1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
“  The  grass  stubble  was  almost  wholly  Timothy  and 
Red  Top.  The  samples  were  taken  ea^y  in  November 
and  there  was  a  thick  mat  of  fine  rowen  two  to  four 
inches  tall. 
“  In  one  of  our  experiments,  clover  which  yielded  13 
tons  green  (2  %  to  3  tons  of  hay)  showed  in  crop  and 
roots,  nitrogen  152  pounds,  potash  184,  phosphoric-acid 
45.  In  a  light  rowen  crop  one  might  safely  estimate 
one  half  of  these  amounts. 
“  With  a  clover  sod  (or  one  largely  clover)  the  best 
results  would  probably  be  obtained  by  using  mineral 
fertilizers  only,  and  with  a  heavy  sod  of  any  kind  only 
small  quantities  of  nitrogen  need  be  added,  in  order  to 
obtain  a  fair  crop  of  corn  or  potatoes. 
‘  There  are  but  few  crops  that  can  be  sown  in  the  fall 
that  will  give  a  large  quantity  of  vegetable  matter 
for  plowing  under  the  next  spring.  Rye  can  be  used 
in  this  way,  but  light  crops  only  will  be  available  by 
May  1,  in  Connecticut.  Clover  sown  after  winter 
grain,  the  last  part  of  July,  will  give  quite  a  large 
crop,  the  crimson  variety  (Trifolium  incarnatum)  has 
been  used  to  advantage  in  this  way,  in  New  Jersey.” 
Green  Crops  for  market  Gardeners. 
Our  readers  have  read  several  calls  from  market 
gardeners  for  a  plant  that  will  make  a  quick  growth 
in  the  fall  and  thus  supply  vegetable  matter  to  be 
plowed  under  the  following  spring  without  losing  the 
use  of  the  land.  The  following  articles  suggest  a 
plant  that  might  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Gardeners 
growing  sweet  corn  might  plow  the  rape  under  for 
that  crop  and  use  fertilizers  on  succeeding  ones.  It  is 
worth  trying  and  we  hope  our  experiment  stations  will 
give  it  a  thorough  investigation. 
Rape  as  a  Fertilizer. 
This  crop  so  little  known  until  recently  in  this  coun¬ 
try  has  a  great  future  before  it.  It  is  not  only  one  of 
the  best  fodder  crops  that  can  be  grown  for  sheep  and 
lambs,  but  owing  to  the  time  of  the  year  at  which  it 
is  sown,  and  to  certain  properties  which  it  possesses, 
it  bids  fair  to  be  extensively  grown  for  plowing  in  as  a 
gi*een  manure. 
When  grain  crops  are  reaped,  which  are  not  sown  to 
grass,  it  is,  as  farmers  generally  know,  a  very  excel¬ 
lent  practice  to  turn  under  the  stubbles  with  the  gang 
plow,  as  a  means  of  destroying  weeds.  Good  farmers 
practice  this  mode  of  dealing  with  weeds  in  many 
sections  of  this  province — Ontario,  Canada — but  they 
may  as  well  go  a  step  further  and  add  to  the  fertility 
of  the  land.  If,  say,  four  or  five  pounds  of  rape  seed 
are  scattered  on  the  overturned  surface,  and  covered 
lightly  with  some  form  of  light  harrow,  a  good  crop  of 
rape  can  be  grown  for  plowing  in  as  a  green  manure 
late  in  the  autumn.  The  seed  should  not  cost  more 
than  50  cents  per  acre,  and  would  probably  cost  less. 
The  rape  would  continue  to  grow  until  late  in  the 
autumn.  The  early  frosts  would  not  hinder  its  growth 
as  in  the  case  of  buckwheat  and  some  other  crops 
grown  as  green  manures.  Some  nitrogenous  fertilizer, 
as  nitrate  of  soda,  might  be  sown  upon  the  rape  after 
it  had  come  up,  which  would  greatly  tend  to  its  further 
development.  The  roots  of  this  plant  fill  the  soil,  as 
it  is  a  most  voracious  feeder,  and  it  draws  largely  upon 
the  subsoil  when  it  has  a  long  enough  period  to  grow. 
Thus  in  a  moist  autumn  a  fine  mass  of  leaves  and  roots 
would  be  produced  to  feed  the  next  crop,  to  add  to  the 
retentive  powers  of  the  soil,  and  to  improve  the 
mechanical  texture  of  the  same.  In  dry  seasons  these 
results  would  not  be  realized,  but  in  no  season  would 
the  seed  be  lost,  for  enough  would  grow  to  add  more 
to  the  fertility  of  the  soil  than  was  paid  for  the  seed. 
Gardeners  should  also  be  able  to  utilize  the  plant  for 
a  similar  use,  more  especially  after  those  kinds  of  crops 
which  are  harvested  early  in  the  season.  The  rape  thus 
grown  and  plowed  under  would  prevent  that  impaction 
of  garden  soils  which  often  arises  from  a  lack  of  vege¬ 
table  matter.  If  the  rape  is  pastured  with  sheep  or 
lambs,  the  fertility  is  given  to  the  soil  as  effectively  as 
though  the  crop  had  been  plowed  under,  but  the 
mechanical  and  chemical  advantages  to  the  soil  are 
not  so  marked.  [prof.]  thomas  siiaw. 
Seven-Top  Turnip,  or  its  Congener  Rape. 
A  GREEN  MANURE  FOR  MARKET  GARDENERS’  USE. 
These  plants  if  not  identical,  are  so  nearly  so  that 
they  may  be  considered,  for  all  practical  purposes,  the 
same,  being  members  of  the  Brassica  or  Cabbage 
family,  and  perfectly  hardy,  producing  a  large  amount 
of  vegetable  growth  above  ground,  and  sending  a  tap 
root  down  into  the  subsoil,  thus  tending  to  mellow  the 
soil  to  a  considerable  depth,  while  drawing  moisture 
and  nutriment  from  areas  below  the  influences  of 
ordinary  dry  weather,  at  the  same  time  growing  so 
thickly  as  to  entirely  shade  the  ground,  and,  in  a  great 
measure,  smother  the  weeds.  If  sown  broadcast  in 
September,  or  even  October,  rape  will  germinate 
rapidly,  and  remain  uninjured  all  winter,  and  in  early 
spring  start  up  a  flower  stalk,  which  blossoms  during 
April  and  May,  supplying  splendid  bee  pasturage, 
even  before  the  apple  blossoms. 
With  the  above  characteristics,  it  will  be  easily  seen 
how  well  adapted  the  plant  is  to  the  purposes  of  green 
manuring,  especially  after  a  crop  of  potatoes  has 
been  removed  from  the  ground,  when  it  can  be  plowed 
under  the  following  April  or  May,  in  time  for  spring 
wheat,  oats,  barley,  peas,  corn  or  other  summer  crops, 
without  much  expense  either  in  time,  labor  or  money. 
It  makes  its  growth  while  the  land  would  otherwise 
be  lying  idle.  At  the  same  time  it  corrals  any  excess  of 
plant  food  that  may  have  been  supplied  to  the 
potato  crop  and  that  may  remain  unutilized  in  the 
ground,  thus  preventing  its  being  leached  away  by 
the  winter  rains,  and  converting  it  into  food  and 
humus  for  the  succeeding  crop. 
My  first  experience  with  it  occurred  in  my  experi¬ 
ment  gax*den,  where  I  planted  a  few  rods  to  learn 
its  habits.  While  harvesting  the  ripe  seed,  a  large 
proportion  was  scattered  over  the  plot,  and  from  this 
a  heavy  volunteer  crop  started.  Having  allowed  it  to 
grow  all  winter,  I  turned  it  under  in  the  spring  as  a 
green  manure,  prior  to  sowing  sundry  varieties  of 
grass  seeds  (for  experimental  purposes),  with  very  sat¬ 
isfactory  results. 
As  the  plant  partakes  of  the  character  of  mustard, 
it  will  shed  large  quantities  of  seed  and  spread  ex¬ 
tensively.  It  should  therefore  be  plowed  under  soon 
after  it  commences  flowering,  and  if  the  farmer  or 
gardener  wishes  to  secure  a  crop  of  seed  for  future 
use,  he  should  always  plant  it  on  ground  which  will 
be  used  the  following  season  for  corn,  potatoes  or 
other  hoed  crops,  when  the  volunteer  crop  may  be 
turned  under  with  good  effect.  It  should  get  a  dressing 
of  a  nitrogenous  fertilizer  during  its  late  fall  and  early 
winter  growth  ;  it  will  capture  the  nitrogen  and  hold 
it  for  future  use,  while  greatly  increasing  the  vege¬ 
table  matter.  dr.  a.  w.  tiiornton. 
Leavings. 
Tomato  Topics. — Does  not  the  ordinary,  newly  set 
tomato  plant  look  as  though  half  of  its  length  served 
only  to  connect  the  business  end  of  the  plant  with  the 
earth,  and  to  evaporate  a  part  of  the  water  needed  to 
keep  the  top  at  work?  Why  not  set  it  at  work  pump¬ 
ing,  instead? 
While  looking  for  a  way  to  make  a  heavy  applica¬ 
tion  of  phosphate  in  the  hill,  I  found  also  a  successful 
method  of  handling  leggy  and  overgrown  plants.  I 
furrow  the  row  with  a  Planet  Jr.  cultivator,  apply 
phosphate  and  go  through  the  furrow  again  with 
smaller  teeth.  The  plants  are  dropped  lengthwise  of 
the  furrow  and  covered  with  a  hoe,  as  much  stem  as 
possible  being  covei’ed  without  interference  with  the 
active  leaves.  The  passage  of  four  cultivator  teeth 
through  the  furrow  leaves  the  soil  in  the  best  condi¬ 
tion  for  holding  moisture  and  the  growth  of  the  plants. 
Last  season  I  finished  setting  at  noon  the  second 
parching  day  after  a  shower.  A  light  stroke  with  the 
hoe  showed  moist  earth,  warm  and  mellow;  the  plants 
flagged  but  slightly  and  in  a  few  days  the  stems,  as 
far  as  they  were  covered,  had  struck  root  vigorously. 
The  year  before  I  noticed  that  some  potted  plants, 
which  got  so  tall  that  I  laid  them  down,  struck  root 
from  the  stem  before  any  roots  left  the  ball  of  earth 
planted  with  them.  geo.  arnoi.d  jb. 
Iodine  For  Black  Knot. — Two  years  ago  the  com¬ 
ing  spring  I  set  out  250  plum  trees  of  different  varieties 
here  in  Chittenden  County,  Vermont.  Among  the  lot 
were  some  Lombards  taken  from  an  orchard  where 
there  was  a  slight  showing  of  the  black  knot;  but  as 
the  sprouts  were  of  a  very  vigorous  growth,  and  year¬ 
lings  at  that,  I  thought  I  would  run  the  risk.  Last 
spring,  however,  the  black  knot  appeared  in  strong 
shape.  I  tried  various  remedies  without  any  success 
whatever.  At  last  I  thought  of  tincture  of  iodine.  I 
consulted  one  or  two  persons  who  were  interested  in 
the  business,  and  they  said  I  would  surely  kill  my 
trees.  However,  I  took  a  dozen  of  the  worst  ones  and 
cut  the  knots  off  even  with  the  bark  (or  where  the 
bark  ought  to  have  been)  and  gave  the  wound  a  light 
brushing  with  “  tincture  of  iodine,”  of  full  strength; 
the  result  has  been  that  not  one  of  the  knots  has 
started  again,  while  those  I  tried  to  whittle  out  have 
made  a  good  growth  since  July.  The  wood  has  about 
grown  over  those  to  which  I  applied  the  iodine. 
Whether  the  disease  will  appear  again  next  season,  re¬ 
mains  to  be  seen.  I  also  tried  it  on  some  small  knots 
that  were  growing  fast,  without  removing  them,  and 
the  result  wras  the  same — it  killed  them  on  the  spot, 
and  does  not  seem  to  have  injured  the  trees.  I  think 
this  application  is  worth  trying,  and  if  it  proves  to  be 
a  success,  black  knot  will  have  to  give  in.  w.  H.  H. 
Slaking  Lime  With  Brine. — Experience  has  sflown 
that  lime  slaked  with  brine  has  a  much  more  marked 
effect  on  a  soil  full  of  humus  than  that  which  was 
slaked  with  water.  This  has  been  attributed  to  the 
reaction  of  the  lime  and  soda  on  each  other  and  the 
formation  of  caustic  soda,  the  action  of  which  in  pro- 
i33 
moting  the  solubility  of  peaty  matters  is  known. 
Storer  says  also  that  “  soda  carbonate  can  dissolve,  to 
an  appreciable  extent,  phosphate  of  iron  such  as  is 
formed  in  the  soil.”  But  whatever  the  reason,  the  fact 
that  brine-slaked  lime  is  more  efficient  than  plain 
water-slaked  lime  is  well  known  to  farmers  in  districts 
where  lime  is  freely  used.  w.  F.  massey. 
Mixed  Grapes  in  Baskets. — Though  mixed  grapes 
in  baskets  presented  a  pretty  appearance,  they  were  a 
financial  failure  in  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburgh.  I  tried 
them  for  two  seasons  with  the  finest  grapes  of  differ¬ 
ent  colors;  they  looked  most  tempting,  but  they  did 
not  sell  as  well  as  plain  Concords.  e.  m. 
Public  vs.  Country  Roads. — Of  late  there  has  been 
quite  a  good  deal  said  about  our  country  roads.  So  far, 
1  am  sorry  to  note  that  there  lias  been  no  practical 
suggestion  as  to  how  we  are  to  get  out  of  the  trouble. 
Why  can’t  some  of  our  savans  suggest  a  definite  plan? 
By  common  consent  it  seems  the  farmer  is  expected  to 
improve  the  roads  all  by  himself  and  not  even  an  idea 
as  to  how  he  is  to  go  about  it  is  thrown  in.  Now, 
simple  justice  to  all  parties  will  lay  the  burden  of 
making  improved  “  public  roads”  on  the  whole  popu¬ 
lation,  and  a  special  tax  should  be  levied  on  all  the 
taxable  property  of  each  county  for  the  express  pur¬ 
pose  of  improving  its  highways.  Let  this  be  a  fund  to 
be  expended  by  the  county  to  make  a  certain  amount 
of  good  road  each  year.  I  would  favor,  first,  a  good 
grade,  and  then  make  the  roadway  of  stone  or  gravel 
in  such  a  way  that  the  rains  and  frosts  would  not 
injure  it.  Near  where  I  live  is  a  stone  quarry  that 
would  furnish  enough  broken  stones  to  pike  all  the 
roads  in  this,  Beaver  County,  Pa.  Now  in  such  a  case, 
why  not  begin  by  locating  a  stone  crusher  there  and 
build  good  roads  from  that  point  as  long  as  it  is  con¬ 
venient  to  do  so,  then  move  the  crusher  to  another 
convenient  point  and  proceed  as  before.  It  will  take 
many  years  after  we  have  begun  in  some  such  manner, 
before  all  the  roads  are  made.  Now,  friends,  “  talk  is 
cheap,  but  it  takes  money  to  buy  straw.”  Don’t  tell  us 
our  roads  are  bad  (we  know  it),  but  tell  us  of  a  good 
practicable  plan  to  make  them  good  without  injustice 
to  any  one.  country  jake. 
“  Dr.  Woodhull”  Corn. — On  page  101  of  Tiie  Rural, 
H.  II.  G.,  of  Northville,  Tenn.,  inquires  if  there  is  a 
Dr.  Woodhull  Corn.  The  Rural  replies  that  it  has 
never  heard  of  any  such  corn.  There  was  a  celebrated 
physician  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  named  Dr.  Woodhull,  who 
did  more  in  experimental  agriculture  in  his  day  than  any 
man  in  the  State  at  that  time.  He  produced  over  100 
bushels  of  shelled  corn  per  acre,  and  that  corn  was 
scattered  throughout  the  State  for  seed  purposes,  and 
has  been  grown  ever  since.  I  am  not  sure  that  what 
we  now  have  is  quite  the  same  as  the  original  corn, 
for  the  doctor’s  experiments  were  made  over  40  years 
since  ;  but  it  is  still  considered  among  our  best  varieties 
of  corn.  It  is  a  bright  yellow,  with  stalks  not 
large  and  very  solid.  This  corn  evidently  took  its 
name  from  Dr.  Woodhull.  Where  he  secured  the  seed, 
of  course,  I  do  not  know.  d.  c.  lewis. 
Sticking  to  a  “Fad.” — I  see  by  a  late  Rural  that 
the  practice  of  hanging  geraniums  up  in  the  cellar 
during  winter  is  called  “  an  old  fad  which  went  the 
rounds  of  the  papers  a  few  years  ago.”  I  have  kept 
my  geraniums  by  that  same  old  “  fad  ”  for  the  past  10 
years,  and  have  hardly  ever  lost  one.  The  plants 
should  be  old  and  woody.  Such  as  were  started  the 
spring  before  will  not  keep.  I  take  mine  up  in  the 
fall,  being  careful  not  to  break  the  roots,  shake  the 
dirt  from  them,  label  and  hang  them,  roots  upward,  in 
bunches,  to  the  beams  overhead  in  the  cellar.  I  do  not 
trim  them  at  all.  When  new  shoots  start  out  early  in 
the  spring,  I  bring  them  out  of  the  cellar  and  plant 
them  in  old  pails,  boxes  or  any  convenient  receptacles, 
and  let  them  get  a  little  start  before  they  are  set  out 
in  the  beds.  Some  of  my  friends,  however,  transfer 
theirs  from  the  cellar  immediately  to  the  beds  and 
cover  them  when  the  weather  is  too  cold.  Will  The 
Rural  tell  its  readers  who  named  the  Pondcrosa 
Tomato.  phebk  kuder. 
R.  N.-Y. — Dr.  F.  M.  Hexamer,  William  Falconer  and 
E.  S.  Carman. 
The  Peach  Tomato. — In  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  January 
23,  1892,  the  origin  of  the  Peach  Tomato  is  traced  no 
further  than  to  W.  A.  Strother,  Lynchburg,  Va.,  about 
1884.  In  July,  1883,  I  sent  from  Monroe  County,  Tenn., 
to  a  lady  friend  at  Newbern,  Va. ,  about  two  dozen  Peach 
Tomatoes.  She  distributed  them  among  friends,  and 
she  now  recollects  giving  some  to  a  gentleman  whose 
name  is  not  remembered,  but  who  was  probably  from 
Lynchburg.  I  think  it  probable  that  it  was  from  this 
source  Mr.  Strother  obtained  his  specimen,  as  men¬ 
tioned  by  him.  I  grew  the  Peach  Tomato  in  Tennes¬ 
see  (Monroe  County),  as  far  back  as  1878-9,  as  I  now 
remember.  J.  H.  hicks. 
R.  N.-Y. — We  thank  Mr.  Hicks  for  the  above  in¬ 
formation.  What  we  desire  is  to  get  at  the  origin  of 
the  Peach  Tomato. 
