P. U R A t. N E W -Y O R t" E R 
What is Coming to Farming? 
It must bo evident to most of us that the business 
of farming at least in most parts of the country can 
never be the same as a result of this war. We think 
tlie business and the social life of the American farmer 
are to be shaken and change<l within the next l(t 
years. We are asking some of our readers who live 
in the country and know farm conditions to tell us 
what they see coming. The first report, by Ueo. A. 
Cosgrove, follows: 
ITKIII’] aro changes taking place now, in this 
northei’ii part of Connecticut. A few jears agt) 
little or no wheat Avas raised in this county, t am 
informed that 5,000 bushels are exiiected to be raised 
this year. A movement is on foot to raise beef cattle 
in this State. On what Avas my farm two young 
bull calves are being raised to make .steers for n.se 
on the farm until they are big enough to turn into 
lieef. There has not been an o.v kept on that farm 
in oO years before. The free grazing ground of the 
West has di.«a])peared; the price of beef has become 
so high that farmers think they see a profit in raising 
it; and the .same is true of hog.s. The raising of the 
hatter will help solve the i)roblem of suritlus mUk. 
City men often ask, Avhy does the farmer continue 
fo keep cows, if. as lie says, there is no money in 
liroducing milk? The answer is easy. It is, that 
the cows in Summer utilize pasture land that AA'ould 
otherwise he of little use, and in the Winter they 
furnish a market for his cheap hay and corn fodder. 
Kesides this they furnish the manure necessary to 
keep up the fertility of his farm. In addition to 
the ahoAe reasons, it may he that a 
large part of his farm is unsuited to 
cultiA'ation, and dairying is his only 
resource. 
The curse of the milk business has 
been unorf/ariizrd dixtrihution. I Avas 
informed that in one large tenement 
luiilding in the city of Ilartfoi-d elcrcii 
iiK-n go into that building every morn¬ 
ing to leaA'e milk. A man goes ui> four 
flights of stairs amhleaA'cs a (juart of 
mi'k at a door, and on the wa.v down 
meets a man coming ui> to leave a pint 
at the ojiposite door of the same land¬ 
ing. and eleven teams of horses and 
wagons are also employed in doing 
Avhat one man and one team could 
easily do. The above is probably an 
extreme case, hut it Avell illustrates the 
unnecessary co.st of distrilmtion, and 
one of the reasons Avhy the fa nuer gets 
.so little for his milk. 
One thing that the war is doing is 
bringing to the aid of the farmer 
the best instructed brains in the State, 
livery county has raised a fund fo jiay the be-^t men 
that can he found to devote all tlii'ir time to look¬ 
ing over farms; telling the farmer Avhat his farm 
is best fitted to produce, and how to get the best 
results. Old ideas and old ways are being broken 
iil>; and the results achieved by children, in the 
l»oys* and girls’ clubs, on these same old farms, 
doubling or (piadrupling previous production, is oiteu- 
ing the eyes of many farmers to the possibilities 
fhat may he reached by proper effort. 
The manufacturer by specializiition. division of 
lalior, speeding up machinery, and control of condi¬ 
tions, may make sure of a profit: but the farmer 
Avho u.ses ecpial skill in his business has no control 
of couditiojus, and ma.v be ruined by un.seasonabh' 
Aveather that could not be fore.<een. 
There is one tendency in America that I see Avith 
the most intense regret: and that is the constant 
increase of tenant farming. Some of the best in¬ 
formed authorities state it is now about tifty-tift.v: 
that is, about half of our farms are cultivated by 
tenants. In my opinion no deadlier blow could pos¬ 
sibly be struck against the indei>endence of tin* 
.V me rica n cha racter. 
It is hccduxr Ave owned our land (paid rent to 
no lordling), met in (own meeting with our eiiuals. 
and voted our own taxes, that the indei)endence of 
the American character was fostered until it uas 
b(>come the Avonder of every intelligent foreigner 
who comes here. Are Ave to lo.se that through tenant 
farming? 
At this present hour, in Northwestern t'onuecticu; 
a millionaire NeAV York sugar broker is buying up 
f.arms and Avild mountain land by the thousand acres, 
and an Kiigli.sh gamekeeper, Avith assistants, has 
been trapping foxes and Avild vermin all Winter to 
clean the land so as to raise Kngli.sh phea.sant.s. and 
make a game pre.serA'e. Is it po.ssible that, along 
Avith four-o’clock teas. Ave are importing that founda¬ 
tion of all aristocracy, monopoly of land? Will the 
day eA’er come Avheu Ave Avill .send a man to some 
‘•r.otany Bay” for life for killing a rich man's rabbit? 
No, there is no fear of that, for the remedy is iu our 
CharuftcrixUc J.airrx of Poixon Irii. F'hi. S71 
OAvii bauds, and it is A'ery .Nimple. Increase the tax 
on land in proportion to the numher of acres held. 
And England, after the Avar, is going to set an 
example of democracy that Avill make the T’nited 
States hustle to keep ipi Avith. For already estates 
that have been in sod for hundreds of ye.irs are com¬ 
pelled by hiAv to lie imt under the pIoAv, and the 
English OoA'ernmeut is guaranteeing prices for years 
ahead to farmers. Where the farmers are compc'lled 
to keep a certain proportion of their farms in grass, 
and a certain part under cultiAatiou is Avas evidently 
necessary that they should be guaranteed against 
loss. Our Oovernment. by limiting the price of 
Avheat. and comiielling the use of rye. cornmeal. etc., 
to adulterate the Avheat. and not limiting the price of 
the adultt'iants. is making it.-<elf ridiculous. .\.ud it 
is a (|ue.stion of bow long the Western fjirmer Avill 
be satisfied to have the price of his Avheat limited. 
Avb.ile Southern cotton is alloAved to go as high ,as 
it can. Truly, everything resolves itself at last into 
a question of pi'ice. caxi. a. co.sokovk. 
Poison Ivy; Curse of the Fields 
T he illustration at Fig. .‘>71 sIioavs the leaves <if 
a plant that has brought .sorrow in the Avake 
of many a vacation ramble. It is the poison ivy 
(Ithns Toxicodendron ». commonly knoAvn as "three- 
tinger." This [ilant groAVs as :i loAV-trailing shrub or 
743 
as a climbing vine, and Avhile thriving best in Ioav, 
rich ground. Avill make it.self a nuisance an.vAvhere. 
The pokson i\’y is sometimes confused Avith the harm 
less Virginia creeper, but can be tohl from the l:ittt*r 
by its shiny, pointed, three-fingered leaAos. Avhile the 
Virginia creeper has dull, blunt five-fingered leaves. 
The degree of susceptibility to ivy poisoning varies 
Avith the Individual. Some pei“sous are affected by 
the Aviud from a bed of the plant; but as a rule it 
must be touched to do harm. A feAV fortunates are 
not affected at all. 
The first .symptoms of iA'.v poisoning is the aiipear- 
ance of small .shiny blisters on the .skin. Avhich itch 
intemsely. If not distui'bed they Avill usually dis- 
aiipear iu a feAV days or a Aveek. If broken by 
scratching the Avatery matter they contain Avill 
spread the affection to other parts. Very often these 
scratched-oiieu pustules become infected, resulting in 
a A'ery bad sore. Avith much redness of the skin and 
SAvelling of the infected parts. In this Avay iv'.v 
poi.soning can be very serious, and may confine the 
p.-itient to his bed. 
If exiiosed to iv.A' poi.soning the fir.st thing to do i.s 
to take preventive m(*asures. The eruption of the 
skin is cau.sed by a light volatile oil from the plant. 
If taken iu time this can be neutralized or removed 
by scrubbing the skin vigorously Avith very hot 
Avater and strong laundiy soap, or, better still, by 
Avashing Avith alcohol. 
If the skin becomes red and the little blisters 
appear, the itching can be allayed by 
a lotion or astringent Avash. .Sugar of 
lead iu Av.ater is a time-honored rem- 
ed.v. This sub.stance is jioisonons. ami 
shouhl be used carefull.A'—never Avith 
young chihiren. A strong solution of 
(ommon salt or baking soda is also 
effectual. It is :i gomi idea to prot(*ct 
the affected places Avith a bandage after 
the AA'ash is applied. l>r. Ah-l T. Cook, 
Plant Pathologist of the State of Ncav 
.J ersey, n'coinmends the use of (*xtract 
of (Irindelia as the best thing he knows. 
This can be had at the drug store. .\n 
old-fashioned reme<ly is a paste of .salt 
and buttermilk, s[iread on a bandage 
and bound ov(>r the seat of the trouble; 
and there are many other.s. The effec¬ 
tiveness of a remedy .seems to A'ary Avith 
the individual. It is best to avoid 
greasy ointments. Of course, a severe 
case of iA'.v poisoning needs the c.-ire of 
a physichin. 
The best Av.a.v to rid the iiremi.s(*s of 
poison iv.v is to grub it out. This can 
be done iiy a person avIio is immune; or one Avho is 
not. b.A- Avearing leather gloves, and taking the [tre- 
ventive nK'asnres described earlier, can do the Job 
fairl.v safel.A'. Crude oil. hot brine, or dilute sul¬ 
phuric :icid, sprayed on the plant. Avill kill it, but 
nothing else Avill groAV there until the subst.-iuce Inn- 
been Avashed out of the soil—sometimes ji matter of 
.sever.il year.s. One should avoid the smoke from the 
burning vine.s. It is almost sure to lead to a bad 
ca.se of poisoning. 
The iioisim iA'.v becomes vei'.A' gorgeous iu the Fall, 
and is often gathered b.v persons ignorant of its ch.ar- 
iicter. Avith tlisastrous coiis(*((uences. The evil poAvers 
of the plant are not confined to its groAving se.ison. 
Even iu the Winter the leafless vines can cause 
troubh*. !{. I.. S( U.MUUXU-UArSl.N. 
! ( lei'st'A . 
Lightning and Wire Fences 
E very year during the .'Summer there are re¬ 
ports of stock killed b.v lightning Avhile at 
pasture. During a storm the cattle Avill drift iqi to 
the Avire fence and stand until the rain is over. .V 
charge of electricity Avill pass along the Avire fence 
and frequentl.v kill aiiimals touching it or standing 
near. In parts of the West this has come to be a 
serious trouble, and II. II. Fenton, of the Kaus.is 
Agricultural College. giA'es this advice about (iro- 
tecting such cattle: 
Wire fences luounted on wooden posts shouhl be 
grounded CA'ery few rod.s. If the fence is mounted ou 
11 ou posts there is iiracricall.v no danger. Wood is u 
non-conductor of electricity. Avhile all metals ni.ake fair 
conducting paths. The charge of electricity in the cloud 
produces an omiosite charge beneath it on tin* l uildings, 
fences, trees and ground. ,Should a fence Avith Avoodeii 
posts be iu the path of discharge no suitable path to 
the ground is afforded. .Stock drift. Just before a storm, 
to the boundary of the space iu Avhich they are inclosed 
If this boundary is a Avire fence on Avooden posts there 
is great danger, as the body of the -11011101 [ii-e.sents a 
better path for electricity than does even Avet. green 
timber. The stock Avill furnish the missing connection 
even though eight or 10 feet aAvay—and this means loss 
of animals, (iroundiug can be done by drivin.g a small 
iron rod doAvn three feet into the ground and atcaching 
a Avire securely to it. and all the Avires of the li-nce 
A (Jonicr for licrri/ Puclaunts. Fiq. 372 
