844 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 26 , 
HOW TO PROTECT WATER PIPES. 
On page 780 the question is asked by 
S. D. E., Umpqua Ferry, Ore.: “Can I 
protect water pipe from freezing 65 feet 
high, by wrapping with asbestos and 
tarred paper? How much of a stream 
running waste will prevent freezing?” I 
am speaking from actual experience with 
a 60-foot stand pipe under a tank and 
also with another tank only 32 feet high. 
Both of these pipes arc 1 j4 inch diameter. 
We tried several methods, and found the 
present plan entirely satisfactory. It may 
seem at first rather expensive, but such a 
job to be improperly done is much more 
expensive, as we have found by experi¬ 
ence. The diagram will show just how 
we do it. Make a four-inch pipe of heavy 
galvanized iron in sections like stove 
pipe, each made to slip over the next. 
Every second section should have four 
copper wires run through holes in the 
pipe on four sides and opposite to each 
other and the wire soldered on the out¬ 
side, also solder the holes up tight. As 
you put each section on fasten these wires 
so the water pipe is in the middle of the 
galvanized pipe. If inconvenient to dis¬ 
connect your water pipe to slip these 
pipes over the top, then crimp and fasten 
at top and bottom with small short stove 
bolts. Screw heads on the outside. Then 
put the boards on as shown in diagram. 
Be sure always to break joints. Do not 
wrap pipes with anything; leave them 
bare. Paper and asbestos get wet in 
Summer and freeze in Winter. Do not 
try to keep the water from freezing in 
the pipes by letting water run through 
them; it will not work under most con¬ 
ditions. Unless the water is very warm 
in the tank it will form ice and freeze 
quicker running than if not running. If 
you have a windmill to supply the water 
by letting the water run and also the mill 
you will be all right, but any other kind 
of a supply will not be satisfactory. I 
use a gasoline engine and pump every 
night just before going to bed for a few 
minutes, and had no trouble *during the 
past severe Winter. The other tank is 
supplied by a ram, and the water is so 
cold coming from the ram that it will 
often freeze while the ram is working. 
With this style of protection you have 
an advantage over any other method, as 
by setting a lamp under the box you can 
thaw the worst kind of a freeze out in a 
very short time. 
The heat gets direct at the pipe, and 
very quickly lets the ice loose, and there 
is no possible danger from fire, because 
the iron pipes are protection. Before 
putting up the pipes it is best to paint 
them with white lead and oil, which will 
keep them from rusting for many years. 
A lamp set in this box on the severest 
night in the coldest climates will abso¬ 
lutely prevent freezing. The chimney of 
the lamp should be made of tin, and 
should be 8 to 10 inches long, and fit 
tightly through a hole in a piece of tin 
under the box. Brush the wick every 
day and put in a new wick every month. 
A lamp with a jA-inch wick is large 
enough. 
You will only need the lamp during 
extremely cold nights. In diagram A 
is water pipe and W are wires to hold 
pipe in center; circle is galvanized iron 
pipe four inches diameter. Rest are one- 
inch boards carefully trued. Paper should 
be put under every joint, and two'thick¬ 
nesses would be better. It acts as an air¬ 
tight washer. Numerous xx represent 
the several dead air spaces; Y is inner 
dead-air space, which can be warmed 
when necessary. w. c. b. 
New Jersey;_ 
Rhubarb for Spring Forcing. 
C. R. R., Silver Lane, Cohn, —I have an 
old rhubarb bed which I have enclosed for 
Spring forcing. Is it advisable to put frames 
on now or wait? 
Ans. —If the rhubarb is enclosed in 
frames I would allow it to remain ex¬ 
posed, so that the soil and plants will 
become frozen, as rhubarb seems to re¬ 
quire a period of rest. After the ground 
is frozen to a depth of one foot or more 
the frames can be filled with litter and 
covered with sash or boards to keep out 
the water. As Spring approaches the 
litter should be removed and the sash 
replaced. A few days of sunshine will 
soon start the rhubarb, when an applica¬ 
tion of nitrate of soda will push things 
along. Care should be taken that the 
frames have air on bright days. 
JOHN JEANNIN, JR. 
" Balsam Apples ” and Their Use. 
C. H. C., Chicago, III. —I would like infor¬ 
mation in regard to a (to me) new fruit. 
I found them in a German grocery store; 
proprietor called them “balsam apples,” but 
knew little of them, except that they were 
used in whisky as a medicine. I procured 
some of the seed and would like to plant 
them next year. The fruit is an irregular 
triangle in shape, yellow, and warted like 
a squash ; in fact, looks like a squash; when 
ripe opens on ends and shows a lot of cherry- 
colored seeds. 
Ans. —The balsam apple is an East In¬ 
dian gourd, Momordica balsamina, a 
graceful vine having small red or orange 
fruits. These fruits, steeped in liquor, 
were in high favor with old-fashioned 
housekeepers as a dressing for cuts or 
wounds; they are also used in liniments 
and poultices, but not internally. Another 
variety of Momordica, known as the bal¬ 
sam pear, is a favorite vegetable with 
the Chinese. The Momordicas are ten¬ 
der annuals, and thrive under the same 
treatment as cucumbers. 
Water Sprouts on Apple Trees. 
J. D. IT., Augusta, V. C. —I have 500 apple 
trees six years from planting. Frosts killed 
the fruit this year. The trees are water- 
sprouting badly, many trees having 15 or 20 
water sprouts on each. What causes this ex¬ 
cessive growth? How can I prevent it. and 
what should 1 do with these water sprouts? 
Shall I cut them off? If so, when? 
Ans. —An excessive growth of water- 
sprouts in the top of the tree is usually 
caused by severe pruning, especially where 
large branches have been cut off. If the 
sprouting occurs at the base of the tree 
it is an indication of injury to the trunk. 
As the writer does not say where the 
sprouts are, it is impossible positively to 
decide as to the cause of the trouble and 
the possible remedy. It is well to cut off 
all such sprouts at the ground and those 
not needed to make permanent branches 
in the top. 1 he best time to do this 
cutting is in midsummer. If done then 
there will he far less likelihood of more 
growth of the same kind than if done in 
Winter. Good cultivation and very mod¬ 
erate pruning is the proper treatment for 
this or any other orchard. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Stable in a Stone Hill. 
Reader. —I have a stone hill facing the 
north and a good opportunity to quarry out 
a place for a barn building, so that there 
would be a straight line of stone on north, 
east and west 20 feet high from floor, which 
would be stone to the top of hill, but the 
south would be open to the sun and air. I 
want to put a stable in the basement, and 
put a floor, say about eight feet from the 
bottom, and use the upper part for mow room. 
In this way it could be built cheaply after 
the stones were got out. I would want barn 
60 feet back in hill. Would this be too dark 
and damp or would it be better to get room 
enough on east and build a wall, so it could 
be ventilated in front and east side or would 
you prefer to place building clear away from 
the hill? 
Ans. —Would it not be very expensive 
quarrying rock for barn room?. Unless the 
stone could be sold it would seem more 
economical to build a wall of sufficient 
height nicely to clear the ground and 
make the entire superstructure of wood. 
A stable should always have a southern 
and western exposure, and I would see 
to it that it was so built, even though 
other apparent necessities were left out. 
Dampness in a stable results from im¬ 
proper insulation in a tight wall. The 
loosely-built wind-break barn is never 
damp. When the walls are constructed so 
that the stable will be warm, then they 
must have air chambers to prevent the 
moisture condensing upon a cold surface. 
This question has been discussed over and 
over again, and ought to be put into 
pamphlet form, to pass into the hands of 
every cow keeper, and so prevent many 
a stable dangerous to health. h. e. c. 
Club-Foot in Cabbage. 
Is there a preventive of club-foot in cab¬ 
bage or a cure for the same? j. w. s. 
Fredonia, N. Y. 
There is no sure cure for club-foot. It Is 
caused by a fungus disease, the germs living 
over in the soil. Lime is the best preventive. 
It is put around the young plants when they 
are set out. Wood ashes are also used, as 
they contain lime. 
Apple Note. —I note several paragraphs 
about the Peck’s Pleasant apple. Until last 
year I thought it one of our best, but last 
year they were knotty and worthless, as 
many others are some years. This year the 
crop is small, but they are mostly fair. This 
is the poorest “apple year” crop I have yet 
seen, not one-half that of two years ago; 
Twenty Ounce, Northern Spy, Tolman Sweet 
and some others knotty and riddled, and 
while not all are poor, yet most of them are 
not fit to sell. Greenings here are spotted 
with mildew or something, and have been of 
little account for several years. GravensteinS 
were all off before September. Baldwins and 
Itoxbury Russets are the only ones running 
good this year, barring an early kind or two. 
Rhode Island. n. t. j. 
Many times the 
“face value” of any 
other—Williams* 
Shaving Soap. 
Sold everywhere. Free trial sample 
for 2-cent stamp to pay postage-. 
Write for booklet “ How to Shave. ** 
The I. B. Williams Co., Glastonbury, Ct. 
DON’T LET THE 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
DESTROY Y’OUR TREES. SPRAY WITH 
LIME, SULPHUR AND SALT WASH 
AND BE SURE TO USE 
BERGEN PORT 
SUBLIMED FLOWERS OF SULPHUR. 
This brand is prepared especially for 
Spraying purposes: insist on having it. 
Ask your dealer, or write to 
T. & S. C. WHITE CO., 
28 Burling Slip, New York. 
L HEN you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal." See guarantee, page 8. 
HOW TO RID YOUR ORCHARD OF 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. 
Dilute One Gallon of ‘‘CONSOL” with 
Forty Gallons of Water, hot or cold ; 
Spray with any Spray Pump. 
The Result of a HALF MILLION 
DOLLARS in experimental work. 
WRITE FOR BOOKLET. 
“ Valuable Information on Orchard Spraying." 
A Pleasure to Answer Inquiries. 
AMERICAN HORTICULTURE 
DISTRIBUTING CO., 
Martinsburg, West Virginia. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
and other INSECTS killed by 
GOODS 
Caustic Potash Whale-Oil Soap No. 3 
Endorsed by U. S.Dept. of Agrl. and State Experiment 
Stations. Thissoapisa Fertillzeras well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 60-lb. kegs. $2.50; 100-lb. kegs,$4.50; half barrel, 
2701b., 3«c per lb; barrel,4251b.,3hjc. Send for booklet. 
JAMES OOOI), Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street. Philadelphia, Pa. 
WHALE-OIL SOAP 
A positive destroyer of San Jose Scale. 
QPRAYIWR CDAD Compressed-air Power 
ornrtl II1U uI HHi Sprayers, etc. Our cata¬ 
logue, “Necessities for the Orchard” will in¬ 
terest you. W. II. OWEN, Port Clinton, Ohio. 
APPI F RARRFI ^ ~ Bu y now and save money 
TLL UniinLLOi Robt. Gillies, Medina,N. Y. 
pc A P U Ah d other fruit trues at wholesale prices. Pricelist 
rtMUn free. K. S. JOHNSTON, Box *, Stockley, Del. 
WANTED 
-ELDORADO AND GOLDEN 
QUEEN PLANTS. Address, 
Box 227, North Collins, N. Y. 
PECAN TREES AND,NUTS 
seed llngtrees,(1,2 &3 
years old.) TheG. M. Bacon Pecan Co. (Inc.) Dewitt,Ga 
KEVITT’S 
PLANT FARM. 
ATHKNIA, N. J. 
ERUIT TREES. 
A Large Assortment of the Finest Quality 
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Write for Price List. 
CALL’S NURSERIES, Perry, O. 
KFRUITBOOK 
shows in NATURAL COLORS and 
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TREES TREES TREES 
400,000 Apple, 300,000 Peach, 
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Best packing, best grading, best prices, best trees; 
best-place to buy orchards. Jobbers supplied. Ourfree 
catalogue is meaty. No agents. Firm not impersonal. 
Woodview Nurseries, B. 3, Mv. Holly Springs, Pa 
GET THE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns big 
profits and lasts for years. 
THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
practical fruit growers j 
we were using tbe com¬ 
mon sprayers in our j 
own orchards — found 
their defects and then in¬ 
vented THE ECLIPSE. Its I 
success practically forced us 
into manufacturing on a| 
large scale. You take no 
chances. We have done all | 
the experimenting. 
Large fully illustrated 
Catalogue and Treatise 
on Spraying—FREE. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, Benton Harbor, Mich.l 
PJ BERCKMANS co 
ACSGCSSTA GA 
LARGEST PEACH TREE 
GROWERS IN THE SOUTH. 
Write for our new illustrated and 
descriptive catalogue of general 
Nursery Stock. 
CHATTANOOGA NURSERIES 
Chattanooga, Tenn. 
HOYT’S NURSERIES NEW ENGLAND 
and no more complete line of “ A 1 ’’ 6tock grown in the United States. Fruit Trees, Shade Trees and 
Ornamentals. Write us about your Fall planting—advice based on experience of three generations, free. 
Catalogue for the asking. t 
STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS CO., NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT. 
BARTLETT, BIG SECKEL AND BOSC. 
THE THREE GREAT HIGH QUALITY business Pears. Our trees are bred from buds selected 
for us by Geo. T. Powell and others- The BEST TREES and the SAFEST TREES money can buy. Our 
TREE BREEDER gives prices on Fruit Trees ordered now with part payment, for early SpriDg shipment . 
The Tree Breeder. ROGERS ON THE HILL, JDANSVILLE, N. L 
TREES 
$5 PER 100. FREIGHT PAID. 
Apples. Pear, Plum, Cherry, Peach and 
Carolina Poplars. Healthy, true to 
name and Fumigated. All kinds of trees and plants at low wholesale prices. 
Catalogue free. RELIANCE NURSERY, Box lO, Geneva, New York. 
