THE RURAL NEW-YORKER} 
March 3 
144 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten¬ 
tion. Before asking a question, please see 
whether it is not answered in our advertising 
columns. Ask only a few questions at one time. 
Put questions on a separate piece of paper ] 
Not Ventilation Enough for Cellar. 
W. J. </., Toronto, Ont .—Where I am work¬ 
ing there is a vegetable cellar 20x30 feet, 
under the barn. At the south end where 
the door and window are, the floor is nearly 
level with the surface. It is banked on 
the north, east and west up to the level of 
the barn floor. At the north end, opposite 
the door there is an opening 8x12 inches for 
the admission of air. This is closed in 
severe weather. About the center there is 
a ventilator running into the driving house 
above. The walls are of plank, Joists above 
covered with tar paper and one-quarter- 
inch lumber. Soil is yellow sand; tempera¬ 
ture averaging about 34 degrees. Vege¬ 
tables keep well but appear to be too damp. 
Does it require more ventilation? If so, 
where and how? Except in severe weather 
the door is open from four to six hours each 
day. 
Ans. —The dimensions of the venti¬ 
lator are not given, and it is not stated 
whether it runs up to the roof or only 
into the room above, though the latter 
is the inference. Ninety-six square 
inches, the area of the air inlet at the 
north end of a cellar 20x36 feet, is plain¬ 
ly insufficient for good ventilation when 
the doors are closed. There ought to be 
at least three more such inlets, distrib¬ 
uting them in the different walls as far 
as possible. A ventilator 24 inches 
square, leading through the roof of the 
building, should be sufficient. The in¬ 
lets should remain open at night most 
of the time, when the weather is not 
stormy, or dangerously cold, and may 
be closed during the day, to prevent in¬ 
gress of warmer air. 
How to Trim Norway Spruce. 
J. O. F., Ulster Go., N. Y.—I have a row of 
tall Norway spruce trees; they are quite 
old and large, and I wish to trim off the 
lower limbs. At what time of year would 
you advise its being done, and what treat¬ 
ment do they need? 
Ans. —The months of April and May 
are very suitable for trimming ever¬ 
greens, as the new growth, which be¬ 
gins in early Summer, tends quickly to 
repair the injury. Saw the limbs off as 
close to the trunk as possible and paint 
the scars with a good white-lead paint 
to prevent decay until they heal. Con¬ 
iferous trees like the Norway spruce 
often cover these scars with resin, which 
keeps them sealed until grown over, but 
it is just as well to make sure by paint¬ 
ing the stubs. 
Asparagus on Dry Soil. 
I have a small piece of ground that is 
very good for early peas or beans, but is 
too dry for a second crop. After the last 
of June everything stops growing. Would 
It be a good place to grow asparagus? 
York Co., Pa. f. w. h. 
Ans. —Asparagus is a deep-rooting 
crop and is not therefore particularly 
sensitive to dry weather when estab¬ 
lished. Prepare the soil as deeply and 
perfectly as possible before setting the 
plants, so that the roots may get down 
to the moister layers of subsoil as 
quickly as possible. With the requisite 
care and fertilization there should be no 
difficulty in growing asparagus on land 
that produces satisfactory crops of early 
peas and beans. 
Lettuce in the Hothouse. 
S. 8., Mifflinburg, Pa .—How warm ought 
a hothouse to be to grow lettuce? How 
often ought it to be watered? Is head let¬ 
tuce harder to grow than other varieties? 
Is there any book on growing lettuce? 
Ans. —The best temperature for grow¬ 
ing lettuce under glass has been de¬ 
termined by much experience to be about 
40 degrees at night and 60 during sunny 
days, providing plenty of air is admitted. 
Watering Winter lettuce is a particular 
operation. If the soil is kept sodden by 
too frequent applications, leaf and stem 
rot is sure to ensue. As a general rule, 
only water when the surface of the soil 
appears dry, and then soak the ground 
thoroughly. It takes more time and 
handling to produce good lettuce heads 
under glass than to grow loose varieties 
like the Grand Rapids, but there is no 
special difficulty about it. Favorite 
varieties for this purpose are Mig¬ 
nonette, Golden Queen and Silver. We 
know of no books exclusively devoted to 
lettuce culture. Bailey’s Forcing Book 
and Dreer’s Vegetables Under Glass are 
reliable and devote much space to let¬ 
tuce. 
Cow Peas Before Corn. 
J. N. G., Cairo, N. Y .—I have a two-acre 
piece which I thought of sowing to Alfal¬ 
fa; the land is what would be called a 
gravel loam, I should Judge, as it is filled 
with small stones on the surface, and in 
digging holes for posts I found it tapered 
to a fine sand. It is called good rye land, 
and in a favorable season good for corn. 
Last Spring there was a light stand of 
Timothy and clover; I gave it about 25 
loads of horse and cow manure mixed to¬ 
gether as they were thrown under the man¬ 
ure shed, and planted it to corn. Before the 
corn was up I gave it four barrels of ashes 
and two barrels of hen manure. The corn 
made a good growth of stalks, but did not 
ear well. At the last working I sowed 
Crimson clover, got a fair stand, but small; 
most of it is still alive. The corn had clean 
cultivation; the failure to ear was due, I 
think, to late plowing in the Spring and 
the dry season. The ground is naturally 
dry. Is the land suitable for Alfalfa? What 
preparation, how much seed and fertilizer, 
and of what kind is required? Or would 
you sow it to cow peas this season and 
wait another year? 
Ans. —If we had that field in northern 
New Jersey we would plow under what 
is left of the Crimson clover when in 
full flower and, about June 1, sow the 
Early Black cow pea. The peas may be 
planted in hills or drills and cultivated 
so as to sow Crimson clover at the last 
cultivation. If sown broadcast we would 
leave the vines on the surface during 
the Winter and plow under in the Spring 
for corn. Our experience is that these 
open and light soils often need phos¬ 
phoric acid to produce plump grain. In 
our culture we would use at least 300 
pounds of muriate of potash per acre 
when sowing the peas. In this way we 
feel sure that the land can be made to 
produce good corn. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv 
Seeds! Seeds! 
76th Annual Priced Catalogue of 
Vegetable, Farm and Flower Seeds 
Is now ready and mailed free to all applicants. 
BRIDGEMAN’S SEED WAREHOUSE, 
37 East 19th Street, New York City. 
BEST in the world from 1 
cent per packet up. Cele¬ 
brated for strong and 
rapid growth. Postage paid. 
Large lot of extra packages Free 
in every order. Oldest reliable 
seedsman in the west. Send yours 
and neighbor’s address for pret¬ 
tiest large catalog ever printed. 
R.H.SHUMW AY, Rockford, Ill. 
eeds 
Pure, Sure to Grow. 
Send for FINEST Cata¬ 
logue FREE. Large 
packets 3 cents. Mar¬ 
ket Gardeners ask for 
Wholesale Price List. 
ALNEER BROS., 
27 ABlk, ROt KFORD.ILL. 
Asparagus, 
Rhubarb, Celery 
and all other green garden crops should 
be provided ample supplies of available 
Nitrogen. This is best done by using 
Nitrate of Soda 
which stimulates an early, rapid and 
healthy growth. This treatment forces 
these crops into market earlier than is 
possible by the use of any other fertil¬ 
izer. Write for free book to Jolui A. 
Myers, 12-0 John St., New York. 
Nitrate for sale by fertilizer dealers every-. 
where. 
Write at once for Ust of Dealers . 
Send 25 Cts. 
in stamps or coin, and state whether you 
want Seven Superb Sweet Peas,—Seven 
Showy Nasturtiums,—Seven Artistic 
Asters, or ten packets Assorted Annual 
Flowers, and you will receive by first mail 
an unequaled collection. Or, simply send 
your address on a postal card to W. Atlee 
Burpee & Co., Seed Growers, Philadelphia, 
and you will receive Burpee’s Farm 
Annual for 1900. This is “the only sales¬ 
man ” of the largest mail seed trade in the 
world and tells all about the 
Best Seeds that Grow* 
Always cheaper 
In the end than any seeds 
that only cost half as much. 
Tested, true to name, fresh and 
reliable. Always the best. Ask 
k for Ferry’s —take no others. 
Write for 1900 Seed Annual. 
1>. M. FERRY A CO., 
Detroit, Mich. 
In cash prizes is one of the many Interesting 
features of our new catalogue for 1900. 
Planters of Maule’s Seeds are successful peo¬ 
ple. iHaule’s Seeds lead all; have done 
so for years and are as far ahead as ever in 
the race. Our new catalogue for 1900 is 
FREE to ALL 
who apply for it. It contains everything 
good, old or new, with hundreds of illustra¬ 
tions, four colored plates and practical up- 
to-date cultural directions. It is pronounced 
the brightest and best seed book of the year. 
Write for it to-day. Address 
WM. HENRY MAULE, Philadelphia. 
SEEDbTlFREE 
To get new 
customers t o 
test my Seed a, 
I will mail my 
1900 Cata¬ 
logue, best 1 
have ever issued, 
and filled with 
more bargains 
than ever and a 
lOe Due Bill 
good for 10c 
worth of 
Seeds for trial, 
absolutely free. 
Over 20 varie¬ 
ties shown In 
colors. $1100 
In cash prem¬ 
iums offered. 
Don’ tgiveyour 
order until you see 
this new catalogue 
10 new vegetables 
for 20c. 16 flowers 
and 52 bulbs. 30e. 
Potatoes, $2.00 and 
up a barrel. Seed 
grain, 40c and up 
per bu. 
All the beat Seeds, Bulbs, Plants, Roses, Farm Seeds, Po¬ 
tatoes, Ac., at the lowest prices. NINE GREAT NOVEL- 
JiiL off i r tin ith w $50 For a Name For Each. 
Many other novelties offered, including Ginseng, the great 
money making plant, "you’ll be surprised at my barpiln 
offers. Send your name on a postal for catalogue today. It Is 
FREE to ail. Tell your friends to send too. 
F. B. MILLS, Box 79, Rosehlll, Onondaga Co., N . Y. 
If you want a sample of 
“THE BEST CORN OF THE CENTURY” 
send us your name on a postal 
and we’ll mail you some of our 
Great “Liberty” 
Field Corn 
together with our new 1900 catalog. 
Handsomely illustrated, and the 
largest and best of the kind devoted 
to Seeds, Plants, Bulbs,&c. Tells all 
about “Liberty” Corn and numer¬ 
ous other varieties. We think we 
have enough to go round but to make 
sure to get one, write to-day. 
H. W. BUCKBEE, 
ROCKFORD SEED FARMS, 
Box 545 ROCKFORD, ILL. 
OLMES’ SEEDS. 
43 FLOWERS, 30* 
20 Pkts. Seeds, 23 Bulbs 
Most popular varieties,postpaid. 
1 pkt. Mary Semple Asters, 4 colors, 
1 “ Alyssum, Little Gem. [mixed. 
" Beautiful Hybrid Begonias. 
“ Bouquet Chrysanthemum. 
“ Umbrella Plant. 
“ Carnation Marguerite. 
“ Double Chinese Pink. 
“ Heliotrope, mixed. 
" Forget-me-not Victoria. 
“ California Golden Bells. 
" Petunia Hybrid Mixed. 
“ Phlox Drummondii. 
“ Poppy, New Shirley. 
“ Sunshine Pansy. 
" California Sweet Peas. 
“ Lovely Butterfly Flower. 
** Giant Verbena, mixed. 
'* Diamond Flower. 
“ Washington Weeping Palm. 
“ Japan Morning Glory. 
OO Dill DC Two grand new 
LO DULDO Cumin Lilies, 
•’Scarlet King” and Variegated; 
1 double Tuberose; 2Hybrid Gladi¬ 
olus^ Butterfly do.; 4Spanish Iris; 
2 Tuberous clmb’g Wistaria; 10 lovely rn’x’d Oxalis. 
NEW FLORAL GUIDE-181 pnges, 
FREE with every order. 
The Conard & Jones Go. box 4, West Grove, Pa. 
Scarlet King" 
Canna Lily . 
Extra Early Admiral Dewey 
Originated and introduced by 
HARRY N. HAMMOND, 
Seedsman, Box 42, FIFIELD, MICH. 
Largest grower of Seed Potatoes in America. The 
Dewey is the most wonderful New Potato. Its 
merits are fully described in Hammond’s 1900 Catalogue. Free 
for the asking. Address as above. Write to-day. 20 other va¬ 
rieties of potatoes. Also Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
FOR 14 CENTS 
We wish to gain this year 200JKK) 
new customers, and hence offer 
l Pkg. City Garden Beet, 10c 
1 Pkg.Earl's! EmeraldCucnmberltc 
1 “ La Orosse Market Lettuce. 16c 
.. 16c 
10c 
10c 
10c 
15c 
fToo 
Strawberry Melon, 
13 Day Radish, 
Early Ripe Cabbage, 
Early Dinner Onion, 
Brilliant Flower Seeds, 
Worth $1.00, for 14 cents. 
Above 10 Pkgs. worth $1.00, we will 
mail you free, together with our 
great Catalog, telling all about 
SAUER S MILLION DOLLAR POTATO 
upon receipt of this notice Jc 14c. 
stamps. We invite yourtrade, and 
1 know when you once try Sal zer’s 
(seeds you will never do without. 1 
'9800 Prizes on Salzer’s 1000—rar¬ 
est earliest Tomato Giant on earth. F: 141 
JOHX A. 8ALZKK SEEP CO., LX CROSSE, Wig. 
i 
Hi 
The Beat, None Better, and They Grow. 
Illustrated Catalogue free! Send postal 
TO-DAY. If you are a Market Gardener. 
Send for my Wholesale List. 
HENRY L. HOLMES, Harrisburg:, Pa. 
□ 
Clover, Timothy, Grass Seeds, Seed Grain, Seed 
Potatoes, at WHOLESALE PRICES to FARMERS. 
Catalogue Free. SIEGEL, The Seedsman, Erie, Pa. 
Kansas Tf1MATn Best Nove|t y ° ut * A Money Maker. 
ClnHtla.tl I U IVlM I U One packet, 25c.; three packets 50c. Specialties; 
Manaara ■ ^ Alfalfa, Kaffir Corn, Siberian Millet, Forage Plants 
for arid regions, Onion Seed and Onion Sets. Large stock of tree seeds. Elegant catalog mailed 
free on application. Write for one NOW. KANSAS SEED HOUSE, F. Barteldes & Co., Lawrence, Kan. 
FARM and GARDEN SEEDS 
The 
Choicest 
Dreer’s Garden Calendar for 1900 
Up-to-date in every particular. Profusely illustrated, handsome 
colored covers and full of valuable information. We will send a 
copy free to those who state where they saw this advertisement. 
HEHRY A. DFtEEB, 714 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
BRASS SEEDS 
IWS HIIXTORES SPECIALLY PREPARED TO SOIT DLL CONDITIONS OF SOIL. 
Our AMERICAN FARMERS’ MANUAL for 1900, 32 pages, devoted entirely to Gross 
and other Seeds for the Farm', mailed free on application to those who state where they saw 
this advertisement. Correspondence invited. 
I GRASS SEED for HAY, 
GRASS SEED for PASTURE, 
GRASS SEED for GOLF LINKS, 
GRASS SEED for LAWNS, 
PETER HENDERSON & CO. 
-35 & 37- 
CORTLANDT ST. 
NEW YORK. 
