86 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 9 
The insect was discussed in detail in Tiie R. N.-Y. for 
December 9, 1893, page 816. The large mother scales 
are now dead, but underneath their bodies or scales, 
will be found many minute purplish eggs which will 
hatch next May. As the young lice are active and 
unprotected by a scale for two or three weeks in May 
and June, they may then be effectually combated by 
spraying with kerosene emulsion (I have given the 
formula several times in my answers to correspond¬ 
ents) diluted from five to eight times with water. 
Spray thoroughly and in time. m. v. s. 
Big California or Little Delaware—Which ? 
C. JV. B., Almond, Win. —I wish to change my present location 
for a wanner climate. Which is the best place for a poor man, 
big California, in the West, or little Delaware, in the East, all 
things considered, to make a living on a small fann? Where could 
I get a book on the resources and climate of Delaware ? I wish 
to go where it is warmer, and where I can grow fruit. 
Ans.—I believe there are great openings in the foot¬ 
hills adjoining the Santa Clara valley, not more than 
40 or 50miles distant from San Francisco, fora person 
who might have a love for and knowledge of raising 
chickens and producing eggs and butter, all of which are 
about 20 per cent higher there than in the State of New 
York. The foothills are only moderately rolling, but 
too much so for the profitable production of the cereals 
in large quantities. These lands can be secured at 
a low rental, the climate is certainly delightful, and 
with some modification of present practices, dairying 
might be carried on most successfully. If one has no 
knowledge of this kind of agriculture, then he would 
better let it alone. Then, too, the expense of getting 
settled at so distant a point, would be very great ; 
and if success was not as large as hoped for, it would 
be quite expensive to return to the East. All things 
considered, I am inclined to think that the little State 
of Delaware furnishes better opportunities for one 
with so limited a capital. Just where it would be 
best to pitch one’s tent in the little State, one cannot 
determine. Some pains should be taken to secure a 
proper location, that is, one which would be certain 
to be in touch with great markets, and where trans¬ 
portation would be rapid and cheap. The California 
climate, without doubt, would be superior to that of 
Delaware. California furnishes a most admirable 
climate for the production of nearly all kinds of fruit, 
biit that industry is already overdone, unless one go 
into the production of fruits for drying. I believe that 
it will not be long before this branch of fruit growing 
will also be unremunerative. If the location be made 
in Delaware, I would suggest that but a small amount 
of land be purchased, and that of the very best, if 
possible. I- P- Roberts. 
Further Light on the Horse-Feeding Question. 
A. M. C., Jackson Center , Pa.— I am aware that heat is the basis 
of energy in the mechanical world, and, according to Prof. Rob¬ 
erts, page 806, it seems to be in the animal kingdom. He says, 
“ Energy in the animal kingdom is produced by the combustion of 
the carbon of the food.” This is nothing more or less than the 
generation of heat. Again, “ If work performed by the animal re¬ 
sulted in a large expenditure of muscle,” etc. I never knew before 
that an animal could do work without the “expenditure of 
muscle.” Next, “ But force is produced, to a very great extent, 
through the combustion of carbonaceous matter,” which, again, 
is merely the generation of heat, and does not reinforce or replace 
the worn-out muscular tissue. Again the Professor says, “ Experi¬ 
ence shows that corn is one of the best, if not the best, foods for 
working animals,” and cites the case of the street railway com¬ 
pany. Heretofore, I have always heard it claimed that “oats 
make muscle, and are best for work horses. Corn is too 
heating, and makes them sweat too much.” The Professor also 
says, “One of the values of bran * * is to aid digestion,” etc. Is 
not the replenishing of the worn-out muscular tissue a greater 
value of bran ? Will the Professor kindly throw more light on 
this subject ? Would not the following be a good experiment for 
some of our experiment stations? Take two teams as nearly 
alike as possible in weight, strength, temperament, etc., and while 
working both equally hard, feed one on a ration composed largely 
of carbohydrates—a nutritive ratio of, say, one to ten. Feed the 
other on a ration strong in protein—a ratio of, say, one to five. 
After a time, reverse the rations. If any such experiment has 
been tried, I would like to know the result. 
Ans. — I quote from that article—“ But force is pro¬ 
duced, to a very great extent, through the combustion 
of the carbonaceous matter ; therefore, the animal re¬ 
quires food rich in carbohydrates.” Later on in the 
article, it is shown that force may be produced from 
albuminoids, but under ordinary conditions, it is un¬ 
profitable to do so. The suggestion is made, that an 
experiment be tried with two teams, and while at 
work, feed one a narrow or nitrogenous ration, say, 
one to five ; and the other a wide or carbonaceous 
ration, say, one to ten, and note the results. It may 
be said that we have already tried such an experiment 
with milch cows, and every time they are fed too nar¬ 
row a ration, they immediately shrink in milk, show¬ 
ing that they are not fed to the best advantage. The 
suggestion of experimenting with teams is a most ex¬ 
cellent, one, but it is very difficult to find two teams 
that are near enough alike in weight, strength, tem¬ 
perament and present flesh to make the experiment a 
satisfactory one. 
A. M. C. also says, “ If work is performed by the 
animal, it must result in a large expenditure of 
muscle.” It is true that muscle is broken down when 
work is done, and it is also true that it breaks down 
and has to be restored, even though the animal re¬ 
mains at rest, but not to so great an extent. If we 
note the nutritive ratio of different feeding stuffs, it 
is readily seen that all of them contain a portion of 
albuminoids or muscle-makers. It should be remem¬ 
bered, in discussing this question, that fats or carbo¬ 
hydrates cannot be changed by the animal into muscle¬ 
making material; but if there is not enough carbon¬ 
aceous matter in the foods, the animal can change the 
albuminoids into heat and muscle-making elements. 
Maize has a nutritive ratio of one to eight, or one to 
nine ; wheat bran, 1 to 5.5, and oats, one to six. Many 
companies doing a large and heavy business, such as 
lumbering, trucking or pulling street cars, have 
learned that oats are not carbonaceous enough for 
best results, and as they are usually dearer pound for 
pound, than maize, it has become the common practice 
of all of these firms to mix with their feed, ground or 
unground Western corn. This, as I believe, is always 
done to an advantage. 
Horses that must work severely many hours a day, 
often in the cold and rain, require a wide ration, and 
corn is none too wide for them. Even in the hotter 
climates of the South, corn is almost the only food for 
the hard worked mules, and is thought to be more 
satisfactory than oats. It is true that, in a warm 
climate, no extra heat is required to ward off the 
cold, but the same amount of energy or heat force is 
required in Mississippi to do a given amount of work, 
as is required in Canada ; if the work is done, other 
things being equal, the same amount of heat-produc¬ 
ers must be burned. The only difference between 
work done in a warm climate, and that done in a cold 
one, is the extra carbon which must be burned to 
ward off the outward cold, especially when the animal 
is at rest. If we turn to the driving horses or the 
trotters, which usually work but a few hours, some¬ 
times but a few minutes per day, it will be seen that 
ARRANGING PIPES FOR HOT WATER BROODER. Fig. 30. 
not nearly so much energy is expended in this short 
time, even though the work done is far more severe 
than that done by the draft animal which toils its 10 
or 12 hours per day. Therefore, all trotting animals 
and horses kept for driving but a short time each day, 
require a much narrower ration than draft horses. 
It is always economy in feeding work animals to 
give them only as much albuminoids as may be neces¬ 
sary to repair the waste of muscle. No animal should 
be without this necessary albuminoid, and as a rule it 
is safer to feed a ration that is rather too rich in 
albuminoids, than one that is too poor ; since if there 
is a lack of heat producers, some of the albuminoids 
will be burned to supply that lack. Whereas, if the 
ration is too poor iu albuminoids, the carbohydrates 
cannot be used to make up the deficiency, and hence 
the animal suffers. In other words, it has not the 
means to do the work which the carbohydrates are 
capable of producing. It would be something like an 
engine with pistons too weak to transmit the power 
that was generated by the coal. I. p. Roberts. 
Pipes For Hot Water Brooders. 
B. A. //., Winchendon, Mass.— 1. Will a copper boiler 6 x 10 inches 
give heat enough to run 40 or 60 lineal feet of 1-inch gas pipe for 
a hot water brooder ? The boiler is to have a convex bottom and 
to be heated with a diamond burner, the brooders to be on top of 
the box, the pipe arranged as shown in the upper part of Fig. 
30. The pipe is to be laid in a box 10 x 3 x feet. 2. How large 
should the cold water tank be ? 3. Would it be any safer to have 
a flue for the heat clear through the boiler? 4. Would four pipes 
give enough heat ? I have tried the hot-air brooders and lose my 
ehickens; I do not think them reliable. 
Ans. —1. It is doubtful if so small a boiler will an¬ 
swer, as there is great loss of heat by radiation. The 
No. 1 stove sold by Bramhall, Deane & Co., is not too 
large. The brooder house should be warmed as well 
as the brooders. 2. The cold water tank need not be 
of more than a quart or gallon capacity, as it is simply 
a standpipe, to give pressure. 3. An “escape air” 
pipe, to let the air out. must be provided. It should 
be at A. and should be fjs high fis the stand pipe. 4. 
Yes. The heater or boiler, must be below the pipes, 
as shown in the lower part of the figure, p. ii. Jacobs. 
Some Points About Greenhouse Roofs. 
IF. H. A.. Burnside, Conn.—\. What is the least pitch that it is 
desirable to give a greenhouse roof ? 2. Are houses with a short 
span to the south satisfactory for forcing carnations and lettuce ? 
Ans. — 1 . A pitch of 26 degrees, (six inches to the 
foot), is about as flat as can be safely used. Thirty 
degrees (seven inches to the foot) is much better, as 
there is then enough adhesion of the inside drip to the 
glass to carry it down to the plate. Grooved sash bars 
are growing in favor, and should be used, where ob¬ 
tainable, as they cost but a trifle more than the plain 
bars, and carry off considerable leakage and condensed 
moisture that might otherwise drip. They do not 
gather moisture from the glass between the bars. 2. 
Short-span-to-the-south greenhouses are still in an 
experimental state. The general consensus of opinion 
seems to be that they admit more sunlight at mid¬ 
winter than the usual style, and less at the beginning 
and end of the season, when the angle of the sun is 
passing that of the northern slope. They are cooler 
and more comfortable in summer. The one serious 
objection, which greatly limits their range of useful¬ 
ness, is that, if tall-growing plants are placed in the 
front or south bench, where the head room is greatest, 
they shade the remaining portions of the house badly, 
as the north bench must, of necessity, be placed low. 
Very good results are claimed when lettuce, radishes, 
carnations and other low plants requiring much sun¬ 
light, are grown. w. van fleet. 
Various Questions from Canada. 
W. II. If., Lambton, Ont. —1. Will fruit trees that thrive in western 
New York, do well in southwestern Ontario ? 2. Will the American 
sweet chestnut graft on the common horse chestnut ? 3. What 
kind of pears would The R. N.-Y. advise one to plant on rlchj 
clay loam, well underdrained ? Standards or dwarfs ? 
Ans. —1. \ r es, and no. For example, among apples, 
the Baldwin, Northern Spy, Oldenburg, Red Astra- 
chan and Ribston, thrive well in both sections ; while 
Jlubbardston, Jefferis, Jonathan, Maiden’s Blush, 
Mother, Peck’s Pleasant, Porter, Rhode Island Green¬ 
ing, Roxbury Russet, Sweet Bough, Talman Sweet, 
Tompkins County King, Twenty Ounce, Wealthy, 
while thriving in western New York, are not so much 
valued in southern Ontario. 2. No. 3. Except that 
early bearing be the first object, we would always se¬ 
lect standards. If such pears as Duchess and others 
that do better on quince stock, were desired, we would 
choose the dwarfs. 
More Facts About Those Irrigated Berries. 
F. A. T., Poughkeepsie. N. Y. —I have been much interested in 
the communications from A. J. Snyder, Canada, relative to the 
effects of irrigation. He makes the whole expense of picking and 
putting in baskets, but $42. This would mean that he and his 
family do most of the picking, and then call it worth nothing. 
According to the rates which all commercial growers have to pay, 
and upon which results should be figured, the cost of picking the 
crop of 4,432 quarts at two cents a quart would be $88.64. Add to 
this the cost of baskets at the lowest price of $5 per 1,000, and we 
have $22.15 more, making a total cost of $110.79 instead of $42. This 
puts a somewhat different face on the matter, but even then leaves 
a fair balance of profit considering the low price at which the 
berries were sold—an average of about 6*4 cents per quart. We 
usually average about 10 cents here. Mr. Snyder’s yield, however, 
is phenomenal, exceeding that of the best strawberry plantations, 
and affords us another object lesson of what can be done on small 
plots of land, with care and water, especially water. 
Ans. —The figures given by F. A. T., are altogether 
too high for harvesting here. One cent per box for 
strawberries, 1 14 cent per box for raspberries (red), 
and one cent per box for blackberries, are the prices 
we pay pickers, they being mostly Indians from 
the Six Nations Reserve, Brantford. Then again, 
baskets are only $3 per 1,000. Our boxes, too, do not 
hold so much as the American-made. The latter are, 
1 believe, standard quarts, while ours hold barely 1% 
pint. This may, in some measure, explain matters, 
though we did mostly pick our own crop. One good 
picker could pick double the amount in such patches, 
that he could on those not irrigated. A. j. snyder. 
Starting An Orchard On “New” Land. 
J. C. A., Washington , Ind.—l am preparing three acres of new 
ground for orchard. There is some timber on it which I am clear¬ 
ing off. It is quite a hill, sloping to the northeast and west and is 
rich clay soil. 1. If I cultivate this land in potatoes or sugar 
corn next summer, will it do to set to apple trees next fall ? 2. If 
apple trees are set 40 feet apart each way, will it probably injure 
them to set young peach trees between ? 3. I wish to make a 
model orchard of it. In order to keep the ground properly culti¬ 
vated, what crops would take the least fertility from the soil ? 
How many years should a young orchard be kept cultivated ? 
Ans. —1. The cultivation in potatoes, as proposed, 
will be a good preparation of the ground for fruit 
trees ; but, if there is little depth of surface soil above 
the clay, and especially if the clay is not porous enough 
to allow water to percolate freely downward, there 
should be a thorough pulverizing of the subsoil, at 
least to the depth to which the trees are to be set, - o 
avoid the necessity of digging holes in the subsoil 
which would retain water beneath and above the 
roots. If the timber yet upon the ground is in a green 
state, the land would need to be stumped, to remove 
the strong roots which, otherwise, would seriously in¬ 
terfere with cultivation. 2. With apple trees 40 feet 
