224 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 1 
water-melons it would be the Boss. It is early and of 
extra tine quality. If two varieties were to be grown, 
I would add Dixie ; if three, Jordan’s Gray Monarch. 
Among musk melons I place Emerald Gem at the 
head.—|Try the Melrose.—E ds.] No other approaches 
it in delicious sweetness. The Osage is the nearest 
to it of all others, but is far from being' its equal. 
Surprise is quite a good melon and so is Banquet, but 
if only one kind is to be raised I should by all means 
select the Emerald Gem. Th^re is no onion so profit¬ 
able for market in this section as the Yellow Globe 
Danvers. For home use I think highly of Silver King. 
It is early, sure to bottom and a very handsome 
variety. Spanish King is the largest and transplants 
as easily as cabbage. 
For an early pea I prefer McLean’s Little Gem; for 
late ones Stratagem and Marrowfat. I do not agree 
with the old notion that Marrowfats are good only as 
large yielders, I consider them very choice if picked 
at the right time. The Squash pepper is the best for 
market, but for home use and ornament I prefer Golden 
Upright or Ruby King. 
There are so many good kinds of potatoes that it is 
hard to name the best. However, if confined to one 
variety it would be the New Queen; if to two I would 
take the Chicago Market, which resembles the Early 
Rose, but is a better yielder. My third choice is the 
Delaware and after that would come Beauty of Hebron. 
Other varieties may be just as good, but these have 
given me the greatest satisfaction. 
If I were to grow but one variety of squashes for 
market it would be the Essex Hybrid; if two the Essex 
Hybrid and Orange Marrow. If I were to grow but 
one variety for home use, it would be Pike’s Peak. It 
is the finest grained and best-flavored squash I have 
ever tasted and I have tried more than 20 kinds. It is 
good early in the fall and will keep a lorg time. If I 
were to add another for home use, it would be the 
Orange Marrow, on account of its earliness. The sum¬ 
mer bush varieties I do not consider fit to eat. The 
Hubbard is a good winter squash for market, but is 
far behind Pike’s Peak in quality. 
1 can easily confine myself to one variety of toma¬ 
toes and it is the Dwarf Champion I have never seen 
its equal either for li^me use or market. The plants 
are hardy, do not lun much to vines, stand erect till 
borne down by their immense yields of fruit which is 
the finest flavored of the tomato family. The fruits, 
which are borne in clusters, grow to a large size, are 
very even, and ripen all over at once, are easy to pick, 
and are so firm that they carry better ‘ban any other 
kind I ever grew. The Potato Leaf is a promising new 
sort. The Peach is splendid to eat from the hand but 
good for nothing else. The Mikado, Shah, Ponderosa, 
and other very large kinds are uneven and liable to 
rot. 
For a white turnip I prefer the White Egg and for 
a yellow-fleshed one the Golden Ball. Whatever the 
vegetable or whatever the variety, it is hest always to 
plant intelligently, giving the plants plenty of room, 
and allowing no weeds to draw away the fertility and 
moisture which rightfully belong to their more 
useful competitors. J. a. wilson. 
Andover, Mass. 
[Mvery 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 TALK ABOUT LAND PLASTER. 
WIIAT IT IS ; WHAT IT DOES. 
J. H. P. A., Chaneysville, Pa .—Fifty years ago, when 
I was a young man, the fanners bought Nova Scotia 
plaster (gypsum) in the rock. I ground many tons 
in my father’s mill, pulverizing the large lumps with 
hand hammers so it would pass through the millstones; 
then we used stable manure. It was applied to wheat, 
rye, oats, corn and potatoes with good effect Why at 
this time is it not on the market? All I find in market 
has been burned or kiln-dried, which process destroyed 
the vegetable matter ; therefore it has b r en discarded 
in my neighborhood. First, what is the difference in 
vegetable matter between No v a Scotia plaster and 
South Carolina rock ? Second, what effect has South 
Carolina rock on corn and potatoes on gray shale 
lands, and in what quantity should it be applied per 
acre ? Third, where can pure South Carolina rock be 
purchased? It seems to be mixed with oyster shells 
or other foreign substances and does not produce the 
beneficial effect it should. 
Ans. —There is probably as much plaster used now 
as ever, but the common use of it and familiarity with 
it make it less talked about. But there are several 
common errors in regard to it, that should be got rid 
of. First, there is no vegetable or organic matter in 
it, as our friend seems to think ; it is solely mineral, 
and contains 32% per cent of lime, 46% of sulphuric 
acid, and 21 of water loosely combined as water of 
crystallization. Second, it is often said that plaster 
takes water from the air and thus supplies the crops 
in a dry time. This is not the case. It is not absorbent 
of water any more than sand is, and the small quantity 
used on an acre, generally less than 100 pounds, would 
be quite opposed to the possibility that it could be of 
any service, even if it absorbed several times its weight 
of water. When plaster is heated or calcined, the 
water contained in it is driven off, and it is then able 
to combine with this water again as plaster for the 
mason’s use, and make a soft stony substance. But it 
costs something to burn the plaster, and this is never 
done for its use for the land, or, if it is, it is a mistake 
and a wastejof labor. Third, it has been said that plaster 
should be applied to the crops when the leaves are 
wet with dew or rain, because then it will be dissolved 
and taken in by the leaves, and thus do great good to 
the plants. Now it is perfectly certain that plants do 
not take any solid matter or even water or vapor of 
water, in the leaves ; only air is thus taken in by them, 
and the truth is that the plaster is dissolved in the 
water of the soil, of which 400 parts dissolve one of 
gypsum, and is then taken in by the roots, and thus 
its effect is often perceived in the darker green color 
of the leaves, 24 hours after the application of it. 
Another reason why plaster may*not be so much 
used now is that superphosphate of lime has a large 
proportion of sulphate of lime in it, and this is pre¬ 
cisely the same as the plaster, which is natural sul¬ 
phate of lime. South Carolina rock is a phosphate of 
lime mixed with carbonate, in the form of shells, and 
is only slowly soluble in the soil. But it is more sol¬ 
uble when it is finely ground, in which state it is called 
“ floats,” and is then cheaper than when it isdissolved 
by acid, as superphosphate ; and if a large quantity— 
as much as a ton to the acre—is used, it has been 
found useful and a permanent benefit to the land. 
Being insoluble, it is not of any apparent benefit when 
used in small quantities. 
What’s in a Ton of Coal Ashes. 
J. R. W., Oaks, Pa .—Are coal ashes of any use as 
a fertilizer ? What crops or fruit would be most 
benefited by their application ? 
Ans.—W e have often answered this question, but it 
seems to be ever new. Most people fail to see why 
coal ashes should not be as valuable as ashes from 
wood. On page 104, March 11, we gave the composi¬ 
tion of a ton of average wood ashes. Here is a like 
statement regarding a ton of coal ashes. 
Pounds. 
Silica or sand. 8U0 
Alumina. 820 
Oxide of Iron. 148 
Lime. 70 
Magnesia. 25 
Potash. 80 
Phosphoric acid. 5 
Total, pounds.2,000 
Four-fifths of the ashes are in such form that they 
are soluble only in strong acids—useless for plant 
food. As a fertilizer, therefore, coal ashes are but 
little better than so much fine sand, yet, when well 
sifted and put on grass growing on sandy, open soils, 
they often seem to increase the crop. As often ex¬ 
plained before, what they really do in such cases is to 
fill up or clog the open spaces in the soil and prevent 
the rapid drainage or evaporation of water. The coal 
ashes are good for a mulch around currant or berry 
bushes for the same reason, but as a fertilizer they are 
of no value. 
Bordeaux Mixture and Fertilizers for Strawberries. 
B. N. J., Salem, Mass. —1. We hear a good deal about 
the use of Bordeaux mixture and other fungicides on 
fruit trees, vines, etc , but I do not remember reading 
anything in regard to their use on strawberries as a 
preventive of rust or blight. The first requisite is as¬ 
surance that no harm can be produced on the foliage. 
In 1892, just previous to the ripening of the fruit, the 
foliage was attacked. The leaves curled up a little 
and in looking across the bed the under side of the 
leaves was very noticeable. Later on there was some 
spotting of the leaves and the fruit stalks were in¬ 
jured, the berries ceasing to grow and shriveling up. 
This season, in one part of the field there was a hollow 
and here, in the always moist soil, a heavy growth of 
foliage was made and the blight was most severe, at¬ 
tacking all varieties. During the previous year, the 
same trouble was noticed in a neighboring field at 
about the same time and under similar weather con¬ 
ditions. The variety which showed the most serious 
result was Warfield No. 2. I pulled up most of my 
spring set Warfields. It is a very safe rule not to set 
largely of any variety until one has given it a trial. 
2. What chemical fer tilizer should be used on a bed 
which will be plowed up after fruiting ? 3. Isa heavy 
dressing likely to produce heavy foliage at the ex¬ 
pense of fruit ? 4. I think of using muriate of potash, 
dissolved bone-black and nitrate of soda in such pro¬ 
portions as to give 3% per cent of nitrogen, 10 per 
cent of phosphoric acid and eight per cent of potash. 
5. Why not lay it down as a rule that it is better for 
farmers to mix their own chemicals ? 
Ans. —1. We would advise our friend to spray bis 
strawberry plants with the Bordeaux mixture reduced 
according to The Rukal’s formula many times printed. 
Spray them just so soon as the vines start into vigorous 
growth and just after the first setting of fruit. 2. We 
would advise raw bone flour and potash, either in 
ashes or muriate, the former preferred 3. No, not 
unless a good deal of nitrate or ammonium salts be 
used, which we by no means advise 4. That is all 
right. 5. Simply because we do not favor such a 
general rule. For some farmers, home-mixing is the 
best; for others it is not. Kindly read “ A Bag of 
Fertilizer” in The R. N.-Y. of a late date. 
Red Polled Cattle. 
0 P. R , Missouri. —I want to learn something of 
Red Polled cattle: 1, as to hardiness; 2, as to early 
maturity ; 3, as to milk and beef qualities. 
Ans. —1. As to hardiness, they are fully equal to our 
natives, or to any of the improved breeds, unless it be 
the Galloways. They will endure aDy exposure which 
any stock should be subjected to ; but exposure with 
any breed, and under all conditions, is at the cost of 
feed. 2. They grow quickly and fatten readily at any 
age. At the Smithfield Club show in 1889, two Red 
Polled steers, two years old, showed the best growth 
for age of any animals on exhibition, and better than 
anything at our Chicago show the same year. In 1890, 
a Red Polled steer at the Smithfield show dressed 
the highest per cent of live weight of all beasts 
slaughtered, and more than a full-blood of any other 
breed ever killed in England, 73 73 per cent. 3. As 
general-purpose cattle—for milk and beef combined— 
I think Red Polls have no equals. They hold their 
own in England with the strictly beef breeds, and are 
well to the front for milk. In the public tests in this 
country last fall, taking all the mature cows entered, 
that were in full milk, the Red Polls made the highest 
average for butter of all breeds tested. 
Ohio. j. mclain Smith. 
Important Potato Questions. 
O. S. S-, Mlddleburg, Pa. — l. I see The Rural is 
against using the fertilizers in the rows Now I am 
going to use the Rural trench system on two acres of 
early potatoes, opening them with a plow going thro’ 
the rows twice, and using 1,000 pounds of Mapes man¬ 
ure per acre, according to the New Potato Culture. 
The author advocates sowing it in the trenches; has 
he changed his views ? Would he sow it all in the 
trenches or broadcast it ? One acre was manured with 
well-rotted barnyard manure, plowed in. The other 
is corn stubble and had been manured when put in 
corn. My idea is simply to get a big yield of early 
potatoes. 2. I have a seedling potato and wish to see 
how large a yield I can get from the single tuber ; 
how shall I proceed to get the biggest yield possible ? 
Ans. —1. There is a great difference between fertil¬ 
izing in the hill and fertilizing in trenches. The 
trenche : should be not less than a foot wide, the seed 
placed not less than a foot apart in the trenches The 
seed pieces are first covered with soil so as to prevent 
actual contact of the fertilizer with the seed ; then 
the fertilizer is sown as evenly as possible on top of 
this soil the entire width of the trench. It will be 
seen that each seed piece lies, so to speak, in the 
middle of a fertilized area of one square foot which is 
very different from confining the fertilizer to the hill. 
Again, when potatoes are planted in deep, wide 
trenches of mellow soil the roots of the plants do not 
spread so far laterally as in hill or drill planting. 
The roots prefer to keep to the mellower soil of the 
trenches than to penetrate the firmer soil of the trench 
walls. This is especially the ease with early varieties. 
Our preference is, in the Rural trench culture, to sow 
fertilizer broadcast as well as in the trenches, but we 
deem the broadcasting far less important than in the 
case of hill or drill planting. We would use at least 
twice as much fertilizer in the trenches as in broad¬ 
casting, because in broadcasting the trenches would 
receive the fertilizer as well as the spaces between 
them. 2. Place the seedling tuber in the sunlight of 
a warm room for two weeks or more. This will 
develop the potent eyes. Then cut the tuber into as 
many pieces as there are eyes which show the least 
bud development. This may not apply to the seed 
end if it should develop many eyes crowded together. 
Varieties differ notably in this respect as well as in 
the number of potent eyes of the entire tuber. We do 
not favor single-eye pieces where there are many eyes 
in a tuber and always regret to see them recommended 
as they often are by writers for field culture. Still 
where one desires to get the greatest amount of crop 
from a g ven amount of see d, single eyes may be 
advantageously used. The shoot from the eye is 
wholly dependent upon the fL sh of the piece for food 
until the shoot is supported by its own roots If the 
