1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
161 
THE STRUGGLE FOR A FARM. 
Don’t Work Too Hard. 
After 10 years of hard work we find we 
have in our possession as the result of that 
labor a little chunk of New York State on 
the shore of the old St. Lawrence. Our 
farm contains 25 acres. The buildings are 
fairly comfortable, and we are working all 
the time to make them more so. We have 
a team, a fine colt, a cow, 100 Leghorn hens 
and six Berkshire pigs; not a great deal of 
stock, but the quality is good. People say 
we have done well, and are a little envious, 
perhaps, of our “good luck’’ as they call 
it. I would say right here that not a penny 
has come our way except what has been 
earned, and well earned. I cannot see 
any “luck" about that. If we had discov¬ 
ered an oil well or a gold mine, or had 
fallen heir to some property, I should call 
that “luck.” The greatest mistake we made 
was In working too hard—a mistake often 
made by ambitious young people. My hus¬ 
band was a tireless worker, and I tried hard 
to keep up with him. Day after day we 
worked from early dawn until after dark, 
often 18 hours, never once thinking of sav¬ 
ing our strength in the least. In a few 
years I found I had lost my health. My 
husband, though standing the work better 
than I, was beginning to break down under 
the strain. Insomnia added to his trials, 
and he had no courage left. By this time, 
however, though broken in health, we had 
saved enough to pay for our farm. One 
thing which made the work so hard was the 
fact that we were eight miles from a mar¬ 
ket. Two trips a day were often made dur¬ 
ing the busy season We hired no help, but 
in haying and harvest exchanged work with 
a neighbor. Another mistake we made 
was in getting along those first years with 
an old worn-out team and poor tools. We 
had made it a rule to pay for things when 
we got them, and this often worked hard¬ 
ship. Successful farming takes some capi¬ 
tal. Our money crops were eggs and poul¬ 
try. berries, potatoes, apples, hay and dairy 
products. The farm we wrnre working in 
connection with one we afterward bought, 
contained 50 acres, making in all 75 acres 
to work. We lived on the larger place and 
had a dairy there of six cows. 
To look back at it, It doesn’t seem possi¬ 
ble that two young people could have ac¬ 
complished the work we did there in those 
seven years. There were cows to milk night 
and morning, and often when my husband 
came in to breakfast at half past six he 
would say: “I have done half a day’s work 
already, besides all the chores.” Perhaps 
it would be an acre of potatoes sprayed with 
the bellows duster, while the dew was on, 
or two or three acres of grass seed sown ; 
or a lot of commercial fertilizer dropped 
by hand before there was any wind to 
bother. We found wo could no longer carry 
on the work as we had, done, and decided to 
leave. We had the farm where we were 
in a high state of cultivation and were 
making money fast. This proved to be a 
good move, although everyone else but our¬ 
selves saw r only disaster ahead. If we could 
have stayed where we were but one more 
year, and gone on with our work as we had 
done, there would have been a snug sum 
in the bank to our credit. If we had gone 
slower at the start, and husbanded our 
strength we might have done this. But on 
our little farm In only three years 
we have brought it up to where it 
clears us as much money as both places 
did before. Here we have no rent to 
pay. That makes a big difference. We 
have three children, the elder two being old 
enough to help some. The last three years 
have not been too strenuous. We have 
gradually recovered our health and strength 
and we find a pleasure in working our own 
farm, and bringing it up to a high state 
of cultivation, and in keeping buildings and 
fences in repair, and in slowly adding im¬ 
provements, which renters cannot appre¬ 
ciate. Just one last word of advice to those 
who must first be renters. Do not think 
you must work a big farm. The smaller 
ones rent for less, and Intensive farming 
pays the best. E. 
Cape Vincent, N. Y. 
The Farm Tenant’s Side. 
Although I will admit that the rented 
farm usually does run down, I do not be¬ 
lieve it is entirely the fault of the tenant. 
I know of good farms run by tenants for 
years that are not run down; but I notice 
that these farms are owned by men who 
are willing to put on all needed repairs 
and improvements. On the other hand the 
tenant has to get along with many incon¬ 
veniences because the owner will not, as a 
rule, improve the place or put on needed 
repairs. For instance, the fences are poor, 
but the tenant is expected to make the 
rotten rails and broken wire Into respect¬ 
able fences. He cannot do it many times, 
and the cows become unruly. Perhaps the 
next tenant gets the fences in some shape. 
Does the landlord change the unruly cows? 
No indeed; the tenant can look after them. 
Buildings do need shingles once in a while, 
but I know more than a few houses with 
leaky roofs that have been getting worse 
i 
and worse for a number of years. In one 
instance a barn leaked so that It spoiled a 
quantity of hay, but the tenant was ex¬ 
pected to feed It. If the tenants want 
all they can get so do the landlords. When 
the owner of a farm decides to rent he buys 
a place in town, and straightway commences 
to improve his new home to the detriment of 
the farm. I know of one instance where 
the owner of a large farm said that it was 
all they could do to make a living off their 
farm; they were wealthy, so it didn’t mat¬ 
ter, but when the farm was rented they 
expected and got good rent. I don't know 
how the tenants did come out. I believe 
they do not as rule stay more than a year 
or two. The landlord wants half the 
chickens, half the eggs and in one instance 
the tenant was obliged to keep track of the 
milk used in the family. As for working by 
the month the single man can. The married 
man with no children might perhaps, but the 
man with the family must rent or go to the 
city, for very few farms in this vicinity 
have more than one house. I believe there 
are good tenants and poor tenants, and the 
same may he said of landlords. Certainly 
our rundown farms ought not to be laid 
entirely to the tenant. a tenant. 
Lewis Co., N. Y. 
That Fowler House.— On page 42 
R. F. S. makes inquiry about the Fowler 
house. The house was built about 1850, 
and was located three miles east of this 
village, this being the railroad station. 
It was built from a sort of concrete 
of which Prof. Fowler claimed to be 
the inventor. It lacked the durability 
claimed for it. I have visited the prem¬ 
ises and find that there are not even 
ruins left, as there is hardly a vestige 
of the building left. The material of 
which the house was constructed was 
apparently composed of coarse gravel 
(some of it very coarse), lime and 
cement. The present owner sold the 
walls to the highway commissioners for 
road material, for which purpose it an¬ 
swered very well. c. E. W. 
New Hamburg, N. Y. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal." See guarantee page 12. 
Healthy Chickens 
A high or low death rate is usually 
the difference between successful 
and unsuccessful poultry raising. 
REX Flintkote ROOFING is 
used for roofs and sidings on profit¬ 
able poultry plants, because it keeps 
the houses warm and dry, with even 
temperature and humidity. 
As a result, fewer chickens are lost 
and the layers are more productive 
in poultry houses covered with 
FLINTKOTE 
ROOFING 
This roofing is fire-resisting, rain 
and snow-proof, and very durable. 
REX Flintkote ROOFING affords 
more kinds of protection to your build¬ 
ings and their contents than any other 
roofing. Everything needed in laying 
comes with roll—any laborer can lay it. 
Send for Free Samples 
and test them for fire, water, pliability and 
appearance. We also send a booklet about 
roofing, full of interesting photos of REX 
Flintkote roofs everywhere. 
“Making Poultry Pay" is a booklet worth 
many times the postage (4 cents) which is all 
we ask for it. Send for it. 
J. A. & W. BIRD & CO. 
70 India St., Boston, Mass. 
Agents everywhere 
It’s “Reliable” 
And RELIABILITY is “THE quality 
of qualities.” A reputation for RELIA¬ 
BILITY is not won in a day, a month 
or a year. Consistent performance dur¬ 
ing the slow testing of time, alone is 
sufficient to prove that most satis¬ 
factory of qualities — RELIABILITY. 
Each year for past sixteen years, the 
U.S. 
CREAM 
SEPARATOR 
♦ 
has been adding to its reputation for 
RELIABILITY which is UNEQUALLED 
today. Dairymen today choose the 
U. S. because they KNOW it can be 
depended upon to do the Best work 
ALL the time and the Longest time, 
too. Time has PROVED it. 
Mr. Van Worm’s 
few words sum up 
completely the 
many reasons why 
dairymen every¬ 
where are fast ex¬ 
changing their old 
style, unsatisfac¬ 
tory or “cheap” 
separators for the 
reliable, clean 
skimming, u p-t o- 
date U. S. If you 
have one of “the 
other kind, ’ ’ WE’VE 
a proposition to 
makeyou. Just ask 
us about it, please. 
The thirty illustrations in our new catalog 
enable you to easily SEE why the construc¬ 
tion 1 of the U. S. makes it the most RELI¬ 
ABLE and profitable. Won’t you send today 
for free copy? Just ask for “No. 159.” 
VERMONT PARM MACHINE CO. 
a BELLOWS PALLS, VT. 4 82 
Eighteen Distributing Warehouses 
1 
1 
AMERICAN 
SAW MILLS 
5 Sizes Portable Mills 
To Suit Any Power. 
ALL ) 
DESIGN 
MATERIAL 
WORKMANSHIP 
PRICE 
RIGHT 
Variable Friction Feed. Improved 
Giant Duplex Steel Dogs. Combined 
Ratchet Setworks and Quick Receder. 
Rolled Steel Track. Self Oiling Bear¬ 
ings throughout. 
Strong, Accurate, Reliable, Durable. 
Simple, easy to handle, won't get out 
of order. Require little power. 
MAKE THE BEST LUMBER, 
3 Sizes, Large, Heavy, Stationary Mills, With 
Hercules Feed. 
AMERICAN SAW MILL MACB’YCO. 
129 Hope Street, Hackettstown, N. J. 
_610 Engineering Bldg., New York City. 
New Deere Gang 
On cold mornings you may want to walk 
while plowing. Maybe your boy is so small 
he can hardly raise a gang plow with the 
foot-lift when the horses are stopped. In 
either case the trouble is overcome by 
using 
The 
Auxiliary 
Hand 
Lever 
The New Deere 
is the only gang so 
made that you can 
raise the plows with 
a foot-lift or with a 
hand lever—or with 
both. The auxil¬ 
iary hand lever 
folds out of the way 
when not Ln use. 
The Booklet Beautiful 
shows plows ancient and modern. Illus¬ 
trated by photos of actual plowing scenes 
from all over the world. 
Ask for booklet No. 336 Mention this 
paper. 
DEERE & COMPANY, Moline, 111., U. 3. A. 
HENCH’S offi, 
Steel Ball Coupling Pivot Axle 
Cultivator S’JVcS 6 , 1 : 
Planter and Fertilizer 
Attachment complete 
In Ono Machine. 
Awarded 
GOLD MEDAL 
at World’s Fair, 8 t. 
LoniS. A wonderful 
Improvement in cultl- 
,vators.combining every 
possible movement of 
gangs and wheels re¬ 
quired. Easily changed 
to different styles. 
Thousands ln use. Sl’fr’sof all kind of Ag’r’i Im¬ 
plements. Agents wanted; write for circular. 
The Hench & Dromgold Co., Mfrs., York, Pa. 
VIRGINIA FARMS 
$8 per Acre and up 
With improvements. Good productive soil, abundant 
water supply and best climate on earth. Near rail¬ 
road and good markets with best church, school and 
social advantages. For list of farms, excursion rates 
and our beautiful pamphlet showing what others 
have accomplished, write to-day to F. H. LA 
BAUME, Agrl. and Indl. Agt., Norfolk & Western 
Ky.. Box E L . Roanoke, Ya. 
Homeseekers, 
Tennessee produce growers most 
fortunately situated. Tennessee 
A ^ A X _ produce reaches south- 
tome to I ennessee •m» r kBUju«ta*«. 
tremo southern-grown 
produce is cxh&used, and reaches northern markets several 
weeks earlier than northern -utowd stuff, thus commanding 
very boat prices both north and south. From $100 to $400 per 
aero cleared from Cantaloupe. Cabbage and Tomato crops in 
Tennessee in 1U07; notwithstanding, this land is selliuK for 
from $5 to $20 an aero. Excellent climate: pure water. For 
descriptive literature address H.K.Hmith, Traffic Mgr., Dept. 
C t Nashville, 1 hattanooKu ic St. Louis tty. f Nashville, Tenn. 
Steam and Gasoline Engines, 
Boilers,Saw Mills, 
S> and Machinery.* 
r Catalogues on request.' 
SYRACUSE SUPPLY CO., i 
31G \V. Fayette St., 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
HORSES 
Going Blind, Itary Co., 
SKUNK 
—Advance in price. Write for price list 
_ just Issued on all raw furs. CHARLES 
A. KAL'KK, Box 298, Montgomery. New Yoik. 
I 
j 
A & B 
SWIVEL PLOW 
When buying a new plow the farmer 
should consider its adaptability. In / 
our A & B Swivel < */> 
Plow wo have a plow 
that does equally good 
work on level land or hill¬ 
side. 25,000 of them in use 
Light Draft 
Good Work 
in New England alone. Our 53 years experi¬ 
ence in plow building has enabled 
duce a plow that is ligl 
low building has enabled us to'pro- 
. jw that is light, strong and durable, 
made from the best materials by expert work¬ 
men. The cutter is always in line with tho 
point—this reduces the draft, makes the plow 
hold easier and do better work. It shifts auto¬ 
matically by reversing thei foot latch. Is very 
simple and can not get out of order. This plow 
will please you. Send for free circular telling why. 
R. SARGENT ft BON, 100 Main St., CasUetou. Vt. 
