1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
i73 
What Crops for Green Manuring ? 
A. W., Dundee, N. F.—I have come Into possession of a piece of 
land that, for years, has been very much neglected; the fertility 
seems nearly exhausted, and the land grows more of daisy, plan¬ 
tain and live-forever than of grass. The soil is a heavy clay, 
yellow clay subsoil. I have no barnyard manure to apply to it. 
To subdue the weeds and to furnish humus—which seems entirely 
exhausted—and to get some small return from the land, I have 
decided to plow the land in the spring, and as soon as danger of 
frost is over, sow it to buckwheat, let it grow till the first of July, 
then plow it under and let It lie a few days; then harrow in 
enough buckwheat to grow a crop, and let it ripen and harvest it. 
If I pursue this course for three or four years, I think that the 
weeds will be used up, but what effect will it have on such a soil 
to plow under so much of such sour, green stuff? Will a second 
crop start off and grow with such a mass of green growth just 
turned under ? If peas were grown until they began to blossom 
and then turned under, would they add more to the soil than the 
buckwheat? Enough peas to seed an acre would cost from $2.50 
to $ 3 , while I could seed an acre to buckwheat for 20 cents. 
Ans. —We would like to have the opinions of our 
readers on this point. On our own farm in New 
Jersey, our plan would be to plow and fine up the 
land and sow peas—using a quantity of ground bone 
and muriate of potash. The peas would be cut for 
hay, or pastured to hogs, and the ground plowed and 
seeded to rye or Crimson clover early enough to 
secure a full growth. This would be plowed under 
the following spring, and the ground planted to some 
corn like the Early Adams with a fair dressing of fer¬ 
tilizer, with rye or. Crimson clover seeded in August. 
This variety of corn will ripen with us early enough 
to enable us to prepare the ground for the green 
manuring crop. Several years of such treatment 
would clear the ground of weeds and give fair 
returns. Of the plans proposed, we would prefer to 
use the peas for the first crop, but we shall be glad 
to have others give their experience or opinion. 
With so many successive green manuring crops, you 
will need to use lime in some form to “ sweeten” the 
land. 
What Causes a “ Big Stomach” ? 
Several Readers.— What is the usual cause of what is called a 
“big stomach”—a great enlargement of the abdomen ? Does the 
stomach itself enlarge? 
Ans. —The enlargement of the abdominal portion 
of the body is due, as a rule, to the accumulation of 
fat. Manifestly, it cannot be caused by the stomach 
itself enlarging ; for the digestion, in such cases, is 
usually good, which it could not very well be with a 
stomach so enormously dilated. The stomach does 
get dilated from disease, but such dilatation would 
not be likely to cause any great abdominal enlarge¬ 
ment, certainly not without symptoms indicative of 
disease. The enlargement resulting from the deposits 
of fat in the wall of the abdomen and about the con¬ 
tained viscera would be accompanied, of course, by 
an increase in the size of the limbs, or in other 
words, it would be only one of several indications of 
a corpulent habit of body. Excessive corpulency 
verges on disease. The special cause which brings 
about this excessive deposit of fat does not seem to be 
well understood. It may occur, either in the case of 
a plethoric, or in that of an anaemic subject, as the 
case of a large or small eater. The use of alcoholic 
(especially malt), liquors sometimes develops this 
tendency. Those who are affected in this way usually 
take in a good deal of liquid at their meals. A lack 
of exercise may assist in bringing about this con¬ 
dition. In the treatment of these cases, something 
may be gained by regulating the diet. Fatty and 
starchy articles of food should be, as much as possible, 
abstained from. Milk, tea, sugar and coffee would 
better be abstained from or used but moderately ; 
but little liquid of any kind taken with the meals. 
Lean meats, fish (except salmon and eels), vegetables, 
fresh fruit, game, eggs, cheese, toast, and pickles may 
be indulged in. Exercise should be taken as freely 
as circumstances and the strength will permit. There 
will be little occasion for any drug medication. Iron 
in some form will prove useful to the anaemic. 
W. O. EASTWOOD. 
Value of Different Parts of the Corn Plant. 
W. B., Troupsburg, JV. Y. —A few days ago, I was told by a man 
from another county, that the principal value of corn stover was 
in the stalk, the blade or leaf being of little food value. What says 
The R. N.-Y. ? 
Ans. —The corn plant, in this section, has the fol¬ 
lowing average make up : 
Per cent. 
Ears. 43 
Stubble. 26 
Topped fodder. 15 
Husks. 10 
Blades. 6 
Total. 100 
In the North, where the flint corn is generally 
grown and the corn does not grow so rank as in the 
South, the weight of ears is greater than that of fod¬ 
der, and the different parts of the fodder will be found 
to have a different relation from that indicated by 
the above figures. In 100 pounds of any of the differ¬ 
ent parts of corn fodder, there is about the same 
quantity of digestible food constituents, or in other 
words, they all have about the same feeding value, 
pound for pound. From one acre, the yield of blades 
is much smaller than that of stalk, consequently, a 
less quantity of food is produced by the blades. The 
blades are superior to the stalk just to the extent 
that they can be used by animals without any special 
preparation ; but this is a factor of no consequence, 
as the improved fodder cutters put the entire plant 
in a shape so that fully 95 per cent of it will be eaten 
by cows and horses. H. J patterson. 
Maryland Experiment Station. 
Cutting and Keeping P’.um Grafts. 
M. II., Marengo, 0.— When is the proper time to cut plum grafts? 
What is the proper way to keep them until time to graft ? What 
do you think of the Burbank plum ? Is it worth grafting? 
Ans. —Plum grafts should be cut in the fall, if pos¬ 
sible, and before severe cold weather has damaged 
them in any degree. If this is not possible, then, by 
all means, before there are any signs of starting in 
the spring. The best place to keep them is where 
they will be damp but not wet, and as cool as is pos¬ 
sible without freezing. Nurserymen keep scions of 
nearly all kinds in damp sawdust or leaf mold. 
Buried in the earth on the north side of some build¬ 
ing, is often a good place. The Burbank plum is one 
of the best of the Japanese kinds. It makes an ugly- 
looking but very hardy and prolific tree, and the fruit 
is handsome and well flavored. No plum is better 
canned. h. e. y. d. 
Building a Tub Silo. 
R. A. W., Du Bois , Pa. —How many doors does a tub silo lax 16 
feet require, and must a silo be built perfectly tight ? There is 
one in this town which leaked very badly while they were filling 
it. I have read several articles, but would like to know every¬ 
thing there is to know about a silo before building. I want it 
large enough for 10 cows. 
Ans.—I n constructing a tub silo, it is usual to cut 
out every other space between the hoops for the 
doors. A silo 16 feet high would need but two doors, 
and these should be put in as shown in Fig 86. When 
the staves of the silo are put 
in place, the stave at one side 
of where the opening for the 
door is to be should be cut 
about one-half off so that the 
saw can be inserted when the 
silo is erected and the re¬ 
mainder of the door sawed 
out without making an auger 
hole. Saw the door at a bevel, 
making the opening larger 
on the inside, so the door will 
fit snugly in place when 
pressed home by the ensilage. 
The edges of the staves should 
be beveled so that, when set 
in place, they will form a 
tight joint along their entire 
edge. The silo need not neces¬ 
sarily be perfectly tight when empty, nor need it be 
water-tight when the filling commences. The hoops 
should be tightened before filling and the staves 
brought closely together so that no piece of ensilage 
can get between the staves. The moisture of the en¬ 
silage will cause the wood to expand so that, not only 
will the silo become tight, but the strain may become 
so great upon the hoops that, unless they be loosened 
slightly, they may be burst. A tub silo always needs 
close attention for a few days after filling, and the 
strain relieved if necessary. A silo 15 feet in diameter 
and 16 feet high would hold 54 tons of ensilage. For 
feeding 10 cows 30 pounds per day, this silo would 
hold an amount nearly sufficient to keep them one 
year. L. A. c. 
Some Questions About Paint. 
./. W., Arlington, III. —1. What la summer oil or black oil that is 
spoken of in The R. N.-Y., and recommended for painting? 2. 
Where can it be obtained and at what price ? 3. Is it as durable 
as linseed oil and Venetian red, or Spanish brown, or yellow ochre? 
4. Which of the three would be the cheapest to mix it with ? 5. 
What is the price per pound of the three paints spoken of above ? 
6 . Which would look best on a barn—either the Spanish brown or 
Venetian red or ochre for the main building, the battens to be con¬ 
trasted in one of the three colors. 7. How much of each color to 
the gallon of each to give it the right shade, and to be of the right 
consistency for painting. 
Ans. —A petroleum product, known in trade as 
a mineral lubricant, or black oil. 2. Schofield, 
Shurner & Teagle, Cleveland, O., with branches 
at Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, Kansas City, St. 
Joseph, Des Moines, Detroit, Indianapolis, Grand 
Rapids, Kalamazoo. It is quoted wholesale at from 
6%to9)^ cents per gallon, according to quality, by 
the barrel. 3. No. Nothing makes as durable a paint 
vehicle as pure linseed oil, raw oil being preferred. 
4 and 5. Spanish brown, one-half to one cent per 
pound, American ochre, 1 and 1)4 cent, washed 
French ochre, two cents, Venetian red, 70 cents, to 
$1 50 per 100 pounds. These prices are wholesale, 
and by the barrel of 300 or 400 pounds. You would 
have to pay double as much, likely, in a small way. 
The same with summer oil. 6. It is a matter of choice, 
though Spanish brown is, in my judgment, too dull a 
color. It is seldom used now. It is an iron oxide. 
Venetian red makes a nice bright color, though there 
are several shades. It is a good pigment. Ochre is 
durable and clean looking, and with a roof painted 
with Venetian red or oxide of iron paint, a barn would 
look nice. Don’t paint the battens another color. It 
gives a tawdry effect, and adds greatly to the time and 
labor of painting. 7. Eight to ten pounds of dry pig¬ 
ment to the gallon of linseed oil. Mix in a barrel, 
and make enough to go over the job once. Put dry 
color in the barrel, then pour over it half as much oil 
as is required to mix it. Let this stand a day to soak 
through ; then stir up well, and add the rest of the 
oil, stirring again. Add to every eight gallons of 
paint about one pint of good Japan drier, or two 
ounces drier to each gallon. Don’t add driers until 
ready to -use, putting it in the paint pot. Use paint 
rather thin. the paint doctor. 
What Crops in a Young Orchard Y 
F. F. F., Rex/ord Flats, N. F. —I have an apple orchard of 
about 15 acres, planted in the spring of 1895; the soil is a clay 
loam, with an old sod turned under last fall. I wish to keep it 
plowed for, at least, five years. What rotation of crops (without 
potatoes), can I practice for five years, and not hurt the trees? 
How would you treat the soil so as not to “run it out”? We 
sowed Crimson clover with buckwheat about Julyl; we had a 
good crop of buckwheat, but the clover grew only about two or 
three inches. Did we sow loo early, or what was the trouble ? 
Ans. —I should advise F. F. F. in cultivating his 
orchard, to give it an annual dressing of barnyard 
manure, or such other fertilizers as, in his opinion, it 
requires, and take off a crop of corn, followed by 
seeding to Crimson clover, sown about the time he 
names. He should omit the buckwheat or anything 
else, and see to it that the ground is finely pulverized 
and put in the best condition for the germination of 
the clover seed. It is barely possible that a severe 
winter without a snow covering might kill it out. 
Such has been the experience of many, but at the 
same time, it has done its work in part in the way of 
gathering nitrogen, so that the soil has already been 
greatly improved by its work. Should it come up in 
good condition the following spring, I should let it 
grow, thus giving additional humus to the soil and 
added plant food to supply the wants of the growing 
orchard. If thought desirable, this crop could be fol¬ 
lowed with a crop of rye, which again can be turned 
under the following spring and followed with another 
crop of corn. It is very difficult, with no knowledge 
of the soil or the surrounding conditions, to give very 
clear advice in regard to croppings and rotations 
most desirable. With an abundant supply of potash 
in the soil, I should follow with a crop of potatoes, 
but this, it seems, F. F. F. prefers not to do. 
S. D WILLARD. 
A Clover for Spring Sowing Wanted. 
W. T. S., Uwchland, Pa.— Have any of your readers had experi¬ 
ence In sowing Crimson clover in the spring? If so, what was 
the result? Much Crimson clover seed has been sown in my 
locality, but so far as I know, in late summer and early autumn, 
and successfully only in sheltered nooks. If we could get a 
clover that would make a crop of hay the same season it was 
sown, it would be just the desideratum, as we could seed the 
ground with winter grain after the crop came off, and with com¬ 
mon clover in the following spring. Oats have become an un¬ 
profitable crop, and we want something to substitute for them. 
Ans. —Our own experience in spring sowing of 
Crimson clover has not been satisfactory. The weeds 
were too much for it. The Crimson is a cool weather 
plant, and hot weather seems to force it into bloom 
too rapidly. Even if the weeds were clipped off, we 
doubt whether the clover would make a good growth 
in summer. We would try cow peas or peas and oats 
to secure the hay crop in one season. 
Wild Cherry for Grafting. 
8. II. 8., New York City.—I have on my place, a number of full- 
grown wild cherry trees. Can they be successfully grafted with 
any of the varieties of cultivated cherry—or plum—and if so, 
what kind will succeed best? 
Ans.—T he wild cherry does not seem to make a 
good stock for grafting any of the cultivated varie¬ 
ties of either the cherry or plum upoD. I have tried 
both the wild black and the red-fruited species, and, 
while I have sometimes succeeded in getting the 
grafts to grow, they made a poor union, and soon 
broke off. The wild “choke” cherry seems to make a 
better union, but it is quite dwarfish, and also prac¬ 
tically worthless as a stock. h. e. v. d. 
Fall Seeding to Grass. 
W. II. B., Tompkins. County, N. Y.— In our locality, much 
trouble has been experienced in getting good seeding, for a few 
years back. I think that a good seeding may be obtained by 
waiting until the grain is cut, then fit the ground and sow the 
seed; a good catch will be the result. It is Nature’s time of seed¬ 
ing. Has any one tried this plan, and what was the result ? 
Ans. —This is really the plan followed by Mr. Geo. 
M. Clark, of Connecticut, which was fully described 
in these columns last fall. Mr. Clark lays great stress 
on a proper preparation of the soil, heavy seeding and 
the use of grass seeds alone. Many of our readers 
have tried this plan, and we expect to give full re¬ 
ports from them during the season. 
