1 897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
153 
and most of the potash in the straw. An average 
sample of bone will contain, in each 100 pounds, four 
pounds of nitrogen, 21 of phosphoric acid, and no 
potash at all. You will see that 250 pounds of bone 
would give you the nitrogen found in one ton of 
straw, and one bushel of grain, eight times as much 
phosphoric acid , and nothing to take the place of 
the nearly 16% pounds of potash. To use bone alone 
on grain, would be like a cook trying to make good 
cake out of butter and flour—without any sugar. The 
plan of making a balanced fertilizer would be to add 
to the bone some substance like blood, tankage or 
nitrate of soda that is high in nitrogen. This mixture 
would bring the proportion of nitrogen to phosphoric 
acid down to the proper rate, and then some sub¬ 
stance rich in potash would even it up. The trouble 
with most of the fertilizers used in the West is that 
they contain an excess of phosphoric acid and too 
little potash. Many Western soils were naturally 
deficient in potash, and after years of grain grow¬ 
ing, they have lost large quantities of this valuable 
substance. 
Starting Asparagus in Texas. 
J. F. R., Tyler, yea;.—Would close sandy soil, with clay within 
two or three feet of the surface, with a southern slope, be suit¬ 
able for asparagus ? What is the best way to prepare the bed ? 
How wide should the rows be, and what distance in the row? 
How deep should the plants be set ? 
Axs.—The location mentioned can be made to pro¬ 
duce asparagus well. However, if the clay subsoil 
were not so far below the surface, say 12 to 20 inches, 
it would be better. A better location would be on 
level land, as nearly as possible, for sandy soil, pro¬ 
viding it has good sub-drainage, so that it does not 
get boggy in wet weather. Sloping sandy land would, 
in a few years, wash away so much that the crowns 
of the plants would become exposed. Prepare the 
bed by spreading upon the land evenly five tons of 
cotton seed, or 25 tons of well fined stable manure. 
Then double plow the land, using a 12-inch plow to 
open, and follow in the same furrow with an eight or 
ten-inch plow, going down altogether 15 or 18 inches 
deep. If to be grown in drills, let the rows run north 
and south,or still better in the south, from southwest 
to northeast, four feet apart. Open such rows with 
the 12-inch plow about eight inches deep, place a 
good root every 18 or 20 inches in the bottom of the 
furrow, and then turn about and cover with the plow. 
This work should be done at any time South from 
November 1 to March 1. After planting, at the first 
appearance of weeds, run over the land with a har¬ 
row which will destroy the weeds and level the land. 
After this, maintain clean cultivation. Some prefer 
to check off the land as for corn, 3% feet each way, 
and set a good root at every check. This method 
favors horse cultivation almost entirely, and will give 
more uniformly large shoots. Each fall, during the 
life of the bed, if the finest quality of asparagus and 
greatest quantity be desired, as much fertilizer should 
be spread over the land as at the first preparation. 
Land cannot be made too rich for this crop. If the 
plants are set in drills four feet apart, and 18 inches 
apart in the drill, the land will take more than twice 
the number of plants to set it, as when set 3% feet 
apart each way, and the yield per acre in drills will 
be much more than in checks. It requires 7,260 
plants to the acre in such drills. These instructions 
are for making a plantation for market purposes, 
where land is cheap, and cultivation is mostly done 
with horse or mule Dower. t. v. muxsox. 
Japan Golden Mayberry and Logan Berry. 
E. E. B., Onslow, la.— Have you, or any of your readers, fruited 
the Japan Golden mayberry or the Logan berry. If so, have they 
any practical value, or are they only novelties ? 
axs.—T he mayberry is not hardy at the Rural 
Grounds. The Logan berry has not yet fruited, but 
we have hopes that it will prove hardy and of value. 
The Vermont Beauty Pear. 
0 . F. C-, Grand Rapids, Alich.— l. From your knowledge of the Ver¬ 
mont Beauty pear, would you recommend it for planting to sell to 
private customers in Grand Rapids ? 2 . Does it bear early in its 
growth ? 3. Does it succeed as a dwarf ? 
Axs.—1. We would not care to advise. Our knowl¬ 
edge of this pear is confined to the fruit itself. The 
tree may or may not succeed in Grand Rapids. 2 and 
3. We may not answer. Perhaps some of our Michi¬ 
gan friends may help us. 
The Sudduth Pear in Iowa. 
A. C. R., Oakville, Iowa.— How does the Sudduth pear compare 
with our old kinds as to hardiness, bearing, size and quality? 
Axs.— The Sudduth is something new in Iowa. 
The first trees on our experiment grounds were put 
out last spring. There are but two of them. They 
are four years old from the graft. These trees are 
doing well now, but that is no recommendation. I 
heard one of our veteran horticulturists state before 
our State Horticultural Society that he was satisfied 
that, in northern Iowa, all pears are unprofitable, 
having proved themselves so with the exception of 
the Sudduth, the experiments with which were just 
now begun. j. I. shulte. 
Asst. Horticulturist Iowa Station. 
“Reducing" Bones; Carrots , Etc. 
S. D. E., Oregon— 1 . Can a farmer safely and profitably reduce 
bones with sulphuric acid in a wooden tank? 2 . Which is most 
valuable for feeding stock—horses, young cattle, milch cows, 
etc.,—carrots, parsnips _or mangels ? 3 . I am using ashes in 
a dry-earth closet. Does it injure them for fertilizing purposes ? 
Axs.—1. We would not advise you to attempt it. 
We consider it unsafe for a novice to handle this 
dangerous acid. Read the other notes about bones. 
2. We prefer carrots by all means. 3. No, but it 
must create a bad smell unless you mean coal ashes. 
Wood ashes contain potash in a form which acts to 
set free ammonia. Do not use wood ashes for this 
purpose. Coal ashes, dry earth or muck will be much 
better. 
Flower Seeds and Peas. 
F. O. S., Elizabeth, N. J. — 1 . Is there any particular way to treat 
Actinidia seeds ? 2.1 tried all ways to sprout seeds of mixed hybrid 
clematis, but failed. How should they be treated ? 3 . What do 
you know about Multiflora Fairy Polyantha roses 60 days from 
seed ? Are they worth trying ? 4. Do you know of any one that 
succeeded with Cupid sweet peas ? 5 . How do Nott’s Excelsior, 
Station, Chelsea, Juno and Daisy peas compare as to yield? 
Which of the above kinds require to be sowed thick and which 
thin, or in other words, which kinds stool or branch and which 
do not? Green peas are my favorites, and my garden is small, 
so I must makfe the most of a small patch. 
Axs.—1. We have not tried seeds of the Actinidia. 
We fancy, however, that they may be treated much 
the same as those of any other hardy shrubs that 
sprout readily. 2. Most clematis seeds will not 
sprout the first year. The bed, therefore, should be 
kept mellow and free of weeds until the second year. 
3. Yes, the Multiflora roses are just about what they 
are described in the catalogues. The seeds germinate 
readily and the plants begin to bloom when scarcely 
more than six inches high. 4. Cupid seems to suc¬ 
ceed well here and there, notably in California. 
Generally, however, many of the seeds do not sprout, 
and if they do, the plants are feeble. 5. Nott’s 
Excelsior we believe to be the best dwarf wrinkled 
pea that is nearly as early as the smooth kinds. The 
Station matures at about the same time, the vines 
growing about two feet high. It is not an exceed- 
ingly productive variety, but the quality is fine. 
Juno matures about with Stratagem, the vines 
being about two feet high. It was somewhat more 
productive than the Stratagem growing near it. 
Daisy or Carter’s Up-to-Date (they are the same), is a 
very prolific variety, more so than Stratagem or Tele¬ 
phone, but the pods are smaller. This pea is two feet 
in height. There is not much difference between the 
old Queen pea and the Stratagem. Of all the inter¬ 
mediate varieties of peas that we have tested, we 
prefer New Life. 
Some Varieties of Potatoes. 
II. 0 . K., Adams, N. Y .—What would you recommend as the 
most profitable potato to grow ? I want good quality and large 
yield. Would you call the'Table King the most profitable, and 
where could I get a quantity of that variety for seed? Would I 
be able to get any quantity of the Sir Walter Raleigh ? 
Axs.—Tubers of the Table King were sent to us 
last year by Johnson & Stokes, of Philadelphia. They 
gave us the immense yield of at the rate of 726 bushels 
per acre. The skin is of a buff color, the form shapely, 
with few eyes. The quality is that of the Early Rose. 
Yes, you can get a quantity of the Sir Walter Raleigh 
potato of Peter Henderson & Co., of New York, if you 
choose to pay the price, which is $2.50 for 10 pounds. 
One can ascertain which one of the varieties men¬ 
tioned will give the largest yield only by actual trial. 
Canada Field Peas For Green Manure. 
G. W. S., Allen's Falls, N. Y.—Ib there any northern-grown crop 
besides clover that would be as good to plow under for green 
manure for corn as Canada peas ? 
Axs.—We believe that the Canada peas will give 
the best results of any summer crop you can raise. 
You might get them under by running over them 
with a disk harrow before plowing, but we would let 
them die down and plow them under in the spring. 
In Maryland, cow peas are sometimes plowed under 
in late summer and Crimson clover sowed over them. 
We doubt, however, whether this plan would work 
with you. 
The Use of Salt on Peach Trees. 
E. P. 0 ., Bridge Valley, Pa.—I have been recommended to 
sprinkle about two handfuls of salt around the roots of peach 
trees in the second and subsequent years of their growth, spring 
and fall. Can this amount injure the tree? Would not kainit 
answer the purpose, as well as add fertility ? 
Axs.—The use of salt as a fertilizer for peach trees 
has more of imagination than of reality about it. 
Kainit contains about 13 per cent of potash, and is, 
therefore, highly beneficial as a fertilizer ; and any 
good effect that salt could possibly have would result 
from the use of kainit. As a preventive or destroyer 
of the peach-tree borer, I do not think that salt is 
effective in small quantities, about the base ot the 
tree ; and in large quantities, it would kill the tree. 
The egg of the peach borer is laid just above the sur¬ 
face of the ground, and the little grub works inward 
and downward in such a way as to be safe from in- 
j ury by any ordinary liquid or chemical in moderate 
quantities. The best and, so far as is now known, 
the cheapest, method of keeping peach trees free from 
borers is, to dig the borers out twice a year—about 
August and October. It is probable that the person 
who applies salt and also succeeds in growing peach 
trees successfully, may do something else—perhaps, 
cultivate very thoroughly, and thereby invigorate the 
trees and enable them to overcome, in great measure, 
the ill effects of any borers that may be in his 
trees. h. e. v. d. 
How to Learn the Canning Business 
G. W. B., Bremen, Ga .— 1 . Wbat Is the best way to learn the 
business of canning vegetables, fruit, etc., as practiced In the 
canning factories ? 2 . How long would it take to learn the busi¬ 
ness, with good common sense to start on? 3 . If I employ the 
“processor” in our local factory to teach me, what is a fair com¬ 
pensation to pay him where he does it in the course of his regular 
work ? 
Axs.—1. Work at it, and keep studying all the 
scientific part of it meanwhile. 2. It ought not to 
take very long to learn the routine of the business, 
but contingencies are continually arising, and experi¬ 
ence is necessary to meet these successfully. 3. It 
would be impossible for an outsider to say, as so many 
local conditions must be considered. The parties 
ought to be able to settle it between themselves. Our 
opinion is that no large amount should be paid. 
Potash Salts ; What for a Vineyard ? 
T. G. I)., Boston, Mass .—Does muriate of potash contain as much 
available potash as sulphate? Will the chlorine spoken of In 
muriate do any harm to fruit trees or grape vines ? I am able 
to spread a good coat of barnyard manure on my vineyards every 
two years. In addition to this, do I need anything besides potash 
in some form ? The vines always make a good growth. 
Axs.—The highest grades of commercial muriate 
and sulphate of potash contain about the same amount 
of actual potash, viz., 50 per cent. These fertilizers 
should always be bought on analysis. The Massa¬ 
chusetts Station chemists analyzed 70 samples of so- 
called “ muriate,” and found that the potash varied 
from 45 to 58 per cent; 24 samples of sulphate ran 
from 21 to 51 per cent of actual potash. That well 
shows the necessity of buying by a guaranteed 
analysis. The chlorine in the muriate will not in¬ 
jure the trees or vines, but there is a general belief 
that, for most fruits, the sulphate will give a higher 
flavor and quality. We would certainly add to the 
manure not only potash, but 50 pounds of dissolved 
rock or 25 of fin« ground bone for each ton of manure. 
Don’t Drain the Barnyard. 
T. F. II., Newark, N. F.-How can I drain a barnyard ? I have 
been told that it could not be done, because the sediment from the 
manure would work into and obstruct the tiles. 
Axs.—We do not know why you should want to 
drain the yard. We should consider it about the 
worst thing we could do to let the liquid manure es¬ 
cape, unless you expect to collect it in a tank or cis¬ 
tern. An ordinary pipe or tile will soon clog. We 
would not try to drain it, but would use absorbents 
enough to hold the liquids. Straw, leaves, muck, or 
even the sods from plowed grass lands can be thrown 
into the barnyard for the stock to break down. 
How Much Cheese in Milk ? 
I). P., Elk Greek, N. Y.— Will 100 pounds of milk that tests six 
per cent butter fat, make as much cheese as 300 pounds that tests 
two per cent ? 
Axs.—One hundred pounds of the six-per cent milk 
would make about 14 pounds of cheese, and 300 pounds 
of the two-per cent milk would make about 16.5 
pounds of cheese. The difference in the yield comes 
from the increased amount of casein and water 
which the poorer milk makes. In other words, there 
would be a very marked difference in the composition 
of the cheese. The cheese which is made from the 
richer milk under the same conditions of manufacture 
would be much better in quality and worth more 
money per pound than the cheese made from the 
poorer milk. Our station has printed a bulletin bear¬ 
ing on this particular point. l. L VAX slyke. 
Chemist, Geneva, N. Y., Station. 
Mulch the Currants. 
W. J. B., Vermilion, III.—I planted 500 currant bushes last spring, 
and they did well until September, when they ail lost their leaves. 
Would I better cultivate them, oi mulch them well with old straw, 
in cultivating time ? I am always pushed with work, and some 
times can not get over the currants after every rain, but could 
mulch them well this winter. 
Axs.—We would advise the mulching as suggested. 
Crimson Clover in Indiana. 
G. L. B„ Greensburg, Ind.— Will Crimson clover do well in 
Indiana, south of Indianapolis ? Will it pay to sow in com this 
fall to plow under next spring for corn again ? Where can I buy 
muriate of potash, nitrate of soda and cotton-seed meal, and at 
what price ? 
Axs.—We do not know ; it will depend much upon 
the soil and the season. We advise you to sow it as 
an experiment. There have been many failures with 
this clover—probably more than there were when 
farmers first tried to grow the common Red clover. 
The plan you mention is the way to make it most 
valuable. Write to the fertilizer firms advertising in 
The R. N.-Y. The price will depend somewhat on 
the location. 
