6 o8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 26 
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.] 
Strawberries and Lime. 
E. W. O'., Parsippany, N. J .—Will it injure 
young strawberry plants to set them out 
in freshly-limed land—50 bushels to the 
acre? 
Ans. —We would rather put clover, 
corn or other grain in freshly-limed 
soil. The strawberry prefers a neutral 
soil—neither sour nor very alkaline. 
Too much lime would prove objection¬ 
able, and unless you knew the soil was 
very sour before you used the lime, we 
would not set the strawberries. Try 
the soil with the blue litmus paper, and 
see whether it is alkaline. 
Propagating Filbert Trees. 
L. D. /S'., Kabletotcn, W. TV/.—Is layering or 
taking cuttings the easier or better way to 
secure young filbert trees? We have Ken¬ 
tish cob trees branching near the ground, 
and they could easily be layered. What 
time can it be done? 
Ans. —The easier way of the two to 
propagate the filberts is by cuttings, but 
some growers claim that layering makes 
better plants. It might be well to try 
both plans, layering some of the young 
shoots at once, and making cuttings the 
coming Fall for planting next Spring. 
The latter should be about eight or ten 
inches long, and made from one-year-old 
wood. The soil should be light and not 
wet and heavy, in which to grow the 
cuttings. In making layers, bank the 
earth well up around the shoots, and 
keep it moistened artificially, if the 
weather be dry. Moisture is absolutely 
necessary to the starting of roots. 
II. e. v. D. 
Small Machinery for Extracting Cotton OH. 
D. T. H., Commonwealth, da.— Is there any 
machinery or method for extracting the 
oil from cotton seed, that would cost less 
than $100 to put into operation, labor, 
steam and steam-power being supplied 
without charge? If so, what are the par¬ 
ticulars? Can cotton-seed oil be refined on 
a small scale, say 10 to 40 gallons at one 
time? If so, what is the process in detail? 
It is not necessary that a very large per¬ 
centage of the oil be extracted, for if no 
cheap method be found, the whole seed will 
be used as before for fertilizer and feed. 
The object is mainly to save the cash out¬ 
lay for several barrels of oil, or its equiva¬ 
lent, which are used on this plantation 
every year, and to avoid, as'far as possible, 
the waste of the present system. 
Ans. —We know of no machinery for 
doing this work on a small scale. This 
is against every known instance of 
economical practice. The cotton-seed 
oil is so cheap that one can exchange 
about 2 to 2V 2 or 3 bushels of seed for 
a gallon of oil. This rate of exchange 
should preclude any possibility of an ef¬ 
fort to extract the oil on a small scale. 
No one could afford to have $100 tied up 
in a small machine to extract oil slowly 
from cotton-seed. 
Curing a Black-Snake Skin. 
J. K. B., Blooms burg, Pa.—1 have caught 
a very fine black snake, about five feet 
long, and wish to have the skin pre¬ 
pared for a belt. How can I proceed so 
that the skin will be left In a pliable con¬ 
dition? What shall I use in tanning? 
ANSWERED BY 1.. A. CLINTON. 
Skins of snakes require considerable 
care in tanning, ii they are to be left in 
good condition. After being removed 
We Want Men 
to represent The R. N.-Y. at fairs. 
We want every farmer who attends a 
fair in any part of the country this 
season to see a copy of The Rural 
New-Yorker. We want at least 
20,000 of those who are not now tak¬ 
ing it to become subscribers. We 
want to make arrangements with you 
to help in this result. Lastly, we 
want you to write us for terms and 
appointments. N 
The Rural New-Yorker, 
New York. 
from the snake they should be either 
salted or dried that they may be pre¬ 
served until they are ready for tanning. 
It is always best to have an experienced 
hand do the tanning, but if it is desired, 
and one can give the work careful at¬ 
tention, it can be done at home. The 
skin of the blacksnake should be thor¬ 
oughly soaked in fresh water. Remove 
it from the water frequently, and work 
it with the hands so that it may be 
made pliable and soft. If it has been 
preserved in salt, the soaking will re¬ 
move some of the salt, but that will be 
of benefit. After the skin becomes well 
softened, it should be laid out upon a 
board, and scraped with a dull knife, so 
that any fatty matter which may be on 
the inside of the skin, will be removed. 
This scraping will, of course, need to be 
done with some care, so that the skin 
will not be cut. 
After scraping and soaking in fresh 
water, the skin should be put in a solu¬ 
tion of alum anu salt. Allow it to re¬ 
main in this solution until the pores of 
the skin become thoroughly filled with 
the solution. A few hours’ soaking, if 
the skin is frequently stirred and rub¬ 
bed, will be entirely sufficient. After 
taking the skin from the salt-and-alum 
bath, it should be put in a weak decoc¬ 
tion of White-oak bark. Good White- 
oak bark can usually be secured in 
quantities direct from the trees, but in 
case the trees are not handy, the bark 
may be purchased at the drug store. 
The skin should be put in the weak oak- 
bark decoction ot first, and the strength 
of the decoction may be gradually in¬ 
creased by the addition of more oak- 
bark. Remove the skin from the decoc¬ 
tion, at least once every day, and work 
the skin with the hands so that the tan¬ 
ning liquid will penetrate every part. 
In the course of a few days, remove the 
skin from the oak-nark decoction, and 
stretch gently on a drying board. While 
the skin is drying, work it frequently by 
hand, and do not allow it to become 
hard and brittle. Occasionally, a little 
oil is worked into the skin when drying, 
but as the skin is to be used for a belt, 
oil should be used very sparingly, for 
snake skins give up the oil quite readily. 
If any oil be used, it should be fresh un¬ 
salted butter, and use very sparingly. 
Shipping Plants to Foreign Lands. 
g. ii. TV., Weston, Mass .—For the benefit 
ol your readers who ship plants to foreign 
countries, could you not give us some 
points on the requirements of different na¬ 
tions, or inform us from what source such 
information can be had? 
Ays.—We are informed by the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture that laws re¬ 
quiring the inspection of living plants 
have been adopted by Austria-Hungary, 
Germany, Switzerland, France and Cape 
Colony. Canada absolutely bars living 
plants from the United States. There is 
no duty on the strawberry or other fruit 
plants in Germany and France. Ameri¬ 
can certificates of inspection are not 
sufficient to enter such plants. They 
must be examined at the port of entry. 
Prof. Win. A. Taylor, acting Pomologist 
of the Department, sends us the follow¬ 
ing suggestion about packing the straw¬ 
berry and other fruit plants for ship¬ 
ment to Europe: 
“So far as trees and bushes are con¬ 
cerned, I do not know of any bettei 
method than packing in light wooden 
boxes, using plenty of damp sphagnum. 
The sphagnum should not be satur- 
rated with water, but simply be damp 
to the touch, and it should sur¬ 
round the roots only, not the en¬ 
tire tops. Any inspection which would 
be effective would necessitate the re¬ 
moval of the plants from the packages 
and their careful examination, one oy 
one, so that the labeling of each variety 
and the tying of it to keep it separate 
from others should be carefully looked 
after. In the shipment of strawberry 
plants across the ocean, it is believed to 
be necessary to send them with a ball of 
earth attached to each. French shippers 
to this country send potted plants. The 
pots are frequently broken in transit, 
however, and many plants are lost in 
this way. While I do not know of any 
experiment in this direction, I think 
that the small veneer plant box used in 
some sections for tomato and other 
plants, would be better than the earthen 
pot, for this purpose. Where any small 
package like this is used, each tier of 
boxes or pots should be packed with 
moss, and fastened into place by means 
of thin strips of wood placed across the 
packing-box, and securely nailed. It 
would be well, also, to leave a space of 
an inch or so between tiers for ventila¬ 
tion.” 
Alfalfa for the Shepherd. 
C. S. D., Elmira, N. Y .—I was much in¬ 
terested in the article on page 479, with 
reference to Alfalfa. Will this make suit¬ 
able fodder for sheep, and where can I 
procure the seed? When and how is it best 
sown ? 
Ans. —There is no other forage so gcod 
for sheep as Alfalfa. This is true of 
either the green forage, grazed or cut 
and soiled, or of the hay for Winter 
feeding. Alfalfa is especially rich in 
protein, the element that goes to make 
growth and wool. It makes the lambs 
grow fast and healthfully; it makes the 
old ewes give an abundance of milk, and 
it makes the fattening sheep put on 
pounds in a hurry. There is one trouble 
in pasturing Alfalfa, that is the danger 
of bloat. This year, all our Dorsets have 
been on Alfalfa, and we have lost two 
thus far, one ewe and one lamb. Had 
we not been watching, we might have 
lost others. We have relieved some by 
merely working the gas out, by press¬ 
ing in the sides with our knees, standing 
astride, and at the same time holding 
the mouth open and th,e head raised. 
Others have needed to be trocared. Yet 
the amount of trouble that this has 
given us has been very small compared 
to the benefit gained. Briefly, it has 
sustained in good shape more than 10 
sheep to the acre, and the sheep are in 
fine condition to-day. In Winter, there 
is no trouble in feeding the hay. It does 
not bloat, and the only difficulty is to 
get enough of the hay. We have, up to 
date, cut about 200 loads of Alfalfa hay, 
which will be quite a lift in the Winter 
feeding of our flock. The seed is pro¬ 
cured in the West, usually in Kansas, 
although any seed dealer will sell it. It 
ought to cost no more than Red clover, 
and often costs less. It is sown always 
in Spring, at early corn-planting time. 
The soil must be well prepared, as I 
have frequently told before, and the Al¬ 
falfa and weeds and all must be mown 
off at least three times the first season. 
It must not be pastured the first season. 
It must never be pastured after frost. 
Alfalfa grows finely at the Experiment 
Station at Geneva, in. Y. I should think 
C. S. D. would go there for definite in¬ 
formation. 'mere is nothing so favor¬ 
able for Alfalfa development as good, 
deep soil, unless it is better and deeper 
soil. Yet thin soils will produce it if 
they are helped by stable manure. It 
will not endure soils where the water 
comes close to the surface. It will not 
endure peaty soils. How any shepherd 
can get along without Alfalfa is a puz¬ 
zler to me. JOSEPH E. WING. 
Ohio. 
At Galesburg. III., a swarm of crickets 
recently took possession of the town, ac¬ 
cording to newspaper reports. Electric 
lights were concealed by them, sidewalks 
covered, and they were destroyed by the 
bushel. 
A Long Island man has a new bicycle, 
which is one of the highest-geared wheels 
known, its gear being 175. The sprocket- 
wheel is over a foot in diameter, and one 
revolution of the pedals sends the wheel 
47 feet. 
If you are a farmer or want to be one, 
send for the “Western Trail.” Published 
quarterly. Full of pointers as to settling 
in Kansas, Oklahoma and Indian Terri- 
torjL Handsomely embellished and con¬ 
cisely written. Mailed free. 
Address by postal card or letter. 
John Sebastian, G. P.A., Chicago.— Adv, 
The President Wilder Currant 
and other choice new fruits can be had at 
bottom prices of the subscriber. Send 
for descriptive list and prices to 
S. D. WILLARD, Geneva, N. Y. 
P OTTED STRAWBERRY PLANTS— Glad¬ 
stone and Sample 50c. p°r dozen. Standard sorts, 
II per 100. Miller Raspberry and LucreMa Dewberry, 
$4.50 per 1.000. SLAYMAKEK & SON, Dover, Del. 
ftl AnCTMIE Strawberry Plants — 
ULAUOlUnC Strong potted p 1 an ts. after 
Aug. 1, II per doz., by express. Circular, with reports 
from many States, free. F. F. Merceron.Cat.awissa, Pa. 
A I POTTED STRAWBERRY PLANTS.— 
I Northern grown. A full crop of choice fruits 
next season. List free. P. SPEER, Passaic, N. J. 
too 
ABUNDANCE PLUM, first-class, for 112. 
List free. T. C. KKVITT, Athenla, N J. 
TDCC6 fi, Dl 1 MTC at ,ow P rices - Apple. Pear, 
I nCC« Cl r LHH I O a tid Plum, 6c. Peaches, 4c. 
Cat. free. Reliance Nursery. Box 10. Geneva, N.Y. 
nri rnv ni lAITC~ We offer surplus 
UtLLCnl rLAIllO stock, until sold. 
Strong plants, best varlei ies at $2 per 1.000. 
HENRY A. DREER, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
THOMAS McELROY, European Seed Commis- 
mission Merchant, Mercantile Ex. Bldg.. Harrison 
St., New York, offers Essex English Dwarf Rape Seed 
and Uigh-g r ade Crimson Clover Samples and prices 
on application. Dealers only. 
FOR SALE 
—600 bushels home-grown Crimson 
Clover Seed. 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
For Sale 
—Gold Coin Seed Wheat. Fine 
bushel, including new bags. Address 
C. K. CUIPPS, Geneva, N. Y. 
Mammoth White Winter Seed Rye^; 1 ! 6 . 
lustration and prizes awarded itat State Fairs. Price, 
$1 per bushel. E. L. CLARKSON, Tivoli, N. Y 
Cnnrt \Aihootc - ^ ircular compares yields 16 to 
ObCll W llbd lb 60 bushels. 17 varieties. 
8. J. 8M1TH’S POTATO FARM. Manchester, N.Y 
S eed Wheat—Best varieties—Dawson’s Golden 
Chaff, $1.40 per bu. Gold Co n and Harvest King 
11.10. Bags free. W. D. HOWE, Cortland, N. Y. 
Rudy Seed W h e a t.— 1,200 bushels, 
tuaranteed pure, 11.25 per bushel. 
JOHN HERR SHENK, Lancaster, Pa. 
Seed Wheat— Gold Coin SI 10. Bags 
free. G. E. NORTON, Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y 
Gold Coin Wheat. 
We offer a limited amount of this best 
of all Wheat, specially cleaned, at $1.50 
per bushel. Cash with order. 
W. & T. SMITH C0., GENEVA, N. Y. 
WHEAT AS HARDY AS RYE. 
We have been examining some va¬ 
rieties of wheat that made excellent 
crops where common sorts froze out. 
Samples can be had of J. Q. Everitt, 
Seedsman, Indianapolis, Ind., if you 
mention this paper, or can be seen at 
this office. 
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 lull line of trees 
and other nursery stock for fall planting. Summer and Autumn 
Catalogue Is now ready. Write to-day 
T. J. DWYER & SON, Box 1, Cornwall, N.Y. 
TI1K STOURS & HAUKISOK CO., PAINKSVH.I.E, OHIO, 
Leading American Korserjmen, offer one of the most complete assortment.of 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, BULBS, ale 
45 Yearn. 44 Greenhouses. lOOOAerc*. Correspondence Solicited. Catalog Free. I 
