672 
it was unlawful to trap or shoot rabbits out of season. 
I§ a Belgian bare a rabbit? My neighbor has cooped 
up some, the boys have endeavored to shoot some. I 
have put out some poison, which may not only be 
unlawful, but is dangerous to my chickens. I have 
asked my neighbors to come over and see the damage 
done to "the trees, but so far they have not shown 
enough interest to do so.. Is anyone responsible in a 
ease like this, or should I have made inquiries before 
planting peach trees whether anyone in the vicinity 
was trying to beat the H. C. of L. by raising Belgian 
bares? w * c * 
Connecticut. 
HERE have been a good many snob cases. With 
these peach trees, where they are completely 
girdled, we should cut them back below the wound 
and train a good sprout from the lower trunk, mak¬ 
ing sure it comes out above the graft. Where they 
are only partly girdled put grafting wax over the 
wound and cut the top back about one-half. You 
can probably save them in this way. We have never 
been quite satisfied with planting peach trees in 
chicken yards. These trees make a very rank 
growth in such soil, but do not make the best fruit. 
The peach tree cannot stand too much prosperity. 
Plum or apple are much better for chicken yard 
planting. This nuisance of tame rabbits permitted 
to run at large has brought up a new point of law. 
In New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania the 
game commissioners state that a tame rabbit is a 
trespasser the same as a hen, a horse or a cow. The 
owner is directly responsible for any damage such 
tame rabbits may do, so long as he claims any 
property rights in them. In Connecticut the com¬ 
missioner thinks such trespassing rabbits would be 
considered “wild,” and in that case we think the 
State would become responsible for the damage to 
the trees. We should go after the neighbor and 
make him settle, if possible, the same as if his cows 
got into the corn through his neglect 
Vitamines in Our Green Victuals 
Part II. 
THE WATER-SOLUBLE YTTAMINE.—In my 
earlier article I called attention to vegetables as an 
important source of the water-soluble vitamine in 
the dietary of the average person, but at that time 
was not able to tell much about the relative amounts 
furnished by the different kinds of vegetables. We 
have since obtained more information on this point 
by making a series of experiments in the following 
way: A large number of vigorous young rats of the 
same age and size soon after weaning were placed 
on a diet free from the water-soluble vitamine, but 
otherwise complete. A liberal quantity of yeast was 
fed daily on the side, separately from the other food, 
so that each animal first became accustomed to the 
new diet. When these animals reached t>0 grams in 
weight and were growing at a normal rate the yeast 
was replaced by weighed quantities of one or another 
dried vegetables. After eight weeks the experi¬ 
ments were terminated and the relative efficiency of 
the several vegetables was judged from the gain in 
weight made by the different groups of animals. The 
experiments were made each with sets of three ani¬ 
mals to which one gram or one-half gram of the 
vegetable product to be tested was fed daily. These 
quantities were approximately 14 or 7 per cent of 
the average amount of food eaten during the experi¬ 
ment, being above these percentages during the first 
part of the experiment when the animals were small 
and ate less than 7 grams a day, and below this pro¬ 
portion when they were larger and ate more than 
this amount. By this method of feeding we were 
assured that each animal received the full dose of 
the water-soluble vitamine, irrespective of the 
amount of food eaten. These quantities were chosen 
as a result of our previous experience, the smaller 
amount being assumed to be too little. When the 
animal grew at a normal rate while receiving one 
gram daily and failed to grow well while receiving 
only one-half gram, we concluded that the nominal 
amount needed lay between these quantities. For 
these experiments young Alfalfa, clover and Timo¬ 
thy grass plants cut early in May at New Haven, the 
white inner leaves of cabbage heads, the green leaves 
of spinach plants, canned tomatoes, the roots of 
beets, turnips, and carrots, and whole potato tubers, 
both old and new, and also peeled old potatoes, were 
dried in a current of warm air at a low temperature 
and then ground to a powder. 
RESULTS FROM ALFALFA AND CLOVER.— 
The rats which had one gram of Alfalfa or clover 
grew much better than did any of the others; in 
fact, their very rapid rate of growth surpassed that 
of all but the fastest growing animals of our stock 
colony fed on our standard mixed diet. Even one- 
half gram doses of Alfalfa or clover promoted almost 
as rapid growth as did the one-gram doses, but some 
of these animals fell off a little during the last few 
do vs of the experiment, perhaps for some other rea- 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
son than a deficiency of the water-soluble vitamine 
in their food. After these experiments had been 
finished Steenbock and Gross described their at¬ 
tempts to determine the relative amount of water- 
soluble vitamine furnished by Alfalfa and clover, cut 
in early Summer when in full bloom. According to 
their experience neither of these plants appeai’ed to 
be rich in the water-soluble vitamine, but as they fed 
these products as a part of the food and did not state 
the amount of food eaten it. is impossible to learn 
from their paper anything about the amount of 
clover or Alfalfa eaten. Furthermore, their rats 
weighed only 40 grams when their experiments were 
begun, and were possibly too young to thrive on the 
food mixture which they gave them. It is also pos¬ 
sible that the fact that the plants which they used 
were older than those used by us may account for 
the difference in the outcome of these experiments. 
In contrast to the experience of Steenbock and 
Gross all of our animals grew so fast as to suggest 
that these two forage plants possibly supplement our 
supposedly adequate standard diet in some way not 
yet recognized better than do any other food products 
with which we are familiar. However this may be, 
the results of our experiments harmonize with the 
high esteem in which the farmer holds both of these 
plants, and proves them to be very rich in the 
water-soluble vitamine. As our experiments with 
these plants in the young state show them to be also 
rich in the fat-soluble vitamine they are evidently 
very valuable additions to the feed of young stock, 
especially when cut early in the season. 
TIMOTHY LESS DESIRABLE.—Timothy grass 
Poster Used by the Government in “Better Sires ” 
Campaign 
i • r 
was much inferior to either Alfalfa or clover as a 
source of water-soluble vitamine, since the animals 
which had one gram a day gained less than one- 
fourth as much weight during the eight weeks as did 
those to which fine-half gram of Alfalfa or clover 
was given. When one-half gram of Timothy was fed 
so little growth was made that it was plain that far 
too little was furnished by this smaller quantity. 
The outcome of these experiments appears to be con¬ 
trary to that of our earlier experience with young 
Timothy grass, but is, in fact, in harmony therewith. 
In these new experiments the animals which had one 
gram grew well at first, but after three or four 
weeks ceased to gain weight, a fact which shows the 
importance of sufficiently long continued experi¬ 
ments. Probably the fact that physiologically active 
cells form a smaller part of the Timothy plant than 
of the Alfalfa or clover explains the difference. 
CABBAGE, SPINACH AND TURNIPS.—Cabbage 
leaves proved to be a fairly good source of the water- 
soluble vitamine, one gram daily sufficing to pro¬ 
mote growth at an average normal rate. However, 
these rats made gains of weight barely equal to one- 
lialf of that made by those having one-half gram of 
Alfalfa or of clover. When one-half gram of cabbage 
was supplied growth was far below the normal aver- 
age of our stock rats. Experiments with cabbage 
leaves made by Steenbock and Gross agreed well 
with ours. Spinach leaves are a better source of the 
'water-soluble vitamine than cabbage leaves, since, 
although one-half gram daily caused somewhat less 
than normal growth, the gain of weight was much 
greater than when the same quantity of cabbage 
leaves was fed. Turnip ox* cuiTOt roots were about 
April 3, 1030 
equally efficient, one gram daily being enough to pro¬ 
mote growth at the average normal rate, while one- 
half gram was decidedly too little. The potency of 
these vegetables was about the same as that of cab¬ 
bage leaves. thomas b. osborxe. 
Acting as Your Own Lawyer 
I am enclosing copy of an opinion of one of the courts 
in regard to making deeds, contracts, etc. Does this 
mean that if I own a farm I cannot write a contract, 
with the man to whom I rent the place and have it 
legal? l. j. r. 
New York. 
N article headed “Must Be Done by Lawyer” 
has been going through the country papers. 
Among other things this article claims: 
The Court of Appeals of this State recently decided 
that no one has a right to draw a bill of sale. will, 
deed or other legal paper unless he has been admitted 
to practice law. In 1017 the Legislature passed a law 
forbidding a person to practice law in any manner 
unless he had been duly and regularly licensed and 
admitted to practice in the courts of record in this 
State. Several persons were arrested under this law 
for drawing wills and deeds and similar papers. It was 
contended that this did not constitute the practice of 
law. In the case of the People of the State of New 
York against Henry Alfani. the defendant was convicted 
of practicing law because he drew a contract and 
chattel mortgage. 
This article seems to be both inaccurate and mis¬ 
leading. We see no reason why a fanner or any 
owner of property cannot draw up a lease of his 
farm or draw any other contract of which he is a 
party. The law in question makes it a misdemeanor 
for a person not a duly licensed attorney-at-law to 
practice law for another as a business. This means 
all legal business for which a fee is charged. A man 
might act as his own attorney, or draw his own 
papers, if lie is willing to risk the chance with such 
a lawyer as himself! 
In the case mentioned above a l'eal estate and in¬ 
surance agent advertised to draw contracts, wills, 
deeds and other legal papers, and charged a fee for 
doing so. That meant that lie was in the business 
of giving legal service, and as be was not a licensed 
attorney lie was convicted and fined. This does not 
mean that a farmer who draws his own papers or 
gave legal advice to a friend without any fee 
violated any law, because be was not in any legal 
business. It: seems not unlike the law covering such 
acts as dehorning cattle. A farmer might cut the 
horns from his own cattle or operate for his ; neigh¬ 
bor without charge. If he charged and collected f"r 
the service and could not prove that he was a quali¬ 
fied veterinarian he could be convicted and fined. 
Concrete Floors for Mow and Granary 
ITREE SEASONS’ EXPERIENCE.—The con¬ 
sensus of opinion seems to be that cement is 
not a suitable floor for haymow or granaxy. This 
is contrary to my experience and belief, for I have 
been keeping grain, including wheat, oats and rye. 
on a concrete floor for three seasons without any 
bad results; also kept bay on same floor for one 
season without losing any. 
ESSENTIAL POINTS.—My experience has taught 
me that the only thing necessary to obtain good 
results is to have the floor well above the surround- 
ing surface outside in order to prevent any seepage 
from collecting under the floor. I prefer field stones 
to any other material for the raising of flooi’s. The 
upper layer of stones should be well bi*oken and 
worked up to the desired grade. The process of 
laying the cement, is completed in one operation with 
the use of a wooden float, after the manner of high¬ 
way construction. The broken stones come nearly 
or quite to the surface, and thus make the amount 
of material used very small. I have used cinders 
for a fill, hut find that they disintegrate and crush 
to some extent under a heavy load. They also 
gather and hold an excessive amount of moistui*e. 
TWO WARNINGS.—Don’t store hay or grain or 
anything else for that matter on green cement, and 
expect it to keep. Don’t put damp grain from the 
top of your stack in the bottom of a bin, and then 
blame the cement floor. 
USE HORSE SENSE.—The farmers are more 
generously endowed with horse sense than any other 
class of society. Use it in the construction of your 
floors, and foi’get about the imaginary losses. There 
is also an idea generally prevalent that stable floors 
of cement are cold. In waiting on sick animals 1 
have tried this point out to my own satisfaction, 
and have found cement flooi’s warmer than the 
floors of many houses, and a lundred times warxnei 
than the plank floors built after the old manner of 
constnietion, with a free cii’culation of ail* undei- 
neatb. It would seem without using ai*tificial heat 
the warmest possible flooi* for a stable would he one 
of cement, with dead air underneath, and conserving 
the upward moving warmth of the eai’th. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. s. n. pkrry. 
