
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to settle that question; ask any one who has 
actually USED a “Sta-Rite” engine long enough 
to make his experience valuable. An ounce of 
PRACTICE is worth a ton of theory, we think 
when it comes to figuring on what a machine will 
or will not do. 
So, write us and we will send you a big list of 
people who KNOW what the "Sta-Rite” has done. 
* * * 
Now, remember, Mr. Farmer, that you can try 
a "Sta-Rite” engine BEFORE you buy. 
This is the only engine sold on such a wide 
open, liberal free trial plan. 
We can afford to make this offer because experi¬ 
ence has PROVED that the “Sta-Rite" will meet 
every demand made upon it,and fully justify our 
unlimited confidence in its merits. 
So, let us send you one to test for thirty days 
in your own work under actual conditions as you 
find them on your premises. 
You will have nothing to pay, no notes to si; 
no obligations of any kind except to give the 
“Sta-Rite" a fair trial for one month. 
Tf you want the best farm power ever invented; 
if you value an engine that will ALWAYS be in 
perfect working order, if you believe that economy 
of operation and absolute dependability are things 
worth having in an engine, take our advice and 
investigate the “Sta-Rite.” Do it to-day! 
There’s no time like NOW to begin looking into 
the things that will better our condition,—save us 
time, work and worry, as the "Sta-Rite" engine 
is guaranteed to do. 
I 
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Big Chance For You 
Y ES, —we mean just exactly that, no more, 
no less; a BIG chance to try before you 
buy the best gasoline engine ever offered 
at the lowest price ever mado for an en¬ 
gine of equal merit and quality. 
This is no ordinary opportunity, because the 
“Sta-Rite” is no ordinary engine, and the terms 
are such that you simply CAN’T refuse them, 
if you are in the market for the best form of 
farm power. 
We make no claims for the "Sta-Rite” that we 
do not PROVE. We stand ready to show YOU 
that this engine is the simplest, most economical 
and reliable engine on the market to-day. 
"Simplest” means fewest working parts; that, 
we can prove to you the first time you examine 
the “Sta-Rite” Engine. It is the most econom¬ 
ical because it is the simplest in construction, 
requires practically no expense for repairs, which 
are frequently necessary to keep the complicated 
sort of engines in good working order. 
The "Sta-Rite” saves fuel. It uses less fuel 
for the same amount of work than ANY engine 
on earth. We give you a positive, iron-clad guar¬ 
antee on this point. Worth having—isn’t it? 
Three competing engines of standard make 
recently did the same kind of work (ensilage cut¬ 
ting) for two days in the same field, under iden¬ 
tical conditions. One engine consumed 25 gallons 
of gasoline; another, 21 gallons; the "Sta-Rite,’ 
only 11 gallons. 
How’s that for practical proof, Mr.’Farmer? 
Reliability? Well, there’s just one right way 
Write for Our Free Catalogue To-day. 
DREW ELEVATED CARRIER CO., 
Main Office, 128 Monroe St., WATERLOO, WIS. 
Eastern Branch, Rome, N. Y. Facflory, Racine, Wis. 
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Homeless Horse Collars Save$$ 
Don’t wear out;do away with sweatpads;'rv 
adjustable in size; will cure tore shoul¬ 
ders, most practical and humane horse 
collar ever made for heavy work. Lighter, 
better and cheaper than leather collars; 
aluralnu m finish. Write today for catalogue 
and price. Agents wanted—tree territory. 
Ho well K Spaulding Co.,Dept. F,CarojHieb. 
“Woodpecker” 
NO TROUBLE 
Starting, winter or summer. 
With experts or experiments. 
With foundation or commotion*. 
With poor adjustments. 
With bad mixtures. * 
With faulty ignition. 
With expensive repair*. 
W 1th unfair factory. 
Stnd for Catalogue, Price « and 
Free Trial Plan . 
|3J$ELP. 7H.P. HH.P. 
Ilea l j to Run on 
Gasoline or Alcohol. 
WOODPECKER, l»thSt. Office, MIDDLETOWN, OHIO. 
$60 
GOES LIKE SIXTY 
SELLS LIKESIXTVJ 
6ELLS for SIXTY 
GILSON 
c 
NE 
Cream 
ash Ma- 
TEIAL 
catalog all sizes 
GILSON MFG. co. 144 Put 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). Pohl Mfg;. 
Co., Vernon, N. Y. 
Write 
tCHlay. 
Motsinger Auto-Sparker 
Starts and Runs 
Catalog 
roil 
In for 
mation 
Gas Engines without Batteries. 
No other machine can doit successfully 
for lack of original patents owned by 
Ufl. No twlBt motion In our drive 
No belt or switch necessary. No 
batteries whatever, for make ami 
break or jump-spark. Water and 
dust-proof. Fully guaranteed. 
MOTSINGER DEVICE M’F’G. CO. 
68 Main Street, Pendleton, Ind., U. S. A* 
The Stoddard Line 
of Gasolene Engines. 
Furnish the best and cheapest power for 
threshing, sawing wood and running all farm 
machinery, also for shop or mill use. 
Vertical or Horizontal 
Mounted or Stationary 
Both Circular and Drag Saw Outfits. Send 
for free catalogue E. H. 
Stoddard Mfg. Co., 
Rutland, Vt. 
