408 
T© THE BUBAL HEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 13 
the grape curculio. But when we understand 
that it is a big job, costing about 810 per acre., 
it seems a question whether it pays. White 
admitting the protection claimed, he said, 
“We can’t afford it, and yet I do not care to 
discourage bagging. There is one great draw¬ 
back, however; ODe whole week of wet weather 
will crack the grapes unless you cut off the 
lower end of the bag.” He thought he was 
among the first on the Hudson to bag grapes; 
he used paper bags, and ran a pencil through 
each corner to let out the water. He found 
that by clean culture and no barn yard ma¬ 
nure, the rot would not be troublesome, fie 
thought the fungus was due to this manure. 
Dr. Hape preferred cloth to paper for bags. 
Suitable cloth costs only five cents a yard.and 
the bags would not retain water. Mr. Cush¬ 
man, Ohio, did not see how bagging could be 
made to pay in large vineyards; according to 
Dr. Hape’s estimate, it would take about 30 
days to bag an acre and cost about §30, 
Mr, Williams, New Jersey, said bagging 
was very successful in his State. His vine¬ 
yard never got auy barn yard manure, and 
yet he bad lots of rot. When he bagged he 
saved the grapes, and generally lost them in 
other cases He never saw them crack Bags 
■cost from §1 15 to §2 per 1,000. He pays girls 
$1 per 1,000 to put them on. Last year he 
lost some oy bagging too late. As to Con¬ 
cords, he caunot affjrd to bag them, or raise 
them either. Bags preserve the bloom per¬ 
fectly, and prolonged the season of ripening, 
and are unquestionably a protection against 
rot. When grapes generally go down as low 
in price as Concords, be doe3 not want to 
grow grapes at all. Mr. Cay wood said he 
only meant that baggiug did not pay where 
the vineyard was 20 or 30 acres in extent. 
Mr. Munson, Texas, thought an important 
point to settle was the precise time wheD the 
bags should be put on. One of their grape- 
gro vers bad made the test with salicylic acid. 
He thought the grape should not be over one- 
quarter or one third grown, or else the germ 
of the rot would already be on the bunch. 
Mr. Caywood thought the bags ought ro go 
on very soon after the blossom. Mr. Pierce, 
Ohio, spoke of using a weak solution of crude 
carbolic acid; if used in a spray, the fruit 
would not rot. President Parker Earle thought 
bagging prevented rot and curculio. He was 
< a grower for market, but had carefully 
„oted the results of bagging He thought 
one half a cent per pound would pay the cost 
of bagging. “The only question is, shall we 
grow grapes at all? I think if it pays to grow 
them at all, it will pay to bag them. As to 
the labor of it, it is simply so much money for 
so much profit." 
Mr. Williams here spoke of the damage 
from birds, and especially from the sparrows, 
which he bandied very roughly. ‘ They are 
terribly destructive,” said he, “against these 
the bags are a protection. People at the 
North have been very aesthetic over these 
little sparrows, and tried to increase and pro¬ 
tect them at all points. Now that we have 
ten thousand millions of them, they turn out 
to be little rascals." Mr. Ohmer, Ohio, said 
the larger the vineyard, the easier and cheap¬ 
er to have the bagging done. “I believe in 
baggiug; failure often results from cracking, 
caused by the water held in the beg, but if an 
openiag is made, all that is remedied.” Mr. 
Cassell, Mississippi, asked as to the size of the 
bags. Mr. Williams used what are known as 
a two or three pound bag. He took a lot of 
these together, arid chipped off the bottom 
corners. Mr. Kellogg, Wisconsin, said: “The 
trouble with us at the North Pole is to bag 
the entire vine-yard The frost sometimes 
takes everything up there, either late in the 
Spring or early in the Fall. Then in regard 
to pruning: I have been surprised in large 
Concord vineyards to note the marked suc¬ 
cess in cases where the vines had not been 
pruned at all." 
Mr. Durand, Missouri, asked Mr. Williams 
How to prune a vineyard six or seven years 
old. But Mr. W. could not prescribe for his 
case any better than a physician for a patient 
he had not seen; all would depend upon the 
condition of the vines. Dr. Hape alluded to 
the importance of fertilizers, and thought 
they were intimately connected with grape 
culture. Mr. Hoffman had used wood ashes; 
his grapes rotted so badly he dug them up. 
His neighbor used no manure, but covered 
his vineyard with old corn-stalks, and raised 
immense crops. He therefore favored mulch¬ 
ing instead of manuring. Mr. Cook, Michigan 
spoke of a gentleman who had used wood 
awnings over his vines to the exclusion of rot 
or mildew, while those standing outside were 
badly injured. Mr. Caywood had tried the 
experiment last year, and was Inclined to 
thiuk well of it, Mr. Williams knew of a 
like experiment. (And has it come to this! 
Must we in America take our vineyurds into 
the house both Summer and Winter, as they 
do in Britain?) Mr. Williams used commer¬ 
cial fertilizers entirely, and had tested several 
kinds carefully, but he failed to mention any 
preference. Mr. Cantell, Ohio, found bone- 
dust the best thing people coulduse there. “It 
is of no use around the vines on top of the 
ground, but should be put at the bc4tom of 
the furrows when plowing between the vines. 
I think 50 pounds of bone-dust will produce 
§100 worth of grapes in two years." H. H 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
[livery query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Befwre 
asking a question, please see If it is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
at one time. 1 _ 
FERTILIZING GRAPE-VINES. 
Subscriber, Smyrna , Del .—1 have several 
acres of light sandy lands, rather poor, planted 
in grapes. With the use of stable manure, they' 
have made a fair growth of vine. About 
half are fruiting this season for the first 
time, and 1 wish soon to apply chemical man¬ 
ures containing phosphoric acid and potash. 
What amount of bone dust or kainit should 
be applied per acre annually! 3. Are wood 
ashes preferable to kainit? 3. What time in 
the year should the application be made* 
Ans. 1. With so cursory a description of 
the soil, it is difficult to say just how much or 
how little would meet the requirements of the 
vine growth; but there is one feature con¬ 
nected with the use of both these elements; if 
more is applied than would be taken by the 
vines, it will uot be lost or wasted, so we say 
for the first year, apply 400 pounds of bone 
made very fine, aud 100 pounds nf kainit; in 
subsequent years one-half the amount of either 
would be ample aud perhaps less might suffice. 
Watch the vines aud you should be able to 
decide. 2. Kainit contains about 12 Vi per 
cent, of potash, aud, in addition, a large 
percentage of salt. Wood ashes, if from bard 
wood, contain about six per cent of potash and 
two per cent of phosphoric acid; and we 
should select whichever, at the price, would 
afford potash at the least cost. 8. Karly in 
the Spring is, no doubt, the best time to 
apply, but any time will answer, as what the 
plants don’t take this year, will be in good 
shape for the succeeding year. 
THE HUBBKLL PATENT ON CHEESE PRESSES. 
O. IF. V, Oberlin, Ohio, —Certain parties 
fro • New York have been trying for the past 
year to collect of our factory a royalty for 
using the system of pressing cheese direct 
into bandages, which system was used here 
prior to the date of tbeir claimed patent. Is 
there a genuine patent, and can these men 
collect the royalty' claimed—50 cents per year 
for each hoop used? 
Ans.— The claims of this Hubbell patent are 
of very doubtful va idity; few believe this 
patent valid, yet, in almost all cases where 
parties have been sued for using it, they have 
finally concluded to pay sometuiug rather 
than conti nue longer in the courts All the deci¬ 
sions that have been obtained, as far as we 
can ascertaiu, have beeu by default of the de¬ 
fendants, or by some arrangement effected 
with them. Last year a case, as we under¬ 
stand, came up in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., 
in which the defendant stood firm and was 
resolved on haying the case tried; the result 
was the plaintiffs paid costs and withdrew 
the suit, probably thinking it better to rely on 
cheek thau the merits of their case. Our 
friend most be his own judge as to whether be 
prefers, under the circumstances, to settle or 
take his chances on trial. It would be a good 
plan if a large number of dairymen would 
combine in paying expenses aud make a test 
case. Our own opinion is that the whole 
thiug is a game, and would not hold good if 
put to the test. 
LAYERING GRAPE VINKS. 
D. S., Augusta, Kansas .—I have a few 
grape vines, and wish to propagate more from 
them, what is the best method? 
Ans. —The only way to propagate from 
them this season is to do so by layeriug them. 
To do this, select some cane of last year’s 
growth, having more or less young shoots 
growing from its eyes or buds, that can be 
laid its wtiole leugtb into the ground; dig a 
trench two or three inches deep where this 
can be readily laid into it; place the mature 
cane along t he bottom of the trench, fastening 
it down, as necessary, with wooden pegs, being 
careful uot to break off the present season’s 
growth of shoots from the several buds. When 
the new growth is loug enough pis it must be 
now) to reach well above the surface; fill in 
the trench with fine soil, pressing it well down 
around each young growth. If the season is 
very dry, soak the soil with water around 
where this vine is layered, and mulch with fine 
chaff, grass mowings, or anything to keep 
the soil damp. In the Fall ihe several young 
shoots will be found well rooted and fine 
plants, and should be dug up, separated, and 
planted or heeled in for spring planting. 
EXTERMINATING WHITE DAISIES. 
G. A. C., Theresa , X. T.—How can I kill 
white daisies in a pasture that caunot be 
plowed ? 
Ans. —If the daisies are very thick, it is 
quite a chore. If pastured closely with sheep, 
the latter will keep them down, and with a 
little aid in cutting off any that may be seed¬ 
ing, that are beyond the animals’ reach, they 
will be killed out in time. They' can be cut 
off with a “spod"—a chisel two inches wide 
on a long handle—but this is a good deal of 
work where they are thick. The easiest, and 
a very effectual way, is to procure some sec¬ 
ond-class or agricultural salt; and in a bag, 
having one of the lower and upper corners tied 
together, so that it may be suspended over the 
shoulder, carry the salt about, dropping a 
handful on the crown of each daisy plant; it 
will kill them, root and branch, and though it 
will require some work, it will pay’. Of course 
not one, even in any' out-of-the-way place, 
must be allowed to seed. 
EXTRA FEED FOR COWS AT PASTURE. 
S. E, I‘., Detroit, Mich .—What do you think 
of the propriety of feeding some such rich 
food as oil meal to stock while running to 
grass? 
Ans.— Although, without doubt, grass is 
the most natural food an animal can eat, yet 
its nutritive value is too low to have a milch- 
cow or a growing or fattening animal produce 
the largest return, from eating it alone. There 
is more profit in feeding extra food during 
the grazing season thau when the animals are 
in the stubles, if white in the barns they are 
confined to dry food. It will, therefore, most 
assuredly pay to feed aoimals, even if running 
in the best of pasture, a moderate quantity 
daily of some food rich in albuminoids and 
phosphates. Growing calves, pigs, or lambs, 
and milch cows will certaiuly pay for a ration 
of a mixture of new-proceBS oil meal and bran, 
ami if the cows are beiug worked for butter, 
a little eoru meal should be added. This food 
should be given at night when coming from 
the pasture. 
PREPARING RYE LAND FOR WINTER WHEAT. 
J. W. O ., Cora, Fa .—I have a piece of 
light slate land now in rye, which I propose 
to plow down, and I wish to fit it for wheat 
this Fall. Can 1 follow the rye to good ad¬ 
vantage with some other green crop, and if 
so, with wbat? 
Ans.— You can very profitably'do so. There 
would be nothing superior to peas, did not 
the seed cost so much. Sow two bushels of a 
large growing dent corn per acre in drills one 
foot apart, running crosswise of the direction 
to be plowed for wheat, aud plow that down 
when as large as it can be got under, or by 
the middle of August or September 1. 
FEEDING PET LAMBS. 
M. M. F ., Lawsonham, Pa .—I have four 
pet lanJMt that do not thrive, as other Iambs 
of the same age are much larger, what must 
I feed them and how? 
Ans. —It is natural for lambs to eat a little 
and often, and the principal trouble in raising 
pet lambs is that they are not fed sufficiently 
often aud are often overfed when they do eat, 
and for this reason they seldom do well. They 
should l»e fed uew milk from a new milch 
cow, and this should be given every hour aud 
only a little at a time. The best that can be 
done now with yours, is to fix a trough where 
they have easy access to it, and feed them all 
the linseed meal they will eat, and a feed of 
milk at least six times daily, but give not too 
much at a time. It is impossible to tell what 
ailed the lamb from so imperfect a descrip¬ 
tion of its symptoms. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. C. S, York, Fa.— 1. I have a piece of 
swampy land; would cranberries do well on 
it? 2. Would quiuces do well on well draiued 
low laud; if so, what kinds? 3. Would onions 
do well on well drained swamp? 4. Which are 
the best—seeds or sets? 
Ans.— 1. To have cranberries do well, the 
laud must be capable of being well drained, 
and also of being quickly Hooded at pleasure; 
so from the very imperfect description wo 
cannot even guess. 2. Quinces do well on 
drained low laud, but succeed best where thero 
is some clay in the soil. 3. Onions succeed 
finely on well drained mucky laud, especially 
if treated to a dressing of ashes aud superphos¬ 
phate. 4. The sets produce a much earlier 
crop, but they cost teu times as much as the 
seed; for u lute crop the seed is best. 
C. F. Van D., Troy , Kansas .—My struwbery 
bod is alongside of a plot of Orchard Grass 
and clover; and I have no other place for it > 
and the grass seed blows into it, so that where, 
last year, I had a good crop, this year there 
are none; but grass is a regular mat. I have 
just started another bed with rows three feet 
apart, the plants one foot in the row, how am 
I to keep the grass out? 
Ans. —Grass has more vitality than straw¬ 
berries, and will over-run them if it gets the 
chance. To cultivate often and hoe and weed 
is the price nature asks you to pay, and unless 
you are willing to pay it, you must either buy 
your berries or go without. But there is a 
satisfaction in beating nature. 
F. W. iV., Chatham, Ont. —Unleached 
wood ashes cost, spread on my sandy land, at 
least four times as much as leached, which are 
the cheaper? 
Ans. —Unleached ashes contain about six 
to seven pounds of potash in every 100 pounds; 
leached ashes do not contain over one-and-one 
half; but while the unleached ashes contain 
about two per cent, of phosphoric acid, the 
leached contain about 1.8 per cent.,so if the soil 
lacked potash there would not be a great dif¬ 
ference compared to prices, but if phosphoric 
arid was what was wanted, then the leached are 
most desirable. Taking the chances, we should 
say use the leached, putting on plenty of them. 
5. E., Ligonier , Bn. —What is the best mode 
of curing all clover bay ? 
Ans.— Cut as soon as in full bloom; don’t 
wait for brown heads; keep it moving, bo 
that it will all become wilted before any part 
is sun-burned, and when well wilted, put into 
good-sized cocks; let it stand two days and 
then open out to sun and air, and in two 
hours, draw to the barn, and you will have 
hay that will make a horse laugh. 
C. E. J., The Cedars, Pa. —I have dipped my 
butter print in hot, cold and lukewarm water, 
and still have poor success; what shall I do 
next? 
Ans. —Soak it w'ell in boiling-hot water un¬ 
til filled with water, aud then place it in cold 
water till cold. Keep it wet while using it. 
It should not stick if so treated. A mere dip¬ 
ping is not sufficient—it must be saturated. 
G. G. B., Manchester, Vt, —1. What is the 
address of a reliable produce commission mer. 
chant in New York, one who sells butter and 
cheese? 2. What is the standing of David W. 
Lewis & Co., S5 Broad Street? 
Ans. —E. & O. Ward, 270 Washington St.; 
S. H. & E. H. Frost, 100 Dark Place, 3. Rated 
as worth from §75,000 to §100,000, and prompt 
in payment. 
Subscriber, Adrian, Mich,— Wbat barrel 
chum with a fastening similar to that of the 
Stoddard, has no rim around the inside? 
Ans.— The Stoddard has no rim. We pre¬ 
fer the rectangular churns to the barrel, aud 
the Davis swing churn to either. 
V. B., St. Catherines, Can.— How can the 
Double Pink Hawthorne be propagated, and 
will it make a good hedge? 
Ans. —The Double Thorn will make a superb 
hedge. It may be propagated by either bud¬ 
ding or grafting. 
J. C. South Bethlehem, Pa. —What is the best 
remedy for the black fly that infests cabbages ? 
Ans. —The best remedy we have ever used 
is ten parts of flowers of sulphur to one part 
of aloes. _ 
DISCUSSION. 
E. T. H., Syracuse, N. Y.—I tried, last 
Fall, to preserve my celery as directed in 
“Garden and Farm Topics” In a back Rural — 
in a box in the cellar and in a pit in the gar¬ 
den—and also by banking in the usual way, 
aud lost the whole of it. In order to pack 
that iu the box as closely as possible, I shook 
most of the soil from the roots and then placed 
them upon the soil in the box, and also cov¬ 
ered them with fresh soil. The celery wilted 
and of course did not blanch; perhaps tbe soil 
iu the bottom of the box was uot moist enough, 
and that shaking the soil from the roots may 
have been the difficulty. The celery in the 
pit I covered first with a little straw, and then 
with earth; when we opened the pit, there 
d id n ot seem to be auy th i ug there. W us it ven- 
tilation that it wanted; or was it all to be 
charged to the cold Winter* 
R. N. Y .—The failure of the celery in the 
box to keep well was due to one or two causes, 
as is indicated by your description—it wilted. 
It lacked moisture, and may have been too 
warm. The box should have been water tight 
for a bight of three inches, with some pro¬ 
vision for putting iu water without getting it 
among the tops. With that provision, and 
the box kept supplied with water, if kept 
iu a cool eellur, the celery would have grown 
all Winter, and been nicely blnuched. That in 
the trench may have rotted from either of two 
causes; freezing too much irom insufficient 
covering, or by beiug covered too warmly and 
too closely. Celery, to keep well, must be 
kept as near the freeziug point as possible and 
not freeze, and must have moisture within 
reach of its roots. 
