W* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1427 
hammer. Not that it was a forced sale at all, but 
apparently one made by owners who had come to 
realize the uselessness of trying to carry on under 
the handicap of absentee supervision and absent- 
minded hired help. The largest farm of the group 
was the old family homestead, in the family for 
well over 100 years. To quote the brief description 
of a hand bill: 2S5 acres of land: 11-room house; 
extra large basement barn, with 00 stanchions: 12 
horse and box stalls; two silos; cheese factory; 
small basement barn; 150-ft. hog house, with James 
equipment; poultry house, capacity. 750; tool house; 
corncrib; granary, etc. The cheese factory here is 
accounted for by the fact that the milk from all the 
farms has been made up at home, the large liog- 
house by the use of the whey for making pork. 
BUILDINGS AND LAND. — The 
buildings, here and at the other farms 
were in first-class repair, newly paint¬ 
ed and, in some cases, newly roofed. 
Basements and stables were of con¬ 
crete and of modern construction. All 
buildings were lighted by acetylene 
gas. and were supplied with running 
water from springs. The replacement 
value of the great barn on this farm 
was variously estimated by those pres¬ 
ent at from $10,000 to $20,000. “Esti¬ 
mates” are of uncertain value, but no 
one would place its cost under the 
first figure. A concrete silo upon an 
adjoining farm did not look like $2,000 
to me. but I was credibly assured that 
it had cost that, and it was suggested 
that perhaps I had not employed any 
masons lately. As for the land, neigh¬ 
bors told me that the meadows had 
been heavily dressed with ashes and 
commercial fertilizers, in addition to 
the large amounts of manure produced 
upon the place, and were in the highest 
state of fertility. The land “lay well.” 
sloping from the hills upon either side 
of the road toward the centrally lo¬ 
cated buildings. The railroad shipping 
station is six miles away, over good 
roads. The farms, however, are but 
three miles from a beautiful village of 
about 500 population. All in all. the 
homestead farm was a most attractive 
one. though, perhaps, too large and ex¬ 
pensively equipped for the man of or¬ 
dinary means. The highest bid re¬ 
ceived for it. after extensive advertis¬ 
ing, was $0,000. 
OTHER DAIRY FARMS. — Five 
other dairy farms, ranging in size from 
130 to 240 acres, were sold. Though 
smaller and with fewer buildings, they 
were so similar in character and 
equipment to the homestead farm as to 
hardly need special description: 130 
acres, with no buildings, sold for $1.- 
000 over the block. A 205-acre farm 
reached $2,000 in the bidding. One of 
175 acres touched $4,000. A newly 
completed barn upon this, lacking only 
the concrete of the basement floor, will 
have cost, when entirely finished $4,- 
j400. and the labor cost, so one of the 
owners told me, has been greater than the cost of 
the materials, even at the present high prices of the 
latter. Two others of the group, one containing 
ISO, the other 240 acres of land, were bid off at $7.- 
000 each. They were each equipped for GO head of 
cattle and possessed the usual complement of fine 
buildings. It was upon one of these that the $2,000 
concrete silo stood. Only one of the seven farms 
Mas a small one. this a 15-acre poultry farm. In 
addition to an excellent eight-room house and good 
basement barn, the poultry farm boasted one laying 
house 20 by 250 ft. in size: two 20 by 120 ft.; a two- 
story duck-house 20 by SO ft., and six brooder houses 
of rather novel construction. These latter were 
about 15 ft. in diameter, round, and built of silo 
staves and hoops. The large poultry buildings had 
concrete floors, were supplied with running water, 
lighted by acetylene gas and, taking all things into 
consideration, they were of finest modern construc¬ 
tion: $5,000 was offered for this splendidly equipped 
poultry plant. 
FREE FARMS.—I have spoken of these farms as 
sold at the prices mentioned; as a matter of fact, 
they were sold with the privilege of rejecting bids 
for them severally and disposing of the entire group 
in one lot. if opportunity offered. The opportunity 
came at the close of the sale in the offer of a real 
estate dealer of $37,000 for the seven places, an ad¬ 
vance of $1,100 over previous bids. I was told that 
their valuation upon the assessment roll of the town¬ 
ship was $55,000. What they may yet bring in the 
hands of a real estate dealer remains to be seen. At 
best, it was not a sale to give heart to anyone 
hoping for better things in eastern agriculture and 
there was nothing in it to encourage the idea that 
farms may be grouped and run on a factory plan 
by disinterested employes. In a previous article, I 
said that farm land will be given away in New 
York State to any one willing to pay for the build¬ 
ings upon it: it seems now necessary to revise that 
statement and say that only the main dairy barn 
need be paid for. in order to secure a deed, and. if 
this should happen to be an unusually good one in 
construction, size and convenience, the price will 
be cut on that. m. b. d. 
An Inexpensive Greenhouse 
ATTSFACTORY CONSTRUCTION.—There have 
been some inquiries in The R. N.-Y. about 
greenhouses, and while I am not an expert in such 
matters, I think we have as good and inexpensive a 
building as one could wish. In the fii*st place pick 
the best location you can, sheltered from the pre¬ 
vailing Winter winds, if possible, but try to have 
good drainage from the heater room, because it has 
to be lower than your return pipes. If the house is 
in a hollow the heavy rain in the Spring is apt to 
flood it. The first thing to consider is the sides, and 
concrete is by far the best, as there is no rot to it. 
If your greenhouse is to be for commercial flowers, 
and in sight of the road, it is well to have glass for 
a way on the side, if not. have the rafters rest on 
the cement. They can be fastened in various ways. 
We imbedded a 1x2 in the cement and fastened the 
rafters to it. then filled in between the rafters as 
high as the glass with cement. 
SAWING THE RAFTERS.—I personally do not 
like a sash house, but think the rafters are better, 
and if a person has a small gas engine, it is very, 
easy to make a small saw table that will saw them 
out. In that case he can get 1%-in. planks, or 
thicker if he wishes, and saw them into 2% or 3-in. 
strips. For a house about 20 ft. wide, it will take 
a rafter 12 ft. long. After sawing them out, cut the 
groove for the glass, taking out a strip on each side 
of the rafter about % to % in. That will leave 
about y> in. tongue on top of the rafter. Next cut 
a saw cut about half way between where the glass 
lies on and the bottom of the rafter, 14 in. deep, 
on an angle, the length of the rafter, for the water 
to run down. If a person cannot cut the rafters 
himself, lie can have them done at any mill at a 
reasonable cost. 
BEDS AND BRACES.—Next to consider are the 
beds and braces inside. I personally do not like 
solid beds for a greenhouse where I am going to 
raise plants, because if you want to 
hold them back in the Spring you can¬ 
not do it. as the plants will send their 
roots down to moisture, whereas, if the 
beds are about S in. deep, you can give 
them only enough water to keep them 
alive and at setting-out time they will 
be good and tough. The best beds and 
braces, to my minu, are 1-in. pipe. De¬ 
cide how high you want the beds and 
cut the pipe accordingly. IS in. to 2 ft. 
is a good length, and they want to set 
on a small block of concrete. Figur¬ 
ing on 7-ft. beds, leave a 2-ft. walk 
down the center and lS-in. space next 
to the walls. Starting at the north 
end it is best to leave a space of 5 or 
G ft. for a work place and start your 
beds from there. Run a line of pipe 
down each side with a tee every G ft. 
for legs, and a center line with crosses 
every G ft. for legs, and a piece of 
pipe to run up as high as the rafters. 
The pipe running up to the rafters 
wants to have a tee with two openings 
to fit a l*4-in. pipe. In that way a 
1-in. pipe can be run right through (he 
house. The three lengths of pipe need 
to be fastened with cross pipes every 
two or three bents, and in putting 
them in it will be necessary to use 
unions. 
FINISHING THE ROOF.—In build¬ 
ing the house, first make the side and 
end walls. Nex mit up the ridge pole 
and fasten tft£' rafters to it 14 in. 
is a good size glass to 
Then fasten them to the cement 
The south end needs to be glass 
from the wall up to the rafters, but the 
north end can be boarded up. The 
north end is a good place for the door. 
After the rafters are fastened at both 
ends, put in the framework for the 
beds. Cut the pipe that comes up to the 
rafters from the middle line of pipe 
and in the 1-in. pipe through the tees. 
Cut pieces of tin or zinc large enough 
to nail on the rafters, go around the 
pipe and nail. That will hold the rafter 
fast to the pipe and make it more 
rigid. The next step is to put in the 
glass. This can be done by using the 
bent staples which come especially for this purpose, 
or small nails. In using nails, two will have to be 
used for each pane of glass. Let the glass lap about 
% in. It is not generally known, but all glass is 
curved and in putting it in look along the edge and 
be sure to put the curved side up. as there will be 
a smaller percentage break if the curved side is 
laid like this. 
INSTALLING THE HEATER.—Now the heater 
is ready to be installed. Most all experts will tell 
you to use hot water, as it does not need as much 
attention, and is cheaper to run, but I personally 
like steam, probably because I am more familiar 
v. ith steam heating than hot water. But whatever 
kind is used, give some heating engineer or a re¬ 
liable plumber the size of the house and the tem¬ 
perature you wish to keep it, and ask him what size 
heater is needed. When he gives you the size, it 
makes no difference whether it is a house heater or a 
regular greenhouse heater, or whether it is round or 
square, get one or two sizes larger. It is best to play 
safe and get one two sizes larger, because it is easier 
to keep a small fire in a large heater than it is to keep 
a large fire in a small heater. The one we have in ordi¬ 
nary Winter weather. I see to the fire from 10 to 10 :30 
p m., and it goes until G a. m. with a good fire and 
steam up. In putting in the heating plant be sure 
(Continued on page 1420) 
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wall. 
A Remarkable Tree and a Distinguished Fruit Grower 
Pear trees of unusual size and age have been recorded in these columns from time to 
time, but most of these trees have been natural wild growths, not cultivated varieties. 
Just outside of Newburgh in the Cornell Orchards is a Tyson pear tree that will 
compete strongly for first place among the largest, oldest, and healthiest of culti¬ 
vated pears in America. J. R. Cornell, one of New York’s honored and distinguished 
fruit growers, can remember when his father, Henry Cornell, planted the tree in 
1854 or 1855. It measures 8 ft. in circumference 2 ft. from the ground, is 28 ft. in 
height and has a spread of about 35 ft. It has borne 25 to 30 bushels of fruit for 
several seasons, and this past year it yielded a little over 30 bushels of marketable 
fruit. Blight is unheard of among its branches, and the growth is strong and clean. 
Mr. J. R. Cornell is shown standing by this fine old tree.— H. B. T. 
