124 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure attention. 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.] 
Pine-Tar Injures Trees. 
O. 8. E., Ennis, Tex .—Will pine or coal tar 
injure fruit trees to paint the trunks for 
the purpose of keeping borers from work¬ 
ing on them? Will tar prevent borers from 
working on trees? It seems a terrible task 
to go for them with a wire. 
Ans. —Pine tar is almost uniformly 
fatal to young trees when applied to the 
trunk or about the collar for borers, but 
coal tar has been effectively used to pre¬ 
vent their attacks. It is not entirely 
safe, as trees have been killed with it 
No method is yet as practical and safe 
as semi-annual examination and the re¬ 
moval of borers with knife and wire. 
Apples for Northwestern Ohio. 
H. 8., Edgerton, O .—Will vou give me a 
list of Summer, Fall and Winter apples for 
this northwestern county of Ohio? I want 
quality first, as I am tired of Ben Davis 
and his kind. 
Ans. —The following is a good list of 
apples for family use for northwestern 
Ohio, are all of good quality and are ar¬ 
ranged in order of ripening: Summer 
Rose, Early Harvest, Primate, Benoni, 
Early Joe, Summer Pearmain, Jefferis, 
Gravenstein, Fall Pippin, Melon, Hub- 
bardston, Jonathan, Grimes, Romanstem, 
Northern Spy, Canada Red, Stark and 
Tompkins King. The majority of the 
trees should be of the last seven or eight 
varieties, but two trees each of the oth¬ 
ers, because only a few of the Summer 
and Fall kinds are needed, h. e. v. d. 
Beans That Will Not Pod. 
J. 8., Oervai8, O .—What is the matter with 
Burpee’s Bush Lima beans? We have 
planted them for several years and but 
few pods mature beans, as the majority of 
little pods fall oft in a few weeks after 
blooming. Do they lack pollen, and If so, 
can we plant any other variety with them 
to pollenize them? 
Ans. —Beans are almost entirely self- 
pollenizing, the transference of pollen 
taking place even before the blooms ma¬ 
ture, and Burpee’s Bush Lima is no ex¬ 
ception to the rule. Nothing would be 
gained by planting other varieties near 
it. Something is wrong with your soil 
or situation. This excellent bean is very 
prolific with us, but we find that the 
plants should stand at least a foot apart 
in rows about three feet apart for good 
results. We plant in well-drained sandy 
soil, and fertilize well in row with fine 
old manure and some good potato ferti¬ 
lizer. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
on grains. The method to be adopted to 
prevent spread of diseases by seeds is 
not by Government inspection, but by 
the grower using either hot water, for¬ 
maldehyde or some or the other known 
germicides on the seed at time of plant¬ 
ing. F. A. 8. 
Fruit Questions from Missouri. 
C. P. B., Mobcrly, Mo.—What varieties of 
apples do you advise in a commercial or¬ 
chard here on the prairie? How are Rome 
Beauty, York Imperial, R. I. Gree»ing and 
Ben Davis? Would you advise Bismarck 
and Stayman? 
Ans. —Ben Davis is one of the most 
dependable and profitable apples to plant 
in northern Missouri. Gano is about the 
same. York Imperial is very good and 
these three would be my first choice for 
a commercial orchard there. Rome 
Beauty is too tender in tree, and the 
fruit falls too badly on the prairies of 
that section. Rhode Island Greening is 
worthless there except for a Fall apple, 
and there are better kinds for that sea¬ 
son. Bismarck is too new to warrant 
planting more than a few trees for trial. 
It is an early bearer and of attractive 
appearance, but it is poor in quality, and j 
I fear it will not prove to be a late keep¬ 
er. Stayman is very good in all respects 
and would probably be valuable all over 
Missouri. h. e. v. d. 
Ventilating Damp Root Cellar. 
H. O., Lancaster, O .—I have a root cellar 
built in a hillside 20 x 30 feet, walled on the 
sides and over head with two-inch plank. 
It has two ventilators, is frostproof, and 
we have kept the temperature at 37 de¬ 
grees three or four weeks. In that time 
it has not varied one degree, but the mois¬ 
ture gathers and drips down upon the pota¬ 
toes and keeps them wet, and some of the 
apples burst from an excess of moisture. 
How can this be remedied so as to make 
it drier? 
Ans. —The only way absolutely to pre¬ 
vent drip in a partially ventilated root 
cellar is to put on a double roof with an 
air space between to hinder heat con¬ 
duction. For this purpose a double set 
of rafters and roof covering is needed. 
Much may be done to lessen condensa¬ 
tion under your present conditions by 
opening the doors whenever the outside 
temperature is above freezing. An even 
range of the thermometer inside is not 
as important as the lessening of con¬ 
densation. When too warm outside in 
daytime the cellar may be opened at 
night. In practice the temperature may 
be several degrees below freezing out¬ 
side without endangering the contents of 
an open root cellar. 
Damage from “Corn Weevil " 
Melon Blight Carried on Seeds. 
S. TV., Wolcott, Conn.— In The R. N.-Y., 
page 49, J. H. Hale says that peach yellows 
can be carried by peach pits or seeds. If 
that is so, I would like to have experts’ 
opinion as to whether Melon blight can be 
carried by infected seed. If it can, the 
Government could do a good work by in¬ 
spection of seeds. I had an experience last 
Summer that would lead me to believe that 
seed could carry blight. 
Ans. —In his statement that “a tree or 
a pit with any taint of the yellows will 
give a diseased tree,” I doubt whether 
Mr. Hale Intended to convey the idea 
that the trouble known as Peach yellows 
would be carried in the pits, as S. W. has 
taken his statement Apparently he in¬ 
tended to convey the idea that pits from 
trees affected with Peach yellows would 
produce sickly weak seedlings, which 
would be subject to this trouble. If it 
was known positively that Peach yellows 
was produced by a specific germ or spore 
then Mr. Hale could have said properly 
that the disease could be carried on the 
pits. Regarding the carrying of Melon 
blight on melon seeds, it is possible for 
the seeds of melons, also cucumbers, to 
carry the germs or spores of the blights 
known as Alternaria and Downy mildew 
on their outer surface, not in them, the 
same as smuts and ergots are carried 
O. O. R., Reeds, Mo .—Will you explain the 
origin of the Corn weevil, which has dam¬ 
aged old corn seriously in this part? The 
weevils damaged corn that was husked 
and in open bins more than that in the 
husk and in tight bins. Why was this? 
Ans. —By the ‘‘Corn weevil” is doubt¬ 
less meant a very small, slender beetle 
which works in stored grains of all 
kinds; but possibly it may be the work 
of the caterpillars or a small moth 
known as the Angoumois Grain moth. 
The former insect eats the grain both 
in its beetle and young or grub stages, 
but the latter is destructive only in the 
caterpillar stage. Doubtless the husked 
corn in open bins simply afforded an 
easier entrance for the pest than the un¬ 
husked corn. The only satisfactory way 
to deal with these pests is to put the In¬ 
fested grain in as tight a bin as possible 
and treat it with carbon bisulphide, 
using one pound to each 100 bushels of 
grain. Pour the liquid on top of the 
grain and close the bin as nearly air¬ 
tight as possible. Leave it for an hour 
or more, and bring no lights near, as 
the fumes are explosive. 
M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
All Rural New Yorker readers, wish¬ 
ing 1 to plant trees the coming Spring, 
should send for the instructive and in¬ 
teresting catalogue of Martin Wahl, 
Rochester, N. Y. It is free for the 
asking.— A <jv, 
ESTABLISHED 1802 
SEEDS 
have been the standard of excellence 
for a hundred years, and were awarded 
the GOLD MEDAL both at the Paris 
Exposition of 1900 and Pan-American 
1901. Our 101st Annual Catalogue is In 
every respect the most complete, most 
reliable, and most beautiful of Ameri¬ 
can Garden Annuals. 
Write for It. We mall It free. 
J.M.TH0RBURN&C0. 
(L»tt of 15 John Street) 
36 CORTLANDT STREET. NEW YORK 
I , ::._u ; U February 22 
FRUIT INSURANCE. 
I guarantee every plant, vine, etc., which I sell to be Strong- 
Rooted, Healthy, Hardy, Dormant Plante. Kaepoerry. 
Blackberry, Gooseberry, Currant, Strawberry, ete. All 
fresh dug as ahipped—no heeled-ln etock. New 1902 FREE 
Catalogue con tame all standard and many new varieties. 
ALLEN L. WOOD, Wholesale Grower, Rochester, H.T. 
BARGAINS IN 
Trees, Plants and Seeds 
SEND FOR OUR BARGAIN LIST, it Is free, 
and offers the greatest bargains in Seeds ever offered 
Write to us If you are Interested In Fruits, Flowers 
or Vegetables. CATALOGUE FREE. 
T. C. FURNAS & CO., 
Rural Route No 2 SHERIDAN, IND. 
,50c SEED 
DUE BILL 
FREE 
Send us to-day, your name and 
address on a postal and we will mail you FREE 
our handsome Illustrated Seed Cataiogcontaining 
Poe Rill and plan good for !»Oc worth of Flower or 
Vegetable Seeds FREE. Your selection to introduce 
j The Best Northern Grown Seeds 
1 direct from grower to planter, from Saginaw Valley 
\ Seed Gardens. Seed Potatoes,.Vegetable. Flower, 
Field Seeds and Plants. 
k 100.000 PACKAGES SEEDS FREE 
l on above plan. Write quick. Send names 
\ of neighbors who buy seeds. $ioo cash for 
' bestiist. See the catalogue. 
. Harrv N. Hammond Seed Co., Ltd. 
^ ltot 4 2. Hay City, Jilch. ^ 
Good seeds cheap 
n BEST in the world. 
None better, and none lower price. 
Great Big Catalogue FREE. 
Nice big Pictures of every variety. 
Seeds ic. perpack’g & up. A big lot 
of extra pack’gs; new sorts presen¬ 
ted FREE with every order. Buy 
direct from the Grower to get Good Seed. 
v Send for big FREE BOOK. 
R.H.SHUMWAY 
D ROCKFORD, ILL. 
Y Silver Anni- 
versary Cata¬ 
logue con tains 
everything in Seeds, 
Plants and Bulbs 
worth growing. It 
is the Seed Book of 
the year. Eight 
colored plates. Free 
to all who apply hy 
letter; no postals. 
Address 
Wm. Henry Maule, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
The Maule 
Seed Business 
is 25 Years Old 
This Year. 
1902 SEEDS. 
This great Western seed house offers a complete line of seeds for 
the farm and garden in 1902. Everything new, fresh and reliable 
and the largest stock west of the Missouri River. Speltzand 
other grain, and grassed. C ° rn ’ Ca “ U and MUIet S€eda “ d 
°" Kansas Seed HouseL2ES“£2: 
RURPEE’S SEEDS 
NEVER BEFORE have we introduced such SUPERB NOVELTIES of 
unusual merit. Six choicest Vegetables and five finest Flowers are shown 
painted from nature, others illustrated from photographs and all honestly described in 
BURPEE S FARM ANNUAL for 1902. This "leading American Seed Catalogue” is 
mailed FREE to all who intend to buy. Write to-day, a postal card will do. 
W. ATLEE BURPEE A, CO., Seed Growers, PHILADELPHIA. 
W.4& 4HB 
ALZER 
Seeds 
When you sow you want to reap—that’s eternally right 
When you sow tSalzer'. Seed, you are just its sure of 
reaping a big crop as you can be of anytliing in this life 
because Nulzcr’. Seed, are so full of life and vigor and 
producing qualities that they cannot avoid it—they must 
yield, drouth, rains or elements notwithstanding! ' 
20th Century Oats 
The oat marvel-a giant in yield and quality. It Is miles 
ahead of such old varieties as Scotch Chief, Bonanza King, Lin¬ 
coln, Welcome and the like. It will revolutionize oat growing. 
Salzer’s Marvel Spring Wheat 
prodneed In 80 States last year over 40 bus. per acre. It is the only 
spring wheat that will do well everywhere. You can grow it at 
40c a bu. and make money. 
Bromus Inermls 6 tons per Acre 
Greatest grass of the century is Bromus. Grows and flourishes 
wherever soil is found. Salzer warrants his Bromus seed. He is 
headquarters-growsit in Dakota. It yieldso tonsef magnificent hay 
and lots of pasturage besides per acre. Trice $9 to J 17 perioo lbs. 
Pea Oat 
will fatten your bank account. It is one of the greatest foods of 
the century. Catalog tells alxmt it. 
Speltz 
The moat marvelous cereal and hay food on earth, producing from 60 to 
80 bus. of grain and 4 tons of hay, as good as timothy, per acre. We are 
the introducers of this and are headquarters. Our crop of Speltz this year 
alone is over one million lbs. It should be grown on every farm in America. 
Onion Seed 60 Cents a Pound 
We are the largest vegetable seed growers. We offer choice onion Med 
atSOo a lb. and up. We have a tremendous stock of the very 
choicest vegetable seeds at lowest prices. Catalog tells. 
For lOc-Worth $10.00 
We mail you many rare farm seed samples, posi- 
tlvely worth If 10, to get a start, together with 
nnr great catalog, upon receipt of but 10c 
postage. Send to-day. 
JOHN A. SALZER SEED CO., 
La Crosse, Wis. 
