'726 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Back-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-lander, where he may obtain information and swap troubles 
and triumphs, failures, fads and fancies. 
The “Scenery” Farmer Talks 
In your columns tenants have told their 
difficulties in obtaining fair play, but no 
sympathy seems to be extended to the 
man whose love for the country, whether 
inherited or through early surroundings, 
makes fine stock and well-tilled fields the 
most beautiful works of art. which can be 
purchased. The writer says this advis¬ 
edly, because there are many who have 
been fortunate in business to whom the 
supreme pleasure lies in a farm so kept 
that it becomes a source of pride and joy. 
Business demands may monopolize the 
owner’s thoughts, but his dream of perfect 
recreation is to work over well-tilled fields, 
to' watch contented, thriving stock ana 
to sit at a table oi\ which his farm prod¬ 
ucts are in an abundance and of a flavor 
which he cannot buy in the city markets 
at any price. 
Why is this dream impossible of reali¬ 
zation? 
My experience and that of all my 
friends has been alike in finding that no 
farmer can be engaged who will appreci¬ 
ate the advantage of having a backer who 
can give him the best of seeds, fertilizer 
and machinery, and who will buy the best 
of registered stock When one really 
loves a farm and can afford to operate it, 
the question of annual expense becomes 
as immaterial as the price to a collector 
of the picture, book or porcelain which 
lie; craves. But be it a farm or picture, 
it must be what if purports to be or the 
expense is not justified. 
Seven years ago 1 bought a place in 
the Berkshires. primarily to be among the 
hills and woods, but out of the 450 acres 
I found some 50 acres of arable land and 
50 acres of pasture, and so attempted to 
try farming. In order to make it more 
practical I have cleared fields of boulders 
by outside labor and have, as I believe, 
a practical proposition for a good man. 
In order to make work easier 1 have in¬ 
stalled running water and electric lights 
in my barns and pighouses. my three ten¬ 
ant houses have electric light, toilets, 
baths, verandas and everything which I 
can do for the comfort of those around 
me. Yet I have been unable to find any 
man who would take entire charge of my 
farming and give me any value for my 
money. 
My driver operates my truck to the 
village, looks after the farm machinery, 
the electric light plain, etc., and one of 
my three j. on spends half his time on our 
flower and vegetable gardens. This gives 
the time of 2*4 men, first to look after 
six or seven cows, four or live brood sows, 
three horses and a pair of oxen, besides 
a small flock of poultry, sufficient for re¬ 
quirements, and, second, to plant sufficient 
grain and forage to maintain this stock. 
At harvest time there is always extra 
labor as required. The place is over¬ 
equipped with machinery, even to three 
gas engines of various powers, threshing 
machine, corn busker, feed mill, harvester, 
silage cutter, etc. What is the result? 
With a labor charge of $250 per month, 
exclusive of my driver, and an expense 
of $2,500 for seeds, fertilizers, extra feed, 
etc., the corn and oats are usually the 
poorest in the valley, my pigs are all 
runts, the best cows run off in their milk 
until they become boarders, and the hens 
refuse to lay until after all others have 
begun, and we do not get suffi-ient chick¬ 
ens and ducks for our own table. 
What is the matter? Can no man 
be found who will run the place as he 
would his own? The writer knows that 
he cannot expect to break even on the 
place, but believes that it should not be 
a constant source of worry and disap¬ 
pointment. The above expenditures should 
entitle one to the best crons and best 
stock. My whole Summer would be 
happy to see my pastures full of pigs 
gaining a pound a day, which Prof. 
Miukler says can be done, instead of six 
months pigs weighing 70 lbs., although 
I have pastures filled with Alfalfa and 
clover, with self-feeders never kept filled 
unless I watch them, and a beautiful 
brook running through the foot <»f each 
pasture. No farmer that I have had 
will show any interest in anything on the 
farm except the monthly pay check, and 
the more I give him full responsibility, the 
less he assumes on the theory that I am 
easy, and lie will draw his pay until I 
finally lose patience with his poor results 
and ask for his resignation. The writer 
has tried applicants from his neighbor¬ 
hood, from your paper and from various 
farm bureaus, all with the same unfortu¬ 
nate result. CITY FARMER. 
Pushing a Backyard Garden 
I have a piece of land 100x150 feet that 
I wanted to use for garden purposes, so 
I planted rye and vetch to turn under in 
Spring of 3019. and had a good stand. 
1 plowed under rye and vetch and planted 
cow peas, and had a heavy stand of cow 
peas in Fall of 1919; had cow peas 
disked under and planted again to rye, 
but. no vetch, as I could not get the seed 
at that time. I will have a good stand 
of rye to turn under this Spring. I in¬ 
tend to put half of this piece in potatoes 
and the rest in other garden stuff for 
home use. such as sugar corn, tomatoes, 
Lima beans and string beaus. Would 
you advise me how to handle this to best 
advantage? What kind of fertilizer is 
desirable to use for all kinds of vegeta¬ 
bles, and how much, as manure is hard 
to get here? I have about 1 % tons of 
manure about a year old that I wish to 
use for iny roses, shrubs and lawn. Would 
it benefit the manure to mix some acid 
phosphate with it? If so, what kind and 
how much? Our soil is early; we plant, 
potatoes around the first of April in this 
section. Could I plant Irish Cobbler and 
get the crop off in time to plant the late 
potatoes, such as Green Mountain and 
Jersey Redekin? c. P. 
Lindemvold, N. J. 
Thus far you have handled this land 
right. This Spring plow under the rye 
before if gets too large—say about 2 Y 2 
feet high. At once, after plowing, roll 
or crush the soil down so as to compact 
the rye in the soil. If left, loose and the 
weather turns dry the soil will dry but 
and bake. Do not use lime on the 
half intended for potatoes, but on the 
other half use 250 lbs. of good lime, well 
worked in. It will hardly pay to buy the 
small quantities of chemicals required to 
mix a fertilizer. Better buy one of the 
mixed brands for potatoes, and use at 
least 400 lbs. on the entire lot. It will 
pay you to spread a little of the manure 
over the rye before plowing it under. The 
bacteria in the manure will help the rye 
to decay. If will pay you to mix acid 
phosphate with the manure. If you can 
plant the Irish Cobblers early and push 
them along you can follow with the later 
varieties, but you cannot expect them to 
grow full size. 
A Happy Back-to-the-Lander 
I read C. O. H.’s letter, page 414, 
with much interest. I just had to write 
a few lines for my husband and myself. 
We left New York City last August, 
April 10, 1920 
1910, and bought 20 acres here in Con¬ 
necticut. We know nothing about farm¬ 
ing. but will make a fruit farm of small 
fruits and a garden for our Winter and 
Summer vegetables. My husband goes 
to business every day, as we are only 
five miles from the city. He gets much 
less wages here, but we have had more 
to do with than ever we had in New 
York with big rents, etc., and meat is 
cheaper here. Of course living and cloth¬ 
ing are the same all over. Go hack to 
the city? Not. for us. I am so happy 
here, and it hasn’t been as cold as in 
New York, on account of dry air. Neigh¬ 
bors say “Don’t get. discouraged; we 
won’t have such a Winter again,” but it 
doesn’t discourage me. I only long for 
Spring, to plant flowers and berries and 
enjoy nature. I haven’t had water in 
the house this Winter, either, but with 
it all I am so much better off. and do not 
have to worry about rent and clothing 
every month. In the Spring we shall 
put in the improvements, and what more 
do we ask for? Of course, as The I‘. 
N.-Y. says, some women are not happy 
in the country; they must have Broad¬ 
way, but what does that get you? I had 
it all my life, and it took all the money 
we could earn to keep up to the times. 
I was so glad the day I left New York ; 
the people seemed like masses of flies all 
heaped together as I was going to Grand 
Central Station. We don’t have to 
breathe everybody’s breath in the stuffy 
cars, subways and elevated trains any 
more. One can make a living ou straw¬ 
berries and small fruits alone. Just 
think, with two small pigs to start this 
Spring we can have all our Winter pork 
next Fall! I am so happy I just have 
to tell my New York sisters all’ about it. 
Connecticut. mrs. e. ii. s. 
A Motorist on Winter Roads 
I was interested in letter from Helen 
8. I\. Willcox on page .°,45 on the sub¬ 
ject of keeping main roads open in Wiu- 
ter for motor traffic. As owner of a car. 
but no horses. I want to register • the 
opinion that, it is the sheerest folly to 
try to keep roads open to automobiles or 
trucks during such a Winter as we have 
passed through. The motor vehicle is a 
helpless machine when snow or ice pre¬ 
vail. and it is better in barn or garage 
at such time. Money expended in elabo¬ 
rate snow cleaning is a waste to taxpayers 
which should be stopped. Many thou¬ 
sands of dollars’ damage to cars and 
trucks endeavoring to negotiate semi-im¬ 
passable roads has been done this Win¬ 
ter. Better that the roads had been 
closed to motors. a. C. M. 
New Jersey. 
SULPHUR FOR POTATO SCAB 
% 
Results from experiments made by the New Jersey Agricultural Station. 
Experiments and actual practice show definitely that the proper use of sulphur will reduce potato scab 
from 50 to 80%. Commercial Flour Sulphur should be used broadcast just before planting and just after 
harrowing. The proper use of the right amount of Commercial Flour Sulphur will unquestionably safe¬ 
guard your coming crop. The following table will show actual results secured: 
SULPHUR EXPERIMENTS FOR CONTROL OF SCAB 
Conducted by the N. J. Agricultural Experiment Station 
Average of Two Experiments 
Variety—Irish Cobbler 
Treatment 
Bus. per acre 
(total) 
Primes 
(Bus.) 
Unsalable Scabby 
(Bus.) 
Seconds 
^ Bus.) 
Culls 
(Bus.) 
Check 
262.0 
117.2 
116.4 
24.3 
9.0 
300 lbs. 
Sulphur 
267.2 
205.3 
28.0 
28.8 
10.0 
600 lbs. 
Sulphur 
265.4 207.5 
i 
24.4 
31.0 
5.0 
Any of the following firms will quote prices on request. Get in touch with one of them today. 
Bat telle & Rennick, 80 Maiden Lane, New York City 
(Erooklyn Sulphur Works) 
Beggs Bros., Inc., 95 William Street, New York City 
(Nassau Sulphur Works) 
T. & S. C. White Co., 100 William Street, New York City 
(Bergen Port Sulphur Works) 
J. A. Still, 83 Ninth Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
