886 
July 15, 1922 
and feeding the same rose chafers to a second 
chicken, and killing that as well: and finally in¬ 
jecting filtered rose-chafer juice into the vein in 
the ear of a rabbit and killing the rabbit in from 
one to three minutes with the same. All pointed to 
a poison in the insect, the nature of which is not yet 
known, but is in all probability one of the complex 
proteins. 
PREVENTION OF LOSSES.—The chemical phase 
of the problem is being studied at present. Realiz- 
A Tractor Spraying Outfit. Fig. 376 
ing that poisons are effective in proportion to body 
weight, it will be seen that the smaller and younger 
the chickens the fewer rose chafers necessary to 
kill it and the more susceptible to the poison. Where 
it is possible, one should hatch his chickens early 
enough to have them out 30 weeks old and of normal 
growth previous to June 9 in this locality. (I say 
in this locality because the further south you go the 
earlier the rose chafers come on. I I think it is for 
agricultural colleges, poultryinen and entomologists 
to warn the people of their States as to just what 
time they can expect this insect. Make them famil¬ 
iar with it and thus prevent losses. 
CONTROLLING THE INSECTS.—About the best 
control measure that I know <>f is to mow the field 
or fields in which the chickens are likely to run. 
particularly of daisies, and to keep them away from 
flowering shrubs upon which these insects are feed¬ 
ing. A nearby poultry farm with about 2.000 chick¬ 
ens lost nearly 300 chickens from this source last 
year. Rv mowing the field and keeping most of the 
chickens in wire enclosures, up to this time there 
have not been more than six or eight chickens killed 
from this cause. Rose chafers are diflicult to 
spray for. Arsenate of lead at the rate of 5 lbs. 
(paste) to 50 gallons of water, to which a half gal¬ 
lon of cheap molasses is added, is the most satisfac¬ 
tory spray, but this does not control the insects, be¬ 
cause of the fact that one cannot spray the daisies, 
nor would it prevent losses of chickens which ale 
dead rose beetles from unsprayod leaves. Keeping 
rose chafers away from chickens, ducklings, goslings 
and young turkeys during the month of June and 
early July are the only measures that I know of to 
prevent losses from this cause. A bulletin from the 
Storrs Experiment Station in the near future will 
give a list of food plants and more description of the 
insect and its work; also suggestions as to shrub¬ 
bery that should be used in yards where chickens are 
running. I am very glad to contribute this article 
or letter to The R. N.-Y.. because it was through Mr. 
Collingwood that I started the experiment, which is 
of considerable economic importance to poultry rais¬ 
ing. If any chickens die from unknown causes at 
this time of year, one should open up the crops and 
be sure that the cause is not revealed there in the 
mangled forms of rose chafers, the chicken’s poison 
hemlock. G- n. lamson, jr. 
Storrs, Conn. 
Onions and Potatoes; Intensive Agricul¬ 
ture in New Jersey 
UCCESSIVE CROPS.—What we have been doing 
with onions and potatoes, in one-year rotation, 
is the common experience of many South Jersey 
farmers. Someone may ask: “Can onions be grown 
in the same soil to an advantage year after year?'* 
We say yes; they can be grown in the same field 
every year, and each successive year they will pro¬ 
duce a better crop, given normal seasonal conditions. 
For six years now we have planted a three-acre 
plot in onions early in the Spring, following that 
crop in July with late potatoes. The result has been 
each year better onions and better potatoes. Last 
year's product of both crops exceeded that of any 
preceding year. There is only one explanation; that 
onions and potatoes make an excellent rotation. 
Each icems to leave the soil particularly suitable to 
Tic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the other. This we have learned only by experience. 
A PAYING PROPOSITION.—Moreover, it is a 
paying proposition. There is money in it. When a 
farmer can obtain two crops from the same piece of 
ground in one year, each averaging from 250 to 200 
or more bushels of marketable produce per acre, he 
is not likely to fear the sheriff. 
PREPARING FOR ONIONS.—As soon as the soil 
has dried out sufficiently in March, we prepare to 
put out our onions, planting the small bulbs known 
as “sets.’’ We find shallow plowing best for onions. 
The soil should then he thoroughly disk-liarrowed 
and pulverized. A plankcr is excellent for mashing 
lumps. We always fertilize while making the rows, 
using a potato planter with a “smoother" and a 
“dottcr" attached behind the ridging disks. The 
smoother mashes down the ridge nearly to the level, 
and the dotter, a wooden wheel of our own inven¬ 
tion (any farmer could make one), containing small 
pegs upon its circumference, 2 in. apart, follows, 
making the holes into which the sets are “plugged.” 
The “setters'” are usually hoys, who crawl along the 
rows on their knees, pushing the sets into the holes, 
roots downward. Although a much larger crop 
could ho harvested by having rows about a foot 
apart, we put our rows about 2 ft. apart, in order 
to be able to do all tbe cultivating with horse culti¬ 
vators. thus saving time and labor. 
FERTILIZERS.—Our experience has proved that 
tbe best fertilizer for onions is one analyzing 5-30-0, 
Strawberry Field Carrier. Fig. 377 
about 3,500 lbs. to tbe acre. Though most experi¬ 
mental stations advise a different formula, and usu¬ 
ally one containing potash, we find that, as a gen¬ 
eral rule, too much potash should be avoided, be¬ 
cause it is apt to cause early death to the leaves. 
Of course, various types of soil may require other 
fertilizers. Our soil is the sassafras gravelly sandy 
loam. 
CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING.—Onions re¬ 
quire thorough and frequent cultivation to keep 
down weeds and to hold moisture. Rut after the 
crop lias begun to grow well, nothing but shallow 
cultivation should be attempted. A crop may be 
permanently harmed by cultivating too deeply and 
too closely, for such a practice will destroy many 
of tbe shallow-growing roots of the bulbs. Any old 
implement that will lift the onion out of the ground 
will make a satisfactory digger. We use an old ele¬ 
vating potato digger with the chain removed. 
It lays them out clear of the soil, so that 
they may be readily gathered up and topped. 
There are too many details about onion cul¬ 
ture to be crowded into Ibis letter, where only a 
general description of our method can he given. And, 
in fact, <is the title suggests, my purpose is merely 
lo give a brief account of an interesting example 
of intensive agriculture. 
LATH POTATOES.—After harvesting our crop of 
onions, wc plant our late potatoes, usually Red 
Skins, "Pink Eyes, or some other familiar “Ilooster” 
variety. For these we use a 5-8-5 fertilizer, about 
3,500 lbs. to the acre. It is best, however, not to 
plant them too early in the season, although the 
onion crop may have been off for some time. Plant¬ 
ing after the middle of July seems to bring the best 
results. Some farmers even plant in August, and 
when there are no heavy frosts until late in October 
they are almost sure of a good crop. 
THIS YEAR’S CROPS.—Farmers who have never 
raised onions may hesitate about following our ex¬ 
perience. hut certainly it is quite simple. This year 
we have planted 25 acres of onions on our little To¬ 
ne re truck farm, intending to plant the same land 
with potatoes in July. (Some farmers plant let¬ 
tuce or spinach for the second crop.) Thus we shall 
grow 50 acres of crops on 25 acres of land. Even if 
the weather this Spring has not, on (lie whole, been 
most favorable, our onions look promising. Rut the 
three-acre plot where we have grown them so many 
years is noticeably the best. We should not have 
believed it before we tried it. l. x. w. 
New Jersey. 
A Tractor Spraying Outfit 
I SAW the modern spray rig shown in action in a 
fruit orchard within sight of the Geneva Experi¬ 
ment Station. The tank is pulled by a tractor and 
two "guns" cover the trees with the poison. The 
machine keeps moving and the man on the front end 
of the tractor hits the front side of the tree on 
either side. Then the man on the spray tank hits 
the opposite side, so the trees are thoroughly cov¬ 
ered. (See Fig. ???.) The engine is run to give 200 
lbs. pressure. Tlie operators have been able to cover 
35 acres of bearing trees in a day. and think they 
can do as much as a duster. 
The cage effect on the tractor was built to pro¬ 
tect the tractor operator from branches while disk¬ 
ing in the orchards. (See Fig. ??.) It is made of 
strap iron bolted in front and fastened on springs at 
the rear to absorb the jar. The first cage made was 
bolted on tight, but the constant jarring broke the 
metal, so the springs were added, and leather wash¬ 
ers placed around the bolts in front. (The opera¬ 
tor (Fig. ???) is one of those “willing to work" 
boys, and he is making good on his present job. 
T. H. TOWNSEND. 
Poison Ivy; Hot Soapsuds 
AY I add my testimony to the campaign against 
poison ivyV In the Summer of 1921. believing 
myself immune (I was when a boy), l pulled down 
with bare hands and arms a thicket of poison ivy 
which was growing on the stone fences about my 
camping spot. 1 spread this work over several days, 
and thus had successive inoculations. After a few 
days the itching began, and then came tin* blisters, 
followed by oozing sores. Nothing that I tried did 
any good, except to relieve the itching for an hour 
or so. Finally I went to the Public Library in New 
York and made an exhaustive study of all that has 
been written about poisoning by this plant. The 
last word seemed to be ordinary hard laundry soap 
and hot water, as hot as it could be borne, and 
then a little hotter. In my case the relief was imme¬ 
diate and the cure speedy. Several attacks later in 
the season were handled promptly and comfortably 
with this simple and always handy remedy. 
Several times already this Summer, in the trans- 
Tlic Tractor Sprayer at Work. Fig. 373 
planting of wild plants to my garden. I have been 
poisoned, and in all cases the hot soap and water 
has checked the trouble, usually with one applica¬ 
tion; a second one was rarely necessary. There have 
boon no blisters and not so much itching as from a 
mosquito bite, and of course no oozing sores. 
The scientific men say that this poison is an acid 
oil. So the treatment with a soap rich in alkali in 
a solution so hot that it penetrates the outer skin is 
as rational as it has proved to he effective. 
Connecticut. richard ferris. 
