1893 
21 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
hill-sides of New England is superior to any other, 
though of course the method of manufacture is another 
important factor in this line. E - c. boyd. 
Vermont. „ 
Why Do Trees Differ? 
The difference in yield of sugar from maple trees is 
governed to a great extent by size and location. To 
some very large trees we attach four buckets and they 
are filled as readily as one on a small tree, so of course 
the large tree makes four times as much sugar as the 
small one The sweetness of the sap is governed to a 
ftreat extent by the location. A tree exposed to cold 
winds and where it freezes very hard will produce 
much sweeter sap than one standing in a warm, moist 
place. There are exceptions, however. There are 
trees which produce much sweeter sap than their 
neighbors seemingly under the same conditions, borne 
trees will also yield much more sap than adjoining 
ones of the same size. I have noticed that soft, straight¬ 
grained timber runs most sap. A tree that “ bores 
hard’■ is seldom a good one. A tree whose chips are 
very white is much better than one with red chips. 
I cannot explain why some trees produce sweeter sap 
than others under the same conditions unless it be that 
they find richer soil and more favorable conditions. 
A tree which stands in a very stony place is always a 
good producer and usually its sap is very sweet. 
New York. emmons pond. 
A Great Vermont Record. 
The following statement was printed in the Ver¬ 
mont Watchman :— 
On the farm of C. W. Kellogg In South Duxbury, there Is a maple 
standing alone in a pasture near his house, the diameter of which is 
two feet. From this one tree (two spouts and one tub, and not tapped 
over) there have been made 30 pounds and 12 ounces of small-cake 
sugar in one season. It requires only seven quarts of this sap to make 
a pound of sugar. When it is understood that of the average sap of 
maples sixteen quarts are required for one pound, it will be seen that 
this sap is very sweet. This tree stands on the verge of a very cold 
spring which supplies water to the house and barn. I lind that trees 
standing in or near warm surface-water have much sap but it is weak, 
having but a small per cent of sugariln it. Again, 1 find that trees 
standing near a cold spring produce a very sweet sap, and the sweet¬ 
ness is proportioned to the lowness of the temperature of the water. 
If these observations and conclusions are correct, then comes the 
question : What has the temperature of the water to do with the 
quality of the sap ? How is it accomplished ? What is the philosophy? 
Mrs. C. W. Kellogg, who made the sugar, is my sis¬ 
ter, and is perfectly reliable. By correspondence, I 
have found in East Corinth a tree that produces a sap, 
five quarts of which make one pound of sugar—the 
sweetest sap I have been able to find: there are about 
nine per cent of sugar in it; 3% is the average quantity. 
Last winter I visited a man in Waitsfield, who told me 
that he had made 12 pounds of sugar from one tree in 
one day of 24 hours. He used six spouts. He did not 
know how much sap it took to make one pound of 
sugar. A tree cannot stand such tapping long. I have 
read of trees that produced 50 pounds of sugar in one 
season from 10 or 12 spouts, but such a large number 
was death to the tree. 
[ have a gauge which I put on a tree every spring 
to learn the amount of pressure the tree exerts on the 
sap. Last spring I got a pressure of only 23 pounds, 
which would throw a column of sap nearly 50 feet up. 
The pressure, suction and “zero ” of maple trees are 
very interesting conditions to me. 1 hey and the laws 
which govern them are wonderful. t. wheeler. 
HOW TO FEED CUT BONE TO POULTRY. 
THE TARGET. 
P. G., Fulton, N. T— I feed some cut bone and 
notice that five to seven pounds fed to 160 hens in 
their mash will affect their bowels considerably ; their 
droppings will be soft, yellow and fermented. Is this 
as it should be ? 
Shots at the Bull’s-Eye. 
I have never noticed that an occasional feeding of 
cut bones in the proportion mentioned produced in¬ 
jurious effects, but I have experimented on several 
occasions with feeding all the cut bones the hens will 
eat, leaving the bone constantly in the feeding dishes 
before them. This method produced exactly the effects 
mentioned in the inquiry. The bone I fed had a 
small proportion of meat on it. The amount fed 
should be reduced until the trouble ceases. I think 
that a thorough cooking of the bones will correct the 
difficulty. ARTHUR D. WARNER. 
I have never heard of poultry being injured by the 
use of cut green bones as food. 1 feed all green bones 
and meat ground together that the hens will eat up 
clean three times a week, and have not noticed any 
results like those P. G. speaks of. I buy fresh, ground 
meat and bones, and when I am cooking potatoes I 
generally put these materials into the kettle with 
them, and let all cook together ; then I mix in bran 
and middlings enough to make the mess a trifle dry, 
add a little salt and pepper and feed warm for the morn¬ 
ing meal, and the hens are doing well. J. bitfton. 
If fowls eat too much green bone at one time, it 
will affect their bowels, acting as a physic. If unused 
to such food, they must be gradually accustomed to it. 
Poultry that had been without animal food of any 
sort for a considerable time, would naturally indulge 
far too freely in the luxury of fresh, green bone, and 
thus throw their digestive apparatus out of order. I 
would not mix the bone in the mash ; for under such 
circumstances, if too much is given, the fowls would 
very likely consume more than would be for their 
good, for the sake of the other food combined with it. 
I think, if two feeds of bone are allowed per week, 
and the bone is given by itself, poultry will not eat 
enough to affect them injuriously. M. s. perkins. 
This amount fed daily to 100 hens will not injure 
them, if it is fresh. I find it valuable for the production 
Of eggs. A. C. HAWKINS. 
I have fed considerable cut green bone to my hens, 
when able to get it, and in order to avoid causing too 
much looseness of the bowels, I find it necessary to be 
particular to trim off all fat adhering to it, and also 
to crack the large bones that contain much marrow, 
and remove it before cutting. From experiments made 
in feeding it, I find it preferable to feed it mixed in 
the morning mash, rather than by itself later in the 
day. I have never known of an instance where cut 
green bone prepared as above, was in any way in- . 
mrious to poultry. I would also advise that the mash 
containing the cut bone, be prepared with as little 
moisture as possible. The same will apply where cooked 
vegetables form a part of it. c. H. wyckoff. 
The difficulty is probably due more to confinement, 
lack of exercise, and too much food, than to the 
bone. Any food will affect the bowels somewhat, 
however, when given too liberally. The quantity 
allowed is not too great for 160 hens. The remedy is 
to make a complete change of food for a few days. 
Nearly all cases of bowel difficulty are due to over¬ 
feeding, as no doubt the hens above are also allowed 
plenty of grain. One pound of bone (green) to 20 
hens, daily, is not too much, though some hens may 
eat more than their share. R. h. Jacobs. 
I have never heard of a case where cut bone has in¬ 
jured poultry, although meat and grease are loosening 
to the bowels if fed too liberally. I think P. G. gave 
too much if he gave the amount stated, every day, but 
he does not say what else his mash was composed of. 
It may be something else that caused the trouble. My 
way of feeding bone is in their morning mash, com¬ 
posed of boiled potatoes, bran, corn and oats, a little 
salt and a little red pepper, given to them warm. Some¬ 
times I vary it, but this is good. I prefer to give a 
little meat every day than to give it all in one or two 
doses. I consider bone and meat a necessity in winter, 
when the hens can get no animal food, and, instead of 
doing injury, they do much good ; but one must use 
judgment in feeding anything. I have had a good deal 
of experience in this line here and elsewhere. The 
droppings should be as hard as possible if the hen 
is in good health, and she will stand more cold and 
lay more eggs if they are in this condition. 
Ellerslie Farm. James h. seely. 
About Quince Culture.. 
C. H., Selin's Grove, Pa.— The best soil for the 
quince is a moist one, but not a springy, undrained 
location. The soil should be deep, rich and well cul¬ 
tivated. The trees should be planted not less than 12 
feet apart. Its insect enemies are about the same as 
those of the apple. Necessary pruning consists in re¬ 
moving interfering branches, and thinning enough to 
keep the head open. The best variety may be, partially 
at least, a matter of opinion, but the Orange is perhaps 
more widely cultivated than any other. Some of the 
newer varieties are too late for the extreme North. 
At prevailing prices, quince culture should prove 
profitable, provided proper care and culture be given. 
Selling: Straw and Buying: Manure. 
“ M," Pennsylvania. —I have, this winter, sold wheat 
straw at $5 a ton in the stack, keeping for home 
use all I could possibly need to feed or use as bed¬ 
ding. I can buy stable manure at 30 cents per two- 
horse load, hauling it a half mile on a pike road. I 
have been criticised a good deal for selling my straw, 
but claim that I did the best for the land. What does 
The Rural say ? 
Ans. —Stable manure is not uniform in composition, 
and of course we cannot tell just how much that you 
are hauling is worth. An average of many analyses 
gives for each ton of manure 10 pounds of nitrogen, 12 
pounds of potash, and five pounds of phosphoric acid. 
This is probably about the value of the manure you 
aie hauling. S f raw is quite uniform in composition, 
and you can tell pretty well what you are selling. An 
average ton of wheat straw contains 11 pounds of 
nitrogen, 4% pounds phosphoric acid and 12% pounds 
of potash, worth at the regular prices for fertilizing 
substances, $2.69. You can probably haul 3,000 pounds 
of manure. For 30 cents therefore you get 15 pounds 
of nitrogen, 18 pounds of potash and 7% of phos¬ 
phoric acid, worth on the same basis as the straw, 
$3.64. One ton of the straw, worth $2.69 for manure, 
will buy 16 loads of manure worth $58.24 if you should 
buy the same fertility in high-class chemicals. 'Phis 
is about the most remarkable bargain we ever heard 
of. There is no doubt about the wisdom of buying the 
manure, but can you afford to sell the straw? Here is 
where opinions will differ. Some farmers will say 
that it might be fed with greater profit to sheep or 
cattle, using linseed or cotton-seed meal with it. In 
our own case, we should sell the straw at $5 a ton and 
buy all the manure possible at 30 cents a load. We 
should use the marure heavily on corn, and to every 
ton add 25 pounds of bone-black superphosphate and 
20 pounds of muriate of potash. This will add to the 
value of the first crop and also to subsequent ones, be¬ 
cause it will make the manure nearer in composition 
to a standard fertilizer. 
Soda Water Refuse for Manure. 
T. D. J., MiUerton, N. Y. —Near us is a bottling es¬ 
tablishment for putting up soda, beer, or something 
else. The refuse is a sticky, white substance, getting 
yellow with age. I believe it is marble dust reduced 
with sulphuric acid. Will it be good for manure ? I 
have tried it mixed with coal ashes for a walk, but in 
wet weather it is as sticky as Western mud. 
Ans —Marble is carbonate of lime, and when treated 
with sulphuric acid, the lime combines with this acid 
and forms sulphate of lime, the carbonic acid escapes as 
a gas which is mixed with the beer or aerated water, 
and thus causes the effervescence when the bottles 
are opened. The residue is simply what is commonly 
called plaster or gypsum, consisting of sulphate of 
lime in combination with 21 per cent of water. This 
may be a good fertilizer for grass or corn, but it cannot 
be used in large quantities, and is so cheap that it is 
hardly worth the trouble of taking it from the bottling 
establishments when it can be procured in a better 
form and finer condition from dealers in fertilizers. 
That it turns yellow on exposure to the air indicates 
the presence of iron, which is commonly found in in¬ 
ferior kinds of marble. This iron is neither useful nor 
harmful. 
Beware of High-Priced Hew Potatoes. 
J. R. B., Knowlton, Quebec. —What is The Rural’s 
opinion as regards the following varieties of potatoes 
and would it advise farmers to plant them in prefer¬ 
ence to the old standard sorts, such as Early Rose and 
Hebron, viz., Freeman, Puritan, American Wonder, 
Lake Pride and Rose of Erin ? These varieties are be¬ 
ing sold here, as new kinds, at the rate of $12 and $24 
per bushel in five-pound lots, by an agent representing 
a firm in Rochester, N. Y. The farmers here are in¬ 
vesting heavily, and undoubtedly hundreds of dollars’ 
worth will be sold in this county, and the same thing 
is going on in other counties. The agent is provided 
with a fine outfit of lithographic plates with plenty 
of testimonials as to the superiority of the varieties. 
I am a market gardener and have tried a great many 
new kinds of potatoes, but know nothing of American 
Wonder, Rose of Erin or Lake Pride, but do know 
something of the Puritan, and that is, that it can be 
bought at a much lower rate than $12 per bushel and 
that it is not a very new variety; therefore I look upon 
the business with suspicion. What does The Rural 
say? 
Ans —Reports of the Freeman, Puritan and Ameri¬ 
can Wonder have appeared in these columns. Lake 
Pride and Rose of Erin we know nothing about. The 
Freeman was introduced two years ago by W. H. 
Maule, of Philadelphia, Pa. It is as early as the Early 
Rose, of fine shape and excellent quality. It is not a 
heavy yielder at the Rural Grounds. American Wonder 
was lately introduced by James Vick, Rochester, N. Y. 
It yields well and is of fair quality. It is one of the 
latest to mature. Puritan was introduced by P. Hen¬ 
derson & Co., of New York. It is an intermediate of 
fine quality, good shape and a fair yielder. The 
price ought not to be over $4 a barrel for seed. We 
do not know of the firm named as selling these varieties. 
Their prices are quite too high. We do not know of 
any new kinds of potatoes that are better than those of 
recent introduction. Do not invest your money in these 
“ novelties.” 
Fertilizer Built on a Bone Basis. 
E. C. B., Middletown, Pa. —I can buy fine ground 
bone (beef) from a packing-house for $21 per ton with 
a guaranteed analysis as follows : Ammonia, 3% per 
cent; nitrogen, 2.80; bone phosphate of lime, 55; 
phosphoric acid, 25.20. This lacks potash. Now I can 
buy kainit for $11 per ton. If I mix a ton of each, I 
have two tons for $32, or $16 per ton. Would this 
make a good fertilizer for corn or potatoes ? 
Ans. —Yes, it would make a fair fertilizer for corn. 
It should contain more nitrogen. The addition of 
enough nitrate of soda to make four per cent of ni¬ 
trogen would prove a benefit. We fear you are mistaken 
as to the analysis of the bone for $21 per ton. The 
phosphoric acid alone would be worth over $30. 
