766 
calculation to milk we find in 100 lbs. 12.5 lbs. of 
solids, which contain 3.3 lbs. of protein, live lbs. of 
sugar and four lbs. of fat. Sugar costs 10 cents per 
lb., making 50 cents for the sugar. Assuming the 
milk fat to have a food value only equal to the 
cheapest fable fats which can be bought at about 
35 cents a pound (which, of course, is below its real 
value), the four lbs. of fat are worth $1.40. At $7 
per 100 lbs. for milk to the consumer, 50 cents is 
paid for the sugar and $1.40 for the fat, leaving 
$5.10 for the 3.3 lbs. of dry protein, or $1.55 per lb. 
Now when one lb. of milk protein is combined with 
two lbs. of flour protein, the three lbs. of mixed 
protein cost $2.40, or 80 cents per lb. This combi¬ 
nation of flour and milk protein' is worth as much 
in nutrition as is milk protein alone, which costs 
nearly twice as much. In this connection it is of 
interest to note that by this method of calculation 
milk protein is the cheapest animal protein that can 
be bought, for dry egg protein costs $2.04 per lb. 
when eggs cost 55 cents per dozen, and dry round 
of beef protein $2.43 when this sells at 50 cents per 
lb. When we consider the enormous amount of 
wheat flour protein which is thus rendered of maxi¬ 
mum food value the production of milk in the 
economy of the nation assumes an importance that 
has heretofore been only partly appreciated. 
SKIM-MILK PROTEIN.—Since the proteins of 
milk are all contained in skimmed or separator milk 
every effort should be made to utilize this valuable 
product to its fullest extent. These proteins are no 
longer to be considered of no more value than the 
protein of cottonseed meal, gluten feed, or other 
commercial protein concentrates, which at present 
are arbitrarily valued on the basis of their nitrogen 
content. No amount of protein from gluten feed or 
gluten meal will increase the intrinsic value of the 
proteins of‘corn; these merely increase the propor¬ 
tion of protein when added.to a. corn ration without 
enhancing its value pound for pound. In a sense 
this fact has long been recognized by intelligent 
feeders, who have learned by experience that 
skimmed milk should be fed with corn to growing 
pigs and chickens, although they have not realized 
just why this practice has yielded good results. 
Now that we know that milk enhances the nutritive 
value of the cereal foods because the chemical con¬ 
stitution of its proteins is such that these supple¬ 
ment the chemical deficiencies of the cereal proteins, 
it ought to be possible to utilize milk more efficiently 
than has been done in the past and also greatly to 
extend its use. 
UTILIZING SKIM-MILK.—Let us consider the 
utilization or waste of skimmed milk on the small 
farm where its production and use is irregular. 
Under such conditions the pigs and, chickens must 
be fed every day, and if these are properly fed they 
must be supplied with a balanced ration containing 
a mixture of proteins capable of promoting rapid 
growth, or maximum egg production. Under such 
conditions adding skimmed milk to the ration may 
simply increase the supply of food. It will not 
enhance its value if the standard ration already 
supplies exerything that is needed;, which, of course, 
is the case when the stock is growing normally, or 
producing the maximum number of eggs. The 
skimmed milk should be put where it will do the 
most good, and there is no better place to put it than 
into cornmeal. The nutritive deficiencies of the pro¬ 
teins of corn as well as those of its mineral consti¬ 
tuents are such that skimmed milk completely sup¬ 
plements it in respect to all the factors essential for 
normal growth, except the fat-soluble vitamine; and 
even this is supplied to some extent by the small 
residue of butter-fat which always remains in 
separator milk. If more of this factor is needed, 
as seems probable from what is at presen* known, 
green food may be used in addition. 
GRADING UP WITH MILK.—If cornmeal is 
mixed with an equal weight of skimmed milk and 
then dried the product will contain about 12.7 per 
cent of protein of high nutritive value, and have a 
nutritive ratio of about 1:6.75. Although this is a 
rather wider ratio than is usually used for growing 
stock, milch cows or laying hens, the superior 
quality of the protein should render it adequate for 
production at the maximum rate which the inherited 
capacity of the animal makes possible. The advan¬ 
tage of thus utilizing milk lies in the fact that it 
is combined with the food product which usually 
forms the chief, as well as the cheapest, source of 
energy furnished to the animal. Since food intake 
is largely, we believe wholly, determined by the 
requirement for energy, the animal will be compelled 
to consume a sufficient amount of adequate protein 
when it satisfies its requirements for energy by 
eating this mixture of corn and milk. Fed wet or 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
dry, there is no possibility of separating the ingre¬ 
dients of such a mixture, hence if the milk and 
corn are combined in proper proportions each will 
be used to the best advantage. 
INFLUENCE ON CORN.—How great an influence 
milk has on the nutritive value of corn is well shown 
by Figs. 207 and 208, which represent two rats whose 
diets contained the same proportion of protein, i. e., 
had the same nutritive ratio, and were each fed for 
the same time and under identical conditions. The 
smaller one, Fig. 207, had a diet adequate in respect 
to everything except the protein, all of which was 
derived from gluten feed, a protein concentrate pro¬ 
duced from corn. The larger one, Fig. 208, had the 
same amount of protein, but two-thirds was derived 
from gluten feed and one-third from milk. The 
difference in the rate of growth of these two animals 
is obvious from the illustration, as well as from 
their weights, which were 83 grams and 204 grams 
respectively. Like results have been obtained by 
feeding young pigs under similar conditions. 
THOMAS B. OSBORXE. 
Bringing An Orchard Back 
We are about to move to a larger farm, and as there 
are a few problems that we shall have to meet there 
that are hew to us, we are coming to headquarters to 
get information. There are 12 acres of young apples, 
with peach fillers, about four or five years old. They 
show a very unsatisfactory growth. Each year the soil 
has been fertilized and a crop grown. We would like 
to know how to handle this orchard to get better results. 
The soil looks rather run-down. In plowing an orchard 
of this age how close to the trees can the plow be run 
without danger of cutting roots, and how deep? Is it 
necessary to spray before the bearing stage is reached? 
Is Winter or Summer pruning advisable with a young 
orchard? A. B. T. 
Connecticut. 
RUNING.—Dormant rather than Summer prun¬ 
ing is advisable; it is easier, quicker, just as 
effective and cheaper. Prune at once, removing all 
dead, diseased and crossing limbs, thin out where 
they are too thick. If the peaches are too tall, re¬ 
move the upper part of the high branches, cutting 
to an outside twig or branch, which will cause it to 
spread rather than to grow upright. 
SPRAYING.—Spray the orchard, both peach and 
apple, as soon as pruned, and before the peach buds 
have started to open, using lime-sulphur solution, 
either the concentrate or the powdered form, about 
five gallons of the former if it tests 33 or 34 degrees, 
and 10 to 14 pounds of the powdered, in each 50 
gallons of spray material. This spray will control 
San Jose scale, peach leaf-curl, other scale insects 
and also help in controlling other fungus diseases. 
, CULTIVATION.—Plow the orchard early in the 
Spring, working as close to the trees as possible 
without danger of barking the trees with the plow 
or the whiftletrees. If the trees were set fairly deep 
there will be little danger of injuring the roots, but 
often it is advisable to raise the plow somewhat 
when close to the tree. Plowing five or six inches 
deep is enough; some growers do not plow as deeply 
as this. 
FERTILIZATION.—It would look as though the 
previous owner had starved his orchard, that he 
had fertilized only for the crops grown between the 
trees. Unless you can fertilize very liberally I would 
not advise a cash crop in the orchard this season. 
If stable manure is available spread from 10 to 15 
tons per acre over the entire surface of the orchard. 
Otherwise use 500 to 1,000 pounds of a high-grade 
commercial fertilizer, applied to the entire surface 
of the ground on each acre, unless the trees are over 
a rod apart, then it may be applied closer to the 
trees. Nitrogen alone, using nitrate of soda at the 
rate of from one to three pounds per tree might be 
the best material to use, although it would be more 
advisable to use acid phosphate or some other form 
of phosphate in connection with it. For immediate 
results the nitrate is the best material to start the 
trees into growth. Ground bone, tankage, etc., are 
good materials to use, but slower acting, but they 
are available for a longer period. Apply the manure 
either before or after plowing. The commercial fer¬ 
tilizer should not be applied until growth starts, 
otherwise some loss may result by leaching. Harrow 
the orchard every two or three weeks until the early 
part of July. Then sow a cover crop of Crimson 
and Alsike clover. 
SUMMER SPRAYING.—It is not absolutely neces¬ 
sary to spray during the Summer, but for best re¬ 
sults, even if there is no prospect of a crop, the 
apples should be sprayed the latter part of May or 
early in June, using lime-sulphur solution (one gallon 
to 50) adding Black Leaf 40 for sucking insects, and 
a poison such as arsenate of lead for the eating 
insects. If there is a prospect of a peach crop they 
should be sprayed at least once, just after the shucks 
fall, with self-boiled lime-sulphur and arsenate of 
May 3, 1010 
lead added. This is to control the brown rot, scab 
and curculio. It would seem that with proper care 
this orchard should and can be brought back to a 
healthy condition, provided of course that the trees ' 
are in good “mechanical” condition; that is, that 
they have not been injured by mice, rabbits, borers, 
cultivation or deer. s. p. hoi.lister. 
A Roadside Market in New England 
Getting the Entire Consumer’s Dollar 
Part III. 
THE SELLING END.—We have had a fine sales¬ 
man four years now, at first on day wages and 2)4 
per cent commission; now on a straight commission 
basis only (10 per cent and no wages). Ilis salary 
depends on his own efforts. He is awake all the 
time. He hires and pays his own helpers, whenever 
he thinks best. He is billed with all goods taken 
to the stand, credited with money he turns in. For 
instance, there may be $50 worth of goods on hand 
in the morning, plus $100 brought down during the 
day, total«$150. Inventory at end of day’s selling 
may be $75. There might be shrinkage of a dollar’s 
worth of fruit that had been graded down on account 
of age or repacking. In this case the salesman is 
given credit for the proper amount, but on his stock 
as billed to him he is absolutely responsible for the 
whole amount with only such deductions as he can 
account for. This particular salesman has," I be¬ 
lieve, ina-de a good thing on his commissions and 
sales as a whole, for besides our products, he sells 
what has been raised on his own place nearby. (The 
trade doesn’t start much before 10 A. M.) The 
arrangement has been that he provide the vegetables 
and we all the fruit. 
VALUE IN SPECIALTIES.—But this brings up 
a point well worth considerable thought: Any old 
farm can put up a board between two barrels and 
sell a general run of farm products, all sorts, good, 
bad and indifferent. Some sell an assortment that 
runs from cider apples to fresh eggs, but we are 
coming to believe that the idea of specializing in 
fruit production (as we do) should be carried to its 
logical conclusion on the sales end. and so we hope 
to work into fruit and its by-products exclusively. 
We have found that it pays well to specialize. There 
has been only a moderate demand for things such 
as carrots, a fair demand for fresh eggs, a good 
demand for fresh-picked sweet corn, and a splendid 
demand for fruit, preserves and cider, in short, our 
specialty. Let any man, or boy or girl, specialize, 
and if they have a quantity of a nicely graded 
product, they will get a name for it and beat out 
every other stand on the road that is selling a “little 
of everything and nothing of anything.” 
A FARMERS’ EXCHANGE.—Two years ago we 
started a Framingham Farmers’ Exchange, ran a 
small retail store in the public square a couple of 
seasons quite successfully (with the able manage¬ 
ment of one of our farmer members. F. E. Tatreau), 
and are now intending to divide up the Exchange 
into committees, each having a special line of work. 
One will have charge of the Iruit end. another the 
dairy, and so on. I, being on the fruit committee 
and knowing the ropes on St ite road selling, have 
had it put up to me to break in the Exchange on this 
line of work, and it is the present intention to work 
the road-selling scheme for all it is worth this year. 
The present equipment and location I intend to turn 
over, lease to the fruit committee for the period of 
one year, and if the plan works to the mutual ad¬ 
vantage of all some more permanent arrangement 
may be made. The Exchange will have the volume 
of fruit products which an individual lacks, also 
greater variety. Tt is hoped that the plan will work 
so well that at least two other stands can be opened 
this same season. One other member of the Ex¬ 
change has a smaller stand on a less traveled State 
road. As the stands each require various goods, 
they will be supplied by the different farms, sales 
to he on a commission basis, 87)4 per cent return 
to the grower, 12)4 per cent to the owner of the 
stand, of this latter amount 7)4 per cent going to 
the salesman as his wages, five per cent kept by the 
owner as rent, to cover taxes, elctricity, repairs 
and improvements. The five per cent can be made 
less if it seems fair to the fruit committee. If one 
or more men sell their products this way at a com¬ 
mon stand, insist that all goods shall be packed by 
one man or group of men, a uniform pack, not each 
farmer to his own pack. It has been all some fun. 
this State road game, and. what's more, it’s highly 
profitable if you play the game fairly. Even if you 
and some of your neighbors are a mile from the 
main highway, get together and sell co-operatively. 
Massachusetts. johm d. peakmain. 
