012 
the rura.i> nK w -yokker 
August 24, 
Hope Farm Notes 
Peaches. —I wish some of the grow¬ 
ers who shook their heads at our un¬ 
pruned peach trees at the field meeting 
could have seen these same trees August 
17. We were making our first picking. 
Those long unpruned limbs were curved 
to the ground, loaded with brick-red 
peaches. Most of the limbs had been 
propped up, but they all came down and 
brought their load within reach. The 
experts told of using high ladders to 
pick this fruit. They never saw such a 
tree in bearing. These long, slender 
limbs are tough and springy, and it is 
rare that one breaks off. Thus far our 
yield in this unpruned orchard is larger 
than ever before. Our little boys went 
out with a small load and came back 
with nearly $11 and about an inch gain 
in size and dignity. The telephone is 
sounding now with orders for more 
peaches, and next week the autos will 
come rolling in after “more of that red 
kind.” Carman is a great peach when 
you can handle it right. Before fully 
ripe it ‘‘clings” too much, but where it 
can ripen on the tree it separates from 
the pit and one taste will separate the 
customer from his money. Days at 
Hope Farm are “peaches” right now, 
and the two cows pour out the cream. 
Crop Notes. —The first cover crops, 
seeded August 10. came up promptly, 
and a good shower speeded them on. 
More went in August 17, and the com 
will all be covered before September 1. 
Part of our corn is Eureka, which can 
be worked longer than the other. This 
Eureka corn is growing like a tree, and 
I begin to believe some of the big 
stories told about it. There seems little 
hope of its maturing grain with us, but 
it certainly does make a forest of fod¬ 
der. . . . We tried an experiment 
in clover seeding last week which inter¬ 
ests me. One field was seeded to rye 
and Timothy last Fall. The rye was cut 
for grain hay. There is not a full stand 
of grass, and what there was is hurt by 
the soil baking which followed the 
Spring rains. The ragweed came in as 
it always does on our poorer meadows. 
Right after a shower we sowed Alsike 
clover seed over this field and then 
clipped the ragweed, leaving it on thv- 
ground. My idea was that this little 
mulch might protect the clover seed and 
give it a chance to grow on the bare 
spots. Our usual attempts to thicken 
up a stand of grass or to seed clover 
when the sod is well established have 
failed. This is a little different plan, 
which may get through. . . . One 
of our few level fields had been in sod 
for some years. It is one of the few 
places on the farm which seem suited 
for, potatoes. The sod had about run 
out and it became a problem to know 
what to do with it. There are two gen¬ 
eral rules for such old sods. One is to 
plow them up at once and plant corn, 
giving good culture. This works up the 
sod. kills out many grubs and cutworms 
and will fit the land for potatoes. An¬ 
other is to fertilize the sod, get all the 
hay you can and then tear it up. We 
chose the latter plan. The Spring was 
wet and we knew the fertilizer could 
“take hold.” Hay was scarce and high. 
So we put on the fertilizer and got a 
good hay crop. Our plan was to plow 
just as soon as the hay was off and 
plant an early flint corn in hills, give 
good culture and sow a cover crop. We 
were ready to plow by July 1, but the 
field was not ready. The sod was baked 
hard as a brick—no plow could enter it. 
We could not touch it before August 1 
—far too late to plant corn. Then I de¬ 
cided to work this soil back and across 
with the Cutaway as man}'- times as we 
would naturally cultivate it, and seed to 
barley and rye mixed. The barley is to 
be cut for fodder in October and the 
rye left to grow. In this way we tear 
up the sod. get a fodder crop this Fall 
and have the rye to plow under for 
next year’s potatoes. The grain was 
seeded broadcast and harrowed in and 
then rolled. ... As you know we 
are strong believers in rye as part of a 
cover crop. We usually throw it in 
everywhere. It plays the part of pro¬ 
tector for the little brothers like clover 
or vetch, and it makes a rank growth 
under hard conditions. Of course I 
know that farmers say rye plowed un¬ 
der will poison crops. We have a case 
in our neighborhood where a heavy crop 
of rye was plowed under and corn 
planted about it. This corn is puny and 
poor. The trouble is that the rye was 
just turned under and left. It should 
have been rolled and packed down hard. 
When rye is left in the soil like an open 
sponge it will play riot with crops. 
. . . I want to try an experiment 
with this “Miracle” wheat. The plan is 
to fit about an acre of good soil, among 
our young trees, and seed this wheat in 
drills or rows one foot apart. Probably 
the garden drill will be used for this 
purpose. With this sort of thin seeding 
the “Miracle” ought to show up to its 
name. If we can get a greatly increased 
yield by this sort of culture it will pay 
a fruit grower to try it much the same 
as it pays to try Alfalfa. We all need 
flour and chicken feed. Why buy it if 
we can produce it at home? . . . 
Those Soy beans are stirring up a little, 
and look as if they might help out after 
all. We are staying by them the best 
we know. 
Life of Mark Hanna. —Two weeks 
ago I mentioned two political novels 
which may well be read this year. I 
have now read the life of Mark Hanna. 
It is not as interesting as the others, 
and it seems at times as if the author, 
in order to fill out the book, had put in 
some trivial matter. The book is well 
worth reading by those who want a look 
at the strings which strong men pull 
from behind the scenes. We get the 
idea that Mr. Hanna was a rough, 
powerful man, good-hearted and kind, 
with strong friendships and great 
capacity for organization. He seems to 
have had nothing of what we call 
“ideals” in politics, and little patience 
with those who did have or profess to 
have them. “How can we best help 
business?” That was Mark Hanna’s 
political platform. It is evident that the 
kind and size of “business” which 
would pay the largest price got first and 
most help! Mr. Hanna justified him¬ 
self in paying out money to obtain “re¬ 
sults.” If such a man, with his great 
personal power and tremendous public 
energy, could have been trained differ¬ 
ently as a young man, he might have 
been one of the great characters who 
from time to time get a lever under the 
world and shake it to its center. Sup¬ 
pose Hanna’s earlier years could have 
been spent under the influence of the 
best of poetry or history—what a man 
he would have been in public life. A£ 
it was he seemed t p know nothing ex¬ 
cept how to drive the dollar into poli¬ 
tics. There are some things in this 
book which a political student ought to 
know. It is admitted in this book that 
16 years ago, when Bryan first ran 
against McKinley, by the middle of 
September Bryan had the votes to elect 
him. It was then that Mark Hanna 
worked up his famous “business scare” 
and poured out the money which de¬ 
feated Bryan. The thing is made clear 
in this book—rather as a matter of 
pride. I mention it here because I think 
we may expect another “scare” this 
year in about a month. This book also 
tells how Roosevelt came to be nomi¬ 
nated for Vice-President. Mr. Hanna 
did not want him, nor did any poli¬ 
ticians except Senator Platt, of New 
York, and the men who may be classed 
as his dirty fingers. They wanted 
Roosevelt out of New York and he 
knew it. The people all over the coun¬ 
try stood up and demanded the “Rough 
Rider.” Mr. Lianna tried to stop it. but 
the wave swept over him. His strings 
were tied to the politicians, but he knew 
the people could and would take his 
strings and tie them around his neck. 
They all know that, and thus they op¬ 
pose direct legislation or primary nomi¬ 
nations. A man is pretty well known by 
his stories, and this one illustrates Mark 
Hanna well. There was a fierce cam- 
paigiT in Ohio for Governor and the 
Legislature, and Mr. Hanna was a can¬ 
didate for re-election to the Senate. It 
was a very cold and disagreeable Fall, 
but day after day Mr. Hanna, then a 
man of 66. remained on the stump. To 
illustrate his feelings, one cold, raw 
night he told the following story: 
During one of the battles of the Civil 
War a, soldier was seen walking away from 
the front in an utterly disheveled condi¬ 
tion. He had been wounded before he left 
the firing line. He had been accidentally 
run down and trampled by a squadron of 
cavalry. His face was bloody, an arm 
bung limp from his side. He could scarcely 
drag one leg after another. There seemed 
to be no part of his body which was not 
the worse for war and wear. As he hobbled 
dejectedly along he was heard to mutter: 
“I love my country. I would fight for her, 
I would bleed for her. Yes, I would even 
die for her. But I’m - if I ever love 
another country.” 
Later, during the campaign, it will be 
well to refer to this book again to show 
how society is working away from the 
standard set up by Mark Hanna. 
H. W. C. 
AT NEW YORK STATE FAIR 
Readers of “ Rural New-Yorker” are the best kind of customers for any 
company—that’s why we want you, who go to the State Fair, Syracuse, N. Y., 
September 9-14, to visit the 
/SONAGE TENT 
where you can see our full line of 
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HAY RAKES, ORCHARD CULTIVATORS, HORSE HOES, 
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No. 155 
Potato 
Digger 
For Heaviest 
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The new machines and improvements on the old, are well worth your attention 
because they are made to save time and money. That is one strong reason for 
visiting the tent—another is, that the exhibit will be in charge of Mr. Engle and 
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ship there. 
Ask for Set of Booklets—They Are Free 
BATEMAN M’F’G CO., Box 102-Z, Grenloch, N. J. 
A Stupendous Fraud 
I F GROUND PHOSPHATE ROCK is not a material 
which will increase crop yields and 
maintain the fertility of the soil, it is 
one of the most rapidly growing frauds. 
Thirty of the best farming States are buy¬ 
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in several States increased lofty 1 f you want 
information on this'material, write us. 
FEDERAL CHEMICAL CO. 
Ground Rock Dept. Columbia, Tenn. 
DON’T 
FAIL - 
TO SEE 
ideal 
Fruit 
Picking Bag 
Front. 
Back. 
"ATAPE of heavy weight 
duck and so arranged 
as to equalize the load on 
both shoulders. 
The openings are ar¬ 
ranged so both hands can 
be used in picking and the 
draw string is arranged so 
the fruit can be let out at 
the bottom in emptying 
the bag. 
The bag can be let down 
to the bottom of the barrel 
before opening the draw string, thus not bruising 
the fruit. 
This is the best and handiest arrangement for pick¬ 
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vince the most skeptical. 
Sample Postpaid, $1 Agents Wanted 
BARKER MFG. CO. 
35 Ambrose Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
The big display of QFALITY 
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hand, horse and* gasoline en¬ 
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The 
HURST SPRAYERS 
are sold on 10 days’ trial—no 
money in advance—freight pre¬ 
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At the 
NEW YORK STATE FAIR 
Syracuse, Sept. 9th to 14th 
Calendar and CDCE 
Directions rllkC 
CDMY.. _ _ „ 
llrl “ Knapsack, 4-Row Potato 
M ■■ P Sprayers, Power Orchard Rigs — 
Sprayers of all kinds for all purposes. 
Automatic liquid agitators and strainer cleaners- 
up-to-date sprayer line. Ask for free spraying book. 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO., 2 11 th SI., Elmira, N. Y. 
FRIENDS THAT ARE FRIENDS 
IT MATTERS HCTT WHE.THCP YOU HAVE I OR 1000 ACRES TH£#tt A “£)1/£NO"fOA TOO 
PowerSprayers-HandSprayers-Nozzies Hose-Fittings 
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^THC QtDEST AND LARGEST fACTOTf 0CVQTE0 CXCUUSIVELY TO HF6. Or SPKAYIN6 OOTflTS^ 
TILE DRAINED LAND IS MORE PRODUCTIVE 
creases the value. Acres of swampy land reclaimed and made fertile. 
_ Jackson's Round Drain Tile meets ever 
E j Pipe, Red and Fire Prick, ( 
for what you want and ] 
Security Brand 
Timothy 
is the highest grade of seed obtainable both 
as to purity and germination. 
Security Brand Timothy 
is put up with the greatest care by skilled 
men who make a specialty of handling 
Timothy seed only. 
Security Brand Timothy 
conforms to every seed law in the United 
States and Foreign countries and secures 
you against weeds and a weak stand. 
Security Brand Timothy 
is sold by all progressive dealers. Costs no 
more than ordinary seed. When buying your 
next lot of Timothy ask for and insist on getting 
Security Brand Timothy 
