APRIL 5 
s 
&b f c (O'dmsl. 
To Inquiring Friends. —We repeat here, 
what was said in our Supplement of March 
15, that In many cases, substantially the same 
questions have been asked bv several persons 
in various parts of the country, aud in each 
case of this sort, the question has been an¬ 
swered only onco. Each inquirer should, there¬ 
fore, read the whole Supplement, so that he 
may not miss the answer to his inquiry. Again, 
we trust this will be a pleasant, and we know 
it will be an instructive task, not only to in¬ 
quirers, but also to all other readers of the 
Rubai.. 
answers to correspondents. 
jjTEvery query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
asking aqliostlon, please sec If It Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
atonettme.] _ 
GERMAN POTASH SALTS; MURIATE OF POTASH 
AND WOOD ASHES. 
A. O. B., Derby, Vt. — 1 . What is the value 
of German potash salts compared with wood 
ashes? Last year a car-load or two of muriate 
of potash aud German potash salts were sold 
here, and the German salts gave such satisfac¬ 
tion that a larger quantity will be used this 
year. They are said to contain from ','3 to 28 
per cent, of sulphate of potash: am I right in 
saying that 25 per cent.—an average per¬ 
centage—of sulphate of potash is equal to only 
13 per cent, of actual potash? If so, potash in 
this form, which costs #19 per ton, costs about 
about 7% ceuts per pound. Is there any 
fertilizing value in the other ingredients of 
the German salts? If potash in the form of 
sulphate costs cents per pound, is that 
iu wood ashes worth more or less, and are 
the phosphoric acid, lime and magnesia in the 
ashes worth anything ? 
ANSWERED BV PROFESSOR 8. W. JOHNSON. 
German potash salts (or kainit) and wood 
ashes are not strictly comparable. Their com¬ 
position is variable, especially in case of ashes. 
An average per cent statement of what they 
contain or supply is as follows: 
Kainit. 
Potash. 12 
Soda. 16 
Lime. 1 
Magnesia . II 
Sulphuric acid. 21 
Phosphoric acid.. 0 
Carbonic acid . 0 
Chlorine. 25 
Wood Ashes. 
7 
1 
35 
5 
1 
o 
25 
hs 
Tho good effect of both these materials, 
when applied to land, may be due to something 
else than the potash they contain; may be due 
to the lime in case of ashes; or to the magne¬ 
sia and sulphuric acid in case of kainit. It is 
an oft-asserted opinion that leached ashes are 
as good as, or better than. unleached as a fertil¬ 
izer, and, as is well known, the former are 
nearly deprived of potash. We ought not to 
buy kainit simply for the potash it contains, 
because potash costs nearly twice as much in 
kainit as it does in muriate. Our inquirer cor¬ 
rectly states that in kainit, at #19 per tou, pot¬ 
ash costs about 7)4 cents per pound, assumiug 
that the other ingredients have no value. Now 
in muriate, potash can be got for 4J^ cents, 
aud as muriate contains 50 per cent, instead 
of 13, the cost of handling the potash is but 
one-fourth as much. Iu kaiuit the potash 
must be regarded as having uo higher agri¬ 
cultural value than in muriate, because in 
both it is associated with chlorine. In fact, 
while iu muriate 50 pounds of potash are asso¬ 
ciated with 37 pounds of chlorine, in kainit 
the same amount of potash is associated with 
110 pounds of clilorine. It is very rarely that 
chlorine has a fertilizing value, because of its 
relative abundance in nature. It is in mauy 
cases a detriment to the soil, and to the crop, to 
apply chlorine-compounds. In high-grade sul¬ 
phate of potash we have u commercially more 
costly, aud, in mauy cases, an agriculturally 
more valuable supply of potash, if, as should 
be the case, the sulphate contains little or uo 
chlorine. 
Iu wood ashes we have potash present as bi¬ 
carbonate, which is, on the whole, doubtless, 
the most favorable form for presenting potash 
to the crop, aud therefore we should be will¬ 
ing to reckon tho money value of potash in 
woodasbtsas high as in pure sulphate—viz., 
seven to eight cents per pound. The other in¬ 
gredients of wood ashes may be compared, as 
to money value, w ith the commercial stand¬ 
ards. The value of lime may be reckoned 
from the cost of quick lime, making due al¬ 
lowance for the expense of its conversion into 
carbonate by exposure to air utter slaking, 
unless, as is oftoD the case, the slaked lime 
may be used directly. In 1880, in reckoning 
the value of u sample of ashes, I found thut, at 
New Haven, potash could be got for seven- 
aiul-a-half cents, lime for one-half cent, mag¬ 
nesia two cents, phosphoric acid seven cents, 
and sulphuric acid for one-half cent per 
pound, respectively. Lime, I understand, now 
osts considerably more; the other ingredients 
are probably obtainable at the above rates, 
but the value must vary with the locality. 
The bushel of unleached wood ashes, weighing 
40 to 45 pounds, cannot usually contain more 
than one pound of phosphoric acid. The an¬ 
alyses in Wolff’s Tables referred to, were most¬ 
ly those of the ash of carefully selected mate¬ 
rial, cleaned of the dirt aud soil that common¬ 
ly adhere to wood andgot into ashes in consid¬ 
erable quantities. The estimate of four pounds 
of commercial potash to the bushel is not far 
from correct’ Commercial potash made from 
wood ashes contain about 80 per cent of pure , 
potash. This would be a little less than three | 
pounds per bushel, or six-and-a half pouuds ! 
per hundred-weight, reckoning the bushel of ! 
ashes at forty-three pounds, and allowing ' 
about one per cent, or half a pound, of potash 
to remain in the leached ashes. The composi- * 
tion of the ashes of spruce-wood aud bark, as 
made on a large scale in stoves aud fire¬ 
places, I do not know, but they are probably 
not much different from other kinds iff wood. 
ing the glass, and can be easily removed to 
clean the glass, so as to let in pure sun-light. 
If eggs are wanted in Winter, it will pay to 
have the house rough-plastered inside. No 
house is complete without plastering. It will 
also keep the place cool in Summer. All 
perches should be on one level, not more than 
two feet high for large fowls and three feet 
for smaller breeds. No inside fittings should 
be permanent fixtures. Perches should rest 
in slots of cross-pieces set in posts. Nests 
should be loose on shelves, quite low, and 
should be covered with sloping boards so that 
fowls cannot roost on them. Plenty of dust, 
quite dry, should be supplied where the sun 
shines on the floor, to induce the birds to clean 
themselves. Such a house will cost more than 
a make-shift, slovenly one; but any one who 
contemplates keeping 100 fowls in one house 
will find it to his advantage to have a house 
that will keep them in health and comfort. 
CHERRIES, APPLES AND PEARS FOR THE 
PRAIRIE 
SOMETHING ABOUT VIRGINIA. 
E. A. W., Almont, Mich. —1. What sort of 
soil has Virginia ? 3. What kind of climate ? 
3. What are the products of the State ? 4. 
Why is land so cheap ? 5. Would it be advi¬ 
sable for Michigan farmers to emigrate to 
Virginia? 
Ans.— 1. The soil of Virginia differs in the 
different parts of the State. The “tide¬ 
water ’ region—that is, that part lying along 
the coast and the rivers as far inland as they 
are affected by the ebb and flow of the tide—is 
mostly a light sand}' soil, overlying a whitish 
loam; easy to work, but badly impoverished. 
That portion lyiug west of this and along the 
base of the mountains called The Piedmont, is 
all the way from quite level, to quite mount¬ 
ainous. The soil is reddish clay loam over- 
lying a clay shale. It has been worked many 
years, and in the hillier portions it is quite 
badly gullied by the rains. Farther west the 
country is quite mountainous and broken: but 
has many fine valleys. Among these !he 
Sheuaudoali has a rich soil, admirably adapt¬ 
ed to the cultivation of cereals—indeed this 
region well deserves its title of “ the granary 
of the State.” 2. The climate of Virginia 
varies greatly in different parts. In the 
“ tide-water ’? portion there are but few days 
when plowing cannot be doue, and stock run 
out most of the year. The Summers are hot, 
and intermittent fevers are common near the 
swampy lands along the coast; but the region 
uear Hampton Roads is very healthful aud 
agreeable the year round. The peninsula 
between the James aud York Rivers is es¬ 
pecially unhealthful during Summer and 
Autumn, but quite salubrious iu Winter. The 
Valley of Virginia has a delightful climate, 
cooled in Summer by its elevation and the 
mountain breezes, and sheltered iu Winter by 
its lofty ranges. In general the climate is 
mild, dry aud healthful. 3. The chief pro¬ 
ductions are garden truck, near the coast; 
wheat, corn, stock, fruit aud tobacco, but this 
is not as largely grown as formerly, 4. The 
land is cheap because much of it is worn out 
and cannot be profitably cultivated except by 
the application of a liberal quantity of ma¬ 
nure, and much of it is “turued out” and 
grown up to “ old-fie’d ” pines, aud, then, so¬ 
ciety is very poor. 5. We could not advise 
Michigan people to emigrate to Virginia, ex¬ 
cept in numbers sufficient to form communi¬ 
ties so they conld have schools aud churches 
of their own. We believe, however, that in 
time Virginia will be a desirable State iu 
which to live. 
POULTRY HOUSES FOR 100 FOWLS. 
“ Subscriber ,” address mislaid. —What 
should be the size and plan of a poultry house 
for 100 fowls? 
Ans. —A house to accommodate 100 fowls 
should be at least 14 by 20 feet on the ground, 
fronting south or southeast, with no open¬ 
ings on the uorth side, and no skylights. 
There should be a large window on the south 
side aud one on each end, quite low, so that tho 
sun will shiue on the floor close up to the win¬ 
dow. This will warm the house in Winter. 
If the house is built on the south side of a hill, 
all the better; or it may be banked up ou the 
north side, which will help to keep out the 
frost iu Winter, and kerp the house cooler in 
Bummer. The building should stand east 
and west. The corner posts should he at least 
six feet, on a stone foundation. The roof 
should be peaked with a veutilator in each 
end close up to the peak, with a hook to fast¬ 
en each open at any desired distance. If these 
ventilators are hinged ou the bottom edge, 
and if the peak of the roof projects over the 
building a foot, the ventilators can be set open 
without letting in rain or snow. The door 
tuay be ou thesouth side, and there should be 
a slat door to be used when extra ventilation 
is wanted iu hot weather. This, with the ven¬ 
tilators, will keep the house cool iu Bummer. 
A frame with opeu wire netting against the 
inside window will prevent fowls from break¬ 
\Y. H. AT., Pay son, III. —1. What varieties 
of cherries, apples and pears will stand this 
changeable climate where the thermometer 
ranges from 100° above to 30° below zero? 2. 
Are cherries grafted or budded on Mahaleb 
stocks as hardy as natural seedlings? 
ANSWERED BY T. T. LYON. 
1 None but Morello varieties of cherries can 
be relied on as hardy in the climate of the 
Prairie States, and even these will be liable to 
an occasional loss of their fruit buds, aud pos¬ 
sibly even of the wood, during very severe 
paroxysms of cold. Early and Late Kentish, 
and perhaps the more recent Montmorency 
Ordinaire, will he as sure as any. Several 
Morello seedlings of D. B. Weir, formerly of 
Illinois, now of Arkansas, were at one time 
thought especially adapted to this region; but, 
more recently, little is said of them. 
Of apples, aside from crabs, those of Russian 
parentage are. as a rule, the most hardy. The 
Oldenburgh. and the Wealthy—a seedling 
from it—also Edgar Red Streak, are very 
hardy. Ben Davis, Willow Twig, and even 
Fameuse and Jonathan, are recommended 
by some persons. A recent Illinois seedling— 
the Salome—(described and engraved in the 
] Fair Number of the Rural) is said to be very 
hardy and exceedingly productive. 
I There is less difference in the hardiness of | 
varieties of pears; but with reference largely | 
to the character iff the trees, in this particu- I 
lar, I name Sterling. Flemish Beauty, Seckel | 
and Beurre d’Anjou. 
2. Cherries worked on the Mahaleb, or on i 
any dissimilar stock, will, I think, from that 
■ cause alone, lose something of their vigor, 
and, as a consequence, of their capacity to 
withstand hardship. 1 would not, in the trying 
climate of the prairies, plant cherry trees 
! worked on any other than Morello stocks. 
: Seedling trees are generally considered to be 
hard ier than the same variety budded or gra ft- 
e 1 , no matter on what stock. 
A ROOT INFESTING INSECT. 
II. P., Archer. Fla .—A disease attacks the 
roots of mulberry trees here, as well as those 
of egg plants and tomatoes. Plum, pear and 
orange roots do not seem to be affected. It is 
particularly severe on the egg-plant, 
which, when attacked, stops fruiting. I have 
tried lime, salt aud wood-ashes separately and 
combined, in vain. I inclose a specimen of a 
affected root; is there any remedy? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. C. V. RILEY. 
The disease of the roots is caused by the 
presence of a multitude of whitish worms, not, 
or hardly, perceptible with the naked eye, and 
which, under strong magnifying power, show 1 
an unmistakable resemblance to the famous 
Trichina spiralis. They belong to the genus | 
Auguillula, of the family Nematadte, but it 
would be difficult to say to what particular 
species, as those worms have not yet been stud¬ 
ied in our country. Then- life history reinains 
also very obscure, but, from the few observa¬ 
tions made, it appears that the eggs are laid 
iu the ground aud that the young worms enter 
the roots where they undergo a series of meta¬ 
morphoses before reaching the perfect, i. e., 
sexuate, foim. The impregnated female 
leaves the root to oviposit iu the ground. 
Still less is known regarding remedies. 
Rotation of crops has been tried with suc¬ 
cess and lias stopped the ravages of the 
Auguillulas in several instances. Plants 
once infested with the worms cannot l>o saved, 
aud whether disinfection of the soil, say by 
means of naphthaline, coal tar. or similar sub¬ 
stances, would be of any benefit, remains un¬ 
certain in the absence of practical experience. 
I have received similar specimens, forming 
rook swellings ou a large number of different 
plants during the past ten years, and the work 
of this pest is often mistaken for that of the 
Phylloxera. 
BREAKING A NEGLECTED COLT. 
E. P., Auburn, N. Y .—The education of my 
year old colt has been so neglected that he ! 
221 
has become so wild that I cannot get a halter 
on him; how can I halter aud break him? 
Ans. —Put him in a large box stall or small 
pen in*the barn-yard, so that he is dependent 
on you for food aud drink, and so that he 
j can’t get very far away fmm you. At feed¬ 
ing time approach him gently with a dish of 
oats, shorts or something that he loves, and 
persevere till you can get him to eat from the 
dish before you give him any other food. Do 
this each day, gradually getting nearer to him 
each time, till he will let you put your hand 
on his neck and caress him. W hen he will do 
that, the battle is half won. Persevere, get¬ 
ting more and more free with him. until you 
( can put a head-piece of a five-ring halter on 
him, having about one foot of strap at¬ 
tached with a ring in the end, all being stout 
enough to hold him when the time comes. 
Let him wear this continually, and each time 
when he is eating your oats, take hold of the 
leading piece and gently pull it enough so he 
knows you have bold of it; but don’t try to 
control him for several days. You should 
first secure his perfect confidence, and, above 
all things, you most not get angry with him 
or speak a harsh word. This treatment for a 
very few days will so tame him that he will 
stand when you hold the halter. Then have 
a leading part with a snap iu the end, which 
}-ou can snap into the ring on the end of the 
piece attached to the halter. The main thing 
is to let the colt understand what you wish 
him to do, and to reward him for doing it. Of 
course, 3 'ou can break him much quicker with 
a Rarey cord; but by the latter he would be 
controlled through fear, by the former 
through love, and love is much the stronger 
and more lasting. 
MANAGEMENT OF FARM MANURE. 
(7. W. T., Otsego, TFis.—Which is the better 
way, to throw manure and straw from the 
stable in a pile so that it will ferment in the 
pile, or to spread it in the yard and^haul to 
the field and let it decompose'iu the field amid 
the growing crops? 
Ans. — It depends upon circumstances. 
Many good farmers believe that it is better to 
spread the manure in the fields as fast as it is 
made in late Fall, A'inter, and early Spring. 
If the lands are level, or their slopes are only 
moderate, this is both the easiest and the 
safest way; easiest, because the manure has to 
be handled but once, and at a time when farm 
work does not drive; safest, because with the 
manure once on the ’and, there is little or no 
danger of loss of an}' of its fertilizing constitu¬ 
ents, from rain. The latter may wash it, but 
only to cany what plant food is leached out 
directly into the soil beneath, where it is safe¬ 
ly locked up till the growing crops in Spring 
are ready to feed upon it. On the other hand, 
if the manure is kept in the yard, it must be 
taken care of. Unless the bed of the yard is 
well nigh water-tight, and slopes inward from 
all sides, the manure shonld not be spread out 
in it; nor should it, if spread out, be allowed 
to get dry. If stored in the yard at all. it is 
best to pile it up, to keep the pile moist, even 
at the cost of pumping water over it if neces¬ 
sary sometimes, so that it will not become 
overheated; and it should be protect edfrorn 
washing rains. All this makes care and trou¬ 
ble ; hence the other way is better for farmers 
who don't want such trouble. 
TROUBLE WITH A MARE. 
N. R ., Lafayette , Ind .—1. Since Summer 
my mare has voided very little; she flinches a 
little when her back is pressed, and moves her 
hind legs as if she had spring-halt when play¬ 
ing in the field, but not when driven on the 
road. I cannot move her around in the stable, 
as her hind legs refuse to move. When she is 
pat ou dry feed the worst symptoms appear. 
What should be the treatment? 2. Is chaff 
proper feed for horses and other live stock? 
Ans.— 1. It is quite possible that wheat 
chaff may be at the bottom of this trouble. If 
there was any smnt in it and the mare has 
been fed with it, this would lie sufficient to 
account for it. Smut or mildew has an ex¬ 
ceedingly irritative effect upon the kidneys 
aud bladder. The treatment should be to give 
a pint of linseed oil at once, aud repeat it the 
third day. Then give a bran mash with a 
quart of linseed iu it, steeped in boiling water 
until nearly cool, daily for several days. Cse 
no saltpeter iu any way, nor any other diur¬ 
etic. Foment the loms with a bag of cut 
hay or chaff steeped iu hot water, wrung out 
and bound on under a blanket. After three 
or four days, apply a mustard poultice in a 
cotton bag under the hot chaff bag. Let the 
mare rest until recovered. Continue the mash 
once a day as regular food for some weeks. 
FEED FOR YOUNG PIGS: TOBACCO GROWING. 
D. B. J/., Lincoln, Neb .— 1. What is the best 
feed for a sow suckling pigs, in the absence 
of milk? What is the best feed for pigs during 
aud after weaning time? 2. Can tobacco be 
grown in Nebraska, and how should it be 
raised? 
Ans. —1. Barley ground iuto meal is the 
