lee 
THE RURA.Iv NEW-YORKER 
February 18, 
BOTH SIDES OF THE MANURE 
SPREADER. 
In looking over the current farm 
papers, one seldom finds an issue in 
which there are not one qr more articles 
praising the manure spreader. As the 
advantages have been given so fully, I 
shall touch only lightly on that side of 
the question, but shall give the other 
side in full. The two problems in agri¬ 
culture, which are of the most import¬ 
ance at the present time, are those re¬ 
garding the fertility of the land, and of 
the saving of labor. Since the manure 
spreader is one of the greatest aids in 
both of these problems it has undoubted¬ 
ly won a permanent place on the farm, 
but not on every farm. In regard to the 
saving of labor, the spreader saves time 
even over the most careless hand spread¬ 
ing, while if the attempt is made to 
spread the manure anything like as even¬ 
ly and thinly as by hand, as with the 
spreader, the saving is considerable. 
Then of course it is considerably easier 
to sit on a seat and drive, than to throw 
off the manure with a fork. A small 
quantity of manure applied evenly on a 
given piece of land, is equal to a con¬ 
siderably larger quantity applied in a 
careless manner. In this respect, the 
•spreader saves manure. 
The disadvantages to the manure 
spreader are three. These are as fol¬ 
lows: Heavy draft; expense of mainte¬ 
nance; the inability to use it during a 
large part of the year. 1 o take up the 
first, the light draft spreader is a myth. 
A manure spreader itself is no feather. 
Then it takes some power to drive the 
beater, even under the best of circum¬ 
stances. It follows that if the load of 
manure is at all heavy, the draft can¬ 
not be light, even on hard ground. On 
the other hand, in mellow ground (and 
all farm land should be mellow) with a 
heavy load of manure, containing long 
rye straw, and an uphill stretch, it is, 
lacking a herd of elephants, almost im¬ 
possible to move the thing. The writer 
has often had the drive wheels slip, with 
all the weight of the manure and 
spreader on them, w’hen the bedding was 
particularly tough. This has happened, 
not cnly when there was snow, or mud, 
but also in the Summer on a meadow. 
There are two good methods of dispos¬ 
ing of manure. The first is to spread 
it on the land as fast as made, the 
other to store it in some sort of a shel¬ 
ter, and in such a manner as to prevent 
too great a loss by fermentation. If 
one adopts the former method, there will 
be many months of the year that his 
manure will have to go out on a sled, 
and unless his farm is an exceptional 
one, considerable more time when his 
ground is too soft for good results with 
the spreader. In addition, the cost of 
maintenance will be high. This is due 
to the fact that the spreader is continu¬ 
ally soaked full of the liquid part of the 
manure, causing a more rapid deteriora¬ 
tion of the machine and necessitating 
more repairs. 
If the manufacturers wished to, they 
could lower the repair bill to a marked 
extent. Seeing that their piofits on re¬ 
pairs are probably well over 100 per 
cent., while they have a monopoly on 
the parts, it is to their advantage to sell 
as many as possible. If prospective cus¬ 
tomers would consult the price list of 
repairs, this might be changed, but no 
one is very like to do this. I did not. 
My manure spreader experience may be 
instructive. Two years and three 
months ago I bought a 40-bushel 
spreader. It was not entirely new, hav¬ 
ing been in the hands of the agent for 
about a year, and having stood outdoors 
almost all of this time, but it had never 
been used. It is of a make that has the 
reputation of being the best. Inside of a 
year I had to get four slats for the 
apron, several links for the apron return 
chain, and a number of those that are 
riveted to the apron slats, forming the 
two side apron chains. It being inside of 
one year, I did not have to pay for them, 
but had to pay the express charges on 
them, which, according to the usual pol¬ 
icy of the express companies, were of 
course modest. During the first Winter 
we used it most of the time, as there 
was exceptionally little snow. Last 
Summer I had to have some more re¬ 
pairs, and as they were the same ones 
as before, I thought I might as well lay 
in a supply of them. I therefore or¬ 
dered six slats and a dozen links. The 
bill was only $3 fof about six pounds of 
cast malleable iron, and five board feet 
of soft wood. Having by this time got 
wise, I did not order the apron return 
chain, which my man had lost, at four 
times the price that it cost me at a mail 
order house. These slats could be made 
many times as durable if they were made 
of cypress, and soaked full of hot lin¬ 
seed oil. The links could also be made 
in such a manner as not to rust together 
in spite of all the oil that one can soak 
onto the outside of them, if it was to 
the advantage of the manufacturer. That 
same Fall, owing to a defective casting 
having been put into the machine, I 
broke the driving sprocket, for which 
I had the pleasure of paying $5. Just 
in passing it may be remarked that it is 
no dress suit job to repair a manure- 
soaked old spreader. Last Winter, and 
so far this Winter, besides a large part 
of each Spring and Fall, it has been im¬ 
possible to use the spreader at all. This 
is the worst, as this is the very time 
when the most manure is made. I could 
stand the expense and bother, if half of 
my manure did not have to go out in the 
old way anyway. 
If one stores his manure, it is doubt¬ 
ful whether he can afford to buy a 
spreader, if there is one in his neighbor¬ 
hood which can be rented. The usual 
charge is a dollar a day. The interest 
on the investment alone, without repairs 
or depreciation will amount to $6, and 
one must have a good deal of manure, 
or a long haul, not to be able to get it 
out in a week with a spreader and an 
extra man to help load. If one then 
adds to the $6, $10 for depreciation, and 
something for repairs, he will have quite 
a large margin. This is more especially 
true if the Winter’s manure is hauled 
out on a sled, to be plowed under, leav¬ 
ing only about half to be disposed of 
otherwise. 
With a given amount of money to be 
invested, either in a manure shed and 
carrier, or a spreader, I should invest 
in the former if there was a spreader to 
be had in the neighborhood. With a 
sufficiently large quantity of stock, I 
should have a spreader in spite of the 
repairs, and haul out the manure when¬ 
ever possible, as made. Then I should 
have a shed, too, if I could afford it. 
With a small quantity of stock and no 
spreader in the neighborhood, I should 
try to interest some neighbor, if possible, 
to go in with me. If this were impos 
sible, I should go without, for it is not 
use, but rust and decay that spoils a 
spreader, and one will rot about as 
quickly if soaked with the manure from 
six cows, as it will with that from 
twenty. It might be possible to buy one, 
and rent it out enough to pay for the 
expenses, but I should find out before 
I bought one. albert h. de graff. 
Jefferson Co., N. Y. 
DIBBLE’S FARM SEEDS 
arc in a class by themselves, the best obtainable on the American market, and 
the price is no more than paid for the ordinary grades of commerce. 
Dibble’s Best (D. B.) brand Alfalfa, Alsike, Medium, Mammoth Clover and 
Timothy are "best by test. One hundred samples recently analyzed, tested 
from 99.604 to 99.984 pure, which is practically 
i00% Pure 
r% ILLLE r> J ntc are largely raised on our own seed farms, 
UlDDle § where we grow around 10,000 bushels 
■ 11 annually. These varieties are the best 
kinds for the Middle and Eastern States, are thoroughly weeded while growing, recleaned 
TWICE over our special recleaner, which has a screen surface of three and one-haif 
by fifteen feet, and therefore are the best and cheapest that money can buy, as we ship 
direct from our seed farms to yours. 
Dibble’s Seed Corn 
■ auapueu to tut* otiti/us, uoui lor 
crop and the silo. We raise over 100 acres on our Seed Farms each year, and the field 
test tells the story. Ears are carefully selected, hand picked and thoroughly tested. 
Fifty samples show vitality of from 954 to 984. although a number of our customers 
report that "every kernel grew,” which would be 
consists of four varieties, both flint and 
dent, that we have found to be best 
adapted to the Eastern States, both for 
.. n _ .1 _ . _ ___J <.1_i) j 
VI J ~ ’ --~— •• --— 
Germination 100% 
appress- 
ED WARD F. DIBBLE, Seedgrower, Box B, Honeoye Falls, N. Y. 
CATALPA 
SPECIOSA TREES 
Mine are true to name. 
......Free booklet tells all 
about the 150 acres I am growing for telephone 
poles. H. C. ROGERS, Box 111, Mechanicsburg, 0. 
5 Paint Is Cheaper 
Than New 
Buildings 
You know how 
quickly a building 
that never saw paint 
goes to rack and ruin. 
The boards rot 
around the nails,they 
crack and warp. 
Only constant re¬ 
pair keeps the build¬ 
ing standing. 
An occasional coat of good paint made with 
“Dutch Boy Painter” 
White Lead 
and real linseed oil will save your buildings 
and reduce repair, to say nothing of im¬ 
proving the looks of the place. 
Decide to use "Dutch Boy Painter” White 
Lead this spring.* It’s a mighty good investment. 
Write .for our “Helps No so* ’ ivhich will tell 
you why . how, with what and when to paint. 
National Lead Company 
New York Cleveland Chicago 
St. Louis Boston Buffalo 
Cindnnati San Francisco 
John T. Lewis A Bros. Co., Philadelphia 
National Lead & Oil Co.. Pittsburgh 
t 
s 
iuaranteedTreei 
t Wholesale Price 
liuy Direct from Us and Save Money! 
All stock of High Quality and Genesee 
Valley Grown, where Scale is unknown. 
12 PEAR TREES, $1 
3 Bartlett, 2 Flemish, 3 Keiffer, 1 Clapp’s, 1 Wilder, 
1 Sheldon, 1 SerkoL 
True to Name or Money Back. 
Write now for Free Catalogue of Complete Line. 
Reilly Bros. Nurseries, 1027 Reilly Rd., Dansville, N Y 
I 
■ 
FRUIT TDCCC Apples, Pears, Plams,Cherries, 
I* Bill I 1 I nLLu Peaches, SmaU Fruits, Shrubs, 
Roses. Finest Stock. Low 
Prices. Free Catalogue. Write us before you buy. 
J. Faerber Frultland Nurseries. 303 Wlnton Rd.N.,Roohester,N.Y, 
ITT 1 \ TFf-i T~* T'V a few good customers for 
W ANTEDx;^;,- 
V/e want your custom and you want our goods. 
Send for our FREE catalog. 
The Rochester Nurseries, Rochester, N. Y. 
CRAPE 
VINES 
can be bought right this year. Send us a 
memorandum of your wants for prices. 
MINER & MINER 
Grape Vine Growers, Sheridan, /V. V. 
Top-dressing Alfalfa. 
I read the letter from M., West Virginia, 
and the answer to same. Mr. F. L. Allen’s 
advice is correct, only lie says Alfalfa can¬ 
not be grown on ground that freezes and 
heaves. I have been able to do so, but I 
top-dress with manure as soon as the 
ground is frozen so it will not cut through 
with the wagon, or, if we happen to get 
snow, so much the better—spread it on the 
snow. By doing this the first two Winters 
I find the Alfalfa will take care of itself 
after that. Mr. Allen’s way is the proper 
way, but if one cannot drain his land it 
can be grown with top-dressing the first 
two Winters. It is worth going to extra 
trouble to grow. e. n. g. 
Knox, Pa. 
S AW your own 
wood 
and save 
time, coal and 
money; or saw 
your neighbors 
wood and 
MAKE 
$5 TO $15 
A DAY 
Hundreds are doing it with an Appleton Wood Saw, 
Why not you? We make six styles—steel or wooden 
frames—and if desired will mount the saw frame on 
a substantial 4-wheel truck on which you can also 
mount your gasoline engine and thus have a 
PORTABLE WOOD SAWING RIG 
that is unequalled in effective work and profitable 
operation. 
Wc make the celebrated Hero Friction Feed Drag 
Saw also, and complete lines of feed grinders, corn 
shellers, corn buskers, fodder cutters, manure spread¬ 
ers. horse powers, windmills, etc. Ask for our Free 
Catalogue. 
27 Fargo Street 
■ Batavia, 111. U.S.A; 
Appleton Mfg. Co. 
BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME 
GROUNDS WITH A PRIVET HEDGE 
I w ill sell you enough good, strong, heavily rooted 
California Privet hedge plants to go around your 
home grounds, planted six inches apart, for 9c per 
yard, packed to carry anywhere, delivered to It. It. 
station at Salisbury, Md. Measure distance around 
your grounds, see how little it costs and send your 
order tow. F. ALLEN, Salisbury, Maryland. 
iliS GRAPEVINES 
6!t Varfetle*. Also Small Frnlt*. Tree*, etc. Best Root¬ 
ed Stock, Genuine, cheap, 2 sample vine, mailed for 10c. Desc. 
price-list free. LKnlS HOESCIt A SON. Bo, K, Kredonla, S. 1. 
FRUIT TREES and PLANTS 
At prices that will astonish you. Send for Whole¬ 
sale Price List and Lithographs. Several good 
collections cheap. We have a complete assortment 
in all varieties of fruit trees and plants. Special 
Strawberry Catalog. Headquarters for the Old- 
Fashioned Sweet Cherry. No crooked or inferior 
stock sold at any price. Satisfaction guaranteed. 
L’AMORFAUX NURSERY CO., Schoharie, N. Y. 
Argenteuii Asparagus Roots offffis, {JJSS 
-*• n. j. 
Seed Corn 
OKK CENT SAVES $ $ $ , 
Have you seen our prices ? If not, you had better 
invest one cent in a postal card and get our free 
Descriptive Catalogue. There is a difference m 
prices. Our Seed Corn is all F.astern grown—and 
guaranteed to give satisfaction. IV e will save you 
S S S on that seed bill—one cent—one postal card. 
Send it to 
FOKKEST SF.KI> CO., Cortland, >. * • 
BERRY BUSHES 
Marlboro, Cuthbert, King, Hnby Ke<l Rasp- 
b«*rrv. Plum Farmer. Kansas, Cumberland, con* 
roth Gregg, Hoosier (New) ■ hick Cap. Stowers, 
Yard Eldorado. Snyder. Me sereau. Erie lilaek- 
berry. Downing, Pearl. Industry Gooseberry. 
Cherry. Fays. Pro, Wilder Red Cross. Diploma, 
I ondon Mkt. Pomona Perfection, White Grape, 
Hlack Champion, Currant. Grapevines, also 
Annie. Pear. Plum, Cherry at low prices, oend 
postal for price list. All stock first-class, true to 
mime and well rooted. 
Sharon Fruit Farm and Nursery 
Edgar Empie, Prop. Sharon Springs, N. Y. 
