The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
871 
used  with  the  buckwheat  there  seems  to  he  a  better 
stand  if  the  crop  can  be  cut  and  cured  for  hay, 
rather  than  to  let  it  go  for  grain.  In  some  cases 
a  mixture  of  buckwheat,  rye  and  Alsike  clover  or 
Crimson  clover  can  be  seeded  together.  The  buck¬ 
wheat  makes  a  thick  heavy  growth  to  begin  with, 
quite  hiding  the  clover  and  rye.  The  buckwheat  is 
either  cut  for  hay  or  forage  or  matures  for  grain. 
After  the  buckwheat  comes  off  the  ground  the  rye 
and  clover  start  up  and  occupy  the  land  through  the 
Fall,  and  in  the  Spring  there  is  a  heavy  crop  of 
rye.  Of  course,  in  order  to  make  this  combination 
grow  perfectly,  the  land  must  be  in  good  shape  and 
well  manured  or  fertilized,  and  the  season  must  be 
fairly  moist  in  order  to  carry  this  combination 
through.  In  a  dry  season  the  rye  would  have  a 
poor  chance  with  the  buckwheat.  Where,  however, 
there  is  an  .abundance  of  moisture  all  three  crops 
will  come  on  in  time.  Handled  in  some  of  these 
combinations  buckwheat  is  a  very  handy  crop  to 
grow,  and  we  think  that  many  farmers  might  make 
a  greater  use  of  it  than  they  do. 
Do  Not  Junk  the  Sprayer  Yet 
HAVE  read  with  great  interest  E.  W.  Mitchell’s 
article  on  dusting,  which  concluded  on  page 
799.  I  know  Mr.  Mitchell,  and  there  is  no  question 
that  he  raises  good  fruit,  but  in  an  entirely  friendly 
sort  of  way  I  wish  to  point  out  some  weak  points 
in  his  figures  on  spraying.  Of  course  I  have  no 
-means  of  knowing  what  kind  of  sprayer  Mr. 
Mitchell  has  or  who  does  his  spraying,  but  it  cer¬ 
tainly  must  lack  axle  grease  to  require  a  $1,500 
tractor  to  draw  it  around  the  orchard. 
Three  of  us  clubbed  together  and  bought,  a  spray 
rig  for  around  $600.  My  team,  which  cost  $150 
two  years  ago,  finds  no  difficulty  in  drawing  it  all 
day  and  are  not  nearly  as  tired  at  night  as  after 
a  day  of  mowing.  Together  we  have  about  2.700 
fruit  trees  of  bearing  age,  and  we  can  and  do  spray 
these  orchards  in  three  days.  We  figure  eight  200- 
gallon  tanks  as  a  day’s  work,  but  could  easily  ex¬ 
tend  this  to  10  tanks  if  the  occasion  demanded. 
Mr.  Mitchell  may  use  11  gallons  of  spray  per 
tree  on  25-year-old  Baldwins,  and  I  presume  it  is 
possible  to  use  50  gallons  per  tree,  but  I  don't 
think  this  is  necessary.  I  find  with  a  pressure  of 
325  to  350  lbs.  per  square  inch  a  very  fine  mist  is 
generated,  which  is  as  fine  as  or  finer  than  the  best 
dust.  On  35-year-old  Baldwin  trees  I  find  that  five 
gallons  of  spray  properly  applied  will  give  as  good 
results  as  five  times  that  amount  used  to  water  the 
tree.  I  spray  both  sides  of  the  leaves,  first  from 
above,  then  from  underneath  the  tree.  The  control 
on  the  spray  gun  is  put  there  to  be  used,  although 
you  would  never  know  it  to  watch  many  fruit  grow¬ 
ers  spraying. 
With  a  self-filler  it  takes  us  seven  minutes  to  fill 
a  200-gallon  tank,  30  to  35  minutes  to  spray  it  out 
with  two  guns,  and  20  minutes  on  an  average  to 
make  the  round  trip  to  the  orchard  and  return.  The 
materials  are  measured  out  and  waiting  when  the 
rig  arrives  in  the  orchard. 
With  one  spray  rig,  one  team  and  three  men  we 
spray  20  acres  of  apples  in  full  bearing  in  one  day. 
It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Mitchell  can  dust  400  acres 
from  both  sides  in  a  day.  I  have  never  dusted,  and 
I  don’t  know. 
For  the  big  grower  there  is  no  question  that  a 
duster  is  a  valuable  addition  to  his  equipment,  but 
for  anyone  growing  less  than  1,000  barrels  of  fruit  it 
is  still  an  open  question.  He  must  have  a  spray 
rig  in  any  case  for  his  dormant  spray,  and  if  he 
grows  pears,  there  is  a  very  grave  doubt  as  to  his 
duster  controlling  tlirips  and  psylla. 
Dusting  is  still  in  its  infancy,  and  a  rapid  de¬ 
velopment  along  that  line  may  be  looked  for  during 
the  next  five  years.  We  don’t  want  to  junk  the  old 
spray  rig  until  we  have  far  more  careful  experi¬ 
mental  data  along  that  line  than  we  have  at  present. 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.  theodore  e.  gaty,  jr. 
Feeding  Grain  in  the  Sheaf 
HAT  about  this  plan  of  feeding  grain  in  the 
sheaf  to  hens?  There  are  many  poultry 
farms  where  small  grain  might  be  given  to  advan¬ 
tage,  while  corn  would  require  too  much  hand  labor. 
Why  spend  time  and  money  thrashing  wheat,  oats 
or  barley,  when  the  hens  can  do  it  themselves  ?  Why 
not  feed  grain  in  the  sheaf  and  thus  give  grain  and 
litter  at  one  shot?  There  is  quite  an  argument  over 
this.  The  following  reply  to  the  question  is  a  sen¬ 
sible  statement : 
Some  few  years  ago  we  tried  allowing  our  birds  to 
t  brash  out  wheat  and  oats,  and  found  several  aspects 
that  more  than  offset  the  advantages.  In  the  first  place, 
in  the  oats  we  feuud  a  tendency  to  mold,  and  instead  of 
placing  enough  of  the  straw  at  one  time  we  had  to  re¬ 
plenish  at  least  three  times  a  week,  and  on  our  large 
farm  the  cost  of  handling  was  greater  than  the  saving. 
For  a  one  or  two-pen  proposition  I  can  see  a  benefit  if 
the  litter  is  kept  positively  dry,  and  as  you  well  know, 
many  poultrymen  are  careless  in  this  matter.  As  to  the 
wheat,  I  would  not  try  it  as  (speaking  again  on  a  large 
farm  project)  we  spread  the  moth  over  our  buildings 
This  is  an  apple  tree  growing  in  a  front  yard  at  Hall, 
N.  Y.  It  looks  as  though  the  wind  might  have  trouble 
in  uprooting  it,  and  a  leg  or  two  spared  to  the  mice  or 
jac-krabbits  for  them  to  chew  at  would  hardly  be  missed. 
At  least,  if  those  miserable  pests  insisted  upon  chewing 
up  the  whole  thing,  they  might  get  an  acute  attack  of 
indigestion  before  they  could  get  around  it  all.  u.  b.  t. 
and  had  to  fumigate  a  number  of  times.  I  kept  vermin 
out  that  year  by  inclosing  in  the  granary  a  wire  room 
fo'r  both  oats  and  wheat,  using  a  half-inch  heavy  gal¬ 
vanized  wire  netting;  in  fact,  upon  second  thought,  It 
was  a  quarter  inch  square,  inclosed  across  rafters,  floor 
and  sides.  I  was  not  troubled  in  storage,  but  was  iu  all 
pens ;  never  saw  so  many  rats  and  mice  in  my  experi¬ 
ence.  Personally,  I  would  not  advocate,  as  I  said  be¬ 
fore,  ou  a  large  farm,  this  system,  as  the  danger  as 
well  as  expense  is  too  great.  The  system,  unless  under 
very  careful  handling,  will  make  for  carelessness,  and 
we  may  not  have  the  cleanliness  so  desired.  I  tried 
several  pens  with  bundles  hung  up  just  high  enough  for 
birds  to  reach  by  effort,  and  that  worked  better  than  on 
the  floor,  as  they  would  knock  always  some  down,  and 
it  gave  them  plenty  of  exercise,  but  I  had  to  watch 
An  Attractive  Douryurd.  Fig.  3^1 
the  men,  so  it  was  replenished  from  time  to  time. 
Pennsylvania.  frank  s.  barr. 
The  chief  objection  which  most  of  our  readers 
have  urged  against  the  plan  is  that  when  such  grain 
is  put  in  stack  or  mow  the  rats  and  mice  work  into 
it  and  spoil  large  quantities.  Here  is  a  note  on  that 
side  of  it: 
There  are  several  very  good  galvanized  iron  corneribs 
ready-made  in  sections ;  all  that  is  needed  is  a  good 
cement  floor  or  foundation  to  which  cornerib  is  bolted. 
These  are  stamped  for  ventilation,  but  are  absolutely 
rat  and  mouse-proof.  It  seems  to  me  these  would 
answer  the  purpose  for  the  storing  of  small  grains  in 
bundles.  H.  e.  rouse. 
Virginia. 
_ > _ 
A  Case  of  Accident  Compensation 
My  leg  was  broken  last  July  when  moving  a  building. 
The  man  for  whom  I  was  doing  the  work  got  a  couple 
of  chains  that  were  no  good.  lie  got  these  chains  all 
wired  up.  There  were  five  of  us  on  the  job  at  the  time. 
He  paid  the  doctor’s  bill  of  $30,  and  will  not  make  any 
settlement  in  other  way.  I  think  I  should  have  com¬ 
pensation,  as  I  am  a  poor  man  with  a  family  to  support 
by  my  labor.  f.  S.  s. 
New  York. 
ROM  the  statements  made  in  the  letter  it  would 
appear  that  you  are  entitled  to  compensation.  The 
first  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  write  the  office  of  the 
Industrial  Commissioner,  State  Labor  Department, 
at  Buffalo.  Notify  them  of  this  accident,  giving  the 
date  and  other  particulars,  and  ask  for  the  neces¬ 
sary  blanks  which  must  be  filled  out.  You  should  do 
this  at  once,  because  the  law  requires  that  an  acci¬ 
dent  must  be  reported  and  the  claim  made  for  cpm- 
pensation  within  a  year,  or  otherwise  it  is  outlawed. 
The  Department  of  Labor  will  tell  you  what  further 
to  do  after  making  out  your  blanks  and  application. 
On  receipt  of  your  notice  a  case  wall  be  made  up  and 
placed  upon  a  calendar  for  a  hearing  which  will  be 
given  as  near  to  where  you  live  as  possible.  The 
Department  of  Labor  has  branch  offices  in  New 
York,  Albany,  Syracuse,  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  the 
State  being  divided  into  five  zones,  or  districts.  In 
case  of  accident  you  should  write  to  the  branch  office 
nearest  your  home.  At  each  of  these  places  there 
are  stationed  referees  who  pass  upon  compensation 
claims.  Hearings  are  held  and  an  effoi’t  is  made  to 
adjust  these  cases  fairly.  An  application  should  be 
made  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  acfcident  occurs. 
That  will  hasten  the  case,  for,  as  stated  above,  un¬ 
less  the  application  is  made  within  one  year  of  the 
date  of  the  accident  the  claim  will  be  outlawed. 
There  have  been  so  many  calls  for  information  about: 
this  that  we  make  this  general  statement.  - 
Wife’s  Right  in  Property 
WE  shall  evidently  have  to  try  to  make  this 
question  of  wife  ownership  in  property  clear. 
Nearly  every  day  we  have  questions  like  the  follow¬ 
ing  :  Man  and  woman  are  married  and  start  life  on  a 
farm.  The  woman  has  some  little  money,  earned  by 
teaching  or  some  other  employment,  and  she  has 
other  little  sums  of  money  coming  as  legacies.  Anx¬ 
ious  to  help  gain  a  home,  she  turns  this  money  over 
to  her  husband  to  buy  land  and  equipment.  The 
husband  invests  it,  and  has  the  deed  of  ownership 
made  out  in  his  own  name.  They  both  feel  such  con¬ 
fidence  in  each  other  that  such  ownership  seems 
right  and  proper.  The  Avoman  works  hard,  and  is 
glad  to  have  her  savings  go  into  the  home.  Children 
are  born  to  them  and  the  years  leave  their  mark. 
Work,  worry  and  child-bearing  reduce  the  AA'ife’s 
vitality.  She  is  no  longer  attractive.  The  struggle 
for  a  home  is  ended,  and  there  is  no  common  am¬ 
bition  to  bring  husband  and  Avife  together.  They 
grow  careless,  drift  apart  and  finally  as  the  children 
grow  up  and  require  training  and  education,  father 
and  mother  find  themselves  at  odds,  without  common 
purpose  such  as  they  had  when  they  started.  Then 
the  woman  comes  reasoning  this  way :  “I  have 
helped  accumulate  this  property.  It  represents  my 
money  and  my  blood  and  energy.  Youth,  vigor, 
health,  have  gone  into  it.  Therefore,  half  of  it  is 
mine!  How  can  I  get  my  share?  I  need  it  for  my 
children!”  We  have  such  things  put  before  us  not 
once  but  50  times,  and  it  becomes  one  of  the  hardest 
tasks  to  explain  to  such  women  that  they  have  no 
legal  right  to  the  property.  Where  it  is  held  in  the 
name  of  the  husband  it  remains  his  at  law.  The 
moral  right  of  the  Avife  may  be  perfect,  but  unfor¬ 
tunately  that  does  not  always  prevail.  In  case  of 
the  husband’s  death  the  Avife  will  be  at  least  pai-tlv 
protected  by  her  dower  rights,  but  many  a  Avoman’s 
heart  has  been  turned  to  bitterness  when  the  truth  is 
forced  upon  her  that  legal  right  is  held  as  superior 
to  moral  laAV !  It  is  a  beautiful  thing  for  the  Avife 
to  have  full  confidence  in  her  husband,  but  it  seems 
to  us  a  finer  thing  for  the  husband  to  honor  that 
confidence  by  holding  the  property  on  a  joint  deed 
or  a  joint  account,  so  as  to  fully  protect  the  Avife. 
Wm.  J.  Bixyan  lias  coined  a  new  one  Avhen  he  speaks 
of  those  “whose  thirst  has  become  a  disease.” 
Noav  they  claim  it  is  possible  to  send  private  radio 
messages  Avith  the  waves  so  “mixed  up”  that,  the  public 
cannot  get  them  fully. 
