1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
3oi 
mend  to  all  having  extensive  orchards  and  who  wish 
to  keep  them  in  the  highest  state  of  fertility  and  pro¬ 
ductiveness. 
To  put  this  plan  in  practice,  seed  the  orchard  to  Blue 
Grass  and  White  Clover  early  in  August ;  when  fairly 
started  in  the  following  spring,  put  into  the  orchard 
at  least  twice  as  many  sheep  as  can  subsist  upon  the 
grass,  and  arrange  to  give  them  an  abundant  supply 
of  fresh  water.  Place  in  the  orchard  enough  V-shaped 
troughs  10  or  12  or  more  feet  long  and  with  legs  rais¬ 
ing  them  10  inches  from  the  ground,  and  broad 
enough  so  that  they  will  not  be  easily  upset,  and 
feed  the  sheep  each  day  enough  extra  food  to  keep 
them  thriving.  This  food  should  consist  of  wheat 
bran  and  linseed  meal,  or  wheat  bran  and  cotton-seed 
meal  or  dried  brewers’  grains  or  gluten  meal,  and  they 
should  have  enough  to  fully  make  up  for  the  scanty 
supply  of  grass.  Wheat  bran  is  superior  to  all  other 
foods  for  this  purpose,  as  it  is  well  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  the  sheep  and  also  contains  in  large  pro¬ 
portion  all  three  of  the  elements  taken  in  the  fruit. 
By  the  use  of  this  plan  “  several  birds  are  killed  by  the 
same  stone.”  All  weeds  are  killed  ;  the  grass  is  eaten 
so  close  that  it  takes  but  little  moisture  from  the  land  : 
all  wormy  fruit  is  eaten  as  soon  as  it  drops  to  the 
ground  and  before  any  insect  has  time  to  escape,  and, 
last  biit  not  least,  the  droppings  of  the  sheep,  fed  on 
the  food  I  have  indicated,  will  greatly  enrich  the  or¬ 
chards,  and  to  equalize  the  scattering  of  the  manure 
the  troughs  should  be  moved  from  place  to  place  occa¬ 
sionally.  Here,  in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  I  have  prac¬ 
ticed  this  method  for  years,  and  with  the  best  results. 
I  have  one  orchard  of  about  30  acres  which  has  not 
been  plowed  for  15  or  16  years.  The  trees  make  an 
annual  growth  of  from  10  to  18  inches,  which  is  ample; 
the  leaves  are  dark  green,  thick  and  healthy,  and  this 
orchard  bears  good  crops  of  fine  fruit. 
From  careful  observation,  I  am  fully  persuaded  that 
this  is  the  way  to  treat  apple  orchards  on  all  soils  at 
all  adapted  to  them,  and  they  should  be  planted  no¬ 
where  else.  To  succeed  in  this  way,  however,  it  is 
imperative  that  the  orchard  should  be  thoroughly  over¬ 
stocked  and  the  sheep  fed  the  supplemental  food, 
otherwise  nothing  will  be  added  to  the  soil,  and  what 
the  sheep  take  off  in  their  growth  will  be  just  so  much 
taken  from  the  available  supply,  to  the  detriment  of 
the  trees.  J.  s.  woodward. 
Using:  Fertilizers  on  Melons. 
J.  M.  C.,  Mauncetawn,  N.  J. — What  is  the  best  way 
to  apply  300  pounds  of  commercial  fertilizer  per  acre 
to  produce  the  best  crop  of  water-melons.  We  find 
melons  grow  best  on  a  light  soil  that  has  not  been 
farmed  for  three  or  four  years.  Very  often  without 
sod,  we  plow  and  strike  out  the  rows  eight  feet  apart 
each  way,  with  one  horse.  Then  we  ream  out  the 
rows  with  a  two-horse  plow  one  way  deeper  and  wider; 
then  in  this  deep  furrow  we  apply  the  fertilizer  at  the 
rate  of  300  pounds  to  the  acre,  which  makes  a  good- 
sized  handful  for  each  hill,  scattering  it  about  30 
inches.  Then  we  ridge  up  and  plant. 
Ans. — We  know  of  no  better  way  except  that  one 
should  be  careful  to  mix  the  fertilizer  with  the  soil 
thoroughly.  We  have  never  succeeded  in  raising  fine 
crops  of  either  musk  or  water-melons  with  fertilizers 
alone. 
Cows  That  Chew  Boards. 
C.  D.  if.,  Weedsport,  N.  Y. — Our  herd  of  cattle  have 
acquired  the  habit  of  biting  at  fences,  even  tearing  off 
boards,  and  chewing  any  bit  of  board  within  reach. 
The  evil  began  with  one  or  two  old  animals,  and  has 
gradually  spread  through  the  herd  until  even  year¬ 
lings  practice  it.  The  cattle  are  well  fed  with  sound 
hay  and  grain,  and  salt  is  constantly  within  reach. 
How  can  so  bad  a  habit  be  broken  ? 
Ans. — Cows  often  chew  boards,  old  bones,  rags  and 
other  substances  in  spring,  when  they  have  not  been 
well  kept  during  the  winter.  It  indicates  an  abnor¬ 
mal  appetite,  generally  caused  by  a  lack  of  phosphates 
in  the  food,  or  constipation.  If  the  cows  have  been 
well  fed,  and  it  is  simply  a  habit,  like  hooking  out 
rails  or  pushing  open  gates,  we  do  not  know  what 
will  cure  them  except  using  a  barbed  wire  fence  or 
putting  spikes  on  the  boards.  Let  us  hear  from  others 
who  have  had  the  same  trouble. 
Shall  We  Haul  Weedy  Manure  F 
L.  J.  P.,  Lowell,  Mich. — Most  of  the  farm  periodicals 
recommend  drawing  manure  from  town  a  reasonable 
distance.  We  are  trying  to  control  the  weeds  on  our 
farm.  Shall  we  draw  from  town  manure  that  we  know 
contains  yellow  dock,  Canada  thistles,  red  root,  nar¬ 
row-leaved  plantain  and  other  foul  weeds  too  numer¬ 
ous  to  mention  ? 
Ans. — There  are  many  sides  to  the  question.  What 
does  the  manure  cost  ?  How  far  do  you  haul  it  ?  Is 
your  land  so  poor  that  it  needs  all  the  manure  you  can 
get  ?  Again,  what  crops  do  you  grow  ?  If  you  can  use 
the  manure  on  hoed  crops  like  corn,  potatoes  or  roots 
where  weeds  can  be  thoroughly  killed  out  by  two  sea¬ 
sons  of  cultivating  or  hoeing,  it  may  be  safe  enough  to 
use  it.  We  should  not  haul  it  for  use  on  wheat, 
oats,  grass  or  other  crops  where  thorough  cultivation 
and  weed  killing  are  impossible. 
Does  Corn  Need  Nitrogen  P 
C.  F.  C.,  Elgin,  111. — I  have  studied  the  articles 
which  have  appeared  in  The  R.  N.-Y.  from  time  to 
time  upon  chemicals  and  clover,  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  Mr.  Lewis’s  method  might  be  improved  at  one 
point.  I  notice  that  the  figures  given  by  the  Agri¬ 
cultural  Department  show  that  in  turning  under  green 
crops,  about  twice  as  much  nitrogen  is  returned  to  the 
soil  as  of  potash  or  phosphoric  acid.  Now  I  take  it 
that  spreading  the  manure  on  the  sward  does  not 
change  this  proportion  materially.  Is  not  there  an  ex¬ 
cess  of  nitrogen  supplied  ?  and  wouldn’t  it  be  a  good 
plan  to  put  500  pounds  per  acre  of  phosphate  upon  this 
corn  ground  in  addition  to  the  manure,  hoping  the  corn 
would  thereby  be  enabled  to  use  more  of  the  nitrogen  ? 
Ans. — In  an  acre  of  clover  sod,  such  as  Mr.  Lewis 
plows  under  for  corn,  there  are  about  75  pounds  of 
nitrogen.  90  of  potash  and  25  of  phosphoric  acid.  This 
represents  the  roots  and  stubble  with  what  aftermath 
has  grown  after  the  clover  was  cut  for  hay.  In  a  ton 
of  good  barn-yard  manure  there  would  be  about  10 
pounds  of  nitrogen,  12  of  potash  and  five  of  phosphoric 
acid.  Thus  the  stable  manure  will  not  essentially 
change  the  proportions  of  these  elements.  Of  course 
the  nitrogen  in  the  sod  is  not  so  soluble  and  readily 
available  as  in  nitrate  of  soda  or  bone-superphosphate, 
still  it  is  sufficient,  usually,  for  the  corn  plant,  and  on 
a  heavy  clover  sod  the  mineral  elements  —potash  and 
phosphoric  acid — are  all  that  need  to  be  added,  except 
in  some  cases  where  the  cron  is  backward,  when  small 
quantities  of  added  nitrogen  are  useful.  The  special 
corn  manures  as  a  rule  contain  less  nitrogen  and  more 
phosphoric  acid  than  the  potato  fertilizers.  Mr.  Lewis, 
as  you  will  notice,  uses  little  or  no  nitrogen  on  his 
corn  besides  what  is  in  the  sod  and  the  manure.  His 
fertilizer  is  used  on  the  potatoes,  and  that  crop  and  the 
following  wheat  are  supposed  to  use  the  nitrogen,  the 
clover  securing  an  extra  supply  for  the  corn.  However, 
in  a  case  of  this  kind,  nothing  but  actual  experiment 
can  determine  whether  or  not  it  is  profitable  to  give 
nitrogen  to  the  corn.  When  the  supply  of  available 
nitrogen  is  deficient,  not  only  does  the  crop  dimin¬ 
ish  in  quantity,  but  the  quality  is  lowered,  the  per¬ 
centage  of  albuminoids  being  lessened. 
Hip  Soreness  in  a  Horse. 
I.  R.,  Toughkenaman,  Pa. — One  of  my  horses  has 
been  taken  suddenly  lame  in  his  off  or  right  hind  leg. 
The  trouble  seems  to  be  in  the  hip,  as  the  muscles  in 
that  region  are  falling  away.  He  eats  well,  but  rest 
does  not  seem  to  help  him.  What  is  the  matter,  and 
what  can  I  do  to  cure  him  ? 
Ans. — While  the  diagnosis  of  lameness  in  the  hip  is 
very  likely  correct,  you  should  have  also  given  the 
cause,  symptoms  and  characteristic  gait,  as  far  as  pos¬ 
sible,  to  enable  us  to  either  confirm  or  correct  your 
diagnosis,  as  the  case  might  be.  Such  wasting  of  the 
muscles  may  result  from  lameness  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  limb,  as  well  as  from  sprain  of  the  hip.  The  char¬ 
acteristic  gait  in  hip  lameness  is  a  swinging  out¬ 
ward  of  the  limb  in  advancing  it,  with  a  tendency  to 
dragging  of  the  toe.  The  step  is  short  and  quick,  with 
as  little  movement  of  the  hip  as  possible.  If  there  is 
much  tenderness,  it  can  be  shown  by  swinging  the  limb 
from  the  hip  either  forward  or  backward,  as  far  as 
possible.  Tenderness  may  also  frequently  be  shown 
by  pressure  over  the  seat  of  the  sprain,  about  midway 
between  the  angles  of  the  hip  bone.  The  most  satisfac¬ 
tory  treatment  for  such  lameness  is  repeated  blister¬ 
ing,  or  firing  in  points  with  the  hot  iron.  Try  the 
application  of  the  cerate  of  cantharides  ointment  as  a 
blister,  and  repeat  as  soon  as  the  effects  of  the  first 
have  passed  off.  Clip  the  hair,  rub  the  blister  in  thor¬ 
oughly  and  leave  the  surface  well  covered  with  the 
ointment.  In  about  36  hours  carefully  wash  off  the 
remaining  blister  with  warm  Castile  soap-suds,  and 
anoint  the  blistered  surface  daily  with  carbolated 
vaseline  or  other  good  ointment.  While  the  blister  is 
on,  the  head  must  be  kept  tied  so  that  the  horse  can¬ 
not  reach  his  hip  with  his  mouth.  If  repeated  blister¬ 
ing,  with  a  long  period  of  rest,  fails  to  effect  a  cure, 
have  the  horse  personally  examined  by  a  competent 
veterinarian,  and  fired  if  necessary. 
Some  Fears  in  Central  Illinois. 
B.  B.,  Farmingdale,  III. — Large  pear  trees  from  one 
to  two  feet  in  diameter,  are  found  scattered  very 
thinly  in  this  and  some  adjoining  States.  In  nearly 
every  instance,  they  are  said  to  have  come  from  the 
first  French  settlers  of  the  country,  and  quite  often  we 
hear  that  they  were  grafted  on  the  common  wild  crab. 
The  fruit  is  nearly  always  small  or  medium  in  size,  and 
no  better  than  “  good  ”  in  quality— often  not  so  high — ' 
yet  they  are  generally  eatable,  and  much  better  than 
no  pears  at  all.  Here  the  question  is  “pear  or  no 
pear,”  and  not,  “  good,  very  good,  to  best  ?  ”  They  are, 
unless  brought  to  the  notice  of  some  nurseryman,  pop¬ 
ularly  called  “sugar  pears.”  Probably  the  Birkett, 
Warner,  Longworth,  Kincaid,  Old  Home  and  Lincoln 
belong  to  this  class.  The  latter  alone,  so  far  as  I  know, 
is  of  very  good  quality,  and  promises  some  competition 
in  market  against  Eastern  pears.  Now,  why  are  these 
old  French  pears  healthier  than  the  common  varieties  ? 
Are  they  of  a  different  type  ?  Does  the  fact  of  their 
having  been  worked  on  crab  stock  make  them  more 
blight-resisting  ?  I  cannot  think  the  latter  idea  amounts 
to  anything,  yet,  if  the  scion  affects  the  growth  and 
shape  of  the  root  as  nurserymen  claim,  the  root  may, 
yes  does,  affect  the  growth  and  health  of  the 
scion.  Set  a  quince  graft  in  a  one-year-old  apple,  and 
it  will  grow  the  first  year,  and  usually  die  the  second. 
Now,  the  French  stock  that  is  used  here  in  pear  prop¬ 
agation  blights  badly ;  so  also  does  the  Japanese 
lately  tried,  and  I  fail  to  see  why  they  are  any  better 
for  the  purpose  than  American  seedlings  would  be, 
only  that  they  may  be  cheaper,  and  perhaps  of 
stronger  growth.  The  few  Keiffers  that  have  died 
with  me  were  either  on  quince  or  top-grafted  a  foot 
from  the  ground  on  the  French  thorn  pear.  In  the 
latter  case  the  bacteria  entered  below  the  xinion, 
which  would  work  against  the  theory  that  the  germs 
gain  entrance  through  the  tissues  of  the  soft  expand¬ 
ing  buds  and  young  wood,  as  there  was  no  leaf  growth 
below  the  union. 
Ans. — The  questions  you  ask  are  not  easy  to  answer 
authoritatively.  All  over  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
in  parts  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  a  similar 
condition  of  affairs  prevails,  so  far  as  these  old  trees 
are  concerned.  There  are  hundreds,  yes  thousands  of 
them  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y. ,  and  we  have  never  seen 
one  of  them  killed  by  blight.  The  pear  is  not  a  native 
of  this  continent,  and  we  may  safely  assume  that  in 
most  cases  the  trees  alluded  to  are  seedlings.  In  south¬ 
ern  New  York  there  are  pears  of  quite  indifferent  qual¬ 
ity  which  will  reproduce  themselves  from  seed,  just  as 
will  an  old,  oval-shaped  blue  plum  which  has  been 
grown  there  for  generations.  It  is  possible  that  these 
old  seedling  sorts  are  possessed  of  greater  vitality — 
greater  vigor,  and  can  more  successfully  resist  diseases. 
The  fact  that  so  many  of  them  reproduce  from  seed  is 
evidence  of  greater  vitality — of  a  type  being  strongly 
fixed.  The  “  sugar  pear  ”  spoken  of  is  common  all 
through  the  sections  where  these  old  trees  are  found. 
We  do  not  think  working  them  on  crab  stocks  would 
aid  them  in  resisting  blight  and  we  cannot  understand 
how  the  bacteria  said  to  be  the  cause  of  blight,  could 
enter  the  bark  of  a  pear  tree  below  the  union  of  stock 
and  graft.  What  you  speak  of  as  “  French”  is  the 
native,  so  far  as  we  have  a  native  stock.  Our  pears 
all  came  from  Europe  originally,  until  of  recent  years, 
when  we  have  had  the  “  Sand  pear”  family  from  China 
and  Japan. 
Miscellaneous. 
Hastening  Pear  Bearing. — W.  J.  R.,  New  Orleans,  La. 
— As  to  your  “budded  and  grafted  pear  trees  (Bart- 
letts,  Howell,  Duchess  and  others)  now  seven  and 
eight  years  old,  which  are  rather  tardy  coming  into 
bearing,”  if  the  soil  is  already  fairly  rich,  the  only 
thing  to  be  done  that  may  hasten  fruiting  is  to  root- 
prune  more  or  less  severely. 
Hardy  Cactus. — E.  D.  C.,  Goshen,  N.  Y. — There  is 
one  variety  of  the  cactus  family — Opuntia  Raffinesquii — 
which  is  hardy  enough  to  be  found  on  the  rocky  cliffs 
on  mountain  sides  in  northern  Pennsylvania  and  at 
points  on  the  Delaware  River  Valley  as  far  north  as 
Port  Jervis — possibly  further.  It  has  a  flattened  stem, 
a  yellow  blossom  with  deep  red  center. 
Liver  of  Sulphur. — 0.  B.  H.,  Montgomery,  N.  Y. — In 
the  experiments  made  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  to  prevent 
mildew  on  gooseberries  one  half  ounce  of  the  liver  of 
sulphur  is  used  to  a  gallon  of  water.  By  using  hot 
water,  the  sulphur  will  more  readily  dissolve.  It  is 
said  that  the  Bordeaux  mixture  and  ammoniacal  solu¬ 
tion  are  equally  useful  in  checking  the  development  of 
mildew. 
A  Ridgllng  Colt. — T.  L.  C,,  Emma.  N.  C. — Your  two- 
year-old  half-breed  colt  has  but  one  testicle  in  sight. 
The  retention  of  one  testicle  in  the  abdomen,  or  in  the 
inguinal  canal  leading  to  the  scrotum,  is  not  an  un¬ 
common  occurrence  in  horses.  When  a  testicle  is  so 
retained,  the  horse  is  popularly  called  a  ridgling 
or,  technically,  a  cryptorchid.  Nothing  can  be  done 
to  cause  the  testicle  to  come  down.  The  colt  can  be 
castrated,  but  by  a  rather  difficult  operation  requiring 
the  services  of  a  competent  veterinary  surgeon. 
H.  H.  B.,  Clyde,  N.  Y. — The  Michel’s  Early  Straw¬ 
berry  bears  perfect  flowers  which  have  lots  of  pollen. 
Peter  Henderson  &  Co.  sell  the  Shropshire  Hero  Pea. 
Cheap  Fertilizers. — C.  W.  H.,  Orange  County,  N.  Y. — 
If  you  can  “  purchase  several  tons  of  Mapes  complete 
manures  at  $30  per  ton  on  account  of  the  assignment 
of  a  party,”  and  also  potato  manure  at  the  same  price, 
you  had  better  do  it  at  once — that  is,  if  you  use  fertil¬ 
izers  at  all.  If  the  fertilizer  has  been  kept  in  a  dry 
place  it  has  not  “lost  in  strength.”  At  the  price 
named  you  will  make  at  least  25.  per  cent. 
