i89o 
897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
prohibitory. I notice all kinds of commercial fertilizers 
have also been placed on the free list.On the other hand there 
will probably be a slight increase in the cost of some of 
the things the farmer must necessarily buy; but the increase 
will be so slight that the reduced price of sugar will no 
doubt make up for it. The bill will, if allowed to stand, 
no doubt greatly stimulate manufacturing—drawiug many 
country people to the cities, thereby decreasing the number 
of growers of farm produce and making our home markets 
larger and better. Is this a “ direct ” benefit or not? In 
my opinion it makes no difference whether a benefit is 
“direct” or “ indirect,” so long as the farmer receives it 
in full measure. The hardship indicated by the question 
about “ John’s 10 cents ” and “ Henry’s 75 cents” is truly 
a grievance; but it is caused by the middleman and not by 
the tariff. Perhaps The Rural will agree that the reci¬ 
procity feature in the McKinley Bill will cause a direct 
benefit by opening up new markets for the farmers’ pro¬ 
ducts. There can be no doubt that the farmer has griev¬ 
ances, but the present tariff law is not one of them. 
Blairs Sta., Pa. B. F. E. 
R. N.-Y.—'The tariff is a direct benefit to the manufac¬ 
turers, because it enables them to dictate prices for their 
goods. It is an indirect benefit to the farmer because it 
increases his market only to the extent that manufacturers 
are willing to increase the number and wages of their 
workmen. The farmer’s increased price, if any, comes 
through three persons—except in the case of hay, barley, 
potatoes, etc., when a direct benefit is found, while a tariff 
on manufactured goods protects the manufacturer at once 
and directly. The day before the McKinley Bill passed, a 
representative of The R. N.-Y. went to one of our large 
dealers to secure rates on knives to be used as premiums. 
This dealer would make a rate “for 12 hours only.” While 
he was talking the agent for a Connecticut cutlery firm 
came in. 
“ Ah ! ha 1” said he, “ We’ve got you now ! The hour 
that bill passes, up goes your price l” 
The price did go up, but we have looked in vain to see 
that the wages of the workmen in that factory went up too. 
We merely speak of this to show that while hundreds of 
manufacturers and merchants put up prices “owing to the 
McKinley Bill,” the wages of workmen and their conse¬ 
quent ability to buy more farm produce have not “ gone 
up” in proportion. How much cheaper is sugar ? 
One friend recently wrote us : “I would rather pay five 
cents more for my tin pail if I knew the five cents went 
into an American workman’s pocket.” So would we, but 
we do not believe it does go into the workman’s pocket 
under present conditions. Do you ? We are preparing 
complete statistics on the reciprocity scheme, and will 
reserve our comments till they are ready. 
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.] 
SPOUTS ON MAPLE TREES—THE SUGAR 
BOUNTY. 
Several Subscribers.— 1. How many spouts to the tree 
do maple-sugar makers generally use ? It is held by some 
that one is all that is needed, while others use more—even 
to half a dozen. 2. To what extent will the new sugar 
bounty increase the manufacture of sugar ? 
Two Spouts to the Tree. 
1. For the past two years I have used two spouts to each 
bucket in my maple bush. This pays me remarkably well. 
We get nearly twice the amount of sap we could get from 
one spout, and I am sure the trees will last much longer 
than I will, and when they are gone there are others to 
take their places. I find, too, that I can use the wooden 
covers to the buckets even though we use the second Post 
spout. We set the cover on the second spout. This 
keeps the snow and rain from the sap in the buckets. I 
have thought that the covers promote souring late in the 
season, and so I may in the future leave the covers off at 
that time; but early I shall surely use them, They not 
only shut out the rain, snow, leaves, etc., but when painted 
of different colors on the opposite sides, aid very much in 
gathering. We turn each cover over as we gather the sap, 
and so never go to a tree a second time to be vexed on find¬ 
ing the bucket empty. Post spouts, heavy tin buckets, 
wooden covers, a heavy tin gathering tank and a tin stor¬ 
age tank so placed that it can open into the boiling house 
when the weather is cold, or out-of doors when it is warm, 
and a Champion evaporator are what I want. There must 
be no dirt in the sap or in the boiling house, and “ neat¬ 
ness and despatch ’’ must be our motto. The more quickly 
the sap is changed to syrup after it leaves the tin, the nicer 
will be the syrup. 
2. I do not think the sugar bounty will affect me. I can¬ 
not afford to make sugar even for the extra amount se¬ 
cured for it. I can sell all my syrup readily for $1.25 per 
gallon, and so cannot afford to make sugar. 
Agricultural College, Michigan. [prof.] a. j. cook. 
All About the Business. 
1. My experience has taught me that two spouts should be 
used to each tree—no more, no less. Any time after Feb¬ 
ruary 20, when my buckets are scattered in the camp, un¬ 
less the weather is very cold and the snow very deep, and 
the weather turns warm euough to make the sap run 
freely, I open the camp by setting one three-eighth inch 
spout to a tree, after removing the shelly, coarse bark, so 
that the bit can bore about the same depth into the wood 
in all cases. Then l haug my buckets. This plan usually 
gives me all the sap I can handle for the first two or three 
runs, until my men and team get the run of things, and I 
get all things in the sugar house ready to rush the busi¬ 
ness. When it freezes hard enough to stop the work, or 
the sap stops running of its own accord, all the buckets 
after the last gathering are turned bottom side up, and all 
hands put in the second lot of spouts, which are slimmer 
and longer than the others, being from four to six inches 
in length and a quarter of an inch in diameter. They are 
inserted to the right or left of the first spouts and higher 
up. We choose the best location and set the spouts in 
good, sound, healthy timber, avoiding old scars that may 
have been made, especially in trees that have been used 
for many years, and thus we insure a free and healthy flow 
of sap. As soon as the second spouts are inserted the 
buckets are hung again, so that the men can plainly see 
the trees that have been rebored, and thus valuable time 
and labor are saved in seeing that none are omitted. Now 
that the real business has begun, all hands are needed to 
take care of the sap, if it proves a good run; for some 
buckets will overflow from the best trees every 24 hours, 
and no ambitious manufacturer likes to see the sap run to 
waste. After the rush of work with the second spouts is 
over, and the first ones seem not to run so freely as the 
second, we again turn the buckets down at the close of the 
run, and freshen the holes of the first spouts by inserting 
a bit of the same size as before, and turning it two or three 
times around until the chips look white and fresh; then 
we drive in the spouts and hang the buckets again, to 
avoid missing any of the trees. My experience is that the 
trees will then run just as freely as they did at first, and 
one will get plenty of sap again. Then when the sap 
from the little spouts begins to lag, the holes should be 
served in the same way. Some years when there have 
been long intervals, with drying winds, between runs, I 
have freshened each spout hole twice, with good results; 
but in most seasons one reboring for each spout is sufficient 
to get as good a supply of sap as the proprietor of the 
camp or his hands will want to attend to. Remember 
this work should always be done when there has been a 
good, sharp freeze, and the weather is favorable for a good 
flow of sap. After 40 years’ experience, and many trials of 
different plans, such as moving the bucket to the opposite 
side of the tree, and using only one spout, and inserting a 
new spout every time I freshened a hole, I have adopted 
the two spout plan because it does least injury to the 
trees, and gives the best results. In first-class years my 
trees average half a gallon each of first-class syrup a week, 
weighing 11 pounds per gallon, and in a very few instances 
this average has been exceeded by several gallons for the 
whole camp. 2. I do not thiuk the bounty on sugar will in¬ 
crease the amount of maple sugar in this section; for the 
product is nearly all made into syrup. We have the 
largest wholesale, and I believe the best market for maple 
svrup in the world. We get 75 cents per gallon for it in 
bulk, and I have been able the last three years to get more 
than this by contract. Sugar does not command nearly as 
ready sale, and the difference in price per pound, with the 
two cent bounty added, will not pay for the extra work, 
worry, trouble aud uncertainty. R. CUTTS. 
Portage County, O. 
Vermont Men Vary In Practice. 
1. I have had about 40 years’ experience in making 
maple sugar, and have used from one to three spouts to a 
tree. I think the best results are obtained by the use of 
two of fair size, placed about six inches apart. 2. I pre¬ 
sume the bounty on maple sugar will have the effect of 
largely increasing the amount of maple sugar produced 
in this State. J. C. allen. 
Windham County, Vt. 
1. In tapping maple trees, I use one bucket to a tree and 
one spout to a bucket, and no more. Perhaps two spouts 
to a tree three feet in diameter would do no harm. 2 I 
know of only one person who will tap more trees this year 
than last and perhaps he would have done the same if 
there was no bounty. L. A. edson. 
Orange County, Vt. 
1. I have always used two spouts for the largest trees 
and one for the small ones; but I am inclined to think that 
one spout is as good as more. 2. Not to any great extent. 
Addison County, Vt. W. H. DOW. 
1 . I have for the past 20 years used only one spout 
in a tree, except in the case of large trees, 2)4 feet or more 
in diameter; for these I use two tubs placed on opposite 
sides, with one spout to a tub, and think I get as much 
sap as I did when I used more spouts. 2. I think the 
bounty will stimulate farmers to tap more trees and put 
more of the product into sugar, as the greater part has 
hitherto been sold in the form of syrup. E. c. botd. 
Windham County, Vt. 
The Tree Outlived the Man. 
1. While some trees will bear only one spout others will 
take two, and I have known four to be used, with two 
buckets with no ill effect. I remember one instance, about 
30 years ago, when an old farmer used eight or ten spouts 
on a large tree in an open field, thinking to kill it. The 
old man has gone the way of all flesh, but a short time 
ago the tree was still alive and thrifty. 2. The bounty 
will make but little, if any, difference in the amount of 
maple sugar manufactured in this neighborhood. 
Sullivan County, N. H. c. v. paddock, jr. 
Not So The Rural —Until I saw The Rural I 
was disgusted by the prejudice and partisanship of 
the rural press. One would infer from the timidity 
shown by farmers' papers in treating vital eco 
nomic and political questions that the editors were 
governed by their own or subscribers' prejudices 
rather than by a spirit of inquiry and progress. 
Not so The R. N.-Y. w. Hancock. 
Luzerne County , Pa. 
. Fertilizer for Potatoes. 
1. Can unleached hard-wood ashes and cotton seed meal 
be proportioned into a good potato fertilizer ? 2. In what 
proportion should they be mixed ? 3. How long before the 
mixture should be used ? 4. Ho w should it be applied ? 5. 
Will it become available as a plant food in time for the 
potatoes to get the benefit of it ? 6. Could bone flour 
be profitably added ? If so, how much? 
Ans.— 1. No, they would be too low in phosphoric acid. 
2. The potash of ashes is variable and the farmer must 
be guided by the analysis. Enough potash should be used 
to raise the per cent to seven, including the potash 
of the meal, which may safely be reckoned at about 
two per cent. If the amount of potash in the un¬ 
leached ashes is not known it should be estimated 
at about five per cent. The additional per cent of potash 
may be furnished by muriate of potash, which contains 
about 50 per cent of actual potash. 3. It should be mixed, 
if at all, immediately before it is used. 4. Broadcast prefer¬ 
ably, otherwise in the trenches or furrows. 5. We can 
not answer positively. It is doubtful if the nitrogen in 
the oil meal would be available for an early crop. 6. Ye3, 
bone flour or superphosphate (one or the other) should be 
added to balance the fertilizer. Wood ashe3 contain only 
about 1 per cent of phosphoric acid. The meal contains 
about 2)4 to 3 per cent. The per cent should be raised to 
from eight to ten. 
Preparing Bone As A Fertilizer. 
C. O. D B., St Joseph, III. —If I can get bones for from 
$10 to $12 per ton, can I so prepare them as to be cheaper 
than other fertilizers? Is there any cheap mill for grind¬ 
ing them? 
Ans.— There are no cheap mills that will grind a large 
quantity of bones economically. Grinding bones ip large 
quantities is a serious job even in the case of fertilizer 
manufacturers who have every appliance. Burning or 
“softening” with lye or wood ashes is about the only 
practical plan for the farmer. When the bones are smashed 
up with a sledge hammer and packed in alternate layers 
of wood ashes or potash salts and the whole is kept moist 
with water or urine, the bones become softened. Thesame 
is true of bone3 packed in the manure heap; but both of 
these processes are slow and unsatisfactory. Where wood is 
cheap the bones may be burned by making a pile of wood 
and bones with kindling enough to make it blaze. These 
bone and wood ashes make a good mixture of potash and 
phosphoric acid; but as it contains no nitrogen it will not 
give the best results on soils where nitrogen is needed, un¬ 
less this is added in the shape of blood, fish scrap, nitrate 
of soda or some other form. 
Japan Clover; Apple Trees from North and South; 
Foaming Cream, etc. 
H. 3. Q., Nashville, Tenn. —1. Does Japan Clover seed 
at the first or second crop ? 2. Will apple trees from 
Texas do as well here [latitude 36] as trees from the 
North, especially winter apples ? 3. My cows are fed 
twice a day on oats and corn meal; why does their cream 
foam when it is churned ? 4. Will Japan Clover make 
cows slobber when fed like Red Clover. 
ANSWERED BY HENRY STEWART. • 
I. Japan Clover (Lespedeza striata) bears seed every 
year; where it is not killed by frost it is a perennial. It 
is not a plant that is worthy of cultivation, but to prevent 
washing on poor old fields that will produce no better 
plants it may be made useful. No doubt much extrava¬ 
gant eulogy has been given to this weed by persons whose 
object has been to sell seed. 2. Apple trees from the . 
South should be procured from the nearest convenient 
locality or from the North The effect of a Southern 
climate is to hasten the maturity of the fruit, hence a 
winter apple in the North becomes a fall apple in the 
South, and the farther South the trees have been grown 
the earlier the fruit matures. 3. Cream foams when it is 
too sour or too warm. The cause of the foaming is the 
adhesiveness of the cream and the softness of the butter 
which will not become hard enough to gather into masses, 
and hence when beaten in the churn is made into an emul¬ 
sion which gathers air or becomes filled with gas from the 
cream and thus foams and swells in the churn. A quart 
or two of cold water poured into the churn will stop the 
foaming, and this should be done at the first appearance 
of it or the butter will acquire a bad flavor. 4. Japan 
Clover is not a clover at all, but quite a different plant. 
I have never seen or known cows to eat enough of it to 
cause them to slobber, indeed I have never seen cows eat it 
at all, even where it is abundant. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
J. R. P„ Spruce Vale, Ohio.— 1. How and when do 
ammonia, potash and phosphoric acid act upon plant life 
in commercial fertilizers ? 2. What is meant by bone 
phosphate ? 
ANS.—1. If soluble the plant food is dissolved by the 
soil water which the roots imbibe. The plants feed on 
this dissolved food just as soon as the seed germinates. 
If insoluble it is worthless. 2. Bone phosphate is simply 
phosphoric acid and lime or phosphate of lime which 
makes up something like 60 per cent of the bone. Of this 
about 29 per cent is phosphoric acid for which the bones 
are chiefly valuable in agriculture. Their next most 
valuable ingredient is nitrogen. 
D. C. O., South Montville, Me. —What, if any, are the 
special merits of the Idaho Pear ? 
ANS.—The Idaho has not as yet fruited outside of 
Idaho except in one or two places. How it will thrive 
outside of its native climate no one can say. The variety 
is on trial at the Rural Grounds. As it conducts itself in 
Idaho, it is one of the best pears known. 
