64 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
and usually is 6% in. long, though for this particular 
purpose 1 in. shorter would be better. If it has the 
regulation bulb handle there will he undue pressure 
on the fleshy part of the palm just back of the fin¬ 
gers. Whittling this point on the handle to a flat 
surface will improve the grip, as well as prevent 
blisiors. However, this point should be ascertained 
carefully or the tool will be spoiled. Next we will 
tile the rounded point to a keen cutting edge, and 
keep it sharp. We will need a canvas glove for the 
right hand, and to ward off trouble in advance we 
will stitch several thickness of soft material in the 
form of a patch on the inside of the glove to 
conform to the high part of the palm just back 
of the little finger. Next we will embellish a pair 
of overalls by the addition of a large patch of several 
thicknesses of stout goods stitched on the right knee. 
In these the wearer may meet a stranger off the 
immediate job who may not understand and smile: 
hut then the wearer, who understands, has a right 
to smile, too. Having secured these articles, I will 
don the overalls and try to demonstrate the details 
of the job. There are a few little quirks that can 
be mastered only by practice, hut should not he 
difficult to comprehend. 
LAYING OUT TIIE FIELD.—We will suppose 
the plants have been taken up, cleaned of runners 
and trash, roots dipped in water and packed in light 
boxes, used for shipping canned goods. Also we 
will suppose the land has been prepared and check- 
marked 9x12 in., the 12-in. marks for the rows, and 
the 9-in. marks spacing the plants in the row. The 
plan is to leave every fifth 12-in. mark for a path; 
that is, four rows to a bed. We will plant two rows, 
that is, half of a bed, at a time, but we will return 
and begin at the same end with the other two rows, 
so as to insure complete alignment of the plants for 
cross cultivation. d 4 l. iiabtman. 
Adopting Children 
My wife and I are past middle age and we have an 
adopted daughter 17 years old. We are all anxious to 
take two children, a boy and a girl, to adopt as our own, 
say from six weeks to six months old. As you have had 
experience in this line I am asking your advice in this 
case. What is the best age to take a child, and where 
can we get them? ' A. E. D. 
Pennsylvania. 
ST'ALLY we do not care to discuss any such 
problem as this until it becomes a part of popu¬ 
lar thought. As an unfailing test of this we usually 
wait for letters from our readers. When a large 
number of them write asking advice or expressing 
an opinion we assume that the problem they present 
is a vital and worthy one. During the past few 
months we have had dozens of letters like the above. 
We judge that hundreds of middle-aged farmers 
have come to the point where they earnestly desire 
to take a little child into their home. There is noth¬ 
ing in the world finer than the spirit which prompts 
such a desire. Nor is there any more beautiful char¬ 
ity or any greater gift to society than this act of 
offering love and home to a little child. We would 
like to add that in no way can any man or woman 
receive a greater reward or blessing than in the 
thought that through their unselfishness they have 
helped to save a little life and given acceptable ser¬ 
vice to God. These friends already know something 
of what this means. They do well to ask for little 
children. We have many calls for boys and girls 
who are old enough to work. Remembering our own 
childhood, we usually hesitate to recommend such 
children. In other cases we have calls for little 
ones who are evidently to serve as pets or dolls—a 
little higher than the family dog or cat. Most chil¬ 
dren would he better off to remain in institutions 
rather than go where they may become mere drudges 
oi pets, without genuine love or sacrifice. In the 
case mentioned in this letter we feel that two babies 
are to he safely trained into good citizenship. In 
order to get such children we should, first of all, let 
it- he known that we wanted them. Speak of your 
desires wherever you go—at home, at church, at the 
Grange—not boastingly or with great parade, but 
simply stating that you will take suitable children. 
Yon will he surprised to see how far such calls will 
carry. Write to the county judge and he will give 
you names of local or State homes. Make up your 
mind now if possible about what you would prefer 
as regards appearance and size so as to make final 
selection easier. If possible, obtain an orphan with¬ 
out near relatives. If you can make sure of that, 
pay no attention to the pedigree or habits of the 
parents. Forget them and their past as quickly as 
possible. We do not, as a rule, advise adoption in 
such cases, though each one must judge that matter 
for himself, but in any case see that the little one’s 
future is provided for as far as you are able. To 
those who object to the space given to this matter, 
we may say that many columns are printed giving 
advice about the selection of some breeding animal. 
All that is desirable, but the time is rapidly coming 
when we shall need improved new farmers more 
than we need improved "live stock." Or perhaps we 
may say that of all live stock these little humans 
are most important. 
Tillage Tools for Orchard Work With 
Tractor 
IX years ago we bought our first tractor, and 
>0 thought we were equipped to till pur orchards 
properly without killing our horses in hot weather 
on disk and spring-tooth. We soon found, however, 
that proper tillage tools for that particular use were 
not common, and we have had trouble in securing 
Pruning the Grapevines. Fig. 21. (See page 66) 
just what we wanted, hut are fairly well supplied 
now. We first tried a Cutaway double disk, 10 
feet wide and rigid frame. This is a very effective 
tool and reached up under the branches of the trees 
nicely, but the draft was too heavy for our tractor. 
We then cut off a foot on each side, and can now 
handle it fairly well, although it is really too heavy. 
It does fine work, and when a cover crop is to he 
worked into ground, some form of disk is almost 
indispensable. 
For orchard work a disk 9 or 10 ft. wide is a great 
advantage, as it enables the tool to reach near to 
trunk without the need of running tractor close 
enough to injure branches. The Fordson will pull a 
single disk 10 or more feet in width, easily, hut not 
a double one of that width, unless it runs easier than 
the Cutaway. Several firms are now making disks 
which are adjustable from the seat of the tractor, 
and this is a help, as it enables the operator to ad¬ 
just disks to conditions and straighten them in turn- 
Prlining Large Trees. Fig. 22. (See page 66) 
ing, thus relieving strain on tractor and disk and 
preventing digging holes in turning. 
We usually disk orchard both ways in early Spring 
and depend on the spring-tooth to keep it in condition 
the rest of the season, unless a very heavy rain lias 
so packed the ground that another disking seems ad¬ 
visable. For spring-tooth harrows we have always 
used the Forkner, which is a harrow mounted on low 
wheels with several sections, each of which can he 
easily lifted to clear of trash. As we use one 11 ft. 
January 15, 1921 
wide we have no trouble in reaching as far under 
the limbs as we wish, and it runs easily and does fine 
work where there is not an excessive amount of rub¬ 
bish to clog it. 
We have not as yet felt that we could dispense 
with the extra man on disk or spring-tooth in our 
orchard work, although it can be done in field til¬ 
lage where there are no trees to watch. We are hop¬ 
ing we may yet succeed in equipping ourselves with 
implements which will do the work with one man 
only, and do it safely and well. 
Ohio. W. W. FARNSWORTH. 
A Happy Hill Farmer 
A FTER reading the discussions of the choice of 
valley farms or hill farms, I couldn’t resist the 
temptation to say a few words in defence of the hill 
farmers. I shall have to confess that I am one of 
the despised hill farmers, two miles from the station 
and State road, far enough away from the smoke 
and cinders of the trains so my wife can hang the 
washing out doors and is not obliged to clean house 
every month. We have pure air to breathe up here, 
instead of the dust that a continuous stream of 
speed-crazy autoists stir up along the valley. The 
best of water, from a never-failing spr’ng. runs to 
the house and barn, while our valley friends are 
fussing with the windmill or hydraulic ram. The 
trucks come up here for about everything we have to 
sell, and our car can take us to the city in an hour. 
In Ihe early Fall it sometimes happens that crops 
in Ihe valley are killed by an early frost while our 
corn is still green. It is 10 degrees warmer in Win¬ 
ter and as much cooler in Summer here than down 
on the river. Quite often some of our friends down 
in the valley will call us up on the ’phone, after a 
heavy rain, and with tears in their voice tell us that 
everything is under water and they can’t get to the 
potato bin without rubber boots. 
We know we can raise just as good corn, and Hot¬ 
ter potatoes, up here on the hill. We can raise bet¬ 
ter apples, peaches, plums and strawberries. We 
can make more and better maple sugar. We haven’t 
electric lights, tractor or milking machine, hut we 
have a few purebred Holstein cows, and I think they 
look just as well, and give just as much milk as their 
sisters do down in the valley. And I am sure the 
Barred Rocks lay just as many eggs as our neigh¬ 
bors’ hens do. 
I don’t know that we ever had a thing stolen from 
the farm, and there isn’t much locked up. The last, 
tramp I ever saw was one I found asleep on a load 
of corn one cold morning, five or six years ago. Oc¬ 
casionally a dismal howl comes up from the valley 
about the price or the scarcity of coal, and some one 
will implore us to draw them a load of wood, which 
we generally proceed to do. We are forced to smile 
a little as we take our axe and start out to cut a 
few cords more of wood. 
Sometimes we almost feel as though we did not 
deserve the sympathy that is extended to us by our 
more fortunate friends in the valley. At any rate, 
we are not planning to turn the old farm into a back 
•pasture right away. At Christmas time, when the 
children and grandchildren come home for a few 
days, and the old house rings with their shouts and 
merry laughter, we think we enjoy the occasion just 
as much, and have about as many blessings to he 
thankful for, as the valley people. 
Connecticut. h. p. wood worth. 
Practical Christmas Card 
W E received a wide variety of Christmas cards 
this year. There were more novelties than 
usual, and the habit of mailing these little tokens is 
well-nigh universal. Perhaps the most original and 
striking “gift” was the Winesap apple pictured at 
Fig. 24. This came from Virginia in a neat little 
box. securely packed. The lettering was done evi¬ 
dently with a thick whitewash, and the apple was 
first-class in all respects, and this form of card is 
submitted to our readers as original and certainly 
a pleasant reminder of the season’s greetings. It 
lias great advertising possibilities, too. 
Great Corn Yield 
I am sending you a picture of my one acre of corn 
(Fig. 23). Cornell No. 11. yield 179 bushels. It was 
planted May IS in hills 3 ft. each way. Three and 
four spears were left in a hill. It was cultivated several 
times, hoed once. It had a good coat of manure and 
no phosphate. • b. s. 
New York. 
N.-Y.—This is a tremendous yield of corn, and 
• we assume it means bushels of ears. The agri¬ 
cultural college ought to investigate this and tell us 
how much of this yield was due to the variety and 
method of handling the seed. 
