190S. 
THIS RU RA L, NEW-YORKRR 
151 
Hope Farm Notes 
Com Weather. —Visions of February 
plowing and nightmares of the ice men 
alike changed to roughshod wild horses 
when the northwest wind came roaring 
down our valley at last. The mercury 
hovered around zero for nearly 10 days, 
and with snow enough for good sleigh¬ 
ing we felt like Winter at last. I do 
not think the peach buds have been hurt 
yet, while the strawberries are better off 
under this snow. It is hard to find 
profitable outdoor work on a farm like 
ours in this sort of weather. We are 
shelling corn and grinding grain, and 
patching up things for Spring. Jack and 
Henry are clearing brush. We shall 
plant a new orchard of apples and 
pears this Spring. The second growth 
and brush have been cut off and partly 
burned. When the ground thaws we 
shall twist out the smaller stumps and 
tear up the ground as best we can with 
a disk plow. The trees will be planted 
close together (20 feet) and after hoeing 
once or twice mulched with whatever 
we can find that is suitable. On part of 
the field I think we can get the ground 
clean enough to plant some of our flint 
corn. 
Inside the house Winter moves on 
cheerfully. Onr hot-water heater keeps 
the house warm, and the sun pours in 
through the windows whenever there is 
any to pour. There is always a big pan 
of baked apples ahead, and Charlie has 
sent us two boxes of oranges from 
Florida. With an abundance of fuel and 
food and good books to read, and no 
end of duties to perform, the Hope 
Farm folks can keep comfortably out of 
mischief. After all, who does more 
than that? The children have come in 
their history to the story of Hannibal. 
He is a great hero with them. I tell 
them he was one of the greatest men in 
history, because he was able to keep a 
discordant army together. His men did 
not fight for love of country or for any 
of the patriotic sentiments we venerate 
to-day. They had little in common ex¬ 
cept their great belief in their com¬ 
mander. Every other great general had 
a national sentiment back of him. 
Hannibal held his terrible crowd to¬ 
gether by the force of his own personal 
power. Those old heroes have their uses 
even in these modern days. When a 
boy goes about telling people how 
Hannibal climbed over the Alps through 
ice and snow he can hardly find the 
face to complain when he has to get up 
to start the fire or go out into the storm 
to cut wood. When this cold weather 
struck our valley the Italians working 
on the road all cpiit and made for the 
city. Our boys think that perhaps ex¬ 
plains why the old Romans did not 
stay in the Alps and fight. 
Questions are pouring in from all 
quarters. Many of them are too much 
for me, and I must ask for help. Here 
is one from Virginia: 
Will Spring-sown Alfalfa grow sufficient 
for turning in about first or middle of May: 
Diggs, Va. o. c. d. 
No. Alfalfa will not make enough 
growth in that time to pay. Alfalfa is 
weak and spindling as compared with 
the clover. It is intended for a long- 
lived crop and will not take (he place of 
the annuals. I would sow Canada field 
peas as early as the ground would work. 
They will make a fair growth in your 
country by May 15, and can then be 
plowed under. 
Here is a somewhat similar question 
from Chautauqua Co., N. Y.: 
I wish to ask your opinion in regard to 
plowing under a green crop for potatoes. 
As I have a lot of Refugee bean seed that 
Is not salable would you think It good 
policy to sow these beans thick very early 
on gravel ground, plow them under about 
June 10 to 15, ami plant the potatoes 
about June 20? I never plant potatoes 
earlier than that, i am not bothered with 
bugs or blight. We almost always have 
rain when the potatoes are setting. Or 
would you consider it better policy to buy 
Canada pea seed for the same purpose? 
w. n. s. 
Arc you sure these beans will sprout? 
Why are they not salable? Tf the germ 
is strong we would sow them as soon 
as the ground is warm enough. We 
could sow Canada peas at least two 
weeks before it would be safe to plant 
beans, but by June 10 I think the beans 
will give as large a growth to plow 
under as the peas. Of course the risk 
from frost will be greater with the 
beans; still, I doubt if the peas will 
give enough more of a crop to pay for 
the cost of seed. T have found bean and 
cow pea vines excellent as green manure. 
I think it is one of the most encourag¬ 
ing signs of the times that farmers are 
studying how to get more vegetable mat¬ 
ter and more nitrogen into the soil. 
Everyone knows what they can grow 
by plowing under a good sod. Now if 
we can get the benefit of the sod with¬ 
out waiting two years for seeding down 
the small farm is ahead. 
Here is one from Vermont: 
In the Summer of 1907 a neighbor let 
the job of cutting and putting into a barn 
tlie bay on a part of his farm to two broth¬ 
ers. The brothers were to have one-third 
of tlie hay for doing the job. No particu¬ 
lar way for dividing the hay was suggested 
at tlie time the job was let. Will The 
It. N.-Y. family please suggest the proper 
way for dividing this mow of hay which 
is about 24 feet long. 12 feet wide ami 18 
feet deep. The nearest scales on which 
the hay can be weighed are about 2'/> miles 
distant. l. a. i*. 
If my little girls went over to a 
neighbor’s house and baked a big cake on 
any such agreement I should advise 
them to measure the cake, allow fairly 
for shrinkage at the ends and then cut 
off one-third for their share. Tf I was 
this farmer, I would propose the same 
plan. T would Dike the two brothers 
up in the hay mow and see that all cor¬ 
ners were packed out squarely, and the 
whole levelled off so that the pressure 
and surface would be uniform. I should 
then suggest taking a hay knife and 
cutting down eight feet of that mow 
at either end or in the center as agreed. 
A hay knife will make a clean cut. I 
have used one for sawing off many 
tons of hay. 
The following question comes from 
Arkansas: 
Is there a man in America who keeps 
sweet potatoes the year round, and can tell 
why he does so? i would like lo corre¬ 
spond with him. a. w. r. 
Ozark, Ark. 
All I can say with absolute truth is 
that I cannot do it. America is a great 
country. If there be any American who 
can answer the question—lie may have 
tlie floor. With cold storage and hot 
cans the life of many articles offered 
can be indefinitely prolonged. Some 
people can do things on the run and 
then fall down in telling about them. 
I had no idea that cat question had 
such claws on it. Flere is a note from 
an Iowa man: 
I could not resist the feeling that came 
up when you allowed the old maid t<> pull 
ilie wool over your eyes far enough so you 
took the eats in the house. I really wanted 
to kick you. Cats are just as well olT in 
the barn as any other stock, and will 
never be caught sitting on the windowsill 
if they are fed in the barn but no, our 
dear old spinsters will open their tender 
hearts and mollycoddle the cats until they 
think there is no place like the hearth 
rug. I shall continue to consider that I 
build what house we have for wife and the 
boys, and don’t propose to share it up with 
a cat of any breed or price. 
Now T think this friend would resist 
the temptation to kick me. I am a long 
way off, and if I found he was larger than 
I am I would keep a table between us 
while I pointed out to him our little 
girls and the way they are willing to 
work for the cats. When he come to 
realize just what real affection for ani¬ 
mals means to people, both old and 
young maids would cover his eyes an 
inch thick with wool. h. w. C. 
PERFECT POTATO 
PLANTING 
Every farmer knows the importance 
of propor potato planting. Here’s a 
machino that does it perfectly. Has 
none of the faults common with com¬ 
mon planters. Opens the furrow 
perfectly, drops the seed 
correctly, covers it uni- a s a 
formly.andbostof ali <T Iron , „ . 
never bruises or (improved Robbins) 
punctures the ^ A Potato Planter 
seed. Send a 
postal for 
our 1908 
free 
Book. 
BATEMAN MFG. 00., Box 102PGrenlooh, N. J. 
smrmMiiij 
Don’t-Rust Farm Fence g?r,:ss 
made. Old-fushloncd galvanized, therefore 
can’t rust. 40-Carbon Elastic Spring Steel Wire. 
80 Days’ Free Trial. Send for free oatalog No. 57, with 
prlocs, freight prepaid, on Farm and Poultry Fcnoo. 
Address The Ward Fence Co., Uox 835 Decatur, Ind., 
also mfrs, Orna'l Wire and Orua'l Steel Picket Fence. 
THE SUPERIOR FENCE 
Made oi heavy gauge. 
Nos. 8, 9 and lo High Car¬ 
lson Colled springs! eel 
Wire, bound together with Nil. 
perlor Rock, making Ntrong. 
ewt fence In existence. Prices 
low. Eusy terms. Write for Free Catalog. 
T1IR SITPEIUOR FRYCR TO. 
Wept. I, Cleveland, Ohio 
COIL SPRING FENCE 
Made of high carbon Steel Wire 
Horse-high, Bull-strong, Chlek- 
en-tlght. Sold direct to the 
Farmer at loweat manufac¬ 
turers prices on 30 Days Free 
Trial, freight prepaid. 100 page 
Catalogue and prlco-llst free. 
KITSELMAN BROS., 5 
Box 230 MUNCIC, IND. 
►= *= P= i 
F=. 
i 
Oats Respond Readily 
to Nitrate of Soda, not only in yield but espec¬ 
ially in quality. Here is one of many reports 
we get: “ Without Nitrate of Soda, 36 bushels 
of oats to the acre; with Nitrate of Soda, 
64 bushels per acre—the oats weighing in the 
latter case 41 lbs. per bushel—full grain.” 
Valuable book, “Grass Growing for Profit,” sent free. 
A few copies of “Food for Hants,” a 230 -page book , are left 
for distribution. It should be in every farmer’s library Jov 
reference. Send name and complete address on post card. 
WILLIAM S. MYERS, Director, John Street and 71 Nassau, New York 
The tools that increase results 
No other farm or garden tools do such good work or so much work in so short a 
time, as Planet Jrs. 
Strong and easy-running. Practical and lasting, and thoroughly guaranteed. 
JNo. 25 Planet Jr. Combined Hill and Drill Seeder, Double Wheel Hoe 
Cultivator and Plow opens the furrow, sows the seed ac¬ 
curately in drills or hills, covers, rolls, and marks 
out next row in one operation. A perfect Double 
Wheel Hoe, Cultivator and Plow. 
No. 8 Planet Jr. Horse Hoe and Culti¬ 
vator will do more things in more ways than any 
other horse hoe made. Plows to or from the row. 
A splendid hiller; no equal as a cultivator. 
Write today for our new illustrated catalogue of 1908 
'Planet Jrs— 45 kinds—a tool for every gardener's need. 
S L Allen & Co Box 1107 -V Philadelphia Pa 
PLOW THE EASY WAY- 
USE A WINNER PLOW TRUCK 
Don’t touch the handles, walk on the even eround and turn a 
smoother, straighter furrow. Holds plow steady in stoniest 
ground. A light boy or woman can do the work easily. 
3 Days Work In 2 Days 
„ and all the drudgery avoided. As good on side hill as 
on flat land plow. Saves the plow points and carries the 
plow anywhere. No use for wagon or stone boat. 
Try It lO Days at My Risk. Write for descriptive 
matter and full particulars. Agents wanted. 
L. R. LEWIS,Box 12, Cortland, N. Y. 
TWO GOOD 
MOWERS 
\ 
No. 10— Cear Drive 
No. 0—Chain Drive 
When hay is ready to cut, how _ 
nice it is to know you have a mower that will “click” 
along on any kind of ground, cutting a clean, smooth swath in light or 
heavy grass without any trouble. When you turn into a field with a 
Johnston Mower you can rest assured its work will be music to your 
ears. There are so many good features about these mowers 
we can only mention a tew here. Our No. 10 is gear drive. 
No. 9 is the same mower, only chain drive. This 
is to give the buyer preference—some want 
gear drive, others chain drive. They are 
roller-bearing throughout, making them 
very light in draft. Wheels are high, with 
three pawls, insuring even motion and 
high power—no jar to knife or lost 
motion; levers convenient, which, 
Farm 
Toots 
r with the aid of a perfect foot 
lever, makes it easy to pass ob¬ 
structions. turn corners, etc., giv¬ 
ing full control of bar 
Cutter bar always rigid, 
top—nothing to catch loose 
clog. Knives are our own make 
cast iron, just heavy enough to 
machinery well and make it work 
smoothly. Bearings are steel 
and dust-proof. We also make a 
one-horse, gear-drive mower that is 
meeting with particular favor for 
small farms, orchards, large lawns 
and parks. Don’t buy a mower 
until you have sent for our 1908 
Catalog. Do it today. 
at all times, 
smooth on 
balance 
