1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
69 
phoric acid and 425 of potash to the ton. Now 850 
pounds sulphate of potash, 800 of a good dissolved 
rock and 250 pounds blood or 200 nitrate of soda will 
give you all there was in your last year’s mixture. 
The $7 difference in price represents the cost of 30 
pounds of nitrogen in some form. 
The Manure in “Chemicals and Clover.” 
0 H. (?.. Black Hall, Conn —In Brevities, page 8, 
The R. N.-Y. says, “We thought that that record of 
a fertilizer, page 3, would call Mr. Lewis out.” How 
many loads of manure does Mr. Lewis make and use 
each year ? I think Chemicals and Clover reads be¬ 
tween the lines as though the fertilizer was a small 
item in his manuring practice. 
Ans. —In my system of farming which I have writ¬ 
ten so frequently, I have given the rotation of crops 
as corn on sod, potatoes to follow corn, wheat to suc¬ 
ceed potatoes, then pasture and mow for two years in 
succession. I keep two teams and four cows, all the 
stalks and straw are utilized in the yards, and carted 
out in J uly and spread on the sod to be plowed and 
planted to corn the following spring. All persons of 
experience know that from eight head of horses and 
cattle no large quantities of rich manure could be ac¬ 
cumulated. It is carted out in a coarse condition and 
from seven to ten loads per acre are spread according 
as the quantity of wheat straw may be more or less 
from year to year. Mr. G. says, “ I think Chemicals 
and C.over reads between the lines as if the fertilizer 
was a small item in his manuring practice.” On the 
contrary, he must see that the reverse of that propo¬ 
sition is true. d. c. lewis. 
Some Facts for Rural Q-rounds Fxperience. 
D. B., Farmingdale, 111. —1. Has it ever occurred at 
the Rural Grounds that when white potatoes have 
been planted by the side of red ones the resulting 
crop showed tubers that were white at one end and 
red at the other ? If so, what is the explanation ? 
2. Is there any division in plants lying between 
“varieties” and “species?” How would you class 
the Japanese pears, the Sugar, the Sand, the French 
Thorn, etc ? 3. Why should the Sugar and Sand 
pears show less blight than the Japanese and French 
Thorn ? 
Ans —1. No, we do not believe that any change of 
color ever occurs from this cause. There is no way to 
explain such a change. 2. Oh, yes, there are sub- 
varieties in endless variety. But there is no botan¬ 
ical name that recognizes them except as merely sub- 
varieties. We have the common pear (Communis), 
and the Chinese pears (Sinensis) and supposed hy¬ 
brids. 3. We do not know except that the leaves are 
thicker. They resist the blight more ; that is about 
all we know of the matter. 
Plows and Stock [in Mississippi. 
W. 0 P., Normal, 111 .—1. Can they use same plows 
in Northeastern Mississippi, on the black prairie land, 
as we use here? I was told by men that live there 
that they would not work, but I could get no satis¬ 
factory reason. They use plows with wooden mold- 
boards. 2. Would there be any risk in taking horses 
seven or eight years old, or cows from here to Missis¬ 
sippi. 
Ans. —1. Yes. I have been in Mississippi six years, 
and although I have heard of them occasionally, I 
have never seen a wooden moldboard in actual use. 
The plows in most common use here are the Avery, 
Brinley, and Oliver, either of which will do satisfac¬ 
tory work on the black prairie soils. My own prefer¬ 
ence is for the Scotch Clipper made by the Moline, 
Illinois, Plow Company, though it is more expensive 
than either of the others. The Brinley, made in Louis¬ 
ville, Ky., is probably used by fully one half the plant¬ 
ers in northeastern Mississippi, and I cannot under¬ 
stand how your correspondent picked up such misinfor¬ 
mation. 2, There is little risk in bringing Northern 
horses to this region, and many car-loads of Missouri 
and Illinois bred horses are purchased here annually, 
with seldom any losses from change of climate. North¬ 
ern raised cattle often suffer from “acclimation fever” 
and many of them die during their first summer here, 
especially if brought here in the spring. If brought 
in the early winter, and kept entirely away from 
native animals during the next summer, the loss is 
usually slight. s. m. teacy. 
Mississippi Experiment Station. 
Wanted Some Late Strawberries. 
C. L. B., East Oxford, Me .—1. What is the best late 
strawberry that is productive and a good market 
berry. The Crescent is the only berry that I have 
found it profitable to grow, although I have four or 
five varieties that will bear the coming season. I 
picked the last of my Crescents July 28, and they 
brought 15 cents a box. 2. Is the Wachusetts Thorn¬ 
less blackberry a thornless berry, and is it hardy and 
profitable to grow? If not, will you name two or 
three varieties that are? 
Ans. — 1. In our opinion the Brandywine and Tim- 
brell will prove the best late varieties. Gandy is re¬ 
garded by many as the best late which has been 
generally tried. 2. Yes, nearly, but it is not product¬ 
ive. For your climate we would name Snyder and 
Taylor. 
A Batch of Fruit Questions. 
F. W. S., Hammonton, N. J. —1. How is commercial 
fertilizer applied on two-year-old strawberry beds ? 2. 
Is the Gladstone Everbearing raspberry worth culti¬ 
vating on thin, sandy land ? 3. Is Maxwell’s Early 
blackberry worthy of cultivation ? 
Ans. —1. Sow it early in spring before the plants 
commence growth. 2. The Gladstone has not fruited at 
the Rural Grounds. Its everbearing habit is not—in 
our opinion—a merit. We have never raised an ever- 
bearing variety that was not short-lived or less pro¬ 
lific during the season of blackcaps. 3. We do not 
know it. 
What is a Superphposhate P 
A. T. T., New York .—What is a superphosphate, a 
complete fertilizer, ready mixed as sold by fertilizer 
manufacturers, or some preparation of lime ? I am 
at fault in reading your advice to use a superphos¬ 
phate to mix with other ingredients. 
Ans. —A superphosphate is a phoiphate that has 
been treated with sulphuric acid so as to make the 
phosphoric acid soluble. A “phosphate” is a com¬ 
bination of lime and phosphoric acid—as a bone or 
phosphate rock. The plain phosphate is not soluble— 
the superphosphate is. That is the chemical differ¬ 
ence. Many farmers speak of “phosphate” when¬ 
ever they refer to a fertilizer. It would be j ust as 
sensible to call a cake “flour” or “egg” because the 
“phosphate” is only one of several substances put 
togeti:er to form a complete whole. Some dealers 
make what is called a “nitrogenous superphosphate” 
that is, a soluble form of phosphoric acid with some 
nitrogen and potash added. When we speak of a 
superphosphate, however, we mean simply ground 
rock or bone black that has been treated with acid. 
It contains soluble phosphoric acid and nothing else 
of value. 
Fertilizers for Small Fruits. 
J. B., Brant, N. Y. —I have a piece of very light, 
sandy soil which I wish to plant to strawberries and 
raspberries. It will need fertilizer of some kind, and 
as manure will cost about $2 per two-horse load, how 
will it do to drill in say 400 to 500 pounds of fertilizer 
per acre before setting the plants ? 
Ans. —This is what some of the most successful 
growers in the country are doing—only you can safely 
use a heavier dose of fertilizer. Put the fertilizer on 
evenly in bands two feet wide where the plants are to 
be set, and work well into the soil. 
Fishing: for a Fertilizer. 
W. L. Q., Long Beach, Miss .—What is the best plan 
for making a fertilizer from flsh (sardines) which I 
can get cheap in J uly and August ? How shall I avoid 
the flies and bad odor ? 
Ans. —If you can get muck or good loamy soil, make 
a compost of alternate layers of soil and flsh. As you 
put the fish in, sprinkle it freely with plaster or 
kainit. The latter is to be preferred, as it will sup¬ 
ply potash, which is what the fish need. Both the 
plaster and the kainit will prevent much of the decay 
and bad odor. 
An Unheard-of Chestnut. 
H. W. H., Oreene County, N. Y. —Has The R. N.- 
Y. ever heard of a burrless chestnut ? There is one 
growing in this vicinity that corresponds in every 
particular to the Castanea Vesca, or American chest¬ 
nut—except that its fruit is smaller. From the time 
of setting till the fruit is ripe, the nut is always in 
full view. With us it is considered a curious freak of 
nature. Now, by grafting with the Spanish variety 
or some other large one, is it not possible to obtain a 
large nut and a valuable novelty ? 
Ans. —We have never before heard of such a chest¬ 
nut. It might be well to cross this with other kinds, 
but we do not know what could be gained by graft¬ 
ing. We would thank our friend to send us a sample 
of the nuts. 
Some Questions About Hens. 
H. C., McKean, Pa .—1. When it isopen weather and 
the hens run out is green feed necessary ? 2. Is the 
animal meal that is sold by fertilizer companies a 
good substitute for green cut bone, or are both neces¬ 
sary ? 3. I have been told that where hens had milk, 
meat was unnecessary; is this true ? 4. What kind 
of green food is best ? I feed mine raw beets and 
apples chopped up fine. What kind of food is clover 
hay for hens ? 
Ans. —1. We consider green food of some sort neces¬ 
sary at any time of the year, and unless the hens can 
find something green to pick at, we would feed it. 2. 
The animal meal is a stronger food than cut bone— 
there is usually more meat in it. It is also dry, while 
the cut bone is moist and pasty—like hash. The 
latter will not keep well in warm weather while the 
meal, if kept dry, will not spoil. The cut bone will 
answer if you can get it. 3. We think so. With 
plenty of skim-milk we would not bother much alout 
meat. 4. Cabbage is excellent—so are turnips, beett. 
and apples. Clover hay is as good for hens as it is for 
cows. The best way is to chop it up and steam it— 
pour boiling water over a bucketful and cover it. 
Such hay not only supplies “ green food,” but also 
partly takes the place of meat. Do not give too much 
of it however. 
Grapes and Strawberries for Home Use. 
J. B. K., Chaptico, Md. —1. I wish to plant 20 or 25 
grape vines, four or five of a kind; what varieties 
would you advise ? Soil, light, well drained bottom¬ 
land. How should they be planted ? 2. What kinds 
of strawberries would you advise for family use ? I 
want to set 500 or 600 plants next spring. 
Ans. —We suggest Green Mountain, Diamond and 
Colerain for white; Moore’s Early and Worden for 
black ; Brighton for red. It would be well to find out 
what varieties do well in your locality. Perhaps some 
of the finer hybrids will thrive. Spade or plow the 
soil as deep as you may. Dig ample holes so that the 
roots may be spread out evenly and naturally, and fill 
in, compacting the soil over the roots until the surface 
is reached which should be mellow. 2. Parker Earle, 
Downing, Cumberland, Timbrell, Iowa Beauty. 
Bunch Yam and “Spanish Peach.” 
IP. A. McD., Frankfort, Ind —Has The R. N.-Y. ever 
planted the Bunch yam ? Will it do any good to 
plant it in our State ? Is the Spanish peach what it is 
cracked up to be ? 
Ans. —The Bunch yam we do not know ; but judge 
from the description that it is not a true yam, but a 
sweet potato. We suppose that the Spanish peach is 
the type of half-wild peaches which one finds scattered 
through the South, and which are the spontaneous 
progeny of the very early orchards of the country. 
How to Experiment with Fertilizers. 
G. M. B., Kent, 0. —I have 50 acres of land ; about 
one-third of it is low and wet and used as pasture. 
One-third is rather hilly, one hill being so steep as to 
render it impossible to use an elevator potato digger. 
The other third is reasonably level land. The whole 
of the farm, especially the higher parts, are lacking 
in “humus” and fertility. I have a piece of sod ground 
containing exactly four-tenths of an acre, which it is 
my purpose to use as a “fertilizer experiment farm.” 
I intend to cover the whole patch with barnyard ma¬ 
nure, divide it into one-twentieth acre plots. Plow 
and prepare it in a thorough manner, apply Mapes 
potato manure at the following rates per acre: 1,200 
pounds, 500 pounds and 300 pounds ; the other plots 
to be left without any fertilizer other than barnyard 
manure. I intend to plant to potatoes, to bo followed 
in the fall by wheat, seeded to clover. Cut the clover 
for hay one year, and plow again for potatoes the fol¬ 
lowing year. Tne greater part of the land is a loose, 
sandy, gravelly soil. What are my chances for suc¬ 
cess ? Is it best to make an experiment of this kind, 
or would I better try a whole field at once ? 
Ans. —What is the object of any first experiment 
with fertilizers ? Stop and ask yourself that question. 
We have a piece of land and some barnyard manure. 
We have two questions to ask: 1. Does that land 
need manure ? 2. Is barnyard manure the cheapest 
source of fertility all things considered ? To answer 
these questions the thing to do is to divide a field of 
average fertility into three parts using nothing on one 
part, barnyard manure on another and fertilizers on 
another. Plant to potatoes and cultivate all three as 
nearly alike as possible all through the season. A 
careful measure of the crop will answer your ques¬ 
tions. Your plan of using manure on all the ground 
will not answer because it will not give any fair basis 
for estimating the difference between manure and 
“ no manure” or fertilizers alone. If you do not like 
to run the risk of losing a crop by planting on unma¬ 
nured ground, take one or two rows only without 
manure, but be sure to test the bare soil in this way 
if only on a small scale. It is well enough to use 
different quantities of the fertilizer, but try a value 
test too. That is, use say five loads of manure on a 
certain space and on another equal area use as much 
fertilizer as you can buy with the cost of that manure 
estimating the latter as well as you can. There are 
other fertilizer tests you can readily try. If you grow 
corn use a bag of fertilizer on a strip of half an acre 
right through the field. You can broadcast it and 
harrow in, if you like, just before the corn comes up. 
In estimating the effect, do not judge by the size and 
color of stalas, but by the actual weight of grain. If 
you have meadows or pastures that are “ running” 
out sow a bag on half an acre taking a narrow strip 
right across the field, giving if possible a chance to 
observe the effect on the different soils and altitudes in 
the field. While we have no douot of tne chances of 
success with good fertilizers wisely used, we advise 
you to experiment in the way we have indicated before 
taking whole fields and large crops. The only trouble 
with the single small plot is that its story, whether 
good or bad, is only a suggestion, and not an exact 
indication of what a larger area will do. 
