214 
Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
February 9, 1924 
DIBBLES 
B.B.Brand 
ALFALFA 
CLOVER 
TIMOTHY 
SEED 
I (vcmriAcl 
' Mr, I 
test 
AVERAGE 99.50 OR BETTER 
THE HIGHEST GRADE OBTAINABLE 
D. B. Alfalfa Northwestern, dry land grown, produced in 
the U. S. A. where the mercury gets down to 30 degrees be¬ 
low zero, absolutely hardy; purity, our test 99.58. 
D. B. MEDIUM and MAMMOTH CLOVER 
from the cold Northern States. Purity, our test above 99.50. 
Dibble’s Fancy Alsike northern Seed only, the best money 
can buy. Purity, our test 99. 
Dibble’s Natural Timothy and Alsike Mixture, largely 
Canadian grown; average 20% Alsike, less than 1 °/o of weed 
seeds. 
THE SEEDING BARGAIN OF THE YEAR—$5.00 per Bushel 
And a full line of Seed Peas, Vetch, Rape, Soy Beans, 
Grass Seeds, Oats, Barley, Corn, etc. 
FREIGHT PREPAID, asfully described on page 30 of our catalog. 
Let’s get acquainted. Your name and address on a postal card will 
bring you by first mail: 10 packages of Dibble's Farm Seeds, Dibble's 
Farm Seed Catalog, the leading Farm Seed Book of the season, and 
Special Price List quoting delivered prices FREE. 
Address Edward F. Dibble Seedgrower, Honeoye Falls, N. Y., Box B. 
Mo re Profit in 
Garrahan Seeds! 
EARLY WAKEFIELD CABBAGE 
The Garrahan strain is a development of the 
early Jersey Wakefield into large, sturdy heads 
like the Charleston. Gives you quality in an early 
crop. Permits you to market your crop when 
prices are highest. 
EASY BLANCHING CELERY 
Garrahan Celery is uniform in size; green with 
a golden heart; and unusually firm and tender. 
Although it matures early, it will keep well until 
the holidays. Larger crops—and better Celery— 
if you use Garrahan Seed. 
C. E. GARRAHAN, Market Gardener and Seed Grower 
393 NORTHAMPTON KINGSTON, PA. 
Have a Successful Garden 
HARRIS SEEDS are used by the best market 
gardeners because by careful selection and 
breeding we have wonderfully improved 
some varieties. Private gardens can obtain 
better results because all varieties are tested 
and the percentage that will germinate is 
marked on the label so you can tell just how 
many will grow before you sow them. Harris 
is the Seedman who tells you the result of 
his tests. Send for our free Catalog of 
Vegetables, Field and Flower Seeds —Find 
out about the Harris system and buy these 
superior seeds direct from our farms at 
wholesale prices. 
JOSEPH HARRIS CO. 
R. F. D. 11 Coldwater, NY. 
Be Sure Your Clover is 
Other Metcalf Specials: 
Include Telephone, Aldermnn and Thoiimx l.uxton 
l*eu», \lbertn Cluster Out- nnd reclenncd Timothy 
and Alsike, 80 *S Alsike. 
Bags free — freight prepaid on 250 lbs. 
Wr e todnv for free catalog illustrating the value, quality 
end service offered you in held seeds and farm supplies 
by the mail order department of the Metcalf stores. 
Your banker will gladly tell you about our responsibility 
B. F. Metcalf & Son, 202-204 W. Genesee St., Syracme, N. Y. 
West Branch 
Sweepstakes 
Direct from growers. 
All our members get 
their seeds from plot 
grown under super¬ 
vision of Penn. State 
College. We can trace 
every bag of our seed 
to the grower. All seed thoroughly air- 
dried, graded and shipped in new bags. 
Trueness to type and 90 per cent, germ¬ 
ination guaranteed. Yields heavy crops 
of silage, rich in grain. Matures early. Ask 
your County Agent about our seed corn. 
Write us for sample, prices and complete de¬ 
scription. Order direct from growers and be safe. 
WEST BRANCH CO-OPERATIVE SEED 
GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION, Inc. 
BoxD Williamsport, Pa. 
CONDON’S GIANT 
EVERBEARING 
TOMATO 
“QUEEN OF THE MARKET.*' Big Mon«y-M«ker. Large, solid 
fruit; excellent canner. To introduce to you 
our Northern Grown Live Seeds and Plants, 
we will mail you 125 ee eda of Condon's 
Giant EverbearingTomato ■■■ P* 
andour Big 1924 Gardenl -1 !^ 
and Farm Guide.—— 
192'Page Book, telle now, and what to 
plant. Prices lower than ever. 
SEND POSTAL TODAY 
CONDON BROS.. Seedsmen 
' Rock River Valley Seed Farm 
Box 179 Rockford, III. 
** WE GROW EVERYTHING 
UNDER THE SUN” 
It will pay yon well to write for mu BIG ILLUSTRATED 
CATALOGUE and MONEY SAVING PRICES today on 
FRUIT, SHADE. ORNAMENTAL and EVERGREEN TREES, 
SHRUBBERY. ROSES and PERENNIALS. 
EAST ROCHESTER NURSERIES East Rochester. N. Y. 
Sweet Clover Seed 
gume, tide, postpaid. 
Alfalfa, etc. Priced right. Inocu¬ 
lating Bacteria for bushel, any 1* 
E. E. BASIE Latty, Ohio 
SEEDS 
Grown From Select Stock—None 
Better— 54 years selling good 
seeds to satisfied customers. 
Prices below all others. Extra 
lot free in all orders I fill. 
Big free catalogue has over 
700 pictures of vegetables 
and flowers. Send your and 
neighbors’ addresses. 
R. H. SHUMWAY, Rockford, Ill. 
Hot Bed Sash 
QA CYPRESS, well made 
jK I IS If with cross bar, tenons 
I securely fastened. 
* 1 Glass, $2.50 per box, 
50 square feet. 
C. N. ROBINSON & BRO. 
Oept. 14 Baltimore, Md 
From the Mail Bag 
An Apple Orchard for China.— 
We have had some comment about 
that matter of starting an apple or¬ 
chard in China, which was discussed 
on page 55. There are several Chinese 
students in the Agricultural College at 
Cornell, and some of them have been in¬ 
terviewed on this matter. It appears that 
there are several nurseries that make a 
special effort to pack trees so they will 
carry a long distance, and there are 
records where such trees have carried 
properly for two months with a large 
proportion of them alive and ready to 
grow at the end of their journey. We are 
told by the Chinese students that there 
are nurseries in China that can supply 
a stock of apples, but of course, the va¬ 
rieties used in that country are quite 
different from ours. These students think 
it would be possible to buy these nursery 
trees, get them going nicely, then import 
scions of certain varieties from this 
country and use them to top-work the 
Chinese seedlings. There are nurseries 
in Japan, and the seedlings might be 
obtained from them. 
Mulch for Strawberries. —We have 
many questions asking us to name 
the "best Winter mulch for strawber¬ 
ries. Some people seem to think they 
must use the finest manure on the ber¬ 
ries. That is a mistake. Fine manure, 
forest leaves and material of that sort 
there is a large marsh or swamp extend¬ 
ing for several miles on the north side of 
the river. When they reached the shore 
things were unloaded from the boat and 
carried on their shoulders up the hill for 
another two and a half or three miles. 
In time of flood they could make a longer 
trip by boat, shortening the carry. Enter 
a trestle was built across the marsh, con¬ 
necting with a ferry across the Coeur 
d’Alene River, which appreciably short¬ 
ened the trip to town, still a good three 
miles. 
The country was quite heavily timbered 
but for a good while it was hard to sell 
the logs or ties. The soil was so full of 
pitch that it was impossible to raise any 
crops, even necessary vegetables, without 
cutting the timber and burning, letting it 
burn right into the ground. It was then 
quite easy to raise a good garden crop. 
Gradually there grew a greater demand 
for the timber, and better roads were con¬ 
structed. The roads, however, are nar¬ 
row, as most mountain roads are. 
In the earlier days it was possible to 
harvest a good bit of wild grass from # the 
marsh, thus making it possible to raise 
cattle in quite large numbers. A corpora¬ 
tion flooded the marshes, which cut down 
the supply of cheap feed. The country 
has been more thickly settled, most of the 
timber is gone, and it is vastly changed. 
The soil is somewhat heavy, and I 
A Couple of Vermont Sugar Makers 
which will mat closely down over the think, rather acid in many places, though 
plants is just what we do not want, for 
in many cases this close mulch will 
kill out the plants during the Winter. 
These plants must have air, and close 
packing will often kill them. Coarse 
mulch, such as cornstalks, or rye straw, 
is good. One man who has a swamp on 
his farm tells us that he uses cat-tail 
flags for a mulch, and finds it excellent. 
Sudan grass or coarse millet is also good. 
We know a farmer who lias a swamp 
with many of these flags and coarse 
grass. Most men would let it stand as 
an eyesore, regretting that they cannot 
put it to some use. This man cuts the 
flags and other trash, hauls it to the 
hills and uses it for mulching an apple 
orchard, and in this way produces the 
finest fruit on thin rocky land which can¬ 
not be successfully cultivated. 
(Seeding Alsike Gloveri. —'Several 
people ask about Alsike clover and 
the possibilities of seeding it late in the 
season. We have used many bushels of 
this clover, and find it, on the whole, the 
hardiest variety that we have ever tried. 
It will certainly grow where any other 
Variety will make a stand, and it will do 
better under some conditions where Red 
clover would never start. Of course, 
there would be no iise seeding Alsike or 
any other clover in time of drought where 
the land is as dry as an ash heap, hut 
given anything like reasonable conditions 
the Alsike will grow and thrive and give 
satisfaction. It is suited to wet land or 
land that is more than sour. It re¬ 
sembles Red-top in that respect. We 
have often seeded a combination of Al- 
sike. Red clover, and Timothy and Red- 
top all together on our naturally sour 
soil without lime. At the end of the year 
the stand would be composed almost en¬ 
tirely of Red-top and Alsike. By applying 
a good dressing of burnt lime we usually 
find the next year that the Timothy and 
Red clover will come back, and all four 
crops will grow together. The stems of 
the Alsike are finer and make a higher 
quality hay than a heavy growth of Red 
clover. We like to seed them together, 
for this gives a more complete stand as 
the Alsike will fill in the sour spots where 
the Red would not thrive. 
Farm Life in Idaho 
within 20 or 30 miles different conditions 
exist, as at Coeur d’Alene and on down the 
Spokane Valley and out towards Tekoa 
and Palouse. The Summers are apt to be 
very dry, and care is required in cultiva¬ 
tion and planting. Some of the farmers 
make their main crops of wheat, oats and 
potatoes, which can be shipped out by the 
carload, several farmers filling a car to¬ 
gether. 
As the country has developed it seems 
as though the seasons have changed some¬ 
what, and at least earlier maturing va¬ 
rieties of plants have been discovered and 
cultivated, which makes it possible to 
raise something now that could not be 
ripened before. Strawberries, raspberries, 
apples, pears, prunes and cherries do well 
here, though not raised to a great extent. 
One or two people make a business of 
shipping fruit. Alfalfa and clover are be¬ 
ing introduced, and I hope will take the 
place entirely, sometime, of the Timothy. 
Some people make quite a profitable 
business from their White Leghorns. They 
must be well housed, though, for in Win¬ 
ter the air is often damp or foggy, which 
makes the cold penetrating. It does not 
average very cold here, though we gener¬ 
ally do have a week or two of zero weath¬ 
er during the Winter ; sometimes the mer¬ 
cury has dropped to 15 or IS degrees be¬ 
low. 
For social life there are Sunday schools 
and churches in town, lodge meetings, and 
occasional dances. In the country rather 
infrequent parties, picnics and school en¬ 
tertainments. One or two Winters we 
have had literary societies. 
Yes, we have beautiful scenery in these 
foothills of the Rockies. I wonder if you 
in the East have anythin! that would 
equal it? doris slayton. 
It will soon be 32 years since my par¬ 
ents moved from Virginia to take up a 
homestead here. The land had just been _ 
opened up for homesteading before they then, if they could be content to Eve as 
came. I have heard them tell about con- all had to then. 
An Old Timer Talks 
Wife’ I and The R. N.-Y. started 
making a home in the Spring of 1S69. 
We three are still at it, although a long 
w T ay from where we commenced. There 
are more of us now, and scattered from 
Pennsylvania to Colorado. But the old 
world has treated us fairly well. We 
never tried to cut a wide swath, so we 
are contented. Although we grow wheat 
we are not in the so-called wheat belt and 
our farmers are fairly prosperous, except 
those who went wild in boom times. We 
have lived on the same farm for 51 years, 
and believe that it is much easier for 
young people to make a home now than 
ditions. and it certainly was a hard pi¬ 
oneer life. Their homestead was located 
about three miles from the town of 
Harrison. There were no roads for some 
time. Supplies were brought for a mile, 
perhaps, by rowboat across the lake, as 
There are two consolidated schools be¬ 
sides the high school in Corning. They 
like the schools, but it will be a long time 
before there are more, on account of the 
objection to gathering children and the 
high taxes required to keep them going. 
