January  6,  1923 
4 
feeds,  and  the  eggs  were  properly  cared  for  from  the 
hen  to  tfie  consumer,  there  would  be  at  least  200  per 
cent  more  eggs  used  as  food  than  there  are  now,  for  if 
we  had  to  use  the  common  commercial  eggs  we  would 
cut  out  the  eggs  as  food  entirely.  When  the  hens  are 
allowed  to  be  used  as  scavengers  their  eggs  are  not  fit 
for  human  food.  Hence,  pure  feed  and  pure  water  will 
make  a  very  great  increase  in  the  consumption  of  eggs 
as  food.  c-  mohr. 
Florida. 
N.-Y. — It  seems  well  understood  that  foo0  will 
•  affect  the  quality  of  the  egg.  But  what  we 
want  to  know  is  whether  the  composition  of  the  egg 
is  partly  or  fully  determined  by  the  breed.  We  all 
know  that  we  may  feed  «i.  Jersey  and  a  Holstein  cow 
on  exactly  the  same  ration  of  hay,  silage  and  grain. 
The  Jersey  may  give  milk  testing  5  per  cent  or  more 
of  fat,  while  the  Holstein,  on  exactly  the  same  food, 
may  give  3  pef  cent  milk.  Evidently  there  is  some 
power,  bred  into  the  Jersey,  which  enables  her  to  put 
an  extra  amount  of  fat  into  her  milk.  During  the 
course  of  a  year  the  Holstein  may  produce  as  much 
fat  as  the  Jersey,  but  she  puts  far  more  water  in 
with  it.  Now,  what  we  want  to  know  is  whether  one 
breed  of  hen  has  the  power  to  produce  a  richer  egg 
than  another’.  For  example,  take  a  Leghorn  hen. 
She  will  lay  many  eggs  during  the  year,  but  are  her 
eggs  equal  in  fat,  vitamines  and  protein,  to  eggs  laid 
by  a  Brahma,  a  Game  or  a  Cochin?  These  breeds 
lay  fewer  eggs,  just  as  the  Jersey  cow  gives  less 
milk.  Is  it  true  that  “an  egg  is  an  egg,”  regardless 
of  breed?  That  is  what  we  want  to  know,  but  no 
one  seems  to  be  sure  of  the  answer.  Personally,  we 
think  there  is  a  difference,  but  that  is  no  argument 
or  answer,  and  we  realize  it.  The  question  should  be 
worked  out  at  some  college  or  egg-laying  contest. 
We  should  think  it  would  be  a  great  work  for  some 
young  students  of  chemistry. 
Cheap  Power  for  Ontario  Farmers 
Part  II 
WINDMILL  ELECTRICITY.— In  some  parts  of 
the  United  States,  particularly  in  the  West,  the  use 
of  windmills  for  generating  electric  power  is  fairly 
common.  The  cost  of  one  of  these  plants  is  approxi¬ 
mately  $1,200,  of  which  $275  is  for  a  storage  battery 
that  will  last  about  three  years.  On  an  average  use 
of  500  kilowatt  hours  the  power  from  the  windmill 
dynamo  would  cost  about  55  cents  a  kilowatt  hour, 
and  on  the  same  consumption  a  No.  3  Ontario  farm 
service  would  cost  27  cents.  The  average  windmill 
plant  is  worn  out  at  the  end  of  eight  years,  and  costs 
therefore  about  $125  a  year,  apart  from  the  battery. 
Three  batteries  would  cost  about  $100  a  year  approxi¬ 
mately.  For  what  an  Ontario  farmer  would  pay 
$s0  a  year,  the  windmill  power  producer  pays  about 
$225  a  year. 
UNDERGROUND  LINES.— The  Ontario  Commis¬ 
sion  is  trying  out  an  innovation  that  is  being  closely 
watched  by  American  experts.  It  is  that  of  putting 
rural  transmission  lines  underground.  This  is  a 
now  practice.  Sheathed  with  a  lead  covering,  which 
cannot  be  corroded,  the  cable  is  buried  a  foot  deep, 
at  a  cost  that  is  about  equal,  on  the  average,  to 
overhead  wiring.  The  underground  wiring  does 
away  with  the  maintenance  charges,  and  out  of 
scores  of  miles  laid  only  two  eases  of  interference 
have  come  to  light.  The  farmers  who  are  getting  a 
circuit  installed  have  the  right  to  be  employed  by 
the  Commission  in  the  construction  of  their  line, 
and  thus  get  back  a  certain  part  of  the  construction 
cost.  They  watch  their  lines  along  the  highway  as 
carefully  as  their  own  inside  lines. 
HOUSEHOLD  CONVENIENCES.  —  The  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  conducted  a  sur¬ 
vey  of  conveniences  the  farmer’s  wife  has  in  the 
Eastern  States  and  its  findings  in  this  respect  apply 
about  equally  to  Ontario.  It  found  that  54  per  cent 
had  to  carry  water;  that  the  average  distance  for 
water  carrying  was  23  feet:  that  94  per  cent  did 
their  own  washing  and  ironing;  that  86  per  cent  did 
their  own  sewing;  that  the  nome  bread-makers  were 
S9  per  cent.  It  found  that  39  per  cent  had  running 
water;  12  per  cent  power  machinery;  SO  per  cent  a 
sink  and  drain;  52  per  cent  a  washing  machine;  21 
per  cent  bath  tubs  and  87  per  cent  outdoor  toilets. 
It  found  that  the  farm  home  was  the  most  poorly 
equipped  place  on  the  farm.  The  farmer's  wife  has 
had  to  do  with  hard,  back-breaking  labor  what  other 
women  can  do  with  labor-saving  appliances  using 
electric  power.  What  a  boon  is  the  electric  light 
that  does  away  with  the  old  kerosene  lamp !  Of 
how  much  advantage  is  running  water,  pumped  by 
power.  The  electric  washer,  the  toaster,  the  vacuum 
cleaner,  the  iron,  the  small  motor  on  the  sewing 
machine,  and  even  the  electric  range  are  ordinary 
necessities  in  city  life  now.  The  farm  women  who 
have  loyally  labored  throughout  a  weary  life  of 
drudgery  without  these  conveniences  are  telling 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
their  daughters  not  to  suffer  in  the  same  way. 
Agriculture  has  been  losing  substance  steadily  to 
the  cities  and  towns,  because  these  cities  and  towns 
have  been  first  with  the  things  that  attract  people, 
that  make  life  easier  and  pleasanter. 
Ontario  has  about  a  50-50  division  of  population, 
between  urban  and  rural  communities,  but  the  wide 
distribution  of  power  for  the  use  of  farmers'  wives, 
in  conjunction  with  the  automobile  is  beginning  to 
stay  that  rural  migration  to  the  cities  which  econo¬ 
mists  all  over  the  continent  have  been  so  strongly 
deploring.  george  w.  austen. 
He  Trusted  Widely  but  Not  Well 
What  rights  has  a  husband  in  property  and  cash  in 
bank  when  everything  is  in  wife’s  name?  A  and  B 
were  married  years  ago,  and  bought  a  farm  in  wife’s 
name  for  certain  reasons.  Both  worked  industriously 
and  cleared  the  farm,  and  have  money  in  bank  now. 
Both  are  above  50,  and  the  husbrmd  is  not  so  strong 
now7  and  would  like  to  take  it.  a  little  easier,  but  finds 
when  taking  the  matter  up  with  his  wife  that  be  has 
not  a  cent  to  his  name.  The  woman,  it  seems,  had  a 
child  when  she  married  this  man,  and  she  is  saving 
everything  for  this  child,  now  a  woman  with  children 
of  her  own.  The  husband  has  to  beg  for  pocket  money 
and  does  not  know  what  money  there  is  in  the  bank, 
and  on  inquiring  is  told  that  it  is  none  of  his  business. 
Lately  the  husband  found  out  that  considerable  funds 
have  been  transferred  by  his  wife  to  this  step-child  of 
his,  while  he  is  being  told  there  is  no  money. 
Recently  they  sold  part  of  their  woodlot,  and  of 
course  the  husband  saw  how  much  money  was  paid  over 
to  his  wife,  so  she  gave  him  $100  and  told  him  to  put 
it  in  the  bank,  saying:  “ This  is  for  your  burial!,' 
This  at  last  woke  him  up,  and  as  they  are  both  unable 
to  write  and  read  he  asked  me  to  inquire  of  you  where 
he  stands  in  the  matter.  They  have  a  dairy  farm  and, 
in  fact,  the  man  is  known  as  one  of  the  best  and  most 
stable  farmers  in  these  parts.  Can  he  not  at  least 
claim  wages  like  any  hired  man,  or  is  he  not  entitled 
to  half  of  everything?  H.  o. 
New  York. 
A  HUSBAND  has  no  right  in  cash  in  the  bank, 
deposited  in  the  Avife’s  name.  Under  the 
statute  of  the  State  of  New  York  a  woman  may  hold 
property  separate  and  apart  from  her  husband,  the 
same  as  if  she  Avere  unmarried,  and  has  the  right 
to  dispose  of  the  same. 
A  purchase  made  by  a  married  woman  in  her  own 
name  with  money  furnished  by  the  husband  will  be 
presumed  to  be  a  settlement  upon  her,  in  the  ab¬ 
sence  of  circumstance  to  the  contrary.  A  husband 
may  make  a  A’aild  gift  to  his  wife.  Improvements 
by  the  husband  upon  the  lands  of  the  wife  will  in 
general  be  presumed  to  be  intended  by  him  for  her 
benefit,  and  he  is  consequently  not  entitled  to  com¬ 
pensation  for  the  same.  If  the  husband  voluntarily 
gives  his  time  and  skill  to  the  management  of  his 
wife’s  separate  estate,  or  bestoAVS  his  labor  thereon, 
there  will  be  in  general,  in  the  absence  of  an  ex¬ 
press  agreement  for  compensation,  no  obligation  on 
her  part  to  pay  him. 
In  Virginia  it  Avas  held  that  a  husband  might  re¬ 
cover  from  his  Avife  the  value  of  the  use  of  his 
teams  in  cultivating  the  Avife’s  farm,  the  crops  of 
Avhicli  passed  into  her  separate  estate,  where  the 
teams  were  furnished  with  the  expectation  of  being 
remunerated  therefor. 
It  seems  that  the  husband  in  this  case  has  placed 
too  much  confidence  in  his  Avife,  and  there  is  no 
remedy  .for  him,  unless  his  Avife  has  specifically 
agreed  to  pay  him  for  his  services.  No  mention  is 
made  of  the  personal  property  on  the  farm.  If  the 
husband  has  purchased  the  personal  property  with 
his  owii  funds,  why  not  assume  control  thereof  and 
collect  the  proceeds  from  the  same?  The  statement 
that  this  is  a  dairy  farm  Avould  indicate  that  there 
is  an  income  from  the  stock,  and  it  Avould  be  an 
easy  matter  to  have  the  checks  come  in  the  name 
of  the  husband  for  a  Avhile,  provided  he  owns  the 
stock. 
It  is  a  splendid  thing  for  a  husband  and  wife  to 
have  confidence  in  each  other,  but  sentiment  is  not 
usually  a  good  thing  in  business,  and  it  is  safer 
that  they  hold  their  property  jointly,  so  that  each 
has  something  to  say  about  the  control  thereof. 
N.  T. 
A  Farmers’  Town  Market 
Your  article  on  the  roadside  market,  and  also  your 
editorial  comment  on  same,  was  read  by  me  Avith  great 
interest.  What  interested  me  most  Avas  that  you  sug¬ 
gested  in  your  editorial  for  farmers  to  organize  and 
open  a.  little  shop  in  toAvn,  in  order  to  sell  their  produce 
to  better  advantage.  I  have  been  asked  by  a  farmer  in 
New  Jersey  to  go  in  partnership  with  him,  having  this 
very  idea  in  mind.  For  the  Winter  months  we  would 
of  course  have  to  buy  our  produce  in  the  wholesale 
markets,  but  if  this  plan  worked  out  well  we  would  add 
more  retail  stores  as  Ave  Avent  along,  and  eventually 
would  be  in  a  position  to  deal  direct  Avith  the  farmers 
for  our  Winter  produce.  H-  B- 
XeAAr  York. 
IN  theory  the  plan  is  a  good  one.  and  we  think  it 
has  been  Avorked  out  in  practice  here  and  there. 
We  have  had  one  or  two  reports  from  people  who 
followed  something  like  this  plan,  with  good  results. 
'1  "  'C-lvL’i  ;  1  rj’  it  ifl.U  Ul.  Ll  Til 
If  any  of  our  readers  have  worked  it  out  successfully 
we  should  like  to  hear  from  them,  as  it  is  a  matter 
of  much  interest  to  many  of  our  people.  We  under¬ 
stand  that  about  50  farmers  in  Atlantic  County,  N. 
.T.,  have  combined  to  open  a  store  in  Atlantic  City. 
They  sell  their  own  farm  produce,  including  fruits, 
vegetables,  eggs,  butter,  etc.,  with  some  success.  It 
would  be  necessary  to  use  good  judgment  in  starting 
such  a  business.  It  Avould  take  considerable  time 
to  work  it  out  properly,  and  there  would  be  a  good 
many  discouraging  situations.  Many  or  most  of  the 
retail  dealers  in  the  town  would  naturally  oppose 
such  a  plan.  It  would  be  too  much  in  the  way  of 
direct  selling  to  interest  the  middlemen,  and  con¬ 
siderable  judgment  would  be  needed.  There  are 
possibilities,  however,  in  the  plan,  and  we  think  that 
in  the  future  this  will  be  one  of  the  methods  adopted 
by  farmers  in  order  to  get  closer  to  the  customer. 
In  many  cases  the  roadside  market,  Avhen  properly 
handled,  has  been  a  great  help,  but  some  of  the 
farmers  have  made  the  mistake  of  charging  too 
much  for  their  goods.  They  seem  to  think  that, 
they  can  hold  up  their  customers  for  all  they  can 
get  out  of  it.  The  real  truth  is  that  there  is  no 
reason  in  the  world  Avhy  the  housekeeper  should 
deal  direct  with  a  farmer  unless  she  can  be  made 
to  feel  that  it  is  to  her  advantage  to  do  so.  She 
must  either  feel  that  she  is  getting  goods  of  superior 
quality  or  else  getting  them  cheaper  than  she  could 
buy  them  elseAvhere.  A  little  thought  will  shOAv 
anyone  that  there  is  no  reason  to  expect  a  consumer 
in  town  to  give  direct  trade  to  a  farmer  unless  one 
of  these  points  can  be  made  clear.  We  think  that 
a  little  farm  store  in  a  lively  toAvn,  properly  han¬ 
dled,  and  offering  genuine  bargains  in  farm  goods, 
can  be  made  to  pay  well,  and  Ave  think  that  every 
effort  to  organize  such  a  company  ought  to  be  en¬ 
couraged. 
The  Gasolene  Migrations  of  Humans 
I  WAS  much  interested  in  the  Hope  Farm  man’s 
account  of  the  Vermont  family  who  are  on  their 
was  to  Florida  by  Ford  truck,  which  appeared  in 
The  R.  N.-Y.  of  December  9.  Possibly  some  of  your 
readers  might  be  interested  in  hearing  about  these 
tourists  from  one  Avho  sees  them  day  after  day  as 
they  go  by  in  thousands  over  one  of  the  great  high- 
Avays  leading  from  the  Northeastern  States  to 
Florida. 
My  home  is  near  the  “Quebec-Miami”  Highway  in 
southside  Virginia,  and  from  September  to  Christ¬ 
mas  there  is  an  almost  unbroken  stream  of  every 
kind  of  automobile  and  truck  flowing  South,  to  re¬ 
turn  again  in  the  Spring.  The  licenses  on  these  cars 
shoAV  that  a  large  majority  of  them  are  from  the 
New  England  States.  New  York  and  Pennsylvania, 
though  many  of  them  come  from  Ohio,  Michigan  and 
the  eastern  provinces  of  Canada.  Most  of  them 
carry  camp  equipment  and  spend  the  nights  at  the 
roadside.  Many  of  the  garages  and  filling  stations 
on  the  highway  provide  camp  grounds  for  the  ac¬ 
commodation  of  tourists. 
One  occasionally  sees  a  house-  built  on  a  truck 
such  as  the  Hope  Farm  man  describes.  I  met  one 
yesterday  that  looked  as  large  as  a  box  car,  being 
mounted  on  what  looked  to  be  a  three-ton  truck.  1 
often  scrape  an  acquaintance  Avith  these  people  when 
the  opportunity  offers,  and  usually  find  them  pleasant 
and  sociable.  I  regret  to  say  that  some  of  our 
farmers  try  “extortion”  on  the  tourists  by  charging 
them  two  or  three  prices  for  the  things  they  Avish 
to  buy.  which  of  course  reacts  to  the  injury  of  the 
farm  or.  joiin  b.  lewis. 
BrunsAviek  Co.,  Va. 
R.  N.-Y. — This  “gasolene  migration”  is  growing 
larger  \A’itli  each  season,  and  if  it  keeps  on  Avill  force 
several  economic  problems  to  the  front.  Many  of 
the  New  England  people  avIio  go  South  in  this  way 
Avere  formerly  dairymen.  When  the  entire  family 
“migrates”  the  cows  are  given  up,  and  of  course  that 
reduces  the  milk  supply  somewhat.  In  other  cases 
the  younger  people  remain  and  keep  up  the  dairy 
while  the  old  folks  go  South.  Of  course  this  trans¬ 
fer  of  workers  to  the  South  Avill  in  time  greatly 
increase  the  production  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  and 
to  that  extent  increase  competition  in  the  Northern 
market,  and  the  mixing  and  mingling  of  the  people 
of  the  tAATo  sections  Avill  certainly  have  a  .strong  ef¬ 
fect  upon  national  thought  and  feeling. 
Xoav  comes  a  man  aat1io  AA'ants  to  sell  AA’hat  he  calls 
the  “essence  of  skunks.”  He  says  Ave  have  reported  i  s 
use.  What  Ave  said  was  that  chemists  have  learned  how 
to  make  this  awful  gas  in  the  laboratory,  so  strong  that 
a  tablespoonful  would  empty  a  packed  opera  house. 
,  i  UK  &  st<,;0  t  l>  « 1  Jl  kl  v\  ’0J 
