i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
285 
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.] 
SEEDING TO PASTURE. 
Dairyman, Perry, N. Y.— I would like to seed down 
about 40 acres of good strong land, a portion of it a little 
wet, the remainder a gravelly loam, to make good pasture 
for cows for eight or ten years. Can it be done ? What 
mixture of grasses shall I use to produce the largest growth 
of permanent pasturage for milch cows only, at a reasonable 
cost per acre for seed ? What portion of each kind shall I 
use, and what is the minimum amount of mixture per 
acre to give a good seeding ? Can it be seeded successfully 
with a spring crop, such as oats and peas, to be cut green for 
hay ? I would much like to do it this spring. 
Hard to Seed In Spring. 
As a rule, one cannot successfully seed down land in the 
spring in a crop of oats and peas. If the inquirer can pro¬ 
cure a variety of oats with stiff straw and get them in 
early, sowing not more than a bushel and a half to the 
acre, the chances of getting a good catch will be all in his 
favor. The following mixture would be well adapted to 
the land described and could be secured at a reasonable 
cost: Two pounds of Medium Red Clover; three pounds 
of Alsike Clover ; five pounds of Timothy; two pounds of 
Orchard Grass, and four pounds of Red Top. There will 
be no occasion to sow any Blue Grass or White Clover, as 
they will appear in a few years in sufficient abundance. 
This grass seed should be sown immediately after the last 
harrowing or the drill, and unless the weather is un¬ 
usually damp the land should be rolled immediately. The 
seed cannot be distributed evenly if mixed. Sow the heavier 
seeds by themselves and the Orchard Grass and Red Top 
may be mixed and sown in the opposite direction from the 
previous sowing. Do not pasture the first year, but mow 
the grass early. If care is used in not turning on stock 
when the land is wet considerable pasturage may be se¬ 
cured after the hay is mowed. [prof.] I. P. Roberts. 
A Mixture Recommended. 
I advise “ Dairyman ” to sow a mixture of the following 
kinds and proportions : Timothy, four pounds ;• Meadow 
Fescue, four pounds; Orchard Grass, four pounds; Meadow 
Oat Grass, four pounds, and Kentucky Blue Grass, four 
pounds. This would make a little over one bushel and 
would be about enough for one acre. I would also advise 
him to sow a sprinkling of Alsike on the wet portions of 
his land. Such a mixture could be sown with a spring 
crop, but that crop ought to be a light one, as it is often 
the case that what is made in grain is lost in grass by re¬ 
tardation of growth. Grass being Dairyman’s object, I 
advise him to sow only one bushel each to the acre of the 
oats and peas and he would thus get better and more nu¬ 
tritious summer fodder than he would have from a denser 
growth. D. BATCHELOR. 
Mixing Chemicals at Home. 
J. A. W., Westfield, N. Y. —I wish to buy chemicals and 
try mixing my own fertilizers this year, as I believe my 
soil is richer in some fertilizing elements than in others. 
Where can nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid be ob¬ 
tained to be applied for potatoes and corn ? In what form J 
Under what name ? 
Ans.— Any of the fertilizer firms advertising in The R. 
N.-Y., will furnish the so-called chemicals. The better 
plan would be for several neighbors to cooperate and buy 
at wholesale prices. This is a matter that requires close 
calculation. For instance, if our friend has unleached 
ashes or can buy them at a reasonable price, it would be 
folly for him to buy potash in the form of either sulphate 
or muriate. In purchasing chemicals, he must be guided 
by the analyses and mix them accordingly. For example, 
muriate of potash, let us say, contains 50 per cent of actual 
potash ; the bone, 20 per cent phosphoric acid. It should 
contain at least three per cent of nitrogen also. Nitrate 
of soda, which now costs about $45 per ton, should contain 
16 per cent of nitrogen ; sulphate of ammonia 20 per cent. 
Blood or dried meat varies in nitrogen content from five 
to twelve per cent, according to the way it has been pre¬ 
pared for the market. A fair quality of unleached ashes 
should contain two per cent of phosphoric acid and six 
per cent of potash. Now for potatoes we are to mix these 
constituents so that we may have in the mixture the fol¬ 
lowing percentages, or approximately so : Nitrogen, 4 
per cent; phosphoric acid, 10 per cent; potash, six per 
cent. Such a mixture can be bought at retail for about 
$40. If the raw material were bought at wholesale, it 
would cost not over $30. The Connecticut Experiment Sta¬ 
tion at New Haven, Conn., has done a great deal of work 
in this line. Send for Its bulletins. 
Painting Farm Utensils. 
M. IV. F., W. Leyden, N. Y.— What is a rule for mixing 
paint for farm utensils ? What is the name of the color 
commonly used by wagon makers ? Some call it a nice 
red. 
ANS.—American vermilion, English vermilion and red 
lead look well for three months, then they fade to a yellow 
brick color. Red lead has the best wearing body, but fades 
the worst. Orange mineral is more durable and a cheap 
paint; so is Venetian red, but like o.her mineral paints it 
should be called for ground in oil. Tuscan and Indian red 
are a little more expensive, but they are fast colors, rather 
dark, like Venetian; but by adding a little white lead they 
make a good covering where color is a secondary consider¬ 
ation. All surfaces before they are painted must be dry, 
sand-papered and dusted. If the surface is weather-worn the 
paint should be thin for the first coat and thicker for the 
second. Oil that has been on the farm for months un¬ 
corked and exposed to air can be used only on tin roofs or 
weather-worn, soft wood. Mix with raw linseed oil and 
add a pint of Japan drier to the gallon. No turpentine 
should be used for surfaces exposed to the weather. It is 
like water in milk: it thins but does not contribute to the 
binding qualities of the paint. It cuts and thins fat oil 
that has been made thick by evaporation, so that such oil 
can be worked. Coal oil is just as good. Raw oil dries 
slowly, but hard boiled oil dries without Japan and has a 
good gloss but leaves a “ tackey ” surface only desirable on 
buildings. If one wants a gloss he should use varnish. 
Many suppose that because the prime coat strikes in the 
wood when weather-worn, such paint is dry and ready for 
alternate painting. If quicker drying is wanted, add more 
Japan drier. Lamp-black paint demands more drier. Test 
it first on a stick a day ahead. When the brush is not in 
use, have a hole through the handle to admit a wire rod 
and suspend it in oil or water; but never let the water go 
above the winding or it will burst the brush wrappings. 
If it stands on the bottom of a bucket only for a night the 
bristles will be twisted; hence scratches as one paints. 
After the exterior of the house has been painted all sashes 
and shutters (blinds) should be moved to prevent the paint 
from cementing them fast. Such shutters would be ruined. 
For such sash use a stout knife between casing and sash ; 
fill all crevices in wagon hubs with putty after the prime 
coat. Putty will not stick to dry wood (sash) without 
first priming. Paint will not dry to a greasy surface. 
o. K. LANE. 
Bone-Black and Bone Flour, Etc. 
O. S., Westfield, N. Y .—The difference between bone 
flour and bone-black is that bone flour is simply raw bones 
ground to flour. Bone-black is a black carbonaceous 
powder obtained by grinding the product of bones burned 
in a close vessel at red heat. The powder resembles that 
of vegetable charcoal, but is denser and less combustible. 
Here is an analysis of it: 
Carbou.9.6 
Sulphate of liine . ..0.2 
Carboua e of lime.8.6 
Phosphate of lline.78.3 
Phosp»aie of magnesia. 1.3 
Chloride of sodium.0.5 
Silicate and sand. 0.8 
Protoxide of Iron. . 0.2 
Alkalies and sulphur.0.5 
Total. 100 
The bone charcoal is used by sugar refiners for decolor¬ 
izing sugars. After being used by them, it Is sold to fer¬ 
tilizer manufacturers who add sulphuric acid to it. It is 
then a superphosphate containing merely lime and phos¬ 
phoric acid, the nitrogen in great part having been burnt 
out. The price is from $28 to $30 a ton. The bone black 
is more soluble than raw bone and with the muriate of 
potash the combination would act sooner than bone flour 
and muriate. About 400 pounds of the bone black to 
100 of muriate would be a right proportion. 
Epsom Salts For a Steady Drink. 
T.S. Raymond, S. D .—I inclose an analysis of well water, 
made at our experiment station. Can I get rid of the 
large amount of mineral salts in It by some cheap chemical 
method or by filtering ! Would the water as it is be inju¬ 
rious to stock. 
Total solids at 110 degrees centigrade, T,693. 
Bases—Magnesium, calcium Iron. 
Acids—Sulphuric, small amount of hydrochloric. 
Probable salts—Calcium sulphate and magnesium sulphate. 
Residue three or four times too much—wat.*r purgative. 
I sent one pint of. water; was that not enough for an 
analysis l 
Ans.—T here is nothing in this analysis, if stated cor¬ 
rectly, to indicate that the water is injurious, although 
the whole of the impurity should consist of the magne¬ 
sium sulphate, which is Epsom salts. But as it is said to 
have a bitter taste it is to be suspected that the Epsom 
salts is the largest part of the impurity, and that the 
analysis really should read 7.693 per cent, instead of in a 
million parts, which would render the water unfit for use, 
both on account of the taste and its purgative effect. A 
quart of water is the least quantity that can be conve¬ 
niently analysed, and a gallon is usually taken for the 
purpose. A. pint of water contains only 7,680 grains, and 
7,693 parts in 1,000,000 would give less than 1-20 of a grain 
of the solid matter in the pint, a quantity too small to 
measure and wholly inoperative in any injurious way. If 
the 7,693 is the number of grains in a pint—the quantity 
sent for analysis—and it should all be sulphate of mag¬ 
nesia, there would be one part in 1,000 of the water, which 
would be too small to have any appreciable effect in its 
use. Hence, as it is stated that the water is purgative, we 
should reasonably conclude that the analysis means 7,693 
per cent, which would be equal to 59 grains, or nearly two 
drams to the pint, which would render it purgative and 
bitter to the taste. It is a difficult matter to decide other¬ 
wise than in this way. If the quantity of solids is 7.693 
grains in one million, the water is not any worse than a 
good deal of the water used in cities; if it is 7 693 per cent, 
the impurity would render It quite unfit for use; and if 
it is 7,693 grains in the pint, there would be one part of 
impurity in 1,000, which might be tolerated if it cannot be 
avoided. There is no easy way of getting rid of this sul¬ 
phate of magnesia, although the bitter taste may be 
removed by the addition of a small quantity of citric acid, 
forming citrate of magnesia. Filtering would be utterly 
useless. 
Caustic Potash as a Fertilizer. 
E. E. G., Meriden, Conn .—What can I mix with caustic 
potash, or how shall I prepare it to make a good fertilizer 
for fruit trees, etc. f 
Ans.— Caustic potash should be dissolved in as little 
water as possible, and then absorbed by some bulky ma¬ 
terial that would be easy to handle; bifted coal ashes would 
serve this purpose very nicely. This form of potash may 
also be profitably used for dissolving such fertilizing ma¬ 
terials as hair or wool waste. After soaking these in the 
dissolved caustic the mixture should be covered with 
earth or plaster to prevent the escape of ammonia that 
will be evolved. When it is applied it should be further 
diluted with coal ashes in order to allow of a more even 
distribution. A mixture of this kind would be rich in 
available potash and nitrogen; an application per acre 
that would represent 150 pounds of caustic potash, and 600 
to 800 of hair or wool waste would make a good dressing 
for fruit trees. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Holstein Cattle, Patagonian Poultry.—J. A. S., Durand, 
Ill.—You can buy Holstein cattle from Amo3 Edmunds, 
Disco, Ill., or W. B. Pratt, Elgin, Ill. It will not pay you 
to buy eggs or fowls of the Patagonian breed for eggs or 
meat. They do not lay so well as other breeds, and are 
comparatively small, though they mature rapidly. 
Fertilizer for Strawberries.— E. H., Des Moines, la.—A 
mixture of unleached wood ashes and fine bone flour will 
be excellent for the strawberry plants. 
Moss on Lawns.— T. G. Y., Walworth, N. Y.—The best 
way to '‘kill or prevent the growth of moss on a lawn 
where it is crowding out the grass ” is to enrich the soil 
and sow Blue Grass seed. 
“Diseases of the Horse."— Many Subscribers.—This 
book is now out of print, but an appropriation has been 
made for 50,000 copies, which will be distributed through 
Congressmen. Write to your Congressman and ask him 
to have a copy sent you. 
Potato Culture. —C. D. C., Grandview, Ind.—The best 
account of The R N.-Y.’s plans for growing large crops of 
potatoes will be found in “ The New Potato Culture,” sold 
by The Rural Publishing Company. Price, 40 cents, in 
paper. As this book covers the experiences of 15 years, it 
would be impossible to give a synopsis of it here without 
filling an entire issue. 
Grafting Apple Trees.— D. W. N., Hampton, Ya.—The 
process of grafting has been described in these columns so 
many times that we can hardly spare the space to repeat 
it. The Nursery Book, by Prof. L. II. Bailey, tells the 
whole story of grafting as well as all other kinds of propa¬ 
gation better than we could. It will be mailed from this 
office for 50 cents in paper covers, or $1.00 in cloth. The 
Hale mole trap is probably as good as any made, and may 
be obtained of most seedsmen. 
Cheap Paint for Outbuildings.— J. L. B., Deland, Fla. 
—A cheap and durable paint for outbuildings, fences, 
poultry houses, etc., is made as follows: Take one-half 
bushel of good unslaked lime ; slake it with boiling water 
(cover during the process to keep in the steam), strain the 
liquid through a sieve, and add to it a peck of salt dissolved 
in warm water, and three pounds of ground rice boiled to 
a thin paste. Stir in, boiling hot, one-half pound of 
Spanish whiting, one pound of white glue, and five gal¬ 
lons of hot water. Let the mixture stand a few days cov¬ 
ered from dust, and apply hot with a whitewash brush. 
If a different color be desired, Spanish brown, yellow 
ocher, or other colors may be added. Do not add green. 
This is a good paint for all out door wood-work, brick or 
stone. 
Currant Culture.— W. H. H., Charlotte, Vt.—Any good, 
well drained soil not subject to drought will produce good 
currants. They should be planted about four by four or five 
feet apart at which distances 2,178 to 2,722 plants would be 
required per acre. Bone flour and ashes are excellent fer¬ 
tilizers and probably as good as any. The cultivation con¬ 
sists simply in keeping down weeds and keeping the soil 
well stirred during dry weather. Keep all old wood 
pruned out; as the fruit is borne on two year-old wood it 
is necessary to keep up an annual supply of new shoots. 
The Cherry, Red Dutch and Fay are all good varieties, the 
latter being probably the best on account of its large size, 
which insures a ready sale. White Grape and White Dutch 
are good white varieties, but there is less demand for these 
than for the red ones. Currants are always in demand at 
good prices. 
Pears in Northern Wisconsin; Deans for Name.—W. 
S. W.. Shawano, Wis.—All the old varieties of pears, like 
Bartlett, Duchess, Anjou, etc., will be likely to succeed 
with you. Of the newer varieties test on a small scale at 
first. The beans sent for name are said by seedsmen here 
to be, probably, the Southern Prolific, a pole bean. 
Bordeaux Mixture.—A. W., Essex County, N. J.; M. H., 
New York, and others.—Dissolve one-half pound of cop¬ 
per-sulphate in hot water, slake one-half pound of lime, 
add water to make two gallons, and run through a sieve. 
Apply to pear and other trees with a spraying pump. For 
strawberries dilute the mixture, perhaps, one half. 
Protecting Cloth. —D. H. W., Fairfield County, Conn.— 
The protecting cloth mentioned In Henderson’s Gardening 
for Profit, is described on page 94 of the catalogue of Peter 
Henderson & Co., this city, from whom it may be obtained. 
Young Fruit Trees in the Places of Old.— W. P. H., 
Hesper, Kan.—By enriching the ground wnere the old trees 
In your 20 year-old orchard have died, the young trees 
planted in their places may do fairly well. Still they 
will be retarded by the older trees near them. As a rule, 
we do nob think it advisable to plant young fruit trees 
in the place of old ones. 
Surplus Bedding.—It will pay you better to chop up 
your surplus bedding hay and mix it with the manure or 
use it to absorb the wash from the piles than to bum it or 
let it “ rot down,” You can put the chopped bedding in a 
pit and keep it well wet with water and rot it more 
quickly. 
Top dressing: Clover. —I. S. F., Plainfield, N. J.—It 
will improve your “ poor, weedy field from which hay was 
taken last year,” to top dress it and sow clover on it. 
Churn andButter Prints.— G. B. -M , Greenville, Mich.— 
The smallest Davis swing churn made is No. 1., which 
holds eight gallons. Price $7 with plain frame, or $8 with 
tilting frame. It will churn four gallons of cream. Car¬ 
ter’s butter printer will print one-half or one pound rolls 
