736 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 21 
Farmers' Club. 
[Every query muBt 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.] 
Who Should Feed the Team ? 
C. TY. D., Bancroft, A 7 . 7.—I am working a 
farm on shares. I am to receive one-half, 
and furnish one-half of seed, all the tools 
and teams to work the farm while the 
owner stocks the farm, and the stock is 
fed out of the undivided hay and coarse 
fodder. Should not my team be fed the 
same as the other stock, from the farm? 
Ans. —The question proposed is one 
which is usually made the subject of 
special contract. We have consulted 
with those who rent farms, and it has, 
without exception, been their opinion 
that in the absence of any contract the 
team should be fed from the undivided 
product of the farm. It would seem that 
there should be no question in this case, 
and the team which does the farm work 
should be fed from the undivided farm 
products, unless the contract specified 
differently. l. a. c. 
Waterproofing Thin Cloth. 
A. H., New York.— In your reply to R. 
N. R., page 657, you give the following as 
a mixture that will make cloth impervious 
to water: Old pale linseed oil, three pints; 
sugar of lead (acetate of lead) one ounce; 
white resin, four ounces—also the method 
of mixing the ingredients. Will the above 
preparation make burlap impervious to 
water and suitable for use as hay caps? 
If not, what is the cheapest suitable ma¬ 
terial for hay caps to which this prepara¬ 
tion may be applied? 
Ans. —Burlap would not be suitable 
for treating with the mixture recom¬ 
mended above. The meshes of the bur¬ 
lap are so coarse that they would not 
be filled easily with the linseed oil. The 
amount of oil which would be required 
to make burlap waterproof would be 
more expensive than to purchase some¬ 
what better cloth. The cheapest cloth 
which will give satisfactory results is 
common white cotton goods. If it is 
necessary to sew the cloth it should be 
done before the oil is applied. The 
treatment recommended above will 
make cotton or muslin impervious to 
water, and it protects the cloth from 
the action of fungous growths. 
L. A. CLINTON. 
Blackberries in the Fall. 
U. M., Milford, Conn.— 1. What is the best 
treatment for blackberries in the Fall? I 
have several plantations in bearing, on 
quite light sandy soil—gravelly subsoil— 
that have received no fertilizer this sea¬ 
son, except cultivation. Is there any 
cover crop I can plant at this date that 
would furnish plant food when turned 
under next Spring? Would it be advis¬ 
able to fertilize now and to continue culti¬ 
vation until cold weather? 2. Will pears 
for market succeed on light loam? What 
varieties are best? 
Ans. — 1. It is now (October 2) too late 
in the season to sow or plant any crop 
in Connecticut that will be of value as 
a soiling crop, except to furnish humus. 
The clover, peas, beans, etc., will not 
grow, and the more hardy plants do not 
have the ability to acquire nitrogen 
from the air. Rye is about the only 
plant that will be useful during the Fall 
and coming Winter and Spring. This 
crop would grow, keep the soil from 
washing, and be ready for plowing un¬ 
der when cultivation should start the 
next season. It would be all right to 
apply farmyard manure or commercial 
fertilizers now, and work them into the 
ground. They will become decomposed 
and available for the coming season 
much better than if applied next Spring; 
especially is this true of the coarse, 
trashy manures and the common com¬ 
mercial forms of potash and phosphoric 
acid. Cultivation at this time of year 
can be of little or no benefit to the 
plants. A mulch of coarse manure 
thrown in among the plants, covering 
their roots thoroughly, I have found to 
be a great benefit. 
2. Pear trees do better in a stiff soil 
than in one that is loamy; but it is re¬ 
markable how well they do in a wide 
variation of soils. Bartlett is about the 
best of all market pears. Seckel is also 
very popular, and the tree is little sub¬ 
ject to blight, but the fruit is small. 
Bose is one of the best late pears, and is 
followed by Lawrence. All of these va¬ 
rieties are high in quality and well 
known in market. n. e. van reman. 
What About Liquid Air ? 
J. S. O., Darien, Conn.— The papers report 
a recent paper read by Prof. Wallerstein 
on Liquid Air in the Brewery in which is 
said: Dr. Wallerstein described the manu¬ 
facture of liquid air, and said that it could 
be used at small cost for cooling beer and 
hops, for the ventilation of the buildings, 
and for the motive power of the brewery. 
One gallon of liquid air, he said, cost one 
cent, and produced an amount of cold equal 
to that of 85 pounds of ice, whose cost was 
very considerably greater. 
Can The R. N.-Y. tell us whether this 
liquid air could be used to keep milk? If 
so, do you know what would be the cost 
of the machinery for making it? 
Ans. —We have seen the machine in 
which Mr. Tripler makes the liquid air. 
It is complicated and expensive, far be¬ 
yond the means of the average dairy¬ 
man. In spite of all the papers print, 
liquid air is thus far only a chemical 
curiosity. Mr. Tripler devised a ma¬ 
chine for liquefying the air at a reduced 
cost, and a Swede has invented another 
machine. No one has yet been able to 
harness this liquid air and make it do 
useful work. It is dangerous stuff to 
handle, both on account of its fearful 
cold and its tendency to explode when 
confined. The statement about the brew¬ 
ery may be true, but the liquid air is 
not yet available for small operations. 
Keeping Cabbage in Winter. 
Several Subscribers.— What is the way to 
keep cabbages in the Winter, where there 
are no conveniences for storing in a cellar 
or root pit? 
Ans. —There seems to be a good pros¬ 
pect for late cabbage. While the dry 
weather in midsummer made planting 
difficult, there has generally been suffi¬ 
cient rain in the eastern districts to en¬ 
courage Fall growth, and well-estab¬ 
lished plants are heading up finely. Cab¬ 
bages will endure considerable frost, 
and are really improved by it. By the 
middle of November they should be 
stored in pits or cold vegetable cellars. 
If such conveniences are not at hand, 
pull up the cabbages, root and all, se¬ 
lect a well-drained spot, wrap the leaves 
closely around the head, and stand the 
heads, roots up, on the ground in rows, 
two or three heads wide. When all are 
in place, throw dry soil on them to the 
thickness of five or six inches, pack it 
firmly, leaving the roots sticking out of 
the top. Dig a small gutter about the 
heap to carry off the water. After the 
ground has become moderately frozen 
the heap or ridge can be covered with a 
few inches of litter or corn stalks. When 
cabbages are required in the Winter, 
one end of the bank is opened, and they 
are taken out as desired. The open end 
should be then carefully closed with 
soil. They retain their flavor best when 
buried in this manner, so that too many 
should not be taken out at once and kept 
exposed to the air. 
How to Test Cider Vinegar. 
J. M. C., Logansport, Ind.— How can I tell 
the strength of vinegar? Barrels at the 
groceries are marked 40 grains. Is there 
an instrument to test it, and if so, where 
can it be bought? 
Ans. —Forty-five grains equals V/z per 
cent acetic acid. The New York law 
states specifically that all vinegar must 
contain 4 y 2 per cent acetic acid, and all 
cider vinegar must have, in addition to 
this, two per cent of apple solids. The 
Indiana law requires four per cent acetic 
acid and two per cent apple solids. As 
a preliminary test for suspected vine¬ 
gar, the New York State Department of 
Agriculture uses Mott’s acetometer. This 
is a glass tube about a foot long and 
three-quarters of an inch in diameter, 
closed at one end. About two inches 
from the bottom is a zero mark, and the 
remainder of the tube is graduated into 
marks representing percentages. Vine¬ 
gar is poured in up to the zero mark, 
and the remainder of the tube is filled 
with a special red liquid supplied by the 
manufacturers of the instrument. The 
acetic acid in the vinegar mixes with the 
red liquid, and makes the whole mixture 
of a uniform color up to the mark show¬ 
ing the per cent of acetic acid the vine¬ 
gar contains. If 4 y 2 per cent is re¬ 
quired, the liquid must be of uniform 
color to that mark. There ds also a 
specific gravity test for solids. This is 
a graduated tube which is immersed in 
the vinegar, the mark to which it sinks 
denoting the percentage of solids. Of 
course these are only preliminary tests, 
as the official chemists make an analy¬ 
sis before any action is taken. The 
Genesee Fruit Company, 501 West 
Street, New York, can supply the ace¬ 
tometer. 
Minerals and Crimson Clover. 
S. II., Berwick, N. S.— Having read your 
endorsement of Crimson clover, I have 
tried it in my orchards for the last three 
years with the very best results. I give 
clean cultivation up to about the middle 
of July; then I sow the clover, 20 pounds 
to the acre, and the stand I get by Christ¬ 
mas is amazing, just a perfect mat. Under 
these circumstances, and by the looks of 
my trees, I don’t think that I require the 
nitrogen that is in bone meal, but I must 
have phosphoric acid and potash. I can 
get bone black at our local sugar refinery, 
costing about $15 per ton delivered, or I 
can get what the refinery folks call 
screenings, the fine dust out of burnt and 
ground bone, at the same price. Which is 
preferable? 
Ans. —The Crimson clover will prob¬ 
ably supply the nitrogen needed by the 
orchard. For a crop like potatoes you 
would need more soluble nitrogen, but 
the trees will doubtless succeed on the 
Crimson clover. If they should show 
the need of it you can quickly supply it 
in the form of nitrate of soda. Crude 
bone black is not an available fertilizer. 
It is bone charcoal, and before it can 
be rapidly utilized by the plant it must 
be “cut” or dissolved by acid. Bone 
black right from the filters, without any 
acid on it, will not make a useful fertil¬ 
izer for the orchard. The fine bone 
dust and burnt bone is worth more than 
the crude bone black. The dissolved 
bone black is an excellent source of 
phosphoric acid. You must remember 
that bone contains no potash. In order 
to obtain that necessary element you 
must get wood ashes, or one of the pot¬ 
ash salts. Good unleached wood ashes 
at $9 per ton will pay. If the price is 
higher we would use muriate of potash. 
Of the mixed bone dust and burnt bone 
we would use three parts by weight to 
one of muriate, or six parts of ashes. 
For the land’s sake—use Bowker’s 
Fertilizer. — Adv. 
TREES 
at Wholesale prices. Apple, Plum and 
Pears, $0 per 100; Peach, 3c. Cat. Free 
Reliance Nursery, Box 10, Geneva, N. V, 
PEACH 
Fine stock; low 
prices. Write for 
Planters’ Special Price-List. Tells 
about the wonderful/rost-proo/I RON MOUNTAIN 
Peach. LINDSLEY’S NUKSEKY,White House, N.J. 
The Future of 
Children 
A child’s life may be 
blighted by the diseases of 
youth, such as Rickets, 
which is characterized by 
weak bones or crooked 
spine, and inability to stand 
or walk steadily, or Maras¬ 
mus, that wasting disease 
characterized by paleness 
and emaciation, or Scrofula, 
a constitutional disease of 
the glands and neck. 
Scott’s Emulsion 
of pure Cod-Liver Oil with Hypo- 
phosphites of Lime and Soda will 
prevent and cure these diseases, 
it supplies just the material needed 
to form strong bones, rich red 
blood and solid flesh. It will also 
reach the infant through the moth¬ 
er’s milk, and be of the greatest 
benefit to both. 
At all druggists; 50 c. and $ 1.00 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
iJadoo Fibre and Jadoo Liquid 
Will give you Early Crops and Large Crops 
of Vegetables or Fruit. Send for Catalogues 
and be convinced of the merits of these 
new Fertilisers. 
THE AMERICAN JADOO CO., 
815 Falrmount Avenue. Philadelphia, Pa. 
Plants 
CABBAGE 
AND 
LETTUCE. 
Cheap in Large Lots 
J. LINTHICUM, Woodwardville, A. A. Co., Md. 
NEW YOKE STKAWBEKRY PLANTS by 
mail for $1. T. C KKVITT, Athenla, N. Y. 
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. 
jCurrant Plants for sale 
At $14.30 per 500 
Nr early planting. Order now. Rural 
.New "i orker says ; •• Red Cross Is the best 
or new. currants for njldseason." 
* • Experiment Station says U is large 
land nivu netloo ° l 
and productive. J b i 
We are headquarters for Loudon red 
raspberry plants. Apple tree* for 
Hie million; dwarf and Hrandnrd 
Pear trees In surplus at sacrifice prices. 
1 , e offer all small fruits,and everything fori 
he orchard, park or garden. Send for our 
FALL PLANTING. 
Our CATALOGUE tells all about the Trees, Plants and Vines that can be planted with safety in the 
Fall, and explains why you should plant at this season. It will be mailed Free. Send your address 
T. J. DWYER & SON, Box 1, Cornwall, N Y. 
n 
Hard At It 
now, and we are ready any time to help you. 
Abundant rains, easy digging, an early start, 
prompt shipment and good stock, that’s what makes yonr order a SUCCESS, 
_and with our fresh, well-ripened, hardy, northern-grown trees, we can help _ 
you make your Fall-planting a success. Don’t wait for us to write to you, but send to-day where you 
get full value in trees for your money to 
THE ROGERS NURSERIES, TREE BREEDERS, DANSVIELE, N. Y. 
n 
The October Purple Plum. 
Luther Burbank’s latest and best production. We are 
the introducers and can furnish first-class stock at lowest 
prices. We have 500 acres in nursery stock—shade trees, 
fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs and small fruit plants, in 
fact anything you can ask for. Catalogue, with colored plate 
picture of October Purple Plum, free. Write to-day. 
STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS CO., Box 10, New Canaan, Conn. 
PEACH 
Grand lot of trees, free from borers, 6 cale, aphis, yellows, 
etc. 
etc. 
Large Stock of Pear, Plum, Apple, Cherry, Quince, 
Immense supply of Sr all Fruits. Headquarters for 
Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Bulbs. 
40 acres Hardy Roses. 44 Greenhouses filled with Palme, Ficus, Ferns, PandauuB, 
Roses, etc. Correspondence solicited. Catalogue and Price List free. 
The STORRS & HARRISON CO. T P^inesville, O. 
