526 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Aug.  13 
A  Short  Chemical  Rotation. 
C.-  G.  Williams,  Trumbull  County,  0. 
— In  suggesting-  the  rotation  of  grass  and 
wheat,  including,  of  course,  liberal  appli¬ 
cations  of  chemicals,  on  page  461,  the 
writer  speaks  of  mowing  the  meadows  as 
long  as  they  will  cut  1  %  ton  of  hay  per 
acre,  then  seeding  to  wheat.  This  would 
be  at  least  a  very  uncertain  rotation. 
Some  years  one  would  have  a  great  many 
acres  of  wheat ;  others  none.  But  when 
hay  is  the  magnum  bonurn,  I  can  see  that 
it  might  be  desirable.  In  districts  re¬ 
mote  from  a  good  hay  market — I  am  20 
miles  away  from  a  fair-sized  town — I 
think  it  would  be  better  to  shorten  the 
rotation,  mowing  meadows  only  one 
year  and  then  seeding  to  wheat  and 
grass. 
Wheat  is  always  and  every  where  a  cash 
article  and  more  easily  marketable  than 
hay.  Then,  too,  I  believe  the  land  would 
keep  in  better  condition  under  this  treat¬ 
ment  than  it  would  were  the  meadows 
mown  until  it  had  pretty  nearly  run  out. 
The  ideal  rotation  should  include  a  hoed 
crop  for  the  good  of  the  land,  but  all  are 
not  situated  as  regards  market  and  soil 
to  make  this  profitable.  If  the  meadow 
be  plowed  immediately  after  haying,  as 
suggested,  and  worked  thoroughly  and 
long,  this  will,  in  a  measure,  make  up 
for  the  tillage  it  would  get  under  pota¬ 
toes.  The  short  rotation  of  clover  and 
wheat,  while  not  bringing  the  money  one 
would  were  potatoes  included,  does  not 
require  anywhere  near  the  amount  of 
work.  In  these  days  of  high-priced  farm 
labor,  it  may  be  well  to  leave  the  potato 
rotation  for  those  who  have  the  very  best 
potato  soil,  and  be  content  with  less  gross 
receipts.  The  net  profits  may  not  be  far 
behind. 
It.  N.-Y. — We  did  not  recommend  this 
treatment  as  a  rotation.  It  was  simply 
a  plan  for  maintaining  a  hay  farm 
with  the  least  possible  expense  of  labor 
and  money.  So  long  as  the  soil  produced 
1%  ton  per  acre,  the  owner  would  be 
satisfied.  When  it  fell  below  that,  the 
problem  was  to  increase  the  yield  with 
as  little  labor  and  money  as  possible. 
Plowing  and  seeding  with  wheat  and 
grass  and  a  liberal  use  of  fertilizers 
afford  the  quickest  and  cheapest  road  to 
grass.  There  are  but  few  farmers  who 
would  desire  to  follow  such  a  plan,  but 
the  very  fact  that  there  are  such  shows 
the  importance  of  studying  out  one’s  sit¬ 
uation  and  doing  the  things  that  suit  the 
home  farm — not  the  neighbor’s. 
Salting-  Canada  Thistles. 
H.  T.,  Yorktown,  N.  Y. — Having  had 
a  little  experience  with  these  thistles, 
and  having  completely  eradicated  two 
patches,  one  of  which  covered  a  quarter 
of  an  acre,  I  will  tell  how  it  was  done, 
and,  like  the  boy  who  knew  that  locust 
posts  would  last  forever  because  his 
father  had  tried  them  twice,  I  am  very 
confident  that  my  method  will  destroy 
them.  Simply  put  salt  upon  the  crown 
of  the  thistle,  without  cutting  it,  and 
also  some  at  the  roots.  By  applying  the 
salt  in  this  way  upon  every  plant  that 
shows  itself,  I  have  found  no  difficulty 
in  getting  rid  of  them  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  summers. 
Destroying  Canada  Thistles. 
C.  W.,  Niagara  County,  N.  Y. — These 
weeds  are  not  nearly  so  hard  to  destroy 
as  Eklo  (in  a  late  Rural)  and  others 
imagine,  who  are  not  accustomed  to  them. 
In  this  locality  people  are  so  used  to 
them  that  little  effort  is  made  to  get  en¬ 
tirely  rid  of  them.  I  recall  destroying  a 
patch  of  them  in  Ohio,  where  they  were 
a  curiosity,  as  none  had  been  seen  there 
before.  They  root  so  deep  that  salting 
is  not  effective,  and  the  only  sure  way  is 
not  to  let  them  grow  at  all.  As  soon  as 
they  appear  above  ground  destroy  them 
by  cutting  them  off  as  deep  as  you  can 
strike  with  the  blade  of  a  hoe;  repeat 
this  every  week  or  sooner,  if  necessary, 
and  they  will  soon  disappear,  for  they 
cannot  live  long  without  leaves. 
Ark  or  Wanagan. 
B.  T.,  San  Juan  County,  Wash. — 
In  a  late  Rural,  the  word  “  ark  ”  was 
considered  more  appropriate  than. ‘i  wana¬ 
gan  ”  for  the  house-boats  or  boat-houses 
now  being  built  on  Western  river  bot¬ 
toms.  Buildings  placed  on  rafts,  or  very 
large  ttat-bottomed  boats,  have  been  in 
use  for  years  by  raftsmen  and  log  drivers 
in  the  lumber  States,  to  live  in  on  the 
rivers  while  floating  timber  and  logs  to 
market.  In  Pennsylvania  such  crafts 
are  called  arks;  while  in  the  Western 
States  the  Indian  name  of  wanagan  is 
given  them. 
Notes  on  Berries. 
A.  I).  Warner,  Livingston  County, 
N.  Y. — I  have  grown  the  Wilson  and 
Sharpless  strawberries  but  do  not  culti¬ 
vate  these,  or  black  raspberries  now,  for 
there  is  more  profit  in  red  raspberries. 
Of  these  the  Cuthbert  is  most  satisfactory. 
The  Hornet  produces  immense,  firm  ber¬ 
ries  and  is  fully  a  week  earlier  than 
Cuthbert,  but  is  not  so  vigorous  in  habit. 
It  is  prolific.  It  makes  a  small  bush. 
It  might  be  made  a  profitable  berry 
wherever  it  can  be  grown  successfully, 
as  many  more  plants  per  acre  can  be  set 
than  of  the  larger  Cuthbert.  I  find  the 
purple  Shaffer  raspberry  very  prolific. 
Its  erect  habit  and  freedom  from  suckers 
make  it  one  of  the  easiest  to  cultivate. 
With  me  it  is  long-lived  and  hardy.  I 
have  had  some  difficulty  in  introducing 
it,  as  the  color  seems  to  be  against  it  in  our 
market.  Customers  prefer  the  straight, 
red  berry,  and  we  have  to  take  less  per 
quart  for  Shaffers  than  for  the  Cuthbert. 
I  consider  the  Shaffer  a  highly  valuable 
berry,  for  all  canning  purposes.  It  is 
rich  in  flavor.  If  it  were  a  better  shipper, 
it  might  be  planted  more  extensively. 
The  sturdy  habit,  large  fruit  and  pro¬ 
ductiveness  of  the  Snyder  blackberry, 
make  it  the  most  desirable  variety  that 
has  been  introduced  here. 
Keeping  Qualities  of  Potatoes. 
F.  M.  B  ,  Lansing,  Micii. — I  have  been 
with  interest  comparing  the  keeping 
qualities  of  leading  varieties  of  potatoes, 
as  I  am  shipping  seed  even  at  this  date 
for  planting  on  some  of  the  recently  over¬ 
flowed  lands  on  the  Mississippi.  Of  the 
early  sorts  Vick’s  Early  were  all  sound 
and  healthy  though  considerably  with¬ 
ered.  Next  somewhat  less  than  one- 
third  of  Sunrise,  White  Rose  and  Polaris 
(this  seems  to  be  identical  with  White 
Rose),  Early  Rose  and  Hebron  were 
affected  by  decay,  while  hardly  half  of 
Ohio  and  a  very  early  sort  called  Lee’s 
Favorite  were  sound.  In  medium  season 
sorts  nearly  half  of  Belle,  Queen  of  the 
Valley,  and  a  large  red  potato  called  the 
Rose  Seedling  -were  affected.  Of  the 
Elephant,  Empire  State  and  White  Star 
tliree-fourtlis  were  sound ;  the  Dakota 
Reds  were  still  better  and  Late  Roses  were 
almost  all  sound  and  favorites  with 
those  who  raised  the  variety  ;  while  Bur¬ 
bank  and  a  seedling  from  it  head  the  list 
as  perfect  keepers.  The  seedling  being 
of  better  form,  is  becoming  the  favorite 
as  a  late  keeper  in  Jackson  County, 
-where  it  originated.  The  above  observa¬ 
tions  were  made  while  handling  different 
lots  from  farmers’  cellars  or  sheds  under 
ordinary  usage.  At  this  time  of  year 
decay  often  begins  from  bruises  and  cuts 
caused  in  digging,  and  potatoes  for  keep¬ 
ing  should,  I  judge,  be  handled  with 
special  care,  all  but  sound,  unbruised 
specimens  being  left  out. 
E.  L.  S.,  North  Truro,  Mass. — I  was 
much  interested  in  the  account  of  the 
English  tenant  farmer.  It  does  seem  as 
if  such  articles  might  bring  in  a  mild 
protest  against  that  $6  or  any  other  rent 
paid  to  a  “  so-called  landowner.”  What 
a  reflection  on  American  conditions 
when,  with  all  that  load  of  rent  and  tax, 
the  farmer  is  still  better  off  than  if  he 
owned  a  good  farm  here.  Then,  too,  it 
pleases  me  to  note  the  increasing  diffi¬ 
culty  of  making  safe  and  profitable  in¬ 
vestments.  The  bond  holder  is  simply 
the  slave  holder  in  an  advanced  stage  of 
evolution,  and  it  will  be  a  bright  day  for 
humanity  when  he  is  generally  seen  in 
that  light. 
A  correspondent  of  Prof.  Massey  says 
that  he  exposes  his  seed  potatoes  to  light 
and  heat  in  shallow  trays  and  they  form 
heavy,  stout  sprouts  that  do  not  easily 
break  off  in  handling  and  they  grow 
quickly  when  planted.  “  As,”  he  con¬ 
tinues  “  I  have  seen  no  account  of  this 
method  being  tried  by  Mr.  Carman  or 
other  experimenters,  I  write  of  it  to 
you 
Whenever  we  desire  to  raise  the  largest 
quantity  of  potatoes  from  a  small  amount 
of  seed,  as  in  the  case  of  valuable  new 
seedlings,  we  invariably  expose  the  seed 
to  the  light  and  sun  from  two  to  three 
weeks.  On  page  15  of  The  New  Potato 
Culture  is  the  following: 
The  seed  potatoes  were  spread  out  singly  In  a 
warm,  sunny  room.  The  eyes  of  the  seed  end  soon 
pushed,  forming  short,  warty  shoots.  The  object  In 
placing  the  seed  potatoes  In  a  warm,  light  room  was 
to  secure  the  most  vigorous  seed. 
Every  potato  grower  knows  that  the 
eyes  of  some  potatoes  seem  lifeless;  that 
is  feeble,  dormant  or  “  blind.”  After 
planting  they  rot  in  the  ground.  If  sound 
(unsprouted)  potatoes  be  placed  in  the 
sunlight  of  a  warm  apartment,  in  from 
10  days  to  three  weeks,  the  strong  eyes 
will  all  have  developed  into  a  short, 
tough,  irregular  growth,  while  many 
eyes  will  fail  to  make  any  growth.  Now 
if  we  wish  to  insure  a  perfect  stand,  every 
seed  piece  should  have  at  least  one  of 
these  developed  eyes . 
The  Sharpless  was  introduced  some  15 
years  ago,  and  The  R.  N.-Y.  was  the 
first  journal  to  try  it.  The  Bubach  to¬ 
day  is  its  chief  competitor.  It  is  more 
prolific,  but  not  so  good  in  quality . 
The  R.  N.-Y.  was  the  first  to  report 
upon  the  Parker  Earle,  and  its  report 
has  been  echoed  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Now  we  tell  you — a  first  report 
also — that  the  Timbrell  has  come  to  stay. 
It  is  the  only  berry  we  know  of  that  is 
large  in  size,  firm,  of  the  first  quality  and 
productive,  and  we  request  that  the  pre¬ 
diction,  to  the  credit  or  discredit  of  The 
R.  N.-Y.,  may  be  borne  in  mind . 
And  the  Brandywine.  That  is  less 
promising  than  the  Timbrell  only  in  be¬ 
ing  not  so  good  in  quality.  This  is,  in  a 
measure,  atoned  for  by  being  more  pro¬ 
ductive,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal  since 
the  Timbrell  is  remarkably  productive . . 
( Continued  on  next  page.) 
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When  he  had  taken  two  bottles  of  HOOD’S 
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