1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
69 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. 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.] 
Hardiness of Miller Raspberry. 
J. D., Byron, Ont. —What is The R. N.-Y.’s report of the Miller 
Red raspberry as to hardiness? Could you recommend it for 
planting here, where the Turner is perfectly hardy, and Cuthbert 
nearly so ? 
Ans. —At the Rural Grounds, the Miller Red is per¬ 
fectly hardy—hardier, we are inclined to think, than 
the Cuthbert. We should not hesitate to plant it 
wherever the Turner is hardy. 
Will Japan Plums Sprout on their Own Roots ? 
T. B., Nemaha, Neb. —Will the Japan plums sprout on their own 
roots, or if planted several inches deeper than the bud, will they 
strike root and sprout ? 
Ans. —So far as I know, the Japan plums do not 
sprout from their roots, whether they are seedlings or 
worked on other stocks. If any one has had different 
experience, it would he a satisfaction to know it. 
ii. E. v. n. 
Where Mazzard Cherry Stock Succeeds. 
YV. II. II, Letcher, S. II. —Is Mazzard stock for cherries hardy ? 
Does it sucker? Are trees more vigorous or productive on Mazzard 
than on Mahaleb stocks? A nurseryman claims that trees are 
more vigorous, more productive, longer lived on Mazzard than on 
Mahaleb. 
Ans. —Perhaps the nursery agent may believe that 
Mazzard cherry stocks are the best for South Dakota, 
but 1 do not. They are more tender than Mahaleb 
stocks. That State has a trying climate for any kind 
of cherry trees, and for cherry stocks as well. In the 
States or parts of States where the Heart or Bigarreati 
cherries do well, which are either in the middle 
Atlantic regions or on the Pacific slope, the Mazzard 
stock is very suitable. But beware of it on the west¬ 
ern prairies. I have tried it in Kansas, and there it 
was a failure, and the farther north we go, the more 
tender it is. h. k. v. d. 
Washes for Peach Borers. 
W- It. L., Birdsboro, Pa .—Last spring, I gave my orchard of 1,200 
peach trees, a good coating of a wash advised by a fruit-growers’ 
paper, which was recommended highly. After being on several 
months, the outside bark cracked loose from the stems of my trees, 
and gum began oozing out. On examination, I found some trees 
full of little white worms beneath the bark. About 15 trees are 
already dead, and I may lose several more. A new bark formed 
on the rest, and the old is scaling off. What can I do to help 
those trees, and will this be an injury to those yet alive ? The 
wash is as follows: 25 pounds caustic potash, three pounds 
arsenic, two gallons crude carbolic acid, with water, lime and 
clay tc make a stiff wash. Apply with a brush. Would a wash 
with lime and clay do any good to clean the stems, as now they 
look unsightly ? 
Ans. —The practice of smearing the trunks of peach 
trees to keep out borers, or to destroy them or their 
eggs, is usually injurious, and in some cases, fatal, 
provided there is anything in the washes of sufficient 
strength to disturb the insects. The carbolic acid is 
the thing that, probably, did the harm in the wash as 
above stated, although the arsenic might have been 
somewhat harmful, too. Let such nostrums alone, is 
my advice. They are troublesome and costly, as a 
rule, and if strong enough to kill the borers, they will 
kill the trees, too. Digging out the borers is generally 
thought to be the safest and surest way to fight them. 
Nothing will do the trees much good now. n. k. v. d. 
Pear Trees Grow Too Fast; Pear Psylla. 
T. A. P., Independence , Mo. —1. What Is wrong with my Duchess 
dwarf pear trees ? They bloom freely, but set no fruit. I have 
800, set three or four years. 2. What is the Pear psylla ? 
Ans. —Without seeing the pear orchard, or, at least, 
knowing more of the conditions than are stated by 
T. A. P., it is impossible for me to tell why the trees 
do not bear. Perhaps they are growing too fast, from 
too much nitrogen in the soil. But as they have been 
set only three and four years, it is not surprising that 
there is not much fruit yet. Do not put on stable 
manure, but cultivate thoroughly, and if the land is 
poor, apply dissolved bone for phosphoric acid and 
potash in the form of muriate of potash. Prune back 
the young growth each year, do your duty as 
above indicated and be patient. 2. The Pear psylla is 
an insect which starts from an egg laid in the very 
small cracks and rough places in the bark of the 
twigs, in early spring. Great numbers are often laid 
in a short time. They hatch out in about two weeks, 
into the little flat creeping things which suck the sap 
of the tree. They do not move much in this stage, 
but exude a liquid which is called honey-dew. This 
is sometimes so abundant as to cover them all over, 
and even drip and run down the branches and leaves. 
They become full-grown insects in about a month 
after hatching, when they have wings and look like 
very small Seventeen-year locusts. They have beau¬ 
tiful transparent wings, and fly very quickly when 
alarmed. Kerosene emulsion is the best known rem¬ 
edy, and should be applied in the early stages of life. 
II. E. v. D. 
Setting a Cranberry Bog. 
C. B. II.. Sanford's Corners, N. Y —What is the proper way to 
start a cranberry bog? 
Ans. —The requisites for a cranberry bog are low, 
moist soil which can be drained, and at the same time, 
be so arranged that, by closing the gates in the 
drainage ditch, it can be flooded when desired. Such 
land is usually marshy or swampy in its natural state, 
sometimes covered with a scrubby g-rowth of trees, 
and more or less bogs and hummocks. The first thing 
to do is to ditch the ground, leading all the side ditches 
into one main ditch which can be fitted with a gate at 
its outlet, so that the water may be allowed to run, or 
be stopped at will, to flood the bog. Then the bogs, 
trees, and in fact, nearly the whole surface, must be 
grubbed out and cleaned off. This process is called 
turfing, and sometimes costs several hundred dollars 
per acre. Sometimes an old mill-pond is used, and 
then there is very little clearing to be done. After 
the turfing, the surface is covered with several inches 
of sand. The vines to be planted should be healthy 
and thrifty; they are cut to six or eight inches in 
leng-th, and are then trodden well into the sand. Little 
after-cultivation is required. Sometimes a site in¬ 
tended for a bog is flooded with water for two or three 
years to kill the vegetation, as this is cheaper than 
turfing, but it takes a longer time. Cranberry Culture, 
$1.35 postpaid from this office, is a good hand-book on 
the subject. 
Will a Trademark Protect He w Fruits ? 
O. YV., Salem, Va. —Is there any such a thing as securing-a 
trademark on new fruits, so as to keep others from budding or 
grafting them ? I am told that one can’t sell such fruits under 
the trademark name, but can grow as many as desired. 
Ans. —There is a difference of opinion on this sub¬ 
ject. Rowland Cox, of New York City, one of the 
most eminent trademark lawyers in the city, says that 
a trademark may be used for protection for a vine or 
plant. Judge Wales says: “ The protection of a 
trademark cannot be obtained for an organic article 
which, by the law of its nature, is reproductive, and 
derives its chief value from its innate vital powers in¬ 
dependently of the care, management or ingenuity of 
man. In the absence of a special contract between 
the parties, what is to prevent the buyer from culti¬ 
vating the vine or plant, and selling its product, 
whether of wood or of fruit, under the name of the 
parent stock ? Certainly not a trademark.” Whether 
some other judge might think differently or not, I 
cannot say. One eminent trademark lawyer, you see, 
says that a trademark can be used for the protection 
of a name of a vine or plant, and another eminent 
judge says that it cannot be so used. I would not, 
however, advise J. G. W. to spend much money in 
trying to protect the name of any new fruit, until a 
law is made for this special purpose. EDWIN HOYT. 
Fertilizer for Potatoes with Green Rye. 
J. R., Greensburg, Pa .—I have a field, which is in fair condition, 
and has a fair crop of rye growing on it. This I purpose to turn 
under in April, for potatoes, adding from 500 to 800 pounds of 
potato fertilizer to the acre. I desire to mix my own fertilizer. 
Where and in what proportions shall I buy ? The land is a clay 
loam. 
Ans. —On a soil of this character, a mixture of 300 
pounds of nitrate of soda, 400 of cotton-seed meal, 400 
of fine ground bone, 300 of muriate or sulphate of 
potash, and 000 of dissolved rock or bone black, will 
give a fair analysis for potatoes. The sulphate of 
potash will, doubtless, give a better quality of pota¬ 
toes, but the muriate will be cheaper. 
Varieties of Peas for Market Gardening. 
Subscriber, Rockland County, N. Y. —I expect to try market gar¬ 
dening this year, and as peas will be one of the principal crops, 
I would like to learn the habit of growth, and time from planting 
to first fair picking, of the following varieties: Juno, Pride of the 
Market, Bliss’s Everbearing, Bliss’s Abundance, Heroine, Nott’s 
Excelsior, Queen, Premium Gem, and Stratagem Improved. 
Ans. —We tried Pride of the Market in 1883 ; 300 
pods weighed 04 ounces, containing 1,388 seeds, weigh¬ 
ing 32 ounces. The vines grew to the height of two 
feet. They were branching and vigorous. The main 
crop was picked July 10. Planted April 3. The Queen 
pea, in 1884, was planted April 15. July 3, the vines 
were nearly five feet high. The first picking was 
July 6. Fifty pods weighed 13 ounces, containing 278 
seeds, which weighed 0% ounces. Bright, lively-green 
color when cooked. There is a pea known as Early 
Queen, the vines growing but two feet high, bearing 
small, yellow, wrinkled peas, maturing June 29 when 
planted April 11. Juno was tried last season. • Planted 
April 1, July 1, the vines were three feet high ; the 
leaves and stems were unusually vigorous. July 7 
was the height of the season. It is one of the most 
prolific varieties we have ever tried. Pods average 
between three and four inches, often eig'ht peas to a 
pod, and of a deep green color. The peas mature 
through a long season, continuing to form as late as 
July 15, It is a grand variety. Nott’s Excelsior is the 
best of the dwarf wrinkled peas, and nearly as early 
as the first smooth peas. The vines grow to a height 
of about 15 inches. Stratagem Improved is much the 
same as the old Stratagem. Abundance is a mid- 
season branching pea, continuing to mature through 
several weeks. Pods about three inches long, con¬ 
taining- about six large-sized wrinkled peas. Height of 
the vines average 2>£ feet. The Heroine is an inter¬ 
mediate wrinkled variety, with very vigorous vines 
growing nearly three feet high. The pods are very 
large and usually well filled, often containing as 
many as 10 large seeds. It is a fine variety, and we 
should plant it in preference to Abundance, Everbear¬ 
ing, Profusion, and others of that class. One need not 
care for the Gem when he can get Nott’s Excelsior. 
Feeding from a Double Silo. 
T. C., Lynchburg, Va. —Can yon help me out on a silo problem ? 
I have a silo divided into two rooms about 12 x 12 feet and 22 feet 
deep each, intended for 25 cows for six months; but as I have not 
that number of grown cattle yet, I want to divide each room into 
two so as to run for 12 months. Could not this be done with a par¬ 
tition of double plank, and paper between, without the cost of 
studding, and plank and paper on both sides? In filling, the ensi¬ 
lage could be run on first one side and then the other of this par¬ 
tition, till filled; after it is all settled, could it not be all used off 
one side of this partition without the partition bulging; that is, 
after the settling is finished, would not the ensilage be like the 
pomace in a cider press, and stand alone after the surrounding 
support is taken from it ? 
Ans. —After the ensilage has thoroughly settled, the 
walls of the silo may be taken down, and the ensilage 
will stand. This shows that there is no pressure 
against the side walls, once the settling is over with. 
While the plan you propose is feasible, there is danger 
that the percentage of spoiled ensilage will be great. 
Ensilage keeps best when in relatively large masses. 
In small square or rectangular silos, the percentage of 
waste is greater than with larger silos equally 
well constructed. If you adopt the plan proposed, 
extra care must be taken with the corners to make 
them rounding and tight. L. A. c. 
The Cutaway Harrow on Light Soil. 
F. P., Muskegon, Mich. —In Hope Farm Notes, for January 12, in 
reply to a reader from Connecticut about Fall plowing, it is said 
that light soils should have a winter cover rather than be plowed 
and left bare all winter. We have a very light, sandy soil, which 
is very much in need of vegetable matter, and I have Crimson 
clover and rye growing wherever I could get it started last Fall, 
to be plowed under next Spring. But I have plowed quite a 
tough piece of ground which I want to work next Spring as de¬ 
scribed in Hope Farm Notes, but I have no Cutaway. I have a 
spring-tooth, and a smoothing harrow. Would the spring-tooth 
do in place of the Cutaway? I know that they do different work. 
Would it be advisable to get a Cutaway, where one has a spring- 
tooth ? 
Ans. —We have no doubt that you can fit the sod 
land for oats by using the spring-tooth and smoothing 
harrows. The Cutaway does quite different work 
from that of the spring-tooth. It cuts, digs and turns 
up the soil and, on a light soil, takes the place of a 
plow in preparing the ground for many crops. To be 
used as a harrow alone, it might not pay to buy a Cuta¬ 
way. If your land is level, you would not have much 
use for the spring-tooth with the Cutaway, and the 
latter will do much of the work now done by the plow. 
We did, at least, three-fourths of our plowing with 
the Cutaway last year. In fact, this tool is not a har¬ 
row, strictly speaking, but is a digger. 
Pumping Water from a Spring. 
II. T. K., Douglassoille, Pa. —I have a spring 22 feet below the 
top of a rise in the ground. It is 170 feet from the spring to the 
top of the rise. Can I put a windmill on top of this rise to pump 
the water into a tank ? 
Ans. —There will be no difficulty in operating a pump 
on top of a rise of 32 feet in 170, by the use of a com¬ 
mon windmill. If there is a sufficient flow from the 
spring with a fall of eight or nine feet, a common 
water ram may be used, by which one-seventh of the 
quantity flowing from the spring may be raised wiih 
ease in this way. If there is water enough to fill a 1 >j- 
inch pipe, a half-inch delivery pipe may be used, and 
this may be used at all times without depending on 
the wind. The size of the pipe to be used with a 
windmill, of course, must depend on the quantity of 
water in the spring, in the calculation of loss of 
power by the friction of the water in the pipe, it must 
be considered that the smaller the pipe, the greater is 
the loss of head or height to which water may be 
lifted. Thus the height to which water may be lifted 
by a pump on the surface of the ground is 32 feet, but 
to lift water 170 feet, will cause a loss by friction 
equal to 1>£ foot when the velocity of the stream is 
one foot per second, and the pipe half an inch in 
diameter ; for greater velocities, this loss of power in¬ 
creases rapidly up to 28 feet, when the velocity is five 
feet in a second. These relate to half-inch pipes, in 
which the friction is 1% time greater than in a 
three-quarter-inch pipe. It is only 8% inches in a 
one-inch pipe, so that, by using this size of pipe with 
a velocity of one foot in a second, the loss in this 
way is immaterial. There is no question of the far 
greater efficiency of the water ram in this case, if only 
the flow of the spring is sufficient to fill the drive 
pipe. 
H. 8. 
