378 
THU RURAL, NKW-YORKER 
August 30, 
Hope Farm Notes 
The Garden, —“What vegetables will 
you have for dinner?” That was the 
call right after breakfast on August 17. 
It took some little time to decide, for we 
had the following list to select from: 
beets, cabbage, turnips, carrots, parsnips, 
lettuce, peppers, Telephone peas, Lima 
beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sweet 
corn, string beans, squash and potatoes. 
We finally settled upon potatoes, beets, 
peas, sweet corn and tomatoes. I picked 
the peas and the little redheads helped 
me shell them on the shady porch. It 
is late for peas and usually we do not 
care for them after Lima beans start, 
but this year the Telephones were plant¬ 
ed late and here they are swelling out in 
August. The Telephone pea is like the 
Marshall strawberry in some ways. It 
is a shy bearer, somewhat hard to grow, 
but the finest of quality and we always 
plant them. 
But this list of vegetables is what I 
want to hang up in sight of all. We do 
not conduct a market garden, but all 
these things grow in an ordinary kitchen 
garden of moderate size and not particu¬ 
larly well cared for. Since Philip left 
us to go to Dakota the garden has been 
neglected. The point is that nearly 
every farm family could have one as 
good or better with just the ordinary 
farm labor. I am sorry to say that many 
a farm family has few if any vegetables 
besides potatoes. There are fewer of 
this class than ever before, yet there are 
too many now. When I ask such farm¬ 
ers why they do not have a garden they 
generally say it is too small work or 
does not pay. I have proved that a man 
can make better wages at a day’s work 
in his garden than at any other labor on 
the farm. And he will get most of his 
pay from the middlemen who would 
otherwise sell him part of his food. With 
such an outfit of vegetables as I have 
mentioned and a fat hen or two the food 
problem becomes a small thing on the 
farm. I know, too, that there is a better 
feeling all through the home and family 
when the table is covered with home¬ 
grown vegetables and fruits. 
On many farms you may find an old 
man or a man in poor health or perhaps 
a cripple. These men are usually un¬ 
able to go into the field and do a full 
day’s work at hard labor. Some of 
them, denied the power to do this, feel 
that life has cast them aside and I have 
seen them grow unhappy and bitter at 
their prospect. If these men would but 
think so they could take a small piece of 
land, fit it for a garden, and do wonder¬ 
ful work upon it. The labor would be 
well within their powers and the results 
far beyond anything they ever reached 
at plain farming. For you see garden¬ 
ing is higher farming and many of these 
older men would renew something of their 
youth and courage in the thought that 
they can force one acre to produce more 
than 10 acres ever did in their old sys¬ 
tem of culture. Not only would this 
garden become a wonder, but it would 
finally improve the entire farm. It 
would be an object lesson showing what 
can be done if the soil is only well han¬ 
dled. Before long the boys would see 
that garden and begin to ask themselves 
why they should work three acres in half¬ 
way fashion when by applying something 
of garden culture one good acre would 
give the same crop! That is what a 
good garden will do and the older man 
would find that this higher farming has 
enabled him to influence the farm as he 
never did before. These are only a few 
reasons why every farm should have a 
good garden. Had you been with us for 
dinner on the Sunday I speak of I could 
have piled up your plate with a dozen 
convincing arguments. 
Farm Notes. —Sad stories are told of 
the peach glut in Paterson, N. J.—our 
local wholesale market. Several large 
orchards came into bearing this year and 
the crop on the hills is usually good. The 
result was that the early varieties were 
poured in a stream into market at a 
time when a river of other fruit poured 
up from the South. I understand that 
prices fell to 35 and 40 cents a basket 
for good fruit. At such figures the more 
you have the worse off you are. Our 
own crop is comparatively small by the 
side of what is run out of the large or¬ 
chards. Thus far we have disposed of 
everything at retail. What will happen 
when the Elbertas come in is a question. 
I hope that prices will be better, for we 
shall soon be relieved of the swarm 
from the southern orchards. The con¬ 
sumers, who buy in small quantities, have 
not profited much by this cheap whole¬ 
sale price. In many cases peddlers have 
bought up these peaches at 50 cents or 
less and retailed at the rate of $1.50 or 
more. I have felt for some years that 
our North Jersey growers were going 
very strong with peaches. Some years 
ago the scale did great damage, and many 
growers quit and let their trees die. Then, 
when it was found that we can handle 
the scale easier than we can the borers, 
growers took fresh courage and planted 
heavily once more. I have expected just 
such a season as we are now having—a 
good crop generally, a rather tight money 
supply and resulting low prices. This 
could be relieved by a better system of 
distribution and the combination may not 
come again in 15 years. To my mind, it 
simply confirms what I have always 
claimed—that, peach growing is a specu¬ 
lation or gamble at best. We have never 
“plunged” at it, but have planted mod¬ 
erately, chiefly to help pay expenses while 
our apples were coming into bearing. 
The surest thing I know of in this sec¬ 
tion of all the things that grow out of 
the ground is the red Winter or Fall 
apple, clean and of good size. . . . 
We have cleaned up the strawberries 
once more. Usually “thorough culture” 
means cultivating about eight or 10 times 
and hoeing at least twice. Where the 
old beds were cut over with the mower 
w r e now have new tops six inches or 
more high. The Spring-set plants are in 
beautiful shape—dark green and strong. 
They were planted where Crimson clover 
and turnips were plowed under—no fer¬ 
tilizer or manure having been used. . 
. . We may be able to tell a few large 
stories about mangels after all. This 
was our first experience with this crop 
on a large scale and the way the plants 
crawled along during July seemed to put 
them in the lazy class. Now they are 
coming on like fire and already there are 
roots four to five inches through. The 
field which in July seemed to be nearly 
a failure now seems full of beets, and I 
begin to find the faith to believe some 
of the large beet stories pouring in to 
me. . . . The weeds have come upon 
us in waves since the cultivators stopped 
among the trees. I do not dare keep up 
cultivation and force the trees into heav¬ 
ier growth, for most of them have all the 
new wood they ought to carry. So where 
we do not use the cover crops these weeds 
are cut off and piled around the trees. 
As we know there are many growers who 
believe that a volunteer crop of weeds 
will make the best possible cover crop. 
I am testing this out in several fields, 
but I believe it pays better to cut the 
weeds and let them lie on the ground at 
this season rather than to let them grow 
until frost. We have seeded Cow-horn 
turnips up to September 15 and with a 
long, favorable season had a fair crop. 
They will not take the place of silage 
for stock, for unless you feed them care¬ 
fully they will give a “turnipy” taste to 
the milk. The roots which substitute 
for silage are mangels or carrots. These 
require four months of steady growing 
before frost to make a profitable growth. 
Could strawberries be planted in Au¬ 
gust after early potatoes are taken out 
and have a small crop from them next 
year, cultivated hill system? What are 
the best early varieties? F. T. J. 
Connecticut. 
The plants may be set up to the mid¬ 
dle of September if the soil is moist, but 
you cannot expect much of a crop next 
year. There will be a few large berries, 
but no general crop. You will read state¬ 
ments from people who say you can set 
potted plants in September and get a 
full crop next year. Bay no attention to 
them—it cannot be done. H. w. c. 
Mr. Brown took a day off, and went 
down into the country to fish. He found 
a promising pond, and fished for three 
hours without getting a single bite. A 
little farmer boy watched him most of 
the time. Finally, when Brown’s pa¬ 
tience was exhausted, he said querulously 
to the boy: “Are there any fish in this 
pond at all?” “If there are any,” the 
boy answered, “they must be awful small, 
sir; for there wasn’t any water at all 
here until it rained yesterday.—Toronto 
Sun. 
NEW YORK STATE FAIR 
“BETTER THAN EVER” 
SEPTEMBER 8 to 13, 1913 
SYRACUSE 
Grand Circuit Harness, Jockey Club Running Races, 
and more special features than ever 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 
“Syracuse Day.” 
All exhibits in place before 9:00 A. M. 
Opening of Grand Circuit Race Meeting. Special attraction 
of Minor Heir and George Gano, 2:02, champion pacing team of 
the world, to be sent against the world’s record. 
Concert by Conway’s celebrated band. 
Opening of Night Show, which embraces Pain’s celebrated 
spectacle “Fall of Pompeii,” followed by stupendous fireworks 
display representing Perry’s victory on Lake Erie. 
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9. 
“Empire State Day.” 
Grand Circuit Races. Empire State 2:14 trot for $10,000 
purse and four other races. 
Opening of Horse Show, for which a number of boxes and 
single seats have been erected at the ring. 
Concerts by Conway’s Band. 
Night Show spectacle and fireworks display. 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 
“Grange Day.” 
Attended by practically all Grangers of New York State, who 
will be addressed by State and National speakers of that organ¬ 
ization. 
Grand Circuit Races, including the Syracuse 2:11 pace for 
$5,000 purse and “Free for all trotting sweepstake.” Also three 
other racing events. Dazzle Patch will also be sent against the 
world's record. 
Horse Show judging. 
Band concerts. 
Night Show spectacle and fireworks display. 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. 
“Governor’s Day.” 
Governor Wm. Sulzer will deliver an address at 11:00 A. M. 
from the band stand in the State Fair Grounds Park. 
The Glynn 2:05 pace for $2,000 and the “Free For All” pace 
for $2,500 will also be run off and Minor Heir and George Gano 
will be sent for the second time against the world’s pacing team 
record regardless of whether they lower it or not in their Mon¬ 
day performance. 
Horse Show judging. 
Close of Grand Circuit. 
Band Concerts. 
Night Show spectacle and fireworks display. 
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12. 
“Machinery Dealers’ and Jockey Club Day.” 
Opening of Running Races under auspices of American Jockey 
Club. Five running events for large purses. 
“Implement Dealers’ Day,” designated at request of Imple¬ 
ment Dealers of the country, who desire to discuss matters of 
mutual interest and in the presence of the largest machinery 
display ever held in this country. 
Parade of prize winning cattle at 11:00 A. M., which this year 
will be even greater than ever. 
Band Concerts. 
Night Show spectacle and fireworks display. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. 
“Jockey Club Day.” 
Big closing day of New York State Fair, into which will be 
crowded every possible special attraction. 
Five Jockey Club races. 
Band Concerts. 
Big closing Night Show spectacle, fireworks and special Mid¬ 
way events. 
NIGHT SHOW 
THE FALL OF POMPEII AND PERRY'S VICTORY EVERY RIGHT 
