670 
June 5, 
feet of the floats is due to the phosphorus con¬ 
tained, then it is important that attention be paid to 
this point in the purchase of floats, as our analyses 
have shown that different lots may contain all the 
way from 14 to JO per cent total phosphoric acid, 
and only the higher grades (27 to 30 per cent) have 
been used in our experiments. Moreover, the lower 
grades sometimes carry considerable iron and alum¬ 
ina which under some conditions may be unfavor¬ 
able to the action of the phosphorus. 
Another point which should be kept in mind re¬ 
specting the experiments above reported is that the 
floats has been used in connection with a large sup¬ 
ply of organic matter—manure at Wooster and a 
clover and Timothy sod at Strongsville, in which test 
also the floats is used in large quantity. In other 
experiments at Strongsville and Wooster, in which 
the floats is being used in small applications, giving 
equal quantities of phosphorus with acid phosphate, 
the effect of the floats is thus far much smaller than 
that of the acid phosphate. It should, therefore, not 
be assumed that floats may be substituted for acid 
phosphate in the quantities in which fertilizing ma¬ 
terials are ordinarily used on the farm. 
CHAS. E. THORNE. 
Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station.. 
WHY I WANT A PUREBRED BULL. 
Fig. 247 is from a photograph of our purebred Hol- 
stein-Fricsian bull calf. His sire was Minnie Hark 
Prince Korndyke Xo. 41G660, and his dam was Clo- 
taire No. 66680. Living near the Connecticut Agri¬ 
cultural College, we had the chance of seeing the 
vast difference between purebred, or good grade cat¬ 
tle, especially where they had a purebred sire, and 
the ordinary animals; therefore we purchased a pure¬ 
bred bull calf. We do not expect to raise thousand- 
dollar cows, but to improve the general run and get 
some good grades, which will be practical for 
common New England farmers. We can then breed 
back to another purebred, and thus get larger and 
better cows. It does not cost any more to raise good 
calves than poor ones, after one once gets started. 
Then again, one gets more interested in raising cat¬ 
tle that he will take pride in showing. Holstein- 
Friesians have the record, not only for more milk, 
but for more butter, than any other breed of cows, 
as they give a larger quantity, which more than 
makes up for the quality. G. R. RUSS. 
Connecticut. _ 
EXPRESS CHARGES AND PARCELS POST. 
A little more express experience. I bought a Cuta¬ 
way harrow and cultivator this Spring, weight 438 
pounds, freight from Higganum. Conn., 89 cents. 
Three small castings were broken when received. I 
sent for duplicates, which came by express, weight 
5 y 2 pounds, cost 85 cents. I would like to know how 
long the American people are going to stand for 
such awful express charges? When the tariff was 
being discussed by Congress the sugar refiners were 
in favor of free sugar, and they had slips printed 
and enclosed in every package of sugar that left the 
refineries in which they called upon everyone to write 
his Congressman urging free sugar, stating that the 
result would be a reduction of two cents per pound 
in the cost of the refined sugar to the consumer. I 
would suggest that everybody (I say everybody be¬ 
cause it is not alone the farmer who is personally in¬ 
terested in this subject) when writing a letter—no 
matter to whom—insert in his letter at top, bottom or 
in the middle—or all three places—this question: 
What are you doing to help us get a parcels post? In 
this way it will stir people up. and as the saying is, 
some may sit up and take notice who have not here¬ 
tofore being doing so. We must have it—we should 
have had it years ago.These people who are holding 
the dime so close to their eye that they cannot see 
the dollar behind it, should be prodded with a big 
stick and made to wake up. I personally go without 
things—deprive myself—because I dread to think of 
the cost of getting the articles or goods by express 
being more than the cost of the goods. 
Massachusetts. f. r. Lawrence. 
“PARCELS POST OR BUST.” 
I am another in favor of the parcels post. I have 
paid many exorbitant charges for goods sent by ex¬ 
press, but to-day I went to get a box of roots shipped 
me from Delaware, weighing about 40 pounds, and 
the express charges were $4, $3.50 advance charges by 
Adams Express to New York, and 50 cents on L. I. 
R. R. Cold Spring Station, L. I. That was the 
straw which broke the camel’s back, and I flatly re¬ 
fused to take it away. The contents of the box cost 
$2.30, and I decided it would be cheaper to lose that 
amount rather than be robbed by Adams Express 
Company. J- F- t>. m. 
Long Island. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
UNITE TO FIGHT INJUSTICE. 
Although I do not live close enough to the railroad 
to be in much danger from flying sparks, yet I feel 
that the complaint of J. A. Clements, page 414, is jus¬ 
tified, and should receive the support of the whole 
family. If we are to secure any consideration from the 
“big” interests it will only come from uniting and 
acting in bodies large enough to compel a respectful 
consideration of just claims. We know that The 
R. N.-Y. can be depended upon to do its share, but 
the rest of us must also be willing to do our part. 
and in such cases, obtaining justice depends very 
largely upon the possession of sufficient means to 
fight the legal battle or battles, for our courts have 
become vast labyrinths of quibbles and evasions, 
where determined and unscrupulous parties, with 
money enough, can twist and turn until the opposing 
side is worn out. The time is coming when this dis¬ 
graceful state of affairs will be remedied, but until 
then, the seeker after justice must prepare to meet 
the prevailing tactics, and this can rarely be done by 
the unaided resources of the individual, but would 
be easy for a company, and I would like to be one of 
an association, having several hundred members, 
who would each contribute their proportionate share 
to carry the case through the courts whenever the 
railroad or other such concern, should refuse to do 
the right thing. The cost to each member would not 
be large, while the aggregate sum would be sufficient 
to counterbalance the advantage which the railroads 
now possess, and which they too often use in op¬ 
pressing the comparatively helpless individual. As 
time goes on, I think the relations between the large 
interests and the individual will become more equit¬ 
able, largely by a realization of the fact that large 
and small interests are mutually dependent, and that 
justice, like honesty, is good business policy, but tili 
that time comes we who happen to be the under dogs, 
must do the best we can for ourselves. 
Rhode Island. _ h. w. heaton. 
A HOME-MADE STUMP PULLER. 
I notice occasionally an inquiry in The R. N.-Y. 
from some one who wants to learn how to get rid 
of stumps. This part of Michigan is yet new enough, 
A POWERFUL STUMP PULLER. Fig. 248. 
so we have a great many stumps to deal with, of all 
kinds and sizes, from the monstrous pine down to 
the small hardwood, or “grubs,” as the latter arc 
called here. Fig. 248 shows the general construction 
of a kind of machine which is in general use here 
for pulling stumps. I cannot give sizes, because they 
are made in all sorts of sizes to suit the work they 
have to do. The timbers for legs, etc., do not need 
to be sawed or hewed, a round pole will do as well, 
if it is only stout enough. A blacksmith can make 
the irons, and any farmer who is handy with tools 
can put one up, the one thing important to know 
being that every part must be very strong and rigid, 
as the strain is something immense. The tackle 
block at the bottom (on the “shoe”) is single; the 
others may be double, triple or even quadruple, ac¬ 
cording to the power needed to do the work. The 
large clevis, hanging from the lever, can be changed 
to different holes, as shown, to give more or less 
power, as needed. The tackle blocks should be iron 
or steel, and a half-inch wire cable is much better 
than a hemp rope. The way to use the apparatus 
will readily suggest itself from the picture. 
Stanton, Mich. e. h. 
BITTEN BY AN EGG SHARK. 
Your article on page 518 in regard to shipping eggs 
was of interest to us. We have received several such 
sugar-coated letters, but have never yet been attracted 
near enough to get bitten. In my neighborhood is a 
poor nearly blind man of 74 years. He deals in cimjs 
principally for a livelihood. He received one of those 
alluring letters, and wanted to make a trial shipment 
with mine, as he had not enough. I said “Wait and 
see how others make out”; but no, send he would. 
The return came promptly: “Eggs were first-class 
and send all he could just like them,” and lie received 
five cents per dozen above highest market quotation. 
He hustled around and bought one, and I rather 
think, two crates of 30 dozens each and sent them to 
sainc parties. Their place of business was in Ho¬ 
boken, N. J. This was three years ago, and he is 
still waiting for his money. Could the rascals only 
see sometimes the condition of the people they fleece, 
especially this case, 1 think they would engage in a 
more honorable vocation. Again, had this same man 
been one of The R. N.-Y. subscribers he would have 
been posted against just such crooks and if he was 
beaten by them how The R. N.-Y. would have en¬ 
joyed bringing them right to a settlement! He said 
then he was too poor to take agricultural papers, as he 
was no farmer. He takes the paper now. b. s. 
ALFALFA IN DRAIN TILES. 
As an evidence that I know something about the 
matter, I have seven acres of Alfalfa that has under it, 
I will say, over 400 rods of tile. A good deal of this 
has been put in during the last eight years as the 
Alfalfa showed need of it. I suppose in this work 
we have cut down to old lines more than a dozen 
times. Not in a single instance have we found roots 
in the tile. After the wettest of weather I do not 
suppose water runs in these tile more than three days, 
yet without the tile it would be impossible to grow 
Alfalfa on the land. This is the point to the whole 
matter, as I understand it. Alfalfa only enters tile 
where there is a constant flow of water. Where the 
water only occasionally flushes the tile, as on my own 
farm, Alfalfa roots will never clog then.. As to Al¬ 
falfa stopping growth when it gets its roots wet it is 
governed by depth it must go to get to water line, of 
permanent water. Five or six feet belov. the sur¬ 
face seems to be the life of it, while three feet is the 
death of it. A friend from Kansas gave me an ex¬ 
ample. A man had a nice field of bottom land three 
feet to living constant water. It was sown to Alfalfa 
and did nicely till up to the third or the end of third 
year, when it all died. So don’t let this matter of 
roots in tile scare you out of your attempts to grow 
it. I have some now that makes the heart glad to 
look over. When I began to tile this farm 26 or 27 
years ago, I had no idea that I was building for such 
a forage crop as Alfalfa. For once I budded better 
than I knew. John m. jamison. 
Breeders of purebred dairy cattle now realize the 
need of enlarging the demand for their stock. As a 
profitable business cattle breeding cannot live on the 
sales from one purebred herd to another alone. The 
bread and butter herds, which are expected to pay 
for farms and keep families clothed and fed need 
an infusion of pure blood if the animals which carry 
it can make good the claims of pedigree by per¬ 
formance. We are glad to see that breeders now 
recognize this fact. They must also see that the 
working dairyman cannot afford to pay anywhere 
near as much for a bull to head his herd of grades 
as a breeder of purebred animals can. The former 
sells milk—the latter blood—and there is a great dif¬ 
ference. Every really good purebred animal put at 
the head of a working herd is an advertisement for 
the breed; when he “makes good” he also makes 
business for the breeders. The associations should 
do all they can to encourage the sale, at reasonable 
prices, of good bulls for dairy herds. The great 
bulk of the milk, butter and cheese will always be 
made by grade cows. 
