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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Some Small Fruits And Their Food. 
C., Sitters , N. Y.— 1. What is the most hardy, pro¬ 
ductive and profitable red raspberry for field culture 
for our latitude (Albany N. Y.;) also the best black¬ 
berry for the same purpose? 2. What kind of soil— 
light or heavy—does the Parker Earle do best upon ? 
Is it considered among the most profitable and best 
for field culture and market? 3. What is The Rural’s 
trench system in planting potatoes? 4. Will soil only 
medium heavy stand the rich fertilizing required in 
the trench? Will there be danger from burning and 
about how much should be used per hill on potatoes ? 
5. Here is a mixture spread on the floor: six inches 
of air-dried muck, one inch of fine raw bone ground 
fine, two inches of unleached ashes spread in alternate 
layers and thoroughly mixed; is there any danger 
of its losing any of its fertilizing qualities by lying 
together mixed a long time? What would be the 
average analysis in nitrogen, phosphoric acid and 
potash, and about how much ought it to be worth per 
ton ? Would all the phosphoric acid in the bone be 
available in the mixture ? 
Ans. —1. We know of none better than Cuthbert. 
Agawam would be our choice among blackberries. 
Snyder is also very hardy and more productive, but 
the berries are smaller and not so good in quality. 
2. We do not know. It seems to thrive in any soil in 
which other varieties thrive. 3. We have given the 
details of the trench system so often in these columns 
that, from regard for the great majority of readers, 
we must beg to be excused from another description. 
Our friend should buy a copy of “ The New Potato 
Culture ” (price 40 cents) which explains every detail. 
4. Yes. There will be no danger of “ burning.” The 
fertilizer, whether 500 or 2,000 pounds be used to the 
acre, should be equally distributed in the trench after 
the seed pieces are covered with an inch of soil. 5. 
Muck is an indefinite substance. It may be worth as 
much as farm manure; it may be worthless except to 
modify the texture of soils. Our friend may estimate 
that raw bone contains about 20 per cent of phosphoric 
acid and three per cent of nitrogen. That is 100 
pounds of bone will contain 20 pounds of phosphate 
and three pounds of nitrogen The unleached ashes 
per 100 pounds will contain about five pounds of pot¬ 
ash and one pound of phosphate. There is no advan¬ 
tage to be derived from mixing the ashes and bone, 
and any heating or fermentation would release some 
of the nitrogen of the bone. Our friend may mix the 
ashes and bone on the floor according to weight, in 
the first instance to give the desired per cent of pot¬ 
ash and phosphate and by noting the depth of the 
layers he may guess approximately thereafter. 
The Bordeaux Mixture ; Trouble with Bean Weevils. 
J. F. B , Metuclien, N. J.—l. Is the mixture for spray¬ 
ing potatoes equally good for grapes, etc. ? There are 
so many recipes for the Bordeaux Mixture that I would 
like to be told the proper one for potatoes, grapes, 
etc. 2. Why are peas and beans so much more freely 
eaten by the weevil in the dwellinghouse than in the 
cold barn ? For two years those put away in the 
dwellinghouse have been almost totally destroyed, 
while those kept in the cold barn have not been in¬ 
jured. 
Ans. —1. Yes. Our own experience is that for potatoes 
(vines) one ounce of copper and one ounce of lime to 
every gallon of water are sufficient. Whether this 
formula would be strong enough for grape vines, we 
do not know. We do know that the original formula 
is unnecessarily strong. 2. We cannot account for it. 
The question is submitted to our entomological readers. 
That Wholesale Potato Culture. 
./. B. Jr., Naperville, III .—1 Will E. H. C, River 
Falls, Wis., who wrote on page 186, kindly tell me 
where he bought his potato sacks at five cents each 
and where he got his digger ? 2. How far apart are 
the potatoes planted and how are they cultivated ? 
Ans. —1. I buy my sacks of commissionmen at St. 
Paul and Minneapolis. They have been used once or 
twice for grain or feed and sometimes they are ripped 
somewhat. I have paid as high as 6% cents each and 
I bought one lot of 500 for 2% cents each that were 
almost as good as the 6 % cent ones. They are common 
gunny sacks and hold, when full, about 100 pounds. I 
bought my digger of Hoover & Prout, Avery, Ohio, in 
1888, and I think it has been the most profitable tool I 
have ever owned. 2. I plant my potatoes 32 inches 
apart in drills, one piece of two or three eyes every 
15 inches. In cultivating I began as soon as the seeds 
have been planted with a drag or harrow, made of 
light, well-seasoned wood, dressed down to 1^x1% 
inch, with three-eighth-inch steel teeth projecting 
through the wood 3% inches and 24 teeth to the sec¬ 
tion, each section to cut four feet, and one team can 
handle six sections with ease, but four sections are 
about all one man can care for. The important thing 
is to have the harrow light and the teeth sharp. Then 
harrow every other day until the rows can be seen 
across the field, then cultivate once in a row (I use 
hand cultivators with five diamond teeth) about three 
inches deep and as close to the row as possible. It is 
no matter if every hill is covered. I tell my men to 
cover all they can. I harrow again as fast as the 
ground is cultivated. I then let them stand a few 
days and again start the cultivators, running a little 
deeper than the first time and work the soil up to the 
row as much as I can. By the time they are all culti¬ 
vated the second time, the plants will be about the 
size of a six or eight-quart measure. Now comes the 
trying time to some. Take one horse and four sections 
of a light harrow and harrow the whole piece again, 
going squarely across the rows. This leaves the 
ground level and clear of weeds. The rest of the 
cultivating should be shallow and level, and with 
fairly good ground, 200 to 250 bushels per acre can be 
raised in 40 or 50 acre lots. e. h. currier. 
Gray-Haired Hen Manure In a Fertilizer. 
P. W. J., Pontiac, Mich. —I have from 40 to 60 bushels 
of hen manure bought of a neighbor. It is from 10 
years down to a day old, as I don’t think the roosts 
had ever been cleaned out before I bought it. It con¬ 
tains from 15 to 25 per cent of sand. I propose to sift 
it and use it for a base for a fertilizer for potatoes and 
truck, and some for corn. With 20 bushels of it, how 
much muriate or sulphate of potash and how much 
nitrate of soda must I use to make a No. lo potato 
manure ? 
Ans. —It is not safe to assume that this hen manure 
contains per 100 pounds over half a pound of nitrogen, 
three-quarters of a pound of phosphoric acid and one- 
third of a pound of potash. Our friend may therefore 
add to every 100 pounds of it five pounds of nitrate of 
soda, 10 of muriate of potash and 20 of bone flour. 
The plan of mixing adopted by Mr. Johnson, described 
on page 265, answered for his farm, which is naturally 
very good soil. Besides that, his hen manure is very 
carefully saved and cared for. P. W. J., should there¬ 
fore add a liberal amount of nitrogen and phosphoric 
acid. 
A Dangerous “ New Variety of Clover.” 
W. D. K., Chicago, III. —The following clipping is 
taken from the Sunday Chicago Tribune April 9, 1893: 
While engaged In thrashing a new variety of clover on the farm of 
Stephen I’layford to-day, the workmen near the machine suddenly 
became unconscious, and for several hours remained In a critical con¬ 
dition. The men had the appearance of being asphyxiated, and It Is 
supposed that some active vegetable poison was carried In the dust 
which arose when the machine commenced thrashing. 
Is this a new disease being worked out by process 
of evolution on the changed condition of things pro¬ 
duced by man’s art ? Clover comes high, but The 
Rural says farmers must have it ? Is this not a new 
role in clover culture ? A botanist, Mr. Higgins, a 
member of the Gray Memorial Botanical Chapter 
Agassiz Association, recently showed a collection of 
weed seeds found in a spoonful of commercial oats 
supplied for horse feed, and counted 36 different seeds 
in it, some of which he could identify. 
Ans. —Our judgment is that this item, which has 
gone all over the country, is a “ fake ”—just about as 
near the facts as the daily press generally gets. 
Food for a Meadow. 
“ Subscriber,” Penlield, N. Y. —1. I have a meadow 
and also a lot of new seeding ; would the following 
application be good to produce a growth of grass: 200 
pounds of a phosphate analyzing soluble phosphoric 
acid, eight per cent, potash, one to two per cent, and 
100 pounds of muriate of potash mixed with it per 
acre, to be sown immediately ? 2. Will corn or pota¬ 
toes planted in drills yield more than if rowed both 
ways ? The ground is to be quite heavily fertilized, 
but is weedy. 
An s. —1. You need nitrogen, and do not need so much 
potash as you propose using. Use 50 pounds of nitrate 
of soda and 50 of muriate (instead of 100 of the latter) 
with the “ phosphate.” 2. Yes, if you can keep them 
clean. The objection to drill planting is that it is not 
possible to cultivate both ways, and, unless a harrow 
or weeder is used early in the season, much hand work 
is needed. 
About Grasses for Sale. 
D. C., Massachusetts. —1. What would be a good 
formula for permanent mixed grass for this latitude— 
northern Massachusetts ? 2. What are the compara¬ 
tive merits of Timothy and Orchard grass as a basis of 
permanent grass? 3 Would it be practicable or desir¬ 
able in any respect to replace the corn crop with per¬ 
manent grass, exchanging the latter for the former in 
the market ? 4. What would be a good fence, simple, 
durable, tasteful and yet inexpensive for a stretch of 
100 reds on a rather retired, yet public highway, and 
within which a few cows and a horse are occasionally 
pastured ? 
Ans. —Assuming that you wish to sell hay, we believe 
that Timothy alone, with clover at seeding down will 
be more profitable than any mixture. This grass 
sells better in the market than any other and with 
occasional dressings of fertilizer will give profitable 
crops for many years. 2. Orchard grass gives an early 
feed and must be cut earlier than Timothy. When 
cut early it gives hay of fair quality, but will not sell 
so well as Timothy. 3. Certainly, the corn ground 
might be plowed and seeded to wheat or rye and 
Timothy. We should prefer to seed to grass with a 
grain crop. When any of the grass lands fail they 
could be plowed and planted to corn, which crop could 
be followed by grain and grass. By top-dressing the 
grass with fertilizers you can get many crops without 
replowing. 4. We suggest one of the coiled wire 
fences advertised in The R. N.-Y. 
Bone and Potash In Orchards. 
C. H. C., Hollis, N. H. —1. In plowing an orchard 
should the bone and potash be plowed under or har¬ 
rowed in after plowing? 2. Will trees standing in 
mowing receive the full benefit of bone and potash 
sown on as atop-dressing ? 
Ans. —1. We should harrow after plowing by all 
means. 2. No, the grass will be more or less helped 
and we should put on enough for both crops 
Foot Rot and Wood Ashes. 
J. H. H., Bancroft, Mich. —1. Is there any cure for 
foot rot in sheep? 2. For what crop are wood ashes 
of the most value? 3. Will they cause scab on po¬ 
tatoes ? 
Ans. —1. Certainly. Catch the sheep and pare away 
the hoof until the sore part is well exposed* Clean it 
thoroughly and apply tar. If necessary, bind up the 
foot so as to keep the tar dressing in place. 2. We 
should prefer orchards, grass or grain, though they are 
good for all crops. 3. That has been our experience 
as well as that of many of our readers. We should 
always broadcast ashes on potatoes. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
D. D. U., Annville, Pa .—Hellebore water will kill 
the lice on currant stalks—so will kerosene emulsion. 
E. L., Marion, S. D .—The Shepherdia argentea 
described on page 208, is sold by Siebrecht & Wadley, 
New Rochelle, N. Y. 
Condition Powder for Cows. —J. B., Hanover, N. J.— 
The “ condition powder” given twice recently in The 
R. N.-Y., is as good as any for cows. 
Rotten Chips. —G. W. K., (Address mislaid).—Rotten 
hardwood chips and sawdust will be of little value as 
a fertilizer unless they are so rotten as to have become 
like soil. 
Wood Ashes, Alfalfa— H. J. H., Oran N. Y.-We 
should use wood ashes on the orchard rather than on 
potatoes. It is best to seed Alfalfa alone. See article 
on another page. 
Hen Manure. —T. B. H., Warwick, Mass.—To use 
hen manure for seeding to grass we should grind or 
crush it as fine as possible, broadcast it on plowed 
ground and harrow in. 
JET. W ., Mlnaville, N. Y. —We think you can do enough 
better work with a Knapsack sprayer to pay the extra 
cost of the outfit. We should try wood ashes or a 
mixture of bone and potash on the soil that makes a 
too rank growth of wood and leaf. 
Kaffir Com. —J. K. N., Greensburg, Ohio.— This 
plant’s rightful name is Rural Branching Sorghum. 
It will not mature seed north of Virginia. It is a 
splendid fodder crop. Many stems grow from a single 
seed and when cut back the stump will sprout into 
new growth. 
Crimson Clover. —R. M. W., Bloomington, Ind.—This 
is an annual clover. In the North it is too tender to 
stand the winter and it would be necessary to sow in 
the spring. The seed of course matures the first year. 
We have no information that it will stand the winter 
north of, say, Delaware and Virginia. 
Dwarf Juneberry .—J. A. T., Washington, Vt.—This 
plant is of the rose family and its botanical name is 
Amelanchier Canadensis—the variety “alnifolia” 
being more dwarf than other kinds. It is a native 
shrub and as hardy as a currant. It bears beautiful 
berries in abundance, but the flavor is insipid. 
Japanese Wlneberry. —J. F. B., Waukon, Iowa.—Tins 
is a queer raspberry and as a curiosity is worth trying. 
The descriptions in the catalogues are about right as 
to its appearance and the sepals of the calyx which 
cover the forming berries. At the Rural Grounds it 
is not hardy. The berries are rather small and soft ; 
the flavor somewhat acid. 
Bromus Ineimis. —W. D. II., Boston, Mass.—Accord¬ 
ing to the Iowa Station, it is valued for that section 
for its drought-resisting qualities. It grows about 
three feet high. It starts late in spring, blooming in 
June. It produces runners like those of Bermuda 
grass and is not easy to exterminate when well estab¬ 
lished. It is very hardy. It must be cut when young, 
as the culms soon become woody. About 60 pounds 
are sown to the acre. The North Carolina Station 
says that this Hungarian brome will grow upon soils 
too poor and too dry for anything else. The hay at 
best, however, is inferior. 
