1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
53 
for 40 acres of chestnut timber three to five years old. 
We think this price reasonable. wm. parry. 
New Jersey. 
Better Pay for New Sprouts. 
1. It will be rather an expensive operation to graft 
acres of trees six inches in thickness and 12 feet high. 
The grafting can be done successfully, but I believe 
it would be better to cut them away, allow new shoots 
to grow, and graft when one year old. This method 
will cost less and make the best trees. 2. We graft 
the one or two-year sprouts at a height of about three 
feet. This is a convenient height for the operator. 3. 
I believe that the Paragon is one of the most profit¬ 
able varieties of chestnuts. It is an enormous bearer 
and bears at an early age. We have trees bearing the 
second year after grafting. 4. At this stage of chest¬ 
nut growing on sprouts, it is difficult to. advise as to 
the pi’ice which may be paid for suitable land. There 
is no doubt about the bearing qualities of the im¬ 
proved nuts, but whether the insects can be success¬ 
fully combated must be decided in the future. 
Pennsylvania. j. G. reist. 
Club Root in the Cabbage. 
A. S., Ansonia, Conn. —I have a garden plot, 30x100 feet; the 
soil is not rich, but in a fair condition. I have used it five years. 
Last season, I failed to grow cabbage, cauliflower, and a few 
other things, because of club root. What can be done to remedy 
the matter ? I don’t want to seed it to grass, as I wish to use it 
again as a garden. Am I right in using air-slaked lime; if so, 
when shall I apply it, and how much for the plot ? 
Ans.—T he best method of checking the fungous dis¬ 
ease known as club root, which has yet been found, 
is to apply air-slaked stone lime to the soil. It has 
been experimentally demonstrated that, when the lime 
is applied in April, at the rate of 75 bushels per acre, 
a crop of cabbages, cauliflower or other similar plants 
can be grown with but little trouble from club root. 
This would mean the application of about 5J4 bushels 
of the lime on the garden plot. In order to insure 
success, it is, also, well to burn all refuse of the cab¬ 
bage crop at harvest time, and allow no Shepherd’s 
purse or Hedge mustard to grow on the plot, for these 
weeds are also attacked by the same disease, and 
would thus perpetuate it in the soil. It is, also, very 
essential to start witli seedlings which are entirely 
free from the disease. Where the disease is very 
prevalent, one should not grow cabbages and similar 
crops in the same soil for more than two or three 
years in succession. M. v. s. 
Grafting on Wild Thorn and Wild Grape. 
J. If. It., Stuart'8 Draft, Va. —I have a piece of land suitable fo- 
plums and grapes. Wild Red plums and thorn trees, and wild 
Fox grapes are growing ou the land. Can I graft on the above n - 
If so, what can I graft on the thorn trees; and should I graft on 
the branches or at the root ? 
Ans.—T here is no profit in bothering to graft eithe r 
the wild grape vines oi' thorn trees. If I wanted to 
grow grapes or any other kind of fruit on the land, I 
would dig out everything clean, and grow some culti¬ 
vated crop on it, at least for one year before plant¬ 
ing. Then plant good nursery stock and take good 
care of it. This would be cheaper in the end and far 
better than tinkering with a lot of irregular-sized 
stocks here and there over the land. They could not 
be cultivated with ease or satisfaction. The pear will 
grow on the thorn, but the grafts are likely to bi*eak 
oft' when they get large. I have tried it and do not 
like the practice. h. k. v. d. 
A Batch of Fruit Questions. 
C. E. If, Bishop, III. —1. Are plums grafted or budded or peach 
roots better and healthier than on plum roots ? 2. Which is the 
better, grafting or budding? 3. What is whole root and piece, 
root grafting? What advantage has one over the other? 4. 
have seven Red Astrachan apple trees, seven years old, which I 
intend to top-graft in the Spring. What kind of winter apples 
would you recommend ? 5. Do you know anything about the 
Pennsylvania Red Streak apple ? 
Ans. —1. Plum trees upon peach roots have been 
tested over and over, and are quite generally con¬ 
demned because the union is not durable. Marianna 
plum makes the best stock for the native and Japan 
plums, because it unites with them very satisfactorily, 
is hardy, and does not sprout. It grows from cuttings 
very easily, especially in the southern States and 
California. 2. Pudding is nearly always the best for 
the plum. 3. See page 21 of The R. N.-Y. of January 
8. 4. If summer apples are desired, and for market 
purposes, graft on Yellow Transparent. If for family 
use, put on a number of the best kinds of the season 
desired, such as Benoni, Primate, Early Joe, Jefteris 
or any other good ones that the neighbors may have. 
It depends upon whether the winter apples are ex¬ 
pected to be marketed or used at home. If to sell, 
plant York Imperial, Ben Davis and Jonathan. If for 
home use, leave out the Ben Davis and add Roman 
Stem and Grimes Golden. 5. Wine is the correct name 
of the apple often called Pennsylvania Red Streak. It 
is a late Fall apple in Illinois, is of rather large size, 
flat shape, red striped color, and fair quality. It makes 
a very good orchard tree, as it bears well and quite 
regularly. H. E. V. D. 
Diseased Peach Trees; Where to Buy Trees. 
If B. B., Eastford, Conn.— 1. What ails my three-year-old peach 
orchard ? It bore full the past season. Part of the trees had fruit 
which seemed to be pricked full of fine holes. What I did not pick 
green, rotted before ripening. Then the gum would begin to run, 
and now the limbs that bore these peaches are dead. Aside from 
that, the trees have made a good growth and look well. 2. 
Would you recommend planting peach trees from Maryland or 
Pennsylvania, where they are grown with care, or would you 
buy in your own State ? I have bought of Connecticut parties in 
the past, and when I went to their places, found that they did not 
grow them, but bought of others that grew them. 3. I have been 
told by one of our leading nurserymen to plant Japan plums 
8x8 feet. I have a block set in 1897, 13x 16 feet. Would you set 
more and make them 8x43 feet, and after they have borne a few 
crops, cut down one-half ? 
Ans.— 1. It is impossible to tell just what is wrong 
with the trees and fruit mentioned, but it may be one 
or more of the many fungous diseases. It would be 
well to send specimens of diseased leaves and fruit an¬ 
other season to the State Experiment Station at Mid¬ 
dletown. 2. It does not matter so much where a tree 
is grown as that it be healthy, provided it is 
planted in the Spring, and has a year’s growth in a 
colder climate before it has to endure the Winter. 
Only nurseries whose trees have been carefully in¬ 
spected by State experts should be patronized, because 
there are many diseases and insect pests in some of 
them. 3. Eight by eight feet is too close for any kind 
of plum tree. The orchard set 13 x 10 feet may be a little 
open for a few years, but it will be found to be about 
right when the trees get into full bearing, ir. E. v. n. 
Remarks About a Silo. 
0. C., Mass .—I built a silo last year, which I have not as yet 
opened. The sides of it are slanting, making the silo larger at 
the top than at the bottom. Do I understand by your answer to 
A. H., Vanessa, Ont., in Tuf, R. N.-Y. of December 25, that it will 
not prove a success built thus, or that the ensilage will be worth¬ 
less ? I think that A. II. meant that he intended to widen the dis¬ 
tance between the timbers, therefore using a less number of tim¬ 
bers instead of slanting the sides as you understand him. I don’t 
see how he is going to build a tub silo 11 feet in diameter in a 
space nine feet wide. My plan would be to put the girths cross¬ 
wise, and board up and down. I would use two thicknesses of 
straight-edge boards and paper between. 
Ans.—I n the answer to A. IT., Vanessa, Ont., on 
page 837, there are several conditions which enter into 
the construction of the silo he proposes, besides the 
slanting walls. In the first place, a silo 9x13 feet, 
A SILO WITH SLOPING SIDES. Fig. 22. 
with slanting sides, and 22 feet deep, is not a proper 
shape to give best results. Do not misunderstand me ; 
I do not say that the ensilage will not keep in such a 
silo, but the risk is far greater. In building a silo, 
there are other things to be taken into consideration 
besides the keeping of the ensilage. Cost of construc¬ 
tion and durability are essential points. If we .sup¬ 
pose A, B, C, D, in Fig. 22, to be the outline of a silo 
with slanting walls, it becomes quite evident why it is 
inferior to the vertical walls. The side wall, A B, is 
subjected not only to the pressure caused by the set¬ 
tling of the ensilage, but is constantly supporting an 
enormous weight, the tendency of which is to force 
out the side walls. It has been found by the Wiscon¬ 
sin Experiment Station that, in a vertical-walled silo, 
the pressure amounts to almost nothing after set¬ 
tling ; but not so with the slanting-walled silo. It 
must all the time be under the strain of the weight of 
the ensilage above it. This strain is likely to cause 
springing of the walls, which will allow entrance of 
the air, and cause ensilage to spoil. I do not know, 
either, how one would build a silo 11 feet in diameter 
in a space nine feet wide ; but the man who asked the 
question said that he was thinking of building a silo 
9 x 14 feet, and said nothing about the size of his base¬ 
ment. L. A. CLINTON. 
A Fertilizing Mixture for Tomatoes. 
W. .1. B., Caroline County, Md .—A heavy yield of tomatoes is 
wanted. IIow would the following do, applied broadcast, one ton 
on two acres: 1,200 pounds pure steamed tine-ground bone, 300 
pounds ground fish, 300 pounds ground tankage, and 200 pounds 
muriate of potash ? Would subsoiling be advantageous toward 
a larger yield of tomatoes ? The land is a clay subsoil. Can you 
suggest a better formula ? 
Ans.— In my judgment, the formula is not only too 
rich in phosphoric acid, but contains too small a pro¬ 
portion of “available”. The formula given, assum¬ 
ing average composition of the materials, would con¬ 
tain about: 3.5 per cent of nitrogen, 18 of phosphoric 
acid, both in organic forms, and 5 of potash. I also think 
that it would be desirable to have a larger proportion 
of soluble nitrogen. Our experiments have shown 
that nitrate of soda is the best form, provided an 
abundance of the minerals is used. I would, there¬ 
fore, suggest the following formula as a substitute for 
the one suggested : Steamed bone, 400 pounds ; tank¬ 
age, 400 ; acid phosphate, 600 ; nitrate of soda, 300 ; 
muriate of potash, 300. Assuming, again, average 
composition for these materials, the mixture would 
contain about: 3.5 percent of nitrogen, 11 of phos¬ 
phoric acid, 7.5 of potash. Of this, more than one-half 
of the nitrogen would be immediately available, more 
than one-third of the phosphoric acid would be in a 
soluble form, and the potash would be in greater 
amount than in the other formula, and for a clayey 
soil, this would be likely to g’ive good returns. If the 
land were sandy, I would recommend even a higher 
percentage of nitrogen. In reference to subsoiling, I 
should not regard it as particularly advantageous, un¬ 
less the subsoil is very hard and compact. A reason¬ 
ably open clayey subsoil would permit the free move¬ 
ment of water through it. E. B. voorhees. 
Grain Ration for Hens. 
C. F. C., Elgin, Mich. I have 75 fowls, about 50 being young 
pullets of mongrel breeds. The cocks used the past six years 
were White Leghorns mostly, but one season, a White Wyandotte 
was used, and two seasons, one Buff Cochin. The original flock 
were White Leghorns and Brown Leghorns. I have a warm 
house, plastered and alabastined inside, 8x15 feet, and have the 
shell of an old ice house connected with it, which I intend to 
prepare by putting in studding, boarding up inside and packing 
straw between the two walls. I shall also put in a floor overhead, 
and fill the loft with straw. I wish plenty of eggs this Winter. 
For vegetable food, I have cabbages, a few turnips and small po¬ 
tatoes. For grain I have corn only. I can buy middlings for 80 
cents per 100 pounds. Bran and linseed meal seem too loosening 
for our liens. I have some ground horse meat, and can buy crack¬ 
lings for one cent per pound. How can these be fed to make a 
balanced ration, and what quantity should be fed each day for 
the best results? I feed the cabbage by keeping one hung up 
in the house. I have plenty of clay-loam road dust, but find great 
difficulty in getting the hens to dust themselves in it. They seem 
to prefer well-rotted chip dust, or leached ashes, which are diffi¬ 
cult for me to obtain in a dry state. 
Ans. —If confined to these feeds alone, we would 
mix four parts of middlings, two parts of bran and 
one part of ground meat, to be fed as a mash morning 
and noon. For the 75 hens of average size, we would 
feed 12 pounds of this dry food per day in the two 
messes. At night, we would feed five pounds of whole 
corn, so they would be forced to hunt for it. This 
amount of food is about what we are giving average 
sized hens this Winter. The cabbage and turnips we 
would feed raw—the potatoes boiled and mixed with 
the mash. Your house room is small, unless the hens 
can run out on clear days. 
Wood Ashes, Hen Manure, Fertilizer. 
If B. It., Norwich, Conn. —Are uuleached, hard-woocl ashes 
worth $12 a ton ? What can I use for the same price that will 
give better results, on sandy land for oats and clover, the clover 
to be plowed under green ? On what garden crop can I use hen 
manure, for the best results ? What shall I add to it to get a bal¬ 
anced fertilizer ? Where can I send samples of our land to have 
it analyzed, and what will be the cost? Is fertilizer that analyzes 
as follows worth $35 a ton: nitrogen, 2.25 to 3.25 per cent; ammo¬ 
nia, three to four per cent; soluble and available phosphoric 
acid, six to eight per cent; insoluble phosphoric acid, two to 
four per cent; total, eight to twelve per cent. Total bone phos¬ 
phate, 18 to 26 per cent. Potash, 10 to 12 per cent, equal to sul¬ 
phate of potash, 18 to 22 ? Would you advise me to dig up five 
cows that were killed by lightning five years ago ? 
Ans. —We do not consider wood ashes worth $12 a 
ton as actual plant food. If of average quality, the 
ton will contain 100 pounds of potash and 30 pounds 
of phosphoric acid, worth a little less than $8 as com¬ 
pared with other forms of plant food. In 200 pounds 
of muriate of potash and 300 pounds of dissolved South 
Carolina rock, you will have just about as much plant 
food as in a ton of the ashes. The ashes also contain 
about 600 pounds of lime, and if the soil is inclined to 
be sour, or if you are to plow in green crops, you can 
buy this cheaper as stone or oyster-shell lime. For 
oats on sandy land, you should use nitrogen in some 
form with the potash and dissolved rock. Nitrate of 
soda is excellent for this crop. A mixture containing 
400 pounds of nitrate of soda, 250 pounds of muriate of 
potash, and 850 pounds of dissolved rock, well mixed 
with 500 pounds of well-dried muck or black soil, will 
give you a ton of fair fertilizer for oats. Chicken ma¬ 
nure alone is good to use on sweet corn or cabbage. If 
it can be kept dry with plaster, we would crush and 
fine it, and mix 500 pounds of the manure with 250 
pounds of dissolved rock, 125 pounds of muriate of 
potash and 125 pounds of nitrate of soda. The 
fertilizer mentioned is guaranteed to contain 45 
pounds of nitrogen, 120 pounds of available phosphoric 
acid, and 200 pounds of potash. This represents a 
valuation of less than $25. You can obtain as much 
plant food in 300 pounds of nitrate of soda, 1,000 
pounds of dissolved rock and 400 pounds of muriate of 
potash. We would not advise you to dig up the cows. 
You will find it very difficult to “ reduce” such dry, 
hard bones. 
