622 
THE RURAI> NSW-YORKER 
April 4, 
THE FARM SALE. 
The picture given below will show how 
many of our northern farmers may be 
found during the next two or three 
weeks. This picture was taken in West¬ 
ern New York. The season of farm sales 
has come, and when they are well ad¬ 
vertised. they generally call out a crowd. 
With this late Winter, there is not much 
to do around the farm, except the ordin¬ 
ary chores, and this leaves farmers free 
to attend such sales. Sometimes there 
are real bargains to be found in stock 
or tools, and at any rate, the farmers 
like to get together and visit and talk 
over matters which are of general inter¬ 
est, and so when the auctioneer begins 
his talk, there is usually a crowd around 
ture, the best plan is to do a good share 
of the cultivating before the seed is plant¬ 
ed. This means plowing properly, and 
harrowing many times before planting. 
This fitting immediately after plowing 
holds moisture in the ground and kills 
multitudes of weeds which would other¬ 
wise grow in the crop. Generally speak¬ 
ing. level culture with some shallow 
working tool is best for the corn crop. 
This would mean working the ground 
with a weeder, from the time the seed 
is put in until the stalks are about 18 
inches high. After that a cultivator with 
small shallow teeth is used to keep what 
is known as a dust mulch on the surface 
of the ground. The plan of cultivating 
so as to leave lumps is not a scientific 
WHERE THE FARMERS MAY BE FOUND NOW. 
him, very much like the one shown in 
this picture. In fact, the country auction 
sale is a recognized feature of rural life, 
and will continue to be such for a good 
many years to come. 
Beets, Carrots and Parsnips. 
I have a piece of land of about five 
acres that has been used for a cow 
pasture, or more of a cow yard; 12 cows 
have been kept in same, and green stuff 
hauled in to them so the land has been 
well manured. I plowed it last Fall and 
had a good dressing of cow manure on 
the sod after it was turned over. I am 
thinking of planting beets, carrots and 
parsnips on this land, and would like 
to have your advice as to whether these 
roots would he smooth. Some of my 
neighbors tell me that in their opinion 
they would be prongy and rough. 
Danvers, Mass. G. w. D. 
As a rule it is only when fresh stable 
manure is used in the growing of these 
root crops that they grow prongy or 
otherwise deformed. The beet requires 
a somewhat richer soil for good results 
than either the carrot or parsnip. In 
some of the large market gardens of the 
country as much as CO tons or more 
of well-rotted manure to the acre is used 
for beet ground when it is intended to 
follow them with celery or other late 
crop, but if beets alone and but a single 
crop is grown on the land the quantity 
of manure is reduced to 35 or 40 tons 
to the acre. For the production of good 
marketable carrots or parsnips, 20 to 
25 tons of well-rotted manure to the acre 
is sufficient. Cow manure is much less 
liable to cause deformity in root crops 
than any other kind produced on the 
farm, and the fact that your land was 
manured and plowed last Fall should in 
a great measure remove the danger of 
any great amount of the crop being de¬ 
formed, as you have practically the same 
manurial conditions as would have re¬ 
sulted by composting the manure and ap¬ 
plying after it had become well rotted. 
The best soil for carrots and parsnips is 
a deep sandy loam that has been heavily 
manured and cropped to corn or similar 
crop the year previous. Very little de¬ 
formity will result to the roots grown in 
soil handled in this way. K. 
Scientific Cultivation of Corn. 
Which is the approved scientific 
method of cultivation of corn, to use a 
cultivator and leave the ground in small 
lumps, or to use a weeder and leave a 
“dust mulch?” I have heard arguments 
on both sides. Will you give me the 
correct method? E. s. R. 
Pottstown, Pa. 
There are a dozen approved scientific 
methods of cultivating corn. Science 
must adapt itself to conditions, and these 
vary with soil, climate and weather. 
With the average season, for corn cul- 
rnethod in our average saeson of rain¬ 
fall. 
There are conditions, however, when 
this shallow dust mulch would not make 
the best cultivation. Occasionally we 
have a very wet season. The rain falls 
constantly through the earlier part of 
Summer, or when the corn is beginning 
to form its ears. We then have too much 
moisture in the soil, unless the ground 
has been perfectly drained. The object 
in a wet season is not to hold moisture 
in the ground, for the crop will usually 
be better if this surplus moisture is taken 
out. In such cases a rougher and deeper 
cultivation will pay better, or even a 
plowing between the rows will kelp, as 
this would hasten evaporation of the 
moisture and stop the corn from making 
an excessive growth of leaf and stalk. 
Thus it will be seen that no definite rules 
can be given for cultivating corn, as 
all the conditions must be considered, and 
the cultivation adapted to them. During 
the past few years still another scientific 
method has been suggested. This means 
no cultivation at all, but simply keeping 
down the weeds by hand pulling or scrap¬ 
ing or slicing off with a hoe. Killing 
out these weeds prevents loss of moist¬ 
ure which the weeds would naturally 
take, and it has been found that in a 
heavy corn crop there is less evaporation 
of moisture from the soil than with most 
other crops. At least many careful ex¬ 
periments have shown that corn handled 
in this way without any cultivation what¬ 
ever, but with the weeds destroyed, gave 
as heavy a crop as where the corn was 
thoroughly cultivated in a scientific man¬ 
ner. 
Willie was struggling through the 
story in his reading lesson. “ ‘No,’ said 
the captain,” he read, “‘it was not a 
sloop. It was a larger vessel. By the 
rig I judged her to be a-a-a-a-a-’ ” 
The word was new to him. “Barque,” 
supplied the teacher. Still Willie hesi¬ 
tated. “Barque!” repeated the teacher, 
this time sharply. Willie looked as 
though he had not heard aright. Then, 
with an apprehensive glance around the 
class, he shouted: “Bow-wow!”—Detroit 
Free Press. 
Galvanized or Painted 
Writ© to-day for free sample and rail! 
r»rices--Bond size of buildiims and we will 
furnish free complete estimate of cout--- 
then make comparisons and sco the bit; 
savings. 
QUALITY GUARANTEED 
BEST OPEN HEARTH PRODUCT 
When you buy from us, you buy from the manufac¬ 
turer. All galvanized Hoofing and Siding have extra 
heavy tight coating of galvanize. Also makers of 
galvanized shingles for houses. 
Established 2877 
THE SYKES METAL LATH& ROOFING Co. 
516 Walnut Street, Niles Ohio 
^ E o c n T MILL #T MILL PRICES 
T HERE is a community up in 
Vermont that has found out 
all about Amatite. It began 
with a single farmer who wanted 
to roof a shed on his farm. He 
had heard that a new roofing had 
been invented which needed no 
painting. He found that its name 
was Araatite and he bought some 
and laid it. He found that it was 
just as easy to lay as the old- 
fashioned painted roofing, and it 
was sold in rolls with nails and 
cement supplies free as usual. 
And he found also that Amatite 
Roofing instead of costing more 
as might have been expected, 
actually cost less than other roof¬ 
ings of much less weight. 
After the first winter, he noticed 
that the Amatite was exactly as 
good as ever, and after the second 
winter he was still unable to detect 
any change in it. 
He has other roofings on his 
farm and he was accustomed to 
giving them a good heavy coat of 
paint every two years just as the 
manufacturers of those roofings 
urged him to do. He was glad 
that it was not necessary for him 
to paint the Amatite roof after 
the second year. It saved him 
money and trouble. 
He began to tell his neighbors 
about Amatite, and the local dealer 
laid in a stock of it. Other farmers 
began buying it and had the same 
experience—the roofing gave fault¬ 
less service year after year with 
no trouble whatever to the owners. 
It is five years since the first 
Amatite Roofing was laid in that 
town. Now, Amatite is the prin¬ 
cipal roofing sold there. It has 
won its way on its merits. 
If you w’ould like to have a 
sample of Amatite Roofing just to 
see what the mineral surface is 
like, we will send it to you free 
of charge. 
Address our nearest office. 
BARRETT MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
New York Chicago Philadelphia Boston St Louis 
Pittsburgh Cincinnati Kansas City Minneapolis 
Seattle Birmingham 
■pUCKWHEAT on 
Poor Spots is good 
practice if you supply it 
with sufficient 
POTASH 
to get a paying yield. Use 
about 400 pounds per acre of a 
3-8-8 mixture. Buckwheat, 
like all grains, demands Potash. 
If your dealer doesn’t carry 
the proper grade, write us for prices. We sell Potash Salts 
in any amount from a 200-pound bag up. 
Get our free book on fertilizers—their formulas and honso to make them 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, Inc., 42 Broadway, New York 
Chicago, McCormick Block Atlanta. Empire Bldg. Savannah, Bank & Trust Bldg. 
New Orleans, Whitney Central Bank Bldg. San Francisco, 26 California St. 
POTASH by Parcel Post 
We will sell you 20 pounds Muriate of Potash or 20 pounds 
Sulfate of Potash for $1.00. 
DELIVERED FREE by Parcel Post—anywhere east of the 
Mississippi and north of Tennessee and North Carolina. 
Send cash , stamps or money order to our nearest office 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, Inc., 42 Broadway, NEW YORK 
McCormick Block. CHICAGO. ILL. Continental Bldrf.. BALTIMORE. MD. 
Use NAT CO Tile—They Last Forever 
Farm drainage needs durable tile. Our drain tile are made of best 
Ohio clay, thoroughly hard burned. Don’t have to dig ’em up to be 
replaced every few years. Write for prices. Sold in carload lots. 
Also manufacturers of the famous NATCO IMPERISHABLE 
SILO, Building Blocks and Sewer Pipe. 
NATIONAL FIRE PROOFING COMPANY, Fulton Building, PITTSBURGH, PA. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. : : : 
