72 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Hurrah  for  the  good  old  city  sport  who  sees 
greater  joy  in  associative  co-operation  with  nature 
and  the  soil,  but  God  forbid  his  being  the  greenest 
growing  thing  on  the  farm  at  the  end  of  the  first 
season.  It  is  sure  to  happen  unless  you  start  small. 
The  small  garden,  the  cow,  the  chickens,  and  inex¬ 
pensive  automobile  are  all  you  can  care  for  and  do 
it  yourself,  and  there  is  joy  unbounded  within  it,  but 
the  joy  departs  with  the  coming  of  hired  help,  ex¬ 
cept,  peradventure,  within  the  house. 
Once  more,  when  you  are  well  settled  in  that  dear 
little  home,  which  must  be  near  the  water  some 
place,  don't  neglect  to  shave  every  morning,  whether 
you  go  to  the  city  or  not;  have  your  hair  cut  often, 
and  your  teeth  clean,  to  say  nothing  of  the  bath ;  it 
is  just  as  essential  as  in  the  city,  and  you  owe  it  to 
the  country  life,  which  gives  you  so  much  more. 
Minnesota.  s.  george  stevens. 
“Go  Slow  and  Watch  Your  Step'’ 
Your  “back-to-the-lander,”  52  years  old.  with  $100 
a  month  income,  presents  an  interesting  problem.  I 
would  suggest  that  he  look  for  a  good  town  of  about 
2,500  people  just  beyond  commuting  distance,  say  50 
miles  from  his  favorite  large  city.  This  will  avoid 
inflated  suburban  real  estate  prices,  yet  permit 
occasional  trips  to  the  city,  which  mean  a  lot  to  city- 
bred  people.  Then  he  should  go  and  board  on  a 
farm  near  the  town  or  in  the  town,  and  work  for 
one  or  more  farmers  producing  fruits,  vegetables 
and  poultry.  Get  acquainted  with  the  people  and 
see  if  they  are  congenial.  If  not.  try  another  town. 
At  the  end  of  a  year  you  will  know  whether  you  and 
your  wife  really  like  living  in  the  country,  and  if 
you  don't  you  won’t  be  much  out  of  pocket.  The 
adaptation  is  always  harder  for  a  woman  than  for  a 
man. 
When  you  know  you  want  to  stay,  look  about  for 
a  little  place.  Auctions  and  executors’  sales  often 
offer  opportunities  if  you  know  the  place,  and  dis¬ 
appointments  if  you  do  not.  Plan  to  locate  not  over 
one  mile  from  center  of  town,  with  electric  light  and 
telephone  available.  Two  miles  out  is  fine  for  a 
Summer  day,  but  too  far  in  February. 
To  raise  vegetables  and  chickens  for  your  own  use 
only,  one  acre  is  enough.  But  perhaps  you  can  find 
a  place  with  a  few  fairly  level  tillable  acres  that  will 
provide  for  the  time  when  you  tire  of  just  rusticat¬ 
ing,  and  also  some  mountain  land  that  will  supply  a 
spring  or  brook  for  a  gravity  water  supply.  Pump¬ 
ing  water  sounds  fine  in  the  pump  man's  salesroom, 
but  costs  a  lot  of  time  and  money,  especially  when 
the  leaky  faucet  is  allowed  for.  Don't  buy  any 
tools  except  those  commonly  used  in  the  neighbor¬ 
hood  until  you  know  enough  about  the  game  to  ex¬ 
periment.  Hundreds  of  tools  that  advertise  well 
either  aren’t  suited  to  the  locality,  or  the  deprecia¬ 
tion  amounts  to  more  than  the  cost  of  the  labor 
saved.  Labor-saving  devices  are  a  fine  investment 
when  all  the  factors  are  known  and  accounted  for. 
By  the  time  you  have  bought  and  fixed  up  a  little 
place  you  won't  have  income  enough  from  the  prin¬ 
cipal  remaining  to  hire  anyone  to  work  for  you,  un¬ 
less  you  engage  in  some  farming  effort  for  a  money 
return,  so  your  question  on  that  point  will  answer 
itself.  Get  Prof.  Warren’s  bulletin,  issued  free  by 
Cornell,  called  “Some  Advice  for  City  Persons  Desir¬ 
ing  to  Farm”;  also  his  book  called  "Farm  Manage¬ 
ment,”  which  you  will  find  in  most  public  libraries. 
I  did  what  you  contemplate  doing,  although  under 
different  circumstances,  and  do  not  regret  it.  Go 
slow  and  watch  your  step  !  R.  G. 
New  York. 
“Easy  Street”  on  a  Small  Farm 
On  page  1279,  J.  B.  W.  asks  for  advice.  If  be  has 
$25,000  and  an  income  of  $100  a  month,  what  does 
he  want  of  a  farm?  If  he  wants  to  grow  enough 
vegetables,  eggs,  etc.,  for  his  own  use,  why  does  he 
not  invest  about  $2,500  in  one  acre  of  land  and 
buildings  near  a  good  live  town,  leave  the  balance 
of  his  money  at  interest,  and  live  on  Easy  Street? 
This  is  the  way  a  back-to-the-lander  with  22  years’ 
experience  looks  at  it.  A  city  man  without  a  knowl¬ 
edge  of  farming  who  invests  a  large  amount  of 
money  in  a  farm,  buys  expensive  tools,  employs  help 
at  high  wages,  and  he  himself  "holds  the  bag,” 
might  better  apply  for  a  guardian.  j.  s. 
Michigan. 
Experience  on  a  Large  Farm 
I  am  years  older  than  J.  B.  W.,  but  feel  as  young 
and  am  as  active  as  at  25.  I  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
but  have  spent  over  30  years  in  the  city,  similarly 
occupied  as  our  friend  ;  always  had  a  hankering  after 
rural  life,  but  was  prevented  from  satisfying  my 
hobby  until  after  I  lost  my  wife,  when  I  went  up  to 
Vermont  in  1915  and  bought  a  large  dairy  farm,  with 
a  view  of-breaking  in  my  two  boys  to  become  farmers. 
Two  years  later  my  oldest  boy  went  away  and  got 
married,  and  shortly  after  the  youngest  went  and  en¬ 
listed  in  the  navy.  Then  I  was  left  alone  with  a  big 
farm  and  a  lot  of  stock  on  my  hands,  and  not  a  man 
to  hire  for  love  or  money.  I  rented  the  place  out  and 
came  to  the  city,  but  when  I  go  back  to  the  country 
it  will  be  on  a  small  farm  that  I  can  manage  without 
help.  If  I  were  J.  B.  W.  I  should  get  a  place  from 
one  to  10  acres,  depending  on  location,  or  a  village 
farm  of  one-half  acre.  I  could  make  a  good  living 
Using  the  Long-rodded  Plunger  Primer:  Fig.  13. 
(See  page  7 5) 
with  200  chickens.  I  have  kept  200  White  Leghorns 
on  one-fourth  acre  in  the  city  suburb  for  years,  and 
had  a  good  income  from  them  by  having  them  yield 
the  most  eggs  in  Winter,  when  eggs  were  high.  If 
I  wished  to  keep  a  cow  or  two  and  a  horse,  I  should 
get  a  place  10  to  25  acres,  so  as  to  have  some  pasture 
for  Summer,  but  if  I  had  an  auto  I  should  hardly 
bother  with  a  horse,  as  it  costs  a  lot  to  keep,  even 
when  you  don’t  use  it.  In  preference,  I  should  have 
a  small  tractor  cultivator,  which  would  only  eat 
when  you  used  it.  and  which  would  not  tempt  one 
to  use  “cuss  words”  like  a  horse  if  he  went  too  slow 
or  too  fast,  dancing  and  tramping  down  the  vege¬ 
tables.  B.  S.  W. 
An  Ohio  Man  Talks 
I  think  I  am  somewhat  in  the  class  with  J.  B. 
W.,  and  am  glad  to  tell  him  my  experience  with 
“back-to-the-landing.”  I  had  saved  only  about  half 
the  $25,000,  and  was  not  quite  as  old  as  J.  B.  W. 
(lacking  five  years).  Otherwise  his  description  tal¬ 
lies  fairly  well.  Here  is  what  I  did :  I  bought  at  a 
comparatively  low  figure  a  farm  of  140  acres,  mostly 
pasture,  and  in  fairly  good  condition,  except  fences. 
Raspberries  Tied  to  Stakes.  Fig.  l.\. 
The  first  thing  1  did  was  to  subscribe  for  a  couple  of 
good  farm  papers.  From  those  I  learned  to  rotate 
crops  so  as  to  improve  the  fertility  with  legumes.  I 
got  a  few  good  cows,  some  purebred  poultry  (chick¬ 
ens  and  water  fowl),  set  out  a  variety  of  small 
fruits,  such  as  my  family  are  fond  of.  and  as  help 
is  almost  out  of  the  question  in  this  locality,  I  do 
the  work  nearly  all  myself.  I  made  sure  that  the 
farm  had  plenty  of  good  water  and  a  fair-sized 
woodland,  and  several  hundred  maple  trees.  I  enjoy 
the  work  hugely  and  am  not  bothered  by  the  coal 
shortage,  strikes,  and  so  forth.  Being  close  to  a 
large  city  I  have  no  trouble  getting  rid  of  my  milk, 
poultry  products  and  maple  products ;  also  any  vege¬ 
Jauuary  20,  102:: 
tables  or  fruits  I  wish  to  sell.  No  one  could  coax  me 
to  live  in  the  city  again,  yet  the  farm  has  its  draw¬ 
backs  and  lots  of  hard  work.  But  it  is  healthful, 
enjoyable,  and  an  independent  life.  Being  a  member 
of  the  Farm  Bureau,  I  get  lots  of  valuable  help 
through  that  source  in  the  way  of  advice,  and  co¬ 
operative  buying  and  selling. 
If  J.  B.  W.  enjoys  hard  work  and  can  stand  lots 
of  inconveniences  for  the  sake  of  an  enjoyable  and 
independent  life,  I  advise  him  to  “go  to  it.”  But 
don’t  expect  to  add  very  much  to  the  income  over 
and  above  a  good  living,  unless  things  change  from 
the  present  condition  to  better  for  the  farmer.  As 
to  tools,  a  binder,  mower,  wagon,  corn  cultivator, 
turning  plow,  harrow,  hay  loader  and  rake,  bobsled, 
milk  wagon,  disk,  auto  truck,  roller,  drag,  potato 
planter  and  digger,  good  spray  pump,  feed  cutter, 
gas  engine,  buzz  saw,  feed  grinder,  pump  jack  and 
small  gas  engine,  are  almost  indispensable.  I  see 
very  little  reason  why  a  boy  of  52  who  is  vigorous 
and  of  good  strong  constitution  cannot  make  good 
at  back-to-the-landing.  w.  h.  sanborn. 
Ohio. 
Not  Over  Half  an  Acre 
I  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  made  farming  my  life 
business,  with  the  exception  of  seven  years  spent  in 
manufacturing.  I  am  75  years  old.  For  lack  of 
strength  I  sold  the  old  farm  and  moved  to  town  four 
years  ago.  Now,  J.  B.  W.  does  not  want  “acres”  to 
realize  his  ideal.  He  wants  not  to  exceed  one-half 
acre,  located  in  or  near  some  thriving  village  that 
has  good  water  supply,  electric  lights  and  all  mod¬ 
ern  conveniences.  If  I  read  him  rightly,  he  wants 
to  be,  not  a  “wallflower,”  but  a  helpful  part  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  I  can  assure  him  he 
can  find  all  the  work  he  wants  to  give  him  plenty  of 
exercise  on  even  less  than  a  half  acre,  after  he 
learns  how  to  occupy  it.  There  is  room  to  grow  all 
the  fruit  and  vegetables  he  needs,  and  keep  100  hens. 
Fertilizers  should  be  had  from  the  nearby  stables, 
liberally  used,  depending  little  on  commercial.  The 
drawing  and  spreading  of  the  manure,  plowing  and 
harrowing,  must  be  hired,  of  course.  As  for  tools, 
to  start  with,  all  that  are  needed  are  a  spading  fork, 
hoe,  garden  rake  and  a  lawn  mower.  Others  can  be 
added  as  experience  and  observation  suggest.  If  the 
plot  purchased  has  no  small  fruits  on  it,  strawber¬ 
ries,  raspberries,  blackberries,  currants,  gooseberries, 
an  asparagus  bed.  rhubarb,  also  apple,  pears,  cher¬ 
ries,  plums,  etc.  Secure  and  plant  them  the  first 
Spring.  Balance  of  plot  for  whatever  vegetables 
your  fancy  calls.  Keep  in  mind  there  is  a  way  of 
arranging  the  small  fruits  and  trees  so  they  will 
not  be  in  the  way  of  the  plow.  j.  q.  b. 
New  York. 
Pruning  Raspberries 
Last  Spring-  I  set  out  some  raspberry  bushes,  and 
they  have  made  a  large  growth,  the  branches  running 
from  S  to  10  ft.  in  length  on  each  side.  Should  some 
of  this  growth  be  cut  back  for  the  next  year’s  fruiting? 
Centre  Moriches,  N.  Y.  c.  H.  w. 
HE  new  shoots  of  all  types  of  raspberries  com¬ 
plete  their  development  in  size  the  first  season. 
The  second  season  small  side  shoots  or  branches  are 
sent  out  on  which  the  fruit  is  borne.  As  soon  as  the 
berries  ripen  the  cane  dies,  and  should  be  cut  away. 
Thus  the  canes  are  biennial  (living  two  years),  and 
the  roots  are  perennial,  living  for  many  years. 
With  most  varieties  the  side  shoots  on  which  the 
fruit  is  borne  grow  from  buds  near  the  end  of  the 
cane.  One  can  readily  tell  which  the  fruit  buds 
are.  for  they  are  much  larger  than  ordinary  leaf 
buds.  When  the  fruit  buds  are  at  the  end  of  the 
cane  it  is  impossible  to  prune  without  i*emoving  the 
crop  of  fruit.  In  this  section  most  of  the  raspber¬ 
ries  are  grown  under  the  hill  system,  as  shown  in 
the  illustration,  Fig.  14.  Here  all  the  year-old  canes 
are  tied  to  a  single  stake  in  the  Fall,  all  old  growth 
having  been  removed.  Tying  prevents  the  snow  from 
breaking  the  canes,  and  if  the  tips  freeze  back 
slightly  they  are  pruned  back  in  the  Spring.  There 
are  two  other  systems  of  culture — the  linear  and  the 
hedge-row  systems.  All  three  are  described  in  detail 
in  Farnxei’s’  Bulletin  8S7  on  “Raspberry  Culture.” 
This  bulletin  can  be  secured  free-  of  charge  by  ad¬ 
dressing  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washing¬ 
ton,  D.  C. 
The  raspberries  mentioned  by  C.  H.  W.  will  un¬ 
doubtedly  do  better  tied  up  over  Winter,  and  in  the 
Spring  one  of  the  systems  described  can  be  fol¬ 
lowed.  x.  H.  T. 
The  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Department  asks  all 
housekeepers  to  burn  the  Christmas  trees  after  using. 
This  is  to  prevent  the  spread  of  tree  diseases.  These 
trees  are  imported  from  New  England  States,  where 
several  of  such  diseases  prevail.  The  surest  plan  is  to 
bum  them  after.  Santa  Claus  has  played  his  part. 
