1894 
85 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
there are chemicals used in its manufacture that will 
kill dairy cows. 
Ans.—O n page 47 we gave a short note on this feed. 
The Vermont Experiment Station, Burlington, Vt., 
has an excellent article on the subject in its Annual 
Report for 1892. If you could get that report, you 
would find it valuable. This starch feed, as we ex¬ 
plained before, is a by-product containing bran or other 
cover of the kernel, the germ and some of the starch. 
It is a perfectly safe feed when fed in moderate 
amounts. There is nothing in it that is not contained 
in the whole corn. The sulphuric acid used on the 
starch is not added until the refuse has been removed, 
so that it could not injure the parts used ascatclefood. 
Prof. Cooke, after exhaustive experiments, concludes 
that these by-products have a greater feeding value, 
pound for pound, than corn meal. Two pounds a day 
is all he would feed to one cow—less in some cases. 
This IS because the la.'ge amount of oil in this rich feed 
acts to clog the system—especially the liver. In your 
case we would begin feeding it at the rate of 13^ pound 
per cow per day and mix with wheat bran. In this 
way it will probably pay you, but do not feed it alone 
or in heavier doses. 
A Simple Home Mixture for Field Peas. 
W. C. D., Collinsville, Conn.—Would bone dust, ni¬ 
trate of soda and muriate of potash be a good fertil¬ 
izer for Canada peas ? In what proportion should they 
be used and how much to the acre ? The soil is a sandy 
loam and in some places thin. Where can the soda 
and potash be purchased ? 
Ans.—C ertainly it would. You might use 400 pounds 
per acre of a mixture containing 400 pounds of muri¬ 
ate, 800 of bone dust and 300 of nitrate of soda. Any 
of the fertilizer firms advertising in The R. N.-Y. will 
supply the chemicals. 
Pear Stocks and Qraftingr Grapes. 
n Subscriber, Sweet Water, Tenn.—l. I have quite a lot 
of pear sprouts which I want to transplant now and 
graft in the spring with Clapp’s Favorite and a larger, 
later kind, name unknown. If I transplant now and 
graft in March or April, will the scions be as likely to 
grow as though the transplanting had been dene last 
spring ? I have scions of the late kind buried now and 
can get those of the Clapp’s Favorite at any time. The 
weather is like April at the North. 2. Can the Nor¬ 
ton’s Virginia grape vines be grown from cuttings ? I 
have failed twice with that variety, while I can grow 
Concord, Brighton and others with but little trouble. 
Norton’s is the only kind I know of her^ that doesn’t 
have to be bagged to prevent rot. IIow; should grape 
vines be grafted ? I have some Eldorado vines 1 would 
like to graft with Norton’s Virginia. 
Ans. — 1. Ellwanger & Barry tell us that pear stocks 
snould be planted out and allowed to grow one year so 
as to root before they are grafeed on ; the grafts will 
grow much better in that way than if the grafting be 
done when the stocks are planted. 2. The Norton’s 
Virginia grape does not root very well from cuttings 
here, although we get a fair proportion to grow. Re¬ 
garding the grafting of grape vines, we quote from 
Husmann’s “ American Fruit Growing and Wine Mak¬ 
ing,” which agrees with our own experience as often 
stated, as follows: “The best success generally is 
attained when we graft in March, although it may be 
done as late as May. Dig away the ground around 
the vine, until a smooth place upon the stem is found, 
then cut it off smoothly, and insert one or two scions, 
as in common cleft grafting, taking care to cut the 
lower part of the scion to a very thin wedge, leaving 
two eyes on the scion to insure better success. Care 
should be taken to insert the scion properly, as the 
inner bark or liber of the vine is very thin, and the 
success of the operation depends upon a perfect junc¬ 
tion of the stock and scion. If the vine be strong 
enough to hold the scion firmly, no bandage is neces¬ 
sary ; if not, the scion should be tied with a ligature 
of bast, or basswood bark, applied evenly and firmly. 
Finish the operation by pressing the earth firmly 
around the cut, and fill up the soil to the top of the 
scion, or cover it up with sawdust. 
A Talk About Potash Analyses. 
G. H., Yellow Creek, Pa. —I wrote to a firm for 
prices and analyses of fertilizer chemicals. They 
gave me the following analyses: sulphate potash 95 
per cent; muriate potash, 83 per cent. I want to 
know if it is possible for potash to analyze so high a 
per cent in its natural state without being refined, 
and whether it is possible to sell so high a grade of 
potash for $50 and $43 respectively per ton. 
Ans. —This illustrates quite a popular error. The 
95 per cent means that there is that amount of sul¬ 
phate of potash—not of pure potash—in the material. 
We might say of a bread pudding that it contained 60 
per cent of bread, but that would not mean that it 
contained 60 per cent of flour. Sulphate of potash is, 
by weight, jast half pure potash, so that in “95 per 
cent sulphate” there is one-half that, or 473^ per 
cent pure potash. That means 950 pounds of potash 
in the ton, or a little over 53i cents a pound. The 
muriate is also 50 per cent pure potash, and an 82 per 
cent material may be figured in the same way. 
A Short Talk About Oats. 
C. N. R., Canton, Pa.—What about the American 
Triumph oats or the White Bonanza ? Are thev de¬ 
sirable varieties? Can The R. N.-Y. recommend 
something better ? 
Ans. —We first tried American Triumph during the 
season of 1883. B. K. Bliss & Sons were the intro¬ 
ducers. The fault with this variety is its lateness. 
We would prefer White Belgian, Race Horse, Clydes¬ 
dale, Dakota Chieftain, Australian, all of which are 
essentially the same and earlier than Triumph. 
American Banner, White Schoenen and Badger Queen 
we would also prefer to Triumph. 
Shall Western Hired Men Come East P 
R. R C., Faltcni, Mich.—Oa page 25 of The R. N.-Y. 
J. A. Musson speaks of a scarcity of help and asks 
about the unemployed in the city. What inducement 
do the farmers of that section hold out to a young 
man from Michigan where he can get $18 per month 
with board and washing ? Will they do any better 
than that, aud about how much ? 
Ans. —I have taken some pains to inquire about the 
matter referred to by R. R. C., and, from what I can 
learn, there is a scarcity of desirable farm help although 
there seems to be more help in sight than a month 
ago. But men want at least $20 per month and found 
in the dairy districts and many ask more. In the 
northern part of this county (Otsego) some hands are 
asking, and hop growers are offering, $25 and found. 
Here in the dairy districts, so far as I can learn, 
farmers are not moving in the matter and but few are 
engaging help at present. With the best butter sell¬ 
ing for less than 25 cents in New York City and tend¬ 
ing downward, dairymen are not anxious to engage 
help at the prices asked. If R. R. C. can get $18 per 
month and found where he is, I would say that he 
would better stay there than to come East unless he 
wish to go into the hop districts, and that means a 
great deal of hard work and long days in the field. 
With us, from $15 to $20 could readily be obtained by 
a large number of hands, prices varying according to 
age and ability. J. a. musson. 
What is Leamingr Corn P 
1, McD., Morrlsburg, Ont .—1. Where is the Learning 
corn grown, sometimes called True Learning or 
Improved True Learning ? 2, Where can it be pur¬ 
chased for seed at prices in keeping with the market 
price of corn ? 3. Is any variety of corn better adapted 
for ensilage than the Learning ? 4. If so, will The R. 
N.-Y. give the name, habits of growth, latitude in 
which it is grown and time to mature and when pur¬ 
chasable ? 5. Is Dungan’s White Prolific a profitable 
corn for ensilage ? 
Ans. —1. An early, large eared yellow dent. It is 
grown in the Middle and Northern and Northwestern 
States. 2. Of farmers. Seedsmen do not sell seed 
corn at the market price for corn. 3 and 4. No, per¬ 
haps for your climate it is as good as any. Queen of 
the Prairie would mature 10 days earlier, but it is 
neither so tall nor so leafy. All seedsmen offer it. 
5. We do not know it. 
Cost of Fertiliziner Chemicals. 
Y. M. R., Franklin, Tenn .—What is the best form, 
cheapness considered, in which to buy nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash ? How much of each should be 
used in order to obtain the best results from an acre 
of onions ? 
Ans, —These questions are asked from all parts of 
the country. The only way to answer them is to put 
each person in the way of figuring out the cost. This 
table gives the average composition of the substances 
most generally used: 
POUNDS IN 100. 
Nitrogen. Hhos. acid. Potash. 
Nitrate of soda. 16 .... .... 
Eine irround Done. 3 25 .... 
Dissolved Soutti Caioilna rock. 15 .... 
Cotion-seed meal . 7 3 2 
Taakagd. 7 10 .... 
Dissolved bone black. 16 .... 
Muriate ot potash. .... 50 
Sulpnaie of potash . .... 50 
Kalnli. .... 12^ 
Wood ashes. 2 5 
With these figures you can quickly determine which 
gives you the cheapest pound of nitrogen, potash and 
phosphoric acid at the prices quoted in your locality. 
A good onion fertilizer should contain four per cent of 
nitrogen, eight of phosphoric acid and six of potash. 
You should use at least 1,200 pounds per acre. In mix¬ 
ing a fertilizer for onions, you must remember that 
soluble nitrogen and phosphoric acid are needed. Fine 
bone contains both substances, but neither are imme¬ 
diately available for quick-growing crops. You should 
use a portion of nitrate of soda or cotton-seed meal for 
nitrogen, and dissolved rock or bone black for a por¬ 
tion of the phosphoric acid. 
Muck Agrain; Kainit or Plaster. 
A. W. B., Thomaston, Me .—1. In The R. N.-Y. of 
September 30 the explanations as to the manner of 
using muck are hardly clear. They are, to use 30 
pounds muriate and 50 pounds of bone to each foot in 
height of pile, but say nothing as to surface measure of 
pile. 2. Which would you advise using under roosts 
in henhouses, kainit (12 per cent actual potash) at 
$17 per ton, or fresh-ground plaster at $8 50 per ton? 
Ans. — 1. We spoke of a compost heap eight feet 
wide and 16 feet long, which would give about 3,000 
pounds of muck for each foot in height. This was 
figured out on page 673 of last year’s R. N.-Y. 2. In 
our opinion the kainit would be cheaper in the end. 
It will preserve the manure as well as the plaster and 
add 240 pounds of potash in each ton. 
“Reducing:’’ Bones; Transplanting:Mangrolds. 
D. C. S., Jasper, N. Y .—1. Can I grind bones fine 
enough with a small mill such as can be bought for 
$40 or $50, to make them valuable as a fertilizer ? Do 
they need to be treated with acid ? I could get quite 
a lot of them for $5 to $10 per ton. 2. Can mangolds 
be set to advantage with a tobacco planter ? If they 
will grow and do well, it will save thinning and some 
seed, 
Ans. —1. No, a small mill cannot work the bones up 
fine enough. One of the hardest parts of fertilizer 
making is to make bone meal. You might smash the 
bones up with a sledge and use acid on them, but we 
do not advise farmers to try this. A mill to do satis¬ 
factory work would probably cost $150 or more. You 
might burn the bones, but this would lose all the nitro¬ 
gen and leave only bone-ash, the phosphoric acid in 
which is not soluble. 2. We would ask our readers 
who have used these planters to answer about trans¬ 
planting mangolds. 
Where to Put the Manure. 
A. II. L., Kingston, Md. —Last season, I raised as 
good a crop with commercial fertilizer as my neigh¬ 
bors did with barnyard manure. I have now 100 or 
200 loads cf rich manure ; which will be best, to spread 
the manure around the long neglected apple, peach, 
cherry, plum and quince trees, or over my 10 acres of 
wheat ? The wheat is on heavy, sod land and has 
Timothy sown with it, and had 500 pounds of low- 
grade fertilizer to the acre ; I wish to sow Red clover 
on it this spring. Will it not be best to dress the 
wheat with manure, and buy a good commercial 
fertilizer for my three acres of potatoes, one acre of 
Wax beans and the 15 acres of corn ? Or shall I use 
the manure on potatoes, beans and corn, and buy fer¬ 
tilizer for the orchard and to top-dress the wheat ? 
Ans. —We would never buy a low-grade fertilizer 
any more than we would buy a scrub cow. Use the 
manure on the beans and corn with fertilizers on the 
orchards and potatoes. Give the wheat a top-dressieg 
of good fertilizer. Probably the articles on “Mending 
An Old Orchard” now appearing will help you. 
Harrow, Orchard Crop, Apple Wood. 
S., New York.—l. What would be the best general- 
purpose harrow to use on land slightly rolling, with 
some stones, mostly movable ? 2. What would be a 
good late crop for a two-acre apple orchard plowed 
last October, to enable me to get on the land with horse 
and wagon to spray the trees until well into the sum¬ 
mer ? The apple trees have been in bearing two years. 
3. Where can I get the best price for apple wood ? 
Ans. — 1. The “ Acme ” will do such work well. 2. 
Probably buckwheat would answer—but why raise 
any other crop in the orchard ? 3. The Gage Tool Co., 
of Vineland, N. J., buy apple wood. 
What Chemicals with a Sod ? 
E. S., Atlanta, N. Y.—l have a field which has been 
mown three years. It was seeded to clover and Tim¬ 
othy and now has a stiff sward. The aftermath has 
been allowed to remain. I believe it will furnish nitro¬ 
gen enough for a crop of potatoes. If I should apply 
ground bone raw, would it furnish available phos¬ 
phoric acid in time for the growth of the potatoes ? If 
not, in what form could I get it the cheapest ? Would 
you advise sowing the ground bone and sulphate of 
potash before plowing, or after ? Suppose it to lack 
nitrogen, in what form would it be best to apply it, 
and when ? 
Ans. —We think it likely the sod, if well plowed, 
would, with the bone, supply enough nitrogen. If not, 
a small quantity of nitrate of soda broadcasted and 
harrowed or cultivated in would answer. We would 
prefer adding a small amount of dissolved bone black 
to the bone. This would give soluble phosphoric acid 
for the use of the young plant. You would best broad¬ 
cast the bone and the potash on the plowed ground 
and harrow it in. A good way is to use the grain 
drill running crosswise of the furrows. 
Hen Manure on Small Fruits. 
E. J. D., Hamburg, N. Y .—I have considerable hen 
manure ; would it be advisable to put it in the hills 
when setting out red raspberries, or scatter it broad¬ 
cast on my future strawberry bed, next spring ? How 
much should be put in the hill ? 
Ans. —Yes, if you can crush or grind it up fine, it 
may be put in the hill. We would prefer broadcast¬ 
ing it on the strawberries, however. 
