1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
245 
from five-per-cent milk, experiments made at the New 
York Experiment Station at Geneva, gave results as 
follows: From milk containing three per cent of fat, 
8 86 pounds of marketable cheese were made from 100 
pounds of milk. From milk containing 4.8 per cent of 
fat, 11.12 pounds of cheese were made from 100 pounds 
of milk. Of course various other conditions than the 
percentage of fat will have an influence on the amount 
of cheese made ; but when these conditions are equal 
the results should not be greatly different from those 
above stated. I should not imagine that there would 
be any great difference in the quality of the milk so 
far as its per cent of butter fat is concerned, as be¬ 
tween that made from Timothy hay and clover hay in 
the ration. From the clover hay we should expect 
that the flow of milk would be considerably increased. 
Prof, of Dairy Husbandry, Cornell. h h. wing. 
R- N.-Y.—In this connection we think it helpful to 
give the following method of preserving the composite 
sample of milk for testing. This method is suggested 
by Prof. Frank T. Shutt, of the Canadian experiment 
farm, at Ottawa, Canada : 
For each patron a bottle holding about a pint (the exact size Is of no 
consequence) Is required. It should be of wide mouth and preferably 
glass-stoppered. Pickle bottles will answer, however, if furnished 
with good corks. The preservative Is potassium bichromate, quoted 
at 14 cents per pound, though one would probably have to pay 20 to 25 
cents per pound for It powdered, which Is the best condition In which 
to purchase It. The quantity necessary is from three to eight grains, 
according to the volume of milk to be preserved. I find the exact 
amount Is not an essential factor. I would recommend ascertaining 
the measure of say 10 grains In a salt or other small spoon; the potas¬ 
sium bichromate could then be measured instead of weighed into the 
composite sample bottles and a large saving of time be effected. One 
pound of It Is sufficient for 700 to 1,000 composite (weekly) samples. 
Put the powdered preservative in the bottle—marked with the name 
or number of the patron-and add the sample of milk. The latter will 
dissolve the potassium bichromate and assume a deep yellow color. 
Before adding successive samples of milk, gently shake the '• com¬ 
posite,” so that the risen cream may again be thoroughly Incorpo¬ 
rated. Keep In a cool place, though not necessarily on ice. This 
preserved milk will remain fluid for many weeks. At the end of sav 
one week, a sample Is withdrawn (after gentle shaking) by the ordinary 
Babcock pipette, and the fat Is estimated In the usual way by the 
Babcock method. The percentage of fat so found multiplied by the 
pounds of milk supplied during the week and divided by 100, gives the 
pounds of butter fat. 
Corn in Search of a Father. 
G. E. S., Sprague, Wash. —What ails my tomatoes 
and squashes? The vines grow well and bloom all 
right, but the fruit drops off with the bloom. The 
outside rows of my corn do not fill. Why ? The 
climate is dry and windy. There are no bees or other 
honey-gathering insects. 
Ans —The tomato trouble must be the work of an 
insect. As to the corn, probably when the pollen was 
ripe, the wind blew it towards the inner portions of 
the field so that the outer row was left fatherless. 
Planting: for Succession Crops. 
F. C. P., Arlington, N. J .—In planting vegetable 
seeds of early and late varieties should all be planted at 
the same time, or should a certain interval be allowed 
between them ? For instance, I have seed of Early 
Rose and Rural New-Yorker No. 2 potatoes. Cory’s 
Early and Stowell’s Evergreen corn, and American 
Wonder and Stratagem peas. How and when should 
I plant them ? Again, in a garden 50x200 feet, would 
it pay me to purchase a “ Planet Jr. ?” double wheel 
hoe cultivator, rake and plow combined ? 
Ans. —Yes, plant early and late potatoes at the same 
time, and plant as early as the land can be fitted. Do 
just the same with peas and corn. Peas planted late 
will mildew. With corn it is well to plant all kinds 
as early as possible, and then to make additional 
plantings of late corn every 10 days until July 1. Yes, 
you will easily get your money’s worth out of the tool. 
What About Black Walnut Culture ? 
W. A. K., Franklin, Pa. —How far apart should 
Black Walnut trees be planted to start a grove ? How 
long will it take them to come into bearing ? What 
kind of soil is best adapted for their development ? 
Will they pay ? 
Ans.— The nuts maybe plant d about four inches 
apart in rows and transplanted the second year. Later 
they are difficult to transplant. One need not be par¬ 
ticular as to the distance to transplant in the grove. 
Many will die. Better plant 10 feet apart, and in 
after years thin out as needed. Juglans nigra begins 
to bear when about 10 years old, but seedlings differ. 
A dry, cool, deep, rich loam is the best for them. As 
to the profit, we must ask our readers for information 
on that point. 
Small Tomatoes from Hill Manuring:. 
F. R. F., Plainville, 0 .—Which will give us the larger 
crop of tomatoes—to broadcast eight tons of stable 
manure and plow it in and use 200 pounds of fertilizer 
in the hill, or to use the same amount of manure in the 
hill without the fertilizer ? How can I get 400 bushels 
per acre ? I have been manuring in the hill, and my 
tomatoes run so small at the end of the season that 
they are of no use ; how can I avoid this ? About 100 
acres are raised in this neighborhood for canners in 
Cincinnati, and if we can increase our crops by 50 
bushels per acre, it would be quite a valuable addition. 
Ans.— Manuring or fertilizing in the hill is sure to 
give small tomatoes. Not to answer our friends in¬ 
quiry directly, we advise that he broadcast both his 
fertilizer and manure, adding more fertilizer if he 
must have hill manuring. 
A Lone Hand With August Clover. 
G. B. T., Perry, N. Y. —On page 151 Mr. Terry is 
made to say that he sows his clover seed in “early 
August,” and in the same article he advises that it 
should be sown in midwinter. Has not a mistake 
been made about the early August sowing, either by 
the reporter or the typo ? 
Ans. —Mr. Terry plows up the soil after cutting the 
grass, and sows it in early August to clover alone., 
and he recommends others to do the same in the article 
mentioned. Many, however, refuse to give the ground 
wholly to this useful plant, but sow grass and even 
grain with it. To these farmers Mr. Terry says, “In¬ 
stead of sowing the clover seed on the last snow, sow 
it in the dead of winter.” h. s. 
Those Bone Questions Again. 
G. A. R., Moultonboro, N. H —I have purchased 
several tons of bones and as I can get but $8 per ton 
for them f. o. b. and it will cost me $5 per ton to get 
them to the cars, I would like to make them iuto a 
fertilizer to be used on my own farm. I have a lot of 
six acres which has not been plowed for 35 years. 
About 30 years ago it was literally red with wild 
strawberries and last summer it blossomed white, 
although it had been pastured a good many years. I 
would like to fertilize it and set it out to strawberries: 
How shall I treat the bones to make them avail¬ 
able in connection with other chemicals? I have a lot 
of land on which I wish to raise wheat. How shall 
I treat the bones to make them available for that pur¬ 
pose in connection with chemicals ? 
Ans —We have often talked about utilizing bones at 
home. It will be difficult to get the bones into con¬ 
dition to use on the strawberries unless you burn 
them. This burning drives off all the nitrogen and 
leaves phosphoric acid and lime. We do not advise 
the use of acids on the farm. You can crack the bones 
with a sledge and pack them in horse manure. This 
will soften them somewhat, but they will have to be 
applied with the manure. You can pack them be¬ 
tween layers of wood ashes or muriate of potash and 
keep the mass moist with urine. In time this will 
soften the bones so they can be smashed up with a 
spade, but it will take from six to nine months. These 
methods are not very satisfactory and if you have 
plenty of wood and refuse we would advise you to 
burn the bones. We have often told how to do this. 
Use this bone ash with nitrate of soda and muriate of 
potash for the berries and without the potash for the 
wheat. 
Tobacco Stems and Other Fertilizers. 
B. B., Ansonia, Ohio. —1. Would tobacco stalks be 
worth $2 per ton as. a fertilizer for strawberries, to be 
worked in the soil before planting ? 2. Would it be 
advisable to use tobacco stalks cut fine as a fertilizer 
for mangel wurtzel and beets ? 3. How much bone meal 
per vine would it be advisable to hoe in around four- 
year-old grape vines. 
Ans. —1. Yes ; get all you can at that price. They are 
well worth four times as much as ordinary stable 
manure, ton for ton. 2. Yes, finely-cut or ground 
tobacco makes an excellent fertilizer. The R. N.-Y. 
in 1891 tried snuff or finely-ground tobacco on pota¬ 
toes Ordinary soil, without manure or fertilizer, 
yielded at the rate of 229 bushels per acre. With 
3,520 pounds of snuff per acre the yield was at the 
rate of 335 bushels—a difference of 106 bushels. The 
potatoes were very fair and smooth. 3. Use say 400 
pounds per acre. You can estimate for the amount 
needed per vine. 
Fertilizers on the Pacific Coast. 
1. What is the meaning of this analysis sent out as 
a potato fertilizer : 
Available phosphoric acid.10. to 11. 
Equal to available bone phosphate.21. to 2h 
Soluble phosphoric acid. 8. to !). 
Equal to soluble bone phosphate.17. to 1!)! 
Insoluble phosphoric acid.50 to 1.50 
Equal to insoluble bone phosphate. 1 . to 3*25 
Nitrogen—total available. 3 . to 4. 
Equal to total available ammonia. 3.50 to 4 75 
Potash sulphate. 6.50 to 7.50 
2. Will it pay me to use Vaughan’s potato manure 
when it costs 1585 per ton, delivered ? 
Ans. —1 . This is another of these complicated and 
confusing analyses such as were described on page 
164. Stripped of repetition about “ bone phos¬ 
phate,” “ available ammonia,” “ potash sulphate,” 
etc., the analysis means that this fertilizer has three 
per cent of nitrogen, 10 per cent of phosphoric acid 
and a little over three per cent of potash. On ordinary 
soils we should want one per cent more of nitrogen 
and at least twice as much potash. The article re¬ 
ferred to on page 164 will explain the terms used in 
this analysis. There is no uniformity in the different 
State laws respecting the analyses to be printed on 
bags. Some require a simple statement of the amounts 
of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid present, while 
others demand a more detailed account. For this 
reason manufacturers doing business in many differ¬ 
ent States must adopt a “compromise analysis ” that 
will cover all requirements, or print a dozen or more 
different statements. This explains why some analy¬ 
ses are longer than necessary. There is no reason, 
however, why “bone phosphate” should be repeated 
three times in the above analysis. 2. We think not. 
The price is too high for profit. With green crops 
like clover, bone, ground fish, wood ashes or similar 
local wastes or fertilizing substances, you ought to 
be able to make up a cheaper fertilizer. What is done 
with bone, fish refuse, ashes, etc., from local sources ? 
Tell us that and we will try to help you. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
W. S. M., Geraldstown , W. Va —The R. N.-Y. has no 
right to sell anything s°nt to it for trial, and has never 
done so. 
H. H. C .—Buckwheat may be considered “ hard on 
the soil ” if a good crop is grown. It is a quick grow¬ 
ing crop and feeds largely in the upper soil. 
D C. McP., Garbutt, N. Y .—To get rid of the green 
flies on cabbage use the kerosene emulsion. Hellebore 
also will kill them. Use a tablespoonful to a gallon 
of water and spray. 
J. P., Manitoba. Canada .—By all means get all the 
unleached wood ashes you can for hauling three 
miles. Our prize competitions are open to all sub¬ 
scribers in any country. 
G. T., Monaca .—To get rid of ground moles in hot¬ 
beds, we should use the Hales mole trap. We do not 
see how gas lights around your farm would benefit 
your garden vegetables. 
Missouri Agricultural College .—W. E. H., Milwaukee, 
Wis.—There is an agricultural college at Columbia, 
Mo. The politicians of that State have done their 
best to kill off this college, but we understand it still 
lives—though feebly. 
Green Manure.— F. S., Osceola Mills, Pa—The plan 
you propose of sowing oats for fodder and clover with 
them to make a crop for turning in will answer. Three 
bushels of salt on half an acre will probably make the 
oats stiffer and taller. 
A. K, Washington, Mo .—The fertilizer mentioned 
is bone flour, which gives 3 per cent of nitrogen and 
20 of phosphate. You will need to add potash so as to 
give at least eight per cent to the mixture. We do 
not know the firm mentioned. 
A New Pop-corn.— H. P., Duke Center, Pa.—1. There 
isn’t a variety of pop-corn in existence that can pro¬ 
duce 10 ears to a stalk. 2, 3 and 4 —Tiie R. N.-Y. has 
not tried the Mapledale and we have only the cata¬ 
logue to look to for information. 
Blackbery Cane and Hardiness. —S. K , Peru, Ind.— 
Yes ; we too have noticed that blackberries with round 
canes are hardy, while those that are creased are not. 
The Agawam, for example, has round canes and is 
one of the hardiest kinds of blackberries. 
Perennial Cloves '.—W. H., Clarksburg, Ont.—The 
clover that you have read about, “said to be peren¬ 
nial, and that spreads by underground roots like Couch 
grass,” may be Alfalfa or Alsike. All seedsmen sell 
the seeds. We doubt if Alfalfa will stand your climate. 
. For Lawu Grasses. — J. R. R., Capitola, Md. — 1 . Blue 
grass and Red-top either or both. Sow now. 2. See 
last week’s R. N.-Y., as to the peas to plant with oats. 
Sow the latter and plant the former at once. Two 
bushels of oats to the acre will be about right. Yes, 
they make excellent feed if cut early. Plant from one 
to two inches deep. 
Sugar Maples for Shade .—Mr. F. A., Ilopeville, Iowa. 
—The Sugar or Rock maples are among the best of 
trees for such shades and small groves around rural 
homes. Do not choose the so-called sofo maples. 
They grow readily from seed. Thorburn & Co., 15 
John Street, or Henderson & Co., 37 Cortlandt Street, 
sell the seed. The price is from 10 to 20 cents an 
ounce. Plant at once. 
“ Tree Gooseberry.” —H. S. C., Clinton, Conn.—It is our 
impression that the Utah Wonder—the Watson Seed¬ 
ling Tree gooseberry—is not even worth a trial. Why 
does any one want a “ tree ” gooseberry ? It is easy 
to make a miniature tree of any gooseberry whatever. 
Nothing remarkable is claimed for the fruit. The 
Evergreen blackberry will not stand our friend’s 
climate. It is an interesting curiosity for those who 
have not raised it—that is all. 
Apples in Western New York .—A. S., Niagara Co., 
N. Y.—Bailey Sweet, Baldwin, Ben Davis, Blenheim, 
Cooper Market, Early Harvest, Esopus Spitzenburg, 
Fall Pippin, Fameuse, Golden Russet, Gravenstein, 
Mother, Northern Spy, Oldenburg, Peck’s Pleasant, 
Porter, Red Astrachan, Rhode Island Greening, Rib- 
ston, Roxbury Russet, Talman Sweet, Tompkins King, 
Twenty Ounce, Wealthy and Yellow Transparent. 
Take your choice from the above list. All thrive well 
in western New York. 
