1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
583 
a small quantity of muriate of potash was spread 
over the manure, aDd, from time to time, mowings 
from the lawn were scattered over the plot. Nothing 
more was done till digging. Not a stroke of cultivat¬ 
ing or weeding was attempted. Considerable grass 
grew from the old sod, hut it was not molested. The 
potatoes grew through the mulch slowly, but when 
once started, soon passed those planted in the usual 
way. The early part of the season was very dry, but 
these mulched potatoes never suffered from drought. 
The vines soon formed a perfect mat over the ground. 
Since July 4, the rains have been abundant, in fact 
there has been too much moisture. No blight ap¬ 
peared on the crop, and the few potato beetles that 
appeared, did little damage to the immense growth 
of vine. 
The potatoes were dug August 1(5. The Orphan and 
R. N.-Y. No. 2 are late varieties, and might well have 
been left three weeks later. The ground was needed 
for other purposes, and the white grubs were at work 
on the tubers ; so all were dug and measured—though 
it was not a fair test for the two late varieties. 
The patch (24 x 33 feet) yielded 416 pounds, or at the 
rate of 381% bushels per acre. Rows of Freeman, June 
Eating and Albany, three feet apart on much the 
same soil, averaged slightly over 200 bushels per acre. 
The potatoes were found close under the mulch and 
were easily dug with a fork. The R. N.-Y. No. 2 ap¬ 
pears to be the best variety for this method of culture. 
Its tubers are formed close together, and are of very 
uniform size. Some of the No. 2 vines measured six 
feet in length, and were still green and thrifty when 
dug. The Orphan is an excellent variety—of good 
shape and size, and of the very highest quality. In 
this trial, neither Orphan nor No. 2 had a fair test, 
since we dug them before they were fully matured. 
Yet most of those dug were of eatable size. We ex¬ 
pected to set potted strawberry plants on this ground, 
but the grubs are so thick that we have sowed Crim¬ 
son clover instead. 
Here are a few things that seem to be taught by 
this experiment: 
It is a mistake to try to grow potatoes on a tough 
old sod. It is likely to be filled with grubs. It is too 
hard and tough to make a good seed bed for potatoes; 
it cannot be cultivated properly and is sure to be full 
of weeds. Corn is by far a better crop to be used on 
any sod but clover. 
Manure is a poor mulching material for potatoes. 
Straw, coarse hay or chopped stalks would be much 
better. We believe that it will pay better to apply 
the mulch after the plants get through the ground, 
rather than when the tubers are planted. We would 
prefer a deeply pulverized soil with a fertilizer rich in 
potash and phosphoric acid, and a thick mulch of fine 
straw. We made a mistake in using no phosphoric 
acid on these potatoes. The manure supplied too 
much nitrogen. 
Were we to try this method next year, we would 
plow or spade the ground deep and thoroughly work 
into the soil fertilizer at the rate of one ton to the 
acre. We would plant It. N.-Y. No ..2 potatoes in 
drills 15 inches apart, and one foot in the drill—cover 
the seed three inches deep, and level the surface. As 
the potatoes broke through, we would cover the whole 
patch three inches deep with fine cut straw or stalks, 
and not touch the ground until digging time. From 
this year’s experience, we believe that would result in 
a large crop with the least labor in cultivation. We 
shall not attempt it, however, as we are convinced 
that on small places, it is more profitable to buy pota¬ 
toes and give the land to some more profitable crop- 
like fruit. h. w. c. 
THE FARMER AND HIS BUSINESS. 
The question of how much borrowed capital a young 
man of limited means should invest in farming, is one 
of vital importance to him, and no set rule can be 
given for him to follow. If we could forecast the 
future in regard to financial matters, health and 
ability of the farmer to work, we might reduce it to a 
science ; but with all the uncertainties of the future, 
it seems the best plan to keep on the safe side, and go 
slow in the direction of debt. We may take some 
lessons from our predecessors, for our lives are too 
short to learn it all ourselves, and we cannot afford 
to throw away all they have learned in the school of 
experience. 
I have been admonished by the example of an uncle 
of mine, who, in war time, bought a nice farm. 
Although he had the money to pay for it, the place 
needed repairs, and he kept a part of the money to fix 
up the place. After he had got it more conveniently 
arranged, he could make the money so much easier, 
and he could enjoy the fruit of his toil as he went 
along. Well, he fixed that place for another man to 
enjoy, and he got another and smaller one. Then he 
re-arranged that for another one to appreciate, and so 
on until he almost fixed himself out of a home. 
Another case, a little different, came under my 
observation . A family of considerable energy and 
push, had a home, but were somewhat in debt. They 
were anxious to pay, but in whatever they engaged, 
they would invest a good deal of capital on the prin¬ 
ciple that, if there is money in it, why not make a nice 
thing of it ? While they were at it, they would make 
a lot of money—pay their debts, and have some left. 
After a while, they found that the dairy did not pay 
as well as they expected, and they sold off at a loss. 
After they got their sugar fixtures (on credit), the 
price of syrup declined. After they had got the 
machinery Con time) for raising* wheat, the price went 
so low that there was no profit in it. And so it went, 
till the stock, machinery, and farm were left for the 
creditors to make a lot of money on, while they could 
enjoy it. 
The young farmers with their wives should learn 
to appreciate the blessings of a true home, no matter 
how bare the floors are of carpets, so that there is no 
mortgage being slowly but surely tacked down by the 
accumulating interest, to cast a gloom over them. 
They should industriously strive to add to their stock 
of knowledge, wisdom, and wealth. Such homes are 
the balance-wheel of our nation. Our capitalists and 
business men are needed, with their push and busi¬ 
ness venture, to give the necessary impetus to trade ; 
we need them to incite us to more decisive thought 
and action. We, being in daily contact with Nature 
and her slow methods, naturally incline to be more 
deliberate in thought and action, and it becomes neces¬ 
sary for us to become more in touch with the world 
around us, to develop within us the latent talents 
with which we have been endowed. And they need 
us to stand away from the whirl of excitement, and to 
decide with cool judgment the right from the wrong. 
1 would not advise all their business methods. If we 
were to follow in their ways, more of us would be 
very rich, and more would be very poor. 
In life, we find it easy to run into expensive and 
luxurious living—aping the city fashions—after we 
“ What be ye pullin’ the pig’s tail for, Mandy ?” 
“The dinner horn’s broke, an’ my voice aint strong enough to 
reach where the hands are—-but his is.'’—Harper’s Bazar. 
have borrowed the money to fix up. Then we could 
do as well as a grocer of my acquaintance, who failed. 
Shortly after, I read a note in the paper saying, “Mr. 
D. has failed. Liabilities, $5,000 ; assets, $1,600. lie 
has not decided yet whether he will resume or not.” 
We need to remember the song I learned at singing 
school: 
A little farm well tilled, 
A little house well filled, 
A little wife well willed, 
Give me, give me ! 
Ohio. H. W. G. 
A NEW REMEDY FOR GAPES. 
Chickens raised on a board floor with no access to 
the ground, will not have the gapes either with hens 
or in a brooder. They are not liable to have this dis¬ 
ease until there has been a day or two of wet weather. 
If allowed to run at large, no precautions will secure 
immunity if the germs are once introduced on the 
farm. No remedy ever published, that I have seen, 
and I have tried them all, will cure the chicks ; a large 
proportion of them will die if once affected unless 
help be given. The best way is to confine them to 
the brooder and house ; but this requires constant, 
careful, intelligent care to grow them properly. 
Many cannot successfully grow confined chicks. How 
the dumpy, crying things will grow when put out on 
the ground and allowed to run loose until the worms 
arrive. I find the following to be effectual and safe. 
Try it on a dead chick first for practice, until you are 
an expert. I made it work on the first trial. Get a 
perfect head of Timothy hay gone to seed, cut off the 
head so that there will be about a quarter of an inch 
left on the stalk. Draw the thumb nail across it until 
it is partially shelled, and it looks like a small paint 
brush ; moisten it and it is ready. If you put it in 
your mouth and whirl it around, you will feel the 
sharp, hard spikes which held the seed in place. Let 
some one hold the chick by the legs ; you take hold 
of the head and stretch the neck straight so the breast 
will be toward the sun. The passage into the wind¬ 
pipe will soon’Open, and the light will shine through 
the skin enough so that you can see the worms stick¬ 
ing fast to the lining. Gently push the hay brush down 
to the worms, and after twisting around once or twice, 
draw it out. The sharp spines will stick into the 
worms and wind them up. I have tried this on every 
affected chick I could find since learning of it, have 
not killed one, and got the worms every time. Some¬ 
times the worms are ground up so that one would 
think it a clot of blood ; but recently I pulled out five 
averaging an inch in length, at one pull. No wonder 
the chicks choke. c. e. chapman. 
KEROSENE AS AN EXTERMINATOR. 
The barn belonging to Mr. Charles F. Ortman, in the rear of his 
place, was set on fire in the attempt to burn out a hornet’s nest. 
Thus begins a piece of news in the home paper, and 
it is but a sample of many similar items in the country 
papers. We could be saved all such calamities, if 
people only would understand and remember that the 
touch of kerosene is as deadly to the whole tribe of 
winged insects, as is the llame of its burning. To 
make application of this fact in the case of hornets, 
where it is practical to do so, place a pan, containing 
enough kerosene nicely to cover the bottom, immedi¬ 
ately beneath the nest, and not more than an inch or 
two below it. Where no other means are at hand, a 
light bracket may be screwed to the building in the 
evening while the hornets are quiet. They leave the 
nest through its only outlet, which is at the bottom, 
with a sudden darting motion which plunges them 
directly into the kerosene, one touch of which is sure 
death. This method is preferable to any other, be¬ 
cause, sometimes, a part of the colony will be absent 
from home for a day or two ; but leave the pau a 
week, and you will find the whole tribe gathered on 
its bottom. 
Where this is not practicable, go quietly to the nest 
in the evening, and thrust a bit of cotton in the open¬ 
ing, thus making them all prisoners. To execute the 
prisoners, press the spout of the kerosene can into the 
upper portion of the nest, flooding its interior, and 
you may safely leave the warriors entombed in their 
own castle. 
While it is deadly to insects in their winged exist¬ 
ence, kerosene is equally fatal to them in their grosser 
form—the caterpillar stage. The Apple-tree Tent 
caterpillar may be combated much easier in this man¬ 
ner than by fire, and without danger of injury to the 
trees. Visit the trees very early in the morning, be¬ 
fore the worms leave the nests, and a spoonful of 
kerosene on each nest will effect the work. While 
the trees are small, this is easily accomplished by the 
help of a stepladder, using a machinist’s hand oil can ; 
but in an older orchard, it is necessary to use a longer 
ladder and a small spray syringe. 
Who of the ingenious ones will bring out a device 
which can be fastened to the end of a pole, so arranged 
that any nest within reach of the pole can be sprayed ? 
Perhaps it could be worked by compressed air, the 
operator having only to press a rubber disc held in 
the hand, to spray the nest. ciiaklks e. benton. 
WHAT SAY? 
Eab-Cokn Grinders. —Have any of The R. N.-Y. 
readers ever run an ear-corn grinder with a two- 
horse tread-power ? Can good work be done without 
too hard work for the horses? Will these machines 
grind the cobs fine, and how fast per hour ? G. G. B. 
Manchester, Vt. 
Three Wants. —Have any of The R. N.-Y. readers 
succeeded in controlling the tomato rot in any man¬ 
ner ? What sorts are least affected ? What shall we 
do to prevent leaf curl of the peach ? Has any one 
succeeded in checking raspberry anthracnose with 
any of the fungicides ? j. h. o. 
Hudson, Mich. 
Strawberry Tools. —What tool is best to cut off 
strawberry runners ? I have used the circular coulter 
on a plow, but don’t think much of it for two reasons: 
It disturbs the soil too close to the roots of the 
mother plant, and also leaves so many runners in the 
plant row to be cut off with the hoe. Can any one 
tell me how the automatic runner cutter works ? In 
a stony, sandy loam soil, will the Perfection plant 
setter do good work ? c. s. 
Norland, II. C. 
R. N.-Y.—Please tell us what you use for this work? 
How to Raise Water. —I wish to irrigate and spray 
for frost on small fruits. I have a stream with sev¬ 
eral ponds, and the water is warm enough to pump 
directly on to the plants. I have an elevation of from 
10 to 35 feet, and the most distant point is 400 feet. I 
have three ways in view : a hydraulic ram or wind¬ 
mill, with a tank at the highest point; a common 
force pump stationed at the pond to work by hand or 
horse power, or a pony pump to work by horse power 
and hose. The question now is, How many feet will 
the pump conduct the water with that elevation, 
through the hose, the pump to rest on a platform on 
the pond ? E, L. S, 
Onekama, Mich. 
