1438 
THE RURAL NEW-VORRER 
December 12, 
tainly believe the seedsman is responsi¬ 
ble, and should be so held, and that he 
should be made to pay suitable and pro¬ 
per damages. ROBERT s. doubleday. 
It. N.-Y.—The case of pumpkins and 
gourds will not hold on the case referred 
to. The farmer had a good locality. He 
wanted Alfalfa and spent money freely 
to get it. Yet it is not sure that Al¬ 
falfa will succeed on his farm. There 
is where the trouble of fixing any dam¬ 
ages will come in. 
NEW YORK STATE NEWS. 
C O-OPERATIVE SOCIETY ORGAN¬ 
IZED.—TTnder the auspices of 
Gouverneur Grange a cooperative so¬ 
ciety has been organized under the State 
law and will be incorporated soon. Wil¬ 
ber A. Whiting is president and W. II. 
Storie, secretary. The county deputy of 
St. Lawrence County now reports a 
Grange membership in that county of 
5.500. 
Hobart Dairymen. —The Hobart 
branch of the Dairymens’ League held 
its annual meeting Nov. 28 and elected 
Hector W. Cowan president and A. M. 
Milialko, secretary. The report of the 
secretary shows that the farmers of that 
vicinity have profited greatly by the or¬ 
ganization. 
Convicts Withdrawn. —It appears 
that the working of convicts on the 
Palenville-Clove highways near Catskill 
has not been a notable success. It is 
said that their inability to stand hard 
work has delayed the construction very 
much, and their presence has been a con¬ 
stant source of fear to the nearby resi¬ 
dents. 
Hop Growers Discouraged. —It is 
likely that more hop fields will be plowed 
up next Spring than ever. The growers 
are getting discouraged with all the dis¬ 
eases they have to contend with in grow¬ 
ing a crop, and the weather was also 
against them the past season. One hail¬ 
storm is said to have destroyed hundreds 
of acres of hops in Oneida County. The 
hop men have also been sadly disappoint¬ 
ed as to prices. It was thought when 
the European War broke out that the 
prices of hops would go up, but that has 
not been the case, and those who held 
their crops for 50 cents now find a slow 
market at 25. The crop on the Pacific 
coast has been a large one, and with 
the machinery there used in the 
harvesting the crop the price is 
not more than 10 cents a pound. The 
increased cost of labor here has also made 
the business less profitable, pickers now 
receiving from 50 to 00 cents per box 
instead of 80 to 40 as in the past. This 
year’s crop at Otsego County is said to 
be the' lightest since 18NG, when the crop 
was badly injured by lice. 
More Quarantine. —There was an 
outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease 
in Tompkins County, last week. The 
towns of Groton, Dry den, and Lansing 
in Tompkins County; Homer and Cort- 
landville in Cortland County and Sum¬ 
mer Hill and Locke in Cayuga County 
have been quarantined. 
Baled IIay Must Be Marked.—A 
ruling which will interest many farm¬ 
ers was made last week by the .State 
Sealer of Weights and Measures upon 
an inquiry of a county sealer. It is to 
the effect that the full name and busi¬ 
ness address of the presser of the hay 
must be plainly marked on the weight 
tag on each bale. The owner and opera¬ 
tor of the hay press is responsible for the 
marking. Every violation of this law is 
subject to a fine of $5, but if hay is of¬ 
fered for sale on which the correct gross 
weight is not plainly marked, or which 
weighs more than live pounds less than 
the gross weight so marked, the violator 
is guilty of a misdemeanor. 
Powdery Scab. —The New York State 
Shippers’ Association has received a re¬ 
port from the Federal inspector sent to 
Western New York to make examination 
of potatoes to the effect that there was 
no trace of scab in that territory. He 
inspected potato warehouses and cellars 
in six counties. The association also is 
said to have had reports from the State 
Department of Agriculture to the effect 
that no powdery scab has been found in 
the State outside Franklin and Clinton 
Counties. Western New York is esti¬ 
mated to have about 35,000,000 bushels 
of potatoes this year. 
Stamp Bills Lading. —On Dec. 1 the 
war tax law went into effect for the pur¬ 
pose of increasing the internal revenue 
receipts. All shippers are now required 
to put a one cent stamp on all bills of 
lading, whether for a carload or a sin¬ 
gle package. The penalty for not con¬ 
forming to the law is $50 for each of¬ 
fense. 
Herkimer Co. Farm Bureau. —At 
the recent annual meeting of the Herki¬ 
mer County Farm Bureau the executive 
committee announced that Chas. A. Tay¬ 
lor of Hancock, Delaware County, would 
succeed M. E. Chubbuck, who has be¬ 
come manager of the Chemung County 
Bureau. Mr. Taylor has been at the 
head of the Hancock High School for 
three years and has had considerable ex¬ 
perience in practical farming. John M. 
Budlong of Schuyler succeeded W. E. 
Kay of Herkimer as president of the 
Farm Bureau Association. Mr. Kay rep¬ 
resents the Pomona Grange on the board 
and James Thompson of Fairfield repre¬ 
sents the Board of Supervisors. 
J. w. D. 
Fertilizer for Melons. 
L AST season I failed to make a com¬ 
post heap for melons, and as a sub¬ 
stitute for same used in the hills a 
fertilizer mixture—3% nitrogen, 8% 
phosphoric acid and 8% sulphate of pot¬ 
ash, which was very highly recommended 
by our State Experiment Station. I 
followed their instructions strictly as to 
its use, but the result was a complete 
failure of the five acres of melons plant¬ 
ed. The fertilizer seemed to destroy, or 
at least prevented, the seed from germin¬ 
ating. I still have on hand several hun¬ 
dred pounds of this mixture, and while 
I would not think of using it again di¬ 
rectly in the hills, I have thought pos¬ 
sibly' I could use it with good results by 
distributing or mixing with the compost 
heap I am now preparing for next sea¬ 
son. Will you advise me as to same? I 
have been so badly burned this past sea¬ 
son with this fertilizer I have no desire 
to take any more chances on it. 
Charlestown, W. Va. G. E. AV. 
Muskmelons are grown on a large 
scale. The common practice is to pre¬ 
pare the land in the Fall, and in January 
or February run out deep furrows five 
feet apart and fill these half full of stable 
manure. This is let lie to rot till plant¬ 
ing time, and then a fertilizer running 
7% ammonia, 6% phosphoric acid and 
5% potash is applied on the manure and 
at rate of 300 to 400 pounds an acre. A 
furrow is thrown over from each side, 
and the ridge thus made slightly flattened 
and the seed sown in continuous row 
with a garden seed drill. When a stand 
is secure the plants are thinned to IS or 
20 inches, and just as they start to run 
about a tablespoonful of nitrate of soda 
is scattered around each hill. If you 
planted the seed in direct contact with 
the fertilizer you used, the caustic na¬ 
ture of the sulphate of potash doubtless 
did harm. The fertilizer you name is 
somewhat strong in potash for melons, 
and I would prefer to have the nitrogen 
higher and the phosphoric acid all the 
same, or eight per cent. In fact I think 
that five per cent, potash is more than 
melons need. You can use your fertil¬ 
izer 100 pounds to each ton of stable 
manure well mixed and then have the 
compost well covered before planting the 
seed. w. f. massey. 
MAIL BAG. 
Muck or Mud. 
I WOULD like to haul out some muck 
this Winter; I have also a shallow 
lake on the farm. Which do you 
prefer, the muck or the mud? Also ad¬ 
vise me how to handle it. M. K. 
Coolbaugh, Pa. 
By analysis the muck is worth more 
than the mud. The mud may contain 
more available plant food, since it repre¬ 
sents deposits from the water. A mix¬ 
ture of the two would work well—put 
in long, narrow piles and well dusted 
with lime as the piles are made up. Use 
about 50 pounds of lime to the load. 
Value of Mangels. 
W ILL you give me a fair price for 
mangel beets, raised in this local¬ 
ity? What price should I obtain 
for same by the ton? G. P. M. 
Plainfield, N. J. 
It depends upon supply and demand. 
For lots of 100 pounds we obtain 75 
cents or $9 per ton. In dairy districts 
the roots bring $6 to $7.50. Where a 
limited quantity is wanted for hen food 
the price usually runs at the rate of 
$12 to $15 per ton. 
Lime With Cover Crops. 
1 HAVE purchased a farm on which is 
a piece of run-out meadow land. I 
wish to plow this in the Spring and 
sow to oats and Canada peas to be 
turned under green; then seed to buck¬ 
wheat to be plowed under also, and seed 
to rye in the Fall. Next Spring (1916) 
I shall plow under the rye and plant to 
corn or potatoes. I wish to apply lime 
to this land. Would it better be applied 
with the oats and peas, or put on with 
each crop to be turned under. J. B. A. 
Oil City, Pa. 
We should use a heavy application of 
lime when turning under the sod and 
sowing the oats and peas. This crop can 
make better use of the lime than either 
the rye or buckwheat, and it would not 
pay to make two or three applications. 
By following this plan you will stuff that 
soil with organic matter. 
Filter in Cistern. 
I HAVE a cistern at my barn 10 feet 
in diameter, eight feet deep, which I 
wish to pipe to the house. How can 
I filter it so the water will be suitable 
for household use (not for drinking or 
cooking)? How is a brick filter put in? 
a. E. s. 
A filter of brick for a cistern is usu¬ 
ally a simple brick wall built across the 
cistern in such a way as to divide it into 
two parts, the water running into one 
side and being taken from the other 
after it has passed through the bricks. 
Another method of filtering cistern water 
is to construct a concrete reservoir of 
suitable size and fill it with gravel, pul¬ 
verized charcoal and fine sand in three 
layers. The water passes through these 
layers in the order named and is re¬ 
ceived into a clean chamber from which 
it is pumped. This filter may be built 
as part of the cistern or outside, as con¬ 
venience dictates. As you wish water 
only for washing purposes, any simple 
method by which it could be made to pass 
through a layer of gravel and one of sand 
would probably be satisfactory; in fact, 
if the barn cistern is a well protected 
and clean one, I do not see why the 
water should not be used directly from 
it. M. B. D. 
Gunning for Woodchucks. 
O N page 1392 you advise H. L. to fire a 
heavily loaded gun into a woodchuck 
hole as one of the methods to de¬ 
stroy woodchuck. A neighbor of mine 
did that very thing a few years ago. He 
lived to tell the tale, and buy a new gun. 
but he won’t try it again. There is 
but small chance for the gas to expand 
when a gun is fired in a place like a 
woodchuck hole, so a burst gun barrel 
is quite liable to be the result. R. c. G. 
R. N.-Y.—Of course we did not intend 
that the gun should be pushed down into 
the sand and then fired—but pointed into 
the hole. 
Which System Best ? 
R EGARDING the proposition of an 
agricultural college graduate to un¬ 
dertake the management of a farm 
at a salary of $300 per year, board and 
one-half the profits (net profits?) com¬ 
pare with a common form of contract 
for tenant farming, viz. the landlord fur¬ 
nishes land and buildings, including 
house for tenant, and pays for one-half 
of fertilizers purchased and one-half of 
foundation stock, if stock farming is 
practiced. The tenant furnishes all la¬ 
bor. tools and machinery, teams, etc., and 
pays for half tin* fertilizers and stock 
aforementioned. The gross profits are 
divided half and half. Which would 
pro\ T e the more profitable to the land 
owner, assuming the tenant and grad¬ 
uate to be both excellent men in their 
line of work? c. H. chapman. 
New York. 
R. N.-Y.—This is a question for gen¬ 
eral discussion, as there are many sides 
to it. 
Bees and Fruit. 
1 JUDGE from Mr. Weed’s article, 
page 1360, that he does not like bees. 
Prof. Waugh, who experimented as a 
fruit-grower and not as a bee-keeper, 
proved that bees, as pollenizers, were 
more reliable and much superior to the 
wind. He placed panes of glass, covered, 
I believe, with a viscid fluid, among his 
trees, in order to catch the wind-blown 
pollen. As I recall it. the amount so 
caught was surprisingly insignificant. He 
also noted that honey-bees were the chief 
agents of fertilization. I believe that 
Mr. Weed is very much indebted to the 
bees for the good crops obtained in the 
past, and especially for the 10% tons of 
cherries mentioned. I think he is mis¬ 
taken in his figures when he estimates 
that there were a dozen flies and other 
insects for each flower, and perhaps less 
than 500 bees among the 1% acres of 
cherry blossoms last Spring. But as¬ 
suming that he is correct, that does not 
prove the bee a negligible factor in the 
perfect pollination. Excellent honey- 
gatherers (which means good pollenizers) 
often fill their supers in a quiet, method¬ 
ical manner that borders on the miracu¬ 
lous. In this locality the bees held high 
carnival during fruit bloom, and gath¬ 
ered but little surplus after that. After 
I became a bee-keeper in 1900, a neigh¬ 
bor, who is a close observer, voluntarily 
told me that he was securing better crops 
of apples because I had located near him. 
Since then the testimony of fruit-grow¬ 
ers themselves has led me to regard bee¬ 
keepers as public benefactors. 
Connecticut james a. smith. 
THIS WONDERFUL COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH 
On Ten Days’ FREE Trial 
The Columbia is the greatest of all funmakers, 
the king of entertainers, the most fascinating 
musical instrument the world has ever known. 
Listen to your favorite waltz, two-step. You 
have a vaudeville show, a grand opera, or the 
sacred hymn you like. Every kind of comic and 
popular music can be heard on this wonderful 
machine. AA T e send yon the machine, together 
with the selection of records on ten days’ trial. 
You are under no obligation to buy, simply try 
the machine in your own home. If you find it 
the most wonderful entertainer you ever saw or 
knew about, and desire to keep it, you can pay 
for it all cash or on very easy terms. Send your 
name and address for further information. 
CONSOLIDATED TALKING MACHINE CO., 
50 Church St., New York City. 
Strawberries —the big delicious kinds, that bring 
highest prices—can be grown in your 
own garden by using ° lir plants. 
Vigorous — guaranteed true • to - name. 
Allen’s 1915 Book of Berries 
fully describes the latest and best varie¬ 
ties of strawberries and other small 
fruits, giving cultural methods, etc. the 
result of 30 years experience. 
It’s free. Write for copy today 
The W. F. ALLEN CO. 
72 Market St. 
Salisbury - - Md. 
St. Regis Raspberry Plants 
funded. Arthur R. Heggan, Waterford Works, N. J. 
Qlirlan PraCC —Northern Krow npeert, hardy and free from 
OUUdll uidoo J oh upon graft)*. Write for free sample and 
prices. HENRY FIELD, SIIENAMMLVII, IOWA 
Label Your Trees and Shrubs 
Permanent, water and weather-proof labels. 
Practically indestructible. Sent! If)cents for 
sample: 25 cents for 3; $1 for 15: $•"( for H O. 
WM. G. SHEPHERD, . Williamsport, Pa 
Trees—Plants—Vines 
in small or largo lots at wholesale 
g rices. Catalog and Green’s Fruity 
ook—FREE. Green’s Nursery Co. 
22 Wall St., Rochester, N Y. 
Don’t Buy Fruit Trees 
We arc not Jobbers or Dealers. Onr prices will surprise you. 
Order from the grower and save disappointment later. Send 
postal today. THOMAS E. 811 KERIN, NurMcry- 
limn, *21 Main Street, DuiiMville, New York 
S WEET CLOVER SEEO —The true while blooming variety 
(Melilotus Alba.). Write for free sample of new crop seed 
and lulest prices. HEN K Y FIELD, Shenandoah, low a 
open PflTATflFQ FOR SALE. Rod Dakotas, SI bush. 
0CCU rUIAIUCO 0 . b . W M. EIMERS, Ripley, N. Y. 
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 aboui Paint and Painting for Durability. 
How to avoid trouble and expense caused by paints 
fading, chalking and peeling. Valuable information 
free to vou. with Sample Color Cards. Write me. DO 
IT NOW. I can save you money. 
0. W Ingersoll, 246 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
Nov. 27. Conditions in this section 
of Nebraska are unchanged. People are 
preparing for Winter, but there is no 
sign that Winter is near. The weather 
lias been dry and warm during Novem¬ 
ber, no storms of any kind for more than 
a month. Really a good rain is needed 
before Winter comes. Wheat is looking 
well as usual. Corn is nearly all in 
crib and much of it shelled. The price 
is 60 cents. There are a few farm sales, 
but not the usual number, as property 
is not 1 ringing satisfactory prices at auc¬ 
tion. Prices of young cattle are on a 
basis of 6 to 6% cents a pound; cows 
are still selling at $50 to $75. Horses 
are lower than for some time, although 
there is a brisk demand for a class of 
medium-weight animals for the British 
army at $75 to $100. Land sales are too 
few to mention. Prices of land have not 
fallen off. but sales have. Prices of pro¬ 
duce are: Wheat 98; did reach $1 at 
one time for part of a day. Corn 60; 
oats 40; potatoes 65 to 80. Apples 60 
to 75 as to variety. Hogs around $6.50 
per hundred; eggs 25; butter 25. 
Jefferson Co., Nebr. H. M. R. 
Attractive property or 75M acres, 9-room dwelling with 
cellar and attic. New barn and garage combined, pack¬ 
inghouse and wagon shed, several small buildings. $2,m o 
spent in renovating dwelling last two years. Farm has 
on it a four acre vineyard of choicest hardy grapes which 
should yield at least 9250 per acre net annually. Also a 
acres of choice Blackberries, 8 acres of Blackcap Rasp¬ 
berries and o acres of Strawberries. Property is located 
a mile and a quarter from Milford, Delaware, where 
shipping is done both by rail and water. 
LESTEK LOVETT, . Milford, Del. 
TEN BOOKS WORTH BUYING 
Landscape Gardening, Parsons.2.00 
Lawn Making, Barron. 1.10 
Agriculture and Uliemistry, Storer. 5.00 
Fertilizers and Crops, Van Slyke.... 2.50 
Weeds of Farm and Garden, Pamrnel 1.50 
Book of Wheat, Dondlinger. 2.00 
Successful Fruit Culture. Maynard.. 1.00 
Irrigation and Drainage. King.... 1.50 
Study of Corn, Shoesmith.50 
The Soil, King. 1.50 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 W, 30th St., New York City 
Use NATCO Drain Tile — 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 IMPERISH¬ 
ABLE SILO, Natco Building Tile and Natco Sewer Pipe, 
NATIONAL FIRE PROOFING COMPANY, Fulton Building, PITTSBURGH, PA. 
