84 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 9 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure 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.] 
Tobacco and Lime for the Scale. 
G. L. A., Vandalia, N. 0.—Would a wash 
made of strong tobacco water and rock 
lime slaked In the water, so as to make a 
thick whitewash, kill San Jos 6 scale? 
ANvS.—N o, the mixture mentioned 
would be useless for Winter work. 
Whitewash will always kill a certain 
proportion of scale insects; but so small 
a percentage as to make it an unsatis¬ 
factory material to apply. Tobacco is 
very good as a bummer wash. ,i. u. s 
Fighting the Asparagus Rust. 
L. L., Factoryville, Pa.—I set last Spring 
2,000 asparagus roots, and they came up 
and made a fine growth, but before frost 
the whole piece was as brown as a chest¬ 
nut, and the tops dead. I suppose from 
what I have read in The R. N.-T. that 
it was the Asparagus rust. What would 
you advise me to do with it, plow it up 
and use the ground for something else, or 
can I fight the rust back and get a paying 
cfoj) of grass? 
Ans. —We would not advise you to 
surrender to the rust without a struggle. 
If your asparagus is one of the more re¬ 
sistant varieties, such as Palmetto or Ar- 
genteuil, the chance of success is bettei-. 
Fertilize highly and cultivate well, so 
that much vigor may be stored in the 
roots before the rust again appears in 
August. Thorough spraying with Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture both before and after the 
season rust may be expected to appear 
has been shown to be quite effectual, but 
is too expensive and troublesome a rem¬ 
edy for everyone to use. 
Dandelions for Greens. 
M. O. TV., Searsmont, il/e.—What about lais- 
iiig dandelions for greens? What variety? 
Should they be covered in Winter? What 
is an average crop per acre, and what kind 
of soil will they do the best on? How much 
seed does it require per acre? 
Ans. —Two varieties of dandelion are 
offered by leading seedsmen, the French 
Garden, which is about the same as the 
common wild root, and Improved Thick¬ 
leaved. The latter variety is new, and 
the seeds cost nearly twice as much as 
French Garden. The seeds are sown in 
early Spring in drills one-half-inch deep 
and 18 inches apart on thoroughly pre¬ 
pared and enriched land. If well cul¬ 
tivated and kept clear of weeds they will 
make strong roots that winter over 
without requiring protection. The leaves 
are ready to cut the ensuing Spring. 
They are often bleached by covering the 
rows with boards set on edge like an in¬ 
verted V. We have no data concerning 
the average crop for an acre, nor the 
amount of seed required for the same 
area. 
Air Tank for Bordeaux Mixture. 
Reader {’No Address).—A. I. Loop recently 
described his method of spraying by the 
use of air pressure. He speaks of air 
tanks. What are they made of, and will 
not Bordeaux Mixture corrode them? 
Ans. —The “air tanks” referred to are 
common galvanized iron tanks. They 
are used for a variety of purposes, and 
are manufactured in large quantities in 
all the large cities. Any size from five 
to 400 gallons can be had, as different re¬ 
quirements call for many different sizes. 
Fifty-gallon tanks, costing about ?lo 
each, seemed best for our use. We got 
them of the Bishop-Babcock Co., Cleve¬ 
land, New York, Chicago. 1 don’t think 
any serious trouble will result if simple 
copper solution is not used. A recent 
publication of the United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture says that the corro¬ 
sive action of Bordeaux is comparatively 
slight. We have not noticed any trou¬ 
ble from this cause. I believe I would 
rather use Bordeaux than common sul¬ 
phate solution in almost any case. This 
device would do very rapid work in a 
vineyard, although we have never used 
it for the purpose. No serious trouble 
has ever been experienced in this grape 
belt. A. I. LOOP. 
Home Mixture of Fertilizers; Charcoal. 
G. F. W., Ashwillett, Conn.—How shall I 
mix a cheap homemade phosphate for po¬ 
tatoes or corn? Is charcoal dust good for 
a mixture put In with potash and other 
materials? 
Ans. —You should send to Dr. E. H. 
Jenkins, New Haven, Conn., and obtain 
the fertilizer report of the Connecticut 
Station. A number of good home mix¬ 
tures are given in this report. Here are 
a few of them—all made by good farm¬ 
ers: 
Acid Murl- 
Nltrate Tank- Dried phos- Qr’nd ate of 
of .soda. age. blood, phate. bone, potash. 
100 800 ... 800 ... 300 
60 ... 150 1,590 ... 200 
500 500 ... 400 ... 360 
200 800 ... ... 700 300 
141 ... 275 ... 167 300 
Other mixtures and substances are 
mentioned. It can be easily seen that 
a farmer must know what is needed by 
crops and soils before he can make a 
successful home mixture. We have not 
found it so easy to make a satisfactory 
mixture as some writers would have 
farmers believe. The charcoal dust has 
little real fertility, and will not take the 
place of wood ashes. It gives soils a 
darker color, and thus makes them bet¬ 
ter able to retain heat. Charcoal is one 
of the best absorbents. This dust put in 
the gutter back of the cows or mixed 
with the manure will pay well. 
Soiling Crops vs Old Pasture. 
E. A. P., Neto Dorchester, Mass .—On my 
Pennsylvania farm I find poor prospect for 
pasture for next Summer. Is there any 
quick-growing grass or green fodder crop 
that I could plant early that would afford 
pasture or fodder for cows? In lieu of that, 
what would be the best chemical fertilizer 
to apply as a top-dressing to the pasture 
land, to help the growth of the grass? 
Ans. —Oats alone or oats and peas 
sown at the usual time for this grain 
will give you good green feed. It will 
not pay to pasture them, for the stock 
will destroy more than they eat. You 
can cut the green crop and carry it to 
the stock. This is called soiling. The 
oats can be followed by fodder corn 
sown in drills. By sowing corn in this 
way every two weeks from the first corn 
planting up to July 4, you will have a 
good succession of green feed. We 
would not advise the use of fertilizers on 
ordinary pastures. We do not think it 
will pay. Nitrate of soda—260 pounds 
to the acre—will be most likely to start 
up the grass. Better put your fertilizer 
on fodder corn and cut that crop green. 
Ten Good Agricultural Books. 
P. J. 8., Berwick, Nova Scotia.—Can you 
give me the names of 10 good popular books 
on agricultural subjects for reading by 
members of an agricultural society? 
Ans.—A hard question. One should 
know what the readers have already 
studied, and v/hat they most desire be¬ 
fore advising. Of course such reading 
should include a good agricultural pa¬ 
per and the bulletins of the leading ex¬ 
periment stations. The following list 
will cover the ground, though it might 
well be changed to suit individual needs: 
1. First Principles of Agriculture, 
* E. B. Voorhees 
2. The Soil.F. H. King 
3. q’he Fertility of the Land..I. P. Roberts 
4. How Plants Grow.S. W. Johnson 
5. Principles of Fruit Growing.L. H. Bailey 
fi. Vegetable Gardening.S. B. Green 
7. Feeding Animals.W. A. Henry 
8 . Milk and Its Products.H. H. Wing 
9. Economic Entomology.J. B. Smith 
10. Agriculture.F. S. Storer 
This is not by any means the cheapest 
list that could be named, and others 
might be better suited to certain indi¬ 
viduals, but anyone who will carefully 
study these books may have a fair idea 
of the principles of scientific agriculture. 
If one lived in a section where chemical 
fertilizers are needed he should certain¬ 
ly study Fertilizers, by E. B. Voorhees. 
If stock feeding is to be made an object 
Forage Crops, by Prof. Shaw, and Soil¬ 
ing, by F. S. Peer, will be useful. The 
bulletins, and especially the annual re¬ 
ports of the experiment stations, should 
be not only read but studied carefully. 
Clearing Land and Burning Brush. 
I. R. F., Somers, Conn.—I have a large 
mountain pasture which is badly grown to 
brush, such as birch, huckleberry and fern. 
There are also some very good railroad tie 
trees which I do not wish to disturb at 
present, but it is of little use to cut the 
brush without burning. Will a fire damage 
the standing trees, and what is the law 
about burning pasturage where the adjoin¬ 
ing land is a wood lot, and owned by 
others? 
Ans. —One of the best ways to improve 
pastures that cannot be plowed is to cut 
and burn the brush each year. The 
amount of damage that will be done by 
burning the leaves and underbrush in a 
forest depends much upon the dryness 
of the material underneath, and the kind 
and size of the trees. I have known fires 
to run through forests of chestnut, 
where the trees were eight to 10 inches 
in diameter at the bases, and do very 
little damage. It is always better, how¬ 
ever, to prevent fires from running over 
forest lands if possible. Neglect in burn¬ 
ing brush, that leads to damage to ad¬ 
joining property, will make the owner 
of the land, where the fire was set, re¬ 
sponsible. If the one who owns the land 
where the fire is set, takes reasonable 
precautions, and yet the fire is carried 
to another man’s land through the ac¬ 
tion of a whirlwind, probably no damage 
could be collected. c. s. phei.ps. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-T. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee 8 th page. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
The Farmer 
or his Wife 
will And pleasure in the plant¬ 
ing and satisfaction in the re¬ 
sults, if they use 
VICK’S 
They are superior to all 
others sold. Send for hand¬ 
some new Garden and 
Floral Guide for 1901. A 
treasure house of In¬ 
formation on every¬ 
thing for tbegarden: 
seeds, plants,bulbs, 
small fruits, roses, 
etc. F^'ee. 
JA8. TICK’S SONS, 
Box No. 1598 
RoebOHter, N. Y. 
Vitality and Purity 
has given Ford’s Sound 8EKDS a world-wide popular¬ 
ity. Catalogue c ' Seeds, Potatoes, Plants, Bulbs and 
Trees FKEE. FORD SEED CO.. Boi Q, Ravtnna, 0. 
Rich or Poor 
you cannot afford to buy poor Seed. Our 
guaranteed seeds give best results every¬ 
where. Originators of the New Queen, 
Early Norther, Early Harvest, Minister, 
Gem of Aroostook and Northern Beauty 
Potatoes. Illustrated Catalogue free. 
THE GEO. W. P. JERRARD CO., Caribou, Me. 
S ^^PQATS 
45c a Bu. and up. 
The cleanest, heaviest, best yielding oats are 
Michigan Northern Grown. Ilammond’H English Won¬ 
der, Czar of Knssla, Michigan Wonder and Mort¬ 
gage Lifter, the four best varieties. Rust proof, stiff 
straw, have yielded IBO bu. per acre. Catalog describing 
these oats and all other farm seeds free on request. 
Harry N. Hammond Seed Co., 
Formerly of Fijield. BOX42, Bay City, MICh. 
fS^ZMSMEDSnirHIl 
I WILL MAKE YOU Kltllll 
BROMUSINERMIS 
Oreafest Permanent 
Grass of the 
Century. 
Nothlngliko it on earth 
to-day that we kimw of 
and we have scoured i 
the world over to find I 
its equal. Grows where 
all others kill and burn 
up from excessive heat 
and lack of sufflclent 
moisture- Grows where 
all others winter kill 
and freeze out. 3 to 7 
' tons of magnificent hay 
per acre and lots of pas¬ 
turage besides. 
$1.20 and up a 
Barrel. 
Largest potato and 
vegetable growers. 
Choicest, rarest, heavl- 
est yielding stock. 
Cnlalogue Tells. 
For 10 Cents and this Motice 
our big catalogue will be mailed you free, to- 
f ether with 10 sample ,)ackages of the 80 bu. 
peltz Wonder, the 40c Spring Wheat, the 
Billion llolliir Graas with its 12 tons of hay per 
acre, tlie Peaoat—a startling food, 
the victoria Bane Marvel, the 
astonishing 250 busliel per acre, /pf/M 
Oats, etc. in all. 10 packages 
fully worth 810 to get a 
start for lOe In stamps. 
Send to-day. 
|JDHNA.5fzER5EEDCQnir'' 
- EVERYTHING IN THE SEED LINE. 
All seeds carefully tested. Most complete seed establishment in the West. 
Hmftfllliirl'rr^ Alfalfa. KalUr Com, Cane Seed, Millet and all other 
ssoum f um >x,i j pjgid and Grass seeds. Introducers and growers of the 
Kansas Standard Tomato, the earliest and best variety known. Our IWl 
Catalogue Free. KANSAS SEED HOUSE, F. Barteldes & Co. Lawrence,Kas. 
THE BEST SEED CATALOGUE ISSUED, 
Full of novelties and standard varieties of Seed, Plants and Bulbs, with illustration and descriptive 
matter. Send us your name and address, and we will be pleased to mall you one free. 
HUNTINGTON & PAGE, Seedsmen, 130 & 132 E. Market Street, Indianapolis, Ind. 
Your Grandmother’s Garden 
we are sure, contained many rare flowers and delicious vegetables, which doubtless 
came from our house, as we have supplied the most discriminating people for over 
half a century. our 1901 Catalogue of 
“ Everything for the Garden ” 
is the grandest yet—really a book of 190 pages—700 engravings and 8 superb colored 
plates of Vegetables and Flowers. A perfect mine of information on garden topics. 
To give our Catalogue the largest possible distribution, we make the following liberal offer: 
Every Empty Envelope 
Counts as Cash. 
To every one who will state where this advertisement was seen, and who incloses 10 Cents (in stamps), we 
will mail the Catalogue, and also send free of charge, our famous 50-cent “Garden” Collection of seeds, 
containing one packet each of 'jubilee Phlox, Giant Victoria Aster, Giaiit Fancy Pansy,Pink Plume Celery, 
Mignonette Lettuce, mi Lorillari.iTomato, in a red envelope, which when emptiedandreturned will beaccepted 
as a 25-cent cash payment on any order of goods selected from Catalogue to the amount of $i.oo and upward. 
PETER HENDERSON & CO., 
35 and 37 Cortlandt Street, New York. 
SEED-SENSE l9°oT 
is mailed FREE to all. 
A Bright Business Catalogue of ninety pages that tells plain truth about BEST SEEDS 
that Grow. Write a postal card to-day, or send ten cents (stamps or silver) for 
BURPEE'S Quarter-Century Farm annual,— a New Book of 220 pages 
fully worth a dollar. W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
SEEDS 
At Wholesale Prices. 
We raise Vegetable Seeds, Seed 
Potatoes, Farm Seeds, eto.,ou 
our own Farms, and sell them direct to the planter at Whole¬ 
sale Prices. Catalogue free. Please write for it to-day. Don’t 
delay. dOS. HARRIS CO., Moreton Farm, Coldwater, N. Y< 
DREER’S Garden Calendar 19 01 
The largest and most complete SEED. PLANT and BULB Catalogue 
ever offered for FREE DISTRIBUTION. It contains 200pages,which are 
fully illustrated, true to nature, and is bound in beautiful embossed 
lithographed covers. We will send a copy free to all who mention this 
paper, and request those who are Market Gardeners to state the same. 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. 
