RURAl. NEW-YORKRR 
621 
than ever. So we have laid our plans for 
a busy season, and Thomas will put them 
over. He knows farming, and is a nat¬ 
ural daylight saver. We have boxight a 
motor truck to handle the apple crop and 
w’hatever we can raise. We shall bank 
on potatoes, sweet corn, cabbage and to¬ 
matoes, aside from the apples. We shall 
push as hard as we can. There may be 
no profit in it, but at least we will do 
our best to produce more than our share 
of food. There is no use denying the 
fact that most farmers will work under a 
serious handicap this year, but when the 
word “Go!” is given Hope Farm starts 
off at its best pace. It never pays to 
quit. Why, look at those rod hens at 
the egg-laying contest. They trailed in 
the dust for months, yet in March, in 
spite of the lazine.ss of Queen and Rufa 
they stood at the head of all the Reds 
in egg production! We suddenly wake- 
up and find ourselves top liners—on the 
first page! Come, boys, don’t let the 
hens shame us! Get binsy ! n. w. C. 
Mice Girdled Trees 
I notice in The R. N.-Y. that many 
fruit growers have suffered loss by mice 
girdling trees, and many and varied means 
are recommended to prevent their depre¬ 
dations or remedy the damage after it is 
done. Wire cloth or other protectors 
around the trunks, mounds of earth at 
the base of the trees, keeping grass and 
rubbish cleaned away, and bridge-grafting 
over the girdled portions, all have value. 
I have had coiusiderable experience in or¬ 
chard work, have suffered much loss from 
girdled trees, more some seasons than 
others; have tried all of the above with 
varying success, but the past season 
struck a method that promises to be the 
best yet. In the Year Rook of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture for IfllO is de¬ 
scribed .a method of poisoning mice which 
looked so feasible that we decided to try 
it out; it is so simple and easy that any¬ 
one can try it. 
Dry Grain Formula.—Mix thoroughly 
one ounce powdered strychnine, one ounce 
powdered bicarbonate of soda and one- 
eighth ounce of .saccharine. Put mixture 
in tin pepper box and siftiover 50 pounds 
crushed wheat or 40 pounds of crushed 
oats, mix thoroughly. Obtain a lot of 
old tin cans from some dump heap, put a 
sjmonful of the mixture in each one, and 
distribute them over the infested area, 
placing them on their sides so they will 
shed the rain. We used only one-half of 
this formula for our orchard of 150 acres; 
it appeared to be sufficient. Our local 
druggist prepared the mixture, except the 
grain, at a cost of less than $t. From 
one season’s trial it seems to be effective. 
AVe distributed the tin cans through the 
orchard December 15, 1017, jdaciug them 
where we thought the mice were most 
numerous. This Spring we find only one 
tree partly girdled, and that one had no 
poison near it. The Winter previous the 
mice were very destructive with us; we 
estimate our loss that season at $200, 
some trees one foot in diameter being 
completely girdled. Evidently there are 
still plenty of mice living in the locality, 
for outside the orchard we find hundreds 
of wild cherry bushes completely girdled. 
We attribute the escape of our trees from 
injury the past season to the fact that 
the poisoned grain did the work, for dead 
mice girdle no trees. We shall probably 
try the same kind of dose next season. 
New Haven Co., Conn. o. f. p. 
Preventing Cross-pollination of Corn 
I wish to plant sweet corn and popcorn 
on the same piece of land. How far 
apart should the varieties be planted to 
i)t> sure to keep each pure from cro.ss-pol- 
lination? E. L. P. 
Experience has shown that at least -10 
rods should separate the plantings of dif¬ 
ferent varieties of corn to prevent them 
from cross-pollenizing. Fifty or (>0 rods 
apart would be better and a greater guar¬ 
antee of prevention, particularly where 
strong winds prevail. If it is possible to 
plant in fields separated by a narrow 
strip of woods or ridge of high ground, it 
would be comparatively safe to plant the 
varieties at only 25 to .‘>0 rods apart, 
but in the open, with no trees or high 
ground intervening, 40 to 60 rods should 
separate them. K. 
The Car-Owning Farmer Serves the Nation Best 
TTE conserves time and energy to devote to his farm by putting the automobile to 
work. It does the “going to town”, keeping the horses in the fields. It can be 
driven by women and children with safety, saving time for the men. Driving it hard 
does no harm, it’s always fresh for the next job. And if it’s a King it needs little 
attention or repair. 
This year it is a duty to buy more carefully than 
ever before. For reasons of economy and as¬ 
sured performance you should select a pioneer 
car of matured mechanical design and moderate 
up-keep, built by a reliable and long-established 
Company. Investigate the KING!—and be¬ 
cause of limited “war-year” output and freight 
embargoes, order early. 
This sixty horse-power King is now in its third 
^ear of world-wide service, following a smaller 
‘Eight” and a successful “Four”. The chassis is 
designed throughout for utmost simplicity and 
surplus strength. Comparative light weight for 
a car of this power and size is the big factor in 
its low cost of maintenance. The King has long 
body room because of compact engine, and its 
120 inch wheelbase gives a short turning radius, 
which together with its fine taper roller bear¬ 
ings and easily reached and operated levers, 
make it remarkably simple to handle. Women 
especially appreciate its easy, driving qualities. 
Built low it holds to the ground at high speed. 
Long cantilever springs and deep, correctly tilted 
upholstery banish riding fatigue. 
The car shown above is the seven-passenger 
Touring model. FOURSOME—is the King 
4-passenger sport model and considered by 
many the handsomest of its type. A 7-pas¬ 
senger Sedan, richly finished, is the popular 
closed model. 
Send for catalog and name of nearest dealer 
KING MOTOR CAR COMPANY, DETROIT 
“Food Will Win the War” 
LANDLme 
results for War Crops 
Order Now on Account of Car Shortage 
ROCKLAND & ROCKPORT LIME CO. 
New York, 101 Park Ave. Rockland. Me. ' Boston, 45 Milk St. 
R-RI 
Immediate 
ake them at low cost. Get big¬ 
ger crops. Increase farm values. 
me 
Farm Ditcher, Terracer 
and Road Grader 
All-Steel—Adjastable—Reversible—No wheels, 
levers or cogs to get out of fix. Cuts new farm 
ditches or cleans old ones to 4 feet deep—grades 
roads—builds farm terraces, dykes and levees. 
Prevents crop failures; reclaims abandoned land. 
Does the work of 100 men. Needed on every 
farm. Write for free book full of valuable drain¬ 
age information and special Introductory offer. 
OWENSBORO DITCHER & GRADER CO., Inc. 
Box 534 Owensboro, Kentucky 
The Tractor Disk That Stands Up! 
Why waste your tractor power pulling a poor disk ? No disk should be run behind 
a tractor unless it is built especiafly for that kind of work. It must do equally well 
after the plow or on stubble. The leader for a dozen years is the 
( ) 
Tractor 
Disk Harrow 
Built extra strong, with heavy disks forged sharp. 
Rigid frame does the work in once over, avoids 
packing. Two lovers control all gangs. Ad¬ 
justable hitch. Light draft. Sizes for all 
tractors, light or heavy. 
Write for free catalo;!, and book "The Soil 
Its Tillage” and name of Cutaway dealer. 
The Cutaway Harrow Co. 
667 Main Street, Higganum, Conn. 
Maker of the original CLA RK Disk ^ 
Harrows and Plows * 
N M 
150 Styles 
Write for Greatest money saving fence / 
bargain book ever printed. Brown fence I 
. iB made of Heavy DOUBLE GALVA . 
NIZED WIRE, Resists tust longMt. 1 
"150 ^yles. Also Gates and Barb Wire. | 
' Low Factory Prieos, Freight Prepaid. Write foi* 
'wonderful tree fence book and sample to test. 
I The Bro«D Fence A Wre Ce, DepL 59 .> Cleveland, Obis 
The Threshing Problem 
Q 1 1 Threshes cowpeas and soy beans 
jjQIV0(l the mown vinos, wheat, oats. 
rye and barley. A perfect combina¬ 
tion machine. Nothing like it. “The machine I 
have been looking for for 20 years." W. F. Massey. 
“It will meet every demand." H. A. Morgan, Di¬ 
rector Tenn. Exp. Station. Booklet 29 free. 
KOGER PEA A BEAN THRESHER CO.. 
Morristown, Tenn. 
