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RURAL NEW-YORKER 913 
under the following Spring. This ought to make a I wire it to a couple of bricks, setting a saucer of 
good proposition for corn planting. If you seed the milk between them, and as trap sits near back 
cow peas alone we should let the vines stand until door, it keeps the kitchen free from flies. Bits of 
next Spring. They will give the ground quite a fruit and fish or meat, make excellent bait, 
little protection and hold the snow and gather a Michigan. mbs. m. Kennedy. 
good many leaves and other trash naturally blown 
by the wind. We think, however, that you «ould 
get more out of your work by seeding to a combina¬ 
tion of rye and buckwheat instead of the cow peas. 
The buckwheat would be killed by frost, and then 
the rye would come on the same as it would through 
the pens. While the cow peas will add some nitrogen 
to the soil, the buckwheat and rye would probably 
give you more organic matter to be plowed under. 
Fall Plowing and the Cover Crop 
1 have just come into possession of an 85-ucre farm 
in the Hudson River Valley, the greater area of which 
farm is clay bottom land. It is the practice of the 
farmers in that section to plow their laud in the Fall, 
experience having demonstrated that Spring plowing 
does not enable them to get the land in as good tilth 
for the early crop. They have depended on what 
manure they made and the commercial fertilizers to 
keep up the fertility of the land, llow can I make use 
of the green manure crops to plow under in the Spring 
to maintain fertility if I must do all my plowing in the 
Fal!V Will you submit the above question to Jour 
family of readers for expressions of opinion? A sym- 
The Old Grain Cradle 
T HERE are stiLl many readers who can remember 
when a good share of the grain was cut with a 
cradle—like the one shown in the picture. It would 
be rather hard t«» buy a good cradle now, and still 
harder to find a man who could swing it properly 
all day long. Long before the days of binders and 
reapers the world was well supplied with bread. 
Could it be fed now if ail harvesting inventions were 
wiped out? Yes: men would adapt themselves to a 
step back in progress as they have to jumps ahead, 
and the farmer would stand much higher in the 
scale than lie does now. It will always he a ques¬ 
tion whether the invention of the harvester, the 
milking machine and similar machines has not hurt 
the political conditions of farmers as it has helped 
them otherwise. These machines have made it 
easier to feed the world, but they have made it much 
harder for the small, independent farmer to make 
a living. 
Cattle Poisoned by a “Weed Killer” 
O X page 7i>l we gave a description of a “weed 
killer." This is a poisonous substance, the ac¬ 
tive principle being arsenic, and it certainly does 
clean out the weeds. One of our readers read this 
article and came forward with the following propo¬ 
sition: A number of ditches and brooks are infested 
with a stiff, heavy grass, known as canary grass. 
This stuff is hard to kill out, and makes much work 
in any effort to keep the water course clear. This 
farmer wanted to know if it was safe to use this 
poisonous spray, if cattle are to lie kept in the pas¬ 
ture where these ditches and brooks run? In look¬ 
ing up the matter we learn of a case in Virginia 
where a railroad company undertook to destroy reed 
grass which was growing in ditches along their right 
of way. They used a weed killer containing sodium 
arsenite. much like the one we have described. One 
application of this stuff killed the grass to the 
ground. The grass started once more and a second 
application of the poison was used. This time, when 
there were about 6 in. of water in the ditches, the 
grass was killed back, but shortly after several 
farmers found that their cows had been killed by 
arsenic poisoning, and they filed damage suits 
against the railroad. The evidence seemed to show 
that the poison had been put in tlieir drinking water 
Sulphate of Ammonia on Lawns 
W E have had several notes about the “weedless 
lawn" suggested by the Rhode Island I’.x- 
periment Station. We have seen the model lawn at 
this station. The weeds have certainly been killed 
out—or at least most of them—and the grass was 
thick and green. It was not the same kind of grass 
usually seen after seeding the ordinary “lawn mix¬ 
ture." for the weeds were killed out by using an 
acid fertilizer, and of course if this is done the 
grasses which depend on lime for a good growth will 
be killed also. The method is described in the fol¬ 
lowing statement from the Rhode Island College at 
Kingston: 
As is now common knowledge, the weedless lawn 
treatment makes use of the discovery that our fiuest 
lawn grasses, either Rhode Island Rent or Creeping 
Rent, will thrive in a soil more acid than that which is 
favorable to the ordinary weeds. Hence, by using fer¬ 
tilizing materials, especially sulphate of ammonia, which 
make the soil acid and at the same time supply the 
needed plant food, a favorable condition is produced to 
give the handsomest velvety lawn, without the fear of 
intrusion of undesired Weeds. 
The sulphate of ammonia method as recommended bv 
the Experiment Station of the Rhode Island State Col¬ 
lege does not require the plowing up of your present 
lawn. Early in the Spring, on a dry day, apply evenly 
a mixture of sulphate of ammonia, acid phosphate and 
muriate of potash (obtainable from any fertilizer deal¬ 
er). at the rate of 250 lbs. each per acre. A few days 
after applying the fertilizer, rake in Rhode Island Bent 
grass or other Bent grass seed at the rate of at least 30 
lbs. to the acre. Repent the application annually or 
oftener, as required. This treatment does not work sud¬ 
denly. but slowly causes the weeds to disappear and the 
lawn to assume the much-desired even, velvety appear¬ 
ance. 
You will of course understand that this treatment 
posium of their views as to the best practice to be 
adopted in handling the land should be appreciated by 
other farmers who have the same problem in soil man¬ 
agement to solve 'that I have. A. L. 
W E would like to hear from farmers in the 
Hudson Valley about tlieir practice. It Is 
true Unit Fall plowing is often a great economy. 
Spring is often short and stormy, and if the manure 
is left in the barnyard over Winter it is often impos¬ 
sible to get the Spring work done. The use »>f a 
cover crop will depend somewhat on the rotation. 
Rye and vetch, or rye and buckwheat, may be seeded 
in the corn at last cultivation. This will mean about 
the middle of August. There would be nearly two 
months for such a crop to grow before plowing un¬ 
der. and that will mean a good growth. Six weeks’ 
growth of buckwheat or millet will pay a good profit. 
Sod ground can he plowed after haying and seeded 
to cow peas or buckwheat and clover to he plowed 
under in October if desired. In such localities'lluham 
clover will prove a great help. It can he seeded in 
Spring with oats or put on the wheat, and when the 
grain is cut it will come on and make a good crop 
for plowing under. Or. where there is plenty of 
land, a part of the rotation can he given up to pro¬ 
ducing a munurial crop. In such a case Hu bam 
clover can he seeded in Spring and plowed under in 
time for Winter grain seeding or for next year’s 
corn. There are a number of plans which may lie 
worked out. and we would like to hear from farmers 
in the Hudson Valley who have tried some of them. 
Mr. D. V. Eccleston of Long Island sends this pic¬ 
ture of two Barred Rock pullets which, he thinks, 
holds the record for early laying. He says they 
were hatched January 20. 1022. and laid their first 
egg May 2G. They are what we call “precocious 
pullets.” 
from the sprayed ditches, and these farmers were 
given damages in consequence. This experience will 
show that it is not safe to use this poison spray in 
any pasture where live stock would run. Under 
such conditions, a strong brine or heavy salt solution 
sprayed on the grass would probably kill it out, mul 
cause no trouble to the stock. The “weed killer" is 
very good for use on walks or roads, away from 
live stock. 
A Cover Crop After Haying 
I have a Timothy field which I intend to plow down 
and plant in corn next Spring. The ground is in fairly 
good condition, but 1 think it could stand a cover crop 
this Fall. I would like to plant it in cow peas. Do 
you think the sod would decay enough if I plow it down 
as soon as the hay crop is off, to plow it up again by 
next Spring for corn planting? Which would give the 
best results, to plow the cow pea vines down green this 
Fall, or plow them when they are dry next Spring? 
Central New Jersey. a. d. 
I T will be quite possible to plow the Timothy sod 
right after Inlying and then seed cow peas In 
drills. We should give them a thorough cultivation, 
both in order to increase their growth and to help 
break up that sod. The cow peas would have Until 
about the first of October in your latitude before 
frost, ami they ought to make nearly a full crop in 
that time. It would, of course, depend somewhat 
upon the variety of peas you sow. We should use 
either Whip-poor-will or the common Black Eye 
pea. You can if you like keep up the cultivation 
until early in September, and then seed rye among 
the cow peas just as you would for a cover crop in 
corn. The cow peas will he killed by the first heavy 
frost, hul then Hie rye will grow up through them 
and make considerable growth before being plowed 
An Outdoor Flytrap 
T HE accompanying picture. Fig. shows a 
veteran flytrap that is now in its third Summer 
of use, the picture being taken just one hour after 
I got it set up. It was stored in the attic last Win¬ 
ter. got smashed nearly flat behind a box. but with 
a new cloth top, an improvement over last year, it 
was ready for business, and in less than a week it 
was nearly one-third full of flies. 
To make, lake a piece of wire screen, any size 
desired, make into a cylinder by sewing up the well- 
lapped edges with needle and coarse thread. Make 
a cone of the screen, with small opening at the tip, 
insert into cylinder and turn up on outside, sewing 
back and forth till well fastened, and trim edges. 
A large circle of very thin cloth sowed fast to the 
top completes the trap, having the cloth large enough 
so that a hole can be cut in the center for dumping 
flies out. When emptied, pull edges of cloth around 
the hole together, and tie with cord, thus making 
the most .convenient trap to empty that 1 ever saw. 
To prevent the farm animals from tipping it over, 
The Outdoor Flytrap at Work. Fig. 396 
will not work unless this particular grass is used. 
Blue grass, Timothy, clover and many other grasses 
will not thrive unless the soil is kept sweet with lime. 
These acid fertilizers give the soil condition which 
suits the Rhode Island Rent—a form of Red-top— 
and when seed of that grass is used it naturally 
crowds out weeds and grasses which require lime. 
That seems to be about all there is to it. 
