294 
Th  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  24,  102:’. 
Boys  and  Girls 
By  Edward  M.  Tuttle 
Come,  now,  all  together,  whatever  your  age, 
And  help  make  a  wonderful  Boys  and  Girls’  Page 
TFe  Have  All  Kinds  of  Fan  Here! 
Picture  Seal  by  Fred  fickle  rider  (12  Years),  New 
York 
In  February 
The  birds  have  been  singing  today, 
And  saying :  “The  Spring  is  near  ! 
The  sun  is  as  warm  as  in  May, 
And  the  deep  blue  heavens  are  ole 
The  little  bird  on  the  boughs 
Of  the  somber  snow-laden  pine 
Thinks :  “Where  shall  I  build  me  my 
house, 
And  how  shall  I  make  it  fine? 
“For  the  season  of  snow  is  past ; 
The  mild  south  wind  is  on  high  ; 
And  the  scent  of  the  Spring  is  cast 
From  his  wings  as  he  hurries  by." 
The  little  birds  twitter  and  cheep 
To  their  loves  on  the  leafless  larch  ; 
But  seven  foot  deep  the  snow-wreaths 
sleep, 
And  the  year  hath  not  worn  to  March. 
By  JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS. 
Sent  by  Daphne  Rose 
New  York.  (S  years. ) 
1923 
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Drawn  by  Andrew  M essick  (15  Years ) 
New  York 
Our  Page  this  month  represents  the 
selection  from  a  great  flood  of  material 
sent  by  the  more  than  400  readers  whose 
names  appear  on  pages  300-301.  In  many 
ways  it  is  one  of  the  best  we  have  ever 
done.  Of  course,  we  all  thank  those 
whose  work  appears  here  for  the  pleasure 
they  give  us.  Your  editor  wants  also  to 
thank  especially  the  many  others  who  have 
helped.  Letter  after  letter  expresses  the 
writer's  good  spirit  and  determination  to 
keep  trying  whether  anything  is  printed 
or  not.  “I  have  again  tried  my  hand  at 
the  drawing,”  writes  one  girl.  “It  isn’t 
very  good,  but  T  like  to  send  them  so  you 
can  really  see  I  tried.  I  wish  I  might 
help  Our  Page  more  than  I  do.”  And  a 
boy  says,  in  his  straightforward  way:  “If 
there  is  anything  I  can  do,  I  want  to  Jo 
it.”  Those  who  are  truly  interested  in 
<  Mir  Page  work  for  the  love  of  it. 
ca  se  o  f  X  e  w 
State.  Look 
New  Orleans, 
spent  there  in 
More  About  Forestry 
How  interesting  and  entertaining  Our 
Page  is!  My  two  sisters  and  my  brother 
enjoy  it  as  much  as  I  do.  and  each  tries 
to  get  it  first.  We  can  hardly  wait  for 
the  end  of  the  month  to  come. 
Harold  Samson,  in  liis  letter  mentioned 
“re-foresting.”  This  country  is  beginning 
to  realize  that  its  lumber  supply — and. 
more  important,  its  water  supply- — will 
soon  give  out  if  close  attention  is  not 
given  to  its  woods,  at  once.  It  is  very 
well  to  say,  “We  need  these,  acres  of 
woodland  cut  down  now  for  this  or  that. 
We  shall  reolaut  after  a  while.”  “After 
our  country  will  out-rival  all  other  coun¬ 
tries  in  this  matter.  But  she  should  start 
while  she  has  something  to  fall  back  on. 
To  change  the  subject — I  go  to  high 
school  and  am  in  the  sophomore  class.  I 
live  three  miles  from  town  on  a  chicken 
farm.  I  like  to  take  care  of  the  chickens. 
We  have  600  White  Leghorns.  I  espe¬ 
cially  like  to  take  care  of  the  baby  chicks. 
We  intend  to  get  2,500  chicks  this  Spring, 
so  that  means  work.  But  it  certainly  is 
a  reward  to  look  at  all  those  white 
chickens  and  think  that  you  helped  to 
grow  them. 
We  have  two  horses,  a  dog  and  a  cat. 
They  certainly  are  pets. 
There  are  quite  a  few  mountains 
around  here  and  I  love  to  climb  them  and 
take  pictures.  I  like  to  do  outdoor  work, 
especially  when  it  comes  to  flower  beds. 
We  hav.  quite  a  few  birds  here,  too.  and 
I  try  to  find  out  their  names,  but  am  not 
always  successful.  I  like  to  take  their 
pictures,  and  also  pictures  of  their  nests. 
As  the  noted  author,  Samuel  Scoville, 
says,  “An  ill-handled  camera  does  not 
leave  any  wounded  and  dying  birds  in  its 
wake  like  a  gun  does.” 
This  letter  is  rather  long,  so,  wishing 
Our  Page  success,  I  will  close. 
CATHERINE  REVERSE X 
Pennsylvania.  (35  years ) . 
Catherine  has  written  a  most  interest¬ 
ing  and  instructive  letter.  She  lives  in 
the  State  where  the  greatest  authority 
America  on  forestry,  Mr.  Gifford 
ests — there  are  other  ways,  too — but  good 
forests  in  proper  places  are  a  very  great 
help  in  this  problem,  as  well  as  being  a 
source  of  a  timber  supply.  Has  anyone 
else  from  any  part  of  the  country  some¬ 
thing  to  add  on  this  forestry  question? 
Peanuts 
In  the  list  of  contributions  “n”  stands 
for  the  correct  answ’er  to  last  month’s 
Drawn  by 
Rebecca  S-pencer 
Maine 
(12  Years ) 
a  while”  is  usually  very  far  off.  Then, 
too.  the  lumbering  contractors  usually 
wish  to  hurry  the  job,  and  as  a  result 
there  is  very,  very  much  waste.  The 
stumps  are  often  as  high  as  three  or  four 
feet.  The  branches  are  cut  off  and  left 
so  that  other  trees  cannot  grow.  When 
the  land  is  cleared  of  trees  it  is  neglected. 
One  need  never  to  go  very  far  from  home 
to  find  this  true. 
Forest  fires!  What  meaning  is  in  that 
word  !  Every  Spring  and  every  Autumn 
there  are  forest  tires  that  amount  to  mil¬ 
lions  of  dollars  loss.  It  is  very  well  to 
build  lookout  stations  so  that  when  a 
fire  starts  it  is  immediately  detected. 
Just  so.  it  is  all  right  to  reforest  so  that 
the  lumber  supply  \v  ill  not  run  low,  but 
the  thing  that  should  receive  most  atten¬ 
tion  is  prevention  of  forest  fires. 
The  trees,  some  kinds,  will  grow  again 
to  maturity  in  25  to  30  years.  But  the 
moss  that  took  300  years  to  grow — the 
moss  that  controls  the  water  supply, 
thick,  soft  moss,  sometimes  over  a  foot 
thick — that  moss  cannot  be  replanted ! 
f Catherine  refers  to  the  deep,  spongy 
leaf-mold  and  mossy  growth  on  the  floor 
of  a  forest. — Editor.] 
Every  man  or  boy  over  10  years  of 
age  can  get  a  gun  and  a  license  for  a 
very  few  dollars.  Then  lie  goes  to  hunt, 
and  with  ill-handled  guns,  lighted  cigar 
and  cigarette  stubs,  will  set  fire  to  thou¬ 
sands  and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
lumber.  Of  course,  this  does  not  refer  to 
everybody. 
I  live  in  Pennsylvania,  but  the  best  in¬ 
stance  that  I  can  give  you  to  show  that 
reforesting  is  necessary,  is  New  York 
City.  New  York  gets  its  water  from  the 
Catskill  Mountains.  Suppose  all  the 
trees  on  these  mountains  and  on  the 
Adiromlacks  were  burned  or  chopped 
down.  New  York  would  have  a  water 
famine;  New  York  Bay  would  become 
a  mud  "uddle.  because  at  the  source  of 
the  Hudson  River  there  would  be  no 
friendly  trees  whose  roots  hold  back  clay 
and  soil.  This  would  then  be  washed 
down  the  river  and  into  the  bay.  Thus 
New  York,  Ihe  best  harbor  in  the  world, 
would  be  ruined. 
This  is  not  merely  the 
York,  but  nearly  every 
what  the  same  thing  did  to 
and  the  work  and  money 
in 
chofi,  has  now’  been  made  Governor, 
has  worked  for  and  talked  about  forest 
conservation  for  many  years.  Gradually, 
more  and  more  people  are  coming  to  un¬ 
derstand,  and  more  and  more  is  being 
done  to  prevent  fires,  to  cut  lumber  with 
the  least  waste,  and  to  plant  new’  forests. 
But  we  have  hardly  made  more  than  a 
start,  as  yet.  Catherine  is  right  about 
the  effect  of  forests  on  water  supplies 
and  river  flows.  The  amount  of  soil  car- 
Nature  Puzzle.  You  will  see  how  many 
readers  knew  that  the  peanut  plant  was 
Pin-  what  Mary  Soutliwick  hajl  in  mind.  Let’s 
He  make  room  for  a  few  of  the  letters : 
I  think  the  answer  to  “What  Is  It?” 
is  a  peanut  plant.  I  live  in  New  York 
State  and  we  do  not  raise  peanuts.  But 
my  grandpa  lives  in  Arkansas,  and  he 
raises  peanuts  and  cotton.  I  saw  them 
grow’  while  I  was  visting  there.  I  like 
to  visit  Arkansas  because  they  raise  so 
many  thing  down  there  that  we  do.  not 
raise  up  here.  This  is  the  first  time  I 
have  ever  written  to  the  Boys’  and  Girls’ 
Page,  but  I  read  it  every  month. 
New  York.  lura  Randolph 
(8  years). 
Feeding  the  Birds 
Drawn  in  Pencil  by  Paula  Hartfiel 
Years),  New  Hampshire 
I  am  sure  the  answer  to  the  “What  Is 
It?”  is  the  peanut.  Peanuts  grow  best 
in  the  Southern  States,  but  can  be  grown 
in  Maryland  and  West  Virginia.  They 
should  be  planted  in  loose,  sandy  soil. 
The  soil  should  be  kept  loose,  especially 
after  the  plant  comes  into  bloom.  Tl:e 
plant  has  a  low,  bushy  form,  and  the 
leaves  resemble  clover.  The  bloom  is 
yellow.  The  stem  of  each  bloom  that 
grows  down  into  the  soil  forms  a  peanut. 
The  peanuts  should  be  left  under  the  soil 
until  frost  threatens ;  then  they  should 
be  dug  and  thoroughly  dried  before  stor¬ 
ing.  HATTIE  WHITMAN. 
'West  Virginia. 
(U 
ried  away  by  rivers  is  astonishing,  and 
when  we  realize  that  it  is  always  the 
finest,  richest,  top  soil,  it  is  alarming.  If 
your  editor  remembers  correctly,  he  has 
recently  seen  a  statement  that  each  year 
the  Mississippi  River  carries  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  enough  soil  to  cover  267 
I  think  the  answer  to  the  Nature  Puz¬ 
zle  is  “Peanut.”  The  peanut  is  a  plant 
of  the  pea  family,  and  produces  a  nut-like 
pod  under  ground.  The  plant  is  a  native 
of  Brazil,  but.  is  cultivated  in  warm  cli¬ 
mates  the  w’orld  over.  There  are  different 
kinds — the  ■Spanish,  the  white,  and  the 
red.  The  Spanish  peanuts  are  much 
smaller  than  the  others,  but  are  very 
sweet.  We  raised  some  of  the  Spanish 
one  year  and  wre  were  very  successful. 
order  to  keep  it  a  harbor.  This  is  just 
because  there  are  not  enough  trees  up  the 
river  and  all  its  tributaries. 
Foreign  countries  (at  leaM  before  the 
war),  looked  after  their  forests  very 
carefully.  At  the  World’s  Columbian 
Exposition  in  1893,  Germany’s  contribu¬ 
tion  was  a  miniature  model  of  the  way 
forestry  is  carried  on  there.  It  was  like 
a  little  forest.  There  were  80  squares. 
One  year  one  square  was  planted ;  the 
next  year  another,  etc.  When  the  last 
square  was  planted  the  firsr  could  be  cut 
and  replanted.  That  meant  that  they 
used  hardv  trees  which  took  80  years  to 
mature. 
Of  course.  Europe  is  a  much  older 
country  than  the  United  States,  and 
therefore  feels  greater  need  for  reforest¬ 
ing.  I  am  sure  there  will  be  a  time  when 
c<?  £ 
TIic  Boys  Have  a  Little  Fun  at  Recess 
Drawn  in  Pencil  by  Irene  Gorr  (12  Years),  New  York 
acres  of  land  100  feet  deep.  Y'ou  know 
from  your  own  farms  how  much  an  acre 
or  a  hundred  acres  is.  Try  to  picture 
this  tremendous  pile  of  material,  and 
think  of  the  loss  to  the  farms  away  back 
in  the  river  basin.  We  call  this  washing 
away  of  soil  erosion.  Of  course,  not  Jill 
erosion  can  be  checked  by  planting  for- 
Drawn  by  Gertrude  Matthews  (Hi  Years),  Rhode  Island 
They  are  planted  in  early  Spring.  The 
nuts  ripen  in  October.  The  dirt  is 
loosened  around  the  plant.  It  is  then 
gently  pulled  and  put  into  shocks  and 
left  for  a  few  weeks.  The  pods  are  then 
pulled  and  sent  to  market,  where  we  can 
buy  them  raw  or  roasted.  We  always 
buy  the  raw’  ones  and  roast  them  at 
home.  They  seem  to  taste  better  and  are 
not  so  likely  to  be  burned.  Enclosed  you 
will  find  a  drawing  of  the  peanut.  I  hope 
it  will  be  published ;  if  not,  I  will  try 
again.  hattie  kussf.ix. 
New  York. 
Even  if  peanuts  will  not  often  mature 
in  Northern  gardens,  it  is  interesting  to 
raise  a  few  for  study.  No  other  plant 
grows  in  the  same  manner.  The  yellow, 
pea-like  blossoms  are  on  slender  stems 
above  ground,  near  the  base  of  the  stalk 
After  the  blossoms  fade,  the  stems,  called 
“nut-pegs,”  turn  and  push  down  into  the 
