S.n? RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
5 
The ^ack-to-the-Landers 
A very large share of our questions come from people who meditate moving 
to the country, or who have already made such a move. They have a story to 
tell, or they ask for advice. This department will be a sort of clearing-house 
for the back-to-the-.ander, where he may obtain information and swap troubles 
and triumphs, failures, fads and fancies. 
Big Things From Backyards 
Does it seem strange that I can hatch 
and raise from my own stock a cock like 
the one I sold to win a first at Chicago, 
on a back lot? Breeders raising thou¬ 
sands of birds cannot do it. I raise poul¬ 
try as a recreation, being a busy physi¬ 
cian. L. M. HERRINGTON. 
Pennsylvania. 
No. not when you consider the possibil¬ 
ities of a backyard managed by a front- 
rank man. The backyards of life have 
given great things to the world because 
they have enabled men to concentrate 
their work and thought upon certain def¬ 
inite things. Most of us try to do too 
much; to fill up a 20-acre field at once. 
Better start in the backyard and put the 
yeast of skill into your work until it 
breaks down the fence and works out. 
Perhaps without knowing it this phys¬ 
ician watched aud studied his flock of 
hens as he would an interesting case. The 
hens had to follow his thought. 
Life in the Wilderness 
v > * . : *!■* ' "'.s 
The bachelor pioneer still constitutes 
the majority of. this, community, and he is 
not interested in the complexities of agri¬ 
culture. However, there is hope The R. 
N.-Y. will flourish here, for now there is a 
church erected, although oftener than not 
the parson constitutes both pulpit and 
pew; a. school a month old, and a woman 
dotting the country at intervals. The 
pioneer is getting restless, ready to sell 
out to a family and move farther into the 
wilderness. “Getting too civilized.” he 
says. You must not think these fellows 
are not readers and thinkers: they are. 
For instance, you need not wade through 
the volumes of Karl Marx to- find the 
missing link in the world-wide troubles; 
these fellows will show you that link in 
half an hour’s conversation—if you are 
not a stranger in these parts. Most of 
them got their knowledge on the frosty 
side of the barn. Wife and I look for 
The R. N.-Y. eagerly every mail, and 
think it the best yet. As families settle 
here I will try to push this paper, al¬ 
though they are coming slowly. Some 
would not stay because there was no 
school; now we have one. Others hesi¬ 
tate because our nearest doctor is a bit 
over 100 miles away. We have had a mis¬ 
sionary doctor for the last two mouths, 
but people here did not take kindly to 
him. They are suspicious of these double- 
barrelled fellows. He has gone out from 
among us. no doubt to seek greener pas¬ 
tures. We want an M.D. if anything, and 
meanwhile we will continue the art of 
keeping well till there ai‘e enough people 
to support a good one. .TonN M. smith. 
British Columbia. 
the shop 5 V 2 days per week, they have 
“farms in embryo,” i. e., from three to 
six or even 10 acres, where they spend 
every available moment in close contact 
with Mother Earth. These men. I find, 
take a keen interest in everything per¬ 
taining to farming, and great pride in 
their poultry, pigs and cow or two. They 
are all eager readers of the agricultural 
publications. One thing more about, them 
which makes them good, steady, stick-to- 
it-and-peg-away citizens, every one of 
them has rooted deep down in his system 
the ambition and hope that some day he 
will have a full-grown and adult farm 
from whence he will view the shop or 
factory at a distance. 
Trices here are about as follows: For 
chickens the butcher will pay 25c per lb. 
and sell them for 35c; hogs bring in the 
market about 15c on foot; eggs are bring¬ 
ing the producer 80c, while some who 
are fortunate enough to get them to con¬ 
sumers near Pittsburgh secure .$1 a dozen. 
Butter is 82c per lb., and corn, which 
did well in this section, sells on the cob 
for $1.50 to $2 a double bushel, depend¬ 
ing on the seller and how anxious he is to 
secure the sale. Some near by have sold 
and delivered fair corn for $1.50 per bu. 
We are continually striving by keeping all 
the animals we can, and by soiling crops 
and liming, to bring our acres up to the 
maximum of production. Not enough 
hay is raised to make the same any great 
factor in these markets. Fruit is a poor 
crop in this district, one large orchard 
near by, which has had the best of care 
in pruning, spraying and cover crops, hav¬ 
ing borne but one ci’op in nine years, aud 
that nothing to brag of. One of our 
greatest handicaps, in fact, to my mind 
the greatest, is the deplorable condition 
of the roads. With the exception of sev¬ 
eral of the main arteries for auto travel, 
we are still traveling over the old yellow 
clay. Half-hearted attempts are made to 
patch the holes in the clay, here and 
there, but 1 they are vain attempts, and in 
nowise permanent. On these poor roads 
are fronting three and four-acre “farm- 
lets” which brought as high as $300 an 
acre several years ago. But along with 
our other crops each year we all raise 
another big crop of “hopes.” 
Westmoreland Co., Pa. j. b.west. 
We have the Fish 
T O FARMERS who know the value of fish and want it 
in their* fertilizer, we announce that we have laid in 
an ample supply of fish scrap to meet all demands. If you 
want the genuine, original Fish Scrap Fertilizer, insist on 
ROYSTER'S 
FERTILIZER 
IVRAOe HAS*' 
REGISTERED 
The Fertilizer That Made 
Fish Scrap Famous 
F. S. ROYSTER GUANO CO. 
Baltimore, Md. 
[ When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you'll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
The Rocks and Reds 
I have before me The R. N.-Y. of Nov. 
15 with first page article on the world egg 
record of 10 famous Reds, laying 2.000 
eggs in one year. The record of these Red 
hens is beaten right here in Westford, 
Mass. T have 11 Plymouth Rock liens, 
one rooster, that will be on top. Mine 
are not fancy stock at that; all of the 
same breed. I never had a live hen in my 
hand until five years ago. Here is my 
record for 12 months: 2.501 eggs. My 
hens lay when all other hens in the 
neighborhood are loafing. Besides laying 
this number of eggs my hens raised 30 
chicks of their own again. They are fed 
a hot mash in the morning. Their house 
is open front, cleaned every day. and 
everyone of the hens is contented and sat¬ 
isfied. Their food cost me just $00. as I 
have to buy everything. I sold $114 
worth of eggs. My brother, who is a sub¬ 
scriber. says the above will not interest 
you. Perhaps not. but just the same I 
want you to know that a Plymouth Rock 
hen does not like to take a back seat for 
any Red. mrs. sam rosenberg. 
Massachusetts. 
Mrs. Rosenberg has a fine flock of hens. 
Her brother is wrong—we are interested 
in any effort to improve stock. Perhaps 
Mrs. Rosenberg did not get the Red record 
right. We stated that the 10 Red hens of 
Underhills laid 2,431 eggs (not 2.000 as 
Mrs. Rosenberg has it). Then she wants 
to compare 11 Rock hens against the 10 
Reds. Her 11. Rocks laid 2,561 eggs, or 
233 each. Ten of them, or the same num¬ 
bers as of the Reds, laid 2.330 eggs, or 
101 le6s than the pen of 10 Reds. Of 
course Mrs. Rosenberg will not claim 
that it takes 11 of her excellent Rocks to 
beat the 10 Reds. 
Half Way Back to Land 
This immediate vicinity is hardly what 
one would call a real farming district. 
The various industries in this section have 
made a big drain on the young men of 
he farms surrounding, some of whom walk 
from four to six miles daily to work in 
the factories. We have, however, in our 
community quite a few of those men, my¬ 
self included, whom I consider fortunate 
in that, although compelled to work in 
More Dollars From 
Fewer Acres 
The Moline line of Wide Spread 
Manure Spreaders includes three 
styles, each particularly well 
adapted for the work for which it 
is intended. Moline Wide Spread¬ 
er No. 38 is built with 38 inch 
beater for use with two horses. It 
is a very handy machine and one 
that can be handled conveniently 
in tight places. ^ 
Where a larger machine Is desired 
there is the Moline No. 50 Spreader 
built with 50-inch beater and fitted 
with three-horse eveners. Small farm¬ 
ers and truck gardeners will find the 
third style very satisfactory. This is 
known as the Moline Wagon Box 
Spreader and is built in standard 38- 
inch width for use with two horses. 
No. 39 
Why be content with meager profits when you may have 
more ? Why stand by and let production costs crowd the 
profit out of farming ? Use a Moline Manure Spreader to 
increase the fertility of your land and the greater yield will 
mean “More Dollars From Fewer Acres” without any in¬ 
crease in production costs. 
MOLINE 
WIDE SPREAD 
MANURE SPREADERS 
The Moline Line 
of Implements 
Plows 
(steel and chilled) 
Harrows 
Planters 
Cultivators 
Crain Drills 
Lime Sowers 
Mowers 
Hay Rakes 
Hay Loaders 
Hay Stackers 
Crain Binders 
Com Binders 
Pitieas Scales 
Spreaders 
Wagons 
Moline-Universal Tractors 
Lowdown, light running, 
and spread the manure, thoroughly pul¬ 
verized, over a wide spread. Excellent 
work is assured through the use of a 
second beater which cuts and tears the 
manure, casting it well to each side. 
High grade materials, expert workman¬ 
ship and the most modern design com¬ 
bine to make Moline Wide Spread 
Manure Spreaders the most satisfactory 
machines to use in building up the soil* 
Now is the time to see your Moline 
Dealer about getting a Moline Spreader 
or write us for full information. 
Moline Plow Co., Moline, Ill. 
Nearest Branches at Poughkeepsie and Baltimore 
SINCE 1865 "MOLINE" ON A FARM IMPLEMENT HAS BEEN A MARK QF QUALITY 
