;^iune ?-ather tlian upon the first lialf. Wool grow¬ 
ers’ organizations properly and nnselfishly condneted 
may be the ultimate means of making this and many 
otlier adjustments. There is here at least a large 
.lield for usefulness in co-operation. No gerdns has 
yet successfully imitated or substituted the wool 
fiber, and let us hope none will exi»end his energies 
in that direction Avhile we have plenty of room to 
produce (the genuine article, with an evident will¬ 
ingness on the part of people generally to make the 
liroduction jirolitable. k. .t. liekert. 
Westchester (’o., N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—Our reporter visited the stores in Xew 
York City and makes this report regarding ])rices for 
wool socks: "lien’s all-wool knitted socks vary from 
75 cents to ?1.75 and higher. Tho.se at 75 cents at 
special sale are gray army socks of coarse wool, I 
think machine knitted. There are nicer socks at 
^1.10 and $1.2o; those at $1.((9 and $1.75 are fine, 
smooth wool, hand knitted, but the hand knitted go 
higlK'r. u]) to abi)ut for those knitted in the Shet¬ 
land Islands, dhe amount of wool in socks vai’ies 
from four to eight ounces. With a fine avooI the 
jiair can be made from four ounces, but eight ounces 
are allowed "for heavy army socks. Shetland I.sland 
knitted goods, sold by a few .high-class stores, are 
made from wool that is hand-spun and knitted by 
the women there; they make veils and garments for 
babies that are the softest and finest avooI manufac¬ 
tured, and these goods are retailed at high prices.” 
for a .sand and gravel than for a limestone soil. In 
general, however, it should be placed at 100 feet or 
more. Since no one knows exactly wdiat underground 
water channels exist in any given locality, no definite 
rule can be laid down and it is best to err on the 
side of safety. In limestone soils, polluting material 
is often carried through channels in that rock for 
many miles; in gravels and clays, as well as rocks 
not .so subject to the formation of underground water 
courses as Is limestone, polluting material might be 
filtered safely by a few feet of soil. In the absence 
of definite knowdedge of the .subject, however. 300 
feet is certainly none too great a distance to pre¬ 
scribe for the safet.v zone about any well. 
M. B. D. 
The Walls of a Well 
I have a well on my farm from which water is pined 
to pe house and barn. It i.s about 30 or 12 feet deep 
laid up w’lth a loose wall. I propose to enlarge the 
excavation, and the (piestion conies up as to the* cliar- 
acter of the construction; how far down it would be 
well to run a solid cement wall to protect all the land 
of the reservoir. It has been suggested that it would 
be well to carry the cement wall all the wav to the 
bottom of the excavation on three sides of w-eil and to 
build a loose wall on the upper side. This is, I should 
suppose, upon the assumption that the vein of water 
would eventually come in from the upiier side, j. s 
Massachusetts. 
'T^IIE object of (he curbing, or wall, of a well Is 
A not to prevent the escape of water from the 
well, but simply to maintain an open reservoir in 
the ground into Avhich the soil water will .seep and 
from which it may be drawn in (piantity. There is 
a varying level beneath the surface of the ground 
below Avhich the .soil is always saturated with water 
down to .some impervious stratum of clay or other 
material. A dug well is simjily a chamber dug into 
this saturated layer of soil into which chamber the 
water naturall.v seep.s. During a drought, the ground 
wafer level may gradually sink until it drops be¬ 
neath the bottom of the well, and the well then 
goes dry until rains again raise the level of the 
ground water or until the well is deepened or possi¬ 
bly carried through a stratum of clay into another 
saturated layer of soil beneath the clay. It Avill be 
seen, then, that it is immaterial whether tire well is 
curbed with cement concrete or not so long as the 
bottom is not sealed against the entrance of water. 
The bottom, however, might be sealed by being car¬ 
ried into impervious clay, in which case, it would 
be necessary that the curbing should admit water to 
the well. There are t.viies of soil, such as tho.se of 
clay and rock formation, to which these statements 
are not applicable without modification, but they 
apply to most shallow dug wells and, doubtless, to 
the one you have in mind. 
The object of the .sometimes recommended con¬ 
crete curbing to the bottom of the well is to jirevent 
the entrance of water except at the bottom, thus 
guarding against surface water jiollution. For all 
practical purpo.ses, however, this oliject may be 
gained, as you suggest, by making the upper several 
feet of the curbing watertight and then iirotecting 
the well opening. The curbing of a well .should be 
carried somewhat above the .surface of the surround¬ 
ing ground so that the .soil may be graded away 
from it In all directions. This measure, in connec¬ 
tion with a watertight stone or concrete slab cover¬ 
ing to the well, will prevent the entrance of surface 
water during heavy rains or melting snow.s. A plank 
covering to a well permits the drip of the ))ump to 
wash the dirt from it through cracks into the well. 
When you consider the different kinds of filth carried 
to the well upon the feet of men and animals, you 
will recognize the dangcj of .serious well pollution 
from this source, and the im])ortance of seeing to 
it that the drip from the pump does not immediately 
find its way again to the pure water of the Avell. 
As further protection to the water of the well, no 
privy vaults, ces.spools, manure piles, or other ob¬ 
vious sources of possible contamination should be 
permitted within a prescribed .safety distance. This 
“safety distance’’ varies with the type of well and 
soil, being less for a driven than for a dug well, and 
Planting Trees; Digging Holes in Fall 
O x page l.TjO W. O. asks about planting trees next 
.■spring in holes he has already dug, and in which 
he contemplates putting manure, to be taken out just 
before planting time. I fear with the assurance of 
his f.ither that he has made a mistake, together with 
Ihe advice of The R. X.-Y.. he will be caused needless 
Avorry iiver the ]u*obable success of his orchard ven¬ 
ture. I AA'ould like to I'cassure him b.v saying that 
I have a.ssisted in jdanting man.v thousand fruit 
trees in the Spring in holes that were dug in the 
Fall. If I were going to jilant again a large acreage 
of trees I would dig all holes in the Fall, but I Avould 
not put manure or anything else in the holes. I 
would do this in order to help over the busy Spring 
season. Also because I think from what experience I 
have had a better job can be done—fewer trees AA'ill 
die. Let W. O. observe (if he has piled the dirt near 
the holes) that this dirt will be in ideal condition for 
filling in around the tree roots after freezing and 
thawing, whereas, in fresh-dug holes, if he has clay 
ground, the dirt will be cloddy and not easily worked. 
He Avill notice, too. that he will be able to begin set¬ 
ting trees earlier than if he had to wait for his land 
to dry out enough to dig holes. W. O. does not say 
whether he has had experience in planting trees or 
not. Whether he has or not. I hope he will accept 
■the following bit of advice in the spirit in which it is 
given : 
First, let me say, if I Avere in W. o.'s place I 
AA'onld want the land jilowed in Fall or early Winter, 
unless tnere Avas danger of Ava.shing badly, staked 
off in perfectly straight roAvs and all holes dug and 
dirt piled carefully near holes. Then, when Spring 
came, I Avonld pi-oceed about this Ava.v: Put a large 
box (one the trees came from the nursery in is good) 
on a sled Avith old .sacks or carjiet hung on edges of 
box to preA’ent trees from being barked; take trees 
from ground Avliere they Avere lieeled in, cut off all 
roots so as to have fresh live root ends. If roots are 
bmg. cut off so tree^s Avill set in a 32-in. hole: cut 
top back accordingly: put trees in box as fast as 
trimmed. coA’cring Avith any old half-rotten straAv. 
Y hen enough for a half day’s itlanting are in box. 
Avet doAvn thoroughly: drive team betAveen rows, only 
1 -emovin.g one tr(‘e at a time. Place trees in hole 
Avith one hand, moving up and down (juickly AA'hile 
diit is filled in Avith other: when roots are covered 
stamp Tlirt hard Avith foot; repeat till hole is full, 
leaving la.A'er of un])acked dirt on top. If live trees 
are planted there Avill be no cau.se for Avorry. 'I'hey’ll 
groAv. Follow uji by fertilizing and cultivating as 
yon AAoiuld a hill of corn. a. .i. p. 
Ohio. 
R. X.-Y.—We agree Avith tlie above so far as dig¬ 
ging boles in the Fall to saA'e time and labor, but Ave 
would not put any manure in the lioles this Fall. 
A Soldier on a Hill Farm 
B EIXO the pleased reci])lent this da.v of a small 
consignment of Rtrai, Xeav-Yorkers, and be¬ 
ing one of its family. I cannot helj) but express a 
AA'oi'd to you. as father of our group, in reference to 
your editorials and other articles relating to tlie 
pi-esent study of conditions, and advancing the truths 
pertaining to the hill section of Southern Xoav Y’’ork 
and. speaking in a broader sen.se, of the upper At¬ 
lantic slope of T’ncle Sam’s country. 
I am interested in The R. X.-Y.’s cam])aigii on this 
subject for the same reason that .a’ou are and. having 
I'.ad a bit of exi)eriencee in Tioga’s hills. \A-ish to help 
bj' giving the truth about my knowledge of them. 
Again, 1 am tempted to Avrite yon about the plans 
tliat are being laid by Secretary Franklin H. Lane 
for the return to occupations after the war by “our 
soldiers.” Being Avith them, learning their hopes and 
intentions for the future return to peaceful and per¬ 
manent occupations, it seems to be a true fact that 
the outdoor life Avill be folloAved by some, and judg¬ 
ing by the foAv that 1 can come in contact Avith. agri- 
cultui'o, in its man.v i»hases, is one form of jHirsuit 
that Avill attract them. I alAvays advance an argu¬ 
ment, peiAsisted in for some time past and eA'en to 
the present by yourselve.s, that the cheaper Eastern 
land and unoccupied farmsteads are a better buy 
than those farther West. And, many of them. Avith 
their buildings intact, fields cleared and other ad¬ 
vantages long established, offer a stronger argument 
even to the man avIio AAdshes to be more of a pioneer. 
Cannot that man go back into some of these Eastern 
hills and meet those desired conditions there Avith- 
out going We.'^t. miles from a railroad and neigh¬ 
bors/ Surely so. And he must po.ssess tho.se qual- 
ilies that you have already stated are required. 
Riving (he returned .soldier and pre.sent-day popu¬ 
lace an insight into these sections of our country. 
I'.eljnng him through agricultural education to know 
hoAA' to handle the land, its pos.sibilities and Imndi- 
cap.s, extending financial aid to the returning sol¬ 
dier, either by long-term ea.sy-payment contracts, 
niortgages and the like, cash loans for stock and im¬ 
plement purchase, etc.. AA’ould be as good a way to 
appropriate aid as to provide millions for the reclam¬ 
ation of the “Xo Man’s Land’’ mentioned in .Secre¬ 
tary Lane’s letter to President Wilson. 
I wish to confine my notes in your aid, if not too 
late, on your propaganda advancing the capabilities 
of those hills in Southern Xew York. Coming from 
Texas in 1913, the follOAving year I worked on one 
of the farms in Tioga County for the puriiose of “be¬ 
coming acquainted.” Becoming acquainted Avith the 
people, farming methods in those parts, the soil—in 
fact, to familiarize myself in detail with all that 
you are uoav printing about this very subject. 
_ To Avork out experiment and prove for personal 
s.itisfaction qualities of these iiarts, a farm was pur¬ 
chased—a rough, stony, steep one of only 42 acres. 
Aincultivated for a long term of year.s, jiroven b.v the 
fact of the growth on one field of literally hundreds 
of pines on the hillside, all heights from .six feet 
down, all averaging three or four feet; on another 
field a bush, common in those parts, groAving in pro¬ 
fusion so greatlv that Fall ploAAdng Avas done to 
loosen their stubborn roots and a .second ploAving 
Avas given in the Spring to.tear them out. The first 
year these fields, iierhaps averaging 25 to 30 acres, 
I'loduced crijjAs that AAmnld cause desjiair to eA'en a 
i'ionoer, not to mention di.sgusting a true farmer. 
'Fhen the wise advice and experience extended so 
Ireel.A', in its A-arious discussion.s. by q''iiE R. N.-Y., 
Avas folIoAved in consideration Avith the advanced in- 
."truction from the Xoav York State College of Agri¬ 
culture. It Avas merely a repetition of their experi- 
inents for handling .soil in tho.se parts that AA’ere fol¬ 
lowed. Cover crops Avere grown, turned under, and 
incidentally lime aa'us applied; in our ease limestone, 
one to two tons per acre, fi’oday results that my 
oAvn e.A'es have not yet Avitnessed, because of presence 
oA'crseas, I am told can be seen by the flourishing 
crops. To tell tho.se Avho Avork on the “side hill’’ 
the labors involved in carr.A'iug onlj' three tons of 
.'^.acked limestone to a three-acre lield and applying it 
with a spreader, a job that took most of a “farming 
day’’ in Spring, Avould encourage them, and should 
not discourage flat-land adA’ocate.s—in fact, Avould 
not after they had .seen Avhat tho.se particles of .soil 
and stone comjiri.sing those .steep hillsides had pro¬ 
duced Avith the aid of labor, lime and the elements. 
.\nyone passing on the north bank river road along 
the .Susquehanna aboA’e Owego can see even toda.A’ 
(he contrasts mentioned above. Some of those deep 
bunks rising fi’om the riA'er, brush and bu.sh-coA'ered 
weeds flourishing Avith parts barren, and covered 
Avith similar pine growth that used to be in the 
fields already told about, stand in close proximity, 
mocked and challenged by that productive, but one 
time di.scredited hill, making up the -12 acres Avhich 
form the basis of this note, proving the truth of your 
statements that they are Avorth something. CroAving 
stands of clover plea.sing to the eye is the real evi¬ 
dence. And “Avhere clovei’ groAvs, all else Avill.” In 
fact, the products of that region have been groAvn 
Avlth encouraging and .surprising results, in contrast 
to that discouraging first year herein mentioned. 
Mr. Zimmer, manager of the Tioga County Farm Bu¬ 
reau, can gather easily this evidence and all proof 
fi'om the residents of the parts. 
Xot al stock in this section, barring the pedigreed 
herds, i.'- of such loAv-producing qualities, either. A 
foAA' gi’adc.5 AA'e purchased at random pi*oduced in a 
year, according to our record, (pmntities of 3.7 per 
cent milk and butter from 8,000 lbs. up to lO.OOO 
lbs. individuallj'. The credit you give to the fam¬ 
ilies of Swedes inhabiting those parts is Avorthy of 
them, for personal intimacy Avith several of such 
liave proven to me the truth of .vour stories about 
them, and Americans of their kind Avould be an ad¬ 
vantage to those communities. doxalu av. davis. 
