THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 7 
164 
ALL SORTS. 
Holding Soaked Seed Potatoes. 
Is it safe to soak seed potatoes for the 
prevention of scab and then hold them a 
month before planting? Is there any rea¬ 
son why they must be used at once after 
treating? 
It will be all right to soak the pota¬ 
toes a month before planting. In the 
same way seed grain may be treated for 
smut and again stored. Do it when 
there is time, and do it thoroughly. 
HYKON D. TTATJBTRT). 
New Jersey Exp. Station. 
You can give treatment at any time, 
but care must be taken to put the treated 
tubers into disinfected bags or other re¬ 
ceptacles, so that none of them may 
again become contaminated with the 
scab fungus before planting time. 
New York Exp. Station, s. a. beach. 
There is not the slightest reason why 
potatoes should not be treated for scab 
several months before planting. If they 
are very scabby, and the treatment has 
been made somewhat harder than usual, 
I have found it an advantage to allow 
the tubers to stand until the buds begin 
to show before putting them into the 
ground. After quite a number of trials 
I still consider the corrosive sublimate 
treatment the most effective. With us 
it gives better yields and the surest de¬ 
struction of the scab. 
HENKY L. BOELEY. 
North Dakota Exp. Station. 
I see no reason to «xpect harmful re¬ 
sults to the seed. Of course it would be 
necessary to dry the seed after treat¬ 
ment, or there would be greater danger 
of decay in storing. In case the formal¬ 
dehyde treatment is used there can be no 
danger in holding this treated seed, as 
the fungicide is all dissipated when the 
potatoes are dried, but I should hesitate 
to treat potatoes with corrosive subli¬ 
mate and hold them in this way, for fear 
that persons or animals might by acci¬ 
dent eat them with harmful results. 
Cornell University. J. e. stone. 
Hollow Potatoes. 
A. U’., lidgecomb, Wash.—l have grown the 
Sir Walter Raleigh potato for four years 
with good success. This year over 50 per 
cent of them are hollow. They were grown 
on dry rich ground, given a good coat of 
horse and cow manure in the Spring. What 
i.s the cause of their hollowness? 
Ans.—H ollow heart is an obscure af¬ 
fection which may attack any strong- 
groWing variety of potato. It is usually 
found when the plants have been over- 
stimulated with animal manures. An 
excess of available potash seems to pro¬ 
mote starch formation and is to some ex¬ 
tent a preventive of hollow heart. Your 
proportion of 50 per cent is excessive, 
.and the cause must be looked for in local 
conditions, such as excessive rain or 
moisture, as well as too much nitrogen, 
though the potatoes were grown on 
“dry rich soil.” Sir Walter Raleigh, in 
our experience, is seldom troubled with 
this disorder, but we would recommend 
you to get “seed” from a different local¬ 
ity, should you desire to grow this ex¬ 
cellent variety again. 
The Use of Old Seeds. 
If.. Litchfield. Ki/.—i have considerable 
seed bought last year: carrot, beet, cucum¬ 
ber and cantaloupe. Will it do to use this 
year ? 
Ans. —Carrot seeds germinate well up 
to four years old, beets to three years, 
while cucumber and cantaloupe (musk- 
melon) are fairly good up to five or six 
years, and are thought to produce bet¬ 
ter plants when two or three years old 
than when too fresh. As you probably 
have no means of ascertaining the age 
of the seeds before they came into your 
hands it would be well to make a few 
germination tests before planting, by 
sowing a given number of each variety 
not less than 100, in a box of light soil 
in the window garden. If half or more 
of the seeds come up promptly under 
conditions that would germinate a rad¬ 
ish or tomato seed you will be safe in 
using the stock on hand, sowing as 
thickly as the test would indicate. 
How to Weed Onions Comfortably. 
In your answer to A. G. S. on onion 
culture, page 36, in reference to weeding, 
you state that the best way you know of 
is to get down on the knees astride the 
row. My method is this: With an ordi¬ 
nary board construct a stool as below, 
sit on it astride the row, and as you 
weed hitch yourself along. Last Spring, 
not being in good health and unable to 
stand the fatigue of getting down on the 
knees, I hit on the above idea, my hired 
man laughed at what he termed “a lazy 
man’s way,” but very quickly adopted 
the idea when he found the “invalid” 
outstripping him at the rate of two rows 
to one. No fatigue is felt in this method. 
and the only improvement I could sug¬ 
gest would be a patent holder of some 
kind to hold The R. N.-Y. in front of one 
while at work. The legs for the stool 
should be made from same board as the 
seat, so as to avoid tilting. Three rows 
are weeded at once this way. 
Wilton, Conn. p. n. m’q. 
Grafting Seedlings.— Those who have 
peach seedlings two years or more old can 
graft them. Cleft-graft below the surface 
of the ground and pack moist fine soil 
firmly about the stock and scion, leaving 
one to two buds above surface. No wax 
is needed. If the stock is not large enough 
to hold scion firm tie same as for buds. 
If the stock is large enough cut below the 
collar to keep from suckering, as many 
seedlings will. I have grafted thousands 
of seedling peaches with apricot, almond, 
peach and plum. Save scions the same as 
for other grafting. Graft any time in the 
Spring, before the stocks start to grow 
much, if any. One can also graft suckers 
around old trees by banking the soil up 
nicely about the scions. Strong suckers 
from healthy roots will soon make bearing 
trees. I have grafted many apples and 
pears, below the surface, getting good re¬ 
sults. Scions for grafting below the sur¬ 
face must be longer than those used in top¬ 
grafting. o. N. c. 
Santa Barbara Co., Cal. 
New 1903 _ 
^Heavy Cropper^"' 
represents the highest 
mark for yield and strong , 
p.% ^11 frrowth. Catalog describes 
it. Also tells of 
All Leading Varieties 
of Potatoes, 
Field Seeds and Garden Seeds. Low Prices, 
Large Stock. Send postal for catalogue. 
L. L. OLDS, Drawer 27, Giinton, Wis. 
O PALESCENT II Dpi C 
Be New Century HrrLC 
Thoroughly up-to-date. It’s choice. Write tor de 
scriptive circular. General assortment of Fruit 
Trees. Send list of wants for special prices. 
McNARY & GAINES, Xenia, Ohio. 
For Spring of 1903 We Offer Three MiUion 
Strawberry Plants 
From new beds planted In the Spring of 1902 on Ian.' 
especially adapted for making strong crowns witi. 
abundance of fibrous roots. We tie in bunches of 20 
mark each variety with printed tags, pack securely io 
wel ventilated packages with abundance of moss i 
secure safe carriage, no matter how great the dis¬ 
tance. Certificate of inspection with every shipment 
We invite correspondence, with a list of your wants, 
on which we will cheerfully name you our very best 
price. 
AUTO 
If you have not planted this grand 
Strawberry, you “ Au ” to. We have 
It with 42 other varieties. 
We also have Asparagus Boots, One and Two Year 
Old In varieties— Palmetto, Conover colossal, 
Barr’s Mammoth, Giant argentethl. 
A general assprtment of Fruit Trees. 
SNOW HILL NURSKRIES. W, M. Peters As 
.Sons, I’roprietors, Snow Hill, Maryland. 
BUY DIRECT FROM FACTORY, THE BEST 
niAED PAINTi 
AT WHOLESALE PRICES and SAVE DEALERS PROFITS. 
FROM THF OFDFST MIXFD PAINT HOUSF IN AMFRICA, 
Manufacturers of INQERSOLL LIQUID PAINTS, proved by 62 years* use 
to be the most durable and color lasting. The only Paint “Officially 
Endorsed ” by the Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry; the Farmers’ Alliance, 
Patrons of Industry, and the Farmers’ Mutual Benefit Ass’n, during the past 26 years. 
SAXISFACTIOINI GUARAIMTEIEID. 
3®"^ Every Man His Own Painter, 
is full of information about Mixed Paints, 
White Lead, etc,; Exposes Frauds, tells what 
Paint TO USE, and what NOT TO USE 
for all purposes. Directions for House, Barn, 
and Roof Painting, quantity required, Har¬ 
monious Colors, etc. Valuable facts for Paint 
Users. 
We Can Save You Money. —Y o u may 
aS Well OSe 
the BEST PAINT, when it COSTS I.ESS 
than common paints at retail. Write for 
Wholesale OiseoiiiK Prices. Beaiitifnl 
Sample (lolor Cards and Our Book, 
mailed free. 
BH5 CASH .SAVING WILL SUR¬ 
PRISE YOU. 
O. W. INGERSOLb, Prop., 
No. 246 Plymouth Street, - - BROOKLYN, N. Y. 
NEW THINGS 
Four Good Ones: 
Missotxri 'Wonder Pole Bean— 
The best pole bean yet Introduced. Made a 
big crop this last summer in spite of the cold, 
wet season. 
‘WHite Mexican iSweet Corn—A 
long eared, pure white early corn, earlier than 
Cory and as sweet as Evergreen. 
FillbasKet Pea— A bigger, better 
Alaska. Larger pods, heavier vines and 
better quality. 
White Ohio Potato— A pure white 
seedling of the Ohio. Earlier, a better yielder 
and a handsomer potato Made a carload to 
the acre for me this year. 
Special Offer: 
Vs pt. White Mexican H pt. Fillbasket 
1 oz. Missouri Wonder lib. White Ohio 
All Postpaid for 50c 
MY PLATFORMS 
All Seeds Tested and Guaranteed. 
Seeds Sold by Weight and Measure. 
Honest Illustrations Only. 
Honest Descriptions Always. 
Seed Corn In the Ear. 
HOW DO YOU hIKB IT? 
Do Yoti Have to Be Showed? 
Write for my catalog and a sample of seeds. 
They are free for the asking, but if you feel 
like it you can send a stamp or two to pay 
postage. Send any way. 
HENRY FIELD, SEEDSMAN, 
Shenandoah, Iowa. 
Our Common-Sense Catalogue 
gives honest descriptions of reliable Fruit Trees and Plants, Shrubs, Roses, 
Dahlias, Seed Potatoes, Baskets, etc. No bluster ; no wind ; no chromos, stamps or 
coupons. Just 100 cents worth for SI. Honest people cannot promise more; sensible 
people would not expect any more. Send for it to-day ; you will enjoy it, and we 
will enjoy sending it to you. It is free. 
THE BUTLER A JEWELL CO., Cromwell, Conn. 
