552 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 1 
WILL MULCH PREVENT BORERS? 
For several days past we have been going over our 
peach orchards, looking for and taking out the borers. 
They have been about as plentiful as in former years 
except in one orchard of about 1,500 trees where we 
did not find 20 borers in the whole orchard. This 
orchard, as were the others, was sown to rye last fall, 
one bushel per acre broadcast. Last winter, when the 
ground was frozen solid, a mulch df very strawy 
manure was spread about the trees, for the double 
purpose of retaining frost later in spring to keep back 
the trees, and to smother out the rye close about the 
trees. At the proper time in May, when the rye was 
in full head, this orchard, like the others, was 
plowed and the rye all put under ground by using a 
chain on the plow. Of course, in plowing, the plows 
were set to run shallow ; not more than four inches 
deep, and even less close to the trees; but notwith¬ 
standing a slight covering of soil was thrown over the 
mulch just about each tree. The manure held the 
soil thrown upon it so light and loose, that but very 
few weeds grew in it; so few that it has not been 
thought necessary to hoe it until now when look¬ 
ing for grubs. The plowing down of the mulch saved 
one or two hoeings of the trees, and now, I never saw 
a healthier lot of trees ; and, what is better, as above 
stated, there were no grubs to be found in the trees. 
When the earth was pulled away, the mulch was 
found rotted down into a mass of fine vegetable mold. 
Has any one else ever tried this plan, and, if so, has 
he noticed any such result ? My theory of the matter 
is that these trees were well grubbed last summer, so 
that no old grubs were left in them, and by having 
their bodies covered by the mulch and soil four or five 
inches above the ordinary surface, the bark above this 
was so smooth that the perfect insects were not 
pleased with the situation and sought other fields more 
congenial for their operations. Or, if it be true, as 
now claimed, that the eggs of the grubs are laid upon 
the limbs, and the young larvso when hatched drop to 
the ground and thus find the trees, then the slight 
elevation of loose soil just about the trunk, prevented 
their reaching the bodies. At least, I know that when 
the soil and mulch were pulled away, the trunks of 
the trees were free from grubs and looked remarkably 
healthy and fine. What peach growers want to know 
is. Will this plan of treatment prevent the attacks of 
the dreaded borers ? 
By the way, just here in Niagara County, we have a 
magnificent crop of peaches. It is estimated that one 
town. Porter, will market 200,000 baskets this year. 
Those who have the right kind of land planted and 
who take proper care of their orchards, seldom fail of 
a crop. Although we are far beyond the peach belt, 
we are so protected by the open waters of Lakes Erie 
and Ontario, that we are freer from damage by un¬ 
timely frosts than Mr. Hale and all others in their 
Georgia Paradise, the, as they tell us, home of the 
peach. As a result of the success of many growers, 
all the first class peach lands, and hundreds of acres 
not at all suited, are and will be planted to peaches, 
and many and bitter will be the disappointments. 
While those who plant on proper, soil, who take suit¬ 
able care of their orchards and fertilize them mtel- 
ligently, will be richly rewarded, the others will be 
going about with the old familiar cry, “ Peaches don’t 
pay.” J. 8. WOODWABD. 
AN IDEAL BUSINESS FOWL. 
WANTED : Eggs for getting, of a hardy White breed, haying size, 
little or no comb, yellow skin, and featherlesB yellow legs—Advt. in 
Thb B. N.-Y., Feb. 3. 
The above seems to afford a suitable text for a little 
talk upon poultry raising. For years, fanciers and 
breeders have seemingly neglected any endeavor to 
breed or perfect an ideal business fowl. In the above 
three-line advertisement may be found the essential 
qualifications which any market man will indorse, and 
it seems strange that up to the present time the 
American Standard of Perfection contains no record of 
such an existing breed. The nearest approach that 
can be found is saddled by law with some useless, un¬ 
necessary, or objectionable feature, when viewed 
through practical business eyes. True, several new 
breeds have quite recently been put on the market, as 
“general purpose fowls”; but every one has feathered 
legs, or a large comb, or dark pinfeathers, or lacks in 
size, or is hampered with some other undesirable 
feature. The combination of qualities above called 
for, is not the mere whim of some fancier, as in the 
make-up of too many breeds, but is founded upon 
reason, and voices a widespread and popular demand 
for an ideal business fowl. 
This demand is soon to be met. Believing Plymouth 
Rock blood to be the most desirable of any in exist¬ 
ence, it was taken as a foundation. First, an effort 
was made to reduce the size of comb on the White 
Plymouth Rock. Then a neat pea comb type was de¬ 
veloped. Next an increase of size, and ideal breast 
development were secured by a judicious infusion of 
White Indian Game blood. The result is a fowl 
which certainly combines more desirable business 
qualities than have before been seen in any breed. 
The Pekin duck is acknowledged by all to be an 
ideal business type of its kind. It is divested of all 
mere fancy points and unnecessary attributes, and 
seems built for business from top to toe. Would any 
breeder think it improved by the addition of feathered 
legs, or a fancy crest, or a tall, spiral comb, or a 
speckled breast, or a black tail and hackle ? No ? 
Then why not divest our ideal business hen of all 
these unnecessary attributes, and at the same time 
endeavor to combine size, hardiness, breast develop¬ 
ment, and early maturity to the greatest possible de¬ 
gree, with the required clean legs and yellow skin 
demanded in our markets ? 
Breeders and fanciers seem to excuse themselves for 
not having attempted to combine these requisites, on 
the ground that all the desirable qualities must not be 
expected in any one breed. But the truth is that 
there are many thousands of farmers and villagers 
scattered over this country, who cannot keep more 
than one breed and maintain its purity, hence they 
demand the most perfect all-purpose or general utility 
fowl to be had, and when fanciers and breeders awaken 
to the fact that it is far easier to sell what the public 
demands, rather than try to create a demand for what 
is not wanted, they will see that it is to their own in¬ 
terest to fall in line and give their attention to the 
production of an ideal business fowl. i. F. t. 
[Bvory quory must b 0 aoconi panlcd by tb© nam© and address of th© 
writer to Insure attention* Before asking a question please see If It Is 
not answered In our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
on© time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
A CATCH OF CLOVER IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN. 
I have a piece of sandy land which I wUh to seed to Medlnm clover. 
Would I better seed with wheat or rye. or sow rye this fall to plow 
under next spring for buckwheat, and seed with that crop? Is there 
another wav preferable to either? I would like the opinion of farmers 
living In .this latitude. B. M. 
Newaygo County, Mich. 
I have had good success in seeding to clover by 
plowing and harrowing the land well in the spring, 
and drilling in with a roller drill, about three bushels 
of good seed corn to the acre, to be turned under 
about August 15. Then, with about three pecks of 
rye to the acre, sow eight quarts of clover not later 
than August 25. With us in Oceana County, this will 
insure a good catch. i. h. t. 
Hart, Mich. 
I would advise H. M. to broadcast 200 pounds per 
acre of fine bone dust, and 50 pounds of muriate of 
potash this fall, and thoroughly harrow it in; then 
sow his wheat and in the spring sow his clover seed, 
at least eight quarts per acre, and harrow it in with 
a fine smoothing harrow. On this class of soil, I have 
had the best success with bone dust and potash. I use 
from 200 to 300 pounds of bone dust and 50 pounds of 
potash per acre on all crops, and much more on pota¬ 
toes, and my farms are growing richer every year. 
This is the cheapest manure, and if H. M. will put on 
another 100 pounds per acre of the bone dust, he will 
not regret it. D. e. m. 
Cadillac, Mich. _ 
QUESTIONS ABOUT TIMOTHY AND ORCHARD 
GRASS. 
will Timothy succeed on a Timothy sod from which a crop of hay 
was taken In July, the sod then turned under and kept well pulver¬ 
ized until the time to re-seed the land in September ? Which will 
give a larger and more profltable crop of hay, T'mothy or Orchard 
grass on stiff, white clay soil ? Ilow many years will either Timothy 
or Orchard grass produce good crops of hay without renewal, by top¬ 
dressing with good fertilizer each year? Will Orchard grass do well 
If sowed alone In the fail, from September 1 to 16, or would It be bet¬ 
ter to sow with oats early in the spring ? J. 0. 
Salisbury, Md. 
Will Succeed Well. 
This treatment is likely to give superior results. It 
is often practiced in the Western States where the 
first object in raising Timothy is to secure seed. Tim¬ 
othy is a nitrogen consumer, and if some nitrogenous 
commercial fertilizer could be distributed with the 
seed, it would give it a rich, early growth. Either 
Timothy or Orchard grass will do well if the land is 
inclined to be moist; that is, if it holds on to the 
moisture well. Some of the light clays of the South 
are inclined to lose their moisture rapidly; if so, 
neither one of these grasses would be best, alone or 
mixed. Such land is greatly benefited and the yield 
improved by mixing with the grass seed some clover. 
I am inclined to think, judging from the information 
before me, that Timothy will be more satisfactory 
than Orchard grass, though no one can tell until both 
of the grasses have been tried. 
Timothy or Orchard grass may be mown almost in¬ 
definitely, if the fertilizers are sown in early spring, 
and a little seed also sown at the same time, then 
harrowed with a fine, sharp-toothed harrow and 
rolled. In fact, it is not difficult to turn a Timothy 
meadow into a clover sod by this process. One thing 
should always be borne in mind, that both of these 
plants are nitrogen consumers, and all applications of 
fertilizer should contain a large amount of nitrogen. 
If you can purchase cotton-seed meal, especially that 
which has been carried over a year or two and is not 
good for feed (which can often be purchased at a low 
price), you will probably get nitrogen more cheaply 
than in any other form. Potash will also greatly 
improve the grass. It is seldom that good clay land 
lacks in phosphoric acid to that extent which will 
seriously diminish a crop of grass. It would be far 
better to sow Orchard grass in the fall than in the 
spring, and if the market for hay is the same as it is 
here, it will make no difference if the hay contains 
a little Alsike clover ; for home feeding the hay will 
be much improved ; it does not turn dark while cur¬ 
ing as does Red clover, and it does not injure the 
selling price of the hay. Sow one quart per acre of 
Alsike clover early in the spring. It is probable that 
you will get more Orchard grass than you would 
without the clover; then too, as the clover dies, it 
will furnish nitrogen for the grass. 
[PBOF.] I. P. BOBEBTS. 
Here Is a Chance for Crimson Clover. 
The general opinion of farmers is that Timothy 
seeded on Timothy sod will not prove a success. It is 
a very doubtful undertaking to re-seed the Timothy 
as proposed. A much better plan would be to seed 
with Crimson clover, and either plow it under next 
spring or cut it for hay or, if preferred, for seed. Or¬ 
chard grass, heavily seeded on stiff white clay soil, 
will undoubtedly give the heavier yield of hay ; but if 
grown for market, Timothy will prove more profit¬ 
able. Very little Orchard grass is grown in this sec¬ 
tion, and generally not more than two good crops of 
Timothy are obtained without renewal. The close 
cutting usually practiced when mowing Timothy, 
tends to render more than two crops unprofitable. By 
not mowing so close to the ground, and by the appli¬ 
cation of fertilizer each year, three or even four good 
crops undoubtedly can be secured. I would prefer to 
sow Orchard grass in September rather than with oats 
in the spring. m. h. beckwith. 
Delaware Experiment Station. 
FEEDING HORSES ON CORN FODDER. 
My only fodder this year will be corn, unless I buy something else. 
Some say that horses will do well fed on corn fodder, with some grain; 
Others that the hard shells of the corn stalks will Injure the horses. 
Blpley, N. T. S. M. w. 
"Would Soften the Stalks. 
We have had very little experience in feeding dry 
corn fodder to horses, although we have known it to 
be done with fairly good success. We think it would, 
however, be better to cut it, sprinkle it lightly, and 
pile it in a snug pile, where it could sweat, and soften 
the hard portions of the stalks, and then mix with a 
little bran or chopped feed. We have fed ensilage to 
a portion of our horses for the past two or three years, 
with very satisfactory results, smiths & powell go. 
As Good as Timothy Hay. 
Ever since I was a boy, I have fed corn fodder to 
horses more or less each year. Until I built my silo, 
this was the only coarse feed we gave our horses for 
at least three months every winter, commencing as 
soon as the corn was husked in the fall and feeding it 
until the stalks were gone in February or March. 
Horses and cattle both thrive on corn fodder for 
coarse feed. I have never known of horses being in¬ 
jured from eating corn fodder. Of course, if they are 
compelled to eat all the stalks, and starved to it and 
not given a laxative food of some kind, it would no 
doubt cause indigestion or give bowel trouble. They 
should be expected to eat nothing but the leaves and 
husks. On these, their bowels will keep in about the 
same condition as if they were fed clover hay. Of 
course, the more modern method and the most profit¬ 
able one is found in converting the corn fodder into 
ensilage and feeding it in this form, the chief advan¬ 
tage in which is that it goes farther, which is no small 
object where a farmer is heavily stocked. If I had 
my choice between good, bright corn fodder and 
Timothy hay, especially for young horses, I would 
take the corn fodder. Clover hay I consider the best 
coarse feed for colts. He is, indeed, in luck this year, 
who has plenty of corn fodder for his horses, cattle 
and sheep. There is no question but they will thrive 
upon it. GEO. E. BBECE. 
An Experiment Suggested. 
I have fed but little corn fodder to horses, as I con¬ 
sider it a much better feed for cows or sheep. I have 
fed it to horses when I have had a surplus, but always 
in sufficient quantities so that they would not be re¬ 
quired to eat the stalks, as I have always regarded 
