THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1026 
1013. 
The Wisconsin Agricultural College is testing the 
sludge and tailings from lead and zinc mines as a 
fertilizer and soil corrector. The last is a new- 
name applied to such substances as lime, which not 
only provide some plant food, hut act chemically 
upon the soil. These tailings will be tested along¬ 
side ground limestone. All over the Western States 
this great problem of saving wastes of feeding and 
fertilizing materials is being worked out. For years 
the western farmers boasted of the fertility of their 
soils, and would not even haul out the manure. The 
manure spreader settled that, and now these farmers 
begin to realize that they must follow history. In 
Wisconsin it has been found profitable to make silage 
out of sugar beet tops, and use the lime refuse from 
sugar making on the soil. Every ounce of lime from 
shells, old plastering, gas waste or any other form 
may well be saved and put on the land. Of course 
our western friends dislike to come to it, but they 
must now begin to save the scraps of fertility. We 
can easily remember the time when western men felt 
almost insulted if you offered change for a dime or 
nickel. Now we know some of them who favor a 
ha If-cent coin. * 
A report from the State Agricultural College at 
Fort Collins, Col., commends what is known as the 
intra-dermal tuberculin test for the detection of 
tuberculosis in cattle. This test is made by inject¬ 
ing from two to five drops of tuberculin into the 
skin of a suspected animal. If the animal is not 
tuberculous there is no result from the injection, 
provided that sufficient care has been taken to pre¬ 
vent any accidental infection of the trifling wound 
made by the needle, but if tuberculosis is present a 
swelling of definite character will begin within 
about 24 hours, and will reach its height in four 
or live days. This swelling is typical on the third 
and fourth days, and a diagnosis may then be made. 
The simplicity of (bis test gives it a great advan¬ 
tage over the ordinary tuberculin test, in which a 
record of the animal’s temperature for a consider¬ 
able period of time must be made, but, on the other 
hand, it requires special skill and care in making 
the injection, which is not beneath the skin, but into 
it, and in seeing that no accidental infection vitiates 
the results. Errors may also be easily made in 
interpreting the nature of the swelling made by the 
injection, so that the services of a skilled observer 
are required. This test is stated to be official in 
Missouri and to be nsed in several municipalities 
in Colorado. It may be said, however, that it has 
not received the unanimous endorsement of the vet¬ 
erinary profession, and is not yet upon the same 
basis as the temperature test. It is under investi¬ 
gation by veterinary authorities, including those 
connected with the Agricultural Department of New 
York State, and its true value will doubtless soon 
be known. We advise waiting until it has been fully 
tested. * 
With the end of Summer and with signs of ap¬ 
proaching Winter we have many letters about chil¬ 
dren and their adoption. Winters are lonely in many 
childless homes at this season and the farmer and 
his wife feel that a child might inoculate the home 
with something of the spirit and joy of youth. We 
confess that it is hard sometimes to give advice 
about taking a child. In theory this is the ideal 
way of linking city and town civilization together. 
There are thousands of homeless or friendless city 
children who if left here to grow up without proper 
home influences can hardly hope to become what we 
are pleased to call “good citizens.” For no citizen¬ 
ship is complete unless it can trace back to a true 
home and a happy childhood. And there can be no 
true home unless it contain little children or mem¬ 
ories of children. Yet experience teaches us to ad¬ 
vise a farmer to think long and seriously before he 
takes a child to bring up. It is not like buying live 
stock or taking boarders, but one of the most seri¬ 
ous and life-influencing things that a man can do. 
Our experience is that many farmers expect too 
much from such children. From choice they would 
select a smart, handsome child, who as they say 
will always be a credit to them. And they expect 
such a child to work hard and more than pay for 
his little hoard and clothes. In nine cases out of 10 
we fear such people will l>e disappointed in the 
child. The little thing will finally understand their 
motive. He may feel gratitude, but rarely if ever 
affection. We know a poor woman who adopted a 
blind child, and another who took a cripple. When 
asked why they assumed such burdens these women 
sa.v; “These children need us more than we need 
them; they will always need us—therefore, we shall 
always have them!” It is hard sometimes to under¬ 
stand it, but we commend that spirit to those who 
are thinking of taking a child. Consider the needs 
of the child rather than your own, and the future 
will care for itself. 
It seems to us sure that sooner or later the great 
majority of our dairy cattle will be bred without 
horns. The prejudice in favor of horns may keep 
these weapons on the cow’s head for some years, 
but, in time, following the law of progress “the 
horns must go.” It would stump many a breeder of 
purebred cattle to-day to tell why his cows are bet¬ 
ter off with horns. It is because we believe that 
the future dairy cow is to be polled that we print 
the article which starts on page 1030. It seems to 
be demonstrated that the “original dairy cow” had 
no horns. These weapons have been developed, and 
getting rid of them means going back to original 
conditions. The great objection which many breed¬ 
ers have had is their fear that they cannot keep 
up the quality of their cattle and use the blood of 
polled sires. The truth is that some of the polled 
individuals are of high quality—well bred in milk 
or butter lines and of high individual merit. When 
breeders agree that the polled head is desirable they 
will not have much difficulty in putting it upon any 
family or breeding line which they desire. 
* 
Thirty years ago at an agricultural college the 
student rarely heard of “bacteria” or knew what 
they were. These tiny forms of life were at work 
the same as now, but we did not know it. For sev¬ 
eral generations farmers drank water from the 
farm well and found it a life-giving fluid/ Now we 
know of a back-to-tbe-lamler who has bought a farm 
on which there is a well, which for a century has 
been like a fountain of youth. Yet this man has 
been so frightened by “bacteria” and disease germs 
that he asks if it will be safe to let his hens drink 
this well water without first boiling it! It has been 
found that soured milk is close to a preventive in 
certain diseases of turkeys and chickens. Scien¬ 
tists claim to have discovered and separated the 
bacteria which develop in the milk this curative 
property. The bacteria can now be added to the 
milk like the “starter” in cream. Other forms of 
bacteria have the power of taking nitrogen from 
the air without living upon the roots of the legumes, 
like clover or Alfalfa. Thus coarse straw, trash or 
other waste organic matter in the manure pile may 
be used to “feed” the tiny workers at their job of 
obtaining new forms of nitrogen for us. And these 
are only samples of what our scientific men are 
learning regarding the bacteria which give power to 
the forces of life and decay. Many of these forces 
are to he harnessed and directed so that the work 
which for all these centuries has been done without 
our knowledge may be organized and controlled. We 
may think the developments of the past few years 
have been marvelous. They will seem like child's 
play in the light of what our people will find 30 
years hence. 
* 
Last Spring we printed several articles on “The 
Drone Tree,” which described a system of detecting 
the inferior or unproductive Citrus trees in Califor¬ 
nia orchards. These careful tests showed that some 
of the best orchards in the State contained a large 
proportion of “drones,” or trees which did not pay 
for their feed and care. The proportion of drones 
was usually about as large as that of “robbers” iu 
a dairy herd. These milk robbers were not known 
until arrested by the scales and Babeoek test, and 
the drone trees were not detected until the fruit 
was actually picked and weighed and sorted. When 
the dairyman finds a robber cow in his herd she 
“goes” at once, to be replaced by a better one. The 
best cows are kept and are used to replenish the 
herd, for it is understood that their daughters must 
look like mother and “act like father’s folks.” Now 
the theory is that in somewhat like manner the 
drone trees may have the drone instinct taken out 
of them by budding from the trees which actual 
test shows are superior. This has not yet been 
worked out In practice, and it must be said that the 
majority of the horticultural authorities deny its 
practical value. At any rate we shall soon have 
proof one way or the other with Citrus fruits. As 
we see from Mr. Slmmel’s report the same idea of 
a “Babcock test” is being worked out with peach 
trees. A tree census in one peach orchard shows 25 
per cent of foreign varieties, seedlings, etc. This 
orchard is far above the average in the effort made 
to have the varieties true. In addition to this large 
per cent of misfits there are distinct type variations. 
Think where the nurserymen must have cut the 
buds which supplied that orchard! For example, 
the J. II. Hale peach is a bud sport from Elberta. 
This variety occasionally “throws” Elberta fruit, 
and that variety does the same with J. H. Hale. 
There are said to he four clearly defined types of 
Elberta. which originated from bud sports, and 
can be propagated. Now a “peach tree census” will 
at least, find these bud sports, and if they are supe¬ 
rior and desirable they are evidently what should 
be used for budding. We can easily imagine a supe¬ 
rior fruit tree—its fine crop due to some soil ad¬ 
vantage. It is not likely that buds taken from this 
tree would show any superiority over others. But 
suppose the “Babcock test” proved that the supe¬ 
riority was due to a bud variation! In that case we 
shall agree that this superiority can be carried to 
other trees! As we understand it this is what Mr. 
Shamel claims, and be should by all means go on 
with his work and settle the matter. 
FARM LEGISLATION FOR NEW JERSEY. 
Somehow we farmers are more used to watching the 
legislators to keep them from doing siome fool trick, 
than presenting any new legislation to help the rural 
community. ii. k. 
So says one of the most prominent farmers in 
Southern New Jersey, and he hits the bull's-eye. 
New Jersey farmers, like those in New York and 
other States, have been content too long to be put 
on the negative side of legislation. That is, they 
spend their energies trying to prevent other inter¬ 
ests from taking public rights away from them. 
Thus they are put into the position of grumblers or 
“kickers,” because they are forced to support the 
negative side of so many propositions. Now what 
our farmers need is to demand and support affirma¬ 
tive legislation. By that we mean legislation which 
starts with the clear understanding that it repre¬ 
sents an honest and just need of the farming inter¬ 
ests. Then, instead of being forced to oppose what 
others try to obtain, our farmers would be on the 
other side with a clear-cut and definite programme 
which all can stand for. New Jersey perhaps more 
than any other Eastern State needs such affirma¬ 
tive farm legislation. There is no farmers’ organi¬ 
zation in New Jersey exactly equipped to organize 
a strong campaign and select a few leadiilg subjects 
for legislation, yet if such a thing could be started 
we believe the Jersey farmers would take hold of 
it with vigor. We have therefore asked a num¬ 
ber of leading farmers to name a few things which 
they consider of special interest to farmers as a 
class. Here are a few things suggested: 
1. A bridge or tube connecting Pennsylvania with 
lower Jersey so that farmers may have easier ac¬ 
cess to market. 
2. An amendment to the employer’s liability law 
exempting farm and house servants. 
3. A suitable horticultural building at the Agri¬ 
cultural College. 
4. A law which shall absolutely and positively 
eliminate grade crossings. 
5. A law giving the farmer the right of way over 
the public roads while on his market wagon. 
There will be others—we call for a full statement 
from all who have thought out farm legislation for 
New Jersey. This is no time for finespun theory 
or dreams, hut give us sensible and practical things 
which we can fairly ask candidates for the New Jer¬ 
sey Legislature to support. A few important things 
can be selected and The R. N.-Y. will see that the 
candidates are put on record before the election. 
CROP OUTLOOK. 
President Brown, of the New York Central, esti¬ 
mates that the Kansas corn crop will be 15 per cent 
of normal; Nebraska, 30; and Iowa, 05 to 75. 
Mayor W. D. Gay, of Essex, Iowa, states: “We 
have had only one little shower since July 0. Up to 
August 1 we had the finest corn prospect on record; 
now the crop is burned up. The last 10 days have been 
appalling—high winds and temperatures 100 to 110 
every day. Some corn is actually cooked in the husk. 
I am quite sure that 10 bushels will be a big crop for 
Page, the banner corn county of Iowa, this year.” 
The Chicago and Northwestern report: “Dry, hot 
weather prevailed throughout Nebraska over Labor 
Day ; temperature ranging from 02 to 100 and making 
further inroads into the already damaged condition of 
corn. Indications are now that with favorable weather 
territory on the eastern division will not produce to 
exceed 80,000.000 bushels of corn, as compared with 
178,000,000 bushels a year ago. District north of the 
latter have been damaged to the extent of 25 to 35 per 
cent. 
Government Cotton Report. 
The Department of Agriculture estimates that the 
condition of the cotton crop on August 25 was 68.2 
per cent of a normal, as compared with 70.0 on July 
25, 1013, 74.S on August 25. 1012, 73.2 on August 
25, 1011, and 74.7, the average on August 25 of the 
past 10 years. 
Comparisons of 
conditions, 
by States, 
August 
August 25 
States 
25.1013 
1012 
10-yr. av. 
Virginia . 
. SO 
SO 
82 
North Carolina 
. 78 
75 
78 
South Carolina 
73 
77 
70 
4 4 
Florida . 
. 81 
73 
78 
Alabama . 
. 72 
75 
70 
Mississippi .... 
. 00 
70 
75 
Louisiana . 
. 07 
74 
00 
Texas . 
. 04 
7<j 
72 
Arkansas . 
. 72 
4 4 
4 4 
70 
S3 
Missouri . 
. 72 
78 
84 
Oklahoma . 
84 
7? 
California . 
. 00 
05 
United States 
. 08.2 
74.8 
74.7 
