1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
bye  potatoes.  We  have  no  time  to  attend  to  them, 
except,  perhaps,  after  a  rain,  when  it  is  too  wet  to 
work  at  the  hay.  Careful  farmers  will  pull  out  tall 
weeds  that  appear  above  the  potato  tops.  If  the 
ground  is  well  covered,  the  vines  act  as  a  mulch,  which 
I  think  will  make  the  conditions  more  favorable  for 
growth.  Yet  in  my  field  last  year  the  Rural  New- 
Yorker  far  outyielded  the  Early  Rose  on  one  side,  and 
the  Monroe  Seedling  on  the  other.  But  I  do  not  be¬ 
lieve  it  was  because  the  tops  stood  up,  but  on  account 
of  their  naturally  stronger  growth.  Mr.  Terry  tells 
about  his  potato  field  being  clear  of  weeds  at  digging 
time.  I  would  like  to  know  how  this  came  about,  for 
on  my  land  as  soon  as  the  tops  begin  to  die  if  there  is 
any  rain,  the  fall  grass  begins, to  grow,  and  before  the 
skin  is  set  so  as  not  to  peel  off  the  potato  when  dug, 
the  patch  will  be  green  all  over  with  grass.  Last  fall 
with  continued  rains,  which  for  some  time  kept  the 
ground  too  wet  to  permit  us  to  take  out  the  crop,  the 
tops  died  and  disappeared  among  the  dense  growth  of 
annual  grass.  Under  such  conditions  it  is  a  decided 
advantage  to  have  the  rows  somewhat  hilled,  for  other¬ 
wise  they  would  be  hard  to  find.  What  is  the  name 
of  a  good  machine  to  apply  Paris-green  and  water  by 
horse-power  to  potatoes.  benj.  sharpless. 
[R.  N.-Y. — An  excellent  machine  is  made  by  Thomas 
Peppier,  Hightstovvn,  N.  J.] 
A  few  years  ago  I  did  an  immense  amount  of  culti¬ 
vating  in  the  potato  field  and  was  always  wishing  the 
tops  were  up  out  of  the  way,  as  the  soil  would  cover 
them  up  when  we  hilled  them,  and  the  cultivator 
would  bruise  them.  For  these  reasons  I  stopped  cul¬ 
tivating  so  late,  and  a  remark  of  the  hired  man  will 
explain  the  result:  “  You  used  to  have  better  crops 
when  we  cultivated  more.”  I  had  planted  closer  so 
as  to  shade  and  smotner  the  weeds,  but  lost  the  benefit 
of  constant  cultivation.  Shade  will  not  kill  or  injure 
weeds  any  more  than  it  will  the  potatoes.  A  good 
crop  and  weeds  do  not  go  together.  It  is  much  bet¬ 
ter  to  depend  on  culture  than  shade.  Since  adopting 
the  Trench  system  and  level  culture  the  sprawling 
does  not  interfere  so  much  as  formerly,  but  I  prefer 
the  upright  growing  varieties  other  things  being  equal; 
because  I  can  plant  closer  and  still  have  room  to  cul¬ 
tivate.  C.  E.  CHAPMAN. 
Nitrogen  in  Blood  and  Nitrate. 
D.  S.  V.,  Waukegan,  III. — Will  not  nitrogen  from 
blood,  meat,  etc.,  have  the  same  effect  on  crops  as 
nitrate  of  soda,  if  the  same  percentage  of  nitrogen  or 
ammonia  is  used  ?  Will  it  act  as  quickly  as  the  nitrate 
of  soda  ? 
Ans. — Not  necessarily.  Many  insects  are  fond  of 
blood  and  liable  to  attack  the  plants  which  have  re¬ 
ceived  this  fertilizer.  The  nitrogen  of  nitrate  of  soda 
is  at  once  soluble  ;  that  of  blood  more  slowly  soluble. 
Stifle  Trouble  in  Colt ;  Glanders  in  Horses. 
C.  W.,  Eugene,  Oreg. — 1.  My  yearling  colt  has  a 
swelling  on  the  stifle  ;  he  does  not  act  as  though  it 
were  sore  or  painful  if  I  press  on  it.  The  patella  can 
be  moved  back  and  forth  and  to  either  side  when  he 
stands  still,  and  when  he  walks  it  makes  a  snapping  or 
grinding  noise.  He  is  not  stiff  in  the  joint  and  it  does 
not  appear  to  be  dislocated.  The  ligaments  appear  to 
be  stretched  or  weak.  What  can  I  do  to  reduce  the 
swelling  and  strengthen  the  joint  ?  2.  1  also  have  two 
horses  which  have  a  running  discharge  from  the  nose, 
of  a  pearly  white  color,  and  the  consistency  of  laundry 
starch  prepared  for  use.  They  have  been  affected 
about  a  year.  The  discharge  has  not  changed  in  color 
or  thickness  since  it  commenced.  It  increases  in  cold 
weather  and  in  warm  weather  when  they  are  worked 
hard.  In  warm  weather  if  they  do  not  work  there  is  no 
discharge,  nor  is  there  any  in  cold  weather  if  they  are 
kept  in  the  stable.  The  discharge  is  most  noticeable 
when  they  put  their  heads  down  to  drink  or  eat  grass 
on  stopping  to  rest.  They  are  in  good  order  and  eat 
well. 
Ans. — 1.  Apply  a  blister  of  cerate  of  cantharides 
ointment  over  the  whole  stifle  joint.  Clip  the  hair  and 
rub  the  ointment  well  in,  and  let  it  remain  for  24  to  36 
hours,  or  until  a  blister  is  raised.  Then  carefully 
wash  off  the  remaining  ointment  and  apply  vaseline  or 
other  simple  ointment  daily  until  the  scabs  are  re¬ 
moved.  During'treatment  it  must  not  be  forgotten  to 
keep  the  colt  tied  short  so  that  he  cannot  reach  the 
blister  with  his  mouth.  Repeat  the  blistering  at  inter¬ 
vals  of  three  or  four  weeks  until  the  desired  effect  has 
been  produced.  2.  The  chronic  nasal  dischai-ge  is  very 
likely  due  to  glanders,  in  which  case  the  horses  should 
be  destroyed  and  the  stable  thoroughly  disinfected. 
Owing  to  the  dang-erous  character  of  this  disease  I 
would  advise  having  the  horses  examined  at  once  by  a 
regular  veterinarian  (if  necessary,  report  to  your  State 
Veterinarian)  to  ascertain  whether  the  discharge  is  due 
to  glanders  or  a  simple  abscess.  If  the  cases  are  well 
marked  you  may  be  able  to  reach  a  positive  diagnosis 
yourself  in  this  way  :  With  a  small  hand  mirror  throw 
sunlight  well  up  into  each  nostril  so  as  to  examine  the 
nasal  septum  (partition  between  the  two  nostrils),  for 
the  presence  of  ulcers  or  sores.  If  such  are  found  the 
diagnosis  of  glanders  is  complete,  and  the  horses  should 
be  shot.  DR.  F.  I,.  KILBORNE. 
A  Hotel  Hen  House. 
D.  S.  F.,  Corning,  N.  Y. — Being  the  proprietor  of  two 
hotels  where  a  great  many  chickens  and  eggs  are  con¬ 
sumed,  we  are  thinking  of  putting  one  acre  of  land 
into  a  chicken  park  and  building  a  house  near  one  of 
our  hotels  for  the  incubators,  so  that  we  could  get  the 
steam.  Now,  which  are  the  best  kinds  of  chickens  for 
our  business,  which  the  best  incubators,  and  which  the 
best  kinds  of  eggs  for  them  for  spring-  chickens,  and 
how  may  the  park  be  made  ? 
Ans. — It  is  almost  impossible  to  give  the  numerous 
details  in  a  brief  article.  If  the  inquirer  has  never 
used  an  incubator,  or  raised  chickens  in  brooders,  the 
lack  of  experience  may  cause  failure  to  hatch  and 
great  loss  in  the  brooders.  A  competent  man  cannot  be 
employed  except  at  a  high  salary,  because  such  men 
are  scarce.  For  these  reasons  it  may  not  be  economical 
to  attempt  to  raise  chicks  for  the  hotels. 
The  arrangement  of  a  park  would  depend  on  the 
amount  of  capital  to  be  invested  and  the  location.  For 
broilers  but  very  little  space  is  required,  as  they  are 
raised  mostly  indoors  in  winter.  The  best  breed  for 
the  purpose  may  not  be  the  hardiest.  The  Light 
Brahma  and  Plymouth  Rock  are  perhaps  the  best  for 
broilers,  because  they  do  not  feather  as  rapidly  as 
some  others,  hence  are  more  easily  raised,  but  they  do 
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Plan  for  a  Hen  Park.  Fig.  178. 
not  compare  in  quality  with  the  chicks  of  the  Dorking 
or  Game  breeds.  The  latter,  however,  are  difficult  to 
raise  unless  by  an  expert.  For  that  reason  I  would 
suggest  a  cross  of  a  Plymouth  Rock  male  with  Light 
Brahma  hens  for  broilers. 
Steam  has  been  found  too  irregular.  The  large 
brooder  houses  are  operated  with  hot  water  in  pipes. 
If  the  park  of  an  acre  is  intended  to  be  used  for  hens, 
you  may  economize  with  good  results  by  building  a 
plain  house,  200  feet  long  and  16  feet  wide,  allowing 
four  feet  for  a  passage-way.  This  house  may  be  divided 
into  about  16  apartments,  each  about  12x12  feet,  to 
contain  a  dozen  fowls,  or  200  hens  in  the  house,  and 
the  house  should  be  in  the  center  of  the  acre,  which 
will  give  changeable  yards,  or  two  yards  to  each  apart¬ 
ment,  the  yards  being  each  12x92  feet,  as  shown  at 
Fig.  178. 
Of  course  the  above  plan  may  not  be  the  best,  but  it 
is  economical,  and  permits  all  work  to  be  done  under 
roof.  Something  green  can  be  grown  in  one  yard  while 
the  fowls  occupy  the  other. 
As  to  a  brooder  house,  I  raise  1,500  chicks  on  a  total 
space  (house  and  yards)  of  24x72  feet,  or  about  one- 
twenty-fourth  of  an  acre.  The  details,  as  mentioned, 
are  too  numerous,  and  could  not  be  given  in  an  article. 
The  uses  and  advantages  of  the  various  breeds  are 
given  on  page  8,  etc.,  of  “  The  Business  Hen,”  and  the 
plan  of  an  incubator,  of  which  hundreds  are  in  use,  is 
there  given.  In  fact,  every  question  here  asked  is 
answered  in  the  book,  and  more  completely  than  could 
be  well  done  in  any  other  way.  p.  H.  Jacobs. 
How  and  Where  to  Build  a  Silo,  Etc. 
S.  T.  D. ,  Yardvllle,  N.  J. — 1.  What  is  the  best  method 
of  building  a  silo  holding  enough  ensilage  to  winter 
15  dairy  cows  ?  2.  How  many  acres  of  corn  will  it 
take  to  fill  it  ?  3.  Is  there  any  preparation  that  will 
remove  the  taste  or  smell  of  garlic  in  milk  ?  4.  Is 
there  any  way  to  keep  milk  Sweet  aside  from  cleanli¬ 
ness  and  thorough  cooling  ?  5.  It  is  my  purpose  to 
build  my  silo  at  the  side  of  my  barn,  which  is  located 
on  high,  sandy  ground  ;  would  it  be  better  to  have  all 
above  ground,  or  part  below  ? 
Ans. — 1.  If  capital  is  at  hand,  doubtless  silos  con¬ 
structed  wholly  or  in  part  of  stone  or  brick  and  cement 
38i 
would  be  the. cheapest  in  the  end,  but  wooden  ones  are 
equally  good  while  t  hey  last,  and  are  much  cheaper. 
If  built  of  wood,  a  clay  floor  is  as  good  as  a  more  ex¬ 
pensive  one.  Let  the  frame  be  strong  enough,  boarded 
outside  with  hemlock  boards  and  on  the  inside  with 
two  thicknesses  of  boards,  breaking  joints  with  roofing 
paper  between  them.  The  silo  should  hold  about  75 
tons,  or  five  tons  per  cow,  which  will  give  a  liberal 
ration  for  nearly  seven  months.  We  should  build 
larger,  because  when  one  begins  to  use  a  silo,  he  is 
very  apt  soon  afterwards  to  increase  the  size  of  his 
herd.  A  silo  15  feet  square  and  20  feet  deep  will  hold 
about  90  tons — from  this  anybody  can  make  his  own 
calculations.  2.  From  7  to  20  tons  of  ensilage  are 
raised  to  the  acre.  If  the  land  is  in  good  condition, 
with  good  culture,  our  friend  should  have  no  difficulty 
in  raising  75  tons  on  seven  acres.  3.  No.  Thorough 
aeration  immediately  after  milking  is  all  that  can  be 
done.  That  will  sometimes  remove  the  odor  so  well 
that  it  will  not  be  noted.  4.  There  are  preparations 
which  will  keep  milk  sweet  for  an  indefinite  period, 
but  their  use  is  prohibited  by  the  health  officials,  and 
wisely  so.  They  are  drugs  and  deleterious  to  health. 
Aeration  will  tend  to  make  it  keep  better  in  addition 
to  cleanliness  and  cooling.  5.  As  a  rule  it  is  better 
that  all  should  be  above  ground.  Filling  the  silo  is 
done  by  machinery.  When  the  contents  are  fed  out, 
if  below  ground,  the  ensilage  is  all  lifted  to  get  it  out. 
Some  Plums  in  Ohio? 
Subscriber,  New  Madison,  Ohio. — How  do  the  Richland 
and  Shipper’s  Pride  Plums  compare  with  the  Lombard 
as  to  quality  and  productiveness  for  Ohio  ? 
Ans. — Richland  and  Shipper’s  Pride  have  hardly 
been  tested  long  enough  to  determine  positively  their 
relative  value  as  compared  with  Lombard  and  other 
old  standard  varieties.  I  have  had  no  personal  ex¬ 
experience  with  them;  but  they  are  favorably  re¬ 
garded  by  reliable  and  disinterested  parties.  One 
grower  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  reports  Richland  as  the 
most  profitable  variety  he  has;  and  thinks  the  tree 
hardier  than  Lombard.  Shipper’s  Pride  is  also  re¬ 
ported  favorably,  and  perhaps  the  most  that  could  now 
be  said  would  be,  that  both  these  varieties  might  be , 
planted  in  a  limited  way,  with  reasonable  expecta¬ 
tions  that  they  would  prove  valuable,  o.  w.  Campbell. 
Lupines  for  Stock  Food. 
l<\  U.,  Shelton,  Wash. — Have  lupines  any  value  as  feed 
for  horses  or  cattle,  or  are  they  used  only  for  “  green 
manuring  ?  ” 
Ans. — The  Storrs  (Connecticut)  Experiment  Station 
in  its  investigation  of  green  manuring  crops,  has  ex¬ 
perimented  quite  largely  with  lupines.  Prof.  Phelps 
writes  this  note  in  reply  to  those  questions. 
“  We  have  not  fed  lupines.  Good  authorities  claim 
that  they  possess  little  value  as  fodder  on  account  of 
their  bitter  properties.  Sheep  will  eat  them  in  limited 
quantities.  We  advise  their  use  only  for  green  man¬ 
uring.  The  fact  that  they  are  rapid  growers  and 
produce  a  large  amount  of  leaf  and  stem  growth,  puts 
them  among  the  most  valuable  crops  for  plowing 
under.  The  high  price  of  the  seed  is  about  the  only 
drawback.” 
Miscellaneous. 
C.  C.  S.,  Lewes,  Del. — We  have  no  confidence  in  the 
“Cure  for  the  Tobacco  Habit” — circulars  of  which  you 
send. 
^.Cement  Floor  for  Horses. — W.  Ii.  I\,  Skaneateles,  N. 
Y. — We  prefer  a  plank  floor  to  cement  for  horses, 
though  cement  may  be  used.  If  you  desire  to  make  a 
cement  floor,  excavate  about  10  inches.  Pound  stone 
into  pieces  about  the  size  of  a  small  hen’s  egg  and 
smaller.  Take  Portland  cement  one  part,  sand  two 
parts,  water  to  mix,  and  then  mix  the  stone  and 
cement  together,  pounding  it  down  in  the  excavation 
until  it  is  of  the  required  thickness.  When  this  is 
done,  smooth  over  with  a  coating  of  cement  and  the 
floor  is  water  tight  and  practically  indestructible. 
Rain  and  Potato  Vines. — J.  L.  M.,  Wintersville,  Ind. 
— As  to  your  question  :  “  Will  continuous  and  exces¬ 
sive  rains  before  the  tubers  are  set,  injure  the  crop, 
provided  the  tops  do  not  show  any  injurious  effect 
from  the  wet  weather  and  sufficient  moisture  can  be 
maintained  after  the  potatoes  are  set,”  we  do  not 
know  of  any  injurious  effects. 
Stone  Rake;  Barn  Vine. — R.  E.  M. ,  .S' tony  Point,  N. 
Y. — We  do  not  know  of  any  stone  rake  for  sale.  If 
any  of  our  readers  use  such  an  article  we  shall  be  glad 
to  have  them  describe  it.  The  following  are  suitable 
vines  for  the  east  side  of  a  barn  shaded  by  a  large 
cherry  tree  in  a  rich  soil  which  receives  the  drainage 
from  the  stable:  the  Climbing  Hydrangea  (H.  scandens), 
and  Schizophragma  hydrangeoides;  Actinidia  arguta 
(catalogued  as  A.  polygama);  Ampelopsis  Veitchii,  A 
quinquefolia,  and  other  varieties  of  Ampelopsis, 
clematis,  Akebia  quinata,  Aristolochia  Sipho,  Hall's 
Honeysuckle  and  other  kinds  of  Lonictra. 
