THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
497 
1 89 1 
is impossible to conceive of any other effect of the law of 
supply and demand, as applied to the conditions, than that 
money would be worth an interest rate of from two to 
three per cent, the excess above two being dependent upon 
the value of the trouble in getting and having an incum¬ 
brance on one’s land. 
“ Jerseyman” says he can not see how money loaned on 
land can help any other workers tban farmers. Does he 
not see that others would share with the farmers all the 
benefits that are supposed to flow from an increased vol¬ 
ume of currency at d a low interest rate ? It is impossible 
to term it class legislation in that it would distinguish 
any one class of toilers from another in the granting of its 
benefits. It is true that it will prevent usurers from 
charging Kansans 10 per cent for loans on lands that do 
not always pay two per cent profit, but this is one of the 
ends sought. Our bankers are willing to have United States 
bonds extended at two per cent, as the newspapers now 
report, and the idea is to extend to all the people the 
benefits of this low rate of interest. 
The result of the land loan scheme, as I see it, would be 
a large volume of stable currency based on actual value, 
and a reduction of the rate of interest that obtains in the 
West under a currency restricted to suit the gold men. 
Many farmers may be advocating this scheme in the hope 
tbit peculiar benefits are to come to them. Their selfish 
desires do not affect the measure at all. Its influence will 
be felt equally by all, and its benefits will depend solely 
upon the amount of good that a large volume of stable 
curi ency and a low rate of interest can give the people. 
In this connection I desire to reaffirm what I tried to say 
mauv months ago in The Rural. The debtors of this 
country are surely mistaken about the extent of the ad¬ 
vantages to be obtained from all schemes that tend simply 
to an Increased volume of currency on the same basis of 
value we now have. The gold dollar now determines the 
purchasing value of all dollars, and it is a thoroughly dis¬ 
honest measure of vaiue in that it is now worth much 
more ’ nan it former. 1 y was. The demand for gold for coin¬ 
age puiposes increased when silver was demonetized, and 
both gold and silver art not produced in sufficient amounts 
to supply the demands of the arts, and supply the world 
with the needed amount of the medium of exchange with 
which to do its rapidly increasing business. Gold has so 
appreciated in value, as measured in wheat, corn or cattle, 
that the amount of it in a dollar—and called a dollar, no 
difference what its wheat or corn value may be—is too 
great to measure an indebtedness contracted one year ago. 
It is still more dishonest a3 a measure of indebtedness 
contracted two years ago, and with each year the injustice 
becomes greater. Reason and observation teach us that 
the increasing demand and limited supply of this coin 
could have no other effect. 
This being so, and all paper issued on land having its 
purchasing value regulated by the gold dollar, the basis 
will be just as dishonest and unjust to the debtor as it 
now is. It is true that the increase of currency the land- 
loan scheme will bring will be a drop in the volume of cur¬ 
rency in the world, and affect the demand for gold and its 
price to an infinitesimal degree, but to such a degree only. 
If the paper dollar buys as much as the dear gold dollar, 
it will require just as many bushels of wheat to obtain . 
—to acquire it by giviDg an equivalent—and will not be 
the boon to the debtor that he fondly hopes. It will be a 
benefit in that the scheme provides for a reduceu ra oi 
interest, and thus is the tendency good; but the debt-pay¬ 
ing power of the people will not, I fear, be much greater 
than the saved rate of interest will allow. 
There are some indirect benefits, such as a revived busi¬ 
ness activity that always goes with a proper volume of 
the currency, and thus may the debt paying power be in¬ 
creased somewhat, but there is but one true way to help 
the farmer. This is the coinage of an honest wheat dollar, 
that is 412^ grains of silver like that formerly coined, and 
then this dollar—an honest one—should be the basis of 
valuation for the proposed paper currency. 
The loaning of the people’s money to a special class 
would be an injustice, but, when rightly viewed, the loan 
feature of this scheme plays no part further than to pro¬ 
vide . for a safe basis for an issue of money and a govern¬ 
mental regulation of the interest rate. 
I desire lurther to say that the attempt in this article 
has been to defend the land scheme from the charge of 
being class legislation, and the claim is made that theoret¬ 
ically it is on a sound basis. Such a demonstration, if 
successful, meets all the objections raised by The Rural 
correspondent. There are practical difficulties In the ap¬ 
plication of the theory, that are yet unsolved. A public 
acceptance of the correctness of the principle is all I con¬ 
tend for, and this will mark a long stride toward reform. 
President Ohio Farmers’ Alliance. 
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.] 
Treatment of a Young Orchard. 
S. H. H., Rayville, Md.— In The Rural for May 2 Mr. 
Henry Stewart kindly answered an inquiry of mine con¬ 
cerning manuring orchards with clover. Will he give 
some more information ? The land where I have planted 
these young orchards, peach, apple and pear, is of a very 
light texture, which causes it to wash badly during a 
heavy rain. I had intended to work It in cultivated crops 
for the first three or four years; but I find I will be com¬ 
pelled to put it in clover as soon as possible on account of 
washing so badly. Can I put these orchards down in Pea- 
vine Clover next spring, and how much should be sown 
per acre ? Should 1 plow the land and harrow in the seed, 
or how should I get it started ? Would It do to put the land 
in wheat this fall and sow the seed next spring like Me¬ 
dium Red Clover ? Shall I sow the seed all over the 
ground, or leave spaces along the tree rows to be culti¬ 
vated ? As this would leave chances of the ground wash¬ 
ing, could I sow the seed all over the ground ? Mr. Stewart 
says this clover will last five years ; at the end of that time, 
how could I get it reseeded without plowing among the 
trees ? Would he recommend cutting the first crop for 
hay and cutting the aftermath down and letting it lie, or 
not to cnt the aftermath at all ? The ground is all pretty 
good; should any fertilizer be sown with the clover ? 
After the land is well set with this clover, will it be only 
necessary to cut the first crop for hay and let the last fall 
down ? Will this be all that the trees will require both in 
manure and cultivation ? Would the clover standing close 
aronnd the trees have any injurious effect on them ? Will 
the aftermath afford sufficient manure for the trees with¬ 
out any fertilizer or barn manure as top dressing ? Most 
of the orchards are no w in corn, etc. As I had to plow 
the land in order to plant the trees, I also put in corn. We 
have just had a heavy rain, and it has washed the ground 
dreadfully—a few trees are nearly out. Would it hurt 
the trees to sow strips of wheat between the rows, say four 
feet away from the trees, after the corn has come off ? The 
wheat would then come off in time to plow and sow Pea- 
vine Clover in August, 1892. The sowing in wheat might 
prevent further washing until I could get the land in 
clover; but it will have to take chances this summer while 
in corn. After I have once got the orchards set in clover, 
could I make use of them as a place for raising hogs ? 
After the fences are all up, there will be five lots, one of 
three acres, one of eight acres, one of four acres, and two 
of five acres each, making 25 acres in all, and they can all 
be so aranged as to have water in them. Could I in some 
way make a hog range of it and also cut some of the first 
growth of hay ? How many hogs could I manage to raise, 
the sows bringing two litters, one spring and one fall, for 
market each year, with the help of grain, etc , raised on 
the rest of the farm, with milk, etc.? 
Ans.—C lover may be sown at any time up to the middle 
July and make a sufficient growth to withstand the 
winter. It will certainly prevent washing of the soil even 
on hilly land, as it spreads the water and prevents it from 
collecting into streams. I would suggest that the land be 
plowed, unless it is sufficiently loose and mellow to be put 
in condition for the seed by one of the cutting or coulter 
harrows, as the Acme and others of the kind. Fifteen 
pounds of seed per acre should be sown alone, and the Pea- 
vine is the best for the purpose, as it is longer lived than 
the common red. I have it now five years old, and the 
present season promises a larger yield than ever before. 
If this sowing is not practicable, I would seed as early as 
possible in the spring. The seed should be lightly har¬ 
rowed in or covered with a plank drag lengthwise of the 
furrows. This drag is made of four strips of 2-lnch plank 
six feet long and fastened a foot apart by short chains so 
as to be flexible. It is a very useful implement for cover¬ 
ing grass seed and leveling the land. I would rather not put 
wheat in, lest it might take needed food from the trees. 
The seed may just as well be sown all over the ground, 
as weeds would probably grow in the vacant places. The 
trutin.* Cc Id easily be reseeded by leaving one crop on the 
ground uncut, or a new seeding may be given by plowing. 
A crop or early potatoes may be taken without detriment 
to the trees, and the loose ground at once sown with the 
clover. Alter five years of clover the land will easily bear 
this crop, and it will be more profitable than two or three 
crops of grain. The first crop should by all means be cut 
for hay, and the second growth be fed down. Hogs are 
the best stock to feed in an orchard, as they devour all the 
Insects they can find, picking up beetles of all kinds. Care 
is to be taken to protect the trees growing in such land 
from borers. This may be easily done by a wash made thus: 
Some cow manure and clay are made into a paste with 
water, and some superphosphate of lime is added, with 
enough carbolic acid or kerosene to give it some odor. This 
is washed on the trees for four feet from the ground down. 
No fertilizing would be required. With this culture 
the growth of wood on the young trees would be ample. 
If not, a light dressing of manure or fertilizer, or lime 
alone, for six or eight feet around the trees would, no 
doubt, be sufficient. In training the trees it will be found 
desirable to keep the branches of the spreading kinds 
high enough from the ground to allow horses and a 
wagon to pass under; in future this will be a great help in 
gathering the crop which may then be put directly into 
barrels with much ease. 
As this land washes so badly It is evident that clover is 
the best covering for the soil and corn a bad crop to grow 
on it. It would be a hard tax on the land to take a crop 
of wheat after corn. I have found it quite easy to get a 
stand of clover among the corn when tne cultivation has 
been level and smooth, by sowing the seed after the land 
has been harrowed; this should be done as close to the 
rows as possible so a3 to stir the soil all over. The num¬ 
ber of hogs fed will of course depend upon the growth of 
the clover. If it is good enough to make two tons of hay 
per acre it will carry five to seven head per acre on the 
aftermath after giving it a month to grow up. 
fi. STEWART. 
What About These Children ? 
H. R. T., Tullahoma, Tenn.—Wa are living on one of 
the best farms in this section, renting it one year at a 
time. I cannot get it for longer, as it is for sale. It will 
produce 10 to 12 bushels of wheat per acre, one ton of 
clover, 25 bushels of corn. There is good freestone water, 
and our health is good. School is open from three to four 
months, but it is very poor, very little better than none. 
There is church once a month; the society is poor and we 
have quite a large family that should be in school; shall 
we remain and raise them as best we can or go back North 
and give them the benefit of the schools, churches and 
society there ? We cannot mike enough on this land to 
send them to a boarding school after paying our rent. 
Ans.— Advice on such a matter can never be very satis¬ 
factory. It is Impossible for an outsider to fully under¬ 
stand the case. That looks to us like very poor land, and 
we don’t see how a renter can make a living on it with one- 
year leases, because th ere is no chance to improve It by 
using clover or other green manures. We should hardly 
care to stay in such conditions anyway. We know noth¬ 
ing about the circumstances of the family, or why this 
location was decided upon. The lack of good schools is a se¬ 
rious drawback. It is the duty of parents to see that their 
children receive at least a fair common school education. 
They owe this duty not only to the children, but to the 
country and to society. In this age, one might as well 
cut off a child’s hand as to send it out uneducated to com¬ 
pete in the world with keen and well-trained minds. We 
would make the education of those children of prime im¬ 
portance, and would not remain on such a farm as that 
here described unless good schools were within easy reach, 
or it was possible to give the children thorough training 
at home. 
Indigestion or Stomach Staggers In a Cow. 
J. W. C., Southampton, Mass.— One of my cows gets 
poisoned nearly every day. We suppose she eats a pois¬ 
onous shrub (common in the pastures about here) which 
we call “ white bush.” She staggers badly and frequently 
falls when driven from the pasture. Some of my cows 
have been poisoned before, but there has never been but one 
that persisted In eating the stuff day after day. Can any¬ 
thing be given to her to cure the unnatural craving she 
seems to hive for it? A dose of cooking soda seems 
to relieve, but doe3 not cure. 
ANSWERED BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
The trouble appears to be due either to indigestion with 
overloading the stomach, or to stomach staggers from 
eating a plant which possesses sufficient toxic or poison¬ 
ous properties to paralyze and derange the stomach. I do 
not know what plant you call “ white bush,” and there¬ 
fore cannot judge as to whether it would be liable to 
cause trouble if eaten by cows. Try pasturing the cow 
where there is none of this “white bush,” and note 
whether you still have the same trouble. Give one pound 
eich of Epsom and common salt with two ounces of gin¬ 
ger, dissolved in two quarts of water, as a drench to open 
the bowels. Repeat the dose in 24 hours if the bowels are 
not moved. Then feed two tablespoonfuls of the follow¬ 
ing powders in the feed twice daily: Sulphate of soda 
and powdered gentian, each two pounds; powdered nux 
vomica and nitrate of potash, each one-fourth of a pound; 
mix. I know of nothing that will prevent the cow from 
eating this plant, except to place her where she cannot 
get at it. 
Fistulous Withers. 
W. II. B., Oneco, Conn.— On the highest part of the 
back, directly over the shoulders of my horse, a “ bunch” 
appeared about six weeks ago. It has moved away a little 
from that place, or at any rate, it now extends seven inches 
or more down the neck towards the collar. He travels 
well, but the spot is quite tender to the touch. What is 
the trouble, and what should be the treatment ? 
Ans. —An absctss is forming which will result in a case of 
fistulous withers. If possible employ a competent veter¬ 
inary surgeon to open the abscess. If there is no veterin¬ 
arian at hand, you may carefully open the swelling near 
its lower border. If the swelling is found to contain pus 
or matter, enlarge the opening so as to easily remove all 
the pus. Then syringe out thoroughly with a two per cent 
solution of carbolic acid, and continue once daily until 
healed. If abscesses or pipes form lower down, these should 
also be freely opened. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Raising Water from a Well.— H. T. H., Tioga County, Pa. 
—For raising water for stock and for a public trough from 
your well, 15 feet deep, situated about 125 feet from your 
barn, the top of the well being 20 feet below where you 
wish the water to be raised, we would use a large-sized 
windmill and tank. The Aeromotor is a good mill, so are 
the Halllday, Perkins and Stover. 
Rotting of Potato Stems.—J. W. J., Toronto, Canada.— 
As to the trouble with your potatoes which, “ after com¬ 
ing up and making a growth of five or six inches, droop 
away, the stems turning black and rotting below the 
ground, The R. N.-Y. has seen a deal of this rotting of the 
stems near the ground. In some cases, on carefully split¬ 
ting up the stems, several sorts of grubs were found, 
mostly centipedes or wire-worms. We think the trouble 
with your potatoes is owing to such injuries. 
Cheap Form of Nitrogen.— F. F. D., Emporia, Fla.—For 
making for orange trees a compost of muck, phosphoric 
acid and potash, the muck composted with a barrel of air- 
slaked lime, we would use nitrate of soda for nitrogen and 
potash in the form of muriate or sulphate. This would be 
cheaper than nitrate of potash. 
Tannery Ashes.—J. S. T., Dover, N. H.—There Is quite 
a common belief among farmers that ashes from spent 
tan bark are of little value, because it is supposed that the 
fertilizing matters are leached out of the bark in the pro¬ 
cess of tanning. Analysis shows that while more than 
half the potash is lost from tan bark, but a small quantity 
of the phosphoric acid Is lost. Tannery ashes are worth 
considerably more than leached wood ashes, and are al¬ 
ways worth hauling away. 
Strawberry Plants and Planting.— R. O. B., Silver 
Creek, N. J.— Strawberry plants may be set out at any 
time from early spring to early October. If, however, we 
desire to use runner plants we must wait for them to grow 
and become well rooted. Gandy, Crescent, Kentucky, 
Manchester are all from medium to late. 
