1892 
285 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKE 
fertilizer.  If  you  take  the  Mapes  fertilizer,  1,000 
pounds  will  contain  32  pounds  of  nitrogen,  80  of  phos¬ 
phoric  acid  and  60  of  potash.  With  the  guaranteed 
analyses  of  the  separate  ingredients  you  can  figure  out 
a  compound  yielding  as  much  of  these  substances. 
For  example,  250  pounds  of  sulphate  of  potash  and  350 
pounds  of  good  ground  bone  will  give  you  more  potash 
and  phosphoric  acid  than  are  in  the  Mapes,  and  also  10 
to  15  pounds  of  nitrogen.  With  this  used  against  the 
complete  fertilizer  you  can  ask  your  soil  these  ques¬ 
tions  : 
1.  Do  I  get  enough  of  an  Increase  In  the  crop  to  pay  me  ;for  buying 
nitrogen? 
2.  How  much  nitrogen  can  I  afford  to  buy? 
3.  Is  the  complete  fertilizer  superior  to  any  mixture  I  can  make  by 
reason  of  Its  more  complete  mixing,  or  from  the  fact  that  It  con¬ 
tains  several  different  forms  of  nitrogen,  etc.? 
By  adding  150  pounds  of  nitrate  of  soda  to  the  above 
mixture,  you  will  have  a  fertilizer  analyzing  higher 
than  the  Mapes.  Whether  it  will  give  better  results 
can  be  determined  only  by  experiment.  We  speak  of 
ground  bone  only  as  an  illustration  of  a  possible 
mixture.  Superphosphate  would  be  better,  for  raw 
bone  is  not  soluble  enough  to  give  its  phosphoric  acid 
at  once  to  the  potato  plants.  Wood  ashes  of  good 
quality,  with  the  addition  of  enough  superphosphate 
to  make  the  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  equal  to  the 
complete  fertilizer,  might  be  cheaper.  The  complete 
fertilizers  have  an  advantage  over  most  home  mixtures 
in  the  fact  that  they  contain  different  forms  of  the  ele¬ 
ments  of  fertility — some  more  soluble  than  others — so 
that  the  plant  is  provided  with  suitable  food  all 
through  its  life.  Again,  the  mixing  is  a  good  deal 
more  complete  than  any  that  can  readily  be  made  at 
home.  The  chief  question  for  you  is,  Can  f  afford  to 
buy  nitrogen  ?  Nearly  one-half  of  the  $ 38  which  you 
say  the  1,500  pounds  of  complete  fertilizer  would  cost 
you,  would  be  spent  for  the  nitrogen  alone.  If  the 
clover  will  “  catch  ”  the  greater  part  of  the  nitrogen, 
and  you  can  save  the  tariff  on  the  separate  materials, 
you  should  be  able  to  supply  the  acre  with  the  needed 
fertility  for  $20.  You  can  therefore  see  how  it  will 
pay  to  experiment.  If  you  use  the  manure  on  the 
wheat,  we  should  use  the  equivalent  of  1,200  pounds 
of  fertilizer  per  acre  on  the  potatoes,  and  300  per  acre 
on  the  barley.  Fish  refuse  ought  to  be  cheap  and 
plentiful  enough  with  you  to  greatly  strengthen  the 
stable  manure  at  a  small  cost.  Compost  the  fish  with 
the  stable  manure  or  alone  with  plaster  and  muck  or 
good  soil.  This  will  make  a  cheap  source  of  nitrogen 
and  phosphoric  acid  for  the  wheat  or  clover. 
Maerg-ots  in  Winter  Bulbs. 
B.  B. ,  Farmlngdale,  III. — How  can  I  get  rid  of  mag¬ 
gots  in  winter  bulbs,  hyacinths,  Easter  lilies,  etc.? 
All  our  bulbs  have  been  ruined  the  past  winter.  I 
have  tried  insect  powder,  tobacco,  liquid  manure,  bone 
dust,  sulphur,  etc.  The  adult  form  is  a  small  fly. 
Try  dipping  the  pots  one-third  of  their  depth  for  a 
few  minutes  in  a  weak  solution  of  pure  lime  water. 
Repeat  after  a  day  or  two.  Possibly  the  “maggots” 
were  bred  in  the  soil  used  for  potting  the  bulbs ;  if 
this  is  so,  use  baked  soil  in  potting  your  bulbs  next 
year.  wm.  falconer. 
This  question  is  not  very  definite  ;  however,  there  is 
little  doubt  that  the  bulbs  were  decayed.  This  insect 
would  not  trouble  a  sound  bulb  ;  it  may  be  regarded, 
as  effect,  not  cause.  No  remedy  can  be  offered,  but  it 
may  be  guarded  against  in  future  by  care  in  selecting 
perfect  bulbs.  MRS.  K.  L.  royle. 
If  it  were  my  case,  1  would  try  fumigating  with  bisul¬ 
phide  of  carbon.  If  that  does  not  help  I  have  no  sug¬ 
gestion  to  offer,  except  the  destruction  of  the  bulbs 
containing  the  maggots.  t.  gkenier. 
What  to  Add  to  Ashes. 
A.  E.  S.,  Huntington,  Tnd.—l  have  planted  three 
acres  of  potatoes  by  the  trench  system  for  the  past 
two  years.  I  have  also  used  100  bushels  of  wood  ashes 
per  acre.  This  year  I  shall  use  ashes  in  the  same  pro¬ 
portion;  what  chemical  compound  would  be  best  to 
supplement  the  ashes  to  produce  the  best  results,  and 
what  amount?  The  ashes  cost  only  25  cents  per  load 
at  various  saw-mills  and  are  probably  of  two- thirds 
strength.  What  amount  of  rape  should  I  sow  per  acre? 
Are  potato  planters  a  success?  Will  running  a  sub¬ 
soil  plow  in  the  bottom  of  the  trench  before  planting 
be  a  benefit  to  the  potato  crop? 
Ans. — The  potatoes  will  need  raw  bone  dust  or  dis¬ 
solved  bone  or  both  ;  that  is,  phosphoric  acid  whether 
in  bone  or  dissolved  bone  or  boneblack  or  acid  super¬ 
phosphate.  The  soluble  phosphoric  acid  will  be  at 
once  available,  the  bone  dust  later.  Nitrogen,  too,  in 
some  soluble  form  must  be  used.  Nitrate  of  soda,  200 
pounds  to  the  acre,  would  suffice.  Unleached  ashes 
give  potash  in  a  most  serviceable  form  and  a  little 
phosphate,  but  no  nitrogen.  A  potato  planter  will 
give  good  service  to  those  who  raise  potatoes  in  a  large 
way— otherwise  it  does  not  pay.  If  the  subsoil  is  hard, 
subsoiling  may  help. 
Old  Times  and  New  With  Plaster  and  “  Fallow.” 
J.  A.  M.,  Newfane,  N.  Y. — 1.  Thirty  years  ago  in  west¬ 
ern  New  York,  it  was  the  universal  practice  to  sow 
land  plaster  on  all  of  our  crops,  and  it  was  claimed  that 
a  decided  benefit  was  received,  especially  on  barley 
when  it  turned  yellow  from  drought  and  also  that  it 
produced  a  marked  growth  plainly  to  be  seen  on  clover. 
Why  have  farmers,  then,  entirely  discarded  its  use  ? 
Were  they  mistaken  in  its  value  and  is  it  used  at  the 
present  time  to  any  extent  in  any  section  ?  2.  When 
is  the  best  time  to  sow  it  on  clover,  spring  crops,  win¬ 
ter  wheat,  and  how  much  per  acre  ?  3.  Years  ago  in 
the  Genesee  Valley  and  the  section  along  Lake  Ontario, 
no  good  farmers  would  think  of  sowing  winter  wheat 
unless  on  summer  fallow,  and  then  they  were  certain 
of  25  to  40  bushels  per  acre  and  even  more  could  be 
counted  on,  and  it  was  always  considered  that  the  man 
who  sowed  after  oats  or  barley  was  “  hard  up.”  This 
is  the  universal  practice  now  and  farmers  are  “hard 
up”  with  their  15  or  20  bushels  per  acre  with  phosphate 
at  $25  to  $30  per  ton  to  come  out  of  that.  Would  it  be 
better  to  return  to  first  principles  or  continue  in  the 
fashion  with  poor  crops,  assignments  to  pay  our  just 
debts  and  prayers  for  forgiveness  ? 
Ans. — 1.  For  some  unexplained  reason  gypsum — 
land  plaster — appears  not  to  have  as  beneficial  effects 
after  it  has  been  used  for  several  successive  years  on 
the  land,  as  when  first  applied.  Farmers  “  were  not 
mistaken”  as  to  the  value  of  gypsum  and  they  have 
not  entirely  discarded  its  use.  Many  now  use  it  in  the 
stables  for  the  double  purpose  of  taking  up  a  part  of 
the  liquid  voidings  and  absorbing  the  ammonia,  thus 
preventing  waste.  In  the  barley  districts,  gypsum 
and  salt  are  sometimes  mixed  in  about  equal  parts 
and  sowed  on  the  barley  or  drilled  in  with  the  seed. 
This  in  many  instances  has  the  effect  of  producing  a 
stiffer  and  brighter  straw  and  consequently  an  earlier 
and  heavier  grain.  Gypsum  is  frequently  used  to  dis¬ 
tend  fertilizers,  that  is,  to  give  greater  bulk  so  that 
they  may  be  more  evenly  and  satisfactorily  distributed, 
and  also  to  lessen  the  danger,  in  dry  weather,  of  harm 
to  the  young  plant  roots  from  the  concentrated  fertil¬ 
izer.  Sow  on  clover  in  April  or  May  ;  just  now  is  a 
good  time.  Many  believe  that  it  will  do  most  good  if 
sowed  when  the  plants  are  damp  or  wet  with  dew  or 
rain.  As  it  takes  a  very  large  amount  of  water  to  dis¬ 
solve  gypsum,  it  is  not  wise  to  sow  a  large  quantity  of 
it  at  a  time,  as  thei*e  is  not  likely  to  be  sufficient  water 
present  to  make  it  available.  For  spring  crops  and 
winter  wheat,  mix  equal  parts  of  gypsum  and  a  high- 
grade  fertilizer,  and  drill  with  the  grain.  Two  bushels 
of  gypsum  per  acre  will  be  a  liberal  dressing,  if  used 
alone  or  with  fertilizers. 
2.  Yes,  return  to  first  principles  ;  that  is,  cultivate 
the  land  better  and  abandon  squaw  farming,  which  is 
so  common  at  the  present  time.  It  should  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  “  years  ago”  the  farmers  had  but  poor  im¬ 
plements  of  culture  as  compared  with  those  of  the 
present  day  ;  the  ground  was  often  wet  and  undrained, 
full  of  stumps  and  roots,  and  then  there  was  the  rich, 
unrobbed  virgin  soil  only  waiting  to  have  the  earth 
around  the  roots  and  stones  tickled  three  or  four  times 
a  summer,  before  “  shelling  out  the  40  bushels,” 
usually  guessed  at.  Suppose  the  inquirer  concludes  to 
sow  less  “  spring  grain”  than  usual,  and  to  determine 
how  much,  if  any,  commercial  fertilizer  he  can  profit¬ 
ably  use  per  acre.  First,  let  him  give  the  land  the  best 
possible  culture,  and  then  divide  the  barley  or  oat 
field  into  four  equal  parts.  On  the  first  part  drill  200 
pounds  of  some  reliable  high-grade  fertilizer  ;  on  the 
second  part,  none ;  on  the  third,  600  pounds,  and  on 
the  fourth,  400  pounds  per  acre.  One  dollar’s  worth 
of  labor  will  cut  a  swath  between  these  spots  at  har¬ 
vest  time,  and,  when  the  grain  is  stored  in  the  barn, 
10  minutes  will  suffice  to  separate  the  plots  in  the 
mow  with  a  few  pieces  of  old  boards  or  a  few  forkfuls 
of  straw  or  old  hay.  Since  the  plots  are  large,  the  re¬ 
sults  will  be  sufficiently  accurate  for  the  purpose 
sought.  Repeat  these  or  similar  experiments,  and 
then  count  profit  and  loss,  remembering  that  the 
greatest  implement  of  agriculture,  in  this  year  of  our 
Lord,  1892,  is  a  neatly-sharpened  pencil.  Spring 
grain  should  be  put  in  early — the  phosphates  will 
hasten  the  ripening  period.  If  the  grain  is  bound, 
let  the  tension  of  the  binder  be  slack,  so  that  the 
sheaves  will  cure  out  rapidly — never  mind  the  “  drib- 
blings,”  as  you  should  rake  the  stubbles  anyhow  if  the 
ground  is  rich  and  the  grain  is  as  big  as  it  should  be, 
for  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  grain  be 
removed  at  the  first  possible  moment,  in  order  to  get  the 
plows  started,  as  by  this  method  it  is  possible  to  get 
a  short  summer  fallow  before  September  10.  This 
is  getting  back  to  “  first  principles.”  With  our  supe¬ 
rior  implements,  as  much  can  be  done  in  the  six  weeks 
between  harvest  and  fall  seeding  as  our  fathers  accom¬ 
plished  all  summer.  If  there  is  little  clear  money 
in  large  yields,  there  is  none  in  small  ones.  “  If  a 
yield  of  15  bushels  per  acre  with  phosphates  at  $25  per 
ton,  produces  assignments  to  pay  just  debts,  “  and 
prayers  for  forgiveness,”  suppose  we  plow  earlier  and 
R. 
set  free  more  plant  food  for  the  wheat  by  more  and  bet¬ 
ter  culture,  save  and  return  all  of  the  farm  manures 
to  the  field,  instead  of  less  than  one-half  of  them,  and 
then  see  if  phosphates  at  $25  a  ton  will  not  pay  a  good 
profit.  Phosphates  are  more  profitable  in  the  hands  of 
good  farmers,  and  on  good  lands,  than  in  the  hands  of 
poor  farmers  on  poor  lands,  [prof.  |  i.  p.  ROBERTS. 
Evils  of  Dealings  in  Options. 
J.  Y.  W.  McC.,  Auburn,  End. — On  page  156  of  The 
Rural  an  editorial  article  on  the  Anti-Option  Bill 
pending  before  Congress,  referring  to  the  malign  influ¬ 
ences  of  dealings  in  options  in  agricultural  products, 
says  of  the  speculators:  “Thus  their  machinations 
have  unsettled  our  domestic  and  endangered  and 
curtailed  our  foreign  trade  in  the  transcendent  pro¬ 
ducts  of  the  country.”  How  has  dealing  in  options 
brought  this  about? 
Ans. — Dealing  in  options  in  the  Produce  Exchange 
is  merely  betting  on  the  future  prices  of  the  agricul¬ 
tural  products  concerned.  This  is  so  notorious  as  to 
need  not  a  word  of  explanation.  The  speculators  who 
practice  such  dealing  are  divided  into  two  classes — the 
“  bulls”  and  the  “  bears,”  those  who  bet  that  prices 
will  go  up,  and  those  who  wager  they  will  go  down. 
The  unscrupulous  machinations  of  these  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  influencing  prices  in  favor  of  their  own  schemes, 
are  constantly  disturbing  and  unsettling  our  domestic 
markets  by  inflating  or  depressing  prices  artificially, 
by  bogus  crop  and  market  reports  and  causing  tempor¬ 
ary  stringency  in  various  products,  irrespective  of  the 
legitimate  regulator  of  prices — the  relation  of  supply 
and  demand.  The  most  notable  and  pernicious  of  their 
tricks  is  “  cornering”  this  or  that  market  on  this  or  that 
product.  Thus  prices  are  fictitiously  raised  during  the 
career  of  the  corner  and  fictitiously  depressed  after  its 
close,  whether  successful  or  a  failure.  Without  deal¬ 
ings  in  options  there  would  be  no  “  corners.”  It  is 
notorious  that  prices  of  various  agricultural  products 
are  frequently  influenced  far  more  by  the  manipula¬ 
tions  of  these  schemers  than  by  the  amount  of  the  com¬ 
modities  on  our  markets  or  within  reach  of  them. 
Owing  to  their  artificial  inflation  of  prices  foreign 
countries  are  constantly  curtailing  their  purchases  in 
this  country,  and  either  lessening  consumption  or 
seeking  similar  products  elsewhere.  The  machina¬ 
tions  of  these  rascals  are  the  chief  stimulant  to  the 
production  of  wheat  in  India  and  Australia  and  of 
cotton  in  Egypt,  India  and  Asiatic  Russia.  In  self- 
defense  against  these  unscrupulous  schemers,  other 
countries  are  vigorously  exerting  themselves  to  secure 
the  production  elsewhere  of  goods  that  can  compete 
with  those  of  this  country.  In  this  way,  in  brief,  is 
‘  ‘endangered  and  curtailed  our  foreign  trade  in  the  tran¬ 
scendent  products  of  the  country.” 
Stock  in  Sprayed  Orchards  ;  Cost  of  Copper. 
E.  IV.  B.,  Randolph,  0. — 1.  Is  it  advisable  to  pasture 
an  orchard  while  spraying  for  the  fungus  and  cotiling 
moth,  etc.?  2.  Where  can  sulphate  of  copper  be 
obtained  by  the  barrel  ?  The  Ohio  Experiment  Sta¬ 
tion  bulletin  says  it  can  be  bought  for  six  cents  per 
pound  ;  that  is  cheaper  than  I  can  buy  it  of  dealers 
here. 
Ans. — 1.  We  should  say  not  while  the  spraying  is 
going  on,  though  it  would  be  safe  enough  to  turn  in  the 
stock  24  hours  afterwards.  2.  W.  H.  Schieffelin  &  Co., 
of  170  William  Street,  New  York,  offer  sulphate  of 
copper  in  barrels  containing  375  pounds  at  4%  cents 
per  pound.  W.  S.  I’owell  &  Co.,  Baltimore,  Md.,  also 
sell  it — we  do  not  know  their  price. 
Miscellaneous. 
No  Chemicals  in  Carming. — E.  T.,  Chappaqua,  N.  Y. — 
No  reputable  canning  factory  uses  any  chemicals  in 
canning  fruits  or  vegetables  and  none  are  needed. 
Tomatoes  may  be  canned  in  glass  just  as  well  as  in  tin 
cans,  and  are  certainly  better,  if  the  work  is  well 
done.  When  canned  in  glass  they  should  be  kept  in  a 
cool,  dark  place.  Some  authorities  hold  that  the  ac¬ 
tion  of  sunlight  through  the  glass  will,  in  the  end, 
spoil  the  tomatoes. 
J.  A.  C.,  Concord,  N.  C. — We  know  of  no  better 
late  potatoes  than  Brownell’s  Winner  and  Late  Beauty 
of  Hebron  or  White  Elephant.  They  are  the  same 
variety. 
Riley's  Kerosene  Emulsion. — J.  M.  B.,  Cory,  Ind. — 
Make  a  solution  by  dissolving  one-half  pound  of  hard 
soap  in  a  gallon  of  boiling  water  to  which  add  two 
gallons  of  kerosene,  churning  the  mixture  by  forcing 
it  back  into  the  same  vessel  with  a  force  pump 
through  a  small  nozzle,  until  it  forms  a  creamy  mass, 
which  will  thicken  like  jelly  on  cooling.  The  soap 
solution  should  be  hot  when  the  kerosene  is  added  and 
of  course,  should  not  be  near  a  fire.  The  emulsion 
thus  made  is  to  be  diluted  with  10  gallons  of  soft  water 
before  using. 
Two  Flowers.— M.  B.,  Montreal,  Can.— We  fancy  the 
first  flower  described  is  Tradescantia  Virginica  and 
the  second  Cypripedium  pubescens.  The  Lady’s  Slip¬ 
per  growing  in  your  woods  is  probably  C.  acaule. 
