470 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
whether growers or dealers, as just what they are— 
abominable sneak thieves. Think of the incongruity 
of large numbers of responsible merchants and still 
larger numbers of honest growers standing idly by 
and taking as a matter of course the operations of 
these swindling villains, undermining the efforts of 
honest endeavor and openly engaged in wholesale 
robbery of unsuspecting purchasers, having grown 
bold in their unmolested enjoyment of ill-gotten gains. 
iWere they caught picking dimes from the pockets of 
IN AN OLD-FASIIIONED GARDEN. Fig. 212. 
unwary passers-by these same beholders would in¬ 
stantly summon the police. When public opinion shall 
have been properly aroused on this vital subject a 
lottery ticket in the form of an uncertain barrel of 
potatoes, apples or other produce will be outlawed as 
thoroughly as other forms of lottery schemes have 
been already. d. l. hartman. 
Pennsylvania. _ 
TOMATOES ON SPRING-PLOWED SOD. 
I wish to set out about a half acre of tomatoes on sod 
land yet to be plowed. How should I prepare the land, 
and how should it be fertilized? Should manure be put 
in hill or harrowed in? What commercial fertilizers are 
best adapted to that crop, and how and when should 
they be applied ? b. 
Setting the tomato on Spring-plowed sod land is not 
the best practice, particularly when plowed late after 
grass has begun growth. Much better results could 
be reached by late Fall plowing, and ground left 
rough through the Winter to receive the snows and 
frosts. As it is too late to consider Fall plowing, let 
us see what can be done for best results at the pres¬ 
ent time. In plowing down a sod after grass makes 
much start in Spring the farmer is apt to have trouble 
from lack of moisture if the proper precautions are 
not taken. The habitual method by many farmers 
of turning under a heavy tough sod with more or less 
top growth, and turning the furrows completely over 
is one of the worst practices anyone can follow. The 
method places the stubble and grass in such a posi¬ 
tion that it cuts off soil moisture from below. The 
furrow soon dries out and the crop suffers. Were 
I in the position of the inquirer, and wanted to plant 
a small area to tomatoes on ground yet to be plowed, 
I would plow it with a jointer on the plow, set just 
low enough so it would work freely; that is, from 
one and a half to two inches lap each furrow on its 
neighbor like the weatherboards on a house. As soon 
as plowed put on a disk or Cutaway harrow and cut 
this sod until it fairly pulverizes, then roll with heavy 
roller. This is to make a union at bottom of furrow 
slice, so the soil water may come up into the plowed 
surface. After thorough rolling recut with disk or 
Cutaway and smoothing harrow. I believe this to be 
the most rational method for Summer crops on 
Spring-plowed sod. 
If soil is fairly light in character I like to broad¬ 
cast the manure and plow it under. This gives feed¬ 
ing for the plants at all stages of growth. On a good 
sod this is out of the question; neither do I believe 
it necessary, particularly if that sod has some clover 
in it. The clover would furnish all the nitrogen nec¬ 
essary late in the season, and that is about what the 
manure would do. If soil was of a heavy nature I 
would prefer what manure I used in the hill; this 
should be well rotted and fine. In this case as well 
as many others we are short on our mineral fer¬ 
tilizers; hence we want a fertilizer high in potash and 
phosphoric acid, particularly the latter. In my own 
operations I use acid phosphate three parts, potash 
one part, mixed together and broadcast before har¬ 
rowing. Where this unmixed material is not to be 
had there is nothing much better than a fertilizer 
analyzing 4-10-10. This mixture to be at its best 
should be derived from high-grade materials. The 
nitrogen should come from nitrate of soda, ammonia 
salts and fine ground fish or high grade tankage, less 
of the organic forms than either of the other two, 
because at the time the fish or tankage would be 
giving up its nitrogen that plowed-under sod would 
also be available in a sufficient degree to meet the 
needs of the plant. The phosphoric acid can come 
from acid phosphate and fine ground bone, the greater 
amount from acid phosphate; potash from muriate. 
In applying a ready-mixed fertilizer of the above 
analysis if used in addition to stable manure I would 
recommend on good soils 400 pounds per acre and 
more where ground is poor, half in the hill, half 
broadcast. If fertilizers are used without manure 
add at least one-third to the above amount. I am 
discussing this question from the standpoint of me¬ 
dium or late planting, not the early crop, where earli¬ 
ness is a prime consideration. c. c. hulsart. 
ABOUT THOSE “BIG STORIES.” 
I wish to speak a word of appreciation of the 
Hope Farm man’s attitude on the “big story” ques¬ 
tion. He says “I doubt if I shall want to tell them 
even when we demonstrate their truth, because unless 
you can make people believe what stands back of 
them in the way of work and care and risk they may 
do more harm than good.” I believe that, as a rule, 
the only ones who are benefited by “big stories” are 
those who can tell a bigger one. To a man who is 
struggling against odds, doing the best he can, the 
“big story” of a man more favorably situated only 
serves to make him discontented with his lot. To illus¬ 
trate, the article on page 309 about “The Farm and 
the Spinsters,” although not really a “big story,” and 
wholly admirable in its way, gave me a certain rebel¬ 
lious feeling, to think that these women seemingly 
have done more in four years than I have been able 
to do with my best efforts, and I had to reflect that 
they are not dependent on the farm for a living, but 
have money from other sources to put the place in 
shape with, and do not even have interest or a mort¬ 
gage to pay. The article on page 366, by Adah Colcord 
Barnes, or the letter given in Hope Farm Notes on 
page 363, are the kind that help me “grin and bear” 
my own trials and discouragements, as they show 
IRISH TERRIERS FOR FARM STOCK. Fig. 213. 
the work and patience that others arc putting into 
similar problems. 
Referring to the latter, the man who has trouble 
with his neighbor’s hens running all over his farm, 
let me suggest that the surest and most peaceable way 
out of this would be for him to put up a poultry 
fence, at least 60 inches high, along the road and his 
line, far enough so that the hens would not get around 
the end of it. I know this is expensive, but no doubt 
cheaper than getting into trouble and going to law, 
as one would be likely to do under the continual 
annoyance he describes; besides a good high, substan¬ 
tial fence is a good investment for many reasons. 
No matter if the neighbor’s share of the fence is 
where he would have to build to keep out the hens, I 
should put up a fence there just the same, on my 
own side of the line, if need be ; rather than have 
trouble. My neighbor last year put up a fence which 
is pig and chicken tight, bull strong and horse high. 
His White Leghorn hens do not bother it any to speak 
of, and it is an ornament to the place. Such a fence 
can be bought for something like 65 cents a rod and 
is cheaper than lawsuits. J. A. j. 
Cato, N. J. _ 
WHAT TO DO WITH TRAMP HENS. 
Take Your Pay in Eggs. 
If your correspondent on page 363, who is having 
trouble with his pugilistic neighbor’s hens, will take 
the trouble I think the following plan will soon re¬ 
sult in keeping the hens at home, and the owner of 
them as well. That’s where I should want a neighbor 
of his description to stay. LeJ the aggrieved take 
some outbuilding that is near the dividing line of the 
two farms, near where the hens enter his farm, and 
convert it into a henhouse, or move a small henhouse 
there if necessary. Clean it thoroughly and put in lots 
of nests if his neighbor has lots of hens. Put good 
clean straw and a bright nest egg in each nest. Put 
lots of straw on the floor and fill the straw with 
grain. I should put a good strong door on this hen¬ 
house with a good lock and leave a small door open 
May 30, 
for the admittance of any and all hens. If when the 
neighborly hens start for his place some morning he 
should happen to “accidentally” drop a peck of corn 
near to the hen’s entrance to the new house it might 
help them to discover a better or a new place to lay. 
Never shut the hens’ entrance and exit; let them go 
and come as they please. A small sign of “No tres¬ 
passing” will keep the pugilist off the place (or 
sterner measures will), and in a very short time I 
think your correspondent will have either plenty of 
eggs or no hens. h. e. robbins. 
Middlesex Co., Mass. 
A Gentle Minister’s Revenge. 
I see in Hope Farm Notes some one has stumped 
you on what to do with a neighbor’s trespassing poul¬ 
try. I have a neighbor, a very good one, too. Pie 
had a patch of sweet corn and other garden sauce 
adjoining a large farm where much poultry was kept- 
A wire fence of netting of goodly height separated 
the two properties, but the enterprising “biddies” of 
the Irish neighbor were good jumpers, and easily 
managed to get over and rip up the truck patch, the 
owner of which was a gentle-minded being, a clergy¬ 
man in fact; we call them parsons here. He had 
not the nerve to use harsh measures, but a good 
brother suggested a mild remedy to the parson. He 
got a few bits of stick, some inch or two in length, 
and some pieces of pack thread, five or six inches 
long. One end of the string he tied to the stick, 
the other threaded through a grain of corn. After 
preparing a goodly number of these little playthings, 
he sprinkled them over his corn patch and awaited 
results, which soon happened. Biddy would sw T allow 
a grain of corn, but the stick remained outside, con¬ 
sequently she didn’t want any more corn, but was kept 
busy with her claws trying to get rid of the attach¬ 
ment. It reminded you of a boy playing a jewsharp. 
The good brother grew angry, but the chickens stayed 
at home, as it was troublesome work catching them to 
remove the incumbrances. Pennsylvania. 
The Hen That Won’t Go Off. 
The appeal to the peaceable and non-fighting hen 
martyr, in Hope Farm Notes, rouses memory to nar¬ 
ration pitch. The Spring of 1885 found me, a me¬ 
chanic, with some children old enough to do some¬ 
thing, in possession of a little farm of 10 acres. I 
was reared on a farm, and the situation was familiar 
to wife and self. The place fronted on a much-used 
road, its front having been sold off in lots and built 
on, some occupied by owners, others by tenants. My 
nearest neighbor, occupying a quarter-acre lot, had a 
flock of 15 hens and a rooster, good Barred Rock. 
My first job was building frames, for sash, and I soon 
had the bed heated, and in due time seeded. Among 
them was an ounce of cauliflower seed. They came 
up splendidly, and I also dreamed of salads. Lettuce 
and onion came and grew, and the weather got 
warmer, and it was necessary to lift the sash. I still 
remained at my trade, so lifted the sash in the morning, 
and lo! at night when I returned my bed of plants 
was destroyed. The frame had been scratched all 
over. I had already asked my neighbor to shut up 
his hens, but he said they could do no harm. He 
declined any mode of settlement, or to restrain his 
fowls, asking me how / would like to be shut up! 
I never sued a man, but think I have been sued. I 
have great dislike to going to law, and against my 
near neighbor too. We lived less than 50 feet apart, 
and as we talked across the fence his liens filed in, 
and went to the frame to dig it over again.. I went 
in and got my gun and ammunition and stood on my 
doorstep and fired into the bunch. He made some 
DINNER IS SERVED. Fig. 214. 
noise, but the liens did not go away, and I fired again, 
maybe more than once, and from shouting threats my 
good neighbor asked permission to secure the living 
and remove the wounded; 13 hens and the rooster 
were carried home, and never came back. He sued 
me and never brought it to trial. I live in the same 
neighborhood yet- I have no quarrel with anyone, 
but I won’t be imposed upon quietly, and I never 
threaten. After more than 20 years of review I 
would do it differently. To-day I would myself build 
a barrier fence and avoid force. I don’t know which 
is wiser, young man, or old man, but I’ve told what I 
did do, and would do. i. f. y. 
