189 ? 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
757 
then wash off and dust daily with finely-powdered 
oxide of zinc, and later, use the zinc ointment as 
directed above. The copper sulphate may be repeated 
once a week if necessary, but should not he applied 
too frequently. It would not be advisable to apply a 
blister to the raw surface. But a blister may be ad¬ 
vantageously employed by applying it around each 
sore, not nearer than within one inch of the raw sur¬ 
face. If the horse be worked during the treatment, 
the collar must be padded so that no pressure can 
come on the sores. 
Indigestion in a Horse. 
W. H. K„ New Jersey .—My mare is driven 7|4 miles night and 
morning, six days in the week, resting on Sunday. I feed 12 quarts 
daily of rye, oats and corn, and a large quantity of hay, yet 
she seems famished, and is poor all the time. When she has been 
out in a rain, she hardly seems able to move for two or three 
days. She is 15 years old, but has not had hard usage. What 
can I do for her ? 
Follow the general directions and treatment advised 
for chronic indigestion in The R. N.-Y. of Septem¬ 
ber 4, page 591. When again out in a storm, cover 
the horse with a woolen blanket as soon as you re¬ 
turn to the stable, and allow it to remain on until 
the horse is dry. Also give a hot bran mash to which 
add two heaping tablespoonfuls of ginger and 30 
drops tincture of aconite. Or a pint of whiskey may 
be given in an equal quantity of hot water. 
J. II. B., Ohio .—My six-year-old horse eats ravenously, but is 
poor and bony, and is always hungry. If whole grain is fed, he 
will bolt It, and to prevent this, I mix ground corn, oats and bran 
with his oats dry. 
The horse is suffering from chronic indigestion or 
dyspepsia ; and if you continue overfeeding as at 
present he will soon have the heaves. Follow gen¬ 
eral directions and treatment advised for chronic in¬ 
digestion in The R. N.-Y. of September 4, page 591, 
but substitute the following powder for the powders 
there prescribed : Powdered gentian and ginger, of 
each one pound; sulphate of copper and powdered 
nux vomica, of each four ounces ; mix, and make into 
32 powders. Give a powder night and morning. A 
lump of rock salt or common coarse salt should be 
kept constantly before the horse, either in a small 
compartment of the feed-box, or in a separate box 
within reach of the animal. 
Damson Plums ; Pecans and Hickorynuts. 
F. J. W., Sheridan, lad. —1. What is the most profitable Dam¬ 
son to plant for market in this locality (25 miles north of Indian¬ 
apolis) ? Is the fruit known as the Dlttle Blue Damson profit¬ 
able, and if so, is it usually grown on its own roots ? 2. Who has 
stock of Nussbaumer’s Hybrid pecan for sale ? Is there a better 
variety for this locality, or would any of them be likely to suc¬ 
ceed here In rich bottoms where our hickories grow ? 3. Two 
seasons since, we procured some thornless gooseberries (French) 
from an eastern nursery; they died, and we have not seen any 
mention of the thornless varieties. Are they worthy, and what 
ones are considered best ? 
Ans. —1. All of the Damson plums are profitable, 
but the Farleigh and French are about the best of 
the lot. They will grow and bear as abundantly as 
the little common ones which are usually grown from 
suckers, and find a ready sale in almost any market. 
2. No one has grafted trees, or even scions, of the 
Nussbaumer pecan for sale, neither is the exact loca¬ 
tion of the original tree now known to any one, if it 
is yet alive. It is supposed to be somewhere about 
Mascoutah, Ill. It is supposed to be a hybrid between 
the big Shellbark hickory and the pecan, but this is 
only theory. Mr. J. J. Nussbaumer, who once lived 
near Mascoutah, Ill. (residence now unknown to the 
public), reported that he had raised seedlings from 
the old tree, and these may be at or about his old 
home ; if so, they may be found and reported to the 
public by those who live there. Some of them may 
be valuable, and they may throw some light on the 
subject of the supposed hybridity of the old tree. 
There is another larger pecan found wild on a farm re¬ 
cently owned by O. L. McCallister, of Mount Vernon, 
Ind. It was once called the Floyd pecan because a Mr. 
Floyd, of Iowa, knew of it and kept the place of the 
tree a secret, thinking to make a speculation on the 
variety. As he would answer no questions as to the 
matter when asked by me some years ago, I took 
means to hunt it up, and found a small tree as above 
stated, which bore nuts far larger than the Nuss¬ 
baumer nut. The shell is thin, and the hull also, 
appearing to be like a pecan in these respects and in 
form of nut, but the leaves and buds had more re¬ 
semblance to the big Shellbark hickory. It may be 
a pecan-hickory hybrid. The tree has recently been 
hurt by lightning, but there are some young grafted 
trees in existence, so I have heard. It would be well 
to look up the old tree if any who read this living in 
Indiana can do so. The variety should be well tested, 
especially farther south, where the pecan attains its 
best development. It is probable that some of the 
earlier and more hardy varieties of the pecan may bear 
nuts profitably on the rich bottom lands somewhat 
northward from Indianapolis, Ind. The matter of 
tenderness is not likely to be so much against their 
success as the lateness of ripening. A variety which 
I named Biloxi is one of the very earliest of the thin- 
shelled, although smaller, of the choice kinds grown 
by W. R. Stuart, at Ocean Springs, Miss., while he 
lived, and now by his widow. It might be worthy of 
trial. 
3. There have been a good many plants of imported 
thornless gooseberries planted within the last year or 
two, but no published reports, so far as I know, have 
been issued. They are decidedly foreign in charac¬ 
ter, and judging by those I have seen in pots, are not 
likely to prove valuable in the larger part of America. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
A Neglected Kansas Orchard. 
S., Doniphan, Kan.—I have an orchard which has been neglected 
for years; it is in Blue grass sod, and the trees need much trim¬ 
ming. 1. What time of the year would it be best to trim them ? 
2. What would be the be9t way to work up the sod ? It is almost 
too hilly to plow, though it could be done. 3. Would the Ideal 
Cutaway harrow be advisable ? 4. Is the Ideal Cutaway harrow 
too heavy for two horses ? 
Ans.— 1. Let S. beware of too much trimming. Al¬ 
low no tree butcher to do more than to look at the 
trees. Do not cut away the lower branches, so as to 
lay the trunks bare and permit a plow to come close 
to them. Keep the trees low-headed, if they are so 
now. Use no eastern or foreign notions of pruning 
on them. Clear out all crossing and colliding branches 
in a reasonable way, and stop there, at least for a 
year. Almost any time between now and next July 
will be a good time to do the work. 2. Plow the land 
shallow, but as thoroughly as possible, and before 
freezing weather if possible; if not possible now, 
then as soon in the spring as it can be done, and keep 
the surface stirred every week or so, weeds or no 
weeds, from early spring until August 1. Then let 
the Crab grass cover it until the next spring, when 
the same kind of cultivation should be repeated, en¬ 
riching the land with whatever manure is cheapest, 
but preferably, that which is rich in potash and 
phosphoric acid. This treatment should be kept up 
as long as the orchard lasts, growing no other crop, 
except it be clover now and then, which should 
be left to rot on the land. 3. Any of the Cutaway 
harrows is good for summer cultivation, but not suit¬ 
able to break up the tough grass sod at the start. 4. 
All of these Cutaway harrows are too heavy for two 
horses except they be very heavy and strong. Three 
horses will do the work better and with much less 
worry and strain than is possible for two. h e. v. d. 
A Beet-Sugar Factory in New York State. 
U. F. T., Batavia, N. 1.—An effort is being made to establish a 
beet-sugar factory at Batavia, N. Y., and with that object in view, 
the surrounding towns are being canvassed to have the farmers 
pledge themselves to raise 3,000 acres of sugar beets for a period 
of five years. All the information we can get is from the pro¬ 
moters of the enterprise, who paint rosy pictures of the profits to 
farmers in raising the beets. The price stipulated is to be the 
same as paid by other factories, based on the percentage of sugar 
the beets contain, probably about $5 per ton for beets that an¬ 
alyze 15 per cent of sugar. Can Tub R. N.-Y. give us any infor¬ 
mation from the beet producers’ side of the question ? Has it 
been a profitable undertaking to the farmers in other sections, 
especially in the eastern States ? How many tons do they aver¬ 
age per acre, and what is the cost per acre for raising? What 
price is usuaby paid per ton for beets ? A ton of beets that an¬ 
alyze 15 per cent of sugar, will produce 300 pounds of sugar; at 
five cents per pound wholesale, this will bring $15. Is not the 
profit all to the factory and very little to the beet raisers ? 
Ans. —These questions are the most difficult to 
answer satisfactorily of any which are received by 
the agricultural papers, or by the experiment stations. 
Sugar beets can be raised with profit by farmers at 
$4 per ton. Potatoes can, also, be raised with profit 
at 25 cents per bushel. Many farmers, however, fail 
to realize a profit on potatoes at that price, and many 
who attempt to raise sugar beets will fail to make a 
profit on them. There are many farmers in New 
York State and in other States as well, who are ask¬ 
ing this question and asking it very earnestly ; for if 
the profit of this new industry is all to be realized by 
the manufacturer, there is no inducement whatever 
for the farmer to go into it. 
Though we have statistics as to the cost of raising 
a ton of beets in Nebraska, that is no help to us here. 
The industry is a new one in the East. The Cornell 
Experiment Station had 200 or 300 plots of beets 
raised the past season by different farmers of the 
State. A bulletin is now being written, and will be 
issued during the winter, giving the results of 
analyses and cost of raising the beets as actually 
found by the farmers who have raised them. Many 
plots were grown in the region of Batavia, and from 
the data now at hand, that is one of the favored 
localities of the State for the raising of sugar beets. 
The soil seems to be proper, the yield of beets per 
acre is good, and the per cent of sugar is running 
high. So naturally the farmers there are well fav¬ 
ored. Whether they can raise beets with profit at the 
price which the factories can afford to pay, depends 
upon whether they will. If the same careless and 
half-way methods are practiced as are practiced in 
raising corn and potatoes, they will not succeed. The 
lesson of thorough tillage must be learned by the 
farmers as it has never been learned before. In Ger 
many and in France, they have learned this lesson, 
and land in the neighborhood of beet-sugar factories 
has increased over 100 per cent in value. The obstacle 
in the way of the American farmer is his desire to 
till large areas. This desire must be overcome, and 
the energy concentrated on small areas. 
If the farmers have had any experience in raising 
mangels, they know about what will be the cost of 
raising sugar beets. An average yield per acre in 
that locality should not be less than 12 tons. By extra 
care in preparing the soil and in tending the beets, 
from 15 to 20 tons should be easily realized. But this 
is above the average of what will be realized by the 
growers. The following items of labor and expense 
may fairly represent what will need to be expended 
on an acre of beets. I simply state the items without 
giving the figures. The cost will vary entirely with 
the conditions : Preparing land (plowing, harrowing, 
rolling, marking) ; 20 pounds of seed ; planting seed ; 
thinning ; two hoeings by hand ; six cultivations ; 
harvesting ; marketing. The rent of land and cost of 
fertilizers are not considered. 
If any farm occupation can be said to require care¬ 
ful business attention, it may be said of raising sugar 
beets. There is profit, and good profit, to the farmer 
who will make it a business , but there is failure, com¬ 
plete failure, awaiting the farmer who expects to 
raise the beets without special effort. I do not wish 
to be misunderstood in this article, I would not dis¬ 
courage any one, yet I would have all who go into 
the raising of beets do so with their eyes open. It is 
long since any new industry has been introduced in 
this country, which promises as fair returns to the 
farmers as the raising of sugar beets. It is going to 
be a case of the “ Survival of the fittest”. He who 
has the soil best adapted to the work, and makes the 
most careful study of the problems involved, is the 
one who is going to survive. He will make money in 
raising and selling beets at $4 per ton. He who ex¬ 
pects the dawning of a new era in which he is going 
to get something for nothing, will meet with disap¬ 
pointment, and would better not attempt the growth 
of beets. l. a. clinton. 
How to Girdle a Grape Vine. 
F. D. N., Meea, Col .—What Is the method of girdling grape 
vines ? 
Ans —The process consists in removing a ring of 
bark about 1)4 inch wide from a branch or shoot of 
the vine, one of the previous year’s growth, which 
branch always is the bearing or fruiting wood of the 
present year. Persons who desire to grow grapes for 
their own use, who have had unfavorable experience 
and little or no opportunity to observe the methods 
of successful growers, should procure Prof. L. H. 
Bailey’s little book entitled, Grape Training. Fail¬ 
ure, in many cases, doubtless, is owing to insufficient 
or injudicious pruning. I will only say that from 20 
to 50 buds on one-year-old or bearing wood are all 
that should be left each spring. The place for re¬ 
moving the ring of bark is near the junction of the 
branch to the older wood of the vine. But one strong, 
healthy bud or shoot should be left between the old 
wood and the point ringed or girdled. This shoot 
already started will make the branch for the next 
season’s crop. After the fruit has ripened and been 
gathered, the branch should be cut from the vine at 
the point where it was girdled. The shoot back of 
the girdled point will mature its wood and go into a 
dormant state for the winter in good healthy con¬ 
dition. 
The operation of girdling may be performed by 
cutting through the bark around the branch in two 
places 1)4 inch apart with an ordinary pocket knife, 
and removing the bark between the two cuts with 
the finger. This can easily be done, as the bark peels 
readily at the proper time for the operation. Where 
much girdling is done, an instrument with two curved 
blades firmly attached, 1)4 inch apart, to a short 
handle is used. This girdling knife is fully de¬ 
scribed in the little work already alluded to. But we 
have found that a pair of old scissors, with a notch 
cut in each blade with a three cornered file, so that 
they will clasp the branch, will with a very slight 
rotary motion of the hand, readily cut through the 
bark all round a branch, and we now prefer these to 
the girdling knife we formerly used. 
The proper time for girdling is soon after the young 
grapes have formed, when half-grown or as large as 
a buck-shot. Unless the vine is in a healthy condition 
in the spring, girdling or other treatment will not en¬ 
able it to ripen a crop of fruit properly. Suitable 
early varieties, and protecting the vine by winter 
covering, will go far toward making a success of 
grape-growing in unfavorable locations. That a 
grape vine may be covered during winter, the renewal 
system of training is the proper method to be used, 
as by this method, all old wood is cut from the vine 
each year, and that which is left can be laid down 
without injury. w. d. babns. 
