4 TO 
May 1, 
destination, that is, whether it is to be delivered 
within the city limits or out in the country. The 
minimum charge for city deliver}' is 2)4 cents and 
includes all packages’ weighing less than five kilo¬ 
grams (11 pounds). Heavier parcels pay 3)4 cents. 
If a number of packages is delivered to a single 
address under one address card, then the charge is 
as above for the first package and but 1)4 cents 
for further packages, that is for the other one or 
two, as it will be remembered that no more than 
three packages can accompany one address card. 
In case of the rural delivery of ordinary packages 
the charge is 2)4 cents for every parcel weighing 
less than 5)4 pounds and five cents for every other 
package, irrespective of their number. It must be 
noted here that the general delivery fees as pre¬ 
sented above vary in different cities, this being de¬ 
termined by the central postal officials through local 
regulation. It is not a matter regulated locally by 
local authorities. 
The very large mass of the parcels sent in Ger¬ 
many appear to be sent to the post office by private 
messengers, namely office boys or girls, clerks, serv¬ 
ants, etc. This means is both expeditious and con¬ 
venient where somebody is at hand to carry the 
parcel. Otherwise the parcel collection wagon which 
at the same time goes for delivery may be called 
to the office or house by a postal card addressed to 
the local post office. Packages may also be carried 
out to a parcel delivery wagon while on its regular 
route when it passes or while it stops in the neigh¬ 
borhood. The charge for collection is the same as 
the charge for delivery—2)4 cents—provided the 
parcel is delivered inside the city limits. In the 
case of rural collection all parcels weighing less 
than 5)4 pounds are accepted for 3)4 cents; if 
heavier the charge is 6)4 cents. 
(To be concluded, next week.) 
PLOWS FOR BREAKING ALFALFA SOD. 
How It is Done in Colorado. 
The attempt to break Alfalfa with the ordinary 
plow is usually a miserable failure, as it is not suited 
to the work. A very successful Alfalfa plow can 
be made by adjusting and making a few changes in 
the “regular sod” plow or “prairie breaker.’ The 
essential points to consider are: The long strong 
beam to steady the plow; the long landside to resist 
the tremendous cutting strain. It is often necessary 
to reinforce the beam with heavy iron to withstand 
the draft. The plow should be adjusted to cut a 
very narrow furrow, not over 12 inches; an extra 
long share to lap part of the last furrow to prevent 
the roots near the heel from whipping around, only 
partly cut off. This can also be prevented by a hori¬ 
zontal cutter bolted to the bottom of the landside, 
thus partly cutting the roots in the next furrow; this 
cutter is forged with a right-angle shoulder that fits 
and fastens with the bolt through the short landside. 
The next essential is a very sharp share, drawn 
thin and hardened so that it will not be brittle. A 
sharp share should be replaced each day and a good 
file is necessary to touch up the edge once in a while. 
Breaking Alfalfa on stony land is very difficult, and 
is extremely hard on plow shares. The most essen¬ 
tial point in an Alfalfa breaker is a long, heavy, 
well-pointed share with a very wide wing six or 
eight inches at the heel, and 1)4 to two inches of the 
edge rolled so as to run almost flat on the bottom 
of the furrow, thus cutting ahead of the “lift” and 
avoiding a dragging cut. The standard plow facto¬ 
ries are malting for the western farmer Alfalfa spe¬ 
cials with extra Alfalfa shares; these are chiefly in 
sulky plows, but where it is not practical to afford 
such a plow the walking breaker can be fitted and 
adjusted to do excellent work, though it is somewhat 
harder for the man that holds the plow. 
Alfalfa breaking usually requires three to four 
good heavy horses for a team. The depth and time 
to plow Alfalfa are somewhat mooted questions. 
They vary with conditions. It is usually conceded 
that Fall breaking is a success, but in Colorado Al¬ 
falfa is generally plowed shallow, four to five inches 
deep, so that the roots and crowns may be well har¬ 
rowed to the surface to dry out. It is then replowed 
one or two inches deeper than it was broken. Al¬ 
falfa when dormant, if plowed under in moist soil, 
will readily take root and grow if not harrowed out. 
Many farmers are having better success in breaking 
Alfalfa late in the Spring, after the Alfalfa is 10 
or 12 inches’ high, plowing under the green manure. 
The growth seems to have exhausted the stored plant 
food, and if the roots are all cut off very little will 
start to grow, especially if the field is planted to 
some crop like potatoes’, that can be well cultivated. 
Complaints about difficulties in plowing Alfalfa 
usually comes from sections where rotation with Al¬ 
falfa has not been started long. philo k. blinn. 
Colorado Experiment Station. 
'THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
GROWING ALFALFA IN OHIO. 
On page 396 you invite discussion of the questions 
about Alfalfa asked by E. E. X., Steuben Co., X. Y. 
I should sow the Sweet clover soil about the time of 
seeding with Alfalfa. If he can procure lime readily 
I would also give a good application of it. Also, 
as Alfalfa must have dry feet. I would at some time 
before seeding, put in a few strings’ of tile, unless the 
land is very sloping. I would not plant corn or any¬ 
thing else in the piece this Spring, unless perhaps 
early potatoes. The corn, in my judgment, will, if 
the season be dry, remove the moisture, without 
which your Alfalfa will not do well. Then too he 
will have the stubble and rubbish to contend with. 
Potatoes if kept thoroughly worked will leave a good 
seed bed, and the tops are easily removed and utilized 
elsewhere. I know of one instance in my locality 
where the latter course was followed and a fine 
stand of Alfalfa was obtained last year, although a 
very dry Summer. This method was also tried on 
the grounds of the Ohio State University last year, 
though with what success I do not know. 
Last year I seeded 2)4 acres in the following man¬ 
ner, which is along the lines advocated by the Ohio 
Experiment Station at Wooster. I plowed the 
ground about May 1, it having been in corn the pre¬ 
vious season, after which I worked the soil once a 
week till about July 10, with a disk harrow, cutting 
deep and crossing each alternate time. From then 
till about July 25 I used a spring-tooth, the idea 
being to kill thoroughly all weeds and keep the 
moisture. July 25 or thereabouts I applied 50 pounds 
of good Alfalfa with a wheelbarrow seeder, going 
over the ground both ways, using half the seed each 
time, after which I followed with a weeder, put¬ 
ting on pressure enough to cover fairly. The day 
before sowing we had a good shower, and the seed 
grew nicely till freezing, some of it showing blos¬ 
som. It has gone through the Winter in good con¬ 
dition, and bids fair to be a permanent crop. This 
method deprives one of a year's use of the soil, a 
very small item however in the value of a good 
permanent meadow; and one is almost absolutely 
insured against failure. My piece received no coat¬ 
ing of manure or bacteria soil, but thanks (and the 
only thanks) to a heavy automobile traffic along a 
limestone pike, it has plenty of lime. o. b. ransom. 
Erie Co., Ohio._ 
FIGURING PRICES FOR MILK. 
Will you state what price patrons of our milk station 
here will get per 100 pounds at this point for milk on 
the New York Exchange price as follows: 15 cents under 
the Exchange price for April, May and June, and 10 
cenls under the Exchange price for July, August and 
September? When milk brings the following prices per 
quart, what will be the corresponding price per 100 pounds; 
4i4 cents, 4. 3%, 3)4, 3, 2%, 21/, and 2 cents? 
Poland, X. Y. F. G. L. 
To get an answer to the questions of F. G. L., 
let us take the Milk Exchange quotations given on 
page 407, and deduct 32 cents and five cents freight 
and ferriage, and 15 cents and 10 cents respectively 
for each of the three months noted. This will give 
us the net price on a basis of last year’s quotations. 
It should be noted that Exchange quotations for 
1909 have averaged thus far a little less than those 
of last year, although March held the same price. 
The net price would be as follows: 
Per can Per 100 
of 40 qts., lbs. 
April . 
to 
$1.51 
less 
(32 + 
5 + 15) 
=$i 
.04 
$1.21 
May .. 
... 1.41 
to 
1.31 
.84 
.98 
June .. 
. .. 1.21 
'* 
.69 
.805 
July .. 
... 1.31 
(32 + 
5 + 10) 
= 
.84 
.98 
Aug. .. 
. . . 1.51 
44 
1 
.04 
1.21 
Sept. . 
.. . 1.51 
to 
1.61 
1 
18 
1.38 
Average 
price. . 
.94 
1.09 
Figuring an average in this way, supposes that the 
same quantity is delivered each month. As a matter 
of fact the large quantity is sold when prices are 
lowest, consequently the real average is slightly 
lower than that stated. Then too, this is figuring 
on last year’s quotations, and since other dealers 
have generally fixed lower prices for this season, 
it seems fair to suppose that the Exchange will do 
the same. That, however, is something that cannot 
be definitely stated until the prices are announced 
month by month. It would seem as though an ave¬ 
rage price of $1.05 per hundred might be quite as 
good as the Exchange prices, under the circum¬ 
stances. but no one can tell for a certainty. 
As I understand it, the other part of the question 
asks’ for the price per 100 at different prices per 
quart. I figure the price as follows: 
Per Qt. Per 100 Lbs. Per Qt. Per 100 Lbs. 
4% cents.$1.98 3 cents.$1.40 
4 “ 1.87 2% “ . 1.28 
4% “ 1.75 2% “ 1.17 - 
3)4 “ 1.63 2 “ 93 
Any locality supposing the Exchange quotation 
to be at a certain price per quart, it will be necessary 
to figure somewhat further. It may be done with 
sufficient accuracy as follows: Multiply the price 
per quart by 40 to find the price per can. Deduct 
whatever charges are made to find the net price per 
can. Add one-sixth to the net price per can to find 
the price per 100 pounds. For example, if milk 
brings three cents per quart gross, that means $1.20 
per can. If in the 32-cent zone, and freight and 
ferriage are deducted, there remains 83 cents per 
can net. Should there be a 15-cent charge for hand¬ 
ling, a can of milk would net 68 cents. Add one- 
sixth and we have practically 7 cents per 100. 
Price of Milk at Farm. 
Can you tell us wliat the farmer gets a gallon for his 
milk at the farm, free from station, railroad and New 
York City expenses, when Borden price is $2 in 26-cent 
zone? 1 have read these prices many times, but have 
never been able to determine the net to the farmer. 
Pittsburg. Pa. n. k. m- 
When the Borden price in the 26-cent zone is $2 
it means that the Borden company pay just that 
price for milk delivered at their stations in that 
zone. To determine the price per gallon we may 
first deduct one-seventh, which will give us the 
price, practically correct, for a can of 40 quarts. 
Tn this case it is $1.71 per can. Divide now by 10 
and we have 17.1 cents, the price per gallon at the 
station, or 4.3 cents per quart. In reality it is a 
small fraction less than this per quart—about one- 
twentieth of a cent. In this question there seems 
to be another consideration. We usually figure the 
price of milk delivered at the creamery or station. 
This questioner wishes to know the price at the 
farm. The cost of delivering milk to the station 
is by no means a small item, but there is so little 
uniformity in the price for hauling that an accurate 
answer is hard to‘give. I have known charges to 
vary from three cents a hundred to 15 cents. Of 
late years' prices seem to be more uniform, but dis¬ 
tance and convenience as well as hills, poor roads, 
etc., make some difference. Ten cents a hundred 
is not a bad average to estimate. This means 0.85 
cents per gallon. Deduct from 17.1 cents’, and there 
is left 16.35 cents net per gallon to the dairyman at 
his farm. If we were to make our estimates on the 
basis of a midsummer price in the interior, where 
freight rates are high, the results’ would be different. 
There will be one month this Summer when pro¬ 
ducers in my home town will get but 6.95 cents per 
gallon for milk at the farm, using the above men¬ 
tioned data in making an estimate, yet the milk will 
retail at eight cents a quart, the same as usual, or 
32 cents' a gallon. Perhaps we should also state, 
however, that a part of it is likely to go for butter 
and cheese, at a lower price. Also some for cream 
and condensed, perhaps at as good or a better price. 
_ H. H. LYON. 
A FARM-BUILT LIMEKILN. 
I have had some experience in burning lime for 
the use of my farm and have sold some to my neigh¬ 
bors. The siz;e of the kiln is of course dependent upon 
the amount of lime you desire to burn. For an ordi¬ 
nary kiln, one which will burn, say two thousand 
bushels, I would make the kiln about 27 feet long 
and about 12 feet wide. First measure off your 
ground so that the flue will run from north to south. 
This is to avoid the draft of air, which is stronger 
from east to west, the wind usually blowing from 
the west in onr country. First dig a ditch three 
feet deep and three feet wide, extending the full 
length of the kiln; place dry bark in the bottom and 
on the sides, and fill this space even with the ground 
with dry inflammable wood split in small strips so 
it will ignite easily; .place on the extreme outsides 
a green log, say 18 inches in diameter, and fill the 
space between them with wood split the size of a 
fence rail, or better still, have it smaller than the 
average rail, being careful to pack it well and have 
the middle just a little lower than the outside. Put 
on this platform eight inches of slack coal. Put on 
this coal 18 inches of limestone broken in pieces 
sufficiently small to pack even, but in the center of 
the kiln, larger pieces can be used. 
Your kiln is now started, and you can build on by 
using one foot of slack coal and 18 inches of lime¬ 
stone, until you get ready to top your kiln out; then 
you should begin to draw your rock in on the sides 
and ends until you have all the stone oi; you desire 
to use in this kiln. After your kiln is' completed, 
cover it with about one foot of dirt. I neglected to 
say that it is best always to keep the middle a little 
lower than the outside. This is for the purpose of 
having the stone move towards the center rather than 
the outside when the heat is applied. Before firing, 
it is best to dash in the end of the flue about one 
quart of carbon oil. After it is well fired, and it will 
not be long about it, one of the ends of the flue 
should be banked with dirt, and when the dirt seems 
to be hot all over the kiln, then you should bank 
the other end of the flue. Keep watching the kiln 
every little while and wherever the heat or especially 
a blaze breaks through the dirt bank that place at 
once and keep the heat confined. The kiln should 
stand about three weeks before it is opened. 
West Virginia. T. f. lanham. 
