ii8 



QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



fall will be retained. The tree should now be judi- 

 ciously trimmed and the machine removed. Five men 

 can take up, move and plant a tree in a day, if the dis- 

 tance is short and the digging not too hard. The tree 

 should be properly wired to stakes to prevent the wind 

 from blowing it over. The front part of the machine is 

 a part of our platform spring market-wagon, while the 

 hind wheels are from a wood-axle wagon. A tree ten 

 inches in diameter with some dirt adhering to its roots, 

 will weigh a ton or more. 



2665. Manure-Water for House-Plants. — The best 

 plan is to buy the specially prepared manures offered by 

 florists and frequently advertised in this magazine. If 

 these manures are unattainable, then a preparation may 

 be made by dissolvinga tablespoonful of guano in a gallon 

 of water, or half an ounce of nitrate of potash or of sul- 

 phate of ammonia may be dissol ved in the same quan- 

 tity of water. Liquid manure should not be applied to 

 pot-plants until the 

 soil is filled with 

 roots, and the plant 

 begins to show evi- 

 dent signs of want. 

 I n t h e hands of a 

 skillful grower, li- 

 quid manure be- 

 comes of great val- 

 ue, but the novice 

 must go carefully or 

 disaster may result. 

 — H. W. S. 



2667. Manure for 

 Annuals. — There is 

 nothing better for 

 this class of plants 

 than thoroug'ily de- 

 cayed manure, eith- 

 er from thecow-shed 

 or stable. Of course 

 it is understood that 

 I don't mean ma- 

 nure that has laid 

 for a long time ex- 

 posed to the weath- 

 er. This may be de- 

 cayed, but the plant 

 food will have been 



largely washed away by the heavy rains. Often soil ob- 

 tained from the woods will be found to be as valuable as 

 anything can well be for this section of plants. Annu- 

 als should be sown where they are to flower, and if the 

 plants come up too thickly, they must be trimmed.— 

 H. W. S. 



2717. Nitrate of Soda on Onions.— I have made use 

 of this fertilizer on my onions for several years past, but 

 have never depended on it alone for the crop. My plan 

 is to plow in about eight cords of good barn-manure and 

 rake or harrow in 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of onion-fertil- 

 izer before planting my seed, and when the crop begins 

 to bottom to scatter 200 to 300 pounds of nitrate of soda 

 to the acre and slide it in. The effects of the nitrate on 

 the crop will be visible in a few days. — J. J. H. Gregory, 

 Marblehead, Mass. 



2736. Pine Sawdust for Manure.— It is used largely 



Transplanting Large Trees. Ready to Movi 



in this vicinity as an absorbent in the cow-barn, but the 

 general sentiment is, that for some reason, possibly 

 owing to its resinous properties, it does the manure no 

 good. People who hold this theory still continue to use 

 it, because of its handiness and cleanliness. There is 

 no vegetation under pine trees. — J. J. H. Gregory, 

 Marblehead. Mass. 



2664. Best Hedge Plant. Probably the best hedge 

 plant to combine ornament with protection is Pyrus 

 Japonica. The plants will cost about $5 per 100, and 

 should be planted two feet apart. Land that is in good 

 condition for a crop of corn will give a good growth of 

 these plants. The ground on each side should be kept 

 mellow by the occasional use of a cultivator, and the 

 plants cut to a regular form once a year : With this 

 treatment it should make a good hedge in four to five 

 years ; or, if two strands of wire are stretched above it, 

 it would afford considerable protection in two years. — 

 > I Wm. F. B. 



: .1./ ,4 2665. Manure- 



Water for House- 

 Plants. The con- 

 centrated fertilizers 

 which are put up 

 for house-plants al- 

 ways have full direc- 

 tions for use printed 

 on the packages. 

 Horn e-m a d e ma- 

 nures vary so largely 

 in bulk and strength, 

 that it is scarcely 

 possible to give di- 

 rections suited to all 

 cases, buta teaspoon- 

 ful of pulverized 

 hen-manure would 

 be enough for a quart 

 of water. Apply 

 this once a week or 

 two, and coarser 

 manure might be 

 used in large quan- 

 tity ; but it is always 

 best to apply liquid 

 manure in a very 

 weak state and spar- 

 ingly, unless one knows by careful practice just what 

 the plants will bear.— VVm. F. B. 



2765. Remedy for Pear Curculio.— Both the plum 

 and the quince-curculio attack pears. There are only 

 two remedies which appear at all practical. One is 

 the old jarring process so often recommended for plum 

 trees. Spread a sheet or sheets under the tree and jar 

 it by means of a smart blow or two with a wooden mallet 

 against the trunk, preferably against the stub of a re- 

 moved branch. The insects will fall to the ground, and 

 can be collected on the sheet and destroyed. The other 

 remedy, not superior to the older jarring process, con- 

 sists in spraying the trees shortly after the leaves un- 

 fold, with Paris green water, i lb. of Paris green to 300 

 gals, of water. Keep well stirred while applying. To 

 spray with a solution of saltpetre, i lb. to 3 gals, of 

 water, only wastes material and effort. 



