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353 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Colonel Pearson’s experiments may be found in a bulletin 
recently issued by B. T. Galloway, of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. Colonel Pearson reports 
great success. He sprayed the potatoes every two weeks, 
and the sprayed plants kept green until frost, and yielded 
twice as large a crop as those that were not sprayed. 
Colonel Pearson was so well pleased with the result that 
he proposes, this year, to mix one pound of London-purple 
with 200 gallons of the Bordeaux Mixture. He expects 
that “the fungus and the potato bug may thus be doctored 
at one operation.” Many other experimenters are also 
preparing to try this plan. Some of them will be disap¬ 
pointed if they fail to remember that Paris green is 
slightly soluble in the Bordeaux Mixture. Unless they 
are careful they will injure their vines almost as much as 
the beetles would. Our experiment stations should hasten 
and tell us more about Paris-green in the Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture. 
Location of a Steam Generator. 
P. IF. J., Pontine, Mich. —I have a Purinton steam 
generator, and used it in the wood-house last winter, run¬ 
ning the pipe into the kitchen chimney. Now I have taken 
it down and I want to put up a little building for it by it¬ 
self. I want it as near the other buildings as possible con¬ 
sistently with safety from fire. My house and barn are only 
150 feet apart, and between them are the pig-pen, shop, 
granary, corn-crib, hen-house, coal and ash-house, and 
also the wood pile and well—a very compact but very con¬ 
venient arrangement, especially in winter : and for further 
convenience I should like to have the steamer near the pig¬ 
pen, wood-pile and well. It has a very strong draft, and 
how near these other buildings would it be considered 
safe, how high should the pipe be, and could it be hooded 
with one or two fine screens ? 
Ans.— There is no necessity to have the fire near any of 
the buildings, as steam can be carried 200 or 300 feet 
through a well-protected pipe without any loss. The pipe 
may be laid in a wooden trough packed with hair felt or 
even with sand. A wire gauze protector may be fixed to 
the smoke pipe to prevent sparks from flying, but at a dis¬ 
tance of 150 feet there is very little danger of fire from any 
escaping sparks, except in high winds, when the spark- 
arrester may be used and taken off at other times. The 
stronger the draft the more the danger from sparks, but 
the wire gauze will moderate the draught somewhat. A 
protector made of sheet-iron in the form shown at Figure 
113 will deflect the sparks downwards without interfering 
seriously with the draft. 
Tools for Spraying. 
J. B. H., Rushford, N. Y. —What implements do I need 
to spray my plum and cherry trees by hand ? 
Ans.— By hand work the Aquapult (sold by W. & B. 
Douglas, Middletown, Conn.), answers well. Attach the 
hose and connect it with an iron tube into which the nozzle 
screws. The Field Force Pump, made by the Field Force 
Pump Co., Lockport, N. Y., is excellent also. A bar with 
an expanded foot-plate enables one to hold the pump 
steady while in use. It weighs eight pounds. With two 
feet of one-half inch hose and a tin nozzle and sprayer, 
its retail price is $2.50; with brass nozzle, $3.50. Longer 
hose and other nozzles are furnished. 
Help! The Gophers Must Go. 
W. B. H., Cone, Montana.—' The gophers are cutting the 
roots of my young apple trees to such an extent that either 
they or I must move, and I can’t go, so will the Rural 
please tell me w hat to do ? They leave nothing but a stub 
that falls over at the least touch. They are hard to trap, as 
they do not make a raised tunnel and I failed in an attempt 
to poison them by putting poison on pieces of potato and 
dropping them into their holes. They never appear above 
ground but push out a pile of fresh earth and leave their 
holes closed. They are also bad in my Alfalfa. 
Ans.— The R. N.-Y. gives it up and must call upon some¬ 
body nearer gopher-land to answer. Possibly stout stakes 
or thin iron bands driven into the ground around the trees 
might help, as shingles driven into the ground across 
mole holes keep these animals at bay. The California 
papers contain many advertisements of “gopher extermin¬ 
ators ” which seem to be long funnels through which bi¬ 
sulphide of carbon or other strong-smelling materials may 
be put in the gopher holes. We do not know how these 
appliances succeed, though it is evident that many of them 
are sold. 
Growing Pumpkins. 
X. I. A., Clyde, N ’. Y. —1. About how many tons of 
pumpkins can be grown on an acre if planted exclusively 
to pumpkins ? 2. The soil is sandy and 15 tons of manure 
were plowed under. Would wood ashes applied in the 
hill be a fertilizer for this crop ? 3. If the rows are seven 
feet apart, what should be the distance between the hills 
in the rows ? 
Ans.— 1. No definite answer can be given, but, under 
favorable conditions, we should say 20 tons would be a 
good yield. 2. Not a complete fertilizer; nitrogen and 
phosphoric acid in some form would be an improvement. 
8. At least 10 feet, which would be a better distance for 
the rows. Why not plant Hubbard Squashes ? They are 
excellent for cattle feed, besides being oftentimes a very 
profitable market crop. 
Growing Pop-Corn for Market. 
Several Subscribers. —Will some one tell us about the 
business of growing and selling pop-corn ? 
ANSWERED BY DWIGHT HERRICK, ROCKFORD, ILL. 
Growing pop-corn for the wholesale market has become 
an important industry in Northern Illinois and Central 
and Southern Wisconsin, hundreds of acres being grown 
for the Chicago market alone. The great increase in con¬ 
sumption is largely due to the manufacture of pop-corn 
bricks, which are shipped to all parts of the country aud 
sold at public gatherings, etc. Pop-corn is also used more 
largely by street venders and in private families than 
formerly, and so far the consumption has about kept pace 
with the increa-ed production. My attention was first 
attracted to the growing of the crop by the wonderful yield 
of a few rows in the family garden. The surplus from 
these was sold for $1 per bushel to the family grocer, and 
the gross receipts were at the rate of $100 per acre. That 
was enough to set any boy to speculating upon the profits 
of pop-corn raising. The following year five acres were 
planted ; but owing to a poor season and low prices the 
result was discouraging. It was not until three years ago 
that I began the successful raising of the product. 
» Varieties Grown. —There are two varieties in general 
cultivation—the Rice or Rat-tooth variety and the Russian 
or Eight-rowed. The Rice is the favorite, however, two- 
thirds of my acreage is under it. The Eight-rowed variety 
yields the best with us, but does not bring the highest 
price. It is of dwarf growth and has a great tendency to 
sucker; as many as 18 ears have been picked from one hill 
containing only three original stalks. The ears are small, 
but uniform in size. 
Planting. —We plant as early as possible, usually from 
the first to the 10th of May, in drills three feet nine inches 
apart, with kernels two feet apart in the row. We use a 
two-horse corn planter with rotary drop plates, made to 
order, for the especial purpose of planting pop-corn. I know 
of no horse planter that will plant pop-corn satisfactorily. 
This year I am experimenting upon two fields: in one the 
rows are three feet apart and the hills two feet apart in 
the row; in the other the hills are two and a half feet 
apart each way. I am trying to grow 150 bushels per 
acre. 
Soil Cultivation. —The soil is prepared in the same, 
way as for other corn. I use barn-yard manure in prefer¬ 
ence to any other fertilizer. It is much cheaper here than 
the chemical fertilizers, and is surer in its results with me 
at least I use a six-shovel sulky cultivator on the main 
crop. This year I shall try the Planet Jr. cultivator upon 
the two fields above mentioned. 
Harvesting. —We husk the corn as it stands in the 
fields. I tried cutting it up to save the fodder; but the loss 
from molding and the outlay for extra labor in handling 
more than counterbalanced the worth of the fodder which 
has not a very high feeding value here, though perhaps in 
the Eastern States it would pay. I send two men with each 
wagon and they work on one side only, there being a high 
side board upon the opposite side. We tack a piece of 
canvas on the upper edge of the sideboard, letting it sag to¬ 
wards the opposite side ol the box. This prevents the 
com from shelling. We store it in cribs four feet in width, 
set upon posts: each post has a tin pan turned upside down 
over it, to prevent rats and mice from getting access to the 
corn. This is very essential as mouse-tainted corn finds 
slow sale. Special pains are taken that all corn shall be 
free from silks and bits of husks and nubbins. I consider 
we are well paid for this extra labor. 
Marketing. —The bulk of Rice corn is disposed of during 
the winter and spring, mostly to local dealers. I have sold 
through commission houses, with varying success, but pre¬ 
fer to make my own sales. The Russian or Eight-rowed 
corn I always keep until the following July or August and 
then sell it directly to the manufacturers of pop-corn 
bricks. This variety is of inferior quality ; but is preferred 
in the manufacture of pop-corn balls and bricks, because 
it absorbs a smaller amount of sugar. We ship in sacks 
that hold about 100 pounds each. These are furnished by 
the manufacturers and at the above season of the year this 
variety brings its highest price, as large quantities are con¬ 
sumed at the fairs held during the fall months. Four 
cents per pound is the highest price we have received for 
this variety, and two cents the lowest. I do not know 
wnatmy best yield has been exactly ; but about SO bushels 
per acre of corn weighing 35 pounds each ; my lowest yield 
was 20 bushels last year upon 10 acres of old meadow land; 
cut-worms and gophers were the causes of the shortage. 
For Rice corn I have received as high as five cents per 
pound, never less than 2X cents. A small field of this 
variety yielded, last year, 90 bushels per acre; but my 
v hole crop did not average nearly that. Some growers 
complain that they are not able to dispose of their stock at 
fair prices, but the trouble is with them rather than their 
corn. I have not found any trouble in getting paying 
prices some time during the year for all good, well-kept 
corn. In corresponding with dealers I always send samples, 
and am very particular that these are not better than my 
stock. The marketing of the crop is the most important 
part of the business, for upon this more than on anything 
else depends success in it. 
A.. J. F., Drake, Tenn. —What will prevent and cure 
dysentery in young chickens ? Is it contagious ? They be¬ 
gin dying when about one week old. Their feed consists 
of corn bread and milk curd. Does wet weather cause it ? 
\\ e have had unusually wet weather in the past month, 
and I Itav. lost fully 100 this spring. 
FROM P. H. JACOBS. 
Ihe disease is probably due to lack of variety in the 
food, though bowel diseases are due more to dampness 
and lack of warmth at night than to the food. Chicks re¬ 
quire more warmth on damp, chilly days than in severe, 
dry, cold weather. The lack of warmth may be known by 
the chicks crowding together at night. They are also very 
susceptible to dampness, which causes cold on the bowels. 
The bread and milk diet is excellent, but should be varied 
with potatoes, a little cooked meat, and an addition of 
bran to the meat before cooking the bread. Any variety 
of food that is relished will answer. 
FROM C. S. VALENTINE. 
During 20 years’ experience I have found bowel diseases 
in chicks due, first, and most frequently in little chicks 
to chilling, or dampness; second, to the continued use of 
hard-boiled eggs; third, to lack of grit or of green food ; 
fourth, to sloppy feed ; fifth, to impure water. Lice, also, 
are said to cause the same trouble. The fact that these 
chicks die so young seems to point to dampness and cold as 
the causes. I find the trouble very difficult to deal with, 
prevention being far more profitable than cure ; but I have 
obtained the best results from giving the family med¬ 
icines for the same disease. The dose for a full-grown 
fowl is the same as for a person. Ground ginger is used 
by some. Carbolic acid in the drinking water is used for 
cholera, and might prove good for dysentery; the do>e is 
one tea-spoonful to IX quart of water. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
O. H. 0., San Bernardino, Cal. —Is there a successful 
trap for catching moles ? 
Ans.— Yes, the Hales trap is first-rate, and will catch 
them every time. Most seedsmen offer it for sale. Price 
$ 2 . 
L. M.Y., Orient, N. Y. —Other things being equal, how 
much more asparagus will be obtained by banking and 
cutting it just as the tops show through the ground, than 
by not banking and cutting it green above ground ? 
Ans.— It seems to the R. N.-Y. that the difference will be 
merely in the blanching. 
A. A. C., Paris, Canada.— Will Burpee’s Early Dent 
Corn and Canadian yellow corn “ mix” if planted 20 yards 
apart ? 
Ans. —Yes, decidedly, if they bloom at the same time. 
We think, however, that if planted at the same time the 
Canadian flint will have passed the blooming stage before 
the dent arrives at it. 
R. T. C., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.— Some superphosphate 
has lain three or four years under roof in a dry shed, 
packed in barrels, some of which have bursted ; I can buy 
it at a discount of 30 per cent. Has it lost much value by 
age ? 
Ans.—W e know of no reason why it is not just as valu¬ 
able as new superphosphate, all else being equal. 
P. W. J., Pontiac, Mich.— Is the fertilizer sold by H. S. 
Miller & Co., Newark, N. J., up to the standard ? 
Ans.— In the last report of the Connecticut Experiment 
Station we find two analyses of the fertilizers of this 
firm. One analysis gives a valuation considerably higher 
than the cost (26 per cent.) The second valuation is about 
nine per cent, less than the cost—an excellent showing as 
far as it goes. 
P. IF. J., Pontiac, Mich. —What is the latest and best 
book on diseases, etc., of the hog? Is there anything 
better than Harris on the Pig ? 
ANS.—Swine Husbandry, by F. D. Cobum, has been 
published later than Harris on the Pig. The former costs 
$1.75, and is much larger than the latter, which costs $1.50. 
Both can be obtained from the Rural Publishing Co., this 
office. 
R. J., Livonia, N. Y. —What is the best distance apart 
for planting potatoes, and how many eyes should each 
seed-piece have ? 
Ans.— The distance apart depends upon the variety and 
the fertility of the soil. The vines of some varieties, like 
Brownell’s Winner, cover at least six feet of surface if 
grown in a rich soil. Others, like Early Ohio, have small 
vines. Varieties like the Early Rose, with seed-pieces as 
large as those stated, may be planted in drills 10 inches 
apart—the drills about three feet apart. Plant seed-pieces 
with four eyes each, with as much flesh as possible. 
F. M., Naples, N. Y. —What is the formula for making 
eau celeste ? 
Ans.—( 1) Dissolve one pound of sulphate of copper in 
two gallons of hot water. When dissolved, and the water 
is cool, add IX pint of commercial ammonia (strength 22 
degrees Baum£). When ready to use, dilute to 22 gallons. 
(2) Dissolve one pound of sulphate of copper in two gallons 
of water. In another vessel dissolve one pound of carbon¬ 
ate of soda. Mix the two solutions. When chemical re¬ 
action has ceased, add IX pint of ammonia; then dilute to 
22 gallons. The words (French) mean celestial water. 
IF. S. B., Rio Qrande, N. J. —Do American manufac¬ 
turers of agricultural tools sell cheaper to customers in 
foreign countries than to the hopie dealer? We would 
like to see a farmer’s supply station established in each 
county of every State and Territory in the Union, where 
farmers could get farm machinery at manufactureis’ 
prices. The necessary funds to meet this need may be 
obtained from the Government, the State, or the farmers 
themselves. 
Ans. —We understand that manufacturers allow a 
liberal discount to the foreign trade. If farmers would 
get cash ahead and buy as Mr. Terry and others buy, 
the “middleman’s share” would probably be cut down 
to its proper size, 
