OCT 21 
749 
THE 'RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
wood of the wounds and bruises, and treat the 
trees as follows, they will improve in a few 
years t Take two pounds of soft soap, such as 
farmers’ wives make; put in a half pound of 
sulphur and a quarter of a pound of sal-soda; 
stir it well, and add sufficient water so that it 
can be put on with a brush on the body and 
large limbs of the tree as thick as it can be 
laid on with a brush. Do it now or during the 
Autumn, and again in the Spring, and for 
three or four successive Springs, Make the 
ground rich with composted manure as far 
out as the branches extend, or farther; also 
use ashes and continue both these remedies for 
three or four years, 
APPLYING PYRETHRUM POWDER. 
c. (& Bro., Pella, Iowa. In reading of your 
experiments with pyrethrum powder in the 
Rural we note you speak of applying it with 
bellows; what kind are they, what do they 
cost and who makes them? 
Ans. —The utensil is known as the Wood- 
ason’s Double-cone bellows, an illustration of 
which is given at Fig. 893. The prices range 
ing or fodder purposes, these double crops are 
useful, because more manure is made through 
them; but otherwise it is a dangerous practice 
to follow unguardedly. 
MAKING STARCH FROM UNMERCHANTABLE 
POTATOES. 
E. T., Armstrong, Kans. This section 
grows potatoes very extensively, but owing 
to indifferent success many of the tubers are 
too small to be salable, and having heard that 
“away down in Maine,” starch is profitably 
made from such unmerchantable potatoes by 
means of a cheap outfit, we would like the 
Rural to furnish all needed information on 
the subject. 
Ans.—I t is quite true that starch can be 
made of potatoes with a very inexpensive out¬ 
fit. AIJ that is necessary is to grate the 
potatoes and to wash the pulp in a series of 
tubs or vats until the starch is separated from 
the lighter fiber. The starch is then drained 
and dried on wire gauze shelves in a room 
heated by a common iron stove. But the 
starch so made is neither of the best quality 
Bellows for Applying Insect Powder.—Fig. 893. 
oly made as by better [ from one to three dollars according to style, 
the one here represented being $2.00. They 
can be obtained of the Woodason Bellows 
Works, 3.612 Kenningtou Av., Phila., Pa. 
AQUATIC PLANTS FOR A CARP POND. 
W. H. C., Springboro\ Ohio.—We have a 
carp pond, and wish to learn what are the best 
water plants to get in it; where they can be 
had and when they should be planted. Would 
the lotus be good, and should it be raised from 
seed or roots ? 
Ans.— The l otuses are good plants for a carp 
pond, both the American (Nelumbium lnteuml 
and the Eervutian (N. speciosum). It is much 
machinery. A well appointed stared iactory, 
with water power and the best kind of machin¬ 
ery, will cost from $500 to $3 000 in propor¬ 
tion to the quantity of potatoes worked up. 
Some factories will use 1000 bushels a day. 
We are preparing an article on this subject 
with illlustrations, which will give all the 
information desired No doubt starch may 
be made very profitably in Ransas and many 
other Western localities. 
GRASSES FOR FLORIDA. 
E. W. J., Tallahassee, Fla—In order to 
try whether the “hay” grasses will thrive 
here, I propose to sow several kinds together, 
for hay and pasture; which would the Rural 
recommend, Red Clover being the basis l Soil 
light; manured heavily this Spring for pota¬ 
toes and now in peas. 
Ans.— It is not likely that you will make a 
success of growing Red Clover. Orchard 
Grass has been grown successfully in the 
South, and it might be better able to resist 
the hot sun in Florida by reason of the greater 
rainfall. We should not like to encourage 
you in trying to make a pasture of the grasses 
used for that purpose in the North. Italian 
Rye Grass and Lucerne are natives of hot cli¬ 
mates; the former, however, loves much 
moisture; the latter stands dry weather bet¬ 
ter, but succeeds with abun lant rain and 
Rvfin with irrigation. Bermuda Grass has 
hardy Nympbicas are excellent for the same 
purpose. N. odorata, N, odorata rosea, N. 
alba, N. tuberosa, N. flava, etc. These are 
also best grown from roots, and the Spring is 
the best time to plant. These plants can all 
be obtained from E. D. Sturtevant, Borden- 
town, N. J. Where ornamental plants are 
not specially desired, it would be well to re¬ 
member that the carp feeds on almost all sorts 
of aquatic plants, such as ordinary pond 
weeds, splatter docks, pickerel weeds, arrow¬ 
head, duck weed, wild rice. etc. 
PAINT FOR TINWARE. 
J. H., Montreal , Canada .—I have a num¬ 
ber of small tiu boxes to paint (bright colors) 
but the paint dries very dull—no gloss at all 
Ib there any special paint for tinware, or 
should I mix something with my paint, or 
should the tins be varnished afterwards to 
produce a gloss! 
Ans.—A paint made of pure boiled linseed 
oil and pure white-lead (which is hard to get) 
makes a fine glossy coating. When turpen¬ 
tine is used the paint is a dead white; that is, 
it has no gloss. The best and most durable 
paint is made of linseed oil and lead without 
turpentine. For painting tin, and getting a 
good gloea you can use a paint of oil and lead 
and one-half coach varnish. This will give a 
bright glossy snrface, and is commonly used 
Where an extra gloss and hard 
Lucerne and Italian Rye Grass, would be the 
surest to experiment with—13 pounds of seed 
per acre of Lucerne and two bushels of Rye 
Grass are usually sown. 
WHEAT AND OAT STRAW FOR FODDER. 
B. S. W., King's Valley, Oregon. Having 
heard considerable discussion as to the relative 
value of wheat and oat straw for cattle feed, 
I desire to know which is the better feed, and 
which really contains the more nutriment. 
Ans,—O at straw is generally believed to be 
a much better fodder than wheat straw. But 
in the German tables of the values of fodder 
the difference does not seem to be so great. 
The following figures show the analyses of the 
two: 
Per cent of Oat Wheat 
stra w. straw 
Water... S 
Ash. ® 9 5- 5 , 
Albuminoids. £5 20 
Carbo-hydrates.......... 88 2 80.3 
Crude ttber. 40,0 48 0 
Vat... 2.0 15 
DIGESTIBLE... 
Albuminoids . 1-4 0.8 
Carbo hydrates and fiber. 40 1 S5.6 
Fat............0.6 0-4 
Comparative value for 100 tt.... 69 cents. 57cents. 
These figures show that oat straw is worth 
about one-fourth more than wheat straw'. Its 
softness, however, renders it more acceptable 
to cattle than wheat straw; and if the oats 
are cut before they are dead ripe, and the 
straw is yet green at the top, no doubt it is 
still more valuable than the above figures 
would indicate. 
SCALE INSECTS IN APPLE ORCHARD. 
F. M. S., Fredonia, N. Y., sends specimens 
of bark and branch of the tree in a 20-year- 
old apple orchard, some of the trees in which 
have died from the attacks of scale insects, 
while others are drooping, and he asks why 
the trees are so infested and a remedy f 
Answer by Charles Downing.—I cannot 
say as to the cause, but if he will scrape off 
the rough bark and clean out all the dead 
for tinware, 
coat are required, varnish is used altogether 
the color being mixed with it by careful grind¬ 
ing on a fiat atone with a muller. 
BUDDING PEACH TREKS. 
J. If. B., Moffet's Creek, Va., asks 1, the 
mode of budding peach trees; 3. when it 
should be done. 
Ans.— l, Buds are procured from budded 
nurseries or young orchards. With a sharp 
knife make a vertical incision in the bark 
about an inch-and-a-half long, and a trans¬ 
verse one at right angles with, and at the top 
of, the vertical one. Cut the bud from the 
cion and slip it flown, into the slit made in the 
bark. With a strong band tie the bud firmly 
in its place, both above and below. The knot 
in the band may come just over the bud when 
it will bear stronger upon it and afford better 
protection. 3. Budding is done in August and 
September in this locality, though it can be 
prolonged until along in October in more 
southerly latitudes. As a rule, it may be done 
as long as the sap flows freely. 
Miscellaneous. 
W. D„ Cortland, N. Y. Last Spring a cow 
was bought with a bunch on one of her knees; 
shortly afterwards, it “broke out” on one 
Communications Received for the week » dins 
Saturday, Oetooer 14. 
A. L. B.-L. L. B.-L. H. R.-T. H. H.-O. F. F.-M. 
L.-J. L. W.-M. E. H.-H. S.—W. P. H., plums not re¬ 
ceived—A. II. G. —Mrs. T. G. T.. thanks F- K P.—A, 
L. j.-J. V -W. S.-A. B. E.-S. H. H —.1, H. S..tranks 
—G. A. A.-A. 0. H.—W. F.—Mrs. T. G. T , thanks - 
O. B. P.—W. M. R.-C. A. G.—D. E A. S.-G. W.C. 
thanks for fruit received all rl«ht-G. G —T H. H— 
R H —E. B. R.-I. J. B.-J. D. Industry, thanks- 
E. C.O.—A. L. J.—T. W. D.. thaDks—J. T. a.—W. G. 
W. Sr., thanks—G. W. G. —D. D.—C. B. P.—W. E. M. 
thanks -F. D. C.-F. R. S.-S. W. R.-F. N. K. 
