592 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 10 
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.] 
Rape for Poultry Food. 
J. E. 8., Columbus, N. ,J. —What do you 
know about rape, growing In late Fall and 
keeping green after freezing? I have 
some; have cut part of it twice, and it 
makes the very best green food for ducks 
and chickens I have ever tried. If it would 
only stay green through the Winter, it 
would simply be immense. It is a great 
grower, when wet enough. It has made a 
great growth since the rains. 
Ans. —Last year, our rape kept green 
till the very severe cold in February. 
A few plants lived through the Winter, 
and produced seed this year. The plant 
is quite hardy with us, and giv.es a 
heavy yield of green fodder. Poultry 
are remarkably fond of the rape. 
The Salmonberry. 
P. G. 8., Columbus, Pa.— 1. Is the salmon- 
berry the same as the raspberry? 2. What 
time of year should the seed be sown? 
Ans. —1. The salmonberry is a species 
of the raspberry family, known in 
science as Rubus spectabilis. It is very 
abundant from northern California to 
Alaska, being one of the commonest and 
best of the wild fruits of those regions. 
It flourishes best in a moist, cool, cli¬ 
mate, and does not seem to take readily 
to the conditions in the eastern United 
States or Canada, although repeated at¬ 
tempts have been made to introduce it to 
cultivation there. 2. The seed may be 
sown at any time after it is fully ripe. 
It should be kept moist and not too 
warm. h. e. v. d. 
Fall Transplanting of Raspberries. 
H. M., Milford, Conn.— Can raspberries, 
both black and red, be successfully plant¬ 
ed in late Summer or Fall? 
Ans. —Raspberries of any kind can be 
planted in the Fall, after growth has 
stopped. In some sections, it would be 
unwise to plant them at that season, be¬ 
cause of damage from the severity of the 
succeeding Winter. In Connecticut, I do 
not think there would be much trouble 
from this source, provided the plants are 
mulched immediately upon being plant¬ 
ed. In late Summer, there would be 
great loss if plants were moved, for the 
red or sucker-making kinds are then in 
a very tender stage, and usually full of 
leaves. By the most careful treatment, 
a small proportion might be made to 
live, but not enough to be profitable. 
The black or cap varieties are then just 
taking root at their tips. Early in the 
Summer, I have known young sprouts 
of both classes to be profitably trans¬ 
planted, care having been used in water¬ 
ing them at planting time, so that there 
was little wilting of the young shoots. 
H. E. V. D. 
The Pear Blister-Mite. 
W. T. P., Lake Cushman, Wash.— I have sev¬ 
eral pear trees infested with a scale, a 
sample of which I inclose. Can you tell 
me what it is? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
The pear leaves sent by W. T. P. were 
badly infested by a little foe known as 
the Pear blister-mite, and not by a scale 
insect. The attack begins on the pear 
leaves before they are fully expanded in 
the Spring, in the form of small, red, 
blister-like spots. About June 1, the 
spots gradually change to a green color 
hardly distinguishable from the rest of 
the leaf. In about a week or ten days, 
thq spots change to a dark-brown color. 
The spots present a thick, corky appear¬ 
ance, and the disease spreads to the new 
leaves as they come out during the sea¬ 
son. No variety of pears seems to be 
exempt from attack by this mite, but it 
attacks only the pear. The diseased 
spots are termed galls or blisters. If 
they are carefully examined with a 
hand-glass, one can discern near the 
center of each, on the lower side of the 
leaf, a minute, round hole. This hole 
leads into the blister within the sub¬ 
stance of the leaf wherein reside the 
creatures that cause the disease. These 
mites are exceedingly small, being prac¬ 
tically invisible to the naked eye. 
Dozens of them often live in a single 
blister. 
The destruction wrought by this mite 
thus far has not been very serious. 
Where it is exceedingly abundant, the 
infested leaves often fall from the tree 
sooner than the others, thus depriving 
that portion of the tree of its breathing 
organs. The mites live within the galls, 
feeding upon the plant cells, until the 
drying of the leaves in the Fall. They 
then migrate from the galls to the Win¬ 
ter buds at or near the ends of the twigs, 
where they soon work their way beneath 
the outer bud scales, and here hibernate. 
As soon as growth begins in the Spring, 
these mites begin to form their galls on 
the leaves in the opening bud. 
Some careful experiments we made 
several years ago demonstrated that the 
only practicable method of combating 
this mite while it is in its galls or blis¬ 
ters on the leaves, is to gather and 
burn the infested leaves. Where but a 
few leaves on a tree are badly infested, 
this is the simplest and cheapest method 
to employ against the pest. As most of 
the mites winter in the buds at or near 
the tips of the branches, the burning of 
the prunings would destroy many of 
them. Our experiments further demon¬ 
strated that the Pear blister-mite can be 
nearly exterminated in a badly infested 
orchard by a single spraying of the trees 
in Winter with kerosene emulsion di¬ 
luted with from five to seven parts of 
water. It is probable that whale-oil 
soap, one pound to four or five gallons 
of water, would be equally as effective 
as the emulsion. 
Painting Shingles; Repairing Rat Hole. 
E. 8. B., Litchfield Co., Conn.— 1. As I have 
some roofs to repair or renew, I would 
like to know whether there is anything for 
the purpose cheaper and better than 
shingles. The roofs are sloping, not flat. 
Also, is there any way of treating shingles 
profitably to add to their durability? 2. 
How can I repair a silo where the rats 
have eaten through the siding above a 
cement floor, and how prevent them from 
doing it again? 
ANSWERED BY L. A. CLINTON. 
1. It is generally conceded by those 
who have had wide experience, that if 
shingles are to be treated to preserve 
them, they should be treated before 
being laid. Painting shingles after they 
are in place on a roof may hasten rather 
than retard decay. In painting a roof, 
unless extreme care is taken, there will 
be formed a slight ridge of paint at the 
bottom of each course of shingles. This 
ridge of paint holds water at time of 
rain, and causes it to back up somewhat 
under the shingles. Probably the best 
preparation for shingles is hot coal or 
gas tar. This material can be procured 
very cheaply at any place where gas is 
manufactured from coal. The shingles 
should be dipped into the hot tar, and 
allowed to dry before being laid. Where 
the shingles are treated in this way, it 
may add materially to their lasting qual¬ 
ities. It is probable tha^the best roof¬ 
ing material is tile or slate. The ex¬ 
pense is, however, considerably greater 
than for wood shingles. When a good 
quality of shingles can be made to last 
for from 25 to 30 years, it is doubtful 
whether slate or tile will come into com¬ 
mon use for ordinary buildings. 
2. The rat holes eaten through the 
sides of the silo may best be stopped by 
nailing tin shingles securely over the 
holes. A shingle should be nailed both 
on the outside and inside of the silo 
wall. We have found by experience that 
the best thing to clear a barn of rats is 
a good cat. During the past year, our 
barn became overrun with rats. Two 
good cats were put in the barn, and 
given plenty of milk, and they secured 
their fresh meat by catching rats. The 
cats have paid for themselves many 
times over, and have very thoroughly 
cleared the barn of rats. 
Bevel and Splice for Silo Staves. 
C. M. T., Delavan, IDs.—Would L. A. C.’s 
recently suggested innovation in tub silo 
construction—the omission of the bevel- 
permit the use of short lengths, that is, 
piecing the staves? It seems to me that 
the union of the ends by steel spines could 
not be made air-tight without the bevel. 
Ans. —The omission of the bevel will 
in no way interfere with splicing the 
staves. In a silo with a diameter of 
from 15 to 18 feet, the opening at the 
outside of the staves is not more than 
one-fifteenth of an inch, and in silos 
with larger diameters, the opening at 
the outside is correspondingly less. The 
steel spines to unite the ends of staves 
where they are spliced are entirely un¬ 
necessary, and are a useless expense. I 
make this statement, not as a matter 
of theory, but as a result of actual ex¬ 
perience. Two silos built at Cornell 
University have the staves spliced, and 
the method pursued was simply to saw 
the ends square where they meet, and 
toenail them together. In one silo, the 
staves were oeveled on the edge, and in 
the other silo, the staves were not bev- 
-eled. The splice worked equally well in 
either case. I would recommend the 
use of staves of such a length that only 
one splice would be necessary to each 
stave, and in all cases, the joints should 
be broken. If a silo is to be 30 feet high, 
material should be purchased 20 feet 
in length, and the splices will then be 
at the heights of 10 and 20 feet from 
the bottom, alternating so that first a 
20-foot stave shall be at the bottom, 
and then a 10-foot stave next. I know 
of one case where a man constructed a 
silo, and made the splice at the same 
place entirely around the silo, thus 
having one tub on top of another. A 
strong wind blew the top tub off before 
the silo was filled. This could have 
been avoided by alternating the splices. 
Jj. A. C. 
Crimson Clover in Corn. 
L. 8. C., Borden, N. Y.—P. J. Berckmans 
says, on page 544, of The R. N.-Y., that 
he sows Crimson clover in September, and 
cuts it the next April or May, getting from 
1,200 to 2,500 pounds per acre, but does not 
tell us whether he resides in Greenland or 
South America. I would like to know 
whether I could sow Crimson clover in 
September and cut it by the middle of 
May, and then plow and plant to corn with 
good results, here in Steuben County, N. 
Y. How much seed should be sown per 
acre? 
Ans. —Mr. P. J. Berckmans is presi¬ 
dent of the Georgia Horticultural So¬ 
ciety. The article was headed. Green 
Crops for Georgia Orchards! Of course 
you cannot follow Georgia methods in 
New York. There is a difference of nearly 
six weeks in the hall growing season. 
This is your last chance for sowing 
Crimson clover in your latitude. With 
a moist soil or a shower just after seed¬ 
ing, the clover may grow large enough 
to pass the Winter safely; otherwise, it 
will die out. It should have been seed¬ 
ed two weeks ago. For three years we 
have sown this clover in the early sweet 
corn, and secured a fine growth by the 
middle of the following May. We use 
12 pounds of seed per acre. 
What Fertilizers with Manure ? 
G. 8., Marengo, III. —I am engaged in rais¬ 
ing small fruits. The soil is a clay loam. 
What shall I use in connection with stable 
manure? The plants grow well, but do not 
produce as 1 would like to have them. 
Can I apply anything this Fall to grow¬ 
ing plants? I have had good success, but 
would like to do a little better. 
Ans. —The chief value of stable 
manure lies in the nitrogen which it 
contains. It is weak in the minerals— 
potash and phosphoric acid—which are 
needed to produce firm and well colored 
fruit. Nitrogen promotes growth, giv¬ 
ing an abundance of wood, stem and 
leaf, but is likely to retard the forma¬ 
tion of seed or fruit. The simplest way 
to add what is needed is to use un¬ 
leached wood ashes, if they can be 
bought at less than $10 per ton. Do not 
mix the ashes with the manure, but 
broadcast them after plowing, harrow in. 
If you cannot obtain wood ashes, you 
can use fine ground bone for the phos¬ 
phoric acid. The only source of pot¬ 
ash, aside from wood ashes, is found 
in the potash salts which are mined in 
Germany and sent to this country. The 
most useful form is the muriate of pot¬ 
ash, of which 118,056,204 pounds were 
imported last year. A mixture of one 
part by weight of the muriate with 
three parts of ground bone makes an 
excellent fertilizer for fruit of all sorts. 
2 m 
DREER’S 
i' Pot-Grown 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS 
planted this Summer will produce a full 
crop of berries next June. Our Mid¬ 
summer catalogue, Just out and mailed 
free, offers plants of the best varie- 
\ ties, including the wonderful new Per¬ 
petual or Everbearing Strawberry, 
“St. Joseph,” which bears fruit 
all Summer. Price,75cts. per 
do?..; §(>.00 per 100. 
IIENRY A. HREER, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
Pedigree Strawberries 
Recommended to all strawberry growers by Rural, 
New-Yobkkr March 11, ’99, and praised by it July 17, 
’97. and July 1«, ’98. We offer JOE, CARRIE SILVERS, 
STELLA and RE BA in pot-grown plants at 25c each, 
$2 per do/... $5 per 100; and ROBBIE and NETTIE, the 
best late strawberries yet introduced, at 25c. each, 12 
per do?.. $0 per 100. Plants to be all pot-grown and to 
be delivered after July 1st. Orderquick; stock limited 
JOS. H. BLACK , SON & CO., Hightstown, N. J, 
fil UnCTflNF Strawberry Plants 
UUmUO I UllU Strong putted plants, after 
Aug. 1, §1 per do?., by express. Circular, with reports 
from many States, free. F. F. Merceron.Catawissa, Pa. 
■ I POTTED STRAW BERRY PLANTS.— 
A I Northern grown. A full crop of choice fruits 
next season. List free. P. SPEER, Passaic, N. J. 
100 
ABUNDANCE PLUM, first-class, for $12. 
List free. T. C. KEVITT, Attunia, N J. 
TDCCC ft, Dl AUTC !lt low prices. Apple. Pear, 
intta a rmnio UIKl f ; c . peaches,sc. 
Cat. free. Reliance Nursery, Box 10, Geneva, N.V. 
THOMAS McELROY, European Seed Commls- 
x mission Merchant. Mercantile Ex. Bldg. Harrison 
St., New York, offers Essex English Dwarf Rape Seed 
and lligh-g r ade Crimson Ciover Samples and prices 
on application. Dealers only. 
rnn Oil C —500 bushels home-grown Crimson 
rUll OALk Clover Seed. 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
S eed 'Wheat—Best varieties—Dawson's Golden 
Chaff, $1.40 per bu. Gold Co n and Harvest King, 
$1.10. Bags free. W. D. HOWE, Cortland. N. Y. 
Rudy Seed Wheat.— 1,200 bushels, 
guaranteed pure, $1.25 per bushel. 
JOHN HERR 8HENK, Lancaster. Pa. 
S eed Wheat—The best varieties, grown from 
hand-assorted seed. Winter Oats—Acclimated 
by five successive Winters in the North. Circular 
for the asking. MAULON SAGER, Orungevhle, Pa. 
QoAfl Coin ard Ilarvest King 
vCvU If Ileal Pure large graded seed $1 per 
bu.; 10 bu. at 95c. per bu.; 50 bu. at 90c. per bu., f. o.b. 
Bags free. G EO. M. TAI.COTT, Shaneateles, N. Y. 
CHOICE SEED WHEATS, ' 
head, very hardy and productive, straw stiff, head 
long and compact. Strictly pure and free from foul 
seeds. Price, three bushels, $2.25: nine bushels or 
more. $1 per bushel, including bags. Samples free. 
Cash with order. Post-office money order office, 
Caledonia, N. Y. I). C. MCPHERSON SEED CO., 
Garbutt, Monroe County, N. Y. 
FARMERS.—Send me your name and 
address, together with the name of the 
wheat you grew this year, and how many 
acres you will sow this Fall, and I will 
send you some samples of new wheat 
and a proposition to supply your seed. 
Don’t neglect this. Mention this paper. 
J. Q. Everitt, Seedsman, Indiarapclis, 
Ind 
Gold Coin Wheat. 
We offer a limited amount of this best 
of all Wheat, specially cleaned, at $1.5(1 
per bushel. Cash with order. 
W. & T. SMITH C0„ GENEVA, N. V. 
Pot-Grown Strawberry Plants. 
Set out now will bear a large crop of choice fruit next season. We 
have all the tried and valuable varieties. Also, a full line of trees 
and other nursery stock for fall planting. Summer and Autumn 
Catalogue Is now ready. Write to-day 
T. J. DWYER & SON, Boxl, Cornwall, N.Y. 
I 
THE STORKS & HARRISON CO M PAINESVIEJL.E, OHIO, 
Leading American Nurserymen, offer one of the most complete assortments of 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, BULBS, eto 
45 Year*. 44 Greenhouse*. lOOO Acres. * Correspondence Solicited. Catalog Free. 
