1228 
Ocean. The population inside this area is sure to 
increase. It may double in the next 20 years. More 
and more towns will be occupied, and great plans 
are under way for locating a vast line of electric 
energy to run between New York and Philadelphia 
and beyond. It will be a vast trunk line, like a great 
railroad system, or like a great artery in the human 
body, concentrating electric power, with feeders run¬ 
ning out to supply local demands. The effect of this 
orderly distribution of power will be to organize the 
industries of New Jersey closer than ever before. 
This will include farming, with abundant power 
supplied for farm work and for transportation. 
There seemed to be a reflection of this and some¬ 
thing of an understanding of what is coming at the 
State Fair. Fanners, on the whole, were more 
optimistic and hopeful than at Syracuse. There 
seemed to be a larger proportion of younger men 
among these Jersey farmers. Closer association with 
town people has taught them lessons in organization 
and business. It would be easier to get them to¬ 
gether for co-operation work than is the case in 
many States. In some sections fear and necessity 
are the motives which drive men to combination. 
New Jersey is developed so that every farmer can 
readily see what organization has done for other 
interests. It is said that there is no inhabited 
point in the State more than five miles from 
a railroad or a trolley. It is not likely that there 
will ever be another railroad built in the State. 
Trolleys and jitneys will transport the people. 
Probably eight out of every 10 farmers have cars of 
some sort, and hundreds of them will buy trucks and 
other necessities this year. These statements may 
seem strange in view of the usual belief that farmers 
have no money. It is a fact that thousands of these 
Jersey farmers have had a good season and are 
reasonably prosperous. This prosperity is not all 
due to abundant crops, for in most sections these 
crops have not been up to the average. The Jersey- 
man has done fairly well because he has been able 
to obtain reasonable prices for what he had to sell. 
Here we find the surest evidence to prove the state¬ 
ment that farm prosperity does not depend on the 
size of the crop so much as on the proportion of the 
consumer’s dollar which comes to the farmer. 
Through their fortunate physical environment and 
business combinations in selling and buying, thou¬ 
sands of Jersey farmers are this year in good finan¬ 
cial condition. There are others who are not. but 
in the long run, with average conditions, they will 
work out handsomely. No small part of this suc¬ 
cess is due to the thorough' work of the Agricultural 
College and Agricultural Department. New Jersey 
has always selected strong, and practical men for its 
agricultural work. The State is compact and com¬ 
paratively small and has the advantage of being a 
near island. All these things count for thorough 
and careful work. It has been well done, without 
bluff or spectacular advertising. 
The exhibits at the fair and talks with farmers 
gave a good line on the future of New Jersey agri¬ 
culture. The “general farmer” seems to be passing 
away. There will evidently be in the future several 
distinct lines of special work, such as dairying, fruit, 
poultry, truck-growing and potatoes. Most of the 
State does not seem well enough watered to make 
it a great dairy country. In the counties along the 
upper Delaware River dairying in the usual way 
will long continue to be the chief industry, com¬ 
bined with growing peaches and apples on the hills. 
Through the center of the State and near the great 
manufacturing and commuter towns there seems to 
be an increase of what we may call close-up dairy¬ 
ing. This is based on the system adopted by the 
Germans during the war of keeping large herds of 
milk cows close to the market. Great yields of corn 
and some Alfalfa will be grown, but most of the hay 
and all the grain is brought in for feeding. As 
North Jersey develops more and more into a sleep¬ 
ing place for commuters this kind of dairying will 
increase. With the new tunnels and bridges which 
are to be put under and over the Hudson River 
North Jersey will become more and more a place 
where New York business men come at night to 
roost upon the Jersey hills. That section will be¬ 
come a vast stretch of small gardens and orchards, 
probably without great manufacturing centers. The 
potato men on the rich potash soils will make a 
specialty of their product. The lighter lands along 
the coast and in parts of South Jersey are likely to 
become great chicken yards. The day of the old- 
time Jerseyman who grew a little rye, a little hay, 
a few potatoes, made a little butter and sold a little 
pork has gone forever. No one spells opportunity 
for him with a capital O. He made a living, and 
could do it now; but his boys and girls will not 
stay with an opportunity unless the O is big enough 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
to crawl through. A readjustment of country life 
from general farming to specialties is going on in 
New Jersey. It is working out rapidly and smoothly 
there because the State is compact and easily cov¬ 
ered. and because the Jerseyman, by reason of his 
mixed breeding, can drive his wagon out of a rut. and 
because the Jersey farmers are naturally grouping 
their business into special lines it will be easier for 
them to combine. They will follow the California 
farmers in this work, and be able to do it with even 
greater success, since the markets for their products 
are close at hand, while California must ship most 
of her surplus 3,000 miles or more. The New Jersey 
poultry men have already combined after the Cali¬ 
fornia plan. The potato growers in the potato sec¬ 
tion of Central Jersey are now planning to combine 
and obtain credit for $500,000 with which to finance 
next year's crop! These things are possible in a 
compact State where farm industries are concen¬ 
trated and specialized. We think New Jersey is to 
be on the Atlantic what California is on the Pacific 
with regard to farm marketing. 
Notes on the “Water Witch” 
O N page 1152, J. G. F. inquires about a “water 
witch.” In the part of Vermont from which I 
come the practice of finding water with a forked 
stick is quite common, though not everyone has the 
power. As, for instance, the stick will “point water” 
cvcru time in my wife’s hands, while it will not indi¬ 
cate at all in mine. We had a neighbor farmer 
whose wife was often employed to locate places for 
A Two-story Sunflower. Fig. 518 
digging wells, and was infallible. I do not attempt to 
explain this, but know it to be a fact. Studying the 
location of water ways has nothing to do with it. as 
we are back-to-the-landers from New York City and 
never heard of this until my wife tried it in Ver¬ 
mont. L. B. CARPENTER. 
I would like to know whether these men who claim 
to be able to locate water have any certain way of 
holding the stick. Personally, I consider the whole 
thing an old wives’ fable. Every one of these men 
claiming the power to locate water insists on holding 
the stick the same way. They hold the stick forked 
end down, one branch in each hand, with hands held 
palm outward, with little finger on the upper side of 
the hands, then they bend the forks outward. Thus 
when the forks are turned out beyond a right angle 
the stick will turn down, and it is beyond anyone’s 
power to hold it so it will not turn, but if the points 
of the forks are not turned up to a right angle, or a 
little moi*e, these men, or any other person, can carry 
the stick as long as they like and they will not feel 
magnetism or electricity or any other power working. 
I would like any reader of The R. N.-Y t . to try this 
and see if they can keep the stick from turning in 
their hands if they bend the forks up beyond a right 
angle. I have located several wells in my time, but 
always located them with pick and shovel, and lo¬ 
cated them just where I wanted the well. This 
would be my advice to anyone wanting a well. 
•Sullivan Co., N. Y. j. t. l. 
1 have been much interested in the discussion from 
time to time in your paper in regard to the forked 
stick as a means of locating underground sources of 
water. The only satisfactory explanation that a dis¬ 
cussion exists at all lies in the fact that the forked 
stick will not act in the hands of certain people. 
What the lacking condition is I am unable to say. 
I had occasion to try to locate a spring about 10 
October 15, 1921 
yeas since upon this place. There were four of us 
in the party that tried the forked stick; two old men, 
two younger men. One was a colored man. The 
stick did not move in his hands, neither would it 
move in the hands of a very strong young white man. 
The result with the older white man was very much 
in favor of the stick. I then took the stick and at a 
certain place on the side hill it pulled down so hard 
I told the men to get tools and see if the stick told 
the truth, and sure enough it did, and we had the 
water running to the house as soon as we could lay 
the pipe. 
I will mention another fact about the actions of 
the stick. On my way back from the location of the 
spring I passed the barn, where there is a well, and 
the stick pulled down again. I continued my way to 
the house, and the stick raised up until I got near 
the house well, when down it went once more. Will 
someone tell why the stick will not act with every¬ 
one? geo. r. WEST. 
Massachusetts. 
Apple Pomace for Feeding Cattle 
I can get. a quantity of apple pomace from the cider 
mill. Can I put it into my silo and keep it like silage? 
Should I add water and stamp it down? IIow much can 
1 safely feed ? n. s. m. 
HERE is no need of any silo or any other special 
care in keeping apple pomace for a few weeks 
or months to feed out. but if one has an empty silo 
it would be an ideal place for it, especially if one 
desires to keep it for a long time, as until Spring or 
another Summer, for instance. There would be no 
need of adding any water or anything else to make 
it keep; in fact, if one wishes to pile up or store 
a large quantity, some provision should be made for 
letting the cider or juice pass off, as it soon heats 
and settles, and large quantities of the juice run off. 
The ease with which the pomace may be kept is 
demonstrated in many places where the pomace is 
thrown out in a large pile and left from one season 
to the next, sometimes for years. The outside dis¬ 
colors and there will lie some loss from mold, but 
further in the pile it is sealed and will keep there 
tor years. It might easily be true that where the 
cider mill is equipped with the latest improved 
1 messes the pomace might be so dry that where it is 
thrown on a loose pile, spread over a large surface, 
it would mold and spoil in further than in a compact 
pile or bin, especially during a dry Fall. In such a 
case the suggestion to add a little water might be 
a good one, but ordinarily, where the pile is large, 
and under ordinary conditions, the loss is slight, and 
pomace made last Fall will be found bright and still 
good feed in many piles. 
As most cows are very fond of apple pomace, 
either fresh or after it has become silage, they will 
overeat if allowed to do so. but to no injury, as 
skipping a meal makes them ready again. We have 
fed over 200 tons of apple pomace with good results, 
but have had trouble with the peelings from the 
canning factory, as they had not been pressed, and 
for some reason were too acid, and spoiled both milk 
and butter, where cottonseed meal was fed with it, 
and was also hard on the cows. i. c. e. 
Using the Woodchuck 
O NE man writes us that the woodchuck is one of 
the worst of farm pests—it should be hunted 
down and exterminated. Right in the same mail 
comes anotlie- man. stating that this same wood¬ 
chuck is the most useful animal we have! “Sup¬ 
pose does he eat a little clover or a few vegetables,” 
says this optimistic friend, "his meat is good and we 
can make half a dozen useful things out of his hide!” 
There is no good reason why the meat of the wood¬ 
chuck should not equal that of the rabbit or squirrel. 
Let someone properly dress the carcass and remove 
the offensive glands promptly, and a good cook will 
make you think you are eating venison or chicken. 
The woodchuck is a surly, unsocial animal, and his 
reputation is bad. but his flesh is good if properly 
prepared. At the public market in Johnson City, N. 
Y., woodchuck meat sold at 30 cents a pound, and 
in good demand. Yet there has always been a pre¬ 
judice against this little animal. Years ago the fam¬ 
ilies who consumed woodchuck meat were looked 
upon as low grade and second-class. We remember 
how the leading citizen of the town was induced to 
eat a piece of woodchuck meat, thinking it was young 
lamb. He praised it highly, until they told him! 
Then, instead of thanking the joker who played the 
trick for showing him a new dainty, this man cursed 
the cook and never forgave him. Very likely that is 
the spirit which has kept woodchuck meat and many 
other useful things out of respectability. 
