OCT 27 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
703 
ed and the cultivation is not increased beyond 
the necessities of the main crop. 
Another scheme for increasing returns is 
that, of dropping quick-growing beans where 
the vegetables have been gathered for use. I 
plant twice a week until there is no chance of 
ripening them before frost. I then substitute 
fodder corn and get a considerable stack from 
my two-acre garden. r. ferris. 
iarm Cccmonuj. 
BENEFIT OF SUPERPHOSPHATE. 
On page 012 of the Rural for Sept. 15th. I 
noticed a paragraph which reads thus: “ We 
hate to see the wild stories that are planted re¬ 
garding the wonderful etlects of chemical 
fertilizers." As preface, allow me to say I 
have no interest whatever iu any fertilizer 
except, to ascertain which will produce the 
best results on my own farm; and I have al¬ 
ways regarded with sus icion the published 
reports sent out. by interested parties; but my 
own experience with superphosphate leads 
me to believe that the most extravagant 
stories that I have ever read in relation to 
their effects may be true, although on laud ad¬ 
joining, or during another season, the results 
might be entirely unsatisfactory. 
Last seasou 1 applied six different kinds of 
superphosphate on potatoes side by side and 
weighed the result. The ground was very 
poor, no manure of any kind having been ap¬ 
plied in 15 or 20 years. The salable potatoes 
from four hills in which the named super¬ 
phosphates had been used,weighed respectively 
as follows:—Rafferty it Williams, one pound 
15 ounces; Soluble Pacific Guano, two pounds 
four ounce s; Bradley’s, two pounds six ounces 
Swift-Sure, two pounds seven ounces; Lister’s 
two pounds 15 ounces; Crocker’s, three pounds 
two ounces; nothing, one pound two ounces. 
I applied one teaspoonfnl to each hill, after 
covering the potatoes lightly with earth, and 
then covered the phosphate. The potatoes 
would not ha ve been worth digging if no fer¬ 
tilizer had been used. 
I also tried an experiment la d. season with 
Lister’s superphosphate on corn, using one 
spoonful in a hill iu comparison with a small 
shovelful of hog manure iu each hill. The 
ground had beeu mowed five years without 
any manure, aud the soil was gravel; I husked 
and weighed 20 hills of each after the corn 
had been cut up about two weeks. Where no 
fertilizer had been used the ears weighed ten 
pounds and the stalks eight-and-a-half; where 
the hog manure had beeu applied the ears 
weighed 15 poundsand the stalks 14; whereone 
spoonful of Lister’s superphosphate had been 
applied, the ears weighed 19 pounds and the 
stalks 20 , 
This seasou after plowing tw T o acres of 
green-sward for corn, I spread at the rate of 
15 large t.wo-liorse wagou loads of manure to 
the acre on an acre and a half, and none on 
the other half acre, harrowiug the whole 
thoroughly with the Acme harrow. After 
planting the corn, I applied one spoonful of 
Lister’s superphosphate on top of each hill 
over the whole piece and theu covered that 
lightly. The seasou has beeu moist—favora¬ 
ble for both phosphate aud manure—yet I 
have been unable to dist inguish by the looks 
of the corn where the manure was spread. 
The corn to-day appears as tall and the eai» 
as good where only the superphosphate was 
used as where both were applied. The 
manure contained but little straw and was 
drawn in the Winter, and all put in one pile 
near where it was used. 
1 also drilled iu phosphate with all my 
wheat aud oats with satisfactory results. I 
have ilui ing tho past ton years used at least 
twelve different brands of phosphate, but find 
it something like a lottery. If there is no rain 
to dissolve it, but little benefit is derived from 
its use, and when it was applied to meadows I 
could never perceive advantage enough to pay 
its cost. F. D. p. 
Rome, N. Y. 
-- 
KEEPING POTATOES OVER WINTER. 
Potatoes should not be dug before they 
are perfectly ripe, and the tops dry, and for 
Winter storage it is better to leave them iu 
the ground tutu the weather becomes cool. 
For this reason alone they should not be 
planted too early, as they will necessarily re¬ 
main iu the ground several weeks before dig- 
giug. Iu keeping potatoes over Winter, my 
experience is this:—the best way to do this is 
by storing them iu pits, provided this is 
properly done. Storage in pits is preferable 
to cellar storage for several reasons: 1 , the 
loss by shrinkage is comparatively small; 2 , 
they can be kept at a more uniform, low tem¬ 
perature than when exposed to the air; con¬ 
sequently there is less liability to rot; 8 , by 
excluding the light and air, and admitting a t 
limited amount of moisture, the taste and 
quality of the potatoes are preserved. 
In making the pit, select a dry kuoll, dig the 
pit of the required length, two-and-a-half feet 
deep and three-and-a-half or four feet wide 
at the top, as this requires the least labor for 
the amount of storage capacity. Slant the 
sides inward and place a board in the bottom 
so that the potatoes may be shoveled when 
taken out. Pile them up in a long ridge as 
steep as possible, picking up the stragglers at 
Joist Bearers.— Fio. 665. 
the bottom; then cover with four to six inches 
of hay or straw, giving this a uniform thick¬ 
ness and tucking it in at the bottom. Now 
for the. dirt: if the weather is not too warm, 
a covering of eight inches is about, right. Be¬ 
gin at the bottom aud work up so as to have 
a uniform depth, digging a trench at the same 
time to correspond with the slant of the pile. 
This should have an outlet to carry away sur¬ 
face water. Just before freezing up. put on 
another coat of straw aud dirt. Bring the 
straw well down into the trench at the bottom; 
put on about 10 inches of earth, digging a 
trench as before If the ground is frozen an 
inch or so, all the better, the object being to 
keep the tubers at the lowest possible temper¬ 
ature without freezing. Use no ventilator 
and the extreme difficulties of the case com¬ 
pelled me to discover a secret that I think is 
well worth knowing. I fouud that by pour¬ 
ing a pail of water around the post, it may 
be very readily loosened by the band Then 
by hooking a chain about it loosely, slipping 
the noose down as far as possible below 
the surface of the ground, and hooking 
other end of the chain around a piece of light 
scantling, near the center, to act as a lever, 
the post may be lifted out of its bed very easily. 
“ELM.” 
ficlti Crops. 
POTATO TESTS. 
I alwats give new kinds a fair garden 
culture with no extra manuring, for by treat¬ 
ing them better than my other crops I cannot 
tell whether they are anything I want to 
keep. I know many kinds that I can make to 
do nicely by extra manure, that are far from 
profitable to raise as a general crop. My two 
little Blnsb Potatoes, the size of a filbert,made 
14 hills, with cne eye iu each hill,and yielded 
46>£ pounds of sound and one pound of unsound 
tubers. At this date nearly one-third are 
affected by rot. Quaff ty good, size medium^ 
no large ones; habit of growth, one in a 
place from 12 to IS inches apart; which con¬ 
demns it to a place among the forgotten ones. 
Of Clark’s No. 1 I had 14 hills with one eye 
in a hill; yield 8 ? pounds of sound and about 
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Side Elevation, of Barn.—Fig. 664. 
after this last coat, as it is worse than useless. 
In very severe weather many farmers put on 
three or four inches of horse manure: but 
usually this is not required. 
Potatoes stored iu this way will usually keep 
until late in the following Spring, the alter¬ 
nate layers of straw and dirt protecting them 
from the heat as well as the cold. The main 
points to be kept in view in storing potatoes 
are these: keep them reasonably dry; and 
two pounds of affected tubers. Quality good; 
but a few more affected at date. Size above 
medium—about like the Late Rose. Habit of 
grow th good, all the tubers lying together in 
the hill. A desirable kind. 
White Elephant, size large; yield a little 
more than either of the above; quality good; 
habit of growth good; rots badly. At least 
half are now affected. 
St. Patrick, size medium to large: quality 
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Ground Plan of Barn.—Fig. 668. 
keep them cool. If they' are kept cool, ex¬ 
clude the light and air, otherwise give them 
plenty of air. E s. miller. 
Porter Co., Ind. 
Taking Up Fence Posts. 
It is often necessary to take up fence posts 
before they have rotted off. Those w ho have 
had expel ience in this work know l ow labor¬ 
ious it is. 1 once found it necessary to take 
up quite a large nun l er of j osts from a heavy 
clay soil, that was baked hard by drought, 
fair; yield not quite up to that of the Late 
Bose by its side. Only one rotten one at date 
in a peck taken at random. 
James Vick was planted by the side of Early 
Vermont and the Beauty of Hebron; yield of 
each about the same. 
Early Vem out is one week earlier than 
either of the others. I cannot tell this season 
w hich 1 like bort of the three. The tops of 
Clark’s No. 1, James Vick, Early Vermont and 
Beauty of Hebron cannot be told apart at 
any stage of grow th. James Vickand Beauty 
of Hebron cannot be told apart by a ay known 
test since digging. [They are very different 
with us. Eds.] The Messrs. Ross, of Penfiekb 
the originate** of the James Vick, claim to 
have selected one potato several years ago 
from some they ordered for Beauty' of Hebron, 
which, they claim, was different and superior. 
It may possibly be a few days later, but both 
sorts are as like each other as two 1 Black Mar¬ 
rowfat Peas from the same bag, even to have 
ing an occasional green stalk after all the rest 
are ripe and dead. 
Blue Victor very late; quality good; keeps 
hard and solid till new potatoes are fit to use 
Yield good. 
Champion of England, known in England 
as Kemp; one of the best late keepers; yield 
good; but few affected by rot: size large; is 
one of the very best in many localities. Color 
white; shape nearly round. W by was 
a mottled pink and white potato 
named White Elephant ? Beauty of 
Hebron and James Vick are pink and 
white, mottled the same as the Elephant. 
Claik’s No. 1 is all white, and Early Vermon 
all pink; but after months of lying in the air 
they could not be separated, if by' chance 
they were mixed. “rustic.” 
Beunett’s Corners, N. Y. 
AN EXCELLENT BARN PLAN. 
Fig. 668 represents the ground plan of the 
barn. A t the corner. P is wind-mill and force- 
pump, the water from which is conducted un¬ 
derground to the water-tank. The several 
D’srepresent doors: R I), rolling doors; Ur L>, 
“drinking" doors for cattle and horses outside 
of the water-tank. From W in the tank, 
runs a waste-pipe into a tile draiu. The bot¬ 
toms of the horse staffs are of round cedar 
posts, seven inches long, set on end; it will be 
hard to improve on these. Above the corn- 
crib on the eastern side of the drive-way, are 
bins four feet high. 
The side elevation is shown in Fig. 664. The 
lower story is eight feet high. Ihe hay-mow 
is 30 by 50 feet iu dimensions, and is without 
tie timbers, it will be observed that at inter¬ 
vals of 111 feet are placed 4x6-incb stnds, that 
are braced as represented in Fig. 664. The 
braces are of 2x4-ineh material, let into studs 
on the outside underslip lap siding on all the 
comers. The joist-bearers in Fig. 665 are of 
4x8 stuff, supported by 4x8 main posts, and 
4x4-inch stall posts, no span being over j 
feet L.ng, except the center one. 
A four-inch tile drain (it should be a six- 
inch one), runs diagonally' under the hoi so 
stable (rig. 068), with laterals attached to re¬ 
ceive all the water from the roof, which is 
conducted therefrom by tubes runuiug down 
between the studs into it, and the overflow of 
the water-tank. The tank is made of galvan¬ 
ized iron set into a 12 -inch solid brick wall on 
two sides, aud a stone foundation wall on the 
other two sides. In rig. 668 . it will be seen 
how the cattle can have access to it. 1 have a 
Noyes’ Hay Carrier which, works very nicely, 
over the route shown in the side elevation 
plan. In Fig. 663 the figures all represent 
teet. The house is eight rods west of the 
barn. The cost ot the barn was $800 com¬ 
plete, and for capacity and convenience, I do 
not see how it could be improved upon. The 
lumber cost $800; shingles, $55; nails, hinges, 
spouting and lightning rods, $125; paints and 
painting, $60; stone, labor, lime, cement, etc., 
the balance. IS. VV, Riegle. 
Lee Co., 111. 
JOTTINGS AT KIRBY HOMESTEAD. 
COL. F. D. CURTIS. 
THE NATIONAL SWINE BREEDERS’ CONVENTION. 
This convention which has been called to 
meet at Chicago on Nov. 14. will doubtless find 
the pork interest very much depressed. 
Prices have been running down lately' very' 
rapidly, and may not yet have touched bottom. 
Naturally, with old com so high, aud the 
prospect of a shortened crop, f ork should 
command a higher price at this season of the 
year. The cause for this depression in the 
pork market is the embargo upon the im¬ 
portation of American pork iu certain coun¬ 
tries which w ere large consumers. This un- 
fortuuate and at the same time unjust state 
of affairs, forces back upon our local markets 
the great surplus which should go abroad. If 
we cannot convince these foreign govern, 
incuts that they are mistaken in their policy- 
aud this is what the National Convention 
should consider as a part of its work, then the 
