36 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 30 
der very effectively and rapidly. We think we will 
try it on the grape vines next season, with a dry pow¬ 
der instead of the Bordeaux Mixture, to see what the 
result will be. G. n. MinLEit & son. 
Georgia. 
Dry Powder Acts Quicker Here. 
1. It is practicable and safe, as one is not likely to 
burn the plants unless more than is necessary be put 
on 2. It can be put on as fast as a man can walk, which 
is faster than either a sifter or sprayer will do it. I 
think it gives a better distribution. 3. I find none, 
unless it be that one has to use it in the morning or 
evening when the foliage is damp. 4. The powder 
sticks where it falls, instead of settling to the center 
of the leaves as water will. 5 Yes. 6. Three-fourths 
to one pound of Paris-green; no plaster. 7. I have 
not. 8 Not for potatoes, bushes or small trees. In 
regard to the amount of ground one can cover, it de¬ 
pends on the man. A quick-walking man can cover 
about an acre an hour with a single-nozzle, twice that 
amount with a double-nozzle gun. The effects of 
Paris-green are apparent more than 12 hours sooner 
put on dry than with water. e. s. t. 
Groton, Conn. 
Don’t Wet Your Powder. 
I used Hellebore pure on some 2,000 currant and 
gooseberry bushes, and consider the plan superior to 
any sprayer, as a person can get the powder under the 
bushes much better and can dust the underside of the 
leaves to destroy insects there. I use about one pound 
of Paris-green to 2.5 of air-slaked lime or land plaster. 
Mixed in these proportions, there is not very much 
danger of getting on too much. If the ingredients for 
the Bordeaux Mixture can be applied in a dry state, I 
would much prefer that way, as I am heartily dis¬ 
gusted with the dabbling in and handling so much 
water. I have four sprayers, but would not exchange 
the present and future use of this gun for all of them. 
I think the principle of the gun is right, but I want it 
so improved that two or three times the amount of 
wind can be applied when necessary, and then it will 
not only be fast but much more effective. A little 
powder might be wasted, but much more even dis¬ 
tribution would be secured. m. eixiott. 
Indiana. 
Dry Paris-Green Made Him Sick. 
The first time I used the gun I was very much 
pleased with it, there being just enough air stirring to 
carry the Paris-green from me. Daring the second 
application no air was stirring and I inhaled a good 
portion of it myself and two or three days ,after ward 
was taken sick and was unable to do any work for five 
weeks. I believe my sickness was largely due to the 
use of the machine. 1. It is practicable so far as the 
carrying of water is concerned, but I do not think it 
safe. 2. With a moderate walk in potatoes it gives a 
splendid distribution. 3. There is the risk of inhaling 
a portion of the poison, while with water there is no 
risk. 4. I think it no better. 5. I used the gun with 
slug-shot on my cucumber vines with good success ; 
also on currants with great advantage, and I think 
for this alone it is a great saving of time and labor. 
6. I used about eight quarts of air-slaked lime and one 
pound of Paris-green per acre. This gave good re¬ 
sults. 7. No. 8. I would prefer a spraying outfit or 
water, to dry powder if poison were used. The 
amount of ground that can be covered in a day depends 
on the size of the potato tops. I covered a field of 
potatoes of acres in about 73>^ hours, and did my 
w ork well. The second app ication needed much 
more time as the tops were much larger. 
Lake County, Pa. av. s. GiiA.VES. 
Successful on a Large Scale. 
1. I found it practicable to use dry Paris-green on 
potatoes and without the least injury to the vines. 2. 
I have never used a sifter or sprayer to any extent, 
but in spraying have always burnt the leaves more or 
less. I can get a perfect distribution with the gun. 
3. The only disadvantage of the gun is that it cannot 
well be used in a very strong wind ; a light wind does 
not affect it much if any. 4. The dry powder plan is 
more convenient, as no team and no extra help are 
necessary. 5. There are no trees or bushes here to 
try it on. 6. I used 21^ to 3 pounds Paris-green per 
acre mixed in the proportion of three pounds of fiour 
to one of Paris-green. I did not try plaster ; I tried 
air-slaked lime, but it was not fine enough to make a 
perfect dust. Paris-green and flour mix easily and 
thoroughly by placing a quantity of flour in a pail or 
other vessel, putting the Paris-green on top, and stir¬ 
ring a very little. 7. I have not used the Bordeaux 
Mixture. 8. With the gun no other outfit is necessary 
for us. My potatoes were planted with an Aspinwall 
planter, rows 34 inches apart, 13 inches apart in the 
rows. One man could dust about five acres per day, 
the first time over; the second time, he could dust 
about twice as much, as only a few hills were very 
buggy. Bugs were very bad here this year, but the 
first application made July 13 and 14, killed in 24 
hours all that were then hatched, without burning a 
vine. GEO. w. bilsborrow, supt. 
Allen Farm, Minnesota. 
Worked Well On Trees. 
I have given the Paris green gun a partial trial. I 
at first “ opened” on the potato bugs with about one 
part Paris-green to three of air-slaked lime. The gun 
at first worked so perfectly and easily that the thought 
struck me, why not let this supersede the spraying 
outfits for the codling moth ? It was then too late, 
however, to give this a fair trial. I extended the tub¬ 
ing and used it to destroy the tent caterpillar and 
autumnal web worm with complete success. I see no 
reason why it may not be used successfully by length¬ 
ening the tubing to destroy the elm tree beetle and 
all leaf-eating worms on quite large trees. It is just 
the thing to dust the pear tree slug on trees in nursery 
rows. You ask about the conditions necessary for 
success. They are a steady, continuous flow of the 
powder from the chamber. The gun sent me was 
defective in this respect as it clogged like the old-style 
seed drills—a defect easily remedied, edward allen. 
New Brunswick, N. J., Nurseries. 
An Enthusiastic and Frank New Yorker. 
At first, I thought I knew more than the manufac¬ 
turers, and mixed a lot of air-slaked lime, and nearly 
made a failure of the business. Next I tried flour, 
with about the same success. At last I went accord¬ 
ing to directions, and put the poison on pure, and in 
less than 10 minutes I was the happiest man you ever 
saw taking life. It was more than satisfactory. I 
went it all day, one of the hottest and driest days we 
had last summer; it killed the bugs just the same 
when applied in the middle of the day as in the morn¬ 
ing. There is danger of getting on too much, but I 
did not. All the time I used it the temptation was 
great to open it wider. All that is needed is a faint 
smoke, just enough so one can see it. Sometimes I 
was in doubt whether any was coming or not, but, as 
I said before, it killed all of the bugs. b. f. c. 
King’s Park, N. Y. 
(Under this heading we propose to print questions that seem to «a<l 
for a variety of answers. We ask all who have any experiences or 
suKKestlons to offer to talk Into The R. N.-Y.’s ear at once.) , 
A Spading Machine. —Will a machine which will 
spade any land (except heavy stone) taking a width 
of two to six feet, according to power, thoroughly 
pulverizing it, besides keeping itself clean, durable, 
simple (but heavy), and selling for 850 to 8200 be of 
any value ? Do you know of any that would like to 
know more of it ? I know of a machine that plow, 
harrow and cultivator have no business with. 
Holliston, Mass. e. n. g. 
R. N.-Y.—Spading machines are quite common in 
England and are said to work well with steam pox^er 
on large fields, level and free from stones. We also 
have reports of a steam spader at work in Illinois. A 
spading machine to run by horse power is a new idea 
and well worth developing. 
Horny Substance on Horse. —What will remove 
the hard, horny substance from the small pastern of 
a horse, caused by a cut on a barbed wire ? This sub¬ 
stance formed when the wound healed up, leaving a 
very bad looking foot. j. e. a. 
R. N.-Y.—We doubt if it can be removed, if of very 
long standing. A blister might do it. What do our 
readers say ? 
To Plant Artichokes. —I have five bushels of arti¬ 
chokes to plant for hogs. Will some one give me 
some information in regard to planting, cultivation 
and feeding them 9 a. b. r. 
Greensborough, Md. 
R. N.-Y.—Oar own advice would be to feed the 
artichokes to the hogs at once, and thus put away 
any chance of yielding to temptation and planting 
them. They are sure to prove a nuisance as a crop. 
What do others say ? 
What Ails the Silo ?—Can any R. N.-Y. readers 
tell how to improve my silo ? It is 22 feet high by 12 
feet in diameter, with the corners cut off two feet, 
making it an irregular octagon. I cut the corners off 
to prevent the ensilage from spoiling, but it did spoil 
for about four inches all around the sides. I cut the 
corn when it was well glazed, and the ensilage is very 
nice except near the sides. The silo is lined with 
matched spruce flooring painted with tar. G. k. 
Georgetown, Conn 
The Most Exhaustless Crop. —I attended a recent 
farmers’ institute and asked this question : What pay¬ 
ing crop can a farmer raise that will exhaust the land 
the. least ? The first answer was, clover ; the second, 
potatoes. My answer was buckwheat. We once raised 
buckwheat for 14 years in succession on the same two 
acres of land, and the fourteenth year had 70 bushels, 
no manure or fertilizer of any kind having been used. 
Will you ask the readers of The R N.-Y. for their 
opinion ? A j l. 
Ballston Lake, N Y. 
R. N.-Y.—We are all waiting for answers. 
[Every query must be eooompanled by the name and address of the 
writer to Insure attention. Before asking a question please see if it is 
not answered in our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
Fertilizers on the Pacific Coast. 
F W. A , Cri/stal Springs, TFos/i..—I enclose the ad¬ 
vertised analysis of a fertilizer, manufictured at 
Seattle by a dressed beef company: 
analysis of fertilizer. 
r Soluble. 
Total phcsphorlo add... 9.30 p. c. -! . 
[Total available 
Sulphur acid. . 9.50 p.c. 
Lime . 8.95 p. c. 
Magoesla. . 1.47 p. c. 
Potash. 1.09 p. c. 
Silica and o.vide of iron. traces 
6.60 p. c. 
2.81 p. c. 
0.89 p. c 
8.41 p. c. 
Organic matter..57.59 
Water and loss.12.'0 
Containing nitrogen_7.0fp. c. 
Equivalent to ammonia. 8.50 p. c. 
ICO CO p. c. 
How much is it worth on the basis of the cost here of 
the fo lowing chemicals : Nitrate of soda, 43^ cents per 
pound ; muriate of potash, 33< cents per pound : pare 
bone meal, 2 cents per pound ; dried blood. 2 cents per 
pound? What is land plaster? Is it always of the 
same quality ? What value has it, as compared with 
lime (fresh or air-slaked) for dressing land ? What 
elements of fertility has it ? We have difficulty here 
in inducing manure from six cows and one horse to 
rot; it heats very little, if any, in the pile. Very 
little coarse hay or straw bedding is used. Swamp 
muck is used for an absorbent. Would it be profitable 
to use plaster on the manure in the bin at a cost of 
820 per ton ? We live on the beach of Puget Sound 
and can get at times sea weed and star fish. How can 
they be treated to get the most benefit from them as 
fertilizers. 
Ans —You have given us a hard one. We do not 
know the analyses of the substances mentioned and 
will simply figure on average samples, as nitrate of 
soda 16 per cent nitrogen, muriate of potash 50 per 
cent potash, ground bone three per cent nitrogen and 
25 per cent phosphoric acid and dried blood 14 per cent 
nitrogen. On this basis nitrate of soda at 890 a ton 
gives 320 pounds of nitrogen or 28 cents a pound. In 
like manner the potash in the muriate costs seven 
cents a pound, the nitrogen in the bone meal over 20 
cents, the phosphoric acid eight cents and the nitrogen 
in the blood 15 cents or less. You cannot afford to 
use the nitrate of soda at 890 a ton when you can get 
blood at 840. We do not know what your crops are, 
but presume they are vegetables and fruits that re¬ 
quire some soluble phosphoric acid. This you cannot 
obtain in the bone msal—you need some superphos¬ 
phate to use with it. For ordinary farm crops a mix¬ 
ture of 800 pounds of bone, 1 000 pounds of blood and 
50 of muriate of potash would give you all the ma- 
nurial effects of a ton of this fertilizer. The mixture 
will cost, at quoted prices, 837 75, Substitute 400 
pounds of superphosphate for 400 of the bone in the 
above mixture and you have a fertilizer just as good 
as the one referred to in the analysis. There is noth¬ 
ing to be considered in that analysis but the 8.41 per 
cent of available phosphoric acid, seven per cent of 
nitrogen and 1.09 of potash or 166 pounds of phos¬ 
phoric, acid, 140 of nitrogen and 20 of potash. With¬ 
out knowing the cost per pound of a superphosphate, 
we cannot estimate the exact cost of the mixture, as 
you have given us no figures for soluble phosphoric 
acid. In any event you should add potash to the ferti¬ 
lizer. “ Plaster ” is the sulphate of lime. It contains 
sulphur in combination with the lime. Its agricultural 
value is greater than that of lime, because the sulphur 
in it has the power of uniting with ammonia, holding 
that substance in the form of a solid—sulphate of 
ammonia. Hence its value as an absorbent in stables 
or in manure piles. At the price named, however, it 
would not pay you. If you can obtain kainlt, another 
potash salt from the same source as the muriate—it 
would be more profitable. If you keep files of The 
R. N.-Y., turn back to page 3, January 2, 1893, for a 
description by Joseph Harris, about starting heat and 
fermentation in a manure pile. Cow manure is hard 
to ferment alone, but when horse or hen manure is 
put at the bottom to start the fermentation it will 
spread through the pile. We would mix the star fish 
in with the manure. The sea weed may be broad- 
