flf  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1547 
and  mince.  They  will  help  me  keep 
Christmas.” 
She  brought  the  pies  in  a  little  box, 
and  Bryant  handed  her  a  bill  with  a 
>  ellow  back  and  a  large  figure  on  its 
face. 
‘‘Oh.  but  we  can’t  change  that.  Han¬ 
nah.  run  and  see  if  Neighbor  Swift  can 
change  it — he’s  tax  collector  !” 
“No!  No!  Let  it  go— I’ll  be  back 
here  some  day  and  get  the  change” — and 
Bryant  was  in  his  car  before  they  could 
protest. 
“For  the  city,  sir?” 
“No — turn  back  home.  I  must  be 
there  before  noon — step  on  the  gas.” 
In  one  respect  a  well-trained  chauf¬ 
feur  is  like  a  hero  of  Balaklava — his 
business  is  “not  to  reason  why,”  but  to 
do  or  die.  And  when  the  car  reached  the 
State  road  it  broke  every  speed  limit 
ever  invented  by  man.  Just  before  noon 
the  car  rolled  in  front  of  a  little  brown 
house  on  a  side  street  and  stopped.  A 
dignified  lawyer  with  a  box  under  his 
arm  got  out,  and  after  a  moment’s  hesi¬ 
tation  marched  up  to  the  door  and 
knocked.  A  pretty  woman  opened  the 
door. 
“Why,  it’s  Henry!”  she  gasped. 
“So  it  is,  Annie  and  I’ve  come  to  dinner. 
I  brought  my  share  here,”  and  he  handed 
over  the  pies.  He  walked  right  into  the 
sitting-room. 
“Merry  Christmas,  Ma !  Hello  Billy. 
A  fine  bunch  of  kids  you  have  here.  Isn’t 
dinner  ready?  I’m  hungry.” 
What  a  Christmas  reunion  it  was. 
Mother  sat  and  beamed  upon  her  boys. 
The  children  were  afraid  of  Uncle  Henry 
at  first,  but  there  must  have  been  some 
fragrance  of  Santa  Claus  about  him,  for 
soon  they  came  close  to  him.  and  the 
baby  actually  climbed  on  his  knee. 
Mother  cut  up  the  pies,  and  when  Henry 
took  his  piece  he  looked  at  it  for  a  mo¬ 
ment  and  then  said  slowly : 
“And  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift !” 
No  one  knew  just  what  he  meant,  and 
he  never  explained. 
When  time  came  for  going  Billy  fol¬ 
lowed  Henry  out  to  the  car : 
“I  suppose  you  will  go  to  the  city  to 
morrow  to  see  about  your  appointment. 
It’s  a  great  honor,  Henry.” 
“No.  hang  the  city.  I’ve  found  some¬ 
thing  in  the  hills  that’s  worth  more  than 
any  appointment.  Now  I’m  ready  to  go 
back  and  get  it  if  I  can.”  h.  w.  c. 
Lippia  Lawn 
What  can  you  tell  me  about  Lippia 
Lawn?  Has  it  made  good?  F.  J.  M. 
Purchase,  N.  Y. 
Lippia  is  the  botanical  name  of  a  family 
of  herbs  and  shrubs,  nearly  all  native  ro 
South  America,  though  some  are  African 
in  origin,  and  widely  disseminated  in 
tropical  countries.  The  familiar  lemon 
verbena  of  our  gardens  is  Lippia  citrio- 
dora.  The  “Lippia  Lawn”  is  no  doubt  L. 
repens,  properly  L.  canescens  of  botanists. 
It  is  an  important  ground  cover  or 
lawn  plant  in  California.  Arizona,  Mexi¬ 
co  and  Australia.  This  is  a  low  spread¬ 
ing  plant,  somewhat  woody  at  the  base, 
with  small  close  foliage.  It  forms  run¬ 
ners  from  each  joint,  thus  spreading  very 
quickly,  -and  anchoring  to  the  ground.  It 
is  described  as  “eanescent,”  which  means 
whitish,  but  we  do  not  know  how  nearly 
the  color  approximates  the  green  of  our 
lawns.  It  requires  very  little  water, 
and  as  occasional  rolling  is  desirable  to 
firm  the  sods,  frequent  walking  over  it 
will  have  the  same  effect.  Its  value  in 
the  East  as  a  substitute  for  lawn  grass 
is  not  yet  established. 
The  statement  that  Luther  Burbank 
imported  the  “Lippia  Lawn”  from  South 
America  is  not  borne  out  by  statements 
made  in  the  “Standard  Cyclopedia  of 
Horticulture.”  This  authority  states  that 
“the  many  thousands  of  acres  thus  cov¬ 
ered  are  said  all  to  have  come  from  plants 
secured  in  a  12-ounce  box  from  the  Bo¬ 
tanic  Garden  in  Rome  by  F.  Franceschi 
of  Santa  Barbara  in  1898.” 
The  Lippia  is  said  to  suffer  from  frost 
occasionally  as  far  north  as  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  but  grows  up  again  in  Spring.  Its 
great  value  is  in  giving  a  ground  cover 
where  it  must  contend  with  heat  and 
long  drought.  Experience  is  needed  to 
prove  its  value  to  eastern  gardeners,  and 
its  hardiness  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
It  bears  a  small  lavender  flower,  which 
is  much  loved  by  bees. 
Preventing  Honey  from  Granulating 
How  should  extracted  honey  be  treated 
to  keep  it  from  turning  to  sugar? 
Waterford,  Conn.  W.  c.  F. 
All  pure  extracted  honey  will  granu¬ 
late.  or  candy,  some  kinds  soon  after  ex¬ 
tracting,  and  some  will  keep  in  a  liquid 
form  for  several  months.  I  should  be 
suspicious  of  the  purity  of  honey  that 
didn’t  granulate. 
The  safest  way  to  liquefy  is  to  put  the 
container  in  a  boiler  of  water,  bring  the 
temperature  of  the  water  to  160  degrees. 
Do  not  let  water  come  to  boiling  point 
for  fear  of  injuring  the  flavor  of  honey. 
After  honey  is  liquefied,  the  longer  the 
temperature  is  kept  as  suggested  the  long¬ 
er  it  will  remain  liquid.  If  in  a  screw- 
top  can,  loosen  the  cap  and  dig  out  some 
honey,  as  it  will  expand  when  heated  and 
might  burst  the  container. 
Keep  honey  in  a  sealed  container,  as 
it  has  a  great  affinity  for  moisture  and 
might  sour  if  left  in  an  open  dish  any 
length  of  time.  G.  w.  B. 
Farm  Mechanics 
Conducted  by  Robert  H.  Smith,  of  the  Canton  Agricultural  School 
Canton,  New  York 
Electric  Pump  for  Water  Supply 
I  am  anxious  to  place  in  my  cellar  an 
electric  pump  to  operate  on  house  cur¬ 
rent.  The  well  is  250  ft.  away  and  5  ft. 
higher  than  cellar  floor.  Well  is  20  ft. 
deep,  but  pipe  enters  4  ft.  from  surface. 
We  have  an  800-gal.  tank  in  cellar  which 
has  been  kept  filled  by  windmill  pump  at 
the  well.  This  has  given  splendid  ser¬ 
vice,  but  property  on  which  the  well  is 
located  has  changed  hands,  and  while  we 
have  pumping  privilege  we  do  not  care  to 
place  an  outfit  at  the  well.  Several  peo¬ 
ple  here  have  advised  me  that  an  electric 
outfit  will  not  work.  Still  again  others 
say  it  will.  Can  you  advise  me?  The 
accompanying  cut  shows  the  contour  of 
tthe  land.  A.  f.  r. 
Trenton,  N.  J. 
If  the  distances  are  as  you  say  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  anything  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  use  of  a  shallow  well  type  elec¬ 
trically  driven  pump  in  your  cellar. 
Avoid  abrupt  bends  in  your  suction  pipe, 
and  see  that  all  of  the  joints  are  tight 
to  lessen  pipe  friction  and  prevent  air 
leaks.  It  is  probable  that  any  reputable 
company  will  install  the  pump  for  you 
with  a  guarantee  of  satisfactory  opera¬ 
tion.  With  your  house  wired  for  central 
sumed  that  the  water  is  to,  be  used  for 
household  purposes  only,  and  if  such  is 
the  case  a  cistern  6x6  ft.  holding  water 
6  ft.  in  depth,  will  provide  a  five  to  six 
days’  supply  for  the  three  families  sup¬ 
posing  that  there  are  four  people  in 
each  family.  A  tank  built  deep,  in  the 
ground  in  this  way  with  a  small  surface 
exposed  will  keep  the  water  cooler  in 
Summer  and  give  less  trouble  from 
freezing  in  the  Winter  than  would  a 
shallow  open  reservoir.  This  should 
have  a  screened  spillway  to  provide  over¬ 
flow  of  waste  water  and  at  the  same 
time  keep  out  insects.  The  pipes  leading 
to  the  building  should  be  provided  with 
a  gate  valve  to  permit  shutting  off  the 
water  for  repairs  or  alterations,  and  each 
branch  should  be  equipped  in  the  same 
way  so  that  repairs  to  one  house  would 
not  mean  suspension  of  water  service  to 
the  others. 
Thawing  Frozen  Pipes 
[Last  year  Mr.  John  Gormley  told  us 
of  a  practical  plan  for  thawing  water 
pipes.  The  article  is  repeated  here,  with 
illustration,  showing  how  the  work  is 
done.] 
station  current  it  should  make  a  very 
satisfactory  water  system.  No  water  is 
stored,  an  automatic  switch  closing  the 
circuit  and  starting  the  motor  wThen  the 
pressure  on  the  water  line  is  released  by 
the  opening  of  a  faucet.  When  the  pres¬ 
sure  is  again  restored  after  closing  the 
faucet  the  switch  breaks  the  electrical 
circuit  and  stops  the  motor. 
Power  From  Automobile  Engine 
Would  it  be  a  good  plan  to  use  power 
from  an  automobile  rear-end  for  sawing 
wood,  or  would  it  ruin  the  motor  or 
transmission?  The  appliance  slips  under 
the  rear-end  of  a  Ford  car  and  the  wheels 
are  raised  off  the  ground  and  spin  on 
the  two  steel  pulleys.  In  the  center  of 
that  shaft  is  a  belt  pulley  which  drives 
the  circular  saw,  corn  sheller,  thrashers 
or  fills  silos,  etc.  j.  s. 
Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
An  attachment  such  as  you  describe, 
where  the  power  is  taken  from  both  rear 
wheels,  does  not  harm  the  differential. 
Where  both  wheels  revolve  at  the  same 
rate  of  speed  the  differential  is  inactive 
and  is  brought  into  motion  when  the  rate 
of  speed  at  which  the  two  rear  wheels 
revolve  is  different,  as  for  example  when 
the  car  is  rounding  a  corner.  No  harm 
will  come  to  the  car,  other  than  the  usual 
wear,  if  the  outfit  is  used  for  light  power 
purposes  only.  The  automobile  engine  is 
not  designed  to  operate  continuously  un¬ 
der  full  load,  the  wray  a  tractor  or  power 
engine  does,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  en¬ 
gine  you  speak  of  will  furnish  sufficient 
power  for  thrashing  or  silo  filling 
Water  Supply  for  Three  Families 
I  propose  installing  reservoir  and  pip¬ 
ing  from  two  springs  to  supply  water  to 
three  families.  Would  you  use  %-in. 
lead  pipe  from  springs  to  reservoir?  What 
size  would  you  make  reservoir?  Would 
l1/*  in.  pipe  be  large  enough  to  go  from 
reservoir  to  first  branch,  and  inch  pipe 
from  first  branch  to  second  branch?  What 
kind  of  pipe  would  you  use  for  your 
main?  Three  families  are  going  in  together 
to  install  this  system  and  we  expect 
these  two  springs  to  supply  all  the  wa¬ 
ter  we  want.  Would  you  cement  your 
reservoir  on  bottom  or  not?  Pipe  is  900 
ft.  to  first  branch,  which  is  450  ft.,  then 
400  ft.  to  next  branch,  where  one  pipe  is 
150  and  the  other  225  ft.  to  the  houses. 
Binghamton,  N.  Y.  a.  k.  k. 
I  would  suggest  that  the  springs  be 
provided  with  concrete  curbs  and  tightly- 
fitting  covers,  preventing  the  entrance  of 
rodents  and  insects.  While  the  flow  of 
the  springs  is  not  stated  it  is  possible 
that  the  %-in.  pipe  will  be  too  small  to 
carry  it  to  the  reservoir  and  I  would  sug¬ 
gest  a  larger  pipe.  Small  tile  can  be 
used  for  this  purpose,  and  I  would  use 
this  or  galvanized  in  preference  to  the 
lead  pipe  that  you  suggest. 
The  reservoir  can  be  made  covered  and 
with  concrete  walls  and  floor.  It  is  as¬ 
Take  any  vessel  that  will  hold  water 
and  transmit  heat  ( we  use  a  five-gallon 
can).  Solder  on  its  top  a  %-in.  waste 
tube,  which  any  plumber  can  supply  for 
about  one  cent.  Partly  fill  the  can  with 
water.  Start  a  fire  under  it.  We  use  a 
plumber’s  gasoline  torch  for  heating  the 
water.  At  once  low-pressure  steam  is 
generated.  Now  attach  %-in.  rubber 
hose,  which  drug  stores  carry,  I  think 
for  drainage  lubes.  Slip  one  end  of  the 
hose  on  the  brass  tube  you  have  soldered 
on  top  of  the  can.  Have  the  hose  as  long 
as  the  frozen  pipe.  Now  turn  the  other 
end  of  the  hose  back  on  itself,  like  a  col¬ 
lar.  This  turn-back  on  the  hose  is  essen¬ 
tial.  Soon  as  steam  shows  through  the 
hose,  insert  the  turned-back  end  of  the 
hose  into  the  frozen  pipe.  Keep  the  hose 
pushed  against  the  ice  and  feed  it  in-  as 
the  ice  thaws.  Soon  it  will  pull  itself  in, 
because  of  the  violent  agitation  of  the 
steam  acting  on  the  ice  and  reacting  on 
the  collar  or  turned-back  end  of  the  hose. 
It  will  be  a  matter  of  feeding  the  hose  in 
quick  enough  after  that,  for  it  travels 
through  surprisingly  fast.  If  there  is  a 
grade,  I  prefer  to  thaw  from  the  high  end, 
because  the  water  stays  in  as  the  ice 
melts,  and  vibrating  water  pulls  the  hose 
in.  If  you  thaw  from  the  lower  end  the 
water  would  run  out  and  you  might  have 
to  attach  a  wire  to  the  hose  to  push  it  in. 
The  hose  used  is  smaller  than  a  lead  pen¬ 
cil,  usually  a  red  color.  I  have  frequent¬ 
ly  thawed  from  a  cellar  out  through  the 
cellar  stop-cock,  the  curb  stock-cock  and 
the  street  ferrule  stop-cock  to  the  street 
main.  I  never  tried  it  on  very  rusty 
pipe,  but  it  might  work  even  there,  j.  g. 
Pennsylvania. 
Waterproofing  Cloth 
•Some  months  ago  there  were  several  in¬ 
quiries  about  waterproofing  cloth.  Last 
Winter  when  I  was  in  California  I  saw 
my  brother  apply  a  dressing  on  cotton 
gloves  that  he  was  going  to  use  for  spray¬ 
ing.  He  brushed  it  on  boiling  hot.  a  sec¬ 
ond  coat  after  the  first  had  dried.  That 
left  them  soft  and  pliable,  so  that  when 
he  put  his  hand  in  water  it  was  kept  dry. 
The  dressing  was  three  parts  boiled  oil 
and  two  parts  soapsuds  made  with  %  lb. 
of  soap  in  two  gallons  of  wafer.  The  oil 
and  soapsuds  were  boiled  together. 
Ontario.  j.  r.  job. 
Countrywide  Produce  Situation 
PRICE  FAIRLY  STEADY  ;  POULTRY  MARKETS 
UNEVEN  ;  APPLE  VARIETIES  IN  THE  BOX 
PACK. 
Wholesale  markets  for  all  kinds  of 
farm  products  have  been  very  quiet  for 
weeks,  but  sales  are  beginning  to  pick  up 
a  little  now  that  Christmas  date  is  in 
sight.  Most  lines  of  produce  are  in  Win¬ 
ter  ruts. 
Even  the  poultry  situation  is  rather 
quiet  because  of  the  large  stock  in  stor¬ 
age.  Otherwise  the  supply  would  give 
no  special  trouble.  It  looks  as  though 
somebody  fumbled  in  the  Thanksgiving 
turkey  deal  when  the  people  in  one  large 
city  paid  about  twice  as  much  per  pound 
as  those  in  another  city  less  than  100 
miles  awray.  The  eggs,  butter  and  cheese 
markets  are  quiet  and  firm  ;  the  only  fea¬ 
ture  is  the  appearance  of  considerable  im¬ 
ported  butter. 
Potatoes  have  sagged  off  a  little  fur¬ 
ther  in  price,  but  ought  to  do  better  now 
that  shipments  have  decreased  to  about 
the  usual  weekly  Winter  average.  Onions 
are  dull  and  steady.  Cabbage  holds  its 
recent  advance.  Apples  are  selling  slowly 
because  of  heavy  supply,  but  price  holds 
about  the  same. 
BOXED  APPLE  VARIETIES 
Has  the  experience  of  the  West  in 
growing  numerous  varieties  for  the  box 
pack  any  lesson  for  eastern  growers? 
From  first  to  last  most  of  the  old  mar¬ 
ket  leaders  of  the  East  have  been  tried  in 
boxes.  In  the  early  plantings  of  Wash¬ 
ington  and  Oregon,  Baldwins,  Greenings, 
Spy  and  the  like  were  prominent,  but 
most  of  the  barrel  kinds  were  too  irregu¬ 
lar  in  shape  or  too  ordinary  in  quality 
or  color  to  give  a  pack  that  could  stand 
the  high  freight  charges  and  return  any¬ 
thing  to  the  growers.  The  leading  kinds 
of  the  Northeastern  States,  including 
Baldwin,  Grimes,  Spy,  King,  Rome  and 
Ben  Davis  were  mostly  dropped  for  these 
reasons.  It  was  partly  a  matter  of  clim¬ 
ate.  The  Northwest  could  grow  choice 
long  season  varieties  like  the  Winesap. 
Stayman  Winesap,  Yellow  Newtown, 
which  in  the  East  were  scarcely  at  their 
best  north  of  Virginia.  The  last  named 
kinds  became  leaders,  together  with  the 
Spitzenburg  and  Jonathan,  two  northern 
apples  leading  in  quality  and  flavor  but 
considered  in  the  East  rather  hard  ro 
grow  successfully  for  market.  In  the 
West  the  greater  part  of  the  box  pack 
is  of  the  six  kinds  just  named.  All  of 
them  are  notable  for  color  or  quality, 
usually  both,  except  the  Yellow  Newtown 
which  is  not  very  popular  in  home  mar¬ 
kets  but  sells  well  for  the  export  trade. 
About  20  other  kinds  are  put  up  in 
boxes,  but  most  of  these  are  seen  only 
occasionally  at  the  city  fruit  auction 
sales.  Only  two  or  three  newcomers 
have  entered  the  front  ranks.  The  De¬ 
licious  with  its  easily  recognized  style 
and  its  pleasant  flavor  sells  50c  to  $1 
per  box  higher  than  other  kinds.  It  does 
well  under  irrigation  and  is  being  planted 
extensively  in  the  Northwest.  It  is  not 
succeeding  so  well  in  the  East  and  it  is 
doubtful  whether  it  should  be  especially 
recommended  for  general  planting  in  that 
region.  The  Winter  Banana  has  been 
heavily  planted  also.  It  looks  well  with 
its  high  red  and  yellow  color,  but  is  of 
ordinary  flavor,  easily  bruised  and  a  poor 
keeper.  Probably  the  East  will  not  do 
much  with  it.  One  other  kind,  the  Mc¬ 
Intosh.  is  gaining  in  favor  and  is  perhaps 
the  only  well  known  kind  which  seems 
to  do  almost  equally  well  under  good 
culture  in  either  region.  Unfortunately 
its  market  season  is  so  short  that  it  may 
be  easily  overplanted  because  of  the  short 
time  available  for  its  disposal  in  best 
condition.  In  fact  there  was  too  much 
McIntosh  on  the  New  York  market  at 
times  this  Fall.  It  is  instructive  possibly 
that  the  West  has  dropped  all  the  sweet 
varieties,  all  the  green  kinds,  and  nearly 
all  clear  yellow  ones  except  Newtown  and 
Grimes,  which  last  is  grown  chiefly  in 
Oregon  and  Colorado. 
Perhaps  the  West  has  no  more  definite 
message  on  varieties  than  stick  to  a  very 
few  kinds  that  suit  the  conditions  but  be 
on  the  watch  for  something  better. 
TAR  HEEL  STATE  IN  LUCK 
North  Carolina  farmers  are  luckiest  of 
all  this  year,  leading  all  States  in  value 
of  crops  per  acre.  The  combination  of 
good  yield  and  high  price  of  cotton  wras 
a  great  profit  and  maker,  averaging 
about  $100  per  acre.  Cotton  means 
nearly  half  the  income,  although  tobacco 
brings  even  more  per  acre,  while  corn 
and  the  peanut  and  corn  crops  helped. 
“The  weather  did  it,”  admitted  a  man 
who  farms  3.000  acres  with  unusual  skill 
and  enterprise.  “We  are  learning  to 
control  the  weevil  a  little,  but  only  a 
special  set  of  conditions  brought  us 
through  with  one  of  the  best  crops  over¬ 
grown..  Our  people  are  paying  off  debts 
owed  since  1920,  and  we  mean  to  take  a 
chance  on  cotton  again  next  season.” 
Some  farmers  will  be  robbed  of  their 
luck  by  small  local  speculators  who  tempt 
them  with  cash  in  hand.  There  is  no  rea¬ 
son  for  such  selling  except  that  so  many 
small  growers,  white  or  black,  are  not 
good  business  men.  The  co-operative  as¬ 
sociations  are  doing  much  for  southern 
cotton  and  tobacco  farmers  by  taking 
them  out  of  the  grasp  of  greedy  local  buy¬ 
ers.  g.  B.  F. 
