36 2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 3U 
growers are experimenting witli the Oregon wash, 
cautsic soda wash and caustic soda, lime, sulphur 
salt wash. These washes have been much talked 
about and also tried to some extent, but we yet have 
no results that would indicate that they are an im- 
improvement in any way over the lime-sulphur-salt, 
and it is quite possible that they are less effective. 
The essentials of success with lime-sulphur-salt, 
seem to be the proper cooking of the mixture, and a 
thorough application; all parts of the tree being 
covered. This work cannot be done rapidly, as it re¬ 
quires more attention than when spraying foliage and 
there is a tendency to put on too many nozzles and 
then go over the work so rapidly that many places 
are left untouched. With a fewer number of nozzles 
there is more economy in applying the mixture which 
goes far to balance the gain in rapidity with the 
larger number of nozzles. Growers with large infest¬ 
ed orchards are handicapped in the Spring by being 
unable to get on the ground with a spray rig until so 
late that only part of the orchards can be treated. 
They should he much interested in Bulletin No. 144. 
issued last October by the Ohio State Experiment 
Station, where experiments made by Prof. P. J. Par¬ 
rott. and J. S. Houser, indicated that lime-sulphur- 
salt, applied in the Fall after the leaves were almost 
all off, was as effective combating the scale as when 
applied in the Spring. It has not yet been demon¬ 
strated that the Fall application on peach trees will 
prove effective against curl leaf, so the peaches 
would better be left for a Spring treatment. I was 
recently in a 1,000 -tree seven-year-old peach orchard 
that last year netted the owner $1,000. The orchard 
was slightly infested with San Jos6 scale, and he has 
given a thorough treatment this Spring with lime- 
sulpliur-salt at a cost of $30 for material and labor 
This is a cheap insurance against curl leaf, not count¬ 
ing its effect in combating San Jose scale. Last year 
his loss from curl leaf was at least $500. Crude oil 
and whale-oil soap will yet be used to some extent for 
fighting San Josd scale. For small infestations in 
city lots, whale-oil soap is easily applied and quite 
effective. 
Probably in no part of the United States outside of 
California have spraying machines been developed 
as in western New York. Gas pressure, compressed 
air, gasolene, steam and hand rigs are used. It 
would take a lengthy article to describe the different 
types, and they should be seen at work to be ap¬ 
preciated. The injury to tree or bud has been very 
slight in the Lake Ontario counties and the prospect 
is good for all kinds of fruit. Many say that peaches 
are injured, but I have been in many orchards and 
have had no difficulty in finding plenty of live buds, 
although early Crawfords show quite an injury. 
B. D. V. B. 
QUICK MIXTURE OF LIME AND SULPHUR. 
In our experimental work this Spring with the 
caustic soda and sulphur wash for scale treatment, 
we have found an easier way of preparing this spray 
than is given in our Bulletin 247, of the Geneva Ex¬ 
periment Station. As many orchardists have not 
commenced to make treatments for the scale, I 
would suggest that the following directions be follow¬ 
ed in the preparation of this mixture: 
First, empty into a tub or barrel 15 pounds of sul¬ 
phur and one bucket of water, and stir until the 
sulphur is made into a paste, all lumps being broken 
up. Now add 30 pounds of good lump lime. This 
will soon commence to slake, and should be kept 
well stirred that the sulphur material may be evenly 
distributed. Water should be added as needed to 
keep the mixture in the form of a rather stiff paste. 
Just as soon as the lime has slaked, stir in six pounds 
of powdered caustic soda. A violent boiling action 
immediately takes place, which turns the mixture 
from an orange to a brick red color. With the ad¬ 
dition of enough water to make 50 gallons of mixture, 
the preparation of the wash is complete. To use, 
strain the mixture to remove the coarse particles of 
lime. In our experiments at Yorktown this past month 
the stock material when allowed to rest 15 to 20 
minutes invariably turned to a dark green color. In 
what way the insecticidal value of the wash is af¬ 
fected by this last change in color I have not de¬ 
termined. p. j, pabbott. 
Geneva Exp. Station. 
GRASS SEEDING NOTE.—Alsike clover Is a fickle 
thing, adapted to moist, cool seasons or for low ianci. 
Red-top is excellent for low land. Meadow foxtail Is 
first rate for arable land, but the seeding is costly; it 
takes some time to get the grass established; many of 
the so-called seeds are not filled out, hence it is seldom 
used where the farmer intends to plow in a rotation 
every three to five years. It is risky to tell how much 
seed to sow per acre. In some of the rich regions of 
the West four quarts per acre is the rule for seeding 
to Timothy, while some of the best farmers of New 
Elngland insist on sowing not less than 32 quarts oi 
seed per acre. So much depends on the condition of 
the land. [Prof.] w. J. beal. 
AN ALARM CLOCK FOR FIRE REGULATOR. 
On page 279 I mentioned a simple device for open¬ 
ing the draft in my hot water heater by means of an 
alarm clock. There have been so many calls for a 
description that I show drawings of the device at 
Fig. 155. 
A is a common, cheap alarm clock hung on a hook 
under a little shelf. The hook is so placed that the 
side of the clock rests against the post enough to be 
tipped just enough so that the weight B, which is a 
small, flat bar of iron, will rest under the bell with¬ 
out falling off, but so that the hammer of the clock 
will knock it off when the alarm goes off. C is a 
string attached to weight B and running loosely 
through a staple in the post above the shelf where 
the other end is tied to one end of the short wire 
hook D. E is another bent wire, which when the 
machine is set for the night, is hooked under the nail 
F and has its lower end run through the hook of D. 
G is a wooden lever hung to a joist by a wire con¬ 
nection. The wire E is stapled to one end of it and 
another wire stapled to the other end is connected 
with the weight H, which is keyed to the check dam¬ 
per of the furnace. 
This check damper, when set for the night, leaves a 
wide opening into the smoke pipe and leaves only a 
very slight crack between furnace and smoke pipe, 
thus drawing almost no air through the furnace. 
Thus the front draft may be left open without fear of 
having the coal burn out. 
The last thing before going to bed, I shake down 
the furnace and bank the fire with a thick layer of 
coal, leaving the front draft open. Then if the 
weather is cold I set the alarm for three o’clock, or in 
mild weather a little later, and after winding the 
clock, hang it on its hook and place the weight B 
in position; then pull the lever G down and hook E 
under the nail F, allowing the lower end to pass 
through the hook D. Then I go to bed knowing that 
at the proper time, the alarm will attend to warming 
the house. 
I also send drawing, (Fig. 154), showing arrange¬ 
ment of drums in box in basement to utilize heat 
from smoke pipe. The smoke passes through the two 
drums, which are enclosed in a box which has a lower 
opening into basement and upper opening through a 
pipe to a register in the floor of dining room. 
The lower opening in box should be connected with 
outside air by a large pipe and will be some time. 
This would give more fresh air. The box is lined 
with tin and asbestos paper to make it safe from fire. 
We have a fireplace in the living room which affords 
good veniilation and is a great comfort, especially 
in Fall and Spring. 
Tell all your readers that whatever kind of heating 
apparatus they have to heat their houses, no homes 
is complete without a fireplace. J. M. drew. 
Minnesota. 
GROWING A CROP OF POP-CORN. 
The soil for pop-corn should be such as is adapted 
for growing any kind of corn. My pop-corn fields 
are light, dry, gravelly soil. I plow the land just 
as early in Spring as it Is suitable; that is, as soon 
as the frost is out and the soil will crumble. The 
better the plowing is done, the easier it will he to 
care for the crop the entire season. In my location 
the plowing is usually done the latter part of March 
oi first of April. The field is occasionally harrowed 
until time to plant. This keeps the soil from crust¬ 
ing over, and thereby prevents the escape of moisture, 
This is a very important matter on such soils. If the 
plowing should be delayed the soil would dry out 
very rapidly in a dry season, while by doing as I have 
above described, the moisture is conserved and can¬ 
not escape. T^ast year we had very little rain here 
through April, and scarcely any through May, no rain 
to amount to anything until June 9, but my corn 
field was not suffering in the least. 
My corn is grown on fertilizer; that. is. without 
any stable manure. This is applied broadcast any 
time before the corn is planted and harrowed in. I 
use about 1,200 pounds per acre. I am aware that 
this is more than many people recommend, but as I 
have before stated, my soil is light, and I aim as 
much to keep up the fertility of my land as to pro¬ 
duce the crop. My field is marked 3% feet apart both 
ways. The planting is done hy hand, and great, care 
is taken to drop the seed so the hills will be in per¬ 
fect square and the kernels are put very close 
together. This takes but very little extra time and 
is a great help In the future care of the field. The 
seed is covered from one to 1^4 inch deep, variety 
being the White Rice. As soon as possible after the 
corn is up I run through between the rows with a 
Planet Jr. 12-tooth cultivator. This gives start of 
the weeds and also breaks the crust, thereby prevent¬ 
ing the escape of that precious moisture. In a short 
time either the cultivator or weeder is used. The 
field is gone over with cultivators and weeders eight 
or nine times during the season, and there is very little 
need for much hand hoeing. The last cultivation is 
given about the middle of July, with the 12-tooth 
cultivator. Immediately before this last cultivation 
is given, about 12 pounds of the best Red clover seed 
is sown broadcast per acre. The work is now done 
until harvesting time, when we proceed as with or¬ 
dinary field corn. 
As to the yield, I consider 100 bushels to the acre 
a very large crop. The corn should be kept at least 
one year before'being marketed. Tt is put into bar¬ 
rels before selling. So much for the corn. But I 
hear the question asked: “What becomes of that 
clover you have sown?” 
That is left to grow until the next Spring when it 
can be plowed under for another crop of corn. It 
is surprising what a root system the clover will have 
attained. But if it is possible to spare the land, very 
much more benefit, will be derived by letting that 
clover grow instead of plowing the field. It can then 
be cut for hay, and a good crop of rowen secured 
also. My ideal plan so far as soil improvement is 
concerned is as follows: Suppose a crop of corn is 
grown in 1902. Clover is sown in July. I do nothing 
more to it until it is in blossom in 1903. It is then 
cut with a mowing machine and left on the ground 
just as it falls.^ The second crop will come up 
through it and make a good heavy growth. This is 
not cut, but allowed to grow and fall down at will. 
This is not touched until early Spring. 1904, when it 
is plowed under and the field again planted to corn. 
In this way I grow corn on fertilizer and clover with¬ 
out any stable manure. The clover furnishes quan¬ 
tities of valuable nitrogen, and the much-needed 
humus, and my soil is constantly growing richer. 
Massachusetts. ___l. b. maynard. 
Newspaper reports say that the chemists of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture have discovered a plan of treat¬ 
ing .contaminated water with chemicals to destroy typhoid 
germs. Is embalmed water likely to be any more whole¬ 
some than embalmed milk? « 
The customs authorities recently discovered a new 
scheme for importing high-priced wool at a low valua¬ 
tion. It was mixed in the bale with low grade in such 
a manner that the high grade made almost no showing 
and yet so skillfully arranged that the two could be 
easily separated by anyone who knew the plan on which 
it was packed. 
