1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
361 
soon as the “ cap ” of the blossom falls. Protection, 
of course, by tissue paper would be necessary to pre¬ 
vent the action of pollen that might be brought by 
insects from other varieties than that with which the 
cross was to be made. 
In our experience most cultivated varieties bear 
flowers that are self-fertilizing, and, what is more, the 
fertilization occurs before the cap falls. 
The “cap ” is really the petals which cohere at the 
top and separate at the base. The corolla, therefore, 
falls off without ever unfolding, as do most other 
flowers. Before the “ cap ” or petals fall, then, the 
pollen of the anthers has been shed upon the stigmas 
of the very short pistil and self-fertilization occurred. 
Really the only safe, sure way of crossing grapes is to 
remove the cap with a sharp-pointed instrument (as a 
needle) and then remove the anthers. Apply pollen 
of the variety with which we choose to make a cross, 
and immediately envelop the flower with tissue paper. 
The best way is to manipulate only one flower or so 
of a raceme. Destroy the others. Collect the ripe 
anthers of the male parent and touch them to the 
stigmas (tip of the pistils.) It is best to plant the 
seed as soon as the berry is ripe. They will then ger¬ 
minate in two or three weeks. Otherwise it is best to 
place the seed in boxes of sand kept moderately moist 
until one is ready to plant them—say the next spring. 
A Cheap Stump Twister. 
S., AUxiny, Qa. —Does The R N.-Y. know of any 
simple, homemade stump puller that could be described 
so that one could be made on the farm to pull small 
and medium-sized stumps ? 
Ans.—A stout pole 30 feet long with a stout chain 
and hook at one end is good. Dig around the stump 
and cut off the roots. Put the chain end near the 
stump and hook the cha*n over one of the roots. Then 
hitch a team to the* other end of the pole and drive 
ahead. This will twist the stump out and you will be 
surprised to see how much work can be done with it. 
How To Make a Manure Leach. 
O. P. H., Memphis, Mich .—I have a manure leach 
made in the following manner: I took a vinegar 
barrel, with a hole bored near the bottom, covered 
this hole on the inside with wire netting, filled the 
barrel with horse manure—freed as much as possible 
from straw—and well packed down. I then put in a 
faucet and filled the barrel with water. For a few 
days the water drawn off was very dark colored, but 
it is getting lighter now. It does not seem possible 
that the full strength of the manure is leached out so 
soon, and I desire to know if lime or ashes had been 
added as the barrel was being filled, if the leaching 
process would be more thorough. 
Ans. —It depends upon how much water has passed 
through the manure. Because the liquid is light col¬ 
ored it does not follow that there is no fertility in it. 
Color is as poor a test of the quality of manure as is 
smell. If you have used but one barrel of water, you 
cannot have leached out all the fertility. The addition 
of wood ashes will probably make some of the nitro¬ 
gen more soluble and add needed potash to the liquid. 
Wrong Idea About a Fertilizer. 
O. B., Milan, 0 .—A friend has purchased a fertilizer 
represented as a high-grade potato fertilizer, with the 
following analysis: 
Per cent. 
Nitrogen equal to ammonia. 2 >4 to 3^ 
Available pbosphorlc acid. S to 8 
S'lluble phosphoric acid. ts to 7 
Total phosphoric acid.11 to 12 
Potash equal to sulphate. 6 to 8 
This fertilizer is to be applied to potatoes on a light 
soil. I tell him that he has not a high-grade potato 
fertilizer. He thinks that he has in his fertilizer, the 
amount of nitrogen that these figures show. He also 
thinks that he has eight per cent of actual potash in 
the form of sulphate. I tell him that the word equal 
is misleading him. Am I right, and will The R. N.-Y. 
explain ? 
Ans —You are right. This analysis guarantees but 
a little over two per cent of nitrogen and only three 
per cent of actual potash. We have often explained 
that “sulphate of potash” is only half potash—that is, 
it is a combination of potash and other substances 
needed to hold the potash in form. Nobody, for ex¬ 
ample, claims that bread is pure fiour. When the 
manufacturers put that “ equal to” in they want to 
convey the idea that if the potash were in the form of 
sulphate there would be twice as much by weight. 
You can’t increase the actual weight of your flour by 
calling it “bread.” It is much the same with nitrogen 
and ammonia as we have often explained. 
What About Bermuda Grass P 
S ., Albany, Qa. —1. How can we keep Bermuda grass 
from spreading after it is planted for pasture ? I see 
in several agricultural papers that it is recommended 
very highly for pasture in the South, but I am afraid 
to try it for fear it may spread to other portions of the 
farm where it is not wanted, and thereby become a 
curse instead of a blessing. What these many agri¬ 
cultural journals say of it and Johnson grass is not 
enough—they do not give any way to keep them from 
spreading beyond the pasture. 2. I have a good many 
pecan and English walnut trees, only a few months 
old, that I planted in boxes; their tap roots have 
reached the bottoms of the boxes, and now they begin 
to wilt. Would it do to set them out at this time of 
year ? Would it be best to trim off small limbs and 
leaves now or let them grow on as they are ? 
Ans. —1. As it does not seed in this country, it can 
spread only by its roots, which spread rapidly because 
the joints take root as the grass grows. It is for the 
South a most valuable grass, because it will stand any 
amount of heat and still thrive. We have raised it at 
the Rural Farm from seed and its growth was wonder¬ 
ful. But the winter kills it so far North. Like our 
Northern Quack grass it is a pest in fields where other 
crops are raised, because it is hard to kill its tough 
rootstocks. But thorough cultivation during the hottest 
part of summer will surely kill it. We shall be glad 
to give our friend any further information he may 
desire. 2. If you take the plants out of the boxes 
without disturbing the soil about the roots, you may 
safely transplant now. Water them thoroughly after 
transplanting, and mulch. 
How to Sell Cattle Beets. 
E. A. S., Tioga, N. F.—In what way should beets 
for cattle be sold ? What is a fair price for them ? 
Ans. —Feeding beets or mangels are usually sold by 
the ton. They weigh, before they have been exposed 
to the air and shriveled, about three tons to the 100 
bushels. The price varies, but will average, one year 
with another, $5 per ton, which is about 15 cents per 
bushel. Of course, their nutritive value compared 
with other purchasable foods is not anywhere near $5, 
but their nutritive value and feeding value differ very 
much when the animal is the judge which decides 
the matter. There are some things in which the 
chemist and the cow disagree very radically, and this 
is one of them. J- s- w. 
A Talk About Plant Lice. 
F. C. D., Fair Haven, Ft.—I send some insects that 
are completely destroying my rye. I have not yet 
found them elsewhere. Their like has never been 
seen in these parts before. What are they ? 
Ans. —This rye pest is doubtless the common Grain 
aphis or plant louse. All are familiar with the green 
plant lice of house plants, and this Grain aphis be¬ 
longs to the same group of insects. It sometimes ap¬ 
pears in grain fields in immense numbers early in the 
spring, and often threatens to do great damage. But 
it has many enemies among its own kind, for the 
Lady-bird beetles and their larvae, the larvae of the 
beautiful Lace-wing flies, and several other insects, 
among which are some so small that their whole early 
life as an egg and grub is spent inside the body of a 
single louse—all these are the sworn enemies of these 
little soft-bodied lice that can offer no resistance to 
their onslaughts. To make up for the lack of any de¬ 
fensive weapons. Nature seems to have endowed these 
truly wonderful creatures with a power of reproduc¬ 
tion that is astonishing. A louse born to-day (and 
they are born alive), will become a mother in about a 
week, and this mother will have born to her as many 
as 100 female young, all born alive and which all, 
in their turn, become mothers, and thus they go 
on increasing until every blade of grain seems alive 
with them. In some generations, all of the daughters 
gradually develop wings, so that when they become 
full grown, they can migrate to plants not so badly 
infested and thus prevent the extinction of the species 
by overcrowding and destruction of the food plant. 
Fathers, and true mothers (tho^e which lay eggs) 
usually appear with most species of plant lice in the 
fall, and the winter is passed in the egg state. Many 
species of plant lice live for a few weeks on one plant 
during the spring, and then migrate to another 
entirely different plant to spend the summer, return¬ 
ing to the first plant in the fall and laying their eggs 
thereon. The Apple aphis, for instance, leaves the 
apple tree in June, and spends the summer on several 
different grasses, often attacking wheat in the fall, 
and returning to the apple tree in the fall; there it 
lays its egg s, in which stage the winter is passed. I 
could describe many more interesting phases in the 
lives of these curious creatures, for they present more 
curious, interesting, and wonderful problems of 
Nature than do most other insects. They have re¬ 
ceived the best thought of some of our greatest natural¬ 
ists, and yet we know but comparatively little about 
them ; new and curious facts are being learned about 
them every year. It is only within a few years that 
the eggs of the Grain aphis were discovered, and yet 
the insect has been known for more than a century. 
There is no practicable method of combating the Grain 
aphis with insecticides ; rarely does it get such a start 
in the spring as to do serious harm before its enemies 
get the upper hand of it, and hold it in check during 
the remainder of the season. There is danger that 
the aphis will get such a start during the recent long, 
wet spell as to do serious harm this spring. But 
ordinarily, its appearance in grain fields need cause 
no serious alarm, for its enemies will soon take care 
of it. M. V. 8. 
To Destroy Bark Lice in Canada. 
R. B., St. Henry of Montreal. —We have an apple 
orchard 10 years planted. Some of the trees were 
completely covered with the Oyster-shell Bark-louse. 
For three years we had potatoes growing in this or¬ 
chard, and in June, when we were applying Paris- 
green to kill the potato beetles, I turned the nozzle 
on the infested trees, wetting the branches thoroughly. 
The last two seasons I have used the Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture with Paris-green for the apple scab, codling moth 
and other insects, using it at intervals through the 
summer. This spring I notice that the trees that 
were covered with the bark-louse have a clean, 
healthy bark with no signs of this troublesome pest. 
Do you think the poison would destroy the bark lice 
when they hatch out in June ? Formerly we used to 
wash the trees with soft soap, but we could not reach 
all the branches. By spraying with Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture and arsenites, the whole tree gets covered. 
Ans.—I t is quite probable that the Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture might give the young lice a coating that would 
destroy them. A lime, salt and sulphur wash is ex¬ 
tensively used in California against scale insects. It 
is quite improbable that the Paris-green killed any of 
the scales, whether old or young, for the insects get 
their food from beneath the surface of the bark by 
means of a sucking beak. Only substances that 
would kill by contact, or coat over the breathing 
pores of the insect, would have any effect on the 
Oyster-shell Bark-louse. Experience has shown that 
it is usually on stunted, diseased, or otherwise un¬ 
healthy trees, that this insect multiplies to an alarm¬ 
ing extent. Healthy, vigorous trees rarely suffer 
severely from it, I believe, then, that the sprayings 
have so decreased the attacks of fungi and biting in¬ 
sects, and thus so increased the health and vigor of 
the trees, that the scales failed to thrive with their 
usual vigor. M. v. 8. 
Oyster-shell Bark-louse on Apples. 
R. E., Russell, N. F—I inclose a piece of a branch 
from one of my apple trees. What is the matter with 
it and what is the remedy ? Some of my best trees 
are nearly destroyed, and I am afraid of losing my 
whole orchard. 
Ans. —The portion of apple branch sent was liter¬ 
ally covered with a small scale insect (Mytilaspis 
pomorum), commonly known as the Oyster-shell Bark- 
louse. This insect is a near relative, sort of second 
cousin, to the Scurvy Bark-louse, which I discussed at 
some length in The R. N.-Y. for December 9, 1893, in 
answer to J. H. N. The Oyster-shell Bark-louse is a 
little longer and a narrower scale, and it closely re¬ 
sembles the bark in color. Its life history is similar 
to that of the Scurvy louse, as detailed in the answer 
mentioned above; and the methods of fighting the 
pest will thus be the same as there mentioned. I 
would advise the correspondent to scrape or brush off 
as many of the old scales as practicable, then apply 
the kerosene emulsion at once this spring. If the 
trees are several years old, a washing of their trunks 
and larger limbs with pure kerosene in the winter 
would destroy many of the scales. The whitewash¬ 
ing which many give their tree trunks doubtless 
would check this bark-louse also. m. v. 8. 
What Ails the Hedge P 
J. C. S., Franklin, Fa.—What ails a dwarf box hedge 
that was planted four years ago this spring? It grew 
well enough that season, but, in the spring little 
branches of it seemed dead, and it continued to die a 
little more each year till some of the plants are en¬ 
tirely dead, while some are growing all right. Did it 
winterkill or is it some disease ? I am told that the 
box grows nicely in Massachusetts, where the winters 
are as cold as in northwestern Pennsylvania. 
Ans —Our guess would be winterkilling. Is the 
hedge not in an exposed situation ? 
Fruit Fertilizer; Variegated Hop. 
0. R. S., Bourne, Mass.—1. In what proportion 
should raw bone flour and potash be mixed as a fer¬ 
tilizer for vines? 2. Where can I get a plant of the 
Variegated hop vine? 
Ans. —1. We would use about two parts of raw bone 
to one of muriate of potash. Perhaps 100 pounds of 
muriate to 300 pounds of bone would suit your soil 
better. We can not judge of that. 2. Of Henry A. 
Dreer or W. Atlee Burpee of Philadelphia. • 
Wheat Hay On Long Island. 
W. L. J., Southampton, N. Y. —I have a six-acre field 
of wheat which promises to yield not less than 25 
bushels per acre. It will cost me about 29 cents per 
bushel to harvest and thrash it. A limited quantity— 
say 100 bushels—is worth to me, for feeding stock and 
hens, about $1 per bushel. I am thinking of cutting a 
portion of this field for hay. Will it pay ? If so, at 
what stage of growth is it best to cut, to make the 
best feed for horses and cows ? 
An 8.—We think you would be quite safe in cutting 
one acre or more of the wheat for hay if the cutting 
be done early enough. We have cut such wheat 
before the heads are out of the “ milk stage”—that is 
before any of them become so hard that they will not 
crush up soft between the fingers. Better cut earlier 
than too late. 
