4865 
SUPPLEMENT T© THE RURAL NEW-’ 
353 
were numerous, so I disobeyed Mapes’s instruc¬ 
tion, and first dropped the seed, and then cov¬ 
ered it with about two iuches of earth, and 
then covered the whole surface of the furrow 
with the Mapes fertilizer and covered the same 
with three or four inches of soil, leaving the 
furrow slightly raised. At each forking be¬ 
tween the row’s, I applied the fertilizer again, 
using in all. 1},£ pound to each 10 feet of fur¬ 
row. I was rewarded by much smoother 
potatoes than I had got with stable manure, 
although the yield was not increased over 
that of other years. Why is the application 
of the fertilizer above the seed the proper 
thing? 
A ns.—E xperiments made at the Rural 
Grounds two years ago as to the depth of plant- 
ing, gave for eight inches large tubers and very 
few. The best yield came from trenches be¬ 
tween four and five iuches deep. We are this 
year repeating the experiment in a more sandy 
soil. Better results may be looked for from 
mulching in the trench thau from deep plant¬ 
ing as a meaus of overcoming the effects of 
drought. Our friend may know that the 
Rural has advocated shallow manuring 
(farm manure) for years past; ever since, in¬ 
deed, the great yield of corn produced at the 
Rural Farm on Long Islaud. It occured to us 
that rain tends to carry the juices downward, 
and the roots would be surer to receive the 
food if it were near the surface than if plowed 
under in the old way. A good article of po¬ 
tato fertilizer is very soluble, and is carried 
into the soil with the first rain. The potash 
and phosphoric acid may remain within a few 
inches of the surface until consumed by the 
plants; but the nitrogen is very soon washed 
through. 
HAY CAPS, HYDRAULIC RAMS, ETC. 
Cf. E. S., Fredericton, N. B.—l. What size 
and of what material should hay caps be made? 
3. With what composition should they be 
covered? 3. Can water be raised by means of 
a hydraulic ratu to a distance of 35(1 yards 
and a bight of 60 feet? What proportion of 
the water would be delivered, aud is there 
much danger of frost? Is the Douglass ram 
a good one ? 
Ans. —1. Common brown sheeting makes 
good caps. They may be \)4 feet square, and 
it is better to have a cord sewed in all around 
the edge, with a loop in each corner, through 
which a notched pin is thrust into the hay to 
hold the cap in place. 2. They do not need 
any coating to make them water-proof; tor if 
properly put on. the simple cloth will shed 
rain. Make a solutiou by soaking a bushel of 
wheat bran in 10 gallons of water for 48 
hours; then boil a half hour aud strain; into 
this dissolve two pounds of alum, and while 
still hot, put iu the cap?, or the cloth before 
it is made up, and boil for 15 minutes; then 
wring out and dry. This will render the cap 3 
mildew-proof and aid much iu enabling them 
to shed water, “like a duck’s back.” 3. 
Easily. The proportion of water elevated 60 
feet will depend upon the fall that can be 
secured to the feed pipe. Theoretically, with 
a fall of 10 feet one-sixth of the water that 
enters the “drive pipe” could bo elevated 00 
feet; but practically, this amount should be 
divided by about two, to overcome friction 
aud supply waste, and sometimes not even so 
large a proportiou as this can be depeuded 
upon. The Douglass is a very good ram, but 
we prefer one made by the Gleason & Baity 
M’f’g Co., of Seneca Falls, or by A. Gawthrop 
& Son, of Wilmington, Del. Of course, the 
ram will require to be placed where it will be 
entirely free from frost, aud the water-pipes 
should be laid below frost. No one who once 
provides bis buildings with a water supply 
would willingly dispense with it thereafter, 
though the cost were double what it is. 
PERIOD OK GESTATION IN A MARE, ETC, 
.4. S. A ,, Pittsfield, 111.— 1. How can plums 
be best protected from CurculioJ a. A young 
mare was to have foaled seven days ago, that 
being eleven months after she bad taken the 
stallion, why this delay! She is teu years old 
and this will be her first colt. 3. Would it be 
well to sow unleached wood ashes broadcast 
on strawberries to be followed by an applica¬ 
tion of hen manure ? 
Ans.— 1. There is no sure way of protecting 
young plutus from the curculio but by jarring 
the trees every day early iu the morning, be¬ 
ginning when the plums are as large as peas. 
Spread sheets under the trees,upon which the 
insects will fail—then destroy them. A sharp 
rap or so with a mallet is giveu to each tree. I 
i. The average period of gestation iu a mare is i 
populurly supposed to be eleven months, say, s 
48 weeks, or 886 days. In practice, however, < 
the period is found to vary very greatly; more, ‘ 
in fact, in case of a inure than of almost any s 
other animal, und iu reality the average is 1 
about 840 days instead of 380, a male foal_be- 6 
iug carried a trifle longer than a female. " In 1 
73 eases noted by Dr. W. H. Wtuter.of Prince- i 
towu, 111., the average period for males was t 
about 141 dayp, aud for females, 388 duys, the c 
longest being 870, and the shortest ; 317 t 
days. The extremes are usually placed at 30. 
to 360 days, thought a case is noted by Mr. J. 
H. Sanders, where a mare served on May 7, 
did not drop the foal until May 17 of the fol¬ 
lowing year, being a period of one year and 
ten days. OwiDg to the indefiniteness of the 
period of gestation in a mare, she should be 
closely watched about the time the foal is ex¬ 
pected, as there are certain signs of the near 
approach of parturitioH which seldom fail. 
The udder often swells greatly some time be, 
fore parturition, but the teats seldom become 
plump and full until a few days before the 
colt is dropped. A marked shrinkage or fall¬ 
ing away of the muscular parts on top of the 
buttocks, back of the hips,rarely precedes the 
dropping of the colt more than a week or ten 
days. In breeding mares, it is generally con¬ 
sidered that the best results are obtained when 
the uiare is put to the stallion before she has 
attained maturity. After she has passed the 
prime of life—say eight to teu years—without 
having been bred, the sexual powers are gen¬ 
erally impaired or totally lost by long-con¬ 
tinued disuse, and mares so treated have gen¬ 
erally proved barren. In breeding horses the 
general opiniou is that one or both of the par¬ 
ents should be of mature age. If both are 
very young or very old, the produce is gener¬ 
ally small and weakly. In England, and to 
a great extent in this country also, the rule 
generally followed, is to wait till the mare is 
three years old before breeding from her, and 
to put her to a horse of at least full maturity 
—from eight to teu years old. 3. Such fer¬ 
tilizers resting upon the leaves will injure 
them unless washed off by rains or by hand. 
The hen manure and ashes coming iD contact 
would result in a loss of ammonia. It is al¬ 
ways best to compost heu manure with muck, 
coal ashes, sand or soil. 
PLASTERING WALLS AND CEILINGS. 
-4. S., Richmond, Va.— Why does the plas¬ 
tering on walls and ceilings of houses crack 
aud how can the work be so done as to avoid 
it? 
Ans.— Plastering cracks from one or a com¬ 
bination of reasons: an insufficiently hraced 
frame-work; poor quality of material; au 
insufficiency of hair m the first coating, or too 
much haste iu finishing the job, etc. No 
matter how well done iu all other respects, if 
the building rocks and trembles in every 
gale that blows, the walls must crack, so the 
first requisite is a good, substantial frame¬ 
work, aud the lathing should be so opeu that 
the mortar may easily work through so as to 
make ample “clinches” on the hack-side. The 
saud used should be entirely free from dirt 
aud loam, and should be mixed with a good 
quality of lime, and by all meaus should 
stand long enough, after it has been made, to 
allow the lime to become entirely slaked; in 
fact, the longer it stands up to several months, 
if kept constautly wet, the better; but when 
standing more thau a few days it should not 
have the hair incorporated until about the 
time it is to be used, as the lime would de¬ 
stroy the hair. The first coatiug can scarcely 
have too much hair; but where much hair is 
used, it does not “lay,” when put on, quite so 
smoothly, and therefore masons almost always 
use by far too little. After the first coat is 
put on, it should be “floated” to get it level 
und it should then be allowed to stand until 
thoroughly, aud completely, dried, both the 
mortar aud the laths under it, so that all 
cracks may appear that complete seasoning 
may occasion, aud where three coats are used 
the same rule should be observed between the 
second coat and the “putty eoat” or hard- 
finish, If these points are looked after, we 
think you will find a handsome aud durable 
wall aud one free from cracks. 
CEMENTED FLOOR FOR HOO-PEN. 
R. H., North Kingsville, Ohio.— 1. Can I 
pave a hog-pen floor with cobble-stones and 
apply a coat of cement on top? 3. Would 
such a floor be as good and durable as one of 
plank f 
Ans.— 1 . You can pave your floor as men¬ 
tioned: but the’hogs will be almost sure to eat 
the cement from above the stones. 3. It will be 
more duiable, und, if properly made, better. 
Select stones as uniform as possible and from 
six to eight inches in diameter; and It will 
make a better floor if, with a stone hammer, 
you break oil one side of each stone so as to 
leave a flat surface. Have the soil made 
smooth and level and place the stoues, with 
the flat side up, as compactly together as pos¬ 
sible, putting small stones or pieces under the 
smaller ones so as to secure a surface nearly 
even and slightly slanting toward one side. 
“Chink” iu the spaces between with brokeu 
stones. Then make u grout (thin mortari one 
part of good hydraulic cemeut aud throe of 
sharp sand, and pour it among the stones 
being sure it tills all the interstices, and work¬ 
ing it down with a trowel or sharp stick till 
the whole is one solid mass of stones aud 
cemeut; put au inch or two of thicker mor¬ 
tar over the top, which should be well 
10. hammered down with a “maul.” Where the 
J. sleeping apartment has such a floor the hogs 
7, should have plenty of bedding. 
FRUITS FOR THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 
^ F. -If., Fort. Francis, Manitoba , Can .—l. 
be This place is past the middle of the 49th degree 
of latitude; tbe Winters are cold, the ther¬ 
mometer ranging from 10 to 50 degrees below 
jj zero; the ground freezes but little owing to an 
abundance of snow, which falls early and lies 
U e un ^ Spring fully opens. The ground is dry 
he an< ^ l eve li b ut quite elevated above the river 
n _ bed. Common Red Clover and fall wheat 
he stuud the Winter well and produce good 
be crops. Now I wish to grow fruit, can I do so? 
3Q ^ so, what varieties should I plant of apples, 
n _ pears, plums and cherries? 2. How old should 
JU the trees be, and where can I get them? 3. 
as I^hieh would be best—top or root-grafted 
ie trees? 
ut ^-NS.—I. Not enough is known of fruit- 
n growing in the Northwest, as yet, to enable 
n _ anyone to say just what will succeed. It is 
q quite evident that few, if any, of the Eastern 
varieties would be satisfactory, but we hope 
r _ much from some of the Russian varieties. 3. 
pe The age makes but little difference. Write 
r to Prof. J. L. Budd, Ames, Iowa; we think 
, f he will advise you where you can get a few 
] e for trial. 3. We Bhould advise root grafts for 
is apple trees and top grafts, or, better, budding 
d for plums. You should, we think, have no 
trouble in growing currants, strawberries, 
and raspberries by bending down and slightly 
protecting the bushes. We should have no 
^ faith in any of the domestic plums. 
;t “SCALY LEGS” IN POULTRY. 
1- -4. C. H., Roanoke, Ind. —1. Our chickens 
c, have something like scales on their legs, what 
is it and what will prevent and cure it? 2. 
Where can I get Canada field peas? 
Ans.— 1. Doubtless the disease is “scaly legs.” 
J. The simplest remedy is to dip or wash the 
legs in kerosene on the first appearance of the 
ailment. Repeat the operation if the first 
application is not efficacious. The remedy is 
' cheap aud certain if persisted in. It is most 
effective when the kerosene is freely rubbed ' 
1 in while the leg3 are held upward, so that it 
3 can penetrate under the scales. The disease 
is due to the operations of minute insects 1 
under the scales of the fowls 1 legs. The onlv I 
preventive, therefore, is not to allow infested I 
J fowls in the poultry yard, as the ailment is I 
extremely “catchiug.” Another remedy is to 
k wash the legs with a weak solution of sugar 1 
’ of lead in the morning, and anoint them with 
clean lard just before going to roost. The 
• birds should have wholesome diet, including 
meat at least once a day. They should not 
be exposed to rain, or even be permitted to ! 
’ roam on wet gras?, but should be kept quiet 
1 until the ailment disappears. 2. They are 1 
offered for sale by seedmen who sell field seeds, 
such as 1). M. Ferry, Detroit, Michigan, 
Hiram Sibley, Rochester, N. Y., etc. 
TREATMENT OP UCN-OUT GRASS LAND, 
E. L. P., Nyack, X. T .—We have a piece of 
grass land all run out and have not enough | 
i manure to bring it up as fast as we like. It ! 
was plowed four years ago and allowed to 
grow to weeds, wild roses, etc. If this is 
plowed now and sowed to oats and clover, 1 
and the clover is plowed down in the Fall and 
sowed to rye and seeded, and in the Spring 
fertilized, would it be reasonable to expect 
favorable results? 
Ans. —The trouble with this course would 
be that what oats were grown would leave the 
land so much poorer and the clover would not 
be large enough this Fall to amount to any¬ 
thing as manure. If the laud is quite poor, 
plow thoroughly and apply 100 pounds of a 
good fertilizer per acre aud sow two bushels , 
of Western corn per acre in drills 13 inches , 
apart; the last of August, or when full-grown, 
plow this in, using a chain if necessary; sow 
to rye, applying 300 pounds of fertilizer, and 
if wanted for meadow, seed to Timothy, seed¬ 
ing to clover the following Spring. This will 
give satisfactory results. It would be better, 
however, to withold the Timothy seed this 
Fall and seed with pure clover uext Spring. 
Let this grow up and fall down that year and 
the next year cut it for hay, and let the second 
crop grow up and plow that in, when full 
grown, again sowing to rye with fertilizers, 
and then seed for meadow as before des¬ 
cribed. 
i 
FORTELLING THE WEATHER, ETC. 
W. E. P., Pleasanton, /«.—!. Who makes i 
the Gurley level mentioned in Prof. Carpen- 1 
ter’s article on draining, page 479, last volume i 
of the Rural, and is it a good oue? 2. Cau i 
you give practical directions for foretelling ] 
the state of the weather? 8. Are there any J 
instruments that can be relied upon for this I 
purpose ? ] 
Ans.—W. & L. E. Gurley, Troy,New York. I 
j We think it a very good one for the money. 
2. We can only “guess” at the weather. The 
so-called rules all fail either in a drought or t 
} deluge. Still, one on a farm can, by careful 
3 observation of the clouds and wind, “guess” 
pretty closely, but we can give no rules that 
will be of much use. General Hazen, Chief 
of the Signal Service, has published a uumher 
of data for forecasting the weather. The 
pamphlet can doubtless be obtained, like other 
Government publications, through the Con¬ 
gressman for the applicant’s district. 3. The 
barometer and hygrometer are of some use in 
"guessing,” but even they fail to indicate 
changes of the wind; on this as much as the 
pressure of the atmosphere and condition of 
moisture depends the coming of storms. 
a “germ.” 
M. C„ Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.— At a horti¬ 
cultural meeting held here the other day, it 
was stated that the germ of wheat contains no 
nutriment; is this tbe case with other seeds? 
Of w hat is the germ composed ? 
Ans.— By “germ” is meant the embryo, we 
presume. Some seeds are albuminous, as 
wheat, and the embryo derives its nourish¬ 
ment from this albumen in Che act of germi¬ 
nation. Other seeds are not albuminous tex- 
albuminous) as peas. In these the embryo 
lives upon the nutritive matter of the cotyle¬ 
dons or first leaves. The nutritious matter ex¬ 
isting in the seed is greater or less in the co¬ 
tyledons (seed-lobes) as there is more or less 
in the albumen. Extremes are shown in 
wheat and squash seeds. The germ or em¬ 
bryo, the rudiment of the future plant, con¬ 
sists of a root (radicle), stem-bud (plumule) 
and leaves (cotyledons). The number of co¬ 
tyledons varies. In wheat and other grasses 
there is but one; hence they are called mono¬ 
cotyledons; in beans, forest trees, etc., there 
are two; hence they are called dicotyledons. 
Examples of more than two are found in 
pines aud firs. 
CHEAPEST SOURCE OF POTASH. 
J. P., Tannery, Best Yiryin.ia.-l. Which 
is the cheapest source of potash, kainit at jl 
per 100 pouuds, sulphate of potash at 82.25 per 
100 pounds, or ashes at 20 cents per bushel, all 
delivered on the farm? 2. is there any sub¬ 
stance in which 1 can obtain potash cheaper! 
Ans —1. On an average, 100 pounds of kai- 
nit would give you 12>£ pounds of potash, 
j which, at tbe price, would cost you eight 
cents per pound; 100 pounds of sulphate of 
j potash would give you 25 pounds of potash, 
which would make it cost just nine cents per 
, pound; the ashes, if of good hard wood, would 
contain about three pounds of potash, cost¬ 
ing six-and two thirds cents per pound, making 
: the ashes the cheapest source of potash. Be- 
j sides thi», the ashes contain about one pound 
of phosphoric acid, which is worth about five 
cents for manurial purposes. 3. Muriate of 
potash contains 50 pounds of potash in each 
100 pounds; it may be you can buy this at a 
price that would give you the potash cheaper 
than in the ashes. ^ 
SMALL FRUITS IN AN A, PLE ORCHARD. 
H. B. L.. Hillsboro, Oregon — l. I have an 
orchard with trees plauted 20 feet apart; I 
wish to grow raspberries, currants, black¬ 
berries aud strawberries, how shall I plant 
them? 2. Would the shade injure the straw¬ 
berries? 8. What are the relative merits of 
the Manchester and Sharpless? 4. Can the 
English Walnut and the Hemlock Spruce be 
trained low—not more than eight feet high ? 
Ans,— 1. You can plant two rows of either 
currants, blackberries or raspberries between 
each two rows of trees, and between these 
rows of berries you can plant two rows of 
strawberries, but do not mix the ras^rries, 
currants and blackberries together; and re¬ 
member that “the more mouths, the more food 
must be provided.” 2. More or less accord¬ 
ing to its density. 3. The Manchester is 
smaller and rather more acid. It is a better 
shipper and more prolific. It is a pistillate. 
A Yes, for the hemlock; no. for the walnut. 
DO COIN AND PARADISE STOCKS. 
& .4. N., Westover, Md .—t. What is meant 
by Douein and Paradise stocks for apples? 2. 
How and where can they be obtained? 
Ans. —1. The Douein stock, sometimes 
called the English Paradise, is a smallish- 
growing tree of the apple species, and ordi¬ 
narily, varieties, when grafted on this as a 
stock, are somewhat dwarfed, so that when 
properly pruned they grow into smallish 
trees. Paradise stocks are of the French Para¬ 
dise, a very much smaller species of the apple, 
and wbeu the common apple is grafted on 
tnese route, it is so dwarfed as only to grow 
into a mere shrub or bush; in fact, it dwarfs 
the apple much more than the quiuee dwarfs 
the pear. 2. They can be obtained from 
many nurserymen, though all do not pro¬ 
pagate dwarfed apples. We think the Storrs, 
Harrison Co., of Painesville, Ohio, have 
them; aud so have Ellwanger & Barry, of 
Rochester, N. Y. 
DESTROYING CICADAS: SCURFY APPLE BARK- 
LOUSE. 
J. A. K., Wart'enlon. Fa.—1. What pro¬ 
tection can be given to young apple trees 
