4©a 
THE RURAb NEW -YORKER 
April 6* 
Hope Farm Notes 
That Hen Experiment. —Our 39 
“hens" are still at it. We will report 
progress each month. There have been 
many comments from readers. Most 
people seem to think the experiment a 
fair one, though it is the general opin¬ 
ion that the hens will eat their heads 
off and then make us pay for grafting 
them on again. On the other hand, we 
have this counterblast from W. J. Dou- 
gan: 
On page 304 the Hope Farm man writes 
about farm hens, and what he is trying to 
show. I don’t wish to knock either the 
man or the hens, but really, is not the 
method of keeping the hens foreign to 
farm liens? He has an open-front house 
with curtains for protection. He feeds 
from hoppers, whereas farm hens never en¬ 
joy that feast, unless it come from the 
manure heap. He provides dust baths; 
farm hens never heard of that, and oyster 
shells.' He gives warm water and farm 
hens would faint away at the threat. He 
gives “meat,” and what farm hen ever got 
that in Winter, unless some scraps at a 
killing? Possibly he means well, but he 
certainly can’t give the least idea of what 
farm hens will do under farm conditions. 
He will merely find and show what the 
farm hens will do with professional treat¬ 
ment. If I remember correctly, Prof. 
Gowell did that at the start of his famous 
dock. In the Hope Farm case he should 
improve over Prof. Gowell. as he has the 
advantage of free range and that is a won¬ 
derful help. While I wish a whole meas¬ 
ure of success for the Hope Farm man, I 
object to having the hens classed as farm 
hens, as they are nothing like it under 
the treatment given. That treatment sim¬ 
ply puts the hens in another class, distinct 
from farm hens. w. J. dougan. 
You need never fear to “knock" the 
Hope Farm man when he needs it. He 
can stand as much knocking as a rubber 
ball. The hens, too, act as if they could 
stand it. I do not care what you call 
these hens. They seem to be just about 
like the mixed or mongrel birds you see 
running about many farms. I doubt 
if we could get fairer specimens of the 
average “hen.” As for their treatment, 
will Mr. Dougan tell us how we could 
tell what they eat and how many eggs 
they lay unless they are confined? When 
hens run at large who knows anything 
about their egg record or the cost of an 
egg? Our buildings and yards were 
made out of old lumber and scraps 
found in the farm. Most farmers could, 
if they would, find similar material in 
old buildings. The plan of feeding was 
figured out so as to give as little time 
as possible. Most of the farmers who 
keep “average” hens go out once or 
twice a day and throw corn or wheat on 
the ground. The hens eat this and also 
what they can pick behind the stock 
or in the yards. They also eat grass, 
vegetables and insects. We do not mix 
up any special “mash,” but take feed 
which we grind ourselves out of the 
horses’ bin and put it in the hoppers. 
In another hopper we have meat scraps 
with charcoal and shells on top. It is 
true that the “average" farm hen does 
not have these things, but such feeding 
requires even less time and care than 
such hens usually receive. As for 
water, as soon as we can set posts and 
put up wire fences the hens will go to 
the brook and get their own water. If 
Mr. Dougan will outline a plan nearer 
to “farm conditions” which will enable 
us to tell just what such hens do with 
their food I want to get it. My be¬ 
lief is that these hens will barely pay for 
their food, and that many farmers keep 
hens at a loss. These hens are picking 
up a little and doing better, but they 
•would be lost in that Connecticut hen 
contest. 
Farm Notes. —On March 25 the 
ground was covered with snow and ice 
and the trees all coated. I cannot re¬ 
call any such season as this. Thus far 
we have had only one day of spraying 
and ordinary farm work is out of the 
question. It looks as if most of the 
peach buds are dead, though there may 
be a scattering crop. This will be a 
good year to “dishorn” a lot of our old 
trees. They can be cut back to stubs 
and with good feeding and culture will 
grow out a fine new top. I find that 
many peach growers are now following 
this plan, especially where the trees have 
not been pruned regularly. At first the 
average man is afraid to cut the entire 
top off his tree. But try it once! I 
am sure there are some trees that grow 
stale and feeble because they are not 
pruned enough. A severe cutting starts 
them into great life. It is not unlike 
some lazy, easy-going man who has 
never had any particular trouble or 
hardship. He dawdles along with little 
growth or use until something cuts him 
so he has to go to work. Then what a 
growth he can make under the spur of 
necessity. 
There is another human side to this. 
You remember how, on page 364, we 
printed a note from a man who had lost 
the use of his best hand. You see there 
are others: 
When reading the Hope Farm news on 
page .364 I noticed an inquiry from a man 
who had his more useful hand disabled, 
and who was therefore undecided as to 
whether or not be should work his farm. 
Last Summer I had the misfortune to break 
my right arm when cranking an automobile. 
In about an hour after I cranked with my 
left arm, drove to a doctor and had my 
arm set. The next day I drove team for 
a hay loader, climbing back and forth on 
wa-gons and did not lose a day thereafter 
because of the arm. My folks were away 
for three weeks on a 500-mile auto trip, 
and so I prepared one meal a day. The 
others I took with an aunt nearby. By 
placing a fork handle beneath a heavy 
belt I could mow away some way, and in a 
short time I could use my left hand nearly 
as well as I had the injured one. I drove 
that auto more than I did before the acci¬ 
dent and never had any trouble. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. j. allis. 
Mr. Allis would almost convince us 
that it is a good thing to break your 
arm! It is true, however, that no one 
knows what he can do until stern ne¬ 
cessity compels him to make growth 
like a “dishorned” tree. 
No use talking, a man may learn 
many things from a tree. Here is the 
other side: 
I have a Bellcflower apple tree that has 
borne but once more than a couple of dozen 
apples. Tree is about 20 years old, low 
and very spreading, near the house, and 
has had a great deal of human waste ma¬ 
terial thrown around it Thinking it might 
help have just given tree severe pruning. 
In order to get good crop of apples this 
year what would I better do to the tree? 
As the foliage is very dark and rank I 
think there may be an overdose of nitrogen, 
the cause of tree not bearing. j. w. p. 
New York. 
This man is right in his guess. The 
tree has had too good care and has run 
to wood growth rather than fruit buds. 
The pruning will not help it much. It 
will force the tree into greater growth, 
and unless there are fruit buds already 
formed there cannot be fruit this year. 
These fruit buds should have been made 
last Fall. You must do something to 
hold back the growth of that tree and 
feed it properly. In some cases you 
can hold back growth by cutting the 
trunk just above ground through the 
bark. This holds back the sap, but un¬ 
less you are a good judge of trees I 
would not advise ypu to try it. You 
may do more harm than good. A bet¬ 
ter plan is to cut into the ground or 
dig a ditch around the tree about four 
feet out. Cut off the roots. This form 
of root pruning will probably hold the 
tree back somewhat. I know of farm¬ 
ers who use salt around the tree in 
such cases. The object of this is to 
prevent the formation of available nitro¬ 
gen—for as we all know salt acts to 
prevent decay. Then you should stop 
using the 'wastes or anything else con¬ 
taining nitrogen. The tree needs potash 
and phosphoric acid. You can use wood 
ashes or a fertilizer containing these 
two elements. It is very doubtful if 
you can get much fruit this year, as 
there are probably few if any fruit 
buds. You can help get them for an¬ 
other year by Summer pruning. This 
means cutting back in late June or July. 
You cut off all of this year’s growth 
and about one-third of lart year’s—the 
theory being that at this late season the 
tree will develop fruit buds instead of 
making new wood heavily. The human 
application of this ought to be easy— 
not necessary to be figured out. Many 
people have every advantage in youth 
and make a great bluster and bluff. But 
when results are called for there are 
mighty few fruit buds. They have 
made nothing but soft wood. The re¬ 
sult is that before they can amount to 
anything they have got to have a lot 
which they have learned cut out of 
them by the knife of necessity and get 
down to the sweat of potash and the 
hard boning of phosphoric acid. 
Home Notes. —But if the farm is still 
asleep there is life in the house. I wish 
I had you here as night is coming on. I 
have a roaring blaze in the fireplace and 
a big chair where you could draw up at 
your ease—for the day’s work is done. 
On his mat in the corner little Dixie, 
the terrier, is lying with his sharp eyes 
on the blaze. The children will be here 
soon after they have finished their sup¬ 
per. Just now they are busy with thick 
slices of bread and butter and honey. 
Our Russet apples are good, and we 
will sample a few later on as we talk of 
old times. You will soon hear the older 
children singing. And as night crawls 
down around the house we shall see 
Philip’s light in his house by the barn, 
and down the. road the electric light will 
spring out like a watchful eye. I would 
like to have you here, for though the 
farm is a disappointment under its coat 
of slush and snow, home is still bright 
and cheerful. h. w. c. 
POTATOES 
Are a Sure Money Crop when Raised with 
E. FRANK COE FERTILIZERS 
1857 " The Business Farmers’ Favorite For Over Fifty YearswT Q T Q 
A Young Business Farmer of Aroostook County, Maine, Makes a Wonderful 
Crop with Coe’s Potato Fertilizer 
Mr. Benjamin H. Ward of Aroostook County, Maine, last spring pur¬ 
chased a $15,000 farm, paying a small amount down and giving a mortgage for 
the balance. (Quite an undertaking for a young man of about twenty years.) 
On Aug. 9th, 1911, Mr. Ward wrote us as follows: 
“E. Frank Coe’s Standard Potato Fertilizer is giving me splendid results this 
year. I have 50 acres of Potatoes (Cobblers, Green Mountain, Carmans, Bliss and Gold 
Coin) on which I used 40 tons of your E. Frank Coe’s Standard Potato Fertilizer. 
The tops are stocky and the crop has set heavily. I have 47 acres in one field and I have 
never seen anything finer in Aroostook County. This tells the quality of the Fertilizer.” 
At digging time, from this 50 acres of Potatoes, young Mr. Ward har 
vested 6,451 barrels of Potatoes, or 17,739 bushels, an average of 354 bushels 
per acre. This is no garden patch, or a crop receiving special culture to 
force yields. The crop was cultivated and sprayed by young Mr. Ward 
alone without any help. 
RESULTS : Under date of Feb. 20th, 1912, Mr. Ward writes as follows: 
“I have deposited $8,570.98 from my potatoes so far, and I have eighteen hundred barrels yet. ” 
We have never seen a better example of what grit and ability can do, 
backed up by E. Frank Coe Fertilizers. 
While amateur farmers are wasting time and money over home mixing 
and various “freak’’ fertilizers, real business farmers are using E. Frank 
Coe Fertilizers and getting results like the above. 
Mr. Ward has written a letter telling in detail how he raised this crop. 
Probably he thought we would “fix it up” for an advertisement. Instead 
we have had it printed word for word as he has written it. You have 
never read anything more interesting, and there is a free copy waiting for 
you if you will only ask us for it. 
Write for ** Story of a Profitable Potato Crop ** 
Sr” Genuine E. Frank Coe Brands “M.*- 
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