292 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 1 
cultivation, greatly to the injury of the future 
growth and development of the plants; the growing 
grain absorbs the moisture which, in very hot weather, 
the plants need so much, and unless the plantation 
has received the cleanest cultivation, fall weeds and 
grasses will come up and make it an unsightly place, 
a good shelter for rabbits, mice and moles. I do not 
mention the grub feature among the advantages, as 
that is simply my belief in the matter. A better way 
out of that difficulty is to avoid sod ground. I have 
used the oats on two or three occasions since, but 
where good straw or swamp hay can be had at a 
reasonable cost, I prefer it. Charles p. brown. 
Summit Co., Ohio. 
The Worst Material Possible. 
As far as oats are concerned, I think that they are, 
for several reasons, the worst material that can be 
used for mulching strawberries. I tried them 15 
years ago. In the first place, they are a very exhaust¬ 
ive crop ; then it would be necessary for them to be, 
at least, three feet high to be effective ; this growth 
could not possibly be attained here at the proper 
time and have them thick enough to answer the pur¬ 
pose. I do not know of any other person who has 
tried them here. Mulching with straw in August, 
after cultivation, has been found very beneficial here, 
and especially so after a good shower of rain. The 
reasons for this will be obvious to all strawberry 
growers, and need no explanation here. But there 
are several things that are usually lost sight of in 
writing on small fruits, especially location, soil and 
aspect. There are very few positive rules that are 
applicable to the growing of small fruits. The time 
for removing the mulch certainly depends much on 
location ; here we have late spring frosts, that almost 
invariably kill the first blossoms on the strawberry if 
the mulch is removed too soon. The first blossoms 
generally produce the largest berries, which bring 
the best prices. I take the mulch off when the plants 
begin to lift their covering, or when they begin to 
come through ; even then, it is frequently necessary 
to re-cover to protect the blossoms. wm .tackson. 
Southern Illinois. 
WHY DO WE PLOW ? 
WHAT IS THE OBJECT OF TILLAGE ? 
Part TII. 
Referring again to the action of gravity on the soil 
water, and how it is enhanced by a porous soil, we 
can see what the effect would be to plow deeper than 
usual in a soil almost impervious to water. The deeper 
the plow goes, the more storage room there is for 
water, and the more moisture there is for the plants 
to use. It sometimes happens that, by plowing always 
at the same depth, a hardpan is formed that is not 
easily penetrated by water. Such effects should be 
avoided by plowing at different depths, as for exam¬ 
ple, shallow in spring and deeper in summer or fall. 
On the other hand, a leachy soil may be benefited by 
this very operation of plowing at the same depth con¬ 
tinually. The weight of the plow and of the horses 
always on the same layer of soil, may produce a hard- 
pan that is beneficial in such soils by hindering the 
rapid movement of the water downward. 
The advantage of plowing as early in the spring as 
the physical condition of the soil will permit, is well 
shown in an experiment recorded by Prof. King, of 
the Wisconsin Experiment Station. Part of a piece 
of ground was plowed on April 28, and part left un¬ 
plowed. On May 6, samples of soil were taken from 
each part to a depth of four feet, and tested for the 
amount of moisture present. During the eight days, 
the unplowed was seen to have lost by evaporation 
from the surface, 9 13 pounds more water than the 
plowed ground for every column of soil four feet deep 
and one square foot of surface. This means a loss 
equal to 1.75 inch of rainfall, or 377.700 pounds of 
water per acre. As it requires 301.5 pounds of water 
to produce one pound of dry matter in corn, this loss 
of water represents, in a season of shortage a loss of 
1,319 pounds of dry matter of corn per acre, which is 
about 15 per cent of a good crop. When delaying the 
spring plowing means so great a loss as this, we can 
see how necessary it is to put the plow into the field 
as soon as the soil is in condition to be turned over. 
This is not only true of spring plowing, but at other 
seasons of the year as well, whenever the land is to be 
planted ; and if it is bare of plants, the sooner planted 
the better for the conservation of moisture. 
Some consideration of the mechanical workings of 
the plow in regard to economy of time and effort may 
be of interest. In this connection, I will speak of 
some experimental work carried on at the University 
farm during the past year. First as to the weight of 
the plow. It is a law of physics that friction is due 
to weight and speed. Thus by keeping the speed the 
same, the increase in the friction caused by adding 
more weight to the plow could be easily determined 
by means of a dynamometer, which would record the 
power exerted by the team to pull the plow. The 
same Oliver E plow mentioned in the preceding article 
was used and, without the jointer, weighed 125 
pounds. Plowing at the same depth and width, it 
was found that adding 63 pounds to the plow, an 
increase of 50 per cent in weight, increased the draft 
15 per cent. Adding 72 pounds more, an increase of 
30 per cent, gave an increase in draft of 15% per cent. 
Still another increase in weight of 62 pounds, or 24 
per cent, increased the draft 10 per cent. These 
figures clearly show the effect of an increased weight 
on the plow, and it is natural to suppose that the 
same result would occur if the plow itself contained 
material enough to make it weigh accordingly, or 
from added weight due to the bearing down of the 
plowman. While it may not be possible that any 
plows are used so heavy as the one carrying 197 
pounds, still the principle holds true that as light a 
plow as is consistent with its strength should be used, 
and that the plowman should not add his weight to 
the plow and thus increase the pull required by the 
team. 
Another experiment was to find whether the jointer 
attachment increases the draft of the plow. It was 
found by several trials under widely varying condi¬ 
tions that, by using the jointer, the draft of the plow 
was increased from five per cent to 16 per cent. This 
fact, however, ought to lead no one to discontinue its 
use, because its great benefit in breaking the tenacity 
of the furrow and in pulverizing the soil, more than 
repays for the added power necessary. With the 
coulter, the matter is different. This is necessary 
only in very stiff sod, and even then may be replaced 
with a coulter point, which will draw much easier. 
In a single trial, the coulter added 17.3 per cent to the 
draft of the plow. Moreover, it gives no help in 
pulverizing the soil to pay for the increase in draft. 
A third experiment was for the purpose of deter¬ 
mining the most economical size of furrow to turn in 
ordinary circumstances. Three series of experiments 
were tried. In the first, the depth of the furrow was 
kept at seven inches, while the width varied from 10 
inches to 17% inches. In the second, the width was 
kept as nearly as possible the same, while the depth 
varied at one-inch intervals, from seven to 10 inches. 
In the third, the depth and width were made to vary 
together from a furrow seven inches deep by 9 4-5 
inches wide to one 10 by 15% inches. 
From the results of these experiments, we came to 
the conclusions : (1.) That the narrowest furrow is 
the most expensive. (2.) As the depth and width in¬ 
crease up to a certain limit, the ratio between the 
draft and the amount of soil turned decreases. (3.) 
The cheapest furrow is one to the full capacity of 
the plow, providing the team is not taxed to its 
utmost. 
Turning a narrow furrow means many more miles 
to walk in plowing a given area than if a wider fur¬ 
row were turned. Thus, unless there are other rea¬ 
sons to the contrary, the furrow should be as wide as 
the plow will carry and the team can handle. This 
is for the sake of economy of time. And it may be 
profitable to purchase heavier horses or even put 
three to the plow in order to do the work quicker. 
The proportionate power needed in turning a large 
furrow as compared with a small one is much less, and 
thus to secure the greatest return for the time spent 
and the energy stored up in the horses, we should 
plow as large a furrow as the team and plow can con¬ 
veniently handle. l. Anderson. 
Cornell University. 
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.1 
The Fanny Apple. 
A., Morton, Mass.—Is the Fanny apple worth trying ? 
Ans. —Yes, it is an apple of much promise as a mar¬ 
ket variety. It ripens in August. The apple aver¬ 
ages large, of a dark crimson color. The flesh is sub¬ 
acid, tender and juicy. The tree is said to be very 
productive, vigorous, and of spreading habit. 
Cauliflower, Egg Plant and Hubbard Squashes. 
0. S. t Parkville, Mich.— 1. How can I grow cauliflower and egg 
plant on sandy soil? 2. How can I grow Hubbard squashes? 
What will keep ofF the bugs that trouble them ? 
Ans. —1. Both require rich soil, and if not so natur¬ 
ally, it must be well fertilized, deeply plowed, and 
well fined. Cauliflowers must be set so as to head 
during the cool weather of autumn. Egg plants must 
be set as soon as the weather is warm enough. Both 
should be frequently hoed. 2. Hubbard squashes 
do best on warm, rich soil, which should be thor¬ 
oughly and deeply pulverized. Plant nine or ten 
feet apart each way, and leave two or three plants in 
each hill. Keep the ground clean and well stirred. 
The common squash bug is one of the hardest insects 
to combat. Insecticides have little or no effect on it. 
When the vines are small, they may be covered with 
netting, but when they get larger, hand picking of 
the bugs and egg clusters seems to be the only rem¬ 
edy. You should have Gregory’s Squashes and How 
to Grow Them, paper, 30 cents, postpaid, from this 
office. 
Trees to Protect Banks of Creeks. 
W. M. L., Arlington Heights , 0. —What trees do you consider the 
best to plant on a creek bank to prevent caving and washing? 
If willows, what kind ? 
Ans. —We would suggest Liquidamber first of all. 
Then Salix laurifolia, almost any of the elms, the 
common hemlock, the Swamp maple and, indeed, most 
of the maples, and White birch. 
The Tree Hydrangea ; Weeping Cherry. 
M. 0. W., Toledo, O .—1. What can you say of the tree hydrangea 
as to its hardiness or the general liability to freeze back ? 2. What 
are the best and in all points the most desirable varieties of the 
Weeping cherry tree, keeping in mind those that are really hardy 
in this climate ? 
Ans —1. We presume that M. O. W. alludes to the 
Great panicled hydrangea, H. paniculata grandiflora. 
It is perfectly hardy, even in Canada. But even 
were it cut back by the cold of winter, it would bloom 
just as well. In fact, it is well to cut it back severely 
every winter, as it is the shoots of the current season 
that produce the panicles of flowers. 2. Cerasus 
acida, var. semperflorens pendula, is the best of the 
ever-flowering weeping varieties. Cerasus Japonica 
pendula, or the Japan Weeping cherry, is one of the 
best weeping varieties bearing white flowers and red 
fruit. Perhaps the Japan Weeping rose-flowered 
cherry, is the best of the pendulous varieties bearing 
rose-flowers. 
Black Walnut Hear Fruit Trees. 
A. L. S., Attleboro, Mass .—“We tell you again not to have a 
Black walnut tree near your fruit tree. If you do, you will get 
no fruit that amounts to anything.” 1. The above quotation is 
from The Farm Journal. That is just what I was going to do, 
but if that is true, I’ll pull my walnut up. If it is true, can you 
tell us why it is so ? 2. How far back should I cut plum trees in 
planting them ? 
• Ans— 1. I have noticed from childhood the ill 
effects of Black walnut trees in clcse proximity to 
fruit trees of various kinds. There has not been any 
“ poisonous” peculiarity discovered (ss some sup¬ 
pose), so far as I know ; but the tree is one which 
consumes a large amount of moisture and nourish¬ 
ment, and these are, in my judgment, the reasons for 
the failure of fruit trees, vines or other crops planted 
near Black walnut trees. 2. The tops of plum trees 
should be cut back quite severely when planted— 
fully one-half being removed. h. e. v. d. 
Crimson Clover for Hay, 
A. S., Gratis, 0. —I have a field of Crimson clover, and have had 
no experience with it. Will it make good hay for horses or cattle ? 
When should I mow it? 
Ans. —Crimson clover, if cut early enough, makes 
good hay for cattle. We would not advise its use for 
horses. If the heads become too hard, they may form 
balls in the horse’s stomach and make trouble. The 
clover will make fine spring pasture for all stock. At 
the time it is ripe for cutting, you are not always sure 
to have good hay weather, and the chances of curing 
it in good condition are not first-class. We think the 
safest way to use this plant is for pasture or green 
manuring. 
“ Fungiroid" and Paris-green for Potatoes. 
G. S., Westfield, N. Y.. —I intend, for the first time, to raise pota¬ 
toes for early market. Would The R. N.-Y. recommend, from its 
own experiments, the use of fungiroid mixed with Paris-green as 
profitable? How much would it take for an acre ? 
Ans. —For two seasons, we have used fungiroid and 
Paris-green instead of plaster and Paris-green. We 
have had neither rot of tuber nor blight of vine. 
Our remembrance is that about 25 pounds of fungiroid 
with about one-fifth of a pound of Paris-green is the 
quantity we used. The Leggett gun was used. 
Suggestions about Potato Blight. 
G. B. P., Waterbury, Conn .—I find, through observation, that 
when potato tops grow too rank, they are more subject to blight 
which follows a wet, cloudy spell after July 5, when the ground 
is quite wet, with hot, sultry days, when the sun comes out for a 
few minutes at a time and scalds the vines. Therefore, I contend 
that a slower growth of vine is stronger and will withstand the 
heat and not blight so soon. I do not think that there is anything 
which will prevent blight or prevent the tubers rotting on heavy 
soil, except pulling the vines immediately. I did this on two 
acres in 1889, and saved my crop on this piece, of 415 bushels 
where, beside this piece, on a three-acre field nearly one-half 
rotted when the tops were not pulled. 
Ans. —We think it true that a quick, rank growth 
of vine in potatoes is more likely to be affected by 
disease. The use of rich cow manure from cattle fed 
heavily on such food as cotton-seed meal would be 
likely to give a rank, soft growth of vine. That is 
one reason why we advocate the use of potash and 
phosphoric acid with the manure. We would use such 
manure on the corn if possible, and if potatoes fol¬ 
lowed, use a mixture relatively low in nitrogen. The 
plan of pulling and burning the vines as soon as pos¬ 
sible after they blight, is a good one. Be sure to 
burn them as quickly asi possible. 
