i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
571 
without such knowledge. Somebody had 
to do it, or farmers would have been driven 
out of business. The man who is simple 
enough to claim that we know all that we 
need to about farming ought to go to a 
primary school. Our plan of feeding the 
soil is largely guess-work. We do not 
know the possibilities of an acre, we do 
not know how much of the manure we use 
is wasted or what is the best food for differ¬ 
ent crops. We have to know these things 
before we can hope to run our business as 
manufacturers and business men run 
theirs. The R. N.-Y. demonstrated the 
possibilities of a small plot planted to po¬ 
tatoes. “ Pooh 1 ” said yGur smart man, 
“ anybody can raise a little patch of pota¬ 
toes. Give us profit, not putter!” But 
the yield on that little patch set people to 
studying and planning, and after a dozen 
years of investigation we find the yield on 
that small plot duplicated on acres, and the 
yield on thousands of farms doubled be¬ 
cause of an imitation of the methods em¬ 
ployed on the “ little patch.” 
Now in the same way, The R. N.-Y. is 
taking up the question of economical feed¬ 
ing of the potato plant. What is the cheap¬ 
est manure, what gives the greatest weight 
of tubers for a dollar ? These are the points 
now under investigation. The yield possi¬ 
bilities of the potato have been well worked 
out just as breeders and feeders have deter¬ 
mined the milk possibilities of cows. We 
now want to know what food will give us 
the cheapest bushel of potatoes and 
the cheapest quart of milk. I wonder if 
there is anybody simple enough to claim 
that such knowledge is not valuable, or to 
suppose that he can obtain it himself and 
raise a profitable crop at the same time. 
Mr. Carman is working out this problem 
in a very thorough manner. Right In the 
same field, under exactly similar conditions 
of soil and culture, with the same variety 
and the same sized seeds he has 125 different 
combinations or amounts of fertilizers. 
Three standard potato fertilizers are tested 
against each other in amounts running from 
220 to 3,000 pounds per acre. Again these 
three fertilizers have been mixed in equal 
proportions and this mixture tested against 
the three different sorts. As we all know, 
each fertilizer manufacturer claims to have 
the best mixture of different forms of plant 
food. It will be interesting to see how this 
still more complete mixture works. Scat¬ 
tered all over the field are rows without any 
manure or fertilizer at all. This is to show 
just what the soil alone is capable of doing. 
It is about as poor as it can be to judge 
from the plants growing on it. Besides 
the complete fertilizers, different quantities 
of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid are 
supplied in dozens of combinations—in 
every way to tempt the appetite of the 
plant and the needs of the soil. For ex¬ 
ample, nitrate of potash is tested by the side 
of nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 
and sulphate of potash. Close by, raw bone 
and dissolved bone are found added to these 
two combinations in comparison with the 
“ complete fertilizers” of the manufactur¬ 
ers. A number of plots are fertilized with 
snuff—or finely ground tobacco stems— 
alone. This supplies all three elements of 
fertility and ought to be good to keep off 
wire-worms and grubs. If all the tobacco 
produced in the world could be used for 
killing insects or fertilizing useful plants, 
society would be better cff. 
I shall not attempt to give a list of all 
the combinations of chemicals found on 
these plots. We went all over them and 
marked the vines by a standard rating. A 
wonderful difference was noticed in them. 
Where there was no fertilizer at all they 
were little, sickly things, inferior in size, 
color and shape. Where heavy doses of 
complete fertilizer had been used they were 
like great bushes—big, and dark colored. 
Nitrogen in any form gave the plants a 
dark green color and a vigorous appear¬ 
ance. An increased amount of potash 
seemed to increase the vigor of the plant in 
almost every instance; while, beyond a cer¬ 
tain point, phosphoric acid did not seem 
needed. The exact story of the experiment 
cannot be told until the potatoes are dug 
and weighed. Judging by the vines is not 
satisfactory. Mr. Carman says he has never 
known a large yield of potatoes without 
strong, vigorous vines, while he has fre¬ 
quently known big vines to yield little 
tubers. Nor is a very rank, dark green vine 
a sure indicator of a heavy yield. It merely 
indicates what the plants will do if they 
have a good season and plenty of potash 
and phosphoric acid. 
There are no stable manure or clover sod 
plots. It would be interesting to see how 
such plots would compare with these ferti¬ 
lizer plots. The chief reason why the 
chemicals were used is because they provide 
exact amounts of the different elements of 
plant food in such soluble form that the 
plant can easily use all It wants. This 
gives greater accuracy in determining the 
amount of each substance needed, and the 
effect produced by different forms of the 
same substance, than stable manure could. 
The latter is nothing but another combina¬ 
tion of these substances, anyway. For any 
continued series of crops or rotation some 
clover must be used with the fertilizer, but 
practice seems to confirm the theory that 
In the Eastern States the most economical 
way to improve worn land is to begin with 
a big dose of the elements most needed, in 
the form of chemical fertilizers. What is 
the cheapest plant-food for a bushel of 
potatoes ? I believe The R. N.-Y.’s experi¬ 
ments will at least give us the basis for some 
accurate figuring. .terseyman. 
A MODEL RAILWAY. 
The Burlington Route, C., B. & Q. R. R. 
operates 7,000 miles of road, with termini in 
Chicago, St. Louis, St. Paul, Omaha, Kan¬ 
sas City and Denver. For speed, safety, 
comfort, equipment, track, and efficient 
service it has no equal. The Burlington 
gains new patrons, but loses none.— Adv. 
Poultry Yard. 
A Girl’s Chicken Business. 
I wonder how many of the girl readers of 
The Rural have succeeded in getting a 
flock of chickens started. I can almost 
hear some one say, “ The rats took all of 
mine,” or, “ The lice got on mine and they 
all drooped and died.” Other and various 
are the mishaps I seem to hear—mishaps 
which may be classed under the name “ bad 
luck,” a term applicable to any calamity 
which results from carelessness or neglect. 
When a hen has hatched I fix a barrel se¬ 
curely on the ground and in it put some 
straw ; around it a pen is built to give the 
hen and chicks room for exercise, and then 
the hen and little things are put in this 
place and kept there for a day or two; after 
that, on pleasant days they are let out to 
roam at will. Every evening they will re¬ 
turn to this barrel, and then if the rats or 
other “ varmints” are troublesome, a board 
can be placed in front of the barrel open¬ 
ing, or, if the nights are warm, a wire 
screen or large sieve would be better. This 
is perfectly rat-proof, and the young chick¬ 
ens will cling to their barrel until their in¬ 
creased size will shove some of them out. 
I have found lice as hard to get rid of as 
Charles Dudley Warner did “pusley” in his 
book “My Summer in a Garden.” Only 
by patience and perseverance can one get 
rid of them. A careful greasing of the 
young chicks’ heads will destroy any that 
may be there, but after a chicken has be¬ 
gun to droop and get light from the effect 
of lice, no amounc of care can save it. 
The continual high prices paid for eggs 
and chickens this summer are encouraging 
to those just starting in the chicken busi¬ 
ness. Although the papers have much to 
say about the contemplated manufacture 
of eggs at a cost of three cents a dozen, 
until that time comes we will produce eggs 
in the old way. farmer’s GIRL. 
Fighting Chicken Thieves. 
The poultryman has many enemies to 
fight—cats, rats, coons, polecats; even light- 
fingered two-legged marauders are not 
easily captured. To beguile one of these 
into a trap of some kind affords him in¬ 
tense satisfaction. Another foe, the most 
subtile that the poultryman has, is often in 
close proximity to us, but eludes capture in 
a very graceful manner. 
I refer to the minute vermin, commonly 
called “ hen lice.” They find a rich feed¬ 
ing ground upon the bodies of the fowls. 
They breed in filth, swarm under boards 
and sticks, and spread to every crack and 
crevice of the poultry house. When the 
roost swarms with these mites hens cannot 
keep clean of them, even though running at 
large and dusting often. Lice irritate the 
bodies of fowls, exhaust their vitality, and 
diminish the egg yield. How shall we pre¬ 
vent the ravages of the pests? First, by 
never letting them get into the poultry 
house. Keep the building scrupulously 
clean. We never let the stables go day by 
day without cleaning. Why should the poul¬ 
try house be allowed to go, until the owner 
is compelled to remove the heaps of filth in 
order to get Into the building. Trash aud 
droppings ought not to accumulate upon 
the floor of a building. The best floor is 
made of coal ashes over a foundation of 
small stones. It will pack down hard, and 
will always be passably clean and sweet if 
raked or scraped off frequently, and fresh 
ashes are spread on it. 
The platform under the roosts forms a 
splendid harbor for vermin, unless cleaned 
often. A sprinkling of air-slaked lime 
upon the roosts is good against the vermin, 
but land plaster is better for the manure. 
It is almost impossible to keep lice out of a 
poultry house made of old sticks, rails, 
old boards, etc., apparently thrown to¬ 
gether In a cheerful, hit-or miss fashion, 
but a substantial, well built house can be 
made practically vermin proof, it all flat 
surfaces, sides and root are lined with tar 
paper, aud a good coat of whitewash is put 
each year upon the exposed wood surfaces, 
care being taken to work the brush into all 
cracks; brushing the roosts with kerosene 
gives additional security. Sometimes, In 
spite of all precautions, vermin appear in 
quantities upon hens; then it becomes 
necessary to sulphur each one, or fill the 
feathers full of Persian insect powder, by 
using the bellows made for that purpose. 
Why do the young chickens die ? Al¬ 
though over-feeding, under-feeding, damp¬ 
ness and neglect by the hen threaten a 
young chicken, one of the prime causes of 
sudden drooping, loss of appetite, and 
death, is the presence of numerous large, 
lively lice upon the body. The latter 
fatten wonderfully while the chick grows 
rapidly poor, its vitality is impaired, and 
even after the enemies are destroyed it is 
difficult, and often impossible, to bring the 
little thing to a healthy state. Insect pow¬ 
der will stave off their ravages, but grease 
applied under the wings will most effectu¬ 
ally get rid ot them. If the mites are upon 
the chicks they are upon the hen also. It 
is a good plan to mix insect powder with 
the grease. In addition to this, let the hen 
coops be frequently moved to clean places. 
Livingston C >, N. Y. A. D. WARNER. 
In writing to advertisers please always 
mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
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Worth Buying. 
The following books are selected from 
our extended list as the most desirable on 
the subjects of which they treat. Sent by 
mail post-paid on receipt of price. A com¬ 
plete list of books on rural subjects sent ou 
request. _ 
Fruits, Etc. 
American Fruit Culturist. Thomas. $2.00 
A. B. C. of Strawberry Culture. 
Terry (140 p.; ill.) Paper.40 
Apple Culture, Field Notes on. 
Bailey (90 p. ; ill.).75 
Fruits and Fruit Trees of America. 
Downing (1.500 p.; ill.). 5.00 
Fruit Garden. Barry (500 p.; ill.)_ 2.00 
Grape Culturist. Fuller (283 p. ; ill.). 1.50 
How to Grow Strawberries. Kuapp. .25 
Peach Culture. Rutter. Paper, 50 cts.; 
Pear Culture for Profit. Quinn. 1.00 
Propagation, Art of. Jenkins.30 
Small Fruits, Success with. Roe. 1.50 
Small Fruit Culturist. Fuller 1.50 
Vegetables, Etc. 
Celery Manual. #0.25 
Cabbages. Gregory (25 p.).30 
Carrots and Maugold-Wurtzels. .30 
Gardening for Profit. Henderson_ 2.00 
Gardening, Success in Market. Raw- 
son (p. 210.; ill.). 1.00 
Garden—How to make it Pay. 
Greiner (260 p.; ill.).i_ 2.00 
How Crops Feed. Johnson (400 p.: ill.) 2.00 
How Crops Grow. Johnson (375 p.).. 2.00 
Mushroom Culture for Amateurs. 
May (Eug.; 50 p.; ill.) paper.50 
My Handkerchief Garden.25 
Onion Raising. Gregory.30 
The New Onion Culture. Greiner... .50 
The New Potato Culture. Carman. 
Paper, 40 cents; cloth.75 
Truck Farming at the South. Oemler. 1.50 
Floriculture. 
Azalea Culture. Halliday (110 p.; 111.) 
Special price. $1.00 
Bulbs. Rand (350 p. ; ill.). 2.50 
Cactaceous Plants. Castle.50 
Camellia Culture. Halliday. Regular 
price, $2; our special price. 1.00 
Chrysanthemum Culture for Ameri¬ 
cans. Paper, 60 cents ; cloth. 1.00 
Every Woman Her Own Flower Gard¬ 
ener. Daisy Eyebright (130 p.)... 1.00 
Gardening for Pleasure. Henderson 
(400 p.; ill.). 2.00 
Hand-Book of Plants. Henderson 
(520 p.; 111.). 4.00 
Home Florist, The. Long. 1.50 
Orchids: S f ructure, History&Culture .60 
Practical Floriculture. Henderson.. 1.50 
Rose, The. Ellwanger (290 p.). 1.25 
Tuberous Begonias.20 
Window Gardening.10 
General Agriculture. 
Agriculture. Storer (2 vols ). $5.00 
Ensilage and Silos. Colcord. 1.00 
The Silo and Silage. A. J. Cook.25 
Grasses and Forage Plants. Flint. 2.00 
Irrigation for Farm, Garden and Or¬ 
chard. Stewart. 1.50 
Manures, Book on. Harris (350 p.)... 1.75 
Culture of Farm Crops. Stewart_ 1.50 
Live Stock, Poultry, Etc. 
Feeding Animals. Stewart. $2.00 
Milch Cows and Dairy Farming. Flint. 2.00 
Dairyman’s Manual. Stewart. 2.00 
Practical Poultry Keeper. Wright.. 2.00 
Poultry Culture. I. K. Felch. 1.50 
Harris on the Pig. Joseph Harris_ 1.50 
Veterinary Adviser. James Law_ 3.00 
Miscellaneous. 
Annals of Horticulture. Bailey. 
Paper, 60 cts.; cloth. $1.00 
Botany, Lessons in. Gray (226 p.; ill.). 1.50 
Botany, Manual of. Gray (800 p. ; 
California Views (in color). Nutting.. .50 
Forestry, Practical. Fuller (280 p.; ill.) 1.50 
Fruit Pastes, Syrups and Preserves.. .25 
Fertilizers. J. J. H. Gregory.40 
Home Acre. Roe (252 p.). 1.50 
Horticulturists’Rule Book. Bailey.. 1.00 
How Plants Grow. Gray (216 p.;ill.). 1.00 
Grass-es: How to Know Them by their 
Leaves. 1.00 
Insects Injurious to Plants. Saunders 
(425 p. ; ill.) . 2.00 
Insects, Injurious. Treat (270 p.; ill.). 2.00 
Landscape Gardening. Parsons. 3.50 
Nature’s Serial Story. Roe. 2.50 
Ornamental Gardening. Long. 2.00 
Preparing Vegetablts for the Table.. .50 
Rural Essays. Downing. 8.00 
Talks Afield. Bailey. 1.00 
The Garden’s Story. Ellwanger. 1.25 
The New Botany. Beal.25 
The Nursery Book. Bailey. 1.00 
Timbers and How to Know Th«m_ 1.00 
Woods of the United States. Sargent. 1.00 
Any $1.00 book published in the United 
States sent prepaid, together with a year’s 
subscription to either The Rural New- 
Yorker or The American Garden, for 
$ 2 . 50 . Any $1.50 book, ditto, for $ 2 . 75 . 
Any $2,00 book, ditto, for $ 3 . 00 . 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
Times Building, New York. 
