®k Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Experiments with Commercial Fertilizers, also 
with Seed Potatoes, 
Having read accounts ©f tho results of using 
ground bone and other fertilizers, given by 
farmers who liad extensively employed them in 
different sections of the couutry and who re¬ 
commended them as paying investments, and 
having been myself short of manure, I was in¬ 
duced last year to make a small investment in 
these rnuoh lauded fertilizers. I purchased 
half a ton each of bone and phosphate from 
two extensive firms and in using them followed 
the directions laid down in the accompanying 
pamphlets, in every respect. 
I tried my purchases on potatoes and, on 
measuring the crops, found there was no dif¬ 
ference in the yield of land thus fertilized and 
of that, on which neither ground bone nor phos¬ 
phate had been applied. I tried them on mea¬ 
dow land, corn and oats without any benefit 
whatever. Indeed tbo oats were not so good 
as on unfertilized land. I used them in my gar¬ 
den and thoroughly mixed them with the soil, 
but found their effects injurious rather than 
beneficial. Before purchasing any fertilizer 
extensively, I would recommend farmers to ex¬ 
periment with it on a small scale. A number 
of years since, I had the same experience in 
using Marks’ improved superphosphate, 'which 
with me proved to be a complete failure. 
There is another experiment of mine which I 
will state for the benefit of those who have not 
tried it. Some time since, in the Scientific 
Farmer of Boston, a man who had followed tbo 
practice every yoar, recommended that seed po¬ 
tatoes should he bought from Vermont or some 
other northern State, and according to him. it 
would greatly improve the crop and enlarge the 
yield. I bad long been of the same opinion and 
concluded to try it. I purchased from Vermont 
potatoes enough to plant four acres; cut them 
into pieces of from two to three eyes each and 
planted them. As it waB an experiment 1 
wished to know precisely the relative results. 
Accordingly I took Homo of my own and cut' 
them in the same way. Soon I could readily 
perceive the difference iu appearance between 
the two kinds, and this was kept up until tho 
crops were ripe. Then I dug and measured 
them, and having made a calculation, found 
that if I had used my own seed altogether, I 
should have had 150 bushels more of good, 
sorted potatoes. 
Now, the subject that interests farmers most 
at the present day is how to best maintaiu or re¬ 
store the fertility of the laud. I am fully 
satisfied it will not pay to buy commercial fer¬ 
tilizers, hut it will pay to economize farm-yard 
manure and to make all wo can of it. 
Can any of the Uveal readers give a state¬ 
ment of the effects of plowing under green 
crops, such as clover, corn, rye, millet, peas, 
etc. ? Any information on this subject woirtd 
oblige and benefit many others in this section 
as well as this special 
ltKADEH OF THE It U HAL. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
Ans.—O ur friend’s experiments did not go 
far enough. lie purchased “ bone and phos¬ 
phate.” Bone is phosphorio acid and lime. 
Dissolved in sulphuric acid, it is “ superphos¬ 
phate.” If the article was of good quality and 
his land needed phosphoric acid, it would ces- 
tainly have produced au increased yield. His 
advice to farmers to experiment on a small 
scale before purchasing largely of commercial 
fertilizers is excellent. That is what v.e have 
been advising again and again during the past 
six mouths. If upon separate plots he had 
tried dissolved bone-black, muriate of potash, 
nitrate of soda etc. and various combinations 
of them, he could have gained some indication 
of what manurial ingredient his land needs. 
2. Thousands of ttnch experiments are being 
tried every year. It is not an experiment, since 
the results are well known. Many are of the 
opinion that the fertility of a soil can be main¬ 
tained by turning under clover a’oue. 
Treatment of Palms—Growing them from Seed. 
Amateur, New York Oily, asks which is the 
best way to keep Palma healthy and also how to 
grow them from Beed. 
Ans.—U se a compost of fibrous, lumpy loam 
mixed with clean, sharp sand and some leaf- 
mold, smallish potB, and good drainage. Never 
over-pot, and in shifting, don’t remove much of 
the old soil; pack the fresh earth firmly. In the 
caBe of strong plants, add manure to the soil, 
but for BEr^.11 plants, the stimulants had better 
be in liquid form. Keep moist at all seasons, 
but most so in spring and summer. Byrmge 
overhead on fine afternoons and sponge the 
leaves oocaaionally. Yellow and freckled leaves 
are the result of a sodden soil: then repot, re¬ 
moving Borne of the old soil and drain thor¬ 
oughly. Before putting outside iu summer, 
harden off well, else the leaves will get browned 
and destroyed. Palma love heat, moisture, a 
little shade, and while growing novel in bottom 
heat; but many grow well in cool greenhouses, 
in dwelling house windows, and somo, as the 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 45 
Chinese Chamarops, may be wintered in tho 
cellar and stood outside in the summer time. 
Fresh seeds germinate very soon, old seed 
often take months. Grow in a temperature of 
50° to 90°, according to kind. Plant tbo Reeds in a 
shallow box filled with sandy earth or in small 
pots plunged in a box of sand ; cover over with 
some sphagnum, cocoa-nut fiber or rough leaf- 
mold to prevent hasty evaporation. Keep the 
earth slightly moist; much wet will rot the 
seeds. Place the seed-box almost anywhere till 
germination appears, then briug it to the full 
light. 
Cost of a Nice Green-Houso. 
A Devoted Deader, Norristown, Pa. . has been 
waiting a long time to see in tho Rural a nice 
plan of a small green-house, and inquires what 
would bo the oost of one, for building which he 
has a apace nine by eleven feet. 
Ans.—“ A nioe plan of a small green-house ” is 
too indefinite: “nine by eleven feet" doesu’t give 
mueh information. If wbat is wanted is a de¬ 
tached building of that size, it will oost much 
more (bau if it adjoins a dwelling on one side, 
and that plan will again exceed iu cost tho con¬ 
struction of one in an angle of the house. The 
first involves four sides; the second, three sides, 
and the last but two. The floor and roof will ho 
about the same iu cither case. Tho first will 
cost about $85, tbo second $05. and the third 
$50. The heating will depend on the exposure 
mid which of the three forms of construction iB 
followed. A Bmall stove is probably, in this 
case, the best and cheapest. A description of 
the manner of makiDg a cheap green-house was 
given by Mrs. Annie L. Jack in the Rural for 
May 11th. 
Locusts and Barberries. 
Mrs. M. A. Rosn, Walla Walla Co., Wash¬ 
ington Ter., asks. 1 . whether she can subscribe 
now for next year's Rural and have the sub¬ 
scription counted towards a cricket, her present 
subscription expiring next fall. She also says: 
“ Last year I planted Box Elder trees as I would 
peas. They grew very fast and by fall were 
much larger than boiuo locust trees which were 
planted at the same time. Locust seed should 
be soaked for a day or two in tepid water before 
plautiug.” This spring she procured Ilouey- 
Loeust and Barberry seeds for hedges, soaked 
the seeds iu warm water and inquires, 2. how 
long it will ho before tho hedge will do for a 
fence. 3. Having heard that the fruit of the 
Barberry is nice for preserves and jelly, she 
wishes to loam when tho hushes will bear fruit. 
, Ans.— 1. Certainly. 2. That depends upon 
care, situation and manner of planting. Wo 
should say five years for tho Looust—six years 
for the Barberry. 3. From seeds different 
plants will vary greatly in tbeir time of fruiting. 
We should say they would average four years. 
Saving Irish Potatoes, 
F. M. Billing , Montgomery Co., Ala., asks to 
be told the best w ay of saving Irish potatoes. 
Axs.—Iu the Northern States they aro easily 
kept by burying them in the ground deep enough 
to keep out tho frost, or they are kept in collars. 
They should be dry when put up and never 
allowed to freeze. They must not be kept very 
warm; keep them dry and cool. For the section 
of country in tho latitude of Alabama the follow¬ 
ing will probably be especially applicable. In 
.spring* or on the approach of warm woathtr, 
• potatoes in the north are takon from the ground 
the cellar and spread in layers not over a foot 
ep, in a dry place—in a barn or under a shed. 
Msey wilt a little when so kept, but this is far 
better than to keep them in a damp or warm 
place as in a cellar where they will soon exhaust 
'themselves by sprouting. 
Grass Seeds for Name. 
TV, A. Whitlemore, Chautauqua County, N. 
Y., says that, last September, a piece of hmd he 
had sown with winter wheat was seeded by him 
to Orchard grass as he supposed. Now, how¬ 
ever, he sends samples of three different kinds 
of seeds gathered from the catch, and asks the 
botanic;. 1 as well as the common name of each 
sort. 
Ans. — }$o. 1. Dactylis glomerata — Orchard 
grass. No. 2. nolcus lanatus—Velvet-Grass or 
Meadow-Soft-Grass. No. 3. Lolium perenne 
—Darnel, Rye-Grass or Ray-Grass. 
Black-Leg In Cattle. 
0. E. French, Wright Co., Ioica, asks 
whether there is any cure for “ Black-leg ” in 
oattle. 
Ans.—A pretty exhaustive article, from the 
pen of D. E. Salmon, D.V.M., on Malignant 
Anthrax, a disease of which black-leg is a com¬ 
mon form, was published iu the Rural as 
lately as May llth; and two weeks earlier, a 
short* notice, by the same expert authority, 
was given of the disease as affeetiug sheep. As 
Wiese articles are of such very recent date, we 
must rofer our correspondent to them. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday, June, 8th. 
G. II. W. — E. F. M.-S. W. J.-M. W. V., thanks 
- J. M. R. — II. G. T. — E. W. S. — 8. R. M., | ! — 
L. A. R.—D. E. B.—J{.—S. B. P.-S. 1\—H. A. VV.— 
“ Subscriber"—W. S. MoE.—A. J.—A. M. Van A.— 
“ A Devoted Reader”—B. P. M,—W. H. O., thanks 
— J. B. T. W. — F. D. C. — M. B. — I. W.— C. D.- 
M. B. P., 1,2 — J. D. — W. H. K. — S. B. P. No. 2- 
D. W. P. -- W. J. B. — B. K. G. — E. & J. C. W., 
thanks. 
(fttegtojjm. 
NORTH CAROLINA NOTES. 
TREATMENT OF CHICKENS ANO CLOCKS. 
The turkey wanted to sit before she had a full 
nest of eggs, and when a week had passed, we 
added a few Hondan hens' eggs. No little turkeys 
mado their appearance and it was hardly profit¬ 
able for a turkey to spend her time in the care of 
only five Hondans. The weather being cold and 
wet, they were placed iu a box by tho kitchen 
stove. The cat and her two kittens chose the 
same lodgings and all slept together until the 
weather became dry and pleasant. Now, the 
chicks run at will out of doors during the day 
and aro thriving better than others that have 
had the care of thoir feathered mothers. I ex¬ 
pect them to be somewhat of a nuisance about 
the house before they are grown. We are feed¬ 
ing our ohickeua coarser meal — corn merely 
cracked—than ever before and are suffering less 
losses. Whole grain iR undoubtedly tho best 
feed when they are largo enough to swallow it. 
Some of our neighbors aro losing their poul¬ 
try by cholera; ours are healthy yet. We had 
our turn laBt year and hope to osoape this sum¬ 
mer. There seems to bo no first oauso for the 
malady, though it appears to bo contagious; no 
preventive and no cure, though wo are feeding a 
little sulphur, thinking it can do no harm and 
possibly may prove beneficial. Will Col. Curtis 
please report, through tho Rural, the result of 
the Guinea-fowl-potato-beetle experiment ? 
When the first cold weather came last winter, 
the old clock, that has done duty for many years, 
refused to run o' nights, aud liually stopped en- 
tirolj. I removed the face and found tho cause 
to ho dirt. It was several miles to a clock tinker, 
and then ho would charge me at least a dollar 
for tbo job. I concluded to uudortako the task ; 
but not feeling competent to put it together 
properly again, if I cleaned each piece separate¬ 
ly, 1 tried another plan. A kettle of boiling 
soap-suds was prepared on the stove, in which 
the works wore boiled for a half-hour, then an¬ 
other half-hour iu clean water; then thoroughly 
dried and a few drops of oil applied, after which 
the olook was replaced in the case and set going. 
Judgiug from results, the work was never better 
done. The old clock knocks off the hours aud 
minutes with as groat precision as when it re¬ 
ceived its yearly cleansing at the hands of a pro¬ 
fessional tinker at tho cost of a dollar or two. 
Caution: Do not boil a wooden clock; the con¬ 
sequences might not be just desirable. 
M. B. Prince. 
-»-»♦- 
NOTES FROM TEXAS. 
Harris Co., Texas, Junol, 1878. 
The weather continues very dry and vegeta¬ 
tion suffers. Gardeners about hero feel dis¬ 
couraged, for this state of things prevents 
them from sowing or planting anything in tho 
line of summer vegetables, to keep up a succes¬ 
sion. This drought does not extend over the 
whole (State, however. Further up the couutry 
crop reports are very favorable. The wheat 
crop, in tho upper counties, is mostly laid by 
and ts reported to have been an extra good one. 
First peaches came to this maiket on tbo 20th 
of May. Early grapes will ripen through this 
month ; I Bqe some Delawares coloring. Toma¬ 
toes are plentiful. Irish potatoes are selling at 
40 cents per bushel; onions at CO cents. 
Pearl Millet (l’enicillaria gpiouta) of which the 
Rural sent mo a sample to try in Texas and 
report on, is seven feet high and is just develop¬ 
ing its seed-spikes, which are from 12 to 15 
inches iu length. Every plant is a mass of 
luxuriant foliago. It was sowed the first week 
of April last, and we have never had a good rain 
since then. Despite tho prevailing drought, 
however, the millet kept growing right along. 
The stool of tho plant throws out new shoots 
constantly, which take the place of old ones when 
out off. The leaves partake more of the succu¬ 
lent character of coru-fodder than of the rigid 
stiffness of somo plants of the millet kind. I 
doubt not it will prove a very valuable forage 
plant, especially in a hot and dry country. 
' _ G. Marti. 
Rockford, la., May 31. 
We are having a great deal of rain here, and 
the weather is cold and backward. It is a hard 
time on corn, and wheat begins to show the 
effects of the excessive wet. A larger area is 
sown to wheat than ever before and less to corn. 
A great many tbiult, because tho winter was so 
warm, the summer will be cold, and did not ven¬ 
ture with corn. Many fields have had to bo re¬ 
planted. All farm products are low; hogs, 
$2.20wheat, 80 cents; corn and oats, 25 cents ; 
butter, 8 cents ; eggB, 6 cents. Times are hard 
aud our National Congress seems determined 
that they shall remain so. w. L. mo-k. 
Barrington, Yates Co., N. Y., June 3. 
Spring commenced about three weeks ahead 
of time after a very mild winter and consider¬ 
able plowing was done and Borne grain sowed 
very early; but. with a few exceptions, the 
early-sowed grain is not looking well, for May 
was very cool. It appears therefore that Bpring 
crops are not so very much ahead after all, but 
winter grains and grass are well advanced aud 
promise abundant crops. w. H. o. 
Atlanta, Ga., June 3. 
Weather warm aud dry, no rain to lay the 
dust since the first of May ; crops suffering to 
some extent. Wheat now harvesting and look¬ 
ing promising. Fruit of all descriptions is very 
heavy. Cotton and corn looking well; sweet 
potato planting delayed in consequence of dry 
weather. Early Dish potatoes ready for digging, 
and early corn in “roasting ears.” Farmers 
well up with their work. No prospect for rain 
yet. Chs. D. 
Bkookston, Warren Co., N. C., Juno l. 
Quite cool here. We expect to hear that you 
of tho north have had another frost, m. n. r. 
Warren Co., N. C., May 27, 1878. 
Yesterday was our first really hot day this 
spring. Vegetation is now growing rapidly; 
warm and frequent showers; wheat a little 
ruBty, If the tales we hoar of frozen fruit at the 
North be true, wo aro sorry for the growers, 
though perhaps we may reap a little benefit from 
their misfortune in the way of better prices for 
our own fruits. m. b. p. 
Springfield, Mass., Juno 4,1878. 
There is a great depression in business in this 
vicioity—worse than in any part of the country 
1 have seen, and my business makes me see a 
great deal of it in many States. l. n. r. 
Ithaca, N. Y., June 4. 
Frost did but little damage here; the fruit 
prospect is fine. I. P. R. 
WHAT THEY SAY OF IT. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK. 
The Rural Cricket to be Withdrawn, posi¬ 
tively, the 1st of July, 
The most Liberal and Valuable Present ever 
offered by any Journal. 
“IT DRIVES AWAY THE BLUES!” 
The clock arrived safe. It fir exceeds my ex¬ 
pectations. Please accept my sincere thanks. 
Spencertown, N. Y., June 3. m. w. a. 
I received the “ Cricket ” on April tho 20th, 
and am well pleased with it. I send you my 
thanks even after so long a delay. s. n. f. 
May 22. 
The clock received all right. We aro very 
much pleased with it. Many thanks for the 
same. r. f. 
Depew vllle, Jefferson Co., N. Y., May 27. 
I received tho clock three days ago, all right. 
I am very much pleased with it. It fully satis¬ 
fies my expectations. Adda L. W. 
IUver Falls, Wls., May 2 S. 
The “ Cricket " was received the 1st of May. 
I wound it up aud it has not varied two minutes 
since, without any regulating. We have con¬ 
cluded it to be the Boss time-piece for the 
money. n. f. h. 
Mlfilln, Ashland Co., Ohio, May 23. 
The Cricket “ a thing of beauty ” has come, 
gladdening tho hearts of tbo office employes, 
aud constantly reminding them of its presence 
with its tick, tack—tick, tack. j. h. h. 
Kaclno, Whs., Juno l. 
I feel (hat I owe you a second acknowledge¬ 
ment of our thanks for the “ Cricket." It keeps 
excellent time now, and has such a cheerful 
crickety sort of a tick that we aro much attached 
to it. Mrs. M. U. 
Bath, Pa., May 18. 
The beautiful little “Cricket” arrived safely 
by express. We tried it for a week but it ran so 
rapidly, gaining two hours in a single night, that 
we were obliged to take it to a silver-smith to be 
regulated. It is now doing well. t. n. r. 
Newport, Ky., May 25. 
The “ Cricket" dock received all right. It is 
a perfect little beauty, looks so cute and cunning ; 
and then it has such a clean, cheerful, pleasant 
face, and dear, distinct voice. It not only keeps 
correct time, but drives away the blues. I am 
more than satisfied with it. e. r. l. 
Nodal la, Mo., May 18. 
Please pardon my dolay in acknowledging 
receipt of tho “ Cricket,” but I wanted to test it 
before doing so. I have found it every thing a 
clock need be. It keeps excellent time, is orna¬ 
mental, and what more could be asked? I feel 
that I have made either a good paper or a good 
clock clear by subscribing for the Rural. 
Washington, D. C., June 3. C. 8. t 
