1894 
359 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
and potash than from any other cause. I have often 
noticed that where an application of bone dust and 
potash salts or hard-wood ashes had been made to spots 
here and there on the pastures, the stock would leave 
all the other parts of the field, even where the grass 
was very much larger, greener and fresher, and keep 
these treated parts gnawed into the very ground. I 
have also noticed that following an application of pot¬ 
ash in any form, the White clover always came in very 
thick. This makes the finest of pasture, and also sup¬ 
plies to the soil a good deal of nitrogen. To sum up, 
then, I would recommend for permanent pastures a 
liberal use of very fine bone dust and potash salts or 
hard-wood ashes, where obtainable, and in early spring 
give the pastures a thorough harrowing to break up 
the surface. 2. The reason why the grass grows so 
luxuriantly about the animal droppings, is because of 
the large amount of plant food there, but more par¬ 
ticularly because they contain an excess of nitrogen. 
Nitrogen in excess always produces a rank growth, 
but such growth lacks in potash and phosphates, and 
is therefore unpalatable to the stock. It is also a fact 
that while animals will avoid eating about their own 
droppings, they will not avoid those of other animals. 
For instance, cows will eat hay from a horse manure 
pile even if such hay be wet with the juices, and 
horses will eat hay that has been mussed over or even 
trodden upon by sheep with a seeming good relisli ; 
they will even eat sheep droppings. I have found a 
capital way to treat pastures containing many drop 
pings, was to go over them in spring as before de¬ 
scribed with a sharp harrow, and give a thorough scar¬ 
ifying of the surface to be followed by an application 
CURING COLTS OF JUMPING. 
HEROIC TREATMENT ON A RAIL FENCE. 
One of the most exasperating annoyances of my 
farm experience was a lot of unruly colts. Their love 
of liberty knew no bounds—except those vaulting 
bounds that defied restraint. Pokes, various, curious, 
patented and warranted, were applied to little pur¬ 
pose, Their sportive raids weregenerally timed with¬ 
out consulting our convenience. They extemporized 
a wild “ round up ” on the flower beds or in the gar¬ 
den after we had retired for the night, or compelled 
me to take an early bath in a heavy dew in a field of 
oats that stood up to my armpits. Somebody had to 
stay at home from church or funerals, because we 
never knew when to look for their incursions. I must 
say that these colts were owned by a neighbor and, as 
he lived out of sight of my farm and his pastures, 
I tried to love him as myself, but it was hard to keep 
all the commandments. 
Last summer, my son, who now manages the farm, 
had this annoyance repeated by a pair of colts of his 
own. Finally, his patience being exhausted, he re¬ 
solved on heroic discipline. The colt that took the 
lead was well broken to the halter. A rope was 
strapped to ore fore foot, and the other end fastened 
to a stake in the ground at the right distance from 
the fence to throw the colt on to the fence while in 
the act of jumping it. 
“ But how did you mike her jump ? ” I asked. 
“ At first I had no trouble about that, for Molly was 
only too willing to practice at her favorite pastime. 
Taking the halter-stem in my hand on the opposite 
A FRUIT TALK FROM OHIO. 
INSECTS, DISEASES AND PROSl’KCTS. 
Fighting Cutworms. —The cutworms have destroyed 
hundreds of our spring-set strawberry plants already, 
and are still gnawing away during this cool, wet 
weather, not only on our strawberry plants, but on 
corn, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and, in short, every¬ 
thing that it is possible for them to “chew up.” A 
neighbor says that while replanting corn, he found, 
under a bunch of trash as large as his hat, as many as 
36 worms, while under a single large leaf blown from 
the woods near by, he counted 13. I do not doubt that 
such is the truth, as my own recent experience cor¬ 
roborates it. I have hoed, cultivated, sprayed with 
arsenites, scattered poisoned grass and dug after them 
until I can see cutworms when I try to sleep; and 
seemingly, for every one killed a half dozen from the 
surrounding community comes in to attend the funeral. 
The amusing part (and the only one) in digging out 
the little pests, is furnished by a large Plymouth Rock 
hen that follows me row after row, quickly swallow¬ 
ing the worms as I dig them out and toss them to her, 
or, as often happens, simply hand them to her as she 
stands waiting within reach. As this forenoon was 
damp and misty, the supply became almost too much 
for her henship’s demand which caused her to look at 
a big fat worm quite a while before swallowing it, as 
if she thought “ you look very tempting and juicy but 
I—I am getting—Oh, well! there is always room for 
one more, so here goes”—and Mr. Worm would sud¬ 
denly disappear to land in a crop that he is unable to 
injure. 
of 200 or 300 pounds or more per acre of a mixture side of the fence which should not be too high, I said, 
of bone dust and muriate of potash, 
half and half. Of course where per¬ 
manent pastures are not too far ^ - —i' 
away from the stable, they may be ^ 
top-dressed with stable manure, and 
this harrowed in as described^; but '* ^ 
pay in the larger growth of grass 
and pay in causing the stock to eat 
Some Plants Stand it. —One thing I have noticed 
in regard to the cutting off of our 
strawberry plants, is that some varie- 
ties seem to be more exempt from 
the ravages of the worms than 
others. Take, for example, the Hav- 
^ erland and Bubach which on my 
^ ground, this year, I think, represent 
M the extremes on both sides : one row 
of 250 plants of Haverlands and one 
row of the same number of Bubachs 
were planted side by side four feet 
apart. Scarcely any of the Haver- 
lands are missing, while over half of 
the Bubachs are gone. The plants of 
each variety were strong and healthy 
when set. I can find no solution to 
this problem, unless it be that the 
plants of the llaverland class are 
tougher and more wiry in fiber, 
while the Bubachs are more succu- 
juicy, having large tender 
crowns and leaf stems. 
Raspberries; Imported Anthrao- 
r '" / .iljj NOSE. —The Gregg and Shaffer rasp- 
berries are in full bloom. I do not 
remember ever to have seen a heavier 
growth of foliage, or a stronger, more 
profuse bloom than they are showing 
this season. If Mr. Grundy could 
have seen our Shaffers last year as 
the canes were bent to the ground 
with their load of enormous berrie8,he 
would say that they do well here. The only trouble 
I have had so far with them is anthraenose ; but I do 
not condemn the variety on that account, as a stock of 
the Palmer purchased at the same time and of the 
same nursery, was just as badly affected. We never 
had a trace of the disease on our plantation until it 
was imported with teat order of plants. However, by 
severely cutting out and burning the diseased canes, I 
have gained control of it so that our Greggs have never 
become infested. When we get extras of this de¬ 
scription thrown in free of charge by a nurseryman, 
we are not inclined to patronize him again. I would 
recommend as a preventive of the above careless 
methods of nurserymen, that they stay in the vicinity 
of their nurseries, and see to it that their stock is 
pure and free from disease before sending it out 
to infest other plantations that are free from it. I 
have been “bitten” twice by ordering from nurseries, 
the proprietors of which were either skylarking over 
tae country most of their time, or else located in a city 
many miles from the nursery. 
Crop Notes. —Currants and gooseberries are a short 
crop in many places on account of the warm weather 
of the first part of March, which started them into 
vigorous growth and bloom only to be frozen back in 
the latter part of the month. New plantations of cur¬ 
rants and gooseberries are making a vigorous growth, 
and are kept perfectly free from the currant worm 
by spraying with hellebore. (One ounce to three gal¬ 
lons of water is sufficient.) 
Peaches, as usual, will be scarce, as we are not in 
the peach belt. However, there will be a few seed- 
for any purpose. Where it is impos- 
sible to arrange the pastures so that 
the horses can get to these sheds I l 
have found it profitable to erect a 
temporary shed, consisting simply 
of a roof of cheap boards put on 
poles in the ground, under which 
the horses can go and stand. This 
shed is put on the poor spots of the 
field, shifting it each year, and I 
generally go over the pastures once 
in a week or 10 days and spread the droppings, 
have an abundance of shade trees over the farm, and 
both horses and cattle will stand under these a part 
of the time, which gives the trees a thrifty growth, 
and insures a good growth of grass under them. I 
have tried sprinkling lime, plaster and potash over 
the spots where the manure in too large quantities is 
dropped, but I have never found such practices satis¬ 
factory. By changing from one kind of stock to an¬ 
other, I am able to get the rank grass eaten which 
would otherwise go back upon the ground. 1 go up 
and down the lanes every few days and pitch the 
manure over into the fields; this covers a space of two 
rods on each side, and saves the necessity of going 
over that much of the ground when I manure the 
field, as I do once in from three to five years. In the 
same way, in covering the field, I skip the piaces 
where the stock has left enough manure by standing. 
1 know of no better or more practical way. 
GEO. K. BKECK. 
A Celebrated Scotch Ayrshire Cow, “Betty II.” Fig. 100, 
‘ Come, Molly.’ She poised herself on her hind legs 
and sprung; but the rope arrested her leap in mid¬ 
air, and down cam3 Molly on the fence. ♦! helped her 
out of her scrape and, although she seemed somewhat 
surprised, she was willing to try, try again,” 
“Wasn’t it dangerous V” 
“I suppose it was a little dangerous. It was pretty 
rough on her, and I was perfectly willing she 
should call it dangerous. She got discouraged 
and looked crest-fallen when I had to whip her 
smartly to compel her to make attempts only to 
come down again on the rail fence. The fence was 
then ‘let down’ and she was compelled to jump a four- 
rail fence but tumbled every time till she refused to 
be led over three rails. I then turned her loose with 
a piece of the rope that had played the mischief with 
her still attached to her foot as a reminder of what 
might happen should she forget her lesson.” 
“ Did you give her mate a lesson ? ” 
“No; I expected to, but it was not necessary, as 
they have been contented ever since, although the 
grass was short and the fences very ordinary. Colts, 
like men, wait to see which side of the fence their 
leaders are on.” 
“ How would this rough-and-tumble treatment do 
over a board fence?” 
“ It wouldn’t do so well. The boards are too sharp 
and rigid, A rail fence that will tumble when the 
colt tumbles is better. Unruly colts and horses are 
always taking chances of injury anyway. They get 
into somebody’s barbed wire fence, and are ruined, 
perhaps ; so I shall hereafter take my chances on the 
A FAMOUS AYRSHIRE COW. 
The picture shown at Fig. 98 is reengraved from the 
Mark Lane Express. The cow there pictured has 
never been beaten in the showyard, and is considered 
by Scotch and English authorities the finest type of 
an Ayrshire in existence. Her heifers have all proved 
good milkers. Her form and color may be perfect, 
but we would consider a dishorning saw necessary to 
turn her head into beauty or profit. There are some 
excellent herds of Ayrshires in this country, but the 
breed seems to suffer from the extreme modesty of 
those who control it. Ayrshires are worthy of a kill or cure- plan. I think tlie cure is sure, and the lings here and there. The budded fruit, so far as I 
bigger boom than they have yet had. chances for injury small,” LE roy whitford. have inquired, is nearly all killed. We have one tree 
