314 
Hope Farm Notes 
It has been a hard Winter in our coun- 
try—and the hardness still lingers. A 
year ago at this time the frost was out 
of the ground and we were nearly ready 
to plow sod. Now the soil is locked with 
frost, and the hills are covered with ice 
and snow. It has required some philoso¬ 
phy to go through such a Winter. Baked 
apples in plenty, buckwheat cakes and 
maple syrup, and plenty of work and 
reading matter have made philosophy 
possible. I never yet knew a philosopher 
who could live up to his game with the 
toothache or an empty stomach. I thought 
1 had quite exhausted my opinion of the 
apple as a home companion, but 1 never 
quite realized just what this fruit repre¬ 
sents until this W inter. Out of the half 
dozen or more a day the best of all is 
the baked apple I eat just before going to 
bed. The house is generally still at that 
time. I have been at work through the 
evening. I know where the girls have 
left the apples for me, with very likely 
a piece of gingerbread to go with the 
fruit. I can bring it in to my desk, pull 
up the curtain and look out into the night 
as I eat. There may be a storm strug¬ 
gling against the window—trying to tear 
its way in. It may be one of these still, 
savage nights when the mercury crawls 
to zero and the moonlight sparkles on 
the hills. To sit here in this comfortable 
house, over my baked apple, with only a 
pane of glass between me and the storm 
or cold gives a sense of comfort which I 
do not feel able to describe. I do not 
think such a feeling of contentment is 
possible except in a farmhouse during 
the Winter. If a man could have an open 
fire and end each Winter day before it 
with a pan of baked apples within reach 
he could hardly help being a good citizen. 
The apples and the fire would make al¬ 
most any man face the present, and if 
when he went upstairs he could see the 
baby’s great mop of red hair spread out 
over the pillow he would be ready to do 
something to make the future worth 
•while for the little folks. For over my 
baked apple of a Winter night I realize 
that the ink marks will fade, the house 
will finally come down, the orchards dis¬ 
appear, but that the children will go on 
to the future. I can leave them the farm 
and possibly a fair education and some 
ambition, but unless what I may call pub¬ 
lic conditions are fair for the common 
man these children will not do for the 
world what I would like to have them 
do. So while thinking these things out 
the other night 1 helped myself to the 
third plate of apples and wrote my let¬ 
ters to Congressman Wm. Hughes and 
Senators Kean and Briggs of New Jer¬ 
sey. Here is a copy of what I wrote to 
Senator John Kean. He might do worse 
than accept it as his political baked ap¬ 
ple ! 
Hon. John Khan : . , . _ 
Dear Sir—On this date readers of Tite 
R. N.-Y. from all over the country will 
write their representative at Washington 
favoring a parcels post. Of course, jroti 
know what this means, and 1 respectfully 
ask you to use your strongest influence to 
start at least a trial of the plan on 1.000 
or more rural mail routes. Me assert 
that such a trial will prove beyond doubt 
that the extension of the system will in¬ 
crease the postal revenues and eventually 
wipe out the present deficit. 
I particularly want to know how you 
stand on the question. If you are op¬ 
posed to a parcels post such as other 
nations enjoy we shall know just what to 
do. If you .favor it, will you be kind 
enough to tell me what you have ever 
done to help the public obtain this right : 
Will you also tell me what particular 
business interests you have found opposing 
it in Congress? 1 do not care to be. told 
that “nothing can be done at this time, 
because I know that if you and a dozen 
more Senators would stand boldly up and 
demand a trial of the system we should 
have it. 
We realize that your present term as 
Senator will soon expire. I must tell you 
frankly that many of us would like to 
know what you have ever done for the 
plain people of New Jersey. I suggest that 
here is a chance for you to benefit and 
please a large number of your fellow Jer- 
sevmen. In case you think these plain 
people do not count, I can refresh your 
memory of recent history. Three years 
ago ex-Senator Dryden desired a re-elec¬ 
tion The Legislature was chosen, the 
politicians had matters all arranged, and 
it seemed like a 1.000 to one chance that 
Mr. Dryden's election could not be pre¬ 
vented. ’ It was remembered that Mr. Dry¬ 
den voted against the anti-oleo law. and 
one month before the Legislature met the 
New Jersey farmers began a campaign 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
against him. You remember the result. 
Unorganized, and with no political weapon 
but indignant protest, they awed the poli¬ 
ticians and defeated Mr. Dryden. 1 will 
merely remark that the feeling for a par¬ 
cels post is even stronger than that for 
oleo legislation, and that we now have one 
year instead of one month in which to 
work. 
The Farm. —Most of the apple trees 
were pruned by March 1. T his season is 
the off year for most of our larger trees, 
and we have cut out the tops quite se¬ 
verely—on some of the younger trees we 
cut back into the growth of 1908 as an 
experiment. Owing to the very cold 
weather we let the peach trees alone un¬ 
til March. Now we are clipping back- 
varying the amount of wood cut out with 
the inethod of growing. Neap the house, 
where peaches are planted among other 
fruits, and well cultivated, there is strong 
wood growth and we cut off one-third 
at least. In the mulched orchards there 
is less growth and here we merely clip 
here and there. I have one orchard five 
years old that has never been pruned at 
all —simply left to grow as the trees 
would. The result is long slender limbs 
which bend to the ground like whips 
without breaking. We are cutting some 
of these back this W inter to see what 
they will do. The bush fruits are all 
trimmed—in fact we are all ready for 
Winter to unlock the soil and let us into 
it. . . . The rye seems to have wintered 
well. We never had more of it. In 
former years we have cut the rye when 
in bloom and used for hay. This year 
we have so much clover that the rye hay 
is not needed, and we can let the crop 
go to straw and grain. I do not know 
of any better evidence of progress than 
the fact that clover grows where in 
former years it would not live. We arc 
surely “in clover’’ this year. The chil¬ 
dren are looking forward to a season 
with their live stock. One boy has some 
good R. I. Reds—the other White Pekin 
ducks. One of the girls has White Hol¬ 
land turkeys, the other Bantams and rab¬ 
bits. Then these girls think of starting 
a pen of Light Brahmas in partnership. 
The Hope Farm poultry prospects are 
certainly all that could be desired. \\ hen 
it comes to actual results—we shall see 
later. Hope seems to hover over the 
chicken business with an abundance of 
wing feathers. Take it all in all Hope 
Farm comes out of the hard Winter like 
a well-baked apple, with just enough 
sugar to form fruit jelly.around the top. 
“Honest Graft.” —1 he following let¬ 
ter from New Jersey gives an impres¬ 
sion which should be corrected: 
I wrote to the Agricultural Department 
for the bulletins on goats, and they wanted 
15 cents graft for them. Where can I get 
full information on the best kind of goats, 
and information on making cheese from 
surplus milk? It is not the 15 cents, but 
I don't want anything to do with graft. 
I shall get a pair of goats this month, and 
want the best 1 can get. 
This is not a case of “graft.” The 
Department charges a small sum for a 
few of its more expensive bulletins. 
Many of them are sent free, but some, 
like this one on goats, are not intended 
for general distribution. It is supposed 
that only those who are specially inter¬ 
ested would want them and that all. such 
would be willing to pay. There is no 
“graft” about it. We ought to have 
made this fact clear. Geo. W. Smith 
of Melrose, Conn., is secretary of the 
Goat Breeders’ Association—he knows 
all about goats. There is no doubt 
March 12, 
about the great interest in “the poor 
man’s cow!” The milch goat may not 
be able to live on old shoes and tin 
cans and produce rich milk on this diet, 
but, rightly handled, she will turn grain 
and forage into good milk. This little 
friend of humanity is butting down 
prejudice in great shape. Success to 
her. 
Country Clothes. — I have the fol¬ 
lowing questions from a well-known 
friend who wishes to get at the facts. 
No doubt there are city people who 
have little idea of farm conditions. I 
feel sorry for them in a way, for they 
have much to learn. We can no doubt 
help them with the clothing. Here is 
the letter: 
Perhaps seme of your readers will be 
good enough to give to a family about to go 
from New York City to live permanently 
on a farm in Connecticut, some advice about 
clothing. What garments, both outer and 
inner, and what materials, have been tound 
bv experience to lie most suitable for men, 
women and children in regard to economy, 
warmth and lightness without hampering 
freedom of motion? First cost should not 
stand in the way of getting the most suit¬ 
able and durable things. Possibly a dis¬ 
cussion of this subject may be of some¬ 
what general interest. 
Will you give an idea of what cloth¬ 
ing vou would buy if you were in the 
position of this family? Farmers wear 
much the same clothing as other people 
do. Much of it is bought at the stores 
where town folks trade. A farmer 
works in the soil and cannot wear white 
shirts and dress suits while laboring. 
For the men woolen shirt and overalls 
with a blouse to match and a soft hat 
or cap is a good outfit. But let the 
clothes buyers tell how they manage. 
H. W. C. 
WALTHAM WATCHES 
Do you want your watches delivered this way? 
Every American knows that Waltham W atches are good 
watches 
A watch should always be bought from a responsible jeweler. 
Jewelers are educated in watch-making. They can see if a watch 
is in the same perfect condition as when it leit the faetoiv and 
can detect and remedy any little accidental defect it may have 
received in transportation, as well as regulate it to your personal 
habit and occupation. 
Moreover, the Waltham Watch Company will guarantee 
every Waltham Watch sold by a recognized watchmaker or 
i eweler. 
Never buy a watch, Waltham or any other, except from a 
jeweler. . . , . A 
Mail order houses are not, in our opinion, properly equipped 
to handle good watches. 
The Waltham Watch Company will not guarantee watches 
bought from such concerns. 
WALTHAM WATCH COMPANY, 
WALTHAM, MASS. 
Send for the “ Perfected American Watch,” our book about watches. 
