478 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 14 
doubtedly do much toward checking them. This was 
strongly indicated by the sprayed and unsprayed or¬ 
chards previously referred to. An application of the 
poison about June 7-8 would have been the right time 
this year. v. H. lowe. 
Geneva (N. Y.) Experiment Station. 
NOTES FROM LONG ISLAND. 
POI.SON IVY is a plant that is very much at home 
almost anywhere out of doors. The wild part of 
Central Park, in this city, is well peppered with it, 
and it has also preempted a share of Long Island. 
I traveled for miles where the roadsides were so 
alive with it that I did not care to pick the stray wild 
strawberries showing here and there among the ivy 
leaves. In most places it extended from the fence to 
the wagon track. Three feet on each side of the 
road would be a moderate estimate, and for 10 miles 
this figures up to something over seven acres of 
land. In some places the farmers have removed their 
fences and cultivate to the roadside. It looks odd to 
see potatoes growing within two feet of the wagon 
track, and they get run over and damaged somewhat, 
but the foul weeds are killed in the bargain. 
WEALTH VS. VANDALISM.—Most of the sightly 
locations along the Sound have been bought by 
wealthy people from the city for Summer residences, 
and the sign “No Trespassing” is seen at every gate. 
This does not mean that these people wish to be self- 
is/h with their fine grounds. Many of them would 
be glad to have their yards open to the public, so 
that travelers could pass through and see the land¬ 
scape gardening, etc., but so many abuse such priv¬ 
ileges that all are kept out. It is surprising how peo¬ 
ple who would not like to be called thieves will break 
off limbs of trees, trample over lawns and mutilate 
Power beds. They seem to think that they have a 
right to pick everything that grows anywhere, unless 
protected by shotguns and bulldogs. At one of these 
places I saw a piece of ground 150x100 feet, which was 
a garden under difficulties. There was a picket 
fence eight feet high all around it; a small berry 
patch was covered with netting to keep the birds off, 
and in addition to this a man was watching the Whole 
thing. He had a little house, like the “lodge in a 
garden of cucumbers,” spoken of in the Bible. 
ASPARAGUS BLIGHT.—The asparagus industry 
has suffered greatly from the rust. Some are still 
raising it, but the general idea was that not more 
than one-fourth as much as formerly was being 
grown. People who had 20 acres have plowed it up 
as worthless. One man told me that a few years 
ago he sold quantities of it at 30 cents per bunch. 
At this price and no diseases to contend with, an 
asparagus field was a goo.* investment; but it now 
comes from the South so early in the Spring that by 
the time the local crop is ready it is no longer a 
rarity. Another man who had worked for different 
farmers in that section for 25 years said that the 
growers were partly to blame in not using enougn 
manure. They had let the land run out and ex¬ 
tended the cutting season so long that the plant did 
not have vitality to fight the disease. There may be 
something in this. A plant somewhat resembles a 
man who, when he is healthy, can ride roughshod 
over all sorts of microbes; but, when his system gets 
run down, almost anything will carry him off. There 
is no doubt, however, that the rust is a serious thing, 
and that many who have handled the crop in the 
best way have had to give it up. I learned of one 
man who in the face of all this has been setting out 
a tot of plants. He evidently believes that he can 
manage the disease or keep it off, and it will be in¬ 
teresting a little later to see how he comes out. 1 
saw plenty of old asparagus fields, with here and 
there a spear coming up between the rows of corn or 
other stuff that had taken its place. 
TRUCK FARMING.—South of Oyster Bay, on the 
roaa to Brookville, Roslyn, Lakeville, and Little 
Neck, a large amount of produce for the city mar¬ 
kets is grown. In the more distant sections potatoes, 
corn and cabbage are the chief crops. Nearer the 
city the farmers send in their produce in wagons, and 
raise all sorts of small vegetables. There are fields 
of 15 to 20 acres in potatoes, the plants a dark green, 
and the rows as straight as gun barrels, and well 
worked. Long Island potatoes have a good name, 
often selling in this market at an advance over 
others. A good many of these farmers are foreign¬ 
ers. Their training in Europe, where land is so 
thoroughly utilized, has made them better fitted for 
this business than a man who has been trying to work 
a 250-acre farm with one or two hired men. It is 
hard for him to make up his mind to do the amount 
of work necessary on 10 acres of vegetables to get 
the best results. The bugs are attended to promptly. 
I saw two fields where they were being doctored, j.n 
one case they got their bitters in water from a tank 
on wheels, and in the other a Leggett dry-powder 
gun did the business. The gunner took two rows, 
an'd, by looking at the part of the field that he nad 
gone over, one could see that the young slugs were 
rapidly losing their interest in the coming potato crop. 
“Is it hard work?” I said, as the man came to the 
end of a row. “No,” he replied, “the only trouble is 
that the wind is blowing a little and I am getting 
too much Paris-green in my nose and mouth, ana it 
also goes right through my clothes.” He was wear¬ 
ing goggles, which protected his eyes. Poisoning 
LEAF BADLY EATEN. Fig. 159. 
potato bugs, like sowing dry phosphate, is not a clean 
job, and any man who expects to do it without soiling 
a white vest, kid gloves and patent leathers, will have 
to wait until some new and unthougM-of machine is 
invented,, or else leave He business end of it to the 
hired man while he sits upon the fence. Women 
work in the field's here. I saw four of them hoeing 
potatoes, and the weedis melted away like an icicle 
in the sun. The heat was intense, but they had 
nothing but colored handkerchiefs tied over their 
heads. It looked as though broad-brimmed straw 
hats would have been more comfortable. w. w. H. 
SAND VETCH AS A COVER CROP. 
Will Sand or Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), live through 
the Winter in this section, sown with rye? a. p. 
Scotch Bush, N. Y. 
The Sand or Hairy vetch, commonly known aliso 
as Winter vetch, will usually survive the Winters of 
central New York. For northern New York we 
cannot speak. At the State Experiment Station at 
Geneva, N. Y., they speak very highly of Winter 
vetch as a cover crop. In their report for 1896 they 
report as follows: “In a young orchard Winter vetch 
and Winter rye were sown at the rate of 40 pounds of 
the vetch and one-half bushel of the rye per acre. 
PUP^E OF WORM ON LEAF. Fig. 160. 
Both came up nicely, and in a couple of months 
formed a thick green carpet of plants from six inches 
to 12 inches high. This makes an excellent cover 
crop, because it forms a perfect mat of vegetation 
over the ground, and does not grow tall enough to 
interfere with the gathering of fruit which ripens as 
late as Winter apples. These plants were still green 
and in good condition in December.” 
At the Cornell Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y., 
vetches have been used as an orchard plant; in Bul¬ 
letin 49 of the Station the plant is spoken of highly 
as a plant adapted to orchards. Orchard lands are 
nearly always benefiteu ny some cover or mulch dur¬ 
ing a part of the year, especially during Fall or Win¬ 
ter. One of the values of sod lies in the protec¬ 
tion to tne soil, but a sod cannot be obtained in a 
single season. If orchards can be cultivated in 
Spring and early summer, and then protected with 
some growth which will shade the soil during the re¬ 
mainder of the warm weather and afford some pro¬ 
tection from frost during Winter, the best results will 
undoubtedly be obtained as a rule. This cover crop 
should also afford fertilizing materials to the soil 
when turned under and greatly improve the me¬ 
chanical texture of the soil as well. The vetch or 
tare is a leguminous plant and well adapted to the 
purpose of a cover crop. A half bushel of Vicia 
sativa was sown in the Cornell orchards June 16. 
upon five-eighths of an acre of heavy clay loam. It 
was sown broadcast upon a freshly-prepared surface, 
and well dragged in. The seed could have been sown 
later with equally as good effect, no doubt, and the 
cultivation of the orchard could have been continued 
for 10 days or two weeks longer. The vetch started 
somewhat slowly, and the seeding seemed to have 
been too thin, but by the middle of September the 
ground was covered thickly. Frost came October 1, 
but me vetch was not injured, and it continued to 
grow until the midule of the month, and remained 
green still longer. It made a remarkable cover, 
growing knee high in a dense mat, and everywhere 
completely covering me ground. It began to flower 
in September, but no seeds ripened except upon a 
few poor spots. Upon light soils seeds would prob¬ 
ably form freely, but the plant is an annual and not 
likely to become a weed. The roots do not extend 
deep. With the approach of hard freezing weather, 
the stalks fell upon the ground, where they lay like 
a thin, even covering of old hay. The stems are soft 
and can be easily plowed under in early Spring, and 
will soon decompose; and they will not keep the soil 
too wet late in Spring, which is an important point 
upon clay soils. Where farmers fail to get a stand 
of clover either the Winter or Spring vetch may oe 
used as a cover crop, usually better to sow with some 
other crop, as rye, so that if the vetch is killed there 
will still remain some plants to fill the soil. 
L. A. C. 
THE HAY BARN; CLOSE OR OPEN. 
T. B. Terry, in Practical Farmer, says: “There should 
be no windows, doors or ventilators in the hay barn that 
cannot be closed tightly. As soon as hay is put in at 
night close the barn tightly until next day.” Is this 
good advice? The custom here is to have lattice work 
or wire netting around top of square of barn, and also 
open end for putting in hay, and sometimes ventilators 
on top. Expecting to build in a short time I wish to 
practice on the best ideas, and if it is desirable to retain 
this heat (and dampness), partly at the expense of the 
comfort of the man the next day in barn, I will so ar¬ 
range. j. L. B. 
Falls, W. Va. 
The principle as advocated by Mr. T. B. Terry *3 
a good one; yet for comfort in working we usually 
prefer a ventilator at the top of the hay barn. We 
have secured good results by having a medium policy, 
neither open free ventilation nor tight closing of the 
barn. Hot air will absorb far more moisture than 
will cold air. A barn full of freshly-cut hay, if closed 
up, will become very warm, and the air will become 
saturated with moisture, and none of this moisture 
will be deposited upon the hay. But allow cold air to 
enter, and immediately the moisture is condensed, 
and the hay becomes wet at the surface. If the hay 
is thoroughly cured at time of putting in, there is not 
the necessity for keeping the air warm around it, but 
where partially cured hay is put in it seems to keep 
better if the barn is tight. We know of some farmers 
who put their hay into the barn very green, and they 
practice keeping the barn closed. We would recom¬ 
mend providing a ventilator at the top of the hay 
barn, possibly by means of a cupola. This should be 
so arranged that it can be opened or shut as desired. 
Should hay be put into the barn which is poorly 
cured, the ventilator can be shut and the heated air 
confined. But for hay as ordinarily well-cured, the 
ventilator can. be safely left open without injury to 
the hay, and very materially adding to the comfort 
of the workmen. l. a. clinton. 
If the Hope Farm man had a five-inch engine and a 12- 
inch fodder cutter those cornfields he writes about would 
solve his hay problem, and the stalks in the manure, too. 
It is surprising how a cutter multiplies the feeding value 
of cornstalks. c. j. h. 
Fodder for Dense Orchard.— It is probable that Hun¬ 
garian grass or millet would give the largest and most 
satisfactory yield, although not much can be expected 
to grow in the dense shade and where the roots of the 
apple trees suck up the moisture from the soil. How¬ 
ever, if the season is very moist a partial crop might be 
secured. Corn would do something, but in any case 
grown under such circumstances it would be very insipid 
and almost worthless. Orchard grass would do quite 
well under these conditions, but no crop could be secured 
unul next year. If cut by June 1 two crops could be 
secured, one early and one late. i. p. Roberts. 
