1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
365 
trees, and many stung plums, shows conclusively that 
this remedy is not all that can be desired. If we had 
a great crop of plums, and the curculios were not very 
abundant, I dare say the remedy might prove satis¬ 
factory. If, on the other hand, we had few plums, 
and many curculios, this remedy would utterly fail to 
give satisfaction or save our crop. Thus it is easy 
to understand the verdict of the practical plum grow¬ 
ers: that it will not do to rely on the arsenites in this 
combat. 
The Jarring Method. —The older method is entirely 
effective, is not expensive and will prove a success in 
all cases and under all conditions. The jarring should 
commence as soon as the little withered calyx that 
has crowned the fruit falls off ; or just as soon as we 
see the little crescent-shaped cut which snows that 
the insects have commenced work. This occurs here 
the last of May. It is not usually necessary to jar 
every day ; frequently we can omit one, and often 
two or three days. If we get even half a dozen of the 
weevils from any tree, we should jar this tree again 
the next day. The period for jarring usually lasts 
a little over a month, or runs into July. The time to 
jar is either very early or late in the day. As the dew 
is unpleasant, I have always jarred in the early even¬ 
ing, waiting, as late as I could, still having daylight. 
If we have but a few trees, our sheet, which should 
be 9 to 15 feet square, the size depending on that of 
our trees, may be slit from the middle of one side to 
the center and tacked or sewed to three light pine 
strips, one of which is as long as one side of the sheet 
and the other two each half as long. The short 
pieces are fastened to the slit side, one each side of 
the slit, and the long piece is fastened to the i ide 
opposite. These pieces make it easy to carry the 
sheet from tree to tree and to place it under each. 
The slit makes it possible to put the center of the 
sheet close to the trunk of the tree. It really takes 
three to handle this rapidly. I have sometimes used 
a light frame to hold the sheet, and then one man 
could handle it more quickly and easily. In case we 
have a large number of trees, the sheet should be 
mounted on a frame carried by one or two wheels, 
and should be concave above like an inverted umbrella. 
It is slit on one side so that its center may be brought 
immediately under the center of the tree. Tt is so cool 
in the early morning or late evening that one can jar 
a number of trees before stopping to collect and kill 
the insects. Sometimes a pocket is fastened under 
the center of the sheet, and, by flopping the frames 
that hold it, the weevils may be shaken into this 
pocket and trapped till we have jarred all the trees, 
when they may be collected and killed. This wheel¬ 
barrow or cart arrangement has been much used on 
our west Michigan Lake Shore. After the sheet is 
once in place, a quick, sharp blow on the trunk of a 
small tree, or on each limb of larger ones, dislodges 
the beetles, and they fall into the sheet. Caution is 
necessary that in striking the trees we do not injure 
them. I have padded a mallet by use of carpeting, 
and it has given entire satisfaction. With it I could 
jar down all the insects into the sheets without wound¬ 
ing the bark at all. I have seen the rubber rolls of a 
clothes wringer recommended for use in making a mal¬ 
let. A hard- wood rake handle is cut smaller at one 
end so as to form a shoulder and pressed tightly into 
the rubber ; as the wood does not reach quite through, 
we can strike the limb with the end or sides of the 
rubber. It is said to work well. It is also recom¬ 
mended to saw off limbs or drive in spikes which may 
be struck with an iron hammer. I have kept five 
trees free of nsects in my little orchard, with an ex¬ 
penditure of 15 minutes per day for 20 days. The large 
plum growers tell me that it costs from three to seven 
cents per tree to do effective work. Surely this is no 
serious expense. A. j. cook. 
OATS OR WHEAT FOR HENS. 
THE QUESTIONS. 
1. Which Is the cheaper food for hens for eggs—good oats at 50 
cents per 32 pounds, or good wheat at $2 per 100 pounds? 2. Would a 
smaller kernel, even If It Is shriveled, of red wheat be just as good 
feed for hens for eggs, as a plump white kernel containing (sup¬ 
posedly) a greater proportion of starch ? 
1. At this season the oats are the cheaper, as they 
are a little less carbonaceous and contain a more equal 
supply of egg food. 2. The grain containing the least 
proportion of starch should be preferred. At this sea¬ 
son poultry demand less fat and starch, p. h. Jacobs. 
1. Wheat at $2 per 100 pounds would be much cheaper 
than oats at 50 cents per bushel; besides, I do not 
consider oats fit food for hens; they have no teeth 
with which they can grind up their feed, and the 
woody shucks that cover the oats are too hard for 
them to grind up in their gizzards, and, if fed to them 
regularly, will cause them to get crop-bound. 2. A 
small and shriveled kernel of wheat is not fit to feed 
unless it is ground. Grain that is only partly ma¬ 
tured is not a cheap feed at any price, but, if the ker¬ 
nels are plump and well-matured, their size would 
make no difference. J. h. seedy. 
1. While I would prefer to feed both the oats and 
wheat, even at the prices named, which are somewhat 
above the present market rates; were I to have but 
one, I would take the wheat, and believe I would get 
better returns for the money invested. Wheat is 
altogether too low in this country ; it is worth more 
money when manufactured into eggs. 2. I have fed 
both red and white wheat, and failed to notice any 
difference in the result. I prefer plump, sound grains 
to those shrunken or sprouted, at the same price per 
pound. I have no objection to feeding shrunken and 
slightly sprouted wheat, provided it is sweet (not 
musty), but am hardly ever able to buy it for what it 
is worth compared with the market price of sound 
milling wheat. At present I am feeding wheat for 
which I paid a little above the market price on ac¬ 
count of its extra quality. c. h. wtckoff. 
1. I cannot answer from actual experiment, as I 
never insulted my hens by confining them to one kind 
of grain. At the prices named, I should divide my 
money half and half and invest in the two grains. If 
I were to be confined to either grain, I think I’d prefer 
the wheat. 2. Give me (and also my hens) the plump 
and fully developed kernels. Nature has done its best 
in producing the plump kernels. The best is none too 
good for a hen. In buying oats for my hens I always 
try to get the best, or what are called clipped oats in 
our market. I think in the case of the clipped oats 
Nature has done its best, and some Yankee has in¬ 
vented a machine to improve Nature’s work. The 
machine seems to sort out the large, plump kernels 
and clip off the sharp ends, leaving only the best parts 
of the kernels. They make splendid feed for hens. 
New York. o. w. marks. 
Grow Feathers to Their Death. 
L. P., Glendale, Mass. —What ails my chickens wheD 
their wings grow faster than the rest of the body ? I 
have several every year—about one to a brood—in 
which this occurs, and they nearly always die. I have 
been advised to clip their wings, and have done so, 
but I can’t see that it does any good, for they die just 
the same, and I see no reason. 
Ans. —Chicks of certain breeds (or their crosses), 
such as Games, Leghorns, Hamburgs, Dorkings, etc., 
feather very rapidly, while those of the Cochin and 
Brahma breeds develop feathers slowly. As the pro¬ 
duction of feathers is a drain on the system, some 
chicks succumb, especially if exposed to the least 
dampness. The remedy is to keep them dry, feed four 
times a day, and give a proportion of lean meat and 
ground bone in the food. If the weather is not damp, 
a teaspoonful of sulphur, once a day, to 50 chicks, will 
prove beneficial. p. n. Jacobs. 
Diarrhea In Lambs. 
D. B., Fort Howard, Wls. —What ailed the lambsi? 
They were dropped in March and April and continued 
good and strong for 24 hours after birth, when they 
were attacked by diarrhea, and died within a few hours. 
The trouble could not have been caused by the ewes’ 
milk, for in the case of twins, very often one would 
die, while the other would not be in the least affected. 
They were comfortably housed, fed on unthrashed oats 
and peas, mixed clover and Timothy and wheat bran. 
Ans. —Your description gives us no definite clue as 
to the cause, except that judging from the age of the 
lambs it probably lies in the management, feeding or 
condition of the ewes. In that case it can be pre¬ 
vented only by ascertaining and knowing the cause. 
Medical treatment would be of little or no avail. 
This Horse Needs Pasture and a Vet. 
D. D. C., Westfield, N. J .—Lately I came into posses¬ 
sion of a horse that had been overheated last summer. 
The owner turned him out to grass through the late 
summer and fall. With the exception of the loss of 
the hair on his neck and head, he seemed all right 
again. Last winter he stood constantly in a stall. 
The man who had charge of him neglected him so that 
he became poor, his penis came out and hangs down 
six or ten inches, as in case of a young colt. This may 
have been occasioned by want of exercise and poor 
feeding. About four inches from the end a ring has 
formed, making the penis at that point double the 
natural size. What can I do to cause the hair to grow, 
and bow shall I remove that swelling and give him 
strength to hold his penis in place ? 
Ans. —Place the horse in a pasture (stable at night 
until it becomes warmer), but continue a moderate ra¬ 
tion of oats and bran to improve his general condition. 
Thorough daily grooming, using a soft brush or coarse 
cloth on the denuded skin, will improve bis coat. A 
mild stimulant might also be applied to the skin of 
the neck, as diluted spirit, arnica or soap liniment, 
well rubbed in with the hand. A surgical opera¬ 
tion will probably be required on the penis. I would 
advise taking the horse to a competent veterinary sur¬ 
geon for a personal examination. f. l. kilborne. 
Fertilizer Mixture for Strawberries. 
G. F. C., Candia, N. H. —1. Would 1,500 pounds of the 
following mixture be good for strawberries and small 
fruits generally : 400 pounds of dissolved bone, 600 of 
dissolved bone-black, 320 of muriate of potash, 200 of 
nitrate of soda, 100 of sulphate of ammonia ? What 
would be an approximate analysis of the mixture, and 
what would the ingredients cost unmixed ? 2. Can a 
hand wheel hoe be used to advantage in cultivating 
strawberries where rows are near together ? 
Ans. —It is not an economical fertilizer for small 
fruits. We would suggest the following instead: 
Pounds. 
Dissolved bone-black. 200 
Uaw-bone flour. 000 
Muriate of potash. 300 
Nitrate of soda . 100 
Sulphate of ammonia. 100 
1. The bone-black would contain probably 40 pounds 
of phosphoric acid; the raw-bone flour 120 pounds of 
phosphoric acid, and 18 pounds of nitrogen in a slowly 
soluble state; the muriate would contain about 150 
pounds of potash ; the nitrate of soda 15- pounds of 
nitrogen, and the sulphate of ammonia about 20 
pounds. This would give about 4 per cent of nitrogen, 
12 per cent of phosphate, and about 11 per cent of 
potash. The retail price of muriate of potash is about 
4% cents a pound ; soluble phosphate is worth about 
6% cents per pound ; nitrogen is worth about 15 cents 
a pound. 2. Oh, yes. 
Strawberries, Tobacco and Rye. 
A. G. W., Reidenbach's Store P. 0-, Pennsylvania .—Is 
it practical and profitable to raise strawberries and 
tobacco in rotation, say to plant strawberries about 
May 5 and the following year, after the strawberries 
are gathered, devote the land to tobacco, which can be 
set out here any time before July 1. Then after the 
tobacco has been housed—about September 10—sow 
rye on the land, to be plowed under May 5, or when it 
is heading ; and again plant strawberries, using com¬ 
mercial fertilizers only ? My soil is calcareous with a 
yellow clay subspil. Is rye of any benefit for straw¬ 
berries if used in such a way ? 
Ans. —This plan would be intensive farming, and is 
practical and possibly profitable by using proper com¬ 
mercial fertilizers in sufficient quantity. The greatest 
drawback would be to get the ground with rye plowed 
under in good condition for planting strawberries, and 
again to get the strawberry patch well prepared for 
tobacco. If the weather is too wet or too dry at these 
periods, it may prevent one from getting the ground 
in condition for planting in the short time within 
which it should be done. It is doubtful whether rye 
would be of any special benefit to the strawberries 
except to add humus to the soil to make it more friable 
for future cropping. H. m. eng be. 
Shavings for Bedding. 
J. L. P., Glendale , Mass. —Some of the older farmers 
say that to use many shavings for bedding will spoil 
the manure, but they give no reason for their belief. 
I am using them and would like The R. N.-Y.’s advice 
in the matter. 
Ans.— We suppose you refer to the fine shavings 
from planing mills. We have found them in use on 
many stock farms and have never heard of any com¬ 
plaints about the manure. The R N.-Y. has not used 
them. We shall be glad to have those who have done 
so tell us what they think about the matter. 
To Make Cacti Bloom. 
G. T. D., Collinsville, Conn. —On page 291 of The 
Rural Mrs. J. A. M. recommends lime for cacti ; 
would this treatment be advisable for plants one 
wishes to live ? My plants look healthy and grow, but 
fail to bloom. What treatment would cause them to 
reward me with blossoms ? 
Ans.— We fancy your cacti would bloom if they 
were placed in poorer soil and not watered so often. 
We do not know that lime would have any effect in 
precipitating blossoming. 
Waated! A Good Coffee Substitute. 
O. S. P., Winslow, Me. —Among the readers of The 
Riral is any good substitute for coffee known. I 
drank the genuine article for many years, and my 
breakfast, was incomplete without it. Then after a 
hard fight I had to give it up. I want to find some 
drink with an agreeable bitter taste, and have tried 
chicory and the so-called hygienic coffees, but they 
do not fill the bill. 
Ans.— We have used roasted rye and also dried and 
ground carrots, but can’t say that we “ hanker after 
them.” The Soja bean is used to some extent as a 
coffee substitute. Who among our readers can add 
to the list ? 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Killing Caterpillars —J. G. S., Philadelphia, Pa.— 
To kill these pests on poplars, spray them with helle¬ 
bore water, or buhach water, or Paris-green water. 
Use two tablespoonfuls of either hellebore or buhach 
and a teaspoonful of Paris-green to two gallons of 
water. 
