1911. 
THli RURAL NEW-YORKER 
©60 
STATE PLANTING OF ROADSIDE TREES. 
1 should be glad to get your opinion on a plan by 
which the State would undertake to plant the road¬ 
sides of all our improved roads with shade trees. 
The writer has sounded quite a number of tax¬ 
payers who are favorably disposed toward the scheme. 
Compared with the cost, the effect and the results 
obtained would represent an economical and satisfac¬ 
tory use of public money. With the rapidly vanish¬ 
ing forests, if all our improved roadsides were 
fringed with rapidly growing trees, selected with a 
view to their adaptability to the different and varying 
localities with reference' to soil and exposure, etc., 
the trees so planted would, in time, exercise a bene¬ 
ficial influence in equalizing climate and serve as a 
wind-break as well—tempering the cold blasts of 
Winter. The weary and dust-begrimed wayfarer, be 
he pedestrian or tourist in hot Summer days, would 
welcome the balmy zephyrs that greet one under the 
spreading branches of a noble shade tree. Such a 
system scientifically adopted and energetically pur¬ 
sued would in time to come make of our hot blistering 
stone and brick roads shady avenues of travel—“a 
thing of beauty and a joy forever." ■ Posterity would 
feel grateful for our judgment and foresight, and 
we could take pride in an undertaking that would re¬ 
dound to our credit and stand as a monument to our 
unselfish zeal and devotion to nature and to nature’s 
art. „ c. F. BLEY. 
New York. 
R- N.-Y.—We offer a chance to discuss the matter. 
We doubt if the State should be asked to do this. 
It seems more of a work for the townships or local 
owners. We find there are two sides to this question 
of roadside trees. Some farmers seriously object to 
them. Others prefer to plant apple or cherry trees 
in such places. It is a good subject. Let us hear 
from the jury. 
SALE OF FOREIGN PRODUCE. 
I have a friend, a Sicilian, whom 1 know to he very 
honest and reliable. His father in Sicily owns a lemon 
grove, and the son would like to aid the father in dispos¬ 
ing of the crop in a way to give them as great a profit as 
possible. Will you advise him the name of a firm to whom 
they could be consigned, or who would purchase the lemons 
outright, probably 200 boxes? w. L. 
_ New York. 
Practically all lemons are sold at auction. Sam¬ 
ples of the various lines are exhibited and the fruit 
has to come up to them or be rejected. In this way 
both buyers and sellers know what they are doing, 
and the business is on a responsible basis. It is out 
of the question to deal with small retailers here. 
Most of them would rather buy through the auction, 
but even though they would receive the fruit di¬ 
rect, they could easily and safely take advantage of 
the shipper in the matter o f price and quality. Large 
retailers could handle such business, but there would 
be no object in their doing it unless lemons were 
very scarce. If they buy through the auction they are 
dealing with responsible people and the pack is guar¬ 
anteed. The only object in buying the fruit direct 
would be to get it cheaper, and this would defeat the 
purpose of the grower in trying to sell that way. It 
costs money to handle and sell such foreign produce 
in New York, and, at present, the established chan- 
FOR THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Fig. 381. 
nels of trade, wholesale, retailer, commission matt 
jjnd auction, are the cheapest means of doing the 
business. Competition in all of these selling lines 
is so sharp that a selling agreement or trust is not 
feasible. Until we get parcels post, or organiza¬ 
tions of producers, like the Grange, are willing to put 
money into warehouses and retail stores in the large 
cities, selling goods direct to the city consumer will 
be impractical. . It might be possible to sell apples, 
potatoes or similar produce by coming here with the 
goods and hunting up customers, but that would not 
do for foreign produce, especially such small lots. 
A MOUNTED LADDER. 
Every year there is a discussion about the best 
form of ladder for picking the fruit from high trees. 
Such a ladder must be light and steady and easy to 
FRUIT PICKER’S LADDER ON WHEELS. Fig. 382. 
carry about. The following, pictured at Fig. 382, is 
a new proposition, said to work well: 
I am sending a photograph of a 27-foot ladder mounted 
on old tedder wheels. This is so nicely balanced it can 
l>e moved easily anywhere by one man, where formerly it 
took two men to raise it. This is like the ladders used 
in the California orchards. dairyman’s wife. 
Massachusetts. 
THOSE “GRADUATE” CONFESSIONS AND 
PROPOSITIONS. 
On page 895 “College Graduate’’ indulges in cer¬ 
tain "reflections’'—that are also a confession—and 
launches a proposition. The whole makes mighty in¬ 
teresting reading to anyone also disposed to reflect 
and furthermore to analyze. The writer has con¬ 
tended for years that conditions are such that farm¬ 
ers cannot live decently, support their families prop¬ 
erly and pay their way. If they borrow their capital 
it is impossible; if they own their capital they can 
do it only at the expense of getting no income from 
it. The answer has been that it is because the farm¬ 
ers are unscientific! "Graduate,” though “Scientific,” 
confesses that he can’t do it either, and neither can 
the rest of his fellow graduates. As a statement of 
important fact this confession is interesting, however 
unnecessary. It is a refutation of the illogical non¬ 
sense that scientific agriculture enabling larger pro¬ 
duction of better goods is the solution of the farm¬ 
er's prosperity. 
Of his graduating class he says, “Where are we 
now? Scattered through all the States, Canada, 
South America and South Africa; employed by the 
Government, corporations and private land holders. 
Only a few do I recall working their own farms.” 
“Why do we not buy cheap farms, go in debt, begin 
in a small way, and work to independence?” His 
answer is, in brief, that they can't do it and live de¬ 
cently in the meantime—precisely the same thing that 
ails the rest of us—“hampered for lack of capital.” 
As a remedy for this he proposes that the State 
after educating the agricultural graduate to expensive 
methods and high ideals should also set him up in 
business with equipment corresponding with those 
ideals and methods at a moderate rate of interest on 
capital advanced. The result aimed at by the State 
is to be “maximum production” by the subsidized 
college graduate and also by the surrounding fann¬ 
ers, who seeing their good works will be led to 
adopt their methods; and make food products plenty 
and cheap. The reasons from the standpoint of the 
State are the same essentially as so blandly stated 
by President Taft for the admission of Canadian 
farm products to competition with ours—it would 
“broaden and deepen” our sources of food supply! 
The subsidizing of Canadian farmers similarly by 
loans by the Canadian Government is cited. Tf the 
subject were not so vital and serious it would cer¬ 
tainly be funny for the grotesqueness of the position 
of the plain farmer under these two propositions to 
“broaden and deepen” the sources of the food supply! 
For the plain farmers would then have to compete 
with the subsidized farmers of Canada under reci¬ 
procity, and also compete with the subsidized college 
graduates. And at the same time they are to be 
allured into methods of farming by these proposed 
State stool-pigeons which these same State stool- 
pigeons would virtually admit that they themselves 
cannot carry out without outside financial help! But 
this is right in line with the present governmental 
policy! Anything to make farm produce cheap to 
the cities—never mind the farmer! On the other 
hand anything to keep up the price of manufactures. 
Anything to drive men from the country—anything 
to crowd the cities and enrich a few therein. Our 
public men extend their sympathies and good wishes 
to farmers, but give city interests their votes. 
Litchfield Co., Conn. a. wf.tmore. 
A PROBLEM OF FARM DRAINING. 
I have about 15 acres of my farm that I am obliged to 
drain through my neighbor’s farm. We tried a six-inch 
tile, but found it would take a two-foot sewer to handle 
the water when a freshet conies. He thinks it would 
not be fair for him to make or have an open ditch unless 
I open up one which comes in front of my door 80 rods 
long. I also have to handle the road water which goes 
through his farm also. By using live, six and 10-inch 
tile I can handle it nicely without an open ditch. What 
would you think would be a fair way to settle this, or 
do I have to buy my outlet? Diagram shows the land. 
G. e. c. 
I understand that the neighbor is willing to have 
an open ditch across his farm if G. E.'C. will make 
one on his where 10-inch tile is marked on the chart, 
but I fail to see why he prefers to have the water 
brought to him in an open ditch, unless the topo¬ 
graphy of the two farms would cause surface flood¬ 
ing from G. E. C. onto the other farm. This could 
be overcome by an open ditch along the line fence, 
where it would be less objectionable. I think the 
estimate for a 24-inch pipe is a very extravagant one. 
A 12-inch pipe will carry the water from the 10, six 
and five-inch if given the same grade, but if the 
smaller tile receive surface water direct through wells 
or filter sinks then a 14-inch might be needed to pro¬ 
vide for the added surface water that would come 
direct into it at its union with the others. A 14-inch 
tile will with ordinary grades carry nearly one-half 
more water than a 12-inch of the same grade, and a 
16-inch has more than twice the capacity of a 12-inch. 
If the water is brought to the upper part of the sys¬ 
tem through under drains then only 12-inch will be 
needed, as the flow there will have spent its force 
before the upper system becomes charged to its full 
capacity. From what I can learn from the letter and 
chart l would advise taking up the six-inch that 
“has been weighed in the balance and found want¬ 
ing;,” and put a 12 or 14-inch there. Of course I 
have no data from which to determine the amount 
of surface water that comes from G. E. C. to this 
neighbor, but from their having tried a six-inch and 
then concluded that it needed a 24-inch (which has 
more than 30 times the capacity) I assume they are 
not figuring closely, and perhaps do not appreciate 
how much faster water runs in large volumes. Of 
course there should be a screened well at head of 
the large conduit to receive surface water and con- 
DIAGRAM OF DRAINAGE. Fig. 383. 
nect the upper system with it. It is difficult for me 
(unacquainted as I am with the comparative needs 
and desires of drainage with the two parties) to form 
a correct opinion of a fair adjustment of the ex¬ 
pense of the lower ditch. It's a thing I am up against 
very often in my work of farm draining engineer¬ 
ing. Last season in Oswego County I had to go 700 
feet across another farm to get an outlet. This was 
through land all the way that needed draining and 
so thought the owner, but he wasn’t ready financially 
to take up the work, so would only give right of 
way, and my owner stood the expense. On the pro¬ 
ject where we are working now in Orleans County, 
to avoid going a half mile across another farm, with 
a 10-inch outlet 1 brought it out shallow at the road¬ 
side and have used between one and two hundred 
dollars plowing and scraping in over the tile and 
grading back. 
If G. E. C. puts an open ditch along the line fence 
A PROFITABLE FARM PARTNER, Fig. 384. 
if needed to conduct surface flow to the well and 
stop flooding the other farm, then it would seem 
fair for the other party to take it across his farm, 
either in a conduit of suitable size or an open ditch 
of suitable depth for an outlet for G. E. C. If open 
ditch, then no well is required, provided the other 
party could not see it this way. The next step 
would point to the original cooperative plan, as with 
the six-inch. Above is chart explaining my opinion 
of a plan with the open ditch along the fence. G. E. 
C. failed to mark the five-inch, so I do not know its 
location. j. f. van schoonhoven. 
