"Ghe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1088 
thing that will oxcludn (ho jiij-. Tho iiictiiro at 
Fig. r>;!7 shows how iho li()ni(l may ho used. When 
this liijiiifl i< exj.oscd lo tlu' ail' it forms a vajior. 
'J'his iK'iiig heavier than air. works down into and 
all tlirongh the hcans or grain, jirovided (lie to]» of 
the hin is eovcreil. 'I'his vajior is jioisonons and 
fieath to all lirc'athing things. Thus it will destroy 
the weevils without injuring the heans or grain as 
.seed or food. Tlu' !i(|nid is e.xjilosive and will Imrn 
I .siiifj IfiisnlijliUh' of Carlxm to Dcstroif Weevils. 
I'Uj. 537. 
readily, so it must he kept awa.v from any tlame, 
hut it: it is Imndled earefnlly it will clean out the 
weevils. 
A Farmer Favors Farmers’ Institutes 
I F the institutes are to he successful in the future. 
it would seem essential that they he under the 
management of a single director, as in the jiast. and 
a man co-oiK‘rating. not comiieting. with similar 
intei-ests. Keferring to the Tteiiort of Farm¬ 
ers’ Institutes, it is stated that the numlx'r of ses¬ 
sions of meetings dni-ing that year was 1.244, with 
an attendance of h2.d4(). an avi'rage of 74 ix'r ses¬ 
sion. In aihlition. the s]Kx4al women's si'ssions 
t:otaled .‘54<i. with an attendance of lo.dho. ’riie.se 
dgures alone would sc'cni aniiily to justify the work 
of the institutes, ('onsidet also the ]iersonal intiu- 
ence of Mr. Van .Vlstyne and his associates—nu*n and 
women—which cannot he mea.sured. and which I 
venture to state no other agency now (>xisting re¬ 
places. It is nei'dless to dilate uiion this, iierhaps 
the largest r(*al factor in the work of the institutes, 
hecause every community of the State will hear 
testimony to it. Minor criticisms of the institutes 
f 
<'an he made, no donht justly. Xt) institution is per¬ 
fect, hut impi'ovemeiits are gradually made in the 
]>rocess of evolution. The farmers’ institutes have 
heen going through such an evolution duidiig many 
.v(‘ars. ami noiunally would no donht continue to 
do so. 
The ('xtension work of (’ornell :ind the institute 
work h.-ive gone hand in hand in the past. Fut in 
making the institutes an adjunct of the t’ornell ex^ 
ti'iisioii work, the foiuner at once lo.se their indi¬ 
viduality. which, will mi'aii tluur doom. They will 
exist for the same ]}ur])ose as the othei- extension 
work, namel.v. the s))reading of a technical knowledge 
concerning farming. This is inevitable, hecause (’or¬ 
nell ('ollege of .\griculture is a technical institution, 
a i)rofessional school. This connotes no criticism of 
Cornell nor of the men in chai'ge of its extension 
Avork. (’ormdl is in keeiiing with the spirit of the 
times, the maleriali.sni of the age, the deniand for a 
technical (raiiung. 
Fut to my mind the institutes have stood for 
Jiiucli more. True, they have taught (he technical 
iside of fai-iuing. hut as a means of spi'eading a 
liroader intinence. something not taught in text 
bo(dvs. They have* stood for what 1 should like to 
call the cultui-e of farm life. 'I'his is intan.gihle. 
indetinahh*. hut none the less surely felt hy multi¬ 
tudes of ])eo]ile all ov('i- New York State. If you 
amist measure the institutes in material terms alone, 
it were hotter not to at(emi)t it. Personally, 1 should 
haA'e liked to se(‘ the institutes continued as of old. 
their scope and intinence hroademxl year hy .vetir. as 
under l>ii'ect>u- \'an .Vlst.\'ne. 'I’lie man s\ii'(‘l.v could 
Lave heen found to grow into tlu* woi'k. if the jiowers 
that he had wished it. Ne<‘dh'ss to .say. 1 am a 
farmer, and have not now. nor have had. any ollicial 
i)>terest in the farnu'r.s' institute.s. 
Columbia Co.. N. Y. n.vwiiEXCK iiowAim. 
Re-Education of Blind Soldiers 
M.VF.V/INF entitled as ••('.•ii'ry On." makes a 
featui-f* of discussing the re-education of 
(rijijdt'd soldi(*i's. iM.au.v of the soldit'i's have h(*('n 
blinded hy the terrible .gas shells, othei's have been 
made totally deaf hy the tremendous explosions, 
and still othei's have* Ik'(>u crijiidc'd hy the loss of 
ha mis or F'et. In oi'dei' to make these men self- 
suj'porting it is jiecessary to ('ducate tlu'in over 
again, or'train them in special lines of work, and 
scliools have been (>stahlish(>d for doing this. 'I'he 
restilt.s in man.v cases aiA* remarkahh*. and men who 
in other days would have* h(*(>n gi^■(*n up as hop(‘- 
lessly de])endent are now doing i)rolitahle Avork in 
lines which formerly weiA* ahsolutel.v unknown to 
them. 
Pei’ha])s the gi'<“atest trouble comes in caidng for 
the very large numher of blind nu>n. '4'he frightful 
gases now us('d in w;i)’fai'e hav(* stolen the sight 
awa.v fi'om thousands of s(d<liers. Strange* as it ma.v 
seem, man.v of th(*s(* blind nu'n aia* doin.g |■(*mark^lhl.v 
.good work in certain lines etf farndng. Of conrse*. 
there are depai-tments of farm work which will he 
jtermanently shut to blind man. and yet thei-e ai-e 
others Avherein such nieei excel. Itlind m(*n are* 
Aveeding cr(»]ts. i)i-nning trees, grafting. ])icking fruit, 
milking and eloing elozens of othe*i* jobs sne'ce*ssfull.v. 
Ten .vears a,go if some* one* had sug,ge'ste*d a hrnd 
nutn as a ponlti'y-ke'e*pe'r you weeuld not have given a 
second thonght to the* matte*r. Ye*t the leie'tnre* :it 
I'ig. n:!!) shows how siie-h men are being taught. As 
it is well known, the blind ae'eptii'e* a A'er.v elelie-ate 
touch, and .are fre*i|ue*ntl.v able !<» “se'e Avith their 
fingers." 'I'hese men are leairnin.g how to judge a 
hen, and they soeui become experts in selecting la.A-ers 
eer judging iieenltr.v. 
Tho.se of ns who were jerivileged to Avatch 'Pom 
Farrem. the English jeoultry hre*e‘de'r. in one eef his 
exhibitions, Avill remember hoAV skillful he Avas in 
selecting the best la.Aer h.v a idiysical examination. 
Fy rtinning his fingers over the hen he Avas able, in 
:i large majority of cases to select the best layers 
from the pens in the egg-laying contest, and i)eoi)le 
in this country have ac<iuired much the same i)oAver 
to make this selection from a phy.sic.al examination. 
The.se blind men .are l(*arning to use their fingers 
in pla.ee of their eyes, and it is a beautiful and hel])- 
ful Avork to .give them this foian of I'e-educalion. 
Hunting for Pure, Clean Potato Seed 
[Ncav .7t*r.s<*.v i)otato groAvers have organized and tlu'.v 
int<'nd to <l(“Vt*]oit <*\a*ry ))art of their busin(*.ss to the 
fullest extent. One of tin* big things in their business 
is tin* s(*(*d <inestion. Most of this S(*ed has he(*n ob¬ 
tained from Aroostook Co.. Maine, but last season (here 
Avas great complaint about disease, evidently brought in 
on tliis s<*(*d. 'J'he troubh* becann* so serious th.at a 
party of i)otato groAvers and experts, headed by I>r. .T. 
O. Lii)man <if tin* New .li'rsey .Vgricidtiir.-d Colh'ge, 
Avent to Ai'oostook Count.v ami made a full insiiection. 
drape Fern J\Iunso}i. Fi<j. 53S. Bee Pape .1095. 
September 21, inis 
One of these visitors, Mr. Theron McCampbell of Mon¬ 
mouth ('().. N. .1.. Avi'ote ;i st.-iteinent Avhich aa'US printe<i 
in the .[rooslook Fcpiihlicni, and from which aa’c take 
the following: I 
Ncav .7ers('.v farmers are ra])idl.v coming to see 
(hat much moii* than they h.ad re.ilized dei)ends upon 
the Aiiriet.A'. imrity and he.iltli of jiotato seed. 7n 
fact, the cost of s(*(>d. tlie l•educ(*d yields, hecau.se of 
dise.Msed s('(*d. tin* incre.asing (*x])ens('s in .groAving a 
l{Hinlc(l Bohlier Bciitp Tnsiructed in Poultry 
Keeping. Fig. 539. 
ci'op of j)otatoes, hounding prices for farm supplies 
and excessive taxation on Ncav .7ersey farms make 
the seed i)i‘ohlem a serious and urgent matter. And 
it all farnu'rs kne\A' .and full.v appreciated the true 
situation, as the .govc'rnment ex])erts on the experi¬ 
mental farms noAA' know it, fhe.y AA'ould he justl.y 
.•'.laiuned. Ncaa' .lei'st'y farnu*i's IniA’e h(*en so hard 
hit this .season hy poor seed tlnit they Avill undoubt¬ 
edly j)ersuade the iu*xt I.e.gislatnre to pass hiAvs and 
ajtpi'opriations its ma.A' he necessjiry to hel]» hidiig 
.‘ihout an early solution of this vital (piestion. 
.Vi-oostook C(»unty. Maine, ma.v truly and jn-oudly 
cl.-iim to he Amei'ica’s gr(*atest potato seed bed. Cer¬ 
tainly she draAvs i-oyal revennes therefrom. (JroAvers 
to the sontliAv.ard must, as a rule, mai-ket two hai-rels 
of their crop to obtain tin; cost to them of one h.aiux'l 
of Maim* ))otato seed. P>ut thei'e an* secret enemies 
.gnuAA’in.g at tlu* nnd of .Vroostook sei*d r(*putation— 
the diseas(*d sc'ed tubers. .''Scientists tell us that all 
knoAA'n i)otato <liseas(*s ai'e rapidly s])r(*adln,g thi'ough- 
t'Ut the fields of .\roostook (’onnt.v. 'i'hese diseases 
traA'el fast and f:ir in i)otato seed. 'Pliey multiply 
in virulence iind daimige as they are transferred to 
AAarmer cliiuiites. 'Phis tend(*ncy is especially marked 
in the lat(*st pot.-ito scour,ge—(he mottled leaf or 
mosaic dis(*ase—Avhich is iioav pi'(*valent in Aroos¬ 
took. 'Phus tlu* f.'U'iners (»f .Vroostook are uncon- 
sciousl.A’ causing havoc* :imon,g th(*ir sei*d custoniei's. 
>. 'J’he gi'OAV(*rs of .\i*oos(ook ('onnt.v should heed tlu*. 
handAvritin.g on tlu! AAiill. .\.s Havana av.is the source 
of yellow fe\’(*r pla.gn(*s in tlu* F. S. A., so Aroos¬ 
took County is ;i soui'ce of jda.giu* of jjotato diseases. 
As llav.'ina cured tlu* causes of yelloAV fever nnd(*r 
strict 7^. S. (i(»vei*nment i*ules. so .Vroostoede can cure 
the cau.se of jiotato ])Ia.gu(*s. She n(*ed.s a A’igilance 
ciunmittec* of farmers co-operating with the State and 
Federal authorities Avhich Avill see to it that not a 
barrel of ])otatoes he sold for .seed nid(*ss same is 
knoAvn to he free of disea.se, ti'ue to type and of high 
yi(*lding strain. (’(*rtifi(‘d seed is tlu* only solution. 
.\roo.stook County is fooling herself, Ave are told 
hy the seed (*xi)(*rts. and cheating lu‘r own ])otato 
groAvers hy not planting all her tiehls with disease- 
fi'ee. ])ure tyj)e. high-yielding seed, and then relig- 
ionsl.y pulling out all diseased, sh)Av-si»i*outing, hack- 
Avai'd plants, as so man.v AV(*eds. Such a policy, ac- 
coi'ding to tlu* verdict of tlu* State and I'Vderal ex¬ 
perts at the expei'iment stations, would not onl.y pro¬ 
tect -Vroostook’s seed customers, hut im*rease the 
yield on lier oAvn farms. 
The .groAvers who have heretofoi'c looked for good 
seed join Avith the exiu*]'inu*nt stations in urging 
Aroostook farmers to make a start this b'all toAvards 
healthy, juire. prolific seed. J.et them hand-dig and 
hill-select enou.gh seed for tlu*ir si*(*d fields next 
Sprin.g. 'Phe tnlu-rs from hills not yielding seven or 
more ,good-siz(*d and AV(*ll-shaped tnh(>rs should he 
sold as table stock. 'Plu*n. n(*xt seiison, i)ull out iill 
late-sprouting, sickly |)lants before tlu*.v foi*m tubers 
The ])lant doctors say that (his is tlu* onl.y Avay to .get 
seed free of the dreaded mottled-leaf oi* mosaic dis- 
ea.se, the black root, h*af-curl and similar contagious 
diseases Avhich live in the potato tuber, i^iiraying 
has no effect on the potato diseases uoav hringiu.g 
