376 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 1 
parts rennet. In others, alum and salt with annatto 
were used. The annatto, of course, is the coloring 
agent. When you add rennet or alum to milk, you 
curdle it or form a cheesy mass. That is just what 
the reporter saw done. The half pound of butter 
united with the substances in the milk that formed 
cheese, and made a yellow, pasty mass which, at first, 
would pass for butter. If the reporter were to grind 
up four ounces of ordinary cheese, add four ounces of 
water and half a pound of butter and churn them in 
skim-milk, would he call the product “ a pound of 
good, sweet butter ?” Probably not, but it would be a 
good deal better than what he did see made. These 
rascals who go about trying to sell “ county rights” 
for the handling of such stuff, ought to be churned 
up with their own powder. If any man wishes to 
make a pot-cheese-paste out of his milk, let him try 
10 cents worth of rennet, salt and annatto, and use 
some of it as the reporter describes. Don't try to sell 
the stuff, though, for one batch of it sent to market 
will ruin your reputation for a full year. “County 
rights !” Such fellows are about the worst county 
wrongs you can get hold of ! 
A HOMEMADE SPRAYING WAGON. 
Many people are deterred from many farm opera¬ 
tions which they believe would be beneficial, because 
of a lack of cash to buy implements. A friend put a 
barrel into a light spring wagon, and undertook to 
spray potatoes. In turning at the end, the barrel 
tipped against and broke the dashboard. The team 
ran, and he came near being killed. A lumber wagon 
with the box on, is heavy, cannot be turned around 
in a small space, and is too high for ease in filling the 
barrel. I have seen men so anxious to test the value 
of spraying, that they used a two-horse sleigh, but it 
was very unhandy. Ordinary farmers who grow only 
their own supply of fruit, do not feel justified in buy¬ 
ing a special cart for use only in spraying. A wagon 
similar to one fitted up by my father for gathering 
sap, may be of benefit, as any one can make it for a 
very small sum. See Fig. 120. It is an attachment 
for any ordinary farm wagon, which gives a short 
turn, and is quickly put on. Three planks come to¬ 
gether and are fastened to the king-bolt by put¬ 
ting a ring and key on it. They spread out at the 
back end, and form a platform for the tub or barrel to 
stand on. The short planks which stand on edge, 
form the sides, to hold the barrel from slipping oil, 
and also keep the plank down low. A bolt hooks over 
the bolster, passes through the plank on edge, the 
floor plank and a cross-piece, and has a nut to draw 
up everything tight. 1 shows hows how to place each 
piece, 2 the manner of bolting. The planks are set 
slanting so that the barrel cannot slip ahead. The 
whole frame is under both axles, and can be taken off 
by taking off two nuts behind and one key in front. 
c. k. c. 
- TEXANA MANURE” AND OTHER CHEAP 
FERTILIZERS. 
Many inquiries have been received by this station 
recently, concerning a fertilizer having a wide sale in 
certain parts of New Jersey, and sold under the name 
of “ Texana Guano or Manure,” which is described as 
a waste product of bone, with the addition of potash, 
ammonia and nitrate of soda. The brand is prepared 
by J. J. Allen's Sons, of Philadelphia, and sells at re¬ 
tail for from $10 to $11 per ton, and is not accompanied 
by the guaranteed analysis required by law. A sample 
taken from the stock of Eugene Bostwick by the regu¬ 
larly appointed inspector for Salem County, shows the 
following composition and valuation : 
Per cent. 
Nitrogen in the form of nitrates. 0.26 
Nitrogen in the form of organic matter.58 
Total nitrogen.84 
Phosphoric acid soluble in water.68 
Phosphoric acid soluble in ammonium citrate (reverted) — 1.14 
Total available phosphoric acid. 1.82 
Phosphoric acid insoluble in ammonium citrate. 2.18 
Actual potash in the form of muriate.63 
Valuation at Station’s prices. $6.32 
Selling price.$11.00 
This analysis shows the product to be very low grade 
in respect to quantity of the fertilizing constituents, 
though their form agrees with the statement made 
concerning it. The total amount of available plant- 
food contained can be secured from : 
Pounds. 
Nitrate of soda. 35 
Dried blood. 100 
Acid phosphate. 300 
Muriate of potash. 25 
Total. 460 
This total of less than 500 pounds, would be quite as 
good so far as direct plant food is concerned, as one 
ton of Texana manure. The valuation per ton is $6.32, 
or 74 per cent less than the selling price ; in other 
words, in buying this product, the farmer pays $1 for 
plant food, and 74 cents for expenses of preparation, 
shipment, and sale. It must be said, however, that 
in this respect this product is no worse than a large 
number of the regular manufactured brands now for 
sale in this State, and simply illustrates the fact that 
in the purchase of fertilizers, many farmers are still 
guided by price per ton, rather than by the amount and 
quality of the plant food furnished, hence pay an ex¬ 
orbitant price per pound for the constituents. A low 
price per ton does not always mean a cheap product; 
it frequently means an expensive one, for the legiti¬ 
mate expenses of preparation, shipment and sale are 
proportionately much greater for low-grade than for 
high-grade goods. Farmers should remember, first, 
that nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash are the 
only constituents of direct fertilizing value, and mix¬ 
tures containing all of these in good forms cannot be 
secured for a low price per ton, unless they are con¬ 
tained in very small amounts. And, second, that the 
expenses of handling are quite as great for “make 
weight ” as for materials of actual fertilizing value. 
New Jersey Ex. Station. [prof.] e. b. voorheks. 
. WHAT THEY SAY. 
A Back Saver. —I have used the corrosive sublimate 
on my potatoes, and it has nearly wiped out the dis¬ 
ease. I used it on them again this year, and I think 
I shall have clean potatoes again as of old. My plan 
is this : I have an elevator to unload grain in my 
barn, with one lifting rope on each corner of the 
rack, and a windlass and shaft at each end of the 
load. I dimply attach a small line to two of the lift¬ 
ing lines, and take a half hitch around the top of an 
old fertilizer sack which holds two bushels of pota¬ 
toes, attach one to each lifting rope, and haul away. 
When above the top of an old oil barrel, they may be 
held there by a ratchet on the wheel. I place the 
barrel under, and slack away. In 1% hour I haul 
away again, and out they come ; I let them drain, 
and lower them, first having removed the barrel, and 
A HOMEMADE SPRAYING WAGON. Fig. 120. 
down they go to the floor, ready to be dumped and 
cut. There is no shoveling or hard lifting about that. 
Jeddo, Mich. H. J. c. 
Hollow-Hearted Potatoes. —In regard to the Car¬ 
man No. 1 being hollow-hearted, I found in the half 
bushel purchased last spring, a good many hollow 
ones—the producer having evidently pushed the crop 
to the utmost. I felt somewhat disappointed, and 
concluded not to attempt an extra yield, but to treat 
them as they must be grown for market. They were, 
therefore, planted and treated as were our main crop, 
except that they were cut, as far as practicable, to 
single eyes. Thus planted, they occupied a little less 
than one-tenth of an acre, and produced between 19 
and 20 bushels, nearly all of which were of merchant¬ 
able size, many being quite large. This spring I cut 
all of this variety myself, and found but a single hol¬ 
low one in the entire lot. The year 1894, as all know, 
was a trying one on potatoes, in a large part of the 
United States, and particularly so in eastern Pennsyl¬ 
vania. Even our Kural New-Yorker No. 2’s failed to 
average 100 bushels per acre. The potatoes were 
much rougher, too, than ordinary. I. M. m. 
Bucks County, Pa. 
Mulch on Peaches. —There are many accumula¬ 
tions of straw, grass, hay, corn stalks, etc., that can 
be used for mulch, and if utilized, would become very 
profitable. During the season of 1893, after my 
strawberry bed was through fruiting, I raked the 
straw off, which had been used for mulch, and scat¬ 
tered it around some peach trees near by, covering 
about the same space as the branches, to the depth of 
two inches. This was done about July 10, thus aiding 
the ripening of the fruit for the same season. But 
the greatest result was noticed last season when the 
peaches were ready to gather. They were smooth, of 
large and uniform size, while those on adjoining trees 
were small and inferior. No other reason can be as¬ 
signed for the superior fruit but the mulch. The 
soil under the trees where the mulch had been ap¬ 
plied, although at the close of the extended drought, 
was loose and moist, while the soil under the other 
trees was baked very hard, and cracks several inches 
deep were visible. Was it the fertilizing properties 
in the straw applied that caused the difference ? Cer¬ 
tainly not, since the straw protected the strawberries 
during the winters of 1892 and 1893, before it was ap¬ 
plied to the peaches ; if there had been any available 
plant food in it, it certainly would have been taken 
up by the berries. F. A. c. 
Cow Peas and Crimson Clover.—The R. N.-Y. 
asks for information from its Virginia readers about 
sowing Crimson clover with cow peas. While not in 
Virginia, only the Potomac separates us from that 
State, so, perhaps, my experience may be of some use. 
Last spring, having a small piece of land for which 
there was no immediate use, I sowed it to cow peas. 
As the land was rich, there was a rank growth which 
covered the ground completely. About September 1, 
having a little clover seed left after seeding my corn 
field, I applied it to the plot in cow peas. At the time 
of sowing the clover, the peas were just making pods, 
and completely shaded the ground. The seed was 
sown without removing the vines or in any way mak¬ 
ing preparation for a seed bed. At the time of writ¬ 
ing this, the ground is covered with a fine growth of 
clover, with only here and there a bare spot. In 
regard to the manurial value of pastured peas, I once 
pastured a field so closely with hogs that there was 
hardly a leaf left above ground. The next year, that 
land showed a very marked improvement over land 
next to it that had no peas, but was pastured the same 
as the pea land. p. B. crosby. 
Hardiness of Japan Plums. —Last fall I ordered a 
mixed lot of 100 Japan plum trees. They were received 
in fine condition, November 16, and at once carefully 
set in well-prepared ground, and thoroughly mulched 
with horse manure. The winter here was excep¬ 
tionally severe, reaching the zero mark frequently, 
and going as low as 17 degrees below. A good fall of 
snow came December 26, and covered the ground 
until late this spring. The kinds selected for trial 
were Abundance, Burbank, Satsuma and Willard. 
Of the Burbank and Satsuma, every tree is dead to 
the snow line. Most of the tops of the Abundance 
are killed, yet an occasional bud has started. Every 
Willard is alive to the tips, and green with leaves. 
So much for their hardiness on plum roots here. I 
am not discouraged, but wherever I can get a sprout 
above the bud, I shall care for them carefully another 
year, and shall hope that they will make a better 
showing after becoming well established. The late 
setting may have caused the trouble, yet all fared 
alike in that respect. G. w. bunnell. 
Susquehanna County, Pa. 
Long Island Frost Notes. —The frost on the 
morning of May 17, was almost unprecedented on 
Long Island, and has done great damage to many 
crops of early vegetables. Beans are all destroyed ; 
tomatoes ditto, and sweet corn mostly. Potatoes 
were badly injured, peas seriously hurt, cucumbers 
all gone, and great quantities of tomato plants still 
in cold frames were all destroyed by not having the 
glass on ; plants cannot be had at any price. Straw¬ 
berries were badly damaged on low or level land ; on 
high land not so seriously. Apples and pears are 
probably not hurt. A curious thing I nQticed on my 
own and neighbors’land, was that in rows .of beans, 
one bean would yet be unhurt, while within four 
inches, all others would be killed, and not over one 
bean in 25 feet would be thus saved ; the conditions 
seem exactly the same. Of tomatoes in a garden, set 
within a cheese hoop, one would be unhurt, and the 
next killed to the ground ; potatoes the same. Why? 
Is it the survival of the fittest ? It has been one of 
the severest losses the Long Island farmers have met 
in years ; everything will now be very late. 
Queens County, N. Y. N. hallock. 
R. N.-Y.—We observed the same thing with our 
beans. Here and there in the row are plants that 
were not injured at all. 
Frost-Proof Strawberries. —The recent coolness, 
and some remarks of my wife, move me to ask some 
more questions. My wife says, “If it’s goiDg to 
freeze up like this every year, we may as well give 
up trying to have any berries” But I say, “No! I 
can’t go without strawberries after once knowing 
what it is to have all I want. We must plant the 
hardiest kinds of late bloomers, and have some quick, 
efficient way of covering the early and tender sorts.” 
This spring I have covered with pine needles as far 
as they would go, with good results ; but the supply 
is limited. How would this plan work for small 
beds : Buy sackcloth or cotton cloth, lay it over the 
rows, and pin or weight down ? A few hundred 
yards would save, perhaps, bushels of strawberries, 
and be on deck for years. What sort of covering 
would be cheapest, and give sufficient protection 
from frost ? Are any varieties of strawberries frost¬ 
proof ? Which sorts come nearest to it ? Will wet¬ 
ting down the bed with the garden hose the night 
before, and in the morning before the sun is up, limit 
the effects of frost to any extent? c. A. b. 
Indian Orchard, Mass. 
R. N.-Y.—We want a general discussion of these 
questions. There would certainly be a coolness be¬ 
tween husband and wife if the berry crop is to go. 
