1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
633 
diseased plants and scatter them about the beds, and 
the disease soon makes deadly havoc among the 
plants. Here is, then, a chance for those whose Live- 
Forever has become diseased, to do some philanthropic 
work among their afflicted and less fortunate neigh¬ 
bors, by offering to send diseased plants into localities 
where the weed has got beyond control. It seems 
to be practically impossible to exterminate this weed 
by ordinary methods, and I sincerely hope that Mother 
Nature will not interfere with this microscopic ami 
yet deadly enemy—the anthracnose fungus. 
Treatment for Celery Blight. 
W. II. »S Y ., Waverly, N. Y. —My celery, which promised a fine 
crop only a few days ago, is looking as though it were struck 
with blight. The leaves turn yellow and are covered with dark 
spots. Is there anything which I can do to save the crop ? I in¬ 
close two leaves, one of New Golden, the other White Plume. It 
is planted on sandy loam soil, 8x14 inches, has been well culti¬ 
vated, and treated with fertilizer. 
Ans. —The specimen leaves showed that the celery 
had doubtless been attacked by the Celery blight 
(Cercospora apii). Its appearance and destructive 
work are well described by the correspondent. Its 
prevalence depends somewhat upon the weather, the 
cool rains of September usually furnishing the best 
conditions for its rapid growth. Whole fields are then 
often “blighted” in a few days. Experiments at the 
New Jersey Experiment Station indicate that this 
blight can be controlled, even after its first appear¬ 
ance is noticed, by spraying the leaves weekly with 
the ammoniacal copper carbonate solution. Much 
better results, however, would be obtained by begin¬ 
ning to spray before the fungus appears ; the spray 
does not kill the spores already at work on the leaves, 
but only prevents the growth of those that fall on 
after the application. I would then advise that the 
plants be sprayed weekly from about August 1. Salt, 
lime, ashes and sulphur seem to have no effect on this 
blight. m. y. s. 
Ants as a Fertilizer. 
C. N. B., Elizabeth, N. J. —I inclose herewith a clipping from 
the New York Churchman. I know that ants are said to be in¬ 
tensely bitter, but I have not yet tested them, either as diet or 
fertilizer: 
“ A French scientist, M. Ragonneau, has just discovered how to 
make a plant grow from the seed in 30 minutes as much as it 
would under ordinary circumstances in as many days. Hereto¬ 
fore Nature has shared this secret with the Yoghis of India alone, 
and the methods pursued by these clever magicians in performing 
this trick have been often described. They plant a seed in the 
earth and cover it with a cloth. In a few seconds the cloth begins 
to be pushed upward by the growing plant, which, in a short 
time, attains the height of several feet. Various theories have 
been advanced as to the modus operand! of this miracle, one of 
the latest being that the spectators are hypnotized by the magi¬ 
cians. During his travels in India, M. ltagonneau saw this trick 
performed frequently, and noticed that the Hindoos always im¬ 
bedded the seed in soil which they brought with them especially for 
that purpose. At last he learned that they obtained this earth from 
ant-hills. Now, as every one knows who has inadvertently eaten 
one of these industrious insects, ants contain a large proportion 
of formic acid, with which in time the soil of their habitations 
becomes charged. This acid has the power of quickly dissolving 
the integument surrounding a seed, and of greatly stimulating 
the growth of the germ within. After a little experimenting with 
this acid, the learned Frenchman was able to duplicate perfectly 
the Hindoo trick. His further researches have led him to believe 
that this discovery may be profitably applied to agriculture. By 
infusing ants in boiling water, acid as strong as vinegar can be 
obtained. M. Ragonneau has accomplished the best results, and 
the most perfect growth by using earth moistened with a solution 
of 5,000 parts of water to one of acid.” 
Ans. —The same account of the use of formic acid 
obtained from ants to induce almost miraculous 
growth in a plant from the seed, has gone the rounds 
of the newspapers of all kinds. I believe the whole 
thing is a “fake” or fabrication, and shall continue 
in this belief until it is substantiated by careful ex¬ 
periments recorded in reliable scientific journals. It 
is curious how such accounts cling to the transient 
literature of the day. Only the other day I saw in a 
prominent religious weekly a detailed account of how 
to rid trees of all insect life by boring holes in the 
trunks, and plugging them full of sulphur. This 
nonsensical operation was refuted years ago ; yet it 
bobs up periodically. m. y. s. 
Bark-bound Peach Trees. 
W. 0. P., Wilson, N. Y.— Is it possible for a poach tree to be¬ 
come bark-bound ? If so will the sap be retarded in circulation ? 
If retarded in its circulation, will it become vitiated, and the tree 
die? 
Ans. —Peach tree bark is not likely to be bound if 
thorough culture and liberal feeding are given the 
trees, such as are required to produce first-class crops 
of fruit. Sometimes where the bark gets a little 
rough, a wash of strong soap suds will smooth it off, 
and stimulate it into a fresh, new growth. This is 
the practice of our best orchardists. 
Close Planted Peach Trees. 
H. II. P., Montcalm County , Mich. —Can a bushel of peaches be 
raised on trees 20x20 feet apart, cheaper than on trees planted 
closer ? Hale Brothers plant peach trees in Georgia, and Japan 
plums in Connecticut, 13x13 feet. Would that be a good practice 
here on land worth $40 or $50 an acre, with labor at $1 per day ? 
Does not the close planting necessitate the use of large quantities 
of commercial fertilizers ? My idea would be that the trees set 
20x20 feet would need no cutting back, and so could be cared for 
at less cost. 
Ans. —The question of close or wide planting for 
peaches in the orchard, will depend largely upon the 
area and value of land one has, and the cost of teams 
or hand labor ; also whether commercial fertilizers 
can be easily had or not. The Hale orchards are on 
leased lands, at high prices, and close planting and 
very liberal use of commercial fertilizers, make them 
more profitable than planting at greater distances. 
It is their belief that a bushel of peaches can be 
grown more cheaply on a closely planted, closely 
pruned, and liberally fed orchard. 
Propagating the Marianna Plum. 
W. S., Piggott, Ark. —Some time since, a nursery agent who was 
resting over Sunday at our home, told me that nurserymen 
propagated the Marianna plum from cuttings for stocks. Will 
some of the horticultural correspondents give directions for pre¬ 
paring and planting the cuttings to insure growth. 
Ans. —Marianna plum stocks are freely propagated 
in the South by making cuttings eight or ten inches 
long, after the wood is thoroughly ripened in the fall, 
and the leaves are off, and at once planting these cut¬ 
tings five to eight inches deep. Eighty-five to ninety 
per cent of them usually strike root, and by thorough 
cultivation the following season, they make a growth 
of from two to four feet in height, and one-quarter 
inch and upward in diameter. 
Shropshire Damson Plum in Indiana. 
I. M. II., Sycamore, Ind .— Is the Shropshire Damson plum hardy 
in this locality ? What are its chief merits and demerits ? Would 
Tuk R. N.-Y. advise planting it extensively here? Would you 
advise fall planting of seedling stocks of the apple, pear and 
cherry, Marianna plum and Angers quince stock ? 
Ans. —Shropshire Damson will hardly prove hardy 
with you, and is inferior to other Damsons. We pre¬ 
fer early spring planting for nursery stock, such as 
apple, pear, plum and quince. Further south, fall 
planting is preferable. The chief drawback in your 
latitude, is not only severe drying winters, but frost 
frequently lifts stock out of the ground. 
Grapes Colored With Bordeaux Mixture. 
T. L. W., Grampian, Pa. —What shall I do with my grapes to in¬ 
sure against being poisoned by eating them, as I sprayed them 
with Bordeaux Mixture—six pounds copper sulphate, and four 
pounds lime to 50 gallons of water—and the sulphate is still show¬ 
ing on a good many of them ? 
Ans. —There will not be much danger from eating 
such grapes, but to make sure and clean them, they 
should be dropped in vinegar and then rinsed with 
water. This will quickly remove the copper. 
Bone and Potash On Strawberries. 
F. T. L., Bedford, (No State). —Should ground bone and muriate 
of potash be applied to strawberry plants, in the spring, one year 
from setting? If so, how can I apply without injuring the plants, 
as the runners nearly cover the ground ? Should I have put them 
on before setting the plants ? 
Ans. —Our own plan would be to apply the potash 
and bone before setting the plants, and harrow well 
into the soil. You can broadcast the fertilizer in the 
early spring, just as the frost goes out of the ground. 
This will not injure the plants, or you can apply it 
this fall— now —and work it in with hoe or cultivator. 
Thoughts about a Cold Storage Room. 
R. S. D., Yorktown, N. Y .— I have no properly constructed cold 
storage house, but have plenty of ice. By putting a good quantity 
of ice into an ordinary cellar used for storing apples and pota. 
toes, cannot I reduce the temperature of the cellar enough to be 
of advantage ? Will the dampness from the ice be injurious, or 
any more so, than in a regularly constructed cold storage house ? 
Ans. —We have never attempted to lower the tem¬ 
perature of a cellar for holding fruit, by filling a part 
of it with ice. A moderately dry air of uniform tem¬ 
perature, preserves fruit and potatoes in better con¬ 
dition than when the temperature varies, even when 
it is much lower. A good frostproof cellar may be 
made quite cool early in the fall, by opening it so that 
the outside air can freely circulate through it every 
frosty night, and closing it tight every day. In this 
manner, it might be kept at a temperature of from 30 
to 40 degrees, at which potatoes will not sprout, or 
apples waste much. It is of great importance that 
the fruitroom be thoroughly clean. The germs of 
decay are ready in a foul or musty room, to begin 
their work of destruction as soon as fruit is placed in 
it. Thorough cleaning and whitewashing with lime, 
should not be neglected. If the cellar is thoroughly 
frostproof, so that potatoes never freeze in the winter, 
it might be difficult to get it cooled off sufficiently 
early in the fall for storing potatoes or apples. In 
such case, the experiment of -storing ice in part of it 
might be tried. As before stated, we have never done 
it, nor seen it done. Hut it would be well to keep a 
vessel or two containing freshly burned stone lime in 
the apartment; this will absorb a great deal of the 
moisture from the ice. The endeavor should be to 
maintain a uniform, low temperature, with as little 
humidity as possible, and no light. 
Orange County, N. Y. w. D. barns & son. 
To Build and Start a Glass House. 
C. A. G., New Lothrop, Mich .— 1 wish to build a hothouse to use 
with a garden of about nine acres. What is the best size and 
material to use ? What size and quality of glass should I use ? 
Which is the best method of heating ? About what will it cost ? 
P. C. P., Perry, Me .— I wish to start a greenhouse for the grow¬ 
ing of early radishes, lettuce, bunch onions, etc. I would like to 
have a house, say, 18 or 20 feet by 25, or of similar proportions, 
that would be best to enlarge as the business required. What are 
the best proportions, and the best style ? Should it run north and 
south, or east and west? What is the method of fertilizing the 
blossoms of cucumbers, tomatoes or other vegetables in green¬ 
house culture to insure a crop ? What is the best time for sowing 
pansy and verbena seed to have the plants in bloom, say, the 
first of May, and to be used in outdoor culture at that time ? 
Ans. —The three-quarter span greenhouse, from 16 
to 20 feet wide, has been proved beyond all reason¬ 
able doubt, to be the best and most practical form of 
glass house for winter gardening. These greenhouses 
are always located to run east and west, and the long 
slope of glass usually faces south, though there are a 
few earnest advocates of the short-span-to-the-soutli 
arrangement. Houses of this form are most econom¬ 
ically built in lengths of 100 feet or more, but may be 
made as short as desired and extended afterward. 
The south wall is four or five feet high, and the north 
one six to eight feet. The south pitch of the roof 
should be about 30 degrees (seven inches to the foot) 
which would bring the ridge somewhat over 12 feet 
high at the apex The side benches are each about 
three feet wide, and are placed from 12 to 18 inches 
below the plates. The center bench, which will vary 
in width from six feet in a house 10 feet wide, to 10 
feet in a 20 -foot house, is built up so that its southern 
edge is not more than four feet from the glass. If 
wider than six feet, it is best made double, with the 
north side a foot or so higher, and a narrow walk be¬ 
tween the two parts. The walks between the middle 
bench and the north and south benches, are usually 
24 inches wide. 
When constructed of wood, in the usual manner, 
greenhouses of this style can be built for $5 or $6 per 
running foot when built in 100-foot lengths. Shorter 
houses will cost proportionately more per foot, as the 
expenditure for ends is the same, while the available 
bench room is curtailed. Hot water is considered the 
best method of heating small ranges of houses, under 
10,000 square feet of glass. The cost, at present rates, 
would be in the neighborhood of $400 for a house 
20 x 100 feet. A steam system would cost about 15 per 
cent less, or nearly $350. The old-fashioned brick 
flues are still in use by successful greenhouse men, 
and cost much less than either steam or hot water in 
the first instance, as two flues, sufficient for the house 
above mentioned, may be built at a cost not exceed¬ 
ing $ 100 . Flues, however, are of doubtful economy 
in the long run, as they require close attention and 
consume a large quantity of high quality coal. 
All things considered, glass 14 to 10 inches wide will 
give the best satisfaction ; above 18 inches wide, the 
price rapidly increases, and with widths less than 14 
inches, too many sash bars are required, darkening 
the houses considerably in midwinter. What is known 
as B, or second quality natural-gas glass makes a very 
satisfactory roof. Double strength glass costs about 
15 per cent more than the ordinary single strength, 
but is considered to be much warmer, and is less 
likely to be broken by accident or hailstones. 
Tomato blossoms are fertilized, or rather pollenized, 
under glass culture, with a small camel’s-hair brush 
or bit of rabbit fur tied to a stick which is twirled 
about in each blossom, a few hours after they open ; 
also by striking or jarring sharply during sunshine, 
the strings upon which the vines are trained. Cucum¬ 
bers, bearing the male and female organs in separate 
flowers, can only be pollenized by the brush or, in the 
natural manner by bees, hives of which are often kept 
in the greenhouse. 
Pansy seed should be sown in the greenhouse during 
January or February, if wanted for blooming in May. 
Verbena seed may be sown a month later under the 
same circumstances. w. v. F. 
A Humus Crop for Corn. 
K. B., Charlotteville, Va. —My land in very much run down; it 
has been skimmed ever since the war. In my corn, I broadcasted 
cow peas, and worked them in with a Planet Jr. cultivator. 
As soon as my corn is harvested this month, I shall plow them 
under and sew to rye, which next spring I shall plow under again 
for corn. Will the land be in better condition next summer from 
the peas and rye, and the extra plowing, than it would have been 
from Crimson clover ? 
Ans. —No one can answer such a question. The 
Crimson clover might not have grown success¬ 
fully. While a full crop of Crimson clover would 
probably have furnished more nitrogen, the cow peas 
and rye will give more organic matter to plow under. 
If you use with the rye, a liberal amount of bone and 
potash, you will doubtless secure a good corn crop. 
We doubt whether the rye alone will prove satis¬ 
factory. 
Crimson Clover Hay in an Orchard. 
A. M. C., Bunker Hill, III. —Is it an injury to a young quince 
orchard coming into bearing, to raise a heavy crop of Crimson 
clover among the trees and cut it for hay or seed ? Many of the 
trees are blighted. Are the roots of the Crimson clover of any 
value as a fertilizer when plowed in after the crop has been re¬ 
moved for hay ? 
Ans. —Yes, it is an injury to the orchard to take 
something away and put nothing back. If you take 
the Crimson clover hay or seed from the ground, you 
should add, at least, enough phosphoric acid and pot¬ 
ash to make up for what you have taken. The stubble 
and roots of Crimson clover contain nearly 40 per 
cent of the fertilizing value of the entire plant. 
