320 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April in 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten¬ 
tion. 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.] 
SMOTHER CROPS FOR WEEDS. 
THEY WILL NOT KILL QUACK GRASS. 
It has been said that Quack grass may be 
smothered out by thick seedings of turnips, mil¬ 
let or peas. Is such advice sound ? Our experi¬ 
ence is that this grass can be destroyed only by 
cultivation. 
Requires a Century. —To smother 
and kill Quack grass by eowing turnips, 
millet, peas, etc., will require several 
hundred years, at least, in my opinion. 
It is worth a little something, but 
it isn’t thorough enough. The fast¬ 
est way of which I know to kill this 
grass, is not in dry weather, hut in wet 
weather. Here is my successful plan, 
tried at least 75 times at the Michigan 
Agricultural College : Plow at moderate 
depth very late in the Fall or very early 
in the Spring, and then cultivate (not 
harrow) well every three days, rain or 
shine till June 10 to 15, Then the grass 
has permanently disappeared, and a crop 
can still be grown. Still look for a stray 
leaf now and then. Let no green leaves 
appear, for then the grass is gaining in 
its food supply. Keep it sprouting under¬ 
ground a couple of days or three, inter¬ 
rupt it, and let the grass try agjdn and 
again. To produce sprouts underground 
is an exhausting process. w j bkal. 
Michigan Agricultural College. 
Cultivate It Down —Neither turnips, 
millet nor peas, not even sowed corn, 
will eradicate Quack grass. Corn sown 
late and thickly does check it more than 
anything else we have tried, but it is 
useless to try to get entirely clear of this 
troublesome grass by any such easy 
method. If the grass can be kept from 
growing, that is, from appearing above 
ground during the entire Summer, it 
will be killed. If the land were plowed 
deeply and well, using a jointer in the 
Spring that, so far as possible, all roots 
and tops may be buried deeply, and then 
surface tillage persistently praet’ced dur¬ 
ing the Summer, to all intents and pur¬ 
poses, we should get clear of the Quack 
grass. Of course, a crop may be grown 
while this work is going on, provided, 
however, that some strong-growing crop, 
as corn, be used, that tillage be kept up 
very late in the Summer, and that all 
attempts of the grass to grow around 
the corn be checked by use of the hoe. 
If the season is dry, this will accomplish 
the purpose ; if it is a wet season, even 
these heroic measures will not entirely 
eradicate the grass, and the operation 
may have to be repeated. It may te 
said, also, that this superior tillage is 
likely to benefit the corn enough to pay 
for the extra work. i. r. Roberts. 
Cornell Experiment Station. 
EXCELSIOR FOR A FRUIT MULCH. 
A CUSHION UNDER THE TREES. 
We are thinking of putting excelsior under our 
trees for the fruit to drop on, as we can get it 
much cheaper than hay. Will the excelsior do 
any harm to the ground over which it is spread ? 
Belmont, Mass. H. b. 
Except for home use, most fruits that 
drop from orchard trees are useless for 
market, because they are either too ripe, 
wormy or rotten. Why a commercial 
orchard company should want to go to 
the expense of buying hay, excelsior or 
any other material to serve as a cushion 
on the ground, is difficult to understand. 
They evidently mean to sell the fruit 
they may grow, and peaches, apples, 
pears or plums that drop of their own 
accord are usually worthless for mar¬ 
ket. Many of the fruits that drop are 
bruised before they reach the ground by 
hitting against the large branches. 
Moreover, the excelsior or any other 
mulch would be in the way of cultiva¬ 
tion. I do not believe it would hurt the 
trees, but it would not pay. 
Virginia. H. e. van deman. 
I believe that the fine shavings known 
as excelsior may be used with advantage 
under fruit trees to prevent the bruising 
of the fruit in dropping. Of course, there 
is danger of souring the ground, though 
it would not be a very expensive matter 
to remove the shavings after they have 
served their purpose. We have been 
using the White pine shavings as bedding 
in our dairy barn for the past two years, 
and have yet to see any disadvantage 
from their use. Naturally, we are as 
economical as possible with them. 
N. J. Ex. Station. e. b voorhees 
I do not believe that excelsior would 
do any particular harm under the fruit 
trees. It is possible, of course, to get on 
too much. I doubt very much, however, 
the wisdom of using excelsior to catch 
the fruit which drops. I would prefer 
not to have the fruit drop, but to pick it ; 
if fruit is well grown and well sprayed, 
there will be comparatively few which 
fall. The excelsior would, also, interfe e 
with the tillage of the orchard, and in 
nearly all cases, tillage is essential for 
best results. L. h. bailey. 
Co nell Experiment Station. 
I do not believe in putting a mulch 
under trees, other than a dust mulch, 
because it draws the moisture to the 
surface, and the feeding roots follow, 
and if followed by drought, injury re¬ 
sults. If I wanted to use something for 
the fruit to drop on, I would defer put¬ 
ting it on as long as possible Its u e 
then would do no harm if removed or 
worked into the soil the following 
Spring. There is nothing like the sun’s 
rays to sweeten the soil and perfect the 
fruit. The best mulch can be obtained 
by cultivating the orchard until July 1, 
and then sowing to Crimson clover. 
Dutchess Co , N. Y. Walter f. taber 
As I presume it would not be used 
until the fruit is nearly ripe, it might 
not rot before the next season, sufficient 
to be plowed under, or cut up and mixed 
with the soil with a disk or Cutaway 
harrow. In that case, I would rake with 
the horserake, and remove from orchard. 
I would not wish to use a large amount 
and leave upon the surface. To raise 
good fruit and trees, I find nothing so 
satisfactory as to manufacture my own 
mulch with a harrow and team of horses. 
On land liable to sour easily, 1 would 
watch results carefully, if much was 
plowed under. But I have seen land to 
which even green sawdust was a bene fit, 
but that land w T as not in shade. 
Massachusetts h. o. mead. 
Canadian Rotation; Lime and Potatoes. 
A. N S., Peebles, Out.—I am planning a three- 
year rotation of crops—w heat in the Fall to be 
seeded to Red clover in the Spring, the clover to 
be cut about June 20 the next year, the ground 
to be immediately plowed and sown to rape to be 
pastured by lambs and young cattle, the next 
year to be planted half to potatoes and half to 
corn. I shall have enough manure for the corn, 
but for the potatoes must use artificial fertilizer. 
Will bone and hard wood ashes be sufficient ? If 
so, how much of each ? If not, what shall I put 
with them, and how much on rolling light clay 
soil with clay subsoil ? 
Ans. —If potato scab has ever troubled 
you, we would not use the ashes on a 
potato crop; otherwise your rotation 
seems to be a good one. Our plan would 
be to use the wood ashes on the clover, 
and the bone alone on the potatoes. By 
using the wood ashes heavily on the 
clover crop, you will obtain a better 
growth of clover, and leave the ground 
in good condition for the rape and pota¬ 
toes. To use the ashf s directly on the 
potato crop, would most likely prove in¬ 
jurious, for experiments seem to show 
that the lime in the ashes helps to in¬ 
crease the amount of scab. 
It will not be out of place to explain 
that the scab on potatoes is caused by 
the growth of a fungus which may be 
compared to a skin disease on the face or 
bedy of a human. This fungus will de¬ 
velop rapidly or slowly, according as the 
conditions are favorable or unfavorable 
for its growth. Where the soil is reason¬ 
ably acid, the fungus does not develop 
rapidly, being in this respect not unlike 
the bacteria that produces such good re¬ 
sults on the roots of clover. When lime 
or some other strong alkaline substance 
is added to the soil, it becomes neutral¬ 
ized, and this fungus is able to develop 
and grow much more rapidly. This will 
explain why it is not desirable to use 
lime or wood ashes on the potato crop 
in soil where this scab fungus is likely 
to be found. The usual proportion is two 
parts of ground bone to one part ashes, 
by weight. The ashes contain only one- 
tenth as much potash as muriate of 
potash. The latter could be safely used 
on the potatoes. 
Draining Into a Well 
E J. If., Nauvoo, 111 —I have a cellar under my 
bee-house and shop that is very wet in the 
Sp-ing. The surface of the ground about here 
is almcst level, so that I cannot tile from the 
celler without going very far. I have a well that 
we use for drinking water, but it never has more 
than 10 feet of water. It is 30 feet deep. Could I 
safely drain my cellar into my well without fear 
of tainting the drinking water ? I would cement 
the floor of the cellar after the tiles were laid 
How ought I to proceed to do it, and how ought 
the cement or concrete to be made and laid ? 
Ans —The principle of running drains 
into a well the water of which is used 
for drinking purposes, is wrong. If the 
drains could be put so deep that all the 
surface water would of necessity be re¬ 
quired to pass through four or five feet 
of soil, there would not be much danger 
from contamination. It would be far 
better to dig another well, which might 
be shallower than the one now in use, 
and into this new well run the drains 
This new well shou’d be placed away 
from the old well, and need not be more 
than 10 or 12 feet deep. This would 
probably, answer every purpose, and 
would insure the drinking water against 
pollution. L A. CLINTON 
\Make Money j 
on your cabbages, onions and early J 
beets. How? Force their growth i 
with applications of j 
Nitrate of Soda, 
the quickest of all fertilizers. Es¬ 
pecially adapted to early vegeta¬ 
bles. Produces size and quality at 
the same time. Book, “Food for 
Plants,” tells how and why. Free 
by addressing John A. Myers, 
12—0 John St., New York. i 
Nitrate for sale by J 
BALFOUR, WILLIAMSON & CO., { 
27 William St., New York. J 
it ^ A A A A 
Newest Strawberries. 
French Everbearing Sorts. 
Dozen 10U by 
by Mail. Express. 
•‘SAINT JOSEPH”.. $100 
“ LOUS GAUTIER”.75 
“Mammoth Perpetual”.. .50 
From Engiand. 
LAXTON’S NOBLE.50 
American Sorts. 
$5.(0 
3.50 
2.00 
2.00 
Dozen 
100 by 
Per 
bv Mail. 
Erpres i. 
1 , 000 . 
CLYDE. 
.. $0 40 
$0.75 
$ 1.00 
Glen Mary .... 
.40 
.05 
3.00 
Bismarck. 
.75 
4.00 
Mary. 
.40 
.05 
3.00 
Brandywine... 
.40 
.05 
3.00 
SEND FOB OUR GARDEN AND 
FARM MANUAL. 
JOHNSON & STOKES, 
217 & 210 Market Street, 
PHILADELPHIA. 
B 
URPEE’S 
Farm Annual, 7 7 
An elegant new book of 176 pages,—gives much 
valuable information about BEST SEEDS, and 
offers thousands of dollars in CASH PRIZES. 
&B~ FREE to any address sent on a postal card. 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Thirty-Eight Tons 
EXCELLENT QUALITY OF ENSILAGE per 
aero, actual weight. Cost of seed only $1 Book 
telling all about it mailed tree. ROSS BROTHERS. 
No. 162 Front Street, Worcester. Mass. 
C ARMAN No. 3 <&Q.OO 
SEED POTATOES. M/ Ojifr bbl 
Sir Walter Raleigh and Early Bovee $4.00 per bbl., all 
bbls. 4 bu. Dewey, the great cropper. '1 uber, 10 ct«. 
Wholesale list free. GEO. A. BONN ELL. Waterloo, N.Y 
ADMIRAL DEWEY POTATO. 
Best this season. Sworn statement yield ng at rate 
of 977 bu. $ acre. 75c. ^lb.; 31bs.,$2. Send foreircular 
and testimonials. C. M. Robinson. MariorviLle. N. V 
O — 1 1jn~ J apanese Barnyard Millet 
UI OClIU Seed. Address 
Prok. Wm. P. Brooks, Mass. Agr.Col., Amherst,Mass 
BLOODY BUTCHER 
Or Turkey Track Corn, is undoubtedly the earliest, 
large eared, long kernel corn grown. Bushel, $125; 
peck, 50c.; quart by mail, postpaid, 25c. 
Improved Learning. White Cap Yellow Dent, One 
Hundred Day Bristol. Cuban Giant Ensilage. Extra 
Early Huron Dent, Golden Beauty. Iowa Gold Mine. 
$1 per bushel; peck, 40e. New sacks free. These corns 
are all grown in Northern Ohio, and selected with 
great care especially for seed. Satisfaction guaran¬ 
teed. Write for prices on lots of 10 bushels. 
K. 1). PIERCE, Box 43, Wakeman, Huron County, O 
Vegetable Plants, 
Make money by raising early vegetables. Our 
plants are guaranteed to be of good size, and to be 
grown from extra selected seeds. The largest estab¬ 
lishment in the United States devoted exclusive! 7 
to the raising of vegetable plants. The prices quoted 
below are for transplanted, well-hardened plants. 
Per 100. Per M 
Cabbage plants ready March 15. $0.40 $3.00 
Tomato plants ready May 1.40 3 00 
Celery plants ready March 15.40 3 00 
Pepper plants ready May 1.40 3.00 
Egg plant plants ready May 1 .50 4.10 
We raise all of the leading varieties. Stamp for 
catalogue. Cash must accompany all orders. 
J. E. HUTTON, Conyngham, Pa. 
Offered —Soy Beans, acclimated seed. 
ANSON HINKLEY, Du Bois, Ill. 
Loudon Raspberry —A few thousand 
extra-heavy No. 1 Plants for sale. $8 per M cash 
If ordered before May 1. 
F. E. JOHNSON. Mansfield Depot, Conn. 
BARGAINS IN PLANTS’ 
Greenville. Enhance, Hav-rland. Lady Thompson. 
Tennessee and Warfield. $1.25 per 1.000. Gandy, wii- 
son. Fountain Patrick, K ngworthy, Atlant c, $1.50 
per 1,000. Delaware, new, $3; Excelsior. $4. 
WM. PERRY, Cool Spring, Del. 
CTflD AWn TftlIIIIf —strawberry Plants, $1 per 
OlurHUU inmiv 1,000 up. Lucretia Dew¬ 
berry and Miller Red Raspberry, $11.50 per M. Cata¬ 
logue free. Now is your time to buv. 
D. W. MOSLEY, Dover,Del. 
Lakeview Farm Berry Plants. 
1,000,000 Plants and Vines. Prices reduced. Loudon 
$8 per M. Agent Eclipse Spray Pump. Send for 
catalogue. WALTER F. TABER, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 
Rl AHQTnWP Sample, Nick Ohmer Strawberry Pits 
ULMJOIUiil S. H. WARREN, Weston, Mass. 
GLEN MARY for $85. 
jVUU T. C. KKVITT, Athenia, N.J. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS, BEST SS£T 
Circular free, send for It. B. King-, Tewksbury, Mass 
Berry" Plants—L eading- varietus 
young stock, $1.50 per 1 000 up. Liberal discounts on 
large orders. Pineapple-Strawberry a specialty. 
H. L. SQUIRES, Flanders, N. Y. 
Pedigree Strawberries 
Recommended to all strawberry growers by Rural 
New-YorkkR March 11, ’99, and praised by it July 17, 
’97 and Juiy 16, '98. Weoffe JOE,CARRIE SILVERS, 
STELLA aud RE BA in pot-grown plants at25o each, 
$2 per doz.. $5 per 1U0; and ROBBIE and NETTIE, the 
best late strawberries yet introduced, at 25c. each, $2 
per doz , $6 per 100. Plants to be all pot-growD atd to 
be delivered after July 1st. Orderquick; stocklimitea 
JOS H. BLACK, SON & CO., Hightstown, N. J. 
SPECIAL OFFER 
For Berry Plants for Home Gardens. 
100 strawberries, 50 Blackcaps, 50 Red Raspberries. 
25 Black Long Berries for $1.25 of any of the following 
varieties. Strawberries: Buoacb, Sharpless, Brandy¬ 
wine, Marshall, Wm. Belt, Jessie, Lovett, Haver- 
land, Splendid, Beder W"ood, Glen Mary, Warfield or 
Wilson. Blackcaps: Ohio, Eureka or Mills. Red 
Raspberries: Cuthbert, or Marlboro. Black Long 
Berries: Erie or Agawam. 
ZW This Offer will not appear again. 
CASE & NORRIS CO., Sodus, N. Y. 
A grower writes : “My beets were also a great success in 
Jadoo Fibre. I sold 10 to 15 bushels of red beets before any 
others came to market. The yield was larger than ordinary 
and quality finer, besides being about three weeks earlier than 
any one else had any. ” Jadoo Fibre did it ! 
Our new catalogue tells you all about Vegetables and 
Fruit. Shall we send it to you ? 
The American Jadoo Company. 
SI5 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia. Pa 
