0^0 RURAl. NEW.YORKER 
1T31 
Crops and Farm Notes 
Kansas a« Viewed by a New Yorker 
Kansas is poing to jdant ton million 
ai-n-s of AVinter wheat this Fall. I'his 
will be the largest acreage of this crop 
ever planted by any State, and if the con¬ 
ditions are favorable ne-xt year it should 
result in a yield of two hundnHl million 
bushels. The preparing of this huge acre¬ 
age is a considerable tax on the available 
eriuipment, but this is being helped some 
by the large number of tractors that are 
being iisi'd. More than G.IHH) tractors are 
now at work on Kansas farms. Many of 
these have l)een run day and night, and 
most of them that were operated only in 
the day have been run for vcu-y long 
hours. As a rule the power plowing is 
<leep. from si.x to eight im hes, ami is very 
.satisfactory. M'here a large acreage must 
be c<*vere<l with horses, however, shallow 
jdowing has been the rule in some cases. 
Kesults obtaineil in the last three years 
have shown that on an aver.-ige higher 
yii'l 's can be r.\]>ecte<l where the plowing 
was done with -a tractor. 
Livestock is getting attention in Kansas 
along with the gr.-iin—thi.s is es|>ecially 
true with dairy farming. There has lx“eu 
a huge increase in dairying in the last 
three years, ami a large number of cows 
liave Ix-en brought in from other States. 
Many of these animals have come from as 
far <*ast as Xew urk ; most of the ani¬ 
mals, however, were bought in Wisconsin 
ami lllimds. 'I’his is pnalmung an in¬ 
crease in the number of silos and in the 
acreage of such crops as Alfalfa, as might 
be expected. Kansas h;is more than lll,- 
(tOO silos, of Avhic.h a high proportion are 
on dairy farms. Many of the silos in the 
Westerii j>art of the State are pit silos. 
.V pit silo can be constructed very cheap¬ 
ly—in many cases the cost is not more 
tiiau To cents a ton capacity, and in a 
few cas(‘s even less. It tjike^ less p<iwer 
at filling time. to<.>, for it is not necessary 
to use a blower. 
It is in the acreage of Alfalfa that 
Kansas is making its greatest record. The 
State has more than a million and a 
quarter acres of this crop, which is larger 
than the acreage in any other State. 
Itairy farmers are especially pleased Avith 
the crop, ami it is grown generally by 
every man Avith cosvs aa’Iio has land that 
Avill produce it. 'J'he i>rice is noAV run¬ 
ning from to .$!.*.'> a ton, and niaby 
men expec-t a large inerease in price by 
Winter; it may go as higdi as .$.‘50 or .$.‘52 
a ton for gmjd qu.ality h.ay. Dairy farm¬ 
ers .already are talking of .an .advance in 
the price of milk. Around Toptdia, the 
State capital, which is a repre.sentativo 
town, the average price of milk is 10 
cents a quart, and dairymen are expect¬ 
ing to be getting as much as 12 cents by 
mid-Winter. Some farmers producing an 
especially superior luoduct are expecting 
to demand more. 
In im>st .sections of K.ansas Avork Avith 
truck and fruit crops has been somewhat 
neglected, at lea.st that is the way a New 
York farmer Avould regiird it. lIowcA’er, 
there are .some s<K.‘tions that are giving 
real .attention to the.se cu'op.s. In the 
Ka?is.i.s Kiver Valley c-specially, from To- 
jieka to Kjinsiis t'ity, a huge amount of 
truck i.s grown. 'I'lii-s is one of the lead¬ 
ing early j»otato sections of the country. 
Most of the growers got from $1.1.1 to $2 
a bushel this ye.ar for their potatoes, de¬ 
pending mi the time that they sold. The 
average jirice A^•as about $1.2.j. A large 
amount of cabbage is raised in thi.s valley, 
and many Avati^rmelons. 
'Phe best fruit is raised on glacial soil 
in the northeastern pint of the fstate, not 
far from .^t. .loseph. The apple crop is 
smaller than usual, and the price Avill be 
above luu inal. 
(VAiisidi-rable damage Avas done to the 
Corn and kalir crops by dry Aveather 
in .Tilly, but rains the first Aveek in Au¬ 
gust have brought them out wonderfully. 
l’ri<-es have been high fur all kinds of 
livestock. Taken generally, it Avill l>e a 
prosperous year for farmers. 
One thing that is aiding greatly in 
Kansas in making farming more satisfai'- 
tory and profitable is the rather remark¬ 
able interest in co-operation over the 
.'state. In this n^jicet in many communi¬ 
ties the State is ahead of many si-ctioiis 
of New York. The (Ir.inge is especially 
strong in Kansas—it has about 40,000 
member.s. There also are about 400 chap¬ 
ters of the Farmers’ I’nion. In addition 
to these, there are many local independent 
co-optwative as.soi iations of Auirious kinds. 
The Farmers’ Fiiimi has Iwen es|»ecially 
succe.ssfuJ in handling grain through its 
co-operatiA’e eleA’ators. The (Jrange ha.s 
many .succes.sful co-operative store.s, and 
a co-operative insurance department. Avith 
headquarters at Olathe, Kan., AA-hich han¬ 
dles all of the farm insurance of its mem¬ 
bers at tiboiit one-third the cost of ordi¬ 
nary iri.surance. 
Kansas farms aA-erage much larger than 
the average in Ncav York, and in many 
ca.ses the farming is not so carefully 
done. Most of the f:irmer.s are A\-orking 
on .111 extensi\’e rather than an intensive 
s.-ale. 'I'he average f.-irni ranges in size from 
l<t0 to 240 acres, with many A’ery large 
ranches in the \\>stern part of the State 
especially. The truck and fruit farms 
anil to a smaller extent tin* dair.v farms 
have ;i lower acreage, hut there are few 
[.[......s smaller than 40 acres, and the 
nunilier under .S(t acres is not large. 
2in acri“s seems to be the must 
economical unit for the average general 
farm. There ha.s been no tendency in the 
last fcAv years for a retliiction in the av¬ 
erage acreage*; in faid, in most counties it 
has tended to increase. There has, Iioaa'- 
ever, been an increase in the numls'r of 
married and unmarried hired haiuks. 
Many farmers Avho formerly handled their 
quarter section farms with the labor of 
themselves and perhajis a son, have added 
one man. The tendency in farm manage¬ 
ment h.as laaui toward thi.s addition rather 
than toward a splitting up of the farm 
into two place.s. As a rule the marrnal 
liands are paid alsnit $.">0 a mouth, Avith 
hotrse rent, a garden. chicken.s, pig.s and 
other free extras. When these extras are 
4'onsidered it is easy to .see that Kansas 
farms ofl’er .a miudi higher financial return 
than is olTered by ordinary Avork in the 
towns and cities. Many laborers ajipre- 
ciate this, and luiA’C moved to the coun¬ 
try in the last tAvo years. HoAvever, there 
still is a .serious shortage of farm help, 
and it is jirohable that now Avith the com¬ 
ing of Avar Conditions this Avill increase. 
Kansas has sui>plied a huge number of 
A'ldiinteers for tlie army and navy in ad¬ 
dition to those calhsl up for the National 
Army. F, R. MCiioi-S. 
We are Avithin tAvo miles of the Monon- 
gahela River, 150 mile.s .south of Pitts¬ 
burgh b.v the river, GO by the road. The 
Monongah'ela Valley ofl'ers exceptional 
market.s, possibly not surpas.sisl in the 
United States for all grades of produce 
that is, e.xceptional to the peojde living 
Avithin reach of this market, for the val¬ 
ley is lined for over -lO miles Avith iron 
mills and coal mines, and over ItMI miles 
with the latter. It is exceptional to the 
local producer, b«‘cau.se he can sell direct 
to the consumer at a lower price than the 
same grade of i»rodu<*o can be delivered 
by the commission men Avith long ship¬ 
ment, and a great d-mil better price to the 
producer by their being but one profit 
instead of four, the i»r<xlucer, comniis- 
sion man, transportation and retailer. 
The labor question is a serious one, day 
labor $2..''»0 to $4, miners reeviving from 
.$.5 to .$‘20 per day, making all pri>ducts 
high-jiriced. I.ittle ucav Avheat has been 
Sfdd as yet. but averages about $2 from 
the farin'. Rye $2 ; corn, old, .$l.r)0 to $2 ; 
oat.s, old. .rx) to .$1.10. No buckwheat 
and little barley raised. Potatoes $1..">0; 
SAveet Corn per dozen, 25 to 40c; cabbage 
dull. Apples per bushel .$1..50; peaches 
$2 to $.‘5 and scarce. 1‘ears a failure. 
Stock of all kinds high, especially .sheep. 
Wool Sidling slow at 0.5 to TOi*; have 
been offered 75c. Mutton sheep 8 to 10c.; 
Spring lambs, 10 to 15c. Pigs _and hogs 
scarce and very high; butter .25 to 5<b-; 
milk 2.5c per gallon, retails at 10 to 12c 
per qt. Fggs 40 to 50c. Timothy hay 
about ,$20; .\lfalfa a little higher, Avith 
excejition of fruit the crops were generally 
good, oats v-xtra ; Corn a A'ory heavy crop, 
but is too green for tln“ time of year 
on account of frequent fieavy rain. 
Washington Co., Pa. J. w. c. 
The Aveatlier the three AVeeks ending 
Siqd. 10 has bisii A'ery rainy in this 
vicinity. Some farmers are not through 
haying, others have their IiarA'esting done 
and in the barns. Corn looks bad, it is 
SO late. Potatoes A’ery good. Some are 
putting in Avheat. The rural schools are 
.all running under the new Iuav. I'he tax 
Avill be A’ery much higher this Fall. B. 
('attaraugus Co., N. Y. 
This jiart of I.cAV’is County, N. Y.. has 
as .a whole had good crops. Fverything 
started late, but Ave had .a bumper hay 
and grain crop. Potatoes are looking 
green and proini.se a good crop. StiAck 
i.s looking Avell. f'ows are shrinking 
badly; grain is so high Ave can’t give 
them much. Tliere Avere many fine pieces 
of Spring wlnsat that ought to help out 
•Some in the bread line. No Winter AV’heat 
being put in; farm help is so scarce .and 
the outlook i.s bad for the farmers. Our 
farm boys seem the first to be drafted 
and haA’o to go. In itiis locality many 
farmers are expecting to have to sell 
the larger part of their dairy betAA’oen 
now and Kpi-ing. just keep a few cows 
Avhat we can care for our-sidves, r.ai.se 
Avhat we Avant to cat for our families 
and let Uncle Sam rai.se the rest. It 
seems a pity to let good large pro<luoing 
farms lie idle, ju.st for the lack of help 
to do the work. Reef and pork is very 
scarce; eggs 45c. There is scarcely any 
frnit of any kind in this part 'which 
covers several counties, I think. The 
outlook for the farmer Avas at one time 
looking better, more encouraging, better 
prices, more protection from the middle¬ 
man and better time.s in the future, but 
this war has knocked aU the conceit out 
of US 
farmers; 
Ave 
are 
doAvn 
and Avor; 
is yet 
to Come! 
W. S. G. 
I.VAV 
i.s Co., N 
. Y 
• 
The 
drought 
h:i.s 
hisui bi’iik 
en after 
lot of 
corn Av; 
IKS 
fired. 
Now we ai 
having too miieh rain, making it ditticnlt 
to get thrashing done. There i.s still .some 
Avheat in the field yet. ()nts AV’ere down 
badl.A’, some never cut ami some cut and 
Hover shocked, and still not thrashed. 
O.’its that stood u;) are going around 50 
bu. i»er acre; Avheat 20 to 550 bu. .V large 
acreage of wheat W’ill be sown this Fall. 
Henry Co., fb o. u. is. 
A 
For oompief^ worh'ng plans, specifications and hill of materials fm this 
Chicken House and thirteen other farm buildings, send coupon helonj. 
The Farmer's 
N owhere is wood given a severer test tliau 
on the farm. Earm buildings are exx>osed. to 
all extremes of weather—blazing sun and rah) in 
summer—cold, sleet and snow in whiter. 
For this hard usage Wliite Pine has for generations 
been the preferred wood with farmers. For outside 
uses they haven’t found another wood that stajods 
the racket as well as 
White Pine 
WTiite Pine does not waip, split twist or rot, even 
after years of service under the severest climatic 
conditions. It forever ‘‘stays puf '—the joints al¬ 
ways hold tight. It takes and holds paint perfectly. 
Its soft, straight, yielding grain makes it a pleasui-e to 
handle—ea.sy to work and ea.sy on tools—an jmportjoit 
item, especially when you do the work yoiurself. 
WKite Pine buildings are permanent improvenrtentc 
increase the value of your farm. Once built the]'^ latt fo» 
years without requiring continual repairs. And the dif¬ 
ference in cost between White Pine and the che&pcfet 
wood for the exterior of any farm building is nc^’H^ible. 
Your lumber dealer has Wliite Pine or can get il fov you. 
Insist on having it. 
White Pine Bureau 
I9G1 Merchants Rank RUg., St. Minu. 
Representing 
TImj Nertherii Pine Manufacturers’Aiwm-uitlon of ^^^Ilncs<lta, WIs<i>nsiB 
and Micliigaa, and Tlie A.s.sociuted IV Lite Pine ^lauufacturers of Idaho 
. TEAR OUT AND SEND NOW 
White Pixe Bureau 
1901 MercliauU Rank Iffdg., St. PbuI, IvliuJi, 
Send mo complete plans, ete., of flj.- 
buildings Avhich I have checked: 
n Barns (2) 
Q Hog Houses (3) 
n Com Crib and Granary (1) 
r~l MjJLk House (1) 
□ Poultry Houses (3) 
n Implement Sheds (3) 
□ Gura^ (1) 
Nome 
P.0_„ 
R.F.D. 
. State- 
Give Your Wife a Squzure De«)! 
Provide Running Water in Your Home 
You demand the best equipment for field and barn. Give 
your wife a square deal. See that her workshop (the home) le 
enuippod with running water You can easily have plenty 
for kitchen, laundry bath, garden and lawn. The whole 
L family will enjoy city conveniences la the country home. , 
' Viffltd 
fer this 
£«ok 
Is the title of our new book which fully 
explains how you can install a com¬ 
plete water system in house and 
k barns. Our Service Department 
^ will help you select the right 
equipment. Send today for this 
instructive book, free. Ad- 
dress Dept. 11. 
The Goulds Mfg. Co. 4 
Main Office and Works: 
Seneca Falls, N. Y. 
liRANCHGS: 
Fhlladvlphtu Chicago I 
\ New York t' 
I Htt^churKh I 
€ flWn JU AtUinia Huustoo t 
for air presauro 
or elevated tuok 
water ayatem. 
Goulfls 
FIs. i&n 
FyntmiU Fump 
