764 
The paternal homestead was a small place, "2 acres, 
covered with stones and a mortgage, both of which 
contributed to the difficulty of making a living there¬ 
from. Tu fact, it was inadequate to the family 
needs, so young Milo, at the age of 14. hired out as 
a farm hand in the neighborhood, though he made 
the Campbell farm his home until he reached the 
age of 25. when he married. He taught school- 
Winters, and in this way saved up enough money 
to put himself through Coldwater high school and 
the Ypsilanti Normal College. Then for a while he 
resumed teaching in the country districts, becoming 
so efficient that at the age of only 21 years he was 
elected superintendent of the county schools. 11 is 
pedagogic work, however, was only a means to an 
end. He had different and broader ideas of farming 
than most men. He thought that his county and his 
State could prosper only as agriculture prospered, 
and believed that to make agriculture prosper its 
workers must have a broader education than can 
be obtained in the rural districts alone. So when 
he had saved up some more money he took a course 
in law. As soon after the completion of his supple¬ 
mental education as he could accumulate sufficient 
funds Mr. Campbell purchased one of his present 
farms, near Coldwater. and proceeded to put his 
ideas of progressive 'agriculture into practice, lie 
was successful from the start. Though now OS years 
of age. he still exercises supervision over both his 
farms, at the same time attending to his business 
interests and the affairs of the two national agricul¬ 
tural organizations of which he is an officer, lie 
has been a member of the Orange for 33 years. 
MORRIS J. WHITE. 
(Continued Next Week) 
Our Old Friend the Canada Field Pea 
I WAS much interested in reading in a recent 
number of Tiie II. N.-Y. about putting spirit 
into our old friend the Canada field pea. and hope 
that increased yields can be secured by inoculation 
to such an extent that more attention will be given 
to this valuable and unexacting crop. After losing 
time and money with such legumes as cow peas and 
Sny beans here in the North, one appreciates more 
and more the real business there is in this ton-much 
neglected crop. Under present conditions of labor 
shortage, high-priced machinery, heavy cost of keep¬ 
ing teams and the strain and worry of handling the 
season’s work on time, a crop which can be so nearly 
grown without much of any of these, is worthy of 
more consideration than is given to it. as it can be 
put in with a plow, harvested with a rake and 
thrashed by the stock to which it is fed if desired, 
thus eliminating a large part of the heavy overhead 
charges which accompany the growing of grains 
under average conditions. 
Of course conditions vary, and on heavy land more 
labor might be necessary for fitting it. especially it 
not plowed at just the right time, but where the land 
is loose and not too rough, so a good job of plowing 
can be done, all that is necessary until harvest, if 
peas are wanted for grain, is so to broadcast and 
plow under ordinary plow depth, and the peas do 
the rest. If desired for silo, or for hay. or to be 
grown with oats, the story would be different, but I 
am referring only for use as grain. One can use his 
own judgment as to harrowing the land before the 
peas get up near enough to surface to be injured, but 
there are those who will agree that shallow, loose 
furrows, left as turned, afford one of the best meth¬ 
ods of holding moisture in the soil, and while the 
peas need not be plowed under shallow, there is some 
relation between the two. If heavy rains do not 
come before peas are nearly ready to come up. the 
looser the surface is left, the better, under ordinary 
conditions. 
After peas become not omy dead ripe, but have 
been dead for some time, or when they loosen easily 
at. the surface of the ground, which can be easily 
found by trial, if weather is favorable, or at your 
convenience, early in the morning, while dew is on 
(a good crop for the daylight wasters), rake up any 
part it is handy to haul in that day or when dry 
again. Then, if a few are left, go crosswise with the 
rake, close up to the windrows. This leaves a clear 
space to place bunches, and after bunching or cock¬ 
ing, rake the space where the windrows were, and 
the rest also, if there should be enough left from first 
time over to pay. The raking can also be done fol¬ 
lowing a light shower, but not after there has been 
enough rain to leave vines so soft they will be left 
in tight wads, that will not dry out quickly: besides, 
they thrash out more easily under such conditions 
than when the vines and pods are merely toughened 
by dew or a light rai l. 
If busy with other work, peas can remain in loose 
windrows a few days without injury from light 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 17, 1920 
rains, provided they were not raked when too wet. or 
they may be hauled in as quick as dew is off. the 
same day they are raked, as they are then too ripe to 
need curing. When hauling, we cover the rack with 
canvas or blankets, to catch the peas that shatter, 
and begin loading on back end. building tiers or 
bents, say one-third length of the rack, and when 
one tier is high as desired, build the next. This 
makes unloading easy, either by hand or with horse 
fork, if one does not have slings. The crop is now 
ready to thrash, and this can be done by machine, if 
desired, or if one has only a few on trial, they thrash 
very easily with flail or something similar. If want¬ 
ed for immediate feeding, hens, hogs or rabbits will 
do their own thrashing. 
I have been told that hens will not eat peas, and 
there is some foundation for the statement, but it 
would be better to modify it somewhat, as they will 
not eat peas when they can get plenty of other 
things they like better. However, 1 think it makes a 
great difference if they become accustomed to peas 
while young, but. be that as it may. the fact remains 
that they do eat them, and for the past two years I 
have been unable to find any other combination that 
would give an egg yield from our little flock of hens 
equal to that from Canada field peas as the only 
grain, or nearly so. by force of circumstances, for it 
seemed to be a case of their eating all peas or none. 
I am not a poultryman, but drop this right here, and 
doubt there being any regret for the hen man who 
picks it ip) and makes use of it. If one has more 
peas than he can feed early it is better to thrash 
out. as mice and rats cause considerable loss in the 
mow. 
This is one of the most unexacting crops we have, 
as seed may be sown and plowed under early or at 
your convenience, so they get well started before 
hot weather. They do not rot when plowed under 
early, even though it may be a long time before they 
can grow, and are not easily injured in harvesting. 
Canada field peas grow better on poor, thin land 
than any other legume we have found, but do not 
yield well on such land during a hot. dry season. 
However, the fact that seed is cheaper this Spring, 
following it season that nearly annihilated the gar¬ 
den peas in seed-growing sections, speaks for the 
ability of the Canada pea to stand hard knocks. 
i. c. R. 
Net Income From an Apple Tree 
.7list what could one expect from an apple orchard 
in Southern Ohio, trees ranging' from 18 to 20 years 
old and supposedly in good condition? What would 
be the cost of spraying and the average yield year in 
and year out per tree? In off years would trees well 
taken care of yield enough to cover expenses? In other 
words, would an orchard of from 1.500 to 2.000 trees, 
ranging from three to 20 years old (.‘>00 are 18 years 
old), be a paying proposition? f. s. m. 
Columbus. O. 
F INANCIAL returns from an apple orchard In 
Southern Ohio depend upon so many factors 
entering into or connected with apple growing that 
it seems almost useless to attempt to count the dol¬ 
lars of gain (or loss) in advance of the undertaking. 
Southern Ohio soils are quite variable, ranging from 
deep and fertile in some of the valleys to extremely 
thin and deficient in fertility on many of the hill 
slopes and summits. Similarly, under these widely 
differing soil conditions, and as the result of good, 
bad or indifferent treatment, the trees of the or¬ 
chards are equally variable in size, vigor and pro¬ 
lificacy. Moreover, by no means least among the 
many factors relating to success or failure in the 
apple-growing business, is the orchardist himself. 
Some men will succeed under -adverse conditions, 
while others will fail under much more propitious 
circumstances. Altogether, counting profits in ad¬ 
vance from an orchard enterprise before tiie land, 
the trees or the orchard owner have demonstrated 
their peculiarities and qualifications, is much like 
the proverbial “counting of chickens before they are 
hatched.” 
Our Ohio Experiment Station, however, recently 
completed a five-year period of orchard reclamation 
work in Southern Ohio, which may serve to assist, 
in throwing a bit of light on the subject in which 
the correspondent is interested. An experimental 
block of 140 Home Beauty trees was leased outright 
at 81 per tree per year. The trees were 20 years 
of age, but much stunted or dwarfed because of the 
very thin, poor soil on which they were situated. 
This orchard, previous to the time the Ohio Station 
leased it, had produced but one small crop of fruit— 
and that while the trees were quite young. However, 
for the five-year period of experimental work, this 
formerly starving, practically barren orchard aver¬ 
aged 74.4 barrels, or 222.2 bushels of apples per acre 
per year, exclusive of the check or unfertilized rows. 
The cost, income and profit of operating this 
small orchard on a strictly experimental basis, for 
the final season of the five-year lease, is given below. 
The figures for this particular year (1918) not only 
represent the maximum cost of labor and materials 
during the period of the great war, but. conveniently, 
very nearly represent the average annual yield of 
fruit for the full period of five years, namely. 72 
barrels, or 216 bushels per acre. As the correspond¬ 
ent has requested the cost per tree, it is upon a 
“tree basis” that the following figures are sub¬ 
mitted : 
COST OF MATERIALS PER TREE 
Fertilizers ... $0.25 
Spraying chemicals for throe sprayings.•>*_)_ 
Soy bean seed for cover crop.075 
Barrels for fruit at S3e each... 1.4!> 
Lease per year. 1.00 
Total . $3,115 
COST OF LABOR PKK TREE 
Applying fertilizer . 
Spraying three times. 
Tillage and cultivation of one-half of the orchard 
Grass-mulch culture of one-half of the orchard 
area ... 
Picking fruit, hauling to packing center in or¬ 
chard. grading and packing... 
Hauling to railway station and loading on car.. 
$0,017 
.310 
.020 
.stit: 
.100 
Total 
$1,014 
SUMMARY 
Average yield of apples per tree. l.S barrel 
Selling price of apples per barrel.•> 4.0a 
Average income per tree, gross. U-u 
Net income per tree. 
Net. income per acre. 40 trees to acre. IDS. NJ 
As a matter of interest it may bo stated that the 
farm on which this long-starved and fruitless or¬ 
chard is situated sold soon after our station’s lease 
expired at a price slightly above $40 per acre. 
Another interesting point conspicuously evident 
in the above statement is that tillage, cultivation 
and seeding, exclusive of the cost of the Soy bean 
seed, cost more than nine times as much per tree 
(or acre) as the grass-mulch method. Now our 
friends who are opposed to the latter scheme of 
orchard management doubtless will be ready bv this 
time to challenge us to give the figures showing 
comparative yields of the tillage-cover-crop and 
grass-mulch sections of this experimental orcliuid. 
Very well. Here they are for the full five-year 
period, both sections being fertilized exactly alike: 
Tillage-cover-crop section.. 73.5 hills, per acre per year 
Grass-mulch section.75.4 hhls. per acre per year 
Doubtless we could give other interesting points 
in connection with the experiment above referred to. 
but the figures given will. I think, answer the ques¬ 
tions of the correspondent. f. h. balloi . 
Ohio Experiment Station. 
Snow Plows and Trucks 
■ x TE are beginning to hear from people who used 
YV snow-plow attachments to cars and auto 
rucks during the past hard Winter. Many of such 
ontrivances were used with more or less success. 
The following note comes from the Chief of the 
lureau of Street Cleaning in Philadelphia : 
For the past three or four years we have used ia the 
itv of Philadelphia a plow made of steel, about n _ 
pet long by 15 or IS inches high, reinforced at the top 
nth two extra pieces of steel, the whole being att. 
o the front of a truck of five tons or more, with sevei.n 
ons of stone or otherwise for ballast. Ibis blade 
ittacbed at an angle of about 30 degrees, tbioving 
he snow to one side. As soon as two oi thiee 
>f snow is on the ground, the plows are started • 
corking from the center of the street to » 'J"' 
■nntinuing until the snow is plowed over to t « » ' 
vhere it is lifted by carts, wagons or trucks, xu - 
flows have proven very satisfactory. e. b. mor 
At Fig. 200 is shown the picture of such a snou* 
flow attached to a “steel mule.” All sorts of con¬ 
trivances are being figured out, and tiie chances .n' 
that before another “hard” Winter some practical 
device for making the auto engine shovel snow 
be developed. 
