‘She RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Planning a Barn 
We have a barn 00x40, the narrow side to the south. 
We are intending building a lean-to cow stable against 
this south end, with cement floor. The stable will have 
to house seven or eight head. Can you give us an idea 
as to construction, ventilation, arrangement of gutters, 
etc.? I have a bulletin from Cornell and it advises 
a double wall stuffed with chopped straw. Is there any 
way of arranging platform and gutters so as to pre¬ 
vent the cows getting manure on themselves? We have 
also ordered a tile silo 10x24 to be placed at west end 
of proposed stable. The arrangement we had in mind 
was something like the plan given herewith. 
Lewiston, X. Y. P. R. M. 
HE three first important points in cow barn 
construction are, sanitation, comfort and con¬ 
venience. The platform behind the cows should be 
at least two inches lower than the bed for the cows 
to stand on and four feet wide at least. This 
should be level, with a rise of 1^/^ inches in the 
middle. This will keep the bedding under the front 
feet of the cows, and will in a gi’eat measure pre¬ 
vent the COW’S from slipping on the cement and in¬ 
juring their knees. It also allows the liquid drop¬ 
pings to drain off into the gutter. This gutter 
is usually made just w’ide enough to allow a barn 
scooj) to work in freely; eight inches deep at back 
and 10 next the cow’s. 
It is always better to have the bottom of the 
manger two inches higher than where the cowls’ 
front feet stand. A good rule for the manger is 
to have the bottom flat, for a foot in width, rising 
and sloping back to the desired width, the plat¬ 
form in front of the manger being four to six 
inches higher than the manger bottom. 
As much of it will get beyond their reach, the 
gutter bottom for the 40 feet should have an aver¬ 
age fall of at least two inches; this will help great¬ 
ly in cleaning the stable. I take it for granted 
that stanchions are to be used. The width of the 
COW’S’ platform differs with the different breeds of 
COW’S. For the large breeds, five feet will be about 
right, graduating dow’n to four feet three inches for 
the smaller stock. The distance between the cows 
should be three feet six inches, although three feet 
w’ill do w’here the cow’s are small. 
The passage in front of the cows’ feeding space 
or manger ought to be at least four feet Avide to 
allow of the use of a carrier. These dimensions wall 
make the lean-to stable 18x40 feet, and w’ill allow 
of two box stalls at one end, w’hich will be neces- 
sai'y when the cow’s freshen. 
If the COW’S are to be Avatered in the stable, by 
all means use the Imcket system. By this method 
the cows haA’e access to the w’ater at any and all 
times and it is also the most economical and san¬ 
itary system. The double siding stuffed Avith straw 
is not at all nece.ssary; in fact one thickness of good 
matched siding Av.ill insure sufficient Avarmth for 
the COAV.S, as the stable ought not to be kept too 
Avann. Tw’o ventilating shafts should be arranged 
back of the cows in the siding Avith openings near 
the floor to alloAV the foul heaA’y air to escape. 
These may be 6x24 inches and ought to extend high 
enough to alloAV of good draught. Seven AvindoAVS, 
8x0 glass, Avill give plenty of sunshine in the barn, 
and these opening in at the top Avill send the in- 
floAV of fresh air over and not directly on the cows. 
HENRY E. COX. 
.Tuly 21, 1917. 
the note is outlaAA’ed. and this may be done right 
up to the day before the note is outhiAved. In your 
case you have no time to lose, but the matter 
.should be cleared uj) immediately. If you should 
die your wife Avould be placed in exactly the posi¬ 
tion you had occupied—if the note was outlaw’ed 
as to you it w’ould be as to her, and .she would have 
a harder time proving everything. You should take 
steps immediately to bring suit or else to haA’e your 
relative make payment on the note or interest. He 
is probably Avaiting fo*r the note to be outlawed. 
The loaning of money to relatives and friend.s, or 
ofttimes to the church, is a form of business trans¬ 
action that has not been given sufficient attention 
by the people involved, and in many cases, because 
of this lack of business forms, the friendly trans¬ 
action has ended in a breach of friendship. The 
laAV does not take notice of friendships or of rela¬ 
tionship, or of a man’s standing in the church, but 
places all these matters of the loaning of money 
on the same plane. After the happening of some 
unlooked-for contingency, such as a split in the 
church or a breaking of friendly relation.s, if the 
lender can prove the money Avas loaned, he may re¬ 
cover it, otherw’ise he cannot. This relying on re¬ 
lationship or friendship Avithout the use of the regu¬ 
lar business forms for money tran.sactions may even 
lead to the breaking of friendships. Without any 
Avriting to show the transaction Ave are so apt to 
forget details after a time. The person w’ho carries 
the details in his head may die. His heir may nev¬ 
er have heard of the transaction, and when a claim 
is presented, Avhere is there anything but memory 
to proA’e the transactions? The best rule to follow 
is that the clo.ser the friendship the closer should 
business forms be folloAA’ed. And it must be under¬ 
stood, too, that Avhen the time comes for collecting 
these loans exactly the same means must be used 
as if the transaction was between total strangers. 
If it is not paid, suit must be brought just as be- 
tAveen strangers. There is no middle ground, and 
the statute of limitations against sueing for the 
money runs just the same between friends as be- 
tw’een stranger.s—and this fact, that because of the 
lapse of time the borroAver cannot be legally forced 
fo repay Avhat is honestly due, may be the cause of 
the breach of friendship. 
The Turkey Drive 
FEATURE of farm life in parts of Texas is 
the “turkey drive.” Live turkeys are bought 
from, farm to farm and droves of 1,000, more or les.s, 
are driA’eu on foot to market. A wagon is driven 
slow’ly ahead of them, and men Avho sit in it throw 
out corn as they pass on. The leaders among the 
turkeys move ahead after this‘corn, and the flock 
folloAvs them until they reach the killing shed, 
Avhere they all meet the usual fate of a turkey. Thus 
by making use of a handful of corn tAVO or tlu’ee 
men can easily lead 1.000 turkeys up to slaughter, 
Avhen a regiment avouUI be needed to run them down 
one by one. People often come and Avonder hoAV a 
feAv politicians are able to “manage” sensible and in¬ 
telligent farmers. We find the ansAver in this tur¬ 
key driA’e. “Corn” is but another name for graft or 
•patronage or poAver. What is called “the band 
Avagon” is really the corn Avagon. A feAV strong men 
Avho know their business can sit in this wagon and 
string the local “leaders” after them—and the voters 
follOAv. Many a strong and patriotic man will at 
first resent the idea of acting like a turkey—so 
anxious to get corn that he Avill Avalk on to death— 
but think it over a moment. Did you ever follow 
your leader in politics Avhen you felt that he had 
some crooked scheme on hand? 
892 
tliaii two inches after the corn is well .started. A 
tAvo-inch dust mulch will save a crop on Eastern 
soil. I am very glad to be able to state that Maine 
has far larger acreage in flint corn this year than 
in any year since the blight of cheap Western corn 
struck the land. o. m, tavitciiell. 
Maine. 
Late Planting of Strawberries 
How should I start a straAvberry patch this year, 
and have it bear a crop next year? J. R. 
Reading, Pa. 
O obtain a full crop of straAvberries for next 
year, j’ou should have set out the plants early 
in the Spring. They should have been thoroughly 
cultivated and fed through the Summer, and pro¬ 
tected by a mulch of straAv or manure through the 
Winter. You cannot transplant the plants noAV and 
expect to get a full crop next year, at least from 
the ordinary A’arieties. Some of the Fall or Ever- 
bearing varieties Avould give you a fair crop an¬ 
other year if they could be transidanted uoaa’, but 
plants of the ordinary varieties set out from this 
time on will at best give you only a partial crop. 
Your best chance Avould be to use potted plants, 
and get them into the ground as early as possible. 
You Avill understand Avhat a potted plant is from 
the folloAving: 
The fruiting plant groAving in the field is knoAvii 
as the parent plant. After fruiting, or about this 
time of the year, this parent plant throAvs out run¬ 
ners or ncAV buds, AA’hich is its AA’ay of spi’eading or 
propagating. These runners AA'ill extend a foot or 
more from the parent plant, and then form a bud 
01 * joint. LeaA’es and stems arise from the upper 
part of this joint, Avhile at the under side roots 
start out and fasten themselves in the ground. 
This forms a young plant, and the runner continues 
forming plant after plant in this Avay. The plant 
groAver takes a small pot, usually filled AV’ith rich 
soil, or a mixture of soil and manure. He digs a 
little hole in the ground and sinks this pot into it. 
The joint of the runner plant is then placed direct¬ 
ly over this pot, and a stone or lump of earth placed 
on top to hold at securely. The roots strike into 
the soil of the little pot and groAV there. In a short 
time the neAV plant reaches considerable size above 
ground, and extends its roots all through the little 
pot. When it is large enough, the runner between 
the potted plant and the parent plant is nipped off, the 
pot is taken up, and the plant Avith its roots gently 
taken out of the pot. These roots form a ball in the soil 
of the pot, and thus readily stand transportation and 
transplanting. The little plant may be shipped in 
the pot, or after it has been taken out. When plant¬ 
ed in a neAV place and properly cared for, these pot¬ 
ted plants make a quick and strong growth. They 
are expensiA’e, and it AA’Ould. not pay to buy them 
for commercial planting, except perhaps in the case 
of neAV and very expensive varieties, 
lA layer plant is prepared by placing the joint of 
the runner plant in loose ground, and putting a 
little weight on top of the joint. Thus the plant 
roots in the soil by the side of the parent plant, 
and forms a fair root system, although not as large 
as that found in the potted plant. For our OAvn 
use we regard the layer plants, dug up Avith a 
bunch of moist earth around the roots, as equal to 
the potted plants, but for shipping the potted plants 
are supei’ior if AA’ell handled. Our plan is to root 
these runners as quickly as possible after fruiting, 
and prepare the land after some early crop like 
l>eas. This year we have a lai*ge patch of peas 
close by the straAvberries. As soon as picking is 
completed, these peavines Avill be ploAved under, and 
the ground thoroughly fitted and leA’eled. Then as 
soon as they are firmly rooted, either layer or 
r)otted plants Avill be taken up and planted on this 
pea ground. For Spring planting Ave should put 
the roAvs three feet apart, Avith the plants tAvo feet 
apart in the roAV. For the late planting Avith close 
cultivation, AA’e should set the plants either tAVO 
feet or a foot and a half each AA’ay, and plan to 
give them the most thorough cultivation during the 
balance of the season. If a fruit crop is desired 
next Spring, Ave advise cutting off the runners as 
fast as they appear, so as to throAv the entire 
strength of the plant into fruiting. This Avill make 
a larger plant, and Ave think increase the number 
of fi’uit buds. As the ground freezes, these plants 
should be covered thickly Avith straAV or very coarse 
manure, so as to cover them fully, and yet not pack 
dOAvn hard upon them. Handled in this Avay you 
can obtain a fair crop of fruit for next year, but 
do not expect a full crop, and do not be misled by 
those who tell you that their potted plants w’ill 
surely give you a full crop within six or eight 
months of planting. 
Outlaw of Notes 
Some years ago I lent my brother money, taking a 
mortgage note on his farm. He has never paid any 
interest and recently told me that he did not intend to 
pay any, but if I Avould indorse the interest on the 
note just as if he had paid it. it would reneAv the note 
and prevent it from being outlawed, and that he Avould 
pay the interest hereafter, and the principal as .soon as 
he could. Would that be perfectly valid and legal if I 
should do it? The note will be due soon and I do not 
want it to be outlawed as I cannot afford to lose it. 
If I have to sue and collect it hoAv soon shall I have 
to do so? How near to the day of outlawing can a 
note run befoi’e action should be taken to collect, or 
is there a stated time? In case I should die would my 
wife have any difficulty in collecting the note, as long 
as the indorsement Avas on the back of it? J. M. B. 
F the interest lias not actually been paid your 
indorsement on the back of the note that it has 
been paid Avould not make any difference. It Avould 
not stop the note from being outhiAved. Notes 
Avonld never be outlaAved if this could be done. 
Then if you brought suit and Avanted to collect back 
interest you would have trouble in explaining aAvay 
your indorsement that the interest had been paid. 
If you want to sue and collect your note you must 
commence the action and serve the papers before 
Fighting for Truth 
It is all true, but of course truth raises the dickens 
sometimes and it is as well to keep peace every way 
Ave can honestly. n. j. K. 
HAT comes from one of our readers who tells 
of some disreputable practices in his town. It 
is true that “truth raises the Dickens” noAV and 
then, and the name of the great novelist is used in 
place of much stronger Avords. Yet it often happens 
that the situation needs a good dose of “the Dickens” 
in order to clear it up. Sometimes, thx’ough a series 
of yeai’s, habits and practices which are shady or a 
little off color are peimiitted to start. Most people 
Avink at them, and let them go. Nothing of this soi*t 
ever stands still. It must groAV better or grow 
Avorse and little by little these practices grow upon 
the people until, Avithout realizing it, they are close 
to actual dishonesty. Then comes some one with 
the bald truth about them—and he surely does raise 
“the Dickens,” for people will hang to the habits 
Avhich the years have put like a shell around them. 
It hurts to tear them off but it has to be done at 
times. You have to fight for enduring peace. 
