1895 
327 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The crop is one of the few that may be successfully 
grown on the same piece of ground year after year. 
I was recently told by a very successful grower, that 
he had grown sweet potatoes continuously on the 
same piece for 12 years, and the last crop was the 
best he ever had. Many farmers who have but a few 
acres suitable for the cultivation of the crop, follow 
this plan, but as a general thing’, it is grown in a rota¬ 
tion after corn, melons, or round potatoes. In any 
case, soil should be selected that was thoroughly cul¬ 
tivated the previous year. The general practice is to 
plow or cultivate the land in the fall, for the purpose 
of destroying the larvm of the cutworm, which is 
sometimes very destructive to the young plants. 
Where the same land is used year after year, it is not 
necessary to plow, as the cultivator may be used 
instead, at a less expense. It is generally thought 
that the soil should not be stirred very deep, as it is 
supposed to encourage the tubers to grow down, 
instead of growing short and chunky. 
The plants may be set in the field as soon as danger 
of frost is past, which in this latitude, is about May 
10. Some prefer to wait until May 20, but if the 
plants have been properly hardened in the hotbed, 
they may be set at the former date without fear of 
injury. The planting may continue until the middle 
of June. I have even seen good crops grown from 
plants set in the field during the first week in .July, 
but this is risky business, as an early fall would stop 
the growth before the tubers had attained a satisfac¬ 
tory size. 
After the ground has been thoroughly pulverized 
and leveled, by the use of the cultivator and smoothing 
harrow, the rows are marked out at the required dis¬ 
tance apart by means of a corn marker or similar 
tool. They should be from 2% to 3 feet apart, and 
three inches deep. If the crop is to be worked both 
ways, the field must also be marked crosswise. I use 
the Darnell marker, making the rows 2)4 feet apart 
each way. The fertilizer is sown in the row by means 
of a fertilizer distributor, which also has an arrange¬ 
ment for mixing it with the soil. Sometimes the fer¬ 
tilizer is dropped by hand in the hill at the intersec¬ 
tion of the marks. All the leading makes of one-horse 
cultivators have attachments for making ridges. The 
Darnell furrower and marker, however, is undoubtedly 
the very best tool for making sweet-potato ridges. 
It makes a firm, compact ridge from thoroughly pul¬ 
verized soil, which is just what is needed. The tops 
of the ridges should be about six inches above the 
mean level of the surface. They will, apparently, be 
much higher, as earth is taken from between the rows 
to make them. This will be found none too high, as 
setting, hoeing and cultivating will work them down 
until, by fall, they will be not over three inches high. 
Vineland, N. J. 8 . t. d. 
A STEEL THREE-HORSE EVENER. 
The three-horse evener illustrated in The It. N.-Y. 
of December 22, last, seems more ingenious than prac¬ 
tical. It requires a wagon or sled with shafts in 
place of the pole, compels the middle horse to walk 
on the “ridge,” and will crowd the other two out of 
their proper track, or else throw the wagon out of 
the track, and will not prevent either horse from 
shirking. 
That illustrated .January 26, is much used for plow¬ 
ing, harrowing, and on implements with a pole to one 
side of the draft, but is unfit for a wagon, as it creates 
a side draft, crowds one of the horses, while the horse 
on the long end is too far from the pole, and brings 
them all too far forward, so that the pole is liable to 
drop from the neck yoke. The crowding and side 
draft can be remedied considerably by bolting a 
plank to the pole, so as to fasten the evener eight or 
nine inches to one side. 
A steel evener for three horses, see Fig. 103, is used 
considerably hereabouts—particularly when using a 
hay loader—which operates perfectly, can be attached 
to the pole by boring one bolt hole, and may be used 
on plows and harrows. A strap with rein snaps at 
each end, 54 inches apart, two snaps each %% inches 
from the center are all the additional lines required. 
Attach the snaps to the bit rings of the horses’ bridles, 
hook the splices of the lines to the bit of the middle 
horse, and the main lines to the outside horses’ bits, 
outside. The price of the evener complete is $5, and 
no doubt implement dealers can obtain them. w. 
Monroe, Wis. 
HOW TO GROW SAGE. 
There seems to be a desire among farmers to try 
something new. Having had some experience in the 
growing of sage, I am willing to give it for the benefit 
of others. The seed bed should be thoroughly pre¬ 
pared, the same as for cabbage plants, as early 
as possible in the spring. Sage seed is slow to 
germinate, and the more thoroughly this work is 
done, the more certain we are to have a good stand 
of plants. When the plants are from two to three 
inches high, they are ready to transplant. Good corn 
land thoroughly underdrained and thoroughly pre¬ 
pared, with all stone picked off and from 500 to 1,000 
pounds of best fertilizer per acre will do. Mark the 
rows straight, two feet apart, and set the plants one 
foot in the row for field culture. One foot each way 
will do to cultivate by hand. 
As quickly as possible after the plants are set, start 
the cultivator ; be sure to keep down every weed. If 
the land is in good condition, and has been thoroughly 
fertilized, one will be able to cut the sage twice 
the first year. I use a corn sickle or willow knife ; 
take each plant in the left hand and cut close to the 
ground. I lay in rows to be easily gathered and car¬ 
ried to the barn and laid on racks or lath to dry. Be 
careful not to spread too thick, especially in hot 
weather, as it is very liable to turn brown, which 
would injure it for market. There is a market for 
sage at about $100 per ton in the stems. Two tons are 
a good crop, which makes it fairly remunerative. 
We Come into competition with Italian sage, which 
is imported and ground by spice houses, and sold at 
wholesale at from seven to ten cents per pound. Our 
sage is better than the imported, but most people look 
at price instead of quality where the consumer is 
ignorant. Sage is mostly sold as butchers’ supplies, 
and for that reason we should grow thyme, summer 
savory, sweet marjoram, garlic, and coriander seed 
in connection with it, as they can be marketed at the 
same time at less expense. o. a. 
Port Byron, N. Y. 
WHAT TO DO FOR STRAWBERRY BLIGHT. 
Have you made any experiments with the Bordeaux Mixture or 
other copper solutions as a means of preventing the rust or blight 
of strawberries ? What treatment would you suggest ? 
In order to prevent the rust om strawberries, we 
burn over the bed as soon as the fruit is all picked. 
The next spring (in April) we spray the plants once 
with Bordeaux Mixture, and we are not troubled with 
the rust. I am of the opinion that the burning Ts as 
effectual as the spraying. j. tboop. 
Indiana Experiment Station. 
I would advise the following method : As soon as 
the crop is harvested, rake the bed over, removing 
most of the blighted and dead leaves, gather and burn 
them. Then spray the plants with Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture (copper sulphate six pounds, lime four pounds, 
water 22 gallons) and repeat the same twice at inter¬ 
vals of two weeks. In the spring as soon as growth 
begins, spray with a weaker Bordeaux Mixture made 
with 44 instead of 22 gallons of water, and spray every 
10 days until the flowers open. If the plants are in 
rows so that a cart can be driven between them, a 
pump mounted on a barrel and furnished with two 
lines of hose and Vermorel nozzles, is undoubtedly 
the most expeditious way of treating large areas. If 
this is impracticable, a knapsack sprayer should be 
used, and filled from a barrel of the mixture brought 
to the field. It is not absolutely necessary to remove 
the old leaves if this would entail too much time and 
labor, although the best results are obtained by so 
do* 11 !?’ w. c. STUKGIS. 
Connecticut Experiment Station. 
As stated in the report of this station for 1892, 
Bordeaux Mixture has been used here with good suc¬ 
cess to prevent the leaf-blight of strawberries. 
Ordinarily, I believe that it is the best plan to set the 
plants in spring, and take but one crop of berries 
from them. According to this plan of growing straw¬ 
berries, if leaf-blight is prevalent, Bordeaux Mixture 
should be used when the plants send out their first 
leaves in the spring, and two or three later applica¬ 
tions should be given during the season as occasion 
may require. One application may be made the fol¬ 
lowing spring shortly before blossoming, and another 
after an interval of about 10 days if the blight is bad. 
Should the bed be fruited the second season, a similar 
line of treatment may be given. On large areas, use 
some apparatus supplied with a large tank so that it 
will not be necessary to leave the field frequently for 
the purpose of getting a new supply of the Bordeaux 
Mixture. I see no reason why the horse-power potato 
sprayer might not be adjusted so as to be used with 
strawberries. A bulletin soon to be issued, gives 
general directions for treating farm, orchard and 
garden crops to prevent the diseases and insect 
attacks which interfere with the successful cultivation 
of these crops. petkb collieb. 
Geneva, N. Y., Experiment Station, 
WHEN TO BREED YOUNG HEIFERS. 
Advantages and Disadvantages of Early Breeding. 
IIow you up Is it advisable to breed heifers, for the making of 
the most profitable cows ? Some of my neighbors say as soon as 
they eoine in season, or when seven to nine months old. Others 
say not till they are 15 months old. This is for parade Jersey 
or Guernsey stock, under full feed, of a well-balanced ration, in¬ 
cluding ensilage and sugar beets. t. 
Bucks County, Pa. 
The Opinion of an Ayrshire Breeder. 
My belief, to which I have made my practice con¬ 
form, is that from 15 to 18 months of age is early 
enough to breed a heifer for the future dairy cow. 
If a heifer is 15 months old at the time of breeding, 
she will give birth to her calf when two years old. 
This will do very well if well developed in size ; if she 
is small, I would defer her breeding from thrt*e to six 
months. I think much should depend upon the size, 
although I believe in developing the milk habit at as 
early an age as circumstances will allow. This is 
another of those cases that “depends.” A heifer 
bred when from seven to nine months old, is pretty 
sure to make a ruuty cow, as her growth has been re¬ 
tarded, to answer the calls of maternity, just at the 
period when her physical development should be the 
least hindered. r>. m. Campbell. 
New York. 
The Way They Do at Ellerslie. 
Our practice is to breed heifers so that they will 
calve for the first time when about 27 months old. If 
a cow is to be kept only three or four years after she 
first begins milking, it is more profitable to breed at an 
earlier age. I think there is no doubt that a heifer will 
give considerably more milk for the first two years of 
her milking life, if she calves at the age of 20 to 24 
months. 1 also think there is no doubt that breeding 
at this early age, has a tendency to weaken the con¬ 
stitution of the cow, to shorten considerably the num¬ 
ber of years of her profitable milking, and to lower 
the vitality of her calves. In the present condition 
of dairying, health should be our first consideration, 
then yield. We need cows with strong constitutions 
that can furnish a profitable yield of milk for 10 to 
15 years, and keep in good health throughout this 
period. To secure such cows, we must not breed the 
heifers until their period of rapid growth is about 
over, as the combined strains of rapid growth and 
maternity are frequently sufficient to undermine the 
constitution. There is a tendency with many heifers, 
to run to beef under heavy feeding, if they do not 
calve until 27 months of age. Skillful feeding for the 
first two years of milking, will overcome this, and 
give strong, hearty cows that will live longer and give 
more than those bred at an earlier age. 
Dutchess County, N. Y. H. m. cottbell. 
Start Milking at Two Years. 
Our custom is to have our heifers drop their first 
calves when just about two years old. If they have 
been well grown, they are at this time vigorous and 
strong, and we believe make the best cows. We 
would then recommend giving them some rest, after 
finishing the year, before having their second calves. 
By this time they are well-developed cows. This has 
been our practice, and as our two-year-old heifers for 
the past year have averaged, for the whole number, 
over 10,000 pounds of milk, and nearly 12 pounds of 
butter per week, we feel well pleased with our 
methods, and do not care to change them. 
SMITHS * POWELL CO. 
Too Early Service Ruins a Heifer. 
While there have in the past, undoubtedly been many 
promising heifers ruined by delaying service too long, 
there are, I believe, at the present, as many damaged 
by the opposite practice. Only under very favorable 
circumstances, do I allow service at the age of 13 
months. It is entirely possible so to handle a heifer, 
as to allow her to become two years old before service, 
and yet have her become fully as good a cow as though 
she had dropped her calf at that age. Especially is it 
important when early breeding is practiced, to allow 
a period of from 13 to 15 months between the first and 
second calves. This establishes persistent milkers, 
and gives time for growth and development. 
Wisconsin. chables solvkson. 
Various Sides to the Question. 
Heifers kept in the condition referred to by T. should 
be of such size that, serving at any time after 14 
mouths of age, would cause them to drop their calves 
when about two years old, which is undoubtedly the 
best time, if all the conditions are favorable. Should 
they be at all undersized, wait until they are 18 
months old before serving. It has been found that if 
