4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 6 
drought through which we passed, the crop was not a 
losing one. Then bear in mind the quantities of plant 
food stored up for future crop growth, i). c. r.KWis. 
Cranbury, N. .1. 
(Under this taeadint; we propose to print questions that seem to «a(ll 
for a variety of answers. We ask all who have any experiences or 
suK»(C<tlons to offer to talk Into The K. N.-Y.’s ear at once.) 
] KKiGATiNG Cklkky. —What is the best plan to dis¬ 
tribute the water from two wells of 2.50 barrels capacity 
per diem, pumped by tread power, on one acre of cel¬ 
ery grown by the new method of culture ? A k. s. 
Huntington, Ind. 
R N.-Y.—Let’s hear from our irrigators. If the 
land had a gentle slcpe from the wells, we would let 
a stream trickle down by each row. 
CoppKiiAS POP Fertilizer. —What value has copperas 
as a fertilizer for trees and vines ? Who has had ex¬ 
perience in usin^ it ? G. w. b. 
Niles, O. 
R. N.-Y.—In our own experience copperas has 
proved injurious to vegetation, and we would not 
attempt to use it. 
Menuing an Orchard. —Mr. L. R. Pierce recently 
told us, page 763, what he intends doing the coming 
spring in his berry patch. Like Mr. Pierce and many 
others, I have plans for next season’s work, but, being 
young and inexperienced, I want the advice of older 
men before I begin. I have an apple orchard of about 
six acres, 30 years old, that has never been fertilized. 
There were, originally, 240 trees, 30 feet apart, but 
about 40 are missing. It is on the summit between two 
rivers—the water flowing from it to both streams. All 
varieties adapted to this locality have given good crops 
nearly every season since they commenced to bear, 
but the last few years they have been undersized. I 
think there are two causes for this, viz.., lack of food 
and water. I intend to plow it very shallow, or destroy 
the sod in some other way, this winter or spring ; keep 
it stirred as much as I can through the summer, and, 
as soon as there is moisture enough to sprout seeds 
next fall, sow rye on it, to be cut the next summer as 
soon as it is headed out, and left there as a mulch till 
fall. By this plan I expect to grow a crop of mulch¬ 
ing material at a time when the trees are taking little 
or no water from the soil. I intend to give the most 
food and attention to the varieties that yield best, and 
force some of the others to blossom by girdling short, 
narrow sections at or below the surface of the soil 
early in the spring. 
Now, I want some advice as to the tools I shall need. 
M y farm contains but 20 acres, and I keep but one 
horse, hiring all two-horse jobs done. I want to work 
this orchard with one horse, so I must have a one-horse 
plow, and I want to know what kind is best. Which 
would be best, to burn the mulch before reseeding in 
the fall, or rake it up and mulch some part heavy 
enough to do a year or two, or get a one-horse disc or 
cutaway harrow that will cut the straw up and make 
a good seed bed ? e. t. 
Penza, Trumbull Co., O. 
R. N.-Y.—Here is a chance for veterans to help a re¬ 
cruit. 
Is It Worth While ?—We have a young mare that 
carries her tongue over the bit. Can anything be 
done to correct the habit ? Is it worth doing ? I do 
not know that any harm results from the habit, but 
it annoys me very much. Can anything be done to 
stop a cow whimpering ? Our cows never low in the 
barn, but one young one whimpers continuously. 
E. L. s. 
R. N.-Y.—We submit this question to those having 
authority! 
To Sicken the Moles. —Has the editor or any of 
The Rural readers tried the mole plant sent out by 
Seedsman Wilson ? I am pestered with moles, and 
would be glad to have something to kill them. One 
writer recommended Castor Oil beans put in their 
runs, but they ate all the beans I could give them, 
and I found no dead moles. If any one has tried the 
Mole plant or any other exterminator I hope they will 
let us know through The Rural. I fear it is like the 
Evergreen blackberry and some other similar things, 
a fraud. w. w. 
Coal Valley, Ill. 
R. N.-Y.—We have never found anything but traps 
effective. Our opinion as to the Mole plant was ex¬ 
pressed last year. The claims made for it are absurd. 
Cow Peas in South Jersey. —I see you speak very 
favorably of the cow pea to plow under as a green 
crop. When should I sow them here in South Jersey? 
How many to the acre ? If sowed broadcast, would 
the Acme harrow cover them deep enough ? The 
soil is high, light and sandy. After plowing them 
under, what could I sow to plow under in the fall, to 
get the land ready for sweet potatoes the next year ? 
Bridgeport, N. J. j. h. 
R. N.-Y.—Cannot some reader in that section give 
us his experience with the crop ? The Acme would 
not answer at all. 
THE EFFECT OF FERTILIZERS ON CROPS. 
In making some experiments with fertilizers the past 
season, I was struck with what seemed to me a rather 
remarkable and interesting result in the case of some 
mangels. The experiments were made on rather poor, 
somewhat sandy soil The whole piece of land was 
given a liberal dressing of phosphoric acid and potash 
in the forms of superphosphate and muriate of,pot¬ 
ash. These were applied before the mangels were sown, 
and well worked into the soil. After the plants were 
up, half of them were given nitrogen in the form of 
nitrate of soda at the rate of 200 pounds per acre. The 
result was, as might have been expected, a marked 
increase in the size of the mangels on which the ni¬ 
trate had been applied. But what seems a more re¬ 
markable result is illustrated at Pig. 3, page 3, of 
an average sized mangel from each plot; the one 
on the right being from the plot having had nitrate, 
while the one on the left is from the plot having had 
no nitrate. It will be noticed that the mangel at the 
left is not only much smaller than the one on the 
right, but that it has a large number of side roots run¬ 
ning out in every direction nearly as long as the man¬ 
gel itself, while the other is smooth and round and 
nearly free from side roots. This same difference could 
be noticed in nearly every mangel from the nitrated 
plot when compared with those from the others. 
There is but one way it seems to me to account 
for the abnormal development of side roots on 
the mangels that had no nitrate. It is a well- 
known fact that plants will throw out roots in 
search of food. It was found in some experi¬ 
ments made at Rothamsted that turnip roots extended 
out over two feet and reached phosphate that had 
been applied on an adjoining row, while the r ots of 
the turnips on which the phosphate was applied were 
short and concentrated around this food. It was also 
found that where fertilizers were applied near the 
surface of the ground, the roots of the plants would 
develop in that direction; if the fertilizers were placed 
deeper in the soil the roots would follow. In the case 
under consideration the soil was undoubtedly deficient 
in that most essential element of plant food, nitrogen. 
In order to get enough nitrogen to enable them to 
grow, the mangels that had had no nitrate were 
obliged to throw out a great many roots in all direc¬ 
tions and thus gather every particle obtainable. On 
the other hand, the mangels that received the dress¬ 
ing of nitrate of soda had a ready and available supply 
close at hand, and so were only obliged to send out a 
few small fibrous roots to obtain all the nitrogen they 
wanted. 
In considering these facts the importance of giving 
root Clops an abundant supply of available plant food 
will be readily seen. It seems evident that gardeners 
who wish to raise smooth, handsome beets, carrots, 
parsnips, etc., must use large quantities of manure or 
supply the plant-food in the more available fertilizers. 
The cheapest and most effective way to supply the 
necessary plant food for these crops is to apply to the 
land before plowing, a moderate dressing of stable 
manure to lighten up the soil. After plowing, apply 
broadcast at the rate of about 450 pounds per acre, a 
mixture composed of 150 pounds nitrate of soda and 
300 pounds superphosphatji or fine bone meal. Work 
this 'into the soil before sowing the seed. "When the 
plants are well started and have been hoed once, give 
them a dressing of 150 pounds more nitrate of soda per 
acre. This, on fairly good land and with good culti¬ 
vation, will produce a larger crop of smooth, hand¬ 
some roots. S. M. HARRIS. 
Moreton Farm, Monroe County, N. Y. 
What They Say. 
Bees Are Not Bummers.— On page 818 of The R. 
N.-Y., L. E. R. L., of Nebraska, blames the bees for 
mixing his squashes when he had planted pure seed. 
I have 85 hives of bees, and I have raised tons of 
squashes, but did not see that the bees had any bad 
effects on the squashes. Although I have raised my 
own seed for years, it is now purer than it was when 
I got it from the seedsman. L. E. R. L. complains : 
“ There, when we planted a pure strain of Hubbard 
squash, we knew we should gather Hubbards in the 
fall; here we have no means of knowing what man¬ 
ner of mongrel we shall find in our Hubbard patch at 
harvest time.” I think if he plant pure seed of Hub¬ 
bards, he will raise pure Hubbard squashes, all but 
the seed, whether the bees mix them or not. Insects 
mix only the seeds, not the meat of the squash. The 
mixing will not be apparent till the second year. 
Without the help of bees or other insects, he would 
get no squashes at all, for the male and female parts 
are in different blossoms. If L. E. R. L. raised pure 
Hubbards in Wyoming without the help of the bees, 
he probably had other insects to do the bees’ work for 
him. .L H. N. 
Charlevoix, Michigan. 
Steel Roofing Again. —In The R. N.-Y. of Decem¬ 
ber 16, E. T. asks concerning steel roofs. There are 
many iron and steel roofs in this county. I do not 
now recall an instance where a building with a metal 
roof has been damaged by lightning, though I do not 
consider them a sure protection. I have had no ex¬ 
perience with laying a steel roof on paper. Without 
paper, the roof on a stock barn is apt to be damp 
much of the time during frosty weather. My advice 
to E. T., based on my own experience and observa¬ 
tion, would be not to use steel roofing at all ; it is too 
expensive in the long run. He would better use 
slate, or even shingles, than steel. c. p. h. 
Chagrin Falls, O. 
[Brerr qnery must be aooomp&nled br the name and address of the 
writer to Insure attention. Before asUn^ a question please see If It la 
not answered In our advertlslnK columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
Strawberries and Corn for Long Island. 
F. It., Freeport, L. I. —What strawberries are best 
for a succession, especially to furnish late berries? 
What are the best blackberries and raspberries for the 
same purpose ? I am starting a poultry business in 
connection with small fruits, and place coal ashes 
under the roosts to receive the droppings ; will not 
this make an excellent manure for small fruits ? What 
kind of corn shall I plant that will contain the least 
amount of fat-forming food, so as to take the place of 
wheat, as nearly as possible, as poultry feed, and 
which is also well adapted for fodder ? 
Ans.—T he Sharpless and Downing do splendidly at 
the Rural Farm, situated much as your farm is. Try 
the Gandy, Timbrell, Parker Earle and Brandywine 
for late. Rio, Gen. Putnam, Clark’s Early and Shuster 
are good early kinds. For blackberries we would 
commend Minnewaski, Lovett’s'Best, and the old Kitta- 
tinny. The Erie may do well with you. The coal 
ashes, except as an absorbent will add nothing to the 
value of the manure. There is too little difference in 
varieties of corn as to their carbonaceous content to 
talk about. Chester County Mammoth will thrive 
with you. This is a yellow dent. 
Some Practices On a Dairy Farm. 
The following questions were brought out by my 
recent article on manures and rotation : 1. How much 
grass and clover seed do you use to the acre ? 2. Will 
not a crop of oats and pease smother and kill the 
clover ? 3. Do you not find it necessary to use pur¬ 
chased fertilizers on corn and potatoes ? Have you 
ever used any ? 4. In raising potatoes do you spread 
the manure on the sod and plow it under, or do you 
plow in the fall, and spread on top during the winter? 
5. For corn do you plow the manure under or not ? 
Ans.—1. My practice formerly was to mix two 
bushels of clover seed with one of Timothy, and sow 
12 quarts of the mixture to the acre, but in one or two 
unfavorable winters the clover was killed and the 
stand of Timothy was too thin foi a full crop. I now 
mix equal parts of the Timothy and clover, and sow 12 
to 15 quarts to the acre. On some fields, one or two 
quarts of Alsike clover to the acre proves a profitable 
addition to the above mixture. 
2. Wheat and barley are better ciops than pease and 
oats with which to seed to cl )ver, but wheat can no 
longer be raised with profit here, and barley will not 
give as many pounds of grain to the acre as the pease 
and cats ; neither is barley meal so valuable to feed to 
farm stock as that made from the mixed grain. A 
mixture of two parts of oats, one of pease and one of 
barley, may be used with success in seeding to clover, 
drilling in three bushels of the mixture to the acre. 
Some farmers raise oats and barley mixed without the 
addition of pease, but for several reasons I prefer to 
use pease as a part of the seed and have had no failures 
with the clover and Timothy. 
3. I have used more or less purchased fertilizers for 
15 or 20 years and usually with profit, but do not con¬ 
sider the practice necessary on a dairy farm with soil 
suitable for corn and potatoes. 
4 and 5. Last winter five acres of good sod ground 
were manured with 16 loads of manure to the acre. 
The manure was drawn directly from the stable, and 
spread each day. Early in the spring, it was made 
fine w’th the smoothing harrow. The ground was 
plowed seven inches deep and thoroughly cultivated 
to the depth of four or five inches. Manure spread on 
