78o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 25 
What Say ? 
(Under this heading we propose to print questions that seem to call 
fora variety of answers. We ask all who have any experiences or 
suKKCStlons to offer to talk Into This K. N.-Y.’S ear at once.) 
Dkkk Raising —Can you give me any information 
about the profits of raising deer, or refer me to any 
one engaged in the business, or who may be likely to 
know about it ? h. m., jr. 
Vermont. 
R. N.-Y.—This is rather out of our line. Are there 
any deer raisers among Thk R. N.-Y. readers ? If so, 
here is a chance to distinguish themselves. 
or barrel of fine earth, ripen them by early spring, then 
divide the eyes of all, and plant in fine, mellow soil. 
If one could use a greenhouse, cuttings would be the 
best; otherwise the plan is not so practicable. But 
each eye will produce six to eight shoots if they are 
broken when three to four inches in length, and these 
can easily be set out and made to grow. A tuber with 
8 eyes should give at least 48 hills. If each eye be 
planted this winter, and made to ripen the product by 
May 1, there should be a peck to half a bushel of 
tubers to plant next spring, which would give a good 
start. This simply shows how to get the most out of 
a single tuber. While cuttings may not be practi¬ 
cable, any one can divide the eyes if he sprouts them 
just a little. J. w. B. 
Tiskilwa, Ill. 
Propagating in the House. 
Wants Quack Seed. —I have recently had a call for 
Witch or Quack grass, to be used on a government 
reservation in seeding a drill ground of something like 
20 acres, and have written to no less than 30 firms who 
deal in grass seeds, but so far have been unable to 
find any. I have noticed the articles on “ Roots” in 
The R. N.-Y., and it occurred to me that you might 
be able to inform me where I would be likely to get 
the desired seed, or, if not, what kind or kinds would 
be next best for the purpose. The idea is to get some¬ 
thing which will not kill out by being tramped upon 
and will do well in the soil where it is to be sown, 
which is what is known as “ pine sand” mixed with a 
quantity of muck, which latter has been carted on and 
mixed in thoroughly. richard nott. 
Burlington, Vt. 
Where Is the Trouble ?—A dairy of four or five 
cows is kept running in a pasture with water where 
they can drink at pleasure. They are salted regularly 
once a week. The milk is kept in a Mosley & Stod¬ 
dard creamery, ice being used. The milk is allowed 
to stand 24 hours for the cream to rise, when the milk 
is drawn and the cream put into a covered tin can 
holding about four gallons, which is immediately 
placed in a dry, cool cellar. Each succeeding drawing 
of cream is put into the preceding until two cans are 
filled, the last drawing being put in the evening be¬ 
fore the churning is done in the morning. The cream 
is churned from two to three times a week, and is 
brought from the cellar the morning it is to be 
churned, and tempered not to expeed 60 degrees by 
surrounding the lower portion of the cans with warm 
water. I have been accustomed to churn with a dash 
churn in about one hour and fifteen minutes. Believ¬ 
ing the task of churning could be lessened, a revolving 
churn was purchased, but I never have been able to 
churn the cream and get butter with it, and have had 
to go back to the dash churn. Where lies the trouble? 
Moravia, N. Y. A. R. 
R. N.-Y.—We give it up and ask our dairy experts 
to come to the rescue. 
THAT LITTLE PIECE OF POTATO. 
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT. 
We have been sending tubers and cut pieces of the 
Carman No. 1 potato to those of our readers who applied 
for it. The following notes from expert potato 
growers may help those who desire to make the most 
of their little tuber : 
“ Dividing the Eyes.” 
To keep cut tubers, I dust them at once with plaster. 
After cutting, they must be spread rather thinly to 
dry a day or so ; then they may be placed in bins or 
barrels, or on the bottom of the cellar. They should 
be stirred several times during the winter. The cellar 
should be dry, cool and not very light. Two years 
ago I cut my potatoes the last of March and first of 
April, dusting well with plaster. Owing to the un¬ 
favorable season, I did not plant until nearly June, 
and nearly every one came up and grew thriftily. 
Many of these were cut nearly three months before 
planting. Some freshly-cut ones did not come up so 
well. I think that cut tubers will keep all winter 
managed in the way I have indicated. 
To propagate indoors, T would take half barrels, or 
boxes 18 inches square and 20 inches deep, and place 
them in a warm, light, sunny room. I think it quite 
practicable to place the tubers in barrels or boxes of 
earth if one can give them warmth and sunshine. To 
keep the cut tuber simply in good condition during 
the winter, it could be placed in earth or sand a trifle 
moist in a cool cellar. 
To make the most out of the single tuber, I would 
propagate this winter and spring as indicated above, 
use cuttings as fast as I could, extending the area of 
boxes, and, when the weather became warm enough, 
place my cuttings in the soil, and thus continue until 
July. I would take cutt'ngs from cuttings. Another 
way would be to sprout the whole or cut tuber until 
I could divide the eyes, then place each piece in a box 
Cut potatoes should be dried a little before packing 
for the mail or to keep or for planting, to prevent 
mold and rot. My choicest varieties are packed in 
light soil and kept dry, not very warm, but away from 
frost. Last winter I kept a small tuber without cover¬ 
ing, with plants on a shelf in a sunny window and it 
was in good condition at planting time. Potatoes 
never grow long sprouts in the light. I think it would 
pay to propagate choice ones in winter, giving them 
room, soil and light enough and not too much heat. 
They would do fairly well where zonale geraniums 
flower well. They could be grown well in green¬ 
houses from single eye pieces, and many additional 
tubers gained by growing cuttings taken from the tops. 
Moisture and warmth start ripe potatoes growing at 
once. They will not grow till they are ripe. A cut 
one will dry out and ripen quicker than if uncut, so to 
grow them in winter or get crops as often as possible, 
they should be cut and dried for two weeks, then 
A Windmill Without a Derrick. Fig. 253. 
placed, the cut side up, on top of damp soil in a warm 
place. When they start to grow they may be planted. 
I think three crops of early ones could be grown in a 
year. d. b. w. 
Paris, Me. 
Growing Potted Potato Plants. 
If cut, the pieces should be put in dry earth or land 
plaster, to cover the cut surface, and then dried for 
two or three days before shipment, but not in a hot 
room lest they begin to grow. If kept in a dry, cool 
place the cut tubers may be kept till spring. I would 
not* advise any attempt to grow any in the winter, 
unless one has a cool greenhouse, as a house warm 
enough for most plants would likely prove too warm 
and damp for the potato. 
“ To get the most out of this tuber” I think that I 
would do as we did with the first Green Mountain 
potatoes we had, which weighed 23 ounces including 
paper in which they were mailed, and for which we 
paid $5. There were three tubers—which we cut into 
three pieces each, buried them two inches deep in 
sandy soil, put them under glass (but without any 
bottom heat) cut side down. When the sprouts were 
about three inches high and had made some root, the 
potatoes were taken up, the sprouts slipped off and 
potted separately in four and five-inch pots, in very 
rich soil. The pieces of potato were treated as before 
until four crops of sprouts had been taken from them. 
Then they were cut to single eyes and planted. The 
result was about 11 bushels of sound and four of rotten 
tubers. Of course it required considerable labor, as 
the potted plants were put out in the field as soon as 
the weather would admit. April 1 is early enough to 
put the potatoes in the sand, as, if they get too large 
before planting in the field, they will not do well. 
They should be planted out as soon as they are well 
started in the pots. The potato can be propagated 
from slips, under proper conditions, but a greenhouse 
would be required. frank ford. 
Ohio. 
A Sharp Knife in the Crop. 
A cut tuber would seem most likely to survive the 
long keeping, if it must be cut and sent out this fall, 
if each piece should be tightly wrapped in some kind 
of waxed paper, or better, perhaps, enclosed in a 
waxed paper packet not much too large to hold the 
piece and tightly sealed. I used to send out potato eye 
seed in this way in the first years of my business. The 
uncut potatoes can be safely kept in any cool cellar 
by simply wrapping them in paper and storing them 
away from rats and mice. 
I think that 99 out of every 100 .would fail outright 
if they should attempt to grow the cut pieces in a 
barrel indoors. Of course the seed would start all 
right when thus treated, but it would hardly produce 
a crop in most hands. I would proceed to make the 
most of a little seed by starting the sprouts a trifle in 
a warm room; then cut with a sharp knife to pieces 
containing a single sprout I would then plant these 
in fine, fertile earth in boxes in a warm window or 
greenhouse. Then after the young plants came up, if 
I were real ingenious, and maybe scientific, I would 
divide the plants, making several of each and again 
giving them a start with artificial heat before plant¬ 
ing them permanently out-of-doors to grow the crop. 
Maine. george w. p. jerrard. 
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not answered In our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
THE GARBER PEAR COMPARED WITH KEIFFER 
Subscriber , Ohio. —1. Is the Garber pear as hardy and 
as upright a grower as the Keiffer pear ? 2. Is it an 
early bearer and as good to eat and can for dessert as 
the Keiffer ? 3. Does it improve with house rip?ning, 
and is it as large and handsome as the Keiffer ? 4. Is 
it as productive and as salable as the Keiffer ? 
A Long Island Report. 
1 . The Garber is as upright a grower and as hardy 
as the Keiffer. 2. With us it is not an early bearer, 
but quite the reverse. Keiffers vary much as to quality. 
If but a small number are allowed to remain on the 
tree, it is better than the Garber. The Garber is not 
so juicy and, as it cooks to a soft mush, we prefer the 
Keiffer for canning. 3. It does improve by ripening 
in the house, as it does not ripen with us on the tree ; 
but it is not as handsome as the Keiffer. 4. The fruit 
on our trees never needed thinning. We have not sold 
any. We are disappointed in it. Our Keiffer ripened 
this season nearly a month earlier than usual. We 
put a small quantity of Champion quinces with them, 
and the result is a most excellent dish, isaac hicks. 
How it Looks in Michigan. 
I can reply to your queries respecting the Garber 
pear only from the experience of a friend who has 
been growing it for market. It is growing here, but 
has not yet fully developed its habit sufficiently, nor 
is it yet in fruit. 1. I doubt if it is as vigorous and 
upright a grower as the Keiffer, though probably 
abundantly hardy. 2. It is probably not as early a 
bearer, nor as good to eat or to can, as Keiffer. 3. I 
cannot speak as to house ripening. I think it not as 
large or as beautiful as Keiffer,when well grown. 
My friend, who is trying it as a market variety, con¬ 
demns it. 4. It will, perhaps, be found as productive; 
but not as salable as the Keiffer. t. t. lyon. 
How Plants “ Sap the Ground.” 
A. P. S., Bedford, Mass .—You did not in The Rural 
of November 4 touch the bottom line of much interest 
to such as I, and that was the taking of the goodness, 
virtue, nourishment, or any name you please, from the 
soil, by different kinds of grains or seeds of any 
nature. At the depth reached by oats in your experi¬ 
ments, is it, or is it not, a fair inference, that the 
deeper the root goes into the soil, the more nourish¬ 
ment it has taken from the soil, or am I wrong in 
coming to a conclusion by only my experience that 
oats, millet, Hungarian, or corn fodder are not fit crops 
with which to seed to grass, and that rye, barley and 
wheat would be less liable to sap the virtue from the 
soil in seeding to grass ? Is the depth to which a seed 
reaches into the ground, not an indication of its sap¬ 
ping the ground ? Can any experiment you have made 
inform one whether turnips and similar crops really 
