April 21, 1017. 
576 
Summer vacation. I have had at least two every 
Summer; liave paid them from $5 to .$S a week and 
my own table board, because I had an idea that 
they were more intelligent, or should he, than or¬ 
dinary immigrant labor. I have never asked them 
to hoe crops or do horse work, knowing they could 
not. hut have utilized them for packing market 
crops and such work. It would seem that they 
would he particularly useful at that. This j’ear 
we never were as hai’d up for labor before, and I 
shall use no college hoy.s of city raising. I simply 
cannot afford to at any price. The hoys of several 
years ago were profitable to use. Why are they not 
now? I can only answer that from experience. 
Several yeai's ago the boys seemed to want to know 
how to do work, seemed to have an idea that they 
must know their business. Lately I have an idea 
that they are going to agricultural college because 
their folks think it is a cheap place to go, and that 
they can get a place on graduation as a county 
agent or instructor for the Government, or as 
superintendent of some gentleman’s place. The fact 
remains that after several years’ tidal, and in face 
of great need of help, I want no more of them, and 
that seems to be the common thing around here. 
I do not know of cuie man who has had experience 
that will hire this 5 -ear these students. 
The College Student’s Side of It 
I should like to say a few words in regard to 
the college-trained city-bred hoy on the farm. About 
four years ago I started in on a four-year course at 
a New England agricultural college with no farm 
experience and little mone 5 -. The first Summer I 
hired out on a daily farm for $10. This farmer 
had very little good to say about “college farmers.’’ 
As I had no standard to go b 5 ’, I thought his farm 
and methods very good, with a few exceptioms. lie 
gave his men plenty of hard cider, paid little, 
watered his milk, etc.—a typical Yankee farmer of 
the old cla.ss. It was a hard place to work, but 
It did me good, and I can look back on it and grin; 
but never again on such a place. 
I soon discovered that what I needed first was 
practical farm work, and as funds were lacking I 
decided to go after it, and get the college training 
later. I stayed on this place just three months, 
then went to a certified dairy farm. Here I had 
the latest and best methods in producing milk— 
such a contrast to the first place! The help was 
Polish and Portuguese. 
Next, I went to a large fruit farm, and .soon be¬ 
came quite interested in fruit growing. On this 
place many college men were emplo 5 -ed during the 
Summer and well liked. The “tree expert’’ business 
claimed me next. But I decided I liked to stay 
near Ihe ground, so went back to the fruit farm. 
Fi-om then to two dairy farims, on one where col¬ 
lege-trained help was kept. As I learned now my 
first $10 grew till I was getting six times that and 
hoard a month. I think I inherited the farmer’s life 
from m 5 - grandparents. This past Winter I took 
a “shont course” at an agricultural college, and 
then came to this fruit and poultry farm. 
I shall probably never finish out my four- 5 -ear 
course, hut hoiie to take one or more Winter courses 
instead. I have collected about 50 volumes of agri¬ 
cultural Avorks and manage to study a little each 
evening, though when one gets up at 4 a. m. even¬ 
ings seem short. You see I've wandered around 
some, but I’ve learned more, I believe. Of course 
some day I hope to liaA-e a farm of my own. 
The farm-bred boy knows so nniny things almost 
by instinct that it’s might.v hard to catch up. I 
can learn the big things, but it’s the little things 
that sort of fill up the spaces that it’s hard to 
catch on to. Aside from the above, I have noted 
that it is the farmer’s wife who is the most pro¬ 
gressive. The farmer himself is slow to try even 
proven devices. I don’t know what some farmers 
would do if their wives didn’t keep track of every¬ 
thing. The R. N.-Y. is more like a personal weekly 
letter to me than just a farm paper. b. 
I’ennssdvania. 
Property Rights of a Minor 
A young man, before he became of age, bought some 
purebred cows, and the papers were made out to him. 
He has been, without any written agreement, working 
in a sort of loose partnership with his father on the 
home place. He now wishes to leave, after a dis¬ 
agreement, and would like to sell the cows, or take 
them with him. Would the fact that he was a minor 
when he bought the cows give his father the right 
to hold the cows, or prevent the young man from dis¬ 
posing of them? D. I. 
Massachusetts. 
The general rule as to minors in Massachusetts 
is that a minor may void any contract made by 
him. but where the contract is for necessities—food, 
clothing, shelter—and the goods are delivered by the 
■Ghe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
vendor, the minor must pay a fair value for them. 
The minor, however, can hold the other party on the 
contract. In other words, the contract is voidable 
at the option of the minor, and not absolutely void, 
but this does not prevent the minor acquiring an 
ab.solute title to personal property. If the .young 
man in question has bought the cows and paid for 
them they are hi.s, and the mere fact that he had 
been working on his father’s farm under an agree¬ 
ment of partnership would not in any way invali¬ 
date his title. Of course, there may have been some 
agreement with his father whereby his father ac¬ 
quires some title to the cows, but it does not appear 
from the facts as given. I should say most certainly 
that the 5 ’oung man had an absolute right to take 
the animals. g. b. f. 
Culture and Chick Feed Together 
CHICKS IN PEACH ORCHARD.—One of our 
New .lersey readers has for specialties peaches and 
j»oultry. He Avill raise three or four acres of peaches 
each 5 'ear, and from (100 to 800 chicks. As his place is 
small, he has come to the habit of using the peach 
orchard as a ranging place for the young chicks 
after they leave the brooders. This make a good 
jilace for them, as they may run about in the open 
dirt, have the shelter of the tree.s, and contribute 
something to the fertility of the land. Now, as 
everybody knows, such growing chicks I’equire a 
large amount of green food. Where they can be 
supplied with abundance of clover, rape, turniiis or 
grass thes’ Avill thrive better, and also pick up 25% 
“Behold, a sower went forth to sow”. Fig. 217 
• 
or more of their living. Many of our Eastern farm¬ 
ers do not fully- realize this yet, but the truth has 
come to many- of them. 
WELL-STIRRED GROUND.—Our friend likes to 
give his peach trees the most thorough culture 
through the Summer. He keeps the ground fully 
stirred up until late in the season, and. we judge, is 
one of those growers who thinks it something of a 
sin to let a blade of grass grow in the orchard. His 
plan has been to keep the ground thoroughly stirred 
at the very- time that these chicks most need green 
food. Now Avhat can he do in order to give the 
trees the culture he thinks they need, and at the 
same time give these chicks the green food which 
he knows they- need? That is a proposition which 
faces many- a man who is doing intensive fanning 
on a small place. Is it pos.sible to give good cul¬ 
ture, and at the .same time i»rovide green feed? Our 
friend is thinking of fencing off a part of the 
orchard, seeding it down to rape, clover or other 
crops; let the chicks run in that for a time, or while 
a similar crop is growing in another part of the 
orchard. Then when the second crop gets a good 
start, plow under the first and continue cultivation, 
and put the chicks into the second ci-op. 
COW PEAS AND CLOVER.—We have seen a 
numiber of cases where both culture and green crops 
were provided together. In parts of the South the 
orchard is plowed and well fitted, and marked off 
as for corn. The cow peas of a variety like Early 
Black are dropped into the hills as corn Avould be. 
The cultivators are then started, and the orchard is 
kept thoroughly worked between the hills of cow 
peas. The cow peas make a good crop, and the soil 
is, of coui-.-je. well cultivated. At the last cultivation, 
which would come early- in August, Crimson clover 
is seeded all over the orchard and worked in Avith a 
light cultivator as Avould be the case in a corn field. 
This clover comes on and makes a strong gi’owth 
among the cow-pea hills. It may be cut and left on 
the ground in the Fall, or left growing to be plowed 
under in the Spring. At any rate, the orchard has 
received good culture, and at the same time has 
produced heavy crops of peas and clover to be 
plowed under. The same could be done with field 
beans, thus making a profitalile use of the orchard. 
Now we think it would be possible for a man in the 
.situation of our .Tersey friend to .seed rape, 
sorghum, Sweet or Alsike clover, radishes, or half a 
dozen other crops in hills, the same as is done Avith 
cow peas in the South. Thorough cultui’e could be 
given both ways between these hills of green crops, 
and Avhen they became of reasonable size, the chicks 
could be turned in to eat them off. By- planting in 
this way it ought to be possible to give fair culture 
to the orchard, and at the .same time give in these 
hills an abundance of green feed for the chicks, and 
later the whole field could be .seeded to cloA-er or 
rye. 
TRANSPLANTED ALFALFA.—We have gone 
far enough with this method of transplanting the 
Siberian Alfalfas to believe that this plan could be 
followed with these plants. A A-ariety like Semi- 
palatinsk could be set out .‘1 feet apart each Avay 
and thoroughly cultivated. If given a start of six 
A\-eeks or a little more, tlie plants Avill make a fine 
top and be Avell establi.shed in the ground. They- 
Avould provide good feed for the chicks. Some of 
the.se young plants AA'ould be pulled out, hut not all 
of them. This is merely a suggestion, not based on 
experience, hut it is one of the things Avhich might 
be Avorth trying. We think this plan of growing 
chick feed in hills in an orchard of this sort has 
po.ssibilities. ' It may be that some of our readers 
have tried it. If so, Ave Avould like A-ery much to 
hear from them. 
Getting Ready for the Corn Crop 
W ITH the surplus of last year’s crop so nearly 
exhau.sted and the jirice of corn and its pro¬ 
ducts higher than ever I)efore, a good crop this 
y-ear is certain to l»e very profitable to the fortunate 
producer. ’Fhere is always a Avide margin in the 
amount of profit betAvec'n a good and poor crop of 
corn. But this y-ear, Avitli the high price Avhich is 
certain and the increased co.st on account of the 
rising price of labor and machinery-, the difference 
Avill he greater than ever before. That is, the profit 
on a good crop Avill he larger, .and the loss from a 
failure Avill ))e greater than usual. 
KnoAving that there are certain factors that make 
for succe.ss in groAving this crop it is only the part 
of Avisdom to iinpiire Avhat they are and Avhether it 
is Avithin our power to see that they are all pres¬ 
ent. Four things contribute to produce the maxi¬ 
mum crop of coi'n; if all are present success is as¬ 
sured. Any one of them being ab.sent partial failure 
is sure. Here they- are: First, good seed corn; sec¬ 
ond, good corn soil; third, a good season; fourth, 
a good corn farmer. I hai'dly knoAV Avhich is moi-e 
important, but Avould like at pre.sent to take up the 
first. What is good .seed ct»rn? While a great many 
points are essential to the shoAv ear, Ave only- ask 
three questions of our seed (sir. Will it groAv? 
Will it yield? Does it shoAv iinproA-ement? Fivst 
then, corn that Avill not groAV is not good seed corn. 
Not only should every 'grain germinate, but 'it 
should .send up a .strong vigorous stalk. To obtain 
this end the corn .should have been Avell matured, 
carefully- selected and perfectly cared for,»and eA-en 
then the good corn groAver does not fully trust it 
until it has been tested for germination and vital¬ 
ity. First select a grain from each of 100 ears, apd 
place in .soil in a box Avhei'e the conditions are at 
least equal to good field conditions. If every grain 
throAvs up a strong healthy stalk no further test¬ 
ing is necessary, hut if tivo or three per cent, fail a 
te.st of the individual ears Avill be nece.s.sary. We 
cannot afford to plant defectiA-e .seed, for only Avith 
a perfect stand can Ave luiA-e a maximum yield. 
Second, Avill it yield? No corn judge can pick 
the high yielding ear.s. We thought y-ears ago that 
Ave could, but every test looking toAvard that end 
has failed. Hoav then shall Ave huA-e high yielding 
.seed? High yielding quality is hereditary in a 
A-ariety or strain of corn, and the A-ariety test Avill 
.shoAA- the comparatiA-e yield of different kinds of 
corn. At the Ohio Experiment Station Avide differ¬ 
ence in yield has been found in different varieties 
under like conditions. On my OAvn farm more than 
20 bushels per acre difference in yield in varieties 
is not uncommon. In a variety te.st made by a 
large corn farmer Avho greAV yearly 100 acres of 
corn, it Avas proven that he Avas groAving a corn 
that produced 12 bushels less than another kind 
groAvn in the same neighborhood, at a loss of 1200 
bu.shels yeai-ly from groAving the Avrong variety 
