m 
THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
knots tied in one end with a ring having a 
loop-like extension on one side, tied on the 
other end, can be thrown over the shock; the 
knots will pass through the larger parts, and 
the spaces between will slip into the looped 
side, holding the shock while being bound. 
Lenawee Co., Mich, w. e. whitney. 
feed bins; M. entrance to stair way leading to 
second floor; O. O. breeding pens, having a 
shelf eight inches wide, eight inches from the 
floor, for little pigs to crawl under, 80 that the 
sow cannot lie on them. No. 3. A. is a pas¬ 
sage way; B. B. pens; C. C. troughs; F. F. 
corn bins; E. outer door for second story. 
No. 4, A. is a feed trough; B. a swing cover 
which can be moved to the opposite side of 
the trough by means of a lever, to keep the 
jugs away from the trough while the swill is 
being turned into it. 
syringe is necessary each day when much fire 
heat is used, or red spider will soon gain pos¬ 
session of the foliage and spoil the plants. I 
find this especially necessary when 1 employ 
steam heat. 
As regards varieties, many people prefer to 
have a number to experiment with; but if 
they wish to obtain a fair supply of flowers 
after the first trial, they usually come back to 
the few general varieties grown by florists for 
market. A few of the principal varieties I 
will mention:— 
Bon Silene is yet the best of the small 
winter roses and is always in request; this is 
the celebrated Boston rose bud, which is still 
by some supposed to be grown better at the 
‘•Hub” than elsewhere.. 
Safrano is yet a nice tea ro9e; but it has 
generally lost its old time vigor aDd is not so 
much grown as formerly, especially as it is 
claimed that Sunset will replace it. 
Perle deb J akdins, I should say, is the 
best yellow rose iu cultivation indoors, and 
one that, will flower all the year round. The 
flowers are large and the foliage handsome. 
Sunset is a sport from the above, and ap¬ 
peal’s to be the same in all respects but in color. 
Niphetos, although a very' old variety, I 
consider yet one of the best, iu cultivation; 
certainly it is the best white. It can be grown 
on benches two feet or less from the glass, 
which i9 an advantage where space is limited. 
Cornelia Koch, or, as it is known in 
trade, Cooke, is a very fine white rose with 
fine, stiff stem; but growers generally say it 
does not pay to grow it at present prices. 
Catherine Mermet Is a wonderfully fine, 
pink flower; but it is only good during the 
winter months, being thin and flimsy in 
warm weather, and tu a wurm Winter, like 
the last, it was generally pale-colored. 
Souvenir d’ u.n’ Amie is a very nice pink 
variety, flowering more profusely than the 
above; but this, with Adam, is uot esteemed 
so much as formerly. 
DOUOLASU, a good old Chiua variety, is 
still esteemed for its crimson color, until the 
hybrid varieties come in flower; it is almost 
hardy, and will flower out of-doors all the 
Summer. 
Markcfial Niel is a very fine variety, and 
can be grown with more or less success by any 
one, iu an ordinary greenhouse. It does not 
usually flower well when grown with other 
varieties. 
General Jacqueminot is yet one of the 
best hybrid varieties grown, but it requires 
rest and forcing slowly if required early; if 
grown in large quantities a separate house is 
usually planted, but if only a small number 
is required they are usually forced after be¬ 
ing established iu pots for a seasou. This is one 
of the best and sweetest of roses, and being 
thoroughly hardy, it will flower more or less 
all the Summer in the open ground. I could 
make a few more additions to the list, but the 
above are the most useful and easily grown. 
Bergen Co., New Jersey. 
MANURE FOR POTATOES. 
JOSEPH HARRIS. 
In the Rural New-Yorker for September 
'JO, you publish an extract of a letter from Sir 
John B. Lawes in which occurs the following 
sentence: “Two tons of potatoes [say 80 bush 
els of 56 pounds to the bushel] contain about 30 
pounds of potash, and I can grow this quanti¬ 
ty every year without applying potash; but 
no more. It is no nse to apply ammonia or 
phosphate. The potato must have potash.” 
I imagine Sir John must have been speaking 
of the large crops of potatoes grown on the 
Rural Farm. To raise such crops, ammonia 
and phosphate alone may not suffice; you 
must have potash also. But the sentence, as 
it stands, needs some explanation; and as the 
subject is one of great practical as well as of 
scientific importance, Sir John I hope will 
give ns more information. It would seem from 
his experiments that ho could not mean that 
ammonia and phosphates without potash will 
not enable the soil to produce over 80 bushels 
of potatoes per acre. 
These experiments commenced in 1876, and 
potatoes have been grown on the same land 
every year since. The plot without manure of 
any kind from 1875 to 18S3, has yielded as fol¬ 
lows, calling 56 pounds a bushel:—First year, 
1876, 154J^ bushels per aero; 1877, 1878, 
115; 1879, MX; 188U, 42X; 1881, 81»<; 1882, 
78; IS83, 104. In other words, the unmanured 
land produced 728bushels in eight years, or 
an average of 91 bushels per acre each year. 
The plot manured with superphosphate, con¬ 
taining neither ammonia nor potash, produced 
as follows:—First year, 1876,242 bushels per 
acre; 1877, 182; 1878, 157K: 1879, 44; 1880, 
158; 1881,233; 1882, Wiy,; 1883,199. In other 
words, this plot, with superphosphate alone, 
has produced in eight years 1,347 bushels, or 
an average of 168]^ bushels per acre per year. 
On tho plot receiving a liberal dressing of 
potash, soda and magnesia, iu addition to the 
superphosphate, the total yield iu eight years 
was 1,861 bushels, or an average of 170 bushels 
each year per acre. In other words, this lib¬ 
eral dressing of potash increased the crop only 
bushel per acre. On the plot dressed with 
nitrate of soda, iu addition to the superphos¬ 
phate and potash, the yield iu eight years was 
2,479]^ bushels, or au average or 310 bushels 
each year per acre. Neither nitrate of soda 
nor ammonia suits, with superphosphate 
alone, were used in the experiments. 
To recapitulate: The average yield per 
acre during the eight years, was as follows; 
No Manure, . ill bu hels per acre 
8 uprr|ihosphate.I 68 J 4 . 
Superphosphate and potash,etc., 170 “ •* “ 
Nitrate of soda alone...,1.12!^ " “ “ 
Superphosphate au 1 potash,etc , 
and nitrate of uoda.310 “ “ “ 
So far as these experiments go, therefore, we 
may say that potash does rot increase the 
yield of potatoes. In fact, in four years out 
of eight, namely in 1879, 1880, 1882 and 1883, 
the yield from surperphosphate alone was 
greater than from superphosphate and potash. 
When uitrogen isadded, then we have a larger 
crop, but there is no proof, so far as 1 can see, 
that uitrogen and phosphate without potash 
would not have given u largo crop also. 
No doubt, as Sir John says, “the potato 
must have potash." What we want to know 
is whether the soil does not contain enough 
potash to produce a good crop of potatoes, 
provided there is sufficient available nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid. I am inclined to think 
that where we depend on barn-yard 
manure or clover or grass sod to furnish 
nitrogen for the potatoes, we do not need to 
use potash—our manure or sod furnishing 
relatively more potash than nitrogen. But 
should we depend on nitrate of soda or salts of 
ammouia we should soon find,as St. John says, 
that “potatoes must have potash,” but will 
not the soil be deficient in phosphate before it 
is deficient in potash? 
Moreton Farm, N. Y. _ 
A RAT PROOF CORN-CRIB. 
A SUBSCRIBER Bends ua drawings of the 
corn-crib illustrated at Fig. 460, below, and 
writes that he thinks it as rat-proof as it is 
possible to build one that- will keep the corn 
and be easily entered. The posts upon which 
it is set are two feet high with inverted tiu- 
BROOM CORN SCRAPER. 
When I was farming years ago in Old 
Dutchess Co., N. Y., I charged every crop 
with seed, work, etc., and credited each with 
what it produced, and, much to my surprise, 
I discovered that broom corn was our most 
profitable crop. 1 found no machine which 
operated satisfactorily in removing the seed, 
so 1 got up one as follows: 1 took a plank, 
about 12 inches wide mid five or six feet long, 
above which 1 pivoted one about three feet 
so that the ends of tho two were in line, and 
the two when parallel were about four inches 
apart. On the parallel ends 1 spiked jaws of 
hard wood planed to about a quarter of an 
inch on the sides coming in contact. Under 
one end of the larger plank 1 put two legs of 
such length as to ruise it to a convenient bight 
when the other end was tacked to the barn 
floor. With a handle the upper jaw wus 
raised to insert the wisp; then depressed and 
the wisp was drawn through and cleaned 
more effectually' than by any other means 
I have seen tried. In the illustration, Fig. 
458, A. represents the larger plank; B, 
—'—' T ~—^ T* *i* J R ] fturel r# 
Rat-proof Corn Crib. Fig. 460. 
pans on them; but as a rat can jump four feet 
high, the sills and cross-ties also have tin 
fenders; the floor is tight, and made of hem¬ 
lock boards with holes bored in them, but 
none neartbeMUs and cross-ties. On thesides 
and ends the lower strips are of hemlock and 
only hulf-an-incb apart. Two feet up, a 
continuous piece of tin or sheet-iron is nailed 
on with the edge projecting several inches 
and bent downward. Above this the spaces 
may be as wide as desired. Across the end, 
uiiove the steps a wide sheet of tin is nailed. 
£ lur ini Itit ual 
WINTER-FLOWERING ROSES. 
JAMES TAPLIN. 
These few notes are intended for^the in¬ 
struction of amateur rather than professional 
growers; for although there iuay r be open 
questions as to the details of various systems 
of growing, the plants urc treated very much 
in the same way by all the large growers. 
The principal rule is to secure good, healthy 
cuttings, and root them quickly about the 
New Year,and to grow the plants on faith until 
they are either planted in beds or placed iu 
flowering pots. Many growers of a few plants 
consider it beat to grow them in pots, and no 
doubt it U easy to remove the potted plants 
from one place to another; but it requires 
much more care to grow them well. 1 have 
been informed that u few people grow and 
flower roses satisfactorily in the windows of a 
room; but I have not seen it done myself, al¬ 
though with special attention 1 have no doubt 
it rvay lie a success. Many of the best rose- 
growers build stages to grow their plants, 
either planted in beds of prepared soil, or in 
pots and boxed, to bring the plants near the 
glass, and also to secure perfect drainage, 
which is especially necessary in a cold, un¬ 
drained soil; for although the rose prefers a 
stiff soil, it will not grow satisfactorily, espe¬ 
cially in Winter, without plenty of drainage. 
On our red sandstone we have plenty of na¬ 
tural drainage, aud the subsoil is not cold in 
Winter, when covered with glass, so that we 
find, as a general system, we can grow and 
flower the plants with the least labor and care 
when planted in prepared beds without bench- 
Broom Corn Scraper. Fig. 458. 
shorter one; C, the pivots; D, the strip which 
is pivoted at the ends and nailed to B; E, the 
jaws; F, the handle; G, the legs;!!, the hole 
through the lower plank to prevent the seeds 
from clogging, 
Lycoming Co., Pa. j. a. Montgomery. 
CORN J ACK WITH AUTOMATIC PIN, 
As at this season farmers who have a shop 
aud a few tools can utilize every cold and 
stormy day in putting things in good shape 
for the Summer’s work, here is a decription 
of a corn jack that in point of saving time at 
least, is ahead. It is not patented, and can lie 
made in a day, by anyone tbut is handy with 
tools. 
Undoubtedly many of you can call to mind 
examples of farmers who use u corn jack 
made of a pole with pieces of sapling for legs 
and a broom bundle for the pin. When the 
last shock is cut they store it on the fence,and 
the next ycur uboul corn cuttiug time it needs 
“extensive repairs,” whereas, if they would 
make one out of some kiud of light wood, 
paint it well, and keep it housed, it would last 
almost a lifetime. The corn jack of which 
the uceouipuuying cut, Fig. 459, is a represen- 
Hwil fvtkJfgYli 
Corn Jack, 
tation, has, I think, some advantages. The 
horizontal piece A being of the same bight 
on both sides of the pin, the corn first cut does 
not have to lie set Up at so great an angle, to 
make it stand, thus the teudeney of the shock 
to twist around aud fall down Is lessened. I 
think the jack should be as high as it is pos¬ 
sible to have it, without materially affecting 
its stability. The wings, or pius C. C. should 
be biuged to A with a pair of spring butts 
such as are used on door screens. The springs 
should be given just as much torsion as they 
will bear without affectiug the shock when the 
jack is drawn out. The pieces D. D. (not 
shown in cut) and B are fastened on the top 
and sides to keep the stalks from catcbiug on 
the hinges. The only attention it needs is that 
the first two or three hills cut should be placed 
behind the wings. If it is considered necessary 
to have any thing to draw up the shock with 
before binding, a small rope having several 
es. The soil we use is decayed turl from an old 
pasture, with a liberal amount of ground 
bones and but little manure, as we prefer to 
use it iu the shape of top-dressing or liquid. 
It is a very open question which is the best 
manure to use, many growers preferring cow 
manure both for top dressing and also for 
liquid, but it is liable to clog and sour the soil, 
especially in pots, unless care is taken that it 
is thoroughly clear in the liquid state and par¬ 
tially decayed when used solid. 
As regards temperature, it should not be 
much below 6U degrees at night for any length 
of time iu the coldest weather, with a rise of 
10 degrees in the day; and during very cold 
weather little ventilation is required, and 
especial care must be used not to admit coJd 
draughts to the plants, or mildew will result; 
sulphur, in the shape of powder, or fumes from 
sulphur placed on the pipes, is the best remedy. 
A good washing of the foliage with hose or 
The Power of Rain.— Professor Tait cal¬ 
culates, according to the London Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, that the amount of force requisite 
to convert one pound of water from the sea, 
or from moist earth, into vapor, is equal to the 
force exerted during one-half hour by a horse. 
This is given out again iu the form of heat as 
it condenses, and the pound of water falling 
as rain, would cover a square foot of ground 
to the depth of rather less than oue fifth of an 
inch. Thus, one-fifth of an inch of rain re¬ 
presents a horse-power for half-an-hour on 
every square foot, or, on a square mile, about 
a million horse-power for 14 hours. A mil- 
L 
