100X. 
TIIK KI IK A. L, N BW-YUKKER 
fMSfj 
CLOVER HAY AND SPONTANEOUS 
COMBUSTION. 
In It possible for wot, groon clover liny 
to tire a barn? Would it be safe to put 
In a barn, In the afternoon, clover hay 
that had been cut In the morning and had 
been lightly rained on? s. c. c. 
There is undoubtedly danger attend¬ 
ing the placing of insufficiently cured 
clover hay in a barn, from the possi¬ 
bility of spontaneous combustion. Un¬ 
less the clover was more mature than it 
ought to be at the time of cutting for 
bay, and unless the weather previous 
to cutting bad been unusually dry, only 
very exceptionally drying weather 
would make it safe to put considerable 
quantities of clover bay into a barn 
even late in the afternoon if it bad 
been cut in the early morning without 
dew. In the handling of bay contain¬ 
ing much clover it is usually necessary 
that it should have at least 36 hours in 
which to cure and a good plan is to 
cut, in the afternoon, when the weather 
promises fair, so that the bay may wilt 
a little and so that the dew of the fol¬ 
lowing night will not injure the clover 
and may be quickly dissipated the fol¬ 
lowing morning, going over the field 
with the tedder as soon as the dew is 
off. A drying day will usually leave 
the clover so that it may be raked and 
bunched or cocked in the afternoon and 
then be placed in the barn in the fol¬ 
lowing day if this is also drying 
weather. If the clover is exceptionally 
heavy and succulent, and particularly if 
the weather is not very drying, it is 
usually very desirable to cock up the 
clover and allow it to “sweat”' in the 
cock, opening it out to air before it is 
placed in the barn. The process of 
sweating in the cock apparently greatly 
reduces the danger from spontaneous 
combustion when clover is placed in 
large quantities in barns or stacks. 
Tt is when it is necessary or desirable 
either to cock bay up to permit it to 
sweat or to protect it against exces¬ 
sively heavy dews or rains in catchy- 
weather that the use of hay-caps may 
prove decidedly advantageous. 
There is more danger than is usually 
realized from the overheating of hay 
in barns and many fires have resulted 
from spontaneous combustion in put¬ 
ting away insufficiently cured bay, espe¬ 
cially that containing much clover. In 
England hay even in the stacks, if it 
must be put up in unfavorable weather, 
is carefully watched to avoid the dan¬ 
ger and injury which may follow from 
overheating. When there is much dan¬ 
ger it has been the practice to build 
long stacks and then a tool is provided 
in the form of a Ion" slender iron rod, 
possessing a harpoon point which may 
be readily thrust horizontally into the 
stack at intervals, drawing it out again 
with a handful of bay from the center 
of the stack, which reveals to the band 
the temperature conditions which may 
be present. If excessive heating is 
found to be taking place the dangerous 
point in the stack is located, and, by 
means of a bay fork, a section is some¬ 
times cut out on the grounds of safety 
or .of reducing the injury to the hay 
from overfermentation. It is always a 
good plan, if some bay must no into the 
barn or stack less cured than desirable, 
to sprinkle over such bay a goo<J allow¬ 
ance of salt. When this is done the 
salt has the power of reducing the 
amount of immediately available mois¬ 
ture, which is necessary for fermenta¬ 
tion, and so causes the fermentation to 
be less rapid and oftentimes less exten¬ 
sive, thus reducing the danger of spon¬ 
taneous combustion and the danger of 
injury from over fermentation. Tt 
should not be understood, however, that 
salting hay is a sufficient protection 
against spontaneous combustion. It was 
the usual practice with my father to 
get his hay under cover at the earliest 
practicable moment, bis preference be¬ 
ing always to have it stacked or put in 
flic barn a little too green than to have 
it get wet. lie invariably practiced t,he 
use of salt if lie thought the bay was a 
little too green, but in one of K) .Sum¬ 
mers of my own practical experience 
lie came very near losing bis barn from 
spontaneous combustion caused by put¬ 
ting in clover bay a little too green, 
but with the precaution of salting; so 
near to losing the barn did the case 
stand that when we reached the middle 
of tile hay feeding in the Winter, we 
found a section of completely charred 
bay about three feet deep and four feet 
in diameter. It was so completely 
charred that on stepping on it we 
dropped directly down nearly to the 
armpits. In this case the bay seems to 
have been sufficiently compact to pre¬ 
vent the entrance of air with the nec¬ 
essary rapidity to start combustion and 
the fire was extinguished, apparently 
through lack of air. Tf this is not the 
reason for the burning going no farther 
then it. must have been that the fermen¬ 
tation was too slow to keep the temper¬ 
ature sufficiently high, as the combus¬ 
tion spread outward from the point of 
starting. Everyone, therefore, storing 
new bay, should keep the matter of the 
possibility of spontaneous combustion 
in mind and see that the conditions arc 
not favorable for its occurrence. 
_F. II. ICING. 
GARBER PEAR. 
In answer to Hie Inquiry about the Gar¬ 
ber pear I will say It should not be ■planted 
for Its fruit, as It: quality Is extremely 
poor. When r begnn planting Kleffer pear 
trees I was Informed by those who should 
have known better (If they did not they 
should not have attempted to Instruct 
others) that It: was very necessary to plant 
other varieties with the KlefTers to pollen- 
Ize them, as the latter only produced im¬ 
perfect or sterile blossoms. One variety I 
used was the Garber, which I found ex¬ 
cellent for that purpose, or It would have 
been if the KlelTer had needed pollenizlng, 
which my experience has taught me It does 
not. The Garber with me is n rampant 
grower, and makes a beautiful tree; It bears 
early and heavy crops of uniformly large 
fruits of beautiful golden yellow color when 
ripe; hut as stated above the quality Is 
poor. It Is one of the very best for pollen- 
izlng purposes. I look upon the need of 
pollinating the KlelTer very much as I do 
about the fumigation of nursery stock. 
Much greater harm than good follows as 
the result, with tin* radical difference that 
the first we don’t have to practice, while 
the latter (the greatest evil ever forced 
upon fruit growers) Is compulsory by law. 
The above opinions are only based upon 
tlie experience under which I have grown 
trees, and might not apply to like trees 
grown under other conditions, w. ir. a. 
New Jersey._ 
CO-OPERATION AMONG FARMERS. 
Referring to the subject of co-operation 
among farmers, I noted with pleasure the 
letter from a Michigan brother who told 
how he and his neighbors were able to 
combine and save $6 a ton on feed; that 
means $120 on every 20-ton carload. In 
some sections through the efforts of their 
lo-al Granges, farmers save the middle¬ 
man's profit on everything they use, wear 
and consume. These sections are only 
spots on the agricultural map, few and far 
between. No doubt, as In this locality, 
the benefits and sound business sense are 
recognized, but the man with the brains 
and ability to push the scheme along is 
not In evidence. A saving of 10 per cent 
on everything one buys would keep a lot 
of money on the farms. It is admitted the 
middleman must live, but conditions have 
changed to such an extent that the farm¬ 
er's burden becomes heavier each year; 
such being the ease he must unload some 
of it for self protection. Is It not a 
sound doctrine which holds u farmer can 
best do a farmer's business? He saves a 
half dollar on every pair of shoes used by 
bis family, a quarter on a halter, $5 or 
possibly $10 on a set of harness, the same 
amount on a mowing machine or a wagon. 
In (Ids, the lower portion of New York 
Stale, very depressing weather conditions 
have prevailed to make failures of many 
crops, the good crops will be limited to hay 
and oats unless rains come speedily and 
revive the corn fields. Following heavy 
rainfalls, which pounded down the surface 
of tjie earth In the early Spring, we are 
passing through one of the longest 
droughts on record. The pastures are 
brown and giving forth nothing, no green 
fodder of any description unless It be early 
planted corn from which the nutriment is 
dried out. nothing but a recourse to 1 lie- 
liny mow and feed bln ; $;to a ton for feed 
and less thnn three cents a quart for milk. 
Orange Co., N. Y. uko. k. nowKi.r,, 
A selected list of the 
newer kinds of strawberries that 
have been tested at our trial 
grounds as well as the best of the 
older sorts are fully described in 
DREER’S 
Mid-Summer Catalogue 
Also the best varieties of Celery, 
Cabbage Plants, etc. 
A most complete list of the Best 
Hardy L'cvcivuiaL Seeds for summer 
sowing. 
Also vegetable and farm seed for 
summer and fall sowing. Select list 
of seasonable Decorative and Flower¬ 
ing plants. 
Writr tor a cop}/ and hi mil// 
mention this magazine—!•'1th’k. 
HENRY A. DREER, PHILADELPHIA. 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET 
Slwulo Trees, Spruce ami Arbor Vifcnt Hedging. 
Cherry Trees a Specialty. Turks ami IM.aNth by 
Mail Postpaid will save you express costs. Send for 
our Catalogue, (It is Free), it will tell you the rest 
JOS. II. BLACK, SON & CO., IHglitstown, N. J. 
WE MAIL OUR CATALOGUE FREE. 
THIS DIGGER WON'T 
DISAPPOINT 
bocnufio it is not an experiment. Wo 
worked for yoai-H norroctiig ltliefoio 
putting on market. We determined 
It should sustain the same high repu¬ 
tation other Iron Aen Tools 
have nuido, and it lias. Last 
year it replaced many 
other makes. .Special 
features are: Light 
draft, durability, 
fiee from cost¬ 
ly repairs; 
adapted to 
varying 
condi¬ 
tions. 
Construction 
different 
from a 1 1 
others. Has 
paten tod 
team res. 
BATEMAN MFG. CO. Box in?0,Grenloch, NJ. 
INDRUROID 
ROOFING 
Requires no Coating or 
Paint. 
Acid and Alkali Proof. 
Elatfticand Pliable Always. 
Strong and Tough. 
Absolutely Waterproof. 
Climatic Changes Do Not 
Affcdt It. 
Practically Fire Proof. 
Can Me Used on Steep or 
Flat Surfaces. 
Any Workman Can Put 
It On. 
No Odor. 
Will not Shrink or Crack. 
Light in Weight. 
Does not Taint Water. 
VVrito for samples, prices 
and circulars. 
H. F. WATSON CO. 
ERIK, PA. 
Chicago, Host <>n. 
Mention It.N-Y. 
One Man Alone 
JJxiilclis J**oilco Using 
O KI " Wire Stretcher 
A strong, durable tool, simple and 
ofTleient iu operation, ami economi¬ 
cal because It saves time, money, 
labor ami repairs. Holds wire taut 
ns desired while operator staples. 
Positively cannot fail. .Should be 
used on every farm. Send for the 
"O-M" to-day. Price $:(.<><) with 
order. Transportation paid, Booklet Free. 
“O-M” WIRE STRETCHER AGENCY, 
Dept. R, Parnassus, Pcnnn, 
THE ORIGINAL MT. GILEAO 
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THE HYDRAULIC PRESS MFC.C0 
Depl. ;j7 Ml. Gilead, Ohio 
or Room 124 1 * 
K* 39 Cortlandt St., N. Y. 
IP 
SAVE MONEY ON HARNESS 
Muy direct from factory. Get bettor Harness, 
made like YOll want it, and save money. King 
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Some now In uso were made more than ZO years 
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I'TtKK catalogue "F.” KING HARNESS HO., 
“E” Street. Oxvego, Tioga Co., New York 
Thomas Phosphate Powder 
(basic slag phosphate) 
The Best Phosphate for Fall Seeding to 
WHEAT. RYE and GRASS 
IT MAKES CLOVER AND ALFALFA GROW 
Thomas Phosphate Powder is not acidulated. 
Thomas Phosphate Powder contains a large 
amount of Free Lime, which is of 
Great Value to the Soil, 
THE PRICE IS LOW. 
Says Bulletin no. ioo, vw W, of the Ohio State Agricultural Experiment Station: 
“Experiments at this station indicate that the total Phosphoric Acid of 
Basic Sltvg is practically as effective as the available Phos¬ 
phoric Acid of Acid Thosphatc.” 
Says Bulletin 6$ of the maryland experiment Station (pages 28 and 29), 
“Slag Phosphate produced sv greater yield and at less cost than 
the average of the soluble phosphoric acid plots and bone meal plots.” This test 
included three Corn Crops, one Wheat Crop and one Grass Crop, 
lllr. B. m. Colllngwood (Editor the Rural New Yorker) says: 
“All that I put on in the way of fertilizer is Iron Slag (Basic Slag) crushed 
up into a powder. Anti il you could see how those trees have improved 
you would bo astonished.”— (Address before the Massachusetts Fruit 
Growers’ Association, “The Care of Apple Orchards,” March 9, 1905.) 
°ur Booklet. “A Remarkable Fertilizer. Thomas Phosphate 
Powder and its Uses'* is sent FREE ON REQUEST. 
The Coe=Mortimer Company 
Special Importers of Thomas Phosphate Powder 
Sole United States Agents for Genuine Peruvian Guano 
Manufacturers of the famous E. Frank Coe &. Peruvian Brands 
24-26 Stone Street, New York City. 
