§M 
APB1L IS) 
£he Querist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
UEvery qnorj’ must be accompanied bv the name 
and address oft tie writer tn insure attention. Before 
asking aquesllon, please sec if it Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one tltno.3 _ 
black-knot: potatoes and oats as stock 
EKED. 
,7. S., Evansbnrgh, Pa. —1. What is the 
cause of and remedy for knots on the small 
branches of my cherry trees? 2. Are potatoes 
at 35 cents a bushel cheaper feed for horses 
and cows than oats at 40 cents ? 
Ans. —1. The black-knot generally appears 
first on tbe younger twigs and branches; it is 
a parasitic fungus growth, feeding ou the 
juices ot the tree, and is conveyed from one 
tree to another by its light spores tha arc 
easily borne on the wind. The only sure way 
to exterminate the disease is with tiie knife— 
cutting off each affected branch five or six 
inches below, and burning it. Where the 
knife cannot be used it has been suggested 
that kerosene oil might be carefully applied 
as an experiment. The same disease can ap¬ 
pear also, and should be fought with just as 
much vigor, ou any wild plum or cherrry tree 
in the neighborhood, or else it will do little 
good to attempt to kill it out of the more valu¬ 
able cultivated trees.. 2. A bushel of pota¬ 
toes, weighing about (50 pounds, contains only 
about 15 pounds of dry substance; all the rest 
is water, and, of course, worthless for fodder. 
A bushel of oats, on the other baud, weighing 
about 33 pounds, contains only about four 
pounds of worthless water, aud 38 pounds of 
solid, dry substance, or almost twice as much 
ms th’e potatoes, while costing only one-ninth 
more. Moreover, each one of the 28 pounds 
of the dry substance of the bushel of oats is 
worth very much more for nourishing an ani¬ 
mal than each of the 15 pounds of potato dry 
substance—one might almost say at least 
twice as much. But neither is a wholesome 
fodder by itself; the oats are too rich, aud the 
potato is too poor. Ou feeding potatoes to 
horses there is very little recorded experience. 
Two quarts a day will enliven a horse wonder¬ 
fully, and perhaps would do no harm to a 
mare with foal. 
MANAGEMENT OF SWINE. 
R. R. S., Walworth Co., H’ts.—How can we 
best manage our present crop of hogs during 
Spring and early Summer, and how can we 
get the earliest green feed for them, as corn is 
scarce and dear? 
Ans.— Hogs which have been wintered, will 
not only live, but thrive on grass or clover 
pasture. They can be kept along on such pas¬ 
ture without other food until spring grain is 
ripe. Peas are the best feed for hogs, and 
these will be ready in about 2)< months after 
sowing. Barley is next best of tbe spring 
grains, ami will mature sooner than the peas. 
Early sweet corn can be utilized to good ad¬ 
vantage, to be followed by later varieties, aud 
fed stalks and all. and the hogs will eat it with 
great relish. There are more fattening prop¬ 
erties in sweet corn-stalks than most people 
suppose. With the above auxiliaries hogs may 
be kept growing through the Summer, and be 
fattened without any corn. Youngpigs, how¬ 
ever, will require something more than pas¬ 
ture, Wheat middlings, or ground oats with 
the hulls sifted out, and slightly fermented, 
will make the best kind of food for pigs. 1 he 
hulls of tbe oats are excellent for the ealves 
or cows. If sows are suckling pigs, they will 
require additional food until the peas or bar- 
lev are ready for them. The hogs may be 
turned into the peas, and t.lms harvesting and 
grinding will bo unnecessary. The waste will 
be scarcely anything. Wheat, might take the 
place of corn, and if ground entire in small 
quantities it will beexeellent food for swine. 
PLANTING RASPBERRIES. 
G. C., Bangor, Mich.—l. What is the best 
way to plant raspberries, aud which of the 
three crops—corn, potatoes, or beans—would 
be best to plant between the rows? 3. Would 
it be advisable to plant so as to work both 
ways with horses? 
Ans. —1. The best way to plant raspberries is 
to tit the ground io all respects as for potatoes; 
then mark for the rows not less than six feet 
apart (eight is better) with two horses and a 
plow, by plowing out two furrows, making a 
dead furrow Scatter a liberal supply of rot¬ 
ted manure in the bottom, harrow all down 
level and plant the raspberries, being sure to 
have the rows come over the manure,and plant 
8^ feet apart, in the row. This will leave room 
for a row ot potutocs or beaus—never corn— 
between the rows of raspberries. They 7 should 
be cultivated and kept entirely clear from 
weeds, and if potatoes arc planted between 
them in hills, they cun be worked both ways 
readily the first year, or at least the first part 
of it. If the soil is sandy, it is a capital plun 
to apply 25 to 50 bushels of hard-wood ashes 
to the acre. 3. It is entirely impracticable to 
-fter the first season. 
HOW TO FEED POTATOES TO MILCH COWS. 
A. L. L.. Rusford, N. V —Farmers here¬ 
abouts would prefer to feed their surplus pota¬ 
toes to tbe cows rather thau sell them qt 
present prices, but cheese factories object to 
milk from cows fed on potatoes, even when 
mixed with grain, ou the plea that good 
cheese caunot be made from such milk. Is 
this true? 
Ans. —Raw potatoes have a peculiar effect 
upon cows. They make the dung very offen¬ 
sive, and give a bad odor to the milk. This is 
caused by tbe inrligestibility of the starch 
granules in an uncooked and unbroken state. 
When potatoes are boiled, the starch granules 
swell and burst., as is seen in pop-corn when it 
is heated. The starch is then digestible. If 
the potatoes are boiled aud fed nearly cold, 
there will be no disagreeable effects either 
upon the bowels or upon the milk Potatoes 
are worth 30 cents a bushel for feed when 
cooked in this way and fed with a moderate 
proportion of corn meal or bran. 
MANAGEMENT OF SITTING GEESE AND TURKEYS. 
D. B., East Baldwin, We.— How should 
breeding geese and turkeys be managed? 
Ans. —The Turkey heu gives scarcely any 
trouble while sitting. She sits so constantly 
that it is often necessary to remove her from 
the nest to feed, or she would really starve. 
But when absent, she is forgetful, and there¬ 
fore should not be allowed to rauge over 20 
minutes. Besides her daily feed, a water 
vessel and soft, food should be kept within 
reach. No one but a regular attendant 
should visit the house while the hens are sit¬ 
ting, lest they get startled and break the eggs. 
The day before tbe eggs hatch, see that the 
nest is clear of dimg.and feathers, and t hen do 
not disturb the hen until the chickens are out. 
Cleese should be set in March or early in 
April, and, as they sit. very steadily, they should 
be induced to come off daily aud take a bath. 
Keep a good supply of food aud water on 
hand, else there is danger that the eggs may 
be devoured. 
EART.Y PIG PASTURE. 
L. A. R, Winona, Mina.—What is it best 
to sow for an early pasture for pigs, the com¬ 
ing Summer, on a prairie soil newly broken? 
Ans. —It is not advisable to pasture some 
grasses at, all, or to pasture very early, the 
same season tbe seed is sown: but the best you 
can do is to sow 7 four pounds of Orchard 
Grass, six pounds White Clover, four pounds 
Kentucky Blue Grass aud 13 pounds Red 
Clover seed to the acre. To this you might 
add three pounds of Nort hern Red Top. The 
White Clover is very early, aud is closely fol¬ 
lowed by Kentucky Blue Grass and Orchard 
Grass. Harrow the ground well and brush in 
the seeds, if you can do this just before a 
rain, all the batter. All the seeds mentioned 
may he sown together in the early Spriug. 
You might sow’ a patch of rye for pasture to 
ease the grass, but. the success of this you cun 
best determine for yourself. 
TOMATOES CROSSING. 
W. B. A., Columbus, Ohio .—In a late Ru¬ 
ral it was stated that tomatoes cross when 
grown side by side. By what agency is the 
cross effected? 
Ans. —We do not remember the article in 
question. We have always been of the opin¬ 
ion that tomatoes may cross from insect ag¬ 
ency; not that we have carefully examined 
the matter, blit because we cannot otherwise 
account for the marked changes which 
occasionally show themselves in seedling 
plants. We do not believe in so-called 
“sports,” deeming them merely a cropping 
out of previous crosses. The anther of the 
stamen of the tomato bursts at the top. The 
stigma is then quite exposed, and we do not 
see why occasional crosses do not occur. 
THRASHING BEANS. 
C. K. H., Santa Barbara, Cal,— How are 
beans thrashed aud cleaned in tbe East? 
Ans.— All kinds of beans in the Ivan -grow¬ 
ing section are thrashed by machines. They 
arc made like a large-bottomed tub, standing 
ou end, w’lth a cylinder filled with long spikes 
revolving slowly inside, the beans and pods 
workiug downward aud out. They can also be 
thrashed in a common thrashing-machine by 
removing the concaves, aud then mincing 
motion very much. After thrashing, they are 
run through a farming mill, and nearly all are 
now “hand-picked,” aud recently a machine 
has been perfected aiding much in this work, 
though still the bad aud broken beans are 
picked out by hand. 
GROUND CHERRIES. 
w. II. N., Grand Island, Nebraska. — Tn the 
Rural of March 8 . the Ground Cherry is said 
to be a bright yellow and about the size of 
ordinary cherries. Under that name 1 raise a 
fruit which is of a beautiful purple, often 
measuring five inehes iu circumference, but in 
other respects exactly like that mentioned in 
the Rural; which is the real Ground Cherry? 
Ans — There are several kinds of Alkekengi, 
or Ground Cherry, or Strawberry Tomato, or 
Winter Cherry. All are botanically Physalis, 
Yours is probably P. Phiiadelphica, while that 
alluded to is P. Alkekengi. Please send us a 
few seeds if you have them. We have never 
seen any fruit so large. 
Miscellaneous. 
R. R., Spokane Co., Wash. Ter. —1. 1 want 
to plant several acres of potatoes on light, 
sandy loam, new but to be broken as soon as 
Spring opens. There are some trees on it. and 
some is “wet bottom.’' What potatoes shall 1 
plant? 2. My horses are what are called here 
“cayuses”—small but strong; what is the best 
au<l easiest-running plow? 3. What is tbe 
best churn for a woman to use for one or two 
cows? 4. How should a small incubator be 
made, and how managed? 5. Is there any ad¬ 
vantage in plauting seeds in the “new” or 
“old” of the moon? 6. What is the difference 
in value between piue aud fir ashes, and those 
of hard wood.®? 
Ans.— 1, Plaut Beauty of Hebron, and 
don’t plant any kind on land that is likely 
to be very wet. 2. We should say a light 10- 
inch steel plow, with a woodeu beam, would suit 
you. 2. The Davis (Swing Churn is a good one 
and very easy to operate 4 The best incuba¬ 
tor you cau use is a sitting ben. Iucubators 
are used; but they require constant at tention, 
and even then are greatly disappointing iu 
most cases. 5. One rood of good rich laud 
will raise more rop than aH the moon. Plant 
as soon as ready, and let the moon take care 
to keep out of your way. The talk about crops 
being affected by the phases of the moon is all 
moonshine. •'•. The ashes ot all tbe resinous 
trees, like pine, fir, etc., are poor in potash; 
those of nearly all deciduous, broad-leaved 
trees are worth saving and applying, and are 
especially valuable for use on potatoes. 
H. T. J , Susse.r, H7.S-.—1. What makes ap¬ 
ple trees send up so many sorouts from about 
the collar near the ground, and how shall l 
stop their growing? 2. Would the catalpa be 
hardy in the latitude of Milwaukee? 3, Is 
the quince hardy there also? 
Ans 1.—We suppose you mean the shoots 
that spring from or near the place of union 
between stock and cion. It is very hard to 
tell w hat makes them firstcommence to sprout, 
but we surmise it must be because of the un¬ 
congeniality betweeu stock and graft; but it 
may be it is, in a measure, owing to the 
practice of propagators of cutting the roots 
into several pieces a» stocks, wlun doing root- 
grafting. But whatever the first cause, after 
once commenced, it is hard to cure, for the rea¬ 
son that each sprout that comes, forms numer¬ 
ous latent or dormant buds immediately about 
its base and so close dow’n as uot to be re¬ 
moved, as these sprouts are ordinarily cut or 
removed The only really effectual way we 
have ever found to cure this evil is us follows; 
Early in Spriug, carefully remove the sprouts 
close and level with the bark, removing the 
soil, if necessary; then, for one Summer, re¬ 
move all sprouts startiug, by pulling them off 
when only a few inehes long or by rubbing the 
buds as fast as they swell. This will exhaust 
all latent burls and, we think, cure the evil. 
2. We have much doubt. 8. No. 
R. S . Sewicklcy, Pa.—L l bought ou Sun¬ 
day. but the agent dated the note on Monday. 
Will dating the note on Monday make it legal? 
2. How can l prevent the Rose bug from de¬ 
stroying my apples in June? I have my 
orchard seeded to grass; would the Rose-bugs 
lie less numerous if 1 should turn the grnss 
under, anil put in hoed crops? 8, is Beauty 
of Hebron a paying potato to raise? What is 
the best way to raise early potatoes on rich, 
gravelly soil? Are early potatoes more prof¬ 
itable than late ones? ilow would you ma¬ 
nure for potatoes? 4. Can potatoes be profit¬ 
ably raised under straw, and what is the best 
method ? 
Ans.— 1. The note dated on Monday is legal. 
2. No one pretends to know how best to kill 
Rose-bugs. They would probably be worse 
were you to plow the ground. 3. It is among 
the best, some say the best. Cut the seed sev¬ 
eral days before wanted for planting; spread 
thinly ou the floor, aud sprinkle heavily with 
plaster; plant os early as possible; manure 
with some commercial fertilizer having a 
large per cent, of potash. From 4(»0 to MO 
pounds per uere should be strewn broadcast 
aud harrowed iu. Whether early or late 
potatoes pay best, depends upon the market. 
Potatoes grown under straw are very liable to 
be watery. 
W., Fountain, Col —With oats at *1 per 
100pounds; bran, 30 cents: corn, on cob, $1.50 
per estimated 100 pounds of shelled corn; oil¬ 
cake at $2 per 100 pound, and tiest upland hay 
at $12 per ton, what would be the cheapest 
i and best feed for milch cows? 
i Anh. —With only these foods to choose from, 
« com and bran ground together very liue, 
uith the hay, would certainly be the best. 
The com should be shelled and ground with 
the bran, as the fineness of the feed is of im¬ 
portance. The hay should be cut into chaff 
and wetted, and the meal mixed with it. 
About twenty pounds of hay and six or eight 
pounds of the corn and bran meal will be suf¬ 
ficient for a mode rate-si zed cow. 
V H. B., Harnett, Da,-What is tbe best 
way to remove a hunch on tbe cheek of a 
horse near the eye? 
Ans.—I t would he advisable to remove the 
excrescence with the knife and cauterize the 
base of it. to prevent excessive bleeding; or to 
tie a cord tightly around the neck of it to 
stop the bleeding, and then cut it off. It, is 
quite needless to wait for it to decompose and 
fall off; besides, this is injurious to the animal 
and may injure the adjacent skin, as well as 
cause danger of blood poisoning. Get the 
veterinary surgeon to amputate it iu tin's 
manner, and treat, the part lelt by caustics 
until it can be healed. 
.7. E. />.. Andes, N. Y .—Is the Mutual Re¬ 
serve Fund Life Insurance Co., 140 Broad¬ 
way, New York City, reliable? Ought a 
young man, 33 years old, to insure his life in 
this company? What is a good company to 
insure in? 
Ans.—T he compauy you refer to, is not 
classed in the business directory. We knoiv 
nothing about it. Yes, under certain circum¬ 
stances, it is a good plan to get one s life in¬ 
sured. The New York Life Insurance Trust 
Company is a good, reliable one, as is also 
the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Com¬ 
pany, New’ York City. 
2 V. B. R, Farmington , Wash. Ter.— How’ 
can we get rid of wood-ticks on horses? 
Ans. —Apply Lawford’s Carbolic Dip. If 
that can’t, he got. kerosene is certain death to 
all insects; but in it* pure form it will also re¬ 
move the hair. To prevent this mix it w’ith 
twice it* bulk of fried pork fat or lard, salting 
well. Apply w r arm and freely on all the in¬ 
fested parts. The next day wash off with 
mild soap suds If this is thoroughly done not 
a tick will escape. 
“Nu6.sc/ ibcr,” No Address. —What is Ever¬ 
green Millet? Would it be likely to encroach 
on other ground like Quack? 
Ans.—N o. We should not fear it where 
good plowing and cultivating are done. It is 
about the same t.hiug as Sorghum lialapense, 
the Johnson’s Grass of the South. We planted 
seeds from Mr. Saunders last Spring. But one 
plaut, developed the aerial roots shown in the 
pictures. It was all Johnson’s Grass. 
W. H . It., HomelhnnUe, N. Y.— I have 50 
acres of very rich black loam river fiats, that 
were last year planted to potatoes; about, one- 
eighth rotted; most of the field is very weedy. 
What would be the most profitable crop to 
raise on it to sell? 
Ans.—W e think corn or barley ought to do 
well on such land, using a good phosphate 
with the seed. If not too wet, wheat ought 
to do well ou such land. 
P. K., Glen wood, Mo.— 1. What is tarra¬ 
gon? 2. Are there auy Cardinal Tomato 
seeds in the Free-Seed Distribution? 3. What 
is the best time to plant Dahlia tubers? 
Ans.— 1. Tarragon is au Artemesia. The 
leaves are used iu stews, soups and salads. 
Tarragon vinegar is made from the leaves 
steeped in vinegar. It is a hardy, herbaceous 
perennial. 2. Yes. 3. As soon as the soil is 
warm. 
“ Cher," Falls Church, Va — What variety 
of corn will mature in 110 days, grow short 
stalks, and produce an extra ear instead of 
growing taller when well manured? 
Ans.—W e know of no bettor variety to 
mention than Pride of the North or Queen of 
the Prairie, offered by many seedsmen. 
A. S. G , Oswego Co., N. Y .—Should the 
clover and grass seed be sowed before or after 
harrowing? 
Ans.—I f the ground be very hard, the seeds 
may be sown first and harrowed-in: but ordi¬ 
narily, it is bettor to harrow first, following 
immediately with the seeds. 
C. E. r,„ Beaver City, Neb.—Where in this 
State cau 1 buy Chester White pigs? 
Ans —Of A. C. Stoll, Beatrice, Nebraska. 
Robert Easton, Middlrbvry, Vermont, de¬ 
sires the address of a firm having blacksmiths’ 
anvils for sale. 
-• ♦ ♦- 
Communications Rkckivnd for thk wkek Ending 
Satcroav, April 8, 
C. H. W.-U. B.-E.C.—A. S.-F. B.-W. .J H.-G. 
\V K V. H.-P. C. M.-G H. C.-U. L. H.-O. A. W. 
-C. V. Il.-C. J. R.-S-A. B. S.-G. S. S.-S. C.S.- 
A B. A -O. H. A. -II. W. M.-R. G.-G. C. M -W. A. 
M. C., thunks.—J A.O.-W S. T. K. S. B- F. D. C. 
E. l\\ F. T P. J B.—T, J. K. -Il. M.-J. M. L.-G. 
G E. B- G. J. T.— K. A. It , thanks.—I*. N.—W. H. 
W.-E. A. G. F, H. W. 8. U. D.-W. T.-A.S. W. 
.7. K. MeC.—F. S —Mrs. l>. C.. thunks.—F. H. H.—M. B. 
p —A. E . thanks. G. K. W, F. E. M. —I*.—C. A.—M 
(3 p.—W. H. M.-W. H. a.— W. F. Taber, thanks.— G. 
S.,we ore two weeks behind with our answers to 
questions.- E. T. H.-L. S. E.-J. J.-E. M.-W. T.-S. 
K. 8. K. A C.-J. O.—T.H. H.—E.S. G.-J. S.Q.—G.G. 
— j, H —B Woolhou*e, several sHudsnieu oiler tha 
bIusH Potato. 
