130 
the; RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
February 3, 
Hope Farm Notes 
It will be a good idea this week to 
take up a few -questions from the dozens 
which come pouring in. Here is one 
from a young man on a mortgaged 
farm: 
Your observations as to the chestnut tim¬ 
ber in “Hope Farm Notes” hits me pretty 
forcibly. I have about 25 acres of good 
maple and beech timber which scarcely pays 
interest and taxes. I figure that by selling 
if now I can put myself in good working 
condition financially. When the timber is 
off I can put in sheep to keep the brush 
down, and in a few years the land will 
be producing good crops, for it is some of 
the best on the farm. That is the way it 
looks to me, though there are some who 
say- "spare the trees.” 
I have certainly had my lesson with 
chestnuts. I would cut enough of that 
timber to clean up the mortgage or a 
fair slice of it. “Spare the trees” is 
good advice, but we must not let senti¬ 
ment run entirely away with us. People 
tell me we should prepare for posterity. 
Good; but I would not grind out my 
own bones to fertilize the future. I 
have seen enough of people who toil and 
deny themselves pale under the shadow 
of a mortgage, in order that “posterity” 
or the children may enjoy the proceeds. 
The workers should have their share of 
comfort as well as the spenders. 
Here is one about my old friend the 
donkey: 
I saw in your issue of September 10, 
1911, reference to the burro. Will they 
live in New York State? How much do 
they sell for? E. C. 
These donkeys certainly will thrive 
anywhere. My neighbor had one for 
years. I speak of its patience and 
strength when I say it made a good 
companion for his children. These tough 
little animals arc at their best on the 
deserts and mountains, but to carry a 
child or do light work they are useful 
anywhere. In the Southwest they cost 
about $40. There are not many of them 
in the East. There might well be more. 
Here comes our old friend the frog 
farm once more: 
We are making a bog on our land and 
are interested in the matter of raising frogs 
for market. We want also to raise bog 
and water plants. Can you give us any 
information on these subjects? b. w. 
Frog farming belongs with Belgian 
hares, orris root, or “unit” orchards— 
trailing a little behind the rest. A good 
many attempts have been made to breed 
and raise bullfrogs. Most of them are 
dismal failures. The big frogs eat the 
little ones much as the big investments 
eat up the little investors. There is a 
fair market for frogs’ legs, but the sup¬ 
ply continues to come from big lakes 
and rivers where trappers catch the wild 
frogs. The U. S. Fish Commissioner 
writes me as follows: 
Relying to your letter of January 15, this 
bureau has recently undertaken certain ex¬ 
periments in frog culture, but the work is 
not yet sulliciently advanced to warrant an 
expression of opinion as to the feasibility 
of frog culture. As soon as results of 
importance are obtained, a report will be 
made. It may be said that at the present 
time there is no frog culture in America. 
GEO. A. BOWES, 
Commissioner. 
A man with stock in a frog farm for 
sale might see great encouragement in 
that, but it gets past my eyes. Let frog 
farming alone. The culture of water 
cress may pay, or perhaps cranberries 
would give a profit. 
Let me get this one in early, for it 
seems that many people still think Crim¬ 
son clover is a Spring crop: 
Will crimson Clover grow if sown in the 
Spring after frost is out of the ground? 
By what time would it do to plow under 
for cabbage? j. h. 
New York. 
The Crimson clover will start in 
Spring and make a sort of feeble growth 
until hot weather comes. Then it will 
form its head, seed and die. You must 
remember that this clover is a cool 
weather plant, making its best growth 
in Fall and early Spring. Hot weather 
gets it as it would a Newfoundland dog 
right off the great island. In your case 
you can sow Canada field peas in early 
Spring. They will make a fair growth 
and can be plowed under for cabbage. 
Here is one that brings up an old 
question: 
I have a lot of frozen apples, potatoes, 
beets, carrots aud turnips. Can I boil 
these and feed to hogs and cattle without 
any injury to them? a. C. k. 
Freezing and thawing will ruin these 
roots for feeding. We have a number 
of cases reported. If you can keep them 
frozen solid and boil at once the roots 
and apples will answer for feeding. I 
do not like to feed frozen potatoes. The 
sudden freeze did great damage to the 
food supply in many places: It seems 
as if we never knew the frost to work 
its way so deeply into houses as it did 
this year. The loss of the potatoes is 
a terrible blow to many a family, for we 
never know until the supply fails how 
the common people depend on potatoes 
for food. Of course I know that the 
scientific people prove that potatoes are 
"unbalanced” as food, but the fact re¬ 
mains that, like pork, they sustain work¬ 
ing people. 
And here we strike the vital public 
question: 
Did President Taft, recommend to Con¬ 
gress to pass parcels post this Congress? 
Is there any chance for it to go through? 
Can we do any good by writing to our 
Congressmen in getting it passed, and what 
would you say? w. h. dilmont. 
Maryland. 
Yes, President Taft told Congress 
that parcels post is needed and urged 
the passage of a bill to try it on rural 
delivery routes. That is much like giv¬ 
ing a hungry man half a biscuit as first 
installment of his dinner. We have got 
to have a full and complete parcels post. 
I think Congress can be made to pass a 
bill this session. They will not do it 
willingly—the majority of them must be 
driven to it. The bill will go through 
if people can show their Congressmen 
that they really mean business. If these 
people accept “careful consideration” 
that is all they ever will get. You can 
certainly do great things by writing 
your Congressmen. Tell them right in 
your own language what you want—par¬ 
cels post and nothing less. Do not try 
to bluster or bluff, but write them just 
as you would to any man with whom 
you do business, and who had failed to 
satisfy you. Ask him why we do not 
have what every other nation enjoys. 
The time for sharp, straight talk will 
come when he hands out “careful con¬ 
sideration” or similar “guff.” Then put 
on your spurs and go at him. There 
would be a dozen letters a week going 
from Hope Farm if we did not know 
that our Congressman, Wm. Hughes, is 
a parcels poster. Senator Martine of 
New Jersey is also in favor. If anyone 
has got Senator Briggs past the “careful 
consideration” stage 1 would like to 
know it. 
We have given the record of our cow 
from month to month, and tried to get 
at a fair basis for figuring the value of 
our milk. We credit it at four cents a 
pound, since that is what we pay when 
we buy. Now comes a Massachusetts 
man with a new way of figuring. 
In re your discussion as to the value of 
your milk consider the following: We were 
buying 300 pounds butter at an average 
cost ol' 35 cents per pound. We were buying 
three cans of milk a week at 50 cents a 
can. We were buying five cases of con¬ 
densed milk a year at $4.25 the case. There- 
is-a total of $204.25. 1 find I will have to 
charge her up with a feed bill for a year 
of $119.70. This would show a profit of 
$S4.55. I do not know but this feed bill 
is too high, but I cannot see how I can 
make it any less. I have not charged any¬ 
thing for the care of her for the simple rea¬ 
son that we do not figure that she is any 
care, for the time spent caring for her 
would not be used for anything else. Nei¬ 
ther have I credited her with anything for 
the manure. We will let this offset the 
care. We do not produce anything in the 
way of fodder except the little waste she 
gets from the garden, sweet corn stalks, 
etc. We produce no hay at all and have 
no regular pasture, but have about two 
acres of "bound-out” grass land which is 
devoted to chickens. She runs in these 
what time she does not spend on tne iawn, 
which is about a half acre in extent. 
This plan is to figure tvhat was paid 
in cash before the cow was bought and 
credit it to the cow. That is not en¬ 
tirely fair to the cow, since the family 
consumes more cream and milk than 
before, and this must save in other 
food. I am still asking for a fairer way 
to figure our “profit.” It will cost us 
close to $70 a year for grain. I do not 
know how to figure the value of pasture 
and stalks. h. w. c. 
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ELECTRIC LIGHTING 
No longer is it necessary for you to use lamps and lanterns. You know 
what a nuisance they are to take care of and with them you are always 
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which requires little space, is very easily operated and will give you brilliant 
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A complete plant consists of a small gas engine, dynamo, a simple switch¬ 
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The engine runs the dynamo which generates the electricity and the 
storage battery holds the electricity so that you can use it any time you wish. 
The storage battery acts just like a water tank. Thus with the battery it is 
only necessary to run the engine a few hours occasionally and at other times it 
can be used for doing other work about the farm. 
You can see the importance of the storage battery. The “Chloride Accumu¬ 
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