1911. 
VHE RURAfc NEW»YORKER 
©86 
CORRECT SCALES IN NEW YORK, 
TF. A. S., North Lansing, N. Y. —The 
sealer of weights has been on a tour of 
inspection and has condemned our scales, 
which of course he has a right to do under 
the law, but he says that there are uo 
scales made that can stand the test except 
two kinds. Is it possible no other makers 
are reliable? Can I get scales from other 
firms that are right? 
Ans. —This matter was submitted to 
Fritz Reichmann, Superintendent of 
Weights and Measures, Albany, N. Y. 
He says that the statement that only 
two makes of scales conformed to the 
law is not true. There are over 200 
manufacturers of weighing and measur¬ 
ing devices in this country. Mr. Reich¬ 
mann called a series of conferences of 
these manufacturers and submitted speci¬ 
fications as to what was wanted. A 
book of specifications has been issued 
and New York is the only State in 
which this has been done. Thus in New 
York the personal element is eliminated, 
and any dealer who will sell his appara¬ 
tus according to the printed specifica¬ 
tions will be protected. Mr. Reichmann 
says the department doesn’t care a cent 
who makes the apparatus so long as it 
complies with the law. He says that if 
any county or city official of weights 
and measures is trying to pass only one 
or two makes of scales he will take 
steps immediately to have such a man 
removed from office. All you would 
have to do would be to prove your 
statement and name the man; at least 
50 different firms have submitted ap¬ 
paratus which had been inspected by 
the department. These specifications for 
commercial weighing and measuring are 
public, and copies of them will be mailed 
to any of our people in New York who 
will write the Albany Department for 
them. Hundreds of copies have already 
been given out and there is a great de¬ 
mand for them. In short, the Depart¬ 
ment of Weights and Measures at Al¬ 
bany assures us that they want to be 
fair to all who are working in a per¬ 
fectly open and above board fashion. A 
great many scales used throughout the 
State are no doubt defective and they 
ought to be remedied. Naturally the 
first impulse of many people whose 
scales are rejected would be to find 
fault and perhaps assign improper mo¬ 
tives to the inspector. There may be 
some graft in the matter, but if such 
graft could be demonstrated Mr. Reich¬ 
mann declares that he will punish it at 
once. 
Insulating Rubber-covered Wires. 
W. II., Westboro, Mass .— I wish to put 
some rubber-covered burglar alarm wires 
underground; am planning to draw them 
through common iron water pipe (joints 
leaded same «s for water). Shall I be 
troubled with condensation of water in the 
pipe in Winter? A friend suggests encas¬ 
ing the wire in the trench in Portland ce¬ 
ment, as cheaper. Would that work? I 
intend to put them two feet underground. 
Ans. —The plan of increasing the in¬ 
sulated conductors in water pipe with 
leaded joints, making them watertight, 
is probably the best and at the same time 
the cheapest method of laying the con¬ 
ductor, unless' they were carried over¬ 
head. There would be less danger from 
moisture in the iron pipe than in any 
concrete insulation. f. h. king. 
Home Canning with Steam. 
J. D., W elision, Mo .—A maker says use 
only steam pressure home canners. Is there 
any danger with 15 pounds pressure? 
Ans. —When canning is done in closed 
retorts for such things as corn and 
beans a special steam thermometer is 
used. Corn is held under a tempera¬ 
ture of 212 degrees Fall, between 60 
and 75 minutes, depending upon its ripe¬ 
ness. One factory in this State has put 
up good corn when “processed” only 50 
minutes. But little attention is given to 
the pressure. These thermometers are 
sold by the manufacturers of canning 
machinery. For such things as toma¬ 
toes, peaches, etc., no thermometer is 
needed, since the canning is done in 
open vessels. Full instructions how to 
can are also sent with the canning 
machinery. r. h price. 
Virginia. 
SHORT STORIES. 
Chemicals and Green Crops for Truck. 
Could a truck garden already in good 
condition be kept up with commercial fer¬ 
tilizers and rye aud vetch, instead of using 
stable manure? e. d. s. 
Yes, if you use lime from time to time 
with the rye and vetch, but some manure 
would be better. The manure brings new 
forms of bacteria to the soil and helps it 
more than equal weights of green crops 
can. 
Turnips or Beets in Corn. 
I have four acres of new ground planted 
in corn. I would like to sow either turnips 
or sugar beets at the last cultivation the 
first part of July. I would rather sow 
beets, as I want to feed them to hogs. Do 
you think either crop would do well at that 
time? What is the feeding value of each? 
How late cau cow peas be sown in this 
State? m. m. 
Huntington, W. Va. 
We should not sow sugar beet seed in 
the coni. It would be too late for seeding 
them, aud they will not do well without 
cultivation. Sow Cow-liorn turnips and 
clover. The turnips are worth but little 
more than half as much as the beets for 
feeding, but the latter will not do well un¬ 
der such culture. 
Power from Waterfall. 
What amount of horse-power could I get 
from a 14-inch turbine water wheel with 16- 
foot water fall; opening of gate at water 
wheel four by five inches? Would this 
wheel run a small dynamo to furnish 25 to 
30 eight-candle power incandescent lamps? 
Vermont. J. J. e. 
If the full effect of the 16-foot head of 
water can be realized at the wheel, that is, 
if there is no loss of power by friction, 
there should be realized approximately four 
to six horse-power. The best plan to fol¬ 
low is to submit this question directly to 
the man facturers of the wheel and get 
their estimate of the horse-power it will 
develop under stated conditions, and how 
many incandescent lamps it would be capa¬ 
ble of operating. F. n. king. 
Madison, Wis. 
Handling Poor Land. 
I have a piece of land of about an acre 
and a quarter; the land is poor. Last year 
I put about 25 loads of manure on it and 
sowed two bushels of rye. The rye at 
present (May 14) is about 15 to 20 inches 
high and very thick. Could I plow that 
under and plant potatoes on it or could 
I cut it for hay by setting the cutter bar 
high and leaving about four inches of stub¬ 
ble to plow under and sow rye again this 
Fall to plow under the following Spring? 
The hay prospect is very light; no rain 
to speak of for a month. At the rate the 
rye has grown in the past week it will be 
24 inches high in another week. 
Oswego, N. Y. j. o. 
You can plow the rye under and plant po¬ 
tatoes, or you can use the land for growing 
fodder. If the latter we should cut the 
rye at once and cure it like hay. It is not 
the best, but if cut early stock will eat it. 
After cutting you can, if you like, plow the 
rye stubble and put in fodder corn sown 
thickly in drills. You will have to use some 
fertilizer with this. Cut this fodder in late 
August and cure it for stock feeding. Then 
work up the ground and reseed to rye. 
Rye in Orchard. 
How should I handle a crop of rye in 
my one-year-old orchard? It was sown late 
last Fall and will not begin to head till 
about the middle of June. Should I plow 
this under and then use lime? Would you 
advise sowing buckwheat later and plow 
under the straw early next Spring aud 
practice clean culture next season? Cow 
peas and vetch have not been tried in this 
section and I am inclined to favor rye aud 
buckwheat in bringing up the land. 
Rimer, Pa. e. h. k. 
We should stuff this soil with vegetable- 
matter this first year and then follow the 
plan of cultivation and cover crop. Plow 
under the rye and then lime and sow buck¬ 
wheat. Put this under in September and 
sow rye and vetch. Plow this in Spring, 
give good culture until August and sow 
rye and vetch again. 
Securing Roses to Wauls or Fences.— 
A good suggestion is made by a correspond¬ 
ent of London “Gardening Illustrated,” who 
remarks that the old method of nailing roses 
to walls and fences is laborious and waste¬ 
ful. Neither shreds nor cast iron nails are 
of any use the second time. The breaking 
away of mortar and cement leaves holes 
that are not only unsightly, but are good 
harbors for insect foes. A few galvanized 
pegs, with eyelets at the unpointed end, do 
not cost much. Draw a few strands of wire 
between these pegs, making as many strands 
as you consider suitable. Roses can be tied 
to the wires, will not be so cramped against 
the wall or fence, and can be easily secured 
in any desired direction without injury to 
the wall. Once fixed, such a contrivance is 
not only permanent, but it can readily be 
removed and made use of elsewhere. It 
takes very little time and trouble, is infin¬ 
itely better, and can be made use of for 
other subjects on walls besides roses. There 
is also the advantage of something to tie 
to at any time without hunting up nails, 
shreds aud hammer, and fresh growths can 
be rearranged quickly and efficiently. 
Killing Out Witch Grass.—I am fol¬ 
lowing this plan to try to rid my land of 
witch grass. Wheel-harrow twice each way 
before plowing, then put on spring-tooth 
harrow and rake up and haul off all roots 
brought to surface. Plow rather shallow, 
just enough to turn the sod over and repeat 
the operation. I shall have to let the land 
lie uncovered all Winter, and repeat the 
operation in the Spring. If I seed to rye 
in the Spring the spring-tooth harrow would 
drag the rye to the surface. This land is 
in grass now and I shall start on it as 
soon as the hay it cut. My idea in wheel- 
harrowing before plowing is to cut the 
roots of the witch grass, as the ground will 
be hard, and the roots cannot sink down in 
the grouud and escape the disk as it often 
does after plowing. All this means lots of 
work, but don’t you think I shall nave some 
sick-looking witch grass when I am 
through? I am going to plant cabbage on 
this piece to be cultivated both ways so as 
to give witch grass there is left a chance to 
get killed. It costs my neighbor $500 a 
year fighting the stuff, and he says he is 
going to sell out. e. ii. b. 
Bridgewater, Mass. 
A Small Investment 
Earns Big Returns 
T O make a small outlay of capital 
and to have that capital double 
itself in a year’s time, is what a 
Buckeye 
Traction Ditcher 
will do for you. You earn from $1 5 to $18 
a day, net, digging machine cut ditches and 
you can work from eight to nine months in 
the year. There is no trouble keeping the 
machine busy because farmers everywhere 
are insisting upon Buckeye ditches. The 
ditches are truer, of perfect grade and they 
cost from twenty-five to fifty per cent less 
than the old hand-labor method. You can 
dig from 100 to 150 rods a day and only 
two men are required to operate. 
The up-keep of a Buckeye is remark¬ 
ably low. Simple to operate, always ready 
to run and there is no job too difficult. 
Write today for our catalog No. 3 
The Buckeye Traction Ditcher Co., 
Findlay, Ohio. 
Showing plowed ground with rich subsoil unused Same ground after subsoil has been dynamited 
DOUBLE THE FERTILITY 
OF YOUR FARM 
By Breaking up the Rich Subsoil 
WITH 
COUPONt) 
CROSS DYNAMITE 
Ordinary plowing turns over the same shallow top-soil year 
after year, forming a hard and nearly impervious “plow sole” 
that limits the waterholding capacity of the land and shuts out 
tons per acre of natural plant food. 
Dynamiting the subsoil makes this plant food available, aerates 
the soil, protects vegetation against both drouth and excess rain¬ 
fall, and soon repays its cost in saving of fertilizer expense 
and largely increased yields. 
Write for Free Booklet 
To learn how progressive fanners are using dynamite for 
removing stumps and boulders, planting and cultivating fruit 
trees, regenerating barren soil, ditching, draining, excavating, 
and road-making. Write now for Free Booklet—“Farming with 
Dynamite, No. 30.” 
I saw an inquiry in a recent issue asking 
how to got rid of willow trees. Here is the 
recipe: Girdle the trees in the latter part 
of August above the ground about two feet 
in length, and he sure to get the bark all 
off. The tree will never leaf out again, nor 
sprout from the roots, as I have tested it 
for 20 years and never had a failure yet- 
RushvlUe, Vt. G. w. c. 
L. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER CO. 
PIONEER POWDER MAKERS OF AMERICA 
ESTABLISHED 1802 WILMINGTON, DEL., U. S. A. 
Dynamite dealers wanted in every town and village to take and forward orders. Not 
necessary to carry stock. Large sale possibilities. Write at once for proposition. 
DU PONT POWDER COMPANY, Dept. 30, Wilmington, Del. 
