1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
425 
the whole being plowed for- wheat the fall of the 
next year after sowing; a splendid wheat crop fol¬ 
lowed. Tt is doubtful whether spring seedings of 
Red clover on growing Crimson clover would succeed. 
I think it would be smothered. Alfalfa would prob¬ 
ably share the same fate. Here, we would prefer to 
risk the Alfalfa with the Crimson clover seed in the 
corn field in August, if the soil is sufficiently compact 
to hold the young plants from heaving out in winter. 
In either case, full, or nearly full, seeding of each 
would be advisable. A successful Alfalfa “stand” is 
so valuable and so long lived, when properly treated, 
that it is worth the cost of an independent start. 
Crimson clover is a better seeder than Mammoth 
clover. The ’94 crop, now being hulled here, is larger 
in acreage than former crops, but is short one-third 
to one-half in yield, owing to the excessive wet. 
E. H. BANCROFT. 
Ble: Claims for New Wheats. 
E. y., Columbia, Tenn .—What do you know about 
the new wheat which agents are selling in this county 
for 81 75 per bushel, or two-fifths of the crop produced 
by the seed bought from them ? 
Ans. —The wheat is called Red Beauty and the most 
extravagant claims are made for it. For example: 
“Many heads contain over 100 kernels. We have de¬ 
cided to offer it in order to give enterprising farmers 
an opportunity to grow a stock in advance of its gen¬ 
eral introduction. It is the earliest and hardiest 
variety,” etc. We would advise our friend to try it 
only in a small way. 
The Making: of a Lawn. 
C. H., Macedon, N. Y .—1. 1 have a freshly graded 
yard of about one-quarter acre, soil gravelly, without 
grass or trees which I wish to make into a nice lawn. 
What grasses should I use, how much seed, and when 
should it be sown ? 2. What variety of trees would be 
advisable to set, and what size and age would be 
likely to thrive the best ? I would like a few quick¬ 
growing trees to give much needed shade. 
Ans —1. We would use three bushels of Blue grass 
and Red Top to the acre—about half and half. It may 
be sown early in the fall or very early in the spring. 
2. Weir’s Cut-leaved maple is a fast-growing, graceful 
tree. The Golden oak grows rapidly also and is suit¬ 
able for small lawns if cut back from year to year. 
The Unarmed Gleditschia would be desirable. One 
tree of the Purple beech would give variety. Among 
evergreens we would mention, for so small a place, 
the Broad Leaved hemlock, the Golden arbor vitae and 
the Gregory spruce. We prefer young, small trees. 
The German Prune. 
G. B , Covington, Va .—I would like to hear some¬ 
thing about the German prune, where it came from, 
where it will thrive, the demand for it in the market, 
and the difference between it and other prunes. 
Ans. —It is of European origin. The tree is a strong 
grower and very productive. It is a valuable market 
variety and greatly prized for drying. It does not 
seem to thrive in Virginia. 
Strawberry Guestions Answered. 
W. R. F., Oakland City, Ind —1. What is the best 
variety of strawberries to fertilize Timbrell ? I want 
a variety that will fertilize it and be profitable also. 
2. What are the best to fertilize the following : Stay- 
man’s No. 1, Princess, Haverland, Warfield No. 2 and 
Bubach ? 3. Are Muskingum and Beverly profitable 
to grow ? 
Ans. —1. Parker Earle, Gandy and Brandywine. 
2. Wilson, Lovett’s, Downing, Sharpless, Marshall or 
Warfield. 3. Muskingum and Beverly have not done 
well at the Rural Grounds. The latter has done finely 
in some of the Eastern States. 
To Propagate Gooseberries. 
V. G. G., Alburtis, Pa. —I have a gooseberry stalk 
producing extra large gooseberries. How can I in¬ 
crease the variety from this single plant ? How can I 
get more plants ? 
Ans. —You would better wait until fall. Then cut 
the “ stalk” into four-inch lengths and plant them as 
cuttings in the open ground, covering them with 
mulch. If you have glass, these cuttings may be struck 
in sand and planted out next spring. 
Harmless Insects Accused. 
W. K. S., Parkersburg, Pa. —I send several heads of 
wheat and two or three black flies. Are these flies, 
which were quite numerous a week or 10 days ago, 
the cause of the damaged grains of wheat ? 
Ans. —The black “files” were a species of beetle 
allied to the well-known and very common fire-flies 
which flit about in the evening flashing out their phos¬ 
phorescent light. This family of beetles have their 
wing covers flexible instead of hard and stiff as with 
most beetles. The beetles themselves are not known 
to be injurious ; in fact some members of the family 
feed on other insects. It is thus very doubtful if the 
narrow black beetles found on the heads of wheat 
caused the shrinkage of some of the kernels. The 
specimens sent looked very much like a western spe¬ 
cies, known as Podabrus rugulosus. m. v. s. 
An Insect Brought from the World’s Fair. 
B. N. S., Mauston, TFis.—I send some kernels from 
an ear of Nebraska corn which I obtained from the 
World’s Fair last fall. What is the insect that has 
gone through the kernels ? I found one worm about 
3-16 of an inch long in one kernel. Is it something 
that is likely to become a pest in the future ? I 
never saw anything like it before. 
Ans. —Upon opening the kernels sent, I found living 
larvfB and pupae of one of the most widely spread and 
common insects which work in grains, the Angoumois 
Grain Moth (Gelechia cereallella). A careful study of 
all the insects found in the grain exhibits from this 
and other countries at the World’s Fair, was made by 
the Entomological Division of the Department of 
Agriculture at Washington with the result that over 
100 different insect# were found. Of these, many were 
dead when found. Only four of the living ones were 
species which occurred in large numbers and which 
had not already gained a foothold here, and thus need 
cause any alarm ; three of these were found in meal 
and edible tubers, as potatoes, etc., brought from 
Mexico and Guatemala. The fourth was found in cul¬ 
tivated beans from the same countries. Last fall the 
newspapers teemed with exaggerated accounts of the 
introduction of destructive grain insects in grain ex¬ 
hibits from foreign countries. The insects had done 
great damage in the Agricultural Building at the Fair 
and were then being distributed all over the country 
in the samples given away by exhibitors. The facts 
were that the principal depredators were two insects 
which have been in this country for over a century ; 
one the Rice Weevil, a small elongated, brown beetle, 
the other the pest under consideration. Both these 
insects are cosmopolitan in their distribution, and are 
known to occur as pests in nearly every State in the 
Union. So it can confidently be stated that no new 
species of insect pests affecting the grains or other 
vegetable products, have been distributed from the 
World’s Fair exhibits, where they would be likely to 
multiply and become injurious ; only old and common 
pests were thus distributed. 
In the case under consideration, it is just as likely 
that the ear of Nebraska corn became infested from 
corn brought from another part of Wisconsin as that 
the correspondent has introduced some Nebraska in¬ 
sects into his locality., The pest was seen flying all 
over the fair grounds, and infested nearly all the ex¬ 
hibits. Its popular name comes from the fact that 
it caused great destruction in the province of Angou¬ 
mois in France, more than a century ago. It has been 
known in this country since 1728, over a century and 
a half. It is most numerous and destructive in the 
Southern States. The adult insect, if it has not al¬ 
ready, will soon emerge from minute round holes in 
the kernels on the correspondent’s ear of corn. The 
adult is a minute buff-colored moth, whose wings ex¬ 
pand only about half an inch. The female will de¬ 
posit her minute pinkish eggs in the creases on a ker¬ 
nel of wheat, corn, oats, barley, sorghum or the seeds 
of the cow pea. The pest sometimes begins its work 
upon the grain in the field and continues it more de¬ 
structively when carried to the granary. The eggs 
hatch in about one week, and the little white cater¬ 
pillar bores into the seed, where it continues to feed 
for about three weeks, when it eats a round hole 
nearly through the outer layer of the kernel, and then 
transforms to a quiescent brown pupa with the wings 
and legs of the future moth closely adhering to its 
sides. The moths emerge from the kernel by pushing 
off the thin cap over the hole made by the caterpil¬ 
lar, and the life cycle is complete. There are at least 
two broods of the pest annually, and when confined in 
granaries, it breeds faster and there are many broods 
each year. Infested kernels will not produce vigorous 
bearing stalks, or are they fit for food. The pest is easily 
destroyed in the granary by the use of carbon bisul¬ 
phide, as detailed in my answer to A. J. in The R. 
N.-Y. for July 23, 1893, page 493. Make the bin as 
nearly air-tight as possible, and apply the liquid at the 
rate of one pound per ton of grain. Pour the liquid 
into shallow dishes on top of the grain; its fumes 
are heavier than air, and will thus permeate the 
whole bin. Several of the experiment stations have 
treated of this pest in their bulletins. The best 
accounts may be found in : Delaware Bulletins 13 and 
21: New Jersey Annual Reports for 1891 and 1892; 
North Carolina Bulletin 78; Mississippi Bulletin 17 ; 
Maryland Bulletin 16. m. v. slinghrland. 
Some Fertilizer Questions. 
W. K. R., Franktown, Va —1. Would it be of any ad¬ 
vantage to sow nitrate of soda on a newly mown red 
clover field ? Would it increase the yield of the second 
crop? How much should be applied? 2. What is a 
good asparagus fertilizer to be applied now ? 3. How 
can I break a cow from sucking herself ? 
Ans.— 1. We would sow potash and phosphate rather. 
Clover is one of the nitrogen gatherers, and in soil 
where it already thrives, ought to need only phosphoric 
acid and potash. 2. It is rather late to fertilize as¬ 
paragus. We would prefer to use ashes or muriate of 
potash and raw bone in early spring—March. 3. This 
is a very difficult vice to treat. Sjmetimea, when the 
habit is not very firmly fi.xed, smearing the teats with 
some bitter substance like aloes, will be effectual. 
Fastening around the nose a band filled with sharp 
spikes projecting outward so that the cow will prick 
herself when she undertakes to reach her udder, is 
often resorted to. Fixing the neck in a sort of frame¬ 
work to prevent her turning her neck is practiced by 
some, but the spiked halter is preferable. 
Making: the Bordeaux Mixture. 
C. II., Selim Chrove, N. J. —1. Bordeaux Mixture is 
made by dissolving six pounds of sulphate of copper 
(blue vitriol) in 16 gallons of rain water. In another 
vessel slake four pounds of lime in six gallons of 
water—or in those proportions. Will not air slaked 
lime answer the same purpose ? How much air slaked 
lime should be used instead of the four pounds of un¬ 
slaked lime? 2. WiJ not any kind of water do as well 
as rain water ? 
Ans.—1. No. Qaicklime is more effective, and mix¬ 
tures should be made fresh whenever used. So we 
are told by our best authorities. 2. Yes, we think so. 
Spent Hops for Manure. 
A. J. F., Vernon, Wls —What is the value of refuse 
hops as a manure ? How much could I afford to pay 
for them per ton and haul them 10 miles ? For what 
crops are they best suited ? 
Ans. —Ordinary spent hops, if not too wet, are worth 
a little less than ordinary manure. It will cost all 
they are worth to haul them 10 miles. They may be 
used on corn or vegetables and you should add wood 
ashes or groand bone and some form of potash. 
Bony Swelling: on Mare’s Leg:. 
N. T., Clarence, Mo. —About one year ago, my three- 
year-old mare had a bunch or swelling about half 
way between the fetlock and hock. When first no¬ 
ticed, blood was oozing from a puncture which I sup¬ 
posed to have been received from a pitchfork or some 
sharp instrument. The bunch became hardened by 
neglect, and became like bone. I considered it a per¬ 
manent blemish, and applied no remedies. Within the 
last two weeks, the swelling has increased in size. It 
has also become tender on pressure. The mare has 
never been lame. The enlargement is not on the front 
of the leg, but a little on the inside. Can that bony 
enlargement be removed or reduced ? If so, how ? 
Ans. —The present tenderness is probably due, either 
to a recent injury or bruise of the swelling, or to the 
presence of a foreign body in the swelling, received 
at the time of the injury one year ago. Examine the 
swelling carefully to ascertain if there is any opening, 
or any point of softening or suppuration, in which a 
foreign body might be lodged. If so, it must be opened 
and the body removed. If none is found, the swell¬ 
ing has probably been again bruised. As soon as the 
tenderness has nearly subsided, blister with the red 
iodide of mercury ointmant. Repeat after intervals of 
three weeks, if necessary. f. l. k. 
Chronic Kidney Trouble in Horses. 
C. B. R , Rocky Ford, Colo .—My horses are slow in 
their movements and seem slightly stiff in the hind 
quarters. They have voracious appetites, and if 
allowed to do so, are inclined to drink water until it 
swells them. They pass small quantities of urine at 
frequent intervals, and sometimes there is a clot of 
bloody mucus-looking stuff as large as the end of 
one’s thumb. I have been feeding corn, oats and bran 
mixed, and Alfalfa hay. The water they drink is out 
of a reservoir used for irrigating and, like all the 
water here, has some alkali in it. After working a 
short time, they refuse absolutely to go. 
Ans. —There is evidently some disease of the urinary 
organs, probably chronic inflammation of the kidneys, 
due either to the feed or drinking water. If possible, 
change both the drinking water and hay. In the 
absence of other drinking water, use clean rain water. 
Do not allow the horses to drink over 12 to 16 quarts at 
one time, and water more frequently. Give one quart 
of raw linseed oil, and repeat the dose every three 
days, until the bowels are loosened. Then keep the 
bowels moving freely by a laxative diet—grass or other 
green food, sloppy mashes or ground flaxseed. A run 
on pastures of Timothy or native grasses would be ex¬ 
cellent. Apply a mustard poultice over the loins, and 
repeat every three or four days. Wet up the mustard 
to the consistency of sweet cream, with warm water; 
rub well into the hair and cover with a paper or 
blanket for two hours, after which it may be washed 
off. Give one tablespoonful of the following powders 
in the feed night and morning : Phosphate of iron and 
powdered nux vomica of each one-fourth pound, pow¬ 
dered gentian root one pound ; mix. f. l. k. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Pla7it for Name. —G. S. W., Knoxboro, Pa.—The 
plant sent for identification is Medicago lupulina— 
Black medick. Nonesuch. 
Clovers Named. —W. S., Millville, Mass.—No. 1 is 
Trifolium agrarium, a yellow clover of no value. No. 
2 is Trifolium hybridum—i^lsike clover. As the stems 
are weak it is likely to lodge and does best when sown 
with some stout grasses. Tne aftermath is light. It 
is a great favorite with bee-keepers. 
