1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
pound, the deficiency here is nearly self-corrective. 
It will be seen from these statements that it is impos¬ 
sible to give any rule which shall be of universal 
application as to the quantity of onion seed to be sown 
to the acre. In a general way I advise four pounds of 
seed where dry bulbs are desired, and when the land 
is in excellent condition and very highly manured, 
then five pounds. What I mean by heavy manuring 
is the application of from 12 to 15 cords of good stable 
manure or its equivalent, plowed under, and from 
1,200 to 1,500 pounds of a good fertilizer especially 
rich in potash and nitrogen, raked in just before 
planting. Give such land what it deserves, seed of 
the very best strain, and the crop will be one that the 
farmer will be pleased to show his neighbors. As we 
cannot always get stable manure with the urine, I am 
in the habit of adding fish waste to my manure 
heaps and spreading unleached hard-wood ashes on 
the beds in the fall to restore to the land the nitrogen 
and potash in which the manure is deficient from the 
absence of the urine. J. J. h. Gregory. 
What Say ? 
Shall He Stay At Home ?—I will have strawberries 
from about three-quarters of an acre to market this 
year. I am situated 21 miles from New York, with 
good shipping facilities by railroad to that city. I am 
12 miles from the city of Newark and six from Pater¬ 
son. My farm is small, I keep but one 
horse and a small boy is my assistant. 
Which will pay me best, to drive to mar- 
ket every day with the berries trusting /\ir}m 
the oversight of the pickers to my boy, /# m,i 
or to remain at home myself attending to • 
packing, etc., and ship the berries by ex- 
press to a reliable commission merchant? I J 
My farmer friends are skeptical as to the 
existence of reliable, honest commission 
men. Should I use standard or gift crates? 
My berries are choice varieties, and the 
beds are in perfect order. I expect a 
good crop and must dispose of it to the 
best advantage. j. h. e. schultz. 
R. N.-Y.—We want comments on the 
above. Our own idea is that it will pay ^ 
him better to stay at home and oversee 
the pickers—perhaps hiring a neighbor 
to carry the berries. We would use gift 
crates. This question is well worth a 
discussion. 
Salting the Stack. —In the event of 
keeping hay a year or two, would it be 
advisable to put a little salt among it 
while stacking ? d. b. \\\\0 
Hamilton, Ont. 
Spraying Strawberries. — Who can ^ 
tell anything in regard to spraying 
strawberries for the rust that affects the 
leaves ? When should it be done ? How 
often ? What is best to use ? 
Stanley, N. Y. f. e. v. e. 
Cheap Paint Wanted. —What is the 
best cheap coating for fence posts and for 
barn roofs ? Also a durable cheap paint ? 
Hlairsville, Ill. w. M. H. 
Some Silo Questions.— On page 98, we 
have quite a digest on. What ails the silo ? E. S. B. 
thinks the trouble is caused by corn being put in uncut. 
Prof. Gilbert at one institute in Wakeman, thought un¬ 
cut corn kept the best, though he cuts all his large corn 
and puts in small sweet corn whole. I would like 
some one who has tried it to tell us if a cylinder 
machine that shreds the stalks by means of spikes and 
saws, would be as good as one that cuts them up into 
short pieces. I think such a machine better for fod¬ 
der than one with knives. Will some one say what 
they think of a silo built round like a railroad tank 
with iron bands and lugs on them to draw all up 
tight, say, make it of 2 x 6 pine or other suitable lum¬ 
ber ? I presume inch lumber would be too thin. 
Birmingham, O. e. m. g. 
Barn Plan Wanted. —I propose building a circular 
barn 80 feet across, stable in basement and hay barn 
above, and want advice on the following matters : 1. 
What is the best kind of floor—cement, cedar blocks, 
or clay ? 2. Where would be the best place to put the 
silo ? 3. What would be the best way to lay out the 
inside of such a stable, that is to economize space ? 
4. What kind of roof would be best, felt or tin ? 
North Georgetown, Quebec. a. b. 
Cabbage for Pickle Factory. —What cabbage will 
give the most weight per acre ? We have a pickle 
factory which contracts for cabbage at $8 per ton. 
What is an average yield per acre ? s. h. 
E. N.-Y.—For the above purpose—unless red sorts 
are desired—we would at present select All Seasons, 
What is a good yield ? 
[Byerr qaerj muBt be aooompanled by the name and address of the 
writer to Insnre attention. Before asking a question please see If It Is 
not answered In onr advertising oolnmns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
A LONE HAND WITH CLOVER. 
does it really need a nurse ? 
Subscriber, Indiana —Can I sow clover alone this 
spring with the hope of securing a fair yield ? Will 
the young plants be killed out by the hot sun ? Will 
it answer to sow the seed on an oat stubble and then 
run over with a harrow ? 
Would Prefer to Have a Nurse. 
I do not think it a good plan to sow clover by itself 
without a grain crop. The hot sun may not kill the 
clover if the weather be cool and rainy, but otherwise 
it would, unless protected by shade, such as a growing 
crop would give. If no grain crop were sown, the 
weeds may give it too much shade, and would probably 
smother the clover, lie would better put 2X or 3 
bushels of oats to the acre in the drill with the clover 
seed. I think a still better plan to put four quarts of 
clover seed mixed thoroughly with the oats, and put 
four quarts more in the grass seed hopper and scatter 
'I, ^ 
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I fhmSj/J 
periment, and will always give the best results if thor¬ 
oughly done. The same course followed in the sow¬ 
ing of all kinds of grass seed, will be found much the 
best. Soil as well prepared as for the sowing of wheat, 
may be sown to clover, Timothy or Orchard grass, or 
all mixed, without any other crop and the result will 
be the best possible. It should be sown early in 
August if there be sufficient rain to insure growth, 
and never later than September 10 in this section. 
The growth will be so rapid that the plants will be 
strong, there will be no danger from freezing, and the 
crop of hay the next season will be the largest pos¬ 
sible. I have 18 acres, plowed and kept clean in 1893, 
sown about September 1, that is a perfect green mat 
at this writing ; the plants are strong, and it will 
make more hay cr pasture in 1894 than any following 
season until plowed again. I maintain, and a trial 
will prove, that grass seed should not be sown with 
any other crops, if the beat results are desired. 
No ble County, Ind. w. w. latta. 
Never Could Make it Work. 
I sowed clover seed in the spring on winter wheat, 
where the wheat was mostly killed, and so have my 
neighbors. We harrowed it twice over, and did not 
get any stand at all. Clover cannot stand the hot sun, 
but always does best when it is shaded with wheat or 
oats. I have had no experience in sowing clover seed 
in stubble, or do I know of anybody in this county 
who has. My advice would be to seed with oats this 
spring ; I think he would have a good 
stand, and, as soon as he cuts the oats, 
he should sow land plaster on the young 
clover to hold the moisture after the 
Hi||y shade is gone. james n. button. 
GaPorte County, Ind. 
Superb Potato. Fig 56. Page 170. 
"(it 
Early Harvest Potato. Fig. 57. Page 170. 
in front of the drill teeth. I usually sow Timothy in 
the fall with wheat or rye, and clover in the spring, 
and seldom fail to get a stand. I prefer having some 
Timothy with the clover; it keeps the clover from 
lodging so badly. 8 . D. Clinton. 
It Would Work Here. 
Clover sown by itself early in March may reasonably 
be expected to do well, provided the land be free of 
weed seeds. If the piece of oat stubble mentioned by 
the inquirer be clean, that is free of weed seeds, and 
the clover seed be sown thickly—nearly double the 
quantity usually sown—he should certainly obtain a • 
first-rate stand. There is very little danger of in¬ 
jury by the hot sun. Weeds are what he must look 
out for. FRED GRUNDY. 
Proved a Great Success Here. 
Clover is frequently sown in this latitude in the 
spring upon ground not in a crop of any other kind, 
and does well; better than with wheat provided the 
ground be free enough from weeds so that it will not 
get too foul. The hot sun will affect it just as in other 
conditions—no more, no less. Heat will not hurt it 
unless too dry. The oat stubble well harrowed in, 
will make a light mulch ; that, together with the 
growth sure to appear even upon well tilled ground, 
will make ample protection under favorable condi¬ 
tions. The clover will make much more rapid growth; 
because, if well done, the cultivation will make a good 
seed-bed of freshly turned earth that will give every 
grain of seed a hold. Do not hesitate, It is no ex- 
P J Record of Personal Experience. 
The flood of June, 1892, which inun- 
^ dated a large portion of our farm, left an 
immense quantity of drift and debris on 
the roadside, between our house and the 
river; and before we could spare the 
time to remove it, the Blue grass beneath 
was completely killed out. In the fall, 
I seeded it to Timothy, which failed to 
grow. Last April, I seeded again, with 
clover, covering thoroughly with a disc 
harrow, smoothing with a plank. I take 
^ considerable pride in keeping the road- 
^ lawn-like condition, and went 
over it three times with the mower be- 
tore July 4. During July and August of 
' ^ , ^ last year no rain fell, and the sun shone 
ySi I bright and hot nearly every day. After 
\ a few showers early in September, it was 
mown again, and pastured by the neigh- 
jl*'% hors’cows during the fall. To-day there 
w is no snow, no frost in the ground, and 
^ ''* '41 examination shows the surface thickly 
.] covered with clover, green and nice. 
■:y Again, almost every year, I scatter clover 
seeds in our woods pasture, where the 
Blue grass is killed by burning the brush 
piles, and have never known the plants 
to be killed by the hot sun. This experi¬ 
ence seems to warrant the opinion that 
your inquirer need have no fears that 
the hot sun will kill the clover if sown 
by itself. Not knowing the conditions of his soil, 
or his reasons for wishing to seed a stubble field 
to clover without a grain crop, and especially when 
fertilizer is to be used, I am unable to say if it is 
“ a good plan for him to sow clover by itself.” Cer¬ 
tainly it would not be a good plan for me. Were his 
stubble field on my own farm, and I could not for any 
reason use it for corn, I would sow oats on the stubble, 
without plowing, and cover them with a disc harrow, 
“ lapping half,” then sow the clover seed, cross-harrow 
with the spring tooth, and smooth with a plank drag. 
Illinois. P. H. MUNROE. 
SHALL WE HARROW THE WHEAT? 
WHEN TO USE THE CLOVER. 
1, Does it par to barrow wheat In sprlnK? 2. If so, at what time T 
8 . What kind of a harrow shonld be used—soil sandy 7 4. Should 
clover seed be sown before or after harrowing ? 
Run the Harrow with the Drill. 
I never harrowed wheat, and it is not practiced 
here. Our soil is black loam, with some sand. If I 
were to do anything of that kind, I would say do it the 
first time the ground is dry enough after the middle 
of April, and run a spike-toothed harrow straight with 
the drill rows. I would prefer to sow my clover after 
the harrow. I cannot see why the man wants to har¬ 
row his wheat if the soil is sandy. I think a harrow 
would nearly ruin my wheat, as it covers the ground 
like a carpet. I think farmers ought to do their har¬ 
rowing, and follow the harrow with a good roller, in 
the fall before seeding. If they do this, and put the 
