1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
233 
you inevitably tend to get seed from the plants which 
produced the largest proportion of such pods. Is it well 
to use plants which produce nubbins, a single half- 
filled head, or pods with but one bean as the parents 
of your crop ? The only true method of improvement 
by selection is the separation and saving of the seed 
from the plants coming the nearest to our ideal. To 
do this requires more brains and care than the ordi¬ 
nary wire sieve possesses. will w. tracy. 
Trying to Explain What “ Ammonia ” Is. 
J. K. McN., Burgettstown, Pa .—I have been much in¬ 
terested in the fertilizer talks in The R. N.-Y., but 
there are still some things I do not fully understand. 
I would like to know whether “ nitrogen ” as it ap¬ 
pears in the published analyses of the different brands 
of fertilizer is exactly synonymous with the term 
“ammonia”? Have they each the same commercial 
value ? What is the commercial value of the follow¬ 
ing potato fertilizer, and is it about right for pota¬ 
toes? Ammonia, 4>^ to par cent; phosphoric acid, 
G to 8 per cent (soluble and available, 5 to 6 per cent); 
actual potash, 7 to 9 per cent (high grade sulphate); 
lime, magnesia, organic matter, etc., 75 to 80 per cent. 
Ans.—N itrogen is a single elementary substance. 
Ammonia is a combination of nitrogen and another 
substance called hydrogen. Hydrogen is the lightest 
gas know.il and is, therefore, ranked in weight as 1. 
Nitrogen weighs 14 times as much, volume for volume, 
and therefore ranks 14. Ammonia is composed of one 
part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen and therefore 
ranks 17 by weight. Therefore, a pound of ammonia 
contains only 14-17 or 82)^ per cent of a pound of pure 
nitrogen. Just as though you had a pint of molasses 
and 10 quarts of water. You would have 2M quarts 
of “ switchell,” but still only your pint of molasses. 
Therefore, when a fertilizer analysis is figured in 
terms of ammonia, remember that only 82>^ per cent 
of it is nitrogen and that is all that is of any value. 
In the fertilizer quoted, all that the manufacturer 
guarantees is 75 pounds of nitrogen, 100 of available 
phosphoric acid and 140 pounds of potash to the ton. 
The trade values this year are 183^ cents per pound 
for nitrogen, six cents for available phosphoric acid 
and five cents for potash from sulphate. 
Building: a Stone Hogrpen. 
O. B., nibble, Mich. —What about building a stone 
hogpen? Some claim that they are colder than 
frame ones. Which would The R. N.-Y. suggest as it 
is warmth I am after ? 
Ans.—I believe that a hoghouse may be built of 
stone and made as healthy as desired, and so con¬ 
structed that the stone walls will give warmth in 
winter, and be refreshingly cool in summer. The 
drainage should be perfect about the foundation. 
This may be secured by putting tile with a good out¬ 
let about the base of the foundation. The tile drains 
may also be used to carry away the roof water by con¬ 
necting it with the spouting. The greater the care 
exercised in this direction, the drier the walls will be, 
which will add proportionately to the warmth of the 
building. 
Another point that must be well arranged is that of 
ventilation; if there be a draft through the building, 
it should be above the hogs. Whenever a draft cf air 
strikes hogs in their quarters, they will pile up, and 
probably smother some of the smaller animals. The 
building should have a Portland cement floor; this 
will be as cheap as a plank floor, may be easily 
cleaned, and will not become saturated with filth as a 
plank or earth floor will. John m. jamison. 
Ross County, Ohio. 
Fertilizers, Corn Culture, Potatoes. 
F. O. D., Baltimore, Md. —1. What is the best com¬ 
plete fertilizer for corn on clay loam soil ? On sandy 
loam soil ? Part of the land was in corn last year, 
and part the year before, with nothing planted on it 
since. 2. May the different chemicals comprising the 
complete fertilizer be applied to the land separately 
to good advantage ? 3. What is the advantage of 
mixing the chemicals before application to the land, 
and is it necessary ? For instance, could not nitrate 
of soda be broadcasted first, and then the chemical 
containing the phosphoric acid be broadcasted, and 
finally the potash ? It would, of course, entail more 
labor, but is there any other good reason why the 
chemicals could not be advantageously applied in this 
way ? Is there any question of chemical action or 
affinity involved in the matter ? Would not the 
chemical action take place in the soil ? 4. How deep 
should land be plowed generally for corn, and should 
the fertilizer be applied after planting ? If so, how 
often thereafter ? 5. What kind of cultivator should 
be used in the cultivation of corn? Name some 
specific one. How deep should the cultivation be in 
the method of shallow cultivation advocated by The 
R. N.-Y ? 6. When should late potatoes be planted 
and will such a crop be good for seed the following 
spring ? May early potatoes be planted late and the 
resulting crop be used for seed for early potatoes the 
following spring ? How may an ordinary barn be 
altered so as to keep potatoes during the winter to be 
used for seed in the spring ? 
Ans. —1. We would want a fertilizer eontaining 
about four per cent of nitrogen, 10 per cent of phos¬ 
phoric acid and six per cent of potash. The nitrogen 
should be derived from different sources like nitrate, 
blood and bone, and the phosphoric acid should also 
be derived partly from bone. For light soils, we would 
want more nitrogen. 2-3. The mixture of chemicals 
is a mechanical one. With improved machinery for 
mixing and grinding, the manufacturers are able to 
make a thorough mixture, better than can be made by 
hand. It is not only less labor to apply the mixture, 
but one can get a more even distribution. For exam¬ 
ple, suppose half the nitrogen in your corn fertilizer 
comes from nitrate of soda. That means 250 pounds 
of nitrate. Can you broadcast that small quantity so 
as to have a perfect distribution over the acre ? You 
could do much better by mixing the nitrate with twice 
its bulk of good soil and broadcasting all together. 4. 
On ordinary soils, we would plow about six inches 
deep. We would broadcast the fertilizer after plow¬ 
ing and harrow it in. At Ellerslie, Hon. Levi P. Mor¬ 
ton’s great farm, they are to plant 215 acres of corn 
this spring. The land, an old, worn-out meadow, was 
plowed last fall. Early in May, it will be worked over 
with a disc harrow across the furrows. The fertilizer 
will then be applied from a grain drill with a slanting 
board placed under the tubes to throw the fertilizer 
out in front. The soil will then be thoroughly worked 
with an Acme harrow, after which the corn will be 
drilled in. Some farmers make two or three applica¬ 
tions of the fertilizer, but where corn is grown on a 
large scale, it is not practical to do this work by ma¬ 
chinery after the corn reaches a good size. 5. For a 
one-horse cultivator, nothing is better than the Planet 
J r. It should be regulated to run three inches or less 
in depth. An excellent two-horse riding cultivator is 
made by S. Terry Hudson, Riverhead, N. Y. 6. In 
this climate we plant late potatoes at the same time 
we plant early ones. They keep perfectly until the 
following spring in any cool cellar. In your climate, 
they may well be planted a couple of weeks later— 
say. May 1. Farther south, early potatoes are planted 
late, as Prof. Massey has fully explained, and they keep 
so well that there is a growing demand for them 
North. The whole secret of keeping potatoes may be 
told in a few words: Keep them in a temperattire as 
near 40 degrees as possible. 
Club Foot in Cabbagre; Potatoes. 
A. E. B., Tolland, Conn. —Last year, I plowed a piece 
of sward that had not been plowed in 25 years, and set 
1,000 early cabbage; nearly all were club footed. After 
taking off the cabbage, I sowed turnips, and half of 
them are in the same condition. I think the cabbage 
plants were affected when I bought them. I sowed 
some cabbage and cauliflower seed for late, just be¬ 
low the cabbage, and they were all right. Would The 
R. N.-Y. advise me to plant early potatoes on that cab¬ 
bage ground this spring ? What shall I use for ferti¬ 
lizers ? The land was highly manured last year with 
barnyard manure and fertilizers. 
Ans. —This experience accords with the experiments 
of Dr. Halsted given on page 150. The club root dis¬ 
ease affects turnips as well as cabbage. We would 
not grow cabbage, turnips, cauliflower or similar crops 
on this land for at least four years, and before plant¬ 
ing them use a heavy dressing of lime. Early pota¬ 
toes ought to do well on that ground. You may use 
any of the leading brands of potato fertilizers, unless 
you want to mix your own fertilizers. In that case, 
send to the Experiment Station at New Haven for a re¬ 
port containing a variety of formulas. 
What to Add to Muck. 
S. C., Berwick, Nava Scotia. —I have a piece of ground 
on which I wish to raise potatoes, turnips, carrots, 
etc. I put about two-thirds enough stable manure on 
it last fall and plowed it under; then I spread about 
35 tons to the acre of very good freshly-dug black mud 
or muck on the plowed ground. Can I depend on the 
muck to make up for the other one-third of the manure 
to give me a good crop ? If not, what kind of ferti¬ 
lizers, and how much to the acre, shall I require to in¬ 
sure a good crop ? 
Ans. —You can safely add potash and phosphoric 
acid in some form. Very likely wood ashes will be 
cheapest. You can safely add half a ton to the acre. 
Or, you may use 150 pounds of muriate of potash and 
300 of fine ground bone. 
Planning to Fill a Silo. 
E. P. B., La Plume, Pa. —I have come to the con¬ 
clusion that I cannot do without a silo any longer. I 
shall plant 15 acres of corn from which I expect to put 
up 150 tons of ensilage. What tool can I use to plant 
by horse power ? Will it be advisable to sow fertilizer 
in the drill with the corn ? I wish to plant so as to 
cultivate one way only. The field is long and narrow, 
and the rows will run the long way of the field. The 
soil will produce 100 bushels per acre of ears now and 
we are covering it with yard manure from 25 cows and 
seven horses, flow much special corn manure would 
The R. N.-Y. recommend so that I will get the 150 
tons of ensilage ? 
Ans. —We cannot tell you how to guarantee a yield 
of 150 tons. The season will have too much to do 
with that. You can do your part by plowing that 
manure in and using say 400 pounds of a good fertilizer 
in the drill. The Eclipse or Billings planters, adver- 
tisevl in The R N.-Y., will drill in the seed and scatter 
the fertilizer just as you want it. 
New Uses for Corrosive Sublimate. 
A. B. H., North East, Pa. —I remember reading an 
article (I think in The R. N.-Y.) within the past two 
years, regarding the use of mercuric bichloride as a 
germicide in the treatment of seed potatoes. I wish 
to know the results and the strength of the solution. 
Also whether it has been successfully used as an in¬ 
secticide in spraying fruit trees. I have used it in a 
solution of 1 to 5,000 to spray my henhouse and to 
destroy the carpet bug, with perfect satisfaction. 
Ans. —This is the same as what we call corrosive 
sublimate. It has given excellent results in the treat¬ 
ment of potato scab. A solution of one ounce of the 
poison in IG gallons of water will kill the scab, but 
usually a stronger solution is made. Soak the seed 
potatoes from one hour to 90 minutes. It is better to 
soak the whole seed. We do not know of the use of 
this substance on fruit trees. Who does ? 
Small Hope for a Knee Sprung Horse. 
C. S., Franklin, Pa. —I have a four-year-old stallion 
that is knee sprung. It has been coming on for several 
months. Can it be cured ? If so, how ? 
Ans. —A horse that is once “ started” or “ sprung” 
at the knees, can rarely be cured. Rest, with the ap¬ 
plication of a stimulating liniment with active fric¬ 
tion to the back tendons, or a blister back of and 
below the knee, will usually improve the knees; but 
the trouble is liable to return as before if the horse is 
put to active or hard work. f. h. k. 
Horse With a Big Leg. 
T. K., Oakesdale, Wash. —I have a horse 10 years old 
and weighing about 1,300 pounds, that had his right 
hind leg caught and strained in a single-tree about 
three years ago. He improved so that we put him to 
work, when his leg swelled up to about four times its 
natural size. It does not seem to be an enlargement 
of the bone, but the muscles seem to be swollen. He 
has been running out for the past two years and the 
swelling has not gone down, although he is not lame. 
Is there anything to reduce the swelling. 
Ans. —The enlargement is of too long standing to 
expect much improvement from treatment. Try giving 
dram doses of the iodide of potash once daily ; con¬ 
tinue for a week or 10 days ; then omit for a few days 
and repeat as before. This treatment may be con¬ 
tinued as long as any improvement is shown, p. l. k. 
When and How to Thin Potato Vines. 
S. O. H., Vernon, 111. —In all the potato discussions 
in The R. N.-Y. I have seen nothing said about thin¬ 
ning potato vines where they are excessively thick 
during growth. Is it best to do so, and when ? 
Ans. —We have spoken of this repeatedly, but not of 
late. Our own experiments go to show that if vines 
are thinned out during early growth, the potatoes 
will grow larger, though there will be fewer. Vines 
should not be thinned out after the tubers have grown 
to any size. It is then too late. 
Bad Foot Oa a Horse. 
B. S. P., Proctor, Vt. —I have a horse that has worked 
in the team all winter. About four weeks since, he 
began to be lame in the off fore foot, and a few days 
later the foot broke and discharged a watery matter 
at the heel. Soon after, the frog peeled off, and about 
two weeks later the whole sole of the foot loosened up 
and I took it off down to the quick and cleaned the 
foot. What is the trouble, the cause and the treat¬ 
ment ? 
Ans —The festering or shedding of the sole was 
caused by suppuration between the sole and sensitive 
structures of the foot, due to some injury to the latter. 
The only treatment that can be given now is to re¬ 
move any additional horn that has been separated 
from the foot by the suppuration; then apply tar 
dressings and wait for the hoof to grow out anew. 
P. L,. K. 
To Make the Plums Bear. 
J. L., Mulvcine, Kansas. —I have 10 large plum trees 
that bloom every year, but bear no fruit. They are 
healthy and look well. Would it be advisable to dig 
under them and cut the taproots? Some call them 
the Blackman plum. They are on a rich loamy river 
bottom with a sandy subsoil, and are 10 years old. 
Ans. —It is not improbable that root pruning would 
decrease the vigor and increase the virility so to 
speak. Perhaps, however, the variety bears imper¬ 
fect flowers or those on which the stamens and pistils 
do not mature at the same time. In this case the 
remedy would be to plant other kinds among them or 
graft other kinds upon them. 
