iii-a 
age will more than pay for the tile. Another ad¬ 
vantage is the fact that there are few if any costs for 
repairs in the horse machine. 
No one disputes that proper tile drainage is bene¬ 
ficial to the farmer, and productive of great results in 
increased crops. Properly drained land will return to 
the farmer tire cost of drainage in increased crops, but 
many farmers feel handicapped in doing their tiling 
on account of the outlay of money required; for this 
reason some do a small amount at a time and others 
put off their tiling operations until they feel able to 
invest a large amount of money, thus either never get¬ 
ting it done at all or greatly delaying the work. The 
first cost of the machine would be saved to the aver¬ 
age farmer in every 40 acres he tiled, figuring the 
trenches on an average depth of two feet, while deeper 
trenches would make a greater saving per acre. Most 
farmers after completing their own work, or at odd 
times, could cut trenches for their neighbors at a 
fair price. A fanner would not think of renting a 
binder, mower, plow, hayrake or other implement 
when he can own one, and more than save its cost in 
its operation. Without the machinery now in use on 
farms the farmer would be helpless on account of 
the scarcity and high cost of labor. The ditching ma¬ 
chine, as all other modern machinery for the farmer’s 
use, makes the farmer independent of help and gives 
him an opportunity to take his horses and go into the 
field and cut a few hundred rods of tile ditch whenever 
he has the time. dean Knickerbocker. 
UTILIZING OLD CASTINGS. 
In regard to repairs for broken castings on farm 
machinery, concerning which more or less has recently 
been written, I would suggest that in most cases if 
the broken casting be cleaned and filed up reasonably 
smooth and taken to any local foundry, a casting would 
be made for perhaps four or five cents per pound, and 
the casting obtained quicker and perhaps cheaper than 
if sent for to the factory. In case a shrinkage at the 
rate of about one-eighth inch per foot would not be 
permissible, this may generally be taken care of by 
placing a slip of wood or pasteboard of the proper 
thickness at the proper place on casting before it is 
moulded up. In case the casting has been machined, 
stock for machinery should in like manner be added by 
laying a one-eighth-inch thick strip of wood in the 
proper place when same is moulded. Nearly all classes 
of castings except large or worn-out gears and engine 
cylinders may be used in this way for patterns, and 
are of almost daily occurrence in any large factory. 
Should the casting seem difficult or if the owner does 
not understand how to utilize same for pattern, he may 
take the casting to any pattern shop and ask the fore¬ 
man for advice. In 99 cases out of 100, this will be 
cheerfully given. In case there is any difficult core 
work, it would perhaps be advisable to hire a pattern¬ 
maker to prepare the work for the foundry. There 
are thousands of dollars thrown away in broken or 
worn machinery which could be repaired in this way 
for less than one-tenth their value. H. N. tuttee. 
Michigan. _ 
MORE ABOUT PARCELS POST. 
Comparison With Foreign Rates and Earnings. 
It is a very evident fact that the parcels post busi¬ 
ness must fill a general want in all countries in which 
it has been established, or else it would never have 
been extended to what it is to-day. The regularity 
with which the system works and the low rates charged 
cause it to be of untold benefit to both rural and city 
residents. In the United Kingdom over 70 million 
parcels are delivered annually through the mails. This 
shows plainly how much the system is appreciated 
and patronized. A good business man never maintains 
prices at a prohibitive point if he wants to increase 
his trade and ultimately his profits also. This is ex¬ 
actly what is done in this country, or rather what 
they have been doing for a long time. Here is a com¬ 
parison of the rates of different countries, taking 12 
ounces to the pound: 
Maximum 
Minimum 
Charge 
weight of 
charge for 
for 11 
parcel 
a parcel 
* lbs. 
Switzerland . 
. no 
.03 
$0.08 
The Netherlands. 
. il 
.06 
.10 
Austria . 
. no 
.06 
.12 
Germany . 
. no 
.06 
.13 
Belgium . 
. 132 
.30 
.16 
France . 
oo 
.12 
.16 
Chile . 
. 31 
.10 
.37 
Italy . 
. 11 
.12 
.20 
Great Britain . 
. 11 
.06 
22 
Cuba . 
. 11 
.10 
.46 
Australia . 
. 11 
.12 
.72 
United States . 
. 4 
.01 
1.32 
This table shows 
that our rates are very 
much 
higher than any other country. Twelve ounces to the 
pound are used for reasons of comparison. Taking 
16 ounces, which really constitutes a pound, it will 
cost at our rate $1.76 for 11 pounds. I merely give this 
point to avoid confusion in the weight and rates. 
You will note that the countries carrying the largest 
sizes of packages, who are the most liberal, charge 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the lowest rates. Germany carries packages of 110 
pounds, is the most liberal in collections and deliver¬ 
ies, and still has the third largest surplus in the list. 
The United States carries the smallest package, 
charges the highest rate, and has a deficit for its 
share. A study of the above table will suggest many 
ways of adjusting the rates for a parcels post. All 
express companies have a minimum charge at which 
they will carry' packages; no matter what the weight 
or the distance, a charge of 25 cents is made. All 
the countries having a parcels post do the same thing. 
Bv raising or lowering this minimum charge for a 
package the profitable shipments can be made to pay 
for all the unprofitable ones. 
A compilation by the International Postal Bureau 
shows in 1903 tire following surpluses in other coun¬ 
tries : 
Surplus 
Great Britain . $22,581.090.00 
Russia. 15,054.000.00 
Germany. .. 14,668,000.00 
France. . ....-. 14,489,000.00 
Spain. ..... .. 3,088,000.00 
Hungary. 2,895,000.00 
Belgium... 2,509,000.00 
Japan.-. 2,316,000.00 
The Netherlands . 965,000.00 
Italy. 272,000.00 
The United States is the only one of the great na¬ 
tions of the world which does not derive a surplus 
revenue from its postal service. Here is the deficit of 
our Post Office Department for a period of five years: 
For 1902 the deficit was under.$3,000,000.00 
“ 1903 “ “ “ about 4,500.000.00 
“ 1904 “ “ “ over 8.500.000.00 
“ 1905 “ “ “ “ 14,500.000.00 
“ 1908 “ “ “ “ 17,000,000.00 
While our Department charges a far higher rate 
than any one of the other countries, they have a sur¬ 
plus, while we have a deficit which exceeds any one 
of these surpluses except one. Also the last table 
shows a large increase in deficits over any preceding 
year. If this loss In revenue keeps on in the conning 
A CROP OF PRIZETAKER ONIONS. Fig. 475. 
years, and it will if the express companies control 
things as they are now doing, there is but one thing 
to expect; an enormous advance in the rates for 
second-class mail matter. This will mean carrying 
at cost, which is eight cents per pound as figured by 
the Department. We will then have to pay eight 
times as much as we are now doing, and this will 
surely and unavoidably raise the price of subscription 
of all periodicals. Let the Department debar from 
the mails all papers not strictly complying with or 
coming under the existing laws, so as to give this low 
rate only to those for whom it was first intended, and 
not for papers which are run primarily for inserting 
fake advertisements which no self-respecting paper 
will print. Many of these papers have been stopped, 
and bnt for the fact that we are losing the whole 
package business to the express companies, except 
the unprofitable hauls, we would have a surplus or 
at least an even balancing of accounts. “In the year 
ended June 30, 190S, the weight of second-class mat¬ 
ter compared to 1907 decreased 18,000,000 pounds, the 
postal expenditures increased $18,000,000.” A large 
part or all the deficit is blamed on second-class mat¬ 
ter; however this makes it plain that there is some¬ 
thing else in it besides second-class matter. It is the 
fact that we allow the express companies to rob us 
of all the profitable shipments. The more this sub¬ 
ject is studied the more evident the fact becomes that 
this is so. , 
Every session of Congress we are expending enor¬ 
mous sums of money for new post office buildings, 
which have ample capacity for carrying on an increase 
in business. We have the facilities for handling an 
increase in mail matter which the parcels post would 
give, and at no outlay whatever for a long time in 
this respect. Rural delivery was established as an ex¬ 
periment in 1896. Now 38,000 carriers deliver mails 
December 3, 
to 3,400,,000 families at a cost of $35,000,000. This 
branch of the service has been established at a great 
cost, and only a small increase in revenue, but the 
most rigid economist would not dare suggest to set it 
aside. As stated In' a member of the House Commit- 
tee on Post Offices, each rural delivery route in the 
country takes out of the treasury $75 per month and 
puts back $11.50. This is a loss of $762 per year upon 
each route, or more than $2S,O0O,0Q0 for the system. 
The money to pay for the service must come from the 
revenues of the Department or from the general 
treasury. 
The rural delivery is a natural adjunct of the parcels 
post. Many routes carry very small amounts of mail, 
and not one would have to be extended to be able to 
carry' all the matter produced by the addition of a 
parcels post system. The additional revenue produced 
would easily wipe out the deficit and pay for all the 
free matter of the departments besides. Under the 
present system yon either pay the high rates of post¬ 
age charged if under four pounds, or send by ex¬ 
press; if over four pounds you have no choice. You 
have to make a trip to the express office if you re¬ 
ceive or send, and in many cases this is extremely 
inconvenient and unsatisfactory. With the establish¬ 
ing of a parcels post you can mail or receive your 
package as easily as you do your letter. Any pack¬ 
age which is pronerly wrapped, stamped and mailed 
is never lost. It may be destroyed by fire or wreck, 
but it is not lost from the mails m any other way. 
If it is the desire of the officials of the Department 
to make this branch self-sustaining, let them make the 
necessary recommendations to Congress, with proper 
facts and figures; and then let Congress provide the 
only means to prevent the express companies from 
carrying on the robber business they are now doing, 
unlawfully taking the profits of the Post Office De¬ 
partment and putting them in their own spacious 
pockets. There is but one way for doing this, and 
that is for Congress to establish a parcels post and 
enforce it, b. e. Evans. 
Maryland. _ 
HUNTING FOR CHEAP NITROGEN. 
It is time tie Imtnt for cheap nitrogen should got fierce. 
The one State of Georgia doubled its consumption of fer¬ 
tilizers in 10 years; that is, from 540,000 tons in 1900 to 
1,200.000 tons in 1910, while the increase in that State 
in consmnptkm for 1910 over 1909 is about 33 per cent. 
• See "The American Fertilizer” of October 22, page 21.) 
Where, oh where, is the nitrogen coming from? But 1 do 
not despair -because we are not only going to utilize all 
the by-products which contain nitrogen, but we are going 
to get it from the atmosphere as well as from the great 
coal deposits in the manufacture of coke. 
The above is written by a man of long experience 
with fertilizers. Where is the nitrogen coming from? 
The South should not wait for the scientists and 
manufacturers, but set her own farmers at work grow¬ 
ing more clover, cow peas, Soy beans and vetch. That 
is the most practical way to get nitrogen into the soil. 
The climate of the Southern States gives Southern 
farmers a great opportunity to obtain as a free gift 
practically all the organic nitrogen they need. Their 
soils are growing hard and barren through the ex¬ 
cessive use of chemical fertilizers. By using lime and 
legume crops they can improve the character of their 
soil and cut down their nitrogen bill one half. The 
Southern agricultural departments and experiment 
stations have not done their duty in this respect. A 
share of their income is obtained from the sale of 
fertilizer tags to manufacturers. Whether this has in¬ 
fluenced them or not, they have done little to en¬ 
courage the use of green manuring crops, which are 
to-day the great need of Southern farming. In the 
State of Maine there is another influence which works 
against farming. The railroads appear to discriminate 
against the five stock industry. They want freight and 
their rates are arranged to encourage shipments of 
potatoes and bay out of the State and of fertilizers 
into it. A proper development of the live stock in¬ 
dustry in Maine would prove a great benefit to her 
farmers. Less fertilizer would be needed, more hay 
would be consumed at home, profitable Winter work 
would be provided, and the State would be better for 
It When the railroads have a monopoly of the carry¬ 
ing business in a State they can change its history 
through their freight rates. 
PRIZETAKER ONIONS.—This variety is very 
popular with many small gardeners because of its size 
and beauty and the ease of growing it. We have for 
some years grown Prizetakers by starting the seed in 
cold frames and transplanting the little seedlings in 
May. With good seed, rich ground and thorough care 
some enormous bulbs can be grown. They must be 
seen to be fully appreciated. The picture at Fig. 475 
shows some Prizetakers grown by Everett Jones, of 
New York. He has a piece of ground that was an 
old swamp, and he ditched it and drained it well, and 
now has one of the best garden plots that can be had. 
On a piece of it, 20 feet long by 20 feet wide, he put 
Prizetaker onion seed, and raised 18 bushels of onions, 
some of them weighing 1*4 pound apiece, and over 
half of them as large as the one his little girl holds 
in her lap, which weighed over a pound. This is a 
good way for farmers to bring their old swamps in use. 
