te'O W 
An ,u ... 10. 
a 1. >x-stall. They are unharnessed and the driver 
gets himself a drink and a bucket of cold water, 
which he proceeds to use on the horses. The nose 
is washed off, also around the eyes where the hood 
does not cover them, then the shoulders are washed 
off, letting the water run down the legs, which are 
then washed; then the hind legs are washed off, 
especially the inside, where the flies bite the worst; 
they are usually very bloody. If there are any raw 
spots these are dusted with air-slaked lime and sul¬ 
phur, equal parts, well pulverized. After this they 
are allowed to go to the water trough and have all 
the water they want, and will say here that it has 
not stood out in the sun to get warm, but is right 
off the bottom of the well. 
When the horse comes back to the barn he finds 
a small bunch of wheat straw, cut when the wheat 
was in the milk and cured and raked same as hay. 
Very shortly after this he gets the same ration that 
he had in the morning. When he starts out after 
noon they have all the water they will drink before 
going to work, and the same rule holds in regard to 
watering them in the afternoon. They get all they 
want. When they come up at night the same treat¬ 
ment is accorded them as at noon. When they go to 
the trough they have the privilege of a roll if they 
want it, and several of them think that the roll is 
as essential as the water, as they usually take the 
roll first. 
Now for the feed at night. They have a good-sized 
bunch of Alfalfa given them and the same feed as 
at noon and morning, with this addition: they have 
enough of equal parts of bran and middlings put 
in to make a peck of feed. Then occasionally I put 
in about half a pint of ground charcoal. They 
always have a big piece of rock salt in their manger. 
With this method of feeding and watering we have 
not had a single case of colic this year. On very 
hot nights they have water about eight o’clock and 
quite often are turned out in a field, but found that 
they usually preferred the stall, as they had the 
choice of either. The soil here is not adapted to 
pasture. If I were located where I could have a 
good pasture I would surely turn them out every 
night. We always work three horses to a six-foot 
Acme and a 10-disk cutaway harrow. While it is 
claimed that these are two-horse tools, in our sandy 
ground three horses get all that is coming to them, 
especially if the turning points are a quarter of a 
mile or more apart. In a small piece, say, of two or 
three acres, I suppose that two horses could use the 
tools without overworking them. w. a. b. 
FITTING LAND FOR WHEAT. 
The Kansas Agricultural College has conducted 
some experiments in fitting ground for the wheat 
crop. Just now this is a timely subject with farm¬ 
ers. The results in Kansas might not be exactly 
true for other localities, but the general principles 
can be applied anywhere. There was first a test to 
find the difference in efficiency between early and 
late plowing for wheat. Many farmers let the 
wheat land stand until late August. Then they plow 
it, fit it rapidly and drill in the seed, their theory 
being that it is better to put in the crop as soon as 
possible after plowing the land. Other farmers be¬ 
lieve that thorough working of the soil pays for both 
wheat and grass. This is the theory upon which 
the famous Clark system of grass culture is founded. 
Clark’s argument was that the more you worked 
the ground properly, and the finer your seed bed, 
the better chance the grain and grass had to estab¬ 
lish itself fully before cold weather. In these Kan¬ 
sas experiments, one field was plowed seven inches 
deep on July 15. This land had been cropped to 
wheat continuously year after year. It yielded 
35 bushels to the acre. On a similar field also 
plowed seven inches deep on September 15, or two 
months later, the yield was only 17% bushels. Al¬ 
most the same gains were made with similar treat¬ 
ments on land where a rotation of wheat with corn 
and oats had been practiced. On this rotated land, 
instead of plowing seven inches deep, the plow was 
fixed to run only threer inches. The fields which 
were plowed in July were worked with the disk 
harrow through the season, as was thought desir¬ 
able to keep down the weed growth. This disking 
gave an imitation of the Clark system to which we 
have referred, as the working through July and 
August after the early plowing, kept the ground 
thoroughly stirred up, and killed out the weeds and 
grass. On land which was not worked in this way, 
through the late Summer, the yield was less than 
where the disking was done. 
Another part of the experiment showed the extra 
yield of wheat on fields where a rotation is followed. 
It is evidently possible to grow wheat year after 
year on the same ground, but in this case deep 
plowing must be followed. On land where a rota¬ 
tion is followed, deep plowing is practiced on some 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
crop in that rotation, and where this is done, shal¬ 
low plowing will answer for the wheat. In one case 
a field in such a rotation plowed seven inches deep, 
produced 44% bushels per acre, while a three-inch 
plowing produced 44 bushels. In the case of con¬ 
tinuous wheat culture, the difference between shal¬ 
low and deep plowing was nine bushels or more. 
Of late years there has been some argument in favor 
of using the disk instead of the plow to make a seed 
bed for wheat. These tests at the Kansas College 
show that on heavier land at least this is a poor 
method when used alone. Land which had not been 
plowed for three years, but with the seed bed pre¬ 
pared entirely by disking, produced less than 10 
bushels to the acre. On lighter types of soil the use 
of the disk alone for a single crop has given fair re¬ 
sults, but where the method is followed year after 
year, the disk work has not been found equal to 
plowing. The use of the disk in connection with the 
plow, however, has given good satisfaction. For 
instance, land may be double-disked during July or 
late Summer. That means disking it one way. and 
then working in the opposite direction. When this 
upper soil is fitted up with the disk, and then plowed 
and well fitted, there will be an excellent seed bed 
for the wheat. In fact this use of the disk before 
plowing has proved a great help in properly fitting 
the land. This is not only true of open land, but 
also in preparing a cover crop for turning under. 
If the disk is used first to chop up the soil and the 
growing crop, and then this chopped-up mass is 
plowed under, the chances for preparing an open, 
firm seed bed for the wheat are greatly improved. 
“COMING THROUGH THE RYE.” 
The picture at Fig. 348 shows a rye field in 
Northeast Michigan (Muskegon County). This is on 
“pine barren” soil which cost originally about .$2.50 
-COMING THROUGH THE RYE.” Fig. 348. 
per acre. It used to be said that when the pine 
was once cut from this light sandy soil the region 
might well be abandoned. No one thought this thin 
land could ever grow even weeds. Yet here is this 
rye on one of the farms owned by L. P. Haight. 
There are also fields of corn, clover, Alfalfa, pota¬ 
toes and other crops. This rye crop was grown on 
this thin soil with no fertilizer except the wood 
ashes gathered as a fuel waste in the town. Here is 
another thing to remember. The farm may be fed 
from the town. The wood ashes supply lime and 
potash, while the crushed bones gathered in town 
provide phosphoric acid. These grow clover, cow 
peas or Alfalfa, which obtain nitrogen from the air, 
thus giving a complete fertilizer. Another thing is 
that this country is surely “coming through the rye,” 
for that despised crop is helping to build up the 
soil. Many farmers on poor land are learning this 
quality of rye. This tough and hardy grain will 
grow almost anywhere, and will stuff the soil with 
organic matter, or if you prefer it, give a good grain 
and straw crop where most other grains would fail. 
THE FOES OF POULTRY. 
We print below two questions from readers in 
New England. These came in the same mail, and 
are like dozens of others. During recent years the 
colony system of keeping poultry has been extended. 
A great deal of waste and cheap wild land has been 
given up to chickens, and the vermin which hunt 
poultry have increased. It has become a large ques¬ 
tion with many hen men—what to do in order to 
protect their flocks. The following questions are 
fair samples of what is called for. We would like 
to have them answered through a discussion. 
A “ Poultry Dog” Wanted. 
I am going to ask, through your “question col¬ 
umn,” what may seem a “fool” question. Whoever 
has kept chickens has been troubled with foxes, cats, 
rats, skunks, and the usual varieties of two-legged 
marauders. IIow to defend one’s line birds from 
such vermin is a question. The idea that has been 
growing in my mind, for a long time, is this: Would 
it be possible to breed dogs that would live with 
poultry and defend them, as Texas cattle hounds live 
with cattle, and collie dogs live with and defend 
sheep? Is there any such breed of dogs? 
My father once had a dog that I believe would 
have quite nearly “filled the bill.” We had occa¬ 
sion, at one time, to live about a mile out of town; 
my father owned a large milk route. The barn was 
infested with rats—enormous rats! I shot a few, 
from time to time, and trapped some. But that dog 
was worth more than all the guns and traps put to¬ 
gether! I am willing to make affidavit to the fol¬ 
lowing “yarn”: One afternoon we managed to get a 
lot of rats into the grain-room, a place about 10 
feet by 12. We shut up every outlet, put in the 
dog, and inside of a very brief time, he killed 23 
rats! He was badly bitten; but one snap of his 
jaws fixed them. He was a cross between a common 
bulldog and the then fashionable black-and-tan. He 
had all the agility of the black-and-tan united with 
the strength of the bulldog; he was the only dog 
of the kind* that I ever heard of. Now, why could 
not some such animal be bred that would be a good 
“chicken dog?” A cross of thoroughbreds, or a 
strain of Irish terriers bred for the purpose, would 
be just the thing. Watch birds as you will, unless 
your chickens are under wire, all the time, preda¬ 
tory animals are going to get too many of the chicks. 
Massachusetts. a. w. littlefield. 
How to Fight Weasels. 
I have a poultry and fruit farm outside of Bridge¬ 
port, Conn.; and make a specialty of a selected 
strain of birds, and wish to continue my practice 
of giving the breeders and growing stock free range. 
My farm is up "among the hills” of New England 
and is enclosed by two stone fences about 500 feet 
apart I have actually seen, within the last year, 
three weasels in these walls. We have no minks: 
now and then a skunk. As I intend to use the colony 
system next Spring to a greater extent that form¬ 
erly, I would like the question brought before your 
readers. What will a poultryman do in such an 
emergency? Are there any means of exterminating 
these marauders that the possible evil may be re¬ 
duced to at least a business hazard? 
Connecticut. Robert mobsis. 
FIGHTING WITCH GRASS. 
I have got into a fix with witch grass, which I be¬ 
lieve is the same as quack grass. I have plowed deep 
an old sod with the purpose of using it next Spring for 
corn, and I was planning to cover it this Fall with 
Hairy vetch, to plow in if any vetch should come up. 
We have harrowed it several times with the cutaway, 
and now, while we were busying haying, an even growth 
of witch grass has appeared all over it. It seemed 
inoffensive in the- old sod. but we have apparently 
helped it by burying alive all its competitors. Now the 
Government circular on killing witch grass says the 
time to do it is while in the old sod, by plowing very 
shallow (three inches goes below all its roots, it says), 
and cutting up the root system thus exposed. What 1 
have done is to turn the roots down below the power 
of our cutaway to deal with them. What would you 
do? Would you try to get a manure crop of vetch 
against such odds? We can make*another cornfield if 
it seems wise. We have no spring-tooth harrow, but 
can get one if necessary. h. d. 
We are sorry for you in this fight with witch or 
quack or twitch or crab or “devil” grass! You 
have certainly “roused the sleeping lion.” This 
grass is propagated both from seeds and from the 
roots. The only thing for you to do is to keep at it 
with cutaway or spring-tooth and rake and work 
the roots up to the surface. This stuff will grow 
while your back is turned. We should give up the 
plan of sowing vetch seed this Fall. Keep at the 
field—working shallow with the cutaway so as to 
prevent any green growth. Follow with a hayrake 
and work off all the roots you can chop out and 
burn them. The spring-tooth will do this work 
more effectively, but the cutaway, used constantly, 
will chop out the roots. Keep this up until late in 
September and then sow rye alone for a crop to 
plow under next year. 
BOUNDARY FENCES. 
A and B live on adjoining farms, both having lived 
on the same for more than 35 years and have had no 
dispute over the location of the line fence until this 
Spring, when A had her line rim and now claims one 
row of apple trees as being on her land. Can B hold 
these trees and about one rod in width of land to tin- 
place where the line has been for the last 40 or 45 
years, B having gathered the apples on said trees, all 
of the time having absolute possession of said land? 
New York. m. d. y. 
Where, as in Ibis case, there has been an uninter¬ 
rupted and unquestioned occupation of premises for 
upward of 35 years, without dispute by either party, 
the premises having all the time been closed with 
substantial fences, and there has been what is 
termed a “practical location of the boundaries’ be¬ 
tween the parties. At this late day. after acquiesc¬ 
ing in the present location of the boundaries for that 
length of time. A cannot run her boundary line anew 
and take over some of B’s land, and this is so even 
if an agreement had been made at the time the fence 
was erected that it should be altered as soon as the 
correct boundary was ascertained. 
