148 
that nary a hen, pig or other animal fond 
of milk remained, the purebred calves 
receiving their ration of whole milk at 
all times anyway. So the second day, 
running out of dish-room, we invited the 
villagers over with their pails to get 
free skim-milk in any quantity, and they, 
were not slow in responding. They 
came bearing 12-quart milk-pails and 
enormous tin .cans in which lard is 
shipped. One old gentleman had visions 
of buying, begging or stealing a regular 
milk can, which he proposed our filling 
with milk and which he would sour and 
freeze, appreciated provender for a Win¬ 
ter’s supply of buckwheat pancakes! 
Others were about to take due advantage 
of our generosity in behalf of their lay¬ 
ing flocks, to which the strike would have 
seemed a special dispensation of Provi¬ 
dence. But all good things must come 
to an end, and today we are once more 
shipping our livelihood instead of giving 
it away. One would almost fear that 
Perhaps the Milk Problem May Come to 
This 
sundry neighbors were rather regretful at 
the news—those who had neglected to be 
on hand in time for free milk! 
But there is one thing certain, these 
strikes are very, very wrong, and now 
that they have come to life again and 
threaten to turn up at any month or 
minute, what steps are we going to take 
to conquer the things once for all? I 
said at the beginning that farmers’ wives 
never struck—but there is a time coming, 
if we have to return to our grandmothers’ 
day and ‘‘make up” the modern dairy’s 
mess of milk in addition to our regular 
duties. I am very sure that it was the 
only thing to do—this refusing to do 
business with country dealers, but for 
goodness’ sake, have we got to stand their 
bullyings forevermore? 
I wish someone would rise up in his 
wrath and make once again an "investi¬ 
gation” which would settle matters for 
all time. We are apparently at the com¬ 
plete mercy of anyone who desires to 
trouble us, and it is a too ridiculous and 
expensive farce to play. There is cer¬ 
tainly something gravely wrong some¬ 
where, and if anyone can straighten 
things out. he would deserve a place in 
the Hall of Fame. 
Wanted—a solution for the difficulties 
of dairymen, the solution to include a 
recognition of the Dairymen s Deague, a 
fair margin of profit, and an acceptance 
of the fact that dairymen by and by will 
demand consideration and fair treatment 
to boot if the trouble-makers are not 
careful. My idea is and always will be 
that publicity and more publicity is one 
of the best answers. Can't we set our¬ 
selves right in the consumer’s eyes, so 
that our enemies will not dare molest us 
or our product? And by that time maybe 
we will be able to conquer and overthrow 
the middlemen and live happily ever 
after. 
But in the meantime ire are going to 
buy a separator and next time be pre¬ 
pared. • A DAIRY WO MAX. 
Crowing Hens 
I have a fine purebred Ancona hen, 
hatched April 12. 1914, and she crows 
like a voung rooster. Can .\ou gi\e a 
reason for it? Some say it: is a bad sign. 
II she was not the best, or one of the best 
hens I have, I would chop her head off, 
ns some say should be done. I think it is 
only the bad sign for the hen. a. e. s. 
New York. 
This could probably be explained sci¬ 
entifically upon the ground that a sex 
<Jh* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 25, 1919 f 
character of the male had become unduly 
developed in .this female of the species, a 
rot uncommon occurrence among all 
species of animals, including the human. 
There are masculine females and effem¬ 
inate males among all animals, but just 
why nature permits these variations from 
true sex type, or what brings them about, 
I do not know, and judge that no one else 
does. With eggs at present prices it 
would seem to me a bad sign to kill this 
hen. If a hen wishes to crow over laying 
an egg. instead of cackling in a decor¬ 
ously feminine way. why object? The 
time has come when those who do a little 
more than half of the most useful work 
of the world are declining to let the other 
sex take all the credit. This hen’s crow¬ 
ing may be a bad sign only to those who 
refuse to recognize the passing of old con¬ 
ceptions of feminine right and duties. 
M. B. D. . 
School Attendance During Sickness 
As you know, we are having an epi¬ 
demic ‘all over the United States of the 
influenza. We have not had it in our 
home, and hope not to. I have kept my 
children out of school six weeks now. Is 
there a law in New York that can compel 
me to send them as long as this influenza 
is spreading? It has been within three 
or four houses of us : others in the com¬ 
munity have been sick, but claim not to 
have had it; could not get a doctor to 
find out. There are no nurses but what 
are more than busy, and there is one doc¬ 
tor in each of 10 towns here, but they 
cannot attend to all the cases. I have a 
small baby, three other boys, myself and 
husband, and husband’s father. I hate 
to get it. If I do not send children to 
school trustee says we will lose our pub¬ 
lic money, and lie will have to pay it. 
My husband says he will make him pay 
it. We cannot afford that, but. I hate to 
send children to school yet. What is the 
law regarding school attendance? 
MRS. s. W. 
No parent is required under the school 
law to send his child to school during the 
prevalence in the neighborhood of a con¬ 
tagious disease, not even if the local board 
of health permits the school to be in ses¬ 
sion during such period. 
The schools in the City of New York 
were not closed by the board of health 
when the influenza epidemic was at its 
height in said city. During that period, 
while school authorities of New York 
allowed parents to send their children to 
school, they were not compelled by pro¬ 
cess of law to do so. 
Public school moneys will not be with¬ 
held from any district where children are 
kept out of school on account of conta¬ 
gious disease in the neighborhood, nor 
have public school moneys ever been with¬ 
held in such circumstances. Important 
as education to the child may be. it is 
vastly more important that his health and 
safety be conserved. The school attend¬ 
ance law simply requires parents to have 
their children, physically competent, in 
attendance at school; but even then school 
attendance may not be enforced if the 
health and safety of the child is endan¬ 
gered by contagious disease in the neigh¬ 
borhood. 
More About Cockroaches 
Here is a simple and effective remedy: 
Take your sewing machine oil can and 
fill it with coal oil, such as is used in 
lamps, and fill all cracks and every place 
where the pest can breed, and you will 
never be troubled with them in the future. 
It kills all. old and young, as well as all 
eggs that may be deposited. The above 
can also be used to kill the large Fall flies 
that gather just before cold weather in 
the Fall. This is a never-failing remedy,. 
and no danger in being poisonous. 
MRS. c. W. 
We had cockroaches all through our 
kitchen, on the shelf, sink, cupboard, and 
even on our dining-room table. I got a 
box of borax, varnish brush and hot wa¬ 
ter ; cleared the cupboard, taking the top 
shelf first, brushing thoroughly every 
crack and crevice with the hot water and 
dissolved borax. This brought out many, 
dead, and left the borax in the cracks and- 
crevices. Wiping up the water, I set¬ 
tled the cupboard again. For a couple of 
days l thought my work had been in vain, 
but this was two years ago, and no more 
voaches since. MRS. n. h. b. 
Take a good green cucumber, about four 
inches long, slice lengthwise into six 
pieces, sprinkle powdered borax on meat 
of same, and place where the pest con¬ 
gregate, and in a short time you will find 
them lying on their backs, never to trouble 
you again. Repeat until all are gone. 
While plying my trade of electrician in 
Chicago, Ill., for nearly 30 years, I found 
these pests in some of the most aristo¬ 
cratic homes, and all cases where they did 
as above stated I found upon my next 
visit to these homes all greeted me with 
thanks, as it never fails to work. There 
seems to be some chemical action between 
the borax and the green cucumber that 
has the desired effect, and it is very inex¬ 
pensive, even at this time of year. 
North Dakota. jos. a. koss. 
A certain lawyer won a famous case, 
and the next day the opposing lawyer met 
him and said sarcastically : ‘‘Is there any 
case so low or any man so mean that you 
wouldn’t take his case for a fee?” ‘‘Well,” 
said the other, ‘‘I don’t mind. What have 
you been doing?”—Credit Dost. 
i 
I 
UNHAM 
TRADE MARK REG. 
Every year thousands of acres of wheat give only half 
a normal yield—thousands more are plowed up and 
seeded to other crops because of winter killing. 
Most of this lost wheat could be saved by timely use of 
the Dunham Culti-Packer. 
Winter killing results from the heaving of plants and 
cracking of the soil caused by the alternate freezing and 
thawing in early spring. The wheat roots are broken 
and left exposed to the air thus cutting off nourishment 
from the plants above. 
The Culti-Packer used on such fields just as soon as the soil is dry 
will tuck the heaved plants back in place and fill the cracks around 
the roots with moist soil. 
The Nebraska Experiment Station found through a period of five 
years experiments that this spring packing gave an average in¬ 
crease of five and one-tenth (5.1) bushels per acre. 
Go to the nearest John Deere Dealer NOW and arrange for a Culti- 
Packer to use on your wheat field this spring. If you do only half 
as well as the Nebraska Experiment Station you will pay for the 
tool on your wheat crop alone and you will use it on every other 
crop you grow. 
The Dunham Co (Suburb 0/Cleveland) 
After Culti-Packing N 
The plants are tucked 
back into place and the 
cracks filled with moist 
soil giving roots a new 
life. 
Before Culti-Packing 
The plants are heaved 
and soil is cracked caus¬ 
ing roots to freeze, break 
or dry out and die. 
“Soil Sense” 
A 56-page book illustrat¬ 
ed with over 90 field pho¬ 
tographs showing the us¬ 
es of the Culti-Packcr on 
wheat, oats, corn, alfal¬ 
fa, sugar beets, cotton, 
rice, etc. Ask your dealer 
or write direct for a copy. 
Culti - Packers 
For Sale by 
John Deere 
Dealers 
