THI RURAL WIW-YORKfR. 
265 
IB88 
stating that roll sulphur (brimstone) contains 
a larger percentage of the needful elements 
for the purpose intended, but, on account of 
the difficulty of pulverization of the roll and 
because the flour is in condition for immediate 
use, flour of sulphur, (more commonly called 
“ flowers of sulphur,”) is universally employed 
for such purposes. We are not prepared to 
say that refined carbolic acid would or would 
not be more effective for the purpose in¬ 
tended; the fact is, however, that the crude 
acid is always used and recommended by 
careful experimenters for this purpose. 2. 
The description of the disease of the pear trees 
is scarcely full enough to warrant a definite 
conclusion respecting its cause; although it 
seems to be, probably, a serious case of blight. 
The date of its occurrence is important, since 
blight only attacks the pear during rapid 
growth, and in warm weather. The injury 
always extends considerably below the out¬ 
ward indications of the disease, which may 
account for the discoloration of the inner bark 
and the wood as described. 
SUB-EARTH VENTILATION. 
O. S. H., West Deer Park, N. Y. —In the 
r. N.-Y. March 2, report of the Western New 
York Horticultural Society mention is made 
of “a system of sub-earth ventilation by 
which the temperature in a hill-side cellar or 
storage room may be kept uniformly at 45 de¬ 
grees. What is the method of getting the 
ventilation and cooling the air. Is it by pass¬ 
ing the air through a covered ditch or pipe? 
Jf so, how large, how long and how deep 
must it be buried to cool 500 cubic feet of air; 
or in what other way is it done? 
Ans.—'T he cold-storage system was de¬ 
scribed by Mr. E. A. Bronson of Ontario 
county, N. Y. The house is on a brow of a 
hill, but almost all on the surface. Tue bot¬ 
tom is cemented; the roof and walls are 
double with six inches of sawdust in the inter¬ 
space. Air is admitted only by means of tiles 
put together with water-lime in the bottom 
of a ditch 100 feet long covered to the surface. 
This gives all the ventilation. Prof. Cook 
(Michigan Agricultural College) uses such a 
structure for bees; he writes us as fo’lows con¬ 
cerning it. “I have used sub-earth ventila¬ 
tion for bees for several years. My room or 
cellar is wholly under ground, and well pro 
tected against the outside temperature. The 
floor above is double, with a foot of dead-air 
space. The chimney runs from the bottom of 
the cellar to the top of a two story build¬ 
ing, which stands on an exposed hill. 
Of course, a fire in the rooms above heats the 
chimney aud tends to draw the air from the 
cellar. The wind passing over the 
chimney I find does the same thing. Thus 
on windy days I find there is a strong current 
of air from the cellar into the opening at the 
bottom of the chimney. The sub-earth pipe 
from my cellar runs from five to eight feet 
under grouud, for a distance of about eight 
rods when it opens to the surface. Tim pipe 
is of glazed tile four inches in diameter. 
Tbeu a three-inch tile runs as much further. 
If I desire, I can stop the opening at the eud 
of the four-inch tile, and thus have the air 
come from the longer distance. I have known 
such ventilation to keep the temperature of a 
bee cellar in our coldest winters from 40 de¬ 
grees F. to 50 degrees F. from November 
1st to April 15th. Yet there were from 20 to 
80 colonies of bees in the cellar. I doubt if 
such ventilation will suffice to keep a room 
cool enough in warm weather to preserve 
fruit. It might, however, aid in doing 
this. I think that it will, if properly ar¬ 
ranged, keep a bee cellar from 38 degrees F. 
to48 degrees F. from October to April. And 
this may be made to preserve the proper tem¬ 
perature to keep our bees quiet during the 
trying times in our severe Northern winters.” 
CROPS FOR SEEDING TO GRASS IN WIRE- 
WORM INFESTED CLAY LAND. 
E. S., Allegany, N. Y. —A 20 acre lot of 
clay grouud which had been in grass for five 
years, was broken last fall. I want to put in 
a crop and seed it again. I cannot sow oats 
as the wire worms would destroy them. 
Would it be well to sow barley—a new crop 
with me ? 
Ans. —Our friend’s knowledge of the fact 
that his land was infested with wire-worms, 
should have deterred him from plowing his 
laud in the fall, with the intention of plant¬ 
ing it to auy grain crop the following spring. 
It would have been better in such a case to 
have deferred plowing as late in the spring as 
would have given barely tune for a seasona¬ 
ble planting of the crop; the conditions then 
would have been such that the green rootlets 
of the inverted turf would have afforded food 
for the troublesome pests, while the young 
grain plants were entering upon their first 
stage of growth comparatively unmolested; 
whereas, owing to their decomposed condition 
—the result of plowing in the fall—the vora¬ 
cious little pests will “go for” the more ex¬ 
pensive diet with increased avidity. To grow 
barley successfully, it is essential that the 
ground be rich in the elements of plant food; 
warm and dry naturally, or made so by arti¬ 
ficial drainage, so that the seed may be sown 
as early in the season as possible, conditions, 
it is feared, our friend’s 20-acre field does not 
possess, on account of its tenacious clay soil, 
and impoverished condition after being de¬ 
voted five successive years to hay production. 
It is not therefore deemed advisable to sow it 
to barley. Perhaps no crop is less likely to 
be injured by the wire-worm than the bean, 
and it is often grown with a good degree of 
success where the pests prevail, and if other 
conditions favor in the locality, would it not 
be well to plant a portion of the field to this 
crop? And as the quality of the soil seems bet¬ 
ter adapted to the production of oats than to 
the crop in question, it is also probable that if 
the remainder of the field were sown to this 
grain, as early in the season as practicable, 
fertilized with 150 or 200 pounds of standard 
superphosDhate per acre, the results would 
be attended with some degree of profit. 
ALKALI SALTS FOR FERTILIZING. 
F. B. T., Wallula , Washington. —Is alkali 
of the same nature as ashes? Has it any fer¬ 
tilizing value? What is the best way to use it 
where manure is scarce? 
ANSWERED BY PROFESSOR E. W. HILGARD. 
The mixture of salts designated as “ alkali ” 
in the regions of deficient rainfall is quite 
variable in its composition, but has most com¬ 
monly as its chief ingredients, common salt 
or sodium chloride, Glauber’s salt or sodium 
sulphate, and more or less carbonate of soda. 
When the latter is largely present the alkali is 
popularly designated as “black,” because of 
the dark tint of the water standing in mud 
puddles and the black rings left therein after 
evaporation; it is highly injurious to vegeta¬ 
tion and to the tilling qualities of the soils 
afflicted with it. None of the three substances 
mentioned above can properly be accounted a 
fertilizer,although salt is used to some extent in 
certain cases. But we frequently find as sub¬ 
ordinate ingredients of “alkali,” salts of 
potash, also phosphates and nitrates, which 
are the very essence of fertility and which we 
pay for in commercial fertilizers. In such 
cases the use of the alkali salts would be a 
benefit in any region of abundant rains, 
where the sodium salts would be again washed 
out of the soil. But in the Palouse country 
aud in Eastern Washington generally, alkali 
salts are usually as abundant in the natural 
soil as they can be without injury, and in a 
great many cases, especially in heavy soils, 
their removal is the first condition of profit¬ 
able culture. On general principles then, and 
without knowing the exact character of the 
alkali to which the Wallula correspondent 
alludes, I should not advise him to expend 
any money in putting these salts on his lands, if 
they are at all heavy in character. If of tho 
light silty kind, prevalent on the plateau 
lauds of the Walla Walla, Palouse and Snake 
rivers, a small-scale experiment would be 
well worth trying. The Washington State 
Experiment station should furnish him with 
information on the composition of the par¬ 
ticular alkali in which he is interested. 
NERVOUS DISORDER AND NORMAL PULSE AND 
TEMPERATURE OF A HORSE. 
T. F. B., Wolf s Store, Pa.— Four weeks 
ago I drove my 11-year-old horse about five 
miles; but he wasn’t warm. While driving I 
noticed that he jerked his head up a few 
times, and in the stable he did the same, as if 
something had bitten him on the nose. Two 
days later I drove him 15 rods and he began to 
do it again. After beiug driven 100 rods, he 
jerked his head again so much that I had to 
stop him on the road, unhitch aud lead him 
home. When eating moistened hay waste or 
drinking or running loose he jerks his head 
towards the right shoulder; when he is resting 
1 cau notice nothing except that his ears 
droop more than usual. His pulse is 35 and is 
sometimes irregular. 2. What are the regular 
pulse and temperature of a horse ? 3. What is 
the best way to remove proud flesh from a 
wound ? 
Ans.— 1. The symptoms indicate some 
slight nervous disorder which may or may 
not be due to heart disease. Try the follow¬ 
ing treatment:—For twelve hours feed bran 
mashes only; then give in a ball or as a drench 
in one pint of water, six drams of the best 
aloes. Continue the mash diet until the ani¬ 
mal has been freely purged. If the bowels 
are not moved by the aloes in 36 hours repeat 
the dose. Morning and evening as a powder 
on the feed give two drams of potassium bro¬ 
mide. A laxative diet should be continued 
for some time—as roots or mashes until you 
can give an occasional run on grass. 2. The 
normal pulse of the horse when at rest is 
about 40; but it may vary from 35 to 50. 
When exercised it may be considerably high¬ 
er. Tho normal temperature is 90 degrees to 
100 degrees. 3. A stick of nitrate of silver is 
one of the safest and best caustics for this 
purpose. 
CORN FOR SOILING. 
Several Subscribers. —Will some of the Ru¬ 
ral’s dairymen readers tell us what crops 
they sow to supply their cows with green 
food, during the summer, while the pastures 
are dry and useless ? 
ANSWERED BY W. B. PRATT, STEUBEN COUN¬ 
TY, N. Y. 
I sow sweet corn if I have it, otherwise the 
common yellow field corn, in three feet apart 
drill marks, at a rate not exceeding a half 
bushel per acre, on strong, well manured 
land, in close proximity to a field to which 
the cows will have access during the dry sea¬ 
son. Usually I sow twice—once quite early 
even before planting field corn, and again 
two or three weeks later. The cultivator is 
freely used during the season of growth and 
some hand weeding and hoeing are done if 
the land is foul. I sow so much ground that 
if drought sets in early I feel free to draw on 
the crop before it reaches its best. If, on the 
contrary, pasture keeps reasonably fresh and 
abundant, and there is likely to be an excess 
of the fodder corn, the second sowing is re¬ 
sorted to as soon as it has reached fair ma¬ 
turity, and the unfed pprt of the earlier crop 
is cut and cured for winter forage while the 
weather is yet warm and dry. A liberal feed 
is dealt out to the cows each morning after 
milking, by throwing it over a separating 
fence immediately adjoining, or from a sin¬ 
gle horse wagon loaded up the preceding 
evening if found convenient. Light seeding, 
rich land and thorough cultivation give great¬ 
est bulk and weight, and the best feeding re¬ 
sults are gained after the glazing stage is 
reached. With the occurrence of severe au¬ 
tumnal frosts a full feeding of pumpkins each 
morning is esteemed of much value. 
INSECTICIDES. 
W. P. C., Smyrna, Del.— 1. How much 
Bordeaux Mixture would be necessary for 
spraying an acre of grape vines? 2. How 
much Paris-green solution would be needed 
for spraying, for slugs, an acre of pear trees, 
and how.strong should it be? Would either 
the mixture or solution be injurious to the 
fruits to which they are respectively applied? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. A. J. COOK. 
Two or three pounds of the mixture should 
be used to one barrel—31 gallons—of water, 
and this will spray one or two acres of vines. 
For spraying apples, pears, plums, etc., it is 
best to use one pound of London-purple to 
200 gallons of water ; then the work can 
be made very thorough with no injury to the 
foliage. A good strong force pump, and thor¬ 
ough work are required to save all the fruit. 
With a tree covered with leaves it stands to 
reason that some care is required to reach 
each and every apple or pear. If we estimate 
two gallons of the liquid to each tree, one 
pound of the poison will suffice for 100 trees. 
With a hand pump like the Whitman or 
Lewis, I have treated a large tree very 
thoroughly with two gallons] of liquid. It 
might take a litile more with a large force- 
pump like the Field. The fruit is not injured 
by its use at the proper time—just after the 
blossoms fall. 
RANCID BUTTER. 
S. C. J., Belle Plnine, Kansas.— Can you 
give me a recipe for restoring rancid butter? 
I intend going into the produce business 
soon and want some process ]of working our 
butter, as all butter is so poorly made here that 
I can find no market for it. I know there 
must be some process as a party in another 
section is making a regular business of doing 
it. 
ANSWERED BY T. D. CURTIS. 
Within tho last 15 years, several persons 
have announced methods for removing the 
rancidity from stale butter. The first I think, 
was Mr. H. O. Freeman, of Sherburne, N. Y., 
who had a process for purifying stale butter by 
mixing it with skimmed milk in the place of 
the original butter fat. Before he died, he ac¬ 
knowledged to me personally that the process 
was a failure. The flavor was lacking, and 
the oil did not mix well. Others have since 
tried the same or a similar process, but have 
met with but indifferent success, at the best. 
Emulsifiers have been Invented for mixing 
this kind of grease and others with milk for 
cheese-making, with not altogether satisfac¬ 
tory results, but I have neither seen nor heard 
of any successful method of restoring rancid 
butter so as to make it fit for table use. The 
chemist can neutralize the rancidity, but the 
flavor of the butter is gone, and only an un¬ 
palatable grease remains. So far as my 
knowledge extends, those who dabble in this 
kind of business sooner or later “ get left.’’ 
There is no satisfactory process for restoring 
rancid butter any more than there is for re¬ 
juvenating old men. But there are many 
humbugs and devices afloat for turning a dis¬ 
honest penny. 
GROWING LUCERNE, ETC. 
T. C.ZK., Huntingdon, Pa. —I have about 
seven acres of two year’s mowing ground on 
which there is about half enough Red clover 
and Timothy; would it be advisable to sow 
Lucerne and harrow lightly—how much seed 
would be needed? 
Ans.—L ucerne cannot bo grown in the way 
suggested. It requires the most careful cul¬ 
ture and the cleanest land. Its early growth 
is slow and it is easily overpowered by weeds. 
On this account its growth in drills with clean 
cultivation until it occupies the ground is fre¬ 
quently advocated and is certainly desirable 
under all circumstances. Moreover, Lucerne 
does not thrive in Pennsylvania as well as 
clover does, being more suitable to a hot, dry 
climate and rich soil. A common method in 
your locality under the circumstances, is to 
plow under such a sod on which the clover 
will disappear next year, being now run out, 
then take a crop of corn, following it with 
oats ]the next year, and reseed with Timo¬ 
thy and clover with the oats. But to do this 
effectively the land should be manured for 
the sake of the clover and grass. 
Miscellaneous. 
J. C. D., Old Church, Va. —You can ob 
tain the bee hive from A. 1. Root, Medina, 
Ohio. 
E. H. V., Paris, Ontario, Canada. —The 
following books will serve your purpose. 
“Agriculture” by F. H. Storer published by 
Charles Scribner’s Sons,New York; Farmer’s 
Veterinary Adviser, Professor James Law, 
Ithaca, N. Y.; Shepherd’s Manual, by Henry 
Stewart, and Stock Breeding by Professor 
Manly Miles, furnished by the Orange Judd 
Co., New York. 
Subscriber, Elva, Va.— A has a cow; B 
takes her to board and care foi; feeds her 
bran or meal twice a day, returns to A the 
milk at each milking; what ought B’s remun¬ 
eration to be? 
Ans. —We would not do this for less than 
the regular retail price of the milt so de¬ 
livered. 
R. A. K., Greenfield, Ind.—l. Are the 
onion maggot and. the cabbage inaggot the 
same? 2. If not, what will prevent damage 
from the onion maggot? 
Ans.— 1. No. 3. The only practical remedy 
we know of was given on page 333 of the last 
volume of the Rural. Coop a hen and 
chickens on each acre of the field immediately 
after the young plants appear. 
F. S., Berrien Springs, Mich. —Which are 
the five most profitable pears for this section 
of Southwestern Michigan? Soil a sandy 
loam well drained. 
Ans.— Assuming that only autumn va¬ 
rieties are to be planted, select Sterling for 
the beginning of September, Clapp’s Favorite 
for the middle of the month, and Bartlett for 
the middle to the end; Howell for October, 
and Anjou for November. For any and all 
varieties of pears the k soil should contain at 
least some admixture of clay; although most 
varieties are fairly successful on lighter soils 
if kept well manured. 
M. J. L., Lowell, Mass.— 1. Last summer I 
collected decayed peaches from the dealers 
and saved the pits. Now I am told by some 
that I should have pits from natural or wild 
fruit; will the latter produce more hardy 
trees ? If so, where can I get them ? 2. What 
is the best length for curraut cuttings to give 
the best results; also how deep should they be 
set in the grouud ? 
Ans —We should prefer the natural fruit 
for seed because the seedlings would be less 
liable to inherit the weaknesses or diseases of 
their parents and would therefore serve better 
as stocks. Inquire of J. H. Hale.South Glas¬ 
tonbury, Conn., as to where the pits can be 
obtained. 3. We use cuttings about six 
inches long. Whether this is the most advan¬ 
tageous length or not we cannot say. We set 
them in the ground as deep as the cutting, al¬ 
lowing only the top eye to peep out. 
B., Floral Green, Ohio.—l. Why won’t 
geraniums grow under the shade of a tree 
plantod in the ground, when they will grow 
on a veranda, or a shaded place if planted in 
pots? 3. Is it better to plant geraniums in tho 
open grouud, in the bed, or to set them in the 
bed in pots? 3. Would a general collection 
of plants keep in a cellar where they would 
have plenty of light, but very little sunshine, 
with a low temperature most of the time? 4. 
My canary bird is about a year old. He is 
healthy, sings very well, but he will bite on 
the wires of his cage, hold his beak on the 
wires and pull like a wind-sucking horse. 
