65 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
891 
States Treasury notes, and there might be a bank of issne 
in every county of the United States. Of course, the law 
providing for the creation of such banks should be a 
national law in order to give the issue currency in all 
parts of the country, and the government should exercise 
the same or like supervision as that now exercised over 
the present national banks. Under such a scheme as this 
any one might hold his crops at his own risk and expense 
as long as he might choose, and the increase of the circu¬ 
lating medium in the country would enable him to do so 
at a much lower interest than would now be possible. 
This is not intended as more than a mere suggestion. 
Newbern, Va. _____ an observer. 
The Farmers Club .. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address 
of the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question, please 
see if it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate piece 
of paper.] 
ALU ABOUT NUT CULTURE. 
What the Future Has in Store. 
I have a knoll suitable for nut trees, or some other trees, 
and not for much else. In a recent article the writer says 
that chestnuts should stand 40 feet each way. Would the 
Paragon Chestnut require so much room ? If so, as it 
bears quite young, would it not do to plant Paragon trees 
between the rows, to be removed before those standing 40 
feet each way are crowded ? Are there other kinds of nuts 
that could be planted between the trees such as the 
filbert. EDWIN P. SPENCE. 
ANSWERED BY H. M. ENGLE. 
Similar questions are in the minds of hundreds, yes, 
thousands, throughout the country, for there are thousands 
of acres of just such land which might be made valuable 
by planting nuts there. Of all the edible nuts, the chest 
nut leads for quality, and when we consider the tens of 
thousands of acres to which it is indigenous, it is to be re¬ 
gretted that more has not been done to improve it and ex¬ 
tend its cultivation. Fortunately, however, with the few 
improved varieties, and the deep interest manifested in their 
cultivation, we may expect, in a decade or two hence, to 
find chestnut groves and orchards as extensively grown in 
some sections as apple and pear orchards are now. The 
time is coming when many of the hill sides which do not 
pay taxes will be cleared and planted with chestnuts 
grafted with improved varieties, the trees of which will 
yield more bushels of nuts per acre than our best wheat 
lands yield now. When that time comes, however, the 
prices of nuts will have declined to reasonable figures, so 
that they will no longer be eaten as luxuries, but as food 
like cereals and leguminous products, and be prepared for 
the table in as many ways. Not all farmers or land¬ 
holders have mountain lands overgrown with chestnut 
trees, but many have just such knolls or odd corners as 
this correspondent describes, which, by judicious planting 
with nuts, could be made as valuable, and In many cases 
more valuable, than the best plot of the same extent on 
the farm. The ground, however, should be cultivated for 
several years after planting, and if this cannot be done 
with horse work it must be done by hand, for at least 
several feet around the trees. Chestnut trees for per¬ 
manent groves should bo planted 35 to 40 feet apart, but 
any variety that will bear in a few years, such as the 
Paragon, could stand half that distance and pay well 
before interfering with those that are to remain per¬ 
manently. I would recommend such a plan to those only 
who have backbone enough to remove the intermediate 
trees at the proper time. 
In proper soils and locations I would advise planting 
peach trees intermediately, as they would be worn out by 
the time they would interfere with the chestnut trees. 
Filberts might grow and fruit many years between per¬ 
manent rows of chestnuts, but whether they would flour¬ 
ish in soils best adapted to the chestnuts I am not prepared 
to say. The chinquapin, however, is generally found in 
the same localities with the chestnuts, and in my opinion 
would be the very thing for intermediate planting, since 
it forms simply a bush, and would not interfere with 
the chestnut trees at all. As the chinquapins bear pro¬ 
fusely, there could be no reasonable objection to them ex¬ 
cept the small size of the nuts, but it must not be forgot¬ 
ten that they are more delicious than the best chestnuts. 
The soils best adapted for the chestnuts where they are 
generally found indigenous, are loam, sand, gravel or 
slate. They are seldom found on heavy clay soils, and not 
at all on wet, swampy lands, and as a general thing they 
flourish on thin rather poor soils. Of varieties we have not 
fruited many, but have thus far found none that comes so 
near perfection as the Paragon. I am often asked for nuts 
for planting, and whether they will come true from 
seed. To this I must say, no, although we plant a few 
choice nuts every year for the purpose of learning whether 
the best are susceptible of further improvement. Since 
grafting with chestnuts is not a success as it is with other 
fruit trees, the supply will not be likely to equal the de¬ 
mand for some years to come. 
Next to chestnuts I would class English walnuts, espe¬ 
cially the improved, hardy varieties. They form an article 
of commerce, and their planting should be encouraged. 
They will grow best in rich soil. 
Black walnuts are quite hardy and extensively planted 
in some sections, but more especially for timber. They suc¬ 
ceed best on the richest soil, especially on black loam. 
The nuts are generally gathered for edible purposes. There 
are several excellent varieties grown for the nuts only ( 
which indicates a susceptibility to further improvement. 
The butternut may yet be planted for its nuts. It 
flourishes best on rich soils. 
The pecan is a desirable nut, but the tree does not bear 
transplanting as well as some other trees ; besides, it is 
slow in coming to fruiting. The same may be said of the 
shellbark, but the latter is perhaps of all nuts next in 
quality to the chestnut. The hard-shell nuts referred to 
will all bear much improvement, and the motto should be, 
more kernel and less shell. Do as the beef-breeders have 
done, who have bred out bone and added muscle. Since 
nut culture in this country is just in its infancy, may we 
not hope for great improvements ? I have recently re¬ 
ceived a sample of shellbarks from a frh nd in Iowa, which 
came nearer my ideal of a shellbark than any I have yet 
seen, as it has the thinnest shell over a full and plump 
kernel, that has come under my observation. 
From present indications, nut culture may become a 
prominent factor in food production. It is reasonable to 
suppose that some sorts contain as much nutriment as the 
best of our cereals, and much more than some vegetables 
and other fruits. It would seem that the hard-shell nuts 
referred to would be best adapted for cold weather food, 
since they contain carbonaceous elements in larger pro¬ 
portion than some of the cereals, while chestnuts appar¬ 
ently contain less of carbonaceous elements and are conse¬ 
quently better adapted as food the year round. It may be 
a long while before the inhabitants of this country will be 
obliged to curtail the use of animal food, yet there are 
many who now use it sparingly or not at all on account of 
the many diseases prevalent among animals. Nuts may at 
some future time yield a substitute for hog’s lard and even 
butter, both of which may or may not be produced from 
diseased animals. 
HOGS IN THE CLOVER. 
C. B. D., Richland, Ind.— 1. Would land derive approxi¬ 
mately the same benefit from hogging clover as by turn¬ 
ing it under ? 2. How many hogs can I safely pasture on 
25 acres of fairly good clover ? 3. Is soaked rye as bene¬ 
ficial for hogs as ground rye ? 
“Hogging” Beats Plowing. 
1. Yes; hogging would enrich the land to a certain ex¬ 
tent with a good grass breed of hogs. 2. With the assist¬ 
ance of a very little corn one can safely pasture on fairly 
good clover from eight to ten head of hogs per acre, pro¬ 
vided they don’t root; they should be well ringed. 3. No; 
hogs will make the best possible gain with ground feed. 
Erie CouDty, Ohio. JAMES JARRET. 
Why Feed Rye at All ? 
1. When we turn clover under when it is green I think 
the results will be much better than if we do so when it is 
dry. If hogs were pastured on it, what they would not eat 
would get dead and dry, and what they did eat they would 
carry to certain spots, which they would make rich to the 
detriment of the rest of land; they would not distribute it 
evenly over the ground. 2. I think about 200 on the 25 
acres, but I am not certain. 3. No. If soaked rye is feu 
some of it passes through the hogs whole ; ground rye is 
better. But why feed rye at all in corn-growing States 
like Illinois or Indiana ? Land that will produce 20 bushels 
of rye to an acre will yield 40 bushels of corn, and land 
that will give 30 bushels of the former will give 00 of the 
latter. Moreover, while rye is worth 18 cents more per 
bushel in the market, I would prefer corn as feed for hogs 
at the same price. samuel mills. 
Allen County, Ind. 
Soaking Equal to Cooking. 
1. The land would receive the same benefit from pastur¬ 
ing as from turning under, and if the hogs received corn, 
bran, or other rich feed the land would receive extra nour¬ 
ishment from them. 2. If the 25 acres could be divided 
into three lots and each lot pastured one week and then 
have two weeks’ rest, I think from 125 to 175 head of hogs 
might be kept without much extra feed. 3. The bran of 
rye is very tough when soaked or boiled, and hogs, after 
they are half grown, are sure to swallow much of it with¬ 
out chewing it enough to break the hull, and it passes them 
undigested and almost unchanged. It is good feed for 
swine, especially in the winter, as it is apt to keep them 
free from costiveness; but I would certainly grind it if feed¬ 
ing it to any extent, and a mixture of corn and oats would 
improve it. Soaking from 12 to 24 hours I believe to be 
equal to cooking. One can pour boiling water over it and 
stir a quart or two of oil meal In a half barrel of feed and 
let it stand where it won’t freeze till wanted. 
Jo Daviess County, Ill. W. s. SMITH. 
Root Growth Less When Grazed. 
1. Land will derive great benefit from hogging down 
clover, but as this process usually begins in the spring or 
early summer when the frequent rainfalls keep the ground 
wet enough to be damaged by trampling hogs, it has draw¬ 
backs. The root growth of clover is not so great when it is 
grazed as when allowed to grow for hay and seed, and the 
roots are more valuable as a fertilizer than the tops. Com¬ 
plete and uniform covering of the ground by the clover 
grown for hay favors the process of nitrification, which is 
one of the great incidental benefits in clovering land. If 
the land is clay or tough it will be more damaged by tramp¬ 
ing when wet. Such land would receive greater benefit by 
keeping stock off when the ground is wet, and the highest 
benefit to the land would follow keeping all stock off and 
plowing under the growth of clover. In general, we may 
say land is greatly benefited by hogging down the clover, 
but it is not so much benefited as by turning under the 
clover without pasturing; nor will it be as much benefited 
as by keeping stock off and making hay. 2. One can safely 
pasture 125 head of shoats weighing from 75 to 125 pounds 
each on 25 acres of fairly good clover unless the season is 
very dry. Should the season be dry and the clover become 
short and woody, one can ktep hogs thriving by cutting 
up green corn as soon as it is in the roasting ear stage. 
The hogs will eat the green corn up quite clean if fed 
judiciously, and the writer has found this plan of feeding 
very profitable when clover has become tough in August 
and September. By this method one can carry more hogs to 
the acre of clover and more safely and successfully change 
from clover to grain feed. It is the cheapest and most 
gradual way of changing from clover to corn feed that can 
be devised. 3. Rye ground and soaked is a more profitable 
feed than unground rye. L. N. BONHAM. 
Sec. Ohio State Board of Agriculture. 
Small Fruit Queries. 
C. S., Limaville, O.—1. Would the growing and evapor¬ 
ating of raspberries and currants be likely under ordinary 
circumstances to be a profitable business? 2. Would a clay 
loam with an impervious subsoil of yellow clay be suitable 
for growing these if underdrained? 3. Do growers away 
from the large towns find it difficult at any time to secure 
pickers at fair prices ? 4. About what might be called an 
average yield per acre in all the country? 5. Are the black 
currants profitable? 
Ans. 1. The growing of both is profitable to those who 
have learned the business. The evaporating of black rasp¬ 
berries has proven quite profitable, but a knowledge of the 
business and experience are necessary to insure success. 
Red raspberries are usually sold fresh. 2. Yes, if thor¬ 
oughly underdrained. 3. Not usually; the large growers 
of a succession of fruits, who can give continuous employ¬ 
ment have less difficulty than those who grow only small 
quantities. 4. About 75 bushels. 5. No. 
Title to Land by Adverse Possession. 
G., Kankakee County, III. —Over 30 years ago a street 
in an “addition” to a certain city in this State was laid 
out and the plat recorded. A portion of this street has 
never been opened or used as such, but has been fenced in 
as a single piece together with the two blocks on either 
side and cultivated as a nursery and gardeD, and the 
present owner of the whole has owned and used it for this 
purpose for the past eight years ; can he hold it as against 
the city corporation or any one else on the claim of “ ad¬ 
verse possession?” 
Ans. —A title to land by “ adverse possession ” can be 
gained only by an uninterrupted and undisputed line of 
possession, open, notorious, under a claim of ownership 
and extending over a definite period—20 years in most of 
the States. Mere possession for the prescribed length of 
time by the expressed or implied permission of the owner 
cannot ripen into ownership. There must also be, during 
all the time, a claim of ownership. What amounts to 
such a claim depends on circumstances; acts are usually 
stronger than mere words, and no one is expected to post 
up notices or make public proclamation of this claim. 
That is, briefly, the law of the matter ; our inquirer must 
apply it to his own case, as he is best acquainted with all 
the circumstances. 
Raspberries In an Orchard. 
E. C. D., Middleton, Pa.—I have an apple orchard of 
50 trees, 30 by 30 feet apart, planted three years ago. The 
trees are growing exceedingly well. If I plant blackcap 
raspberries in the orchard when the trees are four years 
old, will they be any hindrance to the growth of the trees ? 
Ans. —No; not for several years unless the raspberries 
are set within 10 or 12 feet of the trees. Later on the trees 
would be injured. Of course the land in which the rasp¬ 
berries grow will be more or less impoverished by them. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
M. P. C., Scranton, Pa.—1. Some time ago The Rural 
contained notes with regard to planting different varieties 
of asparagus at the Rural Experiment Grounds, and as I 
have noticed the results have not been reported, I would 
feel indebted for any information regarding the tests. 2. 
Does any nursery firm besides Ellwanger & Barry grow 
dwarf apples and cherries ? 3. In a back volume of The 
Rural, an editorial mentions a dwarf Alexander Apple on 
French stock. Is that the ordinary dwarf apple stock or 
some special one ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes, we have all the advertised kinds growing, 
but it is yet too soon to report. Another season will be 
required. Some 10 years ago the same experiment was 
made. Our report then was that there is no essential 
difference between so-called varieties. 2. Yes, all leading 
nurserymen. 3. It is the so-called Paradise. These dwarfs 
rarely grow higher than what may be called tall bushes. 
F. R. B., Michigan.— Has The Rural ever published 
any articles on salt as a fertilizer ? 
Ans.— Yes, many times. The consensus of opinion is 
that salt is not a fertilizer and that when it gives ap¬ 
preciable effects its action is that of releasing food already 
in the soil. We know of no experiments which show that 
salt is helpful to crops year after year. There is no proof 
that it is beneficial even to asparagus. 
L. D. A., Cortland County, N. Y.— If a family of 
brothers and sisters, all of age, work together to improve 
the farm, nothing having been said about wages or pay, 
while one of them owns the farm, can the brothers and 
sisters who have no money interest in it, recover anything 
for their labor ? 
ANS.— In such cases the law generally holds that there 
is an implied agreement that the laborers shall be paid for 
their labor at “going” rates. Our inquirer had better 
consult a good lawyer and state the case orally to him 
more fully than can be easily done in any inquiry by 
letter to a distant correspondent. 
B. B., Sangamon County, III.—Are express companies 
liable in damage for rough handling of fruit if the con¬ 
signee receives the fruit without immediate protest ? 
ANS.—It is hardly likely that damages could be recovered 
in such a case. Fruits are so perishable and easily dam¬ 
aged that strict compliance with the carrier’s terms are 
usually required when claims for damages are made. 
