338 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 2 
than nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, and that 
they contained nothing mysterious. To-day fully half 
of the farmers who attend institutes understand these 
terms, and can make a business application of them. 
Perhaps to a greater extent is this true in an under¬ 
standing of the composition of feeding stuffs. What 
shall be done to increase the efficiency is uppermost 
in the minds of the directors whom I have met. In 
New York the great problem is how to increase at¬ 
tendance. The meetings until January 1 were lightly^ 
attended; since that time until the close the attend¬ 
ance has been large, above the average. For 10 years 
means have been discussed, but no radical departure 
has been made to any plan that might secure the sup¬ 
port of those who are presently Indifferent. I have 
not doubted for a moment that the State could wisely 
take control of the local work, securing halls, work¬ 
ing up a local Interest, doing the advertising, secur¬ 
ing the assistance of business and professional men in 
the town, making all feel that they had a personal 
interest in the coming meeting. Every institute worker 
in our State knows that a good attendance and en¬ 
thusiastic meeting follows when the local correspon¬ 
dent has been diligent, not every town has a man with 
time and disposition to do all that is required. The 
State has worked from the standpoint that the local¬ 
ity not ready and willing to make its arrangements 
and get out an audience should be ignored. In my 
judgment this view is wrong. The school system is not 
built upon that idea. I do not believe we should un¬ 
dertake to make this work compulsory, but if the 
benefits are not purely individual, but have a broader 
significance, and affect our organic welfare, and this 
is the true conception, then the State has a vital in¬ 
terest in reaching every man. h. e. cook. 
reseed it. We would rather plow that old meadow 
and plant some crop that will clean the ground and 
then reseed. 
/I Test for Lime. 
I have clover sod which I Intend to manure and put to 
corn In the Spring and the succeeding Spring to oats, 
then to either rye or wheat and seed to clover. Would 
you think it beneficial to both the rye and clover to use 
lime on the ground when the rye or wheat is sown? If 
so, how much lime should be used to the acre? The soil 
is clay. Seeding clover with oats has not been a bene¬ 
ficial success in this locality until last season, it being a 
wet Spring and Summer. h. h. 
Hicksville. O. 
The chances are that a good dressing of lime with 
the wheat or rye will help both grain and clover. You 
should test the soil to see whether it is sour. Buy a 
few strips of blue litmtis paper at a drug store. This 
paper is stained blue with an extract obtained from 
certain mosses or lichens—which grow on rocks. It 
is so sensitive that when it comes in contact with a 
sour or acid substance the color changes to red. When 
dipped into an alkaline substance the red changes 
back to blue. To observe this change dip a piece of 
the blue paper into vinegar and see it turn red. Then 
dip the red into water in which cooking soda is dis¬ 
solved and see it turn back to blue. Now if the soil 
is sour enough to need lime the blue paper will turn 
red when put into it. Get fair samples of the soil 
and mix them together. Moisten enough to make it 
firm—not mud. Put in a cup and run a case knife 
down into it. Stick litmus paper down and press the 
moist earth up around it. Leave it for about 20 min¬ 
utes and then pull out. If the soil is sour the blue 
color will be changed to red of varying shades. This 
is a simple and fairly accurate test. It will surprise 
you to see bow sour many of our soils are. You 
cold Spring—taking advantage of the early rains. 
Therefore the most soluble form of nitrogen is need¬ 
ed. The corn makes Its best growth in hot weather 
when the organic forms are made available in the 
soil. Again, nitrate of soda contains no plant food 
but nitrogen, while the tankage contains phosphoric 
acid. If the crop responds to the nitrate we may 
know that nitrogen is responsible for the increase. 
With tankage or blood the increase may be partly 
due to phosphoric acid. Where stable manure is used 
on corn we would not add extra nitrogen, but would 
ti-y to learn whether extra -potash and phosphoric 
acid wall pay. On one row or strip we would use acid 
phosphate alone at the rate of 600 pounds per acre; 
on another muriate of potash alone at the rate of 200 
pounds, and on still another the two combined. If 
possible to do so use only half the usual quantity 
of manure on one or two strips and add the mixture 
of phosphate and muriate. In some cases this has 
been found very profitable. The reason for this is 
that the manure is chiefly useful for the nitrogen 
which It supplies. In order to provide enough potash 
and phosphoric acid to make a good corn crop it is 
often necessary to use more nitrogen than is re¬ 
quired. By using less manure and the mixture of 
chemicals w'e have a well-balanced ration. In testing 
the soil for potatoes we would use nitrate of soda at 
the rate of 250 pounds per acre alone, and also in com¬ 
bination with the potash and with the acid phosphate. 
You W’ill find this soil-testing a puttering and costly 
job. It requires great care. You must not decide dif¬ 
ferences by the eye. If this is worth doing at all it 
is worth careful weighing and measuring. You must 
also expect to grow a smaller crop on the tested 
strips in the field. We have known people to try this 
and read the results all wrong. 
BRIEF TALKS ABOUT FERTILIZERS. 
Shall We Use Coal Ashes? 
Can yon toll me whether coal ashes have any vahie 
as a fertilizer? The coal was burned In a steam holler. 
What should I mix with It to make a good fertilizer for 
corn? How much sho\ild be applied per acre, and what 
would be the cost? w. w. k. 
Parker’s Landing. Pa. 
The following 
comparison will show that 
anthra- 
cite coal ashes 
are hardly worth 
considering as a 
fertilizer. The ash from bituminous coal Is 
worth a 
little more; 
Pounds In One Ton. 
Phos. 
Pot- 
acid. 
ash. 
Lime. 
Goal ashes .... 
. 2 
2 
15 
Wood ashes .. 
.36 
100 
670 
Of course there is no nitrogen In any ash. 
Where 
cpn.siderable wood is burned with the coal the value 
of the coal ashes will be a little higher, but in general 
they are little better than fine sand. They can be 
safely mixed with hen manure because they contain 
so little lime. When sifted and fined they may be 
used as a “filler” in mixing fertilizers. We feel quite 
sure that some “wood ashes” are really mixtures of 
coal ashes. Iron slag, lime and potash. The coal ash 
has a good mechanical effect on soils—making sandy 
soils pasty, so that they will hold water, and opening 
the heasT clays. We like coal ashes for mulching 
around young trees and currant bushes. 
Plowing-in Potatoes; Grass Fertilizer. 
1 am going to plow Crimson clover, and am afraid that 
T could not very well mark rows for potatoes, plow 
catching In the clover. Will they do as well planted back 
of the plow? T shall plow shallow and I intend putting 
fertilizer In the row and afterwards drill about 600 pounds 
to the acre of a fertilizer with ammonia four per cent, 
phosphoric acid seven per cent and potash 10. Would It 
be necessary to mix fertilizer In row? If fertilizer would 
do as well by drilling on top It would be much more 
handy. What do you think of planting with potato 
planter? What analysis of phosphate should I use for a 
meadow? In some parts there Is little .grass, wild straw¬ 
berries and plenty of weeds. What fertilizer would you 
suggest? J- N. G. 
Guyencourt, Del. 
Potatoes can be plowed In by dropping the seed be¬ 
hind the plow In every furrow. We have tried It, but 
were not satisfied with the results. The rows were 
not straight and the stand was not as good as where 
the seed pieces were dropped In prepared furrows. 
The fertilizers should be mixed with the soil and not 
come close to the seed. We would use the planter 
with fertilizer attachment If possible. After you plow 
under the clover pack It down hard with a roller or 
heavy drag. If you do not the soil will quickly dry 
out. If you do plow the potatoes under you can put 
all the fertilizer on with the drill, but you will not 
obtain the largest crop In this way. That fertilizer 
ought to give a good crop, though we do not know 
what form the nitrogen Is In. For a grass fertilizer 
we prefer at least half the nitrogen In the form of 
nitrate of soda. From what you say of that meadow 
we doubt whether any fertilizer will help It. Why 
do you fertilize wild strawberries and weeds? If the 
grass has run out you cannot expect the fertilizer to 
y p g r 
loyt 0 
/pc T 
N 
Pcov^S 
should use at least 1,500 pounds of lime por acre— 
broadcast in the furrows and well harrowed in. 
Testing Soii for Fertilizers. 
I should like all the information I can get about fer¬ 
tilizers, and I should like to learn how to tell what my 
different fields require in plant foods. j. w. y. 
Pennsylvania. 
It will take a number of years and much careful 
observation to learn the needs of your soil. Three 
good farmers told us last week (page 322) that the 
safest plan is to use good dressings of high-grade 
fertilizers in order to make sure of a crop, and to ex¬ 
periment on a small scale with various mixtures. 
There are some "natural” signs that help. When tur¬ 
nips make a rank, vigorous growth it is a good indi¬ 
cation that phosphoric acid is abundant. We have 
observed that ragweed makes a strong growth on 
soils containing plenty of potash—though this is by 
no means a sure sign. As all know, the effect of 
nitrogen is to stimulate a rank, quick growth with a 
rich green foliage. When grass or grain grows so 
fast that it “lodges” we have pretty sure evidence 
that there is an excess of soluble nitrogen in the soil. 
Potash, too, gives a rich green color to the foliage, 
and Its effect is sometimes mistaken for that of ni¬ 
trogen. We are trying to collect from scientific men 
all of the accurate “natural” signs they can give us 
so as to print them while this year’s crops are grow¬ 
ing. We would first test the soil to see whether it 
needs lime—using the test given this week. Also try 
different combinations of chemicals, using strips two 
or three rows wide through the field. We prefer these 
long narrow strips to the small, square “plots.” We 
would take acid phosphate for phosphoric acid, mu¬ 
riate of potash for potash and suit the nitrogen to 
the crop. We have had farmers say that they put 
tankage on grass or oats, and as they received little 
gain they concluded that no nitrogen was needed. On 
another field with corn tiie tankage gave a fine increase 
although they thought this field was richer than the 
others. Such tilings are confusing at first thought, 
but they become easier when we realize the difference 
in growing habit of the oats and grass and the corn. 
The former must make a quick early growth In the 
LIME, SALT AND SULPHUR WASH. 
The pictures on our first page. Figs, 119 and 120, 
are taken from the last Report of the New Jersey 
Experiment Station. They show the method of boil¬ 
ing the mixture employed on the Canadian farm of 
Geo E. Fisher. By means of pipes connected with 
an engine steam may be used in a dozen barrels at 
once. The lower picture. Fig. 120, shows how the 
trees look after a thorough spraying. As is now 
pretty well known this wash of lime, sulphur and 
salt has been found very effective in California for 
destroying scale insects, and to some extent we think 
for preventing disease. The first results from its use 
in the East were not satisfactory and it was first 
thought that the wash would not answer here. Later 
reports have been more favorable, and some entomol¬ 
ogists are quite hopeful that the wash will prove use¬ 
ful for many Insects and diseases not now considered. 
Of course the wash must not be used now. It is to be 
applied in Fall or Spring while the wood is dormant. 
T.ho following formula is generally used in New 
ersey: 
Stone lime . 50 pounds 
Flowers of sulphur. 50 pounds 
Stock salt . 50 pounds 
Water .150 gallons 
Slake the lime with hot water, enough to do it thor¬ 
oughly, add the sulphur, stir well, and boil for at least 
an hour, adding water as necessary. Then add the 
salt, boil at least 15 minutes more, and dilute to make 
the 150 gallons. In boiling use no more water than 
necessary to make a fiuid mass. Strain through a 
gunny sack and apply hot. On page 161 Prof. Lowe 
told us how to prepare the mixture without boiling 
by adding caustic soda. 
STRINGFELLOW TREES IN WASHINGTON. 
Reading M. Crawford’s article on page 261 I wish 
to add my testimony in regard to the Stringfellow 
method. First, we have a semi-arid district, the an¬ 
nual precipitation, rain and snow, rarely exceeding 13 
inches. Our lands surround a large inland lake—1/ake 
Chelan—which Is from one to two miles wide and 48 
or 50 miles long, and has been sounded 1,200 feet and 
no bottom. The elevation is about 1,100 feet above 
sea level, and 350 feet above the Columbia River, dis¬ 
tant from the latter three miles. The lake is east of 
the Cascade Range of mountains and penetrates into 
the very midst of the mountains. The lake never 
freezes over; the mercury rarely falls to zero, and it 
is said we have the most even climate in the United 
States. Our soil is a granite marl, with volcanic ash, 
is deficient In lime and humus. So much for our con¬ 
ditions. My orchard is on a north slope 500 feet above 
the lake, distant one mile north. In Spring of 1898, 
on ground that had been in cultivation three years 
and Summer-fallowed in 1897, I set 500 trees, all 
apples, late Winter, one year old. I cut off all roots 
to a straight stem except where well branched, when 
I left stubs one-half to one inch long. I dug the holes 
and tramped soil firmly around the roots. I did not 
lose one tree out of the lot by this process, and to-day 
I have as fine a young orchard as is around. I culti¬ 
vate from eight to 10 times. We cannot grow grass 
in our orchard on account of light rainfall. I gath¬ 
ered from this orchard in Pall of 1901, 14 boxes of 
apples; Fall of 1902, 153 boxes, and the trees are full 
of buds at this writing, intimating to me the thinning 
process. These are my results of Stringfellowing. By 
the way, I never see in all your lime, salt and sul¬ 
phur references, any mention of lye. I always use 
one pound to the usual formula and wash my trees 
every Spring. ¥• p- w. 
Lakeside, Wash. 
