1913. 
THE RURAI> NEW-YORKER 
HSi 
FINGER MARKS OF FAKES. 
No. 2. 
Believing you to be a citizen who is 
well and favorably known in your com¬ 
munity, and whose identification with 
our enterprise will be of valuable assist¬ 
ance to this company in the regular sale 
of its property, I desire to make you a 
special proposition which cannot fail to 
be of great financial benefit to you. 
This is from the circular of a company 
trying to sell you a building lot on Long 
Island. Here again we have a printed 
circular. These fakes hope to make you 
think this is a personal letter. When¬ 
ever a stranger comes telling you that 
you are “well and favorably known” be 
sure he is trying to work you for some¬ 
thing. You may be the leading citizen 
of your county, but if so the chances 
are that these fakes would hesitate to 
remind you of the fact. This trying to 
rub the bump of vanity is one of the 
cheapest and most common tricks of the 
game and one of the surest finger marks 
of the fake. As for city lots in Long 
Island, if they were located so as to be 
worth anything there would be no need 
of giving them away even to people “well 
and favorably known.” The very fact 
that a man offers any such “special pro¬ 
position” is good evidence that he ought 
to be let alone. 
Measuring Hay in Stacki. 
It is often desirable to know' how to 
get with approximate accuracy at the 
weight of a stack of hay, and various 
rules have been given for this measure¬ 
ment. The Department of Agriculture 
measured about 100 stacks, the following 
rules being the result of this investiga¬ 
tion. The number of cubic feet in a ton 
varied from 514 to 589, depending on 
the kind of hay and how long the stack 
had been standing. 
In measuring long stacks it was found 
that the cross-section was the product of 
the distance over the top, by the width of 
straight portion, multiplied by a fraction 
varying from .25 to .37, depending on 
height, a fair average being .31. The 
over-measurement is obtained by the use 
of a cord with weight attached. Then 
the following formula is used: Volume 
equals the fraction (P) (.31 average) 
multiplied by the distance over (O) by 
the width (W) by length (L), or V = 
PxOxWxL. In estimating round stacks 
divide the stacks into two parts, the 
bottom up to the taper, and the top. 
liie cuts show various shapes of top and 
bottom and the formula used in each 
ease. 11 is the height of portion of stack be¬ 
ing measured; C, the circumference at bot¬ 
tom portion of the top, the small figure to 
the right of O indicating that the circum¬ 
ference is to be squared. The decimal used 
is an arbitrary figure which has been 
found practically correct for the shape 
indicated. 
Destroying Sowbugs or Woodlice. 
This little crustacean is often very 
troublesome in frames or hotbeds. In 
a recent issue of the “Florists’ Review” 
a correspondent, “W. J. K.,” gives his 
experience as follows: 
About once or twice a year we think 
it about time to reduce the number of 
sowbugs that are hiding in the benches 
and damp places around the greenhouses. 
t'O we take 50 pounds of granulated 
sugar and 10 pounds of Paris green, mix 
the entire quantity thoroughly and put it 
in . cornucopias made of stiff brown paper, 
with a half-inch hole in the bottom to 
allow the mixture to run out slowly along 
the top edge of the bench board. Then 
we send a gang all over the place, to run 
the mixture along every bench in the 
louses; it is all done at the some time, so 
as to give every bug a chance to help 
himself. 
W e have just got through with one of 
<'ur semi-annual cleanings and you will 
please note the results. As the bugs were 
.'mg close together on the walks in the 
"uses, we estimated that there were six 
' tigs to a square inch, which is a con- 
-native estimate. This would make 
1 1 to the inch on a 2-foot walk, 1.72S to 
a toot and 345,600 to a 200-foot walk, 
yid, as there are 105 such walks on the 
Place, the grand total would be 36,288,000 
acud sowbugs from 50 pounds of sugar 
and 10 pounds of Paris green, not count- 
mg those that crawled back into or under 
the benches before they died. Such a 
systematic campaign as this disposes of 
most of the sowbugs, notwithstanding the 
fact that they do not show themselves 
until after dark and hustle for cover as 
soon as the first streak of daylight ap¬ 
pears. _ 
Dog Killed by Automobile. 
Can I recover damages for a dog that 
was killed by a auto? Dog was crossing 
the road when auto killed him. j. D. 
Maine. 
In such a case the first thing is to get 
the number of the auto. This is re¬ 
gistered, and from it you can get the 
name of the owner. Then get your proof 
together to show that the dog was killed. 
Have witnesses and send a bill to this 
owner. You must have the number first 
of all. It is usually hard if not impos¬ 
sible to collect such damages after the 
cars get away. We had a case in New 
Jersey which is like many others. A half 
drunken man driving a car attacked a 
man who was watching a piece of road 
work. This man was knocked down and 
left half unconscious on the ground while 
the car drove rapidly away. We got the 
number of the car and found that it had 
been transferred to a large automobile 
company. The president of this company 
refused to give the name of the driver, 
and the only witness of the outrage grew 
frightened and refused to help identify 
the driver or make any statement. 
Late Swarms of Bees. 
I had two swarms of black bees given 
me, and I furnished the hives. The first 
one swarmed May IS; they have done 
well and put some honey in the super. 
The second swarmed July 1. A third 
was transferred from a box hive by cut¬ 
ting out the combs about July 35. The 
third had about 15 pounds of honey 
which was or had to be under the cir¬ 
cumstances taken away. The black 
queens were changed about July 15 for 
good Italian queens. All the bees are 
healthy and have bred tremendously. No, 
2 and No. 3 did not seem to accumulate 
any honey, and so I have fed them more 
or less all Summer. Even then they did 
not seem to get anything ahead, but sev¬ 
eral combs were always full of brood. 
The first hive has been an easy proposi¬ 
tion. but No. 2 and No. 3 has me some 
what in despair; strong and healthy, but 
little or no honey. What would you ad 
vise me to do? g. b. w. 
Rhode Island. 
According to the old rhyme, a swarm 
of bees in July is not w’ortli a fly; yours, 
however, bid fair to be 'worth much more 
than that next season. It is hardly to 
be expected that a swarm in a new hive, 
with all the comb to build, will accumu¬ 
late any surplus after the middle of July, 
even if artificially fed, and yours seem 
to have done well in building brood comb 
and increasing in number. If, after the 
honey flow has ceased in the Fall, and 
before the weather has become cold, they 
have not accumulated about 25 pounds 
of honey in their brood chamber, as 
judged by the weight of the hive, you 
should feed them until they have that 
amount of stores for Winter use. Then, 
properly wintered, and with good queens, 
they should be in position to make good 
use of their time next year. From your 
letter, I judge that your swarms have 
done all that you could reasonably expect 
of them this season. m. b. d. 
Crows in Pecan Orchard. 
Can you tell me the best way to keep 
crows out of my pecan grove? Suppose 
you get^ the views of the readers of The 
R. N.-Y. on that point. They are giving 
me great trouble. We have had the best 
season I ever knew; splendid corn, peas, 
Japan clover and fairly good cotton. 
Louisiana. s. H. j. 
All right—let us have such views. Our 
experience with crows is in the cornfield 
and tarring the seed stops their mischief. 
A friend lost much fruit to these black 
rascals. lie caught a few of them in 
steel traps and kept them alive in the or¬ 
chard captives, with light chains fastened 
to their logs. These prisoners made such 
an outcry that they frightened away the 
rest of the gang. 
Cement Wash for Concrete Cisterns. 
I have given my cistern a good coat 
of cement “two to one” and it seems 
there is still some little place for a leak. 
Have you recommended giving a cistern 
in such a case a coat of cement white¬ 
wash, and if so how made and how thick? 
Ogdensburg, N. Y. a. t. 
The interior of concrete cisterns, water 
tanks, etc., should be given a coat of ce¬ 
ment wash made by mixing pure cement 
with water to the consistency of cream. 
This may be applied with a heavy brush, 
after thoroughly wetting the concrete, 
and is best done while the concrete is 
green. On exterior surfaces such a wash 
coat will show fine hair cracks after dry¬ 
ing, but upon interiors which are con¬ 
stantly wet, it is a distinct aid in making 
concrete water-tight. m. b. d. 
28,000 Perplexed 
Women Who Keep 
House and Wanted 
Something New 
and Different 
For the table, a new recipe, a 
new way of doing something, 
a quicker way to wash, iron 
or clean; new menus. These 
women wrote to us and each 
one was quickly and fully 
answered by mail in a per¬ 
sonal and direct way. 
Thousands of women wanted to 
know how to buy or cook or serve 
more economically: how to meet 
the high prices of food: how to 
feed their men folks or their chil¬ 
dren—in short, all the problems 
of the housewife. 
Naturally, this is a strong and 
leading department in the work 
of a magazine like The Ladies ’ 
Home Journal, and there has been 
perfected back of the magazine 
one of the most effective domestic- 
economy services possible, with 
two expert household authorities 
as editors. And these stand ready 
to smooth all perplexities of the housewife 
who doesn’t know or who has become 
weary and wants something new or dif¬ 
ferent: a new impulse: a new idea: a 
thought: a help. What housewife doesn’t, 
after keeping house for years? 
And the help is given quickly by mail: 
direct, personal and fully. And nothing 
is charged for it to any reader of The 
Ladies ’ Home Journal. A booklet, entitled 
“The Story of 600,000 Invisible Hands,” 
tells something about this service. A postal 
card request will bring a copy. 
A year’s subscription to The Ladies’ Home Journal , 
by mail, costs $1.50, or it may be bought from 
any Newsdealer or Boy Agent at 15 cents a copy. 
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