752 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 8 
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.] 
Soap for San Jose Scale. 
II. T. A., Lyons Farms, N. J.—I find con¬ 
siderable San Jos6 scale on my peach trees. 
Is it safe to wash the branches with whale- 
oil soap emulsion with kerosene? I made 
emulsion of one pound of soap, one gallon 
kerosene. I wish to kill as thoroughly as 
possible, intending to spray again in the 
Spring. 
I would advise H. T. A. if his trees 
are badly infested to apply the whale- 
oil soap without any mixture of kero¬ 
sene. An emulsion such as he proposes 
is really more dangerous than the kero¬ 
sene itself, because the soap holds the 
oil against the tree tissues. Let him use 
the soap, two pounds in one gallon of 
water, and paint the trunk and branches, 
Then he can let his trees go until after 
midwinter, when he can apply the lime, 
salt and sulphur wash. 
New Jersey. [Prof.] joiix b. smith. 
I do not think the emulsion of kero¬ 
sene oil and whale-oil soap would in¬ 
jure the peach trees if applied while 
dormant, provided the emulsion is di¬ 
luted with about three parts of water. 
I do not think it would be safe to apply 
it full strength. If thoroughly applied 
it will kill the scale diluted in this pro¬ 
portion. If the trees referred to are in 
the North I would prefer to wait until 
late Winter and spray them with lime- 
sulphur-salt. The formula given in our 
Bulletin 202, p. 211, has proved quite 
satisfactory in our hands. We have 
tested lime-sulphur-salt very thorough¬ 
ly this Summer and our results have 
been entirely favorable. 
New York. [Prof.] v. H. lowe. 
It has not been found that kerosene 
emulsion is especially valuable in treat¬ 
ing this insect, though of course it is 
one of the recognized remedies. In my 
experience I think it unwise to go to the 
trouble of making this emulsion. If 
your correspondent is afraid to apply 
the pure kerosene, or kerosene in water 
dilution, by means of emulsion pumps, 
I recommend him to use the lye and 
soap treatment This can be best em¬ 
ployed by washing the plants very thor¬ 
oughly, as soon as they become dor¬ 
mant, with a solution of caustic lye con¬ 
taining about eight pounds to 50 gal¬ 
lons; then if he wishes to be very thor¬ 
ough, repeat this lye wash six weeks 
later, and just before the buds open 
spray the trees with whale-oil soap, one 
pound to each gallon of water. If this 
latter treatment is applied twice within 
a few days, it will more effectually 
cover the entire tree and destroy the in¬ 
sects. The lye treatment is applied to 
clean up the trees and loosen and cor¬ 
rode the scale covering over the insects, 
thereby making the soap more effective. 
This work must be done with the utmost 
thoroughness, or the success will be only 
partial. We are recommending quite 
freely the use of both pure kerosene and 
kerosene water mixture. 
Virginia. [Prof.] wm. b. aiavood. 
Planting Strawberries in Clover Sod. 
Reader, Tennessee—1 have 30 acres of 
clover sod which I would like to plant this 
Fall to strawberries. Have any of the read¬ 
ers of The R. N.-Y. had any experience in 
planting clover sod? The question occurred 
to me that the cutworms or grubs might 
destroy t’he plants. 
In the Spring of 1895 I set three acres 
of strawberries in a clover sod, freshly 
turned, and most of the original plants, 
together with many replants, were de¬ 
stroyed by cutworms, giving in the end 
very unsatisfactory results. I would not 
care to repeat it Spring or Fall. Turn¬ 
ing this Fall and sowing to rye, thereby 
holding the free nitrogen, would greatly 
lessen the danger from grubs as well as 
improving the mechanical condition of 
the land. Then turn again in March and 
set plants. No time would be lost in 
fruiting by adopting this plan. 
Tennessee. h. e. dotjglass. 
My experience in studying strawberry 
insects and in growing forage plants 
leads me to believe that it is not wise to 
set strawberry plants at once after 
clover. Forage plants such as clover af¬ 
ford lurking places for many insects— 
Tarnished plant-bugs. Strawberry root- 
worms (Colaspis brunnea), white grubs, 
cutworms, and the like—that do little 
discernible harm to them, but work seri¬ 
ous mischief when restricted to a few 
set plants of small size, such as straw¬ 
berries. Would advise planting the land 
first in tobacco, corn, or some other hoed 
crop for a season, when most of the in¬ 
sects will have left for meadows and pas¬ 
tures in the vicinity. lr. carman. 
Kentucky Exp. Station. 
I would say to this inquirer, “don’t!” 
I was in his exact position last year and 
was sorely tempted to plant on Fall- 
plowed sod, but the worms appeared just 
in time to prevent, and well I didn’t, for 
if there was one worm there were mil¬ 
lions of them. Again if anyone living in 
this latitude can give a sound reason for 
Fall planting of strawberries I wish he 
would do so. A bed planted now requires 
ten times the work a Spring-planted bed 
does, and surely no one expects to gath¬ 
er a crop from the Fall-planted the fol¬ 
lowing Summer. I would advise our 
friend to plow the sod as soon as pos¬ 
sible, leaving it rather rough; that is, 
on edge as much as possible; rebreak in 
Spring, or better, disk it well when ready 
to plant, and do not be in too great a 
hurry to plant. I’ve planted as late as 
May and had as good stand as when 
planted in March. This late planting 
will give him a chance to tell whether 
the worms are there or not, and if so 
they are less likely to give trouble. 
Kentucky geo. r. wood. 
Sawdust for Mulching Strawberries. 
J. D. 7)., Lansingville, N. Y .—Will you ask 
your subscribers what they think of saw¬ 
dust as Winter covering for strawberries? 
Ans.—W e would not care to use the 
fresh sawdust We shall be glad to have 
the experience of readers. 
Grass for a Shady Place. 
8. E. W., Cook’s Falls, N. Y .—I have a plot 
of ground by my house t’hat I have seeded 
several times with Timothy and clover, and 
it will not grow. There are apple trees in 
the yard, so thick with foliage that the 
sun cannot get to the ground much in the 
morning, and in the afternoon my house 
shades the plot. Can you tell me what 
kind of grass I can sow to get a lawn? 
There is a plant called plantain that grows 
very thick on this plot, and I want to get 
rid of that and get it into some kind of 
grass. What is best to do, and when is 
the best time to sow the seed? 
Ans. —Nothing better than Kentucky 
Blue grass and Red-top in equal propor¬ 
tions, sown at the rate of four or five 
bushels to the acre, has been found for 
lawn purposes in this climate. For 
shady places four or five pounds Rhode 
Island Bent grass may be added for each 
acre. The latter grows well in both dry 
and moist situations and thrives better 
in shade than most others. Ten pounds 
of White clover seeds to the acre may 
well be sown in addition. This clover 
not only helps to cover the ground, but 
has a tendency to store nitrogen in the 
soil, thus benefiting its companion 
grasses. Plantains can only be kept 
down by close seeding, good fertilizing 
and very frequent mowing. The only 
certain way to eradicate them is to cut 
them out one by one as they appear, put¬ 
ting a pinch of grass seed in each 
vacancy left by their removal. It is 
claimed fine nitrate of soda or sulphate 
of potash, sown after a rain or when the 
grass is very wet with dew, at the rate 
of five pounds to each 100 square feet of 
lawn surface, has a tendency to kill out 
plantains and other broad-leaved weeds 
by burning the leaves, while it is not 
only harmless to the tough narrow¬ 
leaved grasses but is a very beneficial 
fertilizer. This treatment is highly 
spoken of in the humid climate of Great 
Britain, and is well worth trying here. 
Only benefit can result from its applica¬ 
tion to a lawn. 
Fighting Wireworms. 
D. C. C., Berwick, N. 8.— I send some pests 
called here Yellow wireworms. There are 
millions of them in the ground, and they 
devour such seeds as peas, beans, etc., 
when planted. Those that escape them long 
enough to become plants are often killed 
by having their roots and stalks eaten hol¬ 
low. Root crops, as potatoes, etc., are 
ruined by them. Also such crops as pump¬ 
kins. tomatoes, etc., are filled with t’hem 
wherever they touch the ground. In one 
case 35 worms were feeding off one tomato 
fruit. Please name the beast and tell me 
how to exterminate it. 
Ans. —The specimen was a true wire- 
worm and it is the kind known as the 
Wheat wireworm (Agriotes mancus). 
Yellow wireworm is too indefinite a 
name, as most wireworms are of that 
color. We made an extensive series of 
experiments for three years against 
these pests and failed to find any satis¬ 
factory method of protecting seeds, or 
of destroying the wireworm stage in the 
soil. But our experiments demonstrat¬ 
ed that if infested fields be plowed about 
August 1, and then thoroughly pulver¬ 
ized and kept stirred up, many of the 
tender pupae and recently developed 
beetles will be killed. After three or 
four weeks of this thorough cultivation 
sow wheat or rye. In connection with 
this Fall plowing and cultivation it is 
earnestly recommended that a method 
of short rotation of crops be practiced. 
Do not keep the infested fields in sod for 
more than a year or two at a time. It 
will take three or more years of such 
cultivation and rotation to render the 
soil comparatively free from the pests, 
for only the pupae and beetle stages of 
the insects are killed, most of the one 
and two-year-old wireworms escaping 
injury. m. v. slingerland. 
The Belmont Apple. 
A. C. 11., Yarmouth. Nova Scotia .—Will you 
describe In The R. N.-Y. the Belmont 
apple; its keeping and shipping qualities, 
color and size? Is it a good apple to graft 
on to an Astrachan, and is an Astrachan a 
suitable tree to graft the Belmont on? 
Ans. —Belmont is a Winter apple of 
good quality and was long a standard 
variety in Ohio, where it was brought to 
general notice in Belmont County; al¬ 
though supposed to have originated in 
Virginia. Of late years it is not planted 
largely anywhere. The cause of this 
change is probably because of the public 
calling more and more for red apples in¬ 
stead of those of other colors. Belmont 
is of medium size; nearly round in 
shape, but slightly conical or pointed at 
the blossom end; very smooth and 
glossy, waxen-yellow often with a blush 
and frequently dotted with orange 
specks; has a very small wrinkled basin, 
and a small closed calyx; the stem cav¬ 
ity is large, wide and russeted and the 
stem long; core wide and sometimes 
open; the flesh is yellowish, tender, 
crisp, juicy and fine grained; in flavor 
it is mild, subacid and very pleasant 
This apple may be classed with those of 
value for family use, but not for mar¬ 
ket. It usually keeps well into the Win¬ 
ter. The trees are usually fairly pro¬ 
ductive. It will probably do well in 
Nova Scotia. H. e. v. d. 
IF YOU WANT 
to know how PAGE Fences differ from all others, 
read pages 20 and 21 In our catalog. Send for It. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., ADRIAN, MICH. 
DO YOU BUY 
—..—1—I—I— 
THE. ROST 
—jrr-A 
iL—■ 
Shoddy clothing because It Is cheap ? No 1 Why do 
you buy shoddy soft woven wire fences now offered 
to the trade because It Is claimed by the dealer to be 
cheap ! Our catalogue will tell you of a fence that Is 
“all wool and a yard wide.” 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO., Cleveland, O. 
THE 
Farquhar 
has been the leading 
PORTABLE SAWMILL 
for 45 years—too well known to need 
description here. 
Send for illustrated catalogue of En¬ 
gines, Threshing Machinery, Saw Mills 
and Agricultural Implements, mailed 
free. 
A. B. FARQUHAR CO., Ltd., 
York, Pa. 
Big Profit on Small investment 
in owning a wagon scale. Kvervono 
says so about the OSGOOD. Best 
materials and workmanship. Simple. 
Accurate. No repairs. Any 
r kind of beam or platform. 
Guaranteed 30 days trial. 
Prices and terms reasonable. 
OSGOOD SCALE CO., jog Central St., Binghamton, Ji, Y. 
Cider Machinery.—Send for catalogue to Boomer & 
Boschert Press Co., 113 West Water St.,Syracuse,N.Y. 
p Qrno of plank save timber and cash. Best, cheap- 
DdIII0 est, strongest. 0,000 in 44 States. Book for 
stamp. Shawver Brothers. Bellefontaine, Ohio. 
Fruit Growing 
Trucking 
Stock Raising 
Dairying 
IN THE SOUTH 
along the 
SEABOARD 
Air Line Raitway 
Splendid Opportunities 
Fascinating Locations 
From Virginia to Florida 
In the Garden Spot of America. 
Below the Frost Line ; Health and Suc¬ 
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For information apply to 
J. W. WHITE, 
Industrial Agent, Portsmouth, Va. 
A Darning Machine• 
This is the only successful darning 
machine we ever saw. We have tried 
others that were absolutely of no value. 
This one is little short of perfect. It 
enables you to mend underwear, stock¬ 
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does an endless variety of art and fancy 
weaving better, easier and quicker than 
Buy Barbed Wire Now. 
We are making SPECIAL low prices. 
Write your wants. It will pay you to 
get our prices, delivered. We also sell 
the best Woven wire Fence. Our FREE 
descriptive circulars tell why. 
CASE BROS., Colchester, Conn. 
by any other way. Full directions ac¬ 
company each machine. When a lady 
has once used this little machine, she 
would not do without it for any con¬ 
sideration. We will send it postpaid for 
$1, or for two new yearly subscriptions 
at $1 each. All money returned if not 
satisfied. 
A eillAI ern JINIl Of the Truss and Cable! 
wlnilxl— £. *S I VlfftHU Wire Fence contains! 
six wires, strands made either 2 or 4 inches wide. Makes the strongest! 
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feet provision for contraction and expansion. Sold direct from I 
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THE TRUSS & CABLE FENCE CO., 323 Federal BMg.,Youngstown, 0. 
— - - ■■ . 
That condition is sure to 
follow through draining 
with JACKSON'S Round 
i AGRICULTURAL BRAIN TILE. For 45 years we have been making these 
land Sewer Pipe, Red and Fire Brick, Oven Tile, Chimney and I< lue Linings 
iand Tops, Encaustic Sidewalk Tile, Ac. Supply Mortar Colors, Plaster, Lime, 
9 Cement &o. Write for prices. John K. Jaokson, 70 3rd Av. Albany. N. Y. 
H AVE RICH MELLOW LAND. 
ROU fib T1LE 
