NOV 44 
■s 
768 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
hot and smoking and exhaling a distinct smell 
of ammonia, there can be no serious loss by 
exposure and whatever trifling loss there may 
be will be less by spreading the manure out 
thinly than by dropping it in small heaps, 
because the spread manure keeps cool and 
stops fermenting. Moreover, soil that isn’t 
mere sand, is a powerful absorber of ammonia 
and will not allow much to escape. In the 
moderate heating of freeh manure humic acid 
is formed, which secures the ammonia from 
loss by evaporation; and if manure is not thus 
moderately heated before being hauled out, it 
would be better to haul it out in cold weather 
before it heats at all By spreading manure 
from the wagon there is a saving of labor, 
and the soluble salts (ammonia, potash, phos¬ 
phates, etc ) are evenly distributed in the soil 
by rain. If a heavy rain falls on manure 
heaped here and there on the field, the 
ground under the heaps receives an undue 
share of the best parts of the manure. 
Where the land is level or not subject to sur¬ 
face wash and where the soil is deep and 
retentive (clay or good loam) or covered with 
grass or Winter grain, the practice of spread¬ 
ing manure in Winter gives good results and 
is advocated by Prof. S. W. Johnson, Sir J. 
B. Lawes and other scientific and practical 
agriculturists; but on bare, light or leachy 
lands there is likely to be too much loss by 
percolation before the crops are able to take 
up the fertilizing matters. 
A CONCRETE MANURE TANK. 
H. F. E. t WiUiamstoum, Vt .—I wish to 
build a concrete tank eight by twelve feet and 
six feet deep under my cow stable, to hold 
liquid manure; how thick should the walls be 
and how should the bottom be made? It will 
be above ground, and in a place where there 
is some frost. 
Ans. —In building tanks and cisterns, the 
shape has very much to do with the character 
of the wall. A 4-inch wall would be strong 
enough for a round cistern when a 12-inch wall 
might be too weak for a square one. The 
pressure of the earth in an underground cis¬ 
tern is a very important element In estimating 
the necessary strength of the wall. So, too, 
a round wall of a certain length will inclose 
more space than a square one; this is shown 
by the following figures, which give the con¬ 
tents of a cistern or tank having such a wall 
as you mention: 
Size. Length of wall. Area. 
8x12 feet. 40 feet. 96 feet. 
10x10 “ 40 “ 100 “ 
18 feet round. 40 " 12294 feet. 
So that a round cistern 13 feet in diameter 
will hold over one quarter more than one 8x12 
feet. Then a tank underground 8x12 should 
have a wall 12 inches thick, while a round cis¬ 
tern 13 feet in diameter will be sufficiently 
strong with a wall six inches thick. The 
bottom of the tank would require only one 
coat of concrete an inch thick and a wash coat 
of cement. If the cistern is wholly above 
the ground it would be as well to make the 
wall of stone laid in cement; that is, if stone 
suitable for a wall can be procured; other¬ 
wise the concrete can be made of one part 
lime, one part hydraulic cement, three parte 
sharp sand and seven parts broken stone. For 
a wall to stand wholly above ground, it should 
be a foot thick and the bottom should be made 
of concrete at least six inches thick. The 
inside should be covered with a coat of clear 
cement mixed with three parts of sand, and a 
finishing coat of clear cement laid on with a 
brush, would be required. The broken stone 
should vary in size, so that the spaces between 
the larger pieces may be filled with the smaller 
ragments. 
give two days’ notice to the tax-payer when 
and where he must work out his taxes, and if 
the latter does not appear when notified a 
penalty is charged of 62 a day of eight hours 
for a man, $3 a day of eight hours for man, 
horse and cart; and $4 a day for a man and 
two horses. The notice must express if the 
tax payer is to provide a horse or horses and 
wagon or plow, etc., etc. The road master is 
obliged to keep the roads in repair and to ex¬ 
pend moneys and labor under his control in a 
proper manner, and if he does not he may be 
prosecuted by complaint made according to 
law. The allowance for work done on the 
roads is made by the road-master or overseer 
as he may think desirable. The duties of the 
road master are recited in the General Road 
Law of the State of New Jersey, as published 
in the Revised Statutes. 
RAISING CELERY SEED. 
“Subscriber." address mislaid. How should 
celery seed be raised? 
ANSWER BY C. «. PARNELL.. 
In order to keep celery with a view of 
obtaining the seed, it is absolutely necessary 
to store it well during the Winter season, and 
this is best done by digging a trench in a well 
drained spot in the open ground. This trench 
should be dug as narrow as possible—not more 
than three inches in width, and of a depth 
exactly the hight of the celery. When the 
plants are taken up, they should be placed in 
the trench in a perpendicular position, and 
packed together as closely aa possible. The 
plants intended for this purpose should be 
permitted to remain in the ground as long as 
possible; in this latitude (about 41 degrees 
north.— Eds ] to the middle of November if 
possible. When the plants are placed in the 
trench, they should be oovered with shutters 
placed in such a manner as to throw off rain. 
On the approach of cold weather covering 
should be gradually applied—hay, straw or 
leaves will answer—but it is an essential point 
to cover gradually. It is well to examine the 
covering occasionally in order to preserve it 
from decay. About the first of March the 
plants can be taken out of the trench and 
planted in acold-frame and gradually exposed 
to the open air. Keep them free from frost, 
yet as cool as possible and plant out in the 
open air as soon as the weather becomes 
settled. As soon as the flower stalks appear 
support them with stakes and gather the 
seed as it ripens. In the event of the plants 
commencing to decay early, it would be well 
to remove them to a cold-frame at once or 
they can be planted in a box of soil, and 
placed in a dry, cool cellar, in a light situ¬ 
ation, care being taken to prevent the soil 
from becoming too wet or dry. But if the 
plants are permitted to remain in the open 
air as long as possible, and the Winter cover¬ 
ing is gradually applied, no danger from rot 
need be apprehended. 
COTTON SEED AND CORN-MEAL BRAN. 
J. P. K., Kerrville, Texas. —1. What are the 
analyses and food values of cotton seed, cotton 
seed meal, and corn meal bran? Can corn- 
meal bran at 25c. per 100 lbs. be advan¬ 
tageously substituted for a part of the follow¬ 
ing ration: 
6 lbs of bay. at 60c per 10* lbs. 
6 lb»- corn fodder. At 70c. per 100 lbs. 
8 lbs. oat straw, at 40c. per 100 lbs. 
2 lbs. corn meal, at #1.80 per 100 lbs. 
8 lbs. wheat bran, at ?5o. per 100 lbs. 
2 lbs. cotton seed, at 50c. per uxi lbs. 
2. What book gives an introduction to the 
“science” of feeding, containing analyses and 
tables of feeding values ? 
Ans. —1. The composition of whole cotton 
seed and that of corn bran are as follows : 
Cotton Seed. 
Corn Bran. 
Corn. 
Water. 
.7.8 
12.0 
14.4 
Ash . 
. 1.8 
2.3 
1.5 
Albuminoids .... 
8.0 
10.0 
Fiber. 
.14.7 
12 5 
5.5 
Carbo-hydrates., 
61.2 
63.1 
Oil. 
4.0 
6.5 
Food value. 
.#1.75 
$1.42 
$1.73 
. Cotton seed and corn bran together would 
make an excellent food. Corn bran alone 
would also be a valuable substitute for the 
more costly feeds mentioned, but the large 
quantity of albumen and oil in the cotton 
seed renders it a cheaper food at 50 cents per 
100 lbs. than the corn bran at half the price. 
By comparing the values of corn and corn 
bran it may be seen that there is very little 
difference in their actual feeding values, 
although a large difference between their 
money values. At the price mentioned corn 
bran could be fed with great economy 
even in place of some of the fodlera. 
A ration consisting, for instance, of 10 lbs. 
of oat straw and 12 lbs. of corn bran would 
be a very cheap and excellent one, costing 
about 9>^ cents a day. 2. Manual of Cattle 
Feeding, by Prof. H. P. Armsby, Ph. D., is 
the best work of the kind published in this 
country. John Wiley and Sons, publishers 
15 Astor Place, N. Y. 
THE AUTUMNAL COLORING OK LEAVES. 
A. L. C., Catonsville, Md. —In R. N.-Y. 
Oct. 21 you say: “But without frost the 
Autumn tints are not so varied or so bright.” 
Are you not wrong in attributing the bright 
tints of Autumn to the effects of frost? Are 
they not due more to the weather that precedes 
the fall of the leaf? Here we have had plenty 
of rain the whole season, and now we are 
having some of the most beautiful colors in 
leaves. I used to think when I found a red 
leaf with a yellow mark on it that it was 
owing to another leaf overlapping it and pro¬ 
tecting it from the frost, but we have had no 
frost yet, and to-day 1 found many leaves 
with the yellow mark and can only a f tribute 
it to the exclusion of sunlight from the part 
so marked, as the red cheek of the apple is the 
one turned to the sun. 
Ans. —We do not attribute the bright leaves 
of Autumn to frosts, only in degree. Our 
woods are now beautiful with varied colors 
and we have not as yet had any fro-1 But 
the colors are more solid and less vivid. There 
is more of the golden and brown color and 
less of the scarlet. Frost hastens Autumnal 
leaf coloring—it does not cause it, except it 
may be, iu a few plants. 
CONCRETE FOR BUILDINGS. 
A. S. S., Danvers, IU. With regard to con¬ 
crete for building purposes, treated of in the 
Rural of August 5, has it been thoroughly 
tested, and would it be suitable for a barn 
basement ? 
Ans. —Concrete has been in use for build¬ 
ings of all sorts, dwelling houses, barns, sta¬ 
bles, basements for many years. The trustees 
of th° fund left by Geo. Peabody, an Ameri¬ 
can banker, for the purpose of building ten¬ 
ement houses for the poor in Loudon, chose 
concrete for the material for these buildings 
as being the cheapest, driest and most 
durable. It would make an excellent barn 
basement and for such a work sand and gravel 
would supply the largest part of the material, 
especially if the gravel is coarse and contains 
a good proportion of Btones as large as pota¬ 
toes or even larger. The proportions should 
be one barrel of lime, one barrel of sand, 
three barrels of gravel and as much broken 
stone as can be mixed in, to be all covered 
with a thin layer of the mortar. If hydraulic 
lime is used, the concrete will set and harden 
more quickly and half as much will do. 
COLLEY DOGS. 
M. C. B., Clarksburg, W. Ya .— What is 
the address of a breeder or importer of Scotch 
colley shepherd dogs; who are dealers in them 
in Scotland? About what would be the cost 
of a good dog? 
Ans.— Colin Cameron, Brickersville, Pa , 
or Wm. Crozier. Northport, Long Island, are 
importers and breeders of colley dogs. We 
see by advertisements in our “exchanges,’’ 
that C. Narin, 16 Leyth St.. Edinburgh, and 
W. F. Jones, Tynyrleol Farm, Neath, Scot¬ 
land, have colley dogs and puppies for sale. 
A good dog is worth $U)0, and a specially well 
trained pair of colleys could not be imported 
under 6250 or 6300. The best strains of dogs 
are naturally trained, and require very little 
education; but all these dogs need some expert 
management or they are not of much use. 
Miscellaneous. 
<S. K. W. , Stamfordville, N. T. —1. How 
did the Surprise wheat yield this year at the 
Rural Farm; which is the better yielder—that 
or the Fultzo-Clawson ? 2. Has the Rural 
tested the Zimmerman, and if so. what does 
the paper think of it? 3. Which is the best 
fertilizer for wheat—phosphate or pure ground 
bone! 4 Is salt injurious to potatoes? 5. 
Which are the best red and black raspberries 
for family use ? 
Ans. —1. Our impression is that every kernel 
was sent out to subscribers. They control the 
stock. It is a grand yielder—better, we think, 
than Fultzo-Clawson. 2. Yes. It is a red 
wheat, early. The heads are small—yield 
light. 8. Pure ground bona is phosphate— 
that is, phosphate of lime chiefly. If super¬ 
phosphate is meant, however, an application 
of this in the Spring would be likely to pro¬ 
duce better results than an application of 
bone, as it is more readily available as plant 
food, and it is then very important that the 
fertilizer should be ready for use at once in 
that capacity; but both are generally good for 
wheat. Excellent results have also been pro¬ 
duced by “ special” wheat fertilizers, as well 
as by those called “complete.” 4. We have 
never used it upon potatoes. We do not know 
of any exact experiments that show that salt 
is valuable as a fertilizer for anything—not 
even for asparagus. 5. We would mention 
among raspberries the Caroline for yellow; 
Turner for early and Cuthbert for late red; 
New Rochelle for purple; for black-caps, Sou- 
began and Gregg. For blackberries, Snyder 
and Kittatinny. 
J. F. N., Norfolk, Va. 1. Can wild mulberry 
trees from the woods be grafted with the 
White Mulberry or other sorts fit for silk¬ 
worm food ? Are the Red and Black Mulber¬ 
ries the same ? 2. What sort of grapes can be 
grafted on Isabellas ? 3. Will Basket Willows 
thrive where salt water rises in high tides ? 
4. What is the Siberian corn sent out as a spe¬ 
cific for chicken cholera by a Western poultry 
paper ? 5. Is the “ Common-sense” incubator 
advertised bv the same party a good hatcher? 
Ans. —1. The Red and Black are not the 
same. You £buld work upon them the White 
or Multicaulis, no doubt, if you do the work 
at the right season. 2. Any grape you choose 
may be grafted upon the Isabella. Grafting 
grapes is an uncertain operation, even to ex¬ 
perienced hands. The best way was described 
in the Rural of March 4 last. The grafting 
may be done either in the Fall or Spring. 
Some prefer one, some the other. It does not 
matter when the cions are put in so long as 
they are alive and iu good condition. We can 
not see why you should take up the roots ex¬ 
cept to throw them away. -3. *We believe not; 
we could not say. 4. A humbug, probably. 
The only “ common sense” incubator we know 
of at present is a hen. 
C. C., Nineveh, N. Y., asks how to make a 
wagon jack. 
Ann.—A good wagon jack is shown at Fig. 
427. It is self- 
supporting, and 
as the weight 
resting upon the 
point of the 
curved end is 
thrown over the 
line of the lower 
pin, the handle 
Fig. 427. when pressed 
down to the pin, is held against it by the 
supported weight. 
Subscriber , Polk Co., Tenn. —What is the 
value of graphite, a thick vein of which has 
lately been discovered in this neighborhood ? 
Ans.— The v-ilue of graphite (plumbago or 
black lead) depeuds altogether upon its quali¬ 
ty. Pure graphite is very valuable for making 
artists’ pencils; the impure mineral is valuable 
proportionately to the degree of impurity, for 
making inferior pencils, stove polish, lubri¬ 
cating mixtures and crucibles. If you send 
a specimen, a more definite reply can be given, 
but not without it. 
T. W., Fountain, South Bend, Neb., 1, Who 
is a reliable breeder of Essex pigs in this part 
of the world ? 2, Why don't such people ad¬ 
vertise in the Rural ? 
Ans.— 1, C. W. Clark, Topeka, Kansas. We 
know no breeder of Essex swine living nearer 
to you; but give your address in full so that 
the desired information may be sent to you 
direct by those who are “better posted” 
about breeders of Essex swine in your section. 
2. We “ give it up”! Price too high perhaps. 
O. W., Evanston, III. —1. How can grapes 
be induced to bear the second year from seed? 
2. To protect my figs from frost, should they 
be taken up and put in tubs, or be placed in a 
trench and covered with litter? 
Ans.— 1, Confine them to one cane the first 
year, by pinching out all buds that appear in 
the axils (that is just above the leaf-stalks) of 
the leaves. 2. We should prefer either plan 
to sending to a greenhouse. 
J. H., Wolf Island, Ont., sends for name 
specimens of wheat known thereabouts by the 
local name of French Spring. 
Ans. —It seems to be the Black-bearded Cen¬ 
tennial, modified by soil or climate. Black- 
bearded Centennial is merely a fancy name 
for an Asiatic wheat of which we know very 
little. It may answer well as a Spring wheat 
with you. We raised itonly asa Winter wheat. 
J. G. F., ScottsvUle, Penn., We save seed 
corn here by hanging up the nicest unhusked 
ears until the grain is wanted for planting; 
is there any means by which the Rural corn 
can be saved in this way, while the correct 
weight, etc., can be sent in to compete for the 
premiums. 
Ans. —We are afraid that it can’t be done. 
f. C. B., Harmon, Me. Who breeds small 
Yorkshire Swine? 
Ans. —We know of no breeder nearer to 
you than C. Iv. Keefer, Cearfoss, Md. 
W. A. Clark. The plant is strange to us. 
The flower was destroyed iu endeavoring to 
trace it. 
In reply to several inquiries as to “what is 
the proj>er treatment of sweeny,” we beg to 
call attention to an article on this subject in 
another column 
Communications Received fob the week Ending 
Saturday, November 4. 
A. L. G.—Joseph McCray, see notice on Ed. page 
last wee*-J. W. P—A. F.-M. W.—E. J. B., good—A. 
L. D-— Clem Auldon-C. Joss—tv. A B.—A. G.—Mrs. 
J. M —T. W F.-E. W. D.-H. S. N„ Itts now too late 
to change the date—L M. F.—J. G. F.—M. C. L., 
answer under Domestic Economy probably—J. a. W. 
-C. W.—W. 8 M.-Mrs. L. H.-W. E. M.-tt. A. E.— 
Arthur Walkes, for the Poor Farm prizes—A. C. H.— 
H. L. Newton, we shall eudeavor to have the plans 
drawn some day. We cannot Just at present.—W. L 
D., thanks—J Crnme, for series—S Shawyer, for 
series—Mrs. T. W. B., for series. All are required to 
send six cents In stamps who apply for the Seed 
Distribution, unless they subscribe in cimnection 
with some other paper that clubs with Rural— H, A. 
Earhart, thanks—A. B. MeC., series—T. C. Burbar 
for series—R. M. Burdick (name Indistinct), for series 
—A. L. J., do.—W. H. Cavanaugh, do.—D. W. C.* 
thanks—R. M. P.—W. M. G.-A. A. B.- J. H. K.- M C 
—D. B. Randall, thank*—W. H. I. 
ROAD MASTERS IN N J. 
G. G., Midland Park, N. J.— I have just 
received my tax-bill for 1883, on a 20-acre 
place, amounting to $24, of which $4 is for 
road tax. This tax has been a sore point with 
me for three years, as I believe it to be excess¬ 
ive and unjustly applied. Nearly all the work 
is done in the vicinity of road-master’s prop¬ 
erty. I expressed my opinion last year to 
him; he informed me that I could not help 
myself; that he could do as he pleased; place 
the work where he pleased, and was not bound » 
even to notify the assessed, but could work 
when he chose and collect assessments. To 
prove his assertion, this year he has not notified 
me that he iu tended to work roads; nor do I 
know of any portion of the roads in the dis¬ 
trict being worked except that,t wo weeks ago, 
after heavy rains, about 50 feet of road di¬ 
rectly in front of his house were badly washed 
out. It took five persons about half a day to 
repair the place. Have I any resource ? Is he 
compelled to notify me what is due of me, and 
say wheu he intends to work the roads ? Can I 
compel him to show where the work was done ? 
Ans. —The statutes of New Jersey provide 
that the taxpayer shall notify the road-mas¬ 
ter of his district of his intention to work out 
his road taxes, giving a written notice within 
20 days after the town meeting. In your 
county the town meeting is held on the second 
Monday in April, Th* road-master must then 
