1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
3o3 
really is the import of the question at the head of 
this article. We have not answered it. This has been 
written with a view of calling out the observations 
and experiences of others, to serve as helps in the 
search for 'the facts. 
The difficulty in securing a good stand of clover, it 
seems, is becoming more and more widespread, and 
two suggestions as to the possible causes are offered. 
The tendency in all cultivated soils is to become de¬ 
pleted in organic matter, and consequently they suffer 
from drought much more than formerly. The in¬ 
creased importance assigned 'to thorough tillage dur¬ 
ing recent years, no doubt, tends to hasten the de¬ 
struction of organic matter. Clover and beans both 
draw heavily upon the soil for potash. True, the 
manure produced from the feeding of the hay and 
straw is supposed to be returned to the soil, but un¬ 
fortunately the greater portion of the potash in the 
food of animals is excreted in the urine, and few 
farmers have their stables and yards so arranged as 
to prevent the loss of a considerable portion of this 
valuable constituent of plant food. j. l. stone. 
Cornell Exp. Station. 
WHY THE RHUBARB DIED. 
In your issue of Marcfh 24, a correspondent from 
Hickman, Ky., asks, “Why ao rhubarb plants die?” 
We have a similar experience here in Piedmont, N. C., 
but in the mountain or cool temperate portion of this 
State, I have seen the rhubarb a permanent crop of 
such excellence that would astonish a northern grow¬ 
er. In 'the rich valleys of the mountain rivers, rhu¬ 
barb will cover the ground in one season from small 
crowns, planted four feet apart each way; the stalks 
will weigh one pound, and before October there are 
roots witn 10 crowns, and it takes crowbars to pry 
them out of the ground. Rhubarb, like asparagus, is 
one of 'the oldest cultivated plants we have a record 
of. It was grown by the Chinese nearly 3,000 years 
before Christ, not for the stalks, but for the root 
only. It was also grown 'in southern Russia at a 
much later period; in fadt, so good was the quality of 
the Russian root, that the Russian government had a 
monopoly on the markets. Early in the eighteenth 
century a variety was produced in Russia that was 
known as Crown rhubarb; this variety, probably 
Rheum Rhaponticum, developed better leaf stalks. 
Rhaponticum is known to be a native of southern 
Siberia, and from that variety, Undulatum and Palma- 
tum, come the later varieties that the English brought 
to sudh perfection about 1820. As the variety we use 
is a hybrid from others of a northern clime, say lati¬ 
tude 50, it is reasonable to see that we cannot grow 
it successfully too far south of its original home, un¬ 
less the altitude again prevents great heat. 
North Carolina Industrial College, t. l. brown. 
R. N.-Y.—During two years’ experience in Tennes¬ 
see, we lost about five per cent of our rhubarb plants 
each season. The leaves wilted and shriveled rap¬ 
idly at the end of the season, and by next Spring the 
rodts had nearly disappeared. As the unaffected 
plants continued in exuberant health, we assumed 
that some bacterial disease had attacked the roots, 
but Mr. Brown’s conclusion that excessive high tem¬ 
perature is the debilftating influence, may be the cor¬ 
rect one. We noticed, however, that seedling plants 
were more resistant than those grown from divisions. 
CORN AND COW PEAS IN TENNESSEE. 
We have had something to say about the use of 
cow peas, and have tried to tell a responsible story. 
On our light soils in New Jersey, we consider the cow 
pea mo^t useful as a manurial crop. We have not 
attempted to cut and cure it to any great extent, and 
our advice has been not to try to cut it into the silo 
with 'the corn. It is true, however, that opinions dif¬ 
fer regarding this matter. We have just received a 
circular from the Department of Agriculture, which 
contains an article written by Mr. W. Gettys, who is 
a successful Tennessee farmer. Mr. Gettys‘advocates 
using corn and cow peas together. He says that the 
silo has become a necessity to the Tennessee dairy¬ 
man. Nothing can fill the gap made by a drought so 
well as good silage. Corn and cow peas work well 
together with him. Many farmers plow up wheat- 
stubble land and sow cow peas, getting them into the 
soil before frost, but this does not satisfy Mr. Gettys. 
He likes to grow the two crops together, and the two 
pictures shown at Figs. 91 and 92 show how the crop 
looks when mature. Corn alone is too exhausting to 
the land, but the peas not only give a good crop to 
go with the corn, but also strengthen the soil. The 
corn, he says, is planted about the middle of May 
without fertilizer. It is a large southern variety, 
sown with a one-horse drill in rows 4*4 feet apart, 
and the stalks from nine to 16 inches apart in the 
row. He likes this wide row, because it admits plenty 
Of sunshine and air. In the first days of June, when 
the corn is about six inches high, the cow peas are 
planted between the corn, and in the same row with 
the corn. He uses a hand planter, commonly used 
for replanting purposes. The object in planting the 
peas later is to give the corn a good start; otherwise, 
the climbing variety of cow pea would grow faster 
than corn, and smother it out. He uses the Whip¬ 
poorwill cow pea, which is a running variety, and at 
the close of the season the field presents the appear¬ 
ance indicated by the picture. The crop is cut about 
September 8, at which time about three-quarters of 
the pea pods are ripe, and the corn has begun to glaze. 
The crop is cut with a corn harvester drawn by four 
mules. The crop is cut into the silo in the usual way. 
The knives of the cutter are set to cut one-half inch 
in length, and in this way the peas and corn are well 
HOW THE COW PEAS CLIMB. Fio. 91. 
mixed. This method of growing a silage crop will be 
new and strange to many of our northern readers. 
Possibly it would not answer north of the Ohio River. 
In the South, however, with longer season and differ¬ 
ent conditions of moisture and heat, the corn and 
cow pea will certainly make a strong team. We have 
not yet learned how to harness these crops so that 
they will work to the best advantage, but Mr. Gettys 
certainly seems to have hitched them up so that they 
would pull a heavy load. 
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS. 
THE FRUIT PACKAGE LAW.—I know that one 
large manufacturer of small fruit packages, who lives 
near here, will make no undersized packages without 
marking each one with the word “Short,” as directed 
in the law, and of course charges ‘the purchaser with 
the cost of so marking. I am informed that he will 
make no such packages to put on the market; he will 
make them only to fill individual orders. From other 
makers near here I learn that they intend to comply 
with the law. No doubt the law will be violated by 
commission men in New York, who receive their pack- 
cow PEAS IN THE CORN. Flo. 92. 
ages from southern shippers. They are well informed 
as to the provisions of the law, but unless complained 
of, will work for their customers. I presume an ap¬ 
propriation should have been made for the Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture to use in prosecuting violations 
of the law. But the Sealer of Weights and Measures 
in the city is, no doubt, at present the official whose 
duty it is to enforce the law. There is no doubt that 
the commission men as a class will be glad to see the 
law enforced. Then if 'they will discriminate in price 
against all short packages, it will be but a few years 
before packages of standard capacity only will be 
found in this State. william d. barns. 
FIGHTING PEACH BORERS.—On page 263 there 
is an article on fighting the Peach borer. Some time 
since I called the attention of your readers to the 
method which I use. It is not expensive, and with 
xne has proved so effectual that, for the last two years, 
not one single borer has been found in my orchard of 
about 400 trees. I will repeat a description of my 
practice. I use a wash made by slaking lime to about 
the consistency of paint. To each three gallons of this 
lime paint add one quart linseed oil, and stir well 
until the oil is thoroughly incorporated with the lime. 
To apply, I use a painter’s round dust brush, one about 
three inches in diameter, and paint the trunks of the 
trees from just below the surface of the ground up 
to and into the forks of the main branches, being 
careful to do the work well, and filling every crack in 
the bark. Before applying the paint, I examine the 
trees and, with a common bricklayer’s trowel, scrape 
the roughnesses on the trunk, so that the paint will 
be more easily applied. The work is done early in 
June here, and when well done, will remain through 
the season. I doubt whether moths will lay eggs 
upon the wash, and if they did, I do not think that 
the young would eat through it. The same practice 
might not prove equally successful in other places, 
but I think it would be worth trial. m. morse. 
Massachusetts. 
ALSIKE FOR MARSPIY LAND—Several years ago 
I read that Alsike, when sown upon wet land over¬ 
grown with marsh grass, would subdue the wild 
growth. Having a piece of marshy upland, I had it 
plowed in lands about three rods wide, leaving deep 
open furrows between for drainage. The plowing 
was done in the Fall. As soon as the ground was dry 
enough for harrowing in the Spring, I sowed upon it 
Timothy, Red-top and Alsike, putting on about eight 
pounds of Alsike seed to the acre. It made a good 
crop of hay the first season, and for three years it 
has given me a heavy yield of hay of superior quality, 
without any reappearance of the wild grasses. I am 
satisfied that the Alsike adds to the fertility of the 
soil, besides improving the quality and greatly in¬ 
creasing the quantity of hay produced. It flourishes 
almost anywhere except upon high knobs, but does 
best in hay production on moist land. It is a peren¬ 
nial, and also renews its growth by self-sown seed. 
It does not winterkill, nor heave out with frost, and 
'is more certain than either Timothy or Red clover in 
dry seasons. The aftermath makes good pasture, and 
the plant stands pasturage better than Timothy or 
Red clover. w. b. c. 
Binghamton, N. Y. 
SULPHUR FOR COCKROACHES.—Your corre¬ 
spondent, R. J. D., on page 223, asks for a method of 
ridding a building of cockroaches. Several years ago 
I was in much the same condition, having charge of a 
factory that was fairly overrun with the insects; so 
much so, that I could have duplicated the picture 
many times over. Traps and poison were found use¬ 
less, as the insects increased faster than the traps 
could destroy them, and I finally disposed of them as 
follows: After work was finished for the day, every 
window, door and crack was closed. Then five or six 
tin pans, each containing 15 to 20 pounds of roll sul¬ 
phur, were placed on bricks in a second pan, contain¬ 
ing water, and distributed through the lower rooms. 
A small quantity of alcohol was poured on the sul¬ 
phur and lighted, and the building watched from the 
outside till the sulphur was all burnt. It was then 
left till morning. By opening a top window the build¬ 
ing was rapidly cleared of sulphur fumes. The first 
time the above was tried several quarts of dead in¬ 
sects were swept up. The fumigation must be re¬ 
peated at an interval of two weeks or so, until the 
different crops of eggs have been hatched out, and 
if well attended to, the mill can be completely cleared 
of all insect life, weevils and meal-worms, as well as 
cockroaches. I should hesitate about using hydro¬ 
cyanic gas where there are food products, or any¬ 
where in a building that is difficult to ventilate; there 
is too much chance for an accident, but with sulphur 
there is little chance of accidents; besides which, it is 
cheap, and will certainly do the work. f. g. s. 
Fort Atkinson, Wis. 
Forcing Rhubarb in the Dark.— I was so much Inter¬ 
ested in the article in The R. N.-Y. last year about forc¬ 
ing rhubarb in the dark, that I experimented with a few 
plants the past Winter. I dug up six plants the last of 
November; the plants were very large, some of them 
measuring IS to 20 inches in diameter when trimmed 
ready for the cellar. I put them on the north side of the 
house, but they did not get frozen solid until December 
16. I then put them in the cellar. I put a small wood 
stove in the cellar and started a fire on Christmas Day. 
On February 3 I pulled several fine stalks, and by the 
middle of March had pulled over 200 fine large stalks, 
from 12 to 20 inches long; the flavor was excellent, and 
we considered it better than that grown outside; stalks 
were a deep pink and leaves very small and yellow. 
About March 15 I moved the stove from the cellar to an¬ 
other part of the house, but the weather changed to very 
cold, and fearing that my rhubarb might get frosted, I 
put a Rochester lamp in the cellar; as the weather re¬ 
mained cold for several days I kept the lamp burning 
steadily day and night, and on the fourth day I noticed 
that the leaves had turned green and the next stalks we 
cooked the sauce had a different flavor from that we used 
at first; it seemed stronger and more acid. a. D. A. 
Sweetwater, Iff. „ 
