84 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 10 
What Say ? 
A Jebsey Leak. —I have a Jersey cow which has a 
hole in the side of one teat, about in the middle. I 
would like to know if there is any remedy. A. s. 
R. N.-Y.—Who has ever successfully plugged up 
such a hole ? 
Washing by Buli. Power. —I do the family wash¬ 
ing in an old Davis swing churn run by the bull on a 
tread-power. Is there any easier way of ironing than 
with a flatiron? n. c. simpson. 
R. N.-Y.—Any experience in this line will make 
♦ interesting reading. 
Sunflower Seed for Horses. —I raised sunflower 
seeds for feeding chickens, and I find that the horses 
are extremely fond of them. How much should I 
feed a horse, and how often ? A. d. l. 
Fairfield County, Ohio. 
R. N.-Y.—The poultry have always eaten all the 
sunflower seeds we could raise. Let those who have 
fed them to horses speak out their experience. The 
seeds contain 23 per cent of fat or oil, and we would 
expect them to make the horses sick if fed too heavily. 
Best Arrangement for Cows. —We have a stone 
basement barn, 66x29 feet, inside m-.;asure. The feed¬ 
ing alleys, etc., run across the narrow way of the 
barn; would it be wise and economical to change to 
two long rows of milking cows and one central feed¬ 
ing alley ? What is the best layout for the same, 
distances of stanchions from walls, and distance 
between the two rows of stanchions for a feeding 
alley? b. h. 
West Philadelphia, Pa. 
What Ails the Vine ?—I have a grape vine planted 
about 1.5 years ago, which seems very healthy, and 
makes a fine growth every year, and is covered with 
blossoms and bunches of fruit; but as soon as the 
latter are about the size of small peas they all drop 
off. I have tried fall pruning, spring and summer 
pruning, root pruning and no pruning at all with the 
same result; the vine is full of fruit every year, but 
never ripens any The other vines in the same and ad¬ 
joining rows are Hirtford, Niagara, Agawam and 
Concord; they all bear well and ripen their fruit nicely. 
Melville, N. Y. j. e. 
How Much for Rented Berry Land ? — I am grow¬ 
ing berries for home markets ; our land suitable for 
planting is, at present, limited. If I rent land of a 
neighbor to plant to raspberries, what share should 
I give if I furnish all the plants and do all the work 
of cultivating, the other party furnishing the land, 
and fertilizer sufficient to put the land in good con¬ 
dition for planting ? The expense of picking and 
marketing the fruit, selling plants and the cost of fer¬ 
tilizers after the first year are to be paid out of the 
undivided receipts. How should the catch crop the 
first year be divided ? It would probably be potatoes. 
Can The R. N.-Y. suggest a better plan of renting 
land for berries V A. e. b. 
Artie, Ind. 
How TO Lift Water. —I have a pond of about IK 
acre in size, water five feet deep. The elevation from 
the pond to the top of the ground is 25 feet. What is 
the best and cheapest device to get the water up to 
the ground to be used for irrigating garden truck ? 
If a windmill, what kind and size of wheel is best ? 
The pond is in an open field. Have any of The R. 
N.-Y. readers ever had any experience with a Safety 
Vapor engine ? I want to get ready by early spring 
to put in some kind of a pumping outfit. I want to 
irrigate 10 acres, besides hot-beds of 150 sashes. 
Creston, Iowa. A. m. 
R. N.-Y.—We regard this as a fine chance to dis¬ 
play a practical knowledge of irrigation. There are 
lots of questions on hand about like this. 
How Much Seed Shall We Use ?—I think The 
R. N.-Y. might do farmers and gardeners a valuable 
service by printing a table based upon careful experi¬ 
ment, showing the amount of seed which should be 
sown to an acre or to produce a given number of 
plants. Such a table would not be to the interest of 
most seedsmen, perhaps, but it would be decidedly so 
to any one starting a garden. I have had some dis¬ 
agreeable experiences in following rules laid down in 
catalogues. Last spring I bought half a bushel of 
peas and sowed nearly all of them according to Hen¬ 
derson’s catalogue—one quart to 75 feet of drill—with 
the result that the vines, pods and crop were very 
small. It would take over seven bushels to sew an 
acre at that rate, drills 2K feet apart; yet the same 
catalogue says two or three bushels to the acre. How 
these statements are made to agree is more than I can 
tell, unless the drills are made nine feet apart. In 
Henderson’s “Gardening for Profit” he recommends 
sowing IK bushel of peas to the acre or at the rate of 
one quart to 363 feet of drill. D. M. Perry & Co., say 
one quart to 250 feet, which is more reasonable. 
The same confusion prevails in regard to celery 
seed. I have a score or more of catalogues at hand 
and with but one exception they recommend one 
ounce to 2,000 or 3,000 plunts. The Horticulturists’ 
Rule Book says one ounce to 2,000 plants and states 
that there are 2,500 celery seeds in a gramme, which 
is equal to 75,000 in an ounce ; now it seems to me 
absurd to suppose that only 2K per cent of the seeds 
sown will germinate. My own experience proves to 
me that these figures are untrustworthy. I sowed 
not quite all the seed from a half ounce packet and 
grew 4,000 good plants. Mr. Robert Niven agrees 
with this as he uses one pound to 125,000 plants. One 
seedsman who seems to carry his honesty to an ex¬ 
treme point says an ounce will grow 15,000 plants. 
This exaggeration of the quantity of seed required is 
not confined to peas and celery by any means, but 
these have come particularly within my own experi¬ 
ence. I am sure that all horticulturists would be 
grateful for accurate data from high authority on 
which to base their calculations for next year's seed 
orders. e. h. m. 
Stony Point, N. Y. 
R. N -Y.—We want all the experience possible on 
this point. 
[Every query must be aooompanled by tbe name and address of the 
writer to Insure attention. Before asking a question please see If It Is 
not answered In our advertlsluK columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
A Bad Grape Vine Pest. 
B. F. T., Visalia, Va. —How shall I guard against the 
depredations of what I would name the Grape-vine 
Leaf-roller? All the leaves on many vines were 
destroyed. Will London-purple in the Bordeaux 
Mixture do the work ? 
Ans. —Your grape vine pest is doubtless an insect to 
which entomologists have given the name Desmia 
funeralis, and popularly known for many years 
as the Grape-vine Leaf-roller. It freqently does 
considerable damage especially in the Southern 
States. The adult insect is a pretty little black 
moth with conspicuous white spots on its wings. 
These moths which pass the winter as pupae, 
appear early in June, deposit their eggs singly 
on the leaves, and from these eggs the yellowish 
larvae soon hatch. Each larva immediately turns 
down and fastens with silk a small portion of a leaf 
and lives within the tube thus formed ; more of the 
leaf is folded as the larva increases in size until often 
the whole leaf is rolled into a cylindrical retreat from 
which the larva issues to feed on the surrounding 
foliage. The caterpillar is very rapid in its move¬ 
ments, wriggling either backward or forward and 
often dropping to the ground when disturbed. The 
first brood of larvae mature in July, change to pup® 
within their homes, and the moths emerge in August. 
These moths lay eggs for a second brood of larvae 
which work in September, and also change to pupae in 
the folded leaves where they remain all winter. This 
last fact shows that if the leaves be gathered in 
autumn and burned, many of these pupae will be 
destroyed and the pest effectually checked for the 
next season. Yes, London Purple used in the Bordeaux 
Mixture will doubtless hold the pest in check. The 
best time to make the application would be early in 
July when the larvae are small and feeding rapidly. 
Hand picking or crushing of the rolled leaves, taking 
care not to let the larvae escaC^e, will be the most 
practicable and efficient method where the pest is not 
too abundant. m. v. s. 
Cold for Plums; Fertilizers for Potatoes. 
C. R. A., Jenksville, N. Y. —The thermometer some¬ 
times goes to 32 degrees below zero at this place. What 
plums can stand that ? The Forest Rose seems to. Is 
it of good quality ? I have a piece of land which I in¬ 
tend to plant to potatoes. It was sod ground plowed 
last fall. From experiment, I am convinced that it 
needs potash. What is the cheapest form in which I 
can get it that will be available for the potatoes the 
coming season, and how much will it be profitable to 
apply ? In what way, broadcast or in the hill, will it 
pay to use nitrate of soda ? 
Ans. —We do not know just how hardy Abundance 
is. It has stood 20 degrees below zero at the Rural 
Grounds without harming buds or wood. We think, 
too, it is hardy in Rochester. Recent reports say it is 
hardy in Iowa. Moore’s Arctic is the hardiest variety 
we know of. Erie blackberry is close to Lawton every 
way. Our first report, some four years ago, was that 
it appeared to be a trifie hardier. We do not believe 
it will stand 10 degrees below zero without serious in- 
jury to the canes. We do not know as to Forest Rose. 
Peaches will not stand 32 degrees below zero—20 de¬ 
grees below is about the limit. Muriate is the cheap¬ 
est form of potash at present. Use about 250 pounds 
broadcast. It will probably pay to use three or four 
per cent of nitrate of soda—say, 200 pounds to the 
acre. Unless you are confident your land is well sup¬ 
plied with phosphate, we would suggest that you "use 
that also. 
How to Prune a King:. 
E. J. D., Hamburg, N. Y .—I would like to know the 
best method of pruning a King apple tree. On my 
trees, the branches extend 20 to 30 feet. Is it right to 
tip the ends of branches ? 
Ans. —Any method that is satisfactory with other 
trees will answer for the King. The object in prun¬ 
ing should be to make nice fruit, facilitate spraying 
for disease, and make it possible to get among the 
trees easily while cultivating. The light should be 
admitted freely into the center of the tree so that the 
fruit will color well. All superfluous branches should 
be removed so that the fine mist from the pump will 
penetrate to every leaf. The limbs of the King apple 
are slender and, when long, bend easily. They can 
be headed back without harm by cutting out the grow¬ 
ing branches. 
What Are “Feeding: and Manurial Values P” 
O. O. S., no address .—What is the manurial value of 
“oat dust,” gluten meal and buckwheat bran, free 
from hulls ? Is the feeding value and manurial value 
considered, under any circu nstances, to be the same ? 
Speaking of the manurial value, am I to understand it 
to be worth that much as a fertilizer to be spread 
directly on the land and plowed or harrowed in ? 
Ans. —The following table will indicate the answers 
to some of these questions. It is taken from the New 
Jersey Station report, and the prices figured are for 
feed and fertilizers in that State. 
FeedlDK value. 
Oluten meal. $35 40 
Buckwheat bran. 23.60 
Oat feed. 25.20 
Wheat bran. 22 00 
Corn meal. 23.00 
FertlllztnK value. 
$16 84 
14.26 
1,3.01 
6.79 
The manurial value of the oat feed or “ oat dust ” has 
not been figured out. It will be not far from $15. 
Now what does all this mean? In the State of New 
Jersey there are, let us say, 30 different kinds of grain 
and feed offered for sale at different prices. These 
feeds are valuable only as they contain fat, carbohy¬ 
drates and protein—the three forms of animal food. 
Now corn meal may sell at $25 a ton and wheat bran 
at $20. Which is the cheaper food ? The one that 
gives most of the three important elements for $1. 
Suppose we analyze each one of the 30 feeds and com¬ 
pare analyses and prices. We see that in some we 
pay an extra price for fat, in others extra for protein 
and so on. Now to find the actual average cost of a 
pound each of protein, fat and carbohydrates, the New 
Jersey chemist made a mixture of equal parts of all 
these feeds, taking for its value the average of the 
market price of each. This gives the average price of 
a pound of each element and when this price is multi¬ 
plied by the pounds contained in a ton, we have the 
valuation for feeding. As you see it is a comparative 
value only and based upon the trade prices in New 
Jersey. The values of fertilizing substances are also 
made up from averages of the cost of the different 
materials on the market. Soluble nitrogen is the 
same whether it is in blood or wheat bran and to 
obtain the value of the bran we multiply the pounds 
of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric ac’d in a ton by 
the prices figured for these substances in fertilizers. 
To illustrate, a ton of corn meal is said to be worth 
$5,79 as a direct manure. That means that the chemist 
finds fertility in it that would be given that value if 
he had found it in stable manure or in fertilizers. 
This again is only a comparative valuation—a quick 
and easy way of understanding how these feeds differ 
in value. Of course the feeding and manurial values 
cannot be the same since the fat and the carbohy¬ 
drates have no manurial value whatever. This ought 
to answer your third question, and yet it does not 
fully. For example, if you could get wood ashes for 
nothing and bone meal at a very low price, the corn 
meal would not be worth $5.79 to harrow directly into 
the soil. It would be worth only the cost of 30 pounds 
of nitrogen, 12 of phosphoric acid and seven of potash 
in the ashes and bone. Don’t make the mistake of 
thinking these manurial values are actual. They are 
only comparative and vary according to the cost to you 
per pound of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid in 
other substances—like ashes, bone, manure or mixed 
fertilizers. 
Some Facts About “ Starch Feed.” 
B. G., Jefersonville, Ind —What is the feed value of 
starch meal or the refuse from starch factories ? I am 
in the dairy business and am offered the meal at 15 
cents per bushel by measure in any quantity desired. 
I will have to haul it about three miles. I have always 
disliked feeding such feeds, and, in fact, never fed 
them, but the parties having this meal make such 
wonderful claims for it that I would like to find out all 
I can concerning it. Some parties who are using it 
claim wonders from its use, while others claim that 
