1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3i3 
and German Prune. Cherries: Montmorency and 
Napoleon. 3. The canes should be bent to the ground 
and the tips covered. Most of the kinds usually 
raised, need no protection. 
Trimming Hydrangeas; Transplanting Quinces. 
E. S. B., Harwinton, Conn .— 1. Will you give very plain direc¬ 
tions for pruning a neglected hydrangea, P. Grandiflora? 2. I 
have some quince bushes set, probably, 15 years ago—some in a 
henyard, some in turf. I think none of them has ever been 
pruned. Those in the henyard have borne a little, the others 
none. What should be done for them? Two of them are too close 
together. Could one of them be taken up safely, and at what 
season? 
Ans. —1. Yes, The R. N.-Y. was the first paper in this 
country to try the shrub and to call the attention to 
it which it deserves. This was nearly 20 years ago. 
It bears its cymous panicles upon the terminal shoots 
of the current season's growth, and it may, therefore, 
be cut back to any desired extent. It is merely a 
question of how large one cares to have the shrub 
grow. VVe have cut back old bushes nearly to the 
ground. We may remind our friend that this hy¬ 
drangea may easily be confined to a single stem. We 
may also say that green or half-ripe cuttings root 
readily in the soil or in sand, and will bloom the fol¬ 
lowing summer. Such small plants are more showy 
than older ones ; the heads grow larger. Old wood 
cuttings will not “take root.” 2. We doubt whether 
they could be safely transplanted. We have nothing 
to suggest except root pruning. Sink a spade around 
the trunks in a circle two feet in diameter. 
Propagating Clematis. 
E. D., Ludlow Falls , Ohio .— How can I propagate clematis ? 
Ans. —The clematis may, of course, be propagated 
by layers and by cuttings made from the young 
shoots, which should be planted in gentle heat. It 
may also be propagated by grafting, either upon 
stems, or upon portions of the roots. 
Soil for Tomatoes; Planting Peach Pits. 
W. L., New York City. —1. Do tomatoes require rich soil? 2. 
How should I plant peach pits—the whole stone, or split and plant 
the kernel ? How long does it take them to come up ? 
Ans. —1. No, only moderately so, as too rich soil 
induces too heavy a growth of vine. It is a good idea 
to mix a shovelful of barnyard manure in each hill 
before setting the plants. 2. Mix with sand in the fall 
before the pits become dry, and expose where they 
will freeze through the winter. In spring, as soon as 
the soil can be worked, the kernels should be planted 
two inches deep in rows about four feet apart. They 
will come up quickly if the kernels are not injured in 
any way. 
Will Corn Ripen Here ? 
E. F. (No address). —Would I better risk planting in this latitude, 
“Burpee’s Golden Beauty field corn” on well-fertilized soil? 
Ans. —As our friend fails to write his address, we 
don’t know. We doubt if the variety would ripen in 
a climate much severer than that of New York. 
Why Grass Is Fall Clipped. 
C. F. C., Elgin , Mich. — Mr. G. M. Clark, who redeemed the 
swamp, says in The R. N.-Y., page 255, “ The last work performed 
upon It (the hay field) before the snow falls, is to cut it as closely 
as possible with a sharp mower, rake it clean and leave the stub¬ 
ble clean and bare for winter.” Will he state the reasons for so 
doing ? 
Ans. —The reason why I cut my grass field as short 
as possible just before winter sets in, and rake it thor¬ 
oughly clean, is to prevent the mice working on the 
roots under the old tore, also to prevent the old tore 
[dead grass on mowing lands. Eds.] from smothering 
or killing out the grass roots. I find that the grass 
stand can be maintained much better by keeping the 
roots free from trash of every kind, including yard 
manures in the winter. G. m. clark. 
Nitrate of Soda for Vegetables. 
8., Sherman , N. Y.— Will the growth of garden vegetables like 
squashes, sweet corn, etc., be forwarded by sprinkling nitrate of 
soda in the hills ? If so, what quantity should I use ? 
Ans —The object of using nitrate of soda, is to pro¬ 
vide soluble nitrogen early in the season, so as to 
push the plants while they are small. It will help 
only where there is plenty of potash and phosphoric 
acid. Do not use it in the hill. Scatter it around the 
plants—about four inches from them—and work it 
into the soil with a hoe or rake. 
Fruit Questions from Canada. 
W. II. H., Forest P. 0., Ontario .— 1. Can I propagate apple, pear, 
plum, apricot, cherry, and quince from cuttings or slips of last 
year’s growth stuck in the ground ? 2. On what kind of ground 
would a hotbed do best ? 3. Are nectarines and persimmons of 
any value ? Would they stand this climate ? Would they be 
pi’ofitable to grow for market ? Will apricots stand this climate ? 
Ans. —1. Apple, pear, apricot and cherry are not 
propagated from cuttings. The quince is sometimes 
so propagated. 2. Sandy soil is preferable to clay soil 
for growing cuttings. I have had no experience in 
growingcuttingsin hotbeds. 3. The nectarine is simply 
a smooth-skinned peach. It is a desirable fruit, but, 
owing to the tender skin, is easily preyed upon by 
the curculio. The persimmon seems to be the com¬ 
ing fruit. It is doubtless destined to be the next of 
our native wild fruits to be improved and made popu¬ 
lar, both for market and for home gardens. The pub¬ 
lic know very little about the persimmon outside of 
the regions where it grows in the native forests. 
When properly ripened, it is a delicious fruit worthy 
of a place in every garden. I never saw a decayed 
persimmon. When hard, they are as non-eatable as 
the shell of a black walnut. As they soften and ripen, 
they seem to assume the condition of raisins preserv¬ 
ing themselves. In their green condition, although 
mature, they can be shipped as readily as marbles. 
There is no trouble in securing hardy persimmons, 
but the question of varieties has not received much 
attention at the present date. The persimmon will 
in time be a profitable market fruit in my opinion. 
The Nursery Book, by Prof. L. II. Bailey, is an ex¬ 
cellent book on the propagation of plants. It may 
be purchased of The R. N.-Y. for 50 cents in paper, or 
$1 in cloth, postpaid. c. A. green. 
JsAes and Salt on Potatoes. 
H. I. I., Bradford , Pa .— What is the relative value of good 
unleached hard-wood ashes and a complete fertilizer ? Would 
you regard ashes as a good potato fertilizer ? Would you recom¬ 
mend the addition of salt to the ashes ? 
Ans. —There can be no question as to the value of 
unleached wood ashes for potatoes or anything else in 
so far as it goes. There is no more acceptable form 
of potash or phosphoric acid. It is a fact, however, 
that ashes cause scab in potatoes, and we do not 
advise using them unless applied the previous fall, or 
even earlier. We must not assume that ashes will 
insure a maximum crop of potatoes unless it happens 
that the soil needs potash alone. Ordinarily, we must 
add nitrogen and more phosphate. Salt has never 
given us any beneficial results on potatoes. In fact, 
we regard it as injurious to such starch-producing 
crops. 
The Real Value of Salt. 
J. L. B., Plainville, N. J. —At a meeting of the Somerset County 
Board of Agriculture, Prof. E. B. Voorhees was asked, what is the 
value of salt as a fertilizer ? He said that it is not worth five 
cents per ton. Is he right ? 
Ans. —Yes, we think he is. Under Primer Science, 
we tried to make it clear that all substances that are 
used in large quantities to increase crops, have really 
two values—one as a direct source of plant food, and 
the other because of certain mechanical or chemical 
effects which control the action of water or of plant 
food already in the soil. Lime was given as an illus¬ 
tration, and its action on the soil particles was ex¬ 
plained to show how, by binding together sand and 
increasing the particles of clay, it helped the crops, 
even though it might not add any needed plant food 
to the soil, and has, therefore, no direct fertilizing 
value. Yet, when applied in reasonable quantity to 
crops like grass or grain, it often gives stilfer straw 
and a firmer head, and grass that “stands up” better. 
This action is usually most marked on rich lands 
where there is an excess of nitrogen, and the theory 
is advanced that the salt arrests nitrification, and, 
therefore, prevents the very rapid growth that gives 
a weak stem to grain. We think the advantages to be 
derived from the use of salt, have been greatly over¬ 
estimated. It is a great mistake ever to confuse the 
fertilizing value of any substance with its indirect 
value, from certain actions on the soil. 
Sorghum Pomace as Manure. 
W. A. G., Ooltewah, Tenn. — A neighbor has 50 or 60 tons of 
sorghum-cane pomace. What is the quickest way to convert it 
into a fertilizer ? 
Ans. —If wanted for this year’s crop, we would 
spread it on sod ground and plow it right in for corn. 
Probably this will be the best way to handle it in the 
end. You can make it into a compost by mixing it 
with manure, adding wood ashes and muriate of pot¬ 
ash and keeping the whole mass wet. 
Ashes and Plaster for Potatoes. 
J. G. 8., East Milton, Mass .— How would wood ashes and ground 
land plaster do for potatoes ? 
Ans. —If you will read a few back numbers of The 
R. N.-Y., you will see that the plaster will add no 
plant food to the ashes and nothing will be gained by 
adding it. The ashes are not a first-class fertilizer 
for potatoes, as the lime in them will be likely to 
cause a development of scab. We would use them 
on some other crop—preferably fruit. 
Ashes, Spraying, Kainit for Manure, Etc. 
E. S. B., Harwinton , Conn. — 1. I would like to know whether, in 
putting bone and ashes together as suggested in The R. N.-Y. of 
April 6, it would answer to put them out-of-doors in a bottomless 
barrel, and if so, whether it should be covered ? 2. I have, per¬ 
haps, a half dozen each of cherry and pear trees, and probably 30 
apple trees. Would it pay to get a spraying machine for that 
number ? If so, what is the best one for that amount of work ? 
What is the cheapest way to get the chemicals ? 3. If manure be 
thrown from the stables directly into a covered hogyard, would 
there be danger of injury to the pigs by the use of kainit or acid 
phosphate as an absorbent in the stables? 4. G. W. H. asks on 
page 241, whether it will pay to sow Crimson clover in the corn 
when the land is to be plowed the next spring. I find no answer. 
Ans. —1. We have never advised any one to mix 
ashes and bone. That would be labor lost. Apply 
them separately. Of course the barrel should be cov¬ 
ered—and kept indoors. Otherwise it would act just 
like a leach. 2. Yes, it will pay you to get some 
spraying apparatus. A small hand pump will answer, 
if you have a suitable hose and nozzle. Write for 
circulars to manufacturers of apparatus who advertise 
in The R. N.-Y. Write to J. II. Tibbets, Astoria, 
N. Y., for figures on chemicals. 3. We would not use 
the chemicals on manure that is to be worked over by 
hogs. 4. This question will not be answered till we 
know where Crimson clover will thrive. Wherever it 
will live through the winter, it will always pay to 
sow it in the corn. Even where winter kills it, one 
can often get enough growth in the fall to pay for 
seed and sowing. 
Jews and Disease. 
W. H. B., Bedford, Pa . — I have a friend who is a noted M. D., 
and who is much opposed to the eating of pork. He says, “ Show 
me a Jew who has lived according to their faith, and eaten no 
pork through past generations, who has consumption, scrofula or 
diphtheria, and I will say, • eat pork.’ ” Do not the Jews have 
these diseases as do the Gentiles ? 
Ans.— We have submitted this question to expert 
physicians who have studied these diseases carefully. 
They agree that while the orthodox Jews who live 
closely to the rules laid down in the Mosaic laws, are 
probably, as a race, the healthiest of humans, still 
there are plenty of cases where Jews that have never 
eaten pork, are afflicted with tuberculous troubles and 
diphtheria. Abstaining from the use of pork as food, 
will not render a person germ-proof against consump¬ 
tion. 
Work for a Pump. 
J. S. II., Bancroft, Mich.—I have a 24-foot drive well, 10 rods 
from the barn; the ground is level. Can I, by laying a pipe from 
the well sufficiently deep to be protected from frost, draw the 
water with a common iron pump ? 
A ns -—Y es; if the joints of the pipes are made air¬ 
tight, and a check valve is fitted in the level pipe at 
the junction with the well pipe, and a good common 
pump is used, there will be no difficulty. 
A Talk About Tiling. 
H. L. C„ Canton, Pa .— I have about two acres of land which I 
wish to drain. One corner is about five feet lower than the rest. 
Can I use drain tile successfully, and how should I lay it ? Our 
dealers ask $15 for 2-inch, and $20 for 2J4-incli horse shoe flat- 
bottom tile. The soil is loam with clay and hardpan subsoil; 
part has been in garden for years, and the rest in grass. 
ANSWERED BY F. HODGMAN. 
If the field is square or nearly so, it can be more 
successfully drained than if it is narrow and long, be¬ 
cause whatever fall there is can be used in a shorter 
distance, thus making the relative fall—or fall per 
rod—so much the greater. The question also arises 
in regard to the outlet. Must the drain come to the 
surface in the corner of the field, or is there such an 
outlet to carry off the water that the tile can be kept 
below the ground at that point, and if so, how much ? 
Upon the answers to these questions, depends the an¬ 
swer to the question as to how successfully it can be 
drained by tile. If the field is nearly square—say 1(5 
rods by 20—and the tile must come to the surface at 
the corner, it could be fairly well drained by tile ; but 
the main line of tile would need to be much larger 
than it would if it could be given more fall. The less 
fall there is, the larger the tile must be to carry the 
same amount of water and avoid filling up with silt. 
The tile at the upper end of the lot should be laid 
not less than three feet deep. If it must come to the 
surface at the lower end, that will leave two feet for 
fall in the tile, if he is correct in regard to the differ¬ 
ence in height. The length of the main would prob¬ 
ably be 20 rods or more. Tile will work successfully 
with a fall of one foot in 10 rods, but it must be large 
enough to take all water that will reach it in the 
wettest time, and must be laid very truly to grade 
line. It must not be laid above the grade line in places 
and below it in others. Tile never will work success¬ 
fully under such circumstances, unless it has a very 
sharp fall, and even then it will not do its best work. 
Where the fall is light, the tile must be laid to a very 
true slope, in as straight lines as possible. Where it 
has to deviate from a straight line, it should be by a 
gentle curve, and not an abrupt corner. If I were to 
drain a tract of that size with that amount of fall, I 
would put a four-inch main through it along the line 
of the lowest ground, from three to four feet deep, 
and run side branches of two-inch tile into it at least 
as often as every four rods. 
In preparing to lay tile, dig ditches true and straight, 
and no wider in the bottom than is needed to receive 
the tile. Dress the bottom carefully to the true slope. 
This can be told by stretching a string or small wire 
lengthwise over the ditch at the same slope that the 
tile is to have, and then measuring down from the 
string to the bottom of the ditch. The string should 
be drawn tight enough to take out the sag—support¬ 
ing it in as many places as is necessary for that pur¬ 
pose. It should be in line directly over the bottom 
of the ditch, and high enough to be out of the way of 
the workmen. When the bottom of the ditch is made 
perfectly true, the tile may be laid, the joints covered 
with turf or a little marsh hay to prevent loose earth 
from getting in before the ground is settled, and then 
the ditch should be filled carefully, so as not to move 
the tiles out of place. 
