1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Ill 
of it. As to which is the best of these, we don’t know, 
but there is probably little difference. 
What Part of the Ear for Seed P 
J. H. J., Netawaka, Kan. —Has it ever been satisfac¬ 
torily settled whether the tip, middle or butt end of 
an ear of corn is the best for seed ? Some farmers 
here reject the tips, while others rej ?ct both ends of the 
ear, savins' only the middle. As I want to shell 10 
bushels for next year’s planting, I would like to know 
what experiments have proved in regard to this matter. 
Ans. —Yes, many experiments have been made to de¬ 
termine whether preference may be given to the ker¬ 
nels of the butt, middle or tip of the ear. In so far as 
is known, sound kernels from one part of the ear are 
just as good as those from any other part. 
What Violet for the Market P 
F, E. M., Newburg, N F.—Wnat is The R. N.-Y.'s 
opinion of the Hardy English violet? Is it any im¬ 
provement on the Marie Louise violet to grow as a cut 
flower for winter ? 
Ans.—T he English is perfectly hardy, more fragrant 
and a deeper color than Marie Louise. But its stems 
are not so long. We fancy that the Marie Louise is a 
better market variety. 
Don’t Water the Leaves of Rubber Trees. 
C. C. P , Brooklyn, JV. F.—I have two variegated rub¬ 
ber trees that do not grow as they shouid. The leaves 
turn brown in spot8,-aua seem to dry up, crack in the 
center, and altogether they do not seem properly nour¬ 
ished. There is no gas in the house, or anything to 
interfere with their growth. If they were not rubber 
trees, I would think they needed some fertilizer, but 
I do not care to experiment with them, as they are 
good size and they grew beautifully out of doors all 
summer. Can you tell me what is the cause of this, 
and how to remedy the matter ? 
Ans. —Our friend should be careful not to water the 
leaves of the variegated variety. It causes the col¬ 
ored portion to spot and crack. 
A Blue Grass Pasture for Delaware. 
A. B. E , Dclmar, Del. —1. Wnat sort of land suits 
Blue grass the best? 2. What timo ought it to be 
seeded? 3. How much seed to the acre? 4. What 
kind of seed should be mixed with it, if an / and how 
much ? I want it for a pasture for young horses. 
Ans. —1. Kentucky Blue grass, Poa pratensis, suc¬ 
ceeds best in a deep, rich, limestone soil; yet it does 
well in a great variety of so Is. It is very seldom that 
the seed is sown, but it is to be found growing natu¬ 
rally in nearly all meadow and pasture lands through¬ 
out Delaware. 2. The seed may be sown either early 
in spring or during the month of August. 3. Thera 
is so little of this seed sown that I am unable to give 
detailed information in regard to the subject. I would 
say that, in order to secure a good seeding, not less 
than two bushCiS of seed per acre snould be sown. 4. 
From my observation rf grasses in Sussex County, I 
would advise the use of one-half Orchard grass seed, 
Dactylis glomerata, as it will give a good growth of 
grass the first season. Tne Blue grass doe > not pro¬ 
duce much from the first crop after seeding, but 
makes a very vigorous growth in the following 
autumn. m. h beck with. 
Del. College Agricultural Experiment Station. 
What About Trimming: Raspberries P 
O. J. B., Petersburg, 111 .—1. Is it a good plan to trim 
raspberries and blackberries on warm days through 
the winter, or is it best to wait till spring ? 2 Are 
they any more likely to winterkill if pruned early and 
severe weather follows ? 3 1 1 there any obj cction to 
pruning when the wood is frozen, and if s"*, how is 
harm done ? 4, Can The R. N-Y. tell me an'yihing 
about the origin of a potato called the Granger ? It 
is a white skinned potato with pink eyes, late, of ex¬ 
cellent quality, and by all odds the heaviest yielder 
that I ever grew. 
Ans. — 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. No; it doesn’t matter. 
Our friend must bear in mind that the fruiting cane of 
last season does not fruit again and it is these that are 
to be cut out. The new canes which will bear next 
year should be reduced in number to from two to four 
according to the vigor of the variety and the richness 
of the soil. Too many canes to a plant should be 
treated as so many rank weeds. Tne new canes— 
those to bear the fruit this year—may be shortened 
(cut back) at any time, if they grow too tall or have 
too many laterals. We do not believe it makes a 
straw’s difference when this is done. 4. We do not 
remember that we have tried it. Would be pleised to 
secure a tuber next spring (Rural Grounds) for trial 
and report. 
What Ashes and Bone Need. 
Q. S. P., Winslow, Me —With ground bone at S35 per 
ton, unleacLed ashes 20 cents per bushel, and piaster 
$7 per ton, can a satisfactory fertilizer be compounded, 
and hew ; such a fertilizer as will grow a crop of grain 
and then grass for at least five years without reseed¬ 
ing ? If another compound would be preferable, please 
indicate it. Leached ashes alone, which we get for 
15 cents per bushel, and spread at the rate of 160 to 200 
bushels per acre, will usually afford a crop of grain, 
and hay for several years. I have not found this fer¬ 
tilizer alwiys reliable, however, so that I do not like 
to depend on it. Where the grass catch is bad and re¬ 
plow.ng necessary, there is danger of getting the 
ashes too deep, thus losing their effect. 
Ans, —Suppose you use 200 bushels of the ashes per 
acre. That means an outlay of $40. What do you get 
for it, and can you get more for the $40 in some other 
substances ? Here we have it, figuring bone at $35 and 
other materials at an approximate value : 
POUNDS OBTAINED IN $40 WORTH. 
Article. NltrOKen. Potash. Phos. acid. 
Ashes. 410 160 
Bone . 80 .... 550 
Standard fertilizer. 70 140 150 
Nitrate of sooa. 250 .... .... 
Muriate ut potasQ. 800 .... 
That IS about what your $40 will buy. The composi¬ 
tion of the ashes varies a good deal, but the above fig¬ 
ures are fair averages. Tne ashes contain no nitro¬ 
gen, which is one reason why, when used alone year 
after yea", this fertilizer fails to give the best result. 
The phosphoric acid in the ashes, too, is no more avail¬ 
able than that in the bone. It is claimed by some that 
the potash in the ashes is in the best form for use 
on such crops as grain, grass or fruits. Use ashes and 
the bone, say, 400 pounds bone to a ton of ashes, sepa¬ 
rately rather than mixed, but it would be better to 
add 150 pounds of nitrate of soda. Or, the bone and 
ashes may be used together at any time, and the nitrate 
added in the spring or waenever the crop shows that it 
needs nitro/en. Study the table above and see if you 
can obtain potash and phosphoric acid in other forms 
cheaper than in the ashes. 
Use a Little More Nitrogen. 
H. J. F., Monroe County, Mich. —1. Can muriate of 
potash be applied to land in the condition in which it 
is bought ? 2. What is the best material with which 
to mix it ? Ars gypsum, wheat bran or dry muck 
good? Will they drill without clogging ? 3. Suppose 
1 use 100 pounds of superphosphate and 100 pounds 
muriate mixed in the drdl for potatoes on sandy land 
put in the open furrow with a corn drill with the pot - 
toes dropped on top and covered by hand ; will tb at 
be a properly balanced fertilizer ? 
Ans. —1 and 2. The muriate can be applied just as it 
comes, but you will get a better distrioution by Mix¬ 
ing it with good foil or dry, fine muck. Such a mix¬ 
ture will not run through the drill very well. That 
is the greatest trouble with most home mixtures. 
They “lump” in mixing, and while they b»'o idcast 
readily will not work so well in machines. The manu¬ 
facturers can overcome this by regrinding. As to the 
proposed mixture, it will depend upon the amount of 
nitrogen in the superphosphate. A rock “ superphos¬ 
phate” contains nothing valuable but lime and soluble 
phosphoric acid. Manufacturers add some nitrogen 
and a little potash and call the mixture a superphos¬ 
phate. If that is what you mean and it contain say 
2 ptr cent nitrogen, 11 per cent phosphoric acid and 2 
per cent potash, there is not enough nitrogen and you 
should add to each 100 pounds of the superphosphate, 
10 pounds of nitrate of soda or 25 pounds fine ground 
bone. Do not use less than 600 pounds per acre of the 
mixture. 3, Do not let potato seed come directly in 
contact with a superphosphate. 
To Judge the Flavor of Strawberries. 
F. W. II., Hinghnm, Mass —1. Is there any standard 
scale of points for j idging tne strawberry ? 2. How 
would you sub-divide quality for flavor, texture, 
sweetness, etc. ? 
Ans. — 1. We have never heard of any such scale in 
use. 2. Taking five points for quality we would sub¬ 
divide them as follows: Flavor 3, texture (solidity 
and fine grain) 2. Sweetness would be embraced in 
the first point of flavor. 
Wanted ; An Ohio Pear Orchard. 
A. P. R , Yorkville, Ohio. —I wish to set about two 
acres in pears; soil a limestone running off at the 
lower side to a sandy loam. It lies on top of a very 
high hill and slopes to the northeast. On the south 
side is an apple orchard. Is this a suitable place ? 
What varieties would be best? I would like a suc¬ 
cession from the earliest to the latest. The apple 
orchard has not borne well the last three years, and 
the fruit has not been as large as before. It is in Blue 
grass pastured close with sheep and hogs. Tne hogs 
are always fattened on corn with the run of the 
orchard. The sheep are fed heavily on grain. Does 
it need any other fertilizer ? If so, what ? Would it 
be better plowed up ? The land is apt to wash when 
plowed. 
Ans. —The nature of the soil is of more importance 
than the exposure. Pear trees should grow well in 
the situation described if the soil be of good, average 
fertility. Selection of varieties should depend upon 
the requirements of your market. A good selection 
for succession is: Giffard, Tyson, Bartlett, Flemish 
Roauty, Angoulgme, Keiffer, Lawrence, Winter Nelis. 
For market Bartlett, Angoul6me and Lawrence would 
probably be found most profitable. Keiffer for can¬ 
ning and culinary use. But the better way is to plant 
what your market calls for, and such varieties as have 
been found to do well in your locality. Apples have 
mt borne as well as usual in Ohio for the past three 
y.'ars and have failed in many places. It would be 
ii.ipossible to say what may be the cause of your 
p irtial failure, or what treatment would be required 
without a more accurate knowledge of all the condi- 
ti ms and circumstances. oko. w. Campbell. 
No Kainit fer Potato Fertilizers. 
E. E. T., Scott, Pa —Would The R N.-Y. advise the 
following for potatoes on a smooth, clay soil with 
hiirdpan subsoil sloping to the north enough to drain 
nicely : Sow to rye i^he fall, top-dressed lightly with 
farmyard manure, plow under in spring and fertilize 
with one ton to the acre dissolved South Carolina 
rock and kainit equal parts, 500 pounds broadcast and 
1 500 pounds in the drill, with about 14,000 hills to the 
acre, whole seed about the size of a hen’s egg ? 
Ans —Tne trouble with that mixture is that it con¬ 
tains no nitrogen and that kainit is not only the worst 
form of potash to use on potatoes, but costs more than 
muriate pound for pound. A mixture of 800 pounds 
dissolved rock, 300 of nitrate of soda and 250 of muriate 
of potash will give you a better mixture by far. It 
would be still better to use 500 pounds of the dissolved 
rock and 300 of fine ground bone. We would not 
think of putting k unit in the drill for potatoes as it 
will be sure to injure their quality. 
Wax on Grafted Grape Vines. 
0 D C., Orayiby, Conn —Did I do wrong in putting 
graft ng wax around grafted grape vines? They 
started and grew one inch in length, then died. This 
was last spring in April. 
Ans — No ; wax should not have injured the grafts. 
The vine should be grafted below the ground, and the 
scions should be perfectly dormmt when put in. 
fl’KOF.] L. H. BAILEY. 
To Mend a Cracked Kettle. 
J. M. S-, Bridgeton. Mich —Our big iron kettle in the 
hoghouse has a crack in the bottom which, when the 
kettle is heated, expands and leaks. Can it be fixed ? 
If so, how ? 
Ans —A cracked iron kettle may be repaired by the 
following method. Take equal parts of gum arable, 
plaster of paris, calcined, and fine iron filings, adding 
a little finely powdered glass. Mix with a little water, 
and fill the cracks in the kettle with it. When it has 
set, it will resist fire or water. Another way is to mix 
finely sifted iron filings 60 parts by weight, with two 
parts of sal ammoniac, and one part of flowers of sul¬ 
phur. Add water to make a stiff paste and fill the 
crack with it. In a few days the iron becomes oxidized 
and combined with the sulphur forms a union that 
resists heat. It is desirable, if the crack be a large 
one, to bore a few holes on each side and after filling 
the crack, apply a layer of the cement over it in the 
form of a patch, covering this with a piece of thin 
sheet iron and bolting to the solid iron. This method 
is used for cracks in bo lers of wrought as well as cast 
iron. Another method is to mix two parts of sulphur 
with one of graphite (black lead); the sulphur is 
melted in an iron pan and the graphite is then mixed 
with it and well stirred and combined ; it is then 
poured into a mold, and is used as solder with a hot 
iron. 
A Lecture On Plums. 
A. J. S., Orimsby, Oat —I have 1,000 plum trees of 
thrifty growth which bear fair plums of blue black 
color, sweet, about the size of hickory nuts with shell 
on. Tney are of very good quality, sell in market fairly 
well and are recommended as cureulio and black-knot 
proof. I am thinking of grafting part of them ; they 
are five-eighths to one inch in diameter. 1 Can The 
R. N -Y. tell the name ? Are th<>y Damsons ? 2. What 
would be the best way to graft—cut them off and 
cleft graft, or is there a surer and better way ? 3. Is 
the Myrobolan plum brought fro n France in the 
pits or small stocks ? The nurserymen charge more 
fer plum trees grafted on French stock; is it the 
best? 4. Would pits be as good and as cheap as 
stocks ? 
A.N 3 .—1. We could not say definitely what the plum 
is ; it would be necessary to see either the fruit or the 
wood of the tree. We hardly think it can be a 
Damson, as the Damson is not sweet. 2. The grafting 
should be done ou the branches. 3. The Myrobolan 
plum stocks are brought from France; we do not 
know that the seed is planted in this country. Unless 
a large number of stocks are n quired. it would be 
cheaper to get them from some one who deals in them 
in this country. 4. We cannot say whether it would 
be cheaper to plant the seed or get the stocks; we 
think, however, tne latter would be the best to get. 
The pits should be purchased in the fall and buried. 
