1889 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
853 
one peck per acre. It is also doing nicely. 
Mv idea is in the early spring, say, in March, 
about, the time of the “ Crab,” when the 
“sign is down,” (provided the condition of 
the ground and the weather suit) to sow on 
the wheat one peck per acre of clover seed 
and roll it Should it be rolled ? Is one 
peck too much seed ? Would it be better 
to add other kinds of grass seed, and if so, 
what kinds ? I want the hay for market, 
and the seeding to last as long as possible 
without plowing again. The 25 acres are 
in two fields, 10 acres being strong lime¬ 
stone land lying well to the sun, and 15 
acres a medium quality of sandy loam 
with a Western exposure. It has all been 
well fertilized with complete fertilizers. 2. 
I expect to sow 20 acres with oats, and at 
the same time seed, say one peck each of 
clover and Timothy, sowing three bushels 
ot oats. Am I wrong as to these quanti¬ 
ties, and will it be better to use some other 
grass seeds ? The hay is wanted for mar¬ 
ket., and to be mown as long as possible. 
Will it be better to sow the grass seed 
broadcast before sowing the oats, or should 
they be sowed by the grass-seed sower on 
the drill when the oats are seeded ? Will 
it be well to use a roller after the drill ? 
The soil is loamy and of fair quality. 
What variety of oats does the R. N.-Y. 
prefer ? 
ANSWERED BT HENRY STEWART, N. C. 
A peck of clover seed per acre is heavy 
sowing, but many good farmers use as 
much as this. The writer has sown this 
quantity both of clover and Timothy for 
many years, believing that the thicker 
stand makes better and more hay. The 
time for sowing the clover is as soon as the 
land is fit after heavy frosts are over, and 
no doubt it may be sown in February with 
perfect safety. A time should be chosen 
when the surface is dry and cracked all 
over by a frost leaving innumerable small 
openings into which the seed will fall and 
be covered when the ground settles or when 
the first shower falls. The sign referred 
to may be safely disregarded, as the con¬ 
dition of the soil is the most important 
factor and the position of the stars in the 
zodiac or almanac has no effect upon what 
is occurring in or upon the soil. The suit¬ 
able condition of the soil and the weather 
should lie the sole guides. Timothy and 
clover will make the best hay for market, 
and if fresh clover seed is sown after the 
second year or the second-growth clover is 
left to seed on the ground, sufficient clover 
will remain. But the Timothy will not be 
at its best until the third year and with 
occasional top-dressings in the fall and 
some fresh seed will remain in good con¬ 
dition for 10 or 12 years. Rolling would be 
beneficial after the clover had been sown, 
if done when the land is dry. It will also 
benefit the wheat, especially if auy of it 
has been thrown up by frost during the 
winter. But to roll wet land is exceeding¬ 
ly injurious. A seeding of 2>£ bushels of 
oats is ample for an acre. The grass and 
clover seed is right in quantity, but it 
should be sown after the oats are drilled 
in, following the drill as closely as possible, 
so that the seed will fall on the fresh soil 
and quickly settle down into it; or if the 
ground is so dry that it will not crust after 
the roller, the land may be rolled as soon 
as the grass and clover are sown, and 
ample covering will be given to the seed by 
the rolling. As oats are apt to rust in the 
Southern States, the Southern rust-proof 
variety would probably be the safest. The 
writer lias grown other oats in North Caro¬ 
lina safely three years out of five, but they 
suffered from rust the other two years. A 
heavy white oat called by the seedsmen 
“Clydesdale,” and the Welcome Oat have 
done well in North Carolina and also in 
Virginia, yielding grain weighinglO pounds 
to the bushel. It might be safest to sow 
half of the native kind and try half the 
field with a heavier variety which could be 
procured in Richmond. 
GROWING ROSES FROM SEED. 
F. K. Phoenix,Walworth Co., Wis ,—The 
Editor of the R. N.-Y. has had wonderful 
success in growing roses from seed, 
whereas, after doing my best for three 
years in the open ground, I cannot get one 
seed to grow where I think I ought to get a 
hundred. Are good-looking rose seeds 
mostly good ? They are so precious that I 
never dare cut or break one to see if it is 
good or not. How should the seed be 
treated under glass and in the open ground? 
Ans. This is our method: The hops or 
fruits are plucked as soon as ripe and kept 
in a dry place until fall—say November 1. 
Then they are broken open, the seeds re¬ 
moved and planted. The R. N.-Y. uses 
shallow boxes of any convenient size about 
three inches deep. Holes are bored in the 
bottom and each is covered with a piece of 
broken flower-pot or something of the kind. 
These boxes are filled with about one-half 
of soil taken from under fences or old 
fields, one-quarter of rich garden soil and 
one-quai ter of sand all thoroughly mixed 
together. The soil is well firmed in the 
boxes, especially about the edges. These 
boxes should be securely nailed at the ends 
and sides so that they will not spring 
apart. 
The seeds are placed on the top of the soil 
in straight rows one inch apart—the rows 
one inch apart. Then each is pressed down 
half an inch and the depressions so formed 
are filled even with the surface with the 
same soil. The sides of the boxes are now 
half an inch above the soil surface of the 
boxes. These boxes are now removed to 
the garden and placed in any exposed sit¬ 
uation elevated two inches above the soil 
and covered with wire netting which pre¬ 
vents birds, hens or other animals disturb¬ 
ing the soil. In this way they are left ex¬ 
posed to the elements until after a hard 
frost. The boxes are then covered closely 
and securely with boards and are so left 
until February 1st, or thereabouts. They 
are then removed to a little cool conserva¬ 
tory where they begin to germinate in two 
or three weeks. When they have grown 
two inches they are carefully lifted with 
all the soil that can be made to adhere to 
the tiny roots and planted in two to three- 
inch pots. They are thumped out and 
planted in prepared plots of the garden the 
latter part of May two by three feet apart. 
Here they make a growth according to the 
vigor of the plants until fall. The tender 
kinds must then, of course, be removed to 
pits or to houses. Those left out may be 
protected with straw, boughs or any suit¬ 
able material, or if only hardy kinds are to 
be retained, a three-inch mulching of coarse 
manure will answer. 
This season we have about 50 hybrids be¬ 
tween Rosa rugosa (white and pink) as the 
mother plant or seed-bearer and many 
kinds of Hybrid Remontants and a few 
Teas as pollen parents. These we have pro¬ 
tected in a way never before tried. The 
plants are in two rows about 50 feet long. 
These two rows are inclosed in a long box, 
one foot high by four feet wide. Over this 
box and extending a foot further over the 
soil outside is a quantity of coarse swamp 
hay, tomato and potato haulms, asparagus 
tops, etc., about six inches deep. There is 
no mulch inside. 
There may be simpler, more effective ways 
of raising seedling roses and of protecting 
them through the winter. The R. N.-Y. 
gives merely its own experience. 
We have never planted any rose seeds ex¬ 
cept those of Rosa rugosa. Consequently 
it is the mother of all our plants. These 
seeds in so far as we can judge are general¬ 
ly sound. 
One year we planted the seeds, as above 
described, just as soon as they were mature, 
supposing they would sprout in a couple of 
weeks without having been frozen. There 
were no signs of sprouting when cold 
w T eather arrived. 
FUNGOID DISEASE ON RASPBERRY CANES : 
HARDINESS OF BERRIES, ETC. 
E. S., IF. Bridgewater, Mass.— 1. Among 
my Shaffer’s Colossal Raspberries, I have 
noticed caues—sometimes there are a good 
many in a place—that have a scarred appear¬ 
ance. They are green, but the bark looks 
as if some disease was at work, or some 
small insect. Most of the canes have a 
healthy look. I send the R. N.-Y. some 
cuttings from the affected canes, thinking 
it can explain the cause. The soil is rather 
a sandy loam, well drained. I have used 
Mapes Fruit and Vine Manure altogether. 
The caues fruited the past season for the 
first time, and though cut well back be¬ 
cause they had been winter-killed, they 
yielded a fair crop for a first one. 2. Hardi¬ 
ness in raspberries and blackberries is a 
puzzle. The Erie lias been killed more or 
less, sometimes to the root aud plants not 
far off have ouly been affected to a small 
extent. Those on a higher and drier soil 
have been killed more than some on a 
rather low place that is at times a little 
wet—soil sandy loam, becoming gravelly iu 
the highest places. In the winter of ’S7-’S8, 
Taylor Blackberry was killed way back, 
while the Marlboro Raspberry went through 
nicely; but last winter—’88-89—the Tay¬ 
lor went through all right and Marl¬ 
boro was killed to the ground. They 
are both in the same field, a sandy 
loam, well drained. The Cuthbert Rasp¬ 
berry seems to be hardy, and I have been 
surprised to see the Hausell Raspberry go 
through the past three winters uninjured, 
while the Marlboro has been killed two 
out of the three years. Hanseil has yielded 
very well, apd is a good bright-colored 
berry, of good, though not large size. 
Again, it seems strange that in a winter 
when the Erie Blackberry and Marlboro 
Raspberry have been killed, a few Wilson 
Jr. Blackberries that I have, should have 
lived unprotected. The latter are between 
the other two in the same field. We have 
had very little snow the past two winters. 
I make very little manure, and cannot buy 
nearly all 1 need at a reasonable price, and 
so have used chemical fertilizers for many 
things with very good results. Some of 
my soil lacks humus, and it has seemed to 
me that wood ashes and bone would per¬ 
haps be better than chemical manure, using 
nitrate of soda, etc., where needed. 8. 
Were the Canada ashes the R. N.-Y. has 
had from Monroe, Judson and Stroup satis¬ 
factory ? I understand there are 50 bushels 
per ton. Parker & Wood, of Boston, of¬ 
fered them this season by the car-load, at 
812 per ton. My soil is very similar to that 
in New Jersey, that is, between the light 
drift sand of eastern and southeastern Jer¬ 
sey and the clay lands along the Delaware 
and northern portions. 
Ans.— 1. We take it that the injury to 
the canes is of fungoid origin—for which 
there is as yet no known remedy. 2. Just 
such unaccountable behavior as to the rela¬ 
tive hardiness of varieties has often been 
observed at the Rural Grounds. It can 
only be said, as to the raspberry and black¬ 
berry, that hardiness is a relative word de¬ 
pending upon conditions which are not un¬ 
derstood. 3. Yes, the ashes were, as we 
believe, of high quality. Such ashes vary 
so much that their actual value can not be 
estimated except by analyses. The potash 
is worth the highest price, being carbonate 
—at least six cents the pound; the phos¬ 
phoric acid eight cents. * 
BUCKWHEAT AS FEED : FEED FOR BUTTER. 
N.R. T., Gainesville, N. Y.— Last spring 
I sowed a piece of sweet corn, and after 
cultivating it twice I sowed three pecks of 
buckwheat between the rows of corn. The 
two made a heavy crop. The buckwheat 
got ripe; the corn ears were just fit to roast 
when the crop was harvested. I am feed¬ 
ing this crop to cows together with about 
two quarts of meal to each, along with oats 
and peas ground together. I get a fair 
quantity of milk, but it makes little but¬ 
ter. The milk is set in a Cooley Crea’- er. 
What else should be fed to produce a good 
amount of butter ? 
Ans. —As we understand, you have beeu 
feeding the sweet corn and buckwheat cut 
and cured together. If so, this feeding is 
probably the reason why the milk is not 
rich in butter. Buckwheat straw is ex¬ 
ceedingly poor T feed and the grain, while it 
is productive of milk, yields milk of a poor 
quality. An excellent standard feed for 
cows kept for butter is mixed hay, half 
clover, and clear corn-meal, but the yield 
of milk will be larger, and more butter will 
be made, and hay will be saved, if the hay 
is cut and moistened—with warm waier 
preferably—and the meal is mixed with it. 
A cow iu full milk should have, at this sea¬ 
son. at least two quart 1 of meal at each 
feed, and some cows will profitably con¬ 
sume three quarts, two feeds being given 
in this way, with about five pounds of dry 
hay at noon, or as much as is eaten clean 
and without waste. About five pounds of 
the cut hay will be eaten in the mixed feed 
at one meal. 
GROWING CHESTNUTS. 
H. G. M., Vernon County, Mo.— 1. To 
a person intending to plant chestnut trees 
for profit in this part of Missouri, what 
advice would the R. N.-Y. give as regards 
soil, varieties and distances of the trees 
apart, general management, etc.? 2. Would 
seedlings be as profitable as'grafted trees ? 
3. What price do the improved varieties 
bring in the market ? 4. Would the chest¬ 
nut be the most profitable nut to grow ? 
5. What other nuts would do well here 
and what soils does each sort require ? 
ANSWERED BY H. M. ENGLE & SON. 
I. Chestnuts as a rule flourish fairly in 
light soils—sandy or sandy loam, slate aud 
gravel—although we kuow of trees planted 
in rather heavy clay soil that grow and 
bear well. As to varieties, we have planted 
only the Paragon, Numbo and Japan, and 
shall not increase..our stock of any except 
the former for profit. The distance most 
profitable for planting would be'15 to 20 feet, 
aud when the trees begin to crowd each 
other, they should'be thinned out to 30 to 
40 feet. 2. Seedlings are too unreliable to 
be depended on for profit. 8. Paragons 
bring from 80 to $8 per bushel in our mar¬ 
kets. 4, I believe good large chestnuts to 
be the most profitable of all tree nuts in 
proper soils. 5. Walnuts, butternuts, pe¬ 
cans and similar nuts flourish best in rich 
loamy soils. 
UNITED STATES LAND OFFICES IN KANSAS 
AND NEBRASKA. 
L. B. H., Paulding, Ohio .—To whom 
should I apply to find out where Govern¬ 
ment lands can be obtained in Kansas and 
Nebraska? 
Ans.—T o the General Land Office at 
Washington, D. C., or, perhaps, better, to 
the Registers of the local United States 
Land Offices in the above two States. 
Address an inquiry, with stamp for an 
answer, to the Register United States Land 
Office at any of the following places: Kan¬ 
sas : Topeka, Saline, Independence, Wich¬ 
ita, Kirwin, Concordia, Larned, Wakeeny 
or Oberlin. Nebraska: Neligh, Beatrice, 
Lincoln, Niobrara, Grand Island. North 
Platte, Bloomington, Valentine or McCook. 
Miscellaneous. 
S. IF. S., Martindale, Pa.— What kind of 
trees should one plant along a fancy board 
fence on the north side of a farm? 
Ans. —The R. N.-Y. would choose pears. 
77. R. S., Mapleton, Mich. —1. Is the 
Ritson Pear blight proof as is claimed by 
an agent ? 
Ans.—T he R. N.-Y. does not know of 
this pear. 
D. C. A., Cattaraugus, N. 17—We re¬ 
gard the Aspinwall potato-planter as one 
of the most ingenious farm implements 
ever invented. We are informed that the 
corn-planting attachment works equally 
well. 
E. L., Cheektowaga, N. Y. —With us, 
hen-manure gives the best results on a 
light soil. We prefer to use it on sweet 
corn, melons, peas and beans. It is also 
good for cabbage. It is a good plan to mix 
sifted coal-ashes with the hen manure. 
Wood-ashes should not be so used. 
J. B. R., Lcttsville, Iowa.— Who sells 
Pea-combed Plymouth Rock Fowls? Our 
climate is so cold that all single-combed 
fowls in a severe winter have their combs 
frozen. I tried the Langshans and that was 
the worst trouble. 
Ans. —H. S. Babcock, Providence, R. I., 
breeds these birds. We do not know that 
they are widely distributed yet. 
A. R. Tabernacle, N. C. —The Monarch 
Incubator, made by James Rankin, South 
Easton, Mass., is a good one—perhaps as 
good as any for a beginner at the business, 
Will it pay to buy one ? Will it pay to 
improve your stock, cattle, poultry or 
sheep ? Not unless yoxi are willing to give 
them the best of care and thought. In¬ 
cubators pay some men while to others they 
prove only an expense. The profit or loss 
depends upon the way they are run. 
L. L. IF., Round Lake, N. Y.— Dorset 
Sheep are bred by Woodward & Jacques, 
Lockport, N. Y., and James Wood, Mt. 
Kisco, N. Y. This is a “special purpose” 
breed—chiefly valuable for producing early 
lambs for market. Twin lambs are very 
frequent when a ram of this breed is used 
and the lambs are well suited for the early 
market. The Dorsets are better suited to 
the methods of the man who has improved 
facilities for growing lambs than to those 
used by the “ average farmer.” 
C. M. M., North Clymer, N. 17—1 am 
ditching a black muck swamp covered with 
flags, how long should it lie before seeding? 
What kind of seed would he best? 
Ans.— The swamp land should receive 
this winter an application of lime at the 
rate of 100 btishels to the acre and be plowed 
and dragged next spring. It may then be 
seeded with 12 pounds of Alsike, five 
pounds of Timothy, five pounds of Red Top 
and five pounds of Meadow Fescue to the 
acre. If not ready now, the liming may be 
done next March or April, and the seeding 
take place the ensuing fall. 
S. IF. S., Martindale , Pa.—How far 
from a pump can I dig a sink without in¬ 
juring the water? 
Ans. —This will depend upon the charac¬ 
ter of the soil; where it is light and porous 
the danger is far greater than in a heavy, 
compact clay, because it is easier for the 
water to find its way through. We would 
not want a sink within 150 feet of our well. 
Pi.scclUuuou.s 
“Serbrand” Fifth Wheel for Buggies 
