i44 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 4 
warmth. If the stable is merely kept so warm that it 
will not freeze, that is sufficient. Ewes and lambs 
together are better kept in a stable by themselves than 
in one with the whole Hock. Like fowls, they do not 
thrive when crowded. When it is so warm that the 
manure steams, the air becomes unwholesome. Lambs 
running with the ewes have no need for salt. Buffalo 
is your best locality for procuring all kinds of pur¬ 
chased feed. H* s. 
Nitrate of Soda on Strawberries. 
J. R. R., White Haven, Md.—l. Has The R. N.-Y. 
had any experience in using nitrate of soda on straw¬ 
berries just before they come in bloom ? 2. How 
much can I use per acre without injury to the foliage? 
3. Is it too late to top-dress with stable manure ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes. The result was a perceptible increase 
in vigor. This on soil well supplied with potash and 
phosphate. 2. As much as 500 pounds to the acre; 
but care must be taken not to allow the soda to come 
in contact with either stems or leaves. Two hundred 
pounds would serve as well as more. 3. No, a slight 
top-dressing of manure would serve well to increase 
the vigor of the plants. 
The Keiffer as a Pear Stock. 
C. P. B., North Brook, Pa.—1. Will Bose, Anjou, Law¬ 
rence, etc., succeed as well top-grafted on the Keiffer 
as on the usual pear stock ? 2. Would they bear 
sooner? 3. Would they be more productive ? 4. Would 
the quality of the fruit be affected, beneficially or 
otherwise ? 
Ans.—1. The R. N.-Y. has grafted the Idaho and a 
dozen seedling Japan pears on the Keiffer. All have 
made a robust growth. There is among some a belief 
that the Keiffer or any Japan pear is objectionable as 
a stock. We do not share in the belief. 2. 3 and 4. 
Problematical. We would like to have others with 
more experience tell us. 
Is It Safe To Sprout Potatoes ? 
J. L. M., Wintersville, Indiana.— The R. N.-Y. and 
Thorburn’s catalogue recommend the sprouting of 
potatoes before planting. The Mapes catalogue repre¬ 
sents potato vines with two leaves entirely covered up 
by the second covering. We destroy other plants (es¬ 
pecially those called weeds) by burying their leaves. 
1. Is the potato an exception? 2. To what extent 
may the sprouts be allowed to grow before planting ? 
With our changeable spring weather there is no cer¬ 
tainty when planting can be done, and potatoes placed 
in the light in a warm room with a view to having 
fine “warty” sprouts, on April 14, may not be planted 
till 30 days later. Will there be no danger of the 
leaves forming, which, being buried in the soil, will 
die ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes, in a measure. At this stage of 
growth, probably the seed piece is not fully exhausted. 
But whether it is or not, the potato stem will stand 
“ hilling up ” better than many other plants. So will 
the tomato. It is probably harmful to a degree; but 
it is tubers we are after rather than plant growth, 
though, it is true, the one is dependent upon the other. 
Tubers placed in the light and sun will not produce 
leaves in a long time. A leafless, stubby, warty growth 
is made from the eyes. We have kept tubers in a 
warm room for months. The shoots seem confined to 
this warty growth, unless the tubers be placed in the 
dark or provided with moisture. 
How Wood Ashes Affect Potatoes. 
L. L., Rome, III. —Would unleached hardwood ashes 
be good for potatoes? Could they be dropped in the hill 
with the potatoes, or would the potash have a ten¬ 
dency to hurt the sprouts ? Again, would they have 
a tendency to make the potatoes grow knotty ? 
Ans. —I f we were to use ashes on potato land we 
should sow them broadcast the previous fall. Nothing 
would be lost. In our experience unleached ashes 
favor scab. Whether they would induce undue irreg¬ 
ularity of shape we do not know. We are opposed to 
using ashes in the hill. We would prefer to use them 
under the seed pieces. 
When and How to See the Fair. 
B. P. M., Hastinqs-on-Hudson, N. Y. —When will be 
the best time to visit the World’s Fair for one who is 
interested in seeing livestock, poultry and agricultural 
machinery ? Will these things be on exhibition at all 
times during the fair or only at a certain season ? 
Ans.—L ive stock, poultry and agricultural machinery 
can be seen all through the fair, so one can choose his 
own time for a visit. To see small fruits, he must go 
in June, or perhaps for some of them, early in July. 
If one wants to see the best show of fruits, such as 
apples and pears, early in October will be the season, 
while peaches will be on hand from July until the fair 
closes. The dairy show will be in continuous opera¬ 
tion from beginning to end. If one desires to secure 
a room or rooms in advance, he should write to the 
“ Bureau of Public Comfort,” Rand & McNally Build¬ 
ing, Chicago, for terms and particulars. Do not go 
until the trunk lines give cut rates—they must come 
to it, despite their announcement that they will not 
sell reduced-rate tickets on first-class trains. Later 
in the season, when The Rural will have a member 
of its editorial staff on the grounds, we will give our 
readers such detailed information as may be asked for 
or which may suggest itself as being useful. 
Make a New Breed of Corn. 
C. P. W., Wellsburq, W. Va. —I find my corn is very 
much mixed, and in husking this fall, I could only 
find one ear that would “fill the bill ” in regard to 
color, size, shape, cob, etc. That has 20 rows. Now, 
if I plant this ear by itself, will I get every variety I 
have in my crib, or can I in a few years establish a 
variety like the ear with 18 to 20 rows ? Is it true 
that the pollen of corn will not show in the ear the 
first year ? 
Ans. —Our own trials show, and we have made many 
of them, that a given variety of corn will show the 
effects of foreign pollen the first season. To this, 
however, there are some exceptions. The potency of 
some old pedigree varieties is such that no change is 
apparent the first season. The best that you can do 
is to select for seed such ears as you mentioned and to 
plant it far away from other varieties which mature at 
the same time, and this you must do year after year if 
vou would make it and keep it true to a certain 
standard. 
How to Use Tobacco Stems. 
W. T. W., Malone, N. Y .—I noticed in a recent Rural 
that the use of tobacco stems was recommended. What 
is the practical way of rendering them fit for use ? 
Ans. —They can be used just as they come from the 
factory—handled with a manure or hay fork. Grind¬ 
ing or crushing will make them more available just as 
finely crushing bones will add to their value, but if 
such grinding is not easily done the stems can be used 
just as they are. 
Wood Ashes For a Lawn. 
V. R., Bernard8vllle , N. J. —In the absence of barn¬ 
yard manure, what fertilizer had I better use on my 
lawn, and when and how should it be applied ? 2. 
Can we reseed the lawn without plowing it up ? 
Ans. —1. If you can procure unleached wood ashes 
at a reasonable price, use them liberally. You need 
not be 'afraid of using too much. These will furnish 
potash in its most valuable form and a small quantity 
of phosphoric acid. If you cannot procure the ashes, 
use muriate of potash. To this you should add raw 
bone flour in the proportion of three parts at least of 
bone to one of the muriate. The bone will furnish, 
besides phosphoric acid, three per cent of nitrogen. 
This being slowly soluble, it would be well for an im¬ 
mediate effect to use a small quantity of nitrate of 
soda or sulphate of ammonia. 2. All grass seed, 
to germinate freely and to thrive, must have a 
mellow surface. If the soil underneath is too compact 
the roots cannot penetrate it readily, and a hot sun 
will soon kill the tender growth. The thorough way 
would be to plow and harrow ; unless this is done, 
one must take the chances of failure. 
Lime for Peach Yellows. 
C. B. W., Douglass, Mich. —What are the facts about 
the use of lime in peach orchards to cure the yellows? 
Ans. —We have never made any careful experiments 
to demonstrate its practical utility. Several years 
ago two of our larger orchards were given liberal 
applications of lime two years in succession, and 
another received none at all, but otherwise all were 
treated in the same way, and we think there have been 
fully as many cases of yellows in the orchards where 
the lime was used as in the one where there was none. 
I know nothing positively about it, but my opinion is 
that lime is of no use in checking the spread of this 
disease. u- hale. 
How Late Can Grape Vines Be Pruned? 
P. W. J., Pontiac, Mich .—How late in the winter can 
grape vines be pruned without their bleeding ? My 
rule has been to prune them in the middle of February. 
Ans. —Grapes may be pruned without danger of 
bleeding at any time in winter or spring while they 
are perfectly dormant ; which will be until frost is 
well out of the ground. The work should be com¬ 
pleted, however, before the earliest plants, such as 
gooseberries or currants, give evidence of incipient 
growth. If wood more than a year old is to be cut, 
this should be done still earlier, to allow the surface 
of the wound to become well seasoned before the 
first movement of the sap. 
Better Berries; Cheap Manure. 
F. R. F., Plainville, N. J .—What will be the best 
fertilizer to use on my dewberry patch to increase the 
size of berries and yield—a rather heavy clay soil? 2. 
Can I afford to haul cow manure five miles and pay 25 
cents per load of two tons? 3. Will it pay to haul horse 
manure five miles and pay 50 cents per load, to be used 
on tomatoes and cabbage. 
Ans.— 1. Use lots of bone and potash. Raw bone 
will give you, though not at once, all the nitrogen the 
dewberries will need. If you can buy unleached wood 
ashes at as low a price relatively as you can buy horse 
and cow manure, use it abundantly for potash. 2. 
Yes, it would be a low price. 3. Yes, with great 
advantage. 
Who Knows What Ails the Lambs? 
R. F. L., Greenville, Va .—I have a lot of ewes that 
are now dropping their lambs. Some are doing badly ; 
they seem to have plenty of milk, but it does not agree 
with the lambs. I have lost seven out of twelve. I 
am feeding corn and cob crushed (fine) half a bushel, 
a quarter of a bushel of whole oats, and one bushel of 
wheat bran, hay and fodder. I am feeding 1% bushel 
of this mixture to 74 ewes which are in fine condition. 
Ans. —Not knowing the circumstances in this case 
and how these lambs were affected, it is impossible to 
give any opinion that would be helpful. But it may 
suggest a reason for the trouble, to say that corn cobs 
are not proper food for sheep on account of the sharp 
flakes of the cobs producing inflammation of the 
stomach. Sheep should have the grain food only 
coarsely crushed, and it should be fed in shallow feed 
troughs so that the greedy animals will not swallow it 
too fast. This of course leads to indigestion. The al¬ 
lowance of grain food is not too large. It is not desir¬ 
able to have a breeding flock of ewes in too good con¬ 
dition as fat ewes generally have weak lambs. A fairly 
good condition is all that is required. Sheep’s milk 
is naturally much richer than cow’s milk, without in¬ 
creasing this richness by too good feeding. It is very 
difficult to rear lambs as well as they should be, with¬ 
out some laxative food, as roots of some kind, for the 
ewes. If a few cut potatoes, half a pint per ewe, 
could be given it might be found useful. A few sliced 
turnips or mangolds or cabbages would be better still. 
Mixing: a Potato Fertilizer. 
E. M., Bustleton, Pa.— 1. Is this a first-class fertilizer 
for potatoes on ordinary potato land, mixed in this 
proportion : two tons of ground raw bone, one of sul¬ 
phate of potash, one of kainit, 500 pounds of nitrate of 
soda, 500 pounds to be sowed to the acre in the drills, 
stable manure being first broadcasted? 2. What would 
be the analysis of such a mixture and the average cost 
per ton ? 3. Is there any better material from which 
I can get a higher grade of fertilizer at about the same 
cost ? 
Ans. —If you use a high-grade sulphate of potash 
and other materials of good quality, your mixture 
will have about this composition in pounds : 
Nitrogen. 
Phos. Acid. 
Potash. 
4,000 raw bone. 
2,000sulphate of potash.. 
110 
800 
l'.OOO 
2,000 kainit. 
250 
500 nitrate Of suda. 
80 
Total, 8,500 
220 
800 
1,250 
Compare this with a standard potato fertilizer, and 
we shall see its faults : 
Nitrogen. Phos. acid. Potash. 
Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. 
One ton ” standard.”. 70 * 180 140 
One ton mixture. 52 188 2J4 
The “ standard ” is about the mixture used by the 
best potato growers, some, however, using less phos¬ 
phoric acid. This home mixture lacks nitrogen, and 
contains altogether too much potash for profit. It 
might answer on some soils very deficient in potash, 
but unless you know extra potash and less nitrogen ar e 
needed, it is a bad combination. At present retail 
prices in New York, these chemicals would cost: 
Two tons ground bone. 
One ton sulphate potash. . 
.*00 
. 15 
One-quarter ton nitrate of soda. 
. 13 
Total. 
.*142 
Or $33.37 per ton, with cost of freight and mixing to 
be added. This mixture is not a good one You have no 
need of the kainit. Tnat form of potash is not good 
for direct application to potatoes, anyway. If used 
for that crop at all, we would apply it the previous 
fall, but the sulphate is the form that should be used. 
We should also prefer a small quantity of superphos¬ 
phate. The phosphoric acid in the raw bone is slowly 
soluble, and a little superphosphate would be useful to 
feed the plants in the early part of the season. If you 
want just this amount— 1)4 tons—of fertilizer, you can 
make it from these materials : 
Sulphate Of potash. 
Pounds. 
. 3,000 
Boneblack superphosphate. 
Nitrate of soda. 
Sulphate of ammonia. 
. 1,000 
. 1,000 
. 6,450 
A ton of plaster or of good, rich 
soil added to this 
will make 1)4 tons. This “ filler’ 
’ will make it easier 
to handle and give just about the a 
ard fertilizer. 
nalysis of the stand- 
Fertilizers for Tomatoes; 
“ Azotin.” 
H. W H., Ridgely, Md.—l. What is the best com¬ 
bination of chemicals for tomatoes on land medium 
to light in fair condition—an application of 700 or 800 
pounds to the acre ? 2. Will not an application of, 
say, 100 pounds of nitrate of soda to the acre, just 
before the first working of the plants be of more 
advantage than the same amount mixed with other 
