•toe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The “Great American Coffee Bean” 
The so-called American Coffee Bean 
Company is flooding the South with its 
circulars, which the Southern farmers are 
daily sending me. As some of your 
Southern subscribers may be taken in, I 
would submit the following: This bean is 
Canavalia ensiformis, sword bean, and 
commonly “jack bean.” I grew it more 
than 30 years ago as a curiosity, because 
of its gigantic pods. The bean is very 
handsome. It is as large as a Lima 
bean, as white as a navy bean, and has a 
dark eye. Three years ago the fakers 
started men on the road selling the seed 
for about $5 a pint under the name of 
Chicasaw Lima bean. I scotched this 
scheme through the farm papers in the 
South. Then they changed the name to 
coffee bean, and last Spring sent out cir¬ 
culars like the one they are now scatter¬ 
ing. They tell the farmers that by plant¬ 
ing eight quarts of the beans, which they 
offer at $1 a quart, the crop on an acre 
planted with these will bring them $400, 
and they will buy all the crop at $6 a 
bushel. I have asked to hear from any 
farmer who has received the $6 a bushel 
for his crop, but have not heard so far 
from anyone. Since the bean on good 
land will make 18 to 20 bushels an acre, 
it will be hard to figure out the $400 an 
acre at $6 per bushel. The whole thing 
is a fake, for the forage it makes is so 
bitter that no animal will eat it, and no 
man or animal eating one of the beans 
will ever want any more. One of the 
Canavalias is known to be poison, and 
the whole genus is to be looked upon with 
suspicion. The company is offering to 
roast and grind the beaus and sell the 
product for 35c a pound and thus cut the 
high cost of living. Since I am buying 
pure roasted coffee in the grain for less 
money there is no reason for using this 
bean. Any cow peas or Soy beans roast 
ed and ground will be found just as good. 
The Department of Agriculture in the 
Weekly Neivs Letter for December 1, 
shows up the worthlessness of this jack 
bean, and anyone can get the paper on 
application to the Department of Agri¬ 
culture. We would like to hear from 
any who have got the $400 an acre. One 
man wrote me last Summer that he had 
planted 40 acres, and expected to sell all 
to coffee roasters. w. F. MASSEY. 
Removing Mulch Around Apple Trees 
I mulched my apple trees with wheat 
straw, and on account of the meadow 
mice I undertook to remove the straw 
last week and leave it away during the 
Winter, but when I went to remove it 1 
found a large amount of fine fibrous roots 
on the top of the ground and just imme¬ 
diately under the straw. Am I safe in 
removing the straw and exposing these 
fibrous roots to the Winter frost, or 
should I leave the straw and fight the 
meadow mice as best I can without re¬ 
moving the straw? Which would you 
prefer? c. w. S. 
New Albany, Ind. 
In our own case we push the straw 
back about 18 in. from the tree and leave 
it on the ground. Then the space around 
the tree trunk is cleared up and a mound 
of coal ashes or dry dirt piled around the 
tree. The mice will seldom pass over an 
open or exposed space to gnaw the trunk. 
A Simple Snow Plow 
What is the best way to make a snow 
plow driven by one horse? I realize that 
there are awkward ones and heavy ones, 
but the one I would like to know about 
would be the substantial snow plow. 
Clark’s Summit, Pa. H. S. T. 
The snow plows in general use are of a 
very simple construction, as our snowfall 
is not as heavy as in some sections of 
the country, averaging only about 6 to 8 
in. in depth at a time. Occasionally, 
just to show us what the other fellow gets 
regularly, we have one of 12 to 15 in., and 
we have gone as high as 42 in. The lum¬ 
ber is, of oak or any other hard wood, 
though hemlock will do where the use is 
not too constant. Two pieces of plank 
about 12 in. wide are joined together at 
one end, and separated at the other as 
far as the width of the path to be cleared. 
The drag will last much longer if the 
lower edges, where they drag on the 
ground, are protected with a strip of flat 
iron several inches in width. A pair of 
handles from an old plow or other farm 
implement can be attached as a sort of 
guide, and the top can be covered with 
boards to allow the operator to ride on 
the drag if desired. The forward end 
must run to a sharp point, and the side 
timbers can be 4, 6 or S ft. long, accord¬ 
ing to the width of path desired. 
E. J. W. 
CASE-ON TOP SINCE 1842 
Building 
Stamina Into Case Tractors 
' T N CASE shops, under the terrific impact of 
I ^ constant stream of accelerated blows of 
huge steam hammers, white hot, high car¬ 
bon steel is accurately formed into forged 
driving gears, front axles, cr^k shafts, cam 
shafts, connecting rods and numerous other 
important parts of Case tractors. 
The many high-grade, steel forgings, heat 
treated and carbonized put strength 
and durability into Case tractors without un¬ 
necessary weight. 
These items are only a few indications of 
the high quality features that make Case 
tractors superior. 
Each part that goes into the construction of 
Case tractors is made and put in place with the 
same conscientious, efficient thoroughness that 
marks the manufacture of every forged part. 
Extra strength is built into Case tractors 
to protect Case users against delay and loss 
frequently experienced with tractors not made 
to the Case standard. 
J. I .Case Threshing Machine Company 
Dept. A 27 - Racine, • Wisconsin 
or* 
KEROSENE 
TRACTORS 
i f 
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,£Z% 
cn 
"JUST OUT-My New "direct 
from factory” Bargain Book 
on Fence and Gates. Prices 
way belowcompetition.Values 
bigger than ever. Get it today. 
I Pay ALL Freight 
Brown Fence lasts longest be¬ 
cause built strongest, stiffest. 
1 All wires same size, heavily 
g alvanized. 150 styles. Also 
ates. Lawn Fence and Barb 
Wire at bargain prices. 
r Sample and book free, postpaid. 
Brown Fincc A Wire Co., Dept. 25S Cleveland, 0. 
m 
m 
MakeaTractorofYourCar 
Use it for farm work. Pullford catalog 
6hows how to make a practical tractor 
out of Ford and other cars. 
Write for Catalog 
Pullford Co., Box 48 C Quincy, Ill, 
THE GRIMM SUGAR MAKING UTENSILS 
Our new booklet that illustrates and describes our 
utensils is ready. Write us how many buckets you use 
and we will send booklet and give you prices or have 
one of our men see you. Remember, some of our 
outfits made thirty years ago will boil sap next season. 
G. H. GRIMM ESTATE, RUTLAND, VT 
We Will Grant 
Loans to Farmers 
IT IS our job to supply work¬ 
ing capital for New York State 
farmers through short-time 
loans (one year or less ). While 
for some months, the demand 
has exceeded the supply of 
available funds, we shall be 
glad to consider applications 
in order received. 
Wri te today for particulars 
Farmers Fund, Inc. 
M. W. Cole, President 
Alliance Bank Bldg. Rochester, N. Y. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page, 
0 
AGENTS WANTED A <*»*e,reliable. on salary, to lake 
vaoitpdj rkut o e subscriptions for Rural New- 
l°r K M« M 2nfi°i £L e £ er #U len who have horse or auto. Address 
J. C. MULHOLLAND, General Delivery, Columbus, Ohio 
The Rural New Yorker. 333 W. 30th St., New York Ci»u 
