806 
until the last two roars, and a pity 'tis that it took 
a world war to make this possible. 
CAUSES ANP O INPITK A’S.—How do 1 account 
for our condition? Here is the substance: We have 
sold for what was offered without reference to cost, 
and we have bought at a price that always included 
a liberal prolit to someone else. It is further aggra¬ 
vated by the fact that because of this I have been 
unable to buy labor-saving machinery and have been 
compelled to work in the old back-breaking, time¬ 
killing way. My towu friends and armchair critics 
are quick to call my attention to this point. One 
says. "Why don’t you have a gasoline engine to 
pump your water, separate your cream and do many 
other jobs? It would save you many an hour that 
you might employ to better advantage.” Another 
says. “Any man who spreads 15 acres a year with 
stable manure should have a manure spreader. It 
would save many an hour, and besides do the work 
better than it can possibly be done by hand.” A 
third man says, “Why don't you buy a car? It would 
save many an hour that you now spend on the road 
with a slow farm horse.” To all these I have the 
same reply: "No one knows so clearly the value 
of these things as rhe man who perforce must do 
without them. Pay me a decent profit on what I 
have to sell and all these things shall be added.” 
1 have sold my share of 25-cent potatoes, nine-dollar 
tomatoes and sn-cent wheat. I have paid the home 
merchant IbO per cent profit on an article in common 
use in my business, and have seen my produce re¬ 
fold ‘.< 4 a two-thirds advance before I left the store. 
Woinun't those two rates pay a few of those mys¬ 
terious overhead charges that we hear so much 
about but as farmers are not allowed to employ? 
I have lost many a dollar through storms, floods, 
drought, insect pests, blights and diseases, bad roads, 
gorged markets.' etc,, and cannot pass this on to the 
consumer, but must suffer in silence. 
STILL HOPING.—1 >o 1 still have hopes? Sure! 
Hope Farm is my middle name, and while 1 feel 
rhat for my seven years hard service sad-eyed Leah 
lias been wished on me instead of the well-favored 
It a eh el I fondly expected, I am starting another 
seven years with a full determination to achieve 
the latter, including the ring-streaked and striped 
results that are due me, and it will go hard with 
any man who stands in my way. 
No LET-UP.—But suppose disease or some great 
misfortune overtakes you, what then? No doubt I 
shall die the financial death as many a better man 
has died before me, the courthouse buzzards will 
pick my bones and the sad mourner, the armchair 
critic, will go about the streets, shaking his head 
and saying. “Too bad! Too bad! Another case of 
mismanagement!” 1 may not even have the benefit 
of clergy. Although I am a member of our home 
church, an officer in the same and leader of the 
choir. 1 have not been inside its doors for over a 
year. Why? I have no help on Sunday. My help, 
more fortunate than the master, lias its Saturday 
half holiday and its Sundays free. 1 find it impos¬ 
sible to do my work and care for niy stock, get ready, 
drive four miles after a slow farm horse, and reach 
there in time for the morning service, and the eve¬ 
ning service has been out of the question for many 
a year. Does anyone, city or country, think it right 
that it should be necessary to live in this manner 
that lie may keep his head above water? 
You have heard the old story of the partnership 
hunting of the Indian and white man. when the day s 
bag consisted of a turkey and a turkey-buzzard. 
White man says, “I’ll take the turkey and you the 
turkey-buzzard, or you take rhe turkey-buzzard and 
I'll take the turkey.” The Indian replied mourn¬ 
fully, “White man never says turkey to me once." 
The American farmer is not a liog from Hog Island, 
but cost and 10 per cut would sound like music to 
his ears if heard once in a while. Maryland. 
A New Red Raspberry 
I T will interest growers of red raspberries to know 
that a new variety is being placed on the market 
this Spring for the first time. The value of this con- 
didate for favor in the various localities of the coun¬ 
try can l.»e determined only by trial. It is too much 
to expect that this new variety, named the “Ontario,” 
in honor of its native county, will supplant the 
standard commercial kinds in all places. It is not 
too much to say, however, that if the Ontario does 
as well elsewhere as at its native home, the variety 
will soon take its place among the best commercial 
red raspberries. 
This new variety was originated on the grounds 
of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, 
Geneva, N. 1., from the breeding work of the year 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
190S. It is a pure seedling of Station No. 94, which 
is a cross between 'Superlative and Loudon. From 
the very first this seedling attracted attention be¬ 
cause of its desirable qualities. After fruiting for 
several years the original hill was dug up. from 
which as many suckers as possible were propagated. 
After these plants had fruited for several years, 
fully measuring up to their previous reputation, they 
were again dug and repropagated, and this system 
of propagation and testing continued until the seed¬ 
ling through these years of severe test had unques¬ 
tionably justified its distribution for trial else- 
* 
where. » . 
The Ontario appears to be perfectly hardy, having 
passed through the severe'Winter of 1917-18 without 
injury. The vigor is well illustrated by the accom¬ 
panying photograph. The plants develop a medium 
number of suckers, a valuable asset wherever the 
watei* supply is at all deficient, but somewhat of a 
handicap to those'who wish to propagate rapidly a 
large' number of plants. Heavy yield is a prime 
requisite for commercial work and on the heavy 
clay loam of the experiment station the Ontario has 
outyielded all other varieties of red raspberries, such 
as .Tune. Perfection, Herbert, Empire, Cuthbert and 
many other kinds with which it was compared. The 
l 
The Ontario Raspberry. Fig. 212 
only infestation of disease thus far evident was a 
slight attack of yellows in 1918, which also attacked 
all other varieties, some severely, of both red and 
purple raspberries. 
The season of Ontario is an asset to those looking 
for a variety to precede Cuthbert. The fruit ma¬ 
tures in early mid-season, earlier than Cuthbert, 
later than June. Perfection or Marlboro. The berries 
are of large size, which is well retained throughout 
the season. < ften averaging larger than Cuthbert. but 
rounder, glossy medium red. and are firm enough to 
ship well. The flesh is nearly as sweet and aromatic 
as Cuthbert. ranking fully good in flavor and quality. 
The stock of this new variety, limited in amount, 
has been turned over for distribution to the society 
recently formed, the New York State Fruit Testing 
Co-operative Association. Inc., which has been 
formed by a group of fruit growers for the purpose 
of co-operating with the New Yox*k State Experiment 
Station in the further testing, production, sale and 
distribution of new and valuable varieties of fruits 
originated or approved by the station. Those inter¬ 
ested in testing new and choice varieties of fruit 
difficult to obtain from nurserymen should write to 
the secretary-treasurer of the association, W. C. 
Stone, Geneva. N. Y. 
Quick Process of Vinegar Making 
N page 522 I read of "The Future of Apple 
Cider under the Prohibition Law,” with par¬ 
ticular reference to the manufacture of vinegar by 
the generator process. I would call attention to Mr. 
Pulver’s ^sestion that “it is possible to obtain legal 
vinegar in 24 hours’ time from the sweet cider stage,” 
and “with a merchantable sweet cider, and a gener¬ 
ator. there really are no necessary grounds for the 
existence of hard cider anywhere along the process.” 
The freshly extracted juice of the apple is not 
capable of producing vinegar until it has first under- 
May 10, 191!) 
gone a natural process of fermentation, whereby the 
sugar content of the juice is reduced to alcohol. The 
time required for such fermentation depends entirely 
upon atmospheric conditions. Cider made early in 
October, under average temperature, might be ready 
for generating inside of two weeks, whereas Novem¬ 
ber cider might require three to four months, or 
even longer, before it is ready for the vinegar pro¬ 
cess. The shortest time possible in which sweet 
cider can be converted into stock suitable for the 
vinegar generator is about six days, and this by the 
most modern method, where the juice is carried in 
a fermenting room in which a uniform fermenting 
temperature is maintained throughout the entire 
process of fermentation. 
With the first or vinous process of fermentation 
thus far complete, the cider now undergoes a second 
change, known as the acetic fermentation, whereby 
the alcohol is converted into acetic acid through the 
medium of a bacterium known as the vinegar plant 
or “mother.” The rapidity with which the acetic 
fermentation takes place depends solely upon the 
growth of the vinegar bacteria, which, in turn, owe 
their existence to an alcoholic liquid, or (in the 
language of vinegar makers f a “must,” and its de¬ 
velopment. to atmospheric conditions, and the two 
more essential factors, warmth and food, the former 
of which is created through chemical action, and the 
latter derived from the alcohol alone. 
This brings us down to the modern quick process 
known as the “generator,” wherein natural condi¬ 
tions. relative to heat and air, are artificially con¬ 
trolled and so supplied to the alcoholic “must” in 
such volume and proportion as to render possible 
rhe most rapid development of the vinegar bacteria. 
Under normal working conditions of the generator 
the process of complete conversion may be accom¬ 
plished in 24 hours’ time. 
Acetic acid, which is the predominating or sour 
element of cider vinegar, is made directly from alco¬ 
hol, and not from sugar, as Mr. 1’ulver would lead 
us to believe; however, if there is any new legisla¬ 
tion in our land whereby the heretofore impossible 
can now be accomplished, and a new method re¬ 
vealed whereby vinegar can be produced from sweet 
apple juice in 24 hours’ time, without first under¬ 
going an alcoholic fermentation, we would till cer¬ 
tainly delight in reading of it, and will take hats 
off to Mr. Pulver for disclosing this valuable bit <>f 
information, which will, undoubtedly, revolutionize 
the vinegar industry. h. r. Morgan. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. 
It. N.-Y\—Mr. Morgan is right. The mistake was 
made in using the word "sweet” before cider. Mr. 
Pulver did not intend to say that the vinegar can 
be made in 24 hours from the sweet juice. As Mr. 
Morgan says, the shortest time possible for con¬ 
verting the sweet cider into vinegar stock is six 
days. In most cases it would be nearer two weeks 
even with “modern appliances.” We are glad to 
have this matter made straight. 
Fighting the Squash “ Stinkbug ” 
In the directions for planning a vegetable garden, 
the writer save about planting squash: “Plenty of 
seed should be put in each hill. When any of the young 
plants show signs of wilting it is a pretty sure indica¬ 
tion of the presence of a borer in the stein, and the 
plant should be immediately pulled up and destroyed.” 
It is also advised to dust the plants with slug shot to 
destroy the striped beetle, and we are advised to place 
20 to 40 seeds in a hill to make good the loss from these 
enemies. Is this the limit of help that the doctors can 
give us on tin* difficult ordeal of lighting squash-vine 
destroyers? We know without being told that tin- 
striped beetle will poison himself by eating our bait of 
arsenate or Paris green or any other arsenical prepara¬ 
tion. But when we have got through with him what 
about the “stinkbug”? This creature is far more de¬ 
structive and is not amenable to poisonous bait. In 
three days from hatching a colony of these hateful 
fellows will ruin the entire hill of plants. Planting a 
hundred seeds to a hill would not solve the difficulty. 
After the "stinkbug” has done its worst the stem borer 
will be found to have used up every surviving plant. 
Then you declare in sorrow and auger that you will 
never again plant squash. Can any of the authorities 
on entomology give us the story of these two enemies? 
I have found no bulletin from any school or station or 
Government department telling us when and how to 
fight these insidious creatures, nothing more enlighten¬ 
ing than the wasteful suggestion to plant an extra 
quantity of seed. If the case is as hopeless as the saving 
of the chestnut trees we ought to know it and quit 
effort. If there is a known way to success it ought to 
be put in clear language in every seedsman’s catalogue. 
New York. john r. uouerts. 
HE “bug-doctors” don’t know it all. If they did 
they wouldn’t have a job very long, for there 
wouldn’t be anything more to. find out. Moreover, 
the gardener wouldn’t have any insect foes to stir 
up his fighting blood, and the dog wouldn’t have 
any fleas to remind him lie’s a dog. The stinkbug 
of the squash is a fine case in point. We know very 
well where it lives, how it lives, and what it lives 
upon, but we don’t know very well how to prevent 
