142 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 3 
smoother scar than one that is square. Many cut 
where the branch is two inches or more in diameter, 
and set two scions, one at either edge of the split; 
and I do this sometimes. But, unless the tree is very 
large, and one is anxious to set the grafts as near 
the base of the tree as possible, I prefer to cut where 
the branches are not more than 1% inch in diameter, 
and use but one scion on a sloping stump. Such 
stumps sometimes heal over entirely the first year. 
The scion should have at least two buds on it, and 
three are better, because there is a chance that one or 
more of them may not grow, or be injured. One bud 
should be just at the top of the wedge, as is shown on 
the prepared scion at b, Fig. 43. This wedge should 
be made an inch or more long, and very straight and 
smooth, so it will fit into the stock neatly. The 
edge of the wedge next the lower bud should be 
thicker than the other, as may be seen at c. A num¬ 
ber may be trimmed at once, if all are set with 
little delay. Sometimes they are put in a cup of 
water. While splitting the stock the knife should be 
lower on the side where the graft is to be set; that 
the bark may be cut smooth along the crack instead 
of torn open. With the end of the splitting knife, if it 
is sufficiently strong, pry open the crack with one 
hand, and with the other set a scion carefully in place. 
Be sure that the inside of the bark of stock and scion 
come exactly together, and not their outer edges, un¬ 
less they are of equal thickness. At d, Fig. 43, the 
position of the scion may be seen. Its wider edge 
being outward, the junction of the cambium layers 
will be the place where the stock will hold it most 
firmly. 
Another very good and easy style, called splice, or 
tongue grafting, is shown at e and f. A long, smooth, 
straight cut is made entirely across a small stock, and 
a split made downward with the knife as is shown at 
e. The same kind of a cut is made at the butt end of 
a scion, only the tongue is made by splitting upwards. 
These two cuts are matched by slipping their tongues 
together. If the scion is smaller than the stock, set 
it on one side or the other so the cambium layers will 
match on one side. A cotton or woolen string should 
be tied about the splice. 
WAXING.—We are now ready to apply the wax. If 
the weather is cool, it may be necessary to keep a ball 
of wax in some warm water to make it soft enough to 
handle out of doors. Rub a very little of the tallow 
on the fingers. Pinch off a piece of wax from the ball, 
and spread some of it over the top of the stump, and 
cover the crack on both sides. It is not necessary to 
have a thick coating, but it must be perfect; especially 
must this be so next the scion. A piece of paper 
stuck on top of the wax helps to prevent the hot 
Summer sun from melting it, as sometimes occurs. 
Where there is much grafting to be done, one person 
should set the scions and another do the waxing,' for 
the grease and wax should not come in contact with 
the delicate cut surface of the scion any more than 
is absolutely necessary. 
AFTER CARE.—When the sprouts begin to grow 
out on the graft, and also on the stump below, the 
greatest care should be used promptly to rub off all 
that start from the stump. If this is not done they 
will rob the graft and make its growth feeble and 
slow. If the sprouts on the graft are very strong, and 
there seems danger of the wind breaking them off, 
they should be pinched or cut back, to make them 
branch out, and not be tall and slim. It is sometimes 
necessary to go over and rub the sprouts off the 
stumps two or three times during the Summer. If 
any of the grafts fail to grow the sprouts should be 
allowed to grow on the stumps that they may not die, 
as they otherwise will surely do, and the next Spring 
they may be cut off a little lower and grafted again. 
II. E. VAN DEMAN. 
FIGURING FEED VALUES. 
What is “a Balanced Ration”? 
1. When corn meal is $20 a ton, hominy $19, mixed feed 
$20, gluten $22, how much are fresh brewers’ grains worth 
a bushel, proportionately with the rest? 2. What is a 
balanced ration for cows averaging 1,200 pounds, from 
corn fodder, Hungarian, corn meal, mixed feed, and 
mangels? a. 
Massachusetts. 
1. It is impossible to state exactly how much one 
food is worth as compared to another. As was dis¬ 
cussed on page 50 of Thf R. N.-Y., the valuation of 
foods may be rated according to their content of pro¬ 
tein, or according to the total amount of digestible 
nutrients which they contain. If we compare the 
value of different foods we find a wide variation be¬ 
tween these two methods. Thus the best that can 
be done is to make a rough estimate, and then use a 
good deal of judgment in applying the result of the 
calculation. For the sake of illustrating the above 
proposition, a table is here given, showing the two 
ways of comparing feeding values from the market 
prices of the foods: 
Total Digestible Total 
, ^Nutrients.—. .—Protein.—, 
Price 
Cost per 
Cost per 
per 
Pounds 
pound, 
Pounds pound. 
100 lbs. 
in 100. 
cents. 
in 100. cents. 
Corn meal .... 
...$1.00 
84.3 
1.2 
7.9 
12.7 
Hominy chop . 
... .95 
73.0 
1.2 
7.5 
12.7 
Mixed feed ... 
... 1.00 
70.8 
1.4 
12.2 
S.2 
Gluten feed .. 
... 1.10 
82.7 
1.3 
19.4 
5.7 
Average cost 
1.3 
9.S 
The tables of analyses of feeding stuffs say that 100 
pounds of drieu brewers’ grains contain 63.5 pounds 
of total digestible nutrients. If the value is calcu¬ 
lated on the basis of 1.3 cents per pound, which is the 
average cost in the four foods given, then dried 
brewers’ grains would be worth $16.50 per ton. It re¬ 
quires four pounds of wet (or fresh) brewers’ grains 
to make one pound of dried. Thus a ton of wet grain 
would be worth $4.12%. The dried grains contain 
15.7 pounds of protein to the 100. The average cost 
of protein per pound in the table above is 9.8 cents, 
which average would make dried grains worth about 
$30 per ton, whicn is manifestly absurd. Since brew¬ 
ers’ grains have a high percentage of protein, it is 
fairer to compare their value with the cost of 
protein in the gluten and mixed feeds, which also 
contain a goodly proportion of protein. Calculated 
on the average cost of the protein in these two feeds, 
the dried brewers’ grains are worth $21.72 per ton, 
ALL ABOUT GRAFTING. Fig. 43. 
which would make the fresh wet grains worth $5.43 
per ton. If the subscriber’s ration is lacking in pro¬ 
tein and in succulent foods, he can afford to pay the 
latter price for fresh sweet brewers’ grains, both be¬ 
cause of their protein content and because their water 
content will make the ration more palatable. But 
this suggestion would hold true only in comparison 
with gluten and mixed feed at the price stated. If 
the ration contains otherwise plenty ot protein and 
succulent fodder, possibly it would not profit to pay 
more than the $4.12% per ton, as calculated on the 
basis of total digestible nutrients. I have left it for 
the subscriber to calculate the number of bushels of 
brewers’ grains in a ton, from which he may easily 
find the value per bushel. 
2. It is very difficult to make up a balanced ration 
from these foods, and a brief discussion as to what 
constitutes a balanced ration may show whiy this is 
so. The nutrients of food are used by the animal for 
two main purposes, viz: The protein goes to form 
lean meat or tissue, while the carbohydrates (sugar, 
starch, etc.) and fats supply neat and energy. It is 
necessary that these two classes of nutrients be in 
certain proportions, in order to produce certain re¬ 
sults. For instance, an ox at rest in the stall re¬ 
quires about 12 pounds of heat producers to one oi 
tissue producers, while a milch cow needs only from 
five to six pounds of heat producers to one of tissue 
producers. If this fact be stated in another way, we 
have what is called the nutritive ratio. The protein 
is expressed as one, and the sum of tne carbohydrates 
and fats by such number as their sum is times the 
protein. Thus the nutritive ratio for the ox as named 
above is 1:12, and that of the cow 1:5 or 1:6. But it 
is not sufficient that the different food nutrients be 
present in a certain ratio to each other. There must 
also be a large enough amount of each properly to 
nourish the animal and to enable it to produce what¬ 
ever is expected of it. For cows giving milk and 
weighing 1,000 pounds, it has been found that each 
one needs daily of digestible matter about 2.5 pounds 
of protein, 12.5 of carbohydrates and .4 of a pound of 
fat. It has also been shown that this amount of food 
nutrients should be supplied from about 24 pounds 
of dry matter, i. e., what remains of the food after 
all the moisture is dried out. When a ration meet 3 
the above requirements we say that it is properly 
balanced. 
If a ration is now made up of the foods named, it 
will be seen that it does not balance well. If any 
corn meal is used at all about the best that can be 
done is something as follows: A 1,200-pound cow 
will need about 28 pounds of dry matter, three of 
protein, 16.25 of carbohydrates and one-half pound 
of fat. 
Pounds of Digestible 
Pounds 
Nutrients. 
of dry 
Pro- 
Carbohy- 
matter. 
tein. 
drates. 
Fat. 
8 pounds corn fodder . 
. 4.62 
.20 
2.77 
.10 
10 
Hungarian hay... 
. 9.23 
.45 
5.17 
.13 
50 
mangels . 
. 4.50 
.55 
2.70 
.05 
2 
corn meal . 
.1.78 
.16 
1.33 
.09 
9 
mixed feed . 
.7.94 
1.10 
4.50 
.34 
Total 
.28.07 
2.46 
16.47 
.71 
Nutritive ratio, 1:7.3. 
This ration contains ..ne required amount in all 
respects except protein, and this want makes the 
nutritive ratio wider than is laid down for a balanced 
ration. Another fault is that it may be too bulky, on 
account of so much mixed feed. Still it might be fed 
with good results. The ration may be much improved 
by substituting two pounds of cotton-seed meal for a 
like amount of mixed feed. This will supply the 
necessary protein and give the ration a better balance. 
This substitution follows: — 
Pounds of Digestible 
Pounds 
Nutrients. 
of dry 
Pro- 
Carbohy- 
matter. 
tein. 
drates. 
Fat. 
8 pounds corn fodder . 
.... 4.62 
.20 
2.77 
.10 
10 
Hungarian hay.... 
.... 9.23 
.45 
5.17 
.13 
50 
mangels . 
.... 4.50 
.55 
2.70 
.05 
2 
corn meal . 
.... 1.78 
.16 
1.33 
.09 
7 
mixed feed . 
.... 6.27 
.85 
3.50 
.27 
2 
cotton-seed meal.. 
.... 1.84 
.74 
.34 
.21 
Total 
2.95 
15.81 
.88 
Nutritive ratio, 1:6. 
L. A. 
ONE SIDE OF THE COMMISSION BUSINESS. 
I have admired The R. N.-Y.’s fearlessness in show¬ 
ing up the impositions resorted to by the so-called 
commission men of your city. But the farmers are 
not wholly to blame for their ignorance, or, at least, 
they have my sympathy in many cases in being led 
astray in trying to dispose of their goods. Many of 
the middlemen who go through the country buying 
the farm products, are irresponsible men financially. 
They buy the produce, agreeing to pay cash on de¬ 
livery; when the produce is delivered, perhaps in part 
it will be paid, the remainder is promised. If all 
turns out well, no losses incurred, the seller will get 
paid in full. The farmer is not, as a general thing, 
posted just how to proceed in case of non-payment, 
and when he becomes discouraged in this way, he 
seeks to do this business himself, and these alluring 
offers made by the bogus commission men are readily 
taken, as the sellers think they are running no more 
risk than before. 
I have a large farm, and raise general farm prod¬ 
ucts, and have shipped all of my potatoes to one com¬ 
mission merchant, and my veals to another, and have 
always patronized these men for the two products 
with perfect success. I am well satisfied with their 
work; they have been in the business for years, are 
prompt, and are businesslike in their transactions. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. j. w. wood. 
As to the boy question, we dread the hired man and the 
public schools most; these work havoc with boys here, as 
a rule. I know this from my own recent experiences. 
We are running our own home school here now, and it is 
attended with success. The public schools are perfect 
anti-climaxes—so far as character with education are con¬ 
cerned. E- P _ 
The Bee, the Mouse, and the Rhyme.— Under the head¬ 
ing of Bees and Mice, in The R. N.-Y. of February 10, G. 
S. G. says, referring to a former article of mine, “Cir¬ 
cumstantial evidence,” and “How does A. R. P. know but 
what mice gnawed through the oilcloth and bagging?” Q. 
S. G. Is more than a doubting Thomas, for when he may 
even thrust his finger in the holes, he doubts still. The 
evidence given was of the most direct and convincing 
kind. As well might he ask, “How does A. R. P. know 
but the woodpeckers did,” "or the chipmunks did it?” But 
to answer G. S. G. candidly, and not according to Prov. 
xxvi. 5, I will say that the holes, torn or eaten through 
oilcloth, that lay directly on the honey-frames, were all 
carefully sealed around with beeswax—every one of them. 
This is positive and direct evidence that the bees did It, 
for it is according to the fixed and eternal habits of the 
honey-bee. A mouse leaves no such evidence as that be¬ 
hind him. Neither do mice and honey-bees dwell to¬ 
gether. I confess that G. S. G.’s rhyme quite takes a fall 
out of me. On the Scriptural grounds referred to above 
I feel quite unequal to the task of replying to it. But 
now I rise to inquiry: Why Is it that every person who 
claims that a honey-bee cannot open a ripe grape, always 
lays the mischief to "some other Insects,” or "some other 
animal?” a. r. Phillips. 
Ohio. 
