846 
THE RUKAIi NEW-YORKER 
June 26, 1915. 
All Sorts of Notes 
New Way for Alfalfa Hay. 
I have a small place near town where 
Alfalfa has been grown for several years. 
There is a barn just large enough to store 
the three cuttings until Winter, when it 
is usually sold by the load at the barn. 
Last Fall the man on the place wanting 
work I let him take out a waste paper 
baler for trial, and he soon had several 
tons in neat 50-pound bales at less cost 
than I could have had it done with a 
power baler. A small advertisement in 
local paper found market for every bale 
among chicken raisers at a price one- 
third higher than by the load. Three of 
these small bales were often taken in an 
open buggy, and they are much easier 
handled than large bales. w. c. 
R. N.-Y.—One of these small balers 
would give a farm boy or a strong woman 
a chance to sell such hay or even 
shredded cornstalks to people who keep 
one cow’ or a small flock of hens. There 
would be a chance in some places to bale 
dry forest leaves. Boys could gather and 
bale such leaves in the woods and sell 
them as bedding or hen litter. Local ad¬ 
vertising w'ill sell all such things. 
Trouble from White Ants. 
Will you let me know how to exter¬ 
minate a certain insect (between ant 
and fly) that seems to nest in walls be¬ 
hind kitchen stove and eat their way 
through panelled walls every Spring? 
These walls were painted twice since we 
lived in building (three years) and this 
Spring were washed off with plaiil soap 
and W’ater. a. o. D. 
Englishtown, N. J. 
The specimens received in response to 
a request for some of the pests referred 
to in the foregoing letter proved to be 
the winged forms, together with one sol¬ 
dier, of those troublesome but fortunate¬ 
ly rather rare invaders of the household, 
white ants. The so-called w’hite ants or 
termites are not true ants, nor are they 
even closely l’elated to the ants. As a 
matter of fact, they are much nearer rel¬ 
atives of the cockroaches and grasshop¬ 
pers than of the true ants. In the South 
they are known as W’ood lice because 
they are always found burrowing in pieces 
of wood. The termites are social and live 
in colonies. Moreover, there are several 
kinds of individuals comprising the col¬ 
ony—the queen, the kings or males, the 
workers, which are wingless and blind or 
with imperfect vision, and the soldiers. 
In these respects the termites resemble 
true ants. 
The termites are more abundant and 
destructive in warm countries than in 
the North. In the tropics these insects 
construct huge mound nests, build cov¬ 
ered ways up the trunks of trees, eat 
away the timbers in the floors and walls 
of houses, destroy the furniture, and rid¬ 
dle everything made from wood. Drum¬ 
mond says in his “Tropical Africa” that 
“in many parts of Africa I believe if a 
man lay down to sleep with a wooden leg 
it would be a heap of sawdust in the 
morning.” 
Our species of termites in the United 
States live mostly in old logs, dead or 
decaying wood, in sills or joists of build¬ 
ings, or in the ground under stones. 
They often mine in books or paper stored 
in moist basements, and sometimes cause 
serious injury. A pile of records and doc¬ 
uments stored in a vault in the basement 
of a building in the Department of Agri¬ 
culture at Washington was practically 
ruined by white ants. A similar injury 
occurred to an accumulation of books and 
papers belonging to the State of Illinois. 
The floor joists and even the laths and 
studding of the walls of a room in a 
church at Baltimore were so badly mined 
by termites at one time that eventually 
all the woodwork in the room had to be 
removed and replaced with new. Mr. 
Marlatt tells us that “a few years ago 
it was found necessary to tear down and 
rebuild three frame buildings in Wash¬ 
ington in consequence of the work of this 
insidious foe.” 
Forbes relates an instance in Illinois 
in which a lean-to of a dwelling-house 
was thoroughly infested and eaten by 
white ants. “The clapboards, eaten in 
many places to a shell, were readily 
broken by the fingers, the ends of the 
boards especially being eaten and broken 
away. The window-casing above and be¬ 
low the window was almost completely 
hollowed out; even the shingles on the 
roof contained many ants and the floors 
was also somewhat eaten.” The forego¬ 
ing instances serve to show the habits 
of these insects and the injuries they 
may commit. 
Undoubtedly the white ants referred to 
in the letter are located in the timbers of 
the house, and may already have caused 
serious injury by mining out the sills, 
floor joists, and studding of the walls. 
It is probable that the timbers come in 
contact with the earth somewhere, and 
at this point the termites have gained 
entrance. It is impossible to say without 
a careful examination just how abundant 
they are and how much damage they have 
done. Probably the only feasible method 
of getting rid of the insects is to remove 
the infested timbers, replace them with 
new and in doing so to keep all the tim¬ 
bers from coming anywhere in contact 
with the earth. If the floor joists or 
sills touch the ground there is always 
danger of infestation with termites. The 
building should be raised or the earth 
should be dug away and removed and a 
good brick or cement foundation wall put 
in place for the sills to rest upon. 
GLENN W. HERRICK. 
“Letting Out a Link.” 
Your subscribers seem to ask all sorts 
of questions of you, and according to 
your statement you welcome them. 
Therefore, being one of The R. N.-Y. 
family, I take the liberty of asking a few, 
though this time they do not bear upon 
farming. I had a notion of entering the 
service of “Uncle Sam” as a letter car¬ 
rier, postal clerk, or railroad mail clerk; 
but find that I was cut off about %-inch 
too short in the making. That is. a man 
has to be five feet five inches tall. I am 
five feet 4% inches, as close as I can get 
to it. Can you tell me if there is any pos¬ 
sible way to increase my height the 
amount needed? How much is it possible 
to increase one’s height? What exercise 
would be necessary and how long would 
it take? I am now 35 years old. Could 
I accomplish anything in five or six 
months? subscriber. 
We have scriptural warrant for at 
least the inference that no one by being 
anxious can add a cubit to his statui’e, 
but, as you would be satisfied with a very 
small part of that 18 or 20 inches, it 
remains to be seen whether any physical 
process can accomplish the desired result. 
When we consider the rather unaltei’able 
nature of matured bone the idea of in¬ 
creasing its length does not seem very 
feasible, at least by any practicable 
method of stretching. Most of us, at 
some time or other, have had a leg pulled, 
only to find at the conclusion of the pro¬ 
cess that we were even shorter than be¬ 
fore. This then offers no hope to one 
whose bones have attained their full 
length but whose height falls short of 
Uncle Sam’s rather arbitrary require¬ 
ments. 
As a surgical proposition no doubt 
it could be done, and I dare say that 
there ax-e many venturesome surgeons 
who would undertake to lengthen a man’s 
shanks by five-eighths of an inch if they 
were guaranteed immunity from prosecu¬ 
tion and a sufficiently large fee. 
Nevertheless, a man’s height can cer- 
tainly be increased, if only tempoi*arily 
and by a vei-y small fraction of an inch. 
We are all taller in the morning than at 
night, and this without any effort upon 
our part. Between the sections of the 
spine, called -the vetebi-se, there are thin, 
rubber-like, pads of cartilage. These 
pads not only add flexibility to the spine, 
already too flexible in many men, but 
they permit of a certain amount of con¬ 
traction and expansion and aid in shield¬ 
ing the brain cavity, with such contents 
as it may have, from undue concussion 
when walking, jumping, etc. After a 
night’s rest these cartilages will natural¬ 
ly have expanded a little and inci’eased 
the spine’s length. Taking advantage of 
this function of these cartilaginous pads, 
one might suspend himself by the head 
and allow the weight of the body to 
stretch the spine to its limit. It must 
be admitted that this would but tempor- 
arily increase one’s height and probably 
but by a very small fx-action of an inch; 
moi'eover, such a method should be adopt¬ 
ed with extreme caution for coroner’s 
juries are unimaginative creatures and, 
in case of accident, their verdict might 
render collection of the life insui-anee 
difficult. Seriously; I know of no prac¬ 
ticable method of permanently and mate¬ 
rially increasing one’s height, and, at the 
risk of some seeming lack of modesty, 
only a seeming lack, however, I may 
venture that if thei’e were any such meth¬ 
od I think that I should know of it. 
M. B. D. 
Bluebells or Blueweed. 
Could you tell how to get rid of a 
flower called bluebells? My yard and 
even some places in the field are filled 
with this plant. Nothing else grows 
whei’e they are so thick. c. E. Y. 
Ilyndsville, N. Y. 
It hardly seems probable that the true 
blue bell, harebell, or blue bells of Scot¬ 
land has become a troublesome weed. 
This plant, Campanula rotundifolia, has 
nodding bright blue flowers upon a slender 
stalk, the stalk leaves being narrow and 
pointed, while the basal leaves on the 
ground, growing like a rosette, are round¬ 
ed heart-shape. This is introduced fr*«n 
Europe and has become sparingly natur¬ 
alized ; it is sometimes found growing to 
a height of two feet in rich open woods, 
and is a charming plant. Clean cultiva¬ 
tion, and cutting out the plants with a 
hoe in early Spring should surely con¬ 
trol it. There is another bluebell, Cam¬ 
panula rapunculoides, which is a com¬ 
mon weed, sometimes growing in patches 
in old gai-dens; it is coarser in appear¬ 
ance than the true harebell, with smaller 
flowers nodding on a thicker stalk, and 
small rounded leaves, but this, also in¬ 
troduced from Europe, does not seem 
troublesome, yielding to clean cultivation. 
There is, however, another blue-flowered 
plant that is a dangerous weed; this is 
blueweed, or viper’s bugloss, also called 
blue thistle and blue devil, botanically 
Echium vulgare. It is already listed as 
a noxious weed in Eastei’n Canada, and 
is troublesome in several States here; 
this, too, is a native of Europe. This 
blueweed is showy and noticeable, with 
bright blue flowers (the buds are red¬ 
dish) on a tall compound spike. The 
whole plant, leaves and stems, is 
covered with bristly hairs. The flow¬ 
ers are funnel-shaped, with five spread¬ 
ing lobes, and the plant is so ram¬ 
pant that its spi’ead is alarming. It is 
a biennial, propagated by seed, and 
spread by the dead plants blowing about 
in Winter. It is chiefly seen in waste 
places, on limestone or gravelly soil, and 
is not troublesome on ground regularly 
cultivated, but it spi-eads very badly in 
rocky pastures. The first year it forms 
a dense rosette of long leaves lying on 
the ground, blooming the second year. 
It is controlled by cutting out with a 
hoe or spud in early Spring; repeated 
scythe mowings close t<Y the ground 
when the tall stalk is formed, and thor¬ 
ough cultivation. Perhaps this is not 
the weed C. E. Y. wishes to destroy, yet 
it seems more probable than that the 
charming real bluebell should be the en¬ 
emy. However, if the latter has become 
troublesome it should yield to cultivation 
and hoed crops. 
Rome Beauty in the Hudson Valley. 
I have about 200 trees two years old 
this Spring; most of them are showing 
good growth. We lost a few during the 
Winter, and I am inclined to think they 
are a little tender. At the same time 1 
do not feel at all sure about it. They 
seem to be inclined to bear early, as I 
had a few apples last Fall, and they 
seem to be working some fruit buds this 
season, but it is a little early to judge 
in regard to that condition. I am plant¬ 
ing them so as to extend the season, as 
they can be picked after pears, and most 
of the apple crop is out of the way, and 
then I am in hopes we have an apple of 
pretty good quality and good color. 
LEWIS L. MORRELL. 
We are not growing Rome Beauty and 
my expex’ience has been limited to obsei’- 
vations on only small blocks of ti-ees. I 
believe that they are like the Ben Davis 
in that they do not grow to perfection 
except in a few favoi’ed spots, and in es¬ 
pecially favorable years. Otherwise, the 
Rome Beauty in this valley surely bears 
well and early, and has all the rest of 
the excellent qualities attributed to it, 
but sometimes lacks the color and fitness 
which makes it such a wonderful apple 
in Ohio and some of the southern apple 
States. My father and myself have long 
ago decided to stay by the apples that 
particularly are adapted to the climate 
and soil of our locality. 
Ulster Co., N. Y. Walter r. clahke. 
Waterproofed 
.Standard Sprays 
Paris Green Arsenate of Lead 
Guaranteed Waterproof 
Costs no more waterproofed; and 
goes farther. One spraying usually 
sufficient for an entire season. Not 
washed off by rain. 
Made according to U. S. Govern¬ 
ment formulas regulating the produc¬ 
tion of insecticides and fungicides. 
As already supplied to agricultural 
departments and experimental sta¬ 
tions, to which inquirers may refer. 
Furnished in Dry Powdered Form 
or in Water Paste. 
Inquire of Your Dealer 
International Color & Chemical Co. 
Detroit, Michigan 
AI FAT FA CLOVERS, vetch, peas, beans 
and Other Crop*—Get a BIG HELD—Inoculate with 
NITRO-GERM 
Cheapest In the world, guaranteed perfect. Send for circnlur. 
The Standard Nitrogerm Company 
Glen Ridge, N. J., Dept. 11 
600 ACRES 
—three dwelling houses; 1.1 
barns: Two large silos: - 
horses, harness and wag. 
ons. 24 cows; bull; 7.1 
sheep; 100hens; 18 hogs. All tools and implements- 
Write for particulars. $14,000 for farm, stock and 
tools. HALL'S FARM AGENCY, Oweoo, Tiooa Co., New York 
EXCELSIOR ENGINES 
MAKE FARM WORK EASY 
Whether It is in the cellar at night picking 
apples, or milking In the barn, Excelsior engines 
make electric light that turns night Into day 
and absolutely free front danger. The Excelsior 
engine also PUMPS YOUR WATER. In fact, it 
does the little work and the BIG WORK. SILO 
FILLING time will soon be here. Get your en¬ 
gine ready now. Send for catalog, telling about 
the Excelsior engine. It tells you why you 
ought to own it, shows you how it is made, and 
why it is better than any other engine. Do not 
delay. Act quickly—now. Special proposition 
if you tell us the size of your farm. 
R. CONSOLIDATED GASOLINE ENGINE CO., 
202 Fulton St., New York City. 
BOYS Going Camping or Fishing 
Earn this outfit. Jointed bamboo or steel rod. 
nickel plated reel, 50-ft. Rivulet line, assortment 
snelled hooks, etc., for selling,25 cakes Pure Castile 
Soap at 10c. a cake. We help you get camping or 
sporting goods. Write u* your desires. 
THE OLIVE SOAP CO., 1405 Sawyer Bld 0 , Worcester, Mass. 
Our New Handy Binder 
Sides are heavy Book Board, Imita¬ 
tion Leather Back and Corners, 
Cloth Sides, Two Tongues Inside, 
Inside of Cover Neat Lining Paper, 
Stamped in Gold— “Rural New- 
Yorker”— on outside. 
Will hold 52 issues, or more. 
Sent prepaid upon receipt of 
price, 50c. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 West 30th St. New York City 
BOOKS WORTH 
.BUYING. 
Animal Breeding, Shaw. 1.50 
Breeding Farm Animals, Marshall.. 1.50 
Principles of Breeding, Davenport.. 2.50 
Cheeese Making Decker. 1.75 
Business of Dairying, Lane.1.25 
Clean Milk, Winslow.3.25 
Dairy Chemistry, Snyder.1.00 
Dairy Farming, Michels.1.00 
Handbook for Dairymen, Woll.1.50 
Milk and Its Products, Wing. 1.50 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
333 WEST 30th ST., NEW YORK. 
