464 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 21, 
Sweet Clover and Sweet Soil. 
We have a newspaper clipping from 
an Oregon reader which states a new ex¬ 
perience with Sweet clover. A farmer 
lived in what is known as “alkali” land. 
He bought what he supposed was Alfalfa 
seed. It grew and made a fine crop, but 
instead of being Alfalfa it proved to be 
Sweet clover. This substitution proved 
to be a good thing for this farmer, for 
the Alfalfa would not grow on that kind 
of soil. 
We have never tested Sweet clover on 
the Western alkaline soils but probably 
this newspaper clipping is more or less 
accurate. These alkaline soils simply 
contain an excess of what most Eastern 
soils are deficient in, that is lime, dif¬ 
ferent forms of sodium, magnesia and so 
- forth. When they get sufficiently satu¬ 
rated with this alkali, ordinary plants 
refuse to grow in them. We would ex¬ 
pect Melilotus to grow if any plant 
would, because we have no plant that 
relishes lime more than this one does. 
The gist of the matter is that these West¬ 
ern soils, owing to very scanty rainfall, 
and practically no leaching whatever, re¬ 
tain their mineral salts, including the 
lime, magnesia, different forms of soda, 
etc., until they become actually too 
sweet and are called alkaline. 
The clipping as far as it relates to 
alkaline conditions, is of no value to 
farmers living east of the Missouri 
River, because with our liberal rainfall 
and constant leaching, we are deficient 
in these same mineral salts. We would 
expect somewhat similar experience to 
what is related in this clipping, although 
we would have to be shown that dairy 
cows would produce more milk on 
Melilotus hay than they would on Al¬ 
falfa hay. We think they might produce 
as much, but question their doing more. 
It is not accurate, in our opinion, to ex¬ 
pect quite as much hay or at least as 
many cuttings as these farmers expect 
from Melilotus, at least in the corn belt. 
We figure that we are lucky to get a 
light cutting the first year, one heavy 
cutting which must be mown a foot 
high in June the second year, and then 
a moderate seed crop to follow. After 
this the plant dies. chas. b. wing. 
Ohio. 
County Fairs Without Racing. 
A number of years ago you published 
an account of a county fair, I think it 
was in Maine, where no horse racing nor 
any snide game or booth where a person 
would be cheated was allowed on the 
ground. We had a very successful fair 
here last Fall, but the racing and bilk¬ 
ing games were there, and I want to 
start missionary work here to eliminate 
all but square deals. The racing may be 
on the square, but I want that stopped 
also, not on moral grounds, but because 
I think the people’s money could better 
be spent in paying additional premiums 
on useful products. If you could dig up 
that old account of that raceless fair and 
send it to me I think I could make good 
use of it. Here is a summary of the 
financial account of our county fair. 
stable for convenience in Winter. There 
is also an outside entrance in end which 
we close up in Winter. The house is 
concrete side walls five feet high, eight 
inches thick. The roof is arched. We 
used building blocks for roof thinking 
that dead air space would keep frost out, 
but would not do it again, as we covered 
it over with dirt, so the solid concrete 
would have answered and not been so 
expensive. The house is 30 feet long, 12 
wide and eight high. We have never 
had more than 1,200 bushels in at once, 
but think it would hold 1,500. We have 
one chimney in end. In Fall we open 
at night and can cool to within two de¬ 
grees of outside temperature, and close 
up in daytime. From October 20 to 
April 20 we have held the temperature 
at 33 to 36 degrees and there would be 
nearly a week at a time without a frost 
at night. 
We prefer the dirt floor, as it is bet¬ 
ter conductor of moisture, and to keep 
fruit in good shape requires lots of it. 
We have had a little trouble with frost 
coming through the roof, but that can 
be remedied by adding more dirt. A lan¬ 
tern has been all that is required to keep 
it warm enough in Winter, and it was 
only needed a few days. We kept North¬ 
ern Spy apples until July last year, and 
they were as crisp as wnen put in. I 
do not think this could be done with the 
two-story house, as the building above 
is too good a conductor of heat. 
Butler Co., Pa. c. r. Oliver. 
Paterfamilias was admiring a new 
electric motor-car recently purchased by 
a friend, but deplored the fact that as he 
lived in a small town he would have dif¬ 
ficulty in getting it charged were he to 
purchase one like it. Suddenly his small 
son piped out: “Have it charged on the 
grocery bill; that’s what mamma does 
when she wants anything.”—Harper’s 
Magazine. 
lant 7 to 10= 
m daily. One hors© 
Jam enough. Acteauto- 
WO matically, regu¬ 
larly dropping seed 
and fertilizer at Just th© distance you set it. 
Important / Noue of the working parts 
movo wliilo drive wheel revolves except at 
the time of planting. It’s accurate and pos¬ 
itive every timo. Rightly is this great 
machine named 
"KING OF THE 
CORNFIELD " 
CORN PLANTER 
And Fertilizer Sower 
Will stand the rough, continuous servico which such 
tools get. Nothing complicated. {Simple, strong, reliable. 
Our sixty years are behind it. 
Jiealers sell it. If nono near you, write us. Catalog 
free —’04 pages of tool talk that you liko to read—a tool 
for every need. 
Belcher 
Taylor 
Agri¬ 
cultural 
ToolCo. 
Box No. 
RECEIPTS. 
Racing entries . $280.00 
Poultry entries . 52.45 
Livestock entries . 41.50 
Concessions . 266.13 
EXPENDITURES. 
Paid for racing horses.$1,052.87 
Paid for all other prizes and 
premiums . 834.33 
You will see that the horses got more 
than all other products combined. I 
think that if that racing money was used 
to pay premiums on useful products that 
it would draw a larger crowd than the 
way it is used. Have you heard lately 
how that fair is getting along without the 
races? c. B. s. 
Forest Grove, Ore. 
R. N.-Y.—We have had no recent re¬ 
ports about that fair. There must be 
others, however, with a similar exper¬ 
ience. Let us hear from anyone who can 
give us the facts. 
A Pennsylvania Storage House. 
I read on page 258 a query for cold 
storage house from C. L., Ringtown, Pa. 
Two years ago we had to consider the 
same problem. After investigating some 
of the different types we decided on the 
underground cellar. We have a bank 
barn, and built the storage so that one 
end projected past the end of barn far 
enough to allow an entrance through 
ONION-WEEDER 
We SAVE you 
50 to 75% 
of your hand 
weeding expense 
Not a TOY or an 
experiment, 
but a substantial 
WEEDER 
Recommended by successful onion 
growers in all parts of the country. 
Ask for complete description and information 
Address 
THE VR00MAN CO. 
Box 40 BELLEVUE, OHIO 
Potato Profits/^ 
depend lareely on how the crop Is planted. 
Every skipped hill Is a loss in time, fertilizer 
and soil. Every double wastes valuable seed. 
It means $5 to $50 per acre extra profit if all hills 
are planted, one piece in each. That is why 
imm Planters 
often pay for themselves In one season on small 
acreagre. They also plant straight, at right depth, 12 
New angle steel frame and 
steel seed hopper. With or 
without fertilizer distrib¬ 
utor. Ask your dealer to 
show you this Planter and 
write us for booklet ,**100 
Per Cent Potato Plant - 
inj ?*'and copy of IronAge 
Farm and Garden News. 
BATEMAN M’F’G CO. 
Box 1025 Grenloch, N. J. 
You Won’t Have To "Break In” These 
Money-Saving Shoes 
You dread to put on new shoes. Why not escape the suffer¬ 
ing, the aches, and the pains of new leather shoes. 
Wear Hub-Mark Bootees. They are made from pure 
rubber and pliable duck with staunch, leather insoles. You will 
find them warm, and easy on your feet from the very beginning. 
These comfortable bootees are not stiff. Yet they are tough 
enough to always wear longer than the best leather work shoes. 
Leather is getting dearer all the time. The automobile mak¬ 
ers are taking the choicest of it away from the shoe men. That’s 
why shrewd men are buying Hub-Mark Bootees with the knowl¬ 
edge that they spend less for their footwear, and get better value. 
Note this: Look for the Hub-Mark on all kinds and styles of rubber 
footwear for men, women, boys, and girls. You can rely on anything you buy 
from dealers who sell Hub-Mark Bootees —they are square dealers. 
BOSTON RUBBER SHOE COMPANY, Malden, Mass. 
Add Lasting Service to Good Protection 
by covering your buildings with 
HO! 0 
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Apollo Best Bloom Galvanized Shoots are specially adapted for 
Culverts, Tanks, Silos, and all forms of sheet metal work. Write for 
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AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY, Pittsburgh 
Send for SAMPLES of Our 
DDCrO ASBESTO WHITE 
DKLLU ROOFING 
See this wonderful NEW Roofing. Thick layer 
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Write us for prices and samples today. 
Address— 
THE BREESE BROS. CO. 
Roofing Dept. B4 
Cincinnati, O. 
ANEW ROOF 
You get it at any time within 
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rusts out. Being pure iron it cannot 
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He make All-imtnl Corn ('riha, Stock 
'Junks, Troughs, Wire Fenced, etc. 
Write for our Illustrated hook. 
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Sta. 16 MIDDLETOWN, a 
I 99.84% PURE 
DANA’S EAR LABELS 
Are stamped with any name or address with serial 
numbers. They are simple, practical and a distinct 
and reliable mark. Samples free. Agents wanted. 
C H. DANA, 74 Main St.. West Lebanon. N.H. 
COOK YOUR FEED and SAVE 
Half the Cost— with the 
PROFIT FARM BOILER 
With Dumping Caldron. Empties 
its kettle in one minute. The simplest 
and best arrangement for cooking 
food for stock. Also make Dairy and 
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Steam Jacket Kettles. Hog 
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for particulars and aHk far circular J 
D. it. Sperry & Co., Kutuvia, JUl 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. : : : 
