1884.] 
AMEEIOAE^ AGEIOULTUEIST. 
249 
Bni’iiliis' Out Stumps.—E. L. Burnett, 
Nunda, Colo., asks our opinion of the following method 
of destroying stumps: “ In autumn or winter bore a one 
or tvvo-iiich hole eight inches deep. Drop into it one or 
two ounces of saltpetre, fill the hole with water, and 
plug it up. In spring remove the plug, pour in a gill of 
kerosene and ignite it. The stump will smoulder away 
without blazing, to the extremity of the roots, leaving 
nothing but ashes.”—The above “recipe” has been 
going the rounds for several years. That saltpetre will 
cause a green stump to disappear in this manner, looks 
as improbable as that a stump holding a gill of kerosene 
will “ smoulder away without blazing.” Still, we have 
not tried it. If any of our readers have, will they kindly 
give the result ? 
Au Inexpensive Puddiug'.—When eggs 
are as scarce and costly as they often are, we can com¬ 
mend the following, if as good as that we have tasted, 
made by this recipe: Have ready a pint of bread crumbs, 
a quart of sour apples, pared, cored and chopped moder¬ 
ately flue; a full cup of sugar, and two or three table¬ 
spoonfuls of butter. Butter a pudding dish, begin with a 
layer of apples, sprinkle over them some sugar and a few 
bits of the butter, nutmeg or cinnamon as desired, and 
cover with bread crumbs; then more apples, etc., repeat¬ 
ing the layers until tlie disli is full, the top being bread 
crumbs. Cover tightly and steam three-quarters of an 
hour, finally browning, sliglitly in tlie oven. To be eaten 
warm, with cream or butter and sugar rubbed together. 
Household Kecipes. — Without a va¬ 
riety of available fresh fruits for the preparation of 
desserts, the following recipes will supply the deficiency 
most admirably: Suet Pudding.—One cnp each of beef 
suet, chopped fine, raisins chopped, sweet milk, sugar, 
three eggs, four cups flour, a teaspoonfnl soda, two of 
cream tartar or four even teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
and a little salt. Steam two hours. Half of above is 
sufficient for five or six persons. For sauce, use corn¬ 
starch or sweet gloss starch, made the same as for thick 
laundry starch. Season well with butter, salt, sugar, and 
extract of lemon.- Orange Shortcake. —Two eggs, one 
cup sugar, beat quickly and lightly together, add five 
teaspoonfuls cold water, one cup flour rounding with 
tw'o teaspoonfuls of baking powder, sifted together, 
a pinch of salt, flavor with lemon extract. Bake in two 
jelly pans in a hot oven. For icing use one cup sugar, 
two tablespoonfuls water, and boil until it threads from 
the spoon. Remove from stove, and when a little cool 
stir in the white of one egg, vvell beaten. Slice three or 
four oranges, spread the cake with the icing and a layer ' 
of the slices ; then add the second layer, treating the top 
in the same manner. Serve cold with sweet milk or bet¬ 
tor still, whipped cream. Hazelwood. 
sis a FertilisKer,—With the 
continued exten.sion of gas-works, even to quite small 
villages, there is an increasing amount of so-called “gas- 
lime ; ” and, taking the year together, no other single 
question comes to us so often, as, what is the value of 
this product as a fertilizer? When fresh from the gas- 
house it has an offensive odor, and so many associate 
unpleasant smells with fertilizers, that they frequently 
overestimate this material. When illuminating gas is 
produced by heating bituminous coal in tbe retorts, sev¬ 
eral impurities are mixed with it, sulphur or compounds 
of sulphur among them. To remove these, one part of the 
process is to pass the gas, on its way to the distributing 
reservoir, through boxes of fresh-burned lime. The sul¬ 
phur unites with the lime, and forms calcium sulphide, 
formerly called sulphide of calcium, or sulphuret of lime, 
etc. When the lime ceases to longer act efficiently, it is 
thro\vn out, and fresh lime introduced. This refuse 
lime is constantly offered to farmers as a fertilizer, often 
at a nominal price. Properly used it may be as valuable 
as a mixture of common lime with some land plaster ; 
improperly used it is poisonous to plants, as many have 
found to their cost and disgust, and when the sulphur 
and lime, or the calcium sulphide, is exposed to the air 
for a sufficient time, the sulphur is oxidized to sulphuric 
or sulphurous acid, the calcium (or basic metal of lime) 
is oxidized at the same time into lime, and the union of 
the two forms snlphate'or sulphite of lime, or both. The 
sulphate of lime is the same as plaster, gypsum or land 
plaster, BO much used as a fertilizer. The rest of the 
refuse is mainly common slaked lime, though usually 
carbonated, making it just the same as air-slaked lime 
that has been sometime exposed to the atmosphere. It 
will thus be seen that while the fresh gas-house lime is 
not a safe application direct to crops, or to soils to be 
soon seeded, yet if it be left sufficiently spread out, 
(better under cover from rains, but not absolutely essen¬ 
tial), until disagreeable odors have mainly passed away, 
which may take place in from two to six months, or 
longer, the material Is probably about equal to common 
air-slaked lime: or it may be somewhat more valuable 
•on soils where land plaster produces good results. 
Chat with Eeaders. 
Ijima Beans,—R. Miles, Lorain Co., Ohio, sends us a 
seasonable hint. He makes the hills for the beans four feet 
apart each way, in two rows. After setting the poles, those 
of four hills are brought together at the top, and firmly 
tied with tarred twine. These poles soon become covered 
with vines, and stand so firmly, that he has had none blow 
over, wliUe the beans hung down in the leafy tents thus 
formed, in such a manner that Mr. M. says, “ it Is just fun 
to pick them.” 
Making Straw into Manure.—Mr. J. J. Ballinger, 
Cheney, W. T., asks us for a good way to convert straw in¬ 
to manure. We know that live stock will do this most sat¬ 
isfactorily.—Feed the straw to sheep or cattle, with a daily 
ration of grain or hay, or both. If the straw must be re¬ 
duced to a field fertilizer without the aid of the animal sys¬ 
tem, it needs to be kept continuously moist. If this is not 
possible, the straw maybe plowed under, where it will after¬ 
ward decay. If none of these methods are available, the 
straw may be burned, and the ashes applied to the land. 
Trouble Witli a Rose Bush.—A/r. C. L. Whitman, 
Ludlow, Ill., sends us a young rose bush, with an excres¬ 
cence, the size of an English walnut, growing upon the 
stem, just below the surface of the ground. The swelling 
has all the characters of a gall, and is no doubt due, like 
other galls, to Insects, which pass their larval state in 
them. We were unable to find the insect, though as the 
frontier men say, there was “a plenty of sign.” It is a prop¬ 
er precaution to burn all such excrescences that may be 
met with, whether they occur above ground, or below the 
surface. 
A Stimulant for Tomatoes,—“Bepteusr,” Wakefield, 
Mass., asks, “ What artificial fertilizer can be used upon a 
crop of tomatoes, to give a quick and temporai’y result ? ” 
The soil for tomatoes may be easily made too rich, and the 
vines stimulated to rampant growing, rather than to fruit 
bearing. A light, sandy soil, with a little well decomposed 
stable manure in the hill at planting, gives better crops 
than a strong soil heavily manured. Of the artificial ferti¬ 
lizers, a good superphosphate is likely to give the best re¬ 
sults. A tablespoonful or so to each plant, to be worked 
into the soil at the time of setting out, or rather more ap¬ 
plied later, when hoeing, will probably be of good service. 
Cabbage Maggots.-iff?’. O. D. Smith, Andes, N. Y., 
writes us, he has been troubled for the past few years with 
a small white maggot on the roots of his cabbages, both 
while in the seed-bed, and after they were set out. They eat 
off all the small roots, and sometimes bore the stem. The 
maggots are apparently those of the cabbage-fly of Europe 
(Anthomya hrasslcoe). When a third of an inch long, they 
leave the infested cabbage and pass into the ground, from 
which, after pupation, the mature files come forth. Sev¬ 
eral broods are annually produced. The best remedy thus 
far employed is lime, which is best applied in the form of 
lime-water. Superphosphate as a fertilizer acts as a pre¬ 
ventive. It is not best to grow successive crops of cabbage 
ou the same soil. 
Catching a Wild Cow.—Jfr. F. W. Godsal, Fort 
Macleod, Alberta, Canada, wishes to know if there is any 
plan or trap for catching a wild cow by the head, and hold¬ 
ing her in order to milk, or otherwise handle her.—Have a 
set of stanchions set in some shed, or even an open yard, in¬ 
to which the cow may be driven. Then if feed is placed In 
front of the stanchions, she will be forced by hunger to put 
her head through, and then by pulling a cord the movable 
stanchion may be shut, and the cow caught. You will have 
a good time ‘-gentling” her, but be patient and do not strike 
her, or hurt her in any way. One blow or kick will undo all 
the progress towards taming her you can make in half a 
day. Tie her legs to milk her, but do not hurt her. 
Grape Rot.—iffr. J. H. Glem, Coultersville, Tenn., 
writes us, that he has been much troubled with grape rot. 
We do not know of any certain remedy for this disease of 
the vineyard. This destructive work is doubtless that of a 
small, parasitic fungus. The fungus plant preys upon the 
juices of the berries, and causes them to change color, and 
finally drop off. Some grape growers have used Flowers of 
Sulphur with some success. This substance, when applied to 
the foliage, has proved a remedy for the leaf mildew, so 
prevalent in many parts of the country. The rot of the 
berry is much more difficult to reach. Paper bags placed 
over the clusters just after flowering, tend to keep off all 
disease germs, and have served well in other respects when 
employed. 
The Quince Borer.—Mr. J. A. Price, Mt. Vernon, 
N. Y., writes us for a remedy for the quince borer. This 
pest of the orchard was described, with engravings, in the 
December American Agriculturist, 1883. The striped parent 
beetle deposits its eggs in the bark near the base of the tree, 
from June to August. Petroleum paper wrapped around 
the tree, partly below ground, will keep off the beetle. The 
deposited eggs are killed by an alkaline (potash or soda) 
wash. Two pounds of whale-oil soap, and four ounces of 
sulphur, in a pailful of water, is a cheap and reliable mix¬ 
ture to apply to the trees. The borers already at work 
should be out out, or killed In their burrows with a wire 
probe. A knife in careless hands may do even more damage 
than the borers. Cut away only enough bark to admit of 
reaching the intruder. 
PiK RaisiuK.--Mr. L M. Stearns, Cardiff, N. T„ wishes 
answers to the following questions: What is the most pro¬ 
lific kind of swine that have the following qualities—easiest 
keepers; fatten at any age; do well on red clover; make 
from one hundred and fifty, to two hundred pounds of pork 
at eight months old, and will do to raise in Central New 
York?—The small Yorkshires (white), and the Essex (black; 
are the easiest keepers. They will fatten at any age, In 
fact. If they are fairly well fed, are always fat. These pigs 
do well on red clover, keep fat, and will make two hundred 
pound pigs at eight months old. A cross-bred pig will do 
better. Say pigs half small Yorkshires, and half Berkshire, 
with the latter for their dam, or the Yorkshire or Essex 
crossed upon big dows of any breed. You can raise any 
kind of pigs you wish in Central New York, if you will take 
care of them, and if not, you had better not raise any. 
Preparing Fish as a Fertilizer.—"Amateur," 
Artondale, Wash. Ter., can get any quantity of fish, but is 
at a loss how to use them. He procured six tons last fall, and 
stratified them with alternate layers of earth. This spring 
they are not half decayed, '■ while the perfume Is horrible.” 
Ou the Atlantic Coast, the fish guano is a secondary, or at 
least a Joint product. The fish are first pressed for their 
oil, the meat and bones are then dried and ground, and in 
that condition the fish scrap decomposes very readily, either 
in a compost, or applied directly to the soil. The oil is of 
no value as a fertilizer, and retards the decomposition. Still 
you have had your “ fish pie,” made only during the cool 
months. We do not know what kind of fish you used, but it 
can hardly be more oily than the menhaden, which the New 
England and Long Island shore farmers formerly composted 
in the manner you described. Warm weather will no 
doubt hasten the process, and the odor can be suppressed by 
a thicker covering of earth upon the heap. 
The Transmutation of Grain.—“A. JV. M.," Ala- 
mossa. Col., asks us if it is a fact, that either in England or 
America, oats have been sown, and after the crop had been 
fed off by sheep the first season, the second year a crop of 
barley has been reaped, no other seed having been put in in 
the mean time. Also, has wheat in like manner resulted 
from the sowing of barley? That both barley and wheat 
may have appeared under the above conditions is possible, 
but that oats ever change into barley, or barley into 
wheat, we have no proof. These belong with the still more 
general belief that wheat will produce chess. Numerous 
people are ready to assert that they have seen these trans¬ 
mutations, but when asked to show them to others, the evi¬ 
dence always fails. Ellhu Burrltt, known as the “ Learned 
Blacksmith,” recorded his observations In England in a 
book, in which he gravely stated that he saw a ease of the 
transmutation of a field of one kind of grain into another. 
The farmer declared he had sown wheat, and there was a 
field of barley, or vice versa, and the wonderful fact was 
written down, and appeared at length In a costly book. 
Mr. Burrltt was probably “learned”In many things, but 
not in what constitutes evidence. We have been on the 
look out for a stalk that was partly wheat and partly chess, 
for these many pears, and have failed to see one. 
Salt as a Fertilizer in the Orchard.—A. IF. Lang- 
don, Erie Co., N. Y., asks our advice “ as to the quantity of 
salt advisable to use about fruit trees in a old orchard.” 
There is no more positive knowledge as to the value of salt 
as a fertilizer for fruit trees, than there Is regarding its 
utility when applied to field crops. The fruit trees to 
which it appears to have been most beneficial, are the plum 
and quince, and on these it has been used more as a reme¬ 
dy for diseases, than as a fertilizer in the proper sense of 
the term. Salt in sufficient quantity applied to the roots, 
will destroy all vegetation, including the largest trees, 
hence caution must be exercised. Mr.Meech, the successful 
quince grower ofNew Jersey, advises apint to beappliedto 
the soil around quince trees that are two or three years old. 
Whether salt will produce a better effect upon old orchard 
trees than a good dressing of fine bone, we much doubt. 
If applied to old orchard trees, we should prefer to try two 
quarts, sprinkled upon the soil as far as the roots extend, 
to a larger quantity. We hope Mr. L. will try the salt, and 
also upon some of the other trees, a liberal di essing of 
ashes, of bone flour, and stable manure, and report the 
comparative results. 
City People as Fanners.—J. Reese, Covington, Keu- 
don Co., Ky., asks: “ Can city people fnake a success of 
farming?” That depends—if the people are in successful 
and profitable business in a city, they may possibly make 
enough to allow them to live on a farm. This Is a frequent 
question, and the answer is not intended to be a trivial one. 
The question gives expression to a too common opinion, 
that a farm will somehow run itself, and not only afford city 
people a rural home, but it may return an income besides. 
A farm, to be successful, requires all the care and business 
application that is needed In any other business. If one 
who has built up a profitable business in dry-goods, hard¬ 
ware, or groceries, in a city, upon moving to a farm will 
apply to farming the same business methods that have made 
his city occupation profitable, the probabilities are that he 
will succeed at farming. Unless he does this, and if he at 
the same time continues his city methods of living, a fail¬ 
ure is certain to follow. We would not imply that farmers 
should live any more poorly than city people. A merchant 
or tradesman works for money and with that, everything 
consumed in the family is purchased. On the farm, the ob¬ 
ject is to produce everything, so far as may be, that Is con¬ 
sumed by the family. A different kind of economy must 
be studied. The provisions needed by the family must be 
largely produced on the farm, and for the few things that 
must be brought to the farm from the outside—coffee, 
sugar, clothing, and a few others, something must be pro¬ 
duced that will sell readily and bring the money, to allow 
them to be purchased. City people who turn fai-mers may 
succeed if they will really become farmers. — If they 
remain city people, they had better remain in the city. 
