75 he  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
402 
Rag  Doll  Method  for  Testing  Seed  Com 
The  “rag  doll”  test  is  one  of  the  cheap¬ 
est  ns  well  ns  one  of  the  most  convenient 
and  accurate  methods  which  can  be  em¬ 
ployed  for  testing  the  germination  of  seed 
corn  It  may  he  explained  as  follows : 
1.1)  Secure  sheeting  of  good  quality  and 
tear  into  strips  from  eight  to  10  inches 
wide  and  about  four  feet  long.  Each 
strip  will  serve  for  testing  20  ears.  Mark 
off  the  strip  with  heavy  crayon,  first 
lengthwise  in  the  middle,  and  then  cross¬ 
wise  in  squares  of  about  three  inches 
each,  numbering  the  squares  as  shown  in 
the  cut.  This  will  leave  about  nine  inches 
of  space  at  each  end  of  the  doll.  Moisten 
the  cloth,  and  lay  it  on  a  hoard  or  table 
before  the  ears  to  be  tested.  Remove  six 
kernels  from  each  ear,  two  from  opposite 
sides  near  the  tip,  two  from  opposite 
sides  near  the  middle,  and  two  from  oppo¬ 
site  sides  near  the  butt,  and  place  in  the 
square  corresponding  to  the  number  of 
the  ear.  having  the  tips  of  the  kernels 
pointing  the  same  way.  crossways  of  the 
strip. 
(2)  When  all  the  squares  have  been 
filled,  start  rolling  from  one  end.  taking 
care  not  in  have  the  roll  too  tight.  Since 
the  cloth  is  moistened,  the  kernels  will 
not  move  out  of  place.  Tie  the  roll  in  the 
middle  with  a  string  or  rubber  band,  and 
tie  loosely  at  each  end,  so  that,  a  free  cir¬ 
culation  of  air  may  be  provided  to  the 
kernels.  Number  this  T'oll  No.  1.  As 
many  rolls  may  be  used  as  arc  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  corn  one  has  to  test. 
(3)  Soak  the  dolls  in  a  bucket  of 
water  from  two  to  12  hours,  depending 
on  the  preference  of  the  operator. 
(4)  At  the  end  of  this  time  pour  off 
the  water  and  turn  the  bucket  upside 
down  over  the  rolls;  instead  of  a.  bucket, 
any  ordinary  box  may  be  used.  A  couple 
of  small  pieces  of  wood  should  preferably 
be  laid  under  the  rolls  and  one  odre  of 
the  pail  should  be  lifted  from  one-calf  to 
one  inch  in  order  to  give  sufficient  ven¬ 
tilation.  Tf  the  rolls  are  stood  on  end 
tie  shoots  will  all  grow  towards  or.  ■  ml 
rlie  roll,  making-  'he  test  easier  to  read, 
ir  :s  also  web  to  out  a  wet  piece  t  gunny 
sack  or  other  coarse  cloth  around  the 
dolls,  especially  if  the  rolls  do  not  fill 
the  pail,  basket,  or  box  used  to  cover 
them. 
(fi)  Set  the  bucket  in  a  warm  place.  At 
the  end  of  five  or  six  days  the  test  should 
be  ready  to  read. 
(fi)  Enroll  the  cloth  before  the  ears 
which  it  represents.  Examine  all  kernels 
carefully.  In  case  that  all  six  kernels  do 
not  show  strong  germination,  the  ear 
from  which  they  were  taken  should  be 
thrown  away.  If  seed  is  very  scarce, 
ears  may  be  saved  showing  one  weak 
kernel  out  of  six.  and  it  may  be  well  to 
test  a  second  time  those  ears  which  show 
only  one  dead  kernel. 
To  test  five  bushels  of  corn  will  require 
six  or  seven  yards  of  muslin  one  yard 
wide.  With  the  “Rag  Poll”  method 
there  is  no  dirt  or  litter,  and  compara¬ 
tively  little  room  is  required. 
OVE  F.  JENSEN. 
Iowa  Experiment  Station. 
Poisonous  Plants 
\n  article  in  the  Youth**  Companion 
not  long  ago  under  this  title  gives  some 
information  which  is  apparently  not 
strictly  accurate.  The  first  statement  is 
that  there  arc  no  beautiful  poisonous 
flowers  native  to  this  country.  Those  of 
us  who  have  suffered  for  weeks  from 
handling  our  showiest  native  orchid  will 
be  inclined  to  'doubt  this.  This  plant  ap¬ 
parently  poisons  only  by  contact  with 
the  long  soft  hairs  on  the  leaves  and 
stems. 
The  second  statement  is  that  only 
three  native  plants  are  really  poisonous 
to  the  touch.  The  three  named  are 
poison  sumac,  poison  oak  and  poison  ivy, 
all  belonging  to  the  botanic  genus  Rhus. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  these  are  poison¬ 
ous.  Any  person  can  be  poisoned  by 
them  if  a  large  enough  dose  of  the  poi¬ 
son  is  applied.  However,  many  persons 
are  not  poisoned  by  chance  contact  with 
the  plants  unless  they  have  taken  pains 
to  make  themselves  susceptible.  A  person 
who  has  been  poisoned  by  any  of  the 
three  is  likely  to  be  poisoned  again. 
While  speaking  of  plants  which  are 
poisonous  to  the  touch  we  must  not  for¬ 
get  the  nettles.  Their  little  injection  of 
formic  acid  or  something  similar  does 
not  last  so  long  as  poison  ivy.  but  the 
subject  is  usually  sure  that  something 
has  happened.  In  fact  these  have  some 
claim  to  being  called  the  only  native 
plants  which  are  really  poisonous  to  the 
touch,  for  they  injure  practically  every 
person  who  happens  to  touch  them.  If 
we  include  in  the  list  of  poisonous 
plants  all  those  which  injure  some  per¬ 
sons  who  may  touch  them  the  list  is 
very  long  and  finally  leads  us  towards 
the  cactus  and  other  plants  with  hairs 
which  are  easily  broken  off  and  some¬ 
times  cause  much  trouble.  Such  a  list 
would  include  strawberries,  peaches,  to¬ 
matoes,  parsnips,  etc.,  indeed  most  of 
our  common  plants  are  capable  of  caus¬ 
ing  trouble.  Many  of  our  commonest 
house  plants  are  also  poisonous.  One 
species  of  Chinese  primrose  (Primula 
obconica)  is  probably  about  as  bad  as 
poison  ivy. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  be  greatly 
disturbed  over  this  matter.  Probably  the 
majority  of  us  are  not  poisoned  by  any 
of  these  plants.  Those  who  are  injured 
by  one  or  more  must  learn  to  be  careful, 
especially  when  sweaty.  If 'taken  in  time 
most  of  these  poisons  can  be  removed  by 
the  use  of  hot  water  anil  soap  in  large 
quantities.  After  tin-  eruption  appears 
the  same  treatment  will  often  give  relief 
from  the  itching  and  burning  and  so  give 
a  chance  for  quicker  recovery.  Do  not 
use  warm  water  for  best  results  have  it 
as  hot  as  you  can  stand  it  and,  prefer¬ 
ably,  a  little  hotter.  After  the  lint  treat¬ 
ment  dry  the  skin  with  a  soft  towel  with¬ 
out  rubbing  and  keep  from  rubbing  the 
parts  as  much  as  possible.  Even  in  the 
case  of  poison  ivy  one  is  less  likely  to 
be  severely  poisoned  if  all  parts  which 
have  touched  the  plant  are  washed  thor¬ 
oughly  in  hot  water  with  plenty  of  soap 
as  soon  as  possible.  w. 
Old  Agricultural  Clubs 
What  is  the  oldest  agricultural  club  in 
the  United  State.  r>  Is  there  any  older 
than  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural 
Club,  which  was  founded  in  1810  by 
Marshall  P.  Wilder  and  others  interested 
in  agriculture  and  horticulture,  etc.,  anil 
has  had  a  continuous  existence  some 
then?  Recently  it  has  takeu  on  new  life, 
and  from  a  small  and  select  club,  which 
has  been  its  character  in  later  years,  its 
membership  has  risen  to  nearly  50,  and 
is  made  up  of  young  farmers  and  others 
interested  in  the  work  and  problems  of 
rural  life.  During  the  Winter  it  holds 
six  monthly  evening  meetings  with  din¬ 
ner  and  in  warmer  weather  will  have  one 
field  day.  At  its  annual  meeting  (the 
685th)  in  January,  appropriate  action 
was  taken  respecting  the  lamented  death 
of  William  II.  Itowker,  a  member  of  the 
club,  and  the  following  were  chosen  offi¬ 
cers  for  the  year:  President  diaries  R. 
Hutchins;  vice  president,  Livingston 
Davis;  secretary-treasurer,  Gordon  Hut¬ 
chins,  Concord,  Mass.  c. 
R.  X.-Y. — It.  is  our  understanding  that 
the  first  American  farmer's  club  was  or¬ 
ganized  at  Pendleton,  S.  (’.,  about  1797. 
Will  some  one  give  the  exact  date? 
In  a  recent  examination  paper  for  a 
boy  clerk’s  post  was  this  question :  “If 
the  President  and  all  the  members  of  the 
Cabinet  should  die,  wlio  would  officiate?” 
Robert,  a  boy  of  14,  thought  for  a  time, 
trying  in  vain  to  recall  who  came  next 
in  succession.  At  last  a  happy  inspira¬ 
tion  came  to  him,  and  lie  answered:  “The 
undertaker.” — Credit  Lost. 
Better  Yield  per 
Acre  at  Less  Cost 
Now  is  the  farmer’s  turn  to  make  some  “war  profits.”  With  high  prices 
ahead,  you  will  naturally  strain  every  nerve  to  get  the  most  bushels  per 
acre  at  the  least  cost  per  bushel.  The  far-sighted  farmer  figures  his  fer¬ 
tilizer  on  this  basis  of  net  profit  instead  of  looking  merely  at  the  price  per 
ton.  He  will  insure  the  profits  on  his  corn  crop  by  a  liberal  application  of 
HUBBARD’S  “ BONE  BASE”  FERTILIZERS 
Because  of  their  firmly  established  record  and  reputation,  Hubbard’s 
“Bone  Base’’  Fertilizers  have  well  been  termed  “ancient  and  honorable  ” 
For  nearly  fifty  years  the  name  HUBBARD'S  has  stood  as  a  standard,  a 
guarantee  that  you  will  get  honest  value  and  the  best  possible  return  for 
every  cent  invested. 
Write  to  Dept.  A.  for  practical  information. 
The  Rogers  &  Hubbard  Co. 
Middletown,  Conn. 
Office  and  Works:  Portland,  Conn. 
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