48o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JULY 26 
face, and had all the odors of stale flesh, and after three 
days smelt like a dead animal. This, and possibly other, 
animal products are got rid of in the form of vapor by the 
aeration or are condensed on the cooling pipe and so sep¬ 
arated from the milk. The quantity of this matter 
gathered from 200 quarts of milk during the cooling was 
so considerable that water alone would not clean the worm 
pipe perfectly, but strong soda lye was used to dissolve it, 
and prepare the cooler for the next use. Cooling in an 
open jar would not have the desired effect, because only 
the surface of the milk would come in contact with the 
air and thorough aeration in a pure atmosphere (not 
.in a stable) is required to evaporate the impurities of 
the milk. 
In butter making I have found this aeration and slow 
cooling necessary to secure a fine quality both for keeping 
and for flavor. I have found since experimenting with 
milk for bottling, that before the milk is put away in the 
cold tank in the deep pails, not less than three strainings, 
exposing the milk to the air thoroughly as it passes from 
the strainer, as well as from the pails, are necessary to get 
rid of the animal gases of the milk. One may more fully 
appreciate the necessity for this by noting the frequently 
offensive odors of the perspiration from a cow, and remem¬ 
bering that the milk is subjected to the very same impuri¬ 
ties in the blood which pass off through the skin, and the 
milk must be purified of this offensive matter, which acts 
chemically, as well as odoriferously, to hasten the decom¬ 
position of the milk as it does also that of the flesh. 
GARDENING NOTES FROM BOSTON. 
GREEN HOUSES—HANDLING MANURE. 
The market gardeners of Boston and vicinity are at fever 
heat over the construction of green houses, and before Oc¬ 
tober the number of these will have very materially in¬ 
creased. In Arlington and Belmont this is particularly 
apparent. The season just closed has been a very pros¬ 
perous one, and the prices obtained have been quite satisfac¬ 
tory. This has led to an increase of existing plants as well 
as to the construction of many new ones by those who are 
rather slow to take up any new idea ; but who, after see¬ 
ing the good returns made to those who first went into the 
business several years ago, have now concluded to make 
the attempt and strive to get some of the pickings of their 
enterprising neighbors. We continue to hear the predic¬ 
tions that were heard five years ago, that the business 
would be overdoue as the hot-bed cultivation had been ; 
but it is just as far from the fact now as it was then. 
When the profits of one season are nearly equal to the 
total first cost of these houses, there is a great temptation 
to embaik in the business. 
Many mistakes were made in the early-constructed 
houses, such as the using of hot bed sashes in the roofs, 
which were found to be worthless; they did not admit 
light enough in the short winter days except for raising 
parsley and rhubarb, as the ribs of the sashes were too 
close together. The size of glass now used is 16 by 24 
inches, laid the long way up and down. A larger spread 
than 16 inches endangers a liability of the sash being 
crushed by weight of enow. 
The most practicable mode of heating these houses is 
still an open question—whether with live steam or circulat¬ 
ing warm water. Some of the best lettuces that went to 
market last winter were raised by warm-water heat. One 
grower in particular heats 31,000 square feet of glass from 
one system of boilers situated at a common center. His 
pipes were two inches wrought iron instead of the old size 
of four inches. He made a very interesting experiment in 
putting an Auburndale thermometer into the flow pipe 
and one into the return. This was to determine the loss 
of heat in the water flowing around the house and back 
into the boiler. The result was that the flow marked 
190 degrees and the return 165 degrees, showing a loss of 
only 25 degrees after flowing 150 feet. His pipes gradually 
rose from the moment they left the boiler until they ar¬ 
rived back over the boiler; they then made a direct 
drop into it. By this mode the lighter warm particles of 
water are continually seeking the highest point, thus estab¬ 
lishing a complete circulation. 
I speak in detail of this to contest the argument of the 
steam men, which is that warm water will heat a small 
plant all right, but that in an extensive range of houses 
steam is the only medium that can be profitably used. As 
far as the economy of fuel is concerned, the experiments of 
the Mass. Experiment Station as well as those of the 
Michigan Station, have determined this point, giving 
warm water the preference by about 25 per cent. There is 
always one point to be borne in mind whether warm 
water or steam is used—it must be always provided that 
the exposed fire surfaces in the boiler can be readily cleaned 
of soot and ash, for this point determines the economy of 
fuel. Possibly a cast-iron boiler will be devised that will 
admit of ease in cleaning, but there is now no boiler that 
can be more readily cleaned than those of the tubular 
wrought-iron style. 
The subject, what is the most practicable mode of hand¬ 
ling manure to get the most fertility out of it, was dis¬ 
cussed at considerable length by the Boston Market 
Gardeners’ Association during the past winter. Some 
maintained that to spread it upon the land in the fall and 
plow it in would give the best returns; others would 
spread it upon the surface of the land as it was brought 
from the city ; while others would drop it in small piles. 
It was particularly noticeable that all the advocates of the 
different modes mentioned were what would be termed 
farm gardeners or gardeners situated 10, 15 or 20 miles 
back in the country, and grew but one crop upon the land 
and that a late one. All the market gardeners who get 
the most it can produce out of a piece of land, are situated 
five to seven miles out, and who grow two and three crops on 
the land in one season; in fact, gardeners who pursue the 
intensive plan, all advocated piling the manure in large 
heaps and handling it over twice and even thrice to fer¬ 
ment it evenly, thus making it nearly as fine as a ferti¬ 
lizer. Again, the heat generated by the several fermenta¬ 
tions destroys the germs of all weed and grass seeds. Still 
another advantage this mode has, is that of presenting to 
the early growing spring crops manure in a partially de¬ 
composed condition, which means, that the several fertil¬ 
izing ingredients are partially soluble, hence the shorter 
time needed to make them entirely so and available for the 
forced growth of vegetation. When it is considered that 
fermentation does not proceed until the soil attains a tem¬ 
perature of about 60 degrees F., this partial fermentation 
above ground means so much advantage, and its effects 
can be noticed in the improved character of the early 
growth of plants. A very instructive illustration of the 
availability of a soluble fertilizer is found in the results of 
spreading nitrate of soda broadcast on our winter spinach 
beds; the forced growth is wonderful, all owing to the sol¬ 
uble nitrate being presented to the spinach when the 
ground is too cold for the crop to obtain them by the nat¬ 
ural mode of fermentation of manure in the soil. 
The writer received a very instructive lesson froTn the 
operations of a neighbor who spread his manure broad¬ 
cast late last fall. Owing to an absence of snow the wind 
distributed it anywhere and everywhere, but where he 
spread another dressing in the fall, in those places where 
the manure had succeeded in lying where he had put it - 
which was owing to a basin-like formation of part of the 
piece—it prevented the frost from coming out of the land 
until quite late in the season. Upon the whole, the sense 
of the discussion last mouth was that we should pile 
the manure in large heaps and handle it over often. 
One of the disagreeable operations of the market 
gardener in the summer is the hauling of manure. The 
necessity for this lies in the fact that if the gardeners did 
not keep the stables clean in the summertime they would 
have to scratch around to get hot manure for their hot¬ 
beds in winter, and the chances would be that they would 
run short just when they needed it most. But all this will be 
changed soon ; hothouses will take tne place of hot-beds 
and artificial fertilizers will take the place of horse manure 
in the field—in a measure at least. Of course, the vege¬ 
table matter in the soil will have to be maintained, but that 
will require only a small part of the manure now used. 
What is the use of spending the energies of a man and 
two horses half a day to haul a cord of manure that con¬ 
tains but 25 pounds of actual fertility when we can obtain 
the same amount in artificial fertilizers “foronly asong ?” 
How often do notsome of the old “ mossbacks” attempt 
to convince us that artificial fertilizers are nothing but 
stimulators of plants, as alcohol is of man. To the dogs 
with such talk ! Any school boy knows that “ phosphate ” 
and potash remain in the soil until taken from it by the 
growth of vegetation of some sort. As for ammonia, if 
perchance, one application of this element has leached 
down beyond the reach of the roots, another can be made 
upon the ground previous to a rain, and it will be carried 
to the roots in a jiffy. H - 
BENEFICIAL INSECTS. 
III. 
Friendly parasitic insects; Ichneumon files; Chalcld 
flies; Chrysid flies; Proctotrupid flies; practical 
hints. 
The bees and wasps are not the only beneficial insects in 
the highest order. There are four large families of para¬ 
sites, whose praise, though rarely sung, may well be in the 
mouth of every tiller of the soil. These insects are mostly 
small, and, accordingly, are rarely seen by those whom 
they benefit. .They are the great families of parasites. 
They lay their eggs on or in some other insect, and as the 
eggs hatch, the young parasites feed away on their living 
victim, till they become fat and full-fed, and the host be¬ 
comes a mere shell, the yet living home and diet of the 
larval parasites. Often the host lives on till its persecut¬ 
ors are fully developed. These latter not infrequently 
come forth and spin their cocoon in egg-like masses on the 
back of their victim. Often the victim has enough 
strength remaining to spin its own cocoon, and thus it 
prepares a snug retreat for the very enemies that have 
devoured it. 
The largest family of these parasites is the Ichneumon- 
idm, or Ichneumon flies, including the Braconid®. These 
are long, wasp-like insects, with long, slender abdomens, 
and the females have long ovipositors. In some cases these 
hair-like ovipositors are three or four inches long. Nearly 
all our injurious insects have some species of Ichneumon 
fly to prey upon them. Thus it is that our curculio, 
our army-worm, our Hessian fly, as well as our cut¬ 
worms, etc., instead of being destructive every year, 
are only occasionally sufficiently numerous to awaken 
anxiety and alarm. They are generally kept in check by 
these vigilant parasites. Occasionally they get a brief 
advantage, perhaps through some misfortune—possibly 
some epidemic—among the parasites, and so we say we 
have insect years. We might better say years when our 
insect enemies have eluded these vigilant parasites. A few 
years ago many of our forest trees were threatened with 
utter ruin from a bark louse. These parasites commenced 
an attack upon the pests, and in two years it was difficult 
to find a single bark louse. The tiny parasites had nearly 
exterminated a very terrible insect pest with which we 
could hardly cope unaided. In a similar way I have known 
the army-worm, Hessian fly and wheat plant louse to be 
overcome, and our valuable farm products to be saved from 
destruction. 
The Chalcid flies a (Chalcididm) so named from their me¬ 
tallic golden color, are nearly or quite as serviceable as are 
the Ichneumon flies. They are even more wasp like in 
form. They are very small, and are easily known by the 
very simple venation of their wings. Their habits are like 
those of the Ichneumon flies. 
The Chrysid flies h (Chyrsididse) are more of the form of 
sand flies than of wasps. They are usually bright-green 
or blue, roll up when caught, and are less common and so 
less important than are those of the other two families. 
Their habits are not unlike those of the others. 
The last family are the Proctotrupias c (Proctotrupid®). 
These are very minute, and often parasitic on eggs of other 
insects. The other day I found on my currant bushes, the 
eggs of some very injurious bugs. To-day I find that from 
each egg comes forth a Proctotrupid fly. Thus an enemy 
is nipped in the bud or rather in the egg. These flies are 
so very small, that we do not know how much good they 
do. It is possible that they perform services equal or 
superior to those of any of the others. 
PRACTICAL niNTS. 
We often destroy insects by the use of poisons or other¬ 
wise, in the larva and pupa state. Thus we use Buhach to 
destroy the cabbage caterpillar, kerosene emulsion to ex¬ 
terminate aphides and London-purple to overcome the 
potato beetle. Close observation will often detect in such 
insects coloration, which indicates parasitism When we 
discover such attacks from parasites, we should not destroy 
the pest, but leave it to the parasites. They will destroy 
it more cheaply than we can, and in doing it, will preserve 
their lives for future conquests of the same desirable 
nature. Again we can by shipping paras'tized insects 
often distribute the parasites, and so send our blessing to 
aid others. Dr. Lintner thus distributed a very minute 
Proctotrupid, by sending eggs of the currant saw fly to 
various entomologists of the several States. 
Oftentimes a little knowledge of the nature and work of 
parasites will bring hope to the farmer. He will see in 
these relief from threatened ruin. Often it may lead him 
to sow or plant where otherwise he would have no courage 
to do so. Thus a stu iy ot these minute friends will amply 
reward the practical man on his farm, or in his garden and 
orchard. A. J. COOK. 
TWO TIMELY TOPICS. 
Lift Upward.—I recently heard a preacher give as an 
excellent motto: “Look upward, lift upward.” I wish to 
apply the latter portion to myself and my fellow farmers 
in reference to our farm help. Looking backwards for 35 
years, 1 think that a gulf now exists between the farmer 
and his hired help, which was not formerly observable. 
The help has in too many cases gone down, and is not to¬ 
day accorded the social position of a quarter of a century 
ago. We can help our farm laborers by teaching them how 
to save and how to invest. To illustrate, a numberof years 
ago my father told a colored laborer who was addicted to 
drink, that it was time for him to commence to make 
provision for old age. The reply was that he could not save 
his money. He had no place to keep it. My father offered 
to receive any small amounts and to pay five per cent, in¬ 
terest on the same. This was at a time when money readily 
brought from seven to 10 per cent. This colored laborer 
died in about 20 years, worth some .$7,000. It was a habit of 
my honored ancestor to purchase small properties and then 
to sell them to deserving men on small annual payments. 
In this way, these men were taught to save and to securely 
invest their savings. I have often thought how much good 
might be done, if we all did likewise as the opportunity 
offered. I have seen more than one drinking man reform f 
as he was trying to pay on his little home. Oh for the 
infusion of a little practical hard business sense into some 
of our earnest temperance workers 1 I have seen a man ad¬ 
dicted to drink pay for a comfortable new house in this 
town in less than two years, simply because he found per¬ 
sons to encourage him and to receive his earnings which he 
could not himself keep. Some farmers -object to married 
help on the farm, but such men, if the proper kind, build 
up the country far more than the single, reckless kind. 
Let each do everything possible to lift up his fellows, as he 
himself plods upward. 
Our Public Schools.— Discussion in the right spirit 
will do the schools no harm. It may do them much good. 
Evils creep into all earthly institutions, no matter how 
wisely founded, and these evils so often impair the insti¬ 
tutions as to destroy all their value, even long before they 
cause the institutions to fall. Our public schools are no 
exception to the general rule. Too often people will not 
listen to criticism ; they will not believe that the schools 
can be far from right. The schools are most impaired by 
inferior teachers. Those who have charge of the schools 
should at this time of the year give much thought to 
securing the best possible persons to have charge of them 
the coming winter. The teachers are often entirely 
too young. It has not been an unalloyed blessing that the 
schools have passed almost entirely into the hands of 
young women. Women teach young children best, but by 
no means do they commonly inspire young men and young 
women with confidence as do men teachers. We want 
teachers who can bring to the schools the young men and 
young women from 16 to 20 years of age, as was the case in 
