168 
experience that has made them wise in many things. 
They know intimately the weaknesses, the habits and 
the methods of the offenders, whether rounder or 
thief, or something similar. They know full well 
what he needs and they are making a very practical 
campaign to get it for him—for his own and society’s 
good. 
Briefly the probation law which was passed in 1903 
is this: The judge of a police or similar court is 
required to appoint a probation officer. Women are 
eligible. The officer is expected to investigate the 
cases and the records of the persons brought or 
about to be brought into court for any misdemeanor 
not punishable in the State prison. Such officer has 
all the powers of a police officer. Essentially he is a 
guardian of those in his charge, and they are officially 
termed wards. The law is a very flexible one, in the 
sense that it throws so much responsibility on the 
judgment and discretion of the officer. Its success 
depends almost wholly upon his personal fitness and 
capacity. His real duties begin after a person is putin 
his charge, for a term of months fixed by the court. 
He fixes the times at which the wards shall report 
to him. If necessary he finds work for them—in the 
cases of boys this seems to be one of the most vital 
things. A “job” is often their greatest need and 
desire. If a fine is imposed he collects it on such 
terms as seem best. If his ward is dissipated and 
neglects his family the probation officer may, and 
SILO OF JESSE TOUSLEY. Fig. 62. 
does, collect his wages and apply them to the needs 
of the family. For example, Officer Arnold of Hart¬ 
ford during 1907 (the latest report available) thus 
collected and properly applied $7,421. The law is 
particularly humane and useful in the cases of boys, 
and occasionally girls. If a ward violates his parole 
or is unfavorably reported his case is again taken up 
by the court. Probably a conservative estimate is 
that 75 per cent of the cases work out satisfactorily. 
It is thus apparent that the probation officer must 
appeal to the pride of his ward; he must awaken 
latent self-respect; he must at times admonish and 
discipline; he must extend the helping hand; he must 
assist the one in his care to lead a more useful, 
brave and manly life. The officer will succeed in 
about the degree he is qualified to do these things. 
In practical operation the law has justified itself 
and has greatly heartened its advocates and friends. 
My own experience has intensified my prior high 
opinion of the system. I am firmly convinced that 
it is capable of continued and increasing great benefit 
and usefulness. Probation officers who have made 
conspicuous success in the larger cities are: F. A. 
Arnold, Hartford; Rev. L. S. Johnson, New Britain; 
Nicholas Combelach, Waterbury; Louis Leyerzapf, 
New Haven. In these cities during the year 1907 
these officers handled 859 cases. Proportionately 
good work is being done in quite a number of the 
smaller towns. 
Reverting again to the story of Nell Beverly and 
her brother Bob, permit me to say that three some¬ 
what similar cases have come under my jurisdiction, 
though before my term as probation officer. Those 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
who argue that the forgiveness of Bob for forgery 
serves as encouragement to other weak ones to take 
the chances of a similar crime forget that the forces 
ol personal pride, family discipline and public opinion 
are often stronger than legal statutes. All these 
forces enter into the probation system. In the cases 
I refer to one forged my name and raised money, 
the other two simply “lifted” it from the cash 
drawer. All of them were exasperating and embar¬ 
rassing to me. The original intention was to turn 
the young fellows over to the court. In that case 
they would have been severely dealt with and 
branded for life. Of course they did not escape with¬ 
out the enormity of their sins being borne in upon 
them. They were made to realize the seriousness of 
their acts, but they were treated just as I now would 
handle them as probationers. There was no pub¬ 
licity—and they all made good, and are to-day re¬ 
sponsible and respected and trustworthy men. 
Recently several youthful Indians w'ho had greatly 
annoyed me, as well as others, by raiding our berry 
patches and fruit trees were placed in my charge. 
This is a situation that I appreciate if the boys do 
not. So much for minor offenders and the way in 
which enlightened law regards and handles them. 
What is the cause of all this woe and trouble and 
wretchedness, weakness of character and still greater 
weakness of self-control? Every intellectually hon-_ 
est man of experience arrives at the same conclusion, 
albeit reluctantly in many cases. The answer can be 
given in one generic word: “Whisky 1” This being 
true the best of laws become merely palliative and 
remedial. The logic of enlightened common sense 
would seem to be to get back to primal causes, nail 
down the lid of the modern Pandora’s box, and stop 
the endless procession of misery, degradation, want 
and unnecessary suffering. Why is it not done? 
Aye, there’s the rub. a probation officer. 
THERE IS NO NIGHT THERE, j 
If Mr. Hale, who speaks so well of Vermont apples, 
wants to grow the very finest red apples let him go 
to that country of which it has been written: There 
shall he no night there. For it is, without question, 
the unlimited sunshine of the long days of the grow¬ 
ing season, other things being equal, that must have 
the credit of giving the finishing touches to such fruit. 
You can grow a very good McIntosh or Fameuse 
up at the forty-fourth and forty-fifth parallel, in 
Vermont and on the Island of Montreal, the extreme 
northern limit of the apple on the Atlantic coast, but 
the nearest approach to the ideal climate and loca¬ 
tion of the paradise mentioned is away up above the 
fiftieth parallel in the interior of British Columbia. 
From the dryness of the atmosphere there is no 
fungi, and the Codling moth is 'also unknown north 
of the boundary line. 
I have an orchard just north of the forty-ninth 
parallel, only 10 acres, and which is all the interest 
I have in that region. But I know it pretty well, 
and I also know very well most of the eastern region 
referred to above, and to grow a very choice apple 
of the varieties mentioned would take my chance 
in either district. But with artificial watering of the 
orchard no section can quite compare with that dry, 
elevated slope in British Columbia, where the sun 
shines 18 to 20 hours of the day in the Summer 
season, and a 10-acre orchard there is worth more, 
as an orchard, than 160 here on Puget Sound, and 
where most of my interest is. So much for the 
influence of climate and location. j. f. cass. 
Washington. _ 
SAL SODA AS FERTILIZER. 
Would sal soda at $20 per ton have any economic value 
as a fertilizer? i. s. k. 
Athens, O. 
No. The sal soda (sodium carbonate) is not worth 
$20 per ton as a fertilizer. It is often claimed that 
soda will take the place of potash in fertilizers. The 
Rhode Island Experiment Station has made a thor¬ 
ough test of the matter, and Prof. IT. J. Wheeler 
sums up the results as follows: 
“We have found where the supply of potash is 
deficient that soda, whether derived from common 
salt, sodium sulphate, sal soda or ordinary soda ash, 
is of some value, and, indeed, of great value in con¬ 
nection with certain crops. Nevertheless, when one 
omits potash with the purpose of substituting some 
soda in its place there is danger that one may 
reduce the crop so much by creating a shortage of 
potash that the advantage which may be derived 
from the soda may be partly or wholly offset, since 
it is true that soda cannot wholly or more than par¬ 
tially act as a substitute for potash. Furthermore, 
if one buys nitrate of soda the plant utilizes the 
nitric acid, and the soda is changed in the soil into 
sodium carbonate. Again, in the purchase of kainit 
one secures a large quantity of sodium salts, and is 
only obliged to pay for the potash which is present 
February 20, 
in the material. Therefore it seems to me if one 
wishes to use soda it would be far better economy 
to buy nitrogen in the shape of nitrate of soda and 
the potash in the shape of kainit, under which cir¬ 
cumstances the soda costs nothing, rather than to 
pay $20 per ton for the sodium carbonate as such. 
Personally I should not think of paying $20 per 
ton for sal soda or soda ash to apply to the land. 
It would certainly act as a neutralizer in the same 
way as lime, but it unites with the humus, forming 
soluble combinations, in which shape, the humus 
may be leached out of the soil and the results 
reached cannot be compared by way of immediate 
and lasting results with what is accomplished by 
the use of lime. Furhermore, lime is much cheaper.” 
RAW PHOSHPATE IN OHIO. 
The last week of the old year was fair and pleasant 
and many farmers in this locality plowed some clover 
sod for corn. We were able to get six acres turned 
over in fine shape, all of which had been covered 
with manure put on with the spreader. This manure 
was all made since September, and “floats” were 
used in the stables for the first time in our experi¬ 
ence as dairymen. We were never able to get the 
floats heretofore in less than carload lots, and that 
was more than we wanted; but last Fall by joining 
SILO OF H. BELL, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO. .Fig. 63. 
in with others a carload was made up. The cost 
was $11 per ton in sacks, delivered at our station. 
The price was perhaps too high, but we are very 
well pleased with the results in the stables so far, 
as it seems to absorb all stable odors as well as the 
liquid in the manure trenches.. It 4s as fine and 
dry as dust. From our three years’ experience with 
cement stable floors and two years with the spreader 
we think it safe to say that cement stable floors and 
the use of the manure spreader are very important 
factors in the great problem of soil fertility. 
From the reports of the Ohio Experiment Station 
it would seem that a roof over the place for storing 
the manure would add another equally as important. 
However, the past Fall has been very dry, with no 
rains heavy enough to cause leaching, and in our 
case we haul every few weeks whenever a good day 
comes for using the spreader, so that this year so 
far there has been no loss from leaching. The 
spreader is one of the greatest machines on the farm 
in the hard labor it saves, the time it saves, and, 
greatest of all, the larger amount of surface that 
can be covered each year. Since we have the spreader 
all our corn land is evenly spread, also the potato 
land, and sometimes some left for the meadow. Be¬ 
fore we had the spreader we never had enough for 
all the corn land, because we got too much on per 
acre by hand. Interest seems to be growing over the 
outlook for apples as a profitable source of income 
in addition to what the cows bring. We have 
trimmed up the old orchard, or what is left of it, 
and shall plant some new trees in the Spring. 
Summit Co., Ohio. eugene f. cranz. 
