i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
i35 
acres of new ground, one acre of which 
has already been cleared and yielded a crop 
of wheat last year. The brush on the re¬ 
mainder has nearly all been chopped off for 
eight years. The stumps are small and 
rotten, and there are brush heaps only up¬ 
on a portion of the ground. It will require 
two men, and a team two days to do the 
logging. It will be necessary to cut, split, 
and lay up about 1,100 rails (60 rods). The 
soil is mostly a gravelly loam covered with 
a .Tune-Grass sod. Sheep have pastured 
upon it for eight years. There is one cat- 
hole of about an acre which would contain 
water in a wet season and affect a portion 
of the land somewhat. There being but 
few green stumps, the plowing will not be 
hard for new land. 
1. Would it be profitable to plant pota¬ 
toes on the above land for the first two 
crops ? The price of early potatoes averages 
about 50 cents and of late about 25 cents per 
bushel here. 2. Which would be the bet¬ 
ter way to plant the first season : in hills 
three feet each way, or in drills three feet 
apart and one foot apart in the row ? I be¬ 
lieve in the Rural’s Trench System. 3. 
What two varieties—one early and one 
late—would be the most profitable to plant? 
The Summit, early, and the Empire State, 
late do well here. What other varieties 
would be likely to pay better ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes, we think so. 2. The R. 
N.-Y. would, for the first season, plant in 
hills as stated, so as to cultivate both ways. 
3. There are few varieties at this time 
more profitable than the Beauty of Hebron. 
For a later kind the Empire State is good. 
Our friend might try the White Elephant 
or the R. N.-Y. No. 2. or Brownell’s Win¬ 
ner for the latest. 
BAGGING GRAPES. 
R- S., Gettysburg, Pa.—What are the 
proper way and time to bag grapes? Is 
any particular kind of paper bag used or 
will the common paper bags used by groc¬ 
ers answer? I have a vineyard of four acres 
and tried last year to save the grapes by 
the use of sulphate of copper and lime; but 
to no purpose. I did not get 10 pounds on 
the whole vineyard, although there were 
green grapes enough to have made 10 tons 
had they all matured. The vines appear in 
a healthy condition but as soon as the 
grapes are formed they are stung by some 
insect and then dry rot commences immedi¬ 
ately. Is there any remedy except bagging? 
Ans.— If the berries are really injured by 
an insect, bagging would save them. But 
we fear the trouble is due to some form of 
rot, and this bagging will not prevent. No, 
any kind of bag will answer provided it be 
durable enough. A very inferior quality 
of paper is often used by grocers. It should 
be strong manilla. These can be purchased 
of most grocers or seedsmen. Tt is best to 
bag the grapes about a week after they are 
fully set or when of the size of No. 7 shot. 
In either side of the bag cut a slit down 
about two inches. Then on either side a 
slit of the same length should be cut in the 
middle so as to admit the stem of the 
bunch. Place the two parts of one side 
over and partly around the cane and then 
place the two parts of the other side over 
and pin in front, one pin on each side. 
THE “BEST” POTATOES. 
C. E. L., Port Richmond, N. Y. —What 
three varieties of potatoes would the R. 
N.-Y. select for market to be grown on its 
Long Island farm if it had to buy its own 
seed and fertilize heavily ? 
Ans.—N otwithstanding all the potato 
trials made at the Rural Grounds, we can 
not say that any one variety is to be pre¬ 
ferred. Some seasons one kind has given 
a heavy yield, and the next, a compara¬ 
tively small yield. We should select for 
early from the following: Beauty of He¬ 
bron, Pearl of Savoy, Early Sunrise, and 
Charles Downing. In some places the 
Thorburn gives fine yields. For the 
earliest potato, the Early Ohio is very 
profitable in certain localities, while failing 
in others. For our locality we should se¬ 
lect the R. N.-Y. No. 2 for the latest,. We 
would advise a trial of Brownell’s Winner, 
also. For quality and yield we know of no 
late potato superior to the Rural Blush. 
But it straggles somewhat and is not very 
shapely. The State of Maine. Empire 
Stave, Dakota Red and White Elephant 
have many friends. 
WATER FOR A TROUT POND. 
IF. G. IF., Lyons, Wis. —What is the 
smallest-sized stream needed for a trout 
pond ? What should be the size and depth 
of the pond and how should it be made for 
brook trout? Would a spring capable of 
supplying an inch stream furnish water 
enough ? 
Ans.— A reply to this answer depends on 
the size of the pond desired. One inch of 
flowing water would not supply a large 
pond, hot only a tank. As trout, require 
fresh water, a temperature not higher than 
65 or 70 degrees at the most, and a supply 
of animal food, it is an easy matter to 
guage the sort of stream that is able to 
supply these requisites. A small stream, 
carrying as much water as would run 
through a three-inch pipe, would be suffi¬ 
cient for a pond of a quarter of an acre, 
but this would not be large enough to 
afford a profitable business. Rearing trout 
under artificial methods is a peculiarly dif¬ 
ficult matter, and requires an amount of 
skill and attention that few people possess. 
breed’s weeder. 
T. B., Monticelln, 111. —W T hat is a de¬ 
scription of Breed’s weeder, and how does 
it work ? 
Ans. —By sending to the Univeral 
Weeder Company, North Weare, N. H.. 
you will obtain circulars giving pictures of 
the tool. It is nothing but a board seven 
feet long and eight inches wide in which 
are firmly set two rows of long, flexible 
steel rods. These rods are nearly four feet 
long, so that in working, the board stands 
that distance above the ground. A pair of 
light thills like those used on a one-horse 
wagon are attached to one side of the 
board, while two light handles are fastened 
to the other side. The horse walks be¬ 
tween the rows while the workman walks 
behinc the weeder holding the handles. 
The rods scratch the surface of the soil and 
uproot weeds, when pressed down by means 
of the handles. The operator, by moving 
the handles to one side or the other can 
easily pass plants unharmed. 
HOW TO PRODUCE A LARGE CORN CROP. 
C. C. B., Waterloo, Tnd. —I wish to-raise 
the largest yield of corn possible from one 
field of 10 acres: soil a clay loam, inclined to 
sand, naturally well drained, though not 
broken. It used to produce ash, oak. beech. 
Black Walnut and poplar. It has been 
cleared 25 years or more, and has been well 
manured with barn-yard manure. I wish 
to learn not only how I should plant it—in 
checks or drills— to secure the desired end 
and what manure I should use. but also 
anything else that would aid me in the 
matter. 
Ans. —Plow and harrow thoroughly. Be¬ 
fore the last harrowing, sow 750 pounds 
(or more if you can afford it) to the acre of 
a high-grade corn fertilizer. Drill in the 
corn, four feet by one foot, (more or less 
according to the variety) and give frequent 
shallow and level cultivation until the corn 
may be “ laid by.” 
BEST CANTALOUPE FOR THE NEW YORK 
MARKET. 
J. M. C., Munclctaum, N. J. —1. Wbat 
cantaloupe will sell best in the New York 
market, and where can I get the seed ? 
2. What quantity of fertilizer should be 
used per acre, and how should it be applied ? 
Does any variety command a better price 
than the Hackensack ? 
Ans. —1. We know of no variety more pop¬ 
ular for the New York market than the 
Hackensack or “Extra Early” Hacken¬ 
sack, as an improved strain is called. The 
Nutmeg, Green Montreal, Burpee’s Cham¬ 
pion Market, and Hybrid Bay View are all 
valuable. 2. We have never met with any 
success by the use of fertilizers upon 
melons. If used at all, we should mix the 
fertilizer thoroughly with the soil of the 
hill and not sow it broadcast. In this way 
one might use from 250 to 400 pounds to 
the acre. 
CLOVER FOR ENRICHING POOR LAND. 
E. P., Jewett. N. Y.— Will the R. N.-Y. 
try T. B. Terry’s plan of enriching a farm 
with clover ? I think it has some poor 
land to experiment on. 
Ans. —The R. N.-Y.’s New Jersev farm 
is about as poor soil as need be. Much of 
it has been “ abandoned ” and has grown 
up to bushes and weeds. The rest has been 
cropped without sufficient manure and 
with very poor tillage. With fertilizers 
and clover the R. N.-Y. hopes to get the 
farm into better condition. We shall buy 
as little New York stable manure as possi¬ 
ble, use complete fertilizers on potatoes and 
plow in as large crops of clover as we can 
grow. As the R. N.-Y. is at present situ¬ 
ated, it seems better to follow Mr. Terry’s 
practice of using clover as manure without 
having it pass through the live stock. 
MANURE FOR POTATOES. 
if. if., French Creek, N. Y.— Will 
either hen, hog, horse or cow manure 
answer in the place of superphosphate in 
raising potatoes according to the Rural 
T rench System, and which of the four 
would be most suitable on creek bottom 
land ? 
Ans.—F rom the data given we cannot 
give a specific answer. We should not ap¬ 
prove of using either of the manures in a 
fresh condition. If well decomposed or 
spread in the fall, better results might be 
anticipated. Neither of the manures men¬ 
tioned furnishes the proportions of the 
chief food constituents that the potato plant 
requires so fully as a high-grade potato fer¬ 
tilizer. We know nothing with regard to 
what the soil in this case requires, but we 
should answer the question in the negative. 
QUICK LIME FOR DECOMPOSING MUCK LAND. 
P. IF. J., Pontiac,' Michigan.—Would 
plaster sown on the surface of newly cleared 
muck land in early spring be as beneficial 
in rotting the surface as it is in rotting 
strawy mauure in the barn-yards ? 
Ans.—P laster does not rot strawy man¬ 
ure in the barn-yard. If put thick 
enough on a pile of manure it retains the 
moisture and preserves an equable temper¬ 
ature, thereby indirectly aiding decompo¬ 
sition. The amount of plaster which would 
be sowed in the field would not assist in 
rotting the surface of mucky land. A coat 
of 10 to 15 bushels of quick-lime spread on 
the surface would without doubt material¬ 
ly hasten decomposition. 
Miscellaneous. 
A. F. T,, Northwood Ridge, N. H. —At 
what age will the female pug dog breed ? 
Ans. —We have heard of their mating as 
early as six months of age. 
S. F. LI., Pulaski. Pa. —You can obtain 
the Rural Thoroughbred Corn from J. M. 
Thorburn & Co., New York. Eight quarts 
of shelled corn per acre should give a stand 
for ensilage purposes. 
J. H. C., Tabernacle, N. C.— What is 
the best “spike harrow” on the market, 
and its cost ? 
Ans. —Tt depends semewhat on the work 
you have to do, the kind of soil, its condi¬ 
tion, etc., etc. Some farmers like a home¬ 
made harrow better than any they can 
buy. Probably the Thomas harrow, made 
by theHerendeen Manufacturing Co., Gen¬ 
eva, N. Y., will suit. 
P. IF. 5v, Pontiac. Mich. —1. Are H. B. 
Rimonds & Co., of Bos*on. coin brokers, re¬ 
liable? 2. What is the address of another 
dealer in old and rare coins? 3. How would 
the Cutaway harrow be likely to work in 
muck land which contains a good many 
small roots and refuse underbrush, and has 
been well dug with a mattock ? Plowing 
would be altogether impracticable—indeed 
almost impossible. 
Axs'—1. Yes, so far as we know. 2. J. 
R. Torrey, Ann and Nassau Streets. New 
York. 3. Tt will work well provided the 
ground is not too soft. 
H. W., Montgomery, Mich.—' The address 
oftheThomas A. Edison laboratory is Menlo 
Park. N. J. The phonograph isrnow being 
used more than ever before by business men 
and editors.""Letters, speeches, editorials 
or whatever is desired may be talked into 
the machine. By means of the grapho- 
phone these sounds are conveyed to the 
type writer who records them on a type¬ 
writing machine. The Merritt is an 
excellent machine. It is sold bv the 
Lyon Manufacturing Co., New York. 
For information regarding electric motors, 
etc., address The Electrical Review, New 
York. 
A. F. T., Northwood Ridge, N. H.— 
1. I want to keep three cows, and make 
butter, but have no suitable place for set¬ 
ting the milk; will the cream rise if I put 
the milk in a creamer and use cold water 
instead of ice ? 2. What would a creamer 
for that number of cows cost ? 
ANS. —1. Yes. You will notice that a num¬ 
ber of our readers are using cold water— 
without ice—or even setting the milk in 
wells. If you can keep a constant flow of 
cold spring water through the creamer 
your cream will rise. 2. From §15 to §30. 
Send for the catalogues of the manufactur¬ 
ers of dairy implements who advertise in 
the R. N.-Y. 
LI. FT., French Creek, N. Y.— Some of 
my hens are weak in the legs and feet. 
They stagger from side to side and then sit 
down. They eat well. Their combs are 
red aud their eyes bright. This condition 
lasts a week or more and then they grow 
poor and stop laying. ^Wkat is the trouble? 
Ans. —It is due to the heavy weight of 
the male, the injury being in the spine. 
It is of frequent occurrence in flocks that 
are well fed, the fat hens being injured 
more than the others. The remedy is to 
separate the hens from the males as soon 
as the first symptoms of leg weakness ap¬ 
pear. The separation usually enables the 
hens to recover. 
S. Y., Flourtoum, Pa.— 1. Could Alfalfa 
or Lucerne be profitably raised for feeding 
purposes in our latitude, and, if so, when 
should the seed be sown and how ? 2. Is 
hen manure a right kind of fertilizer in a 
garden for raising general garden truck ? 
Ans.— 1. In your climate clover would 
be more profitable we should say. You 
might try the Alfalfa in a small way, how¬ 
ever, and see how it will answer. It may 
be sown about the same time as clover. It 
is better to sow it in drills than to broad¬ 
cast it. 2. Yes, hen manure, if of good 
quality, will answer well for a garden. It 
should be in good mechanical condition— 
not in large, hard lumps. 
C. M.E., Central Park, L. I.—By April, 
I shall have saved since last summer, at 
least 25 barrels of hen manure : how can it 
be used to the best advantage ? Would it 
be advisable to dry and grind it; and, if so, 
should it be used alone ? 
Ans.— Last week the R. N.-Y. described 
the plan of keeping such manure wet. This 
plan is now greatly in favor with many 
gardeners, as it is easier to handle the pro¬ 
duct, and it will have lost comparatively 
little of its ammonia. If your manure is 
dry, hard and lumpy, you might grind it 
as you propose, and mix it with double its 
bulk of earth before applying it; if it is 
not, we would advise you to pack it as de¬ 
scribed last week. 
IF. E. C., WichitaKan. —1. At what 
price can theR. N.-Y. furnish its No. 2 Po¬ 
tato per barrel ? 2. Is tankage composed 
of bones and cattle intestines ground to a 
powder, a good potato fertilizer? 3. Can T 
depend on a potato crop of 500 bushels per 
acre on irrigated and well manured land? 
Ans —1. The R. N.-Y. has no potatoes or 
anything else to sell. Pure seed of this va¬ 
riety can be obtained from James M. Thor¬ 
burn & Co., New York, or Wm. B. Whit¬ 
ney, Leominster, Mass. 2. The tankage 
will not prove suitable for a potato fertili¬ 
zer. It is too weak in potash. Read what 
was said about it on page 754 of last year’s 
volume. 3. No: you cannot depend up¬ 
on growing 500 bushels per acre. There is 
no way of making absolutely sure of any 
crop. 
J. E. IF., Dorchester, Mass .—1. Can 
Alfalfa be sown in the spring with oats or 
wheat the same as clover ? 2. Will it 
grow as far north as the central part of 
New Hampshire ? 3 How late can buck¬ 
wheat be sown to yield a good crop in the 
same locality ? 
ANS.—1. It is not advisable—certainly 
not, in New England. Probably the best 
way is to sow the seed in drills far enough 
apart to admit of cultivation. Alfalfa 
starts weakly, and in weedy ground would 
be smothered before it could get well on to 
growing. 2. It has succeeded pretty well 
on Lake Champlain, in about that latitude, 
but has not yet attained much popularity. 
3. Buckwheat in New Hampshire needs 
nearly the whole season. It should not be 
sown later than the first half of June: but 
the rough buckwheat ( “ India ” wheat) 
may be sown one or two weeks later. 
D. IF. Ten B., Rhinebeck, N. Y.—l. 
Which is the best oat for the general farm¬ 
er : Wide-awake, Probsteier, Clydesdale or 
the common oat ? What is the best fertilizer 
to use with them ? 2. Which is the better 
way to plant corn—in hills or drills ? If in 
drills, how far apart should the rows be, 
and how thick should the kernels be plant¬ 
ed in the rows ? Which is the best plant¬ 
er ? Are the Eclipse and Billings good 
ones ? 
Ans. —1. The Clydesdale is much the same 
as the Wide-awake. It gives as large ker¬ 
nels though the husk is hard. The panicle 
is spreading and large. At the R. N.-Y. 
farm the straw is often weak. All this ap¬ 
plies to the Welcome or Australian which 
are the same as the Clydesdale. This va¬ 
riety will outvield the Probsteier if it does 
not lodge. We regard the Schoenen as 
about the safest oat to sow unless one ex¬ 
periments with others. Special oat fertili¬ 
zers are put up by all fertilizer manufac¬ 
turers. 2. We plant in drills. The dis¬ 
tance depends on the variety. We plant 
Chester Co. Mammoth in drills four feet 
apart, the plants 14 inches apart ill the 
drill. The Eclipse.is good. 
