i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
753 
20,310 bushels of wheat, 4 542 845 bushels of rye, 32,690 
bushels of oats and 17,806,612 bushels of corn. They pro¬ 
duced In 1890, 45,830.361 gallons of whisky, 1,657,808 of rum, 
1,202,940 of gin and 11 354,448 of alcohol. The wholesale 
price of a gallon of whisky is now about 11.20. Now just 
figure out what a blessed privilege it is to sell grain to 
these rum sellers ! 
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.] 
A FARMER S QUESTIONS ABOUT POTATO ROT. 
I would like to ask a few questions about Bulletin No. 
24 of the Vermont Station. It claims that the fungus 
which causes the rot is carried over in the seed and, of 
course, develops when the weather is favorable. Why 
could we not use the Bordeaux Mixture in the spring on 
our seed and kill the fungus if that were so ? Again, how 
can this fungus be killed, being on the under side of the 
leaf, by sprinkling anything on top of the latter ? Should 
we place any faith in the statement that the mixture will 
kill this fungus and prevent the rot f 
I hardly believe that such a fungus Is carried over in the 
potato unless it is on the outside in some deep eyes or 
crevices. It does not look to me reasonable that it could 
be in the inside of a healthy tuber. I have used, for seed, 
potatoes that were only half grown owing to the effects of 
blight the year before, and have harvested as good a crop 
as I ever had. I have picked out potatoes in the fall from 
a field where there was no blight, and the next year the 
produce were all blighted. It looks to me as if the fungus 
was borne in the air and as if man could not control it. 
Some kinds blight earlier than others, and if planted along¬ 
side of more hardy kinds, seem to carry them with 
them sooner than if planted by themselves. I think 
some seedsmen raise their seed potatoes under such a high 
state of cultivation or in such rich ground, that when we 
poor fellows, with just common soil, try them they seem 
to drop right down and do nothing. j. a. 
Wellsville, N. Y. 
Ans.—J. A. will find a more detailed description of the 
potato blight fungus in the Vermont Station Report for 
1890, which was issued since Bulletin 24. His questions 
come under two general heads: first, as to how the fungus 
passes the winter, and the consequent possibilities of dis¬ 
infecting seed potatoes; second, as to how the disease 
spreads and the possibilities of checking the spread by the 
use of the Bordeaux Mixture. 
Without going into details, I will state the simple fact 
that microscopic examination of any potato tuber affected 
with the ordinary dry rot shows that the same fungus 
which causes the blight or rust of the vines is living with¬ 
in the tuber and causing the disease there. Moreover, the 
fungus has been found within tubers which were appar¬ 
ently healthy. The spores may be carried into the cellar 
on the outside of the tuber in some deep eyes or crevices 
as J. A. suggests, or even clinging upon the smooth sur¬ 
face of moist tubers, but probably they cannot live thus 
longer than a few weeks. Since there is no other known 
way in which the fungus lives through the wi iter than 
within the tubers, the question of disinfecting seed pota¬ 
toes has been seriously considered and experimented upon. 
The question is not one of simply washing the outside of 
the seed potatoes with the Bordeaux Mixture or some such 
fungicide, as J. A. suggests. Since the fungus is within 
the tuber, it would be necessary to soak the tuber a con¬ 
siderable length of time in order to disinfect it. This long 
soaking in copper solutions injures the tubers for seed. 
Heating the seed potatoes promises to give more satis¬ 
factory results. 
J. A. plants seed that Is probably sound and his pota¬ 
toes blight. Again he plants seed, some of which is prob¬ 
ably diseased, and he has no apparent blight. These seem¬ 
ing discrepancies are easily explained. The fungus which 
causes the blight, like most other mildews and molds, 
does not grow and spread rapidly except in moist, warm 
weather. When J. A. planted diseased tubers the disease 
would remain dormant and inactive unless the weather 
favored its development. On the other hand, potato 
blight is no respecter of line fences, and when the weather 
is as favorable as it was this year, during the last 10 days 
of August, there are few potato fields in the State of Ver¬ 
mont that are so isolated from other potato fields that the 
first germs of the disease may not be borne to them from 
the adjoining farms. J. A. is right, therefore, in his con¬ 
clusions that “ the fungus is borne in the air.” But why 
does he infer that because It is borne in the air “ man can¬ 
not control it ? ” The whole theory of spraying is on the 
supposition that most of the spores of the disease are 
borne through the air, and certainly the substantial results 
gained by some of our Vermont farmers who ha/e used 
the Bordeaux Mixture this year, must be more convincing 
than any theories. I shall be glad to publish in THE 
Rural New-Yorker the exact results of some of these 
sprayings, within a short time. L. II. JONES. 
Vermont Experiment Station. 
Fall Planting; Grafting Grapes, Etc. 
J. L., Glanworth, Oat.— 1. Can raspberries and goose¬ 
berries be planted successfully in the fall ? 2. When should 
I get the scions for grafting some apples and pears in the 
spring ? 3 Can grape vines be grafted ? If so, how and 
when ? Would it pay better to take out a strong vigorous 
root and piant a new vine ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes. It would be well to cover the planted roots 
with a few inches of coarse manure. 2. Any time before 
the buds swell in the spring. Scions may be cut earlier 
and preserved in damp sand. 8. Oh, yes ! but not as read¬ 
ily as other fruits. The best method at present known Is 
to cut the stock off at the surface of the soil or thereabouts. 
Insert the scion by any method you prefer; bind it securely 
to the stock and then heap the soil about it until it be¬ 
comes united. Scions worked upon strong, healthy stocks 
often make a growth of a dozen feet the first season. 
A Business College Course. 
J. M, Quyraard., N. Y. —Is there any school where a 
young man cf 18 years can learn writing and arithmetic ? 
He has a common school education and wirfhes to perfect 
himself in these branches. 
Ans.—T he best school for this young man is a good busi¬ 
ness college, in which he can take any such studies he may 
desire. He should study book-keeping, as this will give 
him Incidental practice in both the desired studies. A 
course in such a school should be taken by every young 
farmer. Its cost will be money well expended. Write to 
Bryant & Stratton, Buffalo, N. Y., for their terms, men¬ 
tioning The R. N.-Y. We are informed that many young 
men from the country go to their school, which would 
render it more agreeable to any farmer boy who might 
attend. All information concerning the expenses of attend¬ 
ance, as well as those of board and lodging will be fur¬ 
nished on application. 
Plums That “ Bear Every Year.” 
F. T. T., Tallette, N. Y. —Are there any varieties of plums 
that usually bear every season ; and, if so, how are they 
made to do so, and what varieties are they ? 
Ans.—T here are probably many varieties of plums that 
bear annually under proper culture and treatment. The 
great enemies to plum culture are the curculio and black 
knot. The former preys most upon the thinnest skinned 
varieties, and hence the thicker skinned sorts are best to 
grow unless one Is willing to take all the extra precau¬ 
tions. The Damsons are, perhaps, with ordinary culti¬ 
vators, the most productive, but they are, at the same 
time, the most subject to black knot, which annually de¬ 
stroys many trees. The Green Gage stands high in favor 
and is a good bearer. The Washington and Jefferson are 
among the finest of varieties; but are subject to rot. Coe’s 
Golden Drop and Reine Claude are fine varieties and 
usually good bearers. Lombard is also an excellent, 
hardy plum. Quackenboss is recommended by some as a 
productive variety. The Egg Plums are generally con¬ 
sidered good bearers, though not of first quality. So much 
depends on soil, location, culture and general treatment, 
as well a3 upon the adaptation of particular sorts to par¬ 
ticular localities, that nothing short of a trial will settle 
the question satisfactorily. Some of those we have named 
ought to be satisfactory. 
Gladioli Culture. 
Subscriber, ( address mislaid).—I wish to engage in 
gladioli culture next year, and any points The Rukal can 
give me will be acceptable. What books on floriculture 
treat fully on the gladiolus ? 
Ans.—T he story is told In a few words. The corms or 
bulbs may be planted in the spring as early as the frost is 
out of the ground. Good, mellow soil and culture like 
that given to onions, are needed. The corms may be planted 
all the way from one to five Inches below the surface ac¬ 
cording to their size and the character of the soil—whether 
inclining to sand or clay. The little bulblets which form 
between the old and new corms may be treated in the same 
way, only they should be planted from one to two inches 
deep. Seeds should be planted in drills half an Inch deep 
and protected from cold nights until all danger of frosts 
Is over. The first year they make usually a single blade. 
Sometimes they will bloom the second year. All should 
bloom the third. Henderson’s Practical Floriculture 
treats of gladioli; $1.50 from this office postpaid. 
Plums Injured by the Curculio. 
E D II., Knowlbon, Iowa.—What is the matter with 
14 large, blue plum trees I have ? They are hardy and of 
vigorous growth. This year they were set thickly with 
plums, but when the size of a Miner, they commenced 
to rot, on the trees. All rotted but two and some dried up 
on the trees. What shall I do In the future to save my 
plums ? 
Ans.—T he trouble Is the curculio no doubt. Rapping 
the trees with mallets as soon as the plums are set, and 
continuing the operation every day until the pests disap¬ 
pear is the best remedy. This should be done early in the 
morning while the insects are not disposed to fly. Spread 
a sheet in turn under each tree. The beetles will fall upon 
it and may be gathered and destroyed. 
The Knife to Cure Garget. 
E. L. S. t North Truro, Mass.—I have a cow with one 
teat obstructed a3 if a pea were in the passage. What does 
The Rural think of this quotation from a local paper ? 
‘‘Four years since, I was feeding an old cow for beef. 
Tnere came a sore on the end of her teat. It was stopping 
the milk passage. I sharpened my penknife, placed my 
thumb and finger on the blade about half an inch from the 
point; then, partially filling the teat with the other hand, 
so that I could see the passage, I darted the knife into it 
up to my thumb and finger, opening the teat, and in three 
days it was as good as any of her teats and remained so. 
The next operation was on a heifer—the first calf. One 
teat was just about closed up. I opened it as I did the 
other. The teat was all right after that; she has just had 
her second calf, and the teat is as good as either of the 
others. This past winter I was feeding a big cow for beef, 
with about 10 quarts of meal a day. She became gargety ; 
the teat was likely to close up. I sharpened my knife, as 
on other occasions, and ran it up her teat about three- 
fourths of an inch, and when she got through stepping 
high, I took hold of the teat, and out came the slugs in a 
string. The teat healed all right and was the best teat she 
had until she was slaughtered. This I believe to be the 
only sure way to rid a cow of garget.” 
Ans.— We have seen several cows about ruined by such 
“ surgical operations.” The first cow may not have had 
garget at all. If she did it was due to the stoppage of the 
milk by the sore teat. A milking tube would have re¬ 
moved it without the milk becoming thick, until the teat 
had healed. True garget is an Inflammation of the udder 
and teats. It is caused by eating too heavily of foods like 
cotton-seed meal, constipation, general poor condition of 
the blood or an injury to the udder like a kiok or a blow. 
It requires a treatment to reduce fever, open the bowels 
and remove local inflammation. The milk thickens and 
comes away in thick masses or *‘slugs,” dark yellow or 
even bloody, and the whole quarter or half of the udder is 
hard or caked. The R. N.-Y. had a Jersey cow peculiarly 
susceptible to garget in one front teat. An extra-heavy 
feed on corn or cotton seed meal, a chill, a blow or any 
worry by dogs would always cause the quarter of the udder 
to thicken up. The teat always appeared to be ob¬ 
structed, but after plenty of rubbing we never failed to 
push in a milking tube or to milk slowly with the 
fingers. The quarter was always milked out clean, no 
matter how long it took. Some cows are naturally hard 
milkers. The vent of the teat seems to be very small and 
the muscles contract it closely. This fact often causes hur¬ 
ried milkers to leave some milk in the udder with the result 
that it “cakes,” becomes inflamed and garget sets in. 
This is especially likely to happen when the cow is being 
fed heavily on dry and constipating food, and has but lit¬ 
tle exercise. Neglect then makes it worse, and the 
teat may become permanently injured. There are cases 
where the teat becomes obstructed by various growths— 
like little tumors, warts, etc , etc.—which are usually the 
result of some injury. These make the milking harder 
than ever, and a careless milker is very likely to neglect 
to milk the cow clean. The result is garget when the cow 
is highly fed. It is true that these growths may be cut 
through or cut out if a man knows when and where to 
cut. A doctor or veterinarian might do the job well and 
add to the value of the cow. We would not do it ourselves, 
nor do we think the average farmer has much business to 
stick a knife into his cow’s teats. If any of our cows need 
cutting we propose to get an expert to do it, as the animals 
are worth too much to experiment with. 
A Crop of Sunflower Seeds. 
Several Subscribers .—Oa page 744 an Ohio correspondent 
writes about harvesting four acres of sunflower seeds. 
What Is the seed used for ? How is the crop planted, cul¬ 
tivated and harvested ? 
Ans —The seed is mostly used by bird dealers in New 
York and Baltimore and is raised on private contract. It 
will not pay to raise it unles3 one is sure of a market. I 
always contract before planting. The crop is planted like 
corn and cultivated in the same way. I have had the beat 
success by planting in drills. When the crop Is ready for 
harvesting I send into the field a w<igon with wide side¬ 
boards, somewhat flaring, along with three to five hands, 
who cut off the heads and throw them into the wagon. 
When a load has been obtained it is hauled to a shed with 
a tight floor, and unloaded, and boys with small clubs beat 
out the seed, after which it is run through a fanning mill, 
and then spread out to dry. Then it Is recleaned and is 
ready for market. I use only stalks enough to kindle the 
fires, for which purpose they are admirably adapted, and 
the rest are left in the field, until thoroughly dry and 
brittle, when they are broken by horses hitched to a plank 
drag, or cut with a sharp disc harrow. They break up 
readily, and are not in the way. of spring plowing. But if 
the ground is wanted in the fall for wheat, they will have 
to be removed unless they stand up well, in which case the 
wheat can be drilled in between the rows with a one-horse 
drill. The average yield'is about 25 bushels per acre. In 
some parts of the West, the seed is left until thoroughly 
ripe and dry, and thrashed with a thrashing machine and 
steam power. F. c. wetherby. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
“ Sparkling Cider."— C. W., Yantic, Conn.—A mixture 
of several varieties of sound, clean apples is generally con¬ 
sidered best for good cider, though some consider special 
varieties best. In the cider and vinegar special published 
in 1888, one correspondent named as the best, Golden Rus¬ 
sets, two thirds, Newtown Pippins, one-third ; another 
Russets and Newtown Pippins ; another Golden Russets; 
another N. Spys; another natural fruit, and others any 
good eating apples not too mellow. None recommended 
early apples. The apples are ground fine, the juice is 
pressed out, strained and put into clean casks filled full in 
a cool cellar. After standing a few days, it is racked off, 
the casks are carefully cleansed and refilled, this operation 
being repeated two or three times. It is bottled toward 
spring, some manufacturers say not until the second year 
after being made. No two manufacturers follow the same 
process, but these are the main points upon which nearly 
all seem to agree. 
Alfalfa—D. N. B , Elwood, L. I.—The plant sent is 
Lucern or Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) a very valuable le¬ 
guminous perennial plant. It is especially valuable in 
droughty regions where clover will not thrive. 
Blackberries and Grapes.— E. A. P., Chatham, Pa.— 
You can obtain Agawam and Kittatinny Blackberries and 
Diamond Grapes from Charles A. Green, Rochester, N. Y.; 
and the Alice Grape from Ward D. Gunn, Clintondale, 
N. Y. 
To Make Cotton Cloth Water-Proof .—E. C. B., Wilming¬ 
ton, Vt.—To do this saturate it thoroughly with linseed 
oil. This is the most practical way of which we know, but 
we doubt the econom y of the process. 
