1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
657 
This is the chief reason for any argument in favor of 
the so-called “ Tennessee natural” peach seeds. 
H. E. VAN DEMAX. 
4s to Spraying Japan Plums. 
IF A. B., Farmer , N. Y .—Mr. Van Deman recommends spray¬ 
ing Japan plums with Bordeaux Mixture for brown rot, etc. I 
have read that the Japan plums do not take kindly to the Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture spray. Is this true ? 
Axs.—Yes, the Japan and all other plums are quite 
sensitive to spraying compounds of all kinds, and 
the greatest care should be used to have an abund¬ 
ance of lime in them to prevent their otherwise harm¬ 
ful effects. The ammoniacal solution of carbonate of 
copper is best for late sprayings, after the fruit would 
show the Bordeaux Mixture still remaining after 
being gathered. It should be very much diluted with 
water to make sure that no bad results to the foliage 
follow its application. Dilute one gallon of the mix¬ 
ture, as the printed formulas have it, in a barrel of 
water. They say two gallons. A little copper goes 
a great way in killing fungous germs. h. e. v. d. 
Varieties of Fruits and Flowers. 
O. O. IF., Williamstown , Mass. —1. What will clear land of the 
weed known as butter and eggs ? It has a bright yellow flower. 
2. What would your choice be in shrubs aud pl»uts for home 
grounds and farm, those that would be hardy in this section— 
about 10 or 12 varieties ? 3. What do you eons'der the most de¬ 
sirable hai-dy roses for outdoor planting? 4. What do you con¬ 
sider the best perfect-flowering strawberry to plant with Green¬ 
ville, Bubaeh, Haverland, and Warfield, on heavy slate loam ? 
ARs.—1. Nothing that we know of will exterminate 
this pernicious weed except constant cultivation ; the 
creeping roots are wonderfully tough and resistant. 
2 Japan quinces in variety, Deutzia, Wiegela, For- 
sythia, Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, Philadel- 
phus, Rhodotypos kerrioides, double-flowering Japan 
plum, Spiraea prunifolia, Spiraea Billardi. 3. General 
Jacqueminot, Charles Margottin, Baroness Rothschild, 
Abel Grand, Caroline de Sansal, M. P. Wilder, Baronne 
Prevost, Anne de Diesbach, Paul Neyr.n, Victor 
Verdier. 4. Marshall, Brandywine, Parker Earle, 
Glen Mary, and McKinley. 
Smut in Wheat and Corn. 
IF. N. McC ., Cecilton, Term. —There has been much talk this 
year as to the cause of smut. Most people say that the season 
has caused it, but I hardly believe it, though it looks that way 
this year. The wheat, in some cases, was.badly damaged, and 
now the corn is the worst I ever saw; in some fields, every tenth 
ear is smut. What do you sav about it ? 
Ans. —“Smut” in wheat or corn is a disease. It 
starts from little germs or spores which, when dry, 
are blown about by the wind. When the weather is 
favorable (damp, hot weather is best for it), these 
germs grow rapidly and work through the ear or head 
to destroy the grain. Wet weather does not cause the 
disease—it merely gives the best chance for it to grow 
and spread just as certain kinds of weather and certain 
conditions are most favorable for the spread of malaria 
or typhoid fever. You should send to your experiment 
station at Knoxville, Tenn., and ask for bulletins on 
these smut diseases and methods of treating them. 
Cow Peas in Westchester County, l\l. Y. 
T. C., Somers, W. Y.— My cow peas here made what I should 
judge prodigious growth; they are waist high. I am at a loss to 
know just what to do with them, and have been thinking of ask¬ 
ing your advice. I have thought of letting them remain where 
they are and having my cows turned into the orchard to trample 
them down, aud next Spring plow them under. I had, also, 
thought of cutting them and using them for soiling my cows. I 
am not sure that they possess any great value as a milk producer. 
Ans. —Our own experience with cow peas on light 
soil leads us to believe them best suited for green 
manuring or for hog feeding. Our cows are not par¬ 
ticularly fond of them, although we know of many 
dairymen who feed them both green and as hay. Our 
advice to you would be either to let the vines die on 
the ground and plow them under in the Spring, or to 
turn the hogs into the peas, and let them eat what 
they will of them. In our opinion, hogs would be 
much better for utilizing them in this way, than any 
other stock. 
The Value of a Cover Crop. 
F. IF. B., Brooksvale, Conn. —Very often I read in farm papers 
that we must keep the land covered through the Fall and Winter 
with some eroj) such as rye, Crimson clover or something else in 
order to save nitrogen, etc. I have in mind a piece of highway 
that had been used at least l 0 years, and had been bare of all 
vegetation during all that time; but at last, the road must be 
straightened, as it was very crooked, which brought a part of it 
in one corner of a neighbor’s field. He plowed it and used it for 
his garden spot, without putting on any kind of manure or fer¬ 
tilizer. This was about 15 years ago. Since the death of the 
owner, it has been kept in grass, but to-day one can see where 
the old road went across the field by a better yield of grass than 
on the rest of the field. Where did his garden crop or any of his 
grass crops get nitrogen ? He always had good crops on the old 
roadbed. 
Ans. —We do not see that this is any argument 
against the advice to keep land covered during the 
Winter. There are several reasons why that roadbed 
should produce well when put under cultivation. It 
was new soil. For 150 years, nothing had been taken 
from it. During that time, it must have received con¬ 
siderable fertility from the droppings of passing stock. 
Observe any part of a country road and you will see 
what this amounts to during a term of years. Again, 
the road was thoroughly crushed and worked and 
fined by passing teams and stock. In the course of a 
year, this would amount to considerably more than 
the usual cultivation given ordinary soil. We all know 
how such constant crushing and stirring will increase 
the amount of available fertility in soils. It has been 
demonstrated that there is less loss of fertility by 
leaching from sod lands than from bare ground. Cul¬ 
tivation during the Summer sets free considerable 
nitrogen. When frost kills the Summer crops, a good 
share of this nitrogen must pass away unless living 
plants are at hand to use it. That is why we advocate 
the use of crops that will grow in cold weather to fol¬ 
low those that die at frost. 
Cuthbert Raspberries in a Vermont Winter. 
F. H., Ludlow, Vt .—How should Cuthbert raspberries be pre¬ 
pared for Winter in this latitude, which is a very cold one ? 
Ans. —Cuthbert raspberries are usually perfectly 
hardy at Burlington, and I do not think they would 
bs killed back seriously at Ludlow, unless it were 
under exceptionally unfavorable conditions. In case 
protection be thought necessary, the work should be 
A PRUNING HOOK FOR RASPBERRIES. Fig. 302. 
begun by cleaning out the old dead canes and burning 
them. The burning is important. The removal of 
these old canes is most easily accomplished with the 
help of a pruning hook made of an old file inserted in 
a fork handle, as at Fig. 302. The remaining canes 
may be bent down to the ground and covered with 
pine boughs, or weighted with stones and covered 
with mulch. Almost any sort of covering- will answer. 
In fact, if the canes be carefully laid down, they will 
usually be well covered and sufficiently protected by 
the snow. f. a. waugh. 
Vermont Experiment Station. 
4 Talk About Tile Drainage. 
H. S. IF, Lysander, N. Y. —1. Will tile do perfect work in drain¬ 
ing, when placed in the ditch without being covered with small 
stones or coarse gravel ? 2. On good hard bottom, are horseshoe 
tile reasonably sure to stay in place and right side up? Are 
they as good as round tile ? 3. If no stones are used, but earth 
shoveled right on the tile, in sandy soil, but which has good hard 
bottom, does one need to put anything over the joiuts ? If so, 
what and how ? 4. Is it any benefit to lay the tile to one side of 
the ditch to make them firmer? If no stones are used, should 
one put straw on the tile, before the soil is thrown in ? 6. How 
should the tile be laid around quite a sharp bend in the diteli ? 
7. Should the tile be placed on a board over any soft place found 
in the bottom ? 
ANSWERED BY L. A. CLINTON. 
1. Tile when properly placed in a ditch, do not require 
a covering of small stones or gravel, and they will do 
better work if the regular soil is used for covering. 
2. Horseshoe tile are not as good for the purpose of 
draining as round tile. While they would be reason¬ 
ably sure to stay in place if properly laid, they are 
Dot as efficient as round tile. The reason they are 
not as efficient is shown in Fig. 303. If but a small 
stream of water is flowing, it spreads out over the 
entire flat surface of the horseshoe tile, and there 
is not depth enough of water to cause the removal of 
silt or sediment which may accumulate. It is far 
more difficult to lay horseshoe tile and do good work 
than to lay round tile. If the round tile does not 
ROUND TILE. Fig. 303. HORSESHOE TILE. 
make a tight joint with its neighbor, it may be turned 
until a place is found where the joint is reasonably 
satisfactory. If the horseshoe tile does not fit with 
its neighbor, then the shovel must be used and earth 
removed or filled in as the occasion may require. If 
horseshoe tile are used, they will do better work if 
they are laid with the flat side up, for then conditions 
as to the flow of water are produced which are more 
nearly like those present with the round tile. 3. When 
round tile are laid, it is well to lay a piece of common 
tarred building paper over the joint before filling in 
with earth. No matter how tight the joint is made, 
there is always a slight opening, and there is a possi¬ 
bility that soil may pass into the tile and obstruct the 
passage. After the tile are placed, a small piece of 
building paper laid over the joint just before replac¬ 
ing the earth will insure against obstruction. 4. It is 
not necessary to place the tile to one side of the ditch 
to make it more firm ; indeed, it is best not to place 
it to one side, but as near the center as possible. In 
opening the ditch for tiles, it is well to remove the 
soil at the lower part of the ditch with a narrow 
ditching spade. If regular ditching tools are used, a 
scoop will be found serviceable. This makes a slight 
groove in which the tile will lie firmly. 5. No straw 
is needed over the tile. If the building paper is used 
as before described, it will be sufficient. When the 
ditch is filled, the first earth thrown in should be 
carefully placed and be packed evenly on both sides 
of the tile. No stones or clods should be thrown in 
at first, but fine earth should be used. 
6. Quite a sharp bend in a tile di-ain should be 
avoided if possible. Everything should be avoided 
which will tend to impede the flow of water. If it is 
not possible to avoid the sharp bend, then curved tile 
may be put in ; these will carry the water around the 
bend with the least possible friction. Another 
method which has been extensively used where it is de¬ 
sired to change the direction of a drain, is to put in a silt 
basin. I recommend the use of the curved tile which 
can be purchased of any dealer. 
7. In laying tiles over quicksand, it is frequently 
well to place them on a board or upon pieces of sod 
laid in the bottom. I recommend that H S. W. pur¬ 
chase a little book entitled Land Drainage, by Miles. 
This can be obtained from Tiie R N.-Y. for $1, and 
will give much valuable information. 
Sawdust for Potting Soil. 
O. B., Jersey City, iV". J. —I need woods earth or leaf mold, but I 
can’t get it. Can I use a substitute, prepared sawdust rotten 
with liquid manure and part garden soil? Or would it be better 
to u=e leaves out of the woods, one layer, and sods another layer, 
mixed, and have it rotting during the winter? 
Ans. —It is not advisable to use sawdust as suggested 
in the compost heap, there being but little nourish¬ 
ment for plants in such a soil. In addition to this, 
the decaying wood furnishes an admirable medium 
for various fungoid growths, and on this account is 
likely to do more harm than good to the roots of the 
plants placed therein. The other method suggested, 
namely, that of building a compost heap of alternate 
layers of leaves and sod is much the better plan, and 
if each layer of leaves be given a thorough wetting 
with manure water before being covered with the sod, 
the decaying of the leaves will be hastened and the 
ultimate value of the compost will be much greater. 
It may be added that the leaves of oak or beech trees 
are considered to be among the most valuable for this 
purpose. w. u. TAPLIN. 
Plants Stored in the Dark. 
.7. B., Windham, JV. Y. —Is there another edible, besides the 
mushroom, that will thrive in the dark? I have large spaces 
that are adapted for mushrooms, and the question has arisen ia 
my mind often whether they can be utilized for any other pur 
pose, either vegetable or floral ? 
Ans. —A dark place in which the temperature is un¬ 
der control could be temporarily used during the 
Winter for the storage of hyacinths, tulips, and 
Narcissus, the bulbs of which should be planted 'n 
pots or boxes, then given a moderate watering and 
stored in a cool and dark place until some root growth 
had been made. But these bulbs would have to be 
brought out into the light before the shoots were far 
advanced, or the growth and flowers would be very 
weak. There is, however, much competition in this 
line of business now, and if within reach of a good 
market, we w’ould advise J. B. to devote the space 
to mushrooms instead, the latter esculent being much 
more likely to prove profitable, if carefully handled. 
“ Chickens Fed on Sunflowers ” ! 
O. C. H., Mukanda, III .— I read some time ago of a Long Island 
farmer who had planted 40 acres of sunflowers, and in connection 
had 3,000 chickens. I wish to get his address. 
Ans. —It is safe to say that there is no such farmer 
on Long Island or anywhere else. The plan is absurd 
on its face. The story is one of the ridiculous -‘fakes” 
that appear from time to time in the daily papers. 
Some reporter possibly saw a small patch of sunflowers 
growing, and some enthusiastic hen man filled him up 
with a great story about what might be done. That 
is, probably, all there is to it. The scheme of feeding 
3,000 hens on 40 acres of sunflower seed is perfect non¬ 
sense. You might better try to correspond with the 
man in the moon ! 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Varieties of Blackberries.—E. D. R., Crooked Creek, Pa.—The 
Taylor blackberry has greeu wood. Early Cluster is an excellent, 
first early variety. We can also recommend Bangor. 
Setting Cedar Trees.—W. \V., Milltowu, New Brunswick.—We 
much prefer ea ly Spring for setting out ce iar trees for hedges. 
Tnis is much better than to attempt to set them in the Fall. 
Covering Grape Seedlings.—W. S. G., Tompkinsvilie, Pa.—All 
grape seedlings which are to be protected through the Winter, 
should be covered lightly with evergreen boughs, straw or light 
litter of any kind. Tne canes might be beut over aud covered 
with soil. 
Weevils in the Granary.—W S , Ohio.—Weevils and all other 
insects may be destroyed in the granary by the use of carbon 
bisulphide. The granary or bin should be made as tight as 
possible, and the bisulphide poured into a vessel on top of the 
grain. It is very inflammable, and no light should be brought 
near it. It volatilizes rapidly, and as it is heavier than air, settles 
ail through the grain. 
Smut in Wheat—Several Subscribers.—The common way of 
treating seed wheat to destroy smut, is to soak it in a solution 
of bluestone or blue vitriol; six pouuds of the bluestone are dis¬ 
solved in four gallons of hot water. This is put in a barrel with 
enough more water added to make 20 gallons The seed wheat is 
put in a loose sack and dipped into this solution, aud then lifted 
out so as to drain back into the barrel. Then it is poured on the 
floor, and lightly dusted over with air-slaked lime, aud thoroughly 
dried before sowing. Another plan is to soak the wheat in water, 
at a temperature of 131 degrees. Tuis water must not be below 
130 or above 131, which leaves but a narrow margin, aud one 
difficult for farmers to be sure of. 
