2r/ic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
method of harvesting requires any peculiar variety says “Every gardener and farmer dreafls a Summer 
of wheat, hut that any of our wheats would so far 
as lliat one thing is concerned he availahle for the 
l.urpose. ■ 
THE XOllTinVES'l'EUX METHOD.—The Xorth- 
western method of harvesting wheat is not new. hut 
is what niiglit he called ancient history, as it is just 
oO years since I first saw it in operation. During 
that visit, while in the cit.v of Stockton, I was shoAvn 
drought.” Xot so. AVe practically have no rain 
from April to October—some drought that—.and 
yet vyc Avould not have it otherwise. The rain 
that sometimes breaks into .'Southern (’aliforni.i 
during this time is a nuis.-mce. We like to control 
the water supply. Costs money? Of course it does, 
hut where one has riparian lights or a good well 
it is not expensive. This city has municipal water. 
a powerful tractor made to take the place of the ^ly .suppl.v comes from its mains and co.sts oo cents 
horses as a motive power, hut I was told it was not 
quite perfectcHl yet. and was not in general use. 
I have visited that State four times since, hut have 
not visited a harvest field since m.v first vi.sit. hut T 
liave been told that hor.ses or mules were not used 
any more for the purpo.^e. as the macdiine motor liad 
taken their place. Incidentally, T want to say that 
you are advertisin.g a tractor which Ave have right 
now on our farm. One of these machines is at 
work pulling two 14-inch plows, runuiii.g aliout seven 
inches deep and going nearl.v twice the speed hor.ses 
Avould go. and it is turnin.g over the hardest and 
driest ground I ever saw plowed. IlfU'.ses eoiild not 
do it at all. The plows could not he kept in the 
ground. Yet the little tractor .goes along witliout 
trouble. It does not sweat nor ,g(*t 
tired, hut, I a.ssure you, it takes a 
man to manage it. a. av. iorema.n. 
R. X.-Y.—The machine Avhich Dr. 
Foreman suav in California Avas not 
the same as the one aao idctured. ~lt 
is true that big machines of this soi't 
Avere used in California, hut they 
Avere not suited for work on the 
smaller farms, and the Idaho ma- 
'chine grcAV doAvn from it. In most 
ca.ses of this sort of development the 
smaller imiilement is made first and 
the larger one groAA's from it. much as 
th<‘ modern tractor has grown from 
file ]doAv. In the case of this Avlieat 
harvi'sler. the rever.«e of this h.-ts 
Avorked out. The first farming Avas 
oil a large scale Avith great operations. 
F.irms gr(‘W smaller as the I'i.g 
ranches Avere cut up. and there was 
need of a smaller machine to do the 
AVork of a small farm. Thus tlie six¬ 
er eight-horse harvester came in place 
of tiie .‘!0-horse machine. The smaller 
hai'A'ester can also he run by a tractor. 
As for ripening the AvIieat. our in¬ 
formation came from Wasliington. 
and also from Idaho farmers. We 
are told that the necessities of tlie 
cas(> liave developed AvIieat varieties 
Avhich Avill ripen in the held in tliat 
diy climate and Indd their iierries or 
grains firmly. Avhile other A'arieties 
will shell badly Avhen harvested. 
Some .Acars ago avo printed an article 
and idcture shoAving how raspberries 
are dried out in that sunny cmintry. 
'Fhe berries Avere sim|d.v left on the 
vines until they dried and then 
“hatted” off into baskets or sheet.s— 
fully evapoi’ated and onl.v needing to 
he cleaned. 
for T.ofH) gallons, pay for Avhat I u.se and take Avhat 
I AAant. and at the time I elect. I might Avrite 
about acre feet, miners’ inches, etc., hut your East¬ 
ern readers Avould i>rohald.v not l>e interested in 
them. The drought doesn’t hurt them enough; they 
prefer to stay in “grumble corral.” 
XoAA', regardin.g soil temperature in plant groAvth. 
I ImA'c had in my garden for years three rows of 
drain pipe for putting Avater under plants. The¬ 
oretically perfect, practically no good, and it is no 
use to Avrite a book about it. I am noAv putting 
Avater to iny plants, as an exiieriment at 100 to 150 
degrees Fahrenheit and the.v are groAving to beat 
the i»and. The picture. Fig. .".‘10. I trust will make 
if deal-. I’he standard is •j.j|if.|i pipe brought to .a 
\i tr Adiitinhtrulion Baildiuy of N. Y. Ejciieriiuciit Btution, (Jcnecu, S. F Fi-ij. o.Jo 
Water and Soil Temperature 
I H.WE lead Avith much inreicsi 
the articles on “.'<oil Temper¬ 
atures and Crop Production.” by D. ].. Hartman 
(d Florid:), pages Ihl.’! and lO.’jl, resiiectiA'cl.x, 
Your editoi'ial reference to the .same asking di'cu.s- 
sion upon the subject also attr.-icts m.v attention, 
and I ;im led to AA’rite some of m.A' exiieriences in 
the hope that I may contribute to the geuenil .good 
of The R. X.-Y.. from which I Imve learned much. 
II is it stron.g iiajicr. for the rettson that among 
other A-aluable things it is the clearing-house, so 
t(- sjieak. of ideas ami expei'iences of its many 
reader.s, Avhich, Avith the “high-brow” stuff, makes 
:i good mixture. 
This is so greiit a country in extent and varia¬ 
tion of climate that unless one Ints traveled over 
il or lived for a time in various parts of it he is 
like one in a hollow; his horizon is circumscribed 
to narroAV limit.s. ilr. Hartman has covered Penn- 
s.A'lvaniu and I’lorida. ami if .a’ou can indu<-e others 
to give, it Avill no doubt nnike interesting reading. 
I being in the extreme soutlnvest jtortion. will con- 
tril»nte m.v hit. We have hot siiell.s. hut .generally 
(ool Aveather prevails, so that Avhile people die 
fi'om heat in XeAA' York. Ave rejoice in the same 
temperatui-e, hecau.se of our low humidity, the 
daily trade breeze, and rei|uire two blankets at 
night to sleep comfortald.v Av;irm. Mr. Hartnnin 
frriimtioii hi a Southern Culifoniio (forden. FU). oSli 
loint at the lower end. with holes drilled ne;ir the 
I'oint. I’lie faiict't controls the supply, and the 
bottle acts antoimitically, like an ordinary chicken 
fountain. Small affair? Yes. That is just Avhat 
you said iibout Fraiddin’s kite. 
The lath contraptions in the picture are for the 
purpose of showin.g their u.se after .serving as trel¬ 
lis for beams, etc., being made into little long i»ro- 
tectors for young idants. Avhich ’the birds, bless 
their hearts, pull out of the .ground. The laths are 
useful in nian.v Avays i».v combinin.g them. Four- 
toot lath delivered is 50 cents jier 100. Moles are 
m.v greate.st pest; goiihers Averc. hut not now. The 
little s[iecks that .seem to be between the electric 
light Avires in the picture are re;ill.v big .sausage 
balloons at Arcadia Aviation C:unp, some miles 
away. 'I’lie trees in foreground are orange, Avith 
camphor trees ln'.A'ond. o. f. 
►Southorn C.il i fornia. 
1087 
home town and to myself. I cannot .-illow ii to go 
undefended'. 
For .vears tlie town of Hannibal. Dswego (’onnt.v, 
1ms lieen an instittife town. supportin.g the farmers’ 
institutes Avith large attendance,* and much intere.st. 
'I’lie farm people and their sons and daughters 
have gone back year after year, seeking ucav truths 
in agriculture and rural enterprise. Dr. Slieldon, 
founder of the (iswego Xorm.al School, said. “Edu¬ 
cation is life itself.” Xoav, the farmers’ imstitutes 
IniA-e furnished an insjiiratioy. an incentive, a .going 
foi'Avard in agriculture, to tlu* lives of our farm peo¬ 
ple. Hence, it has educated them. That AAdiich 
educates .should not be done away Avith. KuoavI- 
edge and the ability to apply it comes to most 
lieople slOAvl.v. through the school of exp(*rience. 
Years iigo T. R. 'I'err.v came out of Ohio into this 
toAvn through the farmers’ institutes and brou.ght 
his experience with cloA-ei*, potatoes and rotation of 
ci'ops. Even unto the .second generation that expe¬ 
rience is hearing fruit, nian.v other like instances 
mi.ght be cited. 
Year by year, from father doAvn to .son. the farm¬ 
ers have been going to these institutes and carry¬ 
ing home, perhaps only a scrap of infoi'ination. hut 
putting it in u.se; each year enlarg¬ 
ing on the hit gleaned the year be¬ 
fore or picking up aii idea that has 
never before appealed to them. It 
ma.v he the continued repetition of 
these ideas, sometimes clothed in dif¬ 
ferent form, or it may be the force¬ 
ful jiresentation of the suliject 1>.v tlie 
individual siieaker that causes the 
crumb 'of agricultural knoAvledge to 
be picked up. . 
Improvement in all lines of farm¬ 
ing in this town today can ho tr.iced 
hack to the found:itional principles 
spre;td broadcast I>.v the dinners’ iu- 
stiruri's. This institute knowledge 
li.-is reached men and Avomen too 
closely tied up in their own agricul- 
t)iral Work to come in touch Avith iiny 
orlier agricultural institute of le;irn 
iiig. It has reached the agricultural 
>hut-in. as well as the wideaAvake 
lormor. The Rirmer.s’ institute, 
through its .great lea<lers, has done a 
noble work. Xow. becatise some of 
tho>e gi'cat lea<lers have pa.s.sed on. 
sh.-ill we teiti' down a monument the.v 
themselves Inive huilded and forget 
all but their memory? A thousaml 
times no! .Vdd to the basic structure 
if yon Avill. but do not tear it down. 
The farm bui'eau is doin.g splen- 
<tid woi'k imiirovlng agricultural con¬ 
ditions as tliey exist today. Perhaps 
it is Avi.se to bring the old and the 
new together. In unitj' there is 
strength. The communit.v meetings 
of the bureau serve the puri»ose of 
gettin.g at the needs of the individual 
(siinmunitie.s. 'I’he institutes bi'ing in 
men from outside with experience* 
along the line of this need. Instruc¬ 
tions from the.se men Avill he used 
more ipiickly than if it came from :i 
loc.-il source. 
Tin* (piestion box. the open discus¬ 
sion. the streii.gthening of a Aveak 
idea b.\ the given e.xperience of another person, liave 
made the farmers' institutes a factor in disseminat¬ 
ing agriciilt U!'.-) 1 knowledge in this great Empire 
istatex 11 is not the amount of kiiowled.ge avc heai' 
at a farmers’ institute that lienelits agriculture and 
cur.seh’es. but the :imount one takes home and ex¬ 
periences. As ;in agricultural child of a Xew York- 
State Farmei's’ Institute, may I plead for m.v pa¬ 
rent's life until it has been iiroven be.vond u doubt 
that said parent lots outlived its n.sefulue.ss? 
EH.XEST .r. EOMS. 
A Defense of the Farmers’ Institutes 
I X The R. X.-Y. comes a challen.ge repeated, for 
a defender of the farmers’ institutes. We farm¬ 
ers have lieen too hus.v to defend even our.selves. 
and this challenge goe.s unanswered. Recau.se the 
farnier.s’ institute h:is been a great friend to m.v 
Killing Bean and Wheat Insects 
A t this season Ave always have many questions 
about desrro.vin.g the weevils Avhich do so 
much damage in stored gr.iiu and beans. ^Most 
jicople are familiar with the Avork of these insects. 
Avhich riddle the grain and nnike it unfit for Riod. 
Their destruction is one of the easiest of farm opera¬ 
tions. The dr.v heiins or .grain .should be put into 
an airtight box. bin or barrel, or into a room Avith 
all cracks well closed. Then a pan or deep dish is 
put on top of tlie beans or grain and a quantity of 
bisuiiihide of carbou poureil into it. Then the bin 
Of barrel is quickly covered Avith a blanket or any 
