1074 
GOOD STOCK FOR A TOAD FARM. 
On page 855 we told of an Englishman 
who was said to come to this country for 
the purpose of starting a “toad farm.” As 
usual our readers are prepared to help out 
the aspiring—so here is an Ohio man with 
just the toad to head this new farm. 
I would like to relate our experience with 
a:great important toad, and if the man who 
is contemplating a toad farm would like to 
secure him to lead his flocks, or preside 
over his ponds and swamps, perhaps we 
can find him and send him on. I had a 
flock of IJufT Orpington chicks about two 
weeks old running about, and in the flower 
garden one morning one of the chicks be¬ 
gan screaming as loudly as a chick cati 
yell, which took us to the window in great 
haste. We could see that something was 
holding the chick fast, but shortly he 
pulled loose and ran to his mother in the 
coop. Some dark object kppt leaping 
through the grass, making vain attempts at 
a recapture, and upon investigation we 
found an immense toad to be the culprit. 
Ills great body could have contained two 
such sized chickens, and his mouth was so 
broad he could have swallowed a much 
larger object We. carried him to the lower 
end of the garden and put him among the 
potatoes and other vegetables, but the next 
morning he was back at the house in the 
flower garden, presumably watching for an¬ 
other chance at the little Orpingtons. In re¬ 
lating the facts to different persons it is 
met with laughter and often ridicule, and 
that they “had never known of a harmless 
toad catching or attempting to catch 
chickens.” What have you to say on the ■ 
subject, and what is known to be the great¬ 
est age of a toad ? 1 would judge this fel¬ 
low to be a veritable antique, perhaps hail¬ 
ing from the prehistoric ages. it. d. 
Shepard, Ohio. 
It. N.-Y.—The following report is made 
by the Bureau of Biological Survey. The 
bullfrog certainly has the “stomach of an 
ostrich.” 
“Toads, like frofes, will devour any mov¬ 
ing object of suitable size. It is quite prob¬ 
able that very large toads may occasionally 
devour young chickens. We have, however, 
no positive record covering this point. On 
several occasions nestling birds have been 
found among the stomach contents. Bull¬ 
frogs, which grow very much larger than 
toads, occasionally are quite destructive to 
young ducks. In our own experience we 
have taken from the stomachs of large frogs 
a full-fledged oriole, water thrush, small 
turtles, snake 12 inches long, full-grown 
meadow mice, and numerous other forms of 
animal life. 
“Comparatively little has been learned in 
regard to the normal length of life of the 
commoner animals which are familiar to 
us. It has been stated that certain indi¬ 
vidual toads have been kept under observa¬ 
tion for a period of 25 years. There is no 
certain way of determining the longevity of 
animals, since the unnatural conditions con¬ 
nected with confinement may be an advan¬ 
tage to some and a detriment to others.” 
A. K. FISHEU. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 19, 
Crops for Peat Meadow. 
I have a peat meadow that has burned 
off about 10 inches deep, but have been 
able to plow it this Fall. I am unable to 
drain more than four inches from top sur¬ 
face. What crop would be most successful ? 
Can I grow hay or corn?. w. k. h. 
In a dry season you could probably start 
corn .early enough to make a crop. The 
best grass we have found for such soil is 
Bed-top with a small quantity of Timothy. 
This gives an excellent feeding hay, but 
does not sell as well as pure Timothy. 
Handling Strawberry Plants. 
I have about 1,000 Gandy strawberry 
plants that have made a fair growth, but 
in cutting off the runners up under the hill 
the runners that are cut off try to set a 
new plant. Shall I raise up the leaves of 
the old plant and cut runners close to hill 
or just leave alone? H. M. 
Nashville, Tenn. 
We leave these close-by plants and let 
them form part of the hill. That is one 
reason why we are setting the plants far¬ 
ther apart. The “hill” when finished is a 
cluster of plants growing in a close bunch, 
and covering a space larger than the top 
of a peck measure. The runners which 
start out beyond this bunch arc cut off. 
Lime on Pasture. 
Will lime on a pasture lot benefit it any? 
There was a lot of sour grass on this land 
last year. I had it manured two years ago, 
and seeded in Timothy and clover, but it 
seems to lack something. Will lime (air 
slaked) benefit the hay field? P. F. B. 
Long Island. 
We have received only partial and slow 
results from spreading lime on top of a 
sod and leaving it there. The right way 
to use lime is to work it into the soil. This 
can be done after a fashion by spreading on 
the sod and scratching over with a spike 
harrow, but results from this are greatly 
inferior to plowing or chopping the soil and 
then liming. The lime will help when used 
as you suggest, but this is not the best 
way to put it on. 
Clearing Rough Land. 
I should be glad to know the best way 
of cleariug land of stone weighing from j 
say 50 to 150 pounds each, and of saplings 
and young trees measuring from two to 
four inches in diameter. si. B.. 
Bayonne, N. J. 
We haul such stones away on a stone 
boat and dump them into ditches. For 
smaller stones a rake of some kind ought 
to be used. We expect to try a clam rake 
—which looks as if it might work. For 
trees of that size we would dig with a 
grub hoe. 
Paixt on Apple Tkees. —Your corre¬ 
spondents who report injury to apple trees 
by painting with white lead and oil evi¬ 
dently applied a solid coat of the material. 
To apply an even coat of paint on a tree ' 
requires a thick paint and a heavy appli- ' 
cation; this is likely to cause injury. Four J 
years ago a young apple orchard planted in ! 
a new clearing was being badly injured by 
the gnawing of mice and rabbits. We ap¬ 
plied a light coat of white lead and oil 
merely streaking the bark, covering barely 
one-third of the surface. The gnawing im¬ 
mediately ceased. In the Fall of the third 
year, thereafter the rodents renewed their 
nibbling, and we gave the trees another 
light application of paint, and have suf¬ 
fered no further injury to date. One appli¬ 
cation seems effective for two years. No 
Injury to the trees, from the paiut, was 
observable. We are not sure that this light 
covering of paint will discourage borers, as 
we have little trouble with them on either 
painted or unpainted trees. 
New Jersey. J. e. kuhns. 
Timothy Grass Killed.- —In September 
we had a discussion regarding a Timothy 
meadow in Indiana on which the grass 
died out in large patches. Various themes 
were advanced to account for this failure. 
Our guess was that the grass stood too 
long and was then cut too closely, thus 
injuring the little “bulb” near the root of 
the Timothy plant. The owner of the field 
now writes : 
“I am satisfied that your own theory is 
the correct one. The grass was cut just 
after a rain succeeded by great heat, and 
it was cut too closely. The soil is uni¬ 
form, the season was not dry and the field 
is well drained, so the premises of your 
experts are not good and their conclusion 
incorrect. The grass was dead ripe, as 
rain had prevented cutting earlier, and 
the crowns were exposed and scalded.” 
THIS CALK IN A SHOE 
SAVES $5.00 FOR YOU 
I T is the Ring-Point—the improved “Tool Steel Center.” It will 
outwear any other calk and is self-sharpening. Stop right now 
paying money for the old-fashioned sharpening of your horses’ 
shoes. It is expensive and consumes too much time. Ring-Points 
can be put on in a few minutes and stay sharp right down to the 
shoe. . This is due to the wedge shape center of genuine tool steel. 
Don’t waste your money on wire-pin centers which often drop out but 
go to your horseshoer today and get a box of 
Rowe RING-POINT Calks 
If they don’t prove satisfactory return them with the label on the box and this ad and 
get your money hack. If you can’t buy them send us your horsesboer’s name and address 
with the size and quantity you want, and we will have you supplied at the regular price. 
We will send you a free valuable book-, 
let, "300 Short Stories for Home-owner x.” First 
ten requests from each town -null be accom¬ 
panied by split samples of Ring-Point and 
wire-pin center calks. WRITE AT ONCE. 
THE ROWE CALK SELLING CO., 
4700 MECHANIC STREET. -:- HARTFORD, CONN. 
HOltSESH OEltS PROTECTED 
WORE 130 DAYS, 2,470 MILES 
Glen. N. Y., April 1L 
The Rowe Calk Selling Co., Hartford, Conn. 
Dear Sirs: I have Riven your calks a thorough trial. 
I used them on the horse ISO days, S.170 miles, on all 
kinds of roads, driving the stage from Charleston tQ 
Glen, Fulton vibe and Fonda and’back, 19 miles. They 
are the best calks I ever used, give longer nervier and 
wear sharper. Yours truly, Cady Davis. 
R. F. D. No. 1. 
The Ireland Straight-Line Drag 
Sawing Machine 
THIS sawing rig fills a long felt 
* want for sawing large timber. 
It is ample, durable and the most 
practical straight-line sawing rig on the market. 
We also make circular saw rigs, saw and shingle mills. 
Get our prices on canvas belting, they will surprise you. 
Write for hill information and prices. 
IRELAND MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY. 
14 State Street, NORWICH. NEW YORK. 
v; K want every community to 
W rrair/.e the advantages of us¬ 
ing Ann Arbor Gasoline Lamps. We 
will, for aahort time, send on recoipt 
of $1 00 our Model 114 lamp,as shown in 
the cut, in brass or oxidised copper, pre- 
r id. to any part of U. S. Give 100 can- 
power light at cost of less than %c. per 
hour. If not satisfactory return after 30 days 
and we will refund money. We mean exactly 
this. Kefs, Dun or Bradstreet. Agent* wanted. 
Send" for complete catalog. Superior Mlg. 
<Jo., 305 Second Street, Ann Arbor, Mich. 
Price $10 and Up> 
Earn $10 a day and more, easily, 
sawing firewood, lumber, lath, posts, 
etc., for yourself and neighbors with a 
Hertzler & Zook 
Portable Wood Saw 
Fully Guaranteed for One Year 
The Hertzler & Zook is the cheapest and best 
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other saws to operate because 
the stick sits low and the 
saw draws it on as soon 
as you start work. It is 
the only saw made, sel!- 
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table can be added. Write for 
circular and save money. 
Hertzler A Zook Co., Box 3 
iiollcvLlle, Fa. 
HANDY BINDER 
JUST the thing for preserving files of 
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The RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
409 Pearl Street, New York City 
Extra Offer! 
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