1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
357 
where the kerosene soaks in and kills them. They 
cannot be reached when in the galls on the leaves. 
The black peach aphis about which C. T. inquires 
is, doubtless, the one which is being distributed all 
over the country on peach stock from the Southern 
nurseries. It is ravaging some Michigan peach or¬ 
chards, and has recently been introduced into Canada. 
Some of the lice work upon the roots where they do 
the most damage, but during the summer, many of 
them migrate up on to the foliage, and may there do 
noticeable injury, causing the leaves to curl some¬ 
what. Those feeding on the foliage are easily con¬ 
trolled with a kerosene emulsion or whale-oil soap 
spray, but the root forms are hard to get at, hence 
difficult to combat. Apparently, the most promising 
method of reaching plant-lice which work on the 
roots, like the wooly aphis of the apple and others, is 
to remove about six inches of the soil from around the 
base of the tree for a foot or two. depending upon the 
size of the tree, and then scatter from one to three 
pounds of tobacco dust around the tree and hoe back 
the earth. The tobacco dust acts continuously as an 
insecticide and is, also, a good fertilizer. Those who 
set peach stocks raised south of New Jersey, should 
carefully examine the roots, and it would be a wise 
precaution to dip the roots in a strong whale-oil soap 
solution before setting out the trees. 
French Damson Plums in Maryland. 
W. J. B., Caroline County, Aid.— Could the French Damson 
plum be grown in this locality ? Wnat is the bearing age ? Is it 
self-fertilizing? Has it commercial value? 
Ans —French Damson is but little known or grown 
in this country, but it is thought by those who have 
tried it to be valuable for market. It would likely 
prove profitable in Denton, Md. One of the most ex¬ 
perienced plum growers in the country, Mr. J. W. 
Kerr, lives at that place, and it would be well for 
W. J. B. to visit his place, and the variety may be in 
bearing now. It is very hardy and healthy in foliage, 
but is subject to the attacks of black-knot. It is per¬ 
fect in flower and self-fertilizing. h. e. v. d. 
Wild Bush Fruits for Cultivation. 
0. K. £>., Hayward, H is.— I am living where I can get black¬ 
berries, raspberries, etc., wild, of course, but fine ones. I want 
to plant an acre of each next year. Would you advise me 
to take up the roots and transplant them, or purchase those 
grown for sale? I can get plenty of sawdust, shavings or saw 
dust-manure. Would they be good for mulch ? 
Ans — It would seem to me unwise to depend on 
chance wild varieties of the blackberry and raspberry 
for field culture. There may be some very good 
varieties growing wild in the neighborhood of C. K. 
D., for Wisconsin is a good region for bush fruits; 
but it would be almost certain that he would get 
many inferior kinds in digging enough plants to set 
two acres. They would grow very unevenly, might 
need quite different treatment, would ripen at dif¬ 
ferent times, and it would, therefore, be very trouble¬ 
some and costly to gather the fruit. Besides, many 
of the plants would likely die because of their poor 
roots and the change from the forest and copses to 
the open field. It would be well to remove and culti¬ 
vate a few plants of each of the varieties that seemed 
the best, and test them, hoping that something of 
superior excellence may be found. Some of the best 
fruits we have in cultivation were found in this way. 
But I would advise C. K. D. to buy of some good 
nursery, the very best varieties that have been well 
tested in that section. Consult the reports of the 
State horticultural society as to varieties. A. J. 
Phillips, of West Salem, Wis., is the secretary. Saw¬ 
dust, either fresh or decayed, is of almost no manurial 
value. It is not worth hauling on the land. 
H. E. v. D. 
Ben Davis Apple in Colorado. 
W. II. M., Grand Junction, Col .—In my orchard containing 700 
apple trees, there are 250 four-year-old Ben Davis trees. All of 
the finer varieties, such as Jonathan, Newtown Pippin, Grimes’s 
Golden, Northern Spy, Winesap, etc., attain their highest per¬ 
fection here, and all are sure and heavy bearers. Would you 
recommend top-grafting the Ben Davis with some of the varieties 
mentioned? How long wou d top-grafting delay the trees from 
coming into bearing ? Trees bear very young here. 
Ans —Having been in western Colorado and ob¬ 
served the peculiar success of the varieties of the 
apple mentioned by W. H. M. and that of many other 
fruits, I would not advise him to top-graft his Ben 
Davis trees. This variety is not of high quality, as 
we all know, but it is profitable. Indeed, the most 
profitable rows of apple trees that I ever saw were 
Ben Davis, at Pavonia, on the north fork of the Gun¬ 
nison. It would set back the trees in bearing about 
two years to top graft them. H. e. v. d. 
Saving and Starting Strawberry Seeds. 
J. J. S., Bose, JV. T .—What is the best method of saving and 
curing strawberry seeds, and raising strawberry plants from 
seed ? When is the proper time to plant, etc. ? 
Ans —In a small way, pressing the berries between 
blotting papers answers very well. To gather large 
quantities of seed, it is best to let the berries ferment 
a trifle, wash them out, pouring off the water that 
contains the lighter pulp, then spread out the seeds 
to dry on paper. The best way to raise seedlings is to 
sow the seeds as soon as the berries are ripe, in 
shallow drills of fine, rich soil. The seedlings, which 
germinate freely, should be kept moderately moist. 
Transplant them the next spring, and they will bear 
the spring after. 
Draining a Wet Cellar. 
B. W., Northport , Mich. —Can water be kept out of a cellar with 
cement ? I built a barn cellar last October, 13x26 inside measure, 
four feet below the surface, using 13 barrels of Buffalo cement. 
I made the walls of one part cement, three of sand and four of 
gravel. The walls average six inches thick, bottom three inches 
thick. Water seeps through the sides and bottom. I could easily 
put on another coat of Portland cement if it would be efficient, 
but can’t drain easily. The walls seem to have hardened well. 
Ans. —The only practical way to keep water out of 
the cellar is by drainage. This should have been 
done at the time of construction, and will, probably, 
have to be done now before your cellar becomes dry. 
Try to ascertain the source of the water which is 
seeping in. If from a spring that can be located, it 
will not be difficult to tap it with a line of tile. As 
the cellar is only four feet below the surface of the 
ground, it will not be a difficult or expensive job to 
put a drain around the outside of the wall, at least 
on that side from which the water seems to come. I 
would recommend putting a drain around the entire 
outside of the wall, at a depth of feet. Three-inch 
round tile should do the work. If this do not make 
the bottom of the cellar dry, then it will be necessary 
to put a drain or, possibly, several drains under¬ 
neath. B. A c. 
Bad Smell in Water. 
G. V. M., Mt. Holly, N.J. —I have a well that I have had settled, 
and the water, though clear, smells very bad. What shall I do 
with it ? I have tried lime. Would it do any good to have an 
open windlass well ? I have had it well pumped out once or twice. 
Is there anything I could put in it to help it ? 
Ans. —Of course you will understand that we must 
first know what gives the water the bad smell before 
telling what will help the well. The cause of the bad 
smell in the water is, probably, sulphur. This very 
frequently causes water to have a strong odor with¬ 
out seriously injuring it for drinking purposes. If 
you will put into a small glass bottle some of the 
water, cork it tight, and then with an auger, bore a 
hole into a piece of pine deep enough to receive the 
bottle, pack it securely with cotton and mail it to 
L. A. Clinton, Ithaca, N. Y., he will try to discover 
what is in the water, which causes the odor. 
Real Value of the Silo. 
C. M. T., Delavan, H is—If, as per L. A. C., page 270, the corn 
crop can be so field-cured as to equal ensilage, how ? How can 
it be thoroughly cured by him or any one without standing in the 
field “from one to two months” ? What magical combination of 
X-rays and oil stoves or apricot evaporator does he muster up to 
charm away the obstinate corn juice ? Except in phenomenally 
dry weather, fodder stacked within a month here, would soon 
become a volcano of smoke and smell. 
Ans. —The question asked brings out very forcibly 
the point I wished to make, i. e. ; If corn stover could 
be cured without the long exposure necessary, then 
it would possess as great feeding value as ensilage. 
We have no patent method of curing the stover, so 
we make use of the silo. The reason why a silo 
should be on every stock farm is that it enables the 
corn product to be preserved with the least possible 
waste. b. A. c. 
“Pure Bone Meal”—Fertilizer “ Fillers”. 
J. S. K., Indiana.— It has been 9tated that there is no pure bone 
meal sold, that the law only compels the manufacturers to fur¬ 
nish 50 per cent bone. Is there such a law In Ohio or Indiana ? 
What do factories use for a filler, if one-half the weight is bone 
meal ? 
Ans. —It is an error to suppose that there is no pure 
bone meal sold at the present time. In general, fer¬ 
tilizer laws do not state that such materials shall or 
shall not be pure. Neither do the laws define the 
proportions of bone meal or of any other material 
which shall enter into a fertilizer. In most States, 
the laws require that the manufacturer shall print on 
the bags, and in some instances shall file with some 
State official, a guaranteed statement of the percent¬ 
ages of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash which 
the goods shall contain. A variety of substances may 
be used as a filler to bring goods up to a given bulk. 
Land plaster is often used, but this is too expensive 
unless it is needed for application to the land. Sifted 
coal ashes, very dry and fine, peaty soil, marl and 
other substances may be used. It is not easy at the 
present time to ascertain just when a fertilizer con¬ 
tains nothing but the original materials which are 
necessary to furnish the valuable elements. The 
object of the manufacturers is not to retain the 
materials in a state of purity, but to make up their 
various fertilizers in accordance with certain for¬ 
mulae. When one manufacturer puts up a $40 fer¬ 
tilizer and another a $30 fertilizer, this is accomplished 
by the use of concentrated materials in the one case 
and a lower grade of materials in the other case, or a 
dilution of the concentrated materials to twice their 
original bulk. It is to the farmer’s advantage to buy 
the concentrated fertilizers, especially when he pur¬ 
chases for himself in the large markets, for the obvious 
reason that he saves freight by so doing. If a farmer 
buy the highest grade goods in the market, he will 
buy no filler ; if he buy the cheapest goods in the 
market, he may do so. w. h. Jordan. 
The Use of Salt on Wheat. 
J. H. P., Belleville, Pa.— Is It possible to keep very rank wheat 
from going down by applying salt? 
Ans. —In some localities, back from the ocean, the 
use of salt has seemed to stiffen the straw of grain. 
In the Mississippi Valley, considerable salt is used in 
this way, though not so much as formerly. It is 
usually broadcasted over the plowed ground and 
harrowed in just before sowing the wheat. Farmers 
used to think that the salt “set free silica in the soil” 
in some way, and thus enabled the plant to produce 
a harder and stiff er stem. It has been noticed that 
the best results from salt were produced on rich land. 
This is in line with the view now held by most scien¬ 
tists, that the action of the salt is to check nitrifica¬ 
tion, thus preventing a too rapid growth of the crop. 
A quick, “rank” growth of grain or grass is likely to 
be soft and weak—more liable to lodge than a slower 
and harder growth. Probably the salt checks this 
rapid growth and thus gives a stronger stem. You 
will not be likely to obtain any satisfactory results 
by using the salt on the present crop. We would 
much prefer to use kainit. That will supply the 
needed salt and, also, provide potash for the crop. 
Alfalfa in the Silo. 
T. II. 8., Ouray , Col .—Have any of your readers used Alfalfa 
for ensilage ? If so, how does it act in regard to bloat in cattle ? 
Does it bloat the same as green Alfalfa ? 
Ans —Never having used Alfalfa for ensilage, I 
cannot answer the questions. In the one case where 
I knew of its being used some years ago, my im¬ 
pression is that it was not very satisfactory. Oa our 
dairy farm, the conclusion has been reached that, 
where Alfalfa can be raised as it can in Colorado, 
the silo does not pay. Our silo has stood empty sev¬ 
eral years for that reason. s. e. h. 
Greeley, Col. 
R. N.-Y.—We shall be glad to hear from those who 
have actually tried Alfalfa in the silo. 
Plaster or Kainit. 
D. 8. G., Hardwick, Vt. —In a recent R. N.-Y., H. G. Manchester 
says that land plaster can be obtained for $4 or $5 per ton, freight 
added. Where can it be bought for that price? Where I am get¬ 
ting it now, it is going to cost me $10 to $12 per ton, delivered. 
Can I afford to pay that price ? If not, what could one pay and 
expect to get his money back in the added value of the manure? 
If plaster is used, will manure heat as quickly as without ? How 
about the use of kainit ? Which is more profitable, that or plas¬ 
ter? Could it be safely used in the henhouse, and if so, in what 
quantities, and what could I afford to pay ? How much plaster 
should be used per day in the stables and henhouses ? If ab¬ 
sorbents be used, and the manure spread evenly under cover and 
trodden down hard, or if spread at once on the land, would it be 
necessary to use plaster at all ? 
Ans. —Mr. Manchester, of West Winsted, Conn., 
bought of a local firm at Canaan, Conn. We think 
the article on page 356 will answer your questions 
about the cost and value of land plaster and manure. 
In “ The Fertility of the Land,” a new book by Prof. 
I. P. Roberts, these matters are explained at some 
length. We would use kainit in place of plaster in 
stables where cows and horses are kept. It would 
not be safe to use it in poultry houses. The hens 
would eat it and, as it contains considerable salt, the 
effect would be bad. It would, also, prove injurious 
to hogs if they got too much of it. 
Fertilizers for Grain and Grass. 
E. E. W., Tomhannock, E. T.—I wish to purchase the chemicals 
and mix my own fertilizer for winter rye. I wish to seed the land 
the following spring to Timothy, clover and Red-top. What is a 
formula for a mixture of 2,000 pounds of fertilizer to be drilled in 
with the grain when sown ? The soil is upland and dry—gravel 
with some loam. No clay. 
Ans —Our own plan would be to use 1,500 pounds 
of fine ground bone and 500 pounds muriate of potash 
with the rye this fall. In the spring, we would use 
250 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda on the grain 
just after seeding to grass. 
Hole in Cow's Teat; Crimson Clover. 
C. H. AIcL., Putnam, N. 1.—1. I have a cow that gives milk out 
of one side of her back teat. There is a ridge showing that the 
milk comes from the udder. She is being dried off now and will 
be fresh the first of July. How can I treat the teat to stop the 
flow from the side ? 2. How would you sow Crimson clover seed 
in corn, as I see it is recommended to be sown during the last 
cultivation ? Would not the seed lodge in the corn if sown broad¬ 
cast ? 3. Would Crimson clover be of any value to the land if not 
plowed under ? 
Ans —1. Read the answer on page 319. This will 
probably cover your case. 2. In Delaware, where 
large areas of Crimson clover are sown, a man rides 
on horseback through the corn with a Cahoon or 
other seed sower and broadcasts it as he rides along. 
While some of the seed sticks to the corn, enough of 
it gets to the ground to provide a good seeding. On 
smaller fields, the sower walks through the corn, sow¬ 
ing one row at a time or two rows where the corn is 
in hills. 3. Certainly the clover would benefit the 
land if left to die on the surface. 
