THE RURAL ;NEW-YORKER. 
March 2, 
178 
CORN PICKERS.\ 
The Hope Farm man mentioned the 
western plan of picking corn. Wagons are 
driven through the field and men pass 
along with it snapping off the ears and 
throwing them into the wagon. Cattle 
follow and eat the stalks. Estimates are 
made that no,000,000 acres are harvested 
in this way every year. Tt is a cold and 
disagreeable job, and a machine lias been 
invented to do the work. A picture of it 
is shown lielow, taken from a pam¬ 
phlet issiied by the U. S. Department of 
Agriculture. This machine runs astride 
of the row. The upper part of the stalk 
is broken or cut off, the ear separated, 
husked and sent out through the elevator 
and the stalk dropped behind. A wagon 
crop. Then if they started to crack, 
market them at once. e. c. gillett. 
New York. 
I have been troubled to some extent 
with my cabbage bursting, but I cannot 
say that it was caused by anything more 
than being planted on very rich and heav¬ 
ily manured ground. I attribute the burst¬ 
ing somewhat to excessive rain, at least 
I always found that just after a heavy 
rain I could almost hear the heads pop¬ 
ping open. As to some varieties bursting 
worse than others, I do not think there is 
anything in that. My notion is that when 
the head of any kind is matured, and is 
subject to the above conditions they will 
burst more or less. As to prevention, I 
have never found any method of prevent¬ 
A CORN PICKER AND HUSKER. 
runs beside to catch the ears as they are 
dropped. Four good horses are required 
to pull this machine while the husking 
rollers are at work. A picker is said to 
work over seven or more acres a day. 
Figures given in the pamphlet show that 
the cost of picking with the machine is a 
little less than when the work is done by 
hand. It is not pretended that the ma¬ 
chine is yet perfect. 
WHY DOES CABBAGE CRACK? 
A reader in Nebraska is troubled with cab¬ 
bage cracking or splitting when the heads 
fill. What causes it and how can it be pre¬ 
vented ? 
All of the hard-heading late cabbages 
are liable to crack or burst open as they 
approach maturity. If the plants are al¬ 
lowed to remain growing after a hard 
head is formed there ij apt to be trouble. 
Heavy feeding aggravates the tendency to 
burst. I have never observed any very 
marked difference between varieties in this 
respect, but have thought that Flat Dutch 
bursts less than Drumhead, Danish Ball 
Head, bottler's Brunswick and other late 
sorts. Flat Dutch I understand, is con¬ 
sidered one of the best late sorts for that 
part of the country. Two things can be 
done. Plant the cabbage seeds so that 
the heads will mature at just the right 
time for marketing, and so that there will 
be no necessity for leaving them in the 
field after they are ready to cut; and, in 
some cases, the roots may be started. 
This is an old garden method which may 
be used to advantage when cabbages have 
formed a head and show signs of burst¬ 
ing, and an over-stocked markc' makes it 
not expedient to cut them for a week or 
so. Pull or push the head over to one 
side so as to break some of the roots. 
This will keep the heads from bursting 
for two weeks or more. s. w. fi.etcher. 
Michigan. 
My experience was that when all the 
conditions were right for it, it was quite 
sure to come. A rich soil, thorough cul¬ 
tivation, and a wet season, conditions that 
will insure a large growth and a big crop' 
will always cause more or less cracking 
of the heads On rich soil and in a wet 
season, I would do less cultivation. Pos¬ 
sibly a fertilizer with little or no nitro¬ 
gen would aid, and yet the fertilizing is 
done long before it is possible to know 
what the weather conditions will be. My 
practice used to be to give them a rich 
soil and thorough cultivation, and hope 
for sufficient moisture to make a big 
ing it to any great degree, although I have 
gone over my patch and loosened the 
roots by catching hold of the heads and 
lifting upward. This stops the growth to 
some extent, and I think I have derived 
some benefit this way, and also by lean¬ 
ing the head away from the sun, i. e., turn 
it so that the smooth part or top is not 
exposed to the hot sun. H. b. brubeck. 
Indiana. _ 
Seeding a Meadow in Spring. 
I. G. If., Bullville, N. Y .—I have a very 
nice meadow of about 40 acres that is getting 
quite wild, and there was a time that it cut 
first-class hay. I thought next Spring 1 would 
run a disk harrow over a portion of it, and 
sow Timothy and Red-top, and top-dress at 
the same time with nitrate of soda, about at 
the rate of 100 pounds to the acre. Do you 
think I would better wait until Fall before 
doing it? The meadow is quite low, and it 
requires considerable ditching, which I have 
done, but it still keeps wild. The soil is 
stony clay. 
Ans. —We have had poor success in 
trying to seed in the Spring in such a 
sod. The old grass comes in and takes 
possession unless it is killed out. The 
disk will not do this in Spring. With 
us such land usually responds to lime. 
Very likely it is too sour. We should 
use 1,600 pounds or more of lime to the 
acre and tty the nitrate of soda with it 
on part of the field at least. There is a 
good chance that this rule makes the 
meadows profitable. If not, we would 
work it up thoroughly after haying and 
seed in August or September. 
IRON AGE .. 
No. 80 Pivot Wheel 
m - Riding Cultivator 
Specially adapted for potato culture. 
Qui, kly adjusted to cultivate anyl 
crops in rows of any width—28 to 481 
inches. Operated in ny soil. P 
Our new 1 POT I 
J Iron Age Book I 
describes Potato I 
Planter, Sprayers,[ 
Digger and complete line | 
of Farm and Garden [ 
Tools. 
iBateman Mfg. Co. | 
Box long , 
Grenloch, N. J. | 
FERTILIZER 
WALTON QUARRIES, Harrisburg, Pa. 
Make Your Own Fertilizer 
at Small Cost with 
’s Phosphate Mills 
From 1 to 40 H. P. Also Bone Cut¬ 
ters. hand and power, for the poul- 
trymen: Farm Fee.d Mills, Gra¬ 
ham Flour Rand Mills, Grit and 
Shell Mills. Send for catalogue. 
WILSON BROS,, Sole Mfrs„ 
Dept, D, Easton, Pa, 
-v*3 
HOW §1961° PROFIT 
Was Made by L. P. Adams, Howard, Kan.: 
My stallion got kicked on hock and it enlarged. Every¬ 
one said lie was mined. You advised me to use ABSORBINE, I 
got two bottles and to-day you can't tell which leg was hurt. It 
made me 41UJ.U0 per bottle. I am much obliged for the advice. 
-V, 
LAMENESS-BRU IS ES-S TRAIN S-SWELL'NCS 
Inflammation in the Muscles, Joints, Ligaments, Skin or Tissues respond 
quickly to the soothing and sedative qualities of 
Pain is relieved promptly, the circulation restored 
and a normal condition produced in a few hours. 
Absorbine dissolves and removes Bog Spavin, 
„ . . Thoroughpin.Wind Puffs, Capped Hock, Shoe Boils 
and any similar blemish without blistering, removing the hair or laying the 
horse up. I also put up Absorbine Jr„ for mankind. It will remove any Soft 
Bunch or Inflammation, Varicose Veins,Varicocele, Tumors, Boils, Scrofula, 
Bunches,Bunions .allay pain.healoldsores.remove deposits left by rheumatism 
Quines for pamphlets or information given careful attention. Absorbine is generally 
ABSORBINE. 
carried in stock by regular dealers or will be sent by express, charges paid, upon receiptof price. 
Absorbine $ 2; Absorbine Jr., for in&nkind, $1 per bottle delivered. Write me. 1 can help you out* 
W. F. YOUNG, P. D. F., 88 Monmouth St., SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
it 
» - r “ 
JVOTIGE TO FARMERS 
Hotel &r" Railroad News Co .,47 Arch St., Boston, Mass., Jan. 5 , 1907 . 
Balm-Elixir Corporation, Sanbornville, N. H. 
Gentlemen: — U'hen / placed my order for BALM-ELIXIR with your Mr. Standish he asked tne if I 
would personally watch the results obtained from the use of tt, and write to you at headquarters what my 
opinion was in regard to its merits. I have this to say, / am more than pleased with it, we have about 150 
horses in our stable and have used various remedies but find that BALM-ELIXIR is far superior to anything 
we have ever tried; we have obtained the best results in a very short time. 
Respectfully yours, J. R. Vandemarker. Supt of Stable* 
If you can not get Ralin-Klixir Of your dealer send 60 cents for bottle by mail to 
BALM-ELIXIR CORPORATION .... Sanbornville, New Hampshire. 
A Never Failing Water Supply, 
with absolute safety, at small cost may be had by using the 
Improved Rider Hot Air Pumping Engine and 
Improved Ericsson Hot Air Pumping Engine. 
Built by 11 s for more than 30 years and sold in every country in the world. Exclu¬ 
sively intended for pumping water. Maybe run by any ignorant boy or woman. 
So well built that their durability is yet to be determined, engines which were sold 
30 years ago being still in active service. 
Send stamp for ‘‘(’4” Catalogue to nearest office. 
RIDER-ERICSSON ENGINE CO., 
35 Warren St., New York. 239 Franklin St., Bolton. 
40 Dearborn St*, Chicago. 234 Craig 8t., We»t, Montreal, P. O* 
40 Morth 7th 8t«, Philadelphia. 22 Pitt St., Sjdnej, N. S. YY. 
Amargura 96, Havana, Cuba. 
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