eea 
THR RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 9, 
Hope Farm Notes 
THE HOPE FARM SCRUBS. 
You may call them what you like— 
scrubs, culls, mongrels or “hens.” The 
score card shows that some of them 
would take fair place in a poultry show, 
hut they stand as ordinary hens. What 
are they doing? You remember that up 
to March 1 these hens consumed 80.1 
pounds of mash and 158 pounds of grain. 
Thus the eggs they had laid up to that 
time cost seven cents each for feed alone! 
A friend in Pennsylvania thinks these 
hens will not pay for their feed before 
November 1, when the contest closes. lie 
sent a dollar for that school for colored 
youth in Georgia, and a backer of the 
hens has put up another dollar for the 
school. I do not wish to start any 
gambling or betting schemes, but I would 
like to help the school while we watch 
the hens. 
Doing Better. —The man who has so 
little faith in the Hope Farm scrubs is 
likely to lose, for they came forward in 
March, and are doing even better in 
April. During the month of March they 
consumed 25.18 pounds of mash and 
48.17 pounds of grain. This means a 
total for 150 days of 105.28 pounds of 
mash and 206.17 of grain. At the prices 
figured last month this means a total 
cost of $5.96. Thus the average cost for 
each hen is 59.6 cents, or a little short of 
.4 of a cent per day—each hen averaging 
1.12 ounces of mash and 2.3 ounces of 
grain i)er day. To my surprise these 
scrubs are not such gluttons as we had 
been led to expect. We shall find that 
many other pens in the contest con¬ 
sumed considerably more food. Now up 
to the first of April these 10 hens laid 
214 eggs. As the feed cost was $5.96 
these eggs cost about 2.8 cents, or 33.6 
cents per dozen. Thus the scrubs had 
not yet paid for their feed up to April 
1, but I predict that on May first they 
will show a profit. 
They Are Coming. —It took these 
hens a long time to wake up. They all 
had colds to start with, and were poorly 
developed. In January several good 
judges ridiculed the folly of entering such 
birds, and freely predicted that several 
of them would never lay an egg. I 
stayed right by the scrubs, and they 
stayed by the feed hopper. In the week 
ending April 17 these “culls” laid 50 
eggs. There are 82 pens in the contest 
and only 13 of them laid more eggs than 
my scrubs during that week. Tom Bar¬ 
ron’s famous Wyandottes laid only 36 
and his Leghorns 47. Thus for this brief 
period the Hope Farm scrubs laid all 
aroun'd the champions. I think these 
birds have just begun. It took the turtle 
some time to get going, but he kept at 
it. You see I stay right by these hens 
yet. April and May will see them pay¬ 
ing their bills. 
Individuals. —When it comes to in¬ 
dividual records we have another one 
coming. Since this contest began three 
of my birds have laid 45, 41 and 37 eggs 
respectively. The best one is a mongrel 
showing some “Red” blood. This bird 
laid 45 eggs, beginning the latter part 
of January. At the average cost of feed 
she consumed 59.6 cents worth, which 
makes her eggs cost about 16 cents a 
dozen thus far. During the month of 
March my best bird laid 22 eggs at an 
average cost of 14 cents for feed. Here 
is another thing for the gentlemen who 
had so much fun laughing at my scrubs. 
During the month of March out of 820 
birds in the contest, 105 hens and no 
more outlaid the best feathered Hope 
Farmer with her 22 eggs. There were IS 
of the blue bloods that never laid an egg. 
seven laid one egg, nine laid two, 10 laid 
three, seven laid four, nine laid five, 11 
laid six and so on. Those famous Tom 
Barron Wyandottes gave one hen laying 
28, another 25, another 23, and one more 
with 22. The other six fell below my 
best hen. There are 150 purebred Reds 
in the contest, yet only 19 of them laid 
more during March than the best Hope 
Farmer! There are 330 White Leghorns, 
yet only 25 beat our best bird with 22. 
Not long ago one of our friends seemed 
a little afraid that the Hope Farm man 
would be bluffed or laughed out of this 
contest. I rather think not, when even 
for a week these scrubs can beat out Tom 
Barron’s Wyandottes and show up a few 
individuals capable of getting near a 
front seat. Our birds made a very poor 
start, and they may dry up yet after a 
short spurt, but in any event we stay 
right by them, and will carry through the 
plan. 
Home Hens. —Our birds at Hope 
Farm are laying well. A pen of 30 R. 
I. Reds gives us 20 eggs a day, more or 
less. Of course that does not touch the 
feathered wonders that we hear about, 
but seldom see. Yet these Reds pay. 
The runt Leghorns are laying well, and 
their eggs are fertile, as little chicks at¬ 
test. One of these pure Leghorn runts 
is gray—barred somewhat like a Ply¬ 
mouth Rock. The scientists tell us that 
the plumage of the Leghorn carries this 
tendency to revert to barred or gray 
markings under under some conditions of 
breeding. While the hens are doing well 
pow I have little faith in them for 
Christmas eggs. The way to hatch out 
Christmas eggs is to set the infertile eggs 
in the water-glass incubator and keep 
them there until wanted. 
Cover Crops. — The following note 
came last Winter, but in some way it 
has been left until now: 
On page 1350 the Hope Farm man 
states that “next Spring, when the thick 
mat (rye) is plowed under, it will be as 
if nature had hauled 10 or 12 tons of 
good manure * * * and spread it 
over each acre.” Will he explain how 
this is reasoned out? He cannot mean 
that this “mat” of rye would collect and 
hold nitrates, phosphoric acid and pot¬ 
ash enough to equal 10 or 12 loads of 
good manure, aside from the vast amount 
of humus supplied by the latter. The 
rye. if matured, would only supply ap¬ 
proximately a ton of straw for humus 
to an acre. oakwood farm. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
As things look now on the hill I would 
stand by this remark. The “mat” is not 
rye alone, but a combination of rye, 
Crimson clover and turnips. Of course 
a crop of rye alone would not be worth 
10 tons of manure, though it would be 
worth very much more than one ton of 
straw. The clover and the turnips will 
add much organic matter, while the 
clover adds nitrogen. Remember, too. 
that we use lime after plowing this stuff 
under. This hastens decay and makes 
the plant food available, while the rapid 
fermentation is good for this tough, hard 
soil. The Delaware Experiment Station 
found the following plant food in crops 
from one acre: 
Pounds Per Acre. 
Nitrogen 
P. Acid 
Potash 
Turnips .... 
109.1 
25.9 
142.7 
Cr. Clover. . 
134.4 
61.2 
88.2 
The plant food in the acre of turnips 
was worth $21.09; that in the clover 
$22.37. 
This includes both top and root. I do 
not pretend to say that all this plant 
food is added to the soil. I think about 
half of the nitrogen in the Crimson clover 
is so added from the air. I have found 
that the turnips have the ability to use 
unavailable forms of potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid, and leave them so that fol¬ 
lowing crops of corn or the trees can 
use them. I believe that at least half 
of the potash and phosphoric acid in 
these turnips is a clear gain to that 
hard soil in available plant food. 
Ten tons of stable manure may con¬ 
tain 100 pounds of nitrogen. 60 of phos¬ 
phoric acid, and 120 of potash, and per¬ 
haps 5.000 pounds of organic matter. 
While I do not claim that my cover crop 
will add to the soil this amount of plant 
food, it will add more organic matter, 
and with the use of lime I can make 
this organic matter more useful to my 
soil than the straw in the manure. With 
the price of manure and the cost of 
hauling it up my hill, 10 tons would 
cost me at least $-10. I think I am 
justified therefore in saying that Nature 
has just about made me a present of 10 
tons of manure in the rye, clover and 
turnips. At least. I would rather have 
this crop for what it cost me than to 
pay for the 10 tons of manure. I do 
not blame people for doubting some of 
these statements about cover crops, lime 
and chemicals, but those of us who have 
stayed by them year after year so as to 
see their effect know something of their 
value. The same inquirer asks this: 
Will you also advise regarding success 
of using Soy beans in corn? We hear it 
has not proven satisfactory owing to the 
corn shading beans too much. 
I do not know, for the truth is that 
Soy beaus have never been very success¬ 
ful with us. Cow peas pay better. Our 
reports indicate that Soy beans in corn 
do not always pay. I would rather plant 
the corn alone, or put sunflowers with 
it. I would plant the Soy beans alone 
and not put them in the silo, but cut 
and cure for dry fodder. 
Working Up Timber. — I have just 
completed a venture that may interest 
readers. When I came to get bids on my 
new house on my farm in New Jersey 
I found it was going to cost so much that 
I was completely discouraged. When 
it occurred to me that I had enough 
standing timber on my farm, principally 
dead chestnuts and oaks, to do the job. 
I immediately set to work to find some¬ 
one to bring a mill to the farm and saw 
the lumber for me by the thousand. I 
could get no one to touch it on account 
of there not being enough to pay. Fin¬ 
ally I hired a sawmill, picked up my own 
crew, used my farm help and team to 
haul the logs, and finished the job. The 
lumber is now in the house and has been 
for a month, although we did not start 
to move the mill to my farm until Jan¬ 
uary 1. I think I saved about $1,500 
on the operation, not including the value 
of the trees on the stump. Besides I 
have built an ice house out of what was 
left, and have still enough on hand to 
furnish the timber for a good big barn, 
also a big pile of stove wood and saw¬ 
dust. I presume I would not have had 
the nerve to have undertaken the job if 
I had not been brought up around my 
father’s sawmill in North Carolina, and 
had had charge of a large sawmill on 
the Nouse River in North Carolina below 
New Bern, just after the Civil War. 
E. f. it. 
That interests us, as we are in much 
the same situation. I have 30 acres of 
chestnut (dead and dying) and oak, yet 
it seems impossible to sell the trees on 
the ground. Several parties have made 
so-called offers which are more or less 
polite invitations to make them a present 
of the property. The only way that 
I can see for us to get anything out of 
it is to do it ourselves. I plan to buy a 
sawmill outfit, including an engine, lo¬ 
cate it in the woods and work the job 
when other work is slack. I find there 
is fair sale for 2x4’s and other timber 
when cut up to order, and we want to 
put up several buildings ourselves. When 
a man sells standing timber he does well 
to get 30 cents on the dollar. Cut it up 
yourself and you can make fair wages 
and a little over. h. w. c. 
“Good gracious!” exclaimed Miss Pris¬ 
cilla when she saw the hired man wearily 
pulling a loaded wheelbarrow. “It would 
be easier if you pushed it.” “Maybe.” 
was the answer; "but I'm tired of the 
sight of the thing.”—N. Y. Evening Post. 
Tlere’sa NEPcnsET Roofing 
for Every Building 
Learn this by heart:— 
Only Slowly Made Roof¬ 
ings are Slow to Wear Out 
We do not trust to bought felt—the foun- 
dation or roofing—we make our own from 
all-rag fibre, no cheap stock. 
Asphaltums, good and bad, look alike. 
Trained chemists select ours and blend 
them to stand torrid heat and Arctic cold. 
We give ample time to tests and inspec¬ 
tions at every step of manufacture. That 
is why Neponset Paroid wears so long, 
is so truly economical, resists sparks and 
embers. 
Surely send for our ROOF BOOK—free. 
Neponset 
PAROID ROOFING 
m BIRD & SON (Eit. 1795) 
701 Neponset Street, East Walpole, Mass. 
Also makers of Neponset Shingles, Wall 
Board and Building Papers 
SAVE HALF Your 
Paint Bills 
By using INGERSOLL PAINT — proved 
best by 66 years’ use. It will please you- 
Only paint endorsed by the “Grange.” 
Made in all colors—for all purposes. 
DELIVERED FREE 
From the Mill Direct to You at Factory Prices. 
INGERSOLL PAINT BOOK —FREE 
Tells all about Paint and Painting for Durability. 
How to avoid trouble and expense caused by paints 
fading, chalkirm and peeling. Valuable information 
free to you. with Sample Color Cards. Write me. DO 
IT NOW. I can save you money. 
Q.W. Ingersoll, 248 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
The New GREENWOOD LIME 
and FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER 
TOP FEED—NO RUSTING-NO CLOGGING 
Accurate indicator for 100 to 3,500 lbs. per acre, 
whether material be wet. dry. sticky, lumpy, heavy 
or littlit. Write for booklet R to 
GREENWOOD MFG. CO., Lawrence. Moss. 
YOUR SUNDAY ROAST 
Your Sunday roast is best done on a 
2Vew T*er/ection. 
WICK BLL'EIFLAIHE 
Oil Cook-stove 
Its steady, even heat preserves the rich, natural 
flavor of the meat. And you can regulate the 
heat just as you want it—ideal for baking, broil¬ 
ing, toasting—every kind of cooking. 
Made with 1, 2, 3 and 4 burners, also new stove with Fire¬ 
less Cooking Oven. At all hardware and department stores. 
