The Question Box. 117 



weed, and so kill it; but it must be put on when there is no 

 moisture on the surface of the ground. Prof. Jones of Vermont, 

 is an authority for this statement. 



A Farmer. — Will not the salt kill out all the grass? 



Mr. Smith. — There won't be any grass there, nor anything 

 else but hawkweed; you may be assured of that. 



Mr. Woodward. — ■ The salt will be worth all it costs for re- 

 leasing locked-up potash in the soil. 



Mr. Smith. — Whenever a farmer finds a few stalks of a noxious 

 weed on his land, he should at once destroy them. "Paint 

 brush " originally came from Switzerland. 



Question. — Has the experiment station found any preventive 

 for the wire worm working on potatoes? 



Mr. Smith. — Fall plowing and a rotation of crops will kill 

 wire worms. A farmer at the Franklinville Institute said, in 

 reply to such a question, that he had never failed to kill all wire 

 worms through the use of buckwheat. He first grew a crop for 

 the grain, then followed it with one to plow under. The last 

 one was allowed to fall down and rot. The next spring, when 

 he plowed the ground, there were no wire worms. But the wire 

 worm does not work on potatoes. What we see is the work of 

 the scab fungus — not the wire worm. 



Question. — ■ What will destroy smut in oats? 



M i*. Smith. — Soaking in water at a temperature of 102 degrees 

 kills the smut germ. If the water is below that degree, the smut 

 germ will not be killed; if the degree is higher, the life germ of 

 the oat will be killed. Thus, it will be seen that much care must 

 be used in u soaking " the oats. Ten minutes is long enough for 

 the process. Remove the oats, spread them out and allow them 

 to dry. 



Question. — What is the analysis of bean straw? 



A Farmer. — About one and a half less than has clover hay, in 

 protein. 



Mr. Witter. — Cornell Bulletin 104 gives the analysis of bean 

 straw and pods. 



Mr. Smith.— There is quite a little difference between the 

 analysis of bean pods and straw. The former is the richer. 



Question. — How many tons of mangels can be grown on an 

 acre of good ground? 



Mr. Woodward. — Anvwhere from 10 to 30 tons, according; to 

 the richness of the ground, and the care one gives the crop. We 

 grow Long Red for early feeding, and Golden Tankard for late. 

 There is not much difference in their yields. 



