43o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 21 
seeding grass seed with a Wheel-barrow seeder and 
harrowing it in, but this method is not as sure as 
drilling it with other grain, and besides, one crop 
would be lost. J. d. b. 
Wolverton, Minn. 
HAY NEXT A CONCRETE WALL. 
T notice on page 384 an article in regard to concrete 
barns. T atn interested in this subject, and have built 
a number of concrete walls for barns and houses and 
see no reason why the whole building could not be made 
the same. In my own barn the basement is nine feet 
high, one end being used for hay mow, the ground com¬ 
ing to the top of the wall at this end on the outside. 
The bottom is cemented, and the sides plastered smooth 
with cement. I have used it two years. The first year 
the hay was put directly against the wall, and it rotted 
and molded quite badly where it touched the cement, 
hast year I furrowed out with inch strips and boarded 
up with boards a few' inches apart; the hay molded some¬ 
what, but did not rot. No water can get through the 
wall, but it sweats like a pitcher of w'ater; some days 
dry, others dripping w'et, and about as bad above as be¬ 
low ground. What can T do to stop it, or to keep the 
hay from musling? I dislike giving up the basement as 
a mow, as so much of the pitching is down instead of 
up. Does Mr. Powell’s barn trouble him in this way? 
Portland. N. T. J- o. c. 
In regard to the question of bay molding in a con¬ 
crete barn it will be advisable to set studding in the 
wall upon which strips could be nailed and an inside 
lining of boards made where the walls run down in a 
basement. I have found the hay to keep all right in 
the upper portion of the barn, but in the basement 
there always is more, or less discoloration next to the 
walls. While this would add somewhat to the expense 
of building, yet for storing hay it would be advisable 
to put in this lining. The air space thus formed would 
protect the hay from discoloration. Having used my 
basement for silos I have not been troubled by dis¬ 
coloration of hay. except where it has been next to 
the w'alls. geo. t. powell. 
T should expect the hay would damage put into a 
cellar, and this basement barn banked with earth is 
a cellar. The temperature is low with hay in the 
mow' protected as it is by a dirt embankment, which 
causes condensation and decay because it cannot dry 
out. A dead-air space between the hay and the wall 
up to the top of the ground, constructed to permit of 
air circulation to the outside air, will, in my judg¬ 
ment, stop the trouble at once. The partial furrowing 
out with loose stuff has improved the situation, which 
is proof of my position. A friend of mine has a bay 
much like this one; only two sides, however, are 
banked. He has musty hay against these two walls. 
We had a large silo, once only, filled with hay. It 
has a seven-foot wall. The hay came in contact with 
it. but no trouble was caused. The outside has an air 
exposure. __ h. e. cook. 
CONCRETE FOR HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. 
Its Use ill Place of Lumber. 
Part II. 
Some very interesting engineering pronlems are 
presented in this work, which is in its infancy. Paper 
and pulp mill builders have been quick to seize upon 
this material. The St. Regis mill, located on Black 
River, between Carthage and Watertown, and said to 
rank third in capacity in this country, costing $1,- 
500,000, producing from the spruce wood 100 tons of 
finished paper daily, has used large quantities of con¬ 
crete, and much of it under most trying circum¬ 
stances, a vibratory strain produced by heavy ma¬ 
chinery, the great digestors, eating wood, and large 
pumps delivering thousands of tons of water and pulp 
daily. The noise is almost deafening, and upon a 
wood floor, no matter how thoroughly trussed, the 
vibration would be very marked. To be sure, between 
the I beams twisted steel rods are freely used, em¬ 
bedded in the concrete. The concrete alone no doubt 
would soon granulate under such strain without the 
iron and steel to take up the vibration. These are 
extraordinary demands, however, not met with in or¬ 
dinary construction. Engineers are able to compute 
accurately the sustaining power of steel beams; with 
concrete not so. It is a union of different materials, 
and so appears absolutely inflexible. In iron we have 
the cohesive force, in concrete adhesive, which either 
holds or breaks. In a section where stone is not found 
and sand has to be hauled long distances brick would 
no doubt cost less. 
Great care must be exercised when concrete is dry¬ 
ing to prevent cracking. This would be notably ap¬ 
parent in the side walls, where very rapid evaporation 
would take place on account of the thin wall and large 
surface presented. Domestic cements are now gener¬ 
ally in use. The first cost is much less, and the qual¬ 
ity, so far as I can learn from an extended observa¬ 
tion and some experience, is equal to the imported. 
The only criticism I am able to get is that at times 
there is less uniformity in the domestic product. No 
doubt the only safe way is to test each barrel where 
the finest work is contemplated. It will be readily 
seen that the false work must be perfectly tight to 
prevent leakage. The finer parts only would be car¬ 
ried away, and that means cement and not sand which 
would perceptibly weaken the concrete. 
I have been much interested in watching the wear 
of an asphalt floor in the E. X. Baumert plant at Ant¬ 
werp, N. Y. The cement is not over 1% to two inches 
thick, quite flexible, and stands much better than con¬ 
crete where the support is not rigid. While I have 
not seen the floor. I am reliably informed that this 
mixture is in use with a plank floor under; does not 
crack, is watertight, and for cheese factory and 
creamery use very easy to stand and work upon, due 
to its flexibility. An objection is found in the neces¬ 
sity of employing city contractors who have the facili¬ 
ties and ability to mix and apply. For light work, 
however, the cost, as closely as I can compute it, will 
not be half that of concrete. I am watching this floor, 
thinking of using it in a factory. Concrete and metal 
construction are in their infancy. Experience will 
bring out defects and the remedy. Cement and con¬ 
crete floors laid upon solid earth are no longer an ex¬ 
periment. We are now certain every time of results 
if care is exercised. Tn concrete we must watch out 
for every experience and study it, consulting only 
engineers and builders who can show tile proof of 
their statements. Remember this article is written 
from the standpoint of an observer, and with only one 
purpose in view; that of calling attention to concrete 
and similar constructive materials that will ensure 
permanence and relieve the drain upon our timber re¬ 
sources. T am under obligations for much valuable 
information to H. E. Baker, engineer, architect and 
NATURAL AND IMPROVED FLOWERS OF CINERARIA. 
Fig. 160. See Ruralisms, Page 434. 
builder, Watertown, N. Y., and to Wm. Decker, su¬ 
perintendent of the St. Regis plant previously men¬ 
tioned. E - COOK. 
A “JOKE” ABOUT COMB HONEY. 
Nearly 20 years ago a noted mail jokingly made the 
remark that even comb honey was now made by ma¬ 
chinery, and the business of the busy little bee was 
rendered superfluous. The statement, though not 
made in earnest, at once found willing ears, and was 
peuuied from mouth to mouth; it found its way into 
the magazines and papers; one copied it from the 
other till it actually traveled around the world. Every 
little while the story is warmed up and is started on 
a new tour. It goes on and on, and continues to dam¬ 
age, and in a measure, destroy the prospects of a de¬ 
serving class of men, the bee-keepers. Not long ago 
another noted person came before the Farmers’ Con¬ 
gress in Chicago and said that not one pound of genu¬ 
ine hee honey could be found in Chicago. This in the 
face of the fact that a great many bee-keepers live in 
and around the city, keeping thousands of colonies 
of bees. A statement like the one cited appears ab¬ 
surd in the face of such facts, and the originator will 
reap only ridicule. The speaker undoubtedly has slept 
the Rip Van Winkle sleep, and now awakens to the 
fact that the honey of the present day is not like the 
honey of his forefathers—for it does not contain any 
bee bread; the comb is a snowy-white structure, not 
at all like the black stuff he enjoyed so much when 
a boy. We bee-keepers would indeed be ashamed if 
we had not made some progress within the last 30 or 
40 years. Thirty years ago I produced some honey in 
soap boxes and other often untidy-looking things. A 
change has taken place. To-day we compel the little 
bee to build its virgin comb into the neatest little 
one-piece sections, store the nectar gathered from the 
blossoms of orchard, field and forest therein in such 
a way that the boxes are just brim full and hold very 
nearly one pound each. The purchaser and consumer 
need not. buy a bit more of the wood and glass than 
is absolutely necessary to hold and protect the deftly 
made honeycomb, which just melts on his tongue. 
The up-to-date bee-keeper has sandpapered the boxes 
of honey after they come from the hive. He has thus 
removed every particle and trace of bee-glue which 
the bees in spite of us are apt to deposit on them. 
They actually look as though they had just come from 
the factory. Their untainted cleanliness and their ap¬ 
parent uniformity mislead some people, and they 
lend willing ears to the slanderous statement that 
comb honey is made by machinery. If they would ex¬ 
amine the honey in the markets carefully they would 
find that no two boxes are exactly alike. They may 
appear quite uniform to the casual observer, but a 
careful man will find a hundred little differences be¬ 
tween the different boxes; in the manner of comb con¬ 
struction, of fastening the comb to the wood, in seal¬ 
ing the combs, in the color of the honey and the cap¬ 
pings, etc. This fact alone proves conclusively that 
comb honey is not manufactured, else all combs would 
be exactly alike; each box contain an equal amount 
of honey by weight. The groceryman, who handles 
the greater part of the output of the apiary, "would 
indeed like it very much if we could furnish him 
honey in perfect uniformity, but with all our boasted 
skill and the many complicated appliances we use 
nowadays in the apiary we cotne wide of the mark. 
The public need not be afraid of being taken in when 
buying comb honey. There are innumerable kinds 
and grades of honey, some is better than others. This 
fact again speaks for it, that it is not a manufactured 
article. All comb honey is just as surely made by 
honey-bees as strawberries grow on vines. How seri¬ 
ously the bee-keeper has been injured, how many 
thousands of dollars he has lost, by that one innocent, 
little joke of Prof. Wiley, of Washington, is beyond 
computation, but every bee-keeper of any extent has 
felt the blow aimed, intentionally or unintentionally, 
at a deserving industry. f. g. 
Naples, N. Y. 
SPRAYING IN WINDY WEATHER. 
Nothing has appeared in The R. N.-Y. about spray¬ 
ing in windy weather. All spray calendars mention 
spraying at the right time, but do not say anything 
much about the condition of weather at all right 
times to spray. Our orchard lies on a seven-acre lot 
sloping to the east and rows run north and south. The 
wind was blowing very hard from the west, and con¬ 
tinued to blow somewhat for several days, when it 
was time to spray, as the blossoms were past. We 
drove on the west side of trees, and the wind blew the 
mist of spray all through the tree, covering nearly 
three-fourths of it at one stopping of spray machine, 
and as the leaves flutter in the wind the spray mix¬ 
ture adheres to both sides, getting the tree thoroughly 
covered with the spray mixture. We spent a day put¬ 
ting on seven barrels on a seven-acre orchard con¬ 
taining old and young trees. The other side of the 
tree the spray was only on the outside limbs and we 
used a 10-foot extension and platform built on our 
wagon, so we could reach high trees easily. We fin¬ 
ished them to perfection, and when we were through 
the orchard looked coated with the spray all over the 
tree. We had several very large Ben Davis trees that 
were covered from top to bottom. It is bard work 
spraying when the wind does not blow, and we think 
it better to do it when there is wind, as it helps 
spread the mixture. c. v. 
Lyons, N. Y. _ 
CROWN-GALL IN PEACH TREES. 
During the progress of a recent experiment on the 
Peach borer the writer had his attention very forcibly 
called to a fact which does not seem to be very well 
known, at least by the peach growers. It relates to 
the dissemination of the crown-gall by the process of 
digging out the borers, or “worming peach trees” as 
it is called. In the course of the experiment it be¬ 
came necessary to remove the borers from a number 
of young trees, and while doing so a small crown- 
gall was found. It was cut off, from curiosity, when 
its nature at once became evident. Knowing the in¬ 
fectious nature of the disease, the writer sterilized 
his knife by a flame and proceeded to the next tree. 
What was his surprise to find a small gall on this 
tree, and on several succeeding trees. The owner of 
the orchard was shown the galls, and he stated that 
shortly after setting out a very few of the trees show¬ 
ed such growths, and that they had gradually spread, 
a few small ones appearing each year on fresh trees, 
until many trees were affected. There is little doubt, 
in the mind of the writer, that the infection is spread 
from tree to tree by the knife used in cutting out the 
grubs. It would seem from this that the trouble of 
sterilizing the knife after each treatment would be 
well repaid, at least in sections where crown-gall is 
present The sterilizing could easily be done by dip¬ 
ping the blade in a more or less diluted solution of 
carbolic acid, or by fire. R. h. pettit- 
Michigan Experiment Station. 
I 
