636 
^he RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June ^29, 191S 
/ 
I 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
The Turkeys. —After a month of pa¬ 
tient incubation the big white turkey 
hatched six poults from her 12 eggs. That 
gives us 12 poults, as the Red hen still 
has her family intact. The first two- 
thirds of the litter*of eggs .seemed to be 
fertile—the later ones not so. It was 
curious to observe the dilTerence between 
the hen and the turkey as nurses. The 
hen (luietly submits to being driven into 
a coop ar night, from which she is not 
let out until the grass is dry. One night 
she started to brood the poult.s in a cor¬ 
ner outside, and the girls left lier there. 
When we looked out of the window in the 
morning there she wa.s, leading her fam¬ 
ily through the wet grass. Now. the tur¬ 
key refused to enter any coop or shed. 
She crawled off into the high grass and 
gathered her family under her—talking 
as steadily as a woman who came to our 
place and delivered a lecture on training 
children. The girls were greatly troubled, 
but they reasoned that Mrs. Turkey ought 
to know her business. Early in the morn¬ 
ing I walked by. The wise old head 
reached u)) to watch me and then darted 
down like an Indian in the grass I The 
tjirkey held her family under hei' until 
10 ./clock, when the grass was dry. Then 
she led them out. Thus, the hen submits 
to human discipline—whether it is sensi- 
Vde or not. The turkey knows her own 
flesh and blood and will not be dictated 
to. That seems to be the effect of mod¬ 
ern civilization upon life, whether it is 
bound in feathers or hide or cloth! A 
lot of us are getting out of the habit of 
using the good old-fashioned “instinct.” 
We do what other tell us to—by word or 
through looks! 
Apple Trees. —The man who develops 
an api)le orchard—plants the trees with 
his own hand and see them grow into 
fruitage—has many a lesson of life. I 
often wonder at the stories men tell of 
planting difl’erent varieties and waiting 
until they fruit before knowing that 
some are misfits. Practically every sepa¬ 
rate variety has a distin<}t habit of 
growth, and the man who sees them grow 
up around him comes to know them 
much as he would distinguish the blood 
of different breeds in a bunch of grade 
cattle. To me the thick, stocky head of 
Mcljitosh is as different from that of 
Wealthy as an Ayrshire is from a Jersey. 
Greening, with its tent-like head, and Sut¬ 
ton, with its pear-tree shade, and the 
spread of Ren Davis are very distinct. 
Many nursei'ymen say they can select 
the little trees by the color or shape of 
the wood or bj’ the roots. At any rate, a 
man who watches his trees grow ought to 
know the varieties by their shape. It 
would seem to me a question if a man 
who cannot .see these things will ever 
make a successful fi-uit grower. 
The Off Year. —It is the natural 
habit of some varieties to produce a big 
crop one year and then go “dry” or off 
the next season. Baldwin and Spy in 
particular act that way with me. In one 
block of Baldwins we seem to be inducing 
some of the trees to produce annual crops, 
but. as a rule. Baldwin is not an annual 
bearer. Now. this is Avhat I am trying 
to rind out: .Should we cultivate and feed 
the trees in their “off” year, or let them 
alone? My own inclination is to let them 
go. Cultivation and feeding will make 
wood freely, and I do not see that we are 
so likely to make fruit buds. When the 
tree does not get all the food and moisture 
it needs, nature steps in and prepares for 
the future by producing an abundance of 
buds. Where there is an abundance of 
food and water 1 think the tree will rush 
into wood growth and neglect to make 
buds. So it would be my plan to let the 
tree pretty much alone in the off year. 
Then, when it comes to the fruiting year, 
1 would give it the best of care—mulching 
or fertilizing and feeding well. Hold 
back for buds—push hard for fruit I That 
is our idea. 
REiSULt of Feeding. —I find a <-lass of 
fruit growers who say this is wrong; 
that the tree ought to be fed and culti¬ 
vated through the off year the same as 
when bearing, so as to give it size and 
strength. Last Fall I bought quite a 
quantity of chicken manure, and in order 
to save storage we decided to put it right 
on a block of trees. They were Baldwins. 
It was naturally their off year, and they 
had been left in sod. as we u.sually leave 
them at that time. I figured that the 
buds were forming, and that the chicken 
manure would give these trees extra nitro¬ 
gen and strength. They made some growth 
through the Winter and I fully expected 
to see them pink with bloom this Spring. 
Instead of that they made little or no 
bloom—only a scattering flower here and 
there. Instead of doing their duty at 
producing fruit they are now making a 
tremendous wood growth. Now I think 
that late application of chicken manure 
forced these trees into growth at the 
wrong time. There was too much nitro¬ 
gen in it. That gay young element drew 
the tree away from its natural duty of 
bud making. Instead of “sawing wood” 
the ti’ee proceeded to make wood and 
shirked the job of helping Hoover this 
year I 
Comparisons.— Thus a Baldwin tree 
seems not unlike most humans in this re¬ 
spect. My boys, and I have no doubt 
others, have been known to misuse their 
vacations and playtime. “All work and 
no play makes .Tack a dull boy.” I think 
my folks sub.scribf* to that doctrine and 
would like to have the minister use it fre¬ 
quently as a text. The Baldwin trees 
evidently agree fully with the rest of the 
family. Y*ou send the average human off 
for his vacation with a medium supply of 
money and a clear understanding that he 
must economize fairly and .save himself, 
and he will come back to his job tuned 
up for a fine performance. Dump money 
into his purse and tell him to “go to it,” 
and he will make very few fruit buds for 
future service, but rather a growth of 
pleasure-loving habits that Avill make him 
of small account in practical work. The 
“off” season, or vacation, is not the time 
for nitrogen if you expect to come back 
and get “on” the treadmill. I now think 
that when I put that chicken manure 
around these trees last Fall I was just 
about as foolish as I would have been to 
have given the boys $50 and sent them off 
alone in a car for a vacation I But what 
shall I do now to bring these big trees 
back to their job next year? The sod 
has been plowed under. Now what? I 
know what we plan to do, but what 
would 2 /oM do to a tree or a boy after you 
saw that you had given too much nitro¬ 
gen at the wrong time? 
The Red Hens. —Fame .seems to have 
fixed her eye upon us at last. During 
the pa.st half century I will confess that 
on several occasions we have attempted 
things which we hoped would attract at¬ 
tention. I have noted that when people 
stand out by the wayside and call out as 
Fame walks by: “Madame, here I am; 
send me I” tlu'.v are rarely recognized. 
The critical lady walks by with her liead 
up. deaf to the call. AVhen she wants 
you she will most likely appear while you 
wear your old clothes—dusty and sweaty 
from oi’diuary labor. Most of us are at 
our best, Avithout knowing it, not while 
we are dressed up “for handsome,” but in 
some plain, humlde service which seems to 
us very commonplace, and .so Fame comes 
walking into the Hope Farm yard after 
long years Avith the most distinguished 
Hoi)e Farmer to date, and says: 
“Ladies and gentlemen of the universe, 
and New .Tiu’sey in particular, we have 
Avith us tonight a lady Avho has won dis¬ 
tinction—who has given a .service of 
great i»ractical value to her country, Avho 
stands at the head of a great group of 
Avorthy citizens. Others may face the 
shells upon the battlefield, but this lady 
has excelled them all. and has proved 
her.self a Avorthy soldier in the quieter 
walks of life. It gives me great pleasure 
to introduce—— 
lIoAV these orators do love to roll such 
senteiK'es out and keep you Avaitiug for 
the final “introduction.” Fame is no ex¬ 
ception. and Avhile she is clearing her 
throat I kuoAV you are saying, “Oh. I am 
so glad that the Hope Farm mother is to 
be recognized. I have knoAvu all the 
time That she A\'as the mainspring of that 
jjlace. This Hope Farm man is the talk¬ 
er, the hands on the clock, but mother, as 
is usually the ca.se, is the dominating force 
in that family. I AA'onder Avhat beautiful 
thing she has done noAV!” 
But here is Fame, finishing her speech : 
“It gives me great pleasure to intro¬ 
duce the most famous member of the Hope 
Farm family —Polly the Red hen!” 
And all the Hope Farmers, big and lit¬ 
tle, applaud and agree that Polly has a 
better record than any of us. For at the 
Vineland egg-laying contest Polly .stood at 
the head of all the Reds for seven mouths 
in the second year. She laid l.T” eggs 
in 212 days and is still going strong. In 
addition to this she Avas not discouraged 
by the disreputable work of her lazy sis¬ 
ter. but through her own fine recor^' has 
put the Hope Farm contest pen at the 
head of all the Reds for three successive 
months. 
We all cheerfullA’ admit that there is no 
one else on the farm Avho CA’er had any 
such record at college or at industry. If 
.someone Avent to my old college and hunt¬ 
ed out my student record I fear it Av<mld 
do anything but stimulate my children. 
As for industry, there surely has been 
no great popular demand that any of us 
have a gold Avatch or a public monument. 
Polly has shelled her way in the great 
driA’e for food, and has made all the other 
Red hens feel blue. As her record is 
Avhite, she is a .Star .Spangled Banner hen, 
and Avhen she dies Ave will have her 
“.stuffed,” not with dressing, but pre¬ 
served as an insijiration to f)ther Hope 
Farmers and their friends. For Polly 
.saw th.at last year our pen cut a A’ery 
poor figure—clo.se to an 0. .So she start¬ 
ed quietly in to put a 1 in front of that 0 
and make it 10. .Say. boys, do you face a 
poor record as Avell as Polly did? Some 
celebration was needed to mark this 
event. .So aac ju.st killed a brother and 
tAA’o drone sisters of Polly and sei-ved 
them up on .Tune 10 Avith peas and beets 
and five quarts of Marshall straAvberries. 
The poet a.sks “What is so rare as a day 
in .Tune?” He would have found that 
“rare day” right here, Avith 17 peojtle to 
eat the dinner. The poet Avould have 
looked us OA-er and (hen pa.s.sed his plate 
for “a little more Avhite meat and dress¬ 
ing.” ir. Av. f. 
My War Garden Experiences to Date 
My husband, a “real” farmer, believes 
in fitting land early, and jdanting as eaidy 
as ground and Aveather permit, Avhether it 
is the fertile valley land, the hillside, or 
hill-top land. We are ncAV to our hillside, 
southeastern-slope farm, Avhich has been 
badly abused. The husband wishing to 
hurry along the reclaiming, plowed in the 
Fall until three feet of snoAv buried the 
sulky ploAV from sight. How the neigh¬ 
bors shook their heads (behind his back). 
“That land (stony) Avill be packed so 
tight by Spring that he can't ever fit it.” 
This Spring the wheel digger Avas run 
over it once by husband; the Acme har¬ 
row Avas run over it twice by my.self; 
Avith a boating in between it left that 
land in a most delightful .state, fine and 
soft. Hoav the children’s toes and the 
seeds did revel in that seed bed I The 
results, of cotirse. are what coupt after 
all. Let us see Avhat Ave have .Tune 10. 
Peas Avith jaals two to three inches 
long; beet greens, with baby beets one- 
half inch in diameter, for dinner; lettuce 
supplying us, the neighbors and the chick¬ 
ens Avith many a meal. Radi.shes long 
since gone by. Potatoes 14 to 1(5 inches 
high. Sweet corn the same (in spi>ts). 
SAveet corn seed came ui) very irregularly 
this year; I think it Avas as badly af¬ 
fected by the early fro.st la.st Fall as the 
field corn Avas. but as Ave have planted 
an extra quantity hope to have enough to 
can 50 quarts of succotash. 
Cook exactly .as for the ta))le. seasoning 
Avith salt pork, .salt and i)epper. Fill 
glass jars, jnit on neAV rubbers, fit on 
glass top, but do not .seal tight yet., Put 
cans into a boiler of water as nearly of 
same temperature as of jars as possible 
and boil sttaidily for three hours. Re¬ 
move from boiler and seal. The succo¬ 
tash is not quite up to standard for looks, 
just a bit musty, but is par excejlence for 
ta.ste. That is the reason for 50 quarts 
this year against 14 for last. 
We use tAVO kinds of hoes: a small, 
narroAV hoe for light Avork and a “rake” 
hoe for the heavier. .lust a hint to si.ster 
gardeners: To make a hoe cut Aveeds 
more easily, take a file and .sharpen the 
edge occasionally. It keeps the temper 
from getting “on edge.” 
If, AA'hen you start to remov<! gra.ss 
roots and damp earth from the rake-hoe, 
you discover a cunning little snake 
tAvisted around the teeth, do not get ex¬ 
cited. Examine it closely (as you dare). 
If it is sjiotted or checkered “hit him on 
the head 'til he is dead.” but if he is 
striped let him go. Many a “varmint” 
bug Avill he catch for you. And toads! 
Guard them Avith fidelity! It Avill pay 
you. 'J'hese Avar gardens are going to 
do and are doing much for Avomen. Per¬ 
sonally, I am fat, not fair (tan covers 
the fair), and nearing forty. The fat is 
broiling UAvay. the tan is not minded, and 
I “feel"’ like .sixteen. 
THE AVONDKKVIEAV FARM AVO.AtAN. 
“For the Land’s Sake, use Bowker’s 
Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
those Avho till it.”— Adv.— 
,’T pA 
Conservation means 
the use of foods re- 
S less sugar, 
lel, and the' 
minimum of wheat. 
requires No Sugar. 
No RJEL,less milk 
or cream than i 
other cereals, and 
is part BARLEY. 
It’s a concentrated, 
nourishing, eco¬ 
nomical and deli - 
clous food.TRYlT! 
“QUEEN” 
AUTO LEVS 
CONFORMS TO ALL 
HEADLIGHT LAW.S, 
but throws lOOjt more liKht 
tliaii ordinary Lena. Lignts 
road from fence to fence. 
Tested, approved and used by United States Army. 
Two colors, crystal and amber. Sent charges prepaid with 
understanding, that if not satisfactory in 30 days, return 
and get money back. Following are pricea per pair; 
. . , CJiySTAI. AMBi.n 
8 to 8! j inches, inclusive. tl .50 52.00 
8?^tO‘J “ 1.76 2.26 
9H to 9’A '• 2.00 2.60 
to 10 " " 2.26 3.00 
West of the Rockies 25c a pair additional. 
Give diameter of old Lens, also model and make of Car, 
Liberal terms to repreaentativea, 
FLEMINCTON CUT GLASS CO., Inc. 
FLEMINCTON NEW JERSEY 
“SUNSHINE & CONSOLATION" IS SENT FREE. 
“POEMS OF FAITH. CONSOLATION AND CHEER"— 
also some "EVEKYDAY THOUGHTS” and an ART 
SUPPLEMENT—comprise Volume 43 of the Cypress 
Pocket Library 84 famous poets are represented by 
their beat work, “A vest pocket edition of higheBt lit¬ 
erary value.” Such is the already famous "ONCE-IN- 
WHILE” BOOK. No conditions. No subscriptions. No 
“Follow-up.” Simply write Southern Cypress Assn., 
120 Hibernia Building, New Orleans, or 129 Heard 
Bnilding, Jacksonville. Fla. ‘ 
ft 11 i One Man—One Horse—One 
I nm H/UrVPQlPI* sen Gathering. Equal 
wJwlIlAJIttA f vOlVa to a com binder. Sold direct 
-- , ^ , ———;-to farmers for 23years. Only 
526 with fodder hinder. Fi'ee catalog showing picture of 
Haiwester. PROCESS CORN HARVESTER MEG. CO., Silisi, Kaos. 
gliiinniiiitiiiiinniiiRtuiiitniiiiirtiMitinttiiitiiniiiiiitiniiiiiiiiiiiiiMiMiiiiiitiiiiniiiiniuiiuiiitMiiiiHg 
y OR 2 yearly subscriptions j 
to ‘Ihe RURAL NEW-YORKER | 
(Two One Year Subscriptions I 
to two Different Addresses) I 
ThisTransparent 
Handle Name 
Knife 
Your name and address will be 
Printed and shown as sample 
I T is not alone a novelty, 
but it is a good Pocket 
Knife. The knife has two 
blades. One large spear 
point and one pen. Half pol¬ 
ish German Silver bolster, 
brass lining, 3%-inch Cellu¬ 
loid handle. The material is 
of the very best quality, the 
blades being made of highest 
grade English Crucible Steel. 
Each blade bears the trade 
mark “Keen Kutter,” which 
< in itself is sufficient guaran- 
* Ml tee that it contains nothing 
but the very highest grade of 
material, and is of the best 
Avorkinaushlp. 
THIS knife will not be given with subscrip- 
* lions—they are sent as rewards only (in ^ 
, place of cash)to our subscribers and friends | 
who, acting as agents, send us subscriptions | 
as indicated. | 
I THE RURAL NEW-YORKER | 
SlllilHHllUIIIUIMUII»lllMltHiMIIUIIIIIIU<Milllllil<IIMIUIIHHIIIIIH4IIMIIMUIIitlNIIIJII 
