1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
4o9 
or three irrigations and frequent stirring of the soil 
so long as possible. As long as the vines show a frosty 
appearance in the sunlight they are thrifty and are 
not suffering for water. 
The melons begin ripening about August 10, and 
shipments usually begin about the 15th. Denver, Colo¬ 
rado Springs, Trinidad and the mountain mining camps 
furnish markets. It has been found that a coopera¬ 
tive scheme of shipping affords the best results. If each 
man shipped independently of his fellows, Colorado 
Springs or some other town might receive four or 
five car-load in one day, thus cutting the price. By 
having a posting headquarters, it is possible for each 
man to bill his car to some market not already over¬ 
stocked. The first prices usually net about 15 cents 
for 20-pound melons, of which 1,200 are in a car. The 
price drops gradually until five cents is considered 
about the bottom price. Under good culture an acre 
produces 1,500 marketable melons, which at eight 
cents net makes a good profit on the outlay. This is 
perhaps the quickest and cheapest way in which the 
Colorado farmer can bottle up his sunshine and water 
and turn them into money. The climate of the Arkan¬ 
sas Valley seems admirably adapted to their growth, 
and under a good, fair coSperative understanding, if 
the farmer does his part fairly well. Nature will do a 
large share of the work. f. l. watbous. 
Colorado Agricultural College. 
[Bvery qaery must be accompanied by tne name and address ot the 
writer to Insaro attention. Before asklnK a question please see If It Is 
not answered In our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
DITCHING WITH A PLOW. 
HOW MUCH SPADE WOKK SAVED? 
The following questions were sent to farmers who 
have used a ditching plow for loosening the earth in 
drains: 
1. How fast can you work with the ditcher 7 2. How deep can you 
dig with It 7 3. How much hand work Is required after It 7 4. Does It 
work equally well In all soils 7 5. How much ditching would you need 
to do In order to make It a profitable t^ol 7 6. Can you do work for 
other farmers, and how much do you charge per day or lob 7 7. Please 
tell us just how you would proceed to dig out a ditch across your 
farm—where begin, how work and. In fact, all about It. 
Reduces Cost One-Half. 
I have used the Larimer ditching plow with great 
satisfaction. 1. As fast as five men can throw out 
the earth with shovels. 2. Three feet at least, and, 
by attaching a chain, four and one-half or five feet. 3. 
The plow only loosens the soil; all must be thrown 
out with shovels. 4. No, its chief advantage is in hard 
ground. 5. It will pay if one have a few rods to turn 
the team on. 6. I don’t work for others. 7. If the 
ditch be reasonably straight, I would open it from 
end to end regardless of length. The longer the ditch, 
the more profit in working the plow. In most soils, 
the plow reduces the cost of ditching for tile drains 
one-half. w. m. g. 
West Sunbury, Pa. 
Five Acres Will Pay for It. 
1. With a good team and in fair ground, I can plow 
one mile of ditch three feet deep in a day. 2. The 
plow will plow three feet deep. 3. The plow is in¬ 
tended only to loosen the soil, which must be shoveled 
out by hand. 4. Of course it will take more power to 
plow in hard, clayey ground than in lighter soils. 5. I 
think it would justify one to purchase a plow if he had 
five acres to drain. 6. I have had no experience along 
this line. 7. In digging a ditch across a field, I first 
throw a furrow each way with a field plow, then with 
the ditching plow make one round, and shovel the 
soil from the ditch. Repeat the operation with the 
ditching plow and shovel until the ditch is of the re¬ 
quired depth. Four rounds with the plow are usually 
sufficient to make a ditch three feet deep. o. p. mcc. 
Smithton, Pa. 
How to Make the Ditch. 
1. That depends entirely on the men who do the 
shoveling, but I think two men can dig from 30 to 40 
rods per day. 2. About three feet. 3. The earth 
must be shoveled out. 4. Like all tools, it works better 
in smooth soiis, but I think it is especially profitable in 
ground that is too stony, or hard, to dig with a spade. 
5. That depends very much on the soil; in hard 
or stony ground it will pay to get a plow for 250 rods 
or even less. 6. I have never done any work of this 
kind for other farmers and the cost of the job would 
depend on whether I would have to do the shoveling 
or not. 7. The plow is operated by two horses, one 
on each side of the drain, hitched to a doubletree 
eight feet in length which is attached to the clevis of 
the plow beam, to which also the off horse is coupled. 
I have a man or boy to guide the team and one to hold 
the plow. I first draw a furrow with a land plow in 
the line of the proposed drain, then put in the ditch¬ 
ing plow and go once around the furrow, shovel out 
the loosened earth, and repeat until the drain is of the 
required depth. The plow has no moldboard and is 
provided with a share which cuts about six inches 
wide on the bottom. Thus the ditch can be made as 
narrow as a man can shovel it out or as wide as 
desired. With the front end of the beam at its great¬ 
est elevation from the level, the drain can be plowed 
about three feet in depth. If a greater depth be re¬ 
quired, lengthen the draft by a chain. Make the 
doubletree of good hard wood sawed 2)^x6 inches in 
the middle and tapering to four inches at the ends. 
Livermore, Pa. m. k. d. 
Hire Out at Two Cents a Rod. 
1. With the ditch plow and one good hand I can 
make 25 rods per day of ditch. 2. I can dig three feet 
deep. 3. The soil must be shoveled out. 4. It does 
well on all kinds of soils. 5. Fifty rods of ditch 
would pay for the plow. 6. Some of the parties hav¬ 
ing the ditch plow hire it out for two cents per rod, 
those hiring the plow doing the work themselves. 
7. To dig a ditch across a field or a farm, I would 
first draw a furrow with a common plow ; then with 
the ditch plow go one round, stirring the soil about 
twice ; that makes it better to shovel out. I continue 
in that way until I get the ditch the required depth. 
Congruity, Pa. 8. B. 
Sug-ar from Sweet Corn Stalks. 
H. S. H., Oneco, Conn. —I send a newspaper clip¬ 
ping. Please investigate it and give the readers of 
The R. N.-Y. the benefit of the investigation. We can 
grow as fine sweet corn here in the North as can be 
grown in Georgia ; is there any reason why we cannot 
make our sweetening here as well ? If every farmer 
could attain the same result, he should be happy. 
Each neighborhood could have a corn press as it does 
an apple press. We could take our corn to mill, have 
it ground and pressed, take the juice home and evapo¬ 
rate it. Why not ? I think i; can see the Sugar Trust 
crawling into its hole and pulling the hole in after it. 
Ans,—T he clipping referred to has been going the 
rounds. It refers to a farmer in Georgia who says : 
I planted two acres of rich land In corn about April 1, last year, and 
fertilized It heavily with homemade compost twice durlnK Its after¬ 
growth which, of course, made large and heavy stalks and ears, full 
of sweet Juice, like the Juice from the old China or sorghum care. 1 
did not plant It with that Intention, but after observing this, 1 Imme¬ 
diately pulled the corn ears while green and shipped tnem In barrels 
to Boston, which alone doubly paid my expenses of planting, ferti¬ 
lizing and gathering. 1 then pulled the blades off, leaving them on 
ground to be plowed under, and hastily proceeded to cut down the 
stalks, cut off the tops and haul to my furnace. I ground the stalks 
to pieces, and treated them as I do sugar cane—about three hours 
with a moderatelv hot Are under the boiler, which held 80 gallons. It 
produced, after the process was completed, nine gallons of the whit¬ 
est, purest a..d most fragrant syrup that I have ever tasted. It was 
thick and full of sweetness, and did not have the burning belonging 
to sorghum and sugar cane molasses. Granulated sugar could not be 
melted and made into clearer syrup than this. 
We have no doubt this is a true statement. It has 
long been known that sugar or molasses can be made 
from com. During the Revolutionary War, a great 
deal of it was made in just about the way described in 
this article. Dr. Peter Collier has made a life study 
of the chemistry of sugar making. He gives the fol¬ 
lowing facts about sweet corn stalks : 
These results were obtained last fall from three varieties of sweet 
corn grown by a neighbor who hauled the crop of ears to tlje canning 
factory, and at my request brought In three average sized stalks of 
each variety. I give the composition of the Juice from each; 
Specltlc Per cent Per cent 
Variety gravity sugar in glucose Total 
of corn. of Juice. Juice. in Juice, sugars. 
Egyptian . 1.019 6.88 2.7* 9.60 
Stowell’s Evergreen. 1.065 9.44 2.73 12.16 
Hlckox. 1.067 10.09 2.32 12.41 
For the sake of comparison I give you the average composition of 
sugar cane Juice for four years, taken from the Louisiana Planter of 
April 7, 1894, page 219. Per cent of sugar in Juice 10.67; per cent of 
glucose In Juice 1.73; total sugars 12.40. I also Inclose a slip which 
may be of Interest In this connection. pktkr collier. 
You will see that these stalks, after the ears had 
been removed were almost as rich in sugar as the South¬ 
ern sugar cane. On this basis, an acre of sweet corn 
stalks would yield a large weight of sugar. There can 
be no doubt about its being in the stalks, the question 
is as to the economy of getting it out. Very little 
profitable sugar is now made except on a large scale 
with all the convenience and saving of expensive 
apparatus. There are, no doubt, some places where 
sweet corn is grown so largely that a regular sugar 
factory would pay. As to the plan proposed by this 
correspondent, we question its economy. Many North¬ 
ern farmers make a supply of maple sugar, but if the 
work came in a crop season, we think many of them 
would neglect it. As for making the Sugar Trust 
crawl into a hole—they will not be likely to do that so 
long as the United States Senate is doing business in 
the good old way ! 
Plant liice on Oats. 
B. F. H., Honesdale, Pa .—I send' two leaves of oats 
containing parasites that are destroying the oat crop 
in this county. One is a leaf just attacked, the other 
has been killed by them. What are they ? Perhaps a 
product of the late wet weather. There are myriads 
of them, and they complete their work of destruction 
in a few days. Every field hereabouts is ruined. 
Ans.—T he parasites prove to be, without doubt, the 
common grain aphis or plant louse. In my talk about 
plant lice in The R. N.-Y. for June 9, 1894, page 361, 
I gave a detailed account of the curious and interest¬ 
ing peculiarities of this insect, with recommendations 
regarding it. m. v. slingehland. 
Prospects for Chestnut Culture. 
Several Subscribers. —Will it be safe to plant a grove 
of chestnuts 15 feet apart each way ? What are the 
prospects for this crop ? 
Ans, —In my opinion, it will require some time to 
fully solve the chestnut problem. We have planted 
only along fences and roads, wherever suitable places 
were found. We had intended orchard planting, but 
hit on a different plan, i. e., we cleared a chestnut for¬ 
est, and grafted sprouts of one season’s growth, of 
which we have now about 15 acres grafted ; some are 
five years old and have been bearing two years. They 
were grafted much closer than they are to remain, and 
we expect them to pay well before crowding too much, 
after which they are to be thinned out as necessity 
requires. Of our experience I may have more to say 
by and by. Among the varieties we are testing, we 
do not see much difference in growth except in the 
Japan varieties, which grow less rampant. In size 
and quality, however, there is much difference. In 
early and profuse bearing there is also a wide margin. 
Our planting and grafting are confined almost exclu¬ 
sively to Paragon. Were I to plant a chestnut orchard 
now, I would plant the trees 20 feet apart, with the 
prospect of their paying well before the trees would 
crowd much, after which I would expect to thin them 
out to 40 feet. h. m. engle. 
How to Cross Tomatoes. 
H. A., Clrclevllle, 0. —How can 1 cross different vari¬ 
eties of tomatoes for the purpose of getting new vari¬ 
eties ? How is the pollen carried a short distance and 
how put on ? 
Ans. —Our friend would do well to procure a copy of 
The New Potato Culture, where the crossing of pota¬ 
toes is fully explained. The work of crossing potato 
and tomato flowers is just the same. The flowers are 
constructed on the same plan. Open the immature 
bud and remove the anthers surrounding the pistil of 
the flower to be crossed. Then gather ripe anthers 
from the other plant and gather pollen by using any 
sharp-pointed article—a needle or blade point—and 
pressing it through (lengthwise) the anther. The pol¬ 
len will be found near the tip. Then apply this pol¬ 
len to the stigma (top of pistil) of the flower from 
which the anthers have been removed. Cover the 
flower with tissue paper. 
What Does Sorrel Indicate P 
E. J. D., Hamburg, N. Y. —I have a piece of land 
in strawberries, and I would like to keep it in the 
same crop, but it is terribly infested with sorrel. Is 
the soil lacking in some plant food, or does it need 
lime to sweeten it ? Will it be better to seed it for 
meadow ? 
Ans. —The growth of sorrel does not prove any 
acidity of the soil that needs correction by the use of 
lime. It indicates, rather, an impoverished condition. 
Our way would be to cultivate freely and to sow com¬ 
plete fertilizers—say bone and potash. 
Small Fruits on Freshly Turned Sod. 
F. T. L., Chelsea, Mass .—Will currant, gooseberry 
and raspberry bushes do well if set in the spring, on 
land that has been in grass for several years and was 
plowed the previous autumn ? 
Ans.—Y es, 
The Cold Kills Crimson Clover. 
C. N. R., Canton, Pa. —1. Is it because Crimson clover 
heaves out of the ground that it winterkills or does the 
cold itself kill it ? 2. Does it have as much root 
groTvth as common clover ? 
Ans. —1. No. We think it will not endure the cold 
of severe Northern winters. Of course rain fall and 
snow may aggravate or lessen the injury of a low 
temperature. 2. No. 
Treatment for Flowering: Plants. 
E. S. B., Harwlnton, Conn. —What treatment shall 
I give plants, especially geraniums and fuchsias, this 
summer, to insure blooms next winter ? Should they 
be planted out, or kept in pots ? 
Ans. —Make and strike cuttings in August. Plant 
the cuttings in rich soil in small pots. Transplant to 
larger ones about October 1. Give them due shade 
and water. They will bloom during the winter. 
Bordeaux Mixture for Pear Rust. —I. F., West Granby, 
Conn.—Try Bordeaux Mixture for rust on the pear 
tree. The bulletins of the experiment stations fur¬ 
nish the best information as to fungicides. We do not 
name ferns. 
