©04 
'THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 14, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and aduress of tho writer to insure attention. Be¬ 
fore asking a question, please see whether it is not 
answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
KEEP THEM IN MIND. 
Do not forget that the following members 
of the New York Senate voted against Gov¬ 
ernor Hughes in his efforts to remove the 
Superintendent of Insurance. Let it be a 
part of your political duty to remember them 
and vote against them whenever you have 
the chance: 
JOTHAM P. ALLDS.Norwich, N. Y. 
ALBERT T. RANCHER.. Salamanca, N. Y. 
S. P. FRANCHOT_Niagara Falls, N. Y. 
S. PERCY HOOKER.LeRoy, N. Y. 
JOHN RAINES .Canandaigua, N. Y. 
SANFORD W. SMITH.Chatham, N. Y. 
WM. J. TULLY.Corning, N. Y. 
HORACE WHITE .Syracuse, N. Y. 
BENJ. M. WILCOK.Auburn, N. Y. 
JOSEPH ACKROYD .Utica, N. Y. 
FRANK M. BOYCE... East Schodack, N. Y. 
COBURN OF KANSAS ON ALFALFA. 
As a matter of fact, many of the big 
stories you read about Alfalfa, its value 
and its accomplishments as a feed are 
true, but, on the other hand, it would 
not do for most people to establish 
themselves as farmers on the theory 
that they would achieve certain results 
simply because some one else had done 
so. Yes, it is true that most kinds of 
stock can be kept in very thrifty condi¬ 
tion through the severest Winters on 
good Alfalfa hay. The hogs will do de¬ 
lightfully well, especially brood sows, 
with plenty of bright Alfalfa and a very 
slight ration of grain, or nutritious slops. 
The horses or colts will come through 
in good, thrifty “growing” condition, 
but undoubtedly would be very much 
better fitted for the Spring’s hard work 
by having had a fair allowance of grain. 
Undertaking to give you the names of 
Kansas people who do these things 
would be like copying the tax rolls. 
Really, the naked truth about Alfalfa 
is so seductive that any exaggeration is 
unnecessary. Those who know least of 
it are the incredulous. Those who 
know it best are the ones most ready to 
believe any good thing told of it. Your 
paper has done no better service than 
by its splendid encouragement to those 
willing to try Alfalfa. All will not suc¬ 
ceed, but most will succeed as well as 
they deserve to; and when they succeed, 
they will bless the name of the man who 
pointed them to the better way. Al¬ 
falfa is truly a wonder, f. d. coburn. 
Secretary Kansas Board of Agriculture. 
MIXING A POTATO FERTILIZER. 
A. 8. II., Conyiu/ham, Pa .—Can yon give 
me a good formula for mixing a good fer¬ 
tilizer for potatoes? Most of my ground is 
a red shale, and I use a liberal amount of 
stable manure on all I plant. I wish to 
mix my own fertilizer in the Spring. I 
have been buying from three to four tons, 
and have used from 400 to 450 pounds per 
acre, and I don’t believe I get the result I 
should. Can lime be safely used on potato 
ground? If so, how much per acre? 
Ans. —The theory of mixing a good 
potato fertilizer is simple. There should 
be two or three forms of nitrogen—ni¬ 
trates, or that part available at once, 
ammonia, or that part less available, 
but ready as the soil grows warmer, 
and “organic,” the crude form of ni¬ 
trogen which must fully decay before 
it can feed plants. Nitrate of soda is 
the chemical which contains the most 
soluble form of nitrogen. In high-grade 
fertilizers nitrate is always used and 
with it usually dried blood, sulphate of 
ammonia, ground bone or tankage. With 
such a mixture there is an available 
supply all through the life of the crop. 
Where a good dressing of manure is 
used you will probably need only nitrate, 
for the manure supplies the other forms. 
As for potash, all the various salts com¬ 
monly used as fertilizer are about equal 
in availability. We like the sulphate 
best, as it contains little, if any, salt, and 
mixes well. For phosphoric acid acid 
phosphate is the usual form employed, 
though not the best. Dissolved bone- 
black costs more, but is, we think, su¬ 
perior. You might use 200 pounds ni¬ 
trate of soda, 300 sulphate of potash and 
1,000 acid phosphate. This would make 
a lumpy and sticky mixture, but if you 
used plaster or very fine ground bone 
as a “filler” it will handle better. No, 
you should not use lime on potatoes. It 
will increase the scab. 
That “Best Crop. —I have noted with 
some interest the picture on page 427 of 
“Best Crop on an Ohio Farm,” a previous 
one of ditto on a Canadian farm, and sun¬ 
dry others of a similar nature in yours and 
other journals. I yield to no one in my 
appreciation of the value of that kind of 
a crop, but I respectfully rise to suggest 
that the pictures aforesaid are faulty in 
one very important particular. A “bumper” 
crop is a good thing provided the land is 
not exhausted or impoverished in its pro¬ 
duction. If such is the effect the crop is 
not a paying nor in any sense a desirable 
one. Let the pictures give some idea of 
the premises as well as the crop. Portray 
the parents (especially the mothers) along 
with the children. If the former shows tip 
wrinkled and bent and careworn, the crop 
has been raised at too great an expense. 
Not in money, perhaps, but in every other 
conceivable respect. w. H. h. 
Tullytown, Fa. 
Barren Plum Trees. —On page 857 R. E. 
B. says he has trouble with plums which 
do not bear. I have had much trouble with 
them because I made my land too rich and 
kept it cultivated until one Summer a 
growtliy young tree blew over in July, and I 
cut nearly all the new growth off and set up 
the tree. The next year it was full of 
plums, and since that time I have cut them 
back severely in midsummer if they were 
making too strong a wood growth, and get 
the desired result. About. 30 years ago I 
went to a house in the woods in Kent Co., 
Del., for a drink of water. I think the 
house was one-story and stood on a sandy 
knoll. The clearing did not contain more 
than an acre, there were apple, peach and 
plum trees (not Japans), and every tree had 
a lot of crotches under it to help hold the 
load of fruit. The land was very poor, 
the tree medium size and loaded. I con¬ 
sidered the situation, for we, 30 miles north, 
on much richer soil, could not get either 
plums or peaches to bear fruit but always 
got great wood growth. After these 30 
years I am still working on the problem, 
but have concluded that the old darkey put 
his wood ashes around his fruit trees and 
had no other manure, so did not waste 
any on them. Why do the strawberry men 
and some others continue to tell us to use 
lots of barnyard manure for fruit? The 
advice is misleading in the extreme, and 
I have lost money enough trying to follow 
their advice to know. I can grow the 
biggest leaves of any man around, but I 
want fruit. A. E. R. 
State Road, Del. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
L N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
‘a square deal.” See guarantee, page 8. 
$2 FOR BOYS’ S3 SUITS. 
Save at least $1 without sacrifice 
of style or quality. 
TWO STYLES : 2 piece Sailor 
like cut, ages 3 to 8, large 
collar, breast shield, 5 rows 
fancy soutache braid, plain 
knee or bloomer pants;— 
Double Breasted 2 piece 
Suits, with 3 outside pock¬ 
ets in coat, for ages 7 to 15. 
Strong waist bands and 
taped seams. Durable and 
sightly, plain and mixed 
dark cheviots and cassi- 
meres. Properly cut, 
strong, well trimmed, Italian 
lined. 
Special Introductory Price $2. 
.ess than your home dealer can buy 
them for—fully equal to $3 suits Bold any¬ 
where. Expressed prepaid, on receipt 
of price. State a«e, and style desired. 
Money hack if not satisfied. 
MEYERS A GUM PEL, 
379 Broadway, New York. 
BUffALO BRAND 
11 \M They fit better— 
■■I ■■ W wear b e 11 e r—last 
■H ■ ■ ■ longer. Made from 
new pure Para Rub- 
ber, the only kind of 
rubber that should ever be put in a 
rubber boot. They stretch and give 
without cracking, and are always 
comfortable to the wearer. 
Some rubber boots are made of old 
junk rubber—dead and lifeless—that 
cracks and leaks after a few weeks’ 
wear. Don’t spend your money for 
that kind. Buy only the boots with 
the Buffalo Brand— the yel¬ 
low label that’s put on every 
boot we make. It guarantees 
service, comfort and satis¬ 
faction that can’t be found in 
any other make. 
Free booklet C.~ explains 
how we make them. Write 
for it today. 
EstablUhed Over Fifty Years 
WM. H. WALKER & CO.. 
77-83 So. Pearl St.. 
Buffalo, N. Y. 
ARE TOO VALUABLE 
TO SELL ■— 
Your horse and cow hides will be worth 
more to you made up into Fur Robes, Coats, 
Mittens, etc., than the little money the butcher 
will pay you for them. A coat like we will make for you from one 
large hide or two small ones, for from $9.50 up, will last for years: 
be water, moth and wind proof, and will keep you snug, warm 
and dry in the coldest, wettest weather. Robe lined with best 
plush from $7.00 up. 
No matter* where you 
live WE WILL PAY THE 
FREIGHT on all hides 
sent to us to be made 
Into Goats and Robesm 
Any color looks well. Our process of tanning makes the skins soft 
and pliable, and the finished coat or robe will be so hand¬ 
some it will be a surprise to you if you never saw one 
of our cow or horse hide garments before. We guar¬ 
antee workmanship and complete satisfaction—are 
the largest firm in the country tanning, manufact- 
uring and selling direct to consumer. Don t sell a 
hide, but write to us for our 40-page catalog giving 
full particulars and showing the various styles of 
fur goods we make. It’s FREE— write for it today. 
NATIONAL EUR and TANNING CO., 
112 Peeler St., Three Rivers, Mich. 
LET US TAN 
YOUR HIDE, 
Whether Steer, Bull, or Horse Hide, 
Calf, Dog, Deer, or any kind of hide 
or skin with the hair on, soft, light, 
odorless and moth-proof for robe, rug, 
coat or gloves, and make them up when 
BO ordered. . , 
But first get our illustrated catalog, 
with prices, shipping tags and instruc¬ 
tions. We are the largest custom fur 
tanners of large wild and domestic 
animal skins in the world. 
We make and sell Natural Back 
Galloway fur coats and robes, Black 
and Brown Frisian, Black Dog Skin, 
and fur lined ooats; also do taxidermy 
and head mounting. 
THE CROSBY FRISIAN FUR COMPANY, 
116 Mill Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
Revelation In Phonograph Sound Reprodudlion 
“ CLARITONE ” 
renders absolutely natural tone, with increased 
volume. Send reproducer and 50 cents, we 
install, or sent postpaid with directions for 
25 cents. Address 
CLARITONE CO., 
471 62nd Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
‘THE WORLD’S STANDARD” 
—We pay highest cash prices for 
them. 25 years in the business. We 
charge no commission and pay ex¬ 
press charges. Send for price list. 
Belt, Butler Co., 140 Greene St., New York 
Raw Furs 
THE OE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO 
T 0 REES 0 APPLES 
lob varieties. Kinds adapted 
to all localities. Tree stock 
finest grown; strong rooted, 
shapely, vigorous. Packed 
for safe delivery everywhere. 
_^ Hatisfaction guaranteed. 
Sriid todsy for fine Catalogue quoting 1'iiriii that please. 
HAR RISON’S NURSERIES, Box 29, Berlin, Md. 
PEACHES*. FRUITS 
ARE BRINGING HIGH PRICES. 
You Had Better Plant Some Trees this Fall. 
We have them for sale* 
Address ^ JJ BLACK> SON 6 CO., 
H1GHTST0WN, N. J. 
TREES — PLANTS 
Fruit, Shade and Ornamental 
No Scale or Diseases 
Illustrated Catalogue Free 
P. J. BERCKMANS CO. i„c. 
Frultland Nurseries, Augusta, Georgia. 
■Established 1850., 
BLIZZARD 
I TheJ 
We 
- grow them 
by the million. To 
prove they are healt hy and 
vigorous we offer 6 fine Spruces 2 yt. 
old Free to property owners. Mailing 
expenses ct., which send or not. A post* 
al will bring them. Catalogue free. 
| Gardner Nursery Co., Box 66, Osage,Iowa,^ 
74 CORTLANDT ST. 
NEW YORK. 
RANDOLPH SC ANAL STS. 
CHICAGO 
Money ! 
Selling Fence 
Selling fence is an eriRy 
r and profitable business. We 
want agents everywhere to sell 
an*' FROST WIRE FENCE 
1 ■* '■* ■ ' Exclusive territory. This is a big 
money maker. Write tor catalogue, 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO., Cleveland. Ohio 
8. B. DRAKE & CO., 90 West St., New York, N. Y 
Nurseries Pay Cash Weekly 
and Want More Salesmen EverY« 
where. Best Contract, Best Outfit, 
’ Largest Nurseries—With an 82-Year Record. 
STARK BRO’S, LOUISIANA. MO. 
PLANET Jr. 
BEST GARDEN TOOLS. 
Most benefit to crops With least effort. Most reliable; longest 
lusting. All cultivating parts of high-tarboli steel. Best Work¬ 
manship ; rigid inspection. Pull value for vonr money lit every 
one of the Planet Jr. line of 45 seeders, Wheel hoes, horse ltoes, 
riiliug cultivators, etc. Write to-day for new Planet Jr. catalog. 
S. L. ALLEN & CO., Box 1107V, Philadelphia, Pa. 
imowiN 
-rIK-TrPAYS THE 
-HEAVIEST FENCE MADE j 
K All No# D Steel Wire* Well galvanized. We _ 
H more than most fences. 15 to 115c per rod, 
delivered. We send free sain pie for inspection a 
Jl. and test. Write for fence book of 133 styl< 
WlHL. The Brown Fence Wire Co. 
Cleveland, Ohio* 
STRAWBERRY PLANTScSJ™. 
KLYTTT PLANT FARM, Athenia, N. J. 
COIL SPRING FENCE 
Made of high carbon Steel Wire 
Horse-high, Bull-strohg, Chlek- 
en-tlght. Sold direct to the 
Farmer at lowest manufac¬ 
turers prices on 30 Days Free 
Trial, freight prepaid. lOOpage 
Catalogue and price-list free. 
KITSELMAN BROS., 
Box 230 MUNCIE, IND. 
FENCE 
Strongest 
Made —-*■’ 
Wdeof High Carbon Double Strength 
ICoiled Wire. Heavily Calvanlxed to 
ipreventrust. Have no agents. Hell at) 
factory prices on 30 days’ free trial. 
;\Ve pay all freight. 37 heights of farm 
land poultry fence. Catalog Free. 
COILED SPRING FENCE CO. 
!j3ox 263 Winchester, Indiana 
iBargains in Plum Trees, 
Vines and Plants 
Special low prices on Apple, Peach, Plum and Dwarf Pear Trees,! 
Roses, also Asparagus Roots, Currant Bushes and other small fruits, t 
Order trees direct from our nursery and save agent’s profits and 
half your money. 
Everything you want for Orchard, Garden, Lawn or Park. Send 
to-day for Green’s Dollar Book on Fruit Growing, also for our Fruit 
Catalog, and a copy of Green’s Fruit Magazine, ail a gift to you. 
nnrryin C1IIDI C flCCCD ■ One Elberta Peach Tree, one Red Cross Currant 
UnLLIl U uAlflrLL UllLn. Bush.cmeC.A. Green New White Grape Vine, one 
Live-Forever Rose Bush, all delivered at your house by mail for 25 cents. 
GREEN’S NURSERY COMPANY, Rochester, N. Y. Box IOO 
ROGERS TREES “FIT THE LABELS.” 
