1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
689 
LINSEED MEAL AND BRAN COMPARED. 
The statement of Mr. Jackson, page 651, “ We use 
very little linseed meal; it is good, but too dear,” 
leaves room for more sober reflection than may be 
apparent at first thought. It is not the thing that 
costs most that is necessarily the dearest (except in 
the case of a sweetheart), but the thing that gives us 
the least value for the amount expended. I fully 
appreciate the high intrinsic feeding value of linseed 
meal, but I, too, use only a limited amount during 
the Winter, and this not so much for its food elements 
as for its medicinal qualities. For quite a while, the 
average prices, delivered here, have been §17 per ton 
for bran, and $31 per ton for linseed meal. The old- 
process meal being worth more than the new for feed¬ 
ing purposes, I will be strictly fair, and use the better 
for comparison with bran, basing my figures on the 
above actual prices at this point. 
The number of pounds of the food elements that we 
buy in a ton of each can at a glanee>be seen in the fol¬ 
lowing analytical table : 
Muscle- Fat- Pure 
makers. formers. fat. Total. 
Bran. 223.4 1,085 70.4 1,378.8 
Linseed meal. 564.4 658 142.0 1,364.4 
We notice first that a ton of linseed meal does not 
contain fully as many pounds of the food elements as 
a ton of bran. At first glance, this slight deficiency 
seems to be more than offset by the fact that the lat¬ 
ter contains less than one-half of the more valuable 
muscle-makers, and also of the pure fat. It becomes 
necessary, then, to calculate, at the given price, the 
cost per pound of the different food elements in these 
two feeds. The following is the result, in cents and 
fractions thereof : 
Muscle- Fat- Pure Total 
makers. formers. fat. Per ton. 
Bran.037213 . 006885 . 017221 J17 
Linseed meal.041230 . 007626 . 010096 31 
The matter is now plain, and we see that, not only 
do we pay more per ton, not only do we get a less 
number of pounds of digestible food (both of which 
points would not in themselves be conclusive), but 
we also actually pay more per pound for each food ele¬ 
ment, be that what it may. In other words, we get 
less value for the money we expend for the linseed 
meal. Over a great section of the country, bran can 
be bought decidedly cheaper than here, while there 
is not a corresponding proportionate decrease in the 
cost of linseed meal. In such places, the contrast is 
much greater. The feeding season being close at 
hand, farmers will do well to figure on possible leaks. 
It may be retorted that the manurial value of linseed 
meal is nearly double that of bran. True, but the 
cost, also, is nearly double. I am sure of greater 
manurial value from the same amount of money ex¬ 
pended for bran. The latter is richer in phosphoric 
acid and potash. The greatest loss is in the nitrogen 
that escapes in the ammonia, consequently the more 
of this present in a given substance, the greater the 
danger of pecuniary loss. 
With clover hay, bran gives us the readiest grain 
to form a balanced ration. With cow-pea hay, part 
of the bran may be replaced with ensilage, corn fodder, 
and so on. Where the less nitrogenous Timothy, fod¬ 
der, Orchard grass, etc., form the bulk of the ration, 
more concentrated food is necessary, lest we starve 
our stock while stuffing it, and a little figuring must 
be done to ascertain how to get the most value for the 
least money. I am highly in favor of linseed meal as 
a food, but I am strenuously opposed to the excessive 
price demanded for it. j. c. sengkr. 
Virginia. 
Farmers’ Club. 
[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.1 
PINE OR CEDAR SHINGLES— WHICH ? 
Are pine shingles more lasting in quality than cedar shingles? 
This question is often asked by our readers, and we would like 
to get the experience of practical builders. Another question 
often asked by our readers, is this: In laying shingles, either 
pine or cedar, will it pay to paint each course as they are put on, 
or dip them in coal-tar before laying? Will they last enough 
longer for this treatment, to pay for the extra expense ? 
Painting Does Not Pay. 
Cedar is more durable timber than pine. Good 
White pine will last 20 years in good serviceable con¬ 
dition in the form of shingles on a roof, but only 
under certain conditions. These are that the shingles 
are shaved, that they are not wider than six inches, 
and that the roof has a sufficient slope to prevent the 
water from running up the shingles by the capillary 
attraction, or being blown up by the wind, thus pre¬ 
venting rapid drying. Cedar shingles, half an inch 
thick, have lasted 40 years, under the circumstances 
above mentioned, as to the most durable laying of 
them. Painting shingles may easily render them 
less durable, unless it is properly done. We must 
think that paint will keep in water, if it will keep it 
out; and when a shingle roof is painted on the top 
after being laid, the under side of the shingles is pre¬ 
vented from drying as rapidly as should be, and this 
tends to the decay of the wood. A shingle should be 
dipped, or painted on both sides, or not at all. To 
soak shingles in hot lime wash tends to preserve them 
better than partly painting them. Coal tar is not the 
best preservative of shingles, on account of an acid 
existing in it which is not found in pine tar. But the 
best paint for shingles is the common red oxide of 
iron, which forms a metallic and insoluble compound 
with the linseed oil, and not only resists damp and 
water, but is fireproof. A shingle dipped in this kind 
of paint and dried, after a few days is almost fire¬ 
proof, and when burned in a fire, the paint on it still 
remains, and keeps its shape. Red hot embers or 
sparks may fall on a roof made with shingles thus 
covered, without setting the roof on fire. The best 
way to prepare the shingles, I think, is to dip them 
in this paint, and let them drain in a long trough into 
a pail or tub. This method secures the absorption of 
the most of the paint, and the most economy in the 
use of it. The plan sometimes followed, that is to 
paint each row of shingles as it is laid, and then lay 
the next course, is open to the objection above men¬ 
tioned. To paint the shingles all over, and let them 
dry, and then lay them, is the most satisfactory. But 
when an unpainted shingle roof will last 20 years, I 
do not think it pays to paint the shingles, this costing 
nearly as much as the making of them at the first. A 
shingle roof is like a chain, one link broken and the 
chain is gone; so with the roof, one leak spoils the 
whole of it, for to patch it is like the mending of 
the old garment with new stuff, the rent is made 
worse. This is so emphatically true that, if a shingle 
roof were in use in that ancient day, it would have 
certainly been made the type of this illustration. 
H. STEWART. 
Would Use a Slate Roof. 
Most of the pine shingles now on the market are 
made of dead timber or timber that cannot be utilized 
for other purposes, and are, therefore, not durable. 
Washington Red cedar shingles are sawed too thin to 
wear long, while some claim that the kiln-drying 
process to which they are subjected, is also injurious 
to them. A first-quality pine shingle will last 30 
years. A cedar shingle, thin as it is, will wear out in 
less time. But I would not know in what market we 
could get a first-quality pine shingle to-day. Painting 
shingles will add slightly to their durability, but 
scarcely enough to pay for the extra expense. To do 
the work properly about doubles the cost of the roof, 
or enough to pay for a slate roof underlaid with felt, 
which will last as long as the building does. Were 
we building again, I would be certain to use first 
quality slate, if at all possible, and if a second choice 
were made necqssary, it would, doubtless, be a galva¬ 
nized metal roof. .tohn l. shawver. 
Varieties of Apples for North Carolina. 
Subscriber, Texas.—I have land in Yadkin County, N. C., which 
I am thinking of planting to apples. What varieties are best 
suited to that country ? 
ANSWERED BY GEO. E. BOGGS. 
The average elevation of lands suitable for orchards 
is much greater in this county—Haywood—than in 
Yadkin. My experience has been limited to this 
county, and my observation to counties lying adja¬ 
cent in which conditions are similar. Yadkin is some¬ 
what mountainous and elevated, but the decided 
difference in these respects makes me hesitate to 
speak decidedly as to some varieties that do well 
here. As there are no large cities in or near Yadkin 
County, a commercial orchard should be limited to 
Fall and Winter varieties. 
The Newtown or Albemarle Pippin is, under the 
best conditions of soil and care, a very valuable variety 
here, but I would recommend it with caution for Yad¬ 
kin. Here it requires a deep, rich, dark, mountain loam, 
moist, but not in the least wet. In some of the 
more mountainous portions of Yadkin County, it might 
do well, but I would advise caution in using it. Care¬ 
ful investigation might assist in determining the ques¬ 
tion. But there is no lack of good varieties—Wine- 
sap, York Imperial, Mammoth Black Twig and Rome 
Beauty, the last to be planted in light soil only. 
It is as handsome as the Ben Davis, of better quality, 
a late bloomer, and almost sure to bear. The Ben 
Davis is very productive and handsome, but I find it 
is becoming increasingly unpopular in a good many 
markets in this and adjacent States. 
I cannot speak with certainty of many varieties 
of Fall apples. Some of our best Fall apples here are 
of northern origin and might not do well in Yadkin. 
The Bonum, a native of this State and a superior 
apple, will do well, and I am told that the Fall Pip¬ 
pin does well in the upper Piedmont region. The 
Grimes Golden, Black Gilliflower, Jonathan, Fameuse, 
Belmont, Yellow Bellflower, are good Fall apples 
here. The Hoover would do well in Yadkin, but the 
tree is short-lived here. It is a very handsome and 
salable apple. The tree blooms late, and is a sure 
and abundant bearer. 
Mites That are Mighty Troublesome. 
T. R., Gardner, Kan. —I send a few insects that annoy us very 
much about this time of year. They swarm all over the inside of 
the barn for a few weeks, so that we can hardly avoid getting 
them on our clothing, through which they creep in all directions. 
They do not bite, but are very irritating. I would like to learn 
the name, what they live on and where they spend 10 months of 
the year. As their eggs hatch in a few days, it would seem prob¬ 
able that the perfect insect hibernates somewhere. The first ones 
that we noticed were brought in some damp oat straw from the 
field. 
Ans. —The insects proved to be some species of mite, 
of which the well-known Red spider of house plants is 
a familiar example. Probably the mite which invades 
this barn is the Clover mite of the West. This mite 
works on clover and fruit trees, usually wintering in 
the egg stage on the fruit trees and outdoors gener¬ 
ally. Oftentimes these mites invade houses in the 
Fall, and many of them winter there. They are a 
decided “ inconvenience”, but do no special harm. I 
know of no practical method of ridding a barn of them. 
m. y. s. 
Mites on a Chestnut Leaf. 
H. B., Neio York. —I inclose a chestnut leaf; two years ago, a 
few branches had this appearance, last year many more, and 
this year, all the trees. It commences about the middle of June. 
What is it, is there a remedy ? Is it liable to be more serious ? 
Ans. —The brown, dusty appearance on the chestnut 
leaf is, doubtless, the work of a minute creature 
known as a mite ; the well-known Red spider of house 
plants is a familiar example of this class of animals. 
I have this year seen much of this dirty appearance 
upon chestnut leaves. I think the unusual abundance 
of these mites this year may be accounted for largely 
by the long, dry period during the Summer. Mites 
do not often thrive when moist conditions predomi¬ 
nate. I do not think that the pest will continue to 
increase in like proportion during the coming years, 
hence there is little cause for future alarm. It would 
be a very difficult and expensive job to spray chestnut 
trees with whale-oil soap or kerosene emulsion to kill 
these mites. m. y. s. 
Co-operation in Fertilizer Buying. 
W. II. M., Canton, ().—' There is usually au exorbitant profit in 
the sale of fertilizers and fertilizing materials at the expense of 
the farmer and gardener, because of the number of agents and 
middlemen, as well as the traveling men engaged in its sale. I 
believe that a reduction in the price to farmers can be made by a 
practice of what might be called up-to-date business methods. 
Why might not there be established in various sections, ware¬ 
houses to which the fertilizing material could be sent in quan¬ 
tities, the imported ingredients direct from the ship to the rail¬ 
road, other materials from the place of first production to such 
warehouses; they would then cost at the warehouses, the cost at 
New York, plus freight. The warehouse would then be able to 
sell fertilizer ingredients to the farmers at a very small increase 
in price over that which the ordinary inland fertilizer manufac. 
turer would have to pay for his stock, or possibly, they could be 
retailed at the same price that he now pays for his materials. 
Another advantage would be that a farmer wishing a fertilizer 
for any special crop could buy the materials and do the mixing 
himself if he wished. It seems to me that this is a perfectly 
feasible business proposition. What is your opinion ? 
Ans. —In theory, this plan is nearly perfect, but in 
actual practice it does not seem so successful. Who 
is to buy and control the warehouse ? It will require 
a very benevolent individual to put up the necessary 
capital and sell the goods close to cost. A combination 
of farmers such as a Grange or a cooperative creamery 
association might do it, and in some cases, this has 
been done. In such cases, however, we think the best 
results have been obtained by a company of farmers 
making a bargain with some fertilizer manufacturer 
to mix several hundred tons of a certain guaranteed 
formula. In Delaware, you will find one or more fer¬ 
tilizer factories at most of the towns. These factories 
handle the various ingredients separately, or will 
make any desired mixture of chemicals. Many of 
them are connected with canning factories which 
supply special mixtures to their patrons. The Dela¬ 
ware farmers certainly obtain their fertilizers at a 
very low cost. One reason for this is that nitrogen is 
cheap in that State, in the form of dried fish. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Crimson Clover.—In the latitude of New York, it is now far 
too late to sow Crimson clover. Our own clover is over three 
inches high at this time. In Virginia, it might still be sown with 
a fair chance of success. We do not find that the early frosts 
injure the plant to any great extent. Dry weather is far more 
likely to kill it, and even small, stunted plants will live through 
the cold weather and be destroyed by the freezing and thawing 
of early Spring. 
Killing Crab Grass.—The only way to get rid of Wire, Crab or 
Witch grass is to kill out the roots. This can best be done by 
thoroughly working the soil through the dry, hot weather. In 
order to do a perfect Job, it will, probably, be necessary to give 
the entire season to this cultivation. Plow the land shallow in 
the Spring, and keep it thoroughly stirred with a tool like the 
Cutaway or spring-tooth harrow, as often as the surface appears 
green. This will throw the roots of the grass up to the surface, 
where the sun and air will destroy them. 
