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The “Strong-Arm” on the Potato Digger. 
Three Crops in One Field. 
FEW weeks ago we showed a picture of the 
little gasoline engine mounted on a wheat har¬ 
vester and acting as a “strong-arm” to handle the 
working parts of the machine. This left nothing 
hut the dead weight of the harvester for the horses 
to pull. This device has saved many thousand acres 
of wheat this year, for in many Western grain 
holds, the continued wet weather put the ground in 
such a condition that the harvester could not do its 
work- The wheels would si ip or sink so deep into 
the mud that it was impossible to get up proper 
motion on the working parts. The little strong- 
arm. however, sitting on the machine, relieved the 
horses just as long as it was supplied with a mouth¬ 
ful of gasoline. In some cases we are told the work¬ 
ing parts of the harvester were taken off the wheels 
and mounted upon sleds. These were hauled 
through the mud with the little engine to work the 
parts and the wheat was harvested after it fashion, 
where otherwise it would have been lost. These 
little engines are being fitted to many kinds of farm 
machinery. At Fig. 389 is shown an Iron Age po¬ 
tato digger fitted with one of these strong-arm en¬ 
gines. • This picture was taken by Fred II. Fate- 
man on his own farm in Southern New Jersey. It 
shows how the engine is fastened to the' digger, and 
how it takes hold of the working parts under this 
arrangement. One team of good-sized horses can 
pull the digger forward and rip up the potatoes 
while the engine works the machinery for lifting, 
shaking, and dropping the tubers behind. It will 
be seen that this digger is at work in closely plant¬ 
ed crops. They planned a system of double crop¬ 
ping. For example, when Irish Cob¬ 
bler potatoes are about in bloom, or 
just after the last cultivation, corn 
is planted between every other row- 
In this way the corn is started early 
enough to come on well before frost, 
and of course, this leaves the corn 
planted in the ridges made by the po¬ 
tato rows. When it comes to digging 
with a machine it would be of course, 
impossible to handle the ordinary dig¬ 
ger without ripping up the corn. To 
cover this objection what is known as 
the extension axle is put in. By this 
means, as the picture shows, the wheel 
is carried over into the space between 
the next two rows of potatoes and 
thus not run low enough to break off 
or injure the corn. At the same time 
the digger pushes the soil around the 
corn, giving it a cultivation or hilling. 
Where the rows are close together, 
say 30 or 32 inches, as is frequently 
the case in South Jersey, it is some¬ 
times necessary to go through and 
straighten up part of the corn, but this 
is a comparatively easy job, and most of us know 
how quickly corn will recover and grow on when it 
is given a chance. In most cases these potatoes 
would be dug before the corn gets to the size shown 
in the picture- This year all over that section po¬ 
tato digging is late, most growers hoping that the 
price of potatoes would improve after the heavy 
Southern crop was disposed of. The reader will no¬ 
tice peach trees growing in this field, and this will 
show the intense cropping and cultivating followed 
by the farmers in Southern Jersey. There are 10 
acres in this field. It is planted to alternate rows 
"f apple and peach trees in blocks 20 feet apart. 
In the tree rows cantaloupes are grown, as it is not 
practical to grow potatoes with machine culture in 
the tree row. Then between each two rows of trees 
will be planted six rows of potatoes and three of 
corn, the one row of cantaloupes making what may 
be called a triple crop, while the young fruit trees 
are coming on. This idea of double or triple cropping 
may not be looked upon with favor by all farmers, 
yet along the Atlantic Coast, where land is getting 
high in price, and expenses of cultivating are in¬ 
creasing, farmers and truckers consider it far bet¬ 
ter to feed the land well and work it hard, planting 
closely and giving the best of care to the crops. In 
this way heavy supplies of food may be produced 
mi an acre of ground, and it is probably a better 
policy to take a few of the best acres of any farm 
and crowd them hard in this way, with the best of 
culture and heavy feeding, leaving the remainder 
of the farm in pasture, hay or Alfalfa. We think 
that something of this sort is to be in line with the 
farming of the future. At any rate it is most in¬ 
teresting to see how the gasoline engine is coming 
in to take the place of an extra team or of the extra 
'.red man. This use of the strong-arm on a potato 
digger will be new to most of our readers, and illus- 
li-ItC RURAL NtSW-VOK KiCR 
trates how, by an ingenious application, a small 
amount of power may be put where it will he of 
special service and economy. 
Wheat Growing in New York State. 
Its Part in Farm Practice. 
Part II. 
SING STABLE MANURE—The good old 
standby, stable manure, is preeminently the 
best fertilizer. I would not apply it directly, how¬ 
ever, to the wheat crop. If thoroughly composted 
so that it can be worked into the seed bed before 
sowing, it will greatly increase the yield of wheat, 
but this is too expensive a way to handle manure. 
Top-dressing with ordinary stable manure (not 
composted) during the Winter 1 have tried, and 
seen tried by others, but have never seen results in 
(lie wheat commensurate with the value of the ma¬ 
nure. The more marked result is usually seen the 
following year in the clover crop. Under New York 
State conditions it seems better economy to use the 
manure on the beans or some other crop preceding 
wheat, leaving the latter to glean whatever is left 
for it when its turn comes in the rotation. 
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.—The idea of 
using commercial fertilizers is changing in recent 
years. Instead of fertilizing for a certain crop 
alone we are learning to study with that idea the 
needs of different soils. Each man must know his 
soil and plan his fertilizer for the crop according 
to his observation of its need. If a soil produces 
small weak plants it may generally be assumed to 
lack nitrogen in available form. The role of phos¬ 
phorus is to increase seed production, while potash 
tends to stiffen the stems and harden the tissues of 
Gasoline Engine Working a Potato Digger. Fig. 389. 
the plant. With an abundance of available phos¬ 
phorus to stimulate seed production a maximum 
yield cannot be expected unless there is a strong vi¬ 
gorous plant, with a stem rigid enough to hold it 
up in its normal position. Experience alone on any 
particular soil will indicate the fertilizing elements 
most needed for the crop to be grown. As a general 
rule fertilizers containing from one to two per cent, 
of nitrogen, six to 10 per cent, of phosphoric acid 
and eight to 10 per cent of potash .are used on 
wheal at the rate of from 1.10 to 400 pounds per 
acre. It is doubtful, however, if we can afford to 
use any potash this year except that in our home¬ 
made wood ashes, which should be carefully saved 
and mixed with the wheat fertilizer. A little study 
of fertilizer brands and prices indicates that potash 
which before the German supply was cut off cost, less 
than $50 per ton for German salts is now figured at 
from $100 to $150 per ton in all mixed goods. It is 
not to be had at any price except in mixed goods, 
and they contain only three per cent, or less. I ser¬ 
iously doubt if it will increase the yield of wheat 
enough to warrant paying the price. By purchasing 
the chemicals, such as animal or fish tankage, dried 
blood, bone meal, acid phosphate, nitrate of soda, 
etc., and mixing at home with such wood ashes as 
can be secured, a saving of from $0 to $.8 per ton 
can be effected under the prices usually asked for 
mixed goods, and with the added advantage that 
we know what we have when it is used. 
SEEDING.—A century and more of experience in 
New York State has formulated the rule of two 
bushels per acre as the correct rate of seeding. 
While there are cases where heavier or lighter seed¬ 
ing gives better results the exception only proves the 
mle, and unless there is some good reason for doing 
so the rate is seldom varied materially. The time 
of seeding varies with climatic conditions. Wheat 
n 
should be sown in Mine to make a vigorous start 
and strong plant, with considerable root system, be¬ 
fore freezing, but not early enough to make a 
smothering mat before Winter. A good rule is to 
let it practically hide the soil surface at a few rods 
distance. I believe that in a long time series of ex¬ 
periments covering the entire range of climatic con¬ 
ditions of the State of Ohio the best average re¬ 
sults were obtained from sowing the week of Sep¬ 
tember 20. If this is a mistake. I hope some one 
will correct it. Probably this date can be accepted 
tor other Northeastern States, with due allowance 
for the variation in climate. In some parts of New 
York and New England it might be necessary to 
sow as early as September 1 in order to get enough 
start to carry the wheat through the Winter safely, 
while farther south September 20 might be too early. 
FUNGUS DISEASE.—The two enemies of wheat 
which have done the most injury in recent years 
are stinking smut and the Hessian fly. For the 
last two or three years the smut has been especially 
bad. and now that it has gained a widespread foot¬ 
hold it is not safe to sow untreated seed, within in¬ 
fected areas. It is a fungus disease which lives in 
and changes the kernel to a mass of stinking brown 
powder. These kernels are broken up in the thrash¬ 
ing machine and everything nearly covered with the 
powder which will infect any seed that it touches. 
If very much is present it also coats the fuzzy end 
of the good kernels and makes them unfit for mak¬ 
ing flour. Our own crop last year was reduced at 
least 10 bushels per acre and the remainder ruined 
lor anything but stock feed by the dust. A field just 
over the fence was entirely free from smut, due to 
treating the seed. To prevent smut secure clean 
seed free from all traces of smut and handle it in 
bags, etc., have had no chance to be¬ 
come infected. Place in a pile on a 
clean barn floor and sprinkle with the 
following: Two ounces of 40 per cent 
formalin solution in five gallons of 
water. Shovel the pile over once or 
twice to make sure that each kernel 
is moistened. Cover the pile carefully 
with blankets to retain the formalin 
gas, and leave for two hours. Then 
uncover and sow as soon as possible, 
setting the drill for a little more thru 
otherwise, because of a slight swelling 
of the grain. Do not treat the seed 
more than 24 hours before sowing if 
avoidable. The treatment will kill the 
smut germs, and will not injure F>e 
wheat in die least if sown at once. In 
a number of cases which came to my 
notice a very poor stand was secured 
where treated seed was allowed to 
stand several days before sowing. Do 
not be afraid that the moist seed will 
bother in the drill. We treat our own 
seed on a flat' wagon bed and sow as 
soon as treatment is finished, shoveling 
directly into the drill to avoid having to use any 
bags or baskets that might carry infection. The 
stinking smut should not be confused with black 
smut, which-appears-as black heads in the field with 
no kernels developed. The treatment for this is to 
soak the seed in scalding water. ora lee. jr. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
An Eastern Man Out West. 
R EGARDING the recent article “New York Farm 
Lands,” are any of them “fertile”? I fully 
agree with you that there is plenty of poor land 
in the corn belt: almost every farmer knows that 
there is very fertile and high-priced land in the West, 
but very few know that we have just as well very 
poor and high-priced land over here. This country 
is practically struck by a boom. There is land in 
Iowa that yields but 32 bushels of corn, 35 bushels 
of oats and 20 bushels of wheat. Rent in our lo¬ 
cality is from $5 to $12 per acre. Rented farms are 
very scarce; it often happens that half a dozen 
farmers apply for the same place. Cheap rented 
farms are often in a horrible condition: unpainted 
buildings, leaky roofs, shaky fences, barns without 
any windows, hut with plenty of ventilation from 
old age, are often to l>e seen in our district. It is 
really no paradise for the renter, and it happens 
that these men own part of the fences, tanks, feed¬ 
ing platforms, even some buildings and so on- The 
landlord does not need to spend much money for the 
upkeep of the farm, as there is a fierce competition 
among renters to get a place. If the landlord furn¬ 
ishes the material, the renter gladly furnishes the 
labor. I know men who built sheds, hog and bunk- 
houses, kept everything in good repair, bought their 
nails and staples, and all this for no pay at all. 
