776 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the ground carefully a month before transplanting, 
and harrow in thoroughly, 50 bushels to the acre of 
unleached, hard-wood ashes. 1 would harrow again 
before marking out for transplanting, and then apply 
in the row thoroughly incorporating with the soil to a 
depth of three inches and 1}4 foot wide, 1,200 pounds 
to the acre of a good complete fertilizer that would 
analyze five per cent each ammonia and potash and 
seven per cent available phosphoric acid. W. IL T. 
will also find that the damp swamp soil will not be 
favorable for blanching the celery in the usual way by 
earthing up, as this would probably cause rust. 
Although the dampness of the soil naturally existing 
in the swamp, would be favorable to the growth of 
the crop, yet the soil when used moist in handling or 
banking the crop, would very likely bake hard around 
the plants and interfere with their development. To 
make a success, this celery must be blanched between 
boards set on edge. 
In a general way, I may say that it is impossible to 
make a good crop of celery unless the ground is in 
first-class mechanical condition. It is no use to at¬ 
tempt to make the crop on a poor or worn-out piece of 
land, no matter how heavily it may be fertilized at 
the time of planting. 1 like to have my celery ground 
planned out two years ahead, and spend the interven¬ 
ing time in working it up to the point by judicious 
cropping and manuring. This will pay in connection 
with other crops as well, under any circumstances. 
Columbus County, N. C. kolanl. 
HOW TO GET BIG EGGS. 
1)0 TUKY KEPRK8ENT BREED OR FEP:D ? 
Admitting' that breeding will accomplish the desired result, can 
the size of eggs be increased by feeding ? If so, how ? m. b. p. 
Henderson, N. C. 
Fat Hens and Old Hens. 
Feeding will not increase the size of eggs, though 
when hens are fat, they lay eggs of larger size than 
the normal, but fewer of them. It happens that extra 
feeding sometimes results in very small eggs. Pullets 
usually begin laying small eggs, the size being in¬ 
creased, however, as they approach maturity. 
New Jersey. !’• H- JACOBS. 
H is a Matter of Strain. 
Both the size and color of eggs are affected largely 
by the strain. Different strains of Brahmas and 
Plymouth Rocks, for instance, vary largely in the size 
and color of their eggs. To a certain extent, this can 
be remedied in a measure, by a proper variety of feed, 
and extreme care. I bought a lot of eggs from a 
strain of Light Brahmas a few years ago that suited 
me for market purposes, and, though the eggs were 
small, I supposed that 1 could feed them up in size 
and color. But 1 was obliged to give them up alto¬ 
gether, for I couldn’t start the eggs. I have often 
noticed in my travels South, that the eggs from all 
breeds were very much undersized, and have been 
often assured by breeders that they had sent for eggs 
from the North, receiving fine, large eggs, but that 
the eggs from the progeny never equaled the original 
in size. So I have always attributed it to the debil¬ 
itating effects of the extreme heat which, in a meas¬ 
ure, affects human beings as well as birds. 
Massachusetts. james rankin. 
Why Southern Eggs Are Small. 
I do not think that the size of the egg can be in¬ 
creased by feeding, though it can be done by breed¬ 
ing. But I believe that an ill-fed, half-starved hen, 
would not lay as large an egg as were she in good 
condition. This, however, is only theory on my part. 
As to small eggs in the South, the stock from what I 
have seen, is small with considerable game blood in it, 
which accounts for the small eggs. Large chickens 
or fowls are almost unknown in the markets. An 
infusion of Plymouth Rock or Wyandotte blood, would 
work wonders among Southern farmers, and the active 
interest now shown by Southern fanciers will bring 
that about in time. w. h. ordway. 
New Jersey. 
Wyckoff’s Notes on “ The Business Hen.” 
Small eggs, generally, can be remedied only by breed¬ 
ing, although I have often noticed that the size of the 
egg is affected, to some extent, by the quantity of 
food given. I also find that the quality has some 
effect. When feeding regularly every day a certain 
amount of feed to my hens when they were laying 
their best, 1 have noted that the eggs began to de¬ 
crease in size, and shortly after, to fall off in number. 
When carefully examined, the hens were found to be 
losing in flesh. By increasing the quantity of feed, 
there was first an increase in the size of the egg. and, 
second, an increase in the number laid. By increasing 
the amount of feed still further, giving them all they 
could be induced to eat, the eggs increased in size, 
many of them being rough and ill-shaped, and many 
doubled yolked. As this crowding of feed continued, 
the hens became very fat, and many of them would 
break down, become sick and stop laying, with the 
general result of a decreased number of eggs, and 
many of the hens badly out of condition. 
As to the quality of the food affecting the size of 
eggs, I have noticed that where a large proportion of 
the food was highly nitrogenous, such as .skim-milk, 
curd, or lean meat, the eggs would increase to more 
than their normal size ; but the hens soon get out of 
condition from such feeding, after which the number 
of eggs laid would rapidly decrease. In feeding and 
caring for my hens of late years, I have learned to pay 
particular attention to the size of the eggs each day, 
as I find that one of the first means of determining the 
proper amount of food required by the flock. To in¬ 
crease the size of eggs, it is necessary, first, to pay 
more attention to selecting breeding stock that lay 
eggs of the desired size and shape. Second, properly 
to grow and develop the pullets bred from them, by 
good care and generous feeding, so that they will 
be hens at six and seven months of age, laying hens’ 
eggs, and not half grown pullets all their lives, laying 
(when they do lay) pullets’ eggs. c h. wyckoff. 
Tompkins County, N. Y. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.] 
Some Truths About Japan Plums. 
O. K, L., Indianola, III. —1. I am very much inter¬ 
ested in The R. N.-Y.’s report of .Japan plums. Do 
they bear fruit on last year’s wood like the peach ? 
Should they be cut back like the peach ? 2. How 
about the misnomers ? I have been deceived. First, 
I bought 50 of the Chabot trees. Then 1 read about 
the Yellow Japan and got 50 more. Then 1 heard 
of the Hatanico. Now I find that the whole lot are 
the same variety. It is generally understood that the 
Botan, Abundance, and True Sweet Botan are the 
same ; also that Satsuma and Blood are the same. I 
have the Ogon and Burbank, and don’t want to buy 
them again under different names. 
Ans. —1. No. The plum produces its fruit on the 
small spurs formed on the sides, and upon the very 
ends of branches of from one to three years’ growth. 
These fruiting branches should, therefore, be pre¬ 
served or cut back as one desires his trees to bear 
heavily or otherwise. 2. Our friend has not been de¬ 
ceived through The R. N.-Y. The Japan plums are 
badly mixed as to names. Chabot is all right. This 
was introduced by Luther Burbank in 1886. The 
“ Yellow Japans,” according to Prof. Bailey, are 
Georgeson and Normand. The Ilattankios (not llatan- 
ico) class is so called because of its shape only, being 
more conical than the Botan or Botankios. Botan in¬ 
cludes a number of varieties. The Sweet Botan is 
now recognized as the Abundance, though the Berck- 
mans is also called True Sweet Botan and Sweet Botan. 
The Satsuma and Satsuma Blood are the same. This 
variety has also been called Yonemomo. Ogon and 
Burbank are all right. 
Wood or Garbage Ashes for Fertilizer. 
J. P., Portcuje la Prairie, Manitoba. —Which would be 
best for my garden, wood ashes or ashes made at the 
garbage ground where ashes from private families 
are put, and all the stable manure from 12 large sta¬ 
bles and all the dead horses, are burned ? From 75 
to 100 horses and other stock are burned there each 
year. I have about 12 acres of vegetable garden, and 
2,000 small fruit vines, raise large quantities of as¬ 
paragus and celery. I also grow about 20 acres of 
potatoes yearly. I am only two miles from the wood 
ashes, and IK from the garbage ground. 
Ans. —You can see how impossible it is to answer 
such a question with no idea as to the really essential 
things. We do not know what you are to pay for the 
ashes, or what they analyze. Suppose you said, “ I 
am offered a big Percheron horse and a smaller Cleve¬ 
land Bay horse, which do you think I would better 
buy ? ” We could not answer that because we have 
no means of knowing how much work the horses can 
do. You will buy the one that will do the most work 
for you, and you have rules for deciding which that 
will be. In like manner, you will buy of wood or gar¬ 
bage ashes the kind that will give you most potash 
and phosphoric acid for a dollar, whether you pay for 
them or simply have the cost of the hauling. Analy¬ 
sis shows you how much of these substances are in 
the ashes, just as your eye enables you to estimate 
how much work there is in the horse. It is always 
blind business to buy any fertilizer without knowing 
what it analyzes. If the “ garbage ” is just a mixture 
of town ashes, swill and stable manure mixed together 
with dead horses burned on it, the question is whether 
coal is burned in the stoves. If it is, the “garbage” 
is not of very great value. In our own town, under 
such circumstances, it would be largely coal ashes and 
old tin cans. It seems to us that your best plan would 
be to haul the stable manure direct, and also the wood 
ashes. No form of ashes can give you nitrogen, because 
this substance is always driven off in burning. You 
will need lots of nitrogen for your vegetables, and 
stable manure will supply it. 
How a Potato Grows. 
J. A. E., Tiffin, 0. —Many of the potatoes have a 
brown or rusty streak through the center. I noticed 
this peculiarity last year. 1. What is the cause ? Will 
this not get worse by planting affected tubers ? 2. 
Will The R. N.-Y. explain the manner in which a 
potato develops, I mean the tuber ? Does it grow by 
expansion, or as you notice the circle in the growth 
of a tree each year ? 
Ans.—1. No ; we can not explain it. 2. The stem 
sends out roots just the same as does any other stem 
or cutting. The plant branches above ground the 
same as other plants. But it also gives a system of 
stems below ground, which do not develop leaves, but 
which after growing to lengths which vary with dif¬ 
ferent kinds, cease lateral growth. The end of the 
stem begins to swell and continues to do so until the 
maturity of the plant. The tubers develop buds (eyes) 
just the same as the above-ground stems develop buds. 
The buds (eyes) of the tuber, however, are supplied 
with a great abundance of nutritious matter—mostly 
starch—a reservation for another year’s growth. The 
above-ground stems die because their service has 
ended in assuring the preservation of the tuber for 
another year. This flesh of the tuber is being depos¬ 
ited all the while by layers, so to say which may be 
said to correspond to the cambium layer of the above¬ 
ground stems. Probably all leading seedsmen will 
offer Carman No. 1 in small quantities and at a very 
high price—not less, we would gue.ss, than §25 a 
barrel. This is merely a guess. Forced propagation 
may have so increased the supply, that the price will 
be much less. We would not buy such seed, however, 
if we knew it. 
Potato Sprouts That Did Not "Pan Out.” 
Several Sidbscribers. —What was the outcome of the 
“potato experiment” described on page 258 ? 
Ans. —This was a statement by L. B. Pierce, Summit 
County, Ohio, regarding the Carman No. 1 potato. By 
taking off and potting the sprouts from a fair-sized 
tuber, Mr. Pierce expected to get 200 plants which he 
purposed to plant outdoors in May—in the belief that 
he ought to raise 10 bushels of potatoes from them. 
Mr. Pierce sends this report. He is to be commended 
for his willingness to chronicle a failure : 
That potato experiment did not turn out as I hoped it -would, 
but I learned something. Potatoes cannot be successfully multi¬ 
plied from cuttings, for two reasons. The taking of a cutting from 
a thrifty plant seems to act exactly the same as when a frost cuts 
a young potato plant back to the grround—the plant seems to re¬ 
ceive a check from which it takes a long time to recover. In order 
to get a series of cuttings, it is necessary to start very early as I 
did, and then the first rooted plants mature and grow small pota¬ 
toes before the weather is warm enough to plant out-of-doors. 
With a vaiuable new variety, I suppose one might have a mild 
hot-bed and put the cuttings right to growing, but the variety 
would have to be very valuable to pay for this trouble, and one 
would need more than one tuber to start with. 
Where I live, we often have frosts as late as May 27, and so my 
plants were not removed from the greenhouse until about that 
time. I had a good many irons in the fire, the potatoes did not re¬ 
ceive special attention, and I found that about 50 out of 130 plants 
had made tubers and were about dead. There were about 70 little 
potatoes from the size of Marrowfat peas to that of a brownie 
marble. These were put into a basket and set on a bench in the 
greenhouse to season for planting. Strawberry time was at hand, 
we were very busy, and these were not planted until July 5, and 
never came up. The 80 plants that were thrifty June 1, were planted 
in a place reserved among other potatoes in a rich old fence row, 
and fared the same that nearly all potatoes planted at that time in 
Summit County, did. They succumbed to a period of drought that 
extended from June 17 to September 5. The result was that it was 
diflicult to find many potatoes at digging time, October 16. There 
was nearly a peck of little and big, and the only satisfaction lean 
get out of the experiment, is the fact that nearly all the rest of the 
fence row, planted to Early Beauty of Hebron and Lee’s Favorite, 
was not worth digging. The satisfaction lies, not in not getting 
potatoes, but in having the Carman No. 1 show such drought- 
resisting qualities. Of the 13 pieces into which the potato was 
cut, two did not sprout, and some sprouted the fourth time, the 
sprouts being taken off when an inch or more high. Next year I 
shall not force the season, but shall bed the tubers about April 1. 
The little potatoes I shall halve, and the larger ones cut to single 
eyes. I shall remove the sprouts as fast as large enough, and 
commence to plant in open grround about May 10, arranging to 
protect from frost if necessary. l. b. pierce. 
New Facts About Crimson Clover. 
J. H. N., Louisa, Ky .—I, too, am interested in Crim¬ 
son clover. None was ever sowed in this section until 
I sowed about 10 bushels this summer, mostly in my 
corn and tobacco fields at the last cultivation. Although 
the season has been unusually dry (in fact, the worst 
drought prevailing after it was sown, and still continu¬ 
ing to a great extent) most of the fields show a good 
catch. Desiring to experiment somewhat with it, I 
grazed one of the fields after cutting the tobacco, and 
