\17 
SUPPLEMENT T© THE BUBAL HEW-YORKEB. 
and have it make hay? 4. If so, could I sow 
winter rye with the Hungarian Grass, to re¬ 
main after that was cut, to grow and be 
plowed downiu Spring? 
Ans —1. The barnyard may be so rich as 
to grow nothing. Corn or potatoes would be 
the best crop to try. 2. Aside from those 
two grains, we think it better to put each in a 
field by itself, 8 . Probably Hungarian would 
mature sufficiently for hay after barley; it 
hardly would after the oat harvest. To make 
a good crop after barley, apply fiue manure 
or some special fertilizer to the surface when 
sowing it. 4. If the Hungarian made a good 
growth, the xye would he smothered, aud in 
any case it would be much better if sown after 
cutting the Hungarian, as there would then be 
ample time. 
A. M, Waukesha, Wxs. —1. Is there any way 
to extirminate Quack Grass? 2. Which is the 
best work on bee-keeping? 3. Is the Winter 
when there is no snow a good time to mulch 
blackberries and raspberries? 4. Would small 
fruit plants from Liitle Silver, N. J. do well 
here? 
Ans. —Quack is quite tenacious of life: hut 
persistency in keeping it down will succeed in 
killing it, but to he successful it must have 
thorough work. The ground should be gone 
over at least once every two weeks and all 
the Quack that can be found should be taken 
out. If there are but a few patches, it would 
be better to take the time, and move the fence, 
if necessary, and kill it before it spreads all 
over the farm. 2. Cook's Manual of the 
Apiary, price §l 25; to be had of Prof. A. J. 
Cook, Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich. 
3. A capital time; ouly don’t pile the mulch 
just about the stems; it will harbor mice aud 
may beat and injure the stems. 4 . We think 
so. 
H.M.G, CropseyxHUe, N. F.—l. Last Fall a 
Timothy sod which I plowed was full of white 
grubs; do they cause scab in potatoes, and 
what will destroy them? 2. Prof. Dana says 
that ammonia is the element lacking in muck 
land; does it follow that nitrate of soda 
would insure good crops? 3. Is fresh horse 
manure good for such laud? 
Ans. —l. The white grub is the larva of the 
May Beetle, and does not cause scab in pota¬ 
toes. The insects will probably all leave the 
soil, perfect beetles, in early Summer, aud 
need nothing to drive them out. 2. We tbiuk 
you hardly understand Prof. Daua, as most 
muck contains considerable ammonia. We 
advise an application of superphosphate aud 
potash experimentally. 3, Yes, horse manure 
is good for auy and all kinds of soil; it is io 
itself a complete manure. 
O. L., Jeff Co., N. Y. —1. Has there been a 
court decision, agaiust fencing with barbed 
wire? 2. Is the Golden Tankard the best beet 
for stock feeding? 3. What is the best variety 
of gooseberry for market purposes, and where 
can I get it? 
Ans. — I There have been various judicial 
decisions for aud agaiust barbed wire fencing, 
in different States, atul under different cir¬ 
cumstances. Such fencing is legal every¬ 
where; but it has been decided iu some cases 
that the person on whose property it stands is 
liable for damages caused by it. in particular 
cases. 2 . 11 is good, but really there is but 
little difference among the Globe varieties; 
any will please you. 3. Houghton and 
Downing; of auy standard nurserymau. 
“Subscriber," Address Mislaid, —1. What 
state of fineness would you recommend for 
oyster shells for poultry feeding —granulated 
or pulverized? 2. What would be the value 
of pulverized raw shells per ton for manure 
compared with commercial fertilizer ranging 
from $20 to $40 per ton? 
Ans.—1. They need to be granulated ouly 
sufficiently fine so that poultry can eat them 
readily. 2 . ft is hard to tell what a fertilizer 
so indefinitely described is worth. But pulver¬ 
ized oyster shells as a rnuuure are but little bet¬ 
ter tbau pulverized—grouud—limestone not 
one third as good as if burned, aud rendered 
caustic. Experiment, and theu you will kuow 
from actual tests, which is much better than 
anybody’s ‘’guess so.” 
Wm. If,, Robinson, Mich. —1. I am feeding 
a brood mare good bay and corn fodder and 
six ears of com twice a day; would you re¬ 
commend any chauge? 2 . 1 am feeding brood 
sows finely cut clover buy as follows: to one 
pound of cut hay put into a tub with boiling 
water I add one pound, each, of corn meal 
and wheat brau, and two pounds of wheat 
middlings, wetting well with boiling water 
and sttrriug well, I then cover tightly aud 
let stand 12 hours, aud feed warm; how can i 
do better l 
Ans.— l. Grind the corn and mix as much 
wheat bran with it. Also feed a few roots of 
some kind, 2. You cannot better that ratiou, 
euly don’t feed much warm, aud give a few 
roots duily, or at least occasionally. 
L S., Verona, N. Y. —l. Wbatisa preven¬ 
tive for abortion in cows? 2 . Where can the 
Rural Branching Sorgham Seed be obtained? 
3. What kind of food would you advise for 
cows, for milk, in Summer, when they are to 
be fed night and morning? 
Ans.— 1. See article on abortion by Prof. 
Kilbornein the Rural of January 31, p 8 ge?(h 
2. It is offered iu many seedmeu’s catalogues* 
Send for those “noticed” in the Rural. 
Among others Sibley & Co ,of Rochester,offer 
it 3. Feed a mixture of thrr e parts wheat bran, 
two parts of coin meal and one part of linseed 
meal by weight, and give enough to keep the 
cows in good flesh. If they are first-class, 
they will put the bulk of the extra food into 
the milk pail, 
IF. J. J, Mill Brook, Pa —1. When should 
evergreens be pruned? 2 In transplanting 
evergreeus, should the tops he cut back, as in 
the case of fruit tree*? 3 Does the trunk of 
an apple tree grow any taller after we cease 
to trim the tree? 
Ans — 1 . September (early) is the best time. 
Very early in Spring will answer. 2, Many 
advise us not to prune or cut back evergreens 
when transplanted. Our experience teaches 
us to cut them back the same as you would 
deciduous trees iu proportion to the size of 
the roots, or to the injury the roots may have 
received. 3. We may not understand your 
meaning. The old- wood of trees never grows 
any taller. 
IF. M, IF., Gales Ferry, Conn —Are fish 
scraps good for potatoes on early but very poor 
saudy soil? What would be the effect of Eel 
Grass for the same; and how should it be ap¬ 
plied there? 
Ans. —We do not know what is meant by 
Eel Grass, there are so many sorts known 
by this name in different parts of the country 
Fish scrap is valuable manure for such land; 
but it lacks potash. Plant the potatoes ac¬ 
cording to the Rural’s method; in broad, 
deep trenches; cover them with a couple of 
inches of earth. Then apply the ground 
finish filling the trenches, 
scrap aud muriate, or sulphate of potash, and 
D. IF. li., Dansville, X, F.—1. When is the 
proper time to make cuttings of grapes, cur¬ 
rants, raspberries, and basswood? 2. Where 
can I obtain reliable information regarding 
laud in Tennessee? 
Ans. —1 Grape and currant cuttings can be 
made any time when not frozeu, burying them 
in damp sand or loam. Raspberries of the red 
class are propagated by cuttings of the roots, 
and these can be made at any time when the 
plants can be takeu up. Basswood is grown 
mostly from seed, which should be planted in 
the Autumn of the year iu which they ripen. 2. 
Write the Commissioner ot Immigration, 
Nashville, Tenn. 
M. L. II., Colfax, Wash, Ter, —1. Where can 
I get cions of Russian apples? 2. Is the Hig- 
ganum Manufacturing Corporation, bigga- 
num, Conn., reliable? 8 . What is agood nur¬ 
sery firm iu Iowa or Minnesota? 1 . Who is a 
good poultry breeder, aud bis address? 
Ans— 1 We presume of the Iowa Agricul¬ 
tural College, Write to Prof J. L. Budd, 
Ames, Iowa. 2. Yes, perfectly. 3. Silas 
Wilson, Atlantic, Iowa, is a good one. Nor¬ 
throp, Braslau & Co., Minneapolis, Minn,, are 
also good. 4. C. 8 . Cooper, Schraalenburgb, 
N. J.; Win. H. Maule, afld W. Atlee Burpee & 
Co , Philadelphia, Fa. 
IF. li, K — No address. —I have a lot of 
wood ashes which I wish to use as a fertilizer 
for corn; what effect would be produced if 
the urine from the house was thrown over 
them this Winter! 
Ans. —The potash of the ashes would liber¬ 
ate all the ammonia from the slops, and the 
slops would wash all the potash out of the 
ashes—a dead loss both ways. Don’t do it. If 
you had a muck pile on which to throw the 
slops, it would be all right; or throw them on 
the manure pile. Never put matters con¬ 
taining potash aud ammonia- in large quanti¬ 
ties, together. 
F. Cl., Moriisoncille, III .—A commercial 
fertilizer, sold here at $50 per ton, is said to 
contain 5 per cent, of ammonia; 4 per cent, of 
actual potash, ami 8 per cent, of soluble phos¬ 
phoric acid, what is its actual value? 
Ans, —Five percent, of ammonia would be 
100 pounds per ton. worth $18.00; four per 
cent, of actual potash would be 80 pounds per 
ton, worth, if in the shape of sulphate (its 
most valuable form) $4.80. Eight percent, of 
phosphoric acid, equals 100 pounds per ton, 
worth, iu soluble form, $ 10 ; makiug the ag¬ 
gregate worth $38.80. 
J. II. li., Mass. —1. My laud for potatoes 
next season is a loose, black loam on stiff blue 
ciay. It is new land, which has borne only 
two crops; what can I use to iucrease the 
yield? 2. I can get a superphosphate at $38 
per ton; is it worth that, and will 200 pounds 
per acre be enough? 
ANS.-I. Such laud should produce a large 
crop of potatoes by adding 25 bushels of hard 
wood ashes per acre, broadcast, after plowing 
the land. 2. Accox-ding to a report of the Con¬ 
necticut Experiment Station, the phosphate 
you mention is worth only $28per ton, at the 
factory, and so would be dear at the price 
you name. 
F. A. C., Bay Shore, L. I. —1. I want to 
grow a large crop of potatoes on a sandy loam 
soil, which received a liberal dressing of stable 
manure plowed in last November, what other 
fertilizer should be applied in Spring? 2. 
W bat. variety of oats would be likely to do 
best on Long Island? 
Ans.— l. In addition to the farm manure, 
we should sow not less than 500 pounds of 
“potato fertilizer” to the acre. You might 
use sulphate of potash aud bone-black when 
the potatoes are planted, and then nitrate of 
soda as soon as the sprouts appear above 
ground. 1. White Australian oats are as good 
as any in our tests 
W. M D , Joliet, III. —1. Is there a United 
States law against in ter cep ting private corres¬ 
pondence in the mails? 2. Has a father any 
legal right to intercept the letters of his chil¬ 
dren at home when over age? 3. Could the 
sender sue for the obstruction? 
Ans, —1. There is a severe law. It is a 
criminal effeuce. 2. He has not. 3. If a 
complaint is made, the United States Govern¬ 
ment will do the prosecution. But if it is a 
family feud, be cool. Think twice before you 
act and remember “ blessed are the peace¬ 
makers.” The penalty is imprisonment. 
J. IF. C.. Lovettsville, Fa.—1. Does it pay 
to cut and steam food for stock, and if so how 
can I do it cheaph i 2. Is Hass's hog and 
poultry Remedy what he claims for it? 
Ans —1. It has been pretty fully demon¬ 
strated that it does not pay. We know of no 
one who now practices it. 2 We have never 
tried it, and find a great deal of conflicting 
testimony in l’egard to it. Some say it is 
good for cholera, others that it is good for 
nothing. If vou try it at all, do it in a small 
way and report results to us. 
F. K., Lake City, Minn —I have several 
bead of cattle, that are losing the bair from 
around their eyes, aod their skin looks scurfy, 
otherwise they are in good order; what should 
I do for them? 
Ans.—W e mistrust they are lousy. If so, 
apply a mixture of kerosene oil and lard, 
equal parts, along their backs. Anyway, give 
them a good carding, and an occasional feed 
of roots or potatoes. When t ating dry' fodder 
cattle should be fed at least twice a week 
some succulent food. 
J.McD., Fairi'iew, N. J. —1. Will straw¬ 
berries, currants, gi’apes raspberries, or black¬ 
berries, mix if planted close together? 2. 
Will different varieties of the same fruit mix 
if planted together? 
Ans.— 1. Just as likely as horses, cattle, 
sheep and bogs, if runniDgin the samelot. and 
uo more. 2. The seeds produced by any one 
might be fertilized by pollen from another; 
that would be all; no one vine would bear 
any but its own kind. 
F. J. K ., Detroit, Mich .—What is the com- 
meicial name of Chili saltpetre? Where can 
I buy it, and is .t used for top-dressing for 
wheat in Spring ? 
Ans. —It is nitrate of soda. Ot any firm in 
Detroit dealing in commercial fertilizers. 
Yes, it is used as a top-dressing for wheat, 
rye, oats, corn. etc. If your soil is well sup¬ 
plied with potash and phosphoric acid iboues) 
and deficient in nitrogen or ammonia, it will 
give you wonderful results. 
E. A., Aberdeen, D. T. —1. I had two pigs 
which ate all right in themoi’ning: at noon they' 
were sick with beads down rootiug and vom¬ 
iting, and died before night: their feed was 
swilLgrassand raw potatoes, what killed them? 
2. Is the Racine Seed Co., of I>es Moines, Iowa, 
responsible? 3. What do you know of the 
Never-slip Horse Shoe Company ? 
Ans —1. The pigs died from some poison— 
quite likely too much salt in their swill. 2. It 
is all right. 8 . It is a good shoe and the com¬ 
pany is responsible, 
F. E. IF., Warwick, Mass —1. Do all 
varieties of apples do well as dwarfs, aud is 
the fruit as large ns that on standard trees? 
2. Where can I get Victoria Grapes true to 
name? 
Ans —1. Not all; the fruit is fully as large; 
but, of course, the trees do not produce as 
much. 2. Many leadiug nurserymen. See 
notices of catalogues as they appear in the 
Rural. The Niagara Plum was shown up in 
Rural of February 14. 
E. E. DeF., Troy, .V. F.—About what will 
such a poultry house as is mentioned in F. C., 
July 3d, cost? 
Ans. —That depends eutirely upon the price 
of material in the local market. Any one can 
figure the umount of material needed, andean 
find out the price by asking the nearest 
dealers. It will, all told, use about 1,000 feet 
of lumber, and to double-line it, about 1,500 
square feet of felt and 300 laths will be needed. 
A. P., Watertown, N. Y .—1. Which are the 
best for cattle feed, mangels or sugar beets, 
supposing the same amount of each could be 
raised ou the same ground? 2. Has the Rural 
tried the Yellow Tankard Mangel, and with 
what- result? 
Ans.— 1. Sugar beets by all means; but 
mangels yield much the most. 2. Yes. For 
cattle it is one among the best. 
Market Gardener, So. Haven, Mich .— How 
can I prepare fish waste for use as a fertilizer 
this season in time for cabbages? 
Ans.—T f you con get a few loads of stable 
manui’e to put with it iu layers, so as to get 
up a good fermentation, by forking it over a 
few times it can be easily fitted for use. Or 
it can be mixed with muc k, or with loam, if 
nothing better is at hand. 
G. T. K.. Zuuesville, Ohio .— What mixture 
will render a boot water-proof, and at the 
same time soft and pliable? 
Ans.—A thing very hard to do. A very 
good mixture is: tallow, 12 ounces; castor oil, 
three ounces; resin, one ounce. Melt all to¬ 
gether, and add enough lamp-black to make 
it black. Apply when quite warm aEd iub 
well in. 
S. J. E., Canton, ///. — It is the belief here 
that patatoes ihould not be plowed after they 
bloom: what says the Rural? 
Ans.—T hat they should not be plowed at 
all. Give shallow cultivation, but no plowing. 
The mere scuffling of the surface, sufficiently 
to kill weeds and break the crust, will do no 
barm so long as the tops stand up. 
I. B., Coleraine, O .— Is Bokhara Clover any 
better for plowing under than the common 
clover? 
Ans. —There is no species of clover so good 
for this purpose as the Mammoth Red Clover. 
If you have bard-wood ashes, sow ten busbe’s 
per acre in Spring, and you will get a wonder¬ 
ful growth by plowing time. 
E. P. Auburn, N. F. — 1. What is the ad¬ 
dress of a Western nursery firm who would 
ship strawberries, currants, raspbeiries and 
blackberries to California ? 2. Could they be 
shipped from New York State? 3. Is tbire a 
Cuthbert black raspberry? 
Ans. —Robert Furnas. Brownsville, Neb. 2. 
Yes, quite as well. 3. No. 
IF. SSalisbury, Indiana Co., Pa.— I. 
What is the best way to train clematis vines? 
2. Is it best to keep hardy hydrangeas cut 
back, growing close to the ground. 
Ans. —1 Train them to please your fancy; 
given a trellis to climb, they will assume 
graceful forms with little assistance. 2 No. 
Prune for shapeliness. 
E. F. H , Syracuse. X, F.—If I thoroughly 
mix 20 bushels of wood asbes. 10 bushels of 
lime, and two of salt, leaving them in a heap 
till wanted for use, would it improve them 
for use on a strawberry bed? 
Ans. —There would be no chemical action 
that would materially affect all or either of 
them perceptibly. 
J. D. T., Broolcside, N. J.— What is meant 
by the Rural's feed quotation in market re¬ 
ports, viz: 40 to 60 lbs. at^ $13.60 ax d $15.00? 
Ans. —The feed is sold iu sacks, all the 
sacks containing the same bulk, but weighing 
from 40 to 60 pounds owing to. the fineness or 
coarseness quality of the contents. 
.4. P. Wilson, N. H .— Where can dwarf 
apple trees be obtained ? 
Ans,— Of Storrs, Harrison & Co., Paines- 
ville, Ohio; of Ellwanger & Barry, Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y.; or of R. G. Chase & Co., Geneva 
N. Y.; aud we presume of most large nurser¬ 
ies iu New England. 
S. H. C., Keesville, X. Y .— Have I a right to 
build a barbed-wire fence along the highway, 
or would I be liable for damages if a runaway 
horse should ruu ou it and get injured ? 
Ans.—Y ou have a perfect right to build it? 
The owner must not let his horse runaway; 
that's his business. 
J. S., Woodland Mills, Tenn .— How can I 
propagate pear trees? I have tried layering 
the Bartlett, and have not succeeded ? 
Ans. —Pear ti’ees are grown by grafting, or 
budding on seedling stock.and not by layering 
or cuttings, except possibly some of tbe Chi¬ 
nese crosses. 
J. S. B., Wellington, Kans. — 1 . Will 
Johnson Grass make a good pasturage ? 2. 
Will it makegood hay for horses? 
Ans.— 1. Nothing better—that is, after the 
grass has grown on the land two years or 
more. Yes. It does not stand the tramp of 
animals. 
F. IF. IF., Du Bois, Pa. — What is the price 
of pine, hemlock and spruce seeds? 
Ans. —Every seed and nni’sery man who 
sells tree seeds and whose catalogue is noticed 
in the Rural, would be glad to send you a 
catalogue and quote prices. Write to them. 
N. H., Pewaukee, IV is. —Is there such a straw¬ 
berry as the Lacon ? 
Ans. —We do not know of one of that name. 
