103 4. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
396 
BREEDING STOCK IN RICE. 
We hear about the importation of purebred stock 
from foreign countries for the purpose of improv¬ 
ing our flocks and herds. Tom Barron’s Leghorns 
are coining, and cattle from the Channel Islands, 
and .Scotland, horses from France and Belgium and 
even sheep from Asia to improve the fleece of our 
native sheep and make it pass as fur. This “pure 
blood” is not confined to living animals. There is, 
also, “pure blood” in plants. Agents of the Agricul¬ 
tural Department go all over the world hunting for 
valuable new plants—all the way from Alfalfa to 
water-cress. You might not think it, but some of 
WEST AFRICAN 
RED RICE FOR BREEDING. 
Fig. 166. 
this pure blood is shown in the picture at Fig. 156. 
This is West African red rice. Two plants are 
growing at Crowley, La., as shown In the picture. 
The plant shown has spread to a diameter of nine 
feet. This red rice in its present form may not 
have commercial value in this country, but it may 
be used in hybridizing experiments with our do¬ 
mestic rice. It is possible that by such crossing a 
new type of rice may be developed which will prove 
stronger and hardier. Thus this rice plant may 
be called imported stock for breeding. 
HILL STRAWBERRIES AND FERTILIZER. 
We have frequently been asked to tell how straw¬ 
berry plants grow in the hill system. The picture 
at Fig. 157, taken from Bulletin 113 of the Mis¬ 
souri Experiment Station, gives a very good idea 
of the matter. Our plants grown in hills present 
just about this appearance when they are dug up. 
Under this system the plants are set equal distances 
apart. Formerly we set such plants three feet each 
way, but 2*4 feet seems a more practical distance. 
They are well cultivated, working noth ways with 
the horse, and also hand-lioed. The runners are 
chopped off as they appear, unless it may be that 
four or five strong plants are put down at equal 
distances from the parent plant, and well hoed 
around it. When runners are kept chopped off the 
plant grows about as shown in the picture, with a 
large number of crowns grouped or bunched to- 
IIILL OF STRAWBERRIES. Fig. 157. 
getlier. When such a plant is fruited it will make 
a spread on the ground as large or larger than a 
peck measure, and on good soil, and with fair 
culture, the yield is frequently enormous. There 
is a good deal of labor about this system, and cer¬ 
tain varieties are better for hill growing than 
others. Most growers prefer to let the runners 
grow, and thus make a matted row of plants. 
In the bulletin mentioned experiments were made 
and it seems clear that this removing the fruit 
stems early in the season. The result of this cut¬ 
ting out was an increase in the number of runners, 
and it seems clear that this removing the fruits 
stems on young plants, certainly hastened the be¬ 
ginning of runner formation, which, of course, with 
the plant grower would be an advantage. As for 
the use of fertilizer, where nitrogen was used in the 
Spring, the plant was forced into a very vigorous 
growth. Runner formation was increased, and 
there were fewer plants set. This has been our 
own experience in applying nitrate of soda in the 
Spring. The plants are forced into a larger growth, 
and the berries are of good size. But this nitrogen 
seems to stimulate the plants so that the crop is 
really smaller than it would be without the nitrogen, 
in Missouri the experiment showed that acid phos¬ 
phate gave a profitable increase with strawberries. 
There was little return from potash, either in crop 
or in quality. Nitrogen applied one year before 
the crop is harvested gave fair results, dried 
blood seeming to be better than nitrate of soda. 
When the nitrogen was applied in the Spring of 
bearing, it did not give satisfactory results. 
“ A FARM IN VERMONT.” 
We are seriously considering the purchase of a 240- 
acre farm in Vermont—100 acres tillable, 50 acres 
pasture. The farm is on the southern slope of a 
mountain, and has an elevation of 1,000 feet. Our idea 
is to sot out an apple orchard of several thousand trees, 
and while the orchard is “making good” to go into the 
poultry business, as we have had quite a lot of exper¬ 
ience with raising chickens. We would also have either 
beef cattle or milch cows and probably a Hock of sheep. 
Do you consider the location a good one for a commer¬ 
cial apple orchard and for poultry? As we shall want 
to do some general farming and are perfect greenhorns, 
we would greatly appreciate it if you would make out 
a list of just what machinery we ought to have to get 
our crops in and out of the ground with the least ex¬ 
penditure of time and effort. As there will be only two 
men on the farm we want the implements that do things 
in the latest style, and we want to start in with the 
proper equipment, but no frills. We all love to work 
and fancy we shall be satisfied in that respect on this 
farm. Do you think we can make a -"go” of it? 
New Jersey. k. d. a. 
Given a 240-acre farm in Vermont, 100 acres till¬ 
able, 50 acres pasture and the remainder assumed 
to be woodland, what advice may he given by let¬ 
ter to the prospective purchasers of such a farm 
(who are self-nominated perfect greenhorns) as to 
how to proceed to develop an orchard on this farm 
and make a living in the meantime, what machinery 
to buy to do the work efficiently, etc.? Since the 
prospective buyers of this farm live outside of Ver¬ 
mont I would advise them, first of all, to visit this 
farm in the Spring, when the ground is bare of 
snow, and satisfy themselves that the farm is as 
represented. I would advise them to talk with dis¬ 
interested persons in the neighborhood about the 
farm, and get all the information possible concern¬ 
ing it. I would advise a person never to buy a farm 
at a distance, which he has never seen, on the word 
of a party unknown to him, unless information is 
obtained from disinterested parties of known re¬ 
sponsibility. Many erases that have come to my no¬ 
tice of disappointment and failure would have been 
avoided had these precautions been followed. 
This question is also hard to answer, because no 
information is given as to the financial ability of the 
purchasers. If sufficient capital can be commanded 
it would, of course, be best for an experienced per¬ 
son to at once plant out an orchard of the size de¬ 
sired. But for an inexperienced person with capital 
to do this would be to invite a chance of failure and 
for an inexperienced person with short capital to 
do it would be to invite disaster. I would advise 
the planting of a few acres for the first year in or¬ 
der that experience might be gained. 
I would pick out some of the land best suited to 
orcharding and set out the trees, after having 
plowed the land deeply and having thoroughly har¬ 
rowed the soil. Not, however, being an orchardist, 
1 do not feel competent to give specific advice in this 
connection. I would raise between trees some crops 
in order to pay the expense of cultivation. Potatoes, 
beans or a low-growing flint corn might be used for 
this purpose. That portion of the meadow land 
which was well seeded with clover or grasses I 
would top-dress with chemicals. A dressing of 250 
pounds per acre applied in the early Spring, about 
the time the grass begins to start, of a fertilizer 
made up of 3,000 pounds of nitrate of soda. 700 
pounds of acid phosphate, 300 pounds of muriate of 
potash, would give a great stimulus to the grass 
crop. The portions of the meadow which did not 
give promise of a good crop of grass I would plow 
and sow a part to oats or barley and plant corn 
on the rest. 
These are simply suggestions as to how the land 
may be handled in order to raise crops which may 
he used in feeding stock and poultry, although this 
may not he the best way of handling it. I dislike 
nothing so much as to give advice of this nature at 
long range, without knowing the farm or the cir¬ 
cumstances of the owners, because I feel that such 
advice is not likely to result in all cases in benefit 
to the recipients. Apply to the Extension Depart¬ 
ment of the University of Vermont for advice re¬ 
garding the handling of the farm after possession 
is taken. e. s. brigham. 
“MY FRIEND, THE DOG.” 
Every time we print the word “dog” in The R. 
N.-Y. we seem to start up a combat. Evidently 
there are a large number of people in this world 
who have absolutely no use whatever for a dog. 
These dog haters, for such they may clearly be 
called , believe that a dog has no redeeming quality 
whatever; that he conveys the disease of rabies, that 
he is an untamed, ungrateful and thoroughly use¬ 
less animal, liable to bite and destroy his playmates 
at any time. Others go so far as to say that those 
who keep dogs and make so much of them do so 
because the ignoble nature of the dog prompts him 
to fawn upon such people and give them a sort of 
devotion which they could not possibly command 
AIREDALE TERRIERS AT PLAY. Fig. 158. 
from human beings. They also refer to what they 
call the senseless folly of women who lavish their 
affection and their money upon these useless and 
pampered dogs when there are children lacking 
proper food within gunshot of them. That is one 
side of the story. 
On the other hand, whenever the dog is up, we 
have numberless letters from people who claim that 
the dog in general, their dog in particular, is next to 
the human being in intelligence, devotion and power 
of affection. These people give instances which they 
think prove the position they take. We have letters 
from people who tell how faithful old Dick or Shep 
saved the lives of their children or lost their own 
lives trying to protect their master’s property. Right 
in the same mail will come letters from the dog 
haters who tell of friends stricken with hydrophobia 
which came from the mouth of some useless dog. 
There seems to be no way of reconciling the dog 
lovers and the dog haters and bringing them to¬ 
gether into any fair compromise. It is a fight to 
the death on the part of the dog haters and a de¬ 
fensive fight on the part of the dog lovers. We 
should say that the latter are gaining ground, as 
dogs are bred more carefully and trained with 
greater system. 
As a contribution from the dog lover’s side we 
show the pictures which are given at Figs. 158 and 
151). The owner of these dogs, Mr. Lowder, gives the 
following note about them. Surely here is a case 
where the dog is useful, yet the dog haters will have 
their arguments ready to show the folly of keeping 
these animals around. 
“WORKING LIKE A DOG.” Fig. 159. 
“I thought perhaps it might be of some interest to 
the readers of The R. N.-Y. to know the usefulness 
of the Airedale on the farm. The enclosed pictures 
show my dogs at work. My place is entirely free 
from vermin, they haul my kindling wood, and make 
themselves very useful in general. They are the 
best watch dogs, as I have a poultry plant and 
have never lost a bird from night prowlers, etc. 
They are an all-around dog, and the most teachable 
I have ever owned.” wm, a. lowdeb. 
New Jersey. 
