1303 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST LIGHTNING. 
The season is near when lightning begins to reap its 
harvest of life and property. How great and terrible 
this Is we feel, for we all fear it, and statistics show our 
fears are well grounded. In a recent magazine (Frank 
Leslie’s Monthly for September. 1902) an article on the 
subject states that a properly constructed lightning con¬ 
ductor does away with the danger to a great degree. 
It suggests that a tape of copper, weighing six ounces to 
tlie foot, tacked along the ridge-pole, and thence l unning 
to the ground and buried in damp earth, or in a cistern 
or well, will so absorb the electricity from the at¬ 
mosphere that almost complete protection will be afforded. 
Most of us have fought shy of the lightning rod man, 
because we do not believe in lightning rods; we do not 
believe that the average lightning rod man constructs his 
properly; and his prices are exorbitant. Assuming that 
we were wrong in the first opinion, and about right in 
the second and third, why can’t we have homemade 
lightning rods that we can have confidence in. at about 
one-fourth the expense of the bunco kind? Will The R. 
N.-Y help me to right conclusions on this subject? If 
they are in line with the statements of the magazine 
quoted, where could one buy a copper tape of the kind 
described? Would an equivalent number of copper wires 
do, if the tape could not be had, and what size and num¬ 
ber would be proper? I understand that no insulation is 
needed, such as one sees on the toy lightning rods. How 
should this be provided for? reader. 
Virginia. 
There is not the least doubt of the protection af¬ 
forded by a lightning rod that fills all the require¬ 
ments of the laws of electricity. But the rods hawked 
about by itinerant lightning-rod peddlers are made 
to sell; to give the peddler the largest profit. As 
usually put up they are of but little use; they are not 
made of right material and are not put into the 
ground to a depth of permanent moisture. There are 
certain principles involved in protecting buildings, 
and when these are understood and complied with 
the building is as fully protected against lightning as 
it is against rain by a good roof. These are some of 
the principles involved: 
Electricity passes to and from sharp points very 
rapidly and silently. It always follows the best con¬ 
ductor, unless it can take a shorter road by a poorer 
one. It prefers bright surfaces, and especially points, 
to those dull or rusty. Metals as a rule are very 
superior in conducting power to wood, and certain 
metals are very much better conductors than others. 
(Jold and silver are among the best, and copper is 
vastly superior to iron, even galvanized iron. Dry 
glass is a non-conductor, but water is a good one and 
an insulator, when used, as soon as wet becomes a 
good conductor. A conductor affords a sure protec¬ 
tion to a circle whose diameter is equal to twice the 
height of the point above any object within that 
circle and a reasonably sure protection to a circle 
twice that diameter. If a conductor is charged 
nearly to it? conducting power the electricity will be 
diffused over all things connected with it to a greater 
or less degree. To comply with all these require¬ 
ments, the most available material to use is copper. 
It should be connected with points which should be 
sharp and kept bright, which should extend above the 
highest point of the building, so that a circle whose 
radius is twice that height should cover these points. 
It should be fastened securely to the building and 
connect with all the metallic points such as tin roofs, 
eaves troughs and conductors. It should go to the 
ground in the most direct state and into the ground 
to permanent moisture, preferably to the well or cis¬ 
tern. By sending to the Washburn-Moen Company one 
can get all that is required. For tops get copper 
tubes not less than one inch diameter and 12 feet 
long; have some rods of strong tough wood turned 
that will slip inside these copper rods to make them 
stiffer. Get some taper points made, the larger end 
to crowd hard into the top of these tubes and run¬ 
ning to a sharp point at eight or nine inches in length, 
and have them heavily silver-plated. Now take a 
pair of tinner’s shears and cut down two inches into 
the top of a copper tube, cutting out goring pieces so 
as to leave a lot of sharp points. These should be 
bent out at an angle of 45 degrees so that when the 
plated top is crowded down inside the tube these 
points will help to take the electricity. If these 
plated points do not crowd into the tubes tight enough 
so as to be sure to stay, they may be soldered, or a 
hole made clear through both point and tube and 
wired in, using a piece of copper wire. These tubes 
should be securely fastened to supports so as to ex¬ 
tend the proper distance above the building. 
These tubes may be wired to a timber support, or 
what is better, fastened with a band of galvanized 
iron nailed on back of support. At the time the tubes 
are purchased, get copper strips three inches wider 
and long enough to go from these tops into the 
ground. Cut open about six inches of the lower end 
of the top tube, open it flat and double both that and 
the three-inch strip so as to hook the ends together 
and pound them down and securely rivet them to¬ 
gether. Lay the strip flat on building along the ridge 
and down side of building, connecting with all the 
metal parts to the ground. If more than one point is 
to be used on the building they should all, no matter 
how many, be connected together and two or more 
conductors go to the ground. 
To make ground connection if a well, not cistern, 
can be reached the conductor may be run into the 
same, otherwise a hole should be dug to permanent 
moisture where the end of the strip should be cut Into 
strips no more than a half-inch wide, the extreme 
end cut to a sharp point. These should be well sep¬ 
arated and a foot or more of broken charcoal filled 
in about them. Or a part of an old copper boiler may 
be punched full of holes and these strings twisted 
into the same and this burled In the coal, when the 
hole may be filled. In putting the strip about the 
eaves care should be taken to see that it is so put on 
as not to become broken. Copper wire may be used 
instead of these strips, but it costs more and Is not 
as satisfactory. I have used both; have a barn now 
with the conductors as described and cannot see how 
it could be bettered. j. s. woodward. 
A TALK ABOUT TOMATO GROWINO. 
By an Expert Jerseyman. 
I have contracted with a canning firm to plant 10 acres 
in tomatoes for them at $8 per ton. The land, medium 
light soil, was in oats last year. I could cover it with 
barnyard manure, but it would not be fine nor well rotted. 
Do you think it best to apply this manure before I plowed 
the ground, or depend entirely upon phosphate for a crop 
of tomatoes? If I use the manure I intend to us© phos¬ 
phate also. Give me formula (raw chemicals) that would 
give best results; also analysis and the amount you would 
suggest to drill per acre. p. j. 
Chestertown, Md. 
SOIL AND SOWING.—As most of what I have said 
.THE LATE NEWTON K. FLUKE. Fig. 102. 
in the past has been more on the early tomato than 
the late, and the questions asked are touching on the 
late crop exclusively, I will confine myself mostly to 
the late, or can-house crop. The first requisite to a 
successful issue is proper soil; this should be of a 
loamy nature, or leaning towards clay and not too 
high or rolling, I find fairly low land well drained 
and in a good state of cultivation best adapted to grow 
the late crop on. The soil shoul not be acid; if it is 
use about 40 bushels lime per acre after plowing, be¬ 
fore harrowing, and work well into the soil. The 
late tomato crop, however, grows fairly well on high 
ground, provided season is not too dry, but as we 
know nothing of what is in store for us in the future, 
it is better to use low land. High sandy soil will not 
yield a full crop of fruit any season. The next requi¬ 
site would be good pure seed; this I almost invari¬ 
ably save myself from the ideal hills in the previous 
season’s crop, selecting only the finest specimens pro¬ 
duced thereon. By this practice I soon improve my 
strain, both In quality and productiveness. I sow 
my seed about eight weeks prior to setting in the 
field; when three Inches tall, or in about four weeks 
from time of sowing the seed, I transplant three 
inches apart each way. This transplanting Is not 
absolutely necessary, but I find it pays me to do so, 
because by this I have a plant well rooted, of stronger 
vitality, which will grow more quickly and can be set 
at any time when I am ready, while a plant not trans¬ 
planted will suffer and often perish if set at any other 
time than when ground is wet and sun not shining 
brightly. 
MANURES.—It is my rule to broadcast all manures 
before plowing, usually eight tons per acre. After 
plowing I broadcast 200 pounds acid phosphate and 
279 
100 pounds muriate of potash i)or acre; this is well 
worked in the soil with disk or Caitaway harrow. Set 
plants in checks iVz feet each way. When field is all 
marked off ready to set 1 use in the hill a small hand¬ 
ful of some high-grade fertilizer very rich in nitro¬ 
gen; this is to give the plants a quick start only. 
When plants have been set from 15 to 20 days accord¬ 
ing to growth and season, side-dress with 150 pounds 
of nitrate of soda and plow under. This will be 
sufficient on ground in a high state of cultivation, but 
on poor soils I would apply another 150 pounds of 
nitrate of soda not later than three weeks from first 
application, or six weeks from time of setting plants. 
On some soils and some seasons five weeks would be 
preferable. Nitrate of soda should never be used too 
late in the season; it induces an undue amount of 
vine .growth at the expense of fruit. Ten tons of 
fruit per acre and the accompanying vines, which 
would probably reach four tons, would contain 57 
pounds of nitrogen, 16 of phosphoric acid and 94 of 
potash. The amount of potash I have given is but 
little more than half what the crop takes from the 
soil, but it is supposed the soil will furnish the re¬ 
mainder, Inasmuch as earliness is not considered. 
The phosphoric acid is in excess of what the crop 
takes from the soil, but I think we need it; it ma¬ 
terially assists in ripening the fruit. Nitrogen is al¬ 
ways needed in excess of what the crop takes from 
the soil, because it is always desirable to have this 
element present in abundance and in an available 
form, particularly early in the season. A good for¬ 
mula to use where one wishes to use a mixed fertil¬ 
izer would be: Nitrate of soda, 400 pounds; bone tank¬ 
age, 700 pounds; acid phosphate, 400 pounds; muriate 
of potash, 500 pounds. This would analyze nitrogen 
4.75 per cent; phosphoric acid 7.20; potash 12.50. If 
I were going to use this formula on ground of fair 
fertility I would use from 500 to 600 pounds per acre, 
using about 200 pounds in the hill and the remainder 
broadcast before harrowing. However, I prefer the 
method first given. If sod ground is used for the 
crop, clover in particular, some of the nitrogen or 
even the manure may be omitted, and good results at¬ 
tained. With me I have no sod except catch crops to 
plow under. My acreage is small and soil is pushed 
for all it is worth. 
VARIETIES.—A red variety is the only one looked 
on with favor by canners, and in choosing this the 
grower should look to what is wanted; that is, what 
suits the canner best. In this locality a deep red to¬ 
mato that ripens up all over and all through at same 
time, has no hard core, but few seeds, and one that 
stands up well after it is ripe, is the ideal can-house 
tomato. The old Paragon or New Stone come as near 
filling the bill as any I can find. The tomato crop 
should always be planted out early enough to be sure 
of gathering all the crop before frost. The crop re¬ 
quires 414 months from time plants are set in field 
till crop is all harvested. We are troubled somewhat 
with blight; some seasons more than others, and I 
found the same condition of affairs existing on the 
Maryland peninsula in my talks with the farmers 
there the past Winter. This disease can be kept in 
check by spraying with Bordeaux Mixture, using more 
lime than copper sulphate to prevent burning of the 
foliage by the copper. Begin spraying as soon as 
plants begin to grow, and keep it up till crop is nearly 
ready to ripen. An acre of late tomatoes well grown 
and a fair season should yield from eight to 12 tons 
of fruit. I have grown as high as 14 tons; this is ex¬ 
ceptional, however. I usually set my plants in the 
field as near June 1 as possible, sometimes a few days 
earlier; begin picking about August 20, and finish 
gathering the crop from October 1 to 10. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. c. c. huesart. 
FAVORS A GASOLINE ENGINE.—I notice the 
Hope Farm man is in doubt as regards the kind of 
engine to purchase. I was in a similar situation a 
year ago, but The R. N.-Y. decided my purchase. I 
bought a gasoline engine, five horse-power. After 
using it nearly a year I think I am in a position to 
speak in favor of such machine. The points against 
a steam engine are that we have to let the water out 
of the boiler In cold weather or keep up fire. My tank 
holds five barrels of water. We packed shredded fod¬ 
der around it, and for all it is in a shed building and 
exposed it has not frozen over one inch thick this ex¬ 
tremely cold weather, without running the engine. It 
Is always ready to run, and has never so far refused. 
When I had a horse power and it was in use, I being 
away most of my time, my thoughts often went home, 
wondering how the horses were working. Several 
accidents occurred, enough to make me always see it 
started and caution my help to avoid trouble. Now 
If I had a steam engine I would be very much in the 
same fix. I would be thinking whether some one 
would neglect the boiler and blow It up, or maybe In 
firing it up some sparks might blow into the barn and 
burn me out, but now I go away without thinking of 
trouble. My 13-year-old son can start and run it per¬ 
fectly. I put a barrel of gasoline in the tank (which 
was empty) in August. I have done my thrashing, 
filled my silo, shredded my fodder, 15 acres being run 
through; have ground probably 150 bushels of grain 
besides numerous other jobs, yet the tank is holding 
out, so that the expense is nominal. If I have a job 
that will only take a few minutes the engine Is ready 
to help me, but if I had to fire up an engine it would 
not be done. If a man has to have power all day and 
every day then probably steam engines are all right, 
but for the small farm gasoline engines are the power. 
Trevose, Pa. w. h. b. 
