THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 20 
114 
plaster to make weight. A large proportion of the 
mixed goods used in Delaware is mixed to order just 
in this way—the orders varying in size from one ton 
to fifty. One dollar per ton is a fair price for mixing. 
By this system of buying and mixing, farmers claim 
to be able to secure a good corn fertilizer for less 
than $ 20 , which is, apparently, a fair illustration of 
the average saving. 
Mr. Derby, with his simple mixture of muriate and 
dissolved rock, does not go to the factory at all. One 
bag of muriate is mixed in layers with three or four 
bags of rock, and worked over with a shovel. This 
is thrown against a wire screen with a small mesh 
several times as needed—this being all the mixing 
that is deemed necessary. This mixture is broad¬ 
casted from the wagon directly upon the Crimson 
clover. In this case you will see that the Crimson 
clover is a whole fertilizer factory in itself. The 
reader must remember that the ability to grow Crim¬ 
son clover to perfection, has had much to do with 
bringing about this simple method of fertilizing. 
The silo has made the “ balanced-ration ” problem 
easy. Give a cow five pounds of hay, 30 of ensilage 
per day, and a pint of bran for each quart of milk 
she gives, and you have a simple formula. It is easy 
to see that wood ashes or its equivalent in potash 
and phosphoric acid will quickly make a balanced 
plant food when used with stable manure or Crimson 
clover. The secret of the success of these Delaware 
farmers seems to be that they have started out to 
fertilize the clover rather than the crop that 
follows it. A simple mixture of chemicals 
will answer for clover, because it has the 
power to turn the plain rock and potash 
into organized forms of fertility that will 
serve to feed any crops that may follow it. 
Since this series of articles was begun, 
three leading questions have been asked : 
1. What is dissolved phosphate rock ? 
2. Will not the continued use of Crimson 
clover prove injurious to fruits by givingtoo 
much nitrogen, as stable manure sometimes 
does ? 
3. Will not the continued use of Crimson 
clover and acid rock sour the land in time, 
and thus prevent the growth of full crops ? 
These are good questions, and 1 shall try 
to answer them in due time. h. w. c. 
idea in having them short is to lessen the cost, and 
insure lightness and ease in handling. The top of 
these posts just nicely comes where the strain on 
the panels is, in the center of the wooden supports 
in the panel, like the whiffletree supports of a wagon. 
They are fastened to the stakes or posts by a heavy 
wire loop. After three or four panels have thus been 
erected, loops of smaller wire hold the panels to¬ 
gether at the top and bottom as shown. If desired, 
wooden panels may be used and held in position in the 
same manner; but woven-wire fencing, being so 
much cheaper and lighter, is more desirable, and far 
easier handled. One wagon-load of wire panels thus 
constructed would fence three times as much as 
wooden ones or any wooden fence one can erect, and 
when not in use, can be piled up for future use. 
Canada. a. j. snyder. 
The “ Potomato.” 
It is now over six years since The R. N.-Y. called 
attention to Prof. L II. Bailey’s success in grafting 
the tomato upon potato stems. We are now able to 
show a picture (Fig. 57), of one of these plants. It is 
taken from Bulletin 61 of the Cornell Experiment 
Station. As most of us know, the tomato is first 
cousin of the potato, and there is really nothing new 
or remarkable in this grafting. No economic results 
can come from this union, yet it is interesting to 
know that tubers will form without potato leaves, 
and that tomatoes can be produced without potato 
WHAT THEY SAY. 
Notes on Plums. —In reply to the query 
on page 84, whether Satsuma plum will root 
from cuttiDgs, I have tried two seasons with 
considerable quantities of Satsuma cuttings, 
and entirely failed to make any live or root 
at all. Notwithstanding Mr. Van Deman’s 
statement (page 529, August 8 , 1896) that it 
is very difficult to root Marianna cuttings 
at the North, and nurserymen at the North 
have them rooted in the South, I have 
blundered into having no difficulty. Three 
successive seasons I have made cuttings 
eight or ten inches long, early in March, and 
as soon as the ground is in good condition, 
they are set out inclining 45 degrees, and 
with one or two buds above the soil, in a 
place somewhat shaded, taking care to make 
the earth very firm about the bottom end of 
the cutting. About three-quarters of them grow. 
Usually, the larger the cutting, the greater the 
growth; some cuttings have been three-fourths inchin 
diameter, from which vigorous growth was made. I 
think that Satsuma, grafted or budded on Marianna, 
makes a better tree than on its own roots, for the root 
system of Marianna can hardly be excelled. All the 
nursery catalogues that come under my observation, 
if they say anything about it, still say that the Sat¬ 
suma is a clingstone; with me, three-quarters of 
them are freestones. Mr. Van Deman’s statement 
that Wild Goose will not do well grafted on European 
stock, is a surprise to me, as I have grafted and 
budded several varieties of Americans (not Wild 
Goose, however) on Europeans, also hybrids on Euro¬ 
peans, and vice versa, without difficulty. f. 
Connecticut. 
Another Portable Fence. —The design, Fig. 58, 
shows the construction of a fence of the Page woven 
wire. Hitherto wire portable fences were found to 
be almost impracticable on account of sag, and diffi¬ 
culty in rehandling, unless supported by wooden 
frames. Fig. 58 shows how the panels are constructed. 
Cut the woven wire the length the panels are de¬ 
sired, say 12 feet; then support each end of the panel 
with a 1 x 2 -inch wooden strip of the height required. 
Fasten the wires with pliers, twisting the ends of the 
wire around the sticks. Be careful to cat the wires 
all of the same length. The posts consist of short 
stakes, driven into the ground ; they may be of iron, 
gas pipe, or small, round cedar, pine or tamarack. The 
TOMATO GRAFTED ON POTATO ROOT, “POTOMATO.” Fig. 57 
roots. Prof. Bailey says that one grower has got to 
the point of calling his mongrel “ Potomato”, and 
he expects to produce compound crops of potatoes 
and tomatoes from seeds or tubers. This is an 
absurd statement, though we fully expect to see 
some enterprising (?) seedsman offering such seeds 
for sale. We believe that an expert in grafting could 
make some money by preparing the plants in the 
greenhouse and offering them for sale. As a horti¬ 
cultural curiosity, we think that a limited number 
would sell at high prices. 
Prof. Bailey says that the plants for this grafting 
were grown in pots, and the grafting was done in the 
greenhouse when the plants were but a few inches 
high. All sprouts below the union were promptly 
removed. When put out-doors, the parts were soon 
knit together, but it was necessary to shelter the 
plants from strong winds. The picture shows that, 
where the tomato was grafted on potato, a light crop 
was produced both above and below ground. The 
tubers seemed to be perfect, but they did not grow 
when planted. The tomatoes seemed to develop their 
full characteristic flavor. The peculiar thing is that 
the tubers were “manufactured” by tomato foliage. 
Where the potato was grafted on tomato roots, of 
course there were no tubers. The potato tops, while 
blooming freely, produced no seed balls — which 
habit, however, is true of vines when grown in the 
ordinary way. The public may, perhaps, thank 
Prof. Bailey for heading off some startling “novelty”. 
If he had not shown the truth of this interesting 
“mongrel”, some one would most likely have offered 
tubers “from tomato leaves” at a high price ! 
The 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.) 
AILING ANIMALS. 
ANSWERS BY DR. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Cow Pox. 
A. F., Western Mass. —One of my cows has little sores on her 
udder. Some say it’s cow pox. What shall I give her to cure it ? 
If the sores are really due to cow pox, no treatment 
is necessary, as they should heal naturally without 
treatment so soon as the disease has run its course, 
usually requiring 10 to 15 days. If due to cow pox, the 
disease will, undoubtedly, be conveyed to the other 
cows, especially if in milk. If not contracted by any 
of the other cows, or if the sores do not heal within 
two weeks (unless aggravated by milking), you can 
feel quite certain that the disease is not cow pox. In 
that case, it would be well to anoint the sores with 
zinc ointment after each milking. 
Horse Out of Condition. 
li. It. C., Fulton, Mich.— One of my horses seems quite well ex¬ 
cept that, with good feed, he fails to get fat. He seems to be 
troubled to urinate and voids but little at a time. He eats, 
drinks and looks well, and his coat looks smooth, but I have been 
unable to get him fat enough so that his ribs will not show after a 
day’s work. 
Rub the loins with ammonia liniment (strong aqua 
ammonia and sweet oil, equal parts, to be 
well shaken before using), covering an area 
18 inches long by 12 inches wide. If not 
blistered by the first application, repeat once 
a week until the skin is well blistered. 
Allow the scabs to be shed naturally, after 
which the blister may be repeated if neces¬ 
sary. Give the horse one of the following 
powders in his feed night and morning : 
Sulphate of iron, three ounces; nitrate of 
potash, six ounces ; powdered gentian, eight 
ounces ; mix and make into 24 powders. You 
should have given the ration you are feeding, 
to enable me to make a change if desired. 
One-half pint oil meal or ground flax seed 
added to the grain ration night and morning 
would, probably, improve the general con¬ 
dition. If there is constipation, or the bowels 
are slow to move, give pint doses of raw 
linseed oil once every three days until re¬ 
lieved. 
Ringworm on Cow ; Indigestion in a Horse. 
C. K. D., Hayward , Wis. —1. The hair is coming oft 
around my cow’o horns and on her cheeks, and there 
is a wbitescab where it comes off. She is giving milk, 
is due to calve in eight weeks, and eats well, both 
grain and hay. 2. What shall I give one of my horses ? 
He has a ravenous appetite, but what he eats seems 
to do no good. He is rather poor, while his mate is 
hog fat on less feed. It is a driving team. 
1 . The trouble is ringworm, a parasitic 
disease of the hair. Paint thoroughly with 
the compound tincture of iodine. One or 
two applications will kill the parasites, after 
which the patches should heal without any 
further trouble. 2. The horse is, evidently, 
suffering from chronic indigestion. Give 
one of the following powders in his feed 
twice daily : Powdered nux vomica, three 
ounces; sulphate of soda, one pound ; 
nitrate of potash and powdered gentian, of each 
four ounces ; mix and make into 24 powders. If 
there be no improvement, try a course of arsenic. 
Give one-tablespoonful doses of Fowler’s solution of 
arsenic once daily on the feed for one week, then two- 
tablespoonful doses once daily for two or three weeks. 
Cow Fails to Come to Her Milk. 
F. If. L., Northampton, Mass. —I have a cow that always has 
given 18 quarts per day, but this time when she calved, she 
cannot be persuaded to give more than four or live. She makes 
up a good udder, and looks before she is milked as though she 
would fill the pail, but doesn’t do it. She is a large cow, about 
eight years old, and never has been grained very high. What is 
the matter, and is there any cure ? 
The cow is, evidently, out of condition in some par¬ 
ticular, but where, I am unable to say. It is not an 
uncommon occurrence for a cow that is in apparent 
good health, to have an “ off year” in which she fails 
to come up to previous records. She may or may not 
come to her milk again after the next calving. If 
with good care and a liberal ration she fails to come 
up to her usual record after a few weeks, I would 
advise fattening for the butcher, unless the cow is 
especially valuable, or desirable for breeding pur¬ 
poses, in which case it may be desirable to keep her 
over. 
Interfering Horse with Cracked Hoof. 
C. D ., Fort Valley, Ga.—I have a very fine saddle horse, which 
seems to have poor hoofs. The right front hoof is cracked straight 
up and down, and they also break off all around the lower por¬ 
tion of the coffin bone. He also interferes while traveling, and 
overreaches and strikes the front feet just below and sometimes 
on the sensitive frog. As there is no scientific horseshoer here 
