1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
821 
because the stems are smaller. It seems to make an 
excellent hay, and stock eat it well. It is a heavy 
nitrogen gatherer, and the tubercles on its roots are 
the largest of any plant I have observed ; coral-like 
clusters of tubercles have been collected that make 
a mass, from one single growth, almost as large as a 
common hen’s egg. The vines of this plant are now 
about 30 feet in length, from seeds planted in May, 
furnishing a mass of green matter that, I believe, it 
would be almost impossible to turn under with any 
ordinary plow.” 
Prompted by the above report from Dr. Stubbs, and 
my personal experience with this new leguminous 
plant, I am getting ready to plant several acres the 
coming spring. j. L. normand. 
Louisiana. 
R. N.-Y.—This bean (Dolichos multifloria) was 
planted on the Rural Long Island Farm over 15 years 
ago. The seed came from Japan through Prof. George- 
son. At that time, it made a rank, heavy growth, 
and matured seeds. We give, on our first page, a 
photograph of a cluster of the pods showing the 
natural size. The cow pea has given us great satisfac¬ 
tion on poor soils. We have found that it will grow 
and thrive where even rye will make but a sickly 
growth. It will make the coarser forms of phosphoric 
acid and potash into safe and available forms for any 
crop. One horse*will get more speed out of a bushel 
of oats than his mate ever could. One sheep will 
make more mutton out of half a ton of clover hay than 
another, and one cow will make more butter from a 
ton of ensilage than her neighbor. It is reasonable 
to suppose that the same difference in ability to 
utilize food holds good in plants—we know that it 
does, in fact. If the Velvet bean will beat the cow 
pea in extracting nitrogen from the air, it is the plant 
for those of us who are farming without much stock, 
and who wish to obtain our plant food as cheaply as 
possible. Mr. Garrahan is telling us what the cow 
pea has done for him. The possibility is that the Vel¬ 
vet bean would have done even better. What we want 
to say is, while such a possibility exists, it is a farmer’s 
business to experiment and see whether he cannot 
make that possibility a fact. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Rvery query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insnre 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.l 
Rotations for Suqar-Beet Growing. 
E. G. B., Southport, Conn —A beet-sugar factory must be 
located in a territory suitable for growing beets, and when so 
ocated, a large part of that territory must be given up to beet 
growing to make the business profitable, as the heavy crop can¬ 
not be transported long distances profitably. Beets are an ex¬ 
haustive crop. How long will that territory stand the strain of 
beet production ? How soon will the factory fail from exhaust¬ 
ing the beet-producing power of its contiguous territory ? Can 
some system of rotation be established to overcome this danger ? 
What is the European experience in this matter? The Virginia 
tobacco fields, the southern cotton fields, the western wheat fields, 
and the New England worn-out pastures are solemn warnings. 
ANSWERED BY S. PEACOCK. 
Beets may be grown continuously if not a prey to 
disease or fungous attacks, but in this case, only 
chemical manures may be used. Beets require a deep, 
mellow soil, as clear of weeds as possible, and should, 
therefore, follow a hoed crop. If beets follow wheat, 
the ground should be plowed early in the fall, and 
cross-plowed before winter, using a subsoil plow ; 
clover or Timothy should not be sown. Dr. Wiley 
commends sugar beets after wheat, but this is, un¬ 
doubtedly, a mistake for best results. Corn is an 
ideal preparatory crop, particularly as corn will 
utilize coarse barnyard manures, which should always 
be used on the preparatory crop for sugar beets. From 
this data, the best rotation in this country would be, 
(1) corn, heavily manured with barnyard manure ; 
(2) sugar beets, light applications of chemical ma¬ 
nure ; (3) wheat, if possible, or rye ; (4) grass ; (l)corn. 
In Germany, a definite rotation has not been formed. 
Their methods are so different from ours that no exact 
comparison can be made. They use wheat, or even 
oats, as a preparatory crop, rarely the latter in my 
observation. In one case, beets followed a clover 
sod, and were followed by potatoes, then lupins and 
grass. It was not “ eminently ” successful. The rota¬ 
tion I have sketched above is, probably, the best. Of 
course, wheat may be omitted and potatoes substi¬ 
tuted, or even oats, and thus work back to a legume 
preparatory to corn. This will, probably, extend the 
rotation to five years. Personally, I should feel safe 
in working corn, sugar beets, and corn. In this case, I 
would depend on chemical manures largely. Too 
much humus in the soil is bad for sugar beets. 
A high ash content in the beet seems to lower the 
sugar content; for this reason, nitrate of soda is not 
equal to sulphate of ammonia. The feeding compass 
of sugar beets is such that highly available plant food 
is necessary, and it must be in the upper layers of 
the soil. In Germany and France, much liquid manure 
is used on the smaller plantations ; the larger ones 
are manured with heavy applications of barnyard 
manure on the preparatory crop (I should say fully 
12 to 15 tons par acre) and a dressing of sulphate of 
ammonia early in the spring. Usually, basic slag is 
used with the preparatory crop, at the rate of 800 
pounds per acre, and if kainit is used, it is also applied 
in the fall of the preceding year. Whenever potash 
is used on the beet crop itself, sulphate is used. Too 
much available nitrogen will make beets, but little 
sugar ; potash and phosphoric acid will make beets 
and sugar also, but an excess of ash in the beets in¬ 
terferes with the crystallization of the sugar. In a 
word, overfeeding will not do with this crop, and a 
complete fertilizer must be available. This is pre¬ 
cisely the point which will do the damage in the 
United States. Farmers will not properly balance their 
manures—they use too much phosphoric acid. Appli¬ 
cations run about as follows, per acre : Nitrogen, 
125 pounds ; available phosphoric acid, 150 pounds ; 
actual potash, 300 pounds. Of course, if there is 
much nitrogen from the manures of the preparatory 
crop, this item may be reduced. This is one of the 
weak points of barnyard manure—one never knows 
what shape it is in the soil, nor whether it is going 
to do a decent amount of work. Do not, under any 
circumstances, depend on the potash and phosphoric 
acid of barnyard manures. Lawes and Gilbert have 
shown conclusively that these have little manurial 
power. Lime should not be used later than the pre¬ 
paratory crop. 
Property Rights of Tenant 
Reader, Pa.— I btarted out iu life for myself a few years ago 
with nothing ; rented a place and went to gardening. I planted 
one acre of asparagus, one-half acre of rhubarb; bought and 
paid for them myself. I have no agreement whatever. I have 
paid all my rent, and don’t owe my landlord anything. I want 
to remove the roots. My landlord forbids me to do so. Can I 
take the roots away without getting into trouble ? My time is up 
January 1. 
Ans. —Yes, you can legally remove the roots before 
the lease expires. For the benefit of others similarly 
situated, we quote a legal opinion bearing on this 
matter: “The relation of landlord and tenant is 
created by the permission to occupy the land. The 
ancient rule, that whatever is attached to the soil 
became a part of the freehold, and could not after¬ 
wards be removed by him, has gradually been relaxed 
in favor of the tenant, until now, the general rule is 
that any one who has temporary interest in land, and 
makes improvements upon it, or cultivates it for the 
purpose of the better use or enjoyment of it, while 
such temporary interest continues, may at any time 
before his right of enjoyment expires, rightfully re¬ 
move such improvements or cultivated products. 
Public policy, especially in the country, requires that 
the tenant should be permitted so to use the premises 
he occupies, as to derive from them the greatest amount 
of profit and comfort, consistent with the right of the 
owner of the land. There may be exceptions to the 
rule here stated, but they will be found limited to 
cases where the removal of the additions or products 
made by the tenant, would operate to the prejudice 
of the inheritance, by leaving the land in a worse 
condition than when the tenant took possession. 
Therefore, in the case of a letting of land for the 
purpose of nurturing trees or plants until they are 
ready to be transplanted, in the absence of any ex¬ 
press agreement, the interest of the tenant in the 
land, for the purpose contemplated by the parties, 
will be held to continue until that purpose is ac¬ 
complished. Accordingly, where the temporary in¬ 
terest of the tenant in the land is limited to a term 
of years, trees or plants cultivated and sufficiently 
matured for transplanting, may, before the expira¬ 
tion of the tenancy, be removed from the soil of the 
owner by the tenant after the manner which such 
business requires. Kings v Wilcomb, 7 Barb, 263.” 
Strawberries in the House. 
F. W. A., Newtonville, Maes. —I have recently taken up a few 
strawberry plants to fruit in the house (not a greenhouse). They 
are placed in a bay window facing tne South. I would like a de¬ 
tailed account of how to get some berries, especially how to fer¬ 
tilize the blossoms. 
Ans. —If tne light is abundant, and the room suffi¬ 
ciently warm, there is no reason why F. W. A. should 
not obtain strawberries in the house. The pLants 
are, we suppose, in pots. The market growers of 
forced strawoerries plant them out on benches. Heat 
is given in the beginning of November, and the first 
crop of fruit is ready about Christmas. When the 
flowers appear, the spray is propped up by a little 
crotched stick, to keep it from resting upon the earth. 
Perfect-flowered varieties are grown, and it is not 
found necessary to fertilize the blooms artificially. 
In an ordinary room, conditions would be very favor¬ 
able to the growth of Red spider, a serious enemy to 
strawberries under glass. Careful syringing of the 
under sides of the leaves with clear cold water is the 
best remedy and preventive. During long-continued 
damp, cloudy weather, the fruit does not set well, 
and there is a liability to mildew. In bench culture 
of strawberries, the surface of the soil is frequently 
stirred, being kept mellow and open. If this is not 
done, a growth of green mold forms on the top of the 
soil, and this is conducive to mildew. Details regard¬ 
ing the forcing of strawberries were given by The 
R. N.-Y. in the issues of January 30 and October 30 
last. 
Cedar or Pine for Posts. 
M. T., St. Catherines, Ont .—Will pine do for posts on sandy soil 
as well as cedar ? Some who have had long experience say yea; 
but the general opinion seems to say no. What about second 
growth? Should the posts dry a year? Should the bark be re¬ 
moved ? 
Ans —In general, sap wood of any kind decays 
more rapidly than heart wood of the same kind, un¬ 
seasoned wood more rapidly than seasoned ; on well- 
drained slopes, less rapidly than in wet valleys ; in 
clay soils, more rapidly than in sand ; in the soils of 
the warm, moist climate of the South, more rapidly 
than in the cooler climate of the North, or in the arid 
West. It is for these reasons that opinions differ so 
widely as to the durability of posts of various kinds, 
because the conditions under which the comparison 
is made have not been considered. Many of the cedar 
posts in the market to-day are of too young trees, 
consisting of from two-thirds to three-fourths of sap- 
wood, therefore rot in a short time. This has given 
a black eye to cedar posts all over the country, and 
has led to many wrong conclusions. A sound piece of 
cedar heart wood endures much longer in any soil 
than the best piece of any pine. Posts of small, sappy 
pine rot faster than even the poorest cedar posts. If 
good cedar posts are difficult to obtain, oak or well- 
seasoned pine may, at times, be profitable. Pine posts 
should be cut from the heart, and if pole wood be 
used, it should, at least, be peeled (for, in this way, it 
will more readily season), and be kept for six months, 
and if possible, be charred before using, or tarred. 
The second growth, when heart wood, is certainly 
equally as good as the original growth, and often 
even better. b e kkrnow. 
When to Pick Mushrooms; Milk Testing. 
W. F. T., Neu) York.—V. la there any rule to go by in raising 
mushrooms, to tell when they are ripe to pick, or are they ready 
as soon as they show themselves, and have grown to any size ? 
2. Is there a machine for testing the quality of milk ? If so, what 
is it, and where cau it be bought ? 
Ans. —1. It is impossible to give actual rules regard¬ 
ing the time to gather mushrooms. They may be 
used while still in the “ button ” stage, before the 
veil is ruptured, and for some dishes, they are pre¬ 
ferred, because they do not discolor the sauce with 
which they are cooked ; many of the French bottled 
mushrooms are put up in this stage. But for ordin¬ 
ary use, they are allowed to grow after the rupture 
of the veil, but are gathered while the gills are still 
bright pink. As the gills darken in color, they begin 
to deteriorate, and should not be eaten if the gills 
are dark brown and flaccid before cooking. 2. The 
Babcock milk tester is used by most dairymen, and 
is the most satisfactory process known. It is simple. 
Sulphuric acid dissolves the casein or cheesy part of 
the milk, but not the fat. This acid, of a certain 
strength, is added to the milk in a long-necked bottle. 
This is shaken or whirled in a small machine so that 
the fat rises to the top where it can be easily measured. 
The Vermont Farm Machine Company, of Bellows 
Falls, Vt., will supply the tester. 
Quality of Milk and Food. 
./. F. &., Luzerne County . Pa.— I have heard the opinion ex¬ 
pressed that malt sprouts, when fed to cows, would increase the 
flow of milk without improving the quality, but rather the con¬ 
trary. The same person holds that, to Improve the quality of 
milk, one must feed more food stuffs containing a greater per 
cent of fat. For example, a cow fed on good pasture will make 
more butter to the given quantity of milk than if fed dry feed. It 
is hard for me to swallow this. I think, perhaps wrongly, that 
the per cent of butter fat in a cow’s milk is the same regardless 
of the feed. I think that, if she is fed inferior feed, instead of 
giving poorer milk, she will give less of It, the supply being in 
proportion to the quality of food given. In short, I believe that a 
cow will give as good milk and more of it, if fed malt in connec¬ 
tion with her otner feed than if it were withheld, and that it de¬ 
pends not so much on the feed as on the cow. Wnat is the opinion 
of the readers who know from experience ? 
Ans —finis is a question on winch the scientific men 
and. many practical dairyman are squarely opposed. 
The practical men know that the food affects the 
quality of the milk, but most of them have never 
made what would be called a true scientific test. The 
scientific men have fed cows on different rations, and 
tested and analyzed the milk, day after day. Their 
results indicate that there is very little, if any, actual 
difference in the quality of the milk. If more butter 
fat is produced, it usually requires more milk to pro¬ 
duce it. The butter fat in the milk is really a part of 
the cow herself. It consists of very small cells which 
are broken off in or near the glands of the udder and 
put into the milk as it is secreted from the blood. 
Tne general belief now is that each cow has a certain 
individual capacity for performing this work, and that 
the condition of her health has more to do with the 
quality of her milk than her food. Tne following 
named experiment stations have issued bulletins on 
milk that will aid in studying this question : In¬ 
diana (LaFayette), New Jersey (New Brunswick), Ver¬ 
mont (Burlington), Cornell (Ithaca, N. Y.) 
