1894 
3ii 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Rut little attention has been given to it; the wild or 
American has become almost extinct in some sections. 
What will prevent extensive planting is the great 
difficulty of getting the trees to grow ; some seasons, 
from one-half to three-fourths will be lost by trans¬ 
planting. Another great difficulty is the grafting, 
which will make the tree always sell at a high price. 
Bucks County, Pa. .Joseph e. eovktt. 
A Profitable Business on Suitable Soil. 
1. One, a Paragon, is grafted about two feet above 
the surface. Others, Japanese, at or beneath the sur¬ 
face. 2. The Paragon, grafted at two feet, does not 
form a satisfactory union ; although other Paragons, 
Japanese and European varieties, seem to form satis¬ 
factory unions at or beneath the surface. 3. None of 
these, in my case, has been broken off, at the point of 
union, by wind or otherwise. 4. Two-year-old grafts 
have generally fruited at from one to three years 
from the date of planting. 5. Paragon has generally 
produced two or three nuts to the burr; while the 
number of burrs has sometimes been such that fully 
one-half was removed soon after setting. One of the 
most productive .Japanese varieties produced a very 
heavy crop upon a tree less than six feet in height; 
each burr being even smaller than those of our wild 
natives ; but invariably with a single large, round nut 
in each. 6. Paragon is nearly, though not quite 
equal in quality, to our natives; and in size, fully the 
equal of the Europeans. The Japanese above refer¬ 
red to, 18 of similar size and quality ; but with a slight 
astringency, which disappears when dry enough for 
use. 7. It is my conviction that, with the Paragon, 
and, probably, with some of the Japanese varieties, a 
profitable orchard business may be conducted upon a 
suitable soil. This conviction is based upon a two or 
three years’ experience in fruiting the Paragon, and 
but a single season’s fruiting of the European and 
.lapanese varieties. t. t. lyox. 
Needs Careful Work To Propagate. 
My experience with chestnut culture is with Para¬ 
gon, an imported Japan and the Italian. I have not 
found the last two profitable. The Japan is very 
large and fine looking, better in quality than the 
Italian, but not so good as the Paragon. It is not 
productive—many of the burrs are nutless. 1. It is 
important to have a strong stock, an inch or more in 
diameter, but for a good union the graft and stock 
should be of the same size; therefore we must set the 
graft two to four or six feet up. 2. Often defective. 
This is another reason for not grafting in the heavy 
stock near the ground. The wind would break it off 
sooner than the graft set on the pliable stock. 3. 
Yes, but so far not seriously. It sometimes makes 
unsightly knots; how these will behave when the 
trees become large, remains to be seen. I had hoped 
to avoid these defects by root grafting, but my root 
grafting did not prove a success. Budding makes the 
best union, but this is also very uncertain. In fact, 
success in propagating chestnuts does not by any 
means amount to 100 per cent. 4. Usually the second 
year after grafting. I have had from three to four 
quarts on four-year-old grafts worked in the top of 
a two-inch stock. 5. Generally three. 0. The aver¬ 
age Paragon would probably weigh three to four 
times as much as the average wood chestnut. In 
quality it is nearly as good. 7. I think it does. The 
trees bear young and abundantly, and rarely fail to 
make a crop. Rough land not adapted to general 
farming is suitable for a chestnut orchard. Grafts 
set on young sprouts in the wood lot will be profit¬ 
able in three years. c. h. 
Conestoga, Pa. 
The Union Seems Perfect. 
Our experience in chestnut culture is not extended 
enough to prove of much value as yet, the trees having 
been set but three and four years. They were Numbo 
and -Japan Giant, grafted four or five feet from the 
ground. The union between stock and scion seems 
perfect enough, as none has broken apart. Last 
season the trees averaged, perhaps, 10 burrs; some 
had two and some three, very large nuts in each, 
which ripened before our native nuts. We think the 
quality excellent, in tact fully equal to small, native 
nuts. We see no reason why it would not be a profit¬ 
able industry, and have seriously contemplated setting 
a large orchard. Isaac f. tillinghast. 
Regrets for Small Planting. 
I have had some experience, but only in a limited 
way, having but few trees bearing. One of these is 
about 25 years old, and for several years has annually 
produced from 1 to IM bushel. Had I, when it was 
planted, put out 10 or 12 acres they would have long 
since paid for the ground, labor, interest, taxes on 
land, and been netting now a nice income, with no. ex¬ 
pense, except for gathering the crop. This tree is of 
the Spanish variety ; the fruit is about 2>^ times larger 
than the common wild nut, and^of equally good 
quality. 1. We graft from six inches to three feet 
above the surface according to conditions. 2. The 
union seems to be gocd after the second year, occa¬ 
sionally by storms or accident, if the growth is strong, 
perhaps two or three per cent may be broken. 3. I 
have never known them to break after the third year. 
4. Generally the third or fourth year, when they 
would be, if grafted on a stock not removed, eight to 
ten feet high. 5. One to three nuts to the burr. 6. I 
have never found the quality of Paragon, Numbo or 
any of the very large nuts equal to that of our Spanish 
nut. c. coopeb. 
Pennsylvania. _ 
BORDEAUX MIXTURE FOR POTATO BLIGHT. 
ITS APPLICATIOX AND EFFECT. 
We have referred before now to a bulletin issued by 
the Vermont Experiment Station which gives the de¬ 
tails of experiments in curing the potato disease com¬ 
monly known as blight. This di-ease is quite common 
in Vermont, so much so that the Station, after care¬ 
ful investigation, urges all farmers in that State to 
spray their crops. 
Fig. 86 shows a photograph of a field as it appeared 
September 10. The dead space at the right shows 
where the vines were not sprayed, while the thrifty 
vines at the left show where three applications of 
Bordeaux Mixture were made. The picture tells the 
story of the cure far better than words could tell it, 
but the results are even more forcible than the picture. 
On the part sprayed with the Bordeaux, the yield was 
at the rate of 324 bushels of marketable potatoes and 
three bushels rotten. On the part not sprayed, the 
yield was 100 bushels marketable and 23 rotten. 
Fig. 87 shows bow the Bordeaux Mixture was ap¬ 
plied. The wheels of the cart are six feet apart. They 
thus cover two rows—the rod noticed in front of each 
wheel acting as a guard to keep the plants from under 
the wheel. By means of a force pump working on a 
barrel, the mixture is forced through a hose and out 
at four nozzles at the rear of the cart—two over each 
row. The outside nozzles are directed forward, while 
the others point backward. In this way, every part 
is well sprayed. As seen in the picture, one man 
drives while another works the pump. 
Prof. Jones has found the Bordeaux Mixture most 
effective. He uses five pounds sulphate of copper, 
five pounds fresh lime and 50 gallons of water, dis¬ 
solved and diluted as we have often described. The 
strong copper sulphate solution alone will kill the 
leaves. The lime neutralizes and prevents this caus¬ 
tic action, therefore it is necessary to know that the 
lime is not air slaked. A good way to test this matter 
is to add a few drops of ferro-cyanide of potassium 
(one ounce dissolved in four ounces of water). If 
there be not enough lime in the mixture, this solution 
will turn brick red—when there is enough there will 
be no change of color. This simple test will save 
much trouble of weighing and remixing. In spray¬ 
ing Bordeaux, it is necesssry to keep the contents of 
the barrel well mixed. Prof. -Jones accomplishes this 
by means of dashers like those used in a churn, which 
play up and down in the barrel with the movement of 
the pump handle—rising and falling with it. As a 
rule, the potatoes are sprayed three times during their 
growth, at intervals of about two weeks. If bugs 
abound, Paris-green may be added to the Bordeaux at 
the rate of one-half pound to 50jgallons. This ti Paris- 
green is mixed with an equal weight of fresh lime in 
a pail of hot water, and allowed to stand two hours 
before using. Prof. Jones has also found that the 
troublesome flea beetles may be kept in check by the 
use of soap with the Bordeaux. By adding one pound 
of soap to each 10 gallons of the mixture, he found 
that the leaves were less badly eaten by the beetles. 
This is very important for early sprayings, and the 
soap could be used with Paris-green even by those 
who are not troubled with blight. 
MORE ABOUT THAT STOCKYARD MANURE. 
I live IK) iDlles from Chloaf^o. I can set the manure from the stock- 
yaroe at a certain price. The manure le from fat animals, fed on 
grain with a small proportion of hay and Utter. This manure Is 
carted out and put In piles 10 feet In depth, and has been exposed to 
the rain for two or three years. I would have to draw It, on an aver¬ 
age, mile from the depot. 1. Can the fertility of the sell be kept 
up (coi.slderlng the prescLt and the future) by commercial fertilizers 
as well as by barnyard manure? 3. What can I afford to pay per ton 
for such manure delivered at my depot, as compared with commercial 
fertilizers? 3. The manure from the stockyards, and commercial fer¬ 
tilizers being of rqual fertilizing and money value, which would The 
I t. N.-V. prefer to use ? o. c. u. 
Buchanan, Mich. 
Use Superphosphate With Manure Anyway. 
It would appear to me that O. C. H., page 297, might 
use the stockyard manures to advantage, provided he 
can purchase them at satisfactory prices. He fails to 
state at what price per ton or cord the manure can be 
purchased. I have no doubt the fertility of the soil 
can be kept up for all time by a judicious application 
of chemical fertilizers. Just what proportions these 
fertilizers should be to meet the requirements of this 
particular soil I am not able to say, at this distance ; 
this could be ascertained by a few experiments. If 
O. C. H. can buy the stockyard manures at a fair 
price, and would then add a plain superphosphate in 
the right proportions, he could, I believe, build up and 
maintain the fertility of his soil at an economical cost. 
Cranbury, N. J. i). c. lewis. 
Use the Manure for Organic Matter. 
It is a difficult matter to answer such questions as 
are asked by O. C. H., without having a more detailed 
knowledge of the existing conditions, though it seems 
to me that the manure from the stockyards as stated 
should be of good quality. The exposure to the rain 
for so long a time as two or three years, would natur¬ 
ally cause a very considerable leaching, though when 
put in such deep piles it is doubtful whether any of 
the constituents are completely washed out; I would 
fear flrefanging more than leaching under the cir¬ 
cumstances. In reference to the specific questions 
asked, I would say : 1. That the fertility of the soil 
could be kept up by commercial fertilizers, though 
whether it can be maintained as well as by barnyard 
manure, depends very much upon the character of the 
soil, and the kind of crops grown. A number of the 
most successful farmers in New Jersey use no barn¬ 
yard manure at all, claiming that they can maintain 
their fertility much better, and much cheaper, by 
the use of commercial fertilizers. I know one truck 
farm, perhaps as good as any in the State, which has 
received only commercial fertilizers for 19 years, and 
the land is improving every year. It is a sandy loam, 
with a clayey sub-soil. I also know of other farms 
where potatoes and fruit are the main crops grown, 
which have received only commercial fertilizers. On 
these farms, however, considerable organic refuse is 
turned under each year, and frequently a clover crop 
is used as a green manure. 
2. I presume that in Michigan the cost of fertilizing 
materials is much greater than near the sources of 
supply, as in the Eastern States. With nitrate of soda 
at 845 per ton ; acid phosphate at .$16, and muriate of 
potash at 840; manure of average quality should be 
worth about 81.50 per ton for the plant food contained 
in it. At least in this State where farmers have com¬ 
pared the two methods of manuring, they believe that 
this is a fair relation as to cost of plant food, between 
the two kinds of manures. 
3. It is hardly fair to say that the manure from 
stockyards and commercial fertilizers are of equal fer¬ 
tilizing value, because of the difference in the forms 
of the plant food contained in them, though if they 
can be procured at prices above quoted, I would rec¬ 
ommend the use of both the stockyard manure and. 
the commercial fertilizers, unless it be possible to 
grow the organic matter, so useful in the manures, 
cheaper than it can be bought. e. b. voobhees. 
Difference Between Manure and Fertilizers. 
It is impossible accurately to estimate the composi¬ 
tion and fertilizer value of this manure from the stock- 
yards which has been exposed to the weather for a 
couple of years. The fertility of a soil which already 
contains humus in sufficient quantity, can be kept up, 
I believe, indefinitely, by commercial fertilizers, as 
well, or better, than by stable manure. The vakie of 
stable manure is not wholly, often not chiefly, in the 
quantity of plant food which it contains. The nitro¬ 
gen of manure is often much less readily available 
