658 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 6, 
The State Horticultural Society is also offering prizes 
for best three sprayed orchards in the State. I hope 
it will do much to incite interest in this all-important 
matter. As to the Bordeaux, will say it is my plan 
this year to use lime-sulphur for Winter spray until 
the foliage starts, and then change to Bordeaux up to 
the time the bloom opens. The formula for this is 
three pounds copper sulphate (bluestone), four pounds 
of lime, two pounds arsenate of lead to 50 gallons of 
water. In some instances I use as low as 2)4 pounds 
bluestone. After the bloom falls and for subsequent 
sprayings I return to lime-sulphur and omit the Bor¬ 
deaux. The formula for this is as follows: One gal¬ 
lon of commercial lime-sulphur to 30 or 35 gallons of 
water with arsenate of lead in the proportion of two 
pounds of the lead to 50 gallons of water. 
Sprayings for bitter rot late in the season will return 
to Bordeaux, as I consider it a better fungicide for 
bitter rpt than is lime-sulphur. It is for the same 
reason—because I believe it to be a better fungicide— 
that I used Bordeaux before the bloom is out and after 
the foliage starts. At this particular time I have known 
of but very slight, if any, injury to the fruit, owing, I 
believe, tq the fact that the young fruit is covered with 
a fuzzy growth which protects it from injury. You 
have no doubt noticed that the Codling-moth larva 
never enters the apple from the side at this time, 
but through blossom end, showing, in my opinion, 
that the fuzzy skin of the apple is doubly protected. 
The later brood enters at the side or any other place. 
I am trving with one orchard the use of lime sulphur 
only for all the applications. I think we shall have 
determined this season whether Bordeaux is to go out 
of use altogether or whether it is to be retained for 
use at certain times. 
The outlook here (Central) and in Southern Illinois 
for apples is good. In Southern Illinois trees have 
been sprayed and will be in bloom in Clay and Rich¬ 
land Counties by April 20 , if weather conditions re¬ 
main favorable. Last season the apples were in full 
bloom April 3 in same locality. H. m. dunlap. 
Champaign Co., Ill. 
TAR PAPER AND CEMENT. 
We note your recommendation of putting a piece of 
heavy tarred paper between the upper and lower layers 
of cement to keep the floor dry and warm. I would 
like to know if this has been tried out and proved good. 
If so. it strikes us as being a good thing to know about, 
as many people hesitate to put down cement floors on 
account of their being cold and damp. c. a. l. 
Oshkosh, Wis. 
The paper is placed between the top and bottom 
layers of cement floors for two different reasons, or 
rather under two altogether different circumstances. 
First, when building overhead stables that must be 
perfectly water-tight the tar paper is placed between 
the layers of cement with the object in view of pre¬ 
venting any leakage, as cement is quite porous unless 
carefully tamped and troweled down to a smooth hard 
finish, which is very undesirable for stock of any kind 
to stand on. When used with. the idea of making a 
warmer floor it is when a floor is laid in damp, cold 
places, where the cement is supposed to draw moisture 
from the bottom foundation making it cold, and the 
claim is based on the theory that the tar paper cuts off 
the capillary attraction of the cement, or in other 
words, robs it of the power to draw moisture from 
a wet foundation. Nearly all of us farmers have found 
by personal experience that a heavy coat of manure or 
any coarse material placed between the top and bottom 
soil in a dry time greatly reduces tire power of the top 
soil to draw sufficient moisture from the bottom to 
carry the crop through until rain comes. 
As to the paper making the floor warmer I do not 
think that there would be any benefit derived from the 
paper where the floor is laid on a good, dry founda¬ 
tion of broken stone, with provision for quick drainage 
in time of unusual rains or sudden thaws in Winter 
and Spring. I have a pig-pen 22 x 36 , where the cement 
floors have been in use 17 years, and are plenty warm 
and dry without the paper, but the location is ideal in 
every respect as to drainage and sunshine. I have 
handled several hundred hogs and pigs in that time. 
I have never had one with rheumatism and only one 
stiff hog, which I think was hurt by having too many 
in one pen at fattening time, instead of being on a 
cement floor. I once sold four nice young pigs to a 
man who had a plank floor in his pen, but no sun¬ 
light ; in a few weeks they were badly crippled with 
rheumatism. So if I was to give my personal opinion 
as to the use of tar paper I would say under certain 
conditions it might be beneficial, as I stated in regard 
to overhead work or to keeping moisture out, but as to 
warmth obtained in a direct way, by the use of tar 
paper I doubt if it would be very noticeable. 
Pennsylvania. w. A. b. 
IMMIGRATING TO NEW YORK STATE. 
What a Western Man Found. 
Part II. 
Our welcome to that village was that usually ac¬ 
corded tramps and vagabonds. We were most un¬ 
comfortable; baby was sick; we were disappointed, 
dejected, downhearted, disgusted, almost desperate. 
Every fatm in the country was for sale. Every man, 
woman and child had a farm or a mother’s or aunt’s 
farm to sell. Every owner anxious to sell and get 
away, and I did not blame them. I was advertised in 
the paper. Letters came offering farms. Carriages 
lined up and waited their turn to have me jot down 
brief description and terms, and be politely dismissed. 
A LESSON IN POTATO BREEDING. Fig. 192. 
I kept my temper, though it stretched it to have 
women push into the house to tell about their farms. 
But I lost it when the real estate agents came and 
did not let me go to meals; I ordered one off the 
place. He hesitated but withdrew. I wished I was 
Mark Twain so that I could laugh at it all. One poor 
old man about SO had no farm to sell. My heart 
warmed to him. He said, “Are you a judge of 
jewelry?” “No,” I said. “Well,” he said, “I found 
this ring; can you tell me what it’s worth?” I judged 
about five cents, but did not wish to disillusion the 
old man. “They tell me its worth $6 or $7, but I’ll 
sell it to you for $2.50.” I declined and learned 
afterward that that was his game. I think I must 
look green. Any man who wants to buy a farm in 
-surely has a screw loose somewhere. 
I went to the county town to a farm agency. I 
asked him how much his commission was. “Ten per 
cent, but the seller pays that.” I told him I wanted to 
look at a farm and have possession immediately. He 
drove me 40 miles one afternoon to look at two farms. 
“Possession?” Next Spring. 
I went back to the town. Just as it was darkest 
there came a box by express from the old home down 
in Connecticut. The sun came out; the clouds rolled 
away inside and out; the youngsters danced about 
that box and shouted, and when we opened it they 
clapped their hands. “Goody! Goody! See, oh, see!” 
A whole box of goodies; a regular Thanksgiving 
feast: roast chicken, boiled ham, cakes, pies, crullers, 
nuts and candy in grand profusion. “Let’s go by the 
brook.” So by the sweet meadow and pretty brook 
we sat to a glorious feast and hope sprang up and 
“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.” Fig. 193. 
the world was bright again. I was really quite civil 
to the old man who hobbled down to the brook and 
wanted us to buy it. 
Tbe brave little woman said, “We came to buy a 
farm. I'm all right here. You go and stay till you 
find one.” The next day I came back with my hired 
man to move into our farm. As we turn our back 
on - we remember many kinds words and deeds 
from a few new-found friends. 
If the village of - had possessed a chamber of 
commerce or village improvement society or some 
such booster’s association, and that society had a com¬ 
mittee to invite new enterprises and encourage im¬ 
migration of farmers within reach of their merchants 
and such committee had said: “Mr. Cary, we want 
you to settle here. Please come to our rooms. Here 
is a map of our county with every farm bounded; 
those for sale are marked with the net price. We get 
no commission. We want to help you settle here. 
That farm there you looked at has never been pro¬ 
ductive. This farm, and this and this are good farms, 
productive and with good buildings. You cannot find 
a better farm for the money than we can show you, 
nor more reasonable terms. We want you here.” If 
such committee had worked thus I would be pleas¬ 
antly located at -. Thousands of farmers are 
coming to New York State. Why do not the towns 
offer some encouragement to the farm buyers? A 
committee as suggested above would spoil the real 
estate agents’ business, but would not be out of pocket 
at all. Make farm owners pay for any advertising 
and the farm buyer would be more than glad to pay 
for carriage hire to visit the farms most attractive. 
On a beautiful day, June 9, we drove along the 
banks of the Susquehanna to Owego, then north to 
the hill. It is a climb from the creek to the hilltop 
of about 500 feet in over a mile. The prospective farm 
buyer should have a topographical map of the town— 
costs five cents, and is obtained from the Director 
United States Geological Survey, Washington, 
D. C. This will show how the land lies, and the real 
estate man, too. Our farm is gently sloping to the 
southwest. It is of 105 acres; about 80 in fields and 
25 in woods and pasture. Three springs are piped to¬ 
gether and then to the door; springs in three other 
fields and in the pasture. This house was well built 
in 1888, and now newly papered and painted inside. 
It is large, roomy, light, warm, dry and comfortable; 
a good cellar; house needs painting and outside re¬ 
pairs, porches, etc. Across the road is a horse barn 
with ell, made from old house. Behind the house 
the barns form a hollow square, one 30x40, two 20x30. 
There is a pig house, granary, and woodshed, and up 
the road is an old house. The barns all need new 
sills and repairs, and new roofs. The fences are 
poor. The farm was in the following condition : Nine 
acres in oats, 0 V e acres in new seeding (Timothy, as 
clover gave up trying to grow). A small patch 
plowed for a garden, two acres of potatoes planted 
and two acres more ready for potatoes; 10 acres ready 
for corn. There are about 40 old apple trees, a few 
plum and pear and two old wrecks of peach trees and 
a good black mulberry. There are three grapevines. 
The farm has a good reputation. Joseph p. cary. 
TELL US ABOUT IT. 
We have found that our readers can usually answer 
any practical question from experience. When want¬ 
ing an answer we would rather go to them han to 
any library we know of. Here are three hard ones 
not down in the books. The first is from a man 
“down Cape Cod way.” 
How to Hobble a Cow. 
That Florida cow made quite au impression on me. 
Since reading it I have bought one that lias her beaten. 
When three miles from home on a rainy night with a 
driving mare and a neighbor helping me to bring her 
home, I thought of the advice given in Tite R. N.-Y. to 
blindfold a mean cow. We did so, and to my surprise 
she came along finely. T now want more advice. Being 
well satisfied that if she is turned into my 20 acre 
lot I can never catch her, except with a rifle, I should 
like to have some of the readers tell me how to hobble 
her. She is a Jersey and a good milk and butter cow; 
quiet to milk. f. b. 
Massachusetts. 
Now then! this man has the will—show him the 
way. What can he do to keep that cow within reach? 
Rats, Mice and Hens. 
Still another puzzler is put in the following: 
We have a great many mice' in our chicken house, 
and yesterday saw a rat in it for the first time. We 
cannot put our cat in, as we have a pigeon loft above 
the chickens. We have set mouse traps again and again, 
but catch nothing. Can you give us some sort of mix¬ 
ture which will mean death to the mice and rats and 
yet will not harm the chickens? Several years ago I 
read of a mixture of sulphur and butter, I think it was. 
Can you help me do something to stamp out this nuis¬ 
ance? We are not bothered much with rats and mice 
otherwise, as we have a good cat. M. u. w. 
Ohio. 
A good Scotch or rat terrier dog would do the busi¬ 
ness, but he might frighten the hens, so they would not 
lay. Of course you cannot fumigate or use poison 
while the hens are in the house. What would you do? 
Weasel That Eats Oxen. 
Here comes the strangest proposition of all from 
our friend Geo. A. Cosgrove. 
My next door neighbor, Mr. Geo. A. Rounds, is having 
trouble by a weasel eating his oxen. The weasel gets on 
top of the oxen at night and actually eats holes through 
the hide and sucks the blood. Mr. Rounds stopped 
the cattle in front of my house today. It was an 
awful sight; one ox had 11 holes on his back, and the 
holes were as large as a liickorynut, some much larger. 
Mr. Rounds has covered the holes with tar, and then 
the weasel makes a hole in another place. lie tried 
covering the ox with an old table oilcloth, but the ox 
rubbed the cords until they parted. They are not used 
to being blanketed and would not stand it. Mr. Rounds 
got the weasel cornered in his barn, but he has no club, 
and before anyone came in answer to his shouts, the 
weasel got away. I gave him two young chicks to tie 
to steel traps and he has “dead falls” set in the barn 
hut cannot catch the weasel. It is too cold to turn 
the cattle outdoors nights, and Mr. Rounds is at his 
wits’ end and nearly sick about it. Do you suppose any 
of “our folks” could suggest anything? 
Connecticut. geo. a. cosgrove. 
This beats us. If anyone can help out with this 
weasel he will confer a favor on these oxen at least. 
