1911. 
THE RUR-A.lv NEW-YORKER 
683 
IMMIGRATING TO NEW YORK STATE. 
What a Western Man Found. 
Part III. 
I bought the farm this way: I went back to the 
agency and told them I wanted a farm with pos¬ 
session immediately; that it was a waste of time to 
look at any other farm. The agent said, “I’ll show 
you my own farm. You won’t have to pay any com¬ 
mission on that, and I’ll sell it to you right.” On 
looking it over we agreed on $2,500, to take the farm 
and crops, as it stood, except the wood and timber. 
I paid $1,000 down and gave a mortgage for $1,500. 
He bought the farm in April for about $2,700 and 
sold it to me in June for $2,500, and sold the timber 
later for $1,500. He hired a family to work it for him. 
I arranged to move in on top of them until we could 
readjust things and he could buy another farm. I 
paid his man and fed his team. We pitched in to 
sowing corn, planting potatoes and plowing for buck¬ 
wheat. 
I found a man whose home was broken up. He 
sold me his whole outfit of kitchen utensils, furni¬ 
ture, etc., at a remarkably low figure. Our home is 
better furnished than ever before. I saw a farmer 
who sold his farm and I bought wagons, sleighs, 
harnesses and sulky plow, for $132. I bought two 
horses from farmers; Dan, aged 12 years, at $ 100 , 
and Kitty, aged 15, at $75. These are both kind, 
true, good workers, bays, and make a very satisfactory 
team; bought a new handmade work harness for $ 45 , 
a new mowing machine, $46, and hayrake, $24; small 
tools too. There was with the place a horse hayfork 
and rope. Every other thing loose had been carried 
away. I looked all over for cows, but could not find 
any at any reasonable figure. I bought from my next 
neighbor four cows, two for $50 and two grade 
Holsteins for $65. One of the latter I did not like, 
and asked him to take it back, which he did. I bought 
a flock of 30 sheep at $4. They were in poor condi- 
dition. Three wethers I sold for $13.S5, and bought a 
purebred Shropshire ram. An old ram was with the 
flock, which I did not notice, and one sheep died. The 
rest grew fat, and are in excellent condition except 
for colds and coughs. I bought 50 hens at 50 cents. 
These were on the place. They were the poorest buy 
of all. I planted a garden, lettuce, radish, onions, 
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, Summer squash, Hub¬ 
bard squash, peas, beets, beans, turnips, sweet corn 
popcorn and cabbage. Tomatoes promised a banner 
crop, but rotted badly. Horseradish is prolific here. 
From nine acres we thrashed 380 bushels of oats, 
valuation 40 cents; from four acres we thrashed 63 
bushels of buckwheat, valuation 55 cents; from four 
acres we dug 220 bushels of potatoes, valuation from 
30 to 40 cents. About half of these were 
wormy and small. We sold about 100 
bushels, and about 75 bushels of oats. 
We cut about 35 tons of hay. With 
rigid economy we shall be able to keep 
the hay and straw on the farm. The 10 
acres of corn was cut for fodder, but 
was almost a fizzle. We had a few 
pears, a taste of excellent peaches, and 
grapes, and lots of mulberries, but only 
a taste of cider apples. During the 
Summer a neighbor carried milk for 10 
cents per 100 and we sold about $40 
worth of milk at three and cents per 
quart, till our Holstein cow presented us 
with a fine heifer calf. This we are rais¬ 
ing, and have bought two veal calves at 
$1 and sold them at four weeks for $15, 
at seven cents per pound live weight; 
have another calf now. She is a heifer, 
too, but fear she will have to go for 
veal. Eggs are gathered by a neighbor, 
who pays a good price, a few cents 
about the New York wholesale quota¬ 
tion. We have plenty of buckwheat for 
pancakes every morning, and the chil¬ 
dren are growing fat. The farm will run 
considerably behind this first year. In¬ 
terest and taxes are a heavy drain. 
Taxes are widely advertised as about a 
10 -mill or one per cent tax, but really 
are nearly two per cent. How the tax¬ 
payers here will consider it only one per 
cent I cannot see. My valuation on this farm is $ 2200 . 
The timber not belonging to me made no difference 
with the assessor. He valued the farm exactly as it 
was valued in previous years. The school tax collec¬ 
tor came and collected a five-mill tax of $ 11 . Then 
the regular tax of one per cent, $22; highway, $7.10; 
dog, 50 cents; collector’s fee, 40 cents, made altogether 
over $40 tax, nearly two per cent. 
We had been brought up in the East, and know its 
conservatism and exclusiveness. Our reception in- 
did not really surprise us. Up here on the hill is a 
little Methodist Episcopal church, with service every 
second Sunday. We went to church, arriving a little 
late. The pastor soon finished his sermon; then he 
said, “Is this Mr. Cary?’ “Yes, sir.” “Well, Mr. 
Cary, we are glad to have you with us. We want 
A FROZEN POTTED STRAWBERRY PLANT. Fio. 19!). 
3 r ou to be at home here. Will you please come up 
here with your family?” We marched up. He said, 
“Friends, this is Brother Cary and his family. Come 
up and tell them you are glad to have them here.” 
So they all crowded about us, shook our hands, and 
them in the cellar. We reckoned it would be a long 
time before we would enjoy the confidence and esteem 
of the new neighbors. But we have been welcomed 
everywhere, and one thing pleased me. I looked at 
the flock of purebred sheep and admired them. I 
told the owner I would like a ram, but had no money. 
I thought I was a stranger to him. He said, “That’s 
all right. Pay when you can.” I offered to give him 
a note, but he refused. “Pshaw! You’re all right, 
Cary.” 
I am clerk of the school board and assistant super-, 
intendent of the Sunday school. 
This paper is presented in detail as the record of an 
experiment. There are certain agencies at work en¬ 
couraging many people to make this same trial. There 
is before every bookkeeper in the land an “ideal” 
home; it is a farm. “Back to the farm” is the cry 
which is tempting many. In the second place, this is 
an experiment on a “hill” farm. To the initiated, the 
hill farms offer a serious problem to this State and 
to the nation. In New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania 
are 10 , 000,000 acres of hill farms which have been 
drained of fertility’, badly farmed and abandoned or 
in process of abandonment by the native farmers. 
Are you equipped mentally, physically and financially 
to turn the tide of decay to prosperity? If you would 
know this problem of the hills, the Department of 
Agriculture has two bulletins, Bureau of Soils, Bulle¬ 
tin No. 60, “A Preliminary Report on the Volusia 
Soils, their Problems and Management;” Bureau of 
Plant Industry, Circular No. 64, “Agricultural Condi¬ 
tions in Southern New York.” If I succeed it may 
mean encouragement to many of our hill people. The 
problems and solutions I shall be glad to present in 
detail as they are undertaken, the problem of old 
buildings, old orchards, worn-out soil. The experi¬ 
ments with poultry, cows, pigs, horses and sheep, which 
a novice must make, will have plenty of blunders. 
Sometimes we can learn from others’ mistakes; and 
comment and criticism will help us all. 
Tioga Co., N. Y. Joseph p. cary. 
COST OF SPRAYING LIME-SULPHUR. 
We have two peach orchards, an old one of 500 
trees and another of 625 four-year-old trees, besides 
a few old apple trees. Until last year we had used 
crude oil, with a kero-w'ater pump in spraying. We 
never found any damage to the trees by the proper 
use of oil, and have been almost unable to find any 
scale of late. But the scale conquered, the curl-leaf 
appeared, so last year (1910) we decided to use lime- 
sulphur spray. Not wanting to invest in an outfit nor 
desiring to do the work either, we hired the spraying 
spoke words of welcome and kindliness. Those kind done. - They used 1800 gallons with a gasoline power 
words have been followed by deeds of kindness, sprayer at four cents a gallon, costing $72. The young 
orchard was then only three years old, and 
they did not spray the outside apple trees. 
This year we could not hire it done, so we 
bought the commercial or ready-pre¬ 
pared lime-sulphur at $9.50 per barrel 
of 50 gallons. This was 50 cents to $1 
cheaper per barrel than the dealers 
asked, as we ordered direct from the 
manufacturers. We used about 1050 
gallons (dilute) with the two barrels of 
lime-sulphur. This would make the cost 
about two cents a gallon. It would not 
be so much on a weaker solution. It 
took two of us five days, or a little less 
really, to do all the spraying this year, 
apples, trees and all. Besides, this year 
the young orchard was much larger, 
there being a growth of two to three 
feet on the younger trees. It could have 
been done in less time by taking more 
water on the wagon or having a tank. 
The orchard was by the house, so we 
drove and filled the barrel every time, 
taking 20 to 30 minutes. Part of the 
work was done with the large barrel, or 
piston of the kero-water, but not giving 
pressure enough alone we got a new 
pump. This gave a better spray, wet 
quicker, but pumps harder. Cost was: 
Two barrels lime-sulphur at $9.50, $19; 
five days man and team at $ 4 . $ 20 ; five 
days man at $1.50, $7.50; total, $46.50; 
adding cost of pump (new), $ 10 ; total, 
$ 56 . 50 . Not counting cost of pump, evidently we have 
clearly saved $ 25.50 cash, did more work and did a 
more thorough job of spraying. Since the team really did 
not count in the actual cost, as they would have 
stood in the stable if we had hired it done, the actual 
cost this year was two barrels material, $19 ; 10 days’ 
time, $15, or $34 actual cash outlay. We have the 
pump for future use and spraying for Coddling moth, 
etc. We would like to know if anyone else has had 
any comparisons. w. G. 
MRS. HOUDAN HEN-THE FROST-PROOF BIRD. Fig. 200. 
Every evening one or two drove up to call until all 
had called. One brought seed buckwheat to be re¬ 
turned at harvest time. Another offered his reaper 
for the oats. We are short of “help” on the hill, so 
we “change work.” When the thrashers came we all 
turned out and moved along from farm, feasting at 
each farm. Then we pay each other off digging pota¬ 
toes, cutting corn or buckwheat or sawing wood. A 
field of potatoes looks big till a jolly crowd soon puts 
