«4 



THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



(sOI^I^ESPONDBNGB. 



Harrisonvii.lk. Kansas. 

 I have a kind of moss that I wuulci like to in- 

 troduce in some State where there is none. I was 

 out walliingone day when I found it. Then it 

 was an inch high. I tooic It up, set it in some 

 rich ground, and watered frequently. Now it is 

 about three inches high. It grew half an incli 

 and then branched out at the top. It is partly 

 covered with little yellow blossoms. It has heen 

 blooming for five weeks, and I have not noticed 

 that they fall. I would like to make exchange 

 for some house-plants or a package of mixed 

 house-plant seeds. Mrs. M. W. E. Parks. 



BujFrroN, Llano Co., Texas. 

 In my April number of Farm and Garden 

 you describe the cactus premium. The Ecliino- 

 cereus Csespitosus are quite plentiful on our 

 ranch. They are In full bloom and are royally 

 magnificent. We have another very desirable 

 Cactus, found single and in bundles of as many 

 as 144 stems, and these had an average of three 

 blooms to the stem. The whole has the appear- 

 ance of a huge rose two feet in diameter. We 

 also have the Main. App., and several others, but 

 the.v do not approach the first two In beauty of 

 flower. I would like to supply you with a thou- 

 sand or more each of the first two In exchange 

 for fruit trees, flowers, etc. F. M. Ramsey. 



In the June nnmber of ttie Farm and Garden 

 the question Is asked, " What is the matter with 

 the incubator?" I do not know as I am compe- 

 tent to answer the question, but I will give my 

 experience with the Savldge Incubator. I 

 started mine in February, and have run It ever 

 since, and have hatched as high as 90 percent., 

 never less than 75 per cent. 1 use eggs from my 

 own fowls and they are always fresh. That Is 

 one important point. I run my heat at lOti^, and 

 g:lve the eggs a good cording ofl" every day. I 

 supply plenty of moist\ire with small oups of 

 water, and a small piece of sponge hi each cup. 

 Do not sprinkle the eggs. I have hatched a 

 better per cent In the Incubator than I >iave 

 with my hens. I have two running ; one is hatch- 

 ing now. I have Just taken 511 chicks out. My 

 theory is that a top heat IncBbator requires a 

 higher degree of beat than one that has top and 

 bottom heat. F. B. Moksb. 



James Q. DayhofT, Riggold, Md., ss^s:— I re- 

 ceived the plans for Savldge Incvbator, and 

 made one as directed. March 9th, 1 set It with 

 seventy-i ve eggs; March 30th, hatched out four- 

 teen nice chicks. Of the remaining sixt.\-one, 

 there were thirty not fertile, and thirty-one had 

 dead chicks In, about one-third hatched. April 

 8d, I set it again with seventy-five eggs. .Seventy- 

 four proved fertile. Out of these we hatched fif- 

 teen chlctas, and the other flfty-nlne were one- 

 third hatched. The thermometer Is correct. I 

 kept It at 105° the first week, and then 104°, and 

 the last three days at 102°. I never saw It over 

 the mark, and never below 102°. Please tell me 

 why the chicks die In the shell. I think the 

 fault Is in the ventilator. I have only three half- 

 kich tin pipes, and I think there should be more. 

 I keep three sponges in the drawer, and a pan In 

 the ventilator. 



Fish Lake P. O., Esmeralda Co., Nevada. 



I was much pleased with your " Cactus Talk" 

 in the April number of your paper. I used to 

 keep t'acti in variety years ago in Illinois, and 

 am a great admirer ol them. I am an old lady 

 now, and settled in a little valley, the altitude of 

 which is six thousand feet. The toot bills and 

 sand washes on either side, contain some fine 

 kinds of Cacti. I send you a specimen of one 

 kind that I think very pacullar and lovely. The 

 most of this kind of Cacti are too large to send 

 by mall, being generally from four to six inches 

 in diameter, and a foot in height; they often 

 have six and eight flowers open at once. There 

 are some varieties of Mammilaria, with crimson 

 flowers, and an Opuntia, with rose-colored flow- 

 ers. I have a small green-house, and am pre- 

 paring to keep flowers again, and wish to get 

 some of the old favorites. Tell me if any of the 

 florists you know of make a specialty of Cacti, 

 or where I could get them best, and could I ex- 

 change some of the varieties here for some of the 

 old sorts? I used to have fine blooming plants 

 of the old Creeping Cereus, with its lovely, crim- 

 son flowers ; the Truncate Cactus, the Cereus Spe- 

 ciosus, Cereus Speciosissiums, and a triangular 

 Cereus, with a red flower the size of a coflee cup ; 

 the Echinocacti, or Melon Cactus, with a white, 

 sweet-scented flower ten inches long. The Creep- 

 ing Cereus or Caterpillar, as we used to call it 

 forty years age, I want especially to get, as it will 

 look to me more like an old friend than any 

 plant I know of. 



There Is also growing In these mountains a 

 curiosity in the elderberry. In growth and ap- 

 pearance it is like our elderberry of the esust, but 

 the fruit is entirely free from that sickening- 

 sweet taste, and is a fine acid. Just like a currant. 

 We buy them dried, of CTie Indians, and they arc 

 In all respects as to taste, like a currant. Would 

 they not be a valuable acquisition to the small- 

 fruit list If Introduced east ? 



Mrs. Sophronia McAfee. 



A correspondent under the heading " What Is 

 wrong with the Incubator," in June is^ue, states 

 that he did not allow the heat to go " below 98, 

 nor above 108," and that he '* spHnkled, turned 

 twice a day, and cooled once." Now " what is 

 wrong with the operator?" Mr. Savldge does 

 not recommend sprinkling^ does not allow the 

 heat to go up to 108, and directs the use of wet 

 sponges for moisture. The correspondent says 

 he " kept the heat at 104, 103, and 102," but, as he 

 further says, he " did not go over 108," It Implies 

 that he went up to that degree, which conflicts 

 with the first statement. If he will carefully /oi- 

 low directions he will have no occasion for his in- 

 quiry. The incubator is so sure, compared with 

 others, that Mr. Savldge always receives them 

 and returns the money when they fail to hatch. 

 He has only had one returned from all he has 

 sold. As the mistakes of the correspondent does 

 Injustice to the manufacturer, this is written in 

 order to explain the matter. It has been proved 

 that not one operator In a dozen ivill follow direc- 

 tions, and if the correspondent made as many 

 mistakes In making his Incubator (he states that 

 he made his own,) as In operating It, he alone 

 should bear the responsibility. 



Aif OLD Operator. 



J. O. Iftylor, Parkersburg, la.: Will some one 

 tell me, through the Farm and Garden, where 

 I can get the fSebastopol seese? 



Mrs. Addle H. Kelly, Helena City, Montana 

 Ter., asks how to n>ake cucumber plekles with 

 whiskey. Answer— We see it recommended to 

 use one-third whiskey and two-thivds water for 

 the pickles. Pack green cusumbevs In a tub and 

 cover with pickle. Use no salt. 



J. F. Bishop, Logansport, Ind., a.sks: What is 

 Garden Rhu, which is recommended to put In 

 the drinking water for chlckea cholera? An- 

 swer—We presume there Is a typograplilcal error 

 in the article yen read, and it should have been 

 garden rhubarb. The remedy is useless. 

 + 



Belle Robinson, Belmore, Ohio, asks for a sure 

 remedy for the blaek fleas that are so trouble- 

 some in gardens. Answer — Use Persian insfOt 

 powder as directed above. Paris green, 1 ounce 

 to 12 pounds of flour, well mixed, and dusted on 

 the plants when wet with dew, will kill every 

 flea and bug. We use it freely. 

 + 



Otto L. Nichols, South Brookfleld, N. Y., asks: 

 Is the Newton patent method of fastening cows 

 practical im home dairying where we milk in the 

 stables and turn the cows to pasture during the 

 day? Are they as handy as common stanehions 

 fastening with a latch? Answer— Who of our 

 readers can answer the inquiry. 



Mary Winkle, Algona. Iowa, asks how to keep 

 oflT the yellow beetles from squash and cucumber 

 vines. Answer— Use one part, by weight, of Per- 

 sian insect powder and twenty-flve of Plaster 01 

 Paris, and dust the plants with It every few days. 

 We find it pays us to use small, open boxes cov- 

 ered with mosquito netting, over the plants to 

 keep oft bugs. We also find they will beneflt 

 plants ; make them grow more rapidly, and pro- 

 tect from frosts. . 



J. D. B. B., Mlllersburg, Pa., asks : (1) For the 

 address of some good commission merchant in 

 Philadelphia. (2) Is the Warren strawberry a 

 profitable one for market and home use? (3) 

 What sorts of old varieties would you recom- 

 mend for a near-by market? Answer— (1) There 

 is but little difference in any first-class merchant. 

 Sell at home when you can. (2) Not particularly 

 so. (3) The Wilson ; Sharpless will do well. Some 

 do better one year .and another the next. More 

 depends on manure than variety. 



N. S. Margeson, Marcus, Iowa, asks : What to 

 do for a running sore on a colt. Answer— Wash 

 well with Castile soap, and for a simple remedy 

 dust air-slaoked lime on it. Keep flies away from 

 It. We use air-slacked lime freely dusted on 

 sores made by galling and chafing, and find It 



excellent to dry up and heal them. Always wash 

 the sores freely with water, and keep them cle^n. 

 If there Is proud flesh in the sore, sprinkle fine 

 white sugar on it, which will cleanse the flesh. 

 After being on awhile, wash ofl" clean. 



•i- 



Elwood S. Cooper, Columbia, Pa., asks whether 

 it is best to let the tomatoes He on the ground 

 and ripen, as is usually done, or tie them to 

 stakes. Answer— The tomato is of much better 

 quality and flavor when tied to stakes and kept 

 from the ground, but it is too much work to tie 

 them up where many are grown. We flnd that 

 staking them with brush, the same as peas, is a 

 good plan, only have heavier brush. Master 

 Cooper Is only 11 years old, writes a good hand, 

 and we predict will have a good garden. 



H. E. Skinner, Albert Lea, Minn., asks how to 

 grow and care for Bantam chicks. Answer— Set 

 the hens as late as possible in August. This will 

 be a good season if they are ready. Keep the sit- 

 ting hens and chicks free from lice. The hens 

 will come off" daily, or at least often enough to 

 air the eggs. Best not disturb them when sitting. 

 Keep the young chicks from damp weather. 

 Bread makes a good food for young chicks, and 

 also coarse-ground corn meal. Allow them plenty 

 of liberty in dry weather. Wheat Is a good food 

 for the old hens as well as the chicks. Keep 

 plenty of fresh, clean water by them. Earlier- 

 hatched chickens grow larger, and for that reason 

 the later hatching is desirable. The smaller and 

 healthier a Bantam the more v.aluable It is. We 

 have had hen bantams that only weighed four- 

 teen ounces, j^ 



Prairieville, Arkansas Co., Ark, 

 I have received your blanks for subscribers, but 

 cannot get one. People here do not like fa»m 

 papers; they go In for politics. Bless me! I do 

 not read about politics, there is no money in It. 

 Give me something that tells how to get more 

 fiom the orchard, garden, and farm. I have been 

 doing my grafting for four years on large stocks, 

 like your cut (flgure 3) In April number, and do 

 not lose more than three or four per cent. Tiiey 

 seldom fall to grow if well done. I have a seed- 

 ling pear that f grafted into a bearing tree lour 

 years ago; it has born two years, and ripens the 

 first week In June. Fruit large, deep straw 

 color; when soft, rather dry and mealy, but 

 sweet. Thev are two or three weeks earlier than 

 any that I know of. Why do not Southern nur- 

 serymen advertise, or are there none in the 

 South ? I like the Farm and Garden, and whl 

 renew when my time is oiit. W. D. Wesnkk. 



Beginner, Olyphant, Pa., asks: (1) Can yoti re- 

 oommend the Kieffer pear, and what would be 

 the cost per tree seven feet high, also cost of 

 Flemish Beauty 7 (2) My soil bakes in summer; 

 would you advise sawdust to fertilize It? (3) 

 What hardy strawberry could you recommend, 

 of large size and productive? (4) Can you recom- 

 mend better pears for our vicinity than the 

 Kieffer and Flemish Beauty? Answer— (1) The 

 Kieffer with yon, if It .should prove hardy, will 

 be very good for canning, but not very good for 

 eating. The Kieffer, to ripen, needs plenty of 

 sunshine and warmth; the pear Is then fair for 

 the table. The cost of the trees will be about 50 

 cents each. The nurserymen who advertise In 

 the Farm and Garden will write you prices of 

 them and cost of delivery. (2) Would not advise 

 sawdust. It sours and injures the land. Burn 

 the sawdust and use the ashes, which are good 

 for fruit trees. (3) Wilson, and perhaps Sharp- 

 less. Manure and cultivate well. (4) We would 

 also name Bartlett, Osband's Summer, and Law- 

 rence; perhaps also Beurre d'AnJou. You will 

 flnd something every month that will aid you in 

 fruit growing. Glad you are pleased with the 

 Farm and Garden. . 



Samuel Vickers, Darlington, Wis., asks: (1) How 

 long does it take oranges to ripen from the blos- 

 som? (2) How many crops are on the tree at 

 once? (3) Which is the best time to plant apple 

 trees, spring or fall? Should pasture land be 

 broken up before or after grass starts ? (6) How 

 Is the best way to raise tobacco plants from seed ? 



(6) How should young turkeys be cared for? (7) 

 Is there any wav to kill twitch grass, and how? 

 (S) When is the best time to cut hazel brush to 

 kill it? Answer— (1) In Floiida about 9 months. 

 In the tropics not so long. (2) In Florida and all 

 the sub-tropical sections one crop only is pro- 

 duced : in the Torrid Zone the crops are continu- 

 ous. tS) In the North spring, in the Middle sec- 

 tion spring or fall, In the South fall. (4) Depends 

 upon what Is to be planted. Should it be corn, 

 vou will have to plow early before the grass 

 starts. If the soil is full of worms, plow In the 

 fall. If you want to manure the land, plow after 

 the grass has grown and In blossom. (5) Start 

 the seed in March or April for your section. In a 

 hot^bed, and transplant in the field when the 

 danger of frost is over. (6) Keep the young tur- 

 keys dry and free from lice. Feed well on curd 

 cheese, with plenty of pepper and coar.«e-ground 

 corn meal. When larger, allow them full liherty. 



(7) Yes; cultivate well. Half tillage will be use- 

 less. (8) August, when the weather Is the driest 

 and hottest. Never mind the moon when you 

 cut the brush. It has nothing to do with It. 



