1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
295 
while the skin of the former variety was unbroken 
over the diseased spots. This is an important point, 
as it shows that slightly scabby seed may be as unsafe 
to use as that more seriously affected, and that the 
treatment should be as thorough. 
The treatment with solutions of different strength 
shows, first, that the strongest solution, one part of 
poison to 750 parts of water, was more active than 
necessary ; second, that the 1 to 2,000 was as effective 
as the 1 to 1,000. Both of the latter checked the scab 
equally as well without injuring the germinating 
power of the tuber, as did the stronger solution, and 
also gave better yields. 
The different lengths of immersion show that treat¬ 
ing 15 minutes radically checked the scab and in¬ 
creased the yield over the untreated plots. As the time 
of immersion of the seed increased, the amount of 
scab and the yield decreased, but not in direct propor¬ 
tion. This is shown in the following table, which is 
the average of the two varieties for the treatment in 
the weaker solution. The plots on the ground that 
had a crop of potatoes the previous season, are not 
included in this summary : 
Length op 
Tkkatmknt. 
YIEI I) 
PER .ACRE. 
Per Cent 
SCAHHV 
1 
Per Cent j 
SCAHKY. 
Untreated. 
119. .8 
(iU 1 
'4 and 4 hour. 
184.3 
1.‘).2 
4 , and 1 hour. 
128.1 
18.2 
\4 and hour. 
129. 
«.8 
and 2 hours 
12.'). (i 
9.6 
24 and 24 hours 
llH.l 
6.1 
8 hours 
108. 
4.3 
_i 
24 and 4 hours. 
117..') 
4.8 
The table readily shows that where the seed is 
treated from 13^ to 13 ^ hour, the scab is reduced 
nearly to the minimum, and the yield is near the 
maximum. The longer treatment affects the yield, 
and but slightly reduces the per cent of scab. The 
figures given tell but part of the story. The area of 
the scab on the untreated was much larger than on 
the treated. Many tubers on the former plots were 
quite badly scabbed, while those on the latter were 
affected very slightly. The duplicate series showed 
that the scab was reduced about one-half by the 
treatment, from which, in conjunction with other ex¬ 
periments the conclusion may be drawn that the 
treatment is unreliable when once the ground is in¬ 
fested with the germs. 
A chemical analysis has revealed the fact that one 
gallon of a solution of corrosive sublimate 1 to 1,000, 
will treat one bushel of potatoes before becoming too 
weak to be what is now thought effective. Bordeaux 
Mixture was used for a series of experiments with 
nearly as good results as the corrosive sublimate. As 
this is entirely insoluble in water, it can not pene¬ 
trate the tuber to kill the disease, but acts on the 
germ whenever it appears at the surface, or, in other 
words, it holds it in quarantine, so that there is more 
of a chance for a failure than there is with the cor¬ 
rosive sublimate. 
Taking into consideration the size of the scab spots 
on the untreated crop as compared with the treated, 
it is estimated that the injury on the untreated is 36 
times that on the treated. While a weaker solution 
seems as efficient, one ounce of corrosive sublimate is 
recommended to eight gallons of water. Repeated 
use of the solution will decrease its strength until, 
after treating about one bushel of potatoes to each 
gallon of solution, one-half the original amount of 
poison should be added, with sufficient water to make 
good the loss of strength and the waste of the water. 
With an increased yield by this treatment, and a 
more salable product, there is but little excuse for 
raising scabby potatoes, especially as the cost should 
not exceed 10 cents per acre. Bulletin 108 treats the 
subject fully. The results, with complete directions 
for treating, are also printed on a calendar and sent 
out as Poster Bulletin No. 1, one of which may be ob¬ 
tained, for the present at least. e. j. cokyell. 
Agricultural College, Mich. 
PHOSPHORIC ACID AND NITROGEN. 
A VALUABLE AKTICLE BY SIK J. B. LAWES. 
It is much easier to ask questions than to answer 
them. Phosphoric acid rendered soluble by the action 
of sulphuric acid is of the same commercial value 
whatever the source. This statement, of course, ex¬ 
cludes all reference to all other ingredients which 
may be contained in the manure, some of which may 
be highly beneficial, some injurious and some neither 
injurious nor beneficial. With regard to the phosphoric 
acid in bones, it is a great question whether it ought 
to be rendered soluble by acid. By really fine grind¬ 
ing it is sufficiently soluble for all practical purposes 
as in the decay of the animal portion the phosphoric 
acid becomes soluble. 
With regard to soluble nitrogen, the question is 
somewhat complicated. I consider, however, that in 
whatever form you apply nitrogen to the soil, it has 
to take the form of nitric acid before it becomes the 
food of plants. If we apply a salt of ammonia (sul¬ 
phate or muriate) to our soils, our drainage water a 
few days afterwards contains not ammonia but 
nitrate. Contrary to your valuations I place a higher 
value upon nitrogen in the form of nitric acid than as 
salts of ammonia, and practically we get a larger 
yield of produce from a given weight of nitrogen as 
nitric acid. 
I do not see how you can say soluble nitrogen is of 
the same value whatever its source may be ; because 
in all cases the nitrogen must be in combination with 
substances which considerably affect its value. Nitrate 
of potash has a different value from nitrate of soda. 
When sulphate of ammonia is placed in the land, the 
sulphuric acid combines with the lime, and a good 
deal of lime is washed out of the land, so much so 
that when we have used large quantities of salts of 
ammonia in our grass experiments, we have been com¬ 
pelled to replace the lime by an application of lime 
and chalk. 
When we published our experiments upon sugar 
beets some years ago, the superiority of nitrate of 
soda to salts of ammonia in the production of sugar 
was so great, that the Germans at once began the use 
of nitrate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia fell from 
£24 to £12 per ton. The Germans are very quick at 
adopting our chances, and they carried off much of 
our basic slag before our farmers found out its value. 
A TENNESSEE CORN CROP. 
HOW THE WEEDS ARK KNOCKED OUT. 
Farmers in eastern Tennessee finished plowing corn 
ground the last of February. We always try to get it 
plowed as soon after the middle of .Fanuary as possible. 
Some farmers plow in November and December, but 
this I do not like as it leaves the ground bare too long, 
Good Type for Fat Wether. Fig. 84. 
and gives too much chance for washing, and for the 
escape of plant food in one form or another. As our 
rotation always gives us a clover sod for our corn crop, 
we like to plow it early enough to have it freeze more 
or less and thus get rid of slugs, cut worms, and other 
psste. By plowing the latter part of January and in 
February, we get plenty of frost for this purpose and 
avoid the damage done by early fall breaking. Our 
land, plowed thus early, is thoroughly fined and pul¬ 
verized by the action of the frost, and is also packed 
pretty close by the action of heavy rains. 
Theoretically, this land should be stirred and thor¬ 
oughly prepared before planting, but in practice we 
don’t do it that way. As soon as planting time comes, 
instead of waiting to prepare the land, we plant it 
first and prepare it afterward. This gives us several 
days’ start in planting over the ordinary method. We 
mark the ground with a long, narrow plow or buil 
tongue. A two-horse cultivator may be used by put¬ 
ting such a plow on either side and removing the extra 
shovel, thus making two furrows at a time. We put 
in the plows deep, making a narrow furrow, which 
the soil, falling around the plow, fills more than half 
full. It, however, leaves a deep, mellow bottom for 
the corn roots to grow in. In the bottom of the fur¬ 
row, we plant the corn with a planter as by hand, and 
cover it with a plow or cultivator by running close 
alongside so as not to disturb the corn. 
When the corn is planted, we go in immediately 
with cultivators, or double shovel plows, and work 
the ground deep, just as if the corn were up, being 
careful not to disturb the corn. This stirs all the 
ground thoroughly, and the corn is thoroughly culti¬ 
vated and all the weeds killed before the corn is up. 
In three or four days we harrow it thoroughly, 
and the next crop of weeds is killed a “ hornin’.” 
Just as the corn is peeping through the ground wa 
harrow it again. When the corn has about three 
or four leaves, we harrow it again. This harrowing 
will knock out a hill of corn occasionally, but for 
every one it does it will kill 10,000 weeds. 
The corn field will look pretty ragged for a few 
days, but in a short time the oorn is all up straight, 
the surface is level, mellow and clean, and we are 
masters of the weeds. The ground is in such shape 
that it is no trouble to keep ahead, and when the 
corn is laid by it is clean. All after cultivation should 
be as shallow as possible ; I prefer not to cultivate 
more than two or three inches deep. By this method, 
the farmer who has few tools has a chance to get the 
drop on the weeds and raise a crop of corn. All that 
is absolutely necessary is a single plow to mark out, 
a double shovel to stir it, and a harrow well used. Of 
course a planter and double cultivators come handy, 
but a poor man with few tools need not be afraid of 
the weeds if he will use what he has and use the har¬ 
row. That is the tool that does much work in a short 
time, and does it when needed. e. l. giffin. 
Loudon, Tenn. 
PLANT SETTING BY MACHINERY. 
THE END OF ANOTHER HAND JOB. 
A few weeks since, we asked for information con¬ 
cerning machines for “ setting out” plants like cab¬ 
bage, tobacco and tomato. It seems that such ma¬ 
chines are in successful operation. 
What the Machine Can Do. 
I am satisfied that the transplanter has come to stay, 
and is adapted to fisld work with tobacco, cabbage, 
beet, and all similar vegetable plants. Of course, it 
requires a team, driver, and two droppers, besides 
some help to pull the plants. The ground should be 
well prepared and rolled to do first-rate work. My 
experience is somewhat limited, only with tobacco, 
although I have seen cabbage plants set, and the work 
was well done. The transplanter is coming into 
general use among the to lacco growers. A grower 
that raises two acres thinks he can afford to buy one. 
I like the Manwarring best because it is more simple 
and does just as good work. The reason why a small 
grower likes to own a machine is that he can set his 
plants whenever they are ready. Our practice is to 
transplant afternoons in very hot weather, but in 
cloudy, cool weather it doesn’t make much difference. 
Some experts claim that they have set four acres a 
day, but I never happened to be there when it was 
done. Two acres or, perhaps, 23>^ acres, set three feet 
cne way, and 18 inches the other, seem to be enough 
for the droppers. This would require 18,000 to 20,000 
plants The transplanter has an stbachment that calls 
for the plants at the distance required, but the drop¬ 
pers need considerable experience to obey it at the 
particular time. 
Last year I planted two acres of potatoes with my 
transplanter, in drills, eight inches apart ; it took 
about eight hours. Ordinarily, every plant will live; 
the exceptions are when there is a depression in the 
ground, such as a dead furrow, or a stone, sod, or 
similar obstruction. There is a water tank to every 
transplanter. We have ours run a continous stream, 
and have had tobacco plants live that lay on the 
ground with scarcely any earth on the roots. I set 
out two acres of tobacco for a neighbor last year in 
eight hours, and traveled four miles to do it. Besides 
the driver and two droppers, it took a young man and 
two children, 13 years oM, to pull the plants, and the 
neighbor, an old man, took a basket of plants to set 
on the ends of the rows, and wherever any might be 
missed. He did not have to work more than half an 
hour after we got through. e. c. n. 
Jordan, N. Y. 
It can Handla Strawberries. 
Within two miles of here about 100 acres of tobacco 
are grown, and I know of only about one acre being 
set by hand. The land is plowed in the soring and 
kept harrowed, and a large number of farmers plow 
twije. With good droppers, the tobacco will live 
better during an ordinary season than that set by 
hand with ordinary help after a rain. Most farmers 
that own a setter, get their plants ready in the fore¬ 
noon and set them in the afternoon, which makes a 
great difference in the plants living. 
Our land is gravelly, with lots of cobble stones, but 
I never saw a piece of land too stony for the Man war¬ 
ring to do good work, if the large stones are taken off. 
We set about 13^ acre of strawberries every year, and 
formerly did it by hand, but now we do it with a 
transplanter much quicker and better. 
In planting potatoes we take off the tank and put 
a box in its place in which to carry the seed. Two 
good droppers can drop as fast, 16 or 18 inches apart, 
as an ordinary team will walk. In setting tobacco, etc., 
a slow-walking pair of horses are the best. A nervous 
horse will sometimes get restless going slow enough 
to accommodate green droppers, but generally soon 
