1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
465 
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.] 
The Magna Charta Rose. 
C. II. N., Cranston, R. I. —1. What is the origin 
of the rose called Magna Charta ? 2. What is the 
correct pronunciation of the name ? 
Ans. —1. It was raised by Wm. Paul & 
Son, of Waltham Cross, England, in 1876. 
It is a Hybrid Remontant. 2. It is pro¬ 
nounced Mjigna Karta. 
Mulching Melons. 
II. II , Colfax , la. —In mulching melons, would 
Mr. Van Deman advise to put straw all over the 
ground, or just around the hills ? 
Ans. —In mulching melons, the entire 
surface of the ground should be covered 
tip to the base of the plants, and covered 
so deeply that no weeds can come 
through it. H. e. v. d. 
The Boston Ivy. 
T. 31., Stanbridge East, Que.—ln The R. N.-Y. of 
June 3, you highly commend the Boston ivy. It is 
my special favorite vine, but several here, who 
have tried to cultivate it, have failed. The 
growth the first year was fine, but it died down 
to the root; the next year, put forth a feeble 
branch, and the next died out entirely. It grows 
beautifully in Montreal, where the Winters are 
as severe as here. We started with vigorous 
plants to climb a brick wall. Would it be better 
to try seeds ? How can we protect them, so that 
they will not winterkill ? 
Ans. —This ivy is tender before it be¬ 
comes established. It dies back in some 
places, year after year, for five years or 
more, and then makes an immense 
growth, and becomes quite hardy. The 
only suggestion The R. N.-Y. could make 
is to protect the young vine as well as 
may be during the early years after 
transplanting. 
A Cover Crop in Strawberries. 
A. S. A., Pittsfield, III — I have been looking for 
something to sow between strawberries that 
would enrich the soil, and make a good mulch. 
How would the cow pea or Soy bean do sown 
about September If I have been using straw. 
It has so many weed seeds that I would like some¬ 
thing else. I have sown oats, but they took all 
the strength from the strawberries, and the crop 
was a failure. 
Ans. —We have known cow peas, oats, 
corn and millet, to be used in this way, 
between the rows of strawberries. In 
most cases, the growth of this cover crop 
injured the fruit. We think it better to 
keep such a crop out of the strawberry 
bed, and give the plants every chance to 
make a large growth. The buds which 
produce the next year’s crop are grown 
and developed during the late Summer 
and Fall. Anything that interferes with 
the perfect growth of the strawberry, is 
quite sure to injure the next year’s crop. 
We would much prefer to sow cow peas 
on tome poor piece of land, cut the vines 
and use them to mulch the strawberries. 
Give the strawberry plant a full chance ! 
Don’t crowd it in with other crops ! 
Frozen Trees in Michigan. 
What is the latest report from the sections 
where the fruit trees were badly hurt by cold 
weather ? Are the trees recovering ? 
Ans. —As the season advances, the re¬ 
sult of the severe freezing becomes more 
apparent. Plums and pears are not as 
seriously injured as at first supposed. 
Young apple trees, on exposed places on 
light land, are many of them in sad con¬ 
dition, showing little signs of life. 
Peaches are in fully as bad shape as at 
first reported, and 50 per cent will not 
cover the loss. Many thousands are 
being removed, and many of those that 
are left are injured in the trunks or 
main branches. The few orchards that 
show little ill effect of the freeze are 
almost invariably those that have been 
neglected or little cultivated. Growers 
who cut the injured trees off near the 
ground, hoping to start a sprout, have 
been disappointed, as they have gener¬ 
ally failed to show any signs of life. 
There seems to be little difference in 
the per cent of trees saved, whether 
they were severely trimmed or left with¬ 
out any trimming, as the injury was 
generally at the base of the limbs, or on 
the body of the tree, and usually within 
a few inches of the ground. The ad¬ 
vantage of severe trimming is very ap¬ 
parent where the bodies of the trees 
were not seriously injured, as they are 
throwing out strong, healthy sprouts 
near the base of the large limbs, where¬ 
as those not so trimmed have the entire 
new growth and foliage at the extremi¬ 
ties of the limbs, thus causing the sap to 
flow through long limbs that have been 
more or less injured, and of course, sub¬ 
ject to diseases, such as gumming, etc. 
Many fruit growers are becoming dis¬ 
couraged, and will quit the business ; 
some will follow the shiftless man’s ex¬ 
ample, hoping to grow hardier trees by 
allowing grass and weeds to occupy the 
ground. Still another class will hope to 
grow good orchards by avoiding late 
cultivation and sowing something the 
latter part of the season to check the 
growth of the trees. l. j. post. 
Kent County, Mich. 
Why Does Oleo Keep " ? 
Why does oleomargarine keep better than but¬ 
ter? It is generally admitted that the oleo will 
keep under conditions that would quickly spoil 
butter. It has been said that this is because the 
oleo makers use borax or salicylic acid in making 
up their stuff. We have asked a number of chem¬ 
ists and agricultural authorities whether they 
have ever found these chemicals when analyzing 
oleo. They say no, and the following note from 
Assistant Commissioner K>acke, of New York 
State, probably explains the matter: 
“ The general keeping quality of oleo 
is not attributable to the presence of 
borax or salicylic acid in the same. The 
fat is of itself more permanent than 
butter fat. It is possible that borax and 
salicylic acid are occasionally met with 
in oleo, but as no complaints have been 
made as to the use of the preservative, 
they have not been especially sought, 
although in the particular instances 
where the preservatives were the sub¬ 
ject of inquiry, they were not found to 
be present. During the past Winter, we 
found eight or ten samples of oleo 
which contained from five to ten per 
cent of paraffin.” 
A Talk About Cow Peas. 
O. O. G., Vail, W. J .—Iu Hope Farm Notes, you 
have spoken of cow peas. You say that you are 
eating them. What variety do you grow? I 
sent to Delaware and got two bushels of the 
Early Black for seed. We tried them for table 
use, but they have a somewhat strong taste. Do 
you think any other variety more desirable to 
grow as a stock foud ? I had contemplated sow¬ 
ing these in the corn at the last cultivation. Is 
this advisable, or will they rob the corn of too 
much plant food and moisture, or shade the 
ground and thus Injure the corn crop ? Will the 
vines climb the corn, and make harvesting a 
task ? Is it safe to pasture cattle on them when 
wet and at all stages of growth, or after they 
have been struck by frost ? When should they 
be sown for best results ? What about the Soy 
bean? Is it not equal to the cow pea for all 
purposes in this latitude ? 
Ans. —We raise and eat the Early 
Black cow peas. Tney have a strong 
taste, but we do not object to this Soma 
of the brown or black-eyed peas grown 
in the South are said to be better for 
eating purposes. The Early Black is 
about the only variety that can be 
depended upon to mature seed in our 
latitude. Other varieties would, proba¬ 
bly, give a greater length of vine. We 
have never advised the growing of cow 
peas to provide hay or fodder. In the 
South, cow-pea hay is often used. At 
the North, we think the plant is more 
useful as a soil improver or manurial 
plant. We sowed cow peas in the stand¬ 
ing corn last year, and they made a 
growth of nearly 18 inches before frost. 
The corn was an early sweet variety, 
which was cut out so as to give the cow- 
peas a better chance to grow. We doubt 
the wisdom of sowing cow peas in late 
field corn. The cow pea is a sun plant, 
and does not do well in the shade. The 
Early Black is not' a climbing variety. 
With us, it grows nearly two feet high, 
with upright stems like a bean vine. It 
then grows along the ground sometimes 
for five or six feet, but usually not more 
than three or four. We would use more 
precaution in pasturing cattle on them 
than we would with clover or Alfalfa. 
When turned on without any care, the 
cattle would be likely to bloat. We re¬ 
peat that northern farmers who grow 
the cow pea for either hay or pasture 
will most likely be disappointed. With 
us, it’s a manurial plant first of all, and 
is good enough for that purpose to be 
allowed to occupy the full ground. 
Lean Mutton Wanted. 
R. F., Algoma , Canada.—I have 20 sheep, most¬ 
ly scrubs; wish to raise the number to 200 by 
natural increase, and do not wish to purchase 
any except rams. What breed shall I buy to 
get the best results, mutton being my object ? 
Our market will not take fat mutton; it must 
have an equal proportion of lean meat. I can 
get Oxford Downs of good breeding. How would 
they do? The grass seems to be so nutritious 
here that we get fat mutton whatever we do, 
Ans.— The section of the country de¬ 
scribed is eminently suited to mutton 
production, and could very easily be 
made to support large and profitable 
flocks of sheep. The class of sheep which 
gives the most lean meat intermingled 
with the fat are the Downs. The Oxford 
Down will do this very well, but it is 
likely, in a few generations, to become 
rather given over to fat if fed on such 
grass. The same characteristics main¬ 
tain in the Shropshires, while the Lei- 
cesters are rather more given to fat than 
either of these. The sheep best suited 
to such soil and conditions, and the ones 
which will maintain the characteristic 
of producing the largest amount of lean 
meat for the greatest length of time, 
would be a cross of the Rambouillet or 
Merino on the common stock. These 
sheep are noted for large muscular de¬ 
velopment, and no great tendency to 
laying on fat. This breed has been 
largely used in the West for the produc¬ 
tion of such mutton as R. F. requires, 
and I see no objection to their introduc¬ 
tion into the Algoma section of Canada, 
if they are carefully handled during the 
Winter, and not exposed to wet. j. h, g. 
How is Kansas farm labor affected by the ab¬ 
sence of so many young men on the Philippine 
firing line ? 
r “He That Stays 
Does the Business." 
All the voorld admires “staying power." 
On this quality success depends. The 
blood is the best friend the heart has. 
Hood's Sarsaparilla is the best friend the 
blood ever had; cleanses it of everything, 
gives perfect health and strength. 
Porter’sHumane Bridle 
NO BIT IN THE HORSES MOUTH. 
Horsemen endorse this Bridle be¬ 
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No more trouble with sore mouths. 
The hardest pullers driven with ease. 
Every lover of the horse should 
use it, because it is humane. 
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Sent prepaid on receipt of $2.00 
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ROOM 402 SUDBURY BLD. 
BOSTON, MASS. 
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