714 
May  12.  1!)23 
Jht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Sorts 
All 
A  Proposed  New  Stone  Picker 
Every  year  we  have  inquiries  about  a 
stone  picker;  some  machine  is  wanted 
that  will  pick  up  stones  and  save  the 
backache  and  sore  lingers  which  picking 
stones  by  hand  means.  Several  people 
have  sent  us  models  of  a  proposed  picker, 
but  they  were  either  not  strong  enough 
or  cost  too  much  for  the  average  farmer. 
Last  year  we  printed  a  picture  of  such  a 
machine  used  in  Central  Europe.  It 
seems  to  be  practical,  although  of  course 
we  could  not  tell  just  how  it  would  work. 
Our  readers  have  mentioned  many  de¬ 
vices  for  aiding  this  work.  In  one  case 
a  reader  who  worked  a  large  stony  farm 
took  a  discarded  steel  rail  from  a  rail¬ 
road,  fastened  a  team  at  each  end  and 
dragged  it  over  the  field.  This  acted 
roughly  to  push  the  stones  together  into 
piles,  from  which  they  were  later  thrown 
into  a  wagon  or  on  a  stoneboat.  Then 
some  farmers  have  sometimes  used  a  pair 
of  oyster  tongs ;  these  work  on  the 
principle  of  hooks  which  run  underground 
mud.  In  other  cases  home  tools  have 
been  made  on  the  principle  of  the  old- 
fashioned  weeder  or  hayrake ;  these  rake 
many  of  the  stones  together,  where  they 
may  be  picked  up. 
We  understand  that  a  new  machine  is 
now  coming  on  the  market  designed  to 
pick  up  the  stones  and  deliver  them  either 
into  a  hopper,  or,  if  power  is  supplied, 
into  a  wagon.  The  picture  of  the  model 
of  this  machine  is  shown  at  Fig.  270.  The 
theory  upon  which  this  works  is  that  at 
the  back  there  are  arranged  strong  teeth 
or  rakes,  arranged  much  like  the  common 
hayrake ;  these  scoop  up  the  stones ; 
then,  as  shown  in  picture,  a  set  of  four 
other  rakes  are  mounted  on  the  axle  of 
the  machine  and  revolve  forward  with 
the  wheel.  As  the  rakes  revolve  they  lift 
the  stones  from  the  main  rake  and  carry 
them  over  the  top  of  the  machine,  dump¬ 
ing  them  into  the  hopper  or  box  which 
rides  behind.  The  principle  upon  which 
this  works  is  thus  easy  to  understand, 
and  it  is  said  that  two  good  horses  can 
pull  this  machine  until  it  fills  a  five-bushel 
box  or  hopper.  With  a  strong  tractor  it 
would  be  possible  to  fix  up  an  elevator 
and  load  the  stones  direct  upon  the 
wagon.  It  is  proposed  to  make  several 
sizes ;  one  small  enough  to  work  in  garden 
culture  and  others  large  enough  to  require 
a  tractor  to  pull  them.  Such  a  machine 
would  probably  be  too  expensive  for  the 
average  farmer  to  use  for  stone-picking 
alone.  It  might  be  used  for  community 
purposes,  like  a  buzz-saw,  a  thrashing 
machine  or  a  stone-crusher,  but  it  can  be 
used  for  other  purposes  besides  picking 
up  stones.  The  picture  at  Fig.  271 
shows  the  machine  can  also  be  used  for 
fitting  the  land.  In  this  case  the  stone 
hopper  is  taken  off  and  a  roller  fastened 
behind.  The  rakes  originally  used  to 
pick  up  stones  will  then  serve  as  a  har¬ 
row.  tearing  up  the  ground,  while  the 
roller  following  will  smooth  and  fit  the 
land. 
hog 
fed, 
Our 
and 
crop  is  light.  This  is  a  corn  and 
section.  When  the  corn  is  soft,  it  is 
and  the  hog  turns  it  into  profit, 
hard  corn  tops  the  market.  Wheat 
oats  are  rotation  crops.  Clover  is  grown 
abundantly,  and  the  farmers  have  found 
it  often  pays  better  to  turn  under  a  field 
of  clover  for  fertilizer  than  to  harvest  the 
hay.  We  fatten  beef  cattle  from  the 
Western  plains.  Dairying  receives  more 
attention  of  late.  Potatoes  on  our  black 
dirt  seem  to  be  a  failure.  Practically 
no  attention  is  given  fruit  in  our  immedi- 
vicinity ;  we  buy  a  pound,  a  bushel  or  a 
barrel  of  apples.  One  Fall  and 
and  Spring  we  spent  in  New 
“Grandpa”  and  “Dawty.” 
children  learned  real  fruit.  .  Of  course, 
they  remained  loyal  to  Illinois,  as  I  pre¬ 
fer  they  should,  but  they  found^  new  ^hap- 
piness  in  the  orchards.  ’  ‘  ’ 
hills  of  the  Empire 
Winter 
York  with 
Then  our 
the  fields  and  the 
State.  The  little 
ning  and  Curing  of  Meats,”  issued  by 
the  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station. 
Can  meats  while  they  are  fresh. 
Enough  time  should  be  allowed  for  the 
meat  to  cool  thoroughly  after  the  animal 
has  been  slaughtered.  Cut  the  meat  into 
convenient-sized  pieces  for  packing  into 
the  jars.  Pack  the  raw  meat  into  steril¬ 
ized  jars,  fill  jars  to  within  one  inch  of 
the  top,  add  a  level  teaspoon  of  salt,  to  a 
quart  jar,  and  place  the  jar  ring.  Fill 
jar  to  within  one-half  inch  of  top  with 
boiling  water  and  partly  seal  (water  may 
be  omitted  if  you  desire).  Process  for 
the  length  of  time  given  below  for  the 
particular  type  of  outfit  used.  In  boil¬ 
ing  water  wash  boilers,  etc.,  three  hours, 
water  Seal  eanner  two  hours.  Steam 
pressure  eanner  at  10  lbs.  pressure  one 
hour.  This  recipe  may  be  used  for  can¬ 
ning  beef,  pork,  mutton,  lamb  or  veal. 
Roast  Meats. — Select  a  piece  of  meat 
for  roasting,  trim  and  wipe  with  a  damp 
cloth.  Have  a  pan  ready  with  some  hot 
grease  in  it.  Put  in  the  meat  and  sear 
quickly  on  all  sides  to  prevent  the  loss 
of  the  meat  juices  while  cooking.  Sprin¬ 
kle  with  salt  and  pepper  to  taste;  add 
.1  Xeio  Style  of  Stone  Picker.  Fig.  .i'O 
brooks  of  Illinois  are  run  underground 
through  tiles,  and  plowing  goes  on  above 
them,  so  we  have  no  fish  streams  near  at 
hand.  Our  little  lad  was  delighted  to 
trudge  off  with  his  grandfather  to  fish  in 
the  Ashokau  Reservoir,  and  it  is  the 
more  touching  as  fishing  days  for  that 
grandfather  are  now  ended.  A.  n.  G. 
Warren  Co.,  Ill. 
some  boiling  water  to  the  grease 
pan  and  roast  until  the  meat  is 
The  Home-canning  of  Meat 
Any  housewife  who  has  become  profi¬ 
cient  in  the  canning  of  vegetables  should 
be  able  to  can  meat  without  difficulty. 
The  canning  outfit  with  which  she  is 
Illinois  Notes 
I  have  lived  in  Illinois  15  years.  We 
me  in  the  military  tract — the  corn  belt. 
1  like  the  people  and  the  climate,  and 
farming  here  is  comparatively  easy.  Our 
neighbors  are  energetic  and  prosperous, 
hut  Work  as  an  Eastern  farmer  knows  it 
is  a  stranger  to  them.  The  fields  are 
level  and  smooth,  and  we  use  riding  im¬ 
plements.  The  oldest  families  here  came 
from  Kentucky.  We  have  a  number  of 
Pennsylvania  folks,  some  Canadian  and 
<ome  Swedish  people.  Many  came  first  as 
young  men  to  work,  then  they  rented 
farms  and  later  bought.  In  these  days 
of  $800  land,  though,  it  is  difficult  to  buy. 
Taxes  in  the  country  are  $1.25  on  first- 
class  land.  Near  the  small  villages  the 
taxes  are  $2  per  acre,  and  if  you  are 
fortunate  or  unfortunate  enough  to  be 
near  a  high  school  village,  you  may  have 
to  pav  $5  an  acre.  Good  farms  adjoining 
a  city  of  25,000  population  pay  $S  and 
810  an  acre  tax.  Taking  one  year  with 
another,  a  reliable  renter  hesitates  to 
buv  more  than  $10  per  acre  cash  rent. 
Our  Winters  are  seldom  severe,  and 
last  Winter  was  unusually  mild.  How¬ 
ever,  it  was  hard  on  the  Avheat.  Not 
enough  snow  fell  to  keep  the  ground  cov¬ 
ered.  and  rains  froze  on  the  fields.  This 
Spring,  when  the  thaws  came,  there  were 
also  heavy  winds  that  further  loosened 
and  lifted  the  wheat  roots.  Some  farm¬ 
ers  replanted.  We  have  70  acres  in  wheat, 
and  we  let  it  stand,  sowing  clover  over  it 
the  last  of  March.  The  clover  will  prob¬ 
ably  make  a  better  growth  if  the  wheat 
the  Stone  Picker  is  Used  us  Harrow  and  /toiler.  Pig.  27 1 
Soup  Stock.  (New  Jersey  Bulletin).— 
Strip  off  the  fat  and  meat  from  25  lbs. 
of  beef  hocks,  joints  and  bones  conta.n- 
ing  marrow.  Reserve  meat  and  fat  for 
other  uses.  Crack  bones  with  a  cleaver 
or  hatchet  and  place  them  in  a  large 
kettle  containing  five  gallons  of  water. 
Simmer  six  or  seven  hours.  Remove 
bones;  skim  off  all  fat  and  salt  to  taste. 
While  hot  pour  into  sterilized  jars,  place 
rubber  and  lid,  partially  seal  and  process 
for  two  hours  in  washboiler  outfit  or 
three-fourths  hour  at  10  lbs.  steam  pres¬ 
sure. 
Canned  Vegetable  Soup. — You  will 
need  10  gallons  water,  10  gallons  soup 
stock,  ]|).  diced  carrots,  2  lbs.  diced 
turnips,  2%  lbs.  diced  potatoes,  2  lbs. 
canned  or  fresh  corn,  1  lb.  canned  peas, 
1  lb.  canned  Lima  beans,  1  lb.  3  oz.  rice. 
2  lbs.  canned  tomatoes,  14  lb.  salt  and 
1%  oz.  white  pepper.  Pour  the  10  gal¬ 
lons  of  water  in  a  kettle,  add  the  car¬ 
rots  and  turnips  and  cook  30  minutes. 
Add  the  rest  of  the  vegetables,  not  canned, 
and  cook  20  minutes  more.  Add  the  rest 
of  the  ingredients  and  bring  to  a  brisk 
boil.  Fill  into  cans  while  hot.  Process 
50  minutes  at  10  lbs.  steam  pressure  or 
two  hours  in  wash-boiler  outfit. 
MRS.  F.  WILLIAM  STILLMAN. 
In  the 
nicely 
browned  ami  cooked  sufficiently  not  to  be 
red  in  the  center.  Slice  and  pack  in  jars 
to  within  one  inch  of  top  of  jar.  Add 
boiling  water  to  the  gravy  in  the  roast¬ 
ing  pan  and  pour  over  the  meat  until  it 
is  covered  but  the  jar  not  entirely  full. 
Process  for  00  minutes  at  15  lbs.  steam 
pressure,  or  according  to  the  above  table 
for  other  outfits. 
Hungarian  Goulash. — You  will  need  2 
lbs.  meat,  two  ounces  fat,  two  onions 
(chopped  fine),  one  carrot  (finely  sliced), 
one  stalk  of  celery  cut  in  small  pieces, 
one  pint  tomatoes,  one  bay  leaf,  six  whole 
most  familiar  will  be  the  best  one  for  her 
to  use,  but  where  possible  a  steam  pres¬ 
sure  eanner  will  prove  the  easiest  to  han¬ 
dle.  They  are  not  overly  expensive,  and 
the  saving  in  time  and  fuel  in  canning 
makes  them  especially  valuable.  .  It  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  in  canning  meat 
to  observe  absolute  cleanliness  in  han¬ 
dling  the  meat,  and  to  use  only,  such 
products  as  come  from  healthy  animals, 
butchered  and  prepared  in  a  sanitary 
manner.  ,  _  . 
Any  type  of  jar  that  can  be  sealed  air¬ 
tight  may  be  used.  This  will  not  mean 
that  new  jars  must  be  purchased,,  for 
meats  are  usually  canned  in  the  Winter 
when  the  empty  fruit  and  vegetable  jars 
may  be  utilized. 
Meat  may  be  put  in  jar  raw,  or  it  may 
be  roasted,  broiled  or  stewed  and  sea¬ 
soned  before  canning.  Hams,  rounds 
and  shoulders  may  be  roasted  ;  the  neck, 
flank  and  other  cheaper  cuts  may  be  used 
for  stews  or  Hungarian  goulash ;  the 
head  should  be  used  for  soup  stock,  or 
as  in  the  case  of  a  young  calf,  it  should 
be  made  into  mock  turtle  soup.  The 
liver  can  be  sliced  and  fried  with  onions 
and  canned.  All  bones,  both  raw  and 
cooked,  can  be  used  in  making  soujl 
stock.  Our  favorite  recipe  is  the  follow¬ 
ing.  taken  from  a  bulletin.  “Home  Can- 
cut 
the 
the 
Repelling  Crows 
If  your  readers  will  follow  my  rule  for 
crows  they  will  not  have  to  resort  to 
twine  or  paper,  which  does  not  do  much 
good  anyway.  I  have  grown  corn  in 
large  quantities  for  many  years,  and  this 
is  my  way :  Tar  the  corn  very  lightly 
by  dampening  it  with  hot  water  and  stir¬ 
ring  in  gas  tar,  not  too  thick.  When  it. 
is  mixed  so  each  kernel  is  about  half 
covered  with  tar,  put  in  a  teaspoonful  of 
Paris  green  to  each  peck  of  seed,  and 
continue  stirring  until  each  kernel  is 
fully  covered.  If  not  too  much  tar  is 
used,  it  can  be  dried  in  the  sun  in  a  day 
or  two  so  it.  will  work  in  a  machine. 
No  fear  of  killing  crows.  They  are  too 
wise.  They  will  sample  a  few  kernels 
and  quit  that  field  for  good. 
Massachusetts.  edw.  s.  ki  lts. 
Crows  and  Tarred  Corn 
I  note  what  you  say  in  regard  to  tar¬ 
ring  corn  to  prevent  crows  pulling  on 
page  580.  You  say  it  does  not  work  well 
in  a  planter.  I  should  not  expect  it  to 
if  if  were  dusted  with  anything.  Our 
method  is  to  use  a  liberal  tablespoonful 
to  a  peck  of  shelled  corn.  First  winnow 
the  corn  to  get  rid  of  all  chaff,  then  put 
in  a  convenient-sized  box  and  add  the 
tablespoonful  of  tar,  mixing  it  thoroughly 
with  a  wooden  paddle.  If  the  corn  does 
not  appear  black  enough,  add  more.  Then 
spread  this  corn  thinly  in  shallow  boxes 
and  set  in  the  sun  to  dry,  stirring  once 
or  twice  a  day.  It  won’t  take  longer 
than  two  days.  After  drying  this  corn  it 
will  pass  readily  through  a  hand  or  horse 
planter.  I  have  never -seen  any  delayed 
germination  due  to  use  of  tar.  We  plant 
10  to  14  acres  of  tarred  corn  annually, 
both  with  hand  and  horse  planter.  There 
is  one  point  to  be  cautious  of ;  don’t  use 
so  much  tar  as  wholly  to  blacken  the  ker¬ 
nels,  as  it  fakes  too  long  to  dry  it.  and  if 
damp  weather  occurs  just  before  planting 
is  apt  to  stick  together. 
I  agree  with  you  ;  one  year  our  tarred 
corn  was  pulled,  but  it  seems  the  particu¬ 
lar  crows  were  the  so-called  “Southern 
tar-heels”  that  care  little  whether  corn  is 
tarred  or  not.  This  happened  only  once 
in  35  years,  so  I  would  take  my  chances 
on  the  tar.  it.  J. 
Connecticut. 
cloves,  six  peppercorns,  one  blade  mace, 
one  pinch  of  thyme,  one  tablespoon  finely 
chopped  parsley,  salt  and  pepper  to 
taste,  paprika  to  taste  and  a  little  flour. 
Cut  meat  into  one-inch  squares  and  sprin¬ 
kle  with  flour,  salt  and  pepper.  Melt  fat 
in  frying  pan,  add  onions,  carrot  and 
celery  and  brown  lightly  ;  add  meat  and 
brown,  but  do  not  scorch.  When  browned 
put  into  a  stewpan  and  add  tomatoes  and 
spices,  the  latter  tied  in  a  little  cheese¬ 
cloth  bag.  Cover  with  water  and  sim¬ 
mer  45  minutes.  Remove  spices  and  add 
salt,  pepper  and  paprika  to  taste,  and 
add  the  parsley.  Fill  in  sterilized  jars 
and  process  as  for  roast  meats. 
Canned  Roast  Chicken. — Prepare  the 
chickens  for  roasting.  Place  giblets  in  a 
saucepan  and  cook  slowly  while  the 
chickens  are  roasting.  For  each  chicken 
two  slices  of  bacon  and  place  under 
chickens  in  the  roasting  pan.  Cover 
bottom  of  the  pans  with  water  in 
which  a  little  salt  has  been  dissolved. 
Roast  in  hot  oven  one  to  1%  hours.  Re¬ 
move  bones  from  the  chickens ;  pack  meat 
in  jars  to  within  one  inch  of  the.  top. 
Make  a  gravy  of  the  grease  and  liquid 
in  the  pans;  add  giblets,  cut  in.  small 
pieces,  and  pour  over  the  meat  m  the 
jars,  and  process  as  for  other  roast 
meats. 
Some  Cheap  Paints 
Referring  to  article  on  page  3G4,  asking 
any  reader  about  using  crude  oil  for  stain¬ 
ing  buildings,  it  answers  the  purpose  very 
well  for  a  few  years.  For  staining  use 
about  one  tablespoon  of  Japan  dryer  to 
one  gallon  of  crude  oil,  and  whatever 
color  desired,  but  do  not  make  it  as  thick 
and  heavy  as  paint  is,  and  apply  two 
coats.  That  is  far  better  than  creosote, 
as  creosote  wears  off  from  shingles.  They 
get  punky  and  soon  decay,  and  if  you 
want  to  paint  the  building  after  once  creo¬ 
sote  has  been  used,  it  will  never  stay  on, 
whereas  you  can  paint  any  time  after 
using  crude  oil.  That  is  a  cheap  way  of 
painting  buildings.  Here  is  another  recipe 
that  will  cost  very  little.  I  used  it  once 
on  my  old  farm  buildings,  until  I  could 
afford  to  buy  lead  and  iinseed  oil:  Get 
some  lime  and  plaster  of  Paris.  Slake 
lime  first,  and  to  a  10-qt.  pail  add  1  lb. 
of  melted  glue.  Pour  that  into  the.  lime 
while  hot;  then  add  one-half  of  the 
amount  of  plaster  to  the  lime  and  glue. 
Stir  well  and  thin  down  so  it  will  spread 
easily,  as  paint  will.  That  makes  a  very 
white  job,  and  will  last  at  least  three 
years.  If  you  wish  to  have  a  different 
color,  you  can  add  in  the  required  colors 
to  suit,  but  use  them  dry  and.  not  ground 
in  oil. 
Here  is  another  one:  Get  good  cow’s- 
milk  and  stir  in  cement  enough  to  have 
it  as  heavy  as  paint,  put  in  the  colors  to 
suit,  and  stir  it  up  every  few  minutes 
while  using,  and  you  will  have  a  paint 
that  will  last  a  few  years.  As  prices  on 
lead  and  oil  are  very  high  again,  I  suggest 
these  receipts  to  anyone  who  cannot  af¬ 
ford  to  buy  paint.  I’ve  been  in  the  paint¬ 
ing  business  for  42  years,  and  know  the 
tricks  in  the  trade.  Some  paints  that  are 
used  nowadays  are  not  worth  using,  as 
they  peel  off  in  less  than  two  years. 
Connecticut.  A  L. 
