1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
53 
make an excellent hoof ointment for the purpose of 
keeping the hoof moist and soft, and stimulating the 
growth of horn. Hot tar and oil of tar are, also, ex¬ 
cellent for special cases. A sound foot rarely requires 
any ointment or other application to keep it in good 
condition. It is only the contracted feet or those 
that are abnormally dry from some inflammation that 
require hoof ointment. 3. I am of the opinion that 
the lameness you speak of is due to tenderness in the 
hock joint, probably an occult spavin. Apply an 
ammonia blister (strong aqua ammonia and sweet oil 
equal parts, well shaken together), to the front and 
both sides of the hock joint, rubbing well in for sev¬ 
eral minutes so as to insure a good blistering. Repeat 
as soon as the crusts are shed from the first blister. 
If a bone spavin should develop, a mercury blister or 
firing would be preferable. 
Will “ Incubator Chickens " Lay ? 
W. B., Fort Snelling, Minn .— Will chickens hatched in an incu¬ 
bator lay? 
Ans. —Thousands and hundreds of thousands of 
them are laying right along, year after year. Cer¬ 
tainly they’ll lay if they are given proper care and 
feed, the same as are required by hens hatched under 
hens. Will not a tomato plant started in a hot-bed 
bear fruit as well as one started in the open ground ? 
How Much House Room for Hens? 
A. B. C., Three Hirers, Mass. —1. How many hens will a house 
10x12 feet accommodate to good advantage ? 2. How long must I 
make the yard for that number of fowls ? The yard can be but 10 
feet wide. 
Ans. —1. About 20, but they would do better if they 
had a run in an open scratching shed outside. 2. 
The longer the yard, the better, as they will thrive 
better on a larger run. We would make it not less 
than 100 feet long if possible. 
A Dry Nurse for Lambs. 
“ A Constant Header.” —How can I feed young lambs that are 
disowned by their mothers, on cows’ milk ? 
Ans. —Very frequently, when the ewe disowns her 
lamb, she can be made to own it again by a very 
simple method. If she is put in a small crate or tied 
up securely to one side of the pen so that she cannot 
kick or butt, the lamb may then be put to her and 
after having sucked for a few times, the mother will, 
usually, own it. We have treated many ewes in this 
way to make them care for their own lambs, and have 
even put to them strange lambs, and they almost 
invariably take kindly to them. To bring them up 
on cows’ milk is a little tedious at first, but requires 
only a little care and patience. At first, they must be 
made to take nourishment if it be necessary to feed 
them with a spoon. But they soon learn to drink, 
and then cows’ milk may be given them. After a few 
days, put in their feed a small quantity of middlings 
or oil meal. They should be taught to eat meal as 
early as possible. This may frequently be done by 
mixing a little sugar and meal and offering it to 
them. They soon come to eat meal readily, and after 
that the growth is rapid. l. a. Clinton. 
Cement Pipes Not Satisfactory. 
ti. Z. Cr., Warsaw, N. Y. —I wish to run a two-inch pipe from a 
pond to the highest point on my farm, 1,000 feet distant, and 
about 40 feet higher than the pond. Can I not lay a cement pipe 
at much less cost than iron, and will it be as durable and 
efficient ? 
Ans. —You cannot make a cement pipe work satis¬ 
factorily. The experiment has been carefully tried, 
and it has been conclusively proved that the iron pipe 
is far better in every way. The cement pipe cannot 
stand the pressure necessary, and would better not 
be tried. l. a. c. 
Color and Shape of Carman Potato. 
T. J. W., Chunette, Ind.— What is the color and shape of the 
Carman potato, sent out about two years ago ? Mine resembles 
another kind I have, and I fear that I have them mixed. 
Ans. —We presume that you refer to the Carman 
No. 1. In shape, it is oblong, somewhat flattened ; 
the skin is light buff, the eyes medium as to promin¬ 
ence and number. The tubers average large to very 
large, and there are few small ones. The vines are 
vigorous and spreading, and of a light green color, 
flowers white. 
The Value of Soda Ash. 
Subscriber , Naugatuck, Conn.— What is the value of soda ash for 
agricultural purposes ? 
Ans. —Prior to this season, our experiments have 
not shown any particular benefit from soda. This 
season, however, there seems to have been some 
slight benefit from its use in connection with potash. 
These results, however, may be incidental, and it is 
proposed to continue the experiments for several 
years to come, if possible. Where soda ash (sodium 
carbonate), has been compared with potassium car¬ 
bonate, its inferiority became, in 1896, extremely 
manifest. The same was true of common salt (sodium 
chloride), as compared with muriate of potash. In ex¬ 
periments with a very acid soil, sodium carbonate as 
well as caustic magnesia have been found to prevent 
the ill effects of sulphate of ammonia, which would 
have, otherwise, been noticeable, from which it seems 
probable that considerable benefit may be derived 
from the use of soda ash in connection with the 
growth of certain plants and with the use of ammo¬ 
nium sulphate and organic nitrogen where soils are 
decidedly acid. This, however, is not direct manurial 
action such as was referred to at the outstart, where 
it was stated that the soda had, up to the present, 
shown but little benefit when used in connection with 
potash. Even for this purpose, air-slaked lime, wood 
ashes or marl (containing much calcium carbonate), 
would be cheaper and equally, or more, effective. We 
hope another season to be able to make still more 
definite statements in regard to the value of soda ash. 
Rhode Island Ex. Station. h. j. wheeler. 
The Value of Wood Ashes. 
P. D ../., Alburgh, Vt. —What are ordinary wood ashes—such as 
are made in farmers’ cook stoves, etc.—worth to use on orchards, 
small fruits, etc., also on grain and clover ? When should they 
be applied ? I have mulched small fruits with buckwheat straw, 
six to ten inches deep. Do they need any other fertilizer than 
ashes ? The mulch was applied every spring. 
Ans. —Unfortunately, we cannot estimate the value 
of fertilizers by the price obtained for the crops. 
Their value is determined by the price of other fer¬ 
tilizers that would provide the lime, potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid found in the ashes. Prices of many farm 
products have fallen fully one-half of late years, but 
the hired man’s wages have not fallen in proportion. 
Such wages are decided, not by what the man produces, 
but by what others are willing to work for. The 
value of ashes is decided by the cost of the potash 
salts. If a pound of potash in the form of muriate 
costs a certain amount at your farm, you may safely 
estimate that a pound of potash in wood ashes is 
worth about 10 per cent more. In a town where all 
kinds of fuel are sold, the value of wood is decided by 
the price of coal, with allowance for the sort of stove 
or grate the fuel is to be burned in. Generally speak¬ 
ing, $9 a ton is a good price to pay for the potash in 
wood ashes, for you can buy it for that money in 
other forms. We do not know, of course, what your 
soil needs, but the chances are that the wood ashes 
will be sufficient. If you can get a little ground bone 
to use on part of the fruit, you can try a good experi¬ 
ment. 
No Money in Cheap Pickles. 
J. M., Grand Rapids, Mich. —How far apart should cucumbers 
for pickles be planted? What is the best kind of seed ? My soil 
is sandy and will grow 18 or 20 bushels of wheat to the acre. A 
pickle factory wishes me to contract for live acres, at 30 cents 
per bushel. Is there any money in it ? 
Ans. —Cucumbers should be planted, as a rule, in 
the locality mentioned, about May 20, in hills six 
feet apart each way. Fifteen or twenty seeds should 
be placed in each hill, and when well started, the 
plants should be thinned, leaving no more than four 
to each hill. Most pickling firms supply their growers 
with the seed used, the particular strain differing 
according to locality and the seedsman furnishing 
the stock. Growing cucumbers for pickles is like any 
other business, the venture may be profitable or 
otherwise, depending on the season, the individuality 
of the grower, etc. Some pickle growers grade much 
more closely than others. Skillful pickers are often 
difficult to secure iD some localities. I am inclined to 
think, however, that the price offered, 30 cents per 
bushel, is too low to give much profit to a grower, 
and that a man having as good land as J. M., favor¬ 
ably situated, could get more satisfactory returns 
from some other crop. h. p. g. 
Ensilage Corn ; Freezing in Tub Silos. 
0. E., Deluvan, Wis. —Why does John Gould plant Virginia corn 
instead of Ohio corn for ensilage ? Will a crop, too late to make 
good, sound ears, be mature enough by frost to make good ensi¬ 
lage ? If so, why ? Couldn’t the difficulty from freezing in an 
outdoor tub silo be cheaply obviated by covering with one or 
more thicknesses of building paper, and one of heavy tarred felt 
or Neponset, or something similar ? 
Ans. —We plant Virginia corn for the reason that 
it makes a remarkable growth of medium-sized stalk, 
a large amount of foliage, and is a profuse bearer of 
ears, is ready for the silo by September 20 to 24, and 
is, in this vicinity, much superior to any of our local 
varieties in its tonnage per acre. It is a variety which 
seems to possess a large percentage of sugar in its 
composition, and is an admirable corn in its behavior 
in the silo. It is not a variety of mammoth ensilage 
corn, but the common field corn of Albemarle County, 
Va. That is why I grow it in preference to the com¬ 
mon corn of Ohio, a view shared by the silo men 
of my locality. 
A corn that can be matured to the condition of glaz¬ 
ing before frost, will make good ensilage. The process 
of glazing is the sign that corn is mature, in the 
sense that it has gathered all the substance it will, 
and is at its best estate. The act of glazing also in¬ 
dicates that the starches of the plant have commenced 
to change into indigestible woody fiber, and from that 
day on, there will be a decrease in the digestible 
nutrients of the plant, and its storing in the silo is a 
matter that needs attending to, so that the material 
will keep in a succulent condition, and from then on, 
suffer only the change incident to the heating process 
in the pits. 
While it would be difficult to say exactly how much 
the three thicknesses of paper would protect the con¬ 
tents of the silo against the frost, it would seem that 
the protection would be sufficient, but more so, if the 
tub is first stripped up so that an air space would be 
afforded between the paper and the silo wall, which, 
in my opinion, would be the better way. The ques¬ 
tion of freezing is not a very serious one at best, and 
if the paper could be made fairly durable on the out¬ 
side walls, its cheapness would recommend it. In the 
summer, it would afford a protection from sun and 
storm, which might be a solution of the objections 
urged against the tub silos—that of shrinkage in the 
drying weather of summer. joiin gould. 
Starting Early Plants ; Learn by Mistakes. 
F. E. K., Troy, N. Y. —How shall I proceed to get early cucum¬ 
bers, muskmelons, cabbage and tomato plants ? Can I obtain 
the desired result by sowing the seed in boxes made out of thin 
wood, of which berry boxes are made ? 
ANSWERED BY F. L. KINNEY, R. 1. EX. STATION. 
The way mentioned is a good one to start early 
cucumber and muskmelon plants. Plant the seeds as 
in the field, enough for a hill in each box, and have 
the light, moisture and temperature conditions as 
near as possible like those in which it is known that 
these plants thrive in the open air, remembering par¬ 
ticularly, that they must have, when small, a uni¬ 
formly high temperature. The temperature in which 
cabbage and tomato plants are usually grown will 
not do for them. Instead of planting the seeds in 
boxes, many gardeners prefer to plant on square 
pieces of sod, but this is largely a matter of conven¬ 
ience. It is important that the growth of the plants 
should not be suddenly checked at any time, but par¬ 
ticularly when they are transplanted to the field. To 
prevent this, a form of wooden box made for the pur¬ 
pose with a piece of glass in the top is often placed 
over each hill for a few days until the plants get 
started. Although plants belonging to this class are 
now extensively transplanted, there are, neverthe¬ 
less, many obstacles to be overcome both in getting 
good plants at just the right time, and in transferring 
them successfully to their new situations in the field, 
so that, on the whole, the work requires rather more 
than ordinary skill. 
Cabbage and tomato seeds are usually sown in 
drills, and the plants pricked out into shallow boxes 
when large enough to handle. Occasionally, tomato 
plants are transplanted a second time into tin cans or 
other receptacles, so that their roots will not be dis¬ 
turbed when they are finally set in the field. 
Perhaps, in addition to this, it should be stated that 
it is only persons who have served an apprenticeship; 
in one way or another, in gardening, who realize 
what watchful care it requires to give plants within 
doors surroundings that are as favorable for their 
growth as those which occur in the ordinary course 
of events in an orderly garden in midsummer. That 
this can be done, there is no doubt, but he who under¬ 
takes it without the aid of a teacher, should not be 
surprised if, at the end of five years, he should find 
that his failures would make a longer list than his 
successes, although he may be fortified at the out¬ 
start with a volume of written instructions for every 
kind of plant that he is to grow. Reasons for this 
are not hard to find for, however explicit the direc¬ 
tions may be, they are always incomplete ; they lack 
details which are too numerous to mention, and which 
even appear ridiculous when seen in print; but these 
are the elements which, collectively, make the 
gardener’s craft an art which it takes time to learn. 
We will suppose that there are a hundred common 
mistakes that a beginner may make in raising early 
vegetable plants, and that such a person has been 
warned to avoid 50 of them. Then there are 50 more 
for him to discover, and he sets about it, determined 
to learn the rest of the trade in the school of experi¬ 
ence. This is necessarily a slow process, because 
long intervals elapse between the operations. If one 
fail to get a satisfactory picture when attempting to 
paint a landscape to-day, he can try again to-morrow 
and the following day, and so on ; but it is not so 
with the gardener who only attempts to raise one 
crop of early vegetable plants in a season. He reckons 
up the mistakes made in his first venture at the end 
of the year ; these he will plan to avoid the following 
year; in doing this, he may make others which will 
prove equally disastrous, but in time, by gradual ad¬ 
ditions, he will acquire a fund of information and 
develop a judgment that are peculiarly his own, and 
which he has not the power to bestow directly upon 
another, however much he might wish to do this. 
The products grown by a novice may occasionally 
equal or excel those grown by a regular gardener, 
but from a business standpoint, the novice is handi¬ 
capped on account of the partial or complete failures 
which he must necessarily frequently experience. 
