The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
New Jersey : Mildred C.. Margaret M., 
Carrie B., Bertha G. and Milliceut I». 
Massachusetts: Nellie S., Beatrice I. 
and Elizabeth V'an D. 
Vermont: Thomas F. and Warren B. 
Maryland: Margaret II. 
< 'onneeticut: Ruth W. 
Maine: Frances I>. and Gladys C. 
Michigan : Paula R. 
Florida: Fae B. 
There are many locust trees in New 
Jersey. Many people cut their trees for 
wedges for ships during the war. The 
locust tree belongs to the clover family. 
It takes in the nitrogen from the air in 
the soil just the saint* as the clover. Cows 
seem to like the locust leaflets, because 
they will eat them whenever they can get 
them. I have seen on the root of a bean 
a little brown nodule which is filled with 
nitrogen. If you hold this nodule in your 
hand for a long time it will evaporate. 
Isn't nitrogen a very interesting study? I 
would like to know more about it. Will 
someone please write about it? 
New Jersey. Mildred c. 
I think tin* tree is a locust and the va¬ 
riety referred to is Pseudacacia. Locust 
is just a common name for Itohinia. Ro- 
biuia is derived from the name of Jean 
Robin, herbalist to King Henry III of 
I'ranee. 11 is son. Vespasian, was the first 
man to cultivate it in Europe. 
The locust, or Robinia, is a native of 
North America. It was found here about 
1040. It will grow in very nearly any 
soil that, is not too wet. It is valuable, 
for it is hard wood and is noted for its 
sweet, pea-shaped flowers. 
New York. Madeline m’k. 
Both Mildred and Madeline tel! us in¬ 
teresting things. They have studied 
some botany. The question of how plants 
of the clover or legume family get nitro¬ 
gen from tin* soil air by means of the bac¬ 
teria that live in the nodules on their 
roots is an interesting one. I hope some 
one will tell us about it. Madeline gives, 
us the Latin or scientific name for the 
common locust. Itohinia Pseudacacia. and 
also a hit of history. There is one very 
important reason why locust trees are not 
more common. Who knows what it is? 
Now for another nature puzzle which 
comes from Mabel W.. a Central New 
York girl, who asks 
What Is It? 
The bird I am describing is about 7% 
inches long. The male is glossy greenish 
black with a brown head. The female and 
the young birds are dull gray. Its note 
is a low* “chuck.” 
Groups of these birds are often seen 
walking among the cows in the pasture. 
They are the only birds we have that 
neither make a nest of their own nor care 
for their young. The female slyly lays 
her eggs in the nest of a smaller bird 
wlii'ii tin* owner is absent. 
The Picture Stories 
The picture of the two children and the 
horse in the snow came from their grand¬ 
mother, who lives in Western New York. 
Here are several of the stories some of 
you wrote about the picture: 
MARY’S PONY 
There were once two sisters. Mary and 
her younger sister Marjorie. Mary had a 
beautiful pony. One day her sister Mar¬ 
jorie wanted a ride. So Mary lifted her 
sister to the pony’s hack. Mary led the 
pony. 11 is name was Zephyr. lie was 
very gentle and did not go too fast. Mar¬ 
jorie enjoyed the ride and wanted many 
more after that. ETHEL W. (!) years*. 
Connecticut. 
AT GRANDFATHER'S 
Robert and Mary lived in the city. 
Their grandfather and grandmother lived 
on a small farm in the country. Robert 
and Mary spent their Christmas vaca¬ 
tion there every year. They liked to help 
feed the cows and horses, and. best of 
all. they liked to ride grandfather’s old 
horse named Tom. Robert was too small 
to ride the horse alone, so Mary led it. 
One day while her brother was riding 
Mary's grandfather took their picture. 
New York. MARION R. (11 years). 
THE CHILDREN'S RIDE 
Father didn’t feel well. lie said if 
Bobby and Bessie would shovel the snow 
out of the barnyard they could have a 
ride on the horse. They said they would, 
and soon the snow flew from their shovels. 
After they had shoveled quite a large 
heap of snow they brought out the horse, 
which Bessie bridled. They took turns 
riding. Bessie was leading the horse 
around with Billy on his‘hack when their 
uncle (who was going to take the picture 
of a heaver he had seen) came along and 
took the picture you see. 
New York. wenoellb. (11 years). 
TWO KKAVK GIRLS 
Mabel and Helen are two little girls, 
and they live in the country. They have 
always wanted a pony, so last Christmas 
their father bought them one. We see 
them in the picture with their pony, whose 
name is Dick. 
On day their father and mother went 
to town to buy some groceries and left 
Mabel and Helen home alone. While they 
were gone the house caught fire. They 
had no telephone and they didn’t know 
what to do. so Mabel, who had almost 
forgotten tin* pony in her excitement, 
said: “Take Dick and ride over to Mr. 
Greene’s house and telephone for the fire 
department." She did and the house was 
saved. 
After they put the fire out someone took 
their picture with the pony. Their father 
was very glad they had the pony, for if 
they hadn't the house would have been 
burned. DRUSILLA g. 
New Jersey. 
THREE TRl’E FRIENDS 
In Belgium lived a poor farmer with 
his wife and two girls. One day as he 
was going down the road to town he saw 
an old horse grazing along the road. He 
went up to him and petted him and went 
on. On turning to see where the horse 
was he was surprised to see the horse fol¬ 
lowing him. Not knowing what to do, he 
turned back home and told his little girls 
to go and get something and feed the 
horse, and then went on to town. 
The girls were delighted with their new 
pet. They were very kind to him and 
soon brought him up into good condition. 
On holidays they would take turns riding 
horseback. The older one would let the 
younger one ride first. They never quar¬ 
reled with one another. 
The horse lived till he was very old 
and died. The girls cried very much and 
their father bought them another horse. 
But he could not take the place of their 
first pet. .jennies. (Ill years). 
New York. 
Many Interesting Things 
Mabel U., a 14-year-oul Pennsylvania 
girl, wrote the words in the Box this 
month. She has given us a hard motto 
to live up to. But we will surely try to 
have Our Page “more interesting and 
pleasant every month.” or at least not 
any less so than it has been. \Ve resolve, 
don’t ( we, to go forward all we can and 
never to go backward. That means •! hat 
every boy and girl among you must try 
harder than ever to help. 
This reminds me to say thank you to 
those who have sent me photographs since 
last month. Quite a number of pictures 
came in. and many I will use. But 
whether I use yours or not. he sure I am 
glad of your good spirit, and interest. 
You have helped Our Page by giving 
your editor more material to choose from. 
And you can never tell when a picture 
you send may he printed. Sometimes I 
keep them for months before the right 
time comes. 
Which reminds me of another thing. 
A few days ago I received another letter 
from Grace S., tli^* New York girl who 
sent the pictures of the kittens and ducks 
printed on Our Page last October. In 
this letter she said : “I know where the 
picture of the muskrat house (on Feb¬ 
ruary page) came from, and I know the 
hoys. If was taken on the west branch 
of the Delaware River near where I live. 
The hoys used to write to you when you 
had charge of the Cornell ftnral School 
/ .reflet.” And in the very next mail 
came a letter from Hilton W. himself, 
the hoy who sent me the picture several 
years ago. Now isn't that interesting? 
Have you ever stopped to think what, il 
means to each one of us to be able to 
find out things from among the thousands 
and thousands of us all? We can ask 
questions that puzzle us. and some one 
out of alt our readers is almost sure to 
know. 
Several girls have asked to hear more 
about the Campfire Girls either from 
Emily .T. or someone else who has had 
experience with them lately. How can 
a group be started in country districts? 
What do the girls do? How is the work 
carried on? Where are the Campfire 
headquarters? etc. Who knows and will 
tel! us? 
Sylvia C. of Pennsylvania wants Wil¬ 
liam K. to write more about his pet al¬ 
ligator. It' William lias some other in¬ 
teresting things to tell us of its habits 
and doings recently we will be. glad to 
give him space, for. as a New York girl 
said: "I would like to see the little alli¬ 
gator. There is no such thing in our 
county.” I know we are all interested. 
Joyce M., of New York, asks: “When 
may we send in our signs of Spring?” I 
am very pleased to think that someone 
503 
remembered from last year. I hope many 
of you are keeping the lists, and if Joyce 
and some of the rest of you want to send 
them to me on May I l will be delighted 
to look them over, and will print two or 
three of the best ones. Now look sharp 
and listen hard and smell and taste and 
feel with all your might. The common 
signs of Spring everyone notices, but 
there are dozens of little ways, gentle 
ways, half-hidden ways that Nature uses 
James Hatched and Reared This Floclc 
to tell that the growing season has come 
again. Can you find tliem? 
Jessica F.. of Connecticut, writes: 
“In our school-room this year instead of 
drawing names for valentines, as we us¬ 
ually do. we brought what money we 
would spend for valentines, and got .$7..‘!l 
for the European Children’s Relief.” 
Well done. Jessica, and don't forget, all 
of you. that the European Relief Council 
at 4” Broadway. New York City, still 
has need and can make good use of what¬ 
ever money you can send to help these 
little children across the sea. 
Some of you are puzzled because w hen 
letters are printed on Our Page no ad¬ 
dress is given and only the first name 
and last initial of the ho.v or girl. Your 
editor does this purposely, for there are 
many reasons why it. is not wise or even 
safe to publish the full names and ad¬ 
dresses of boys and girls all over tin* 
country. But when you write to me he 
sure to sign your full name and give the 
PQstoflice address. I might want to an¬ 
swer the letter, or to know how to reach 
you for some reason. You can trust me 
with the information, hut I think you 
will see that it. is best not to give it to 
everybody who may pick up the paper. 
Ask your father and mother what they 
think about 'this. 
I am still waiting for some good garden 
letters. Can it be that very few of you 
country ‘boys and girls have gardens? 1 
should not like to think that, hut I am 
beginning to be afraid that it is true. 
Let’s resolve this year to grow at least 
two or three kinds of vegetables for the 
family table, or a few flowers to give 
cheer with their bright blossoms. 
There are so many real stories to write 
about in these Spring days that I think 
we had better stop the picture stories for 
awhile, don’t you? Such a lot of inter¬ 
esting things are coming in your letters 
that you should all know about. We need 
the extra space for them. 
The picture of James and his chickens 
was sent by his mother from Southern 
New Jersey. A friend of Our Page in 
New York State sent the picture of little 
barefooted Goldie leading the great ”>.000- 
pound oxen to water. The flower picture 
was your editor’s. The others you know 
about from tin* letters. 
Good-bye once more. Write soon and 
write often to your editor and friend. 
Edward M. Tuttle, in care of The Rpral 
New-Yorker, li.”,”, West ”0th Street, New 
York City. 
(loldie Leads the Gentle Oven 
Smut Nose Is a Great Pet 
