1915 . 
'1'tdhC R.U K.-A- lv NiCVV-VORKKK 
215 
Snowdrifts and Alfalfa. 
A LFALFA grows well at the top of 
my steep hill and I was thinking 
of seeding the east side. Now I 
find the snow badly drifted on that side. 
Would this interfere with the Alfalfa? 
J. B. 
Alfalfa is not injured by snow in a 
location where it accumulates by drift¬ 
ing and remains late in the Spring, such 
as side of hills sloping to the east. I 
once seeded an 11%-acre field, the east 
side of which was comparatively level 
and the west side quite a steep side hill 
(the field extending to the top of the 
hill). After it had been cut eight years 
I plowed up eight acres on the east side 
of the field, including several large spots 
where the Alfalfa had died out on ac¬ 
count of the water level being too near 
the surface, and left the side hill (3% 
acres) three years longer. The Alfalfa 
was always best in that 11%-acre field 
at the southeast corner where the land 
(though level) was well drained, and at 
the northwest corner where the hill was 
the steepest and where the snow accumu¬ 
lated most in Winter. I am satisfied that 
snowdrifts do not injure Alfalfa and that 
in some seasons the accumulation of 
snow would benefit it by preventing too 
frequent freezing and thawing of the 
ground in the early Spring. 
Ontario Co., N. Y. harry g. chapin. 
We have several hills with an abrupt 
slope to the east where the snow drifts 
from six to 10 feet deep and lasts long 
in the Spring. These slopes have grown 
Alfalfa for many years. The drifts do 
not injure the Alfalfa; in fact we usually 
have the best crop where the snow lies 
deepest. hamlet worker. 
Onondaga Co., N. Y. 
You can tell your inquirer who fears 
that a deep drift will smother the plants 
that he need not worry. In Montana 
Alfalfa thrives so well as to be almost 
a weed. I have a friend there who has 
fields probably 30 years old; the snow 
probably lies on these fields three or four 
feet deep every Winter, and he says in 
the middle they get no thinner at all, re¬ 
main just as good as ever, if any differ¬ 
ence being even better than formerly. He 
says, however, that he loses a few plants 
right at the edge of large drifts. The 
reason for this is very simple; when 
Spring comes water from the melting 
snow soaks into the ground at the edge 
of the drifts and freezes every night, 
thawing out during the daytime. This 
makes conditions somewhat similar to 
our own when we have constant freez¬ 
ing and thawing, and when our Alfalfa 
is inclined to heave out of the ground. 
Now the depth of snow in our opinion 
will make no hardship at all on the Al¬ 
falfa. We do not claim that an ice-sheet 
makes no difference to it, but we have 
yet to see the first case where very heavy 
snow had any effect whatever in smoth¬ 
ering the plants. Freezing and thaw¬ 
ing of the ground later does affect the 
plants by heaving them oufc 
Ohio. CIIAS. B. WING. 
Sorghum Syrup. 
I WISH to write a few lines in regard 
to making sorghum syrup. Mr. 
Purdy of Kansas describes an elaborate 
affair, which is all right for making sor¬ 
ghum ; but it is too expensive for the 
ordinary Virginia farmer. I made sor¬ 
ghum in Southwestern Pennsylvania, 
also in Maryland, and the cost of the 
whole outfit need not exceed $25 or $30. 
A small mill for grinding can be pur¬ 
chased for $18, and a pan for boiling can 
be made for $5 or $6. I made my own 
pan by taking two-inch white pine plank 
nine feet long and eight inches wide, 
rounding the corners at the bottom at 
each end and nailing on good heavy sheet 
iron—galvanized is best, but ordinary 
black sheet iron will do. It should be 
about three feet wide. For a nine-foot 
pan the sheet iron should be about 12 
feet long, so as to bend up around each 
end, just to the top of the eight-inch 
plank in front and 20 inches above the 
top at back end to help form a chimney. 
For boiling select a little knoll and dig 
a ditch about 20 inches wide and 10 feet 
long, and deep enough to make room 
for your fire. Place stones in front and 
along the top of the edges. Level your 
pan by setting it on with a little water 
in it. While it is on, place flat stones 
or brick in under the pan. Set the pan 
off, make some mud mortar and cover 
the stone or brick about an inch thick, 
set your pan back, press it down even 
and you are ready to put in your juice 
and go to boiling. 
But right here is the secret of making 
good sorghum. Fill your pan within an 
inch or two of the top and then boil it 
down—never pour any fresh juice into 
the boiling pan. If you do, the green 
substance from the cane will boil into it 
and make it dark and strong. Just be¬ 
fore the juice begins to boil, a thick 
scum will rise to the top. Be sure to 
skim that off before it begins to boil, 
and the juice will be left clear. I speak 
from experience, because I have made 
hundreds of gallons. The quicker you 
can boil it down the better molasses you 
will have. Early Amber cane will make 
the best syrup, but Early Orange will 
yield more to the acre. J. S. B. 
Castle Creek, Idaho. 
m i 
Storing Smoked Meat. 
W HAT is the best place to hang hams, 
shoulders and bacon, after it is 
smoked, and how should the meat 
be wrapped? c. E. J. 
Vestal, N. Y. 
Smoked pork products should be hung 
in a perfectly dry place and kept as cool g 
as possible, to insure their keeping prop- ~ 
erly. The farmers in my boyhood's neigh¬ 
borhood made a practice of rubbing home- 
ground black pepper on the hams, shoul¬ 
ders and bacon after being smoked, ap¬ 
plying all that would adhere to the meat. 
Then the pieces were wrapped first in a 
piece of cheesecloth just large enough to 
cover it nicely, then with heavy paper, 
cutting each paper to suit the piece of 
meat to be wrapped in it. The ham, 
shoulder or strip of bacon was laid on 
the paper flesh side down, the paper was 
brought together, the edges being held 
together in a vertical position while all 
unevenness was being smoothed out, 
after which the edges of the paper were 
folded to a depth of about one inch. The 
paper should be large enough to permit 
the folding at the back and ends to over¬ 
lap three or four times before it is drawn 
tight to the meat. After the wrapper 
has been properly adjusted it must be 
securely tied with heavy wrapping twine 
to hold it firmly in place. This will make 
the meat practically air and vermin proof. 
A piece of tarred corn-tie drawn tightly 
and securely around the shank of the 
hams and shoulders with the ends tied 
together to form a loop to hang them up 
by completes the job. The strips of ba¬ 
con may be hung on a piece of the same 
tying material, tied securely around the 
middle of the piece. If the smokehouse 
is dry the cured meat may be kept there 
until warm weather comes on, when it 
may be removed to any cool dry place for 
the Summer. A cool granary in the barn 
is a good place if such is available. But, 
remember, that if the meat is not proper¬ 
ly cured, no amount of after care will 
insure its keeping well. K. 
| A Profitable Winter Side Line j 
for Farmers 
1 Don’t eat up your summer profits! Make winter show | 
a profit, too. Get an American Saw Mill and tackle j 
lumber farming” this winter. There’s money in | 
your trees. Every 16-foot log, 14 inches thick, will make one B 
hundred feet of good lumber; 100 such trees will build a fair-size B 
barn. There’s always a demand for good lumber on a farm— B 
lumber for fences, for patching the barn floor and siding, for jj 
building small sheds and chicken coops, etc. 
If you own an American Mill, 
you can turn out lumber at the 
cost of a little gasoline for the 
engine and the labor of your 
farm help, who aren’t doing 
much anyway this time of 
year. The tops and slabs will 
give you as much firewood as 
you can use and a lot more to 
sell. You can make money 
selling lumber to your neigh¬ 
bors. You can also take the 
light portable American Mill 
up to their wood lots and saw up 
their tree* for them. One far¬ 
mer writes that he has made as 
high as $20 a day on such jobs, 
after paying all expenses. 
Get an American Saw Mill and become 
a “lumber farmer” yourself this winter. 
Don’t hesitate because you never ran a 
saw mill before. A few days’ practice 
with an American Mill, will enable you 
to turn out fine lumber. You can make 
big money at it every season like hun¬ 
dreds of other “lumber farmers” are 
doing. When you’ve made big money 
off the lumber, you’ll have land with soil 
that will produce bigger crops than any 
land you’ve ever put a plow into. 
Get an American Mill, because it’s light 
and easy to move, saws fast and clean, is 
“I likes a man dat alius has a cheer¬ 
ful disposition,” said Uncle Eben, “per- 
vided dat he doesn’t git it by shovin’ all 
de worry off on some one else.”—Wash¬ 
ington Star. 
The “American” Standard Variable Friction Feed Saw Mill 
for farmers. A plain, simple, strong machine, light and 
easy to move around. Requires no experience to run. 
simple to operate and is built so strong it 
will last for years. 
Every one is guaranteed. The coupon 
will bring you our free book and catalog 
and show you how little an American 
Mill costs. Mail the coupon today, for 
winter is here, and you can’t afford 
to lose a minute getting to work. S 
Mail the Coupon 
Today , 
AMERICAN SAW MILL MACHINERY CO. 
(Address our nearest office) 
Hackettstown, N. J. 
Atlanta, Ga. 
New York 
New Orleans 
Chicago 
Seattle 
* AMERICAN 
/ SAW MILL 
f MACHINERY CO. 
Hackettstown, N. J. 
(or nearest office) 
f Without expense or ol>Uga- 
► tion to me, please send mo 
your free book “Making 
Money Off the Wood Lot.” 
S2 (5 
/ Name. 
Address. 
Write for 
Free Catalog 
Mulchep 
and Seeder 
A mulcher, smoothing harrow, cultivator, 
weederandseeder—altin one. Forms dust mulch 
—a blanket of loose soil—preventing soil harden¬ 
ing and moisture escaping. Increases yield of 
corn, potatoes, oats, wheat, etc. Kills weeds. 
Has flat teeth, especially adapted to form mulch. 
Lever and pressure spring control depth of teeth. 
Sold with or without seeding boxes for grass 
seed, alfalfa, oats, etc. Teeth cover the seed. . 
Adapted for a large variety of work. Four) 
sizes, 3, 8, 10 and 12 ft. Ship¬ 
ment from branch near you. 
Write us today, 
EUREKA MOWER CO. 
Box 842. Utica. N. T. 
Planters 
Cultivators ^qjp 1 mno/ 
Snravers J.W /<> 
Diggers^^^^Potato Planting 
pr More important than ever 
f he U.S. will export potatoes this 
year. Every bushel raised will be 
needed. Potash is scarce. Seed 
will be high. This planter 
puts one piece only in every 
space, saves at least one 
bushel of seed every acre* 
no injury to seed, no 
disease carried, best 
distribution oi 
f erti lizer. 
Ask your 
dealer 
to 
Bateman 
MTqCo 
BIGGEST 
YIELDS 
with 
show 
you 
planter 
and write 
us for free | 
illustrated 
booklet. 
Box 25 
Greniccii, 
J*. J- 
i 
IB ft 
FREE—Write lor It Today 
Let us show you the up-to-the-minute, money¬ 
saving,labor-saving features of Harvester Hay 
Carriers. Hay raisers everywhere pronounce them un- 
equaled. Reinforced construction that meets the heaviest strain right where 
it comes! The lock—the vital part of any carrier—is gravity style, absolutely depend¬ 
able, no springs to rust or break. Great, big, over-size sheaves that reduce your pull. 
Long wheelbases that distribute load over track. Fewest parts—that mean least chance to get 
out of order. Farmers report most reliable operations, greatest convenience with 
HARVESTER HAY CARRIERS 
Fork or Sling Styles—Positively in Advance of ALL Others — Fully Guaranteed 
There are Harvesters that meet all 
requirements—adjustable to hang load para¬ 
llel or at right angles to track without re-roping or 
changing pulleys—that run on any track, steel.wood. 
or cable ! Long roller bearings make them operate 
with perfect smoothness. Non-chafing rope grips. 
Also, if you wish, we will send any one of the three 
FREE Books—(1) Stalls and Stanchions, (2) Litter and Feed 
Carriers, (3) Barn Door Hangers. Mean immense savings for the modern barn. 
Illustrate largest and best line of Barn Equipment in the world. Address at once: 
Specially designed fork and 
sling pulleys give splendid advantages. 
Our Star Steel Track strongest by test. 
The information in our Free Hay Carrier 
Book is important to you, to real economy 
on your farm. Write for it today. 
HUNT, HELM, FERRIS & CO 
VT//.. 
Dept. 181 
HARVARD. ILLINOIS m 
