783 
THE RURAL NliW-YOK l-CER 
September 4, 
generally in the work of the commission, and ac¬ 
quiesce in its decisions. 
Formerly rebating was very common. Most of the 
trusts and combines received their start in the form 
of “concessions.” Now these same trusts and com¬ 
bines own the railroads, and there is no occasion to 
pay rebates to themselves. Hence rebates have 
largely ceased! The Anti-trust law was intended to 
apply to corporations of an industrial nature, pre 7 
venting their combination in restraint of trade, but 
the Supreme Court made it apply to railroads, where 
combination has progressed so far that about six 
men control all the roads. There are many discrimi¬ 
nations, but few actual rebates. 
Congress has absolute power over interstate rates 
and can make any rates that it deems right. T he 
State legislatures have absolute power over intra¬ 
state rates. Both Congress and the State legislatures 
can delegate their power to commissions if they 
choose. But all these rates, State and interstate, are 
subject to review by the Supreme Court if the car¬ 
riers choose to carry the question to that court. The 
Supreme Court has held repeatedly that they have 
the final decision or review, and will doubtless al¬ 
ways hold that construction of their jurisdiction. 
WATCH FOR THIS FRAUD. 
The good work you are doing in exposing frauds 
leads me to write you of our experience in renting 
a furnished house. In reply to the first insertion 
of the advertisement in the New York papers, came 
a well-dressed business man of about 40 years to 
look over the house. After going into the most min¬ 
ute details of housefurnishing, Mr. Miller, of Syra¬ 
cuse, decided to rent at $50 per month; taking pos¬ 
session two days hence. A check of $50 was offered 
as a deposit. This was refused until such time 
as he took possession. Mr. Miller gave an order to 
the village merchant for $20 worth of supplies to 
be delivered C. O. D. He then asked the merchant 
to cash a $10 check, which the merchant did. The 
check, drawn on a Syracuse bank to Howard Miller, 
proved worthless. Mr. Miller also visited the coal 
dealers, but we do not learn if there was any trans^ 
action. They refuse to talk. Thinking this recital 
might save some other countryman his hard-earned 
dollars, I willingly give this experience. 
New Jersey. Gertrude skillman. 
FITTING CORN LAND FOR BERRIES. 
I have live acres of sweet corn which I wish to plant 
to berries next Spring; one acre strawberries, remainder 
raspberries and blackberries. What special fitting, if any, 
will the ground require, and should I sow some crop in 
the corn and plow under next Spring, as fertilizer for 
berries? If so, what would be suitable? The land is 
gravelly loam and well drained in the main. 
New York. c - D> 
Berry ground should be “richthat is, stuffed 
with organic matter and full of available plant food. 
Successful berry growers, in putting down a perma¬ 
nent field, plow under a heavy coat of stable manure 
or its equivalent. The best substitute for the manure 
is some green crop plowed into the soil to decay 
there, and plant food in the form of fertilizers. We 
•should have sowed in August a peck of Crimson 
clover seed and two pounds each Cow-horn turnips 
and Essex rape in each acre of corn. Work it in as 
so often described in The R. N.-Y. Very likely the 
clover will winter-kill, but it will make some growth, 
and the rape and turnips will provide considerable 
bulk to plow under. We like a fertilizer containing 
one-fourth each of ground lime, dried blood and 
phosphate and muriate of potash. You can safely use 
800 pounds per acre when setting the plants. We 
would sow clover and turnips year after year in the 
bush fruits as in corn. If the berries are mulched 
each Fall with stable manure the soil will be well 
supplied. ____ 
DRILLING OR BROADCASTING OATS. 
The Illinois Experiment Station (Urbana) con¬ 
ducted many experiments to learn which was more 
profitable—drilling oats with a disk drill or broad¬ 
casting. The results were all in favor of drilling. 
This accords with experiments in other States, so 
that there seems to be no question about it. The pic¬ 
ture shown at Fig. 448 is taken from the bulletin, 
with the following reasons for the superiority of 
drilled oats: 
A study of the root systems of young oat plants 
gives us a reason why drilled oats grow much more 
uniformly and therefore yield more bushels per acre 
than broadcast oats. The illustration, Fig. 448, shows 
in the upper line young oat plants taken from broad¬ 
cast seeding. In the lower line we have young plants 
from drilled oats of the same age. The line drawn 
represents the surface of the ground. These oat plants 
are placed as nearly as possible in the relative posi¬ 
tion they were in when washed from the •soil. 
In contrast with the upper half of the illustration 
it is hut necessary to note the uniformity of depth 
of the drilled oats, the similarity of plants and of 
roots, and the even growth in every particular, to be 
convinced that the regularity of stand secured, the 
evenness of growth, the power to stand adverse con¬ 
ditions and the evenness and uniformity of the ripen¬ 
ing of any field of drilled oats is not a matter of 
opinion hut rather an easily explained and established 
fact. Many of the plants from the broadcast seeding 
are in such position as to be easily and quickly affect¬ 
ed by freezing weather when they are very young, or 
by drought even after they have attained considerable 
size. With nearly all, the root system is decidedly 
more superficial and from its very position indicates 
that there will be great dissimilarity in rapidity of 
growth, time of heading, and time of ripening. When 
we consider the seed that has been left completely 
uncovered or is so near the surface as to sprout and 
then succumb to the adverse but natural climatic 
conditions that will prevail, we must conclude that 
the increased yield per acre from the use of the drill 
is but one of the points of superiority of this method 
of seeding over that of broadcasting. It is a matter 
of observation, that when clover is seeded in oats 
which are drilled, and which have the drill rows in 
a north and south direction there is considerably less 
danger of the young clover being killed by the hot 
sun as soon as the oats are harvested. It is plain to 
see that the clover plants receive more direct sunshine 
when sown as indicated than when the nurse crop is 
broadcast. The young plants are thus hardened or 
tempered to the hot sun and therefore do not .readily 
die because of the'burning which they undergo when 
the nurse crop is removed. 
USING A LAND ROLLER. 
Our roller is a wood stave, homemade one, eight 
feet wide, two sections, three feet in diameter and 
has box for gathering stone, or weighting down on 
obstinate clay lumps. Spring-plowed clover sod is 
always rolled, and if season is a dry one, and soil is 
lumpy, the roller follows the double-acting Cutaway, 
or spring-tooth, alternately sometimes, until a fine 
mellow seed-bed is developed and the reestablishment 
of capillary attraction is hastened. Clayey and lumpy 
places are re-rolled and re-harrowed several times 
additional. Fall-plowed potato ground is not rolled, 
except where lumpy. After ground is fitted, ready 
for potato planter, the roller invariably precedes 
planter, because a uniform planting depth is secured; 
otherwise without rolling, on sandy, or loose parts 
of field, the planter drive-wheels will settle into soil 
two or three inches, more or less, and on stony or 
clayey ground not so much, consequently the potato 
planting depth varies just that much, resulting at 
harvest time often in sun-burned potatoes, or costly 
digging, together with loss from poor machine sepa¬ 
ration if too deep. During 1903, our potato-planted 
field, 18 acres, was rolled (the first and last time in 
our experience) and it paid well, because a severe 
drought was prevalent, and continued for several 
weeks after planting. Usually clayey places are rolled 
after planting if weather predictions are dry. This 
rolled ground invariably cultivates up hard, and roll¬ 
ing is practiced only when in our judgment it is safe, 
proper and wise. 
For wheat seeding, especially in dry weather, roll¬ 
ing ahead of grain drill firms the seed-bed and pre¬ 
vents too deep placing of the seed. In preparing our 
potato stubble ground for wheat seeding in late Fall, 
it is seldom rolled, except the clay places. Also the 
same careful attention applies to other seedings. Great 
care should ever be exercised that the soil is not too 
wet whenever roller is used, particularly in Spring 
time. Again a light soil might be rolled, while wet, 
with good results, but this would be a very unsafe 
practice on a heavy soil. Often a whole season, 
sometimes more is -required to recover from such 
damage, which is a serious matter. Herein lies q 
grave danger. Our unalterable practice is to keep en¬ 
tirely off land with the roller, other tools, or 
horses when wet, even for plowing the soil, which is 
mostly a heavy one. Properly used the roller is as 
important and valuable in its place as any of the 
necessary farm machines. In fact it is usually a 
necessity. Soils, conditions and seasons vary so much 
that hard, fast and safe rules for all are difficult to 
lay down. Common sense and study combined with 
sound judgment are really the safest guides to follow, 
except the experienced man right on the job. 
New York. _ t. e. martin. 
CAN HE FARM WITHOUT COWS ? 
I have been much interested in some recent arti¬ 
cles on cost of maintaining a dairy for profit. After 
summing up the opinions of some who seem to make 
a specialty of the dairy business, I conclude not only 
ours, but many more do not pay, and if we can 
conjure a plan by the use of chemicals and soding 
crops to maintain fertility, we certainly would dis¬ 
card a dairy. My brother and I are in partnership. 
We own a small place of 12 acres, good stone build¬ 
ings, good land. We own another place adjoining 
of 32 acres, good buildings, all farm ground but one 
acre of timber, mainly poplar. That place we rent 
out and get $165 per year cash rent. We pay county 
tax and find grass seeds. Our farm belongs to our 
father—100 acres, four acres timber (heavy). We 
pay $300 rent for the farm and find everything, and 
can farm to suit ourselves. We keep 18 cows, six 
horses, have all necessary farm machinery, fully 
equipped shop for repair work, including shoeing 
horses. We have new Whitman hay press, and bale 
400 to 500 tons hay and straw per year for other 
people. This brings in about $000 to $700. Thrash¬ 
ing brings in about $300; silo filling about $100. 
Shredding fodder nets us about $150. We have a 
sawmill to turn out lumber for our own improve¬ 
ments, as we have a wood lot of six acres chest¬ 
nut. We sell about 20 tons straw and ?0 to 50 tons 
bay per year; also 10 tons baled shredded fodder. 
Our dairy brings in about $900 per year. Our 
total income from all sources during the past year 
was $4,400. This includes the rent from the other 
farm. Our principal items of expense are as fol¬ 
lows: Rent, $300; wages, $300; baling wire, bought 
direct from factory in New York, $175; gasoline, 
bought from tank wagon, $150 ( 11 / cents per gal¬ 
lon); taxes, about $110; interest, $110; insurance, 
$20; grass seeds, $50; fertilizer at carload rates, 
$175; feeds bought, about $300. We have a silo. 
This year we have 18 acres in grass for hay, 
eight acres in Spring rye and oats, mixed, 28 acres in 
wheat, 31 acres corn, for main crop (all manured), 
and 200 pounds fertilizer drilled in row; just 
planted seven acres late for silo. Does it not look 
reasonable that if we think our dairy does not pay, 
and having all this extra income with a small in¬ 
debtedness, we are foolish to bind ourselves down 
to dairy, if we can maintain our fertility some 
other way? Our land responds readily to fertilizer. 
We have a fine stand of clover with our Spring rye, 
but have difficulty in getting an even stand of clover 
witli wheat. If we can raise more clover, make hay 
of the first crop, and plow down the second growth 
in the Fall, then sow Crimson clover and one and one- 
half bushel oats to the acre for a cover crop, it looks 
reasonable that ground should raise corn the following 
year without manure, if we used about 300 pounds 
good fertilizer to the acre. We want to make corn 
and hay our specialties. What is your candid opinion 
of our business and plans? Our machinery we take 
a delight in, as we keep it in the best of repair, and 
a breakdown is almost an unheard-of occurrence. We 
have a 15 horse-power gasoline engine. At thrashing 
and baling straw at the same time with our engine, 
we have taken in $37 a day. Out of this we pay two 
hands $1.40 each; wire, $3.80; gasoline, $1.75. We 
seldom taken in less than $15 per day at thrashing. 
Some people have berries for a side line, others 
fruits, and so on. This is our method—machinery, 
Pennsylvania. h. l. n. 
R. N.-Y.—We would not attempt to advise a suc¬ 
cessful farmer who thinks of making a radical change. 
He would better think the details out in his own 
mind. Wc know that it is possible to raise full crops 
and keep up the soil by using chemicals and gre<n 
crops—because wc have seen it done. The outlook 
now is for high prices for grain and hay. Tt is not 
necessary for farmers to keep stock in order to main¬ 
tain the fertility of the land. 
