1891 
673 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
the various farmers’ organizations throughout the coun¬ 
try will soon turn their attention to practical financiering, 
organize debt-paying associations in every county and 
help to lift the mortgage burdens that now re,t so heavy 
on so many farms and homes. FRED GRUNDY. 
Christian County, Ill. 
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.] 
CELLAR STORAGE FOR NURSERY STOCK. 
1. Are fruit or other trees that have been wintered in 
the nurseryman’s cellar as reliable for spring planting as 
those that have spent the winter in the nursery? 2. What 
temperature is best suited to the preservation of the nur¬ 
sery stock? 3. What proportion of the stock of leading 
nurserymen is wintered in the cellar? 
Just as Reliable for Spring Planting, 
We think that trees that have been wintered in nur¬ 
serymen’s cellars and properly packed and taken care of 
are as reliable for spring planting as trees that have been 
left out-of-doors through the winter, and that in all severe 
winters cellared trees are very much superior to those that 
have been out-of-doors. We believe in keeping our cel¬ 
lars as cool as possible without admitting frost. The third 
question we cannot answer, but we think that leading nur¬ 
serymen are cellaring a very large proportion of all their 
stock that is in the least tender or liable to be injured by 
severe winters. For ourselves we try to get everything we 
can inside and enough fruit stock for early spring sales. 
Lake Co., Ohio. storrs & harrison co. 
More Reliable for Spring Planting. 
1. Our experience has been that, first, trees wintered in 
a nurseryman’s cellar are more reliable for spring plant¬ 
ing than those that have passed the winter in the nursery. 
2. As all the stock in the cellar is heeled in, it would not 
harm it if the freezing point was reached. A temperature 
of from 30 to 60 degrees, however, is preferable. 3. But a 
small proportion of our stock is wintered in the cellars, 
say 10 per cent. Stephen hoyt’s sons. 
Fairfield County, Conn. 
So far as we know, trees that have been wintered in 
houses built for the purpose, and there properly cared for, 
have come through satisfactorily; the temperature is 
usually kept just above the freezing point. As to the 
quantity of stock leading nurserymen winter, we are un¬ 
able to give satisfactory information. We usually house 
a small proportion of our stock in order to have trees on 
hand for early shipments. ELLWANGER & BARRY. 
Monroe County, N. Y. 
Labels Sometimes Mixed In Cellar. 
1. If stored in such shape that the varieties cannot get 
mixed, and in a temperature low enough to keep the buds 
dormant, cellared stock is as reliable as that wintered 
out-of doors in an ordinary winter. If the winter is se¬ 
vere, as is the case one year in seven or eight, stock 
properly stored in a cellar is preferable to that win¬ 
tered outside. The principal objections to this method 
are the careless labeling and handling by which varieties 
are mixed, and careless packing of the roots, in conse¬ 
quence of which they sometimes dry out or become 
moldy. These points need the close attention of the 
foreman and in the first-class nurseries t iey are looked 
after. 
2. If the stock is intended for planting in the latitude 
where it is grown, it need not be lower than the average 
out of-door temperature during the winter, say 45 to 50 
degrees. Southern nurserymen who ship trees north must 
hold back their stock in the spring until the danger of late 
freezes at the point of destination is past, so provision 
must be made for holding tae temperature in the spring 
months lower than the out-door temperature. Some 
Southern nurserymen accomplish this by shipping to a 
convenient distributing point further north, and placing 
the packed trees in cold storage there. So far as I know, 
this plan works well. 
3. I have no figures at hand, but certainly a very large 
proportion of plum, peach and pear, as well as grape vines 
and the bush fruits, are so kept. In the smaller nurseries 
the same end is accomplished by heeling in and protecting 
the projecting tops by evergreen boughs, a more expen¬ 
sive process than cellaring when done on a large scale. 
The cellar is simply a protected heeling-in ground, and 
as the surrounding conditions can be better controlled, it 
is the better process. w. A. taylqr. 
Assistant Pomologlst, Department of Agriculture. 
Plant Fall-Dug Trees. 
1. Not certainly; it depends upon how they are taken up, 
stored and treated in delivery. As a rule, the shorter the 
time in which the tree is out of connection with the soil 
the better it is for it. While out of the ground, we risk a 
constant diminution of moisture in the tree, unless in too 
damp packing; and in the latter case a still greater dan¬ 
ger, that of the rotting of the roots, impends. In very 
skillful and careful hands the danger is much lessened; 
but ordinarily, in the course of trade, the trees pass through 
a considerable number of hands, incurring risks at each 
transfer, and there is no assurance of proper care at every 
step—rather the reverse, it being almost sure that there 
will be carelessness or indifference somewhere along the 
line between the grower and the planter. From my own 
experience of 40 years as an orchardist and nurseryman, 
I would very much prefer to plant fall-dug trees in the 
fall, than to leave them in somebody else’s cellar over 
winter; or even in my own, since there are some risks not 
quite under control, especially that of getting and main¬ 
taining for four months exactly the proper degree of damp¬ 
ness and temperature. Even the best and most experienced 
nurserymen sometimes fail in this particular; in fact, it 
is so commonly so that in having special lines of root¬ 
grafting done for me I have come to insist that the 
grafts shall be sent to me as soon as made, that I may re¬ 
pack them myself. Otherwise, from too little or too much 
moisture, the roots dry out, or rot, or the scions start into 
growth—any one of which events is fatal. The surest and 
safest packing material is sawdust from green (not wet) 
logs. This has exactly the right degree of moisture, and 
if the packing is carefully and firmly done, and the boxes 
are well closed, and the temperature of the cellars is uni¬ 
formly close to freezing—better below than above—the 
trees or grafts will remain dormant and sound until 
they can be planted. All this care is possible with grafts, 
or small stock, but not so easily with standard sizes. 
With these we must use earth, or moss, or something in¬ 
ferior, in using which the roots are in danger from too 
little or too much moisture. 
2. Not less than freezing, and not very much greater. 
Some stock will start into growth at any temperature 
higher than minus 32 degrees. When the buds really be¬ 
gin to swell noticeably, control is lost, and damage sure. 
3. I am not able to state with any exactness, but the 
quantity is unquestionably very large and increasing 
The necessities of a trade extending over many degrees of 
latitude make this inevitable. Though stock is often sent 
with reasonable success from north to south and vice versa, 
my advice to buyers is, first, to buy directly of the grower ; 
and. second, to buy at the nearest reliable nursery. The 
middleman is a curse in almost every trade, and in the 
tree trade he is at his very worst. T. H. hoskins. 
Orleans County, Yt. 
Feeding Bees: Winter Protection. 
A. E. R., Palisades, N. Y.—What is the best way to 
feed a weak colony of bees in an old-fashioned hive, and 
what is the best food? What is the best way to protect 
the bees in winter on their summer stands ? Is this plan 
desirable ? 
Ans.— Any feeder made to be placed above the bees can 
be used to feed bees in a box hive. Put the feeder in place, 
and cover it with a box. Thus the bees will come up into 
the feeder jast as they would into a section box to store 
honey. If no feeder is at hand, a common glass fruit jar 
can be used. One has only to tie a piece of cotton cloth 
over it after filling it and place it, bottom up, on the hive 
over the hole in the top, and cover with a box. The baes 
come up and sip the nectar as it oozes through the cloth 
cover. Honey may be fed or a syrup made of granulated 
sugar, one part of water to two of sugar. Heat all to¬ 
gether till it boils, then add one-third of honey and feed. 
If you have no honey, add a teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 
each two gallons. The honey or acid prevents crystal¬ 
lization. 
To protect bees in winter place a box about the hive, so 
as to leave a space of six or eight Inches all around, and 
pack in closely with straw or excelsior. Make such an ar¬ 
rangement at the opening by means of a tube or bridge 
that the bees can fly out when the weather is warm. Such 
packing cases I find very desirable in spring even if the 
bees have been wintered in the cellar, [prof.] a. j. cook. 
Bunches on a Cow’s Knees. 
J. A. A., Medtield , Mass. —What can be done for a 
young cow that has bunches upon her knees ? One broke 
and discharged a few weeks since. She is perfectly well in 
other ways. 
Ans. —Without knowing the character or probable cause 
of the bunches I cannot give a very definite answer. If 
the bunches contain pus '(matter) they should be freely 
opened at their lowest point and washed out daily, until 
healed, with a two per cent solution of carbolic acid, or a 
solution of corrosive sublimate; one part to one thousand 
of water. If, however, they simply contain clear or slightly 
cloudy liquid, it would probably be better not to open 
them, but to draw off the liquid with an aspirator syringe, 
and inject a diluted solution of the compound tinctura of 
iodine, which should also be withdrawn after a few min¬ 
utes. Then apply either a wet bandage or an active fly 
blister over the whole bunch. If there is no aspirator at 
hand, make a small opening with a trocar or penknife for 
the escape of the liquid contents, and inject the iodine 
solution witn a common, one-ounce hard rubber rectal 
syringe, which can be obtained of any druggist. 
[DR.] F. L. KILBORNK. 
The Horn-Fly. 
D. C. S., Jasper, N. Y — Flies which are quite small, like 
common flies to the naked eye, make blotches two or three 
inches square about the roots of the horns of my cattle, 
and finally eat the horns off; is there a remedy ? 
M. A. H., Connecticut.— Although the fly plague is 
usually very bad at this season of the year, at present it 
is worse than ever, especially on cattle owing to the ap¬ 
pearance of small, black flies much more ravenous than 
the common ones. They attack not only the legs and body 
of the animal; but also the parts around the base of the 
horns; where, if not checked, they deposit their eggs wnich 
hatch into small maggots which work through and into 
the horn and thus into the head, causing death. Tae best 
remedy I have ever used for all kinds of flies is the cheap¬ 
est grade of dark machine or petroleum oil with a little 
coal tar mixed in it, applied freely to horse, cow or other 
animal as often as necessary. 
Ans. —This is evidently the horn fly (Haematobiaserrata.) 
It was the most troublesome of all cattle flies in New 
Jersey during 18S9, so muoh so that a special investigation 
was made by the experiment station of that State. The 
following facts are taken from the report of Prof. J. B. 
Smith. The flies are about one sixth of an inch in length, 
of a dark ash-gray color with a faint yellowish tinge. To 
the ordinary observer they appear nearly black and are 
generally so described. In habits this fly is quite unlike 
any other biting files that trouble cattle. It is never seen 
except on horned stock and appears to worry the cattle 
both day and night. In biting, the flies bury themselves 
in the hair, spreading out their wings at the same time. 
Early in the season they prefer to work at the base of the 
horn, clustering there in great numbers. Later they seem 
to be less confined to the head and attack every part of the 
body, clustering at the root of the tall. Startling stories 
are often told of the great damage done by them. Some 
farmers claim that they bore into the horn so that the lat¬ 
ter is broken off, while the insects bore on into the brain. 
No case has yet been reported where it could be proved 
that this took place. An examination of the mouth parts 
of the insect through a microscope will show that it would 
be impossible for it to gnaw or bore. The fly is a sucker, 
not a chewer at all. It operates more like the ordinary fly 
or mosquito. In biting, it thrusts a fine and sharp tube 
through the hide—like pushing a needle through cloth. A 
small quantity of saliva or poison is then injected into the 
wound. This sets up an immediate inflammation and 
causes a flow of blood to the wound. The fly then begins 
to suck or pump the blood through the little tube into its 
body until it is satiated or driven off. There is absolutely 
no way in which it can chew, and not one particle of solid 
matter can be detached or swallowed. At the base of the 
healthy horn is a soft, pulpy material which feels greasy 
to the touch. It is here that the flies suck, leaving this 
part dry and lifeless and, to that extent, injuring the horn. 
Thin-skinned and nervous animals, like young Jerseys, 
generally suffer most from the fly. Its eggs are generally 
laid at night in fresh manure. There they hatch. The 
larvae depend for nourishment upon a soft, partly-liquid 
substance—it deprived of it they perish. If all fresh drop¬ 
pings are thoroughly spread out to the sun with a hoe or 
shovel or well sprinkled with lime or plaster, the eggs will 
be destroyed. In the stable, plaster, abundantly sprinkled 
about the manure, not only holds the valuable ammonia, 
but kills these eggs. To kill the flies on cattle nothing is 
better than fish oil with a little carbolic acid, and tobacco 
dust added. Carbolic sheep dips are also good and tar is 
frequently used. The bast way is to put the material on 
with a sponge, wetting only the tips of the hair on the 
belly, udder and other parts where the tobacco dust will 
not stay. The tobacco is to be sifted into the hair at the 
base of the horns, along the back and at the root of the tall. 
For this dusting Prof. Smith recommends X. O. Dust, a 
mixture of finely ground sand, lime and tobacco with a 
small amount of carbolic acid. 
Cystitis or Inflammation of the Bladder In a 
Horse. 
A. J. 1)., North Rehoboth, Mass. —My horse passes 
very little water once during two hours. It is thick and 
bloody. His appetite is very poor. What .is the trouble 
and is there a remedy ? 
Ans.— The horse appears to be suffering from inflamma¬ 
tion of the bladder, the description being too brief and in¬ 
definite to give a very definite diagnosis. Owing to the 
various complications that are liable to be present in cases 
of this kind, and the importance of a correct diagnosis in 
order to prescribe specific treatment, it would be well to 
call a competent veterinary surgeon to examine and pre¬ 
scribe for the horse. In the absence of a veterinarian you 
can relieve the horse and perhaps effect a cure by general 
treatment. Bathe the loins and well up inside the thighs 
with water as hot as the hand can bear, and repeat several 
times daily, the oftener the better, or apply a blanket, 
wrung out of boiling water, over the loins and hips. Give 
one quart of raw linseed oil, and repeat every three days, 
until the bowels are well loosened. Feed largely on a 
mash diet, with linseed or slippery elm tea in the drinking 
water. One-half to one pint of ground flaxseed well 
boiled and mixed with scalded oats and bran will form an 
excellent grain ration. If a catheter is at hand, draw off 
the urine once or twice daily and inject into the bladder, 
one dram each of gum arable and opium dissolved in one 
pint of tepid water. Give twice daily one half ounce of 
buchu leaves. Prepare the buchu by pouring one-half 
pint of boiling water over the leaves in a covered cup, one 
half hour before administering. The appetite may be im¬ 
proved by giving, twice daily on the feed, one tabiespoonful 
of powdered gentian with one tea3poonful of powdered nux 
vomica. Other medicines should not be given except by 
advice of a competent veterinary surgeon, because of 
their liability to increase instead of relieving the trouble. 
[DR.] F. L. KILBORNK. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Wheat for Virginia.— H. & H., Halifax Co., Va.—Our 
choice of fall wheats for your section, without any definite 
knowledge of the land to be sown, would be between Claw¬ 
son and Velvet Cnaff. 
Soda in Milh .—J. H. L., Ocean Co., N. J.—It has been 
claimed that adding caustic soda to milk aids the cream¬ 
ing. Prof. W. W. Cooke, of Vermont, tried this. He 
added half an ounce of caustic soda to 30 pounds of milk 
at setting. The skim milk from that in whica soda was 
used showed more batter fat than the other, showing 
that it was an injury rather than a benefit. The butter 
from the cream with soda had a soapy taste and was not 
of good quality. 
Killing Wire Worms— S. S. R., Auburn, Mich.—It is 
said that sowing and plowing under a crop of buckwheat 
has been found useful in clearing ground of wire worms. 
It will not always do it, however. Salt and ashes are 
recommended. Kainic, a potash salt, is recommended by 
Prof. Smith, of New Jersey. He says that a heavy dress¬ 
ing of potash before planting corn will destroy all insects 
in the ground at that time. 
