68 
January 20, 
company, thus reducing the actual cost of handling 
the business of the members. 
A business of this character, conducted on princi¬ 
ples of absolute honesty, naturally met with much op¬ 
position during its early years from the established 
commission dealers of the city, but the incorporators 
were men of courage, and succeeded in overcoming 
the various obstacles that were placed in their path, 
with the result that the New York Cut Flower Co. 
became a solid institution, which for a number of 
years has done a business of several hundred thou¬ 
sands of dollars per annum, and the consignors of 
flowers to this concern have the satisfaction of know¬ 
ing that their goods bring correct prices according to 
grade, and that they receive the full returns less the 
actual cost of handling. flower grower. 
GOOD POULTRY FOR FARMERS. 
A Chance for Farm Boys. 
PART II. 
Among the parti-colored types of color the Barred 
Rock comes quickly to mind as the most familiar; if 
the designation, the staple type, could be appropriately 
applied to any fowl it belongs to this one. A paradox, 
in breeding true to color and still seldom approaching 
the ideal, and sufficiently baffling to the veteran breeder 
to preserve a charmed following, it holds steadily the 
first interest in exhibitions, and by general acceptance 
is the favorite among utility breeders. The Barred Rock 
from the standpoint of utility still has serious faults. 
Some of the largest pullets will make but indifferent 
layers, and should be weeded out as soon as selection 
is possible. The remainder under skilled management 
will make remarkable layers for one season, and should 
be marketed off before moulting as hens. The half- 
bred Rock is a marvel for utility. Those that have 
crossed them with Leghorns know of their wonderful 
laying powers, being quicker to mature than Rocks and 
inheriting from the Leghorn a capacity to lay well until 
several years old. However, they make poor sitters. 
For that purpose I would use a Pit Game male upon 
the females of any of the large breeds. These half- 
bred Games have a charming makeup, either alive or 
as dressed poultry, with a plump and well-rounded 
carcass, fine to forage and fight for their offspring, 
long-lived, productive layers and very thrifty. 
The Silver Laced Wyandotte, with the beautiful con¬ 
trast of black and white in its plumage, is a much 
neglected fowl. During the 30 years since its first 
appearance its early crudeness of color has given 
place to a degree of perfection which points to great 
popularity in the near future. The rapidity with 
which new varieties of Wyandottes have multiplied, 
until we have eight distinct color types in good stand¬ 
ing and several others which have as yet failed to 
gain description in the Standard, to say nothing of 
several breeds of fowls now undergoing their first 
boom, combine to produce a condition of affairs in 
which great merit is easily overlooked. The Golden 
Laced Wyandotte, which is the nearest relative to the 
Silver Laced, with its richer, if not so striking, effect, 
comes in for equal commendation. The young breeder 
who selects either of these varieties for careful work 
in breeding can make no mistake. Wyandottes of 
other colors find active rivalry in the Plymouth Rock 
class; this also having its Columbian, Partridge and 
Silver Pencilled varieties, with more than an equal 
chance for permanent popularity. The Columbian 
(Light Brahma colored) has been the most actively 
worked by fanciers of any during recent years, far 
more, in fact, than is warranted by accomplished 
results in the perfecting of their color. The Partridge 
and Silver Pencilled belong to the double-mating class 
requiring separate matings to produce the colors of the 
two sexes. 
It does not come within the scope of a single paper 
to cover exhaustively this question of the comparative 
merits of breeds from the standpoint of the young 
fanciers seeking instruction. In my brief mention I 
have tried to indicate the most promising. If one 
is to abandon the idea of sales of fancy stock it brings 
the matter down to the hardpan basis of strict utility. 
I believe that no breed exists—nor in the nature of 
things can long exist—which for egg-production or the 
the carcass is not to be improved by a judicious cross 
with purebreds. I am no advocate of a general mix-up 
of bloods. Legitimate crossing calls for purebreds to 
work with, and it is shortsighted action upon the part 
of fanciers to generally condemn the crossing of 
breeds. Varieties are formed in the first instance 
by means of mixing diverse types, and then improved 
from time to time by the same process, a knowledge of 
which is conveniently kept in the background; and 
then breeders and writers join hands in proclaiming 
the folly of crossing. Verily this is a world of para¬ 
doxes and subterfuges. 
I would urge every farmer to specialize in some 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
f 
way with poultry. If the purebred outlet is for some 
insuperable cause out of the question, there remains 
the opportunity for skillful work in improvement along 
practical lines—how- to enhance the returns from eggs, 
either in increased yield or quality, one 'or both, or 
larger returns from the carcass. A judicious cross 
may give improvement along all these lines com¬ 
bined. The question how to cross is a broad one and 
worthy of careful experiment. A flock of purebreds 
is indispensable for a proper start in poultry, whether 
one is to do fancy or practical work, and it would 
be businesslike for the farmer to produce his flock 
of females at least, to use in crossing. These could 
be used for two seasons and then renewed. Always 
use purebreds for crossing. I have seen it demon¬ 
strated in a test extending through several years and 
by several neighbors working on identical lines, that 
a cross of White Leghorn males upon White Plymouth 
Rock females will give such a lead as to pay all cost 
of rearing the flock before purebred Rocks would get 
down to business, and by the end of the twelve months 
give a profit far in excess of either purebred Rocks or 
Leghorns. I have seen hens of this cross laying eggs 
under conditions of exposure which had stopped both 
parent breeds, and it must be admitted that to continue 
laying during the entire period of healing frozen 
combs is a severe test. 
The new accession of vigor arising in a. cross of 
diverse types is a fact that cannot be successfully 
disputed or explained away, despite the cavillings of 
commercial interests. Crossing is the cornerstone upon 
which new breeds and their successive color varieties 
are founded; and with few exceptions these do not 
long continue in a full degree the practical traits dis¬ 
played in their early generations. Improving crosses 
outside of breed or variety limits occur oftener than 
are recorded; and these are so much to the good. The 
early benefits resulting from a cross may be likened 
to the force of a pent-up current of water. The head 
or power of a stream comes not alone from its weight, 
nor its motion only, but from the weight and motion 
combined. And so we may typify weight in the large 
APPLE BOX WITH. GLASS EYE. Fig. 20. 
physically superior females, and motion in the prolific 
preponent Leghorn male; and from their joint char¬ 
acteristics blended we have economic force in a degree 
not possessed by either singly. The Leghorn lacks 
physique to back up its prolific nature, and this is es¬ 
pecially true during the colder season. The class of 
breeds of which the Rock is an example is the Leg¬ 
horn’s natural counterpart, having abundant physique 
-—a “too solid flesh” in fact, which handicaps egg 
production. And a marriage of these two opposites 
results in a most happy union. No one breed can 
sum up all the points of utility; and if this could be 
accomplished, matings within that type would antago¬ 
nize Nature’s demand of the mating of opposites as 
the imperative condition of the most vigorous off¬ 
spring. f. w. PROCTOR. 
THE “ MISFIT ” TREE PROPOSITION. 
Seeing the article about misfit trees, it occurred to 
me that I might throw a little light on the cause of 
misfits. It is likely that all nurserymen who care for 
their business and their standing wish to keep things 
straight. Then how do these mistakes occur? They 
either have to get their own scions or buds or buy 
them from growers or through dealers who have 
bought them. 1 am in position to act as the grower 
who sells the scions, and it is up to me to furnish 
them true to name if the nurseryman is to have them 
true to name. How can mistakes occur? If I go to 
cutting them from trees that have been bought for 
certain varieties, and have not produced any fruit, 
they may not be true to name. If most of them are 
true to name and a few are not there is danger of 
getting some from the ones not correctly named. I 
have had a few mistakes occur in cutting when the 
work was entrusted to hired help and I had to be away 
for awhile. Whenever it was found out it was cor¬ 
rected or they were thrown away. An odd kind 
should be labeled when there is danger of one getting 
some from the wrong kind. One can easily get a label 
misplaced if he is not careful to attach it as soon as 
a bundle is tied and write the correct name. A label 
may get lost and one may think he knows what the 
variety is, but he could be mistaken. A scion may 
get out of place, and one thinks it belongs in a cer¬ 
tain bunch and be mistaken about that, and put it in 
‘ the wrong place. 
To the best of my knowledge I have sent out but 
very few that were not true to name, and they were 
thought to be true when they were sent, and if a 
mistake was found out later the nurseryman was 
notified so he could correct it or throw them away. 
Any grower who sells scions should know that what 
he is selling are correctly labeled. It is true that 
many growers who have spent years with trees know 
many varieties when they see them, even when they 
are dormant, and can declare what they have, but 
varieties that the grower has not been accustomed to 
seeing are as unfamiliar as a new face one sees on 
the streets. Also many varieties look nearly alike and 
one cannot distinguish between them. Almost all of 
the Ben Davis class have similar characteristics, and 
I do not know them from Gano or Black Ben while 
the trees are dormant. Some other varieties are 
nearly as closely alike to the eye. If a grower has 
planted orchards and found trees that were misfits, 
he is in a position to feel that if he sells any scions 
to nurserymen he should give them what they call 
for or some one else will be deceived when they buy 
the trees. Most of the trees, apples, that I have 
planted were all right, but occasionally we find one 
out of place. I have been disappointed in three in¬ 
stances in the last 10 years, once in a lot of 50 Mc¬ 
Intosh; there is not one correct, and they were so 
near worthless they have been top-grafted. Another 
lot of 25 Williams Favorite has three true and there 
are Salome, Mann, and some other kinds not iden- 
titled yet. Another lot set for Fall Pippin is beginning 
to bear a small sweet apple. How many growers will 
sell scions and buds true to name under a guarantee? 
APPLE BOX WITH GLASS END. 
A novelty in apple boxes has been developed by 
John L. Keener, of West Virginia. Mr. Keener gives 
the following description : 
The box is made the regulation size of apple and other 
fruit boxes, using in the apple box a light of glass 7%x9 
inches, weighing 34 ounces or more to the square foot 
and being almost a quarter-inch thick. I have used the 
glass in both ends, or “heads” of a box, shipping it by 
express to a considerable distance, packed, and the glass 
was not in any way fractured. I believe there is more 
likelihood of the box or wood being broken or injured 
before the glass would be; in fact, I have deliberately 
slammed a packed box some distance and the nails were 
badly loosened and the frame part of the box left in unfit 
condition for shipment, but the glass was not marred. With 
ordinary or usual handling, I would be willing to guar¬ 
antee the glass against breakage. The box can, of course, 
be made with but one end containing the glass, hut a box 
with the glass in either end does certainly make a pretty 
package, the fruit, when packed in tiers, all being visible, 
so that the customer can quickly ascertain the quality and 
condition of the fruit and whether or not the box is packed 
with sundry sized fruit. The fruit is given a much better 
appearance, too, behind the glass. Each light of glass, 
7%x9 inches, would cost about six cents, and I believe 
is would make the entire box cost but slightly more than 
as at present made and it should certainly more quickly 
make the fruit sell. 
Mr. Keener sent us a box of apples by express. 
They came to New York with the same handling that 
a box would ordinarily have and both glass and apples 
were in fine condition. The photograph reproduced 
in Fig. 20 shows how the apples looked. It would 
seem as if this was a genuine novelty. 
RECORD FOR KANSAS ACRE. 
I give below the figures showing the crop from 
one acre of good Kansas land this past season. As 
will be seen, millet followed wheat, and the land 
will now be seeded to Alfalfa. Here is the itemized 
cost per acre of wheat (1911 crop): 
Disking clover sod twice. S0.80 
Plowing (G inches) . j 25 
1 Msking.!30 
Harrowing twice .20 
Driling and seed (5 packages). F70 
Cutting . 80 
Twine .1G 
Board. Man and three horses.15 
Shocking .•.15 
Hauling in barn.45 
Thrashing, 20 bushels at 5 cents. 1.00 
Coal and help (eight men).70 
Interest on land (assessed value). 3.GO 
Tax .GO 
Wear and tear on tools and team.10 
Delivering to market (20 bushels).40 
Cost per acre . $11.86 
Cost per bushel.$0.59.6 
Selling price at mill (32 cents above test). . 0.94 
Profit per bushel .34.4 
Trofit per acre .$6.88 
Itemized cost per acre .of millet-hay in bale, raised 
after wheat was put in barn (crop of 1911) : 
Plowing six inches deep . $1.00 
Harrowing twice .30 
Drilling in one bushel seed. 1.45 
fitting .25 
Raking and bunching.15 
Hauling into barn . 1.40 
Baling 33 hales at $1.50 per ton. 1.60 
Board and labor pitching. 55 
Packing in barn .45 
Hauling to market (1% miles).65 
Cost per acre. $7.80 
Selling price .$11.55 
Profit per acre, millet hay. 3.75 
20 bushels wheat off same land at 94c. 18.80 
Straw, one ton at $6. 6.00 
Total income of one acre.$36.35 
Total expense on one acre. 19.66 
Total net income, one acre.$16.69 
Land to be seeded to Alfalfa Spring of 1912. 
Fort Scott, Kan. c. p. 
