264 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 15 
deeply, or turned about when transplanted, so as to 
have the outer curve stand toward the sun at 2 o’clock. 
I think this may be a point worth noting; but as 1 
have set very few budded trees, I am not very sure 
about it, as a practical matter. I do not think it 
worth while to pay much attention to oracular state¬ 
ments given without proof or reasons like the above. 
Ignorant people seem to have a great fancy for such, 
and are usually insulted by a request for evidence of 
their statements. t. h. hoskins. 
Orleans County, Vt. 
It is surprising what stories tree agents will get up 
to sell trees, and it is more surprising to see how 
people will believe these romances. There is no way 
by which an apple tree can be grown so perfectly and 
well as to set out a stock and grow it one season and 
bud it just above the ground or graft it at the collar. 
A better tree can be grown in this way, but not so 
cheaply as by root-grafting. Some nurserymen raise 
all their trees by budding while others raise all their 
apple trees by root-grafting. We do not suppose that 
there is really much difference in longevity in the two 
cases, so long as good trees are raised. Thei e are 
some varieties, however, that are less hardy than 
others, and when the scions go into the ground, as in 
root-grafting, they are more liable to cracking of the 
bark near the ground, owing to freezing and thawing: 
thus large portions of it die, leaving large scars which 
sometimes take several years to heal over. This we 
have never seen on budded trees, as the natural stock 
seems to be more hardy than many of our grafted 
sorts. From our experience in growing trees and 
from our observation we should say budded trees 
would make the longest-lived, Stephen hoyt’s sons. 
POTATO GROWING IN KANSAS. 
QUESTIONS. 
1. In general what proportion of a crop of potatoes Is maiketable? 
2. What variety with you yields the fewest small tubers? 3. Do you 
find any difference in this respect with different soils? Is a light, open 
soil better than a stiff, hard one? 4. Have you ever noticed any differ¬ 
ence where fertilizers or manures are used? 5. Has cultivation or 
preparation of the soil anything to do with It? (1. If you wanted to 
make a special effort to raise potatoes that would all be marketable, 
what variety, soil, manure and culture would you use? 
A Black Eye for Chemical Fertilizers. 
1. In a general way here, where potatoes are sorted 
much closer than in the East, not more than five- 
sixths of the crop is marketable. 2. I have tried 
hundreds of varieties—nearly all the new sorts—and 
have never found any kind which produces so few 
small tubers as the Early Ohio. There is the greatest 
difference in this respect with different sorts. Some 
kinds make nearly all they do make marketable; 
others make nearly all too small for sale. 3. Certainly; 
a light, open soil is far better than a stiff, hard one. 
My observation is that the latter cannot be profitably 
devoted to potato growing. 4. I have used for several 
years and to a considerable extent all the principal 
commercial fertilizers advertised. I have also used 
lime, plaster, etc., by the car-load. I have used 
tankage, dry blood and ground bone, and have never 
been able to see the slightest difference from any of 
these substances. With manure the case has been 
entirely different. Last year 1 fed some 200 head of 
cattle especially to provide fertilizer for my potato 
field. 1 believe I have never made a report to Thu 
Rural of the result. I will do so now : 
Not having my books with me, I cannot be correct 
to a dollar, but from memory, which I am sure is sub¬ 
stantially correct, I will say that from 22G head 
of cattle fed an average of about 85 days, under 
shelter, on a ration composed of corn meal, oil cake, 
bran and ensilage, I secured, in round numbers, 500 
wagon loads of droppings. These were applied to 
about 30 acres of potato ground, making a little over 
15 loads to the acre. When the potatoes were not 
more than two inches high the difference in the 
sturdiness of the stalks could be distinguished on the 
fertilized and unfertilized portions of the field. When 
the vines were nearly grown those on the fertilized 
part were so much larger than those on the unfertil¬ 
ized, that their size suggested that they must be a 
different variety. At the same time the variety, the 
quality of the seed, the time of planting, the condition 
of the soil, aside from the fertilization, were exactly 
the same in both cases. Of course the time of plant¬ 
ing varied by whatever time was required to go over the 
ground—probably three or four days. The result in 
round numbers was (50 bushels to the acre more tubers 
on the manured than on the unmanured portion of 
the farm. I reported last spring that I made a little 
money outside of the manure. Counting 60 bushels to 
the acre as the gain, on 30 acres I had 1,800 bushels 
of potatoes to show for the use of the manure. At 50 
cents per bushel, that would be $900 ; but potatoes 
with us are worth $1 per bushel, so that my manure 
proved to be a profitable investment. 
5. Cultivation and preparation of the soil are the 
most important factors in producing a crop of pota¬ 
toes. We farmers frequently use the expression, “ as 
fine as a garden.” That is just the condition in which 
the ground must be to raise potatoes most success¬ 
fully. My own practice is, whenever possible, to 
plow it in the fall and again in the spring. Last fall 
I was able to plow the entire 200 acres which I want 
to plant to potatoes next spring. The land will be 
plowed again in the spring, thoroughly harrowed or 
planked before planting and kept as free from weeds as 
the circumstances will admit of. As a preparation for 
potatoes, I have found nothing so valuable in the way 
of ‘‘green ” manuring as a crop of oats plowed under. 
After digging the early potatoes as far as possible, I 
sow the ground in oats, and after frost comes in the 
fall, when they will furnish an immense growth of 
straw, turn them under. I would rather have such a 
covering of oats plowed under in the fall than un¬ 
limited quantities of commercial fertilizer, free, to be 
used on ground not fall-plowed in the spring. 
6. I should plant the Early Ohio on sandy loam, fer¬ 
tilized with manure from stall-fed cattle. I would 
plant with an Aspinwall planter and cultivate with 
some shallow-running cultivator, keeping both harrow 
and Breed’s weeder out of the field, kdwin taylob. 
Wyandotte County, Kan. 
Manure Strained Through Clover. 
1. About three-fourths, since, for several reasons, I 
have nearly every year planted a large proportion of 
my crop on land that was not prepared for raising a 
crop of potatoes. 2. I am growing several varieties 
that produce about the same proportion of market¬ 
able tubers, but with my experience with the newer 
varieties up to the present time, I must give prefer¬ 
ence to the Green Mountain (or Delaware.) 3. No. 1. 
Yes; a great difference. No. 2. Yes; to get a good 
crop we must have a light soil prepared and cultivated 
so as to retain moisture during dry, hot weather. 4. 
Yes. 5. Most certainly. 6. My choice of all varieties 
would be the Green Mountain (or Delaware); the 
finest lot of all large, handsome tubers, I have ever 
grown was of this sort, planted in a low bottom field, 
being the fourth crop after it had been cleared from 
heavy timber. No manure or fertilizer had been used. 
My experience proves that I cannot expect the best 
results from planting seed grown with fertilizers in 
our primitive soils enriched with stable manure and 
clover 1 prefer well drained sandy bottom loam ; if 
recently cleared from timber so much the better. We 
get in this kind of land perfect subsoil drainage. I 
would scatter about 60 loads of fresh horse manure 
per acre and plow it under deep and the next spring 
seed to Red clover; the second June after seeding I 
would plow under the crop cf clover. It pays to rest 
the fields, one at a time, and give them this treat¬ 
ment, for afterwards we are nearly certain to get a 
big crop of fine potatoes each year for from three to 
five years, and the good results are plainly seen for 10 
years or more. 
When we use barnyard manure, whether fresh or 
rotten, it takes at least two years to get it so thor¬ 
oughly incorporated in the soil, that it will not hold 
open the surface and cause our crop to be injured dur¬ 
ing dry, hot weather. I want a loose soil, but a finely 
pulverized surface all the time after the crop has been 
planted, to retain moisture and keep the ground loose. 
The harrow, weeder and hoe cannot put ground 
heavily covered with manure, in proper condition for 
potatoes at an earlier date. After plowing under the 
clover we keep down weeds till frost. If I wanted to 
plant to first early varieties I would plant without re¬ 
breaking the ground. Fall plowing is as a rule, bet¬ 
ter for the first earlies, since the land is lighter, lying 
more loosely, warms up quicker and does not run to¬ 
gether so easily from the heavy spring rains. I plant 
the first early varieties about April 1, cutting the 
large tubers to pieces about the size of hens’ eggs; the 
plants of early varieties mature so quickly that if 
they come up slender and puny they have not time to 
grow and get stocky, and they do not throw out run¬ 
ners as do nearly all of the late sorts ; so that to get a 
strong hill we must plant enough tuber to give and 
support a strong sprout till the plant gets a firm hold 
on the soil. 
When I plant the Green Mountains on April 1, I re¬ 
break the ground, since they will not mature till in 
August and the light “gravelly” surface of fall- 
plowed ground causes them to be injured by the dry, 
hot weather of July. I get a more finely pulverized 
and closer surface on my spring-plowed soil which re¬ 
tains the moisture and resists the hot rays of the sun 
better than where it is fall-plowed and exposed to the 
frosts of winter. I plant in June to raise big, hand¬ 
some tubers; I plow the ground about three weeks 
before planting, so that all weeds are rotted before 
the time for putting in the crop 
I plant from four to six inches deep, one piece in a 
place ; if I want to seed heavily I plant all the closer; 
I believe the plants thrive better scattered along in 
this way. I plant early varieties from four to ten 
inches apart in the rows and late sorts from eight to 
fourteen inches, according to the variety, as some 
kinds need more room than others, and some will bear 
more crowding than others. I plant the Green Moun¬ 
tains from eight to ten inches apart in the rows with 
about 3% feet between rows. They throw out numer¬ 
ous runners and make big tops, but I want a stand 
and they don’t care if crowded, and will make “whop¬ 
pers” if one just stays with them. If the weather is 
very dry and hot I plant whole tubers about the size 
of hulled walnuts instead of cut pieces, since in my 
experience I have been able to get a stand with whole 
seed when cut seed were nearly all scalded after 
planting. 
I cover with a ridge over the seed and a deep furrow 
in the balk ; the ridge sheds the water into the balk 
and it is quickly carried away, so that the soil around 
the seed does not get wet and scald the latter, nor run 
together and become hard as soon as dry weather sets 
in ; each furrow carries off its share of the water and 
the field is not washed. When the sprouts on the seed 
are from three to four inches long I harrow across the 
planting till the furrows are dragged perfectly level. 
It is important that this harrowing be done at the 
proper time ; if delayed till the plants are up, the 
harrow in tearing down the ridges not only drags 
down and pulls out a great many, but it leaves long, 
stilted plants to tangle in the harrow or weeder at 
subsequent cultivations. If harrowed level at the 
proper time, we have stocky plants that are scarcely 
injured by the weeder or light harrow used, as it 
should be, at least twice after the plants are up. 
Next we give shallow cultivations with the double 
shovel or cultivator, being careful not to hill much till 
after the tubers are set, as this induces them to set up 
in the ridge, where they are affected by the dry 
weather and hot sun. We follow the cultivator with 
the hoe and take out every weed. After the tubers 
are set, we pull a little soil in between the hills to 
hold moisture and cover deeper any tubers that might 
be so shallow as to be injured by the sun or frost after 
the vines are dead. Solomon graves. 
Franklin County, Kan. 
Barberries That Breed Disease. 
J. E. D., Pritchardville, Mich. —Does The Rural 
know of any one who has had any experience with a 
barberry hedge ? There is such a hedge on the line 
between my farm and an adjoining one, and my wheat 
and oats near it have never amounted to anything 
since it has been of any size. They have been so 
badly blasted and shrunken as to be almost worthless 
every year. The owner of the hedge had last year 
27 acres of wheat that was so poor he did not cut it at 
all; but he did not think the hedge had anything to 
do with it. Others who have been watching the crops 
are satisfied that he is wrong. There were more than 
100 acres of wheat in the vicinity of the hedge las 
year, and a large proportion of it was not cut at all, 
and none of it was merchantable. 
Ans. —In 1760 Massachusetts passed a law making 
it an offence to allow barberry bushes to grow in the 
State. Farmers had noticed that grain rusted when¬ 
ever these bushes were near. A century later a Ger¬ 
man scientist proved that the barberry serves as a 
breeding place for one form of wheat rust, and that 
the fungus can be transferred from one to the other 
without difficulty. Down with that hedge ! It is a 
bad plague center. 
A Big Dose of Fertilizer. 
W. H. if., Wellington , Ohio. —1. Dare I put on from 
800 to 1,200 pounds of fertilizer for potatoes per acre. 
No one has ever tried such an experiment about here. 
2. I expect to use the trench system for raising pota¬ 
toes, but, on account of the scarcity of help, I would 
prefer to broadcast all the fertilizer if it would do 
nearly as well as putting it in the drills. Would it? 3. 
Can I reasonably expect 300 bushels per acre from this 
method as outlined ? I think that not more than 100 
bushels per acre are ordinarily raised, or at that rate. 
4. I have enough R. N. Y. No. 2’s to plant about two 
acres, and can get the State of Maine seeds handy ; 
would The Rural recommend them ? 
Ans. —1. Yes, you may safely use 1,200 or more. 2. 
It is our opinion that the most of the fertilizers had 
better be used in the trenches unless a very large 
amount (a ton to the acre for instance) be broadcasted. 
3 . If you go according to the trench system, you ought 
to get 300 bushels to the acre, and more than that 
under favorable conditions of season and suitable 
potato land. 4. For a large yield we should choose 
R. N. Y. No. 2. The State of Maine, however, is a 
good yield er. 
A Case That Needs a Vet. 
G. W. P., Clyde, Ohio —What is the matter with my 
two three-year-old colts ? In summers they ran at 
pasture and have been in the stable and barnyard 
during the winters. Their front feet are turning back 
and they are standing and walking on their toes. 
