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637 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
cut corn stalks. In a few days bloody water appeared 
with attendant sickness. One died, and the rest were 
driven in the direction of Gen. Lee’s army. No cattle 
in my neighborhood died or were sick that year. The 
disease cannot result from tick poison, because ticks 
are less poi.-onous than other parasites that prey upon 
the skin of men or animals, except natives that are bred 
in the hair or wool of all quadrupeds, and, I regret to 
say, of some bipeds also ; so that scientists of our ex¬ 
periment stations and other professional veterinarians 
must go beyond ticks and the whole class of the 
arachnidae before they can arrive at the true etiology 
of the so-called Texas fever. G. e. h. 
Jonesboro, Va. 
A Pair of Pears. —Neither the Lincoln Coreless nor 
the Japan Golden Russet pear is blight-proof here, the 
latter having blighted this season at one time with all 
the malignity of the common Japan seedlings. I do 
not see why the Japan Golden Russet should have 
been introduced as a valuable variety, as it very much 
resembles in fruit the China Sand, Sandwich Island 
and kindred varieties, having the same fresh water 
mussed taste and being of the same size and shape. It 
is well enough when one has nothing to say, to say 
nothing ; and when a nurseryman has nothing to 
introduce, to introduce nothing. The fruit is quite 
pretty, however, with its smooth, cinnamon russet and 
gray dots, and the tree is ornamental—for a pear. 
Sangamon County, Ill. bf.nj. buckman. 
[Every query must be acoompanled by the name and address of the 
writer to Insure attention. Before asking a question please see If It la 
not answered In our advertising columns Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
Are Dorsets the Best for Earlv Lambs? 
J. O. H., Philadelphia. —I see very little mention 
made of the Dorset Horn sheep in the advertising 
columns of The Rural New-Yorker, and yet I’m 
inclined to think that the Dorset Horn is a good 
mutton breed. The Shropshires are rather gross or 
coarse and large for me and I found last winter that 
generally they drop single lambs. Oat of 20 not a 
single ewe of mine had two lambs, though I had an 
expensive Shropshire buck. I want blocky, medium 
lambs and sheep for store trade—mutton principally. 
What better buck can I get than a Dorset or a Shrop¬ 
shire ? I find The Rural the best of the five farm 
papers I take. 
Ans. —We have often stated the facts about Dorset 
Horn sheep. There is no question about their mutton 
qualities. It is generally admitted that they are the 
most prolific sheep we have, yielding a greater propor¬ 
tion of twin lambs than any other breed. Mr. Wood¬ 
ward and others also claim that they are very hardy 
and easy keepers. Two objections noted are that they 
have large horns and white faces. The public are in 
the habit of looking for black faces and polled heads 
in early lambs, still this prejudice will not live. We 
should try Dorsets. 
Curing Sweet Corn Seed. 
C. P. W., Wellsburg, W. Va. —I have a choice lot of 
Evergreen sweet corn which I wish to save' for seed. 
It is too hard for table use. How can I best save and 
dry it for seed, and at the same time seed the ground 
to wheat ? The corn will have to be cut before I can 
sow the wheat, as the last storm blew it all down. 
Ans. —Cut the corn in fair-sized shocks and let it dry 
out thoroughly. If possible, before a heavy rain husk 
it and spread thinly on open stages or over wire net¬ 
ting in well ventilated barns or cribs. The object in 
curing seed sweet corn is to keep it bright and uncol¬ 
ored. If you could leave the corn standing on the 
ground it would be better to simply top the stalks or 
even to strip the ears, turn the husks back, and leave 
the stalks standing. In a general way the best advice 
is to get the ears out of the field as soon as the corn is 
wrinkled and hard, and store under cover where the 
air can freely circulate among them. 
What Clover Does for Corn. 
B. B., Farmingdale, III .—In talking with one of the 
correspondents of The R. N.-Y., I made the assertion 
that by seeding our ground to clover and pasturing it 
for a few years we could so bring it back to its orig¬ 
inal fertility that we could raise just as large crops 
of corn as we could 50 or more years ago. Well this 
is proved here in practice. But he dissented and 
argued that the potash and nitrogen would still be 
lacking, and that they would not return to the soil 
unless they were placed there by man, except that a 
minute quantity of the nitrogen might come in the 
snows and rains. The land would continue “potash, 
etc., sick,” as he expressed it. Now if this is the case, 
how does a rotation of crops improve each crop ? 
After the land has been planted to corn for a number 
of years, the material in the soil for making corn 
diminishes so that the land is said to be “run out” for 
corn. But let wheat be sown for a year or two and a 
decided improvement may be noticed in the succeed¬ 
ing corn crop. The objector says : “ We cannot get 
something from nothing.” Very true, but we do get 
the immense yields of corn from the clover pastured 
fields that we got 50 years ago. Probably all the ways 
in which fertility comes to the soil are not known yet. 
Ans. —Is there not some mistake as to what was said 
about clover? Probably he meant phosphoric acid 
instead of nitrogen. There is no doubt that land may 
be greatly improved by pasturing clover—especially 
by hogs. Experiments have shown that “ hogging 
down” gave better results than when the entire growth 
of clover was turned under. Land good enough to 
grow clover can be brought to a good state of cultiva¬ 
tion by the couise you mention, because in the in¬ 
creased weight of the hogs comparatively little fer¬ 
tility is taken away, while the most of the clover is 
changed to a good quality of manure. The following 
table shows approximately the amounts of fertility 
taken from the farm in one ton : 
POUNDS IN ONE TON. 
Nitrogen. Phos. acid. Potash. 
Live cattle. 53 37 3)4 
Live sheep. 45 27 3 
Live pigs. 40 18 3HS 
Clover hay. 40 11 37 
A ton of pork added to half-grown shotes will take 
even less than the amounts credited to live hogs. You 
will see, therefore, that one ton of pork is less ex¬ 
hausting to the soil than one ton of clover hay, while 
the crop worked over by the hogs is in excellent shape 
for manuring. You will thus see the difference be¬ 
tween pasturing the clover and taking it away as hay. 
In the latter case the land could not produce the good 
corn crop without extra manure or fertilizer. But 
where does the extra fertility come from ? Clover gets 
hold of it, but how and where ? After feeding off the 
clover the soil will produce more corn This is partly 
due to a better mechanical condition of the soil and 
partly to the fact that the soil’s fertility is belter placed 
—that is, it is nearer the surface and more available. 
Clover does not add to the supply of potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid in the soil. It collects these elements, how¬ 
ever. Its strong, deep roots run everywhere and pene¬ 
trate into depths of the soil that are never visited by 
the corn roots. There they feed and grow, making use 
of materials that the corn roots cannot utilize, storing 
them in the upper part of tee soil for future use. To 
a slight extent, too, the acids of these roots are able 
to dissolve and utilize some of the previously insoluble 
potash and phosphoric acid in the soil. So far as these 
two elements are concerned, therefore, you will see 
that the clover acts as a scavenger or collector, hunt¬ 
ing them up in out-of-the-way places, as it were, and 
putting them in available shape for the corn. As to 
nitrogen, it seems to have been clearly proved that 
clover has the power of “capturing” it from the 
air. On page 321 of this year’s R. N -Y. we gave the 
facts about the experiments at the Storrs Experiment 
Station. They clearly proved that the clover obtained 
nitrogen from the air. Aside from its fertilizing value, 
the clover leaves the soil in a better mechanical con¬ 
dition. We think this will explain why clover pro¬ 
vides a good meal for the corn plant. Of course, this 
could not go on forever, for there must eventually 
come a time when the naturally available supplies of 
potash and phosphoric acid will be exhausted. Clover 
will actually add nothing but nitrogen. 
An Alfalfa Catechism. 
F. V. C., Julietta, Ind —I have read J. E. Wing’s 
article on Alfalfa—page 601—and, being interested in 
procuring a good winter cow feed such as he says this 
is, and being entirely ignorant in regard to the culture 
of this plant, I would like to ask a few questions 
about it. Will Alfalfa succeed in central Indiana ? 
What soil is best suited to it ? When and how should 
seed be planted to insure the best results ? What is 
the cost of the seed, and how much is required per 
acre ? How does it compare with Red or Scarlet 
clover as a milk producer ? What is its value as a 
manurial crop to be plowed under green ? Is it an 
annual or perennial ? When is the proper time for 
cutting it for hay, and how is it best cured ? Will 
horses eat it, and how does it suit them ? How does 
it compare with Hungarian grass or German millet in 
the yield per acre ? 
Ans. —It is a good thing to get direct questions, 
starting at the very genesis of a subject one has 
thought quite written out and worked up. It reminds 
us that “truth is forever new,” and questions like 
these have been asked and answered over and over for 
200 years, and will be to the end. We are always 
wanting something new to write about, when truly 
the old facts and items of practice and experience are 
the best things after all. In the first place Lucern or 
Alfalfa is a kind of perennial clover. It should endure, 
after being well established, about 15 years in full 
vigor. It should then be plowed up and the ground 
should not be reseeded for a few years. It nurtures 
the root tubercles that seem to have the faculty of 
of secreting free atmospheric nitrogen, and has been 
found by experiment and farm practice to improve 
soils quite as much as Red clover, if not more. It will 
thrive in any fairly fertile soil where water never 
stands on the surface or in the subsoil within three 
or four feet of the surface. It prefers a warm climate, 
but is at home wherever Indian corn is. Seed should 
be sown broadcast on clean, freshly plowed and mel¬ 
low land in April, at the rate of 20 pounds to the acre. 
It should cost about eight cents per pound. There is 
no richer or sweeter hay for cattle, cows, horses, 
sheep or swine. In cutting it for hay, my rule is to 
cut while the blossoms are coming out, say, when they 
are about half out, for one should not delay too long as 
it will get woody. It should be cured like clover. 
Mow it twice the first summer, even if it does not get 
12 inches tall. Horses eat it greedily with no bad re¬ 
sults whatever except that it may cause them to get 
too fat. I have never raised German millet, but doubt 
if there is any other forage plant that can be planted 
that will yield such abundant returus of feed at so 
small an expense and of such good quality as Lu¬ 
cern. It is least affected by drought, seems to have 
no insect enemies, and is a thing of beauty and a joy 
forever wherever in my experience I have seen it 
tried. I’ll try to communicate with farmers in Kansas 
who raise seed and make arrangements whereby 
readers of The R. N.-Y. may obtain it next spring at 
practically producers’ prices. I have not thought till 
this year that seed would perfect itself very well here ; 
but I had some clumps growing in the dooryard that 
escaped the mower, and they perfected great quanti¬ 
ties of very nice seed. I think of letting one piece go 
to seed next year, not mowing at all, or very early, 
to see what it will do. J. e wing. 
Woodside Farm, Ohio. 
Potash and Bone in Muck. 
N. PL. E., Sag Harbor, L. I. —The directions given 
on page 589, under the caption, “ What to do with 
muck,” need to be a little more complete in order to 
be very valuable. We are told there to remember 
that muck is not a perfect manure; it lacks potash 
and phosphoric acid, and that we can add them in 
muriate of potash and bone. How much of each ? If 
I make a compost heap eight feet wide and 16 long, 
beginning, as directed, with eight inches of muck, 
covered with enough fresh lime to make it quite 
white, and put on this, say, four inches more of muck, 
then six inches of manure, how many pounds of 
muriate of potash and how many of ground bone 
should be added to make an approximately “ perfect 
manure ? ” 
Ans.— Muck varies very much in composition, but 
perhaps the following is a fair average : 
POUNDS IN A TON. 
Nitrogen. Phos. Acid. Potash. 
Manure. 10 5 12 
Muck. 11 2)4 — 
The muck contains practically no potash and but 
half as much phosphoric acid as the manure, which 
of itself is weak in this element. You should use 
about three tons of the muck to one of manure. This 
will give not far from 3 000 pounds for each foot in 
height of your heap, and you can safely add 30 pounds 
of muriate of potash and 40 pounds of ground bone 
for each foot in the pile. 
Farcy In a Pony. 
H. M. H., Paola, Fla .—I have a mustang pony 
whose legs, especially the back ones, are very much 
swollen, and he has small lumps on his body, espe¬ 
cially under the belly. He stands still most of the 
time, and lies down in the sun. He has no difficulty 
in gettiug up. His appetite is good and eyes bright. 
What should be done for him ? There is no discharge 
from the nose, so I don’t think it is farcy. 
Ans. —The pony is evidently suffering from farcy. 
The fact that there is no nasal discharge is no reason 
for not diagnosing the case as that disease. Occas¬ 
ional y glanders appears in the same animal in both 
forms, t. e. the nasal symptoms or glanders proper, 
and the farcy swellings or skin glanders. But more 
commonly only one form is present, and you have 
either glanders or farcy, as the case may be. f. l. k. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Vegetable Cutter. —H. E. T., Tankell, Pa.—We think 
Webster & Hannum, Cazenovia, N. Y., can supply a 
small vegetable cutter or slicer. 
Everbearing Strawberry .—J. T. C., Brunswick, Me.— 
Our plants of the Everbearing were received from 
Seth Winquist, Russellville, Oregon. We do not know 
the address of L. N. Feerer, who grows the Shuckless 
strawberry. 
No Doubt a Fraud .—G. M. W., Southport, Ind.— 
From the following statement we have no doubt that 
both agent and tree are frauds : “ An agent is travel¬ 
ing around here selling, for §5, three Date plums that 
have to be grown together in a cluster to be *r. He 
says they are perfect y curculio-proof, and that they 
are protected by a burr similar r.o a chestnut burr, 
until all danger from the curcuiio is passed, and hen 
the burr opens and one has nice plums of medium size 
and the finest quality. Are there such plums, or is 
he swindling the people ? ” 
