1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
337 
is loosened and the soil stirred slightly. The lime 
neutralizes the acid, and brings it in fit condition for 
the tame grasses. Sow broadcast the following mix¬ 
ture of grass seeds per acre : Four quarts of Timothy, 
two quarts of Red clover, one quart of Alsike clover, 
one quart of White clover. These seeds can he pur¬ 
chased of any seedsman who deals in farm seeds. After 
sowing the grass seed, harrow the land again with 
some implement similar to the Thomas smoothing 
harrow. Much benefit would, no doubt, be derived 
from the application of a commercial fertilizer con¬ 
sisting of 150 pounds of dissolved phosphate rock, and 
50 pounds of muriate of potash per acre. I would not 
recommend seeding down the orchard. Better culti¬ 
vate it and make it raise fruit instead of grass. 
L. A. CLINTON. 
Hay Barn for 100 Tons. 
O. W. H., Rochester, Matts .—How can I build a hay barn to hold 
100 or more tons, to be covered with wood or iron, only one thick¬ 
ness of either, as warmth is of no consequence ? 
Ans. —Fig. 148 shows the details of construction of 
a modern hay barn. The plan shown is for a barn 40 
feet wide, 50 feet long, and with posts 15 feet high, 
with self-supporting roof. As ahaybarn is called for, it 
is unnecessary to have any floor for driving space. The 
hay should be carried from the wagon to the opening 
in the end of the barn by means of a carrier or sling, 
and then upon the track, the end of which is shown, 
the hay is carried to any part of the barn desired. 
The sill, A A, should be of 8x8 material. The beams 
B B and C C should also be 8 x 8, and morticed into the 
posts at the corners and in the center. These beams 
serve as braces, and must be securely fastened, or the 
barn will spread. One danger which must be guarded 
against will be the bulging of the ends. To secure 
these, strong steel rods should run from the side 
plates, the ends of which are shown at the top of the 
posts. These steel rods will cut off a portion of the 
corner, as they should be fastened about 10 feet from 
the ends of the plates. The details shown will make 
it plain to a builder how the barn is to be constructed. 
L. A. C. 
“Damping off” in Cantaloupes. 
F. W. If., (No address ).—I raise a good many Cantaloupes, and 
have much trouble in getting them to stay when they are up in 
the pots in a hotbed. They come up, and when about an inch 
high, drop over and die. What is the trouble, and how prevented ? 
Ans. —This is, probably, a case of “damping off” 
similar to that of the propagating bench. It affects 
the cuttings and young seedlings of many plants, and 
is especially troublesome in greenhouse work. No 
single definite cause can be assigned for the disease, 
it being more often a combination of several; but in 
general, the trouble is due to a number of parasitic 
fungi, particularly the fungus known as Astotrogus 
I)e Baryanus. The conditions which favor the develop¬ 
ment of the disease are a high temperature with moist, 
muggy air, soil compact and soggy, seldom drying on 
the surface, and poor light, due either to an unfavor¬ 
able position, or to a long spell of cloudy weather. 
Any one, or a combination of the three may result in 
trouble. The first symptom is a slight drooping of 
the cutting or seedling, as though it were in need of 
water. The fungus has attacked the loots, and has 
shriveled or destroyed many of the main roots and 
root hairs. Later the stem becomes affected near the 
ground, and the plant drops over, eventually decay¬ 
ing throughout. 
No remedy is possible except in the earlier stages of 
the disease. By stirring the soil and placing the plants 
in a moderate sun, a few may be saved. Preventives 
must be the safeguard. Soaking the seed in copper 
carbonate, watering occasionally with a dilute solu¬ 
tion of copper sulphate, one pound to 200 gallons, 
mixing sulphur or charcoal with the soil, or sprinkling 
it on top, are methods often recommended and some¬ 
times advantageous. In general, however, the prac¬ 
tical gardener depends on a skillful adjustment of 
temperature and moisture to save his crop from damp¬ 
ing off. The principal points he is careful to observe 
are as follows: First, a loose, friable soil. Any soil 
which packs down and dries up too slowly is too heavy. 
Equal parts of garden loam and silver sand make a 
soil of good consistency. Drainage should be perfect. 
It is, above all, important that no decaying vegetable 
matter be present, for it is only by first feeding on 
this and thus attaining to greater strength that the 
fungus is able to attack the seedlings. Second, a 
skillful regulation of temperature and ventilation. 
Never allow the temperature to run up in cloudy 
weather. Ventilate freely at every opportunity. 
These two principles are fundamental. Third, water 
the plants, if possible, only on bright, sunny days; 
always in early morning or before noonday, never at 
night. It is a good rule not to water after one o’clock, 
even though the sun is bright. Leaves wet over night 
are sure to cause trouble. Fourth, run the plants just 
as dry as possible without cracking them. Avoid fre¬ 
quent light sprinklings which wet the surface only 
and offer excellent conditions for fungous growth. 
Water freely, then leave till the soil is actually dry. 
Aim to keep the surface dry at all times. To this 
end, frequent stirring is essential, or a thin covering 
of sand may be applied which will allow water to 
settle away at once. Fifth, avoid crowding. Give 
plenty of room for air and sunlight. Sixth, keep the 
young plant in vigorous growth. Weakened or 
stunted plants are the first to be attacked. On the 
other hand, a rank, rapid growth is equally favorable 
for fungous development. A rather slow-growing, 
stocky, but perfectly healthy plant, is best for all 
purposes. Careful attention to these principles of 
good management should check serious damage, al¬ 
though the weather conditions are often such as to 
render it a difficult task. s. w. f. 
Homemade Irrigation Hose. 
Several Readers .—How is the canvas hose that is described on 
page 218 made and put together ? 
Ans. —I make my canvas hose from strong, 12-cent 
duck cloth. To make hose to carry 60 gallons per 
minute, I tear the yard-wide duck into three strips (it 
would, probably, be large enough if torn into four or 
five strips). These strips are sewed together into 
hose on a sewing machine. The mixture of tar and 
boiled oil is then heated in an iron kettle outdoors, 
and the hose immersed in it, or drawn through it, 
while it is hot. Immediately on coming out of the 
hot mixture, the hose is run between two rollers or 
between two sticks held tightly together, and the 
bulk of the tar scraped off the cloth. It is then hung 
up to dry for two or three days. This hose will not 
stand any pressure to speak of. The sections are con¬ 
nected by a short iron pipe, and the hose is tied on 
with strong cord. Probably the hose would dry out 
best if equal quantities of tar and boiled oil were 
used ; but I usually use about one part boiled oil to 
two or three of gas-tar. When this hose begins to 
leak, it should be painted over with the above men¬ 
tioned mixture. One man told me that he had used 
hose made something like this five years before 
repainting it. GEO. A. MITCHELL. 
New Jersey. 
Incubator Lamps and Fire Insurance. 
J. 0. fV., Wolcott, N. Y .—Is there danger of firing farm buildings 
by the use of incubators and brooders therein ? What is the atti¬ 
tude of insurance companies toward the use of these machines 
in buildings insured by them ? 
Ans. —We sent this inquiry to a large number of 
the leading incubator manufacturers of this country. 
We summarize the principal points of their answers. 
Several of the manufacturers say that they have never 
had any complaints about fires following the use of 
their incubators, but they have known of fires result¬ 
ing from the use of cheap incubators. They claim 
that there is no danger from a well-made, properly- 
constructed machine, and that plenty of insurance 
companies are ready to place insurance on buildings 
containing such machines. Some manufacturers say 
that the machine must be properly cared for, the lamp 
kept clean, etc., or there will be danger. Some say 
that, with a proper lamp, there is no more danger 
than from the use of the ordinary house lamp. Some 
of the replies carried the idea that a large part of the 
opposition to the use of incubators comes from the 
users writing to the companies and asking permission 
to use something that they have a perfect right to 
use—a kerosene lamp. They advise, instead of in¬ 
tending users asking permission to use incubators, 
that they write the company instead, telling the 
latter, if there is any objection, to cancel the policy, 
and they will insure in another company. Some sug¬ 
gest that the reason insurance is refused on houses 
where incubators are operated is because house rates 
are low, and the risk is increased. Nearly all admit 
that there may be risk with a careless operator. Some 
claim that a lamp having a metal chimney is unsafe, 
while others claim that there is no safety in a lamp 
with a glass chimney. All who mention it agree that 
there is danger from an accumulation of soot and 
lampblack over or around the lamp. One company 
guarantees its machines absolutely fireproof, and says 
that, if the machine take fire from its own heat, they 
will pay the damage. The whole gist of the matter 
seems to be that there is more danger in the use of 
cheaply-made than of first-class machines. That there 
is danger in the use of a lamp that is not properly 
cared for, the same as there is in the use of a house 
lamp. That intelligence and proper care must be 
used in handling these machines. Notwithstanding 
the claims of some manufacturers, it will be difficult 
to convince most people that there is no danger, 
although we believe that there is little if directions 
are followed, and things are kept clean and in good 
shape. So far as insurance companies are concerned, 
some of them oppose the use of incubators, but there 
are others who do not, and the latter are the ones to 
patronize. 
Buying and Feeding Poultry. 
./. W. P., Arendtsville, Pa.—I am contemplating putting up a 
poultryhouse and yards, buying poultry and holding it, and dis¬ 
posing of it when the market is in good condition. About what 
sized house would I need, and what sized piece of ground for 
about 1,000 chickens ? I would not have the same chickens more 
than about eight weeks at a time, for as soon as the poultry and 
market were in shape, I would sell. What are some of the best 
feeds for fattening? 
Ans. —If one is very careful in the selection of the 
birds when buying on the market, and select birds 
that are in perfect health, and in good growing con¬ 
dition, getting stock from nearby points, if possible, 
and properly feed and house them, there is good money 
in this branch of the business. Never get birds that 
are shipped from far south of the place where they are 
to be kept, especially in the Fall or Winter, as they 
will be very likely to develop some form of roup ; if 
this disease gets well established in the flock, the 
dollars will go the wrong way. The building should 
be arranged for convenience in feeding and cleaning, 
and would be similar to a house for laying fowls. 
They will require less room than fowls kept for eggs, 
and 50 birds can be kept in a pen 12 x 12 feet, provid¬ 
ing they have an outside yard say 12 x 60 feet. A con¬ 
venient form of building is with a walkway through 
the center, and pens on each side; thus a house 28 
feet wide by 120 feet long, would give 10 pens 12x12 
feet on each side of a four-foot-wide walk, and accom¬ 
modate 1,000 birds. The partitions between the walk 
and pens should be slatted so as to allow the birds to 
be fed and watered from troughs and water vessels 
placed along the sides of the walk, and thus avoid the 
necessity of going into each pen to feed and water, 
and at the same time, keeping the troughs and water 
pans clean. There should be a platform under the 
roosts, which can be readily cleaned, and this should 
not be neglected, as it is of great importance in the 
way of keeping them healthy. The best food for fat¬ 
tening is corn, but of course, it cannot be fed ex¬ 
clusively to advantage. I would use corn as a standard 
food, and feed wheat, barley, buckwheat, etc., as a 
variety. I would feed soft food once per day, and 
would use about four parts of corn meal, two parts of 
wheat bran, one part of cotton-seed meal, one part of 
oilcake meal, two parts of ground meat, with about 
one pint of ground charcoal, one small handful of salt, 
and one-half pint of good sharp grit in each one-half 
bushel of feed. Feed no more than is eaten readily. 
J. E. STEVENSON. 
Failing Cucumbers; Hog or Sheep Manure. 
N. J. 0., Essex County, N. J. —1. What would cause cucumber 
vines in greenhouses to wilt and die just as they are beginning 
to bear ? 2. What would hog and sheep manure be good for in 
my case ? I have never used it. 3. Is lime injurious to tomato 
plants if the roots touch it on the side of the box ? 
Ans. —1. The sudden collapse of cucumber vines 
under glass may be attributed to several causes ; the 
specific cause in this case could not be given without 
further details. Excessive heat is one cause ; a fungous 
disease of the stem another. Excessive feeding with 
strong manure, or too much water close to the stems 
will produce the same result. 2. Hog manure is 
usually very rich, but it is a “ cold ” manure, and would 
better be mixed with other materials. For your needs, 
the hog and sheep manure would better be composted 
with fresh sods. 3. The lime will not injure the roots 
of tomato plants. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
“ Secrets ” of Breeding.— J. R., Derby, Wn.—Scientists do not 
give real hope that any of the theories about breeding to secure 
males or females are really exact. We would not advise you to 
advertise the “ secret.” 
Green Kye as Manure.—J. F. C., Charlotte Hall, Md.—We do 
not consider green rye particularly valuable as a fertilizer. It 
will have a good mechanical effect on sandy soil if plowed well 
under and carefully rolled down, but we would not expect a good 
crop of potatoes on such soil, unless we used fertilizer with it. 
Sulphur on Potatoes.—E. S. M., Port Chester, N. Y.—Flowers 
of sulphur may safely be used on potatoes. You may dust or 
scatter the sulphur over the seed pieces as they are cut. Some 
large growers put the sulphur with the seed pieces in the hopper 
of the potato planter. A good way is to scatter the sulphur along 
the furrows before dropping the seed. 
Dried Blood for Orchards. —F. E. B., Lawrence, Mass.— A ton 
of ordinary dried blood contains about 220 pounds of nitrogen, 
worth a trifle over $30. It is not desirable to use it alone to fer¬ 
tilize a peach orchard. Nitrogen alone will prove too stimulat¬ 
ing. A mixture of two parts dried blood, three parts acid phos- 
jjhate, and one part muriate of potash will be better. To use the 
blood alone is like eating beef without bread and potatoes. 
Horseradish Growing. —T. B. M., Center, N. Y.—Horseradish 
is one of the easiest crops to grow; in fact, many of the market 
gardeners do not cultivate it at all, only incidentally. They plant 
the sets, small pieces or roots too small for market, between the 
rows of early cabbages, and pay little attention to it afterwards. 
The main point is to have good rich soil, and it is such a hardy 
plant that it will grow almost anywhere. 
