13S0 
The RURAL NEW.YORKER 
All Sorts of Comments 
Destroying Field Mice. —On page 
1264 is an abstract from a bulletin giving 
directions for the extermination of field 
mice, in which poison is recommended. 
A better method is to encourage a family 
of skunks to occupy the infested area, 
and, when the mice have been trans¬ 
formed into skunk fur and fat, kill the 
skunks and sell their skins. A good rat 
terrier will also work wonders. Or, they 
may be trapped with little expense, simply 
by sinking a nail keg in the ground. Hush 
with the chines, filling it nearly full of 
water, being careful to tamp the soil well 
around the keg so that it will retain the 
water. Then cover the surface of the 
water with a thick coating of oats. The 
oats will float, the mice will step upon 
them, sink through and drown. 
Potatoes Without Rotation. —It is 
a long step from mice to potatoes, but, 
on the same page, W. H. E. asks advice 
about planting potatoes successively upon 
the same ground. This is entirely a mat¬ 
ter of soil. Personally, I have never grown 
potatoes upon a soil in which they could 
be grown for more than three or four 
years without a serious diminution in the 
yield. Yet I know a garden in which 
they have been grown continuously upon 
the same side for 46 years, and the yield 
the present year is apparently as good as 
ever. Fresh seed, however from a dif¬ 
ferent location has always been used. In 
this connection there is an item on page 
1266 in which an instance is cited where 
a man grew potatoes yielding at the rate 
of 600 bushels per acre, simply by placing 
the seed upon the surface. 12 inches apart, 
and covering them with a four-inch mulch 
oi coal ashes. This, too. is either a ques¬ 
tion of soil. I have seen similar state¬ 
ments in past years, and some years ago 
I tried.the experiment, and failed to grow 
a single potato as large as a peach. 
Scaring Robins. —On page 1269 W. 
H. says that he has been successful in 
keeping robins from his strawberries by 
stretching a string across the bed and 
attaching strips of cloth to the cord, the 
fluttering of the cloth scaring the birds 
away. This lias been tried hundreds of 
times, and is always successful when 
tried on paper. I have tried it practi¬ 
cally, several times, and the scheme works 
fairly well for a short distance just as 
long as the wind is strong enough to keep 
the cloths continually fluttering. But 
when the wind dies down and the cloths 
remain quiet, the birds will steal the ber¬ 
ries and perch upon the cord to cat them. 
Utilizing Woodchucks. —On the same 
page A. B. D. speaks of the good qualities 
of woodchuck meat and the toughness of 
woodchuck leather. I have been advocat¬ 
ing the utilization of woodchuck flesh and 
fur for a long time, and I am glad that 
I now have a co-laborer. If the animals 
are fat. and the little glands on the breast 
are removed as soon as killed, the flesh 
makes as fine eating as any meat I have 
ever tasted. The skins, when tanned by 
home processes, make the best of whip¬ 
lashes, shoestrings, whangs for sewing 
leather, filling for snov.shoes and the most 
durable of work mittens. During the 
Summer the fur is coarse and thin and 
of little value. But late in the Fall, just 
before going into Winter quarters, it be¬ 
comes thick, long iuud handsome, and I 
once knew an old man who had worn a 
fur cap made of home-tanned woodchuck 
skin for 20 Winters. 
Catching a Weasel. —Also, H. D. 
asks for a way to catch a weasel that is 
killing his chickens. The best way is to 
make a coop, inclo.s?bg part of the sides 
with wire netting instead of boards. Make 
the coop so tight that no weasel can get 
in. Put a few chickens inside, and set if 
outside the poultry-house. Dig a little 
hole near the coop and set a steel trap 
of not more than four inches spread in 
the hole. Put a few leaves over the trap, 
and then cover with poultry droppings. 
If available make a train of fresh 
blood from the trap, around the coop, 
and back to the trap. If it is not con¬ 
venient to use blood make a trail of poul¬ 
try droppings instead. This set will catch 
the weasel the first time it comes in close 
proximity to the poultry-house, but this 
may not be for several nights. But keep 
the trap set in position until the weasel 
is caught. Prime weasel skins are quoted 
at closely around $2 eacL'. 
Breachy Horses. —J. O. M. D. asks 
for a method of curing a horse of the 
habit of breaking down the fence and 
escaping from the pasture. The last 
method is to make the feed in the pasture 
so good that the animal will not want to 
escape, and make the fence so high and 
strong that the horse can neither jump it 
nor break it down. If this is not practi¬ 
cable, take a piece of board about six 
inches wide and 12 inches long arid drive 
40 or more shingle nails through it. Sus¬ 
pend this from the animal’s neck in such 
a manner that when it crowds against 
the fence the sharp points of the nails 
will prick its chest. A very few lessons 
will be sufficient, but it may be necessary 
to keep the board in position for the re¬ 
mainder of the season. 
Willow eor Fence Posts. —And, 
lastly, S. M. B. inquires about the prac¬ 
ticability of growing willows from cut¬ 
tings for fence posts in ground that is 
continually wet. The scheme is perfectly 
practicable, provided the land is not cov¬ 
ered with water. If submerged during the 
greater part of the year it is doubtful if 
trees would live. Also it may be so wet 
that the cuttings will not take root. In 
this case they should be set in drier 
ground and transplanted when one year 
old. I have in mind a similar line of 
fence that was built more than 40 years 
ago, has kept itself in perfect condition, 
and has furnished five or more crops of 
wood. In this case the cuttings were 
fSken from the previous year's growth, 
and this is the best size to use. However, 
it will require from three to five years 
in order for them to attain a size large 
enough for safety in attaching the wires, 
and if one cannot wait so long post two 
inches in diameter and six feet long may 
be used. The results, however, will not 
be so satisfactory or so certain. White 
or golden willow will probably give the 
best satisfaction, but almost any species 
that makes sufficient growth will answer 
the purpose. Cuttings from the Carolina 
poplar will also answer just as well, ex¬ 
cept that this tree will not stand quite 
so much water. The cuttings should be 
taken in early Spring, before the buds 
start, and set immediately. If cuttings 
of the previous year’s growth are used 
they should be 16 inches long and set 12 
inches in the ground. If larger, they 
should be set two feet deep. 
Late-set Strawberries. —On page 
1271 Prof. Massey advocates November 
setting for strawberry plants. My un¬ 
derstanding is that his idea is correct as 
far as Southern conditions are concerned. 
But here in Northern New England we 
find that we cannot depend upon anything 
like a satisfactory crop the following sea¬ 
son if the plants are set later than 
August. Even then we find that it is 
better in the long run to sacrifice the 
• 
crop and set the plants in the Spring, 
when they are well-budded, and to pick 
off all buds as the plants are set. The 
following season we can depend upon a 
great many more berries than we could 
get in the two seasons combined if they 
were allowed to bear the first season. 
Spelt for Feeding. —On page 1278 
Prof. Minkler makes the following state¬ 
ment.: “Spelt is about equal to barley 
in feeding value for pigs, although it is 
not as palatable, and it carries more 
fiber. The yield per acre docs not com¬ 
pare with that of either oats or barley.” 
Spelt has been grown to some extent in 
this locality, and we found that the first 
part of the statement is perfectly correct. 
But the results seem to indicate that the 
yield is a trifle heavier than that of bar¬ 
ley. However, we found so little advan¬ 
tage in its feeding value, per given area, 
and that the straw is such miserably 
mean stuff to handle, that we discontinued 
its growth, and I have not known of a 
field of the 6tuff being grown for more 
than a dozen years. 
Packing Corn Fodder in Straw.— 
He also questions the advisability of pack¬ 
ing corn fodder in straw, doubts if the 
straw will partake of the palatabilit.v of 
the fodder, and states that if the corn¬ 
stalks are well cured in the shock they 
may be packed in the mow without spoil¬ 
ing. The last part of this statement is 
correct so far as conditions in the dry 
climate of Kansas are concerned, but here 
in New England it is impossible to cure 
cornstalks sufficiently in the shock so 
that they will not spoil if packed in the 
mow. Moreover, I know that the straw 
packed in corn fodder will partake of its 
palatabilit.v, and will be equallv as well 
relished as the stalks themselves. And, 
when it is intended to feed the straw. t\e 
proper way to handle it is to draw silage 
corn, fresh from the field, and pack it in 
alternate layers with dry straw. 
C. O. ORMSBEE. 
Reptem' 11919 
floating them? How many head to the 
acre will it provide for? j. u. w. 
I have used this clover on very poor 
ground, on moderately poor ground, and 
on fertile ground. I think ,T. W. B. will 
find that the lime content, the inocula¬ 
tion, and the phosphorus of his soil are 
the most important items entering in. 
Sweet clover will grow on soil that is 
fairly deficient in nitrogen, and it thrives 
all right in such places. It will not thrive 
where the lime content is low, or where 
it lacks inoculation, and it is reasonably 
fond of phosphorus. 
I consider it absolutely safe for pasture. 
I havfe had cows bloat on it a little, and 
one year I lost one heifer apparently from 
bloat, but practically I have had no dif¬ 
ficulty. I have turned on to the plants 
at all ages, when two inches high, or from 
that on up, and I saw no difference in 
tendency to bloat. As a matter of fact, 
however, J. \V. B. will find it very much 
better to turn on to Sweet clover when 
the plants are not too large, say when 
only six or eight inches tail. If the plants 
are at all woody, stock are much slower 
in learning to like them. I always have 
taken the precaution to turn on when 
the dew had dried off. 
The most difficult part of the inquiry 
to answer is ho«; many head per acre. 
This depends upon how thrifty the plants 
are, and, with us here, somewhat upon 
the rainfall, although Sweet clover thrives 
remarkably well under drought conditions. 
It is always wise to have too much stock 
on Sweet clover rather than too little. If 
you keep it eaten off pretty close, the 
stock relish it better, and there is not a 
great deal of danger of injuring the 
plants. As a rule, one cow or steer to 
the acre is not enough, and two to the 
acre would be more like it. Sometimes, 
when it does very weil, you should have 
perhaps three. chas. b. wing. 
Ohio. 
Sweet Clover for a Pasture 
Will some of your readers who have 
had experience tell us about Sweet clover 
and its value for pasture? Does it need 
strong soil? Will it do anything on thin 
hill land? Will it injure the stoek by 
“A husband and father should never 
speak a cross word in his home,” a trifle 
severely said the presiding elder. ‘‘He—” 
“Great guns of iron!” interrupted Gap 
Johnson of Rumpus Ridge, Ark. “You 
can’t expect the poor cuss to hop up and 
tear outdoors in all kinds of weather, can 
you. parson?”—Kansas City Star. 
Cow Feed 
flrnt always makes good 
You have fed some feeds that absolutely failed to produce the 
results you expected. You paid a good price for them and they looked 
good to you but they fell down on results. 
The value of your cows ought to make you cut out all experimenting. You 
can buy a feed that makes good all the time. That feed is 
HAPPY COW FEED 
(24% PROTEIN) 
Happy Cow Feed is composed of cotton seed 
meal, corn meal, cocoanut meal, wheat bran, 
shorts, velvet bean feed, unhulled peanut oil 
feed, alfalfa meal and salt. 
Most of these ingredients are grown in the 
South. They have been the backbone of South¬ 
ern dairying for years. They are now grown in 
such quantities that Eastern dairymen can get 
the benefit of them. 
There are six different feeds sold under the 
“Happy ” trade-mark. We are particularly proud 
of Happy Cow Feed. It never fails to win the 
full confidence of every dairyman who gives it 
a trial. 
Our mill and our methods are absolutely 
clean. We produce nothing but feeds. We do 
not buy produce, or use any cheap, low-grade 
by-products as fillers. 
You can readily understand why we are so 
much in favor of the new feed bill now before 
Congress. It is a bill to regulate and classify 
feeds containing low-grade by-products and 
refuse. 
This new bill is for your protection. It is 
known asthe *<Lever Feed Bill.” Writetoyour 
Congressman and ask him to support it. 
Never again need you be disappointed over 
results in feeding your dairy cows. Feed Happy 
Cow Feed. Give it a trial. You will be as happy 
in feeding it as we are in making and selling it 
to you. 
Buy from your feed dealer. If he cannot 
supply you. send us his name, and also the names 
of several friends who want a better feed. We 
will see that you are supplied. 
EDGAR-MORGAN CO., Dept. 124, Memphis, Tenn* 
