1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
One or even two men can prune to advantage from 
this box and do, at least, one-third more work than 
when using ladders. The size of the box to be used 
will depend upon the size of the trees and the height 
at which they are headed. The above mentioned 
box is convenient for plum, cherry and other medium¬ 
sized orchard trees. For large trees, a step-ladder 
may be used very nicely on top of the box. This de¬ 
vice does away with tramping in the mud and much 
climbing up and down ladders, thus turning what 
would be wasted energy into profitable labor. Of 
course a trusty horse is essential for this purpose, for 
a sudden or unlooked-for start might throw a man 
headlong to the ground. The reins are fastened to a 
standard which is so arranged that it may be moved 
to either front corner of the box as desired. The 
horse must be blanketed during cold or stormy 
weather. c. f. c. 
Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. 
SORGHUM FOR SHEEP PASTURE. 
NO TROUBLE WITH SECOND GROWTH. 
The following note was recently received : 
In The R. N.-Y. of May 23 last, was an article on sorghum, for 
sheep pasture. Can it be safely pastured ? If so, how much will 
I have to sow per acre, with a drill ? p. i. 
Clinton County, Mich. 
About a year ago, we printed an article by Prof. 
Thos. Shaw, of the Minnesota Experiment Station, 
on summer forage for sheep, in which the picture 
shown at Fig. 128 was printed. It represents sheep 
feeding on a patch of second-growth sorghum, and is 
interesting in 
connection 
with the fol¬ 
lowing state- 
ment by Prof. 
Shaw : 
Our experi¬ 
ence with grow¬ 
ing sorghum as 
a pasture for 
sheep has been 
of the most 
encouraging 
nature. Last 
summer, we 
pastured 86 
head of sheep 
and lambs on 10 
acres of land. 
The pasture 
consisted o f: 
(1), clover ; (2), 
peas, oats and 
rape; (3), winter 
rye; ( 4 )i corn 
and rape ; (5), 
sorghum; (6), 
rape alone ; (7), 
cab bages. 
Some other 
foods were, also 
sown in a ten¬ 
tative way, but 
the above 
named were 
the chief. The 
land was not 
rich naturally, neither was it made so ; but the 
season was favorable. In addition to the pasture, 
we got more than nine tons of food from the same 
land, and more than six tons of green fodder. 
Of course, had the season been unfavorable, the land 
would not have produced thus ; but making due allow¬ 
ance for that, there certainly is much room for the 
growing of sown pastures for sheep in many parts of 
this country. And let it be noticed here, that the 
sheep were pastured on this ground; the food was 
not cut and carried to them. 
The most satisfactory of the foods grown were : 
Winter rye (fall-sown), sorghum and rape. Sorghum 
furnished more food than any of the other plants, but 
the rape was better relished by the sheep than the 
sorghum. The latter is a warm-weather plant. 
When ordinary pastures are sleeping beneath the hot 
summer suns, and when rape is languishing because 
of the oppressive heat, sorghum is at its best. It 
luxuriates in warm weather where there is enough 
moisture present, and at that season when all other 
pasture is short or dry and faded, sorghum furnishes 
an abundant supply of succulent food. Sorghum may 
be sown as a sheep pasture in various ways. In the 
first place, it may be sown broadcast and alone. In 
the second place, it may be sown with the seed drill, 
all the tubes in use. In the third place, it may be 
sown with the seed drill and with the rows far enough 
apart to cultivate as corn or roots are cultivated. It 
can best be sown on fall-plowed land stirred occasion¬ 
ally ip the spring with the harrow until it is time to 
sow the seed ; or it may be sown after rye has been 
eaten off. One bushel of seed is used per acre when 
sown broadcast, three pecks when sown with the 
drill, all the tubes running, and only a few 
quarts when sown in rows for being cultivated. 
Except when sown broadcast, a light harrow 
with the teeth slanting backward should be run 
over it just when it begins to come up, to destroy 
the young weeds that may be just springing into 
life. Whether harrowing subsequently would be 
a detriment or an injury, has not been, as yet, satis¬ 
factorily determined; doubtless much will depend 
upon soil conditions and the mode of harrowing. 
We have much to learn about the best way to grow 
it for pasture, but we have learned this about it, viz., 
that it furnishes an excellent amount of pasture, that 
unless in extremely dry weather, it will at once grow 
up again when eaten off, that it will continue to grow 
thus until frost comes, and that it is very easily 
grown. We have now pastured it for two years, and 
with much success both seasons. I would never like 
to be without a plot for sheep pasture in this western 
country in midsummer, where sheep are to be kept in 
any considerable numbers. Our sorghum has been 
eaten down two and three times, both in 1895 and 
’96, and we have not lost ope animal from bloat. In 
1895, we lost one lamb, but from a cause that might 
have resulted thus on any kind of pasture. In 1896, 
we lost three or four sheep from bloat on clover 
pasture, but the sheep on sorghum kept quite well, 
and were hearty. We have pastured them on third- 
growth sorghum after frost came, and no harm fol¬ 
lowed, but they don’t relish the sorghum after the 
frost has nipped it; hence they should never be com¬ 
pelled to eat it. Remember, I do not say that second 
or third-growth sorghum will not injure sheep ; but I 
do say that it has not injured them in our experience 
of pasturing it for two successive seasons. I may, in 
the future, find some reasons for modifying my views, 
but as yet I regard sorghum as invaluable in provid¬ 
ing summer pasture for sheep. 
We have not yet determined the best time for turn¬ 
ing in upon it, but we allow it to got up fully one 
foot high, or even higher than that, before we begin 
to feed it off. It is a tender plant when young, and 
therefore will not stand pasturing when quite young. 
But when the area is large, it would not be well to 
defer pasturing until too late a period ; it grows so 
quickly that it would get quite away from the sheep. 
We have obtained best results from the Early Amber. 
Green Scum in Watering Troughs. —Sprinkling 
lime in stock tanks may serve to keep the water pure, 
and green scum from forming, but I venture the 
opinion that a shed over the tank will be better, be¬ 
sides keeping the water cooler. According to my ex¬ 
perience, the green scum and mossy growths in such 
places, occur only where the water is exposed to the 
sun, or a strong light, and they will form in running 
springs, provided the sun has full power on the 
water. In several instances, I have shaded such 
places, and the green scum and mossy growths soon 
disappeared. g. h. s. 
29i 
SOWING OATS AMONG STRAWBERRIES. 
Straw /s Much Cheaper. 
I have sown oats among strawberries about Septem¬ 
ber 15 in 1893, September 1 , 1894, and August 15, 1895, 
at the rate of five or more bushels per acre. The 
growth in 1893 was not sufficient, so I sowed two weeks 
earlier in 1894, and that was not satisfactory. The 
sowing in 1895 was very good, but it was not sufficient 
during the drought that prevailed when the berries 
were ripening. I also thought that the plants were 
seriously injured on account of stopping cultivation 
so early. To grow choice strawberries requires 
plenty of moisture in the soil. Here, we usually have 
a drought at that season, and in my experience, noth¬ 
ing equals a heavy mulch of rye straw. The value 
of rye straw over other straws is, it is strong and 
tough, and is in good shape for mulch when the drought 
comes. The last time I visited my old home in Che¬ 
nango County, N. Y., for seven weeks in July and 
August, there was an average of three showers a 
week, and not a drop during the same time here. 
Again, rye straw is worth $1 or $2 per ton here on 
the farm, and $20 per ton might change the outlook. 
Cherry Valley, Ill. s. e. h. 
Oats Feed the Grubs. 
In The R. N.-Y. of January 30, reference was made 
to the sowing of oats or cow peas among strawberries 
for a mulch, and actual experience was asked for. 
Now I do not wish to be understood as recommend¬ 
ing the oat or barley mulch, where better material 
can be had at a reasonable cost; but there are cases 
where it can be 
used to advan¬ 
tage,and where 
it has some ad¬ 
vantages over 
good straw at 
the price it 
usually brings 
—from $4 to $6 
per ton. In the 
spring of 1893, 
I planted one- 
h a 1 f acre of 
strawberries on 
land of a sandy 
nature, some¬ 
what rolling 
and subject to 
wash. As it 
was an old 
Timothy sod, I 
well knew the 
danger of 
White grubs. 
The plants 
looked very 
promising until 
about July 1, 
when the White 
grubs began to 
work on them 
badly, and I 
soon found that 
i f something 
did not stop 
th em, there 
would be very 
few plants left. As the rows were becoming washed 
by rains, I decided to try oats and barley, both as a 
remedy for the grubs and a preventive of the washing. 
Accordingly, on August 16,1 sowed separately, broad¬ 
cast, one bushel of clean barley and about 1% bushel 
oats, and worked them in with a cultivator and steel 
rake. They came up in good season, and as soon as 
their fine soft roots had started nicely, the grubs had 
fresh pasture, and from that time on, my strawberries 
were not harmed to speak of by the grubs. The oats 
and barley covered the ground, stopping the wash 
effectually, and I fully believe that, if it had not 
been for their young and tender roots, the plants 
would have been entirely ruined by the grubs. 
Now for the result: there did not seem to be 
much, if any, difference between the oats and barley 
for the purpose, as both froze down, making a very 
good protection for the plants; but in this case both 
grew too large, thereby checking further plant 
growth, and somewhat smothering them, until freez¬ 
ing and the storms of winter laid them down. The 
oats were fully 15 inches high and quite thick. The 
result was not more than half a good crop of berries. 
Some advantages are s oats or barley can be sown 
quite evenly by hand, but as to time, September 1, in 
Ohio, would be early enough. The cost of grain or 
time spent is almost nothing. On high, exposed land, 
where straw is liable to be blown off, oats will stay. 
Well-cleaned grain will contain less weed seeds than 
most straw. The disadvantages are i sowing gram 
among the plants at this time of the year, stops all 
