646 
June 3, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Civilization—from 
Signal Fire to Telephone 
BUILDING A CONCRETE FENCE. 
J. 8., Dudley, Pa. —Could you give me 
instructions for building a cement fence, 
say one with a base of about 12 inches 
high and eight inches wide at top, with 
posts about seven feet apart, so iron or 
wood railing can be placed between posts 
above base? 
Ans.— Dig the foundation trench be¬ 
low the frost line, fill with broken stone 
within two or three inches of top of 
ground. Build form for wall, which 
should be lumber of uniform thickness, 
and if planed on one side will make the 
wall nicer still. As the only strain this 
wall will have will be to keep the fence 
straight I would make it 10 inches at 
base and eight inches at top. You can 
put the two-inch batter either inside or 
out, just as you think best. Have as 
many pieces of iron pipe, 1% or V /2 
inch, as you have posts; have the pipe 
cut two inches longer than the post at 
top, and should set on foundation stone 
at top of trench and should be placed 
every seven feet as the base wall is 
r rail 
k 
B BAIL 
, 1 
1 • -1 
1-1 
1 
1 
1 
DETAIL OF CONCRETE FENCE, 
built, as they will be the centre of each 
post. Care should be taken to have them 
perfectly straight and of uniform height 
at top. Taking iron pipe for centre of 
post, make a form eight inches square 
and as high as you wish the bottom 
rail. Then have another form 5x5 or 5 
at bottom and 4 at top, tapering from 
all sides, which will furnish the post, 
leaving the iron pipe to stick out at top 
lj4 or 2 inches to set you top rail on; I 
would use a 14-foot rail for top; then 
by making a miter splice the pipe will 
go through both ends and make a very 
neat looking job. A small block of 
green lumber, exact size of bottom rail, 
should be imbedded in the fresh cement 
at base of post for the lower rail to rest 
on; the green lumber can be easily re¬ 
moved after the cement dries a little. If 
iron rails are used have the pipes 
threaded at top and a loose coupling 
screwed on; then you can run your top 
rail through, making connections any 
place; and the impression at base should 
be size of pipe instead of for wood rail. 
The drawing above shows your fence 
as I see it in my mind. The forms for 
posts should have one board fastened 
with screws. w. A. B. 
Unfruitful Plum Trees. 
IF. O., Cape Vincent, N. Y.—I have some 
Green Gage plum trees I set out about 10 
years ago. The third year we had a few 
plums that grew and ripened, but since 
then we have had no good results what¬ 
ever, although the trees seem to be in good 
health. The trunks of the trees are five to 
six inches through, and each year they 
blossom full but fail to hold any fruit after 
they get the size of a small bean. They 
are covered with fruit buds again this 
year, but I am at a loss to know what to 
do to save the fruit. I have dusted with 
slaked lime and have sprayed with Bor¬ 
deaux before and after they blossom, but 
only failure is the result. The land is cul¬ 
tivated on both sides of the row of trees 
and has a frequent coat of barnyard man¬ 
ure. It is a rather nice sandy loam, well 
drained but four feet down there is quick¬ 
sand. We have a row of pear trees next to 
the plum trees that bear good crops about 
every year. The plum I speak of is an old 
variety known in this section as Green 
Gage, but will put up sprouts from the 
root of the same kind of fruit. 
Ans. —It is quite probable that the 
plums are stung by the curculio soon 
after they are well formed, which causes 
them to drop off. This is a very com¬ 
mon enemy of the plum, peach, and 
some other fruits. Its work can be pre¬ 
vented in some measure by spraying the 
trees as soon as the foliage appears, for 
the insects that lay the eggs eat some 
of it and are apt to be poisoned. Ar¬ 
senate of lead is the poison to use in the 
spray mixture. The lime-sulphur prep¬ 
aration should be the basis with two 
pounds of arsenate of lead added to it. 
This will be very valuable as a fungi¬ 
cide in addition to its use as an insecti¬ 
cide. The fact that the trees send up 
sprouts from the root of the same va¬ 
riety is no objection except the trouble 
that the sprouts may be. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
CEMENT VINEGAR TANK. 
The Colorado Experiment Station proved 
from tests that vinegar will act upon por¬ 
ous cement work. After a time, cisterns 
of cement leak and the vinegar turns black. 
It was then found that a cement tank well 
coated inside with paraffin held the cider 
perfectly in good condition. 
‘ The process of lining a cement cistern 
with paraffin is so simple that anyone with 
ordinary ability can easily obtain the de¬ 
sired results. In case an old cement-lined 
cistern is to be coated with paraffin, it 
must first be cleaned thoroughly. Then it 
should be given at least two coats of neat 
cement and water. The coats need not be 
applied more than 24 hours apart. The cis¬ 
tern is now ready for the paraffin coat. 
The paraffin is heated by means of a small 
blow torch or gasoline stove until it is a 
very little above the melting point. It may 
then be applied to the inner surface of the 
cistern with a cloth or paint brush. In 
case a cloth is to be used, the hand should 
be protected by a heavy leather glove. The 
paraffin should be put on in a thin layer 
and thoroughly rubbed while hot. It should 
not be rubbed after it starts to solidify. 
The operator must necessarily work rapidly 
in order to get the coating well rubbed be¬ 
fore the paraffin begins to harden. The 
coating will not allow of bruising, and for 
this reason it is suggested that the bottom 
of the cistern be left until last, and the 
work of coating be done from a suspended 
platform rather than a ladder placed upon 
the bottom. Great care should be taken not 
to drop any objects upon the coated parts 
of the cistern. In case a new cistern is to 
be made, the walls may be constructed of 
one part Portland cement to four parts 
clean, sharp sand. The walls should be 
made of a wet or ‘slush’ mixture. The 
wall should be thick enough to insure it 
against cracking.” 
CROP NOTES. 
We are having record weather, a severe 
drought with very high temperature. My 
tested thermometer recorded yesterday 
(May 21) !)0 degrees in shade at 12 m. 
and the same at 6 p. m. This morning at 
six o’clock 75 degrees. d. h. a. 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. 
..P ROP P r o s Pects are good here for all 
things but hay and pasture. Fruit and 
berries promise well. At present we are 
short on moisture. Cornfields are in tine 
condition and corn is coming fast. Small 
grain appears a little thin, and promises 
short straw, yet present indications do not 
insure the harvest, although it is half the 
battle. w. d. m. 
Templeton, Iowa. 
We have had a beautiful Spring since it 
actually began. We kept the manure 
cleaned up all the time, so we could keep 
the team plowing and harrowing every day. 
We have put in 13 acres of peas and oats 
and 10 of corn. The corn is just coming 
up, but the neighbors who had a big pile 
of manure to haul have not got their corn 
ground plowed yet. One thing that the 
farmers should learn is that our season is 
short and we should use all of it. J. u. m. 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
We had too much rain during March and 
April, and have had far too little in May 
which, combined with the unseasonably hot 
weather during the last half of May has 
worked untold injury to grass, wheat, oats 
and young clover. Most farmers report the 
seedling clover as practically a total fail¬ 
ure. Some corn has been planted but much 
remains to be planted and what is planted 
is coming up unevenly owing to varying 
moisture content of the soil and faulty 
preparation of the seed bed. Cutworms 
are abundant and arc doing considerable 
damage to the corn. Plowed fields have 
dried out rapidly and many of them are 
hard and cloddy. All sorts of tools, disk 
harrows, Acme harrows, rollers, drags, drag 
harrows, etc., are being used to prepare the 
soil for planting, and more work than usual 
is being done to prepare the land. Rollers 
are being used freely, and for the first 
time to such an extent in several years. 
Field work is specially hard on the teams 
because of the hard soil and the beat, the 
temperature ranging from 70 to near 100 
degrees in the shade. Copious rains would 
be of great value to us now but at present, 
May 22, we have had a few light showers 
which soon evaporated, and which can be of 
but little value to wheat, oats and grass. 
Up to the present wheat has been very 
promising, but if the present drought con¬ 
tinues much longer yields will be greatly 
curtailed. Fruit prospects are good; apples 
and peaches bloomed late, and there does 
not seem to be much prospect of a freeze 
now, so we ought to haye some fruit at 
least. Much spraying has been done and it 
is increasing each year. Some demonstra¬ 
tion spraying is being done here by the 
State, and the meetings have usually been 
well attended This is largely a corn and 
livestock region, and it is rather difficult to 
get a farmer out of liis cornfield to at¬ 
tend a spraying demonstration, or to spray 
his home orchard properly or at the proper 
time. Live stock prices are at a low level 
with nothing better in sight for the near 
future. Farmers are with one accord dis¬ 
gusted with President Taft and his one¬ 
sided reciprocity measure. Most farmers 
are too busy to think of much else just now 
than the dry weather. Really they are 
putting in their time crushing clods and 
wishing for rain. Some hog cholera has 
made its appearance and one farmer has 
lost 40 head He has had the rest of the 
hogs treated with serum and it is to be 
hoped that the disease will not spread. 
Sheep shearing is in progress: wool is sell¬ 
ing for 18 cents; fine wool three to five 
cents less per pound. But few cattle and 
other stock going to market and stooker 
trade is dull w. e. d. 
Hillsboro, O. 
T HE telephone gives the 
widest range to personal 
communication. Civilization 
has been extended by means 
of communication. 
The measure of the progress 
of mankind is the difference 
between the signal fire of the 
Indian and the telephone 
service of to-day. 
Each telephone user has a 
personal interest in the growth 
of the whole telephone system. 
He is directly benefited by 
every extension of his own 
possibilities. 
He is indirectly benefited by 
the extension of the same pos¬ 
sibilities to others, just as he 
is benefited by the extension 
of the use of his own language. 
Any increase in the number 
of telephones increases the 
usefulness of each telephone 
connected with this system. 
The Bell System is designed 
to provide Universal service. 
America's Telephone awd Telegraph Company 
And Associated Companies) 
One Policy 
One System 
Universal Service 
-THE ONLY PULL POWER HAY PRESS 
Remarkable invention. This pull power principle 
overcomes all of the disadvantages of other hay 
presses and gives the Daip every advantage you know 
a hay press Bhould have. You will recog¬ 
nize these advantages when you investi¬ 
gate. Dain Poll Powei —saves one man on the 
stack-discharges bales forward out of way—is 
lighter in draft—with no bulky pitman to step 
over— salf-feed cuts feeding work in two. Don’t 
buy a hay press until yon learn all about the Dain. 
Send for big hay press catalog—it’s worth sending 
.for whether you buy a hay press thi3 year or not. 
BINDER TWINE, 6ic lb. 
made. Fanner 
loguefree" THEO. BURT & SONS, Melrose,OtliO 
Guaranteed 
, uzu i»' the best 
agents wanted. Sample 
REMOVAL SALE . 
Tempting reductions on all our stock, 20 tii Cen¬ 
tury Auto Co., 244 West 4!ith Street, New York 
City. June 1st, at Broadway, corner 54tli Street. 
BUYA NEW YORK STATE WAGON 
$45.00 
No. 190-Runabout 
Sells at retail for $65. Easy 
riding, stylish and very dur¬ 
able. We defy competition 
with it. 
$48.50 
No. 290—Buckboard 
Retailers ask $70 for its 
equal. Our own pattern, 
strongly made, easiest rider 
known, and a general favorite. 
DIRECT FROM FACTORY 
We make the best New York 
State Standard Quality Wagons 
and sell them direct from factory 
to users at 
Wholesale Prices 
You save all dealer’s and job¬ 
ber’s profits—from $20 to $40— 
and obtain our binding guarantee 
for one year from date of pur¬ 
chase. 
No Money in Advance 
Any wagon will be shipped to 
you for free examination and 
approval. No deposit or references 
required. 
Safe Delivery Guaranteed 
You take no risk whatever. 
Every wagon will reach you in 
perfect condition, or it can be re¬ 
turned to us at our expense. 
Send for Catalogue 
Showing 200 styles of wagons 
$53.50 
No. 118—Top Buggy 
Fully as good as retails for$75. 
Will give years of service, 
nicely finished, and a bargain. 
$53.50 
No. 350—Handy Wag'on 
Removable seats, very strong, 
and one of our best selling 
styles. Can’t be duplicated 
anywhere for less than $70. 
and 50 styles of Harness. Every approved pattern is shown at a wide range of prices- 
ROCHESTER VEHICLE CO., 360 Main St., Rochester, N. Y. 
