225 
i89i THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
case of trenches, we should sow the ashes before digging 
the trenches and sow the nitrate evenly in the trenches 
afte'r covering the seed-pieces with two inches of soil. 
Signed Note of Contract for Sale of Real Estate. 
S. M. L., Albany County, N. Y.—A agrees to sell and B 
agfees to buy a farm for $3 560. A asks B for something 
to bind the bargain; B refuses to give anything, but calls 
a neighbor to witness the trade and agrees to meet A on a 
certain day and take a deed and pay for it in cash; but 
afterwards informs A that he cannot do so. Has A any 
power to compel B to fulfill his agreement ? 
Ans.—No. It is provided by statute in this State that 
“ every contract for the leasing for a longer period than 
one year, or for the sale of any lands, or any interest in 
lands, shall be void, unless the contract or some note, 
or memorandum thereof, expressing the consideration, be 
in writing, and be subscribed toby the party to whom the 
lease or sale is to be made.” Under this statute, therefore, 
the contract to which our correspondent refers is void, so 
far as it provides for the sale of real property, and cannot 
be enforced by either A or B. 
Seeding Down a Door Yard. 
A. W. L., Marlon, Iowa. —I want to seed down my door 
yard this spring. What kind of seed will be best and how 
much? When shall I sow the seed, and how should the 
ground be prepared ? There are a good many trees in the 
front yard and the ground is covered with ground-ivy. 
How can I get rid of that ? 
Ans.—I t would have been better had you plowed or 
spaded up the soil last September. The best thing to do 
now is to plow or spade it up as soon as the weather will 
permit. Hake it to a level of fine soil, well firmed. If it 
is not rich enough, add at the rate of 1,000 pounds of raw 
bone flour and 20 bushels of unleached wood ashes to the 
acre before leveling and pulverizing with the rake. Then 
sow two bushels per acre of Blue Grass seed. Rake again. 
Now sow two bushels of Red Top seed crosswise and again 
rake and, finally, roll. You need not consider the ground- 
ivy. The lawn mower will kill it. Otherwise pull it up 
as it appears. 
War Volunteers and the Public Lands. 
T. M., Monroe County, Wis.— During the Civil War 
did the government at any time offer 160 or 320 acres of the 
public domain to United States volunteers, and can such 
land still bo obtained by a man who served 4>£ years? 
Are there any other rights which were granted to volun¬ 
teers? 
Ans.— During the late war the government offered no 
land bounties to volunteers ; but military bounty land 
warrants were issued for services in the wars before 1855. 
The rights acquired by the soldiers and sailors of the Civil 
War under the Homestead Law enable them to .deduct 
their term of service in the army or navy from the five 
years of actual occupation required of ordinary settlers on 
the public lands. 
Settlers on Public Land Living Together. 
II. L. L., Brooklyn, N. Y.— If a family of four persons, 
each eligible to enter a quarter-section of the public land, 
and doing so on adjoining claims forming a complete sec¬ 
tion, build a home at the junction of the four quarter- 
sections In such a way that one-fourth of the house shall 
rest on each claim, would they be complying with the 
requirements of the law, if the four members of the family 
resided In the building and cultivated the claims equally? 
Ans.—E ach should sleep, as a rule, in a room over his 
own claim; in other respects the arrangement is quite 
legitimate and is often practiced in case of two adjoining 
settlers. 
Night Soil as a Fertilizer. 
W.V., Nutley, N. J. —l have a dozen loads of privy man¬ 
ure mixed with sufficient coal ashes to enable me to han¬ 
dle it. I have it on a heap and have thrown a bushel or 
bo of plaster over it. How shall I manage it and to what 
crops shall I apply it ? A neighbor says it would not pay 
to have it spread. 
Ans.—M r. Henry Stewart estimates the manurial value 
of a ton of night soil at $10. This is much above the 
value figured out from chemical analysis, but Mr Stewart 
has used many tons of the substance and has compared it 
with city stable manure and fertilizers. The night soil is 
best suited to such crops as cabbage, melons, beets, onions 
or grass. A friend in Canada has used it very successfully 
on potatoes. Keep it well mixed with plaster, and haul 
and spread it after plowing, and harrow it in for melons 
or Lima beans, or broadcast it on the grass or rye. There 
is no greater manurial waste in the country than the pres¬ 
ent method of handltng night soil. 
Can Vegetables Transmit Disease? 
M. G., Kingston, Pa. —Would a crop of onions or celery, 
grown from seed that showed symptoms of mildew in its 
growth, be more liable to fungous diseases than that from 
seed from a healthy crop ? In other words, have vegetables 
the power to transmit this class of disease by means of 
the seed ; if so, what is a preventive ? 
Ans.—T here is always danger that the seed produced by 
diseased plants will transmit the trouble. It may be that 
the fungus is within the seed, and then it may develop 
along with the seed as the latter germinates. But, most 
usually, the contamination is superficial, and is due to the 
spores of the fuDgus clinging to the outside of the seed. 
This is especially true if the seed is rough-coated and 
presents cracks or other places for the lodgment of the 
spores. In case of the onion the seed will be most likely 
to be free from the fungus, as a plant attacked by this 
destructive mildew will probably perish without seeding. 
The spores, however, may come from a diseased plant 
to a healthy one near by and thus they may reach the seed. 
If there is fear of the above-susp°cted contamination it 
would be well to place the onion seed in hot water for one 
or two minutes, that is, water heated to 125 degrees. This 
is the method for removiug or killing smut spores upon 
seed grain. That which has been said for onion mildew 
applies also to the question of celery blight. 
[dr.] b. d. halstkd. 
Apples for Cider : Barley. 
C. O. D. B., St Joseph, 111 —1 Would it be profitable to 
put out Siberian Crabs for the manufacture of vinegar ? 
2. When should barley be sowed ? Is it profitable for feed 
and a rotation crop ? 
Ans. —1. We doubt it, though several persons profess to 
be making money by turning all their fruit into cider and 
selling the product at fancy prices. “ Roxbury Russet 
Cider,” made on a farm up the Hudson, is a standard bev¬ 
erage in this city. We would like to heir from cider 
makers about this. 2. The cultivation of barley is just 
about the same as that of oats. It makes a good feed, but, 
except in California (where it is often cut green and cured 
for hay), it is grown chiefly for brewing purposes. The 
crop has not been particularly remunerative for the past 
few years in consequence of the large importations of 
Canadian grain. It is expected that the new tariff will 
help American farmers in this matter. 
Seeding to Permanent Pasture. 
A. M. A., Canal Dover, O —I have a field of black-muck 
soil which I intend putting to oats, and seed down for 
a permanent pasture. What are the best grass seeds for 
such pasture, and how should they be used ? Will sowing 
Blue Grass seed before the drill get it in too deep ? Would 
bone or phosphate be the better fertilizer for this pasture ? 
Ans. —For permanent pasture upon such land the follow¬ 
ing grasses and quantities per acre might be sown, viz. : 
5 pounds of Timothy, 10 pounds of Orchard Grass, 10 
pounds of Red Top, 10 pounds of Fowl Meadow Grass 
(Poa serotina), and 6 pounds each of Meadow Fescue and 
Tall Oat Grass. Blue Grass would not do so well on this 
land as on a dry limestone soil. The seed should be sown 
directly after the oats are harrowed in, and be covered by 
a light brush harrow or a plank smoother. This is al¬ 
ways desirable, but more especially on such land as this, 
which is apt to dry out injuriously to young grass in a 
few days of dry weather after sowing. A dressing of lime 
would be the most useful on this land, but If it has al¬ 
ready borne some crops and requires fertilizer, 300 pounds 
per acre of the complete artificial manure would be better 
thau the superphosphate alone, or the bone either. If it is 
fresh land newly reclaimed the lime would be the most 
useful. 
Line Fences. 
A Subscriber, Canton, Ohio. —A wi-hes to put up a line 
fence between his land and B s, who Is only a lease holder. 
A’s fowls now trespass on B s land, and B commits vari¬ 
ous sorts of trespasses on A’s. Can A compel B’s landlord 
to put up half of the fence ? 
Ans. —The landlord of the adjoining land can be com¬ 
pelled to pay for his share of the line fence : or, if he retuses, 
the cost of building it can be legally collected ; but where a 
fence is already built the occupant of the land, and not the 
owner, is bound to keep it In repair, and he Is allowed to 
cut timber on the land to make the repairs, and is entitled 
to such use and occupation of the adjoining land as is 
necessary to carry out that duty. 
> MISCELLANEOUS. 
Chemicals for Cucumbers.— L. F. T., Brooklyn, Mich. 
—Muriate of potash would be cheaper and probably just 
as good as sulphate for cucumbers. We have heard noth¬ 
ing to the contrary. Nitrate of soda may be used mixed 
with the hill soil in small quantity to give the plants an 
early growth. Otherwise the stable manure (eight cords 
to the acre) may be trusted to carry them through. A 
bag (200 pounds) of muriate to the acre would be ample (not 
in the hill, but broadcast). If mixed in the hill merely, 50 
pounds to the acre of nitrate would suffice. 
A Dozen Hoses. —C. H. H., Charlottesville, Va.—1. For 
“ 12 of the most hardy and fragrant roses ” which you in¬ 
tend to keep in a cold-frame during winter and summer— 
that is, ‘‘to keep them protected where they grow ”—we 
would name Catherine Mermet, Marie Van Houtte, Perle 
des Jardlns, Sombreuil, S mvenir d’ un Ami, La France, 
Eliza Boelle, Coquette des Alpes, Bon Silene, Isabella 
Sprunt, Madame Bravy, Sunset, Mad. Hoste. 2' We have 
not as yet tried Mrs. De Graw. Mr. Henderson praises it 
highly. 
Grower's Sales of Tobacco.— B. C., Sterling, N. Y.— 
Yes, a grower of leaf tobacco has a right to sell to a con¬ 
sumer in small or large lots. Section 27 of the “ McKinley 
Tariff ” enacts : “ That all provisions of the statutes im¬ 
posing restrictions of any kind whatsoever upon farmers 
and growers of tobacco in regard to the sale of their leaf 
tobacco, and the keeping of books, and the registration 
and report of their sales of leaf tobacco, or imposing any 
tax on account of such sales, are hereby repealed: Pro¬ 
vided, however, that it shall be the duty of every farmer 
or planter producing and selling leaf tobacco, on demand 
of any internal-revenue officer, or other authorized agent 
of the Treasury Department, to furnish said officer or 
agent a true and complete statement, verified by oath, of 
all his sales of leaf tobacco, the number of hogsheads, 
cases or pounds, with the name and residence, in each 
Instance, of the person to whom sold, and the place to 
which it is shipped. And every farmer or planter who 
wilfully refuses to furnish such information, or who 
knowingly makes false statements as to any of the facts 
aforesaid, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be 
liable to a penalty not exceeding $500.” 
Pasturing After Spraying.— C. F. B., West Groton, 
N. Y.—You can safely turn stock into an orchard two 
days after spraying with a Paris-green mixture, or sooner 
if a light rain has fallen. 
Black Rot in Vines —Several Subscribers.—The Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., has issued 
pamphlet containing all the information concerning black 
rot and its treatment. S j nd for it. 
Measuring Water. —C L McC., Animas City, Col.—For 
divldiug the water in a stream into 450 shares for irrigat¬ 
ing purposes, we must refer you to a bulletin issued by 
Prof. L L Carpenter of your Agricultural College, at 
Fort Collins, Col. 
Plaster-of-Paris from Land Plaster, —C. M., Colinsvllle, 
Out.—Land plaster or gypsum, when heated to 110-120 
degrees centigrade, loses the whole of its water, and is 
converted into burnt gypsum or plaster-of-Paris, which 
substance combines with water aud solidifies. When gyp¬ 
sum is heated above 200 degrees it becomes “dead burnt,” 
that is, it can only take up water slowly and does not 
harden. Plaster-of-Paris can be made by heating the 
gypsum in a suitable vessel on a stove, the only precaution 
necessary to be observed is to keep the temperature at the 
proper degree for a short time To do the work accurately 
a thermometer is, of course, necessary. Without this in¬ 
strument one would have to continue heatiug until a por¬ 
tion would solidify on the addition of water. 
Prickly Cornfrey. —W. G. H., Highland, N. Y.—Conflict¬ 
ing statements are made regarding the value of Prickly 
Cornfrey as food for stock. In Ireland it is said to be largely 
used for this purpose, aud the Irish papers contain adver¬ 
tisements offering this plant for sale. In this country 
some extravagant stories have been told of its great value 
as a forage plant, while other parties have condemned it 
in unmeasured terms. The R. N.-Y. found some difficulty 
in inducing horses to eat it. The New York Experiment 
Station, Geneva, has done quite a little work with this 
plant. A recent bulletin contains the remit of an experi¬ 
ment in feeding it to pigs. Send to the station for its pub¬ 
lications. 
S? Apples and Pears.— L. A. E.—East Randolph, Vt.—Of 
the two varieties of apples “ both sold as King,” one from 
“ a stout-growing tree whose fruit looks a little like the 
Baldwin, having occasionally a fleshy protuberance over 
the stem,” and the other resembling the Yandevere; but 
larger, we should say that the lirst is the King—though 
it is necessarily a guess. The Red Bietigheimer is a good 
bearer of even sized fruit. For a pear “ to take the place 
of the Flemish Beauty, which cracks so badly that it is 
nearly worthless,” why not try the Idaho ? 
Grape Juice. —J. F. R., Granville, S. C.—The manner of 
handling grape juice may vary with different persons, but 
the general principle is the same with all. Tue juice, as 
it comes from the press, is heated, bottled and sealed up 
tight while hot, in the sime manner as fruit is canned. 
Sometimes sugar is added to the juice, but this depends 
upon the taste of the operator. Uufermented wine is now 
made in large quantities. It is a healthful, refreshing 
drink, possessing all the Invigorating qualities of the fer¬ 
mented juice, without the alcohol. 
The Rural Flint Corn.—C. W. A., Port Byron, N. Y.— 
This corn is a first-rate yieldor. It also gives the largest 
amount of leaves of any kind wo have over tried. We do 
not know whether it will mature in your locality. If 
planted early, it would probably mature in a favorable 
season. Try it in a small way at first. We have never 
tried “ Clark’s Early Mastodon ” Corn. Waushakum 
or Longfellow for a flint ; Prairie Queen or Pride of 
the West for a dent, will do well with you. 
Buckwheat For Green Manure. —J. M. T., Terre 
Haute, Ind.—On your 10 acres of land “composed of muck 
and sand with a clay subsoil ” which you want to plant to 
strawberries in the spring of ’02, and on which you wish to 
plow under green crops—either buckwheat or peas—if the 
largest quantity of vegetab.e matter is desired, buckwheat 
would be preferable, as two crops could be turned under 
in time for sowing rye, while only one of peas could be 
made. For this purpose the buckwheat should be sown 
more thickly than if for grain—at least a bushel of seed 
per acre should be used, and the crop be turned under when 
in blossom. The first sowing may be made when corn is 
planted, but not before or frost may destroy it. 
Nitrogen in Manure.— W. W., Bennettsville, N. Y.— 
Prof. Roberts found in a ton of fresh horss manure 10 1 5 
pounds of nitrogen, worth $1.73. In the sime manure 
“leached ” or exposed for six months to rain aud air there 
were only 6)^ pounds, worth $L.10—a loi^s of 63 cents Acid 
phosphate can be obtained from J. Campoell & Co., N. Y. 
A good grafting wax may be made of four pans of resin, 
two parts of bets wax and one part of tallow. Melt together 
and pour into a pail of cold water. Tne Horticulturists’ 
Rule Book, Rural Publishing Co., gives full particulars 
regarding grafting. 
Kainit for Tobacco.—J. S. B., Bradford County, Pa.— 
Kainit is a substance, like salt in appearance, mined at 
Btassfurt, Germany. It will not answer for tobacco be¬ 
cause there is too much salt in it, which is injurious to 
this plant. You should use sulphate of potash or wood- 
ashes, Four hundred pounds of the kainit may be used 
to the acre. It can be obtained of any of the fertilizer 
firms advertising in this journal. It costs $11 to $12 per 
ton. Our friend would do well to read “The New Potato 
Culture,” mailed, postpaid from this office, for 40 cents 
(paper binding). For your soil, “a red shale with a sub¬ 
soil of gravel on which you have never ussd any commer¬ 
cial fertilizers,” it would be well to test things in a small 
way. Garrison & Minch of Bridgeton, N. J., will sell you 
small lots of all the chemicals for experiment purposes. 
