io 
January 3, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
FILBERTS IN MONTANA.^ 
I have been a reader of The R. N.-Y. 
for many years, and always found it in¬ 
teresting and instructive. I just read 
H. A. F.’s article on page 1272 in re¬ 
gard to growing filberts, and as I have 
been interested in that question for some 
time, I would like to ask for some in¬ 
formation. Last Spring I wrote the Agri¬ 
cultural Department at Washington for 
information on growing filberts, but they 
said they had not studied the question of 
growing them in this section. So far as 
I know there is no kind of nuts growing 
either wild or cultivated here. I am lo¬ 
cated in what is called the Swan Valley, 
between the Mission and Kootenai ranges 
of the Rocky Mountains, near the Swan 
River, between the lake of that name 
and Flathead Lake, altitude about 3.000 
feet, country pretty much covered with 
forest of pine, fir and tamarack. Apples, 
plums and cherries grow finely here, and 
I never saw better strawberries than can 
be raised here, although I have lived near 
the berry section of Norfolk, Va. But 
our market facilities are poor, as we are 
23 miles from railroad, so it is necessary 
for us to grow something that can be 
marketed at leisure. I have always 
thought some variety of nuts on the farm 
would be a sound investment. Could you 
tell me whether nuts would grow in this 
locality? I would like to try filberts, as 
I think they would more nearly suit this 
locality than any other kind; but would 
like to hear from some one who has ex¬ 
perience with them. Would it be best 
to get the nuts and plant them, or would 
you advise getting the seedlings? Where 
can I get them and when is the best 
time to plant? Our climate is very good, 
no bad storms, and the thermometer sel¬ 
dom goes below 10 deg. in the Winter, 
although down in the open country it 
gets considerably colder, snow gets deep 
back in the mountains, while here it will 
average about two feet on the level. 
Big Fork, Mont. m. o. e. 
It is almost a certainty that the filbert 
will flourish in the region where M. O. 
E. lives in Montana. I know that it is 
not very far west of there that the wild 
hazel of the Pacific Coast is abundant, 
and in the same region I have seen the 
European hazel or filbert growing and 
bearing without any signs of the blight 
that affects it in the Eastern States. 
It would be well to plant some of the 
named varieties of the filberts offered for 
sale by the western nurserymen. It is 
also quite certain that the chestnut and 
Persian walnut will succeed in that part 
of Montana described, for the Winters 
are comparatively mild and all seasons of 
the year free from violent changes. These 
nut trees should be given a good trial 
there. h. e. van dejian. 
AN EXPERIENCE WITH SULPHUR. 
[Last Spring we invited our readers to 
try experiments with sulphur used on 
potatoes and other crops. Some of them 
did so, and we print herewith the first 
report.] 
About a year ago there were articles in 
The R. N.-Y. about experiments with 
sulphur on different crops at the experi¬ 
ment stations, so I thought I would like 
to try sulphur in a small way. I got two 
barrels (520 pounds). First I scattered 
one barrel on the mangel patch (three- 
eighths of an acre; from this I saw no 
results whatever, perhaps due to the long 
dry weather. Next, when we cut the 
potatoes we sifted the sulphur on the 
cut p‘‘ces, after first soaking the whole 
potatoes in formalin. When nearly 
through cutting we decided to leave a 
few separate from those we put sulphur 
on to see if there was any noticeable dif¬ 
ference We planted Irish Cobbler, Mil¬ 
ler’s Favorite and Carman, all being sul¬ 
phured except the last half of the Car¬ 
man. I used with the drill 800 pounds 
kainit on 1% acre, then about 1.600 
pounds of potato fertilizer, about 2-5-10. 
We cultivated and hoed, and had 
a very nice clean piece; did not spray 
but used sulphur and air-slaked lime 
with Paris green for bugs, going over the 
piece with a sifter once. The blight be¬ 
gan its work in the Cobbler and the first 
half of the Carman early, but worked on 
only occasionally a hill to start on, so 
that about half of these two were yet 
green at the time of the early frost, Sep¬ 
tember 9. The Miller’s Favorite had 
sulphur on, but were green at the time of 
the frost. The last half of the Carmans 
that had no sulphur were also green at 
the time of the frost. Last year our pota¬ 
toes v ere quite scabby, hence the using 
of the formalin. When we came to dig 
we ha 1 very nice smooth tubers but not 
large on account of blight and frost, but 
nice market size, the Cobbler and Miller’s 
Favorite being nicest. There was not a 
single scab where the sulphur was used, 
but when we dug the Carman, that had 
not been sulphured there were a few 
scabby ones, but the yield was much 
larger. I think if I had not used sul¬ 
phur the yield would have been much 
larger, but the tubers would not have 
been so nice. Also, if I had plant¬ 
ed all Miller’s Favorite we would have 
harvested 100 bushels more potatoes, as 
they yielded better and were larger. Con¬ 
clusion, no sulphur for me next year, ex¬ 
cept with lime and Paris green on tops 
for bugs. e. P. F. 
West Kortright, N. Y. 
COST OF HEATING FIXTURES. 
How much more will it cost me to put 
heating fixtures in my house of six rooms 
that I am building than if I put none 
in? I cannot understand why one con¬ 
tractor can put up a house of the same 
size, and just as good, for three or four 
hundred dollars less than another. 
Suffern, N. Y. g. C. 
Assuming that two houses are built 
equally well so far as workmanship is 
concerned, the additional cost of one over 
the other is apt to be due to one of two 
things, the type of heating system in¬ 
stalled or the way in which the house is 
finished inside. The different woods used 
for finishing vary greatly in their cost 
from the cheapest, knotty fir to the rich¬ 
est grained oak and mahogany. Some 
woods which look equally well vary great¬ 
ly in first cost, and only experts can tell 
the difference between them when varn¬ 
ished while, obviously, if they arc paint¬ 
ed no person can tell which is which 
by mere observation. It makes a differ¬ 
ence, too, whether or not a carpenter is 
allowed to use short pieces or pieces with 
knots in them. Particularly with hard¬ 
wood floors some owners insist that only 
straight grained pieces must be used, and 
that there must be no piecing of the 
strips in the floor, but every strip must 
go the whole width. This, of course, is 
expensive. Some builders use 2x3-inch 
joists for the walls, thus making thinner 
walls than when the regulation 3x4-inch 
joists are used. This is a cheaper con¬ 
struction and, while it may be all bright, 
it should not be done without the con¬ 
sent of the owner. Some contractors 
will not stoop to slighting a job, and in¬ 
sist on putting in the sized joists and 
beams which experience has shown them 
are proper. Such contractors have to 
charge more for the job. 
As for the heating of a house, there are 
three common systems, and many are the 
advocates of each. There is no doubt 
that hot air is the cheapest form of heat. 
A six-room house can have a hot air 
system properly installed for between 
$200 and $250. A system can be in¬ 
stalled for less than this, but if properly 
designed for more economical consump¬ 
tion of coal, provision being made to 
prevent any waste of heat, ventilation 
being provided for, and care being taken 
that the fumes from the fire cannot enter 
the air pipes, $250 will be about the 
cost, and in some sections of the coun¬ 
try even more than this. For an equally 
well installed steam system the cost will 
be in the neighborhood of $450. A hot 
water system will cost slightly more than 
this, if properly designed. On the other 
hand, some contractors will put a hot¬ 
air system in a six-room house for as 
low as $80 and a hot water plant for 
less than $300. As you say, it would be 
interesting to have the experiences of 
some readers on this proposition, includ¬ 
ing the amount of coal burned last year 
and the number of rooms which were 
kept heated, and what provision is made 
in their system for a regular supply of 
fresh air. b. p. c. 
WAYNE COUNTY, N.Y., FRUIT MATTERS 
With a general advance of from two to 
three cents a pound since the season 
opened, evaporated apples now promise to 
redeem some of the prestige lost last sea¬ 
son, when the cold storages rather than 
the marts of trade received so much of 
the finished product. Ruling warehouse 
quotations now are as follows: Prime, 
7% to 8 cents per pound; choice, 844 to 
9 cents; fancy 9 to 10 cents; waste, 2(4 
cents; chops, 2(4 cents. The market is 
firm at every point. Many claim that the 
upward movement has just started, and 
that further heavy advances are in store. 
It is estimated that there are not to exceed 
500 or 600 cars of the evaporated fruit, 
both old and new left in the hands of the 
dealers. The estimate on waste is based 
at 150 cars. The evaporators have had 
a short run, though the year has been 
profitable to all except those who sold 
short early in the season. The high 
prices at which fresh apples have been 
sold have given much stimulation to the 
movement of the dried product. 
Considerable interest is manifest in 
fruit circles in the experimental work be¬ 
ing conducted by the Government in con¬ 
verting cider into syrup that will ip 
itself be a profitable product on the mar¬ 
ket as well as a product that can later be 
converted into its former stage of sweet 
cider by the addition of water. The pro¬ 
cess requires the extraction of water from 
the cider by centrifugal action, leaving 
only one-third water mixed wtih the sol¬ 
ids. It requires about three days to 
freeze the cider properly before it goes 
into the machine for the first time after 
being ground fine, and this course is re¬ 
peated twice in order to extract the great 
bulk of water. The syrup is delicious. A 
number of two quart jars, sealed by the 
vacuum process, will be placed in stor¬ 
age by the. Government for further ex¬ 
perimental purposes. The syrup is slow 
to ferment and when placed in storage 
will keep for a long time. II. C. Gore, 
expert chemist of the Department of 
Agriculture, has had marked success this 
Fall with condensed cider experiments in 
the Ilood River district. 
Cows $50 to $85; hogs $12 per hun¬ 
dred. dressed ; calves $12 to $14. dressed ; 
hay $15 per ton: straw $10 to $12; milk 
20 cents per gallon, 2 cents off for fregiht 
to Pittsburgh; potatoes $1 to $1.10; corn 
60 to 70: oats 50 to 60; wheat $1.00 to 
$1.10; butter 35 to 38; eggs 45 to 48; 
chickens 12.to 14, and very slow sale in 
this market. o. L. c. 
Celia, Pa. 
Fresh cows from $75 to $90; cows com¬ 
ing fresh in the Spring from $40 to $55; 
fed calves, about six months old, from 
$15 to $20. No movement in potatoes at 
present; in fact, there has not been any 
to speak of this Fall, buyers offering 
about 69. • Fresh eggs 40. Our butter is 
sold through a co-operative creamery, 
which is bringing us about 35 cents per 
pound. Apples about $1 per bushel, but 
no crop; onions $1.25; No. 1 Timothy 
hay $8 to $10 per ton in the barn. 
Corry, Pa. j. B . c. 
Corn is_being bought at the elevators 
at from 65 to 68 cents per bushel of 68 
pounds, or about 93 cents per hundred 
pounds. Wheat to-day (Dec. 18) is 
being bought at 93 cents per bushel. Oats 
very scarce, as we raise but very few. 
Extra good fat cattle will bring $7.75, 
but they must be good. Inferior would 
not rate so high as that. Stock cattle 
are being bought for $5 to $5.50 and $6 
per hundred pounds. Hogs are quoted at 
$7; good ones $7.25. Butter 26; eggs 
30; chickens 10% per pound. Turkeys 
almost eliminated. The growing crop of 
wheat is certainly looking fine. Apples 
$1 per bushel, and some are higher than 
that, but $1 is an average price. N. p. 
Circleville, O. 
Following are the prices at New Ha¬ 
ven. seven miles east of Fort Wayne, the 
county seat. Some are a little better 
than Fort Wayne pays. Corn, new, 80 
cents per cwt. at elevators; wheat 92 a 
bushel; oats 37; rye 57 ; barley 50; Tim¬ 
othy hay No. 1 $12; mixed hay $10 to 
$11; clover $8 to $9; straw $5, baled; 
baling costs $1.50 a ton; clover seed 
$8.25 : Timothy seed $2.50 eggs 28; but¬ 
ter 30; chickens 10 to 11; steers $7 per 
cwt.; veal $10; hogs $7.25; sheep $2 to 
$5; lamb $6.50 to 7; potatoes 70. Last 
car of Michigan potatoes that I know of 
sold about a month ago for 70 cents, f.o.b 
Fort Wayne. Potato conditions are poor 
stock, does not keep well nor sell well ; 
few people bought Winter supplies, ex¬ 
pecting price to go lower. Good apples 
are as scarce as fresh eggs were in No¬ 
vember, poor in color and quality; best 
stock brings $5 per barrel and not what 
I would call fancy. Commission men get 
$1.25 and $1.50 per bushel basket for a 
NO. 1 apple. Fancy or best stock that 
cost dealer $5 per barrel retails at 60 
cents a peck, or five and six cents per 
pound, and not all the apples are sound 
at that, so that a dealer makes very little 
on that stock. h. n. 
New Haven, Ind. 
1 
Let KODAK 
add interest and zest 
to your winter eve¬ 
nings. 
Make the most of the fun 
of flash-light work and the 
fascination of developing 
and printing. 
No dark room by the 
Kodak system — and every 
step simple, easy, under¬ 
standable. 
Get a copy of our interesting and instruetive 
little book "At Home with the Kodak.” It shows 
many Kodak home portraits and how to make 
them. Free at your dealers, or by mail. 
EASTMAN KODAK CO. 
387 State St., Rochester, N. Y., 
The Kodak Cify. 
’HUNTERS--TRAPPERS 
If you want an ideal lamp for night fishing, trap¬ 
ping, hunting or for work about farm or machin¬ 
ery, send to-day for a 
Baldwin Lamp 
Proiecisa 11 camile power lleht 150 feet. 
Burns Acetylene Gas. Weight 6 oz. 
in. Can be earned in band 
or worn on cap or belt, leaving bom 
bands tree. Mo oil, soot or class. Ab¬ 
solutely safe and simple. Fifty hours 
bright Itcbt costs 95c. Useful as well 
during Automobile repnlrlug. Catalogue 
free ami tnstnn live booklet, ‘Knotsand 
ilow to Tie Them’’ mailed on request. 
At all dealers or by JOHN SIMMONS CO. 
mail prepaid-$1.00 ^43 Leonard St. NewYorkClty 
LET US TAN 
YOUR HIDE. 
Cattle or Horse hide. Calf, Dog, Deer 
oranykiiulof skin with hair or tur on. 
Wo tan and finish them right ; make 
them into coats tfor men and women), 
rohes,rugs or gloves when ordered. 
v our fur goods will cost you less than 
to „uy them, and be worth more. Our 
illustratod catalog gives a lot of in 
formation which every stock raiser 
should have, but we neversend out this 
valuable book except upon request. 
It tells how to take otr and care for 
bides; how and when wo pay tho freight 
both ways ; about our safe dyeing pro¬ 
cess which is a tremendous advantage 
to the customer, especially on horso 
hides and calf skins ; about the fur 
goods and game trophies we sell, taxi¬ 
dermy, etc. If you w ant a copy send us 
your correct address. 
The Crosby Frisian Fur Company, 
571 Lyell Ave.. Rochester. N. Y. 
SKUNKS AND ALL 
OTHER FURS 
We want them. If you have 
never written to us for a price 
list, do so at once and be kept 
posted throughout the season. 
We want Furs from the East¬ 
ern States and Canada only. 
CHARLES A. KAUNE 
Tr*de Jl.rk. 284 Bridge Montgomery, N. Y. 
HANDY BINDER 
Just the thing 
for preserv¬ 
ing files of 
The Rural New Yorker. Durable and 
cheap. Sent postpaid for 25 cents. 
The Rural New-Yorker, 333 West 30th St., N. Y, 
We 
Want 
Your 
FURS 
You want good prices. Liberal assortment 
and prompt returns. Therefore send at 
once for price list and ship to 
M. F. Pfaelzer & Co., 
110 W. 29th St. (Desk 22), 
New York City. 
Ttlarlin 
New 
Model 
REPEATING RIFLE 
.25 Rim Fire—for all game 
smaller than deer. Uses car 
tridges of surprising accu 
racy up to 200 yards, 
powerful and reli¬ 
able but cheap 
because rim- 
fire. 
Rifle with 
round barrel 
$13.15 
Shots 
Made 
in .25-20 
and .32-20 cal¬ 
ibres also; octa¬ 
gon barrel only; $ 1 5. 
Use both regular and 
high velocity cartridges. 
Powerful enough for deer, safe 
to use in settled districts, excellent for 
target work, foxes, geese, woodchucks, etc. 
Its exclusive features : the quick, smooth working “p'jntp” ac- 
nod; the wear-resisting Special Smokeless Steel barrel; the modem 
Solid-top and side ejector lot rapid, accurate firing, increased safety 
and convenience. It has take-Jown construction and Ivory Bead 
front sight; these cost extra on other rifles of these calibres. 
Our 128 page catalog describes the full 77J(irf//X 
line. Sent for three stamps postage. Write for it. 
77/e777ar//n 7$rearms Go. conn* 
