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529 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
the average corn land of Dutchess County will grow 50 
bushels per acre with the application of but nine tons of 
manure to the acre ? Assuming that it will, can we supply 
the necessary food to grow the crop more cheaply ? Eight 
tons of manure containing eight pounds to the ton will 
provide all the nitrogen required for the 100 bushels of 
corn and stalks. These eight tons give us 32 pounds of 
phosphoric acid and 80 pounds of potash, leaving 47 pounds 
of phosphoric acid and 100 pounds of potash to be supplied. 
Now For Results.—I n the first instance it took 18 tons 
of manure at $2, or $36 for the two acres. In the last, it 
took 10 tons of manure at $2, equal to $20; 47 pounds of 
phosphoric acid at 12 cents per pound, equal to $5.64 ; and 
100 pounds of potash at 4X cents, or $4.50, making in all 
$30.14. Balance in favor of the latter, $5.86. You may say 
there are elements in the manure not taken into considera¬ 
tion. True, but, on the other hand, the potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid supplied in the form of chemical fertilizers are 
all available for the uses of the crop, while the fertilizers 
in the manure are not, and cannot be used by the crop; 
therefore the combined stable manure and chemical fertil¬ 
izer furnish more food for the plant at less cost than all 
stable manure. Now, in this illustration I have taken a 
crop that can assimilate and use stable manure better than 
most others, because it is a gross feeder and one that de¬ 
rives much of its food from the atmosphere. 
Let us apply the same rule to potatoes: Three tons of 
stable manure will supply all the nitrogen needed for 100 
bushels and tops. This leaves to be supplied in chemicals 
60 pounds of phosphoric acid and 150 pounds of potash. If 
nothing but stable manure is used, it will take 18 tons to 
supply the necessary amount of potash for the crop: 18 
tons at $2 equal $36. Or three tons at $2 equal $6; 60 
pounds of phosphoric acid at 12 cents equal $7.20 : 150 
pounds of potash at 4K cents equal $6.75—$19 95. Balance 
in its favor, $16.05. Not only is there a saving of almost 
half in manures, but I know from repeated trials of chem¬ 
ical fertilizers In growing potatoes, both in combination 
with stable manure and alone, that there is a gain in qual¬ 
ity and in freedom from scab and rot. I have raised four 
successive crops of potatoes on the same ground by the use 
of Mapes’s Potato Fertilizer, alone, and all were excellent 
in quality. The past season (1889) I raised a crop of pota¬ 
toes that, to my mind, fully substantiates every position I 
have taken in this article. I grew, in 90 days from plant- 
ihg, 103 bushels on 38X square rods of ground, being at the 
rate of 427 bushels to the acre. I think they would have 
yielded at the rate of 500 bushels per acre had they been 
left to attain full growth. The ground had been cropped 
for two seasons previously with onions, to which both 
stable manure and Mapes’s Onion Fertilizer had been ap¬ 
plied. The soil was made as deep, fine and light as its 
character would admit, it being naturally a stiff, slaty 
clay. 
Trenches were made with a two-horse plow three feet 
apart; the potatoes were dropped and covered lightly with 
earth, and Mapes’s potato manure was scattered in the 
trenches at the rate of 2,400 pounds per acre. The trenches 
were partly filled by drawing a light harrow lengthwise of 
the rows, and again when the vines were coming up, making 
and keeping the ground level. Here was a combination 
of conditions which it is the object of this article to im¬ 
press upon the minds of its readers as necessary to produce 
such results. 1. The application of such manures and in 
such form as the crop requires—something soluble and 
available for immediate use aud sufficient to insure a full 
and complete growth. 2. A thorough commingling and 
mixing of the mineral and manurial elements in the soil, 
until the latter has become fluely pulverized. 
(To be continued.) 
The Farmers Club. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address 
of the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question, please 
see if it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate piece 
of paper.] 
Dishorning a Vicious Cow. “ Feeding ” a Calf from 
Birth. 
L. V., Farmville, N. C. —1. I have a very valuable milk 
cow that is dangerous to have near the lot on account of 
hooking propensities. How near her head will it be safe 
for me to saw off her horns ? Will there be much bleeding 
and will the bleeding be hard to stop ? 2. I have a cow 
that will drop a calf about August 15, and I desire to re¬ 
move the calf from the cow as soon as dropped and milk 
the cow without allowing the calf to suck. How can I 
teach the young calf to drink milk and how should the 
little thing be fed in addition to the milk ? How long Will 
it take the cow to so forget her calf as not to hold her milk 
back for it ? 
Ans. — 1. The horns of a cow may be removed without 
difficulty in the manner following : Fix the head by means 
of ropes to a strong bar in sucfi.a manner that the horns 
can be reached easily. This is best done by putting the 
head of the animal in a p^ir of stanchions with a bar under 
the throat and another over the neck aud binding it 
firmly. A narrow-bladed, sharp saw, like that used by a 
butcher or a common hack saw, is used. The hair around 
the bottom of the horn is plastered down or held back in 
some way, so that the horn can be cut close to the skin so 
as to leave no stub, but a smooth surface even with the 
skin. This insures the best and quickest healing. The 
horn is then cut off, and the operation causes very little 
bleeding. The hair is then matted with some tar over the 
wound, and a tar plaster is fixed over it. Each horn is cut 
iu tne same manner. If the bleeding is unexpectedly pro- 
luse, it need not be regarded, as a clot will soon be formed 
and the bleeding will then cease. No effort need be made 
to stop the bleeding, unless it be thought best to apply a 
bunch of lint, dusted with powdered sulphate of iron dipped 
in a solution of it,as a styptic, and binding this on the head. 
Healing progresses favorably, and the skin grows over the 
wound. Old animals are apt to bleed more than young 
ones in some cases; but it is unusual for any trouble to 
occur from this cause. The operation should be deferred 
until the weather is cool and danger from flies no longer 
exists; although with proper care the operation may be 
performed any time, for a cloth being bound over the head 
and smeared with tar will prevent trouble from the flies. 
2. If the calf is removed from the cow before it has sucked, 
the cow will evince no trouble on account of the loss. The 
calf should be moved out of hearing of the cow, but it will 
be quiet and make no noise if it is removed within an hour 
or two after its birth. To feed a young calf proceed as 
follows : Put the calf in a small pen ; take the milk in a 
light pail while it is warm and fresh from the cow, hold 
the pail in the left hand, with the right hold the calf’s 
head over the nose, dip the fingers in the milk and put 
them in the calf’s mouth until it begins to suck. Some¬ 
times it will be necessary to set the pail on the floor and 
dip up milk with the left hand and pour it into the calf’s 
mouth. As soon as the calf sucks the first two fingers put 
in its mouth, gently press its head down to the milk and 
let it suck the milk between the fingers, which should be 
spread a little to make a passage for the milk. Stand with 
the face towards the calf’s head, on the left side of it, and 
keep it pressed on one side of the pen in a corner, so that 
it cannot break away. Thus proceed with patience, and in 
a gentle manner, until the calf begins to understand 
what is being done, and as soon as it sucks 
some of the milk, let it rest to breathe, and 
then take some more milk. It will be a very 
stupid calf that will not learn in three or four lessons to 
drink without its head being held. After the second lesson 
the fingers may be slipped out of the mouth and the calf 
will probably go on drinking; if not, the fingers must be 
used again. A calf needs no food but milk until it is a 
month old. After the fourth day, skimmed milk warmed 
to the heat of new milk may be given, and four quarts at 
a meal morning and night will be enough. The quantity 
may be increased gradually after that time, and some 
oats or corn meal may be given to it; when two weeks old 
the calf may be tethered in a grass lot and in time will eat 
grass. While the calf is learning to drink it Is best to put 
a strap around its neck and tie it so as to have it under 
control, and it is best to keep it tied when out-of-doors, 
giving it line enough to feed on the grass. When the calf 
is taken from the cow in this way there is no trouble 
about holding back the milk. The method is so con¬ 
venient and contributes so much to the docility of the 
calves, and avoids all the usual vices of cows so effectually 
that it should prevail in all dairies and with all cows and 
calves. When the cows become used to it, the calves may 
be kept in pens in the cow stable, «r in a yard near the 
cow-yard, as the cows soon learn that tne calves are all 
right and are getting good care, and they are not at all 
uneasy. 
A Poor Downing Mulberry. 
L. H., Louisville, K}/. —Some years ago I got a specimen 
of the Downing Everbearing Mulberry. The first year it 
came into bearing the berries were not over half an inch 
long aud all fell off before they were ripe. Second year, 
ditto. This year eight berries attained a length of IX inch, 
curled up into the shape of a sausage and ripened, but not 
to perfection; but one set of berries grew and that on this 
year’s growth. Why should this thing be called Everbear¬ 
ing? Is my specimen true to name? 
ANSWERED BY ELLWANGER & BARRY. 
We do not understand what the difficulty is with the 
mulberry described in this letter. We have fruiting upon 
our grounds several varieties of mulberries, and this year 
we have been impressed more than ever with their value, 
and do not think this fruit is fully appreciated; the variety 
that we esteem most is the New American; we have also a 
seedling which is valuable. Should the tree referred to 
continue to yield unsatisfactorily, we would recommend 
destroying it aud planting another. The mulberry grows 
rapidly, and bears early, abundantly and regularly. 
Some Cheese Questions. 
S. E. H., Oreeley, Colorado.— Why are the factory 
cheeses bandaged ? Is it best that every cheese should be 
bandaged ? How is the cloth best fastened on ? What 
kind of cloth is used ? How should the cheeses be treated 
in the winter to keep them at their best ? 
ANSWERED BY WALDO F. BROWN. 
The factory cheeses are bandaged to keep them in shape, 
and it is necessary in the case of large, heavy cheeses, as 
their weight would cause them to spread too much on the 
shelves, and the top would be likely to crack. With small 
family cheeses made to weigh from eight to 10 pounds, 
there is no need of bandaging. There is a patent hoop which 
applies the bandage, so that it is pressed on to the cheese ; 
but there is no need of this for small family cheeses ; but 
if S. E. H. wishes to bandage his cheeses all that is neces¬ 
sary is to pin a bandage of thin muslin loosely around each 
when it is first taken from the press, and in a day or so 
the spreading of the cheese will make the bandage tight. I 
use five cent muslin for bandages when I use any, but this 
year I did not bandage at all. It the muslin is thin one 
must lay a fold in the ends so as to have it double where 
the ends come together, or the pins will tear out when the 
strain comes on the stuff. The only difficulty any novice 
will meet in taking care of a cheese while it is curing, is 
in keeping the cheese-fly from it, and the safest way to do 
this is to have the shelves protected with thin muslin. 
After the cheese is well cured and has formed a good rind, 
there is little danger of the fly, aud there is not much 
work in taking care of it; but it is best to turn the cheeses 
over and rub them once a week during warm weather. 
They may be boxed for winter and kept where they will 
not freeze, anywhere the mice will not find them, or they 
may be wrapped in paper and packed in barrels or boxes. 
Raising Early Potatoes. 
S. IF. H., Kewanee, Ill.—l. I have an acre of good black 
loam, moist, but not wet; if I could raise on it potatoes 
for market by June 15 to 20, I could get $1.50 per bushel 
for them. Can The Rural tell me how to do so ? 2. Is it 
best to plow and harrow the land in the fall and to plow it 
again in the spring ? 3. How deep should the potatoes be 
planted? 4. Will shallow planting produce earlier pota¬ 
toes than deep ? 5. Should I plant as soon as the frost Is 
out of the ground ? 
Ans.— 1. Our friend need scarcely hope to raise the 
earliest potatoes in a cold soil. Early Ohio is, where it 
succeeds, the earliest potato we know of. In many places, 
however, it does not yield heavily. 2. Yes. it is best to 
plow in the fall and again in the spring, unless a growth 
of clover or grass is turned under in the fall. 3. If the soil 
is a sandy loam, four to five inches ; if a clayey loam, three 
inches. 4. Our experiments have shown no difference. 
5. Not necessarily “as soon as the frost is out of the 
ground,” but as soon as the danger of severe frost is over. 
Farmers rarely plant too early for the earliest crop, and it 
is, in the long run, profitable to take a little risk. Never 
plant in a wet soil. 
Prepare the land thoroughly. Cultivate shallow (with 
out hilling up) as long as possible. Use a liberal quantity 
of high-grade potato fertilizers—say, 1,000 pounds to the 
acre. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
R. L. R., Lima, Ohio. —There are about three acres of 
land around the oil-wells on my farm, that are saturated to 
such an extent with crude petroleum that nothing will 
grow there. This ground before it was soaked with oil, was 
composed of rich, black soil and the fact that I cannot 
use it is therefore a considerable loss to me. Can any¬ 
thing make this lot as good as ever; or will it ever be all 
right ? 
ANS.—If the saturation of the'soil is probably permanent, 
it does not seem that any practicable remedy can be avail¬ 
able to redeem it. In that case you have clearly a remedy 
against the persons who have caused the oil to overflow on 
your land. If the trouble can be prevented in future, it is 
probable that a heavy dressing of unleached wood ashes 
would be of service as producing a soluble soap which 
would be cairied into the soil by the rains and thus got rid 
of. It might be suggested that a part of it be thus 
treated and another part be liberally dressed with fresh air- 
slaked lime. 
T. M. IF., Bridgeton, N. J.— On page 479 of The Rural 
I see an article entitled “Bottling Milk for Sale.” The 
writer says: “ The evening milk was set in the bottles in 
a cold water tank as they were filled; the morning milk 
was distributed at once. Both of the milks became sour 
prematurely.” 1. When the bottles were placed in the 
cold-water tank, how near the tops of the bottles did the 
water come, or were they completely submerged ? 2. Was 
the morning milk placed in the cold water, or was it de¬ 
livered without cooling ? 
"Ans.—M r. Henry Stewart, the author of the article, says : 
“ The bottles were completely submerged in the water; 
the morning milk was delivered without any cooling.” 
S. McF., Fosterville, Tenn. —I wish to seed to clover 
and wheat a piece of land that has been under wheat and 
corn for a considerable number of years, without anything 
having been done to keep up the fertility. Will it pay to 
buy some fertilizer for it ? What will it need for wheat 
and how much per acre ? 
Ans.—Y es. no doubt it will pay you. The R. N.-Y.’s 
way would be this : Drill in with the seed when sown 
about 200 pounds per acre of high-grade complete fertilizer, 
or use 200 pounds of bone and 100 of muriate of potash. 
Then in the early spring, as soon as the wheat is ready to 
renew its growth, sow broadcast not less than 400 pounds 
to the acre of high grade complete fertilizer. We must 
avoid wasting nitrogen. 
J. H., (No address). —1. Is vaccination a sure preven¬ 
tive of small pox ? 2. Is there danger of inoculating 
another disease when “ pure virus ” is used ? 
Ans.— 1. According to the views of some of our best 
medical authorities, we answer “no.” 2. Not if the virus 
is “pure”; but how can it be known “positively” that 
the virus is pure ? 
F. C., North Urbana, N. Y.— Is there any market for 
Golden-rod ? 
ANS.—We are not aware there is any sale for it. 
H. G AT., Schell City, Mo. —1. Is it advisable to set apple 
trees one rod apart and after the trees crowd each other to 
gradually thin them out to two rods apart each way ? 2. I 
have some little seedling chestnut trees from seed this 
spring, can I bud them this fall ? 
Ans. —1. It might do to set apple trees one rod apart, and 
then thin out to two rods when they crowd, if a man has 
backbone enough to cut or thin at the proper time. 2. We 
have not been sufficiently successful in budding the chest¬ 
nut to recommend the practice. 
M. L>. B., Nashville, Indiana. —Of what use are the 
seeds of the wistaria; where and at what price can they be 
bought ? Does the editor know the Abundance Blum ? 
and is it what it is recommended to be by J. T. Lovett? 
Ans.— Merely to grow seedlings. We find them in 
Vaughan’s and Thorburn’s catalogues. Price Wistaria 
frutescens 20 cents per ounce; W. Sinensis, 50 cents. We 
are trying the Abundance, It has not fruited yet. 
