Evening journal., 1902-01-04
AGRICULTURAL
Hints and Helps for Farmers Of
This State

of making money from farming in the
East, at the present prices at which
land can be bought. as exist in the
West. is the opinion of G.. w. Peterson,
as expressed in a recent interview
with a representative of American
Agriculturist. Mr.. Peterson is super
intendent of horses for the United
States Express Company at Jersey
City, and has a farm of 500 acres in
columbia county. n. Y. which he
bought within a few years. He has
combined several farms whose owners
could not make a living and now has
a splendid estate in a section not gem
|erally considered very good for farm
ing purposes. But Mr.. Peterson has
put into his farming the same amount
Of energy and thought which has led
to his success in business aud has
made the old hillsdes and valleys pro-
duce as they never have before.
Although having a large acreage he
believes in concentration and does not
try to make four loads of manure
cover the ground that should require
eight. as did the former owners. He
does not try TO sell everything raised
but his object Is rather to put back
on the land as much as possible and
so he comes down to first principles.
and keeps and feeds lot Of stock In
this way the land is increasing in fer
tilitY so that in 1900 he cut the largest
hay crop ever known in that section,
and one of the best in the State. and
that too without any rain to speak of.
Hard work and lots of it is what he
wants. and any man who can't or
won't work does not stay long around
Mr.. Peterson. Last summer he had
three moving machines cutting grass
all of one night and in one day two
leaders and three pitchers put in forty
eight loads Of hay on a sixtoen-foot
rigging.
For farm work horses of / 200 to
l,600 pounds weight are used extern
lsiyely. but some mules We're worked
the past year Several pairs of fine
oxen are also kept and a flock of black
sheep. said to be the only flock of the
kind in the country.
In the management of local affairs,
Mr.. Peterson takes a prominent inter-
est. A new schoolhouse, well equip
ped with modern apparatus and ap-
planes has been built in his district,
the saloons have. been driven out of
the village and a strong effort is being
mode to unite two small churches into
one strong one He has shown much
interest in the subjects of roads and
has recently defeated the old custom of
town road commissioners hiring their
own teams and laborers which are
otherwise employed by them IN a per-
sonal capacity.
In Maryland, Delaware and New Jer-
lsey, the Bartlett. Howell and Duchesse
We're the leading profitable market
pears, bringing from 500 TO $500 pei
acre until the Kicfer appeared Id
quantities on the markets. Since ther
the Howell and Duchesse have not beer
profitable and are being pulled up by
the Thousand, because they sell at M
better prices than the I1ieffer, and viii
not produce the quantity Of fruit.
When THE kieifer first appeared IN
the market twelve or fifteen years age
it sold for good paying prices, abOu
with the Duchesse IL being a vigOr
ous grower, heavy and early bearer
it was more extensively planted
than amy other variety. So excessiv,
has been tho planting Of Kieffer or
chards on this Peninsula during tn,
last few years. and considering tha
less than one-tIhird have come into ful
bearing, the quantity of Kieffers oi
the markets has been steadily in
i lcreasing. until they have dragged dow
the price of all late ripening pears be
low the cost of production.
!.
regular bearer, can be grown at lowe
prices than any other pear known a
present But any further decline ii
prices below the average sales OF 100
will cause tenants tilling land on hal
share to refuse TO care for the orchard
: and market the fruit. If we are so seri
ously threatened now, why not cal
attention to the necessity Of a halt Il
planting ISieffer orchards in such part
Of the country where the tenant systeT
prevails, especially on the Peninsula.
? The failure of the Duchesse, Howell
' etc, to be longer profitable is not froI
, any decline in the quality Of thes
varieties. When properly cared TO
they produce as fne fruit as ever The
b require longer time to come into beal
t ing, and are subject to greater DANCE
! from frost and storms. fOf nom
: planting there are other varieties muc
t better in quality than the Kieifer. Fo
: table use the Manningo, Bartlett, Secl'
. and Lawrence. each in its seasOl
q has no superior
X A reader asks why muskmelon
{ crack so often. The Rural is probabl
!. correct when 10 says that it is usual
i ascribed to too much rain after the de
e velopment of the melons has bee
ii checked by previous drought Il ust
IS ally affects thick-heshed melons wit
n a somewhat tender rind. The spong
i flesh ahsorbs water rapidly and II
Irind being unable to expand sun
e ciently, cracks open. The only meaI
Of prevention would be to plant VI
10 rieties not subject 10 this trouble, an
to maintain a vigorous growth by
. frequent cultivation during dry weatl
" er as the growth OF the vines will pc
= nit
The worst faults in the poultry b
Of fare are lack of grit, lack of fires
IA. 4 u.