280 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 20 
be given places according to their length, and all be 
comfortable.' In order to do this, the stanchions and 
mangel’s should be built on skids made of pieces of 
2x4, which can be toe-nailed to the floor after the 
cows have been fitted to the standing room, and the 
tops of the stanchions fastened by braces to the joists 
above. Stanchions need never be more than four feet 
high. 
This plan was drawn with the presumption that 
the cowyard would be located at the end of the barn, 
the basement used for cows, and nothing else. It 
could be easily changed to accommodate calves by 
having a box stall or yard fenced off in one corner. 
If the cowyard should be located at one side, the 
doors and cross passage could be altered. Light for 
the rear or bank end of the basement, is obtained by 
making windows above the sill, as shown in section 
in Fig. 88 . One of these windows is shown near -the 
left in the side view of the barn. Fig. 87 shows the 
plan of the upper floor. The driveway is 14 feet 
wide, and extends through the barn, and is placed 
near the bank end rather than in the middle of the 
barn, to save work and expense in making the 
approaches. 
If less room is needed for feed, one of the bins 
is a good place in which to keep the buggy or farm 
machinery. In Fig. 89, it will be noticed that the 
sill consists merely of two two-inch planks. When a 
barn is built on a good wall, this kind of sill answers 
every purpose. Fig. 88 is a side view of the barn, 
showing the arrangement of the eave troughs and 
the cistern. It will be noticed that the bottom of the 
cistern is on a slightly higher level than the floor of 
the cow stable. A pipe from the bottom of the cis¬ 
tern conducts the water to the troughs in the cows’ 
mangers, and does away with all pumping. Fig. 89 is 
a sectional view of the eave trough, which is made by 
placing a board six inches wide at right angles to the 
roof, and fastening it there by wooden brackets; 
then lining the trough thus formed with tin or gal¬ 
vanized iron, being sure to have the metal extend far 
enough up under the shingles to prevent water from 
backing over the edge in case the trough becomes 
clogged. This kind of eave trough will not sag un¬ 
less the barn sags, and will not require attention 
every time it rains. The water from the farther side 
is carried in a four-inch conductor across the end of 
the barn, and into the one shown in the cut. 
The Apple Maggot “ Trypeta Pomonella 
.4. W. E.y Hoxbury, Vt. —Fighting flies may be small business, 
but we And that the maggots of this species are doing us no small 
amount of damage in our apple crop. 1. How can we fight them 
best? 2. Can we save this year’s crop? 3. Can the pupa; be 
destroyed in the ground by the use of kainit or any other chemical 
having fertilizing value ? 4. Is it practicable to use carbon bisul¬ 
phide to destroy the maggots and eggs in freshly gathered apples? 
5. Can it be used effectively against the insect in the pupae state ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGKBLAND. 
Let us first briefly glance at the life history of this 
Apple Maggot, or “railroad worm” as it is often called 
in the New England States. The adult insect—the 
fly—resembles the common house fly in size and gen¬ 
eral make-up, but its wings are crossed by conspicu¬ 
ous, connected, blackish bands. In the latitude of 
Vermont, they begin to appear on the trees about July 
1 . and will continue to emerge all summer, often being 
seen on the wing until about September 15. Egg-lay¬ 
ing begins on the early varieties in July, and is con¬ 
tinued, by the later appearing flies, on the fall and 
winter fruit. The flies puncture the skin of the apple 
with their sharp ovipositors, and thus insert their 
tiny eggs in the pulp beneath the skin. The opera¬ 
tion requires about half a minute for each egg, and 
one female is capable of laying about 300. Most of 
the eggs are laid on the pale or shaded sides of the 
cheeks of the apple. The egg punctures appear as 
brownish specks, scarcely distinguishable from the 
rusty spots common on apples. The eggs hatch in 
four or five days, and the footless, yellowish maggot 
begins its tortuous tunnel through the flesh. A dozen 
maggots often occur in a single fruit and, as one 
author has said, render it “a mere mass of useless and 
disgusting corruption.” The presence of the maggots 
is not easily detected from the outside of the apple, 
unless their tunnels run near the skin. Usually, 
affected fruits mature earlier and drop off. Work is 
continued in these “ windfalls” until the maggots 
attain maturity ; they then leave the fruit and crawl 
iuto the ground about an inch, where they soon trans¬ 
form to brown puparia from which the flies emerge 
the next spring. Many of the maggots working later 
in the season in the winter fruits, go with them into 
the cellars or storage rooms ; and there they leave the 
fruit to transform to puparia in the bottom of the 
baskets, barrels, or crates holding the fruit. 
All varieties of apples are attacked by the pest, 
usually the sweeter, earlier varieties the most. The 
insect has a wide distribution over the Eastern and 
Northern States It is so well protected in the apple 
in its egg and maggot stages, that the application of 
any insecticides in the form of sprays or otherwise, 
would have no effect on it. 
1. The most practicable method of combating it that 
has been recommended, is to keep the windfalls 
picked up from under the affected trees. The maggots 
apparently do not leave the fruit while it remains on 
the tree. Either pick up and destroy or feed out the 
windfalls, or turn in the sheep or hogs, if practicable, 
and let them take care of the fruit as fast as it falls. 
2. About the only thing to be done that may lessen 
the crop of flies to emerge next July, is to sweep 
up clean and burn, or treat with the carbon bisul¬ 
phide, all of the dix-t or refuse wherever fruit has been 
stored, thus killing the pupae that may have been 
brought in as maggots in the gathered fruit. An 
early, deep, spring plowing and thorough cultivation, 
might bury and destroy many of the pupae now in the 
soil. I can suggest no other way of getting at the 
pupa; from which the flies will emerge in July. 
3. I very much doubt whether the pupae could be 
killed in the soil by the application of kainit or any 
other chemical used in fertilizing quantities. There 
is “ a ghost of a hope of a chance ” that kainit might 
kill the maggots in the soil before they had changed 
to pupae, if we could know just when to apply it so as 
to catch them in this tender stage. Hut I believe that 
it would have to be used in much greater than ferti¬ 
lizing quantities to destroy the insect in the ground 
at any stage. 
4. Yes, if you can place the fruit in a practically 
air-tight receptacle, and place the carbon bisulphide 
in shallow dishes on top of the fruit, using about 
one pound of the liquid to one ton of the fruit, and 
leaving it for several hours, I believe that it will kill 
all insect life in the fruit. It would thus be prac¬ 
ticable to destroy the insects in any stage in the stored 
fruit ; but this will be only partially effective in 
eradicating the pest, because thousands of the mag¬ 
gots went into the ground from the windfalls. Com¬ 
bine the two methods of keeping the windfalls picked 
up clean, and treating the gathered fruit with the 
carbon bisulphide, and you cannot help but greatly 
check the pest. 
5. Yes, the carbon bisulphide will kill the pupa; that 
may have been formed, either in the fruit or on the 
bottom of the barrel or bin. 
Plum Trees in Standing Water. 
K. J. M., Stoughton , Mass. —I have six young plum trees, set 
out two years ago, and growing nicely. After a very heavy rain 
storm this winter, the water stood four to six inches deep around 
them, the next day froze on top, and in two days more the water 
soaked into the soil, leaving a crust of ice on the surface. Would 
that probably be injurious to the trees ? The soil is a sandy loam ; 
no water stands on it at any time of the year, except the few days 
this winter. This happened twice during the winter. Would you 
advise me to remove the trees ? 
Ans.—T he soil being a sandy loam and tvell 
drained, we w r ould not remove the trees. We doubt 
whether the water and ice will be found to have 
harmed them. 
Spots on a Pear Tree. 
J. II. T.. Avondale , Pa. —I send a piece of branch from a Kusset 
pear tree, two years old. These spots seem general over the few 
trees that I have of this kind; also on the Keiffer pears planted at 
the same time. On the main branches the spots are a little larger. 
Such spots are common on young Smith’s Cider apple trees here, 
as well as other varieties. Peach trees also have something simi¬ 
lar, but I do not think this is of a dangerous character. Do these 
look anything like the San Jos6 scale ? 
Ans. —The small, slightly pustular spots are doubt¬ 
less natural to the bark. They resemble the San Jose 
scale only in size. The San Jose scale in winter on 
the bark is in the form of minute (smaller than a pin’s 
head) round, almost black scales. The center of each 
scale appears as an elevated blackish joint surrounded 
by a black ring. The scales are only about half grown 
when they go into winter quarters. Under each scale 
there is now a minute, bright, lemon-yellow colored, 
soft-bodied, oval object, the insect itself. In the 
spring the insect begins feeding, and as it grows, its 
scale is enlarged until it becomes about twice its pres¬ 
ent size, and also becomes lighter in color. About 
June 1 the females become full-grown, and begin to 
bear living young, there being no egg-stage in this 
insect. Three or four generations are produced dur¬ 
ing the summer. Yes, the San Jos 6 scale, like all the 
true bugs, gets its food by means of a beak-like organ, 
which is inserted into the bark, or the skin of leaf or 
fruit, and through which the sap of the tree is pumped 
into its body. As millions of these little pumps are 
often at work on a single tree, it soon shows in a 
weakened, sickly or stunted growth. M. v. s. 
What Pear to Fertilize Keiffer ? 
W. II. A'., (address mislaid .)— What is the best pear to plant to 
fertilize the Keiffer ? 
Ans. —The Keiffer and other Oriental hybrid pears 
seem to be very susceptible to the climatic changes, 
push forth leaves and blossoms at the first approach 
of warm weather, and are generally in full bloom in 
the latitude of Philadelphia before the European 
varieties have opened sufficiently to fertilize them. 
As one goes South, the difference in time of blooming 
is still greater, so that a variety that might open in 
time to fertilize the Keiffer here, would be dormant 
in the South until after the Keiffer bloom had gone. 
It is, therefore, necessary to select a variety, particu¬ 
larly for the South, that blooms early, and at the same 
time, for immediate benefits, one that blooms young. 
The LeConte is of the same class as Keiffer, and blooms m 
at the same time, both North and South, making an 
excellent fertilizer. For the latitude of New York, 
Duchess and Lawrence will answer the purpose. 
In setting large orchards of Keiffer, I advise put¬ 
ting a LeConte in the second hole of the second row. 
in every fourth hole in the row, and in every fourth 
row the same, by which means every Keiffer will be 
adjoining a LeConte, and it will require eight Keiffers 
to one LeConte. If the orchard is already planted, 
and failing to bear as it should, there is nothing that. 
will give immediate effect quicker than Japan Golden 
Russet, blooming with the Keiffer, and the same year 
as planted ; therefore, intersperse them all through 
the bearing orchards. They are slender, upright 
growers, and can be planted midway between the 
rows of Keiffer, without materially interfering with 
them, and will produce an abundance of bloom at once. 
New Jersey. .ino. r. tarry. 
Wood Ashes for Strawberries. 
V. V. G., Westboro, Mass. —1. I have a quantity of wood ashes 
stored in barrels in my cellar ; some of them have been there 
several years. Are they any less valuable as a fertilizer, than 
fresh made ashes ? 2. Is there any danger of applying too much 
to ground being prepared for a strawberry bed ? Are two pecks 
to the square rod, too much ? 
Ans. — 1 . If the ashes have been kept dry, they have 
not lost any fertility. The only way for them to lose 
potash, would be to leach it out with water. 2. No, 
not if they are well worked into the soil—except in 
cases which are described on page 152 in showing the 
effect of lime on some soils. 
Hay Crop for an Orchard. 
0. S. F., Maysville, AT. Y .—I have a few acres of good land which 
was planted to corn last year, and has on it a young apple 
orchard. I wish to raise this season a crop that I can make into 
hay in August, and would like to know if I can do it with Crimson 
clover, sowed as soon as the ground is in condition. If so, how 
much seed should I sow per acre, and will it need to be fertilized? 
The land was well manured with stable manure a year ago. 
Ans. —We do not believe the Crimson clover will 
answer. The R. N.-Y.’s experience with the clover 
sown in spring, was not satisfactory. Our plan would 
be to sow oats, cut them while green, and cure the 
same as hay. This fodder has given us good satisfac¬ 
tion. 
Wisdom of a Summer-Fallow. 
li. L. J., Genesee County. N. Y .—Forty years ago, in the Genesee 
w-heat belt of New York, no farmer could reasonably expect a 
good wheat crop unless the ground was thoroughly summer- 
fallowed and those who sowed it after a spring crop, were a 
failure financially. Now it is all changed, and no one summer- 
fallows. Would it not be better, especially this season? Last 
year, our newly seeded meadows in this county were red with 
sorrel. Would it not be the best way to rid our soil of it and other 
weeds, to summer-fallow ? If not, why not? 
Ans. —There is no question as to the wisdom of 
treating such land as is described above, to a summer- 
fallow, occasionally. When one is worked in the 
proper manner, it does so much for the land and for 
its future productiveness, that there is no question as 
to its profitableness if one can afford the time and 
expense which it incurs. To summer-fallow, prefer¬ 
ably plow deeply three times at least, and surface 
cultivate for about a month before the ground is 
sowed to wheat. This would make available a vast 
amount of plant food which is now dormant. It 
would result in “sweetening the land,” and increasing 
very materially its power to hold on to the hydro¬ 
scopic water, and to part with free water. In addi¬ 
tion to all this, it would destroy a vast number of 
weeds and probably so aerate the land that it would 
not be well suited for the growing of sorrel in the 
future. If teams and plows are large and efficient, 
and are used at odd times to plow this land, it need 
cost but a trifle to give it thorough cultivation for 
once at least. Land may be kept fairly clean and 
profitably productive without a summer-fallow, but 
there are many acres which may be brought back to 
their former productiveness more cheaply by system¬ 
atic and thorough cultivation, than by the addition of 
plant food. It is my opinion that plants usually 
suffer more from lack of moisture and proper physical 
conditions of the soil, than from lack of plant food. 
[TROF.] I. P. ROBERTS. 
Corn Growing; Tannery Waste. 
II. L. 6'., Canton, Pa .—Where should I plant potatoes—on the 
sod or in the garden ? I have considerable horse manure very 
full of straw ; where shall I use that ? Will it pay me to buy 
tannery manure, hair, ashes and waste sediment from the bottom 
of lime vats, at $1 per ton ? I would have to haul it about one 
half mile. Could a crop of corn be made to pay on land that cost 
$500 per acre ? 
Ans. —We would plant them in the garden, and use 
the horse manure on sod plowed under for corn. The 
tannery manure at the price named, is a bargain. 
We would use it broadcasted on grass or grain. We 
would not raise field corn on such high-priced land. 
Sweet corn might be made to pay-there, but we would 
