1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
as many live scales on the trees, which suffered so 
severely last year, as there were at the same date in 
1894. These facts, I believe, warrant my placing the 
estimate of living scales at from 30 to 50 per cent of 
the whole number which migrated in September. 
Furthermore, I think it is safe to estimate that a large 
majority of these live scales will survive until May, 
and be ready to begin business as soon as the sap 
starts, unless man steps in with the spray. 
As to what has caused the death of so many of the 
scales, I cannot say with certainty. Apparently, the 
most exposed scales have been the first to die, thus in¬ 
dicating that weather conditions of some sort have 
been the causes. But whether it has been due solely 
to low temperature, or to the sharp, drj, chilling 
winds that have prevailed this winter, I cannot say. 
It would require a careful series of almost daily ob¬ 
servations on the scales, and frequent calls on the 
Weather Bureau, to ascertain whether weather con¬ 
ditions have killed them. 
I have heard rumors of some complaints that the 
kerosene emulsion does not kill the scales. The simple 
smell of it on a neighboring twig, will not disconcert 
the l’ttle scale in the least, it is true ; and this is just 
the point that the man who holds the nozzle does not 
realize, There is no question about the killing powers 
of the emulsion diluted as directed in the bulletin, 
when the scale is hit by it. Those who report no suc¬ 
cess with the emulsion, could not have done thorough 
work with a proper mixture. Some men cannot 
keep the scab off their apples by spraying, while their 
neighbor just over the fence gets lai-ger crops of 
beautiful apples. m. v. sdingerland. 
WHAT THEY SAY. 
Money and Money Lenders. —“ If I cultivate a 
tract of land that no one else needs, I am doing no 
one an injury, no matter how large the tract or how 
rich I become.”—T he R. N.-Y., December 29. Statis¬ 
tics show that in California wheat costs to raise on 
farms of 1,000 acres, 93 cents per 100 pounds, while the 
larger the farm, the less the cost in proportion to 
size. Wheat costs to raise on farms of 50,000 acres, 
only 40 cents per 100 pounds, or 24 cents per bushel. 
Now, is it not plain that the 50,000-acre farmer may 
make money at 50 cents per bushel, and buy a few 
adjoining small farms every year, while the small 
farmer will be poorer every year, and in time become 
bankrupt if he grow wheat alone ? Fifty thousand 
acres at 20 bushels per acre, will yield 1,000,000 
bushels. If sold at 50 cents and the cost is only 24 
cents, the profit will be $260,000. Does not the 50,000- 
acre farmer with his steam plows, injure the small 
farmers all over the country ? Some will answer that 
the injury will be balanced by the good to those who 
buy flour. This is not true. It is to the advantage of 
all the people (except money lenders) to have the 
product of labor bring a high price. Eight per cent 
interest on $100 will buy 16 bushels of wheat to-day ; 
a score of years ago it would buy only four. Thus 
eight per cent now is as good to the money lender as 
32 per cent would have been when wheat was worth 
$2 per bushel. e. g. robinson. 
Ohio. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
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Fruit Varieties for Massachusetts. 
C. H. A., South Royalton, Vt .—I have a farm in Holliston, Mass., 
within a few miles of six manufacturing towns with the best of 
local markets. I wish to raise small fruits in connection with my 
poultry business, and wish varieties that will ripen in succession 
—strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and cur¬ 
rants—and so selected that I shall have berries as long as any 
one can raise them. I would like the best varieties of pears, both 
early and late, as well as peaches and quinces. As I shall devote 
several acres to yards for my poultry, I wish quite a variety of 
plums to set in the yards. I have apple trees enough to pick 50 
barrels, but would like a few early kinds. I wish to set out nut 
trees for shade through the lawn, 60x60 feet. The soil is described 
as “rich dark and yellow loam.” The surface is level, rolling and 
hilly,'with northern and southern slopes, and somewhat rocky. 
Ans. —As to varieties suitable for Massachusetts, a 
list of such is given in the annual report of the Hatch 
Experiment Station (Amherst, Mass.,) for 1894. Of the 
fruits C. H. A. mentions, I would advise the following: 
Strawberries, Bubach, Haverland, Lovett and Green¬ 
ville with the Marshall as promising. Raspberries, 
Thompson’s Early, Hansel, Cuthbert and Marlboro. 
Blackberries, Agawam, Snyder and Taylor’s Prolific. 
Gooseberries, Downing, Smith’s Improved and Indus¬ 
try. Currants, Cherry or Fay’s Prolific, and White 
Grape. Pears, Clapp,*Bartlett,’'Sheldon, Anjou and 
Dana’s Ilovey. Peaches, Early Rivers, Oldmixon, 
Crawford’s Early and Late, Elberta, Crosbey and 
Stump. Quinces, Orange and Rea’s Mammoth. Plums, 
Bradshaw, Lombard, McLaughlin, German Prune, 
Grand Duke and Victoria (Sharp’s Empei-or). The nut 
trees that will prove hardy in Massachusetts, are the 
hickory and chestnut ; others will not prove of any 
value. I would advise putting plums and peaches on 
the high land, and the latter where the soil is poorest. 
Mass. Ex. Station. [prof.] s. t. maynard. 
Habits of Squash-vine Borers. 
H. G. 0. E., Sandwich, Mass. —I have never noticed that any one 
has found out just how, or where, the young squash-vine borer 
begins his work. I was for a long time greatly puzzled when I 
saw vines all at once begin to fail, turn yellow and wilt down dur¬ 
ing the day. On pulling them, I could find no trace of an insect 
of any kind or of a borer. I finally discovered that they hatch 
and commence their work at the point where the leaf joins the 
leaf stalk, and have since found hundreds of them from one-fourtli 
to one-half inch long at that point and on the way down the leaf 
stalk, the farther down, the larger. I am certain that very few 
of them hatch at the junction of the leaf stalk and vine. 
Ans. —The interesting observations of the writer 
may be entirely correct, and yet Prof. J. B. Smith’s 
very extensive observations on Long Island and in 
New Jersey, show that in those localities, many, if 
not most, of the eggs are laid on the stem of the 
plant, and the young borer at once bores into the 
stem. However, Prof. Smith says that the base of the 
leaf where it joins the petiole, is a favorite place for 
the moths to sit in the evening, and he has found some 
egg§ at this point. He lias found eggs on almost every 
part of the plant, even on the flowers. Thus, so far 
as published observations go, in the localities men¬ 
tioned, the borers usually enter the stem of the plant 
first, but quite often also first bore into the leaf stalks; 
it all depends, doubtless, on where the mother moth 
sees fit to place her eggs. m. v. s. 
Sunflowers As a Farm Crop. 
F. J). W., Rochester, Mich. —Are sunflowers of any value as afield 
crop? I noticed last summer that some stalks of the plant grew 
and ripened a fair amount of seed on a plot of sand during an 
unusually dry season. Corn would hardly have produced a decent 
ear on the same ground under similar conditions, and turnip seed 
sowed alongside actually did not come up. The sunflower is as 
easy to raise as corn, and the seed contains a large amount of 
nutriment. The yield per acre ought also to be large—perhaps 
not less than corn. Poultrymen recommend it highly for laying 
fowls. Why should it not be valuable for milch cows and growing 
young stock, either in the grain or crushed ? Perhaps the crop 
might take the place of corn in many places where the sandy soils 
will not endure a drought. 
Ans. —Any answer to this question would be largely 
a matter of speculation. In Russia, the crop is quite 
extensively grown for the oil. In our Western 
country, sunflowers have been grown for fuel. It has 
been suggested that a double row of sunflowers 
planted around a farm would serve as a break to stop 
the rolling balls of Russian thistle. Some poultrymen 
raise a small patch of sunflowers to feed to their hens. 
The seeds are also fed to horses—in small quantities. 
They contain over 20 per cent of oil, and are laxative 
in their effects. In small quantities, they would 
doubtless take the place of linseed meal. The 
‘ ; Robertson ensilage mixture” is made by cutting into 
the silo together 10 parts corn, three of horse beans 
and 1]4 of sunflower heads. The sunflower is supposed 
to bring up the proportion of pure fat in the mixture. 
We have no doubt that on such land as you mention 
sunflowers will produce more fat to the acre than 
corn. Whether the crop would be more profitable or 
not, is another question. You cannot feed the sun¬ 
flower seeds exclusively. At best they are only a con¬ 
diment. The birds will seed the whole neighborhood 
with your crop. 
“ Alkali Soil” in Indiana, 
J. G. L., Bloomfield, Ind. —I have a piece of black marsh land 
that was ditched about 10 years ago, that has spots that don’t 
produce corn as they should, but are better for wheat. Thousands 
of acres in the same marsh are the same way. I believe the 
general opinion is that it is alkali ; it is so strong that persons 
with tender skin can hardly stand it to cultivate corn, it causes 
such itching, especially of the legs. I don’t know that any of the 
soil in those places was ever analyzed. The roots of the corn 
seem to rot off; some times there will be enough of the roots left 
just to keep life in the stalk of corn and no more. What is the 
cause, and what the remedy ? 
Ans. —Without doubt, the trouble is due to an ex¬ 
cess of some soluble salt in the soil. It is probably 
highly charged with alkali. A sample of the unpro¬ 
ductive soil should be sent to your experiment station 
(LaFayette, Ind.) for analysis. An application of 300 
to 400 pounds per acre of land plaster (gypsum), may 
correct the difficulty. It certainly will improve the 
conditions very much if the land is overcharged with 
alkali. You should send to Prof. E. W. Hilgard, 
Berkeley, California, for his report for the year 1890, 
which contains valuable information in regard to the 
treatment of similar difficulties on the Pacific coast. 
They have succeeded in several cases in washing the 
alkali down into the subsoil, but it soon returns to the 
surface by capillary attraction ; but in this case, of 
course, this method could not be adopted. If the drains 
had been deeper, without doubt the present difficulty 
would not have occurred. Since the land is already 
26 l 
drained, it is too late to secure a remedy by deep 
tiling ; but in the future, place the drains at much 
lower levels if there is danger of soluble deleterious 
salts rising to the surface. [prof.] i. p. Roberts. 
Kainit Compared with Plaster. 
E. L., Meshoppen, Pa .— Is kainit as good as plaster in the 
stable? Has it any absorbent qualities ? How will it compare 
as a fertilizer with plaster at $7 per ton ? Where can kainit be 
bought, and what is the price per ton ? 
Ans.— Yes, kainit will “ fix ” ammonia as well as 
plaster. It is not so neat as plaster, but chemically 
it is as good. It contains, on the average, 250 pounds 
of potash to the ton, while plaster really contains no 
valuable plant food. See Primer Science of several 
weeks past. Any of the fertilizer dealers advertising 
in Tiie R. N.-Y. will quote prices on kainit. 
Questions About a Potato Fertilizer. 
C. W. D., Duffleld, Pa .— On page 139, The It. N.-Y. gave a formula 
for a potato fertilizer, which has suggested the following ques¬ 
tions : 1. Why not use sulphate of potash instead of muriate? 
2. What objection is there to using basic slag in place of acid 
phosphate in a mixture of this kind ? I am eager to learn all I 
can concerning basic slag, as I raised more wheat with odorless 
phosphate than with any other fertilizer I ever used. 
Ans. —1. That mixture was suggested by Prof. E. B. 
Voorhees. We have often stated that we prefer a 
potato fertilizer containing several sources of nitro¬ 
gen. 2. Muriate is used simply because it is cheaper. 
The sulphate will give a better quality, but will not 
produce any more potatoes. We do not consider the 
basic slag available enough for potatoes. On grain or 
grass, it does well—particularly on damp spots. Our 
opinion is that potatoes need some more soluble form 
of phosphoric acid. 
Mixing Hen Manure Again. 
L. 8., Montclair, N. J.— The R. N.-Y. of March 30, page 220, 
speaks of using coal ashes under hen roosts. What do you mix 
the ashes and droppings with, and in what proportion, for a fer¬ 
tilizer ? 
Ans. —This question was answered on page 143 of 
The R. N.-Y. Crush and fine the manure, and mix in 
the following proportions : 400 pounds of manure, 300 
dissolved boneblack, 100 muriate of potash, 100nitrate 
of soda and 200 plaster. That will make a good fer¬ 
tilizer for most crops, but our opinion is that unless 
you have a large quantity of the manure, it will pay 
better to use it alone on corn or garden crops, and get 
some complete fertilizer. 
Liquid Potash Manures. 
T. J. M., Olympia, Wash .— I have looked in vain for some allu¬ 
sions in The R. N.-Y. to liquid fertilizers. It is a well-known fact 
that trees, berry bushes and other plants situated where the ref 
use water from the family washing can be easily applied, always 
outstrip similar kinds not receiving these periodical baths. Is 
not this due to the potash contained in the soapsuds ? If so, why 
would it not be profitable to use concentrated lye diluted properly 
to furnish available potash to fruit trees ? If lye can be so used, 
how many gallons of water should be taken to one pound of lye ? 
Ans. —We have often referred to liquid manures 
and their effects. The urine of animals contains the 
only parts of the food that are actually digested. It 
contains soluble nitrogen and like all stimulating ma¬ 
nures, it forces a quick growth of plants. There can be 
but a small amount of potash in soapsuds, but that 
amount is quickly available and thus pushes the fruit 
along. There are two objections to the use of lye as 
you suggest. Potash costs too much in this form. 
Some lyes contain soda only. On some very open soils, 
there would be a loss when used in this way. The 
best way to use the lye would be to dissolve it in 
water and pour it over coal ashes. Then when the 
ashes are dried, use them like any other fertilizer. 
The Babcock Test for Cheese Making. 
.J. H. C., West Rutland, Vt. Wbat arc the facts in i*cgard to 
dividing milk at cheese factories according to the fat as shown 
by the Babcock test ? 
Ans. —We have often spoken of this. At the better 
class of cheese factories, this method is being rapidly 
adopted. It is found that the per cent of fat in the 
milk is the best and fairest test of its value for cheese 
as well as for butter. Bulletins on this subject have 
been issued by the experiment stations at Cornell 
(Ithaca, N. Y.), Geneva, N. Y., and Wisconsin (Madison). 
Lump in Cow's Udder; Itching. 
A. W. C., Worcester, N. Y.—A five-year-old cow has been in milk 
six weeks, calved all right and has done well, but seems very 
nervous and has a lump as large as a hen’s egg in the hind part 
of her udder four inches above the teats. She has a small, thick 
substance close to the udder in one front teat, and it hurts her to be 
milked. Her milk is all right, and the passage through the teat is 
open. She seems to itch, and licks herself and scrapes her flanks 
with her lower teeth so that she takes the hair off. She has no 
lice, and steps around when being milked, lifting her feet very 
spitefully, but doesn’t kick. What is the matter with her ? 
Ans. —Paint the udder over the region of the lump 
with the compound tincture of iodine. Give the cow 
one pound of Epsom salts with one ounce of ginger, 
in a drench, as a purge. If the bowels are not freely 
moved in 48 hours, repeat the dose. If you are feed¬ 
ing heavily on grain, reduce her grain ration, espe¬ 
cially the corn. Bathe the itching skin with a solution 
of cooking soda or borax. You should not use the 
mange dressing unless you have reason to believe that 
the cow has the mange. F. l, k. 
