OCT. I© THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
grubs eating the roots. Hay is a large crop, and 
it was saved in good order. Potatoes are a poor 
crop. ,T. H. M. 
Burr Oak, la., Oct. 5th, 1878. 
The wheat crop ovor a large section of north¬ 
ern Iowa and sonthorn Minnesota is nearly a 
total failure. There are thousands of acres not 
cut, and a great deal of what was out does not 
pay for harvesting and thrashing. Oats are 
rather a light crop; corn a trifle extra good. 
Cattle and hogs are cheap; farmers all feel 
poor. h. o. B. 
Poquonook Bridge, Conn., Oct. 2 , 1878. 
Corn was largely planted hereabouts, and a 
good crop is nearly ready for the harvest. Po¬ 
tatoes are a fair crop. Apples are middling, 
both in quantity and quality; the majority of 
orchards are badly infested with the codling 
moth, causing the fruit to fall prematurely. 
m. w. 
Lawrence, Van Buren Co., Mich., Sept. 25. 
Seeding hereabouts is almost over. Corn is 
from fair to good; wheat was a good orop, aver¬ 
aging 20 bushels per acre. Potatoes are poor 
in thiB section, owing to bugs and blight. 
f. k, c. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Ground Bone, Phosphate of Lime and Superphos- 
phat e. 
H. 0. Ellington, Henry Go., Ohio, inquires, 1. 
What are the fertilizing ingredients in bones, 
phosphate of lime and superphosphate ? 2. 
What is tho difference botween the three ? 3. 
How is superphosphate prepared ? 4. What are 
the chief sources of phosphate of lime ? 
An s.—1. The chief fertilizing ingredient in 
bones, phosphate of lime and superphosphate, is 
the phosphoric acid they contain; of considerable, 
though of less importance, are: 1. The nitrogen 
contained in the organic matter of bones, which 
is preserved in bone superphosphate made from 
raw bones. 2. Tho lime in the phosphate and 
carbonate of Jimo wbicli, in both cases, is con¬ 
verted into sulphate of lime or gypsum in the 
process of making superphosphate. 3. The 
small proportion of magucBia which serves as a 
base in the phosphate of magnesia. 
2. The difference between the three may, per¬ 
haps, best bo shown by giving an analysis of 
each, The composition of bones varies some¬ 
what according to the kind of animal from 
which they ara taken, its age and their exposure 
to the weather; but raw, ground bones, such as 
are ordinarily employed for manure, contain 
about tho following ingredients : 
Phosphate of lime and magnesia.. so per cent. 
Organic matter, gelatine and fat. 80 •* •' 
Water. 10 “ “ 
Carbonate of lime. 6 “ *' 
Sand and impurities. 4 " “ 
100 
Phosphate of lime contains : 
Phosphoric acid. 45 81 " “ 
Lime. 54.19 “ " 
100 
Superphosphate of lime contains : 
Phosphoric acid. 71)$ '* '* 
Lime. 28)$ “ 
100 
The superphosphate of commerce, however, 
contains several other ingredients, the propor¬ 
tion of which varies considerably in the product 
of different manufacturers, but, according to 
Pusey, tho unadulterated article should contain 
about: 
Soluble phosphate and superphosphate of 
lime. 40 per cent. 
Sulphate of lime or gypsum. 20 " “ 
Animal matter. 20 “ “ 
Water. . 20 “ •• 
100 
Of this, according to Ville, from 15 to 18 per 
cent, should bo phosphoric acid, while Prof. 
Johnson puts the amount at 24 per cent. 
It will bo seen, therefore, that bones contain, 
in addition to phosphate of lime, a small pro¬ 
portion of phosphate of magnesia—a valuable 
fertilizer—a considerable qnantity (from 2 to 4 
per cent.) of nitrogen—for most crops tbo most 
valuable of all fertilizers—and six per cent, of 
carbonate of soda—whioh is insoluble iu water, 
and therefore of no use to plants unless decom¬ 
posed by the other ingredients iu the soil. The 
phosphate of lime in the bones is very slowly 
soluble In water, but the more finely tho bones 
are gronnd, the moro accessible are the particles 
to the decomposing action of tho other ingred¬ 
ients of tho soil, and consequently tho more 
quickly is tho phosphate rendered soluble, and 
thus made available as plant food. 
3. Superphosphate is made by treating either 
raw, steamed or burnt bones finely commuted, 
with diluted sulphuric acid. Tho proportion 
of acid most desirable to employ depends on 
the state of the bones and the strength of tho 
acid. Steamed and burnt bones require less than 
those that are raw aud the more fluely all kinds 
are ground and the purer the aoid, tho loss of 
It will be needed. The pure concentrated acid 
has a speoitio gravity of 1.830 to 1.850 and from 
this standpoint the relative strength of the arti¬ 
cle to be used can be ascertained. Of the kind 
generally sold it would require at the rate of 
52 pounds of the acid to convert 100 pounds of 
phosphate into superphosphate ; or, in other 
words, a trifle over one-half the weight of bone 
is the proportion of acid required to accomplish 
the desired end. Tho quantity of water with 
which the acid should be diluted varies with 
the method of manufacturing, but it is a safe rule 
to add to it twice its balk of water before mix¬ 
ing it with tho boue. The sulphuric acid at 
once attacks the carbonate of lime, decomposes 
it, liberating the carbonic acid and uniting with 
the lime, in proportion of 46.51 parts of acid to 
32 56 of lime, takes into chemical combination 
20 93 parts of water and all together form sul¬ 
phate of lime or gypsum. 
Having thus got rid of the small proportion 
of carbonate of lime in the bone, the acid attacks 
the phosphate of lime, having a greater affiuity 
for the lime combiued with the carbonic acid 
than for that combined with tbo phosphoric aoid. 
Taking away from tho phosphate of lime two- 
thirds of its lime, it combines with the latter 
in the same proportion as with the lime from the 
carbonate of lime, and, in the same way, forms 
gypBnm, while the one-third of the lime atill re¬ 
maining combined with the orginal propor¬ 
tion of phosphoric acid, forms a new combina¬ 
tion known by the name of biphosphato or su¬ 
perphosphate which is readily soluble in water, 
and which, united with the gypsum from the 
carbonate and phosphate of lime, tho organio 
matter, water etc. which were in the boues, con¬ 
stitutes the bone superphosphate of commerce. 
The methods of preparing it at the different 
factories vary somewhat, but the principles and 
processes are here briefly condensed. 
4. Until recently all the phosphate of lime used 
for agricultural purpoaos was of organic origin, 
derived from bones; but of late the use of 
phosphate from mineral souroes has been rap¬ 
idly increasing until it is not improbable that 
in the world to-day more of the latter is used 
than of the former. The chief sources of min¬ 
eral phosphate of lime are: 1. Apatite, or phos¬ 
phorite, which was first discovered in Cornwall, 
Cumberland, and many other parts of Englaud, 
but later has been found abuudautiy in Germany, 
and in many other parts of Enropo. It usually has 
the form of six-sided prisms of a greenish color, 
and contains a varied proportion of phosphoric 
acid, from 7 2 to 26 92 per cent, according to 
Prof. Way, and Dr. Gilbert. 2. Ooprolite, the 
petrified dung of extinct animals, chiefly oarniv- 
erous reptiles, first found in Suffolk aud Nor¬ 
folk, England, and since then iu many other 
parts of the world. Some of this aualyzed by 
Prof. Honslow, eontaiued from 40 to 60 per cent, 
of phosphate of lime; while Prof. Way found 
in other specimens 29.87 per cent of phosphoric 
acid, equal to 81.31) per cent, of bone earth phos¬ 
phate. 3. Phosphoric rock fouud very exten¬ 
sively in South Carolina, also in tho chalk for¬ 
mation iu tho south of England, and probably 
elsewhere. A good deal of this contains about 
tho same proportion of phosphate of lime as 
bones do, but like all tho other phosphoric min¬ 
erals, it is, oT course, destitute of any nitro¬ 
gen. 4. Mineral bone earth fouud in Estrama- 
dura, Spain, in pure specimens of which Dr. 
Daubeny and Capt. Waddington found as much 
as 37 per cent of phosphoric acid. 5. Many 
phosphoric marls also yield phosphato of lime 
in different proporlious. 
Before these substaucos are used, thoy are, as 
a rule, either reduced to powder aud used as 
grouud bones ; or, better still, treated with sul¬ 
phuric acid, so aB to form superphosphate of 
lime, The resultant preparation is reported to 
bo generally as valuable a fertilizer as commer¬ 
cial superphosphates, theinfiueuce of tho nitro¬ 
genous ingredients of the latter on certain soils 
having been deducted. This mineral super¬ 
phosphate is also used iu combination with bone 
superphosphate and the resultant preparation is 
highly spoken of. The following is an analysis 
of a good mixturo of the kind. 
Soluble phoshate of lime.23 to!25 per cent. 
Insoluble phosphate.8 “ 10 *' " 
Water.16 ” 13 ” 1 2 3 ‘ 
Sulphateoflime...35 “ 45 “ “ 
Organic matter ...13 " 16 " “ 
NitroKen....0.75 " 1.6 ” 
Tho Cabbage Fly. 
IK. B., Heart's Content, Newfoundland, says: 
“ During the present summer in nearly all the 
gardens round about here, the cabbage aud 
cauliflowers have been destroyed in large num¬ 
bers by a white maggot that eats away the roots. 
The maggot appears to be of tho same spooies 
seen in putrid meat etc. Lime aud soot don’t 
seem to have any effect upon it. It can hardly 
bo the mauuro that has convoyed the pest into 
tho land, as I have used guano only this year 
on one plot; aud they appear as bad there as in 
other parts of the garden whore stablo manure 
was used. Is there any remedy, or if not, how 
cau I prevent it from doing mischief next 
season ?” 
Anh —The white maggot is evidently the 
larva of the Europoan Cabbago Fly, an insect 
now widely distributed in this country, aud well 
known in mauy localities from the amount of 
damage it has done. 
This Cabbage Fly (Anthomyia brassies*) is 
an ash-gray, two-winged fly, resembling the 
common house fly, but a little smaller. The 
body is covered, though not very thioky, with 
coarse, black bristles. Besides these the body 
has several black marks which are arranged as 
follows: one on the head ; three stripes on the 
thorax, running lengthwise along tho body; and 
one longitudinal stripe on the abdomen, with 
black transverse stripes between the joints. 
There are two other closely related species in 
this country, the Onion Ely (A. coparum) and 
the Radish Fly (A, raphani) that are injurious 
insects very closely resembling this one, besides 
a number of other species of whose early history 
but little is kuown. 
The female fly deposits, ou the plant, eggs 
which produce maggots that resemble those 
seen in putrid meat, save that the large end of 
the body is flattened and somewhat fringed or 
margined along the sides with minute teeth. 
These bore into and erode the roots of cab¬ 
bages and oauliflo wore from the time they are 
set out as yonng plants till tho time to harvest 
th 6 m in the fall, if they do not appear in such 
numbers as to kill the plants earlier. Successive 
broods follow each other as the older reach ma¬ 
turity, and consequently thoy are not carried to 
the ground in the manure. A comparison of 
these maggots with those found iu stable man¬ 
ure would have shown that they were different. 
When the maggot reaches maturity it changes 
to a chestnut-brown chrysalis iu tbo old mag¬ 
got skin. After remaining dormant in this 
state about two weeks, the fly, or perfect in¬ 
sect, emergos. 
Where these flies have become so thick as to 
do considerable damage in a large community, 
extermination caunot be well attained without 
a concert of action on the part of all in the com¬ 
munity, whioh it is presumed is next to impos¬ 
sible. Sifting fine tobacco on the loaves has 
been recommended as a preventive romedy, 
the dust being so distasteful to the fly that she 
will not alight on the plant to deposit her eggs. 
This may be in the form of Scotch snuff, and 
should be repeated as often as the wind or rain 
removes it. It is possible that a solution of 
carbolic acid in water, weak enough not to kill 
the plants, if poured round the roots, may de¬ 
stroy the pests. 
How to Register. 
W. C., Jr., Trappe, Talbot Co., Md., in¬ 
quires how to get a bull out of an imported cow 
aud by a registered bull, registered. 
Ans. —We presume he has Jersey stock which 
is usually spoken of as registered ; breeders of 
other kinds of cattle say recorded in the Herd- 
book or, recorded, simply. Now, it may be that 
the progeny of a registered bull, though out of 
an imported cow, cannot bo registered in the 
Ilord Register of the American Jersey Cattle 
Club, but that is hardly probable. The dam 
must, however, first be registered, and to do 
this there must be documentary evidence of her 
importation, naming the importer, the ship she 
came in, the port she landed at, and the date of 
importation. Blanks are given to be filled out 
and verified. After this, her progeny by regis¬ 
tered bulls may also be registered, provided they 
can bo described, the date when dropped given, 
the breeder named, and the presont or last 
owner named. It costs ?3 each to register liv¬ 
ing animals, $1 each to register dead ancestry. 
Application for blanks may be made to Col. 
Geo. E. Warino, Secretary of the Jersey Cattle 
Club, at Newport, R. I. 
Club-root in Cabbages. 
L. N. 11., Petersville, Pa., asks for a remedy 
or preventive of Club-foot iu Cabbages. 
Ans. —This evil is due to the Anthomyia bras- 
Bicffi or Cabbage Fly, treated of in another part 
of this department. In addition to the remedy 
there suggested. Dr. Harris recommends that 
boiling water should be thrown on the infested 
plants, a treatment which, according to him, 
will kill the larv» without injuriug tho plants. 
This, however, lias not proved a satisfactory 
remedy. Another preventive is never to grow 
Cabbages two years iu succession in ground on 
whioh this disease is liable to ocour. It is found 
tbat plants raisod in soils rich in lime are but 
little affected by Club-root, and ou this account, 
as well as from actual experiments with the use 
of lime ou other soils, there is little doubt that 
lime acts as a check ou tho insect. The most 
effective way of using it, according to some, is 
to apply about a tablespoouful of caustic shell- 
Jime to eaoh plant, by removing a little earth 
from arouud tho stem, putting on the lime and 
then replacing the soil. If a little bone-dust is 
scattered over the plant it will add to its chances 
of freedom from the pest. 
Miscellaneous. 
Yj. B. Wheeler. Bibb Go., 6a., inquires where 
he oan purchase oil-cake for his cows. 
Ans.— Cotton seed-cake cau be bought, by 
the ton, of pressers in New Orleaus, Memphis, 
Atlanta, and almost all large Southern cities. 
In many of tho smaller towns, too, there are 
makers of cotton-seed oil and cako. Linseed 
cake can be had of pressers in Louisville and 
St. Louis and iu other places. Both are usually 
for sale in the feed stores of large towns, and 
if these haven’t them on baud, they will pro¬ 
cure them to order or refer au inquirer to the 
next dealer of whom they oan be bad, It is 
6S7 
always best to purchase such goods as near 
home as possible, to save freight, and we do 
not know any dealers in them in the neighbor¬ 
hood of our correspondent. The decorticated 
(hulled) seed cake is tho best for cows. Feed 
from half a pint to a pint of the cake (ground) 
in a quart of corn-meal twioe a day to each 
cow. 
A Subscriber, Norfolk, Ya., says that he has 
lost bis entire crop of Swedes by the ravages of 
ants that gnawed the roots as soon as the leaf 
had attained mnch size, aud be asks whether 
there is any remedy or preventive. 
Ans. - -The details given here are not sufficient to 
enable us to come to a satisfactory conclusion as 
to the insect enemy that has destroyed this crop. 
It is not likely that the loss of the turnips was 
due to ants ; hut their presence indicated that 
other inseot enemies were there at work. Some 
dipterouH insects, as the flower flies (Anthomyi- 
adie), in the larval state, infest the roots of tur¬ 
nips, etc., eating also the pulpy partB of tho 
leaves and stems. 
P. H. Ji., Clarence Center, N. Y., asks where 
can dynamite be purchased; how is it sold, and 
if it is sent by mail. 
Ans. —Dealers in this explosive, here iu New 
York, will not retail it to people in the country, 
owing to the difficulty iu sending it to them. 
The U. S. Mails do not carry explosives, and 
even express companies do not care to carry 
small occasional packages of this one. The best 
way in which those living m the country can 
procure it, is through the nearest dealer in guns 
and gnupowder. If these haven't it on hand, and 
they rarely have, they can in most cases procure 
it much more easily than those not in the trade. 
Van, Brown Co., Ww , asks what is the best 
grass or grasses for a wet pasture, where much 
of the natural growth of timber is still standing 
—soil, a black loam ou clay snbsoi). 
Ans.— June-gra 8 s (Poa pratensis) and Red 
Top (Agrostie vulgaris) are best suited for such 
situations ; but if “much of the natural growth 
of timber is still standing,” a large or even a 
good crop cannot bo expected. 
Mr8. H. E. Faulkner, Waukesha Co., IKis., 
Asks whether Glaucium luteum is an annual or 
perennial; hardy or not. 
Ans: Glanoiam lateum is a hardy perennial. 
Mrs. Geo. B., Chula, Va., says she has two 
plants of Eryngium Leavenworthii grown from 
seed sent her by the Rural last spring, and she 
does not know whether thoy will boar winter 
out-of-doors in that locality or whether it would 
bo necessary to remove them into the house. 
They show no signs yet of blossoming. 
Ans. —Eryngium Leavenworthii is an annual. 
Its loaves and inflorescence turn at this time a 
bright purple of striking beauty and they may 
be preserved for winter bouquets for a long 
time. Onr friend must refer to some other 
plant. 
Walter Seoerly, sends a small piece of a plant 
given to him as “ Egyptian Corn” bat which he 
knows to be some sort of Sorghum, and he wishes 
to loaru whether it is a commou variety. 
Ans.— The specimen, is without any doubt, a 
variety of Sorghum vulgare. There are several 
varieties of this, however, so closely resembling 
each other that it is impossible for ns to tell to 
which sort so small a speoimen belongs. 
Alien and Voice, East New York, L. /.—The 
plant is Faons vesicnlosus, belonging to tho 
Algie family. It is sometimes called “ Bladder- 
weed,” “Sea-weed,” “ Sea-wraok. It is easily 
known bv its olive color when fresh and its strap¬ 
shaped, brandling parts, beariog air-bladders, 
here and there, by which it is floated in the 
water. It is used for manure and also for tho 
manufacture of kelp and as a source of iodine. 
It is tough and leathery, somewhat like India- 
rubber. 
A. 36 6., Savannah, Ga., asks: (1.) Why arc 
the holes of flower-pots covered with a shell or 
piece of pottery ? 
Ans. —The hole in the pot without which the 
water would becomo stagnant, is for drainage. 
The piece of crock is to prevent the soil from 
clogging it. 
(2.) Will wooden kegs in which paint has been 
contained, injure plants ? 
Ans.—N o ; not if dry. 
K. 1). A., Tecumseh, Mich., asks how to treat 
Verbenas when taken from the garden and 
placed in the cellar, and what care should be 
given them through the winter. 
Anh.—I f placed in soil and kept moderately 
dry in a cold cellar—though not so cold as to 
freeze—they will winter very well. 
IK. H. Mann, Camden Co., N. J., asks how 
be oan rid his Cauliflowers of worms. 
Ass.—By pouring upon them nearly boiling 
water. Or see other answers. 
Communications received for the week ending 
Saturday, Octber 12th : 
“ Hose Geranium M. C. W.—T. U. H.—W. V. 
—C. C. B.—L. J. T.—W. M. H.—G. C. G.—Dr. I. A. T. 
—N. P. C.—E. Y. T.—H. B. N.—A. M. Y.-A.— 
R. H. C.-M. 0„ in time—I,. E. J.—E. L. ^—“Jen¬ 
nie Joy ”—i. j. W.—An Old Subscriber—J, P. R.— 
J. W. L.—J. B. MoK— W. and C.—E. M.—“ A Tired 
Rouse-keeper ”—M. W.—A. W. M.—Eva F.dgertou 
—J. E. McC.—“Giantess”—“Fern Leaf”—Emily 
—p. a. F.—s. s., grapes received—J. H. M.—j. s. 
H. C. H,-F. D. C.-G. L. S, 
