71 & 
q?HE RURAfc NEW-YORKER 
upon the seed, and destroying all newly germinated 
weeds, so that the plants come up in soft, clean soil. 
The straw holds the rake down and insures a com¬ 
plete top-working of the land. I long used the rake 
to cultivate asparagus in dry seasons, but the addi¬ 
tion of straw or trash to make it dig deep is a new 
thing, which I learned after raking grass roots off 
when putting in grass seed. 
After this, at intervals of a few days, when crop 
is up, the rake is run over the piece again, but with¬ 
out the straw, giving the top a good stirring, and not 
injuring the plants while working closely among them. 
My corn, hand planted, has now been raked three 
times and cultivated lightly once; the land is nearly 
level, the crop has good color, and hardly a hill is 
missing. A weeder does no such thorough work, 
especially at the first operation. If the piece is cov¬ 
ered with coarse manure, not well worked in, which 
would hinder raking, the drag, or clod-crusher, is 
used, and the ridges quite well leveled at the first 
operation. I have put in corn, peas, beans and pota¬ 
toes as above, and never failed to get a good crop. 
The seed always comes up well, and the subsequent 
cultivation is comparatively easy. 
In Fig. 259, No. 1, the ridges are shown as first 
made, and in No. 2 after the weighted rake has been 
once used. The seed covered so lightly, gets the 
heat of the sun and starts quickly, while on the ridges 
the weeds start quickly also and at the first working 
are buried and destroyed. After the furrows are 
made the soil is kept continually tumbling down hill, 
reversing the common method of hilling, which is 
continually building up about the plant. Our soil 
is a clay loam. G. s. paine. 
Maine. 
PROTECTING TREES IN MULCHED 
ORCHARDS. 
In changing from cultivated orchard would it be ad¬ 
visable to place common creek shale the size of gravel 
to keep weeds and grass from growing close to trees 
(apples) in a sod? Cover crop is clover, trees eight years 
planted and bearing. Which would be best, clover or 
Red-top grass to be clipped and left lie, or may clover 
be cut for seed? Trees are extra healthy and make 
two to three feet of growth. Would coal cinders be 
better, say three feet around tree? About 200 trees. 
West Dover, O. G. s. w. 
As between creek gravel and cinders for mounding 
trees to protect from mice I should prefer the cinders. 
Field mice will not burrow through cinders, neither do 
they seem to fancy burrowing in the surface soil imme¬ 
diately beneath the cinders as they will do under a 
covering of stones or coarse gravel. Should they do 
so it is an easy matter to tamp the cinders down firmly 
with an ordinary post tamper, as they are both fine and 
comparatively light. After tamping, two or three shov¬ 
elfuls of fresh cinders may be added to reform the 
mound which need not be larger than 16 or 18 inches 
at the base and eight or 10 inches in height. If it be 
more convenient to use gravel care should be taken 
that it be so fine that there will be no spaces between 
the pieces large enough to harbor mice. Should the 
mice burrow beneath the gravel, in the surface soil, 
it is more difficult to tamp down than cinders, and 
when thus compacted by tamping about the base of the 
tree might, after repeating the operation two or three 
times, become so hard as to injure the crown of the 
tree. However, if the gravel be fine enough to insure 
exclusion of mice, and a broad, low mound be formed, 
there would probably be no trouble from mice burrow¬ 
ing beneath it! In my own home orchard where both 
cinders and gravel are unavailable, I use a small mound 
of soil about the bases of the trees, tamping down each 
Autumn and adding a few shovelfuls of fresh soil to 
maintain the oval form. With this precaution soil will 
answer as well as either cinders or gravel; indeed I 
prefer the soil to the gravel. The little mounds at the 
bases of the trees are kept clean of snow, usually, by 
the force of the wind, and are first to become exposed 
when the snow does cover them, by the melting away 
of the snow. 
After using various grasses for a covering of an or¬ 
chard to be mulched, I have decided upon and am 
using at my own place a mixture of Red-top, Blue 
grass and Alsike clover. While I have not experi¬ 
mented with different quantities of seed per acre, I am 
using this mixture at the rate of 10 pounds each of 
Red-top and Kentucky Blue grass and five pounds of 
Alsike per acre. By May 7 there was a beautiful set 
of grass on several steep hillside strips between the 
tree rows, seeded in April of 1910. Other strips 
seeded several years ago are still in fine condition, 
the Red-top of course predominating, although our 
conditions are most excellent for both Red-top and 
Blue grass. Our hill*slopes in the areas more recently 
planted to apple trees are so steep that it is almost 
necessary to cultivate the strips between the rows a 
couple of seasons to terrace the surface slightly so 
that the spray outfit can more easily and safely be 
handled. After this we promptly seed to grass and 
mulch the trees. When once clothed in a good sod of 
mixed grasses I would not have the ground rebroken 
for any consideration. Cultivation on such steep 
slopes very soon ruins the land by the better part of it 
being carried away by washing. f. h. ballou. 
Ohio. 
ADVICE ON “BACK TO THE LAND.” 
It is a notable fact that just now the attention of 
many residents of our larger towns and cities is being 
attracted to country life, attended with a desire to 
change their vocation by following the pursuit of 
agriculture. Before doing so it will be well for them 
to consider what the alluring watchword “Back to the 
soil'’ signifies. To those having an abundance of 
means and having a practical knowledge of farm 
work, or who can afford to employ an experienced 
manager to superintend the work, with soil favorable 
for crop production, with all the modern improve¬ 
ments now existing to make country and farm life 
agreeable, the pleasurable results imagined may be 
fully realized. But with the large majority having no 
practical knowledge of the requirements for success¬ 
ful farming and obliged to assume more or less in¬ 
debtedness for a farm, the matter assumes an en¬ 
tirely different aspect. 
To those fully decided, however, to make the 
change no set rules or directions can be laid down 
for them to follow. The writer having spent a life 
work on a farm in western New York, would recom¬ 
mend this as an ideal locality, provided the inten¬ 
tion is to engage in hay, grain and fruit growing 
principally, all of which thrives best on our limestone 
soil. If dairying is preferred a more broken and hilly 
section of the State could be selected, undoubtedly at. 
less cost per acre. 
In all localities different grades and qualities of soil 
will be found and held at different prices, many por¬ 
tions of which to be made productive only require a 
CULTIVATING WITH HAY RAKE.— Fig. 259. 
thorough system of tile drainage, eventully converting 
it into the most productive and profitable part of the 
farm; as the fertility is already there, and of sufficient 
quantity for several years’ time. 
Accordingly these naturally low undrained lands 
should not deter one from purchasing, provided a 
reasonable reduction is made in the price for such 
quality of land. No one should be influenced to 
make an investment in land without a personal in¬ 
spection, also acquiring all the information possible 
from farmers in the same locality. In case of a final 
purchase, the buyer should not have the impression 
that nature will do it all, but should realize that to 
attain success a lot of hard work, long hours and strict 
economy must be practised ere the desired results may 
be attained. Long before it is accomplished it will be 
learned that but a small share of the consumer’s dol¬ 
lar that has been paid for the products of his farm 
has eventually found its way into his own pocket. 
Genesee Co., N. Y. irving d. cook. 
LIGHT ON A LIGHTNING-ROD MAN. 
If “F. C. H.’s” husband, page 678, is swindled by 
Mr. Bowers or Bower, “the lightning rod man,” I 
shall feel that it was partly through my habit of 
postponement, as I long ago intended to ask you to 
advertise him in the “Publisher’s Desk.” I made 
the acquaintance of a Mr. C. W. Bower late last 
Summer. He drove through this part of the country 
offering to rod barns, one in each locality, merely as 
an advertisement. It made no difference as to the 
size of the barn. The fee was nominal, $14, or $10, 
or $5, or even less if you haggled with him. If Mrs. 
“F. C. H.” will read the contract carefully she will 
find that the work will be charged for at about 70 
cents per foot, notwithstanding the fact that the 
facile Mr. Bower has written in, “and furnish (so 
many) feet of wire free,” that is, as many feet as it 
will take to rod the barn. This, I believe, is an old 
game. Mr. Bower will rod the barn all right, but 
the price will be $100 or so, and “F. C. H.” will have 
a nice coil of cheap wire left on his hands besides, 
as a memento. Mr. Bower asks his prospective vic¬ 
tim to be sure to tell no one that the job is done for 
advertising purposes, but for the usual rate of 40 
cents per foot. This will give him a fair legal hold 
if the victim observes it. 
Mr. Bower is about 55 or 60 years of age, weighs 
about 175 or ISO pounds, is slightly bald, has gray 
July 1, 
hair and heavy gray moustache and is an easy talker. 
The fullness under his eyes denotes eloquence. When 
I tore up a handful of his contracts and threatened 
to hand him over to an officer, he went mad with 
rage and poured out a torrent of foul names and 
curses. Such is Mr. Bower. He gave his name and 
address as C. W. Bower, Oneonta, N. Y., and his 
partner who did the rodding was a Mr. Smith (I 
have forgotten his initials), of Afton, N. Y. Look 
out for them. Tell “F. C. H.” to have his shotgun 
ready when they come to rod the barn. 
Schenectady Co., N. Y. will w. Christman. 
DRAINING “OOZE” LAND IN KENTUCKY. 
I am about to try draining on the wet places on my 
farm; a novelty in farm lands in the Blue grass. Most of 
our Blue grass lands are rolling or hilly, with a declivity 
of from five to 10 feet to the hundred; soil six to 12 
inches, with a clay subsoil two to eight or 10 feet, then 
limestone underlying all. In the hollows we often have sl 
flat ranging in width from nothing to 100 feet in width, 
and rarely exceeding the latter. Wet weather springs are 
frequent at the junction of the declivity with the flat 
ground. A central ditch will not drain this flat area, but 
each spring must have a separate ditch; almost making 
farm crops requiring cultivation, reaper, mower, etc., im¬ 
practicable ; therefore on each farm is entailed a loss 
largely of from one to live per cent of the land, for in wet 
or seasonable weather you cannot run a mower over it; 
besides the growth is of such a character as to be of little 
value even for grazing. We cannot well plow nor mow, 
the expense is too great to keep down the dock, ironweeds 
and other rank and worthless wild growth, so as to let 
Red-top and other grasses grow. Then when one would 
mow, if clean enough, perhaps too wet, and when in cul¬ 
tivation, not easy to make hay on these narrow strips even 
if clean enough and dry enough at the right time. My 
purpose is to try the draining and the usual rule for 
drainage does not apply here I think. I propose to try 
about one mile this next month, and if a success about as 
much more next Spring to complete the drainage of my 
farm. One main drain and four short detached drains 
will be required, with 70 or more short lines, .30 to 75 
or 100 foot lengths to carry water into main from the 
springs. I shall use drain pipe of eight inch, six inch and 
five inch for mains, and laterals three inch and four 
inch. The question I desire your advice on is on depth for 
tile. We shall not have trouble as to fall; usually one 
foot or more to the 100 feet. As this tile is not designed 
to do practically anything, only take care of these several 
wet weather springs (ordinarily dry about four months in 
the year), my reasoning leads me to conclude that a depth 
of 18 to 24 inches (well beyond plow depth) will answer 
every purpose that a deeper tile would. Some places the 
tile will be only eight or 12 inches apart; at others long 
distances without any tiling. Then what is the best 
method to keep vermin out of the drain, as I shall have 
many open ends? M. s. b. 
Winchester, Ivy. 
M. S. B.’s trouble is caused what in drainage par¬ 
lance is known as “ooze” and the depth at which the 
drains should be placed can only be ascertained by 
actual digging in each individual ditch; ooze is caused 
by water getting through the soil at some higher eleva¬ 
tion and passing downyard until arrested by a hard 
subsoil, or—as is sometimes found—the rock founda¬ 
tion upon which it flows laterally to the surface, hence 
its location on hillside or base of slope. Instead of 
running drains directly into these spouty places, locate 
them on the upper hillside just above where the water 
shows, and cut the ditch down until the hard stratum 
is found, upon which the water flows to the surface 
below. In leveling ditches of this character I only 
carry the level notes to the point of getting the eleva¬ 
tion of the stations, until enough digging has been 
done to show a desirable depth, after which the grade 
line can be run and the cuts computed. 
The most satisfactory protection to the outlets of 
drains with me has been an iron gate hung by a 
couple of eye-bolts set in a concrete bulkhead. These- 
gates work on the same principle as flood gates used 
where a fence crosses a stream, that in the high water 
of a freshet would take the fence away, the gate is 
swung outward by the flood, assuming a vertical po¬ 
sition when the flood subsides. Where an outlet is 
made into lake or stream that is liable to throw ice 
or logs against the gate I bring the face of bulkhead 
outside the swing of the gate beyond outlet of the 
tile; this makes a chamber for the gate to swing out 
in and it would be a small end of log or piece of ice 
that could strike it. Screened outlets have a way of 
clogging with small rootlets that come down the 
drains. J. F. van schoonhoven. 
If you feel any compunctions about destroying the blun¬ 
dering Junebugs, that wander inside warm evenings, remem¬ 
ber that they are the parents of the destructive white 
grubs, and that the beetles themselves are often injurious 
to trees and shrubs; they are also reported as eating the 
stems of newly set apples and pears, causing the little fruit 
to wilt and drop. 
Many of our worst weeds start in the city, says Prof. 
Pammel in “Weeds of the Farm and Garden.” There are 
hundreds of acres in Canada thistle in Chicago, and in 
Gome streets much of the perennial sow. thistle, which is 
a menace to agriculture over a wide area. Unoccupied lands 
in many cities are great weed patches and the weeds 
extend from them to the i.tirms. 
