1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
745 
Trimming Grape Vine. 
C. H. G., Sanitaria Springs, N. Y .—I have a Concord grape vine 
that has not been trimmed in eight years. When and how should 
I trim it ? 
Ans. —It is difficult to give specific directions in such 
a case as to the how. Now and any time before the 
wood freezes, is the time. The object is to thin it out 
properly, and to shorten it in, as the canes are, prob¬ 
ably, altogether too thick. If any canes are diseased, 
or unthrifty, take them out, no matter how large. 
Leave the thriftiest, and shorten these back, but do 
not cut off too much of this season’s growth. It would 
not be wise to do all the trimming required by a vine 
that has run wild for eight years, at once, but do it 
by degrees. 
Burying Cabbages. 
C. M. N., Watertoivn, Conn. —What is the best method of pre¬ 
serving cabbages in trenches until spring ? Will a sprinkling of 
salt promote heading in cabbages ? 
Ans.—A good method, perhaps not the best, is to 
leave as late as possible without danger of freezing 
in ; then pull, and turn heads down, placing them 
close together in beds, say, six or eight feet wide. 
Leave here until quite cold weather threatens, when 
they can be covered with six or eight inches of soil. 
Care must be taken not to cover too early, or they 
may heat and rot. They should be buried where 
water does not stand. Those not fully headed may 
be set closely together in a wide trench before freez¬ 
ing weather, and covered with straw or other litter, 
and this with a covering of earth. Many of them will 
form tolerably hard heads in this way. Salt is of no 
use. 
Big Onion Crop on Fertilizer. 
T. !>., Palermo, Me. —1. Why would it not be better, when one 
broadcasts fertilizer, to put it on in the fall and harrow in, instead 
of in spring as all do in this vicinity, especially for onions? 2. 
Will a first-class fertilizer produce from 600 to 700 bushels of 
onions per acre on good, fair soil, without any barnyard manure 
when the latter is not obtainable ? 
Ans. —1. The main objection is that you would lose 
a good share of the value of the fertilizer. A mixture 
for onions should contain a high per cent of nitrogen. 
This substance is very soluble, and will wash and 
leach out of the soil if applied in the fall. The potash 
and phosphoric acid might be used in the fall if 
desired, but not the soluble forms of nitrogen. 
Another reason is that spring plowing is better for 
onions in order to give a fine seed bed. If the ferti¬ 
lizer were used in the fall and then plowed under in 
the spring, you would put it too far below the sur¬ 
face. We would rather broadcast and harrow it in 
right after plowing. 2. It has been claimed that such 
a yield has been grown with fertilizers alone, but the 
fact that one man has done it isno surety that another 
can. Johnson has covered a mile on a bicycle in less 
than two minutes. That does not prove that another 
man can take the same bicycle and ride just as fast. 
And so with the onions—it is the man, the season and 
the seed, as much as the soil and fertilizers. 
Fruits Grown in Muck. 
,/. B., Mersea, Ont. —Will plums, pears or raspberries, fruit well 
on black muck ? 
Ans. —That depends. Is the soil well drained ? 
There is good muck and worthless muck. Good muck 
is an excellent basis for anything to grow on. Bad 
muck may be valuable only for its mellowness and 
retentive powers. Muck, like any other soil, may 
need one or several food constituents. Usually potash 
and phosphoric acid are lacking in muck, and if these 
be added, it will produce good fruit. 
White Clover. 
D. C., Homer, N. Y.— Is White clover good for hay ? Is it an 
annual, biennial or perennial ? How is it managed for a crop of 
seed ? 
Ans. —It is a perennial. Our best authorities regard 
it as one of the most valuable grazing plants, being 
equal to Red clover according to analysis and superior 
as a fat producer. It is to the pasture what Red 
clover is to the meadow. After the first flowering, it 
is said to salivate horses, though it does not affect 
cattle. Its growth is much smaller than that of the 
other clovers. We are not familiar with the method 
of handling the crop for seed. Can any of our readers 
c jl'ghten us ? 
Making Ice Cream on the Farm. 
S. B. W., Lottaville, Ind.—I have a dairy farm keeping about 35 
cows; this past summer we have been separating the cream with 
a hand separator, and scnulng it to Hammond where it was sold 
for ice cream purposes. I have easy access to four different rail¬ 
roads running into Chicago, and through a great number of 
small towns between here and Chicago. A great deal of the ice 
cream used in these smaller towns is furnished by the big ice 
cream manufacturers from Chicago, paying transportation both 
ways, and a profit for several parties. I have been thinking of 
this ice cream business before, and The R. N.-Y.’s short article 
inspired me with a new impulse. 
Ans. —It will be easier to freeze the cream on the 
farm than to find a steady market for it. That is the 
way it is with all new products. It always costs some 
money to put a new thing on the market. If a man 
had a milk route of his own, he could begin in a small 
way selling ice cream from the milk wagon, and 
gradually build up his trade. Or, he might make 
arrangements with a grocer or restaurant man to sell 
for him. In the writer’s town, all the best grocers 
now sell bottled milk. They did not handle it two 
years ago ; but now all have an ice box fitted up, and 
keep a supply of milk for their customers. Farmers 
bring in a supply every day. Many of these grocers 
could sell considerable ice cream, too, if they had it 
on hand at all times. During the hot summer days 
and nights, many people have a sudden desire to cool 
off with a plate of cream, and if the nearby grocer 
could supply the want at once, they would order a 
quart or more. Of course it is going to cost some¬ 
thing to make such a trade. There will be printer’s 
ink to pay for, and many a batch of cream left over 
while waiting for the trade to be worked up ; but it 
is worth trying. In Philadelphia, the surplus milk of 
the Farmer’s Dairy Company is made into ice cream 
which gives better returns than buttermaking. If 
any of our readers are engaged in this business, we 
shall be pleased to have them tell us how they do it. 
Where do they sell ? How is the trade worked up? 
What tools and appliances are needed ? What is the 
best form in which to pack and serve the cream ? 
Pasteurized or Sterilized Mi Ik. 
G. IV. II., Rochester, Mass. —Is there any distinction between 
Pasteurizing and sterilizing milk ? If so, what is it ? 
Ans. —Bulletin 44 of the Wisconsin Experiment 
Station, gives a complete statement of this matter. 
In brief, to “ Pasteurize” milk, it is heated to 140 de¬ 
grees to 175 degrees F., while to “ sterilize ” it, the 
heat is raised to 212 degrees. The object of applying 
heat is to destroy the bacteria which produce the 
changes called souring. At 212 degrees F., these 
bacteria are destroyed—hence the milk is “sterile ” 
or without life, so that it is said to have been sterilized 
and will keep sweet for some days—until new bacteria 
are introduced. The disadvantage of the sterilizing 
is that the milk has a scorched or “boiled” taste that 
is disagreeable to many. There is also a change in 
the physical properties of the milk. For example, 
rennet used in this heated milk gives quite a different 
result from that found in raw milk. When the milk 
is “ Pasteurized ” or heated to something over 140 de¬ 
grees F., the active or living germs are destroyed, and 
if the milk is at once put in a cold place, where the 
action of bacteria is slow, it will keep sweet for 
several days—longer than ordinary raw milk under 
similar conditions. The “ Pasteurized” milk does not 
have the “ cooked” taste which is found in the “ ster¬ 
ilized ” product. The latter will keep sweet longer as, 
while a temperature of 140 degrees destroys most of 
the active bacteria, others are left which, in time, de¬ 
velop and bring about a curdled condition which is 
found to be different from that of ordinary sour milk. 
The wisest scientists now agree that the best milk of 
all is pure, raw milk with as little change as possible 
between the healthy cow and the consumer. It is 
pretty well proved that the bacteria can be kept out 
by mechanical appliances—without the application of 
heat. 
Raw and Steamed Bone; Manure. 
C. V. G., Westboro, Mass.—On page 252, is a list of fertilizers 
showing the amount of plant food they contain. Ground bone is 
given as containing 3*4 pounds nitrogen and 20 pounds phosphoric 
acid in 100 pounds. I suppose this applies to raw bone. How 
about steamed bone ? What jn-oportion of the nitrogen and phos¬ 
phoric acid is extracted in the process of steaming ? Is the phos¬ 
phoric acid in steamed bone as available for plant food as that 
in raw bone ? By referring to the same table, I figure out that 
one ton of stable manure contains plant food worth $2.34. How 
many one-horse tip cart loads will it take to make a ton ? I have 
an idea that it is not worth $1 per load. Am I right ? 
Ans. —Yes, raw bone will average about as stated 
in that table. Steamed bone varies. When the 
steaming is done to extract the glue, nearly all 
the nitrogen may be taken out. When it is highly 
steamed to increase its solubility as a fertilizer, or to 
make the bones grind easier, half the nitrogen may 
be removed. It should be bought only on analysis. 
The steaming does not drive off any phosphoric acid, 
but makes that substance rather more available than 
in the raw bone. A good horse should haul from 900 
to 1,200 pounds of manure in a tip cart. Stable 
manure varies so much that it is a very unsatisfactory 
thing to fix a price on in comparison with fertilizers. 
Feeding Weed Seeds to Poultry. 
S. C., Syracuse, N. Y .—Having run my oats through a fanning 
mill, I find that I have considerable mustard seed. Can I feed it 
to chickens ? If so, what quantity should I give to 12 or 15 
chickens in one feed ? 
Ans. —The question of feeding weed seeds of various 
kinds to poultry, is one that must be settled, in a 
large measure, by each poultryman for himself, for 
the experimental work done in this line is so meager 
that the results of carefully noted tests are entirely 
too few to be of any great practical value. From my 
own experience in feeding weed seeds of various 
kinds, 1 have felt quite safe in allowing the fowls 
considerable liberty in the choice of these seeds, 
trusting that they would not go amiss in selecting 
what they needed within certain limits. Feeding 
seeds of this kind, of course, should not be carried to 
extremes. If fed in small amounts, and the results 
carefully noted, I think noxious weed seeds may be 
fed with perfect safety to our domestic fowls. This 
not only gives them a variety of food, but at the same 
time economizes whatever feeding value the seeds 
may possess. It would, undoubtedly, be safe to feed 
the seeds mentioned to fowls in this manner. If it be 
desired to feed larger quantities, it undoubtedly 
would be best to cook the seeds thoroughly, and feed 
them in connection with other soft food as their 
morning ration. In any event, these seeds should not 
be fed in large quantities at fh-st. Commence with a 
small amount, and observe closely the results. In¬ 
crease the quantity as the results will warrant. 
QEO. C. WATSON. 
Pop Corn Cakes for Poultry. 
L. C. It., Cortland, N. Y.—I can get waste “ pop corn cakes ” 
from a local candy factory for little or nothing; the popped corn 
is either ground or whole kernels mixed with a little sugar or 
molasses, all good and fresh. What is its value for feeding to 
laying hens, mixing it with the mash, mornings ? 
Ans. —Bopped corn is, weight for weight, a some¬ 
what more concentrated food than shelled corn of 
average quality. The pop corn contains about 11 per 
cent muscle-makers, 5 per cent pure fat, and 70 per 
cent fat-formers. The sugar or molasses will increase 
the per cent of fat-formers somewhat. There is no 
reason why it should not take the place of ordinary 
corn for poultry. 
Food and Care of Pigeons. 
W. E. C.. Newark, N. J .—What is a good change of feed for 
pigeons ? Do they lay and sit in the winter, if their quarters are 
warm ? What is a good form of nest? As a beginner in keeping 
pigeons, I wish a few plain instructions in regard to them. I am 
thinking of raising squabs for market. 
Ans. —The food of pig-eons should be of a variety, 
including wheat, cracked corn, chopped clover, tine 
bone, finely chopped lean meat occasionally, and 
millet seed. They should have a box of oyster shells, 
gravel and charcoal. A salt codfish should be hung 
up for them to pick. They lay from seven to ten 
months in the year, usually omitting January and 
February, and sometimes all the cold months. Each 
pair may have two boxes, each box about eight inches 
square and high. They will make their own nests if 
provided with cut hay, straw, cotton batting, etc. 
They can be kept m wire yards, covered also with 
wire, and the sexes should be equal, as a bachelor 
male will break up the matings. It would be well to 
procure books on pigeons, owing to the many details 
necessary for a beginner to learn, and which could 
not be sufficiently mentioned in a brief reply. 
Effect of Spaying on Mares. 
L. 0. J., Moline, III.—Is removing the clitoris from mares, prac¬ 
ticed to have the effect of spaying, or for other reasons ? Is it 
a difficult or dangerous operation, and how should it be per¬ 
formed ? 
Ans. —It is the ovary and not the clitoris that is 
removed in the operation of spaying. On heifers 
and sows the operati 3.i is comparatively simple and 
safe ; but on mares it is more difficult and danger¬ 
ous. The operation is practiced on mares only in case 
of disease of the ovary, or where the mare is vicious 
when in heat. It can be performed only by a compe¬ 
tent veterinary surgeon. 
A Case of Swine Plague. 
A. A., Elmira, N. Y .—Two weeks ago, I had nine pigs. Their 
eyes and mouths became sore, sometimes they would cough, and 
to-day they are all dead but one. I gave them saleratus and a 
little sulphur; they would not eat, but would drink. I gave them 
wheat bran and corn meal and bread soaked in water. They 
would drink till a few hours before they died. I have nine brood 
sows; two of them lie down and shiver as though they were cold, 
refuse to eat, but will drink. What is the trouble ? 
Ans. —The pigs apparently died, either of swine 
plague or hog cholera, probably the former. Treat¬ 
ment of these acute outbreaks is very unsatisfactory. 
See treatment advised in back numbers of The R. 
N.-Y. I would advise separating the brood sows, as 
far as possible, at least the healthy from the sick. It 
would be better if each sow could have a pen by her¬ 
self, and at some distance from all others. Then see 
that nothing passes from one pen into another. In 
this way, you may save some of the pigs from having 
the disease. Disinfect infected pens by scrubbing 
with a two to three-per cent solution of concentrated 
commercial sulphuric acid. F. l. kilbohne. 
Nitrate of Soda on Asparagus. 
G. C, W., Nashville, Tenn.—I have four acres of asparagus ; I 
use well-rotted horse manure freely as a fertilizer, and give a 
liberal sprinkling of salt every alternate year. Will nitrate of 
soda mixed with the manure, force the asparagus earlier, and 
improve the quality ? How shall I mix, and how often apply ? 
Ans. —Nitrate of soda should never be mixed with 
stable manure. It is too soluble for use so long be¬ 
fore the crop is grown. It is now believed that a 
slight loss of nitrogen occurs when nitrate is added to 
the manure pile. The time to use the nitrate is early 
in the spring. It should be scattered along the rows. 
The nitrate appears to force the asparagus into a 
somewhat quicker growth. 
