354 
SUPPLEMENT TO THE BUBAL WEW-YOB3CEB. 
AY 23 
against locusts? 3. Some of my young apple 
trees are almost covered with particles of a 
whitish paper-like substance, which, being 
removed, discloses a red substance which I 
suppose to be the eggs of some insect. What i 
is it, and is there any remedy ? 
ANSWERED BT I’ROF. C. V. RILEY. 
The only method of preventing the ‘‘locusts” 
referred to (meaning doubtless the Periodical 
Cicadas) trom iuiuriug young trees by ovipo- 
sition involves considerable trouble. I have 
detailed in my First Report on the Insects of 
Missouri, for 1868, page 30, a number of ex¬ 
periments with lye, whitewash, sulphur, air- 
slaked lime, and carbolic acid, and found that 
none of these mixtures produces the desired 
effect. The only way, then, is to carefully 
watch for the pupae as they come out of the 
ground and climb the trunk of the tree, when 
they may be readily caught and crushed. It 
is possible that the kerosene emulsion which I 
have found so useful against other insects, but 
which I have not had an opportunity of trying 
on the Cicada?, might prove effectual, and ex¬ 
perimentation with this substance would pay. 
The insect described under No. 2 is evidently 
the Scurfy bark-louse of the Apple (Cbionas- 
pis furfnrus, Fitch). A dilute kerosene emul¬ 
sion will be the best wash to apply. 
PLANTING GRAPES. 
"Farmer," Fort Recovery, Ohio. — What is 
the best soil for grapes and how should they 
be planted? 
Ans. —What is the best soil for grapes, is a 
hard question to decide. We have seen them 
doing splendidly on drifting sand, on almost 
pure stones and on heavy clay, so we say they 
will do reasonably well on any good corn land, 
if only dry; and better if the ground is roll¬ 
ing. They should be planted, according to 
variety, from 6x8 to 10x15 feet apart, aud 
where practicable the rows should run north 
aud south. Dig good large holes, and plant 
some deeper than when in nursery rows, and 
cut down to one bud above ground. If the 
ground be so poor that fertilization is neces¬ 
sary, use wood ashes and bone dust, working 
them well into the soiL A stake should be 
provided to whicb the young growth should 
be constantly kept tied. 
CULTIVATION AND RAINFALL. 
J. S. C., Midland Town, Texas .—Is it a 
fact that plowing up and cultivating a coun¬ 
try tends bo increase the rain fall, and how? 
A ns. -This question is not es yet settled to an 
absolute certainty, but from experience and 
observation so far, there is but little doubt that 
such is the fact. It increases in this waj 
when the ground is plowed and cultivated, 
the rains, when they come, penetrate the soil, 
instead of ail running olf as formerly from 
the solid trodden surface, and being so retain¬ 
ed the moisture evaporates again, thus greatly 
increasing the humid'ty of the atmosphere, 
and,of course, calling a very much less change 
of temperature to produce succeeding rains. 
It seems almost certain that the climate of 
Kansas and Nebraska is rapidly becoming 
more subject to rains. 
CARE OF DUCKLINGS. 
Mrs. L. B , Freeport, L. I .—How should 
young ducks be cared for from hatching till 
old enough to care for themselves? 
Ans —The usual method is to have the 
ducks hatched by hens; after hatching for 10 
days or two weeks, if the weather is warm, 
the hen3 should be kept in coops with board 
floors w«Ii littered with cut straw. The proper 
food ls boiled potatoes and hominy, boiled 
eggs d&d boiled liver or other animal food, 
and all the food given them should be well 
cooked. During this period the ducklings 
should have plenty of clean drinking water, 
but should not be allowed to swim, especially 
if the weather is at ail cold. After this time, 
they may be allowed to run during the day 
but should be shut in a warm coop with a 
dry floor, and be well fed at night. If al¬ 
lowed about a pond or stream infested with 
mud turtles, many of the young ducks will be 
caught by their heads or feet, and drowned. 
— 
Miscellaneous. 
F. 0. C., Washington, Kansas. —1, have 
several acres planted in grapes, blackberries 
and raspberries in rows six, eight, ten and 13 
feet apart; 1 can get stable manure at 25 cents 
per load delivered, what is the best method of 
cultivating and manuring them? 3. Would 
the Acme be a good cultivator? 
Ans. —We think the best treatment would 
be to work them often with a shallow-working 
cultivator, if the soil is very hard, it may be 
lightly plowed in the Spring aud then worked 
with the cultivator. The manure is first-rate 
to use on the berries, but we would hardly ad¬ 
vise its use on the grapes, unless they are 
making a poor growth. For them get some 
bones aud break them fine aud unx with the 
cob ashes that are being largely thrown away, 
and after being kept damp for three 
moo.he or more apply SOU pounds per acre. 3. 
There is no finer tool thau the Acme to use i 
wherever the rows are wide enough for it to t 
pass. 1 
H. W., Minaville, N. Y.— 1. What is the 1 
difference between millet and Hungarian e 
Grass? 3. Which would be the better to sow 1 
on a field that last year was a pasture in clover, 
but the clover is now badly killed—soil black 
slate aud strong land? 8. How much seed , 
should be sown per acre and where can I get < 
it? 4. Is the fodder thus grown as good as i 
clover hay? 
Ans.—L Both are millets though different 
varieties. The common or yellow millet is 
the best, when the seed is the object of raising 
the crop; the Hungarian, when we wish to 
make fodder, though the common millet, if 
cut quite green, makes very good feed. 3. 
We should greatly prefer the Hungarian 
Grass. 3. Sow one bushel per acre as recom¬ 
mended elsewhere for millet. You can get it 
of any man who sells grass seeds. 4. No, 
though very good, about like Timothy. 
J. D. S., Wellsburg, W. Fa.—1. Is soda ash, 
such as is used by glass manufacturers, of any 
value as a fertilizer? 3. Is it the proper thing 
to plant an apple orchard on a piece of ground 
that has just been cleared up this Spring- 
timber principally oak and beach; soil a loose 
sand-stone; exposure to the snn until 3 P. M.; 
a forest as a wind-break on the northwest? 
Ans.— 1. Soda ash is of no value as a fertil¬ 
ize”. as the soil usually contains an abundance 
1 of soda. 2. This kind of soil is not favorable 
for an orchard, and the trees would not be 
long lived unless they were occasionally 
dressed with lime and wood ashes. Sand¬ 
stone soils are defficient in the most import¬ 
ant elements of tree growth, and unless the 
subsoil is differently constituted they are not 
suited for apple orchards. 
G. W. S., PanshviUe, N. Y. —1. Is the 
“Standard Alkaline Bone” manufactured by 
the Farmers’ Fertilizer Co., of Syracuse, N. 
Y., a good fertilizer for use on sandy land in 
wheat? 2. Which is the best corn for fodder, 
and where can it be obtained? 
Ans. —1. Wehave not astatemeutof its con¬ 
stituents by us, aud can find no analysis of it 
by any experiment station, and so can’t say 
anything about it. The credit of the firm, 
however, is rated as “good.” 2. The Rural 
Thoroughbred Flint is the best, but it is hard 
to find the seed now. Try Blount’s Prolific, or 
any good sample of Westem dent that you cau 
get at the feed stores, will do very well; test 
the seed first to see what per cent, will grow. 
M. C., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. —1. Where 
can strong paraffine paper be obtained? 3. 
How can manilla paper be made water proof, 
and somewhat transparent? 3. Where can 
nitrate of soda be bought in quantity nearer 
than New York? 
Ans.— 1. From the Hammerschleg Manu¬ 
facturing Co., 232 Greenwich St., N. Y. 2. 
Get paraffine from any druggist, or from the 
Standard Oil Works. Place it in a large, flat 
dish like a dripping pan, and melt it. Place 
the paper in the hot paraffine until it is satu¬ 
rated, when it should be drained, or it may, 
when wanted in great quantity, be run 
through a wringer made on purpose. 3. Prob¬ 
ably from the fertilizer manufacturers in 
Cleveland. 
j . D. W., Hudson, Wis.— 1. I have a mare 
with foal, that was hipped six years ago. 
About two weeks ago she fell on the ice and 
has hardly been able to walk since. She can¬ 
not get up without help; she eats well and 
appears well; what cau I do for her? 3, 
What should be done for a three-weeks old 
calf that has spells of coughing and hard 
breathing, panting from no exertion at all? 
Ans. —The mare should have plenty of rest 
in a loose stall with deep litter. 2. Give the 
daily a tablespoouful of a mixture of raw 
linseed oil, four ounces, and one ounce of 
spirits of turpentine. The trouble is due to 
thread worms in the lungs and throat. 
W. S. IV'., Shawano, Wis. — In case of 
’ black walnut, peach, plum, cherry aud other 
pits that have been exposed, dry, to freezing 
during the Winter to be planted in the Spring, 
should l bey be cracked and the seed left in 
the shell, or should the seeds be taken out be¬ 
fore they are planted? 
] Ans.— If they have remained dry so long, 
* probably they would never germinate if not 
P cracked. The point is to preserve the kernel 
uninjured so that it can germinate. The nuts 
should have been kept through Winter in 
j sand somewhat moist and exposed to freezing 
and thawing. The black walnut if allowed to 
’ become dry w ill never germinate. 
1 R. S. R., Greenoaxtle, Ind.—Do you recom- 
i mend picking out the kernels looking alike, in 
the hotch-potch of corn sent out, or should it 
3 be planted promiscously ? 
a Ans.— From the way this corn was obtained, 
3 it was almost impossible that the ears should 
, be well filled, and hence came kernels of all 
e ’ shapes and sizes, and from the crossing, all 
!. colors as well. It should be all planted to 
gether. When ripe, select such ears as please 
best and are as nearly alike as possible, and 
plant these together, and this course should 
be followed year by year uutil a variety is 
established that suits. We believe this corn is 
worth a faithful trial, even if it does uot look 
very uniform. 
E. K. R., New York City.—l. Is the fruit 
of the Japanese Plum edible, or is the tree 
solely ornameutal? 2. Can the different va¬ 
rieties of variegated and colored Sycamore 
Maples be grafted upon the common Syca¬ 
more Maple? 3. Do Schwerdler’9 Maple and 
Worl’s Maple bear seed; if so, are the seeds 
true to their kind, and can they be propa¬ 
gated? 
Ans.—I t is edible, but no better than the 
Chickasaw, of which it is a variety or sport, 
we believe. It is valuable for its purple foli¬ 
age mainly. 2. Yes, they should be grafted 
on the species—Acer pseudo-platanus. 3. Yes, 
they bear seed, but the seed will not produce 
the variety. 
S. C. S., Westover, Md.—Ou the northwest 
side of my farm is a bluff 10 feet high along 
the bank of a salt-water river; I wish to plant 
trees for a wind-break; the soil is sandy, 
would you recommend deciduous or ever¬ 
green, and what variety ? 
Ans.— We know of no trees better adapted 
to this use thau the White and Austrian 
Pines aud Norway Spruce. They grow 
rapidly, are hardy and not liable to be injured 
by insects. Deciduous trees would be all 
right for Summer, but would afford but little 
protection in Winter. 
M. M., Liberty, Mo.— 1. What is meant in 
the Rural of February 2, 1884, page 60, by 
Fayetteville water-lime? 3. In building a 
cellar wall, if the rocks are large, will the 
wall be better if they are broken ? 
ANS.—1, Merely a good brand of hydraulic 
cement. 2. You can use rocks however large, 
up to the thickness of the wall, but cold will 
penetrate a wall having stones running en¬ 
tirely through, much worse than when built 
of smaller ones. 
M. T. M., Jamestown, N. C .—In a late Ru¬ 
ral it was said that wire fence could be built 
for 35 cents a pannel, where cau wire be 
bought at that price. Here a pannel is 14 feet 
in length. 
Ans. —Such wire can be got from the Buck- 
Thorn Fence Co., Trenton, N. J. Fourteen- 
foot panneis would cost about 30 cents. 
A. S. S., no address .—I have a Rubra Bego¬ 
nia, with a sprout of Argyrostigma picta com¬ 
ing out near the ground; is not that some¬ 
thing unusual? 
Ans.— Spotted-leaved sprouts often spring 
up from "Rubra" stocks. They are less desir¬ 
able than the plain-leaved form, hence it is 
well to remove them. 
O. U. P. J., Caribou, Me.—Are scabby seed 
potatoes more likely than smooth seed to pro 
duee a scabby crop? 
Ans. —Scab seems to be eaused at the Rural 
Grounds by the wire-worm (lulus). In other 
places it is caused by a fungus. In the latter 
case scabby potatoes would be likely to propa¬ 
gate the affection. 
W. H. Jcanesville, Pa. —l. How far south 
will the gooseberry aud currant thrive and 
bear fruit? 2. How far south will the lilac 
grow. 
Ans.—L Not south of Virginia. 3. We 
have seen lilacs growing and blossoming pro¬ 
fusely in Galveston, Texas. 
S. L , Sharon Center, N. Y— Who are re¬ 
liable wool dealers in Boston? 
Ans. —Brown, Steese & Clarke, Chamber- 
lain Bros. & Co., A. M. Howland & Co, 
Hutchins, Kitching & Co. 
W. B., Eureka Springs, Ark. —Can I bud 
or graft the pear on apple roots? 
Ans.—Y ou can do so, but it is not advis¬ 
able; for, as a rule, such trees would be short¬ 
lived. 
W. T. D , Carry, Pa .—Where can I get 
the Rural Thoroughbred Corn? 
Ans.— J. M. Thorburu & Co., 15 John St., 
New York offered it for sale. 
C. E. L., Tenaj, Montana .—Where can I 
get strawberry boxes by the thousand? 
Ans. —From Disbroa Bros , Rochester, N.Y. 
h i 
DISCUSSION. 
R. H Montreal, Canada.— The Rural’s 
answer, page 500, to the question how to grow 
peas, was uot quite correct, from a Canadian 
point of view. Peas here do not require a 
rich, heavy soil, or one full of manure; heavy 
clay laud that will grow a good crop of wheat 
will grow pea-vines from 10 to 15 feet long, 
which would coutiuue to blossom until frost 
in the Autumn. The straw would be rotten 
at the roots; and the result would be neither 
straw nor gram worth anything. But on light 
clay laud, they would not grow so rankly, and 
the product would be u good crop of grain and 
the straw would be valuable for sheep fodder. 
1 Then again, in Canada, we consider’; IX 
bushel, (70 pounds to the bushel) of good seed, 
sufficient for a Canadian arpent. And, lastly, 
in regard to the time of sowing, we sow as 
soon as the ground is in good condition, aud 
all danger of spring frosts are over; and we 
certainly never think of sowing them as late 
as the 10 or 20th of June expecting a crop. Of 
course, we are almost free from the ravages 
of the weevil or bug. 
R. N. Y.—The climate of Quebec is much 
cooler and better suited to pea growing than 
that of the “States,” aud no doubt our friend 
is right as to the soil there required; but in our 
experience, we never bad land too rich for 
peas. If sown very early, as they should be 
for a large yield, our severe summer droughts 
ripen them up with no fear of continued 
growth. A Canadian arpent is about five 
sixths of an acre, IX bushel, at70 pounds each 
on this, would be somewhat over two bushels 
per acre, which very likely would be ample iu 
so genial a climate, and with pbus, none of 
which are weevil-eaten. Peas sown early will 
grow and yield much the best iu all countries; 
but iu Pennsylvania, those raised thus early, 
would need to be fed as soon as ripe, or their 
value would be greatly injured by the weevil. 
But when growing for seed, we must take Ihe 
chances of mildew aud a small yield, to escape 
the greater evil—the bug or weevil. 
Dr W. H. G., 8alt Lake City, Utah.—I 
take issue with Prof. C, V. Riley in his asser¬ 
tion in a late Rural, that all true spiders are 
useful to man. We have here a white spider, 
which is the worst enemy to man of anything 
in the insect line that I am acquainted with. 
It is so poisonous to all tender plauts that Its 
very foot-tracks on a leaf of a rose bush or 
anything else, will kill the leaf. I have seen 
it walk or run over the leaf of a Magnolia 
acuminata, and in 34 hours the leaf would 
show signs of death. The pests have killed 
four of the young trees for me by running or 
walking over the buds. They are very cunning 
too, for on the approach of a person, they will 
dodge quickly uuder the leaf, and if disturbed 
in tho least, they will drop to the ground and 
hide so quickly that not one person out of ten 
would see them. They do not weave a web. 
Their name Ido not know, but I have watched 
them closely on my young roses and other 
plants to keep them from cutting off the 
shoots, which I have seen them do a number 
of times. 
Prof. C. V. Riley; I can simply say that 
no such poisonous spider as that here describ¬ 
ed is known to me, or to any other arachnol- 
ogist whom I have questioned. From the 
fact that Dr. W. H. G. speaks of the cutting 
of the shoots, I infer that he has to do with 
some other insect which mimics or closely re¬ 
sembles a spider. However this may be, I 
shall be extremely glad to receive specimens 
of the creature in question from tho Doctor, 
and will then write him further in reference 
to it. The general truth which I have stated 
is a well recognized one. Any exception to it 
such as be indicates, will be a most interesting 
addition to our knowledge. 
•■Hortus,” Elmira, N. Y.— I have no desire 
to talk a conclusion upon any question; but 
facts are facts, neverertbeless, and they very 
often disprove many a fine theory. Your 
correspondent, C. M. Hovey, evidently swal¬ 
lows everything Mr. Peter Hendereo* says, 
without stopping to consider that other prac¬ 
tical men have a right to an opinion, especial¬ 
ly when that opinion is based on “carefully 
conducted experiments.” With all due regard 
for Mr. Henderson’s practical experience, I 
for one can not consider him infallible. If 
we are to accept everything Mr. Henderson 
says as conclusive evidence that all experi¬ 
ments are of no value in proving or disprov¬ 
ing a theory, unless they agree with his ideas, 
then there is no further need of experiment 
stations. 1 will uot disugroe with Mr. Hovey 
that “we have too much theory and two little 
intelligent practice.” Does not Mr. Hender- 
b son sometimes have too much theory as well 
as some others! 
F. B. F., Babylon, L. I.—If I understand 
F. D. G\. on page 285 of the Rural, he would 
not only advise tho ladies, but all, to discon¬ 
tinue tho use of oats as poultry food. This I 
could uot do until the truth of his assertions 
is proved among iny own fowl. At this 
season I feed no corn to my layers; but do 
feed oats largely, with happy results as to egg 
production. While I have fed them in a dry 
state with impunity, I think it a good plan to 
soak them in boiling water, allowing them to 
remain over-night, as then they make a good 
morning feed. They are good mixed with 
screenings, two-thirds of the latter. 
A. M P., Palmyra, N. Y.—Permit me to 
suggest an improvement on Goguac’s direc¬ 
tions for setting strawberries, asparagus, etc., 
as given on page 224, and thut is, after the 
line has been drawn straight, walk on it. This 
leaves a plain mark to use the spade or trowel 
by, and the rows are uot so liable to be 
crooked as wheu setting by a drawu line. 
