1912 . 
TH£0 RURAR NEW-YORKER 
1263 
THE SOY BEAN CROP. 
Sell in the local market. Unfortunately I am located whole policy of city papers now seem to be concen- 
^ i r i o i i some distance from a city market, and near a country trated on an effort to injure farmers instead of sneer- 
1 he great value of the boy bean as a farm crop has ... T . , . .. T . . ^ _ 
village. I am able to sell my produce if I choose to mg at them as in the past. The best part of The 
become recognized by many farmers in the last few 
years, and the area over which it is successfully 
grown is rapidly increasing. Its limit of produc¬ 
tion is much farther north than that of t.ie cow-pea. g ra j n anc j t h e like. Some may say, “Ship to the city’’— for their rights. All others, whether manufacturers, 
accept the prices offered here, and will “trade it out,” R. N.-Y. to me (next to the R. N.-Y. No. 2 potato) 
but my poultry refuse to produce eggs on groceries, is the editorial page. The farmers are the only class 
dry goods, boots and shoes and candy; they must have of people who do not stand up and if necessary vote 
On good soils it will probably grow as far north as 
but to whom? The commission man is the only one bankers, union men, saloon keepers, or city consumers, 
corn can be successfully grown. Its fertility value ] e f t tQ h e lp me out (?). I have found in correspond- get what they can in legal ways by voting out of 
is as high as any legume we can grow. It is not ence w j t j 1 var i 0 us of these persons that they all have office the law-makers, both legislators and judges, and 
possible to compare its value with clover or Alfalfa “markets for my produce at attractive prices”—but executive officers, who oppose them. The old county- 
as it has an entirely different place in the lotation. w hat of the results? Very seldom do we realize sales seat papers are fast losing hold on farmers, city 
Where a four-year rotation of corn, oats, wheat and a j- published quotations for grade of produce shipped; papers have little value and the farm papers are not 
clover is grown, we believe that to substitute the Soy often must we wait their convenience as to returns, newspapers. I realize that starting such a paper 
bean for oats would add wonderfully to the feeding j n one instance I had made three different ship- would be very risky, but think there is a place for one 
value of the rotation, as well as to increase the ments to one person, and having no returns from in each large city for rural delivery the same or next 
fertility of the soil by having two legumes in one any, wrote to ask why. Imagine my surprise at re- day. daniel dean. 
rotation. 1 he Soy bean can be grown for hay, for ceiving his letter asking how much I had shipped him R. N.-Y.—It is unfortunate that farmers cannot get 
seed crop or for silage. When grown for hay we that was not paid. In due time I received his re- the class of news most suitable for their needs. As 
have found that the best way on our soil in North turns, he having deducted double the commission he our friend states, the city papers are filled with local 
Central Ohio is to plow the ground early in 
the Spring and cultivate occasionally until the 
20th of May to destroy weed seed; then sow 
from four to five pecks per acre with wheat 
drill, using all the drills. The plants then 
take care of themselves until rehdy to har¬ 
vest. If, however, the weed seeds have not 
been destroyed it is safer to drill far enough 
apart to give one or two cultivations. Fairly 
good corn land will grow from two to three 
tons per acre of rich hay, surpassing clover, 
coarse and rough looking, but live-stock eat 
it greedily and thrive on it. It is our richest 
coarse feed as far as protein content is con¬ 
cerned. There can be only one possible ob¬ 
jection to Soy beans for hay, and that is in 
curing them. Harvested in September there 
is less heat than earlier and more danger of 
bad weather; however they are much less 
injured by rain than is clover. 
For a seed crop we sow about three pecks 
matter, much of which has no interest to a 
farmer—in fact is a detriment to his family. 
Much of the so-called “news” sent about the 
country is biased or one-sided. Many articles 
which the reader imagines are news or dis¬ 
interested advice are disguised advertise¬ 
ments—bought and paid for by interested par¬ 
ties, for the purpose of deception. That is 
one reason why we believe in the law which 
would compel a paper to mark such articles 
as are paid for. A few true newspapers here 
and there through the rural districts, giving 
the news cleanly and discussing public ques¬ 
tions from the standpoint of farmers, could do 
great good. They would not pay to begin 
with, but we believe they could be made to do 
so eventually. In all the schemes for “uplift¬ 
ing” farmers we have seen little mention of a 
clean and characteristic daily paper. 
CULTURE OF MUSHROOMS. 
I get letters almost daily from people at long dis¬ 
tances from any good market who have been reading 
the advertisements common in some papers telling 
THE PERFECT COOKING POTATO. Fig. 524. 
of seed to the acre, far enough apart to cultivate two agreed to take, through “an oversight” he claimed, 
or three times; 20 bushels of seed with 2,800 pounds but my time and attention could have been used else- 
of straw per acre is an average crop. The beans are where rather than- watching his crooked dealings. I 
slightly richer in protein than oil meal, and the straw have at present a goodly sum standing in New York about the wonderful profits to be made V mushroom 
as rich as clover hay, but being ripe and somewhat with an old established firm, supposed to be on the growing, the sole object of these advertisers seeming 
woody would not be as digestible, yet cattle eat the square, that is a direct sale made and goods shipped to be to sell spawn at an exorbitant price Then 
thrashed straw with very little waste. The beans more than 80 days ago, but no returns. After wait- mus hrooms are not an article for distant shipping 
make a good substitute for tankage in the feeding ing a reasonable time and receiving no pay, and writ- a nd there is little chance of anyone who cannot get 
of young pigs. At the present price for the beans ing various letters of inquiry, I received the informa- regu iar and abundant supplies of horse dung making 
it is an excellent money crop, worth more than tion that “sales were slow and collections poor, but a profit in mushrooms. Then, too, no matter how 
double wheat, buckwheat or oats. For silage we would pay next week.” Must a man, after producing carefully the directions are given, I have never known 
believe it is better to grow the corn and beans an article and selling same, wait for the middleman a greenhorn to succeed in getting mushrooms in the 
separately, although some report success by growing to re-sell and realize his profit before he gets his pay? first effort. He will be certain to omit some little 
them together. The Ohio Experiment Station, in till- i t i s refreshing to see that an organ like The thing that appears unimportant and will fail to get a 
ing tie silo, uses two loads of corn to one of beans. R. N.-Y. is not afraid to champion the cause of the crop, and finally, if he perseveres, : he will wonder that 
The subject of inoculation is an important one in producer, by advocating cooperative selling from he failed at first, for it is easy to grow mushrooms 
the matter of soil improvement, and yet a good crop producer to consumer, and I believe that the surest after you find out and have the proper conditions for 
them. I have grown them under 
the greenhouse benches, and I 
have grown them on compost 
piles in the open ground in the 
early Fall. But those who want 
to try mushrooms should under¬ 
stand that a uniform temperature 
in the house is necessary, and 
that after spawning the bed the 
cover of loam should not be put 
on till the spawn has run through 
the bed in a sort of spider-web 
growth. The best loam is from 
an old pasture, sifted from the 
sod. In fact I have found the 
best of spawn under the drop¬ 
pings in an old Blue grass pas¬ 
ture. But the tales of the men 
who are urging everyone to grow 
mushrooms are about on a par 
with those who try to sell seed 
of beans can be grown without 
inoculation. We follow Soybeans 
with wheat by disking the ground, 
and find the seed bed in excellent 
condition for that crop. 
Ohio. HORATIO MARKLEY. 
THE SMALL PRODUCER. 
Personal experiences and ob¬ 
servations have caused me to ask 
the question, what incentive has 
the small producer to do busi¬ 
ness? We find the “small pro¬ 
ducer” in all lines of business, 
manufacturer, farmer, poultry 
keeper or whatever we may men¬ 
tion. Personally I am interested 
in the farmer and poultry keeper. 
Various authorities and “sys¬ 
tems” go on to show that produc¬ 
tion is a very simple thing—sim- 
A COUPLE OF PROMISING GUERNSEY YOUNGSTERS. Fig. 525. 
ply some fowls, buildings, feed, and simple care, and way of correcting existing evils. In the meantime, 
the eggs must come. Granted we have the fowls, we would it not be a feasible thing for good papers to 
proceed to procure the feed, grains, mashes, meat publish a list of dealers known to be “on the square,” 
scrap and grits. All may be easily obtained if we and cut off any proved to be crooks? I for one 
and plants of ginseng, instead of getting the enormous 
profits they claim from the roots. If you want to 
grow mushrooms, get the spawn from a reliable seeds¬ 
man, and not from the men who advertise for every- 
have the cash. Should it be necessary for the small would be willing and glad to subscribe for such a one to grow mushrooms. And remember that the 
producer to borrow funds, he may do so at the bank publication and think I am not alone in taking this prices these men talk about are exceedingly rare, and 
if he has sufficient endorsement, by paying his six position, as we must have our “money to make the that 25 cents a pound will usually be about the aver 
per cent—in this State—in advance. The large pro- mare S’ 0 - A. p. n. 
Middleburgh, N. Y. 
age at wholesale. 
w. F. M. 
ducer may be in need of funds, and draws up his 
notes in amounts of $5,000 or $10,000 each, with in¬ 
terest at four or five per cent, or whatever he may 
feel ready to pay—and this same bank will go in the 
NEWS FOR THE FARMERS. 
An article in the Tribune Farmer on farm papers 
financial market and buy his notes in preference to the d °es not refer to a type which farmers need. That is 
small producer’s six per cent loan. 
TnERE is now a successful process for making; “arti¬ 
ficial ebony” from oak wood. The wood Is soaked In 
alum water, dyed with logwood and rubbed with verdigris 
dissolved in acetic acid. 
Experiments worked out by the Harvard Medical 
School, the Bussey Institution and the Massachusetts 
a daily newspaper for farmers. City papers are pub 
. lished by and for city people. Wha't does a farmer State Board of Health fasten upon the common stable fly 
The small producer may not have output sufficiently care f or j oca l murders, Fifth Avenue horse shows, another serious crime. It carries the virus of infantile 
Wall Street pages and the endless pages of advertise 
large to warrant his giving personal attention to the 
working up of a direct retail trade, or hiring a good ments useful only to people in the city in which the 
salesman to do it for him. so what must be done? paper is published? Worst of all, the editorials and permit their existence 
paralysis, and though no cure for this frightful disease 
is yet in sight, we can at least guard against infection. 
The more we know about flies, the less reason we find to 
