532 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 14 
clubbing together and purchasing materials in car 
lots at the very lowest figures. So many fertilizer 
manufacturers are now pushing their trade in this 
part of the country, that it is very little trouble to 
find some one who is willing to sell directly to the 
farmers at the very lowest wholesale prices, provid¬ 
ing a car lot is taken. The saving that farmers may 
thus realize will range from $5 to $10 per ton, quite 
an item to the individual user, and a vast amount in 
the aggregate to a county or State, where the amount 
of fertilizer used is counted by the thousands of tons. 
By practicing home mixing, the farmer buys just 
such elements of plant food as his land is deficient in, 
or the crop demands, and then there is no hap-hazard, 
going-it-blind process in the transaction, as there 
often is in the purchasing of some of the complete 
fertilizers found on the market. The man who is 
not posted on the fertilizer question, who depends 
upon the local dealer (who, perhaps, never grew a 
blade of grass or a stalk of corn), for his information 
on the subject, would, probably, better keep on pur¬ 
chasing ready-mixed, complete fertilizers, for in 
them he is sure to get some element of plant food 
that will increase his crops ; but for the man who is 
posted in his business, and who is desirous of prac¬ 
ticing the closest economy in these times, materials 
should be bought and mixed on the farm to suit land 
and crops. Many farmers are now clubbing together, 
and buying at reduced figures ready-mixed fertil¬ 
izers, direct from the manufacturers, and are thus 
saving money ; but there would be a much greater 
saving if materials for home mixing were bought 
instead. 
Perhaps some figures may be in order to show just 
what a saving there is in buying materials ready for 
mixing. I use from two to three car-loads of fertilizer, 
and find no trouble in buying materials at the prices 
quoted. A good, complete fertilizer for corn or wheat 
on clay lands in this section of the country should con¬ 
tain about 10 per cent of available phosphoric acid, 
three percent of ammonia and two per cent of potash. 
Fertilizers containing about this proportion of avail¬ 
able plant food have been retailing in a regular way 
from $23 to $25 per ton. In the past two years, I 
have practiced home mixing, and I find that I get 
this same grade of goods for from $L7 to $18, For the 
money put into this fertilizer, I find that, for field 
crops, the phosphoric acid gives the largest returns, 
the ammonia next, and potash least. Even on pota¬ 
toes, where one would expect the largest return from 
potash fertilizjrs, I have never yet got an increase of 
crop sufficient to remunerate me for the outlay, unless 
it was when the potash was purchased in the form of 
wood ashes at $1 a wagon-load. I still, however, use 
some potash, not for the returns I get in the grain 
crop produced, but I think it pays in the clover that 
is grown in the regular crop rotation. 
We get our best and cheapest phosphate here from 
Tennessee. It can be had in car lots at local stations 
for from $12 to $14 per ton, according to the rate of 
freight charged. This acid phosphate is guaranteed 
to contain 17 per cent of available plant food. We 
get our ammonia from cotton-seed meal and tankage. 
I prefer to use the former, at a co3t of $19 or $20 per 
ton. Muriate of potash costs $45. 
My formulas for mixing are about as follows : For 
potatoes, 1,200 pounds acid phosphate, 500 pounds 
cotton seed meal and 300 pounds sulphate of potash. 
For corn, 1,100 pounds acid phosphate, 700 pounds 
cotton-seed meal, and 200 pounds muriate of potash. 
For wheat, 1,300 pounds acid phosphate, and 700 
pounds cotton-seed meal. I have a clover sod to break 
for wheat, and do not think I need, or that it will 
pay me to buy, potash for my wheat crop. By a little 
calculating, it will be seen that these fertilizers cost 
me as follows : Potato, $19.50; corn, $19; wheat, $15.50. 
Generally, I reduce the cost of the corn fertilizer 
$4 per ton by using wood ashes instead of the muriate 
of potash. I find that it isn’t best to buy nitrate of 
soda to give me ammonia, as it is too liable to get 
away before the crop is able to appropriate it. The 
cotton-seed meal, on the other hand, decays gradu¬ 
ally during the season of plant growth, and gives up 
its ammonia as it is needed. I also find that this 
combination makes a fertilizer that is in excellent 
mechanical condition, and does not cake or lump in 
the drill. Do not mix till ready to use. 
I think that most of the formulas for home-mixing 
sent out from experiment stations, contain too many 
ingredients, and this tends to mystify and confuse the 
farmer who is not thoroughly posted on the subject. 
For example, I can see no good reason for recom¬ 
mending both acid phosphate and bone black as 
souicesof phosphoric acid in the same combination, 
or both sulphate and muriate of potash, with a little 
kaimt thrown in, to give potash to the fertilizer. The 
more simple the compound, the better, so we have 
good mechanical condition and get the proper amount 
of available plant food in our mixture. 
The work of mixing what we need on the farm is 
easily and. quickly done with a shovel on the barn 
floor. We need no expensive machine, as there is no 
mystery about it, as some would have us believe. 
Again, it is asserted that manufacturers of fertilizers 
with their mixing plants can do the work cheaper 
than the farmer, but they don’t do it, as will be seen 
by comparing prices of goods ready-mixed and home- 
mixed. The amount of fertilizer usually applied 
here is 200 pounds per acre for corn and wheat, and 
500 to 1,000 pounds for potatoes. A great many farm¬ 
ers are becoming interested in this matter of mixing 
fertilizers on the farms, and will practice it the com¬ 
ing fall for wheat I see no good reason why all 
should not do so, for it would result in a saving of 
about $200,000 to farmers of this State alone. If you 
don’t understand how to go about this work, ask of 
those that do, and they will gladly assist you. I 
know that The R. N.-Y. has never failed or refused 
to assist farmers when called on, and will help you 
along this line if you desire it. w. w. stevkns. 
Indiana. 
MEDICINES FOR BLIGHTED PEAR TREES. 
A few years ago, I set out a small pear orchard, 
which grew and flourished wonderfully for a season, 
but about the time it began to bear, four or five years 
DEVICES FOR JARRING INSECTS. Fig. 220. 
after setting, it began to blight. Not willing to give 
it up, four years ago, I purchased more trees, and be¬ 
gan a series of experiments to try to discover, if pas¬ 
sible, some way to prevent this worst of all foes to 
the nurseryman and grower. I started out with the 
idea that the only remedy lay in introducing into the 
sap of the tree something to counteract the germ 
that causes the disease. My experiments are, as vet, 
in their infancy, but I have progressed far enough to 
become convinced that herein lies the only hope of a 
successful solution. 
I write this trusting that others may become inter¬ 
ested or, perhaps, make some suggestions that will 
help me out. It is self-evident that the only way to 
introduce any foreign substance into the sap of a tree 
is through the roots. My manner of proceeding is as 
follows : Procure a glass bottle with a large mouth— 
a pickle bottle will do. Into this I put the solution I 
wish to use. Dig under the tree carefully so as not 
to disturb the roots too much, select one (about the 
size of the finger) that joins the main stem, if pos¬ 
sible ; cut it off so that it will be long enough to 
reach nearly to the bottom of the bottle or jar. If it 
does not grow straight down, cut long enough to 
turn the end downward ; place the end in the bottle, 
around which the earth must be packed tightly so as 
to hold it in place. Fill the neck with putty or graft¬ 
ing wax so as to prevent water from entering during 
heavy rains. 
My first trial was with a solution of cochineal, 
which satisfied me that a preparation so placed 
entered directly into the circulation of the tree. My 
second trial was with a solution of sulphate of cop¬ 
per and iron so strong that it killed the tree. This 
season, 1 am working on a tree that blighted so badly 
last season, that it was saved only by a vigorous use 
of the saw and knife. Iam trying a solution of cor¬ 
rosive sublimate—one-eighth ounce to one-half gallon 
of water. So far, the tree shows no signs of blight, 
so we are encouraged, but would like to hear sugges¬ 
tions from others in regard to a solution they think 
might do the work. i. h. b. 
Petersburg, Ill. 
Comments by Well-Known Horticulturists. 
My answer necessarily must be very brief concern¬ 
ing the medicines for blighted pear trees. There 
seems to be one word, and that a brief one, to express 
my feeling concerning this whole matter, and that 
word is bosh. byron d. halbted. 
New Jersey Experiment Station. 
I cannot give you any facts from definite experi¬ 
ments which bear on this line of treatment, although 
there may be those which I do not recall. I do no^ 
think that I. H. B. is working along a line that will 
be of value, because an antiseptic that will kill a 
bacterial cell would be likely also to kill a vegetable 
cell. Further, an antiseptic would, probably, remain 
so only a short time, as a vegetable or mineral com¬ 
pound would, probably, undergo change within the 
tree. If bacterial diseases are to be overcome in 
trees by inoculation, it is more likely to follow the 
introduction of some toxine produced by the bacteria 
instead of through antiseptic introduction. For 
peach yellows, I remember that mercuric and soda 
salts were introduced into trees some years ago, re¬ 
sulting fatally to the trees. o. harold powell, 
Delaware Experiment Station. 
The experiments of I. II. B. are certainly interest¬ 
ing, and should lead to the finding of facts about the 
physiology of the tree, if they do not result in curing 
the blight. The observations on the absorption of 
the cochineal solution are right in line with the 
methods in use by plant physiologists in studying the 
movements of water in plants. An aqueous solution 
of some of the aniline colors is commonly used for 
this purpose. Some of the bright red colors such as 
fuchsine and eosin are the best, as they contrast well 
with the green tissues of the stems and leaves. The 
Diamond Dyes will answer, as they are made of the 
same coloring matters. By means of these solutions, 
the exact area in a plantain or melon leaf which any 
given bundle of vessels in the stem supplies with 
water can be demonstrated. It has been found, how¬ 
ever, that even the aniline solutions are not absorbed 
as readily as pure water, and that poisonous sub¬ 
stances, especially certain kinds, are absorbed with 
difficulty. In my opinion, there is little hope of find¬ 
ing a substance which can be introduced into the 
living tissues that will kill the blight microbe and not 
kill the plant For example, the corrosive sublimate 
solution of the strength used, about 1 to 500, would 
kill the pear blight bacillus easily if diluted to one- 
tenth of this strength, but it would, also, kill every 
living cell of the host plant which is exposed to this 
s ution I am confident that the pear blight microbes 
can be most cheaply and easily combated by cutting 
them out of the trees when they are in a semi-dor¬ 
mant state, not the hap-hazard cutting that has been 
done heretofore, but intelligent, well-directed efforts 
to exterminate the pests from the orchard by cutting 
out the cases of hold-over blight in the fall and win¬ 
ter, as explained in my article on this subject in the 
Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture for 1895. 
Department of Agriculture. m b waite 
FIGHTING VINE INSECTS IN CALIFORNIA. 
Bulletin No 116 of the California Station (Berkeley), 
describes the “ California Vine Hopper,” which is 
counted as one of the four things doing the greatest 
injury to the vineyards of California. The bulletin 
gives an interesting account of the life history of this 
injurious insect, and goes on to suggest remedies, 
some of which may be of interest to our readers. It 
is stated that some growers believe that the hopper 
may be kept in subjection by “ sheeping ” the vine¬ 
yard. Sheep are turned into the vineyards after the 
fruit is picked, and permitted to eat down the leaves. 
This method is considered ineffective, as are also the 
methods of burying the leaves and spraying in winter. 
Summer spraying is said to be an effectual process, 
but is costly and difficult. The insect is very active, 
and in order to kill it, a very strong and penetrating 
wash like kerosene emulsion must be used. Jarring 
is considered one of the best remedies when tried in 
the spring under certain conditions. Fig. 220 shows 
Certain contrivances that are used in jarring. The 
scoop or shovel is held up against the vine to hold 
the hoppers which are driven down by striking with 
a stick. Another way to fight the pest consists in 
using a plain palm leaf fan dipped in a sticky mixture 
like thick molasses and water. This fan is held under 
the vine with one hand while, with the other, the 
operator strikes the leaves so as to knock the hoppers 
down upon the fan. An insect net shown at Fig. 221 
is also used. With this, the vine is jarred and, as the 
insects fly, a few skillful strokes with the net will 
catch most of them, and they may be crushed or 
emptied into kerosene. 
Prof. Woodworth says that the net and the fan 
methods are the only ones which are at all practical 
for summer use. He observed that nearly 90 per 
cent of the hoppers were killed by the net method 
while working with a gang large enough to cover about 
five acres a day. About half of the gang of men were 
green hands, part white and part Chinese, and at the 
rate of wages, the cost per acre would be between 15 
and 20 cents. This is an illustration of the value of 
scientific agricultural work. Such pests are sure to 
come. The average farmer cannot afford time and 
study needed to understand how to fight such insects 
or diseases. There must be scientific men somewhere 
with nothing to do but to study these matters and 
give their results freely to the world. 
