1911 ° 
THE RURAB NEW-YORKER 
751 
TRANSPLANTING FLOWERS BY 
MACHINERY. 
The transplanting machine is nearly as common a 
farm implement in several of the towns of Monroe 
County, N. Y., as the self-binder. Almost every farmer 
in these sections grows a few acres of Winter cabbage, 
and the transplanting machine is known locally as 
“the cabbage planter,” or in brief “the planter.” Many 
of the visitors at our farm have not previously known 
of such a machine. In the case of town people or 
those coming from parts of the country where little 
transplanting is done, this would not be surprising; 
but representatives of some of the largest seed houses 
in Europe, firms that have whole farms of- trans¬ 
planted crops each year, were greatly interested in the 
possibilities of facilitating their work by this Yankee 
device. Apparently the machines are not made or 
handled in the same large w r ay as harvesting ma¬ 
chinery. 
Those unfamiliar with the work expect to see 
plants fed into a hopper and transferred to the soil by 
machine. The machine in use here is drawn by two 
horses. The driver is seated in front, a barrel of 
water amidships and the two men who do the planting 
are carried in the rear, on seats that just clear the 
ground. The machine makes an open-, 
ing in the soil, the operators place the 
plants one at a time, and the machine 
applies water to the roots, at the same 
time closing the soil about the plants. 
The wedge-shaped plow (p, seen in Fig. 
276) makes a continuous opening that 
continuously closes in behind as the 
machine moves along. The operator 
places a plant as indicated. So long as 
he holds it nothing happens. There is 
always the open space behind the plow. 
Machine, operator and plant have sim¬ 
ply moved ahead, and the row has been 
closed in behind. But the instant he 
lets go the planting is done. Machine 
and operator have continued to move 
forward, but the plant is now stationary 
where the operator released it. Water 
is fed into the opening behind the plow 
through a tube at (w). For cabbage 
an automatic arrangement releases a cer¬ 
tain amount at regular intervals, and 
the operator times the dropping of the 
plant by the click of the opening valve. 
Our planting is mainly Asters, set at 
close intervals, and a continuous stream 
is used. We are now nearing the end 
of the driest June on record for this 
locality, following an unusually dry 
May. Under such trying conditions, 
the water barrel on the machine is 
filled after each short round of 1100 
feet. When the surface is moist only 
enough water is used to settle the dirt 
about the roots of the plants. The soil 
not being firmed so compactly as with 
the dibble, the use of water cannot be 
entirely omitted even in a wet time. 
The soil begins to fill in behind the 
plow as indicated by the dotted line, 
Fig. 276. The work is completed, in 
our machine, by curved blades that 
leave it as shown below in Fig. 76. Other 
machines compress the .soil by the use 
of small wheels at either side. The 
amount of pressure applied to compact the soil, the 
depth of planting and the flow of water are all readily 
adjusted. 
As with much other farm machinery, the main value 
of this machine does not lie in the cheapening of the 
work; in this case the value lies in giving the planter 
the ability to plant right along through unfavorable 
weather conditions. When rains come the plants are 
established in the field and get the full benefit. Just 
now it would be impossible in our neighborhood to 
plant with dibbles without incurring more expense for 
watering than would be justified by any ordinary crop. 
By the aid of the machine we are planting Asters each 
afternoon. With close setting (12 to 15 inches, in three- 
foot rows), short rows, and frequent stops for water, 
we set l r /2 acre in five hours. With small plants and 
somewhat rough ground we find it profitable to have 
a man follow the machine. There are thus four men 
in the crew; and by the help of the team and the 
machine they average over 1,000 plants per hour 
apiece at a time when hand planting would be a 
practical impossibility. Under better conditions and 
not so close planting we have planted two acres in 
five hours, and 3 2-3 acres in 10 hours. With plants 
like cabbage that are easy to handle and are set far¬ 
ther apart I am told that three to five acres is called 
a day’s w'ork. Using a wider plow, one designed for 
potatoes, we have been able to use the machine to 
good advantage in planting various bulb crops. In one 
day last month the machine was used for planting 
Dahlias, Gladioli, Jerusalem artichoke (tubers), lilies, 
Montbretias, horseradish roots, cinnamon vine roots 
and bulblets, Madeira vines and Oxalis. For the 
small bulbs we have built a flat, hopper-like arrange¬ 
ment from which the bulbs fall through a tube that 
drops them in the furrow. One operator easily regu¬ 
lates the feeding. For these crops the plow is run 
deep and is followed by the potato coverer and roller. 
Setting strawberry and tomato plants are among the 
uses we have for the machine. We have found it es¬ 
pecially useful for “leggy” tomato plants, the operator 
holding the plant until all but the top is covered. 
Monroe Co., N. Y. geo. arnoed. 
THE CAUSE OF “WHITE DIARRHOEA,” 
Part II. 
Last week we gave the proof stated by the Connec¬ 
ticut Experiment Station to show that the germs of 
“white diarrhea” come from the mother hen. In order 
that we may all know what disease is discussed we 
give two pictures and a description from Bulletin No. 
68. We think most poultrymen will recognize the 
disease. See Figs. 277 and 278. 
The earliest deaths may occur within a very short time 
after hatching, without any prominent symptoms, except¬ 
ing perhaps, weakness and lack of vitality. The charac¬ 
teristic whitish discharge from the vent soon makes its ap¬ 
pearance in tlie flock, the time depending, without doubt, 
upon the virulence of the organism and the mode of infec¬ 
tion. The discharge may be slight or profuse, in color 
white or creamy, sometimes mixed with brown. The voided 
matter has a more or less sticky or glairy character. It 
may simply streak the down below the vent or may cling 
to the down in sufficient quantity to seal up the vent. This 
is the condition that poultrymen designate as “pasting up 
behind.” This latter condition, however, is not necessarily 
indicative of white diarrhoea. 
The chicks soon become listless and sleepy, inclined to 
huddle together and remain under the hover much of the 
time. They seem to lose appetite and do not eat much. 
Frequently when they attempt to take food their aceiion is 
more or less mechanical. The wings begin to droop or pro¬ 
ject slightly from the body, with feathers ruffled. In acute 
cases the eyes are closed and the chicks become indifferent 
to everything that goes on about them. Many of the chicks 
peep or chirp constantly, the sound being shrill or weak ac¬ 
cording to the strength of the individual. Frequently when 
endeavoring to void the excreta the chicks utter a shrill 
twitter, apparently a cry of pain. The breathing may be 
labored, the abdomen heaving with each breath. Occasion¬ 
ally one may note a certain amount of gasping or gaping. 
Assuming the case proven that the germs are in 
the ovaries of the mother hen, and are put in the 
yolk of her egg, what can be done to stamp out the 
disease? While no direct evidence is presented. Dr. 
Rettger and Prof. Stoneburn do not believe that the 
disease is carried from one adult hen to another in 
the food or by the male. It is without doubt carried 
from one little chick to another in the food. The 
female chicks which live through the disease grow to 
adults with the germs in their bodies. As we under¬ 
stand it, these germs accumulate in the ovaries and 
are put into the eggs, thus keeping up the round of 
the disease. Therefore if we are to get rid of the 
disease we must get rid of the hens which carry it 
along. How can we know them? 
This bulletin contains pictures of infected and also 
germ-free hens. A close student of the disease might 
tell them apart, but the ordinary henkeeper could not 
do so. At the station the infected hens were selected 
by trap-nesting. The marked eggs laid by individual 
hens were tested for the germs. It was found for 
one thing that the infected hens are usually poor lay¬ 
ers. They usually lay only in Spring and Summer. 
Where the disease has been watched on farms it was 
found that chicks hatched in late Pall, Winter and 
early Spring are usually free from the disease. This 
indicates that the disease may affect the laying powers 
of the hen and that the continuous layers which keep 
up the "egg-flow” through the year are most likely to 
be free. The average man cannot trap-nest, nor can 
he conduct a scientific test for bacteria. 
Another proposed test is to open the 
side of the hen and examine the ovaries. 
Prof. Stoneburn thinks this plan will 
enable an expert to pick out the had 
cases, but the average hen man could 
not depend on it. Chicks from the dif¬ 
ferent breeders could be hatched sepa¬ 
rately and the chicks watched. This 
would quickly show which chicks were 
free, and their mothers saved for breed¬ 
ing purposes. Where the flock is badly 
affected it would pay to get rid of all 
the breeders and stock up from farms 
where the disease is not known. Prof. 
Stoneburn says the disease has been 
eliminated in a single season by this 
method. Selection of breeding hens 
should be made at eight or 10 weeks, 
at which time the healthy stock will be 
superior to other. This first selection 
will secure good birds, and a second 
selection later will enable a breeder to 
pick out the desired type. Sour milk 
may prevent the disease, but it is not a 
cure. It would be but natural that in 
such a disease the theory of “inoculax 
tion” to destroy the germs would be 
advanced. There are materials on the 
market which are claimed as “cures.” 
We understand that they are mostly 
combinations of turpentine with other 
materials. They are to be injected into 
the chick or hen on the theory that they 
will thus kill the germs. From the 
nature of the disease we are quite skep¬ 
tical as to any practical value from such 
treatment, but it ought to be tried out. 
A CAT MOTHER FOR GEESE. 
Mr. T. E. Cameron, of Missouri, sends 
us the picture shown at Fig. 280, and 
says: 
“It has long been a question as to 
which was the mother of a chicken, the 
hen which laid the egg or the one 
which hatched it. The genealogy of these Mis¬ 
souri goslings is even more complicated. They 
were hatched by a hen and adopted by the cat shown 
in the picture, who drove the hen-mother away. If 
the youngsters are “geese” enough to stray from the 
parental roof-tree the cat takes them by the nape of 
the neck and returns them to where she thinks they 
belong.” 
This beats any poultry story we have heard before. 
It is to be hoped that the cat is not fattening the little 
ones on the principle of a farmer fattening the 
Thanksgiving turkey. 
The town of Toppenish, Wash., is a new one to 
most of us, but it seems to be the limit on the matter 
of school grounds. 
It is proposed to purchase between 10 and 11 acres for a 
high school, and, if the purchase be consummated, to make 
live acres an experimental farm for the pupils. The re¬ 
mainder is to include a park and an athletic field for the 
children. 
The object of this is to interest the children in out¬ 
door life. Farming and fruit growing is to be the 
great future business of the Pacific coast. If, 50 years 
ago, the New England people had handled the school 
question as this Washington town proposes doing, 
the history of this country would have been changed. 
There is such a thing as carrying this new education 
beyond the limit, but it is a fine thing to make the 
school and the school grounds as attractive as we can. 
A BLACK AND WFIITE MILK FOUNTAIN. Fig. 279. 
(See page 700.) 
THE CAT AND TFIE GOSLINGS. Fig. 280. 
