THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
4i7 
1 89 1 
before covering for the night. When full cover with green 
grass or wet straw and load with a few inches of loam or 
sand that can be used when removed, in the cow stables. 
There is no use or benefit from a plank cover in a silo. It 
is practically impossible to prepare a surface 14 by 17 feet, 
not only level, but of such equal density that it will settle 
evenly. If impracticable to cut with a machine, I would 
fill but one division at a time as rapidly as possible, and 
weight with not less than a foot of earth. Only chemical 
analysis can show how this compares with corn ensilage. 
It probably will be fully equal to corn-stalks from which 
the ears have been removed for husking. 
Essex Co., Mass. J. FRANCIS GULLIVER. 
Certainly Worth a Trial. 
I would make a trial of the pea hulls, if offered to me con¬ 
veniently and for the hauling, provided I could get and haul 
them rapidly, before any serious heating occurred in heaps. 
They will probably make a very acid ensilage, and If silo 
room would be made scanty for the coming corn crop it 
might not pay to occupy the space with the pea hulls. 
Ensilage made from leguminous plants is very unsafe for 
horses, owing to its nitrogenous character, but it can 
safely be fed to cows. I once filled a silo partly with clover 
and then put corn on top, with perfect success, and I do 
not think there will be any difficulty in the peas keeping 
if hauled in daily. Mr. Louis McMurray, a large canner 
of green corn at Frederick, Md., was in the habit of filling 
several large silos with the cobs and husks left from the 
business. These made good ensilage which was fed, as I 
have heard, with success. If I were living near a large 
canning house I would certainly endeavor to provide silo 
room for all its waste products, considering them a par¬ 
ticularly cheap food for cows at the rate mentioned. In a 
good silo there is no doubt whatever of their making good 
feeding ensilage, but of a rather acid character. In a silo 
14x17 feet four or five tons a day would make a packed 
layer of about one foot daily and a great deal more than 
this could be spread in loosely, as they should be, so that 
there would be no danger of spoiling so long as the same 
rate of supply is had daily or on alternate days, When 
finished, cover with two feet of cut straw and let it remain 
undisturbed until ready to put in the corn. Then merely 
remove the straw without materially disturbing the 
ensilage below. The heating of the corn will destroy all 
the germs of fungus that may remain. 
North Carolina College of Agriculture, w. f. massey. 
Better Food Than Corn Stalks. 
Pea pods contain a large quantity of nutriment if the 
analyses given in the feeding tables are to be relied upon, 
and I think they are. I have fed them in considerable 
quantities, when fresh, to cows, and they are decidedly 
better than fresh corn fodder. The following figures go 
to show their value in this respect: 
COMPOSITION OF 
Albuminoids. Carbohydrates. Fat. 
Pea hulls, per cent. 8.1 36.9 2.0 
Corn stalks, per cent. 3.0 38.? 1.0 
The hulls contain, in addition, 32 per cent of crude fiber 
which is mostly in the form of tough, fibrous inner en¬ 
velopes of the pods, but may be in part digestible while 
corn stalks contain 40 per cent of a still harsher matter. 
There is no doubt that these pods may be safely kept in a 
silo, but as the deeper the layers are the better the material 
will be preserved, it would be advisable to partition the 
silo and make it 14 x 8 instead of 14 x 17 feet. There is no 
necessity for cutting them, which would possibly double 
the cost and serve no good purpose, as the hulls would 
pack quite closely enough without cutting. Corn ensilage 
could be put on the top of the pea hulls without any injury 
to either. The only other waste of canning factories useful 
for feeding is the cobs of the sweet corn, which are quite 
nutritious and are eaten with avidity in their fresh state 
by cows, but they are not adapted for ensilage. The pea 
hulls are not so nutritious as corn ensilage with the ears 
on, as the grain adds much to the feeding value of the 
stalks. But as the hulls can be had for the hauling they 
are certainly worth getting if only for feeding in their fresh 
state. If they are to be siloed they should be put away in 
as fresh a condition as possible, as they heat and mildew 
very quickly when exposed to the air in loose heaps. 
Macon County, N. C. H. stewart. 
Strawoerrles. Peaches, Celery and Onions. 
W. H., Hammondsporb, N. Y.—l. I have a small straw¬ 
berry bed—should I hoe it in the spring? 2. Wnat feed is 
advisable for a cow between now and the time corn fodder is 
large enough to feed? Is oil cake good? She will not get 
grass but is kept up. I want a good substitute for grass. 
3. What late peaches would ba likely to thrive in western 
New York? 4. Whatis the best variety of celery to raise for 
family use and when should it be set ? What are general 
directions for caring for celery from the time of transplant 
ing till it reaches the table? 
Ans.— 1. Our plan is to thoroughly cultivate strawberry 
beds after fruiting. Then mulch as soon as the ground 
freezes. Leave this mulch between the plants until the 
fruit is picked—then, as before, cultivate. If, however, a 
bed is full of weeds some spring cultivation must oe done, 
but it should be shallow so as not in the least to disturb 
the roots. 2. Green rye is one of the earliest available soil¬ 
ing crops, followed by clover, grass, etc. Oil cake is good in 
limited quantities combined with other feeds. You can 
hardly make a good substitute for grass out of grain food. 3. 
Early and Late Crawford, Foster, Wheatland, Stump, Old 
Mixon, Hill’s Chili are all good. 4. White Plume for early, 
and Golden Self-Blanching, Boston Market, with perhaps 
some of the new rtd celeries for late and winter use. On 
good rich soil, which is the only one fit for celery, July 1st 
Is early enough, though some growers in your latitude 
claim to get good celery by transplanting it August 1st. 
The ground should be kept thoroughly cultivated, nothing 
more being required for six or eight week* after transplant¬ 
ing. Then the earth is drawn up around the plants, suffi¬ 
ciently to keep the leaves in an upright position, care being 
taken not to get any soil into the centers. This operation 
is repeated later as the stalks grow. The celery intended 
for winter should not be banked quite so early. We will 
give directions for storing celery later in the season. Hen¬ 
derson’s Gardening for Profit gives full directions for celery 
culture. 
Are Jersey Cattle Alderneys? 
How can I distinguish between full blood Jersey and 
Alderney stock ? I have a fine heifer which I bought for a 
full-blood Jersey, and I have been told by farmers who 
have seen her, that she is an Alderney. The heifer has 
all the points of a purebred Jersey as I understand them, 
viz: solid (fawn) color, black tongue and switch, and I 
bought her of a farmer who claimed to have raised her 
from stock which he bought from Darling’s Jersey stock 
farm, at Darlington, N. J. I am particularly anxious to 
satisfy the gentleman for whom I purchased the heifer 
that she is a Jersey and not an Alderney, as a farmer 
told him, who perhaps had never seen a Jersey cow. Are 
Jerseys bred from Alderneys ? The two names seem to 
be used indiscriminately among some farmers whom I 
have talked with. C. A. s. 
Bergen Co., N. J. 
Ans—Q uestions similar to these are frequently asked, 
and many farmers seem to be “mixed” over the matter. 
There are really three breeds of cattle that are much alike 
in size, shape and dairy qualities. These are Jersey, Alder¬ 
ney and Guernsey, each taking its name from an island off 
the coast of France. Alderney is a little island nearest to 
England. Its cattle were known and bred in England and 
abroad before the Jerseys were much thought of. The 
Head of an English Jersey. Fig. 15 1.8 
island being very small, the cattle were few, and the more 
numerous Jerseys and Guernseys have been bred and 
trained as distinct breeds. While the Alderneys differed 
from the others both as to origin and characteristic 
qualities, their interests have never been pushed, and their 
only herd book is an appendix of the Guernsey Herd Book. 
We notice that farmers associate the clear fawn color with 
the name “ Alderney.” Most Alderneys are of this color, 
though sometimes spotted with white. The Jerseys are 
of all colors from gray to black. Most Alderneys are larger 
than Jerseys, though of much the same shape. One reason 
why the names are mixed is that a few Alderneys were 
brought into the country first and showed the possibilities 
of this class of cows. Jersey was called upon to supply the 
* demand, but the original name, “ Alderney,” was still re¬ 
tained until the Jerseys became improved so as to be profit¬ 
able as farm stock. The only way to determine the name 
of this cow is to trace up her pedigree. If she doe 3 trace 
straight to the Darling herd she is undoubtedly a Jersey. 
“Jerseys” cannot be bred from “ Alderneys ” any more 
than Holsteius can be bred from Short-horns, if the regu¬ 
lar herd test, admission to registry in the Herd Book, is 
applied, but so far as yielding rich milk is concerned, the 
daughter of an Alderney would throw no discredit upon 
the name of “ Jersey.” Your cow is probably a Jersey, 
but the only way to make sure of it is to trace out her 
pedigree to one or the other of the herd book-j. 
Evaporating Potatoes and Tomatoes. 
M.P. H., Lavaca County, Texas— We can raise here as 
good Irish potatoes as can be raised anywhere, but we cannot 
save them during our summer. They rot. Can they be dried 
by the same plan by which peaches and apples are evapor¬ 
ated ? Are they as good for cooking when dried as when 
green? What is the best evaporator used ? Can tomatoes 
be dried by the same pi in ? Our section of the country is 
Interested in the above points. Please give us information. 
Our potatoes mature from the 10th to 20th of June. 
ANS —Are you too far away to ship the potatoes as they 
are dug to St. Louis or Chicago, or is there no market for 
them in Galveston or New Orleans? Potatoes are some¬ 
times evaporated—one firm in California is said to evapo¬ 
rate many tons a year and sell them for use In the armies 
of Souch and Central America as well as in Europe. A 
number of our readers have tried this plan with poor suc¬ 
cess, the potatoes turning black and not keeping well. One 
who succeeded pared the potatoes with an apple pearer and 
sliced about one-quarter of an inch thick. The slices were 
then dropped into salt and water, this, as was claimed, 
holding the color. They were then steamed until quite 
soft, and afterwards evaporated in the usual manner, less 
heat than is tequired for apples being used. The Ameri¬ 
can Manufacturing Co. of Waynesboro, Pa , make an ex¬ 
cellent evaporator. We have reports of success in evapo¬ 
rating tomatoes, but have never seen any of the product. 
The tomato is over 90 per cent water. Norton Bros., Chi¬ 
cago, are large manufacturers of tin goods. Of course no 
evaporated product can equal the fresh vegetables. 
Currant Worms; Usa of Hallebor*. 
Mrs. J. W., Iowa.— I send a specimen of a worm found 
on our gooseberry bushes. Is it the currant worm, and 
what is the best way to destroy it ? It made its first ap¬ 
pearance two years ago this summer, but did little harm 
last summer the pests came in great numbers, but we had 
read in The R. N.-Y. that white hellebore would kill the 
currant worm, and as we all think at our house that what¬ 
ever The Rural says is so, even if it ain’t so, we were not 
much alarmed. We got some hellebore at the drug store, 
and dusted it on when the dew was on and after every 
shower, until we had used pound. By that time most 
of the bushes were stripped of their leives and we had not 
killed, so far as we could see, a dozen worms. The cur¬ 
rants were about half ripe. We decided to pick them, and 
then use Paris green. We used it on the gooseberry 
bashes, and it seemed to entirely destroy the worms. In a 
day or two they were all gone from the currant bushes, 
though we had not used any Paris-green on them. The 
white millers came about a week ago, and we begin to find 
the worms seemingly full grown. 1. Is this the currant 
worm ? 2. Did we apply the hellebore in the right way ? 
We dusted it on with bellows, such as are sold with insect 
powder. 3. Is it safe to use Paris-green now, when the 
gooseberry and currant bushes are both in blossom, and 
how late can it be safely used ? 4 Do the worms go into 
the ground to winter ? Insect powder will destroy the 
cabbage worm, but it made no impression on these. 
Ans.—1. Yes, it is the currant worm. 2. Yes; the 
work was either not done soon enough or else the 
hellebore had lost its strength by being kept too 
long, which is sometimes the case with that found in 
country stores. Tne best way to use hellebore is to pour 
boiling water on the po wder in a tin can until it is satu¬ 
rated. Then use an equivalent of two heaping tablespoon¬ 
fuls to two gallons of water. Spray this upon the bushes, 
and if the hellebore be fresh and pure, The Rural’s 
word for it, every worm will be dead In a few hours. 
3. The use of Paris green on currant bushes may be safe ; 
still there is danger. Suppose a child or horse happens to 
eat the sprayed leaves ; probably sickness would follow. 
It is not likely that either would eat enowjh leaves to 
cause death by the poison. 4. The worms form cocoons 
within which they change into the pupa form. These 
are sometimes found among rubbish at the surface of the 
ground, sometimes just beneath the surface and some¬ 
times attached to the stems of the bushes. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
IIow Much Paris green?—C. II., Glendale, Mich.—One- 
half pound of Paris-green, thoroughly mixed with 50 
pounds of plaster will be ample. 
Pecan Culture. —Several readers.—An excellent article 
on the culture of pecans was printed in the last issue of 
The American Garden. There is also a good account In 
the report of the Department of Agriculture for 1890. 
Woodason Bellows. —M. L. F., New Hurley, N. Y.— 
These bellows are the best we know of. Made by Thomas 
Woodason, Philadelphia, Pa. They answer well for garden 
use, but the work becomes tiresome, if long continued. 
The price is from $1 to $2 50 each. 
Farm Paint, Crude Petroleum.— T. A. C., Cranford, N. 
J-— A good farm paint made by adding vermilion or red 
lead to linseed oil was described on page285. TheStandard 
Oil Company at Philadelphia or New York, can supply 
crude petroleum. The price will probably vary with the 
locality. 
A Valuable Plant —A. W. S., Americus, Ga.—The plant 
sent for name is Medic igo maculata—Spotted Medick. 
Very valuable. This plant grows all winter, looks like 
White Clover until it puts forth bloom, which is yellow 
except that on the leaf where the White Clover has a* 
whitish spot this ha3 a brown. 
Cotton seed Meal Fertilizers. —E. W. J., New Orleans 
La.—An average analysis of cotton-seed meal shows from 
six to seven per cent of nitrogen, three to 3^ per cent of 
phosphoric acid, and two per cent of potash. At the 
Louisiana Experiment Station excellent results were ob¬ 
tained with cotton-seed meal and acid phosphate. Send to 
Prof W. C. Stubbs, Audubon Park, La., for a bulletin de¬ 
scribing these experiments. 
Fertilizer and Hen Manure.— G. A. G., Ellenville, N. Y 
—You have used 500 pounds of Stockbridge fertilizer in 
the drill on three fourths of an acre. Wood a->hes cost $20 
per ton, and you have plenty of hen manure. That amount 
of fertilizer (500 pounds) is a rather small dose. We as¬ 
sume it is a high grade “ complete” article. The ashes 
will certainly do good unless it should happen that your 
land does not need potash. The price ($20; per ton is 
rather high unless the quality is superior. In our experi¬ 
ence hen manure, as usually applied, is conducive to scab. 
We should add a little nitrate of soda—say 100 pound s 
to the ashes, and use the hen manure for other purpo-es 
The only way to know, however, is to try it on a small 
scale. 
Not for Sweet Potatoes—A. M , St. James, Ala.—The 
trench sjstem is not adapted to the culture of sweet pota¬ 
toes. It is designed for “ white” or Irish potatoes. 
Sulphate of Iron.—\V. T. P., Dresden, Ont.—The state¬ 
ment “,t hat 55 pounds of sulphate of iron to the acre doubled 
the yield of hay, and increased the bean crop from 30 to 50 
bushels per acre,” was not made on The R. N. Y.’s author¬ 
ity, but taken from some experiment report. The R. N -Y 
has tried sulphate of iron upon potatoes and corn. In 
every case it decreased the yield. 
Minorcas as Layers.— G. R. K., Watertown, N. Y.— 
The Minorcas, both Blick and White, are probably as 
good iayt rs as any fowls on earth. The great obj>ction to 
them for a cold climate is their immense combs and wattles 
which are likely to become frosted unless the fowls are 
kept in warm quarters. 
