268 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
•] 
April 12 
L 
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.] 
Wood Ashes and Potatoes. 
F. P. H., Philadelphia, Pa. —Will it benefit 
the potato crop at the time of planting to 
drill wood ashes in the bottom of the fur¬ 
row with a wheelbarrow drill? 
Ans. —This question is asked again 
and again. We have often explained 
that the lime in the wood ashes neu¬ 
tralizes or sweetens the soil, and this 
gives fungus which causes the Potato 
scab a chance to develop rapidly. If 
there is any scab on the potatoes or in 
the soil the use of wood ashes will mean 
a rough, scabby crop. We never use 
wood ashes on potatoes, but rather on 
fruits or the garden. 
Spraying Currants for Scale. 
J. F. D., Lynn, Mass.— Will a 20-per-cent 
mixture of crude oil and water injure cur¬ 
rants and blackberries if applied before 
the buds start? Our fruits are badly in¬ 
fested with San Jos6 scale, and while 
spraying trees with the above strength we 
Save the currants the same dose, but notice 
that the oil disappears quite rapidly. 
Ans. —Currants will stand 25 per cent 
of crude petroleum from a pump mak¬ 
ing a thorough emulsion, without harm. 
If badly affected with San Josd scale, it 
is best to cut affected plants to the 
ground and then thoroughly spray stubs. 
They will grow up clear of the pest if 
spraying is thorough, and only one crop 
will be sacrificed. 
Fertilizer for Peach Trees. 
H. H. W., Monson, Mass.—I have 100 peach 
trees. They have been set two years, so 
I suppose they are four years old. They 
are in a sandy loam, hardly good enough 
for corn. They have had but little fertilizer 
of any kind. Some of them are two inches 
through at the ground and some about half 
as large. What kind of fertilizer and how 
much should I use to each tree, to give 
them a good start? 
Ans.—A mixture of 200 pounds of 
either muriate or sulphate of potash, 
500 pounds of acid phosphate rock and 
100 pounds of nitrate of soda will be 
about the right proportions of the dif¬ 
ferent manurial elements for peach 
trees. If eight pounds of this are scat¬ 
tered over the soil within a radius of six 
or eight feet of each tree and well 
mixed in with a cultivator it will prob¬ 
ably do much good. The land may also 
need humus and any coarse litter, ox- 
farm manure will add this important 
element. h. e. v. d. 
Heading the Sutton Apple. 
We expect to plant several hundred Sut¬ 
ton Beauty apple trees. What is the best 
height at which to head them? 
The Sutton with us is inclined to grow 
quite upright. The tree is rather of a 
short growth; seldom getting above six 
feet in the nursery, and more often 
about five feet. Under these circum¬ 
stances we are inclined to leave the 
terminal bud and work the tree higher 
from year to year as it grows. I think 
this is more a question of taste than 
anything else; therefore my suggestion 
in this matter might not meet the views 
of some one else. s. d. willard. 
Geneva, N. Y. 
In planting new orchards I would 
start heads four feet high; keep tops 
pruned well down to give a low-spread¬ 
ing character to the trees. This will 
make spraying more effective in con¬ 
trolling insects. We need different ma¬ 
chinery for cultivating low-headed 
trees; plows and cultivators that will 
reach under low branches without 
crowding horses upon them. Wind will 
not have so damaging effect upon such 
trees or their fruit, while the picking 
of the fruit can be done at much less 
cost than upon very high trees. We 
have had men who have picked 35 bar¬ 
rels of apples a day from low-headed 
trees, and the same could not pick over 
12 barrels from trees 30 to 35 feet high. 
GEO. T. POWELL. 
Briarcliff Manor, N. Y. 
Cultivating Shag bark Hickory. 
C. TV. R., Middletou-n, Conn.— Would It be 
advisable to cultivate the wild walnut or 
shagbark hickory? Can the trees be trans¬ 
planted easily? 
Ans. —It would hardly be advisable to 
cultivate hickory trees at the present 
time. In some places the nuts pay quite 
well, but the timber furnished is the 
most valuable feature. Where there is 
rough or stony land that is naturally 
growing up with the young trees or 
sprouts it might be well to let them 
grow and give them a little attention 
in the way of cutting down other 
growth. All the nut trees are very hard 
to transplant and the hickory is no ex¬ 
ception. H. e. v. D. 
Gluten Meal for Horses. 
D. V., Caldwell, Wis .—Would gluten meal 
'n connection with oats, bran and Timothy 
hay, make a good ration for horses? If so, 
how much would it be safe to feed, and is 
it relished by them? 
Ans. —The farm horses belonging to 
the Rhode Island College and Station 
were fed during Winter on a daily ration 
which is as follows: Three pounds glu¬ 
ten, three of cornmeal, six pounds bran 
and 17% pounds of hay for each 1,000 
pounds of the horse’s weight. This ra¬ 
tion has been adopted to cheapen the ra¬ 
tion and replace the oats usually fed. 
The high price of oats makes it neces¬ 
sary to find a substitute. The substitute 
has been proposed by a German as being 
equivalent in analysis to oats and has 
been found to be practicable. We have 
as yet found no untoward results from 
this ration, and are giving in addition 
a bran mash each Saturday night. 
[Pl’Of.] COOPER CURTIS. 
Rhode Island Station. 
Soap for Scale.— Keene & Foulk, Long 
Island nurserymen, send us the following 
note from one who has had a hard tussle 
with the San Jos6 scale: “I have kept the 
scale in check with whale-oil soap. I shall 
try a few trees with petroleum this Spring 
before they bud, paint them to end of 
twigs. I shall also try a couple of trees 
with pure kerosene next September. My 
place is thoroughly impregnated with scale. 
I am certain that this is true of most 
neighborhoods in New York State. If gas 
treatment of young nursery stock is abso¬ 
lutely efficacious, which I am sure it is 
not, it might be worth the cost, but it 
would have no material effect in the long 
run. If nature does not fight the scale for 
us, we must fight it ourselves as we do 
the Potato bugs. I hope it is true that the 
painting with petroleum during Winter or 
early Spring, and the spraying with kero¬ 
sene in September will not injure trees. 
If I could use those powerful agents I 
w-ould not w-orry much about the scale. 
Whale-oil soap just barely keeps it in 
check, even with numerous sprayings in 
Summer and two washings a year as high 
as a man can reach with strong soap. Scale 
is on my currants, but has not hurt them 
very much. It does not bother my peach 
trees much.” 
SPRAYING FRUIT TREES. 
The question of spraying fruit trees to prevent 
the depredations of insect pests and fungous dis¬ 
eases is no longer an experiment but a necessity. 
Our readers will do well to write Wm. Stahl, 
Quincy, Ill., and get his catalogue describing 
21 styles of Spraying Outfits and full treatise 
on spraying the different fruit and vegetable 
crops, which contains much valuable informa¬ 
tion, and may be had for the asking. 
b t u h ¥ eNEW universal 
This Rouble Wheel 
Garden lloe is the one 
perfect weeder and culti¬ 
vator. Light, simple. Has 
all necessary attachments 
forevery variety of work, 
t Write for free catalogue. 
AMES PLOW CO., 54 Market St., Boston, Mass. 
Ai l harness, old or new, is made pliable and easy—will look better 
and wear longer—by the use of 
Eureka Harness Oil 
The finest preservative for leather ever discovered. Rave* 
many times its cost by improved appearances and in the cost 
of repairs. Sold everywhere In cans—all sites. 
Made by STANDARD OIL CO. 
York Imperial 
Apple Trees 
This is a favorite wherever grown. 
Very valuable for market, medium 
size, greenish yellow, striped with 
bright red, fine appearance, sells at 
sight, excellent quality. Trees vigor¬ 
ous, very productive; has 
FEW OFF YEARS. 
Our New Catalogue gives prices on 
this and 40 other varieties, Apples, 
Plums, Apricots, Cherries, Quinces, 
Peach Trees, Grapevines, Currants, 
Asparagus and Strawberry Plants. 
Prices right, everything guaranteed. 
Get our catalogue and see. 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES, 
Box 29, Berlin, Md. 
Success 
with Seeds 
Good seed brings good 
results. The sowing of 
ARLINGTON 
Tested Seeds 
^always results in the reaping of a Rich Harvest. 
Send for Rawson's Seed Book for 1902—descriptive . 
k L and pictorial —free. 
W. W. RAWSON CO., 
12-18 Faneull Hall Sq., 
Host on. Mass. 
Dollars 
BUYS 
DELIVERKD, 
An 800 Lb. 
GOOD SCALE, 
On Wheels. 
PLATFORM 18X25 IN 
Cast Steel pivots, carefully 
tempered. Accurate, durable, 
well finished. Other sizes and 
SCALES sanw 
For circulars, address, 
JONES 
HE PAYS THE FREIGHT. 
BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 
Box S. 
WHITE 
OATS FLEECE 
2 oushels, 83; 5 bushels, $7; “White Star”, 10 bushels. 
$7.50. Good weight, free from any weed seed. Field 
Beans, weevil proof. 10 bushels or more choice 
Raleigh at. 85c.; Carman No. 3,80c.; Maule’s Thor¬ 
oughbred, 00c. Leading varieties, early and late, 
bushel or car lots. Field Seeds. Canada Peas and 
Corn. B. R. Eggs. S. J. SMITH POTATO FARM, 
Box B, Manchester, N. Y. 
For 2 Weeks Only! 
or until April 20, we will sell McKINLEY 
and JESSE Strawberry Plants at $1 
for 25. Get them for the boy. 
ANDERSON <* CO., 
Dept. B. Rochester, N. Y. 
P otatoes—Bovee,Carman,Cobbler, Harvest, Hebron, 
Ohio,Rese,Queen.86 kinds. C.W.Ford, Fishers, N.Y. 
"POTATOES-Choice Aroostook Seed. Leading va- 
r rieties. Liberal discount on large orders. Farm 
machinery at low rates. E. F. Manchester. Bristol,Ct 
$1 Bu. 
Carman No. 3, my best variety. 
Highest possible number of vigor¬ 
ous plants to the dollar’s cost of 6eed. 
E. A. HILL, Windham, Greene County, N. Y. 
For Sale 
•500 bushels EarlyBlack Cow 
_ Peas at $1.75 per bu.; 600 bush¬ 
els Delaware-grown Crimson Clover 8eed at $S per 
bu.; 500 bushels second-growth Seed Potatoes at $1.10 
per bushel. J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
“Grown in CCEI) DHTATHCQ Washington 
Michigan.” OLCU I'll I AlUEOi a nd Cam¬ 
bridge Russet. Choice, Medium late varieties. $1 per 
bu., 3bbls.,$7.60. D. W. RICHARDSON. Standish.Mich 
Pf’'kT A TrYpC grown especially for SEED 
lAlVJCJi2 T ariitle8. SEED OATS. lOof 
pXr,Ut‘ r l?r,.°: Strawberry Plants 
GEO. H. COLVIN, Crest Farm, Dalton, Pa. 
C oq 4 Dfttf»*AftC EnrIy Bovee " Northern 
OCCU rUIClIUCd Beauty. Gem of Aroostook, 
Green Mountain. Million Dollar, Hammond’s Won¬ 
derful. 4-bushel barrel. $4; Carman No. 3, Sir Walter 
Raleigh. $3.70 4-bushel barrel. A square deal guar¬ 
anteed to all. C. W. BURNETT, Phelps, N. Y. 
URPEE’S 
Largest Mail-Order Seed House 
in the World. In buying 
BURPEE’S SEEDS direct by 
mail you get your money’s worth in the Best Seeds that Grow —and you 
have your choice of Rare Novelties for 1902, which cannot be had else¬ 
where. Write to-day (a postal card will do) for our complete Catalogue— 
FREE to all who intend to purchase seeds. W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., Philadelphia. 
mifcLSSMS fertilizers 
OUR PRICES LOW. QUALITY PURE. 
Write for Memorandum Book, Prices and Samples. 
The Scientific Fertilizer Co. p °- pa. 
CORN, WHEAT, FRUIT and VEGETABLES. 
You get your share of profit when you use 
this Standard High-Grade Amnioniate. 
Formulas and other valuable information free. 
WILLIAM S. MYERS, Director, 
12 John Street. Chilean Nitrate Works, New York. 
